Sisters

We are winding down the last few months of Rose's 100% at -home time before she heads off to kindergarten this fall, and I have a whole lot of feelings about it. She turns five in 3 weeks and starts kindergarten in 8 months--later this year! Amidst the challenges of caring for such a strong spirited little human, I have been making an effort to notice and appreciate Rose's self in all her intensity and connect more with her sweet nature. One thing that I always default to in my-babies-are-leaving-me crises are PICTURES! This week we have had some turbulent moments but an equal, if not greater number of sweet, darling, picture-worthy moments. I'm doing my best to navigate through all of it.

 What are the odds that Amber's hand-me-down pants (from baby Rose, 4 years ago) look so similar to Rose's current Costco pants? Striped pants sisters photo shoot--check!

 

Cute striped pants smiles notwithstanding, we had a rather rough start to our week on Monday. After I dropped Jay off at school, the girls and I went straight to a nearby park so Rose could play while I ran laps around the playground and Amber watched from the stroller. I've done it before, so this was nothing new.

The snow was melted so even though it was wet, it was only in the high 30s outside. Right when I started running, Rose dashed over and slid down the slide, which happened to be very wet. She soaked her little bum, straight through her jeans and started crying about it. I gave her various options, over and over: run around and play to warm up, go to the van to warm up, or pull down your pants and sit on a blanket in the van to warm up. Those were the three solutions to her coldness and I rotated through the list over and over each time I passed Rose's crying form while I jogged my small 1-minute circles around the park. Rose stood, storming and sobbing more loudly every time I suggested one. In between entreaties, I marveled at the girl's stamina. She cried for my entire 31 minute run.

We had some impressively circular conversations: "I'm cold!" --then go sit in the van to warm up! "But I don't want to sit on my cold pants!" --then go into the van and pull down your pants and wrap up in a blanket to warm up! "But I'm too cold!" [foot stomp/thrash/scream] Our circumlocution went on and on, round and round. It was so comical that although my patience was tested, it wasn't drained. Rose's eyes were all puffy and she was crying even when I finished running and we got into the van. She would not sit down in the van so I had to climb back there, pick her up while in a crouch and hoist-lift Rose into her seat while she screamed in my face. I yanked her jeans down halfway and wrapped her bum in a blanket and then buckled her in as she cried LOUDLY in my face. She cried all the way home.

She finally stopped crying after one last dramatic freak out over the removal of her wet jeans in the basement at home. She put on some sweats and then snuggled her whole self--head and all--under her fleece cow blanket on the floor in the hallway. It was such a ROSE moment! Sheer stubborness in the face of logical solutions, and a determination to have her cry. That girl! Jeff and I enjoyed a cozy parental chuckle when I elaborated and acted out the story for him later that night. Nobody appreciates a child's antics like the parents do!

 Standing in the van, mid cry.

Later that same Monday, Amber decided to follow her big sister's example and have a good long cry for herself. Mondays, seriously.

Amber had yogurt for dinner that night, and was rather pleased with herself when I gave her the bowl and spoon with a few bites left for her to paint with.

On Wednesday, we decided to visit Monsieur Blanc at his classroom. He has his planning period mid-morning. Rose lost no time in having Daddy trace her on his butcher paper--her favorite part about his classroom. Amber had fun gathering as many high-schooler germs as possible in the 40 minutes we were there. I tried not to think about it while Jeff and I talked and enjoyed an out-of-the-ordinary midday break. 

These girls love their Daddy.  It was SO CUTE when Amber saw Jeff walking towards her across the parking lot when we arrived at the high school. She lit up and started squirming in my arms and leaning toward him. I could just tell she couldn't believe  her luck, getting to see Daddy in the middle of the day! Amber loves her dada. Jeff and I both love it when Amber does her affectionate "head lean"--when one of us is holding her, she presses her head onto us. When she's facing outward, she leans her head back and presses the back of her head into Jeff's or my shoulder/chest. When she's facing inward while we hold her, she lays her head on a shoulder and hooks her little arms around our shoulders in a surprisingly strong little monkey-grip. It is adorable and endearing. 

