One-on-One

Well, it seems like Maya & Riley have been getting a lot of air-time lately what with their birthday and starting school and all.  And rightly so, these are big events.   As usual, there is Teagan....bringing up the rear and trying desperately to be one of the big girls.  I love spending time with all of my girls, and when I can I try to make special individual time with each of them, doing what they like to do.  So these past three and a half weeks I've had the chance to have Teagan all to myself for a few hours 3 days a week.  WHAT A SCREAM!!  I always new she was funny, but this kid is HYSTERICAL when it's one-on-one. 

So, what have we been doing?!  We'll we love to shop together...and she's amazed when she gets the cart all to herself and I let her carry shopping bags through the store and she gets to pick from the  Target dollar bins.  (yea!)  She sticks to me like glue for about the first 20 minutes we are home after dropping Maya & Riley off, but then you almost see the light click and she's like hey, wait a minute......all of this.......is MINE.......for the next 2 WHOLE hours. 

We've enjoyed taking walks which is good for fresh air & gets Mommy's work out in.

 

 

 

We take a Mommy & Me gymnastics class on Thursday and she's becoming quite the expert on the balance beam. 

And the latest in our big girl adventures came just last night/today.....when Teagan decided she didn't need a crib, that climbing out is WAY more fun.  In the course of an hour last night, she climbed out of her crib twice.  She likes "buddies" in bed with her (at count last week she had 21, so over the weekend about 10 left).  But I could tell last night she had used the remaining pile as her escape route.  So I took all but four of her favorites and put them on the floor by her bed.  At 10 I checked on her and she was still awake and asking for her buddies, but I said they were having a sleep-over on the floor.  Not another word.  When I went back in at 11, ALL buddies were back in the crib....and so was Teagan.  Geez, give me a heart attack!  I can't be worrying about her safety, so today I converted the crib to the toddler bed.  And a "BIG GIRL" was born. 

 



 

 



I am learning so much more about Teagan as a person and what makes her so wonderful and so unique. I always knew she was bright (learning from her big sisters) but I am amazed at what she knows and what she comes up with...and what she tries to get away with!!  We have been doing a lot of special, fun things and I am sure this will be the age of some of her earliest memories. I hope our days together are some of those earliest memories. 

Unless.....

My girls are obsessed with the movie "The Lorax" of late.  I think in about a 48 hr time frame they viewed it 8 times.  Thank goodness Aunt Carolann to the rescue and got it for Maya & Riley for their birthday!  My favorite line of the movie:

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better.  It's not."

I am thinking about all the people in this world that care.  That care an awful lot!  I am talking about the people that do amazing things every day for the good of everyone around them.  Doctors and nurses, fire and police, teachers, coaches, clergy....and even down to those of us that volunteer our time and talents, that spend time with the less fortunate, those in pain....or just those ordinary people that do extraordinary things each and every day.  I think in the history of the world, to be someone that cares an awful lot, you are a member of the military.  To give of your time, your freedom, your life for the selfless sacrifice of others....to put your life on the line every day.....to me that is someone that MORE than cares. 

Today marks a very sad, hard, extraordinary day.  A day to remember and honor one of the most caring people I have every had the pleasure of knowing.  Three years have passed since our friend Damon gave his life to protect the very freedom we sometimes take for granted.  Growing up with the Winkleman family as neighbors, members of our church and our "family" we were blessed to be in the company of such caring people.  You never had to worry about someone being on your side, they always were.  You were always welcome in their home.  They were always one of the first to answer a call for help.  I remember countless times playing with Jason, Nathan and Damon at their house.  We'd go over their grandma's house who lived next door for warm-from-the-oven oatmeal cookies.  MAN, I love those cookies....I still use her recipe to this day.  You always knew where you stood with their family.  You always knew the sense of pride from being a military family.  So it's not surprising that all of the boys followed in their family footsteps and joined the military.  I remember numerous times growing up of the community support when Wink would be deployed.....and then Jason....and Nate off for his service....and then Damon.  Special church services were held.  The community would come together to offer support and help to Pat and the boys.  We were a community of caring people because of the care their family always gave.  It was time to give back.

