Brother & Little Bitty

Hellooo?

2011-04-12T10:05:00.003-05:00

Hi! Anybody here? :) All is well here. Very well. Our little family is all happy, healthy and busy. My last post was about the snow days that we experienced. The weather is finally better (it is mid-April after all) but it was a long hard winter in that respect. And - for those of you who don't know - we think the weather was just a gift to us to prepare for our move "up north".

Yes - Blake has accepted a job offer at a small, liberal arts college in upstate NY and we'll be moving this summer. We are very excited and very proud of how hard he has worked to get to this point. I think the little town will be a great fit for our family. It is very different from where we are now...but I think some of the things we like about Nashville will actually be present in our new community as well.

As we prepare for and embark on our next chapter - which will eventually include a change in career for me - please keep up with us by visiting my other blog. I am combining my small biz/project/craft/sewing blog and my personal stuff. Our kids and Blake inspire (and HELP with) so many of my projects that I think it will be fitting and fun to have the whole journey in one place.

I went back and read some of my firsts posts on this blog. It's crazy. Brother was 3 and LB was 1. They're 7 and almost 5 now! Yet, as I read about our daily activities from a few years ago -their personalities were already so clearly shining through. They've come so far, grown so much but - they're still the same Brother and Little Bitty. Slimmer cheeks, longer legs, larger vocabularies, new interests, new schools, new houses...none of it changes who they are. Thank Goodness.

And thank you for following along on our journey!

www.projectanthologies.com

Snow Days and more snow days

2011-01-26T16:35:00.003-06:00

We've had at least 8 or 9 snow days this year. I'm sure a better mom knows the exact count - but I can't remember at this point. In some ways snow days are easier for us than for a lot of families - because I work from home and don't have to take the day off. However, this also means that I end up with two kids home all day while I'm trying to work. It's not perfect - but it could be worse. And I guess because of my years of school, I still cheer a bit inside when I hear that schools are canceled for the day.

In the meantime, the kids have gotten very good at finding non-TV things to do (even if it does mean a little too much time on the iPad). They've also gotten very good at refusing to get dressed if it's a snow day. I don't know how that assumption came about - but they act like I've lost my mind if it's not a school day and I asked them to get dressed.

Little Bitty loving on her "good boy".

Brother googling some stuff to make sure he doesn't get too far behind in school.

And this is what we have to do to encourage the kids to actually get ready when school is actually in session. Five smileys and you get a treat.

So, everyone hope for those smileys to start adding up. We need a little more schoolin' up in here.

Wha?! Is it January already??

2011-01-04T12:17:00.010-06:00

So. The longer you're alive, the faster time goes by. It's the "time is relative" theory, right? I recognize this to be true because I can't believe I haven't posted on here since October. It's because I'm 38 now.

So, anyway, we are all well. We are all healthy (well, Blake just found out he has Strep. Bummer.) but overall we are healthy. We are all happy too. Overall. Little Bitty may disagree depending on the ~~day~~ minute. But, we are.

The holidays were wonderful. We spent a week in Florida over Thanksgiving, which was delightful. I always like to take the opportunity to tell people how lucky I got in the in-law department. LUCKY. I spent 10 days with my mother-in-law and was sad to see it end. My father-in-law is a one of a kind as well. And Zia and Uncle Awesome? The best. Anyway, I had some rather lovely pictures just waiting to be posted to the blog. But, my work laptop died and the Thanksgiving pictures are temporarily lost. We hope "temporarily". But, back to the trip...we even squeezed in some beach time. Ahhh. It soothes the soul, right? Blake and I talk a lot about how we used to want to live in a beach town. It was one of our priorities on where we'd like to settle. We'd still love that for the geography...but not sure due to other circumstances that come with living in beach towns (shark attacks and whatnot). It's very complicated once kids are in the equations. However, we also know that wherever we end up, our stellar parenting will overcome any challenges that are brought our way due to the town we live in. Heh. Yes, that is a tad sarcastic.

So - on to Christmas. We celebrated as just Team T first (Santa came and did not disappoint) - and then we headed to Alabama to see my family. There were cousins and aunts and uncles and grandmas and mums and papabobs. It was wonderful. My mom and all her little chickens under one roof. It doesn't happen too often. My mom always puts on a great holiday and everyone feels relaxed and thankful. I also got very luck in the my-side-of-the-family department. ;)

After Christmas we took a visit to my home state of Indiana. Just a quick day trip to my grandparent's house. I don't see my dad's of the family as much as I'd like and it's always great to get to catch up with everyone. I should really do an entire blog post on this side of the family. But, I'm afraid I wouldn't or couldn't aptly describe or give enough history and dynamics to really make it accurate and as fascinating as it really is. Anyway - I'm very glad I got to see my dad and everyone else!

Blake's parents came to see us after Christmas and spent a few days. This overlapped with a week that my brother (also from Florida) was here. We have a small house - but even so - it's always fun to have family here and part of our every day lives because we don't get to have that full-time. We didn't do a lot of anything (other than eating). Just hung out together, played games and relaxed.

So, that brings us about to now (New Year's was in there but it was a non-event this year. zzzz.) Today Brother and Little Bitty went back to school. PHEW. Brother went back with his hair neatly combed, shirt tucked in, and a sweet (if a little hesitant) smile on his face. Little Bitty went back with days of begging and pleading to not go back, threats, screams, refusals, and finally the bribe of a treat from Walgreens if she would PLEASE JUST GET DRESSED AND NOT CRY.

She goes through phases where she makes me wrack my brain and try every parenting skill in the book to just get through the day. Seriously, the last couple of days have made me reconsider things I thought I firmly believed regarding parenting - and to question if I have somehow completely failed her already and just created a miserable little anger ball of a being. And then - as ferociously as the phase comes - it will pass quietly without event and I'll end up thinking to myself "wow - she is sooo sweet. How did I get so lucky?!" I know this to be true. I also know that she manipulates and tests her limits and that she's just FOUR - it's just sometimes I forget all this in the heat of the moment and want to curl up in a ball. Or to start drinking.

Today...I actually left her smiling in her classroom doorway today as she waved and yelled down the hallway to me, "Run, Mommy! Run like the wind!" Believe me... I am, Baby!

But - I'll be back at 3pm excited to see her, looking forward to spending the evening together. It's good that it works out like that.

So - bring it on 2011.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T18:28:00.002-05:00

This is what she was going to wear. In fact, she wore it to her school party...but then she said she didn't like how everyone looked at her.

So, for Halloween night - she looked like this. This is my new dog niece. She loves me but she lives with my sister.

This is my strong seven year old ninja.

My two characters.

My non-dog niece and Little Bitty. Best buddies- except when they aren't.

It's That Time of Year!

2010-10-28T19:15:00.003-05:00

Found a new pumpkin patch this year. It was awesome. Except for the part where Little Bitty pitched a big ol' fit for having to let her pet lady bug go free. I didn't capture it on film.

Our little dude and his little pumpkin.

Our little Bitty and her huge pumpkin.

Back home (actually weeks later) carving a pumpkin.

Brother planned the face. Which is nice. I like a happy pumpkin.

Happy Halloween. I'll try to get pictures of the kids - including the little one in a horse costume made by yours truly.

Happy Birthday to us.

2010-09-30T08:50:00.002-05:00

Well, we've had a couple of birthdays up in here. First Blake and then moi. We are both a year older and wiser now. ;) I love this picture of me with my two best gifts ever. Blake made the cake all by himself. Did I mention what an awesome husband I have? I do. He can also do a mean chicken burrito.

A lovely fall weekend.

2010-09-21T13:06:00.004-05:00

We went camping last weekend. It was perfect. The weather was amazing and we were with some good friends. Brother fished for hours on end with his buddy - and with Little Bitty and Daddy for much of the time too. Me? I don't enjoy the sport of fishing quite as much - but that's ok because I had a friend to chat with and a baby to play with. He's yummy. The rest of the time was spent roasting marshmallows, cooking out, and enjoying being outside.

In other news from the weekend - Little Bitty scored two goals during their soccer games. She's proving to be a little athletic squirrel like her brother. I'm very proud of them both. They are happy, healthy and just so darn lovable.

Are you ready for some futbol?!

2010-09-11T10:56:00.003-05:00

The new soccer season has started and it's Little Bitty's first time playing. We're trying out a new league this year and today was the first game day. The highlights are below.

Little Bitty and her coach getting ready.

Brother getting ready.

Brother not afraid of the 10 year olds they were playing!

More action shots - he went on to score 2 goals! Yay!

Little Bitty getting ready for a kick-in, taking in the advice of her coach.

Action shot - the photos are a little heavy on the Little Bitty side because it was her first game ever. Luckily their games were side by side so I ran back and forth. I was almost as sweaty as the players.

I love her.

I love them all. For anyone who doesn't recognize - that's my niece on Brother's other side. She's on Little Bitty's team.

Bike Rides and Fireflies

2010-09-09T08:18:00.004-05:00

Yep, she rides on two wheels. She's cool like that. Yesterday evening we took a little pajama bike ride. Mighty Boy came along showing off his fall hair do. He also got a new halter top.

The return leg of the bike ride was interrupted with some firefly catching. It was very exciting and fun...so much so that the kids kept jumping off their bikes in the middle of the street to run and grab another firefly. And then I yelled and threatened them because that's how I like to ruin a special evening. BUT - not before I snapped some sweet pictures of the event with our new camera. Yay.

p.s. Our children do own actual sets of pajama tops and bottoms that match. They do not tend to wear them that way.

Summer Chronicles of My Big Boy

2010-07-24T10:00:00.005-05:00

This has been Brother's first summer as a school-age kid - which has meant that we've entered the era of summer camps and finding things to keep him busy. Things that don't include the TV.

He attended Basketball Camp. I hope it was more exciting than this picture suggests. He did seem to enjoy it - although - he was beginning to come down with something (missed one day due to fever).

Here he is a couple nights later in the ER at 2:30am. When your Big Boy wakes up saying he's having trouble breathing - you just take him to the ER no questions asked. It was Strep. He's has a tendency towards reactive airway disease and after a HUGE shot of penicillin and some albuterol - all was well.

This, in fact, is a short 48 hours later or so four states away in Pennsylvania enjoying the Country with Little Bitty. They spend hours searching for salamanders and other creatures in this creek.

My Big Boy even learned to ride a dirt bike by himself. I have to add...this is something that I'm quite sure I have said he would NEVER do with my permission. Someone once told me to never say "My kid will never..." because you'll always prove yourself wrong. And she was right.
We camped out. Brother is becoming very skilled at all things camping. He has a great teacher (Daddy - not me). Little Bitty is not too shabby either.
Speaking of Little Bitty, she taught us all a new and improved way of enjoying a pinata. You cut a hole in the top and carry it around, inviting everyone to reach in and grab a handful. This is a much preferred version to the old-fashioned bashing with a stick - which is both dangerous and sad when your beautiful pinata gets broken.

After the Strep recovery and trip to the Country for the 4th of July. Brother and Little Bitty headed to Alabama for horse camp. This was (I think) the favorite camp so far. I haven't mentioned Art Camp and Spanish Camp because I don't have any fun pictures of those. And - true - this picture of horse camp doesn't do it justice but the kids LOVED it and we'll definitely try to do this again next year. Brother didn't even freak when this horse tried to eat his hair right before I snapped this photo.

The afternoons after horse camp were spent at my sister's house where Brother surprised me with his bigness yet again and started jumping off the diving board and swimming the length of the pool all by himself. He's awesome.

We're rounding out the summer with Brother's first loose tooth. FINALLY (he's been hoping for one for about a year now). He also just had his first sleep-over. It was at our house...but still...sniff sniff - my little dude is getting so big. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I love him and he's making us proud. Good job, Brother!

Little Bitty had a Party

2010-06-29T19:53:00.003-05:00

So - our precious young one is about to turn four years old. We had a party for her at home this year - because we are always out of town for the 4th of July. We kept it pretty small with just family. Here are some highlights...

Little Bitty and her two girl cousins. These three are all within a year and a half of each other in age. I see TROUBLE in a few years. But how stinkin' cute are they right now?!!

We had a pony come to our house for the party. Little Bitty got to ride first (which, at this age, being first is apparently about as great as a pony ride).

About to dig in to the gifts.

Opening one of her gifts. I think she liked it.

Brother and one of my nephews. They are great buddies. Oh - and Brother doesn't really have a mustache already. It's juice.

Look! Baby Gus is on the pony!

This is my grandmother with her youngest great-grandchild. She's nearly 95. Isn't she sweet?

A Month in Photos

2010-06-24T09:11:00.003-05:00

We've had a busy month. I decided the best way to catch up here is to post a few photos (blogger does well with just five). First of all - our handsome son graduated from Kindergarten! Seems like just last year he was graduating from Pre-K. Oh - it was just last year. Brother had a wonderful first year of big-boy school and I am thankful that he started out at such a great school with a teacher that he loved. I'm also thankful he agreed to a hair cut shortly after this picture.

We left from his school parking lot on the last day of school and headed to Florida for a WONDERFUL vacation. We got to see my brother for a few days at his new house in Naples and then drove across the state and spent the week at a condo on the beach. Blake's family lives nearby so we got to spend time with Zia, Uncle Awesome and Grammy and Nonno. It was the perfect combination of a Team T vacation and visit with the family. The only downside was it took me a good 10 days upon return to get back into a normal groove. Normal being disorganized, absent-minded, one-step-behind... but happy.

Little Bitty loved the beach as much as the rest of us. It occurred to us shortly before the trip that she hadn't been to the beach since she was 2 1/2 and likely didn't remember it well. She didn't miss a beat though. She and Brother spent hours boogey boarding (each in their own way), digging, running, exploring and jumping in the sand. Being on the beach with them gave me moments of pure joy where it feels like everything is completely right in the world and always will be.

