8 down, 42 to go

Today is our 8th wedding anniversary! Jeff and I often joke that our marriage is only a 50 year deal and that after the 50 years are up, we will shake hands and go our separate ways. The "joke" part is that after 50 years, we know that we won't be able to live without one another, nor would we want to. Our little joke has a practical purpose, too. It often serves as a reminder to take a step back and think of the bigger picture rather than getting lost in the details. When you put the little, everyday struggles on a 50 year scale, they don't seem like such a big deal anymore.

So, Jeff, here's to you, my love, and all that the past 8 years have brought us...I wouldn't change a thing!

Kicking Princesses

Yes, that is the actual name of Avery's soccer team. Kind of funny, but very appropriate for a girl's team age 6 and under. Anyway, Saturday marked the start of the season for the Kicking Princesses with their first game against the Glitter Girls. I can't say who won because at this age they don't keep score, they're still just trying to understand the basics of the game. According to Jeff (I was with Hannah and Ethan at a birthday party), Avery and her fellow teammates played pretty well. They'll be back at it again next Saturday.

In other news, it seems that the oatmeal I started feeding Ethan is doing its job and he FINALLY started sleeping through the night this weekend. Boy, 3 1/2 months is a long time to go without a good night's sleep! But the boy was just plain hungry. When I called and talked to the nurse at the pediatrician's office about starting him on cereal, she suggested "only a couple of spoonfuls" because he is still pretty young. But, I have discovered that Ethan really likes oatmeal and will eat quite a bit, certainly more than I ever thought he would. Feeding babies is always a bit baffling but at this point I am not complaining...I'm too tired.

Ode to Sleep

Goodbye Sleep, my longtime friend,
I fear our nights together have come to an end.

It never fails that when night falls,
the baby upstairs calls and calls.

He awakens me from my deepest slumber,
wanting relief from his incessant hunger.

Gone are the nights of snoring and dreams,
the baby's a bottomless pit, or so it seems.

During the day, I long for a snooze,
but against the clock, I always lose.

There are kids to pick up and chores to be done,
with Daddy at work, I'm the only one.

So, I arise despite my throbbing head,
as the saying goes, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

Party Pooper

I learned something new about myself today...I am NOT a fun mom. The realization came today after a series of interactions with Avery (nothing like a 5 year old to help you on your journey of self-discovery). This morning when I was fixing her hair for school, she was begging me for no less than 8 braids in her hair. I said "No." Then, while she was playing outside in the rain and filling her rain boot full of water and using it as a bucket, I said "No." Later, when she took all of the pillows off of the couch to make a "nest," I said "No." And tonight when I was filling the tub for their bath and she wanted to put in "lots and lots of bubble bath," you guessed it, I said "No."

So, now that I have come to this realization about myself am I going to change and be more fun? Nope. I guess my poor, deprived children will just have to settle for playing with their toys instead of my upholstry and for a mere capful of bubble bath instead of "lots and lots." I will challenge them to find the fun in evening walks and weekend trips to the park rather than drawing on the walls or emptying my makeup drawer.

I'm not trying to pick on Avery, its just that the other kids happen to be too little to have learned just how much of a party pooper I am. I know that, in time, Hannah and Ethan will come up with their own ideas of fun and I will be there to say "No." :)