Lessons Learned

Well it is 4:30 am, I have been awake since Marissa woke up for a feeding at 3:00 and CANNOT go back to sleep.  Frustrating? Yes.  This is the second time this week.  Boo.

My family peacefully dozes, my mind wanders......and oh the places it can go!  But right now I am feeling overwhelmingly blessed,  I had a weekend full of fun and laughs with various friends (co-workers about to leave, old ones coming back to visit, friends over for dinner, Grandpa Yancy's birthday, time with my BUNCO girls).  I have an amazing husband, fabulous friends, nice house, great job...and as you know, the PERFECT kids.  My life became so much fuller with the arrival of my kids and I have learned so much from them over the past -almost 3- years. So now it my sleepless state of delirium, I will share with you, the valuable lessons I have picked up recently:

1)  Don't take life too seriously.  A good zerbert or being picked up and spun around the room can change the outlook and make most things better! 

2) I often make mountains out of molehills.  Watching Nathaniel at the park made me realize I too often see the obstacles as something challenging and frustrating rather than something fun to enjoy.  So throw it at me, life....I will swing across some things, have fun climbing to the top of some challenges, and slide down some slippery slopes - hopefully with a smile on my face.

3)  Rolls are adorable, especially covered in dimples!  Everyone comments on how much they love Marissa's thighs.  I have spent far too much time worrying about MY thighs. I need to celebrate the delicious food of which I have partaken and not be so concerned about outward appearances.

4)  Naps are sacred and should be treated as such.  Flexible scheduling is allowed but naps should not be altogether forgotten.  Naps do make the world a happier place!

5)  Tantrums are occasionally acceptable - as long as we can recover and carry on as if nothing ever happened two minutes later.

6)  Strangers are only people we have not yet met.  I have met so many more people since the arrival of my kids.  I think we all need to take the friendly kid approach and smile and wave at complete strangers, often.

7)  Take the term "Make yourself at home" a little more literally.  At random times throughout the week, Nathaniel will go over to our dear neighbors, ring the bell and run inside to see their dog.  And about 9 times out of 10 returns with some trinket or another to take home.  This week it was a video that she had picked up for her grand children's Easter basket (Yes, she did give it to him), other times it has been stuffed animals, a elephant piggy bank, etc.  Although I do not promote him becoming a kleptomaniac, there are lessons to be learned about being comfortable with visiting and receiving gifts from people who find joy in giving to others.

8)  Cuddle for no reason.

9)  Say "I love you" out of the blue.  No one ever really gets tired of hearing it.

10)  Cheering for food, especially ice cream, should be encouraged!  And if you want to break out in a spontaneous dance, that is OK too.

11) Celebrate the routine things in life - like going potty.

12)  Stop to smell, or pick, flowers (or in our case, sticks). All too often we hurry through life, not enjoying the beauty of the little things right in front of us.

13)  You can read a good book several (hundred) times before moving on to the next one, if you want.

14)  Kisses and/or band-aids can instantly "heal" minor injuries instantaneously.

15)  Sleep is a luxury, not always a necessity (Admittedly this is NOT my favorite lesson, please refer back to #4).

Well, it is about time for me to get up and go to work anyway.  So I am signing off for now.  Sweet dreams to all you who sleep......

Bluebonnets

One of my favorite times of year down here in South Texas are when the bluebonnets are in full bloom.  Tonight after a cookout at the Mitchells we piled up and headed over to the local field where they were stunning! 

I honestly believe these ARE the cutest kids in the world!

Beauty redefined

He was very proud of his yellow flower in the midst of the sea of blue.  On the ride home he told Daddy it was the prettiest flower he has ever seen.



The yellow flower made getting pics of the kids a little tricky!



The fam

Girls!

We had a cookout weekend.  The weather down here is near perfect so we fully took advantage of it.  Friday night we headed over to the Halls to enjoy some burgers with our old friends,  Saturday Payton came over for some fun, and tonight we went over to the Michells for another cookout with some of Mommy's co-workers.  All I can say is...YUM!  Thanks to everyone for some great food.  And thanks to my jeans for holding up!

