Apparently, the letter b is pronounced "ee" and makes the sound "puh." Who knew?
May 30, 2012
May 24, 2012
Peabody Has A Birthday
The Pheebs turned two! Since her birthday fell on the Friday before Mother's Day, and there were other weekend activities planned, we just took cupcakes and balloons to church on Thursday night and called it a party.
We gave all of the kinds cheap glow sticks and everyone was happy.
On her actual birthday we took lunch to Eric's work, and then during naptime I put together her gift:
The poor Boogie never did have a tricycle, so I've always wanted to get one for Peabody. The rocker swings up to become a handle so we can easily push her around. Both the Boogie's birthday scooter and the trike stayed in the house for a while but finally went to live out in the garage last week. We have a nice little patio in the back and a decent driveway for kids to ride around on!
After Daddy got home Peabody opened her gifts from my parents.
She loves loves loves faces. She asks me to draw faces -- happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared -- all the time, and I tell her to make the face I drew.
She's just so much fun! I love this age!
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| "What's going on?" |
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| "Oh! Everyone is singing! I know this song! I'll sing too." |
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| "Cu'cake!" |
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| "Mmm, cupcake." |
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| "I love cupcakes!" |
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| "I'm gonna take a really big bite." |
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| "Whoa, what kind of cupcake IS this?" (It was lemon.) |
On her actual birthday we took lunch to Eric's work, and then during naptime I put together her gift:
The poor Boogie never did have a tricycle, so I've always wanted to get one for Peabody. The rocker swings up to become a handle so we can easily push her around. Both the Boogie's birthday scooter and the trike stayed in the house for a while but finally went to live out in the garage last week. We have a nice little patio in the back and a decent driveway for kids to ride around on!
After Daddy got home Peabody opened her gifts from my parents.
She loves loves loves faces. She asks me to draw faces -- happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared -- all the time, and I tell her to make the face I drew.
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| Surprised! |
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| Laughing |
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| Scared! |
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| Angry |
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| Hmmm ... I don't know what this is ... worried? |
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| This is my favorite, what she does when we say "Make a happy face!" Ha! |
May 8, 2012
The Adventures of Mama Dog: The Great Escape
This morning the Boogie and Peabody were SO crabby. They were whiny and irritable and pushing each other's buttons. I had a long to-do list including "walk the dog" and I suddenly decided that we'd take our walk over to 52 so the girls could play in the backyard for a little bit. So, that's what we did. When we arrived FIL came out to visit with us for a few minutes, and everything was sunshine and roses again.
My plan was to let them play for a little while, then head home with the promise of lunch. As I drank my coffee (because there is always a pot of coffee at 52) FIL asked if we would like to walk to Burger King for lunch. That sounded good to me except,
"What will I do with Mama Dog?" I wondered. We couldn't take her with us, and I didn't dare leave her loose or even tied up inside 52 for fear that she would destroy something.
"Do you think she would be okay tied up in the yard?" FIL suggested. I guessed she probably would be. After all, she had been wandering around loose the whole time we were there and was just fine. So we carefully fastened her leash around a tree trunk and left. Mama Dog was very unhappy that we were leaving her behind, but I wasn't too worried. After all, what was the worst that could happen? She'd bark the whole time we were gone? She couldn't slip out of her collar, and her leash was secure around the tree. I figured she would eventually settle down and sleep in the shade.
Oh brother.
We walked to Burger King (which is in the opposite direction from 52 as our house), got our food, and started eating. The Boogie was excited about an impromptu adventure. Peabody was excited about a cheeseburger. Then I got a text message from a number I didn't recognize: "I have your dog."
What? I was confused. Who had my cell phone number without my knowing about it, and how did they get my dog? Maybe it was a wrong number. Coincidental, yes, but possible.
"Who is this?" I wrote back, and soon had a reply. Not a wrong number. Mrs. Chief (you remember Chief and Mrs. Chief and Junior Chief., our friends and also neighbors who live four doors down from us) was texting me, and Mrs. Chief had my dog.
Oh my goodness! Mama Dog got loose and went all the way home???
I called Mrs. Chief: "What happened!?"
Now, Chief and his family live right across the street from Mrs. Chief's parents, so they are also our neighbors and we often see them. They've visited our church many times, and are acquainted with Eric's parents and our whole immediate family. Mrs. Chief's dad was near 52 and called her: "Does your pastor have a dog? Because there's a dog running back and forth across the street right by his house."
"No," said Mrs. Chief, "he doesn't have a dog."
"It's a mama dog," her dad went on.
