Other March & April Moments

We are finally getting some “yes” out of Margaret, or “yeah” at least.  For probably 6 months now, "yes" had entailed her jaw ferociously opening and closing, but not a sound would ever squeak out.  Her "no" is just as violent.  A head shake back and forth so hard and fast you think she's going to make herself dizzy!  No progress yet on a verbal "no".  I think I'm okay with that one:) 

First trip to DOWNTOWN DC - The Discovery was just delivered to the Dulles Museum earlier that week and we really wanted to see that, but Thursday was some commemoration ceremony, so we headed downtown instead...always an adventure that is!  At least Andrew got to see some astronauts and the solar system.

Riding the metro with Em!

Holding hands after devouring her first street vendor hot dog.

Pleased as punch - cheese!

Settling into Alex's room before the sitter came on Friday (so I could head to the airport for Mike Vogel's wedding).  Do you think they were comfortable at Anne & Eric's house???

Mike Vogel's wedding in Naples - hopefully some pictures from the beautiful Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club will come soon.  But for now, this reception discussion (probably solving world peace!) will suffice:)

The happy, though blurry, couple.  Julie's reception dress was really fun!

Just as exciting as the wedding weekend (3am group hotel hottub adventures included), was that I managed NOT to kill Andrew's first science project while I was gone.  Instructions are to keep the jar half-filled with the water so that the pantyhose head can grow grass.  Note: the instructions did not say anything about losing an eye!  Natually, I forgot to ask the dog sitter to water the grass head, but look!  We had grass upon our return!!!  This, after telling Erin Bronson at the wedding that science projects are my biggest fear of the school years to come!

Being sweet

I won't type what my precious girl looks like, but it was funny that morning the way she was waltzing around the house with her VT ski cap barely on. 

What's your message to Margaret: "You're the best Margaret I've ever seen!"

"Apple"

Listen carefully….the jaw-dropping “yes”…. “cheese!”

Alphabet dancing…really, just a cute dress.

Special Memories this Week

Though Daddy has been away almost all week, we've actually done pretty well.  I'm not sure which of these three memories of Andrew this week would rank as my favorite:

1 - Gotta say, it melted my heart when he fully blessed Molly's dinner before giving it to her.  He went through the entire "God our Father" blessing while she sat on edge, shaking in anticipation.  We've been working on not teasing Molly with her food (or anything else) but how does one discourage blessing the meal?!?

2 - I'm overdue weeding the MASSIVE garden that we inherited.  I do not exaggerate.  It is 20' by 11'.  While the 3-4' weeds are actually quite beautiful right now, it's time for them to go. I learned the hard way last year that they will die overnight.  Shortly thereafter, I will get a nice note from the HOA with the box checked, "Mow left side yard to remain compliant with bylaws".  So while it's gorgeous now, the April showers hit this week, so I must strike while the iron is hot and weed while the ground is soft. 

Beautiful Flowers...hard to explain to Andrew why we have to pull them up.  We have had some good conversations about how things grow, though.  Trying to explain what "absorb" means is an interesting task!

The 3+' wall poses problems when littles ones want "to help".  But we found some good lettuce growing on the left!

Last week, I weeded by moonlight. I kid you not.  The moon was full, the sky was clear, and Michael was home to cover bedtime, so out I went.  This week, Michael has been on the road, so I've not been afforded the luxury of weeding alone. Andrew has blossomed into quite a helper, but the problem with our garden is the beautiful 3' wall that surrounds it, which of course my kids AND all of the neighbors' kids LOVE to walk and run on.  The rule is, no one on the wall or in the garden unless you're helping a grown up weed.  So Andrew decided he wanted to weed!  After putting Margaret down, he came out sporting his Toy Story PJs and helped me weed until almost 8:45pm!  A good 45 minutes past bedtime, he was thrilled to be doing grown up work and was tickled when Miss Tracey came out to help, too.  Can you say, "AWESOME NEIGHBOR"?!?  It was a great day for so many reasons:)  Lots of good conversations about nature and helping others.

Almost finished!  The trashcan is overflowing, so I'm just piling them up now. I don't know why I weed so that there is just a little patch left in the middle.

