April 2009

April 12

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

From the Jones' Easter Bunnies!

 

April 21

A year in review... birthday perspective

So yesterday was my 33rd birthday.  We celebrated over the weekend.  Jerry got me family portraits as my birthday present.  I'm really happy with them.  We got the kid's portraits done as well and they also turned out really well.  My actual birthday was okay.  I hung with grouchy kids, went to Costco, and went to the park in the afternoon to hang with Kristie and co.  Kristie's birthday is tomorrow and we are having a joint Bearthday party this weekend to celebrate Earth Day and our birthdays.  I think it will be fun.  Thus far there are about 80+ people coming.  I'm making a rice krispie treat earth and my friend Jenn is making a sheet cake for the earth to sit on.  We will have a craft for the kiddos.  It's at a park, so there will be a playground for the kids to play on and a field for games and whatnot.  We are having a freecycle table for people to give/take what they want to get rid of/find to take home.

Okay on to the review:

This year has been a good one.  I had Grace.  And while we didn't go on a summer vacation, we did get to spend a week in the mountains and celebrate 10 years with friends from WWC.  I feel like I have learned to stop being concerned (as much) about what other people think of me/my parenting.  I have tried to get a thicker skin and not let my feelings get hurt so easy.  I have gone through the emotions of a new mom and learned to try not to let guilt get the best of me.  I have kicked myself for having two kids so close together in age and then turned around and found something like this:

  and realize I wouldn't want to have it any other way.  With the help of Jerry I potty trained Elijah and am SO glad...now onto night training!  I have learned to split my time between the kiddos.  I have found myself becoming more domestic-ish... in cooking and attempting to clean more.  I have found that my heart can indeed hold even more love than I thought.  I have supported Jerry through leaving an undesirable job to one that is MUCH more enjoyable.   I have gained a lot of perspective on what makes a true friend and have vowed to put forth more energy on friendships that will hopefully last, as for the others...I will definitely put the energy out there, but am not going to lose sleep over them.   I definitely get a kick out of the kids.  They are hilarious.  I will not feel bad that Elijah isn't in school, or that he doesn't know every color in the 64 count crayon box, or can't count to 10 without skipping a few numbers, or doesn't know his ABCs from rote memory.  I will take comfort in the fact that my children are happy, laugh easily, have fantastic imaginations, can make up incredible stories, love to play outside, love to pile up on Jerry and me, will sit and listen to stories, then make up their own (well Elijah does...Grace doesn't have enough words yet!) get along with their friends and show genuine concern for them, love to bake cookies, love to make mud pies, love to paint, love to play soccer.  I take comfort that I am a good mother.  This year has taught me that I can handle many things.  That my patience is VERY STRONG, but has a tendency to falter when there have been too many "NOOOOOO!!!!"'s   That I can run after my kids.  That my energy level is dependant on the attitudes of the kids.  I am continuously amazed by Jerry and his willingness to come home after a 8+ hour work day and chill with the kids.  That he will stay up with Grace and her itchiness.  That he will, without (to much) complaint watch over us and endure a horrid job in order to provide for us and make sure we are fed, have insurance, a roof over our heads, and a car to drive. (Now that he's in this new job, we joke that we don't have that much to talk about over dinner anymore!)  I am amazed that he puts up with me and my (occasional) insanity.  Though I shouldn't be.  We will have been married for 9 years next month.  It shouldn't phase me that I got such a GREAT husband.  It shouldn't phase me that he is such a phenomenal dad...but it does.  Maybe this year I will work on being okay with having all this... and feeling like I do deserve it!!

So that's it... for now... another year is starting for me and I think it will be just as good... if not better!

April 25

Signs of Summer?

Today it was 86 degrees.  Not kidding... 86 degrees!!!  Holy monkey!  It was hot!

We had a great time at the Bearth Day Party.  I only took 4 pics and three were of the cake!  I can't believe it!  But hopefully, Kristie & Co. got more and she'll share.  Anyway, here are a couple I took!

We are the few (to be explained in a later post!)

