Started a book called Spiritual Parenting while nursing Megan tonight.  I’ve had it since Christmas, just haven’t gotten around to reading it.  I kind of wish I could read it along with someone else so I had a discussion partner.  Some quotes from Ch.1:

– “In this book we will explore what it means to seek God as our primary audience – to please Him alone with our parenting and seek Him alone for the strength and power to do so.”

– “This truth revealed to me that it was not my job to merely control my child’s behavior and by doing so somehow create a spiritual life for him or her.”

– “Nowhere in the Bible does God ask me to spend my days managing the deeds and actions of my child.”

– “What you believe and where you aim your heart determines the direction and outcome of your entire life for eternity.”

– “So spiritual parenting reminds me that it’s not my job to merely control my children’s behavior, but rather it is my job to model with authenticity what I have in my relationship with God though Christ.  And hopefully what I have is worth passing on to the next generation.” (ouch)

– “Essentially, [this book] asks the question, “What is my end goal in raising each of the children God has entrusted to me, and then how will I parent them with that end in mind?”

My heart is heavy today for a friend who has walked away from her faith.

I miss having deep thoughts.  But I don’t have the energy to fuel discussions or arguments right now.  And mostly, what I hear people arguing about just seems irrelevant, even if it is deep.  It’s funny how a decision, made years ago, to choose people over ideas has lead me to this place.  It’s probably why I never really went back to grad school.  Spending hours “discussing” the current topics just stopped seeming real or valulable.  Of course, I’m not naturally that good with people, and I’m naturally better with ideas.  So maybe it wasn’t the most obvious decision (I still wonder about it), but I don’t regret it. 

I don’t think Facebook status updates are a good place to hash out deep thoughts or try to challenge other people’s ideas.  IMHO, write a blog, write a book, have a real conversation with a real person, or just keep it to yourself.  Feel free to disagree with me.

Eric’s grandpa is still not well after having a pacemaker put in at the beginning of March.  They have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow with a neurologist that we hope will reveal some clues to what’s really going on.  My sister’s FIL is also having surgery in the near future to remove a spot from each liver.  I think they’re just sort of waiting for a diagnosis of cancer. A friend that I grew up with lost his mother to cancer last week.  There’s just a lot of people tired, hurting, worried people around me when I lift my eyes off my daily “grind” of naps and snacks and diapers.  I don’t know how to help them either.

I’m tired tonight.  But I’ve slept better the last couple of nights.  I’m trying to get better about giving the kids a chance to ‘self-soothe’ before I run in.  And I actually told the twins flat out at bedtime the other night that “I can’t find my pacifier” is not a good reason to call for me.  Oddly, they haven’t called me for that reason since.  Maybe they understood…maybe they just haven’t lost their pacifiers in the middle of the night.  Who knows?

I can’t do a sit up.  Not a real one.  Not without cheating.  Apparently, my core is WAY not strong.  Good to know, I guess.  Maybe I should work on that.  We shall see.

I want it to stop dropping into the 20s at night for good.  We’ve been able to go out in the afternoon (temps in/near the 40s).  But the mornings are too cold for me to walk outside.  I’d like that back soon. 

I’m done now, I think.  Happy Tuesday.

Erin (having just opened the front door by herself): Mommy, c’mon.

Me (joining her at the door): What is it?

Erin: I hear som-ping (she leans toward the door)

Me: What do you hear?

Erin: Birdie.

Me: What does the birdie say?

Erin: Twee-Twee

_____

Me: Erin, where are your bunnies? (Her jingle toys that she sleeps with)

Erin: They uppy-toppy.

Me: Upstairs?

Erin: Yeah…I be righ’ back.

______

I was sitting at the kitchen table, doing my Bible study.

Erin: Mommy, I read Bible, too! (She went and got their picture Bible)

Me: You’re going to read the Bible, too?

Erin (climbing up in another chair): Yep!

Me: Okay, what do you want to read about?

Erin: God (pronounced “Gaw” when she says it)

Me: Well, then let’s start at the beginning…that one’s about God.

_____

Erin: Look…Noah!

