I know I should feel better about this week than I do, considering how much I got accomplished, and all. But I think the fact that no matter how much I get done there is still a ton to do makes me feel kind of 'meh'. Actually, I'm pretty certain that if I weren't so darn tired, everything about my week would seem more fantastic. It's amazing how exhaustion can make even rosy things appear more of a rosy-gray.
I really did get a lot done. And some good things happened. I'm just not seeing the bling or or feeling the bah-dah-bing that I should about it all. Time for a slap upside the head to wake me up. Or maybe just some hot cocoa to perk me up momentarily while I type. Clearly, I should have had some protein with my lunch for energy maintenance. I'll try one or all of these things and be back. I can't disappoint my readers that one guy in California who reads my blog.
Several hours later...
Okay, after some cheese and crackers and a long walk/bike ride with the family in the cool, fresh-ish air, I feel like a new woman! Or a refurbished version, anyway. Let's give this another go.
1. Ginger scored a buzzer beater at the end of her basketball game on Saturday! It wasn't a game winning shot or anything, but it's still fun to make a basket right as the buzzer goes off. She was thrilled. And I, of course, love it when my kids are thrilled.
2. We finally got the kids' rooms switched around. It was a lot of work, but we did it. Pen isn't thrilled to be sharing a room again, but this isn't her Friday Favorites, it's mine, and I am absolutely over the moon that Edith is in her own room and Rophone and I have ours back. The past few nights I have only gotten up with Edith once-- much better than the 4-6 times I was doing when she could see that I was in the room with her. I was a little nervous about putting the boys in the basement, but I'm quickly getting over it. The fact that they love their new room helps.
3. It seems that cleaning and organizing the kids' rooms has led to the cleaning and organization of the whole house. Funny how that happens. I'm not done yet, but I've made a good start.
4. Edith's top right tooth popped through (finally!) after months of it bothering her. The left one is close, too (not to mention all the other teeth), so we have more struggles ahead of us, but I'm taking the small victory of the right one in the meantime.
5. Pen was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society this week. (She could have been in it last year, I guess, had she received the application form earlier than the day it was due.) Anyway, we're proud of her.
6. Remember that long walk/bike ride I mentioned above? It deserves to be on the list, most certainly. It was lovely. Especially because Big overcame his fear of the balance bike. By dinnertime he was taking it cross country in the backyard. Fantastic.
7. Oh, and the Jarlsberg I ate? It's on the list, too. Num.
8. And, heavens, now it looks like I'm going on a date with my husband. That deserves to be on the list, highlighted in neon, with stars and smiley faces. No reason to dawdle. Bye!
1. Grandma Gigi's funeral on Saturday was absolutely lovely. Rophone did a great job speaking about her and conveying his love for her and appreciation for the impact she has had on his life.
2. Attending two funerals last week for equally fabulous women has made me very reflective. I told Rophone that I'm afraid that when I die no one will have anything nice to say about me. Rophone reassured me that he can more than fill the time all on his own, but still, I feel like I have a lot of work to do. It's always nice to participate in some self-flagellation introspection from time to time. No, seriously, I'm glad I'm having a chance to reevaluate my life and how I'm doing at being a good person. Yes, definitely a lot of work to do.
3. Grandma Gigi's funeral allowed us to see a lot of Rophone's family. It was so good to see them all, both at the funeral and at Rophone's Dad's house the next day.
4. Monday was a huge day, of course, what with Edith turning 1 and all. Such a momentous occasion obviously deserves its own post, so you can read about it here.
5. We got just enough snowfall around here this week to make things prettier but not mess up the driving. Perfect.
6. I am still trying to get the house and its contents more organized. With a baby, I'm not always able to get a ton done each day (along with the never ending dishes, laundry, preparing meals, cleaning up new messes, bathrooms....), but at least I'm making progress and that feels good.
7. I don't know what it is, but I'm feeling very optimistic and peaceful about the future. I know a lot of it has to do with the children I have and the man by my side. Whatever the reason, I like it.
I don't know how it can possibly be true but, as of Monday, Edith is really one. Really. My advancing age and the fact that I have 5 kids are surely to blame for the fact that her birthday seemed to get here so fast. It's amazing how much more quickly the years go by when each one is a smaller percentage of your life.
Edith is up to so much these days. She is a champion mess maker, leaving a wake of destruction wherever she goes. I can often be heard singing, "Messmaker, messmaker make me a mess..." Edith is starting to try to figure out how to climb things-- the chairs at the table, the computer desk, the gate... when she finally gets a little more coordinated and figures it out I think I'm in trouble.
