Thanksgiving

Daddy can cook a great meal! The kids had a great time entertaining our guests (dancing on our coffee table) and we enjoyed having everyone over!

I am filled with gratitude because my life is better than I ever thought possible.

Challenges

With both kids having colds, Daddy being gone and me being run-down, I'm struggling to be patient and understanding. Since I realize that attitude is everything and usually decides whether you have a good or bad day, I'm focusing on the positive and the fact that it won't be like this forever and that in spite of the fact that it gets crazy in the not-so-fun way, this time is precious and I need to appreciate it. This too shall pass.

Both Sam and I had timeouts this morning for yelling at each other. Yes, I set the timer and faced the wall with my daughter because I made a bad choice and had to deal with the consequence. After calming down, we built a fort with the exercise mats, got out nearly every blanket in the house and set up the play tent. We took turns being the "Big Bad Wolf" and blowing the house down. That was a nice change of pace.

We have a few errands to do, so it will probably do everyone a bit of good. Sam has agreed to my "special helper" like she does for Daddy which should be fun!

Slip Sliding Away

Sofia is now going on the slide by herself (climbing up and sliding down) and from my perspective at least, it's pretty cute. She is so proud of herself and has been practicing a lot!

Here's a short video I took of the girls that epitomizes sisterhood. Please excuse my comments as I try to parent!

Sam's day with Mommy and Daddy

To reward ourselves (Sam for increasingly good behavior and us as parents for increasing patience), we asked Nana and Papa if they would take Sofia for a night so we could have a day with Sam. We went out to lunch followed by the train museum and came home to rest. Then we got to take Fonzie out to Mom's office and run around while Dad made us dinner! After that we played a marathon game of hide and seek, which Mom lost since Dad and Sam were such great hiders. Daddy had to go work for a bit so Mom showed Sam some computer games and a little bit on how to work it. It wasn't bad for a first lesson!

It was a great day and I'm glad that we are able to do it! A bonus is that Nana and Papa are having a wonderful time with Sofia!

Conferences at Preschool

Earlier this week we had conferences at Sam's preschool. Does that sound strange to anyone besides me? She's not quite 4 years old! Of course Daddy and I went full of questions, concerns and pride for our oldest baby. She knows all the letter sounds, which is great! She's still getting a lot of social time, which is even better! (My thought is that she can have all the book smarts in the world, but if she doesn't have people skills her world will be very limited - read: no friends!)

From the teachers: "Samantha is a joy to have at school. She's eager to participate, very social and at times so focused on a task that she's immune to distraction." (We've seen the immunity to distraction when we have to yell, "Sam!" to get her attention. She's not ignoring us, she's just really focused. Realizing this has helped our patience level!)

Way to go Sam! We are so proud of you! You are a wonderful combination of smart, silly and sweet!

Sofia is 1!

Our baby is one year old! She's walking, climbing, pointing and learning so much! Her vocabulary consists of: up, down, baby, mama, dada, done and she signs "more".

Here's a recap of our parties...


We had our family over for lunch and had a lovely day! Thank you to Melissa for a fabulous cake!

After waiting nearly an hour for the doc to show up at the hospital, Sofie was out in one push. I still remember the labor, her being just hours old in the hospital and the sense of calm and serenity while I held her. Now with both girls being active the sense of calm isn't usually there, but it still returns occasionally. I am so blessed beyond any of my dreams. I never thought I could love someone this much! Daddy is my partner and we're in this together. Samantha is a wonderfully creative and amazes me constantly. Sofia is full of snuggles and I love to watch her in this huge stage of learning!

Daddy had a good birthday!

Daddy's birthday was last weekend and we had a great time! Antie and Uncie stayed with us, Nana and Papa brought their famous ribs dinner over, we had more family over to celebrate Sofia's birthday (strangely on Daddy's birthday) and it was a lovely (and relatively calm) day.

While I know Daddy appreciated the Collector Lego set, I know he loved the book and the Seinfeld trivia game! I'd say he did pretty well this year!

The hardest part was watching Antie and Uncie go... we miss them so much. Samantha even said that she wished they could come back tomorrow. It was very cute and very sweet! We love them so much!

My girls

Here is what I woke up to Tuesday morning...

Both kids have been very well-behaved so far this week and very patient with me while I'm constantly moving! It's exhausting being on my own, but the kids have been so great!

Halloween

(Continuing my parenting "high")

I'm a little late with the Halloween pictures, but here is a snapshot of all the Halloweens for our family...


Daddy's cheerleader for his team


Tigger (she still loves her baby Nora)

I was so proud of my girl who chose to be a dragon and then told people not to be scared because she was a pretend dragon, not a real one.

And then there were two... the lion and the lamb. I think they both possess more of the lion qualities than the lamb, but I love my adorable monsters!

Good day

Daddy's trip wasn't cancelled, so I'm single parenting. I did good today! No losing patience while accomplishing tasks like giving Sam her medicine with the nebulizer, baths and the grocery store. I usually try to minimize the things that need to be done when Daddy is gone so I can focus on the kids and have a little left over for Fonz. I'm proud to say that both kids (and the dog) were wonderfully well-behaved. Everyone wins when Mom stays calm! I have been struggling a bit with patience, so it was a great reminder for me of how attitude really is everything!

Thank you to the store cashier who took my groceries after Sam needed an emergency potty break, the neighbor who held Sofie while I attended to Sam and Grammy for walking the dog so he's not left out. It really does take a village and I appreciate the help from everyone, including the kids!

Emmy

We lost you 4 years ago today and will never forget you.

Mommy gets to stay home!

I don't have to get on a plane tomorrow morning, so I get my whole weekend! My trip has been cancelled! There were joyous screams in the house by all of us when I found out. Even better, the girls went to stay with Nana and Papa tonight so I get Daddy all to myself. We are very happy!

Faith definitely has its rewards!

Absence makes the heart fonder?

Next week both Daddy and I will be gone for most of the week for business. I'm heading to south Florida and he's heading to Dallas. Both of us tried to get out of our trips, but luckily the grandparents have stepped in and will be looking after the girls (and dog).

I'm still not okay with being gone. I'm not okay with this at all. I've never been away from Sofia or Sam more than 3 nights, which is usually my threshold for a business trip anyway. I don't want to go and I know that there is no way to get out of it without quitting my job, which isn't realistic right now. I know that is the case, but I still want to cry just thinking about next week. I'm trying to be optimistic. At least I don't have to do this often. Maybe I can take time to read and take care of other things that have been put off. Maybe I can sleep through the night!

Daddy has 2 other week-long trips before the year is out. I know he's not happy about it either because he misses us just as much as we miss him when he's gone.

Happy Birthday Billy!

For those of you who don't know, Bill is my big brother by about 16 years. He was almost out of the house by the time I was born, but he's been there for me when I need him and I love him! He's an easygoing guy who will viciously tickle you until you (almost) pass out, the kids love him and he's very tolerant of all the annoying little sister things that I still occasionally pull. Below is a shot of Bill and Sam fooling around earlier this year...



I hope it's a great day for you Bill!