Snow day
I set off blithely today to got to the chiropractor who was going to fix my poor pregnant messed up pelvis. I was going to drop off the kids at my saintly
sister in law's house, then collect them post-adjustment. Well, nature had some very different ideas for my day.
I left the house in the beginning stages of a nice snowstorm. No big deal. I live in Utah, I've driven in the snow for 15 years--just another January day. 1/2 of the way to Emily's I was white-knuckle driving, sliding and fishtailing. 3/4 of the way there, my wheels were spinning as I tried to coax the van up a slight incline. Cars were sliding off the road on all sides. No traction, no visibility, scary times. Turning into her neighborhood, I got 100% stuck. But randomly, 3 people just happened to be walking along and cheerfully gave me a push and I was on my way again. I turned onto her street and did a complete 360 spin and BARELY missed a fire hydrant. Holy cow. I made it up her street by some merciful intervention of heaven, then collapsed in her arms and vowed never to leave again.
Honestly, I've driven in lots of snowstorms. But I've never been as scared as I was today. We were happily snowed in while the storm raged for the next few hours. Emily, being the amazing person that she is, set up their big camping tent and the kids watched a movie in it snuggled deep in pillows and blankets. She let them fill up shopping bags of cans from her pantry, then gave them monopoly money and let them play store. She even let them open an umbrella in the front room and play singin in the rain. I told you she was amazing!! Plus, she fed us and let us play for lots and lots of hours.
But if you stick two two-year-olds together for too long, things start to go downhill pretty quickly. Our kids adore each other, but oh, the sharing drama!! When we came home around 5, the roads were slushy but completely normal-snowy-day stuff. None of this snowstorm of terror stuff from earlier.
So no magic adjustment for the pelvic pain from hell, but that will come soon enough, I'm sure. Next time I leave though, I'll be sure to take a glance at the weather report first!!
Labels: adventures
The power of example
I really do know this. But actually DOING what my brain knows is a whole different matter sometimes.
I love my little laptop with it's seductive wireless internet. Far too tempting, far too often. So what do my kids want to do?? Play computer games, naturally. So last night I didn't turn on the computer, but got out the
wonderful felt food kit and started to make a batch of pancakes. The kids crowded around to watch, and soon Hazel grabbed her sampler and started to really and truly work on it. We sewed together for about an hour, talked and laughed and had such a wonderful time. I'll post pictures of both projects when they're finished.
This is so basic--why don't I actually put it into practice more often?
The wrong job
I think I missed my calling in life. I
should have been in some kind of garage grunge band, instead of living the life of the suburban mommy. Steve bought Guitar Hero, and I was really mad at him at first...then I played it with him. Good grief, that thing is so incredibly fun! And, I'm completely awesome at it. Sarah--we have GOT to play this sometime with you and Scott!
Labels: adventures
How??
Calvin and I were just having a talk about the potty. He's showing a sign or two of being ready, but just a bit. So he got all excited and wanted to sit on the toilet. Great! I love it when they get so excited about things.
We got him all situated and he was looking very proud, then he looked puzzled. "How do it wet??" He looked down at his anatomy, confused. "Not working!"
And that right there is the whole crux of the matter of potty training. Getting the 'how' part down.
Labels: Calvin
Revenge
Montezuma's getting his, and getting it good! And that's ALL I'm going to say about that!!
Labels: adventures
Update from the beach
Hola, amigos!! I have a little secret---Steve and I are in Puerto Vallarta!! That's right, JUST Steve and I. Incredible, no?
This is the view from our hotel balcony. Aaaaaah.
We're here for a grand total of 4 days, so we've tried to make them all full of fun. Today was the best yet. We took a dune buggy tour through the jungly mountains. Steve doesn't hold back when it comes to the gas pedal, and we got soaked! So incredibly filthy by the end, but it was great.
After the buggy tour, we came back to the hotel, cleaned up, and headed to the pool for a while. Then, I went to a cabana over the ocean and got a massage. A massage! On the beach with the sound of the waves and the sun and ohhhhh, it was beautiful.
