eggs, flowers, and personalities....oh my!

We had a lot of fun at Easter this year. Amelia understood the concept of egg hunting....and she didn't pass one up. Our first stop was grandma and grandpa's house. It was a nice day so the Easter bunny left a number of eggs out in the front yard. Amelia enjoyed the hunt....until she got dirt in her shoes. The dirt took the joy of running to each one away. She began slowly walking to each egg. When she had to cross dirt to reach one, she turned to aunt katie to get them. Poor aunt Katie!!! At home we run around barefoot and the dirt never phases us. Not sure who this girl belongs to at times.
Egg hunt number two was at our church. Since it had rained hours before, they had moved everything inside (thank goodness since I wasn't sure how she would handle wet grass). Hundreds of eggs were laying in the floor of the old sanctuary. Everyone circled around the room (ages 3 & under) and on "go" the hunt started. With so many kids and parents, you had to act fast. Amelia was able to gather up a handful and proudly showed them off. After the hunt it was time to move to the inflatable room. Sounds like fun, huh? Amelia thought otherwise. She cried and cried, clung to her daddy, and begged to leave. "Loud" she kept crying. She wouldn't even try to get inside the bounce. Again...not sure who this girl belongs to at times.
Our third and final egg hunt was actually on Easter day. After church service, we headed out to Grammy and Poppy's house. Of course it was a cold, rainy day....ALL DAY. We decided to eat and nap before hunting, hoping it would give time for the rains to pass. Nope. So the Easter bunny left the eggs on the front porch. The hunt itself took only a few minutes....Amelia moved really fast to beat Laney from getting them. Poor Laney. :)
Overall the girls had fun. It was a good Easter weekend. The following weekend was my brothers wedding. It was at a gorgeous golf club in the city. The days leading up to the wedding were very warm and dry. The wedding day.....cold and rainy (with a little hail). So the outside wedding was moved inside. It still worked out very well. Amelia and Laney were the flower girls. During rehearsal they did great walking down the aisle with their baskets. The wedding day, of course, was a little different. Amelia was in an "amelia mood" all day. She didn't want anyone to look at her or talk to her. Finally, with just a few minutes before showtime, bubbles saved the day. We sat in the hall and blew until it was time to enter the room. At first both girls saw me on my knees at the end of the aisle and both headed my way. Once they reached half way, Laney decided that the petals on the ground should be picked up. Amelia waited a couple seconds and then gave up and headed my way. Laney, on the other hand, could care less about everyone watching her or me waving at her to come on. So I ran down the aisle and carried her the rest of the way, while the onlookers chuckled. It was a "cute" flowergirl moment. The reception for Amelia was too much. She cried when the music played and when mommy and daddy danced. Thank goodness that grandma and grandpa were there to save the day. They took both Amelia and Abi across the hall to play and blow bubbles. ! I wish Amelia would have relaxed and enjoyed it, but once again.....I'm not sure who this girl belongs to at times. The wedding was beautiful and the flowergirls were cute and perfect.

Thank you God for the resurrection, weddings, and personalities.

Mother Hen

Oh, my little mother hen! And this has not just started. It began from day one when we brought Abigail home. It started small....giving her the binkie or calling for me EVERYTIME Abi cried (as if I wasn't right there hearing it). Slowly, Amelia has grown from being a "helper" to being a "mother hen". The first bold move took place when Abi was just a few weeks old. Yes, she was still a newborn. With Abi in the swing and Amelia watching me, I opened the garage to start the car and get it warm. As I reached in and put the key in the ignition, my eyes glanced through the windshield to the open door of the utility room. There was Amelia....with Abi in her arms!!!! My heart about fell out of my chest. As fast as I could move, I ran over and gently took her into my more secure arms. I didn't want to yell in that moment (I could just see Amelia dropping her) so I found myself thanking her for being mommy's helper....then explained that only mommy should pick her up. Still to this day, I have no idea how Amelia was able to get Abi out of the swing (and so quickly). Lesson learned.
As Abigail gets bigger, so does my "hen". She is constantly giving her toys (none of which Abi cares for yet), still shoves the binkie in, and is always at her side. Today, Amelia was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. I layed Abi down on a blanket with a few toys. Both were absolutely content so I went in the kitchen to work on my grocery list. After just a couple minutes, here comes my hen announcing that Abi pooped. Big surprise. :) I said I'd be right there and off she ran...I assumed to finish her show. I finished writing my list (which took an entire 5 minutes) and made my way to the living room, prepared for a blowout. There was my precious 3 month old right where I left her....but completely naked!!! Thank the Lord above that there was no poop afterall!!! My hen decided that she needed a diaper change. So off went the clothes and diaper. By observation, it looked like she attempted to put a clean diaper on but then got distracted. No big deal, right? Except for the fact that Abi went potty everywhere!!!! No worries though....I cleaned everything up, threw it all in the washer, and once again, thanked Amelia for helping....then explained that only mommy should change Abi's diaper.