While I was making dinner on Wednesday, Amber was cranky until she discovered that I had left the cabinet with the kitchen trash can unlocked, and she proceeded to rummage through the trash can, found Jay's recently discarded apple core, and walked around, happily munching and drooling sticky apple chunks all over the house. Letting the baby eat trash on the carpet was preferable to listening to a crying baby while I was cooking! Third child.  

This morning, the storms of last night had subsided. When we got home from dropping Jay off at school, Rose and Amber quietly retreated to their happy places. Rose got out her markers and coloring book. Amber climbed onto a kid chair at the play kitchen. They spent at least half an hour in their respective spots, happily doing what they love. Little girls are such dears!

 That Wub. I usually try to only let her have it in bed, but she's been so miserable and congested and growing molars lately, that she is so much happier with it all the time. So I risk losing the thing (it's our only one, and I refuse to buy another one this late in the game) and the baby stays happy.

Rose in her element, marker in hand. She looked up at the opportune moment and I managed to capture this gem of a Rose-face. Most of the pictures I get of her smile these days are of her fake smile or her goofy smile, but this is the essence of Rose: mischievous, fun-loving, artistic, intense, and beautiful. 

A day off

Since I was relatively productive earlier this week, I decided to give myself a "day off" today. Of course I still had Amber and Rose home with me, so it wasn't a complete day off, but I decided that after I did the dishes and gave Jay his piano lesson this morning I would not worry about any other housework or grown-up responsibilities. I planned on sitting down with a book right when I got home from dropping Jay off at school. I started reading the climax of Cinder last night and I was dying to find out what happened and see if I guessed the ending right. But when I got home, a couple of my sisters needed me. I hope I'm a good sister! I am always 100% willing to do what I can and be there for my dear sisters, so I didn't begrudge a single second of the morning today. A 90 minute phone call with one and a visit with another later, it was suddenly 1:00 pm. 

It was hat day at Jay's school today.

 Taking out the trash in a rainbow wig. First graders are so great!

Even though I did good, useful things all morning, I still selfishly craved my elusive "day off." Don't get me wrong--I was completely willing to do the minuscule things I did for my sisters. I'm glad my they wanted my ear/arms! It was just one of those mornings where I gave gave gave, and I was ready for some serious Shaina time by the afternoon. Amber went down for her nap without complaint and Rose picked out a movie. At last, I settled down at the computer, determined to do a few quick things before reading more of my book. I managed to make enough time to read a few chapters before Jay got home. 

Little Miss Grayce is 1 month old now. Amber was curious for about 20 seconds. It makes me happy that these two are only one year apart. Future best cousin-friends!

When Jeff got home, I decided to go on a run since today was the first time we've seen the sun in weeks and it was a comparatively balmy 44 degrees outside. And if I ran this afternoon while Jeff was home, I wouldn't have to figure out how to do it tomorrow with kids in tow (since I only run 3 weekdays right now, and today was day 3--woot!) My run felt good. I went on a safe, boring out-and-back sidewalk run with zero dogs and plenty of Grandview's "rush hour traffic" roaring past (at 25 mph). When I finished my 4 miles, I did some core exercises and took a luxurious hot shower. Rose only pounded on the bathroom door once. So far so good.

We had a late dinner--leftovers--around 6pm. It was quite the meal. Jeff was feeling exhausted from the week. My post-run fatigue was starting to catch up to me. Jay was reluctant to eat his dinner, picking at it one rice grain at a time. Rose gobbled hers up and started bouncing off the walls--practically ricocheting off of every surface in the house. Amber ate-slimed a banana and then refused all other foods, whining loudly to get down. I told the kids that they needed to do their unfinished chores after dinner (bad timing on my part--they are usually too emotionally fried from the day to accomplish much of anything after dinner). Mr. Responsible Jay did his chore just fine (vacuum the basement entryway where he had tracked in a bunch of dirt earlier today).

