Babies Grow Up Too Fast

I can't believe Ryan is five months old. I LOVE that little boy soooooooo much! I decided tonight as I was rocking him that baby boys are every bit as sweet as baby girls. Their clothes may not have ruffles, but boys are just as cute.

I think when I was a mother of two girls, I secretly thought girls were more adorable. Of course I was wrong.

My little Ryan found his toes this week and it is delightful to see him holding on to his feet, completely entertained. I've got to get a picture.

I have been in love with all of my babies - but I feel like I can appreciate my third a little more than the others because I realize that someday, he'll get bigger and have BIGGER opinions and BIGGER mood swings. He'll start to do naughty things, even on purpose sometimes. Someday, he'll probably whine and complain and not want to go to bed. He might hit the other kids in nursery or throw his food off his plate in disgust. The possibilities are endless. So for now, I'll just soak in the pure sweetness of this baby boy who is always ready with a grin and who sees me as the center of his world.

Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz

Thanksgiving 2010

I had the funniest dream the other day.

I dreamed that I was sitting at Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's family, including his uncle's new and wonderful wife, when all of a sudden she announced that she'd written a new book. She pulled out a copy for each of us. The book was all about living a healthy lifestyle. As we were oohing and ahhing over how cute she looked on the cover, she pulled out a giant bag of orange M&Ms. She explained that with every diet, you need to be able to take a break sometimes and then she said something like, "I call these M&Ms 'Urgent Orange,' because when you need an M&M, it is URGENT."

So for the last few days, I've been laughing to myself about Urgent Orange M&Ms.

Today was a wonderful Thanksgiving. In addition to eating a tasty dinner with Matt's family (thanks to Jo Ann for hosting the whole thing and adding her own special touch to make things nice), we took a trip to Natural Bridges beach in Santa Cruz. This was an especially fun beach because this is where Monarch butterflies hang out from October through January. We hiked through a small grove of trees where we saw hundreds of monarch butterflies huddled together to stay warm. Every once in a while a few of them would flutter around. It was amazing! We also explored some tidal pools, played in the sand, and found little sand crabs. Emmy and Sophie ran away when I told them it was time to go. I think they seriously could have played there all day long.

We have SO MUCH to be grateful for. And I know that this is the subject that all of my fellow bloggers are writing on today, but I think that's a good thing. Because we all could use a little more gratitude. Imagine how much happier we'd all be if thanksgiving were the focus of each day. We might all be a little fatter too . . . but that's okay. We'd all be fat and happy together.

And so what comes to my mind on this day of thanks, is the soft cheeks that I get to kiss each day, every day, all day; the girlish giggles that fill my waking hours; the ice cream in my freezer; the dirty dishes that Matt does faithfully each day; a not-too-hard-not-too-soft King-sized bed to sleep in each night; music that speaks to my soul; books that feed my spirit; dear friends; family; did I mention that roly-poly smiley baby boy that I can't stop kissing?

The Lord has blessed us all. May we remember His hand in all things . . .

And the teacher says . . .

On Mondays, Mr. Morris returns Emmy's homework from the previous week. So it was with great excitement that we read his answer to her very thoughtful question. I know you've all been dying to know if Emmy's teacher wishes he was a bird. He wrote,

"I would like to be able to fly like a bird but I wouldn't want to become a bird: I love being a human! I'd rather eat ice cream than worms."

How we laughed when we read this! Emmy was just as delighted as she could be to hear his answer. She honestly could not have been more pleased. Seeing her thrill over his response gave me a little pang. You see, I used to be a teacher. I used to be that person who would write comments for my students to mull over. And most of those kids probably didn't care too much about what I wrote. But maybe, just a few did care. And that fact is why I went into teaching.

A Homework Assignment

For homework, I had to read the book Close Your Eyes to Emmy. She then had to draw a picture of her favorite part and write two sentences about it.

She chose to recreate a picture in the book of a tiger flying with birds. Then she wrote:

"Dot yo wish yo wer a brd Mistr. Moris? rit me bak."

Translation: "Don't you wish you were a bird, Mr. Morris? Write me back."

Isn't that so cute? I could totally relate to her, because I've always had a special love for my school teachers, and loved any feedback I got from them.

Kindergarten is fun.

P.S. I totally recommend the book - the illustrations are great. Definitely a keeper . . .

In another life . . .

I'd have eyes like these:


I'd also be a children's photographer.

Since I only have this life - and I'm happy to have it - I'll settle for being very very amateur, but occasionally landing on some great shots . . .

Swimming in November?

