the day is over! at long last!!!!! so i wrote earlier at about 1pm. when lily should have been napping. she wet her training pants at about 10am. so surely she would have had to pee by 1pm. or at least 2pm. right? wrong. at about 2:50pm, while lily was crying cause she had to pee SO BADLY, i just plopped her down on the toilet in my bathroom, and held on to her, and she to me. it was kinda sweet. i could feel her relaxing, and then i could smell her farting, and i thought we were making some serious progress. i was just waiting to hear the steady stream of urine breaking the water in the toilet, but instead i started hearing a different, yet altogether very familiar sound- snoring. lily had fallen asleep on my shoulder while sitting on the can. wow. so i decided to sit there for another few minutes, hoping and praying that she would relax enough to just let it all go. to no avail.
so i put her on my bed, bare butt and all, on top of a few folded sheets that i was more than prepared to wash after lily woke up from her nap. she slept for two hours, and NO PEE. which was good news for me (and my mattress and bedding!) but oh how i longed to see some pee!!!! and oh how lily longed to rid her body of the pee! but she couldn't. or wouldn't. i sat her on the toilet again and in the midst of her screaming and struggling to get off the toilet, she dropped an ounce or two of pee. and she was DEVASTATED. i often have no idea what is going through lily's head, even when she is trying to verbalize it to me. but this not wanting to pee business is too far beyond my comprehension. i have heard about how kids hate pooing on the toilet because they feel like they are losing a part of themselves down the toilet. that i can ALMOST understand. but this is just pee! c'mon! IT'S.JUST.PEE.
barb came over for dinner. so great to have her over. i just needed some support, and an adult conversation, and someone to step in. no one better than Super Nana. barb had to force herself to pee pee on the toilet three times tonight. what a champ! (she did get some M&Ms out of the deal though.) i figure the woman's done it four times before this, so surely she would have some advice for me. but none of her kids were as stubborn as lily is. well, maybe Andi, but even then i don't think there were quite as many tears, or bribery tools being used either. and again- all to no avail. lily SLOWLY started letting go of her pee- first in her undies, then in her training pants, and finally on the bathroom step-stool. and i couldn't have been happier! (well, yes i could have been, but work with me here. stay in the moment with me.) she got an M&M for each accident, which i am sure a lot of people would frown upon me knowing i did that, but at this point i just have to convince lily that peeing is a good thing, and later i will have to convince her that peeing on the potty is a great thing (one M&M vs five!)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Potty Training- Day 2 and Day 1 Part II
Day 2- We went up to Heber to see Wes and Kim's new baby- a cabin that they affectionately refer to as 'The Abbey'. It was awesome to be up north where it was a ton cooler, and a ton less polluted. Very very nice. BUT, we did not do any real potty training stuff, so Day 2 was not a real potty training day, so...
We kinda find ourselvse back to square one, as in Day 1 Part II. So lame. I almost shouldn't have even started on Monday if I wasn't going to do this thing wholeheartedly. So this morning Lily has already peed in one of her training pants, and is now working on THREE hours and a half without peeing. That's kind of awesome, right? That she can hold it so long? But I don't want her to make herself sick by not peeing. And it's definitely nap time right now, but I know that once I put a diaper on her she is going to pee like she has never peed before. So we continue to wait....
I realize that as I am potty training my girl that this takes more discipline on my part than it does on hers. I keep wanting to go out and do stuff. But that means she is in a diaper again. So instead of me going out and doing what I want, I have to put my needs/desires on the back burner and wait and wait for Lily to pee. On the potty. So that I can give her some dang M&Ms. And that's what motherhood is about- pure selflessness, which is why I am not that good at this yet! But what I am really good at is peeing on the potty. And every timeI have done it today, I have eaten an M&M in front of Lily. I don't even need to eat lunch today- that's how much chocolate I have consumed :)
We kinda find ourselvse back to square one, as in Day 1 Part II. So lame. I almost shouldn't have even started on Monday if I wasn't going to do this thing wholeheartedly. So this morning Lily has already peed in one of her training pants, and is now working on THREE hours and a half without peeing. That's kind of awesome, right? That she can hold it so long? But I don't want her to make herself sick by not peeing. And it's definitely nap time right now, but I know that once I put a diaper on her she is going to pee like she has never peed before. So we continue to wait....
I realize that as I am potty training my girl that this takes more discipline on my part than it does on hers. I keep wanting to go out and do stuff. But that means she is in a diaper again. So instead of me going out and doing what I want, I have to put my needs/desires on the back burner and wait and wait for Lily to pee. On the potty. So that I can give her some dang M&Ms. And that's what motherhood is about- pure selflessness, which is why I am not that good at this yet! But what I am really good at is peeing on the potty. And every timeI have done it today, I have eaten an M&M in front of Lily. I don't even need to eat lunch today- that's how much chocolate I have consumed :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Potty Training- Day One
We are officially settled in, and our 'normal lives' are back on track. I actually went in to work for the first time in over a month! (I know, how do I even have a job? Thank you nepotism!) Which means the babes had a day with their daddy, which they loved. Except that the beginning of the day involved waiting in the waiting room of the pediatrician's office for over an hour for Topher's 18-month check up. Fortunately the kids were good, and Topher didn't even mind getting two shots today. The doctor was impressed with our Toto's development and told Chris to think about potty training. Interesting... Since Lily isn't potty trained yet... So, we decided to give it a go for the both of them today, and this is what happened:
-We went to Target. We bought plain white training pants for Topher and Lily, and then some colorful ones for Topher, since Lily already has some. The doctor recommended starting with the plain ones, then 'rewarding' the kids with colorful ones once they peed on the potty a few times. He also said to get a treat that they love but won't get at any time other than when they potty, and to praise and praise like crazy once we have any signs of success. So we bought a bag of M&Ms, and a toy stroller/pack-n-play set for Lily.
-Then we went to Walmart and bought a toy shopping cart full of food for Topher's incentive gift. They had some at Target, but they were all pink and that was a big no-no for dad. BUt I was pretty impressed that Chris even was ok with his son playing with a shopping cart. Topher does love him some food though, even food that just looks like food but isn't really food.