(She was pointing at the garden gnome in the commercial on TV)

_____

I got out my steamer a couple of Sundays ago.

Erin: What’s that?

Me: It’s a machine.  Mommy’s going to use it to steam some clothes.

Erin: Hi, machine.  I Eh-yin!

_____

Snippets of Erin-Speak

Talking to Megan: “Hi, Bay-ee Me-han.  Bay-ee Mehan wan’ her rattle?  Here you go, Bay-ee Me-han.”

To the picture in the book: “Hi, (fill in name).  I Eh-yin.  This A-yee. (she points to her brother).  And this Mommy.”

Leaving the church after Bible study: “Ho-ome…are you?  Mommy, I see home!”  

To the dog inside the house across the street: “Awww.  Hey, doggie.  Hi, doggie.  Good doggie.”  (she was bent over at the waist talking to it like it was sitting right in front of her. Though if the dog had been right in front of her, she’d have been in tears…)

After a fit: “Mommy…I happy.  I happy now.”

To me when I get mad: “Mommy okay?  Mommy happy?”  (This usually includes her rubbing my back)

Asking for things she likes: “Mommy, I wan’ lem-n-ade.”  “Mommy…I nee brownie.”  “Mommy…happy cake?”  (this is any cake, but especially cupcakes)

_____

And not to be totally left out, here is how Alex counts these days:

Me: Let’s count them…One…what comes after one?

Alex: Too!

Me: What’s next?

Alex: Tree!

(After a prompting from me for each one…)

Alex: Bor!  Bive!  Si!  Eight!  Nine!  Eight!

(Eight and nine are his faves, I guess, so we skip seven and never get to ten…)

Happy Friday! 

I finished a book yesterday.  I stayed up until 11:00 to do so.  It was worth it.  Unfortunately is was Book 2 in a trilogy, so now I am trying to decide whether to just start Book 3 and be done with it.  Decisions, decisions…

Megan has now started rice cereal.  She had her first bowl on Monday night.  She ate 2 tbsp. of cereal without stopping at all.  Last night, same thing.  And she was JOLLY for about an hour after “dinner” was over, too.  I think she likes it.

It’s supposed to be in the 60s early next week.  Call me excited!

Time change pretty much kicked my butt this time.  The kids were not unusually messed up.  Some issues came up, but nothing major.  I, on the other hand, felt like I got hit by a semi for the first two days of this week.  Thankfully, things are better today.  Even with the late “finish-the-book” bedtime.  So we should be good now, I hope.

Eric’s grandpa is still struggling some.  His heart is good. But his mind is not so much.  I guess my MIL was noticing some little quirks before his heart failed.  But now there are lots of things that are concerning them.  And he told his doctor that if the doctor diagnosed him with Alzheimers, “he’d just stop taking all his medications.”  Please pray for Grandpa and for Grandma and my MIL.  They need lots of wisdom right now.  

I made an obstacle course of chairs, tables and stools in our living room on Monday to help Alex blow off some steam.  I tried to vary taller things with shorter so they’d have to climb up and down.  They really enjoyed it.  They especially liked standing on the piano bench.  I think they felt tall.  But it was cute to watch.

Erin is almost completely understandable these days (at least for me).  It’s crazy to realize that most of her sounds are actual words…or attempts at them anyway.  She’s too cute.

I bought myself a copy of the 30 Day Shred a couple of weeks ago so I had something to vary my exercise routine with (I typically just walk on my treadmill or outside if I can).  It has been really good for working muscles and parts of my body that the treadmill doesn’t challenge much.  The other day, though, I didn’t get it done before the kids were up.  So Erin came down with me.  She “worked out” right along with me…including copying my breathing during pushups and trying to lift a small hand weight.  She even got down on her back and did “crunches” right beside me.  It was TOO cute.  