Back to my babies in the morning, and I can hardly wait. It's been hard to leave them this time. I know they're in wonderful hands, and we talk to them a couple of times a day, but there's something just not right about being away from them. Don't get me wrong, this has been amazing and restorative and so dang fun to spend the time with my darling husband, but oh, my heart just wants to hold my kids again!
So real life starts again tomorrow, and the fun of vacation is over. We've had lots of baby name conversations, and the list is now expanded from just Buster and Gomez to include Francisco, Cosmo, Desmond, and Sidney. Slight progress in the right direction, but I don't think we're there yet! I actually really really like Sidney, but I do know a lot of little girls named Sydney. Opinions, anyone??
Labels: adventures, vacation
Chloe learning about irony
"Mom, in the movie The Parent Trap (Haley Mills version, BTW), the lady says "I don't say a word", then she says
a lot of words!!"Labels: Kids
What's in a name?
So we have this baby coming in a few months. All is good, we're excited, got the new van, everything is falling into place. Except for the tricky little detail of naming. Honestly, with the differences that Steve and I have on this issue, it's a miracle our other children even
have names. This baby might not be so fortunate.
The reason? I'm bringing names to the table like Elliot, Ezra, Martin, Walter, or Oliver.
Steve's top picks???
And NO I am not making this up--Buster or Gomez.
Seriously.
He's not kidding, pulling my leg, or trying to be funny. Buster. That's not a name--it's an insult!!!
What to do?
Labels: new baby
New Year
Finally, finally, things feel back to normal. Clean, clean house, with NO red or green anywhere. I used to think my mother was the biggest kill-joy for being so gleeful at getting Christmas put away. It was always so sad to me to see the fun things put away. But now??? I just want everything clutter free, and it feels so good!! I don't have any of the candlesticks or vases or anything put back yet, so it is absolutely minimalist, and I'm loving it!
We had a wonderfully relaxing fun week, then all day yesterday was spent recovering from the New Year's Eve craziness. We always have a big couples party--we stick the kids in the basement with a couple intrepid 12 year olds. This year, Calvin and his same-age cousin Janey outdid even themselves by staying up past 2 am. Yes, 2 am. Every time we thought they were finally asleep, they'd pop up somewhere, bouncing on couches or chasing each other merrily. He slept until 11 the next morning, napped a while, then went to bed early. Today he is back to his normal crazy self.
I got a couple of really fun things for Christmas. One favorite was the present from the every amazing Andrea. You know that amazing play felt food on Etsy all over the place? Well, I've been drooling over it, but never ordered any for my kids. Andrea didn't just give a sister a fish, no, she's teaching this sister to fish for a lifetime. Or, as the case may be, make play food for days.
The binder is filled with printed ebooks with detailed instructions on everything you can imagine. There are tabs separating it into sushi, tarts, pie, cake, cookies, and cupcakes. Incredible.
Gorgeous wool felt in every color imaginable.
Sprinkles!
Is this not one of the most fun, most thoughtful gifts ever?? I'm so excited to start playing with everything, and I'll definitely post pictures as my creations emerge.
For the next incredibly fun present, please use your best Bob Barker/Price is Right announcer voice....
"It's a neeeeewww caaaar!!!"
Or, to be precise, a semi-new minivan!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!
One with sliding doors on
both sides. This is big, people. Very big. The old van still runs beautifully, but we use it so much for the business and I then I jam my 3 in the little Nissan Sentra. Can't put 4 in a Sentra, though, so we really needed this. I just wasn't expecting it until closer to baby day.
Sweet darling Steve was going to do the whole bow in the driveway thing, but got a little nervous at such a major big huge purchase with no spousal input. Who needs the surprise--I'm just thrilled to death! It's a 2003--the newest we've owned yet. And only 49,000 miles, so it should last for many many years.
The blessings pour in. I don't have room to hold them all. 2007 was such a great year, and here's hoping 2008 is even better!
Labels: blessings, holidays
