Glad to be on this side

BAH.

I finally (FINALLY!) got all my stuff tagged and loaded in the car yesterday afternoon. Gretchen was a saint and let my kids be at her house while I dropped off my ball and chain stuff to the consignment sale.

I pulled up and the doors were locked and lights off. I may or may not have screamed a little in my head. Thankfully she was able to pull up the website and direct me to the new location. The sale is huge, y’all. Huge. (I BETTER MAKE SOME MONEY ON THIS STUPID STUFF OR I’LL BE MAD!)

We had supper with them (thank you thank you thank you) and then I crashed on Madeline’s bed when we got home. I think I dozed a few times while reading them their bedtime books. (If it’s possible to fall asleep while reading aloud.)

It gave me a little bit of a second wind and I somehow managed to clean the house up a bit after the kids were asleep. Andy’s folks drove here yesterday to help us finish up the kitchen. (Squee!) The old countertops are currently sitting outside in my front yard. Good riddance!

So, yeah. BIG WEEK.

But for now

Yesterday was the kind of day I’m pretty sure I could live in Spring forever. We spent three hours with friends at the park. The kids climbed trees and looked at picked flowers. (I put off tagging clothes for consignment and other house-ly chores.)

It’s supposed to rain again this week, but for now, it’s wonderful.

(And, as always, we enjoyed pudgy, pink-cheeked babies.)

Pajama Day

Yesterday. Our schools were closed so I canceled everything else and we stayed in pj’s all day. Adelaide had been sick the night before and I wanted to make sure she was truly well. It was a completely lazy day of Winnie the Pooh and scratch-made cookies. And naps.

Today I’m pulling out the stops and going through our attic. Drop off for a local children’s consignment sale starts tomorrow and I decided last minute to try to sell some stuff. They even take maternity. (Great way to make a few bucks.)

We eat supper at church on Wednesdays so I’m off that hook for tonight. Yippee!

March?!

Is it just me or did February slip by faster than usual?  (And Arianna’s four months today.  How did that happen?)

My dad was here last weekend, had two speaking engagements and squeezed in some family time, too.  I’m sure the highlight of his trip was the very distinct honor and privilege of taking Andy and me out to breakfast Saturday morning. ;)

(Note to self: next time be prepared to wait a spell.  People like to go out to breakfast on Saturday mornings, apparently.)

We missed seeing him yesterday before his flight because we had lunch with our shepherding group after church.  And I realized again that this four-kid thing?  Really is hard sometimes!  I felt pulled in a million directions – watching my three (active!) big kids while preparing my dish and nursing my baby… (or just trying to keep my head from spinning off).  It’s just a season, it’s just a season…

***

I allowed the girls to sleep together last night (although at some point Adelaide went back to her own bed) and this morning Madeline told me she had read a book to Adelaide but she had to hurry because she didn’t want me to find out she was being sneaky (her words).  I had to stifle a laugh when she came out with that.  And then we had a little discussion about how Jesus sees everything even when mommy isn’t there.  I also thought it interesting that she brought it up.  (Usually Drew’s the one that tells on himself.)

***

Alright, my blogging time is up, back to the Monday grind!  (After an afternoon pick-me-up cup of coffee, first.)

Hello, Monday, I was not ready for you

We had a REALLY great weekend. Two days of gorgeous spring weather and we went to the park twice. Andy has taken the kids a couple of times recently (in between the rainy days we’ve had way too many of) but this was the first time Arianna and I had ventured out in a while. No surprise she slept the whole time.

And also? The park was packed. Spring fever, anyone?

On Saturday I hit up Walmart with my Mer-inspired meal plan list and stocked up. We’ve been coasting on little (and therefore frequent) grocery store trips since well before Arianna was born. It was high time to get some sort of routine and meal planning done, if only for my sanity (and okay, my checkbook… I tend to spend way less this way).

My sister needed to pick up her phone, so it worked great to take her to the sprint store and then she played with the kids in the car while I did my shopping alone. (Which is always a treat, you know.)

Last night she babysat and Andy and I (+baby) went to his co-worker/friend’s birthday dinner out at a very scenic restaurant. It was a pretty big group of friends from work and it was fun for me to spend a little time with people I usually only see in passing or as they’re bringing me a glass of iced tea.

Plus it’s always fun to wear fancy shoes and be out with Andy.