This is the cake...well, cakes... My friend Jenn made the sheet cakes.  There were FOUR different flavors.  I made the rice krispie treat Earth (with fruit roll up continents.)  It had some earthquake issues with the humidity, but hey... it's all about taste right?

Friday I realized that the heat was coming and we have no pool... sigh... so the kids and I went out and got one:

It's HUGE!  Has a pump and everything!  Pretty exciting thing! Of course, Elijah is completely scared of it... Alas, this too shall pass....probably tomorrow!

Our garden is starting to come along.  I realized that I planted the spinach WAY to late, so I hoed it under and planted cucumbers in its place.  Our okra, green beans, and carrots are coming up.  And our peas are going hog wild!  We will fill the second garden tomorrow and I will plant tomatoes, green peppers, corn, and squash.  WAHOO!

We went strawberry picking on Wednesday.  While there I purchased 2 new blueberry bushes that were already loaded with blueberries, albeit green, but they will turn blue.  Planted them on Friday near our other two.  I'm hoping to have some yummy blueberries when we get back from vacation.

We have been spending lots of time outside.  I think that one of the best purchases we have made is the swing set!  The kids love it!  Elijah climbs all over it and it expands his imagination...not to mention improves his already great balance!  Grace LOVES to swing.  This child is crazy about going high.  She'll giggle and laugh.  My only wish is that we had more shade in the morning.  The swings and the slide can get rather hot.  But for the afternoon, it's perfectly in the shade!  I moved the little picnic table (which Grace has decided is her Everest and climbs EVERY chance she gets...sigh) over near the swing set so we can have snacks and drinks right there.  It's close to perfect!

And finally... a sign that summer is indeed on the way?  ICE POPS!!!  I love a good ice pop.  Be it the ones you buy in the store that are really just frozen kool-aid or homemade from juice...you just can't beat it on a hot day!  I like to make them out of V8 Fusion.  It's 100% juice and it have veggies and fruit and comes in yummy, perfect for ice pops flavors.  The kids LOVE them too!!!

So here's to summer... bring it on!!!

April 27

The few

Over the past year I have made a couple of very good friends.  Kristie and Katie.  We started hanging out due to some unpleasantness that happened over a year ago.  This past summer we instigated Wednesday Friendsday.  We have been hanging out almost every Wednesday.  I feel very much that I am surrounded by kindred spirits with them.

A few weeks ago Katie's husband played for Wilmington's Country Idol.  While he is not a country singer, he is a talented singer and you do what you gotta do in the biz.  Anyway, we all went to support him.  I left my house after dark, for the first time...well, in a REALLY long time!  And I didn't get home until midnight.  It was insane!  But a lot of fun!

Then a week after that, Kristie's husband got stuck in NY due to really bad weather.  Kristie's little guy had not been napping and she was missing her hubby, so Katie and I showed up and hung out, drank some wine, sang some karaoke (not well!) and ate junk food until one in the morning!

My point is, that there are not many that I would do this happily for!  These women are the best!  We don't always agree on everything.  And that's okay.  I don't feel like I have to prove myself to them.

Last summer, when we really started the Wednesday Friendsday, we were rearranging our schedules to be able to hang out.  We were laughing one day that people were going to start thinking that we were a couple.  But a couple is only two people... so we became... the few!   I have to admit, almost every friendship I have been in has suffered if there are not an even number of people in the group.  The only time I have been GOOD friends with just two other women was in college.  This is not to say that I didn't have other friends.  But the three of us hung out a lot.  This is only the second time that I have been GOOD friends with two females together and it work.  Does that make sense?  For me, threes just haven't worked out.  Someone gets left out.  Feelings get hurt.  Sure Katie and I hang out with out Kristie.  Kristie and Katie hang out without me.  Kristie and I hang out without Katie.  Everything is fine.  None of us is threatened.  It's what I love about us!

And, who knows.  Maybe it's about growing up and growing older and getting over yourself.  But I don't know.

I still don't plan anything on Thursdays for that playgroup.  And I love the women in that group as well.  It's just a different dynamic.  It's a bigger group.  It's a different comfort.  Wednesday Friendsday is small.  I like that there is a difference and a balance.

