Easter 2013

We had a great Easter with family. We started the week before by going to see the Easter Bunny at the Mall. Aaralynne was excited and enjoyed her time with the bunny. She really didn't want to leave. The family before us bought the pictures and were taking their time choosing. We were able to take extra time for A. to spend with the bunny. And of course, Baby Kimmie went along for the experience.

She then got to ride on the Carousel with Daddy and of course Baby Kimmie, who couldn't seem to sit up straight, even though she was buckled in.

Saturday before Easter we finally colored eggs.  I say finally because Aaralynne has not been interested in much of the traditions of holidays before this year.  I have had the coloring kit since she was 3, but never used it. She didn't know to talk about it and I was busy and didn't push it. But we enjoyed coloring the eggs this year. She thought it was pretty cool.

She got her bath after that and we had dinner. She was very interested in eating a colored Easter egg. I tried to tell her that it was not the same as candy, but she had no point of reference, since we don't often have hard boiled eggs. She continued to insist she wanted to have an egg with dinner. It was precious to watch her experience the realization that the egg had a shell, then the peeling of the shell. She was surprised of the texture and taste of the egg. When she bit into the yolk, she was surprised even more. Finally she said she didn't like it and that I could eat it.

On Easter morning, she was happy to discover her Easter basket.

 

We went to church with Daddy and Nicole.

 

We had dinner at Christine's and the kids had a good time playing with each other. Here are some random shots of the kids. Nickel wanted me to take pictures of his different faces. This boy can really melt my heart. The older boys were patiently waiting for lunch.

 

 

Mouth-full of candy, waiting to start running with Nickel.

Whatcha doin, Nickel?

Oh, okay. I'll join you.

Time to start running! Ready...set...go!

Nickel and A finally did their running thing after a while. They both got hot and sweaty so Nickel took off his button-down shirt underneath that cool t-shirt with a tie on it.

These guys are such pals!

We came home early and had some quiet time after such a busy weekend. I hope everyone had a good weekend, too.  We are anxiously awaiting spring weather and it can't come soon enough for us.  Happy Spring!

Winter/Spring?

Spring officially arrived last week.  You can't tell from outside though. Here are a couple of pics since the beginning of spring. 

I'm at Christine's watching the kids for them this weekend and we played outside a little yesterday.  

The kids played in the snow for a while and I chipped away at the ice on the driveway. The kids decided to help me, but I think they all were more interested in the puddle of water next to the ice than cleaning off the driveway.  What is it about a puddle of water that attracts kids, no matter what the temperature outside? I wanted to take a walk and when everyone couldn't decided if they wanted to go with me or not, I said whoever stays behind has to put all the shovels and toys away. Hmmmm...........they all decided to walk with me.  Daniel stopped off to take care of the neighbor's dog on the way back so he wasn't in the picture  above.

Before we went outside, after lunch, the 3 youngest kids got a little exercise. They run the loop from the kitchen, through the dining room, foyer and living room. They all ran so much that they were all sweating and peeling off clothes.

This winter, even with all the complaining, is actually a normal winter. And really, we never experience spring weather at the beginning of spring. We're usually lucky to not have snow on Easter.  Last year at this time we had middle-of-the-summer weather in March which devastated the fruit crops around here. We'll take "normal" this year so the fruit growers can get back on their feet. But everyone I have spoken to is ready for the snow to be gone and are looking forward to spring.  Christine has a lot more snow here than I do at my house. When I am in her driveway and looking out over her yard, the height of the snow in her yard is as high as the top of the hood of my car.

One day I was thinking of all the things I appreciate about winter: warm sweaters, a furnace that works, warm socks to keep my feet warm, down comforter and wool afghan on my bed. I guess warm is the theme here. I love snow that sticks to every branch and twig so the world is white and fluffy.

I love a helpful little girl who learned how fun it is to "shobel" this year at Christine's one day. She is actually getting pretty good at cleaning off the sidewalk, making a swipe down the middle. But the driveway is still too big and a little intimidating. Still, she thinks she is doing a great job, because I tell her so.

I did a lot of driving this winter and during one of the first snow storms, I totaled my car. So I appreciate dry roads and sidewalks, and slow driving. I'm glad to be rid of slippery roads and sliding on ice.

It took longer than I liked, but I did get a "new" 10 year old car that we love.

I'm looking forward to seeing the sun a little more, although I'm sure we will see our share of rain. Spring flowers and green grass are in my dreams.

Sick Day

Today is a sick day. 

A. woke up at 2 am throwing up in her bed. We were up for around 30 minutes while she finished and I cleaned her up and changed her sheets. She got up 2 more times but didn't get sick, she just thought it was time to get up. Thankfully she went back to sleep. I thought it may have been the pizza we had for dinner last night--it may have been in the fridge a little longer than I thought when I warmed it up.

