new roommates, fall time, and long baths...

There comes a time in a person’s life when they adopt (or get stuck) with a roommate.  For me, it was when I was 7 and my little brother, Jacob,  was 2.  My family had just moved from Ottawa to Hartland and with some renovations going on upstairs, we bunked together for a short period of time.  Next came university and I had a roommate for my first and second year.  And then a little break before marriage.  Dave is a pretty good roomie, and I am happy to share a room with him for the rest of my life.

Well, Jesse and Janna’s time has come, and we moved them into the same room last night! Only having 3 bedrooms in our house- we figured it was the most logical combination with baby 3 on the way.   And we want to get them totally settled with each other before throwing another big change into their life.  Several people have recommended keeping the new baby in our room, but I am such a light sleeper, that I hear every little squeak and gurgle and sleep just doesn’t happen for me!  I learned that with trying  Jesse in our room for a while.  And I am always reminded when we travel and have to bunk with our kids, what a nightmare it is for me.   I would rather sleep hard for a few hours and then wander into the next room to deal with baby in an awake state, than be semi-awake all night.   Just my preference.  Who knows though, maybe this baby will be a horrible HORRIBLE sleeper and I’ll end up dragging her into bed.   I try to keep my mind open and put expectations on hold for the first little while as much as my organized personality can.

S

o, we psyched Jesse up with the promise of a new room and new poster and wall stickers.  He was VERY excited as we moved furniture around last night and put up his spiderman poster!   I thought it might freak Janna out a bit as his eyes are sort of glaring across the room at her- but she keep laughing at it and pointing at it while she exclaims, “CAT!”  Most animals are “cat” to her.  After a slightly tweaked bedtime routine, we were exiting the room and Janna started to cry.  Jesse plugged his ears and said, “but I don’t like that”  I told him to cover his ears and fall asleep and Janna would follow suit.  We didn’t hear another peep from him until 6:45 this morning!  Janna however- wailed for a good 45 minutes at bed time- and woke up every few hours to holler for maybe 5 minutes or so.  I wondered if she thinks Jesse has the capability of taking her out of her crib?  But it’s pretty normal for her to wail here and there through the night.  We just ignore it and doesn’t often last more than 5 minutes.   So, all in all, a  successful night.  I think we are just lucky that Jesse is such a heavy sleeper and will not leave his bed once he is in it.  Even if he drops a book out of his bed and wants it- he would call for us and not step a foot out of his bed to get it.   We never taught him this- it’s just what he does. 

Well, the morning came, and it was pretty cute listening to the 2 of them chatting it up across their room.  Jesse started off by telling Janna a bible story.  Then he grilled her with a good 10 minutes of questions:

“Janna- do you want to be a butterly for Halloween?”

 A pause and then sweet little response, “yesssss.” 

“Ok, that sounds good Janna. You can be that.  Janna, do you want to play outside today?”

Another little pause, then a mellow “ yesssssss”

Ok.  That will be willy fun.  I will pull you in the wagon.  Do you want to go in the wagon?

“yessss....”

Ok Janna. You can do that.  You are allowed to.  Do you like mama? (he really asked her that!)

“MAMA! Yesss...”

So, I woke up feeling pretty good about night one of room sharing.  HOWEVER- it became apparent quite quickly that they were both more tired and on edge than normal.  By just 8:30 I was starting to fray a bit, and Dave sensed my snowballing frustration.  So, he jumped in and out of the shower and told me he was taking the kids out and to have some time to myself!  Awwww... What a guy.  It was cold and dark and the kids were obviously tired, so he loaded them into the wagon  for a ride with some bags to collect some leaves! Here they are ready to head out.

At nursery school, we are talking about Fall Time, and it’s really interesting how “into it” Jesse is.  At home he is constantly bringing it up, and when we are out he is always pointing out the leaves which lead into conversation about what different things take place in the fall.  I took the “leaf hunting time” to have a long unhurried and quiet bath.  It was quite luxurious.  Growing up, I never understood how my mom could

1.  Take such long bath and

2.   Switch from a grouch to a chipper- humming- lady as the water ran.

But, I SOOOOO get it now!  Gone are the days of 20 minute showers and 40 minute hair and make-up routines.  Through the week, I take a 5 minute shower- followed by about a 10 minute window in which to dress and do my hair and make up.   I do get up about an hour before the kids, but I take this time to have a relaxed cup of coffee, read my bible, say a prayer for the day, check my email, and make the kids breakfast without a baby on my hip and Jesse talking my ear off.  Dave gets them eating while I do my power shower and ready routine, and then he takes off for work.  Saturdays always feel like a treat, as I give myself a good 10 minutes to shower.  So, having a good hour to relax and get ready is heavenly!