Awww.....my mother hen. Abigail has no chance.

Thank you Lord for Abigail's sister that loves her so much.

Spring is here!!!

It's one of my favorite times of the year....the time when the windows are open, music is playing, and we are running around with barefeet. I treasure this time since it seems the blazing sun heats up faster and faster every year.
Today we spent the morning at the park with a group of friends from church. Amelia is ever-so-slightly obsessed with the slide. Up the steps we go, down-down-down, then repeat the cycle about one hundred times. Not only is she slide obsessed, but she thinks all her friends should be too. If she isn't tugging at them, she is in their face telling them to go down the slide. It's so cute watching her get excited when she knows we are going to the playground.
Almost as exciting as the park, is our new thrill of walking around the house naked. Not necessarily completely naked, but with our bottom exposed. Lucky for me, we have mastered the potty training. Not so lucky for me....Abigail has not. Yesterday morning, after heating up my breakfast, I enter the living room only to find Abi sitting in a puddle of poo. Oh, did I mention she was propped up on the couch??? After a long process of stripping and bathing her, I managed to strip the couch and throw those cushions in the wash. So thankful they are machine washable!!! I think at 3 1/2 mths old, we are moving up to size 1 diapers!
Abigail has become quite the talker. She has the sweetest little voice and she wants the world to hear. She is still the most calm, easy-going baby. She loves Amelia and loves watching her play. Don't worry though....Amelia is equally in love with Abi and is constantly giving her kisses. My personal favorite is watching Amelia attempt to play patty-cake with 'B'. Even though is sometimes is rough, 'B' thinks her big sister is hilarious. Her laugh is contagious. :)

Thank you God for slides and patty-cake

Gas

Have you ever seen a pic on the internet and thought, 'mmm...what kind of person would do that'? Well now I know from personal experience....it's a person that is on lack of sleep and taking cough medicine.
Yesterday, even though I still wasn't feeling good, I was determined to do something to get out of the house. After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, I stopped to fill up the tank before returning home. After a couple efforts, I realize that pump 9 wasn't reading cards so I ran in to pay. The very kind worker said the pump was jammed and told me to hurry and move to pump 8 before someone else pulled in. Well, I trotted my little hiney to my car as fast as I could without looking foolish....because heaven forbid I look foolish! I jump in, put my car in drive, and make it only a few feet before hearing a loud thud. I drove off with the pump hose still in my car!!!!! It completely dettached from the pump and was dangling down the side of my car. I jumped out, took one look, and couldn't stop laughing! The lady at the pump next door also started laughing. The worker had to come out and place an "out of order" bag and sign on the pump. After apologizing over and over, I get back in my car and pull up to pump 8, where I get my gas. And yes....I managed to get there before anyone else pulled in....I just failed when it came to not looking foolish :)

Thank you God for a car to put gas in.

Where art thou February???

