A Decade

It was ten years ago today that I looked into Matt's big brown eyes and said "I do". I have spent much of today thinking about that day, and all the days that are stuffed in between then and now. It has a been a full ten years. We spent some time at dinner tonight talking about how easy it is to get so caught up in the daily grind and forget how blessed we are to live this life with each other and our girls. It is pretty amazing to be together over a number of years and develop a history, a story that belongs only to us. While I of course believed that I was marrying the right person when I walked down that aisle ten years ago, I'm sure I didn't understand just how right he was, is, and always will be for me. Matt really is my better half, and his careful, methodical, smart approach to solving problems and making decisions perfectly complements my emotional, overly analytical, and often dramatic tendencies. We make a pretty darned good team. I'm going to keep him. Happy Anniversary, Matt (or as Jillian says, Happy Anna-nursery). Someday, a very long time from now of course, I hope our girls find someone as humble, hard working, family-oriented, funny, and just plain wonderful as you.

My favorite picture from our big day. My apologies for the view of my hand and yellow shirt....we got married before the age of everything digital. That means we are old.

The dozen roses that were delivered to me today. The last time I got a dozen roses was our wedding day, and Mr. Man of My Dreams blew me away when the card on these said exactly what the card said on our wedding day. Seriously.

11 Months

Today marks the beginning of the last month of infancy for Adrienne. I just can't believe it. She is so big, and suddenly making strides toward really becoming a "big girl". Here's the lowdown on our little lady at 11 months.

Adrienne....

...is becoming a bit more brave in the standing/walking department. She likes to push the walking toy around outside and is starting to do so when encouraged inside (though very carefully). She is a moth to the flame where cabinets and drawers are concerned, and just can't seem to get her fill of opening and closing them. I'm still waiting for her to get her sweet little fingers pinched.

...is  incredibly loud. She has the most ear-piercing shriek, and she is not afraid to use it to get your attention. It mostly comes out at mealtime, when you are not responding to her request for more food as fast as she would like you to, but it also comes out when she is really excited. Another favorite use for this shriek was observed anytime we entered preschool to drop Jillian off or pick her up--she loved the thrill of seeing the big kids and was always elated to pick up her big sister after being apart for the morning.

...is picking up the pace in the vocabulary department. She suddenly has some words/sounds she uses consistently. I hear lots of "mama", "dada", "hi", "moh" (more), "ni ni" (night night), "bah" (bath), "ah duh" or "duh" (all done), "muh" (milk, and she uses the sign for it, too).

...still struggles in the sleep department (which means I do, too). If she makes it to 4 or 5 a.m. before demanding my presence I am happy. Often, she does not. Her recent trick is to get her legs caught between the crib slats on the occasion I finally decide I am going to employ a little tough love. I feel horrible when I finally go up and see what has happened...I have such a soft spot for her sad little cry.

...is still nursing 4-5 x day. I am going to start weaning her very gradually next week, and fully expect this to be a rough process.

...wants big girl food. In fact, today she ate the the same lunch and dinner as her sister (in smaller pieces). I am having to give her less and less purees, as she enjoys fruits especially in the diced form. Specifically, she is wild about diced strawberries and also loves grated apples. She had her first taste of Mac and Cheese today, and gobbled it up.

Strawberries are yummy!!!

Mac and cheese...where has this been all my life?!?

....has the craziest hair. We call it "fraggle hair" because it kind of resembles those muppets we watched as kids on Fraggle Rock. She clearly has just as much (if not more) hair than Jillian did at age 2.

...is one incredibly happy, social, sweet little snuggle bug. I can't get enough of her kisses and those big blue eyes. The melt-my-heart moments each day are difficult to count. We are all blessed by her sweet spirit and affection. Time to start planning a birthday celebration!

Grandma's Visit

Grandma came all the way from Maryland for a visit over the holiday weekend, and we were long overdue for some time together. Jillian proudly colored a sign that said "Welcome, Grandma" and held it up at the airport while she and Matt waited for her to deplane. I wish I had taken a picture of it because she truly did a fantastic job, and worked with such care. We spent our days together visiting, playing, and taking Grandma to our favorite lunch spots around town. Here are a few shots I took, wish I had taken more!

