Not quite packed or ready

If you can find some paint to watch dry you might want to, because our weekend was pretty dull. Not that I’m complaining. It’s good to have down time before we leave for any trip, and this trip in particular. For those of you who don’t know, we’re going on a Spring Break trip with my parents and my grandma.

We are a family of fliers. The kids started flying when they were infants. Brandon spends a quarter of his week on a plane. My absolute dream job would have been a flight attendant. I wouldn’t have been any good at the service part of the job, but the idea of flying around all day-every day thrilled me to no end. Seriously.

We love to travel, but are not great in the car. Brandon instituted a rule that if our destination is over two hours and there is an airport, we fly. If it’s over two hours and there is no airport, we don’t go. It took us five years before we finally visited my parents in Nashville. Brandon will make occasional trips to Olney/Newton. There may not be a major airport, but there is a Joe’s Pizza, and for sauce he is willing to sacrifice.

We are going to Gulf Shores (Orange Beach, I’m told), Alabama. For years I’ve heard friends and neighbors talk about how great the area is. I assumed the Webbers would never see it, because there is no convenient way to fly there. It far exceeds Brandon’s two hour limit. This all changed last Fall, when GramPam suggested we all go to the beach. We planned our trip on-line if fifteen minutes and decided we’d share it with Brandon later. How did we win approval??? The kids are riding with GramPam and Trophy from Nashville on. At least until they can no longer stand the dull roar coming from their backseat.

The weekend was spent in preparation for the trip. Of course we went to Costco on Saturday. We picked up our usual staples, and bought a 125+SPF beach umbrella. Remember? The kiddos and I don’t like sand or heat. This is going to be a blast!

My in-laws gave me a Costco gift card for my birthday. (I was thrilled! What does that say about me?) I bought some wood hangers and then told Brandon to use the rest for whatever we needed for the trip. Apparently, we needed a navigation system. It is after all, more than a two hour drive.

Meredith is so excited she has worn a swimming suit and jelly shoes (the heart break shoes, if you’ll recall) for days. She sat in a suitcase with Angelina (“Ballerina,” not “Jolie”) for an hour. Every morning, she wakes up thinking today is the day. The concept of a calendar is completely lost on her. I tried.

Alex is mildly excited in his own little reserved way. He tries extra hard not to smile when he talks about the trip. Although, he did pack a bag over the weekend. It is brimming with essentials like his blankets and a battery operated fish.

My week will be spent packing and making sure the van is stocked with food, drinks, and entertainment….and a case of wipes. I don’t go anywhere without wipes.

I’m not a person who gets all that excited about my birthday, but as my mother-in-law continues the fight of her life against cancer, I’ve learned to appreciate having another birthday.

I decided I would take the kids to breakfast at my favorite cafe'. Getting us out of the house, dressed and ready by 7:30 a.m. was a challenge. Meredith does not like to be rushed out of her pj’s in the morning. I will do almost anything for an omelet, so I was willing to face the battle. We had a scrumptious breakfast. Alex suggested we start eating there every morning. When he gets a job, we’ll do just that.

When I dropped off Meredith at school, I realized I completely forgot they were having Breakfast with Jesus and we were in charge of bringing the bananas. I forgot the bananas. That wasn’t our only problem. Meredith thought Jesus himself was actually coming to breakfast, i.e. Breakfast with Mickey.

I was in Alex’s classroom the rest of the morning. He was a bit of a pill today at school, and that isn’t the norm. I’ll be agonizing over what I’ve done to make him punch his buddy in the back, for the rest of the night.

I met Jill E. and Marianne for lunch. They are both so much fun and just interesting to talk to. Then again, my bar isn’t set too high as I’m used to discussing Meredith’s future wedding and sounding out words phonetically all day. Girls, I’m kidding. There’s no one else I’d rather lunch with!

The other reason this was a red letter day, was my driver’s license expired. I couldn’t be bothered to get a new license after we moved. The expiration date forced me to make the change. I was dreading the renewal because, believe it or not, I liked my picture! I’m also not a good liar, and I’m not about to reveal my true weight. I was dreading the whole process.

What used to be a three hour process, took only 15 minutes. God Bless, Governor Daniels and his efficient administration. They must have thought I was the vainest person to ever walk through their doors. 1.) I asked if I could have my old picture. 2.) Before they took my new picture, I borrowed their hand mirror. If I’m going to cart this thing around for four years, I don’t want to look scarier than normal. As the lady took my picture, another lady asked a question. I answered just as the flash went off. The result had everyone in stitches. My lips formed a perfect “O,” and my eyes were both glancing to the left. I asked if that could serve as my license picture, and was shot down. I have a feeling it will show up on some website of bad license photos eventually.

