Today is the 1 yr mark for Keith's passing (Or is it tomorrow? I'm not sure because in true Keith-style, it was Feb 29th, a leap day). I have spent the past week really thinking about him. How the world is truly missing out on one genuinely fantastic person. Always laughing and enjoying life. A great father and husband.... So as I sit here, I think about everything I have to be thankful for.
I am thankful for my fantastic family. I am thankful for my awesome husband. Even though he is traveling, he was able to come home Tuesday night so I could go to my book club. He got home right at 8 (after flight delays) and I was out the door at 8:02. And he had to be out of the house by 7am the next morning to catch his flight. He knows how important it is to me to have my once a month mom's night out. And he was able to make it work. Isn't he the best?? I barely even saw him that night.
I am thankful for my 2 beautiful kids. Even though some days are harder than others, I wouldn't change it for the world. Last week was horrible, but this week has been awesome! They are currently racing cars across the living room together. Devan is SUCH a great kid! I know sometimes I take it for granted, but then Lexi will be a little stinker and remind me how easy I had it with him. She is much tougher, but it keeps me grounded and on my toes. I am so lucky to be able to have the best of both worlds- to be able to stay home with the kids, and work.
I am thankful for my parents, who still manage to send me birthday presents, even though I am now.... 30!!! Shhh.... No matter how old I get, they will still be mommy and daddy to me....
I am thankful that my MIL got to come out this past weekend. She took control of the kids and I got a much-needed break. Friday I got my hair cut (finally!) and went to the mall. Dustin was home for the weekend and we got to have a couple dates! We saw Zero Dark Thirty in the theater one day and went out to lunch the next. It was awesome! And this week I feel re-energized and ready to tackle the world :)
I am thankful for Skype. Because without it, my kids wouldn't know their grandparents and great-grandparents. And for the mailman, who brings my kids boxes full of goodies from Nana and Grammy :)
And now, Lexi is pulling on my leg, ready for lunch and a nap and Devan wants me to get Batman from behind the book shelf..... Ahhh.... the life of a mom... :)
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Too much to ask?
Is it too much to ask to have a good birthday? It is, if you ask Lexi.
She has been a royal pain in the ass for the last 2 days. 3 canines down, 1 to go. But today has been the worst, by far! She's been crying non-stop since 8am. She doesn't have a fever and will stop if she's being held. Thank goodness Devan has been a saint and has been trying his best to entertain Lexi and get her to be good.
Here's how I wanted the day to go:
-Wake up, drink my coffee as I'm finishing my work (because thanks to Lexi last night, I couldn't get it done)
-Get dressed and head to the gym
-Come home, make lunch, go the the grocery store, and then head to story time at the library
-Come home, Lexi would nap, Devan would have quiet time and I could do a little reading/email/etc
-Play until Dustin came home from work, eat dinner, play until bed time for the kids
-Break out the wine and relax on the couch :)
Here's how the day has gone:
-Woke up, got coffee, then Lexi started crying
-Made her breakfast, got the kids dressed
-Tried to get my work done while they played, but Lexi decided she wanted to start crying. I determined nothing was really wrong so I locked her out of the office while I worked. She sat at the door and cried.
-After finishing some work I tried to get ready, but Lexi was still crying. So I put her in her room to cry while I finally got dressed and put on make up.
-It's now lunch time and I finally got dressed. No gym. No grocery store.
And Lexi is STILL crying....
Happy freaking birthday to me :P
Here's to hoping things are better later today..... Cheers!
Really wish I was on a warm beach somewhere instead of being with 2 cranky kids in the snow....
She has been a royal pain in the ass for the last 2 days. 3 canines down, 1 to go. But today has been the worst, by far! She's been crying non-stop since 8am. She doesn't have a fever and will stop if she's being held. Thank goodness Devan has been a saint and has been trying his best to entertain Lexi and get her to be good.
Here's how I wanted the day to go:
-Wake up, drink my coffee as I'm finishing my work (because thanks to Lexi last night, I couldn't get it done)
-Get dressed and head to the gym
-Come home, make lunch, go the the grocery store, and then head to story time at the library
-Come home, Lexi would nap, Devan would have quiet time and I could do a little reading/email/etc
-Play until Dustin came home from work, eat dinner, play until bed time for the kids
-Break out the wine and relax on the couch :)
Here's how the day has gone:
-Woke up, got coffee, then Lexi started crying
-Made her breakfast, got the kids dressed
-Tried to get my work done while they played, but Lexi decided she wanted to start crying. I determined nothing was really wrong so I locked her out of the office while I worked. She sat at the door and cried.
