Homemade

Big sis went to church with Gaga and Bondo on Sunday. When they arrived back home my mom explained that an older woman in their church (who was old when I was little!) made some play clothes or "petit fours" for the little kids to wear. I thought "petit fours" were pretty little cakes and I searched and searched for the correct spelling on line. But if the following piece of clothing is really called a petit four or pettifore or petifor it is such old fashioned terminology that the internet just hasn't kept up with it.

Anyway, mom gave me a quick warning of the older style and taste from the woman who created this piece. I was still a little overwhelmed with the colors and busy pattern. But with the basic white T and black leggings it actually was quite cute on big sis. With the right fabric I would absolutely adore it!

As usual, it reminded me of a pattern that my own grandmother would have chosen and created. I picked up her knitting ability but I haven't ventured forth with her sewing craft. At least the little old ladies at my parents church can fill that void:

Waving Lessons

This may seem political but really has a lot to do with parenting big sis . . . and the lessons she teaches me.

I have tried really hard to stay out of the “health care reform” issue that has created a whirlwind of miscommunication, stress, and confusion throughout the US. There have been a few articles that I have come across which really frustrated me for one reason or another. But for the most part I am attempting to take it all in and observe.

Trying to stay out of the way of the crossfire is difficult in public health. I work in public health and directly with the community on numerous occasions. There have been so many questions asked about what we do and how it will affect people. And I calmly explain each time, as best I can, how the new health care plan does not affect the information our investigators collect.

But today . . . I lost my calm, cool, and collected self. We were late for school and some individuals with some very opinionated signs caught me off guard. Last election I encouraged big sis to wave at all of the people campaigning on corners – regardless of whether it was a candidate I would endorse or not. What fun-loving kiddo doesn’t like waving at friendly people carrying signs and balloons on a corner?

Today my grumpy self said “don’t wave at those people – we don’t agree with what they are saying”. And then her questions exploded. "Why mommy? What did they do? How come I can't wave?" All I could think about was that I just reacted the same way that countless others have reacted and shut out a group of people when faced with a differing view. What a lousy way to react and discourage the crucial conversations that this country needs to have. What a bad example for my daughter. I apologized to big sis.

I told Disco about the interaction in an email today and this was part of his reply “I wanted to give them the bird, but then I didn't think that would be seen as engaging in a civilized debate on the subject”. It cracked me up! At the same time he hit the nail on the head. Everyone keeps arguing their side (loudly), pleading their case, and reacting to information they don't like or understand. No one is really listening or engaging individuals with differing views. Where is the “civilized debate?” And we don’t currently have all the information we need (myself included).

So how to fix this? I have no clue. But big sis had an idea for one small step. After I explained to her that mommy was wrong, and that those were nice people, and it was ok to wave at them she asked one more question. “Mommy, can I wave at them when we drive by next time?” My answer: “Yes, absolutely, that is a great idea big sis!”

We will be waving from our side and hopefully others will wave back from their side. Maybe one day there will be calm again and civilized debates. Maybe we might even meet in the middle with accurate information. Maybe leaders and community members should be listening to big sis too. . .

New Schedule

Once a week this fall I will work a 10 hour day and stay late for a night class. It ends up being a long day! But I also get to leave work early once each week so I can take big sis to dance class. Her class doesn't start until September so for now I just get a fun afternoon with both kiddos. A great plus!

I am still getting used to this schedule. And I miss the kiddos terribly on my long day - I leave the house early right after they wake up and only have about 15 minutes of time with them at bedtime. That just isn't enough kiddo time for this momma!

So it is quality not quantity at bedtime. Little man got his snuggles in just before he nodded off tonight. And big sis was sweet as can be. Her final comments to me at bedtime absolutely melted my heart:

Big sis: Momma?

Me: Yes

Big sis: I love you bunches.

Me: I love you bunches too, big girl. Sweet dreams.

Promotion

First of all, this last weekend was SO BEAUTIFUL! We enjoyed every minute of the unseasonably mild temperatures by playing outdoors, doing yard work, taking wagon rides, and swimming. Who knew I would ever like August?

