One of those days...

Don't I start almost every post by saying I'm going to blog more? Yeah, I thought so.

I thought for sure I really would be blogging more right now, especially since I'm on a self-imposed Facebook break during Lent. The thing is, I've been so stinkin' busy lately, I haven't been much of anywhere. (Unless crazy is a place, in which case I have been living there.)

I thought I'd jump back in with a classic Never a Dull Moment kind of day. Nothing like a day full of chaos to get ya back in the bloggy mood, eh?

Currently, I am sitting at my kitchen table in half darkness. I am having a glass of wine. One kid is in bed, the other two are watching Wonder Pets. My husband is on his way home, and upon entry will find the following:

*five (yes, five) loads of clean laundry heaped on the couch waiting to be folded
*a sink full of dishes in soapy water
*a dishwasher waiting to be emptied
*gross kitchen/eating nook/family room floors
*the kitchen counter full of all of my work stuff

This is all before the poor guy goes upstairs. Yikes.

It has been, well...one of those days. No other way to put it. It was one of those days by 7:30 a.m. I know that if anyone still reads this thing, the majority of you (which probably means two out of three people - ha!) will be able to relate and I don't need to expand on that.

**Disclaimer: if you are lucky enough to be that one person who is thinking "What is this woman TALKING about?"... please count your blessings and move along. Take your clear mind and do *not* clutter it up with the mundane chaos that has somehow become my every day. You are more than welcome to read this blog, I'm just sayin' I will not be held responsible for the mucky brain syndrome that may come through osmosis.**

(Oh, and FYI - I still love my life, some days there is just a bit much of it for me.)

So...about today.

School dropoff. Got my first grader in the door just before the tardy bell rang. Accomplishing this meant asking my kids if they liked it when I yelled. (Yes, I really asked them that question and no, I wasn't kidding.) You see, this was the kind of morning where I started out as Patientloving Mom, asking the same things of the same kids - nicely, I might add - three times. Mount St. Crazymom erupted on request #4 -- and whaddya know? Instant performance by my little cherubs. Feels horrible to me and I know they can't stand it -- but there we were. All in a scruffy little whirpool of tension and yelling. No fun. (By the way, I do realize what a truly ridiculous question that was on my part. I absolutely know that they don't like it when I yell, but this morning -- I really was beginning to wonder. Again, I'm thinking 2 out of 3 of you feel me on this one.)

So, anyway - we got to gymnastics class. Late. By about 5 minutes, but miraculously, they were starting 5 minutes late so not a biggie today. UNTILLLLLL the door from the cubby room to the gym closed and Mason realized he was once again denied access to all of the fun stuff that taunts him from the other side of the big windows. It is pure torture for him to have to watch the kids run, jump, tumble, swing, hop, bounce, flip, climb and (just paused to yell again, fyi - the hits just keep on comin') skip. He wants SO badly to be in the middle of all of that fun, and yet he is stuck on the other side of the windows with all of the parents. Poor guy. Today, I took a bag full of toys and decided that I would not sit in the room with the big windows. Instead, I'd sit in the smaller, boring room of cubbies so that Mason could run and play. It meant not watching Georgia do her thing, but I thought it would be easier with Mr. FussyPants.

Wellllll, after first glaring at me as she stepped over Tantrum City on her way to the cubbies, another gymnastics mom then decided to camp out at the door of the cubby room with herself and her younger daughter. Did I mention that said camping was done with the door to the gym cracked open?? *sigh* REALLY?! Ugh. Sooooo...I pick up Tantrum City and come back for all of his toys and we move to the window room after all. So much for plans on that one! We survived the torturous hour of waiting and headed home.

As I was driving, I noticed the car pulling a bit to the right, but didn't think much of it since we just had our brakes replaced and they said that the shocks/struts are next and they might impact the alignment until then. (Good times.) After a few hours, some lunch, a whole bunch of laundry, etc. - it's time to go get Mitchell from school.

OF COURSE, both of the little ones are still asleep. (Yes, I sighed here, too.) Sooooo...I wake them both up, complete with two sets of sad little faces and matching tears. I was hoping that the sunshine (what?!), walk in the stroller and some playtime at the playground would cheer them up. Luckily, it did. When we got home, as I was breaking up fight #8943043 (this one about who would get the mail out of the mailbox), I noticed that the van looked like it was at like a 45 degree angle, sloping to the right in our garage. (Can you picture me standing on the sidewalk, tilting my head to the right to see if I'm nuts? It happened.)

I go look (after another giant sigh, of course) and sure enough, my right front tire is as FLAT as a pancake. Like, I've never seen a flatter tire in all of my life. (Granted, I don't have super extensive experience in this department, but still.)

Wellllll...isn't this a nice little insertion into the day?

It was 3:30 pm. Georgia had soccer practice at 5. The tire store closed at 6. I had to be at work, 45 minutes away from my house (and after dropping all 3 kids off at different places) at 8:30 am in the morning. NOT. A. GOOD. TIME. FOR. A. FLAT. TIRE!! On the plus side, it was in the garage and I wasn't on the side of the road somewhere. Also on the plus side, sunshine and no snow.

In the end, I called my dad. He got stuck in traffic, so the plan of him helping me take the tire off, loading everyone in his car, dropping me and the tire at the tire store and him taking the kids to G's soccer practice went by the wayside. (The tire store and soccer field for practice were about 1/2 mile apart.) What ended up happening was that the jack in my car was beyond irritating. After about an hour, my dad FINALLY got it to open up (it was stuck) but by then AAA was on the way. (He has a membership, I do not.) In that time, I'd strapped Mason into his carseat in the van, Georgia had the hazard lights going and Mitchell was playing "hockey" using a baseball bat and soccer ball in the front yard. Oh, and the lady coordinating Mason's upcoming speech evaluation called in the middle of all of this.

Might I add, I did make tacos and we all ate. So, ya know - my cape didn't COMPLETELY fall off.

As I finish this, it is now the next morning. I'm sitting by myself in Starbucks, sipping a latte and listening to some pretty relaxing music. I'm also the ONLY woman in here. What is that about?? Don't these men WORK?!

I ended up having to miss my first two appointments of the morning because the tire was beyond repair. I ended up getting four new tires, much to my husband's dismay. I also learned that they do not design tire store sales floors with 20 month old boys in mind. (Just in case you were wondering about that.)

Upon reflection of my day, I'm thankful for the following:
*a van to have flat tires on
*three kids to make me triply nutty
*a husband who loves me despite, well...everything you just read
*a daddy who still takes care of me, even though I am a *huge* pain
*sunny days
*the ability to pay for new tires
*food to eat
*clothes to wash
*a house to clean
*wine to drink (for real!)

Count your blessings, especially when they seem like anything but. Someone would LOVE to have your cruddy day because it would probably be the best one they'd had in a while.

I'll be back more often. I promise. :)

Life and what not...

So much has happened since I last wrote in my blog that I'm not even sure how to try and fill in what's gone on. I have an actual "thing" to write, so I'll catch you up here and then write that stuff separately. Here is the nutshell version of the craziness that has taken place over the past six months, and I'd like to just preface it with saying this: God is so good.

*I went on a trip by myself to Las Vegas with some friends in July. It was way too much fun and I wish I could do it about once a month. We also took a vacation to California in August. I felt really bad about not bringing Mason, but at that time, he was in the stage where he wasn't yet walking but wanted to be on the ground ALL of the time. We took the kids to Disneyland with my parents (well, actually they took us) and Mason stayed with Chris' parents. I felt better about my decision when we were in the park with two perky, energetic kiddos and we were surrounded by people with crying, miserable babies about his age. It was a fabulous trip and the kids had so much fun. We spent one afternoon at the beach and the rest of the trip was all Disney, all the time. There is just something about watching your children experience a feeling of pure joy and wonder that makes your heart swell. Walking through the gates and seeing Mickey Mouse himself standing there signing autographs was one of those moments. They just about burst from excitement and to actually GET his autograph?? Well, it was an event. They still look at their autograph books all of the time. So much fun!

*We decided to give the whole selling our house thing another go so the week before we went to California, we put it back on the market. (If you don't remember, we had it on the market for ten VERY long months right before Mason was born. Tons of showings, not even ONE offer.) This time, we got off of the plane, I turned my phone on and there was a message from our realtor letting us know that someone had made an offer. This was FIVE DAYS after we'd had it on the market. So bizarre! The entire first day of our vacation was spent going back and forth with our realtor through phone calls and faxing documents. We actually worked out the details of the contract while eating a sandwich on Huntington Beach! It was nice to get that all settled the first day and know that we could just enjoy the rest of our trip without fielding phone calls about showings and contract negotiations. It was a pretty stressful month and a half, but we did manage to find a *wonderful* home that we love in a great neighborhood, and closed on the homes on back to back days. We moved ourselves, so I will just let you imagine the fun that was included in that whole ordeal. It's been six weeks since our move and the only area that still has boxes is my husband's office, which I not so lovingly refer to as "The Pit." We don't have anything on the walls yet and have a lot of painting and decorating to do, but we actually feel pretty settled for having been here such a short time. It's nice to actually live in the same neighborhood that our kids' school is in.