-Then Chris ditched me and went to school. Thanks a lot Chris. ;)
-The potty fun began. The diapers came off and training pants were on. Our Elmo potty video was on in the background for a little extra motivation and we just sat and waited. And we drank juice. And we waited. We went about an hour and a half before we had any action. Right after we finished dinner, I was getting Topher out of his chair and noticed he was wet. Not surprising, even though I asked him and Lily if they had to pee about a million times while we were eating. So I took Topher out of his wet trainer and put on a new dry one. He was wet again within two minutes. But nothing got on the carpet- which is awesome. I contemplated whether I should just finish off the set of three training pants now, or bite the defeat-bullet and just put a diaper on him, and I went with the latter decision. Which ended up being The Best Decision of My Life, cause he dropped a GIGANTIC steamy deuce five minutes later. After wiping his butt, we all went into the bathroom and dropped the poop that was in the diaper into the toilet. Much applause ensued. My kids are nuts. The weirdest stuff amuses them.
-So Topher was done for the night, which was totally fine by me since we are just trying to get him used to the IDEA of potty training. But the Lilster was the real challenge of the day. And she was a drinking, and she was a sitting on the potty, but she was NOT peeing. And we were already at the two and a half hour mark...
-Long story short- she finally peepeed in the potty. At the three hour mark. Though thirty minutes prior she was begging me to put a diaper on her. She knew she had to pee but she just didn't want to. Test of wills- Mama came out on top! SO when she finally let herself go- it was amazing! For everyone. High fives were being thrown left right and center, M&Ms were being gobbled up, and Lily got the car seat/infant carrier piece from her 8 piece toy. There was much joy in the Watson Apartment.
So Day 1 down, we'll see how many more it takes for Lily to be an 'Official Big Girl'.
-We went to Target. We bought plain white training pants for Topher and Lily, and then some colorful ones for Topher, since Lily already has some. The doctor recommended starting with the plain ones, then 'rewarding' the kids with colorful ones once they peed on the potty a few times. He also said to get a treat that they love but won't get at any time other than when they potty, and to praise and praise like crazy once we have any signs of success. So we bought a bag of M&Ms, and a toy stroller/pack-n-play set for Lily.
-Then we went to Walmart and bought a toy shopping cart full of food for Topher's incentive gift. They had some at Target, but they were all pink and that was a big no-no for dad. BUt I was pretty impressed that Chris even was ok with his son playing with a shopping cart. Topher does love him some food though, even food that just looks like food but isn't really food.
-Then Chris ditched me and went to school. Thanks a lot Chris. ;)
-The potty fun began. The diapers came off and training pants were on. Our Elmo potty video was on in the background for a little extra motivation and we just sat and waited. And we drank juice. And we waited. We went about an hour and a half before we had any action. Right after we finished dinner, I was getting Topher out of his chair and noticed he was wet. Not surprising, even though I asked him and Lily if they had to pee about a million times while we were eating. So I took Topher out of his wet trainer and put on a new dry one. He was wet again within two minutes. But nothing got on the carpet- which is awesome. I contemplated whether I should just finish off the set of three training pants now, or bite the defeat-bullet and just put a diaper on him, and I went with the latter decision. Which ended up being The Best Decision of My Life, cause he dropped a GIGANTIC steamy deuce five minutes later. After wiping his butt, we all went into the bathroom and dropped the poop that was in the diaper into the toilet. Much applause ensued. My kids are nuts. The weirdest stuff amuses them.
-So Topher was done for the night, which was totally fine by me since we are just trying to get him used to the IDEA of potty training. But the Lilster was the real challenge of the day. And she was a drinking, and she was a sitting on the potty, but she was NOT peeing. And we were already at the two and a half hour mark...
-Long story short- she finally peepeed in the potty. At the three hour mark. Though thirty minutes prior she was begging me to put a diaper on her. She knew she had to pee but she just didn't want to. Test of wills- Mama came out on top! SO when she finally let herself go- it was amazing! For everyone. High fives were being thrown left right and center, M&Ms were being gobbled up, and Lily got the car seat/infant carrier piece from her 8 piece toy. There was much joy in the Watson Apartment.
So Day 1 down, we'll see how many more it takes for Lily to be an 'Official Big Girl'.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
LIVIN' anti-LARGE!
We are moved in and almost settled in! This has been one crazy week, and I still have tons of stuff to do, so here is a breakdown of this week:
-Sunday, we moved our stuff in to the apartment! Thanks to Barb, Jerry, and Robert for your awesome muscles! And to Lindsay for being so great about Robert helping us to move, and Wes move in to his cabin all of last week. Tis no small feat to hang out with two little kids for a week while your hubby is out helping his family. Thanks Lindsay, you are awesome.
-We were so looking forward to sleeping in our own place, but we held off til monday night cause Lily was pretty sick on Sunday night. Took her to the doctor on monday- she has an ear infection in both ears. Super...
-Monday, we bought a new truck! Smokin hot deal from one of chris' work buddies. We are now looking to sell our supersweet lincoln town car. We officially own two cars from the same decade! Yippee! Then Mary Beth came over in the evening with her two girls, and at first I thought it might be a terrible idea to have guests in our crazy box-filled place, but she brought pizza, and we had a picnic on the floor in the living room, and it was so perfect. What great family and friends we have!
-Tuesday, we bought a new couch! We now have a place to sit in this apartment of ours. It's a three seater, but if Lily is sprawled out on it drinkin her milk, one other person can sit on the couch with her. If she lets you.
-Also on Tuesday,Topher dropped a deuce in the bath, while his Nana Barb was watching him and his sister. Lily freaked out and told Topher: "No poopoo in the water. Poopoo in the potty!" The irony of this of course is that Lily still will not poo poo in the potty. But she peed on the potty for Nana! We are gonna give this potty thing a real shot in a week or two!... Back to the Toph. That same night we were putting him to bed, and I decided to change his diaper in his crib. Mistake #1. He peed all over his bumper and sheets. Awesome. As I was changing his bed, Chris was holding our little boy, while he was still naked from the waist down. Mistake #2. Topher peed all over Chris' leg. So special...
-Wednesday, went to Walmart for some random necessities. Why is it that any time you move, you have to buy a ton of stuff, even when you are just coming from a house where you had every thing you needed?... The worst thing about apartment living is not having the car RIGHTBESIDE your home. Multiple trips from the car to the apartment was annoying to say the least. And trying to get Topher to walk from the apartment to the car is a 15 minute ordeal since he needs to inspect (and lick) every bush, twig, and ant he passes along the way.
-Today, Topher has an ear infection too. Again, so special. The timing. All of it.
But, we are really doing SO GREAT in the midst of all the BUSYNESS, which is the title for this season of life we are presently in. God has been so good to us, and every night, as I lay exhausted in my psychotic mess of a room (I saved this one for last) I have nothing but praises for the One who has given us so much in this little new place of ours.