Second of all, because we spent the entire weekend playing, I forgot to tell everyone I received a promotion at work. I am so excited! I am junior faculty now - one big baby step for me. My official title is instructor and I will slowly have some different tasks added to my current role. One stipulation is that I complete my MPH so I am stepping up my class load for the next couple of years.

No worries, it won't go to my head. This is only a contract for a year so no guarantees for the future. But I am happy to give it a shot and see what I can do. And it is nice to get the vote of confidence and support from my supervisor and department chair!

starry eyed surprise

Gaga took us shoe shopping tonight - thank goodness because big sis is like a little kid in a candy store when she sees shoes. I needed all the help I could get during the shopping whirlwind. Big sis has to try on every shoe she sees. Shoe shopping with big sis leaves no doubt in my mind about her relation to Aunt K! That and the fact that she is also a night owl.

These shoes, which by the way big sis picked out and happens to LOVE, would have never caught my eye:

But the second she put them on I was in awe of how cute she looked in them. Due to the 3 year old mood she was in tonight we only have a picture of the shoes themselves. She was all about the ballet shoes once we got home from shopping . . .

Something about these shoes (probably all the GLITTER) immediately made me think of the song from the diet coke commercial , Starry Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfold. It just makes me smile! When I did a quick search I did find a video for the whole song but I think the coke production crew created a much better video.

So tonight we will "dance all night" while singing "ooh la la" about these cutie patootie shoes! "The fun has just begun . . ."

First Day of School 2009

The pictures say it all! A new year of school for little man, big sis, and myself. Disco is SO GLAD he isn't taking classes this time around . . .

summer 'acation

Big sis can't say her "v's" yet - so we went on an 'acation this weekend. Actually, I had to attend a conference for work just outside of Branson. But it was a family friendly conference and I really enjoyed the topics so it was fun work. And I had plenty of time with the kiddos and Disco!

We swam, ate too much, stayed up too late, shopped, danced, and in general had a great time. I have to say I LOVE traveling with our kiddos at this age. Little man is completely easy going (unless he doesn't get his way, but he pipes down quickly). And big sis is just at a fun stage all the way around - so much the little girl these days! Now that doesn't mean that Disco and I were "frustration free" the whole time - I can name several instances of sighing, counting, tears, and gritting of teeth. They are both under 4 for goodness sakes and saints we are not! But overall it was a great weekend that ended way too soon!

New classes tomorrow at school - and the obligatory "first day of school" pics will follow. For now, enjoy our photo gallery of this past weekend excursion:

The fish were biting . . .
GGGRRRR!!!!!

Bath time, baby! Our little redneck . . .

Goofy girl!

On the way home little man was eating a green gummy worm as a treat. Apparently it wasn't exciting enough to keep him awake . . .

Communication

Little man is quite the babbler these days. We hardly understand a lick of what he is saying, though! There are those words that are easily identifiable – momma, dada, diaper, uh-oh, dog, duck, and bubble. But most of the time we just hear a slew of jumbled sound as he practices.

What is really cute about these words is how he uses them. He yells dada when Disco walks through the door or when little man sees him for the first time in the morning. Momma is obviously what he uses for “pick me up” with outreached arms or when he is tired and ready for final bedtime snuggles and breastfeeding. Diaper cracks me up! That boy could say diaper before momma – and he knows exactly what it is. Uh-oh, dog, duck and bubble are his newest words and each delight him beyond belief.

Diaper is also associated with little man’s first chore. He picks up his dirty diaper and proudly marches it to the trash can. Where he then plays a bit of “hide and seek” before I finally tell him “say bye bye” and I cheer loudly when he lets the diaper finally drop into the can. Not that he willingly lets go of the diaper very often . . .

Even though there are not many words we understand there is some strong communication skills. Little man knows bye-bye and has begun to wave consistently, uh-oh is his favorite “game”, he can give a sharp high-five, and little man can point like nobody’s business. I am surprised he doesn’t have a name for big sis yet but he can identify all of us by pointing or running to us. Cheetos means something yummy to little man. Outside or go are two of his favorite words to hear – he would live outdoors if we would let him! It is very cute when he runs as fast as he can to get to the door and wait for you to open it. My heart melts every time he reaches up to grab my hand and directs me to the door, showing me that he would like to go play outside. Too cute! He also knows bath and bed. And depending on the night he might actually be ready for one or both of those calming activities.

