Good Morning, Good Night

I have to post this before I forget how amazingly cute it was.

Let me set the scene:

Dim lights, fan set on medium, sound machine on, Tanner and Mommy in the rocking chair with sippy up, "lully" (lovey), and book. We couldn't find the Digger truck book, so we settled for one of Kendall's favorites as a toddler, Good Morning, Good Night. It's one of those books that has the touchy-feely pages. All kids love the touchy-feely books.

So we proceed to read.

"There's the kitty. Say night night, Kitty"
"What's that?"
"That's a ball of yarn for the kitty to play with."
"Why?"
"Because, baby."
"OK, Mommy."
-- turn the page--
"There's the puppy. Say night night, puppy."
"What's that?"
"That's the puppy's bone."
"Why?"
"I don't know, it just is."
--turn the page--
"There's the chicky. Say night night chicky."
"What's that?"
"That's her feathers."
"Why, Mommy?"
"So she can fly."
"Oh. Why?"

We proceeded through this book two times, following the pattern both times.

I love this phase. The "why's" don't bother me too much because I know pretty soon he'll start telling me instead of asking me. I especially love the way he takes all of my explanations as if they are the truth ... he never questions my answers, always trusting that I know everything. I hope that I can continue to satisfy his curiosity as he grows into a little boy.

Dear, Sweet Heather!!!!

Do you know how many days it's been since I've had adult interaction other than my husband? In person, I mean. I'm not talking about the stinking computer messages from politicians or talking to my mom 15 times on the phone. Nor am I talking about e-mail or Facebook messages. I mean human to human, face to face contact.

3 days. 72 hours. That's ridiculous. For those of you who work outside of the home, you probably cannot fathom this idea. I couldn't when I was teaching. In fact, I used to WISH I could get a day away from the adults I had to deal with.

Oh, but not now. No way. So when a college friend and sorority sister, Heather, asked to come pre-shop my consignment sale crates, I jumped at the chance!! She is a stay at home mom as well, with a new born and a two year old (God bless her!). It is so easy for us to relate to each other simply because our kids are the same age apart. I realized sitting with her today that I was in her shoes 2 years ago. I can't believe it was that long ago.

As she talked about feeling like something was out of whack all the time, I understood what she meant. When she talked about her oldest enjoying time out, I could only smile because Kendall used to do the exact same thing. And it felt so good not to have to apologize for Kendall sitting on top of her, or wanting to hold the baby the entire time, or staring at her as she nursed. I usually have to apologize to people because they either have older kids or none at all. But not with Heather. She listened attentively to everything Kendall asked. She answered questions. She let Kendall hold Kate as much as she wanted, being very patient as she had to rearrange pillows and arms several times so Kate wouldn't get squished in Kendall's arm pit. It was wonderful to see my children interact with someone else. And what an amazing experience to realize that I have known this woman for, what?, 10 years now? And we are sharing this new journey ... our kids know each other and play together. It's just a really good feeling that probably sounds gushy and mushy to some.

So as Heather and I bounced parenting tips off each other and talked about how much we've learned from Jon & Kate plus 8, I hope she noticed how much I needed to talk. I hope she realized how much talking to her makes me feel like a better mom. I hope she appreciates me half as much as I appreciate her!

I look forward to many more play dates with Heather -- I mean, Meg and Kate. ;)

Happy Anniversary, Love!

Well, folks, today is my 8 year anniversary. Yep, we made it past the 7 year itch!! I was worried there for a little while, but what married person doesn't? Anyone who tells you that they NEVER worry about their relationship with their significant other is a BIG FAT LIAR!!!

Tim and I have been married for 8 years, but we've been together for - hang on, let me do the math - 15 years?!?! Wow ... Some of my friends today knew us then. If you didn't, here's a picture. Back in the day ...