The kids returned from their “a- bench- er” in slightly better spirits.  But more importantly, momma was in  WAY better mood.  Dave said that they were so tired on the walk- and Janna didn’t say 2 words, but had sort of a blank stare the whole time.   Jesse VERY very VERY slowly pulled the wagon and collected a few leaves along the journey.

Well, we hit up church, have had lunch since, and the kids (and Daddy) are now down for their nap.  I think I might go and join them.  Thanks for reading this mish-mash of a blog post. I’m out! 

Feeling pretty junky, honestly.

I apologize to you dear blog readers that it has been a while since my last post.  I really wanted 3 days to be the max gap between a post... but the past few have been pretty horrible.

I feel too wiped to go into the details, but Jesse had a horrible flu and stomach bug, and I have cleaned up more throw-up than I think I have personally produced in the past 20 years.  Jesse is not quite at the age where he thinks to "run to the toilet," but for some reason he does think "RUN"... and so our floors, furniture  books, and toys have also needed to be cleaned several times.  Throw in a clingy, CLINGY, soooooo CLINGY little girl, a dog who loves to play in puke, and pregnant tired woman, and I feel like I could just go to bed and sleep for 48 hours straight.
TGIF!  Oh wait- I'm a mom.
( I saw a funny saying like that on facebook tonight- not my genius there)

The highlight of my day today was at 7 pm after the kids were in bed, Katie was home, and so Dave I went to the grocery store together.  We meandered through the aisles leisurely grabbing our items without negotiating Jesse's whining for every item he wants, Janna's sporadic slapping screaming attacks towards Jesse, and having REAL big people conversation.  It was nice to see the casual polite grins and nods towards my pregnant belly in the store, not the watchful eyes as I attempt to keep my kids under control as they beg for a treat as we are pinned next to shelves of candy at the check out.  I hate the strategically placed candy at the check-out.  HATE IT.

Aren't I just a positive Polly tonight?  He He.  Really, I love my kids, wouldn't trade them for the world.  But would I leave them tonight and fly to Hawaii with my friend Mary for the week if I could?  Yes! I would!   Truth is, it's ok to feel blue after a few rough days and I think it's good to show that to the world sometimes.  

A girl I went to high school with posted on her blog about the facade of perfection that can be overwhelming in the online world.  She did this great post about how messy her house was, and how her kid only eats veggies if they are dipped in fruit juice, and mistakes she has made and things she has let her child do in desperate measures.  And it was refreshing and real, and I think that moms can really get into the trap of trying to present only the rosy and happy.   So, while I seriously considered taking a picture of throw up, I thought maybe that was taking it a step too far.  Later in the day upon pondering gross things I could put on my blog,  I considered taking a picture of my bathroom before I sanitized and cleaned it this morning, but then I couldn't find the camera.  Finally, I considered taking a picture of the bags under my eyes, my belly popping out of my disheveled dirty outfit along with my messy hair, and teeth that *I think* may not have gotten brushed this morning??? But then that thought just REALLY grossed me out, cause I'm 99% it's true, and I am feeling the need to type faster and go brush them.  Skip picture!

Now, I'm feeling a bit of self-pity going on here, and I don't want to give in to that, either.  So, I would like to end by just reminding myself of some of my greatest blessings.  I am thankful my kids and other family are alive and well, my husband rocks and loves me,  I live in a free country and have so much wealth compared to others in the world,  Jesus saved me, and tomorrow is A NEW DAY!  Thanks for reading! I'm out.

tackling some bigger words....

Jesse is into trying out new words and expressions.  It’s quite amusing.  Just in the past 24 hours, here are a few he’s tackled.

PERSONALITY

“Janna is a personality, mom”

After explaining that she is a person with a personality, and talking about different personalities, I asked Jesse what sort of personality Janna and he have.

“Janna has a very...white...personality.  I have a very...spongebob personality”

DISGUSTING

At dinner time, Jesse says, “Mom, this is willy disgusting.” 

He is happily eating his dinner with little complaint and so I ask him what is disgusting

“The pasta is willy disgusting.”

Dave tells Jesse it’s not nice to comment on mom’s cooking that way, and I ask him if he knows what disgusting means? 

“Ummm.... I don’t.  What does disgusting mean?”

FRUSTRATED

We are driving home from church and Dave and I are having a pleasant conversation up front in the van.  Jesse pipes us with:

“Mom... that just makes me willy frustrated”

I ask him what is making him frustrated

“Your talking is just making me willy frustrated”

I ask him if he knows what frustrated means, and he answers very seriously, “Yes. I DO.” Followed by dead silence and a stare out his side window as if the conversation is finished. 

