A Rare Day

Houston is having a rare day. It is snowing outside! Craziness! Unfortunately, this is the night that Drummer Boy and I chose to host our 2nd annual wine and dessert Christmas party. We had a pretty good list of people planning to come, but now because of the weather and the crazy Houston drivers, we are expecting most of our guests to decide to stay home, and we don't blame them of course. So we've been preparing all week for nothing! Oh well.

And on top of that, Princess has been at home with me the last 2 days because she has strep throat. She missed school and was very glad she got to go back today. She is doing so well, reading up a storm. She read The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss all by herself, and then a couple of days later, she read Green Eggs and Ham to me. I am so proud of her. It still amazes me to listen to her read a book!

I am reading 2 books right now that I would highly recommend. The first is a cookbook that my dear friend recommended to me to help me cook with all the random vegetables I am getting from my CSA veggie co-op. It is called How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson. The book teaches cooking techniques and simple recipes that you can use with whatever ingredients you have on hand. I am hoping that I'll be able to "cook without a book" one day, but even if I never get to that point of expertise, I'm glad to have basic recipes that work with a variety of different ingredients.

The second book is a book of daily devotions for Advent. It is called Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr. It was given to me several years ago and I read it every year from December 1st through the first part of January. It really helps me to keep the reason for the season at the forefront of my mind while I do my Christmas shopping or wrap presents or clean my house, etc.

My next post will hopefully have pictures of snow at my house :)

No Tricks, Just Treats Please!

Halloween this year was a gorgeous day in Houston, a rare find I know! It had rained cats and dogs a couple days earlier, which had brought the temp down a few degrees and on Saturday the sun was out and it felt like fall, (well, sort of...it felt like fall in Houston anyway). The girls couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating. All day long we heard, "when is it going to be Halloween?" We tried to help pass the time by carving a pumpkin. The girls enjoyed pulling out all the slimy seeds, and Princess helped Daddy draw the pumpkin face and carve the jack-o-lantern. It turned out really cute!

Finally, at about 5:00, we put on our costumes and headed down the street to the block party at our neighbor's house. It was so great to see all the kids, and some of the parents, dressed up in costume. We hung out (well actually, I hung out while Drummer Boy stayed home and watched the end of the Tech v. Kansas game), we ate some frito pie and dirt cake complete with gummy worms for dessert. The kids ran around like crazy, and then we left to go trick-or-treating. Our cousins joined us and we ended up splitting into the big kids who ran way ahead gathering as much candy as their pumpkins could hold, and the little kids who were pulled along in the wagon, getting in and out at every house to say, "trick-or-treat!" It was so cute, and I had as much fun as the girls did I think.

Fall Happenings

The last week has been full of fall activities. On Saturday, we went to our neighborhood Fall Festival, dressed in our Halloween costumes. Princess was dressed as Tinkerbell and Pumpkin was a SHARK! (real scary!). The girls had a great time at the festival. Princess rode the ponies several times, played in the blow-up gyms, and even tried the rock wall. Pumpkin, on the other hand, didn't do anything except swing and play in the sand, and eat cotton candy of course.



Today, when I pulled Princess's artwork out of her backpack, I noticed this drawing. I held it up and asked, "Princess, what's this?" And she replied, "it's a octopus pumpkin." Oh, yes, of course. :)

After school today, Princess got busy making a "story box" like the one on Pinky Dinky Doo. Dad pulled a large box from the garage and she jumped inside and started drawing a picture from her new library book, Lasso Lou and Cowboy McCoy. I have a feeling this box is going to be a staple in our living room for a while. 

Yesterday at lunch, Pumpkin was being so cute, wanting her "black-n-kitty" to sit on her lap while she ate lunch. It was so adorable, I just had to grab the camera.

What precious children I have. Blessings from the Lord.

Princess, kick the ball!

Princess loves to run. She runs everywhere she goes. So naturally, we thought soccer would be a perfect sport for her. So far she has had 3 practices and 2 games. There are 6 girls on her team, and 4 of them share her name. It's pretty funny. All you hear during the game is "get the ball, Princess!"

During the last practice I had to laugh. I've heard other parents talk about how some of the kids spend their time picking flowers instead of playing the game. For Princess, it's not flowers, it's grass. She spent most of practice picking grass and leaves and whatever else she could find. I was concerned with how a 40 minute game would go.

