Weekend Visitors

My parents came up this past weekend to visit and brought my sister’s youngest, Samuel.  We had a great weekend…noisy but great!  Saturday morning Keeler and Samuel went with my dad (aka Pa Diddy) to eat breakfast and then headed out to the farm.  Is sounds like the little boys had a great time and even got to ride horses!  My mom and I kept it low-key.  We took our time getting ready, watched RHOM and then headed out shopping.  Our shopping was nothing too exciting but we had fun and then stopped into Subway for a quick lunch.  When the cowboys got back into town, Tyler and my dad went and picked up firewood.  The cold has settled in southwest Kansas so it’s finally feeling like December.  The guys kept the fireplace going all weekend,  which I love!  

I also love that my parents make such a great effort at visiting us when we can't make it their way.  It's so important to me that my little cowboys have a great relationship with their grandparents.  I cherish the time I got to spend with my grandmother SO MUCH and I want that for our boys.  This time of year really pulls at my heart...I miss my grandmother.  Growing up I only had one living grandparent and she was amazing.  We had such a special bond.  It will be 3 years since she passed this Christmastime.

This is picture is from the last Christmas we got to celebrate with her.  She's the one in the red sweater and her sister is holding baby Keeler.  

Embrace the Camera
I am so glad that Grandmother got to meet Keeler.  She loved all the kids so much.  She was interested in every detail of everyone's life up until they very end of her life.  Kallahan didn't get the chance to meet her but I will make sure he knows all about her.  This weekend he spent a lot a time crawling up into Pa Diddy's lap and loving on him.  He's just the cutest!

On Saturday evening we made frosted Christmas trees with the big boys.  I was so impressed at how well they did and by the lack of mess!  Samuel really concentrated on making sure his was completely frosted.  Kallahan thought they were pretty tasty too! :)

My mom showed up with a great surprise gift...a Christmas train!  After mommy finally figured out how to put it together the boys had a blast.  Keeler's sharing and taking turns skills were tested but they ended up doing okay.  The boys played well all weekend.    

To top things off, we got to see um, Santa Clause.  However this counterfeit didn't even fool our 4-year-olds.  It was still fun and we explained he was a helper and could report to Santa.  Keeler and Samuel weren't too impressed but I found it very funny.  Look at him!!  #sloppysanta

 We hated to see my parents leave but only a couple weeks and then we will be back together to celebrate Christmas!!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

New Breed Of Dads

I'm having one of those periods of time where the pendulum of work/life balance is swinging more heavily towards work. I've been noticing little things that I'm neglecting with the kids. Luckily, due to my new work arrangement, these things are mostly little. But they still bother me.

For example, I've been picking up the kids a little later than usual due to some high demand assignments at work. When we get home, I'm almost too exhausted to resist Jacob's demands for more background TV. I'm too tired to fight battles over vegetables. I only half-heartedly listen to Jacob's long, drawn out stories. I lack the patience to remind him nicely not to throw the ball around the living room, jump on furniture, or throw stuff at his brother. And, I often decide to tackle a sink full of dirty dishes (we freaking don't have a dishwasher- can you believe it?!) instead of getting on the floor to play with Ryan.

Basically, I see plenty of areas where a more selfless and energetic me (or any supermom, for that matter) would respond to the kids more patiently and more enthusiastically than I do. It makes me feel a bit deflated. I promise myself that I will do better. But then Jacob dumps a boxful of Cheerios on his train table or bounces a ball off Ryan's face and my good intentions quickly fly out the window. I yell. Jacob whines. Ryan cries. In an effort to back me up, my husband joins the yelling . And just like that, we've turned into everyone's favorite neighbors.

I know all that craziness is (mostly) just part of a temporary life imbalance due to an upcoming trial. I know that if I really got desperate at home, I could scale things back at work. But that's not easy for me to do for a surprising reason: I simply don't want to. At least, not right now.

I'm having a hard time leaving work at work. I'm having a hard time not over-promising. And I'm having a hard time leaving the office at my normal time. All because I absolutely love all of my assignments, cases, and projects. This is not a bad problem to have.

At work, I've been doing a lot of motion writing, which is the kind of challenge that I love the most. Which is weird because during school, I always had the hardest time writing persuasive essays. I think my young self would be very surprised that my older self nearly implodes from excitement each time a partner asks me to write a motion.

So....even when the life versus work balance is hard and tipped, things aren't that bad for me. I'm still having a great time. I can thank an incredible boss and an incredible job for that. Really, it's the kids that get the brunt of my exhaustion. But luckily, my husband and I are a pretty good team of working parents. Whenever I seem to lose steam on this whole parenting thing, my husband is able to jump in and fill in the parenting holes. I'm able to do the same when it's his turn for a daddy melt-down.

All I can say is thank GOD for the progressive men of my generation. My dad is awesome and I love him. BUT I cannot remember him ever changing a diaper or washing a single dirty dish. Honestly, if my husband wasn't so involved in every aspect of parenting, there is no way I would be able to do this whole working mom thing. Some might say that it's sad and bothersome that we don't automatically expect fathers to do half the work. I'm not trying to make a profound statement or to even be politically correct. All I'm saying is that my husband is awesome. We make a good team. And I'm very thankful. Because things could have been a lot harder if we weren't on the same page.

It’s all in the details.

It’s raining tonight.  I can’t help but wish it were snow, since a) it’s December and b) I’m a teacher.  Mostly because I’m a teacher though, and we work hard for our Snow Days. 

A pot of water is boiling on the stove for homemade macaroni and cheese.   I use the term homemade loosely, since I’m following the recipe on the back of the Velveeta cheese box,  and I’m pretty sure Velveeta is the furthest thing from homemade possible.  Also, Becks is running around in his underwear, chasing the dog with some laser gun.  The dog is wearing a bandana around her neck, and the whole scene is hilarious. 

