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mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday! We had a fun weekend and a busy day yesterday. We used our extra weekend day to catch up on housework. It didn’t sound like fun, but it sure was nice when it was all done! Here are a few funnies from the past week!!

EK holds her stick like a wand. J holds it like he’s about to smack her wand out of her hand.

EK, showing me her necklaces: These is my jewelries, for when I get married with Jesus.

As we’re getting ready to leave the house…
EK: Are we going to our church home?
(I think this is particularly cute, because sometimes, yes, I feel like I live there.)

What I hear from the back of the car…
EK, singing: And You cover me with grace… (Lyrics from “I Am Set Free” – a song we had done at church the previous Sunday.)

Having dinner one night…
EK: I don’t like this meat.
Hubby: It’s pork… Like a pig. It’s yummy!
EK, showing me a bite of pork: Mommy! This is piggy! Piggies love this.
Me: ….cannibals.

My friend Mary Katherine came over with a little balloon pump and some balloons to make animals out of (because she’s crafty like that). J thought the pump looked like the syringe for giving shots in our little doctor’s kit.
J, holding the pump: Head!
(Gives me a “shot” in the head with the pump.)
J: Hand!
(“Shot” in the hand.)
J: Arn!
(“Shot” in the arm.)
J: Weg!
(“Shot” in the leg.)
J: Eye!
Me: Ahh! No!!
J: (laughing) Eye! Yes! Eye! (Chases me.)
Me, having nightmares about this tonight.

Driving lessons…
EK: I like your car, Daddy.
Hubby: Thanks, babe!
EK: Maybe one day I can drive it.
Hubby: Yeah, maybe one day.
EK: How about when I’m…. 16!
Hubby: Yeah! Definitely then!
Me: Lucky guess.

We pull into the parking lot at La Carreta…
J: Salsaaaaaaa!
Me, exchanging looks with Hubby: We come here too often.

J, pointing to his foot: Sock!
Me: No, you aren’t wearing socks.
J: Sock!
Me: You want to put on socks?
J: No!
Me: That’s your foot.
J: No! Sock!
Accepting my fate in a losing battle.

At bedtime, singing and talking about Jesus…
EK: Yeah, I love Jesus. Mom, will you buy me a Jesus toy?
Me: Um, sure honey. Would you like the baby Jesus or grown-up Jesus?
EK: Baby Jesus. And a bottle for him. And a blanket.
Me: I’ll see what I can do.

I felt like it was a pretty funny week! What are your kids talking about?

faith, My Big Jesus

The Life of a New Mom

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When you have a baby, certain things fall to the wayside for a few weeks (months?) that used to matter a little more. There are the normal things, like sleeping and eating. There are also things like laundry and other chores that you fall behind on. There are still more things that you neglect, often about yourself, that it takes you a while to get back into. I’m finding this out, once again, after the birth of my third child. Here are a few of the things I’ve been neglecting for the past six weeks:

Showers. It seems a little gross that you are neglecting these, but honestly, if you have half an hour to yourself, you’ll probably nap (or let’s be honest: sneak out and get a latte) instead of shower. Just being honest.

Beauty routines. The careful steps you took to put on your make up, the way you’d do your hair before you left the house, and the polish on your nails? Say goodbye. I have chipped nail polish from weeks ago, and I barely slap on the mascara every 5 times I leave the house. My hair gets washed every couple of days, and brushed… after I get out of the shower. Oops.

Haircuts. Speaking of hair, this is one of my biggest bummers about neglecting myself for a few weeks. As a person with short hair, I like to get it done about every six weeks, or else it gets super shaggy and it looks like I’m trying out a new (horrible) hair style. It’s been about 9 weeks since I’ve had a haircut, and I’ve stopped checking the back of my head in the mirror at any point. Ignorance is bliss. Oh, I have a giant cowlick back there? That means I actually slept a little last night!

Food. I don’t mean eating it… I mean making sure you have it. And also making sure it’s not rotten. And I hate being wasteful. We’ve run out of milk a few times (not good for my little napping babes) and eggs and bread once or twice as well. But somehow we recently had so many bananas that I ended up freezing the overripe ones for smoothies (because no one wants to eat a mushy banana) and I just threw out three molding peaches (disgusting) and some would-be-delicious leftovers that had been there since… I just don’t know how long. We have completely lost our balance for grocery shopping and food consumption.