Rose, however, succeeded in completely overthrowing, undermining, destroying, draining, emptying, whatever you want to call it, she ENDED my patience for the day. All I asked her to do was put the little people into the box--most of them were scattered around right next to the box, so I thought this would be a simple, quick task for her to do in her tired frenzy. You know, stick to the chore principle without the tired kid chore syndrome? Alas, she simply would NOT do it until I had employed every possible phrasing of "please clean up the little people" that I could conjure up in my own tired brain. Rose ignored me, played around with other toys, talked back to me, claiming that she was cleaning (when she clearly wasn't), saying "I just have to ____ first," etc. etc. etc. Her resistance was almost palpable. I HATE POWER STRUGGLES! I must confess to unleashing my motherly wrath in various loaded sighs, grumbles, and venomous one-liners ("how come nobody listens to me!?!?" etc.) Grumbling and more or less breathing fire, I finally told Rose she had better clean up her part before I cleaned up Amber's mess because she had a 20 minute head start and she still had accomplished nothing. The room was clean five minutes later. Seriously? How come I can't hit upon the right motivation for her on my first try? It's so unfair! The same strategy isn't guaranteed to work two nights in a row, but it may work again a week later, you never know. So I go through the list while hoping that I haven't failed as a parent because I can't make my almost 5 year old daughter clean up a handful of toys willingly, promptly, or quickly.

I felt utterly spent after that Rose-cleanup-ordeal, but we still had to do family scripture and family prayer. It was Rose's turn to pray. I wish I could say that she melted my icy motherly heart by saying something sweet in her prayer, but the prayer was more of the usual variations on a theme: "thank thee for this day, thank thee that we could have a good day, thank thee that today was such a good day, thank thee that we had such a good day today"--it's amazing how many ways that sentiment can be rephrased. 

Wshoo! I just had to get that off my chest. As Jay was heading to bed, he asked me "Mommy, will you lay with me?" (aka, snuggle in bed with him and answer a million philosophical questions). Once again, I must admit defeat. I said no, not tonight. He had asked me last night and I said no then too. Double non-duty. Cue mama-guilt. But I was feeling quite desperate for some alone time. Jeff and I didn't even watch an episode of Netflix after the kids were in bed like we often do. I just needed to sit in a quiet room by myself and finish reading my book, which I did, and it was an annoying cliffhanger ending and I don't have the second book in the series. I came out of my room and topped the night off with an exciting half hour session on the computer, setting up auto pay for my new health insurance.

Real life is so glamorous.

Day: 1, Shaina: 0.

Sigh.

How can I have done so many worthwhile things today but still end the day feeling so...flattened? There were bright spots in my day: holding baby Grayce, running by myself, finishing a book, squishing Amber. But if I had to rate my overall performance today, I'm not sure I would have a passing score. I don't like the knowledge that I chose to give in to my frustrations this evening. 

Swarming Daddy

Thank goodness tomorrow is a fresh start. I WILL TRIUMPH! Or at least be better than I was today. 

That shouldn't be too hard--hah!

Another week, another dog attack

The snow finally started melting on Thursday, but it went slowly and we still have a few white patches in our yard. It's strange to see the grass again after five days of it being covered in white. It seems like springtime should be here since the grass is showing again and it actually looks kind of green. But it's barely January 10th! The slick snow-covered roads kept me from running outside for an entire week! (as I've mentioned in the past, the city doesn't plow here--they just scatter pebbles on top of the snow to help cars grip the snow) But, as you know, I still got some exercise...I did "cardio cleaning" two times this week, and all that bouncing around made my calves SO SORE. Like, they may tear in half if I lift my foot. Running outside is so much easier than jumping around the house like a crazy cooped-up person!

Before the snow melted, I did two snow walk workouts/playtimes. I strapped Amber to my back and loaded the other two kids into the sled and pulled them around the neighborhood. It was definitely workout worthy. And fun! Amber was delightfully squishy in her oversized snow gear. It was a challenge squeezing her into the backpack in that voluminous snowsuit.

I had Jay and Rose take turns pulling the sled too. That made them stop telling me to go faster!

