Lily channels Cyndi

So it turns out that "after" pictures of the mulch pretty much aren't impressive. It looks like a normal house now. No "ooooohs! or Aaaaaaaahs!". So I'll spare you.

We've been busy this week. I have officially ruined my good work at working out. I got sick last week and so didn't do 5 days of exercise...the beginning of the week was a wash. But I decided that since I was sick and not just lazy, I'd give myself a one week extension rather than starting the 6 weeks all over. But after mulching last weekend, this week I was not sick...just lazy. So despite Jeff trying his hardest to shame me into it...I have slacked off. I will start again...maybe after vacation. In the meantime, I am still not snacking and trying to eat reasonably.

And in the meantime, we've had a busy week. Jeff only worked 3 days, since he had Monday off and took Friday off for Andrew's last day of school (I volunteered at the last day carnival, so I needed a kid-wrangler). Tuesday we had friends over to play at our house. Read: frantic cleaning and cooking in the morning to eliminate all pieces of mulch that had permeated every crack in our house and provide some nourishment to the boys visiting. Wednesday was pretty normal, with our visit to the My Gym included. I remembered to bring my camera for once...and know what? Not worth it. I just couldn't get them to stop moving...which I suppose is the point and all...

Mikey on one of his 1,000 trips up and down the carpeted ramp. Seriously...I should save several hundred dollars and just put one of these things in my house. With a carpeted ramp and a ball pit, I would literally never see my children.

Germ incubator...I mean, Ball pit.

Mike desperately wanted in...but I when I put him in he desperately wanted out. Repeat 15 times. I don't know what he thought was in there, and I don't know why he thought it would be different each time he was placed in there. I thought this would be a cool shot of the two kids in the mirror. But they refused to look at me or each other or the mirror. So instead I got the back of their heads, my headless body, and some stranger and her kid. Lovely.

Move over Annie Lieberman.
"Stop and smile, Mike."

Um. No. Must climb ramp one more time.

Lily "jumps" on trampoline. Following in her big brother's uncoordinated footsteps, Lily never actually leaves the ground with her jumps. Which makes it safe to put Michael on there with her...although he doesn't really enjoy it...just kind of sits there confusedly wondering why the ground won't stop moving.

Seriously. Can we look at the camera even now? Nuh-uh.

Tuesday night was Andrew's "Moving On" performance. One of my friends came to the house to watch Michael and Lily, so Jeff and I got to go and sit in the front row. Yippee! The first performance that I could enjoy without trying to keep Lily quiet and Michael fed and the camera pointed in the right direction and the diaper bag from falling over, etc etc. And, Oh! How far Andrew has come. He is leaving pre-school so much more confident and social and outgoing. I love this boy!

Taking after his mother's stellar posing style.

Getting ready to do his class's dance. Andrew told me afterward that he told Allison (his dance partner...little Shirley Temple), "Don't be silly. We want to show the audience how good we are, not how silly we are." He takes everything so seriously...

Andrew fanning a giant scarf for another class performance. At one point he turned and looked at me, smirked and raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Can you believe I'm cool enough to do this?"

There he is, back row. It's easy to find him...he's the giant. Jeff was in shock at how small and immature other kids Andrew's age are. You do just kind of get used to what you know...

And then we've just been enjoying the nice cool spring weather. Here is Lily singing a song. This morning while I was face painting at Andrew's end of the year party, Jeff and Lily were hanging out. Lily fell off the couch at one point and Jeff caught her. She said thank you, and he started singing Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time, "If you fall, I will catch you/ I'll be waiting...../ Time after Time."

Here is Lily's version.

Getting closer...

...to walking. What? You thought I was going to talk about mulch again? That was soooooo yesterday.

Nah, I thought I'd show you some cute photos of my Mike cruising behind his favorite pink baby stroller. We have a train that he COULD walk behind. But the train must be the wrong height and it certainly doesn't have as wide a handle. Ah! How we love the stroller. And amazingly, Lily is nothing but thrilled with his walking and has yet to deck him, shove him on the ground, and run over him repeatedly with said stroller. Okay. I'll be honest. I don't think he's done it while she's around. Survival instinct, and all that.

Enjoy! He's just so stinkin' proud of himself. I think he'll walk earlier than Lily (she was almost 17 months) but he's already going to be later than Andrew (he was 13 1/2 months...which is Mikey now). Making his own mold again. ;)

As evidenced by the following videos, Michael will walk later due to a) his short attention span...as soon as he spies another toy, he's on to playing that and b)the sheer amount of clutter in his way...there is no clear path for Mikey.