Taken aback, Dave and I both burst into laughter not sure how to respond, and a minute later Jesse asks, “Mom. What DOES frustrated mean?”

 MAN STUFF

Jesse is playing with a paper airplane Dave made him on the way to school.  He is going on and on about it, and I tell him it’s really nice, and maybe we can play with it together after school?

“No mom.  It’s just a man thing.  Right.  Daddy said it’s man stuff.”

Dave and I are getting MARRIED!

I was feeling quite sentimental this morning as the smell of bacon wafted through our crisp cool house.  Probably the last few years I lived at home, my dad made a huge breakfast, including bacon, every single Sunday morning without fail for the family.   The other thing he liked to do on Sunday mornings was  CRANK the worship music around 7 or 8 am.  Me and my teenage brothers would be enjoying a good sleep in- and sure enough you would hear the base rattling through our old floors.  A few minutes later you would hear my dad harmonizing up a storm in his deep boomy base voice, and stomping around the house in his shoes or boots, getting ready to head out.   Then- he would leave.  The door would slam shut and I’d know he was on the way to the store to get his choice breakfast ingredients, or maybe a newspaper, or pink peppermints to munch on during the church service.  But he almost ALWAYS left the music blaring for our sleeping house hold.  My mom usually worked the night shift and got home a bit later.   Sometimes I would crankily stomp downstairs and turn it off and then jump back in bed. Sometime I would just pile the pillows on my head...but I could always hear the base as the music came from underneath my room.   The bacon mended the wounds and won me over every morning, though. 

So, in the spirit of sentiment, I thought I would undertake another sentimental task today. A friend of Dave and mine from university emailed me a few weeks ago.   She is getting married in the new year and remembered a video I had made and played at our wedding over 5 year ago.  She was hoping to do something like it, and asked if I could post it so she could get some ideas of what to include in hers. 

I put this together just a few months before Dave and I got married.  Having only dated 10 months, then being engaged for only 10 months, many of our friends and family outside of university didn’t really know many details of “our story,” or too much about us as a couple.  So, after everyone was seated, we played this video before the wedding ceremony started.  It is light and fun, and we received lots of good feed-back from people.   Especially those who didn’t have much time to spend with us a couple.  I realized the other day that most of our Ottawa friends and family don’t know our dating and engagement story, either- so I thought it would be kinda fun thing to share.

So, I think I uploaded this properly onto you tube, and this should be the link!

There you go, Jessica, and I hope the rest of you get a few laughs.

Thanks for reading, I’m out. 

Survivor and Survivin'

Well, I have this embarrassing little habit to share, called reality television.  I don’t really watch much TV, but there are a few reality shows that I really love.  In fact, I have a max limit of 5 hours of TV per week for myself, because I don’t want to drown in the endless and mindless habit with all the options that exist out there. 

In university my major was interpersonal communication, and the truth is I just love watching people interact.  That sounds a bit creepy, but I find people fascinating.   The cool thing about reality TV, is that you get to see both sides of a story, but also hear explanations behind decisions.  Most reality TV shows have “diary room” type video chats with the people on the shows.  In real life, you don’t get to hear all the different angles and people reasoning out what they were doing and thinking and why.

Anyways, it’s funny because usually the shows I like to watch happen on Wednesday or Thursday nights.  And most  often Katie has friends over or in and out on those nights.  I suspect they all think I’m a couch potato.  But! I was quite excited last night when a new season of survivor aired, because Katie shares a similar nerdy passion for that show- and we usually watch it together.  This year, we tried to convince her boyfriend to join us.  We told him we always dress up and paint our faces and have fun tribal activities and trivia on those nights. (This isn't actually true at all)  Well, when he reluctantly agreed to join us, we figured we needed to deliver.  So, last night, the face- paint came out, the survivor buffs, and athletic wear.

Even Dave got into the festivities!  We painted his face, even though he was stuck upstairs marking and prepping all evening, he was with us in spirit.

Well, Justin laughed at us when he arrived.    And like a good sport agreed to a buff and face-paint.  Next week we’ll have to come up with something even more nerdy and intense and see if we can get him over here again!  It was kind of fun, truthfully.  Reminded me of university when my floor had project run-way nights and parties, and when another assortment of people would get together for the amazing race each week.

So, Survivor was good.  I got to bed a little, too late.  And lucky me, was awoken by a strange instinct to check on Janna after hearing just a minor cry.  Well, my baby girl had thrown up everywhere!  Oh the joys of September germs.  Between my work, her day care, being at the OB, Pediatrician, and dentist all within the past week, who knows where she picked up the bug.  Poor little thing.  So far she is doing ok today.  We cancelled our plans and a chiropractic appointment for the day, and are just having lots of down time snuggling and reading and taking it easy.  Jesse is painting right now, and Janna is playing the piano.   Lunch and then nap-time soon, after which we will head outside for some fresh air once it’s a bit warmer.  