Uh-oh, thought Mrs. Chief. So she and Junior Chief got into their car and started driving toward 52, and pretty soon they saw Mama Dog heading homeward, down the busy main road. They stopped and Junior Chief tried to catch her, but she ran away from him across the road again, and kept trotting toward home. They turned around and followed her and stopped again and this time Junior Chief was able to grab her leash. By that time, Mrs. Chief told me later, they were only a block or so away from our street and poor Mama Dog was getting pretty wilted. They took her home and gave her some water and treats and let me know that they had her.
By then FIL and the girls and I were finished eating, so we headed back to 52 and the scene of the crime. Mrs. Chief had told me that Mama Dog was still wearing her collar, and that she had her leash on. On the walk back FIL and I speculated on just how she could have gotten loose, and the only thing we could figure was that the handle on the leash broke.
Well. This is what we found.
All those sections of red? Yep, they are what they look like: pieces of leash. There were five pieces there, and still a decent length left attached to her collar. She must have chewed for a while before she realized that she was free.
We left FIL at 52 and walked on to Chief's house. Mama Dog did not show her usual exuberance at our arrival -- I don't know if she was exhausted from the anxiety, or if she was just mad at us. I got the whole story from Mrs. Chief (she'd given me the highlights on the phone) and thanked them multiple times and brought our doggy home, where she crashed out like this for the rest of the afternoon:
Praise the Lord, Mrs. Chief's dad saw her and recognized her (even if he didn't remember who she belonged to -- he had the right family!) and called Mrs. Chief. Praise the Lord, Mrs. Chief was home when he called. Praise the Lord, we've walked Mama Dog around town so many times she knew just which way led home; she could have gone in any direction but she headed right straight for home. And praise the Lord, she did NOT get hit by a car, even crossing the street multiple times! I'm thinking that I need to bake some thank-you cookies for Mrs. and Junior Chief, and Mrs. Chief's dad.
After dinner we went to Walmart and bought a new pink leash, and a proper stake and cable to have for the next time we go play in the backyard at 52 ... but from now on the only times Mama Dog will be left by herself will be in her crate.
Whew. I hope this is the only adventure she has.
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| Pop-pop: The Cure For The Crabby Child |
"What will I do with Mama Dog?" I wondered. We couldn't take her with us, and I didn't dare leave her loose or even tied up inside 52 for fear that she would destroy something.
"Do you think she would be okay tied up in the yard?" FIL suggested. I guessed she probably would be. After all, she had been wandering around loose the whole time we were there and was just fine. So we carefully fastened her leash around a tree trunk and left. Mama Dog was very unhappy that we were leaving her behind, but I wasn't too worried. After all, what was the worst that could happen? She'd bark the whole time we were gone? She couldn't slip out of her collar, and her leash was secure around the tree. I figured she would eventually settle down and sleep in the shade.
Oh brother.
We walked to Burger King (which is in the opposite direction from 52 as our house), got our food, and started eating. The Boogie was excited about an impromptu adventure. Peabody was excited about a cheeseburger. Then I got a text message from a number I didn't recognize: "I have your dog."
What? I was confused. Who had my cell phone number without my knowing about it, and how did they get my dog? Maybe it was a wrong number. Coincidental, yes, but possible.
"Who is this?" I wrote back, and soon had a reply. Not a wrong number. Mrs. Chief (you remember Chief and Mrs. Chief and Junior Chief., our friends and also neighbors who live four doors down from us) was texting me, and Mrs. Chief had my dog.
Oh my goodness! Mama Dog got loose and went all the way home???
I called Mrs. Chief: "What happened!?"
Now, Chief and his family live right across the street from Mrs. Chief's parents, so they are also our neighbors and we often see them. They've visited our church many times, and are acquainted with Eric's parents and our whole immediate family. Mrs. Chief's dad was near 52 and called her: "Does your pastor have a dog? Because there's a dog running back and forth across the street right by his house."
"No," said Mrs. Chief, "he doesn't have a dog."
"It's a mama dog," her dad went on.
Uh-oh, thought Mrs. Chief. So she and Junior Chief got into their car and started driving toward 52, and pretty soon they saw Mama Dog heading homeward, down the busy main road. They stopped and Junior Chief tried to catch her, but she ran away from him across the road again, and kept trotting toward home. They turned around and followed her and stopped again and this time Junior Chief was able to grab her leash. By that time, Mrs. Chief told me later, they were only a block or so away from our street and poor Mama Dog was getting pretty wilted. They took her home and gave her some water and treats and let me know that they had her.
By then FIL and the girls and I were finished eating, so we headed back to 52 and the scene of the crime. Mrs. Chief had told me that Mama Dog was still wearing her collar, and that she had her leash on. On the walk back FIL and I speculated on just how she could have gotten loose, and the only thing we could figure was that the handle on the leash broke.
Well. This is what we found.
