So different

I am often amazed at how two people can come together and share their chromosomes to produce a child, and each time they do it, they produce someone so different. How can siblings that come from the same parents be so different? Of course I know the scientific answer, but I am still amazed by the results. Especially with my own two children, since Dummer Boy and I are not that different ourselves.

One of the things that is very different in my two girls is their food preferences. Pumpkin has recently astonished me with her love for bell peppers: red, green, or yellow. She also loves the balsamic vinegar dressing that Drummer Boy makes for our salads. She would drink it if she could. How many 1 1/2 year-olds out there are going around snacking on bell peppers? She also loves tomatoes, which surprised me. I love tomatoes, but I know I didn't love them when I was her age, or even Princess's age for that matter. Princess, on the other hand hates tomatoes and peppers and especially hates vinegar (that might be because I used to use it as a punishment when she lied or said forbidden words). She loves grapefruit, lemons and limes, and virtually all things sour. Princess also has loved eggs since she was old enough to eat them, whereas Pumpkin doesn't even want them on her plate! I don't get it. What I do get is that both of them have a very healthy sweet tooth. Between Drummer Boy and I, I wouldn't expect them to have a chance otherwise!

Tomorrow is a New Day

So far, all of my posts on this blog have been fun and happy, good days and warm feelings, but I figured since I want this to be somewhat like a journal of our everyday life, I need to include the days like today as well. It also does me good to write about crappy days, it's therapy for me before I go to bed.

Today was one of those days that I couldn't wait to end. It stared out with both of my girls waking up early (and Pumpkin woke up crying a couple times last night so neither of us slept well). Then this morning as we were getting ready for the day, I got upset with Princess several times for not obeying or for whining and complaining about doing simple things that I asked her to (like brush her teeth and hair). So, we were late for ballet, but oh well. Then after ballet we made our usual weekly trip to Chick-fil-a for lunch, which was okay for the most part. Everybody started falling apart after a while so I gathered everything and everybody up and declared that we were leaving, which elicited some cries and screams from my toddler (as the grandmother at the table next to us said, with her eyes closed and her fingers massaging her temples, "I could never do this again. I know I did it once and I don't know how, but I could never do it again."). I smiled at her as I escorted my girls out the door and accidently let the door slam on Princess shoulder (ouch! Sorry Princess!). So it is pouring down rain and I am trying to figure out how to get the girls out to the car without an umbrella when a super nice lady offers to escort us out with her umbrella (wonderful!). So, I stuff our drinks into my purse and pick up both of my kids (not easy) and we all head to the car. After everyone is in the car and buckled, I get in and put my purse down and notice that my lemonade is no longer upright in my purse. UH-OH!! Yep, that is definitely a pool of lemonade in the bottom of my purse. And nope, there is not a towel or even a napkin, or heck, even a kleenex to be had in my car. I put every soaked thing in my purse on the floor, open my door, and dump the lemonade pool out onto the parking lot. Then I close the door and take some deep breaths to refrain from screaming.

The rest of the day was okay. Until this evening as I was leaving Princess's preschool program I passed a lady whom I had met only 15 minutes earlier and she said, "It was nice to meet you" to which I replied "I didn't meet you. It must have been someone else." Then she reminded me of who she was, and I realized that I had in fact just met her and I felt like such an idiot, and so incredibly rude. I once again thought to myself, "When will this day end?"

Thankfully, the answer to that question is now. And tomorrow is a new day. I just hope tomorrow doesn't come as soon as today did.

Howdy Partners!

Friday afternoon our family had our first Houston Livestock Show experience together. I wasn't sure what to expect since I hadn't been to THE Rodeo in many years, but it was so much fun for all of us. There was a large children's area outside with an interactive "Day at the Farm", a petting zoo, animal races, and carnival rides and games. Inside the arena were all the animals and more exhibits including live chicks hatching, a cow milking demonstration, honey bees, sheep shearing, and bunnies to pet. Needless to say, the girls had a great time. And mom and dad did too!