Friends. I’ve been trying to do well here, but I’m sorry if I slipped. I’ve definitely texted a few of you a few times. That’s something, right? And several of you have brought us meals, you blessed souls. It’s nice to see a familiar face around here that isn’t asking me to change its diaper or feed it ice cream.

Knowledge of the outside world. Hey, is there some kind of election coming up? Wasn’t there some sport that just had a tournament or got a new outfit thingy? What season is it, again? I can’t even remember the day of the week…

Prayer life. Where I usually try to be very intentional about reading my Bible and choosing something or someone to pray for, recently my prayers have been all but limited to, “Please God, let the baby stay asleep.” and “Dear Lord, please let us have a few more diapers stashed around here somewhere.” Or my personal favorite: “Thank you, Lord, for my kids! And now, bed time!”

 

home, mommyhood

Preschool Has Started With a Bang!

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This morning, I dropped EK and J off at preschool. Much to my surprise, and chagrin, they were so excited that I didn’t even get a goodbye hug! They just walked right in, threw their stuff down, and got started. I expected that to happen with EK, but I expected some trepidation from J. Well, no way. He waltzed right in there, dropped his bag on the ground (I had to hang it for him) and started playing. The kid knew where he was and what he wanted to do. And even though I’m a little sad he didn’t even want to hug me or anything, I am thrilled we won’t have any sadness. It makes a mama SO happy to know her kids are having fun and not crying.

The only thing that was a little crazy was getting out the door on time. To get to school on time, we should leave around 8:45. I think we pulled out of the driveway at 8:56. While it’s okay to be late the first day, that just isn’t going to fly every single time we go. Especially because I work at church on Thursday mornings, and I need to be getting things ready for the women’s service every Thursday around 8:30. Do the math on that one, folks. That’s leaving the house at 8:15. Can we handle it? Time will tell. 

 Our morning routine went a little like this…

7:15 – I hear J waking up a little on the monitor.
7:20 – My alarm goes off. (Snoozed. Big time.)
7:30 – I get up, because my other alarm (the baby) had gone off.
7:45 – My mom comes up the stairs (she’s leaving this am) and Hubby gets out of the shower, and D is done nursing. Pass the baby to Hubby, my mom starts making breakfast, I go down to get the kids. (An unrealistic view of what will happen most of the time… because Mom won’t be here.)
8:00 – Kids and I are in the shower (we skipped baths last night)
8:30 – Kids and I are clean, dressed, and having breakfast.
8:40 – I start my rush to grab things I didn’t prepare last night (not many, thankfully).
8:50 – Packing the kids in the car. J poops (duh), so he gets back out for a change.
8:56 – Pull out of the driveway.

Not too bad, Hsus. Not too bad. We were only a couple of minutes late; 15 minutes travel time allows for some traffic, which we blessedly didn’t have this morning. Usually, we don’t do showers in the morning, so that’ll take some time out. Also, I’m thinking about packing breakfasts or picking up smoothies on the way on Thursdays, since the kids will have 30 minutes of hanging out while I work before their school starts. That’s plenty of time to have a breakfast smoothie, right? Maybe we can handle it. 

This guy had the most peaceful morning nap he’s ever had.
 Any tips on making school mornings go more smoothly? That don’t happen to include getting up earlier? I’ve got a family of fairly late sleepers (for toddlers, anyway), and I don’t want to have to break that habit just yet.

mommyhood

Currently 

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Hey, Wednesday! I might be a little late for one link up, but I’m just on time for the other! I can’t believe it’s already September and that my kids start preschool tomorrow! The weather is cooling off (thankfully) and life is gearing up to be busy till…. next summer or so. I love it, and fall is my favorite.

I’m linking up (belatedly) with Becky at Choose Happy, and with Anne at In Residence and Jenna at Gold and Bloom for their September link up. Please join us (in both places!) and let us know what you’re up to currently! Here’s a little bit about me, currently…

currently button

Anticipating || The start of preschool tomorrow! My two older kids are attending a new preschool (well, anything would be new for J) so we are excited to get that started! It’s at the church where we attend and I lead worship, so at least it’s a familiar place. We had open house on Monday, and that seemed to go really well! I’m excited to see how these first couple of weeks go!

