The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I am really starting to hate the month of March, which is sad, since I usually look forward to it as the coming of Spring and warmer temperatures.  This month has been particularly bad, since we've had the following:

1) Simon got Influenza A the last week of February and was out of daycare for THREE days.  At this rate, I will pay back my sick leave in 2034, when I am ready to retire. :(
2) Simon developed sinus and ear infections (even with tubes!) the week after, which resulted in a trip back to the doctor and prescriptions for antibiotics and oral steroids.  I had to take him off the oral steroids after three days since I couldn't handle his toddler 'roid rage a moment longer.  Bless his sweet teachers at the daycare who were willing to work with me, and told me Simon could return immediately since he wasn't contagious. 
3) Immediately following the ear/sinus infections, Simon gets a nasty cold which he spreads to everyone else in the family.
4) This past Friday night, Lewis wakes up in the middle of the night, crying.  This is always a bad sign....I go in to find he has thrown up ALL OVER his bed.  He spends the night camped out in our bathroom, while I go in throughout the night (armed with a mask and gloves thinking it will protect me from the germs) to help him make it in the trash can.
5) JB gets the stomach bug the same night.
6) Simon gets the stomach bug the following day, complete with explosive diarrhea all over the living room rug.  I actually consider this a blessing, since I would much rather deal with that than a toddler vomiting everywhere.
7) I smugly think I have managed to avoid getting sick due to my "protective gear".  Wrong! I wake up at 3:30 am on Monday morning with the stomach flu and feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck.
8) I think we must be done with sicknesses since we have caught everything that's out there.  Wrong again! Simon gets another cold which he passes to the rest of us. 

Throughout these past few weeks, I have held on to the thought that I just need to persevere through all of this, and one day there will be a time when we are not all sick, not shivering in the endless cold and snow, not spending our paychecks at the doctor's, and it will be summer and we can go swimming at the pool or play in our yard.  This past Sunday, we were able to listen to stake conference on our computer, thanks to our Bishop, since we were in no shape to be in public.  One of the speakers was talking about enduring to the end, and he quoted this line from the movie "Finding Nemo" which is "just keep swimming, just keep swimming".  I have repeated this to myself often these past days, when I feel like I can't handle one more day of sickness, cold, or cranky kids. 

Despite all of the sickness, we did have one glorious, sunny Saturday a couple of weeks ago where we all went out as a family and went for a hike at the Botanical Gardens.  JB took this picture of me and the two kids headed back up the trail:

Days like the one above can help me remember that there will be an end to all of this, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Parenting fail....

Today as I desperately thought of what to cook for dinner, I fell back on my usual standby....frozen waffles. We get home after 6 pm each night, and I hate trying to fix something with Simon whining and clutching my leg, only to have everyone complain about the meal I made.  Waffles are easy and everyone cleans their plate....perfect!  However, I then realized that this was the second day this week I have used that idea, and my other meals....frozen chicken fingers and spaghetti from a mix....weren't much better.  I then realized with growing horror, my increasingly lackadaisical parenting skills.  Some recent examples:

1) I don't regularly enforce tooth-brushing every morning.  If we get to it 50% of the time, I call it a success.

2) I use fruit snacks as a bribe "positive reinforcement" for Lewis to stay in bed every night and not wake me up at 6 am every morning.

3) I wear ear plugs every night to bed, because I have no clue what to do when Simon cries at night besides pray that he'll go back to sleep.  I figure if something is REALLY wrong, I'll hear it...right? Luckily, I have not had much problems in Simon waking up.  I hope it continues.

4) I give my kids Teddy Grahams and Goldfish every night in the car so I don't have to hear screaming on my commute home from work.

5) I do absolutely the bare minimum when it comes to being "involved" in my childrens' school.  Lewis went to school with Power Ranger valentines, and I didn't even bother to include the tattoo since it was too much work to stick it in.  Simon went with nothing.  I came home with all these fancy valentines the other parents had made.

