Do-over

This Mommy needs a "do-over".

It's been one of those weeks that hasn't been bad or even really all that stressful; I'm just DONE WITH IT.

So my do-over is tomorrow.

The husband is on his way home, we don't have plans this weekend, we get to go to church, and that's about it.

I ordered an alarm clock for Claire that lights up when it's time to be in bed and when it's daytime. She's good about staying in bed after she falls asleep. My hope is that this will be the miracle that will keep her in her room for a "quiet time"/nap without waking MJ. I'm going to try to be patient and not be devastated if it doesn't work tomorrow. :)

Now it's off to watch the last bit of Backyardigan's before convincing Claire it's time to sleep and then a Valentine's Day wreath has my name all over it.

I lead an exciting life, folks. I know.

The Big Girl Bed

Ugh.

That's how I feel about this dang bed right now.

I REFUSE to let this be the end of nap time. But the truth is, Claire was already starting to phase out napping, and this darn bed isn't helping that.

I probably need to accept the fact that we're transitioning to a new phase of life, without a nap.

And the napping thing isn't the worst of it; it's the not going to sleep at night. Last night she was finally quiet at 11. Yes, 11 PM.

I have been spoiled rotten by really good sleepers so now I'm being a a big, whiny baby.

I'm tired.

And now Claire just yelled, "Mama," from the top of the stairs, waking MJ who is now hysterical..... sigh.

My Chocolate Vampire

My sister says that MJ looks like a mini-Jeremy vampire.

She actually has a whole piece Hershey's Bliss dark chocolate in her mouth.

And, clearly, she could not have been happier about it!

Pensieve 1/25/12

*My appetite is coming back.

*Any energy to clean is not. Our house is gross. I do not care.

*I'm sad that I think Claire's transition to her big girl bed is also the demise of nap time. (I'm going to try the quiet time thing and I'm not giving up hope YET)

*I'm itching to rearrange my house. Grateful that my sister-in-law shares my enjoyment of this and is willing to help since I'm not technically supposed to move anything. (Sorry, Jeremy. Love you!)

*I'm so excited that work on our basement starts SOON.

*My baby bump seems to have grown overnight. (Hello, third child/pregnancy)

*I have a 1000 things to do, and yet, I still waste entirely too much time playing on the internet.

*I have to remember to buy watercolor paints for Claire tomorrow. She used them up and it is, by far, her favorite activity.

*Claire has discovered candy and is now addicted. Great.

*Claire has started singing more than Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Mostly just random words. I love it. She's just like her father.

*MJ would eat all day long if I let her.

*MJ spends 60% of her day walking in circles around our house with her little stroller or toy train.

*Claire and MJ's favorite thing to do is wrestle and play on C's new big girl bed. It's hilarious. Until C throws herself on MJ's head and she cries.

My Robot-daughter

Mama: "Claire, it's time to go night-night."

Claire: "No, I'm a robot! Robot's don't go night-night!"

True. Sort of.

Oh pregnancy

I have wanted to complain all day:

*I'm tired.

*Food sounds disgusting most of the time.

*My back (tailbone) hurts SO BADLY from falling on ice Friday night.

*I'm not sleeping well.

*I want to sleep all day long.

*I just want to eat and feel okay after.

*I want to feel like I'm actually taking care of my kids.

*I want energy.

*I want to feel like going and doing things without making myself.

But I'm not complaining (too much). Well, at least not out loud (all the time).

And I'm convicted. Yes, pregnancy isn't easy for me (is it easy for anyone?) and I might have a right to complain because these symptoms suck. Who really wants to feel hung over for at least 3 months straight? (yes, that's how it feels)

BUT. BUT. I have a growing, healthy baby growing.

I'm blessed.

So I stop in my self-pity and am thankful. Thankful that each time I'm nauseous, I remember that my body is providing for someone else. That when I'm tired, that this baby is growing. (yes, sometimes, most of the time still grumbling) And that God gave us this baby for a reason and at this time.

I'm even more overwhelmed in my conviction because a sweet couple I know is going through something horrendous. Please visit their website and pray for the Anderson's. I cannot stop thinking of them and praying for them.

Life is so fragile.

Sassy crackers

I forgot this little gem from yesterday too.

I think Claire was asking for the umpteenth time if we could go back to Poppy's house. I told her, "No, we couldn't," as we were there that morning and it was nearing dinner time.

Her response while she stood there with her little baggie of goldfish crackers?

"Mama, my crackers say that you can't say No."

Really?

She has started saying this a lot when we say No.

"You can't say No, Mama."

Well, yes, my dear, I can. For your own good.

