postponement

yep, mia's 3rd birthday party that she so eagerly planned and talked about for weeks had to be postponed. as the family was pulling into the driveway to help her celebrate her tummy decided that it did not want to cooperate. as we got out of the shower (and yes, there's a reason that's a collective we ... she was not the only one needing to get cleaned up) she saw everyone leaving, and started to cry. bless their hearts the family came back and watched her open her presents ... from across the room. =) thankfully, none of them came down with anything.

we thought perhaps it was a one time thing, just something that didn't sit well. i mean look at her in the picture. she looks like she feels fine, elmo cupcakes are great and it was a fluke thing. at 3:30 that morning as i was throwing the last set of sheets we owned into the washer i came to the conclusion it was not something she ate. poor girl. i honestly did not know a toddler stomach could hold (or should i say loose) that much. of course by the time she finally fell asleep for a few hours asher was up for the morning. i mean are you serious??? oh my!

needless to say the elmo party for her friends had to quickly get canceled and rescheduled. my husband being the genious that he is wisely suggested waiting until after the holiday weekend. though i was thinking that was a bit far off when asher came down with the same thing i was glad i listened to him! yep, no sooner did mia get better then asher got his turn. there is truly something heart wrenching when your oldest child has been so sick that she can handle it practically by herself and something equally wrenching when you have to spend most of your day sitting in the shower with your youngest because poor kiddo has no idea when it's going to hit him. he was experienced enough by the end however that when we would ask him if he was going to get sick he would make a funny little noise and then say "yucky!".

where is this chapter in the parenting manual?? of course some genious article in a parenting magazine suggests you not let a sick child get to close to you or you'll catch whatever it is and then really be in a fix cuz you're sick too. i suppose i can see some of the logic behind this but are you serious? who writes this?? do they even have children? how in the world can you not hold and cuddle your child regardless? i truly think that God designed mothers with a special little immunity thing because despite having a sick child snuggled up on me for over a week i am happy to say that i escaped unharmed, tired but unharmed. what a mess. so forgive me the crazy post but this has been our life since i dared to sit in front of the computer last. =)

three glorious years

so here she is, our beautiful girl who's officially in the preschool years. from my beautiful, perfect infant in the hospital to a joyful, energetic, talkative three year old. i still can see clearly her little face as i saw her for the first time. she was an angel born into my life through the power of God (with a little help from an emergency C-section) i wanted her by my side constantly just to watch her breath, just to watch her sleep. and here i am turning around and she's three. how did that happen? i blinked and she's grown. i am so blessed to stay home and be with her everyday yet i still feel like the little moments have flown. i love all the little things that make her her: her amazing insight into people, her consistent love and care for her brother, her creative spirit that leads her to the craft room or her crayons daily, her love of the outdoors and exploring. how do you sum up in words what a child means to you? how it does my heart so good when she climbs up into my lap wanting to snuggle and tell me that she loves me? how proud i am of her simply because she's my daughter? i love to watch life through her eyes - the simplicity, the joy, the wonder, the amazement in each day. i have learned so much about myself from her and she has been amazing. yes, she's independent (planned her own birthday party). yes, she has a mind of her own (most recently about her clothing and bedtime). yes, i love all of that about her and know that if i teach her how to use those things well now, she will be able to use them with respect and responsibility as she continues to grow up. (there is nothing wrong with independence when the group wants to do something it shouldn't ... especially in the teenage years and beyond). yes, i want to protect her from every harm and hurt but more importantly i want her to continue to experience all that life and God have to offer her even if that means a few bumps along the way. she will always be my princess and i will always count myself blessed to be her mom. happy birthday mia!

been a long time

so it's been awhile since i've had time to sit down and do anything on here. here are some of the things we've been up to .....

playing at the beach....

we have gone for as many walks as we can and have even had a picnic dinner there one night while Daddy was working. the kids love to chase the seagulls and the last time we went walking on the trails we actually got to see a few frogs and a snake. mia loves to tell people about the snake....mostly because they get all squimish and she can't quite figure out why.

figuring out what twisted hair is....
it literally took me about 10 minutes one morning to figure out what this meant. mia kept telling me she wanted "twisted" hair and for the life of me i had no idea what she was talking about. we got the pigtail part and she kept twirling her fingers through it. finally i asked her if she wanted her pigtails like mine (i tend to wear it all "twisted" up in a ponytail) and she let out the biggest relief ladden "YES!" you've ever heard. needless to say this is her new hairdo of choice lately.

going to our first Mother/Daughter tea.....

mia's dance class put on a tea a few weeks ago so that was our date for the month (we each try to take the kids on a date once a month to get a little one on one time in). it was really cute with little sandwiches (cucumber for the moms and peanut butter and jelly for the kids), all kinds of snacks, pictures, little make and take necklaces, fairy wands for the girls and the older dance groups performed and then taught the little ones a dance. we had fun but the highlight for mia had to be that her friend kathryn was there and that she got to dance with silver pom poms in front of the wall of mirrors. she had so much fun!! (pictures below... mia and kathryn; mia and me with kerri and kathryn; mia and her dancing)

asher's first haircut.....

we took asher to this really cute place in town that specializes in kids haircuts. it was super cute. their chairs are all like modified powerwheels (a jeep, a dora car, a fighter jet, etc) and instead of mirrors they have flat screen tvs for the kids to watch whatever (dora, elmo, etc) while they get their haircut. when they're done the kids get popcorn, juice and a coupon good at a local candy shop for a free cookie or ice cream or a few pieces of candy. if it's your first cut you get a little certificate with their picture and a few locks of their hair (preserved in a little bag). asher did very well. the only thing he didn't like was when she had to get his hair wet. the rest of the time he just had fun sharing his sucker with Daddy and honking the horn on his jeep. he looks like such a little man now!!

playing at coffee creek....

despite the weather around here not really cooperating all that well we've been trying to get out as much as possible. this is one of our favorite places to go and just let the kids explore and walk around. we usually call one family or the other (or usually both) to see who wants to meet us there since both grandparents live just minutes from the park. here's a few pics from our recent adventures.