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.

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.

MY elf

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....

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.

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.

cabin fever? NOT yet!

today is the sort of day that makes me seriously consider why i live in the north and why i chose to have 3 girls so late in life. not that i don't love you 100% of the time, i just don't know what to do with you when it is 35 degrees outside (feels like 26). you all love the outdoors. heck i love the outdoors. but i don't remember young and stupid very well. at this point i just do old and ignorant. V, you want to wear summer clothes all the time. B, you will put on layers but quickly start undressing once outside. P, you just wander around hampered by the added layers causing much distress. i hate the volume of all of you when you are cooped up all day. and i don't tolerate cold like you little people. of course i would last in the extreme cold much longer than extreme heat.

so i'm facing a long winter if this is what's in store. Phoebe will throw a major fit if she doesn't get her way (i.e. doesn't get to play with the computer, remote control, phone....) and Beatrice tries to do things, runs out of patience, and throws a major fit (getting socks on, pushing up her sleeves, getting large items up the stairs...). Vivi just thinks she should be able to do anything she likes and is able to physically accomplish. no matter how many times she is told NOT to do it.

and as much as i see you three being the best of friends, right now you like to bug the crap out of each other (and me, i guess.) chase each other around the house, hug each other to the point of pain. push each other off furniture. and of course try to beat each other to a task. if i want V and B to do something i just have to make it a competition and it gets done. i also have to put up with one possibly getting hurt and one throwing a fit. complete madness.

hands full

everywhere that i go i hear, "you've got your hands full." this is because i am almost always with 3 small girls. to hear this all the time might make one doubt their parenting skills but sometimes the girls, all of them, are asleep in the stroller. i mean it's not like i am constantly running around behind them saying "stop" like i'm trying to herd chickens. although some days it feels that way.

this week was a bit busy. we had the usual preschool thing but we also had a sitting with a photographer to document Phoebe's first birthday. i know i'm a bit late and i'm sorry for that Phoebe. it's just your mom is terrible at organizing things. and apparently to schedule a sitting you must actually schedule it in advance. i'm more of a sneak in under the wire, right on time sort of gal. that is until i had the three of you and now i'm a running slightly behind sort of mom. when i no longer have to do things for you and me i hope that will change. we'll see.

this morning Vivi had to take the class snack which is fine only i didn't get it ready last night. so waking up late was sort of, well, chaos. you did great V and kept going with the getting dressed and having something that passes as breakfast if you're a supermodel. good thing you'll get to school and have that snack i prepared, at the last minute, for you. waffles and fruit.

back to the photo shoot.

Phoebe Odette, i hate to tell you this, but given your performance, you are not a future supermodel. i'm okay with this. V and B however are old pros and i'm a bit scared. but Phoebe you are who you are and the pics will be beautiful because they are of you....with your fingers in your mouth. i'm going with the fact that your teething because you are not normally so disagreeable.

yesterday we had an impromptu game of t-ball with Baxter and Paige. V, you and Baxter were really into it. you need to work on your swing but you are good at base running, although a bit conservative. B, you were dubbed Babe by Derek. you like to swing. you're a lefty at bat. you need to have a drink before you're up, and sometimes you take a pretend nap while running the bases. it really is funny.

this is the sort of stuff that makes it worth it to live here. to have playmates right across the street that are out and active...to run around unstructured and have parents close by that are good people. this is why we try to make it all work here.

yes, my hands are full, but really, (to use Beatrice speak) my heart is fuller.