Saturday, September 30, 2006

Walking and hugging

Eliana has finally made the switch from crawling to walking. I noticed it at a playdate this week. She was wandering all over the playroom on her FEET! I also noticed at home that she has taken to wandering around with stuff in her hands. I think when she discovered it was easier to transport her special treasures while walking and carrying than to drag the stuff and crawl, she was motivated to make the switch. Today she woke up from her nap on the living room floor (yep, I am a terrible mother, I let my kid nap on the floor!) she got up and wandered into the kitchen before I caught up with her. She had to be the cutest thing ever just tottering on her little feet with her eyes only half open. What a loving cuddle-bug she is, too. Just loves to toddle over and give hugs when she is playing, but when she is sleepy (just going down to sleep or just getting up) she likes to sit and hug and put her head down. I LOVE IT!

Jayden loves her, too. Today, he wanted to nap with her. He saw her sleeping on the floor and tip-toed around her. He asked if he could sleep with her. I said no because we can't wake her up or she will cry. He asked if he could give her a kiss. I said that would wake her up. So, he came over to me and gave me a big hug and kiss instead. LUCKY ME!

I love my kids! I love my life (today at least anyway)! I love that I get to stay home and watch them grow and change and learn! And, today is a beautiful fall day with grey overcast skies and a nice chill in the air. We are at home quietly cuddling and enjoying being together. Daddy is at our house slaving away to make it livable (hope that happens in the next decade or so). What a great day!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Fall begins--A New Year!

Last week marked the beginning of fall. I love autumn when the leaves turn their pretty gold, red, and brown colors and the weather begins to chill. I think fall is my favorite season. Of course, it has my favorite "secular" holiday in it---Halloween! I know...if you know me (and I would guess you aren't reading this unless you know me) you know that Halloween is my favorite non-Jewish holiday. I say "secular" because technically it is religios based holiday, but the way we celebrate it here in our fabulous country, it is secular. Halloween is actually a Pagan holiday that the Christian leaders adopted into practice when they tried to convert the world to their new religion. They knew that the people would not easily give up their traditions so many of the Christian practices are of Pagan decent. Halloween as we celebrate it in America is one of my faves, so thank you Pagans! (Funny what you learn working for the Catholics, eh?). I am thinking about hunting up my Halloween decorations and bringing them to my parents' house and decking us out, but I am not sure how my folks will react to that. Gonna wait until after Yom Kippur (Monday) to bring it up.

Speaking of...I am taking this opportunity of the Jewish New Year to reflect on my year and try to bring about change for the better. That is the purpose of these holidays as well. They are to give you time to reflect on how you have been and to develop a plan for improvement. I have decided on some things I need to work on this year. I hope to be a better person for it. SO...For all those of you that I have wronged in any way (by talking too much, not talking enough, failing to listen or failing to hear, doing too much or not doing enough, or doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing) please forgive me as I try to forgive myself. I am turning a new leaf and make you this promise that I will do my best to be a better person, friend, wife, mother, sister, daughter, neighbor, aunt, cousin, team member.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Jayden and Eliana

Things are pretty typical around here right now and there is not much to say. I keep thinking to myself, "It's time to post on your blog, Lyn." But, as I sit here thinking there isn't much time to type anything, I am also thinking there isn't much to say.

Jayden is liking preschool. When I pick him up, he asks me if he can stay and when he can go back to class. He likes his teachers and his class, it seems. He doesn't talk much about his classmates, so I am presuming he hasn't bonded with any particular children yet. He is still not potty-trained although he will go most of the time I put him on the pot. Sometimes, he flat out refuses...other times, he goes almost as soon as his tush hits the seat. Dave caught him trying to poop under the table the other day and dragged him to the bathroom. He was so proud of his "rocket ship" poop. Not much else to report on Jayden.

Eliana started music class on Thursday. She seems to like it. Daniela signed up Kayleigh and Ryan for the same class but an hour later. We stayed for their class last week and we will attend their class again this week because Daniela asked me to. I'm so nice! :) There are not too many people in her class so I am hoping for a merger between her class and mine that will end up meeting on the hour between our current schedules. I would really like that. The timing would be so much easier for me! And, Ellie seems to like the class and the extra attention she gets from me during the class now that she doesn't have to share it with Jayden. I like that part too.

Ellie is walking, now. She does crawl a lot still and when she can find something to hold on to while walking, she holds on. She doesn't need to, but I think she likes the security. She loves to wear her new little shoes. I didn't actually NEED to buy her new shoes, but when I was out getting Jayden shoes that he DESPERATELY needed, I couldn't help but look at her little feet and want to buy some for her too. :) She is all about shoes. She loves to go to the shoe pile where we (my mom, me, and Jayden) dump our shoes and play with them. She puts them on her hands AND her feet and wanders around with them.