I think it's important in life to learn who your true friends are.  I think it's important to put faith and trust in them.

I don't have a ton of friends, but the ones I do are the ones I care for and about.  I put energy into friendships.  And with these women, I feel the energy come back "few" fold!

April 28

Composed Whilst Mowing...

Dear Clover,

You are very soft under foot.  You also have non-annoying flowers... However, you attract bees.  And while this is not a bad thing... it IS inside the fence in our back yard.  See, while your softness is much nicer on our feet than scratchy grass, a bee sting to one of the kids might send me packing to Alaska (not really, because they have very little sun there in the winter and too much in the summer...but you get my drift.)  Therefore, I'm sorry, but I'm cutting you down.

Sincerely,

Erin

Dear Bees,

I know that you are in peril.  I am a BIG fan, believe me.  BUT, you tend to scare my kids, and let's be honest, me.  And I know they scare you too.  I really am sorry that our house has invaded your area.  And you are most free to buzz and pollinate OUTSIDE the fence, but I am cutting the clover down and composting the remains.  Please vacate the premise immediately.

Sincerely,

Erin

Dear Ants,

There is a perfectly good ditch not very far away that you can move too.  Our backyard has lots of little feet running through.  Leave now.  Please. This is your only warning.  I suggest you vacate immediately or you will be behold the wrath.

Thanks,

Erin

Dear Reel Mower,

I know that you are environmental.  I really like that our grass looks much better when we use you.  I like that you don't scare the kids.  I like that you don't pollute their little lungs.  But come July, you may be retired for a battery powered alternative.  But we'll see.  You were very helpful today and we did get the WHOLE lawn mowed...  Just wanted to give you a heads up.  We still love you... but it's hot out there...

Love,

Erin

Dear Spiders,

GET. OUT.  GET. OUT. NOW.

Erin

Dear Dandelions,

I admire your ability to adapt.  I cut you down, you simply grow back shorter.  It's really rather spectacular.  I have decided I don't really mind you.  Please just don't attract the bees, or I shall have to send you a letter similar to the one addressed to the clover (see attached.)

Thanks!

Erin

Dear Summer,

We are looking forward to you!  We are ready to have fun!  Bring it on!!!!!

Lots of Love,

Erin

February 2009

February 05

Enter February!

February (what a weird word...) has started with a bang.  I guess January wen out with one.  We went to a super fun birthday party.  They rented a bounce house and while it was chilly, all you had to do was jump jump jump to get warmed up!  It was a blast!  Elijah had a great time once he got over the initial shyness of being around people (that he's around at least once a week...)  Jerry kept Grace at home and therefore making him stay away from work for a little bit.  He hasn't taken a whole day off since Jan 17th (not that I'm counting... well, really I am!)  And while that's a lot of overtime, it is becoming obvious that Elijah and Grace miss him a lot.  Grace sees him and immediately wants to crawl over to him and snuggle.  Elijah has a tough time after lunch when Jerry goes back to work and then coming to the table to eat dinner.  The latter because Jerry comes home and plays with him.  But it's okay.  I have something for every weekend the rest of the month, so he'll have to be here.  And I need a little break too!  I'm going out with the two K's this weekend to see a movie and I'm soooo looking forward to it.  Honestly, it could be a blank screen for 2 hours and I"d be fine with that!

So the weather has been all weird!  Today the high was supposed to be 35 by Sunday it's supposed to be 70!  So whatever!  Yesterday we had 20 minutes of hard snow and then it stopped, but was FREEZING the rest of the day!  We went to a friends house and iced Valentine's Day cookies and had lunch.  Today we went to the train museum (where Elijah had his party last year!) and had it completely to ourselves.  I was happily surprised.  They have a great children's room and I thought it would be packed with moms that wanted to get out of the house...alas, it was not the case.  So that was nice.  I think that I might get a membership there.  I mean if we go just 3 more times it would pay for itself and they do cool stuff like Polar Express readings and whatnot... so we'll see.

