Saturday, August 22, 2009
PT working mom (kinda)
I got a job, sort of. My internship site is frequently short-staffed and has not hired people to fill the gaps left by the former interns (myself included). Normally this is more of an annoyance than anything else, but with two regulars out for surgery and one on vacation, they needed more help. So they called me and asked if I'd like to work on a part-time fill-in basis. Since I miss adult interaction and we could use some extra money, I agreed. Originally it was supposed to be 40 hours of work and 5 hours of training. To date, I have had 6.5 hours of training and worked 7 hours. The 40 scheduled hours begin next week. I've also turned down another 7 or so hours of work. Obviously it's going to be important for me to be able to say no when I need to but this is looking like a fairly promising job. Getting hours should not be a problem. I'm hoping this will be a nice balance of being a stay-at-home parent and having a fulfilling job with adult interaction and intellectual stimulation. I'll keep you posted...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Putters, tennis rackets, and (flying) bats
Last night was our adult-only dinner. It was wonderful. Since our parents get along so well, we decided it would be fun to have dinner out with all of them. Since Mom and Dad live in Grand Rapids now, we planned to meet in Lansing. Sarah, Steve's wonderful sister, just got back from Arizona but was willing to babysit Ella and Amelia and Isaac and Julia at our house. Dinner was fun and much less weird than you'd expect a triple date with your parents and in-laws to be. :) Then we found a putt putt golf place and decided to do that too. Since we had thunderstorms earlier in the day, most of the greens were waterlogged and some were partially flooded. That just made it more fun. I lost miserably but we had a lot of laughs and it was nice to have a night with both sets of parents without kids as distractions. Luckily, the girls were pretty good for Sarah too.
We got to bed late, about 12:30. Then it happened. I saw it first, when Steve had fallen asleep and I was doing electronic sudoku. I saw a dark flutter out of the corner of my eye and then saw it again, screamed, and dove under the covers. In the process I smacked myself in the forehead with my sudoku. I have a nice goose egg. Steve woke up and pulled the blankets over his head too, not sure what was going on. But there it was, a bat, circling our bed. Then we tried to decide what to do while it flew and dove over our bed. Finally we peeked and couldn't find it. Looked everywhere. Thing is, we didn't know where it came from either. So finally we both climbed into bed. After I calmed down I fell asleep. Steve kept reading and woke me up a while later to say it was back. This time we watched it in the mirror on our headboard. Thing is, by the time we were brave enough to actually look, it had disappeared again. Again, I went back to sleep while Steve stayed awake reading. That time he had a tennis racket. When it reappeared, he smacked it a few times and stunned it and pinned it on the floor with the racket. He managed to bash his knee with the racket too (apparently we're klutzes). He went downstairs and got a diaper box to slide underneath the bat and racket and carried the entire thing downstairs. Then he wasn't sure what to do so I helped him put a garbage bag over the entire thing and then opened the back door. He walked out onto the patio and whipped the whole mess into the yard. So by the time I finally got to sleep and stayed asleep, it was 3:15. Steve said he was awake until 4:00.
This morning the girls started making noise around 8:00 but we didn't get out of bed until we heard Ella shrieking at Amelia. Not sure what the problem was. But both girls were grumpy, Steve and I are both tired, it's already hot and sticky humid, and I still have a bump and headache from my sudoku puzzle. So we decided it was probably best to stick close to home today. We're enjoying our new church and the small group and will resume that on Wednesday with small group. Luckily the girls seem to be a bit more agreeable and a bit less cranky now. Praying it lasts!
We got to bed late, about 12:30. Then it happened. I saw it first, when Steve had fallen asleep and I was doing electronic sudoku. I saw a dark flutter out of the corner of my eye and then saw it again, screamed, and dove under the covers. In the process I smacked myself in the forehead with my sudoku. I have a nice goose egg. Steve woke up and pulled the blankets over his head too, not sure what was going on. But there it was, a bat, circling our bed. Then we tried to decide what to do while it flew and dove over our bed. Finally we peeked and couldn't find it. Looked everywhere. Thing is, we didn't know where it came from either. So finally we both climbed into bed. After I calmed down I fell asleep. Steve kept reading and woke me up a while later to say it was back. This time we watched it in the mirror on our headboard. Thing is, by the time we were brave enough to actually look, it had disappeared again. Again, I went back to sleep while Steve stayed awake reading. That time he had a tennis racket. When it reappeared, he smacked it a few times and stunned it and pinned it on the floor with the racket. He managed to bash his knee with the racket too (apparently we're klutzes). He went downstairs and got a diaper box to slide underneath the bat and racket and carried the entire thing downstairs. Then he wasn't sure what to do so I helped him put a garbage bag over the entire thing and then opened the back door. He walked out onto the patio and whipped the whole mess into the yard. So by the time I finally got to sleep and stayed asleep, it was 3:15. Steve said he was awake until 4:00.