My in-laws dropped in yesterday just as naptime ended.  We had a good time playing and chatting with them, and they stayed for dinner.  My FIL had a CAT scan yesterday, which is the last step in the requirements for the hearing implant they are looking to get him.  It’s called Esteem, and if all goes as they say it should, my pretty-much-deaf FIL may actually be able to hear again in just a couple more months.  We are really excited by the possibility.  He’ll be able to talk to my MIL again, just to chat.  And he’ll be able to hear the grandkids jabber at him (not that he’ll understand what they’re saying, but that’s another issue!).  I’m really praying that God blesses the procedure.  He’s only in his 50s, and he can’t hear much of anything anymore.  This would be really, really great if it does what they think it will do.  

Last night, we tidied the house up before the kids went to bed.  I never realize how much the clutter is bothering me until it’s gone and it’s like I can breathe a little easier.  I guess that should motivate me to tidy more often.  But…well…maybe one of these days that will happen again!

Okay, I think I’ve run out of random thoughts for right now.  Happy Wednesday!

I realized on our way to Story Time the other day that I had morphed, once again, into “Frustrated Mommy.”

Oh…you don’t know her?  Sadly, she’s been showing up at my house a lot lately.  Even multiple times in a day.  

And she’s not a nice person, really.

See…”Frustrated Mommy” does not speak kindly.  She snaps at her children, lashing out because they got under her feet just as she tried to walk.  Or dumped their toys right where she was about to put her foot down, thus causing her intense (though short-lived) foot pain.  Or they didn’t quite move fast enough, answer fast enough, pick something up fast enough, put on their coats fast enough.  Frustrated Mommy flings out words recklessly, showering anyone nearby with sarcastic and pointed barbs of verbal venom.

And really, she doesn’t even need words to be unkind.  Frustrated Mommy huffs at her children, breathing puffs of air out her nose when they displease her or make her life harder in some way.  She glowers and rolls her eyes and scrunches her lips together until her face is tied up into a tight and wrinkled wad of unhappiness. 

Even worse, Frustrated Mommy reacts and (usually) over-reacts.  Lack of sleep excuses her irritated response to her toddlers’ behavior.  

• After all, they dumped every.single.puzzle.piece onto the floor, exactly 60 seconds after she had last picked them up.  And they threw a fit when she asked them to pick the pieces up.  
• They chose a snack, only to come back in five minutes wanting a different snack, leaving the original one abandoned somewhere to be squished into the carpet to be found two hours (or more) later.  And they threw a fit when no more snacks were allowed.  
• They pushed each other, wanted the other one’s toys, refused to let her take their picture, and got into all sorts of things that THEY KNOW they aren’t supposed to get into.  They don’t obey the first time Frustrated Mommy asks them to do something.  
• And they threw yet another fit.

In other words, they acted like normal toddlers…but unfortunately, that’s exactly how Frustrated Mommy acted, too.  

She, too, threw a fit, complete with foot stomping and incoherent “Grrrrrs!” vented toward the heavens.  She kicked at the offending toy with her stinging foot. She muttered under her breath as she took another step…onto yet another toy, at which point a sharp and loud “OUCH!” echoed in the room.  And everyone stopped and took notice.

And that is, of course, her intention.  Frustrated Mommy wants someone to notice her frustration.  She wants someone to understand that they have made HER life more difficult, that things aren’t going HER way, that SHE is annoyed by the events and attitudes around her.  SHE wants a break from the miles-long “To Do” list that all of THEM just keep adding to.  And she steams out her anger in any possible way until it’s so obvious that even the toddlers pause to stare, wide-eyed and silent, wondering how this Fury appeared where only seconds before their Just-Plain Mommy had been standing.

Like I said…not a pretty picture.

But sadly…Frustrated Mommy has been popping up far too often these days.  And it’s not hard to see why.  I mean, let’s be honest…It’s the end of winter, and I’m in desperate need of Spring.  We’ve been cooped up inside for months: me, two busy toddlers and an infant who can’t go out in the cold easily.  It’s hard to get to stores or even places to play.  We can’t go outside because it’s too cold or windy or whatever.  And we just need some sunshine, warm breezes and hints of green poking through the wet ground.  We need Spring.

But it’s not just a physical season of Winter that’s ending.  There’s an emotional winter that is finally ending, too.  Spring is slowly coming after a long, hard, cold season of life.  And I need it.  I want it.  But as we start to thaw out, I find myself dumping things that were on-hold while we waited out the Winter.  The ice and snow is melting, but the result is a yucky, muddy mess.  