So we were together all through high school. It's hard for me to remember a lot of that time. I guess it's kind of like how you forget the pain of child birth after the fact. Seriously, we had our ups and downs and downs ... like all high school couples do. Everything is more dramatic, nothing is what it seems, everyone is jealous all the time, and you think you'll DIE when you break up or see them with someone else. We went through all of that for 3 years, then went our separate ways my senior year of high school. For those of you who knew me then, you know why that's a GOOD THING!!

In college we reconnected (don't remember how, neither does he). I showed him what kind of life he was missing (ha ha), and we were engaged 3 months later. The rest, as they say, is history.

So what does married for 8 years feel like?

It feels unbelievable. Hard to believe I've been with this man for half of my life. Hard to believe that we've been through some of the toughest times in our lives together. And the happiest. I lost my dad with him. We've been though 2 battles with cancer with his parents. We've moved 3 times. We've conceived and birthed the 2 most beautiful children. Unbelievable ...

People often look at me strangely, as if they feel sorry for me, when I say that I have achieved all the things I wanted for myself. Well, don't feel sorry for me. Yes, I married my high school sweetheart; but I have missed out on nothing by not dating others. Yes, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I was "only" a teacher before. But I would not trade my time with my kids for anything right now. I "only" have a bachelor's degree, but it's from one of the greatest universities, as far as I'm concerned! I lived out of my suit case in college, but still managed to make some of the best friends in those 4 years. And I don't feel like I've missed out on one thing in marrying early and having my kids in my 20's.

So 8 years have come and gone. And, Lord knows, they weren't perfect. But they were ours. And I'm sure that when I look back in another 40 years or so, I'll think, "Man, we had it all then." (Alan Jackson's song, "Remeber When" keeps running through my head!) And I'll be as thankful then for my wonderful husband as I am now!!

Happy anniversary, love!

Am I losing my mind?

Do you ever think that you're losing your mind? Like your brain just isn't functioning the way it's supposed to? I'll preface this by telling you that my wedding rings disappeared while Tim and I were in Chattanooga. He says I lost them, I say they were stolen. Either way, it happened because I was careless and left the rings out when I shouldn't have.

Anyway, this is not the first thing that has happened that has made me wonder if I'm nuts. For example, I've done several loads of laundry as of late that have come out a different color than they went in. I drove all the way to Walmart 2 weeks ago to0 return something that wasn't in my car when I arrived there. Most of you know I peed on and flushed my cell in the Target restroom after it fell out of my back pocket. I went out to dinner with Tim and no kids and didn't bring my ID. Yeah, I know ... Then after wearing my wedding rings Friday evening at dinner, I placed them back in the jewelry bag and left them on a table in our hotel room.

I'm so upset ... with myself, really ... Tim is pissed, of course ...

So today I call the hotel to check and see if they have any news on my missing rings yet, and he tells me no. They are still investigating. So I called the Chattanooga Police Dept. to file a police report. Apparently, if the amount of worth is over $500, you have to file the report in person.

Great.

So I guess I'm making another trip to the city I didn't really enjoy the first time around.

Poo.

When I'm over this slump, I'll share some pics form our trip.

Free, at last ...

So I just returned from dropping off the kids for my 4 days without them. I think Tanner understood that he wasn't going to see me for a few days because he started crying at about 4:00 last night and didn't stop until he wore himself out at 2 AM this morning. This is the first time he's been away form me for more than one night. I miss him so much already!! He did OK when I dropped him off; I just kept telling him that he was going to see Zaazoo and Red Bird (my in-law's birds). That excites him, so hopefully he'll be distracted for a little while!!

Where are Tim and I headed? To lovely Chattanooga, Tennessee!! Yes, I know, you're thinking, "Oooo, that just sounds SOOOOOO romantic." Well, it took us a long time to decide that this is where we wanted to go. We were thinking the beach, but the beach in late July would be a nightmare! We had to go somewhere, alone, as husband and wife, not mommy and daddy. Chattanooga has lots to do and it's not too far form home. So we're excited about it.