Yesterday (Saturday) I went on my first run outside in 10 days. I chose my favorite safe-route (aka 90% sure that no dogs would chase me). I only have two other safe loops besides that one--the rest require risking dog-terror. I can do boring out and back runs in town or on the bike path, but we runners like our LOOPS! So I went on my favorite safe loop yesterday morning: it's five miles, with an option to extend to six miles, and the second mile is all on a gentle downward slope. It feels amazing! During that glorious second mile, right when I was really starting to loosen up and feel good, SUDDENLY there appeared two giant German shepherd dogs. They were at a blue house that hasn't had a dog out in years, ever since their old tiny white pooch was hit by a car and left in the road for a certain disgusted, if also slightly gratified, runner to view. But the blue house people seem to have gotten dogs for Christmas. Big dogs. They bounded over to me on their long legs. One had a SWEATER on (sissy move for a giant dog like that if you ask me). But the sissy-sweater-wearing German shepherd actually stayed in the yard, so I didn't spare it much thought.

It was the other one that came after me. He was not barking or snarling (THANKFULLY) but he was all up in my business, jumping up on me (his nose touched my HAT), wriggling between my legs, pawing me, sticking his nasty nose up my butt, and generally making himself a complete nuisance. I was too scared to actually kick him because I don't kick big dogs--too risky. If he was just circling and nose-butting me, I might not have freaked out like I did, but the creature was a jumper. He was SO TALL and who wants to be eye-level with somebody else's dog, alone on a country road? NOT ME!

Right when I saw the dogs, I stopped and walked because so far that has been the most effective (if anti-instinct) way to keep dogs from running me down and tripping me up. But Mr. Giant German shepherd would NOT leave me alone and I was having a hard time even walking forward with all of his jumpy antics. I screamed and screamed at the house. Then I yelled "LOCK UP YOUR DOGS!" Then I shouted in a panicked voice "SERIOUSLY, SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEE!!!" Cut off by a sob. I was kind of losing it. I started crying! I've never actually cried at a dog incident--usually the rage, adrenaline, and fear are too strong to permit such weakness as crying. But this was my first time outside running in over a week, and I had barely had three consecutive hours of sleep at a time for the past five nights, and the dog wasn't actually trying to bite me so I wasn't scared for my life but he was still scaring me big time and it was just so unfair that I succumbed to tears. Seriously, running and tears and dogs and shouting do not mix. I was gasping! And the brute kept jumping!

Then a miracle occurred: the owners came out and corralled their beasts. I did my best to get my sobs under control and then started running again. A minute or two later, a car pulled up alongside me and it was the owner of the dogs! He rolled down the window and asked if I was ok. I stopped running and I couldn't honestly say yes, I'm ok because I was still really shaken and emotional and freaked out. So I said the dog didn't hurt me, but how am I supposed to run on this road if these dogs chase me? He said the dog was really young and just wanted to play, and that he is normally kept in a kennel, but he jumped out. To which I may or may not have responded with a badly stifled sob. The owner said "I am so sorry, I will never let that happen again."

Through my discomfort at conversing with a stranger on the road while trying to keep myself from going totally to pieces and begging him to drive me home, I marveled that he actually took the time to drive after me an apologize. I have lived in Grandview for five years, and in all that time and over all those countless dog situations, I have never EVER had a dog owner apologize to me. It really did a lot to help me feel better. When the guy drove off, I had to walk for a little while because his unexpected kindness and the fact that he actually took responsibility for his dumb dogs (when normally, if I ever even see a dog's owner, which is rare, the owner scoffs at my fear and says "he just wants to play" or "he's not going to hurt you" or the owner completely ignores me and my terror, simply calling to the dog--with about a 20% success rate I might add)...where was I...oh, I had to walk a while after the dog's owner drove off because I was again visited by a completely inexplicable wave of emotion and I sobbed and cried right there on the side of the road. It was ridiculous that I was being so pathetic, but those dogs and then the kind owner got way too many different emotions flowing, and they came out as tears and gasps. Eventually I started running again and managed to calm down by the time I got home, only to get all wobbly-chinned again while regaling Jeff with the tale.

A post run selfie. Apparently running selfies are a thing--some people take a selfie after every run. Hmm. Well, this was a worthy post run selfie--can you see the PAW PRINT on my sleeve? The back and sides of my jacket and tights were also slimed in mud and dog nose. Bleh!