And it’s the end of a spiritual Winter, too.  I’ve been where I am for too long, and it’s time to let God move me someplace new.  Someplace better.  But it means change.  It means doing new things so I can a different result.  A different view of people.  A true sense of humility.  A softer heart, a more-hospitable home, a family that shines with His grace.  It means learning to be less self-sufficient so God can teach me new ways to love my husband, how to parent from His strength instead of my own, how to walk more consistently with His Spirit, and how to let myself connect with the people around me, maybe even share Jesus with them.  Yes…It’s all good change.  But it’s not easy.  It’s just the start of Spring.  I see so much more failure than growth right now.  It’s easy to get impatient.  Or discouraged.  Or frustrated.

And so…Frustrated Mommy shows up with only the slightest provocation.  

But I don’t like her.  She’s not pleasant.  She’s not fun.  She’s prickly and harsh and there’s nothing Christ-like about her.  And it’s time she learns that she’s not welcome here anymore.  

So the other day, on the way to Story Time, I shut the door on her cranky, angry face.  

I took a breath.  I said a prayer.  I paused to reconnect with reality.  And instead of rushing in frustrated and late to Story Time, we drove to Tim Hortons where we shared some Timbits for 20 minutes.  Then we made our way, leisurely, to the library, arriving in plenty of time for the second Story Time.  While we waited, we read a few books and played with the activities, and then we joined the other toddlers to enjoy songs and stories about hats. 

And Just-Plain Mommy managed beautifully without Frustrated Mommy’s help for once.  Which is just as it should be.  

She’s five months old.  And getting cuter by the day!

Seriously, don’t you just want to pinch those cheeks!

As for accomplishments, she’s rolling both ways now (finally!).  And yesterday, she pushed to a standing position on my lap and stood without help for about 30 seconds before her knee buckled.  And I watched her push her little bum into the air while on her tummy the other day.  This girl may be mobile in short order!

She reaches for anything she can grab.  My glasses are a favorite.  And her toes are currently her preferred plaything.  And we recently moved to size 3 diapers (man – can this girl fill a diaper!).  She sat in her high chair while we ate dinner last night…and loved it!  And I suspect we’ll be moving up to cereal before too much longer, too. 

But she’s a happy little lovable sweetie.  Happy 5 months, Megan Marie!

So I didn’t mean to be off-Xanga for over a week, but hey, we’ve had a lot of adventures recently…where do I even begin…

Bedroom Adventures

Last weekend, the twins joined the world of non-crib sleepers.  We “converted” their beds (by which I mean we simply took off the drop sides of their cribs) so they could get in and out by themselves.  They have LOVED it.  Alex, especially, relished his new ability to get into and out of bed all by himself.  So much so that he did it 3-4 times a night for the first few days.  Add that to the three times that Erin rolled out of bed and we did not sleep well for about 4 nights straight.  Thankfully, Eric created a perfect bed rail for Erin, so that problem is now solved.  And they love having pillows and sheets and quilts and such.  So we have had 1-2 nights without interruption recently.  Oddly, they will get out of bed in the morning (or at 2 am which happened a couple of nights ago) and just play in their room, but they won’t actually leave the room on their own.  I have no idea how long that will last, but for now, it still gives me enough time to shower before opening their bedroom door.

Pharmaceutical Adventures

So, my children are pretty smart (at least I think so), and together, they come up with all sorts of creative solutions to the ‘problems’ they face.  Like, how to get to the top of their almost 5-foot tall dresser.  The answer: get the tall stool.  So we were in the loft, and they were playing in their room (this was about 2 nights after the bed transition happened).  Alex shut the door and things got quiet.  Too quiet.  “Why?” you ask…because they had gotten to the top of the dresser, pulled down the Children’s Ibuprofen bottle, and gotten the top off.  And it was now empty.  At first, I was just annoyed.  There was a puddle on the floor to clean, and they actually know better than to pull things down like that.  Then, I started to get worried.  We had no idea if the bottle’s contents (it was only about 1/3 full) went entirely on the floor, or into them.  And that was WAY more medicine than a 2-year old (or 2) should have ingested.  Thankfully, my BIL is a pharmacist.  Eric called him, and he looked some stuff up for us.  Even if they had gotten a good bit more than they should, they should be fine, he reassured us.  Ibuprofen is really pretty safe.  And his literature confirmed his instincts.  So, I checked on them (A LOT), but they woke up happy and unharmed the next morning.  Thank you, Jesus.

