I Will Not Have A Meltdown

I will not have a meltdown even though:

• I ate several pieces of Sam's Valentine candy for lunch.  He's a toddler.  He doesn't know the difference. And I didn't eat real food so that I wouldn't take in too many calories.  And calories don't count on Hallmark holidays anyway. 

• I just baked a cake for my Valentine using a cake mix, jello and lots of cream cheese frosting.  The baker in me is insulted, but I will keep it together and likely eat it with joy.  

• Our cat has had a mistaken gender identity since August.  More on that later.

• Owen's bed has been dismantled by children thinking that he needed his twin mattress to be moved upstairs to his sisters room, without adult assistance.  I'll deal with that one when the dishes are done.  

• Our desktop computer crashed on Friday and hasn't been recovered.  I may be in denial, but we will get it back.  We were in the process of finding a new system to back things up when someones little fingers pressed the wrong button.  That is several years of photos and videos that must be salvaged or this Mama may cry for weeks, possibly years, over the loss.  We are taking suggestions on this one.  

I will not have a meltdown because my kids attacked me with kisses this morning to wish me a happy Valentine's.  It was the best gift in the world.  Then I watched them ingest more sugar than should legally be allowed at a Valentine's bowling party with our homeschool co-op.  There isn't much cuter than 50 kids throwing bowling balls down bumper lanes and cheering when they get one pin, especially after ingesting high fructose corn syrup.  

I will not have a meltdown today, or tomorrow.  But maybe on Wednesday - if the computer still isn't working.  We'll see about that.   

Days Like Today

It's days like today when I wonder why I let my garage space be passed on to our rabbits for the winter.  I am a sucker for those animals.   We've had 19 inches and it's still falling.  Please don't ask why I didn't have the foresight to put my car in the other garage.  I.....I.......well, um, I'm not sure why I didn't do that.  Silly me.  

It's days like today when I reminisce on the bygone days, like 9 days ago when it was 65 degrees.  The kids and I played with the goats and Jason went golfing.  And it was the end of January.  Those were the days.  

Here is a nod to that sunny Sunday: 

Well, hello Amaya.  I love you too.  Can you tell she is trying to kiss me?  She is just like a dog - tail wagging and lots of licks for her owners.  She loves the nice weather as much as we do. 

Ella is game for a little smooch. 

We are a bit strange in our house.  We sort of "love" the bipolar weather that Kansas is having this winter.  It feels like the best of both worlds; we watch the kids and dog frolic in the snow, then lap up the sunshine a few days later as we see the grass appear.   And I certainly don't mind when Daddy gets to stay home from work due to the snow.  We could all get used to that perk. 


Today's dumping will be around for a little longer than an average Kansas snow fall.  So we are hunkering down for the long haul and beginning to wonder who out there has a plow for our driveway.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller? 

Con Te Partiro

 Does this picture make it look like I have been traveling around Paris like my sister has for the past couple of weeks?  Well, I haven't.  You can find everything in Vegas.  

Check the volume on your computer. Good.

Now wait for it....wait for it.....

Four years ago, while Jason and I were visiting our friends in Vegas, we heard Con Te Partiro - the song that my dear friend Mark sang at our wedding.  It played during the light and water show in front of the Bellagio.  Never seen it?  Think the final scene in Oceans Eleven.  Never seen it?  Google it.  It's pretty spectacular.  It is one of our favorite things. 

Hearing this song with Jason was wonderful.  They play all types of music there so we were flooded with la-la-loveland memories of our wedding - since they certainly played it just for the two of us. 

On this trip, sans my hubby, the song began to play just as we were pulling up in front of the Bellagio yet again.  Love it! 

Did you check your volume?  Are you hearing this? 

Here's the English translation:
When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail;
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room
Where the sun is not there
If you are not with me.
At the windows
Show everyone my heart
Which you set alight;
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street.

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall experience them.

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
And yes, I know
That you are with me;
You, my moon, are here with me,
My sun, you are here with me.
With me, with me, with me,

No Emergencies

I awoke today with the wonderful mantra, "Life is not an emergency" thanks to Ann Voskamp.  

I awoke knowing that I would not hurry this life.  We headed to the doctor to have my little cherubs checked out, with great music blasting on the radio and the sun lighting our way. 

Then life happened.  

Two steps across the parking lot at the pediatrician, I found myself taking a close up view of the pavement.  With Sam snug in his sling, I had slipped on a pancake size swatch of ice and landed on my right side.  Those mother superhero response instincts had kicked in and I had shifted Sam to my left so that I didn't land on top of him.  Thank you, Jesus, for those instincts.  Now I just need a new right knee.  

Then life happened some more.  

Owen threw a delightful tantrum at the pediatricians office as they tried to get a good look at his eardrum, which was blocked by some pretty stubborn ear wax (do you love the visual?).  I am thankful that no bodily harm came to the employees there.  It wasn't a shining moment as a mom when the doctors parting words were, "He's a strong kid.  Hopefully, that strong will will help him in life."  Great.  Thanks.  Can you prescribe any medication for me? 

