Whoever said that money can't buy happiness never bought a 16 ounce bottle of bubbles for 84 cents at Walmart.
I entertained both of my kids for over an hour blowing bubbles. They both giggled and laughed. My oldest had a fabulous time chasing the bubbles around the living room, popping them, trying to kiss them, and even blowing a few himself. Happiness- sheer joy. All for less than a dollar!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
2 Hours and 8 Minutes
Its not the amount of time we spent in the theater during the last James Bond movie. Its not the amount of time my kids spent napping (I sure wish it was though ;) ). Nope- its the amount of time it took from when Braden got into his car at work to the time he walked in the door on Tuesday night. There was not weather issue to contend with, just plain old Beltway traffic. Grrrrrrr!
Monday, November 17, 2008
My Cup Runneth Over
Late last week Braden called me from work at 10 am saying that he was coming home early. His computer was broken and wouldn't be fixed until the end of the day. Without a computer he couldn't do much more than return a few calls.
I love spending time with my hubby! Usually our saturdays are crammed with chores and activities, that we hardly spend more than a few hours just hanging out together. Sundays are sometimes just as crazy as workdays with all the meetings and visits Braden does for his calling as Ward Mission Leader. So, the idea of having Braden home during the week was a treat!
By the time Braden got home at 11, the kids had just gone down for an early nap. We jumped at the chance to get an extra hour of sleep as well. We have both been exhausted and feeling run down.
An blissful hour and a half later Bubba Dos woke up hungry. I brought her into bed to feed her and snuggle her for a few minutes. Not long after, Bubba came running in and climbed up onto the bed and promptly fell asleep in the middle. As I sat there snuggling my sleeping baby girl, and saw Braden and Bubba sleeping and all snuggled up, I realized that I was surrounded by the greatest blessings of my life. Right down to our crazy dog who had managed to jump up on the bed while we were napping :) My little family was happy, safe, and together. What more could a mother ask for? My heart swelled with thanks and awe for this sweet, perfect moment. And the love that I felt for my family was beyond description. My cup runneth over :)
I love spending time with my hubby! Usually our saturdays are crammed with chores and activities, that we hardly spend more than a few hours just hanging out together. Sundays are sometimes just as crazy as workdays with all the meetings and visits Braden does for his calling as Ward Mission Leader. So, the idea of having Braden home during the week was a treat!
By the time Braden got home at 11, the kids had just gone down for an early nap. We jumped at the chance to get an extra hour of sleep as well. We have both been exhausted and feeling run down.
An blissful hour and a half later Bubba Dos woke up hungry. I brought her into bed to feed her and snuggle her for a few minutes. Not long after, Bubba came running in and climbed up onto the bed and promptly fell asleep in the middle. As I sat there snuggling my sleeping baby girl, and saw Braden and Bubba sleeping and all snuggled up, I realized that I was surrounded by the greatest blessings of my life. Right down to our crazy dog who had managed to jump up on the bed while we were napping :) My little family was happy, safe, and together. What more could a mother ask for? My heart swelled with thanks and awe for this sweet, perfect moment. And the love that I felt for my family was beyond description. My cup runneth over :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
In Another Universe.....
My friend Geoff and I have joked about alternate realities or alternate universes. I'd like to think that in each of those universes my life is pretty much the same ( I love my little life - the good, the bad, and the downright heinous) with a few exceptions.*First I would like the alternate reality where I live in the house pictures above. It is located just 15 short miles from Braden's job. It was on the market for several weeks, and I have spent far more time than I care to admit daydreaming about living there. I don't like that in this reality Braden commutes over an hour each way to work (And that is on a good day. If there is an accident on the Beltway, or if it is raining, or heaven forbid, snowing, it could easily double or triple the amount of time).
*Second I would like an alternate universe where someone has discovered a way to make dogs stop shedding. I spend about as much time vacuuming as I do daydreaming, and that is quite a lot my friend :)
* Third I would like that alternate reality where I don't have to have so much dental work done. I blame it on genetics, but whatever the cause is, all I know is that I have spent more time in a dental chair than I would wish on my worst enemy. Enough said.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Be Careful What You Wish For...