More recently, my adorable little nephew turned one year old. As an aunt of three boys and two girls - I definitely LOVE them all. And I don't have a favorite. BUT - this little dude is the only one I've gotten to live by and get to know on a daily basis as a baby. Let me tell you - YUM. I could just eat him up. I want to put him in my pocket and keep him with me all the time. I can't say the same (right now) for all the other nephews and nieces - because - for example, Ethan is almost 12 years old - and that would be weird. But, I've definitely been blessed with an AWESOME group of kids in my life.

A couple weeks ago we went with some good friends to a park between here and Chattanooga to hike, swim and picnic. The hike was long but worth it.

When Blake and I first started dating he had a hobby (?) of having himself photographed naked in front of waterfalls (I know - that's good stuff for early dating). As you can see - he has apparently matured and this time just jumped off the waterfall. Our loss.

So, that's our late May to late June in a nutshell. We have a very important birthday coming up. So - more pictures to come soon I'm sure.

Ride that Pony Pony

2010-05-22T08:47:00.002-05:00

Can you believe this is my baby? Every once in a while I catch a glimpse of her and am just amazed all over again that she is my daughter - and I can't figure out how she's this grown already?!!

My Fashionista. snort.

2010-05-19T08:57:00.003-05:00

I was so excited. I actually got Little Bitty to wear something that I had made for her(this hasn't happened for quite a while). It's a cute little green and blue t-shirt dress. With little flower appliques. It's girly - but still casual and playful - she agreed to actually wear it. Sure, I had to let her sleep in it first so that she wouldn't have to get dressed this morning - but - we do what we have to.

So, just as she started to head out the door to school - she spotted the brown, leather, fringed cowboy vest from Halloweens past. AND WOULDN'T THAT LOOK PERFECT WITH HER NEW DRESS?! gah. bleck. ah well. We pick our battles.

Mother's Day and Flood Recovery 2010

2010-05-09T14:35:00.004-05:00

I was awoken around 6:30am with breakfast in bed. Dry bagel and a mug of apple juice. It was delicious. I overheard the kids talking before they brought it to me. Brother said, "Do you know how to make Mommy's coffee?" and Little Bitty answered, "No, but we can give her apple juice." So sweet. And I didn't punish them for not bringing coffee. I just waited patiently for Daddy to help them make it before I got out of bed. I'm nice like that.

The rest of the weekend was great too. We went to The Steeplechase horse race. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the kids loved the races.

Brother made this picture of a paper horse that he took just so he could get this photo.

The hard part about attending this event was trying to enjoy it while pushing aside the feelings of guilt. Being surrounded by fancy people over-indulging in so many things (although this event does support Vandy Children's Hospital) while so many others from our community are still reeling and trying to put their lives back together after the horrible floods we experienced last week - does give you pause (whatever that means...seems an odd expression now that I write it). We have, of course, tried to help... we've donated money and supplies to friends and strangers affected by the flood, but it's pretty surreal to see life go on at the race track a mile away from where people were struck homeless last weekend.

We have talked to the kids a lot about what happened and, I think, walked the line of making them understand the seriousness of the situation without terrifying them and filling them with anxiety about rain, storms and natural disasters. As Brother was out of school ALL WEEK, due to the floods, I know he understands that it was a big deal. However, it really hit home on Friday when I took him with me to drop off some supplies in our old area of town that got hit especially hard. As we drove the half hour there, we were chatting and watching out the window, commenting sporadically when we saw a house with all their belongings on the side of the road - obviously affected by the flood. And then we turned down a street - one that we have driven on a hundred times on our way to t-ball practice or out for pizza - and EVERY home was destroyed. Beds, toys, clothes, furniture, appliances - all just piled on both sides of the road so that you feel like you're driving through a tunnel of sorts. At this point we were both quiet. The bags of "supplies" next to me seemed suddenly very small. Sigh. But - my hope is that the life experience for Brother (and me) wasn't small and that we will all continue to be aware, helpful and giving to those in need. And not just to flood victims. People surely show their strength and generosity during tragedies - and wouldn't it be great if we did this all the time?

I did it.

2010-04-29T08:29:00.002-05:00

I set a goal and actually reached it...I think we all do that in little ways each day (getting Little Bitty to school fully dressed), but I hadn't reached a big-ish goal like this in a while.

So, I ran (yes, RAN) that 1/2 marathon I've been talking about for so long. And - I loved it. I wouldn't have said the "I loved it" part at mile 11 - but at mile 10 I was still feeling that way. And now, almost a week later I'm still feeling that way. So - that's awesome.

My amazingly supportive husband found a spot to cheer me on at mile 3.5 early in the morning while allowing enough time to scramble with both kids to get to Brother's t-ball game on time (he's the coach - so they kinda had to be there). Seeing them on the sidelines made me tear up and run stronger and faster. It wasn't about showing the kids how fast their Mommy can run (not very) but it was the moment of feeling their pride and love and all of us supporting each other - even if it isn't convenient right then (see t-ball game schedule). I just love my little family and I didn't expect this silly little race to make me so emotional and contemplative about it all. I've been truly blessed and I am so thankful.

Stress Relief

2010-04-21T11:12:00.004-05:00

I don't like to stress over small stuff. I consider small stuff anything other than the health/well-being of my loved ones. However, sometimes the small stuff adds up and it does get to me. This blog is dedicated to getting it out there and letting it go. It will all work out and my energy would be so much better spent living well and making a difference instead of worrying over these things.

I'm not ready for the 1/2 marathon on Saturday - but I'm doing it anyway.
Did I mention it's supposed to rain?
I found a jar of pickles on the back of our toilet. Gross. Did Little Bitty snack while doing her business? How is it that I let these things happen?
I hosted book club last weekend and drank too much wine. I felt too sick to go to Brother's t-ball game the next day and I'm wracked with self-loathing over this.
The rainy day race is going to make me miss his next game too. Perhaps the game will be rained out? I hope.
There is a pair of underwear on our counter. Why? Don't I spend most free time trying to straighten up the house?
The dog is shedding for the first time. Clumps of hair everywhere. Gross. And he desperately needs a bath. And I should take him to the park soon.
Uncertain job situations going on. Money doesn't equal happiness...but lack of money does equal stress.
I've eaten too many nutty bars this week. Running makes me hungry.
There are probably at least 4 permission slips/money requests for Brother's school stacked on the table. I can't keep all the field trips and fundraisers straight.
There are at least 3 laundry baskets of clothes waiting to be put away.
I just read that bananas are full of pesticides but my kids love them. It's not good enough anymore that I try to give them healthy snacks - now I have to only give them local, organic healthy snacks.

There. I feel better.

Our Success Story

2010-04-15T11:40:00.005-05:00

I'm not usually on the ball enough to post topics to link up to anything specific. I can't even seem to post holiday pictures right after they happen (reference missing Easter pictures). However, a friend's post on Facebook caught my eye. It reads, "ATTENTION BLOGGERS: (From JCICS): "Today is We Are The Truth Adoption Blogger Day! Don't forget to blog about your sucessful adoption, or the sucessful adoption of someone you know"!

Here's the thing - yes, most people join their family by being born into it. However, some join their family through adoption. It's just another way of becoming a family. Kind of like getting married. You meet someone and you fall in love and they become your family.

The recent news of a mother "returning" her 7 year old son to Russia has spurred a media frenzy of adoption analysis. Yes - this one turned out badly. Yes - something went horribly wrong. But it is surely not indicative of most adoptions. Just like a horror story of a woman placing her newborn in a trashcan is not indicative of most biological births. That would never cause all pending births to be suspended, would it?

Our family's story of adoption is much like our story of deciding to have our first child. In both cases, I was ready a little before my husband was. In both cases he was focused on how our currently perfect life might change - and I was focused on how much better it was going to be. In both cases, we eventually added the perfect child for our family to our family. Both roads to getting them were emotional, trying and took about 9 months.

Brother came to us very quickly -even if not easily. Pregnancy is not easy. And mine was what would be called an "easy" one. He was conceived quickly, he grew perfectly and despite an emergency c-section - he came out big and healthy and beautiful. I still wasn't convinced for a while that I'd want to do THAT again. During the pregnancy I felt sick for about umm... 9 months. My hips hurt. I couldn't sleep, yada yada yada. Don't get me wrong - it was all very worth it - and I would have done it again.

Some higher power knew that our daughter was elsewhere, because when it was time for our second child - something had changed - and we didn't conceive quickly. Instead, we found out that our best (maybe only?) option was to adopt. I'm not going to lie - the news was surprising - life changing, really. It had to sink in for a bit. But, surprisingly quickly (within days) I woke up and just knew what we should do. Memories of me telling my mother years before that I'd like to adopt internationally some day came back to me. And visions of a little girl I met at a recent playgroup popped back in my head. She was from Guatemala. I've told people how I always pictured having a brown haired, brown eyed little girl as my child. When my blue eyed, blond haired boy was born I was ecstatic. He was - and still is the perfect son but I think I knew that there was another child in our future. My baby girl.

She was born on the 4th of July. We met her for the first time about 10 days later. We saw her again about 3 months later, this time bringing her big brother to meet her for the first time. And then - on January 4th 2007, her 6 month birthday, she got her Mommy and Daddy forever. She's perfect for us. She's ours. I can't overstate how much Little Bitty is a part of our family. Someone recently asked me, "When did you get her?" It seems strange...she's always been mine, hasn't she?? Side note: I do not minimize the role that her birth mother had in this - I love, respect, and owe the world to her.

So, to think that anyone, ESPECIALLY my daughter, could be subjected to mass over-generalizations and stereotypes about "adoption" makes me crazy. Every adoption is different. Every birth is different. Every family is different. It doesn't matter. People have issues. They have issues if they were raised by their bio family with June and Ward Cleaver, they have issues if they were raised in an orphanage, they have issues if they were raised by wolves. The 7 year old from Russia obviously has some BIG issues. As does the woman who sent him alone, back to Russia. However, I can't pretend to understand ANY of them. I wasn't there. I've never been to Russia - I can't even see it from my house. I've never adopted an older child who lived in an orphanage for years. The one thing I do know is that the word "adoption" is where any similarities between our two families stop.

I'm pretty certain there are just as many people who secretly (or not) think "wow - this didn't turn out how I hoped" about their bio kids as there are people who think this about their children who were adopted. The difference is that with adoption - there is some thing more obvious to try to blame. I don't know the Russian child's circumstances any more than the rest of you who have heard it in the news. But it seems that this was a case of an older child with emotional issues that had been hidden? minimized? covered up? and then placed in an incapable home without an adequate support system. That's the issue here - not the fact that the child was adopted.

If the media wants to put energy into getting fired up about adoption - good. Get fired up about all the government laws and bureaucracy that make it so hard to adopt and bring kids home to their families in a reasonable amount of time. Let's look at what happens when government corruption and unethical professionals cause children to languish in orphanages with no food or medical care instead of being home with people who LONG for a baby to love and nurture. Research DOES show that the sooner a child is with their "forever" family the better. Let's look closer at organizations such as UNICEF who promote themselves as caring for children all over the world but actually cause usually unnecessary delays in adoptions and are fundamentally opposed to children being raised anywhere other than their country of birth, even if staying in their country of birth means they die by age 5.

So, where was I? Our successful adoption story? We have two kids. One of them has a tendency to be hard on himself and is prone to anxiety. The other one has a temper and is a little bossy. Neither of them eat enough vegetables. One wears glasses. One probably will eventually. One is going to need braces. The other one is going to be short. They are both beautiful. They are both affectionate. They are both pretty funny. Although - one is prone to telling dirty jokes. It's not about having a perfect family. It's about having a family perfect for you. Whatever that is. Our successful adoption story? It's really just a successful family story.

File under: Weird things you do for your kids

2010-04-12T19:47:00.002-05:00

I completed a class quilt for Little Bitty's pre-k silent auction. It turned out very cute and ~~someone better cough up a lot of money for this sucker~~ I'm sure someone will enjoy it. For pictures - go here. If you're interested.
http://pilarinasboutique.blogspot.com/2010/04/silent-auction-class-quilt.html

In other news, I mod podged a potato for Brother. Because it has a face and he doesn't want it to rot. I don't see this ending well.

For your viewing pleasure. Not great pics - but great times.

2010-04-09T09:45:00.002-05:00

Out on a hike. Momma made them dress alike so we wouldn't lose them in the woods.

Brother and his BFF at their school egg hunt.

Brother finding an egg.

Little Bitty on her egg hunt at school.

Off to grab another one. She was all business.

Because what's a trick if it doesn't involve ears?!

2010-03-28T18:47:00.003-05:00

Little Bitty: We should teach Mighty Boy some new tricks. We should teach him to give us five with his paw... and to stand on his ear.

Brother: Yeah! We SHOULD teach him to give five. But - he can't stand on his ear.

Little Bitty: I KNOW. We need to TRAIN him to stand on his ear.

Brother: But, he's not going to be able to do that. We'll just be able to train him to give five.

Little Bitty: Ok. We'll train him to give us five. And then we'll hold his feet while he stands on his ear.

Good luck with that guys. ;)

Like Forrest Gump

2010-03-25T10:22:00.002-05:00

Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!
Forrest Gump, 1994

My sister and I have been training for the Music City Marathon (just the HALF). And I use the word "training" loosely. Many of you who know me know that I like to run...but I have a habit of training for races that I don't actually run in. It's ok. In the meantime, I'm pretty healthy and not overweight - so I shall keep training when I feel like it and someday probably run one of those races.