Three years ago today we were at the Winkleman house for a celebration.  A beautiful, sunny afternoon with kids playing in the yard, good food and great company.  And how all of that can change in an instant.  I remember in vivid detail learning about Damon.  And in that moment knowing that life would forever be changed for their family so many people that care for their family.  Damon was such a caring person.  Funny, energetic...infectious laughter and comic relief!  It just didn't seem possible that he could be gone. 

Nothing seemed to make sense.   And certainly nothing seemed better for any of us.  But after some time, you realize his sacrifice does make it better for us.  And for the countless men and women that have made that same sacrifice, it is better for us.  And those that continue to serve because they care it is better.  For us. 

Damon lead the life he was destined to live.  What a good soul.  A truly caring person that made all of our lives better.  So today, in honor of Damon and in respect and appreciation of the entire Winkleman family and all of the other people in this world that care, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our lives better.

Because you cared, Damon......


 

Gifts

Believe it or not, I've done some Christmas shopping this week.  YES PEOPLE, Christmas is coming and even though we aren't even to Halloween or Thanksgiving this gal has got to get crackin'.  With 4 kids, a husband, 6 parents, 4 nieces, 1 nephew, 2 grandparents, 3 teachers and a whole host of other extras, it takes some time to plan, browse, shop, etc.  So now is about the time of year I make a spreadsheet of who I need to buy for, how much to spend, gift ideas and I check it all off as I go.  Yup, another list.   Gifts are on the brain for the next 3 months...

This week, in particular, I was reminded of the gifts that are all around us every day.  I am very fortunate to be studying Beth Moore's Bible series on James this fall.  I am surprised at how this study is hitting me at a time when I really need it and it seems she is speaking just to me.  (Those of you that have studied with Beth I am sure feel the same way!). 

The first part of the week we began in the very beginning of James' letter..."Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  (James 1: 2-4).   Beth challenged us to list trials we are under, hardships that we are facing.  I thought for a minute, tried to come up with something that was a "trial" for me....and then my mind started to wander to a few family members, a friend and a member of the church that are all experiencing real trials right now be it of health, personal crisis or sorrow.  How they all see to be so composed, so strong....so complete.  I had to think "hey, maybe I don't have it so bad"....and then you realize they can be so amazing in the face of something so great, how can a person not pick themselves up by the boot straps and keep it together.  There are people I know that just get bogged down by what seems to be so trivial, but I forget I don't know the whole story. 

By day five of the study we read James 1: 17 "Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above..."   We were asked to list the gifts of our lives.  Maybe not so surprisingly, that list was much easier to make than the list of trials.  Not one gift on my list (other than buying our home) was of material worth.  It was more about the relationships, the memories, the lessons learned.  The times when I was faced with a deeper trial, and the ability to find something within myself to work through it and grow as a person and in my faith. 

We have gifts all around us, every day.  Maybe we don't know it.  Maybe we forget.  Maybe we get lost among everyday life.  Our relationships, talents, time, freedom & liberties, our ability to take time out and dive deeper into our faith without fear of religious persecution....all gifts.  All great gifts. 

Irregardless of what is wrapped and under the tree this Christmas season, I hope that the gifts that matter most to our kids, family and friends are the gifts we give because of who we are. The loving memories we create for our children out of the traditions we celebrate, the ability to be there in times of crisis and pain for our family and friends, the fact that we know those same people would be there for us in a heartbeat.  I am so grateful for all the gifts in my life.  

If you don't realize how blessed by gifts YOU are, I hope you will take the time to list all of your gifts as well. 

The passing of time

Time is a funny thing.  Even though it may remain constant, how we pass the time or spend our time varies.  It's odd how the same hour can either fly by when you are having fun, or seem to drag on indefinitely in the middle of uncertainty. 