Reading || Loving the Little Years. Well, I haven’t started it yet, but that’s what my goal is during naptimes and for when I’m up at night. Sometimes I’m too zonked to read when I get up with D, but other times I’m awake enough to take in a little of what I’m looking at, either on my phone or my Kindle. Anyway, I heard that this book was a great one for parents of young children, and I’m definitely in that season.

little years

Loving || the slightly cooler weather! Don’t get me wrong – it’s still getting hot. But the mornings are a little cooler, as are the evenings. Before I know it (I hope, anyway) it’ll be time for boots and scarves. YAY! I’m interested to try some more pumpkin spice things this year, but I’m not one of those people who is completely sold on pumpkin everything. I like apple and spices just as much or more.

Source: www.pghlesbian.com
Source: http://www.pghlesbian.com. Let’s be honest – it’s funny!

Organizing || my kids’ closets. D is already growing out of some things, and EK and J need to have their closets/drawers overhauled for the start of fall. Their pants from last year might be a little short, and probably some shirts too (even though I know I bought a few shirts a little big just for this reason). Both my kids have long limbs, and are long-waisted like I am, so sometimes finding clothes that fit them perfectly is a little difficult.

Making || time in my schedule to write. I’ve got a date with my laptop tomorrow morning to bring y’all some more goodness on the blog. I’m hoping to get back to submitting a few things to several other sites, and really find my groove again. I’ve taken long enough off after D got here. It’s time for me to find a rhythm of life and get back to doing the things I want to do. I’ve gone on a few runs, started back at my church job, and tomorrow starts school. If that’s not enough reason to schedule the last few things in, I don’t know what is!

Well, tell me what’s going on with you! How has school gotten started in your family? Are you back in full swing, or still waiting for another thing or two to get rolling? Is it cooling off where you live?

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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How is Tuesday again already?! We’re starting school on Thursday, and I can’t believe it. The last bit of our summer is dwindling away. I’m ready 🙂

Here are your Tuesday favorites!

When choosing what to watch…
EK: The train one!
J: Choo choooooo!
EK: Wait… Po-kee-hah-nah! (Pocahontas)

This week, EK has been calling me “Mother” instead of “Mom” or “Mommy” or “Mama”. It’s an interesting switch. More sophisticated.

J was calling for me as he was coming up the stairs, and it quickly turned into a cry. When I went to check, he was standing on his own foot and couldn’t move. I had to laugh before I helped him!

At 10:40pm, I hear EK in the basement, NOT in bed…
Me: Where should you be right now?
EK: In the bed!
Me: So why aren’t you there?
EK: I so tired. And I fweezing!
Me: If you’re tired and cold, you would be much more comfortable in the bed…

In our house, we have lots of toy phones, and therefore we have lots of pretend conversations…
J, holding the “phone” to my ear: Hello?!
Me: Hello, Pizza Hut? I need seventeen pepperoni pizzas, please. Okay, bye!
J, holding the “phone” to EK’s ear: Hello?!
EK: Hi! I need seven strawberry and cheese pizzas. Bye!
Me: Very interesting choice…

Preposition Problems…
EK: I wanna sit next of you, Mom!
Me: I would love for you to sit next TO me.

Anatomy lesson…
EK: I hurt my ankle!
Hubby: Where is your ankle?
EK points to her ankle.
Hubby: Where is your heel?
EK points to her heel.
Hubby: Do you know where the ball of your foot is?
EK (amazingly) points to the ball of her foot.
Hubby: Where’s your shin?
EK points to her chin.
Hubby: where is your thigh?
EK points to her eye.
Hubby: Okay – all done.

My friend Sophie walks in…
EK: My panties match your shirt!

Eating Chinese food…
EK: Can I have another duckling?
Me: Dumpling. She means dumpling.

faith, mommyhood, My Big Jesus

It’s Hard to Be a Baby

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This post also appeared on My Big Jesus!

My sweet little baby, you make me wish I was the baby. 