So enjoy some shots of the girls as they contiue to grow. This may be the last time we can contain them in one area for a picture.  Marissa and Emma are pretty mobile now and AnnDee will not be far behind!

AnnDee, Marissa, and Emma

The girls and their Mommies

and...GO

We have a crawler!  Today Marissa finally began coordinating enough to crawl......video to be posted later.  I need to go vacuum now!

Fun St. Patty's Day!

We love St. Patty's Day!

 And we love Dr. Seuss....

(I know it is a long, repetitive story, so we won't make you watch the whole thing...)

So, it is only fitting to have Green Eggs and Ham for dinner on St. Patty's Day.  Right? 

It was a bit of a trial, and certainly can use some tweaking, but it was fun to make for the family tonight!

Happy St. Patty's Day to all of our faithful blog readers! 

Come on over and I'll be happy to dish you up a little something that looks like rancid meat :)



Mommy plays with guns!

OK, I am the first to admit being a working mom is HARD.  It is hard to find that balance and I often feel like I bust my butt at work, come home and bust my butt at home and still can't cook a gourmet meal, clean up, or even find my keys half of the time.  I feel like I am always on the go and don't get a break.  I begin tasks but fail to complete them.  I fall asleep before getting bottles together for the morning, changing the laundry or doing the dishes.  I am all too often overwhelmed.  I want to be great at everything - being a mom, wife, occupational therapist, friend, daughter, sister, boss, etc....and yet feel like I am pulled in so many directions that I am not doing a great job at any of them.  I know it is my own pity party and something I will probably always struggle with.  I love my family more than anything in the world AND I also love my job.  I am one of the few people that actually likes going to work every day.  Admittedly, some days more than others!  Yesterday I came home and told Ted I cannot do this anymore, I don't have 5 minutes to myself and need a break.....today, I am refreshed and ready to continue this marathon.  And here's why:

Mommy now plays with guns.

Don't be too quick to add sharpshooter to my resume, yet (I only hit two of the skeet I shot at).  But this is one of the reasons I love my job.  In the midst of making a difference in the lives of brain injury survivors, I get to go out and do some pretty awesome, out-of-the-box activities.  Today we took some of my soldiers out skeet shooting and it was a blast (literally and figuratively!).

Fifth's Disease

You can't tell too much from the previous post, but on Friday night Nathaniel began getting a rash on his arms and by Saturday his cheeks became bright red.  Sunday the rash was still there and appeared to be getting worse so off to the after hours clinic we went to discover that he has Fifth's Disease.  He looks rough, but is no longer contagious and there is really nothing you can do about it.  I guess he has a secret mission to get every crazy, little (non-serious) illness/rash, etc. that he can before he starts school.  I am so thankful that it is nothing to be too worried about!  Just another misadventure.....

Ry-Ry is 10

Saturday was cousin Ry-Ry's birthday.  We went up to visit her for her birthday and we got to see her in action at a volleyball game! Ryan is quite the volleyball player!

And Marissa is quite the fan. 

Nathaniel was most interested in climbing up and down the bleachers.  One little fall, but all was well.

Following the volleyball game, Ryan demonstrated her fine ladybug hunting abilities, which apparently are tickle-y little bugs.  Nathaniel found them rather fascinating.

Then we got to wach a kids vs. parents soccer game that cousin Emma played in against her Daddy. 

Oh yeah, and we played in dirt, because that is what the cool kids do during soccer games!

After our action packed morning we went out to eat to celebrate Ryan's big day. It is hard to believe she is already 10.  Happy Birthday, Ryan!!!

Shots!

