The Posts That Weren't

With Jeff off for the summer June gave us plenty of opportunities for family time and we have been enjoying it. Somehow the days are still busy but here are some pictures to show you the fun we are having.

We have been having frequent picnics, when it isn't too hot. Both of the girls love being outside. We've added a swing and a sandbox to our backyard and they are being well used. Lydia is enjoying an egg roll...she will eat anything within reach!

Renee has been asking to go to work with me for awhile now. One Friday Jeff brought both of the girls to have lunch with me. My office is quiet on Fridays and this one was particularly quiet so I let Renee stay for the afternoon. I remember how special it was when I got to go to work with Dad in the mower shop and I hope it created a good memory for Renee as well. She sat across the desk from me and colored for a long time and then we found some toys. She was a good worker!

My little fashionista! She has good taste.

She tried to make an exchange - put her shoes on the rack and took off in the heels.

Lydia got her first ride in the bike trailer. It was the first time we had two in there and they did well. Renee is giving Lydia a kiss. I wish I had a picture of them from during the ride. They both quickly fell asleep with Renee leaning against the side and Lydia leaning on Renee.

Another picnic with Renee's best friend. These two love to play together. 

No hands! This is now old news, not only is Lydia standing without holding on but she is walking all over the place. She only resorts to crawling when she needs to move fast! My "delayed" baby walked at 9.5 months!!! So much to be thankful for. She was discharged from physical therapy this week. I readily agreed that she is doing just fine...more than just fine she is amazing.

Enjoying a popsicle...I love that smiling face.

We've been taking the girls to this mini beach. They aren't interested in going much further into the water than this but they do enjoy playing in the sand. Renee likes to hunt for pebbles and shells and throw them into the water. The bigger the splash the better.

Do they look like father and daughter to anyone else? Renee was very focused and turned the wheel carefully. She catches on to things so quickly. She watches and imitates everything she sees. I'm blessed to have such beautiful daughters and a wonderful husband. They make each day special.

A most lovely Monday

Monday was truly a lovely day. As my sister said when I told her about my day, I nurtured my inner introvert. I had to go out of town for a meeting and since I also had an out of town conference the next day work provided me with a hotel room. My meeting on Monday ended early and I had an entire afternoon and evening to do as I pleased. I first went to the mall and was quickly reminded why I shop at Marshalls...$78 for a t-shirt!!! You have got to be kidding, I looked it over very carefully but nope...nothing special about it, just a t-shirt as far as I could tell. It's been awhile since I've been to a classy department store as you might guess. I did find a few sales but quickly tired of the crowds and decided on a pedicure. I pulled out my kindle and engrossed myself in a novel in hopes that the technician wouldn't talk. She didn't and I tipped her well for her silence. I headed to the hotel, took a 2 hour nap and then decided to venture out to find dinner and maybe give shopping another try. I got as far as the lobby, glanced at the deserted hotel restaurant and decided that was the perfect place for dinner. It was. I ate in peace and neither I nor anyone else spilled food on me or wiped their hands or mouths on my clothes. The evening consisted of reading, sleeping, and watching tv without interruptions. I even got to say more than a "hello, i need some help here" to God. It was a most lovely day. The conference the next day was good and when I got home my girls were very happy to see me but I think I was more happy to see them. A day away was awfully nice but so was coming home.

Being away means catching up on laundry and cleaning upon returning. Tonight Renee brought me the broom and said, "help me." When your 2 year old notices the house needs to be cleaned, its time to clean! So tomorrow between working at home and taking care of the children I'll be trying to catch up on laundry and make sense of the chaos that is home. Home is a nice place to be.

Hale Happenings

I've been tucking away little tidbits to write about. A day at the beach with friends I haven't seen in much too long - Renee enjoyed sitting in a beach chair just her size and Lydia loved the oreo cookies...Renee's exploration into art - using her face as the canvas and white out as her medium...Lydia pushing her walking toy across the living room like its no big deal...Renee's adenoid removal and ear tube insertion - she's a brave girl and made her mommy and daddy proud but then again we are always proud of our girls.

I really don't need to go back into the archives of my memory to be entertained by my children. Tonight provided enough interest all by itself. Jeff made supper, such a treat, when he cooks the food just tastes better! I asked Renee if Daddy should cook every night, she said "yes!" Jeff asked her if mommy should do the dishes, she said "no!" That's my girl! I went to the kitchen to check the damage - Jeff is a good cook but the collateral damage is extensive. Renee volunteered to help, dragging a chair behind her. I got her situated with some running water and went to check on Lydia. Then I made the mistake of sitting down. When I made it back to the kitchen Renee had worked her way through half a bottle of dish soap and scrubbed a bell pepper clean. The jalapeno that had been on the counter was missing.  By the way, both peppers were grocery cart additions that Jeff and I both assumed the other had picked up...Renee must have thought we needed them. So I cleaned up Renee, did dishes, recovered the jalapeno and was quite happy to discover there weren't any tooth marks in it - although I think we all would have heard about it if Renee had taken a bite! While I washed she came back to help again and climbed up on the counter to help herself to a banana. She picked it up saying, "I got you banana, I got you." I couldn't tell if it was a proclamation of victory or an attempt to reassure the banana. She continued to tell the banana "I got you" as she peeled it and discarded it. She ended the night by climbing out of bed saying "potty". That's one request I'm not inclined to deny. She hasn't had a success yet and we haven't yet officially started potty training but she has been initiating and wants to sit on the big potty and then the little potty. I'm sure there will be more to come on potty training!

And now a few pictures...

Thoughts on Mothering

My Mother's Day gift to myself is grace. Grace to be the best mother I can without the guilt of not mothering the same way you do or the same way my neighbor does or the same way my mom did. My mom is the ultimate Mom. She might tell you she made mistakes and needs grace too but I don't remember them. In my mind she was perfect, she was the mother I needed and still is. If my children remember me meeting their needs, if they grow up knowing I'll be there for them and I have and will always love them I will be a success too. There is a wall hanging on the wall in my children's bedroom. It says:

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my babies and babies don't keep."

It was embroidered by my mom and hung in my sister's room or maybe mine, I'm not sure. But it comforts me that my mom identified with the thought that time spent with children is time well spent. My house isn't as clean as I would like, I don't cook dinner at home as often as I would like, the laundry piles up more than I want it to but the free moments that I spend with my children are worth more than a dust free house and a homemade meal. At least that is what I think. 

So Happy Mother's Day Mom, you're the best! and Happy Mother's Day to me, I'll keep on doing my best.

P.S.

Lydia stood up this morning without anything to hang onto!

Happy Birthday, Renee!

Happy Birthday to my darling Renee girl! She is joy and giggles, smiles and fun. She is smart, funny, and adorable. She is determined, creative, and strong. She has her Daddy wrapped around her finger and carries her Mommy's heart. Her little sister adores her. 

She is also a bit mischevious!

We started her birthday celebration at home yesterday with presents from Mommy and Daddy and then had a party in Grandma and Grandad Sheats' backyard. The kids enjoyed the pizza and had fun playing in the "park" but the wind forced us to move inside for presents and cake. 

A friend helped me make this cake. She did a great job re-creating the picture on Renee's party invitations.

 Renee was looking forward to seeing Anna all day! These two cousins are the best of friends.

 I love the smile on Renee's face. It makes my heart happy. :)

 The day ended with a walk in the garden...and a bath.

 And one of Lydia, who could resist this little face?

This is today. Renee had some cake and ice cream for a snack, today IS her birthday after all. I turned my back for a moment and Renee decided to share her cake with Lydia.

As I was writing, Renee already tucked in bed, she comes walking out with a blanket draped over her head like a ghost. She was picking her way around the toys toward the couch. Did she really think I wouldn't notice? She's back in bed.

My Mommy Heart

This morning I held a child while silent tears ran down her face. She was the same age and size as one of my daughters and she cuddled into me the same way. My mommy heart broke and re-broke several times while I held her.

When I got home my little girls mended my heart. We went out to eat at our favorite restaurant, Renee discovered that she likes crab dip. I had one of those moments where you realize that now that you're a mom you can do pretty much anything. While Renee sat on my lap eating my dinner, I also ate my dinner while giving Lydia a bottle. No problem. Renee then did the impossible. While sitting on my lap fully dressed eating her dinner she peed on me! I was wet and she was dry!!! Not possible! Unless you have a monster, and I mean monster diaper wedgie. On the way home she made up a song, "Happy happy, Mommy, Daddy. Happy, happy, Daddy happy, Mommy happy, Lydia happy, Happy, happy." My mommy heart was happy.

As of yesterday Lydia is 8 months old. The view I most often have of her is the top of her head. She wants to stand and pulls up on anything and everything. I don't have to look far for her she is usually attached to my leg. I kind of like it, my daughters are my best accessories.

A Little Like Me

Mom likes to tell a story about the difference between her children. She uses the example of mopping the floor and telling us all to stay out until the floor was dry. One would blatantly disregard the rule and run straight through. One would stand in the doorway and put her toes just over the edge of the entry...that was me. I wanted to know, do you mean what you say or is it ok if I follow my interpretation of the rule...will I get in trouble if I break the letter of the law or the meaning of the law. I knew the rule was made so we wouldn't get the floor dirty so sometimes I would run through in my clean socks when she wasn't looking, not to mess up the floor but to see if she would be able to tell I had walked through. Shen never knew (sorry Mom) and what I learned was that rules weren't important if they didn't have meaning so I could choose which rules I followed and which ones I didn't which amounts to rebellion. So the point of this is that the other day I told Renee "We don't stand on the couch. The couch is for sitting. If you stand on it you have to go to your room." What did she do? She kneeled. I hadn't said anything about kneeling but I did say that the couch was for sitting. The look in her eye told me I have a daughter just like me so I spent a minute debating what to do and sent her to her room. I told her to go and she took off running, went straight to her room and came back a minute later, climbed up on the couch and stood. I sent her to her room. We did this three of four times before she came back and sat down. Hasn't stood since. So my lesson for the day was that small things matter and obedience needs to be learned for the simple fact of obedience.

On to matters of cuteness...I love watching Lydia and Renee play together these days. It is so sweet. They adore each other. Lydia has just taken off, as I write I'm sitting on the floor and Lydia has pulled up to cling to my back, she wants to stand more than sit and uses the furniture or anything she can get hold of to stand and is even starting to walk along the couch. For breakfast this morning she gummed her way through 2 pancakes. She is thrilled with herself for eating real food and can't seem to get enough of it. Despite the fact that I stepped right in a puddle of spit up this morning she is keeping more food in her stomach and less is coming back up. After so much worry I have no more doubts about her health. Her grins and giggles mean the world to me and seeing her crawl across the floor and eat with a healthy appetite is not taken for granted. I am so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy girls.