Launching a new site!!

I will, of course, still be here with our goings on, BUT I am launching anew site that features pictures taken by Elijah.  Here is the website!

http://ejspicsthelittleshutterbug.blogspot.com/

 Please feel free to follow it or just check it out every once and a while!!

10 on Monday

• My parents arrived last week on Thursday.  They have tried already 2 times this month to make it down here.  AND this time they almost didn’t make it.  They had to take their car in to get the tires realigned from hitting a pothole.  After that, the car was still shaking.  SOO, they took it somewhere to leave and went and got a rental to drive down. I think had I not had a doctor’s appointment on Friday and in dire need of their help, they would have postponed AGAIN… So glad they didn’t!!
• Prior to their arrival my parents ordered us a new vacuum.  I should have taken pictures at how well the vacuum  cleans!!  I love it!!  I know it’s weird to love an appliance (is that what a vacuum is considered?)  but I enjoy cleaning things AND to be able to see what I have cleaned.  Love it!
• The weather sucks.  It was nice on Thursday.  Kinda nice on Friday and Saturday, and downright crappy on Sunday and today.  Alas.
• Jerry and I went on a much needed date.  We went to a movie and out to dinner.  Sigh.  The movie SUCKED!  Dinner SUCKED!  The only saving grace was the company and the fact that we didn’t have the kids with us.  Sunday afternoon we went to an open house for grins and giggles, and then went to Target and Lowe’s to meander.   So Sunday made up for it.
• The doctor’s appointment went well on Friday.  Right now we are seeing if I have any food allergies.  Then we will go from there.  We did rule out my gall bladder.  So that’s good.
• Grace CAN.NOT wait to go to school.  Every night the kids get to ask one question each.  She asks (every.single.night.) “When I wake up will I go to kindergarten?”  Time is a foreign concept to her littleness.  She will attend preschool next year, but she has a bit to wait until it’s time for kindergarten.
• Elijah was an acolyte at his school today.  He’s always so serious when he is asked to do something for school.



• For Lent I gave up caffeinated soda.  I have taken to occasionally drinking a Green Tea.  It is NOT the same.  Alas.  I think it’s better for me, but I miss it.  We’ll see if I go back after Easter.
• We are hitting the mountains for Easter.  I’m glad that Easter is later this year.   It will hopefully be warmer up there than it is now.  It will be a nice break. 
• I am writing this on a new computer.  We have 6 computers in this house and none of the work.  As I need one for work and need to work for a new computer, my parents generously bought us a new one as an early birthday present for me.  Very nice to have something that works.  Hopefully, this means that we can get rid of the other ones.

10 on Monday

• Last Friday Gracie woke up and threw up… three times.  Okay.  No biggie.  Sick kiddo.  EXCEPT that I had committed to paint faces and then attend Elijah’s circus at school.  So after a minor breakdown and Jerry working some stuff out at work.  It all worked out.  I went to school with Elijah.  I painted about 40 faces in a little over an hour and watch my kiddo be a strong man at the circus.  I was so proud.  A year ago there is no way he would have been in front of so many people without freaking out.  I made his costume… and unfortunately these are the only pics I’ll post, since I refuse to post pics of other kids without the permission of the parent… and that’s a lot of permission.    He wore Iron man boots with the costume.  He refused the handlebar mustache, but I think he rocked the whole thing.

• Gracie continued to have GI issues through Saturday.  I think that the poor child has adopted my tolerance for allergies.  I think that they work on her GI tract as well.  Poor thing.  Anyway, we stayed close to bathrooms all weekend just to be on the safe side.  We played tennis and played on the playground and got our oil changed.  Thrilling weekend, but we spent time as a family and that’s what’s important.
• I needed to work on the front yard’s flower garden and so after edging the driveway, I let the kids have the water hose.  They had a blast playing with the water.  And while the pollen has become insane, I even let them play in the, um pollen puddle, at the bottom of the driveway.
  
   
  
  
• Gracie has the ability to amuse herself.  She is so outgoing, but can be very reserved.  In that last picture, she is singing a little song about how her hands and feet are in the water.  I tried SOOO hard to get in there and get a recording about it, but couldn’t get it.  She is CONSTANTLY making up songs.  And she wants you to sing them with her.  Which is a little difficult seeing as she is making it up on the spur of the moment.  It’s very sweet though.
• I am addicted to Grey’s Anatomy.  I haven’t watched it on TV, but I have been catching up on Netflix Instant watch.  I’m almost done with Season 5.  I am so addicted.  It’s a little sad.
• My folks are coming on Thursday!!!!!!  So excited.  I’m excited to see them.  But I’m also excited to get to go out with my husband.  YAYAYAYAY!!!
• There are a couple of kids in our neighborhood who run around playing with other kids.  While I’m, not comfortable allowing MY kids do this, it is kind of nice for the kids to have playmates.  These kids are older.  There is one little boy that Elijah has more fondness.  This little boy doesn’t get that Elijah’s heart breaks when he runs off to play with another kid.  It’s a hard lesson.  Gracie gets upset sometimes too, but has become ambivalent when the little girl doesn’t come to play.  I think that Elijah is actually a good influence on this kid… and I’m glad that Elijah has someone to play with.  It’s really interesting to watch this friendship develop.
• Jerry took the GRE last Thursday.  He rocked it!  Now we just have to wait and see.  He should find out in a couple of weeks if he is accepted in the MBA program.  If he is… he starts in mid-May.  EEEK!  I’m so proud of him!!
• I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday.  I am hoping some light will be shed on what is going on with me.  I will definitely write a post about the horrors that have been happening, though I am sending out a warning now, they are not for the weak of heart nor stomach.  heh.
• And finally…. Today, Elijah learned to ride his bike without training wheels.  He did it himself.  He wanted the wheels off yesterday and he taught himself.  He learned on his own, at his own pace, on his bicycle.  Anyway, here’s the video.

