Thanksgiving Party

Jillian had a preschool Thanksgiving party today. Parents were invited (no siblings allowed!), and Matt and I were both lucky to be able to attend. Jillian was SO excited to see us when we arrived. She was especially pleased that her daddy could make it.

We enjoyed pie, ice cream, and spiced tea before the children put on a performance for us. Jillian had been talking about a very special white hat she had made to wear for this occasion, and she was really happy to finally show us her "piligram" (yep, p-i-l-i-g-r-a-m) hat. The kids sang some songs and recited a Bible verse with sign language.

We concluded the time together with a turkey craft, complete with feathers and liquid glue, and a Thanksgiving-themed story. Preschool sure is lots of fun!

Timing

Sometimes things just work themselves out. I have been worrying/stewing/fretting over how in the world I was going to meet my new nephew within a reasonable time frame for the last several months. I really wanted to make a solo trip to help Megan after the new baby arrived, but because of distance (450 miles, and not easy to fly because of airport locations that require additional driving), other travel plans, and Matt's full schedule I was just not sure how we would swing it. My best shot looked to be early January, but unpredictable winter weather in these parts hadn't left me feeling super confident that I'd be able to make the drive in Matt's ridiculously old car (he'd need my car with the car seats here), or that any flights I booked would be timely. So....enter Bryce Matthew Widmer on November 15th, 10 days early. Another beautiful boy for Meg and D.

I can't describe how sad I felt while Megan was in labor, and though I felt happy he arrived safely, the bummer of the distance situation really had me down. I understand the emotions of having a baby, and how wonderful yet overwhelming the second baby feels. I really just wanted to be there for my sister.
Friday morning I was up early to get a prescription filled for Jillian (who received a strep throat diagnosis late the night before), and Matt happened to be off thanks to working a double shift on Thursday. When I got home from the pharmacy, Matt said "Why don't you just go down there. The weather is beautiful and I am here until Monday morning. I am perfectly capable of taking care of our kids". Now, if you know me you know that I am not spontaneous. At all. I would never just up and leave quickly without weeks of planning, stressing, organizing, and I would certainly never leave my sick child behind (even with her very capable physician of a father). But I did. This time, I just felt prompted to accept the offer. I called my mom and told her I'd pick her up in Des Moines on my way, alerted Deron, and instructed everyone to keep my plans a secret from Megan. In under an hour, I was packed and on my way--headed off on my very first solo trip since becoming a mother. (Seriously, this was HUGE for me)
The plan went off without a hitch, and I had my nephew in my arms less than 24 hours after he was born. A happy auntie, for sure!

I will never forget the look on Megan's face when I walked into the hospital room with my mom. She clearly was stunned, and it took a bit for my arrival to sink in.

The weekend was fast. I did my best to snuggle the baby as much as possible, play with Jack (who clearly was befuddled by a woman resembling his mom in his house), and offer emotional support to the new mom and dad. I know I wasn't as much of a help as I would have liked to be (and I really wasn't needed with 2 capable grandmas around), but perhaps I can return another time.
A bonus of the trip is that I got to spend part of Saturday morning with the Devines, just like old times, and even got a couple slices of Shakespeare's pizza (thanks, Pat, for making that happen!). When I first met this family, there were only 3 children, and the oldest was about 6. Now there are 5 of them...and that 6 year old is almost 17. Oh my. I love me some Devines!

The trip did bring with it one surprise--I wasn't prepared for how anxious I would feel while being away from my family. Though Matt and I have gone away a few times, I've never left him home with the kids. It was very strange to be far away from my three favorite people, and to be the only one not there with them. Matt facetimed me on Saturday night and I couldn't hold the tears back as I watched the girls chat with me. Adrienne kept saying "Mommy! Wuv you! MMMMuah" while blowing kisses, and Jillian just looked so big. Absence certainly did make me appreciate the blessings I often take for granted.

