Feeling a Little Like Cinderella

Wow! It's one o'clock and my husband and children are all asleep. I would love to sit and read my book in peace, but I guess I'll get on my hands and knees and scrub my kitchen floor instead. I'm always too tired by the end of the day, and that floor needs some serious attention. While I'm at it, I might as well polish the kitchen cupboards, wash some dishes, clean the bathroom, and finish up the laundry.

You know, sometimes it really stinks being the mom!

2 hours later

kitchen floor: scrubbed and looking shiny
dishes: done
laundry: washed, folded, and put away
bathroom: sparkling and lemon fresh
cupboards: not polished because I forgot that I'm out of polishing oil. Oh well. Another day.
husband: fed and off to work

I'm exhausted!

Things I Want To Do Before I Die

I remember an assignment I had in my freshman literature class. We were supposed to make a life list--things we wanted to do or accomplish before we died. Since I don't know where the original list is, I've decided to make a new one for myself. I would just write it down on a piece of paper, but it would inevitably end up lost like the other one. So on the blog it goes.

-learn to play the violin well
-visit NYC, especially the 9/11 memorial & Statue of Liberty
-make my own curtains
-finish learning Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
-work in a library again
-run a 5K and possibly a mini-marathon
-grow & maintain a flower & vegetable garden

I'll be adding to my list as time goes on. I think if I tried to write the entire list right now, I'd end up writing a bunch of stupid stuff just for the sake of taking up space.

Memory Game

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

I Hate Mean People

I'm seriously annoyed by the person who used his big stupid truck to take up 4 parking spaces at Walmart. What a jerk! Here's a picture to illustrate. I really just wanted to surround his truck with shopping carts, but it was hot and I'm pretty sure that was the hormones talking.

Cravings

-cooked broccoli
-green beans
-mushrooms
-really, really cold water
-hot tamales (Mostly I am just craving the smell of them. Eating more than a few makes me really sick.)
-mashed potatoes & gravy
-beef flavored Ramen noodles

A Few Things That I Love

-my family
-pedicures
-garden vegetable cream cheese on Ritz crackers
-my air conditioner
-reading a good book after everyone goes to bed
-pounding out a song on the piano
-talking to a good friend
-the color blue

Bad Day at the Dentist Office

A few comments about my trip to the dentist this morning.

1. Pregnant women with a strong gag reflex and a tendency towards vomiting should not go to the dentist where all sorts of gag-inducing instruments will be placed in her mouth.

2. I'm very grateful for that little bib they always make you wear.

3. The dental hygienist deserves a raise.

4. My dentist is freaking awesome for putting up with all I put him through today.

The End

The Host

I finally finished this book. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Somewhere in the middle, I think. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it.

I agonized over the first 250 pages before I really started getting interested. Normally, at that point I would have just given up on the book. But I persevered because it's Stephenie Meyer. And I own the book, so I might as well just read the whole thing.

Then there were 250 pages where I absolutely could not put the book down. It was so good and I stayed up way too late and neglected my children way too much.

Then the ending was a complete let-down for me, which is weird because I can't really think of a way that I would have preferred it to end. Maybe it was a let-down because I'd heard so many people say It's a total tear jerker at the end, and Make sure to have a box of tissues close by. I must be completely hard-hearted because I didn't really see anything to cry about.

Hmm. . . I have a feeling this review is not making me any friends. Maybe I'll just stick to vampires from now on. I always have something good to say about them.

Just Curious. . .

For those of you who have had both a boy and a girl, were your pregnancies different? Did you crave different things? Did you carry differently? Were you sicker or had more heartburn with one versus the other? Any other noteworthy differences?

Let me know. I'm curious.

Morning Conversation

This morning I was cutting up a cantaloupe for breakfast. As Makayla was eating, she shared this enlightenment of hers.

Cantaloupe is a fruit. But sometimes it's an animal, too.

I corrected her by saying, Antelope is an animal. Cantaloupe is a fruit.

I know. That's what I said.

Vacation Recap: Camping Trip, July 2-5

Warning: This post is quite lengthy, but it's mostly pictures.

The next leg of our vacation took place in Rocky Mountain National Park with my family (with the exception of one sister since she just had a new baby). It was really beautiful there. The days were not too hot, but the nights were really cold. We had one or the other or both girls sleeping with us every night. That gets a little squishy on a queen size air mattress. Oh well, we made it work. Here are some pictures from the trip.

The girls going on one of many walks with their Grandpa.

Beautiful Bear Lake
Climbing to the top of a really high mountain. . .
and I mean high! In case you can't see, the sign says "Elevation 12,005 Feet, 2.3 miles above sea level" By way of information, it's really hard to breath at that elevation.

We stopped at a family fun center one afternoon. This is Kasey, my dad, my sister Katie, and Makayla riding on the go-karts.
Makayla was a little nervous after a small crash.
She recovered quickly.

