Go play in the street!

Our little cherry tree is loaded with bright red juicy cherries this year. Today, we harvested a bowl. There's still plenty left too. Check 'em out!

Did I also mention that Sophie is a bike riding fiend now? Biker babe extraordinaire?

And her sister too.

And a little yard ramping riding that I objected to fervently and Steve says I'm a crazy old person yelling "get off my lawn" while shaking my cane at the whippersnappers and sitting in my lawn chair. But I say, why do I want a bike path in my front yard? Go play in the street kids!!! 

Er....something.

Quote of the day

As I came back to bed after one of my middle of the night pees last night...Steve sits straight up in bed and says:

"Oh my God! You looked like a hairy Chewbacca standing by my bed staring at me."

And then he laid back down fast asleep. And I...wide awake now...contemplated what this meant.

Meet me at McDonalds!

Here is a disturbing little chart I read on another site today. You know what disappoints me most? Subway. I really loved that place...

Via: Online Schools

Baby run through TAKE 1

I got some of the baby gear out today that we were given from the shower in Iowa City recently. The girls were interested in learning how to care for the little turkey when he is born, so we got out some fake babies and did a baby run through. It went well. We discussed holding up babies head, proper bottle handling, lifting baby up and setting baby down, rocking the baby, and swaddling. 

The girls were allll over it. 

They asked lots of questions and tried very hard to be good big sisters. They took turns pretending to feed the babies and even sang some lullabies. 

CUTE!

Can't wait to see the real thing. I'm sure it will have me much more stressed out when that time comes. But for now.....

We discussed the "no blanket in the crib thing" after this one......

Toy Story 3

Due to a lack of physical activities I can participate in, where we would have normally gone for a walk on the trail or down by the lake, we PAID for a movie last night. A movie for four. Here are my thoughts...

A. I forgot how expensive movies are. Geez! And we even did the matinee type of deal. 

B. If you want popcorn and a pop, it will cost you an additional $17. I forgot that's why I used to smuggle in my own. I'll remember next time. 

C. Don't get there late because "there's lots of previews and I'm sure it will be fine"...especially for a movie that JUST came out. (We sat in front). 

D. Movies are really fun. There's quite a bit of return on your pay you made at the ticket booth. Beside the teenage girl who laughed as she screwed up our credit card charge and laughed as she told the manager and shrugged a couple of times and then snapped back into "professional" mode and asked if we wanted a copy of our receipt...."Um...YES?" In unison. Sometimes Steve and I are in fact, on the same page. Made me wonder if we paid $22 or $2222. Might want to know for "balancing the checkbook" reasons. 

The movie itself was absolutely glorious. I was a little shocked by the fact that it's been 15 years since the first Toy Story came out. Um, what? What's that make me? This movie satisfied the drug along adult just as much as the kiddo. I laughed out loud pretty much the whole time. I cried at the end. It was super fabulous. The new toy characters are PERFECT. The Ken doll is outrageously funny as is Big Baby with the half closed eye...who sets me over the edge laughing, even though he teeters on the terrifying/funny line.

This guy did a bang up job of answering people's real questions about the movie. His name is GeekDad and I think that's funny. Check it out here. We didn't pay for the 3D version, but none of us are huge fans of the whole 3D movement. Perhaps you are. 

I'd have to agree with Geek Dad from the link above. There were two parts my kids and I all found terrifying.

1) The horrifying cymbal monkey with red eyes and screaming

2) The incinerator scene

Both we were able to recover from, but it's good to know if you have a small one who's sensitive to these things. I remember carrying a hysterical Sophie out of Up last year when the bad guys tried to set fire to the balloon house. Real fat tears, screaming, and everything. We made our own scene on the way out of that theater. But we were quickly back into our seats that time, and this time wasn't nearly that dramatic.

This movie is a goodie. You should totally see it. Bring the fam....but don't forget to stash your own can of Mt. Dew and baggie o' treats. That's cheating. I get it. But I totally don't feel bad. 

