On your mark, get set....

So much for blogging once a week. I was almost able to keep up in August, but everything begins in September and it's been a little hairy around here.
Now when I say "everything" begins, I mean Everything. Let's do a little review of the month, shall we? The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Good:
(1) Preschool. Yay preschool! We all love preschool. Anna goes in the afternoon, ostensibly during Isaac's nap, so it gives me a solid two hours to clean. I gave up cleaning in August, so it felt good to give the house a good once over during those early weeks. As for the school girl, she seems to be enjoying herself. It's hard to get much information out of her, but I can at least find out what "job" she had, what the snack was, and some loose outlines about what pretend game she played outside. I can hardly wait for parent-teacher interviews, to find out the inside scoop.

(2) Bible studies: Since the kiddos have come along, it's been difficult to work biblical study into my day. So I've appreciated a return to group study, providing that extra motivation to delve daily into the Word. There's a women's study I've been attending which has become invaluable to me. Unlike other aspects of our church involvement, all I need to do for this group is show up. I'm not involved in child care or logistics or even snacks. While I enjoy helping out with junior church and organizing the logistics for our couple's study, everyone needs a time where all you do is "get fed."

(3) Gymnastics: Both Anna and Isaac are enrolled in classes. This has been a great activity for both of them, and many thanks to my friend Michelle for getting the ball rolling on that. Anna's class is small, meaning less time waiting in line. She's also with a friend, improving her experience ten-fold. Isaac and I take a parent-tot class, and it's super fun! There's an obstacle course, trampoline, and a foam pit. He likes these just fine, but I think his favorite activity is running around in circles on the soft floor. Ahhh... two year olds.

Bad:
(4) Business travel: Not my travel of course, but Jon's travel. I suppose it's no surprise that his trips were curtailed in the summer months, but it made his three September trips a bit of a shock. None of them were terribly long: just two or three days. I feel like a baby complaining about them, but we were pretty out of practice. And creating new weekly routines hard enough without haphazard Daddy absences. I remind myself that the alternative is living in D.C., and then I feel better.

Ugly:
(5) The End of Naps: They're not totally gone, but Isaac skips naps about twice a week now. He is not a happy awake toddler, but instead a cranky pants sensitive awake toddler. So these days get a little rough around the edges. On the bright side, he will actually go to sleep a little earlier on these days. Sometimes.

(6) Illness: And with the beginning of Everything we have the onslaught of virus season. Isaac was our canary, coming down with a cold the first week of September and it has not gone away. He was on antibiotics for an ear infection, which I would have normally tried to avoid. However, given #4 I was not about to risk a sleepless night. Fat lot of good it did. The day after his last dose the nose started running and he complained of ear pain. I'm trying to wait it out this time, but it's a been a week...
In other news, Anna is on her second cold. Those flu shots can't come soon enough.

So that pretty much sums up the month. Things I'm looking forward to, during this last week of September:
A girl's night out to Ikea (how suburban is that?)
Jon not traveling
Maybe saying goodbye to the mid 80s temps? I'm so done with hot weather. So. Very. Done.
Healthy kids?

Vignettes

• Isaac hands me Barbie, and chooses the Ken doll for himself. Will we act out a primitive play date? Will they have a toddleresque conversation? No. Ken crashes into Barbie, as a bus crashes into a semi-trailer. Complete with sound effects. Ah, boys.
• Anna, upon seeing Isaac spit out his food: "Isaac, don't do that. That's what babies do. I don't want to see that." Someone has been listening to her mommy!
• Which songs shall we listen to? Wiggles? Veggie Tales? Rafi? None of the above. Isaac wants to hear Darth Vader's Theme while Anna pleads for the jazzy sounds of the Cantina. Alas, neither tune can be heard over the tantrum of the disappointed child. Nevertheless it is worth the noise just to see Isaac's slow-motion interpretative pantomime of a villain he has never seen, but somehow feels exists.
• The baby gate at the foot of the stairs is gone, the dining room booster seat is gone, bibs are fazing out, and sippy cups' days are numbered. Mommy sniffs and smiles. 
• Lots of rain outside the house: Very good! Grass grows! Flowers grow! Pond is no longer dry! Rain leaking into the house: Not good. Insurance agent who claims it's a freak accident and will never happen again: Very not good.
• A nature walk. Sun. Happy children exploring. Pooh Sticks at the creek. A hidden path. Excitement at exploration. Off trail, a toddler trips. Into cacti. Needles, tears, tweezers, shrieks. New rule: long pants mandatory on nature walks. 
• Preschool is suddenly over. And so sad that Anna missed her last day due to illness. There is some symmetry here, however, as she missed the first day due to illness. 
• End-of-preschool positives: one less thing to rush to, no longer have to wake up Isaac from his nap to pick up Anna, a break from tuition payments. Negatives: Anna LOVES preschool, loss of a solid 2 hours of house-cleaning time, no more Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches on the sly.
• What not to say to a stay-at-home parent who has been at home with sick kids all day during rainy weather: Why don't you play with the kids while I clean up dinner?

