His and Hers Fall Fun

Well, this season of fun, fall festivities has turned out to be a little less "family fun" and a little more "date with Mommy" than I anticipated.  But they both have had a turn to do something festive, so I guess that's what really matters.

A few weeks ago some friends and I took our little two-year-old girls to Zoo Boo.  The three of them were born within 7 weeks of each other and have been in the same class at church their whole lives (and the mommies were friends long before they were born), so it was a very fun group.  But the morning did tug at my heart strings a bit, because I didn't get to take Sam.  I took his for the first time when he was two, with one of his life-long buddies, a tradition we repeated three years in a row.  But this year they're both in school 5 days a week.  And ALL the mommies were in agreement that Zoo Boo isn't quite enough fun to justify the Saturday crowds.  I did my best to side-step Sam's questions about our plans for the day, and I'm proud that I DID NOT lie about anything.  But really, he is handling like the champ the fact that Annabelle and I lead a life while he is at school.  He doesn't complain when we do fun things, which I think is a sign that he enjoys his time at school. 

Anywho...  Annabelle and I did have a lovely morning with friends.  She gets the concept of Trick-or-Treating and thinks any and all animals are cute, regardless of how gross they actually are.  "Awww!"  And unlike her brother, who at that age was still putting one swipe of crayon on a sheet of paper and declaring it "all done," this girl had to be pried away from the "paint a tiny pumpkin" station. 

We had some "family homework" sent home from the elementary school...decorate a pumpkin to look like a character from a book you've read from the school library.  Two things: 1. I'm not really going to let my 2 year old help with this "family homework" and 2. My options are SO LIMITED when my 5 year old has literally only checked out Star Wars books so far from the school library.  But, I think the few hours that Mommy, Daddy and Sam put into our R2D2 pumpkin produced excellent results. 

This past weekend was supposed to be a full day of family fun, but when Annabelle woke up with dried vomit all over her bed, our plans changed a bit (poor girl, she'd never thrown up before and didn't know what had happened.  It happened once more shortly after she woke up and she told us "my mouth spilled").  Family Fun Outing to the Horse Farm/Pumpkin Patch turned into a Mommy/Sam date.  Again, my heart was sad because I know Annabelle would have loved all of the animals.  Sam thought it was ok, but next year he'll probably have more fun at the over-commercialized Dewberry Farm.  Ugh, I miss this Midwest in October!

This picture is from the "haunted trail."  He was all smiles until some woman in a funny breathing mask wouldn't get the clue that he was too scared and she needed to back off.  I turned my crying child around and left the way we came in.  Fortunately we were able to trade in Annabelle's groupon-purchased admission prices for a few large pumpkins - which I lugged by myself back to the car.  My arms were shaking when we got there - guess I need to do some weight training.

That night I stayed home with the by-then-probably-fine-but-still-in-the-24-hour-window "sick" child while Sam and Chris headed to a Halloween party.  I consoled the left out girl with the promise of a Princess Movie and Toenail Polish, and a dinner of toast and apple sauce.  She accepted.

NOW we did make it to ONE fall event as a family: The Neighborhood Fall Festival.  We took a hay ride, played on the playground, ate some cookies, chatted/ran wild with friends and Annabelle received her requested Rainbow Butterfly.  Which was a smeared mess by the time bath time rolled around that night.  Here's hoping we can all make it out together on Friday night, too!

A Hobby for Mommy

Five and half years ago, when I became a mom, every aspect of how I defined myself changed.  Some ways were for the better, others probably not.  If I'm honest, it has taken me the better part of these five years to figure out who I am as "mom."  How do I parent, how do I relate to other moms, school...how has my relationship with my husband or friend changed...how much free time I get, how important is it, how I use it.  This last one has probably taken the longest to work out.  How do I balance being ME with being MOM, when the two are inseparable, yet I need to be defined by more than just that one word!?

In that last year I have recognized and landed on two hobbies that I have grown attached to and that I find both enjoyable and a great source of stress relief.  One, shockingly enough, is running.  Took me about 6 months to stop hating it, but 15 months in I kinda love it.  About 10 minutes ago I signed-up my family of 4 for the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Dash.  Woot Woot!  The other is baking and making my baked good beautiful.