This morning the girls started making noise around 8:00 but we didn't get out of bed until we heard Ella shrieking at Amelia. Not sure what the problem was. But both girls were grumpy, Steve and I are both tired, it's already hot and sticky humid, and I still have a bump and headache from my sudoku puzzle. So we decided it was probably best to stick close to home today. We're enjoying our new church and the small group and will resume that on Wednesday with small group. Luckily the girls seem to be a bit more agreeable and a bit less cranky now. Praying it lasts!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Parenting is hard
Steve and I have come to the conclusion that we are officially parents now. Up until this past week, we were coasting and it was pretty easy most of the time. Seriously, taking care of two kids with the stomach flu while I had the stomach flu (twice in a month's time even) was easier than this past week has been.
Like I said in my last post, Ella has been increasingly defiant lately. It got to the point where she refused to pick up anything ever. It all came to a head on Tuesday (I think - all my days are blurring together into one big time out). She got out a plastic crib sheet and refused to put it away. I told her she was not leaving her room until she put it away. She still refused. And the standoff began. I took Mia downstairs and went back up to change Ella's diaper. Still refused to put the sheet away. I checked on her every so often to see if she'd changed her mind. Nope. The kid is stubborn. Isaac and Julia came over for a few hours and even tempting her with playing with them didn't work. I brought her a cereal bar. Isaac and Julia tried one last time to convince her to put it away before they left. I did bring her downstairs for lunch. She ate and immediately went back upstairs. Still she refused. Finally I took Mia up for nap time and changed Ella's diaper again. I reminded her that she needed to be quiet so Mia could take a nap and that she needed to put the sheet away if she wanted to come downstairs at the end of nap time. Once I checked on them and she not only still had the sheet out but had pulled all the blankets and toys off her bed. :( So I told her she also needed to put those away to come downstairs. Later during nap time Mia started crying. I went to check on her and had to give her back her blankets which she'd thrown on the floor. Then I noticed something. The plastic sheet was back where I had asked Ella to put it!!! I was so excited I hugged her and started dancing around her room. It made her start giggling. Since nap time wasn't over yet, I told her that it was still nap time and her blankets needed to be on her bed at the end but I was so proud of her for putting the sheet away! Since she'd finally obeyed me, I stashed the plastic sheets in the closet, never to cause a problem again. And so the great blanket standoff ended, a mere 7.5 hours after it began.
There were a few hiccups that evening. At the end of nap time she initially refused to put her blankets, pillow, and toys back on her bed. But it only took about 15 minutes alone in her room to decide it was best to put them away, so I consider that a victory. But later in the evening we had issues when she flat out refused to put away the books downstairs. Sigh.
Since that standoff, we've had no more issues with putting things away upstairs. However, Ella hasn't made the connection that she also needs to put things away downstairs. Or at church in the nursery. Or probably anywhere else. As a result we've had lots of time outs when it's time to put anything away. She went upstairs early for a nap yesterday because she refused to help pick up. Mia got to stay up longer and watch Curious George. I repeatedly explained to Ella that Mia got to stay up and watch Curious George because she picked up toys when I asked her to. I'm not sure it's getting through to her.
Today it was shoes. I made it clear to Ella that she needed to put them all back when she was done playing with them. No dice. So she went into time out. Mia helped me pick up the shoes and I left two for Ella to put away. Ella kept refusing so she went to the time out corner. Unfortunately, while she was in time out, Mia put those shoes away. So what do I do now? I tried to make it clear to Ella that I was disappointed that she didn't do what I asked and that she's very lucky to have Mia for a sister. Then the battle became Ella telling Mia thank you. I figure that Ella got out of putting the shoes away and the least she could do is tell Mia thank you. So she stayed in time out for two hours, in increments of two minutes. Every time the timer went off I asked if she was ready to tell Mia thank you. She would say no and I'd restart the timer. Finally I decided it was time for lunch and explained to her that if she wouldn't say thank you to Mia then immediately after lunch, she was going upstairs. Family time is a privilege earned by being part of this family, meaning she has to help pick up the messes she makes. So Ella has already been upstairs for an hour. Mia stayed down here with me and got to watch Curious George. She helped me pick up shoes when I asked her to. It's almost nap time and Mia will go upstairs.
I feel worst for Mia. She hates to see Ella get in trouble, which is why she keeps cleaning up after her. And she doesn't like being downstairs if Ella isn't down here too. So her "reward" is more like punishment I'm afraid. Poor kid adores her sister.
