4th Fun

At what point do posts become obsolete and no longer post-worthy? Surely if I'm within the week then I can go ahead and do it. I can't tell you how many pictures I have that would make awesome blog stories but then I don't get around to it before I have something else. I should be happy that I have enough content coming from the two small people in this house. Anyway, the 4th of July came and went and everyone I know did great, timely posts. So proud. Here's mine. Late.

We stayed home most of the day and just relaxed as a family. I saw this magazine article on how to do fireworks in a glass with water, vegetable oil and food coloring. Probably safe to say that I was the most impressed. Mia kept asking "when is it going to splash out of the glass?" Guess fireworks and exploding through the oil are still quite literal images for her. Oh well. I thought it was cool.

   

 

We went out for frozen yogurt with friends and then kept the kids up for fireworks. Before all of that though, we took some pictures. Because that always goes really well.

 My favorite is the bottom left one. Classic. Yes, he's trying to bite her because she had overextended her welcome of arm over the shoulder time.

It was only slightly better than last year's 4th of July pictures.

 

Those still crack me up. Why must this be so hard?....

At least we got one good one.

Finally, no more pictures - bring on the good stuff!

 

  

And sitting on the hood of the car in their pajamas, waiting for the fireworks. No, I did not plan for both of them to wear monkeys riding bikes. I was just looking for something they wouldn't burn up in this crazy heat (today, I saw 108 on a sign...yeah, definitely staying inside this afternoon...)

Finn was less than impressed by the whole thing. But then again, it would take a lot for me to care about something 2 hours after my bedtime too.

 It was a good day. Too bad it fell smack dab in the middle of the week. That kind of made Thursday a little bit of a let-down, but we made the most of it, including a fun trip to story-time at the library.

 

Something Fishy

My friend Melissa and I had a crazy moment and thought this sounded like a good idea:



And while we had our doubts as we loaded the car with the 5 car seats and all the stuff that comes with 5 children 4 and under, the kids were actually pretty good for the 1.5 hour drive to...



Oh yes. Fun at the aquarium. Which by the way is such the perfect summer activity: happy kids, a/c, and no sunburns.

The turtles (probably one of Finn's favorites - although he's a fan of stingrays too).



This struck me as so odd.



All these turtles on the logs. At first I thought it was a sculpture until one of them moved.

The sharks. Always a fun part. Sorry about the picture quality, I didn't use a flash because I was trying to be nice to the sharks. I tend to not want to aggravate those sea creatures.



Glad that glass was there, especially since Finn busted his lip right after this picture was taken and we all know blood isn't a great combo around sharks. Seemed like the best place for him to have a traumatic incident. (He's fine. It was dark and he stepped off a ledge wrong, went down and hurt his lip. Cried for a little but then really cried because I was trying to hold him and not let him get back to the sharks. Typical.)



The shark tunnel. They organize sleepovers in there. How cool would that be to a kid?!?



The shark cage. Mia thought it was a cage for sharks until I explained it was a cage to keep sharks out. Not usually the way it is, huh?



The stingrays.

At one point, Mia was at a fish tank a few feet away and I hear her say, "MOM!! NEMO!!"



Sure enough.

Later at dinner, she told Mark that she saw Nemo. "Lots of them. And then some." (I think she means there were lots of them in one tank and then another tank had some more. It was just cute). On the way there the kids had watched Nemo so it was kind of fun to see them look for fish they had just seen in the movie.

This little guy loved it so much.



I thought he would have a good time, but he really did love all the fish tanks and the variety of looking through the glass and looking over and into the pools.  He was excited and speaking Finnish (ha! get it?) a lot of the time. I did make out Turtle and Fish quite a few times...

And just like that, it was time to come home. We're so glad we did it and can't wait to go back and show Daddy all the fun stuff we saw.

First Day

Mothers should worry less. I mean, I know that it's all part of it. From the day you find out you're going to have a baby that's pretty much what you do.  It's not all worry, of course. And then, if an when it is, they usually do so great that you wonder what you had yourself all worked up about.

Like today. They both did great. In fact, I probably had the most dramatic moment of the day when I got stung by a wasp.  I mean, really?.... What made it interesting (and funny later) was that I couldn't remember ever having been stung by a wasp/bee so wasn't sure what it would do to me. My body does not do well with mosquitoes so I was a little nervous, but apparently I can take a wasp.  Not that I ever want to again.  Helps to be on an all-female core team though...they all really took care of me!

So, pretty good day all around.

Finn cried at drop-off, of course. But he must have just done that to make me feel loved because they said he cried for about 10 seconds and then was done. He then went on to have a great day.

