The lost art of being...

A neighbor!  A neighbor.  Who would have thought that being a neighbor could be an art.  But it is.  Imagine.  When was the last time you went to your neighbor's house with cookies, cakes or even a casserole in hand?  Probably, never?  Yeah, it's not that easy to do these days and we have so many excuses NOT to.  What if my neighbor is an axe murderer?  Hahah.  It's funny but, unfortunately, in some cases it's not too far fetched.  However, last night our very sweet Mennonite neighbors came over with a fresh baked angel cake in hand and children in tow.  Resurrect the Jesus in me.  It did.  What is my problem and what ever happened to loving my neighbor??  Now, before I make myself sound like a complete ogre, I do give food to my next door neighbors and when our garden is in bloom I give them fresh veggies.  But, they live five steps and a jump from my front door.  Going around the block seems like too much.  Not any more.  This year we're going to take cookies to the neighbors over the far field.  What a memory for my children.  Baking and making only to give it and smile.  Yes, I think this is what the Christmas spirit is all about.  It's the time of year where being nice isn't odd or freaky.  It's expected.  And you should do it.

Ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum sparkling apple cider.  Watch out Mennonites, because here the Kelbatyrovs come!

Mental Rumblings

Ok, so I've thought about it.  I'm at a loss.  Where do I start?  Since we moved here from CA, I completely dropped one of my all time favorite hobbies -- photography.  Recently, I had the privilege of shooting a few people and that photobug must have bitten me because, now,  I'm all up in my camera.  Be still my shutter.  But I can't seem to stop.  I will grab my camera and catch my children playing and loving on each other and the whole time I have a running story line in my head.  I'm writing, I'm sketching, I'm creating this amazing adventure.  And then I hook my old faithful up to the computer and flip through all my pics on a 24 in screen.  Love that.

Unfortunately, that's where the problem starts.  Because the story line I just had running through my mind never gets committed to memory and I don't write it down anywhere either.  I'm seriously thinking I should try to get a small book of memoirs going here.
Seriously.  Where does your mind take you when you look at all of these photos?

You know that something magical and creative was happening but you don't know exactly what.

I have you to thank first, dear Lena.

 

And then there is the lovely Enessa.

And my most recent shoot, the precious family of Mr and Mrs. T

And what is it with these balls, of all shapes and sizes, and a globe?  See.  There is a story behind this one.  Have I ever told you all about my son?  His name is Cylas.  There are many wonderful and intriguing things my son does -- and this is one of them.  He lined these guys up and I took them down, in an effort to clean his room a little, and he was heart broken, absolutely torn.  Tears popping out of his eyes he told me to never take down his balls again.  I felt horrible.  Who knew there was a specific place for these things and that it was on top of his dresser!?   He picked each of these little guys out with care and placed them in a special order.   

And here he is again in Spiderman get up.  Right down to the underwear.  But you wouldn't have known that unless I had told you, would you now?  Yes, I know that he has on a Superman shirt but that's because he doesn't have any other Super Hero-ish shirt to wear.  He's fine with it.  But he made sure that everything was VERY Spiderman-y before he put it on.

So many stories to tell...paper, paper, please, don't give me that blank stare.

My Christmas wants

Ok, so this blog ...this particular blog, is dedicated to me and my emotional side. Emotions like "gimme gimme" and "o.m.g that's an amazing outfit" and "where did you get those shoes!?"...you know...the typical girly, twirly stuff. So, here is my emotion...
Dear Santa:
I have been surfing the 'net, because as you know I am stuck in the middle of nowhere next to the cows, chickens and Amish, and I have found some materialistic things that have caught my girly eye. Please consider this in a small, for me.

And this in black...



And this too...
Now, my dear Mr. Klaus, I know these are a bit expensive so I wouldn't mind if you waited until AFTER Christmas to get them for me. After all, my birthday only comes two short days after Mary had Jesus in a cave in Bethlehem...I don't mind waiting. Or, I can just dream about these things. You already know that I have a few culinary items on my list as well... The culinary or the sartorial, either will do. I promise. I'm low maintenance...I promise that, too.
Thanks.

P.S
I've been a good girl and mom and I already bought really wonderful gifts for the fam...so, you don't have to worry about them this year. You know ... just helpin' out.
P.P.S All the photos are clickable :) Once again, just helpin' out.