Birthday Adventures

Last Wednesday was my birthday.  I am 34.  It was a pretty low-key day.  Nothing too exciting for most of it.  But that was okay.  I just enjoyed the day.  And we took the kids out for dinner (for Greek) where we saw some friends we haven’t seen for a while.  And we got ice cream and ate it on the couch while watching Date Night (good movie) after the kids were down for the night.  Funny movie, excellent company, so many blessings, and fudge swirl ice cream = great birthday!

Of course, the presents Eric got for me didn’t come until Friday.  He and the kids got me a hand-held wheel-shaped pizza cutter, some new cooling racks, and a knitting book.  What did come on my birthday was the new lamp for our television which had died about 5 days earlier.  So my on-birthday present was to have the TV fixed.  *happy sigh*

Then my family came up on Saturday for a small party.  And Kimberly, Kevin and Reagan joined us, too.  Eric made me pizza.  And we had yummy ice cream cake.  And it was a good evening.  So…happy birthday to me!

Car Trouble Adventures

So on Friday night, I decided to run “quickly” to WalMart to get a few things for my birthday party on Saturday.  I was driving merrily down the road, pulled into the turn lane of a nearby intersection, and came to a stop.  And so did the engine.  Just that fast, it died.  And I could not get it started again.  I called Eric to let him know I was stranded.  But as he was home with our 3 sleeping children, I called to find someone who could help us out.  Karen didn’t answer, but I got my friend Denae, who very graciously drove to my house to sit with my children so Eric could come rescue me.  Thanks again, Denae!!!  Then Karen called me back, too, and kept me company while I waited for Eric to come.  

Once he arrived, he pushed the car off to the side of the road and looked under the hood.  The battery was horribly corroded.  So we went in search of a battery.  The car place was closed (it was 9:05 pm…guess when they closed), so we ended up at WalMart (though I did not get anything on my original list) where Eric guessed at the battery we needed.  He actually did pretty well, except that the terminals were reversed.  Dang.  And it wasn’t starting even with the new battery.  Dang again.  So…he towed the car home.  I had never been towed before (it feels SOOO wrong to be that close, on purpose, to the back of another car).  It still won’t start.  We still don’t know what’s wrong with it.  But as it just passed 250,000 miles last week…I think it’s due for a tune-up anyway!

So, I left about 8:00 for WalMart.  I didn’t make it home until 10.  And I still had to go back out the next day to get the stuff on my list.  All in all…quite an adventure!

Warm Weather Adventures

Also, with the warm weather (and the broken TV), we made sure we got out of the house more last week.  So we went to C-ville to go visiting on Monday.  We were at Bible Study on Tuesday and Story Time at the library on Wednesday.  We played outside and took walks when the wind wasn’t too bad.  The twins drew with chalk and pulled the wagons and kicked the balls.  We ran around the yard playing chase.  And they figured out how to climb up their slide thing all by themselves.  So this summer, I don’t have to haul them up to slide…yippie!  

Growing Pains

As we get more adventurous, we are also getting more injuries.  Erin has a never-ending cycle of bruises on her shins.  Alex trips on his own feet fairly often. Fingers get pinched in doors once or twice a week.  Alex fell last week and smacked his head on the cement floor of the basement, resulting in a lovely goose-egg.  And over the weekend, Erin bit it on the back patio, chipping a front tooth and getting a fat lip in the process.  So now, I guess we only have to wait 5 years or so until that tooth falls out…poor kid!  I’m forever running to a sudden wail caused by someone running into something (or someone) and getting hurt.  But, hey, I guess that’s what they mean by growing pains, right?  

