One of the things that plagues me as a parent some days is my inability to adequately represent my girls on this site. I don't feel like I can capture the true awesomeness, if that's even a word, of their beings and depict the love and humor and intelligence and compassion and pure, strong will packed into their tiny little bodies. Sometimes it's all so overwhelming to me, that I think that it would be easier to not even try.
I can't find the words to describe the look of curiosity and disgust and intensity on Josie's face as she discovers an ant outside and kneels down to get a closer look before ordering us to get it because she doesn't like ants, remember?
I can't truly describe what it's like to watch Eve as she grabs a book from the bookshelf and drops to the floor, completely absorbed, for the next 15 minutes, flipping pages and pointing out objects and naming them and telling the familiar story to herself in her own little words, in her own little world.
I can't capture the aura of pride that emanates from Josie when she not only is able to undress herself and put her clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, but picks out and completely gets into her pajamas all on her own and comes running from her room to show us that she did it all by herself.
And I can't really convey how awesome, and sometimes terrifying, it is to watch Eve follow her sister's lead and insist on doing everything by herself. She climbs into her highchair on her own, wants to walk up and down stairs on her own, and tries to put on shoes all by herself. The will and independence and determination is so strong in her, you can just feel it.
There are so many aspects of their personalities that are just too big, too funny, too much for me to tackle here. I can try to report on the day-to-day accomplishments, the struggles, the tears and the laughter. But to truly know them, you just have to be with them. I will never be able to do them the justice that they deserve here in only words. But I hope someday, if they ever read these words, they will appreciate that I tried.
Welcome to my life. You may want to plug your nose.
Monday, April 28, 2008
I kid you not. THIS was the webpage I discovered left on my screen as I grabbed my laptop and sat down on the couch tonight.
My personal favorite? "Morning thunder."
And - I'm not making this up, either - as I type, Eve is in the girls' room saying, "Mommy toot. Daddy toot. Je-che (Josie) toot. Evie toot!"
Seriously. You feel a little bit sorry for me, don't you?
My personal favorite? "Morning thunder."
And - I'm not making this up, either - as I type, Eve is in the girls' room saying, "Mommy toot. Daddy toot. Je-che (Josie) toot. Evie toot!"
Seriously. You feel a little bit sorry for me, don't you?
Something old, something new
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Same stuff, different layout. It's still a work in progress, still some tweaking here and there to do... but whattya think?
“He had such enthusiasm and excitement – almost like another Brewster…”
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Funny how that statement, made by KARE 11’s Randy Shaver this morning on 93X in reference to yesterday’s media meeting with the Vikings new defensive end Jared Allen, would (to any normal person) clearly indicate Tim Brewster, the Gophers head coach. But Pat and I, as we listened on the way to work this morning, had to laugh at how we automatically envisioned Allen jumping up and down with a tennis ball in his mouth, dropping the ball on occasion into someone’s lap, just begging them to play fetch with him, and beating everyone in a 6-foot radius of him with his wagging tail. Enthusiastic and excited. Two perfect descriptors for our crazy, 90-lb black Lab. And, apparently, college football head coaches in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Also, I have decidedly come to the conclusion that Splenda is disgusting. Seriously – I’m trying to choke down a container of light yogurt made my Rainbow’s house brand – and I’m thoroughly disgusted. I cannot stand the artificial taste. Other products don’t usually bother me this badly – I can always taste a fake sweetener, but it usually doesn’t turn me off enough where I can’t even eat it. I’m going to have to lick the wall of my cubicle just to get the taste out of my mouth. Chairman Bob must have been delusional the day he guaranteed the quality of this junk. Into the garbage it goes.
That’s all I’ve got for today. More ranting at a later date. Stay tuned.
Also, I have decidedly come to the conclusion that Splenda is disgusting. Seriously – I’m trying to choke down a container of light yogurt made my Rainbow’s house brand – and I’m thoroughly disgusted. I cannot stand the artificial taste. Other products don’t usually bother me this badly – I can always taste a fake sweetener, but it usually doesn’t turn me off enough where I can’t even eat it. I’m going to have to lick the wall of my cubicle just to get the taste out of my mouth. Chairman Bob must have been delusional the day he guaranteed the quality of this junk. Into the garbage it goes.
That’s all I’ve got for today. More ranting at a later date. Stay tuned.
Down the only road I've ever known.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Here I go, again. But definitely not on my own. So when the 12-week Healthy Loser challenge ended, I had very high hopes that I would take away with me all the tools, advice, knowledge and motivation to continue my weight loss efforts all on my own.
Then I hit the proverbial brick wall.
The challenge ended 3 weeks ago, and I have managed to maintain my weight loss - well, actually, I guess I did gain back almost 1 pound. Which would be all fine and grand, IF I was at a weight that I was happy with and wanted to be at for the long run. But I am not. And I am not alone. A few of my "loser" friends were struggling, as well, so we decided to give it another go. This time, a 10-week challenge, and we already have 15-20 people joining in. I'm going to aim for a 1.5 lb. loss each week for another 15 lbs. gone. Wish me luck!!
Then I hit the proverbial brick wall.
The challenge ended 3 weeks ago, and I have managed to maintain my weight loss - well, actually, I guess I did gain back almost 1 pound. Which would be all fine and grand, IF I was at a weight that I was happy with and wanted to be at for the long run. But I am not. And I am not alone. A few of my "loser" friends were struggling, as well, so we decided to give it another go. This time, a 10-week challenge, and we already have 15-20 people joining in. I'm going to aim for a 1.5 lb. loss each week for another 15 lbs. gone. Wish me luck!!
A smattering of this, a smattering of that.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
We (meaning the collective whole working society of associates at my company) have worked in our current building since construction was complete in May of 2001. I think I’ve mentioned before the delightful and technologically advanced Remcor Ice Dispensing/Water Systems located in our vending areas. Today is a happy day. And here’s why: It has taken me since May of 2001 to perfect the technique of obtaining EXACTLY the smattering of ice I want in my glass. You see – you have to flip the switches for ice and water (on or off – it’s very complex,) then push the button (which they’ve now covered with a handy little plastic cover – to ward off… I haven’t a clue) to dispense aforementioned ice and/or water. I need an exactly perfect ratio of ice to water – or my whole day is shot right down the shitter. I’ve finally figured out that it takes just the right technique and gentle push – and immediate release of the button with BOTH the ice switch and water switch in the on position to get just a smidgeon of ice. THEN you turn off the ice button and continue filling up the glass with water. All these years, I was wasting precious time ineffectually dispensing the ice only – then flipping the ice button off, and the water button on. It was not a mutually healthy relationship. I was always slightly frustrated and disappointed with the high volume of ice dispensed in my glass with a mere one push of the button. And the machine was frustrated with… well, nothing. It’s a machine. And I could never just pour out a little bit of crushy ice, and leave the right amount remaining in my glass. I’m sure you all know the temperamental attitude of ice. Once you start tipping the glass – you just never know what’s going to happen. Is it all going to come plummeting into your nose (or sink, as the case may be) or is it going to be stubborn and stay put at the bottom of the glass? Oh – it’s a guessing game, to be sure. Perhaps you question the importance of my obsession. But have you ever tried to drink water through a straw that is just too darn cold, or not nearly cold enough? Not enjoyable at all, thank you very much. I can only hope that the Greendale Home for the Insanely Obsessive-Compulsive has the same ice dispensing systems.
