The High Road

I'm moderately obsessed with this song. Enjoy!

Sister

I love boys. I love my brothers. I was boy-crazy as a kid (well, I probably still am). I adore my sweet husband. I'm kind of a daddy's girl. I wanted to have all boys when I had kids....

And then I got Ellie. And I love her.

But before that, I inherited a sister. I didn't know a girl needed a sister. And I love her.

Thanks for all of the love, support, patience and fun, Wendy. A girl is lucky to have a sister-in-law like you.

Lil' Bina

Ellie is a "bina." That's Ellie-talk for ballerina. She started classes earlier last month and just loves it. She's doing ballet and tap but her favorite part of the class is running around like a crazy person and not listening to her teachers. Hmmm....

Here are some of her new moves and her much-loved new tutu from Mark & Jessica.

Homemade Happy

Parker Pie is getting so big! His smiles and giggles are so funny right now. His favorite thing on the planet is playing "puppies" with Ellie and playing chase around the house. Gotcha!

And Grandma Barbie made Parker a special Valentine.
So cute!!

Recorded Live

There are lots of things I don't know. Like what time, what evening or even on what channel some of my favorite TV shows air. Mr. Pope has them set to record on DVR and I get to watch them whenever I like. I love that.

So I don't even know how old the episode was, but last night we watched an episode of "30 Rock" where everyone hates winter. Well, Ms. Faye and your funny cast mates, I concur. I kind of hate this winter. We've been sick, in one way or another, since exactly Dec. 12, 2009. And I'm about to lose my mind!

It breaks my heart when my kids are sick. You just want to fix it and you can't. Not acceptable, as far as I'm concerned, but that's why I drive myself crazy. I love to hate things I can't control. So, today, as we roll through a stomach bug, I've watched "The Jetsons Movie" three times with Eliana. Eaten crackers with Parker for a full hour and a half as he's particularly slow...but loves crackers. And thought about how much I'd like to air out the house, go for a walk, see the sun and maybe even do something like lay on a beach and drink an adult beverage.

I think I'll have one anyway. Here's to your health and nice, early spring. And a little DVR on a cold, snowy night.

All you need is love....

That's Great

Eliana tells me that everything is "great."

"That would be great, mommy!" she says when I suggest we make cookies. Or go for a walk. Or wipe Parker's nose. Everything is great. And she's right.

She's growing up so fast and she's just so darn smart. She's compassionate and sensitive and funny. As a little girl who is named Eliana....but frequently gets called "Ellie," she thinks that any name can just add "ana" onto the end when you're being serious. She calls me "Mommyana" when I'm not paying close enough attention. And when she's missing Daddy after too-long a day at work she asks when "Daddyana" will be home. It made me cry the first time she said it, I laughed so hard.

And she's taking very well to this "big sister" thing especially now that she can play with and help take care of Parker on a whole new big-kid level.

And Parker is SO close to walking. He's a mobile little monkey. And his smiles and his snuggles are just about the sweetest thing on the face of this earth. Derrick wants to bottle them and sell them and make us a million dollars.

Slowly but surely we're working on our house in preparation of trying to sell the ole girl and upgrade just a tiny bit. It's funny to see your home through another's (a buyers?) eyes. All the little fix-ups will help. And if it doesn't sell, I'll just love our little home even more.

Everything is great.

Right Here, Right Now? Thanks, Jesus Jones.

So, there's a reason why there are expressions like "The grass is always greener on the other side," and "You don't know what you've got, til it's gone." (Well actually that's a song, isn't it? Insert appropriate 80's rock ballad singing here.) But sentiments like these exist because, by nature, we seem to long for what we don't have.

I've been whiny. And tired. And, quite frankly, overwhelmed. But that doesn't mean that what I've got right now in my life isn't exactly what I need right now in my life. In my frustrated moments I imagine all I need is change. But change inherently brings good and bad, not just the peachy-keen dreams of professional expression, a nice fat paycheck (yeah, right), and long, leisurely lunches. I pretend that just because things aren't perfect now they could be some other way. And we all know perfect doesn't exist. Not on this planet, anyway.

So I commit to not dreaming of "others" and being right here, right now. Even if that includes running noses, croupy coughs and some regularly timed tantrums. I love my kids. I love my Mr. And no one can give them what I can give them. Me.