On another note: I love our crock pot!  It's my new favorite thing!  I mean we had one before, and I guess I just wasn't that into it or something.  It just didn't seem to cook things right or something... of course, the only thing that ever really cooked was beef stew... But I have been trying all kinds of things in it and most recently I made BBQ!  It was so easy and SO yummy!  I love it!  Just wanted to share! ;)

Tomorrow we are heading for a park since it's going to be in the 50s.  I also have a baby shower that I'm taking Grace to this weekend.  While it's nice to get out, I really wish I just had two days to really work on the house.  I don't know what the solution is to the toy room, but there has to be a better way.  Maybe I'm just not diligent enough at keeping things where they go, but Elijah is REALLY into piling things up.  That's fine, but then when it's time to clean up everything gets all mixed up and unless I go through and sort it all out it's impossible to find things.  THEN he gets all whiny that he can't find one specific toy and tears up the room finding it.  I really think shelving maybe the answer, but when the heck am I going to have time to install them?  sigh... My folks are thinking about coming down for a week in March, so maybe I can do it then.  I really think that I depend on order.  And while I don't want to be anal, or pass this tendency onto my children, it really makes me a little crazy to not have organization.  We won't even talk about the mess that is the master bedroom right now...though it may say something to my lack of sleeping well lately...hmmmm... sigh...again... time...

Okay...that's all for now...

February 15

How I lost my Mother of the Year Card and regained it!

I've been soooo bad about blogging lately.  I honestly, have wanted too, but...well, am too lazy.  Though, we have been busy.

So last weekend I went to see He's Just Not That Into You.  Good movie, great cast!  I went with two of my good girlfriends and we had an absolute blast!  I love hanging out with them.  Usually I'm not a good triangle friendship type of girl.  But with these women, we seem to really connect and have a good relationship with just the three of us.  It was really nice to get out of the house!  On Sunday I went to a baby shower and I took Grace.  It was nice and low key.  Again, nice to get out of the house.  The weather was absolutely great!

Then Monday happened... sigh... I was striped of my Mother of the Year card for sure!  We went to walk the loop (I am determined to get in shape!!) and everything was good.  Though Elijah now understands landmarks and generally where things are.  Since the loop goes right by the beach, he KNEW we were there, and would NOT stop asking about it...so I reluctantly crossed the road and allowed him to spend time at the beach.  I thought that we would get out there and he would want to leave because the wind was really strong and a little chilly.  sigh... not so much.  He was perfectly content to play.  As was Gracie.  So I let them.  It was fine.  I had very little to do that day, so why not.  We were there for about 30 minutes and I was starting to get hungry and we needed to stop by the grocery store on the way home, so I gave Elijah a five minute warning, then a two minute warning, then a one minute warning and then told him it was time to go.  I picked up Grace and started back toward the stroller.  Elijah screams, "NOOOOOOOO!" and takes off running in the wrong direction.  Okay. I think, he's going to stop and come back, because he knows better.  or not.  So I say, "Elijah Jacob Jones, you need to come back here right now!"  And I proceed to count to three.  He doesn't stop.  So I start walking slowly after him thinking, SURELY, he is going to stop and turn around and come back.  SURELY he KNOWS that I'm already mad. He DOES stop and turns around and sees that I am coming after him, and starts running faster!!!  Now, my blood is physically boiling.  I am honestly thinking about sitting down and crying, because this is what happens to me when I get REALLY mad.  I'm at a loss.  I have a 20 pound baby I'm carrying as well as a jacket which contains my camera, keys, and wallet (not too light) and I'm on the beach alone.  I stop for a minute.  Elijah stops. Then starts running again.  He is now about 100 yards in front of me.  I drop my jacket and start jogging in sand with Grace.  I'm not covering any ground.  My only two choices are, watch Elijah run away out of my sight, or put Grace down, sprint after Elijah and hope that Grace is fine for the couple minutes she'll be out of my sight.  I choose the latter.  I sprint (mind you I don't run) after Elijah and have to contain myself from not ripping him a new one because the girl child needs me to get back to her.  Grace is, of course, happily eating sand and could have cared less, but the fact that I had to put her down pissed me off beyond belief.  So I'm half dragging Elijah back to Grace.  He's laughing which irks me to the point I am seeing red.  I say, "That's it Elijah, we are going straight home, you will have lunch, and go to bed.  No chicken fries (McDonald's), no TV, NOTHING!"  Elijah suddenly realizes, hey, mom's pissed!  And collapses on the sand crying.  I say, "GET UP NOW!"  He goes limp (must be opposite day I didn't get the memo.)  I jerk him up, and do something I thought I would never do, I swatted his little butt.  He walks for three steps and collapses again.  At this point, I don't care anymore.  All good parenting has left my being and sailed away on the ocean.  I let go of his arm and say, "Fine.  You know what Elijah?  I'm done.  You can stay here.  The tide is coming in you might want to go up to higher ground, good luck."  And I walk away.  I pick up Grace and I keep walking.  My lungs heart, my heart is racing, and I just want to curl up and cry.  Elijah comes bolting up next to me saying, "NOOOOO MOMMY!!!! 'Ijah want to go with mommy!!!!  P'ease...... 'Ijah going to be a good boy now."  I say, "You may come with us, but you need to make big boy choices."  He says nothing, just follows us back to the stroller where I chug the rest of my water and sit down while I calm down.  I then start getting the good parenting vibes again.  I explain to Elijah why it's dangerous to run from mommy.  He apologizes and we finish our walk.  He was upset that there was no special food and no Curious George, but every time he whined I said, "Next time you won't run from Mommy" and he shut up.  After nap we started fresh and had a great rest of the day!  sigh...