-Sunday, we moved our stuff in to the apartment! Thanks to Barb, Jerry, and Robert for your awesome muscles! And to Lindsay for being so great about Robert helping us to move, and Wes move in to his cabin all of last week. Tis no small feat to hang out with two little kids for a week while your hubby is out helping his family. Thanks Lindsay, you are awesome.
-We were so looking forward to sleeping in our own place, but we held off til monday night cause Lily was pretty sick on Sunday night. Took her to the doctor on monday- she has an ear infection in both ears. Super...
-Monday, we bought a new truck! Smokin hot deal from one of chris' work buddies. We are now looking to sell our supersweet lincoln town car. We officially own two cars from the same decade! Yippee! Then Mary Beth came over in the evening with her two girls, and at first I thought it might be a terrible idea to have guests in our crazy box-filled place, but she brought pizza, and we had a picnic on the floor in the living room, and it was so perfect. What great family and friends we have!
-Tuesday, we bought a new couch! We now have a place to sit in this apartment of ours. It's a three seater, but if Lily is sprawled out on it drinkin her milk, one other person can sit on the couch with her. If she lets you.
-Also on Tuesday,Topher dropped a deuce in the bath, while his Nana Barb was watching him and his sister. Lily freaked out and told Topher: "No poopoo in the water. Poopoo in the potty!" The irony of this of course is that Lily still will not poo poo in the potty. But she peed on the potty for Nana! We are gonna give this potty thing a real shot in a week or two!... Back to the Toph. That same night we were putting him to bed, and I decided to change his diaper in his crib. Mistake #1. He peed all over his bumper and sheets. Awesome. As I was changing his bed, Chris was holding our little boy, while he was still naked from the waist down. Mistake #2. Topher peed all over Chris' leg. So special...
-Wednesday, went to Walmart for some random necessities. Why is it that any time you move, you have to buy a ton of stuff, even when you are just coming from a house where you had every thing you needed?... The worst thing about apartment living is not having the car RIGHTBESIDE your home. Multiple trips from the car to the apartment was annoying to say the least. And trying to get Topher to walk from the apartment to the car is a 15 minute ordeal since he needs to inspect (and lick) every bush, twig, and ant he passes along the way.
-Today, Topher has an ear infection too. Again, so special. The timing. All of it.
But, we are really doing SO GREAT in the midst of all the BUSYNESS, which is the title for this season of life we are presently in. God has been so good to us, and every night, as I lay exhausted in my psychotic mess of a room (I saved this one for last) I have nothing but praises for the One who has given us so much in this little new place of ours.
Friday, September 18, 2009
this week
My older brother, Alex (Jeeho), came on Monday afternoon and just left earlier today. I saw him in Toronto when I was last there in May, but he hasn't been in Phoenix since before Lily was born! Crazy. I am really glad he was able to spend some time with us here in the desert, especially since he rarely gets to see his only niece and nephews. And boy did Lily, Sungu, and Topher love hanging out with their 'samchoon' (which is 'uncle' in Korean, but specifically your mother's brother. There are 5 different ways to say 'uncle' based on how they are related to you, and their birth order.)
The best story from this week would have to be from when we went swimming one day. Well, we went swimming almost everyday that we were all here at Wes' house. But one day in particular, Lily was swimming with Chris, Alex was swimming with Sungu, and I had the good fortune of swimming freely on my own. Chris started throwing Lily up in the air and catching her, and Sungu wanted to 'fly' too. So my brother throws Sungu up in the air, and doesn't catch him. Accidentally of course. We were all standing there, dumbfounded at what had happened. It felt like eons, but it had to have been two seconds that Sungu was underwater. We all reached under to grab the poor boy, and my brother caught him by the ankles and brought him up for air. Sungu was about to cry until he realized that he was still alive and too thankful to be crying. Needless to say, my brother was not allowed to throw any more kids up in the air in the pool.
The week was filled with mcuh busyness, and randomness, as usual. I lost my voice on Sunday, which apparently was an allergic reaction to my living with the cats for the last two weeks. Who woulda thunk? Chris also got invited to the Cardinals game that morning, which would have been way more amazing if he wasn't already booked to watch the kids while I drove to Tucson (in peace and quietness!) to pick up Jeehon and Sungu. But who can pass up free Cardinal tickets? Surely not I, nor my hubby. So Chris went to the game, I went to Tucson, with the kids, and no voice, and somehow it all worked out well. Praise Jesus. Then my siblings, the kids, and I went to Sierra Vista on Wednesday, and then we abandonned the Malloys and came back last night. Lots of driving happened this week. But also lots of good times, mixed with good food. I love it when we have visitors, we always eat better when they are around! Oh yes, part of the good food extravaganza also had to do with my beautiful Grandma Watson celebrating her 78th birthday on Wednesday (though we also did some pre-celebrating on Tuesday as well.) Happy Birthday Grandma!
And now we are coming up to the weekend and Sunday is move day for us! (Move 2 of 2. Finally!) So I am now getting ready to move, again. Finishing up laundry, cleaning up our portion of Wes and Kim's ginormous abode, repacking some of the boxes here to be in smaller boxes (ie. throwing more crap in the garbage.) Oh yeah, and I am washing the kids' car seats cause they are so beyond disgusting from all the time they spent in their car seats this week. There's juice, ice cream, sweat, cracker crumbs... Oh how I loathe undoing the car seats from the car, then undoing all the buckles and snaps to remove the covers to wash them, then rebuckle all the millions of buckles only to put them back on and have the kids get them nasty again... I looked into getting those car seat covers that don't require you to undo the straps, but they are about fifty bucks each... gonna have to pray about that....
But in the midst of all of this randomness of life, I am so thankful. Thankful for my amazing family- on the Ham, and Watson sides. Thankful for the time we were able to spend hanging out at Chateau Watson, and getting ready to start our new simpler (hopefully!) lives at Apartment Watson.
The best story from this week would have to be from when we went swimming one day. Well, we went swimming almost everyday that we were all here at Wes' house. But one day in particular, Lily was swimming with Chris, Alex was swimming with Sungu, and I had the good fortune of swimming freely on my own. Chris started throwing Lily up in the air and catching her, and Sungu wanted to 'fly' too. So my brother throws Sungu up in the air, and doesn't catch him. Accidentally of course. We were all standing there, dumbfounded at what had happened. It felt like eons, but it had to have been two seconds that Sungu was underwater. We all reached under to grab the poor boy, and my brother caught him by the ankles and brought him up for air. Sungu was about to cry until he realized that he was still alive and too thankful to be crying. Needless to say, my brother was not allowed to throw any more kids up in the air in the pool.