I'm hoping today's time outs help Ella learn that she needs to pick up things downstairs too. I don't like this defiant child she's becoming. Every day feels like a long battle of wills, one that I am just barely winning. My best trait in this is my own stubbornness and refusal to give in and let my two year old daughter win.
It's becoming a bit of a bedtime issue too. She doesn't want to do anything we ask. We started a small group last night that ran until 8:30, so it was around 9 when we got home. Normally the girls go to bed between 8 and 8:30. Ella had refused to put a toy away at the nursery but we let that go. Then we got home and she fought having her diaper and clothes changed. Then she refused to go upstairs. What began as a simple "no" became an all-out screaming tantrum. We mostly ignored it and Steve waited for her to come to the bottom of the stairs while I helped Mia brush her teeth. It was horrible. I have never seen Ella so worked up and she was letting out bloodcurdling screams. We read that we should not punish for tantrums - tantrums are the way that toddlers deal with their big emotions until they learn better ways to handle them. But once Ella finally flopped to the bottom of the stairs, Steve let her know in no uncertain terms that it's okay to be upset but screaming like that is NOT allowed. She cried through brushing her teeth and once in bed refused to say good night or I love you. Even worse, she even refused to kiss or hug us. Sigh. This is not fun but I'm trusting right now that she'll learn and things will get better.
On a happier note, I took a break from writing this post to take Mia upstairs for her nap. I figured I'd have to let this morning go and not push Ella to say thank you to Mia, but at the same time I wasn't sure that was the best thing either. Once in their room, Mia immediately ran to Ella's bed to hug her. I asked Ella if she could say thank you to Mia and she kinda smiled and said "thank you 'Mewia." I told her how proud I was that she said it and hugged and kissed her. Just when I think there's not going to be any improvement, she surprises me. Thank God for that, because this is what keeps me hopeful and trusting that we're doing the right thing and she's learning, even if it's more slowly and painfully than I'd like.
Like I said in my last post, Ella has been increasingly defiant lately. It got to the point where she refused to pick up anything ever. It all came to a head on Tuesday (I think - all my days are blurring together into one big time out). She got out a plastic crib sheet and refused to put it away. I told her she was not leaving her room until she put it away. She still refused. And the standoff began. I took Mia downstairs and went back up to change Ella's diaper. Still refused to put the sheet away. I checked on her every so often to see if she'd changed her mind. Nope. The kid is stubborn. Isaac and Julia came over for a few hours and even tempting her with playing with them didn't work. I brought her a cereal bar. Isaac and Julia tried one last time to convince her to put it away before they left. I did bring her downstairs for lunch. She ate and immediately went back upstairs. Still she refused. Finally I took Mia up for nap time and changed Ella's diaper again. I reminded her that she needed to be quiet so Mia could take a nap and that she needed to put the sheet away if she wanted to come downstairs at the end of nap time. Once I checked on them and she not only still had the sheet out but had pulled all the blankets and toys off her bed. :( So I told her she also needed to put those away to come downstairs. Later during nap time Mia started crying. I went to check on her and had to give her back her blankets which she'd thrown on the floor. Then I noticed something. The plastic sheet was back where I had asked Ella to put it!!! I was so excited I hugged her and started dancing around her room. It made her start giggling. Since nap time wasn't over yet, I told her that it was still nap time and her blankets needed to be on her bed at the end but I was so proud of her for putting the sheet away! Since she'd finally obeyed me, I stashed the plastic sheets in the closet, never to cause a problem again. And so the great blanket standoff ended, a mere 7.5 hours after it began.
There were a few hiccups that evening. At the end of nap time she initially refused to put her blankets, pillow, and toys back on her bed. But it only took about 15 minutes alone in her room to decide it was best to put them away, so I consider that a victory. But later in the evening we had issues when she flat out refused to put away the books downstairs. Sigh.
Since that standoff, we've had no more issues with putting things away upstairs. However, Ella hasn't made the connection that she also needs to put things away downstairs. Or at church in the nursery. Or probably anywhere else. As a result we've had lots of time outs when it's time to put anything away. She went upstairs early for a nap yesterday because she refused to help pick up. Mia got to stay up longer and watch Curious George. I repeatedly explained to Ella that Mia got to stay up and watch Curious George because she picked up toys when I asked her to. I'm not sure it's getting through to her.
