Serenity Now!

Sorry it is been so long since I have blogged.  I miss it dearly and hope to begin anew when we settle in Kansas.  The moments to myself are currently few and far between.  For instance, I am currently sitting in a minivan writing this post on my I phone with a tyrant, I mean toddler in the backseat. I just couldn't let this moment go by without chronicling for posterity.
 My family and in laws are currently  inside Cheddar's enjoying a lovely dessert in honor of Joann's birthday. Leah did everything she could think of to make this occasion miserable.  After consuming her weight in chips and salsa, she was ready to leave.  Unfortunately, the main course had not even arrived.  Chris and I walked said toddler three times around the establishment, looked at fish in the aquarium, and brought our "bag of tricks" to occupy Napoleon, I mean Leah. No one wants to eat next to a screaming one year old.  So I bit the bullet and took her out to let everyone else enjoy their meals.  I would rather have dinner next to a hungry crocodile. Has anyone else dealt with this? The terrible twos have moved on in. I remember this with Sarah but of course it seems worse now than in our sanitized memories. Let me give you a rundown of a week with little Napoleon.
On Tuesday, we made our way down to the local library for Sarah's story time. Leah loves the library. She thinks she owns it. There is a toy that she literally drags all over the children's section to keep anyone else from playing with it. There is a section that she likes to climb. She saw another kid climbing in her section and literally jerked her down. After a beating (yes they have begun), she heads back to the same girl with a different tactic. She pats her on the shoulder and said "uh oh" over and over. As if the "people's eyebrow was coming next. What am I going to do with this one?

On Thursday I kept Leah out for about forty five minutes too long and was punished by a screaming Child who Refused to nap, slammed her finger in a door and threw up all over me, her, and my (currently for sale) floor.  Serenity now! 

She also conquered the Chik Fil A playground this week.  She made it to the top and looked like she had just conquered Mount Everest.  After a few times up and down, it was time to go.  Then the short one threw the spaghetti- legged scream fit that we have all seen when we are out.  As young people, we are annoyed that those terrible parents can't seem to train their child better.  As parents, we all sympathize because we know the embarrassment they are feeling at that moment.  What a fraternity in which we belong!
I know that someday I will look back on this and laugh. I know that there will be a time in which I have more time on my hands than I ever wanted and will look wistfully back at these days.  I am simply writing this so that when my teenage daughter comes to me telling me that I don't love her (I hope this never happens, but I am a realist)... I can pull out the old blog book and let her read just how much we put up with when she was a wee one.  Yet through it all, I would give my life for either one of my little ones.  Isn't that crazy?  Imagine how much more God puts up with and yet He still loves us all as well.  I think this phase is just a taste of that for us to better understand His deep, abiding, and unconditional love.
Until next time (when I will still be exhausted yet fighting the good fight),
Angie

The Blog Takes a Backseat

Sorry followers!  The end of March marked some pretty big changes for our family that have necessitated the suspension of blog activity.  Chris accepted a position working for a company Lexmark purchased in KANSAS CITY.  I have NEVER lived anywhere other than the great state of Kentucky in my entire life!  Needless to say, there is much to be done in preparation.  We are cleaning, holding yard sales (a two day which turned into three due to early birds), packing, decluttering, landscaping, painting, repairing, searching for a new home, new school for Sarah, new doctors, etc.  I am exhausted!  I promise to resume activities when my world calms down (if it ever will).  Please pray for this new chapter in our lives.
Angie

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts = Best Day Ever! (Who knew?)

It sure has been a long winter! We have been scrambling for a chance to exit our den (I mean home) and end the hibernation. Sarah received some free doughnut coupons from her preschool teacher for Valentine's Day and we said "why not". We don't typically frequent doughnut shops. Not that I wouldn't enjoy every last second of being there and partaking in their gooey goodness. But, let's face it. It is not the healthiest breakfast a family can have on a Saturday morning. But when you say free, you speak my language. So we loaded up the van and made our way to Lexington for the girls first Krispy Kreme experience.

Notice the mischievous grin.  Sarah was mesmerized by the doughnut making process.  Yes!   I am justifying my trip as an educational experience!

Couldn't you just eat every one of these?  Yum!

Leah enjoyed herself as well.  It is so interesting to watch any assembly line, but especially one with such a sweet ending!

I wish I had gotten a chance to show the girls eating the finished product.  We only got one per person and they were gone in seconds!  Sarah informed me that this was the "best day ever".  Who knew a short jaunt to the doughnut shop would get this kind of response.  We still have some more free coupons, and we can't wait to return!

More Library Fun

As I said in my last post...I LOVE our library. The building is beautiful, the atmosphere is great, and the librarians are top notch. I took a little video of my kiddos during toddler time. As you will see, Leah loves it as much as her big sis.

 Even the big kids enjoy hearing "Brown Bear".  It is a crowd favorite!  Leah asks for this book everyday.

We just love Ms. Mary Lou.  She never forgets a kids name once she has taught them (even after a 3 year extended absence).  She loves the little ones and they love her.

If you don't already take your kids to the library, come join us anytime!

Library time and Spring's Arrival (Well, almost)

WE'RE BACK!!!!  After a very extended absence, the girls and I are back to enjoy library time at our local library.  Even though we live in a small town, our local library has some of the best children's programs in the area as far as I am concerned.  I started taking Sarah when she was very little, but we quit when her day was moved to Tuesday.  She couldn't go because she had preschool.  Then came Leah and boy did she take early morning naps!  She was always asleep when it was time to leave.  But once January arrived, she consolidated into one nap, thus opening up our mornings and a world of opportunity for her.   We started going back to the library in February and she loves it!  Toddler time is very short (30 minutes) and for good reason: the lack of attention span at this age.  They sing, read, dance, shake bells, sing, read,  and blow bubbles in 30 minutes (whew!).  The kids love it!
Afterward, we hang out and read, play on the computer, and socialize with other moms and kiddos.  It truly is a great way to spend a morning. 