Yard work with 3 kids under 6...a How To...

Step 1: Recognize the need to do yard work. An easy way to tell? If you haven't done any yard work for 3 years in a row...you probably need to do some. Our problem? Weeds and no mulch left. Although enough mulch for the dog to track in the house.

Before shots. I wish I'd taken some pictures before I'd spent 10 days weeding these enormous beds. I filled 7-9 huge plastic bags...with just weeds. Scary.

We did NOT tackle the entire backyard. This is the top of our hill. Somewhere under all that is a nice paved patio with lights and a fence. Scary. That is our Everest. Maybe when the kids are teenagers (read=free labor)

More before shots

My poor barren mailbox.

Imagine covered in thistles and these annoying vines. My back aches just looking at it.

Step 2: Order a pile of mulch larger than your first born child. Have dumped in parking area so you are forced to deal with it immediately.

Step 3: Start working hard...or find someone else to. Have a few heart attacks when your husband lets the 5 year old play with the pitchfork on top of the mountain of mulch.

Hey? Isn't that big guy supposed to be working? Is he drinking a glass of water while the 5 year old toils?

Step 4: Provide lots of outdoor toys, so the children stay happy while their parents ignore them. Oh. And it helps to order up a weekend of picture perfect spring weather.

The lazy fireman. He has his feet up so they don't touch the grass ;)

Hey! There's that big guy again. Why is he playing football instead of pulling weeds?

Step 5: While the adults are pre-occupied, have 5 year old steal camera. And take 63 photos before you catch him.

New shoes bought because old ones were destroyed by mountain of mulch.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post some "after" shots. :)

Today's goal: take pictures

We took the family for portraits on May 2nd. Apparently, this gave me the excuse to put away the regular camera for 3 weeks. So today's goal? Take pictures. Here are some from weeks and weeks ago that I just downloaded.

If you come to my house, take note. THIS is what happens every 15 minutes in my kitchen. Why don't I babyproof, you ask? 1) My cabinet doors are quite literally falling apart, so adding anything will likely destroy them. 2) Look at how much fun he's having!

How could you be upset at a little destructor this cute?

Lily shows off her cute jean skirt...and I have no recollection why she is all wet. I'm sure there was a story behind it, which is why I took a picture. New goal: take pictures and then download them promptly so I remember why I took them.



A brief moment of peace. I'm sure a few seconds after the flash, Lily beat his punk-&ss down for touching her "pin-cess" stuff.

Still not walking, but Michael is starting to prefer to cruise anywhere and everywhere. I will definitely try to capture on film him walking behind his favorite walking aid...Lily's pink stroller. That'll be one to save to bring out on senior appreciation slideshow night. :)

Honestly? Could I have a more laid-back child? He just decided to chill out on the kitchen floor. Which is looking spectacularly clean, I might point out. THAT is like catching a photo of Big Foot...

At the end of April I was brave enough to take the kiddos to the Please Touch Museum alone. Andrew drums on some random employee that wanders around...letting kids drum on his snare drum. Weird. But the kids loved it!

Oh! How I am tiring of the head tilt!

Michael gets into the action at the museum. I was actively NOT thinking of all the germs.

Here's a little video of what COULD happen if Lily would just PLAY with Michael instead of pushing, hitting, shoving, and screaming. Please excuse the annoying 5 year old who interrupts because he wasn't a part of it. That's why you hear Lily saying, "A-ew. Stop doing that. Get out of the way." Argh.

And this is kind of the same thing, except that I love Michael's reaction when he falls down (with a plastic potato chip in his mouth). It is so typical of my laid-back boy. He glances at me, does a low whine, and then gets back to business. Love him! And the other two also...