My PA

I love my Dad. He lives in Florida now, which is quite far away from us. But I do get to visit occasionally, and he and Carol always make sure it's totally not a burden to do so....even with a growing number of monkeys we bring along with us. I wish I could see my Dad more often, but I'm so glad he's there, because he is happy there, and has a wonderful place to live, and our other wonderful side of the family is right by his side. So it's all good. Plus, we now have a fantastic vacation location.

If I could, I'd still spend every Sunday and Monday at his house watching the NFL, falling asleep to it's glorious sounds after a giant bowl of chili that he'd made. And we'd follow that up later in the evening with a big bowl of ice cream or lettuce with salt on it. What? Yep. My Dad has taught me well.

I could always sit on my Dad's lap, even when I was old and big. I'd plop down on his lap in his big maroon easy chair. When plopping down, you just had to be aware of the location of his obscenely large ring of keys from work. Ouch.

Dad taught me some great things. Like...how to paint in a neat way, how to strip, scrub, scrape, clean, and wax a floor to perfection. He taught me how to camp properly, picking up the small sticks for the fire and so you don't have to sleep on them, and how to leave a campsite cleaner than how you found it. He taught me how to fish, and what the inside of a fish looked like (I'm still scarred for life), and even how to see what the fish has been eating. UGH.

Dad once made a pencil holder with me. We used real glue and a real saw and real nails.

Dad got up in the middle of the night to kill spiders for me. He got up to kill them even through my teenage years when I got home around 1 or 2 am. He has a laugh I can still hear. I rolled my eyes a lot when he laughed about whatever I was upset about, but that's the biggest thing I remember about growing up with my Dad. My Dad was funny. He had the wooorst jokes sometimes, but occasionally, he'd hit it on the head. And then he'd take the new zinger and beat it to death for the rest of our lives. That's what I love about my Dad.

My Dad still teaches me things. Most recently, he taught me how to make the perfect cup of coffee after I told him my serious problem with making the coffee too strong or too weak. It was a very sad story. So, he took it upon himself to teach me the ways of the coffee world. What a beautiful life lesson. He taught my whole family about fire ants, and he's opened my eyes to the world of seafood. Because of him, I can say I've eaten alligator, shark, and other disgusting things, albeit...all good things if deep fat fried and dipped in sauce and washed down with bottled beer. He's taught me how to board airplanes with relative ease WITH children in tow. He's taught me what the bay looks like, and about new kinds of fish that we don't have here up in ol' Ioway.

He still watches what the weather is doing in Iowa, and we always have that to talk about on the phone. He can make a mean salsa, chili, stir fry, and many other delicacies that I treasure still today. Most recently, I attempted to replicate his homemade pickles, perfect for the pregnant mama. They were nearly perfect too.

Without my Dad, I would never have watched WWF wrestling, but for several years growing up, I had a favorite wrestler. I mowed the giant lawn for $20, and my Dad always insisted that I do things well. I appreciate learning that lesson.

I could write about my Dad for years, because I'm lucky enough to have had my Dad in my life for years. But I better save some good stuff for next year. But I just wanted to say...that I love my Dad, and I miss him every day. But the things he taught me and the lame jokes he tells come back to me vividly each day, and for that...I am very thankful.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, now Papa Keith, ruling it down in the great state of Florida. Love you Dad, and miss you!

Fountains, gelato, & rolling with the big dawgs

PART I: IOWA CITY

We've had a very busy week here in the Clark household. Not busy in the sense that I can do anything, but we can sure BE places. My mom, aka: Bam (Mama Jan mispronounced), generously offered to take the girls last week for me, while I attempted to work a few shortened shifts at work. Needless to say, Iowa City holds a special place in our hearts and we love every second we spend there. The girls had a fantastic week with Bam...walking, running, playing, gardening, reading, swimming, etc. I drove there to pick them up and spend a few days with my mom, and a day with my dear friend Tara, back in Iowa alllll the way from D.C. We are old I.C. buddies, and we love the opportunity to be moms together, even if for one day. My mom surprised us with a hotel room complete with a swimming pool and the perfect locale for the delivery of Pizza Ranch pizza directly to our room. Did I mention Tara is just as pregnant as I am? (We enjoy food). 