3 - Before naptime and bedtime, I let him choose whatever books he wants to read.  One day, he proudly marched to his bookshelf and declared, "I want a book that has God's Word in it.".  So he searched for the Bible and brought one to me requesting Jonah and the whale.  He's also been saying his own blessing often at meals.  A recent one was great, "Dear God and Jesus, Thank you for the earth and outer space. Thank you for watermellon and green beans and all that stuff.  Thank you for this food that Mommy made me.  AAAAmen."  And thank the good Lord that he still claps after EVERY blessing and exclaims, "Yeah!".  I hope he never, ever stops doing that! 

Vogel Wedding Weekend

Entrance to the stunning Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club

Loved the loung area there

Wished we had spent more time here during the reception!

Beautiful reception room

Stunning dress and bride...apparently she practically had the whole thing reworked...can't wait to see the original!

One happy lady:)

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Vogel

"The Way I Am"

I love it when couples really dance!

Love

The toasts - Michael shared the Dallas no-seatbelt cop warning story and begged Julie for any dirt she may be able to share in the coming years. Gavin, 10-yr-old Best Man, gave a lovely tribute to his Dad and step-Mom.  Aaron wrapped up with a tribute and blessed our delicious meal.

Afraid of what might be coming during the toasts

Thankful the roasting appears to be tame

Embarrassed all they could come up with was the warning from the cop in Dallas!

Mike's wedding present - authentic, Cal Ripken signed jersery

Ah, Frank Longwell. He sent a note to our table:  "Our table is talking about sex.  What about you guys?" 
True story.  Truly Frank.

Wish I had a picture of the kids on the dancefloor.  They all tore it up all night long....and they're all AWESOME dancers!

The perfect rainbow for the perfect reception

Ah, talented Cassie....double-fisted, purse, phone!

While the boys were off solving world peace or creating their latest business venture, Erin was my dinner date - how awesome is she at the left-handed photo???

Wedding weekend pack:)

Oh, the randomness of our late night outfits...casual jeans, wedding dress, Boss-wear, hot-tub attire!

First picture ever of the Bronsons, Vogels, and Killians!

First Pony Ride!

Our neighbor and former classmate, Christopher, had a wonderful 4th birthday party today.  At a small "farm" in Keswick, they have children ride the tiniest ponies.  Andrew was busy blabbering all the way to the party, and asking if there would be baby lambs we could feed.  He remembers that from another farm more than a year ago!  Sadly, I knew there wouldn't be, but I hoped that the other activities would suffice, knowing there was NO way he would actually ride a pony since various fears have set in lately.

As soon as we got out of the car, Andrew declared he was shy.  And he walked the talk, too.  Of course with Daddy out of town, I had arranged a sitter for Margaret so that I could take Andrew for his first pony ride.  NO surprise when he said he'd rather sit in the antique wagon and eat marshmallow pops instead!  But wait.....

Birthday boy Buzz was ready to go.  I LOVE how much use his Halloween costume has gotten!

Climbing on the self-described "mixer" on the playground.

Antique Wagon

And all of a sudden, he was ready to ride!

Mounting up and...

First Pony Ride

Spring Swimming Shamble...Sport & Squirt!

I may not have mentioned how much Andrew has regressed in the pool.  Last summer (in addition to the previous 2 summers), he was like a fish….jumping in anytime, anyplace.  While I fully intended to keep him in the pool at the gym throughout the winter, somehow August turned into February.   But by then, it was time to get moving to get him swimming by Memorial Day.  And how was our first time back in???  Disastrous.  He didn’t want to get his big toe wet, much less jump to me or put his face in.  While everyone has told us this is completely normal, that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
We started expensive private lessons, theory being they spend a lot of time on the step in group lessons.  But that proved to be a waste of money.  While his instructor honestly said he was improving weekly, I decided to take a break and work with him myself to try to get him back to where he was.  I actually received kuddos from his instructor for being the only parent to inquire what I could do to help my child progress.  While my intentions may actually be selfish, it was nice to hear that I'm doing something right!