The more entertaining part of this is that Brother's elementary school has organized a group of kids who are running a mile per day until the day before the marathon and then kids from all over get together to run the last mile of 26 miles and therefore have run a marathon. Did I explain that right? Anyway - the running started this week and my little dude is into it. He ran 2 miles the first day and then 3 miles the next day. Well, not to be left out - Little Bitty joined in yesterday and did 1.5 miles. They are both so cute running the laps. Little Bitty made sure to pack a bag of snacks and juice boxes for them yesterday. The girl doesn't go long without a snack so she knew she better prepare for this run.

I'm very proud of my active little offspring. I wish kids all over our country would participate in this. It's so great to see them outside - just running. It promotes good health, goal setting, social interaction, and I'm hoping at some point they'll be so tired that they'll go to bed on time. ;)

A little political...a lot sweet.

2010-03-19T10:44:00.004-05:00

For some reason the kids have been talking a lot about marriage and girlfriends and boyfriends and having kids, etc. They are both certain they want families when they grow up. Little Bitty, when asked what she wants to be when she grows up, says “a mommy”. Although, I think she'd prefer to have like a baby penguin as opposed to a human. Brother wants to be an author or toy designer when he grows up. However, Little Bitty told him he should either be an engineer…or maybe have a lemonade stand. She also announced that she doesn't EVER want Brother to get married. She wants him to stay with her. Awww.

Earlier this week they were talking about girlfriends. Brother is smitten with a certain little girl in his class – and has been all year. Little Bitty announced that her girlfriend is Audrey. Brother very sympathetically explained to her “Well, Audrey shouldn't be your girlfriend…because you would never be able to marry her. Well – not in Tennessee anyway, maybe if you moved to Washington or somewhere.” Brother and I had had a recent conversation about same-sex marriage because we know several same-sex couples in Nashville. He was wondering about one family we know that has two daddies and if the daddies were able to get married. Pretty insightful for a six year old, no?

For the record – I want my kids to be able to marry whoever they want, wherever they want.

An ironic thing here is that Audrey is Little Bitty’s cousin…and that’s probably legal in Tennessee. ;)

There was a Little Bitty who Lived in a Shoe...

2010-02-27T11:14:00.004-06:00

Conversation between Brother and Little Bitty in the back seat of the car as we drove to Alabama last week.

Little Bitty: [Brother], are you going to be a Daddy some day?

Brother: Yes. I think I'll have three kids. (time passes) Wait, actually - I think I'll just have two kids and a dog. You know - a son, a daughter, a wife, and a dog are really all that a man needs.

Little Bitty: I'm going to have 14 kids. Wait - no - 100 kids. And they'll each have THEIR OWN dog. And their own horse. So... I'll have 100 kids, 100 dogs and 100 horses.

Brother: Wow. You better have a million dollars then.

A February Weekend with Team T

2010-02-22T08:12:00.003-06:00

Blake had a conference this weekend so Brother, LB and I were on our own for a couple days. We missed him terribly but we managed to pack a lot of fun into our days. Friday night we tried a new pizza place with my sis and her family. YUM. The pizza was great - and we got to sit at a big round booth which is always good for the kids. The service? Well, I guess they're still learning. It was great to hang out but my sister works a real job where she has to get dressed and show up some place every day Monday thru Friday - so by Friday night, she was ~~kind of a drag~~ understandably tired and the night was short and sweet.

Saturday (see - I'm going to do one of those blog posts where I list the mundane activities of our whole weekend) we went to see "Pedro y el Lobo" (Peter and the Wolf for you non-Spanish speakers). It was the symphony with narration and puppets - all in Spanish. There is a lot of good stuff I could say about this performance. The fact that Little Bitty fell asleep on my lap and then peed all over herself and me - is not one of the good things. The fact that this happened less than half-way through isn't good either. We were about to leave due to the fact that I was ~~bored out of my freakin' mind~~ all wet, but then the puppets came out and Brother wanted to stick it out to watch that part. So we did. By the end I felt so proud that we had stayed for the whole thing that I wanted to dance and sing that Dora song, "We did it, du du du du du du du du du, Lo hicimos...."! If you haven't inferred by the description above - apparently I am not a lover of the symphony. I DO love the idea of it. Kind of like going to museums. Anyway - all in all a great experience for Brother and we saw a lot of friends, yada yada yada.

After Pedro, we went to Alabama to hang with Mum, Papa Bob and Grandma. The kids love going down to their house. We got to walk along the river shore in front of their house and gather nature treasures - the weather was awesome! And my mom has a basket full of maybe 100 beanie babies - so that's always a big hit. They had beanie baby Olympics sliding the different little creatures down the stair banister and throwing them over the upstairs balcony. Good times. The kids love their mum and papa bob - so all was good.

Blake returned around the same time we did - just in time for a Team T hang out session on the couch watching Spy Kids 2.

There you have it. I didn't even touch on the karate class we observed Saturday morning. I'll wait until Brother actually participates to write about that.

A Little Bitty Quote

2010-02-12T15:01:00.002-06:00

"There are NO winners in Jenga. Only losers and not losers."
-Little Bitty to Brother upon hearing him exclaim that he was going to win at Jenga.

It's funny cause it's true.

We're over the snow.

2010-02-09T15:31:00.005-06:00

I'm back at home with my little ones so I can't complain...but (you knew there was a but) it snowed again. Which means that school is cancelled - again. This also wouldn't be a big deal except that Little Bitty got sick as soon as I got home from my work trip and stayed home yesterday - and I was hoping to actually be somewhat productive today. Instead, I have both of them home. Really, if it weren't for this pesky "job" thing - I'd love having them here all day. I do count my blessings though and I am lucky that I don't have to take official time off for something like this.

I had to laugh last night when we looked out the door and saw the snow falling. Little Bitty stomped her little foot and said "I am NOT going out to play in that." Me neither! We live in the south for a reason (and it's not for the meat and three restaurants), right?! So, we made the best of it and I whipped up this awesome fort INSIDE today - I guess I was pretty productive. The picture doesn't do it justice, but this was attempt #83 or so trying to get a good shot with my Blackberry and I had to just go with it. The fort is complete with hanging pirate lights. The kids are both squinting because my little camera on my phone has a surprisingly bright flash. I promise they aren't stoned.

Most importantly, Little Bitty is feeling much better today (strep test negative and blood work normal - yay) and I haven't been puked on for at least 36 hours or so, so I'd say we're on the mend.

It's Fancy

2010-02-03T15:41:00.006-06:00

I haven't blogged about any of the recent holidays - not because they weren't great - they were. Even bronchitis, antibiotics, coughs, flu-like symptoms and 12 hour drives are tolerable when it means you get to spend the holidays with your loved ones (btw - I didn't have to put up with being sick - my loved ones did, and for the record, I'd always rather it be me). I think the only reason I haven't blogged about the holiday season is because it was just all so busy starting with selling our house in early November - things didn't slow down until very recently - and now here I am out of town for a week for work.

I always dread leaving on my work trips. I don't have to travel often - just about once every few months and usually just for three or four days. But - the days leading up to it put me in a funk. I miss my husband and kids when I'm gone and I just don't feel completely right. HOWEVER - this time I had a little something to get me excited about my trip. Brother and Little Bitty got me THIS for Christmas:

If ever there has been a fancy suitcase, this is it. They know me - I've always had a thing about not wanting to look "plain". I like earrings and makeup. I like fringe-y boots. I like my new suitcase!

The US Air ticket counter lady even commented on it, something like "Oh! You won't lose this will you?!" I smiled and told her that my 3 and 6 year old had picked it out for me. Her coworker then informed me that he had watched a TV show about a child born without a face. ? Very sad - yes. Relevant at all to my fancy suitcase? No, not so much. So....where was I?

Anyway- so here I am - missing my kids - but doing it in style. I actually found time to run out to the beach (by run I mean ride in my coworkers car) and gather some shells in the wind and cold to bring home for Brother and LB.

And when I do get home, I shall be thankful that I get to see their little faces light up. ;)

SNOW DAY!

2010-01-30T10:34:00.003-06:00

Well - no better time than today to start blogging again. Even though my blogs have been on hiatus, we haven't. We've been moving full-steam ahead in all areas. Here is a brief run down on everyone:

Brother

He's reading and writing a lot. He wrote a story last week called "The Legend of Monkey Mansion". It was about a group of monkeys who go to war and the good guys win, and then they party. In fact, they don't just party - they "PARTAY" (one of my favorite lines). At the end - they decide to sit in a field and meditate instead. It's good, right?
He's learning to tell time on a clock with hands (as opposed to just reading digital clocks) but he can only do it in Spanish (he goes to a Spanish Immersion school). I love this.
His hair is still long.
We just finished a Star Wars room for him. Pictures soon.
He's got lots of nice friends from school.
He loves tigers, beanie babies, playing Wii (thank you Grammy and Nonno), imaginative play, Star Wars, and mostly being together as a family.

Little Bitty

She's been delightful the past few weeks. Agreeable, sweet and consciously works to use her good manners. I mention this because it's weird. ;)
She did cut her bangs off a couple weeks ago. Off. I mention this because it looks weird. ;)
She may not grow up to be an engineer - but she'd be great at it. She can work a whole puzzle quicker than her very bright 6 year old brother. She asks great, intuitive questions. And she can work the Wii, TV and DVD player like nobodies business.
She loves playing with her cousin Audrey (who is now right down the street. Whoohoo.).
At school - she's more quiet than at home and plays with lots of different kids - not just one special friend as you start seeing at this age - but she does LOVE Walter.
She eats like a hungry wolf... if a wolf were to eat mainly fruits, eggs and yogurt.

I could list what's going on in Blake and my worlds...but - it's just not nearly as cute nor interesting as the kids. It still involves dissertating and system analyzing - zzzzzzzzz.

In more exciting news - we got our first REAL snow in the years that we've been here in middle TN. Yeehaw. Our kids aren't really accustomed to this - but we did get them out there this morning to enjoy it for awhile. I came in to load a couple pictures and decided I'd finally update here. We're without a camera... (Again. How many cameras does a normal family go through in a year? I'm not sure if we're irresponsible or just cheap.) ...so these are from my phone. Enjoy and I hope this is the beginning of a good blog run for 2010!

Excuses, excuses

2009-11-19T16:41:00.003-06:00

Yikes. I think I'm having blogging anxiety. It's been so long that now I feel like I have to have something really interesting to write about - because what else could have kept me from posting anything for almost a month? The more I think about it the longer I wait to post. So - I'll just write something.

We are moved...and mostly settled. There is a budget redo of our kitchen coming on - and some work on the bedrooms that needs to be done, but all in all our little home is looking quite homey. We're LOVING the location. Like never-want-to-move love. Although, if past predicts future - I'll get an itch and think moving sounds fun again at some point.

Brother is doing great in kindergarten. The school is pretty awesome. There is parental support and family participation to a point that is ~~almost annoying~~ time consuming, but adds to the value of the school. He seems to have very nice friends and his progress reports have been great. He's developing a love of writing (taking after his Daddy) and it is very cool to see him get excited about knowing how to read and write. He also has a special interest in one little girl in the class - and the other girls all seem to do silly awkward things when they see him to get his attention. I'm afraid it may be another way he takes after his daddy.

Little Bitty is living up to the reputation that is given to three year old girls. Oh. My. Goodness. I am thankful for the Internet because I know from reading other mother's of three year olds blogs and Facebook posts that I'm not alone in having a little tyrant of a daughter but...Oh. My. Goodness. The crying, whining, insistence on everything being her way, and the bossiness can only be outdone by her suddenly loving and sweet, beautiful nature. She's a snuggle lovey like her brother and cracks us up every day. That is when we're not hiding in the corner scared of what she'll do next. Lately one of our biggest struggles has been getting her out the door to "school" each day. Brother used to complain that he didn't want to go at this age too - but Little Bitty has taken it to a new level with excuses every morning and night of why we should "keep her home". Some recent ones off the top of my head;

My throat is feeling silly.
I'm freezing cold and need to just stay home with a Popsicle.
Only one leg can go to school today. The other leg is too tired.
I think I have a lily pad in my throat. There was a frog and it moved down to my belly.
My pinkie finger is not feeling good.
I washed my hands and now my sleeve is soaking wet. You better call the school - I can't go today.

I'm not kidding with those. It's funny - yet exhausting. Last week she actually had a rough night coughing etc. and woke up with a fever and CHEERED when I read the thermometer. Then she took a look at my sleep deprived self and said, "I think you need to keep your hair at home too! It looks funny." My sweet angel.

On the move...

2009-10-27T09:38:00.006-05:00

Things are busy in our neck of the woods. I find that the bad part about blogging is that I start worrying if I haven't posted for awhile... which is silly because I do this for myself and my family but I still feel weird if weeks go by and I don't update. So, here's an update.

Brother had another field trip - this time to a pumpkin farm. Daddy went along on that one and they had a blast. I love this picture of him because he is so stinkin' cute - even though it is right before a much need hair trim.

Brother also went with Daddy on a guys camping trip. They went with another father/son team and had a blast. Here are the two five year old fire starters. Many of you probably recognize Brother's friend.

In other news; we've sold our house (fingers crossed, closing in a couple weeks) and are moving to a little rental house closer to the kids' schools ("kids" being Brother, Little Bitty and my husband). This will free up some time because we spend a lot of that on the road - and will also be one less thing we have to stress over when my super-smart-PhD-getting husband finishes school and we most likely move.

One of the most exciting parts of moving to this new-to-us house is that one of my sisters and her family are moving from 5 hours away - to a house right down the street! It is a weird coincidence and we are all very excited.

Her daughter is about the same age as Little Bitty - so that part will be awesome. And her son is an adorable 4 month old that I want to just eat up every time I see him (see the picture? Little Bitty loves to hold and help care for him). That part will be awesome too. The strong possibility that right as we get used to this new life together down the street from each other we will have to move to a different state? Not quite so awesome. But, we'll enjoy it now and pretend like we're on a nine month vacation together.

