Wednesday, November 26, 2008

gratitude

we are blessed. i look around my little world and smile. okay, sometimes it's a grimace but it still is mostly grand. we have a wonderful home in such a beautiful place. our daughters are healthy and laugh a whole lot. they have good friends and seem to like us. and most of the time i understand them. i'm even beginning to understand Phoebe. she even told me that she loves me the other day. i was leaving for work and she said to me bye. and i signed "i love you" to her and said it. she did what she does when i sign that and points at me and then she said "la loo" (V used to say it that way too)how much better can it get?

earlier today Phoebe was fussing because she was trying to wake up and it wasn't working right. Beatrice was in her face and i asked her to step away that she was scaring Phoebe. B started crying and said she didn't want to scare Phoebe. they are all playing nicely in the basement now. i know this is nice because i hear chatter and B is not shrieking and P is not crying. i am a mother who has a full heart. i am grateful.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

building a vocabulary

i had playgroup at my house today and one of the mom's commented on how we really need video of some of our fetes. Vivi had said something that she thought was priceless and should be recorded for the future. unfortunately i'm not able to remember what V said but in substitution i'll record some of Phoebe's favorite words.
at 14 months PO says....apple, more, peek-a-boo, maaama, papa, cracker and of course noooo. i need to start writing things down when she says them because i'm sure there's more.

oh and she says oooo for cheerio-esqe cereal and she will say up.

Friday, November 14, 2008

MY elf


Cover Image

i think this artist was drawing my Phoebe. i'll have to put a hat on her, take a picture and post the similiarity. more to follow....




Tuesday, November 11, 2008

spa day





one day i'm talking with Joy while all the girls are eating yogurt. they all have managed to convince me that contrary to what i have experienced in the past, this time they really want the whole cup themselves. okay, so Phoebe really doesn't do much convincing in the conventional way but if she doesn't get what she wants these days you pretty much need earplugs or want to be very, very far away. Phoebe always wants what her big sisters have. so i decided to set them all up with a cup. about 5 minutes later i check up on them to find Phoebe bathing in her cup. (i tell Joy that i'll have to email her a photo.) now she does have the most youthful glow of all of us so maybe there is something to this yogurt bath. i choose to let her have her fun and continue my phone call. the moments are rare that i can talk for more than a few seconds without mayhem or some such nonsense. this keeps them occupied. of course seconds later B and V have moved on leaving behind about half a cup each. like i didn't see that coming...
so i try to chase them down, (still on the phone) to clean them up so the entire house doesn't get the spa treatment. and when i make it back to the table to finally clean up Phoebe she has relaxed herself right to sleep. now, back in the day of semi-disposable income i would take yoga classes and always found it amazing that during the meditation part of class there would be a few who would have to be awakened at the end of class. now yoga is relaxing, but come on, you're on a hard floor, all sweaty. this is not what i think looking at my youngest foodie.
i'm standing there thinking "how cute" as i look on my totally napping child wondering how this could happen in a matter of minutes. really! if there were a time stamp on these photos you would be shocked at how close all these were taken. this isn't that strange with kids. i've taken my kids out of jumping seats, high chairs, wagons and probably other very active locales absolutely passed out. one minute squealing, the next snoring. i wish i had that sort of "off" switch.
come to think of it sometimes i wish their "off" switch was really a switch that i could flip.

as a side note, concerning elections.... we tried to explain to the girls what voting is all about. we want to raise good citizens and have them understand it's their duty to participate and try to care about others. so we talk about what we are doing and why. when we "celebrated" the next day because our pick won, we again wanted them to know who, what and why. not really getting much of a response, i thought hopefully someday they will know how much this means and vaguely remember that they were "there". so days later Obama is having his first press conference as president-elect. i'm watching the newshour on PBS and B comes strutting into the room, sits down and says to me. "that's rock oBOMba." it was brilliant!! all this at two and a half....could this be the beginnings of a good little voter?

i'm so proud of my girls.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

a thing about voting

"Citizens of the world, accept the glorious liberty of the children of God," and be free! This is your divine right." I've been thinking about this passage from Science and Health a lot lately. what does it mean to be a citizen?

Today, November 4, 2008 is an historic day. if there is one thing i want you girls to know, it is important to show up. there may be the largest voter turnout in history today. this is important for you and me. this means you are a part of something big. there is something else that i think you should know about voting. there will be lots of stories and lies, big promises and half truths. no one is immune and perhaps this is part of being a politician. you have to do your homework. you may have a feeling or idea of how you will vote but you can be talked out of it with one lie. sometimes you may be faced with the choice between the lesser of two evils. don't take anything at face value and always look for the whole story. the internet is good for that. most of all, pray. you will know what you need to do.

you went with your papa and i to the polls and patiently waited while we cast our votes. we didn't have long lines. i believe many voted early. we wanted you girls to be there. B, you tried to write on my ballot and then just settled down and began to write on the floor before i realized it. V, you did loops around us like a little butterfly until we told you we were done. and Phoebe you hung out in your papa's arms and watched while he struggled to mark the ballot one handed. we don't have voting booths and we are a paper system. very much like taking a standardized test, only there is no wrong answer. this is comfortable for us. the most electronic we get is feeding the ballot into the box which happened to jam when i was trying to put my ballot in. even still i am hopeful. i am elated that people care about what happens and that they showed up. only time will tell if our hopes will carry us to a better place. you girls definitely deserve it.