"Son"shine

Sometimes bedtime can get a little hairy when it comes to trying to wind down a busy-body 3 year- old and an ever-relentless 5 year-old. 

Tonight was hardly an exception.  We read each kid 2 books in their bed and then cuddle, hugs & kisses and have lay-with time. Only a little while after I left his room tonight, I heard some commotion and the sound of little feet creeping around in his room. When I went upstairs to investigate, he greeted me with outstretched arms and told me that I could hold him now:-)  And then asked me to sing him a song.  As I began to sing one of our favorites, "You Are My Sunshine" he was looking at me, candidly mouthing the words in exaggeration and pointing along with the words to the song.  It kinda cracked me up!  He piped up and we tried to sing the words together but found that we could both only get through a couple words before we both burst into simultaneous laughter!  That kid can be so crabby at times but boy, does he have humor!

And then came "Jingle Bells," which, I am fairly certain we will be singing well into the summer months.

Pssstt....

One more thing that I can't let slip by:

While talking with some friends during fellowship (read: Snacks!) last Sunday, Lincoln was sitting quietly munching happily on his meat, cheese and cookies until I felt a little tug at my sweater coming from beside me.  Lincoln reached his arm up from his seat to whisper to me, out of the blue, "Mom, I love you."

Have I mentioned how blessed I am to have this little guy to call my own? 

Winter Weekends

Not a surprise: I'm already lagging on the blog attempt I meant to keep simple.
Prepare for a little rewind action here on the blogfront.

All of 2 weekends ago, my in-laws came for a visit before they made their winter travel as Florida Snowbirds. Throughout the long weekend, we kept a brisk pace.  We tag-teamed the kids at Toys 'R Us to actually make it out of the store without tears. (Unlike the last time I took them there myself.) We made all of Lincoln's dreams come true with his first trip to Chuck E. Cheese.  We had taken Elaina there in celebration Potty Training Graduation and so, like the kind big sis that she is, *she* took it upon herself to promise Lincoln a trip there as well to celebrate him being potty trained.  So, we finally went. It was nice to have 4 grown ups helping to chase after our kids since Lincoln was like a little ping-pong ball, zipping through the place like it was his job.

Together we enjoyed some meals out, a movie night in and the traditional trip to the Donut Shop for take out donuts. I'm not sure if the grandparents have conditioned our kids to the privilege of trips to the Donut Shop or it's the other way around. 

Once Grandma and Grandpa W. left, the week was full of prepping, cleaning and planning.  Together with a group of friends, 4 couples total, we had arranged our first Progressive Dinner Party.  Appetizers with our first host family, dinner at our house and a dessert bar and game night at another house. To each new location our party traveled we packed kids and babysitters until finally dispersing them to enjoy a grown-ups-only-visit for our last stop.  Our party was a blast, the food was fantastic and we all made a pact to host another round as soon as we can arrange another date on our calendars. Super, supper, success!

Catching some Zzzz's

Tonight was better.  Kids were more cooperative, Mom didn't lose her mind (or her patience) before 7:00 and Eric was home to co-pilot the bedtime endeavor.

As I lay in Lincoln's bed after our books are read and faces are kissed, I felt instantly exhausted. Like the kind of exhausted that generally strikes about midnight when I'm trying desperately to check off my mental to-do list.  Not the kind of exhausted you would expect at 8:30 at night. 

The more I began to ponder the consequences of me going to bed before 9:00, the more I thought about how tired I always feel when the kids' bedtime rolls around.  When I put Elaina to bed, I have been known to nod off for a short period of time also.  She is like a cozy, little, sleeping pill.  Just like when she was a baby.  Very relaxing and comfortable.

Lincoln, on the other hand, is quite opposite.  I do feel tired when I lay with him after we read books together, but the reason I feel beat-down-tired is because he has zapped all my energy from me. He uses my energy to get himself amped up to stay awake for hours after we put him to bed.  The little Turdlette will stay in his bed and play and not let himself fall asleep. 

