Claire's musings

Claire has me completely blown away with her vocabulary! I wanted to record a few of the funny things she has said lately.

I was trying to get us dressed and ready one morning this week, and I called Claire to come back to her room. I was back there picking out her clothes, and she still hadn't come, so I called "Claire Elizabeth, get back here!" She still didn't come, too wrapped up in her TV show I guess, so I started toward the living room to call her again, "Claire! Come back here!" Just as I rounded the corner into the living room, she jumped up and started walking back to her room. She looked at me and innocently, but nervously, said, "Oh! I was supposed to come back here?" Oh how sly she is.

More of her sayings:

"It's too fit." -She says this when something doesn't fit, instead of saying "It's too big (or too small)."

Tonight she didn't want to ride a tricycle at a birthday party, proclaiming, "No, mommy, it's too ride-y." Huh?

Another phrase that makes me laugh is "Hold a second!" when she wants me to stop so she can do something.

Last night we got a letter in the mail from our sponsored child in Zambia. I was reading it to Aaron when Claire came in the room. "What's that Mommy? Is it a letter? Can I understand it?" Chris and I looked at each other, dumbfounded that she would use the word "understand". I asked her "Can you understand it?" She said, "Uh huh, Mommy, can I understand the letter?" She wanted me to read it to her if I felt she could understand it! Cracks me up!

I was talking with Chris's cousins today and we agreed that it's so hard to remember she's only two when we're talking to her. She understands everything we say and repeats stuff back to us with perfect understanding. She is a verbal phenomenon!

And I should note that this also means she talks incessantly. To herself, to her dolls, to Aaron. Even Aaron, when Claire has asked why one too many times, has been known to say, "Because it IS Claire. Stop asking so many questions!"

"Why?" she asks. Oh my. What we have to look forward to!

My loveable children

Aaron and Claire love each other so much, and it just melts my heart when they express it to each other. Whether it's a hug, kiss, sweet gesture or a spoken "I love you", I just can't get enough of their loveableness! (Is that a word?)

Yesterday afternoon we washed up my old car to get it ready to sell. The kids were wet and pretty filthy. Mimi had called to say she was going to swing by, so the kids got all excited and wanted to watch her pull up in the driveway. So Claire spread out a paper towel to sit on, and invited Aaron to sit next to her. That's when the loving began and I got my camera out! They got all loveable without me asking them to!!

Sitting in the filthy garage waiting for Mimi...


Awww, I love my brother!


He makes me laugh!


Aaron wants to give her a kiss!


Claire actually said, "Awwww, Aaron" in a sweet voice as I was taking this picture.


Aaron gets his kiss!


Can you stand the sweetness? Do you have a toothache yet?

PS--I just ate Nutella on a spoon! He he he...

Oh those eyes!

My children have some of the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.

Aaron's dark brown eyes are just captivating. His eyelashes are absolutely beautiful; the quality that one would think only a girl should inherit! He has cute little freckles across his cheeks and nose, which I think make his deep, soulful brown eyes look all the more captivating!





Claire's coloring is a bit different than Aaron's. She has warmer skin tone and lighter hair than Aaron, and her eyes are some sort of brownish-greenish. I guess it's what they call hazel. They are beautiful nonetheless. Grandma used to say that Claire had some of the most expressive eyes she'd ever seen. Claire can speak volumes by just batting her eyes.


Love her little baby cheeks and nose. I think she's going to have some freckles too.


I am so smitten with these beautiful children!

Oh, and if you're wondering how I got such close up pictures of their eyes--they were intently watching a video on the Nick Jr website!

Oh how I love Nutella

Have you ever tried Nutella? I promise this entry is not at all sponsored by Nutella, but if someone from Nutella is reading and wants to send a lifetime supply my way, I won't object!

Nutella is a wonderful chocolate hazelnut spread. It's like peanut butter, but waaaaaaayyyyy better. Chocolate. Hazelnuts. Can you say YUM?? My kids love it too. We had some on toast today after lunch, so I felt inspired to share the Nutella love and list my top 10 ways to eat Nutella. These are really in no particular order.

10) On toasted whole wheat bread.
9) With a spoon.
8) On a toasted English muffin.
7) With sliced apples!
6) In a thin crepe with sliced bananas.
5) On a knife. Meaning, I lick it.
4) On a toasted bagel.
3) On bread with peanut butter. As in PB&N.
2) With a spoon. Did I mention that one already?
1) On strawberries.

I hope you will enjoy the Nutella goodness today!

