What You've Been Missing

We started the much anticipated and much dreaded remodel of the stairs/downstairs. It's a massive little project if that makes sense. The stairs are big, getting rid of the paneling to make the downstairs look like part of the house - not so much a huge remodel type job... and yet... what do you think I'm looking forward to the most?

Abby's first week of Summer felt like a whirlwind. She had ballet camp (can you believe the awesome attitude on her face? oh, can't recognize her? that's because she's blond again) for the week: each of the first two days she said randomly, "This was the best day of my LIFE." Miss Caroline did everyone's hair, taught them a little routine, led a craft and gave them a lot of ice cream.

She also had her first week of swim lessons since last Summer. She did amazing. I had no idea she was ready for the things they were doing and without even a fuss. She fell in love with a new best friend (name never recovered) but he was funny and she assured Steve that she loved them both the same (that was not a consolation for Steve).

Jack had his first ever swim "lesson" which actually consisted of more lesson than I ever got with Abby. When I did Abby's first mommy and me class she spent quite a bit of the time clinging to me for dear life. I suppose it is somewhat similar in that I probably had to work pretty hard to keep Abby in the pool and that was the only issue I had with Jack. He saw the kids playing soccer in the park next door and wanted to play some sort of catch game rather than stay in the pool going around in circles. He doesn't mind being dunked under the water, and he actually seemed to be grasping the blowing bubbles concept. The funniest though was when the teacher suggested I go under water to show him it's okay. He let out the biggest belly laugh, he thought it was SO funny and then whenever I tried to do it again he'd grab onto my neck (I think to try to stop me).

Week One was a lot of running around. Week Two started off with a bang with the start of Transition Kindergarten Pre-school and a doctor's visit for Jack. Abby is there all day and so far doing just fine with it. Then we run off to swim lessons with Claire which are just further reinforcing how great Abby is swimming. The goal for these almost private lessons is for Abby to be classified "pool safe"

We are slowly getting used to the longer day for Abby and I'm using my time painting for this year's Christmas Book. Believe it or not a late June painting start date does not make us feel accomplished.

I'm sleeping intermittently. Jack will sleep through the night the same night Abby suddenly has night terrors. I think she is a sleep walker. I have to remember to ask the doc how to confirm that and what besides obvious precautions I should know about it. Those nights she wakes up 4-5 times. Then she'll get that figured out and Jack will suddenly forget how to sleep.

OR both of them will sleep like sweet little logs and I will twitch and cough all night. I can most often be found doing Pilates at 1am. Actually I'm getting smarter and starting out with the exercise rather than leaving it as last resort. It's working wonders for the twitch and the mind.

Speaking of, I'd better go do that.

Dorothy, Here's How...

If you don't have an elmophile in your household this will make very little sense. Hmm, wonder if there's a youtube clip...nope...

Okay so here is how it goes. Elmo introduces the topic for the day and his pet fish Dorothy always wants to know MORE about whatever the topic that has been introduced is. SO, they throw kids at Dorothy to narrate "this is how I brush my teeth" or "this is how I get ready to play in the snow" or "this is how I pretend to be a fish."

Jack has recently become obsessed with Elmo and I couldn't be happier. I love Elmo. I really do.

Jack points anxiously to the tv that currently houses an Elmo dvd every morning, or anytime he comes home actually. He even started to sing along with the La la la la portion of the theme song.

Abby used to love Elmo, now she doesn't mind him but thinks most anything else is more exciting. All the same, she doesn't fuss when Jack wathes Elmo. Instead, she has become obsessed with being one of the kids that tells Dorothy about things.

Wednesday night she began narrating in the exact same deadpan/sing song (if you'd seen these segments you'd know what I meat by that) tone of voice things to a pretend Dorothy.

I found this funny enough even before it went completely out of control.

