A rambling post-weekend blog

Nothing new to report really. It's just that if I don't update regularly, you all start emailing me asking where the blog is. We had a nice, uneventful weekend. Just kind of hung out, watched football, did eight million loads of laundry, and then pulled two MORE loads out of the bottom of the girls' closet. Then we had a little talk about laundry and closets.

Saturday night we went out to dinner for our anniversary and another couple joined us. I have beautiful daydreamy visions (complete with a fog machine and cheesy music) of quiet, private dinners where it's just Skippy and I, sharing a bottle of wine and spending way too much on some fancy food that we could make at home for a fraction of the price, without a child in sight. Then I realize that for at least the next ten years until my kids are big enough to be on their own for two hours without burning the place down, that's just not going to happen. So instead we asked some friends to come with us and we introduced them to our favorite hippie granola all natural pizza place over in Washington and it was really fun and very yummy. The only bummer was that they had been closed for a holiday hiatus for three weeks so they didn't have everything on hand that they usually do. So that was a little chaotic and unorganized. But the pizza, as always, was stellar. Then we all went out for ice cream.

But anyway, I'm just kind of all over the place today. Skippy and I are in the process of trying to paint the living room. Because we can't live with all white walls all the time anymore. And with us losing money on the midwest house, I think we're going to be in this rental for awhile so we may as well do what we can to spruce it up while we save our pennies. And I'm still digging out from under the laundry.

I figure this is as good a time as any to do an undate on the kids.

Banana is doing great in kindergarten. We're still having some issues with her talking during classtime, but I'm glad she is enjoying herself so much. She is learning to read and she loves taking the bus home in the afternoon. Right now she's very into coloring and drawing and we read almost every night. She is also an awesome big sister. I am very proud of her. On Saturday she was just busting out one question after another about everything from weather to rocks, which resulted in Skippy giving her a crash course in plate tectonics in the car. Her new obsession is helping me in the kitchen. Yesterday she helped me make chicken tortilla soup and she did a fantastic job.

Kbear is a handful these days. If I had to sum her up in one word, it would be FOUR. She's just busy being four, and trying to figure out where she fits in, where she can push us, where she can't, and what she can get away with. She's getting so BIG all of a sudden - both of the girls will be taller than me before I know it. Let's just hope Chunk got the same genes. The Kbear can go from being a bundle of destructive fury to the warmest sweetest little cuddler in about three seconds flat. She is all about make-believe right now. And dress up. And making sure her baby brother doesn't touch her stuff. She's still going to pre-school twice a week and I can't wait for pre-K next year when it gets a little more intense for her because I think she'll really take off.

And the Chunk is just the light of my life. I can't believe his first birthday is looming ahead in the not-so-distant future already. He's nine and a half months old and he's babbling and crawling like a madman. He LOVES sweet potatoes. He LOVES pears. And I can't for the life of me get him to take a bottle or a sippy cup, which is causing me some considerable angst. But he's just a doll. Every day he discovers something new and we just love watching him grow. He adores his big sisters and wants to be wherever they are. And he's already cruising around while holding the furniture. I don't think it will be too long before we see our first steps.

So the kids are good. For the most part, everyone is healthy. Sometimes I can't believe that I had a hand in making these beautiful kids. I sit back and I just watch them when they aren't looking and I see so much beauty and all the potential that they have. My heart just swells.

Then they start throwing Cheerios or they lock the cat in the closet and I realize how much work I still have ahead of me.