Cuteness

Watch out, you may not be able to stop watching this. I could watch it all day.

Statue of Liberty

I had a great conversation with Oliver today.
O: Mommy,what does liberty mean?
Mommy: It means freedom.
O: What does freedom mean?
M: It means that you get to make your own choices about things. In some countries the president tells people what they should do, like where to go to church and where to live, but in our country we get to make our own choices.
O: (brief pause) Then why don't we get to choose our own seat at a restaurant?
Love this kid!

Clean. Entertain. Rinse. Repeat

This has been a week of cleaning and entertaining at our place and I LOVE it! I really like entertaining and had been frustrated by our lack of space at the old apartment. Now we have the space and I can enjoy having company again. Tuesday was Oliver's birthday. My little boy is four. We had his party over in the resident lounge. It was so much fun! It rained, but it still worked out fine. Thank goodness for my sister the teacher who helped fill in the time gaps with fun games. Then, Tuesday night we had Family Dinner Night at our place. I must say, it was a success. We had make-your-own grilled cheese. I bought a variety of cheeses and breads and bacon and ham and tomatoes. Everyone got to build their own sandwiches and then I cooked them up. Add some french fries and chips and pickles and it was a great meal! So, Wednesday we regrouped from the party and dinner and cleaned up again to get ready for having my small group friends over from Mom's Together. (We also enjoyed a visit from Jennifer Wed. night who decided to stay for pizza!) Four women (and 7 kids!) came over for brunch. It was nice to chat and watch the kids play and not feel rushed to go to work. So, now I go to clean again! No more company planned for a while, I think. Though, I do love the thought that we are able to have impromptu guests without having to worry about what the apt. looks like.
I think today I will switch out the winter clothes and bring out the shorts. Weather man says 80 degrees this weekend! Woo hoo!

Funny Curl

Morgan has always had this funny curl in her hair. When she was little I used to think it was a Cheerio stuck in her hair because it was so blonde and so perfectly round. Now that her hair is longer, it is still very blonde, but it is a spot of frizzy curl. The rest of her hair is shiny and just curly at the ends, except for this one piece. I love it. It is such a good description of my girl. To most people she is a quiet, sweet little girl. But every so often, mostly at home, she has a streak of spunk and wildness. I hope she always keeps this. The curl and the spunk.

Bone...errrrr....

Sometimes my kids say the funniest things that also happen to be completely inappropriate, but in their case also completely innocent. This morning I woke up to one of these occasions and laughed until I cried. What a way to wake up. Ok, here goes:
Oliver is very into anything that has to do with going to the doctor, x-rays, body parts, surgery, etc. So this morning while he is laying in bed with me, he says with astonishment in his voice, "Mommy, I found a bone in my pee-pee!" Now we all know that sometimes boys wake up with a little, umm, shall we say happiness and I can only assume this was the case this morning. He continued on to tell me that he will have to look up on his computer what that bone is called. At this point I was still half-asleep so I was just mumbling, "Uh-huh, ok" But then after I processed what he was saying, I had him tell Daddy all about this new bone that he found. So he says, "Daddy, I had my hands in my underwear this morning and I found a bone in my pee-pee!!" Joel was trying so hard not to laugh, but me, on the other hand, I was laughing and crying and snorting uncontrollably. Thankfully, Oliver was quickly distracted by his other bones, like his ribs and legs, etc. but wow was that funny. What do you think, too embarrassing for his baby book?

An Interview with Ollie and Morgan

I saw this interview on So the Fish Said and thought it was cute. Here are my kids' answers.

1. What is something mommy always says to you?
O: Bambi M: No!

2. What makes mommy happy?
O: When I walk Chloe (the dog we were dog sitting) M: Play with my buttons

3. What makes mommy sad?
O:When we don't kiss you when you want us to M: When I go under the table

4. How does your mommy make you laugh?
O: When you jump M: When you get afraid.

5. What did your mommy like to do when she was a child?
O: She liked to be naughty. M: Be naughty.

6. How old is your mommy ?
O: I don't know. M:I don't know.

7. How tall is your mommy ?
O: 1...2..3...4...5...inches. M: Super neat.

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
O: M:(in unison) Bob the Builder

9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?
O: Have girl day with MoMo (morgan) M: Look for me.