6) I have not updated Lewis's baby book since he turned 1.  Simon doesn't even have a baby book. 

7) I have been known to use the TV when I can't handle any more wildness from Lewis, instead of trying to find a "constructive activity" for him to channel his energy into.

I gave up my high ideals of motherhood years ago.  I decided my sanity was worth more than stressing over every small thing in my children's life.  I subscribe to the motto "If momma ain't happy, no one's happy." But, am I getting too sloppy and setting my standards too low?  However, I feel happy.  I feel (generally) relaxed.  My kids are happy.  So, is it OK?  I am proud in the fact that I normally have terrific patience and I try to teach them the really important lessons.  I praise them a lot, and we do fun things together.  I have no doubt that they know their mother loves them.  However, as I head into the next year, it probably wouldn't hurt to try and set some small goals, like including a fruit or vegetable, or sitting down with Lewis and practicing his penmanship, a few times a week. 

In case you're wondering why I brought up Lewis's penmanship, check out this comparison in drawings between the two.  Lewis's is on top, Simon's is on the bottom...yipes...

Lewis's 4th Birthday

So...I'm only now posting about Lewis's birthday.  3 months later.  

Lewis was very interested in helping plan his birthday party this year.  For months he had insisted on a monster truck party.  However, a few weeks before his birthday, he decided he wanted an "Under the Sea" party since he loves sea creatures.  I checked out BirthdayDirect.com and found some awesome decorations, so I was on board.  My mom flew in for the festivities, and we had JB's parents come up for the evening.  On Saturday, we had a miracle in November...it was in the 50s and sunny.  So, we hosted a party for friends and cousins at the nearby park.  All in all, I would say it was a birthday success and was much better than the disaster that was Simon's first birthday.  

                                   I loved the colors and decorations we got for the birthday.

                                       Very easy to make cupcakes, which looked great!

                                        A rare family photo of the four of us together. :)

                                                           Our big 4-year-old!

Euoplocephalus, Styracosaurus, and Herrarasaurus, Oh My!

In case you are wondering what the title is all about, that is just a few of the dinosaurs that Lewis can correctly identify and pronounce!  I had bought him a dinosaur book a few months ago, and he has become a little obsessed with it.  He wants me to read it almost every night at bedtime, although I've had to ban it for a few days since I am so tired of it.  Like all things Lewis becomes interested in, I'm sure this will pass.  But, in the meantime, I can be a very smug parent, bragging about all the smarts this kid is acquiring. ;-)

Lewis has also really become interested in letters and counting.  I attribute a large part of this to switching his daycare two months ago.  I had him in an in-home daycare, where it involved mostly watching TV and playing with toys.  I did think his provider was a very sweet lady, and the kids adored her, but I knew that Lewis needed to get prepared for pre-school this August.  Ever since he started there in December, he keeps on asking about what letter words start with it, how they sound, and eagerly awaiting the show and tell for the "Letter of the Week".  Last week's was U.  Let me tell you, it was hard to come up with a toy that started with U.  I made the mistake of suggesting underwear, which Lewis thought was hilarious and wanted to do.  I refused to let him bring extra underwear to school, so we settled on "Under the Sea" animals. :)

I think Lewis read his first word last night, which was Candy.  We were reading "Morris Goes to School" and at the end, Morris goes to the right store to buy his gumdrops.  Lewis pointed to the picture which had the candy store, and sounded out C-A-N-D-Y.  I was so impressed!  Later, after we turned out the light, we had a nice long talk about all of my favorite books, including the Boxcar Children, the Black Cauldron series, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Uncle Arthur Bedtime Stories.  I'm not sure if either of my boys will develop my love of reading, but I hope they do, since some of my fondest memories are of the books I read when I was growing up.
 