I loaded up for the long drive home early Sunday morning, but not before assisting with Bryce's first home bath and seeing his eyes open (finally).

Seriously, can you stand this???!!

Whatcha lookin' at, Willis?

I really am thankful for this most perfect timing, and am so glad I took the opportunity to go. I just wish it could happen more often.

Brave

My conversation with Jillian at 6 a.m. (snuggled in my bed as Matt was showering for work)

J: "Mom, are you brave of everything in the world?"
Me: (giggling at her use of 'brave' in relation to being "scared of" something) "Ummmm...no, I'm not. Are you?"
J: "Yes"
Me: "That's great you are so brave"
J: "Well, actually I think I am only brave of everything in this house"
Me: "That's a lot of things. It's good to be brave, but you don't have to be 'brave of' everything"
J: "I'm not brave of dinosaurs"
Me: "Well, I'm not 'brave of' sharks"
J: "But I'm real brave of turtles!"

Weekend Material

Sometimes I go for days and can't think of anything to post about, and others, I just can't keep up. The last 24 hrs have been like that. Random musings and pics from our weekend so far....

Jillian...

-Woke me up yesterday by coming to my bedside (as usual) and then saying, "Mom, I need a hug. Your hugs are just so comfy"

-While getting ready for bed Friday night decided to share her reasoning with me regarding her pajama selection: "I'm going to wear these Halloween pajama pants. They have stars on them, so I should wear them because I'm a star!" Confidence is no issue here.

-We are working on letter sounds. Matt was doing some "school time" with her last night and asked her what 'sheep' started with. Her response: "Dad, you're trying to trick me. There's no letter that makes the "sh" sound!" Can't fool her...

-We went out to lunch yesterday after running some errands. The perk of this place is that they have peanuts to  shell and enjoy (read entertain preschoolers) while you wait, and no one cares about the mess your toddler leaves on the floor afterwards. Jillian definitely had her fair share of peanuts while she waited for her lunch.

Adrienne......

-Is running. Everywhere. She is suddenly super fast.

-Refused to take a nap yesterday. I didn't respond to her pleas through the monitor until I heard. "Mommy. Poo-pee Di-per. Mommy. Di-per. Poo-pee" Sure enough, she was.

-Is starting to sing at bedtime with me. The song here is always "Jesus Loves Me". Tonight, I said, "Let's sing" and she immediately said, "Jee-seh. Wuvs You". Close! After I sang to her at nap time today, she sang back "Bi-buh me so" (A-speak for 'Bible tells me so')

-Has developed a strong attachment to Jillian's Curious George doll. She wants George to wear a diaper and carries him everywhere. She has thrown hissy fits the last two nights because I won't let her sleep with him (he's just too big and she's too small). This morning she absolutely would not get in her high chair to eat because I, once again, would not let her hold him while she ate (I'm so mean, aren't I? I really do like George). Daddy saved the day with his idea. George got his own seat right next to Adrienne (and a spoon to hold), and suddenly she was ready for French toast and bananas after all.

Politics

I'm not one for discussing politics in such a space as this, but Jillian and I had a pretty humorous conversation this morning. Since I'm sitting here watching the election results roll in, it seems so fitting to share. Regardless of your (or my) political opinion, it will make you smile.

J: "What are you going to do while I'm at school today, Mom?"

Me: "I'm going to tennis class while Adrienne goes to Kids Club, and then I am going to vote in the election"

J: "What is that?"

Me: "It's for the presidential election. We get to choose who our president is every 4 years. Do you know who the president of the United States is?"

J: "Yep. It's Rock Obana"

Me: "You mean Barack Obama?"

J: "No, Rock Obana"

Me: "Ok, well our country has to decide if we want Barack Obama to still be the president, or if we want Mitt Romney"

J: "Oh no. We don't want him. We want Rock Obana."

Me: "And why do you want Rock Obana to win?"

J: "Because SHE'S the best one!"