Setting goals and breaking habits

(my trusty sneakers and yes, that is my diaper bag in the background)

Wait. It's not the New Year. It's the END of the old New Year. What's wrong with me? I'll tell you what's wrong. It's that dreaded ol' word -- habit. It's such an elephant in the room for me. But I let him stay around because it's too hard to move him. Most of the time. Well, in spite of my human nature, I'm moving that elephant. I've set a new goal. Run a 5k. Are. you. serious? Let me tell you all something. Over the course of the past year, since having our second child, I have occupied myself with various forms of exercise. Staying in shape, or in somewhat shape, is pretty high up on my list of priorities. I enrolled in a cardio class 4 months after having Roma and once that was done, I started walking thirty minutes every morning before David left for work and after that, doing exercises to a work out DVD. Jillian Michaels is. brUtAL. Love it. She helped me shed those last eight pounds in less than thirty days. Being out here, in PA, has been like standing in front of a full length mirror. You see so much more than the little mirror in your bathroom. My idiosyncrasies have come to my attention with a blaring truth and harsh reality. It's embarrassing. So in an effort to better myself, I have set numerous goals to attain while we're here. I enjoy changing up my routine because the days become stale and so predictable, it takes twice as much effort to stay awake. So, I'm setting MORE goals. My infatuation with playing the guitar hasn't faded and I'm aiming to be able to sing and strum in church soon. But that is for a whole other blog. Let's keep to the subject at hand. Running. Running a 5k with the thought of possibly training for a longer run. Be still my aging heart. I CAN do this. The first time I tried jogging a mile I almost puked. It was horrible. We live in a very hilly area and it will knock the wind right out of you. And in my case, the puke. My second and third time weren't so bad. And then I did it -- I changed it up. I moved my course to the opposite side of our block. And when I say 'block' I'm using that term VERY loosely. Our 'blocks' are contingent on how large the farmer's field is. At any rate, I switched my jog to the other side and it was like I grew jogging wings or something. I could run and run and run and it actually felt GOOD! I didn't feel like puking, or dying, or walking. I started to feel inspired instead of extremely tired. And oddly enough, in my life outside of fitness I'm starting to feel inspired because I'm exercising parts of myself that have long since been dormant. We'll see how this thing turns out. One thing for sure, I won't be the same. That would be a crime...

Every once in a while

You might see me blurb on something I'm trying to win. And this happens to be one of those times! Go check this out ... they are soo cute :)
http://intheknowmom.net/?p=2230#idc-container

Coupon Diva

I'm not QUITE a diva. But I'm getting close. The amount of money I save every time grocery shopping comes around just makes me smile. I started putting away all of the extra money that I saved into our savings account. Novel, huh? The picture up top is my coupon envelope. I love that thing and wouldn't be caught day or night without it. Since I don't have a proper coupons organizer I had to reinforce my envelope with packing tape. It's transferred from bag to bag and never far from my finger tips. I spend about two hours a week scouring coupon sites and coupons from the newspaper. I recently found that the library, here, offers coupons to those who have the patience to filter through, literally, hundreds of coupons that have been clipped and donated by the community of library goers. Granted, most of the coupons I find there are for Miralax, Centirium and dog food. A testament to the dense population of fifty and older in this area. Every once in a while I happen upon a nugget of gold like a $1.50 off Huggies. And then, I hope and pray that Huggies are on sale in the stores. Sometimes, I call the store to see if they are having a sale because not all Targets or Walmarts participate in the sales that you find online. Saves me a trip. Somehow the hunt to find coupons and match them to the sales going on in the stores has become a wonderful game of hide and seek between the hunter(me) and the hunted(those juicey sale items). I challenge myself to see if I can save more and more each time I go out. The most I've saved in one outing was $45. I couldn't believe it. The more I do this, the better I get. I've learned to look at the CVS insert and try to match my coupons to what they have listed on sale that week. I shop and find the items that gaurantee when I check out my receipt will be accompanied with a print out of coupons I can use on my next visit.

I would be remiss if I didn't share a couple of the sites that I frequent regularly. Have fun and try to save a buck or two.

http://sisterlysavings.net/

http://bargainhuntingmoms.typepad.com/

http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/offers.aspx?pid=13903&zid=xh20&nid=10

For youth is the smell of innocence...

If you raise your children right... those flowers above were picked for me by Cylas. He came in and handed them to me proudly, "Mahma, you so bleuu-ful". My heart melts every time he does that. He prides himself in being a skilled flower picker. He'll find weeds that have flowers and he'll gift them to me and I make sure to place them in water and set them out for all to see. There are so many thoughts that flood my mind when he does special things like this with me specifically in mind. It shows he loves me and I'm not too far from his thoughts. Is this type of gift giving love on the road to respect for me and his papa? For some reason, I think that love and respect go hand in hand. Yes, he's only three but he's learning what it's like to care for someone and be concerned for someone he loves.

