Blessed 2013

Well, my favorite time of year has come and gone, now we sit and try to relax until new year. Then, out come the boxes, back go the decorations, and on we go with another year.

I wanted to go back and bookmark all the milestones of this past year with photographs, but man, that takes a surprisingly amount of time and thinking. So, I'm not doing that. Instead I will pick just a couple of my favorite photos of 2013...trying to wrap my mind around the year 2014. Of course I have a lot of favorite moments of this past year, and I am reflecting on them. The arrival of Adalaide, remodeling the kitchen, issues with the house/neighbors, a couple of date nights with Chris, holiday fun, Phoebe eye fun, visiting with friends and family, news of impending babies that should soon arrive, oh so much. Good, bad, indifferent, we are blessed for sure.

Merry Christmas all, and a happy new year!

Lorelai meeting Adalaide

Lorelai turns 3

Easter, Addy is ~3 weeks old

Easter swag

Visiting the Dallas Aquarium 

Adalaide 12/28

Sister pals

Bathtime cutie

Pretty, pretty

My girls

M.LEWIS

House Woes, Again

I have been so bad at blogging lately. At least, that's what it feels like. Not only am I writing less and less, but I am reading less and less. Chalk it up to holiday craziness, or sheer exhaustion, either way, I feel like I am failing in some small way.

 So, I am trying to be better about it. Call it my pre-new year's resolution.

Last weekend was not exactly relaxing. Saturday we finally got our attic ladder installed, so we can officially store things above our garage now. This means going through everyone's closets, cleaning things out and reorganizing. Normally I would enjoy this, but when it falls around Christmas, it just seems like one more thing to add to my to-do list.
Sunday we had a nice gross surprise.
While I was taking a shower, I heard strange gurgling sounds echoing in the pipes. I thought it might be the hot water heater refilling or something...until I looked down a minute later and saw I was standing in a growing puddle of odd-colored water.
After my initial "Oh my gosh, nasty!" feeling, I thought there was a clog in the drain. Begrudgingly, I turned off the water, gathered my shampoo, grabbed a towel and rushed to the other shower. I go to turn it on and noticed water in the tub already. "Did Chris not drain the tub all the way after the kids' bath?"
Nope.
It was the gross water from the other shower. We had a big problem mounting. I called for Chris and threw on some clothes. He started to try and unplug the shower when I saw the kids' bathroom floor was all wet.
"What? Why? How?"
I then saw a small, steady stream flowing from the base of their toilet.
We had an even bigger problem.
After we piled up the towels around the toilet, and turned off the water, I rushed to the computer to search for a plumber that would come out to the house on a Sunday morning.
I did find someone, and they couldn't come until after lunch, but to cut the long, boring, dirty story short, they came and fixed it...though they found a bigger issue we'll have to address soon. Yay.

I have to admit, when everything was falling apart, the first thought that entered my mind was "Ok, I'm ready to move now." This house has been a lot of work, and we have only been here 2 years...and we still have a lot to do. Sure, I did a lot already, but that was mainly aesthetics.
I do like the house, but we are growing out of it a little faster than I thought. We will obviously "tough it out" for a couple more years or so...but I think I will be more anxious than hesitant on leaving.

Things we have had to do since we moved in:

• fix the heater
• fix the sprinklers, twice
• reset our mailbox (not the house's fault)
• install attic ladder
• treat for external termites
• fixing the fireplace
• unclog the draining system
• replace the water heater

Things we still have to do:

• install more gutters
• fix/replace roof
• get a new fence
• refinish the deck
• get new carpet
• install new doorknobs
• treat/replace lawn
• exterior paint the house
• fix the sewer line
• replace the smoke alarm (right now one unit)
• replace the garage door system

And I still fear we will have to do things like replace the AC unit. Ouch. And a new house? Probably some of the same issues, but at least then we will have warranties and such.

Let's see what's next to pop up, and hope it's not so pricey.


