Christmas Cards

I'm so happy that I managed to get cards ordered this year. Last Christmas we ended up letting it go to save our sanity and sent Valentines to close family and friends instead. But this go round I really wanted to send pictures of the girls out. We managed to get some decent pictures taken Sunday evening while we decorated the tree. We ordered them that night and voila! They arrived on the doorstep yesterday evening. I'm thinking I need a scrapbook to keep Christmas cards (ours and our friends') in as the years go by...

Starting Slow

The halls still need some decking. And the weather outside is perfect for that roaring fire and hot chocolate. I'm really looking forward to the next few days.

Ror and Me

A few months back I switched up my work schedule (again.) Earlier in the year I had begun going to work five days a week, working an early hours schedule and trying to pick up the girls so we could spend a good bit of the late afternon and evening together. It was a tough schedule, and as the months went on I picked up the girls later and later. I also found that I really missed my days at home with them. At some point it dawned on me that I have a very limited amount of time where I'll be able to keep the girls home with me, what with looming kindergarten for Jilli and Ror not far behind.

So I bucked up, asked my boss to let me switch back to two days at home (and 12 hour days three times a week) and here we are today. Jilli still goes to school around four days a week. She loves it there and misses going. At first I tried to convince her of how much fun we would have at home, and then I relented. She usually stays home with me one day, and on the others, like today, I get Ror all to myself. We usually stay close to home, with one or two trips out to run errands, or go to the park, or get books at the library. And on these days she gets her chance to be an only child. She gets to pick the books we read. She dictates where we play. We fix what she wants for lunch. And me? I get to see her personality and moods and funny spirit without her big (amazing, smart, fabulous) sister around. So today, in a season where I am reminded that I have much to be grateful for, I am thankful I get to spend a whole day with my Ror.

December!

My list for the month:

1. Decorate, preferably with a roaring fire, steaming cups of hot chocolate and Christmas music playing loudly.

2. Bake and deliver goodies to our neighbors and friends ala The House on Plum Street

3. Decorate gingerbread houses

4. Make loads of cookies

5. Run a 5k (to combat aforementioned cookies, goodies and gingerbread)

6. Snuggle around an outdoor fire on the Solstice.

7. Teach the girls some new Christmas carols.

8. Enjoy every minute of this season and document it daily here.

Nap

Josie thought the play bed was a waste of fluffy resources.

Cousins

Rory and Emery at the beach...we are all much relieved that they appear to like each other after a year and a half of seeming indifference. I'm pretty sure in the bath picture they are devising some way to climb up on top of a dresser and then have jumping contests. They bonded over their love of heights.

These two have been friends for a long time now....and I think they will be forever.

Family Picture

Sometime last year we bought a new camera because our old one bit the dust. We dutifully snapped pictures and loaded up the card and uploaded the pictures to the computer. Also, I blogged some with said pictures. At some point the settings on the camera got changed (likely because small fingers played with the shiny buttons) and we could not figure out how to delete all the pictures from the card unless we went one by one through the 600 or so files. (Seriously, there is a lot of education in this house. Its a camera. We win the smartness game.) So every time we needed to take a picture without the use of an iphone we had to scroll through and delete three or four that we didn't need anymore. This went on for about six months. Finally I remembered there is this amazing thing called "the internet" and I "googled" "how do I get the freaking pictures deleted off my card? " And three minutes later we had a functional camera again.


















It even has a timer! Who knew? Helpful for taking a required family picture of all four of us for Jilli's family picture day.

Feed the Pigs

Over the weekend of the 4th we loaded our little family into a plane (two actually) and flew west. We had been looking forward to seeing Josh, Erin, Hazel and Mabel for months, pretty much since the last time we (tearfully) said good bye to them before they left for their new home. Austin was fun and delicious. Who knew there were so many options for ordering food from an airstream? Also, people who talk about Texas brisket...I now know what you are talking about. Best in the universe. I feel that I have achieved some sort of life accomplishment that I did not even know was on the list. Anyway, we hiked to the top of Mount Bunnell and ate barbecue for dinner and ate breakfast tacos and walked around UT














(Here they are admiring a roly poly on campus. It had long horns.)

We swam in frigidly cold and slippery springs and ate crepes for lunch and Erin and I saw Eclipse and ate queso green chili fries and the next day we went to a perfect lake where we picnicked and the boys went in the icy water and we ate some more. (I feel that our family vacations with the Levy's have a strong food theme, lets all remember beach week 09.) Jeff had to leave Monday evening but the girls and I stayed for two more days and had an amazing time.















We went to the zoo. Rory was not amused by the big girls attempts to eat the goats' food.

Interesting things I learned on the trip:

1. When you put three girls in a room to "sleep" and then spy on them using the video monitor you will hear hilarious conversation topics such as , "Where were you born? I was born in North Carolina too!" "How old are you? I am 4 and 39 quarters." We laughed and laughed, until Jilli jumped on the bed and slammed her head into the window sill and created a knot roughly the size of my fist.
2. Texas is delicious. Did I mention that already?
3. When traveling alone on a plane with two young girls and needing to use the bathroom because, "Its an emergency, Mommy," one should not fear what one will do in the approximately 2 square feet of space that is available in the plane's bathroom. Put the 4 year old on the toilet. Assure her that it is not as dirty as it appears after thoroughly wiping down the seat. Place the two year old on the shelf that appears to be for holding purses. She will think it is hilarious and say, "I sit on shelf? Hahaha." Wedge yourself between the four year old and the door and hope that there are no major bumps.