Sick and whiny

It all started with Lily. Darn little hand-licking typhoid-Lily. It's just a head cold. Nothing serious. But it is POTENT. Sweeping through our house. Lily was bleary-eyed and shuffling Saturday-Monday. I started feeling it Sunday night and spent all day yesterday in a fog. This morning Andrew woke up with a barking cough and runny nose. Luckily, it seems to be quick moving. It had BETTER be quick moving, since we are having a metric ton of mulch dumped on our driveway Friday afternoon. I'm only slightly exaggerating...we decided to only do the front yard after we measured and discovered that it will cost almost $300 just for the front flower beds...that's how much area there is. Ask me how we plan on spreading said mulch with 3 children running around. I don't know. We'll just be doing it until midnight or something. But we HAVE to do mulch...it is our 3rd summer here and we've never done it. I've been weeding and clearing the gi-normous flower beds that the previous owners delighted in (and are the bane of my existence) for weeks. It has to be done in 15 minute increments. Pull a few weeds, run over and take a paint brush out of Michael's mouth. Pull another couple of weeds, put a band aid on Lily's knee after she falls for the 100th time. Pull another couple of weeds, take sand out of Michael's mouth. Etc etc. Anyhoo...just LOVE yard work. I figure we'll get rid of the mountain of mulch by June 2012.

Some randoms:

While I was dinnering with my friends, Lily pooped on the potty. Really pooped...as in, she was dancing around naked after her bath (timer go beep beep I get dressed), and she suddenly told Jeff that she needed the potty. Once placed up on the potty she shooed Jeff away, just like she does when she's going in her diaper. Sure enough, success! Jeff made sure to tell me when I got home, so that I could make a big deal of it in the morning. Yesterday morning, I went to get her and I said, "Lily! Daddy told me you did something very exciting last night!" She looked confused and then her face lit up, "I eat cupcakes!" Not quite.

Michael desperately loves his siblings. Despite the fact that they are not very nice. Lily very very occasionally will play peek-a-boo with him. He LIVES for this. Last night she grabbed a Frisbee off the floor (hello, house of clutter?), and peek-a-booed with him half a dozen times. For the next hour, he kept bringing it to her and dropping it in her lap. She would throw it away and say No, Mike. And he'd go get it and bring it back...desperate for just one more turn with the peek-a-boo.

Also about Mikey....he has this really cute habit. He has started getting frustrated with things...like when the baby stroller goes to fast for him to walk behind, or the block won't fit in the bowl, etc etc. When he gets really really frustrated, he doesn't scream or throw the toy or cry. He lays down on the floor in defeat. All stretched out with his head resting on the carpet. It is the cutest thing in the world. My gentle, laid-back boy.

Andrew has really been eating more variety lately. Finally! We have always made him try one bite of what we are eating, and then we would make him PB&J. Since January, he's had to make his own sandwich. Except that he is really liking our food more. He ate 3 asparagus the other night! And half a fillet of salmon! And baked beans! And tuna casserole! Not in the same meal, don't worry. The only downside of this is the rubbing in he does to his sister. Because she has to try one bite also, but she screams for a full 30 minutes every night in anticipation of this one bite. Every. Night. SCREAMING for 30 minutes. Then she'll take her bite with big crocodile tears rolling down her face and she chews it as if she is a contestant on Fear Factor. Meanwhile, Andrew is in the background saying, "Look, Lily. I really like it. It is so yummy, I'm really eating it good." Ugh. Pat yourself on the back a bit more, son. (for your information, this is my mother's greatest delight, as I used to do the SAME thing to my older sister when I was this age.)

Nothing else today! Must go down some more Sudafed! Yippee! Druggie high for the rest of the morning!

Weekend

So we had a nice weekend. I can't remember what we did, but it was nice. Seriously, soon I will have the memory of a rutabaga. I was talking to my mother this morning, and I COULD. NOT. REMEMBER. what we did just 24 hours before. Ugh.

So just as a mental exercise...

Saturday: To New Hope for a visit to our favorite French bakery, feeding ducks and their babies in the Delaware river, wandering around looking for change to feed the meters with, trying to come up with 5 year old explanation for the photos of same sex couples making out (it was pride weekend there...quite frankly, I don't like it when there are hetero pictures of couples making out either...). Andrew had a bowling b-day party that afternoon...he'd never been bowling before and had a great time. He was quite surprised at how difficult it was. I mean, he's like a pro-level on the Wii. That night went over to my friend's house to sit in her house while she went on a date with her husband. Enjoyed flavored Bailey's (yum to the yummo!)

