Sam's parents planned to be at his brother's house in Michigan for Thanksgiving so we decided to join them. In order to make the 10 hour drive worth it, Sam played hooky for a few days. We left the Friday before Thanksgiving. The girls did awesome in the car. I think they whine more in the car on the way to Target than they did on the long drive. They both took a good nap and then went to sleep at bedtime. We arrived around midnight and hit the hay.
The girls had lots of fun playing with their cousins. Abby loved having constant playmates and Clara enjoyed the constant attention.
Abby and Anders got along really well. They were constantly going on imaginary trips and picnics. I believe they were camping by the fire in this picture.
It was wonderful for the girls to spend time with grammy and grandpa. They haven't seen them for 8 months.
While we were cooking Thanksgiving dinner, Clara suddenly got uncharacteristically fussy. We looked over and saw that she had pushed herself under the entertainment center. Those wood floors made for much easier scooting.
The Thanksgiving meal was amazing. I keep dreaming about the delicious Brussels sprouts. MMMmm.
Clara tried turkey for the first time along with several over things (including whipped cream--thanks Uncle Mike.)
We made a bunch of pies. The ones I made weren't my best works. Oh well.
Abby loved the cats. She would follow them around whenever one came into sight.
Clara is such a cheese. Everyone was smitten by her sweet personality.
Before we left we took Abby to the park to play.
It was such a fun, relaxing week. We didn't even mind sleeping in twin beds. We were all really sad to go home.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Some days...
Some days I want to wake up whenever I feel like it.
Some days I want to wipe nobody's bum but my own.
Some days I want to eat a meal without little fingers picking off of my plate.
Some days I want to go to Target or the mall and stay there as long as I want.
Some days I want to watch only shows starring actual human beings.
Some days I want to sit on the couch and read all day.
Some days I want to lay out in the sunshine and fall asleep.
Some days I want to go for a walk without hefting the double stroller down the stairs.
Some days I want to clean the living room and have it stay that way for more than five minutes.
Some days I want to do something spontaneous with my husband.
And on those days, I have to remind myself that I hoped and prayed for these beautiful children.
I have to remember how incomplete my life was before they came along.
I have to look at their smiles and delight in their hugs and know that I will never find greater happiness than I do in being a mother.
Some days I want to wipe nobody's bum but my own.
Some days I want to eat a meal without little fingers picking off of my plate.
Some days I want to go to Target or the mall and stay there as long as I want.
Some days I want to watch only shows starring actual human beings.
Some days I want to sit on the couch and read all day.
Some days I want to lay out in the sunshine and fall asleep.
Some days I want to go for a walk without hefting the double stroller down the stairs.
Some days I want to clean the living room and have it stay that way for more than five minutes.
Some days I want to do something spontaneous with my husband.
And on those days, I have to remind myself that I hoped and prayed for these beautiful children.
I have to remember how incomplete my life was before they came along.
I have to look at their smiles and delight in their hugs and know that I will never find greater happiness than I do in being a mother.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Houston, We Have Internet!
We were going on day SIX of no Internet in our apartment. I've felt incomplete. Of course, it's hard being without e-mail, Facebook, blogs and Pinterest, but it's the random things that I want to look up that really felt strange. What's the weather going to be like today? What was the first Pez dispenser? Do you think the author of this book is a man or a woman? What movies are in the Redbox? What's the phone number of the Internet company so we can call and tell them our Internet is broken?
The guy just came and fixed it and I feel whole again.
My first instinct is to say, "Geez, it's so pathetic to be so dependent on the Internet." But in all honesty, I don't feel that way. I'll say it loud and proud, INTERNET, I LOVE YOU!
The guy just came and fixed it and I feel whole again.
My first instinct is to say, "Geez, it's so pathetic to be so dependent on the Internet." But in all honesty, I don't feel that way. I'll say it loud and proud, INTERNET, I LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A Wedding in Arizona
A few months ago, one of my dearest friends, Tatum, got engaged. As soon as the ring was on her finger, I started looking for plane tickets but I just didn't know if we could work it into the budget.
Fast forward a couple of weeks...I sent a gift for Tatum's bridal shower. It was, apparently, a hit. Everyone was crying. Maybe sometime I'll write about it. With the gift, I included a letter to the groom. After he read it, he sent me a message on facebook asking if there was any way I could make it work to be there for the ceremony. We mulled it over and decided we could do it, so I booked a flight for me and the girls.
We left the day after Abby's birthday, which was a little crazy. I didn't have time to pack the day before like I normally would because I was busy with the party preparations.
