Happy Birthday Steph!!!

Ok, this should have gone out yesterday, but...

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Steeeeeephieeeeeee
Happy birthday to you!!!!!!

In my world, when you hit a certain age, you start going backwards, so I figure you're now, like, twenty-five. So happy twenty-fifth, big sis!!! I love you!!!

Day 147- Mustn't allow my poor sick sister to remain bored...

Well hello there! And how are you today? I am ducky, thanks for asking. Ok, not entirely true. You see, my husband is gone and has been all week (off to Tunisia, in a four star hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, eating out every night, all on work's dime. But I'm not Jealous. *cough*). I am attempting to potty train the most amazingly stubborn girl on the face of the planet (which makes me oddly proud even as I feel like tearing my hair out. She is going to be some formidable woman...). All four children have now become sick, three with colds and the fourth with a very stubborn nose thingy for which she is taking meds, but still doesn't seem to be breathing right. And my parents are getting ready to leave me for three months, which is always a truly traumatic occurance for me, as I am rather attached to them (Apron string? What apron string? Oh, you mean the one I am clutching with all of my strength as my mother attempts to pry my white knuckled fingers off? ). Uurgh.

On the other hand, I am thankful for so many blessings, not the least of which is the fact that I spend my day in this warm cozy house taking care of my beautiful children rather than freezing on a rooftop (as my father's blog reminds me). I am also not a pioneer woman, struggling to survive in a harsh and lonely no man's land (as my sister's blog reminds me). Nor am I still struggling through the last, and most unpleasant, bit of pregnancy (which my own blog reminds me in earlier posts). Therefore, today is a lovely day and I am happy.

Ok, interesting happenings. Um, oh yes! Julia is now in a toddler bed rather than a crib! It is a cute pink princess bed, and it even came with a matching bench, which is probably her favorite part. We've already spent quite a bit of quality time reading on said bench (yes, it can hold my weight, so it's clearly quality stuff!). Anyway, we are traversing the difficult territory of her newfound freedom, namely, the ability to actually get out of bed after I put her down. Thanks to techniques learned through watching The Nanny (I love that woman. Oh my goodness, do I love that woman), we are successfully staying in bed at night. However, naps have been another story. She has not napped since we got the thing. Except today. I have finally discovered the answer. It struck me last night, when I closed the door after putting her to bed, instead of leaving it open for a while in order to be able to monitor her as she was going to sleep as has been my custom basically since she was born. This time I closed it, mostly to keep our noises from bothering her, and I discovered that she did not get out of bed. Not once. (I listened at the door) So, today at naptime, I closed the door. and she stayed in bed! She did not get up over and over and over again until I gave up (as has happened each day at nap time). She stayed put!!! Apparently upon realizing that the door was not open, so there was nowhere for her to go, she simply gave up and went to sleep!!!!! I cannot tell you what an amazing discovery this is. I am actually going to get my nap times back!!!! My joy overflows!

So my life is good, even when it's bad (uh, what?). And that's my post. Not bored anymore, are you?

Day 139- How life changes us...

Ok, when I was a teenager, I was what you might refer to as a feminist. In fact, at Young Life camp, when I did Work Crew for a month, some of the guys joked that I carried a pink swastika (feminazi) and a sharpened carrot (I was also a raging vegetarian). I really was not an obnoxious feminist who treated all guys like they are trash while we are queens. Rather, I felt that women were/are just as good as men and should never be treated otherwise. I proved this often by doing the "heavy" lifting and "tough guy" challenges that the guys would compete over, earning myself the iron man (in this case woman) award at the end of the month. My feminism manifested itself in a variety of ways, all tame I assure you, but one of these ways was my absolute determination to raise any girl children I might have to be strong, independent, and definately not housewives.

Fast-forward to today, and discover this evidence:
Yes, that is me vacuuming while my eldest daughter imitates me with her own little vacuum. This picture would have made young me choke. I guess what I have discovered is that housewives are some of the strongest women I know, and that there is no shame in pretending to be one. That being said, she also has a doctor set, you know, just in case.

Day 138- Julia is 2 years old!!