I decided to take a shower. And this is how it went:

"Dorothy, my mom said she was going to take a shower. I asked her if I could take the shower with her" (pause: real voice: Mom, can I take a shower with you? Yes I say.) "She said yes. So I followed her into the bathroom, she put on the water." (Here's your towel, Abby) "She told me which towel was mine. Then she checked the water. It was too cold. Then she turned the knob and it was just right. She told me to get in so she could shut the door. I did. (she goes on, I leave her to it, taking my shower, until I hear...) Then she told me she loved me with a smile. (I pause... er... right ok, I love you, I say with a smile... I am amused at the narration becoming dictative... but wash Abby hair for her and hear...) I told my mom I didn't want my hair washed, but she didn't listen..."

OOOooh. Dear. Too funny.

Universal Unfairness

Jack and I were home alone last night and he had urgently requested to play with the coins in Abby's room. Real coins, no magic.

I was watching tv while he played with them beside me. Suddenly I noticed he kept putting the coins on the wall. I looked over and he had somehow (I still don't know how) stuck a penny to the wall on his first try. The penny must have been sticky but I still find that pretty impressive considering our walls have extreme texture to them.

Anyway, for the next ten minutes I watched him try to repeat the success. And I just shook my head thinking that's just plain not fair. To talk in Oprah terms, the "universe" had told him that pennies stick to walls. And he's going to be confused for years because they don't actually very often. He's going to need therapy - he's going to lose faith in the whole system.

Tragic.

Little Man

Jack, Jack, Jack.

I cannot tell you how fun and funny it is to have a little miniature man running around my house.

There are some things I have to learn about having a little man around the house. For example, they pick up on things that look fun, even if they are not practical. I never had to worry about this with Abby. She only picked up songs that might be questionable. But we were watching Wipeout and sure enough, mid episode, when no one was paying attention to Jack, he climbed up on the ottoman and dived off it... onto Steve's stomach. AND he just kept doing it, over and over and over...

His ultimate manliness can most be noted when Steve is home, at which time Jack follows him, throwing basketballs at him in the hopes of initiating play or, when Steve is not in sight, Jack carries a ball around with him roaming the house calling "Dah! Dah!" in this really focused sort o way.... like... this is really important that I find Dad so I can throw this ball at him.

He's been copying whatever Steve does with said ball for months now - trying to dribble it from hand to hand, trying to throw it up and catch it while laying on the floor, tossing it at the wall so that it comes back to him. The mimicry gets more intense as time goes - for example today Jack insisted Steve hold him up so that he could throw the ball at the wall AT Steve's height because obviously that is why Steve is getting so much more force behind his throw... or maybe it just looks cooler that way.

It's just something in his attitude that broadcasts, "I want Dad time." With me he's almost totally different. He's still always up for a ball game, but with me he comes up and he holds me around my neck and offers up his cheek for a kiss or grabs my face and plants a forceful (if a bit sloppy) kiss right on my lips a la some 50s movie. With Abby he wants her to chase him and catch him and make him giggle. He'll go up to her and sort of collapse onto her to cuddle and hug. It's pretty much heartbreakingly adorable.

But with Steve it's man business. Even if its fun, even if there's giggling, it's business. And it is NOT to be interrupted.

Marriage

Sometimes in a blue moon when looking for small talk with Abby I think first and ask her a question she's actually interested in. Like today I asked which princess she would be if she could be (knowing her favorite is Ariel). No surprise she answered Ariel... then a pause...or Cinderella she adds "Because they are the only ones who get married at the end of their stories"

That can't be true I think - but sure enough in the traditional books and Disney movies we have of the princesses neither Sleeping Beauty nor Snow White have an actual wedding scene with white dress et. al. Jasmine and Aladdin sorta do but not in an Abby recognizable way.

Oh I say, and you like when they get married? "Yeah" and I probe, "Do you like Mommy and Daddy's marriage or just Princesses?" "I like all marriage."

Hmm... Why, I ask?

"Because everybody gets dressed up and gets to be so beautiful and everything gets to be so fancy."

Ahh. Cute. Weddings. If Auntie Samantha chooses to rope herself down to a husband one day Abby is going to expect some serious fancy.