Sunday: To the mall so that we didn't kill our children due to all their fighting/screaming. Try not to kill the children at the mall due to all the whining/screaming. Jeff takes Andrew to flag football (he scored another touchdown!), while I got ready for girls' night out. Jeff comes home and I promptly leave to go pick up some of the ladies. Why I offered to drive to NJ, I'll never know. I had 4 backseat drivers all with different opinions on how to get to the restaurant. Argh. YOU drive if you know how to get there. Otherwise let me blindly follow my Tomtom and get there my way...regardless of if it saves me 4 minutes. Have a great time out with my friends as we said farewell to my friend who is moving to California in 2 weeks. It's strange to be the one left behind...I've never really had to do that before. Have conversations about religion and sex...get scared about how young everyone got started...with the sex, not with the religion. Start calculating how many years Andrew has until he is the age that some of their husbands were...6 years. Drink more sangria. Get home to a spotless kitchen, homemade cupcakes, and word that Lily asked to use the potty and then actually did successfully. Amazing.

So that's that. I woke up with a major congested head, so this week should be a blur as well. Love life through a head cold's vision. ;) I predict lots of tv. And not much creative blogging. Oh, wait. That's normal ;)

Speaking of one-upping

I just had the strangest conversation in the waiting hall at Andrew's pre-school.

I admittedly have a difficult time keeping my mouth shut and not starting conversations with total strangers. This is especially difficult at the pre-school, because I think people's other little kids are cute, so I ask about them, etc etc. I am learning that maybe I should not do this...partially because I'm becoming more aware that I may actually offend someone by starting a conversation (this post could have been me talking to her in the elevator..oblivious) or I will just annoy other people who really don't want to talk to me...as evidenced by today.

Today, I noticed a woman walking in with a little boy on her hip and a toddler girl tripping along next to her. I resisted speaking to her. Then she started "walking" with the baby by holding his fingers. So I started a conversation. It went like this:

Me: Oh! He's so cute! How old is he?
Her: 10 months. Not quite ready to walk though.
Me: No rush, right? And how old is your daughter?
Her: 2.
Me: Oh! You had them close together too!
Her: I have 5 kids.

I pause, wondering how to respond. You win? Congratulations? What the hell does that have to do with our conversation? Instead, I said:

Me: So this is nothing for you, I guess...ha ha.
Her: That's right. Easy for me.

End of conversation.

It was just so...dismissive. Like I could not possibly relate to her and should not have a conversation with her because she has 5 kids. Like she was saying, "Wait a minute, here, before we get too friendly...I have 5 kids so don't even TRY to compare yourself to me."

I should really really learn to just not talk to strangers.

(in contrast, there is a girl who is #5 of 7 kids in Andrew's class...her mother is nothing but sweet and knowledgeable and not judgemental or superior at all. So this isn't a judgement of mother's with more kids...just a judgement of her ;) )

A weighty topic

Oh! You guys! I must briefly talk about the booooooring topic of my new weightloss/gethealthy plan. It is NOT a Die-et. I HATE Die-ets. There is a good reason that most of that word is DIE. I am not following any specific plan...just do more, eat less. I may eventually have to join weight watchers or something...but I'm pretty sure I don't have the attention span to count my points, and all the jazz (that attention span is one of the main reasons I have a bicycle tire circling my waist).

Anyhoo, I know this is not a new topic. Which is why I haven't brought it up even though I started several weeks ago. Usually I start with my exercising (seriously can't spell that word) and eating well, and then I lose interest after a few days or maybe a whole week if I'm really good. What usually brings it crashing down is a really crazy bad day with the kids, where I have zero adult interaction, no shower, the absence of good naps (for the kids). On those days, my resolve goes down the tube as the little voice in my head says, "Who cares if you are fat and lazy? You never see anyone, you never get to do anything, and the kids have been running you ragged all day, so enjoy that brownie and sit on the couch."

But this time I got SERIOUS. I printed out a calendar and marked 6 weeks. Goal? Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week. If I make it 6 weeks, I get an I-Pod. That's right...I think I'm finally going to give up my schoolbus yellow cassette walkman that I got in college that has gigantic ear pieces and a huge 5 pound cassette player to carry around...but only a short short wire from the ear pieces to the player. I literally have to walk bending my arm to hold it up by my breasts...wire not long enough to fit in my pants. I am sooooo cool. If I miss a day, it starts all over and I must do 6 more weeks to get my present. I have hung this calendar up in the bathroom, and Jeff keeps me accountable. Any physical activity counts...usually it ends up being a mix of long walks with the dog and doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. Which Jeff tried last night while I was at book club, and he said was HARD. Which gave me intense satisfaction. ;)

But the KICKER...? I took a picture of myself in nothing but a sports bra and spandex shorts, and I've posted it on my fridge and in my bedroom. I would post it here to show the monstrosity that my body has become, but I don't really want to get slapped with a class action law suit for blindness caused by my photo. I go through my day craving my fatty nasty foods (soooo yummy), but as I consider getting take out *Just Once*, or buying myself a candy bar in the grocery check out line, or whatever, I remind myself of that disgusting picture and how good it would feel to take an "after" picture to post next to it. I have so little self control that the only sweets in the house is a giant bag of mini bags of M&Ms. Jeff has them hidden somewhere in the house (I have enough self control not to go hunting for them). I get a bag at the end of the day if I'm good. It's like I'm 3 years old...that's how I'm handling this.