After we all got home, the kids decided to finger paint pictures for me. I decided this would buy me some time to read the paper. I was more than happy to oblige. While I’m heralding government agencies for making my life easier, I’ll also applaud washable finger paints! What more could a woman of middle age want?!

Can you file a workman’s compensation claim for an on-the-job injury as a mother?

This morning, I stepped on a purple plastic butterfly ring. It doesn’t sound like much, but let me tell you, it hurt. The kind of hurt that makes me mutter obscenities under my breath. (At least for the most part. A few may have been audible.) My mom used to put jacks under my grandpa’s chair and then con him into standing up quickly. I have a new found empathy for him.

After my recovery, we picked up Alex from school and headed to The Museum once again. The kids had a Dr. Seuss class today. They seemed to have fun and they made Cat in the Hat hats covered in glitter.

On the drive home, Alex started belly laughing, which he rarely does. He was laughing so hard he could hardly talk and Meredith was incensed. She started yelling, “STOP IT!!! STOP LAUGHING AT ME! I CAN’T HELP IT!!! MOM! BRUSH IT OFF!! GET IT OFF ME!!” I turned around and Meredith was covered--and I mean covered--in glitter from her eyebrows to her shoes. It was funny. I couldn’t help laughing and that did little to soothe Meredith’s soul. We drove to the gas station in chaos.

Today’s class marked the last museum class Alex is eligible to attend. He’s too old, and that makes me sad. I’m excited for him to have new experiences, but it’s another reminder how quickly time passes. Two years ago, I dropped him off and worried he’d be lonely, wondered if he’d find a buddy; hoped he remembered to go the bathroom. I know it’s very cliché, but it really does seem like yesterday.

When we came home all I wanted to do was take a nap. I was so tired for some reason. Maybe it was from my walk down memory lane. The kids were dying to play outside and since it was 60 degrees today and will be in the 40’s tomorrow I knew there really was no choice. Our friends the Staperts came over and the kids ran around the yard and played. They left when Meredith started throwing chalk and Alex threatened to cut down a tree and make it land on me after I refused to help him cross the monkey bars for the 18th time. It’s early to bed tonight for all of us.

Oh, I almost forgot one of the funnier moments in our day. While we were waiting for the bus to pick up Alex, we were playing Eye Spy. Alex spied something green. Meredith said, “Oh, I know! Mucus is green!” The girl has seen one too many Mucinex commercials. Fortunately for you, I don’t have a picture to share.

A new leaf

A reoccurring issue at our house seems to be disorganized closets.---Only the closets I’m in charge of maintaining. Brandon is in charge of his own closet, so it doesn’t suffer like the rest.

Like the majority of people I know, our closets all have their own set of issues. My closet tends to hide laundry that didn’t quite make it into drawers. Alex has a habit of cleaning his room by scooping things off the floor and piling them into his. Meredith changes clothes several times a day. Ignoring repeated admonishments, she pulls things off hangers and leaves them on the floor. Minus the mold, Meredith’s closet looks like flood waters recently receded.

After I finally took the time to clean out my closet a week ago, Brandon announced he had big plans for my space. He designed and ordered a custom closet organizer for me.

Thursday evening, I lifted the garage door to find a UPS man (not our regular, extremely nice one) unloading the last of 30 boxes onto our driveway. I was panic stricken because I distinctly remember hearing the organizer weighed over 700 pounds. The UPS man had three boxes to go. He put those in the garage, and wished me luck moving the others. Brown didn’t do much for me. I was a sweaty mess by the time I moved everything.

Brandon spent the majority of the weekend building my new closet. He’s so patient and precise with everything. I would never even attempt to put something so complicated in place, but if I did I’m sure my tools would be strewn all over my job site. Evidently, it’s much easier to do a job with efficiency.


I was a little reluctant to make an investment to store my sweat suits and turtleneck sweaters, but I have to say, I’m thrilled with the outcome! Brandon said he hoped I liked it and that is should be next to impossible for the closet to become disorganized. I rarely shy away from a challenge.




Unfortunately, there's no good way to completely capture my organized closet. I would have to crawl into the attic and shoot down, and that is simply not going to happen. So, you'll just have to trust me that the other three walls are just as organized!

Happy Easter!

Easter came fast this year. I realized Saturday if we didn’t dye eggs that day, it would be pretty pointless. Brandon is always in charge of egg dying. It’s my job to prepare the eggs and take pictures, but he traditionally does the messy part. Brandon was occupied with the remodel of my closet; (we’ll get to that later) so it was up to me.

While I was boiling the eggs and setting up the dye, the kids found ways to entertain themselves.

I thought they would be way more excited about the egg project than they were. I was worried I didn’t have enough eggs for them to dye, but after two rounds, they were finished. Now, we have a fridge full of eggs, so we’ll have no choice but to eat tuna salad for lunch all week. We’ll probably be able to register people’s temperatures by week’s end.