(And not cook dinner.)

I mean really

This is why I have a blog. So I can show you what I stay up half the night making!

Like this dress… which will actually be paired with a long-sleeved tee and black leggings (and not, you know, jammies):

It occurred to me only very recently to dress my girls differently ON PURPOSE. Their personalities are so different, so why not dress them to fit each girl’s personality? (Madeline’s hand-me-downs haven’t really worked for Adelaide, anyway.)

And since Adelaide is quite the quirky kid (more on that in a later post; it’s still simmering), I’ve had a lot of fun making her a bunch of unique dresses. I loved the 1950’s dresses on this fabric. (Sidenote to Brite, this one I lined.)

***

Drew’s at school and Andy has the girls helping him do yard work outside this morning, so I actually have time to sit here and blog! He (meaning Drew) got his first G.I. Joe yesterday. He calls it his “big boy toy.”

It dawned on me last week that he still mostly just has his toddler toys and was very obviously getting bored (and therefore naughty). Any other “big boy toy” recommendations you have for me?

(You know, that don’t have small pieces that I would inevitably step on in the middle of the night…)

Phase 2, Complete

(Tap, tap, tap.  Is this thing on?)

The drywaller finished up on Saturday morning, and the kitchen is all primed and ready for paint! I haven’t pulled it down from the attic yet; still crossing my fingers it hasn’t dried out. (I’m using leftover paint from when my mom and I stripped the wallpaper in the dining room four-ish years ago.) But still, getting closer!!!

I ran some errands with the kids in the freezing cold on Saturday and then Sarah had us over for supper and playtime after naps. It sort of felt like a daycare, what with the eight (EIGHT!) kids between the two of us. It was a busy and fun day but our house is still trashed, and here it is Monday.

I also made two dresses for Adelaide this weekend (SO CUTE!), and a skirt for Madeline with the extras. I still need a few things for finishing touches and then I’ll post some photos.

On a totally un-related note (except for the fact that she’ll wear one of the dresses to the Valentine’s Tea we’re invited to on Saturday), what are some fun things you like to do with your kids for Valentine’s Day?

Andy dubbed it the breakfast of champions.

A lot of yesterday was entirely frustrating. I went to paint the bathroom ceiling and found my ceiling paint was a dried brick. Irritating.

So then I went to paint the trim around the bathroom window and the paint just beaded on the caulk. So I’m guessing I need to sand and re-prime. Which is, you know, more work. It took the wind out of my sails, so to speak.

I ended up napping with Madeline and doing other productive things like staring out the window.

BUT! When Andy got home we (I) finally made homemade granola. We’ve been meaning to for at least a week.

I used this recipe (via Jo-Lynne) and it’s just full of good-for-you things like oats, raw sunflower kernels, milled flax, walnuts, pecans, coconut oil, cinnamon, etc.

And it is WONDERFUL. AND SO EASY.

See? Breakfast of champions.

Brrrr!

I promise not to laugh at southern snow days again.

Photos from yesterday:

I mentioned Carrissa was going to come over while Andy was at the men’s retreat.  It ended up being canceled due to the weather.  She was already here, so she slept on the couch and just hung out with us anyway.  (More on that in a minute.)

Yes, that is a dress under Adelaide’s coat. Because no snow outfit is complete without a dress.  (SO Adelaide.)

Drew sliding down the driveway on a garbage can lid:

Andy trying to kill himself by surfing down:

Poor kid doesn’t own snow pants.  (Not worth it here for what, two days?)

Andy and I were dying laughing in bed this morning imagining Carrissa thinking to herself “GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!” First, he and the kids had picked her up in the middle of the storm, so she had to walk (hike, really) to the opposite end of campus (in the freezing snow) because it was too risky to drive back to where her dorm is.

(Oh, and since it was Max’s birthday, he let him go along for the ride. So she probably had to dodge a few doggie kisses on the way down.  Ew.)  Several roads were closed and it was an adventure just driving home.

And then last night he and I ended up hanging out on the couch and chatting with her for a while… Andy had joked at the time she was probably thinking “when are these people going to bed so I can get some sleep?!”

And then, the KICKER. Our electricity went out sometime in the morning, so all the sound machines went off and the kids woke up. I went in to tuck Drew back in and noticed he was sleeping on towels, was in changed pajamas, and all his bedding was in a pile on the floor.