The week was filled with mcuh busyness, and randomness, as usual. I lost my voice on Sunday, which apparently was an allergic reaction to my living with the cats for the last two weeks. Who woulda thunk? Chris also got invited to the Cardinals game that morning, which would have been way more amazing if he wasn't already booked to watch the kids while I drove to Tucson (in peace and quietness!) to pick up Jeehon and Sungu. But who can pass up free Cardinal tickets? Surely not I, nor my hubby. So Chris went to the game, I went to Tucson, with the kids, and no voice, and somehow it all worked out well. Praise Jesus. Then my siblings, the kids, and I went to Sierra Vista on Wednesday, and then we abandonned the Malloys and came back last night. Lots of driving happened this week. But also lots of good times, mixed with good food. I love it when we have visitors, we always eat better when they are around! Oh yes, part of the good food extravaganza also had to do with my beautiful Grandma Watson celebrating her 78th birthday on Wednesday (though we also did some pre-celebrating on Tuesday as well.) Happy Birthday Grandma!
And now we are coming up to the weekend and Sunday is move day for us! (Move 2 of 2. Finally!) So I am now getting ready to move, again. Finishing up laundry, cleaning up our portion of Wes and Kim's ginormous abode, repacking some of the boxes here to be in smaller boxes (ie. throwing more crap in the garbage.) Oh yeah, and I am washing the kids' car seats cause they are so beyond disgusting from all the time they spent in their car seats this week. There's juice, ice cream, sweat, cracker crumbs... Oh how I loathe undoing the car seats from the car, then undoing all the buckles and snaps to remove the covers to wash them, then rebuckle all the millions of buckles only to put them back on and have the kids get them nasty again... I looked into getting those car seat covers that don't require you to undo the straps, but they are about fifty bucks each... gonna have to pray about that....
But in the midst of all of this randomness of life, I am so thankful. Thankful for my amazing family- on the Ham, and Watson sides. Thankful for the time we were able to spend hanging out at Chateau Watson, and getting ready to start our new simpler (hopefully!) lives at Apartment Watson.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
30 Cupcakes for 30 Awesome Years
as i mentioned a few posts ago, my wonderful friend cindy turned 30 last week. i really wanted to make her a cake since 1. i took that stinkin class and i really feel like i should be making more cakes with my new found skills and 2. because i had no real money to buy her a real present, and so i wanted to make her a cake that she would love and that would be her present. i thought of what kind of cake i could make for her, and it dawned on me to make 30 cupcakes to represent 30 years of her amazing life. i haven't taken the fondant class yet, but it seemed simple enough from the sounds of it on the internet.
so i went to Michael's and bought a block of ready-to-use fondant, and a box of food coloring (the serious kind. it has a 'copper/ skin stone' color in there. it was perfect!) and just as i thought, fondant is really easy! if you know how to play with play dough, you know how to use fondant. the only tools i needed were a few butter knives, toothpicks (for the food coloring, and the eyes on the people), ziploc bags, and clear plastic wrap (to keep the unused fondant 'fresh). and i stored the little models in tupperware for 3-4 days. i started this project at wednesday's nap and just barely finished before the party on saturday. i only worked at nap times and when the kids were asleep.
mike and christin, cindy's husband and sister, helped me out with some meaninful things that happened to cindy throughout the years, and cindy did too, though she didn't know what she was helping me with. the beginning years are kind of abstract, i added things like 'i love the ocean' because cindy started an oceanography club at her elementary school where she was the best 6th grade teacher, and i happened to not have anything to put on that particular year's cupcake. here are some fruits of my labour of love (1. i love cindy, 2. i love making sweets for people, 3. i kinda love fondant now)
maybe not the best shot of all 30 cupcakes, but i wasn't tall enough to get a bird's eye view shot.
cindy's favorite colors are pink and teal, so i wrapped a metal baking pan with tissue paper of those colors.
one of my faves. it says "I'm 5!" I need to work on my penmanship (or my pipingmanship?)
the first 10 years from 1980-1989. which included christin's being born when cindy was 2, and cindy's accepting Jesus into her heart when she was 6.
the next 10. this included her favorite childhood memory of sliding down the stairs in her sleeping bag and peeing all the way down (you are gross cindy. but i love you. and you are also pretty.), her first kiss at 16, and her meeting her husband mike when he was 16 and she was 19 (so many comments could be made here, but i shall refrain!)
the last 10. this included a couple trips, her getting married (yes, that's a ring pop. that and the candles are the only things not handmade on the cupcakes.), her coming to sun valley community church which was of the utmost importance otherwise i would not have her in my life, and her almost getting arrested for partaking in a joking eyebrow snip at school (such a long yet amazing story...)
another one of my favorites
making flags is one of the easier things to do since you just roll out and cut stuff out.
i originally was just going to do the 'ASU' sign, but then cindy's sister 'dared' me to make a sun devil, and i cannot pass up a dare!
this is the 2009 cupcake, which is the year when cindy's baby will make her appearance, and we cannot wait!
there were 30 candles on the 'cake' (at ages 8 and 22), but i would not recommend putting 22 candles on one cupcake. drew almost lost his eye brow and the front section of his home!)
so i went to Michael's and bought a block of ready-to-use fondant, and a box of food coloring (the serious kind. it has a 'copper/ skin stone' color in there. it was perfect!) and just as i thought, fondant is really easy! if you know how to play with play dough, you know how to use fondant. the only tools i needed were a few butter knives, toothpicks (for the food coloring, and the eyes on the people), ziploc bags, and clear plastic wrap (to keep the unused fondant 'fresh). and i stored the little models in tupperware for 3-4 days. i started this project at wednesday's nap and just barely finished before the party on saturday. i only worked at nap times and when the kids were asleep.
mike and christin, cindy's husband and sister, helped me out with some meaninful things that happened to cindy throughout the years, and cindy did too, though she didn't know what she was helping me with. the beginning years are kind of abstract, i added things like 'i love the ocean' because cindy started an oceanography club at her elementary school where she was the best 6th grade teacher, and i happened to not have anything to put on that particular year's cupcake. here are some fruits of my labour of love (1. i love cindy, 2. i love making sweets for people, 3. i kinda love fondant now)
maybe not the best shot of all 30 cupcakes, but i wasn't tall enough to get a bird's eye view shot.
cindy's favorite colors are pink and teal, so i wrapped a metal baking pan with tissue paper of those colors.