 I’m loving the cooler mornings, and evenings, though.  Now that I think of it,  I believe today is the first day of fall.  Hope you’re all enjoying the weather, and for those of you with kids- they are having better luck with the germs than mine!  Thanks for reading. I’m out!

Jesse's first trip to the dentist, and a hectic morning

I just got both my kids in bed for naps, and I am sitting here sort of wide-eyed and stunned having intense braxton-hicks contractions  as I shovel mini-marshmallows in my face by the dozen.  It's been that kind of morning....

My day care provider had to shut down for the day due to illness, so the hour and a bit that I had to get myself and the kids out the door was frantic as I was on the phone calling and texting the world.  I could not find a supply teacher to cover my shift, or someone to take Janna for me, and I was sort of panicked come 7:30.

Well, my last resort call was to my lovely friend, Rebekah Potter.  She has to be one of the most helpful and wonderful people, but she is my last resort because she has a 6 month old, 20 month old, and just turned 3 year old to deal with on her own.  However, her husband has a new job where he has some mornings off- and  so I thought If they were both around without plans, I would ask if  they would take Janna for me.  I called and Seth was home and said it was no problem, they had no plans, and would love to help.  "What's another one to add?" I think they said. Yay! Thank you POTTERS! You saved my day. 

Well, I got to work just 2 minutes late, and the chaos continued through the morning.  The before school program had a new bus driver who was really late picking up the before-school kids.  So, I was tied up outside waiting for the bus while the preschoolers arrived, and poor Lindsay was inside with her baby and all these kids being dropped off by herself.

The first few weeks of pre-school are always a hard transition- and today was no exception.  Of the original 4 or 5 who have a really hard time leaving mom or dad, there are a few who continue to cry, and a few seem to adjust quickly.  But then there are always new kids who start up out of the blue.  Anyways- it was a day where all of us teachers had at least one child attached to us crying while we were trying to run the program and interact with all of the other kids.  As crazy as it can be, I like the challenge of helping kids adjust and juggling all the demands, but it sure is tiring!

After my morning shift, we scarfed lunch, picked up Janna, and had to head to Jesse's first dentist appointment.  I was hoping to be able to just have Jesse to deal with, as I thought he might be really freaked out by the experience, but I had a snack and toy for Janna to hopefully entertain her.  Here they are in the waiting room.  Jesse was genuinely very excited about the dentist as I had been prepping him with the promise of a "chair ride," "teeth counting,"  and maybe even a sticker if he was really brave.

Well, Jesse was awesome!  He hopped right into the chair and made pretty impressive small talk with the dentist.  I really thought the light, buzzing toothbrush and having stuff shoved into his mouth would make him cry- but he was fine.  The only thing he didn't like was the water being squirted then suctioned out of his mouth.  That made his eyes water up a bit and he kept looking at me with these desperate eyes!  Janna was fascinated by the experience and sat still in my lap watching everything with wide eyes.  At one point she was reaching for the tools and saying "ahh" and poking at her teeth.  I think she was asking for her turn, next.  Jesse was looking a little frazzled by the end, but we made it through and he even attempted a smile at the end for me.

Wow.  I really don't feel like this blog captured the juggling and craziness and vibe of the day.  But you just have to trust me, it was nuts.   I felt like I needed to debrief after that busy morning!  I also feel like I'm in desperate need of a power nap- so off I go! Thanks for reading, I'm out.

REST

This morning Dave and I got to sleep in... ahhhhhh.... soooo nice

Now, my definition of sleeping-in has certainly evolved over the past 10 years.  In high school, sleeping in meant 11am or later.  In university that came down a bit, to maybe 10am or a bit later.  Once married and working, it came down even more.  I would consider 9 am to be a good sleep in.  

Well, 2 kids later, and 7 am is the new sleeping in for me!  

Today was the first day in a few weeks where we didn't all need to be up and out the door fairly early.  So, Dave and I didn't set our alarms for the usual 6 am, and just woke up when we heard the kids after 7.  It was so nice to all come snuggle on the couch with coffee and cartoons before tackling breakfast and getting ready for the day. 

We had a wonderful morning at church, followed by lunch, afternoon naps for all, playing in the living room, supper and a trip to the park before bed.   I failed to picture document the day (as Dave did so well this summer) - but Dave grabbed a picture of Janna and I reading on the couch today.

