the cozy house

2011 Reading

2011-01-02T23:01:00.001-06:00

Reading List for 2011...at least this will get me started....

Spiritual/Family/Non-Fiction

1. The One Year Bible (NIV)

2. Grace-Based Parenting

3. Crazy Love (Francis Chan)

4. Forgotten God (Francis Chan)

5. Same Kind of Different as Me

6. some Beth Moore books
7. Decision Points
8. America by Heart
9. The Wave

Fiction

1. Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

2. The Help (bought this for my birthday last year and STILL have not read it)

3. Water for Elephants
4. The Confession (John Grisham)

whatever else tickles my fancy on my bookshelves or the library

For the kids

1. work through Passion Hymns for a Kid's Heart

2. work through The Story of the World, Volume 1

3. The Jesus Storybook Bible (again)

4. the Ramona series

5. Junie B. Jones series

6. Ivy & Bean, book 6 (I read the rest to Ava...hopefully she'll re-read them herself)

7. Little House series

2010-06-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

I am a bad blogger. I want to be a good blogger, but somehow, I cannot seem to find consistent motivation. Maybe it's because I lack interesting thoughts to write about. Maybe it's because blogger is really annoying me lately - I hit enter and the cursor doesn't move. That will do anyone in.

The girls have discovered silly bandz. Not a bad "prize," really. Better than the $100 I dropped on an American Girl doll recently. (Ava's prize for ceasing thumb-sucking.)

Michaela thinks that I am her personal servant. Seriously. The other day she barked out her order for water. After requiring a more mannerly request, I gave it to her. She was sitting on the couch. The coffee table was oh, maybe 6 inches from where she was sitting. Yeah she's small, but she could have bent over and put the water on the table. Oh, no. That would be too much physical exertion for my blond-haired-blue-eyed princess (who has discovered her charms at the young age of 2). I was sitting in the office trying to get out a few e-mails (work, actually). She yelled, "MOM! I'M ALL DONE WITH MY WATER." I told her to put it on the table - this went back and forth a few times. Until I got so irritated that I got up, took the water and ~~accidentally~~ dumped it on her. Yeah, maybe I over-reacted, but this "you are my slave" routine is getting a bit old. Am I a bad mom? Nope. I don't think so. A bad mom would have poured the water on her head. ha ha. She got the point. :) I love my kiki. Although she's started wiping my kisses off of her face - I find it annoying. She thinks it's hysterical.

Booking It - June 2010

2010-06-15T20:59:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to read more this year - trying being the operative word. I do pretty well for a few weeks and then get so busy that all I seem to have time for is People or OK Magazines. I follow fishmama, and I've been meaning to post what I've been reading, but, you guessed it - never got around to it. So, this list may be more of a compilation - the best and the worst - of what I've read this year.

Starting with...current reads:

1. House Rules by Jodi Picoult. Although Picoult has been around for a while, I just recently started reading her books. My Sister's Keeper was the first that I read. (BTW - book is way better than the movie in my opinion). So far I'm having a REALLY hard time getting into this book - it is actually the second time I got it from the library. It's a short loan because it's new, and I just couldn't get into it the first time around. I just picked up a few more of her books for a quarter at garage sales, so I'm sure I'll have reviews later this summer.

2. Captivating by John & Stasi Eldridge. I'm doing a review on this one when I'm done.

Recently read:

1. Ivy & Bean, Ivy & Bean Take Care of the Babysitter, Ivy & Bean: Bound to be Bad, Ivy & Bean and the Ghost that had to Go; Ivy & Bean: Doomed to Dance; Ivy & Bean Break the Fossil Record all by Annie Barrows. My 4 year old is very into I&B these days and is sad that the new book does not come out until the fall. Fortunately I can usually read through these with her in about a day. Pretty soon she'll be reading them by herself. My 2 year old even loves I&B now. Next we are reading Mr. Popper's Penguins & the Ramona series (found the first 4 books in a set at TJMaxx for $12.00!) We also have a few Bobbsey Twins books, which I LOVED when I was a kid. They were right up there with the Little House series.

2. Certain Girls and Best Friends Forever both by Jennifer Weiner. Both were ok. I read Weiner years ago and Certain Girls was a sequel, so I liked that one. The other was ok.

3. Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner. I just finished this one last week. I actually liked it. It was an easy read, which is exactly what I need these days.

4. I Will Carry You by Angie Smith. I have been following her blog for a while. I actually downloaded her book for free from Amazon, and I'm reading it on my computer.

5. Churched by Matthew Turner. I did not like this book at all. You can read my review here.

6. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. Love this.

7. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Loved this book.

8. The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife's Memoir by Patricia Harman. I was excited to read this and thought I would like it since I am an amateur midwife/OB-GYN (my sister is a certified nurse midwife). I did not like it. I ended up skimming it. I know other people that did like it, though.

Coming up: Finishing House Rules (maybe); Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah; and The Help, which I got for my birthday in January and still have not read it (it keeps getting buried under library books).

Being Ava

2010-06-14T10:05:00.000-05:00

Ava started VBS today. She's been waiting for a whole year. She LOVED VBS last year, and couldn't wait to go back. She also has swimming lessons starting tomorrow, and next Wednesday she starts soccer for a few weeks. She also started kindergarten Sunday school yesterday. When I was telling her about all of this she says: "Wow. I finally have things to do like a big girl!" Yeah - I'm pretty much an un-scheduler. I prefer to take each day as it comes without having too many plans. Just a few goals that can be passed to the next day if needed.

The other night I was telling Pete about Ava's "schedule," specifically swimming lessons and the fact that I scheduled them from 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. so (a) the pool would be warm and (b) classes smaller since most 4 year olds are getting ready for bed around that time. Ava was eavesdropping as usually and says "Won't I be tired?" I said, "No. You are always up late." She said: "Mom. I'm not a trolodon!" Me: "What's that?" Ava: "A dinosaur that likes to stay up late." (Trolodon = Troodon. Not sure if it really liked to stay up late, but according to Dinosaur Train, it did.)

Michaela

2010-05-11T07:35:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we took the girls to a park to play. To get to the park you have to park in a gravel lot and walk down a path (a slight hill - not many big hills in these parts) to a lovely large park that not many know about (a/k/a "the secret park"). We were returning to the car and as per the norm Ava ran to the "top" of the path and Michaela dawdled. She looks at rocks, sings to herself, etc. She was going REALLY slow this time, and I said to her: "Michaela. Pick up the pace or I'll carry you." She looked at me with her big blue eyes and innocently says, "I don't see the pace, mom."

____

Apparently I didn't feed Pete enough for dinner last night (pasta primavera, garlic bread, salad) because around 9:30 or so he made himself a few pancakes with pancake batter left over from that morning's breakfast. The girls had been upstairs, getting ready for bed - Ava was already downstairs having her last pre-bed snack. Michaela come downstairs - comes up to me in the office - puts her hand under her nose and says, "What do I smell?" I said, "what" because I thought she was smelling her hand. She repeated, "What do I smell?" and then "Whatever it is...I want some." Too bad, daddy ate all the pancakes so she had to settle for cherrios.

Reinvention of Law

2010-05-08T22:15:00.001-05:00

I do realize that I never posted about "law day." The truth of the matter is that after 10 years of dreaming about being a lawyer, 3 years of law school, and almost 15 years of practice, I had never even HEARD of law day until I read about it on another post. If it was a huge deal, wouldn't someone have mentioned it somewhere along the way? I mean, at least Hallmark could have come up with a new greeting card. Happy Law Day to my favorite lawyer. Right, as if anyone has a "favorite" lawyer...well, except maybe my adoring husband and children. The law is good. It's important to have some law to maintain order. God gave the first law - don't eat the forbidden fruit followed centuries later by the 10 commandments. Those are some pretty basic laws. Now we have laws about everything - when and where you can talk on your phone, how fast to drive, what you can and cannot say about certain topics, etc. Ignorance of the law is no defense, so if you did not know that in Sycamore, Illinois it is illegal to eat green m&m's within 10 feet of the courthouse that is just too bad for you. Do I think there are too many laws? Yes, but that's another story for another day.

Anyway, I don't quite know why, but when I was about 13 or so I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer. I didn't know any lawyers. I had no lawyers in my family. None of my friends parents were lawyers. I hadn't seen any "law" shows on tv. (Which, by the way, is the WORST reason to go to law school. Being a lawyer is absolutely nothing like what is portrayed on tv.) I waivered occasionally, but always returned to the dream of the law. Then I went to law school. I loved the reading and writing...hated the brutal socratic method...loved essay exams...despised multiple choice. Hated property class since our "teacher" couldn't teach her way out of a hole. What "they" don't tell you before starting law school is that once you get past the first year, you are pretty much stuck. You are in debt enough that only a career as a lawyer will be able to pay back the monstrous loans that are fastly accruing. Well, theoretically anyway. Another delusion of "non-lawyers": all lawyers are rich. SO untrue. The only lawyers that are "rich" are the ones who are stuck in the law library of some big law firm doing menial research any first year student could do...and doing it 100+ hours per week. I have never been one of those "rich" lawyers. My friend Colleen's mom used to say, "Colleen, you are the poorest lawyer I know." That's more of the reality for most lawyers.