Today it was shoes. I made it clear to Ella that she needed to put them all back when she was done playing with them. No dice. So she went into time out. Mia helped me pick up the shoes and I left two for Ella to put away. Ella kept refusing so she went to the time out corner. Unfortunately, while she was in time out, Mia put those shoes away. So what do I do now? I tried to make it clear to Ella that I was disappointed that she didn't do what I asked and that she's very lucky to have Mia for a sister. Then the battle became Ella telling Mia thank you. I figure that Ella got out of putting the shoes away and the least she could do is tell Mia thank you. So she stayed in time out for two hours, in increments of two minutes. Every time the timer went off I asked if she was ready to tell Mia thank you. She would say no and I'd restart the timer. Finally I decided it was time for lunch and explained to her that if she wouldn't say thank you to Mia then immediately after lunch, she was going upstairs. Family time is a privilege earned by being part of this family, meaning she has to help pick up the messes she makes. So Ella has already been upstairs for an hour. Mia stayed down here with me and got to watch Curious George. She helped me pick up shoes when I asked her to. It's almost nap time and Mia will go upstairs.
I feel worst for Mia. She hates to see Ella get in trouble, which is why she keeps cleaning up after her. And she doesn't like being downstairs if Ella isn't down here too. So her "reward" is more like punishment I'm afraid. Poor kid adores her sister.
I'm hoping today's time outs help Ella learn that she needs to pick up things downstairs too. I don't like this defiant child she's becoming. Every day feels like a long battle of wills, one that I am just barely winning. My best trait in this is my own stubbornness and refusal to give in and let my two year old daughter win.
It's becoming a bit of a bedtime issue too. She doesn't want to do anything we ask. We started a small group last night that ran until 8:30, so it was around 9 when we got home. Normally the girls go to bed between 8 and 8:30. Ella had refused to put a toy away at the nursery but we let that go. Then we got home and she fought having her diaper and clothes changed. Then she refused to go upstairs. What began as a simple "no" became an all-out screaming tantrum. We mostly ignored it and Steve waited for her to come to the bottom of the stairs while I helped Mia brush her teeth. It was horrible. I have never seen Ella so worked up and she was letting out bloodcurdling screams. We read that we should not punish for tantrums - tantrums are the way that toddlers deal with their big emotions until they learn better ways to handle them. But once Ella finally flopped to the bottom of the stairs, Steve let her know in no uncertain terms that it's okay to be upset but screaming like that is NOT allowed. She cried through brushing her teeth and once in bed refused to say good night or I love you. Even worse, she even refused to kiss or hug us. Sigh. This is not fun but I'm trusting right now that she'll learn and things will get better.
On a happier note, I took a break from writing this post to take Mia upstairs for her nap. I figured I'd have to let this morning go and not push Ella to say thank you to Mia, but at the same time I wasn't sure that was the best thing either. Once in their room, Mia immediately ran to Ella's bed to hug her. I asked Ella if she could say thank you to Mia and she kinda smiled and said "thank you 'Mewia." I told her how proud I was that she said it and hugged and kissed her. Just when I think there's not going to be any improvement, she surprises me. Thank God for that, because this is what keeps me hopeful and trusting that we're doing the right thing and she's learning, even if it's more slowly and painfully than I'd like.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Little bits of news
Okay, so I said I'd post about the family reunion. I still might, just not right now. There are some other things I wanted to say instead.
I'm licensed now! I have my resume and cover letter together, I just need to send them in now. I have a few places to send them. Honestly, I could have been applying for the past 7 weeks while I waited for my license but I procrastinated. I figured I had plenty of time. I'm hoping to find some contractual counseling work. Even part-time at a decent rate would help immensely with money issues and my sanity. Financially things are just a little tighter than we'd like. Not unexpected with the economy, but contractual work for me should solve it.
As far as my sanity, I feel a need to clarify. I love the girls and for the most part I love being home with them. However, I don't get a lot of adult conversation right now and don't get out of the house much either. That is starting to wear on me. Actually that has improved somewhat in the last two weeks. But Ella has been increasingly difficult. Typically she is sweet and cooperative, with the occasional defiance (read: she says "no!" but does what we ask). Lately though, she has this whiny quality to her voice and her cry - few things push my buttons faster than whining. And she will flat out refuse to do anything we ask - pick up toys, go upstairs, go downstairs, go to the diaper change area, go to her high chair. She throws herself on the floor, crosses her arms, pouts, and whines. If you try to move her, she starts screaming. If it was just a tantrum, I'd just leave her there and ignore her. But when she refuses to do something we ask, I feel like it warrants discipline because she's disobeying us. We've tried taking toys away. We've tried time outs. We've tried talking. We've even tried the occasional light spanking. Still it continues. I'm frustrated. So even though counseling tends to be a taxing job, it would be a welcome change right now and I would have more patience when I am home with her. (Mia has been more cooperative. It's like she's trying to cover for Ella because she doesn't like to see her get in trouble. She has been saying "no" more often though which I'm not pleased with.)