We had a fun and relaxing Easter, which is how I wish all holidays were. We don’t normally go to church on Easter Sunday because as you may know, I don’t like crowds. Of all days to go, we probably should, but I don’t have the will to elbow my way into a pew.

The kids got up about 6:45 a.m. I heard Meredith puttering around downstairs and after realizing she was “caught,” she offered several excuses before coming clean that she was “just wooking for da Easter Bunny.” Alex was right behind her. We had the one minute egg hunt that I spent an hour preparing for. Then, they dived right into the candy. I let them. Didn’t even bat an eye that my youngest had chocolate dripping from her chin at 7:00 a.m.

After the kids nearly o.d.’d on candy, we went to brunch with the Ehnes family. The girls had fun twirling around in their dresses and eating from the chocolate fountain. It was enough to give Jill and I hives, but they did really well. Alex managed to get chocolate on everything he was wearing, with the exception of his shoes, which he was quick to point out. He was extremely well behaved, so he gets a pass for the spills.

On an impulse, I ordered an Easter basket cake from the same lady who made Meredith’s birthday cake. We didn’t really have any plans for the cake, so we had to create one. The Ehnes’s came over for dinner. Brandon and Scott grilled…in the snow flurries…on Easter Sunday. It just might be a new tradition.

Crowd control

The cast of the next Olney Arts Council production

I think this is the longest I’ve gone without an update, but this week was busy and uneventful at the same time. Busy with cleaning, hair appointments, volunteering, school conferences…all the mundane stuff no one wants to hear about. Then again, nearly everything I write about falls into the mundane.

Thursdays are normally crazy, but for extra fun this week I threw in a haircut and a promise to deliver dinner to the wonderful woman who usually cuts my hair. With the exception of two maternity leaves, Jennifer has cut my hair exclusively for six years. She is amazing with scissors and is an all around peach. I just love her. So, I was so upset to learn she was diagnosed with melanoma last week, and would be having surgery. See girls, I know I look ridiculous with my huge hat and 50+SPF, but I have my reasons. The pearls, I have no excuse for.

I also helped with school pictures at Meredith's pre-school on Thursday morning. I laughed all morning, except when I stopped to roll my eyes at the horrendous garden-scene background and to cringe when the photographer had the children lay their cute little faces on the wrought iron gate she placed in front of them. I’m fairly confident I won’t be ordering the super deluxe package.

Thursday night, Michelle B. (Not to be confused with Mel B., the Spice Girl from Dancing with the Stars.) and her girls came for an overnight visit. Our kids were all so wound up and w-i-l-d, no one fell asleep before 10:30 p.m. They were having so much fun we couldn’t be kill joys.

I paid for it with embarrassingly cranky kids at the Museum. I knew we were in for it, when we pulled into the museum’s parking garage and wound up parking on the top floor. The 20 or so school buses parked in the field trip lot was also not a good sign. My fears were valid. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the place that busy. Despite the crowds we still managed to fit in most of the exhibits we thought Maci and Marni would enjoy.

Considering the lack of sleep, the kids did really well until…Alex fell down. We were in a small exhibit area packed with lots of parents and kids. It’s a quieter area, so I was kind of enjoying the near serenity when my daze was interrupted by a piercing scream. Since he was a foot in front of me, I obviously knew it was Alex, but the scream was so loud, I didn’t recognize it. Of course we drew the attention of everyone within a mile radius. I half way expected to see his leg dangling and in pieces the way he was carrying on. Nope. Just a bump, exhaustion, and histrionics. It sort of went down hill from there. Meredith was furious at me for making her use the restroom, and left the museum sobbing and puffy.

Michelle’s girls, who had the same amount of sleep, couldn’t have been better. They are so sweet and fun and Meredith, especially was so sad to see them go. We hope we haven’t scared them (or you) into cancelling any future visits with us! :)

Anything miniature is cute

One would never know I am a Weight Watcher based on the number of posts I do that mention food. I can’t help it. I love everything about food, which is probably why I’m in Weight Watchers.

There are foods I’m less enthusiastic about. I’m truly not that big of a dessert eater. I don’t really like cake. Pie, I love, but I’m not a cake eater. I have a thing for cupcakes though, mainly because they are so cute. I read about a bakery in Indy that specializes in cupcakes. As we were driving downtown once, I saw it and made a mental note to bring the kids at some point. Today was the day.