one of my faves. it says "I'm 5!" I need to work on my penmanship (or my pipingmanship?)
the first 10 years from 1980-1989. which included christin's being born when cindy was 2, and cindy's accepting Jesus into her heart when she was 6.
the next 10. this included her favorite childhood memory of sliding down the stairs in her sleeping bag and peeing all the way down (you are gross cindy. but i love you. and you are also pretty.), her first kiss at 16, and her meeting her husband mike when he was 16 and she was 19 (so many comments could be made here, but i shall refrain!)
the last 10. this included a couple trips, her getting married (yes, that's a ring pop. that and the candles are the only things not handmade on the cupcakes.), her coming to sun valley community church which was of the utmost importance otherwise i would not have her in my life, and her almost getting arrested for partaking in a joking eyebrow snip at school (such a long yet amazing story...)
another one of my favorites
making flags is one of the easier things to do since you just roll out and cut stuff out.
all you need is a little water and pressure to make things stick together. this was good for me since cindy is quite the traveler!
i originally was just going to do the 'ASU' sign, but then cindy's sister 'dared' me to make a sun devil, and i cannot pass up a dare!
this is the 2009 cupcake, which is the year when cindy's baby will make her appearance, and we cannot wait!
there were 30 candles on the 'cake' (at ages 8 and 22), but i would not recommend putting 22 candles on one cupcake. drew almost lost his eye brow and the front section of his home!)
anyway, if there is anything i can create for you or a loved one- let me know! this was too much fun to not do again. (and i promise to work on my sloppy writing!)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Little Miss Lily
Lily is not like me in a lot of ways, but she does a mighty great job of immitating me, especially when I am acting like a complete fool. As I mentioned last week, I was in hysterics for most of it. And Lily saw every moment of it! I slammed my fist on the table one night when the kids wouldn't eat. The next day Lily would smack the table and shake her head in dismay and exhale as loudly as she could. Man I look like an idiot in front of my kids! And when I was crying in front of the kids that same night as the table banging, I was crying at some point in front of them, and Lily looked over at me and said "Kiss? Hug?" Cause in her world, those things make everything better. That's a good world to live in.
Lily's fixations of late include 'Finding Nemo' and toy cars. We have to tell her that Nemo is napping and that's why she can't watch him, and that is a plausible excuse to her. And she loves her little toy cars. She carries them in her purse, she has to have them when she goes to bed, and if she is wearing pants with pockets, there should be a car in a pocket at all times! Sometimes I think Lily is already a very materialistic little girl, but I think she has had a lot of change happen in her short lifetime, so she really gravitates to things she can hold on to and have and control.
Another thing she does that has been cracking me up lately is she is really trying to 'write'. She sees me doing my devotions at the kitchen table (not everyday, but close!) and she sees me hunched over my journal writing, and so when she gets a chance to hold a pen, she hunches over whatever paper she has, and 'writes' really small little figures. Modern day hieroglyphics if you will.
Tonight Chris and I went to our beautiful friend Cindy's 30th birthday party. Which I want to mention that Mike, her husband, did such a great job planning the party (with help from Christin, who also did a stand up job!) with a travel theme. Way to go Mike! There is almost nothing out there that warms my heart more than seeing a husband making a real effort to do something nice for his wife. Anyhoo, back to Lily though. So Barb came over to watch the kids here at Wes' house. And we pretty much ran out the door when she got here, and didn't realize that we didn't tell her where the kids were sleeping. (This house is giganormous.) Fortunately Barb had Lily. She asked Lily where Toto slept, and Lily showed her. Then when it was Lily's turn to be put down to bed, Lily asked her Nana for her 'night' (which means night light, but actually also means light.) Nana had no idea where it was, so she told Lily that she would leave the door open a crack. As Barb was walking away from Lily's room, she heard a 'click' and the door shut. Lily turned her own night light on, and closed the door for privacy. What a funny little girl.
Anyway, I love my Lily. I know I complain about her a lot. And unfortunately that is my nature- complain and whine! But I love her and I don't give her enough credit for being a loving and responsible older sister who truly takes care of her brother, and even me and her dad! And she's only 2 and a half!
Lily's fixations of late include 'Finding Nemo' and toy cars. We have to tell her that Nemo is napping and that's why she can't watch him, and that is a plausible excuse to her. And she loves her little toy cars. She carries them in her purse, she has to have them when she goes to bed, and if she is wearing pants with pockets, there should be a car in a pocket at all times! Sometimes I think Lily is already a very materialistic little girl, but I think she has had a lot of change happen in her short lifetime, so she really gravitates to things she can hold on to and have and control.
Another thing she does that has been cracking me up lately is she is really trying to 'write'. She sees me doing my devotions at the kitchen table (not everyday, but close!) and she sees me hunched over my journal writing, and so when she gets a chance to hold a pen, she hunches over whatever paper she has, and 'writes' really small little figures. Modern day hieroglyphics if you will.
Tonight Chris and I went to our beautiful friend Cindy's 30th birthday party. Which I want to mention that Mike, her husband, did such a great job planning the party (with help from Christin, who also did a stand up job!) with a travel theme. Way to go Mike! There is almost nothing out there that warms my heart more than seeing a husband making a real effort to do something nice for his wife. Anyhoo, back to Lily though. So Barb came over to watch the kids here at Wes' house. And we pretty much ran out the door when she got here, and didn't realize that we didn't tell her where the kids were sleeping. (This house is giganormous.) Fortunately Barb had Lily. She asked Lily where Toto slept, and Lily showed her. Then when it was Lily's turn to be put down to bed, Lily asked her Nana for her 'night' (which means night light, but actually also means light.) Nana had no idea where it was, so she told Lily that she would leave the door open a crack. As Barb was walking away from Lily's room, she heard a 'click' and the door shut. Lily turned her own night light on, and closed the door for privacy. What a funny little girl.
