Pitter- Patter

Pitter-patter, raindrops,

Falling from the sky;

Here is my umbrella

To keep me safe and dry!

When the rain is over,

And the sun begins to glow,

Little flowers start to bud,

And grow and grow and grow!

-Bethany Roberts

Summer Lovin'

While I realize, technically, it's not summer yet, spending a day at the beach playing in the sand, collecting sea shells, eating sandwiches from the cooler, and screaming with glee in the crashing, cool waves is one of the best ways I know to spend a hot summer day. I do hope we get to the beach often this season, it gets better and better as the kids get older.

Good Morning

After a restless night, we have had a surprisingly easy going morning. I don't usually pick up the camera before breakfast, but I was inspired by my children's creative drive. Unlike most mornings, when they walk straight to the kitchen and, in chorus, yell things like "Pancakes! Waffles! Oatmeal! Cereal!", today we went straight for the paper and markers.




Eventually we did eat breakfast, oatmeal won out over cereal today, and Salla eagerly volunteered to help me clean up. I was amused when she very politely asked "I do it, please?" and followed with a chipper "Thanks Mom!" after I handed her the broom. If only she was that sweet all the time!

How My Garden Grows

It is amazing the effect blooming spring shrubs can have on my outlook. My spirit lifts when I realize that it was my hands that planted these beautiful and fragrant flowers that I am so lucky to experience every time I step out my front door. I love that my children get to watch as each season, with care and water, the plants grow taller and more blossoms appear.


Today I picked some Gardenia blossoms and placed them in a bowl on my night stand. The aroma is so strong! Ethan said they looked beautiful. I can't help but smile...

She's Crafty!

I always knew I enjoyed having creative outlets, but it has taken me a long time to allow myself to really dive into any projects. Last fall I sewed Ethan's Super Why costume for Halloween (which I was pretty proud of despite the fact that he didn't like to wear anything but the pants). But I think having a deadline and the perfectionism in me really made that experience too stressful to be therapeutic.

In the past few weeks though, I've gotten some inspiration! I think it started with the visit from my dear friend Kelly who lent me some yarn and taught me how to knit. I began knitting a scarf for Salla (which, no, I haven't finished yet, but that's besides the point!) Soon after, I dusted off the old sewing machine and headed to Wal-mart, where I knew I could find some inexpensive fabric and patterns. Within a few days I had produced a cute little dress that Salla demands to wear whenever it crosses her line of sight (though that has more to do with the Mickey Mouse pattern than my super sewing skills).

Feeling a little more confident, and inspired by another blogger Amanda Soule (one to check out girls!), I dove right into another little project. It's a simple elastic band skirt with a ribbon detail along the hem. It was pretty easy, and there was no pattern! The instructions were free online from a pattern designer Oliver + S. So this morning Salla and I made a field trip to Jo-Ann's and got the fabric and the ribbon and tada! Tonight we have a new skirt! It is so sweet, and I hope she lets me try it on her tomorrow...

I'll start with Easter...

Ok, so here I am. Attempting to gain some inspiration to start blogging again. Between, visitors, traveling, and weeks and weeks, and weeks, of sickness, I haven't felt much like writing. So, tonight I will start with the story of our Easter, since it should be pretty easy to tell!

First, I was excited for Ethan this year, since he seemed to really understand that it was something to celebrate. I'm not sure how much he equated to the resurrection of Jesus versus the visit from the Easter Bunny, but we'll get there. As I mentioned above, we have all just been sick forever this spring and it took me until Saturday night to go get stuff for the baskets. I felt a little guilty that I didn't put more time or thought into the process, I do like Tracy's idea of the "resurrection baskets" and I will, perhaps, be more inspired next year. What I really enjoyed, even though it only took a couple minutes, was hiding the eggs out in the back yard. It put a smile on my face picturing Ethan and Salla finding them.

