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Ryan enjoying a sunny day in Half Moon Bay

We're home. And it is good to be here.  EVEN THOUGH, it will probably take me two weeks to get the same amount of sleep that I got in one . . . I am happy.  Being away has given me an extra boost of enthusiasm and gratitude for the simple life I am blessed with.  

This morning I awoke to smiles and hugs from the girls and a nice, long cuddle from Ryan.  Being the little guy that he is, I think he probably missed us the most.  When I went in his room to get him, he sat in his crib and looked back at me with serious eyes.  I picked him up and he laid his head on my shoulder and just sat there.  I wish I could know how long he would have sat there without making a sound.  But of course a lot was going on and so I snuggled with him and then coaxed a little smile out of him, and then another, and then he was all smiles . . . 

It was a happy day.  I had more patience than I normally would have had when Emmy sulked because she liked Sophie's lei more than hers and when Sophie threw a tantrum at dinnertime.  

I know the high of a vacation will only last so long -- but I will enjoy it while it lasts.  

And I can't thank my parents enough for loving them so much and taking such great care of them!  (Doesn't it look like the kids had a great time?)

This little guy brings his ball everywhere he goes

Sophie is still a bug girl!

The joy of jumping in the waves

Love that Sophie has her baby doll

cute girl

Why Hello!

I'm back to the blog after a long break!  Right now I am typing this from a hotel room in Kauai.  In January, Matt and I hit our 10-year anniversary, so to celebrate, we are taking a one-week vacation - thanks to my  parents for staying with our kiddies and to Jo Ann, Suzi, Holly, and Jennilyn who have also stepped in to make things run smoothly for them.  Being gone from my life for a week has made me think a lot about all that happens in 7 days.  When I'm living it, time flies by in a blur.  I have a hard time remembering what happened the previous day, let alone the previous week!  All of the lunches made, dinners served, runny noses, owwies kissed, lost shoes . . . it all blends together.

Before I left, I was so excited to sleep as long as I want, read and play at the beach, and hop into the car and go without snapping someone into a carseat and packing snacks.  And don't get me wrong - we have had a WONDERFUL time!  But I miss my kids!  I am ready for my sometimes hectic, sometimes frustrating, usually exhausting, but very fulfilling life!

At Queen's Bath - ready to hop off a cliff into a beautiful pool

Love all of the flowers here!

There are roosters everywhere!

How could I ever leave these babies?!

Because it is February 29

My brother, Adam, posted on Facebook something to the effect that it is ridiculous that February 29 only comes once every four years and we have to spend the day working.  It really should be some sort of holiday. 

At the very least, I've decided to write a little something, just to mark the day somehow. 

And what is more appropriate than crazy mothering moments?  Yesterday around 5:15 my kids and I returned home from gymnastics.  Everyone was tired, grumpy, and hungry.  Emmy still needed to do her homework, which I asked her to get started on right away while I tended to everything else that needed to be done.  I put Ryan and Sophie in the bathtub, stuck a baked potato in the microwave so I didn't have to wait an hour for it to bake in the oven, and then proceeded to help Emmy get started on her homework. 

She was in a terrible mood.  Luckily, the older she gets, the more reasonable she is, but last night, was definitely not one of these reasonable moments.  She was griping, whining, and resistant to doing anything I wanted her to do.  Suddenly she was urgently itchy, demanding to take a bath with the other two.  I told her she didn't have time to play in the bath, which led to more tears and demands.  I pulled Sophie and Ryan out, and against my wishes, Emmy hopped right in, but then started crying because there wasn't enough water.  Ignoring her cries, I quickly began clothing the other two, when, quite by accident, Ryan's thumb poked me straight in the eye.  I gasped in pain.  My contact was disheveled, my eye red and teary.   At this point, I wanted so badly to leave my shivering, whining children and just tend to myself.  I did my best to suck it up, pull out the contact, and keep the eye closed.  Then I dressed Sophie and Ryan and began quickly showering Emmy off, so that we could finish her homework.  As I'm finished with conditioning Emmy's hair, Sophie came in and asked, "Why is there so much smoke in our house?" 

I had forgotten about the potato! Somehow, I'd set the time for too long and it had basically burned into what looked like a piece of black coal.  So with my eye still stinging, I hastily opened all of the windows and doors and went rummaging around for a fan to blow the smoke.  Meanwhile, Emmy was still whining, this time because she wanted me to pick her up out of the bath and help her get her clothes on.  I explained that I had a lot to do and that since she was six years old, I needed to be able to count on her to dry herself off and put on her clothes.  She was so upset by this, she laid crying in the bathtub as all of the water drained and she became colder and colder by the second. The shining star in all of this chaos was Sophie, who went to the bathroom to hand Emmy her towel and then brought Emmy her clothes. 

