Gratitude

The sermon in church yesterday was about gratitude.  The pastor stressed that we give thanks for all that we have in our lives, instead of bemoaning that which we don't.  Today I was reminded of all that God gives and I am feeling very thankful tonight.   For one thing, Liam began officially crawling forward today.  He has been scooting backward for a few weeks, but today he took his first few forward movements and I found myself so excited for him, yet a little apprehensive knowing that my life would become that much more complicated. Still, I can't help but feel thankful that my happy and healthy baby is reaching his milestones and will be so much happier now that he can move about.

 My car went in for service today and I felt gratitude for the service manager when he threw in a new cup holder to replace the one that was missing a few parts.  It's the little things that make you the most thankful!   I was also thankful that everything they fixed was under warranty.

Utah, born October 24, 2006

I am feeling really thankful for the new member we are adding to our family tomorrow.  This past week we heard about a friend-of-a-friend who was looking for a new home for their golden retriever.  Long story short, they gave it to Retrievers and Friends of Southern California.  I logged onto their website to see if it was still available and found a different dog immediately captured my heart.  His name is Utah.  He is 4 and was lonely since his pal passed away.  He needed a home with another dog and one that would allow him to be in the house.  He is friendly and good on a leash.  His family did not have time for him any longer. How perfect for us since we wanted to add a buddy for Bodie, and to get a dog who was a little older.  I just asn't prepared to teach Liam to walk while potty training a puppy.  Patrick and I filled out the extensive online application last night and waited to see if we could meet him.

This morning was hectic as we switched cars and dropped mine off at Weseloh Chevrolet.  The kids were whiny and I stopped by Starbucks for coffee and bagels.  We did some errands and I stopped by home to pick up some baby food and shorts for the kids as we were on our way to La Jolla for a doctor's appointment.  As I walked through the backdoor, the phone was ringing, and it was Nancy from the retriever rescue.  She had great news!  Our application was so impresive (yay us!) that they decided to skip the home visit and award us the dog.  Guess they know dog people when they see them.  I think the pics of all the Perry goldens together helped a little too!  We are heading to Murrietta tomorrow to meet him and bring him home.  Gratitude!  Bodie will have some company to hang out with and we can make Utah very happy by giving him a new home.

As I look back on my day filled with some trying times (whining toddler, crying baby, hectic schedule, Laney pooping in her panties, etc.) I can only feel gratitude for my God for steering my day in the right direction.  I have such a good feeling about the love and grace that this new dog will add to our home.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.

If I hear "Beat It" one more time...

Laney's all-time favorite song is "Beat It" by Michael Jackson.  I introduced Laney to it about a year ago and I have now listened to it at least 104 times (that is what my iPod says, but I have changed iPods in the last year too!).  I played it for her one day in the car after telling my mom in a joking manner to "beat it" when I dropped her off after running some errands with us.  Ever since then Laney demands to hear "Beat It" nearly every time we get in the car.  Recently she has even been singing along with the song from the middle row of the car.  This morning she came to tell me that there was water on her stool, and then said "It doesn't matter, just like "Beat It"."  After I sang a few bars of the song under my breath, I realized that she was quoting from the chorus:

Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it /No one wants to be defeated /Show 'em how funky and strong is your fight /It doesn't matter who's wrong or right /Just beat it, beat it 

I had to laugh because it was such a smart thing to say, even though it was completely random.  Perhaps I will come to regret introducing her to Luke Bryan's "Country Girl (Shake it for Me)" today.  I wonder how she will work that one into conversation.

The Dog and Pony Show AKA Hammond Dance Recital

 Avery, Autumn and Laney at dress rehearsal

While Patrick was off hiking, Laney danced in her very first dance recital.  As the tradition goes, all of the Hammond School of Dance students tapped their way down to the Mandeville Auditorium for a review of the past year's hard work.  Laney is in the 2-4 year old class, and they performed a tap dance to "The Bunny Jamboree" by Kimbo.   Don't bother looking up the song because it will sink into your brain and you will have an earworm for the next few days.  One of my best friends, Amanda, has her daughters enrolled in the class and we  were (thankfully) able to conquer this mountain together.  There was a mandatory full-costume/hair/makeup dress rehearsal Friday night at 6pm  which is such a fun hour to be out and about with a 3 year old.  The girls looked adorable in their costumes, but we skipped the hair and makeup routine for the rehearsal.

Doing makeup and hair backstage

Lip gloss kiss face

Nervous smile before the performance.