Can I just say...

Can I just say that I absolutely love being a stay-at-home mom? It is most certainly the life I was meant for.

Last night I was thinking, "Hooray! Tomorrow is Monday!" What kind of freak loves Mondays? Well, I do! I love getting back into routine with my kids. Don't get me wrong--by Thursday I'm usually excited for the weekends. But I love the little groove the kids and I have together.

Today we slept late, until after 8, because it had been a rough last week and weekend, and we all needed it. We had breakfast at 9 and left the house around 10 to run errands. We did some shopping and went to get the van detailed. I packed us a lunch, so we had a little picnic on a blanket on the grass behind the car dealership.

One of our other errands was going to get my car tag, and the kids were cracking up everyone in the office. Aaron was actually READING some words on a coloring sheet I gave him, much to the amazement of another lady standing in line. I was beaming with pride!

I am so thankful I get to have these children with me most of the time. I am thankful for my job as a full-time mommy, and the flexibility it brings.

Thank you Lord for knowing exactly what I need in life, and for providing it! And especially for the van, because I swear it's making the task of running errands with them EASIER!

A catch-up blog

I have so many things I've been wanting to blog about, but no time! I know all you fellow bloggers can relate!

*We are up to our ears in the fall consignment sale right now! Working on this sale is so much fun, so I don't mind being at the church until midnight! (Chris begs to differ...) We have such an amazing team of people--everyone with different talents and abilities, and it is just amazing to see it all come together. Plus, I'm about to get some really great deals on stuff for the kids!

*The sale has been a great distraction from Grandma's passing. It is still so surreal to me to think that instead of being at work right now, or running errands, or sitting in her chair at home, her body is in a grave. I cannot believe she is gone. Okay, I have to stop talking about it now or I will cry again.

*I am now a mini-van mama! This deserves a post in itself. Last night Chris and I picked up a Dodge Grand Caravan I had been eyeing on Auto Trader. I went to look at it with the kids yesterday in the RAIN and we went back last night and bought it--again--in the RAIN! I will post pics soon. The kids and I are so excited!

*Does anyone want to buy an '03 Saturn L200? My dad was going to buy it but I found out this afternoon that he can't. Bummer. I know God will provide!

*Claire saw a yellow corvette in the dealership we went to yesterday, and I eyed the price tag--what a steal at $69,999! Aaron was looking at it with a grin on his face, and I said, "Do you want Mommy to get the yellow car?" Claire said, "But it doesn't have any handles!" The door handles were built into the edge of the door and she couldn't see them! It cracked us all up! Maybe you had to be there...

Okay, that's enough of a brain dump for today!

Aaron in another 5 years...

I need ta go potty...

My kids have mastered the "I need ta go potty" excuse. You know, get out of something because nature calls. Or so they say.

Tonight at dinner Claire was whining that she was all done, although she had barely picked at her dinner. I told her the rest of the family wasn't done yet so she was going to have to sit there and wait, so she innocently batted her eyes and said, "But I need ta go potty!" Since she was wearing underwear, I of course let her out to go and somehow she took just long enough in the bathroom that we were all up from the table by the time she was done. Smooth, Claire. Next time I'll try not to be so gullible.

Meanwhile, Aaron's bedtime procrastinations are getting more and more hilarious. Tonight after dinner he and I had constructed an elaborate "parking garage" set-up in his room, trying to duplicate the features of a play parking garage he found in a toy catalog (car wash, gas station, car elevator, ramps). We left it all out for him to play with more tomorrow.

A while after I put him in bed for the night, we heard some banging around in the bathroom. We gave him a few minutes (mostly because we were lazily hoping he'd go back to bed without us intervening...), when Chris went to check on him and found him with the ENTIRE parking garage set up in the bathroom. When Chris rounded the corner Aaron jumped, froze, and quickly said, "I gotta go potty." Yeah, that's why you were out of bed. Right.





Note his favorite feature--the "zip line" from the door knob down to the elevator box! And the cars neatly lined up waiting to board the elevator! What a little engineer he is!

My Grandma is rejoicing with Jesus

It has been such a hard week. Shortly after my last post, my Grandma took her last breaths with me, my mom, my uncle, and his wife all around her bed, holding her hands and telling her to go on to glory. After she breathed that last breath, I realized she was really really gone, and I started bawling my eyes out.

I know she is no longer in pain. I know she is with Jesus. I take comfort in knowing she is seeing long lost friends and family.

