Saturday, October 30, 2010

Boring Old Post That Would Interest Nobody Unless You Are Family

Here are just a few random pictures from the girls' Fall Harvest Parties on Friday.

It was a little challenging this year since they decided to have them on the same day. I was definitely torn between whose class party to attend, and where I should help. I have never been in this situation before.

Paloma sporting a good smile the morning of. I made sure to snap a few pics before the party for I knew once all the treats started coming out, my girls would inevitably wind up messy.

I chose to focus in on Paloma's class since I had assisted with Mattea's parties for the last two years. I did sneak away and head upstairs to see what was happening in the kindergarten class. Mattea looked like she was doing fine. Here Paloma is enjoying some wonderfully sugary snacks - and some carrots and cheese stick too.

Like I said, she seemed to be doing just fine. Next up Thanksgiving Feast. And then the fun really begins.....




Friday, October 22, 2010

Fall Frolic

It's Fall ~ and we are embracing the change.









What a glorious time of year......
Although the pile of leaves was small, the laughs and giggles were not.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Big News!

I am so proud to say.....Mattea has finally mastered the 2 wheeler!!!












A huge shout of congratulations to my little Matty. This has been a huge accomplishment that we have been working towards for quite some time. This past week it finally clicked. She has got it. She no longer needs us to start or stop her. She puts on her helmet and rides.

For anyone who knows Matty, concentration has been a big problem. Her little head wanders and that makes it hard to grasp the concept of balance. In fact, she has run into mailboxes before on her bike with training wheels. Now, this problem is not solved. Just this past Saturday, Matty was cruising along feeling like a big girl - turned to watch some activity in the park - and rode right into our light post in the front lawn sending her flying over her handlebars. Luckily, no major injuries occurred. But, I'm a mommy who believes in learning the hard ways. Too many spills and she'll realize she needs to pay attention.

But nonetheless - we are proud of you sweet pea!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Innocence

Oh what a sweet word. Innocence. I remember bringing my girls home from the hospital, looking intently into their eyes and wondering how on earth anything good be so innocent and precious. Unjaded by this world, naive to bitterness and evil around them. Completely and one hundred percent innocent - that is until they turned 2.



Tonight as I bathed the girls, I had one of those AHA moments. You know, the ones where you catch a glimpse of a totally spontaneous moment and it triggers a bigger, more abstract thought process. That was me - tonight - as I gave my two tired little girls a bath.

There were running around completely naked, carefree, as I filled the bathtub. Mattea, at one point, picked up a book and began reading to her sister - in the buff. And then I catch Paloma come streaking through the bathroom, butt naked herself, carrying a purse and wearing high heels. They were so nonchalant, so not aware of their surroundings. They were caught in the moment and didn't care about much else than that. How awesome to have that kind of freedom. How often do we just run around the house naked - carefree - unashamed of ourselves, our bodies, our flaws. And how often do we come streaking through the bathroom naked in high heels?

My kids had no concept of shame. They just simply were being themselves. I'm sure they would have felt slightly different if it were dad instead of me - but not too different. They are pretty comfortable with themselves. They have no reason not to be. They are still innocent. Sure they have their moments of "privacy" but for the most part they are just coasting through life with that short lived sense of innocence. As I stopped for a moment to take the scene in, I was brought back to the innocence that Adam and Eve enjoyed before the Fall. How beautiful to live life carefree and at peace . These days we run through life ashamed, humiliated by either past/present sin or secret lies that we hide away hoping to never have uncovered. We have lost our sense of innocence. But as we are reminded in the Bible, Jesus commands us to be like children. We are to see life through the eyes of a child - which is so hard to do on some days. But when I see my kids laughing and giggling while running through my house naked, talking and reading without a care in the world, I am in a brief instance reminded of their innocence and how quickly it will fade.



It will not be long before the evil of this world sets in and takes hold of my children's minds and of their hearts. Their innocence will be lost - I dread the day when that comes - when they hear inappropriate talk, see inappropriate scenes on TV, or speak inappropriately. My prayer is that God will protect them for as long as possible and keep them innocent for many days to come.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Stanley, Lanley

I have gotten a little behind but definitely wanted to take a minute to share a few photos of our "girls only getaway" to Stanley a couple of weeks ago.

