the land of nod

chase is a very light sleeper. if we check on him when he is napping, he will wake up. ultimately, chase does not get checked on until we hear screaming or banging on the wall. a very hard thing to do when you want to see him in moments of silence and peace. and even harder when he is sick and you want to be assured he is alive. we undertake loads of finger crossing and silent prayers.

i was lucky a few weeks ago. able to capture the moment. evidence that he truly does sleep.

chase was sick. i was in the cavernous depths of one of my worst days of morning all day sickness.
i wanted to stay in bed. bayli was stationed in front of the television crafting (don't judge).
chase was exhausted but wanted to lie next to me, read, and listen to music. we read for a good 45 minutes. chase trying to fight off head nods and the urge to snuggle into the pillow. i, unwillingly, had to fight as well. "mommy bawk (book)." until the beckonings of sleep were too great. and i watched as my little guy had a few last flickers of his long lashes. i think that it was one of my most memorable moments as a mother. i actually was able to watch him fall asleep.
it was like one of those nature shows, revelations of rare events, months and months of patiently waiting.

it was simply magical.
the event was enhanced with lovely whisperings of Carla Bruni's Quelqu'un M'a Dit playing in the background.
my little guy will probably be swept off his feet by a lovely french girl.

soup kitchen

one bowl.
one spoon.
one starving little guy.

15 minutes standing in line,
seems like an eternity.

friends forever

it's funny the things you think about as you watch your children grow.
you watch them undergo challenges, holding yourself back against the urge to take their little hand and help them.
you find yourself feeling left behind as those challenges become easier and they charge forward.

when i was growing up, i was lucky to have a sister 2 years older than me. i'm sure that it was harder being the big sister. she was left in charge of entertaining me. sometimes i felt as though she was put out by having to take me along to a friends, the little sister that was always in the way. but most of the time, my sister supported me, took my hand, and lead the way. she was always eager to teach me things that were now easier for her.

being the little sister, i was excited and eager to be with her. she knew so many things. she was so grown up. she had cool friends. she was nice to me. she supported me. i considered her my best friend.

i always wondered why my mom would make her let me tag along with her. was it because she wanted me out of her hair? probably, at least partly. was it because she didn't want to arrange a play date with someone my own age? maybe, although there were very few kids my age. was it a cave in to the fit i was throwing? another big probably.

i pondered why, as i grew, as i began my own family. why did my mom encourage my sister to take me along?
now that i have two children, i can see why.
unlike my relationship with my sister, my children are over three years apart. they have obvious differences, boy vs girl. they do not share a room as my sister and i did. they do not share the same toys.
although they have distinct differences, they still need the encouragement to be together and build a relationship.

when chase was younger, crawling and putting everything in his mouth, we grew accustomed to bayli's door always being closed. now, she still tries to keep him out. placing chairs behind the door. screaming, yelling, and slamming doors to keep him away. yet chase, through his tears and heartache, still tries to break into her personal space. he loves her kitchen and polly pockets. he loves to sit on her big bed and little chairs. he loves to follow and be with her.

it has been a hard transition for bayli, to let him into her room/world. to share her big kid/girly toys with him. and there is still a long road ahead. but, i am determined to make their relationship grow. to see her teach and lead him. to encourage a friendship to last all time.

my mom was a little sister once too. she has a sister that she has a wonderful relationship with. she knows the bonds that come with hard work and encouragement. the lasting friendship and reward. she taught it to me and my sister.
now i must teach it to my children. one step at a time.

the top 10 goings on when you are puking your guts out & feel like #$%@

1) the christmas decor stays up for...months, or in a pile at the top of the stairs

2) the house is dirty and no one cares but dad

3) the kids eat more processed foods than ever in their life

4) you can sit in front of the tube and watch overhaulin all day long

5) pajamas for day wear, likewise for night (for the entire family)

6) the only way the phone and door get answered, is if bayli does it

7) just when you think you are going to have a better day, your body reminds you that it is in charge

8) dad becomes mr. mom (but still has to carry on his role as dad and bread winner)

9) chase starts crying out "daddy" when he needs something

10) chase growls and spits into the toilet bowl trying to imitate you

trouble to the next level

just once of watching his sister do it, and he follows suit.

used car dealership

one ride just isn't enough.



now, which one to take out for a spin first?

craft extravaganza

this is pretty much what our table looks like every day.
that's right, we have a crafter on our hands.

she doesn't start inquiries with "mom, can i color" or "mom, can i cut and glue something."

no, she proclaims, "mom i want to craft!!!"

so out come her supplies of glue, paper, tape, stickers, utensils, scissors, copy of oriental trading magazine ("it's where i get my ideas"), etc.
we're in for a big mess and a very happy girl.

the results are wonderfully handcrafted gifts for everyone she knows, including the neighbors cat.

happy birthday bayli

Bayli had a pretty special day. She chose to go on a date with dad. Only because mom said there was no way we were having a party.

She decided to go to the Living Planet Aquarium. "We already have passes dad, it will be free, other than gas." Very convincing.

Jed took Bayli & Chase and had a pretty good time. Other than dealing with a nervous Chase in the dark. What's up with that?

They dropped Chase off after their excursion and headed off for their "real date," dinner.
Bayli wanted "shrimp at that one fun place." Jed realized that she was talking about Joe's Crab Shack. Not the best seafood, but, Bayli will eat it.

He described it as a carnival. Something that we have never experienced on previous visits.
Bayli thought that they were having a party just for her, dad didn't convince her otherwise.

She was pretty excited when they dressed her up as a princess and made her stand up on the bench and shout "I'm a pretty princess" every time that they pointed at her.
The balloon tier took advantage of the moment and made a buck off Jed. Bayli loves her...elephant?
She was all aglow when they returned home.

Her excitement grew when she noticed the presents awaiting her grabby hands.
"Is this all I got?"
Man kids these days!


Then she opened them and her thoughts of only getting two presents washed away.
We gave her (blaring of trumpets) mermaid polly pocket and sleeping beauty polly pocket. She was overcome with joy and squeals.



Needless to say, she stayed up pretty late that night playing with her new favorite items.

introducing, the thumb fairy and the worst parents ever.

bayli is five and proud of it. at the same time, she is worried about losing her beloved thumb.
she is a mega closet thumb sucker. leading us, to drastic measures. we already know that we will be broke with dental care in the future. but, that doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun along the way.
our newest endeavor, which probably categorizes us as the worst parents ever, is the thumb fairy.
because, as we have seen, fairies have a big impact on our little gal.
not to mention, it's the closest that we can come to telling her scary stories. she has enough night terrors with her wild imagination.

here is our rundown of the thumb fairy.
the kid (thumb sucker) is safe until they turn five. then, the thumb fairy has free reign to come at any time and remove said thumb. the thumb fairy doesn't live with the other fairies, because she is an evil fairy. she decorates her house with the thumbs and wears them for hats.

we know that this is not a good means to go about stopping this bad habit. it is completely unmeasurable. we can't come in the night and remove her thumb with a pair of dikes. but, we can see it in her eyes. she is a true believer. she consciously is thinking about missing her thumb.
"can she come on my birthday and take my thumb?" "what if i start to suck my other thumb, will she take it too?" "will she take my fingers if i suck them?"

we are digging ourselves a hole. most likely nothing will come of this. other than the fact that we lied to our child. but for now, at least, she is thinking about quitting.