The place is called The Flying Cupcake and may be the sweetest little bakery I’ve ever been in. I’ve not been in many, but this one is beyond description. I’ve often thought I was born twenty six years later than I should have been. I’m a 50’s girl at heart, maybe even 40’s. This bakery is straight out of that era. I can’t really explain it and pictures won’t do it justice. There is milk glass everywhere, bright oil-cloth covers the vintage tables, and all the plastic cupcake toppers are straight out of June Cleaver’s kitchen. The place has a worn look that June wouldn't approve of, but it's very retro shabby chic.

Instead of Soup De Jour, they offer Cupcakes De Jour, and you can pick from several flavors. Then, they let kids pick a topper. Alex picked an ice cream cone, and the woman chose a ballerina for Meredith, go figure. I wasn’t going to have one, but they have red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. I’m not much of a cake eater, but come on?! Worth every point.

I ran outside to see if I could catch some non-posed shots of the kids. This is through glass and the colors are still fun.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Next to Christmas, my favorite day of the year!

Yes, those are green eggs. They taste better than they look!

No, Brandon does not wear St. Patty's day socks like the rest of us!

Weekend Update

Busy, busy weekend. So much so, that I almost had a meltdown on Saturday. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say “almost.” I threw a temper tantrum, yelling at my entire family while I got ready to host the in-laws for dinner. That always makes me grouchy.

Saturday was full of busyness. Our friends Joe and Annie came over to play while their parents were at their new house for an inspection. It was a fun morning and the kids were very excited to have people their own age to pal around with. The girls played dress up and the boys played Wii, most of the time, but I did manage to get them all wrangled into the kitchen to make some Easter cookies. Maybe I shouldn't say “make,” more like decorate the frozen, pre-cut Easter shaped cookies I ordered from Market Day.



After Joe and Annie left, we picked up our van from getting some new parts that cost hundreds of dollars and are absolutely no fun to write about. The steering wheel no longer sticks in weird positions as I go through round-a-bouts, so that’s good news, but the van now has that weird service department smell…sort of like old oil. It smelled like old juice before, so I guess that’s a trade off.

From there, Alex and Brandon headed to off to run errands and Meredith and I went to a birthday party for her friend Kate. It was a ballet party, so she was very excited to go and it was about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t take any pictures, but hopefully the birthday girl’s mom will send me a few to share. (Angie, are you reading this?!)

After the party I flew home to start a labor-intensive lasagna. I have a tried and true recipe that’s ridiculously simple, but I like to torture myself and try new recipes when I’m already pressed for time. By the time my in-laws arrived for dinner, everyone in my family was avoiding eye contact with me. At one point, Alex said, “Mom, is it okay if I’m in here while you cook?” Ouch. Thankfully, Brandon and Alex picked up a cake at Costco. It had orange and yellow flowers resembling a 70’s wedding bouquet, but I didn’t have to make it so it was beautiful.

Sunday, was busy too, but much less stressful. I finally cleaned out my closet. When we moved in a year ago, I didn’t do the best job of organizing. I think I have some sort of spatial disorder, which probably isn’t good for a photographer. I’m completely unable to organize spaces correctly. I want a closet that looks like The Gap, but sadly it winds up looking like a space only Oscar could love. Brandon’s closet looks like what you would expect it to, and my closet has been driving him bananas. So, today was the day.

I spent the better part of the morning discarding, sorting, and organizing…to the best of my ability. I now know where all my laundry baskets had gone. I also realized I have a carpeted closet. I’m preparing for a massive garage sale in the spring. If I sell everything for a dollar, I should make somewhere in the neighborhood of $47,000.

This afternoon we went to see Horton Hears a Who. I’m a big fan of Dr. Suess, and most of the people voicing the characters, so I was more excited than the kids. Meredith was most excited about the popcorn. It was a cute movie. Meredith wasn’t thrilled about sharing popcorn. If we asked, we were given one kernel at a time.

After the movie, we went to Best Buy, for no apparent reason. I was feeling a little wonky after eating only seven kernels of popcorn for lunch. Brandon knows better than to hang around me if my blood sugar is low, so we decided to grab something to eat. We wound up at Claddagh Irish Pub in honor of St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. Either Meredith is going through a growth spurt or she has a hallow leg. After all that popcorn, she ate an entire hamburger, applesauce, and a piece of Alex’s fish. Then, she lobbied to stop for ice cream on the way home. We didn’t.

Not a good sign of things to come...

I am not much of a shopper. I like to look presentable, but I’m more about comfort than I am about style. If I can find something comfortable that’s also semi-stylish, I’m thrilled. I’m forever in debited to JLo for making the sweat suit socially acceptable, if even for awhile.

Meredith is my polar opposite when it comes to clothes and shopping. I love having a girl to dress and would much rather buy stuff for her. (Largely, because smocking and toile is insanely cute on a small person.) So, while I love to shop for her, I’m not the type to spend a day at the mall trying on dresses. OR shoes…Most women love shoes, but when you wear a size 10 (on a bad day, it’s a 10.5…Those are dark days.), your foot never looks like you hoped it might in those dainty heels. I’m a get in, get out, type of shopper.