Two months later, we have definitely made some progress, but oh my, has it been slow!  I’ve gained weight using my gym time to work with Andrew and I can’t wait to get Margaret in, but I patiently, patiently, patiently try not to bang my head up against the wall while reminding him how much fun swimming is!   These days, he’s at least not terrified, declaring in a jingle-voice, “ I’m going to do something that you might like….” then dunks head.  Yeah!

Sport and Squirt

In March, Andrew turned 4 and Margaret was 18 months.  Where on earth does the time go!   Andrew is LOVING school, Bible Study, MOPS, and anything outside.  He is not taking to his bike or the pool as we had hoped.  Time, right?  He has great enthusiasm for weeding and mulching, though, so can I complain?  In addition to the 20 bags of mulch he and I spread around the yard, we also tackled beneath the deck.  For weeks, I painstakingly weeded the entire 18’x20’ area.  Then I sprayed Round-Up, and meticulously staked down landscaping fabric…again, with both kids in tow since Daddy has been gone most weekends, sadly.  Next step was having 3 cyds of playground delivered.  Delivery is great, but then it all has to be hauled from the driveway, through the fence, down a decent hill, dumped, and spread.  The area is now a plush, clean, area for the trampoline and sky chairs, but let me tell you.  It takes a while to haul, dump, and spread 3 cyds of mulch with the “help” of a 4 yr old and an 18 month old!

Andrew was a good sport, though, which leads me to their newest nicknames.  “Sport” and “Squirt” are quite the pair.  Andrew is tickled by their names and by Squirts newest words.  While she doesn’t have as many words as he did at 18 months, her choice is interesting.  “Apple” and “Purple” delight her now and “Dada” finally made the line-up.  Go figure!  And her new favorite foods are huge green olives and spicy mustard.  What?!?

Good things CAN happen on Friday, the 13th

Is Friday the 13th ever a good thing?  This week, this year, for me, it IS!!!  My goal for at least 6 months now (maybe a year...it's been so long that I've lost track) is to post weekly on Fridays.  That would keep documentation of our family's journey from becoming overwhelming, right?  If I didn't have so much back tracking to do, I'd be all set.  But from today on, I am vowing to post on Fridays.  Please, dear Lord, allow me the discipline to do this!

Another peaceful night, somehow.

I pray she doesn't drown in her drool!

Yesterday was a little slice of Heaven (in my world).  We had MOPS in the morning---a favorite for the WHOLE family---finished lunch in a timely manner (woo-hoo!) and had time for an activity before naps (what?!?).  The glorious part of this scene is that both children were happy coloring, calmly, for a good half hour!  That means they were still!  And that means that they weren't tearing around the house undoing all of the cleaning and putting away that I had accomplished during lunch.  Victory!!! 

You see, I had always dreamed that this is what being home with the children would be like!  But how often do our dreams translate into reality?  I recently had the significant revelation that I am NOT a "stay-at-home" Mom.  I am a low income Mom who does not have paid childcare.  There is a BIG difference. As a three-some, we are not very good at "staying home".  In fact, the one Thursday every two weeks that we don't have a morning activity, I try to "be a good stay at home Mom" and actually stay at home.  But each time, I'm reminded why we don't do that....ever...or shouldn't, at least!  It's a disaster.  No other way to put it.  I am finally aware of my contribution to this scene and am working on myself as summer quickly approaches (the mere idea of which sends me into a panic).  We live and learn, right?  At the very least, that's what I'm hoping will come of my children this summer...they will live, and they will learn. 

"Cheese" at the site of the camera...it's the squinty eyes and box smile as I retrieve
the camera from the bag, then this odd look by the time I turn it on.

Looks like two kids drawing at the table...

...but it is my temporary dream come true!

Andrew is working diligently on his name (probably in pink, which he has unmistakably
claimed this week as his favorite color!).  Margaret is tasting each color.

Kyle Singler (Killian version 2.0) got her 3rd haircut Wednesday so that she could see again, clutching a cheese stick and practicing "oink, oink".  Notice how turned in the left foot it is?  She's become pigeon-toed overnight!

If there weren't a dress and tights involved (and we weren't at preschool pick-up),
would you not think it was Andrew passed out???