Also, we were informed sheepishly by Abby that Nolan told her he was interested in marrying her. Abby feels nervous about this. Steve gets this panicked look on his face and I assure him Nolan is a good kid with a good family... and a bit of a lady's man is my guess, so I don't think we have to worry much about his intentions for awhile.

And in Heartbreaking News

Jack is wandering around the house yelling for "Dah!" (Dad) because he didn't notice when Steve left.

Giving Away A Mattress

There are times I don't feel particularly pregnant at all still. Like now, moving the mattress from "the boys'" room to the living room was not over-taxing. Baby #3 moves very little... if anything he tends to weigh down a bit - like he hangs out at the bottom of his little bubble and pushes. Very useful in a few more months, buddy.

Anyway, I know from trying this before mattress companies have no interest in helping little ole me at all, because when I wrote down the information from Noni's bed at the condo (the only bed in years I slept peacefully in) the company couldn't tell me what the contemporary alternative was. These things apparently go in seasons like shoes and no one pays the least attention to patterns (which I'll bet you they DO do in shoes).

STILL the mattress I'm giving away was once in the big house (aka Scheidler Sr.) and I remember thirteen years ago when I would spend the night while Steve and I were dating (in separate rooms obviously) being shocked how comfortable it was. Now I knew I liked Steve and all, but who KNEW a mattress could make me feel such peace and happiness and morning sunshine! Er hmm... anyway, it's called, fittingly enough, "the back supporter" by Spring Air.

I can imagine this is why the sleep number beds would be cool - except I haven't found that extra firm beds are the key to my back... I'm not sure WHAT makes the mattresses that have made a difference for me different.

Room Progress

Abby's bed coming pretty soon.
Jack and Ethan (aka new baby we think we will be naming Ethan) have a bunk bed shipping in the next couple weeks to complete their look. Though I see their curtains aren't represented in this picture.

We also still have to hang pictures in both rooms but we want to wait until the beds arrive so that we know have a better big picture of where pictures should go.

Jack LOVES his rug, all the different numbers have different textures and heights so he runs on and off it like its a slide and wants you to point and name all the numbers. It's really sweet.

He seems to have a thing for rugs right now. Abby's with the oval pattern he spins on so that he can get dizzy, with a little crooked grin on his face. And Gramma's... well... he only likes her rug PAD and insists on pulling up her rug so that he can step on it.

Random Abby Talk

setting herself up for success:
I bought her some flip flops on sale from Gymboree but they are too big. I told her she'd have to be patient until she grew into them, which I'm sure won't be long. She said, "Well, you'd better put them somewhere where I don't see them so I don't whine."

mixing fantasy with truth:
Waiting for her soup to cool down a bit she says, "I'll just wait and all the heat will rise up into the air and go to the hottest place on EARTH: the dessert."

Psychology of Abby's Graduation

So, first off, when coloring in her "Self" she made herself blond. Interesting. Last year when she went through the graduation motions with the graduating class she definitely had brown hair.

Then, though she enjoyed playing she refused to say good bye to anyone when it was time to leave. I verified, "are you sure, you might not see them for a while" to which she admited she would miss everyone and her school but again, when pressed she got agitated, "I would rather just go, can't we just go Mom?" So away we went. Not too satisfying an end to such a huge transition in our little lives, but, onward we go. I still have to send a sappy letter to Miss Janet, though of course words don't seem to do anything justice.

Accomplishment List

I can choose to be paralyzed when Steve is away on business, or I can hitch my train to my mom and get things done:

Laundered every semi-needing launderable item in the house.
Discovered we are towel hoarders and didn't know it.
Injured my foot.
Got Abby to church anyway.
Moved our bed, shelf, rug, mattress, and Steve's clothing from our room to our new room.
Moved Abby's wardrobe, rug, clothes, new mattress, shelf, bench and dolls into her new room.
Sorted through and gave away or threw away my clothes, Steve's clothes, Abby's toys, Abby's clothes, Jack's clothes and my clutter in ALL the bedroom.
Steam cleaned Abby's rug (thanks Maggie!)
Ordered "the boys'" rug... installed said rug
Found out we are definitely having another boy.
Got to my doctor's appointment.
Got to Max's shower.
Fed everyone... most of the time.
Found out when the place tha we bought Abby's bed from says "est. ship date May 25" what they mean is "it's backordered til June 25."
Worked at the school.
Thanked MarySue for doing the school workshop.
Arranged to fix Steve's car/paid for completion.
Made cookies.
Ate cookies.
Finished Dec 2007-Dec 2008 family album.
Nearly completely Jack's baby album.
Ordered a lot of photos I didn't use.
Ordered a lot more photos I won't use but might so I really needed to order them.
Remembered why I stopped using Snapfish.
Remembered why it might be worth the hassle.
Selected and picked up paint for Abby and the boys' rooms.
Enlisted help to paint said rooms.
Helped do detail non-fume oriented painting in said rooms.
Found new curtains for Abby's new room.
Found all but one piece each of three of Abby's puzzles.
Got Jack addicted to Jamba Juice
Went to Miss Pat's retirement party.
Took pictures for Miss Pat's retirement DVD.
Found and tasked my mom to put the old slipcover on the flower chair.
Tasked my mom to paint the dresser for the boys'.
Made a lot of decisions.
Kissed Jack many many times.
Hugged Abby many many times.
Changed a diaper or two.
Showered at least twice... I think.
Painted three stripes in Jack's room.


most of all I am proud to say I was not just sitting but actually contributed to some of these things.

13 years 1 month

after Steve and I went out on our first official date, our daughter graduated from pre-school.

Unveiling Abby's Room:

Well, as much as Steve will see of it anyway...

I'll do a better shot with a wide angle tomorrow.

My Kids

The evolving fashion of Abby:

It was her use of the sunglasses that made this morning fashion special

I have no idea why but it became a thing for a while now to wear as many layers of dresses as possible.


And this...well... I love her no matter what she's wearing.



Then this is Jack, talking away in his special Jack gibberish, his intent clear I think...

Gentleman or Inhibited?

Okay, I know I'm in love with my kids and all, but I find it so sweet and a little sad that Jack is conscious enough of his bodily functions that after a while in the bath he indicates he's ready to get out then immediately goes to the corner of the bathroom and pees.

He is just being considerate of Abby who is sharing his bath? Is he fastidious? Have I somehow inhibited him or shamed him? Don't get me wrong, it's convenient, and I do try to get a diaper on him fast and I do appreciate that I've never been peed on.

The Sheer Magnitude of Accomplishment

It's staggering.

I've avoided talking much about it or posting pictures of progress because
a) I'm busy accomplishing
b) I want it to be a surprise for Steve (who of course has no time to blog surf, but just in case)
c) I haven't taken that many pictures for documentation because I'm busy accomplishing.

But it occurs to me that it's not just the actual doing that is so impressive, that takes so much time and brain power - it's even the decisions we're making that will make the doing so much quicker. After all, with a plan in place I know what to do next.

Need some more paint tomorrow. Otherwise its work/sort. Of course that's mostly a surge when Jack is asleep. Then it's watch mom work/sort fast before Jack can steal everything from my piles.

What a Weird day...

So after the summer school glitch I tried to make a Gymboree purchase and my credit card was denied - upon calling the credit card company they said there was no reason for my card to be denied it seems they are just experiencing a glitch at the moment.

In other news my house is slowing being transformed by the superhero Design Diane.

Man Vs. Wild

Okay, too funny - Will Ferrell with Bear. They didn't really do a pre-interview but it seemed Will was overwhelmed fairly quickly by the extreme conditions. He did plenty of joking but also a lot of just plain looking beat & cold. At the end he mentioned a couple times how cool it was to do these dangerous things he'd never have done in another circumstance and that despite the difficulties he valued the silence and the being in nature. I'm sure some people are going to find what Will said cheesy and fake, but I for one believed him.