M.LEWIS

The Epic Visit to the Pediatrician

This morning was enough to tire me and embarrass me for some time.

Months ago, I scheduled Lorelai's 3 yr check up on 12/5 and Adalaide's 9 m check up on 12/13. I had to rearrange things after I scheduled Phoebe's eye appt for 12/5...which then later changed to 11/25, but before she got in early, I made both girls an appointment at the pediatrician for 12/13. I thought it would be better to get them both checked at the same time.

I laugh at myself now.

Since about Wednesday I have been telling Lorelai about our Friday plans and what to expect. She has been to most of Addy's appts before so I thought she would be uncomfortable but reluctantly cooperative. Boy, was I wrong.
The nurse called us back to a room and stopped us in the hall to get LEL's height and weight first. All it took was "Can you take off your coat and boots so we can see how much you've grown?"
Lorelai said "no" sternly, then adamantly refused to do anything the nice nurse asked. No amount of distraction, bribes, begging, or reverse psychology made any deference. This is where LEL's self-assurance and independence come to be a huge pain in the neck.
She would not stand to be measured, nor would she step on the scale. She was crying in the hall, making things unnecessarily difficult.
Addy went first. She loved it, especially the whole sit naked on the scale part.

"Look Lorelai! Addy thinks this is fun, don't you want to try?"

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" followed by some incoherent screams and pouting.
*I'm not exaggerating.

Well, after about 10 more minutes (though it felt like forever) we decided muscle was the only way we were going to get those stats.
A nice nurse held a happy Addy baby while I helped two other nurses pick up my screaming 3 yr old off the floor, and pin her to the infant measuring table to get our best height mark. Then, I had to get weighed myself (yay.) then pick up and hold Lorelai and get weighed again. You, know, subtract the two, and you get our best effort on her weight.
They never did get her bp.

Keep in mind, we had not even seen the Dr. yet.

Adalaide's examination was first. She is just fine except for her weight. She is in the 3%. That's right, 3. So, they want me to get more calories into her by heavier formula and by adding in vegetable oil to her foods. Sounds kind of gross, but hey, whatever they want me to try, I will.

Lorelai did slightly better with her examination. She liked the Dr. better because the only thing he asked her was the only thing she wanted. "Do you want to sit with your mom for a minute?" She got to climb up on the table and sit with me while Addy tried to climb the wall behind us. Lorelai is just fine too. She's still tall and lean. She will need to see a pediatric dentist soon (that should be like one of the worst days ever), and after talking to the Dr. about her speech he told me to sign her up for some speech therapy at a nearby elementary school. It wasn't until a little later did LEL warm up a bit and start talking about the Lion King picture on the wall did the Dr. then turn around and say with certainty that we should just have her evaluated. Ergh, was hoping we could escape that, but ok, we will live. I hope...that would involve taking simple instructions from strangers again. Oh my.

Just before we left they needed blood samples for lead and iron levels. Adalaide did great with hers, no crying. Lorelai just about melting down into the floor again...and yet again when she saw the bandaid on her finger. Of course, she ripped it off then panicked when she saw her finger was still bleeding...then the second bandaid didn't seem like such a bad idea. She kept that one on the whole day, and used that hand sparingly, frightened it might start bleeding again.

These are the crazy things I will look back on in years to come with a smile on my face...but we aren't looking back just yet, are we?


M.LEWIS

Once More, With Feeling

The last couple of weeks have been a bit hectic. That is why my last post was a little...lacking. So, here we go again, with more depth this time:

We had Thanksgiving with my family. Since we couldn't swing 2 dinners that involved driving across the metroplex with two cranky kiddos, we spent most of the day in Dallas at my grandparent's house. It was nice not having to watch the clock and stressing about timing though.

