February 21 = MOPS Day

Today at our MOPS meeting, we had our four mentor moms take questions from the group.  My co-coordinator is in the process of moving and wasn't able to come today so I sent her this picture of the setup:

On my way out I noticed a bin with maternity clothes in it at our "gifting table," so I took advantage of that!

January 24 = Tom Brady Day

We had a fun MOPS meeting this morning- it was a white elephant gift exchange.  So everyone got a number and the person with number one chose a gift out of the middle of the room- everyone brought something they got for Christmas that they didn't want- well that was the idea.  I didn't get anything I didn't want so I brought some cute little notecards that I thought other moms would like.  But anyway.  I was number 2.  So the first person went and opened the bag of her choice- it was a legitimate Tom Brady jersey.  I got super excited but quickly reminded myself that because I was the second person... oh I forgot to mention.  So the second person can either choose a new gift from the middle or they can "steal" a gift that someone else had already chosen.  So I got excited knowing I could steal this gift but since I was only the 2nd person, there were twenty something other people that could steal it from me.  So I did steal it and then played the "my birthday was Sunday so please don't take this from me" card.  A couple people in, no one had stolen yet, so I decided to put it on my body.  I figured people would be less likely to steal a gift if it was on a pregnant woman's body whose birthday was two days before.  I was right- it worked.  Or it could have been that in a room full of stay at home moms, I was the only one super stoked about a football jersey.  In any case- I am now the proud owner of a Tom Brady jersey :)

Also, Liam had an ophthalmology appointment today- I always get so impressed with myself when I spell that word right on the first try.  I grabbed this picture because I thought it was so cute how he lined up all these pieces in a row.  The eye appointment went well- we have to go pretty often because one of the major side effects of his NF1 is something an Ophthalmologist can see but there are no signs of anything wrong right now so we'll take it!

November 1 = First Bump Picture

Okay so we found out I was pregnant on October 5th.  Meaning today I am just over 7 weeks.  Most people at seven weeks do not have a bump.  But then again, this is my fourth pregnancy if you count the recent miscarriage which did bump out.  So my body's been here four times before and it just knows to pop on out there.  I have a concerned look on my face because I was going to MOPS and nowhere close to announcement time but it's kind of obvious... or maybe I just ate too much Halloween candy last night.

This is how I left the cats in the morning, and this is how I found them when I got home:

Also, Malia wasn't cool with her costume last night but she's all about it today.

September 20 = Firsts Day

Today was my first MOPS meeting.  I tried to join a MOPS group over a year ago but the only one near me had a wait list.  So in January, I got off the waitlist and got to join the group. Towards the end of the year the leaders were trying to find new leaders to step up because one needed a break and the other was moving to Scotland for a year.  I, being totally new to this MOPS group, thought I wasn't quite qualified but no one was volunteering.  So I eventually told the coordinators I'd be willing to do it but I knew I may not be the ideal candidate since I was so new.  Well only one other person volunteered and both of us were hoping to be co-coordinators, not have the whole job to ourselves, so I met Anna and we started planning this year of MOPS.  Well today is the first meeting!  Look at this note from my sweet husband:

I had to leave the first MOPS meeting early- as I will need to every meeting- to pick Liam up from the bus.  While I was waiting, I spotted this little guy.

My mom once was bitten?  snapped?  I don't know what by a snapping turtle so I was very careful to keep my hands away from its mouth and moved him out of the road.

 
I had to take this picture because Malia has a new habit of putting socks on her hands like mittens...

The other first today was Malia's first soccer "practice."  This is mainly going to be Zachary's job to take her to soccer but for her first day, I wanted to watch.  Liam did not.  We walked around and found a playground...

 Zachary has pictures of Malia on her first soccer day but I don't... this is all I have- her taking her shoes off on the field.   Let's hope there are more to come!

September 13 = Soccer Shots Day

We had a really busy day today!  First we took Liam to the bus stop and then we went to the MOPS Registration Playdate.  Malia wanted to dress for the occasion:

Other moms (not this one because it takes all I have to get us fed, dressed, and out the door) brought extra riding toys so the kids with moms like me could have something to play with.  Malia took advantage:

Later, it was time for Malia's first soccer shots... I don't even know what to call it... practice?  gathering?  I don't know.