It made me think of Steve and how his day is so consumed with focusing on what is he working on now, how can he make it new/exciting/better, what's coming next, how to juggle the different projects and then add to that of course get home asap to rescue his cranky pregnant wife from the life she always wanted. I don't feel bad about this so much as want for him an escape like that. He might get that where he is now and then on the ship - I think anytime you're away from your family (this sounds awful) the pressure on your shoulders is cut in half. I know he's working hard, I got a note he was shooting til midnight last night. But I do hope that if there are down times that those famed beautiful Alaskan landmarks give him a few moments of that peace.

And it sort of ties into how I've been feeling. Steve's away again obviously and while on the one hand that stresses me out because I am (in theory) doing everything by myself (that is not the case especially since I strained my foot pretty ugily Saturday evening so my mom is helping even MORE than she'd planned). But what I'm finding in my relative peace (when the kids are asleep and I have no more energy for sorting clothes or toys) is that I also feel a bit freer - BUT on that same note, I'm finding I miss Steve more. And I miss him as a person rather than as a helper/parent etc. Not because he doesn't do so much (he does a ton) but because I'm not focused on "what can he do for me/jack/abby/house" right now, I just plain feel his absence and miss him.

I am feeling more and more as I get older how well I chose in marrying Steve... or ... at least how well I accepted God nudging me toward him all those years ago. I can't say I did such a great job choosing because I was betting against him most of the time - until just boom... ANYWAY I find myself lonely amongst my loving community sometimes but as this time marches on I find I'm only beginning to appreciate how well Steve does know me... there are so many roles we play and Steve knows all mine better than anyone. He's just not the type to sit down and wax on about how well he does. And so sometimes I forget.

Anyway... Go Will Ferrell!

Interference

I am so sick of trying to decide if something doesn't go my way or as planned if that in itself is a nudge from God to go the way provided rather than the way planned.

As many a pastor and speaker have said, when we're not talking about options that would directly conflict with God or the Bible, then we shouldn't spend too much time worrying about them. Pray, sure. Be open, definitely, but don't spin around in circles for years worried about it.

STILL... because I highly believe in being open to God if just by chance He was prompting me that some greater blessing was available HERE instead of THERE, when things crop up like they just did, it throws me.

Part of it is I'm not so worried about these sorts of things for me - it's for my kids, and not just because I love them so, but because it's a lot of pressure to be a parent - to be their advocate not having any idea which will be BEST amongst a decision between fines.

Yes yes, I know, we will make whatever we do the best we can.

Ugh. So I signed up for the first four weeks of Kindergarten Transition Summer school and just got notified that we were enrolled into the second. Well I didn't even put that as an option so I planned my whole summer around the firs session.

Of course I CAN make it happen. I can cancel to the two things I have even though one of them is VBS and is always wonderful. I can see the good of having a longer break between graduating and starting summer school. But do I just... let it go? No, that doesn't seem like a good idea. So I have a call into the school to find out why and if it can be switched then I have to make a decision... AGAIN.

gah.

Edited to Add: Letter school sent out was just wrong. odd. So, all is well.

Some Day Soon

I am going to be looking back on this year/month of posts and wonder where the heck the "Family Picture Day" photos for 2009 are and why I didn't post them.

Well first off May was very busy for everyone so we ended up JUST getting them done May 26 and second... I'm cranky. I've already posted them to smugmug and even to facebook. It seems redundant... but I'm going to be so annoyed if I don't do it... SIGH...

Poppa's Birthday Dinner

My Uncle Jim & Aaron took the family out to dinner in Santa Monica to celebrate my dad's birthday on Wednesday.




(my mom was there too but our photo needed cropping - oh Aunt Jane was there too and somehow she missed the elph capturing)


It was quite nice. We unveiled the new family photos we'd done a day previous (the slightly late annual birthday gift for my MOM) for my dad and Aaron practiced looking pensive while we waited for Megan to save lives before making it to the restaurant. Then he got the call that she was close and he got happy and drank some wine.