6am: Pitterpatter of feet on the hardwood floors.
Addie emerges at Paul's bedside: I want a breakfast bar.
Daddy: It's too early. Go back to your bed.
6:01am:
Daddy, I want a breakfast bar.
Daddy: It's too early. Go back to bed or climb in bed with us.
6:03am:
DADDY, but I want a breakfast bar.
Daddy: Do you see these numbers? Whey they say "1" "5" I'll get up and get you a breakfast bar.
6:06am and 6:09am:
Daddy, I want a breakfast bar.
6:10am
very quietly: my tummy hurts.
Daddy: why does your tummy hurt Addie?
Because I need a breakfast bar...
6:13am:
Daaaaaaaaaaaady, I WANT a breakfast bar.
6:15am:
Daddy: Ok. Ok. Ok. I'll get you a breakfast bar. (as he walks into the bathroom).
Addie, heading towards the kitchen, in the most serious of voices:
I am SO sorry for whining AND crying AND screaming AND yelling.
Yeah...she wasn't sorry for any of that until she got her way. {sigh}
Pictures to come. Really. I promise.
Sunday, February 20
Friday, February 11
Abbey
i'm not sure, after today, that i even have the energy to write this post.
yes, this entire post is about our dog.
but it needs to be written while it's still so raw...
we said goodbye to our first baby today.
yes, she was our four-legged baby; but she was our baby nonetheless.
she was so sick. the tumors had grown to the point where they were putting pressure on her bones.
she had trouble walking. trouble standing up sometimes. all she wanted to do was lie on a cold floor. and it all went down hill in less than 24 hours.
i knew this yesterday, but selfishly, i could not take her to the vet yet.
but when i looked in her eyes, she seemed to just beg me to make it better.
and i had to.
that was the agreement. we'd keep her until she was in pain.
and she was in pain.
so we'd have to make that tough decision and let her go.
whether we were ready or not.
we got Abbey (Abigail Adams Wamsted to be exact) when she was a mere 5 weeks old.
i have an entire album of her puppy pictures...somewhere in our house.
we spoiled her. we learned from her. she taught us how important boundaries are for children, even though she was just a dog.
she loved us. she forgave us. she cuddled with us. she woke us up in the middle of the night.
she had a funny bark. she loved to jump. she'd rather greet a person than a dog any day, but she loved Austen, Sydney, Mollie, Bama Girl, Snook, Ginger, Sophie, Charlotte and most any dog she met.
and then she had a, well, we'll call it a unique relationship with our cat Fuzz.
she tore up more diapers, more pacies, and more toys than i'd care to admit. she ate food off the counter (a whole piece of grilled organic chicken one time. a pork chop another. and my cookie dough just this past Monday) no matter how far back we pushed it. she loved cheerios and goldfish, green beans and pumpkin, and cheese. basically anything other than lettuce, she'd eat!
she was the best vacuum cleaner anyone could every hope to acquire, especially under (in front of/behind/on top of) a highchair.
but more than anything she loved us unconditionally, as our pets do. she was always there to greet me when I came home, no matter how exhausted i was. she could make your arm fly up in the arm with the forceful nudge of her nose in an attempt to get you to pet her. she loved to "hold hands" and sit on her hind legs like a "circus dog" just to get her head scratched. she had the softest fir that made her still feel like a puppy, especially on her head. the hair on her ears crinkled when they got wet. more than once she managed to sneak in the shower or bathtub. and she loved to paw at water. she loved to chew sticks and sit outside. she loved to be near us.
she knew how to sit, down, stay, wait, come, and watch...when she wanted to.
but what i think i loved most about our Abbey girl is how she loved our girls. it was evident as i looked back through pictures how much she loved Addie. i just wish i had more of her with the twins.
she was a good pillow to lay your head on
she was patient (usually) and kind and understanding and loving...
...and impossible to catch if she got out.
i loved how she smiled when she opened her mouth. always, especially with her eyes.
my regrets? that the twins won't remember her. that i have to explain it, somehow, to addie that she's not coming home. that i didnt walk her more. scratch her head more. play with her more. or spoil her more.
but i cant change any of that.
my peace obviously doesn't come from this earth, it comes from the Lord.
and He's given me peace knowing that we loved her. we trained her. we spent lots of time with her. we let her get away with a few too many things. and we met her needs.
even her need to move on and leave us.
there's a lot of disbelief in this video. disbelief that Addie was ever that small. disbelief that Abbey really isn't coming home. but i love watching her make Addie laugh (and Audrey Kate sounds just like her now!) and to see how much Anne Perry looks like her!
there were too many wonderful pictures of our Abbey girl to post; so yes, I made a slideshow of our dog!
thank you sweet Abbey for loving us, for keeping us around, and for (hopefully) teaching us to be (at least slightly) better parents! we love you!
yes, this entire post is about our dog.
but it needs to be written while it's still so raw...
we said goodbye to our first baby today.