Ellie catching all the action. She was too small to ride.
My favorite waterfall. It wasn't too far from where we were camping.

Before we left, our family of 4 took a tram ride to the top of a huge mountain.View from the top. It was so pretty!
Kasey's favorite store.

Other things that happened for which I have no pictures:

*Katie's fiance, Shawn, tossing a football with Makayla.

*Taking Ellie to the ER for a minor, but painful injury. And it was the fastest ER visit I've ever experienced. It was only 45 minutes from the time I walked through the door to the time I walked out.

*My hole-in-one playing miniature golf. But I still lost.

*Watching the girls play with Charlie's and Michelle's little dog.

*Oh so yummy dutch oven dinner.

*Fireworks above the lake. I discovered that I don't like fireworks as much as I used to. This show lasted about 40 minutes, and I was ready to leave about half-way into it. The girls loved them, though.

Too Young To Be Old

I have more vacation to write about, but it will have to wait. I have much more important things to talk about right now.

Not too long ago, I noticed a few fine lines creeping up around my eyes. Okay, not a big deal, I thought to myself. But holy crap! I didn't think these were supposed to come until I was like, 30 or something! I brought it up to Kasey, and he just sort of looked at me with a puzzled expression. It was that I-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about look.

Phew! At least they were not noticeable. I went on my merry way, but started to be more diligent in my application of sunscreen. I don't mind aging, but I definitely don't want to be one of those ladies who looks 50 when she's only 35.

Fast forward to last night. I got this craving for a bean burrito with Ranch. (Hey, I don't question the cravings; I just obey them.) I went to the drive-thru, ordered my food, paid for it, and then waited patiently while it was prepared.

This young teenage boy came to the window and did his little ditty. (you know--do you want . . . ? Thanks for coming to. . . . Enjoy your. . . .) I waited for him to finish before I just drove away. After all, I did my fair share of time at a fast food restaurant. I know how it is. But really I was thinking, Dude, I just want to eat my burrito already!

I thanked him. And just as I started to pull away, I heard him say, Have a good night, Ma'am.

I nearly choked on my own spit. Ma'am?? Ma'am is for old people! I'm not old, I'm young! Ma'am is for moms with big kids. My kids aren't big, they are little (and were at home in bed). Ma'am is for women who aren't me.

Wow! Ma'am! Do I really look that old?

I drove home and looked in the mirror. Still two little creases at the corners of my eyes, but no new wrinkles to report. I don't look old! I look like any 25-year-old mother of 2 should look.

Stupid teenage boy and his ma'am-ing manners!

The Best Remedy

An unfortunate side effect of pregnancy for me is nausea. I'm very grateful not to be puking my guts out all day, but I'm so tired of feeling like I want to. Food just doesn't taste good. I force myself to eat, though, because I know I'll only feel worse with an empty stomach.

With this new aversion to food, it's very, very rare that I find something that both tastes good and relieves the nausea for any length of time.

I was so excited on Sunday when I made myself a bowl of Campbell's Vegetable Beef soup with buttered toast and it actually tasted like it should. It was delicious beyond anything I've eaten for the past 2 months. And even better, after finishing off a whole bowl, I felt good for nearly 2 hours. TWO HOURS! I felt like I could do stuff. I didn't feel the desire to lay on the couch all day. Kasey loved it because he got a nice break from my complaining.

I didn't expect to get the same results a second time, but that evening when I reheated the leftovers, I got the same relief and satisfaction from it. Oh happy day!!

So today when I went to the store, I stocked up. I don't want to be without this soup again.

When I lived in L-town, I bought this Oatnut bread all the time. It's my absolute favorite bread. Unfortunately, I can't get it where I live. When I was in L-town on my vacation, I stopped at Costco and picked up a double pack of it. I really want to eat it slowly and savor each delicious piece all by myself, but I know that it will go bad before then. So I'm forced to gobble it down quickly. It would be a crime to let even one lovely piece be lost to mold.


You know, now that I'm thinking about it, it was this exact combination of soup and bread that helped me make it through the rough patches of morning sickness and midnight cravings when I was pregnant with Makayla. Glad to know it still works! But why the heck did it take so long for me to remember?!

I posted somewhat recently about my issues with nylons and bathrooms. While I was on vacation, some of us girls got pedicures while the boys went golfing. Then, on a whim, I bought some new wedge sandals.

I was getting ready for church and thought about all the comments from people who don't wear nylons. I got really brave and went to church without them. White legs showing and all. I think it was the new shoes and pedicure that gave me the confidence.

So this crazy thing happened while I was at church. No one pointed and laughed at my white legs. I was not scorned. And most importantly, I did not get hot or fall over in the bathroom stall!

Here's the proof that I went sans nylons. I just love that red polish. Don't you?