*Mason turned one in July. Yes, that's right. Baby Loo is one and is very determined to keep up with his brother and sister at every turn! He's also walking, running, falling, crashing, and generally getting into trouble. He can now reach the top of the kitchen table and desk in the eating nook which in the last week has resulted in a broken dish, a cup of milk poured on his own head, and several tantrums from his sister over stolen princess figurines. I tell Chris that he is the one who will end up being our tattooed, sky diving, motorcycle riding risk taker. He just gets this look in his eye and has this almost cartoon villainish laugh that makes me ultra nervous. I always thought Miss G would be my biggest challenge, but I think ol' Mason is gonna give her a run for her money in that department! He is starting to try and talk more and more every day. He has a few signs that he uses a lot and has a couple of words he can say: bye bye, mama, dada, and uh-oh are about it at this point. Mostly we hear a whole bunch of very interesting, animated stories that sound like this:
Mason: DADABABAmamamaDABAMA!!
Us: Really? Is that true?
Mason: MAMADAbadamamamadadababaBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! (These types of stories are also usually followed by a very mischevious "hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!")

*Mitchell is in first grade and although it's only the first week of November, is now at his second school. He is doing fabulously and makes us very proud just by being the best Mitchell he can be! We had to move him from the school he started the year in when we moved, and it was a really hard decision for us to do that but has worked out great. He has made some really nice friends at his new school and is happy there. My current worry is that I don't have anyone's contact information. His teacher was so nice and sent a note home with some of the kids before they tracked off for three weeks, but obviously she can't give us their information without their permission so I am just praying that the parents feel motivated to at least email us with their email address. His birthday is in a few weeks and I would feel so badly if we had no way to get in touch with the families of the kids he wants to invite. We signed up for cub scouts but I totally underestimated the time commitment there. Most of the activities are from 6:30 - 8:30 pm and in addition to that making a very late night for Mitchell, many times it would mean I'd either have to get a sitter or take the other two with me, and well -- that's just not gonna happen. We are thinking about starting him in karate instead. I'm really looking forward to some special one on one time these next few weeks with him while Miss G is in preschool and Mason is sleeping.

*Georgia is back in preschool and loving it! The biggest day of the month for her is when it's her turn to be snack helper. I wouldn't be surprised if she prepared a speech. (The name of the snack helper and what they brought is also the first piece of news I receive when I pick her up from school each day. It's quite the snazzy position in her eyes, apparently.) She just started gymnastics and is super psyched to get back into that again. Her teacher assures me that klutzy kids make fabulous gymnasts, which is a relief since she managed to cut her forehead once and her right eye twice in about 6 weeks' time this summer. (Three scars, three stitches and one dermabond application resulted.) She is an expert at being three, especially when it comes to the associated drama and tantrums. Georgia is currently obsessed with rhyming and spends a lot of her day doing just that. "Shoe to who." "Me to he." Alllll day long. The trip to Disneyland took her love of all things princess to a whole new level and the little figurines that we brought back are her most prized possessions. She also has a very distinctive "princess voice" that she uses almost more than her actual voice. Her current favorite game to play with Mommy is "Cinderella." She loves it when I'm the stepsisters/mother and she's Cinderella, so it usually means I get to grab a magazine and a cup of coffee, lay on her bed and tell her to fetch me stuff. The other day I got realllllllllyyyy into my role and tossed the fake peas on the floor because they were cold. I thought she was gonna pee her pants from laughing so hard...she is my biggest fan and is really helping my acting come along! *teehee*

*Chris is still working hard! I can't really get into details, but his job has been VERY stressful lately, and it's just so hard to feel like you can't help at all. He is such a wonderful husband and Daddy...I just wish I could take some of the stress away from him. Anyway - he is still all about soccer and just finished another season. He is like a kid with the whole thing -- it's so good for him!! His drive isn't any longer than it used to be but in order to keep it that way he has to leave about a half an hour earlier than normal, so that took some getting used to on his part. Football and basketball season always make for a happy Chris on the weekends, especially now that we have a new giant HD flatscreen tv. I am actually really surprised he didn't sleep on the couch that first night or two! He looks fabulous and has done a great job of keep his 45-50 pounds off...he had to get some new clothes and fits into some that he hasn't worn for years. (I have tried to tell him that he might just want to replace them with something a little more updated. Not so much.)

*As for me, I am still just plugging along. It's funny, when I wasn't ready to take any more clients on, I got referrals all of the time. Now that I'm ready to work a bit more, it's sort of been a struggle to find new clients. In all honesty though, I haven't really worked too hard at it since I've been trying to get settled in the new house, so I think I'll give that a better effort here after the holidays. I am enjoying our new home and all of the extra space that we have. It's been wonderful for the kids to have their own rooms and to have an actual PLAYROOM for all of their stuff!! Makes me so happy to have two tiny little baskets of toys and books that are out of the way in the living room and everything else in the basement where, even if it's a ginormous mess, I don't have to see it or step over it all of the time. I still am taking myself to the gym on a regular basis and have managed to maintain my weight loss. Right now, I'm 60 pounds lighter than I was when I had Mason. I'm sort of disappointed that I've been plateaued for the last six months, but given what's gone on, I guess I should see it as a victory that I haven't gained anything back. I've recently recharged my efforts and am hoping to start seeing a loss again. I have about 25 more pounds to say goodbye to, and I know that they will be the hardest ones yet. It's such hard work!!

I think you are now officially caught up on the Loo family happenings. It feels good to be back in bloggy land, and I really do think I'll be here more often. I have updated my recipes with two of our faves and will also update my menu plan, as I still plan our meals the same way. (Sad that one of the days still said "Christmas Party" next to it. Yikes.)

I will leave you with a picture of the kiddos from our recent blizzard. (I know Miss G's eyes are closed. Trust me when I say, this was the best of the bunch.) *sigh* It's hard to believe how big they're getting! Gotta love Colorado though -- this was last weekend. This weekend it was 75!

Until next time, love and hugs to all of my bloggy friends. *mwah!*

A little rusty...

Well, since Emily called me out (on my blog and on the phone, too!) about not blogging yet this year, I decided I'd try to remedy that this morning.

Letsee - to catch up...

Mason is now 6 months old. Yes, I said 6 months. Impossible, it seems - but true. He is SO funny and keeps us all cracking up. He is so easy going and happy...even moreso if he can see what his big brother and sister are up to. Last week he started making this happy sound that sounds like tires squealing in a big peel out. (I'm sure there's a more correct technical term but that's my best thinking at the moment.) He is sitting up on his own for short periods of time and has just last week started eating cereal, which he thinks is pretty funny. He is pretty happy to roll around and around and around on the floor and is pretty adept at the inchworm/almost army crawl thing. The kid can MOVE. (Uh-oh, says mom.)

Georgia will be 3 in two weeks. Yes, I said 3. Again - how did this happen?? Our big, giant, HISTORIC news over here is that -- SHE IS DONE POTTY TRAINING!! Can I get a big WOOT, WOOT!! I figured out the "trick" for Miss G was taking ALLLLL of her panties, dresses, skirts and tights and holding them for ransom in my closet. If she wanted to wear them, she had to poop in the potty. If not, it was dreaded PANTS for our little diva. If she pooped in the potty she could start the day with a dress, but if she landed some in her pullup that day, she had to change into (gasp!) pants on the spot. Took about 2 weeks of that business and we just haven't looked back. She is hysterical and always keeps me laughing. I think we got our point across that we are happy and proud of her for being a good girl with the potty training. The other day after Chris told her how how proud he was of her she said (word for word), "It's my pleasure to poop on the potty, Daddy!" That would be her in a nutshell. Her current faves include playing babies, kitchen, playdough, and coloring. Oh, and swiping trains/track from her brother and running away screaming. Good times. Did I mention that the girl LOVES to do laundry? I'm guessing by the time she's old enough to *actually* do it on her own, she'll hate it.

Mitchell is 6 years old and full of spunk. Or something. What I mean is that I think 6 year old boys might just be a tad bit insane. I mean that in the best possible way. He turned 6 and this ginormous GOOFBALL syndrome invaded his body. He is just SILLY. He is also a reading machine and can't get enough of it. Loves to read. Still a full-fledged train addict who is not wild about letting his sister share his stuff. Daily screaming and chasing and crying from both of them in this department. Makes me sort of cranky. He loves kindergarten and thinks carpooling is the bee's knees.

