Even I can't resist

Whenever I am cranky, Will always makes his hand into a puppet and I just can't help cracking up. Every time. Even if I'm really mad. It's a weakness. This morning Lilly woke up grumpy, really grumpy. The 'I really want to stay home today so I'll say my tummy hurts because it kind of does and I'm feeling cranky anyway' kind of grumpy. There was no snapping her out of it. It lasted until we left for school. As soon as we got in the car I put on her favorite song to sing to (Pink's 'Raise your glass'. I know...) and broke out the singing hand. No dice. She cracked a smile and turned toward the window so she could continue grumping around in peace. When we got to the first red light I added eyes to my singing hand. She couldn't resist. The singing hand puppet worked it's magic! Success. We all couldn't stop laughing and she went to school happy. Seriously, you can't not laugh with a singing hand puppet looking at you.



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A little of this and that

We went to Maine maple Sunday this weekend. They ran out of syrup. On Maine Maple Sunday. We had fun anyway and got free horse drawn wagon rides. Below is the Sugar House.


Maya loves the dog. Loves him. He sleeps on her bed every night. I think the feeling is mutual.


When did my girl get so old?! She is making such a goofy face, but looks so old to me.


Maya spotted these on our way out today. They made us all so hopeful for spring. I will not mention the "heavy amounts of snow" forecast for Friday.


Allie fell asleep like this tonight. She loves this nightlight. Loves it.

Show me the Daddy

Before school this morning, some sweetness happened and I couldn't resist capturing it!

Princess in a Castle

In between conferences

Our friends schedule their conferences directly before and after Maya's so that we can share childcare duties. This is what I kept them busy with when it was my turn. It is 31 degrees here and windy. I'm not going out there, it's freezing!

The protectors

Allie has unsettling dreams from time to time. Sometimes she will have several nights of bad dreams in a row. We have a dream catcher and sweet dreams spray, but sometimes that isn't enough. She created her own special group of protectors, they are arranged in a specific group every night before she climbs up to the top bunk.


Guard dogs. Apparently bad dreams climb the ladder, and these guys prevent that from happening. No bad dreams since they've been on the job.

On Life

It's funny, but lately I have been feeling in a different sort of funk.  A good funk.  And I was feeling like I couldn't or shouldn't share.  I am happy.  I am a generally extremely optimistic person.  I know that can seem annoying, but it is real.  The real me.  Even with all the crap of the past few weeks (see last post) I am happy.  Not that my kids were sick or that we were without heat, but in my center, happy.  And I decided, looking into my 34th year, which starts next month, that I am not going to apologize by omission anymore.  I know life isn't all sunshine and rainbows shooting out of every orifice.  Yes, things in my life are hard and we have things that are much less than pleasant to deal with, but I am lucky in so many ways.  I choose to see the glass as mostly full.  I love what each day brings even when I am frazzled and frustrated and there is way more stuff that needs to be done than I want to do, but I am happy.  I was feeling like I shouldn't share this because people may view me as a fraud.  You know something, I don't care, because I know that I put it all out there.  When it's ugly, I say it is.  When it's great, I want to say it's great.  I don't say this to flaunt my life, I say this because it is how I feel about my life.  Yes, I worry about lots of things and people and situations, but I make a very big effort to see things in the best possible light.  Everything happens for a reason, this too shall pass, everything has to be somewhere...these are all things that my Mom always has said to me, and I used to roll my eyes and not think much of it, but now?  I understand.  We get to learn from everything.  We get to try again.  We get to have all of these wonderful, messy, awful, amazing, enlightening, life altering things.  And we get to become.  We get to teach our children how to be.  We get to be here for such a short time.  I hope this doesn't offend anyone.  Please know that I think of my friends and family who are going through less than happy stuff, I think about the terrible devastation in Japan, I do my part in trying to support many different charities and causes, I try to make a difference. I try to teach my children to care for others, to be considerate.  We try to do lots of little thing to brighten the days of others.  It is amazing how much difference one tiny gesture can make, both good and bad.  I like to go out of my way to fill up space with good.  For me this has been an awakening.  I used to hide my happy.  I used to hide a lot of the great things in order to not seem fake, but honestly, I'm all done with that.  I am happy, I am truthful, I love what is going on for our family right now.  I love my friends and will support them all in whatever comes.  I will feel sad, and I do about some things,  but  for now, I am unapologetically happy, content, and peaceful with who I am. I can feel a shift, and I like it.

A full week

Just so we can look back and laugh in a few years. This week we have had in chronological order;

Maya diagnosed with Strep throat, and run a fever of 102

Our 100 year old furnace died Monday

Stayed at home even though it is below freezing, because our house is apparently crazy well insulated and although it is -3 with the windchill it's still 54* in the house

Built a gajillion fires in the fireplace

Lilly up literally the entire night Tuesday vomiting every 15 minutes

With no heat

Lilly diagnosed with Strep Wednesday

Still no heat

Got home from the doctors with Lilly and immediately have Allie say she has a sore throat

Call the doctor, have them call in a prescription for Allie as well

Discover that Lilly is allergic to Penicillin.

Still no heat

Call the doctor and get Lilly on a different antibiotic. Thursday.

Buy tons of yogurt

Buy flowers for the Target pharmacists because holy crap they are the nicest, most helpful go out of their way to help a Mom with everyone on antibiotics you have ever seen

Go to the pharmacy and deliver said flowers, pick up Allie's prescription and Lilly's new prescription.

Still no heat

Sit at home with 4 kids (yup, Ryleigh gets to have it too) who really don't want to be cooped up anymore. Thursday, still no heat

Try to take a shower but the furnace guys have shut off the gas because they are at the point of converting the new furnace from oil to gas, so no shower for me.

Try to be thankful that we have the means to buy medicine and have a new furnace coming.

Wish really hard that spring would just get here already.

Still no heat.

Wednesday with a caption

This is a nearly perfect summation of my family, blurriness and all.