-After finishing some work I tried to get ready, but Lexi was still crying. So I put her in her room to cry while I finally got dressed and put on make up.
-It's now lunch time and I finally got dressed. No gym. No grocery store.
And Lexi is STILL crying....
Happy freaking birthday to me :P
Here's to hoping things are better later today..... Cheers!
Really wish I was on a warm beach somewhere instead of being with 2 cranky kids in the snow....
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Boxes are so much fun!
Aren't boxes the best present ever?? Every time we get something in the mail, the boxes become part of the gift for at least a week (before they go out in the recycling). Lexi puts cars in and out of them, Devan uses them as a pirate ship, etc etc etc. Endless possibilities!!!
This particular box came from Pat Pat (along with the fireman outfit and the Elmo twirly toy. The box is the ship. The twirly toy is the propeller, and he uses the fireman stuff to rescue stranded people/toys. Oh what fun! And I have several videos that are super cute to watch. But, blogger's video upload isn't working. I might just need to restart the whole computer and see if that fixes it (but I haven't because I have all my work stuff open and I'm lazy... LOL).
Anyway, they play this game all the time. Lexi wanders on and off but listens when Devan tells her to come back in the boat because she's sinking. LOL.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Basketball
Devan has now been doing basketball for 6 weeks. Next week is the last week and they're taking pictures! He's definitely gotten better over the 6 weeks, but it's still funny to watch. Some kids are really good! Devan still doesn't like to dribble- he would rather run with the ball and shoot :) They've been trying to "play" the past 2 weeks, but with only 1 coach, the kids are pretty confused on what they're doing. Ha ha!
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| Dribbling (or running with the ball) |
 |
| Shooting |
 |
| Working on defense (and now he slides all over the house) |
 |
| Trying to play- but the kids don't know who's on defense and who's on offense |
 |
| Working on bounce passes |
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
February Already???
Wow. I can't believe it's already February.... We have been busy! Where to start....
Well, I've kinda been in a little writing funk lately. It's been super cold for the last month. And we've been circulating germs around. And Lexi has been working on 4 new teeth (1 poked thru last night! Yay!). And work has been busy. And we've been busy with our routine. And.... And.... And.... You get the picture.
Saturday, Lexi turned 14 months! Wow. She hasn't done much new. Still gets into everything (some days I feel like I follow her around the house picking up after her- only to have her go behind me and pull it all out again). She's also practicing running and walking backwards (this is hilarious to watch her walk backwards around the house). She is getting much better at communicating what she wants. This has helped both of us. And when I'm trying to find her a snack she lets me know if she doesn't want it. It's really quite funny. I really need to get it on video. If she doesn't want it, she'll cover her eyes and put her chin to her chest. But if she does want it, she'll grin and kick her legs all around, saying "ya-ya!" I can tell her to go get her cup and she'll walk around the house until she finds it, and then bring it to me (this sounds like I treat her like the dog! LOL). Her routine is starting to change. She's taking shorter naps and going to bed earlier. This wouldn't be so bad, except she's now getting up earlier. Which means I have to get up earlier because I can't get ready after she gets up.
Devan and I have been going through some growing pains the last several days. He's REALLY tired. And I mean REALLY REALLY tired. He won't take a nap. He runs around like he's on speed, trying to stay away. And thus, he pushes my buttons. So yeah, we've had some rough days. But like kids do, they let things go and move on, ready to give you a big hug and kiss 2 seconds after you yelled at them. I'm the one that has a hard time letting it go. But I'm trying. Really.... We've also been battling the homework time. He wants to do it, but he wants to do it his own way. I recently switched the way he holds the pencil. Before, I let him palm it so he could get his confidence up. Now, I've switched him to the "correct" way to hold it. And he doesn't like it because he can't do straight lines. He gets upset that his lines are wobbly. And thus wants to re-do it, and re-do it, and re-do it. And I don't have all day! But I try to be patient because he wants to fix it. Some days he doesn't even want to do it- he just wants to skip to the craft. But today, he did much better, so I'm hoping we're over that hump. Overall, today was much better :)
Oh, and today we got Devan's letter of acceptance to pre-school! Hooray!!! We didn't get our first choice. We got MWF afternoons. Boo to that. Of course, it's better for me because I'll have alone time. But now poor Lexi will not get to have one-on-one time with me, which she desperately needs. She is lacking in some important skills (but excelling in others). I was kinda looking forward to going to playgroup with just her, and take her to the baby storytime at the library... Oh well. We're on the waiting list for mornings, so cross our fingers! Oh, and by the way, Sept tuition is due in 3 weeks. Ha!