If it isn't the shoes, though, it's the books. She has also turned into a real bookworm. She is so good at just sitting and playing with a pile of books for really long stretches of time. It's a real treat because not only did Jayden not do that, but he would destroy a paper book inside a New York minute if you didn't watch him like a hawk. Ellie is not exactly gentle with the books, but she is looking to "read" them and play rather than destroy. I think with Jayden, though, it is the engineer in him that makes him tick. First destruction, then construction. He wants to see how "it" goes together so he can make it.

Anyway, for someone who had nothing to write about, I seemed to have used up quite a few words. Now I need to seek solice elsewhere as my hide-out has been discovered by the children and the babysitter is still on the clock.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Preschool cake!

Today was Jayden's first day of preschool. I got the call last week that he was admitted to Temple Emanu-El Preschool which is the school of choice for us. So, early this morning, I got us all up and we rushed him off to school. He was pretty nervous about it. He was saying, "I don't want to go to school. Nobody likes me there because I am different."

Now, of course, this is not true. He was making up a story to cope with his nerves, but he was still nervous when we got there. Never-the-less, he smiled pretty for the pictures.

Ok..it may have been more goofy than pretty, but he was nervous.

Here he is meeting his teacher for the first time.


And, before I get accused of never posting pics of Eliana....here she is in her cake-y glory! Happy 1st birthday, Princess!


Saturday, September 09, 2006

Happy Birthday to Me

I made it to my 34th birthday today. Nope...no surprise. In fact there is really no surprise because the one surprise that was being planned, my mom vetoed. My dear sweet loving brother who hates everyone elses messes is planning to take my car (which desperately needs it) to be cleaned. He was going to try to work out surprising me with it, but my mom told him that it was too complicated to work it out and he should just tell me. What a party pooper!!!

Speaking of poopers....Jayden, Eliana and I went to our friends' birthday party on Thursday and poor Jayden got a case of the trots. But, he was timely enough with it that I managed to put him on the toilet and he got to poopy in the potty! He was very excited about it. He talked about the "snake-y" poopy he had in the potty in Capitola and how this poopy was "runny" poopies. He is still talking about how he "poopied in the potty at the party". Unfortunatly, he can't carry that excitement to using the potty at home.

Well, I am off to celebrate my birthday at a baby shower for a woman I see about twice a year and then a wine tasting event with my parents and a bunch of their friends where the average age will be about 65. No...it's fine. I am actually looking forward to going.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Life's lessons

Well, I have learned 2 things since this weekend's travesty. They are not necessarily good things, but, then....we usually learn from our mistakes.

The first: Some people SUCK! Some people have no concept of civilized behavior or social acceptancies. Some people SUCK! Other's however, have more empathy in their little toe than those "some people" I previously referred to.

The second: I can't spell! Holy moley! I spelled THIEVES wrong! I need to go back to the 5th grade!

All's good. We are moving forward on our house project. Dave met with an insulation guy today that really seemed to know his stuff. The other guy that Dave talked to was clearly less than knowledgable in regards to the work that was capable of being done and how much it should cost to do it. So, now we are hoping to get some serious stuff done and be able to move back home soon....well, a couple of months probably, but maybe not next year now. :)

Monday, September 04, 2006

THEIVES!!!

People SUCK!!! There are so many selfish shitty people out there in this world that it makes me MAD! So moronically stupid SCUMBAG(S) (don't know if it was one or more scumbags) broke into our house and stole HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS of dollars of Dave's tools! They took hammers, screwdrivers, his WHOLE DAMN toolbag with all of his electrical tools as well as some power tools and the chargers for battery-operated tools. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! We haven't really been able to assess what else was missing, but it is ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrating.

Yep....this post was not fun to read. But, I feel better having expressed my anger even with a lack of vocabulary, punctuation, and proper grammar.

The good news?? My children are having a great day. They are relaxing at home (well, my parents' house is going to be home for a while) and playing together and watching too much TV and all is good here. I feel like my personal space has been violated, but my family is healthy, happy, and safe....at least we are mostly healthy, mostly happy, and about as safe as you can expect to be in a big fucking city of evil-maniacal savages!

I'm calm...really. I'm calm! :)

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Today is my baby's first birthday. I've spent the whole day remembering exactly what we were doing at this hour last year. It was a lot of fun to recall how we spent her first day, who came by to visit, how little she was then versus how big she is now, and mostly, I've been thinking about how much we have both changed and grown in the last year--more she than me, though! :)

As I type, I am watching her try really hard to play with her big brother (who I might add has also changed a great deal since meeting his sister for the first time last year). She is just starting to walk but chooses to crawl. She is not as strong as Jayden is (obviously) so she is easily scared and frustrated by his method of play. Right now the game is "hide under the big cardboard box". Since she can not get out from under the box, she doesn't really like that game. But, she still wants to play with him....and he, her! :)

It is a happy day!