Anyway, I love my Lily. I know I complain about her a lot. And unfortunately that is my nature- complain and whine! But I love her and I don't give her enough credit for being a loving and responsible older sister who truly takes care of her brother, and even me and her dad! And she's only 2 and a half!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Happy Hour is Upon Us
hello dear friends.
so much great news to share! i woke up with a gross head cold this morning. i kinda feel like dying. and i was supposed to have people hanging out with me at different points of this evening- but they've bailed on me, or i have bailed on them. so great. i love me some fellowship, but tonight i need to lay low.
and even in my sucky feeling state, chris and the kids and i managed to get our butts to the mesa house for the last time to clean out the garage of the last of our boxes so that our new renters can move in! yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! praise Jesus. times a million times a million. then we met our new renters at starbucks to give them their keys and to pick up their deposit and first month's rent! how good it feels to not have the burden of an empty house on one's shoulders!
thanks thanks thanks to all who have lifted up this situation in prayer on our behalves. we are so grateful. i life up my root beer float in salute to you all out there!
so much great news to share! i woke up with a gross head cold this morning. i kinda feel like dying. and i was supposed to have people hanging out with me at different points of this evening- but they've bailed on me, or i have bailed on them. so great. i love me some fellowship, but tonight i need to lay low.
and even in my sucky feeling state, chris and the kids and i managed to get our butts to the mesa house for the last time to clean out the garage of the last of our boxes so that our new renters can move in! yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! praise Jesus. times a million times a million. then we met our new renters at starbucks to give them their keys and to pick up their deposit and first month's rent! how good it feels to not have the burden of an empty house on one's shoulders!
thanks thanks thanks to all who have lifted up this situation in prayer on our behalves. we are so grateful. i life up my root beer float in salute to you all out there!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labour Day
yes. i spelled 'labour' with a 'u'. that's how we canadians spell it. and apparently only canadians actually respect 'labour day'. in this crazy state of arizona, most kids have been back in school for about a month already. that's called craziness people. there are a butt load of kids in my home town of toronto, ontario in canada getting ready to start their first day of school Tomorrow. the day after labour day. the day you are SUPPOSED to start school.
What is labour day though? really? why do we celebrate this day? allow me to share what i found on Wikipedia:
"The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes ("Nine-Hour Movement") first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Canada in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872 in Canada. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers' strike led to an annual celebration in Canada. In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labor day" on September 5 of the same year.[citation needed]"
i have been celebrating labour day for 28 years and i never knew this! actually, i probably 'learned' it at school one year and forgot it soon after needing that info for a test or exam. i wrote all that canadian stuff in that first paragraph before even knowing the info about the holiday. i think we should all start writing 'labour day' with a 'u' since canadians really did start the whole thing! go canada!
we are celebrating this wonderful holiday as a family. for the most part. chris let me 'sleep in' this morning. (for an extra half an hour. i will take what i can get!) we had a moment where all four of us were on the same couch, laying on top of one another watching tv. it lasted for about 30 seconds, but it was one of the best 30 seconds in recent memory. man my kids are cute! then we picked up the van that had been sitting at Discount Tire since saturday (i had a flat and then needed to replace the two back tires since they are always going flat on us. that was awesome cause we have SO MUCH MONEY right now...) and then went to visit a friend of ours who is kinda on bedrest for the next six weeks until her baby is due. (that sucks! but she and the baby are healthy, so that's all you can ask for!)
we are STILL looking for renters. saturday did not go as planned (no cocktail hour. thanks for asking though shannon). don't think i am withholding information/updates from you dear readers! i am just WAITING to be able to write a drunken post full of good news. (i am no lush. i will probably just end up having a root beer float sans alcohol. and that will probably be way better than a cocktail!) if any of you know anyone who wants to rent a 5 bedroom house in far east mesa, you just let me know!
anyway, that's it for now. hope you all have wonderful labour days with your friends and families. and if you should happen to come accross any canadians today- you americans just might want to give them a hug and thank them for this day. ;)
(canadians i know that you might know: ryan delvikan, half of lindsay watson, half of both my kids, and my sister three weeks ago before she became an american citizen.)
What is labour day though? really? why do we celebrate this day? allow me to share what i found on Wikipedia:
"The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes ("Nine-Hour Movement") first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Canada in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872 in Canada. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers' strike led to an annual celebration in Canada. In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labor day" on September 5 of the same year.[citation needed]"
i have been celebrating labour day for 28 years and i never knew this! actually, i probably 'learned' it at school one year and forgot it soon after needing that info for a test or exam. i wrote all that canadian stuff in that first paragraph before even knowing the info about the holiday. i think we should all start writing 'labour day' with a 'u' since canadians really did start the whole thing! go canada!
we are celebrating this wonderful holiday as a family. for the most part. chris let me 'sleep in' this morning. (for an extra half an hour. i will take what i can get!) we had a moment where all four of us were on the same couch, laying on top of one another watching tv. it lasted for about 30 seconds, but it was one of the best 30 seconds in recent memory. man my kids are cute! then we picked up the van that had been sitting at Discount Tire since saturday (i had a flat and then needed to replace the two back tires since they are always going flat on us. that was awesome cause we have SO MUCH MONEY right now...) and then went to visit a friend of ours who is kinda on bedrest for the next six weeks until her baby is due. (that sucks! but she and the baby are healthy, so that's all you can ask for!)
we are STILL looking for renters. saturday did not go as planned (no cocktail hour. thanks for asking though shannon). don't think i am withholding information/updates from you dear readers! i am just WAITING to be able to write a drunken post full of good news. (i am no lush. i will probably just end up having a root beer float sans alcohol. and that will probably be way better than a cocktail!) if any of you know anyone who wants to rent a 5 bedroom house in far east mesa, you just let me know!
anyway, that's it for now. hope you all have wonderful labour days with your friends and families. and if you should happen to come accross any canadians today- you americans just might want to give them a hug and thank them for this day. ;)
(canadians i know that you might know: ryan delvikan, half of lindsay watson, half of both my kids, and my sister three weeks ago before she became an american citizen.)
Friday, September 4, 2009
it's like a vacation...
i am starting to treat my time here at the wes and kim watson residence like a vacation. cause it kinda is. but when you have kids, and they go anywhere with you- it's not a complete vacation. there's always so much more laundry with them, sippy cups that i need to wash by hand, food scraps that need to be picked up/scraped off the floor. but being here at wes and kim's makes me feel like i am not at home in a good way. they keep telling me to 'make myself at home' and i have in lots of ways- i raid their pantry every other hour to grab a handful of peanut m&ms (note to self: buy a new bag of peanut m&ms before i leave); i have a pile of 'crap' on their kitchen table that includes my devotional materials, crayons, and colouring pages. they don't have piles of 'crap' laying around anymore, so my creating my own shows you how comfortable i feel here; i have overtaken their tivo to record backyardigans, mickey mouse clubhouse, ni hao kai lan, and of course- so you think you can dance!