And even though everything I do these days is modified drastically, I can still eat pizza, sit by a pool, and enjoy the company of one of my best friends and her daughters too. 

Thanks to Bam, for a fantastic week for the girls and a fantastic couple of days for me. 

See? Summer is fun! Even if you are immobile.

PART II: ADVENTURES WITH TERRY

We got home on Friday, and we were SO excited to see Dad and Rosie and Tigress (our only remaining live fish). On Saturday, we took the TERRY out to Jester Park and did a little camping. I sat in the AC mostly, drinking Tang, and the girls tortured bugs and a toad. I sat in a chair while they squirted water guns at their dad and played bags, and "splash" frisbee. You know, a soft frisbee soaked in water? Plus, the big kicker was when Steve took the training wheels off of Sophie's Barbie bike and sweated away in the 90 degree weather teaching her how to ride..."with the big dawgs" as the girls call it. And ride she did. 

(We're so proud)

Happy Father's Day to Steve, the very best Dad in the world. We are so lucky to have him. 

PART III: PHOTOS

 

Sophie, Olivia, and Olaiya....MISSING: Naomi (a bit shy about the sprinkler at first). 

Gelato? Sure. 

Snug as bugs...after pizza, swimming, and a little Disney Channel.

Did I mention we had watermelon at the campsite?

Playing bags

Rosie Posie wishes she could play too.

Rolling with the Big Dawgs

All tuckered out...

Letter to Mom

Things have been a bit stressful around here lately; with the baby trying to make an early appearance...or if not an early appearance, a 8 week labor for me....and now being off of work for the rest of this awesomeness...

But Olivia asked to use my computer the other day...and wanted to keep whatever she was working on a secret. Chat room? Myspace? Facebook? Nope.

A letter to Mom (that's me), and this is what she said:

Mom

I love you Momy because you are Special too me. And I can't wait Intel the Baby is born! 

Love,

Olivia

Me too, Livy. :) Meeee too.

Down home naughty

It's been raining here in good ol' Iowaaay for daaaays. To make the best of things, we've been singing one of our new favorite songs. 

Rain makes corn....corn makes whiskey.....whiskey makes my baby....feel a little frisky.....

The girls ask for this song by name....about 5 times a day. 

I have to admit, I oblige. Because I just loooove hearing those lyrics out of my little girls' mouths. What a sweet sweet song. Thank you country music. 

I listen to all kinds of music, literally. My ITunes list has a lil' classical, some Les Mis, some Jay-Z, some Garth, some Blue October, some Aerosmith, some whatever I feel like in a good kind of mixed up playlist type of music.

And although "whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky" may be inappropriate words out of a precious 5 year old mouth to some (you should hear the other things she screams at me sometimes).....it's better than "pop a cap in the ..., booty booty booty booty booty, back that ...up, watch yourself"...etc 

However, one song I do permit in the aforementioned genre is "I got it from my mama." For obvious reasons.

If there is to be naughtiness as such in the Clark household, I much prefer the down home kind of naughtiness. Like this song. Because I can admit, I'm from Iowa, I still live in Iowa, there's nowhere better to party than in a field or by "the pond", and this guy's right, country music brings in a good kind of people. 

Check it out. Heee haw.

Baby products to love

I have a baby savvy friend. Her name is Erica. We work together as nurses. She's super awesome. She introduced me to a new world of awesome baby stuff, and as I am clearly not new to parenting, I am out of the baby loop...especially the current baby loop. Here are my favorites that I can't wait to try out. 