We left FIL at 52 and walked on to Chief's house. Mama Dog did not show her usual exuberance at our arrival -- I don't know if she was exhausted from the anxiety, or if she was just mad at us. I got the whole story from Mrs. Chief (she'd given me the highlights on the phone) and thanked them multiple times and brought our doggy home, where she crashed out like this for the rest of the afternoon:
Praise the Lord, Mrs. Chief's dad saw her and recognized her (even if he didn't remember who she belonged to -- he had the right family!) and called Mrs. Chief. Praise the Lord, Mrs. Chief was home when he called. Praise the Lord, we've walked Mama Dog around town so many times she knew just which way led home; she could have gone in any direction but she headed right straight for home. And praise the Lord, she did NOT get hit by a car, even crossing the street multiple times! I'm thinking that I need to bake some thank-you cookies for Mrs. and Junior Chief, and Mrs. Chief's dad.
After dinner we went to Walmart and bought a new pink leash, and a proper stake and cable to have for the next time we go play in the backyard at 52 ... but from now on the only times Mama Dog will be left by herself will be in her crate.
Whew. I hope this is the only adventure she has.
April 25, 2012
The Boogie Turns Five
This sparkly girl just had a milestone birthday!
I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that concept. I mean, wasn't it just a couple of years ago that we were bringing her home from the hospital???
Her birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so on the afternoon of the day before we had a "party" which was our definition of food, cake, balloons, and gifts. Originally we were going to host it at our house, but as our guest list grew and the forecast implied rain, we changed locations to the church which worked out perfectly. Kids played downstairs, and adults were able to visit and eat. I picked up some cheap new toys for the kids to play with in between food and cake and gift opening, and sent them all home with birthday balloons and scented bubbles.
The Boogie had spent Friday afternoon, all night, and the better part of Saturday with her cousins, which freed us up to run errands and get things set up. When she arrived at church she hung around the bottom of the stairs expectantly; I didn't realize it but SIL1 mentioned to me that the Boogie seemed to be waiting for everyone to yell "surprise!" It never occurred to me to throw a real surprise party for her. Maybe another year! I think she had a really fun time and she got some nice gifts from friends and family.
After the girls went to bed that night we tidied up our living room and set out a few gifts we'd kept back so she could open them on her actual birthday. Last year we got her a bike which she wasn't ready for, so we got a scooter for her this year. Even Peabody can ride it, sort of.
After the morning church service we ate lunch and let her open her gifts from us and my parents. Mama Dog wanted in on that, too.
Peabody just liked the gift bags.
It was the least-stressful birthday I have planned yet, and I really think it was because I wasn't working. We all had an enjoyable weekend.
And, as always, though it seems to get pushed into the background every year, Eric and I also celebrated our anniversary. We exchanged cards on the actual day but that was about it. Our gift to ourselves was a day trip to NYC ... but that's another post!
I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that concept. I mean, wasn't it just a couple of years ago that we were bringing her home from the hospital???
Her birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so on the afternoon of the day before we had a "party" which was our definition of food, cake, balloons, and gifts. Originally we were going to host it at our house, but as our guest list grew and the forecast implied rain, we changed locations to the church which worked out perfectly. Kids played downstairs, and adults were able to visit and eat. I picked up some cheap new toys for the kids to play with in between food and cake and gift opening, and sent them all home with birthday balloons and scented bubbles.
The Boogie had spent Friday afternoon, all night, and the better part of Saturday with her cousins, which freed us up to run errands and get things set up. When she arrived at church she hung around the bottom of the stairs expectantly; I didn't realize it but SIL1 mentioned to me that the Boogie seemed to be waiting for everyone to yell "surprise!" It never occurred to me to throw a real surprise party for her. Maybe another year! I think she had a really fun time and she got some nice gifts from friends and family.
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| First things first: food! |
After the girls went to bed that night we tidied up our living room and set out a few gifts we'd kept back so she could open them on her actual birthday. Last year we got her a bike which she wasn't ready for, so we got a scooter for her this year. Even Peabody can ride it, sort of.
After the morning church service we ate lunch and let her open her gifts from us and my parents. Mama Dog wanted in on that, too.
Peabody just liked the gift bags.
It was the least-stressful birthday I have planned yet, and I really think it was because I wasn't working. We all had an enjoyable weekend.
And, as always, though it seems to get pushed into the background every year, Eric and I also celebrated our anniversary. We exchanged cards on the actual day but that was about it. Our gift to ourselves was a day trip to NYC ... but that's another post!
April 17, 2012
My Sister
I have a younger sister. I've written about her before. Her name is Vee, which is short for Veruca.
Okay, not really about that last part.
Vee is a gifted pianist and is studying music at a state university several hours away from the rest of our family. Several weeks ago she started having some pain in her left foot; after a while the pain traveled up her calf. Since she is a "starving student" with very basic (read: limited) health insurance, she waited to be seen by a doctor. Then her foot and leg began to swell. Finally last Wednesday she went to the clinic where a doctor suspected a blood clot and sent her for an x-ray. The x-ray showed a clot extending the entire length of her left leg. Because she'd been experiencing shortness of breath they sent her for a CT scan which revealed many particles of the clot in both lungs. She was admitted to the hospital and started on blood thinners.