Here's a video of Malia participating fully in the... gathering.  I'm going with gathering.

And hugs for her friend, Evie:

Liam was not a fan of watching from the sidelines so he and Zachary found some other trouble to get into:

Coach Casey did her job:

August 16 = Help Mommy Day

I was working on some stuff for our MOPS retreat Friday night and the kids were right there to help!

Later, Liam asked to color and I told him he could in a little while... I finished what I was doing and went to find him some crayons and found him coloring on the agenda for MOPS that I had written and made so pretty...  I calmly said "Not cool, Liam."  And he said "I sorry momma."  So cute.  Trouble.  But cute.

July 26 = Video that Makes Me Cry Day

First this:

Then:

I took on the role for co-coordinator for my MOPS group this year with my new friend, Anna.  We've gotten together to meet and talk about what we want to do with MOPS and we get along so well and work really well together- it's going to be so great.  So part of being coordinators is we get this cool box with lots of stuff to help us plan a year including 17 DVD segments that we can play during a meeting.  The MOPS group I went to in Jacksonville used the videos a lot but this group didn't use them at all since I've joined so we'll see what we do with them.  But there was one with the theme "Becoming Wonderstruck Moms" and the speaker on it was Lisa Gungor.  She talked about her child with special needs and I related so well to it.  She talked about a song she wrote about her daughter and after watching the video she spoke in and nearly crying, I watched the music video for the song she wrote, and lost it.  I can't find the video she spoke in online but here's the video and the song she wrote for her daughter with Down Syndrome (which I really thought was Down's Syndrome... but it's not- fun fact).

May 17 = Help Sister Day

I'm going to start with that because although Liam is three, he's getting close to four and this totally applies.

Today was our last MOPS meeting.  We ate some yummy food and played some games- one of them was "Mingle Bingo" where you have a bingo card and you have to find people that match descriptions in each of the squares.  Some of the descriptions were:

Is a twin
Drives a Prius
Knows how to sew

The only two out of 24 that applied to me was "has a tattoo" and "dislikes tomatoes."  After the games all the moms picked their kids up from Moppets and we all met downstairs in the gym for what was supposed to be a fun "picnic" because it was raining outside.  Part of the meeting was "sharing time" for people to talk about what MOPS means to them.  One girl said she was disappointed she hadn't been able to come very much but that she's looking forward to next year and is really hoping to make some friends.  I can definitely relate so I found her at the picnic afterward and we discussed how hard it is to find friends!  She's super nice and I think we're going to plan some play dates during the summer to keep us busy until MOPS starts back up in the fall!  I had to leave early because Liam was throwing tantrums because I wouldn't let him open the doors off of the gym that opened up into rooms with lots of musical instruments in them.  It wasn't pleasant.

But he had a nap and afterward was feeling a little better.  I asked him to clean his room when I got him up and that involved putting his number puzzle pieces in the right spots and when Malia came in, he started pointing to the spot each of the pieces she was picking up went and it was so cute!  I waited too long to start taking a video so you only see him helping with one piece but it was so, so cute.

 

April 5 = Selfie Day

Today we started off with MOPS.  Today's meeting was called "Tea and Treasures."  We had a really nice breakfast on China that people brought in and then we listened to a lady's testimony.  It was beautiful and inspirational and a great morning!

MOPS is a little early for us so when we got home it was time for a quick lunch and a good nap.  Here's Malia trying to wake Liam up from his nap.

Then it was time to take some selfies.  

