I'm not ashamed to say that I have not put my best blogging efforts forward in 2012. Journaling, documenting, taking pictures, uploading, organizing, etc... can all start to become overwhelming when I know I'll be doing it for the rest of my life. There's always that nagging in the back of my mind to get it done and keep up otherwise I will regret it. That's why I trudge along but sometimes I just want to take a year off and not feel bad!
Anyway, now that February is OVER (can't believe it, told you I love this month) I want to recap the most exciting event! Not the fact that Bachelor Ben is falling for Courtney or that all the drama surrounding Adrian and Daphne on the Biggest Loser is out of the control or even Snow White and Prince Charming not getting together on Once Upon a Time is giving my anxiety. Nope, none of that although all is noteworthy. The most exciting event is that my mom came to visit! It was so nice to have some company since Clark at times worked 18 hours a day and is still going strong toward his deadline.
Because we usually don't go a ton of places due to the toddler:adult ratio, the trio are not exposed to strangers, family (don't live by any), or large groups very often. I was nervous about a new face coming to stay with us and knew it would take some time for them to get comfortable. I tried to show them pictures of Grandma and tell them she was coming but who knows how much they understood. They were pretty unsure about her being there initially and didn't have much interaction with her the first day. As time went on, however, they warmed up and soon were giving hugs and kisses and running to her with their bumps and bruises (well, except Caleb. I think his separation anxiety is at an all time high right now. I HAVE to be in the room in order for him to function. Meltdowns are inevitable when I have to go to the bathroom or get up to change someone's diaper. His behavior is insane. I'm just waiting patiently for it to pass. However, on her last day he did sit on her lap and hang out for a bit). Point is, they all enjoyed Grandma being here as much as I did! I sure loved all the help with laundry, meals, housework, yardwork, car cleaning, clothes organizing, sewing/mending, etc... You name it, we did it. All the stuff I've been putting off for months because tasks like mopping seem impossible with the kids and all their shenanigans. It felt so good to get some stuff out of the way. I even mowed the lawn. I didn't want the kids playing in grass and weeds up to their ears anymore and Clark is never home while it's light outside. Mom and I tried to get the lawn mower started for about 30 minutes with no luck. Then after a five minute break, I harnessed all my frustration and started it right up! Clark came home that night and immediately asked if my mom mowed the lawn!? Uh no. Your capable wife did. Obviously he didn't think I could complete such a task. Then he said, "Wow, you're mowin' and Mom's sewin'! This is great!" :) We were very productive while she was here, to say the least.
Amid all our productivity, I was noticing and thinking about some other things too that I wanted to write down so I'll read it later and remember. I realized I have this tendency to draw out negativity from any situation I encounter. If I come home from the park with the kids at which they all had a great time and played well, I will still manage to tell Clark some negative aspect to our visit. Maybe about some random kid who was blocking the slide or an old lady who kept staring at us or that it was too windy. Whatever it is, trips, movies, food, etc... I usually find a way to point out something negative. Clark will ask how my day is going during a phone call and I rarely say, 'great!' I usually talk about how Zachary wouldn't eat something or how the garbage truck came by and woke everyone up. I mean, how annoying am I? I don't know how long I've been doing it but I've just started to really notice in the past couple months. Sooooo, it was somewhat therapeutic to have my Mom here because with her not having seen the kids in a while, she was so amazed and proud of all their little accomplishments. How great Leah is walking although it's been less than a month or how all the kids eat such a variety of foods or how their speech development and comprehension is coming along so nicely. All things that I stress and worry about and am often complaining about, she came in and gave so much praise and positivity for. The perfectionist in me can sometimes set too high of expectations or make too rough of comparisons. I realize that I just need to relax and help the kids go and do at their own pace. Maybe Zachary squishing all the food in his hand during lunch isn't that big of deal and Clark would rather hear about the fun things we are doing.
Along with that I've been reading a book about how to become a Joyful Mother of Children. A few days ago I read the chapter about complimenting your kids out loud. Not just about how they completed a puzzle or if they built something with the blocks. Instead compliment things about their nature and personality. I tried this with Caleb one day after he had a meltdown so he was sitting with me on the couch. I just told him the things I liked and appreciated about him and honestly, it felt weird! I knew it was because although I think all these things and write them here on this blog, I never actually say them out loud to the kids. Obviously I need some practice so it feels more natural and happens more often. No better time to start than now! Another random tidbit from the book suggested to wake up each morning expecting an adventure, not doom. Believe me, I've laid in bed and asked myself, "am I seriously going to do this all over again today?" Definitely not the right attitude to start the day.
I was so glad for a different perspective (aka reality check) to help me take a step back and view what's going on in another light. It has helped me redirect my daily efforts and remind me of my goals. It has also helped me appreciate the progress, big or small, that the kids make each day that I sometimes fail to notice.