And - Mighty Boy will get to have a fenced in back yard. Whhoooohooo Mighty Boooo!

He looks like he'll enjoy it, no?

Everything is going well. The kids are happy about the move - although we've had to create a new holiday called "Unpackmas" where they will get to unpack all their toys. This helps them not whine too much as their toy selections are slowly dwindling. Little Bitty also asked one day how they would actually move our house. Just when you think they're understanding it all... you realize that they're three.

This is all I can handle as far as updating right now. Cause I have boxes to pack, work to do, leases to sign and a shower to take.

That explains his Spanish accent

2009-09-29T17:43:00.003-05:00

Little Bitty just introduced me to Mighty Boy (which she does from time to time... as if we'd forget we have a 15 lb. furry tornado in our house). However, this introduction was a little more detailed.

LB - "Mommy, this is Mighty Boy. He's my dog."

Me - "Hi, Mighty Boy."

LB - "Mommy, do you know where my dog was born?"

Me - "Where?"

LB - "In a doggy Guatemala."

Is that not precious?!

The Field Trip

2009-09-29T11:46:00.002-05:00

Soooo - the apple orchard field trip. All in all... a fun morning. This is a self-taken picture of Brother and Me on the way to the apple orchard. How do I know it's on the way there? 1) My hair isn't yet plastered to my face from the rain and humidity and 2) Brother is sitting with me - I have not yet been banished to a seat by myself so that he can sit between two friends and behind a cute girl in the class.

This is "Farmer Nick".

Farmer Nick was our tour guide. Farmer Nick ~~had a script of stuff to say~~ knew a lot about the apple orchard. Enough to bore 40 kindergartners within about 5 minutes. The tour went like this:

Farmer Nick: What do you think this is?

Kids: A TREE!!!!

Farmer Nick: Yeah... but here in the tree? See these things hanging? What are they?

Kids: LEAVES!!! BRANCHES!!! DIRT!! BIRDS NESTS!!!

Farmer Nick: Yeah, but I'm talking about the apples. Do you see the apples?

Kids: CAN WE EAT THEM NOW??!!! OOOOH THEY LOOK GROSS! I HATE APPLES. NOT ME I LOVE THEM. CAN I PICK ONE?! ME TOO!!! I WANT AN APPLE! THAT ONE'S ROTTEN!!

Farmer Nick: Whooaa, wait, no picking yet. Let's move on. Do you see this Bee Hive? What do you think we keep in there?

KIDS: BEEESSSS!!!! AAAAAKKKK! EEEEEKKK! CAN I TOUCH ONE??!!

Farmer Nick: Do you know how many are in one Bee Hive?

KIDS: FIVE... NO! TEN THOUSAND BILLION INFINITY!!

Farmer Nick: Well...actually more like sixty thousand. Isn't that a lot?

KIDS: MY SISTER WAS STUNG BY A BEE! HER FINGER GAINED WEIGHT.

Farmer Nick: Ok, let's move on. Do you know what this is? It's a ladder. What do you think we use it for?

KIDS: CAN I CLIMB IT! NO WAIT MY TURN...FARMER NICK, FARMER NICK - I KNOW!!

Farmer Nick: Yes, you there - thank you for raising your hand. What do we use the ladder for?

KID: MY SISTER WAS STUNG BY A BEE TOO BECAUSE SHE WAS RUNNING FROM IT!!

Farmer Nick: Ok, well, now we're talking about the ladder. What do we use it for? No... wait... no one can climb the ladder. I'm just showing you... ooh, get down, no, we can't climb it. Ok, Let's move on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And so it went. There were many laughs from the parents who, probably like me, wondered who Farmer Nick's usual audience was - because it would seem he wasn't used to kindergartners. He also wasn't used to a teacher speaking to her students in Spanish and at one pointed commented on how she was "speakin' Mexican". Good times, good times.

Here's Brother eyeing me thinking, "Really? Do these kids not know what this ladder is for?It's an apple orchard for G*d's sake!"

Here's Brother smiling when I think Farmer Nick told them we that they would now get to pick an apple. What he didn't tell them was that they would each spend about 2o minutes picking out the perfect apple that didn't have any rotten spots or holes in it and was just high enough that they could barely reach it and they would be so proud and sure theirs was the best... and then they would be instructed to drop it in a bucket on the way into the barn, never to see it again. Ah well. They each got a sip of apple cider and an apple slice in the barn. And all was good.

I realized on this field trip that the point of field trips is to get the kids out and about and perhaps expose them to something new. It doesn't have to be extremely interesting or entertaining. Riding the bus is enough fun to make it worth it to them. Also - I should say that this opinion on field trips is specific to me... so you have to take it with a grain of salt. I also get bored at museums and my legs start falling asleep upon entrance be it the Nature Center at Edwin Warner Park or The Louvre in Paris. I know some people love this stuff. ;) But I DO love my little dude and I hope I get to go on ten thousand billion infinity more of these field trips with him.

Good to the last drop

2009-09-22T07:28:00.002-05:00

What's even better than getting to be the mother to the world's most beautiful little girl??

That's right... having that beautiful little girl love to make you coffee every morning!

In other news - I'm off on my first field trip as a parent today. We're headed to an apple orchard in the rain. The rain doesn't bother me too much - I'm just excited that Brother is at the age where he wants his mommy to come along. My only hope is that they don't put me in charge of any other kids. There is a reason I'm not a teacher anymore. ;)

The hard work pays off...

2009-09-16T08:28:00.004-05:00

I love it that he set a goal and stuck to it (something that I sometimes have a problem with)... look at my little guy. He IS Anakin Skywalker.

A Sense of Humor

2009-09-14T07:51:00.003-05:00

I think the game began on a long car ride with the four of us. True, it won't make it into any parenting magazines - but I imagine plenty of other families with young children have played the same game. It's called "How many different ways of saying 'vomit' can we think of?" Brother came up with quite a few good ones - and also had an original entry... "throwing the bologna". We laughed and thought that was the winner of our list.

Fast forward a few weeks and during one hectic morning before school and our ~~crazyass~~ spirited puppy (how long are they considered a puppy?) had an accident on the floor. Ugghh. And then he ate it. I know - way too much information and not necessarily the type of stuff good blogs are made of. But, this is my life. Anyway - after doing this, Mighty Boy proceeded to gobble up his, um, deposit... I think to not get in trouble (because why the heck else would anyone do this?!) Well, that was a bad idea - because as most beings with any sort of brain could tell you - that will probably make you sick. Which it did. All over the living room floor. So - as we are now about 5 minutes late getting out the door, I'm scrambling to clean up the latest mess while the kids look on in amusement. However, the more Little Bitty looks at it - the more her gag reflexes start kicking in. And she thinks that is funny. "Brother, watch this!", she'd scream and then look at the mess and gag and dry heave. "Honey, stop it..." I'm warning. Too late. On about the fourth round of looking, gagging, repeating, Little Bitty also loses her breakfast. All over the living room floor. We were late to school.

Fast forward another several days, Little Bitty is laughing as she remembers the episode and tells her Daddy about it:

"Daddy, remember yesterday [anything in the past is yesterday for Little Bitty] Mighty Boy and I both throwed the bologna!"

"Yes," says Daddy, laughing at her use of the appropriate euphemism.

"Daddy, you know what that Bologna said?"

"What?" asked Daddy - looking at me like 'where is this going?'

"I believe I can flyyyyy!", she sang out before laughing hysterically.

Ahhh, our Little Bitty. She's got it. That keen sense of humor that our family loves. Good job, sweetie. Mommy is proud and I have now documented the whole twisted series of events leading up to your first real funny.

* A side note to Little Bitty - sometimes Uncle Pete will try to be funnier than you - but you remember - you're your mommy's daughter and WE'RE the funny ones.

Little Bitty goes to a Party

2009-09-01T09:28:00.005-05:00

Here is a picture of Little Bitty heading off to her classmate's birthday party. She knew that a party was occasion to break out the cowboy hat. I mean -it's either that or a monkey suit, right? She also packed her backpack/lunchbox for the party. She packed a book and some markers (I guess in case the party was a bore she'd have something to do?)

She was the only little girl there without a dress on. She pretty much refuses to wear dresses right now. But - we pick our battles. Glasses? Non-negotiable... dresses? We don't force it. Don't you love the smile? She's at that phase that when you ask her to smile it comes out as some weird, pained expression. She's beautiful anyway.

Last hurrahs before school started

2009-08-28T11:08:00.004-05:00

Wow. Being a grown up is exhausting.

The kids are adjusting to the new routine. Little Bitty is psyched about going to her first "build a bear" birthday party of a classmate tomorrow. Brother is playing in his second soccer game of the season. Daddy is the coach and their team, the Iguanas, is awesome. Mostly just because my son and husband are so cute out there on the field.

Daddy took the kids on a last hurrah to a nearby nature center museum the week before school started. We also did a family zoo trip. We got some cute pictures which I've been a little slack in posting. So - here is a myriad of pictures to enjoy.

Apparently Brother loved this gear board and played for a long time arranging them so that they would all move.

Fire fighters in training.

At the zoo. I'll refrain from making a horny joke about my husband.

Our Little Bitty on the carousel.

Hoping through the pond at the nature center museum.

All is well with Team T.

2009-08-21T07:59:00.003-05:00

It's interesting how life keeps happening and you can't spend too long worrying about one thing because something else will come along and changes circumstances somehow. All you can do is keep going and doing the best you can. And being thankful every step of the way. My husband may read this and snicker thinking that it sounds way more healthy and adjusted than I actually am.

As I was stewing and hurting for Brother about starting kindergarten at a school where he didn't know anyone we got a phone call that a spot had opened at a magnet school that we had applied for near his old preschool (where Little Bitty still goes). SO - we had a big decision to make on Wednesday. They gave us three hours to accept the spot or not. I grabbed Brother out of his third day of school at his new school to go visit the new new school. This is a Spanish Immersion public school that fills via lottery.

I am so proud of our little guy. I could tell he was hesitant to consider changing schools again, but I also was so impressed that he didn't get overwhelmed or panicked at the possibility. He was very quiet but took it all in as we visited, his eyes lit up as he saw some of his old friends from preschool, his ears perked up a bit as he listened to teachers conversing in Spanish, and I think when the librarian introduced him to her pet frog - he was sold. I think my husband and I both were hoping he would embrace the idea of changing to this new school. It's really a fantastic opportunity - but I stayed objective and tried to talk through the pros and cons and I acknowledged that the timing was frustrating because he was just starting to get used to his new class.

As we drove away from the school I told him we would have to decide soon but that we could go home and talk it over with Daddy. He replied that he was ok and thinking about it and would make a decision soon. About five minutes later he announced that he was going to the new school and would be learning to speak Spanish. His first day was yesterday and I don't think I'm imagining things when I say I feel like I got my little guy back. After seeing him be a little less than himself for the past week or so, he was so enthusiastic and talkative last night. We went to an ice cream social at his new school last night and he ran and played with both new friends and old. He jumped out of bed this morning and was dressed before he came downstairs. He was doing fine at the other school - he really was - but this feels different. And I am happy, happy.

Little Bitty is also doing GREAT in her new class. She is wearing her glasses all day. No kids have teased her or shunned her as she feared. And we had an exciting surprise yesterday when she got two new friends in her class - twins adopted from Guatemala! That makes FOUR Guatemalan born kids in her class of 16. How cool is that?! Her only issue in her new class is that she loves the centers so much (specifically the dollhouse center) that she doesn't want to stop to go to the bathroom. She has dirtied her britches two out of four days this week - and the girl is 100% potty trained, this doesn't usually happen. Ah well. We all transition in different ways. And really - I'm glad that it's her showing her adjusting by pooping her pants and not me. I'll stick to eating snickers and not sleeping well.

Only because I have to let them grow up.

2009-08-18T08:32:00.010-05:00

Monday was another first day! First day of Pre-K 1 for Little Bitty. The preschool they have both attended is set up much like an elementary school in that the whole class moves up each August into the next grade level. So, this means that Little Bitty just moved from the 2A class up to Pre-K! We are all very excited for her - and she is excited for herself. There was no nervousness or tears from her yesterday. Just a lot of big smiles. She was most excited that this class has a dollhouse center. She was planning all weekend to start the day off there. Thank goodness it worked out that way. ~~Or I would have had to lure one of the other kids OUT of the dollhouse center to make room for my daughter.~~ She also got invited to her first birthday party yesterday. She's attended several with Brother, but this is one that she's actually invited to - at BuildaBear - whoohoo.

Here she is on her first day of Pre-K!

Yesterday she missed school because we had a follow up eye appointment as a result of a questionable vision test result at her three year appointment. A note here about trusting your "mommy instinct"... the nurses performing the test were going to blow it off as her "losing interest" in the game of naming the pictures they were holding up. But knowing my daughter as I do - I knew that she was acting embarrassed and frustrated. Suddenly little signs that I had dismissed all added up and I knew that she was having some trouble seeing. Our pediatrician suggested a great opthamologist (spell check is wanting to change this to something that I am pretty sure is someone who studies bugs - so I'm leaving it) who works with many children and she was diagnosed with an astigmatism in one eye that needs to be corrected. So - here is our BIG GIRL in her BIG GIRL glasses!

I'm not going to lie - there is some bribing going on to leave these on for most of the day. A new remote control puppy dog from Target is involved. I think she likes them alright... but she did ask me last night what she should tell kids that ask her "why is she wearing those glasses?" and asked what to do if they didn't want to be her friend anymore. UUUGGHHH. It hurts my heart so bad. Between that and Brother telling me that he didn't have any friends to play with at recess just about drives me to start designing that bubble that I'm going to put them in at some point to keep them from EVER getting hurt.

