Favorites this week

Favorite foods:

'stacios and Bunny Mi-mallows. These are the favorite foods for the past week or two. What's a mom to do when Buddy Boy wants 'stacios for breakfast, lunch, and suppper, not to mentions snacks in between. Then it's the Bunny Mi-mallows for dessert. I can't blame him. I like them too.

Favorite books:

Do you notice a theme here?

Trucks Trucks Trucks by Peter Sis

Fire Truck by Peter Sis

Pancakes Pancakes by Eric Carle

Running circles

One of Buddy Boys favorite activities lately is "running circles" which is pretty much what it sounds like. We go out into the front yard and chase each other in circles. There are a few rules I have discovered as I play. 1) This is not a 1 player game. It requires at least one other person and preferably a grown up. Little sisters are allowed, but seem to damped the fun a bit. 2) There is no particular objective. You aren't trying to get anywhere. It is more of a process driven activity. Just running in circles, a little chasing and tag, a little spinning around and falling down, but mostly just running in circles. I would feel a little silly playing this game by myself, but we have fun together.

This made me think a little bit about how easy it is to focus on the objective or the purpose of something rather than just enjoy it as it happens. Much of my day is spent doing things that are quickly undone or that are just a part of the daily process of keeping the house and home together. As much as I like to get things done and feel like I have accomplished something it turns out I like running in circles sometimes too.

More baby pics

Here are a couple of the latest photos. She is really starting to smile a lot now. I love it.

We love the park

We just love the park. Buddy Boy's full of "higher, higher, more, faster..." Each Wednesday we meet friends at a different park in the area and play for a few hours even if we have to bring a towel for the slides. Grammie and Granddad also have fun at the park with Buddy Boy. I'm not sure who enjoys it more. Buddy Boy loves the slides and swings and Granddad loves taking pictures of the big smiles. It is great to be outside in the sun and have run around time with friends no matter how old you are.

That's who I am...

Awhile ago one of my favorite songs was "That's who I am" by Sarah Evens. It starts out, I am Rosemary's granddaughter, the spittin' image of my father... I recently read or at least partially read the book Do What You Are. (Check out my GoodReads list!) It is a career planning book based on personality types. Apparently I am an ISFP, an introverted, sensing, feeling, perceiver. Interesting. What is interesting and funny is that some of the things that I do, have done, or would like to do are listed as suggested careers for this personality type (dietitian, interior designer, geneologist). I must have known it all along.

Back to the song... and the geneologist bit. Recently I have really been enjoying studying my husband's family's geneology. I am still compiling what the family knows and combing the census records for siblings and children. I have found an uncle that no one remembered and the names of family members at least one more generation back. I love it. I think it helps to know who you are when you know about the ones that you came from.

Pollyanna

I heard a bit of an interview on the radio the other day where a woman was talking about the story of Pollyanna and how her unreserved optimism is seen as a negative thing. In the story the title character is always seeing the happy side of things and playing the glad game. The person on the radio thought that this attitude was almost delusional. You can't be glad all of the time. I didn't like her side of things, she seemed too pessimistic. I think that there are too many people who are willing to see the doom and gloom around them whether it is on an international, national, or personal scale. It is true there is always something that you can find to complain about if you want to, but why? There is no value in it and you miss the good things that are happening. Acknowledge and accept the good things in life and about yourself and others. It is there if you are willing to see it.

Mini me

Here I am at about age 4 or so. I remember this day and the ooy gooey way the bread dough felt between my fingers. I loved baking bread as a teenager as well. There was something rather relaxing about it for some reason. I still like the way the dough comes together and turns silky smooth as you knead it.

Other childhood memories:

Reading Dr. Seuss books with Dad.

The tomato fight on the back porch with my brother. We were little enough that we were in our pajamas when it was still light outside. There was just something irresistably satisfying about the way a ripe tomato splats when it hits someone or something. We got in trouble for that one.

I remember cutting my own bangs in front of the foggy bathroom mirror while Mom showered. They were much too short and at a crazy angle. I don't know if it would have been any better if I had been able to see what I was doing. Mom did her best to camoflauge the damage, but there wasn't much she could do other that just wait for it to grow out.

We loved the Bookmobile during the summers. It stopped on the corner around noon every other week I think. I remember checking out the Mrs. Pigglewiggle books and Big Red and other books by Jim Kjelgaard. I thought that it was cool to have a last name with a double a.

Are you bored?

Over the holidays we went out to dinner with a former MBA classmate of Daddy. She is not currently employed, has a two year old and is expecting her second. She asked me if I was bored staying at home. I think that she might be. I have to say that I'm not bored. I don't miss my job even though it is one that is considered to be "intellectual" and "fullfilling". It was fulfilling is a bad way. It was filling my life full of stuff that wasn't really important. I now get to the end of the day and wonder where the time has gone. It is challenging in a different sort of way. Instead of trying to save the hungry children of the world my challenge is to feed two little ones.

It is a challenge to keep one step ahead of a two year old. The other day Buddy Boy was climbing on the cupboards while I was feeding the baby. The first time I caught him he had his fingers in the sugar bowl, the second time he was licking the salt shaker, and the third time he wanted to make cake and had a mix out of the box and was in to the the bag. All of this was in less than 20 minutes. After that we made cake.

I get my intellectual challenge by trying to keep Buddy Boy interested, learning, and engaged in life. That doesn't happen on the mornings I let him watch too much TV so that I can clean the house and do the laundry without his help. I also read the news and books for my book club or just for fun. Reading always gives me something to think about when my hands are busy. My husband also helps a lot by talking about economics, politics, and some totally random and obscure topics that keep me thinking. Even an episode of the Simpsons can trigger deep thoughts that we talk over. Like George the monkey said life is neverdull if you are curious.

They sure change fast

Here she is at 6 weeks. It is amazing how quickly they change. The personality and her individual look are coming through. Her eyes are changing color and she is starting to smile. It is great to see the little person emerging.

Granddad took a bunch of pictures the other day. He really experiences life through his camera. He took 4 gig worth of pictures, filling his memory card, before he was through.

I am feeling almost normal now. I am really happy about how much more quickly I have recovered this time. Last time I was pretty wiped out for quite awhile. Looking back I think I was burned out from other things in life going in to childbirth and needed to recover from life as well as having a baby. This time I was feeling the normal pregnancy discomfort, but life was sane and stable. It made recovery a lot easier. I also had a lot of help and support from family and friends.

Here she is!

Here is our new little one. After an extra long wait she is here, healthy, and happy (most of the time). It took a little time and some medical intervention to get her here, but it all worked out and our baby Evelyn is officially and finally part of the family. Her big brother isn't quite sure that he likes sharing Mom, but he is getting used to having her around.

Granddad and Grammie are thrilled to have another girl in the family after 3 grandsons. Grandpa and Grandma and equally pleased even though this is grandchild #14 for them.

We are doing well and slowly returning to a new state of equilibrium. It will take a little while, but life is still good!