Saturday night was the big performance, so we made a day of it.  Amanda and her daughters met Laney and I at the nail salon for mani/pedis.  Then I hit Target to snap up 3 ballerina Barbies to award our little dancers after their big performance.  I put pin curls in Laney's hair and did some makeup, which was so exciting for her.  She proudly displayed her kiss face over and over in the mirror.  When it came time for the dancing, Laney was definitely nervous.  She came out on stage with her friend Avery, escorted by the teacher's son Nate.  Laney participated in about 30% of the dance until she noticed the girl next to her on stage.  The girl standing to her left was trying to catch a little bitty feather from her costume that was flying around in the air.  After watching the girl try to grab the feather, Laney decided to join in instead of dancing.  As the dance went on she forgot the steps and squatted down and played with her shoes.  My favorite part was was when she clapped for herself at the end of the performance.  Laney was precious and precocious, and I loved every laughable minute of it. Worth every penny of the $20 per seat we paid to sit in the seats less than 10 minutes.

Big happy smiles after the performance

I was especially thrilled to share the experience with my sister since we are both Hammond Studio alums.  The dog-and-pony-show was one of our favorite times of year, and I have to say that the dressing room at Mandeville still smells the way it did 30 years ago.  That smell makes me think of glitter, sequins, feathers, and hairspray, and it took me back to very happy times in my life.  So glad that my daughter gets to have those memories too.

Odds and Ends

1.  I finally finished the thank you notes for Laney's birthday, and I have to say that I love the way they turned out.  I have been dreaming (yes dreaming) about buying a circular paper punch, but they are expensive and I haven't had a *valid* reason to until now.  As luck would have it, Michaels had the punches for 30% off, so I went hog-wild and got 2 circle sizes, a ruffled edge circle, and a square punch to boot!  Feeling some creative juices flowing again after making all those cards.

Here is a sample of my work (and thanks to Martha for creating the adorable elephant punch that came in sooooo handy for Laney's elephant party!)

2.  We have a pair of doves living in our yard somewhere.  We haven't identified the actual place yet, but they are big fans of our pergola by the barbecue.  We see them out there all day long, and hear them cooing to each other frequently.  Laney has decided to name the pair Helen and Thomas, although I think they look like a Harold and Maude to me.  

Helen and Thomas of Shadetree Drive...although I couldn't tell you which is which

4.  Patrick and Gavin made it to the top of Mt. Shasta and back, and all in one piece.  They ended up summiting a day early due to weather, and only got about 2 hours of sleep during their first night camping on the mountain.  I am so proud of them for accomplishing their goal, but mainly for not ending up in the E.R. and still being on speaking terms after traveling together!

 Learning how to camp in the snow, use crampons and ice axes

Their hike to the summit began on day two, at 1 am.

Each of the boys at the summit of Mt. Shasta

At the summit, amidst the haze and weather!  14,000 + feet.  Wooo hoooo!

5.  Laney went to the Fair for the first time yesterday.  She went with her Oma and Kiersten (her cousin).  Laney reports that "I went on the swings with Kiersten and did all the rides.  I played a fishing game and I winned a orange doggy toy.  I saw goats, some rabbits, some sheep, some chickens, and a rooster in a special gate.  My favorite part was the orange bus and the double decker one with stairs.  I ate chicken nuggies and french fries.  My legs were tired and I just watched the kids on the slide."

I asked her if she would like mommy to take her another time (feeling guilty that I don't enjoy the fair and have dreaded taking her as soon as she was born.)  She said she wants Oma to take her again, not mommy.  How lucky am I?

My gorgeous baby is getting so big!

6.  Liam is ALMOST crawling, and I feel like my life as I know it will soon cease to exist.  He can get up on his hands and knees, or hands and toes, or some combination of both.  He tries to rock forward but ends up falling over most of the time.  Liam really likes standing up and holding onto the sofa or the coffee table.  He is so brazen that he will turn around from the coffee table and lunge toward the sofa.  He still has wobbly legs as he is learning to stand, but will pick up his feet and move them as if to walk if you hold onto both of his hands.  I think he is desperate to be mobile and it won't be long before the child safety gates get re-installed in our house.  Liam is also starting to give kisses on demand (mostly only to mommy, but we are working on that).  He loves to plant an open mouthed slobber kiss on me, especially when I get him out of his crib after his nap. He also likes to check himself out in the mirrored wardrobe doors in his room after getting up from a nap, and smiles brightly at his own reflection as he pats the mirrror and greets his adorable smiling face.  He is such a flirt and a goofball all rolled up in one.  Heaven help us, I think we might be raising the class of  2028's Official Class Clown.