yes, she was our four-legged baby; but she was our baby nonetheless.
she was so sick. the tumors had grown to the point where they were putting pressure on her bones.
she had trouble walking. trouble standing up sometimes. all she wanted to do was lie on a cold floor. and it all went down hill in less than 24 hours.
i knew this yesterday, but selfishly, i could not take her to the vet yet.
but when i looked in her eyes, she seemed to just beg me to make it better.
and i had to.
that was the agreement. we'd keep her until she was in pain.
and she was in pain.
so we'd have to make that tough decision and let her go.
whether we were ready or not.
i have an entire album of her puppy pictures...somewhere in our house.
we spoiled her. we learned from her. she taught us how important boundaries are for children, even though she was just a dog.
she loved us. she forgave us. she cuddled with us. she woke us up in the middle of the night.
she had a funny bark. she loved to jump. she'd rather greet a person than a dog any day, but she loved Austen, Sydney, Mollie, Bama Girl, Snook, Ginger, Sophie, Charlotte and most any dog she met.
and then she had a, well, we'll call it a unique relationship with our cat Fuzz.
she tore up more diapers, more pacies, and more toys than i'd care to admit. she ate food off the counter (a whole piece of grilled organic chicken one time. a pork chop another. and my cookie dough just this past Monday) no matter how far back we pushed it. she loved cheerios and goldfish, green beans and pumpkin, and cheese. basically anything other than lettuce, she'd eat!
she was the best vacuum cleaner anyone could every hope to acquire, especially under (in front of/behind/on top of) a highchair.
but more than anything she loved us unconditionally, as our pets do. she was always there to greet me when I came home, no matter how exhausted i was. she could make your arm fly up in the arm with the forceful nudge of her nose in an attempt to get you to pet her. she loved to "hold hands" and sit on her hind legs like a "circus dog" just to get her head scratched. she had the softest fir that made her still feel like a puppy, especially on her head. the hair on her ears crinkled when they got wet. more than once she managed to sneak in the shower or bathtub. and she loved to paw at water. she loved to chew sticks and sit outside. she loved to be near us.
she knew how to sit, down, stay, wait, come, and watch...when she wanted to.
but what i think i loved most about our Abbey girl is how she loved our girls. it was evident as i looked back through pictures how much she loved Addie. i just wish i had more of her with the twins.
she was a good pillow to lay your head on
she was patient (usually) and kind and understanding and loving...
...and impossible to catch if she got out.
i loved how she smiled when she opened her mouth. always, especially with her eyes.
(thank you DiAnna for this beautiful picture!)
but she still had those golden eyes that could make you feel awful even if you hadn't done anything!but i cant change any of that.
my peace obviously doesn't come from this earth, it comes from the Lord.
and He's given me peace knowing that we loved her. we trained her. we spent lots of time with her. we let her get away with a few too many things. and we met her needs.
even her need to move on and leave us.
there were too many wonderful pictures of our Abbey girl to post; so yes, I made a slideshow of our dog!
Thursday, February 10
Just Keep Swimming...
...just keep swimming.
Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.
What do we do but swim, swim, swim?
Except I think we're just treading water, attempting to keep ourselves (rather our house) from sinking.
Ok. With 5 reinforced jacks placed on steel reinforced concrete pads underneath our house, I don't think it's going to sink anytime soon.
Just us.
The final coat got put on the floor after one of their guys just scraped up pooled stain leaving some pretty obvious less stained areas. The owner of the floor company (not a worker) spent half a day at our house today fixing those (and other) spots. The result: a perfect floor. The problem: another coat has to be put on the floor. But since we don't have any heat, that has to wait.
Then they found the gas line that absolutely has to be rerouted in order for the duct work to be run under the house after we moved the return air and they relocate the unit due to reinforcing the foundation.
If this is some kind of practical joke, it's not funny! And I know funny! I'm a clown fish! (Marlin the clown fish)
So the plumbers come and give us a quote. Did you know plumbers are super expensive? The plumbers have to reroute the gas line. The inspectors have to come. And then the duct work can be installed!
I just picked up all of my cooking supplies, food, extra clothes, diapers and left sinks dripping because we won't have heat (and it's snowing/sleeting/winter storming/snowpocolypse) until late Friday, IF everything goes as planned.
But we all know how things go as planned with our house!
It's sort of like swimming through a sea of jellyfish.
I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy. Come on, squishy Come on, little squishy. Ow Bad squishy, bad squishy. (Dory)
Oh, I saw the whole thing, dude! First, you were like, whoa! And then we were like, WHOA! And then you were like, whoa! (Crush the Turtle)
Abbey's not doing well. She's started whining and only wants to lay on super cold (tile/concrete) floors. She hangs her head when she walks now and gingerly lays down as soon as she can. At one point I couldn't get her to eat cheese today. This is the dog that surfs counters for edible and non-edible things to eat! The mass on her shoulder has doubled in size. I watched Audrey Kate crawl over to Abbey the other day, touch her face, play with her collar; and it makes me so sad to know the babies won't remember her.