Anyway, it was a crazy, painful, unhappy, smoky 30 minutes of my day.  My house still stinks and my eye is still red, but luckily, today has been better. 

Here's to another four years.  

Lots of love

Children can be Ridiculous

The other night I was lying in bed with Emmy, singing her a lullabye, when halfway through, she stopped me to ask if I could find something to put over her body so that when I was gone, she'd be able to imagine it was my arm around her.  A sweet thought. 

I suggested a spice bag - a 5 lb bag of rice and spices that we heat up in the microwave.  She didn't like that idea.  It didn't remind her enough of an arm.  She didn't like the idea of a blanket rolled up either.  No, she needed something that would be like an arm.  And what is like an arm, you ask?  You are probably as puzzled as I was.  Suddenly she had a brilliant idea:  Daddy's tattoo sleeve! Matt has these sleeves like nylons with tattoos printed on them that he likes to wear whenever he has to dress in costume. This would be the perfect thing to remind Emmy of my arm.  Hmmm. . .

I was in no mood to search the house over for a tattoo sleeve. Already our conversation on the subject had taken much longer than it should have.  I told her "no" and left the room.  The next thing I know, she is in bed, bawling, and singing in a pitiful voice, "no one loves me!"  I heard her door open and close.  She'd placed a note on the floor which read, "No one loves me, not even you." 

All because I wouldn't let her sleep with a tattoo sleeve.  Absolutely ridiculous.

Thankfully, clarity came in the morning. At breakfast, I said, "Emmy, now I am confused about something.  When you think of my arm, do you like to imagine tattoos all over it?"  When put in those terms, she could finally see how crazy she was, and she laughed out loud at the thought. 

Ryan Got a Haircut!

Ryan's Hair Before - check out that sweet curl!

A bird? A plane?

No more curl . . . such a grown up boy!

The First Tooth

The other day when I went to pick up Emmy from school, I was so pleased to see her run to me with a great big grin on her face. "Wow," I thought, "how cute that she is so happy to see me!" It turns out her excitement was not just about me, but about the news she had to share. She had pulled out her first tooth! What a big day in the life of a first grader.

Almost two months ago, we were visiting my parents in Cincinnati. Emmy and Sophie were wrestling around, and somehow in the fray, Emmy came out with her first loose tooth. Her sadness at being hurt quickly turned in to excitement that she had a loose tooth. She even thanked Sophie. During the same week, I was putting Ryan's pyjamas on and Emmy bent in to give him a goodnight kiss. At the very moment she leaned in, he lunged forward -- knocking her so hard in the mouth that he came away with tooth marks in his forehead. Blood gushed from Emmy's mouth and she screamed. One of her front teeth had indeed been knocked loose, before it was really ready. That night and the following day were quite dramatic. She could not fall asleep for fear that she might lose the tooth. She continually needed ice to soothe her sore gums. Sophie, the sidekick, was full of as much awe and sympathy as a little sister can have. The next day Emmy ate soft foods and spoke without moving her lips for fear of putting undo pressure on the tooth. What an event. 

Thankfully, the front tooth firmed up a bit and the bottom tooth became the perfect tooth to wiggle and wiggle. As the weeks went by, the tooth became more wiggly, and Emmy informed us that she and her friend, Will, were the only kids in her class to have not lost any teeth. And so it makes sense that Emmy would lose her tooth at school. To join the ranks of gaping smiles, to grant friends the privilege of holding and inspecting the tiny tooth, to make a special trip to the office to clean out a bloody mouth, and to accept the praise and congratulations of her classmates -- for an afternoon, she was a six-year-old celebrity. What fun. 

The tooth in it's little box under the pillow -- a gift from Nannie and Opa

The last time we will see Emmy with all of her baby teeth (sniff!)

So excited to go to sleep

Emmy's letter to the Tooth Fairy: 

Dear Tooth Fairy, Are fairies real? Why do some kids sometimes get to keep their teeth and sometimes not? Can I keep my tooth? Why do we not get toys or art? What do you do with the teeth? How do you get in our house? Thank you Tooth Fairy. 

 Love, Emmy. 

Emmy's letter from the Tooth Fairy (written in very tiny handwriting, which she brought to school to show her friends): 

Dear Emmy, Thank you kindly for your lovely letter! Let me answer your questions. First of all, we tooth fairies give money because it is easier to carry than toys or art! Sometimes we fairies keep the teeth to make fairy dust or to build tiny fairy furniture. Teeth also make great musical instruments! Right now, I don't need any teeth, so I will let you keep yours -- especially since it is your first one! I cannot tell you exactly how I get into your house because it is quite magical. I can only tell you that fairies know how to squeeze into very small spaces! Finally, you asked if fairies are real. Well of course I think so, because I am one! Fairies are real to those who believe in them! I hope you save your money for something special! 

 Love, Your Tooth Fairy