Wednesday, December 16, 2015
December 15 = Liam Has a Girlfriend Day
Oh my goodness. So there's this little girl at the CDC who gets so excited every time I bring Liam in. When we open the door and she sees it's him she will announce it to the class and come over to him to say hi. I asked her what her name was last week so that I could bring her up at home just to see if Liam would respond to it. One of the developmental questions I'm always having to answer at doctors appointments and such is "can your child name a friend," and I've always said no because he's never named anyone except for Malia (who he calls Lala). So I thought maybe if I knew a name it would be helpful. Anyway- Maddy did what she always does- she's taken Liam under her wing I think. So I had to ask the front desk lady some questions but when I came out and was ready to leave- I saw this on the playground! As I was walking to my car, they were going down the slide together. She went first and then stood at the bottom waiting for him to come down and then they held hands and walked over to where some other kids were playing. This warms my heart so much to know there's another child in his class that takes care of him and enjoys spending time with him!
December 13 = Last Mid Dinner Day
Today was the last dinner we had for the mids and it was my favorite! But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Zachary gave Daisy a bath so that she'd be enjoyable to play with- these mids love Daisy. She was super cold even after he dried her off really well so we put her coat on and bundled her up in a blanket- she got so warm she fell asleep.
We've become pros at providing a taco bar for lots of people so that's what we did again. This was my favorite dinner yet because it was the company leadership that came over and so I've met most of them and they actually had conversations with me so I felt like instead of just being the childcare provider and making sure everything was well stocked, I was a part of the group!
Later, we put Malia to bed and Daisy stood watch outside her door. She quickly became an important member of our family!
We've become pros at providing a taco bar for lots of people so that's what we did again. This was my favorite dinner yet because it was the company leadership that came over and so I've met most of them and they actually had conversations with me so I felt like instead of just being the childcare provider and making sure everything was well stocked, I was a part of the group!
Later, we put Malia to bed and Daisy stood watch outside her door. She quickly became an important member of our family!
December 12 = Gramps Day!
Gramps got in last night- both kids were still awake to his delight. Here Liam is playing with Gramps' phone. He's spoiled!
We had a pretty low key day- Zachary had duty yesterday so we were expecting him to get home this morning around 8 or so but he didn't get home until after 9:30 because the person taking his spot overslept. So we tried to let Zachary get some rest- he didn't go to bed until 1:00am and then had to wake up before 4:00am to get the mids on the bus for the Army v. Navy game (which Navy won!). So we went grocery shopping and went for a walk to give him quiet in the house. Daisy didn't cooperate though so he didn't get a lot of sleep- oops. But we watched that game and also the Carolina game- which didn't end in our favor. But it was a fun day- any day that the kids get to hang out with their Gramps is a good day for them!
We had a pretty low key day- Zachary had duty yesterday so we were expecting him to get home this morning around 8 or so but he didn't get home until after 9:30 because the person taking his spot overslept. So we tried to let Zachary get some rest- he didn't go to bed until 1:00am and then had to wake up before 4:00am to get the mids on the bus for the Army v. Navy game (which Navy won!). So we went grocery shopping and went for a walk to give him quiet in the house. Daisy didn't cooperate though so he didn't get a lot of sleep- oops. But we watched that game and also the Carolina game- which didn't end in our favor. But it was a fun day- any day that the kids get to hang out with their Gramps is a good day for them!
December 11 = Trials and Testing
That's the only picture I took today but I do have a little message I'd like to share. The church we used to go to, Bay Area Community Church, did this really neat thing where they sent everyone whose email address they had a link to register with RightNow Media. This website has tons of videos that you would show in a Sunday school class- the church we went to in Jacksonville used this site. So I've been checking out some of the videos. I started a series by Francis Chan today in James and I just had to share this little tidbit of info. The book of James has a special place in our family's heart because it was what we relied on to get through Liam's seizures. In chapter 1, James says "Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." So Franis Chan informed me this morning through his video that the word James uses that we translate as "testing" is the same word used when you talk about silversmiths "testing" silver to make sure it's pure. Silver is put through fire which we could compare to trials that we as humans go through. It's put in fire over and over again until it's found to be pure. The way a silversmith determines the silver is pure is when he can see his reflection in it. So our goal when God allows us to endure trials (which we should count as joy), is to have God see his reflection in us in how we deal with said trial. I just thought this was so interesting and so helpful for me to keep in mind!