I may be his mother, but Romalise is definitely his little sister. He shows his love and concern for her in different, more violent ways. Well, not always. If she's crying, he'll come to me and say, "Get her, mahm. Take her." And if she looks bored, he'll take every stitch of clothing, sheet and or stuffed animal and pile it on her until it's a writhing mass of toys and stuff. She'll be screaming/crying/laughing and I'm running through the house trying to find out where she's at. Then I'll spot the convulsing pile of stuffed animals and rescue her. Of course, Cylas thinks it's the greatest accomplishment in the world to bury his little sister in all of his worldly possessions. Ahhh, yes. And then there is the curious obsession of sitting on her and seeing how long he can get away with it. Why? Squashing your sister like a helpless bug is never a good thing. But for Cylas it's pretty stinkin' cool. He'll grow out of it soon enough, right?

With all of these fun adventures and new lessons to learn and teach, I pray that I can continue to cultivate this love and respect for me and David in my children and that respect for others will be second nature. What more could a parent ask for than responsible citizens and true Christians.

War

This morning the alarm woke me up. No, not my children, but an NPR interview with the new general. General McChrystal. I lay there, still fuzzy with sleep, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. And for some reason, through the fog, this exchange of information spoke to me. During the night, Cylas ran into our room and was snuggling on D's side of the bed and early this morning Roma woke up and wanted to be fed so I just left her in bed on my side. With my two children within arms reach and my husband snoring soundly, I couldn't help but think that I have a huge responsiblity to raise my children in this war zone of life. Honestly. Deep thinking for 7:30 am. But I promise that this was all going through my head with rapid clarity. The responsibilities I have as a parent require me to tacticly out maneuver what ever enemy might be seeking out my children. One quote from the general spoke to me. When asked how his method was different from the past generals he said, " You have take to away what the insurgents want most. Access to the people". Then he framed this with his thoughts on how to accomplish this. He said to "arm the people" with knowledge on how to protect themselves. Give them something to want to protect. Amidst my thoughts, I'm laughing at myself for being so literal this early in the morning, but laughing at my inner monologue did not stop me from thinking. And I still agree with myself when I say that raising my children to be armed with knowledge, wisdom and a deep love for God is the most difficult task I've ever set my foot to.

Picnic in the van

I'm sure all mothers can relate with this especially mothers with two or more children. How many times have you started your day with the determination to be out before lunch time. I usually aim for 10am. It's not too early and it gives me enough time to run around while Roma is sleeping and Cylas is still full from breakfast. But somehow one o'clock rolls around and I'm STILL flitting around the house. It's a gogeous day and I really want to take the kids out for a little picnic after a quick stop at the library to get some books. But...
My day: Roma naps while I try to get us on the road but before I can load her into the van Cylas decides that it's time to poop. Thankfully I bathed them both this morning so a quick wipe down should be good. I'm hurrying all the while thankful I managed to get a shower and make our bed. But in spite of my frantic cleaning, the house looks a little worn out because Cylas dragged all of his bed covers and several HUNDRED stuffed animals all through the house, leaving the mass of them on our bed. And where did the ants come from? Why do I have ants crawling all over my kitchen? The dishes were done, the floor was mopped and I'm fighting a small army with soap and scrubbie. Ick. Ick. Sitting in the cool library never sounded so good. But how to get out of the house. I just want to be around people. So, now, the little munchkins are piled in the van and I'm proud of myself because I've packed a lunch for Cylas, but now I'm hungry. No time to eat. I need to get going before it's HIS nap time. I make it to the library only to find out that my card has an ASTRONOMICAL fine and I can't check out any books! So, to make my harried day a little more interesting I'm on library card probation. Yeah, the young mother of two can't even drag herself to the library to keep up with the due dates. And I'm still hungry. *sigh* Good thing I packed Cylas a tuna sandwich with goldfishes and a banana. I think I'm going to get Taco Bell and sit in the van for our picnic.

I'm sorry but..

This is really kinda funny...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ZABV7AQdA&feature=rec-HM-r2

Words that mean something

I was at the library the other day...hahah. Surprise, surprise. And on my way in the door, I noticed in the display case a wonderful quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books."

What a striking quote. It made me smile as I ushered my little brood into the comfort and the quiet the library provides.
I want to say something that people will remember forever! I want it to be something that will speak to someone's heart.