Other Adventures

This is Eric’s last week of work at Battelle.  His official last day is next Monday, and then he’s taking the rest of the week off before starting new March 7.

Megan is still doing fabulously.  She’s slowly getting less annoyed about being on her stomach.  And I’m hoping she figures out how to roll to her back sometime in the near future.  

I have all sorts of gift cards I need to spend from Christmas and birthday presents.  Yay for free money.  Now if I only could find the time for shopping adventures!

And as you can see, we are just slowly adventuring through our days.  Thanks for joining us…it’s quite a ride!

Happy Monday!

So yesterday was a pretty rough day.

We started out tired because Eric and I went to dinner and a hockey game with his brother and his wife.  It was fun.  I was glad to go.  But bedtime at 11:00 is hard, especially when no one tells the kids that wake-up time should also be 1-2 hours later.  And Alex had started screaming just as we got home.  So it wasn’t a smooth transition to bed either. 

Then Erin woke up with a cough and runny nose.  Just…boom…there it was.  At 6:30 a.m.  And she’d only been over the last cold for about 4 days.  *sigh*

On the other hand, they were pretty good all day, so that was nice.

But we had an earlier nap so we could get to Megan’s 4-month checkup in the middle of the afternoon.  I was going to take the twins to Karen’s house for the appointment, but with the arrival of Erin’s cold…I didn’t think that would be very nice of me.  So off we all went.  All three of them did great, though!  And the doctor’s office wasn’t very busy, so we were in and out.  And everyone was in a great mood. It was nice.  Oh, and Megan is now almost 15 lbs., and everything looks great.

On the way home, Alex started to act cranky.  But I didn’t think anything of it.  We had a normal afternoon.  I got dinner on.  Alex wouldn’t eat much of anything.  I started to figure he was cutting another tooth.  Still didn’t think much of it.  Played some more until bathtime.

And that’s when things really went downhill.

The bath was still running when he and Eric went into the room.  And out of nowhere…Alex throws up.  On the floor, down the side of the tub, into the tub of fresh bathwater (with bubbles).  I had to clean the whole bathroom while they played with Eric.  He seemed to be feeling better, but just as I finished…he did it again.  He got the guest bed, himself, the carpet (multiple spots), and a rug.  So, I started cleaning again, while Eric quickly washed everyone off (I’d run a new bath after cleaning the tub).  Into jammies and into bed.

Sigh of relief.  Hopefully, that is the end of that.

Nope.

Two more episodes before everything settled down, one of which happened just as Megan wanted to eat once more before bed.  And by then it was 9:30.  I’d gotten almost no writing done. And I was brain-dead.  So I went to bed.  I figured that, after a day like that, I deserved it.

As for today, we’ve had no episodes today so far (though there were some spots on the pad we put in his crib for the night…I’m not sure when those happened).  And Erin’s nose isn’t running much today.  And Eric took the garbage out for me.  And God and I did some business this morning.  And we made it to the grocery store this morning (and got a spot right by the door).  And the lady opened a register to check me out instead of making me wait in a line.  And I even got the mail into the mailbox on time today.  SO…today has gone somewhat better so far.  I’m thankful for that.  

I just hope the weekend goes more like today than like yesterday!

And on that note…happy weekend!  

Dear Megan…

I’m sorry that it didn’t occur to me until yesterday that you had reached the official four-month mark.  Apparently, I was busy on the 7th.  But only two days late is still pretty good for me these days!

You are doing such amazing things.  You learned to roll onto your tummy from your back this month. You use the momentum in your strong little legs to swing your whole body over.  It’s really fun to watch.  And I’m expecting to see you army-crawl before too much longer.  Those legs are so strong…I think you’ll probably push yourself forward in no time (though you can wait on that for Mommy’s sake!). 

Of course, you can’t get from your tummy to your back yet (those legs don’t help much the other way!).  So once you’re up, you’re stuck.  And this often results in a small tantrum until I come and rescue you.  Also, you are still doing a good bit of spitting up, which means that I’ve found you on your belly with creamy barf smeared all over your face a time or two.  You don’t like that either, not surprisingly.  And last night was the first night you tried to roll in your crib.  I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet…so let’s practice getting onto the back by yourself before you sleep too much on your tummy, okay?

