I'm still here...

...I just can't get inspired to write anything lately. There are lots of things I feel like I "should" write about, but I haven't had a lot of motivation to do so. I have a teeny, tiny understanding of the term "writer's block..."
Hannah & Gemma are busy and full of girly activity & drama. (Yes, it's amazing to see the amount of drama that a 4 1/2-year-old and almost-2-year-old can create. Lots of screaming, swatting, mean looks, hands on hips, etc. One day I warned Keith about the amount of estrogen in the house so that he could be prepared before coming home.)
This weekend we are hosting Patrick & Theresa, and the girls are both thrilled! Hannah even got to stay up a little later to see them tonight, and she was pretty good about it. I'm getting a haircut and highlight tomorrow, which is long overdue and will feel so indulgent after months & months of waiting. :) The rest of the day will be spent with the fam, and then Keith & I get to go out on a date night. Dinner and a movie; the whole works! Yippee! I insisted that it be part of my birthday celebration WEEK, because that's what you should do during birthdays!

One thing I should have blogged about earlier but didn't (and I still will...) is that Hannah & Gemma are now in one room together. I want to post more about that with pictures and all, but for now, you can know that it is actually going pretty well and I'm excited they are getting to have the experiences (good and bad) that Senia and I had growing up in a room together.

Anyway, I'm hoping that I will get into a really reflective, provocative writing mood when my birthday comes around (the big 3-0!) so stay tuned for that! :)

Girls' Seattle Trip!

After a week of Keith being gone, I decided to hit the road with my mom and get out with the girls. (Actually, we had planned for months to go overnight to visit my cousin Mary, in celebration of a couple big birthdays, and it just happened to fall right after Keith got home from his training week.)
My mom and I headed out in the a.m. and got to Seattle before noon on Saturday. Our bed & breakfast was really cute and charming, and it was even decorated for Christmas! We got all settled in our room, and it seemed as if we were all along in the house! (That was proven wrong later, but not in a bad way.)
We met up with Mary and found a fun sandwich place for lunch. It was called Homegrown, and it was a great organic soup/salad/sandwich place with delicious food. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. After browsing around in some shops (we were in the Capitol Hill area, which was super fun & felt very much like a "locals" neighborhood), we went to check out Mary's cute little studio apartment. She has it decorated very cute for Christmas, with lots of antique decorations and twinkling lights. She made some delicious french press coffee, and we enjoyed some Christmas treats while we were discussing the hot topic of a dinner place. After only an hour of hemming & hawing, we finally landed on an Italian restaurant that served homemade pasta. It was a great choice, and we loved the atmosphere at "La Spiga." That evening we went back to the bed & breakfast for a game of Bananagrams, we laughed our way through some stories from years gone by, and we just generally had a wonderful evening!
The next day mom & I went to the other house (part of the same bed & breakfast property) for our breakfast, where we met some of the other people staying at the place. We had found out the night before that "our" house was actually full (meaning that all three rooms were occupied), and then at breakfast we met the few people that were at the other house. We had a really nice visit with another mom & daughter (also celebrating a 30th birthday), and a couple other single women. Mom even got some contact info from a gal who lives in Singapore, as she & my dad are hoping to visit there next fall. Networking at a Bed & Breakfast--who knew?! The breakfast was delicious, and we were fully satisfied with our stay.
After a wonderful sunny walk and one last coffee excursion, we figured it was time to head back home. Mom and I still managed one trip to Starbucks on the way out of town--you just can't have enough coffee on a girl's weekend with Barb, Mary & Heather!--and then we had a good drive home with lots of sum-up visiting and talking. Keith wonders what I can find to talk about with my mom as often as I talk with her on the phone and in person, but there's always more to say--and inevitably we forget something! I'm glad we have a good relationship where we can (and want to) spend a few days in a row together during the week and then still head out of town together overnight. So fun!
Anyway, we had a wonderful trip and it was a fun celebration of my 30th birthday (in January) and mom's 60th birthday (this last October). :)

A Week of Single Parenting=Not the Most Fun Ever.