Mia went straight in and started playing immediately, of course. She also had a great day and her sheet said that "she was a joy to have in class". She told me that she "didn't sleep so much." The real story from her teacher was that she didn't sleep at all but that was perfectly fine. She just sat on the other side of the other room with two other girls who also don't nap and giggled and wiggled. I can totally see it. Tonight she said that she was a little bit sad at nap time because she missed us.  Either that or she didn't want to nap. :)

It happened to be a team building day for me, so we did a little bit of office work and training and a lot of hanging out together.   Wednesday will be more hands-on stuff and then next week will be the test when I'm left to do it by myself.

And of course we had to take "first day" pictures. I found these shirts recently - Best Sister Ever and Most Awesome Little Brother - and decided to save them for today.   Not that they were together but I like for them to remember to watch out for one another if they ever do see each other...

 (and yes, they're both purple but I guess real boys wear purple).

Mia looks so cute in this one. And then Finn was being cute - blowing kisses...

 

Mia is all excitement and Finn is all...   teeth.

 

 

She was happier than it looks. It was just really bright so she was having a hard time looking up. She just looks so big with her backpack and lunch...

 

 

   

 This was after school. I wanted a picture by the front door, but it didn't go so well.  They're funny in their own way, though, so I decided to put them up anyway.

 

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us today and sent messages telling us you were thinking of us.  We definitely felt it and love and appreciate you!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow isn't just the start of a new work week, it's the start of a new adventure around here for us.  Through a whirlwind of circumstances and conversations and with a lot of prayer, we'll wake up tomorrow to some new firsts.  I start at a new job. The kids start at a new school.

As can be expected, the emotions floating around are a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and sadness.  We're excited about the new, anxious about the change, and sad to leave the old.  Change can be so, so good, but so hard at the same time. I could probably write for hours about all that's going through my mind: how we got here, how we processed the decision, what this means for our family.  If you know me, you know I processed this thing to death and squeezed a good pros and cons list out of it.  I won't get into all of those and won't go into a ton of detail (after all, I do have a big day tomorrow and need my beauty sleep), but here are the main points:

The old:

• I liked my job.  I enjoyed what I did and I was pretty good at it.  I had worked at the University for 10 years so naturally I had a lot of history, institutional knowledge, friends, and comfort in that environment.


• There was a lot of flexibility there in terms of the kids. If I had to stay home with a sick kid, I could. If I needed to bring the kids in at some point when I needed to check on a building or an event, I could. I liked the balance of time with and time away: mornings at the office, a couple of hours in the afternoon at home, so only away from kids for a few hours in the morning.


• Recently though, things started getting a little busier. We had more buildings and more programs which meant more events for me.  Great and exciting, but stressful and tiring. I was either having to take the kids more or having to tuck them in at night and leave or go back in on the weekends and leave them with Mark.  Also around that time, Mia dropped her nap (why can't they nap until they're 12?) so while I was supposed to be working from home, I had a 3 year old who was wanting company (since Finn was sleeping).

The opportunity:

• During check-in one night at church (I've been working the preschool/kindergarten check-in for a few years now), I found out that the Preschool Director was taking a different position at the church, that they were looking for someone to replace her, and a little about the job.


• In the space of about a week and a half, we talked it over, I interviewed, accepted, and resigned.  The timing of it all seemed a little crazy, but really it couldn't have been better.  There's really no other time that I could have left my job and not panicked (summer is fairly slow). Just like that, I was wrapping things up, saying goodbye, and telling our dear teachers at the school we love that we were pulling the kids out. Not going to lie, those were some tough moments.

The new:

• I will be the Preschool Director for our Saturday night services at our church.  I have loved being a part of the team on Saturday nights just as a volunteer, so I'm really looking forward to being on staff and working alongside them more.


• I'll work about 15 hours a week: two days a week (9-2) and then Saturdays. That's it. No work from home every day. No late night events that start at 11pm. Part of working with preschoolers is you know that you're job will pretty much be done at a fairly decent hour.


• It's a perfect blend of logistical, behind-the-scenes organizing and working with people, with a good dose of opportunities for creativity and hospitality thrown in.


• The kids will attend childcare/preschool at the church on the two week days and then Mia has actually moved up into my building this month as a preschooler so I'll get to see a lot of her, especially.


• So, that means we're home 3 days during the work week.  Something so new for us but so exciting to think about. I'm sure there will be days when we'll all be itching to get out of the house but we'll have walks to the park, play dates, and story times at the library.

So, now you see why tomorrow is a big day around here. I'm excited about the new job but anxious about the transition for the kids. Mia is beyond excited and has been talking about if forever (a new lunch bag really helps) and she knows that she won't go back to her old school, but I'm just wondering if once we've been doing it for a few weeks if it will really click for her. Finn....oh, Finn.  I'm just praying that he'll do ok.  He is just coming out of separation anxiety stage and was not crying at drop-off anymore.  But now with a new room, new teacher, new kids... I know he will be fine and I know he'll learn to love it. It's just hard when they're so little that you can't really process it and talk it through like with the 3 year old.  He loves his new nap mat though, so at least there's that...right?

