Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Tidbits

In the last 24 hours, we have been keeping it real. Here are my favorites:

(Claire fussing at her baby)
Matthew: What does she want?
Me: To take the baby's clothes off.
Matthew: WHY?
Me: Because it has to go potty.
(Claire turns to me and does the sign for "Thank you")

Carolyn: I have candy!
Me: Where did you get it?
Carolyn: I bought it.
Me: With what? Do you have money?
Carolyn: Let it go.

Carolyn: (Opening up the hall closet door) MOM! Cute vacuum!

Carolyn: Mom, I need your help.
Me: You can do it, Carolyn. You go to the potty by yourself all the time.
Carolyn: But MOM! I fell in the toilet!
MOM FAIL.

Claire has had a fever for the last couple of days and I was trying desperately to figure out how to make her calm down and stop crying. After waking up from a nap around lunch-time, I fumbled through the pantry and she continued to shake her head at everything I offered. Finally I walked over to the other counter and she starting reaching out for something.
The medicine..... Figures. :)

She's Crazy, but she's mine.

Carolyn is such a riot. I have to document some of these moments - because I swear she won't believe me when she's a teenager.

Dear Carolyn,

In the past week, you have done some crazy things with your food. At breakfast this morning you tried to trade me two of your Cheerios for my omelet.. Not happening. Later, I was using the restroom and you tried to bribe me to come out by shoving Fruit Loops under the door and saying, "Mama - Cereal!"

After getting you out of the shower, I had you standing on the bathroom counter to put your lotion on. (You have extremely sensitive skin!) You kept putting your hands on the bathroom mirror and getting hand prints all over it. I asked you over and over again to please stop putting your hands on the mirror, so you gave me an annoyed look, turned around, and made a HUGE bum print with your backside. I couldn't get you to stop laughing.

This morning I was trying to get my hair done and noticed that Claire wasn't trailing behind you as usual. I called out her name and began searching the house desperately. I finally went back into the bathroom and found you playing in the tub with my make up. "Where is Claire!?" I demanded, and you replied simply, "Downstairs. Food." I ran down the stairs still yelling Claire's name and flung open the pantry door. You are lucky Claire loves food! There she was, smashed between the door and shelves, eating some stray fruit snacks. AHHHHHH!

I put you down for a nap and shut the door. You started crying hysterically by the time I got downstairs and so I ran back up to make sure you were ok. I opened the door and you immediately said, "Goodnight, I love you Mama." And laid down and went to sleep. Protocol, Carolyn, protocol.

I watched you dig a booger out of your nose. You looked at it and exclaimed, "GROSS!" like it had offended you, and then promptly walked over and wiped it on my shirt.

"Carolyn, what time is it?"
      "2:00."
"Oh yeah?"
      "Yeah, Mama. We're late!"
"We're late?"
      "I KNOW!"

You and Claire are the brightest and wildest part of lives - we love you!

This should be documented - but it's long and boring

I am terrible at blogging, but when things go crazy in the future and I need to look back for some encouragement, I want to remember this PCS adventure. 

We left DC at about 6:00am after staying up until 3:00am cleaning the apartment for the new renters. I was already exhausted, but we had places to go and things to see. The following day we spent in Nauvoo, IL, where we were able to attend the temple and feel the spirit of the city. We also visited the burial site of Abraham Lincoln and enjoyed uninterrupted conversation in the car. We reached Denver and after helping my parents move the last of their belongings up to their new home in Bailey, we set off for VEGAS.

This was it! I had been anxious for this moment for ages. A few hundred miles into the trip, the speedometer in the van fell to zero and the engine light began to flash. Putrid smells and smoke came pouring out of the hood and we pulled over. My heart sank. The van was brand new for us and had cost us a very significant investment of our meager savings. We called a tow truck and waited, but I was suddenly blessed with an idea... We should tow our car into Vegas with a Uhaul truck so that we wouldn't have to drive seven hours to come back and get it when it was repaired. We took the working car down to Moab to rent a Uhaul truck and luckily our generous family living in Moab ironed out a few details for us. We brought the truck up the where we had broken down and found a surprise. The original tow truck we had called showed up and offered to pull the van off the road. In the process, he ripped the bumper off the van and simultaneously locked his own keys in his tow truck. Excellent. :)

Ironing out a few more details with the tow trucker, we loaded up the Uhaul truck and the trailer, ready to finish our adventure. False alarm! The Uhaul would not start. We sat there, in the middle of nowhere, desperately calling Uhaul and other repairmen, hoping for a miracle. His name was Josh - our original tow trucker. He had left us after the bumper incident, but while driving a route he noticed we were still stranded. He could have ignored us, but he came to the rescue and fixed the Uhaul truck (by taking a hammer and banging on the starter...genius.) He advised us to go - just go until we got to Vegas. Don't turn off the engine when you stop for gas, just drive until you get to your new house. 

