do something new

I am one part woman and one part bear. During the winter, I hibernate. Give me a blanket, three shirts and one cup of hot chocolate and I am happy.

Go outside? No thanks.

Take the kids to play in the snow? Are you crazy?

During a conversation with a friend last week, she told me that the cold is only bad when you fail to bundle up properly. She reminded me of what I already knew: winter is hard for people who need to be outside (like me) and if you are not active, it is very easy to feel depressed and lazy.

I have a need to be outside. Fresh air, sunshine and all those wonderful things that are hard to come by in winter are necessities for my well being.

This morning, with the sun shining bright and no plans on the agenda, I asked the boys if they wanted to play outside. It was a balmy 30 degrees outside. Micaiah was delirious with joy that Mommy was going to take them outside. We bundled up really well and went up to the playground.

We made snowballs, we ran and the boys just generally enjoyed being outside. It was not even that cold to me and the wind was still.

Imagine my shock when we got home and I realized that we had been outside for over an hour! Thanks to our generous family members who hooked us up with snow gear for Christmas. It really came in handy today!

Maybe we could try to do this at least once a week. Do you think I can handle it?

at least it's not Spiderman

My boys have a hero. It started when we moved here and has continued to grow with time. This hero's name is continually spoken around our house at random times.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Pastor Dave! *insert superhero music*

You see, this weekend we had several interesting conversations, which made me realize that their hero worship is at an all-time high. Tell me what you think:

Me: Keith, look...Mic's new (hand-me-down) jeans are Levi's . Aren't they nice?
Mic: Mom, these are Levi's jeans?!?! I'm wearing Levi's jeans??
Me: No, honey...the brand is called Levi's.
Mic: Oh. (He totally thinks they were his friend's jeans) Caleb, I'm wearing Levi's jeans!!
Caleb: Oh. Caleb have Pastor Dave's jeans!

Later that night:

Me: Christmas is coming soon. Mic, do you know why we celebrate Christmas?
Mic: I will get lots and lots of new stuff. (Commercialism at its finest.)
Me: Ummmm, yeah...but it's someone's birthday.
Mic: NO, IT'S NOT! IT'S CHRISTMAS.
Me: It is someone's birthday. We pray to Him, we sing worship songs to Him...when we pray we say "Dear Lord _____"
Mic: (looks up questioningly) Pastor Dave???

So, there you have it. All this time at church, I thought we were praying to and worshipping Jesus. I guess Mic has been singing straight to...Pastor Dave.

Oh my. I guess we'd better start working on the theology around here? (just kidding)

i'm not bragging

We all survived Mic's first full morning of preschool. I was not emotional at all, since I got that out over the last week. He was very excited! A little cold did not stop him at all. (He's feeling better today, by the way.) Since he wasn't sneezing all over the place or coughing everywhere, I figured that it would be okay for him to go.

Caleb and I came home and played together, relaxed, read books and ate. It was fun to just focus on Caleb and his potty training and just love on him. We laughed while we ate together, plus I got some housework done. This preschool time is proving to offer a much needed break for this mama.

When I went to pick Mic up, the preschool director walked right over to me and said, "Your son is soooooo sweet! How in the world do you ever say no to him?" I laughed and said "Well, thank you! We manage (to say no to him)." And I was proud. Proud of this little boy and his great personality. We have worked hard to teach them about having a good attitude.

Last night, the boys were playing with some other kids and there was a little girl playing, too. She was very small and about Caleb's age (though Caleb was about twice her size). She just happened to be running toward Mic, so he threw his arms open, waiting for her to run into them so that he could give her a hug! The girl turned the other way but the little girl's grandmother said, "I think your son wants a baby sister!"

As I was cutting Mic's hair last night, I told him to look straight at my belly so that I could get a certain spot. He said, "Mom, do you have a baby sister for me in your belly?" I called Keith in so that he could hear what our three-year-old was asking me. We had a good laugh (you know...the laugh that says "Not on your life!") and then Mic said, "But Mom, I had a baby sister I was playing with today." I reminded him that the girl was someone else's baby sister, not his! Silly boy.

My 100th Post!

How exciting! I just realized that this is my 100th post.

Yesterday, we went to the county fair.

We walked around and the kids got a balloon.

We ate the lunch that we brought from home and then bought ice cream.

We saw cows, horses, rabbits and some other animals.

Caleb kept whining, "Ride cow! Ride cow!"

Micaiah played a game and won a toy.

We watched an alligator show.

Micaiah lost his balloon.

And cried hysterically because "I dust wanted to brung it home."

We walked back and got another balloon.

Micaiah sang the whole way home in his carseat with his new balloon and said, "Mom, I'm so glad that you got me a new balloon!"

Caleb fell asleep and Keith and I tried not to.

The boys went to bed at 7:30 p.m. last night and did not wake up this morning until 8:30 a.m.!!!

What a good day.

In need of company

What would you do if you and your children were housebound, cranky and bored?

If you were me, you would call a friend one evening and plan a playdate for the next day. That morning, you would wake the children up at 6:00 a.m. so that you could drive your husband to work and keep the car.

Then, you would instantly be in a better mood and have a great day with some friends!

I refuse to be stuck in a rut. I just can not let myself go there.