Grandma gave Jillian an old purse, and she felt like such a lady--it rarely leaves her side

How I caught Jillian one morning (at 6 a.m.)...all dressed and knocking on Grandma's door

We had a deliciously hot day on Sunday, so the girls enjoyed the water table

Mother and son

Matt set the sprinkler up on the playground to create a water slide for Jillian

Adrienne got her very first taste of a popsicle

She loved that pineapple-flavored treat!

Best of all, was the fun snuggle time the girls and Grandma had. It's fun to watch them build special memories together. Thanks for making the trip, Grandma!

Finally!

Jillian finally got her first haircut today! The last time I was in to see my stylist I showed her some pictures of Jillian's hair, and she agreed that it was time for a little trim. So, we made the appointment and talked about the excitement of our upcoming first trip to the "beauty shop". The appointment just happened to coincide with Grandma's visit, so it was a fun afternoon for big girls.

Enjoying her beverage offered by the salon--she declined the coffee or tea (thankfully) and chose water

Pretending to be shy

Stephanie begins. Jillian refused to wear a cape in any form, so they settled on a couple of towels.

Holding still

Look at that fluffy little bob!

After a spritz of water to reset the curl, Jillian took in her new 'do

She approves!

Enjoying her treat (sucker) while we waited to pay. I was so proud of her for being brave, sitting still, and following all of Stephanie's directions

Our keepsake (along with a very small amount of Jillian's hair that is tucked into an envelope)

Last Day of School

Today marked the completion of Jillian's first year of school. Wow, that went fast for me! She enjoyed her class and lunch buddies to the fullest, and had a positive experience. Jillian was excited about school each day, and never once put up any resistance about going. I thought it would be fun to compare the photos I took of her this morning to those I took on that first day back in September.

First Day: September 7, 2011

Last Day: May 23, 2012

Besides the obvious physical growth and maturation, these photos reveal an increase in the desire to assert her independence. Jillian and I discussed (and laid out) a last day of school outfit at bedtime last night--a cute yellow flowered skirt with a flowy yellow shirt. You can imagine my chagrin when she presented herself at my bedside wearing the above outfit at 6 a.m., insisting this would be a much better outfit for the last day of school (nothing like a pair of leggings 2 sizes too small to serve as some cropped pants....my fault for not getting them out of her drawer!). I took a deep breath, withheld my comments, and let it go. I guess I should just be thankful she "allowed" me to semi-brush her hair and pull it back in a ponytail....I digress.

Jillian--Your passion for learning is awesome, your memory is amazing, and your curiosity is astounding. I'm so proud of you for having a great first year of school--for making friends, for (mostly) obeying your teachers, for trying new things, and for doing it all with heaps of enthusiasm.

Moving Along

Adrienne is becoming more confident on her own two feet. This week she finally figured out how to walk behind the walking toy independently. We took it outside on the lawn, and it provided just the right amount of resistance to prevent it from getting away from her. She was so determined and quite proud when she realized she could do it...we all were!

Swimming Progress

Jillian has been taking swimming lessons for six weeks now. She has made a big improvement in all of her skills, and her teacher comments on how determined she is. She does have a bit of trouble listening to the teacher, which (though not entirely surprising) I attribute partially to the time of day and huge amount of distractions present in the pool.
I was a bit worried about how the lesson would go this week, because as I went to get Jillian out of the car I found this.

It really stinks to have to wake up a kid who never naps. But I did, and was pleased that she had a great lesson. Here are a few clips of some of the things she's been working on.....pushing off the wall, back float, and diving to the bottom of the pool.

Let's Pray

Tonight I had one of those intensely sweet mothering moments that I wish I could remember to cling to during the hard days. I was tucking Jillian into bed, as per our usual routine (book, talking, singing "Jesus Loves Me"), when she said, "Mom, let's pray". I asked her what she wanted to pray about, and she said, "To be protected and not scared". That blew me away. So, I said a little prayer for her and then asked if she would like to say one, too. She promptly obliged with the following:

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for this world. Help me be not scared and protected. And keep Adrienne protected so she doesn't open the cabinets and get her fingers pinched. Ayyyyy--men!"