I found out today, Meredith has the potential to become a professional shopper. What started as a quick trip to the mall for curl taming product for Meredith, turned into an afternoon of shopping.

It’s partially my fault. Meredith loves jewelry, and has from infancy. She was really annoyed with Nana when she was about 18 months old, because Nana wouldn’t let her wear her diamond rings around the house. She has been known to make comments like, “Oh, Mommy, I love your pearls. I wish I could have that necklace!”

Knowing her love of all things sparkly, I let her flip through the Tiffany & Co. catalogue. Meredith was enthralled. Now, when it appears in our mailbox, she recognizes the colors, and immediately rips it open and starts her wish list. There is a Tiffany store right next to Aveda. I told Meredith if she could behave while we bought her hair stuff, we would go next door and she could look at the jewelry. Of course, she found several things she loved, but we had a big talk about how we were just looking. Meredith chattered endlessly about how pretty everything was, and how when she was a big girl, she was going to buy this ring or that bracelet, etc. The sales staff ate it up, and didn’t feel like she should leave empty handed. They cut her several yards of ribbon, put it into that familiar suede bag, and enclosed it all in a box. Then they gave her an itty bitty bag, tied with the same ribbon. Cloud nine probably doesn’t describe it. Meredith showed it to anyone willing to look. She shrewdly figured out grandma-types are easy targets for storytelling.

We moved on to Baby Gap, where Meredith was so distraught over the lack of her size in a pink jelly sandal that she told the sales lady her, “heart was crying.” I swear. To make a long story short we finally ended our afternoon at a children’s clothing store. I was on my way to grown folks Talbots (yes, I enjoy dressing like the bridge set.), when Meredith, I kid you not, noticed a SALE sign in the Talbots Kids window. “Mom! Let’s go in. There’s a sale and I want to try on that polka dot dress!” What three year old wants to try on clothes?! So we did, and after a voice mail left for Dad asking about the dress, we walked out of the store with the dress.

I’m not at all comfortable with the rampant consumption, but at least she recognizes a sale!

For every good shot I take there are 20 I delete, but I love both of these.

The picture of Meredith has already made the rounds via e-mail, but for those of you whom have not yet received one of my insanely large files...

Following is an outake from our Easter card. I'm including this one because I think it's funny, and I can't get over how much Alex looks like Brandon in this picture. Everyone always says he looks just like his dad, and frankly I don't always see it. But, when he smirks, I see nothing else.

Shamrocks

For a couple of years, Alex has gone to classes at the Children’s Museum. The classes are themed, and run the gamut from bees to safety. There is always a craft, often a “field trip” to an exhibit, and sometimes even a snack. When choosing classes, Alex always looks for the description that mentions a special snack. The classes last an hour and a half, which was the perfect amount of time for me to take Meredith to the section of the museum Alex now believes is beneath him.

Today marked the first class they were able to take together. The age range is 3-5 years. Meredith squeaks in and Alex is in the acceptable range for two more months. I was glad Alex would be there for Meredith’s first class, but I also worried he might boss her around, which would result in a hands-on-the-hips tantrum out of Meredith.

They did great! The class was all about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. I knew Alex would love it, because he still talks about our trip and thinks we should go back for St. Patty’s day. Meredith has no clue she’s ever been to Ireland; she just likes any holiday that requires you to wear something specific. She laid out her green dress, black tights, and “shiny, clappy shoes that make me look like a lady,” first thing this morning.

I spent the time doing some shopping for the Easter bunny and sitting on a bench outside in the March sun. I picked up a new book at the library yesterday, so I couldn’t have been more content.

When the class was over, I picked up the kids and let them run around the museum for a bit. I start to panic when it gets close to 3:00 p. m., because I have an irrational fear of rush hour. I act like our van is inoperable between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. In order to get our show on the road, I used my most effective parenting technique…bribery. I promised ice cream if we could get to the van without any meltdowns.

It worked and we wheeled into my favorite cultural experience, the McDonald’s at 30th and Illinois. For those of you whom do not live here, the area is not one I would include in a “highlights of Indy tour.” Never fail, there is an issue at this McDonald’s. I know the chain prides itself on consistency, but this branch must not be included in their scope of training.

The kids immediately spotted Shamrock shakes on the menu and made their decision. I ordered a SMALL ice cream cone. I had a coupon. We crept to the window...this is the world slowest drive-thru. A large framed gal, yells out to me, “Oh man, girlie! My shamrocks not shakin’ What other flavor you want?!” After I figured out the Shamrock flavor machine wasn’t working; I forced an alternative selection out of the kids. They weren’t thrilled because they really wanted GREEN shakes, but they were fine. The same lady asked if the cone was for me. I told her it was, and she said she would ‘fix me up good,’ for making us wait for the new shakes.

