We've had a busy day. Church. Grandma and Grandpa's for lunch. Grocery store for Rehm and Michael. Build-a-Bear birthday party for Charlotte and Me. Rehm and Michael made a very yummy enchilada dinner.
Charlotte made a new friend at BAB. Her name is Loveable and according to Charlotte she is a moose. I think she is a girl reindeer but Charlotte says not, she says she is a moose. She was obviously part of their Christmas stock and Charlotte obviously picked up on that as she is sporting a very cure Santa themed red dress with white fur trim. I personally think Charlotte just was not ready for Christmas to be over quite yet.
Lovable's nickname is Luvie. According to Charlotte Lovable and Lisa Bunny (another one of Charlottes BAB creations) used to live together in the same BAB store. Then Lovable got moved to a different store. And then Charlotte bought Lisa Bunny and all this time Loveable has been patiently waiting for Charlotte to come find her so that she and Lisa Bunny could be together again. Charlotte got Lisa Bunny 2.5 years ago when she threw away all her paci's so Lovable has had a very long wait. They were very happy to be reunited today. And Charlotte is of course over the moon about her newest BAB creation.
That brings the total BAB number in our house to seven! Yikes! I will say that 2 were gifts, 1 from the birthday party, 1 for giving up pacis, and the other three were gifts from the older sibling(s) to the new baby(ies) in our family. I foresee being completely overrun with BAB's in about three years. We have 2 bears, 1 giraffe, 1 bunny, 1 moose/reindeer, 1 frog, and 1 monkey and a whole slew of clothes complete with several pairs of big girl pants/underwear.
-----------------------------------------------
Tonight at story time Eliza Claire picked Cat Heaven for her story. She points to the black cat throughout the book and says, "that's my kitty!" We stopped about halfway through and had this conversation about "Scratchery" (Zachary):
Eliza Claire: My kitty cat gonna find me and say "meow!"
Me: Eliza Claire you know that Zachary died and went to kitty heaven, right?
Eliza Claire: Yep!
Me: You know that means he can never, ever, ever, ever come back to our house, right?
Eliza Claire: Yep!
Me: Zachary's body could no longer work and he died and he is in heaven. We can't see him again until we are in heaven. We can't go there until we die and Zachary can't come back to our house from heaven.
Eliza Claire: He gonna walk and walk and walk and come back to my house!
Me: Eliza Claire, Sweetie, he can't walk and walk and walk back to our house because he is in heaven.
Eliza Claire: Yes he can, he's has feets!
This girl still thinks her sweet Scratchery is coming home and she is still waiting for him!
I just don't know what else to tell her to help her understand he really is gone. And even I draw the line at showing her his urn and telling her he doesn't have feets anymore because all that is left of him is in there.
Can someone get this girl a new kitty? Oh wait, that is my job and with two geriatric dogs now just doesn't seem like the right time to add another dependent to the family.
Happy Sunday,
Jenn
PS. Pictures of Lovable to follow. Camera will hopefully be here tomorrow, though I'm doubtful as it just arrived in Dallas this afternoon. At this point I'm expecting it to be Tuesday. Argh!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Blue Ghost
It is Pinewood Derby time and Rehm has been working on his car for the last two weeks. He and Michael got out Michael's cars from when he was a cub scout and Rehm used one of those as the inspiration for the shape of his car. But the car is definitely completely 100 percent a Rehm original.
We went today to buy the paint for the car. We went with the intentions of buying a bright green. When we got to Michael's Rehm was delighted by the number of paint color choices he was presented with. We found a neon, glow in the dark, green that he said was the one. Then he found glow in the dark medium that could be added to any color and a blue he wanted to use for an accent color.
When we got home we painted some of both on a piece of paper and he decided he wanted to use the blue for the main color of the car. We got all the coats of the blue on and took it in the closet to see how it glows. Then I suggested using black for the accent color, so that the accents would not glow, allowing the pattern to show even in the dark. Rehm liked this idea and the Blue Ghost was born.