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
O: I don't know what famous means. Tell me what famous means and then I will tell you.

11. What is your mommy really good at?
O: Watching CSI

M: Catching germs.

12. What is your mommy not very good at?
O: Not liking us.

M: Catching flowers

13. What does your mommy do for her job?
O: After-care work

M: Spank me.

14. What is your mommy 's favorite food?
O: Cheddar Cheese, actually pizza

M: Pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mommy?
O: When you try new things.

M: Go potty.

16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
O: I don't know, Winnie-the-pooh?

M: A cooker man.

17. What do you and your mommy do together?
O: We bam.

M: Play daddy's guitar.

18. How are you and your mommy the same?
O: When we wear the same things.

M: We don't.

19. How are you and your mommy different?
O: When we not wear the same clothes.

M: No answer.

20. How do you know your mommy loves you?
O: When you hug me and kiss me and go in time out.

M:Hug and kiss you.

21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy?
O: I don't know. M: Love him.

22. Where is your mommy 's favorite place to go?
O: The Venetian (restaurant) M: To the museum

It's Time

I feel like I have been doing really well with dealing with the onslaught if gray hairs on my head. Telling myself that it doesn't matter, etc. But lately I've been toying with the idea of coloring it again. Maybe because my birthday is coming up, maybe just because I need a haircut and am unhappy with my hair anyway, I don't know. BUT, today, someone referred to me as "that lady with the gray hair." I think I might be making a visit to CVS to pick up some hair dye this weekend. (Don't worry Sarah, I'll skip the Natural Instincts!)

Just One Bite

We've been trying to get Oliver to try some new foods lately. He has a pretty limited repertoire of meals: toast with butter, toast with cream cheese, cinnamon toast, toast with jelly, loaded toast - a combo of some or all of the above, bagels, chicken nuggets, apples, applesauce, grilled cheese, cheese sticks, cheddar cheese, pretzels with ranch dressing or yogurt. None of the typical kid food like pasta or pizza. Occasionally I can get him to eat chicken with barbecue sauce. So, anyway, we've decided that it is time to really start pushing him to try some new things. We made a sticker chart and decided he could earn a new computer game with trying just three new things. At first he was enthusiastic, even naming the things he could try, but when push comes to shove he doesn't want to do it. He even decided that he doesn't want that computer game after all. So now what? We have no leverage, he has no motivation.
Tonight I made macaroni and cheese and Joel and I decided to have him try one bite before he could leave the table. The little stinker sat there for about 40 minutes with no bite!! There were tears and pouts and negotiations, but no bite. So, we stuck to our guns and told him he could go strait to bed from the table, with no book time. I thought for sure missing book time would be the clincher, but he held out. He went from the table to the bathroom to brush his teeth and go potty, and then to his room to get jammies on and get in his bed. (Thank goodness it wasn't too early!) I gave him some books to look at by himself while I took Morgan to have book time in my bed. Seemed to him to be a worthy sacrifice so as to avoid the mac and cheese. It didn't seem to bother him all that much after the fact since before he went to sleep he said "I like you. You're my favorite Mommy in the whole world."
Hmmm...so now what? Do we continue this routine until he tries something new? Anyone have any good strategies for getting kids to try things? Do I just let it go and serve the kid toast for the rest of his life?