I can't believe Edith still only has two teeth. It's hard to believe because her top two teeth have had her gums bulging for so long. It should be any day now, though, that Edith becomes a four-teether. I can see her top two teeth through the thin layer of gums she has left. I'm really hoping we can both sleep better once they're in.
Still fascinated with clothes, you can find Edith hugging and snuggling any clothing items left laying around by the other kids. She investigates the buttons, zippers, cuffs, and snaps very carefully. Edith giggles with delight when we kneel together in front of her drawer for her to pick an outfit to wear, and the girl loves to shop waaay too much. I pray she never gets ahold of our credit card as a teen (stay strong, Rophone!).
Edith is our most well-rounded child yet. Maybe it's because she's the 5th. She was just pretending to use a saw to do some fixing of the fireplace hearth, then crawled along pushing the school bus, making engine noises, only to pause to throw a ball and give her brother's pajamas a hug. Now she's over rocking her dolly while she looks at books. Way to multi-task, Edith.
She is a pretty picky eater, that Edith. Baby food is for babies and she doesn't seem to want little bits put on her tray because that's for babies, too, don't you know. Give her a cracker or let her eat food that she thinks belongs to someone else and she's all over it, however. You will often find Edith standing at the table while the kids eat, begging for food and trying to snatch a morsel off of their plates.
Edith is now constantly pointing and asking what things are. She'll point and ask, "That?" or "This?" and wait for you to tell her what it is. Yesterday during her check up at the doctor's office she asked what the otoscope specula was and then actually said, "Want it." (much to the doctor's surprise) She expressed a little displeasure when I told her no. Usually when she wants something she points and says 'that' again, only you can tell it's not a question but a command. A little diva we've got, I think.
Although Edith still isn't walking, she's getting better and better at cruising around furniture and sometimes catches herself standing without support before she remedies the situation. Caution appears to be the name of the game for Edith. She doesn't seem to want to do things until she's sure she can do them. She has never once gotten stuck standing up or flopped to the ground because she tried something before she was totally able. Edith lowers herself to the ground with complete control, even when she's not hanging on to anything. We just may have another perfectionist child on our hands. Hmmm... wonder where she got it from?
Sunday night we went to Rophone's dad's house for dinner and ended up singing Happy Birthday and having a little candle-on-a-cupcake for Edith to blow out. She was a champ, blowing out her candle after only a few tries. Picture perfect. Except for the fact that I forgot my camera!! Never mind, I'll just use the camera on my phone. Oh, wait, I forgot that, too. I felt bad, but I figured I'd just capture it all the next night on her actual birthday.
The problem is that since Edith had already been through it once, and knew what cake tasted like, she just wanted to dispense with the candle blowing and get right to the good stuff. I got a few pictures of her making half-hearted attempts at blowing out the candle before she made a lunge to grab the cake.
Well, at least she blew the candle out the night before. I love how when we gave her the cake Edith wasn't sure how to access it. You can see the uncertainty on her face.
You can tell she thinks it's pretty tasty, though. Even in small amounts.
Rophone finally just dumped the cake out on her tray to make the good stuff a little easier for her to access. Oh, yeah. It's waaay easier now.
(Okay, now just ignore that I didn't use my flash for the rest of these pictures-- the lighting is a little funky, sorry)
Edith isn't a thumb or finger sucker, but apparently she thought it was necessary when cake is involved.
She finally started getting it in her hair, too. Way to go, Edith!
And I love these next two shots (I really need to get better at narrowing my pictures down, don't I?) because you can see a bit of Edith's diva attitude at work. Someone at the table was doing something that displeased her and she was telling them 'no, no!'. Apparently they didn't listen.
We will now move on to the present opening pictures with a minimum of commentary. Really, I promise! Well, except to say that I love her little curls when her hair is damp and I know some of the pictures are blurry, but my camera kept focusing on Big's helpful arm/large head/non-window-like back as he lunged in to give his sister a hand. Okay, here we go!
Oh, and I guess I should close with Edith's stats from her appointment yesterday. She's turning into a tall, skinny drink of water!
Height: 32 inches (99.72%)
Weight: 21.38 lb (73.74%)
Head: 18.5 inches (93.71%)
Happy Birthday Edith! We love you!
It has been an interesting week. Let's see what we can find.
1. We started the process of getting things organized to move some kids around. Edith has been in our room since birth and it's waaay time for her to get her own room. Plus, it just feels good to go through things and get organized.
