Tuesday

Why is it that when the kids go to bed late they still get up at the same time BUT when the go to bed early they wake up earlier than normal? It's just not fair! Ava is in the "I don't want to nap but still need a nap most days" stage, which can be very aggravating. Yesterday she did not nap, so she fell asleep before 7:00 p.m. (she usually goes to sleep around 9:30 or 10 - don't ask and don't lecture. we've tried earlier bedtimes with her and it has never worked) Generally she goes to bed at 9:30 or 10 and gets up around 7:30 or 8. She's just never needed that much sleep. BUT on the occasional evenings when she goes to sleep at 11 or so she STILL is up between 7:30 or 8. This morning - 5:15 a.m. Wandering the house. Getting dressed. Changing clothes. Lecturing me about the 1/2 eaten banana that was left on the kitchen table overnight. Asking to watch a show. Asking if she can wear socks. Asking if she can brush her teeth. Do whatever you want JUST LET ME SLEEP! :)

Exhaustion

Right now I'm totally exhausted and feel a cold coming on. Not fun since we are leaving for Michigan in just a few days. The girls both have little colds, too. To add to the fun, I'm sitting at my desk listening to my final CLE course (that's continuing legal education - a money-making scheme of legal education providers with judges in their back pockets. just my opinion). It's not like I don't do research on my own. I don't need to pay hundreds of dollars to listen to someone spend 4 hours telling me what I can read in about 20 minutes. Cest la vie.

The girls are good. My new adventure is learning how to deal with Michaela's eczema, which is getting increasingly worse. Poor thing. I got a book yesterday, so I plan to spend at least part of my vacation reading up on eczema to see if there is some type of "natural" (i.e., dietary) treatment for it. I'm working my way through creams (or "team" as M calls it) to see what is the best one for her.

Ava is Ava. She's just an awesome kid. She's very interested in how babies get into and out of a mommy's tummy. She asked me today if I had a baby in my tummy - nope just leftover Michaela house. She told Miss Jacki the other day that she (Miss Jacki) should get a baby in her tummy. She asked me yesterday how babies get out of the tummy. I've learned that with her it's just best to be straightforward to ward off any further questioning. So, I said, they come out of the mommy's "pee pee." beyond that, talk to Auntie Jill (who's a certified nurse midwife). She called Jill, Jill told her. She was satisfied and didn't ask again. As far as how babies get "into" the tummy, I stick with my "mommy and daddy have a lot of love for each other and the love spills over and makes a baby." The first time I told her this (about 3 months back or so) she said, "no really, how." She sporadically tries to get more information, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Father's Day - part 1

The morning of Father's Day we went for an early breakfast at Benedict's - a local restaurant that is one of our favorites. The girls also gave their daddy his gifts - pictures that they painted and framed. Mommy also gave him a cool book on leadership.

Father's Day 2009 part 2

We spent the afternoon of Father's Day at my parents house. We grilled out for lunch and had a fun afternoon of swimming and relaxing with our great dads.

Ava & Zach

Ava & Zachary are about 6 weeks apart in age. It's so cool watching them grow up together. They are both very "into" what girls do versus what boys do. I picked them up at VBS today, and they were talking in the car about a variety of things that interest the 3 year old crowd. Ava starts telling Zachary about a part of her new favorite Dora movie. Zachary says, "Yeah, I like that, too." Ava says, "Oh, Zachary, you are a boy not a girl. I'M a girl!" Zach says, "Oh, yeah, I don't like 'girl movies.'" (Yes, he properly inserted his quotation marks in his sentence.) I said to him, "Well, Zach, what's a 'girl movie'?" He says: "Strawberry Shortcake, Dora, Princess Fiona...." He does like Cars, though.

Helping mommy work

"mommy" by Ava 5/2/09

Random thoughts of a tired mommy

Day 2 of single mommyhood. Pete is at a BSA executive training conference in Lisle - they are putting him up in a hotel, so he is gone until Friday. Thank goodness I have sitters during the week so I can get a little break - even if it is to work.

Ava had her 2d day of "vocation bible school." She loves it. It's a really good program. She did have a bit of a meltdown at the end of the day because she lost the star bracelet that I told her not to wear. So, if anyone sees cheap 4th of July-type jewelry, let me know so I can pick-up a new bracelet.

Some cutey-pie things:

• on the way to VBS Ava says, "Wow. My vocation bible school church is so tall. How did they get the cross on top of the steeple? Did they use glue?" Questions, questions, questions
• A is doing well writing her name - usually she gets the letters in the right order. (she does a capital A and a lowercase a, so sometimes it's avA or vAa or Ava...usually depends on where she starts writing. If she runs out of room, the letters go where she can fit them)
• Michaela continues with her singing. Occasionally when she sings in the car she plugs her ears while she sings...I guess this helps her to hear herself better.
• M is also constantly putting on Ava's clothes (often left lying around the house because A changes clothes several times a day) - right now she's walking around in Ava's shorts. At least it's not her dirty underwear....

Finally, I am SO over Jon & Kate. One less show I "need" to watch.

Beginning Again

I'm trying again. I'm a very delinquent blogger - my old posts can be found at www.lifeinpixieland.wordpress.com. I decided that I would really start fresh - new host, new name, same people. My main purpose is to share pictures and funny (and maybe not so funny) tales of my girls. (I should say "our girls," since although Pete won't write in this, he did have a part in producing said girls.) My almost-40-year-old-mommy-brain isn't remembering things well these days, and I truly want to keep track of the things the girls do. So sit back, have a cup of coffee and join us as we jump, dance & sing! (How's THAT for a tacky last sentence....)