And, in other news… well, there really is no other news. Patrick left before dinner last night for “softball practice” or some other such excuse for a bunch of friends/husbands/fathers to get together and gossip. Sounds suspiciously like “book club” to me – without the snacks. So it was just me and the girls, and our tuna melt sandwiches. At some point, Josie looked out the window and across the street, and saw our neighbor out with her little boy, cleaning up their yard. She insisted that we needed to go say “hi.” So after we finished and I cleaned up the kitchen, we put on shoes… and DID NOT PUT ON COATS THANK YOU VERY MUCH! and headed out the front door. We introduced ourselves to our neighbors whom we’ve seen for the past however many years, but had not officially met. It was nice. And I mention all this mainly for the reason that it was groundbreaking to see Josie immediately start playing and talking to this little boy, who will be turning 3 this summer. They even took off together into the backyard to play in their sandbox – without asking first, but that’s beside the point. I was delighted since Jo usually has herself firmly attached to my leg when we first meet anyone… even family members and friends she sees all the time. And it was refreshing to meet another family choosing to live in our neighborhood – which didn’t own a pit bull, or have a booming subwoofer in their trunk, or live in their house with 5 other families.
Josie has started to keep track of Mommy and Daddy’s comings and goings. She always tells us “good luck” as we leave the house, and if one of us isn’t home when they go to bed, she asks if we “had fun with our friends” when she gets up in the morning. The other night Pat was leaving to go to a bar with friends to watch the Wild for one of the playoff games that wasn’t televised on a local channel. Side note – this is the time of year when it is especially painful for him to not have cable. Anyway – he was preparing to leave, and Jo asked me where he was going. Upon hearing the answer, she stomped her foot, raised her hands up in frustration, and said, “AGAIN??!"
I can’t recall if I’ve talked about Henry from daycare – and Eve’s little crush. She’s not quite as infatuated as she used to be – she would ask all weekend long for “Enry,” and would stare longingly at a picture on our fridge of all the daycare kids together. I asked Daycare Betty about the two of them – only to hear that Henry wasn’t always all that nice to Evie. And I’m sure that she isn’t always all that nice to him, either – but Betty was too nice to say so. But she loves him anyway – and now, he has a little brother, Baby Joe, who has started coming to daycare, too. This development has been the highlight of Josie’s week – as she is especially deeply embedded in her baby fascination right now. Betty says she hardly lets that baby leave her sight from the time he’s dropped off in the morning until they leave. She couldn’t wait to tell us that “Henry had a baby!” and show us Baby Joe when we picked her up Monday night, and asks Betty each morning if Henry and “his baby” will be coming today.
We’ve started taking the girls to some community education swimming lessons on Saturday mornings. Or, as I like to call them - Bounce-Around-In-Frigid-Water-and-Watch-Your-Fingers-Fall-Off lessons. Let me tell you, the water is cold. And this is the first time we’ve had Eve in any lessons, or in a pool, as a matter of fact. Needless to say, she was not amused. First, you sit on the edge of the pool with the kids, and splash water on their legs and arms to get them used to it. Eve was shocked and dismayed that we would do such a thing to her, and repeatedly yelled out, “NO – STOP! STOP!” And it didn’t really get much better once we were actually in the water with them – Eve told us a couple of times that she was “all done” – until they finally brought out some bribes, or toys, and she got a ball to play with. Then she warmed up a bit to this water nonsense. Hopefully this week will be a little easier since she’ll know what’s in store when we see the pool. Jo, on the other hand, loves every minute of it, and doesn’t want to wait for class to start to get in, and definitely doesn’t want to get out. And, look at me, I’m actually getting in a swimsuit, in front of strangers. I’m definitely not going to be gracing the cover of any magazines any time soon, but it’s not nearly quite as scary as it used to be.
And, in other news… well, there really is no other news. Patrick left before dinner last night for “softball practice” or some other such excuse for a bunch of friends/husbands/fathers to get together and gossip. Sounds suspiciously like “book club” to me – without the snacks. So it was just me and the girls, and our tuna melt sandwiches. At some point, Josie looked out the window and across the street, and saw our neighbor out with her little boy, cleaning up their yard. She insisted that we needed to go say “hi.” So after we finished and I cleaned up the kitchen, we put on shoes… and DID NOT PUT ON COATS THANK YOU VERY MUCH! and headed out the front door. We introduced ourselves to our neighbors whom we’ve seen for the past however many years, but had not officially met. It was nice. And I mention all this mainly for the reason that it was groundbreaking to see Josie immediately start playing and talking to this little boy, who will be turning 3 this summer. They even took off together into the backyard to play in their sandbox – without asking first, but that’s beside the point. I was delighted since Jo usually has herself firmly attached to my leg when we first meet anyone… even family members and friends she sees all the time. And it was refreshing to meet another family choosing to live in our neighborhood – which didn’t own a pit bull, or have a booming subwoofer in their trunk, or live in their house with 5 other families.
Josie has started to keep track of Mommy and Daddy’s comings and goings. She always tells us “good luck” as we leave the house, and if one of us isn’t home when they go to bed, she asks if we “had fun with our friends” when she gets up in the morning. The other night Pat was leaving to go to a bar with friends to watch the Wild for one of the playoff games that wasn’t televised on a local channel. Side note – this is the time of year when it is especially painful for him to not have cable. Anyway – he was preparing to leave, and Jo asked me where he was going. Upon hearing the answer, she stomped her foot, raised her hands up in frustration, and said, “AGAIN??!"
I can’t recall if I’ve talked about Henry from daycare – and Eve’s little crush. She’s not quite as infatuated as she used to be – she would ask all weekend long for “Enry,” and would stare longingly at a picture on our fridge of all the daycare kids together. I asked Daycare Betty about the two of them – only to hear that Henry wasn’t always all that nice to Evie. And I’m sure that she isn’t always all that nice to him, either – but Betty was too nice to say so. But she loves him anyway – and now, he has a little brother, Baby Joe, who has started coming to daycare, too. This development has been the highlight of Josie’s week – as she is especially deeply embedded in her baby fascination right now. Betty says she hardly lets that baby leave her sight from the time he’s dropped off in the morning until they leave. She couldn’t wait to tell us that “Henry had a baby!” and show us Baby Joe when we picked her up Monday night, and asks Betty each morning if Henry and “his baby” will be coming today.
We’ve started taking the girls to some community education swimming lessons on Saturday mornings. Or, as I like to call them - Bounce-Around-In-Frigid-Water-and-Watch-Your-Fingers-Fall-Off lessons. Let me tell you, the water is cold. And this is the first time we’ve had Eve in any lessons, or in a pool, as a matter of fact. Needless to say, she was not amused. First, you sit on the edge of the pool with the kids, and splash water on their legs and arms to get them used to it. Eve was shocked and dismayed that we would do such a thing to her, and repeatedly yelled out, “NO – STOP! STOP!” And it didn’t really get much better once we were actually in the water with them – Eve told us a couple of times that she was “all done” – until they finally brought out some bribes, or toys, and she got a ball to play with. Then she warmed up a bit to this water nonsense. Hopefully this week will be a little easier since she’ll know what’s in store when we see the pool. Jo, on the other hand, loves every minute of it, and doesn’t want to wait for class to start to get in, and definitely doesn’t want to get out. And, look at me, I’m actually getting in a swimsuit, in front of strangers. I’m definitely not going to be gracing the cover of any magazines any time soon, but it’s not nearly quite as scary as it used to be.
I think it's past my bedtime.
Monday, April 14, 2008
As I begin this post - it's 9:11 pm. I often look at the clock at precisely 9:11 - and it always freaks me out a little bit. Is that odd? It's not like I've noticed consistently looking at the clock at like 4:27, or something. Maybe I do, and 9:11 just has such a different connotation now, that I can't help but notice. Little bit sad.