The movers were set to arrive at 6:45am the next morning so we had to get moving. We drove through the late-night hours and into the morning. When we arrived at the house, I expected to feel relief and contentment - but the house was empty. No toilet paper, nothing to sleep on, and to top it off, a pipe in the front yard was broken and spilling into the gutter - for who knows how long. It was a trying moment. My mom and I got back into the car, went to the nearest 24hour store and got a few things for the night. By the time Matt and my dad arrived in the truck, it was almost 3:30am. We crashed on the dirty carpets and an old twin mattress the previous owner had left behind.

The adventures continued through the next week with car repairs, endless purchases, and carpet cleaning. We were very blessed to have Matt's parents watching the girls and my parents helping us paint and move in. The Uhaul broke down again, the van cost us about $3,000 to fix and $1,500 to register (including sales tax), and we assembled more furniture than I care to admit. This was our first true PCS, and I hope it is the most eventful one we ever have. 

Sometimes. Just Sometimes.

Sometimes I think... I am totally done with city living. I have absolutely loved my experience here, but every once in a while - I feel GREAT about moving on.

Like when both of my children are screaming in their car seats and I am having to fight for a space in the parking garage (Let alone trying to back into a spot with all the chaos).

Or when I am trying to take the stroller, diaper bag, car seat, and both of my kids down to the garage only to be met by a set of stairs that can only be avoided by going down another level and walking in the path of traffic.

Or when I have to go grocery shopping and the only way to get the food upstairs is to take the girls up, put them in their cribs, and lock the door until I can go and get a cart, take it to the car, bring in the groceries and return the cart to the lobby. This includes four elevator trips and five doors to unlock.

Or when I walk Matthew to the metro and there is a huge riot/protest parading down our street - making me feel terrible about the fact that he is headed to the airport.

Or when I get asked for money almost every time I go out.

Or when those nasty pigeons fly in a formation around me, no doubt planning a vicious attack.

Or when I realize that having friends over is somewhat of an impossibility due to the fact that there is little to no parking around my house.

Or when visiting friends is at the very minimum a 15 minute drive away, but usually more like 45 minutes each way.

Or when cigar smoke smell fills my bathroom, closet and bedroom because someone is smoking in the apartment next to us.

Don't get me wrong - I couldn't be more grateful for the time we have had here. But Sometimes, just sometimes, I am ok with moving on.

All for the Best

I love those moments as a mom where you can't help but laugh at your kids - I love it when people share these, so I thought I would write a few down so as not to forget them.

- We were at the Natural History museum and we came upon a bronze statue of a child in the evolution exhibit. Carolyn jumped out of the stroller and grabbed the child's hand, "Hi friend." She pulled on his hand. "Come on! Go!" She took a few steps away and motioned for him to follow her. For several minutes she talked to him and tried to talk him into moving. No such luck.

- We had just walked out the door heading to church when Carolyn stopped and starting bolting back to the door. "My furse! My furse!" (My purse). I had no idea where she got this notion. Seriously. I don't even carry a purse. I am shocked she even knew what it was, and to top it all off, she made sure she had her water bottle in her "furse" before she swung it over her shoulder and sauntered out the door again.

- I put Carolyn down for a nap and all was quiet. All of the sudden I heard her yelling, "Claire, help me! Help me Claire!" No idea why, but I am so glad she is ready for her co-conspirator to join her and save her from the dreaded naptime.

- We had just arrived at Costco when I placed both of the girls in the seats of the double-wide cart. Finding themselves next to each other, the girls burst into uncontrollable laughter. The whole way into the store, they giggled and giggled, sending me into a fit of laughter as well.

- I was on the phone with a friend and Carolyn was clearly ready for some attention. She walked into the back room and came back with a big black mark on her face. I quickly ended my conversation and ran to the bathroom. It was curious, but she had taken my mascara and painted her toes with it. Apparently she had taken one attempt at her eyelashes and poked herself in the eye... screwed the lid back on, put it back in my toiletry bag, and came to show me her her efforts.

- I don't know how to put this one into words, but if you have ever seen the youtube video called "Charlie bit me" you will know how the scene plays. Carolyn will be wrestling with Claire and all of the sudden the tide will turn. Claire will grab ahold of some of Carolyn's hair and the game isn't so much fun anymore. "Ouch! Ouch Claire! Hurt!" Makes me laugh every time that the 7-month-old gets the better of the almost 2-year-old... every time.

I love these little ones. So much.

Just for Today

My friend gave me this list today and it has changed my life. Laugh all you want, but Dale Carnegie and his book "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" is IT. Number seven especially hit home...

Just for Today

1. Just for today I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that "most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.

2. Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

3. Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.

4. Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

5. Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways; I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don't want to do as William James suggests, just for exercise.

6. Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.

7. Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

8. Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests, hurry and indecision.

9. Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. In this half hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.

10. Just for today I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me.

If we want to develop a mental attitude that will bring us peace and happiness, here is Rule #1:

Think and act cheerfully, and you will feel cheerful.