The top 5 reasons to be excited about this trip?

5) I can be called by my pet names again, not "Mommy."

4) I get to sleep in a bed with my husband all night long!

3) I can sleep past 7 AM.

2) We can get out the door in less that 1 hour because we don't have to wait for Kendall to go potty ... no, I don't need to ... wait, Mommy, yes I do ... I'm trying to get it out ... don't leave me ...

And the number one reason?

1) 4 days of meals where I don't have to pour drinks in sippy cups or cut someone else's food!

So what will Tim and I do? What will we talk about in the car? Will we have anything to talk about at all? It's will seem very strange without the kids, since they have been the center of our world for 4 years now. However, I think this will be a good time for us to reconnect. Let's hope so! If not, at least I'll be well-rested when we get back, and thin of how happy the kids will be to see me!! Maybe Kendall will even like me again for a little while! ;)

Scratches and tattoos

So I'm going to give this a go. If Heather can keep up with her blog with a new born and 2-year-old, then I can do it too! Lord knows I have so much to share!!! Well, it seems like a lot in my very confusing head ... if not interesting to you as a reader, perhaps it will put a smile on your face!

So yesterday was supposed to be a fun day for the kids and myself. We had a play date scheduled with Meg Dahlby, who Tanner loves! Of course, we wake up and tanner has a sniffle. Nothing too serious, so we decided to venture out of the house with the intention of sticking to our plans. We arrived at Meg's house and played our hearts out, ate Goldfish, held the new baby, chased balloons, had a tea party ... all the fun things playdates are made of! (Not to mention Mommy got some much-needed adult interaction with a friend who really understands what life is like around here!) Around noon we headed home so Tanner could take a nap; he was looking pretty rough by then! SO onward to Nana's house ...

You see, I'm one of the lucky women who DOES get a break from the kids to do grocery shopping and things of that sort on Mondays. My mom only works 4 days a week and watched the kids for a few hours on Mondays so I can get these things done a little more quickly and efficiently. So I get to Mom's and put Tanner down in his crib, ensuring her that he will sleep until I get back from the store. Imagine my surprise when she calls me 45 minutes later and says that he's already awake! Argh!!

I wouldn't normally care except I knew Tim wouldn't be home last night, and I would be 100% in charge of feeding, bathing, and bedding the children. Some of you are already feeling sorry for me, aren't you?? Needless to say, around 4:30 the action started. The kiddos were playing fine ... they are usually pretty good about playing in Kendall's room or the play room upstairs. Of course, Tanner has started wanting to play "Hide and seek" in Kendall's covers. This was the game of the day yesterday.

Apparently, Tanner smacked Kendall in the face while they were playing. When he didn't stop IMMEDIATELY and say he was "Sowwy, Sissy," she hauled off and scratched him. I was in Tanner's room emptying the diaper genie (which takes a little under 3 hours, it seems) whine I hear this very strange scream ... well, more of a screaming moan ... almost like a siren?!? I walk in Kendall's room to find Tanner GUSHING BLOOD from his face. That's right, I'm not exaggerating at all. The 2 scratches started right above his eyebrow and continued down the side of his face to his sweet little cheek!!!

LIVID!! I don't think I've ever been so upset with Kendall. And she could see it in my face. Did I scream at her? No. Did I spank her butt? No. You know what I did?????

What all mommies do when their babies are in pain ... I CRIED!!!!!!!!!!!

For 10 minutes. Tanner and I sat in the bathroom and cried together while Kendall cried in her bedroom. I guess we all needed to let off some steam. So after 10 minutes we had a big band-aid on Tanner's boo-boo and he had only lost about a pint of blood. And I'm filling out an application for Supernanny today.

Really. I am.

And where was Tim during all of this? Getting his tattoo finished. it was rewarding to know that he was in PAIN too when he wasn't here!!

Let's hope for a better day today!