Eve is still ranting in her crib, and no doubt, Josie is in there shushing her until her little lips are ready to fall off. Insane? Yes. Over-tired? Yes. Am I going to do anything about it? NO. Oh - now here we go with the "Daddy!? Where are you?" cheer. I think it's going to be a long night.
Conversations during the bedtime ritual tonight:
Josie: "Daddy, Mommy - I can't find my book. My favorite book. The puppy book. The little puppy book, you know with the puppies..." (looks in her bookshelf, to no avail.) "It's my favorite book. You know - it has the two - no, three puppies." (now is working on holding up three fingers to really drive home her point.) "It used to be right here." (sitting on the floor, forlornly staring at the spot in her bookshelf where the book apparently used to be.) "It was my favorite book."
Me and/or Pat, I don't remember which: "We'll look for the book another night. Let's pick a different book tonight."
Josie: "Well. We can read this book. It's my favorite! Oh - and the puppy book. With the two - no, three, puppies. You know. My favorite."
We had now moved into the singing portion of the bedtime ritual. I was snuggling in the rocker with Josie while Pat was holding Eve. (This was after Eve announced that Josie and I should get out of the chair so that she and Daddy could sit there - not in so many words, but that was the point.)
Josie: "Mommy. Lookit."
Me: "What? Look at what?"
Josie: pulling up her pajama bottoms, which kept scooting down, revealing her adorable little plumber's butt. "My butt keeps looking at us!"
Ah. There. Ignoring them worked - I hear the blissful sounds of nothing. Lazy parenting. Gotta love it.
I'm itching to change up the template on my blog, again. So be patient with me during the next couple of days if I decide to play around with it a little bit. I know kinda what I want - but am having trouble finding it, or figuring out how I can make it happen. And it doesn't help that I don't know much about anything html-y or css-y code-speak or whatever it is you would need to know to do anything yourself.
I'm done. Good night. More later.
Eve is still ranting in her crib, and no doubt, Josie is in there shushing her until her little lips are ready to fall off. Insane? Yes. Over-tired? Yes. Am I going to do anything about it? NO. Oh - now here we go with the "Daddy!? Where are you?" cheer. I think it's going to be a long night.
Conversations during the bedtime ritual tonight:
Josie: "Daddy, Mommy - I can't find my book. My favorite book. The puppy book. The little puppy book, you know with the puppies..." (looks in her bookshelf, to no avail.) "It's my favorite book. You know - it has the two - no, three puppies." (now is working on holding up three fingers to really drive home her point.) "It used to be right here." (sitting on the floor, forlornly staring at the spot in her bookshelf where the book apparently used to be.) "It was my favorite book."
Me and/or Pat, I don't remember which: "We'll look for the book another night. Let's pick a different book tonight."
Josie: "Well. We can read this book. It's my favorite! Oh - and the puppy book. With the two - no, three, puppies. You know. My favorite."
We had now moved into the singing portion of the bedtime ritual. I was snuggling in the rocker with Josie while Pat was holding Eve. (This was after Eve announced that Josie and I should get out of the chair so that she and Daddy could sit there - not in so many words, but that was the point.)
Josie: "Mommy. Lookit."
Me: "What? Look at what?"
Josie: pulling up her pajama bottoms, which kept scooting down, revealing her adorable little plumber's butt. "My butt keeps looking at us!"
Ah. There. Ignoring them worked - I hear the blissful sounds of nothing. Lazy parenting. Gotta love it.
I'm itching to change up the template on my blog, again. So be patient with me during the next couple of days if I decide to play around with it a little bit. I know kinda what I want - but am having trouble finding it, or figuring out how I can make it happen. And it doesn't help that I don't know much about anything html-y or css-y code-speak or whatever it is you would need to know to do anything yourself.
I'm done. Good night. More later.
Sounds of Silence
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The quiet is deafening. Pat just took the girls out to run a couple of errands. Much to Eve's dismay, I'm sure, as she discovers that they are not going to the park.
The laundry is not folding itself, as I was so hoping it would.
We celebrated Grandma Dianne's birthday yesterday by having dinner at Cosetta's, then going back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play outside and have cake and ice cream. By the way - Patrick makes a mean spice cake. Topped with Grandma Daly's cream cheese frosting, which adds inches to your backside just by being in the same room with it. Josie always starts to chatter away just a bit before we are getting ready to head out. Last night, she was asking Auntie Sara when she was going to come to our house, as she always does. As an added enticement, she told Brian and Sara that if they came to our house, "we have lots of vacuums." So remember that - if you're coming to our house, be prepared to do some spring cleaning.
Josie's getting ready to exercise, while wearing Mommy's shoes.
So serious.
Caught Eve doing... whatever this is... to her play vacuum cleaner this morning. I don't even know what to say.
Alright. The quiet is getting a little eerie. I'm going to go fold those clothes and turn on the radio. I used to really dislike Sundays. But lately, Sunday and I have developed a nice little relationship. She's not nearly as annoying as I used to find her. We've made peace with one another. Perhaps it's the fact that she allows me to nap on occasion. That will certainly move you up a notch in my book.
The laundry is not folding itself, as I was so hoping it would.
We celebrated Grandma Dianne's birthday yesterday by having dinner at Cosetta's, then going back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play outside and have cake and ice cream. By the way - Patrick makes a mean spice cake. Topped with Grandma Daly's cream cheese frosting, which adds inches to your backside just by being in the same room with it. Josie always starts to chatter away just a bit before we are getting ready to head out. Last night, she was asking Auntie Sara when she was going to come to our house, as she always does. As an added enticement, she told Brian and Sara that if they came to our house, "we have lots of vacuums." So remember that - if you're coming to our house, be prepared to do some spring cleaning.
Josie's getting ready to exercise, while wearing Mommy's shoes.
So serious.
Caught Eve doing... whatever this is... to her play vacuum cleaner this morning. I don't even know what to say.
Alright. The quiet is getting a little eerie. I'm going to go fold those clothes and turn on the radio. I used to really dislike Sundays. But lately, Sunday and I have developed a nice little relationship. She's not nearly as annoying as I used to find her. We've made peace with one another. Perhaps it's the fact that she allows me to nap on occasion. That will certainly move you up a notch in my book.
It's over... but not over, over...
Thursday, April 03, 2008
The 12-week Healthy Losers Challenge is done.
As of yesterday's weigh-in, I have lost 25.1 pounds. Only 4.9 lbs. more to go until I hit my initial goal. To say I am proud of myself is an understatement. I feel better, I look better, and I know that the changes I was able to make in my diet and exercise are ones that I am can maintain in the long run - as long as I stay committed and accountable to myself. Granted, it will be nice to be able to slide into a maintenance mode instead of constantly being so vigilant about losing. I am not quite there yet... but hopefully soon!
This challenge has awakened me to all the horrible choices that it is so easy to make (and justify)on a daily basis. No more excuses! And the knowledge, awareness and responsibility that I've gained regarding making healthy choices in my life will stay with me forever... benefiting not only myself, but my family. Knowledge is power, and I no longer have the luxury of staying in the dark, or living in denial. I know that executing everything that I have learned will be the hardest part, especially in our processed, fast-food driven society. And that's also not to say that I will never indulge in anything not-so-healthy ever again. But I've learned about being responsible for my choices, how to indulge without overindulging and how it's all a numbers game. So armed with these tools, and the continued support of some pretty cool "losers," I start the rest of my life... with a little less of me. Amen!!