I am in the middle of week 4. I am doing it! I am really sticking to exercising, Jillian isn't kicking my butt nearly as much as she did in the beginning, and even when I have bad days of giving in to cravings, I haven't given up yet. Weight loss so far? 1 pound. Which is discouraging...but I try not to think about it. My first goal is about time...not weight. Besides, I know the weight loss thing won't be easy...I was practically a bulimic for the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy with Lily, throwing up 3-5 times a day for 2 months...and I only lost 10 pounds in those 2 months. Seriously...if THAT kind of calorie cutting won't work, we're just going to make small goals ;)

So, since I have been mildly successful with starting to exercise (and I'm slowly learning to spell with without spell-check), I am announcing it here. On April 22 (a few days after I started and when I took the horrid picture), I was 170 pounds. A nice round number to start at. I would like to get back to the number I was when I got married 10 years ago...140-145. I am 5'9" tall, so that seems like a reasonable number...no way can I get back to my high school weight of 120...3 kids have ruined me for that ;) I have no time goal for getting to this weight...it's just my final goal. And Jeff has promised me that if I get to that goal...no, no, WHEN I get to that goal, he will send me on a trip *without my kids* to visit my best friend Pamela in California (whom I haven't seen since Andrew was 18 months old). I haven't quite told Pamela this, so hopefully she'll take me. Luckily it will probably be like 2 years before I get there, so she'll have plenty of time to prepare ;)

Wish me luck! Hopefully in 5-6 months I can post those pictures... with a "improved" picture after it. And then in a year or so...? Maybe after pictures.

It could be so easy...

Sometimes I'm amazed at how easy it could be for us to make the world a happier place. I am usually struck by this when I am confronted with the east coasters' stereotypical bluntness.

Last week I went to a certain big name book store with the 3 children by myself (me=glutton for punishment). I really wanted a Berenstain Bears book about siblings fighting, because it is so relevant in our house (me=taking said fighting children into a quiet book store=stupid). I COULD have gone on-line and taken 2 seconds to order it and had the nice postman deliver it right to my house. But where is the fun in that? There is a train table at the book store! And teeny tiny aisles that strollers don't fit through and long winding check-out lines that take you past Breakable! China! and Collapsible CD Displays! Oh! What fun the book store is!

While my children were playing with the train table (read: fighting over the one Thomas train with the colorful paint splashed on it), I was drooling on myself with boredom...in a giant bookstore! I knew I should not stray more than 5 steps away from the play area, lest my children wreck havoc on the store. But this limited my reading selection to child cook books (Me=not that big of a glutton) and parenting magazines. Ugh. Parenting magazines...I'm here with my CHILDREN...surrounded by the fruit of my loins that surround me every minute of every day. In the few moments of peace (Lily and Andrew ganging up on Michael when he sucks on the sacred Thomas train), I don't want to read about how to make a craft with my kids out of only paperclips, tissue paper, and soap flakes (like I even know where to GET soap flakes). I also do not want to read how every other mother is using every minute of their day productively...teaching their children life lessons, getting into shape while they shop in the grocery store for their organic produce that they will feed their children who love veggies. No. I want a chance to look at the new releases that are placed all the way at the front of the store in a delicious looking display that I rush past as I chase my offspring to the back of the store. Pretend for a minute or two that I still have a brain that wants info NOT related to parenting and that I may want to spend some time not cleaning my house or teaching my children and instead reading a novel.

So I have a brilliant idea! Why not put one teeny tiny book display back by the children's area with best sellers? New releases? One God-forsaken book on future careers?

There is a hapless worker shelving books in the childrens' area. I saddle on up to her, keeping one eye on the gremlins. I mention my idea to her, laughing kind of nervously.