Naturally, I asked him whatever had happened?! He said he was wet so Carrissa had helped him change everything.  I was like “WHAT?!”  Andy and I hadn’t heard a thing. (That had probably happened around 2 a.m.)  My poor, poor sister.

The kids were up another 15 times early this morning and I’m sure she could hear it all.  (Even though she said she slept well.  I still felt badly.)

And then she had to deal with the drywallers here working in the kitchen and dining room all morning. Not exactly, um, relaxing.

Donuts and bacon as a peace offering?  You bet!

***
Glad I stopped at the store when I drove her back to campus; it’s suppose to freeze tonight and church is canceled for the morning.  Can’t go a morning without half n’ half!

Three Months!

Arianna is three months old today, can you believe it?!

A couple of quick updates… our bathroom is about 95% finished. I just have to paint the trim (it’s primed) and touch up the walls in a few spots. I’m thinking about painting the ceiling though, while I’m at it. (It could really use a fresh coat, especially since they fixed a crack and it’s an obvious color difference.) I also have to re-hang the curtain.

This morning we had the drywall man come and look at the kitchen and they’ll be here this afternoon! It should only take a couple of days since it’s really not that much. He’s going to have the cracks in our dining room filled in also. (Which means I’ll be swimming in paint next week.)

I’ve also been doing a lot of sewing and just generally trying to keep up with my kids and the laundry. Andy’s going to the church men’s retreat tonight so my sister is coming over and we’re going to have us a little sleepover. The kids are EXCITED. Should be fun.

Have a great weekend!

This n’ that

So last night the aforementioned Sarah, Jenny, and I had ourselves a girls’ (and babies) night and had dinner at one of our favorite spots. (I’ll restrain myself from going on and on about friendship; suffice it to say, friendships: you need them.)

I also realized something about me last night through our stream of conversation, but I’ll have to think about it more and blog the discovery later.

For now, I wanted to share these photos I took last Sunday. I put them on my facebook but I thought it’d be fun to also put them here.

Arianna in the first one cracks. me. up.  (”Hey, guys?”)

On the upside, I’ve had a lot of free time

So yesterday I bit the bullet and took my broken vacuum to the repair shop. With a family of six and a dog, we need it daily around here and I was getting tired of using the broom. (This IS 2010, after all, and I am not Laura Ingalls here.)

Unfortunately the kids had to go since Andy was already at work. And granted, they did obey the “don’t touch anything” order I had given them when we walked in. But I should have tacked on “this is not a race track, don’t run in circles around the store like headless chickens.”

What drew me to this particular model was, okay I admit, the retractable cord. It snaps back in at the touch of a button and makes me want to do a little happy dance every time. There were other features I loved though, too, one of which was the “WORRY FREE!!! FIVE YEAR WARRANTY!”

So you can imagine my dismay when half the things broken weren’t covered under warranty (like the plug, what’s up with that?) and the only part that WAS covered would take 4-6 weeks to arrive.

Come again?

Four to six WEEKS?

We’re a family of SIX!

WITH A DOG!

WE NEED A VACUUM EVERY SINGLE DAY. NOT IN FOUR TO SIX WEEKS!  (Is this your five year! worry free! warranty?!)

And speaking of appliances almost as necessary as oxygen, our dryer also chose this week to again stop working. Thankfully we didn’t have to pay any fees since it lasted all of 8 loads from the last time it was “fixed.” But going six days without a dryer, well, you don’t even want to know the state of my laundry pile mountain.

(Or my dusty, unvacuumed floors.)

Laying Low

Still recovering from Christmas… I stayed up way too late that whole week before and then went on a trip. I’m t-i-r-e-d. And have way too much laundry.

I did have to leave my house yesterday for my post-partum appointment (yeah, it was a little later than the prescribed 6 weeks, but who’s counting?) that was entirely frustrating.

I’m taking Arianna to her 6 week check up today (even though she’ll be 9 weeks tomorrow — again, WHO’S COUNTING?!) and hopefully it will be uneventful and we won’t have to sit and wait for two hours.

I’m still figuring out the new camera, settings and editing. Taking a million photos of baby since she’s THE ONLY ONE THAT SITS STILL:

(And also? Pinching those cheeks. They’re irresistible.)