I told her that wasn’t necessary, we weren’t mad about the shakes, blah, blah, blah. I should have kept my mouth closed. The entire time I talked, she made my ice cream cone. She pushed it out the window and piled on top of a five inch cone, was at least nine inches of ice cream. It defied physics for seven seconds before it started to lean. Fortunately, I had an empty cup and I scraped the five extra inches of ice cream into it quickly. It made for an interesting drive home. I’m surprised I wasn’t pulled over for suspicion of DUI.

Speaking of suspicion of DUI, when we got home, Meredith was passed out from shear exhaustion in the backseat. Between the excitement of the class and no nap, she was completely wiped out. She fell asleep with her gold coin she took from the Leprechauns’ magic pot. Once I woke up Meredith, we were able to play outside for an hour before dinner. Fresh air is the best sleep aid ever, so we’re all winners.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Today is Jennifer’s birthday! You would think after 27 plus years of friendship, I’d be able to come up with all kinds of pictures to post. I dug through a couple of boxes in the basement, until I saw a spider. I made an earnest effort to find our wedding albums. I flipped through countless digital files. Remarkably, I couldn’t find anything but this…

Enjoy your day, Geeg!

I'm a regular TV guide!

I think we just had a weekend, but it went by so quickly, I really can't be certain. Friday night was our usual; put the kids to bed and watch Lost. Brandon gets annoyed that I usually watch Lost on Thursday while recording it for him. He wants me to wait and watch it with him. I usually do, especially now that Friday Night Lights is out of new episodes. What he doesn’t realize is if I was watching for the first time, he would be peppered with questions. I watch it once, try to process what I saw, and then watch it again with Brandon, so I can completely confuse myself.

Saturday we had a busy day. The family had a birthday party to go to at noon. Our little friend Catey Campbell turned one, and Meredith was more than happy to help her celebrate. She was really excited that I let them wear their Easter outfits. Alex was invited to another party that started at 2:30, so after we watched Catey squish her cake, we had to scoot.

Alex wanted Brandon to take him to the party because it was once again at Bounce Planet. Aside from jumping houses, the place has ticket spitting carnival games. You know the kind. You wind up buying $20 worth of tokens so you can win a 27 cent inflatable sword. Alex learned quickly Mom will not buy extra tokens, and Dad will mortgage the house to win an alien.

For all my talk about the silliness of tokens, tickets, and trinkets, Alex came home with a pink sparkly ring just like he’d promised Meredith he would. She was thrilled and he was quick to tell her it had cost him 20 tickets!

Saturday night, my friend Jill hosted a Real Housewives of Orange County party. It was mainly an excuse to get together and drink wine and was just what we all needed. I paid for it Sunday, because I forgot I’d be losing an hour of sleep and I suspect I was over served.

After living in our house over a year, I decided we should probably put up some window covering aside from our visually stimulating white blinds. It’s always risky when Brandon and I do anything that involves putting holes into a wall. There’s nothing that causes our marriage more strain than trying to hang something level. My method tends to involve a hammer, a bunch of nails, and a lack of patience. I eyeball things, hammer in the nail, and hang whatever it is I’m hanging. Then I move it over, up, or down, making a series of holes in the wall until it looks just right. This is in direct contrast to Brandon’s method which involves a laser level, a tripod, and a willingness to spend a Sunday hanging curtains. I’m happy to report the curtains in two rooms are hung and we will still celebrate nine years of marriage in July.

A change of pace

I am not a landscape photographer, nor am I skilled enough to become a fine art photographer. I've been known to throw tantrums over pictures taken without people, or even animals in them.
I must have thrown a belt, because two days ago when we had an ice storm, I bundled up the kids and walked two lots away to take pictures of frozen trees. I thought the results were kind of fun and very different from what I normally shoot, so I wanted to share them with you. As if you weren't already cold enough.

Little People Evicted

After such a heavy subject yesterday, I thought we could all use a post of complete nonsense. These are just some funny things that I’ve been witness to this week alone. Here’s a fly’s view of life in our house, and in our second home…our van.

Alex mentioned the only princess costume Meredith is lacking is Ariel, aka The Little Mermaid, for those of you not yet indoctrinated. Meredith said that was fine, she thought it would be hard to walk with a mermaid fin, but she would very much like an Ariel swimming suit. To hear Meredith tell it, we passed up several opportunities to purchase one last time we were in WDW. Alex told her, that wasn’t a problem and he would buy her one during our next trip, “So long as it’s under $10!”