That one's not a surprise.  I've loved it my whole life.  So much so that my mom never bothered with the Easy Bake Oven, but I regularly found real kitchen supplies - even a small electric one year! - under the Christmas tree.  I pretty much took over the Christmas Cookies (an big thing in our family) in high school and college.  More recently I've come to enjoy the challenge of making shaped, themed birthday cakes for my kiddos. 

Which is why I was SO VERY excited when my bestie, who pays excellent attention even from far distances and on very little sleep (thanks to her newborn), gifted me with a cupcake decorating class for my birthday.  I went this past Saturday and had SO MUCH FUN.  Honestly, in another life I may go work in a bakery.  Or at this shop.  Or just bake a lot and get fat.

My teacher was awesome - she's even been on Food Network's cake decorating competition show, and she did win the $10,000 prize.  I want to go spend a million dollars at this store buying all kinds of new supplies and tools.  And I'm brainstorming what additions might be made to this year's Christmas Cookie Tray as a result of what I've learned.

Obviously it was a Halloween-themed event, and we pumped out all these treats in 3.5 hours.  She had everything baked, but we did all the decorating.  I mentally predicted which treat each family member would pick first when I got home, and I am pleased to announce that I was correct in my predictions!  My kiddos, they eat with their eyes first a foremost!

Now I'm going to go eat the brain.  Good thing my one hobby can undo the affects of the other!

Lately with Lady A

Funny that I'd call her that in a blog title, because I never use that name out loud anymore.  In fact, she gets called her full name most of the time, unlike her brother whom I mostly call by one nick name or another.  Funny - it really should be the other way, given the length of their names!

Anywho...

Although I do regularly call her "Baby Girl," it is very clear that she is no longer a baby.  She is doing a lot of growing up these days - I can see it in her attitude (which is much more, um, opinionated these days), her play (which is more creative), her interactions with other kids (she gets what the big kids are doing and tries hard to keep up) and in what she's learning.  One night she set things up for her baby doll to join us for dinner.  She and baby took turns taking bites throughout the meal.

In spite of all this growing, she is still the littlest around here, and sometimes when you're little you just don't get to do certain things.  And Baby Girl is no longer indifferent about missing out on things that the rest of us are doing.  Do not joke with her about staying home while everyone else leaves, lest she leave you with her "Don't Stay Me At Home!" line she demanded at Gommy.  And don't ask her to stay in the car when Mommy and Sam are dropped at a birthday party at the splash pad, lest you suffer a 20 minute melt down.  Chris texted me this picture while we were at the party - when they got home she ran to her room and came back with her swim suit so that they could head back to the splash pad.  She didn't handle the "not this time" all that well.

One day last week, while Daddy was out of town, I took the kids for donuts as a special after-school treat.  She handed me this and told me she was done.  Do all 2-year-olds go through a phase of eating only the parts touching the frosting, or is that just my 2-year-olds?

This morning was our last music class for the fall session.  The kiddos all dressed up for "national wear a costume day" - the music class was at a Baptist church...teachers hands were a bit tied on what she was allowed to call our little celebration!  That would be Mommy's very first ballet costume she is wearing - her favorite of all her dress up items.  Fear not: of the 8 little girls at class today, there were 3 Elsa's. 

We started up a Tuesday morning bible study a few weeks ago, so even though our music class is over, our weeks are still sufficiently full.  She's a good side-kick to have around - and way better at shopping than her brother was at this age!

NCE

So we, as a family, are new to the elementary school.  I don't like to be "new" to anything.  I like to fit in, feel comfortable and at home.  I like to know what's going on and how "to work" a place.  I like to know who everyone is, and be known.  And it frustrates me that arriving at this place takes time, regardless of what the new place is.  But one thing I have learned along the way: the best way to fell connected and at home is to get involved.  So...

I've over-committed myself.  As per usual.  Grade Level Coordinator (for room moms, although I am sharing this job with a friend), Work Room Volunteer (I did negotiate this down to an every-other week commitment), Friday Readers, and this week I will spend the entire school day there teaching Junior Achievement.  And I encourage those around me to get involved, too.