Princess got a souvenir of some wool that had just been sheared off a sheep, and she has divided it into little bags to pass out to all her classmates at school tomorrow. She is so excited to share some of her experience at the rodeo with them. Her favorite part of the rodeo was riding the ferris wheel. I'm not sure what Pumpkin's favorite part was, but I know it was NOT the petting zoo! She wouldn't touch any of the animals. She just whined the whole time we were in there.

Children at Play

I love a clean house. Actually, it is not so much the cleanliness that I love, but the neatness (things put in their proper place, areas free of clutter, etc.). Somehow a house free of clutter translates into a mind free of clutter for me. I feel energized by clean, neat spaces, more able to focus, and I feel like I'm a happier, more patient person. I also feel more creative...the juices are able to flow a little easier.

BUT, when I was leaving the house this morning, I noticed the kitchen table was a mess and the little table had crayons spread all over it, and it brought a smile to my face. It was evidence of children at play. I walked around the house and took pictures of other "messes" that my sweet girls had left this morning. 

Sometimes it feels great to come home to a clean, neat house, but other times it feels good to come home to a place that looks and feels like home, my home where children play and create and laugh and learn and leave messes. 

Way To Go Princess!

Yesterday, I called Drummer Boy from the Orlando airport to check in with him before I got on the plane to come home. He told me about how he and the girls had been playing on the driveway and then he handed the phone to Princess so she could tell me what they were doing on the driveway. She said to me in her sweet little 4 1/2 year old voice, "I was riding my bike without training wheels". The excitement and pride in her voice was evident even over the phone. And I was just as excited and so proud of her! I was a little bit sad that I missed seeing her do it the first time, but she was very excited to show me her new skill before church this morning. She spent quite a bit of time riding her bike around the driveway today, just around and around and around, smiling the whole time. She is so proud of herself she just can't help it! My little girl just keeps growing up.

Disneyworld, Here I Come!!

2/23

4:30 pm

I am waiting to board a flight to Orlando and I have a few little butterflies in my stomach. Why? Because I’m leaving my girls for 4 1/2 days. This is not the longest I have been away from them (5 days is the longest). But, Pumpkin is old enough now that she will be very sad that I am not there. I left during her naptime, and I know she will call for me when she wakes up. Princess, on the other hand, couldn’t wait for me to leave. :) She asked me, “When are you leaving?” She will have a great time and will hardly miss me at all, which also makes me sad of course. But the thought of Pumpkin calling for me and crying for me over the next several days pulls at my heartstrings.

I am going to Orlando for a Neonatology conference. I am meeting my two friends, Katie and Bobbi. We are going to have a great time at the conference and at Disney World. We are going to eat well, drink well, and laugh alot I am sure, but I can’t help but feel a little sad for leaving. I also keep thinking about my two other trips coming up, and that makes it worse. Princess and I are going to Nashville in a couple of weeks for about 5 days, and then Drummer Boy and I are going to Hawaii in April for 11 days!! Again, both very fun, exciting trips, but I’ll be sad to leave my girls. It’s a good thing and a bad thing for sure.

3/1

My trip to Orlando was so much fun. I did miss Drummer Boy and the girls, especially the last couple of days. I really couldn't wait to get home to see them. But, they did just fine without me. Drummer Boy said they were all ready for me to come home, but they were fine. I was glad to hear that especially Pumpkin didn't cry too much about my being gone. That makes me feel better about my upcoming trip to Nashville with Princess and my trip to Hawaii with Dummer Boy. I actually think it may be harder for me to be gone than it is for them. I think I miss them more than they miss me.

Bobbi, Katie and I had a great time catching up in Orlando and enjoying the sun. It was great to explore the Disney parks with a Disney expert (Bobbi LOVES Disney). And I definitely caught up on some R&R. Here are a few pictures from our trip.