Leah loves this toy...a little too much.  Any kid that tries to play with it has to deal with her!

She also loves talking to the local wildlife.

Afterward, if the weather is nice, we head down the street for some playground time.  Yipee!
We have been lucky this February to have a string of nice days.  We deserved it after the cruddy Winter we suffered through this year.

We have a really nice, yet small playground near our house.  It is great for parents of multiple kids, because they can run the entire playground and still be within eyesight. 

Leah couldn't get enough of the swings.  She is so much happier outside.  Come on spring!  These nice days are few and far between in February.

This is Sarah's first year of true playground independence.  I don't have to help in any way, shape or form now.  She is truly kindergarten ready!

My chestnut haired beauty.

WELCOME SPRING!

The Great Coleman Fish Saga Volume 1...

Let me preface this post by saying:  I am not a fish lover.  Yes I had an aquarium as a child (didn't we all?)  I raised tetras, guppies, algae eaters, etc.  When you are little and there is not much to do, why not take care of fish?  I am no longer little, and I now have SO much to do.  This is why I am not a fish lover.  Sarah, on the other hand, is in her words "a friend of nature".  She is just like I was as a kid.  She loves cats, dogs, birds, and yes, fish.  So on her fifth birthday, she sweetly asked her father for some fish.  He agreed...without consulting me.  Needless to say, I was not happy.  This is because he was travelling overseas and across the country as much as he was home.  We all know how trustworthy a five year old can be with a living thing.  So who do you think got to take care of the fish?  Yes, you guessed it, ME. 
The first fish were of the 39 cent variety and lived in an inexpensive fish bowl.  This bowl became unbelievably dirty every three or four days or so because a five year old was feeding the fish and she thought they looked "hungry" many times per day.   Chris became tired of cleaning the tank, so he went and bought a tank that had an aerator.  He couldn't find the water conditioner the day he moved them to their new home, so he placed them in the untreated water where they immediately began swimming VERTICALLY (I was not home at this time, and could have shown them exactly where the conditioner was).  The next morning, Chris is off on his latest business trip, and I walk in Sarah's room to wake her for school.  She is lying in bed sobbing hysterically because her two fish (Cleo and Nemo) are dead.  She thinks the air bubble cord "shocked them" to death.  :(
I am mortified because we have never dealt with the death of a pet yet and I am to do this alone.  So I do what most parents do,  I promise to take her to the store for more fish (against my better judgement). 
We head to the store the next evening, and Sarah is directed to the cold water fish.  Our choices are BIG goldfish, and little goldfish.  Sarah, being convinced that the little goldfish cannot live in this new world that contains cords and air bubbles, opted for the BIG goldfish.  The $5 goldfish.  Because I was alone, and weak, I said "yes" and she was so happy!  She let out a giggle that I had never before heard that even made the Wal Mart man chuckle as she chose her fish.  She chose a medium sized one and then she chose Goliath!  As he scooped this fish out of the water, it flipped like a giant bass on a fishing pole.  She was elated and I was not.  When we got the two fish home, I quickly realized that the SECOND tank would be way too small for the biggest fish.  Could we take him back?  No.  Why you ask?  Because he became the house favorite.  What a personality this fish had!  He loved to eat, and he would scoop up the gravels in the tank and suck off any excess food spitting them out like he was putting on a show.  Sarah's heaping helpings of food made him squirm in delight, which, in turn, made her squeal in delight.  Leah loved the new fish because she could see them so much better (due to their large size).   She would find the fish food and walk in the room saying "fish".  My heart melted.  I myself even grew to like the big guy.  The two are pictured here below.

I decided it just wasn't right to keep this fish so contained.  So I went to the store and bought a third (yes a third) tank that was a three gallon with aeration.  It lit up and changed colors and Sarah thought it was so cool!  We kept them in this for a couple of weeks, but with Chris gone virtually the whole month and me busy with my UK job and single parenting, the tank got dirtier and dirtier.  By the time Chris returned, it was way past time to change the water.  One morning when Sarah woke up, the big fish was gone and the little fish was very sick.  We quickly took the little one out of the new tank, and placed him back in the old one. 24 hours later, the little one was gone as well. 
Two months and $60 dollars later, our great fish experiment was a HUGE failure.  Sarah was sad, Leah was walking around with the fish food looking for her friends and even I was depressed.  I hate to lose any life on my watch.  I guess this is just not the time for fish ownership.   On the bright side, we have three tanks for any eventuality of another fish coming our way.  That is, unless any of you are looking to buy a tank.  Any takers?   :0)

Sooo Busy!

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately.  I have been busy with work for UK, trying to select a kindergarten for Sarah (still haven't decided that one) and planning a teacher appreciation brunch for Sarah's volunteer preschool teachers.  Whew!  I am tired just writing about it.  I have created a blog for the parents of the preschool and just posted the event.  I am too lazy to post twice, so I will just direct you there.  The site is www.buildingblocksparents.blogspot.com.  I snuck in and filmed the kids during Bible class and posted a little video of the fun.  What a blessing that school has been to Sarah!
 I have upcoming footage of the many dance parties we have been having during the cold months of winter, so stay tuned.
Angie