I guess I need to learn...

That it is OK to relax and take time for myself. I think today was the first time I actually compartmentalized my children and myself. What I mean is, I was able to go somewhere and think about myself and not them! I left the children at home with D -- although I would be lying if I said that I didn't think of them once...really quickly, halfway through my meal. But when I walked out of the house this morning, poor D was trying to console a screaming Roma and quiet a whining Cylas. It would be dishonest of me to say that the slightest hint of a smile did not flicker across my face as I pulled out of the driveway. Away. For some time alone. Yes, I smiled. It felt good. It's very hard to enjoy myself nowadays. I'm always worrying. Are the kids ok? Did they eat? Is Cylas hurt? Is Roma crying? The temptation not to enjoy myself is too great. And I usually end up having half-a-good-time. *sigh* But, maybe, it's getting to the point that my body wants to relax with or without me! The other night D let me escape. It was rainy and I was supposed to work out that night, but I was sick so I opted to go to a restaurant with a good book and sit there for an hour. I love, love, doing that. But, it's never completely enjoyable because I have images of children dancing in my head. So, whatever. I am, from now on, going to enjoy me-time. My time. Only me (when I can!! Now, children, would you please go to sleep so I can play Scrabble...haha)

Unaware...

I don't know about everyone else, but one of my greatest desires is to make a lasting impact on someone. I suppose I should qualify and say that I would prefer the impact to be a good one! Sometimes I make acquaintances with people and it stays pretty much that - superficial, nice-tah-meet, soon you raccoon. Then I have the occasion to develop a relationship with someone and these are the moments I live for. During my two years at UC Davis, I met a lot of people. Seeing as I was a Russian major, 95% of my classes were in the Russian department. And I'm pretty sure you can guess that most of the people I met were Russian! These relationship meant so much to me. They were all healthy and I am proud to say that I am still in contact with these people today. Zhenya, Zhanna, Mila, Katy, Sabina and Anna. Each of these ladies contributed something to my life and I am so grateful for their friendships. We've laughed, gone on picnics, talked for hours, done homework together, camped, shared ideas on relationships and God and so many other things. But, what is most rewarding to me is to know that I gave something of myself to these girls. At least, during my time in CA, I tried. Well, today I got an email, from one of these lovely ladies, thanking me for my friendship and advice offered. Wow!! I was so happy. I didn't know how much our conversations meant to her. Sometimes, we can take ourselves for granted. And this only reminds me to keep myself focused, positive and on the path to reach my goals in life. No one knows when their conversation, actions or attitude can impact someone. Hopefully, it's for the good and you see the effects down the line.

A Giveway to my FAV place!

Blogaways is an online coupon blog that is holding a $50 Target gift card giveaway! Check out Blogaways for coupons, giveaways and contests, and for a chance to win a $50 Target gift card!

Church Search

Some time ago, D and I decided to visit some of the neighboring churches who practice our faith. Coming from a fairly large church ourselves, the adjustment from a congregation of over 1000 to only 30 has not been easy, to say the least. But, out here I don’t think the church attendance reaches more than 200 anyway. So, back to the subject at hand, in the first congregation we visited we found ourselves in an old church that could have leapt from the pages of a history book. Perched on a hill, its a-frame topped with an old steeple making it the highest point on the block, the brick building seemed tired and in need of a face lift. On this particular evening we happened to come late, I googled the church and the times of the services and apparently they were wrong. So, we tried to slip in quietly. Have you ever tried to slip in quietly to a church that has twenty pews and 10 people in attendance? Yeah, we didn’t slip in as much as we marched in, banging the back of the pew with Roma’s car seat and Cylas asking loudly where we were at. I tried shushing him sternly, but his curiosity is not easily abated. So, I pulled out all the books, toys and coloring books I could to quiet him down. The preacher was an older man with a head full of dark brown hair, a rather large pair of glasses, reminiscent of the 80’s, and a lisp that made the sermon so much more interesting to listen to. We were greeted with smiles from a sweet faced lady, who we found out later was the pastor’s wife. Shortly after we found our seats, the lights clicked off and the front of the sanctuary was lit by the beam of a flashlight. The preacher held the flashlight and waved it around trying to emphasize how important it was to ‘punch a hole in the darkness’. We left that evening with smiles on our faces. It was a cute church, but we wanted to visit it again on a Sunday to get a better idea of what their church was like. I suppose I should write about our Sunday morning visit in another post along with an account of what happened when we visited the second church…