We didn't do anything all that spectacular - but to the kids it was an amazing weekend. We stayed in this really old cabin - but to the girls it was a castle. I was a bit unimpressed but they thought it was a hoot. Who was I to rain on their parade.


.




Daddy was a few miles away hunting and so the girls and I packed up after school and made the drive to the mountains.
The weather was amazing and so cooperative. We played by the water - skipping rocks and swinging in the swing - which was Mattea's favorite.















We drove in to Hailey on Saturday and played in their park, got some coffee, and drove back to Stanley to meet daddy - who took a hiatus from hunting to come visit.


Overall, it was a good getaway. I was away from all the pressures of cooking, housework, yard work, and laundry and could simply enjoy my kids for who and what they were. Although sleep was minimal that weekend - fun was not!

Happy Hair Combing


Ahhhh, so this is what happens when I let Mattea do her sister's hair......Nice one!

Just For Fun Friday


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Party At The Pumpkin Patch



Fall is here and we are taking it all in. Although I know that fall signals winter (which I loathe,) I do enjoy the cooler weather, changing leaves, and of course - the pumpkin patch. I was fortunate to have the girls' pumpkin patch field trip on the same day - which was today! The weather started out chilly but warmed up to over 70 degrees. It was perfect.



Both girls were excited as if you couldn't tell. We joined the rest of the kindergarten class for a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to find the "perfect pumpkin."



Paloma found hers (within about 3.5 seconds.) This little girl is so impulsive but it is nice since Mattea is so indecisive. I think we would still be there trying to find the "bestest" one if it was up to Mattea.



But you have to love her anyways - she is such a sweetheart.



It would have been absolutely stupendous if daddy could have been there to join in the fun - but unfortunately someone has to pay the bills right? David is headed off to the woods this weekend so the girls and I are thinking we may just have to visit the other pumpkin patch in town. I simply can't get enough.

You Take my Breath Away


Paloma is blossoming into such a beautiful and stunning young lady. She is an absolute gem. It is photos like these that take my breath away....

Wordless Wednesday



Monday, October 4, 2010

Monday Mishaps

Well, we have certainly had some interesting stories to tell around here at our house lately. Because I'm finally getting around to telling them, I'm hoping I haven't lost the details that make each story unique.
To begin......
Last night was a night that was very much anticipated. After being away from the comforts of our own house, own beds, own pillows, etc... the girls and I were definitely looking forward to crawling into bed and falling fast asleep. Dave was too of course since he spent a night in the woods in a tent, a night in the car.... As Dave was turning in and closing off the lights, I remember saying to him "Honey, leave the door open. One of the girls is sure to come in tonight." Call it mother's intuition. He said, "no, they are sleeping soundly in their beds. They'll be asleep until morning."
Wrong! Paloma came trotting into our room around 2 am. "Mommy, mommy. It is dark in here. The stairs are so dark. " Me: "Paloma, yes it is very dark in the house. It is nighttime. You are supposed to be sleeping. Why are you wondering around on the stairs anyways?"
Paloma: "Don't you remember, you told me to feed Mr. Kody?"

Yes - Paloma I did tell you to feed Mr. Kody. I'm glad that you are remembering to do your chores but I did ask you to do that like 6 hours ago, I don't know, when it was dinner time perhaps. Silly girl!

So I tucked her safely back into her bed, told her to feed the dogs in the morning, and crossed my fingers nobody else would awaken before the sun came up.