Yesterday I found myself wondering why I've kept running through all of the awful dogs in this valley. I can honestly say that I do not enjoy running here. I came to the conclusion that NOT running has never occurred to me as an option. Excluding pregnancy, I have been running regularly since I was ten years old--that's nineteen YEARS of running. No wonder not running never seemed like an option. How's that for a triple-y negative sentence? I think (?) I used those three negatives correctly too! [chuckle of glee]

To end on a positive note, I read the most entertaining Georgette Heyer book this week--The Foundling. It had me laughing out loud with the intricate dilemmas and "coils" the poor Duke found himself in! A true comedy of manners, with a twist (or four or five--it was great!). I'm currently suffering a slight case of literary whiplash because after I finished that book yesterday, I started right up with a completely different genre--I think it's a dystopian fairy tale, if that's a genre. It's called Cinder and it's a Cinderella story of sorts but set in the future and Cinder(ella) is a cyborg! She's human but with computer parts and prosthetic limbs integrated into her body, and the reason her stepmother enslaves her is because cyborgs have less rights than full-humans! Hah! So far, hilarious. Cinder is a mechanic, and she has an android assistant. When the android sees the prince, it says "Check my fan, I think I'm overheating." Bahaha! What a line! Who thinks of these stories? I'm glad they do.

I have been storing random pictures away but not posting them as much because they never fit into whatever I'm trying to SAY. I've decided to just add the unrelated pictures whenever I want to anyways, continuity be cursed. On that note, a few more positive notes to end on, in picture form:

 I took Amby-bamby to the doctor this week to get her wheezy congested little self checked out. They gave her a steroid shot, but there wasn't much more they could do. Did I mention how good she is at walking these days? She officially walks more than she crawls as of about a week ago. I love little one year olds walking around--it seems so unlikely that such tiny humans can balance on two feet! Makes me smile every time. Also, the flourescent lights at the doctor made Amber's hair look much redder than it is.

Baby Shaina and baby Amber would totally have been friends.

Off-roading in the Safeway parking lot. Ha, that cart was surprisingly hard to push across snow!

 We did a bathroom hot shower steam treatment for Amber's congestion. And she fell asleep on me one morning--a rarity almost unheard of! All of those nighttime cough/cry wake-ups caught up to her, poor baby. (and poor mama, I might add) One good thing about having a slightly sick baby is the snuggles. Every mom can attest to that. It's the reward for all of the other impossibilities of caring for the sick baby. Amber has been so snugly this week. I love it when she clings to me with both arms and hugs me like a little spider monkey.

I gave Jay a haircut this week--it turned out much shorter than we both planned on because I'm no expert. But I prefer short hair, even if Jay was hoping for something a bit longer. His hair really is pretty when it's long--the strawberry tints disappear when it's short.

Rose and I built a big castle for all the princesses on the kitchen table one afternoon, complete with a train track around the outside. We love building!

Jay had his first piano lesson this week. I gave my first piano lesson this week. Neither one of us has any clue what we're doing! But it's free and low-key and in the comfort of our own basement. I'll probably be taking him to a real piano teacher in a year or so for damage control, though.

They like to play with the toy kitchen at the kid sized table together. Amber must always climb ON to the table, of course. And when she's done playing up there, she whimpers and cries until someone rescues her.

If I don't get Amber out of her crib fast enough after a nap, Rose goes in and not only pulls her out of the crib, but also carries her across the house to wherever I am. Amber looks so big when Rose carries her! It can be quite the athletic feat, especially when the blocks are all dumped out on the floor.

Wednesday, school was cancelled due to icy roads. Jay and Rose loved having an extra day to play together. At lunch, they were eating raw spinach and checking each other's teeth to see how green they were. They kept turning to me and saying "mommy, are my teeth greeeeen?"

Cardio cleaning!