On Saturday, she was geared up for the game though. We arrived early and she "warmed up" with a couple of the other girls on the team. But really they just ran around kicking the ball, using up all their energy. So halfway through the first quarter, she was so tired she just walked off the field, leaving the team one kid short. By the second half, she was ready to get back in the game though and she made a pretty good run with the ball, kicking it down the field. We were very proud of her. And I think she had alot of fun. Can't you see it on her face? 

Goodnight Mom

This is a poem that I saw in Parenting Magazine. It really made me smile, so I thought I would post it here, for your reading pleasure.

Goodnight Mom

(with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)

In the messy green family room

There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone

And a crying toddler because his brother just popped his red balloon

And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon (which someone colored on with permanent marker)

And there was a missing teddy bear,

And a girl with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded

And laundry to be folded

And a very hungry spouse

And something stinky in the house (that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush

And a colicky baby who just won't shush

And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room

Goodnight scribbled-on moon

Goodnight cow getting out while she can

Goodnight telemarketers and the popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear

Goodnight cereal bar smeared all over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup

And Goodnight leaky sippy cup

Goodnight much-too-little house and

Goodnight grumpy spouse

Goodnight comb and goodnight brush

And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo

Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,

or the next day

Hello chardonnay and TiVo-

"me" time finally

-by Sarah Jio

Native American Names

Last week, Princess and I were talking about names and I told her that if she was Native American, her name would describe her or tell something about what she likes to do. I told her that if she was Native American, her name would probably be Draws with Markers. She thought that was really funny, but later that night when I was telling Drummer Boy about it, he came up with a more appropriate name for her: Doesn't Sit Still.

This morning, I told Princess that her new Native American name is Doesn't Sit Still. We then proceeded to come up with Native American names for our whole family. Princess wanted to name Pumpkin "Stinky Diapers". But in the end, it was a toss up between "Snacks Alot" and "Screams Loudly". Princess named me "Cooks Ice Cream" and Dummer Boy's name is "Walks Around". I'm not sure why she wanted Walks Around for him. We'll have to think about that and come up with something better, like "Watches College Football" or "Plays with Doesn't Sit Still".

She Wants Me??

From the beginning of Princess's little life, she has been a daddy's girl through and through. One of my favorite stories to tell about her is the time she just came right out and told me so. It was last fall I think. We were driving home in the late afternoon and she asked if daddy was home yet. I told her that he'd be home in about an hour. She pouted. In response to her pout, I said, "you love your daddy don't you?" And she said, "Yeah, I love him more than I love you." I naturally acted shocked and hurt, and so she asked, "That's okay mommy, isn't it?" "Yes, it is okay, " I said, "because I know that you love me." And she responds, "I do love you mommy, but I love daddy more." I love this story so much because at that time I knew that she had always felt that way, and she was just now able to verbalize it. It probably would hurt my feelings if my #2 hadn't been a momma's girl, but truthfully, I am just thankful that she has such a great relationship with her daddy.

Lately though, she has been asking for me sometimes. Especially at bedtime. Daddy has always been the one to read to her and put her to bed, but in the last month or so, she has asked me to put her to bed. And tonight on the way home, she wanted me to sit next to her in the car. In the midst of all the struggles we have had in our parenting lately, these little tiny requests of my presence give me hope. They make my heart smile. I often feel like 90% of my interaction with her is disciplining and training, but these little moments remind me that she also needs nurturing, gentleness, physical touch and love. One day she won't need all that training anymore and I hope that I will have taken advantage of these moments with her enough, that she will still ask for me sometimes when she wants someone to talk to, or needs some advice, or just longs for physical closeness with someone who loves her. When Princess requests me instead of her daddy, it makes me think I must be doing something right. But it is also an opportunity for me to do something right, to take advantage of her request and make the most of it. To love her with my time, my words, my touch, my smile. And maybe when I do that, she will ask for me once more. 