My delusion with the law is that somehow I could mesh lawyering with mothering. How did I know that lawyers don't like women with children trying to be lawyers. Oh it's all well and good if you can go to work and pretend you don't have any kids for 10 hours a day(this, of course, does not apply to male attorneys who can populate the earth without a thought or concern for their job). But for me, that's pretty much an impossibility as I discovered after I tried to return to work after baby #1. I had a somewhat decent gig for a while after that, but that is now just not happening. I can't commute 3 of the 5 hours I have a babysitter just to get some work that I'm getting sort-of paid for. Nor can I jump back into a firm because now I'm not a "partner" as anyone out of school for 15 years "should" be. I don't have $1million of transportable business either, so scratch that. I also did that daily grind for a really long time, and it just does not interest me. I LIKE working in my home office in my comfy clothes listening to my girls playing or reading in another room. I LIKE getting up at 5 or staying up until midnight to work so that I can spend time with them during the day. I'm pretty good at it, and I get a lot done. I'm also pretty good at being a lawyer even though it's not my most favorite thing at the moment.

So, now I find myself in the position of reinventing myself and my career. I have to work - if I didn't I'd be the happiest woman in West Dundee, Illinois. I've incorporated myself (Stikovich Legal Counsel, LLC) to allow myself to do a variety of different things - counsel corporations, represent corporations, participate in arbitrations are just a few things I'll be doing. But, I've got to think of some other "stuff" to pay the bills. My undergrad degree is in writing (which I love - especially of the technical variety). So it would be great to freelance somehow....

And going back to "law day" just one final note - not all lawyer are bad, crooks, liars, cheats, etc. In fact, most lawyers are just the opposite. Just like there's "bad seed" in banks, hospitals, corporations, there are bad lawyers. And just because you lose a case does not mean the lawyer is crooked or bribing the judge. If
you are accused of a crime - the prosecution probably has some evidence because if not the judge would throw it out. If the judge rules against you, it's not because the prosecution paid him/her off (prosecutors are the poorest of the poor lawyers, so they would not have the money....) And one more thought - if you ever do find yourself embroiled in a lawsuit, it will NOT be resolved in 40 minutes like you see in tv. It will take years. Yes, years. Usually at least 3 - sometimes more. Just don't be surprised.

Maybe I'll start a "Love your Lawyer on Law Day" line for Hallmark.....

2010-05-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

Ava: "Mom, have I ever had the chicken pox?"

Me: "No. You had a shot, so you probably will not get them."

Ava: "Well, Josh has not had the chicken pox. Miss Jilly had the chicken pox, so did Miss Jacki. Cami Koo-Koo has not had the chicken pox. She must have had vaseline."

{Miss Jacki = the girls sitter; Miss Jilly = Miss Jacki's daughter; Cami Koo-Koo = Miss Jilly's daughter; Josh = Miss Jacki's teenage son.}

Interrogation

2010-04-30T10:29:00.004-05:00

I am a lawyer. I ask questions for a living. I know that most 3 and 4 year olds can ask more questions in a day than an attorney asks in 5 years. (I am also a walking dictionary, but that is another post for another day.) I am in the third year of answering questions. Ava likes to talk. She starts as soon as she gets up in the morning and does not stop until she falls asleep. Sometimes she even talks in her sleep. I guess she has a lot to say. {My sister says it's payback because I talk a lot...anyone talks a lot compared to my sister.} So, putting together the questions with the non-stop talking, you can pretty much guess how my day goes. I must also add that Ava begins EVERY question with "Mom..." or "Mom...mom...momma...." or "Mom...can I ask you something?" She says "Mom" at least 1000 times per day. If she hasn't met her quota, around 8 p.m. or so she starts saying it a bunch of times in a row..."Mommy, mom, momma..." I also have to say "What?" or she repeats the "mom, etc." Here is a sampling of questions asked over the last few days:

When are you going to be 60?
When were you 16?
Why can we only breath on earth?
How many planets are there? Me: 9 Her: Well, Olivia says there are 8. A discussion of poor planet Pluto ensues. (She knows how many planets there are. This was a question to trick me, or just "filler." "Filler" is repeat questions when she doesn't have a new one or nothing pressing to say.)
What's the tallest mountain?
What's the smallest hill?
Why doesn't Jill-Jill have germs? (Jill-Jill = Auntie Jill. Ava made up the name "Jill-Jill" when she was about 1, and now that's what most of the nieces/nephews call her.)
Does God have germs?
Do Satan and his angels live in a lower part of heaven?
Why did angels go with Satan?
Is Satan a snake?
Why is Satan invisible?
Can we take a rocket to Neptune?
Is Jeni's baby coming out of "here" [pointing to the v-j-j]? Me: Yes, she will push out the baby. Her: You mean like this [grunting ensues]. Jeni = Auntie Jen Side-note - about a year ago, Ava was asking how babies "get out." I gave her an answer that I thought appropriate for a 3 y.o., but she did not accept it. "No, really. How?" So, I had her call Jill-Jill (a certified nurse midwife), who explained it with medical precision.
Does God have a body?
What does 'yoy' spell?
What does 'ajlkemi' spell?
Why are my eyes grey?
Why do earthworms live in the mud?
What would I do if I were an octopus?
Do you know what the biggest number is? 30569!
Will you be dead when you are 100?
When I grow up and go to court, will you drive me? I will sit in the back in the middle seat. Will you drive me to Costco, too?
Are there spiders in the Maui Rainforest?
Do you think that black spider is still under the couch?
Do all spiders bite? Do the spiders in the Maui Rainforest bite? Do tarantulas bite?
and the list goes on....

Yesterday she took a nap (she doesn't nap anymore, although the 2 hours of peace is enjoyable, the late night is not), so she didn't go to sleep until almost 11. She woke up at 12:30 to go potty - in our bathroom of course. After advising me that she was not going to flush the toilet, she says, "Did you know that there are 4 planets with rings?" And then I spent the next 1 1/2 hrs lying in bed trying to remember which planets actually had rings....on to the next day.

Coming tomorrow: my tribute to law day.

Beautiful second daughter

2010-04-29T18:07:00.002-05:00

If I wouldn't have seen her come out of me with my own eyes...I would never believe she's mine (from looking at her, at least). :) She's been saying to me, "I'm not a baby. I'm a girl." Sorry, but you'll always be my baby. (That is, unless her father changes his mind. . . .)

No more ringing in my ears

2010-04-18T21:20:00.000-05:00

God does sometimes like to bless us with "non-essentials." I am SO excited that we finally have a new tv! It doesn't even weigh 300 pounds like our former tv. Nor does it have a high pitched ringing that started a few weeks back. The only person more excited than me is my boy. He's spent the last day scanning for basketball so he could watch it in HD. Yes, we finally have an HD tv - flat screen.

The ringing started a few weeks ago - seriously. It gave me numerous headaches (and, no, our tv is not on all the time). I was thinking that maybe we'd use a little of our tax refund to get a small tv until we could afford a big one with all the bells and whistles that my boy dream[ed] of having. Adding to the mix is the fact that our awesome cable/tv/phone package expires in a few weeks, so we either had to convince our current company to give us something equally outstanding or go elsewhere. I ended up in a "chat" with a customer service rep from a company that provides all three. He didn't know what hit him. (This is why I love the on-line "chat." Take your time - can do it with kids screaming - can go to the bathroom if needed.) After 2 hours I had obtained new service AND a HUGE Visa reward card! Enough for a grand tv. Now, to make this even better, my boy (who had begun researching tvs before "v" even came out of my mouth when I mentioned the possibility that we may be able to get a really little new one) went to Costco to "get gas" during the cousin sleepover (more on that later). While "getting gas" he happened to see some tvs. Uh-oh....Costco accidentally put the wrong price on a really big tv. Not just a big tv (according to Michaela it's a "big huge tv," which is what she calls it), it has the really cool stuff he was looking for...the best pixels, the best screen, the best remote. (Well, just kidding on that last part.) So, our new tv is courtesy of Costco and our new cable/tv/internet provider. And, I thank God for blessing us with this because...well, He knows why.

Party at The Cozy House

2010-04-14T14:04:00.001-05:00

I recently stumbled across this blog party - looks like fun and a great way to find new blogs and new readers!

I am Amy, and I am a stay-at-home-mommy-part-time-lawyer. I have been married to my awesome husband for almost 6 years years. We have 2 girls ages 2 and 4. We like to do a lot of things, but most of all, we like to be COZY. Hence, the name of my blog. The girls love jammies, and they typically ask to change into jammies around 10 a.m. each day. Since I myself am a lover of all things cozy, I happily oblige...within reason.

I blog about a lot of different things - mostly tales of my girls. My 4 year old is quite verbose and says some pretty hilarious things. Check out the tale of Chicktable. Since I love to read (and recently discovered that I can get books for FREE to review), I'll be doing book reviews - fiction, non-fiction, kids books, Christian books, cook books, etc. I also occasionally blog about homeschooling, which will greatly increase since we start Kindergarten curriculum in the fall. I'm sure it will be an interesting adventure.

Prizes I would LOVE:

Toshiba Laptop (grand prize)
hand-stamped necklace (US6)
Goodie Basket for mom (US18)

I know there are a lot more great prizes, but it's happy-nappy time, so I must go.

Do you know where your fivehead is?