The next day we were up bright and early, off to see the animals at the zoo. My youngest sister has had a strong desire to visit the zoo since summer, so she tagged along with us. Lorelai thoroughly enjoyed herself, but not in a happy, giddy, giggly way; more in an inquisitive, curious, observing way. I would not be surprised if this kid grows up to work with animals. She is most definitely in love.

After an abrupt melt-down, we visited the gift shop for a birthday eve present, and then we departed. We saw about 2/3 of the zoo, but after 3hrs, she needed a nap, and promptly fell asleep on the way home. That never happens, that should tell you how tired she was from the day before...and we still had so much to come...

The next day was her 3rd birthday. Firetrucks, balloons, puppies, a time-consuming cake, and a lovely small pile of presents greeted her in the morning. She had to wait for most of these things until her party in the evening. That small pile turned into a large heap, the pretty cake turned into crumbs, and we had one happy- yet tired- little 3 yr old at the end of the day.

This girl is loved.

Were we done yet? Nope. The next day, Pappy, Uncle Sean, and Uncle Blake came for a visit. We had a couple more presents and lunch at Chili's. It took them both a little while to warm up to the group, but they did just fine...it had been a long few days.

The next week or so was filled up with cleaning up, storing toys, finish decorating, and taking Phoebe to an animal opthamologist.

I have been online shopping for Christmas gifts. Not only is it convenient, and affordable, but I don't have to mess with the kids in stores. Hooray! I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. The wrapping might have to wait to the last minute though. I have an almost 9 month old that seems quite interested in paper and bows. I just have to find more places to store the stuff until it's time.

We are finally getting our attic staircase installed next Saturday, so hopefully we can store a lot of big stuff in the attic now, instead of our closets.

Next Saturday is good, seeing as this weekend we will probably be iced in.

Last night we got about 2-2.5inches of sleet and freezing rain. It's pretty amazing, really. So far, we have only lost one smallish branch off of our ash tree. I hope that is all. We have been lucky. Chris can stay home from work, we still have power/heat, I fully stocked our food supplies for the next several days, we have a car full of gas, enough diapers & formula, plenty of Christmas movies, and no where we need to go until there is a chance some of this can melt.

That's the thing with Texas. We rarely get actual snow. We get ice...we just call it snow, because it's white and cold. But make no mistake, this stuff is as hard as a rock. Completely solid. It's insane.

I hope my pals who are without power/heat get it restored soon, and I hope they are walking distance to some help/supplies!

 

...Now to entertain the kids some more. We are only half way through the first day of this, and they are already getting antsy. Two and a half days to go!

M.LEWIS    

What We've Been Up To

Been a little while, huh?

Well, that's not for a lack of material to write about, just a lack of time.
A lot of medical news, actually.
I had a serious muscle in my back about 2 weeks ago that laid me up for a few days. I was thankful it wasn't something more serious, though the pain was pretty severe. I was told I was getting 2 Rx to help. A muscle relaxer, and a pain reliever. Chris returned home from the pharmacy with only a muscle relaxer. He handed them all the papers, yet somehow I didn't get half of my medication. That wasn't great. I was in pain for awhile, and the muscle relaxers did very little, that I noticed anyway. I was told I would feel pretty drowsy and sleepy when I took them...I did not. I honestly couldn't tell you when the medication was in my system and when they weren't. I'm not saying they didn't help, I can't say that for sure, but my high tolerance for medication is beginning to be a hindrance.
My worst fear was a herniated disc; my dad had one and needed surgery when he was in his 40's. Unlikely, I know, but my family has an inherited skeletal disorder (the name escapes right now) that does cause issues in your joints and such. My uncle had 2 knee surgeries before he graduated college due to this.
So, the point is, I am ok and doing fine now.