Sunday morning we had breakfast as the kids looked through their gifts and then get ourselves ready for a crazy crowded 9:30 mass. (Ideally, we would have like to have gone to the much calmer 7:30 mass, but we probably would have showed up in our PJ's.) But really, it was insanely crowded and I spent my energy trying to keep Ethan and Salla contained and happy instead of really listening to the readings and homily. I regretted it as we were leaving church, it was probably a day I could have used it!

After church we came home and had a snack (fruit and chocolate, of course) when Ethan finally realized there were eggs hidden outside on the back porch. We went out for our egg hunt and I just loved how into it Salla was! Even last year, Ethan just didn't seem too excited by the concept. Salla surprised me and I was really glad I set it up.

I don't really remember what we did the rest of the day, but I imagine we changed into more comfy clothes and played a lot. Dinner was yummy and as the day came to a close, I was relaxed and grateful for the special day with just the four of us.

Silly

I was watching Sesame Street with Salla this morning and suddenly James Blunt was on singing "My Triangle", it made me laugh out loud...

A brighter day

I had a few dark days last week, feeling so much frustration, guilt, and even depression, that I wasn't sure how I was going to pull myself back up. As it turns out, I couldn't do it. At least, not on my own. It was thanks the kind words and support of my friends, close by and far away, that I was able to release the anger and guilt I was feeling. I am amazed at how quickly my mood lifted. The fog cleared and I felt more relaxed and more prepared to handle what was on my plate. The situation has not changed very much, but my reaction has. 

So, thank you thank you thank you for caring so muc, offering wonderful advice and for your willingness to share your own stories so I know I'm not alone. You all are amazing women, mothers, and friends and I love you!

I thought this was so cool...

I admire the imagination (and patience) of the person who created this video!

Over the edge

Ok, I don't want to panic. I know that kids and situations change quickly, especially the young ones. But I'm beginning to feel like I'm unravelling. I no longer feel in control, of my home or my self. The past couple days I've watched anger well up and flow out of me in ways I've never experienced before. Yelling, nagging, crying, watching my son trying to do things to cheer me up asking, "Does this make you happy Mom? Does this make you feel proud?" I feel so ashamed that my 3 year feels responsible for cheering me up. That should never rest on his shoulders.

 I just don't know what's come over me. I've always been able to maintain my composure in front of my children. To remain consistent, firm, yet still loving.  Yet, I'm sitting here, falling apart because I can't force my daughter to nap or my son to listen to me when I'm speaking to him. I feel like no one is hearing me and now I'm just getting mad.

I need someone or something to help me snap out of it! I can't seem to get a grip on my own. Sorry to be so dramatic, but I needed to let some of it go...thanks for listening!

Quote of the week...

I thought it was funny that Amber's post was about kids story telling because Ethan has been telling the wildest stories the past few days. Today it was something about Jesus and spiders trying to drink his blood (what are they teaching him at that school?!). Thankfully in the end, the spiders decided to give him his blood back (they must have known who they were messing with...). I told Ethan I appreciated the happy ending.

Anyway, on to my topic. I had to get this one down before I forgot. 

Ethan and Grandma and Pap Pap were sitting at the dinner table when Pap Pap asked Ethan about the creation story and how we were created by God.

Pap Pap: "So God created Ethan in His own image..."

Grandma: "So, is God just like Ethan or is Ethan just like God?"

Ethan: "No, I'm not just like God, I'm wearing my soccer shirt"

Enough said.

Snuggle Bells

The past couple days have been filled with many joyful sounds during our family Christmas celebration. My favorite thus far is the many renditions of "Jingle Bells" that Ethan has been singing around the house. This one, I believe, he calls "Snuggle Bells: A Christmas Musical Medley"

We also heard a great RockBand performance of "ABC's" with Ethan as the lead singer...(btw, can you tell he has a cold?)

And, finally, endless hours of holiday music produced many wild living room dance parties. (Warning: The following video contains nudity and may be inappropriate for some viewers)

Where has the time gone?

I have to say, I haven't been so good at keeping up with this blog lately.  I know we have been crazy busy this month. We've done so much, yet I still find it difficult to write about anything. Does this qualify as "writer's block" even if I'm not actually a writer? Anyway,thanks to the inspiring blogs of my dear friends, I've decided to just start typing and see what comes out...