2010-03-28T21:56:00.001-05:00

So there I was, minding my own business. Peacefully lying on the couch with a flame shooting out of my ear (ear candling - it's amazing). Ava chose that moment to say what quite possibly is the funniest thing she has EVER said...well this week anyway. Now, Ava rambles. She asks me at least 500 questions a day. I think she says "mom" or "mama" at least 1000 times a day. Around 8 or so if she hasn't met her quota, she usually starts saying it 5 or 6 times in a row before asking or telling me what is weighing on her little 4 year old mind. But, I digress. As I was lying with a candle stuck in my ear...Jill sitting next to me to ensure that my hair did not catch on fire (or the couch for that matter), Ava was in the midst if a litany of questions and observations. Thrown in was, "Mom, where's your fivehead?" Of course, I was confused. "Huh?" She then pats the top of her head and says, "Is this my fivehead?" Still confused, "Huh??" She explains, "Well, this is your fourhead...." (pointing, of course, to her forehead.) Unfortunately, I was unable to laugh very hard at that point because: (1) I try not to laugh at her because I don't want to embarrass her and make her not want to come to me with her questions and (2) I was afraid that if my head was shaking, my hair would catch on fire.

Ava is a very logical kid. If you have a fourhead, why wouldn't you have a fivehead? or a twohead or three head for that matter. We were recently in Michigan visiting friends who have a daughter the same age as Ava. Like Ava, she's a little smarty pants. She does attend preschool, but advised me in no uncertain terms that although she does go to school, she does not NEED to go to school. She's the smartest one in the class...and the teacher's favorite. She and Ava were assisting with brownie making and assigned the task of stirring to the count of 10. Miss Smart says to Ava, "I can count to 1000!" Not to be outdone, Ava replies, "Well, I can count to 2010!" (Now, Ava constantly throws numbers at me asking if it is the biggest number ever. 2010 (twenty-ten) is a current favorite. I thought it was because of the year, but I was wrong.) Miss Smart says, "There is no 2010." Ava says, "Yes there is: 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 2010 (twenty-ten)!" No response. Soft laughter from me and Miss Smart's mommy. Later: reminder to Ava that 30 comes after 29. Days later: we counted to 2010 again. Another reminder that 30 comes after 29. "Mom, I know that but I like to shake things up." Seriously. She said that. She's still 4.

On to more religious things. Yesterday I was talking with Ava about Palm Sunday (today). We talked about what happened on Palm Sunday - the donkey, the palm branches, the shouts of Hosanna! Ava's question: "Were there fireworks?"

Not to be outdone by her big sister, Michaela has been exerting her...ummm...twoness. Her current favorite thing to do is to "throw back" things that Ava has said over the past 2 years of Michaela's life. For example, Ava gets a little car sick (no vomiting thank goodness) - especially when we go over little bumps or hills (as hilly as the flatland gets around here). She complains of a headache, I crack her window, she whines a little more, and all is well. Michaela has picked on this, so when we hit the aforementioned bumps, hills, etc., she says "Wheeeee!" Until a few days ago. We went over a little bump and I hear, "Mom. I have a headache! I sick!" and then laughter. Nice Michaela.

Ava also complains about Michaela talking or singing too loudly. (Of course, it is perfectly acceptable for Ava to sing at the top of her lungs while galloping around the house.) Today as I was trying to get them ready for church, Michaela voiced a complaint of her own: "Mom. Ava's chewing too loud."

Cupcake Day

2010-03-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well, the BIG DAY has finally arrived. Tomorrow is cupcake day. Cupcake day is the day we leave for Michigan. Named "cupcake day" because we marked the day on the calendar with a cupcake sticker. Yes, I made the mistake of telling Ava we were going to Michigan and have had to live through almost 2 1/2 weeks of "how many more days...." You would think that I would have learned something for the 4 week countdown to the big sleepover at Auntie Jill's. But, no, I did not. I just put a cupcake sticker on the day we leave, and we've been crossing of days ever since.

Much like the sleepover adventure, Ava packed her suitcase 3 days ago. This was after asking for several days if she could pack it. I kept telling her no - she tends to pack all of her underwear - and then she "got smart." Hmmmm.....let's use this cute little blonde-haired-blue-eyed girl..."Mom! Michaela wants to pack our suitcase for Michigan. Is that ok?" Well, if Michaela wants to, then go ahead. Earlier today I unpacked it to see exactly what she thought was important enough to take to Michigan:

8 pairs of pajamas, including her halloween bat pajamas and random pajama bottoms with no matching top
10 pairs of underwear ("in case I pee my pants")
1 pair of pants
4 shirts
a dinosaur (a tyranosaurus to be exact) + plastic dino eggs
a few large checkers
1 necklace
a plastic cell phone that has lipgloss inside ("so that I can look beautiful")
a dolphin beanie baby
a few random Littlest Pet Shop pets and pieces

Of course, there was absolutely nothing of Michaela's in the suitcase (except for the Littlest Pet Shop pieces). In addition to packing early, I been flooded with "When we go to Michigan can I bring...[cat cookies, gum, suckers, milk, nightgown that is far to big for her, etc., etc."

I hope this trip meets her expectations. And note to self: don't tell her in advance that we are going ANYWHERE!

Yep, she said that

2010-03-10T21:17:00.003-06:00

One of my main purposes of blogging is to try to keep track of the minutia I might otherwise forget. Such as:

Ava:

"Is my heart behind my left boob or my right boob?"
"Dad, your coffee is stupendous."
Ava completely obsessed with having a sleepover with her cousins. We had to create a calendar to count down the days. She planned the events for the evening and packed her suitcase 10 days in advance. What's even better than sleepovers in Ava-land? Going to Michigan in 7, make that 6 days.
asked daddy: "I know how Jesus gets into my heart, but how do we get into HIS heart?"
Ava is doing very well learning site words, as well as with her writing. Hopefully she'll be reading by summer.

Michaela:

M: "Woo Hoo!" Mommy: "Who taught you to say that?" M: "My mouth."
M can't make the "er" sound - she says "ee" as in "buttee"; "flowee"; "lettee"; etc. so cute

Bitee = diaper; bagee = garbage; prollaby = probably
She still teases me about my age...randomly looks at me and says "you 40" and laughs
loves Backyardigans and yells at me when I sing the theme song incorrectly
rolls her hands while singing the ABC song
The best, though, has to be her love of my cell phone. Last week she picked it up flipped it to the side (which causes the key board to come up) and told me she was "looking at the lettees." Then she starts tapping away, "I sending a text." This is now common. She picks up my phone, looks at me innocently as she taps away and says, "I'm texting." She actually CRIES when I won't let her have my phone: "I need to text!" (Michaela - you are 2. Who are you texting?)

What I'm reading this month

2010-03-10T21:09:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to read more now that the kids are only attached to me 22 hours a day instead of 24. Pete even bought me a clip-on book light so that I don't ruin my eyes...well any more than they are already ruined from a childhood of voracious reading, followed by a lit/writing major in college, and then 3 years of law school. Here's my current reading list, as I know you are MOST interested:

recently read:

Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt - I really liked this book a lot - even read during the Olympics
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner - an easy read with way too much gratuitous sex (which I define as completely unrelated to the plot and only exposes the writer's....well, I'll stop there).
The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond - well, don't you read cookbooks? Loved it. I'm going to actually buy it.

currently reading:

Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin - he spoke at our church; maybe I need a paradigm shift.
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
Crazy Love by Frances Chan - determined to finish this month

on my desk:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby - why? because my friend Flo started a blog & mentioned this title. it intrigued me.
Same Kind of Different as Me

We are headed to our vacation house in Michigan later this month, so I plan to sit and read while other people watch my kids.

I'm sorry. Did you say 9?

2010-02-16T21:49:00.008-06:00

This is Ava. Mommy loves her with all of her heart. Mommy does not love Ava's teeth. Ava likes to brush her teeth. A lot. Ava likes to use her "swish" (a/k/a Act kid's mouth rinse.) Ava even flosses every day...well almost every day. Ava visited the dentist not long ago...mommy discovered a broken tooth...or was it just a grossly misshapen tooth? Mommy hoped for the latter. Dentist #1 said Ava has 2 cavities and passed Ava along to a "pediatric" dentist. In December mommy took Ava to the "pediatric" dentist. This "pediatric" dentist would not let mommy go back with Ava. Mommy listened to Ava cry from the waiting room. Last night while reading a Mercer book called Going to the Dentist, Ava told mommy that the "man dentist" said, "If you don't stop crying, I'm going to knock out your tooth." Mommy's heart broke into little pieces. The "man dentist" told mommy that Ava had 4 cavities, and that she would need a gleaming silver crown on the broken tooth. Doesn't every 4 year old girl want a pirate tooth to go with her princess gowns and tiaras? The "man dentist" said that he would fix the cavities and give Ava her pirate tooth in 2 visits after administering "laughing gas." That made mommy laugh. In January mommy took Ava to a different dentist. Dr. Nice Lady said that the "man dentist" did not take the x-rays properly. That is why Ava was crying. The x-rays were blurry. Dr. Nice Lady said she was pretty sure there were 4 cavities. Dr. Nice Lady and mommy decided that the best course of action would be for Ava to take a nice nap while the cavities were filled. Dr. Nice Lady also said that she does not give children pirate teeth. Mommy was happy. Last Tuesday mommy and Auntie Jill took Ava to Dr. Nice Lady to have her cavities filled. Auntie Kelly's friend administered the stinky sock mask that helped Ava take a little nap. Mommy and Auntie Jill waited...and waited...and waited. After an hour, Dr. Nice Lady's helper came out to talk to mommy. She showed mommy the new x-rays that Dr. Nice Lady had taken and began to point to spots. Mommy lost count. There were...let's see...nine cavities. Yes, nine...9...nueve. Mommy could not understand how one could get 9 cavities. Ava's only had these teeth for about 2-3 years. She even brushes her teeth! Mommy brushes Ava's teeth, too! Apparently Ava has icky bacteria in her mouth that makes her more prone to cavities. After two hours Ava was done. Her teeth were fixed. Now Ava brushes and swishes 3 times a day. Mommy and daddy hope the second teeth are much stronger than the baby teeth. This is Ava after she REALLY woke up from anesthesia.