Rose woke up at 5:45am today and started urgently turning on lights and talking loudly. Jay managed to stay asleep, but Amber woke up and started crying. My first thought when I heard all the commotion was "not fair! WHYYYY??" I felt welded to my bed, but peeled myself out to get Amber some milk. It was hard. I went back and sat in bed to let myself wake up a little more. I kept dozing! And feeling annoyed at Rose for storming through the house waking everyone up! Jeff left for work right after she woke up, and she felt the need to tell us all about him leaving. Somehow through my sleepy haze I recognized my grumpy mood as an opportunity to be patient and kind rather than storm and fume, and I did my best to smooth my ruffled feathers. I assure you, it was not easy, and I didn't really feel kind while I was holding back my irritated sighs and cranky epithets. I did tell Rose once or twice (in what I hope was a calm, informative way) that if she wakes up before 6am, it's polite to let everyone else sleep! My mood was almost in hand when I decided to read my scriptures, like I have been doing for the past few weeks--sitting in bed, first thing in the morning. I'm not the most perceptive at that time of day but it has been my best chance for some level of quiet while I read. So I [somewhat grudgingly] read a conference talk sitting in bed, then officially "got up" for the day. [also somewhat grudgingly]

I stumbled tiredly through breakfast preparations and kid/kitchen cleanup with the help of some soothing Enya music and finally felt a bit more myself when I was brushing my teeth. I was in desperate need of a shower, to the point that I just couldn't get dressed until that happened. I was trying to figure out if I wanted to do any exercise before that shower, in spite of my tiredness. One glance at the clock told me I had to decide NOW so I could exercise or shower before it was time to take Jay to school.

The view from our back window. It was very white outside this morning: white snow, white fog, white clouds. 

In an instant, it came to me: I would do an indoor run! I donned running shorts and short sleeves for the first time in months and tied on my running shoes. When I started jogging in place and all around the house, I had a second inspiration shine upon me: I could combine exercise with cleaning! Cardio cleaning! The running part was not as important as getting my heart rate up, so I started dashing around, picking things up and straightening up the rooms. I jogged in place while I swept the kitchen, laughing at myself because I could tell how hilarious it looked--like I had a bursting bladder! I dashed up and down the hall, lunging and grabbing things from the floor and running them to their boxes and shelves. I ran up and down the stairs over and over. I danced (kind of) and frolicked all over the basement, tidying up the rooms down there. And it was FUN! It was SO much more fun than running on a treadmill, and it was even more fun than just running in place in the kitchen too, like I have done on certain desperate days in the past.

Time flew, and before I knew it, my 30 minutes were up and I had a "nice" sweat going along with an elevated heart rate. Take that, snowy slippery roads! In yo face, broken treadmill! My indoor cleaning cardio whirlwind workout made me feel like a superhero, whirling from one cluttered room to the next, leaving order in my wake. How often have I broken a sweat vacuuming floors or scrubbing sticky stuff off kitchen counters? Why didn't I think of cardio cleaning sooner? It's just the thing! I may yet make it through this icy snowy winter with my fitness intact AND pneumonia-free.

Thankfully Jay and Rose were playing in Jay's room for most of my crazy indoor run, so I didn't trample them. Rose came out during the last few minutes and we leaped and flew around the basement together, giggling. Bonus: Amber had the best time chasing me around the house! Heaven knows what she thought of her crazy, capering mother, but she trailed after me--up and down stairs and all around, with squeals and a big grin on her face. That made my exercise even better.

The view from our front window. Burrr.

I drove Jay to school (carefully over the white slick roads) in my running shorts. Burrr! When the girls and I got home, I was still soaring on my endorphine rush. I walked into the piano room to admire my handiwork, and suddenly felt the  urge to play the piano. The hymnbook was open to hymns #66 (Rejoice the Lord is King) and #67 (Glory to God on High). I played them both a few times through, accompanied by Amber. When I attempted playing them just this past Sunday, I felt so finger-tangled and rusty, but today I was in a GROOVE! If you can groove with hymns, I managed it. Hah! I still stumbled every few measures, but it was a vast improvement over last time--the contrast made it doubly satisfying. And the words to those hymns just fit my heady happy mood, adding to my euphoria. I turned to another rousing favorite, hymn #75 (In Hymns of Praise) and played that one through a few times too. I felt great!

The words to the hymns fit my mood perfectly:
In hymns of praise your voices raise
To him who reigns on high,
Whose counsels keep the mighty deep,
Who ruleth earth and sky.
Exalt his name in loud acclaim;
His mighty pow'r adore!
And humbly bow before him now,
Our King forevermore.

Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore!
Mortals, give thanks and sing
And triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice!

