Lately our pair of princesses have been playing together more. This afternoon they were painting each others nails and putting on lip gloss together. Then they giggled off for some pretend play with their dolls and stuffies. Being three has been great for princess P, and the metamorphosis from toddler to kid draws nearer to completion each day. With each small step, princess D loves being there to help show her the way.
Not that they don't have their differences. They have very different tastes in their favorite things to do. Princess D is mostly glitter girl, with a touch of a crafty side. She's very verbal, and enjoys "writing" stories too. She's ponies and princesses. She's femininity with an edge. She dreams of dance class, but is okay with soccer for now. She's ready to conquer the world.
Princess P is more about practicality and action. She likes to practice life skills like sweeping the floor, "vacuuming" and "cooking" with her toys. She carefully tends her jaguar family. That doesn't mean she's a pushover, just that her priority is keeping her little world comfortable for her charges. She knows the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
I'm sure they both will do great things when they are grown. I hope they'll continue to be close friends.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
snow in the spring
Spring has sprung. There are flowers blooming, trees budding, and ants in my house. The official soccer season kicked off last weekend with princess D's first game. Yesterday I bundled sticks while tiny tots played in the yard. Outdoor afternoons are supposed to be back again.... but tonight we're supposed to get 3" of snow?!
This is, of course, because I just gathered up all the boots and put them back in storage earlier this week. I hung all the winter coats in the back of the closet. I had started gathering gloves in a plastic bag, soon to be forgotten on a shelf. I had my stuff together for once.
Then God reminded me I'm not the one in charge. So, instead of a Saturday scrambling to get to two soccer games & shop for groceries, I have a Saturday for sticking close to home. We'll get to sleep in the morning. Mr. M will get to watch the NCAA tournament. I'll have time to bake with my kids. All things work for the good.
This is, of course, because I just gathered up all the boots and put them back in storage earlier this week. I hung all the winter coats in the back of the closet. I had started gathering gloves in a plastic bag, soon to be forgotten on a shelf. I had my stuff together for once.
Then God reminded me I'm not the one in charge. So, instead of a Saturday scrambling to get to two soccer games & shop for groceries, I have a Saturday for sticking close to home. We'll get to sleep in the morning. Mr. M will get to watch the NCAA tournament. I'll have time to bake with my kids. All things work for the good.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Getting back in the flow of things
Today is the big boys first day back at school. They're excited to see their friends and were all in a great mood. I can't wait to see them race each other home and hear the chatter of "mom, guess what?" "Mom, you won't believe...." "Mom look!" The after school rush is one of my favorite parts of the day.
The younger kids are having a quiet day. It's wet and kind of cool outside, so they aren't real keen on getting out. Princess D is sounding out words and trying to teach Princess P how to write letters. Baby Guy is occupying himself by clinging to me, getting his perpetual runny face wiped and his clothes changed. He also likes to curl up in my arms when I'm on the computer and kick the keyboard. Right now he's watching Word World on PBS, which means it's almost time to pick up Chip.
After we get our kindie boy, we'll have lunch and take baths and maybe, just maybe, a short nap before the big boys come home. Then the real fun will begin.
The younger kids are having a quiet day. It's wet and kind of cool outside, so they aren't real keen on getting out. Princess D is sounding out words and trying to teach Princess P how to write letters. Baby Guy is occupying himself by clinging to me, getting his perpetual runny face wiped and his clothes changed. He also likes to curl up in my arms when I'm on the computer and kick the keyboard. Right now he's watching Word World on PBS, which means it's almost time to pick up Chip.
After we get our kindie boy, we'll have lunch and take baths and maybe, just maybe, a short nap before the big boys come home. Then the real fun will begin.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Some days are just too eventful.
Yesterday morning my in-laws called, saying they were bringing home a very sick little princess P. I called the ped and got her in. I called Mr. M and he came home to watch the others. All things were in order....until I was at the peds office for about three & 1/2 hours while they made sure she was going to be okay enough to send home. The "H" word was discussed, but since she came around w/ a breathing treatment, Tylenol, a nap and some popsicles, she was free to come home, w/ the caveat that if she went downhill we'd bring her in to ER. (She's better today, so I think we dodged that bullet.)
When I returned to the car, I called Mr. M. He informed me that our little "Beaker" had cut the cord to the vacuum w/ kitchen shears while the vacuum was plugged in. It blew two holes into the shears, but with much self control on Mr. M's part, the boy was unharmed. Baby Guy had had a wall coloring festival, and the older two boys had a friend come over so they could beat each other up with t-ball bats...so was I on my way home yet? He had given up on working from home for the day. I assured him after I got the little girl lunch and dropped off her script I'd be right there.