I guess I'll start with Thanksgiving. We spent the holiday down here in FL with our friends,  The Gloriosos, who live in our neighborhood. I was excited for the invite, I was worried that it wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving with just the four of us. They have 2 girls who love Ethan and Salla so the kids had a blast and I got to relax and have some adult company (besides my husband of course!) 

That weekend got exciting as my sister, her family, and her in-laws passed through during their move from Baton Rouge, LA to Tallahassee, FL. We had a full house and Ethan and cousin Joey got to have a little slumber party in his bunk beds (the top bunk is officially "Joey's bed"). The next morning we, the Stegmaier clan, left early to begin our funfilled trip to Disney World! I think I was the most excited out of everyone. Unfortunately, the stormy Sunday after Thanksgiving (and the Sunday after a Florida v Florida State game) was not the best day to drive. A trip that was supposed to take 7 hours took almost 10! And the kids didn't sleep a wink (surprise surprise...) Needless to say we were tired when we arrived, but we tried to stay upbeat, we were in the happiest place on earth! Seth's sister flew in from NY to meet us and we all enjoyed a late dinner at Downtown Disney. Monday we spent the entire day at Magic Kingdom. The kids loved the Tea Cups, Dumbo, Small World and all the other classic Fantasy Land rides. 

Ethan was waiting for weeks to ride Big Thunder Mountain railroad, and with the help of Fast Passes, he got to ride it 3 times. What a big boy. He also thoroughly enjoyed Splash Mountain, which has a crazy drop at the end. We decided not to take a mid-day break and see if Salla would sleep in the stroller (pipe dreams!) so she went her second day in a row without a nap. I was doing my best not to obsess about it and we were able to manage her grumpiness late in the day pretty well. It was so great to have Aunt Liane with us, having an extra adult made our lives so much easier! night we ate pizza at the hotel and after the kids went to bed, Liane offered to stay behind while Seth and I went out. We ended up going back to Magic Kingdom to ride some big rides we didn't make it on earlier. We shared cotton candy, rode rides and got to see Cinderella's Castle all lit up with icicles. Like I said, it was SO great to have Aunt Liane with us!! Tuesday we hit up Animal Kingdom. We started off with the "It's Tough to be  a Bug" 3D show which TERRIFIED the kids. We were scrambling out of that theater within 5 mins of the show starting. I felt so bad and just prayed they weren't too scared to try anything else. We found some low key rides, Salla found some goats to pet (she's an animal fanatic) and Ethan got to ride a train (he's a train fanatic). We were doing great until lunchtime when the adults were getting too grumpy and couldn't seem to make a decision on where or when to eat. After a lot of grumbling, we picked Chinese. Salla got to feed some ducks and we all felt a little better. We then headed over the the new roller coaster "Everest" which involves changing tracks, moving backwards, and an encounter with a Yeti. It was AWESOME, but thank God Ethan was too short because I think we would have had to leave the park after that.  Salla finally gave in to a nap, which was great except she fell asleep in my arms and woke up when I put her in the stroller. So I held her on a bench for 45 min while the rest of the clan rode some more rides.By this point, the adults were REALLY grumpy, we thought ice cream might help, but the incompetence behind the counter just made it worse. We skipped the infamouse Lion King and Nemo shows and made our way out of the park, all wondering how we could be so grouchy at the happiest place on earth, and we soon came to the conclusion that 2 park days in a row is too much with little ones.  We recovered, had a nice dinner out and left for our trip home the next morning. It was really nice to be back!