The other story comes to a few days late as previously mentioned. Allow me to preface the story by saying that it is not uncommon for me to wake up in the morning and find David sleeping in some other portions of the house. I go to bed with him but don't always awaken with him. He had horrible insomnia and wakes up several times throughout the night, migrating to different locations quite frequently. Well, on this particular morning that I woke to the blaring alarm, I remember going to bed with David. I remember cuddling up and saying goodnight. But when I awoke, I was not laying next to David, I was laying next to a little Paloma. As I rushed to shut the alarm off and save her another couple hours of sleep, I realized my back was a bit wet. Not thinking much of it, I grabbed my shirt and realized I was drenched. Since I am certainly not nursing any babies right now, I was baffled at what I could be feeling. Then I realized not only was my shirt wet, so were my pants, the sheets, the comforter, etc.....And then it hit me. I was totally drenched in my daughter's pee. Yes, Paloma had crawled into my bed and peed all over it. And not just wet the bed, she drowned the bed. And me. Trying hard not to be disgusted, I stripped down to just about nothing, ran downstairs to wake David (who by the way was wondering why I was running around naked at 5 am) and then dauntingly woke Paloma up and drug her out of bed. She was so sorry and apologized profusely. (She never wets the bed.) And so it goes....One more story in my ever growing book of mothers tales.

Weekend Away












What did you do this weekend? I'll tell you what we did if you tell me what you did......

Hint: My plans involved mountains, fresh air, nature, rocks, 90 degree weather, shorts, elk, cabins, and a whole lot of time with two of the most beautiful girls around.

Sneak Peak


Here is a brief look at the girls' new room. We decided to bunk them up several months ago in hopes of 1)creating a strong sisterly bond & 2)Paloma would sleep through the night if she knew her sister was in the same room.
Well, we trialed it for several months. Using their old beds, we just finagled a room and stuck them both in it - stripping it of toys and books and creating a "new" toy room upstairs. After the great debate, we decided it was working - both girls were sleeping good and the situation seemed to be working out as we had planned. Praise God!
We then decided to make the bunk bed purchase. Yahoo, the girls love it but mom hates it. Well, I don't really but it is stinkin darn hard changing sheets on a bunk bed - especially for someone who is vertically challenged. Nonetheless, it is working. I'm in the process of converting Mattea's room into Mattea's/Paloma's room. So I'll have a few more pictures in a few weeks but I thought I would sneak a peak in now. Do you like?

Monday, September 27, 2010

Bondage

Silly title to my blog post huh? I'm sure the word bondage stirs up an array of different thoughts in people's minds.

Well, the definition of bondage is as follows:

the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control.


This particular blog post has everything to do with me and the bondage that I have been dealing with for approximately 20 years. I have been in complete bondage to the scale. Crazy as it sounds, I have been. My bathroom scale has external power and control over me, my emotions, my thoughts, and even my behaviors. For hundreds of days, I have woken up to either elation or disappointment as I make my way to the scale, step on, and look at the blinking number that appears before me. I have been known to go from being a completely happy morning person to a grumpy sour puss after getting on the bathroom scale. I have also been known to let those emotions control me for an entire day not to mention an entire week.

It is absolutely no secret that I have had "food dysfunctions" in the past. (That is the term I am now using to describe what professionals would call an eating disorder. Just so everyone is on the same page...) I have had periods in my life where I am able to cope, deal, and control my "dysfunction" better than others. For example, around the time of my wedding, I was what you would call a dieting nightmare. Obsessed with all things weight. Then despite heavy concerns from my husband, I did become pregnant and actually handled the weight gain rather well - all things considered. And then the waxing and waning continued. Periods where I felt good about myself, and periods where I was an absolute grouch to be around -especially if there was food around.

The very sad part to my story is how fully aware I am of what I am doing, what I am thinking, and how I am acting. I am not oblivious. Because I have been living like this for so long, I am so keenly aware of how much body image, calories, fat, and food affect my life. I'm no dummy. I know that at times I am doing things that I know are unhealthy for me and I would absolutely cringe if I knew my girls were doing - but yet the number on the scale has me pulled in. Many times I will do just about anything to move that number down on the scale.

Well, the point of my long winded story is this....I refuse to live in bondage anymore. I refuse to wake up each morning and dread walking into the bathroom for fear that I will step on the scale and be repulsed by what I see. I refuse to be a hypocrite to my children whom I am constantly telling they are beautiful and perfect because that is how God made them, yet not believe the concept myself. I refuse to be a bad example to the two girls I am called to protect.