As for Chris - working like a crazy man. He is dangerously addicted to all things soccer. It is kind of nuts, actually. All the gear, tivo'd games of all of these European teams, even a big ol' soccer magazine. Wild. Can't relate but it makes him happy, so there ya go. I sure do love that guy. We had a date night the other night and it was so fun. We didn't do anything exciting, just went to the bar in our neighborhood, had a few cocktails and then went and had some hotwings. It seriously reminded me of the pre-kids Chris and Tara. I haven't said that for a long time. We just celebrated our 7th anniversary last week. I feel so, so, SO lucky to have him as my hubby. I love that Cabana Boy!

As for me, just same ol', same ol'. Everyone is still sick all of the time. I actually decided to get in on the fun this time. You know, 'cause I'm bored and stuff. It is so bizarre to say that I actually miss going to the gym. Between me being sick and Mason being sick, I've been once in 2 weeks. I ran outside one other time, but that's it. Hope everything I worked so hard for isn't completely undone. Last time I ran, I went 3 miles. Amazing!! Seriously, amazing. Chris and I are running a 5K together this spring. I bet it will be a good feeling to reach the finish line together. Actually, he would probably have time to finish, shower, change and take some pictures by the time I get there...but knowing my sweet Cabana Boy, he'll run slow with his pokey wife. I have lost 10 pounds since Christmas, so that's good. I still have a LONG way to go, but I want to lose at least 6 more by the end of March. I will be sporting a strapless bridesmaid gown and would like to not scare my sweet friend's guests away with my bye-bye arms. If you don't know what they are, be thankful. If you do, I need not say more.

Okay. There you go. An update. Next time I might even thrill you with some pictures. And to my bloggy friends -- I really would like to start making the rounds again. I'll see if I can figure that out soon. In the meantime, hi and hugs. :)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Settling in.

Well, it's been three and a half weeks now since we added little Mason to our family and I can tell that we're all getting settled in.

Georgia, who initially didn't quite know what to make of him or the whole situation, is now fully into loving on the little guy. She calls him "my new beebee" most of the time and loves to kiss, hug and hold him. (The first week or two she was all about just checking him out occasionally, but wasn't real interested in touching him much.) She also must be listening quite closely to what I say because I noticed today that when he started fussing, she immediately said "Hold on, Mason beebee. Mommy be WIGHT there!" Poor little third baby -- even Georgia knows he has to hold on for a minute or two at least 80% of the time. She is working on the whole potty training deal, which given the family circumstances at the moment, is not going all that badly. She is also cutting her two year molars which stinks. (This is actually the reason I'm up at 3 am right now -- not Mason, actually. I think she is FINALLY going back to sleep, but I am not convinced enough to lay back down yet, so I decided to sneak in a little blog time.)

Mitchell is still all about being a great big brother. He absolutely LOVES to hold him, read to him, and try to make him smile. Might I also suggest, as an aside -- if you are having trouble with a hygiene routine with your little boy...you might consider adding a new baby to the family! He has never needed so few reminders to wash his hands...it's wonderful! Really though, he will put the boppy pillow on and hold his little brother for a long time. And I've noticed that Mason clues right in on Mitchell when he's around -- I'm guessing that his little shadow is already trying to figure out how to be just like his big brother!

Chris is back in the groove at work but I think it's still somewhat difficult to leave us. We all just got so comfortable with being together all of the time. His knee is healing really well and he's working hard on the rehab. His soccer team had their first game today so he went to watch them play. I think it darn near killed the man to have to just sit and watch...he is itchin' to get back in there! I have to give him a little shout out for a great idea that has worked really well for me. When he leaves each morning for work, he puts out what he calls "bird seed". He leaves a cup of juice in the fridge and a little bowl of dry cereal on the kitchen table for M and G and turns the tv to Noggin or PBS or something before he turns it off. Then, when the kids get up entirely too early for me, instead of coming to wake me up...they head downstairs where Mitchell gets the juice for them and all they have to do is turn the tv on. I always hear them get up, but it buys me an extra half hour or so of wake up time. It's marvelous, especially after nights like tonight! I'm hoping the whole DNC in Denver madness isn't too crazy for him this week - he works right downtown in the thick of it. He's so funny - he bought himself some extra stuff at Sam's Club today, "just in case" and is keeping it in his office. So if something goes down, know that my husband will be holed up in his office and able to sustain himself for quite a few weeks with granola and powdered lemonade.

As for me, I have to say that I'm actually doing fine. I just "got my hair did" as my best friend says...and instead of touching up my highlights like I planned to do, I actually took them out and went back to a full head of dark hair. It will lighten up, but it's pretty dark at the moment which still catches me by surprise when I see myself in the mirror, but I like it. My husband LOVES it which is nice -- I have been teasing him that he just likes having a new woman in the house. I feel really good physically and other than the usual being super tired by about 3pm each day, I'm managing with the lack of sleep okay. This week I need to get on the stick with trying to nail down a little more of a schedule with Mason. It's funny that I even say that because I'm a little anal about that sort of thing and I remember writing down the whole when they ate/slept/pooped deal with Mitchell and Georgia for weeks. I did it for about 3 days with Mason and that was because I knew I'd be too tired to tell the doctor about what was going on at his little checkup. Hopefully getting something a little more set this week will help us get off to a good start with school the following week. (Kindergarten, by the way. Kindergarten! How is this POSSIBLE??) I'm also getting back on my exercise horse this week. Starting out slow, but man -- I gotta do something. I am ready to pack 'em up and ship 'em out with regards to the maternity clothes, if you know what I mean. My run with "The Dinner Fairy" is coming to an end, and let me just say -- that right there is reason enough alone to join MOPS. What a gift to have your doorbell ring and see a smiling face holding a hot meal for your family, knowing that they really don't care if you have brushed your hair or cleaned your kitchen for days. Angels. All of them.

Mason, our sweet Mason -- has decided that he would like to grow as quickly as is humanly possible. We took him for his 2 week checkup (which was a little closer to three weeks, actually) and the child had already gained over 2 pounds from where he was when we left the hospital. Yes, that's right...2 pounds in less than 3 weeks. We could tell he'd put on some weight -- not only did he feel heavier, but he developed himself a nice double chin in a matter of days...I kid you not. He is a delight to have in our house and it's a rare thing when he full-on CRIES -- he usually just sort of fusses a bit here and there to test the waters. I've noticed that the fastest way to have him cry his little lungs out is to strap him in his car seat and go where he can't see you...this happens a lot as I usually have to make at least one or two trips to the car before I put him in there. Sippy cups, my purse, big kids, etc. By the time I get back in the house to get him, he's usually just howling. The second he hears and/or sees me, all is well. I'm still having issues with myself and putting the little man down. I just can't. I think he might eventually become stuck to my shoulder...we seem to have developed a little nook there, my baby boy and I. He loves snuggling in there and trust me, I don't fight it.

Well - I just went to check on Miss G and she's conked back out so I'm gonna climb back in bed for probably about an hour until he wants to eat again. I'll leave you with a picture of all three of our little buddies and a picture of Mason at 3 weeks.

Have a great week!

I went to the grocery store.

Yes. With all three children! (And lived to tell about it, which I think is most noteworthy.)

Seriously, this outing was one of my biggest fears about having 3 kids...which sounds sort of silly...but truly -- I really was worried about it. So, yesterday when I discovered we were in dire need of a few things...I got brave.

It really wasn't bad. My hope was that one of those dumb car carts was available so that Big M and Miss G could drive themselves silly and Little M could ride in the seat part by me. Yeah. Two of them left -- neither of them had steering wheels. (WHY are they still out then??) So, they were walking.

I must admit, I am NOT above bribery in times like these. No siree, Bob. We headed straight to that cereal aisle and I told them they could each pick whatever box they wanted. You should have SEEN their eyes...they were huge and dancing with excitement! (I guess that's what happens when Mommy decides to let something else in the house besides oatmeal, honey nut cheerios and kix.) One box of Fruit Loops and one box of Cocoa Puffs later, we were making our way through the store...and I'm happy to report that it was a successful trip. They took turns grabbing things off of the shelves for me and putting them in the basket, and were equally helpful when I was putting the stuff up on the belt to get checked out! It was -- almost -- fun.

It's funny what becomes a big deal to you as a mom in times like these. I mean, really. It is somewhat sad to me that a simple trip to the grocery store was the highlight of my week. Well, it's a toss up between that and Georgia pooping on the potty for the first time, if that tells you anything.

I'm taking each moment as it comes and trying not to lose sight of the blessings I have under this roof. And the more that I think about it, I'm GLAD that the grocery store outing was such a big deal. It means that I'm right where I want to be doing what I know I was meant to do right now, and that's enough for me.