Enter "Watch D.O.G.S."  That's, "Dad Of Great Students."  Their way of getting the Dads more involved at school was to have them commit to volunteer one full school day out of the year, rather than hodge-podge hours throughout the week, like is more my style.  Chris got his turn earlier this month.  I think that when he signed up he mostly did it because he was "supposed to" and he knew Sam would feel special having him there.  When the day was over, it was clear that he enjoyed himself.  It was such a great opportunity for him to see how the school operates, get a picture of how Sam spends his day, get to know his teacher a bit and see how the kids in his class interact. He met some more people at the school - including the Principal's husband, who was there Watch DOGging with his 5th grade daughter (although because he is also a middle school VP, he actually ended up substitute teaching.  Ha!).  He gained some insights I hadn't yet, and Sam DID feel special having him there. 

And I got everyone we live near and are related to involved in our first elementary school fundraiser.  Thanks again for all of your generous donations!  Sam loved everything about the Boosterthon Fun Run - from the prizes he brought home daily (literally, at least one a day for 9 school days) to the running around and getting water cups for 40 minutes with his buddies.  We made a poster so that he could earn an extra prize (obviously.  And the Boosterthon chair posted it on Facebook - woot woot!).  And although I did go to watch the event, I did not volunteer for it - proud of me?!  I wasn't sure if I'd have Annabelle with me or not, or I would have volunteered.  There's always next year ;-)

So I'm over at the school a little bit more each week, feeling a bit more at home each time.  The good thing is, Sam already feels at home and comfortable there - and I guess that matters more than my feelings, right?

Bonus Picture: I was in the PTA room when they were counting box tops one day.  Have you ever seen such a tiny box top?  I cannot imagine what product this cam off of!

The Big 6-0!

Happy Birthday Papa!

In my books, a big birthday deserves a big celebration.  That's just too hard to do from a different time zone.  So...I invited him down here!  And he came, along with Gommy and Uncle Matt and Uncle Kate, for a weekend in Houston to mark the occasion.

The 'rents came in on Thursday morning so they got to see Annabelle's classroom at preschool pick-up.  I was intentionally vague with Sam as to what time they'd be arriving, so they were able to surprise him at elementary pick-up.  He was very excited, and it was cute to watch him run up to them.  They also got to go to soccer practice.  All terribly exciting things, but this is our real life these days!

Friday morning they were actually able to go into Sam's classroom with him to participate in Friday readers.  He felt pretty special to have to readers come with him!  Grandparents report he was a model student while they were there - perhaps I should send them in every week!  And I think the grandparents enjoyed seeing where he spends his days and getting a small feel for the school.  And then they came home to play princesses for awhile.  I do love when I get to let Annabelle direct the play while Sam is at school. As luck would have it, Friday was actually early dismissal for the district, so they weren't able to eat lunch with him.  Instead they used the afternoon off to head out to Chuck-E-Cheese's.  I'm no 5-year-old, but I think that's better than ANY afternoon at school ever could be.

(Please don't tell Annabelle.  She took a 4-hour nap on Friday afternoon and has no idea what fun she missed.  Sometimes there are privileges to being the oldest!)

Matt and Kate flew in late on Friday...fun for the kids to wake up with more people in the house than when they went to bed!  After a cinnamon pancakes with maple/apple topping, some of us visited a new Farmer's Market while others played outside.  We overate on "football food" for the Ohio State game and then loaded up to cheer on Sam at his soccer game.  Fortunately he scored a few goals for his visitors!

Saturday night was the big deal - dinner at a steakhouse, with the kids!  I was obviously nervous about taking them there, but they did really really well.  Especially Annabelle, who sat in her booster at the table for 2.5 hours.  Seriously!  She got a little upset when the well-intentioned server cleared her "bwead" while she was in the potty, but that was easily remedied with a new loaf, just for her.  Sam needed to go outside for a bit, but I don't blame him.  It was a long, wonderful, filling meal!  And a big birthday deserves a big meal, right?  (We also saw a proposal while we were there - fun!)

Sunday was church, brunch, a bit of hanging out and a few airport runs.  The weekend visits always seem to go so fast!  I am happy that Annabelle now no longer needs to be re-introduced to any family members after extended absences, and happy that she still has no idea that Uncle means "boy" and Aunt means "girl."

Annabelle had a couple good quotes from the weekend, unfortunately I can't share them all here.  But here are a few:
"Don't stay me at home!"
"Mommy, I coming!" (said with teenage sass...help me!)