Well, the pharmacy system had "lost" her information, and when they found it it was wrong. Then the gal working the drive thru at BK couldn't hear me over the speaker, and didn't speak enough English to understand my order at the window....so it took 20 minutes to get two lunches in a drive-thru. By the time I got home, Mr. M just wanted to cage them all in their carseats, and go hunting for vacuum parts. I just told him "Welcome to my world."
And what an exciting world it is....although not always that exciting.
When I returned to the car, I called Mr. M. He informed me that our little "Beaker" had cut the cord to the vacuum w/ kitchen shears while the vacuum was plugged in. It blew two holes into the shears, but with much self control on Mr. M's part, the boy was unharmed. Baby Guy had had a wall coloring festival, and the older two boys had a friend come over so they could beat each other up with t-ball bats...so was I on my way home yet? He had given up on working from home for the day. I assured him after I got the little girl lunch and dropped off her script I'd be right there.
Well, the pharmacy system had "lost" her information, and when they found it it was wrong. Then the gal working the drive thru at BK couldn't hear me over the speaker, and didn't speak enough English to understand my order at the window....so it took 20 minutes to get two lunches in a drive-thru. By the time I got home, Mr. M just wanted to cage them all in their carseats, and go hunting for vacuum parts. I just told him "Welcome to my world."
And what an exciting world it is....although not always that exciting.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Spring (Break!) is here.
Today was the first day the boys were home from school. It was a day for too much t.v. and video games. A day to see a friend. A day for them to unwind and for me to panic.
I normally am kind of stressed on Fridays between bills and shopping. I did head out to do my usual Friday marathon, but ended up chickening out after going through the drive-thru at BK. I just couldn't bring myself to go to Sam's with six kids alone, even though three of those kids were old enough to be useful as individuals. The thing is, we weren't going with everyone in their own bubble.
I have gone shopping with all three of the older boys with me, but not without their father being there too for quite some time, because boys trouble making tendencies don't add when they're put together. They become exponential. Somebody would be swinging their coat, putting fingerprints on the cooler doors, or trying to "cart surf" the whole trip. As soon as one boy returned to reason, the other two would spring into action. Add a napless toddler, a diva daughter, and a cranky three year old to the mix. I have not been praying for patience recently, so I chose to pass.
We came home and I cleaned and they played. It was really nice having the older kids home to help entertain the preschoolers. I'll miss them when they go back to school.
I normally am kind of stressed on Fridays between bills and shopping. I did head out to do my usual Friday marathon, but ended up chickening out after going through the drive-thru at BK. I just couldn't bring myself to go to Sam's with six kids alone, even though three of those kids were old enough to be useful as individuals. The thing is, we weren't going with everyone in their own bubble.
I have gone shopping with all three of the older boys with me, but not without their father being there too for quite some time, because boys trouble making tendencies don't add when they're put together. They become exponential. Somebody would be swinging their coat, putting fingerprints on the cooler doors, or trying to "cart surf" the whole trip. As soon as one boy returned to reason, the other two would spring into action. Add a napless toddler, a diva daughter, and a cranky three year old to the mix. I have not been praying for patience recently, so I chose to pass.
We came home and I cleaned and they played. It was really nice having the older kids home to help entertain the preschoolers. I'll miss them when they go back to school.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Mr. M's car wouldn't start yesterday, so he took my van. No big deal, right? We lived for the first decade of our marriage with only one car. We firmly believed a second car was a convenience and not a need, and planned our lives accordingly.
Last year when were given a second car it was a blessing. No more driving Mr. M to work when I needed to get stuff done. A smaller vehicle with better gas mileage for grocery runs. A bit of freedom to take the kids out during the day. It was nice.
Somewhere along the lines nice changed to necessary. We now have three school aged kids. They have "stuff" to do. Sometimes that "stuff" is at the same time on the same day for a couple of them. Yesterday was such a day. Mighty inconvenient day to have only one car.
To top it all off, it wasn't having "one car." Mr. M is usually home by four, but yesterday, he was scheduled in meetings until late. So it wasn't one car, it was no car. How were the kids going to react?
Chip was fine. As much as he loves football, missing one practice didn't throw him out of his groove. Our second grader didn't even realize he was going to miss his dance class until ten minutes before it was supposed to start! He was disappointed though...and consoled by the fact it was a one time thing. Besides, they'd only watched the first disc of their new Electric Company DVD set from grandma....(never mind how many times they had watched it!)