She didn't get sick again this morning and I thought she was OK. Until after almost 2 hours when she got sick again.  This was long enough for me to get dressed and make arrangements for daycare (and this is another story). All arrangements stopped when she got sick again. So she is resting today, not drinking or eating much until her stomach settles down. She needs to be home, not transported to a sitter's house.

So here is my dilemma: I had a client scheduled today that I can't go to because A. is sick and I need to stay at home with her. Am I the only one who feels torn in this situation? I feel a strong responsibility to my work, and can't be missing appointments. I'm a travelling bookkeeper whose clients rely on me to pay their bills and process their payroll. If people are scheduled to get paid on Thursday, they want to be paid on Thursday!

After I called my boss to tell her I couldn't go to my appointment today I had a knot in my stomach. I felt so bad that I wasn't meeting my responsibilities. Because if I can't go, she has to add that to her schedule. The controlling part of me is not happy with unexpected dilemmas.

Then I thought to myself, I have a responsibility to this little girl to keep her safe and to take care of her always, no matter what. I reconciled myself to the fact that I have to take care of the most important need of the day. Today, that need is taking care of A. (That and washing those sheets from her bed! I figured if I was going to be home today, I might as well do laundry.)

I'm remembering when she was 11 months old and she was sick like this. All she wanted to do was sit with me holding her. She was very tiny back then and I worried so much about her. She ate very little and I spent the better part of 3 days just holding her. She hasn't changed much since then, still wanting to sit on my lap when she needs comfort. She is longer and lankier, but she still fits on my lap. 

We're under a couple of weather watches, one for freezing rain this morning and another for 3-6" of snow tonight. If the roads are bad, we may get another snow day tomorrow. My new sitter starts tomorrow and I'll be going to work. There are no sick days for me in my job, so if I want to eat, I need to work. Hopefully I won't get this bug that she has!

Happy 6th Birthday

December 1 was Aaralynne's 6th birthday.

We have become so much more social this year. When I added up the family friends, there were 18 kids and about 11 adults. No way could I fit that many people in my little house. So I brainstormed with my daughter, Kari, to see what to do. I realized I had become a member of the Children's Museum this year, and I thought that would be a great place to have a party. When I called, they just so happened to have an opening on A's birth date, which was a Saturday. They provided the invitations and a room to have cake and open presents. It was a blast!!

                     A's babysitter Carly

    Little Amelia had a great time.

   

    One of her best buds, Ryan, lives down the street.

     Alex is so proud of his family's present to A.

    Amelia loved the cake!

     So lucky to have best buds that are cousins. 

    Shawna's kids--she wanted a picture to see how much A. has grown.

Matthew wasn't able to come to the party, so his Mom brought him over to our house a few days later. He was around 4 when A. started going to their house for daycare. He helped his Mom take care of her and loves her like a sister. We are so lucky to have many loving people in our lives, and we so appreciate them all.

We had such a wonderful day, and were completely wiped out when we got home!

Thanksgiving 2012

I have been woefully lax in keeping up with  my blog. There are several reasons, but mostly I simply have tried to do too many things at once. Working, holidays, birthday--all took up my time. So here I am getting caught up.

We went to Indiana to be with family for Thanksgiving.

We hadn't been to Indiana since June, so we were ready for a road trip.  We stopped in Grand Rapids for lunch, and Aaralynne was a silly girl while we waited for our order.



We stayed with my brother and went to my sister Kathy's for Thanksgiving Day. My daughter Christine and her family were there, along with some of her cousins.

Annie, Aaralynne, Scott (hiding behind Aaralynne), Allison, Emily holding Nicholas, Matthew, Christine and Daniel



Kathy and Christine enjoying time together

A few more candid shots from the family get-together. 

My brother's granddaughter Sophia came later and we all hovered over her. She was a little shy, but went right to Emily. She loves Kathy and began to relax. I finally caught a smile. She is such a sweetie.

Aaralynne and I stayed as long as we could at Kathy's, while Christine's family left to spend time with her husband's family. Sophia took a little nap, so Aaralynne had the older cousins to herself. She sat on their laps and played with their phones, talking to each of them on the phone. Then she decided she should just have both phones and talk to herself. It was pretty funny and we all had a good laugh.

On Friday, Aaralynne and I went shopping with Kathy and the girls. Christine begged off so she could spend time with her husband's family and head home in the afternoon. We had a great time and headed home ourselves on Saturday. We stopped to see Aaralynne's Great-Grandmother on our way and had a nice visit with her.

We got home before the snow started, but enjoyed seeing a little bit of white in the morning. 

Just enough to get us in the mood for Christmas coming. But first, some little girl I know turned 6 just a week later. More to come.