Olympics 2026

2010-02-16T21:39:00.003-06:00

This is Michaela. "I like ice skating!" She declared last night while watching the pairs long program. She then proceeded to get off of the couch, where she was snuggling so sweetly with mommy, to demonstrate her jumping prowess. She even lifted her leg and jumped on one foot. She's only 2, so she did need to hold on to the table to complete this very difficult trick. Something was missing...what could it be....ahhhh, yes. "I need my skating boots. I be right back." She declared with the confidence only a potential Olympic champion could exude. She returned. "Dese are my skating boots. Jill-Jill gave them to me." She put on her boots and completed her routine.

Chicktable

2010-02-04T06:00:00.012-06:00

I was looking through old blog posts - searching for a post about the saga of Chicktable to link to my facebook status. Could it really be that I've never blogged about Chicktable? Ava - my new 3 year old exploring the depths to which her strong will could take her, decided that she would go on the potty when SHE wanted to - not a moment sooner. Yes, she held her pee for 6 hours when I would not let her have a diaper or pull-up. She sat on the little potty and did the pee-pee dance because she was absolutely NOT going to pee anywhere but where SHE wanted to go. Eventually, it came out. One day, I decided that perhaps it was better to let her decide when she wanted to go on the potty. After all, I didn't want to be cleaning accidents. I eased up and maybe 2 days later she woke up and declared that she was now ready to pee on the potty. We've been relatively accident free since - nights included. (Excluded: daddy making her laugh uncontrollably resulting in the unfortunate drippage that many women experience.) Now, we still had the poop issue to deal with. Most with little kids know that for some reason pooping on the potty can be viewed as a very tragic event. Is this a party of my body? Where is it going? Etc.,etc. Ava wanted a fish, so I created a sticker chart. If she pooped on the potty 10 times (which for her would be over the course of about 12-15 days), then she would get a fish. She did it rather quickly and off to Petco we went.

CHICKTABLE I

What a lovely fish. Yes, I let her pick it. I wanted the strong male - she picked this female. Being an awesome consultant parent, I let her get it to discover the natural consequences of choosing the "less healthy" of the fish. (I've had a few betas - all male - lived several years.) She was beyond thrilled. I instructed her on all aspects of fish care, including the most important: don't stick your fingers in the bowl. Don't touch the fish. Because we had a little one crawling around and climbing, I thought that the safest place for our new family member would be the upstairs bathroom. I was wrong. Chicktable I was quite dirty after his trip from Petco to our home. So, my dear little Ava decided that it was time for a bath. I was downstairs nursing Michaela (note to moms with a new 2nd baby - this is when most naughtiness occurs), I heard some noise upstairs...assumed she was playing. Never assume. Ava came downstairs and announced that she had given Chicktable a bath. Ava, the fish is in water. It does not need a bath. Indeed, she had taken a small washcloth and swished it around in the water. Or so I thought. Chicktable I survived approximately 3 hours after her bath. Nose first in the lovely lavender rocks on the bottom of the bowl. Confession is good for the soul, and I later learned that Chicktable had actually been removed from the bowl and given a tender scrubbing.

CHICKTABLE II

Back to Petco we went. I have no pictures of Chicktable II as he was not long for this world either. Taken by ick. No more fish from Petco.

CHICKTABLE III

This time, I will go to Petsmart. For some reason this always seemed to me to be the higher quality of the 2 Pet stores. Maybe because it has "smart" in the name. This time I picked the fish. A nice strapping male that had just arrived in the store. Chicktable III sits in my office so I can keep track of him. Ava comes in several times a day to feed her fish, talk to him about the wonders of the world and so forth. Chicktable has had many birthdays. In fact, I was told just a few days ago that it is his birthday in 39 days. Alas, I fear he will not make it. I came downstairs this morning to find this: Now, this fish "plays dead" on a pretty regular basis. It likes to just float or sleep on the bottom of the bowl. Now he's actually floating sideways...hmmm..... I've tapped the bowl and he does swim around. His swimming is sort of crooked - slightly bent. Can't quite figure it out. He was perfectly fine yesterday. He's been fed, talked to, etc., etc. Yep. just checked - floating again. Maybe I'll just leave him alone....Like I said, they just don't make betas the way the used to. Mine lived for years. This one has lasted just over 8 months. Should I flush him before she gets up? To be continued....chicktable 4?

*************************

Update: Chicktable is still with us. He floated on his side for the better part of that gloomy Thursday...the dead fish float. Ava talked to him & hugged the bowl. A short time later, Chicktable was back to swimming and doing whatever else it is that fish do to pass the time.

...and I'm 40...

2010-01-13T06:11:00.001-06:00

Yep. I'm 40 now. Nothing different....except I am wearing the delightful Coco Chanel given to me by my husband. So excited about that.

And I'm going to be 40....

2010-01-11T11:54:00.003-06:00

"And I'm going to be 40....When? Someday...It's just sitting there like this big dead end. And its not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73." That line has been running through my head for weeks. I cannot believe my "someday" is tomorrow. I feel like at midnight my ovaries and uterus will shut down. Hopefully I'll make it through the day with minimal crying.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T19:10:00.003-06:00

I posted a video of pictures taken Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, our trip to Michigan, and New Years Day. I've been keeping busy with work, hence my blogging time is limited. The girls are great. Michaela is speaking quite well. She sings constantly - her current favs are the ABC song (sing it like "this" - rolling your hands in front of you); Away in a Manger; and Jesus Loves Me. She loves her big sis and tries to do everything she does. She has taken to calling me Mammia - not quite sure why. She occasionally calls Pete "daddia," as well. Of course she's a total daddy's girl. Last night we were upstairs and she asked me for water. I told her if she wanted water she needed go downstairs to get it. (We had just gone upstairs, and I asked her before we went up if she wanted water. She said no, so I wasn't being mean. :) ) I hear her yell from the top of the steps something to the effect of "daddy, I need water." Now that is not going downstairs to get it. She came back in the room, and I asked her if she went to get her water. She said, "Pete's getting it for me." I said, "what?" She repeated, "Pete's getting it for me." Sure enough, about a minute later daddy came running up the stairs with her water. How can you resist the blonde curls and big blue eyes? The other day she told me that she wanted to be called Alexei (one of her middle names). Not Michaela. Alexei. Fortunately that was short lived, and she's back to Michaela...or Kiki. Ava is Ava. She's very busy. No more naps. :( poor mommy. She loves to pretend and play with Little People, her dollhouse, and the little princesses Grandma Nancy/Grandpa Russ got her for Christmas. We'll try to update more often!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-05T11:03:00.002-06:00

2009-11-27T21:35:00.003-06:00

Yeah, so I have time to keep changing my blog background, but not to type a decent post. I'll get there... :) Michaela turns 2 on Tuesday. She is having a "doo-doo party." Doo-doo = dog. Michaela loves dogs. Michaela is allergic to dogs. Poor kid. She is into saying "no," and this evening, she inexplicably started calling me "momia" and Pete "dadia" (as in mom-ee-uh). Ava thinks she looks like a boy because she got a short haircut. It was not my intention to have it cut that short. It happened. At least she's only 4. A lesson to learn early - hair always grows back. (well, unless you are Ava's daddy)

It's all work...

2009-11-13T07:35:00.005-06:00

Working is a good thing, I guess. It puts money in the bank and keeps us a little saner and less worried. It also makes me so busy that I have little time for blog maintenance. I've cut back on my blog reading, too. What seemed fun at first is now just a little annoying. Who do these bloggers think they are, telling me what products I should buy...ha ha . The paid ads are a little annoying, too. Some of the products reviewed were given for free - my opinion is if you couldn't afford it yourself to begin with, then you shouldn't be reviewing it and telling others to buy it. I've culled my list of "blogs I read," and left only the ones I really like. Most are by my friends who are going through way more trying times than I am. Please check out Grace for the Journey and pray for my friend Adrienne and her family. Maybe this weekend I'll get an hour to update on the girls....Michaela is a word wizard now. The best is probably calling Ava a beast when Ava is being...well, Ava. Let's just say that the "sharing" lessons have not kicked in. Michaela is a great sharer, Ava...not so much. I do love watching them wrestle, though. Who needs boys! Here are some pictures from Ava's 4th birthday (butterfly party @ jill-jill's house...jill's birthday, too) and halloween.

Yes, there will be updates....

2009-11-08T20:51:00.004-06:00

To my throngs of readers...I will update soon. I've been really busy with work, which is a good thing. Means more money for buying things like food, heat, gas....

Dog feeder

2009-10-11T12:15:00.001-05:00

Michaela has been disciplined countless times for playing in the dog food, eating the dog food, carrying the dog food around the house. She's been doing this for months. At first she would sit in the bathroom and watch Kammie eat - trying a few nibbles for herself. Then she started opening the cabinet to get to the dog food to fill the dish (removing the "lock" had had on the door to get into it - so much for childproofing....). She has progressed to carrying the dog food to another room in the house - presumably to hid from me - and holding it while Kammie eats. Sometimes she holds the food in her hand...sometimes she just holds the dish. I finally gave up on the whole disciplining thing. I mean really, who does it hurt? My initial concern was the dog biting her or something, but it seems Kammie really likes it. She's also allergic to dogs. Poor kid. She gets hives if she gets licked. But, she's really cute, loves animals, and insists that it's her job to feed the dog. One less thing I need to do, I guess.