April 1 = New Backyard Day

First I saw this on facebook today and I loved it.  They're simple things that can help us be better moms.  At MOPS the other week, we talked about how it's hard for us to see ourselves as "good moms" and chances are, we all are.  If someone asked me, "Do you think you're a good mom?" the first thoughts that would come to my mind are all the things where I fall short.  The fact that I don't do my preschool routine every day.  The fact that I let my kids watch a little too much tv and play on the iPad too much.  The fact that we might eat chickfila too much.  Sometimes I forget to put their coats in the car.  Sometimes I let them go to bed without brushing their teeth.  Sometimes I sit in the locker room for an extra ten minutes to check my email and facebook and maybe play a game of Sudoku before going to pick up the kids from the gym's kids' club.  But in the grand scheme of things none of that matters.  He'll be in school soon enough... he doesn't need preschool every day.  I can't tell you how much he's learned from watching Caillou and it's hard to believe what all he can do on the ABC Mouse app.  Chicken nuggets and french fries once a week isn't going to kill anyone- in fact, both kids could use some extra calories.  Now the brushing teeth... I really want them to learn to take good care of their teeth.  I gotta work on that one.  The extra ten minutes in the kids' club- they need time with peers.  So why not concentrate on the tons of hugs and kisses I get and give every day?  The fact that they are kind and friendly to other people.  The love they have for each other.  The fact that they feel safe and loved and know when they're hurt or upset or frustrated they can come and sit on my lap and I'll rub their backs and kiss their foreheads and squeeze them until they start laughing and forget whatever made them come to me in the first place.  And I know I'm not the only one. This was a good reminder that it's the little things- things we probably don't even realize we're doing that make us all good moms.

 Speaking of using the iPad too much...

Anyway- what I wanted to talk about in this blog post is our new backyard.  Well it's not new but the "grass" is!  We put these outdoor carpets down today was our first day being able to play outside!

Liam's a fan... of the backyard and still a fan of his bow tie.  

March 1 = MOPS Day

Last year, I was trying to find a MOPS group to join.  I was in a MOPS group in Jacksonville and it was a nice two hour break two Tuesdays a month where the kids got to play with other kids and I got to listen to speakers and talk to other moms.  Well... I found one two minutes from our house but they didn't have any availability for childcare so I was on a waitlist.  I got an email a couple weeks back that they had room so they were able to add some new moms!  We were supposed to go two Tuesdays ago but the schools were closed because of snow so they canceled the meetings.  So today was the day!  I got the kids in their respective rooms and then went to the meeting.  I got to sit at the gold table- each table has a color and a flower and we're the sunflowers.  Quick history on why I love sunflowers: when we got home from the hospital after Malia was born, "Liam" got Malia sunflowers as a welcome home (and welcome to the world) present.  So I love sunflowers!  Anyway!  We had quite a bit of time just to talk to the other people at our table and everyone was so very friendly- it was such a relief.  Then they had two speakers- co-owners of a local toy store, talking about the importance of play.  They talked mostly about outdoor play which we haven't been able to experience lately but it gave me some good ideas for when that time comes.  I had Liam in the CDC today because Tuesdays are kind of rough and Zachary has to stay later tonight that normal.  I was tempted to stay at the meeting but the CDC serves lunch at 11:30 so if I had stayed, I'd have to go home, feed him, and then take him and it just didn't make a lot of sense.  I knew that most of the social time is at the end of the meeting so I was disappointed but... oh well- better planning next time.  Here are my babies on the way to the car... how sweet!

So we went the CDC and on the way, Malia was saying "Minnie!  Minnie!"  So I told her I'd get Minnie when we stopped.  And then realized... we left Minnie at the meeting.  So I dropped Liam off and then rushed back to the church.  The meeting had just finished and one of the moms told me some of them were going to the playground in the back of the church if I wanted to join!  So I still got some social time anyway- wins all around!

So at home, Malia and I had some rest time and cleaning time and then, before we knew it, it was time to get Liam.  So we picked him up and then headed to AC Moore to get some things for activities that will hopefully be a success... and hopefully I'll post about them because they went so well... fingers crossed.  Well, we just had the best time in AC Moore.  Going up and down the aisles, Liam was pointing out different colors and letters, numbers and animals.  Malia was in her stroller and Liam was helping me push her.  It was beautiful.  I found what I needed and we went up to the front. And then it all fell apart.  I don't know what set him off but Liam lost his mind.  Fell on the floor, slammed his head on the floor... was screaming at the top of his lungs.  I just ignored all the stares I was getting, got through the transaction and got to the car.  Then we headed to chickfila.  I stopped and cut up their chicken, put it in snack cups and gave it to them to eat on the way to the gym.  I had a great workout and by the time we got home it was time to read stories and go to bed!  So besides the AC Moore breakdown, we had a really great Tuesday!