As of yesterday's weigh-in, I have lost 25.1 pounds. Only 4.9 lbs. more to go until I hit my initial goal. To say I am proud of myself is an understatement. I feel better, I look better, and I know that the changes I was able to make in my diet and exercise are ones that I am can maintain in the long run - as long as I stay committed and accountable to myself. Granted, it will be nice to be able to slide into a maintenance mode instead of constantly being so vigilant about losing. I am not quite there yet... but hopefully soon!
This challenge has awakened me to all the horrible choices that it is so easy to make (and justify)on a daily basis. No more excuses! And the knowledge, awareness and responsibility that I've gained regarding making healthy choices in my life will stay with me forever... benefiting not only myself, but my family. Knowledge is power, and I no longer have the luxury of staying in the dark, or living in denial. I know that executing everything that I have learned will be the hardest part, especially in our processed, fast-food driven society. And that's also not to say that I will never indulge in anything not-so-healthy ever again. But I've learned about being responsible for my choices, how to indulge without overindulging and how it's all a numbers game. So armed with these tools, and the continued support of some pretty cool "losers," I start the rest of my life... with a little less of me. Amen!!
Going to the Chapel. And I'm going to get Dizzy.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
You'll be happy to know that this morning, Josie and I got "married."
Apparently, in order to get married, you have to be a prince and a princess. (I got to be the princess, because I was wearing a skirt.)
Then you have to stand in the middle of the living room, face each other and hold hands. The ceremony involves turning round and round in circles, until the princess feel like she's going to either vomit or pass out from dizziness. Then, you're married! So, not all that unlike an actual wedding. If we'd only known. We could have saved a ton of money.
Apparently, in order to get married, you have to be a prince and a princess. (I got to be the princess, because I was wearing a skirt.)
Then you have to stand in the middle of the living room, face each other and hold hands. The ceremony involves turning round and round in circles, until the princess feel like she's going to either vomit or pass out from dizziness. Then, you're married! So, not all that unlike an actual wedding. If we'd only known. We could have saved a ton of money.
Overheard
Monday, March 31, 2008
At the dinner table tonight - I finished saying our prayer, and grabbed my fork, and was just about to take a bite...
Jo: "Mommy," (long pause) "where is God?"
Me: thinking to myself, oh crap. Blasted Twins home opener. Pat, where are you??!! "Well, He's kind of everywhere... but I guess you could say He's in Heaven."
Jo: "Welllll... why is He in Heaven? Did He get old? Like Buford?"
Me: "Hmm. Um - no... that's just kind of where He is."
Jo: "Oh. Can I see Him someday?"
Me: geez, Martha. How can I segue this into Dora or Super Why? "Yes. Someday we'll all see Him." holy crap. This is way too deep. Please change the subject. Please change the subject. Eve - DO something - why in the world are you quiet NOW??!
Jo: "Okay. Maybe I'll ask Daddy, too. Will he see God at the baseball game?" Yess!
Josie was sitting in the hallway one morning, trying to get the stubborn lid off her jar of "Sleepy Dust" that I left for her and Evie last summer while I was gone to Charlotte.
Jo: "Farts! FARTS! Evie - can you say 'farts'?"
We were gearing up to go to the park, or for a little walk, I forget which. Josie was extremely happy at the prospect to be outside, to say the least. She was the first to be ready, and was running around, proclaiming her happiness.
Jo: "Brewster! Brewster! I'm excited, Buddy... Are you excited??! Let's go! WAIT! My room is a MESS - I have to go clean up my room first!!" I'm going to enjoy that one while it lasts...
Eve walked around the house all day last Friday saying "S'cuse me. S'cuse me!" to everything she thought was in her way. The couch, the end table, Josie...
Josie was being silly at the dinner table the other night. She made a face, then told us:
"My brother does that."
Me: "Oh. Your brother?"
Jo: "Yeah. His name is Choy."
Pat: "Choy. Wow, Mommy - where exactly do you spend your days on Fridays, anyway?"
Me: simultaneously ignoring Patrick, but also giving him the evil eye, "So, Jo. What else can you tell us about Choy?"
Jo: "Welll... he's my brother. But, he's a girl. And he's from Choy-fau."
I was doing something in the kitchen, Josie and Eve were playing in the living room.
Jo: "Mommy! Look at me right now. State your problem!"
The girls had finished watching a movie, and were trying to figure out how to con me into letting them watch something else. I was standing firm in my decision that it was time for the television to be off for a while. Seeing that she was fighting a losing battle...
Jo: "Oh, Mommy, are you sad? Let's see, Mommy - I'll make it better..." grabs the remote, "Here. Let me find you your show. Now - where is Ellen??"
Jo: "Mommy," (long pause) "where is God?"
Me: thinking to myself, oh crap. Blasted Twins home opener. Pat, where are you??!! "Well, He's kind of everywhere... but I guess you could say He's in Heaven."
Jo: "Welllll... why is He in Heaven? Did He get old? Like Buford?"
Me: "Hmm. Um - no... that's just kind of where He is."
Jo: "Oh. Can I see Him someday?"
Me: geez, Martha. How can I segue this into Dora or Super Why? "Yes. Someday we'll all see Him." holy crap. This is way too deep. Please change the subject. Please change the subject. Eve - DO something - why in the world are you quiet NOW??!
Jo: "Okay. Maybe I'll ask Daddy, too. Will he see God at the baseball game?" Yess!
Josie was sitting in the hallway one morning, trying to get the stubborn lid off her jar of "Sleepy Dust" that I left for her and Evie last summer while I was gone to Charlotte.
Jo: "Farts! FARTS! Evie - can you say 'farts'?"
We were gearing up to go to the park, or for a little walk, I forget which. Josie was extremely happy at the prospect to be outside, to say the least. She was the first to be ready, and was running around, proclaiming her happiness.
Jo: "Brewster! Brewster! I'm excited, Buddy... Are you excited??! Let's go! WAIT! My room is a MESS - I have to go clean up my room first!!" I'm going to enjoy that one while it lasts...
Eve walked around the house all day last Friday saying "S'cuse me. S'cuse me!" to everything she thought was in her way. The couch, the end table, Josie...
Josie was being silly at the dinner table the other night. She made a face, then told us:
"My brother does that."
Me: "Oh. Your brother?"
Jo: "Yeah. His name is Choy."
Pat: "Choy. Wow, Mommy - where exactly do you spend your days on Fridays, anyway?"
Me: simultaneously ignoring Patrick, but also giving him the evil eye, "So, Jo. What else can you tell us about Choy?"
Jo: "Welll... he's my brother. But, he's a girl. And he's from Choy-fau."
I was doing something in the kitchen, Josie and Eve were playing in the living room.
Jo: "Mommy! Look at me right now. State your problem!"
The girls had finished watching a movie, and were trying to figure out how to con me into letting them watch something else. I was standing firm in my decision that it was time for the television to be off for a while. Seeing that she was fighting a losing battle...
Jo: "Oh, Mommy, are you sad? Let's see, Mommy - I'll make it better..." grabs the remote, "Here. Let me find you your show. Now - where is Ellen??"
Take a Look
Friday, March 28, 2008
Here's just a quick look at some of what we've been up to in March, 2008... Enjoy!
Princess Problems
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Humph.
I don’t know where to start. Last time I checked in was Friday morning… so I guess that’s somewhere. Friday I invited myself and the girls over to the Gronau residence for a play date. It was snowing buckets (wait – I think buckets are only supposed to be used when referring to rain – oh, well,) but I couldn’t bear the thought of sticking around home for the whole day, and didn’t feel like driving too far in the snow. Jo gets a little antsy and likes to know “where we are going today.” So I bundled the kids, brushed the van, and bustled the 4 blocks in the blizzard. Friday night was book club. An evening filled with snacks and drinks and friends and all the loveliness that follows when the three are combined. Oh – and the book. Of course.