We put away the swing this week because you just stopped enjoying it.  You’ll still sit in the bouncy seat, but it’s not your favorite.  You love your dangle mat most of all.  But we did introduce you to the exersaucer recently.  I think you two will be good friends in the coming months. Even though you don’t want to be there very long yet, you seem to really enjoy the new, upright life you’re starting to lead.  

You are a supremely happy baby, too.  Your whole face lights up when you smile.  You have a sweet, low laugh that makes Mommy giggle.  And you are ticklish, especially up your sides to your armpits.  There is little that I like more than changing you into your jammies at night and running my fingers along your tickle spots until we’re both laughing out loud. 

It’s funny how much time we get to spend together in a day.  We’re buddies, you and me.  The twins don’t often get me all to themselves, but you…well, for now, you get a good bit of one-on-one time.  And I love those sweet moments when we talk and laugh or you cry on my shoulder.  I love a little less the times when you barf on my shoulder or down my shirt…but don’t worry – I just focus on the sweet times as much as I can!

Even after four months, your siblings still love you.  They bring your pacifier if it gets left on the bouncy seat.  In fact, they bring you all sorts of things when Mommy isn’t watching.  Sorry about that.  And I’m so very sorry for the “love pats” they slip in before I can remind them to “be gentle with our Baby Megan”!  Erin likes to hold you in her lap.  And she just recently starting telling me that she “loves Ba-ee Meh-an.”  She hasn’t said she loves Mommy yet, so I know she thinks you’re super special!

And so do we all, my sweet little Megan.  It’s funny…the other day I thought about sending all 3 of you kids for an overnight stay with your grandma, and I missed you.  You weren’t gone (and the overnight didn’t happen).  But just the thought of not putting you to bed or seeing you first thing in the morning…I missed you!

Which means, I guess, that you are officially “in.”  There’s no turning back.  You’re stuck with our crazy clan.  But our family has only gotten better with your arrival.  You add so much joy to our lives.  And I am so very, very glad you came to us.

Happy four-months, sweet one!  Mommy loves you!

Well, for now, I’m not going anywhere…at least as far as the Xanga exodus is concerned.  Maybe someday, but for now, you can keep on finding me here.  However, that’s about the only area of life that is staying put these days!

Let’s see…

Eric

As of the end of this month, Eric is leaving his job.  He’s taken a new job that he’ll start March 7.  It’s a praise so big I really can’t express it sufficiently.  God has just blown me away with his provision.  See, Eric’s current job hasn’t been a good fit for about 2 years (maybe longer).  And it bottomed out, badly, just after Megan was born.  He came home beyond discouraged (which was saying something after 2 years of frustration), and I went to bed that night pleading: “Jesus, he just can’t do this anymore.  You have to work something else out because I don’t know what to do.”  

The next morning, an email arrived to Eric’s inbox that basically opened the possibility of a job at another company…here in Columbus.  See, if we wanted to move to the West coast, it would be no problem.  But we didn’t want to go anywhere.  And then miraculously, there was this hint of an open door.

So Eric pushed it open.  Discussions ensued.  We waited.  An interview happened.  We waited.  Holidays happened.  We waited.  Contracts were negotiated.  We waited.  And the whole time, I was praying for one thing: the salary.  See, we knew this place couldn’t pay Eric as much as he currently makes.  So I prayed, for like two months, that the offer would be high enough that he could accept it without stress. That it would be high enough that he would know he could provide for us at the new job.  I knew that was the thing that was really weighing on him as we waited.  So I prayed.

And on Tuesday, the offer came.  One that Eric could accept without concern.  It is a pay cut.  But it is still more than enough.  God is so good.