Seriously, though! You can lie around most of the day. You are fed at the moment you act like you’re hungry. You can sleep whenever you want. You get endless snuggles. Everyone is gentle wth you, and says sweet things, like how cute you are and how they can’t wait to see you again soon. All your clothes are soft, your blankets cozy, and you’re surrounded by people fighting each other to hold you. Life must be so hard.  

 Sometimes, when you are unhappy, I can’t help but wonder why. It just doesn’t make sense. You went on a nice afternoon stroll. You got fed right on your schedule. You  napped only when you wanted to. You didn’t even have to go to the bathroom to do your business, and I cleaned you right up! But when I laid you down in your bassinet (asleep, by the way) so that I could take a shower, you acted as though I had told you that you were never going to DisneyWorld. Total injustice!

Sometimes, you look like you are totally offended at something I’ve done. For instance, when I invited a photographer friend over to take some pictures of you so I could show everyone your big blue eyes and adorable, cuddly poses, you wouldn’t stay calm. Then, you pooped right on the couch! I mean, give me a break, kid. When you’re 18 and I don’t have a photo for your senior yearbook, I’ll remind you about the time you pooped during your naked baby photo shoot. 

But as much as you squirm, or fuss, or scream, or wake me up at night, I’m always going to love you. I’ll always take care of you. I’ll always kiss you (even in front of your friends) and I will forever be sharing my life, my love, my heart, and my milkshakes with you and your siblings. Even though it’s hard to be you sometimes, remember all the poop I’ve cleaned up. It’s easier to be you. 

mommyhood

An Ode to My Breast Pump

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 I hear a lot of people say they hate their breast pump. Well, it’s true… we all hate it at least a little bit. Working moms (of which I have been one) often feel like they’re dairy cows, hooked up so often to a feelings-less milk-collector. But now that I’m home with my babes, the breast pump and I have a different relationship, and therefore I will now declare my love for my mean, milk-collecting machine.

Oh, breast pump, how I’ve missed you!
I truly, truly have.
Though if I said that to them,
Some other folks would laugh.
They’d say, “No way! We hate that thing!”
But me? I know the truth.
You have a few perks on your side,
A thing or maybe two.
First of all, I find myself
Engorged beyond belief.
The pain I feel is all too real;
My breasts have just been beat.
So finally I hook you up.
And oh, the sweet release!
For you can do what baby can’t,
And empty me complete.
The second thing I love about you
Is quite a selfish thing.
I cannot use you when I’m surrounded
By my family.
So retreat I will into my room,
For quiet and for peace.
You are the perfect reason to be
By myself a piece.
So there they are, the reasons why
I think you’re not so bad.
I’ll love you still – I always will.
You make my boobies glad.

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday! We’ve had a fun week, including EK’s weekend trip with her grandparents, who thankfully sent me a few of her one-liners to share with you 🙂

  
First and foremost, J now says his version of EK’s name. He says, “E-Tay”. Adorable.

At some point, we explained to EK that D couldn’t eat food yet because he didn’t have any teeth. That led to lots of discussions about how babies are born without teeth, and how she didn’t have teeth when she was born either. Now when she sees someone – anyone – the first thing she wants to tell them is the D doesn’t have teeth, and how she didn’t either when she was a baby.

We went to the hospital the other day to meet our friend’s new baby girl, and all the way from the “alligator” (elevator) in the parking deck up to her room, EK was singing “We’re going to see our baby! We’re going to see our baby!” to the tune of “na-na-na-na boo-boo”. Awesome.

On the same trip to the hospital, walking in next to another group of people…
EK: Mom! Those people are going to see our baby, too!
Me: I don’t think they’re going to see the same baby we are, but they might be seeing a baby!
Turns out they were, right down the hall!

Meeting our friend Ginna’s baby, Grace…
EK: Aww! She’s so cute! She doesn’t have any teeth, because she’s a baby.
Good thing we’ve really solidified that concept.

J now sings part of the chorus (the oh’s) on Katy Perry’s “California Girls”. That is all. (Disclaimer: This is purely the result of how often it comes on the radio. I do not own the song or play the song or choose the song.)

