Just Another Friday

Folks, this is how our evening unfolded (keep in mind - this is after an entire day's work, and no, I'm not lying):

as I got out of the car to unload the kids from school and work, our neighbor came over to inform me there is a leak in our front yard (oh, so that's what that wet spot in the grass is...I see)...

I furiously flipped through files trying to locate the water line insurance replacement program receipt...

Jack wanted to play with play-doh so I thought it would be a good idea to set him up at the kitchen table to keep him occupied while I attempted to deal with the leak in the front yard...

I called Grampy for reinforcements since this has happened to him in the not-too-distant-past...

Hannah wanted a snack.  And some juice.  Immediately.  She also wanted to take off her shoes.  Right then.

I located the receipt for the water line replacement program and attempted to call, in this order, the water company, the electric company (who provides the program), and the warranty department on our home.  No one answered the first time.  So I called again...

I discovered Hannah had a very nasty diaper situation happening while I was on the phone with an irrigation company who gladly said they would come inspect the sprinkler system to be sure that wasn't the cause of the leak...

I called Brad to tell him the good news (we pay for water line insurance!) and the bad news (our water line is most likely broken!)...

I pretended to eat a soup made out of play-doh made by my adorable son...

I tried to change Hannah's diaper, but realized we were out of wipes downstairs so I went up to grab wipes and then, when I got back downstairs, I discovered the tushy situation required a warm, soft washcloth (believe me, you don't want to know)...

I ate some more play-doh soup...

I headed upstairs with a half-naked Hannah.  I put her down, but as I warmed up a wet washcloth, I noticed a faint sound.  "Is that tinkling?" I thought.  Sure enough, it was.  Miss Hannah peed on the floor.  And then she walked towards me, slipped and fell, getting pee all over the back of her shirt and in her hair.  Yay!

I gave Hannah a bath in the sink.  And put a diaper on her tushy as soon as possible.  And then I cleaned up the floor.  

We went back downstairs to discover that Jack decided the kitchen table wasn't as fun as playing with play-doh in the family room - over the carpet.  Double yay!

After redirecting the play-doh, the irrigation guys arrived (luckily at the same time Brad got home) and discovered that it was, in fact, the main water line that is leaking.  

After making another couple of phone calls to the electric company, we learned that within 24 hours someone else would be out to see what could be done to stop the leak.

We did our usual dinner, clean up, bath time, bedtime routine (which, if you can imagine, always runs as smooth as butter around here)...

I paid the bills and organized paperwork...

and now, I'm going to sleep.  Immediately.

Because who knows what tomorrow has in store for this crazy family:)  

Peanut

Precious Peanut,

You are so smart, Baby Girl.  Tonight, not only did you tell me when you were hungry, but you also told me that you needed a new diaper.  You were walking around, and then you just stopped, looked at me, and touched the back of your diaper.  I couldn't believe it - I was so proud:)  You laid down on your changing blanket and let me change your diaper without a fuss - usually, we wrestle.  We changed your diaper, and then Sweet Girl, when I asked you if you were sleepy and if you wanted to go night-night, you shook your pretty, little head yes.  You are such a fantastic communicator - I can't even believe it!

I put you down, and I told you to go give Jack a kiss good night.  And do you know what you did?  You waddled over to your big brother, you leaned over, puckered up, and gave him a kiss.  He loves you so much, and it means so much to him that you can love him back just as much:)  You waved and said, "Bye!" and then we went upstairs to get ready for bed.

You are turning into such a lovely, sweet, big-hearted little girl, and I love you more than words can say.

Love,

Mama

13 Months & 4 Days (& this and that...)

{If you're interested, be sure to read about Jack's first day of pre-k.}

Well, it's only taken 13 months and four days, but tonight, while I was cleaning up from dinner, Jack and Hannah were playing together in the family room for over five minutes.  I mean, really playing together - not just playing separately but simultaneously in the same vicinity.  It was so cute, and I was so excited, but I tried really hard to make sure they didn't notice that I noticed.  Because it surely would have stopped.  Immediately.