The kids have both really taking to reading by themselves.  A few days ago I was in the kitchen doing some work and I realized it had been way too quiet for way too long.  When I dashed around the house to see what mischief my kids were up to, this is what I found!

Now, Janna Banana certainly gets into her share of mischief these days.  She loves pulling stuff out of the pantry and tends to go for the sugar, pancake mix, and flour.  She also loves to get into newly folded laundry or the closets to come up with new outfits for herself.  This is one she conjured up all on her own(and put on all by herself) this afternoon while Jesse was still napping.   Notice pants off, one rubber boot, over-sized hat, sippy cup, and sock on hand

She of course went into one of her fashion crazed little silly spells, that left Dave and I just looking at each other and crossing our fingers for 15 years from now!

That's all from me for today. Just wanted to touch base. Thanks for reading! I'm out. 

bus and blanket rides....

It's a rainy cold night, and I'm very happy Dave is home from his 2 day retreat.  Not only because he is mopping the floors right now, but we all just missed him!  After a busy day of school, groceries, errands, and a pit stop at home for a late nap, we picked Dave up in the POURING rain from school around supper.  Depsite rain jackets, boots, and umbrellas, we all managed to get pretty soaked running out to the van.  Of course, Janna LOVED it.  She was beaming and giggling, and squirming to get down.  I'm sure she would have lay down in a rain puddle, face up, and just laughed at the torrents. Jesse, however,  ended up crying that he didn't like the rain and it hurt him and he didn't want to be wet.   He is saying some of the funniest things lately.  At the grocery store he told me we should "buy a gluten-free for daddy."  He doesn't get that gluten free is a category, but must think it is an actual food item. Tonight before bed he told me "I am allergic to listening, mom. "

Anyhoo, after picking up Dave and getting stuck in some random traffic, we were lucky to arrive home to a break in the down-pour.  At the same time, our neighbor, dropped by to see if Jesse wanted to go play in her school bus parked right behind our unit.   Jesse LOVES city buses, but has never been on a big yellow school bus.  He always asks to go on one, and is never too impressed when I tell him he has to wait until he is older and going to school.  Well,  he had a blast!  Driving, honking, sitting in all the seats, running around it.   It made up for the physical and emotional beating the rain gave him.

Janna's highlight of the day had to be her blanket rides this morning.  She piled a bunch of blankets together and just snuggled into them all on the floor.  Jesse grabbed an end and pulled her all around the house.

He would stop every once in a while to "tuck her into bed and give her a good night kiss."

They were just so cute! Had to share.  Thanks for reading. I'm out!

I just love my kids....

My kids were such good little angelic cutie pies today!  Maybe the fact that we all slept like babies last night  influenced my perspective, and their behavior, but I'll go with it

Jesse, having done preschool once already, is such a good listener and "breezy student."  We had 1 screamer, and 3 cryers at nursery school today, so I felt very thankful for him!  Here he is this afternoon getting ready to play some tee-ball!

Janna is just so funny and her personality is really blooming these days.  She is pretty tough and adventurous, but like a girl, her feelings get hurt over funny things.   Things might rub her the wrong way and she will WAIL, want a hug, then run off happily.  This is after Jesse said,  "no, Janna.  I'm having my truck." when playing outside. She CRIED HARD for 30 seconds, then hopped off my lap and hugged this ball happily for a while.

The kids are really interacting with each other these days.   They have this one recurring conversation at the table whenever eating.  It goes like this:

Jesse: Janna, do you want to see my throat? (Jesse has this weird obsession with throats lately)
Janna:  YES!!!! (with a huge grin on her face)
Jesse opens his mouth, tilts back his head and says, "ahhhhh,"
Janna smiles and does the same back at him.
Jesse:  Hey Janna... Do you want to see my thoat, again???
Janna: YES!!! (with a big grin)
Jesse tilts his head back and points to his neck with his lips and chin pursed out.  Janna mimics.
They laugh together.

 They also have games they play in the car together. Peek-a-boo.  Scream or laugh mimicking. Poking each other.  Tossing things at each other. They splash each other in the tub, will sit and read together,  and chase each other around the house with trucks.  Jesse loves to pull Janna in the wagon.  He opens the door for her and she climbs in.  He will pull for a while, then stop and open the door signaling, get out Janna.  She willingly hops out and waits for him to tell her to get back in.

 

They also have lots of hugs and kisses.