Every fall, my friend, Holly, and I try to see how long we can keep taking our kids swimming. Here in Palo Alto, the average temperature range is 58 - 79 degrees. This means that if the weather dips below 65, I'm usually freezing, and if it is above 85, I'm hot. True Palo Altans have even less tolerance for temperature extremes. I'll never forget the first summer I was here and people were talking about how hot they were on a day that was a mere 80 degrees.

But I digress.

Typically in October, we can count on some very warm days. In the autumn of 2008, Holly and I went swimming on October 24. We were proud of our feat. "Wow," we said to ourselves, "we live in a place where we can go swimming in October!" We joked about someday breaking the record.

We finally broke the record this past Thursday, November 4. The weather was around 80, and even though the pool heater was no longer running, Holly and I realized that if we were ever going to go swimming in November, this was our chance.

And we did.

My definition of swimming was hanging out in the freezing water long enough for my legs to get numb and not really having the guts to go all the way.

Our kids, however, went all the way - and although it was short-lived, had a great time!


Emmy toying with the idea of diving right in






Doesn't this face just say it all?


Sophie getting the guts and taking the plunge


This little guy probably enjoyed the water more than anybody!


The kids probably had the most fun dipping their sidewalk chalk in the water for extra bright artwork . . .


They also become super-involved in making enough "yucky soup" for all to share

My Kids on Halloween

I ask you: what mom out there can have a blog and NOT post pictures of her cute kids in their Halloween costumes? Even though Halloween is old news . . . I cannot resist.

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Sophie loves Dora, so of course we celebrated her birthday with a Dora the Explorer party! She had so much fun. On the way to the party, Sophie told me that she was going to hug all of her friends. Sure enough, as each guest arrived, Sophie would drop what she was doing and sprint to her friend, giving them a huge bear hug! It was so cute!

Other highlights were:
The beautiful cake Jo Ann decorated
Matt playing the role of Swiper - the kids loved saying "Swiper, no swiping!" and Matt said his line, "Aww man!" very convincingly
Emmy playing the role of "La Bruja" and scaring the kids away
Sophie suddenly walking away in the middle of gift opening and announcing, "I'm done."
The look on the kids' faces when they realized they were going on an adventure and they even had a backpack to help them on their way!

I can't believe our little Sophie is 3. Her enthusiasm and delight in things are contagious. We all love her so much!

sundee nite

My mom often spells 'night' like that and my dad sometimes replaces the "Day" in Sunday with a "dee."

Sometimes when we were kids we would complain in the car, "I'm thirsty!" and my dad would quickly reply, "I'm Fridee! Let's go out on Saturdee and have a Sundee!" This was often followed by more moans and groans from the back of the van. Just a little snippet from my childhood.

During my busy days and weeks, I find myself thinking of things to post about on my blog. But when I find time to sit and do it, I forget. So here I am, ready to post, and my mind is thinking about how I need to clean my room and how I'd really like to go help myself to another piece of chocolate cake.

If you ever need to bring a nice dessert somewhere, and you don't have time to make one, consider Trader Joes' Chocolate Ganache Torte. It is delicious. It is in the frozen section. It is even better with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

I will now end my post with a few pics of what we've been up to lately:



Sophie is at the peak dress-up age right now. This is a very normal outfit for her. I even let her wear it in public because she was so pleased with herself.



So happy in matching PJs! The weather has been more fall-like this week and the kids have enjoyed snuggling up in cozy warm clothes!



Ryan continues to be the sweetest baby ever! I LOVE him!!!



Emmy practicing her grin for picture day. I showed her my dorky kindergarten picture which gave her a great laugh, and then she enthusiastically practiced all kinds of smiles.



Sophie is not happy to be taking a nap . . . but she is now sleeping in a big girl bed! I think this was her last time in her much-loved crib.

Emmy's Prayer

Thank you that Ryan was happy with me today when I holded him. Please help Ryan to sleep better. Please help me and Sophie to not have any bad dreams, not even one. Please help me not to think bad things. Please help me and Sophie not to be stolen.

Our Day Today

 

Let's not forget our middle child

I've heard it said that middle children tend to feel overlooked. I certainly don't want to be guilty of overlooking my little middle, especially since it would be easy to do! Not because every inch of her isn't wonderful, but because her big sister can be QUITE demanding, and her little brother can't help but be demanding, and she is usually happy puttering around the house.