December 10 = New Bed for Daisy Day
Malia and I took Daisy to the vet for the first time today! She had a check up and the vet said she would be a minimum of fifty pounds! We had to wait around for her parasite test results to make sure we didn't need to get her some medicine (whew) and so while we were waiting, I picked her out a bed! I decided to get a big one so it'll fit her growing self.
Malia decided it was hers.
Oh! And then, Malia turned into my little helper. I was putting things away and in the middle of walking from one room to another over and over again, I looked over at Malia and she had gathered some toys and walked them over to the toy box. Such a sweet girl!
And the last picture of today's post. We got Liam's CDC pictures back today... Oh Liam.
Malia decided it was hers.
Oh! And then, Malia turned into my little helper. I was putting things away and in the middle of walking from one room to another over and over again, I looked over at Malia and she had gathered some toys and walked them over to the toy box. Such a sweet girl!
And the last picture of today's post. We got Liam's CDC pictures back today... Oh Liam.
December 9 = Daisy Claims the Tunnel Day
Not a lot went on today but I had to share this picture of Daisy taking over the Ninja Turtle fort that's in Liam's room.
December 5 = "Christmas Tree" Day
First here's a picture of a majority of my family sitting together:
And then for the highlight of Malia's day. I made this Christmas tree out of felt and cut out some colored circles, also from felt, to give Liam and Malia a Christmas tree that they can decorate. We aren't getting a Christmas tree this year because we have no room after moving up all of our furniture from downstairs after the washing machine flood and because the only space we might have been able to squeeze a tree in is now occupied by a dog crate. Liam isn't crazy about the tree but Malia loves it!
And then for the highlight of Malia's day. I made this Christmas tree out of felt and cut out some colored circles, also from felt, to give Liam and Malia a Christmas tree that they can decorate. We aren't getting a Christmas tree this year because we have no room after moving up all of our furniture from downstairs after the washing machine flood and because the only space we might have been able to squeeze a tree in is now occupied by a dog crate. Liam isn't crazy about the tree but Malia loves it!
Friday, December 11, 2015
December 4 = 7th Company Christmas Party
Zachary's company had their Christmas party tonight. We were going to get a babysitter but we figured we'd bring the kiddos along instead. They were really well behaved and had a good time- I have a picture illustrating how Liam passed the time to follow. But first I got Zachary to take a picture of me and my girl before we left. The attire for the party was ugly sweater- I don't have an "ugly sweater" so I wore my grandmother's Christmas vest. I love this thing and I get so excited when it's time to bring it out- this was the perfect occasion to wear it- I got lots of compliments!
And Liam found a door! This door opened up to an enclosed space where the tables and chairs were stored so he went in and out over and over again for the last- I'm going to say- hour we were there.
One of the highlights of the party was the reading of some "Dear Santa" letters. There's been a box outside of Zachary's office for a few weeks, I think, where anyone could write an anonymous "Dear Santa" letter and most of them were used to poke fun of classmates. I didn't understand any of them as I don't know the inside jokes they all have but Zachary found humor in them and Malia clapped along!
Malia's favorite thing to do, however, was to weave in and out of all the round tables in the room. She just walked and walked and walked and I just followed her to make sure she didn't walk right out of the room. She had so much fun smiling at everyone. Lots of people tried to get high fives from her but she hasn't mastered that skill yet...
And Liam found a door! This door opened up to an enclosed space where the tables and chairs were stored so he went in and out over and over again for the last- I'm going to say- hour we were there.