DPP Day 23: Three

Drew reading (real, actual words in a real, actual book) to his sisters:

And a bonus… the gingerbread house they did today with their fun-sitter, Ellen:

You know what they say about raining and pouring

Well, in the interest of keeping it real around here, let me just tell you about my day. (And it’s only 5 p.m.)

The baby woke up around 7; I thought I’d feed her and then get Drew ready for school. Next thing I know it’s 8:35 and the carpool is here to pick him up and we were all still asleep. OOPS. So I got him ready and Andy took him. I somehow managed to pick the boys up on time but we had a little incident in the parking lot. Strike two.

Since I already had my whole crew in the car, I thought we’d run a few errands so I could send off some Christmas boxes tomorrow. Driving down the highway, the van started to shake a little. I knew we were in need of (at least) two new back tires, but money? who has that?! so we’ve been putting it off. The shaking scared me a little, so I pulled into the Walmart tire service just so the guy could check them and tell me the size, price, etc. and see if they really were that bad.

They were.

The kids and I hung out in the store while our tires were being replaced, and they were pretty good until right at the end. Adelaide tends to scream if the other kids do something to her she doesn’t like. Let’s just say my ears might still be ringing.

(I also did not buy them a certain item they had asked for… too close to Christmas. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth as we walked out to the car. Oh, the drama.)

It was way past lunch at this point so I stopped and got all of us a sandwich to eat in the car while I fed the baby. And then we ran in Target for the last few items on our list. The kids had to go potty and I made the mistake of letting Adelaide go in a stall by herself. She was wearing a dress and when I went in to wipe her, the bottom half was hanging down behind her into the pee-pee water. EW, I know. I wrung it out (ew!) and buckled her into the stroller… figured no one would know but me.

We finished our shopping and made a bee-line for the car. Two of my kids fell asleep on the way home — strike five for naps! I think we’re due for a quiet evening in front of the Christmas tree and a cookie.

Or five.

DPP Day 3: Afternoon Tea

I didn’t go anywhere today and my feet stayed in fuzzy slippers. I took two naps and haven’t touched my house. I did bathe and cuddle each of my kids (first bath since I can’t remember when… since sometime before the bathroom remodel).

And when they were all napping I made myself a snack and some spiced tea.

Posted in conjunction with the December Photo Project.

I totally blame the fact that it was dark out

So um… I was on my way to pick up a prescription at Walgreens last night and ran over Drew’s razor. (That’s a type of scooter for the uninitiated.)

No, it wasn’t in the driveway. I’m not really sure what happened or how I got so far into the yard but, there it is. Snapped the thing in half. My dad extricated the handlebars from underneath the front of my van and I went on my merry way.

Oops.

(Perhaps we’ll hide it before he comes home from school. I wonder if he’ll notice.)

Arianna and I picked up my dad yesterday afternoon and then got paint at Lowe’s. So the agenda for today is to paint the bathroom. I won’t take any before and after photos because it’s really not worth your time. (And if you’ve been to my house and are a teeny bit curious, it’s practically the exact same color.)

Oh! But I have a little tea party to look forward to this afternoon, can’t forget about that!

So I’m off. Hope your day is filled with straight driving.

Monday, Monday

We had a lovely weekend, the perfect mix of low-key laying around with fun times out and about.

Andy and I spent Saturday going out to lunch and doing a little bit o’ Christmas shopping for the kids. I even remembered to stash everything in the attic. (Last year I forgot once and it wasn’t pretty.)

We also went out to dinner (benefit of grandmommy being here) and met some friends for a live performance of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. It was excellent. I brought the baby and she slept the whole time. This newborn stage definitely has its perks.

Afterwards we ran into some more friends and somehow all ended up at Starbucks. (Except they closed at 10. They should close later on weekends. I’m just sayin’.) It was fun while it lasted.

My dad gets in today and I’m sure my mom and I will load him down with projects, the top of which is painting my bathroom, re-caulking the tub, and hanging the new cabinet. I haven’t picked out a color yet and really have no idea what I want. Even if we end up with the same shade of blue, a fresh coat will make a world of difference anyway.

And hopefully the girls’ new beds will come this week so I can show you their new room! Madeline’s just been sleeping on her mattress on the floor but the new bedding is sure cute. Also supposed to come this week are my baby announcements. I can’t wait to show you those, either.

Alright. I’ve gotta jump in the shower while my mom has my girls on a walk and the baby is still asleep. Have a great Monday!