Let's hope I have lots of positive things to say the next time I post.

What’s happening when nothing’s happening on here.

We got away to Branson this past weekend to spend a few days with family.  We had a great time and as usual, both kids were pretty sad to hear that we were on our way home.

Since then, there's been lots going on at work for both of us (more on that later), a birthday party for somebody in our community group, a check-up (Finn), and a dentist trip (me) so finding time to get on here and blog has been tricky.

There are suitcases still to unpack on the treadmill, the car has chickadees all over (Finn really, really gets a kick out of seeing those fly out of the bag), the grocery list is long, and I'm pretty sure we're soon to be in laundry crisis mode. If I focus on all those things, I start to get twitchy. So instead, I focus on all the good, fun stuff that is happening: work craziness will let up, Finn got a thumbs up from the pediatrician*, and my appointment today was better than I expected. With all of that, who cares about the chickadees?  (well...I guess I still do...).

Besides, going for a walk in the stroller on a beautiful evening is way more fun than staying home and doing chores.  Yay for summer!

 

*For those who care - Finn's stats: 28lbs 10 oz, 33 in long (75% in both). Everything looks good, even those pesky little spots that are lingering from hand, foot, mouth (yes, you can still see them on his legs but looks like they're fading and healing even if too slowly for my taste).

Dentist

The kids had dentist appointments this week to, as Mia put it: "go brush her teeth". Seems like a whole lot of effort for just brushing your teeth, but I'm glad that she doesn't blow it out of proportion and let it escalate in her mind.  Me? Yeah, not as cool about my 6 month appointments... Mainly because I hear things like "time to get those wisdom teeth out". Ugh.  This summer, it is. Gotta love it.

Fortunately, just a routine cleaning for these two. No cavities and a prize for each one at the end. I warned the dentist that Finn b-i-t-e-s (Finn can't spell yet so that way he doesn't know what I'm talking about if he gets on here and  reads this). The dentist chuckled and said that there had been a few of those that morning already but that the worst was from the 7 year old yesterday. Finn was great though and opened his mouth and showed his teeth whenever he was asked. Mia was great, too.  But then again, they were showing Tangled on the ceiling so what was going on in her mouth didn't really matter.

 

See you next time, "Fis"...

Family Reunion

On Saturday, we drove to a family reunion (my dad's mom's side). We try to go every year we're home, since it's a fairly short drive for us.  And, I figure if my 95 year old Grandma can make the 14 hour trip (or whatever it is) , then we can go just under 2 hours.

Lunch. Picnics sound fun but actually getting our two to sit down and eat is tricky. They did pretty well, but Finn ate most of his meal walking from group to group.  I get it, though...so we don't push it. They'll eat if they're hungry.



Watch out, Finn. Uncle Duane's about to steal your food...



Grandma with her "baby" brother. Pretty sure we celebrated his 90th birthday last summer.



Mia and GG (Great-Grandma).



Mia and Finn found a little friend, I think from a different family (but really I'm not sure). They were all standing there feeling that tree.  You would think they had never touched a real tree before.  Weird.



Mark brought the hammock this year. We talk about it every time and this year we actually remembered.  It was a hit!



Notice Finn: being helpful.



Now notice Finn: being dangerous.

And of course we had to go to the water.





Remember last year? When Mia slipped and fell in?  Finn's turn this year...not surprised. I knew it would happen and was actually prepared with towels this year. (and speaking of last year...wow...the kids have changed so much! They've both shot up and slimmed up. I forgot Finn's face was that round...).

Changed and dry, the kids got back in the hammock.





They both loved Uncle Duane. Finn had a great time having somebody to share sticks and rocks with, but Mia was especially fond of him.  She was pretty sad in the car when she realized we were leaving and wouldn't see Uncle "Guane" again. Fun uncles are the best!



And just like last year, they were both out before we got back on the main highway out of the state park. Nothing like some good fun to wear you out.

Friday Fun

I blinked and it was Friday. Not that I'm complaining, but it's strange to suddenly realize on Thursday night that the end of the week is here already.  Things are pretty packed at work for me right now and we have a family reunion get together tomorrow so between recovering from Texas, working on stuff this week, and getting ready for Saturday....well, no wonder time's flying.

Fridays are pretty exciting days around here. Both Mark and I get to wear jeans to work, so there's that (hey, it's the little things), but Fridays are also our date night. Sometimes the kids stay with somebody and we go out, but most of the time, we put the kids to bed and then have our "date". We take turns planning it so it's fun because we are either surprising or being surprised. Good times.