Swim diapers of the past. What a waste! So much money...can't pull them down and back up again without ripping them. Not sure if they catch anything anyway. Not with these though... from a local store in good ol' Iowa, but there are variations everywhere from what I understand. Here's the reusable cloth version. I've been told the child stays in one size a relatively long time, making them more than worth the purchase. Can't wait to try it out! And what a great alternative to the 9 lb. water/pee logged regular diaper that every parent has tried at least once? Although humorous, a bit obscene...yes?

http://www.littlepaddedseats.com/category_161/Swim-Diapers.htm

Bebe au lait. A nursing cover that beats the heck out of the "blanket over the shoulder that keeps falling down technique" that I adhered to semi-religiously while attempting to nurse my children in public. You already have to endure the stares of disapproving people in restaurants who believe you should be squatting on the toilet in the sickening bathroom that smells overwhelmingly of "summer garden rain shower" er something...while nursing your sterile little baby behind the stall door with "Tessa is a whore" written all over the door amongst other obscenities. That aint right sisters. 

This product is a stylish lil' cover, with a bit of boning in the neck that allows mom to view baby, but no one else. Nice! I ordered one and love what I got in the mail, although not tested by me quite yet, I can't see how you could go wrong here. I did try it on, and I have to say....the picture of the lady on the website makes her appear to be wearing a tent of sorts. The boning in the neck does NOT stick out that far in real life. This cover could pass as your shirt if you wanted it to, so don't be fooled by the photo.

Plus, I adore the term "hooter hiders". 

http://www.bebeaulait.com

Specifically, this is the pattern I ordered:

http://shop.bebeaulait.com/Shop_3/originals/marmont

Slings! What an idea!Although new to me, but not new...I think this movement is flippin awesome. Especially considering the other children that I have....I find it to be the perfect solution to NOT leaving the baby on the floor to be trampled. These are also super stylish, easy to use (thank God, because those Moby wrap directions make me nauseous), and baby can sit different ways in the sling depending on different stages of development.

http://www.hotslings.com

I ordered a hotsling after trying on my friend's. So comfortable and so adorable. Here is a picture of me wearing it.

Just kidding. I'm not that skinny and I don't have a baby yet. But that's what they look like. 

Also recommended: 

http://www.karmababy.com

These are a bit on the expensive side...makes you cringe a bit. But I hear you can find them on other sites, such as Ebay new, for cheaper. 

Enjoy the first round of baby products to love....and thanks to my friend Erica, for teaching me the ways of the baby world. 

And just saying...I genuinely love these products, and I got a whole lot of nothing for writing about them. But it'd be a whole lot cooler if I had.

What are some baby products that you love? 

Happy baby!

Dream on

Who knows how to make children stop fighting?!

Please list your words of wisdom here. Share your golden knowledge!

Well, first week of summer has come and nearly gone. I'm sincerely about to breathe a big sigh of relief that it's going to be OVER!

Yes, I'm a bit crippled physically currently, but there hasn't been a lack of activities for these little cherubs in the meantime. We've visited the library, count them, THREE times this week. We've read a ba-gillion books, featuring our new reader..Sophie. (What a stud). She's putting those Biscuit books to shame! SHAME! We've done chalk, swinging, riding la bicycles. They have a big bouncy ball. I spray them with the hose and we do sprinkler swinging. What more could these children ask for?

Whether they asked or not, they got some CHORES to do. That's what. Why? Answer: the obscene amount of fighting that is taking place here!!! It is safe to say that 90% of the days have been spent fighting, 9% time being hungry, and 1% peacefully playing. And even though they are playing together right now sweet as pie, perhaps we've turned the corner?, not sure it will last. Not even a little sure it might last a minute or two. So I'm just going to close my eyes and pretend that it will.

Aerosmith plays in the background.....DREAM ON! DREAM ON!!!

Oh wait! That reminds me of this: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJUK_wyTFLc&feature=related

Thank you Glee (my new found love)...and Neil Patrick Harris, who is quickly re-earning the status (in my mind anyway) of awesome in THIS decade. Love it. 