The 1st Pretend Haircut

**No actual hair was lost in this incident. :)

Tonight Claire and MJ were playing in the sunroom when I heard MJ starting to fuss, the kind of fuss that lets me know Claire is bugging her. I walked in and asked what was going on, and Claire replied, "I'm just pretending to cut MJ's hair!" while MJ was trying to cruise away from her.

Now they WERE play scissors from her doctor's kit so no hair would have been lost. Not loving this game, I said, "Now, Claire, I don't really like this game. We're not going to pretend to cut anyone's hair. Please leave your sister alone."

Claire then said, "No, Mama, it's okay. I just PRETEND."

I, of course, said, "No, ma'am. Please give me the scissors and play another game."

Her response?

"Mama, you go read and I'll be real quiet." (still holding the scissors)

Seriously?!

The whole thing ended with her screaming no and it just got uglier.

I have a feeling we're headed toward the terrible (manipulative) 3's!

Surprise!

Yes, that would be a picture of #3 on the way!

And, yes, this was the best picture of these knuckleheads that I could get. Taking a picture of them together is impossible these days. MJ is just too active.

I'll admit, although this wasn't a surprise for us, I'm still in shock. I've had two ultrasounds so far, one at 6 weeks due to some issues, and then one today at 8 weeks and a few days. Everything looks perfect!!

I'm also sicker than I ever was with my girls. My nausea is way worse and I'm actually getting sick which wasn't so much the case with the other two. And this never-ending cold I've had is NOT helping. I carry around saltines and coke all day. It cracks me up because the girls fight over the crackers- you'd think it was the best treat ever.

Jeremy traveled all week and I've never felt so sick (on top of the girls being sick). It was definitely my most difficult week parenting thus far. Melinda kept me sane by checking on me every day, Jerry (my f-i-l) gave me breaks and allowed me time to sleep, and Greta brought me a coke when I really needed it. Other friends checked in and I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful to have a community around me that I know I can ask for help when I need it.

We'll find out in around 10 weeks if this little one is a boy or girl. We can't wait to meet he/she in August! (Or July if my track record stands for early births!)

MJ's Firsts?

The question mark isn't a mistake. MJ has done a few things this week that I *think* are firsts... but then I also feel like Rachel when she thinks Emma has said her first word over the phone. (Anyone? "She's going to be a scientist!")

*Earlier this week I could have sworn she said, "Night-night" to Claire as I carried her up the stairs. The girls always say that and I love you as they go to bed.

*Last night MJ took a step towards me, purely on accident. She stands very well on her own, and last night she wanted something I was holding. She took a step forward, looked totally shocked, and fell down laughing.

This really isn't a first this week but she's pointing, gesturing, and grunting for things a whole lot more. This morning when I went to her room, she was pointing and babbling about everything in her room very intentionally.

I guess she's making the most of the alone times she has since her sister talks so darn much.

**Additional note: MJ can walk behind her toy stroller and train; just not on her own yet.

Mad Men and Me

The show "Mad Men" might be bad for my health and for my marriage. I've been watching the series and am in the middle of season 2.

I've had two colds so far this winter, and this one is going on a week. When I get a cold, I cough. BADLY. I'm convinced that watching the amount of smoking on Mad Men is not helping it go away. In fact, I may even cough more when I watch it.

Moving on to my marriage.

I got the mail out of the box on Saturday and on top was a handwritten, small, manilla envelope addressed to my husband. I love receiving mail so, of course, I was anxious to find out for him who it was from and what he got.

Want to know what was in it? An ad from a hotel in Texas.

Oh, but not just ANY ad.

It was a handwritten, nondescript note to my husband by name to visit the hotel with a website all WRITTEN ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN.

Now, I'm in Season 2 of this show. The men on this show are anything but faithful.

All I had to do was look at my husband and he knew how my thoughts were reeling.

We looked up the website and saw all the ads and then we acknowledged the fact that this show is definitely affecting how I look at him. Probably in more ways than this one. (And I still want to contact the hotel about their scandalous ad campaign, although it worked since we went to the dumb website.)

Oh, Don, why must you be so awful but so great at the same time? And, Peggy, I love the success you've accomplished.

I just can't stop watching.

Our Germ-Filled Cookies

We are still sick in this house. Well, Claire and I are. MJ is just being her sweet self and is apparently having a growth spurt which is causing her to to take a long nap every afternoon and sleep 12-14 hours a night. Praise Jesus.

Claire has been on a baking kick which is fine by me because I love it. I learned quickly how to make this process fun for BOTH of us after we tried baking a disastrous batch of brownies together. The brownies weren't good and we were both mad.

Moving on.

NOW when we bake, we each have our own bowl. We each mix up our own ingredients. The difference: Claire's batter winds up all over the counter and floor and mine turns into something we eat in 18-20 minutes. :) We both have fun, and it's worth the clean-up in the end.