this is actually my second time living in this house. i moved to arizona a month before chris and i got married in 2005. so i lived here while chris lived in our gilbert house. it was awesome then, especially since breanne and josh still ived at home, so i got to know my step-sister-in-law and step-brother-in-law better, and it's awesome now. cause wes and kim really do everything they can to make us feel comfortable. but the reasons i feel like i am on vacation, and not at home are awesome too: i feel like i am at a resort! they have a pool here, so we have gone swimming almost every day. i used to think i could never go swimming with the two kids without another adult present. but the kids are pretty good about listening around the water, it's like they know their lives depend on it; they have a workout room downstairs that i am going to take advantage of as soon as i finish blogging (because of all those blasted m&ms! and the ice cream, and the pop corn... oh what a wonderful pantry they have!!!) the workout room is perfect because the eliptical machine, treadmill, and stationary bike are all facing a ginormous tv. so great! and i just seem to have a lot more free time while the kids are napping and sleeping (as you can tell from my blogging three days in a row! and being able to work out!) i perform my chores way faster here for some reason...
anyway, most of the stress from moving and being in a new place have subsided. i am in limbo here because there is nothing to pack, and nothing i can really unpack. which is very nice. tomorrow we show the house to another family who is interested in renting it. so should that happen to pan out, i will probably be lounging in the pool with a cocktail in hand, in full-out stress-free vacation mode.
this is actually my second time living in this house. i moved to arizona a month before chris and i got married in 2005. so i lived here while chris lived in our gilbert house. it was awesome then, especially since breanne and josh still ived at home, so i got to know my step-sister-in-law and step-brother-in-law better, and it's awesome now. cause wes and kim really do everything they can to make us feel comfortable. but the reasons i feel like i am on vacation, and not at home are awesome too: i feel like i am at a resort! they have a pool here, so we have gone swimming almost every day. i used to think i could never go swimming with the two kids without another adult present. but the kids are pretty good about listening around the water, it's like they know their lives depend on it; they have a workout room downstairs that i am going to take advantage of as soon as i finish blogging (because of all those blasted m&ms! and the ice cream, and the pop corn... oh what a wonderful pantry they have!!!) the workout room is perfect because the eliptical machine, treadmill, and stationary bike are all facing a ginormous tv. so great! and i just seem to have a lot more free time while the kids are napping and sleeping (as you can tell from my blogging three days in a row! and being able to work out!) i perform my chores way faster here for some reason...
anyway, most of the stress from moving and being in a new place have subsided. i am in limbo here because there is nothing to pack, and nothing i can really unpack. which is very nice. tomorrow we show the house to another family who is interested in renting it. so should that happen to pan out, i will probably be lounging in the pool with a cocktail in hand, in full-out stress-free vacation mode.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
One Day at a Time. Part 2
Yesterday's post was getting a bit too long so I cut it off. But I never really got to the good part of my superlongwinded story!
In the midst of my hysterics, I realized I was very frustrated about Lily's sleeping again. She wasn't getting enough of it. She was waking up at 3am, then wouldn't stay in her room. So then I was having to sleep in the room with her. If this were happening at our house, I would have locked the door and thought nothing of it. But being with Wes and Kim, letting Lily scream for an hour while banging on the door in the middle of the night just didn't feel like an option. And they are leaving for Birmingham tomorrow, so I figured if we could make it till Friday, we would all be ok. And though I was worried about the negative effects my sleeping in Lily's room would have on her for the next few days, I remembered the verse about just worrying about today cause tomorrow would have it's own problems to worry about. That actually helped quite a bit.
So then 'tomorrow' came (which actually was yesterday). And it was awesome! I slept with Lily from 3am on, but we didn't get up till about 7:45am! Awesome start! Kim was already up and feeding Topher who was also already up. All this moving and stuff has affected Topher's sleep too, so instead of sleeping his regular 12 hours, he has only been sleeping 11. Not the hardest thing for me to deal with. Then it was nap time, and Lily cried for about 5-10 minutes. And then slept for over two hours. Superawesome. We hung out and played, and then when it was bedtime again, I put the kids down and didn't hear a peep from them till 5:20am!
I used to think 5:20am was really early, until I met 3am. Now I am thankful when 5:20am is the first thing I see in the morning, along with Lily's precious dimpled face asking for 'Mook', aka. milk. I was going to buy a sound machine yesterday, or possibly even some hard drugs off the street just to get Lily to sleep better. But I guess all she needed was a little time for herself to get used to the new changes in her life. I am trying really hard to be much more patient and understanding towards my kids, cause they are probably not really understanding what is going on. And they will probably be confused again when we move again in two weeks. And again in another 52 weeks... To stay sane, we are really trying to take all these changes one day at a time...
In the midst of my hysterics, I realized I was very frustrated about Lily's sleeping again. She wasn't getting enough of it. She was waking up at 3am, then wouldn't stay in her room. So then I was having to sleep in the room with her. If this were happening at our house, I would have locked the door and thought nothing of it. But being with Wes and Kim, letting Lily scream for an hour while banging on the door in the middle of the night just didn't feel like an option. And they are leaving for Birmingham tomorrow, so I figured if we could make it till Friday, we would all be ok. And though I was worried about the negative effects my sleeping in Lily's room would have on her for the next few days, I remembered the verse about just worrying about today cause tomorrow would have it's own problems to worry about. That actually helped quite a bit.
So then 'tomorrow' came (which actually was yesterday). And it was awesome! I slept with Lily from 3am on, but we didn't get up till about 7:45am! Awesome start! Kim was already up and feeding Topher who was also already up. All this moving and stuff has affected Topher's sleep too, so instead of sleeping his regular 12 hours, he has only been sleeping 11. Not the hardest thing for me to deal with. Then it was nap time, and Lily cried for about 5-10 minutes. And then slept for over two hours. Superawesome. We hung out and played, and then when it was bedtime again, I put the kids down and didn't hear a peep from them till 5:20am!
I used to think 5:20am was really early, until I met 3am. Now I am thankful when 5:20am is the first thing I see in the morning, along with Lily's precious dimpled face asking for 'Mook', aka. milk. I was going to buy a sound machine yesterday, or possibly even some hard drugs off the street just to get Lily to sleep better. But I guess all she needed was a little time for herself to get used to the new changes in her life. I am trying really hard to be much more patient and understanding towards my kids, cause they are probably not really understanding what is going on. And they will probably be confused again when we move again in two weeks. And again in another 52 weeks... To stay sane, we are really trying to take all these changes one day at a time...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
One Day at a Time
I meant to write yesterday. I really should have written yesterday. I was absolutely hysterical and stressed and sleep-deprived yesterday. All those reasons contributed to my not writing yesterday. But today was a new day and ever so different than yesterday- and Praise Jesus for that!
