new dress

I don't need an excuse to post photos of my girl in a new dress.



She has asked to wear this dress every day for the last 3 days.



I think if I had a dress like that, I'd want to wear it every day, too.

fish sticks

Some days are just not very... healthy. Take today, for instance. We're having fish sticks for lunch. Now, I did read labels carefully, and I use brands that leave out most of the bad things, like HFCS, MSG, artificial colors and the like. But still.

Fish Sticks?!?

And so, that's what we're having. Because I still can't find the counter top in my kitchen, or where I put half the groceries I bought yesterday. But I can find the freezer, a cookie sheet and the oven.

I think we'll supplement with a spinach salad, and some homemade applesauce. Sounds healthy, right?



Notice the stems of the spinach lined up in a row on the table? At least she eats something green.

And then while Elizabeth takes a nap, follow it up with a nice dose of medicinal Cookies N' Cream ice cream. Because I need it.

And don't ask about the mac and cheese we're having for supper.

cuddling

I love my kids.

Last night, I had both with me in the rocking chair, in their fuzzy footie sleepers - Elizabeth wearing green with pink skiing snow women, Nathanael wearing blue with white polar bears (and polar bear heads on the feet. How cute!) Elizabeth had been fussing and whining and wiggly about going to bed. Finally, sitting with me in the chair, she settled down. We sang a few songs, but really what she needed was her dad.

I went and pulled out the CD that Jude and Randy recorded more than 8 years ago. I enjoyed hearing songs I hadn't heard in a while, and E liked hearing her dad singing.

We rocked away, my two children and I, until both kids drifted off to sleep.

Those are the moments that I wish I could keep forever.

another monday

The weekend has passed, I'm home with the kids while Jude is off at work. Elizabeth is napping (for now!) and Nathanael is playing with a toy on the floor.

It's November, and windy. I'm in a new home. There's a lake in my front yard, thanks to all the rain we've had. I have a garage, but I'm so used to parking outside that I hardly ever think to put the car in it.

I'm feeling the need to ebay and freecycle stuff. Lots of stuff.

Instead, I'll wander about my house, putting things away, hopefully a bit faster than the kids get them out. I'm grateful that Jude was able to get a lot of stuff put away over the weekend. I feel much less like we're living out of boxes, and more like we've moved in.

We don't have any TV reception here (and at this point, I'm refusing to give in to satellite simply to watch PBS or the evening news!) There's been a little less TV babysitting going on, but there have been more movies while we do things like fold clothes and color. All the while trying to keep Nathanael from staring too long at the TV. I don't want his infant brain to go to mush because we're watching 101 Dalmations!

I don't want my own brain to go to mush, either, but there's not much help for that.

the young and the relocated

We've moved to a new home over the weekend. We're still living around all of our stuff. I have hope that we'll be settled in a few weeks.



We're really not far from our previous residence - I can see it across the field and up on the hill. We have a two lane highway out our front door. We hear the grain trucks rumble by at all hours. We have a four lane high way across the field out the back door, and the truck stop that services many of the freighting professionals driving our roads. At night, we can hear the engines running on the trucks while the drivers sleep. Most of it is subtle white noise.

It's an adventure to move into a new place, especially when you've lived in the previous one for a long while. Clearly there are things that we have kept in our possesion that, give the choice of moving it or throwing it away, we'd rather pitch. This is a fine opportunity to re-evaluate the "things" in our lives, and to discover what really matters.

I now know that:
I have an abundance of dishes.
I have an over abundance of kitchen utensils, but I don't want to get rid of any, and I really want to add more. (Can we say Cuisinart food processor, or Kitchenaid immersion blender?)
I'm living in the past - I have lots of stuff from college and high school that I really don't care about, but I can't quite throw away.
I have lots of children's clothes.
I have more cleaning supplies that I have things to clean.
We have lots of technology/electronics. Lots.
Random items rule our household.
It may seem excessive to pack everything up to move 6 blocks, but when you're trying to separate your belongings from that of another family, it's wise. Trust me.

Perhaps the next time we move I'll have more of a handle on our stuff. One can hope, right?

vicious viscous circles

I promise, I do want to blog more.

I realize my blogging relationship is much like my real-life long distance relationships. A vicious (as opposed to viscous) circle of wanting to write, but feeling guilty about not having done anything to contact the other person recently, so I don't write. I want to, but because I haven't yet, I'm not going to start.

Besides, when it's been a while, what do you say? Do you try to catch up on everything that's happened since the last time? Do you update only on the most recent goings-on? It devolves to small talk, and seems superficial.

And so, my readers, there I am. I think I'll let the last few months of non-communication lie, and just move forward from here.

greetings, earthling

How does a baby say hello? By touching your face with his hand, then leaning toward you until you touch foreheads. Those are two of Nathanael's standard greetings. First thing in the morning when he wakes up, when we go to church and see people. It doesn't matter if he knows them or not. He'll reach his arms out to whomever he wants to see, and greets them in his own fashion.

He has quickly progressed in his mobility. He started crawling a few weeks ago, and now he's pulling himself up on things. He's trying to cruise around a bit, but he's not very good at moving his feet without falling over yet. He's brave, and lets go with a hand to stand there for a few seconds. I've even caught him standing on the second step, playing with toys his sister has left behind.

His "language skills" are also developing - he's making "ma-ma" sounds, "ba" noises, and a new mouth sound that is occupying him. It's a light "pop" sound made with his lips, that you can barely hear. He goes about his business standing and playing with whatever, all the while "popping."

Oh, what a particular boy! He's like his dad - he doesn't like to eat first thing in the morning. It'll be an hour or two before he's ready to eat and nap. He likes his sister, but mostly from a distance. He's friendly to people, but not so much to cameras. He enjoys playing on the floor while lying on his back, thumping his heels on the floor. But, don't take the toy away. That would be an unapproved activity, and he will scream loudly.


(Ignore Jude looking at me like I'm nuts. Also, note Randy and Danielle sitting with Elizabeth on the next trailer on this hay ride)

Oh, what a wonderful boy he is!

heard in my house

"Oh, come on, you like cereal milk."

This from Elizabeth's mouth after I inquired of her what we should make for dinner. She listed off several items, including "cereal milk" to which I said no.

Oftentimes, when she is refusing to eat something that she has enjoyed at previous meals, we'll say, "come on, you like ______"

I couldn't Not smile when she said it. And then I had to blog about it.