On a happier note, we tried a new church last Sunday. The teachings were sound, the people were friendly, the church was small enough we didn't go unnoticed, and Ella loved the nursery (Mia even stayed in there for a little while - something she's refused to do for months). We're planning on going again this Sunday.
That's most of the news here. Oh, I turned 26 on Monday. Steve made sure this birthday was better than last year. :) My parents stopped by and dropped off a deep freezer. Steve made me breakfast and bought me flowers. The middle of the day was unplanned and I got to relax for a while. After nap time we drove the girls out to Doug and Linda's campsite and then the two of us went out for dinner, mini golf, and ice cream before returning for the girls. It was a good day. :)
I'm licensed now! I have my resume and cover letter together, I just need to send them in now. I have a few places to send them. Honestly, I could have been applying for the past 7 weeks while I waited for my license but I procrastinated. I figured I had plenty of time. I'm hoping to find some contractual counseling work. Even part-time at a decent rate would help immensely with money issues and my sanity. Financially things are just a little tighter than we'd like. Not unexpected with the economy, but contractual work for me should solve it.
As far as my sanity, I feel a need to clarify. I love the girls and for the most part I love being home with them. However, I don't get a lot of adult conversation right now and don't get out of the house much either. That is starting to wear on me. Actually that has improved somewhat in the last two weeks. But Ella has been increasingly difficult. Typically she is sweet and cooperative, with the occasional defiance (read: she says "no!" but does what we ask). Lately though, she has this whiny quality to her voice and her cry - few things push my buttons faster than whining. And she will flat out refuse to do anything we ask - pick up toys, go upstairs, go downstairs, go to the diaper change area, go to her high chair. She throws herself on the floor, crosses her arms, pouts, and whines. If you try to move her, she starts screaming. If it was just a tantrum, I'd just leave her there and ignore her. But when she refuses to do something we ask, I feel like it warrants discipline because she's disobeying us. We've tried taking toys away. We've tried time outs. We've tried talking. We've even tried the occasional light spanking. Still it continues. I'm frustrated. So even though counseling tends to be a taxing job, it would be a welcome change right now and I would have more patience when I am home with her. (Mia has been more cooperative. It's like she's trying to cover for Ella because she doesn't like to see her get in trouble. She has been saying "no" more often though which I'm not pleased with.)
On a happier note, we tried a new church last Sunday. The teachings were sound, the people were friendly, the church was small enough we didn't go unnoticed, and Ella loved the nursery (Mia even stayed in there for a little while - something she's refused to do for months). We're planning on going again this Sunday.
That's most of the news here. Oh, I turned 26 on Monday. Steve made sure this birthday was better than last year. :) My parents stopped by and dropped off a deep freezer. Steve made me breakfast and bought me flowers. The middle of the day was unplanned and I got to relax for a while. After nap time we drove the girls out to Doug and Linda's campsite and then the two of us went out for dinner, mini golf, and ice cream before returning for the girls. It was a good day. :)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The ZOO!!!
We've been talking about taking a trip to the zoo since I was pregnant with Ella three years ago. The first summer after she was born, she was still a bit young for it. By the following summer, we had Amelia and she was even younger. So we decided this summer would be the time to do it. They both know some of the animals and they'd be old enough to enjoy. So would Chloe. Of course, now Tracy and Donovan also have Haylie, who wasn't even a month old at that point, but the rate we were going, there was always going to be an infant in the family. Plus kids are free until they turn three, which Ella does in November. And my parents now live in GR, about 15 minutes from the John Ball Park Zoo. We were planning to be there during the day on Friday anyhow, so it worked out wonderfully.
As it turned out, Leslie had to work over the weekend (and pick up Paul) and Reid only took a half day on Firday. Mom had a meeting in Reed City so she couldn't go either. So it ended up being Dad, Steve, Ella, Amelia, Tracy, Donovan, Chloe, Haylie, me, and three strollers (two singles and one double). Pretty early on, Chloe rebelled against the stroller, so she walked or Donovan carried her. Ella wanted to walk then too. I wasn't sure about it, especially when Ella refused to hold my hand, but she let Chloe hold her hand and they walked along together, albeit very slowly.
Shortly after this we found the petting zoo. The only animals to pet were goats. Ella didn't touch the goats much, but chattered continuously to whichever one was closest. The one in the picture gently headbutted Ella in the belly. She kinda fake laughed and said, "that tickles." Steve brought Amelia in too, but I'm not sure she touched any of them or even let him put her down. She seems to be deathly afraid of animals, even my parents' 16 year old cat.