We had about a week to recover from Disney and get some things done before we left on our next road trip to Cincinnati, OH.We stopped in Atlanta for 2 night to stay with my high school friend Kelly and her family. They have a boy and girl the same ages as Ethan and Salla so we knew it would be a great time.The kids played great together, the adults got to play Trivial Pursuit and we ate delicious homemade pizzas. We had a blast and wished we could have spent more time there.From Atlanta, we drove another 8 hours to Cincinnati. In the Smokey Mnts it was snowing a bit so we let the kids out for a couple minutes to catch snowflakes on their tongues. We had a very smooth drive and the kids did GREAT!Cincinnati was great fun. Seth's grandmother and many many Aunts, Uncles and Cousins still live there (his Mom is one of 9 kids!). Everyone got together at the house we were staying at and it was really the first time I've gotten to sit down with that part of his family. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and I could tell the kids really felt comfortable there. On Sunday, Seth and his brother, sister, and a bunch of cousins went to the Redskins v Bengals game (where Seth proceeded to get so intoxicated that he had to be removed from the stadium before the end of the first half! But that's neither here nor there...).Seth's Aunt Connie and my sister-in-law Katie and I took the kids to an incredible Children's museum that we didn't want to leave. It was so interactive and perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, Ethan has mentioned it everyday since. We drove back home Monday. It took us 12 hours to get from Cincinnati to Pace, FL and it rained ALL THE WAY. I was amazed. We were SOOOOO happy to be home and the kids enjoyed being back in their own space.

Two days later, Seth's parents flew in for Christmas. They have been a treat to have around and I am in shock at how easy going and receptive Salla has been to them. On the way back from the airport, Salla already said "Pap Pap" and "Grandma". She doesn't even say "Daddy" yet!

Friday I took Salla to the doctor because she was getting grumpy, not sleeping well and hold her ear. Sure enough, she has another ear infection. The doctor mentioned tubes as something to consider since she's had 3. Uggh, I don't even want to think about it...

That brings us to today! Salla is feeling better, took a 2 hour nap and slept 12 hours last night (that's like a marathon for her...) We took them to the Zoo tonight for "Zoo Lights". The whole zoo was lit up, there was music and the train was pretty fun in the dark. 

I'm finally feeling like I can catch my breath and just relax as people come to us for Christmas. 

I guess that's it in a (kind long) nutshell. Thanks for reading my posts, inspiring me to write, and for being my friends even through the miles. Happy holidays and have a safe and warm Christmas with the ones you love!!

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes...I think?

We had just spent 10 minutes trying to get Salla to do Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes for the camera. Instead, this is what we got...

What a nut! But we love him...

It's been about a year

It's been just about a year since I started this blog. Looking back it was ALL about my kids sleeping habits! I've tried hard not to bring the subject up anymore so as not to seem too obsessive, but seeing as it's been a year, a little sleep ranting couldn't hurt. Here goes...

In general, we are doing well. There is no more night nursing for Salla. Ethan is sleeping well in his big boy bed. Both kids are typically asleep by 7 and sleep 10-12 hours per night (depending on the night and the child!). My issues now stand with early morning wake-ups and nap times. Salla still wakes up before 5:30 or 6 every morning. The last 4 nights she's woken up around 4:15, but I think she's teething or may have an ear infection because Motrin seems to work at that time, and then she falls back asleep until 5:30 or so. Then, you'd think she'd be so tired during the day that she would need a nice long nap. Not this child. Most days I get 1 45-60 min nap. After that, I can't keep her up much later than 6:30 or 7pm and the whole cycle starts over! Is it possible I have a child that just doesn't require as much sleep as all the experts say?? No fair! I wouldn't be quite as worried about her if her disposition was a little better. But she always seems so spooled up and can throw some royal tantrums. I guess I just want to make sure she's getting the rest she really needs, but I am not sure what else I can do besides put her to bed at the appropriate times. What's that saying? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink? That's where I'm at with Salla.

Ethan is doing great. It's me who has issues. He's giving up his naps. And he's 3 1/2 which is a totally normal age for that to occur. I just can't let go! In the past few weeks I have been more accepting of it and not sent him to his room every day to "try for a nap". The good news is, now I have another tool in my pocket when he's acting up! I just say "Oh, Ethan. Mommy thinks you aren't being nice because you are tired. If I think you are too tired, than you are going to have to take a nap today, so you might want to be nicer..."