I have absolutely no idea where the last four years have gone.  September 4, 2008 at 7:49 am and 7:49 am (yes, the SAME time), we welcomed Maya & Riley into this world and into our lives.  The past four years have been a crazy whirlwind of joy and, at times, insanity.  The girls have brought so much love into our family. 

So, imagine my surprise when today, at 8:49 am I had to take my little girls to school for the very first time.  Yes, on their 4th birthday they got to go to Pre-K.  How did that happen?  Where did my tiny little babies go.  How did they grow up so fast?

 

Maya Delaney: 9/4/08

 

 

 

 

        Maya:  1st day of Pre-K, 9/4/12

 

Riley Pilar: 9/4/08

                                                                   

Riley: 1st day of Pre-K, 9/4/12

 

 

The girls did well.  No tears....from anyone, even Mommy!  (Although when I asked the girls last night what they wanted to be when they grew up and Maya said "Just stay little" and Riley said "Be your little baby, Mommy", it kinda does tug at your heart strings a little.  They may have been a little unsure when we were getting ready, but at the mention it was time to go they were out the door and into the truck.  Backpacks on when we arrived and in they marched.  Hardly a look in our direction once they hung up their backpacks, got their milk and started coloring.  Hey, they had this down pat. 

Once back at home I couldn't help but think back to 2008 when I laid in my hospital room waiting on the girls to be brought into me.  I could not even have imagined at that moment in time just how much they would consume every part of my life.  In a good way, I promise!!!!!  I just couldn't believe how time had flown!  On the flipside, that 2 1/2 hrs I had to wait at home til I could go pick them up seemed to drag on forever.  Just wondering what they were doing, how they were doing....and I couldn't wait to see them and hear all about it.

I am sure the next 14 years will fly by and before I know it I'll be taking them off to college.  (Ahhhh......let's not get ahead of myself).  I am so proud of my big girls and all they are and all they will become!  Here we go.....marching into the future! 

 

Happy Birthday Maya & Riley

Stuff

We have Too.  Much.  Stuff.  Waaaayyyyyy too much.  And no matter how much I try to control the vast amounts of stuff that lives in this house.....it multiplies.  Seriously, every night it grows.   Laundry, toys, books, craft supplies, hunting & fishing paraphernalia it can get crazy.  The kitchen island bar is the dumping ground for mail, craft projects, "treasures" as it's right inside the front door.  I am in constant purge mode.  Clothes, books & toys that are out grown get passed down, sold or donated.  I try to keep my closets purged of barely worn or wrong size clothes.  The girls color dozens of color pages a day.  I supposed I am a bad mom that I don't save every "masterpiece", but there are some special ones that do get tucked away. Otherwise when they aren't lookin'....in the trash they go!! I can only imagine the influx once the twins start pre-K in a few weeks.  Bill's hunting & fishing room....well, that doesn't get touched and thank goodness it's locked up and I don't have to see it, or it would drive me bonkers!  The garage.....oh my.......the horrible garage that we seem to clean every 3 months, add more racks & storage and vow to keep maintained.....and tools get dumped back without being put away, Bill's literature and sample totes get discarded when it's time for him to clean out his car, sidewalk chalk, bikes, & bubbles pile up.  This DOES drive me bonkers when I try to pull the truck into the garage and run into half the STUFF that is there.  Then we have to spend hours on a nice weekend afternoon trying to clean it back out again.   Thank goodness the girls have a designated toy room in the basement....so when the end of the day comes and I just don't feel like making sure it's all picked up....the stuff stays where it is until the next day.  At least if it's in the basement, I don't have to look at it.