Week One Reflections...

Well, I've officially survived my first week and a half as a Mommy to three children. That right there is a definite plus, don't you think?

My husband returns to work in the morning after three weeks at home with us. It has been just long enough to make it feel like a new way of life -- having him around and just having family time all the time. I am so very, very lucky that he was able to have that kind of time at home with us...I know that. But I won't lie. I'm already getting a little teary thinking about him walking out the door in the morning. We're all going to miss him so, so much. I think it might be a rough morning around here. I think I'll try and focus the kids' attention on doing something special for him though - maybe we'll make some special pictures or bake some treats. I just want to channel their feelings and energy into something that will make everyone feel better at the end of the day.

Anyway - I thought since true reality will hit me tomorrow, I would post a short update while I have the chance. Here are some of the happenings of our big first week together at home.

* My husband has taken a surprising (and completely unprompted) interest in styling Miss G's hair. I'm serious. He came to pick me up from the hospital and very proudly told me that he figured out how to put her hair in a ponytail for the first time. It was seriously cute. Since then, he's taken the initiative and done her hair most days and has even accepted some modeling and coaching from me. Who knew?

* Half of my family thought Mason's name was Nathan. I guess it sounds sort of similar on the phone or something. I believe everyone now knows that it's Mason, but still -- how funny would that be if we got a card or something for Baby Nathan? I giggle thinking about that.

* Georgia has definitely come around to the whole Big Sister and Baby Brother idea. She asks about him all of the time and frequently wants to hold and kiss Mason. The funniest thing to us is that she never seems to be able to see him when I'm nursing. I mean, my nursing boobs are big, but it's not like you can't see him there. She'll walk around all confused looking everywhere and look straight at me and say "Where's my Mason?" See. Now there's a girl for ya - looking anywhere BUT at the boobs. (If any of you watch that silly "Wipeout" show -- which is our new family favorite, by the way -- Chris had me laughing so hard one night. He said Georgia is like that crazy girl from Alaska who couldn't find the pole when it was sticking up right in front of her. It is JUST like that.)

* Mitchell is a great helper, just like we knew he would be. He is so smitten with his Baby Brother. Our favorite is when people come to see us or bring a meal over...he turns into sort of a mini Vanna White. He holds his hands up just like she does at the beginning of a new puzzle and says "And HERE is Mason. See? Here he is!" It's pretty cute. He also reads him books every day - and that gets me all misty. I mean, you just don't ever expect your "baby" to be big enough to read books (and I mean READ books) to a mini-him. Very strange. And special. And extraordinary. And bizarre. All at the same time.

* My husband looks pretty darn hot holding this little guy. What is it about the whole Daddy thing? He is a great Daddy and seeing him in action with all three of our special little kiddos just makes me weak in the knees.

* Can I tell you that I had forgotten just how much these little newborn people poop? Really. All. The. Time. Mitchell has gotten a complete kick out of the two times that I've gotten mega peed on. I thought he might have an accident himself the first time - he was laughing so hard. It got even more giggly when Mason started pooping on the changing table. I'm still trying to remember to cover that little fire hose with a washcloth every time I take his diaper off. I got out of the habit with Miss G.

* Mason is just about as sweet as he can be. I am finding it very difficult to put him down, not because he's fussy but because I know all too well how quickly it goes and how fast they grow. Right now, one of my very favorite things on the planet is true -- his little teeny bottom fits right in the palm of my hand when I hold him. *sigh* I just adore that. He is a complete snugglebug and I think that I might be setting myself up for trouble in the future, but I don't care. I am gonna hold and snuggle and love on that baby boy all I can.

So. There ya go. Just the tip of the iceberg but some of the latest happenings and learnings at our house. We are happy. We are in love. We are beyond blessed.

Hi. No, I haven't had the baby yet.

This is how I've started all of my phone calls this week. Especially if I'm talking to our parents. It first hit me when Chris was calling them yesterday morning to see if they wanted to go to the baseball game with him today. He *rarely* is the one on the phone, so I think seeing our number on caller ID and hearing his voice probably put them into a tizzy. I was sitting next to him as he talked to my mom and I heard this.


"Hi, it's Chris." "Oh, we're fine." "What? Oh, no. Nooooo...not yet. Sorry."


So, ever since then my new strategy is "Hi, it's Tara and I haven't had the baby yet" when I'm making phone calls. It seems to be working pretty well so far.


Not much of an update to give today, really. Just figured people would be looking for one about now. My due date is Friday -- I always had Sunday down, but I guess it's Friday, the 25th. As in 2 days. I have a dr. appt Friday morning and then if there's no baby, my induction will happen next Friday, August 1st. If you're wondering about my history -- I went into labor on my due date with Mitchell and with Miss G at 40 weeks, 6 days...the day before my induction was scheduled. So...not sure what to tell ya other than to buckle up for another week. (That's what I'm telling myself anyway.)

Good news though -- Chris is now walking "with two legs", as Mitchell puts it. Crutch free! Hooray! We successfully moved Georgia into Mitchell's room and they have had a relatively event-free first week of sleeping in the same room. I just this morning finished moving her clothes out of the nursery and into their bedroom and got the bin of baby stuff unpacked.


So. Now I'm ready.


That's the bad news. I'm running out of "busy work" like this to distract myself with. It's also been in the 90's almost all month, which you know - is just really fun for me and my water ballon/sausage toed feet. I do anything and they plump right up, so I'm doing house stuff in spurts. OH WELL. I really, truly am trying to enjoy it. I promise!!


We are enjoying having Chris home with us. The kids have gotten lots of Daddy time, and I've gotten lots of Mommy laying down with her feet up time, so it hasn't been too bad so far. I hope that you're all enjoying a fun, safe summer with your own families! I think my next post will be *the one* so until then...blessings to you all! I'll leave you with a picture of my two little buddies and another one of the most patient-but-absolutely-dying-to-meet-his-little-brother-or-sister Big Brother I've ever known with the belly. Ya know - sort of a Wordless Wednesday with a twist.

Still going...

Just a quick fly-by to let you know that yep...still pregnant. Feeling pretty good actually, all except for the feet. Pretty sad when only 3 pairs of flip-flops fit. (The tops of my feet and my toes are so swollen I can't wedge them into anything else. Sort of like those chubby little baby feet, only significantly less cute.)

I have another doctor appointment tomorrow, so hopefully nothing will be going on again. Chris is almost off of his crutches (Friday), so next week would be okay. The following week would be great! As always though, the only one who knows what's up isn't sharing the big plan.

In the meantime, we're hanging out and enjoying our time together. I think I've finally checked everything off of my baby "to do" list and feel ready to go in that regard. I believe the most impatient person in our family may very well be Mitchell. He simply cannot WAIT to meet his little brother or sister! It's so cute how excited he is.

I will leave you with some pictures from the 4th of July - and a belly picture, since I know you will ask for one, Jennifer P! We enjoyed a quiet time at home with my parents and hope that you all enjoyed your holiday as well. It certainly is a privilege to be able to celebrate the amazing blessing of being an American!

Never a dull...well...you know!

So. First things first, yes - still pregnant. I'm due now just under 5 weeks from now, and probably unlike 99% of pregnant women who are due in the middle of the blazing, hot summer -- I'm hoping that I don't go any sooner than that.

Why?

Well. For starters, my husband had knee surgery yesterday. He has this degenerative condition in his joints and basically is working with a bad batch of cartilage in both knees. The surgeon wasn't sure what he would find when he got in there. See - he just had a scope done, no massive cutting or anything. BUT - if the doctor would have gotten in there and found little to no cartilage left, then he wouldn't have been able to pin anything. He would have just cleaned stuff out and called it a day.

What he did find was quite a bit of cartilage that wasn't even completely detached and so the result is hopefully a good one for the ol' hubster. The surgeon thinks that he'll heal quite nicely and have a much reduced level of everyday pain as a result. That's the good news.

The bad news? He is to be completely non-weight-bearing on crutches for 4 weeks. Originally we were told 3 weeks, but now it is 4.

Oh, and no driving. For. Four. Weeks.

PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's me. Trying to get him to/from work is one thing. NOW, add the anxiety of being apart from him, with no car and the thought of me going into labor. Yeah. Like I said, panic.

It will be fine. It will work out. We are VERY blessed to have many friends and both of our parents in town, all of whom would GLADLY drop anything and everything to rush to our aid when and if we need it. I know this. I just -- well, I'm hormonal and emotional and it makes me about break into hives when I think about it. I'm a planner and this has thrown me for quite the loop.

This is all quite funny if you think back to what I chose as my word of the year.

TRUST.

Think I'm being challenged/encouraged to actually KEEP that word as my motto for the year? I mean, really. Our house didn't sell after 10 months on the market. We are having a baby we didn't exactly "plan" to have. And now I'm not sure that my husband will be able to walk, drive, etc. when this baby arrives.