2. The art center I'm putting together is a big hit. The kids have been having fun using it and I've been enjoying having my kitchen table back. I can't wait until it is really organized and done.
3. Rophone's grandma passed away on Monday at 105 years of age. I know this probably doesn't seem like it should be a favorite, but Grandma GiGi just hasn't been herself for a while and really wasn't enjoying life much. So, I say this is a favorite because I'm so darn happy for her. I know she's better off and that she's with people she loves. Will we miss her? Sure. But we've been missing who she was already and this isn't really about us. I know this is best for her, so it's a favorite.
4. We attended a funeral this week for someone who left the earth earlier than we had hoped. Not a favorite, but it has caused us to reflect and helped us appreciate. Always good things.
5. Edith was doing squats tonight, saying 'stand up' and 'down' as she did them. It makes me feel a little like I should be working out, but so dang cute.
6. I got Edith to eat a little bit of ham and turkey lunch meat for dinner. Welcome to protein, baby! I'm hoping this will help her sleep a little better. Now if only she'd get those darn teeth...
7. I love my kids. Really, I do. I know this sounds a little like I'm trying to convince myself, but let's just say I'm glad we all made it through the week. It's something to be celebrated sometimes, I think.
8. I have a fabulous husband. I love him lots. He makes me feel like everything will be okay and with him at my side I believe him. I like that.
When we were trying to figure out Pen's schedule for this semester we found that the class she really wanted to take didn't fit into her available slots so, on a whim, she signed up for an Illustration and Design course. After seeing her latest project, I'm thinking it's a good thing. A really good thing.
I love how she used words. It took me a moment to realize that even the mouse and cheese are words. So neat. I'm hoping to be able to frame it, but Pen thinks the teacher may use it for her example portfolio. I wouldn't be surprised.
Way cool, Pen.
We have always known that Bud is an artist. Practically from birth he has loved to look at patterns and feel textures. I am in the process of setting up an art center and he couldn't be happier. Last week Bud finished up taking a 5 week long art class offered through the city. Based on the resulting projects and the joy on his face and in his demeanor, it's clear that we need to sign him up again.
I took some pictures of a few of his completed works of art. I love them all and I'm so excited about all of the different mediums he got to use-- watercolors, tempura paints, oil pastels, clay (both hand-building and wheel), crayons....
I think this next one is one of my favorites. I have it hanging on a ginormous blank wall in our entryway. I've always wanted a huge statement piece there to wow people right when they walk in the door. Well, now I've got it. It's bright and colorful and just perfect. (Ignore the fact that it looks like Bud's self-portrait has a fatal wound to the jugular-- the teacher hung it up before it was quite dry.)
I also love these clay pieces that Bud made. I can't believe how well he threw the two bowls on the wheel. He did them all by himself with no help from the teacher. Those of you who have worked with a pottery wheel before know how impressive that could be considered for a 6 year old. I'm pretty sure he's better than me (not that that's saying much). I told Bud I love them and asked if I could have them for display, but he told me 'no'. I guess he loves them, too.
I can't wait to decide which of Bud's artwork I'm going to frame and can't wait for him to take the class again so I can hopefully get him to let me have a few things. You're a great artist, Bud and I'm glad you've found something you love to do so much. I love you!
1. I posted about this already, but on Saturday morning I got to see what Big's been up to at basketball. Fantastic.
2. We went as a family on Saturday afternoon to try to find some amazing deals on some clothes the kids needed. Pretty much a bust, but it was fun anyway. We went to the grocery store and purchased a load of fantastic fruits and veggies, too. I love to see my fridge stocked with the good stuff.
3. I ended up getting really sick on Sunday (no, not a favorite) which lasted several days, but I was still able to help the kids with their Valentines and Valentine's boxes. I'm glad I was a tough cookie because the kids were really happy with what we came up with. Ginger's birthday cake Valentine's box even won 1st place in the contest held by her fifth grade class. Woohoo!
And, yes, of course I copied someone else's idea for the Valentines. The boxes on the other hand? They were all me. And the kids, of course. I constructed Bud's and for Ginger's I cut the hole in the top and did some of the more difficult hot-gluing. I think they both did a great job decorating the boxes and bringing them to life.
4. Nothing else to report about Valentine's Day, unfortunately. Mike and I were both sick so even the kids didn't get anything this year. But my favorite part about that is apparently they didn't need anything. They reassured us that they know we love them and that's all they need. Big did say he wants our love and a cherry picker, though.
Edith's crying. Gotta go. Pray for teeth!