They were playing with Hannah's learning home, and Jack told me that they lived on different sides of the door, but basically, they were chasing each other around, tickling one another, and flopping down on the beanbag chair.  And giggling.  Oh, the giggling:)

Happy day!

*****

Moments ago, after we tucked Jack into bed, he called for me because he needed "another cuddle".  When I left, I told him to have sweet dreams.  I called in, "I'm going to dream about Daddy and Hannah and Jack-Jack!"

He thought about it a moment, and then he said...

...
   ...
      ...

"I'm going to dream about dinosaurs!"

Of course you are, Baby.

*****

After school today Jack had to go potty.  #2 specifically.  I tell you this only because it's important for the story.  When I mentioned to Jack that pretty soon he was going to have to learn how to wipe his tushy so he'd be ready for kindergarten, he told me he didn't want to wipe his own tushy.  I tried to explain that he has to learn so that if he has to go at school, he'll be able to take care of himself - to which he promptly replied, "Well, that's why I wait until I get home because I don't think the teachers will wipe my tushy."

Touche, Son.  Touche.

"Jack, I think your teachers would still wipe your tushy at school.  Don't they wipe your friends' tushies?"

"They did in the three's room.  But I don't think they do in the four's."

I don't often think about the things that add stress to Jack's daily life, but as soon as he said that, I just tried to imagine how unsure of his new classroom he must be...learning the in's and out's of a new room with new teachers and new friends.  What if my little man has to go potty at noon, but waits all day because he doesn't know who will help him?  Or how to ask someone to help him?

In this regard - I think he's a lot like me.  Not specifically about going to the bathroom, mind you, but just about new surroundings and change.  I'm trying to make it easier for him than it is for me, but maybe it's genetic.  Or in-grained.  Either way - it makes me sad.

Pre-kindergarten is turning me into an emotional mess.

*****

I'm learning that the hardest thing about being a mommy isn't the lack of sleep.  Or that it's not all about you anymore.  It's not about the cost and the schedule and all of the little things that add stress on a daily basis.  The hardest thing is that when your little one goes out into the big, scary world - they take your heart with them.  Right out there on their sleeve for anyone to see...

And when they are hurt or sad or lonely...your heart is the one that breaks the most.  Sure, they are sad.  They might cry.  But they move on and forget.

But for mommies?  They are our babies - they're part of us, no different from our own limbs.  And all we want to do is protect them from being hurt, and we can't always do that...

I think about how upset I am about the recess incident from yesterday, and then I wonder how I'll handle things like when Jack may not make the team, or his first girlfriend breaks his heart...  I'm hoping by then my mommy-heart is stronger because now...now, I'm just a big, weepy mess.

I think it's time to go to bed:(

It's been a long, hard day...

...
...

Okay, I feel guilty leaving on a sad note, so I'll close with this:

The other day Jack was playing with his Batmobile, and he was telling me that he calls it his bat machine.

So he says, "Mommy, can I tell you something?  This is my bat machine.  Say it with me.

Bat

Mo

Sheen."

I nearly doubled over laughing, but managed to contain myself so as not to hurt his feelings.  I'm proud of his syllable segmentation skills - just not quite sure where he got "mo"!

Clearly, they're doing some echoing with tricky, vocab words during circle time:)

*****

That is all.  Good night.

1st Day

Today was Jack's first day of pre-kindergarten.  He was very excited - ever since I learned that he cried when they took down the cubbies in the three's room, I've been really trying to pump up the excitement in regards to going to pre-k.  Over the weekend, he seemed to get more and more into it:)

I also gave him plenty of warning that we'd be taking pictures early in the morning.

One day, he'll thank me.  And if not, his wife surely will.

 I love that cheesy grin.

 And this, "Are you taking it now?" face.

 Poor Jack - Hannah stole his juice cup prior to this shot:(

 But being the proud mama that I am, I cheered him up.

 Little Sister wanted in on the action, too.

But clearly she couldn't figure out why we were taking pictures so early in the morning! 

 It's a day to be celebrated.  It also marks the one-year countdown until my first-born is in kindergarten. I think they invented pre-k to give mommy hearts plenty of time to prepare.

(I'm working on the best way to do this...any suggestions?)