It helped that Mr. M got off work earlier than expected, and everyone still got to the church on time.
Maybe it's time for us to rethink our schedule....or maybe, it's just time to admit our family has grown into needing a second car.
Last year when were given a second car it was a blessing. No more driving Mr. M to work when I needed to get stuff done. A smaller vehicle with better gas mileage for grocery runs. A bit of freedom to take the kids out during the day. It was nice.
Somewhere along the lines nice changed to necessary. We now have three school aged kids. They have "stuff" to do. Sometimes that "stuff" is at the same time on the same day for a couple of them. Yesterday was such a day. Mighty inconvenient day to have only one car.
To top it all off, it wasn't having "one car." Mr. M is usually home by four, but yesterday, he was scheduled in meetings until late. So it wasn't one car, it was no car. How were the kids going to react?
Chip was fine. As much as he loves football, missing one practice didn't throw him out of his groove. Our second grader didn't even realize he was going to miss his dance class until ten minutes before it was supposed to start! He was disappointed though...and consoled by the fact it was a one time thing. Besides, they'd only watched the first disc of their new Electric Company DVD set from grandma....(never mind how many times they had watched it!)
It helped that Mr. M got off work earlier than expected, and everyone still got to the church on time.
Maybe it's time for us to rethink our schedule....or maybe, it's just time to admit our family has grown into needing a second car.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Springing into action.
The beautiful weather yesterday and today are just a hint of what's to come. The kids have all enjoyed getting out in the mud. A shovel, a stick, a rock, anything can be a digger. I don't really stress about dirty kids coming home. They wash. I stress more about carpets and clothes and shoes, but they wash too, and are replaceable. My kids experiences exploring the seasons are not. I just need to get them more cleanable shoes for doing it!
Spring is a busy time of year for our household. With the Spring comes the return of soccer. Princess D is playing on a team for the first time. Her first practice is only a few days away! It will be exciting to see how she does as part of a team. Our oldest will play too, returning to his previous team. Throw in flag football with Chip and our weekends in April & May are qute full! It really is a blessing for everyone to get out again.
Spring is a busy time of year for our household. With the Spring comes the return of soccer. Princess D is playing on a team for the first time. Her first practice is only a few days away! It will be exciting to see how she does as part of a team. Our oldest will play too, returning to his previous team. Throw in flag football with Chip and our weekends in April & May are qute full! It really is a blessing for everyone to get out again.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Happy Birthday Princess P
Today our littler princess turns three. Right now she's still asleep, but we have quite the day planned when she wakes up. We have fruit scented nail polish, Candyland, and the Tinkerbell movie all slated for today.
Last night she took butterfly crispy treats to Puggles to share with her friends. Butterflies are one of her favorites right now, right up there with jaguars. She's a little butterfly herself, flitting around with big smiles and hugs, beautiful and fragile at the same time. I'm so grateful we still have her with us.
It's only by the grace of God she is. When Princess P was nine days old, she was life flighted to a hospital with RSV. She almost didn't survive the trip. It was three days before we were certain that our little princess was going to stay with us. It woke us up that each of our childrens relatively good health was truly a gift.
When she was one, she went into the hospital again. This time w/ sudden swelling in her lymph nodes. We were so grateful it wasn't cancer. It was just an infection, easily treatable with IV antibiotics. She recovered fully and was back to herself, spreading joy all around.
Today she turns three, and we celebrate a birthday with no hospital trips in the previous year. It's a great milestone, and we hope she continues to fly high, spreading laughter and light wherever she goes.
Last night she took butterfly crispy treats to Puggles to share with her friends. Butterflies are one of her favorites right now, right up there with jaguars. She's a little butterfly herself, flitting around with big smiles and hugs, beautiful and fragile at the same time. I'm so grateful we still have her with us.
It's only by the grace of God she is. When Princess P was nine days old, she was life flighted to a hospital with RSV. She almost didn't survive the trip. It was three days before we were certain that our little princess was going to stay with us. It woke us up that each of our childrens relatively good health was truly a gift.
When she was one, she went into the hospital again. This time w/ sudden swelling in her lymph nodes. We were so grateful it wasn't cancer. It was just an infection, easily treatable with IV antibiotics. She recovered fully and was back to herself, spreading joy all around.
Today she turns three, and we celebrate a birthday with no hospital trips in the previous year. It's a great milestone, and we hope she continues to fly high, spreading laughter and light wherever she goes.
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