I was very nervous to travel with both girls by myself. I made it to my gate with all 3,000 of our bags, plus Clara's car seat with only the casualty of a sock. (Though I almost lost my driver's license and the girls' birth certificates. Thank goodness for nice, attentive strangers.)
Before getting on, I was told there were no empty seats on the plane. Dang! I knew if there was even one empty seat, it would be next to the lady with two children. I felt very blessed when an older man sat down next to me and said, "It's my lucky day!" He was a sweet grandpa. Abby even cuddled with him while Clara was sleeping. Unfortunately, Clara didn't do a whole lot of sleeping and Abby didn't sleep it all. Fortunately, they were very good girls. Busy, but good. The most challenging part was probably the two trips to the bathroom. As you know, those bathrooms aren't even big enough for Abby by herself, let alone Abby, me and Clara.
We got to my parents house, got the girls some dinner and put them to bed. They didn't sleep very well that night. Abby ended up in bed with me and they both woke up at 4:45 a.m. Hello biological clock! I was incredibly sore too. I'm talking top ten sorest times in my life. Who knew an airplane flight with two kiddos could do such a number on your body.
Abby really wanted to go swimming at Grammy's but the pool was too cold so we let her play in the jacuzzi. My dad just didn't turn the heat up so it was the perfect temperature for her.
The girls had so much fun playing with their grandparents and I enjoyed some "me" time, sitting on the couch reading. It was glorious.
Clara looked so cute sitting in the high chair. She's getting pretty good at picking up Cheerios.
Tatum didn't know I was coming to the wedding. Her fiance, Caleb, wanted to keep it a surprise. The day before the wedding, the girls and I showed up at the rehearsal to surprise her. My dad took the girls back home and I stuck around to hang out and help with the decorations.
The ceremony was beautiful, despite some wind. It was in Tatum's grandparent's backyard--a place full of memories for me. Tatum and I spent many afternoons playing and swimming and having parties there.
The girls stayed for the ceremony and then my parents took them home so I could spend the evening partying it up with my friends. I had a blast dancing and chatting. It made me feel like I was in high school.
I'm so glad I got to be there for Tatum's special day!
The flight home was perfect! There was an extra seat so I got to bring Clara's car seat on. She slept most of the flight while Abby and I played. Abby finally crashed with about 40 minutes left. When we landed, she was dead to the world. A nice guy carried her and put her in the stroller. She didn't wake up until Sam put her in the car and then went right back to sleep and slept until 8:30 a.m. I've decided travelling during the time change is a wonderful idea.
We missed our daddy and were so glad to get home to him.
Fast forward a couple of weeks...I sent a gift for Tatum's bridal shower. It was, apparently, a hit. Everyone was crying. Maybe sometime I'll write about it. With the gift, I included a letter to the groom. After he read it, he sent me a message on facebook asking if there was any way I could make it work to be there for the ceremony. We mulled it over and decided we could do it, so I booked a flight for me and the girls.
We left the day after Abby's birthday, which was a little crazy. I didn't have time to pack the day before like I normally would because I was busy with the party preparations.
I was very nervous to travel with both girls by myself. I made it to my gate with all 3,000 of our bags, plus Clara's car seat with only the casualty of a sock. (Though I almost lost my driver's license and the girls' birth certificates. Thank goodness for nice, attentive strangers.)
Before getting on, I was told there were no empty seats on the plane. Dang! I knew if there was even one empty seat, it would be next to the lady with two children. I felt very blessed when an older man sat down next to me and said, "It's my lucky day!" He was a sweet grandpa. Abby even cuddled with him while Clara was sleeping. Unfortunately, Clara didn't do a whole lot of sleeping and Abby didn't sleep it all. Fortunately, they were very good girls. Busy, but good. The most challenging part was probably the two trips to the bathroom. As you know, those bathrooms aren't even big enough for Abby by herself, let alone Abby, me and Clara.
We got to my parents house, got the girls some dinner and put them to bed. They didn't sleep very well that night. Abby ended up in bed with me and they both woke up at 4:45 a.m. Hello biological clock! I was incredibly sore too. I'm talking top ten sorest times in my life. Who knew an airplane flight with two kiddos could do such a number on your body.
Abby really wanted to go swimming at Grammy's but the pool was too cold so we let her play in the jacuzzi. My dad just didn't turn the heat up so it was the perfect temperature for her.
The girls had so much fun playing with their grandparents and I enjoyed some "me" time, sitting on the couch reading. It was glorious.