Big Feet

As is our family custom, we took our beginning-of-the-season trip to the Stride Rite Outlet to get the girls one good pair of shoes for the fall. At the beginning of the summer, we bought them new shoes sized 6 for Pumpkin and 10 for Princess. I knew that their feet had grown over the summer, and I knew that they had both grown considerably taller, but I was still shocked when the Stride Rite lady measured them at a 7 1/2 and 11!!! I don't know why I was so shocked, but I was. I just can't believe how fast they are growing. My little girls are getting so big, with big feet too! Of course, then our pediatrician told me on Monday that Princess is on track to be only 5'3" when she is done growing. So I guess her growing feet don't mean much in the long run. Only time will tell.

Present for Her and for Me

My bestest friend came to visit me from Nashville this past weekend, with her sweet little baby in tow. It was her birthday present from her husband, but it was really a present for me too. It was a wonderful weekend. We didn't do much, really. We just spent time together, talking and relaxing and playing and being moms. 

It is so nice to have a friend like her that I can just be myself with. I totally respect her and love her. I think she is an awesome mom and a faithful friend. I strive to be like her in so many ways, but she also makes me feel confident in who I am. The best thing about it is that our friendship hasn't always been this way. God brought us together many years ago and He has molded and strengthened our friendship to what it is today. There was a time when I couldn't have imagined this, but I am so thankful that what God has in store for us is usually beyond our imagination. 

I have to say thank you to her husband for giving both of us a great present and for taking care of her other 3 children all weekend so that we could have some peaceful time together. And I also have to thank my husband for being a superdad, taking care of both of my girls throughout the weekend so that my friend and I could have some time alone. It was a great weekend, and I already miss her.

Kindergarten!!!

Today was the first day of kindergarten for Princess. She was so excited. We were all excited!! After a difficult summer of being a full-time stay-at-home mom, I was ready for school to start. I don't mean to imply that now she is in school, I don't have to be a mom anymore. I just mean that I was looking forward to a break. As you know, if you have read my past blogs, trying to be the mom that God has called me to be is the hardest challenge in my life. Yes, even harder than the NCC exam!! At church on Sunday, Ron's sermon was about not trying to achieve God's favor, but receiving God's favor. He talked about having patience to let God work out his promise, rather than trying to achieve God's promise. I immediately thought about Princess and how I try to do the right thing and try to teach her and train her the way that God would want me to. But I am impatiently expecting some results that aren't coming quick enough. I have been getting frustrated that God has promised that He would work on her heart and I'm not seeing any heart change. Ron's sermon was perfect, reminding me that I need to be patient for as long as it takes, and let God work out his promise to change her heart, rather than trying to do it myself.

Anyway, that was a side tangent. Back to kindergarten...So today was the first day and we were all excited. The moms at our bus stop planned to have a little breakfast buffet as we were waiting for the bus to come. It was fun. There are 7 kids at our bus stop. We were all out in the humidity eating and chatting, the kids were all happy. Princess wasn't nervous at all. She was just happy and excited. Then the bus came and they all lined up to get on. Princess got on the bus and sat in her seat next to the window. She waved to me and smiled. Her friends got on and sat with her. They all waved again and the bus drove away. It wasn't until then that a wave of emotion just came over me. I couldn't stop it. My eyes filled with tears as I watched her ride away on the yellow school bus. I thought, "there goes my little girl, all on her own." And she wasn't even scared, just thrilled to be on the school bus, going to kindergarten.

I was the only mom at the bus stop that cried. I honestly was surprised that the tears came, although I don't know why I am surprised. I cry at commercials for goodness sakes!! I am one of the most sympathetic people I know (or is it just pathetic?).

Anyway, she had a great day. She got off the bus with a smile on her face. She made a new friend and she likes her teacher and she is excited to go back to school tomorrow. She also went right to sleep tonight, exhausted! This is the beginning of the next 12 years of her life. Welcome to school Princess!

Have I Learned Anything?

I just read my friend's blog and she commented on the fact that she is 8 years into parenting and still knows next to nothing! Well I'm 5 years in and I feel the same way. Everyday is challenging. Everyday I screw up. But, like my friend Carrie said, "everyday is a new day for me to exercise my faith." Praise God that his mercies are new every morning. Have I mentioned that parenting is the hardest thing I've ever done? Sometimes I feel totally inadequate. Bewildered. Helpless. Even hopeless. Will it ever change? Will my child grow up to be a responsible, caring, loving, generous adult, or will she always be the way she is now? It is so hard to watch the rebellion in your child's heart manifest itself. And then when I regain my self-control and breath a deep breath, I go in and talk to her about the sin in her heart, and she says, "you have sin in your heart too." And what do I say to that? Yes, I do. Lots of it. And it sucks. I just pray that all this talking and disciplining and instructing and training will one day make a difference. I have to believe that it will. One day.