I had tears in my eyes when she finished and told her how proud of her I was that she thought to pray for her sister (who has recently become obsessed with standing and opening any cabinet in her reach). I think it is safe to say we've just added a new piece to the bedtime routine.

An Official Farewell

Though we moved in November, we didn't sell our old house right away. We had some friends live in it for a couple of months, then had some updating to do to ready it for the market. We put it on the market March 14th, took it off on the 15th (due to a crazy main water line leak that happened to suddenly begin the very day we put it on!), and put it back on the 16th after repairs. By noon on the 16th we had an offer. The next day, the buyers accepted our counter offer and we were on our way to a sale. Today it became official. As I stood in the kitchen leaving notes about the doorbell switch (something we didn't know about until 2 years after moving in) and dropping off the garage door openers/keys I was overcome with emotion thinking about the 5 1/2 years we enjoyed in this home. Yes, it was old and had its quirks. But, we grew from 2 to 4 there and enjoyed fun times with great neighbors and family and friends who visited over the years. I loved the location (1 mile from RAC and about 90 seconds from Target) and the park just one house away. It will always be special to us. Farewell, old house....may the new owners enjoy you as much as we did.

Warmth

It has been delightfully warm these last few days. Yesterday, I decided to buy a sprinkler and thought the girls and I could have some fun frolicking in the sun. I was right. Jillian had an absolute ball.

I thought Adrienne was having a good time. She sat next to me on a beach towel enjoying some ice water (and the sound it made when she shook her sippy cup) and roamed nearby on the grass. At some point she decided to head towards the playset and into the path of the sprinkler.

Don't think she's a fan. Oh well, we'll keep trying. Hooray for warmth!

Mom's The Word

After church on Mother's Day, we headed downtown to one of our favorite restaurants. Chester's was holding a special Mother's Day brunch, so I erroneously thought that would be fun. I think Bennie, Debbie, and Helen enjoyed the food, but Matt and I were run ragged by the girls. Jillian was upset they didn't have pancakes, and proceeded to eat 3 blueberry muffins (each requiring a separate trip to the buffet). Adrienne is less than pleasant to take out to eat at this stage--messy, squirmy, and after the busy morning we had, she was very tired. When we got home, I requested that Matt take the obligatory picture of me and my girls to mark the occasion. We tried a few takes in hopes we'd get one good one. Instead, we got three "almosts".

Soon after, our company began their long trip home. We all headed inside for a rest (which means movie for Jillian, the anti-nap queen), a short nap for Matt and I, and a nice long one for A. I was then sent to the nursery ALONE to pick out some flowers/bushes that I'd like to plant. I came home with my favorites: lilacs and peonies, a rose bush to replace a dead one, and a cool-looking ash spirea. Add these to the beautiful hydrangeas the Howes gave me for Mother's Day, and we had ourselves some work to do. We spent a fantastic lazy afternoon in the sun. It is on days like these that I am ever so grateful for our outdoor space. The girls have so much room to roam, and I love listening to them giggle as they do so. A few pics from the afternoon....

My peony bush. I'd like about ten more. Next to tulips, they are my favorite flower.

The lilac bush. I have high hopes for this baby.

Ash spirea

My hard working husband--did I mention I sipped a beer and lounged on the grass while I "directed" the planting?

1 of 2 beautiful hydrangea bushes

We ate leftovers for dinner (on paper plates) and ended the day with a long hot shower and some good TV. I remember asking my mom what she wanted for mother's day as a kid. Every year she would answer, "I just want everyone to get along". I always thought that was odd...didn't she want some perfume, or candy, or flowers, or jewelry? Now I get it. A day of smooth-sailing in the behavior department, contentment, and relaxed time together truly is the best Mother's Day gift. I am so blessed to have my mom, to be a mom, and am thankful for my crazy, silly, beautiful girls.