Well, this past Friday my sweet eldest daughter (boy is that fun to say. Eldest daughter. Because I have two now. Happy happy joy joy!) turned two years old. She is the most two year old two year old you've ever met. Everything you know about two year olds, good and bad, manifests itself in her at different points each day. She is incredibly creative and interested in everything, playing and learning on higher levels every day. She can now count to ten, knows almost all of her colors and a few of her shapes, and her favorite activities include scribbling, beading jewelry, playing little people, dolls, pretend cooking, and legos (thanks to her brothers), and reading with mom or dad. She is sooooo smart, and her conversations are really getting advanced. I love the little sentences she says now, like, "Uh oh, doggy fell down and went boom!" or "More raisins right there please, daddy." I am amazed by her every day. On the other side of the coin, she is also so incredibly bossy and very much a little tyrant. Jeremy has commented on several occasions that she is "all Redmond girl." I'm not sure, but I don't think that's meant to be a compliment! :)

Despite these occasional difficulties, I can honestly say that she has brought me so much joy and sunshine, excitement and fun, and I cannot believe that I was ever able to exist in a world where she didn't. Every morning her smile fills me up to the top, and I find myself grinning like a fool and dancing with pure joy at the sight of her. I have a small glimpse of what it must be like to catch the eye of our savior and be just filled with love from head to toe. How I will dance and sing for Him!

Anyway, we started the day with the traditional all-over-the-house decorations. In our house we include streamers, lots of streamers, and balloons. Julia loved them all!


Friday night we had a family birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was very nice! We had tortellini (her favorite) and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and I made a paw print chocolate cake with blue frosting for dessert, in keeping with this year's Blue's Clues theme. Here are a few pictures:
On Sunday, we had some good friends over to have another little Blue's Clues party. We found paw prints to discover what special thing Blue wanted to do today: Have Julia's Birthday party! Then we played a hide-the-bone game, a puzzle game ( which I stupidly made way too hard), had cupcakes (blue ones of course!) and watched a Blues Clues video (one with Steve, of course). In case you haven't figured it out yet, Julia looooooves Blues Clues!




She got way too many presents, of course, but tell me that face doesn't just beg to be spoiled.
One of her favorite gifts was a beading set from her Grandma and Grandpa. She has been making some really fun things with it. Here are a few examples:



So there you have it. Another milestone reached, another birthday party finished, another year I can never get back gone. I am still trying to perfect the potion that will keep her this age forever, but until I do, I will have to enjoy every little bit of it. It all goes way too fast!

Day 126: Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines. (AKA: "It's going to be a bumpy ride....")

Well, today Jacob returned to school after his long winter break, and Joshua returned to homeschooling, and I returned to a regular schedule of not quite getting everything I want/need to done at any given moment of the day. My list of new year's resolutions includes one on getting better organized and getting more done each day. The rest of the list? Well, you might be interested to hear that I am firmly resolving to cut back on the number of sweet and unhealthy foods in this house. I can't just decide to cut back on my own consumption thereof, for I know my limitations, and I will undoubtedly eat anything that is in the house. No, I need to physically purge our house of the offending items so as to allow myself to actually live up to this resolution. It will do all of my family good to return to the days when a piece of fruit was considered a snack and dessert, the unhealthy kind that is, was a rare treat.

We are also going to cut back on the amount of TV we watch. This includes movies and video games. As of February, we will have an entire month when the TV is actually unplugged to give us a good start. (I decided that our resolutions would actually start in February instead of January, since it would be too hard to expect them not to watch TV or eat sweets at Grandma and Grandpa's house. As of February, they will be in Florida, so I will be able to have full control over my little darlings . Mu hahahaha (maniacal laugh))

So, my overall resolution is to create a healthier environment for our family. We will tackle the exercise one come late spring, when we can actually go outside, because, as much as I love snow, I do not like to be cold, so I will not be venturing out for any "healthy outdoor activities". Yuck.
I will hope for the best, expect perhaps moderate change, and pray that we don't abandon the whole thing within a week. Fasten your seatbelts...

Day 124: Happy New Year Everyone!!!

If old acquaintance be forgot....like the rest of this song...then why worry about them? Time to make some new acquaintances! Actually, I am most thankful for my friends and family who, this past year, have really shown me who cares for me and my family and who doesn't. You wonderful people, you know who you are, thank you for loving on us like you did this year. We are truly blessed.