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

 Glory to God on high!
Let heav'n and earth reply.
Praise ye his name.
His love and grace adore,
Who all our sorrows bore.
Sing aloud evermore:
Worthy the Lamb!

Jesus, our Lord and God,
Bore sin's tremendous load.
Praise ye his name.
Tell what his arm has done,
What spoils from death he won.
Sing his great name alone:
Worthy the Lamb!

Let all the hosts above
Join in one song of love,
Praising his name.
To him ascribed be
Honor and majesty
Thru all eternity:

Worthy the Lamb!

I mean, YES! What joyful words to sing in the morning! And the music that goes with them is so cheerful. It felt wonderful to pump my good mood into playing music. I didn't/couldn't sing along with my stumble-bumble playing, but I read the words when I could (and fumbled  more because of it, ha ha). Happy Shaina's spirits soared, even on the broken melody played with clumsy fingers!

It's amazing the POWER that is in one choice: deciding to grab the day by the horns rather than letting the day...I was going to say "gore me" but that sounds gross. What I'm trying to say is: it IS worth the effort to overcome grumpy early mornings, wake up, and find the joy in a frigid morning.

Happy Sunday

It is a glorious day: church meets at 9am again! Happy Sunday! Last year we met at 1pm and it was exhausting with a baby and wiggly kids. Trying to get dinner together after such a late church (and a 20 minute drive home) was hard. But today we said goodbye to all of that for another entire year! Yes! As a bonus, it has been snowing all day. When we left the church we drove into a white winter wonderland. Beautiful. And cold. It hasn't been above freezing for over a week now. The last snow never melted all the way. I have never had a winter quite like this! I always say if it's going to be cold, there may as well be snow. Now, if only this town used snow plows. They plow about two miles of the bike path (oddly enough) and then scatter little pebbles all over the streets to help cars grip the snow. That's it. Oh well! We still have almost a whole gallon of milk left. 

Other news: on Wednesday, my mom came and picked up all three of our kids and whisked them away to her house so Jeff and I could have a stay at home 3 day date to celebrate our anniversary. We considered GOING somewhere, but in the end decided that the idea of staying home in our comfy own house together having a Lord of the Rings marathon in the basement sounded just about the most perfect way to spend the last few days of December. So we did just that: watched all three extended versions of Lord of the Rings in 2.5 days. It felt quite decadent--no diapers or messes or responsibilities for 72 hours, and hours of beautiful costumes, music, and scenery to enjoy.

The kids loved their time with Grama Meri and Grampa Charley. Here are two pictures they sent us:

They went to the Lego Store because Jay loves to look and there was a crazy big line--some new Lego set was released that day.

Playing with Grama Meri.

I ended up coming down with a head cold on day 2 of our stay at home date, which was a pain, but thankfully we were at home and not abroad somewhere. Sudafed and Nyquil are helping me through. I have to say it was so weird to be home without our kids. It was QUIET and kind of sad because everywhere I looked, I saw evidence of the kids, but the kids themselves were absent. It was a luxurious break. Jeff made us dinner all of the nights, adding to the luxury. I finished two books and slept in. I felt completely recharged (in spite of my cold) when Mom brought the kids back on Saturday. Can you believe she picked up and dropped off the kids? That's a six hour round trip twice in four days. Awesome award! We were planning on driving them both ways but she volunteered to do all of the driving! MOM! Setting the bar high. :) 

Our new year's eve dinner: fancy cheese, crackers, lil smokies, carrots, chocolates, and white fudge. With Lord of the Rings.

We played SCRABBLE for the first time in months, and I actually won AND got my first score over 400 in five years. I also had a Bingo word (that's when you use all 7 tiles on your tray in one word). It was a great game. Scrabble is satisfying. We started playing it 9 years ago on our honeymoon cruise to avoid all of the drunken gamblers on the rest of the ship. Cruises are so not our scene! Ha. Before we had kids, we played Scrabble every Sunday night. Someday we'll get back to that, but for now we play a couple times per year.

A stealth shot (from my comfy perch on the couch with a book) of Chef Jeff making pizza.

 Rose requested "braids tied in the back" before church today, and Amber had her first crepe for lunch.

It's good to have a break and it's GOOD to have them back. And it's good to have happy 9am church Sundays again.