This has been a big summer for Sophie. First of all, she was potty-trained in late May - just in time for us to enjoy one month without diapers. She was an absolute dream to potty train. No accidents the first day, and only a few in the following weeks. We celebrated her "big girl" status by taking her to Baskin Robbins. She was very pleased with herself, and her little bottom looked even more itsy bitsy without the padding of her diaper.



In June, she lost her status as the baby of the family and became a big sister. Suddenly, even though she is a waif, she seemed more substantial, taller, and older. She was proud to be a big sister, and has adjusted fairly well to Ryan's reign as littlest.



We gave her a little break in July and August, but this month, we finally nipped her binky habit in the bud. Yes, true confessions here, my almost-three-year-old still had her binky. I couldn't bring myself to take it away from her before, because she just loved it so much. She was only allowed to have it in her bed, therefore, she was a delightful little sleeper. She was always happy to go to bed and would often linger in her crib in the mornings. I hated to disrupt her (and our) happy nighttime and naptime. So, on the last day of her binky-sucking, we had a party in her honor. We watched Dora and ate popcorn. We all told her what we love about her. We showed her a slideshow of pictures, showing her how much she has grown up.
And then, we attached her binky to helium balloons and released it into the sky. (Actually, the binky ended up being too heavy, so Matt surreptitiously snipped the binky off and threw it in the trash - but don't tell Sophie and Emmy that. They think that maybe a needy baby in Africa is enjoying some sucking time.) Although she enjoyed all of the hoopla, when it came down to it, she was very sad to go to bed without it, and hasn't been sleeping as well since.






And now, our goal for October is . . . transitioning to her "big girl bed." This girl LOVES her crib. She says it keeps her safe, and she often goes in there and reads books or plays with her dolls. It really is her little refuge, and any time she is sad or needs space, she asks me to put her in her crib. Whenever we ask her if she wants to sleep in her big bed, she says, "tomorrow." I'm hoping tomorrow comes before the top of Ryan's head and the tips of his toes are touching either side of his bassinet. We have a little time.



Anyway - we LOVE our little Sophie girl. In fact, the other day I said, "I love my Sophie girl." And she said, "I love my mommy girl." She is very interested in bugs right now, especially roly polies. The other day an ant was crawling on her arm and she said, "He is my helper. I let him crawl on me." I also enjoyed how she explained her most recent ailment to me by saying, "My big momma toe hurts."

What a cutie. I adore her.

in the pool at sunset

 

 

This is the Life!

 

I'm a REAL Mom

I know I became a real mom on the day Emmy was born, just a little over five years ago. But that first year or so felt like a honeymoon. And then we had Sophie - and she was such an easygoing, happy baby that life still felt small. I could pretty much go wherever I wanted, when I wanted, and two kids felt like something I could handle. I have two hands that they can each hold on to. I have a double stroller that they fit nicely in.

I look back on the last five years and realize that it will be a long time before I have that kind of flexibility again.

We've left the bubble and are entering the real world. Not only do I know have three kids and still only two hands, but ONE of those kids is in KINDERGARTEN! Wow. I am now one of those moms I used to look at and pity that they couldn't just hop on over to the beach because their kid(s) was in school. We're a part of the system now. Emmy's name is on a list.

The first day of school was a more difficult day than I thought it would be. Emmy was nervous. Her two good friends were placed in the other class and she didn't know a soul. She cried, I had to drag her in, and when I picked her up she announced that she didn't want to go tomorrow, but maybe the day after that. Thankfully, a week later, things are looking up. Today she announced that she had the best day ever. She's making friends, she's happy with the projects they are working on, she is excited to learn to read. Kindergarten is a good thing.

But I can't help but feel nostalgic for our more carefree, unscheduled days. Time goes by so quickly -- all we can do is enjoy where we are, when we're there, because it won't be long before we're somewhere else.



(A poor, sad Emmy waving good-bye to me on that first day. She about broke my heart!)

We're Alive!

It has been almost two months since my last post. If you're guessing that the adorable little face you're looking at is the reason, then you are right! This little Ryan has kept me completely busy! He has been my most engaging and smiling baby at the earliest age . . . but my most difficult sleeper. Despite my absolute lack of sleep, I adore him as does the rest of the family.

Here are a few facts about Ryan:

He is TALL. For a baby, that is.
When he smiles, he often squawks with joy.
He moves constantly.
He loves to be snuggled.
He likes to be rocked. (phew! my girls required that we pace the floors when they were fussy).
He has a beautifully shaped head.
We think he'll be a blondie.
He likes his head massaged.
He is STRONG.

So there you have it. We're alive, we're well. And I'm feeling an urgency to hop into bed. G'night.