First Day of School! First Day of School!

2009-08-14T09:47:00.006-05:00

All over the country kids are attending their first day of school this time of year.

But this is MY kid.

And I know that he has to go off and become more grown up and independent. I want this for him. I pray for this for him. I am completely thankful that he has this opportunity. And he is excited. And his teacher seems awesome ~ the perfect person to love and teach him when he is there. She has a frog theme - and Brother is into polliwogs right now - so that's cool.

And there were no tears shed. By him.

But - that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt my heart a little bit. Cause it does.

Bye, Buddy. See you in a few hours.

Little Bitty the sports fanatic

2009-08-06T19:32:00.003-05:00

"Mommy, my guys and I are up here watching the Predators game."

"Do you know who is winning?... The Red Sox."

Ok, mixing sports but still - here is where her Nonno's heart swells with pride.

"Do you know who is losing?... The Yankees."

"Mommy. Take a picture of me with my guys watching the Predators game."

And I did:

File under: It's Funny Every Time

2009-08-03T10:28:00.005-05:00

My husband's best friend from college owns a monkey suit. No... not a tuxedo, as he has to explain to people, an actual monkey suit. I don't entirely know or remember the origin of the suit. I think it was for a costume party and when he saw the cost to rent vs. buy he decided to buy, because - really - it just makes good financial sense. The monkey suit has gotten a lot of wear. We don't live near them - so I haven't gotten to see him in it as much as I'd like - but I was in attendance at one New Year's party when he came out mingling as a monkey shortly before midnight. That's the best time to don a monkey suit. When it will be a surprise, get noticed and is strangely inappropriate for the occasion.

Little Bitty has only met this friend once. However, they share a special bond. Little Bitty owns a monkey suit. Hers is a hand-me-down from Brother. Brother has had MANY costumes. He is a costume lover. Little Bitty? Not so much. In fact, she's usually rather averse to donning a costume. However, there's something about a monkey suit. And she gets it. She totally gets the point of the monkey suit. It is best worn when it will be a surprise, get noticed and is strangely inappropriate for the occasion. For example, an hour past bedtime, when your parents have threatened dire consequences if you don't immediately put on your pajamas and brush your teeth, when your mom is chasing the dog who is out of his ever-loving mind and is yelling to you something along the lines of "Child - for the love of ALL THINGS - if you don't go get ready for bed I am going to lose my ~~shit~~ mind!" This, people, is the PERFECT time to go to your room, quietly change into the monkey suit, and then stroll back to your parents and wait for the reaction. Do it proudly, confidently and with a huge smile. PERFECT.

I LOVE our children.

Edited: The Monkey Friend sent a picture. Here he is with his offspring.

The Best of the Country 2009

2009-07-30T19:20:00.005-05:00

My blogging both here and on my crafty blog has been slow lately. It has been a conscious choice because something had to give for a week or two while I got re-focused on the job that pays the bills - but I haven't given it up. Just a short summer vacation I suppose. I'm also trying to wrap my head around the fact that my baby boy is starting Kindergarten in two weeks. Two weeks. It's another one of those things that I never understood why people got emotional over ~ until it has suddenly become my turn to send my sweet, innocent, lovely, first-born child off to some institution where he'll be learning who knows what and ... what if someone is mean to him?! Ahhhhh! Deep breaths. I'm sure it will be fine. It's not like I don't want him to go and have fun - he's excited about it - I just am feeling a little emotional about it. The funny thing is that he's been in daycare since he was 12 weeks old. So... you'd think that this would be no big deal. But for some reason it does feel like a big deal. And I'm glad.

In other news, we had our annual trip to rural Pennsylvania the week after 4th of July. So - this is a recap in photos. Since the visit, we've had a new birth on that side of the family. Baby Luke arrived shortly after our stay in the country. So - next year you can expect tons of toddler cuteness in these photos. We had a blast, as usual. We also spent a long weekend in 'Bama last week. I will try to finagle some pictures of that from one of my siblings. I took none. I never do when we're with my side of the family. I don't know what that's all about.

Little Bitty loved playing with the dogs. Big dogs.

Brother flying on my feet. Made for a cool pic.

Love her. So much.

A sweet moment between Daddy and Daughter. If you look closely, you can see he has a flower tucked behind his ear.

Brother's favorite thing to do was catch crawdads and salamanders in the creek.

Love him. So much.

Two of a kind. The men of Team T.

Ok - there are supposed to be more pictures here. However, Blogspot sometimes gives up after awhile. I'll just save it for tomorrow. I'm going to watch Burn Notice. And - C in TX? I think you should give it another shot. This show is AWESOME. ;)

Because you shouldn't neglect your teeth...

2009-07-15T08:25:00.003-05:00

Overheard as the kids and Daddy watched President Obama throw out the opening pitch of the MLB All-Star Game last night...

Brother: You know how much I love Barack Obama?

Daddy: How much?

Brother: More than my teeth.

Pause. Thinking.

Brother: Well... maybe not more than my teeth.

Daddy: That's good. It's important to love your teeth a lot.

Little Bitty: Daddy! You know what I love even more than I love you?

Daddy: What?!

Little Bitty: My teeth.

Little Bitty is Three Years Old.

2009-07-08T19:58:00.005-05:00

We've had 4th of July, Little Bitty's birthday and a trip to The Country since I've last posted on this blog. The 4th was really a non-event as far as celebrating our country's Independence Day goes - but we had a great little family celebration for our now three year old daughter. Our Little Bitty. Our crazy, dramatic, sweet, hilarious second child.

She got a big girl bike for her birthday. And my husband called it - it took her about thirty minutes to get the hang of it. She, of course, has training wheels - but she transitioned very quickly from the tricycle to the big girl bike and is very proud riding along. At one point she peddled down the sidewalk shouting, "Watch out. Here comes a three year old!" Here are a few pictures from her birthday.

A tea party later in the day with a new tea set.

After opening the gifts, she very coyly asked "Will you sing to me now?" So we did. Both then and later with cake. The day and party was kind of fragmented and nontraditional as far as a birthday party goes - but we had a blast just the four of us. We are now enjoying spending time with family and I'll post those pictures soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every year on certain days I reflect a little on our lives and our children and how it's all come about. Birthdays - of course - are a big day for this type of reflection. With Little Bitty it is a little different than with Brother... because when I think about the day she was born, the 4th of July, I remember that I was floating in a pond on an inner tube drinking a beer (classy. I know.) I had no idea that my daughter had been born a little after midnight that morning. I found out 5 days later. And because of this - I know - beyond any doubt - that giving birth is not what makes you a parent. It's some stronger force that brings a child to their family. Of course, we filled out the paper work, fuund an agency, put all the steps in motion to bring a child into our home through adoption... but it was a miracle, some stronger force that found our Little Bitty for us. It can't be coincidence that this child was "picked" for our family. It seems cliche when I write it but I know anyone with a child through adoption will say the same thing. And that is further evidence of the miracle of adoption. It starts with the one true miracle that we witness everyday - a pregnancy - and then takes it to a whole different level when the child of that pregnancy finds their family, whether it be down the street, across state lines - or even across multiple international borders. Somehow you find each other and the love and connection is as powerful as that when connected by genetics. I'm protective of my daughter in a different way than I am my son. I know that she'll have questions and face situations that I have never experienced. With Brother I can see some of his tendencies that come from me or his daddy and I feel a little prepared to help guide him and talk him through certain anxieties he may face. But with Little Bitty I sometimes want to freeze her little three year old self - her confidence, her sassiness, her self-assurance that makes her so comfortable and happy - and have her never ever have to face the tougher questions and circumstances. Since I can't do that - I just continue to love her, listen to her, share with her, guide her and celebrate with her the miracle that brought her home to her family. Through this, we'll continue her growth into this beautiful and special child that is first and foremost part of Team T. She has my whole heart. All of our hearts. She's perfect and we love her. It's only been three years - and yet - it's ALREADY been three years. Let the adventure continue! We're ready.

The girl knows how to party

2009-07-01T09:42:00.002-05:00

ME: [Little Bitty], I was thinking about making jello and whipped cream for your class instead of cupcakes. What do you think?

LB: No. Just Whipped Cream.

ME: Well, whipped cream isn't really made to go by itself. We need something with it.

LB: Oh - I have a good idea... whipped cream and cheese.

ME: Oooh. I don't think that would taste too good.

LB: Ok. Then....Whipped Cream and Ham!

Her classmates are in for a treat.

Back again

2009-06-29T12:09:00.004-05:00

So - I had to travel for business last week, returned home and then Team T promptly went our separate ways for the weekend. Brother and Daddy headed to Atlanta for the Braves/Red Sox game, Little Bitty and I headed to Indy to see the new addition to the family. Baby G is absolutely precious. He is tiny and sweet and all the kids (his sister and four cousins were there) took turns holding him. Little Bitty LOVED him and says she misses him. Good thing she had Mighty Boy to dote on. ;)

Multi-generational Red Sox Fan Photo

I wish I had a cute picture of Little Bitty with her new cousin - but I don't. I took some with my phone and they didn't get saved. I'm such a heal.

Anyway, this will be another busy week - Little Bitty turns 3 on Saturday! I've got shopping and planning to do! Ideas for gifts? I'm listening.

The humor in everyday happenings

2009-06-19T10:49:00.003-05:00

It's been a funny week... especially if you think puppies chewing up new Blackberry Curves is funny. Which I don't. I do think kids drawing on mustaches, beards, and chest hair (on themselves - not on me) with a Sharpie is funny. For me, the funniest part was when I told Brother (who really RARELY does anything naughty) that Sharpies were permanent - the expression on his face went from joy over his little unapproved body art to confusion then alarm. I didn't let him panic for long - I told him I was sure we could get it off somehow. It actually came off pretty easily with baby wipes and then some scrubbing by Daddy. Thanks to my Facebook friends for suggestions and sharing in my amusement.

Other things I have found amusement in this week:

The kids are very PC in their discipline of Mighty Boy. They remind me constantly that he is not a "bad puppy" he just makes some "bad choices". Seriously, who have they been hanging out with?! ;)

Brother and Little Bitty had a big argument this morning over whether or not Brother looked awesome. Brother thought he looked awesome even without his pants on. Little Bitty said he DIDN'T look awesome because he wasn't dressed yet.

Brother helped Little Bitty learn to put her head under water in the bathtub. He helped her put on goggles, held her nose for her, and then pushed her face under and held it there by the back of her head for a few seconds. As she came up sputtering he told her "Good job. You did great!" She was all smiles and so proud. A fly on the wall would have definitely thought that Brother was trying to drown her - but it was actually a very sweet brother/sister moment.

Little Bitty has discovered secrets. She comes and whispers in my ear (usually something completely unintelligible) and then gives me a sidelong look and says, very seriously, "DON'T tell anyone." Believe me baby, I couldn't if I tried.

Gearing up for Father's Day this weekend. Brother has some big ideas. He is such a sweet kid - both of them are - they love family time and it is my wish that we can somehow maintain that as a constant through the years. Team T rocks!

I have a new nephew!

2009-06-12T08:45:00.002-05:00

My little sister and her awesome husband welcomed a new little guy into the world yesterday evening. He is perfect and healthy and they are all doing great. Baby boy has a beautiful big sister (3 1/2) and he is one lucky little fellow to be born to this family. So happy for all of them!

More swingin'

2009-06-09T17:33:00.003-05:00

And here she goes - full steam ahead

The GrabNot so graceful - but she does it
Satisfaction

He holds on for dear life - but loves every minute of it

Later!

Afternoon Alligator Crafts

2009-06-06T11:26:00.004-05:00

Michael's had these little wooden alligators (or are they crocodiles?) and paint for $1/set. They also have snakes... I'll be going back to get them because these were a huge hit. And the activity actually lasted a little more than the 2.3 minutes that some planned activities do. Little Bitty had every bit as much paint on her shirt as she did her alligator - but really, whose fault is that? I should have made her some sort of smock, right? I know. I don't know at what point I'll start thinking like an experienced mom. I guess not after almost 6 years. But a paint covered shirt, table, face, pants...kitchen... is completely worth it for the few minutes of creativeness and joy that the two of them had doing it.

Just some cuteness to keep you coming back

2009-06-02T11:53:00.004-05:00

A breakfast request

2009-05-28T17:08:00.002-05:00

Little Bitty at breakfast: Mommy, can I have another one of those sausage patios?

I just had to document it. I love this stage when they are so verbal and have such a command of language and yet they still make such funny little mistakes. She also calls Mighty Boy's crate his "cradle". Precious.

A Wonderful Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T10:48:00.005-05:00

We've had a great weekend- from the graduation and school program on Thursday, to the t-ball on Friday and Saturday, to the Renaissance Festival yesterday. It's all been good. Here are some pictures... I wish I had more from the program on Thursday but none of the ceremony or singing really turned out. But the close up family and friends ones are better anyway. I will mention that both kids sang their little hearts out and did great. I did great too - I didn't really cry at all. I teared up a little in a slide show they did... but all in all I was an emotional rock. ;)

The Graduate's happy and proud family

The Graduate with his Paternal Grandparents (Grammy and Nonno)

The Graduate with his maternal grandmother (Mum - that's my mom... isn't she pretty? :))

The Graduate with his little sister

The Graduate with his best buddy

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Little Bitty and her BIG ice cream. She didn't share.

Brother and his new bow and arrow (from the Renaissance Festival). I made him a Robin Hood Hat when we got home (not pictured).
Little Bitty and Daddy enjoying one of the silly shows.