So with that being said, I have begun a journey - a journey of self-acceptance. I have a feeling this journey is going to take longer than my 1/2 marathon and I'm going to need twice as much endurance to get me through. I have asked Dave to confiscate my scale (to which he did and hid so I can not sneak a peak.) I woke up the is morning and felt almost naked when I walked in to brush my teeth and looked over to the spot in which my scale has resided. I had the urge to recant my request and ask for it back - but I didn't. I resisted the urge to step on the scale at the gym. I am resisting the call of Satan, who in my mind is telling me this is an area I can't overcome. I resisting the idea that I must live in bondage to my scale. I won't. I have wasted too much of my life being controlled by weight. So in essence, I'm not really sure what I'm hoping to accomplish on my "road to self acceptance." Maybe it is just to live without a scale in my house, maybe it will be to look in the mirror and accept myself for who I am, or maybe it will be to simply lose the idea that I have to count every calorie going into my mouth. Who knows, but what I do know is that I'm ready for this journey to begin.

Who's Choking?



"Don't worry Paloma, I know the Heimlich maneuver."

You Know You Live In Idaho When

Sunday, September 26, 2010

"Moldability"

"You know Heather........


Some clay is easier to mold than others." Miss Amber

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Untitled

A careful mom I ought to be,
My little daughter follows me.
I do not dare to go astray,
For fear she'll go the selfsame way.



Not once can I escape her eyes;
Whate'er she sees me do she tries.
Like me she says she's going to be
That little girl who follows me....



I must remember as I go
Through summer sun and winter snow,
I'm molding for the years to be -
That little girl who follows me.



Anonymous

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Recipe For A Child




1 Tbsp. of facts
1 Tbsp. of imagination
1 c. of humor
1 c. of tolerance (I always add extra)
1 c. of understanding
3 c. of love

Place in a large open area with lots of sunshine, stirring slightly from time to time. Don't push or pull. Gently add love and let grow. Then enjoy the fine results you will get.





*Secret ingredient: Jesus.

And.....They're Launched!

Today was a lonely day for me - kind of. Wednesday - Sept 8th, 2010 marked the first morning I have been without children since ~ well, since I started having kids. Sure, I've had mornings off for appointments or perhaps work meetings. But today was a "true" morning off. As you will read in a minute, Mattea started AM kindergarten last week and today my sweet little Paloma started preschool.




Isn't she a gem? She was beyond excited to be getting dressed, packing her backpack and heading into "school" just like sister. She's only been watching big sis do it for 2 years. Well today was finally her turn. She was excited when I picked her up and couldn't stop chattering the entire ride home. She told me about Piper (her new friend), cheez its(her snack), and of course kid zone. As she was crawling into her car seat, she looks up at me with her magnificent blue eyes and says "mama, my day was awesome. " I love you baby girl!



As for Miss Mattea, she started kindergarten last week. We are fortunate enough to have the means to keep her at her private Christian school this year for kindergarten. This is the same facility in which she has been attending for the last 2 years. She knows the staff and so do I, which is a huge help in calming the anxiety bug.

There is my pretty little princess on her first day. You can sense a bit of apprehension. She was a little nervous (and of course a little tired) but all in all it has been a very positive experience.




Both Dave and I have a good feeling about this upcoming school year. Although it has been an adjustment getting up each morning, juggling homework assignments, and rushing kids in before the bell rings, our family has such a sense of peace about what God is doing in the lives of our children. We are so looking forward to the 2010-2011 school year!

Wordless Wednesday


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Ponder This

Briefly checked my facebook account this morning and as I was scrolling through, I found this quote from one of the sites I am connected to entitled "Marriage for Life." It doesn't reference where or who the quote came from, but it is excellent advice.



"A marriage is like a long trip in a tiny rowboat: if one passenger starts to rock the boat, the other has to steady it; otherwise they will go to the bottom together. Even if marriages are made in heaven, man has to be responsible for the maintenance"



Now there is something to think about for the day.....

Hey You...

Hey You ~





And you ~






And you~




What do you think of our new summer hair do's?
While the kid's got their hair cut, mommy is finally letting hers grow.... New do's all around.