However, they also bicker.  Janna knows how to push Jesse's buttons.  If she's in a sassy mood, she will go up to him and just pinch him.  Or Yell in his face.  or take his toy.  She is totally doing it on purpose and just watches for his reaction with mischevious little eyes.  She ALWAYS gets a good reaction.  I think it's why she does it.   It's either a sobbing whine, "mommy... Janna is bothering me.... she pinched me..." Or, Jesse will look at her and point his finger in her nose and lecture her loudly, " No. Janna! That is not nice.  We don't hit!"   Either way, she usually does whatever it is again with a little smirk.  What a stinker!   You never know when Janna runs up to Jesse if it will be to lean in and hug and pat him, or grab his ears and pull them.   And you never know if Jesse will cry and whimper, or get right back in her face.  Exciting times.  He told my belly the other day, " I will take care of you, baby.  I will protect you from Janna.  Janna is scary."

Anyways, that is all for today.  Thanks for reading! I'm out.

A few good things about the past few days...

It's a dark, cool, quiet Sunday evening, and I should really be heading to bed.  Today was a pretty low-key day to rejuvenate for the new busy week ahead, but my sleep intake is still seriously low from the past week. 

The past few days that I have not blogged, the night mayhem has continued in a variety of forms.  One night Janna was up on and off with a high fever, one night Jesse kept calling out for me, and on Friday I pulled something in my neck when putting Janna into her car seat on my way to work.  I had the worst pain and very little mobility for about 24 hours after that, and had a hard time sleeping.  Add in having to go to the bathroom now at least once per night, and some third trimester nausea that seems to surge when I lay down at night, I guess my body is "getting practiced and ready" for all the night wakings a new born brings (and perhaps my kids sense the need to chip in too.  Thanks for that, Jesse and Janna)  Last night, I was a bit overwhelmed by my exhaustion and inability to sleep, and I said to Dave through tears, "Dave- don't ever let me get pregnant again, ok?"  I was just joking.  Mostly.

Well, a few happy things to throw out there among the sleep deprivation

1.  Jesse is SOOOO happy with school.   He is so excited when I tuck him into bed and tell him that tomorrow is a school day, and it's the first thing he tells me when I wake him up.  I find when he gets out and about in the morning, he is happier for me in the afternoon and evening as well.  Here we are after his afternoon quiet time enjoying some chocolate milk and rice krispie squares.  We enjoyed an an episode of Max and Ruby while Janna finished her nap.  I have a question for you.  Where are Max and Ruby's parents?! Do they ever make a guest appearance?

2.  Janna is also SOOOO happy with child-care.  Her and 20 month old Zach get a long really well.  My care-giver has told me that she tries to interact with them- but they are mostly just happy playing with each other and look at her like, "what are you doing?" when she tries to jump in.  So cute, they keep themselves busy chasing each other, poking each other, screaming with each other, frolicking in fields together...perhaps a future soul mate?  Here Janna is getting all that hair brushed and looking good.

3. Grown up time.  Dave and I had a games night out with some kidless friends on Friday. It was so nice not to have to be quiet and listen for crying kids.  We, also had our friends the Potters (who do have 3 kids- but were out on date night) drop by late one evening with an unexpected gift of smoothies and good conversation.  I felt so young and free!    These same Potters had a pretty great birthday for their oldest daughter, Naomi, on Saturday.  I didn't get to go because I was working. However Dave took the kids, and Jesse STILL has not stopped talking about the cake, treasure hunt, loot bags, pizza, and FUN he had.   Birthday parties are pretty much one of the most exciting things in his world right now!  Here they are searching for treasure!

4.  Dave is ALIVE! HE has not lost any weight yet, and his sanity is intact.  Week one of school down, only..what...40 more to go?   He He.  Just another wee joke.  Day by day is my mantra as of late.  I'm really trying to live in the moment, and enjoy the small experiences at hand.  On that note, I think I am going to go sit on my door step to enjoy the breeze with a hot tea before bed
.  Thanks for reading. I'm out.

more sleepy transitions...

We all made it through another busy day, yay! Today was our first day back to preschool as teacher and student - and Janna back to daycare for the first time since June.  I was a bit nervous about it, as another night of mayhem went down last night.

Don’t worry- it wasn’t the little people in my walls playing pranks this time.  It was a very real little person by the name of Janna Vance.  She was up from 3-5 AM last night.   And she was UPSET.  And it was pretty  NON-stop!  I kept wanting to leave her- but was paranoid that she might have another blow-out.   So I’d check on her- then have to sooth her- then leave her- then she’d scream- and I’d try to ignore it- then I’d think I smelled poo- so I’d check on her... and REPEAT about 10 times.  I finally gave the girl some Tylenol and settled myself back in bed.  I was coaching myself that she was fine and I needed to leave her and that I was only perpetuating the cycle.   Well, 5 minutes later she starts wailing again.  But, I stuck to my guns and hugged my pillow over my head.  

