Birthday Pictures

I asked Gracie if she wanted monkeys or turtles for her cake this year, and she said monkeys. (she loves both). SO monkeys it was. Katie helped decorate them which was so fun. We ended up with a few Picasso type monkeys. It was a fun, low-key day. Katie can hardly wait until her own birthday.

Inspiration for Bedtime

"As you tuck them into bed at night, please be kind to them. Let them hear a kind voice amid all the angry, vile voices that they will hear throughout life."

-Harold B. Lee

Happy Birthday Sweet Gracie

My little Gracie sure cracked me up today as she enjoyed her birthday festivities. Whenever anyone said Happy Birthday to her, she would get this really cheesy grin on her face and say "thank you" in her tiny voice. She thought it was quite funny when we sang to her. What a ham.

My favorite things about Gracie.

Her pretend grumpy face.
When she stamps her foot and says "I WON'T!"
The kisses from her tiny lips
"I need you."
How she walks around with a wand saying "Poof! Princesss" which means whatever she poofed just turned into a princes (maybe she got it from Cinderella, but I'm not sure she's ever seen much of the movie.)
Her very serious play time
How she quietly does her own thing for long periods of time (I don't know if Katie will ever get to this point)
The little songs she sings
Her dance moves
The way she says "yes"
how she practically lives in the pink tutu
when she feeds the neighbors cat with her play food set and how the cat mildly tolerates it
her attachment to her baby doll "Iris" (she named it herself, and I have no idea where she came up with that name)

I Secretly LOVE Mondays

I secretly love Mondays. It's the first day of my "work" week. Justin leaves to his job, and I get to work with my kids and messy house. (Does anyone else's house get trashed on Sundays?)

The real reason I love Mondays is the chance to start over. The chance to keep the goals I set. The chance to stick to routine. The chance to improve. I love to have a fresh start.

Goals that I have:
Help the girls with chores every day.
Walk 30 minutes, 5 times a week
yoga before bed 5 times a week
play one silly game each day with my children
\
I've been working on these goals for a couple weeks now (except the last one, I just added that one yesterday). THere's been a couple slip ups, but for the most part I've been doing pretty good. I love goal setting and working hard at accomplishing them. I am most definitely a goal-oriented person.

QUick and easy dinners

I am compiling a list of quick and easy dinners so when baby comes...and hopefully a little on the healthy side.

taco salad
raviolis with steamed zucchini and grilled mushrooms
spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic mixed veggies
whole wheat bagel pizzas with carrot and celery sticks
whole wheat grilled cheese and soup with salad
chicken caesar salad
whole wheat breakfast burritos
tacos with carrot and celery sticks and fruit
whole wheat veggie quesadillas (grilled mushrooms, green onions, red bell peppers)
taco soup
baked bbq chicken with salad and fruit
baked sweet n sour chicken with broccoli
crock pot black bean soup
pesto chicken and pasta with zucchini
whole wheat baked french toast with ham/eggs
garlic chicken with spinach salad
asian chicken spinach salad
whole wheat pancakes ham/eggs
chili with whole wheat rolls and celery sticks

Happy Birthday Granny!

 

Like My Mom

You know, I have found in the last year or two, that the older I get (I know, I'm still young, and I feel young) the more I become like my mother. At least in some ways. There are a lot of ways I wish I could be like her and fall short more often than I would like....However, that odd phenomenon-- of when you say something and  you swear it was your mother's voice and not your own--yeah that's been happening to me lately. And it's a little creepy, not a bad creepy, just kind of weird.

One day while I was at work (this was when I was home for the summer after my freshman year of college, I believe), I get a call shortly before it was time for me to come home. It's my younger sister.

"Jill?"
"Yes?"
"Don't mention anything about birds to mom, ok?"
"Ok....that's random. I don't usually just go around talking about birds, but ok."
"Mom found a bird that was dying in our yard today, and took it to the vet. The vet couldn't do anything for the bird, and just put it down so it wouldn't suffer any more. ANd Mom's really upset about it. She keeps crying."
"Ok. I see. Poor Mom, she's so tender hearted."