Ella kept asking about the lions. When we got to them, she didn't seem very interested. Of course, they were pretty far back in the habitat so she couldn't see them very well. I did get this great picture though.
She did like the tiger though.
Shortly after looking at the lions, we ran into Cameron Hoover, who is one of Evart's former band directors. Unfortunately, Tracy wasn't with us then and the rest of us didn't really know him well.
Next up were the monkeys, which Ella LOVED. The one in the picture was just hanging out with his back to the glass. Then he turned around and I got a picture. Shortly after that, he swung away to the other side of the habitat. Ella started clapping and shouting, "Look at the wunkey go! Go wunkey! Good job wunkey!" It was hilarious and she was SO excited. Some of the other parents there got a good laugh out of it too. :)
We also saw this monkey. It's a howler monkey and I caught it mid-howl in the picture. I saw wild ones in Guatemala.
And because they're cute, here's a picture of the girls in the stroller. This one was mid-trip. The one at the end did not turn out well. We had a diaper mishap with Ella and Mia was just tired. So here's the funny face picture. I'm not sure what either of them was doing in the picture but it makes me smile. :)
I'll post more pictures from the weekend later, since I took a lot at the Atherton reunion the next day. But this post is already pretty long. We'll probably make zoo trips a yearly thing since it's so close to Mom and Dad. Considering we made the trip with four girls under three, it went pretty smoothly. Btw, there were a lot of other animals that I either didn't take pictures of or didn't post pictures of. The zoo's website has a map posted and all the other info you'd need to know. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
As it turned out, Leslie had to work over the weekend (and pick up Paul) and Reid only took a half day on Firday. Mom had a meeting in Reed City so she couldn't go either. So it ended up being Dad, Steve, Ella, Amelia, Tracy, Donovan, Chloe, Haylie, me, and three strollers (two singles and one double). Pretty early on, Chloe rebelled against the stroller, so she walked or Donovan carried her. Ella wanted to walk then too. I wasn't sure about it, especially when Ella refused to hold my hand, but she let Chloe hold her hand and they walked along together, albeit very slowly.
Shortly after this we found the petting zoo. The only animals to pet were goats. Ella didn't touch the goats much, but chattered continuously to whichever one was closest. The one in the picture gently headbutted Ella in the belly. She kinda fake laughed and said, "that tickles." Steve brought Amelia in too, but I'm not sure she touched any of them or even let him put her down. She seems to be deathly afraid of animals, even my parents' 16 year old cat.
Ella kept asking about the lions. When we got to them, she didn't seem very interested. Of course, they were pretty far back in the habitat so she couldn't see them very well. I did get this great picture though.
She did like the tiger though.
Shortly after looking at the lions, we ran into Cameron Hoover, who is one of Evart's former band directors. Unfortunately, Tracy wasn't with us then and the rest of us didn't really know him well.
Next up were the monkeys, which Ella LOVED. The one in the picture was just hanging out with his back to the glass. Then he turned around and I got a picture. Shortly after that, he swung away to the other side of the habitat. Ella started clapping and shouting, "Look at the wunkey go! Go wunkey! Good job wunkey!" It was hilarious and she was SO excited. Some of the other parents there got a good laugh out of it too. :)
We also saw this monkey. It's a howler monkey and I caught it mid-howl in the picture. I saw wild ones in Guatemala.
And because they're cute, here's a picture of the girls in the stroller. This one was mid-trip. The one at the end did not turn out well. We had a diaper mishap with Ella and Mia was just tired. So here's the funny face picture. I'm not sure what either of them was doing in the picture but it makes me smile. :)
I'll post more pictures from the weekend later, since I took a lot at the Atherton reunion the next day. But this post is already pretty long. We'll probably make zoo trips a yearly thing since it's so close to Mom and Dad. Considering we made the trip with four girls under three, it went pretty smoothly. Btw, there were a lot of other animals that I either didn't take pictures of or didn't post pictures of. The zoo's website has a map posted and all the other info you'd need to know. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Long conversations late at night - college style
Yesterday I talked to all three of my siblings on the phone. It's unusual that I talk to all of them in the same day unless we're all together. Tracy and I nailed down more zoo details and she updated me on Chloe and Haylie (Chloe doesn't like bedtime and Haylie is doing well). Reid was on his way to Somerset Beach for conference, so he wouldn't be home for a visit (I had books to return to SAU and thought we'd make it a family trip and stop to see Wuncle Weid). Leslie was busy most of the day though and called me back late in the evening. The conversation started with recaps of our day and continued from there.
