Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm just going to jump right into the weekend.

1. Crazy Maya on Saturday morning.


IMG_2926 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

2.  Saturday afternoon at Boom's house: Great Margie is in town!  We also visited Missy Elliott.

3. Unbelievable sunrays this morning.  I needed them.

4. Superbowl at our house with Boom and Great Margie.

Go Broncos!

A Picture Update

Happy Friday.

I'll start by saying I had a rough evening...I was tired and emotional, and at one point I was on the couch watching the girls play with the tears a-flowing.

Maya came up to me, nose to nose, and just stared into my eyes.  She was really calm and still.  She whispered "You look at my blue eyes."  Which I totally did and it calmed me.

She left for a little bit, and came back to bring me a soft teddy bear.  She said, "This bear make you happy?" And I nodded yes.

Then later she crawled up on the couch and sat with me, again just staring into my eyes.  At one point she stroked my hair a little bit.  She was still very calm and still, which is very out of character for her.

It is pretty hard not to cheer up and be thankful when you have this face staring at you intently.

It was truly a gift, and exactly what I needed tonight.  It was definitely my bright shiny moment of the day.

Speaking of Maya, you may have noticed her adorable pigtails above.  My mom started that trend this week, and she has loved it!  Other highlights from her time with Boom include LOTS of playing, a lunch with Auntie Yoda, and play time with Elliott.

The other big even of the week was the snow storm that started on Tuesday (right when I was outside for recess duty).  It resulted in me getting a day and a half off!  I wasn't complaining, though I did still need to get work done on my snow day, so I set up shop at Brueggers and was very productive.  The snow was pretty, but I'm over it already.

Because of the snow we spent a lot of time just being at home in the evenings.  It was nice and the girls actually played really well together (for the most part).  They liked playing "Swiper's Car" with Chris in the laundry basket.  Maya also thought picking her nose was HILARIOUS.  And they had a picnic.

Lastly, despite the crazy winter weather, I managed to find some sunrays this week.

Have a great weekend.

QOTDs

I haven't posted a quote of the day for a looooooong time, but Pa sent me a couple today that were cute, so I thought I'd share them.

First up: Callie getting dropped off at school.

Callie: There's my school. It's the best school in the world!

Pa: Is your teacher the best teacher in the world?

Callie: (No answer)

Pa: Or is Mommy the best teacher?    

Callie: I don't know, Mommy has never taught me...maybe Mommy and Ms. Carhart should have a contest to see who is the best teacher.

My reaction: OUCH. But thankfully my self-worth is not based on how my Kindergartener views my ability to teach her. I'm chalking up all the "Exceeding Expectations" on her report card that we just got to ME and all the NOT TEACHING I have done. ;)

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Next up: Maya before mealtime.

Pa: Do you want a blue bib?  

Maya: No.

Pa: Do you want the frog one then?

Maya: No.  

Pa: I'll give you the blue bib.     

Maya: No Pa, I said I do not want a bib!

My reaction: Holy moly this girl has strong opinions. I can only imagine what is in store for us during the tween and teenage years with these two...

Timehop Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

My first Timehop makes Callie look a little like she has taken a few mug shots in her day.

But I'll redeem myself from posting these funny pictures, by posting these adorable ones.

And these ones too.

And then we have sweet Maya.

And finally, my mom made this one happen: Me and Maya in pigtails.

Left: Kati 30 years ago                                                                              Right: Maya Now

Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Sunday!

We had a pretty nice and relaxing weekend.  Lots of time spent at home playing, lots of time outside, and time with family as well.

First up, Friday night.  I went out to dinner and an orchestra concert with my mom and sisters.

On Saturday morning I took the girls out for our first winter walk of the weekend.

And I spent time playing with Maya while Chris took Callie to dance.

The top right picture was taken about 10am...Callie still in her PJs and Maya still just in a diaper.  That's why I
love Saturdays.