Let me tell you something: it is scary when your little sister is in the hospital with a massive blood clot. Very, very, extremely scary. We started praying hard, and asking others to pray.
Vee was kept overnight and released the next day with prescriptions for two different types of blood thinners. She was given permission to return to school as long as she takes it easy and keeps her leg elevated as much as possible. She has to go to the clinic every day for bloodwork until the medication level reaches where it's supposed to be; then she can stop one of the meds. She'll be on the other med for a minimum of a few months.
She's not out of the woods yet. It's going to take a while for all of the blood clots to clear up. Her lungs are working harder because of the clots in them, which makes her very tired. Thankfully she only has a few weeks of school left.
I'm so grateful for God's mercy and grace! So many people were praying for her -- I truly believe in the power of prayer. I'm asking for your continued prayers for her, that the medication will do its job to dissolve the clots, that she will see improvement every day, and that she'll be able to get through these next several weeks of classes.
And ... tell your loved ones that you love them.
Okay, not really about that last part.
Vee is a gifted pianist and is studying music at a state university several hours away from the rest of our family. Several weeks ago she started having some pain in her left foot; after a while the pain traveled up her calf. Since she is a "starving student" with very basic (read: limited) health insurance, she waited to be seen by a doctor. Then her foot and leg began to swell. Finally last Wednesday she went to the clinic where a doctor suspected a blood clot and sent her for an x-ray. The x-ray showed a clot extending the entire length of her left leg. Because she'd been experiencing shortness of breath they sent her for a CT scan which revealed many particles of the clot in both lungs. She was admitted to the hospital and started on blood thinners.
Let me tell you something: it is scary when your little sister is in the hospital with a massive blood clot. Very, very, extremely scary. We started praying hard, and asking others to pray.
Vee was kept overnight and released the next day with prescriptions for two different types of blood thinners. She was given permission to return to school as long as she takes it easy and keeps her leg elevated as much as possible. She has to go to the clinic every day for bloodwork until the medication level reaches where it's supposed to be; then she can stop one of the meds. She'll be on the other med for a minimum of a few months.
She's not out of the woods yet. It's going to take a while for all of the blood clots to clear up. Her lungs are working harder because of the clots in them, which makes her very tired. Thankfully she only has a few weeks of school left.
I'm so grateful for God's mercy and grace! So many people were praying for her -- I truly believe in the power of prayer. I'm asking for your continued prayers for her, that the medication will do its job to dissolve the clots, that she will see improvement every day, and that she'll be able to get through these next several weeks of classes.
And ... tell your loved ones that you love them.
April 10, 2012
Ah, Spring
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
Blooming flowers.
Green grass.
Sunny days.
Flowering bushes.
Budding trees.
Open windows.
Fresh air.
Winter over.
Blooming flowers.
Green grass.
Sunny days.
Flowering bushes.
Budding trees.
Open windows.
Fresh air.
Winter over.
April 7, 2012
A Good Day
Waffles for breakfast.
Fun on the playground and a walk on the trail at a local park.
Mother/daughter time with the Boogie: her first manicure!
The guy who did her nails was tickled by her. "You are going to be so smart!" he kept telling her. "You ask so many questions!"
When it was time to choose a color for her nails she picked -- can you guess? Yellow! I should have known. "Are you sure?" I asked several times. "You don't want pink, or red, or something sparkly?"
No pink, or red, or anything sparkly. She wanted yellow. So she got yellow.
We had a Papa John's gift card so Eric ordered a pizza for us to pick up on our way home. After I paid for it the guy at the counter asked, "Do you like pepperoni or cheese? Someone didn't pick up their order." He gave us another pizza for free!
A short walk around the block with Mama Dog after dinner, and some quality time with Mary Poppins after showers:
and now two little girls are on their way to dreamland.
Yep, it was a good day.
Fun on the playground and a walk on the trail at a local park.
Mother/daughter time with the Boogie: her first manicure!
When it was time to choose a color for her nails she picked -- can you guess? Yellow! I should have known. "Are you sure?" I asked several times. "You don't want pink, or red, or something sparkly?"
No pink, or red, or anything sparkly. She wanted yellow. So she got yellow.
We had a Papa John's gift card so Eric ordered a pizza for us to pick up on our way home. After I paid for it the guy at the counter asked, "Do you like pepperoni or cheese? Someone didn't pick up their order." He gave us another pizza for free!
A short walk around the block with Mama Dog after dinner, and some quality time with Mary Poppins after showers:
and now two little girls are on their way to dreamland.
Yep, it was a good day.
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