We hope to see them again very very soon.

Unbelieveably Blessed

The last six weeks around here have been rough, for a lot of reasons, but we are emerging on the other side. Friday afternoon I picked the girls up and went to Jilli's Mother's Day Snack. She has been so excited for weeks about the special surprise her class was working on for moms. She couldn't tell me the secret-- and to her credit she never did-- though she did explain that it started with a "f" and then had a "l" sound. Turns out they planted sunflower seeds in homemade pots, and they made cards. My eyes got a little blurry when I read, "I love you. You are the dest mom evelr. Jillian." I opened Rory's present when I got home, a hand painted picture frame with a picture of my hand holding hers and another picture of Ror with her hands over her heart. Surely Mother's Days get a little less sweet? They can't go on like this forever. Jeff played the part of perfect partner- telling me last night to stay in bed the entire day if I wanted to, bringing up breakfast and buying simple gifts that really showed he was thinking about me.

We ran a few errands later in the morning, at which point the girls became grumpy little monsters, but they slept it off at home after lunch which meant Jeff and I snuck in a nap, I went for a (slow) run (walk) and I made dinner while Jeff took the girls to a park.

I feel like there is so much that has gone documented in the last few months. Hopefully I'll start writing and taking more pictures, but for right now I'd like to bottle up this weekend and carry it with me.

2(!)

T minus 2

Only two days until Ror turns two. She is fast on her way to potty training herself. She decided about a week ago that she sits on the (big) potty now, goes there regularly, and actually uses it. A few days at home with some panties and I think we may be done. So last night I thought I would see if she could sleep without her pacifier. She has only used it at night and at nap time for about a year, and 2 has always been our estimated cut off date. So I put her in bed, and when she said, "Where paci?" I told her she is a big girl now and big girls don't use pacis. Pacis all went bye bye. She said, "Ok, pacis went bye bye" And that was that.

And this morning as I was driving to work I got weepy because I realized I just got rid of one of the last vestiges of her babyhood.

7

Making cupcakes for Makenna's birthday... That means it's been seven years that we have loved this feisty, smart, beautiful girl. We can't wait to wish her a happy birthday in person tonight.

Couch Surfing

It's been a long sad week here. Gram passed away Monday night and the world seems emptier. These girls always made her smile and they keep me laughing now too (even though Gram would most certainly dissapprove of the couch surfing.)

Black boots are the must have accessory around here

Grocery Shopping ftw

Early Sunday morning shopping with my very proud helper....

Evidence

Rory's choice of book last night? Evidence: The Objection Method. Because really, it's never too early to start learning how to frame a proper objection (and the kicking and screaming protests that Ror has been perfecting of late are really not an effective method of persuasion). Plus I'm hoping she can help me out with a few concepts that I missed.

Progress

The first full week of January has been ridiculously cold in these parts. In an effort to get out of the house yesterday I bundled the girls up, turned the space heater on in the playhouse (which is technically out of the house) and attempted to play in there. It lasted for maybe 15 minutes. We did get off our actual street today and went to the NC Museum of Natural Science. We breezed through most of it but saw an awesome science presentation by a very funny biologist. I learned a) eggs of birds that live in trees are round because they can't roll anywhere, whereas birds that live on steep slopes have more conical eggs b) beaver fur was the preferred material for hats back when people were outside and, you know, wore hats because they have a dense layer of wool below their hair, also that hatters used to make hats using mercury and go insane from the exposure hence the term "mad hatter" (you would think I would have picked up this gem of information information at my alma mater) and c) beaver teeth, as well as those of other rodents, are self sharpening because the layer of the enamel on the outside of their teeth is harder than on the interior of their teeth meaning there is always a beveled edge. I think I can learn a lot from science Saturdays.

In non-beaver related news I have been successful in significantly reducing the amount of pogey bait (thanks Amy...) I have put in my mouth and generally eating healthier. I also succeeded in getting to the Y twice. Which isn't three times like I resolved but its more than, you know, zero. (And in real-time inspiration the mail carrier just rang the bell and delivered my new scale...)We have also thrown away very very little food--only some off of the girls plates when it wasn't fit for dog consumption or composting.

In summary- need warmer weather, beavers good, mercury bad, pogey bait down for the count.

PS: Just because I know she'll stop doing it soon and I'll forget, Rory calls fish "foosh" and its freaking adorable.

Small Steps

I am not generally a fan of January. It's time to take down the tree and get the last of those never ending leaves out of the yard. There are still unfinished projects from 2009, like a photo book and laundry from last year. But the thing I do love about January are resolutions. This year I am resolving to be healthier, physically and mentally, and to be a better steward of the earth. Huge resolutions? Yes, indeed. But they are do-able in small steps. I ordered a digital scale on-line this morning and this week I am focusing on reigning in my post-holiday portion sizes and getting back on the exercise track. I want to exercise three times between now and next Saturday. That seems like a very attainable first-week-of-January goal.

And taking care of that other resolution...Hip Mountain Mama has issued a challenge that requires one small change every month that will make a positive green impact leading up to Earth Day. In January I resolve to stop throwing away food. We will consume what we buy, therefore buying less and requiring less production on behalf of our little family. I will eat leftovers, and freeze what I know will not get eaten so we can use it later. Tonight's menu is soup from the beef and vegetables we have remaining after many holiday celebrations...