But every time I think about the fact that I will never go shopping with her, eat dinner at her house, buy her presents for Christmas, or have her at my children's birthday parties again, I start to cry. I'm probably making you cry now and I'm sorry for that! I loved my Grandma so much and I just want her here with me, all better and by my side.

Last night was her visitation, and so many people showed up to offer condolances and tell her goodbye. It was truly amazing how many people were there. The funeral home had done a beautiful DVD tribute with pictures we had given them, and so many people enjoyed seeing her pictures.

Today at her funeral, her pastor told stories we had told him about her, and then preached the Gospel. One of her very good friends, Katie, sang Beulah Land and Serenaded by Angels. It was a good service, and remarkably I didn't cry until the graveside service was over.

What I'm having trouble coming to terms with is that now there is nothing to do but divide up her belongings and move on with life. And send lots of thank you cards. I guess it will get easier day by day.

Thank you to everyone who has offered kind words and support. I truly appreciate your friendship.

The silver lining

It seems like with the circumstances I am in now, there wouldn't be alot to gush and be happy about. Call me an optimist--I am seeing the silver lining this morning.

Yesterday afternoon it became quite apparent that Grandma is on the edge of life. My mom and uncle came after lunch (I had been at her house since Sunday afternoon), and we held vigil all night. Every breath could be Grandma's last, and the waiting is almost unbearable.

In the midst of this, there are some things I am immensely thankful for!

*Grandma got to say her goodbyes to the world, and her friends got to tell her goodbye. Most people would struggled for months and years with an illness, but Grandma has only strugged for a month. What a blessing to have the best of both worlds--death is not totally unexpected, but not long and drawn out either.

*So many people love my dear Grandma and the cards, flowers, and calls have been pouring in. She worked at a UPS store up to the day before she went in the hospital (July 8th was her unbeknownst last day). So many box holders and other customers have sent cards. Think about your regular errands--if one of the employees at your regular stops was missing, would you think to ask about them? To get an address and send a card or flowers? Surely not, unless they made an impact and impression on your life. And that my Grandma did! In so many people's lives--and they have let her know. Some have even called specifically to "say goodbye." I have told her over and over these last weeks, "You have so many people who love you, Grandma!"

Then there are the people from Grandma's church. We called her pastor to come yesterday afternoon, and he called Katie, grandma's favorite singer at church. Katie came and sang a few songs at Grandma's bedside--In the Garden, Serenaded by Angels, and Beulah Land. Beautiful, and even though Grandma wasn't alert, I feel confident she heard and will thank Katie one day in heaven for singing to her one final time here on earth.

*My family is bonding! We have a small family. My Mom lives alone and we don't see her alot. She doesn't like to leave the comfort of her home very often. We have had some good hours together the last week. My uncle leads a busy life, with a wife who works nights as a nurse and four kids (2 grown but still dependent, 2 in elementary school)...so even though he lives just across town we don't see him very often either. It has been good to laugh and share stories with him.

*I have amazing friends. Last week two friends made meals for me, and more are coming this week--an invaluable service that cannot be underestimated. Several friends are picking up the slack I have left with the consignment sale at our church next week--I am the "technical" person--but I have discovered that the team is figuring out ways to get things done without my expertise (ha!). Last night I sent an e-mail asking for help and one of the guys jumped right on it and told me to stop worrying about it. Such a relief. I am so thankful for my friends.

*Chris's grandmother is LOVING keeping my kids. She has been keeping them full days lately, and she absolutely loves it. She just gushes about how good they are and how well they play and how great Claire is doing with her potty training and how Aaron loved his cheese toast. It is such a relief to know the kids are somewhere they are comfortable, secure, and loved. I don't think I could ever quite repay Mammaw for the blessing she has been these past 5 weeks.

I could go on and on...I am so incredibly blessed. Thank you Jesus!

Bedtime stories

One of my favorite times of the day is story time before nap and bedtimes. The kids get to pick books, and we either sit in Claire's rocking chair or on Aaron's bed. They like to read some of the same stories over and over, but I love it anyway.

Moon Bounce Party!

Today we went to a moon bounce birthday party! Very rarely do I get to bring Chris along to birthday parties, but today he was there so I was able to get some really cute pictures!

Claire went up and down and up and down the big slide.




Daddy found his inner-9-year-old.

A garbage truck in heaven?

Aaron's thoughts on heaven last night:

Aaron: "Mommy, how will you get your car to heaven?"

Mommy: "Hmmmm...I don't think you will need a car in heaven."