Yes, I believe I really am down to one option. Trust.

Oh - and just FYI, I'm WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL aware that I have it exceptionally good. After breaking into emotional tears this morning with my husband, he was quick to point out that if I really wanted to be overwhelmed, I could picture myself in this same situation living in Iowa. Or with him stationed in Iraq. Or worse.

And he's right. That's actually what brought the whole "trust" thing back to the surface for me. This is all working out the way it's supposed to. I know that. Unfortunately for me, it might not have the word "perfection" written all over it the way I expected it to - but I know that it will be okay.

*IF* I trust.

By the way, we do have history on our side. I didn't go into labor until my due date with Mitchell, and Georgia was 6 days late. So, there ya go. (Yes, I'm aware - it doesn't mean this one can't come early, I'm just saying that is not my pattern up to this point.)

So. Here I sit. With a gimpy hubby, two summer-crazed kiddos, a huge belly and a house that is no longer on the market. What does it all add up to?

A life I wouldn't trade for anything, a whole heap of hope and a renewed trust in Him that everything is going to be just fine.

Laying low...

Hi, friends.

Just doing a quick check-in to let you know that I'm still here, everything is still fine, I am still plodding away. Here's a brief catch-up of what's happened lately...

*Sorry to leave you hanging on the house thing. It actually ended up snowing the day that the people who were really interested were supposed to come back for a 3rd showing. Their parents would have had to drive over an hour each way in good weather, so they just didn't come. My worst fear came true and in the week that followed, the couple who was once so interested in our home took a little drive and found a newer neighborhood about 10 miles up the road that appealed more to them. So...back to square one. As I told Chris, I wouldn't have been so bummed out about the whole thing had I not known how close it was. If I just knew that they'd had a 2nd showing and then nothing - at least I'd know, well -- must not have been for them. But we knew more -- that if their parents liked what they saw, they'd be writing us an offer. Just knowing that a snowstorm is what kept the pieces from falling into the right places? Hard to swallow. However, I'm aware that the same God we've been trusting in throughout this whole process is the author of that storm, so there has to be a good reason. Maybe it would have fallen through at closing. Maybe the next house we're meant to buy isn't on the market yet. Ohhhh... this brain of mine. It has me running in circles sometimes. So, *sigh* there's that.

*I'm 21 weeks along now and everything is fine and dandy with our little baby. It was a relief to get that great information from the amnio results and just know that everything is okay. I did send a long letter to the doctor who was so ummmm -- what was he? Let's just say the doctor that we were extremely disappointed in. At my last appointment with MY doctor, she was very sympathetic, apologetic, and glad to hear that I was writing a letter. She asked to be CC'd on it - that way he would know that she would also get a copy. I feel better not just whining about the treatment we received.

*The kids are good. Mitchell had his first soccer practice yesterday. He had so much fun and was so excited. I think he'll have a great time. Georgia started a Mommy & Me gymnastics class today. The first half was great. The second half was miserable. She loved the first half - especially the long, skinny trampoline that is literally half the length of the gym. Not so much in love with stopping the trampoline time. The rest of the session (probably about 15 -20 minutes, I'd guess) she spent in a crying, screaming, meltdown tantrum. Good times.

*Chris and I are good. We are keeping each other's chins up during this little uncertain time. Where will we live? What transitions do we need to prepare for? I've had some changes with some of my clients. He's still adjusting to his new position at work. We were both very let down with the house thing. Good thing we have each other. That's all I can say. Being married to my best friend is a very, very, very good thing.

I'll leave you with something that he told me I absolutely had to blog about. We got our dates mixed up and so I lined up my parents to watch the kids on Saturday, when really our little night on the town with friends is in two weeks. My parents (and the kids) were already excited to have a sleepover, so we got to have a night to ourselves. Well, being the wild and crazy kids that we are - we decided to go to Bennigan's for dinner, since we had a coupon. (And seriously, that's all we did. We came home, I put on pj's and fell asleep at 8:00 pm while Chris fell asleep at the same time in the bathtub. I'm telling you -- we are just pathetic sometimes.)

Anyway - so we're at Bennigan's. Not sure if you all know that it's an Irish American neighborhood restaurant/bar place. They get ALL kinds of excited about St. Patrick's Day over there. We arrived to two bagpipers (so not kidding) playing us in the door. I personally thought it was a little over the top, but hey -- I'm not so much a fan of REALLY loud bagpipes at Bennigan's. Could just be me.

So, we go in and sit down and I pretty much right off of the bat decide I need to use the restroom. (Par for the course these days.) So, I tell him what I'd like to drink and excuse myself. As I'm finishing up and getting ready to come out and wash my hands, I hear some women enter the restroom. They don't have to actually go -- they seem to be camped out in front of the mirrors chatting.

Now, girls - I'm about to give you a little lesson. If you ever want to see exactly how extraordinarily large you can feel, get yourself about halfway through your 3rd pregnancy and try this one. Oh, and it helps to be wearing a t-shirt and track suit.

I exit my bathroom stall and walk out to find three completely gorgeous, young, thin and non-cellulited women who were representing Killian's beer in the bar. They were all dressed in tiny, green tank tops, even tinier black mini (and I mean mini) skirts, and knee-length, black leather high-heeled boots. They were standing there fluffing up their hair, applying (more) lipstick and lipgloss and chatting about their shirts. One girl was telling one of the other girls that she didn't like the way her shirt fit because it was too big.

*Here's where I say "Excuse me" so I can wash my hands.*

The other girl says "Well, what size did you order?" She replies "A small. I should have ordered an extra-small like you did, Michelle. Look how much better yours fits."

At this point I realize that I now have to wedge back through the girls to reach the paper towels.
I swear to you, I wasn't trying to, but I was leading with my belly. I dried my hands off and waddled out the door as quickly as I could.

I sat back down in our booth and laughed as I told Chris the story. (Well, tried to tell him, actually. Those dang bagpipers were circulating around the restaurant and decided to camp out near us right about then, and I seriously had to semi-yell half of my story.) He said "Oh, I think that's gotta go on your blog. That is TOO funny." He's convinced it's not the same without actually seeing me re-enact my belly-leading waddle to the paper towel machine.

So. Anyway. You are now officially caught up with me.

I don't know -- I might try blogging more often here again. I just am kind of in a little funk (again, I know - I'm aware) and get sick of rehashing it over and over. But I'll try. Sometimes blogging actually pulls me out of it. I'll also try to make the bloggy rounds more often. I've been spending more of my down time reading these days -- sort of a little escape of sorts. But I'll try.

Love and hugs, bloggy friends. Love and hugs.

Could it be?!

After 7 lonnnnnggggggg months of having our house on the market, we have a potential end in sight. I won't say I'm not getting my hopes up because I already have, so if it doesn't happen, then I'm prepared to be disappointed. I'll get over it.

But let's hope I don't have to, right?

We had some people come look at the house on Friday afternoon. I told Chris when I got home that I think they must have liked it because one of the packets for people who are considering a contract were gone and one of the chairs at the dining room table was pulled out -- meaning it looked like they sat and chatted about things there.

Fast forward to Saturday morning - the realtor's office calls to set up a showing that afternoon. I asked if it was the same people, but it wasn't. Bummer. Oh well, another showing is a good thing, too so we set it up. While we were out during the showing time, the office called back saying someone else wanted to do a showing this afternoon -but this time it was the Friday people coming for a 2nd showing! Ohhhh - happy dance! We were also excited because it meant that they'd see another card on the table and know that they have some potential competition. (Probably not, but you get the idea.)

So, on the way home yesterday our actual realtor calls. (This means it's serious!) She tells me that she just talked to the Friday people's agent and they want to come back for a 3rd showing this morning (Sunday) with their parents. (I guess it's a young couple -- we did the exact same thing here, I take that as a good sign.) Here's the best part of what she told me...

If the parents give them the thumbs up, then they plan to write an offer!!!!!!!!!

I *do* realize that it could be a pretty lame offer, one that will disappoint us and we'll have to counter and all of that, but still...for having NOTHING for 7 months, this has my engine running, I'll tell ya. Good thing we have two birthday parties this afternoon - -it will keep me from obsessing too much.

I will keep you posted, but just know that for now, I am super excited at the possibility of getting this whole thing resolved BEFORE the baby arrives. Or not right when baby is expected. Or right after. Basically, this is what I've been hoping for. I've been praying for God's will for our family with regards to the house situation, but my own hope and request was to get this all settled soon.

Have a great Sunday! Hopefully I'll have another great update for you soon.

Echo...echo...echo....

Hellooooo.....
Helllooooo.....
Hellllooooo...

