I Just Blinked

How many times do you look at your kids and think - wow, that happened fast! It seems there are so many stages of motherhood or parenting even that we're waiting for something to hurry up and happen already. We want the 9 months of pregnancy to be finished - esp in that last 4-6 weeks, we can't wait for them to smile, get teeth, crawl, walk, talk and reach all of those special milestones that we have the camera close by to capture. And then when they start on those milestones it seems they're running full force borrowing the car keys and moving out on their own.

While I'm still waiting for mine to sleep through the night in their own bed, so often I look at them now and think "when did they get so big?". Then I usually grab them to steal a hug and kiss and depending on the time of month I'll tear up a little or begin bawling like a baby. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want them to be infants 2.5 and almost 5 years later...could you imagine?!?

I am savoring the memories of years past, enjoying the moments of today and looking forward to them growing more each coming year.

This weekend I did Lydia's hair in piggy braids, like pigtails but braided and Michael asked for a mohawk. The way he stated it was "I want my hair like this {motioning his hands like a teepee over his head} the way that so&so at school does". Fortunately I knew which kid in class he was talking about did my best to create the mohawk/fohawk look. Next time I get his hair cut I'll ask the stylist to cut his hair to make this look easier to achieve, it was really cute & fun on him.

That same day Shawn was fixing up the storage shed - rearranging shelves & FINALLY going through his stuff out there. He thinks I have stuff to look through and purge but the only things I claim as being mine are the 3 tubs of Christmas decor and 1 tub that house my childhood. So clearly he's confused. ;) Before or during that project he thought it would be fun to make the kids a rope swing on our tree. At first the wood at the bottom was a rounded rectangle but Lydia had trouble holding herself up so he made it round. I teared up a little at him doing this because I my dad made my sister & I a rope swing just like that when we were about their age. I'm sure my dad looks at us and says "when did they grow up?" and even as I type this I tear up a little because I know how much my dad loves me and how blessed I was to have him raising me.

The kids had LOTS of fun on the swing and while Lydia's learning to hold herself up she has mastered the art of falling off without getting hurt. :D I'm sure they'll enjoy it over the summer and maybe when their kids are playing on a rope swing they'll remember daddy making theirs.

And of course I couldn't leave out our third child. Jackie LOVES Shawn and will sit with/cuddle him every chance she gets. I had to take this picture last night because she was sitting perched on his shoulder like a parrot. LOL She's been a fun addition to the family and I don't think she'll grow too fast considering she's full size, at least one of our children listen. ;)

A Favorite Christmas Tradition

One of my favorite family traditions was getting the Christmas tree. It was especially my favorite thing when we'd go to Silveyville Christmas Tree Farm. Don't get me wrong you can find a cute tree at a local lot but the experience of Silveyville is what kicked off my Christmas season. You can see my scrappy pages from last year's trip to Silveyville here. They have it all - Christmas music, sliegh rides, trees, hot cider, gift shop, wreathes, employees dressed like elves, decorations. It was such a fun atmosphere and I really do miss it. I'm not sure if there's anything like that in Kennessee since I'm not there to go find a tree but there's nothing like that here in New Mexico - not around these parts at least. I've been trying to convince my parents that they should start their own tree farm and use Silveyville as inspiration. Seriously folks, if you are in the area it's a fun place to go, even if you don't buy a tree there.

Last year they had a tree dedicated to our servicemen which touched my heart because my husband was still at training when I went. I didn't get a tree last year but went with some other families from my church who were going. My mom ended up surprising me by showing up. I am SO glad that she did, I was happy she came then but now I am REALLY grateful. It's my last holiday memory of her without the man who murdered her just over a month later around. Christmas was her favorite time of year and because she didn't celebrate her first until she met my dad when she was 17/18 she still had a childlike excitement about it. She had taken me there many times when I was little so going with her and my kids was very special.

When I started posting tonight I was going to talk about finding our tree this year but it went a different direction. I'll post about this tree in the next couple of days and have pictures to share as well. Thanks for stopping by.

A Date with My Dad

I was glad to come across this contest at Pinks & Blues. It gives me an excuse to brag about my dad & try to win him a fun gift, courtesy of Once Upon a Family. You should go check it out & enter yourself. For your dad or your baby's daddy! ;)
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Now that the 'business' is taken care of onto the important stuff. I ♥ my dad. He is the best dad in the world - I know every child says that about their dad but mine really is. He was always there for me when I needed him. He is loving, supportive & encouraging. We have had our rough patches as every other parent/child relationship but we always bounce back & usually closer than before. My dad was my dad, he wasn't my friend - I had friends, that wasn't his job. He taught me how to play baseball {softball}, got me thinking about the science behind things & showed me the love of God. He is my hero.