We talked for a long time about odd behavior that we don't understand and the way it affects people we care about. From there we talked about disappointment with people who claim to be Christians and continued on to talking about church. I talked about how I feel a little jaded toward church people in general and how I often feel they put up the Sunday facade and go on with their usual lifestyle - partying, gossiping, doing what they want - the rest of the week. We talked about how that leaves a bad taste in people's mouths and they don't want anything to do with the church and Christians after seeing all the hypocritical behavior. I'm not saying someone should be a perfect Christian to go to church. But if someone claims to be a Christian, shouldn't they at least be trying to live as one? Steve and I have had a difficult time finding a church where we feel like we fit and really want to be. More and more I'm understanding the appeal of non-traditional churches, where people can go in their jeans and hoodies, where no one judges you for your past mistakes, where the worship is genuine and not about appearances. I want to find a place where people are honest about their flaws and struggles and not smoothing over them because it's Sunday. I need to want to go to church again. The funny thing is that I want to want to go to church. But what comes first? The discipline to go or the desire to go?
Obviously the conversation was a deep, soul-baring one that really got me thinking about things. These are thoughts that have been simmering for a while. Steve and I talk about these things, but are easily distracted by the girls and rarely finish the discussion. Talking to Leslie so late into the night (not even midnight, lol) was kind of renewing. For a while now I've felt kind of weighted down and frustrated but couldn't quite put my thoughts into words. Things feel clearer now. Thank you, Leslie.
The whole conversation reminded me of so many late night chats in college. Steve and I have long conversations every now and then, but it was nice to have a fresh voice. And it made me nostalgic for college. :)
We talked for a long time about odd behavior that we don't understand and the way it affects people we care about. From there we talked about disappointment with people who claim to be Christians and continued on to talking about church. I talked about how I feel a little jaded toward church people in general and how I often feel they put up the Sunday facade and go on with their usual lifestyle - partying, gossiping, doing what they want - the rest of the week. We talked about how that leaves a bad taste in people's mouths and they don't want anything to do with the church and Christians after seeing all the hypocritical behavior. I'm not saying someone should be a perfect Christian to go to church. But if someone claims to be a Christian, shouldn't they at least be trying to live as one? Steve and I have had a difficult time finding a church where we feel like we fit and really want to be. More and more I'm understanding the appeal of non-traditional churches, where people can go in their jeans and hoodies, where no one judges you for your past mistakes, where the worship is genuine and not about appearances. I want to find a place where people are honest about their flaws and struggles and not smoothing over them because it's Sunday. I need to want to go to church again. The funny thing is that I want to want to go to church. But what comes first? The discipline to go or the desire to go?
Obviously the conversation was a deep, soul-baring one that really got me thinking about things. These are thoughts that have been simmering for a while. Steve and I talk about these things, but are easily distracted by the girls and rarely finish the discussion. Talking to Leslie so late into the night (not even midnight, lol) was kind of renewing. For a while now I've felt kind of weighted down and frustrated but couldn't quite put my thoughts into words. Things feel clearer now. Thank you, Leslie.
The whole conversation reminded me of so many late night chats in college. Steve and I have long conversations every now and then, but it was nice to have a fresh voice. And it made me nostalgic for college. :)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A Saturday at home
Today has been more or less a regular day at home. The girls woke up late (so I did too) because we stayed late at Aunt Rita and Uncle Fred's house last night. It was a first time in a long time we've been over there and it's possible that it was Amelia's first time ever. So we stayed late, like 10:30pm late. I know, it's not that late. Unless of course you have two toddlers who normally go to bed by 8:30. They did well, but I warned Steve repeatedly that they would be cranky today. Unfortunately, I was right. But that's not the important part.
Steve made breakfast (waffles and eggs) and later made the girls lunch. We also did laundry, which he folded while the girls were eating lunch. I mended the pocket on a pair of Steve's shorts (the only pair of his that fit well). The girls went down for naps and then Steve did yard work while I worked on reorganizing the spare room.
Normally our spare room is a bit cluttered, as it's the guest room, office, and general catch-all room. Art supplies, gift-wrapping supplies, and random computer parts are stored in there. ALL the girls' clothes are in there. Now, we have very kindly been given boxes and bags of clothes for them. Some currently fit one or the other, some are too big for either, some are too small for either, and some are in between girls right now. But they're all in that room, waiting to be sorted and stored or worn. Plus there's a desk, hamper, tv and stand, stereo, dresser with changing table on top, and a twin bed in there. So it's full.
Then I had to make a trip to Evart to clean out my old room or, more specifically, my old closet. It's the biggest closet in that house and I had it pretty full. So I took a weekend last month and drove to Evart alone with our minivan to clear it out. I came back with a full load and we needed to put it somewhere where A) I could get to it to sort through it and B) the girls couldn't get into it. Since we can gate that doorway, all those boxes ended up in the spare room.
