Conversations Lately

Lately, I have been having real conversation with H & L. In order to give you an accurate picture I am going to type phonetically when giving the words of my growing girls.

(Harper pulls up t-shirt, points to her "outie")

H: Beh-e-bud-dah???

Mommy: Yes, that is your belly button! You have an outie!

H: YuK!

Mommy: No, Harper, not yuk! You are beautiful! Your belly button is beautiful because it is a part of you!

(Lily, helping me throw "crash" away in the "crash can")

L: drow da crash?

Mommy: Yes, let's throw away the trash.

(Lily peeks inside the can and sees a cheap electronic butterfly shaped toy that is way to loud and whose letter are so tiny and cluttered - this toy is not a good teaching tool and it takes up a lot of space in the toy box and I don't believe any baby can learn from it so it does not need to be donated so I threw it away)

L: Bud-fwi in da crash!?!?

Mommy: Yes, baby Mommy threw the butterfly away because it is annoying

L: Die Die Bud-fwi! (byebye)

(Mommy changing Lily's diaper one night and her hands start exploring, down there)

L: (touching her self) "No! No!"

Mommy: That is not a no no. You can touch in private.

L: (continuing) No! No! Don' touch!!!

Mommy: It is ok to touch in private Lily. Mommy, Dr. and Lily can touch in private.

(Yesterday the dr. says ok Lily let's check your tu-tu, and takes off her diaper)

L: "in pie-vet! in pie-vet!

Mommy: Yes Lily, it is ok if the dr. looks at you in private.

(Daddy and Mommy "rock rocking" before bed time)

Daddy: Night night Mommy

Mommy: Night night Daddy

Lily: night night Ali

Harper: night night Moomps & Pa ( their grandparents, my mom and dad)

Lily: night night put-tay-tuh het! (potato head)

Harper: night night Eh-mo (Elmo)

Lily: night night cup

Harper: night night bocks (blocks)

Lily: night night Gackie (Jackie - nanny and friend ;)

Harper: night night Mo-money (Jackie's baby)

***saying night night to Gackie and Mo-money makes them think of things they do during the day which leads them to say...

Harper: night night potty

Lily: night night Poo Poo

Daddy: night night Harper

Mommy: night night Lily

True Stories.

There have been many blogs on my list lately whose titles are something like "Summer is Here" or "Days of Summer." It is summer time for me. 8 weeks of being home, work/worry free. And yes, it feels amazing.

Anyone that knows me well enough knows that I have shared more than a fair amount of complaints about what I do but this school year but now I have arrived to a place where I am at peace with the job that fell into my lap almost 6 years ago. This was a "split year" for me. I started out the school year based and full time at one school and half way through was transferred and serving 6 schools. Talk about a culture shock. None of it was easy and looking back at the past few months I can say confidently that I did the best that I could and got the job done. I do not believe that my work schedule will be the same next Fall - don't know yet my new assignment but I have a feeling that it will be rewarding... an assignment I have worked hard for and had to step up and speak out for. I am at a point that I am able to see a "bigger picture" and anticipate new opportunities that will take me from "yes I like my job most of the time" to "this is it, I can see doing this for another 15-20 years." But summer break is here now and this is a time to rest.

For me, summer IS "simplicity." My typical day will follow the same schedule. During summer I focus a lot on food (nutritious food), exercise, and cleaning out the house. Being a mother and the duties required are also the bulk of that schedule. By the way, this is my third summer being a mother...wow.

A few things I look forward to now that summer is here:

-fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast

-a clean kitchen and scented candles

-reading books

-journaling

-painting

-taking walks

-swimming

-taking naps

-play dates in parks, who cares if it is 100 + degrees outside? this won't actually kill me

-church/youth small groups

-To Kill a Mockingbird

-the Farmer's Market

-matting and framing family pictures over the fireplace

-a trip to Nashville

-overnight guests

-dinners with friends

That is about it. Sound plain? Yes. Just the way I like it.

Pictures from Spring/Summers past:

March '08 Biscuits Game

April '08

May '08 Harper is born

May '08 Lily is born also :)

May '08 I hold Lily for the first time

June '08 Harper, meet Lily, Lily, meet Harper

July '08, Uncle Jay-c

May '09

July '09

August '09

April '10, Lily and Harper

Scattered, Tattered, Smothered, and Fried

This post is not meant to be a b*tch fest but here it is...

A gray, muggy, hot and humid, Saturday with a LIST of things to do as soon as I get out of bed makes me feel UG. The morning started off with my weekly WW meeting. Babies up, changed, dressed and Mommy is out the door. (I "stayed the same this week) - no gains no losses in pounds that is which I consider a victory because I did not exercise once, enjoyed a few indulgences, and was going through what every woman goes through once a month - you get the picture.

I get home and the babies are restless and bored and clinging to my leg saying "Mama" over and over because they need attention and something to do. Meanwhile, I haven't had breakfast or a shower and have 4 loads of laundry sorted on my bedroom floor. Also, I need to pay the babysitter, make a grocery list and get the shopping done, spend time shopping with/for Nick because the poor guy has been wearing the same jeans and polo shirts everyday for the last... 5 year? Shop for decor for the youth room at Church which is under top secret construction before Wednesday's big reveal. I need to get the 5-7 coffee cups and Publix bags filled with the weeks' sack lunch leftovers cleared off of the dining room table and change the sheets on all of the beds. I need to bathe Ali, although, I'm sure she can wait one more day, which is probably really one more week. And mentally prepare for leaving the girls with their grandparents/sitters tonight so that we can enjoy dinner with our wonderful Pastor and his wife.

Sounds like a lot right? And it is.

And this is what it means sometimes to be the mom, the wife, the house keeper. It really is a privelage and I wouldn't change it for the world. I guess my question is: is it normal to feel overwhelmed looking at the "list" of things to do on a day where really of my responsibilities are really still luxuries?