 Now, Dave, who I was pretty sure had slept quite soundly though all of this, JUMPS OUT OF BED and storms out the room and down the hall.  I was sort of nervous about this.  You see, Dave will deal with kids in the night ANY time I ask him.  And when I am really exhausted or frustrated I will ask him.   However- I rarely do.  It’s just easier for me to do it.  I’m home more with a better chance of grabbing a nap if I need it.  I don’t have to lecture teenagers on world issues and grammar all day, and generally I find I function better than him on the lack of sleep.    SO!   It was very strange that he burst out of bed with such determination.   I was worried he was going to give her another dose of Tylenol, so I followed him out of the room.  I get to the end of the hall- and Janna’s door is closed on my right with her wailing inside still.  Dave is IN Jesse’s room asking him gently “what’s wrong?  What are you doing?”  To which an alarmed and awoken Jesse says, “Daddy- I’m just sleeping.”  Dave got the wrong kid!  He is standing there confused in the doorway and  I whisper to Dave, “ Hun, it’s not Jesse that was awake- it’s Janna.  It’s ok. Go back to bed. I’ll deal with her.”   Dave came out of the room looking totally defeated.  The time he tries to help on his own accord he wakes the other kid!   So funny...

Anyways- I was a bit sleep deprived this morning- but got myself and the kids ready and out the door before 8 am.  Jesse was over the moon excited to go back to school- and when I asked Janna if she wanted to go see Zachary and Erin she squealed in delight, ran to the entry way to get her shoes, and banged on the door.  Here we are.  Janna is looking perturbed because I am taking a picture and not getting her to daycare.

Janna had a great day and barely fussed at drop off.   I was told she and Zach had tons of fun playing together, and she was just so happy when I picked her up.  Such a great feeling to know your child is having fun without you!   She napped like a champ when I brought her home this afternoon- and I am really hoping I don’t hear from the girl tonight!

Jesse and I did great at school today.  It was just the first transition day- so only half the kids with their parent for an hour at a time.  I was amazed at how Jesse seemed like one of the older kids this time around.  When he started in January, he was about one year younger than most of the kids and it showed.  Now- he is probably more of the average age,  but seemed like one of the older ones there as he is so comfortable with the center, teachers, program and other kids. 

I am only working the mornings for the next 6 weeks as our afternoon enrollment is low, and was I ever happy of that today.  After just 3 hours of work, a few hours of errands and groceries, I was WIPED when the kids and I arrived home around 2.  It was all I could do to get the cold stuff in the fridge and my kids in bed before I collapsed in mine.  You just forget the exhaustion of trimester 3!

Dave had another busy good day, and is having a 10 minute nap before brushing up on his lesson plans for tomorrow.  I shall kick my feet up and take the night off!  Thanks for reading all you lovely people J I’m out.     

September 4th is back to School. Resistance is futile

I saw road sign with that saying on Facebook yesterday.  It made me laugh

As some of you may know, Fall time is usually a giddy and happy time for me.  However, I felt like an emotional mess this morning facing Dave heading back to the classroom!  Blame it on a great summer, pregnancy hormones, how awesome Dave is, how tired and big I am feeling.... I dunno... but I fought the tears all morning.

I feel as though God gave me 2 little gifts today to help me deal.  First, my kids slept in!  Ok- so only an extra 30 minutes, but it was enough time for Dave and I to sit down and have a normal conversation over breakfast.  Here he is... fueling up for the day and his bike ride into work. 

We had a good laugh over breakfast as I recounted some mayhem that went on at about  1 AM last night- of which Dave has ZERO recollection.  You see, I have these recurring weird dreams that involve people hidden in my walls playing pranks on me.  I often wake up and think that spiders are being unleashed from the ceiling, creepy stuffed animals have been placed hanging from the walls, etc.  I am usually asleep enough to be totally terrified, but awake enough to know it is not actually real.  I tell myself to calm down and let Dave sleep, and then will cover my head with blankets (as protection just in case the jumping squirrels on the floor ARE real) and  close my eyes and try to drift into happier dreams. 

However- last night, when I woke up, I was convinced that I was supposed to feed the sharks before bed and forgot.  As punishment, the wall people put a bunch of dead and rotting seafood all over my room.  I sat up and sure enough on the edge of my bed was a rectangular bucket of crabs and lobsters with their limbs all flopped over the side.  This was TOO much, and I woke Dave up in a panic, “Dave! Don’t freak out.  But there is something really gross on the end of the bed.  It’s dead fish.  You see it?  Be careful.... I forgot to feed the sharks.  We need to clean all this up.”  I pulled my knees to my chest as he reached towards the bucket of dead sea creatures (which looked 100% legit to me) and he said, “Chrissy- this is your blanket.”  I squinted my eyes and moved a bit closer- and sure enough... I had a neatly folded extra blanket on the edge of the bed.  It has all these floppy tags on the end (the claws of course.)  Man, was I ever relieved.  Dave kept asking me if I was ok- and trying to get me to hold the blanket to see that it was just a blanket as I cowered near my headboard.    I apologized for waking him, and said I was just gonna go use the bathroom (really I wanted to make sure the rest of the house was clear)  I went to the bathroom, turned on the light and scoured the room for any dead seafood.  At this point I really woke up- and realized how dumb I was.  I Crawled back into bed, apologized again to Dave who was sort of watching me like I was crazy (ok- perhaps I was), and fell into a deep happy sleep.  