Saturday morning the girls and I dyed Easter eggs. Josie loves a project. It’s her favorite. Along with everything else, lately. Dressing up is her favorite. Irish dancing is her favorite. That green stuffed bunny that she hasn’t touched in 2 years is her favorite. Some cheesy romance paperback novel off my bookshelf is her favorite – remember, from when she was a little girl. Anyway - so we colored a couple dozen hard-boiled eggs (minus the few that I ate during the couple days prior) and Josie got to sticker them up any way she liked. Eve didn’t last long – she wanted to chuck the eggs into the cups from across the table, and then drink the “juice.” And since I’m all anal and wouldn’t let her turn coloring eggs into the game of Beirut that she wanted (there are a handful of you who will know what I’m talking about there) – she went off in pursuit of more fun endeavors. This suited Jo just fine. When we ran out of eggs, she wanted me to “find other things to color.”
I think I mentioned that our washing machine started sounding like someone was pulling its toenails out and sucker punching it right in the bread basket. And it wouldn’t drain. So I pulled out a few items, wringed out what water I could before my frozen hands felt like they were going to fall off and dried a few clothes at a time. Pat took a look at it on Saturday, used the wet vac to get the water out, consulted the internet gods and then called his uncle for help. They tore it apart and found one of my granny trouser socks stuck in the pump, clogging up the works. And now it’s happy again. Thank the internet gods. After the cost of getting the van fixed and buying a new water heater… we’d prefer to wait a bit before shelling out more dough for a new washer.
And meanwhile, during all this fun, Eve skipped another nap, and her poor little right eye starting getting all red and watery and gooey. This happened to her over Christmas, too – when she gets a cold, it seems to settle in her eyes and they get all gunk junky. It was getting pretty bad – so Pat ended up taking her to urgent care, and got her on meds. While they were off doing that – I decided to take Josie to her first movie in a theater. After a few recommendations for Horton Hears a Who! I thought I’d give it a try. She was pretty intrigued by the whole theater experience, of course, the popcorn helped. But we didn’t make it through the whole movie before she was asking to go home. I thought the movie was a bit boring, personally, but then again – I didn’t get to see the whole thing. I think it was a combination of being tired, and missing her sister that didn’t bode well. She kept asking about Evie during the ride home, and wondering why she wasn’t there with us. I was a little disappointed – well, a lot disappointed, as I don’t really get to do much with Josie alone. But she is more of a “live action” movie kid – and next time we’ll stick with the dollar theater, just in case.
Sunday… oh – yeah, Easter! We were up and found Easter baskets, and fed and dressed and made it to St. Jerome’s for 8:30 a.m. mass. Then we went to Gulden’s for brunch with Pat’s family, and back to his parents for an egg hunt in their basement. Home for naps, then over to the Dwelly residence to catch a quick visit with Ryan before he went back to college. It was kind of a bummer that it was snowy and wet and mushy outside – but Easter won’t be this early again for a long, long time. Josie did make it outside to use some of the bounty of bubbles that she got as Easter presents. It was a hectic one, but a really fun day. And the girls looked extra cute in their frilly dresses and Easter hats. I’ll post some pics sometime.
Those Disney Princesses. And their problems.
· Grandma Dianne gave Josie this adorable little gold purse that used to be her mother’s. It’s now her most coveted possession. Her favorite, if you will. She wanted to take it to Betty’s today, and asked me if I would carry it to the car for her. She handed it over to me, with some trepidation regarding its safety. We started the freak show that is our procession out of the house and to the garage, and she kept looking over her shoulder at me. Each time, she’d throw out a warning: “Don’t drop it in the snow!” “Don’t let it get wet!” “Don’t put it in the tree!” Geesh. I carried HER around for months on end without dropping her in the snow or letting her get wet or putting her in trees. Where’s the trust?
· Eve has a shoe obsession. Not a bad obsession to have, mind you. She tries on everyone’s boots, shoes and sandals, and tests them out around the house. Sometimes, she’ll come out with only one on, then next time you see her, she’s found an entirely new pair to test drive. She found a pair of Lucy’s pink cowboy boots and managed to get one on. On her short little legs, they were more like a boot/chaps combo as they covered her entire leg. Super cute. She’ll try and try and try to do it herself, and usually manages. Especially helpful when we’re getting ready to gear up for outside – love having her put on her own boots!
· Eve is pouring out new words. I can’t remember them all – but I know we’ve heard “kitchen,” “napkin,” “lay down,” “awake,” “bad dog,” “be nice,” “we go,” “where’d it go,” “apple,” “my window, too…” That last one was in the car this morning. The girls watch for buses, and Josie always has to know whose window we see them out of. She was laying claim to all the buses – and Eve finally saw one – out “my window, too.”
I don’t know where to start. Last time I checked in was Friday morning… so I guess that’s somewhere. Friday I invited myself and the girls over to the Gronau residence for a play date. It was snowing buckets (wait – I think buckets are only supposed to be used when referring to rain – oh, well,) but I couldn’t bear the thought of sticking around home for the whole day, and didn’t feel like driving too far in the snow. Jo gets a little antsy and likes to know “where we are going today.” So I bundled the kids, brushed the van, and bustled the 4 blocks in the blizzard. Friday night was book club. An evening filled with snacks and drinks and friends and all the loveliness that follows when the three are combined. Oh – and the book. Of course.
Saturday morning the girls and I dyed Easter eggs. Josie loves a project. It’s her favorite. Along with everything else, lately. Dressing up is her favorite. Irish dancing is her favorite. That green stuffed bunny that she hasn’t touched in 2 years is her favorite. Some cheesy romance paperback novel off my bookshelf is her favorite – remember, from when she was a little girl. Anyway - so we colored a couple dozen hard-boiled eggs (minus the few that I ate during the couple days prior) and Josie got to sticker them up any way she liked. Eve didn’t last long – she wanted to chuck the eggs into the cups from across the table, and then drink the “juice.” And since I’m all anal and wouldn’t let her turn coloring eggs into the game of Beirut that she wanted (there are a handful of you who will know what I’m talking about there) – she went off in pursuit of more fun endeavors. This suited Jo just fine. When we ran out of eggs, she wanted me to “find other things to color.”
I think I mentioned that our washing machine started sounding like someone was pulling its toenails out and sucker punching it right in the bread basket. And it wouldn’t drain. So I pulled out a few items, wringed out what water I could before my frozen hands felt like they were going to fall off and dried a few clothes at a time. Pat took a look at it on Saturday, used the wet vac to get the water out, consulted the internet gods and then called his uncle for help. They tore it apart and found one of my granny trouser socks stuck in the pump, clogging up the works. And now it’s happy again. Thank the internet gods. After the cost of getting the van fixed and buying a new water heater… we’d prefer to wait a bit before shelling out more dough for a new washer.
And meanwhile, during all this fun, Eve skipped another nap, and her poor little right eye starting getting all red and watery and gooey. This happened to her over Christmas, too – when she gets a cold, it seems to settle in her eyes and they get all gunk junky. It was getting pretty bad – so Pat ended up taking her to urgent care, and got her on meds. While they were off doing that – I decided to take Josie to her first movie in a theater. After a few recommendations for Horton Hears a Who! I thought I’d give it a try. She was pretty intrigued by the whole theater experience, of course, the popcorn helped. But we didn’t make it through the whole movie before she was asking to go home. I thought the movie was a bit boring, personally, but then again – I didn’t get to see the whole thing. I think it was a combination of being tired, and missing her sister that didn’t bode well. She kept asking about Evie during the ride home, and wondering why she wasn’t there with us. I was a little disappointed – well, a lot disappointed, as I don’t really get to do much with Josie alone. But she is more of a “live action” movie kid – and next time we’ll stick with the dollar theater, just in case.