I got a new phone a couple weeks ago. Still trying to figure it out, and haven't had much time. I don't really like the camera because it's SO different. I'm sure it's better overall because there's so many cool features- if I have time to play with them. So, I haven't taken many pictures. Anyway, I traded in my old phone for $35. But, I didn't realize until I got home that I lost all my text messages. I started bawling. I lost all my text messages from Carrie and Keith!! I was not expecting that kind of reaction and it completely caught me off guard. I couldn't stop- I cried all night! Poor Dustin, he didn't know what to do. He got online and tried to find a way to recover the texts. To no avail. And the great husband that he is, even went down to the Verizon store the next day to try and get my phone back. But, they ship out every night. It's gone forever, like the text messages, and my friends. It's stupid really, if you think about it. What difference does some text messages make? They're just words and I haven't looked at them in almost a year. But it was comforting, just having them. Like the precious sentimental things we keep in our attics or basements- always there but never looked at. But.... no amount of texts are going to bring them back. Just let it go... Just let it go.... But the fact that I'm now writing about it, I guess, means I still can't let it go....
I've been thinking about them a lot lately. Comes in waves. Sunday was the super bowl. Last year, we hosted at our house. Such a great time. At that point, we had fun, but missed Carrie. This year, I missed Carrie and Keith. Sitting on our couch, I thought about last year. Wow. It's almost been a year since Keith died. Now which day marks his death? Feb 28th or March 1st? It was Feb 29th. Leap year (of course Keith HAD to be special). Moving day. Boom! Life is so fragile.... And that's why I try to let things go....
Anyway... Saturday we went to the home show in Philly. Got free tickets mailed to us. So why not? It was interesting. Okay, it was boring. But, it was something different to do, and Dustin found this really cool indoor market across the street. It was like a combo of Seattle's market and something from India. Tiny little open restaurants crammed in to one big warehouse building. Narrow aisles with people crammed in. It was like a maze. Very hard to maneuver the stroller. But it was awesome! What a cool concept! And what better way to taste food from around the world? We had a chicken schwarma for lunch (Lebanese) and a warm gooey peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for desert. Oh the smells! Amazing! I wish we lived closer (and didn't want to deal with the hassle of parking downtown). I would be there ALL the time!!! The kids did great for the whole day! I think we got to our car around 3:30 and Lexi had yet to nap. Devan did good walking the whole time and staying with us. I know it was super boring for him, if it was boring for me. But a little cookie goes a long way :)
And so, without further adieu.... I give you.... PICTURES!!!! (I have a lot more, plus a ton of video). My goal: stay updated now ;)
Mr. Jealous had to get in the action as I'm trying to take a pic of Lexi. So here's his poses:
Well, I've kinda been in a little writing funk lately. It's been super cold for the last month. And we've been circulating germs around. And Lexi has been working on 4 new teeth (1 poked thru last night! Yay!). And work has been busy. And we've been busy with our routine. And.... And.... And.... You get the picture.
Saturday, Lexi turned 14 months! Wow. She hasn't done much new. Still gets into everything (some days I feel like I follow her around the house picking up after her- only to have her go behind me and pull it all out again). She's also practicing running and walking backwards (this is hilarious to watch her walk backwards around the house). She is getting much better at communicating what she wants. This has helped both of us. And when I'm trying to find her a snack she lets me know if she doesn't want it. It's really quite funny. I really need to get it on video. If she doesn't want it, she'll cover her eyes and put her chin to her chest. But if she does want it, she'll grin and kick her legs all around, saying "ya-ya!" I can tell her to go get her cup and she'll walk around the house until she finds it, and then bring it to me (this sounds like I treat her like the dog! LOL). Her routine is starting to change. She's taking shorter naps and going to bed earlier. This wouldn't be so bad, except she's now getting up earlier. Which means I have to get up earlier because I can't get ready after she gets up.