Little man doesn’t slow down much these days but he sure is telling us about his world. And it is a fun way to rediscover the simple things in life – toys, food, family, outdoors, and playtime. What more can a toddler want?

The Snowball Effect

One lousy letter. I received one lousy letter at work this afternoon,which by the way didn't really amount to much other than me thinking "huh, that kind of makes me grumpy" and thus, the beginning of the snowball. For an hour after that letter bad things kept happening. Some big and some small - but each contributed to the growing grumpy snowball.

My new position at work may not start until next month (unrelated to initial lousy letter, but I have been looking forward to the change). I heard an update about one of the bunco babe's kiddo's battle with illness which just made me cry. When I picked up little man from daycare I got the "he's a bully" report from one of the teachers, before she even said hello to me. I had a crappy financial issue which I won't go into detail about because my dad reads this blog and he would just shake his head and sigh at the stupidity of this one!

I have been pretty happy lately. Still am. But that snowball got me this afternoon and I had to get a few tears out. Thankfully, these crazy two below keep me from letting my inner "oscar" take over. Their giggles should be bottled up and sold as anti-depressants!

Spiders Spinning New Webs

As we take our nightly walks by the creek we see many many spiders spinning their webs. This time of year the spiders seem to increase in size exponentially as they prep for fall/winter. The biology major in me wants to find out why this is and look up spiders on Wikipedia. But my whimsical side has taken over tonight so I would like to think they are practicing for their favorite holiday, Halloween, since they seem to disappear shortly thereafter each year.

We seem to be spinning our webs around here as well. Big sis starts dance this fall, next week my fall classes begin, both kiddos advance into the next class at daycare, and Disco and I have busy fall schedules at work. We are buying school supplies, leotards and tights, finalizing some household projects, and taking care of several loose ends before summer is over. And during all of this we are holding on tightly to the last bit of our summer schedule and activities. It is a fun time for the family with laughter, late nights, dancing in the living room, ice cream, watching fireflies, and taking wagon rides. Fall is around the corner and we are prepping for it as fast as those spiders by the creek. I'm just glad we are having fun all at the same time!

Dr. B

We ate at our favorite burger joint with our pal Dr. B tonight. It was a fun evening! And I am glad we got to see Dr. B since it seems like MF, one of little man's contemporaries who lives OUT OF STATE, got to see more of Dr. B than we did this past year. That sneaky MF - you have to watch that cutie patootie! Ok, I know life just kind of works out that way sometimes when everyone has busy lives. But we were all really happy to see Dr. B!

It was a big treat for big sis to see Dr. B and eat purple milkshakes all in the same evening. Both of the kiddos were WONDERFUL. And you know how hard it is to eat out with a toddler and preschooler sometimes. So I was happy they were on good behavior so I could catch up with Dr. B. She has pics of my "purple" kids - they made a HUGE mess (I left a good tip). Little man even let her pick him up and that is unheard of lately during his "mommy only" phase. I'm convinced she is like the toddler wisperer now.

Can't wait to see you again Dr. B - and it doesn't even have to involve purple milkshakes!

THANKS!

I totally forgot to say a HUGE THANKS to all of those family members who helped keep me sane during the plague that hit our kiddos last week while Disco was on vacation. We wouldn't have survived without Grandad (before he left with Disco), Grandmother, Aunt K or Gaga. Aren't these two so worth exposure to such vile bugs?

Welcome Home Disco!

We are so glad to see dad around here! Last time Disco traveled, I posted cute pics of the kiddos daily. This time all he got was daily updates about croup because it consumed our week. Little man searched Disco's bags for any cool choking hazards he could find from the Colorado trip:

We promise you get to travel to Denver with dad next time little man!

Aren't they sweet! This was a pic from the wedding last weekend. Big sis and I were happy to see dad too - big sis just crashed early tonight and I have been busy taking a BREAK. Welcome home Disco!