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?

Fun, Food, and Family... Fast

My parents left for home a over a week ago. I was going to write prose about their stay, but given the shortness of time, and the quantity of things to do this week (new windows! clean the house! get ready for Easter!) I shall descend into bullet points.

•  Jon and I got away for a whole 24 hour! We stayed at a hotel! We ate fantastic food (including Rioja)! We visited Denver's Art Museum! I had fun, can you tell?! For 24 hours I felt like my pre-mommy self. It was freeing refreshing, and when we got back I had renewed energy for my kids. Result: Will increase frequency of date nights/ afternoons.
• New favorite cocktail: French 75 
• Caribbean cooking class with my mom and various female in-laws. Result: Shark and Bake (tilapia, mango chutney, pita), chicken skewers, callaloo (greens, squash, coconut milk), mango and jicima salad, coconut rum cake, rum punch.
• Chocolate cheesecake versus caramel cheesecake. Jury is out.
• Total pounds gained: 1.5     Totally worth it.
• After much thought and discussion, Anna and Isaac were baptized. My parents, Jon's mom, and his aunt were able to attend the service, and it was quite lovely. Jon read a lovely passage of scripture, and it was all quite meaningful. Most importantly, no child cried or had a tantrum or swatted the pastor.
• Trip to the aquarium was a bust. Isaac came down with a horrid stomach bug. Instead, Anna went on a special outing with her grandparents to the mall. Result: lunch and Cinderella p.j.s.
• Colored my hair grey & blue. I wanted thick silver stripes, but after talking to the stylist it seemed that a "flash" was the best way to go (i.e., it would be cheaper and faster). The silver turned out light blue, but I think the effect is rather nice. Waiting on dark blue for the fall.
• My teeth are falling out. Well, ten of the bottom ones according to the periodontist whom I finally had time to visit. It will cost many thousands of dollars to fix them, since my dental insurance runs out after the first three. Maybe I can do three teeth a year, but I have to call the insurance company, and the dentist, and blah blah blah. Result: Loss of money, loss of time, and general impression that dentures may be the way to go.
• Getting two new windows. A grown up decision, because what I really want is a gas range. Which I suppose is also grown up kind of desire. This means I am boring.
•  Saying goodbye to grandma and grandpa sucks. Anna cried and Isaac still asks for them. The transition was made harder by Jon's concomitant overnight absence at a church retreat. Everyone was here one minute, and gone the next. And then Jon was gone again this last week, not returning until midnight on Friday. A very last-minute, I-guess-I'm-going-to-D.C.-tomorrow kind of trip.
• Jon has upcoming tripa to San Francisco and Florida on business. I am not sad than I will not be joining him. Not one little bit. *sniff*

To sum up: We love my parents and we love it when they come. We're all excited about visiting them in Calgary this summer. Goodbyes are hard, but the hellos make it worthwhile.