Beside all my self-reflection, we did actually go out and do some fun things! :) The first week my mom was here it was pretty cold outside so we did several trips to Target. Isn't Target the greatest store to walk around? One of those trips was to get some emergency Hot Wheels. It's an emergency when there are only six Hot Wheels and Caleb is capable of carrying five around in his hands. Not enough for everyone. Another trip was for an emergency book. My mom had bought one and it was a HUGE hit but unfortunately it had to be put away until we could get another one because of all the crying and drama over who got to look at it. I told her that if she bought any books for them, she had to do all the reading...
We also visited the mall which has a brand new play area! We went before the mall stores even opened so no one was there which was perfect. My stress level triples when other kids are there because I feel like I can't keep up with where everyone is at while making sure they aren't blocking slides or getting into someone's purse. The kids loved running around without consequence and most of all, going down the slide. Too bad there wasn't three slides because sometimes it would get a bit jammed up at the top...
My Dad wanted to finance a little adventure for the kids so he sent some money with Mom and we decided to go to the Indoor Safari! The kids are REALLY into cars, trucks, trains, planes, and buses right now so I thought the safari would be perfect because there is a train ride. Not only did we get our normal ride included with admission but as we were leaving, the owner asked if we wanted another ride! Of course we agreed and hopped on board. It was quite the squeeze and adults are NOT supposed to ride but since we were the only ones there, he didn't mind. Caleb would have had a heart attack anyway if I didn't get in with him.
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The place itself is not really suitable for toddlers under 2 years of age but since we had the place to ourselves the trio was able to play in the ball pit and jump on the tramp without bigger kids running them over.
They were exhausted afterward and so were we. Luckily the safari was only about five minutes away from home!
My Mom's birthday happened to fall during her trip out here so luckily we got to celebrate it with her! She was here two years ago on her birthday as well (when I was deathly ill from early pregnancy and could barely function) so maybe this will have to be a tradition! Unfortunately two years ago it snowed A LOT during February. This year, however, it was beautiful, sunny, and 70+ degrees. We went and had lunch at Dickey's BBQ then headed to the park to enjoy the weather.
Ya that's my child in a giant Hot Wheel that doesn't belong to him. Just checking it out. It's rightful owner came and kicked Caleb out very soon after this picture...
She did not want to go down the slide apparently...
So much better...
This guy LOVES to slide. He did it about 15 times in a row before moving on to something else. Pretty incredible for a kid who can't focus on much for more than 15 seconds...
Of course a birthday wouldn't be complete without some gift giving! Caleb was shaking it so if you can't tell, it's the Justin Bieber: Never Say Never movie for Grandma.
I think it's probably time to talk about my fascination with Justin Bieber. I'm not ashamed, by the way. :) It all started because RedBox was out of the movie I wanted. There was nothing else to rent and Clark was working late so I knew I should probably watch something he wasn't interested in. Never Say Never seemed like a good choice although I was never pro-Bieber from the get go. Took it home, watched it, FELL IN LOVE, and here I am. Clark did come home during the last 30 minutes of the movie and enjoyed what he saw so luckily he allows my obsession to continue. He bought me the movie because he said I wasn't allowed to spend anymore on renting it and he also got me the most recent Christmas album. I know, it's totally weird and random but I like being a part/fan of something much much bigger than me (such as Twilight). His fame and followers is outrageous but more than that, I actually really like his music! I listen to nursery rhymes and primary songs most of the day and rarely hear the radio so I wanted to get the trio liking some Bieber music and now we jam out to it every morning! It just pumps me up and always gets the kids moving. Upbeat, clean, and totally sappy but I love it. Can't help it. Plus, in six years, the Biebs will still be around and Leah will of course love him so I'll need to know all the songs so we can go to the concert together.
ANYWAY, I told my mom to gear up because we were going to watch the movie. I asked her what she was expecting and she said, "I don't know, some sort of Miley Cyrus episode." I'm so glad those were her expectations because she ended up LOVING the movie. It was the opposite of what she was expecting and we watched it twice while she was here! She was 16 when the Beatles were really popular so she experienced a big musical movement and talked about how crazy the girls were back then...and how she was one of them. It was fun to hear her memories and feelings as we watched the girls in the movie cry, scream, and faint for Justin. At the end of the movie she said, "Wow I didn't realize that would be such an emotional roller coaster!" Soooooo, I figured she needed to spread the love and get my Dad to be a Belieber. That's why she got the movie for her birthday. That and also to remind her what we did while she was here!
Sadly all trips have to come to an end so Grandma had to leave. We had SUCH an enjoyable time compared to the last couple times she's come to help with the kids. It wasn't so tiring or chaotic. I don't know if I would have stayed sane through these past couple weeks with Clark working such crazy hours. Can't say enough thanks for all that she did. Until next time!
I'll leave you with a short video. The kids did this activity for about 15 minutes after a walk one morning. So cute.