Dum Dum Dee Dum Dum Dum Dum (that's the graduation march)

2009-05-20T12:29:00.003-05:00

A company that sounds like "Smanlyey Schmeamer" is here cleaning the upstairs carpet. Mighty Boy is not impressed with the guy. First of all, he was a half hour late. Which isn't so bad except that it was a half-hour after the allotted 3 hour window. So ~ some may say he was 3 1/2 hours late. I'm not sure if that's what has Mighty so ticked at him or not. It may be the pointless conversation he is making after showing up late or the fact that his hose is going right through the newly planted flowers in the front. Whatever it is, Mighty Boy and I have moved out back to the patio while Mr. Scraggly Mustache does his thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow is an exciting day around here. Some of you may have thought by the title that my husband is finishing school... no, no THAT exciting (but he is making great strides and we're all very proud. ;)) But...Brother is graduating from Pre-K! And both he and Little Bitty will be performing in a school program (although Little Bitty vacillates as to whether or not she's going to stand on the stage and sing. Only time will tell). As recently as a year ago I watched another group of kids graduate from Pre-K and thought how silly it all was. I mean, it's cute and all to see little people wearing cap and gowns but I definitely questioned the saneness of it all. But now that it is MY little guy getting his little diploma and walking down the aisle with the adorable cap and gown on - I think I will probably cry. And I think that it's just fine for a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds to feel really proud of themselves and be excited about starting Kindergarten in a couple of months. I'm still not sure the moms should be all weepy and wailing "I can't believe my BABY is going to kindergarten!" - but at least now I'll be irritated with myself instead of someone else. Because - I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BABY IS GOING TO KINDERGARTEN!

I try to keep things even/Steven here on the blog. If I mention one child - I want to update on the other one as well. So - let's talk about Little Bitty. This child amazes me every day. Usually in a good way (like "oh my goodness I can't believe I am blessed enough to be this child's mother")... other times... well, I'm just amazed. She is so incredibly head strong and contrary right now. And can be such a little pistol! She'll take things from Brother just to make him mad. She'll throw things (at you) when she doesn't get her way. She'll run and scream in the opposite direction when you ask her for a kiss. She'll laugh hysterically if she falls off the bed. She'll jump in a mud puddle because she knows it's worth it - regardless of any consequence. And she'll snuggle up behind you at night right when she's about to fall asleep and say "I love you soooo much, Mommy". And remind me again that I am so incredibly blessed to be her mommy.

Rainy days don't slow them down

2009-05-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

We've had a lot of rain this spring. A lot. But I love that a few moments break from the rain sends the kids running outside. In fact, Little Bitty heads out rain or shine to help me walk the dog. She doesn't care if she's still in her jammies and it's pouring - she wants to help!

Brother is enjoying a little swing Daddy put up for them. I didn't catch it in the pictures but there are three bird houses in the surrounding trees that Daddy and Brother have built and hung. This spring we have nests and/or birds in all three. It makes the swinging even more exciting because you never know when a bird is going to come flying out of one of the houses aiming straight for your face. You have to maneuver your weight around on the swing a little to miss the assault. We love an added challenge in this family.

Wonderful Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:17:00.005-05:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. My kids are so cute that I can't imagine not feeling like the luckiest mom in the world ~ be it Mother's Day or any other day.

Beautiful roses arrived on Friday. The little ones next to it were a gift from Brother that he made at school. Love them all.On Saturday I sewed a lot of the day, finishing very cute bags for my sisters and my mom. Pictures on my other blog.

We went out to eat on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I LOVE going out to eat. It's not just to avoid cooking - I just like it.

Sunday I took the kids to visit my mom and grandma. I've written about my grandma before. She is 93 now and still completely "with it". However, she had another fall last week and is recovering. Aging is hard work. For the person and the people who care for the person. :(

Brother's T-ball was rained out again, which means we have another game to make up. This week is filling up with t-ball and my poor husband has a HUGE due date looming ahead of him on Friday for school. We'll get it all done, but I anticipate a busy week. Plus, I'm on call this week. Again. Waa waa waa.

Seems as though this post is going downhill. It's Monday and I'm a little grumpy. I need more coffee. I just got irritated enough watching The View that I sent a tweet to Elizabeth Hasselbeck. HA! How funny is that?!

I'm sure my husband is thrilled.

2009-05-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

Good news for us. The oldest dog in the world is a dachshund mix. Perhaps a relative of Mighty's?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30596398/?gt1=43001

Hippity Hoppity Easter's way over...

2009-05-01T13:08:00.004-05:00

but here are some pictures anyway! Oh - and if you're hoping for frilly dresses or rompers with monograms - you will be sorely disappointed.

Ok - this one has not much to do with Easter... but look how much Daddy loves his Mighty Boy!

"I don't like girls"

2009-04-30T08:22:00.002-05:00

Brother's teacher sent home a note with a quote from Brother on it yesterday.

"When I'm a teenager and a girl comes up to me and asks to be my girlfriend - I'm going to grab a club and bop her on the head. Two times."

I love that he realizes just one bop might not scare her off. Two should do the job. I'm going to save this and provide him with the club when those girls start pestering him to be his girlfriend.

Still here

2009-04-25T08:12:00.003-05:00

Yep - we're still here. No, no one seems to notice when I don't post. Except my mother and sister in law. I was sick sick this past week - but have fully recovered. Amoxcicillin (sp?) - it's not just for kids. Who knew.

I have tons of pictures to load, some festivaling to do, a t-ball game to attend - and a very goopy daughter. I think the allergies got the best of her this week. But, even with gooey stuff in her eyes and nose she's precious. Except when she tells me "Mommy - you're not my friend." That's just a little hurtful. However, me not letting her eat jelly beans for breakfast is going to pale in comparison to all the other things I'm not going to let her do throughout her childhood - so - I suppose I better get some thicker skin.

All is still well with our Mighty Boy. We're trying to crate train based on the advise of our vet - I'm not sure how that's really going... but it's only been a couple days. It's in an effort to house train him - the bag of potty prizes I got at the Dollar Store weren't working. That's a joke that only people who know how I potty-trained my kids would get.

More soon when I'm motivated enough to plug in the camera and go through the painful process that is loading pictures to Blogger.

Go Red Sox

2009-04-13T13:10:00.003-05:00

Brother is playing T-Ball this year and Daddy is coaching. Here is a picture of them on opening day. I am so proud of them both and I know they will have a great season... if it ever stops raining long enough for them to get in a routine.

It also seems that the parents of T-Ball players are a little bit higher maintenance than those of the soccer players that we hung with in the fall, but I'm actually not always right with first impressions and they are probably perfectly lovely people. And coming up with a snack schedule might actually be an extensive time consuming task that needs lots and lots of input from people.

In other news, we had a great Easter weekend with my side of the family and I should be able to post some pictures soon. I don't want to over-shadow the overdue T-Ball post with cuteness from this weekend.

Oh - and our puppy? Perfect. Sweet, playful, well-behaved and has a manly bark. Everything you could want in a dog. And has anyone else noticed that the presidential family's new puppy looks a lot like our Mighty Boy? Mighty boy is cuter and (I'm sure) better behaved. But - they've got a lot of other stuff going for them and I'm sure "Bo" will be fine.

Introducing Mighty Boy.

2009-04-09T08:57:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned lately that I have the most awesome husband in the world?! The following pictures are not of him. They are of our new puppy, Mighty Boy, who arrived home yesterday bringing more love and joy to Team T. He is a little bit dachshund, a little bit some kind of terrier, and mostly just fluffy goodness. And yes, his name is Mighty Boy. Don't ask.

A Fashion "Don't"

2009-04-01T14:42:00.001-05:00

Bless her heart. At least she got dressed all by herself!

Cosmo

2009-03-27T20:16:00.002-05:00

There's also Cosmo - Brother just said that he thinks he is "the perfect dog for us". It's the blue eyes. He looks JUST like my husband's side of the family.

2009-03-27T10:49:00.003-05:00

The kids' silent auction at their preschool is tonight. Last year we came home with Sea Monkeys. Did you all realize sea monkeys live quite. a. while? Which is fine. It just surprised me.
This year - I'm wanting a puppy! I know - I talk myself out of it every time I think about it. But - looook:

To be clear, they aren't going to be at the Silent Auction. They are both rescue dogs available for adoption. The first one is a spitz mix and is closer and cheaper. But - the second one is a poodle yorkie mix and doesn't shed and would fit in my purse - which is something I never knew I wanted until I saw her.

By psychoanalyzing myself I realize that my pet craving is really just probably because Little Bitty is now the age Brother was when she was born and it's probably that mommy instinct/biological clock thing kicking in. And I know that more kids aren't in our future - so one of these seems like a good alternative, right?! Right? Hello?

Or - some more sea monkeys.

Cut the grapes.

2009-03-25T08:11:00.002-05:00

Last night was one of my scariest moments as a parent. Little Bitty choked on a grape. A stupid whole grape that I should have cut up but didn't because she eats anything and everything and I was hurrying to make dinner and I didn't think I needed to do it.

Thankfully my husband and I both had the basic first aid training of how to help a choking child. This wasn't a struggle-a-little and then cough it up type of choke. She had panic in her eyes, was trying desperately to gag and get it up but couldn't and was turning blue. I tried multiple times -turning her upside down and giving her blows to the back and it didn't work. I handed her over to Daddy who went through 3 (I think) rounds of turning her over and hitting her back multiple times. The last ones that finally worked were so hard that I thought she would be black and blue (she's not) or have a broken bone. A whole grape finally popped out of her airway. Thank God. I shook for hours - it is amazing how things just happen so fast and you have to just react.

Our pediatrician's nurse once told me the accidents usually happen because people get too comfortable with something and forget or just don't take the precautions necessary (she mentioned four-wheeling - which we don't really do). But, think about it - we would never think that because we've driven our toddler around for 2 years and never had a car accident that they don't need a car seat anymore, right?! So why would I think that because Little Bitty's been eating grapes for two years and not choked that I don't need to cut them anymore? I'm not really beating myself up - I'm just extremely thankful that my husband was strong and calm and did what had to be done and that my beautiful daughter is fine. And I wanted to share as a reminder. And I will be cutting all grapes with a food processor until they each head to college.

Just a Few Weekend Ramblings

2009-03-21T08:56:00.003-05:00

Not sure how the weekend is starting out. The babysitter for our anniversary dinner may be sick.

Brother is updating me on Backugan battles non-stop "Hydronoid beat Preyus - watch. Watch. Watch. Watch...Watch."

Little Bitty for some reason only wants me to use my hand to speak to her like a puppet. She calls my hand"guy". "HEY GUY! COME HERE! GUY!... NO! Not you Mommy - I want GUY to talk to me." I wish GUY could take conference calls for me during the week. Maybe my co-workers would, like Little Bitty, be more responsive to Guy than they are me.

Our washing machine is broken. At least I won't be doing laundry all weekend. But the repair cost is looking to be a lot.

I'm actually in a good mood - just some pesty (or is it pesky? I never know) small things going on. But, the weather is going to be great. I LOVE spring.

A post about the weather. And running.

2009-03-19T09:42:00.003-05:00

It's a rainy but not cold day here today. We are all so ready for spring - Brother even praised the rain this morning saying that it would help the flowers grow. This winter has seemed long even though we know we're lucky and haven't suffered through snow storms or icy roads. I just get tired of the gray after a while and LONG for warmness and sunshine. Every time we talk about where we'll move after our stint here - the talk turns to weather at some point and we are drawn to warm or at least sunny states.

Another benefit of the warmer weather is that it is so much easier to get myself out the door for daily or at least consistent runs. I really do love running - I just love to do it when it's fun to be outside. My husband and I have somewhat tentative plans to run a 1/2 marathon at the end of April - but unless this weather cooperates and gets us out there a little more often to train, we're going to be walking part of that 1/2 marathon. However, I do have an awesome friend/motivator who is coming to town to also do the 1/2 marathon, so that helps me as well and I am optimistic that I will somehow pull it off. Today I actually got to run with my husband at the park - which is awesome - and a great way to spend an hour in the afternoon. One of the many benefits of working from home.

It has taken me from morning until after dinner to finish this post - and now I have little dirty birdies that need a bath before bed. We're gearing up for a fun weekend which will include some outside play, a movie night with the kids and then a dinner and movie sans kids to celebrate seven years of an amazing marriage. More on that soon.

My Two Lil' Leprechauns

2009-03-17T11:30:00.003-05:00

I adore these two. My little Italian-Guatemalan Leprechauns.

My kids, my parenting, etc.

2009-03-11T14:37:00.004-05:00

We spent a lot of last weekend in the car - and the rest of it hanging out with friends and family in Florida. We had a GREAT weekend. One highlight is that Brother taught himself how to swim underwater holding his breath. I am so proud of my little guy. He is not a dare devil (at all) but when he does set his mind to something - he does it and is so proud.

I'm also proud of our Little Bitty. She is completely potty trained (and I'm going to stop talking about it now - I feel I have subjected some people to a little too much potty talk) - but I am very proud of her. My husband and I may screw kids up when it comes to sleep... but I think we are master potty trainers. In fact, I'd almost call it easy - but I won't. ;)

Brother and Little Bitty also amaze me at their ability to be so well behaved in the car, around new people, dealing with late nights, time changes - whatever. Seriously, I've got two good little kids. They challenge me, excite me and make me love being a mother. Last night we stayed up late just because we were having so much fun laughing during bath time and our bedtime routine that it all took longer than usual. I actually stopped and thought about the fact that I may not love playing Star Wars or playing "babies" a lot of the time (or the horse play, my goodness the horse play - I don't get wrestling and being rough - I never have - I'm not good at it)...but- I do love reading together, laughing together, snuggling, singing, playing hide and a seek, watching movies, talking to them, doing art projects and many other past times we have together. My point is that I realized that it's OK if I don't particularly like Star Wars - it doesn't make me a bad mom (I know, I know) - it's just part of who I am and I can have a lot of fun other ways with my kids. And I do I still partake in the space and rough house stuff now and then. I'm just going to go ahead and admit that I'd rather be doing other things.