Tom's - fall fun

2009-10-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday the cousins spent some quality fall time at Tom's farm. They had a ball running through hay-stacks, playing in corn, and seeing the animals. The apple cider donuts were pretty good, too. Pictured: Ava, Michaela, Zachary, Brooklyn, Anthony, Jack, and Cami (A&M's babysitter's granddaughter; A,Z&B's babysitter's daughter.)

Good news!

2009-09-28T11:19:00.001-05:00

Ava's lab results are back, and she is fine. Her hemoglobin is within the normal range. Hurrah! She still needs to eat better and take her vitamin, but at least she's OK.

Glad the week is over

2009-09-26T20:54:00.005-05:00

I'm almost 2 weeks post wisdom-teeth removal, and it's getting better day by day. I wish I could make my blog title show up on the picture I picked to add more pizazz. Cest la vie. (oh, and that picture is from last year in case you are wondering....) My poor little picky-eater Ava. She's anemic...at least that's what we think. We are waiting for lab results. Her hemoglobin is really low. She had blood drawn yesterday, and we'll get the results on Monday. This is the MOST obnoxious thing: my pediatrician's office REFUSES to do a finger stick in the office because my insurance company is contracted with a lab for all lab work. OK. So, you are telling me that I have to take my baby to a lab, hold her down while a tech sticks a needle in her arm to draw blood to tell me whether she has a low hemoglobin. And THEN when you find out it is low, you are going to send me back to hold my baby down again for another needle stick to run more tests? Ummm...I do not think so. My former pediatrician did this right in her office...with my same insurance. (Unfortunately, she's like an hour from me, so the travel got to be a bit much.) You see, all that is needed for the first test is a finger stick, a drop of blood, and putting it in a small machine for a quick-read result. My sister did it for me (yay Auntie Jill!) and it took about 30 seconds. I CANNOT believe that the pediatrician can't just stick the kids finger for a drop of blood and include it in the regular office visit charge. I'm not dumb - I do work for insurance companies, so I KNOW that they are not going to deny a claim because you stuck a kids finger for a blood sample. It's all in how you code it. If it's coded as a well check-up, and you happen to do this procedure as part of the well check-up, it will be paid. But, unfortunately, this doc likes to nickel and dime. A few months back I got a $6.00 bill for a urine bag that my insurance apparently wouldn't cover. $6.00 for a urine bag? and you billed me after I spent maybe $150 in co-pays in a 3 week period? You are kidding me. (Please know that I do like and trust the doctors, which is why I put up with their billing insanity...for now. I also have siblings and parents who can provide medical advice, so I don't rely on the peds alone....) We still haven't decided what to do about the Awana drama this past week. We did get an e-mail saying that parents CANNOT take their kids out of the room and then bring them back. Ummm...hello? Isn't that they whole reason why parents have to stay within shouting distance of the Cubbies activities to begin with? (We aren't allowed to leave the building during Cubbies.) Do you really want a kid in the room yelling "STOP SINGING YOU ARE HURTING MY EARS!"

This and that

2009-09-22T20:56:00.004-05:00

I really wish I had something earth-shattering or witty to say, but, I don't. I've been pretty busy and trying to work a lot lately, but here's the latest happenings: * I had my 2 lower wisdom teeth pulled last Tuesday. Today I took my first vicodin. Ahhh...very nice. :) Pete had his popcorn stuff all last week, so he was out late most nights. Hence, I stuck with Motrin, as I was worried that the vicodin would make me very sleepy...it did. * Ava has started her terrible 2 tantrums...um, Ava, you are 4 now. We don't do that! Ava yells out the window, "I'm 4 and I know it...know it...know it." She is also OBSESSED with ants. Is there sugar in this peanut butter? cracker? sucker? milk? What if milk is on my lip, will the ant try to get it? We will now be adding science curriculum to 4 y.o. preschool at Stikovich Christian Preschool - beginning with ants and spiders. I may even get an ant farm. ha ha. * Michaela is very chatty. She's a parrot. "Spwowt Pwease!" "P-uh-wease!!" now answers "yeah" when I ask her questions. Ripped up Pinkalicious...again. At least it was a page I had already taped. Got up on Grandpa's lap the other day with a book and said, "Granpa...read.the.book." *Mommy: "Michaela - WHAT are you eating?" Michaela: "do do food." {do - do = dog.} Yes, she is the self-appointed carer of the dog (dogs when my parents dog came for a visit). Oh, it's just so adorable to watch her getting food for the dog...playing in the dog water...feeding Kammie food one nugget at a time...sitting on the floor with a box of bones feeding them to Kammie one bone at a time.... *Ava standing in my office door with an odd expression: "I'm peeing my pants right now. I just didn't know." You didn't know you had to pee? Ummm you are 4 and didn't you know that I wrote a post just a few days ago about how you haven't really had any accidents? Well, at least she had on the thick gerber training pants so no pee got on the floor. *I'm addicted to my slow cooker. Yesterday I made not 1 but 2 soups! One for dinner last night (chicken spaghetti soup) and 1 for Pete's lunch and dinner today (spiced lentil soup from a Prevention Slow Cooker book I picked up at Target the other day). Of course my jaw hurts, so I'm not eating well these days. I made the 2d soup and set it on low for 10 hours around 7 last night. By my calculations, it would switch to the "warm" setting around 5 a.m., Pete was leaving at 6:30 a.m., could get what he wanted for lunch (I even left him a tupperware dish AND a cup to get it out of the crock ... oh yeah, I so rocked Proverbs 31 last night...even made him ham sandwiches, apples and string cheese to go with the soup) and then turn off the crock. I came down around 8 this morning - soup smelled good - totally no burn smell...what do I see but the tupperware container empty. Hmmmm....what happened? Did he forget? I mean, it was sitting right in front of his pill dish (yeah, he's an old man). Then I lifted the lid and saw the desert that the top of my soup had become. Crap. Wait. Maybe if I stir it....presto. Stirred it, added a can of beef broth...put it in the fridge and hubby declared it delish at dinner. Me - I had Campbells tomato soup-to-go because I wore out my jaw yelling at kids today. Did I say yelling? I mean calmly talking to.....

The Birthday

2009-09-18T09:06:00.003-05:00

Ava had a great day yesterday. (Check out pics here.)When she woke up I sang happy birthday to her. She said, "Is today my birthday?" and started bouncing up and down on her bed when I confirmed that, indeed, it was September 17. (The day before she said - "Is my birthday after this day's night?") She then stood up on her bed and said to me: "Am I bigger?" Definitely. We had cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa for breakfast; went to story time at Barnes & Noble and picked up Purplicious (the sequel to Pinkalicious); had lunch at Cici's Pizza - her fav mac-n-cheese pizza; took a birthday nap; had cousins, grandpa, Auntie Kelly, Auntie Jen, Miss Jacki and crew for dinner/cake. A great day. When she woke up from her nap she said, "Am I still 4?" Yes, Ava. "I'm not 3 anymore - right?" To say that she loved her easel would be an understatement. Her summary: This is the best birthday EVER!

1st Birthday 2d Birthday

3rd Birthday 4th Birthday

Happy Birthday Ava

2009-09-17T00:01:00.006-05:00

September 17, 2009 Dear Ava, 4 years ago today my prayers were answered. I prayed for 35 years for you...well maybe not all 35 years, but since I was old enough to realize that I wanted kids. And then through 4 years of college, 3 years of law school, and almost 10 years of lawyering, wondering if...when...my prayer for a child would be answered. (Of course, my prayer for a husband was answered about a year and a half before you were born.)

{it's a faint line, but it's there! HURRAY!}

September 17...your daddy & I planned the date of your birth. Your auntie Jill was there the whole time (well, except for when she had office hours...the key contraction time and she WOULD NOT let me get an epidural until she got back). Your strong-willed nature that was evident throughout my pregnancy was even more demonstrated at your birth. You DID NOT want to come out! A vacuum was involved, but that's another story. {your strong will was later exhibited - earlier this year actually - when you REFUSED to go on the potty until YOU wanted to..."going on the potty is not for me!" And then the next day you trained yourself. Nary an accident since....well almost anyway}

These last 4 years have been such a joy. Your strong will and stubbornness have taught me even more patience. You are precocious - speaking in sentences since you were just over a year...you speak like you are 20. I love that about you. I love your questions - even when I don't know the answer. You are teaching yourself how to write, which is just so awesome. We are working on reading, too...we'll get there. I am so excited to homeschool you...what a great adventure.

You are so sweet - I think about how when you see commercials on tv, you always ask to get the toys for one of your cousins (naming the particular one) - never for yourself. You love your little sister (even though you tried to hit her a few times when she was a little baby). She adores you. She looks up to you and tries to be like you. You have a genuine concern for others - something not many people have. I need to have more of that myself. I can learn from you.

You love: drawing (ava: "who's the greatest artist?" mommy: "YOU are!" ava: big smile); apples; mac-and-cheese; mac-and-cheese pizza from Cici's; butterflies (declared a butterfly at the butterfly house your "sweetheart" - constantly concerned about your "sweetheart's" well-being and hoping it didn't die on the ground like other butterflies you saw); chicktable! (your fish prize for pooping on the potty...chicktable 1 died due to a bath you gave - I'm sure it was the washcloth that did it; chicktable 2 died due to ick; chicktable 3 is alive and swimming....); gum; crackers - especially little saltines with butter; swimming; the color blue (although recently you like pink and purple); music (yeah!); using big words...the bigger the better. If you don't have a big word to describe a situation, you make one up. That is the best.

drawing....

reading....