Is that an echo? I need to clear the bloggy cobwebs, huh? Ohhhhh, my friends...what a week it has been around here!

Both of my kids had a short-lived tummy bug at the end of last week. Mitchell's came back in the middle of the night the next day though (meaning more pukey sheets to wash!) and a fever came with it, which was different from Georgia who simply threw up twice and was fine two hours later. I took him to urgent care on Sunday after learning that our neighbor (who is also his classmate at school) had just tested positive for strep the day before and sure enough -- he had it, too. The doctor was nice enough to write me a pregnancy-friendly prescription, too -- that way I could save myself the $50 copay if I started having symptoms.

Anyway - for me the sad part (you know, in addition to having sick kids and having to repeatedly clean up throw up with a delicate pregnant nose and wash sheets 6 - yes I counted- times) was having to miss our annual "cookie day" at my mom's house. We get together and make all kinds of cookies for Christmas: iced sugar cookies that we really get into decorating, russian tea cookies, chocolate chip (a different than usual recipe), peanut butter, raspberry jam filled sugar cookies, Danish dapples, and peanut brittle. It's a big-time tradition for us and a day that I always really enjoy. Even though *I* wasn't sick, if there was a chance that I would be, I didn't want to be preparing food that 35 people would eat on Christmas Eve, as the cookies are our family's dessert every year. I also stayed home from making our yummy meatballs on Sunday which also bummed me out, but again - better safe than sorry. Sooooo, anyway - Sunday was a pretty good day - Mitchell seemed much better and the rest of us felt fine.

Then, on Monday - yes, that would be Christmas Eve - I ended up having the other kind of tummy issue allllllllllllllllll day long. Chris had to work and when he left for work it wasn't too terrible yet, but it quickly got to the point where I was pretty much non-functional. (I have hit that pretty much constantly nauseated point of my pregnancy, so that on top of the other stuff = not good.) I knew Chris had a really big, important meeting at 3pm though, so I just decided to suck it up and handle it myself. Both of our parents offered to come help me take care of the kids, but there was no way that I wanted to pass this stuff around so I just managed. The tv was on literally all day long and they ate things that required me to get up no longer than about 2 minutes: cereal, cheese quesadillas that I nuked in the microwave for 30 seconds, fruit, etc. The rest of the time I was either parked on the sofa or in the bathroom. I think Georgia must have sensed just how yucky I felt because all she wanted to do was sit on me all day. Literally. That girl never left my side -- I think it was the most still I've seen her. Ever. Such a sweetie -- and Mitchell was such a big helper to me. So, we made it through the day. By the time my husband fought traffic, stopped at the store for me and finally arrived home, it was later than he had hoped. He got the kids fed and into bed and then came downstairs with me.

He started acting really weird right about then. Now, I don't know if any of you have the type of husbands who will just readily tell you when they don't feel good, but if you do - count your blessings. I have one stubborn man who pretty much tries to hide and/or downplay his illnesses. It is always sooooooooo annoying when he's denying that anything is wrong, but on this day it was particularly feather-ruffling for me. After he tidied up the kitchen, he came and sat on the loveseat directly across from the couch that I was laying on. He had his hands between his knees, his head bent over and he was rocking back and forth slightly. I asked him what was wrong and he said he was just really cold.

Really cold? MY husband? I have never in our almost 6 years of marriage heard him say that he was ever slightly cold unless we are literally outside in frigid weather. Usually I will have on three layers of clothes, two blankets (so not kidding) and still be cold and he'll be talking about how it's hot in the house since I turned the heat up.

Anyway - I knew something was up, so I had him come over and let me take his temperature. It was 101.5 and I just sighed. Here we go again.

I'll spare you the long, drawn out version - -ha! Too late, huh? I ended up being up all night long with him (he slept most of the night though) worrying myself silly because his fever climbed all the way to 104.9 and wouldn't come back down past just under 102. He was in pretty bad shape and it was worrisome for me to see him have such a high fever, as that is COMPLETELY unusual. I did the whole alternating tylenol and ibuprofen thing every 3 hours and let me tell you how fun it was to convince him each time to sit up and take it. Uhhh, yeah.

Luckily, I started actually feeling much better during the night and by the time Tuesday (Christmas morning) rolled around, I actually felt like I was halfway human again. The yuckies had stopped and my stomach was no longer constantly rolling. I was actually hungry and enjoyed drinking some water and gatorade. Funny how little things like that will make you so happy sometimes.

We had cancelled our annual Christmas breakfast with all of the grandparents, but my parents still came over to see the kids open their big surprises. (I ran around - again - with the lysol spray and clorox wipes prior to their arrival.) Poor Chris managed to make it to the landing, where he sat to watch a safe distance away from everyone. After about 2 gifts for each kiddo, we packed them up and shipped them off to grandma and grandpa's for the day and a sleepover. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how sad it was for me to not spend Christmas with my children, but it was important for us to make sure that they still had an enjoyable holiday, and we knew that it was the best thing.

Chris went back to bed for a few hours and then it was back to urgent care again. I should mention that it was snowing hard all day on Tuesday, so we got to do all of this running around in the middle of a very cold, blustery day. The doctor told him that he had influenza, gave him a shot of something and a prescription for tamiflu. Off to the pharmacy! Of course the one that is about a mile from our home was closed, so it was off to the Walgreens about 20 minutes away. It turns out that half of the world was in the same place and we ended up waiting almost two hours for our prescriptions. (I decided to just go the cautious route at this point and take the antibiotics.) As we were sitting there waiting and people watching, we knew that the kids were definitely where they needed to be and we were thankful to just be together. When our name was finally called, we grabbed a frozen pizza and some drinks on the way out, which gave us a good laugh. We never envisioned grabbing our Christmas dinner from Walgreens. I also told him that no one had selected "pizza" on my what will you have for Christmas dinner poll, yet here I was.

As we drove home, a little piece of irony came to my mind. My friend and I write the group's discussion questions for half of the MOPS meetings, and one that I myself had come up with for our most recent meeting was about a holiday where things didn't go as planned. Nice foreshadowing, don't you think? On our slow, snowy drive home, we were talking about people we know that have critically ill children who are in the hospital, friends who have endured major family losses so close to the holidays, and all of our country's soliders who would LOVE to be driving home with a frozen pizza from Walgreens, as long as they were with their sick-as-a-dog spouse on Christmas. We still had a whole load of presents to open with each other and the kids, even if it was a day or two later.

We decided right then and there that we really didn't have too much to complain about after all.

So, the good news is that we *hopefully* got all of the sickies out of the way before we head out of town. We are off to the mountains today to spend three nights at a lovely little condo. Just the four (and a half) of us. We're really looking forward to it and have already decided that instead of killing ourselves to get the house all crazy perfect before we leave, we're going to call the realtor's office and tell them no showings this weekend. That really wasn't a difficult decision at all. At this point, it's all about our family and what we need: some time to get away together, relax and unwind.

Happy New Year, friends. May you all enjoy a year filled with love, peace, happiness, health, and an abundance of God's blessings. Thank you for filling my year with friendship, hope, encouragment and laughter. See you in 2008!

Thoughts galore...

This will be a totally random post, so if you are expecting a logically sequenced stream of thoughts, you might wanna keep on shopping around.

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I am having a very productive day -- and it feels so good! I had our dinner made and in the fridge by 8 am, if that tells you anything! Today was my day to take dinner to a woman from my table at MOPS as she's recovering from surgery, so I made a pan for her and a pan for us. It makes a 9x13 casserole, so I just made two 8x8 dishes instead. (Here's where there would be a lot of clicks on the remote if I were a tv show, huh?) I know she got a meal last night and will get one tomorrow, so I figured on Thanksgiving week, leftovers probably wasn't a big deal -- besides, the only disposable pan I had was 8x8. (That way she doesn't have to wash or return the dish.) I felt even better about my choice when I got there and her hubby had me leave the food on the table because he needed to make room in the fridge for it. Plus, now we have dinner ready to heat and serve, too! Score! Oh, and in case you're wondering - I made White Sauce Chicken Enchiladas. We're also having refried beans/cheese, brown rice and fresh green beans. (They got the same, except for I gave them one of the steamer broccoli bags instead.)
Yummy!!

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So, I just got off of the phone with my husband a few minutes ago and our conversation prompted him to say the following:

Hubby: You need to add that one to the list.
Me: What list?
Hubby: The list of random things about you.
Me: You mean the one that quickly grew into a list of crap that bugs my husband?
Hubby: Yeah, that one.

What was he talking about, you ask? My need to clean by hand our self-cleaning oven. Apparently, his label for this sort of issue is (and this is a direct quote) "There's clean, and then there's 'Tara' clean."

Ummmm, yeah. I have a few issues. But, to be fair -- the man was cleaning his bathroom with dish soap until I came into the picture, so ladies -- let's consider the source, shall we?