The other medical issue was Phoebe's eyes again. The day before I wrench my back, her eye was flaring up again. Despite all the medication I have been administering, all the watching over her, she had yet another ulcer forming. Chris took her in for me, and the Dr. gave us a referral to a animal optometrist. Did you know that existed? I didn't. They were booked for a while, but I was put on the top of their cancellation list. Lucky for us, some canceled yesterday morning, and Phoebe got in.
Instead of chronic dry-eye, the optometrist used his fancy gadgets to determine Phoebe actually has immune keratitis in both eyes, a genetic disorder. He basically explained it as "her body attack its own corneas much like rheumatoid arthritis attacks joints." There is not cure, but is well-managed with a couple of drops in each eye, every day, for her life. Not exactly the diagnosis I was hoping for (I was hoping for a procedure that would fix it permanently), but we can manage some eye drops (and their expense).

Luckily, my girls, though cranky, are doing just fine. They are healthy and happy  well...they're healthy. I think Addy issue is teething combined with some separation anxiety. The separation being anything greater than 3 feet. She is still the messiest eater I've seen, needed a mini bath after most feedings. Apparently she feels that spitting out food into her hand and immediately wiping it in her hair is an important step to every meal. Other than that she is doing well. She sleeps through the night about 2 nights a week, wakes up once for a bottle about 3 nights a week, and the rest of the week she gets up about twice for multiple bottles. It's progress, but not like Lorelai who went from waking up for bottles to sleeping through the night and never waking up again.

Lorelai is making up for that now with zero naps. The kid never naps. Maybe once every 3 weeks she will, but as all you moms/dads out there know, that is just drop in the bucket compared to what she needs. The poor kid whines and pouts about half the day, the other half she spends refusing to eat, taking off her pants, and putting up a big fight on potty training. No bribes, rewards, punishments, reprimands, or self-prompting seem to work. Just like most things my LEL does, this will most likely be accomplished on her terms, in her own time.

On to the holiday season!

M.LEWIS    

My 30 List

I love the idea of posting one thing you are thankful for every day for the month of November. I mean, you should do that all year round, and I try to, I just don't write it out in status updates.
While I love the idea of reading one everyday, I fear I will not remember to do it everyday, or find the time to. So, I decided I will just list my 30-day thankful list all at once, right here.