Every night when Braden and I say prayers together after the kids are in bed we pray that or little guy will learn to use words to communicate with us. Occasionally we get a word here and there out of him such as "UP" or "NO", but not much more than that, and never more than one word at a time.
For the past few months I have been taking a class through the county's Infants and Toddlers Program to teach me how to better encourage communication. We learn several strategies, practice scenarios, and are video taped at home to gauge the progress. Today was a video taping day. Bubba and I started out playing with beads and stringing them onto a necklace. That interaction quickly deteriorated and turned into him rolling the beads across the table to me. One of the strategies we learned in class is to follow your child's lead. So bead rolling it was. After he had rolled several beads to me I collected them in my hand and stood up to give them back to him. When he saw me stand up he thought I was ending his little game, to which he promptly pointed to my vacant chair and said, clear as day, and with a very defiant 2 year old attitude,"NO! Mama SIT!" I nearly fell over I was so shocked.
I am so proud of my little guy figuring out how to not only talk, but how to string those words together to form a sentence. I don't know how thrilled I am about the way he said it though :)
Was his command a preview of things to come? I sure hope not!
For the past few months I have been taking a class through the county's Infants and Toddlers Program to teach me how to better encourage communication. We learn several strategies, practice scenarios, and are video taped at home to gauge the progress. Today was a video taping day. Bubba and I started out playing with beads and stringing them onto a necklace. That interaction quickly deteriorated and turned into him rolling the beads across the table to me. One of the strategies we learned in class is to follow your child's lead. So bead rolling it was. After he had rolled several beads to me I collected them in my hand and stood up to give them back to him. When he saw me stand up he thought I was ending his little game, to which he promptly pointed to my vacant chair and said, clear as day, and with a very defiant 2 year old attitude,"NO! Mama SIT!" I nearly fell over I was so shocked.
I am so proud of my little guy figuring out how to not only talk, but how to string those words together to form a sentence. I don't know how thrilled I am about the way he said it though :)
Was his command a preview of things to come? I sure hope not!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Into The Woods
No, I'm not referring to the musical, and I'm not going camping. Both alternatives sound much more pleasant right now. I am talking about how I feel.
Last week my hubby and I took our little man to see a specialist at Johns Hopkins. I was hoping that she would smile and reassure me as all the other doctors have that everything is fine, that all kids are different, and that my little Bubba is just taking his own sweet time to talk. My heart felt like it was squeezed by a vice grip when , at the end of her evaluation , she suddenly got serious and told us that something was not right. She then ran down a list of possibilities, none of which you want to hear as a parent. Thank goodness none of it is life threatening or anything like that. I'm sorry I am being so vague, but right now, until we learn more, I don't want to say much.
On Monday I spent a good part of the day on the phone scheduling more appointments and doing research on the internet.
I feel like I have walked into a dark forest and I don't know how to find my way out. I just don't want to do this.
I know there are other parents out there with sweet little children of their own dealing with much more serious conditions. I am thankful that my little guy has a strong healthy body, that he is happy, that he is learning and growing, and that he brings so much joy and happiness into the lives of those who are lucky enough to know him. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
Last week my hubby and I took our little man to see a specialist at Johns Hopkins. I was hoping that she would smile and reassure me as all the other doctors have that everything is fine, that all kids are different, and that my little Bubba is just taking his own sweet time to talk. My heart felt like it was squeezed by a vice grip when , at the end of her evaluation , she suddenly got serious and told us that something was not right. She then ran down a list of possibilities, none of which you want to hear as a parent. Thank goodness none of it is life threatening or anything like that. I'm sorry I am being so vague, but right now, until we learn more, I don't want to say much.
On Monday I spent a good part of the day on the phone scheduling more appointments and doing research on the internet.
I feel like I have walked into a dark forest and I don't know how to find my way out. I just don't want to do this.
I know there are other parents out there with sweet little children of their own dealing with much more serious conditions. I am thankful that my little guy has a strong healthy body, that he is happy, that he is learning and growing, and that he brings so much joy and happiness into the lives of those who are lucky enough to know him. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
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