As you can tell from this picture, drop-off went swimmingly.  No tears, on either of our parts!  He was very happy to show me his new cubby and went right to a table to play with his friends.  He didn't even seem to notice that there isn't a window from which he can wave goodbye on his new side of the building.  I felt very good when I left.

At pick up, he still seemed excited and happy about his day.  I think overall it went well, although right before bed he had a little breakdown and started crying about something that happened with his friends.  A couple of little boys had said they didn't want to play with Jack outside, and when I asked him what he did about it, he told me he just sat on the slide.  My heart broke - he was so upset.  I tried to give him some suggestions as to how he could ask them to play or to maybe go play with someone else.  He calmed down enough to go to sleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about him just sitting there on the slide by himself.  I know he has friends and generally has a great time at school - I just hate to see him so upset!  Hoping for a better recess experience tomorrow...

Proud Mama

I've started occasionally looking at wordless books with Jack so that he can practice telling a story by looking at the pictures.  Tonight, he was so excited that he was catching on while we read Breakfast for Jack.  He looked up at me with his big, blue eyes and said, "It doesn't have any words so we can talk whatever makes sense!"

My mommy/teacher-heart beamed.

That's right, my little man.  You're so smart!

Wordless Wednesday

{double rainbow - do you see it?}

Making a Nest

Last night, after dinner it got awfully quiet in the house.  So quiet, in fact, that I was quite sure Hannah was up to no good.  I figured she must've been eating dog food, but lucky for me, I'd remembered to put the bowls up on the shelf.  So where was that little girl?

When I realized that Jack had accidentally left the light on in the powder room, I had a good guess.  Thank goodness he'd remembered to put the seat down:)  Instead, we find our tiny girl doing this:

When Jack came around the corner and saw his baby sister wreaking havoc, do you know what he asked her?!

In all seriousness, he looked her in the eyes and asked, "Aww...Hannah, are you making a nest?"

And Daddy and I just beamed.  Because it was so cute.  And he's so smart.  And creative.  And logical.

And she's so stinkin' cute.

Who cares that an entire roll of toilet paper was destroyed in less than five minutes?

Certainly not me:)




In fact, we're kind of used to it around these parts...

{Gracie, four months old}

{Jack, 10 months old}

My Little Lovelies

Even though I haven't been blogging as regularly as I was (going back to work is hard!), my little lovelies have still been up to plenty, and I want to share!  Here's just a few little tid-bits from the last few weeks:

On Friday night, Hannah was exhausted.  I'm sure she's having a hard time adjusting to the "Mommy's back at work" schedule just like the rest of us, but on Friday, she didn't nap at school.  At all.  And she wouldn't nap when we got home - so this computes to a very sleepy Hannah Bear.  At about seven, she could stand it no longer.  My little angel pointed to the stairs, and when I asked, "Do you want to go night night?" she shook her head yes.  My heart burst with the adorableness, and then I promptly picked up the pieces and put that baby girl to bed.  Poor thing couldn't even wait for Daddy to get home...

*****

Earlier Friday evening, Jack's best friend came over to play and do some artwork.  They had a very good time.

When the play date was over and it was time for our friend to go home, Jack was trying to convince him to give Hannah Bear a kiss good-bye.  So do you know what he said?  

"She gives the best kisses!"

Mop. my. melting. heart. up. off. the. floor.

*****

When I pick Hannah up from school, as soon as she sees me, she makes the fastest bee-line for the door that I've ever seen.  And the whole time she's making her way over to me, she giggles and nearly hyperventilates with excitement.  It makes me smile because I know she loves me:)

*****

The other night, while we were cleaning the kitchen, Baby Girl was walking around playing with toys, when all of a sudden, she stopped to check out that gorgeous baby she saw in the oven door:)  So, so precious.  Seriously.

*****

We took Jack and Hannah to see the turtles again this weekend.  Feeding the turtles is definitely one of Jack's favorite things to do, and he was so impressed with the big guy we came across this weekend.  He really wanted us to pull him out and onto the pier, but he was so heavy, there wasn't a chance.  Keep in mind, it's a drumstick he's got in his mouth - that gives you some idea as to exactly how large he really was.  Jack kept saying, "He's monstrous alright," to all the people who came by.