I also built a rather intricate dragon from Legos tonight, which took no less than an hour.  Do kids actually build these things?

Oh, and there’s Christmas music playing in the background.  And a scented candle lit. 

B busy is folding laundry.  God bless him. 

These are the details from my life in the past hour.  Because, guess why?

Because we’re a waiting family.  And I’m going to have to keep awful busy while we’re waiting. 

We’ve only been waiting since Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean that it already doesn’t seem like eternity.  Especially when we’ve technically been a waiting family for a year and half.  However, I can’t help but think that after months and months and months of negative tests, that that test is now {metaphorically}  positive.  It brings me hope.

So, we wait.  Some of us will chase dogs in our underwear  (not me).  Some of us will do laundry (definitely not me).  And, some of us will write and make processed foods.

Happy Sunday.

PS. The mac-n-cheese was super yummy. Fake cheese or not :)

Grammar Hurts

Wow. Is already Sunday? How did that happen?

This week was crazy but satisfying. I wrote enough motions, oppositions, and reply briefs to make up for the entire year that I was a paralegal and wrote none at all. We are in the midst of a discovery war with opposing counsel on a case that is going to trial early next year. Every discovery we want to conduct is requiring either a motion to compel or an opposition to a motion for protective order. I love discovery motions. I'm a sick and twisted person because they totally rock my world.

In the past week, I wrote approximately 30 pages in motion briefing. And with every word that I typed I was like "take that! And that! Oh yeah! Beat this!" I know. I'm gross. I was having so much fun that, even though our opposition wasn't due for another couple days, as soon as the kids were in bed, I picked up my laptop to engage in more wordly swordplay. I have a sickness.

Let's see, what else happened? Oh yeah, on Friday I accidentally sexually harrassed my boss...He was showing off a new pair of jeans. I told him that I had a pair of the same brand and I really liked them. We were discussing the qualities of the brand and, I wasn't really thinking and I said, "yeah, they make your butt look good." What I meant, of course, was "they make A PERSON'S butt look good" as in the third person, general sense of the word "you." He thought I just complimented HIS butt and replied, "uh, thanks." Then he walked away.

OMG.

I wanted to die.

A paralegal overhead it and came into my office with a shocked look on her face. I explained what I meant to say and she started giggling hysterically. My face felt hot and I'm sure I was bright red.

I stayed in my office for a good three hours after that.

In other news, Ryan is eight months old today! He is such a chill, easy baby. Every since we used the cry-it-out method (which only took two nights of crying), he's been going to bed so easily. A little too easily, in fact. I change his diaper, put on his pjs, feed him a bottle, rock him for a minute, then lay him in his crib while he is still awake. He curls up on his side and drifts to sleep without a peep! From all the babysitting that I've done, I've never enountered a child/baby like that! I've never imagined that I'd ever have one! I swear that he is laying some kind of trap or prank for me.

My big boy has two bottom teeth. He loves to clap his hands. He claps his hands at anything and everything. He's mobile now, which is fun to watch but frustrating. I can't just set him down and grab laundry. I have to make sure the entire room is free of small objects and obstructions before I divert my attention elsewhere.

He's so good at feeding himself and chewing food. We went out to breakfast the other day and I gave him a piece of my toast. He bit off tiny pieces and chewed them up. He was so content and ate the whole thing! He also loves pumpkin spice bread and pizza crust and pretty much anything I'm eating. He's been feeding himself Cheerios, soft carrot pieces, and banana slices for quite a while now. I love that he can feed himself during dinner. It means I get to eat with TWO HANDS!

Friday Favorite Things {5}

Happy moments these.

They do the heart good.

Count with me the blessings of the everyday.

Joyful together learning times.

Sisters make the best classmates.

Christmas tree choosing.

Spontaneous sentence writing.

Quiet(er) supper prep time.

New fashion statements.

 Special Auntie and Uncle date night smiles.

Blooming mathematician.

Peaceful afternoon crafting.

Caps For Sale {BFIAR}

I haven't fallen off the face of the planet, I swear!

Instead the month of December has begun, the babe is getting ALL her teeth at once and it's that wonderful time of year when snotty noses and coughs and fevers run rampant!

Not to worry - we're doing fine but I'm just a wee bit tired by the end of the day!

Anyhow, I have two BFIAR posts to share with you before I move on to all our Christmas stuff!

Last week was our last week rowing a book until the new year (I'll share that one with you in my next post).

We have now slowed things down by carrying on with reading, math and handwriting.

In place of our rows we are daily doing things related to our Jesse Tree and Advent.

We all love this time of year so much and the slower pace is much needed!

Now that you're all filled in, let me quickly share with you our week of rowing Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.

Taitum counted monkeys.

And practiced her cutting skills by cutting strips of paper with monkeys and caps on them.

Piper counted out 50 cents in pennies, nickels and dimes and made rubbings with them.

(She was not pleased about how many pennies she had to do rubbings of. I ended up doing half! haha!)

A little monkey craft.

The monkeys are their fingerprints.

We found the countries where various monkeys live and marked them on the map.

We also watched some videos of monkeys on National Geographic Kids.

There was a really interesting one about adaptation which tied in nicely to some of the things we learned the previous week during our desert theme.

Finally, banana pops and mustaches.

Happy, happy, happy.

We also played a Monkey See, Monkey Do game.

Our vocabulary words were peddler and cap.

We took time to discuss anger and how we should react to situations that make us angry.

The kids loved this book so much.

In fact, they are still asking for me to read it!

Sadly, it's been sent back to the library.

I may just have to invest in our own copy!

Big News for Our Family!

Details to come :)