I have many fond memories with my dad growing up; playing catch, building a super special secret city, and summertime camping trips. And he taught me how to weld. One of my favorite memories are the father daughter sock hops we went to when I was in girl scouts. We got dressed up in 50's attire head to toe. I wore a pink poodle skirt, a white top & cardigan sweater, ruffly white socks with those black & white shoes - I can't remember what they are called. And my hair was pulled up into a pony tail with a scarf tied around it. Dad donned the greaser look with jeans, white t {with a pack of cigs in his sleeve partially rolled} & sneakers. Oh and his black leather jacket. I had so much fun dancing with dad, especially during the slow dances when he'd let me stand on his feet. My best friend Whisper & her dad always went also. After the dance we would go to Lyon's restaurant for a tall chocolate milkshake & appetizers. It was so much fun. At the time it felt like we were out all night though I'm sure we were home by 10. But for a 7 or 8 year old - that's exciting stuff!

Over the years dad & I went to two father daughter dances while I was in high school. {Some people saw the photos afterward & asked if he was my boyfriend - good for you dad!} The last dance that we went to was in June of 2004. I was 8 months & very pregnant. This time it was a double date, sorta - dad had two dates. Myself & my sister.

Dad & I have a special relationship - as he does with the rest of my siblings, all 8 of them. I won't be home to post on Father's day & I'll actually be with my dad this year so I wanted to get this up beforehand. Happy Father's Day dad! I love you.

Random{ness}

This is my third attempt to post today. The first time I had an interruption in my connection and I thought I had saved a draft but I was wrong. The second one I started and saved when I had to make dinner but now I don't like it so I'm starting again. I didn't have much to post about earlier. It was a pretty normal day - basic house cleaning, changing diapers, wiping noses - but during a craving for sweets I remembered a photo Shawn took of the other night and wanted to put it up. He was having a chocolate milk meltdown or has he would say 'chamee milk' (sounds like: cha-me milk). It was a late night to bed for him and he was well past cranky. He had asked for chamee milk and we said no because it was {well past} time for bed. He went into the kitchen and came back with all necessities in tow. Milk, chocolate syrup & his cup. Isn't it just about the saddest sight? We only made him wait long enough to take this photo - have I mentioned I'm a scrapper? - then caved and gave him his chomee milk and tucked him into bed. By the way, now you can see my grocery store floor and part of the living room. The pile of camo stuff is everything Shawn had to bring out to the field with him. And yes, it's still in that same pile, hasn't moved, and I won't miss it when it finally does. If it doesn't move maybe I'll use it as inspiration to decorate, have the whole place covered in camouflage - oh wait then we wouldn't be able to find anything, never mind.

Monday Lydia had her first taste of baby food {other than mama's milk} and she seemed to really enjoy it, the spoon at least. With Michael I did pretty good about making sure he didn't try 'people food' {you know what I mean} before having baby food. It went like this: nursing exclusively - nursing & grain cereal - nursing, grain cereal & baby veggies - nursing, grain cereal, veggies & fruit - nursing, veggies, fruit, baby meats - and by the time he was at stage 2/3 he would sample 'people food'. Lydia is still nursing but had a taste of spaghetti sauce & mashed potatoes before trying out grain cereal. I don't know if it's just me being more lax about things or if Shawn is just better at sneaking her food but thats how it's gone. I'm excited about her moving into this new phase. It means we are beginning the weaning process. {Don't get me wrong, I love nursing my babies. For me it just makes sense and works. I know it's not what works for everyone and this is not an attempt to 'push' nursing.} However, I do look forward to not wearing nursing pads, being able to choose something to wear without thinking 'will I be able to nurse the baby while wearing this?' - dresses are out of the question, not waking up half covered in milk, and not smelling like said milk {not so sexy}. Yay Lydia!