This picture totally makes it look like I have cankles, but I promise I don't. Those don't come until later in my pregnancies.

Vacation Recap: First Leg, Part 6

A family tradition: homemade donuts! Every time the whole family gets together, Maria makes homemade donuts. And lots of them! Kasey looks forward to this whenever we go stay with his parents. Normally I'm able to eat my fair share, but I guess this baby isn't too crazy about donuts. I didn't even make it through 2 before I'd had enough. But trust me, they are GOOD!!

Some of the family gathered around the table. Everyone else was in the kitchen waiting for the fresh, hot ones.
Makayla loved the donuts but not my picture-taking.
Ellie working her way through her third donut. Chocolate frosting--Mmmmm!!

Vacation Recap: First Leg, Part 5

Saturday we hiked to the top of a butte. It was only about 1/2 mile, but it was a 7% grade. Holy Cow! I wanted to die by the time I hit the top. Of course, it didn't help that I pushed a stroller up the rocky dirt path. The view from the top was totally worth all the effort. Of course, I didn't get any good pictures. I'll have to steal some from somebody else.

My sis-in-law did get this good picture of our family. See how green it is? It was so beautiful!

At the bottom of the butte there was a little park. I'm pretty sure that was the girls' favorite part.

Ellie loved the swings. She giggled the whole time.
Makayla liked the swings, too, but she spent most of her time going down the slides.

After an afternoon of hiking, we all went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Yum!

Memorable Moments

I really don't want to forget all the funny and cute things Makayla has been saying relating to the new baby. So I'm just going to quickly jot them down.

I've been a little sick (I say "a little" because I'm not puking like I have with previous pregnancies, but that doesn't mean that I'm not miserable some days.) over the past few weeks. On occasion, I'll spend the majority of the day laying on the couch because I just don't feel well enough to do anything else. So one day when I was laying on the couch, Makayla came up to me all concerned and said, "Mommy, what's the matter?" I said, "Sometimes the baby in my tummy makes me feel sick." She leaned over, cupped her hands to my stomach and said ever so sweetly, "Hello, baby. Be nice to my mommy."
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I asked her what she thought we should name our baby if it was a boy. With no hesitation she said, "Spike!"
"Well what if it's a girl?"
"Hmmm. . . . How about Cleary?"
"Cleary? Where did you hear that name?"
"On your show."
"Oh! Do you mean Claire?"
"Yeah, that's what I said. Cleary."
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"Mom, when is your baby going to come out?"
"Well, not for a long time. First you have to go back to school. Then we'll have Christmas, and a few weeks later the baby will come out."
"How does the baby get out of your tummy?"
"I go to the hospital, and the really nice doctor takes the baby out."
"How does he get it out of there?"
"Um, mommy has to push the baby out."
"Oooohhh! You go push, push, push and the baby comes out your mouth?"
"Exactly!"
(Okay, I know I lied to my child, but honestly, I don't think I'm ready to explain to my 4-year-old about the birds and the bees and all that good stuff.)
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"I have a baby in my tummy, too."
"Only mommies can have babies in their tummies."
"I can have one if I want."
"No, sweetheart. You have to be bigger to have a baby in your tummy."
"Well, I'm bigger than Ellie."
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Here's a quick one about Ellie.
"Ellie, where's my baby?"
She pointed to her chest and said, "Me!"
I think she's in for a rude awakening.

Vacation Recap: First Leg, Part 4

Friday, June 27: the first official day of Kasey's family reunion. I already talked about the beach a little bit, and now here are some pictures to go with it.

Aunt Brandi bought some buckets and shovels for all the kids. They were a huge hit with Makayla. She shoveled sand and water into her bucket for most of the day.

Ellie hanging out in the chair because she didn't like the sand. We eventually put a blanket out for her to play on. That was at least a little bit better than sitting in the chair all day.

Kasey's mom, Maria, found this awesome raft thing at a yard sale. Everyone had a blast with it. The adults used it as a slip 'n slide and played King of the Mountain with it. Then people took turns pulling the kids around in the water.

When I was applying sunscreen to Makayla, I missed that one little spot under her eye. I also missed a big spot on her back which burned so bad that it blistered. I felt horrible!

Despite Makayla's burn and the stifling heat, we had a great day at the beach.

Blog Title Explained

While I was randomly surfing on the Internet this afternoon, I came across a post about parenting (on the Parenting.com blog oddly enough) that I absolutely loved. Here's a small quote from it:

It was supposed to be about enjoying the journey, not just rushing through
so that we could check items off like another chore on my list. I want to enjoy
the journey. I want to appreciate what is around me before it flies by. I can't
do that if I am always looking toward the future at the next item to conquer on
the list. I want to be present in the here and now and not looking back trying
to conjure memories from the dark recesses of my mind. ~Chris

I guess it struck me because when I started my blog, these were the thoughts that I had. I chose the title that I did because I wanted it to be a reminder to me that this time in my life should be fun. It should be about teaching my children and enjoying them while they are little. I love that Chris so perfectly put into words the thoughts that I had. Even though she was talking about her summer "to-do" list, I thought it accurately described my current stage of life.