At long last, Marissa was able to get her 6 month shots this morning (she is now 7 months and 1 week old).  Her ears were still red, but not infected so we jumped on the opportunity.  Now, you must know that Nathaniel has a HUGE crush on the doctor.  He has loved her since he was little.  If he finds out Marissa is getting to go to the doctor, he insists on joining us as well.  I knew she would be getting shots today (either her 6 month shots or Rocephin if she had an infection) so I warned Bubba about it.  Informing him that it may hurt and baby 'Rissa may cry some.  He seemed OK with it.  And she did indeed cry for a second after the first injection but quickly calmed and was back to her smiley self by the time I picked her up.  The nurse left the room and Nathaniel said "I want a shot now".  He was upset, almost to the point of tears that he was not getting a shot!  Thinking this was funny, I called the nurse back in and she helped him settle for getting stickers instead.  It appeased him for awhile, but by the time we hit the front doors on the way out, he was again saying, "I want a shot"!  We called Daddy en route to daycare and Nathaniel also informed Daddy that "only baby 'Rissa got shots, but I want some too".  Silly boy!  I guess he does not remember the bazillion he got when he was so sick with all his ear infections, he sure did not care for them then.

Trip to NM

Do you believe in angels?  Karey Taylor did.  Karey was one of my best friends' mom.  She was an amazing woman through and through.  She lost her fight to brain cancer at the end of Feburary.  And knowing she is finally seeing her angels face to face brings a little peace.

Sheila and I, along with our two daughers drove all night Thurs night to spent time with Jenn before her mom's funeral.  First of all, let me just state that I am not twenty anymore and should probably give up marathon trips, but it really worked out best for our girls to sleep!  And although we need to do better about getting together under happy circumstances, it was great to spend time with both Sheila and Jennifer. I am so thankful for the frienships and memories we formed during college.  It was so much fun back then....and so fun to recall now!  I did not get pics with Jenn and Sheila but did grab some pics of our beautiful girls:

Marissa and Addalyn

Marissa and Brylan (7 and 8 months)

Destined to be friends!

We also got to watch Trent play a game!  Go TRENT!!!

On the way home we stopped in San Antoino and spent the night at the Scotts.  Amanda's kids are so big now I can hardly believe it.  My solemn vow is to see these friends more often.  It saddened me that Amanda's kids have grown up so quickly.  Time really does fly!  I certainly hope my kids will have friends like these that they can have silly fun with!

The Cat in the Hat

"I will not eat them in a house, I will not eat them with a mouse, I will not eat them here or there, I will not eat them ANYWHERE"

Our nightly ritual usually ends with one of Dr. Seuss' stories (or Go Dog Go - which he has memorized in its entirety).  I love that Nathaniel has developed a real passion for rhyme and the silliness of the Seuss world.  I admit, I am a bit of a Seuss junkie myself and think we have a lot of wisdom to glean from his eclectic musings.  In particular Nathaniel loves the Cat in the Hat.  That troublesome little thing.  I Can Read With My Eyes Shut is a huge favorite because there are "two Cat in the Hats" in that book.  Tonight he got to meet this superhero-of-sorts, in person, at a local Chick-fil-a.

He is so funny, he was so excited before we left the house and when we got there initially he just stood with his mouth open.  Finally he was brave enough to crawl into the Cat's lap.

Eventually they became buddies.  Nathaniel was mimicking the Cat's moves.  If the Cat in the Hat jumped, so did Nathaniel.  If the Cat waved, Nathaniel waved.  For some reason Nate was especially excited that the Cat in the Hat had a tail.  By the end of our dinner, the Cat in the Hat was picking Nathaniel up and tickling him.  He even came over to our table and stole some of Nathaniel's sprite. I told you he was troublesome!  Nathaniel thought it was hilarious!

 The Chick-fil-a Cow was there as well, but did not have the kids mesmerized like the Cat in the Hat. 

Here's the next possible best seller, Nathaniel in the Hat.

One more reason I love being a Mommy. I get to continue to play and be excited about things like dinners with the Cat in the Hat!  It was a fun evening.