Here's what COULD have happened. She could think -in her head- that I am a nutcase, and why would they want to separate their inventory and chance children goobering on the "good" books, etc etc. But SAY OUT LOUD, "Wow! Okay! I'll let my manager know." She turns back to her work and forgets that I even exist, and I go through the rest of my day feeling satisfied and smarty and like I've made the world a better place. I leave feeling like sunshine and maybe sing to my children. THAT EASY.

But instead, she looked at me as if I had instead suggested that they install a meth lab in the children's section and said, "What-ever."

So I leave feeling stupid and angry at people in this part of the world (which is totally unfair because I'd say over half the people I meet are friendly and wonderful). I rush to leave the store and maybe flick off a stranger because I'm now angry at the world. (No..did not happen...but COULD HAVE) And then I write a very passive aggressive post.

See how easy it would be to just make the world a bit happier?

My favorite things about being a mother (shhh...)

Life is a lot of one-upping, isn't it? In all aspects of life, no story can be told without someone in the crowd having a "better" one. Brian Regan (my favorite comic of all time) has a whole bit about this...like, if you've only had 2 wisdom teeth taken out, don't even bother trying to tell the story, because the 4 wisdom teeth people will come out and beat down your story.

Motherhood is very much like this. "You think YOUR baby had colic? Well, MY kid cried for 20 hours every day for 15 months." "You think you potty trained your kid early? Well, MY THREE KIDS were all potty trained at 14 months." "You think you have no time alone? Well, my husband works in Asia and my mother is allergic to my house, and my kids ate the last babysitter...so I'm really alone." Etc. etc. It's as if we are AFRAID to say that we enjoy things, or that we have good times...because then no one will feel like we are really doing a hard job. We've got to exaggerate the bad stuff just to legitimize our experience. One of my biggest pet peeves it when I tell people that I'm a stay-at-home mother and they say in a sticky-sweet, overly dramatic tone, "Oh! That's the hardest job in the world." No it's not. It's challenging, but I'd hardly call it the hardest job in the world. Anyone with a functioning uterus and access to a penis can qualify. I don't even have to go out and make money. It's hard to be a GOOD mother, whatever that means. You don't know that I'm GOOD at this...my kids could be sitting in a dirty diaper all day eating cheerios off the floor for all you know. Oh, wait,speaking of...I've got to go change Mikey's diaper.

What-ever! Here are some of my favorite things about being a mother *

1) My kids think I'm beautiful...despite all evidence to the contrary. I was wearing a new red shirt last week (it cost $9 at Kohl's..so not too nice) and Andrew looked at me and said, "You are so pretty in that shirt."

2) Michael still wakes up once a night for milk and a cuddle. And I...gasp...like it. By 4 am, I'm all stiff and sore from lying in bed all night and I need to pee anyway. So I get to get up and stretch, and really? There's nothing like a warm, limp baby snuggling up against you in the rocker. I LIKE it.

3) I really like children's books. Nothing makes me happier than sitting on the couch with a big pile of books, all covered up with my very own, home-grown children. We read until I'm hoarse. Or until Michael threatens to eat one of the books.

4) Lily's tantrums are cute. In between being exasperated with her, I love watching her fight for what she wants. All puffed up and furious...she is full of self-confidence and self-righteousness and determination. I think how she grins and nods when I tell her how beautiful she is. How she yells, "I love vaginas" when I change her diaper. (weird, I know). I think of how pre-teen and teenage girls look, so desperate to fit in, so certain they are ugly, so convinced that they are dumb and incapable...and I wish Lily could just bottle up what she has right now and use it in the hallways of junior high. In some ways, I want her to stay just the way she is.

5) Kids really make you experience life for the first time...all over again. When Michael wants to flip light switches all morning and afternoon, it can get tiresome. Until you see the look of wonder and amazement and JOY on his face when he does it. And then you think, gosh, that IS amazing. Electric lights are a miracle...you just flip this little gizmo over here and the room lights up over there. FANTASTIC. I've totally been taking this miraculous invention for granted. And that goes for seeing a rabbit in the yard (nothing is more exciting), finding an ant during a walk, or catching a ball. Things we don't think about, but really are kind of cool. I get to remember...a million times a day.

6) Having discussions with Andrew is really getting fun. He has so many ideas of his own and has really developed a curious, discriminating mind and a gentle, conscientious heart. I love him so much more NOW than I did as a baby, because he is his own person and I am enjoying getting to know him. It makes me excited to find out what Lily and Mike will think about things someday.