You do NOT like: bugs. vegetables (except freshly picked cherry tomatoes and celery...I've told you you have to pick 4 vegetables to eat by the time you turn 4). wearing pajamas to bed - you love pajamas, just not wearing them in bed. You must be in your "skin," which you've assumed is an acceptable article of clothing since you were about 2. "I'll just wear my skin."

Third birthday breakfast at Mimi's.

Someday you'll read this letter....know that your mommy loves you...adores you...thanks God for every day with you.

"Look at the really silly face I can make!"

All of my love, mommy

Apples, Apples, Apples, Apples

2009-09-13T16:37:00.002-05:00

While reading this post, you must sing "apples, apples, apples, apples" to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." That is the song Michaela made up after visiting Royal Oak Farm/Orchard yesterday. We had a great time...even though they didn't have the very delicious honey crisp apples. We'll have to wait a few more weeks for those. A few highlights: * apple cider donuts * getting the best.smile.ever. from Ava while riding the little train she was SO excited to ride * Michaela saying "apples" instead of "cheese" when I started taking pictures of them picking apples (she did that on her own...no prompting) * picking a peck of johnny mac apples - even though I was ordered by Ava not to make applesauce * Ava eating 2 apples while at the orchard ("mom - this is a healthy food, right?") * car picnic at Sonic (Ava's new favorite treat) - Ava declared it "awesome" Here's some pictures (click on the collage to make it larger):

Slow cooking

2009-09-09T10:58:00.006-05:00

I love my slow cooker a/k/a crock-pot. I try to use it as much as possible - especially in the winter. Pete loves it, too. We do stews, soups, roasts, bbq chicken, etc. I just found this really cool website/blog written by a lady who cooked in her slow cooker every day in 2008. She has a cookbook coming out in October, which I'm sure I'll be getting. (I also love cookbooks and read them like "regular" books.) The site is cool because she describes the recipe and whether or not her family liked it. Funny thing is, I just realized that I actually saw her on Rachael Ray last year. I just don't remember her mentioning that she had a blog. I'm excited to try it! I may even post a few recipes here if they work out. Tonight is the first night of Awana, so I'll be trying the crockpot lasagna. How bad can that be? (to quote another of my favs - Barefoot Contessa) Have I mentioned that I love to cook? **************************************************** UPDATE: The lasagna was very yummy. I used: 1 jar barilla sweet pepper sauce; 1 container part-skim; reduced fat ricotta cheese; shredded carrot; sauteed swiss chard; 2 links turkey sausage; mozzarella cheese; oregano; garlic powder. Put a few spoonfuls in the bottom of the crock, and start layering. When you get to the top, fill your sauce jar about 1/2 way full with water, shake to get all of the tomato sauce bits and pour over the top. I added fresh parsley & basil to the top right before serving. (Thanks jen's garden.)I cooked it on high and it was done in about 3 1/2 hours.

My kids

2009-09-07T22:03:00.006-05:00

One purpose for this blog is so that I can keep track of things my girls say (things that I find very adorable, and of course I am not biased at all) Here's a few recent things: Today we were outside and Michaela kept saying "hot dog. hot dog." The girl has never eaten a hot dog in her whole 21 months of existence, so I could not figure out why she was asking me for a hot dog. We came in the house and she says, "hot dog. fifi." Fifi = t.v. Light bulb came on: She wanted to watch the Hot Dog Dance which is at the end of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Now, the kid ONLY likes the theme songs for tv shows. She could care less about what comes in between the opening song and the closing song. Except of course for "pat pat" she loves counting and yelling "Bas off!" (That's Little Einsteins in case you are totally out-of-it when it comes to kids tv) The other totally cute thing she does is play hide and seek. She "covers" her eyes and says, "One...twooo....sick" then yells something and runs off looking for "sis." "Where she go?" (oh, and sick = six) I did count with her the other day and she made it to ten. Not too bad. Now my little darling Ava spent the last 2 nights at Jill-Jill's house with her cousins. (Steve & Kelly are in Florida.) Today Jill tells me that at 6:30 a.m. Ava came into her room, handed her her underpants and said, "these are wet." Ava has not wet the bed in, well, ever. For those of you thinking, "oh, you are so lucky she doesn't wet the bed," this child was in no way interested in potty training until January of this year when she went to "school." She was 3 years and 4 months old. And she pooped in her pants until June. So, I think having consistently dry nights is a pretty fair trade for a 3 year old saying "going on the potty is not for me." In any event, later in the day I asked Ava if she wet her pants. She said, "On this day's night? Yes, I did." I said, what happened? She said, "I just don't know. I woke up and found myself naked in the bed. Then I found my underpants on the floor and they were wet." I said, "Well, did you pee in the bed?" Her response, "No. I just tooted a little." My guess is she got up to go and didn't quite make it in time. That happens to little girls...big girls, too...unless they do their kegels.

Butterfly House...again

2009-09-07T13:46:00.006-05:00

This time daddy, the cousins & Auntie Jill joined us. The Butterfly House closes for the season on September 13, so we probably won't get there again until the spring. After the "house," we went to McDonald's for lunch. Pete's trying to pretend he's not with us..... It's Ronald!

Sleepy girl

2009-09-05T13:15:00.001-05:00

So...tired. Must.sleep.now. Can't make it to couch....

Ava helped her out.

Pinkalicious

2009-09-04T13:17:00.002-05:00

One of Ava's favorite books is Pinkalicious - a Christmas gift from my Aunt Jan & Uncle Ray. We've read it countless times. Yesterday during "rest time" she pulled out the book and started reading it to herself. About half way through, I picked up the camera and started recording. Of course, she spotted me and then wanted me to record her "reading" the whole thing. Both versions are posted on youtube in my account ("lawmommy2") or you can access by clicking under "Mamastiks Movies" to the right. It's hilarious because she was trying to read with drama. The kid is not lacking in the self-confidence department. She draws constantly and yesterday started saying to me: "Who's the greatest artist?" Of course my response had to be "You are!" On another comical/dramatic Ava note - yesterday she came running up to me and says, "Mom! A HORRIBLE thing has happened! Come quick!" The horrible thing: Michaela colored on the glass of the entertainment center with glass. I guess that is horrible in the mind of a 3 year old.\ Happy Labor Day Weekend.

In Daddy We Trust.....

2009-09-01T15:42:00.002-05:00

One of the many magazines I read is Family Fun. It often has some cute craft ideas, so I like it. One tip in a recent magazine was from a mom who uses daddy money to encourage her kids to get ready for school on time. Her kids are older (pre-teens, I think), so they use it for things like sleep-overs, bonfires, and other "treats." That got me thinking.... I really need to start something like that for Ava. She doesn't need the real money yet, but fake money would be great. She'll earn her daddy dollars by doing her schoolwork, cleaning up her toys/room, kindness, and overall good behavior. She will most likely be spending all of her dollars on episodes of Little Einsteins (the show de jour). I've never had a problem with my kids watching TV. It has been my experience that watching has really increased her vocabulary (Ava's been talking in sentences since well before 12 months). I do monitor what she watches and limit it, but this will make watching The Glass Slipper Ball a little more enjoyable.

Books

2009-08-31T11:36:00.003-05:00

We love to read. I've loved reading since I was a kid, and I wish that I had more time to devour novels like I used to. I went to a Usborne party at my friend's over the weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting a few new books for the kids. (I'm hosting a party at my house in October, so be sure to leave a comment or e-mail me if you'd like an invite.) I want to share some of our favorite books, but I don't want to take too much room on this blog page. So, I started a second blog that just has a list of books. You can actually click on the book to find it at Amazon (and if you buy it, I get credit toward more books). You can never have too many books, right? :) (My husband would answer that differently than I would....) So, look to your right and you'll find a link that says read. Click it (or click here) and you'll be connected to our little library.

How many times....

2009-08-30T09:09:00.005-05:00

I'm sitting at the kitchen table exhausted after only 3 hours of sleep thanks to Ava waking up screaming just minutes after I fell asleep around 11...I went to her room to find her bouncing up and down on her bed crying...had to pee...bad. I took her to the bathroom and went back to bed. From there I stared at the clock and watched the minutes click away until I finally went downstairs to catch up on some quality Food Network programming that I had recorded. So, now I am a huge grump, cursing this stupid laptop that I'm using because the cursor keeps jumping into the middle of the paragraph and typing in the wrong spot. The kids won't listen and it makes me wonder how many times I will say the following over the next few years: Ava: "stop jumping on the couch [or bed]" "I didn't ask you if you HAD to go potty. I said go. potty. NOW!" "crackers is not a food group" "stop doing gymnastics on the couch" "stop drinking the bathwater. that's disgusting" Michaela: "get out of the dog food" "stop eating the dog food" "stop feeding the dog" notice a theme here? "stop drinking the bathwater. that's disgusting" Overall they are very good girls. I just wish they would listen to me a little more often. Not to get too deep early in the morning, but many times as I'm yelling at them..."HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU....."I think to myself, that's just how God must feel about correcting me....hmmmm..... Now maybe someone will go get me some Starbucks.

