Forgetful

So it didn't take long at all for my resolve to post something ever day to fade. I completely forgot to write a post Thursday and Friday.

It's just been a normal week around here. After such beautiful warm weather to get things started, it sure got dreary, didn't it?

Today I enjoyed a fun "girl's day out" with my mother- and sister-in-law. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch and it was sooo delicious. I can understand why their food is always on those "worst offenders" lists. It's so flavorful, it must have tons of fat and everything bad for you in it.

We had planned to peruse some of the shops in the strip malls on the north side, but because of the rain, we stayed inside and walked around the mall at Keystone. I came home with a cookie cutter set from Williams Sonoma that my mother-in-law kindly got me. We will have her over one afternoon to help with the cookies. I'm sure the kids will have fun. It was really nice to get out and enjoy a meal and just browse around without kids. Next time we'll try to get out when it's not raining though.

Sandbox

This afternoon, it was so warm and sunny in our backyard that I let the big kids play in the sandbox while Elizabeth was napping. For those who don't know, Anna loves the sandbox, but this has not always been the case. When we first got it, she was about 18 months old I would say. Those first months, she wouldn't get in at all. She did not care for the mess, so she played at arm's length. One day she suddenly surprised us all by climbing in. Within minutes she was pouring buckets over her head, and even laying in the sand. That's how Anna is--there's not much middle ground with her. She dives into everything full of gusto, or she refuses completely.

We opened the lid and started digging around and were quite pleasantly surprised to find her collection of Little Green Man erasers. She bought them for herself at the Disney Store last year. They are so cute. There were about 10 of them and they came in a plastic space shuttle. Well, we have only had a couple of those green men in the house all winter. I've looked for them, but they never turned up. Anna was so excited to see those little things. Poor guys--they were taken out to the box for some fun in the sun one afternoon. Little did we know that would be the last time all season.

Good evening

This Tuesday brought a little change of pace for us. We usually drive up to Waynetown so Chris can play basketball at a local church with my brother. However, Chris sprained his ankle last week. So, we opted to stay at home, but my sister and her family came down here to hang out.

We had a nice dinner, played some games and watched Lost together. My sis loves Lost as much as I do, so it was nice to watch together. Although, with six kids running around the house, I'm sure she is looking forward to rewatching this episode as much as I am. :)

Now that I have mopped up dripped Kool-aid off the floor, tucked the two older kids in to bed (Anna was already asleep; she just got moved to her own bed), I'm going to curl up on the couch and watch last week's season premier of The Locator.

If you've never watched this show, you are missing out. It airs on the We station Wednesdays at 10 (I think, but it used to be Saturdays, so you should check). It is super heart-wrenching. Usually there is some kind of happy ending for people that Troy Dunne (sp?) reunites. Hopefully. But, of course, it is life, so it is not always happy. Each episode deals with a different case (or two), so you can jump in any week. However, once you start a program, you can't turn yourself away. And you better have some Kleenex nearby, cause more often than not, you'll need it.

Toddlerhood

I was going to write about the beautiful, warm even, afternoon we had. We played outside, opened the windows, and soaked up the sunshine. But I was just checking my email and read this from my babycenter.com updates:

"Don't be surprised if your toddler already seems to treat you and your spouse differently. Whichever parent he spends the most time with will be the one he demands more of and is hardest on. If Mom's around more, Dad will be treated like someone special, and vice versa. While this may make one of you feel jealous, know that it's normal and is your child's way of testing out his relationship with each of you. Family dynamics, and your child's shifting loyalties, will be more and more evident during the next few months as he becomes increasingly independent."

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. You see, Chris is upstairs right now putting Lizzie to sleep. It's not that I don't want to, I would love to cuddle with her and hold her just as she drifts away, relaxing, breathing heavily. Nothing is quite so peaceful as holding a sleeping baby.

But, it seldom works like this for me. Elizabeth will relax, but just before she lets herself go, she pops back up. Suddenly she's ready for Mommy-playtime: wrestling, wallowing, jabbering, even hitting crying. But, almost always, Chris can go up there, hold her, and even do whatever he wants (watch tv, play a video game) and she'll just pass right out. It's just not fair at all.

So my weekly babycenter update was a little comforting. She's just harder on me because we spend too much time together, and she thinks Daddy's special. I suppose I can live with that; I know she'll grow out of this stage too fast.

I want to add that I am tickled by the reference to "shifting loyalties," as if we are talking about political party alliances.

End of the weekend

Good evening! It's been a pretty normal Sunday around here. I was disappointed that we didn't make it outside to play today (due to my laziness this morning in not getting out of bed) before the rain started. But I am thankful for the rain since the pile of snow in our front yard has shrunk considerably. If it rains again tomorrow, maybe it will be completely gone.

I had to run to Wal-Mart this evening as our diet soda level had reached crisis point. There was only one left and that would have caused a problem tomorrow. I went ahead and picked up more milk, a couple of snacks, and treats for the kiddos, so I should not really need anything the rest of the week. Hey, I can dream can't I? :)

We watched the movie 2012 this evening. It was completely ridiculous, but if you like that kind of thing, it's entertaining enough. We do sort of like the USA miniseries, disaster movie genre, so it was fine for us. The whole scene with the limo driving through downtown LA as the pavement bulged and crumbled underneath was a bit over the top. They could have least blown a tire or something, to acknowledge that they are aware that the car's axles and wheels could never have survived that. But it was fun to laugh about it. Be prepared to sit in front of your tv for a while if you're going to watch it: it's over two hours long. And once you get into it, it's kind of hard to stop watching!