This Friday has been particularly exciting. My grandma and uncle stopped in town for lunch on their way to the reunion. We'll meet up with them again tomorrow, but it was fun to see them for a bit today. And if that wasn't great enough, UEFA Euro 2012 kicked off today. Mark and I are pretty excited. Not sure how well Portugal will do since it landed in the group of death - again...didn't this just happen in the last World Cup? - but I'll be cheering them on nonetheless. Because even though I'm not a fan of the one everyone will be watching, I am a fan of what he could do to get us out of the group stage. If he worries less about looks and focuses on good soccer.  See?  Don't get me started. Cool little piece of trivia: He was born and raised on the same island I was.  That's about the only coolness I can find. Well, his suits are nice, I guess...but when you make as much as he does, it's not hard to look sharp.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I'm just glad I can watch all the drama. We canceled cable in January but my incredibly resourceful husband found a service that allows us to still get the things we want to watch at a fraction of the cost. One of the channels we get that has live is the exact channel that is showing all the Euro games.  Thanks, babe.  Now let's just hope I don't yell at the TV too much in the next month.

Texas-Sized Fun: Family and Futebol!

We got back last night this morning at 1:30am from Texas. We had a great time down there and were all sad that it was time to come home. Mia kept saying things like: I don't want to leave. I wish Grandma and Grandpa's house was our house or I miss my cousins already or I want to go back to Jeff and Liz's house. Jeff's my best, best friend ever and I can't find him now. Heartbreaking to see your kid sad but I love that she made good connections and had a good time. I'm sure Finn had a great time, too but if we go off of verbals only, then it's only the dogs he missed since puppy is the only word that he said multiple times this weekend.  That and ball, but more on that later.

Grandpa has a garden. The kids loved walking out there and seeing all the stuff growing in the back yard. Mia even got to pick squash!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mia could.not.wait to see the cousins.  At one point, I caught her hugging/squeezing Cody and heard him saying, "Too - much - love". Ha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a new splash pad nearby so the cousins had a fun time cooling off.

Way cooler than ours...it had all kinds of things to slide down, crawl under or climb over. I was about to tell Mark that I liked it because a parent could go out into it and help kids without getting wet when I got dumped on by a bucket of water (similar to the one seen above over Mia).  Yeah, that was fun. I was holding the camera and it got water all in it but fortunately it still worked... so there will be more pictures to see below.

Finn talked cars with Grandpa...

And then went and played piano with Grandma. Still with the cars, of course.

 

It was funny because he was putting the cars on the keys and then pressing the keys to make the cars move up and down.

Mia played for a while, too.

 

At Jeff and Liz's house, loving Aunt Liz's grandma's rocking chair.

 

Lazy morning in their jammies



Both kids love getting to see Bailey and Callie when we go down. Not sure the feeling is that mutual, but the girls are always so sweet.



This next picture is one of my new favorites. Aunt Liz painted Mia's nails and...well, I think you can tell she thought it was awesome.



One of the big reasons we took this trip is because Mark had tickets to go see Brazil vs. Mexico at the Cowboys Stadium. We were just going to stay at home, but my brother got us tickets so we could come too. Awesome tickets. Great fun. The kids would do it all over again today if they could.  Actually, Mia was in the car in the parking lot asking to see the game again.  85,000 people and she wants to do it again. Little party girl.

Finn had to rest before the big game.



What a fun treat for us!



Finn was ready to get in that game.



How a boy watches a soccer game:



How a girl watches a soccer game:



We broke a world record at halftime: the longest wave around the stadium - 7 minutes. I just talked to Jeff and he said he's sore from lifting Mia up every time the wave was in our section. I'm feeling muscles I never felt from doing the same with 29 lber Finn. Remind us not to do that again. But the kids loved it and the fireworks and fireballs at the end of the 7 minutes were Finn's favorite.  Little thrill seeker.

I love this picture...



The one thing Mia asked for was popcorn. Let's not talk about how much that cost us. Let's focus instead on how much this little guy loved it.  His first taste ever of popcorn (yes, I'm that mom who sees it as a choking hazard).



Looking at me through the popcorn cup.



This is the best stuff.

Then, it was time to make the drive home. One of my favorite things to pack for when it gets dark?



Glow sticks! Cheap and easy to pack. Great fun when it's too dark to do much of anything else.

And I know that blogs have a tendency to show all the good stuff and hide the crummy, yucky stuff. I want to be transparent and say that while we had a great time and would (and will hopefully) do it again soon (not this week though, I haven't even unpacked yet), road tripping with two small children is no joke.

This is our back seat.



Awesome.

I did manage to get that emptied out this afternoon but I went to work with it looking like that. Now to get everything else put back together.

Tomorrow. It all can wait. I'm off to bed for a longer night's sleep tonight.