And then there's Addie. I do believe this most recent vacation from our house has been hardest on her. How do I know, you ask? She bit (yes you read that correctly, bit) another little girl at school Tuesday. I know it happens. I know it's not a reflection on us. But after being horrified and so upset for the other little girl, I got super worried about Addie...not wanting her to gain a reputation of being mean or hurtful!
Audrey Kate is a crawling girl now. Nothing is baby-proofed with 3 year old toys all over the place. I've got my work cut out for me!
And sweet Anne Perry has an ear infection left over from the flu she had 3 weeks ago.
Sometimes I feel sorta like I'm being chased by something...
However I am reminded daily of our blessings: our God of grace, a house to be able to fix, 3 precious girls, an amazing husband, the most awesome (extended) family anyone could hope for, our health, a great general contractor, hvac guy, plumber to work with us...and on and on and on!
But no matter how you look at it, it's been quite a wild ride...
Don't make any sudden moves. Hop inside my mouth, if you want to live. (Nigel the Pelican)
...and it's nowhere over yet.
He look. "Es-CA-pay". I wonder what that means? That's funny, it's spelled just like the word "escape." (Dory)
Can we hurry up already and move on with things?
And then I'm gently reminded:
There's a reason I'm not writing the story and God is. He knows how it all works out, where it all leads and what it all means. I don't! (Anne Voskamp - One Thousand Gifts)
(I promise to have 8 month pictures of the girls. and 9 month ones. And just pictures in general soon! Very Soon!)
pictures courtesy of Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo
Friday, February 4
Flashback Friday
This is where we were a year ago...
...when did she get so big?
And how is it that the baby girls are 9 months old today?
...when did she get so big?
And how is it that the baby girls are 9 months old today?
Wednesday, February 2
Tuesday, February 1
Sweet HeartS
Two, almost three, is such a fun age.
Sure, it has it's moments (like yesterday!); but it's such a fun age of exploring and learning and growing!
I've realized there was a good reason that I taught school aged kids and not preschool.
It's takes an {enormous} amount of patience to do {anything} with a two almost three year old.
Let alone anything that requires even a minimal amount of {organization} or {concentration} on my part!
Please don't touch that. Put that down. Please don't bang the spoon on the counter. Slow down. Wait. WaiT. WAIT! Be careful. Please.don't.touch.that. Let's put that here. Please don't tip the glass bowl. Be careful. Wait, we can't add that yet. No, don't touch the raw eggs! That lid goes on the flour. Whoa, don't tip that over! Please put that down. Please don't touch that!
Is God trying to teach me something here...?
A few days ago, I decided that I really needed to have an activity for Addie to do a couple of afternoons a week...here, at home.
And I'm pretty sure I bit off more than I could chew on this first one...no pun intended! ;)
But we had so much fun.
I learned a lot about patience...or at least had it put to the {test}!
You see, it's somewhat difficult for a two year old, who sees her world in a concrete, black and white, here and now (mostly) sort of way to understand how flour and sugar and butter can turn into cookies.
I guess some of that might have been due to the fact that we madeslicebreakpick up and put on a cookie sheet-&-bake cookies the night before. You know, the ones that start out resembling cookies?
But enough already...
Addie really turned out to be the greatest little helper. And I learned a lot about breaking things down into {more} easily understandable steps.
And explaining that, yes, in fact, we do have to {cook} these.
(have I mentioned that I really do love my new oven?!?!?)
Because what's not to love when this is the result:
And when your assistant is such a Sweet Heart!
Sure, it has it's moments (like yesterday!); but it's such a fun age of exploring and learning and growing!
I've realized there was a good reason that I taught school aged kids and not preschool.
It's takes an {enormous} amount of patience to do {anything} with a two almost three year old.
Let alone anything that requires even a minimal amount of {organization} or {concentration} on my part!
Please don't touch that. Put that down. Please don't bang the spoon on the counter. Slow down. Wait. WaiT. WAIT! Be careful. Please.don't.touch.that. Let's put that here. Please don't tip the glass bowl. Be careful. Wait, we can't add that yet. No, don't touch the raw eggs! That lid goes on the flour. Whoa, don't tip that over! Please put that down. Please don't touch that!
Is God trying to teach me something here...?
A few days ago, I decided that I really needed to have an activity for Addie to do a couple of afternoons a week...here, at home.
And I'm pretty sure I bit off more than I could chew on this first one...no pun intended! ;)
But we had so much fun.
I learned a lot about patience...or at least had it put to the {test}!
You see, it's somewhat difficult for a two year old, who sees her world in a concrete, black and white, here and now (mostly) sort of way to understand how flour and sugar and butter can turn into cookies.
I guess some of that might have been due to the fact that we made
But enough already...
Addie really turned out to be the greatest little helper. And I learned a lot about breaking things down into {more} easily understandable steps.
Because what's not to love when this is the result:
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