I am presently at Chris' dad's place. We have been living here since Monday evening. Monday was not the best day either. But it was better than yesterday. Monday we tried to 'finish' packing (it's Wednesday, we are still not 'finished' packing.) Then Robert and Chris proceeded to move all of our boxed stuff, and furniture to Barb & Jerry's garage, and Wes & Kim's house. We fortunately did not have a lot of furniture, so this made the move bearable. But I give serious props to Chris and his brother for moving in triple-digit weather. The kids and I hung out at Robert & Lindsay's all day, which was tons of fun. Even though Lily did not nap. I tried to put her down for a nap, but she is not very good at sleeping in different places. She used to be good at it when I made her sleep in her car seat when I would hang out with my friends at night. Oh the good old days! But once Topher entered the world, it was sleep at our house or bust. No game nights for us unless they were hosted by us. Anyhoo, I did not mind that she didn't nap, and I had a great time hanging out with her, Lindsay, and my nephews. Lindsay even got to go grocery shopping alone while the boys napped and I hung out with Lily. I felt very happy to be able to bless my sister-in-law with that gift, cause grocery shopping alone is a SERIOUS gift that you don't appreciate until you can't do it any more.
So Monday night I put the kids down, with Lily screaming and crying for about 20-30 minutes, then when Chris got home from school (yes, he is taking a night class, and two online classes. He is CRAZY!!!!) I went to our house to 'finish' packing up... Needless to say- that did not happen. Once I got there, I called Chris and he dropped a bomb on me: the renters that were supposed to move into our house on Friday were not going to move in. Ever. BOO!!!! So I sat around, felt sorry for myself, then packed. Very, very slowly. Not motivated at all. This sucked cause the next day Chris was going to haul all the rest of our stuff to Wes' house, plus run a few other errands while he had the trailer and truck that we had borrowed. I went back to the house in the morning, with the kids, to 'finish' packing. Topher broke a light fixture, his second piece of glass that he broke in two days, and we decided Chris would be better off packing by himself. So I went home with the kids to put them down for their naps. Topher would cry every time I put him down too, but only for a few minutes. And he's still in a pack and play, so he is not likely to break free like his sister. Lily on the other hand screamed and banged on the door for about 45 minutes. I sat on the ground holding the doorknob on the other side for about 20 of those minutes. Those 20 minutes really, really sucked. The other 25 also sucked, but at least I was being productive. Lily finally realized that she was not actually locked in anymore, so she broke out.
So as much as my day was sucking, Chris' was sucking too. Tuesday is a busy day for anyone who has a real job. So Chris packed up the trailer and unloaded it by himself. Until he got called into work. Oh criminals are always ruining the day for someone! So Chris had to hustle back to our house, leave the borrowed truck and trailer, grab his work car, go to Scottsdale, arrest this guy, miss out on family fun time, come home, eat dinner, go sell a couch that we had posted on Craigslist that was at our other house, come home, finish his dinner, and finally go to bed. Barb got caught up in the horribleness that was our day too, and that just really really sucked too.
I had an evening and night full of crying and hysteria. Most of it coming from me, some of it coming from the kids. I could blame it on stress, I could blame it on tiredness, I could blame it on so hormones, but I will just say that I have a season pass to Crazyville and sometimes my kids drive me there, but I often manage to get there on my own well enough too.
I am presently at Chris' dad's place. We have been living here since Monday evening. Monday was not the best day either. But it was better than yesterday. Monday we tried to 'finish' packing (it's Wednesday, we are still not 'finished' packing.) Then Robert and Chris proceeded to move all of our boxed stuff, and furniture to Barb & Jerry's garage, and Wes & Kim's house. We fortunately did not have a lot of furniture, so this made the move bearable. But I give serious props to Chris and his brother for moving in triple-digit weather. The kids and I hung out at Robert & Lindsay's all day, which was tons of fun. Even though Lily did not nap. I tried to put her down for a nap, but she is not very good at sleeping in different places. She used to be good at it when I made her sleep in her car seat when I would hang out with my friends at night. Oh the good old days! But once Topher entered the world, it was sleep at our house or bust. No game nights for us unless they were hosted by us. Anyhoo, I did not mind that she didn't nap, and I had a great time hanging out with her, Lindsay, and my nephews. Lindsay even got to go grocery shopping alone while the boys napped and I hung out with Lily. I felt very happy to be able to bless my sister-in-law with that gift, cause grocery shopping alone is a SERIOUS gift that you don't appreciate until you can't do it any more.
So Monday night I put the kids down, with Lily screaming and crying for about 20-30 minutes, then when Chris got home from school (yes, he is taking a night class, and two online classes. He is CRAZY!!!!) I went to our house to 'finish' packing up... Needless to say- that did not happen. Once I got there, I called Chris and he dropped a bomb on me: the renters that were supposed to move into our house on Friday were not going to move in. Ever. BOO!!!! So I sat around, felt sorry for myself, then packed. Very, very slowly. Not motivated at all. This sucked cause the next day Chris was going to haul all the rest of our stuff to Wes' house, plus run a few other errands while he had the trailer and truck that we had borrowed. I went back to the house in the morning, with the kids, to 'finish' packing. Topher broke a light fixture, his second piece of glass that he broke in two days, and we decided Chris would be better off packing by himself. So I went home with the kids to put them down for their naps. Topher would cry every time I put him down too, but only for a few minutes. And he's still in a pack and play, so he is not likely to break free like his sister. Lily on the other hand screamed and banged on the door for about 45 minutes. I sat on the ground holding the doorknob on the other side for about 20 of those minutes. Those 20 minutes really, really sucked. The other 25 also sucked, but at least I was being productive. Lily finally realized that she was not actually locked in anymore, so she broke out.
So as much as my day was sucking, Chris' was sucking too. Tuesday is a busy day for anyone who has a real job. So Chris packed up the trailer and unloaded it by himself. Until he got called into work. Oh criminals are always ruining the day for someone! So Chris had to hustle back to our house, leave the borrowed truck and trailer, grab his work car, go to Scottsdale, arrest this guy, miss out on family fun time, come home, eat dinner, go sell a couch that we had posted on Craigslist that was at our other house, come home, finish his dinner, and finally go to bed. Barb got caught up in the horribleness that was our day too, and that just really really sucked too.
I had an evening and night full of crying and hysteria. Most of it coming from me, some of it coming from the kids. I could blame it on stress, I could blame it on tiredness, I could blame it on so hormones, but I will just say that I have a season pass to Crazyville and sometimes my kids drive me there, but I often manage to get there on my own well enough too.
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