Energy

I'm one of those people who is both religious and not. I suppose some might see it as non-conformist and others might see it as flat-out lazy - but that's okay with me. I find faith to be an incredibly personal thing. I know lots of people have to go to church and publicly confess their beliefs or discuss them openly with anyone willing to listen - but that's not me.

But, nonetheless, I'm frequently struck by the grace of God. And I feel the energy of our lives coming together in the little moments and the in-betweens. They say you should just keep moving. Waiting for your life to happen to you will leave you empty and lonely and with little to show for your time. So we just keep going. And I just hope our energy is keeping us from having regrets, or getting caught up in self-pity, or falling into anger.

Ellie is getting ready to go back to school in the next few weeks. Four days a week! I can hardly believe it. She's four going on 22. And she's decided full on that she's an awesome big sister. She reads to Parker everyday. Sings him songs and plays with him in a mostly awesome manner. And Parker's Batman obsession is just about the funniest thing our house has ever seen. I've started a photo essay tentatively entitled, "I'm Your Batman." More to come on that...

And Mr. Pope, version 3.0, is just now out of surgery. I'm waiting to go back and see his blue eyes gleam when he first sees me, just like they've done every time he's looked at me for last 10 years.

And we'll just keep going.

Transitional

We've had a lot of doctor's appointments lately. Parker had his 2 year check up last month and Ellie had her 4 year check up at the beginning of this month. And yes, both of these appointments were late in comparison to when they actually turned 2 and 4. That's how I roll.

They are such good, strong, healthy kids. We know we are blessed. The docs always end up saying they are "small but mighty." I suppose it's true. Tough little guys. Emphasis on little....

But from both Eliana's (wonderful) Pre-school teacher and her (lovely) doctor we've heard that Eliana probably has a tough time with "transitions." This is another one of those, "Really?!? I hadn't noticed," moments for Mr. Pope and me. And that, my friends, is sarcasm.

It's obvious. She doesn't like to switch from one thing to the next.

But as I was scrubbing out the highly desired and overly-used gigantic bathtub in our bathroom the other day I had an epiphany. Yeah, no one really does well transitions, at all, ever, anyway. Mr. Pope had surgery and our life kind of stopped for 8 weeks. I still feel like I can't go do stuff all by myself with the kids because it's too hard when that clearly isn't the case anymore, they do great but I'm still a sissy. We've been in this house for over a year and I still feel like we just moved in.....

The list can go on and on. I guess we're not very good with transitions. Ellie came by in honestly, apparently it's genetic.

And now I'll be working for the next few weeks and we'll have to transition into that as well.

Parker will flip out and wake up all night long (like he needs an excuse). Ellie will ask every single morning, "Who's coming over today?!?" And then be sad when I come home for good and the grandma and papa visits slow down.

And then it will all be over and we'll have to transition into something else entirely...

Quotes of the Day:

"HaHa in the hole!!" ~ Parker, when he sticks the heads of all of his Batman figures into the holes in the coffee table. ("Haha" is Joker. "Hahahahaha Batman!!")
"Don't mind if I do!" ~ Elle when being offered some dip for her chicken nuggets.

I'm the Dude

My mind is polluted lately with all the things I want to do but haven't yet accomplished. The problem is that it's a long, long list of desires that are all completely and desperately mutually exclusive.

Such as...I want to play with the kids and take them to the park and the library and swimming and I also want to finish about 100 house projects.

And then...I want to create more fun family time when Derrick is here and I also want more solitary Veronica time.

And maybe...I want to go back and get that Master's (and be a Little Lebowski Urban Achiever) and I want to go back to work and I want to stay home with my babies (because it's finally getting a little bit easier!! Why would I give up my chance for the first "break" I've had in years? This is the hardest job I've ever had and I'm gonna "tender my resignation" as soon as I see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel?)

As the Big Lebowski, The Dude, would say, "Too many thoughts in the ole Duder's head."

As you might realize, there are a lot of difference between me and the Dude. But we have a lot in common. Okay so the Dude wasn't a stay-at-home mom but I feel his pain.

I'm stalled. I spend a lot of time waiting for someone to come "fix the cable" and with recent potty training efforts I'm quite sure that the rug has been micturated upon. Several times. I've got some growing emotional problems....beyond Pacifism.

And I'm looking for the answer by doing relatively nothing but waiting to see what information the world will provide me. I feel like I need to have a plan, because that's my thing. And a late-night fight between me and the Mr. a month or so ago revealed that I have to start doing more for me...just me. So I've started back to Yoga because I love it and stalking style blogs because I love fashion (and currently ignoring the fact that I have no where to wear a cute black French Connection mini-skirt) and spending a little time being me. And pondering my next steps.

Maybe I should just go bowling...