School is about to start. One more week of summer left. On one hand, I am excited about it. Princess is definitely excited, and I am looking forward to my time one-on-one with Pumpkin and my time alone when Pumpkin is at mother's day out. But, on the other hand, I have some concerns. I am not worried about how she will do. I know she will do just fine, probably better than fine. I'm not worried about her making friends or sitting still (although I've never actually seen her sit still). I'm worried about the fact that we still have so much to work on in the way of obedience and respect. For the next 8 months, the only time I will have with her to "train her in the way she should go" will be in the morning when we are rushing around to get ready for school and in the evening when she is mentally exhausted from school and on the weekends. There is one argument for home school. But, that is not what we have chosen for her, so I will do the best with the time I have with her. I just hope that Drummer Boy and I can find a balance between holding her to the standard of obedience and respectfulness that we believe is right and giving her grace as she adjusts to a long day of school. As always, any advice or encouragement from friends is appreciated. 

And a Happy Birthday it was

Thank you to all those who called/emailed/facebooked me some birthday wishes. I felt very cared for on my day. :)

It was, in fact, a happy birthday. The girls and I went to the YMCA in the morning for Princess's gymnastics class. On the way there I got my first birthday present. I had absentmindedly left my cell phone on the top of my car and realized it on our way down the feeder road when I heard a "clunck-clunck" outside of the car. Dread swept over me, mostly because I knew what Drummer Boy would think about my stupidity. But amazingly enough, when I pulled into the YMCA parking lot and got out of the car, there was my phone sitting on the top of my car. I was amazed!! I told Princess, God really loves me and He didn't want me to loose my phone on my birthday!!.

So that was my first gift. At the YMCA, I tried putting Pumpkin in the childcare by herself for the first time (she usually has her sister in there to play with her) so that I could exercise while Princess was in her class, and Pumpkin did just fine. So, I exercised, Pumpkin played, and Princess tumbled, and we all left the YMCA happy campers.

Then we went out to lunch with my mom. It was a nice lunch, just me and mom and the girls. As we pulled into the restaurant parking lot, I got a call from the Neonatology group that I interviewed with a couple of weeks ago, informing me that they would like to extend me an offer for a part-time job. Happy Birthday to me again! I am very excited about that!

Then last night, we had our family over for fajitas, margaritas, and mocha mud pie. All in all, it was a fantastic birthday. A special day spent with the special people in my life. Thanks so much!

Lately

It's been almost a month since I've posted anything, and a busy month it has been. The first weekend in July we traveled to Bridgeport, TX for the Burran annual family reunion (that's Drummer Boy's mom's side of the family). It was fun to see our family and to watch the girls interact with their second and third cousins.  We were also able to meet up in Dallas with my dear friend, Laura and her two kids, Robert and Eva. We went to the Dallas World Aquarium and the kids loved it. It was great to see her, but way too short of a visit. We need to plan another one soon. 





The third week of July we headed out to Florida for some time at the beach. We rented a cottage at Sea Grove Beach and stayed 5 nights.  Mimi and Grandad went with us and it was a great vacation. The girls loved playing in the sand and Princess loved jumping through the waves. I loved relaxing under the beach umbrella with a great book (The Secret Life of Bees). And Drummer Boy loved being out of the 100 degree Houston weather (It was only about 90 degrees in FL). Drummer Boy and his dad went deep sea fishing one day and had a great time catching some Amberjack, Red Snapper, and King Mackrel. We had a great meal that night! I also loved watching Grandad and Mimi spend some quality time with my girls. It is so sweet to see them delight in each other.









After returning from the beach, we have been staying busy with gymnastics classes, trips to the library, spending time with both sides of our family, and applying for a job (Amy). Not to mention the day at the circus last Saturday. That was a lot of fun. Princess's favorite part was the spinning girls, Pumpkin's favorite part was the horses, Drummer Boy's favorite part was the elephants, and my favorite part was the trapeze artists. Honestly, I think the girls' favorite part was really the cotton candy, and maybe Drummer Boy's too! :)