Contemplations While Shoveling

While shoveling the driveway this afternoon I watched as mothers came and went next door. They were picking their children up from day care after a long day of work. I thought about the difference between their life and mine.

My day consisted of this (with kids unless specified): Grinding wheat and then making wheat bread, doing yoga (for the first time, embarrassing to confess but true), cleaning up the kitchen, working on letter recognition and then lunch. I enjoyed watching a show while walking on the tread mill, my kids were otherwise occupied. I even enjoyed two adult conversations which did not include my husband. Wow, I probably haven’t had one of those in about five days or more.

Of course, no day at home with kids wouldn’t be realistically complete without the poopy diapers, rushing to get Jaron fed and out the door to school, the complete mess Russell and Eliza created while playing and maybe an argument or two to referee. And then, Afton created quite a delightful afternoon by refusing to go to sleep. Hence, she spent a good hour or more crying. Her normal nap time was delayed by 1 ½ hours.

While I contemplated all of this I watched Eliza digging in the snow.

And Russell learning the finer points of shoveling. We are training him to believe it is fun. Just like we’ve indoctrinated Jaron. (Who, by the way, came home last Friday and didn’t set foot in the house until he had shoveled the driveway!)

Afton was, blessedly, peacefully sleeping.

After Jaron got home from school we enjoyed some time sledding and playing in the snow. It was just fun. I was so grateful for that.

I recalled a comment from another mother when I was just a brand new mom to a 6-week-old. Cradling and snuggling that peaceful little boy she bluntly told me "staying home with kids would be absolutely depressing."

I’ve gotten that comment and many like it over the years. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is challenging. And yes, I have struggled with depression.

However there has been so much pleasure and joy in those little things. Like Eliza today telling me she put on her socks all by herself. This would have been a first until she clarified with a delighted little laugh "on my hands."

I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Some would ask: How could you love this life? I would ask: How could you not?

Dreams Come True

I imagine it would be a bit of challenge to hit your first year of life and not have teeth. Even more so, as you continue to get older and still no teeth. How do you even enjoy life when it comes to food and all its variety outside of the pureed form? Gumming it can only go so far. I can only imagine what she must have dreamed about being able to eat some day.

So finally (!) Afton got her teeth. And we are talking teeth. Six at once. She's pretty proud of them.

Even if you say the word "teeth" in her vicinity she will promptly point to her brand new pearly whites. Or at least, in that general direction.

Forgive the dirty face. We interrupted washing off for this photo shoot.

Seriously, she is excited about showing them off . . . and of course, breaking them in.

Cleanliness

It's a question I regularly contemplate.
Which is more important to me?
The oral cleanliness of my children or a clean bathroom counter top?

I think I'm leaning toward a clean counter top!

Birthday Time

We celebrated a birthday for a three year old! It's funny that she is finally three because for a few months I've been telling people she is three. She wants to be more grown up then she is. She is still full of smiles, curls, songs and periodically some melt-downs.

Eliza derived great pleasure from the simple things about her birthday. The phone calls, hearing "Happy Birthday" or someone singing to her. She really enjoyed choosing the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu and what her cake would look like. Her activity of choice for the evening was to go to a community center indoor playground. This thing was huge, with tunnels, a maze and slides. It's like a McDonald's playland on steroids.

Afton had the repetition thing going on. She went down the slide again and again and again. She smiled every time too.

We had a hard time catching these boys. They could move so fast through this stuff.

I wish we had gotten a picture of how high this structure was. Clark and I crazily decided to climb this structure with the kids to get to the tallest slide. There should be a warning that this isn't intended for adults. I cannot manipulate my body as easily as these kids can. But we made it and the slide down was a wild ride. I think Afton wanted to go again. Not going to happen.

Happy Birthday Eliza!

A Reminder

Jaron must be working on a New Year's goal to get up on time since one evening I discovered this note by his new alarm clock.

I'm a little baffled as to why he needs to set an alarm clock to get up early because I'm not sure what he uses that extra time to do. It isn't to get dressed or make his bed . . .

I wish he would write a note to remind himself to do that!

Finally!

On New Year's Eve on snow finally came! We had a dry, slightly balmy December. It felt like I was still living in Oklahoma. In fact, we drove home from my parents' home that evening in the midst of a snow storm.

We had a slightly tense and humorous moment when our van got stuck at a stoplight about 2 miles from our home because the snow was deep enough we couldn't get traction. I jumped out and decided to push our van to get us going. Maybe it was one of those "you had to be there moments" but I got the van going and kept pushing a little through the intersection and then well . . . Clark just kept going. I'm jogging along side the van trying to catch up but knowing there was no way I could run fast enough to really catch up because it was slick and I had no traction on my shoes. I'm laughing and running. At some point I hear Clark yell "Are you running?" All he got was a laughing response and he finally slowed down enough for me to hop aboard. He's embarrassed what people will think of him for making his wife push the car. It's more funny to wonder what the kids were thinking "Daddy, why is Mommy running after the van?"

It was very ironic that for Christmas this year we gave our kids sleds. No snow! Ironic since one Christmas in Oklahoma we gave our kids a swing set and that was the year it snowed Christmas Eve. So we bided our time because eventually it snows in Minnesota. And it sticks and then snows some more.

Here we are breaking in our sleds. We have a decent sledding hill right across the street from our house.

See right behind us? That's our house. I could tell you stories about the ingenuity it took to get both of our cars in that two car garage but I won't bore you. Let's just say we are even complying to the very annoying neighborhood association rule of all trash cans in the garage. Not that I didn't want my trash can in the garage I just wanted my car in there more. I'm not sure why we are complying to it since I know several of our neighbors aren't. I can be discerning about my rebellions.

Afton made me laugh a lot today while sledding. She could barely walk or stand. So when we would set her down to stand she would take one step and fall over like this and just lay there. Funny girl.