On Tuesday we had soccer. I LOVE this class!  Elijah is doing well in it as well.  We got home from soccer, Elijah watched about 5 minutes of TV and announced he was going to bed...and then did so!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we played at various parks because the weather was sooo AWESOME!  I wanted to get to the beach again, but the wind was REALLY strong AND I didn't want a replay of Monday.

Yesterday we went to a really fun birthday party at Monkey Joe's.  This is big indoor area filled with inflatable jumpy things.  Elijah and I have been there before but he's been to nervous to really do anything and I was either preggo or had Grace so I couldn't really do the things with him.  Yesterday, though, I got to play with him and we had a BLAST!!!  Jerry worked for a bit and then brought home chocolates for me.  Next weekend we are going to Myrtle Beach and staying at this place.  It has a HUGE indoor water park, so I think it will be really fun.  Today we walked around Home Depot and daydreamed about home improvement stuff.  We priced a bunch of stuff and I think much of it will be doable within the next year.  We also went to Target because Elijah's feet have grown (AGAIN!)  I bought shoes for him three months ago a size to big and he's outgrown them...sigh... so new shoes for him.  Ohhh, and I forgot, I treated myself to some Fit Flops.  They are not THE fit flops, but they are 1) MUCH cheaper and 2) helped out our neighborhood Avon lady.  I picked them up Friday and wore them for about 2 hours.  They are SUPER comfy and Saturday morning, my thighs were a little sore.  So I'm really excited about them.  I mean if I'm going to wear flip flops anyway...right???

GRACE: has three teeth now, is crawling like there is no tomorrow, has the funniest chuckle EVER!, occasionally says some words (other than mama and dada), and is pushing up...not so much pulling up.  She pushes up on her legs to stand.  This only works if she has her hands on something, but she doesn't seem to pull with her arms so much as just use them for balance.  She LOVES doing downward dog and REALLY wants to stand up from that, but alas, gravity (and strength are against her in that endeavor...soon baby girl too soon!)  She loves to go into the playroom when Elijah isn't in there and play with all the toys by herself.  It is AMAZING to me EVERYDAY how absolutely different the kiddos are and yet rather similar.  Grace also LOVES her veggies.  She will eat corn and peas and broccoli.  She also LOVES rice of any kind.  However, said food must be whole.  None of that mushed up crap for her.  Easier for me!  Oh, and of course, the world might stop spinning if we run out of cherrios!

Okay... so this is a REALLY long entry...but now ya know!  I'll post some pics and hopefully I'll write sooner than later.

February 20

The 3 year old stats!