 

Everything changes

Since I mainly just sit on my rear right now, I can afford more blogging time. (Look! I said something positive!).

I've been thinking about my baby girls lately, not a new concept really, but I've begun to see them in a new light. The younger me saw them as, perhaps, something that was happening TO me. The things that they did and said and terrorized....they were happenings in MY life. Over the past year though, that view has started to change.

As they get bigger, they don't seem to need you quite as much as their mother, or at least not in the same ways they used to. They go potty by themselves, they grab their own after school snacks, they can play on their own, they don't swallow small objects anymore...(that often), they are less likely to fall and hit their head on the coffee table, they can bathe themselves. But they also do crazy stuff like graduate from preschool, move on to the 2nd grade, have sleepovers, friends, and their own drama. They have true likes and dislikes and their own opinions too (God forbid). They have bad things happen to them sometimes and they don't understand, and it brings me back to the times in my life that I've felt the same way. When a friend disses you for the first time, or when they just don't want to play with you anymore. You remember these things. Because, they are a part of YOUR life.

I've come to realize, my girls have lives! Mkay, that sounded like a statement by Captain Obvious himself. I don't even know if I'm making sense, so I'll just keep on trucking.

I've noticed my role changing a bit, from the facilitator of everything that they do, say, eat, breathe, and look at...to a stepping stone of sorts, someone to listen to them when they bounce things off of me, someone to make sure they have the things they need that day for school, someone to remind them things they already know. I revel in the moments now when I teach them something totally new and novel, because most things have been heard or seen before. I seem to be the padding for their fall, or the net around the trampoline. I'm not always needed, but I'm always there...just in case. How did this happen?

This change in roles has been mostly pleasant actually. I don't mind it at all. It allows me to see the progress they've made into awesome little people with their own lives and their own memories. It gives me confidence that I've taught them good things when I watch them make decisions that I would've chosen for them too, and when they treat another person just like I'd have wanted them to. And when I see things they choose that I don't care for much, I've still got the opportunity to step in afterward and say....maybe next time we should try....

I know that opportunity is fleeting. Because someday they'll be teenagers and won't give a flying crap what I say. Not only that, but they'll want to do the opposite just cuz. That's right..just cuz.

The biggest way this transformation has changed me is seen in how I treat them, with my words and actions and looks. When I look at them, I'm overwhelmed by love & empathy. Why? Because life is HARD. It totally sucks sometimes. And if I'm the one being a total lunatic in their lives right now, I'm just adding to their distress. It doesn't mean I'm throwing discipline out the window. I hold them to the same standards I do myself. And I'm not looking to be their best friend (yet). I just am more apt to open my arms wide to them when a choice they've made has gone badly, or when they "should've known better". I can comfort them in that instead of rubbing it in their little faces. I just seem to feel what their feeling lately. And it reminds me, growing up can be really hard to do.

Blah blah blah...I rarely make sense. But I guess the bottom line is...that things change, and this particular change feels right. I'm okay stepping back a little bit. This stage their in, it makes me step back, willing or not. When you drop them off on the curb at school and they just disappear inside those huge, heavy doors with their over sized backpack on their tiny shoulders....you are bound to realize: it's out of your hands. That realization is just downright painful. You know what makes it better for me? Being there when they open the door and drop all their crap right inside the door so no one else can walk through, and I say, "HI BABY!!! How was your day?" And they tell me.

I'll take that. Because I know, everything changes.

Plans

It's funny sometimes...when you make plans.

Like, I plan on going to the park today.

I plan on eating salad for lunch.

I plan on shaving my legs.

And after it rains out your park date,  and you stop on the way home for a slice of Casey's pizza, and you skip the shower all together for the season finale of Desperate Housewives, you realize....sometimes the best laid plans go awry.


I planned on taking six weeks off of work for maternity leave. I planned on having my baby in August. I planned on working up until my due date.