Vacation Recap: First Leg, Part 3

Kasey's parents have a pretty great set up in their back yard. The yard is pretty big so there's lots of room to play on the grass, but my girls particularly liked the covered patio.

One morning, Makayla was so excited to go outside and play t-ball that she didn't even bother getting dressed all the way. This picture cut off her feet, but she was wearing dress-up princess shoes.

Ellie loved helping her Nana sweep the grass clippings off the cement after Papa mowed the lawn.

This picture is. . . well. . .it's just so darn cute. I had to put it up.

Makayla loves to play dress-up at Nana's house. A few days before it was time to leave, I told Makayla that we were going to see her Nana and Papa. She got all excited and started talking about how she was going to wear this outfit and that outfit when she got there. This purple Jasmine outfit is a new addition to the dress-up chest since the last time we visited. It was a big hit with Makayla. Sadly, this is the only picture out of 5 that turned out decent enough to post.

Vacation Recap: First Leg, Part 2

Monday afternoon (June 23) I took the girls to the wading pool with some friends and all their kids. Unfortunately, there was a daycare at the wading pool the same time that we were there so it was really crowded. But they did share their water toys with us, so that was a bonus.

Makayla loved this inflatable alligator and played with it every chance she got.

Ellie was a little nervous to get in the water with all those crazy kids splashing and yelling.

Eventually, I got her to sit in the water, but only if she was within an arm's reach of the edge and only if Makayla was sitting right next to her. As soon as Makayla got up and moved, Ellie hopped out of the pool.

It was lots of fun. I wish we would have had time to go back a second time.

Joining the Ranks

I'm taking a brief pause from my vacation recap to announce that I've joined the ranks of all the expectant moms out there.

I honestly wasn't going to blog about it for a while longer, but Makayla keeps saying the funniest things regarding this baby I'm trying to grow. I can't not share them.

Here's the first of many funny things she has said. We were sitting in a booth at a restaurant enjoying some ice cream. I had just recently had a discussion with Makayla about the baby in my tummy. She wanted to know how it got in there. So we talked about that for a little bit. Anyway, we were sitting there enjoying our ice cream when Makayla turned to the older couple sitting in the booth next to us. She blurted out, "My daddy put a baby in my mommy's tummy!"

I started laughing while Kasey turned every shade of red and quietly whispered to Makayla, "We don't tell people that."

It was a priceless moment. I'm looking forward to many more of these moments in the months to come.

Vacation Recap: First Leg, Part 1

We're home! Well, for a few days at least. Tomorrow Kasey will go back to work. Wednesday I will head to my mom's house for 4 days. Even though I'm really excited to stay with my parents for a few days, I'm glad to have a few days at home to recoup.

I've been debating whether to write a travel log (which has the potential to bore everyone right out of reading my blog) or simply highlight things of significance and funny moments (which would be less boring to read, but would leave a lot out). I guess I'll just write and see what comes out. I will break it up into several posts. One post would be ridiculously long and too hard digest, I think.

Our plan was to leave the night of June 20 (Wow! Was it really that long ago?!) when Kasey got home from work. I expected him home sometime between 8 and 9 o'clock. I went out to run some errands and returned home to a garbled message from Kasey. The only part I caught was that there was a problem at work, and he would be home pretty late. Crap!

At midnight, I finally decided to go to bed. I knew he would be tired when he got home so I'd have to do a lot more driving than usual. I got a phone call at 3am. It was Kasey telling me that he was just getting off work. He walked in the door at 3:30am. We were on the road at 4am.

I was hoping that since the sun wasn't up yet, Makayla and Ellie would go back to sleep for a few hours. Yeah right! Ellie had no intentions of going back to sleep in the car after enjoying the comforts of her bed.

We stopped at the first big city to grab a little breakfast. Not even an hour later we were stopped on the side of the road cleaning up the donut and chocolate milk that had not stayed in Ellie's little tummy. Gross!

We made it to the half-way mark and stopped for lunch. I was frustrated about being there at 12:30pm when I had hoped to pass through quickly and quietly at 4am. I tried not to be too upset about it. After all, I did get lunch at Red Robin. And boy was it good!!

The remaining half of our drive passed by fairly painlessly. And by painlessly I mean we were forced to choose between listening to Ellie scream and listening to Ice Age for the hundredth time that day. Sounds like an easy choice, but you'd be surprised.

Finally, we arrived at Nana and Papa's house.

So, our vacation started out a little rocky, but it definitely got better from there.