Last night she requested cookies and I just happened to have "pinned" a strawberry cake batter cookie recipe I figured she'd love- being pink and all. (it was just okay)

So while we DID make our own "batches" of cookies, with the amount of coughing happening, I won't be handing these cookies out to any healthy people.

Here are pictures, you can see how sick she is in her eyes. It was fun and a good distraction from feeling badly. Oh, and ignore the smoothie all over her face.

This last picture basically sums up why our baking method is 100% effective for a good time :)

Christmas 2011 in (a few) pictures

Claire checking out Santa's haul.

(And check out that mullet!)

Claire and MJ playing with Cookie Monster. He's a big hit :)

Claire was a little nervous about how he opens and closes his mouth but MJ was fearless.

The girls before Christmas Eve service.

My Mom made the dresses.

These girls make me laugh.

4 years in the Lou

We moved here FOUR years ago this week!

I seriously can't believe it.

I mean, it DOES makes sense when I think about the fact that we've had two kids and I got my License in Professional Counseling in Missouri.

But STILL.

I still miss my Georgia friends and Columbus Young Life so much. I wish we were closer especially now that we have the kiddos. I need to visit soon!

I really do like St. Louis a lot and am grateful for all our friends and church home. I feel very settled and am excited about staying here longer. I've been particularly excited lately as we have been beginning to plan for preschool. I love where we live so much and I'm still so happy with our house.

And did you know that Crestwood just won best city to live in in Missouri???

My source is my husband- but I promise he read that somewhere credible. :)

Fall was hard.

Fall was hard. Really hard.

I started working a bit more, not knowing that Jeremy would get another job, making our lives crazy. I'm pretty sure Jeremy was out of town for most of this past Fall. If he wasn't, it felt that way. And while I love my job, working some crazy hours and finding babysitters was stressful. And please don't hear me saying that I regret any of it, because I don't. I loved the work I got to do. It was just a hard mix of things that became the perfect storm for me in creating craziness and loneliness.

Okay, enough of the drama.

Here are the blessings from the storm:

*Jeremy's new job- praise God! It's a good fit for us.

*Friends who helped me not sink when it was entirely possible.

*Confidence that I really love my job and it's what I'm supposed to be doing.

*Renewed love of being a Mommy. That role in itself has been hard to adjust to.

*Renewed love of Bible study thanks to the Riverside women's study. Such a blessing. I'm going to continue attending that one and have committed to the Old Orchard study. So excited!

That's probably not all of it but those are the highlights.

I'm looking forward to this year. As cheesy as it is, I like that it feels like a new beginning. I'm so blessed to love my job and be with my kiddos so much.

My Baby Girl

Isn't she just the cutest?

This was at Miss Jill's house on MJ's first birthday.

Mary Jane turned one November 16, and that was also the day she started standing consistently. She has yet to walk without her toy stroller or train but she couldn't be more proud of her standing skills. Nor could we. She doesn't talk but she grunts and points at things. The girl's favorite activity might be eating. (which has been true since birth) She would eat a whole bag of clementines if I let her. MJ gets so excited when she even sees one. She worships her older sister and is still a Mama's girl. MJ has the most amazing belly laugh.

I mean, seriously, could she be any cuter?!

Sickness and distracted kids

Ugh. I woke up with a nasty cold today, on top of the yuckiness I've been feeling lately. While all I've wanted to do this morning is crawl back in bed, I've had the privilege of vegging on the couch while the girls played together. They are so stinkin' cute together right now. They rarely fight with each other and play together and independently next to each other well. Sure, Claire yanks things away from MJ but my littlest is learning to hold her own. I have a feeling this stage will be fleeting before full-on tackling, fighting, and shrieking will begin. But I'll take it now and count my blessings!!!

I'll leave you with some of my favorite Claire-isms right now:

*"Hi-yo, yittle MJ!"

*"Do you like that sound?" (After she purposefully makes any sort of noise. It's hilarious.)

*"I'm pink dark pink Angelina Ballerina, and you're Mama Mousling, and Daddy is Daddy Mousling." (I'm really not loving Angelina Ballerina but I do love to watch C dance.)

"MJJJJJJJJJJJJ!!!!"

"I'm cowboy Claire!" (Anytime she wears her cowboy boots.)

Back. And not just because it's the new year.

Yes, I decided to start blogging again for a couple reasons:

1. My husband said he likes my blog.

2. I realized over this season that quite a few out of town friends and family keep in touch with us over this blog.

3. For some reason, I felt like I was sucking at blogging but WHO CARES?! I'm just trying to keep a record of my family. It's not REALLY for y'all :)

And, no, this isn't a new year's resolution.

It just happened to coincide. Not that I have anything against resolutions. This just isn't one of mine.

If you want to know them, ask me when you see me next :)