It's been bothering me but I knew it was something I would need to do several hours at a time so I probably couldn't do it during the week. Our weekends have been pretty full so I put it off. But Steve was doing yard work today so I knew it was time to just do it already. Some of the boxes were fragile items wrapped in clothes, so those needed to be unpacked and repacked (all of it would end up broken if I tried to display it somewhere right now) in something other than clothing. Since I hoard tissue paper that was no problem. Other boxes were papers and things that needed to be sorted. I only got through some of those boxes but I did pull some of it out to toss. Like a card from an ex-boyfriend. Ripping it up was cathartic. Some stuff the girls can have to play with and some things I've set aside for a garage sale.
There are whole boxes of things I'm not sure what to do with: plaques, trophies, old Bibles, pictures of boys I liked or who liked me, cassette tapes, agates and shells, toys that are too small for the girls to play with, jewelry boxes, etc. I have two hand soap dispensers. Four jewelry boxes. Three Bibles (so far). Three stress balls. Dozens of bookmarks. Lots of assorted jewelry (to fill all the boxes?). A collection of the cases and boxes jewelry comes in. There's at least one box full of pens, pencils, and markers.
I think I may be a bit too nostalgic for my own good. There are some cards I kept that have letters from my deceased grandmother. Reasonable to keep those but when am I ever going to look at them? They'll sit in a box until I sort through it and read it and pack it away again. Maybe my memory is too good. I find something and there's always a memory associated with it. Maybe if my memory was worse I wouldn't keep so many things. Hmm. Oh well. I guess for the time being I'll just finish my walk down memory lane and pack the things I don't want to part with yet. When I come across these boxes in the future, I'm sure I'll enjoy the memories again.
Steve made breakfast (waffles and eggs) and later made the girls lunch. We also did laundry, which he folded while the girls were eating lunch. I mended the pocket on a pair of Steve's shorts (the only pair of his that fit well). The girls went down for naps and then Steve did yard work while I worked on reorganizing the spare room.
Normally our spare room is a bit cluttered, as it's the guest room, office, and general catch-all room. Art supplies, gift-wrapping supplies, and random computer parts are stored in there. ALL the girls' clothes are in there. Now, we have very kindly been given boxes and bags of clothes for them. Some currently fit one or the other, some are too big for either, some are too small for either, and some are in between girls right now. But they're all in that room, waiting to be sorted and stored or worn. Plus there's a desk, hamper, tv and stand, stereo, dresser with changing table on top, and a twin bed in there. So it's full.
Then I had to make a trip to Evart to clean out my old room or, more specifically, my old closet. It's the biggest closet in that house and I had it pretty full. So I took a weekend last month and drove to Evart alone with our minivan to clear it out. I came back with a full load and we needed to put it somewhere where A) I could get to it to sort through it and B) the girls couldn't get into it. Since we can gate that doorway, all those boxes ended up in the spare room.
It's been bothering me but I knew it was something I would need to do several hours at a time so I probably couldn't do it during the week. Our weekends have been pretty full so I put it off. But Steve was doing yard work today so I knew it was time to just do it already. Some of the boxes were fragile items wrapped in clothes, so those needed to be unpacked and repacked (all of it would end up broken if I tried to display it somewhere right now) in something other than clothing. Since I hoard tissue paper that was no problem. Other boxes were papers and things that needed to be sorted. I only got through some of those boxes but I did pull some of it out to toss. Like a card from an ex-boyfriend. Ripping it up was cathartic. Some stuff the girls can have to play with and some things I've set aside for a garage sale.
There are whole boxes of things I'm not sure what to do with: plaques, trophies, old Bibles, pictures of boys I liked or who liked me, cassette tapes, agates and shells, toys that are too small for the girls to play with, jewelry boxes, etc. I have two hand soap dispensers. Four jewelry boxes. Three Bibles (so far). Three stress balls. Dozens of bookmarks. Lots of assorted jewelry (to fill all the boxes?). A collection of the cases and boxes jewelry comes in. There's at least one box full of pens, pencils, and markers.
I think I may be a bit too nostalgic for my own good. There are some cards I kept that have letters from my deceased grandmother. Reasonable to keep those but when am I ever going to look at them? They'll sit in a box until I sort through it and read it and pack it away again. Maybe my memory is too good. I find something and there's always a memory associated with it. Maybe if my memory was worse I wouldn't keep so many things. Hmm. Oh well. I guess for the time being I'll just finish my walk down memory lane and pack the things I don't want to part with yet. When I come across these boxes in the future, I'm sure I'll enjoy the memories again.
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