Before Meredith received several sets of miniature princesses for Christmas and her birthday, she was really into Little People. We have an extensive collection, and Alex never showed much of an interest. He just liked to collect the sets. He had a Little Town map and he was determined to have all the buildings pictured. Alex’s most dreaded words are, “Barn sold separately.”


Meredith uses the buildings and the people for their intended purpose. She creates scenarios and talks in a high pitched voice. Since the princesses came to town, we haven’t seen much of the short and squat Little People tribe. This week, Meredith got down all the buildings and was happily playing when I realized she didn’t have any people or animals. I asked her if she’d like me to get out the people who lived and worked in the buildings. Meredith declined, and when I took a closer look, I found Belle and Prince Charming welcoming their subjects to the “royal” barn. Alex had a friend, Brenton, over to play yesterday. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but this is the first time Alex has chosen a friend to come over. Normally, it’s some well orchestrated play date the other mom and I have arranged. I know the family, know the kid, and know he/she is unlikely to burn down our house.

This was uncharted territory for me, but I know Brenton from school and he’s a doll. Whip smart, and very polite. The three of us were having lunch and Brenton was wowing Alex and me with his amazing math skills. Mind you, I’m easily impressed when it comes to math, but then he moved on to tell me how much he loves to read. He read every thing with a word on it in our kitchen. I was sitting there thinking how glad I was that of all the kids in Alex’s class, this is the one who wanted to come over to play. I was beaming. Then, as I was clearing the dishes, the dream died.

Brenton told me Alex must be confused because he still believed in Santa Claus. Pardon me?! I immediately told him of course Alex believes in Santa because Santa is very real in our house; all the while surveying Alex’s face for any trace of doubt. Alex told Brenton Santa had to be real. “We host a Santa party every year, for crying out loud! He sits by our fire place with his wife.” I whisked Brenton off for a look see at the Webber Family Christmas albums, and sure enough, “You are right Mrs. Webber! That’s the same Santa each year! How do you know him?! My brothers are wrong!” No kidding.

A tiny request

Each day, I’m able to wake up with two beautiful, healthy, albeit challenging children. I’m able to have breakfast with them, help them brush their tiny little teeth, and slip their wiggling arms into coats. I have the privilege of carting them to and from school, lessons, activities, and play dates. I am beyond blessed to read them stories, tuck them into bed, and sneak back in to watch them sleep.

Not all moms are so lucky. Not all babies get the opportunity to grow into healthy, rambunctious pre-schoolers. I’m writing this post to give you an opportunity to help more babies and mothers experience what my children and I sometimes take for granted.

Several of you know my friends Robyn and Keith. For those of you whom do not, Robyn is part of my group of friends from childhood. She’s the voice of certainty and realism in our Olney Girls group. All of us have children, and last year Robyn became a mom too.

Shortly after Robyn made her joyful announcement that she and Keith were diving into parenthood, she gave us even bigger news… they were expecting twins! We were all thrilled for them, and some of us even snickered about what they were getting into with twins. Little did we know, they wouldn’t get to enjoy the trials of chasing four little pattering feet through the house, at least not for awhile.

Robyn’s babies were girls and they were identical MoMo twins, which means they were in the same amniotic sac with no membrane to separate them. There was a real danger of them getting tangled in each others umbilical cords. So, the girls made a very early entry into the world at 24 weeks gestation on July 21, 2007. Abigail Joye arrived first, followed by her sister Ameilia Mae. Both girls weighed just over a pound and were the length of a ruler.

The girls were tiny, but what they lacked in size, they more than made up for in spirit. They were active and had a zeal for life from the get go. At only two weeks of age, tiny Abigail had her first surgery to repair her heart. She made it through the operation, only to have a second surgery on her leg resulting from a surgical complication. But fight she did, and Abigail soon rejoined her sister in the NICU.

Just when it seemed Abigail was coming into her own, she developed NEC, a disease to which preemies are very susceptible. Abigail passed away at exactly 6 weeks old. The Olney Girls knew where we had to be and made the trip no one should ever make-- to help a friend say good bye to her daughter. While we were all overcome with grief, the shining spot in our trip was meeting Ameilia.

I can write more about Ameilia, because I was able to meet her. Aside from my own, never have I felt such instant love for a baby. She was so tiny and sweet, but so strong and mighty. I had to keep myself from reaching into her isolette to cradle her. Jennifer coined her “Ameilia the Beautiful,” and that she was. Precious doesn’t even come close to describing her. We were all gonners after one glance. We each took a tiny diaper home as a reminder to pray mightly for Ameilia’s growth and development.

Three short weeks later, we were devastated to hear Ameilia had also developed NEC and the news wasn’t good. Ameilia fought her hardest, but she too passed away.

