Snippets

Here's a quick recap of our last week. Nothing is really big enough for a whole post, but it's been awhile, so we'll catch you up.

Since my last post we:

*Enjoyed having my mom and grandma in town last Tuesday through Saturday. It was my grandma's first out-of-state excursion since her stroke last fall and she did quite well. The kids love having family around and all the extra attention it brings and showing off their new as well, so it was a good combination. My mom was a big help with the gardening/landscaping as we had perennials to split at the old house and I didn't really have a clue to go about it!

*Went strawberry picking for Father's Day. There's not a whole lot that James loves more than fresh-picked fruit and the rest of us feel similarly. We spent an hour or so in the patch and ended up with 15lbs of perfectly sun-ripened berries. (Well, most of them were perfectly ripe, Joshua had a bit of trouble determining which ones were "red-enough" at the beginning--probably doesn't help that he thinks the green ones taste good too...) We've since enjoyed shortcake, lots plain, and made a couple batches of jam. Yum!

*We're starting to get art/photos on our walls, giving it a much more personal look. There's a lot more to do, but it's a start.

*With an afternoon of focused work in our garage, we're now able to park both cars inside. It's a less-impressive feat when you realize we have a three-stall garage, but it's an achievement none the less.

*We got the old house officially listed on the MLS this week and have our first showings set-up. If you know anyone looking to buy a perfect first-home, send them the link. If not, you can just be thinking of us as we start this process. It's a bit unnerving to realize it's mostly out of your control and you just have to hurry up and wait. But, we feel good about our listing and we'll see where it goes.

*We're trying to stay cool, Southern Wisconsin has gotten caught in a mid-west heat wave. So, we're looking at temperatures approaching or above 90 degrees for most of the next week. It's supposed to cool just in time for our trip up to the shores of Lake Superior to spend the 4th with James' family at his parent's new home. Could we keep the heat wave there and lose it here?

*Lydia has insisted that it's time to start potty training. I don't have high hopes, but she's telling me just before or right after she's wet and has had a number of on-potty successes over the past week as well as being VERY verbal about it. I'd love for her to be done, but if she's not really old enough to have it click, I have plenty to do without spending my days mopping accidents up--so I wish I knew how to proceed.

*On the mopping up accidents front, I've really been struggling with Joshua's attitude/behavior/listening skills this week. Is/has anyone else having/had a similar issue with your own three year old? I'm badly needing someone to tell me this is normal! He's defiant, blatantly disobedient, and for the past week or so he's been having accidents, lots of them. He's been potty-trained for a year now and it's been 9-10 months since we've had accidents of any sort. We've had both types this week and I'm pretty much at the end of my rope. Nothing seems to be wrong, he just seems to be really lazy about going, and not listening to the cues.

*Between one potty training child, and one who seems to be un-potty-training (is that a real thing?) I feel like my washing machine/dryer are ALWAYS running. As in constantly. And I'm spending all day doing laundry, so my dishes don't get done. And, and, and. It's a domino effect that basically makes me feel that I'm living in a pig-pen. One unplanned chore/errand and any of the rest of the things I get done during the day are taking up time I'd planned for another. Any energy we have at the end of the day is mostly spent at the other house doing various projects. And my poor husband has two lawns to maintain in this weather...

Ok, I'll be done with my rant now. I'm sure it will all feel more under control soon. I'm very, very blessed--but does anyone else forget to remember their blessings under a pile of housework? I know I do at times like this week!

Beautiful...

I found an anonymous post on this blog while I was browsing today. It's well worth the read. I can relate--I love that though there are so many ways to approach the details of motherhood, the emotions and desires behind it are the same for nearly all of us.

Enjoy!

Being a mom .. Anynomous….
We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of “starting a family.” “We’re taking a survey,” she says half-joking. “Do you think I should have a baby?” “It will change your life,” I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. “I know,” she says, “no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations.” But that is not what I meant at all, I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes, I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, “What if that had been MY child?” That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of “Mom!” will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moments hesitation. I feel that I should warn her than no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby’s sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is alright. I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy’s desire to go to the men’s room rather than the women’s at McDonald’s will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish his. I want her to know that a Cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter’s relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who hae tried to stop war, prejudice, and drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. My daughter’s quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. “You’ll never regret it,” I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter’s hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Family Photo Shoot

We had a great week this week--though we're all quite tired. Moving is hard work! We shifted focus from moving stuff into our new place, to showing and sharing it with people. I think we had people over for dinner three nights this past week!

Probably the most fun we had this week was a photo shoot and dinner with our good friends, Adam and Erin, and their two cute kiddos. Adam is expanding his client base and re-working his website, and we took him up on the offer for a family shoot. We haven't ever had a "real" photo shoot as a family before--we've done the in-store studio route a couple of times, though not since Lydia was born (I know, I've got mommy guilt over that one, which I assuage by reminding myself that we got the SLR and the pictures we took of her are better quality that with Joshua...)--and the resulting pictures are so much more us! Thanks Adam, we can't wait to see the rest!

Here are a few of our favorites from our preview:

Our first "pro" shot alone together since our wedding (sad, but true)

This one captures our Lydia perfectly--what a sweetheart!
Love it, love it! (Although Joshua was pretty much done at this point as you can see...)
You can find the rest of our preview here: http://timepiecestudio-adam.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_14.html.

And, if you're in Wisconsin and need a photographer, we have one we'd highly recommend! :)

Our Sweetie ♥ 's Sweet Corn

...And playing with it. She's just too cute!

Moving, update 1

Well, we're homeowners twice from yesterday until whenever our first place sells! Don't have much time for a post, so I'll just link to our Facebook photo albums. I promise a real post and pictures coming soon.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026607&id=178201571&l=e87729a2fe (My Album, inside pics)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026592&id=178201772&l=4446c72a9d (James' album, moving pics)