Another thing I did today was talk to my little sis on the phone. That is a more rare occurrence these days since I moved out of state. Plus she's got a crazy busy work schedule, social calendar, wedding planning, time with fiance, etc. oh and the whole time difference throws us off too. I'll think to call her in the morning but she's still asleep, then working, she'll think to call me after work but I'm sleeping. It is only 52 more days until she is a married woman. It still seems so odd to me. I don't know why. She'll be the same age I was when I was 8 months pregnant with my oldest. I'm not worried if she's ready for marriage or question who she is gracing the privilege of marrying her. I guess I still see her as my 'little sister', the toddler that Chriss & I would dress up as a gypsy using pieces of fabric around the house. We all had so much fun as kids; playing Barbies, little people, houseboats, lighty birdy - ah the memories. Anyway I'm really excited about the wedding and going back to California. She UPS'd me the bridesmaid dress and I love it - much better than the black over yellow version I tried on at the bridal shop, bumble bee wedding? I don't understand. Shell's wedding colors are pink & brown and it has a coffee theme - I'll explain in future posts - so the dresses are pink with a brown overlay & pink sash. In this photo you mostly see the brown. I took these pics using my handy dandy timer feature on my camera and took advantage of the built-in in the entryway. Don't you love the way the dress twirls? I do.

Well, I think that is it for today. Thanks for dropping by. I'm going to go eat some cereal now & finish watching Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events oh and read the blogs on LOOOOOOST and browse around a template sight...I know, I know! I have issues.

Can you name all 5? (I'm counting the dog)

So it's after 11pm and I'm just now starting my blog for the day - does that give you an idea of what my day has been like? BUSY. Good, but busy. It started off with two cranky kids & a cranky mom who had to get to the doctor's office that we've never been to and I had no idea where it was at an earlier time than I typically schedule to do anything but sit with the kids, make breakfast or browse blogs and none of that is scheduled it's just life. Lucky for me Shawn called as I was getting ready to head out the door and told me exactly where it was so I made it to the appointment on time. Lydia has had a really bad diaper rash for the last week and a half or so, one of those nagging ones that seem to be getting better with normal cream but then they come back with a vengeance. Walking up to the hospital Michael fought me holding his hand in the parking lot, then I had to walk back out to the car to get my military id card so I could pick up Lydia's prescription and he fought me the whole time, and once again back to the hospital to get the prescription he did not want to hold my hand. I don't just mean he was whining and complaining, which he was, but he was also falling to the ground while I'm trying to keep hold of his hand in the middle of the parking lot so I'm having to drag him out of the street while juggling Lydia in my arms and the diaper bag. Of course once we were back in the hospital and headed for the pharmacy Michael decided to cry & whine because he wanted to hold my hand. By the time I got home my back, neck & head hurt and I thought I was done for the day. Then I got a message from Shawn saying he may be coming home tomorrow so I thought I'd surprise him by getting a lot of cleaning & organizing done around the house. I scrubbed the bathroom, went through more stuff in Lydia's room before laying her down for a nap, cleared out a couple boxes cluttering the hallway & entry way and cleared off all but one flat surface in my living & dining room. Oh and ran a load of laundry, dishes, and cleaned the floors. It was so energizing to finally see progress and hopes of what our home could look like. Tomorrow I'm going to find his nifty laser level tool and have it help me hang pictures. That will help me clear the last flat surface, empty a couple shelves & really make the place start to feel like home. So all that work and Shawn's not coming home after all, not until Friday or Saturday anyway. But now I am motivated to finish the overhaul. So next week I should be posting photos of our house for you all to see. Yay!

The highlight of the day was going to the neighborhood playground for about an hour with the kids. No, not the park with the Starbucks, the other playground within walking distance from my house. It's a cute little playground for our part of the community and only takes a minute to get to. Michael had so much fun playing and running and running and running - really, he was doing laps. I got some cute photos too. We came home to have dinner and the Jetsons movie was playing so I turned it on. I had another one of those 'wow, I feel old moments' when I saw that it came out in 1990. Sure that doesn't seem that long ago, only 17 years but I was only 8. From the time that the movie came out a child was born and is now driving. Michael was somewhat interested and I thought it was hilarious. I didn't notice when I was younger but this wasn't just a movie, it's like a musical. Oh and the music, flashback to the 80's - I realize it was made in 1990 but everything in the early 90's is pretty much the same as stuff from the 80's. Michael was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch around 7 - an hour before his bedtime, so I put both the kids in bed and started browsing around on blogs, checking e-mail. I was going to work on my picaboo wedding album or blog but got tired so I laid down on the couch and fell asleep for a little bit until Shawn called to ask a favor. Now it is almost midnight and here I sit. Here's a few pics from our day today. Oh and can you name all 5 of the Jetsons without googling them? I always forget the mom's name - hmmm why does that feel familiar? Anyway let me know if you know what they all are without getting help.