On Saturday afternoon I went over to have a girls' movie party with Mary, Nana, Cathleen, Hanna and my mom.  We ate delicious snacks, drank mimosas and watched "42nd Street."  It was great!

This morning I took the girls on winter walk #2.  This one had a purpose: to look for sunrays.  And boy did we find them.

Afterwards we played in Callie's room for awhile.  I got some video of her reading to Maya.  She is SUCH a good reader these days.  I love it!


IMG_2815 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Uncle Dan and Hanna took the girls for a couple of hours before nap time.  They had a blast at Edinborough, and Hanna sent me some pictures.

While they did that, Chris and I went out to lunch!  It was so calm and peaceful being at a restaurant with no children. :)

We spent some time playing in Maya's room later, and then swung by G-ma and Pa's house for a bit.

Hope you all had a great weekend.  I, for one, am very glad that January is over and we will be moving closer to spring.

Callie and Bops

These past nine months my 5-turned-6 year old has had to navigate the sudden and very confusing death of her Bops.

Lately, she has talked a lot about death. She jokes about "being dead." She uses the word "dead" a lot, actually.

I don't make a big deal about it. Partly because I think she is trying to get a reaction, and partly because I think she is really thinking about that word and trying to make sense of it in her brain. 

There are times when we are outside, that  Callie yells up to the sky, "BOPS!  CAN YOU HEAR ME?"  I tell her that he can, but he can't respond.  I remind her that he says hi to us with sunrays.

Earlier this week she asked me if kids ever die.

And my heart sank because I couldn't lie to my 6-year-old, but I didn't want her to worry unnecessarily. So I was honest (but brief) in my answer, and she quickly moved the conversation on to something else.

Yesterday she asked if you close your eyes when you are dead.  And when I said yes, she asked if you can see in heaven.  She said she thought that the sun and the clouds were really bright up there and that it was spring and summer all the time. And that she thought Bops probably helps God send down the snow to us.

She really thinks about things.  Deeply.

I was at the cemetery yesterday, and what I kept thinking about was how much my girls (and my sisters' future kids) will miss out on by not having my dad around.

It breaks my heart that they won't have that relationship with him.  I know how that feels, as my Grampy died when I was a toddler.  And growing up there were times that I was so sad that I never really knew him.

But as January comes to a close...this dark and cold month...I am trying really hard to work on that gratitude thing again.  And the SHINE BRIGHT thing again.

At bedtime each night, I ask Callie to tell me what her "bright shiny" moment of the day was.  Her responses are varied and adorable.  She finds the good in so many things.

I need to do a better job of asking myself to find "bright shiny" moments.  I really do feel lucky that I have so much to be grateful for.

And one thing, always, is how amazing it was to watch my dad be Bops.

January 2012

A Picture Update + Timehop Tuesday on a Friday

So...I'm annoyed.

I thought I had posted my Timehop Tuesday post on Tuesday, but did it from my phone and apparently it didn't post.

Anyway, here are the Timehops!

I'm using my new favorite picture of Maya today. Twice. First, a Baby Maya and Toddler Maya comparison:

And then, the usual Toddler Callie and Toddler Maya comparison:

I have a hard time seeing similarities. They both look so distinct to me. I think it is the eyes. And maybe the bangs vs. no bangs hair.

On to the other pictures from the week...

The girls hanging out with Boom.

The girls hanging out with G-ma and Pa.

Thursday sunrays:
Left- a picture Cat sent me that she got from her friend in China
Middle- Sunset near our house
Right- a picture my mom sent me from the cemetery

Left- our goofy kindergartner on "Mismatch Day" at school (though that outfit isn't too far from regular days)
Right- our smartie pants kindergartner loving playing with a calculator

I had the afternoon off today, so I decided to go to visit the cemetery.  I hadn't been there since Christmas eve, and my goal is to go once a month.  It was quiet and peaceful there.  And cold. But I still captured some sunrays.

I'm looking forward to being there in the spring.  It is hard not to feel hopeful in the spring.

Have a happy weekend!