This equation would then pretty much explain our mornings; Elaina is (generally) very much of a morning person. It doesn't take much for her to fall asleep and it doesn't take her long to perk up in the morning.  Lincoln; doesn't ease into sleep very well and is MOST definitely NOT a morning person.  It takes him a LONG time to rev up to start his day.

So there!  I finally put my finger on it!  Not particularly useful since I can't change either one of them, but it's something! Right?

Calling all Supermoms

Tonight my children were awful.

According to Lincoln, I was the wrong parent to pick him up at the sitter's house.  And he kicked and screamed and cried.  For an overly-long period of time.

According to Elaina, it was her job to challenge and then defy all parental authority  And after a fit of crying as if I had squeezed her toes off of her, she apologized and went to sleep within minutes of laying in her bed.

I hate nights like these.  Drained. Fried. Zapped. The now-equivalant of me.

Transformation

For the past 4 1/2 years, our daily routine has included much attention to Elaina's hair.  Braids or a bun at bedtime and some type of hair-do for each day.  I've surprised myself at the speed I am able to wrangle her hair into a neat and tidy bun as well as long, smooth braids.  Day after day after day.

It wasn't until late last year that I presented Elaina with the idea of getting her hair cut so that she could donate her hair to help another child.  We talked about how different she would look, we discussed how much she wanted off and when she might feel ready.  I left the decision in her hands as I found myself waffling back and forth if this was something I was ready for.  Even though it's a lot of maintenance, Elaina's hair is nothing short of amazing.  Natural highlights, smooth as silk and full and beautiful. 

We looked up a few hair donation websites together and when she saw the pictures of the children without hair and then how they looked transformed with their new hairpieces and beaming smiles, she knew that she felt ready to make the cut.  In fact, while the donation sites only require 10" of hair, she asked if she could go even shorter to give the kids even longer hair like hers.

I made the appointment, stuffed my pockets with tissues as I feared a flood of emotion might overtake me and we made our way to the beauty shop.  She was asked to stand while the stylist kneeled to cut it since it was so long it wouldn't all lay over the chair for a clean cut. I didn't cry. The look on Elaina's face was priceless.  She was patient and she was joyful. 

Words can't begin to describe how proud I am of Elaina and her selfless heart and caring demeanor.  Even more, I love seeing  how circumstances begin to unfold which help to shape her and define her as such a special and unique child.

We are both equally thrilled with her new haircut and this is the first time that Elaina has been able to brush her hair on her own.  It was something I never considered before but her hair was so long, her arms hardly reached it's length until now. Seeing her brush her hair with such pride is a reward of it's own.

P.T. - Life with a boy

Innocent and sweet.  "Mom, I wanna go on da potty train. Please Mom, please." - Lincoln, age 2 1/2

I love that kid.

It's funny to me that when a baby boy lands in your lap everyone who has had kids seems to make the make the universal comment "boys are so much different from girls."  Sure.  And as a new parent of a "boy" you're willing to accept just about anything that rolls your way.  Until it's time to potty train the boy.

We started the process when Lincoln was nearing age 3 only to find that in no way was he ready.  So obviously Not- Ready that we halted our efforts almost entirely. The seasons changed and along about summertime, (and months after turning 3) we decided that it was time for Lincoln to learn about big-boy underwears* as he liked to call them.

August was our biggest month to push potty training and finally this month, I can most assuredly say that Lincoln is potty trained.  I'd refer to the past 2 months as "mostly potty trained" but this month just feels safer to say that the process is complete!

As Lincoln is only months away from turning 4, we still rely on diapers for napping (precaution) and diapers at nighttime.  But I have to admit that every time I'm in the store, my cart can't pass up the baby aisle - just to see if there's anything baby that we need.  I have to admit that I will always have a secret kind of love for the smell of clean diapers; fresh from the package.  And the crispy, crinkley noise that scoots along with a freshly diapered babe will always make me swoon for another little crawler of my own.  But overall, I am thrilled with the independence that age 3 and 5 brings to our family.