Here is a picture of the toyroom taken recently.  That thing can go from clean to destroyed in 60 seconds flat.  The toyroom is adjacent to my home office.  There is a bathroom and family room off of this room as well.  So when I need to work at home for a bit, the girls are perfectly content to play away.  I am trying to work at being more diligent at having them help pick stuff up.  And they do good work and know where STUFF goes when it's time to get down to business.  But usually it ends up an unbalanced work load and one of the girls picks up more while the other 2 wander off and get distracted by a book or a game. 

And I sit here in the office blogging while the girls are in the room playing right now.  However I look around this office and Bill's "amazing" filing system of piles of papers and samples thrown all over the floor and it's no wonder they feel it's acceptable to leave stuff lying around.   I used to be a "save-every-scrap-of-paper-that -meant-anything or save-every-gift-ever-given" person.  Not any more.  Purge, discard, donate....whatever it takes to get this place manageable.   I have probably spent hundreds of dollars in the past year buying more shelves, storage bins & units just to house this stuff.  Bill said I'd have saved a lot of money if we just had less stuff.  Yup!

I am encouraging the girls to start making decisions of their own on things it's time to pass down.  They love to give things to their cousin "Baby Kate" or a friend's daughter "Baby Jasmyn."  Every time I get rid of something as long as I tell them it went to one of those two, they are really fine with that!!   So today I have plans to toss out that Hungry Hippos game that is missing like 1/2 of the white marbles and that puzzle that was given to us that is missing a piece right from the center.  Seriously, they've got enough other stuff, what's a few games? 

I recently repinned an item on Pintrest (seriously addicted to Pintrest) about having your kids collect unused/needed toys, books, games & clothes around the holiday and on Christmas Eve they should be placed in a large bag and left under the tree for Santa to collect and pass onto other kids that aren't as fortunate as we are.  What a great idea!  I wonder if I could come up with a holiday every month that required someone to stop by and pick up bags of unused items?  In addition to getting rid of some of this stuff, I hope its a good tool to help the girls learn to think of others and to begin to ascertain the difference of what is really meaningful to them and what is just stuff. 

So the twins birthday is just 2 weeks away.  They also start school the same week.  I can only imagine all of the new stuff that will work its way into our house that week.  If anyone is short on "stuff", I'd be happy to pass it along.  Otherwise I'll just keep plugging away here.....

So my kids DO listen to me

It feels like I talk to a brick wall some days.  Most days.  I repeat questions and instructions... well.... repeatedly between my kids and my husband.  Does anyone around this joint ever listen to me?  Seriously, brick walls....every single one of them!  And I wonder if I'll ever get through to any of them.

And then there's the "ah ha" moment, when you know the DO listen to you. 

Take for example Teagan's new found phrase....."damnit".  Oh boy.  We never worried about the twins spewing foul language, they just never did it.  Here with Teagan lately she is a little sponge... and then a repeat performer.  A few months ago a dinner she dropped her fork (or spoon or cup or whatever) and just blurts out "damnit it".  Oh crap, here we go.  A few minor finger points....as I constant remind Daddy to watch his mouth...but then he insists the kids are around me much more throughout the day so it must have come from me.  Whatever.  We didn't make a big deal, hoping it was just an isolated incident.  Fast forward a few weeks in the midst of our potty training with Teagan.  All was going very well, picked up on it so fast.  Still trying to get the hang of "#2" one day I was sitting at the kitchen island typing and email and I could smell her standing behind me. 

Me:  "Oh no, TT, you are supposed to tell mommy when you have to potty." 
Teagan: "Mommy, I have to potty."
Me:  "Well, that's obvious.  Let's go get you cleaned up."
And while in the bathroom taking care of "business" I say "TT, you need to go potty like a big girl so we don't have accidents in your big girl undies."
Teagan, looking at the mess, "oh, damnit". 

Oh, so THIS is when she listens. 