Sunday… oh – yeah, Easter! We were up and found Easter baskets, and fed and dressed and made it to St. Jerome’s for 8:30 a.m. mass. Then we went to Gulden’s for brunch with Pat’s family, and back to his parents for an egg hunt in their basement. Home for naps, then over to the Dwelly residence to catch a quick visit with Ryan before he went back to college. It was kind of a bummer that it was snowy and wet and mushy outside – but Easter won’t be this early again for a long, long time. Josie did make it outside to use some of the bounty of bubbles that she got as Easter presents. It was a hectic one, but a really fun day. And the girls looked extra cute in their frilly dresses and Easter hats. I’ll post some pics sometime.
Here are some other random things that I wanted to make sure to get down:
· Josie was “reading” her new Princess book that she got in her Easter basket. She was reading it to herself at the kitchen table, then told me that I needed to sit down so she could read it to me. It went a little something like this:
Those Disney Princesses. And their problems.
· Grandma Dianne gave Josie this adorable little gold purse that used to be her mother’s. It’s now her most coveted possession. Her favorite, if you will. She wanted to take it to Betty’s today, and asked me if I would carry it to the car for her. She handed it over to me, with some trepidation regarding its safety. We started the freak show that is our procession out of the house and to the garage, and she kept looking over her shoulder at me. Each time, she’d throw out a warning: “Don’t drop it in the snow!” “Don’t let it get wet!” “Don’t put it in the tree!” Geesh. I carried HER around for months on end without dropping her in the snow or letting her get wet or putting her in trees. Where’s the trust?
· Eve has a shoe obsession. Not a bad obsession to have, mind you. She tries on everyone’s boots, shoes and sandals, and tests them out around the house. Sometimes, she’ll come out with only one on, then next time you see her, she’s found an entirely new pair to test drive. She found a pair of Lucy’s pink cowboy boots and managed to get one on. On her short little legs, they were more like a boot/chaps combo as they covered her entire leg. Super cute. She’ll try and try and try to do it herself, and usually manages. Especially helpful when we’re getting ready to gear up for outside – love having her put on her own boots!
· Eve is pouring out new words. I can’t remember them all – but I know we’ve heard “kitchen,” “napkin,” “lay down,” “awake,” “bad dog,” “be nice,” “we go,” “where’d it go,” “apple,” “my window, too…” That last one was in the car this morning. The girls watch for buses, and Josie always has to know whose window we see them out of. She was laying claim to all the buses – and Eve finally saw one – out “my window, too.”
Reunited, and it feels so good.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thanks to Super Dave, aka Paige and Addy's Daddy - the glory of hot water has been returned to the Daly household. He'll never know the breadth of my gratitude this morning as I showered in my very own home. Maybe I'll let him sniff me sometime. That's just how clean I am.
The spring snow is falling - and Josie can't stop asking if it's summer yet. The girls got a lovely Easter package from Amma Ue yesterday. Inside were these bunny bubble wands, which I promptly dubbed "outside toys." So now Josie is holding her bubble wand, staring out the window, waiting for the snow to be gone. Speaking of the lovely Easter package - just how much chocolate does it really take to kill a dog, anyway? Because Brewster ate every ounce you sent, Mom. I left the box on the counter when I left the house yesterday - and when I returned, he had torn the box open, and eaten all the candy. Guess he's just looking out for my weight loss efforts. I could tell it was a crapload of chocolate - and it didn't seem to phase him one bit.
So I do indeed have a sinus infection. A couple doses of meds in me and I already feel TONS better. The girls both have little hacks of their own. If nothing else, Eve's raspiness has toned down the shrillness of her yelling. So that's something.
Out of nowhere the other night, Eve started having actual conversations with us. We'd ask her questions, and, miracle of miracles, she's answer with the real answer, and not just "no." So that's fun.
As I type this, I am wearing a pair of Josie's sunglasses, because, well, I was ordered to by her highness, because "it's almost summer out, Mommy, and I don't want the sun to hurt yours eyes balls."
The girls just got done watching Super Why. I can't even tell you how much I love this show. My kids really dig it, will sit and watch the entire thing the whole way through, and Josie can now totally recognize all the letters of the alphabet. It's just a warm, fuzzy, all-around good show. It's on at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm. You should watch it sometime.
The natives are getting restless. Gotta go.
The spring snow is falling - and Josie can't stop asking if it's summer yet. The girls got a lovely Easter package from Amma Ue yesterday. Inside were these bunny bubble wands, which I promptly dubbed "outside toys." So now Josie is holding her bubble wand, staring out the window, waiting for the snow to be gone. Speaking of the lovely Easter package - just how much chocolate does it really take to kill a dog, anyway? Because Brewster ate every ounce you sent, Mom. I left the box on the counter when I left the house yesterday - and when I returned, he had torn the box open, and eaten all the candy. Guess he's just looking out for my weight loss efforts. I could tell it was a crapload of chocolate - and it didn't seem to phase him one bit.
So I do indeed have a sinus infection. A couple doses of meds in me and I already feel TONS better. The girls both have little hacks of their own. If nothing else, Eve's raspiness has toned down the shrillness of her yelling. So that's something.
Out of nowhere the other night, Eve started having actual conversations with us. We'd ask her questions, and, miracle of miracles, she's answer with the real answer, and not just "no." So that's fun.
As I type this, I am wearing a pair of Josie's sunglasses, because, well, I was ordered to by her highness, because "it's almost summer out, Mommy, and I don't want the sun to hurt yours eyes balls."
The girls just got done watching Super Why. I can't even tell you how much I love this show. My kids really dig it, will sit and watch the entire thing the whole way through, and Josie can now totally recognize all the letters of the alphabet. It's just a warm, fuzzy, all-around good show. It's on at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm. You should watch it sometime.
The natives are getting restless. Gotta go.
Don't. Have. To live like a refugee.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Day 4.
It's cold in my heart. Cold in my sink. So very cold. In the bathroom, in the kitchen - the water is so cold. How I long for the warmth again. Will I ever feel the warmth again? It's a dark time in my life. A cold time. Someday, I dream that my dishes will be clean again. That my children will be clean again. A warm bath sounds so far away. I will never again take for granted the luxury of hot water. But now. I wait. I will wait for you, oh sweet water heater.
Yeah. Still no new water heater in the Daly home. That's all I'm going to say about that. Except that thank goodness for the graciousness of wonderful friends who will share their bounty of hot water with you so that you can bathe yourself. You know who you are.
And as I sit here typing this (I'm home today. I think I have a sinus infection. I see my doc later.) the washing machine is grinding and groaning and making truly horrific noises. Would anyone else like to line up at my front door and kick me in the shins? Feel free. Must be the season.
It's cold in my heart. Cold in my sink. So very cold. In the bathroom, in the kitchen - the water is so cold. How I long for the warmth again. Will I ever feel the warmth again? It's a dark time in my life. A cold time. Someday, I dream that my dishes will be clean again. That my children will be clean again. A warm bath sounds so far away. I will never again take for granted the luxury of hot water. But now. I wait. I will wait for you, oh sweet water heater.
Yeah. Still no new water heater in the Daly home. That's all I'm going to say about that. Except that thank goodness for the graciousness of wonderful friends who will share their bounty of hot water with you so that you can bathe yourself. You know who you are.