A couple weeks ago, Keith had to go to a work training in California. We knew it was going to happen, but originally it was supposed to be in January. In mid-November, his boss asked him if he could swing it to go in the first week of December. While I wasn't looking forward to him going at all, I knew I would be delaying the inevitable if we waited until January. The days leading up to the departure passed with the knowledge that he'd be gone for almost an entire week--from a Sunday evening to a Friday evening. Eek!
After dropping him off at the airport (I was proud of myself that I didn't cry!), we headed home and started our week. Monday was extremely tiring and I remember feeling like "How am I going to get through this?!" "How do military wives do it?!" With some good perspective switches and lots of prayer/grace from the Lord, we got through that day and continued through the week.
The rest of the week is honestly sort of a blur, but I know that the days were long & it was hard not to have any sort of relief from my sweet husband each evening. Even if Keith is helping with youth group after work or something, I still know he'll eventually be home to be a listening ear, to offer a hug, and to generally keep me company! When he's gone overnight, there is new meaning to the phrase that being a parent is a 24-7 job!

I did have help, though, and I was so thankful for that! I know what I need when it comes to Keith being gone overnight, and that involves sleepovers and reinforcements. Monday & Tuesday night, our friend Hannah stayed overnight, and Wed-Fri the girls and I bunked at my mom & dad's. My mom and I always enjoy this type of opportunity, and we've agreed that we could totally get on board with a multi-generational household. (Keith may have something to say about that, but my mom & I are all ready!) ;)

By the time Keith got home on Friday night, I was definitely counting down the hours & minutes. Hannah was so excited that she threw up...(well, she was car sick, but I like to think it was excitement. Fortunately, I managed to get at least her head out of the car, so there wasn't a huge nasty mess waiting for Keith.) :)

Anyway, I was reminded again what a supportive, involved, loving, and patient father & husband Keith is, and what an impact he makes on our daily lives. I love my husband! :)

In Which I Remember To Be Flexible

(Yes, Afton, I am stealing one of your blog post title types. Sorry, but I couldn't come up with anything else.) :)

Yesterday Gemma and I were heading out of the church parking lot after dropping Hannah off at preschool. It had been a good morning, and Gemma & I were headed to New Seasons to meet up with Angela for a browse through their skincare/makeup section. I was really looking forward to spending some time with Angela, exploring some new fun face stuff, and possibly enjoying a peppermint mocha (because during the Christmas season, you just never know when you might end up at Starbucks.) I had just told Gemma we were going to see Auntie Angela, and she replied happily "Ah-ya," after which she promptly coughed & threw up all over herself and her car seat. (No offense, Angela!)
I was sort of flabbergasted for a minute, and continued trying to drive out of the lot while comforting Gemma & attempting to catch some of the...stuff...in Hannah's sweatshirt (the only thing I could find!) :( After she was done, I sat there trying to figure out what to do. We were a good 20 minutes away from home, but rather than strip Gemma down on a cold day, I figured it would be better to just get home. Riding in a puke-smelly car is not fun for a few seconds, let alone almost a half hour, but Gemma was a real sport! She seemed in good spirits and didn't even cry! She is such a go-with-it girl, and I certainly learned a lesson in that from her yesterday.
I called Angela and gave her the bad news, all the while mentally trying to figure out what to do about having to come get Hannah after preschool. Since it's a bit of a drive, I wasn't sure how Gemma would be doing, nor did I think I could even get her carseat cleaned up in the two hours I'd have at home. I ended up calling my mom (what a good grandma!) and asking her to pick up Hannah. She was happy to do it, and they had a fun little trip to Target to look at Christmas shoes on the way home. She was thrilled!
Gemma was fine the rest of the day and today, besides just being a little pale & obviously tired. I don't know what it was, although something similar happened with her this summer, and I wondered then (& still wonder) if it was somehow related to teething. I don't know. The point is, I'm certainly glad she is feeling better, and that none of us have come down with anything. I had just been thinking to myself--not 24 hours earlier, when my friend Lisa was telling a tale of vomit--that "we haven't had any stomach bugs in quite a while, thankfully!" Well, I'm not going to say "that's what I get," or anything, because I don't believe in "tempting fate," but I am guessing that it was just God's way of reminding me to be flexible in this ever-changing role of motherhood. Only He knows what is going to happen each day, and only in surrendering to HIS plan will I not become frustrated & irritated at these disruptions that could really end up being important lessons or blessings. The rest of my afternoon was actually really quiet and nice, as Gemma napped for a good two hours while I listened to Christmas music, drank tea, and read a book. By the time Hannah got home, Keith was also home and we all were in good moods, glad to be together.