So, now we start another round of The Waiting Game.  But it’s a round that has a clear finish line.  As of March 7, Eric is going to a new job.  One we hope and pray will be a good fit for where we are and where God wants to take us in the coming months.  And since God’s been answering my prayers pretty amazingly recently…I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Erin

So Erin is going places, too, these days.  No, it’s not the potty.  To be honest, I chickened out on the potty training for now.  Well, maybe that’s not a good way to put it.  I wasn’t dreading doing it; I just figured we have time, and the longer I give them, the more ready they will probably be.  I think an attempt this week might have worked for Erin, but not Alex.  So I’m planning to try for real in the spring.

However…Erin is definitely going places.  Mostly into Alex’s crib.  She learned to climb over the end of their cribs and drop into his side sometime last week.  And she figured out very quickly that she had to drop all her toys in first because she doesn’t seem to go back to her own crib nearly as well (she’s only done that once).  And then a couple of days ago, she figured out how to get out of Alex’s crib to the floor.  Oddly, she doesn’t just drop to the floor from her crib.  But she seems to have figured the procedure out just fine.  

So, that means both twins will soon be going to new beds.  It may be their cribs turned into toddler beds.  But beds as they have always known them are about to change.  

Alex

Alex is just going.  It doesn’t really matter where.  He’s a step stool-moving, chair-climbing, bed-jumping, pro-wrestling-wannabe ball of energy these days.  In other words, he’s turning into a rough and tumble little boy.  Of course, he’s not reckless (he still hasn’t climbed out of his crib); he considers his moves before they happen.  But man, when they happen…he goes full force!  

Megan

Not to be outdone, Megan is doing her own fair share of going.  Mostly she goes from back to tummy.  She’s only made it from tummy to back a couple of times.  But that girl is rolling over like a champ these days.  The odd thing is that she hasn’t exactly learned to move her arm so she can roll.  Instead, she uses her strong little legs to push her body over the offending arm.  From what I can tell…she’s going to be army crawling in no time.  Yikes!

And finally, Me…

Well, I’m not sure where I’m going these days.  I have a post-worth of stuff to share sometime soon.  But I’m still processing.  I think God is really doing some big things in my life this year.  And they aren’t all comfortable.  But I’m really glad for them, too.  They mean we are, indeed, going somewhere.  And I’m thankful for the journey.  It’s time to move on.  I’ll just be interested to see where we end up.  And for once, I’m ready to let him lead the way!  

And that…in a nutshell…is where we’re going.  Happy Friday!

So yesterday was a busy, crazy day…

I actually made it to Bible Study on time at 9:15 in the morning.  This is unusual because Megan doesn’t usually wake up until 9, so we can’t get anywhere until 10 (easily).  On Sundays, I have to wake her up.  But yesterday, she was awake at 8, and all the details just sort of fell into place. So we made it ON TIME!  I took that to mean God really wants me to do this study.

We also hung out with some friends in the afternoon.  Eric went to a hockey game with his brother last night, so he didn’t get home until 10.  So I filled the day with visiting.  We had a great time, and I had a really good chat with my friend.  And when we got home, I made a quick supper for us, and we ate cookies and watched TV until bath/bed time.  And then I goofed on the computer.

I also found out that I may already have another writing project lined up for when I finish the one I’m on.  It would be great to see the writing stuff keep growing for me.  I’m enjoying the activity!

Erin had a huge day yesterday.  She started calling our friends by name (Denae became “Nay” and Kennedy was something close to that).  Although Kerrigan, Kennedy’s twin sister, was totally left out of that accomplishment…oh well!  But even bigger is that Erin learned a new skill. 

This is how I found them yesterday morning (and after naps and once after I’d turned out the lights at bedtime).  She can now climb into Alex’s crib.  At least she didn’t go out on to the floor, I guess.  But I’m thinking that means our cribs’ days are numbered. 

And I’m thinking that we are about to embark on the potty-training adventure.  I think I’m going to start a week from today.  I have no good reason not to.  We don’t have that many places to go since it’s so cold out.  And it’s worth a shot.  I’m not going to stress too hard about it.  If one or both picks it up, great.  If one or both really isn’t ready, we’ll back off and try again in a month or so.  But I think they can do it.  The question, I suppose, is whether I’m really ready for it!

So anyway, for those of you who’ve done it before…any potty-training ideas or advice would be more than welcome!

Happy Wednesday!