And as I sit here typing this (I'm home today. I think I have a sinus infection. I see my doc later.) the washing machine is grinding and groaning and making truly horrific noises. Would anyone else like to line up at my front door and kick me in the shins? Feel free. Must be the season.
I'm a ramblin' man. Or something.
Monday, March 17, 2008
I don’t know what my deal is. While I love to try to keep you entertained with somewhat witty accounts of the happenings in our lives and the chaos that consumes our family – lately, it just makes me a little… tired. So until I climb out of this slump – I will continue to log events and post a few pics. I’m sure the inspiration will return, so don’t fret, dear reader. I can’t even muster the energy to format this post into anything resembling coherent. So here is a bunch of rambling stuff from the last few days, in no particular order.
Our water heater decided to spring a leak last night. Tons of fun. The poor girls, and dog, were all geared up and excited to go out for a walk, and I was busy putting away goods from my grocery shopping trip and had run downstairs quick to throw a ham in the freezer. I almost wiped out, and my slippers were soaked as I found myself standing in half an inch of water in our basement. So we un-geared the girls and Pat headed down with the wet-vac to clean up the mess. Water heater shopping is not my idea of a good time.
We brought the girls downtown St. Paul on Saturday for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was a lot of green craziness. We met up with Pat’s dad, brother and nephew to watch the hour-long hoard of shiny, “happy” people parading and pretending to be Irish. This is now Eve’s newest addition to her vocab. “I-Wisshh!” Brian brought Josie a beaded necklace with a big “Irish Princess” sign attached – kind of like the fancy necklaces old school rappers wore with dollar signs and hub caps. She wore it all day. Later that afternoon, she told me I needed to call her Cinderella, the Irish Princess. I didn’t know Cinderelly was so ethnic. I don’t think either of the girls really knew what to think of all the people, and noise, and greenness of it all. Of course, neither did I. Times have changed. 7 years ago, we had a keg on ice in the bathtub of our apartment downtown. Now, we had to hustle to leave because it was naptime.
Our daycare provider was on vacation last week. So we divvied up the week with Pat’s parents – they took the girls Monday and Tuesday, Pat stayed home on Wednesday, and I took Thursday off. Pat may as well have worn a cape that said “Super Dad,” as he made their day by taking them to Como Zoo, and to get ice cream at Dairy Queen. I’m not sure who had a better day, the girls or their dad. On Thursday, I took the girls to run a couple of errands, then to visit the Central Library downtown. It was a lot of fun – they kept bringing out loads of toys for the girls to play with, including these adorable hand puppets and stage that Josie absolutely loved. But the downside is the parking situation – while I got a great spot right out front of the library at a meter… I missed the expiration by like 3 minutes, and got a parking ticket. I swear the cop must have been sitting on the hood of my van, wringing his hands in excited anticipation of that meter expiring. Bastard. I’d like to see him wrangle two crabby-squirmy-hungry-tired girls into their coats and check out movies and herd them out the door before the meter expired. Next time maybe we’ll take the bus. THAT would be an experience. Actually – I bet it would be the highlight of the girls’ week.
The church just down the road from us has an annual fish fry on Friday nights during lent. We met up with the Gronaus and ate some fish. Well, the adults ate some fish – I think the kids enjoyed the mac and cheese and pudding much more. And figuring out how they were going to escape the giant dining room and make it to the glory of the large, long hallway where they could run and run. I didn’t even realize that was the last Friday before Good Friday until Pat mentioned it when we got home. Easter being so early this year is really throwing me off. We made it to St. Jerome’s for 10:30 mass Sunday morning. Woo doggie, that Palm Sunday mass is a loonnnggg one. Eve pooped about half way through – and announced that she pooped, just in case anyone's olfactory senses weren’t working, so I took her out to change her, and we kind of hung out in the lobby for a while watching a mom with an unhappy newborn little boy, otherwise, there was going to be trouble with a capital T. It’s already hairy making through an hour service – and this one rang in at about an hour and a half. After I returned to the pew with Eve, Jo had to go potty, so I took her out. I guess while we were gone, Eve called out for Josie over and over again, found a picture of a camel in her animal book and made spitting sounds and then started banging her cup on the wooden pew. I’m sure there are more than a couple of people who find her very distracting to the service – but she’s pretty funny. If nothing else, she’s entertaining. There was a picture of Jesus on the cross hanging just behind us, and she kept pointing at it saying “dressed!” – as in, that guy needs to put some clothes on. Whenever the choir would finish a song, Eve would announce “all done,” then ask “bye bye?”
As I was changing Eve on the landing of the stairway leading down to the basement – because the church doesn’t have a baby changing station in the bathroom or significant counter space in the bathroom, which drives me INSANE – I was struck by how that particular landing holds a couple pretty significant memories for me. I can remember taking that stairway down with Pat to my RCIA (right of Catholic initiation for adults) classes the year before we got married. Then I distinctly remember standing and waiting with my brother on that landing on my wedding day while the procession into the church began. We were talking with Ben, our ring bearer, and Emilie, our flower girl about art classes at school. I was starting to sweat, and I remember wondering if I put on enough deodorant. And now – there I was sitting on my knees, changing a poopy diaper. I find it interesting that I can’t remember what household items I need from Target unless I write them down – but I can recall memories with vivid detail like that as if they happened yesterday.
I mentioned to someone just a bit ago that Josie hasn’t really thrown us for a loop with any deep, death-type talk or questions, yet. But I guess I spoke too soon. Not too long after that, we were sitting at the kitchen table, and Eve must have said “kitty.” We used to call our cat, Buford, who died a year ago, Kitty-Kitty, sometimes. Keep in mind – Josie was just over 2 when he died. Right after Eve said “kitty,” Josie paused for a few moments, and asked me where Kitty-Kitty went. I said, “Do you mean Buford?” She said she did – and I told her that he got old and died and went to Kitty Heaven. Then she asked if we’d be able to see him again. I told her we would, someday. Then she countered by asking if he would come back again. I told her no – he wouldn’t be coming back, once you go to heaven, that’s where you stay. She asked again where he went, mulled over my answers for a bit – then asked if we could go to “Kevin’s” and see him. *sigh* So now I have a 3-year-old who’s walking around thinking that when pets die, they go to our friends Tricia and Kevin’s house - and Kevin is some sort of keeper of dead pet souls. They’re going to have some explaining to do when we visit them again and Jo is walking around looking for Buford.
Our water heater decided to spring a leak last night. Tons of fun. The poor girls, and dog, were all geared up and excited to go out for a walk, and I was busy putting away goods from my grocery shopping trip and had run downstairs quick to throw a ham in the freezer. I almost wiped out, and my slippers were soaked as I found myself standing in half an inch of water in our basement. So we un-geared the girls and Pat headed down with the wet-vac to clean up the mess. Water heater shopping is not my idea of a good time.
We brought the girls downtown St. Paul on Saturday for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was a lot of green craziness. We met up with Pat’s dad, brother and nephew to watch the hour-long hoard of shiny, “happy” people parading and pretending to be Irish. This is now Eve’s newest addition to her vocab. “I-Wisshh!” Brian brought Josie a beaded necklace with a big “Irish Princess” sign attached – kind of like the fancy necklaces old school rappers wore with dollar signs and hub caps. She wore it all day. Later that afternoon, she told me I needed to call her Cinderella, the Irish Princess. I didn’t know Cinderelly was so ethnic. I don’t think either of the girls really knew what to think of all the people, and noise, and greenness of it all. Of course, neither did I. Times have changed. 7 years ago, we had a keg on ice in the bathtub of our apartment downtown. Now, we had to hustle to leave because it was naptime.