Brothers

I'm woefully behind on my blogging.  I still haven't managed to post about Lewis's 4th birthday in November, or Christmas for that matter.  But never mind.  I still had to show this beautiful picture of the boys JB took last week one night as we were getting ready for dinner.  They are so sweet together! Yes, Lewis still gets upset about Simon swiping his toys or making a mess, but they really do love each other. Simon is always going over and giving Lewis hugs.  On the way home from work the other night, I glance back to see the two of them holding hands, which just makes my heart melt. :) One day when Simon was crying in the backseat, Lewis went in and gave him a hug and a kiss to make him feel better.  He told me that didn't stop Simon from crying, but I love the fact that he wanted to make him feel better.  I hope these two end up being good friends!

The Glory Days of Summer are Ending

There is a tree outside my office window that sits across the receiving dock.  It is a beautiful tree and I always find myself looking at it.  In the winter, I am depressed looking at the bare branches. In the spring, when it is just turning warm, I rejoice when I see the leaves budding out.  In the summer, I look contentendly at the thick green leaves. Now, the tree has turned a glorious shade of orange and red, and I feel nothing but...panic.  Yes, it means my wonderful summer months are ending and I have to face the dreaded cold, dark winter.  In recent years, my worry about the end of summer starts in July, as I watch the weeks ticking down.  I hate being trapped in the house, I hate driving on slick roads, and I hate that it is going to be dark at 5 pm.  I am trying to have a better attitude about it (Lewis tells me, "Mommy, you need to like winter!" To which I reply, "Lewis, I'll try my best to like it.") and think about sledding and Christmas, but it is still my least favorite time of the year.

Other than the impending winter, we've had a wonderful month after the difficulty of Simon's encopresis at the beginning of September.  Both the kids are doing well.  With Lewis, I am never sure what is going to come out of his mouth.  His imagination runs wild, and he loves to play-act and pretend.  One day he put on a "rock show" in the yard, screaming and jumping with his imaginary guitar.  Othertimes he pretends he's Wolverine, complete with his low, growly voice and claws. He loves to be a boy, and doesn't want anything to be pink or beautiful (I swear I did not instill this in him).  The other day, he adopted his cowboy accent and said to me "You're my girl.  I'll keep you safe from the dinos" as he gave me a loving pat. Today, when I was helping him finish up in the bathroom I told him to pull up his pants instead of his underwear.  I then said, "Oops. I guess I was confused."  Lewis then informed me, "Mommy, you are not confused. You are just getting old." He is fascinated with sea animals right now and is currently planning an under-the-sea party (we'll see if this is still what he wants in six weeks).  He loves to play with his "choking hazards" and Hot Wheels cars.

Simon is doing great and becoming more and more like a toddler every day.  He walks everywhere, likes to point, and shakes his head no to EVERYTHING. He is also getting the toddler-like temper and throws himself to the ground in fits of rage when he can't get what he wants. He still loves to give hugs and comes up and gives kisses to myself, JB, and Lewis. He can say "Hi", "Bye", "This?", and "Done". He seems to adore Lewis, although he can be pretty rough with him sometimes.

So, anyway, that's the update for this month!   

Ten Year Anniversary!

It's hard to believe that ten years ago today, JB and I got married in the Washington D.C. temple.  If I was more tech savvy, I would have scanned in a photo from our wedding day, but I have no clue how to do it.

I remember it was a beautiful September morning as we hurried to get to the temple in rush hour traffic. I was panicking, but JB just told me, "They're not going to start without us."  Once we got inside the temple, I forgot all my worries and just enjoyed the peace and quiet.  I can't remember a word of what was said during our wedding ceremony, but I remember the happiness and joy I felt.

Now it's ten years later.  Earlier this year, I had made big plans we'd go on our first overnight trip away from Simon and go to Alexandria together (which is one of our favorite places to go together).  Instead, we are giving Simon an enema together and eating Kroger cupcakes tonight to "celebrate".  It's not what I had planned, but I'm glad we're together.

Anyway, happy anniversary to us!!