*****

I baked cookies on Saturday.  Daddy and Jack didn't want any, but guess who did?

*****

Jack figured out how to dress like The Green Lantern.  That's all I can say about that:)

*****

And that, my friends, is just a bit about what we've been up to:)

Silent Sunday

{someone wants to be just like her big brother}

The Things We Do

Today, to keep my sad, little boy from crying as I drove away from school, instead of just waving from the car window and blowing a kiss like I usually do - I absolutely took his little Iron Man toy and made him dance to "Call Me Maybe."

Yes, other parents saw, and no, I didn't care.  It made him smile - a big, ear-to-ear grin actually.

Which is just what I was going for:)

Baby Jack, Bacon, and Bathtime

The only things

keeping this day from being a completely miserable one 

are Baby Jack (who, at bedtime, gave his sister a kiss on the forehead and said, "I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow"), 

bacon (we had breakfast for dinner - I may or may not have eaten half a package of bacon), 

and bathtime with Hannah:)

Being back at work is tricky:(

Not So Silent Sunday

Tomorrow, I go back to work, but tonight...tonight, I have this:

{taken earlier today at the pool}

and this:

{taken this evening after Sunday Steak Dinner}

Mommy-Fail

It's never good when your kids get hurt.  It's even worse when they get hurt because of you.

Today was going okay.  I wanted it to be this perfect, packed-with-fun day for me and the kids.  Our last day just the three of us before I head back to work for another school year...  We had a lazy morning (one in which Jack was telling me he really wanted to go to Grandma's - they have a play-date scheduled for tomorrow), but after Hannah's morning nap, we headed to Sport Bounce so the kids could play and then to California Tortilla for lunch.  Everything was going very smoothly until we left lunch.

Since Hannah's been walking, I've tried to encourage her to walk when we're out and about.  So I opened the door to leave the restaurant, and Miss Hannah stepped through.  I was right behind her, and Jack was behind me.  She was moving kind of quick, and I needed to grab her hand to keep her safe.  I turned around to look at Jack, and he was coming through the door.

And then I made the conscious decision to let go of the door so that I could grab Hannah's hand to keep her from walking away.  In that split second where I had to make the decision, I figured either that Jack would speed up to sneak through it or that he'd catch it with his arm.  I caught Hannah's hand, and turned around.  In that instant, the door hit Jack, and he went down.  It knocked him immediately over. Hard.

He immediately started to cry and grab his leg, and I picked Hannah up quickly to get to Jack and help him up.  He wanted to be held, so I stayed low to the ground with the two of them, checking out the scrape on his arm.  It was then that I saw the dots of blood on his t-shirt and realized the underside of his chin was bleeding.  I felt so horrible, and he was so sad:(

I was able to calm him down and carry them both to the car.  He asked me to drive fast so we could get home and I could take care of his boo boos.  We got home quickly, and then I carried them both in.  I got him settled on the couch with his blanket and Skinny Bear, and then I quickly put Hannah down for her nap so that I could properly attend to Jack.

I cleaned up his cuts, put on some band-aids, and gave lots of snuggles.  He started to feel better, so we went upstairs and climbed into my bed for our afternoon nap.  My little man fell asleep pretty quickly, but I couldn't stop thinking about how guilty I felt.  Most days - I really do feel like I've adjusted really well to handling two little ones.  We hit our groove - I don't feel like I'm neglecting one for the other.  I don't feel like Jack feels left out or unloved.  But today?  Today was horrible.  By trying to keep her safe, I caused Jack to get hurt, and then I couldn't even immediately tend to him when we got home because Hannah had to go down for a nap or it would have been too tricky for me to take care of him (she'd be shredding band-aids or eating dog food).  It didn't feel good.

Add to that the impending stress of having to go back to work.  Rainy days.  A little boy who woke up sad and asking for Grandma (again!), and it just wasn't a good day.

But somehow?  This adorable little boy...

...he "loves me crazy...as big as the Earf!"

I hope he knows that I love him like crazy too.  That I love him as big as the Earth.  And more.  Because I do.

Mama's sorry, Monkey.  I love you.