1. my house- as I sit here, away from the chill and the rain outside, I am thankful that I and my family have a nice house to live in. Full of warmth, love, and toddler toys.
2. coffee- it might sound silly to some, but being a SAH mom for a almost 3 year old and a 7 month old take its toll on your energy level. "Let's make pancakes this morning!" would not be possible with my coffee.
3. Chris- I know, I put coffee in front of my husband, but these are not in order. I am thankful for a husband who is a great father to our children. Lorelai lights up when he walks in the room. Her little heart bursts with love for him. 
4. the internet- it sounds shallow, but it's not. The internet gives me the ability to search for new foods to feed my clan, creative projects to do with my girls, and it gives me the opportunity to keep in contact with my friends and family that I don't get to see enough.
5. my mom- she allows me and my kids to come over all the time. We show up, make a mess, clean it up a little, then usually leave with someone crying...and yet, she always welcomes us over. She is the first person to show up when I need help. Taking Phoebe to the vet, needing to go to an unexpected doctor visit, she will always help if at all possible.
6. a comfortably stocked bank account- this kind of coincides with Chris, but I am grateful for this. Chris earns a comfortable living, and I make sure we don't spend too much, but in general, we lucked out in a lot of areas. We are not rolling in cash, but we have enough to pay all our bills, provide food and clothing to our children, and enough extra to give them some pretty great adventures. (zoo, aquarium, etc.)
7. my home town- I am not a huge fan of Texas weather, scenery, or stereotypes, but I am thankful for all my city has to offer. Plano (and the surrounding cities) has a great reputation. We have access to a lot of opportunities, it has great schools/colleges, and a lot of job growth. I am grateful my kids will have all of this.
8. sprinkler system- you know how annoying, time-consuming, and frustrating it would be to water a Texas lawn by hand? Oy. I am so very thankful I have a sprinkler system to do this chore.
9. our veterinarian- as you know, Phoebe has some health issues that require close monitoring. She has the tendency of needing medical attention at a moments notice. Our vet will always take her. Any time of day, no matter how busy, they will help my dog. That is comfort.
10. Lorelai- this one does seem rather obvious, but I want to pick out something specific...her sense of compassion. She is always looking out for Phoebe, and now her little sister. She gives great hugs to those in need, she always says "thank you" over the simplest of gestures, and she loves, loves, loves her family. Animals and all.
11. Adalaide- naturally, this little one has to be next. Addy will always smile when she wakes up. That cute little smile, with one dimple, greets me every morning. Sure, she is teething right now, and is quite draining, but that precious smile is something I am most thankful for.
12. my car- at a drop of a hat, I can pack up my kids and leave. I can go anywhere at any time. It seems simple enough, but for those who have only one car, or to those who need to plan out a bus route, or hitch a ride with a friend, this simple task is something not to take for granted.  
13. disposable diapers- again, since we are blessed to afford them, I am so grateful they are available. Toss some in a bag and go, throw them away when needed, I am thankful I do not need to use cloth. Nothing wrong with cloth, but it is something I am thankful I can avoid.
14. a backyard- in the apartment we had to walk out with Phoebe, rain or shine, convince her to go when it was best for us, then pick up the mess with our hands, walk across the lot and throw it away. Now, she goes out with she needs to, and I get to stay inside, not touch poop, and be thankful.
15. photographs- I sat here thinking of my next idea and turned to see a precious black and white newborn photo of my Addy...and that was it. Photographs are something I am slightly obsessed with. I want to capture every moment, every smile, every eye twinkle, every tiny, lovely thing about my girls. Photos make that happen. Photos preserve my life's happiness.
16. snow- it is a rare commodity down here, and maybe that's why I love it so, but snow is pure magic. The feeling I get when my world is blanketed with snow is so brilliantly unique.
17. the ability to stay home- lately, it is hard to convince myself I am thankful that my days are filled with screams, cries, dirty diapers, food battles, potty training, and unknown goo on my clothes...and hair. But if I think about it for more than 8 seconds, I am thankful for this. I get to be apart of my kids lives in a way I will never get to be again. I get to see it all. It's a good show.
18. amazon.com- it pairs with the internet, but online shopping (especially amazon) is something relatively new in our lifetime, and well, it rocks. No browsing, no hiding gifts from the kids you are buying for, no crowds, no lines...just sit down, click around, type in a few things and viola! They bring it to your door. Thank you Lord.
19. friends- no, not the tv show, though I am thankful for that as well, I am talking about real people in my life that actually like to take time out of the lives to see me, talk to me, listen to me, and want to be apart of my world, and want me apart of theirs. It's an awesome gesture that many times gets overlooked. Thank you my pals.
20. my siblings- close to friends, but yet, so different. Whether it's ragging on each other, challenging each other with movie quotes, or remembering past events with laughter, my brothers and sisters are my best friends and my strongest links to everything that made me me.
21. Phoebe- how have I not listed Phoebe yet? This dog is quite a handful, but at least once a day she does something that makes me laugh. She is a blanket addict, a ridiculous eater, a great snuggler, and a best friend. I am thankful for this crazy pup.
22. grandparents- whether talking about my own, or watching our parents become some to our kids, I am grateful that grandparents have such an active role in our family. It can get overwhelming at certain times, but they mean the world to my children, and that alone is worth it.
23. Nick Jr.- I know, I am one of those evil parents that not only lets their kids watch tv, but is actually publicly saying "thank you" for it. My LEL has learned so much from it, it's amazing. Whether it's odd shapes, obscure jobs, unique problem-solving, or a growing vocabulary, I am grateful that I can turn it on at any time, tend to my crying infant, and know my toddler is being occupied by something worthwhile...most of the time. ;)
24. Lowe's- in the past 2+ years of home-ownership, we have visited Lowe's hundreds of times. If I want to spruce something up, they've got it. If we need something urgent to fix a problem, they've got it. They have made it possible to turn my house into something I love and enjoy being in most of my time. It's also 5mins down the road. That is definitely something to be thankful for.
25. Netflix- there is that pesky tv again, but hey, I love it. I used to get so excited to see a new movie in the theaters, and I got to do it often. I became a mom on a budget, so that kind of ended. Movies are so special to me, and netflix makes it possible for me to keep a little part of that.
26. trash pick-up- It's pretty great that I can throw all the junk I want to get rid of to the curb and have someone take it away for me. A modern day luxury I am not overlooking.
27. toddler-targeted food- you know, the food that has hidden fruits and vegetables in it? That's ingenious. Lorelai is one of the pickiest eaters I know, and I can still sneak in some food value with fruit snacks or fun drinks. This is a load off a parent's mind.
28. healthy children- I see a lot of parents online talk about how their kids have the stomach flu again, or another cold, an unrelenting cough, or yet another fever. I am so thankful my kids are rarely sick. Lorelai has only been under the weather a few days in her life, Addy has yet to be sick. I am grateful for their strong immune systems.
29. texting- I can freely "talk" to my husband through out the day, asking him how he is, what he's doing, when he'll be home, and not feel guilty about bothering him too much. It's a form of communication we've used often during our time together. I think it is a worry-free way of keeping in touch. Thanks cell phones.
30. positively humbled- I have learned over the past 5 years or so that I have an unusually positive mindset. At least I feel I do. I have watched people close to me feel beat-down, depressed, and hurt by various life experiences and events. I watch them struggle to rise above it, to consciously try to be happy. I feel helpless to watch them go through this. Problems, big or small, I do feel I can naturally focus on the positive. After the crappiest day, I can genuinely think back and find several things I was grateful for that day. I know that even through the worst days, I have it darn good. I am thankful for the ability to be humble, and happy.