Ok so I go home and quietly eat my dinner at the kitchen table while my mom is washing dishes at the sink. I don't say ANYTHING at all. Just quietly eating my dinner, and Mom bursts into tears.

"Mom, are you ok?" (Mom doesn't usually cry very often so this is kind of unusual.)
"I just wanted him to fix the bird. I told him I would pay him for it. I didn't care how much it cost. I just wanted him to fix the bird."
"Mom, Amber said the bird was hurt too badly to fix."
"He could have tried."

I don't really know what to say, but just get up and awkwardly pat her on the back. Most tender-hearted person who will ever meet.
-------------------------------------

Fast forward to this summer. One day out in the backyard, we found a snake. Just a little garter snake. Katie  named it Petunia, and every couple days would spend some time trying to find it again, but we haven't seen it since that one day.
Until Justin was mowing the lawn this week. I will spare you the details since you might have a tender heart like my mother..... or me...
I was making dinner, and that is THE. MOST. STRESSFUL. part of every day for me...I rush around and get crazy focused on just getting something to the table...Justin comes in and starts to tell me about Petunia's fate. 
"Please, don't tell me. I don't want to hear about it."
He makes one more comment about it, and I am in tears, but still rushing around the kitchen like a crazy woman.
"Please, please don't tell me about it." I'm balling now, and Justin knows it's time to exit and leave me to my dinner preparations. And while I am standing there crying over a non-pet-I have only seen you once in my life-snake, memory waves of my mother crying over a random bird while washing her dishes come drifting into my mind. I had to smile through my tears. Like mother, like daughter.

Pregnancy Confessions

(self-portrait of Katie)

Let me confess that I am not one of those women who loves being pregnant. I don't like getting big. I don't like being emotional. I don't like throwing up and cringing at the sight-the smell-the thought of food.  With that being said, I am having such a better pregnancy this time around.

I think there are several reasons. When I was pregnant with Katie, I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't like the uncertainty of everything. When I was pregnant with Grace, I knew we were moving at the same time I was going to have her. I was so stressed about moving to another state and Justin starting graduate school.


This pregnancy, we're not moving anywhere (already did that). And I've already had two babies so I'm not too worried about anything. And so I get to enjoy preparing for baby. But there's not a whole lot of prep to do. I mean, I already have the clothes and blankets, and everything a little baby girl will need besides diapers. I guess there is one thing that I will be making. I discovered with Grace that bibs come in very handy even when they are newborns. THey spit up ALL. THE. TIME. and I'd rather change a bib than the whole outfit. Plus I really enjoy making bibs. I make them out of scrap t-shirts that were headed for Goodwill and they don't cost me anything.


One thing that has been a drawback to this pregnancy, is the cravings. About once a week I get a craving for something that is not good for me and I am pretty sure I am going to DIE if I don't get some of whatever it is...like Reese's peanut butter cups with the cookie in the bottom...Did you know they do not make them anymore? PREGNANT WOMAN"S WORST NIGHTMARE> they don't make the one thing she is craving more than anything else. SO I was left to my own devices...well, actually Justin's...and we had homemade chocolate peanut butter bars with an improvised cookie crust. Craving satisfied....weight gained.


Usually about the time I start having to wear maternity clothes, I start thinking "can I be done yet?" when I really have three whole stinking months left! This pregnancy is not this way. I think about the midnight feedings and diaper changes. I think about juggling two other children while trying to nurse. And then I think about having to give up peanut butter. and oats. and dairy. and I think "Boy, I am lucky I still have 3 months to go!"


Not that I am not excited for this baby. I am. I find myself day dreaming about snuggling a softie, and watching for the first little smiles, and counting perfect little toes...(Did I ever mention Gracie has webbed toes? But they are still perfect. In fact, I think they are adorable!) But all in good time. all in good time. I am happy to have the time now to prepare and stock up on ideas to keep little ones busy, and make bibs, and finally get pictures up on my walls.

Katie took this picture. She set up the camp chair and made Gracie climb on it and pose. She fancies herself a photographer. I need to keep the camera up higher. Don't you just love Gracie's bed head?