Thanksgiving & Black Friday!

Well, it's been a very busy week, but lots of fun! Keith took some extra vacation, so he was off Wed through today. It has been so nice having him around, and the girls love playing with their Daddy. Even when he's just out in the garage cleaning or doing a project, they love to be out there with him because it's something new & exciting! It's going to be hard having him go back to work tomorrow, but we are SO thankful that this year he is working at a job he enjoys! In general, we were truly counting our blessings on Thanksgiving this year--jobs for our whole (even extended) family, health, provision for some much-needed appliance replacements, a delicious meal, fun shopping excursions on Black Friday and Saturday, and the joy of having family nearby to celebrate these wonderful holidays! God is so good!

We hosted Thanksgiving this year, which meant we had 18 people at our house (including our family of four.) I think it was a success, as everyone seemed full & satisfied after dinner. :) This was our second time hosting the big group, and we decided that really, it's not too hectic until that last hour, when you're trying to juggle the turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and mashed potatoes on one stovetop/oven. :) It all got done, though, and Dad got here in time to help with gravy, Grandma looking over his shoulder, as in many years past! We had everyone here except Senia, my aunt Marilyn, and my uncle Robert (sniff!) While it wasn't quite the same without them, we thought of them lots & ate some extra stuffing & pie for them. ;) After everyone left, Keith, the girls, and I all laid on our bed and stared at the wall for a few minutes. We had some little snacks before the putting the girls to bed, and then it was down to business: looking over the Black Friday ads and watching "Christmas Vacation," as is our tradition on Thanksgiving night. It was a good way to end the day, and we just barely made it through the movie without dropping into bed exhausted!

The next morning, Mary and I headed out for our shopping trip at 6:45. We definitely decided that the advantage of stores opening even earlier this year (midnight for most places!) is that by the time we got there, most of the lines were very reasonable. I still made out with some good deals, and although Mary was bummed not to get some iPod speakers, we both mostly like just being out to celebrate the official start of Christmas--armed with our old-school Amy Grant Christmas albums. We also got our socks at the Fred Meyer sale, in spite of getting there a couple hours after they had opened--there were PLENTY to choose from.
We also went to the mall, and it was fun seeing the shoppers with their treasures, although not quite heading home yet...! The craziest places there were the shoe departments at Macy's and JC Penney's, where they had some good boot sales. The lines just to get a certain size were out of the department! Definitely not worth it to me. :)

Friday night Mary spent the night and we watched "Mixed Nuts," again barely making it before falling asleep on the couches. Haha. I guess that shows we're getting older...after all, I am nearing 30...
Anyway, Saturday we woke up more leisurely and headed to the annual Prairie Bazaar. Mary and I were laughing at the fact that when we were younger and just starting to shop on our own, we would spend half the day at that bazaar, wandering around & looking at every little thing, determining the perfect purchase we wanted to make with our few dollars of allowance or babysitting money. Now we can get through the whole thing in just over an hour, and that's including some "revisiting" time. It's very nostalgic and memorable to be back there, though, even if we only spend an hour there! :)

That was about it for our shopping, and then I had Melissa over for a Christmas tea (meaning, I put the tea in my Christmas teapot for the first time this year!) The rest of the day was spent relaxing and hanging out with Keith, since we hadn't really seen much of each other the previous couple days!