Faces only a mother could love...

2009-03-04T12:41:00.002-06:00

I won't even try to explain the faces in these two pictures. All I know is I look at them and I still want to kiss them both.

The Force

2009-03-01T18:29:00.006-06:00

The kids were both sick this week. Little Bitty started us off with an ear infection and cold and then Brother brought the week to a close with a flu and pneumonia. Luckily, they are both on the mend (thank you Amoxicillin) and I think we'll have a better week this week.

Little Bitty just brought a booger to me - which she does occasionally - and she always looks totally repulsed like it just ended up on her finger from parts unknown. Each time I tell her to just go put it in a tissue. I look forward to the day where I don't have to be the middle-man with this routine.

In other breaking news worth blogging about...Brother's hair, no it hasn't been cut yet. I actually had talked him into letting me take him to the woman that does mine just to get it "cleaned up" a little. But it's at a point right now that if we comb it right after it's washed, it looks pretty good. However, I still might take him because I was looking forward to going into the hair salon and handing the stylist Brother's Anakin action figure and asking her if she can replicate his hair style. He has decided that this is what he's going for. I really just think he wants to carry a light saber but knows I won't let him get a real one.

Brother:
Anakin:

It does a body good...

2009-02-25T20:25:00.001-06:00

Little Bitty - taking the last yogurt out of the refrigerator:

"Mommy, there is only yogurt left for one body. You need go to store and get yogurt for both bodies."

The next game that is going to sweep the nation...

2009-02-23T09:37:00.003-06:00

Our son has been blessed with an incredible imagination. It's very interesting to watch him use it and to see how it develops the older he gets. This past week he had a plan to play a treasure hunt game that he created. After falling short on time a few nights in a row (we had HSM trilogy week, so you see how that could happen), we finally played on Saturday while Little Bitty took a much needed nap. It went something like this...

Brother: Ok, you need to hide the treasure somewhere under one of the circles with an X on it - and then Daddy and I will find it.

Mommy: Ok - where are the circles with the X's?

Brother: We need to make them.

Mommy: Oh - ok. cutting some circles out of poster board. Is this what you had in mind?

Brother: Well, they should be out of heavier cardboard. looking at the two I had done And we need about 11 or 13 of them.

Mommy: Why do they have to be out of cardboard? This works fine... but daddy comes in with some cardboard and they proceed to cut the remaining 9 or 11.

Brother: Ok - now you hide them all and only put a treasure under one of them.

Mommy: Ok... what is the treasure?

Brother: You need to make it... I think some chocolate is a good idea.

Mommy: And then you find the circles?

Brother: Well, yeah - using the map.

Mommy: What map?

Brother: The one I made at school.

Mommy: So - you already made the map? Where is it?

Brother: I don't know. So... you'll probably need to make another. Daddy and I will wait on the stairs.

Mommy: OK... it might take me a few minutes if I have to make a treasure, hide all these things, and then make a map of how to find them.

Brother: Tell us when you're done.

I proceed to make a treasure out of some m&m's, a quarter, a cork from a wine bottle, and a ribbon bracelet. I wrap it in tin foil and put a big X on it. I take the 11 or 13 cardboard circles and hide them all around the living room and kitchen. I put the treasure under one of them. I start drawing a map. Brother is asking every 30 seconds or so if I remember that I'm supposed to tell them when I'm done. I do remember. I complete my map and then start to mark off on said map where I've hidden 11 or 13 cardboard circles. I don't remember all the places I've hidden them. I have to search for them. Brother is sounding more and more agitated calling to me from the stairs. I finish and tell them it is all set. I hand them the map.

Daddy: You've put the couch going the wrong direction on the map - this doesn't really make sense.

Mommy: (I say something here about not being great at drawing maps but it should REALLY serve the purpose just find, yada yada yada).

Brother and Daddy proceed to follow the map and find all the hidden circles - including the one with the Treasure - in about 1.5 minutes. Brother is mildly amused by the treasure. But definitely approves of the m&m's.

Brother: OK...let's do it again! But, Daddy - why don't you do the treasure hiding and map drawing this time? That one was pretty easy.
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I do love it. We actually had a good time with his game and I ventured to say we should make a laminated map of the living room and use dry erase markers for marking treasure spots... I didn't get a lot of response to this idea, but I may do it anyway. Plus, when we go to sell our house it will be a great selling point that it comes with it's very own treasure hunt game customized just to this house.

Little Bitty Big World

2009-02-19T10:47:00.002-06:00

Our Little Bitty is growing up. She's been sleeping in her own bed all week. While this does mean that one of us is up every couple of hours to soothe her back to sleep ~~(I'm totally questioning if it is even worth it, I feel like I have a newborn)~~it is going pretty well and we're hoping it sticks this time.

She also finally popo-ed on the potty yesterday! She's been staying dry and has no problem peeing on the pot - but had been hesitant to really do the other duty on there. But, with ~~some gentle coaxing~~ a bag full of bribery items, she did it last night and we all partied like it was 1999 up in here.

Good times.

Back from California

2009-02-16T17:51:00.003-06:00

All was awesome. The kids had a blast with my mom. They made peek boxes and painted flowerpots. They also made me a noodle necklace and matching bracelet. Very sweet.

We had a great time in L.A. No big celebrity sightings. But, we got to see some of the famous areas, hung out one night with one of my husband's old friends that he hadn't seen in years and then ate some spectacular sushi on Saturday night. Alone. It was lovely. The entire weekend.

Now, we're back - I took today off work to hang with the kids (they were home from preschool anyway). I (unfortunately) just checked worked email. It's always a toss up whether or not to check work email the day before going back after being out. It stinks to be blind-sided with issues on your first day back - but - it also stinks to find out about things the night before and have to think about them. Next time, I'm holding off. sigh.

"Potty-time!" is being shouted at me. Must run.

Valentine's Day weekend is about to get started...

2009-02-11T19:55:00.005-06:00

We made handmade Valentine's ... which is good since the ones that Grammy sent arrived today and the kids both liked them so much that is there is no way they were parting with them - even to give to other children (she bought them each a whole box).

Grammy also sent some chocolate and jelly beans among other goodies. Little Bitty announced that she had eaten too many and her tummy hurt. Hmmm... a sign of maturity? Not really since she was gorging herself with more within seconds.

My husband and I are off to the west coast for Valentine's Day! whoohooo! He is presenting at a conference, but I will be reading, shopping, or just laying by a pool or something. I don't really care - as long as some of it involves me sleeping in a king size bed with no people under 5 feet tall in it. To be clear, my husband is taller than five foot - as am I - I just thought that a nice even 5 feet was a good place to draw the line.

I'm cutting this short because as I type I am also giving a lecture to the kids about which parts of their bodies can be washed by the other one as they bathe (Little Bitty was trying to help out a little too much). This is resulting in Little Bitty commanding Brother very loudly to "WASH YOUR PENI$!!" I think she thinks that if she doesn't do it herself - it doesn't get done right. I don't know where she gets that. Ahem...

I'm glad we got that straight!

2009-02-07T08:07:00.002-06:00

"Mommy, these not Daddy's babies, these not Brother's babies, these not your babies. These are MY babies."

As she plays with her babies that no one else is even looking at.

I think she really LOVES it...

2009-02-05T09:44:00.002-06:00

I made this little two-sided backpack for Little Bitty the other day. I worked for quite awhile designing it and sewing it. I'm offering them on my Etsy site now - they're 100% handmade - and I think it turned out so cute! One side is representative of Guatemala with the flag colors and the quetzal bird, the other is all-American. Little Bitty's reaction after inspecting it?... "oh. I already have a backpack."

Meet the Eraser People

2009-02-03T14:27:00.007-06:00

Brother loved these (and insisted on the capes) - he even took them to Show and Tell yesterday. They now live in a padded box and will probably not see the light of day for a long time. But, it was fun creating.

What's up with this formatting? No idea. Blogger being funny.

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T15:45:00.004-06:00

Daddy, Brother and Little Bitty just got back from the grocery store. We are STOCKED for our football watching tonight. If there is any relation to the amount of junk food that we consume and how well the Steelers play - they are going to do GREAT tonight. And yes, we are rooting for the Steelers. For anyone who isn't aware - my mother in-law's family lives in Pittsburgh. My husband was born there and we go every summer for about a week. I - of course - have a spot in my heart for the Colts and the Panthers. But, today is all about the STEELERS!

Here is Brother pumped up for the game (picture taken last night - but this caption seems fitting). Little bitty has just been chilling with her babies. She has a cold this weekend, but it's not slowing her down. I have a picture of her too from last night but Blogger is not letting me post it now.

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Funny note: As I type this I hear Little Bitty talking to Brother and she just asked him, "Whatchyou doin' little buddy?" She's been saying this lately and it is just absolutely adorable. She gets the intonation right and everything - like she's talking to a small child and that she's all grown.

Snow Day 2009

2009-01-29T10:47:00.005-06:00

People may think that I have busy days when I work full-time from home and have my side business. However, my truly busy days are when I blow all that off and have Brother and Little Bitty home from school.

Yesterday was a snow day. Daddy stayed home in the morning (so I did work a little) and he and the kids played outside. Check out the Tennessee snowman. I know he's a little small... but so was the snow, so you do what you can. After their creation - Daddy pulled the kids around the yard on a little sled. They didn't last too long outside - they were cold. We're raising true southerners.

Once Daddy took off for work, we created funny face lunches and had a picnic in Brother's bedroom. Good stuff. For dessert we did some no-bake cookies that I can't show you pictures of because they're almost gone. Brother actually had to cut me off yesterday afternoon.

As we watched a movie later, we made caterpillars out of an egg carton. It was cute to see Brother work so hard and concentrate. Little Bitty was into it as well... but she just get saying "It's OK I smash my caterpillar, right Mommy?" - she was so intent on squishing the bumps. So, her caterpillar looks a little like it was - well, smashed.

We had a fun day together. The snow is gone today - and they're back at school. But, we do have a small reminder of our Snow Day 2009.

Helping out Little Bitty's Birth Country

2009-01-24T10:32:00.005-06:00

There are children in Guatemala that (because of the hard economic times in the US) have lost their sponsors to go to school. Many of them start next week. Please check out my friend Tricia's blog for more info. I know that many of you who read my blog read hers too... but if you are a family member or friend of mine outside the adoption community - please check it out. I know you all give to many causes each year - and this is a great one that has a special place in our hearts. Thank you!

Tricia's Blog

And in honor of supporting education for all - here is Little Bitty singing the alphabet song - which I'm quite certain she learned at school. And the dance moves? She didn't get from me either. And the insistance on not wearing pants? Also not my doing.

Here comes the weekend!

2009-01-23T09:41:00.002-06:00

Yay - another weekend upon us. I had to spend the week out of town away from my chickadees and am glad to be home! However, I did get to see some good friends while I was away and that was great. I am lucky to have each of them! Thanks for meeting up girls!

Today was a bit of a milestone with Brother. I offered to let him stay home from pre-k for the day but he WANTED TO GO! I'm so proud of him and happy for him. He is such a cool little guy and thankfully has no problem making friends, does great at school, etc. - but in the past, he has always preferred to stay home if given the choice. However, this year he has really blossomed and actually enjoys his class. YAY! I think one of the most important things a parent can give their child is a love of learning - and an appreciation for the opportunity to do so. Let's hope the public schools don't squash this out of him next year.

Little Bitty did choose to stay home with Mommy today. We're eating cereal together and watching Dora right now. We already played Diego and washed dishes (she actually did this on her own - pulled a stool over to the sink and washed her sippy cup and some silverware... this is another important thing a parent can give their child - a love of dish washing and an appreciation for the opportunity to do so).

I'm off to enjoy the day with my smallest chickadee.

Yada yada yada

2009-01-16T10:45:00.002-06:00

Despite the cold temperatures (I much prefer spring and summer) and the long nights (the kids have been in our bed more than usual) the weeks still keep flying by. I just looked and realized I haven't posted for a week. There is no reason - it's been a normal week with good family stuff - I think I've just been focused elsewhere.

I'm still creating and sewing, I am even starting a blog purely for my little boutique stuff - but the CPSIA issue hasn't been resolved yet. However, there has been some progress. I'm surprised at the number of people at Etsy just giving up and closing up - I'm also surprised at the number of people who have no clue that anything has changed. I'm trying to find a good balance of continuing so I don't lose momentum but making sure I meet the legal requirements. Even though I know that no one is going to knock on my door and imprision me for selling a few things on Etsy - I want to adhere to the law (don't I sound so grown up and responsible).

About the kids ~ Little Bitty is in full-on pretend world mode. She LOVES to play with her babies. She's their teacher, their mother, their friend... and their rule enforcer. She sends them to time out for hitting each other. It's really funny to find these poor little dolls and stuffed animals sitting in corners and hallways around the house. For the record, we never send Little Bitty to the corner. Although she is very familiar with time-out. Which, in all honesty, doesn't always work great with her. I think she usually believes that the punishment is worth it for the crime. We're not a spanking family, but we may need to explore other consequences for our little firecracker at some point. The time-outs just aren't always cutting it. Any ideas? She did get her Diego Rescue Center taken away the other day. She doesn't do naughty things just to be naughty... she's just extremely strong-willed and WILL NOT do something that she doesn't want to do (eg: clean up her Diego toys at bedtime).