Extreme Fort

2009-08-27T15:56:00.002-05:00

While we are waiting for the gopher wood to build our ark, we thought we'd start with an extreme fort. (for those of you who don't live near me - it's been raining for about 48 hours straight) HOPEFULLY this will keep the girls entertained for the night because I am tired. They've requested "mix bowl"*, Olivia (or "hollalia" in M speak), Little Einstein Instrument Fairies, and I'm trying to talk them into a movie that lasts longer than 20 minutes and does not include "clap clap," "blastoff," or nukker holes. Can't wait until they are old enough for Anne of Green Gables, or Little House on the Prairie. My dear boy scout is at his 4th straight night meeting...at least he provides us with entertainment when he's here(and not reading up on the latest peat discovery and how it affects scotch made in 1743).

*Mix bowl: a delightful concoction of cheez-its, goldfish, TJ's cat cookies, little saltines, oyster crackers ("octagon crackers" in Ava-speak) jelly bellies, and whatever else I happen to throw in. This started last week when I made a floor fort and didn't have popcorn. I said, well I just mixed some things together in this bowl. Hence, we have mix bowl. Oh, and it must be served in my wooden salad bowl.

What's happening

2009-08-25T14:25:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd update with what we are doing around here: I just finished making/canning my first blueberry jam. Apparently I need more blueberries because I only got 2 jars. Well, 2 12 oz jars. Guess I should have read the directions before buying the biggest jars I found. Hopefully they'll seal properly. Then I will be confident enough to buy more fruit. Ava has advised me that although she loves blueberries, she does not like blueberry jam. Michaela is running full speed ahead into the "terrible twos." She enjoys high-pitch screaming, hitting, saying no, and screaming a little more. On a brighter note, she's figured out how to say "help," which is nice. Please, help, no, mine, sis, spank, no hit, no bite, no throw.....love that kid. Ava enjoys talking to herself, making up games, playing with her invisible friends (no names), playing with sis, holding her pee until the absolute last possible moment, eating crackers, figuring out what letter words start with, gallopping around the house, drawing, and planning her 4th birthday party. Today she prayed and thanked God for Adam & Eve...and thank you for God, too.

New background

2009-08-23T20:22:00.002-05:00

So, maybe I'm just a wee bit early for fall, but I love fall, and we have had such fall-like weather here in the midwest. I thought I'd change it now so I can enjoy it for a while. I'm sure I'll probably change it in a month or so to a new fall background.

Videos

2009-08-23T15:41:00.001-05:00

I posted a few videos that I created a while back using one true media. My membership expires later this week, so I wanted to grab the "premium" versions while I could. I also ordered my free dvd, so maybe the girls will want to watch something other than Little Einsteins (the current favorite...so long Dragon Tales. Woo Hoo!) A big shout out to my buddy J.S. b/c I know he's reading my blog and will sit and watch the videos. ha ha.

Christmas 2007

2009-08-23T15:40:00.001-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Summer 2007

2009-08-23T15:30:00.001-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Life from my wedding through summer 2007

2009-08-23T15:26:00.002-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A's art

2009-08-20T15:31:00.001-05:00

A few of our favorite things....

2009-08-19T09:20:00.007-05:00

1. My Keurig coffee maker 2. The dream cream that is relieving M's eczema! (lush handmade cosmetics) 3. McDonald's diet coke 4. Trader Joe's cat cookies 5. Bath & Body Works lemon kitchen soap 6. The Well-Trained Mind (a great homeschooling book) 7. The Butterfly House @ Peck Farm 8. Costco 9. Fage greek yogurt 10. Randall Oaks petting zoo

The great mysteries of life

2009-08-17T18:32:00.005-05:00

1. Why Ava can eat a McDonald's chicken nugget with no problem, but gags (and throws up) any other type of chicken nugget. 2. Why Ava's fish plays dead. 3. Why Michaela plugs her ears when she sings. 4. Why Ava will eat fries but not mashed potatoes. 5. Why Ava will pick a tomato and eat it whole, but won't eat one that I cut up for her and put on top of pasta. 6. Why people are so stinkin' mean. 7. Why McDonald's diet coke is so good. 8. Why every time I tickle Michaela's arms I have to sing "baa baa black sheep." I'm sure I'll think of more when I'm done singing baa baa black sheep.

The deer show

2009-08-15T20:01:00.004-05:00

There are deer that live in some woods near our house. They often come to eat off of the crabapple trees right behind our back fence. Tonight we had a good deer show. There's a 10 point buck that visits quite often. I never knew how important this was until I married a man from Michigan - prime hunting grounds. Fortunately, he does not hunt, although he did tell me tonight that that deer has a "prize rack." Hmmm.....that's what he used to tell me.... I posted a few videos on you tube; you can find them by clicking on my movie link to the right. What we didn't get on video was Michaela's excitement about seeing the deer. She was bouncing up and down in Pete's arms making faces and yelling "do doos eat apples! do doos eat apples!" <"do doos" = deer.>

I'm not in my room...

2009-08-15T13:24:00.002-05:00

Last night Pete was praying with me before bed...Ava was lying in our bed watching tv. In the middle of Pete's prayer, Ava started praying. Dear God. Thank you for this day. something about blessings...some other things I forgot because the next part cracked me up so much.... "Oh, God? I'm not in my room. I'm here in mommy and daddy's bed watching the Good Night Show...." and then went on with her prayer. Amen.

Butterfly House...again

2009-08-13T14:00:00.004-05:00

...because it's one of our favorite places to be.... Ava loves naming the butterflies. Today they even had a few just breaking out of cocoons.

Today Michaela was freaked out by the fan that blows to get the butterflies off of you lest they leave the house. So, she was pretty content to just sit on a bench.

We have a nukker hole!

2009-08-12T11:08:00.008-05:00

Ava's imagination is currently on overdrive. She's VERY into "self play" and talks to herself, her little people, her dolls, etc. for hours on end. She makes up games, does voices, and is just a riot to listen to...as long as she does not know you are listening. If she notices you are listening, or if you make a comment about what she's doing, she gets really embarrassed and stops playing. Currently her favorite show is Dragon Tales. Generally her "favorites" rotate on a monthly basis, but this one has stuck around for a while. A few days ago the "tree people" from the Village cut down the tree across the street. That provided at least an hour of entertainment. Once it was down Ava declared, "We have a nukker hole!" and then waited for dragons to come out. For those who have never had the delight of watching Dragon Tales...there's a 2 headed Dragon - one is Zak the other is Wheezie. Zak & Wheezie live in a "nukker hole" which looks very much like a tree stump. Ava has mentioned on several occasions that the men chopped down a tree because it was sick and stopped growing...now we have a nukker hole. She was talking about it the other day, so Pete & I "joined in" her game. Her response, "Mom. You know this is just pretend. There is really no such thing as a nukker hole." Like totally duh mom. Today she was walking down the stairs with Miss Jacki and says, "Miss Jacki. Did you know we have a nukker hole across the street?"......... Oh, Ava. (And Miss Jacki's comment to me was that she knew she was in trouble when on her first day babysitting Ava said, "snow is frozen precipitation.") As for Michaela...she pulls at her eyelids because it grosses me out. I tell her to stop, she laughs and does it more. Now she yells, "mom...mom...mom" until I look at her...and she pulls her eyelids. My question: Why is a 20 month old calling me mom? What happened to mommy? or mama?

Snack time

2009-08-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

Snacking on the patio before taking a dip in the frigid waters of the little pool. Ahhhh....what a life.

Ballerina Girl

2009-08-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

Ava's new jammies. She definitely loves pajamas...although she's been sleeping in her "skin" since she was about 18 months old. Can't stand actually sleeping in the jammies - gets too hot. Beds should be cold and cozy, she says. I agree.

Sunday Finery

2009-08-09T10:56:00.004-05:00

These are dresses that my sister's co-worker gave to the girls. Too cute, so I had to post pics.

Deliciousness!

2009-08-08T19:50:00.006-05:00

I have had a Cuisinart Ice Cream/Sorbet/Frozen Yogurt maker for years, but I've only used it a few times. Why? I do not know. I pulled it out a few days ago to make a frozen yogurt recipe I found in the Food Network Magazine. It was supposed to duplicate the recipe from Pinkberry. Now, I've never had Pinkberry, but the "duplicate" was pretty dang good. So, I am now a lover of my ice cream maker. Today we watched Giada make a pomegranate mint sorbet. Soon after, I went to the store and got what I needed. It was SO good! The girls loved it, too. I did use a pomegranate-cranberry combo juice because I was at Jewel and unwilling to give my first born to afford the straight pom juice they have there. I also skipped the chocolate chips because, well, it just seemed a little gross. In any event, the substitution was unnoticeable...the sorbet delicious...we will be making more. {oh, and there's 2 pics of Michaela because she says CHEESE and smiles every time she sees the camera...and waits until I take a picture. She's just too cute to say no to. :) }

at National Night Out 8/4/09

2009-08-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

2009-08-08T14:11:00.000-05:00

It's Friday....