Internet relationships, texting and the weather

Three seemingly unrelated topics but I beg to differ. Since moving to a state that is related to the Arctic circle, I've found myself indoors for at least 95% of this past winter. I might add that it's spring and I'm STILL inside. Anyway, my poor child has been quarantined with me and is about to drive himself nuts. Well -- he's driving us both nuts. The only time he sees children is when I can muster up the strength to take us all to the library. Otherwise, he might get a fleeting glance at the neighbor children running across our lawn trying to get back inside before they freeze. He saw them one day and started screaming at them through our kitchen door. I felt so bad for him. He hadn't seen another small person like himself in days. I wonder what that felt like. So, I stopped the neighbor and she took him over to play. How sweet. But, now, you're wondering where the internet comes into play. The internet is MY playground. I find myself talking with people who I've known for a long time (in real life) and would other wise never have a relationship with. Now, I have fantastic friends with whom I play Scrabble, exchange advice and gossip about our motherly duties. And if I'm not communicating with these lovely women over the net, then I'm getting texts from my sisters and other good friends. As a matter of fact, one of the neighbor girls just texted me and we're signing up for an aerobics class together. Cool, huh? Since when did I start cultivating all of these indoor virtual/ real relationships? Well, as soon as I realized that it would no longer take me ten minutes to get out the door. It now takes me closer to an hour. It is a long winding ride to the library and I have to find places to hide in between the bookshelves to nurse while trying to keep an eye on my VERY active two and a half year old. I suppose I would rather nurse while at the keyboard, listen to my son entertain himself in the next room and then make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Ahh yes...the internet does serve a good purpose. And, my days look more like this now:

Could it be...

Could it be that: growing up you never really understand the sacrifices made by your mom and dad for you? Your parents are under appreciated? Someday you'll be in the same position to sacrifice for you own children? There is a reward from their selfless acts? That there is a chance you may never understand the depth of their sacrifices?
All of these thoughts filled my mind early this morning as I lay in bed. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with my mother buying food in preparation for a luncheon this afternoon. As we purchased food, exchanged thoughts on our plans I secretly observed my mom. Her face has wrinkles now. They appeared out of nowhere, it seems. Her eyes and mouth now have smile lines. The telltale signs of life and the survival of the many tests in her lifetime. There are many things I know that took place while I was still too young to understand. My mom did her best to protect me and my sisters. I may never understand all of her reasons, but I would like to thank her for doing what she thought best. Today, I am happily married to a wonderful man and have two beautiful, and I mean beautiful, children. I wonder if my happy marriage is a result of her sacrifice. I wonder if I can ever repay her for the opportunities created for me through her giving. Now, you may be wondering why I have only mentioned my mom and not my dad. My father is definitely no less important and I have a whole post to write on him as well, but this post is dedicated to my mother. The one who carried me in her womb for nine months, nurtured me through my toddlers years, taught me through my high school years, offered advice into my married years and is still giving...and giving.
Thank you. And no, it will never be fathomable all of the things you gave up for me, but don't doubt that it will come back to you one hundred fold.

Emotions

Ok, so I'm back home, for the time being. Have you ever noticed that when you're absent from a place for very long coming back almost knocks you off kilter? I feel a little wobbly in my emotions and it's disconcerting. My relief at being back home is almost palpable and I cringe at the thought of going back to where we're staying for the next couple of years, but I also know that if we were to move back 'home' that I wouldn't feel complete!! Do I sound like a woman or what? So, I feel like there are two rivers raging side by side in my bosom and it's giving me 'e-motion' sickness. Everyone needs a break now and then from their ruts and we sure are getting a good one. This break is going to be about ten days long. I am determined to make the most of it. There are a billion photos to be snapped, a million memories to be made and SHOPPING to do. All of which I will take back with me to make my time sail by until our next visit. On our way into Sacramento, I stared out the plane window and got tears in my eyes knowing that I was going to be home. There is something comforting about being with your mom, sisters and little brother -- being crammed into a small, two bedroom condo with my family never felt so good. My little boy is having so much fun with his Uncle Sky and D is making Sky's WEEK by veggin' out in front of the playstation, controller in hand playing Call of Duty 5. I love watching how their eyes turn glassy and they make silly, snorting noise while trying to get away from the Germans or the Russians or which ever country is the enemy at the moment. Weirdos.
Now, it seems odd driving with more than two cars around. Seriously. It's like I live in the middle of NO-where out there. I'm not used to hearing car traffic outside my window at night anymore. Having more than three restaurants to choose from for dinner is like heaven. And having dinner with old friends seems like a distant memory. Never let it be said that Cali isn't my home -- I love it here!