Keith and Robyn didn’t have enough time with their girls. No one should have to become parents only to have their children sent back to God in such a short amount of time. So, Robyn and Keith have joined with the March of Dimes as Ambassadors for the Woodstock, Georgia Walk on April 26th. They will share their story and help kick off the March for Babies.

Through their walk team, The A Team, in honor of their girls, they hope to raise $4,000 to help fund the prevention of premature birth. It is my hope that you might consider contributing to this wonderful cause in honor of two precious little souls. If you would like to donate, you may follow this link and know you’re helping other babies to grow into the children they are destined to become.

Following are some pictures Keith and Robyn wanted to share.

Abigail with Mommy

Ameilia with Daddy

Surely, Spring will be here soon...

We were spoiled yesterday. The weather was warm. It wasn’t all that sunny, but it was warm enough to take a bike ride without your teeth chattering. To escape the house of illness, that’s exactly what the kids and I did. Of course, I had to get the bikes down, hook up the trailer, and air up the pancake tires. Then we had to dig out helmets and dust them off before anyone would agree to putting them on their heads. Even with all the “work” it was so nice to be able to get some fresh air.

The thing about living in the Midwest in the winter is it’s easy to forget you have neighbors until the first warm day. Then everyone comes filing out of their garages carrying out every ride on vehicle they own and buckets of sidewalk chalk. All this for 60 degrees, but hey, we’ll take it.

Naturally, it rained all day today and we’re supposed to get another wintry mix by tomorrow. I just got a message about the potential for a 2 hour school delay in the morning. The last time I checked, no one in our school lived on a gravel road. Pansies.

Meredith and I went to the library this morning for Toddler Tales. The leader went to the front of the room, gave her familiar “good morning” speech, and then started to tell the children about today’s theme. Meredith stood up, and announced, “I have a brudder named Alex. He’s five!!!! I’m three, but I used to be two…” I had to shut her down then. I have no idea what she would have disclosed next had I let her ramble on.

Alex went to the same story hour for two years, and said six words, and those were forced. He had a not-so-secret crush on Miss Jennifer, the leader and turned beet (or is it beat? That conjures a bad image, I’ll stick with beet) red anytime she so much as looked in his direction.

After that Meredith and I made a trip to the appliance repair store to pick up the part my ailing washer needs. It must happen often, because the parts guy knew exactly what I needed and where they were kept. Now, I just have to wait for Brandon to come home and put the washer back together on Friday. I think God is teaching me lessons in frugality, appreciation, and patience all in one act. It did occur to me I could use this as a golden excuse to shop.

The rest of the day was so gloomy, I told the kids we’d have a Movie Monday! Meaning, they could watch a movie and I’d sit next to them and read. If I make it sound like a party, by creating some nonsense theme, they are completely game for anything.

We’re off to ballet now, and I can’t think of anything better to brighten the day.

Our washer called in sick

Our family seems to suffer from weekend syndrome. Every time Saturday rolls around someone either “frows up,” has a violent cough, and/or runs a fever. When I was a kid, I was much smarter about illness and made every effort to plan my afflictions so they would occur during school hours.

Brandon and I went to a Leap Year party Friday night with our friends Scott and Jill and Stacey and Jeff. The party was fun and I’m glad we got out of the house when we did, because things went south from there.

I got an early start on laundry Saturday morning. I know it’s strange that I love to get up at an unholy hour and start household chores, but honestly I’m useless after 10:00 a.m. I was happily bringing down my second load, when my whites started to spin out of control. By the time I reached the laundry room, the machine had walked itself out of alignment with the dryer. I wasn’t washing bricks or anything particularly heavy, so I couldn’t just rearrange the load and slam the lid; which is my usually solution. I yelled for Brandon, who pulled the washer completely apart and promptly came down with the flu.

Brandon spent the rest of the day on the couch and I had to bribe the dog with peanut butter to get him to walk around the washing machine bone yard to get to the outside door.

I planned to make soup for dinner, and Brandon thought that sounded good. When it was time to eat, he didn’t want the soup, but did manage to choke down a Rice Krispie treat or two. During dinner, Meredith came down with a condition I hadn’t heard of before, “spicy foot.” Merdi refuses to sit in her booster seat and has to sit on her knees to reach the table. As we were finishing, she told me her foot hurt. Assuming her foot was asleep; I asked her if it felt tingly. She said, “No. It feels spicy.”

I hope everyone is on the mend soon, and that includes my washing machine.

Hooray for Mason!

Mason Burgin had a big weekend! He accomplished something our family seems to have irrational fears about. I was six before I learned, and Alex is on track to beat my record. Meredith won't even do it with the assistance of training wheels because she claims not to know how to "turn left." But not Mason...Hooray for our brave little friend!