Recent pictures

These were taken at the park on my birthday. The other little girl is my cousins daughter Brooke, 4 1/2


My monkey child. Note the feet and the ability to literally wrap abound a tree.

Brooke and Owen

Being goofy with the swing, idea based on CK's twins (which by the way, it looks much cooler with twins)

Gwendolyn gab

If only my child would follow instructions and stay on task, she would advance.
Both her gymnastics teacher and her swim teacher see such promise in her and use her for example in every class. If only she wouldn't get bored during the idle times and do her "own thing". She is 3 1/2 and they both want to move her up to the 5 year old advanced class, but not till she stops acting like a toddler.
She did a handspring a few weeks back in my parents yard and thought nothing of it. To have no fear is a great thing in situations like that. I never could pull off a back handspring, due to the brain telling me about potential outcomes. She doesn't have that nagging voice of reason.

Owenisms

Owen pooped on the potty last night. I don't know that he is ready to tell me when he has to go, but I will take baby-step progress.
He has such a cute way of exclaiming "I did it" and "I got it" when he accomplishes something. I love seeing the excitement when it happens. He is such a bundle of joy and a mama's boy. He seems to be taking more of an interest in Matt lately. Matt was off hunting last week and every day we came home Owen would hurry up the stairs calling "Daddy, Daddy". Melted my heart to hear.
He is still a stinker when it comes to eating. If it is not something he likes (grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, or stage 3 jarred baby food) he will just sit there and cry. Won't even try tasting it. This will go on for upwards of an hour. I always cave and get him a jar of nastiness. He needs the calories. I hate that he is getting the better of me and I don't feel we are progressing with his dietary variety. He is going to have to realize that jarred nastiness is, in fact, NASTY sooner or later.
Last week when Daddy was hunting, Gwendolyn tended to sleep with me. Owen woke up crying one night and I went to him. He didn't want to lay back down and would cry more if I tried (not normal). I was exhausted. I am walking and bouncing him and think to myself, "hmmmm empty toddler bed, wonder if that would do the trick". Sure enough, he cuddled right down. Come morning, I hear the door crack open. This is normally the sign that Gwendolyn is coming to my room, but I already had her. I get up and look down the hallway to see the cutest little face peeking out of the door at me, in wonder. He didn't know what to do next, he only knew Gwendolyn would leave the room. Love that little boy!!

Boob Talk

I had loaned a dress to my sister in law to see if it would fit. We have a formal fundraiser to attend in a few weeks. Didn't fit and it was in the car, riding around like a good dress should. There, stage is set....
G-What is this
Mom-It is a dress that Auntie borrowed but it didn't fit.
G-Why didn't it fit
Mom-Her boobs are too big
G-Do you have big boobs?
Mom-They are alright, not too big not too small (still driving)
G-Will I have big boobs?
Mom-(Dying here)The possibility is there baby, you have genetics working for you on that one.
G-Huh??
Mom-nevermind (turning up kid music)

On the other hand, Owen laughs and tries to tickle me if he sees me topless. I am glad they amuse him.

Rare Form

Gwendolyn was in rare form this morning. Nothing was making her happy. She wanted pancakes and then only took three bites. Threw a fit over the jeans I made her wear (hates jeans this year) but I persisted because she will likely go outside to play and needed the warmth. Wanted to be carried downstairs, couldn't walk, and I wouldn't carry her. I continued at Grandmas house when I was dropping her off...."I'm hungry", umm no, you get nothing else since you didn't eat the breakfast you asked for. She refused to walk up the stairs and was having a fit at the bottom of the stairs. The funniest part is that Owen was so amused by her that he pulled over one of the little kid chairs and was sitting at the top of the stairs watching her spectacle. I finally get her upstair and left as she was stripping her pants off and crying to Grandma.
I hope she pulls it together by tonight, she has a non-family member babysitter coming up for the second time. I am sure that will be more of a treat than being home with me. I even tried using that as leverage with her looney self this morning.

Give a little bit, give a little bit of yourself..

This is so not about me, I volunteer to offer my support. When I am rich, I will donate money. I do buy things from kids who come around selling, but that benefits me and my belly or the presents I will be wrapping.
Yesterday in Church, one of our busiest attorney's in town (slum lord kind of attorney, if you wanna get off, see him) was sitting in front of me. They are very well off, for the record. I watched them take two quarters out of his pocket and hand one to his wife. That was their freaking tithe!! FIFTY FREAKING CENTS!! Cheap ass. I appreciate that you are giving. But just because you gave a quarter every week in Church does not free you of all your sins and wrong doings. I have watched my parents give $100 every week, all of my life. There were many, many weeks that do such was a hardship. But that was still a committment they made. Ugh, it just irked me to watch this practice of thiers. The wife even took a second to ask if he had his quarter.