So that's my update. Not horrible, but not ideal either. I always like to tell myself that there will be a day when I can't get them OUT of bed...

What the heck are "Icktions"?

Ethan came out of his bedroom this afternoon and out of nowhere says "Mom, I'm scared of the little icktions in my room." The what? He must be saying something else. I spent the next 10 minutes of this conversation trying to figure out what he was really talking about.

Me: "The what? The itches?"
Ethan: "No,not the itches, the icktions."
Me: "The icktions?"
Ethan: "Ya. the icktions"
Me: "Why are you scared of them?"
Ethan (in his deepest voice): "Because they are very bad"
Me: "Why are they bad?"
Ethan: "Because they are bad because they make a scary noise."
Me: "What kind of noise?"
Ethan demonstrates a clicking sound on a toy.
Me: "That's not a scary noise"
Ethan: "Yes, it is. The icktions fly around and make a scary noise and the power goes out."
Me: "The power goes out?"
Ethan: "Ya, the power goes out."
Me: "Can you show them to me?"
I follow Ethan into his room
Me: "Where are the icktions? Show Mommy"
Ethan points to his comforter on his bed.
Ethan: "See? They are right there and they fly up and around on the track"
Ethan draws the track through the air
Ethan: "And they go down down down into the dark hole."
Ethan follows the track under his bed.
I have him explain this to me 2 more times, each with the same story.
Me: "Wow, interesting."
Ethan: "Ya"
Ethan proceeds to leave his room to go play.

And that's all I've heard of the fearsome icktions since. What an imagination...

Reason enough to get out of Pace, FL (aka Southern AL)

I was driving home tonight from dinner at a friend's house when I saw a sign outside an office that read "Sarah Palin's Glasses Sold Here!". Umm, ya, I don't belong here...

This one's for Amber...

Ethan was sitting naked (post-bath) on the sofa the other night while I got Salla into bed. When I came into the living room he smiled at me and said "Look Mom, my penis is an airplane!". Made me think of Tate's Taco quote:)

The Proud Wife

I'm sitting here tonight wondering how I feel such mixed emotions about my husband's career. I'm so proud of him for being dedicated, hard working, responsible, and so good at his job. Last week we found out he ranked #2 in the squadron for the fiscal year out of over 50 instructor pilots. That's amazing! I'm so proud...but wait. They rank them based on flight hours. So out of over 50 other guys, he was at work the most? That's not cool! Why couldn't he fall somewhere nicely in the middle and give me a few extra hours a week with him home? So now I'm a little ticked that he's so good at his job! This is supposed to be our "shore" tour. I'm supposed to see him more now than I did in Whidbey. Between him being such a great pilot and such a dedicated student (did I mention he's taking classes for his MBA at UWF too?) I'm feeling short changed. But those qualities that make him so good at his job are the same ones that make him a great husband and a great father and are the reason I married him in the first place. So let me just grit my teeth and say "Good job, honey! I'm so proud of you!" because I truly am...

Why I'm drinking alone tonight...

It figures. My husband left this morning for a cross country to Cincinnati. (For those none-military ladies, a cross country is a voluntary trip where an instructor pilot and student fly out of the area to get hours and practice in other parts of the country and, of course, to have a fun vacation full of great food, fun bars, and lots of beer, or so I hear. Oh, and don't forget SLEEPING IN.) So he left and my kids get sick. I'm talking diarrhea/vomit sick. Salla, was no surprise. I've been changing poopy diapers on the hour for the last 2 days. She's handling it pretty well, except for the ferocious diaper rash which I've resorted to giving her meds for the pain. Ethan seemed great! He was fine at school and didn't nap, as usual, had a snack and played this afternoon. By the end of dinner I was wiping his bottom and, eventually dodging vomit in the garage as I tried to get them into the double stroller for a soothing walk around the block. After what seemed like hours of bathing, diapering, reading, nursing, brushing teeth, etc...both kids are finally in bed. What do I get to do? Go outside and clean up the garage. So, yes, I'm having a beer. I might even have 2...