2009-08-07T18:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday to the 3 people that are reading this blog. It's a slightly chilly rainy day here in the great midwest. I spent some quality time at depositions this morning. Pete stayed with the girls...played at the park...did daddy stuff. When I got home, I had an e-mail from my neighbor with a funny Ava story. Apparently Pete & the girls met up with my neighbor and her daughter at the park. Ava and "Cici" (what Michaela calls her) are the best of friends. They held hands all the way home from the park.... awww..... Anyway, Ava has this obsession lately with riding the school bus. Obviously she won't since I'm homeschooling. She said that she was not going to ride the school bus when she turns 4. (Everything great will happen when she turns 4...she'll eat vegetables, stop fearing thunder, stop sucking her thumb, but unfortunately, she will not ride the bus.) My neighbor asked if she liked where she went to "school" last year. (A church PDO program that Ava loved and Cici will be attending this year.) Ava said, yes, she loved it. But, alas, she's not going back because she is going to "mamastiks christian preschool" at home. (No she didn't say mamastiks, but I'm trying to keep my last name out of this blog. I do need a little privacy from googlers.) She continued: "I cried." My neighbor asked why. Ava: Because it is SO HARD! Ahh, yes. I am a taskmaster for the 4 y.o. preschool curriculum. On another note, I found out today that one of my favorite college professors passed away this past April. He taught most of my lit classes and could be quite entertaining. He looked exactly like Captain Stubing from the Love Boat...a fact of which I advised him on the last day of Shakespeare class.

Water slides

2009-08-06T17:44:00.009-05:00

We had a blast at Coco Key. Ava just loves the water slides. Thanks to Patra and the guys at Sheraton. Of course, I forgot the camera, so we have no pictures. I included one from our last trip. Same things happened this time, too. Well, except for Michaela loading her pants with diarrhea preventing us (me & Michaela) from swimming last night and much of today. Last night I got to relax while Michaela slept and Pete took Ava to the pool and hot tub. She LOVES the hot tub. I got to read my current book Julie & Julia. Michaela doesn't really like the slides yet, anyway, so she had fun chilling with mommy. Pete has another day off tomorrow, so he'll play with the girls while I go to depositions. Good times.

Show me the way

2009-08-05T10:46:00.002-05:00

It's so funny how I always second-guess myself when I make certain decisions - whether big or small. A few times in my life I've made big decisions, second-guessed, and then things happening around me convinced me that yes, I did make the right decision in the first place. It's happening now - kind of cool actually. What's not funny is that Ava has spent 2 out of the last 3 nights in our bed. Her cousin Alyssa (turning 6 today...better call her) decided to delight her with a story about how birds watch for doors left open, and then call all of their bird friends to join them in entering the house and cook the resident in the oven. Every night Ava asks if I'm SURE that I've shut all the doors. The other night Pete & I were trying to convince her that birds COULD not put her in the oven...he said that birds are more scared of us than we are of them...you know how birds fly away when they get close? I said, birds have wings - they don't have hands to put you in the oven. To which Ava replied: "Yes, mom, but they have FEET that they use to grab things...." Thanks lissy. :) The best, though, had to be when Ava was originally telling me the scary tale, Alyssa stood behind her with a little smirk on her face. Hilarious! Can't wait for Ava to tell Michaela!

The girl loves her corn

2009-07-27T18:31:00.003-05:00

As soon as she saw the camera, she had to stop to say "bye bye" to "Coat" (That's Cole - her cousin). Pause the music at the bottom of the page before viewing video. :)

Butterfly House

2009-07-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

Ava just loves the butterfly house, so we visited again today. We were last there about a month ago. She fell in love with a peacock butterfly that she dubbed "my sweetheart." Over the past few weeks she's wondered how her "sweetheart" is fairing at the butterfly house. "I really hope my sweetheart didn't die!" (When we were there we did notice quite a few deceased butterflies...lead to discussions on the relatively short lifespan of butterflies.) So, we went again today to check on her sweetheart. She's convinced she saw him. Who am I to tell her otherwise? It's a really beautiful place. Check it out if you are in the area.

Potty Time...psych....

2009-07-23T16:48:00.002-05:00

So Michaela is showing quite a bit of interest in going on the potty. She pretends all the time...tells me she needs to pee...tells me that she's "stink," etc. Of course, the best is when you ask her if she's got poop, she bends over - feet & hands on the floor, butt in the air for you to take a peek. I'll have to snap a pic of that one. Anyway, the other day she told Miss Jacki that she needed to poop...on the potty. So we tried. She just sat there saying "toot and poop," but didn't do anything. At least she's showing some interest. Far better than her sister, who at 3 years and 2 months said, "going on the potty is NOT for me!" (She decided it was about 3 days later and has been pretty much accident-free since.) Hopefully this one will be a bit easier...one can dream....

Serbian Picnic 2009

2009-07-20T19:13:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally made it up to Flint for the annual Serbian picnic at his dad/step-mom's church. Pete used to go just about every summer, but hasn't been since we were married in 2004. You know, a wife and 2 kids just drag you down. We went for the weekend and had a lot of fun. It's true - bread dabbed on a lamb cooking over open flame is quite tasty. He's been talking about this since I've known him. Of course, Ava skipped out on all things meat (can you imagine that there were no chicken nuggets?), and ate 3 hamburger cookies, some bread, and a bag of cheetos. Michaela tried everything, but really liked the cevaps (cevapici), which is a sausage made from scratch.

My Kiki - what planet does she live on?

2009-07-17T12:45:00.010-05:00

Michaela (a/k/a "Kiki") is 1 1/2 now. It's so fun to see her personality develop. She is a riot. She loves to tease her sister...Ava gets annoyed...Michaela laughs. She's also chattering up a storm. Almost overnight she began speaking in sentences. The usual: "Where my daddu?" "Daddu" is her daddy...the love of her life. Talk about a kid having her dad wrapped around her finger. Although it's hard to say no when she's got her head cocked to the side batting her big blue eyes at you. She's also quite the singer. She carries a tune pretty well for a baby...yes, she's still my baby. Her favorite is "Twinkle Twinkle." She's almost got all of the words down pat. Sometimes she makes up her own words. My personal favorite is the "momma dadda" song. My niece (who will be 2 in a month) sings, too...maybe they'll do duets someday. She's so different from Ava in a lot of ways - if Ava falls, gets hurt, etc. while doing something, she tends to get back up and do it again. (after the tears are dry, of course). Yesterday Michaela fell down the stairs and now she won't go down herself. She looks down from the top and says, "fall down," and holds her arms up to me for a lift. She also thinks fingerpainting is "ack." She definitely does not like being messy. Highlights of Michaela's current words:

Daddu gone bye bye...stands at the front door when he leaves for work craning her neck to see him until he rounds the curve
Mama...tickle [holding up her arm]...again
Apple...apple...apple." (over and over until she gets one)
Cook-cook = cookie
She says "cheese" and gives a big grin every time she sees a camera. Of course, then I have to take her picture
We are going through a throwing phase, so she says "no throw." Yesterday I threw a diaper at Pete and she looks at me and says, "No throw!" Busted.
The best, though had to be when she was trying to convince me to let her nurse. She looked at me with her pretty blue eyes and said in her sweetest voice: "I no bite you, momma" Such love. Of course, she's also a "food" critic since at times when she's nursing she complains that it's too "hot"...signs "hot and then blows on my boob.
READ! with a book thrust into your lap
she gets her shoes...and my shoes (or Pete's) and says "side...side," which means outside. She also gets shoes when she wants to go "bye-bye" or go on the bike "BIKE! BIKE!" That is daddu's job. She repeats just about everything you say to her. Like a little parrot following behind. I guess I better watch my mouth. ha ha ha.

As for Ava, she's just full of questions. About a year ago she learned her planets from a chart given to her by Auntie Kelly for Christmas (yeah, and Uncle Steve, too). Right now she's reviewing (relearning) her planets, so its constant questions: what planet do we live on? What planet is Michigan on? What planet does kiki live on? Do people live on Jupiter? Why not? The best, though, was when she was pestering me about how babies get out of the tummy. I had her call Auntie Jill, who explained it to her with medical precision. 'nough said. She left that one alone.

Yesterday Ava gave me a piece of paper with "hi" written on it. She's teaching herself to write. Yes, I feel slight guilt because I'm not sitting down with her teaching her how to write new letters. But, she sees them and writes them...doing fine on her own. Homeschooling will be a breeze! Yeah right.

Vacation - part 5

2009-07-12T13:08:00.001-05:00

Vacation - part 4

2009-07-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

Vacation - part 3

2009-07-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

4th of July

2009-07-12T13:02:00.001-05:00

Vacation - part 2

2009-07-12T12:56:00.000-05:00

Vacation pictures

2009-07-12T12:53:00.004-05:00

I have a ton of vacation pictures, so I'm going to post them in a "collage"format. There will be several different posts. There is also a movie on you tube, which you should be able to access via the link on to the left of this post. We had an awesome time in Michigan. It is such a pretty area. The girls had a ball making friends with the Wortz kids, and also spending time with their Michigan cousins.

Vacation - Part 1

2009-07-12T12:52:00.001-05:00

Girl talk

2009-07-08T15:09:00.003-05:00

One of the purposes of my blog is so that I can record cute things the girls say (well, I think they are cute)

Ava: Momma, I really don't like red caterpillars like the ones that I saw at Grandma Barb's. I only like the yellow caterpillars with the black spots. So, I am going to ask God to get rid of all of the red caterpillars. (7/8/09)
Michaela: In one of her attempts to convince me to let her nurse..."I no bite you." (7/7/09)
Ava has started to add this phrase to things that she tells me/Pete: "and that is the truth!" Can you tell we've had a few issues with lying?

I'm sure there will be more later....

Tuesday

2009-06-30T08:25:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-29T21:26:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-27T14:47:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-27T14:41:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-24T12:39:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-24T08:24:00.000-05:00

2009-06-23T15:52:00.003-05:00

"mommy" by Ava 5/2/09

Random thoughts of a tired mommy

2009-06-23T15:39:00.005-05:00

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.

2009-06-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

2009-06-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

Beginning Again

2009-06-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

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....)