Brother is doing great at Pre-K. He actually never complains about going to school anymore like he used to. His teacher this year is awesome and he has so much fun with his friends there. No real behavior issues... but I am struggling a little with his decision to let his hair grow long. I expected this more from the teenage or maybe pre-teen Brother - not from my little 5 year old. It's getting pretty shaggy. I'm not sure where/when he got this idea. I think maybe he wants to look like Troy from HSM. Who - I admit - is a good looking guy... but I'm just not sure how long I'm supposed to let my son go without a haircut. It's been several months at this point.

Ok - so pretty long post about nothing in particular... but that's what our days are made of right now. And it's perfect.

Pictures coming soon.

I love that he has strong convictions

2009-01-08T16:50:00.003-06:00

Brother: Mommy, you know those things on T.V. that are like blankets...umm, I think they're called like Snuggies or something?

Me: Yeah - those are funny.

Brother: Why do you think they are funny?! I think they look cool.

Me: I just think they look like something Obi-Wan Kenobi (I learned how to spell it) would wear.

Brother: Why would you say Obi-Wan is funny?!! He is very wise!!

A Public Service Announcement for people who make, buy, or even like handmade children's products!

2009-01-06T11:59:00.004-06:00

One of my goals for the New Year is to continue to grow my handmade children's clothing business. I plan to focus on the marketing side and narrow down my product offerings (put my MBA to work!) and to see what I can do. However... the passing of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that goes into effect on February 10th is possibly changing this possibility for myself and thousands of others who make and sell children's products.

The quick and dirty version -

All products (toys, clothes, hair bows, bibs, anything!) intended for children under 12 must go through third party testing to ensure no lead or phthalates are present.
While large manufactures can handle this, the required third part testing is more costly than the profit that small handmade items can make.
The law was developed in response to the mass product recalls in 2007 (especially from imported items from China).
The CPSC supposedly tried to include a small business exemption which congress rejected.
Many businesses know nothing of this - you have to be active in industry organizations or forums on Etsy or EBay - the government is not knocking on the door or sending letters out to all (or any) small businesses.
As it is now - it can be enforced with huge fines and up to 5 year imprisonment. I'm not risking that - though you'll see that some small businesses will keep going, out of ignorance or just denial that it applies to them. However, they will - as it stands now - be breaking the law
Even retail and thrift shops may be required to throw out all untested items after February 10th.

I obviously support the idea of keeping harmful chemicals out of our kids clothes and toys! But, I'd like to think that the fabrics I buy for making children's clothes are already free of this - let's require the manufacturers of fabric to abide by this law (which most do - they just don't have the certificate to prove it). I can't afford to test each of my finished products. For one bow-maker, she was quoted a price of several hundred dollars to test a headband that sells for $4.00. The law does not allow "component testing" by the suppliers. The END PRODUCT manufacturer is supposed to have the product tested.

So - my plan for now is to keep fine-tuning my skills, maybe take a sewing class?, create more things for my own kids, continue to write to the appropriate people and keep active in the forums that are up to speed with all the new requirements. If you know someone like me - a mom who makes and sells items for kids - touch base with them. Make sure they know about it. They can search on Etsy forums, or just google it and find a bunch of information. It's real - and whether intended or not - is going to have a huge impact on many small businesses. Here are a few more links with good info if anyone is interested:

http://thedomesticdiva.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/cpsia-what-childrens-clothing-designers-and-manufacturers-need-to-know/

http://cpsia-central.ning.com/forum

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5963341

2009 ~ Here we come

2009-01-01T11:53:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2009 is a great year for all. We've had a fun few pre-new year days...

My husband and I went on a mid-day date and saw Slumdog Millionaire. We both really liked it.

We also went hiking/jogging at a park nearby - it was a great trail we hadn't been on before, so we're excited about that find.

Daddy and Brother went to a bowl game yesterday. Brother LOVED it. They braved the cold and stayed the whole time. See pictures. Little Bitty and I stayed home and napped and baked. Then the whole family snuggled down for a movie last night. It was a great way to spend the NYE.

Today we melted crayons and are hunkering down for some football and food. Good times.

The Long Holiday Post

2008-12-26T12:12:00.009-06:00

I've got so much to catch up on... let's see... IN THE PAST WEEK we've been to the Steelers v. Titan's game (sorry, Steelers... we were rooting for you), shopping, a limo ride to see the lights around town, Jack Daniel's making place, honkey-tonking, Christmas Eve-ing, and Christmasing. We've had in laws in town all week and we had a blast! Seriously, so much good food, good humor, well-planned events - all made even more fun by ~~Lee's home brew~~ family togetherness.

The kids were blessed by Santa and have been playing non-stop for the past 2 days. My mother, her husband and my grandmother also were here Christmas Day - making it even more complete.

I'm posting some pictures now. Thanks to Zia for actually carrying a camera around and giving me copies. For any family reading - THANK YOU for traveling, being here and helping make this one of the best Christmases ever. And Happy Holidays to all of our other friends and family who we didn't get to see in person.

Zia and Little Bitty ~ Christmas Time Love

Most of our Motley Crew in the Holiday Lights Tour Limo

The Cuz and her hubby ~ their first time to Nashville and they did it up right.

Nonno ready to cheer on the Steelers!

The kids love some Zia and Uncle Pete!
Brother is all smiles after opening his Millennium Falcon

Little Bitty cookin' up some Christmas breakfast

The kids are ready to eat and not in the mood for more pics

Two handsome Italians preparing our Christmas Eve dinner

The girls out honkey-tonking

And that (in a nutshell) was the Team T holiday of 2008. Perfect.

A quicky

2008-12-12T14:15:00.002-06:00

The kids are doing better. Brother and I are headed to a birthday party this afternoon. Just the two of us.
Little Bitty continues to do the opposite of what I say ~ but she's doing it with a smile today.
Today was a snow day - sans the snow. Gotta love the South. Or not... ;)
Have I mentioned we're potty training? This mainly means that I get a prize each from Little Bitty each time I use the potty.
We got new floors in the bottom half of our house. As long as I don't think about the (eventual - no interest for a year! whoohoo!) cost of them - I really like them!
We're about to go outside and play in the non-snow. Which really is much better than the conference call I had scheduled.

Happy Friday!

The art of juggling

2008-12-10T11:47:00.002-06:00

Every once in a while I feel like all my parenting skills have gone down the drain and that my kids are two odd little creatures who probably need some sort of psychological intervention. Some days it all seems overwhelming and I don't know how people do it right... well, and many don't do it right - that's what scares me. What if I'm one of the ones messing up my kids?!

It donned on me over the last couple of days that I haven't spent enough one on one time with Brother lately. Well, it more accurately smacked me in the forehead due to some of his behaviors and things he said. And then as I'm feeling guilty about this and trying to make a plan to focus a little more on him - Little Bitty starts acting out like some sort of temperamental little tyrant. She's perfectly sweet and pleasant as long as everything is going exactly how SHE wants it. Are you singing a little too loud? Look out - you're gonna get hit. Is it not her day to open the advent calendar? God help us. Did you give her the light orange lion sippy cup instead of the dark orange lion sippy cup? Watch for a full on meltdown. She can't have chocolate for dinner? Well, family dinner may be ruined due to her crying.

So - the challenge is how do you successfully give your little guy the attention he needs for just being a good little guy - while also giving your little girl the attention she needs to help her learn that this two-year-old behavior, while age appropriate, is not going to be acceptable long term? It's a constant balancing act and while I do believe that I do it pretty well most of the time... some days it all just crashes down on my head. And on those days I just hope that "pretty well most of the time" is good enough.

Let's get this party started...

2008-12-08T11:33:00.003-06:00

We're home from our Florida trip. It was great - I am so lucky to have such a flexible job. I worked while Brother and Little Bitty played with Grammy and Zia. We also shopped, saw manatees, played with the obscene amount of toys that my in laws have, went to an upside down Wonder House place with a magic show (the kids both LOVED this and it was fun for adults), and my husband and I got a couple days alone at the conference hotel. All in all a great trip and well worth the 12 hour (each way) drive. Our kids really are great travelers - I guess they have to be considering the amount we haul them around the country.

Quotes from the trip:

Oh dear... now I can't find Obiwonkanobi's (yea, no idea how to spell that) head.
Me toot on your head.
Do you think Santa knows the difference between a storm trooper and a clone warrior?
Santa scare me.
I miss Daddy. He's my best friend.
No, get your own.
I don't want to leave until I get a good look at the manatee's tail.

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The next two weeks shall be spent preparing for many family visitors coming for Christmas. I'm excited to do up the decorating and have visions of a Martha Stewart-esque holiday assortment of goodies placed around the house, both edible and just decorative- all handmade by me. In reality, I'll be lucky to have the laundry done and enough ~~vodka~~ diet coke in the house for everyone. But, it will be fun.

Thankful

2008-11-30T10:33:00.002-06:00

Two of my things that I'm most thankful for...even if they scream when I don't cut their cheese and bologna the right way.

Thanksgiving and an Etsy Sale!

2008-11-28T06:51:00.004-06:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a great celebration of Thanks with their family and friends! I know we did - and ours is still going strong. The kids and I are with my mother in-law in Florida and are heading to the beach for a couple days. My sister in-law is joining us too! The grown up guys are together in the cold somewhere having some manly bonding time. I'm so glad to be a woman.

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SPECIAL POST:
As you start your holiday shopping, please note that I will give my blog readers FREE shipping on any purchases at my Etsy shop between now and December 10th. Just send me an Etsy convo before purchasing and tell me you are a blog reader. I'll do a reserved listing for you of whatever you'd like with no shipping cost. Thanks! ;)

Back home on the range

2008-11-22T18:16:00.004-06:00

All is well here. My guys and girl did fine without me this week... of course... but I think they were happy to have me return. I know I was. Working nights is not all it's cracked up to be (I know, no one cracks it up to be good - but it's even less appealing than I thought it would be). I spent a few days supporting the transition from paper documentation to electronic in a level three NICU. This means a bunch of tiny, sick babies and very intense nurses who (rightly so) were very nervous about the transition. All in all, everything went great. But, it's a stressful environment and I'm happy to return to working remotely where I can answer questions via phone and email while in ~~the buff~~ my sweats. And can hide from physicians.

On the home front - the kids continue to get closer and closer to outsmarting me. Brother spent the day building things with hammer and nails, creating race tracks with multiple loops and watching the third Harry Potter movie - which I'm pretty sure I wouldn't "get" even if I paid closer attention. He's also jumped full on the Bakugan wagon and amazes me with his understanding of the point systems and memorization of all their names. Fear Ripper, Diablo, Dragonoid... who can keep that straight? All I know is I was almost that woman on the local news in Charlotte this week when I went to Wal.Mart to try to buy him one as a surprise and the lady who arrived to the aisle seconds before me had taken them ALL off the hanging pegs and put them in her cart. She had twenty or thirty packages of them for her ONE child. Two other moms and I were able to pry a few away from her. Not physically... but I might have gone that route if needed.

As far as the Little Bitty - well, she is speaking in full sentences more often that not and has started telling me repeatedly the Daddy is her "best friend". I really find it completely endearing and don't have any jealousy over this. In fact, I firmly believe that if Daddy stays her best friend through high school - and even college - we will have a pretty smooth run through those teenage years. Just think... "Hey, you coming to that big party after the game?"... "Sure, just let me swing by and pick up my best friend - Daddy." Or - "Hey - do you want come to my Fraternity dance with me?"... "Sure, but my best friend, Daddy, is in town - do you mind if he comes too?"

One other tidbit that I don't want to forget is the fact that as I lay listening to her sing along to our nightly prayers, I realized that instead of the traditional prayer closing of "Amen"(in our little song it is a drawn out "aaahhhh mennn") she sings "Ohhhh Mannnnn". How cute is that? I kind of want to change the words so that we can always sing it that way.

A glimpse of home

2008-11-17T19:45:00.004-06:00

I'm out of town for work this week. Boo. It is way harder on me than it is the kids. In fact, I just talked to them and they were playing play dough with Daddy and sounded great. But - I miss them ALL very much. Here are a few random recent pictures that I hadn't posted before.

Little Bitty smiling proudly after finally finishing her paint job on her sailboat

from Papa's Sailing Camp.

Playing in the packing worms from a Halloween gift from Grammy.

Standing in the doorway before school. Note Brother's big stick... he's been rotating decorative buttons which he glues on top. After a day - a new button "gets a turn" to be on top. He feels sad for the buttons that aren't chosen to be on top. Yet - it's a happy game because he gets to use his pocket knife tools to pry the old button off each day.

Our Weekend Hike

2008-11-12T10:38:00.003-06:00

We went hiking last weekend ~ it was beautiful. We stopped for a couple quick photo opps.

Little Bitty is acting shy because it was someone we didn't know taking the picture.

My happy girl! She RAN most of the way, turning around every few feet to shout "Me beat you, Mommy! Me beat you, Daddy! Me beat you, Bruh-Bruh!"

Our pensive boy. I'm not sure what he's thinking about here... it could be that he's pondering the long-term benefits of the recent election... or he may just be hoping we go home soon so that he can play with his whoopee cushion.

They continue to suprise me...

2008-11-07T13:47:00.003-06:00

A couple of days ago the kids were taking a bath and Brother was babbling on and on to/about/at one of the bath toys. Just silly chatter (anyone who has had a four or five year old probably knows what I mean), just making noise. Just as I was about annoyed with it, I heard Little Bitty turn to him and shout, "CHILL OUW, BruhBruh!" (translation: Chill Out, Brother)

So funny coming from this tiny little girl who surprises us with new phrases everyday. I would like to pretend that she learned that one at school... but I would be pretending.

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What else has surprised me lately? Well, my husband using my cucumber facial cleansing wipes to assist in changing a dirty diaper yesterday was ~~completely absurd~~ surprising to me also. But, hey -I think Little Bitty's bum was probably alert and rejuvenated all day.