So, this morning over our lovely child free breakfast,  Dave doesn’t remember ANY OF THIS?!?!  I feel cheated.   Maybe I have also been watching too much TV?  Last night there was this surgery involving shark blood on Friday night lights, and last week on big Brother,  one of the contestants had to have fish gut baths whenever a horn sounded as a punishment.   Anyways, we had a good laugh at breakfast, and I pulled myself together for the day at home with the kids.  

Janna was is great spirits today, and Jesse was a bit grumpy. Ok... a lot whiney and a lot pouty.  This leads me to my second gift.  My kids both napped for 2 hours at the same time today!  We have cut Jesse’s afternoon nap so he sleeps better at night - and just been making him have a “quiet time” in his room for an hour or so.  He’s been remarkably happier with this change, as he is sleeping more hours at night, and it is probably better and heavier night time sleep.  However- it means I don’t have as much of a break during the day.  But today, he was just a bit pooped out and passed out while playing with some toys on his bed- so I let him sleep.   In turn, I got a nap, and chance to relax and get some work done, too.   Thank you Lord.  Jesse still woke up a bit grumpy, and I hope he is in better spirits tomorrow for his first day back at preschool with momma!  Should be good. 

We made a back to school cake for Dad/Jesse/mommy this morning.   Jesse was so excited about it, and kept coming into the kitchen to look at it- and inviting Katie and Janna to come see the cake a million times, too.  Whenever he seemed whiney or down, I just had to remind him, “ Jesse!  We are having cake for dessert at supper!!!!”  What a boy.  Here he is blowing out the “handles,” as he calls them.

Well, Dave is upstairs back at his desk for the first time in months, and I still have some cleaning and laundry to get in tonight, so I best end this rambling on.    Thanks for reading.  I hope none of you were too disturbed by my “pranks from the walls” dreams J  I’m out.

nesting???

It was a hot and sunny day here in Ottawa, and yes these are pics from TODAY of my children in our living room in snowsuits.

So, I’m getting some seriously early nesting urges these days that are sort of driving me crazy.   Today I felt an overwhelming compulsion to have the kids snowsuits, boots, hats and mitts all ready and in our closet.   I think that my 24/7 Braxton hicks are making me paranoid.  But I had this vision a few days ago of a crying new born, two whining kids, and desperately needing to get everyone out of the house for some fresh air- and only having sandals in my closet,  while it snowed heavily outside.

To find all our fall and winter wear was no easy task.   We receive hand me downs from a few different families and this assortment of things are scattered between 4 different closets and the basement in an assortment of bins and  boxes.   This search led me to trying to reorganize my storage room a bit (once I made a path to get through to my stuff) and stocking Jesse’s dresser with all his fall clothes ( I already did Janna's a week ago).  Anyways, in regards to outerwear, I finally found all the things I needed.   But, I wanted to try the things on the kids to make sure sizes were good!    Janna simply adored her 90’s looking purple snowsuit and boots and cried lots when we made her take it off.  Jesse convinced us to let him keep on wearing his snowpants for a good hour until the supper hour when we made him ditch them.

The only thing I needed to purchase for the fall was one pair of sneakers for Janna.  Her little feet are still so small (size 3 or 4 depending on the brand) and most kids are in booties or robeez not even walking at that size.  I even dug through Jesse’s old shoes to see if she could just wear something blue for the next few months, but he didn’t have anything sturdy enough, either. 

So, after supper we went to the mall and bought her the CUTEST pink and purple sesame street sneakers.  It’s not often I buy new clothing for the kids as we get a lot of hand-me downs, and I buy consignment otherwise,  so Dave and I agreed to “splurge” at Pay-less.   She loves them and wanted to wear them right after we bought them, and cried when I finally took them off at bed time. What a girl! 

Janna slept all night last night, was happy and seemingly healthy today, and so I’m looking forward to a kid free evening tonight!  If I wasn’t pregnant it would be a brie and wine with mellow music night... but I will settle for scrapbooking with some MnM’s I think J Thanks for reading. I’m out.