Our daycare provider was on vacation last week. So we divvied up the week with Pat’s parents – they took the girls Monday and Tuesday, Pat stayed home on Wednesday, and I took Thursday off. Pat may as well have worn a cape that said “Super Dad,” as he made their day by taking them to Como Zoo, and to get ice cream at Dairy Queen. I’m not sure who had a better day, the girls or their dad. On Thursday, I took the girls to run a couple of errands, then to visit the Central Library downtown. It was a lot of fun – they kept bringing out loads of toys for the girls to play with, including these adorable hand puppets and stage that Josie absolutely loved. But the downside is the parking situation – while I got a great spot right out front of the library at a meter… I missed the expiration by like 3 minutes, and got a parking ticket. I swear the cop must have been sitting on the hood of my van, wringing his hands in excited anticipation of that meter expiring. Bastard. I’d like to see him wrangle two crabby-squirmy-hungry-tired girls into their coats and check out movies and herd them out the door before the meter expired. Next time maybe we’ll take the bus. THAT would be an experience. Actually – I bet it would be the highlight of the girls’ week.
The church just down the road from us has an annual fish fry on Friday nights during lent. We met up with the Gronaus and ate some fish. Well, the adults ate some fish – I think the kids enjoyed the mac and cheese and pudding much more. And figuring out how they were going to escape the giant dining room and make it to the glory of the large, long hallway where they could run and run. I didn’t even realize that was the last Friday before Good Friday until Pat mentioned it when we got home. Easter being so early this year is really throwing me off. We made it to St. Jerome’s for 10:30 mass Sunday morning. Woo doggie, that Palm Sunday mass is a loonnnggg one. Eve pooped about half way through – and announced that she pooped, just in case anyone's olfactory senses weren’t working, so I took her out to change her, and we kind of hung out in the lobby for a while watching a mom with an unhappy newborn little boy, otherwise, there was going to be trouble with a capital T. It’s already hairy making through an hour service – and this one rang in at about an hour and a half. After I returned to the pew with Eve, Jo had to go potty, so I took her out. I guess while we were gone, Eve called out for Josie over and over again, found a picture of a camel in her animal book and made spitting sounds and then started banging her cup on the wooden pew. I’m sure there are more than a couple of people who find her very distracting to the service – but she’s pretty funny. If nothing else, she’s entertaining. There was a picture of Jesus on the cross hanging just behind us, and she kept pointing at it saying “dressed!” – as in, that guy needs to put some clothes on. Whenever the choir would finish a song, Eve would announce “all done,” then ask “bye bye?”
As I was changing Eve on the landing of the stairway leading down to the basement – because the church doesn’t have a baby changing station in the bathroom or significant counter space in the bathroom, which drives me INSANE – I was struck by how that particular landing holds a couple pretty significant memories for me. I can remember taking that stairway down with Pat to my RCIA (right of Catholic initiation for adults) classes the year before we got married. Then I distinctly remember standing and waiting with my brother on that landing on my wedding day while the procession into the church began. We were talking with Ben, our ring bearer, and Emilie, our flower girl about art classes at school. I was starting to sweat, and I remember wondering if I put on enough deodorant. And now – there I was sitting on my knees, changing a poopy diaper. I find it interesting that I can’t remember what household items I need from Target unless I write them down – but I can recall memories with vivid detail like that as if they happened yesterday.
I mentioned to someone just a bit ago that Josie hasn’t really thrown us for a loop with any deep, death-type talk or questions, yet. But I guess I spoke too soon. Not too long after that, we were sitting at the kitchen table, and Eve must have said “kitty.” We used to call our cat, Buford, who died a year ago, Kitty-Kitty, sometimes. Keep in mind – Josie was just over 2 when he died. Right after Eve said “kitty,” Josie paused for a few moments, and asked me where Kitty-Kitty went. I said, “Do you mean Buford?” She said she did – and I told her that he got old and died and went to Kitty Heaven. Then she asked if we’d be able to see him again. I told her we would, someday. Then she countered by asking if he would come back again. I told her no – he wouldn’t be coming back, once you go to heaven, that’s where you stay. She asked again where he went, mulled over my answers for a bit – then asked if we could go to “Kevin’s” and see him. *sigh* So now I have a 3-year-old who’s walking around thinking that when pets die, they go to our friends Tricia and Kevin’s house - and Kevin is some sort of keeper of dead pet souls. They’re going to have some explaining to do when we visit them again and Jo is walking around looking for Buford.
Chipping away... slowly...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Another 2 lbs. gone. Sounds like a broken record - but I'll take it! I don't think I posted last week about how I had a bit of a rough week and only lost 0.2 lbs. A loss is a loss... but that was a measly one. So I kicked things up a bit for this last week - took the dog for a wog (that's a walk/jog) around Lake Phalen, made sure to work out both days last weekend, and added another flight of stairs to my work climb. I also religiously drank enough water each day and watched my calories a little closer. This was our week 9 weigh in... so we're closing in on the end of the 12 week challenge! I am now 10.8 lbs. away from my goal... crazy.
Peanut Gallery
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Evie loves to brush her teeth. All you have to say is "brush" and she comes running from wherever she is in the house. Usually it's a foot race between her and her sister for who can get on the step stool first.
Eddie and Evie on Josie's bed. They were adorable wrestling around. I won't be taking this so lightly in a few years. I hovered - making sure she didn't hurt him. She's kind of a bruiser, for such a peanut.
Eve giving Will a kiss. This was immediately after Will shoved Eve (in an effort to get her out of the way so he could get to the stuffed animals) and Eve bounced a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle off his head in retaliation. I think they parted on good terms.
The bathroom is one of the only rooms in our house that gets delicious sunshine around midday. Maybe that's why the girls were hanging out in there for so long.
I was searching for some corn starch in our pantry yesterday afternoon, and ended up with a mountain of bags of flour, powdered sugar and sugar all around me. I did, finally, find the corn starch - by the way. The girls were at the table having afternoon snack. Jo looks over and sees me struggling and searching and accumulating quite a catastrophe around me on the floor.
Jo: "Whoa. Mommy. I have to tell you something. (pauses for a couple of beats.) That's a giant mess."Eve looks up from her snack and sees the mess. Without missing a beat, she chimes in with the Barney song: "Clean up! Clean up!"
Josie and I were snuggling on the couch the other night. She likes to have me lay on my side with my legs bent, then she makes a "nest" on the couch in the crook of my legs. She got herself situated and told me, "Mommy. Please call me Honey. I'm Honey, the Nest Girl."
Eve has been dragging her blankie all over the house for the past couple of days, yelling "Pull! Pull!"
Josie pulled a no-napper on me yesterday. Both girls went down as usual - Eve conked out, but I could hear Jo singing songs to herself for about 40 minutes. Finally - she asked me to come back in and sing her a couple more songs. I left - and Eve woke up. They stayed in their respective beds for another half hour or so, just chatting and singing. And I had just told Meg earlier that morning that Jo was still a napper, and I didn't imagine that she was going to ditch them any time soon. Guess I spoke too soon. But an hour and a half of quiet time in her room is better than nothing.
Eve is big into baby dolls. She carries them around with her, comforts them, pretends to feed them, and now they "bite" her. She'll put her finger by their mouth, then pulls it away quickly while saying, "oh - ow!" and presenting it to me for a make-it-better kiss.
Ah. Everyone's asleep. I think I'll join them. Perhaps if I hibernate a while, I'll wake up and it will be spring.
Better than tequila...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
This definitely just brightened my day. Yadda yadda yadda. Yeah, I know he was kinda good, I guess. Still doesn't mean I had to like the guy. "Mentally tired." Buck up and join the club, mister.
And this always helps, too...
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