A Restful Vacation

School vacation came and went without too much excitement. I really enjoyed being home and not feeling the pressure of having to leave for work in the afternoon. I spent one day just cooking some new vegetarian dishes to stick in the freezer. I made Cauliflower Cheese Pie and Lentil-Walnut Burgers. Both tasted much better than they sound. I was so proud of myself. Had a girls' night with Jennifer and watched "Secret Life of Bees" and ate DELICIOUS pizza from Upper Crust. Then, I got a yucky cold which left me useless for Thursday. But, I was glad to not have to get up and go to work. I was able to rest and get better.
Tuesday I went with my sister and the kids to visit my niece at Gordon College. It has been 10 years and I STILL get that longing to go back to college when I am on that campus. Just being in her dorm and walking through the quad and hearing her say hi to everyone and point everyone out was so fun. College life was just the best. I can't believe my 10 year reunion is coming up. Has it really been that long? I am so looking forward to going back out to Wheaton and seeing all my friends. I am thinking that the campus has probably changed alot. Will I be sad to return to a Wheaton that is not the same? Maybe. Right now I am really looking forward to it.
So, now it is back to work. I'm hoping that spring is going to come soon. I can't wait to air out the apartment and get rid of all these germs! We've had a rough winter. My pediatrician is livin' large thanks to the Bielawas this winter.
By the way, I'm reading a book called "A Severe Mercy" right now and it is really good. It's about this couple that met and fell in love before they were Christians and then went to Oxford and became Christians there and then eventually the wife gets sick and dies. That's as far as I am now, but it is a really interesting book. Especially for me, as I have been a Christian for as long as I remember. I always wonder how people come to Christ in adulthood - it is such a leap of faith. I'm anxious to see how the author's realtionship with God changed after he lost his beloved wife. He was struggling before with it. Does it get stronger or fade without her encouragement? I guess I will just have to let you know. Over and Out.
(That's how Oliver has been ending conversations lately. Either that or Amen. ie. "Mommy, I would like a drink. Amen."or "Mommy, I am going potty. Over and out.")

I know, I know

I have been sucky at blogging, I know. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Okay, now that we are over that. One of the blogs that I stumbled upon a long time ago and have been reading ever since, is So The Fish Said written by mom of two, Beth. She is so funny and I wish I could write like her and with as much frequency as she does, even with two kids. Our oldest kids are the same age, so I love being able to relate to the milestones. Anyway, she posted an interview type thing on her blog and I thought I would play along.

Ready? Here we go!

1. Remember the movie Brewster's Millions? That happens to you, except on a smaller scale. You receive a million dollars that you must spend in 30 days. However, you cannot have any assets to show for the money at the end of the month (and you can't buy something and then destroy it), you cannot waste the money, you cannot give it away, and you cannot tell anyone what you are doing. How do you ditch the dough in a month or less? I have never seen this movie. Should I? Does it count if I prepay all my bills and rent for as long as a million dollars would cover them?

2. You are locked in a toy store overnight, with no way out until it reopens in the morning. What do you play with all night? A jigsaw puzzle.

3. If you could have a dinner party with any three famous people, living or dead, you would be wasting your supernatural powers on hosting dinner parties. What would you do instead? Hmmm...I would travel back in time with my grandparents and learn about their childhoods, courtship and marriage.

4. What's the best thing since sliced bread? Now, sliced bread ain't all that impressive, so what's the best mediocre, hum-drum improvement or advancement that has made modern life just ever so slightly more convenient for humanity, along the lines of saving yourself five seconds every time you want a piece of bread. I'm going to go with cell phones here. Every time I call Joel real quick to remind him of something or to have him bail me out of an emergency, I think about what I would do without my cell phone. Seriously, what did we do without them?

5. What's your best quality? The response to this question must be a simple declarative statement. You may elaborate on that statement, provided that your elaboration does not include the words "but," "however," or "although," or any other hedging, equivocating, back-sliding, gerrymandering (which is not at all appropriate in this context, but I think it should be, don't you?) or any other type of backing down from the simple declarative statement with which you began your response. I am a good mom.

If you want to play along, too, copy and paste the questions, fill in your own answers and then let me (and Beth!) know so we can check out your answers. Fun, huh?

I'm Inspired

So, reading Sarah's blog has inspired me to plan my menu online for all of you. So, here goes:
Sunday: Ravioli with homemade sauce
Monday: Stir fry Veggies and Brown Rice
Tuesday: Tacos (We're hosting Family night, so it will be ALOT of tacos) and spanish rice
Wednesday: Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread Souffle

Okay, so I only got to Wednesday, but that's pretty good considering our schedule and eating habits. I'll be surprised if we actually go by this menu exactly because Joel has a tendency to fill up on Veggie Burgers before I get home from work at 6pm. So, I'll let you know! Off to the grocery store!

A Winter Wonderland

We have gotten so much snow this winter! Seems like every weekend we are getting something. It makes me thankful that we live where we do and are not having to go out and shovel for hours and hours. My sister and I took the kids sledding today. So much fun! Oliver loved it. Morgan, not so much. She cried the whole way down the first time and refused to go down again after that. My sister did take her down one more time, this time with real tears. After that we let her just watch. Maybe she'll be more into it next year. I was proud of Oliver's bravery - he wanted to go down all the "big boy hills". We did one really big one and he got a face full of snow the whole way down. Still had a smile under all the snow but was ready to go home after that one. I think I will be sore tomorrow. Going up all those hills and pulling the sled behind me was quite a workout. It felt good to move my old bones.