10 on Monday

So I am stealing this idea from KFP Blog because I think it will help me with my conundrum of wanting to blog, but not wanting to take the time to write a super long blog... so here it is, and here's to hoping that I'll keep at it.

• Yesterday Elijah was climbing a tree... my heart can only take so much, and our trees are not REALLY the climbing type, but ya know.  SO I had walked away, because I DO believe that kids NEED this kind of play, regardless of my heart.  AND when I heard him scream, I hurdled over the trash in the kitchen and was totally expecting a broken (insert any number of bones) but instead found him covering his eye in pain.  After looking and looking, Jerry saw a bit of something, so we decided on Urgent Care.  Turns out Elijah had a piece of bark the size of a large ant in his eye.  The doctor was amazed that there was no damage to the cornea... and I'm really happy that he is fine and did so well at the doc.
• Last night sucked.  Elijah woke up at 1215 and we didn't get him settled until 230... and then Grace was awake...and didn't go to bed until 430.  Last night sucked.
• Grace never ceases to amaze me with 1) her verbal ability and 2) her musicality.  She will make up a song about anything, at anytime.
• Is tired of waiting and wondering and dreaming... I'm ready for doing.  I am a doer and I need a plan.  It's VERY hard for me to leave things up in the air.  But I AM trying.
• I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
• I REALLLLY hope that I am able to take a ballet class next year.  I miss it.  I didn't realize how much until recently.  With Grace going to preschool, Elijah going to kindergarten, and Jerry going to grad school, I feel like there needs to be SOMETHING for just me.  I thought about maybe taking a class of some sort, and maybe I will, but I would LOVE to do something physical.
• I feel like I have be an absentee mother lately.  I feel like I have just been lackluster.  I'm hoping this changes soon...obviously.
• I'm hoping that I will get some sort of answers to my health issues on the 25th.  Fingers crossed.
• Jerry is playing on a softball team with his coworkers.  I can't wait to take the kids to the first game.  I think they (and I) will have a blast.
• I am intrigued by this family and kind of what to try to become more like them.  As with anything, I think there can be extremes, but I feel like this may not be the worst thing to take to the extreme.

So there.  My 10 on Monday.  I kinda like it.

Grace... my little 22 month old...

Gracie bear... she is a bundle of energy and IS her own person.  She will TELL you that she is her own person and that she CAN do it herself.  What can she do herself you may ask... well

• pee and poop on the potty!  That's right, she is potty trained!!!  And honestly, I have NO idea how the hell it happened.  She was interested, she became proactive REALLY fast.  If she has an accident, she gets REALLY mad at herself and will look at her underwear in just disgust it's almost funny cause she is just soooo little.  She has definitely made this process MUCH easier than it was with Elijah.
• get dressed on her own.  Don't DARE TRY to help....until she ASKS in her very cute tiny voice, "help, pease."  She also has definite opinions on what she should wear.  She loves this one particular dress that my mom found for her.  It is super cute and really comfy.  She loves that it's swishy. 
• sing at the top of her lungs...a made up song that has no words except "Ahhhhhh!!!"  Seriously considering signing her up for some voice lessons... hehehehehe.
• hold her own in a fight with Elijah.  And MAN can they fight.  I honestly thought that I would have at least one more year, but this little one is starting to exert her independence.  If she does not want to play what Elijah wants her to play, she lets him know... and not quietly.  Elijah has something in his brain that makes him want to take certain things out of Grace's hands...no, not take, snatch.  This drives me up the wall... BUT Grace is starting to anticipate these snatchings.  She doesn't catch all of them, not even a lot of them, but she is starting to get it....so a word to Elijah... watch it!
• go to sleep on her own.  This may not seem like a huge thing, but it really is!  We do our little nightly ritual of reading books and having 5 minutes of special playtime and then it's lights out.  Again, it went much faster than it did with Elijah.  And maybe this is because Elijah is the bedroom with her, but she goes to sleep at night and nap on her own.  This is a big step in the right direction, so WAY TO GO BABY GIRL!!!
• pretty much ANYTHING she sees Elijah do.  He brushes his own teeth, SHE want's to brush her own teeth.  If HE puts on his boots, SHE wants to put on her boots.  If HE goes to the bathroom, SHE wants to go to the bathroom.  This is both cute and annoying.  He has learned that he can get her to do anything.  He'll start spitting (knowing that it is a BIG no no) and then SHE'LL start spitting.  BUT she also follows suit on hugs, helping clean up, saying sorry.  So I will take the bad because there is the good...and right now the good outweighs the bad.

So my little independent girl is turning into an amazing child.  In two months she will be 2 years old and that is just incomprehensible to me.  They really do grow up too quick...