Friday, December 4, 2015
December 3 = Basketball Day
So last night Zachary actually didn't have a game because they won on Monday and Tuesday so they got last night off! So tonight's game was the championship game and I decided it would be fun for us all to go and support him! Zachary told me there was walking track above the gym so we could go up there and be out of the way and Liam could walk around and be happy. Well Liam did enjoy the walking track, but he enjoyed it just a bit too much. Here he grabbed Malia's hand but for the most part, he was running ahead of us and looking back and laughing. It made me a bit nervous because I felt like I couldn't keep up with both of them at the same time.
So we went to this area right outside the basketball court- they show a movie in a little theater there every Thursday night so they had popcorn out there for whoever wanted any. Malia liked it. And then she decided to drop the container and popcorn went everywhere.
December 2 = Beef Lo Mein Day
I've been looking forward to making this meal all week. I'm pretty sure it's my absolute favorite and it's a great way to get me to eat vegetables- zucchini, carrots, onion, sometimes snow peas- so so good! Malia enjoyed her beef lo mein- well the noodles at least!
December 1 = Pour Your Dinner on Your Head Day
I'm not going to lie- Malia gave me a rough time today. This is going to be a rough week. Zachary has a basketball tournament this week so he had a game last night and will have games Wednesday and Thursday but tonight, as always on Tuesday, he had class. So serving dinner to two toddlers by oneself can sometimes be a challenge. Tonight was one of those times that it was very challenging. Liam has also been going through one of his phases where he only speaks in whine and there's very little that makes him happy. So I was allowing him to eat his dinner on a picnic blanket in front of the tv and as I was sitting with him making sure he was as happy as he would allow himself to be, Malia got busy with her dinner that, before I walked away from her, she was eating like a perfectly sane being. I came back and found this:
I laughed because what else do you do? And then I stripped her down and took her up to the bathtub. My method for cleaning them is to keep them out of the bathtub and wash them down with a wash cloth and then put them in when they're clean for them to enjoy the water and bubbles. I don't know how one would be able to lift them up in the tub and clean them at the same time so that's what I do. Well, I noticed the wash cloths in the tub had been used for a few days so I went to switch them and as I walked to the linin closet to get a new clean wash cloth, Malia peed on the floor. I laughed again because, again, what else can you do? I moved her away from her puddle, cleaned her up, put her in the bath and cleaned up the puddle. She got her bath and eventually she was ready to get out. I put her on the changing table and dried her off. I walked over to her closet to get a diaper and she peed on the changing table. Now how she had enough in her to go twice in twenty minutes is beyond me but she did. So I laughed again and got her dressed and then proceeded to count down the minutes until Zachary got home!
November 29 = Nap Day
So Sundays in this house consist of watching football and Zachary taking couch naps. I am incapable of taking couch naps. I must be in my bed, lights off, fan on. But Zachary, out of necessity from going to the Citadel and then being on a ship for 7 months straight, has a talent of being able to sleep anywhere under nearly all conditions- including having a dog snuggled up around his neck.
November 27 = Picture Day
I went shopping with my friend Amy a few weeks back and got some cute, coordinating clothes for the kids for the purpose of getting a good family picture. We didn't have anyone to take a picture of the four- well with Daisy, five- of us so we split up. Here are a few of my favorites- the kids were not very cooperative at all so these are the few that were acceptable out of the hundred we took.
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| Daisy and Zachary got the memo. Liam and Malia did not. |
November 26 = Thanksgiving
This was our first Thanksgiving not with one of our families. We definitely missed everyone but it was nice not to have to travel. Grace posted this picture of her and Matt and I just have to share because how gorgeous are they??
I love this picture of Daisy... she has a hernia as you can see but I just love this because she looks like a grumpy old man.
I think Daisy and Malia are going to be best friends... here's a morning cat nap...
...and then an afternoon one.