In one day, J had Mexican for lunch and the. Chips and salsa for a snack at home. He started tossing food in the floor (his M.O.) so I pushed everything away from him. He got really sad, then pointed and said, “I want salsa!” in a sweet little voice. Hubby responded with, “Yes sir! You get what you want when you use the right word!” Encouraging vocabulary, discouraging selflessness.

J, climbing into a barstool-height chair…
J: Hep! Hep! Hep wit dis!
(Update: “Hep wit dis” is now on a permanent rotation for when he needs any sort of help with anything.)

And now for a few gems that my mother-in-law passed on to me from their weekend together at the lake…

Annie: EK, do you need to go poopy?
EK: No, I’ve already done that this week.

Annie: Would you like some goldfish to eat in the car?
EK: No thanks, just some M&Ms.

Being tucked into bed…
EK: This is just so cozy!

Finding a dead centipede…
EK: He’s really sad. He shouldn’t have bit his brother.

And there you have it. My one and a half year old is now making regular appearances and my preschooler is blowing my mind with how she consistently is hilarious. What are your kids talking about these days?

food, home, mommyhood, My Big Jesus, random thoughts

Currently

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Hello, friends! It’s time for another Currently! I’m linking up with Becky at Choose Happy and our other friends to bring this week’s update. Join us!

currently button

Hoping || that EK gets back in a rhythm here at home after her weekend away. I think she was tired and a little off-kilter, because she was tantruming like a champion yesterday afternoon and evening, and wouldn’t nap. That’s a little unusual for her… she likes her sleep typically. Anyway, I’m hoping she’ll figure it back out soon because it was a tough night last night, and this morning was still a little off.

Watching || Lost. I know, I know… I’m years behind on the Lost train, but it’s never too late to watch a good show, right? No spoilers, but tell me what you thought of it if you’ve seen it! I’m about halfway through the first season. I’m loving Jack, I like Claire and Charlie a lot too, and I have really enjoyed learning everyone’s back stories.

 Eating || a snack that for some reason popped into my head after not having it for years. In college, I nannied for a family of four boys, and they and their mom would sometimes have a snack of graham crackers with vanilla icing  – just the stuff from the can. It seems so simple and unremarkable, but it’s actually quite good, and made it into my “comfort food” category. It’s sweet, but not the worst thing I can think of to eat (I don’t like too much icing on mine) so the other day, I finally broke and bought the can of icing and box of graham crackers. I’ve really been enjoying myself! 

 Enjoying || some morning and evening family walks. Before it gets too hot or after the sun starts to set are the only times we can really stand walking with all of us – probably because it’s a heavy stroller with two, and wearing a baby is extra toasty. But we’ve been enjoying the family time, and the exercise… or the glass of wine while we stroll after dinner!

Loving || the new My Big Jesus website! I love writing for the site every week, and I’m glad their site has had an overhaul! It’s faster and looks better now. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I post for them every Monday. If you’ve never gone to visit the real site and check out the rest of the material, make sure you do it! It’s a great, encouraging and entertaining operation.

Well, that’s what’s going on with me right now. What’s going on with you?

mommyhood

And She’s Gone for the Weekend

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Today, I sent my daughter off for the weekend with her grandparents to their lake house. This is the first time that she’s been away from us that long while she isn’t at home. The other times she has stayed home and we’ve gone away. Her first big trip!

She was so excited all morning that she couldn’t even think about anything else for more than a few seconds. She reminded me every couple of minutes that Annie was going to pick her up and take her to the lake… as if I was forgetting. 

When the time actually came to pack her bag and wait for Annie to arrive, she was dashing about, helping me get things. She barely even wanted to give hugs and kisses before she left. It was a little sad for me that it was so easy for her to leave, but I guess that’s what we want as parents, right? A child who is confident and trusts in her loved ones, who knows that we wouldn’t make decisions that weren’t good for her and that she will be fine when she’s in our care.  

 We’ve been getting updates every so often. Funny things she says, cute pictures, side notes about how her nap went. I’m happy, really. I’m enjoying my boys and a tiny bit less noise. I know EK is having an amazing time. She loves the lake; she loves her Annie and Gon Gon. But I miss her, ya know? Her little funny quips and her messy hair. She’s a little piece of me, a little piece of her dad – and she’s perfect.