Audrey says the prayer at dinnertime sometimes now. She does not like to use a song or a "formula" prayer, no...she tries to pray just like the grownups and Kate, from the heart. It's so endearing! Here's a sample:
I pray. Dear God. Tie together. (=time together, something Paul often thanks God for in his prayers) Daddy. Momma. Katie. Audie. Bayer. Milk. Boons. (=balloons) T-show. (=TV shows) Bocks. (=blocks) AMEN!!!!!!!
(Scene: in the kitchen, eating lunch after church.)
Daddy: Katelyn, what is that sticker on your hand?
Katelyn: I got it for saying my memory verse.
Daddy: Great work! Can you tell me your verse?
Katelyn: No, I forgot it.
* * * * *
(not 5 minutes later)
Daddy: Katelyn, would you like to go out for Chinese food with me?
Katelyn (worried): But Daddy, China is so far away!!
My mother tells me that someday I will miss this stage. Will I even remember it? It's a blur.
Tickle wars in the "clubhouse."
The constant creative mixing of toys. Imaginative, but a pain to clean up. But so fun! Daddy's shoes are great for dressup, too.
Secret puppy tea parties behind the couch. Using blocks for food, of course. Never mind that we have a twelve course meal of play food upstairs that hardly gets used. The puppies prefer blocks.
The "art area." This is surprisingly clean. Usually it spills out all over the floor and someone trips on a crayon and gets hurt.
Piles of pink and pastel laundry. There is no grownup laundry in this picture.
The Bu, content to sit with her ball right in the middle of all of the action.
Misty of Chincoteague, our latest obsession. (just like Mommy as a girl!)
Sight words all over the back of Kate's door. 51 to be exact. Yes, the green one says "parrot", which was a word she really wanted to learn for some reason, so we added it to the door. The rest came from a pack of post-its specifically for this purpose.
A growing pile of Babette squares. Grandma, I am really putting your old secretary desk to good use. It's stuffed to bursting with yarn, fabric, and sheet music, and all of the supplies that go with those passions. I bet you never suspected that the little letterboxes inside would be chock-full of knitting needles.
So, future self, hope this helps you remember what you did all day when the kids were little. You'll probably miss it a lot. Right now I am just trying to enjoy every little moment and not get so caught up in the challenges that I miss out on the joys.
This sweet smile always helps!
I guess 35 must be old, because suddenly yesterday the urge to quilt something seized me, and I did this:
Add to that the knitting, my love for old movies, my tendency to fall asleep on the couch, and the fact that the pharmacist knows me by name....yup, call me Grandma.
p.s. honey, I really like my new sewing machine!
Daddy is about to turn on the sod cutter we rented for the weekend. Kate is totally fascinated.
Daddy: Kate, this thing is pretty noisy. You should probably cover your ears or go in the house.
Katelyn: It's okay, Daddy. My ears are very good at not listening to things.
* * * * *
Mommy is changing Audrey's diaper and talking to her to keep her from wiggling around.
Mommy: Audrey, how old are you now?
Audrey (holding up three fingers): I two.
Mommy: You are a big girl now.
Audrey: Yes, I big girl. (cocks her head funny) Mommy, how much fingers you?
Mommy flashes fingers at her -- 10, 10, 10, and 4.
Audrey, eyes wide: Whoa.
So here's the update on my minor surgical procedure: I am FrankenBeans (sounds like dinner-in-a-can). I have some twisty black stitches on my right arm to prove it. I would post a picture but it will totally gross my mother out. Bet Kari wants to see it though. It's really not that bad. It hurts when I move my wrist, so if I keep it still I can type. I didn't sleep all that well last night, due to pain, but that should get better every night. Or with some Benadryl to knock me out.
It turns out that this is just more fall out from the Great Tumble of 2007, when a leaky Sonic slush dripped onto my kitchen floor, sending my 8-month pregnant Shamu body flying up in the air to land on my right elbow, breaking it just below the joint. What I had removed was a lipoma and an unexpected hematoma, probably from the trauma of the break. Google them if you want the accurate medical description. I am not responsible for what pictures you may see. I do know that a lipoma is a "fat tumor" that is 99.9% of the time benign, and a hematoma is sort of like a blood clot thing. Or at least that's what it looked like when they took it out. It was pretty cool although somewhat painful. But - this is the best part - I CAN TAKE ADVIL THIS TIME! (allergic to Tylenol + broken bone + pregnant = out of luck)
Katelyn thinks it is pretty cool, too. "Mommy, you have a big boo-boo like I did! Were you brave?" I am hoping this will help her through some of her residual fears of doctors and bandages based on her rough experience with her birthmark removal. Yes, I was brave, although I did ask for more shots during the procedure, since they did a little more digging around than originally expected. I didn't go to a plastic surgeon because I don't really care about the scar. I was actually hoping for kind of a big scar, so Kate will feel better about hers, but mine will probably top out at 1.5 inches.
And technically, this was a fat-removal procedure. Too bad I didn't get a flat tummy out of the deal...but at least I can avoid doing dishes and ironing for a few days. :)
We had Audrey's party on Monday. It had been postponed a week because of rain, but worth the wait. It was cool that morning and clear, and just perfect for playing outside. Jen came and took pictures and they are awesome! To see them all, click here. But here are a couple of highlights:
The next few are from my camera, and haven't been photoshopped, so they are definitely more amateur-looking.
Audrey even got a birthday smooch from Luke! Paul was totally alarmed of course.
They grow up so fast!!
Can you believe she is 2 years old already? How the time flies!
As you know, Audrey has such a giant, vibrant personailty she almost defies description. Her zest for life and adventure reminds us so much of the Nash family (Amy's mom's side) and Kari. The curly blonde hair and the grin look like Paul at this age (yes, he was blonde!) and her eyes look like Amy's mom's. I won't tell you who she gets the drooling from.
Audrey's favorite things to do are: play the drum or other instruments, play with baby dolls, color, dance to music, play ball, climb, read books, and sing. She is quite the jokester and will do practically anything for a laugh.
She is eager to please but sometimes a little slow to obey because she is trying to make us laugh or chase her down (it is so hard to stay serious when she does this!) She loves her sister and hardly knows what to do without Kate around. She can say just about anything she wants to say now, although we still struggle to understand her at times. Her favorite type of music is rock or anything with a hard beat, but her favorite songs to sing by herself are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Oh Happy Day" (a song we did at church on Easter).
She struggles with fear of bugs, Elmo (although less now than in the past), and robots. Other than that, she is fearless and will try just about anything.
She does throw 2-year-old-style tantrums now, but they seem related to teething pain, dining preferences, and bedtime more than anything else, so that makes her totally normal in my book. She is having a really hard time giving up that paci (which is probably not a shock to anyone).
She is a joy and delight, and brings sunshine and smiles to everyone she knows. We had no idea what we were in store for back when she was born!
Happy birthday, little munchkin! We love you beyond words!
Audrey is throwing a fit at the kitchen table because Mommy took her paci away. Mommy attempts to stop the fit by changing the subject.
Mommy: Audrey, are you thirsty? What do you want to drink?
Audrey (stops crying immediately and grins really big): Dr. Pepper!!
Deep spiritual thoughts regarding Easter:
"Judas thought 'moneys' were more importanter than Jesus. That's SO not good!"
"Is God cool? Like Audrey when she wears her sunglasses?"
And commentary on Mommy's singing practice:
"Mommy, those were some nice noises you were making!"
|