But there are the times you know the kids listen to what you say in a good way.  I love the way Maya will tell the girls "Oh, that's a great job sweetie", because that is something I say to them a lot.  Or Riley likes to say "That's a great job Mommy, you worked so hard on that."  "Oh be careful Mommy, I hold your hand" is Teagan's copycat phrase to what I say.  This morning the twins woke at 6:37 am (ugh) and crawled in bed with me.  Their imaginations are going crazy these days and they are always in role-play mode.  I was half in-and-out of sleep and I hear them talking about exercise.  "Why do you exercise" Riley asks Maya.  Maya responds "oh, I want to be healthy and strong for my family and set a good example for you girls."  This is a proud moment because I know somewhere along the way I have said this to them and she's remembered.

I realize what we say (and do) affects everything in our children's lives.  I am glad they repeat phrases (most of the time) of the positive things I say to them or around them.  I am glad my response to the exercise question was about the lasting effects of exercise and not "I am excited to finally lose the last of the baby weight from 4 years ago and want to fit into my skinny jeans this fall."  I want their view of exercise to be positive, not to keep up with societies demands that they should be thin or fit into skinny jeans.  I want them to realize when they work hard on a coloring or craft project that their efforts are recognized.  I want them to know its a good thing to praise a job well done.  And that I don't just yell "be careful" because I don't want to clean up blood, but because I am honestly showing concern for their safety. 

My kids do listen and I know this.  I also know they are kids and that often times when I tell them something or ask them something that they are engrossed in something far more important, just like I am at times.  I hope they listen more often to the good things I say, and forget about the times those "doozies" come flying out of my mouth. 

Confessions of a Bad Blogger

Hello, my name is Emily and I am bad blogger busy mom.  With 4 kids, 3 houses, 1 needy husband, a full-time SAHM job and 2 part time jobs....it's no wonder I only seem to have time to blog every 5 weeks or so.  Let's just say I'll probably never make a living at it, no matter how much I enjoy every minute of it.  I am a great list maker, practically can't go a day without checking something off my to-do list.  Maybe I just need to literally add blogging to the list, and then it'll get done. 

I wake early every morning and mentally go through my daily check list, usually while in the shower because it's literally the only free 10 minutes I have to myself every day.  There are days like today when I am totally "on" (in spite of skipping my 5 am work out) and before 8am I had 2 loads of laundry going, 5 of the beds stripped and 2 remade, kids fed (although still in their jammies).  So today I have to go to the post office and pharmacy (2 of the girls favorite places since they get stickers at one and suckers at the other) so at least they are happy to come along.  Then it's more laundry, remake the remaining beds, lunch, naptime which means I can concentrate on online bank transfers and bill payments, emails to the corporate office for Bill, some filing, that 5 am workout that I missed needs to be rescheduled.  The girls want to bake cookies and there is dinner to plan.  Somewhere in there I should spend time with my kids.  I started some craft projects towards our church's annual fall festival and I am really excited about them so I'd like to spend a little time working on those today.  So, blogging can wait.  Bad Blogger!!!!  (And not to mention the fact that I am almost a year and a half behind on scrapbooking.......BAD SCRAPPER!!!!!!!). 

No, just a busy mom. 

I love having blogging to turn to when I need to clear my head, air my thoughts or brag about my kids.  I love having other bloggers to read and see their perspective.  It's funny (coincidental maybe) that often times I blog in my head a really great thought I have while going about my day (and of course never have 10 minutes to sit down and type it out), and on more than on occasion an old high-school friend Jessica who writes an amazing blog will post something that I have totally been thinking.  It's like she can read my thoughts.  She's also a busy SAHM and sounds like our days could easily be traded.  Her recent posts about raising kids and scrapbooking have really hit home with me.

So I vow to be a better blogger.  For myself.  For my sanity.  For my husband who encourages me and for my kids who will someday be busy women themselves and perhaps find a little humor and maybe a little help in knowing what it's like to do it all enough to get by. 

My to-do list might not all get done today.  Probably those "luxury" items like crafting, scrapping or maybe a few chapters in a book I just started.  But, at least blogging is getting crossed of my list today.  Better blogger.