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I so totally did NOT want to work out today. (Like, totally dudes. Gag me.) However, I managed to scrape up just enough motivation and did a quick 30 min dvd during nap time. I feel good about that one!

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Did I mention that my oven is clean? And I love it that way?

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Yesterday at the pediatrician's office, we graced a P.A. that we'd yet to meet with our family goo. Both kids have snotty noses and coughs -- and for the past 4 years, that has meant a good possibility of an ear infection, so I took them both in. Mitchell had just started to fall asleep in the car on the way there, and I'm sure I don't have to explain the resulting demeanor to those of you moms with preschoolers who don't nap anymore. When they do fall asleep, and it's only for a few minutes -- whoo---eee, look out now. Or is that just him? Not sure.

Anyway -- so we're in there tearing up magazines and other fun stuff (uhhh, yeah - good times) and in walks Mark, the P.A. that we've never met. Georgia immediately shows off by blowing a snot bubble out of her nose and Mitchell literally crawls under the table.

Me: Hi! Welcome to our little world of fun.
Mark: *blinking like a deer in headlights* Hi, guys!

No, really - he was super nice and quite the trooper. In my defense, it was 2:45 and we'd been waiting for a while. Mitchell quit the shy act after about 2 minutes and Georgia did her normal charming act and all was well.

I think the highlight for me was when Mark used his little plastic hook tool to get a chunk of wax deep out of Mitchell's ear so that he could see the eardrum. He cleaned the tip of the tool off with a tissue and set it down to pick his otoscope (the little ear looker thing) back up. Mitchell saw the tissue sitting there and blew his nose with it.

Mark looked totally grossed out.
I just laughed and said "Well, at least it's his, right?"

I'm pretty sure we made an impression. Oh, and by the way - Mitchell does have an ear infection, and Georgia's was pretty close. (Even with tubes.) *sigh*

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I'm making out my Christmas list (of things to buy, not receive) and can I just tell you right now how LOVELY the whole "scaling back" effort feels right about now?? Not just the money we won't be spending, but the stress of shopping, wrapping, etc. for stuff that I am not so sure people will really use or love. I *know* that each and every thing on my list will be appreciated and I think it just might mean more, not getting lost among a pile of other "things." I feel so good about it -- and the shopping I'm really looking forward to is with the kids and Chris for our soldiers at war that we sponsor, and for the angel tree families we will sponsor this year as well. I can't wait!!!

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Alrighty then, I'm off to make sugar cookie dough. We're making football and turkey cookies for Thursday. In my very clean oven. Did I mention how clean it is?

One of those days...

So yesterday was most definitely a Monday, from start to finish. Nothing seemed to go the way I wanted it to or thought it would.

It started with me being way too tired from our road trip. (Yes, we survived - and all things considered, it went better than expected.) I wanted to get up early and work out, which I was disappointed about since I was really looking forward to getting back on my exercise horse. Oh well, I figured that I could squeeze in a long walk or a short video during Georgia's naptime, so I wasn't that worried about it.

I decided to make all of the beds and straighten up the house while the kids were doing their morning TV thing. (They like to chill out with some cheerios and juice while they lay on our bed or the couch and wake up.) I would end up being very glad that I had done this.

I wanted to thank my friend (who is also my neighbor) for coming over and turning on the lights, opening the blinds, etc.) for us this weekend when we had a showing, so I told her I'd meet her at preschool with a Starbuck's as a thank you. I was prepared to leave 10 minutes early (8:35) to make that happen and everything was going well until the phone rang.

The realtor.

A showing?

At 10:00?

Ummmm, sure.

This meant that I had to quickly run the vaccuum, sweep and swiffer the floors, find a spot for the two bags I'd not yet unpacked for our trip, and wipe down all of the kitchen counters before we left since I had plans to take some things to a friend and have a playdate with our youngest girls after I dropped Mitchell off.

No problem, but that also meant no Starbuck's. Bummer!

Of course, about 3 minutes before we were ready to leave, Georgia decided to stink the place up. Good thing I'd already lit my Christmas Cookie and Caramel Pecan Pie candles. I decided to change her in the van so that the stink would stay mostly outside of the house. (And stink it did, whoooo-eeeee!! That was a serious stink.) I think that non-parents are the only people who would ever not buy someone else's "they pooped just as we were leaving" reason for being late somewhere. Being on time seems to be some sort of laxative for my kids or something.

Okay - so poopy diaper taken care of. Blinds open. Lights on. Jazz station playing softly. Two kids fed, dressed and in the car. Lunch packed and in the car. Jackets for everyone. Check - for all of it.

I back out of the driveway and - DOH! - the box of clothes I'm supposed to take to my friend is still in the basement. I pull back into the garage, turn the car off and put the door down. This makes Mitchell very loudly question what I am doing and Georgia cry. I dash down to the basement and grab the box, toss it in the car, and try the whole leaving thing again.

My cell phone rings as I'm driving Mitchell to school and it's my friend telling me that her baby has a cold, so she's not sure a playdate will be the best thing today. I tell her that I'll still drop off the clothes because I can't go home due to the showing. I think that it will also give me the chance to exchange some shirts for Chris since I'll be way south at the mall I purchased them at. Score!

We pull into the parking lot about 3 minutes late (which was the inspiration for this week's poll, by the way) and hustle Mitchell in the door. As I'm waiting in line to sign him in, I look at the dry erase board for messages about this school week and see that the fall fundraiser starts on Wednesday.

Fall fundraiser? Wednesday? This Wednesday? Uhhh, yeahhhhh. Guess who's in charge of that and completely clueless? Mmm-hmm.

I get up to the sign-in book and tell the director that my friend, Joan would be picking up Mitchell (oooh - hope Chris remembered to put the 3rd carseat in the back of the van for me!) and um, by the way could she please give me a bit of info about the fundraiser?

So, ten minutes later in the parking lot, I'm hoisting a big cardboard box full of Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough order forms (uh-oh!!) into my van and pulling out the 3rd carseat (thank you, wonderful hubby!!) so I can put it into Joan's van. I'm in the 3rd row of her van, her baby is screaming (I'm sure because some big, strange rear end is crowding her personal space - can't blame her there), I have what I can feel to be a huge case of plumber's crack, and my hair is hanging down in my face so that I can't see anything. I'm also slightly out of breath due to fighting with the latch system to get the carseat nice and tight and hear someone else say "Hi, Tara." I had finally gotten the seat in securely, so I parted my "Cousin It" hair to see another friend of mine standing next to us in the parking lot. We move out of the way to let Joan leave and she asks if I'd like to go get some coffee.

Coffee? Me? Today? That would be a very passionate YES. I managed to keep myself from tearing up and hugging her and casually said "Sure. That sounds great!"

We meet at Starbuck's, both of us with little girls in tow. Grande, decaf, nonfat, sugar-free caramel latte for me and soy milk for Miss G. (By the way, the baristas tease me every time I order it because it takes forever to say and they can never remember everything when they're repeating it back. Kind of embarrasing, but I like what I like, ya know?) This turns out to be where rubbing elbows with me spreads the glory of my Monday morning -- they forgot to make my friend's latte. We had a nice visit and she got me caught up on what I missed from our MOPS steering meeting on Friday. She is one of those people that I am really glad I have the chance to get to know better...what a sweet, sweet woman. Starbuck's or no Starbuck's -- getting to chat with her was one of the highlights of my day for sure.


So, we leave the parking lot and head to my friend's house. Our arrival has the dog barking, which wakes up the sleeping baby. (Nice to see that I am continuing to spread the Monday Joy around to my friends.) Drop off the clothes and chat just long enough for Georgia to rearrange her living room toys in time for the cleaning woman's arrival. (Seriously, Miss G is a one-woman-wrecking-crew.) Georgia throws a huge fit because she doesn't want to get off of the pink riding toy and leave, so we exit with a bang.


The sight of her milk is enough to settle her down so I can get her strapped back into her carseat, and we are off to the mall. We pull into the parking lot, I get the stroller all set and ready to roll, only to discover that -- ACK!! I had taken the bag with the shirts I needed to exchange out of the van before we left on our trip.

Awesome.

I won't torture you with the details of the rest of the day -- just know that the afternoon went much like the morning. Oh -- and the realtor who scheduled the showing never came to the house after all, which really made me grumpy for a few minutes. Then I decided that it just wasn't worth it, and that kind of stuff is all part of the process -- it's just annoying and, in my opinion, rude.

So, now I'm off to do laundry -- which means that I need to take the newspapers and junk mail out of the dryer.

What? Doesn't everyone have that kind of stuff in their dryer?

On the road again...