So I have a little bit of regret regarding this Thanksgiving. I spent a lot of the day cleaning because Zachary was home and was doing such a good job of entertaining the kids and the dog. I started the day off by trying to watch some of the Macy's parade but Liam really wanted to watch Mickey Mouse so that was shot. We just got our new washer so I was catching up on laundry and just putting stuff away that had piled up in places where said stuff didn't belong. But Zachary cooked everything for dinner- this was our first turkey and it was perfect. He made the best mashed potatoes I've ever tasted. We had macaroni and cheese as well as sweet potatoes. It was delicious and the kids agreed. I just wish I would have done a craft with the kids or done some more reflection or something- the day just kind of passed. But there's always next year.
I love this picture of Daisy... she has a hernia as you can see but I just love this because she looks like a grumpy old man.
I think Daisy and Malia are going to be best friends... here's a morning cat nap...
...and then an afternoon one.
So I have a little bit of regret regarding this Thanksgiving. I spent a lot of the day cleaning because Zachary was home and was doing such a good job of entertaining the kids and the dog. I started the day off by trying to watch some of the Macy's parade but Liam really wanted to watch Mickey Mouse so that was shot. We just got our new washer so I was catching up on laundry and just putting stuff away that had piled up in places where said stuff didn't belong. But Zachary cooked everything for dinner- this was our first turkey and it was perfect. He made the best mashed potatoes I've ever tasted. We had macaroni and cheese as well as sweet potatoes. It was delicious and the kids agreed. I just wish I would have done a craft with the kids or done some more reflection or something- the day just kind of passed. But there's always next year.
November 25 = Daisy's First Whole Day
We found this crate for Daisy on Craig's List for $15. This size would easily be $100 brand new so it was quite a steal. And as a bonus- the kids love it!
Just kidding about that being a bonus- we will keep them out of it from now on but just had to snap a picture.
Just kidding about that being a bonus- we will keep them out of it from now on but just had to snap a picture.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
November 24 = Zachary's Birthday!
Today Zachary turns 28! I've known him since we were 12- crazy! So we met him for lunch today and brought chickfila- no birthday is complete in this house without chickfila. And right after that I headed to target to get some supplies to make him a legitimate cake. I've never made a cake that involves more than a box, some eggs and some vegetable oil so this was an experiment that I was hoping would go well.
Here's how the cake turned out; there are 28 strawberries instead of candles :)
Here's the whole dinner spread... we tried this chicken mozzarella pasta a few weeks back and Zachary loved it so he requested it for his birthday.
However- the dinner and the cake, as delicious as they were, were not the highlights of Zachary's day. I finally gave in and let the man get a dog. Instead of sitting down and savoring dinner, we ate a few bites between him texting people and me chasing the kids but one of Zachary's dreams came true so it was worth it.
Meet Daisy!
We had asked the property company to call the owner of our townhouse and ask if we could get a dog and he said no. So Zachary responded and asked if the property company guy could call the owner again and see if there were any stipulations we could follow. A couple hours later we got a call from the property manager guy and he said that if we got a dog, the owner would never find out about it as long as we take her away from the house during the two inspections they do a year. I had told Zachary he could get a dog as long as we had clear permission from Annapolis Property. I should have said from the owner but he got me so... we got the dog. Originally I wanted to wait until we moved next because we're planning on buying a house- we wouldn't have to worry so much about breeds and sizes and deposits, etc. But Zachary had a good point- when we move, he could immediately have to meet a ship on deployment or leave for a deployment soon after we get there so he wouldn't have the opportunity to bond with the dog. So now they get to bond. She is such a sweetheart- stay tuned to see how this situation progresses- I have a feeling it's going to be a mix of stressful and rewarding!
Here's how the cake turned out; there are 28 strawberries instead of candles :)
Here's the whole dinner spread... we tried this chicken mozzarella pasta a few weeks back and Zachary loved it so he requested it for his birthday.
However- the dinner and the cake, as delicious as they were, were not the highlights of Zachary's day. I finally gave in and let the man get a dog. Instead of sitting down and savoring dinner, we ate a few bites between him texting people and me chasing the kids but one of Zachary's dreams came true so it was worth it.
Meet Daisy!