I was glad to get out and do something today. I feel like I have been in a funk lately. Not wanting to talk to anyone or see anyone or do anything. Maybe it's the winter, not enough sunlight blues. I don't know. But I do feel better today. I'm enjoying the snow and the winter, but I am ready for some sun. Makes me wish we didn't decide to take this year off from going to Florida. Even a weekend at the beach would do me good, I think. A weekend at the beach BY MYSELF would do me even better! How about you? How do you survive the winter blues?

I LOLed

Thanks to Sarah (of One More Thing From Sarah B fame) I have found a new and hilarious blog. I will be adding it to my list over yonder. It is called Stuff Christians Like and it is hilarious! Especially if you have grown up in the church. I will admit that at first, I thought it was going to be a blog of literal stuff Christians like, ie Life Application Bibles, books on disciplining your children, "Witness Wear", etc . But no, it is funny stuff! I laugh out loud almost every time I read it. I especially loved the post about Massages During Church. We all know the discomfort of having a touchy couple in front of you rubbing each others backs and necks. Eww! He captures it perfectly! Anyway, while you're waiting for me to write an interesting, witty blog, go check out this one. Thanks, Sarah!

Have To Laugh

Mommy, upon finding Morgan with a small hairclip in her mouth:
"Morgan, don't put that in your mouth! You could choke! What are you thinking?"

Morgan:
"Ummmm....I was thinking about picking my nose."

Sometimes I just have to laugh.

Post Christmas Post

Hope you all had a great Christmas. Ours was very nice. I'm getting so emotional in my old age. I can barely make it through the Christmas Eve service at church without getting choked up. So many different emotions were going on. I was happy because my mom is doing so much better and was able to come to church. (After having chemo just hours before - she's so strong!) I had been so afraid that she was not going to be able to enjoy Christmas this year. I haven't really gone into detail about it here, but long story short, her cancer has spread a bit and that kind of threw her into an emotional tailspin. She was struggling with anxiety for a few weeks and it was tough. I hate to see her so out of it like that. Anyway, I had been praying that she would be able to enjoy Christmas and I think she really did. So, I was emotional about that. Also, I have been going to SSBC since I was born and feel like it is really an extension of my family. Looking around at all the familiar faces and thinking about how much of my life has been spent in that sanctuary made me feel so blessed. And to have both of my kids and my husband with me made it extra special. And then there was the music. Can't make it through many songs without getting teary lately. Silent Night always gets me.
Christmas Morning was fun. I was able to get a smaller set of blocks and some accessories to go with it. The kids had fun opening their gifts and responded better than they did with their stockings. We try not to get too many gifts - one big gift, one smaller gift and a book. It's hard for me to stop myself, but I'm glad we do it that way. They are able to enjoy what they get. We had a nice time opening and then we had enough time for the kids to play with their blocks before we headed to my parents' house.
Mcloud Christmas was a little different this year. My mother gave us all an envelope of money to buy our own gifts and then she wrapped them and we all opened our gifts as usual. It was fun to see what we all picked out for ourselves. Here are the favorites from Grammie - Morgan got a Fur Real Kitty (which I think is a bit frightening) and Oliver got a jackhammer (which I think is a bit loud).After brunch and gifts we hung out for a while and then in the afternoon we had appetizers and did a wine tasting. Everyone brought a different wine (or two) and we sampled each kind. I don't think any of them really went with the buffalo chicken dip I was eating.
It was a little strange not going to my aunt's house and eating pasta, but I did enjoy not having to pack up the kids a million times and rush them out. It was a nice, low key family Christmas. How was yours?
Next up...ideas for keeping my kids busy in the next few days of no school and no work.