Seriously....I know exhaustion knocks on the door of my life a lot lately, but did I miss February? I must have blinked or something. I canNOT believe that next week will welcome March. Don't get me wrong...I am very ready for the warm spring weather. These past couple weeks with the weather bouncing up to the 70's then back down to 40's has been a complete tease. I am ready to pack away the big winter coat and replace it with a light jacket!
The girls are growing so much and so quickly. Amelia is 2.5 going on 10. We had quite an experience the other night. While enjoying her snack of Kix cereal, she discovered the comedy of sticking one up her nose. The first time was funny so, yes, she had to do it again. The second time was not so comical. As she laughed, she inhaled and UP the kix went. In panic, she kept trying to "sniff" it away....which resulted with it going further and further up her nose. I was laughing so hard that Ty had to help me hold her down so I could preform emergency tweezer surgery. As soon as it was out, she returned to her happy-go-lucky self. Yes, I was the mom that, instead of getting worried, I almost couldn't get it out because I was laughing so hard. :)
Abigail is a WONDERFUL baby. She is so calm and happy. Where does her joy in life come from???? Pooping!!! I cannot count how many times we have had blowouts. From interrupting Papa's funeral with loud "music" for all to hear, to filling her bouncy chair with a full mess....we are always pooping! The other day we met my parents at a local restaurant for dinner. Ty took Amelia in and I stayed out in the car to feed Abi. Not but 5 minutes into her eating, she started "making music". Before I can even think about changing her, my lap starts getting awfully warm. I lift her up and I am covered in poop! To make matters worse, I had sent the diaper bag in with Ty because I didn't think I would  need it. So I picked up my phone with my only free hand and called him. No answer. I called my mom, dad, and sister....no answer. They couldn't hear their phones. FINALLY my dad answers and I simply yell "SEND TY OUT HERE NOW WITH THE BAG". Together we mananged to strip Abi, clean her up, and dress her in clean clothes. However, I had no such luck. After attempting to clean my own clothes with wipes, I finally gave up and went inside to eat with a HUGE poop stain on my light gray pants. Oh the joys of motherhood!!!
I'm looking forward to all the "stories" I will have once the weather is warm and we can go outside more. Who knows what Amelia will come up with for entertainment....with Abi watching close by :)

Thank you God for poop and tweezers

Roles

Lately I have been thinking about all the roles in life that we, at some point, wear. Every major role in my life allows me to wear smaller roles...some of which are enjoyable and others that are, well, not so enjoyable.

There is the "child" role. This is a role, that, no matter how hard we may try at times or how far we run, we will never lose. Our parents will always "parent" us, give advice, and call us multiple times a day. I have learned that the older I get, the more important this role is. Perhaps its not the importance, rather, its the respect I have for it.

Another role would be the "spouse" role. This is a role that I have proudly worn for 5 years now. He is my absolute best friend. This role enables me to wear a handful of roles within it. I am a comforter, listener, encourager, cook, partner, and cleaner....and lets not forget laundry machine. :)

My newest role in life would be "mommy". I'm sure all the moms out there would agree that no matter what I say, words cannot express the joy that comes with this role. Sure there are frustrating moments. Moments in which sanity is thrown out the window. Its during those moments, when I'm covered in spit up & poop and surrounded by crying babies, that I sit back and just have to laugh (or cry).

I have to wonder...is there a "true" role...one that entirely defines who I am? I think each role has had a very important part of my life. They have made me who I am. One has opened the door for yet another role to enter my life. I find myself sometimes wondering where one specific role might have gone. What happened to that girl I was during that time? Well I have decided that, though I move forward, each role is still there...just buried perhaps. So instead of missing parts of "that girl", I just have to look for her and bring her out from time to time. I have to wash off the spit-up, change out of my mama sweats, and find a way to mix the roles I am missing with my current roles...until the next role of my life knocks on my door :)

Thank you God for allowing us to wear and experience different roles in life :)

Uterus on the street

The rule is to take it easy until 6 weeks after giving birth. My feelings on that....apparently the rule-makers do not have a toddler at home. Seriously, they expect me to not lift Amelia, not play outside with her, and to just relax for an entire 6 weeks??? As blissful as that sounds to many women, I am not one of them. At 3 weeks, I started running again. Maternity clothes fill my closet and haunt my dreams. I don't remember the time it took to get "back to normal" with Amelia. However, I am determined to make it sooner than later with this pregnancy. So....day one of running concluded with me struggling to catch my breath and crawling back to the house. I probably shouldn't confess that I barely made it a block from the house before feeling like death. Day 2 was a little better. I was sore after that run. Not a day or two later I received an interesting facebook message from a good, concerned friend. Her friend was advised by her doctor not to start running prior to 6 weeks because it could result in her uterus falling out!!!! What!!! Though I greatly appreciated the heads-up, I had to do some investigating on my own. Seriously...could you imagine enjoying the day, jogging down the street when, oops...there falls out the good ol' uterus. The image is hilarious!!! Long story short---found out that even though it is false, other damaging things could happen as a running result. So goodbye running for another couple weeks and hello fitness videos in my living room. :)

Thank you God for legs to run and friends who care