Happy (early) Fathers Day P!

Look out Mt. Shasta--here comes
P and G!

Patrick is leaving tomorrow on a "man adventure" with my brother-in-law Gavin.  They will be summiting Mt. Shasta with a crew from REI over the weekend.  I helped Patrick pack up his backpack tonight and it officially weighed in at 30.4 lbs.  He will also need to carry water so he will be spending the weekend lugging almost 40 lbs around with him in what appears to be the worlds most uncomfortable hiking boots (double plastic mountaineering boots for those who were wondering).  Good luck Patrick.

Shamu doing his thing

At the viewing window for the Beluga whales

We celebrated Father's Day today as a family.  P took the day off from work and we spent a leisurely morning eating waffles, strawberries, and blueberries.  After Liam's nap we headed to Sea World.  The weather was nice and we caught the new Shamu show, One Ocean.  Laney had never seen it before and was delighted by the back-flipping whales and the fact that people were getting splashed by them.  Thankfully we were not in the Soak Zone or I don't think she would have been so delighted.  We visited the penguins, walruses, polar bears, and the beluga whales.  Laney really likes those whales and I really like that their exhibit is indoors and air conditioned.

Happy Father's Day to a truly remarkable daddy!

Later we let her run around in the kiddie play area.  She loves to climb the giant cargo nets and go down the twisty slide.  It is pretty difficult as a parent to stand down at the bottom of the cargo net and watch your 3 year old ascend.  I kept reminding myself that she would be fine if she fell and was quite capable of climbing on her own.  Still, a nervous energy thrummed through me until she made it to the top and climbed completely into the playhouse.  That right there is the difficult yet amazing part of being a parent.  Part of you is standing there cheering for your child as they accomplish something new and on their own.  The other part of you is thinking of all the horrible things that could go wrong and you can't help wondering if you should dash up the cargo net after them and lead them by the hand to the top, just to make sure that everything goes smoothly.   Instead you stand at the bottom with a huge smile plastered on your face as you see the proud look on your baby's face when they realize that they did it. You act like a fool jumping up and down, not caring what anyone else thinks, as you thrust your fists into the air and yell "hooray!"

I just now realized that today was a dry run for this weekend.  I will keep reminding myself that Patrick and Gavin will be fine and are quite capable of climbing to the top of Mt. Shasta.  I will not allow myself to think of all the horrible things that could go wrong, because they won't.  Laney will be dancing on stage in front of hundreds at her dance recital Saturday, and I will be there to reassure her that she can and will get up on stage and dance.  No matter how that dance goes, I will be waiting in the wings for my little prima ballerina with my heart on my sleeve.  I will be a cheerleader for all of them no matter what kind of energy is thrumming inside of me.  My family takes flight this weekend as they endeavor on new adventures.  I am making a promise to myself that I will not fret and I will not worry about the "what ifs" at all for the next few days.  I promise I will be the fool jumping up and down, fists in the air; not the one dashing nervously up the cargo net to hold someone's hand.

Happy birthday Doug!

Happy birthday big guy!

My friend Krista has three boys and her youngest turned one this weekend.  We went to his party and Liam made fast friends with him in the playpen.  So cute to watch them interact.  Liam's first friend :)  So glad they like each other because Krista and I have been friends for almost 16 years now and we want to keep it that way.

Pack-n-play buddies

Nail polish strips, my new obsession!

I just tried out some Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips and all I have to say is wow!

These things are amazing!  I filed my nails, pushed back my cuticles, then cleaned my nails with polish remover.  You then peel the strip of patterned polish off the plastic backing and place it on your nail bed (it is sticky on the backside).  Smooth the strip over your nail with the mini orange stick, and then run a file along the edge of your nail to cut off the excess and voila!  Instant manicure with no smudges or drying time.  Perfect for busy moms who never have time to wait for their nails to dry.

I tried out the Skinny Jeans color which looks like little denim swatches on my nails.  Supposedly these last for 10 days without chipping and come off with nail polish remover like regular polish.  We will see how they last doing dishes, making bottles, and changing diapers.

They were a tad on the expensive side, but I have short nails and was able to use some of the strips for 2 nails, which should cut the cost of my home manicure in half.  The box cost around $9 and comes in many varieties:  such as lace, butterflies, leopard spots, multi-color and (gasp!) glitter.  Too bad CVS was out of the glitter when I was there shopping.  I hope these things work.  I may never get a mani again.