We had asked the property company to call the owner of our townhouse and ask if we could get a dog and he said no. So Zachary responded and asked if the property company guy could call the owner again and see if there were any stipulations we could follow. A couple hours later we got a call from the property manager guy and he said that if we got a dog, the owner would never find out about it as long as we take her away from the house during the two inspections they do a year. I had told Zachary he could get a dog as long as we had clear permission from Annapolis Property. I should have said from the owner but he got me so... we got the dog. Originally I wanted to wait until we moved next because we're planning on buying a house- we wouldn't have to worry so much about breeds and sizes and deposits, etc. But Zachary had a good point- when we move, he could immediately have to meet a ship on deployment or leave for a deployment soon after we get there so he wouldn't have the opportunity to bond with the dog. So now they get to bond. She is such a sweetheart- stay tuned to see how this situation progresses- I have a feeling it's going to be a mix of stressful and rewarding!
November 22 = First Birthday Present Day
So, I've probably mentioned it before but Zachary and I are terrible about saving gifts for the day for which they are intended. Also, Zachary mentioned, as we were planning Christmas gifts, that I am a unique gift giver. Not that my gifts are unique, but that I am very, very practical. I like to get people things that I know they need or that I know they'll use. My favorite thing to do is when I hear someone mention that they need something to make a mental note of it and grab it. So after he pointed this out, I decided to get him something with no practical use at all to show I'm flexible. I had seen this ball in a yoga magazine- it has little knobs on it that make it bounce in unpredictable ways- it's good for baseball players to quicken their reaction times for fielding ground balls but I thought Zachary would have fun with it- I pictured him taking it into work and bouncing it through their really long hall. He had a beer or two when we were playing with it which made him determined to "field" every throw I made and one of them bounced way out his way but that didn't stop him. He dove for it, putting all of his weight on his pinky and it's not going to be great tomorrow. I think I'll go back to my practical gifts for Christmas.
Here's Malia with the ball- hopefully she keeps it and doesn't let her Daddy play with it anymore.
And here are two random things I saw on facebook today that I feel like sharing.
Here's Malia with the ball- hopefully she keeps it and doesn't let her Daddy play with it anymore.
And here are two random things I saw on facebook today that I feel like sharing.
November 19 = Meet Santa Day
Today is Thursday which means another CDC day for Liam. I noticed yesterday when I went grocery shopping that Santa was going to be at the commissary today so after dropping Liam off, I took Malia over to meet Santa. She was not amused.
So the maintenance people have been amazing with this washing machine situation. They sent out an appliance guy who looked at the washer today and said the sensor that tells the machine it's full of water malfunctioned and that when that happens, it means it's on its way out. He said, "so I wouldn't do any laundry unless you can stand there with it the whole time..." and I said, "oh so it still works?" excitedly because with two kids and a husband who works out every day, going a lengthy amount of time without a washer is not going to work. And he said, "oh well... I mean no..." but I took that to mean that it's really, really important that I stand there the whole time to ensure the water stops when it's supposed to. So today I was downstairs listening to a whole cycle of laundry and Zachary was upstairs with the kids. He sent me this to entertain me during this riveting time:
Also, I just want to mention that Liam's vocabulary is growing every day it seems! Today, on the way home from the CDC he said "almost home." He continued to say it the whole way home and it's so very cute!
So the maintenance people have been amazing with this washing machine situation. They sent out an appliance guy who looked at the washer today and said the sensor that tells the machine it's full of water malfunctioned and that when that happens, it means it's on its way out. He said, "so I wouldn't do any laundry unless you can stand there with it the whole time..." and I said, "oh so it still works?" excitedly because with two kids and a husband who works out every day, going a lengthy amount of time without a washer is not going to work. And he said, "oh well... I mean no..." but I took that to mean that it's really, really important that I stand there the whole time to ensure the water stops when it's supposed to. So today I was downstairs listening to a whole cycle of laundry and Zachary was upstairs with the kids. He sent me this to entertain me during this riveting time:
Also, I just want to mention that Liam's vocabulary is growing every day it seems! Today, on the way home from the CDC he said "almost home." He continued to say it the whole way home and it's so very cute!
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