Aaron: "But, if there are streets of gold in heaven, you will need a car to drive on them."

Mommy: *dumbfounded* "Maybe God will have cars for us..." *thinking this is a dumb answer...*

Tonight in the car with Daddy he discussed it more...

Aaron: "When I get to heaven and the streets of gold, God will give me a car....NO...Jesus will give me a GARBAGE TRUCK to drive in heaven."

This boy seriously cracks me up.

Some good news, finally...

We've been busy taking care of things to get Grandma home. Today was the big day! Her trip home was uneventful, except for having to use a tarp and wrap her like a burrito to get her down the narrow hall to her bedroom. The stretcher just wouldn't fit.

Grandma is so excited to be home. Yesterday I told her that Ed (her son, my uncle) was at her house getting the equipment and everything ready for her to go home TOMORROW. Later that afternoon when he came by the hospital, she frantically started trying to get out of bed. She hasn't been getting out of bed for several days now so we were shocked! We couldn't figure out what she was doing but we rushed over to help her sit up. She started pointing to things on the counter saying she needed to take those with her, and she was asking for a wheelchair. We asked her where she was going, and she said, "Home!" She was so disappointed when we told her it wasn't tomorrow yet!

We did have some good news for her once she laid back down. Yesterday afternoon I called the criminal court to find out the status of the case against the scumbag who attacked Grandma in her home last June. We saw on the website the guy had a court appearance last Thursday, and we wanted to know what was going on.

Great news! There will be no trial...he pleaded GUILTY!! He got 15 years, which isn't quite the life sentence I was hoping for, but I'm told it's a good sentence for his charges. The prosecutor told me he has to serve the 15 years at 100%. He'll be 33 when he gets out, but 15 years is a long time.

We are so relieved it is over, and relieved that Grandma's inability to testify at a trial is not going to affect the outcome of the case. The testimony she gave at the preliminary hearing was so hard on her and she didn't know if she would be able to do it again. She has had so much anxiety over the whole situation.

When we told Grandma the news, relief flooded her face. She kept saying, "Oh thank God. Oh thank God." We are truly thanking God. We had prayed for closure and a long sentence, and God answered, just in time for Grandma to know that everything is going to be okay.

Thank you Jesus!!

Taking Grandma home...

Grandma is still in the hospital--it will be four weeks on Wednesday. The doctors have told us there is nothing chemo will do to help her, and at this point we just need to make her comfortable. My uncle and I decided today that we will bring her home to her house--her little sanctuary--where hospice will help us take care of her until she passes away. One doctor today told us it could be a matter of weeks. Something tells me it may not be that long.

I have always known in the back of my mind that one day I would attend my Grandma's funeral. I never would have guessed it would have come so soon. Or so quickly, unexpectedly, like it has.

Grandma took such good care of me when I was in high school and college. I lived with her, and she took care of so many things--helping me buy my first car, finding my first real job, selecting a college, getting on my feet at college, helping me financially throughout college, planning my wedding with me, but most of all, being my friend. I always told her that she took good care of me, so one day I would take good care of her.

That time has come, and I am no where near prepared, but I am up to the task. I know God will give me strength, wisdom, energy, and resources.

Please pray for our family as this is going to be a very hard time. We will have to arrange for her care 24/7. We're going to spend much of our time at her house, but at least it is a place we can all be together and be comfortable. I can have my kids there (for brief periods) and I can prepare meals. I can work, once we set up high speed internet. (Thank the Lord for my flexible job--which I would not have if not for Grandma's neighbor telling me about it 12 years ago!) Pray we can find qualified, compassionate caretakers for times we are not able to be there.

Thank you so much for your prayers and concern.

Swingin'

I'm entering a photo contest at 5 Minutes for Mom. Hopefully I'll be a finalist and you can vote for me!

Family Trip to the Pool!

We've been members at our local Y this summer, just so we can use the pool. Chris never gets to go with us, because we always go during the week. With everything going on with Grandma, I haven't taken the kids swimming in nearly four weeks, so we decided to go as a family on Saturday morning.

This was the first time Aaron has gotten some free play in the pool since he finished swimming lessons. I didn't think he had gained much confidence at swimming lessons, as he definitely wasn't SWIMMING at the last class. But apparently I was wrong! He put on his floaties and he was floating all over the deep water by himself! He used to not let me let him go! He still won't jump off the side to me, but we're definitely making progress!





He's actually not touching the bottom!! And he's not scared!


Lovin' the freckles and eyelashes!


Aaron is trying to get to a back float in this shot...