Lessons on Living

My father-in-law sent me this video. I think everyone should watch it. It takes a little over 10 minutes but it's well worth it.

susan

http://video.stumbleupon.com/?s=ithct48cqw&i=ufcchmyxqsuj9vwsemax

Enough Already!

Seriously, I have had enough of Winter! Today was our 3rd snow day in 2 weeks(our 4th overall) and they have already called off school for tomorrow! The natives are restless and we need some warmer weather!

Bad day, Good morning

For whatever reason, yesterday was a rough day around here. Maybe it was the letdown from Avery's bday, daddy going out of town, Papa Sam leaving or the unbearable cold weather that left everyone in a mood. It was like they all had ADD and could not settle on one thing to do. They wandered aimlessly from computer, Leapster, toys, puzzles, books, Wii and back again. All the while arguing with each other and with me. Finally I put a moratorium on all electronics and ordered them to actually play. Heaven forbid, use their imaginations! To my surprise, the game that ensued was a good one, rather loud and involved me calling them each by different names. They did play well for a little while but then they got irritated, I'm certain something was thrown and all were sent to their rooms. Later, we headed to our neighbors bday party at "Jump for Fun." All was well until Owen and Chase started arguing while Chandler was opening his presents. Next thing I know, they have both punched each other and are in tears. After separating them and making them sit at the back of the room while the party wrapped up, I kept their goody bags and we left. Once home, I again instituted some forced "quiet time." Some time had passed as one by one they came down and began going through the motions from the morning, moving from one thing to another not finding anything that really made them happy. After dinner, we headed to the basement, hoping that a change in scenery would help. It didn't. Shortly after that, we headed upstairs to get Avery to bed. Once settled, we set up a board game. After about the 500th time of being asked not to do something, Owen was sent to bed. He unhappily made his way to his room, grunting at me several times but actually falling asleep quite quickly(thank God for small miracles!). After two games of Super Scrabble, Macie headed to bed to read and Chase hopped in my bed(it was his turn since Stew is gone.) I tucked her in at 9 and snuggled up with Chase, letting him linger a little longer to watch a show with me. I finally fell asleep around 10, thanking God that I had made it through the day.

Fast forward to 6:58am. I hear Avery talking in her crib. She and I head down to snuggle on the couch. One by one they stumble down, still wiping the sleep from their eyes. They each make their way over to me and give me hugs and kisses. We all end up snuggling on the couch, ready for another day. No matter how angry, irritated, tired, frustrated or fed up I was the night before, all that is gone now. I can't think of a better way to start my day, with my four favorite people in the world. The only one missing is Stew. Happily, he'll return tonight.

The Sweetest Thing

Yesterday was Avery's first birthday. It's a pretty monumentous milestone when you stop to think about it. All the things she has accomplished in such a short time. Just one year ago she was just barely opening her eyes and couldn't see very well when she did. Now she has seen clearly the world before her. She could recognize only the sound of my voice. Now she recognizes the voices of her siblings before they enter a room and looks with anticipation when I tell her "daddy is home!!" She could only drink mother's milk. Now she can finger feed herself, drink from a sippy cup and is starting to use a fork. She couldn't do anything for herself. Now she can sit, stand, crawl and take steps. She cried whenever she needed something. Now she can communicate fully with her voice, her hands, her body--she definitely lets her opinions be known even though she speaks few words. Instead of sleeping all day she now sleeps all night. She has morphed from this tiny bundle into this beautiful being. She used to spend hours on my chest and now she goes for hours exploring the world and people around her. She has a smile for everyone and it is RARE that she is unhappy. Although we adored our family of 5 before, we feel our family of 6 is complete. Not a day goes by that Macie, Chase and Owen give her more hugs and kisses than she knows what to do with. Their hearts have grown immensely with this wonderful addition to our family and ours continue to grow with every minute that she blesses our lives. Happy Birthday Avery Claire, you really are the sweetest thing.

Homecoming

As many of you know, my best friend Tiffany's husband has been deployed to Talil, Iraq since May. He is a medivac helicopter pilot. They have four children, Briggs(8), Gage(3) and twin girls, Campbell and Emerson(19 months). I spoke with Tiffany lastnight as she was on her way to the airport to pick up Tim for a 2 week leave. She sounded like a giddy teenager on her way to a first date. I asked her if she was nervous and she said she was. How strange it must be to see your spouse for the first time in so long. Something we surely all take for granted on a daily basis. I know I do. So much has changed at home as I'm sure so much has changed for Tim from what he has witnessed over the last 9 months. I just wanted to wish them a Happy Valentine's Day from the bottom of my heart. I'm glad you are back where you belong. Not much longer and you'll be back for good!

Silence and a clean house!

Silence and a clean house. These are two things that I have come to cherish at this stage of my life for obvious reasons. They rarely occur around here and almost never at the same time!! I do love the sounds of our full house with laughter, tears. The constant hum of the washing machine, dryer and dish washer. Wii games, computer games, phone conversations and arguments. Along with that come the many piles. Piles of clean and dirty laundry, school papers, artwork, shoes, coats, sports equipment, diapers, toys, mail, bills, --it really is a never ending cycle. On a rare day like today, I am caught up for the most part. The house is orderly(not spotless but presentable) and quiet. Macie and Chase are at school. Owen is spending the day at Gymquarters(where he broke his arm last year!) Avery is napping. I have the house all to myself to do whatever I want. I hear the sounds of the dryer spinning clothes, Avery's monitor with her occasional sighs and moans, the delivery trucks going by outside. I am enjoying this rare moment of peace because I know it will only last another hour or so. It's crazy to think that our house used to be quiet all the time and it was a rare occasion for it to be filled with the sounds that I have grown so accustomed to. I'll sit and enjoy it until one by one the noises awaken and the crazies return and bring me back to my reality.