Clara looked so cute sitting in the high chair. She's getting pretty good at picking up Cheerios.
Tatum didn't know I was coming to the wedding. Her fiance, Caleb, wanted to keep it a surprise. The day before the wedding, the girls and I showed up at the rehearsal to surprise her. My dad took the girls back home and I stuck around to hang out and help with the decorations.
The ceremony was beautiful, despite some wind. It was in Tatum's grandparent's backyard--a place full of memories for me. Tatum and I spent many afternoons playing and swimming and having parties there.
The girls stayed for the ceremony and then my parents took them home so I could spend the evening partying it up with my friends. I had a blast dancing and chatting. It made me feel like I was in high school.
The flight home was perfect! There was an extra seat so I got to bring Clara's car seat on. She slept most of the flight while Abby and I played. Abby finally crashed with about 40 minutes left. When we landed, she was dead to the world. A nice guy carried her and put her in the stroller. She didn't wake up until Sam put her in the car and then went right back to sleep and slept until 8:30 a.m. I've decided travelling during the time change is a wonderful idea.
We missed our daddy and were so glad to get home to him.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Abby is 3
We headed to Arizona for a wedding the day after her birthday so I'm just getting around to this...
A week has past and I still can't believe I have a three-year-old. We love our Abby Drue so much.
She is hilarious. She keeps me laughing with her little-girl humor and her infectious smile.
She asks a lot of questions. She always wants to know who made things (Who made my table?-Daddy. Who made our house?-I don't know.) or who bought her toys and clothes (the answer is usually grammy).
She is so smart and loves to learn. We checked out a sign language movie from the library and after watching it two times she can show me all of the signs.
She is still pretty shy but usually warms up pretty quickly. She goes into giggle mode whenever someone talks to her and she is feeling shy.
She is a good helper. She always helps me clean the house. She loves to do dishes. She is quick to help me take care of Clara.
On her birthday, we let her open two presents before her nap. She doesn't sleep well when she's excited for something. Little did she know, there was a mountain of presents to open when she got up from her nap.
Aunt Merrick made her a cute dress. She wanted to wear it immediately.
I made her an apron and oven mitts. They went wonderfully with all of the new kitchen stuff she got.
She had a rainbow party. I got most of my inspiration from Pinterest. Who knew rainbow parties were all the rage? The kids colored and made rainbow necklaces out of Fruit Loops. The Fruit Loop bowl was also a popular place for tiny hands.
The food table turned out pretty great. I think my favorite were the chocolate dipped Oreos. Yum!
Throughout the course of the night, there were 57 people in our house. Thankfully, about half of them were small children. It was fun having so many people there to celebrate our little girl.
I made her a rainbow headband which looked lovely with the cool rainbow cupcakes.
After the party, Abby put her costume on so we could go trick-or-treating
It was such a fun day! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little lady in our family!
A week has past and I still can't believe I have a three-year-old. We love our Abby Drue so much.
She is hilarious. She keeps me laughing with her little-girl humor and her infectious smile.
She asks a lot of questions. She always wants to know who made things (Who made my table?-Daddy. Who made our house?-I don't know.) or who bought her toys and clothes (the answer is usually grammy).
She is so smart and loves to learn. We checked out a sign language movie from the library and after watching it two times she can show me all of the signs.
She is still pretty shy but usually warms up pretty quickly. She goes into giggle mode whenever someone talks to her and she is feeling shy.
She is a good helper. She always helps me clean the house. She loves to do dishes. She is quick to help me take care of Clara.
On her birthday, we let her open two presents before her nap. She doesn't sleep well when she's excited for something. Little did she know, there was a mountain of presents to open when she got up from her nap.
Aunt Merrick made her a cute dress. She wanted to wear it immediately.
I made her an apron and oven mitts. They went wonderfully with all of the new kitchen stuff she got.
She had a rainbow party. I got most of my inspiration from Pinterest. Who knew rainbow parties were all the rage? The kids colored and made rainbow necklaces out of Fruit Loops. The Fruit Loop bowl was also a popular place for tiny hands.
The food table turned out pretty great. I think my favorite were the chocolate dipped Oreos. Yum!
Throughout the course of the night, there were 57 people in our house. Thankfully, about half of them were small children. It was fun having so many people there to celebrate our little girl.
I made her a rainbow headband which looked lovely with the cool rainbow cupcakes.
After the party, Abby put her costume on so we could go trick-or-treating
It was such a fun day! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little lady in our family!
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