Snowed In

It has been snowing here since Friday afternoon. At first I was so excited about being cozy at home and watching the snow fall without having to go anywhere. Now it is Sunday and all I want to do is get out of this house!! Our wonderful apartment community has been plowing and shoveling the sidewalks constantly, BUT my van is completely trapped. The snow is as high as the top of the tires. We don't even have a shovel to get it out with. I'm not sure what we are going to do. We're supposed to get another storm today that may turn to rain, but may not. I hope we are able to dig out by this afternoon.
I've also found myself in a predicament with the kids' main Christmas gift. Boy, Christmas has sneaked right up on me. I have been planning on getting them a nice, big set of blocks. I also have been planning on splitting the cost with Joel's parents. But, we waited too long to call them and have not gotten that money yet. I was thinking I could easily go out to the store in Needham and get them, but now we are snowed in. I could have them shipped, but the shipping will be over $75!! Maybe Joel will be willing to take an adventure together today. I HATE driving in the snow.
Christmas excitement has started around here. We have adopted Joel's family tradition of opening one stocking gift each day leading up to Christmas. Yesterday was the first one. After the initial excitement of his coloring books, I asked Oliver if he liked them and he enthusiastically said "No, I don't think I do." I hope my other choices will be a little more exciting.

OK, I'm Here

Whew, what a busy day! Started out with church and my last sunday school class until after Christmas. We attempted to do an art project today! Big mistake with 17 children and a teeny tiny classroom. I was so frazzled by the time we were done. I feel terrible because one of the kids brought me a gift and I was so distracted that I forgot to open it AND to bring it home. Ooops! I'm a horrible teacher... I am looking forward to our lives settling down a bit so that I can really focus on Sunday School and the lessons that I am teaching. I'm tired of throwing something together on Saturday night.
After church, Joel and I headed over to the old apartment to do the final clean-out and getting rid of the last few things left behind. Gave the crib and high chair to my cousin who is expecting, gave some old toys and the changing table to Nikki and Lucas and ended up losing the battle to keep my mom's sewing machine and table that she gave me. It is old and a bit worn and, ok, I'll admit, ugly, but I use it and it was my mom's so I like it. But, Joel was pretty adamant about not wanting it in the apartment, so I tried to be a submissive wife. I'm kind of sad about it, but maybe I'll be able to get a newer model with more bells and whistles. For now, my mother has it back at her house. Not sure what its fate will be.
We also picked up the fish tank that we hadn't brought over yet. We were so undecided about what to do with it. We didn't really want to bring it to the new place. We're nervous about the carpet. The tank and stand are older and a little worn out too but a new one is out of the question financially at this point. Anyway, we were kind of hoping that after a week or so in the old apartment with no heat and no food that they would have gone to fishy heaven, but no such luck. So, we cleaned it off as best as we could and lugged it over here. At least the kids are excited.
I can't believe I have to make it through another week before Christmas break. I wish I had more time off before Christmas to get everything done. I feel so behind! We did get our tree up this weekend and that makes me feel good.
So, on the list for this week? Finish shopping for the gifts for our family from my mother (long story, I'll get to it later), call old landlords and pray that we get our security deposit in time for Christmas, buy wine for our Christmas day wine tasting - a new McLoud tradition, make gifts for girls at work, go to Oliver's Christmas show, buy groceries, finish unpacking... I'm tired already! But, on the bright side, I love the Christmas music and lights and festivities. I love the little traditions that we are making up as we go with our little family. And, I love my apartment, have I mentioned that?

Weighing My Options

I really want to blog. I also really want to sleep. I think the sleep is going to win tonight. I feel like I might be coming down with something. It's about time, I've been stressed for weeks. I've been waiting for sickness to strike! I do have so much to write about. My lack of preparation for Christmas, my inability to send out an e-mail Christmas card, my lovely new apartment all decked out for Christmas, my son's obsession with me having another baby (He thinks we're having one for Christmas. - Uh, no), my mom's cancer set-back and therefore also my lack of child care. I'll get to it soon!! Promise.

Pictures!

OK, here are some shots of the new apartment. More to come when we are all unpacked and set up. We are still so excited and every time I come home, I think "Is this really where I live?"

Kids' room enormous closet.

Living room/dining roomKids' Bedroom

New Digs

We're here! We are moved in, not totally unpacked and completely exhausted. AND...drum roll please...we can pick up the free, yes free, wireless internet from the main building. Woo Hoo!!! That means I am back to blogging. But for now, I must unpack. I will try to post pictures tonight.