Be Here

One of my personal goals is to be more real, to show my true self. It is one of our goals as leadership in MOPS this year, to be real and authentic in order to encourage our moms to get to know one another and develop meaningful relationships. My intent for this blog was to enable family and friends that live far away to keep up with my ever growing, ever changing kids. And I'm sure that is the motivation for you to check the blog on a regular, or not so regular basis -- to see what cute pictures are posted and to hear about funny things the kids did or said or see their accomplishments big and small. Well, now you will occasionally have to suffer through my thoughts . . . sorry! I am also trying to be more purposeful in the interactions and time I spend with my kids. Rather than trying to keep them busy while I clean, cook, organize, etc. I am simply trying to "be here" with them while I have them at home.

As I watched the girls this morning while they were waiting for the bus, I thought how great it is to just be a kid. They were cold waiting outside in the wind, and so took cover in the garage. This immediately turned into a ballet class. Now, neither of my girls has ever taken ballet, and from the looks of things their friend Reese hasn't either! It was fun to watch them take turns giving instructions -- the steps and moves they created were, well, let's say inventive (as opposed to graceful, which I think ballet is supposed to be). Then the bus rounded the corner and they scrambled to get their backpacks on and race the bus to the corner, giggling all the way. And I thought, wow, I wish my days were like that -- filled with anticipation, fun, laughter, friends, security . . .

Yesterday -

- On the way to swimming lessons, Delaney informed me that "mom, when I'm older, I'll likely settle around these parts." Around these parts??? Where in the world did she pick up that phrase?

- I was actually excited when Elliott ate an entire chicken mcnugget at McDonald's for dinner last night. Does that make me a bad mom? Those of you that know him well, know that Big E doesn't eat much more than fruit and breakfast food (yogurt, cereal, pancakes, bagels). So I was thrilled when he ate something that resembled meat and might have had a trace amount of protein. Lord help me, but Delaney, Jillian and I all celebrated his "sucess" with cheers and applause!

A lesson for mommy

Not that I need any more, but this is just another reason that I love my Jillybean! Okay, I know I'm a bad mom -- today I was racing to get home from our morning errands, and knew I was barely going to beat the bus to our house. Well, the bus beat me and because I wasn't home, took Jillian along for the remainder of the route. I called the bus company just to check in, and the nice lady on the phone radioed to the driver. "Auntie Sheila" was enjoying Jillian's company and would drop her off on her way back in -- about 45 minutes later than Jillian usually gets home. Feeling terrible and worrying how this would affect Jillian's feelings about riding the bus from now on, I busied myself with putting away the groceries and playing every kind of ball he could dig out of the garage with Elliott. Finally, after what seemed to me like forever, the bus pulled up to the driveway. Expecting to see tears and hear "mommy where were you?" I walked down the driveway to meet my princess, who came bounding down the steps of the bus and skipping across the street. As she flung herself into my waiting arms, Jillian joyfully told me "mommy, I got to see where all my friends live!!!"

I'll be thinking of this the next time things don't go my way.

School girls

1st Grader - Delaney

Kindergarten - Jillian


Off to the bus they go - umbrellas up and ready for the rain!

On his own . . .

Elliott was missing his sisters this morning. It is unusual for him to be home with just mommy, so he had to find ways to keep himself entertained. My personal favorite? Tucking his sippy cup under a couch pillow, covering his eyes and counting to 3 and exclaiming "ready or not here I come!" Seriously -- he did this three or four times and it was laugh-out-loud funny every time.

Happy Birthday . . .

to my one and only!

And Happy Anniversary, too -- 10 years!!!

My girls

When I returned home from a retreat on Sunday, my girls greeted me with oodles of pictures drawn just for me. This is quite common, their way of expressing just how much they missed me. Here is a picture from each one. Take a close look and tell me what you think they might mean . . .

This one I get. Home . . . hearts. . . the message isn't lost on me!

It's beautiful, Delaney.

Okay, do I need to work on my hairstyle? Not quite sure what's going on with it here -- look a little like a giant helmet. And I'm definitely not that blessed, but thanks for making a mommy feel good Jillian!

Soccer Sisters

It was a hot, but fun season of soccer this summer. We were surprised to discover our Jillian's dedication to playing goalie - she was fierce! Delaney was determined to earn a trip to Dairy Queen after every game and often did so by playing with intensity and scoring a goal. The last play of their last game of the season -- and Miss Jillian earned us that treat by scoring her very first goal ever! Here are some shots of them giving it their all!