Then life happened a bit more.

Sam ate two suckers while Owen was throwing his fit and no adult was paying attention.  Don't try to strap a 20 month old in a car seat after they have eaten a sugary treat.  Trust me.

Then life happened even more. 

One pitiful prescription at the drug store was 65 dollars.  Seriously? 

Then life continued with more.

In the grocery store (don't ask me why I thought it would be a good idea to go there at this point) Sam grabbed every item I put in the cart and threw it on the floor.  Who designed shopping carts to allow this to happen?  I let him eat a cookie for a distraction and that lasted about 2 minutes. Ella and Owen repeatedly disobeyed my loving instructions to not run away from me.   Why, oh why, did I go grocery shopping?  

Then life happened again.  

As I unloaded the groceries from the car, Sam took this opportunity to clean the toilet with my toothbrush and toothpaste.  He was out of my sight long enough for me to walk out the door, pick up three bags and come back inside.  This boy must have inheirited my super powers becuase he is so fast.  Then I realized I bought the wrong milk.  Fantastic.  

So, this is life.  No emergencies.  Just life.  

But the sun was shining and our dear friend from Minnesota was coming to dinner.  Thank goodness for a wonderful change of pace and smiling face to snap me out of life.  We drowned ourselves in steaks...mmmm....steaks, and baked sweet potatoes, and homemade bread, and jalapeno artichoke dip, and molten chocolate cakes with fresh whipped cream, and great conversation.  Can you believe that Jason has been friends with him for 25 years?  Amazing.  

Tomorrows mantra is the same.  No emergencies.  Just life.  Bring it. 

I really love our life.   

Pajamas

We have never had matching outfits in our house, so these pajamas are especially special.  They were handmade by Grandma Sue Tracy!  We love our cozy flannel sleepwear.   

We took advantage of yesterdays bad weather and stayed in our pj's all day.  It was the perfect opportunity for a picture of our matching snow-people covered outfits!  Don't we look happy?  Try to ignore the bad hair and lack of makeup on a certain Mom in the picture......and the baby who couldn't figure out the auto-timer on the camera to know when to smile.  Even the dog had a flannel bow, but she was more interested in eating that than posing for a family photo. 

In the midst of the blizzard we had a wonderful family day.  How thankful we are for a warm home, a full pantry and a job that let Daddy stay home and play Legos, while avoiding the massive snow drifts - at least for one day!    

Do You Know Him?

A Thousand Words

Pictures tell a thousand words.  Or a least a few words.

Like this one from 1997 of me and my dear college friends-

If you are unable to understand the words that are evoked, I will help you.  They go something like this:

1997 version - "We look so nice, wearing our nicest dresses.  We are resident advisers and we are cool."

2011 version- "What were we thinking wearing those outfits?  We look pretty ridiculous.  Except for Jen, because she always looks fantastic. Why did I wear that silly watch with a dress?"

Here are the four of us last weekend in Red Rock Canyon, just outside of Las Vegas - 

Again, I will give you a little commentary:

Bethany: "I am going to teach these ladies how to jump off a mountain."

Sarah: "I am so glad I am not changing diapers right now."

 Kelly: "I love you guys, but this is nuts."

Jen: "Yay!  I love jumping off of things!"

I am so blessed to have these amazing women in my life.  They have been my rock of friendship for the past 15 years.  Our Vegas weekends include long hours sitting at the breakfast table reviewing our lives, lots of laughing and crying (always simultaneously) and looking at old photos that make a cringe.  

This was year #4 of our Vegas convention and this time Bethany offered to teach us how to jump off a mountain while attaching us to ropes.  It sounded interesting.  I was game.

Let us not forget that these 3 friends of mine had all jumped out of an airplane(s) before - an airplane that was flying in the air- because they are not afraid of anything.  I don't even like to fly in an airplane while wearing a seat belt.  And Bethany flies airplanes for her job and has leaped 150 feet off of platforms above gorges for fun....  I think they are all a little more adventurous than me.  

These pictures do tell a story.  Yet what they leave out is one important lesson learned: Trusting yourself is incredibly important. 

Bethany and her amazing husband, David, were our teachers and it was easy to trust them.  They taught us exactly how to manage every step and showed us how the safety measures were being taken to keep us from plummeting to the ground.  That was a helpful lesson. 

Even with total confidence in the system, we had to believe that we could do this.  We had to control the ropes and our speed - and not panic while dangling off the ground.  

After a successful first run, Kelly put the fear in to words.  If we didn't trust ourselves, we couldn't do it.  She was spot on. 

I am so lucky that my life has been full of opportunities to build trust in myself, so that even when I fear, I have my faith in God and I can find the trust in myself to take risks - even when it is difficult.   

Just in case anyone was worried about bodily injury, there was an emergency crew doing a drill that day-so even if all my ropes had failed me -I would have had 30 men running to my rescue.  Hhhmmm... maybe I should have sprained my ankle or something - so that they could practice their rescuing.  All for the greater good, of course.  


Here we all are - jumping off a mountain: