Girls Night Out........

I highly recommend having a "girls night". Such a great time to relax, vent and just get to talk!! I have had a couple of these nights since M has been born and each time I am amazed that we don't do them more often. Saturday night was a "girls night" dinner, movie and lots of girl talk!!! I came home feeling refreshed and ready for anything. The movie was GREAT!!! We saw Sex and the City (I know shocker!!!) It was so much fun. I laughed, cried and laughed some more. The movie really tied up the series, I didn't feel like I was left hanging like I did when the show ended. I would love to add more, but I am not a spoiler! All I have to say is that if you liked the show - go see the movie. And if you didn't like the show you should still have a girls night out!!!!!

Potty Training.....

So before M got sick one of the plans for this weekend was to start potty training in earnest. I had plans of panty wearing during the day and every two hours sitting her on the pot. Last night Miri got to go to the store and pick out sticker for her potty. The plan is she gets to put one sticker on her potty every time she pees in it and two for poop (maybe I should do three for puke in an effort not to have to clean it out of her crib again…..).

As of now we have one sticker on her potty (she has used it several times before but only once since the sticker plan has gone into motion) I am also toying with the idea of a chart, to keep track of her stickers, maybe 5 stickers = a small toy or something like that. I have informed Ryan that in order to reinforce the sticker plan we should probably put a sticker on the big potty for whenever we go in front of her. He actually agreed that might be a good plan, I am not holding my breath on whether or not this will actually happen!

I am not sure if the potty training plan will happen this weekend, I am not forcing it on her when she is not feeling good. But maybe in some of my free time (yeah right) in the next two weeks we can squeeze this in!

It Must be a long holiday weekend……..

Well we must be coming up to a long weekend because someone in our household is sick!!!! The winner this time (and most times it seems) is Miriam. Yesterday morning her baby-sitter called me at work. She was “concerned” because M was not playing with the other kids like normal and kept saying her tummy was hurting her. No fever or any other symptoms. So her panicky Mommy calls the Dr. (on the day the Dr. closes at noon) and gets her squeezed into an 11:30 appointment. The thoughts going through my mind are appendicitis or obstructed bowl a simple stomach bug was the furthest thing from my mind. And to make matters worse (and me feel worse) yesterday was my employers last day in the office until June 9, so I couldn’t just leave and take M to the doctor. Ryan had to!

The doctor’s diagnosis was a stomach virus. She said two were going around, the first is a week or so of runny diapers and no appetite. The second one is nasty, fever, the runs and of course lots of puke! Great. So all day yesterday I kept thinking we were going to get lucky and have #1. Nope. M woke up from her nap (around 5:30) with a little fever. She did want dinner. And around 1:30 this morning she woke us up because her dinner revisited her oh and she was running a nice big fever.

A stomach bug and fever is a really bad combo. First throwing up or diarrhea or a fever alone make you susceptible to dehydration but added together make it really easy to occur. Luckily she didn’t throw up again last night and had a nice wet diaper this morning.

My mom is watching her this morning while I wrap up a few loose ends here at work (so I don’t have to really work until JUNE 9!!!!!) I left around 9:30 and she had held her pedialyte down and about ½ a banana. So keep your fingers crossed we are on the mend (and that Mommy, Daddy and no one else we have had contact with lately get it!)

My Little Monkey (Gymnast)

Today was parent observation day at gymnastics. What a fun experience. During warm-ups M and the rest of the little ones kept running back to where the parents were sitting but once class finally started it was all “Mommy look at me” and “Watch this”.

Miriam is a little monkey her favorite activity was swinging from the bars – it didn’t matter what bar as long as she could swing.

She has also perfected the somersault!

I am so proud of my little one. At the end of class they normally get stamps on the tops of their feet. When the teacher asked the kids to sit down Miri ran over to get the stamps, what a little helper! (who is obsessed with stamps) But there were no stamps today, only trophies. Miri has decided that trophies are better than stamps!

More on Mothers Day

This was my third Mothers Day to celebrate as a mom. I have to say I have been as thankful for being a Mom on this Day as I was on Mothers Day three years ago (and every day since February 21, 2006). At church part of the prayer acknowledged all mothers, the good ones, the absent ones, and the ones who are mothers in their hearts only. Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) can be very difficult times for people who have not been blessed with children of their own. So many times these people are over looked. Sometimes it is just assumed once you reach a certain age you are a parent. This can be just as painful as well. Wondering if you are ever going to be able to have a child and be a Mother one day really really makes you appreciate all these special days and times. Taking them for granted is something that I just won't do.

This year my mother gave me a gift for Mother's Day, she gave me a small sculpture of a mama sea otter and her baby. I have always loved sea otters and the sculpture is very beautiful. But what makes this gift even more special is that it is the same sculpture I gave my Mom years ago for Mother's Day. She said that every time she looked at it it reminded her of me and Miriam so she gave it back to me. What an incredibly sweet gift. I hope that many many many years from now I will be able to pass this to Miri once she becomes a Mom (many many many many years from now - did I say that already?) Here are pictures from the past three Mother's Days. I can't believe how much Miri has grown. She is turning into such a very special little girl, who makes my heart melt every.single.day.

1st Mother's Day and the day Miriam was baptized - 2006
Our second Mother's Day - 2007
This Year - 2008
This last picture was something Ryan made me right after Mothers Day 2006. This is one of my favorite pictures.

BBQ Blues and Mothers Day........

Wow I can not believe how long it has been since I have posted anything. It isn't because I haven't had anything to say, we have just been very very busy!! It always seems like spring is our busiest time in the year. Maybe because both our jobs are getting busy, or because the warmer weather draws us out so we do more and don't spend as much time at home so when we are at home we are busy catching up on house/yard work. Life can be pretty crazy sometimes!

Here is a brief snap shot into this past weekend.

Friday: We went to a benefit for Emergency Infant Services. This was held in the parking lot of a shopping center near 61st and Lewis. They had a couple of bands, bean-bag and ring toss games for the kiddos, face painting, lots of side walk chalk to play with and a jupiter jump. Miri loves jupiter jumps. There is one that she gets to play in for a little while in gymnastics, this winter we went to an indoor jump place (Heaven Fun) several times and she has been to birthday parties and company picnics that have them. Unfortunately she has NEVER had to wait in line to jump. Until now. Oh Boy! Trying to explain to a two-year old that she has to wait in line to jump is not pleasant. Ryan and I played pass the Miri for about 5 hours (minuets) while we waited for her turn. I felt so bad standing out there with my fit pitching child. Have I spoiled her? Or is inpatient's normal for toddlers? My guess is a little of both. We did have a good time. This was the first annual "Baby Rock Benefit", I am sure we will be back next year.

Saturday: We joined our good friends the Gentrys at the Bixby Blues and BBQ Fest. Miri and Lucy were so very excited to see each other. I swear they just get cuter and cuter every time we have play dates. The day started pretty cool but it did warm up rather quickly after the clouds broke. We had a good time. However, I think it was horribly expensive (particularly if you had more than one little one!) There was a children's area set up. Earlier in the week I looked at the website for the festival, it said there were wrist bands for sale for $10.00 that included unlimited access to all activities in the kid area. Sounded like a good deal to me! Well it wasn't. The wrist bands were $15.00 and only included the jupiter jumps (there were several and M didn't have to wait in line) But it didn't cover the pony rides. Once Miri and Lucy saw the ponies that is all they wanted to do! (At the bargain price of $4.00 per ride) I did tally up in my head how many times M got on and off the jupiter jumps and we did come out a little ahead than if we had just bought individual tickets and I didn't have to tell my child no (maybe it is more spoiled than impatient!), but if a family had two or three or more kids that would add up very quickly. The BBQ that I tasted was ok - not fabulaus (I think Ryan's is much much better) it was cold and I make better beans than what I tried. The problem with the taster kits was not all people BBQ'ing were letting people taste, and there were very long lines at the ones that did the tasting. It was not pleasant navigating a wagon with a hungry, hot and fussy toddler through the throngs of hungry BBQ eaters. I finally went and bought some chicken nuggets for M and sat down while Ryan stood in line. The consensus was the tasting would work if you ate the BBQ from one place while you waited in line for the next. This was just not practicable for us. But you live and learn. Here are some cute pictures from the day.

Miri going down the big slide, she actually climbed up it all by herself!!

Here she is on her $4.00 pony ride (the smile makes it all worth while)

Miriam and Lucy (I don’t think it can get any cuter than that!)

Ryan and I have decided getting two year olds (let alone two of them) to pose for a quick picture is impossible!

Saturday night: Was a Talons game. The plan had been to take Cat and one of her friends to this game. But Cat decided she would rather wait until June. Good thing too, the crowd was a little smaller than the last two games but it was much much more rockous and drunk - not exactly what I want my impressionable 8 year old niece to witness. There are now only three home games left - oh yeah and so far they are undefeated!

Sunday: Mothers Day! We went to church and then to lunch (brunch) afterwards with my parents. When we got home we attempted to take some family pictures, but between the sun, shadows and a toddler that would much rather go play in her sandbox (in her pretty dress of course) we were not that successful. Here are a few of the better ones we took. After that it was nap time for M. Miri had other ideas! After listening to her play in her crib for nearly an hour I took her to our room and laid down with her. We both ended up taking a nap. (ooops!) After we got up we had dinner with Ryan's Mom, Gramma and brother. All and all it was a very nice day.

A Family Picture

So after this busy busy weekend I am actually ready for the monotony of the work week (even if work is busy). Oh and I already promised Ryan - next weekend we are hanging out at home!!!!!!