Is there is cool way...to snap your fingers??

Of course there is! Take a look. This is is quite hysterical. And if you get a chance browse through some of his videos to watch him play the piano. Absolutely amazing...not only does he play well but he plays through a mind that isn't all the way there...very touching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUZh84D39B8&feature=related

Rythms & Patterns

At only seven weeks, I'm astounded by the differences between Romalise and her big brother when he was this little. Where Cylas was a malcontent, she is a sweet little smiler and while Cylas had the tendency to thrive off of scheduled eating patterns, Roma is all over the board. She'll sleep through her "scheduled" feeding only to wake up an hour later screaming. Right now she is sleeping through the night only waking around 5 in the morning for a quick breakfast. She likes to sleep until 9 or 10 and then wakes up all smiles and keeps me busy for about an hour or two before decides she's tired. Her naps last three to four hours and she takes two. The second of which Cy's nap coincides with. That means that I have about 2 hours to myself during the day! It's really nice. I would say that my favorite times of the day are: the early morning when my husband kisses me before he leaves for work, shortly thereafter my little boy comes in and wants me to play trains with him (and I'm always Gordon while he is Thomas) and lastly, I wait anxiously for the evening time when Roma is finished with her second nap and my husband is home for dinner. We all sit down and everyone eats...I mean everyone including her.Cylas is at the stage where he is honing in on different toys that interest him. When he was younger, everything was interesting and he was easily distracted. Right now, he loves planes, helicopters and trains. His books are never far from his finger tips and are still a major part of his life but his train track is definitely in second place. More times than I can remember, he has fallen asleep at the train table with toys or books in his hand. I'll try to take a picture of it next time.
My little girl has the rythm of a small row boat slipping through placid waters, while Cylas is the wind that picks up the small pile of leaves twirling them into a miniature tornado. And, amazingly enough, between the two of them there is a balance so perfect that it makes each of my days so wonderful and very much anticipated.

So many little things that make your life special to you

I was thinking about all of the many thing that take place in my life that are unique to me and my family. It really made me smile! There are no other children in the world like my mine. They have a certain smell, sound, look and a way about them that makes it possible for me to identify them in a crowd of a million others. Now that Cylas is a little older, he has developed a few distinct qualities that are so special to me. He likes to walk around on his tiptoes sometimes hence a very affectionate nickname bestowed on him by my mother "TwinkleToes". When he talks, he tends to salivate and therefore slurps his saliva as he is telling you something. He reads his books on the floor, legs crossed and with a ramrod-straight back staring down intently at the pictures. He sings songs like: The wheels on the bus go round and round, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells and Old McDonald had a farm. He is extremely mischievous and is constantly hatching plans to escape out the front door. A good arm and back rub are always in the top five super important things that mommy MUST do for him...next to having a cold tippy full of milk this is paramount! He MUST have his hat, jacket and gloves on before going outside...choke the pants.
He loves his little sister and is very concerned for her welfare. For instance, we were trying to leave the other morning and I had to go out to warm up the car. I took him with me so I could strap him in. As I pulled the van around to the front of the house, he asks in a worried little voice "Wheh Womah? Beebee?" Translated : Where is Roma? Baby?
I smiled and told him that we were going to get her and not to worry. And every evening he has to make sure he kisses her goodnight. If she isn't in her bassinet, he looks for her to make sure she's close by. Just this morning I told him to go potty and he took a detour into our bedroom to check on his little sis before his final destination. Roma, on the other hand, has just started cooing and gurgling. She is a very happy baby and loves to talk. Next to sleeping, it's her favorite thing to do! You can tell that she loves her papa a lot because she responds so well to him by burbling and making gaga sounds. She burps for him too! She enjoys being held high up on your shoulder so she can see the world. And if you look at her and say "Ah-gooo" she will respond likewise. I love the way she stares at me so intently. She doesn't have words yet but I can feel her telling me that she loves me.
My life is uniquely mine and I love it!

!Just enjoying family!

Here are some recent photos of my sister with me and my babies on her visit here. Oh, and let's not forget David too!!




We've had a wonderful time and I really don't want my sister to leave. It's very comforting to have someone here with me that I love! We've done a lot together over the past week or two. She's been a great help with the babies and also helping around the house. My house is reeeally clean JUST the way I like it!!