Oh! There are so many more. But they need me now, so I'll have to stop typing. Being needed is another. Being the person to kiss and make everything better is another. Making me someone my husband needs is another. Being the best comic, best artist, best chef is another. Folding teeny tiny clothes...I love the way they look. Having an excuse to spend an hour in the sunshine of a playground. Giving me a bridge to meet new people...motherhood is a great conversation starter. Giving me a decade or so to NOT have to worry about what I want to be when I grow up. Making me bellylaugh every day about one thing or another.

Mostly, I cherish those moments when I look at all 3 of them and remember how lucky I am to get to do this. It isn't a given... Through all the frustrating, brain-melting moments...having them is really wonderful.

Seriously, I should now stop typing and go take care of them. Or else next Mother's Day, I might be writing about how great they like the foster care system.


* Giselle reserves the right to complain about all of these very same things in other posts.

A giant playgroup

I'll be honest. Playgroups save my sanity most weeks. I only get half of any one's story because at least one of my 3 kids interrupts me...despite my attempt to ignore them. Someone is always fighting or getting hurt. But being connected to these other women is so soothing to the soul. Andrew is always wrestling or growling or some other aggressive behavior. Know what? The other 4 & 5 year old boys are doing the same thing. Lily is throwing tantrums hourly. Know what? The other 2 year olds are too. This mom has a great recipe to get her kids to eat veggies and that mom has the best cure for diaper rash. Sounds thrilling, eh? Occasionally we discuss current events too. But usually the kind that comes from People magazine or the TV guide. There is a reason my brain cells are fusing.

The only bad part of playgroups is that you have to host every once in a while. I don't really enjoy this part...partly because I'm a terrible hostess. My house is not baby proofed, so I always greet everyone with a reminder that choking hazards abound, the steps are not gated, and the cabinet doors are cracked and dangerous. Then there's the lack of decorating, which I have said before doesn't bother me in the least...until people come over. Then I just walk around noticing how there are no curtains and the walls aren't painted, and, gee, a picture or two on the wall wouldn't hurt, eh? (all of which is instantly forgotten when they shut the door behind them).

I had evening playgroup over last Thursday. It used to be Andrew's morning playgroup, but then they all were enrolled in different pre-school programs on different mornings, so we moved it to 4 pm. Which sounds nice...because even the working moms in our group can make it. But our children are much bigger now than they were when we started this playgroup...they are louder and more destructive and take up more space. Also, their younger siblings were helpless babies and toddlers when we started...and now they are legitimate destructors and fighters and eaters as well. So it is A LOT when we get together. But somehow we decided that whoever hosts should make dinner for the kids, so they don't go ape-shit crazy around 5 pm. Which is actually a very good idea...because it is distracts the children for a good portion of the night.

So I've never hosted this group. I actually never even went at the beginning of the school year, because Michael was going to bed around 6, so it wasn't really worth it. But now we are going regularly, so now I needed to host. I decided to make dinner for the grownups as well to make up for the 8 months of mooching off of them. I spent the morning cutting veggies and fruit, making deviled eggs, guacamole for the adults, and some shredded chicken for sandwiches, stocking up at the grocery store, getting out serving trays and bowls for snacky food, etc...all while getting Andrew to and from school, keeping Michael from killing himself (see below), and Lily entertained. That evening, there were 14 kids, 6 mothers, 1 dog (locked up, of course) all over for dinner! Jeff came home, commented to me that there didn't seem to be enough adults to account for all those children, and went outside to mow the lawn. He threatened to grease up his hairless chest and mow shirtless...you know, to entertain the lay-days. He did not. I wouldn't want to make them jealous (ha ha...snort...ha ha)

It was actually quite fun. The grass was long and wet, but the kids went outside to play on our play system anyway. Nobody found our foam swords (another hazard at our house), and other than Andrew body-slamming the girls and getting into trouble 10,000 times, everyone had a good time. When they left, our house was in shambles...but that's not really strange for us ;) The next day was the worst. The floor was sticky from smashed strawberries and chocolate cupcakes. It was raining, so every time the dog went out, she brought in the fresh grass clipping on her fur, which then stuck to the sticky floor. My kitchen was tarred and feathers, basically. I can't wash the floor when the children are awake...the little children, that is, because Michael won't get out of the way of the sponge and Lily insists on walking in the wetness...which always results in falling. So we just stuck to the floor all morning. Ew.