But then, on Saturday night, I started contracting and cramping, and it just didn't go away. And after a night in the hospital and lots of drugs, I'm doing better and I'm back home. But the ultrasound said the baby was bigger than expected, that he looked like he was about 3 weeks further along than we thought he was. I can't walk across the living room without contracting, and it makes me wonder what will happen to my awesome plans. My precious precious plans.


It's all fine and good to say you can't work anymore, except when you are the one who supplies the health insurance to your family.


It's all fine and good to take time off of work, if you hadn't been sick the fall before and used up a few weeks of that already.


Even though I don't know what will happen...will the baby come early? Will I make it to my due date? Can I work anymore? Will I be put on bedrest? Who will take care of the girls? How will we pay for this and that? Will I keep my job? What about insurance?....I suppose I just have to trust. God knows how things should work out, and I just have to trust in that.

I know there's nothing more important than the health of this baby. 


So meanwhile, I'm just hanging out, waiting to see how things might work out. Because you know what they say about the best laid plans.....they often go awry.

My oh my

I get tired of being pregnant sometimes. You know, when my hips hurt and I waddle....or my thighs are bigger than ever and rub together, or when even maternity clothes don't seem to fit quite right. I have trouble sleeping, and I get hungry and eat bad things. I get moody and sad and anxious. But hey, pregnancy gives us the very best gift in the world....a new person! So it's worth it, right?! As I'm patiently awaiting these last two months to fly by so we can meet our precious genius baby, I have found myself starting to think of things I'll do when I'm not pregnant anymore.

However, my list is not that involved....


1. Sleep on my stomach...if I get to sleep
2. Go for a run...if I'm able to run
3. Take Excedrin....so I can play with my kids when I didn't get the proper amount of caffeine for the day.

Now, contrast the above list with this real life posting by me....a long, long 8 years ago, written by my nineteen year old self while pregnant with Olivia. 

Here are some goals for my life after olivia shows up:

go on a diet!!!! i am going to smoke a whole pack of
cloves, drink two beers (one from each hand), and go
on a rollercoaster, jump into a pool, sleep on my
stomach, take a hot bath, run into the door and not
worry about it, wear my old clothes, go running, take
a shot with a friend who turned 21,  wear highheeled
shoes, wrestle and not worry about my belly, fall on
the ground really hard and just get up, go down a
waterslide, paint my own toenails instead of steve
doing it, put on my shoes while standing up, wear a
short shirt, wear a normal sized bra, drink coffee
that is fully caffinated, lots of mountain dew, go
rollerblading with no fear of falling over backwards,
put on my socks without sitting on the floor, tread
water and not dive face down into the water from the
weight of my belly, wear sexy underwear again, stop
sleeping on a heating pad, stop buying chips and
cookies and junior mints, zip up my coat, play rugby,
sit in a hottub, go fourwheeling, snowmobiling, and
iceskating, go out with my friends and not worry about
the smoke, wear a swimsuit and best of all....

play with my tiny baby girl that is perfect since i
decided to give up all these things.

My oh my, how things change. First of all, it drives me INSANE that I didn't use capital letters and proper punctuation. Having said that....I can also honestly say that: I am now adamantly against smoking anything, I don't drink (except for an occasional wine cooler when I'm feeling super classy), I wouldn't jump in a pool if my life depended on it...although I may do it to save my kid if the weather cooperates...it's been years since I had a friend who was 21 and it's been years since I've taken a shot, I don't wear high heels even when I'm not pregnant, I'd rather die than wear a short shirt, and "sexy" underwear sits in my unmentionables drawer largely untouched. What exactly IS a "normal sized bra"? And even if I went to a bar, you can't smoke there anyway. I'd break every bone in my body if I tried to play rugby again, and wearing a swim suit is an absolute last resort in all situations.

Phew!



My oh my, how things change. :)

However, there are some similarities between the 19 year old me and the 28 year old me...I still love Mt. Dew, coffee, and junior mints. And I love my babies more than life itself.

Other than that....wow.

I wish I could talk to that girl again :) I wonder what I'd say.