Second Post Today...Personality Quiz

I couldn't resist and took the personality quiz going around. What do you think?

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you are very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well! At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's Your Personality Type?

Full Days and Happy Boys

It does not happen here very often, but we had quite the full day today. I drove Keith to work so that I could keep the truck, so we were all up and in the car at 6:15 a.m.

The day started with an impromptu visit to the urgent care clinic for me. I am not disclosing details because it's rather personal. Read: I AM NOT PREGNANT. It had nothing to do with that. The reason that I mentioned this is because of the sweet lady of Middle Eastern descent (she worked there) who kept asking my boys if they wanted a baby sister. And how they should pray every Christmas to Santa (pronounced Shaunta) for a baby sister, since that's what her daughter did and got a baby brother. I thought she was talking about the god of a different religion, but Keith realized that she was talking about Santa when I relayed the story to him. She scared the daylights out of the boys by playing a very over the top game of Peek-a-Boo with them. Then she gave them pens and pads of paper from drug companies so that they could "practice the math, and the spelling and the letters and get so smart." She was very kind and I enjoyed her quirkiness.

We headed to the library for storytime and play time. They loved it and we checked out new books and a new video. On to home, lunch and a nap which was enjoyed by the two little ones, while I enjoyed my new book.

There is a farmer's market I have been wanting to check out, so after nap time we headed there. I got a few things and Keith called for us to come and pick him up. We drove to get him and then came home and made dinner.

Let me tell you about dinner: it was breakfast for dinner tonight. Yum, double yum. We had eggs with cheese, onion and green pepper. Plus, a side of blueberries and muffins I made (whole wheat pastry flour and apples were two of the main ingredients). The dinner was a hit and the boys gobbled it all up.

Now, the boys are in bed while I'd better get there too. Our days are starting quite early again.

A weekend update...

Hi! We've been...outside. The weather here has been gloriously warm. The boys have been coming in from outside smelling like sweat and dirt and I love it!

We have also been packing. Kind of. If you were moving in, say...7 days or so...what would your method of packing and preparing be? How far along would you be by now? Well, if you lived in this house, in this family...you would be laying on the couch watching movies and eating ice cream while the kids napped. Or you would be laying in bed sleeping while the kids napped. Or you would be online blogging after the kids went to bed. Do you see the pattern here? You see, our boxes are packing themselves. That's what I tell myself anyway. Truthfully, we have over 20 boxes packed and are well on our way. No worries as Keith's last day of work was Friday.

But, this is what I call my "social butterfly" week. I have something planned for just about every day with friends and such. See above paragraph for the details on how my boxes are packing themselves.

So, yesterday we blew bubbles, went to the park, made sand castles in the dirt and had a great day. Here are a few pictures:

I love that smile!!

Look at those sweet cheeks!

Playing together!

Mama and her babies!


Have a great Memorial Day!

Joy in the Ordinary

Micaiah gets so excited about little things. Anyone who knows him knows this about him.

I went grocery shopping by myself (!!!) last night and they had some toothpaste for kids on clearance. It just happened to have Curious George on it, so I picked it up for $1.25. When I got home and Mic saw his new toothpaste, this was our conversation:

Mic (in an excited, high-pitched voice): Mom, you bought this for me at the grocery store?
Mom: Yeah, honey.
Mic: I got a new Curious George toothpaste from the grocery store?
Mom: Yes.
Mic: Now, I have two toothpastes. An Einsteins one and a Curious George one. Pick one, this one or this one.
Mom: Yes, honey, now you'll be able to pick which one you want when it's time to brush.
Mic: Look, Caleb, I got a new Curious George toothpaste.
Mom: Caleb sees it, honey.
Mic: I have a blue one called Einsteins and a red one called Curious George. From the grocery store...

I am not joking, this went on for 15 minutes. He was so happy. So, Keith and I started clapping and cheering for his new toothpaste and Caleb was raising his hands yelling, "Jesus!". Mic laughed SO hard. Yes, I think we are weird, too. But, I love the gratefulness and joy that Mic takes in such small things.

Caleb has started singing the alphabet!! Caleb, my 17 month old! He sings it with the right melody and all. This morning during breakfast, Caleb sang 'coo, ahh, s' (that would Q,R,S). Haha. So smart.

A little fresh air and sunshine never hurt anyone, right?

I'll be honest. Sometimes I make my boys do things that they don't want to do. Like brush their teeth, eat dinner or stop jumping on the couch so that they don't fall and poke out an eye. I know, how mean of me.

Micaiah was reading a book on the couch, when I started getting everyone ready to take a little walk in the sunshine this morning. He told me that he was still reading and didn't want to walk. So like the nice mom that I am, I said too bad and put his shoes and coat on anyway. I needed to walk. Caleb needed to walk. And, once we got out there, Micaiah was happy to be out of the apartment and walking. We walked up to the student center here where they have ping-pong, a pool table, a big checkers set and some other things that the boys like to pretend they can play. They had fun. They played and ran around. And when we came home, they ate lunch, drank some Gatorade and are now sleeping happily in their beds.

So you see, sometimes I make them do things that they don't want to do, like take a walk, get fresh air and sunshine, and have fun playing. I know, how mean of me.

P.S. Micaiah is feeling much better today, so hopefully this is really the end! Thanks for praying!