Great Expectations.

So our sump pump just exploded awhile ago, which strangely gives me more time than I expected. We were supposed to head to Target this aft', but are now waiting for the plumber. In the meantime, Anna and I were going to bake cookies (oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip), but she's just fallen asleep on the couch. And Isaac is napping. How long will this domestic bliss last? Dunno, so better type fast.

It's been awhile since my last post. I meant to write something over the Thanksgiving weekend, but had less time than I thought I would. Anna's birthday generally falls on that weekend, and this year it was on the Saturday. We had a great time celebrating her day with some friends and family, and to quote Jon "Things went better than I expected."

I tried to keep it simple: Streamers, balloons, music, stickers, food, treasure hunt, gifts. And the weather was in the 50s, so we got to enjoy some outside fun.

Before - the Spider Web!

During

After

Anna Girl is now the big 0-3.
Three?
Three!

Wow! I think this means something. Couldn't tell you what exactly. It's not that the time has flow (I think we've fully experienced every minute of the last three years. Anna tends to take large bites out of life). It's not that she doesn't seem three (she's seemed three for about 6 months now). Three just seems older. How's that for stating the obvious?  She's not a toddler anymore, she's a preschooler - regardless of what the state of CO thinks (school cut off is Sept. 15). That must be it: she's a preschooler. Let me say it out loud:
"I'm the mother of a preschooler."
 I think I just sprouted another gray hair.

So, the long weekend has come and gone and now the Christmas season is upon us. I've put up a few Christmas decorations, but we're not doing the tree. We'll be at my parents' house for about 10 days and while I like putting up the tree, the though of taking it down again once we're home seems extra sad and depressing. And a huge hassle. We haven't even done the outside lights this year. Chalk these things up as casualties to our "lost year."

[Have I explained the "lost year" to you? Maybe, but I'm losing my memory so I'll explain it again. The lost year is the year post-baby when I get nothing (NOTHING) done and try to have extremely low expectations of myself. So far we're on track. It sounds like a depressing mind set but it's freeing more than anything. If I had known about the Lost Year the first time around I would have been a happier person. Instead, I had read horrible baby books that gave the impression that I'd have my life back within 6 weeks to 3 months. This. Did. Not. Happen.
I am aware that many moms retrieve an ordered (more or less) life in less time than that, but I figure if expectations remain low then I can't be disappointed. I don't mean to be glass-half-empty, but I do mean to be realistic about my own abilities. 'Nuff said.]

One thing I look forward to in the Christmas season is the TV specials. I'm a sucker for Grinch, Charlie Brown, Rudolf, and all the rest (except Frosty). I really like watching them with Anna, and seeing her reactions. It's all so new for her. So far her favorites are the Grinch and "Snoofy." In fact, the soundtrack to Merry Christmas Charlie Brown is one of the few CDs our whole family can agree on.

Anna's a little young for one of my favorite movies, though: One Magic Christmas. Not a lot of people remember this film, and it's not the greatest holiday movie, but I like the realistic aesthetic. Outside is generally overcast, the colors are a little washed out, dirty snow, noisy malls, discount stores, flourescent lighting. There's very little everyone-and-everything-glowing-with-Christmas-lights-and-good-cheer-while-big-snowflakes-fall-gently-to-the-pristine-white-ground-outside-the-huge-house-decorated-in-green-and-red. Granted, Santa does figure into this one (something involving a snow globe and a Christmas angel?) but I don't watch for the plot. I watch because of the lack decorations and glitz. It's not what you'd expect from a holiday film.