On a happy note, Gwendolyn went to her first Childrens Church and also Sunday School yesterday. She is 6 months too young, but they wanted her and made an exception. She seems to do well with it and I think her attending pre-school made it possible. She is growing up too fast.

I don't want to get old

I took the kids to a local old folks home last night for a monthly birthday party that we help throw. Normally I don't venture around the building, just stay in the commons for cake and entertainment. I knew that the old man who lived next to my parents my whole life had just moved there. I went in search of him and man was it depressing. We found him and said hi and that we would check in on him next month as well, he was getting ready for bed. It was slightly depressing seeing such a strong, active man, cut down like that. He now has Parkinsons.
The really hard part was seeing all the elderly sitting around the hallways in wheelchairs, lonely. I think 3/4 of them were just waiting for someone willing to visit them. Tons of people called out hellos to my kids as we roamed around. Gwendolyn bailed on me at one point and circled back around to a living room area and was pushing RoseMary around in her chair. We had met her because she stopped us to ask where she was supposed to be. I had no idea and told her I would find her someone. I told the nurse in my friends room, like I promised. We ended up pushing this lady around the building five times, looking for Kathy or her room (my idea to look for her room). She would get mad at me if I tried to help Gwendolyn. She would get mad at me if I didn't tell her where Kathy was. I left her where I found her once, but Gwendolyn escaped me and went back to get her again, thanks child. I left her a second time, after not finding her room in the hallway she said she lived in and took the kids and ran. I saw a young girl that looked like she worked there. I asked if she knew where Kathy was. She said, "oh you must have been pushing RoseMary. Kathy is her daughter and she comes to visit on Saturdays. We tell her she is in North Pole and can't come right now the rest of the week." Just broke my heart. I know people need to have lives and can't spend all their time there, but wow it was sad. I don't want my parents to get old, my in-laws to get old and I don't want Matt and I to get old. My grandfather died of Luekimia the summer Matt and I got together. Otherwise all my family is alive and well in their homes. It hurt to see people living so lonely in their rooms with their tv's or sitting around in hallways in wheelchairs. We had around a dozen that came to our party for bingo, but the rest....so sad.
Matt's grandma fell and broke her hip around a month ago and is in a nursing home in MI. She is a little delusional while she takes pain meds and doesn't always understand who, what, where, and when. It is very hard to be this far away and helpless. They moved back to MI 10 years ago, while all the family is on the west coast. Grandpa visits her every day, but she gets confused where he is, if he is not by her side. He has conceded that they ought to be closer to family and is willing to look into Spokane. That is where lots of my family is, including my grandma with lots of elderly contacts. I hope this works out, it will be great to have them in the same town. I mainly hope and pray that grandma is able to come home.
I still maintain, I don't want to get old

Happiest Toddler on the Block

I'll take two of those to go, please!!

I went to a presentation last night by Harvey Karp, Happiest Baby and Happiest Toddler on the Block. He had some fabulous ideas for dealing with toddlers and their tantrums. I bought his DVD for $18 with my SIL and will watch that with Matt (he is even willing). It was great to watch his practices in motion in the video clips he presented. He was a wonderful presenter, with fabulous ideas. I highly recommend his practices. He is the one with the 5s's (swaddle, shhhh, swing back and forth....) for the Happiest Baby portion.

Of course Mommy went out drinking afterwards, but I tried to learn how to be a good parent first. LMAO I wish I had brought Matt and he even commented, after the fact, that he would have went and thought he could use the hints and education too.

Too Much??

Do we gogogo too much?? I think I am doing my kids a disservice. Every night Gwendolyn will ask me "where are we going tomorrow? What are we doing?" Most days we are going plenty of places and doing lots of things. Problem is, I don't think it is healthy for her. She lacks the ability to sit around the house all day or even all weekend and play with her toys. She is always anticipating where we are going next. Live in the moment child and relax. Or maybe, I could just be raising an ambitious child, who will have drive. I can only hope, because right now I think I am making a mistake that I will pay for in the future. Parenting is so full of unknowns and what-ifs.

Baby moniter

I want to have a baby moniter as long as my kids share a room. It can be so neat to hear what they say to each other. Sunday morning, I was laying in bed knowing Gwendolyn was awake. I hear her get out of bed and say to Owen "don't cry bubba, I will be right back. I'm going to see momma, don't cry" It was so sweet that she cared about how her leaving would affect him. Sibling love is so seet. Of course she beat him up later in the day, but they have their moments.

We are transitioning Gwendolyn into a no nap girl. If she naps during the afternoon, she is up till 10:30 - 11:00pm and that is too hard on her. It is sometimes a challenge to keep her awake all afternoon, but it seems to benefit her. Owen just has one nap a day now, in the afternoon right after lunch. He is still super food picky. I normally give in and give him a jar of nasty stage 3 baby food for dinner and he gobbles it down. I don't get it. That stuff looks and smells nasty and I think I cook yummy food :)