QOD: "Mommies don't work!! They stay home with babies!! And I'm pretty sure they don't go to school. That's a good deal." ~EKP

Lazy River

With a house full of family and a what feels like a long, hot summer, my father-in-law, Jack, had the brilliant idea to go to Water World last week. We packed up the cars and made it for a whole afternoon. I had the distinct pleasure of riding along in a tube on the Lazy River with Parker. He LOVED Water World. What do you know!?! He might really be my son after all....

He waved at all the people, splashed in the water, giggled with delight, and when he snatched my sunglasses off my head and I playfully demanded that he give them back he cocked his head and gave me a big fat, "No!" He's 15 months old. And with that, I think, my baby Parker was gone.

He's acting so much older all of a sudden. He said "Blueberries" yesterday and "Grandma" this morning. He's paying attention to everything and he's learned he can actually tackle Ellie, knock her down, and pin her to the floor. He's 15 months old. Bye, bye Baby Parker. I love the little boy you are becoming. (Tackling Ellie included. I'm sure she deserves it.) How is it that a baby is just a baby for what seems like forever and then one day - not a baby. I'm glad I got the moment with him at Water World. It seemed like a little secret between me and him.

In other news we've got a list of things we still need to accomplish before these summer sands run out. Like a trip to Steamboat Springs with the parents and grandmas, a mountain retreat with all of the siblings when brother Dan and family get back from Japan, my cousin's wedding in Chicago and a few more house projects like painting the kids bedroom furniture. Not so lazy after all....

Quote of the Day:
"I love my Aunt Emma cuz she's all grown-up like me. And I love my cousin Cole because he's soooo handsome," ~Eliana

Yup, Still Pregnant

I just realized that there are virtually no pictures of me pregnant. I'm sure that's because right now I don't want any, but someday I know I will....so I should work on that. Well, there is one of me swimming with Eliana at the recreation center...but that one will never see the light of day. Until I get out the old camera and work on "capturing" this moment for ever...you can check this one out and basically get the same idea:

Hahahahaha. Yeah, and Elle actually calls me "Mamoooo" now. No joke. Okay, moving on.....this week, in our world, we're sick. Eliana is sick, Derrick is kind of sick, and I'm trying not to get sick. We'll see how it goes. I'm in awe that such a small child can produce so much snot. It's amazing. I'm going to give her a medal or a cookie or something.

Besides being sick, Eliana just keeps on being Eliana. We had combined doctor's visits on Monday for my 32-week check up and Eliana's 2-year check up. She is now 35 inches tall (90th percentile for height) and 23 lbs. (10th percentile for weight). The doc isn't worried about her skinny little frame and I guess we aren't either. I'm gonna blame genes (well my former, pre-baby genes, anyway.) And, as Derrick pointed out if you combine both of her percentages, you get a full 100%...so she's just trying to be perfect. A perfect 100%.

And thanks to sis Wendy for the new family pics! We never seem to take a family picture together....and the one of Eliana laughing on the sidebar is my new favorite. Thanks family photographer!!

Calorie Countdown

I don't believe in dieting and that's something that probably annoys Derrick. Well, it probably annoys lots of people as I never have fat-free/diet cheese or salad dressing or cookies or soda or anything in the house, but I know for a fact it annoys Derrick. And it should.

I've always been of the "everything in moderation" frame of mind. Soda isn't evil if you only have a couple a week. McDonald's won't kill you if you go there once a month, multiple Coronas the size of your head are totally acceptable if there is a beach within a one block radius....that sort of thing. But over the course of the past year and especially with some new events in Derrick's family in the past few weeks, I'm going to have to at the very least reconsider my ideology, and at the most make some small changes for the health of our little family.

Derrick's mom (and my Wednesday baby-sitting savior) Barbara had a mild heart attack last Thursday. It was terribly scary for the whole family. She's recovering well and feeling good and we are all grateful for her increasingly optimistic bill of health. On the other hand, we are now considering the fact that we have to be more deliberate in our own health. Let's face it, we're not 28 any more, (Hahahahaha), okay some of us are, but that's beside the point. I still believe in moderation but at the same time the world is out to get us. Derrick and I love the "Eat This, Not That" newsletters for nothing more than to see the nutritional breakdown of some common restaurant, fast food, and beverage joints. When a burger at Chili's is a whole 2,220 calories, yes, the world is out to get you.

Here are some good links if you're curious. You might find something on the list that you actually eat and love. And then you will have to say goodbye to it.

Worst Foods in America 2009

America's Worst Supermarket Foods

America's Worst Breakfast Foods

The Most Sugar Packed Foods in America

So, with it having just been the new year with all those "resolution" things people make, I think I'll actually vow to make my home (and our eating out options) healthier. We might even make some progress before Chinese New Year, so at least that's a start. I promise to report back.