Today we had a restful afternoon after church this morning and a quick stop at New Seasons to check out their new location here in Vancouver! Exciting--it is a super fun place, and I can't wait to spend a little more time browsing their skincare & makeup area. :)

Most importantly of all of these activities, to me, is that the day after Thanksgiving starts the joyful anticipation and celebration of Christ's birth. I absolutely love the Christmas season, and I am so excited to be listening to non-stop Christmas music on both secular & Christian stations alike, as they all are playing songs about our Savior! What a joy to hear "O Holy Night" on stations that otherwise would not mention the Lord. It really is "the most wonderful time of the year!!" (That's my ringtone, of course.)

Merry Christmas!!

Night Time Potty Training...training who, exactly?

The other day Keith informed me that we were down to one pull-up. Suddenly feeling very stingy and annoyed at the money we are spending on pull-ups (let alone the fact that pee-soaked pull-ups just do NOT smell good--sorry to be graphic, folks, but it's true), I decided we should bite the bullet and try to work with Hannah on night time potty training. The first night, we talked with Hannah about what we were planning, trying to make it sound really exciting and "big girl"-ish. We limited liquids, woke her up before we went to bed, and then woke her up one more time in the early morning. After all that, we were pleasantly surprised to find her dry in the morning, even in spite of her sleeping later than usual (I thought this was due to the fact that she wasn't sleeping in her own urine, a fact that would later prove to be untrue.) Hooray! We did it! The night-time potty training was successful! And after only one night! That day my friend Marisa and her girls came over to play, and Marisa encouraged me by saying that her daughter never wet the bed after that first night! Wow! Okay! (You can tell by the exclamation marks that this was good news to me.)
The next night we followed a similar routine, although in attempting to get Hannah to use the toilet in the middle of the night, she resisted & complained that she didn't have to go. This turned into a pretty loud fight as Keith tried to sit her on the toilet anyway. I guess it makes sense that she might be frustrated, as I later read in a book on potty training "few adults would appreciate being dragged out of bed, plunked dazed and blinking on the commode, and commanded to excrete" (Alison Mack, Toilet Learning, pg. 56.) Okay, fair enough. But later that night, when Keith tried again, Hannah was soaked. Oddly enough, this did not wake her up! (Hence, the disproving of my earlier theory.) This has happened two more nights in a row now, and I'm starting to wonder if it's true that (like daytime potty-training) kids will potty train at night when they're ready. Hmmm...but I really don't want to buy any more pull-ups.
Again, I ask: Who will really be trained when/if we complete this process at this point?

I don't have time to answer that--I need to do the bedding laundry for the millionth time and set some hourly alarms for tonight.

Gemma's Fetish

Today I decided I better write about this so I don't forget about it years later. :) Every so often, when she thinks we're not looking, Gemma likes to go into the room where we keep the dog & cat food, (or directly to the filled bowls) and she will munch on a piece or two. After seeing her do this the first time and assuming she'd get that it was yucky, I figured the problem would solve itself. Funny thing is, she's still doing it!
Now, though, she knows she's not supposed to eat their food (you know, because she's a HUMAN), so she's gotten clever. She'll go in there acting like she's just checking on something, or to "feed the animals." Instead, I find her stuffing a mouthful of dog chow in her cheeks!
Today I watched her casually walk over to Buddy's dish and sneak a piece into her mouth. Since I saw her, I waited until she walked away (presumably to go eat her snack in private) and then I said "Gemma, what do you have?" She looked right at me, with her mouth full and was about to run away when I said "Spit it out." She then reluctantly spit it into my hand, looking pretty discouraged that she'd been caught.
I think that's pretty gross, but I guess looking back at the fetish Hannah started at this age, "gross" is a relative term. (If you missed it, I'm sure it's in the archives somewhere, probably titled "Poop Party")