Well, we're loading up The Viper (that's our minivan) and leaving tonight for a quick weekend trip away to celebrate my father-in-law's 60th birthday. I'm not looking forward to the drive, as Miss G is not quite the stellar traveler that her big brother is. He really doesn't mind being in the car, especially when he knows that the DVD player will get fired up for long trips.

Georgia? Ummmmm, not so much. Here's a typical 5 minute segment with her:

Minute 1: We put her headphones on and she giggles and kicks her little feet because she's so excited and proud to be doing big girl stuff. Constantly looks at the screen and then over at her brother to make sure she's not missing any new big kid stuff to imitate.
Minute 2: Watches the video with her eyes bugged out of her head.
Minute 3: Starts playing with her headphones, eventually pulling them off.
Minute 4: Tries to put them back on herself, which never happens, and proceeds to screech and scream at the top of her lungs so that I will do it for her.
Minute 5: Says "Kay" when I ask her to please use her words and not scream to ask for help. Says "Peez?" and holds out her headphones to me like a little angel.

Minute 6: See Minute 1.

Oh well, we went to Walmart (ick!) yesterday and stocked up on snacks and stuff to keep her (Ha!) occupied in the car. Hopefully something will work for awhile, and maybe she'll even sleep a little bit. Who knows! Our neighbor let us borrow a stack of their DVD's, so I'm hoping that the novelty factor kicks in and buys us some time. I also bought an iPod car thing so that while they're in DVD-land, we can be in iPod land.

Of course, I'm also semi-dreading the whole "Georgia doesn't DO sleeping in hotels" thing, but it will all be worth it in the end. Maybe she'll surprise me and decide to actually just put her head down in her pack n' play and go to sleep.

*wiping my eyes* Hahahahahaha...ohhhhhhh, that was a good one, Tara.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful, safe weekend! I'll see you next week!

Can an adult drown in 2 inches of water?

That's what I'm beginning to wonder. I feel like the things that are stressing me out and consuming my brain are like 2 inches of water and that I'm having trouble keeping my head up long enough to really breathe.

By two inches of water I mean that most of my stress is good stress, and even the stuff that's not are things that other people would LOVE to have as "problems". Really, I feel like instead of spending time being all stressed out and thinking about these things, I should be investing more time in actually counting my blessings.

I got an email a couple of years ago that I still remember and wish I had saved. It was something like "Thank you Lord for these dirty dishes because it means that my family has enough to eat." I mean, how true is that?

Here I am stressed out about packing up all of the CRAP (have I mentioned how extensive our collection of crap is??) while someone else could probably fit everything they own in one box and NONE of it is crap to them. In fact, if they had access to my "crap", they'd probably bitch slap me for even calling it that. Add to that, I have a fantastic, supportive hubby and two amazing kids to go through everything with -- and I might get downright beat up for whining.

Yes, there are things in my life that are stressing me out and would likely stress out 90% of the population, but I guess all it took was for me to have a phone call with a friend (who lost her baby boy last summer) and to watch the news last night in order to feel like I have the world on a string.

I need to just get over myself already and simply appreciate all of this stress that I have, as crazy as that sounds.

As I sit here typing, I can't help but feel like I've blogged about this before. It's because I have!

Roots...

I spent the weekend pulling weeds in the yard. (I also got scolded repeatedly by my husband for doing so, as in his opinion, I should have had my spring cold in bed, resting.) It was just so nice outside and after the huge case of cabin fever I developed over this crazy winter, I just needed to be out there.

We always laugh when I start my whole pulling weeds routine because I am so anal that it is the beginning of an obsession for me. It's kind of like me and puzzles...I'm the same way with those. Chris had a 1,000 piece puzzle when he lived about an hour away from me. It was over the summer and I was on break from my job at school and I was a huge freak about that stupid space shuttle puzzle. I would spend the entire day on it because if I didn't, it was like it had eyes and was staring at me, taunting me. When I decide to start pulling weeds in the yard, it's the same sort of thing.

So, Saturday was the day that I decided it was game on with me and the weeds. I strapped on my oh, so attractive gardening gloves, got my ripped/stained towel for my knees, and finally located my official weed digging tool in the shed. I chose a spot and began my little war with the weeds.

It's funny -- when I was growing up, my absolute LEAST favorite chore of all time was easily pulling weeds. I would rather have dusted the entire house than spent 20 minutes pulling weeds, and that's saying something. (I can't stand dusting. Still.) My mom would probably have paid some good money to have had teenager Tara have even an 1/8th of my adult enthusiasm for pulling weeds.

I think was out there for at least 2 or 3 hours both Saturday and Sunday, as evidenced by my red back. Comments on my sunburn beat out a simple "hello" at preschool dropoff this morning, by the way. Always fun.

As I pulled weeds, I was struck by how incredibly LONG and complicated the roots were on some of those puppies! (I'm talking up to two feet long!) I think they come back stronger each subsequent year because I don't remember them being like this last year. I really should have taken a picture or video of pulling some of them because it was quite fascinating, really. (Please note, I'm not a gardener, weed pulling is the extent of my skills, so I have no idea what type of weed it is that I'm talking about.)

The more I thought about the weeds I was pulling, the more I thought about how the whole process of getting them out of the ground reminded me of life. My life, at least.

The weeds with the longest, craziest roots were usually those that looked the smallest. I'd gently pull the top of the little weed and if I could get to the longer root underneath, I found that it was usually attached to several other little weeds, but they were spread out and there is no way in the world I'd guess that the two were linked to the same roots.

Isn't that how it seems with life? The tiniest problems (to everyone else's eyes) are usually those with the most complications attached to them?

I was also struck by just how gentle I had to be with these little weeds in order to keep the huge root underneath intact. The easy thing would have been to just yank it out, severing the visible part of the weed from the root. The problem there is that then the root would be left in the ground, free to sprout many more weeds to pop back up again once the root was ignored. In order to get the entire weed -- roots and all -- I had to work delicately and make sure that I paid attention to both of the directions that the root was headed in.

As I did that -- I couldn't help but think of how closely this whole process mirrored the way that I have to go about solving problems in my life. The easy thing is usually to treat problems like you are just ripping off a band aid -- just go for it. But when I do that, things usually end up coming back time and time again. It's only when I take the time to really examine things, figure out not only where the problem is going, but where it came from and what else is now attached to it that I'm able to successfully remove issues from my life.

I know, I know -- going deep. But you know, I spent a good 5 hours (at least) thinking about all of this stuff while I was baking in the sun. I might as well blog about it, right?

I've decided that I'm nuts.

So, we've decided that we are finally going to put our house on the market. I say "finally" because we've been talking about it for at least two years now. When we originally bought it, we said we'd be here for 5 years, max. Well, that was 5 years and 4 months ago. The thing is, I don't think that we planned on having children quite so quickly. (I got pregnant 3 weeks after we got married...we call him our planned surprise.)

As I take a break from doing what I like to call "house stuff" (yes, that's a scientific term, feel free to adopt it yourself), I am struck by just how emotional of a process this move will be. That will be different from the other dozen times I've moved in my life -- this is the first time I'll be leaving the only place my children have ever called home.

We have a great house. Is it huge? No. Is it extravagant? No. You know what it is? It is THE perfect first house and THE perfect place to bring babies home to. It's not huge, but it's big enough. The neighbors' houses aren't so close that I can open the window, reach out and borrow an egg, like some of the newer neighborhoods are. We have an honest to goodness YARD, people. With a deck. And a shed. And a sandbox.

Here's the bottom line...I'm beginning to love my house again, as much as I'm ready to move, I'm realizing how attached to it I really am. We've definitely outgrown our space here, and we are ready to move to a more centrally located neighborhood, but I will without a doubt miss our house.

What really makes me mad is the fact that someone else is going to walk through it and look for "what's wrong". What they like, what they don't like, what they want to change, what they want to keep. It almost feels like I'm putting my child out in front of someone to be criticized without regard for what really matters. I hope that someone else walks in and just instantly can see themselves living here...that's what happened for me. I walked in and just knew that this was the house for us.

When we were looking for houses, our realtor encouraged us to give each house we looked at a nickname so we could easily remember and distinguish them when talking about what we'd seen later on. It really did work -- five years later I can still remember the dirty house (uh, yeah...'nuff said on that one), the hunting house, the hot tub house, and the squeaky floors house. Makes me wonder what our house would be called. (My money is on "the rubber duckie house" because of the kids' bathroom. By the way, we refuse to change it -- love our house, love the ducks. If it gets changed, I don't want to know about it.)

I need to get back upstairs and finish packing some stuff up...I just had to take a break, come down here and say that I love my tiny, perfect little house. Flaws and all -- it's still perfect to me. I can't imagine starting our family's life together anywhere else and if I'm crying while I type this, I imagine that as ready as I am to move us into the next "perfect house" for us, I'll be bawling as we drive away for the last time.