But it is worth it. Because tomorrow, I get to go to someone else's house and have my kids fed and worn out. And I'll probably discuss the latest celebrity who lost 50 pounds after childbirth by Just. Breastfeeding. Nothing gets us more riled up... ;)

Randoms:

--One of my favorite things about 2 year olds is their speech development. It goes through phenomenal changes during that 12 month period...and each little speech impediment is so brief...and so cute. I was almost sad when Andrew lost his little speeching quirks. Lily is still a long way off from losing it, but now she is mostly understood by strangers. So I know it is coming. One of my favorites right now is her requests for "yoop-yoops". Froot Loops. We got a box for our trip to Ohio and we are STILL finishing it off. I almost want to buy another box just to hear her request for yoop yoops over and over again.

--Michael is OBSESSED with the fans and light switches in this house. Lily went through this as well. He just points at the switches and grunts, then points at the fan and grunts. Over and over. And if you let him play with the switches...oh! The face of pure joy!

--Andrew made up a joke. "Q=What did the boy say to his mother after she handed him a PB&J sandwich? A= I'm very grape-ful!" Pretty good, eh? He finally understands puns!

--We go through eating phases in this house. One week, I can't have enough yogurt stocked up. The next week, nobody likes it. Argh. Last week (and this) is apparently a "No yogurt" week. I had some that was going to expire, though, so I was pushing it. Which simply resulted in opened yogurt containers covered in plastic littering our fridge. Cut to finding Michael sucking on a drinkable yogurt container...that he dug out of the recycling bin. Ew. Evidently I need to start serving him from the trash cans to make things edible.

--Speaking of Michael, this kid is clever! He is going to be my engineer...no talking, just quietly figuring stuff out. He can now un-latch the dog's kennel...which my older two children have not figured out yet. He found that my china hutch can easily be opened...and when I pile bins of toys in front to discourage him from it, he just methodically moves them to get to the doors. He's got light switches figured out...he even knows which switch goes to which light...as evidenced by him pointing and grunting as he sees a light, then reaching for the exact switch to turn it on. He can flip the toilet seat up in a flash...another thing my other two never quite figured out as babies. -sigh- It would be more aggravating, except he is just having a blast...which is quite fun to watch.

A fun mom

Andrew's siblings have really been irritating him. They prevent him from getting to do things when they take naps, they get into his stuff when they're awake, and they aren't tough enough to wrestle with (without him getting into trouble, that is).

He's taken to contemplating being an only child. Here's an excerpt from a conversation with him last week:

A- "Mom, I really wonder what it would be like to be just you and me and Dad. Sometimes I think it would be nice."
Me- "No one would get into your toys, bug you, and stuff, huh? But think how much fun you had playing pretend with Lily this morning. Think of your cousin Colin. He never has a brother or sister to play with."
A- "Yah, that's true. But he has a fun mom."


Ouch.

But since he's been feeling a bit neglected as of late, he and I went on a date yesterday afternoon. We went and saw "Earth", the Disney Nature film. It was FANTASTIC. Andrew ate an entire bag of Twistlers (?!?), drank Coke, and must have thanked me 1,000 times for taking him. We had so much fun. And we are still talking about the movie today. Reminded me that I need to get out with him alone more...so we can learn to appreciate each other.

Family photos

We had family portraits taken today.

Priority #1: Picture of 3 kids together

Priority #2: Mikey's 1 year portrait

Priority #3: Family portrait

They were running 1 hour late...so it ran into nap time. The place is 30 minutes away...so we were staying, damnit.

We got a lot of shots like this:

Mikey nervous laughter

And some like this:

Lily strangles Andrew while Michael looks on

A lot of Mikey looking bewildered...

Many many sideways shots that I can't seem to turn for y'all.

And a lot of Michael trying to escape:

By the time we got to the full family shot, Andrew and Michael were done smiling, and Lily would only sit down if she got to hold the toy monkey that they use to try and make kids smile (and scare Mikey, incidentally)

But in all the chaos, there was a little magic. My little uninhibited Lily took some GREAT shots.

This, people, THIS is Lily's real smile. Eyes lit up and NO HEAD TILT! Isn't she beautiful?

Mikey and his smile

Nice profile

Just a beautiful head shot of my girl. Crazy hair and all

My bashful Andrew. Still stinkin' cute after all these years. He was an ANGEL the whole time.

Lily dancing for the camera woman.

The final shot of the 3 kids that I got a bazillion copies of.