Today we took Elijah for his 3 year well child check.  While a little late, we wanted to wait until we had our new insurance...which is nice because well child checks are free on our insurance (well, no co pay anyway!)

So here are the stats: He's 36.6 pounds which is the 90% for his age.  And he's 40.5 inches tall which is 97% for his age.  He is roughly the size of a 4.5 year old!!  He grew 5 pounds and 4.5 inches in one year!  The doctor was impressed that he grew that much.  Though he doesn't think I'll have a 7 foot kindergartner, he probably will be one of the taller kids in his class...unless he stops growing (ha!)  Elijah is healthy all around.  The doc answered my questions about the car seat/booster seat thing (he said to go by weight as opposed to age...so in a 3.4 more pounds or two more inches, he's in the booster part of his seat) and reassured me that his speech issues were normal.  I figured they were, but it's always nice to hear from a doc. There is a cool little form you fill out at the beginning of the appointment to see where you child is developmentally.  Elijah does everything on the paper except say his first and last name when asked what his name is...which is something we just started working on anyway. During the appointment Elijah was super shy and wouldn't let go of me until the doc said he was done and then Elijah was all about saying bye bye.  Grace was a very good girl though the whole thing.  We went to McDonalds as a treat afterward.

                          

                                       my little guy!!!

We are now waiting for Jerry to get home so we can load into the car and hit the road to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. We are staying in a resort that has a HUGE indoor water park, so even though the weather isn't going to the warmest, we'll have a fun time.  I have been fighting a nasty cold all week and think I'm finally nearing the end of it.  I sound all low voiced, but I feel a lot better...mostly due to Jerry being so great.  He kept Grace the past couple of nights and brought me soup and juice and zicam and cough syrup and anything else I could have needed.... JERRY ROCKS!!! (in case there was any doubt!)

February 22

Mini Vacation

We're home!  We had a GREAT time!  I wish we could have stayed for longer, ah well...next time!  I gotta say that this was one of the nicest places we have stayed.  There were two indoor water parks.  We were right on the beach (though it was rather cold...but ya know!)  There are restaurants on site, so you don't HAVE to leave...and we only did once.  Everyone that works there was SUPER nice!  I do have to say that I cannot imagine being there at peak season.  I don't know how booked they were, but it was fairly crowded...not so much that it was bothersome, but if they were at full capacity, I don't think it would have been as fun.  The kids had a blast in the water.  I posted some pics in the February album ( had more but apparently there is some mystery error so a bunch didn't upload...whatever...)  I wish we had brought the camera the second day, but on our way out Elijah's hand got caught in the door and we got sidetracked.  The second day we went to the second park.  There was a lazy river and smaller slides that allowed tandem sliding.  Elijah actually went down with me twice...but that enough for him.  The other water park is cool too.  It was in our tower, so a little closer.  It had a submarine that had water features all around it, and I think that was Elijah's favorite thing.  Grace LOVED the water.  A friend of ours lent us a little float for her and her little legs just kicked and kicked under there.  It cracked me up!  She was just happy as a little clam hanging in that and watching everything!  The two bedroom unit was the way to go.  We tried the kiddos in the same room and it worked really well.  I slept in their room and Jerry slept in the big master bed.  When Elijah would wake up and want to sleep with me, I transferred Grace to Jerry.  But they slept well together in one room.  Elijah even slept through Grace crying when she woke up.  That was my biggest thing about transferring her into her own bed in their bedroom.  So I think we will start that transition soon.  This morning we got up and went for one last play in the water before check out at 11.  We got back to the room by 10 and changed clothes and went to load stuff up.  We had to wait a while for an elevator down and then decided to just carry our stuff across the road to the parking deck instead of trying to fight the insane check out traffic.  If we had expendable income, I seriously think we would consider getting a time share at this place.  Even if we were there at a warmer, more crowded time, we could walk just about anywhere anyway!  There's also a new bypass (or maybe it's not new...but whatever) that made getting to this place super easy (we did it in just over one and a half hours.)  On our way home we stopped at the outlet mall for lunch and went into Old Navy.  They were having a huge clearance sale so we walked out with a bunch of new clothes!  Now we're home and (sorta) ready for another week!