Yes, boys are so much different from girls and I couldn't be happier that our little family has gotten to experience both.

Because Monday's Happen

This was my second year in a row of taking vacation for the week between Christmas and New Year's.  And it's glorious! It's time to wind down, clean up, clean out, relax, play and enjoy.  Weekends tend to slip away without any of that happening.  So, vacation.

My kids have enjoyed the break and it's been nice to enjoy Jammie-Days snuggling with my favorite little people. Our morning routines have collapsed and we've loosened the belt on bedtimes.  Elaina and Lincoln have been each other's best friend and each other's biggest annoyance.  All within minutes, generally.  Some days I felt like nothing more than the referee.  But I'll take it.

And now it's January.  Not much to look forward to in January but snow, colder temperatures, more snow and darkness before I get home from work.  Oh, and then another 2 months of the same to follow. 

So much for my personal pity-party.  Of course I count my job, relative of income, as a blessing and I appreciate the structure that our routine has helped develop in our kids.  But throwing the rules and the schedule and the morning rush - out the window for a single, solitary week sure was nice. 

Saying Goodbye to 2010

2010 treated our family well.  Nothing earth-shattering.  Nothing tragic.  Nothing but good.  I'll take that.

For the past several years, we have stayed overnight on New Year's Eve at our friends house and celebrated the new year with a giant group of their family.  This year, their plans changed and we welcomed an evening of no plans and (very) low key acknowledgement of 2011.

We dedicated out last day of 2010 to enjoying a Family Date Day.  We started our day by seeing the movie "Tangled" in the theater, turning our kiddos loose in the play area in the mall, followed with dinner out.  The highlight of my evening and Elaina's was a surprise trip to the hospital.  No one was injured; we were merely visitors reminiscing.  Since Lincoln was born at a local hospital that we pass frequently in our travels, Elaina has a hard time understanding why we never pass "Her Hospital."  (which is more to the south, which doesn't land in the path of passing-by)  When we told her that we had a surprise planned for especially her, she lit up and said, "I hope it's just more than a kiss and a hug!  Not that I don't like that, but will it just be more than that?"  (God I love that girl!)

As we drove closer to the hospital in the dark of the night, Elaina spotted a giant shining Christmas  tree beaming from the rooftop.  It caught her attention immediately and assumed it was a hotel or a store.  We pulled into the parking lot and she asked if she had ever been there before.  I assured her that she had.  She and I walked into the sliding doors and not a person was in sight.  All was quiet and still.  As she pushed the elevator button, I revealed that this building was in fact, the very hospital that she was born.  We came upon the maternity floor and the nurses allowed us access to view the now-empty nursery to see where her story all began.  As I kissed my Best Girl, I pointed out the room they allowed us to have and enjoy our new baby that we were meeting for the first time. The baby that changed our lives and mended our broken hearts.  The baby that has grown so mature and beautiful and continues to fill our lives with happiness. 

Walking out of the hospital doors with my now-big girl wrapped tightly in my arms, my heart was every bit as fulfilled and joyous as the same day we got to take our beautiful daughter home for first time.  It was "more" than just a kiss and a hug. 

Shall we begin?

My title post; the same title as my very first post on my very first blog.

If you've found me here, welcome to my second attempt of blogging. It's the beginning of a new year, the slate is clean, resolutions are in place and too many events have passed me by that I've wanted to freeze in time.  Our kids are 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 and they are the most interesting, unique and fun, little goofballs you ever did meet.

My original blog was fully dedicated to them.  This one will likely be too, however, my plan is to use this as a means of what I like to refer to as "shaking out my brain." Jotting down the memories of the day;  both good and the could-be-better moments.  Anything that stains my mind that touches my heart - this is the place. My place for reflection. And my place to box up the sweet moments that I want to hold onto with all my heart.  

 Welcome... make yourself at home!