Devan and I have been going through some growing pains the last several days. He's REALLY tired. And I mean REALLY REALLY tired. He won't take a nap. He runs around like he's on speed, trying to stay away. And thus, he pushes my buttons. So yeah, we've had some rough days. But like kids do, they let things go and move on, ready to give you a big hug and kiss 2 seconds after you yelled at them. I'm the one that has a hard time letting it go. But I'm trying. Really.... We've also been battling the homework time. He wants to do it, but he wants to do it his own way. I recently switched the way he holds the pencil. Before, I let him palm it so he could get his confidence up. Now, I've switched him to the "correct" way to hold it. And he doesn't like it because he can't do straight lines. He gets upset that his lines are wobbly. And thus wants to re-do it, and re-do it, and re-do it. And I don't have all day! But I try to be patient because he wants to fix it. Some days he doesn't even want to do it- he just wants to skip to the craft. But today, he did much better, so I'm hoping we're over that hump. Overall, today was much better :)
Oh, and today we got Devan's letter of acceptance to pre-school! Hooray!!! We didn't get our first choice. We got MWF afternoons. Boo to that. Of course, it's better for me because I'll have alone time. But now poor Lexi will not get to have one-on-one time with me, which she desperately needs. She is lacking in some important skills (but excelling in others). I was kinda looking forward to going to playgroup with just her, and take her to the baby storytime at the library... Oh well. We're on the waiting list for mornings, so cross our fingers! Oh, and by the way, Sept tuition is due in 3 weeks. Ha!
I got a new phone a couple weeks ago. Still trying to figure it out, and haven't had much time. I don't really like the camera because it's SO different. I'm sure it's better overall because there's so many cool features- if I have time to play with them. So, I haven't taken many pictures. Anyway, I traded in my old phone for $35. But, I didn't realize until I got home that I lost all my text messages. I started bawling. I lost all my text messages from Carrie and Keith!! I was not expecting that kind of reaction and it completely caught me off guard. I couldn't stop- I cried all night! Poor Dustin, he didn't know what to do. He got online and tried to find a way to recover the texts. To no avail. And the great husband that he is, even went down to the Verizon store the next day to try and get my phone back. But, they ship out every night. It's gone forever, like the text messages, and my friends. It's stupid really, if you think about it. What difference does some text messages make? They're just words and I haven't looked at them in almost a year. But it was comforting, just having them. Like the precious sentimental things we keep in our attics or basements- always there but never looked at. But.... no amount of texts are going to bring them back. Just let it go... Just let it go.... But the fact that I'm now writing about it, I guess, means I still can't let it go....
I've been thinking about them a lot lately. Comes in waves. Sunday was the super bowl. Last year, we hosted at our house. Such a great time. At that point, we had fun, but missed Carrie. This year, I missed Carrie and Keith. Sitting on our couch, I thought about last year. Wow. It's almost been a year since Keith died. Now which day marks his death? Feb 28th or March 1st? It was Feb 29th. Leap year (of course Keith HAD to be special). Moving day. Boom! Life is so fragile.... And that's why I try to let things go....
Anyway... Saturday we went to the home show in Philly. Got free tickets mailed to us. So why not? It was interesting. Okay, it was boring. But, it was something different to do, and Dustin found this really cool indoor market across the street. It was like a combo of Seattle's market and something from India. Tiny little open restaurants crammed in to one big warehouse building. Narrow aisles with people crammed in. It was like a maze. Very hard to maneuver the stroller. But it was awesome! What a cool concept! And what better way to taste food from around the world? We had a chicken schwarma for lunch (Lebanese) and a warm gooey peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for desert. Oh the smells! Amazing! I wish we lived closer (and didn't want to deal with the hassle of parking downtown). I would be there ALL the time!!! The kids did great for the whole day! I think we got to our car around 3:30 and Lexi had yet to nap. Devan did good walking the whole time and staying with us. I know it was super boring for him, if it was boring for me. But a little cookie goes a long way :)
And so, without further adieu.... I give you.... PICTURES!!!! (I have a lot more, plus a ton of video). My goal: stay updated now ;)
Doing some reading
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| This is what happens when Devan gets his pjs on: "Is it going to be cold tonight?" "Yes, like every night" "OK" And he comes down in this. But it's ok because he's wearing long socks and slippers to keep him warm. LOL! |
Pretty girl showing off her new outfit from Pat Pat
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| Kinda looks like she's a dancer in this one :) |
Mr. Jealous had to get in the action as I'm trying to take a pic of Lexi. So here's his poses:
Aren't boxes the best toy ever????
Devan's pre-school playgroup (minus the younger sibs Colby and Lexi)
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