Think about your 30, heck, go beyond 30. Even in these uncertain times, we have so much. Just make a note of that.

M.LEWIS 

Food Hunter pt. 2

To update you on my food adventures, I have since made chili, pumpkin muffins and ...well, taco salad...but that one I cheated on.

The chili was good. I did alter it some to better fit my family's tastes, but after it cooked in the crock pot all day, I declare it a success. It wasn't anything too unique, it was your basic chili recipe, but I had never made my own before.
I would, and most likely will, make it again. Especially on the cold, dreary days of winter, I think a big bowl of chili sounds perfect. It makes plenty of left-over for this small group, so I had to use it again somehow.
Enter the taco salad. I did see a recipe online for this, read it, and decided it was basically chili. And wouldn't you know, I had a whole tub of it stored in the refrigerator already. Add in some lettuce and crumble some chips, and tada! Taco Salad.

Now, the pumpkin muffins. I'm not going to lie, I had high hopes, and I was a bit disappointed. I wanted something with pumpkin and brown sugar...I love brown sugar. But, I didn't want anything too rich, too sugary, or too caloric. I found this recipe on pinterest and tried it out.
It had way too many ingredients, it stuck to the paper wrappers horribly, and it didn't really taste much like anything. I probably won't be making them again.

I still would like to find a breakfast food recipe like a muffin, or a "cookie", something I can make in a batch and hand out to the girls all week long. Lorelai loves muffins, waffles, etc. She does not like cereal or oatmeal...she can't wonder around the room with it, nibbling it slowly. If you have any ideas, please send them my way.

I still have a recipe for pumpkin cream cheese bread I need to try, and I have several more meals this week to try. I'll post my progress on those later.

Also, if you would like any of the recipes I mentioned, I can post them as well...I just haven't found any that I think would be worth it yet. But hey, at least I am making fresh food, nothing frozen and packed with preservatives. It's a win in my book. :)


M.LEWIS