I think it's time I showed her a picture of "Rock Obana", so she can see that SHE is really a HE! 

Sneaky and Squeaky

Weeks ago, Jillian decided that she was going to be a cat for Halloween. A "sneaky" cat to be exact. I thought this sounded like a brilliant (simple!) costume and we quickly came up with an ensemble that was acceptable to her. So, I got to thinking about Adrienne's costume and it just seemed fitting for her to be a mouse. That would be cute, right? A cat and mouse. Totally appropriate. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, and suddenly realized I would have to do nothing to obtain this costume besides call my mom. She handmade a mouse costume for me when I was Adrienne's age (Halloween of 1979!), and I believe it has since been worn by both of my sisters. My brother in law nixed the idea for my nephew last year because of the pink ears, and I was set on another costume for Jillian her first year because of her birthday theme. So, enter Adrienne....our "squeaky" little mouse. Jillian thought she would be a squeaky mouse (and not just an ordinary mouse) because we have always referred to her as "squeaky" or "squeaks". My mom was thrilled to learn that Adrienne would wear the costume, and after doing some repair work on the bow and ears, she mailed it to me. Precious.

"Sneaky" looked smashing in her ears and whiskers. Look at those beautiful green eyes!! Wowza.

I know that pink tutus are not traditional cat-wear, but Jillian felt strongly about wearing it.

Showing off her tail

Jillian was very excited about the whiskers and was very concerned about them coming off. She periodically asked, "Mom, are my whiskers still on?"

The bummer of the day was that Matt was stuck working a late evening shift (for the second Halloween in a row, I might add), so he missed out on the trick-or-treating. Because of the climate here, our more rural neighborhood this year, and my lack of desire to haul both girls around outside alone, we hit the mall for trick-or-treating again when it began at 4:30. Jillian was so excited about the process, and really was independent with the activity. She was so polite (and clever) to think to say "Meow! Thank you!" after stopping at each storefront for a treat. I did not prompt her to do that. As we neared the end of our loop, she got a bit impatient waiting in line (it was more crowded) and kept saying, "Mom, we need to get more tricks! Is it my turn to get a trick?" Tricks and treats are apparently the same in her book. She also made was keen on noticing everyone's "costumes". For example, we walked by several Muslim women in full burqa and she shouted, "Wow, Mom, they have some really scary costumes!" Oh dear. Luckily no one around us seemed to know who she was talking about.
I originally intended to let Adrienne walk part of the mall with her little treat bag, but she was so cranky that day that I just left her in the stroller. For whatever reason (probably the snotty nose), she wasn't her usual smiley self that day. Still, she looked pretty cute riding alongside her sneaky cat.

We picked up dinner on the way home and anxiously awaited any trick-or-treaters that might come our way. Thankfully, we had a few neighbor kids stop by, and I must say that handing out candy was even more thrilling for Jillian than getting it. She excitedly ran for the door and yelled "Trick-or-treat, thank you!" to the kids as if trying to prompt them on their Halloween lingo. When they left, she cheerfully reminded them to "Have a great night!" All in all, I'd consider it a successful evening...especially since I convinced her that Halloween was over at 7, put the girls to bed without incident, turned the lights out, and spent the evening reading in my bed. Hopefully Matt won't draw the short stick again next year!

"Breads" and Words

Yesterday I was playing around with my hair (it's longer than it's ever been) and braided it into pigtails just for fun. Jillian was "resting" and when she was done, she made over my 'do. "Mom, your hair is so beautiful! I LOVE your breads!" Because of her enthusiasm, it did not surprise me at all when she requested her own "breads" this morning. I think she looks super cute in these little mini "breads"!

And, more words for Adrienne over the weekend:

-eggs ("eegs")
-duck
-horsey
-hat
-fox (...but it sounds exactly like a 4-letter word, if you catch my drift)
-children  ("chee-den")
-teacher ("chee-cher")