Sunday, August 3, 2014

This Week's Top 10

Again...no particular order.  That takes extra time and organization to prioritize what happened this week, and quite frankly I'm about ready to finish a mystery novel I've been reading so I need to get this done :)

10.  Tomatoes - If there is one thing I love about summer...HA, that's funny.  There are about 15,000 things I love about summer.... But the food is one of them.  I crave a home grown tomato like a pregnant woman craves, well, anything. (I'm NOT pregnant, just an example!)  My brother, Joe and his wife planted a great little garden this year and they had an abundance of tomatoes.  He was kind enough to share the wealth.  Which I promptly ate right up.  First thing on the menu?  BLT.  Classic.  Awesome.  Soooo good.


9. Katerina's Car - If Katerina had a "to-do" list.  Each and every day at the top of that list would be.  Chase after Jackie.  But since Kat can't walk yet, she has to resort to either being "walked" by holding our fingers or playing in her car.  Her car is one of those little walker toys I bought when we realized that she wanted to follow us everywhere but couldn't.  I have a serious love/HATE relationship with this little toy.  I love the amount of time she spends in it and that is keeps her somewhat happy...until she gets stuck in a doorway that's not big enough.  But I HATE how bad it hurts.  That thing is the devil for your feet.  Even Jackie knows when we put her sister in the car that it kills your feet when she bumps in to you.  Jackie makes a bee-line for the couch or the Tupperware cabinet or anywhere else that is out of reach.  I either put on my tennis shoes or Ethan's slider shoes.

8. Nine Months - Yay!  Our little Kit Kat turned 9 months old this weekend.  Hard to believe we are on the countdown to ONE :)

7.  Dolly gets a bath - Jackie loves her little dolly that Papa gave her.  Dolly goes everywhere with Jackie.  I could watch her "play mommy" to that little thing all day.  I was finally able to sneak dolly away for a bath.  Washing the doll in the machine was out, so hand wash it was.  Thankfully it was going to be a hot day and I found a fast way to get the baby dry before nap time came around and Jackie had a meltdown because she couldn't have her doll.  Of course...Ethan did say it looked creepy.  Whatever works...right?  :)

6. Ladybug - Apparently any brown, black, or red spot is now a ladybug.  Tonight while eating her ice cream, Jackie delightfully announced that there was a ladybug in her ice cream, and then ate it.  Turns out, it was a chocolate chip.  She proudly showed me another one she found.  Amazing how many "ladybugs" are in chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.  :)  I don't know whether to be happy that she is no longer afraid of ladybugs or concerned that she would eat them so easily...

5. Finding a balance - One of the biggest challenges (OK...probably THE biggest) for me to solve in my mommy role has been trying to find that balance of keeping the house and spending time with the little ones.  I have really struggled with this.  Clean up after dinner or go outside and play with the girls on the swing.  Sweep up the floor or build a castle out of blocks.  I know.  I know.  I know.  I have heard the "They're only young once" and "spend time with them while you can" and "the mess will still be there, someday they won't" speeches a hundred times.  I say them to myself every time I load a dish into the dishwasher.  But here's the thing.  The mess is still there.  And I still have to clean it up.  So if I don't do some picking up and cleaning throughout the day, then I'm left with this HUGE MESS at the end of the day...which 9 times out of 10 I will leave until the morning because I am so tired and don't want to clean the house up at 8:00 at night.  I don't know if anyone ever figures out that balance, and I'm NOT wishing time will move any faster, but I do look forward to the day when I can have Jackie help load the dishwasher and Kat sweep up from under the table without it just making a bigger mess. 

4. Baby Joseph - Jackie has a few obsessions at the moment.  One of the cutest is her love for baby Joseph.  Joseph is a three month old little cousin (2nd cousin if you want to get technical).  To Jackie, he may as well be a living, breathing doll.  Joseph has an older sister, Elizabeth who is just a few months younger than Jackie.  When we get together with them, I wait for Jackie and Lizzie to go off and play together.  Nope. Jackie is totally taken by Joseph.  We saw them again Saturday for a wedding, in which Jackie went all around the reception looking for Joseph. She was so excited when she finally found him and even got to hold him.  Thanks Cyndi for being a great sport!

I don't think baby Joseph was as happy to see Jackie. :)
3.  New kicks - Jackie had to get some new shoes.  Call me cheap or tight or whatever (you are right) but I will not spend more money on my two-year-old's shoes than I will my own.  So.  We are hitting up any clearance sales we can to find shoes that will work.  Thanks Academy Sports for our 5.99 deal. 

2.  Daily Routine - I finally feel like we have figured out a fun daily routine that works for all of us.  Wake up, eat breakfast, go for a walk, clean up from breakfast, go to the park, lunch, play a little, NAP, play some more, fix dinner, DADDY'S HOME, eat dinner, bath, books, and bed.  This was our last week with that summer routine so here are some final shots at the park :)


1.  Miss Rose - Tomorrow morning we will be getting back into the swing of our school time schedule.  Girls will be heading to daycare.  Jackie has been saying "Miss Rose. Next week. Addie and Ella.  Willy too.  Mariah too." all week long.  I think she is excited to see all her friends again, but I'm not so sure she is ready to share with them.  She has definitely been more protective of her toys now that Katerina is mobile.  Speaking of Katerina.  She left at the end of May not quite sitting up and now she's sitting, crawling, and getting in to everything she can.  We are so lucky to have such a wonderful place for the girls to go while we are both at work.  I know, even if there are tears at drop off tomorrow, that they love being there and love Miss Rose!

1 comment:

Rachael Alsbury @ From Faye said...

Sneaking my girl's dolls and dress-up clothes away to wash them is such the ordeal! :) Special ops mode!