At some point during the painting Rehm asked, "Mommy, how did you get so good at painting?" He acted completely shocked that I knew anything about how to mix paint, or brush techniques or secrets like using the hair dryer to dry the paint quicker. All techniques I honed back in my college days of painting ceramics to relieve stress during exams with my dear room mate Jill.
It is nice when your child is impressed, not matter how unduely, with something you can do.
Jenn
PS all pictures were taken with the camera on my phone, thus the reason for the poor quality. My new camera is still not here - it was in OK as of 4am today. Assuming it will arrive on Monday.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Oh My!
Eliza Claire just got mad at Ruby and pushed her down the stairs! Luckily Ruby caught herself about halfway down and is not hurt, just scared. I wish I could have taken a picture of Eliza Claire's mad face. She admitted she did it but was not at all remorseful. She is having some room time now while Ruby gets some Mommy cuddles.
As I type, Eliza is yelling from upstairs, "Mommy, I want to say I sorry to Ruby! Please open the gate!"
What will they think of next?
Jenn
As I type, Eliza is yelling from upstairs, "Mommy, I want to say I sorry to Ruby! Please open the gate!"
What will they think of next?
Jenn
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Tidbits
My camera is still not here. It is killing me to be cameraless. I hope it gets here tomorrow but am afraid it will be Monday. I am not a patient person.
Michael took everyone to Rehm's practice tonight. He was 20 minutes late, but only went to the one school. Just made a wrong turn. See he's not good a finding this silly schools either. Can you tell it made me feel better that he didn't do it completely effortlessly?
Charlotte asked him at practice if she and her sisters could pretend their basketballs were babies. Luckily this was Rehm's practice, not hers, otherwise it would have been a really bad idea.
Ruby has the potty thing down. She managed to go to school and not have any accidents today! Woohoo! Eliza Claire is now showing interest in starting the process. If I'm late to something in the next few weeks just know it was because I was trying to convince two girls they had to go potty before we could leave the house.
Rehm is glad to be back at school. Otherwise if he can manage it he is playing Mario Party on his DS. When he can't manage the DS he is in his room reading.
Michael left after the kids went to bed to meet a friend. Rehm came in our room (I caught Michael's cold and was in bed as I'm wiped out by evening) and wanted to know where he was. I told him. Then this conversation happened:
Rehm: Who's going to turn off my lava lamp
Me: Your Dad
Rehm: How will he know he's supposed to? (I ususally do it when I come to bed)
Me: Because he knows he needs to check on you when he comes home tonight.
Rehm looked at me doubtfully but aquised and went back to be. Then Charlotte came in:
Charlotte: Where's Daddy?
Me: He went to meet Uncle Kevin
Charlotte: So who is going to take care of us while he is gone?
Me: Um, me.
Charlotte: Are you sure?
Me: Um, yeah, that is why I'm here and talking to you right this minute. I am the adult in charge.
Who knew Mommy resting in bed when Daddy left for the evening could be so perplexing.
Hopefully I'll have new pictures soon.
Jenn
Michael took everyone to Rehm's practice tonight. He was 20 minutes late, but only went to the one school. Just made a wrong turn. See he's not good a finding this silly schools either. Can you tell it made me feel better that he didn't do it completely effortlessly?
Charlotte asked him at practice if she and her sisters could pretend their basketballs were babies. Luckily this was Rehm's practice, not hers, otherwise it would have been a really bad idea.
Ruby has the potty thing down. She managed to go to school and not have any accidents today! Woohoo! Eliza Claire is now showing interest in starting the process. If I'm late to something in the next few weeks just know it was because I was trying to convince two girls they had to go potty before we could leave the house.
Rehm is glad to be back at school. Otherwise if he can manage it he is playing Mario Party on his DS. When he can't manage the DS he is in his room reading.
Michael left after the kids went to bed to meet a friend. Rehm came in our room (I caught Michael's cold and was in bed as I'm wiped out by evening) and wanted to know where he was. I told him. Then this conversation happened:
Rehm: Who's going to turn off my lava lamp
Me: Your Dad
Rehm: How will he know he's supposed to? (I ususally do it when I come to bed)
Me: Because he knows he needs to check on you when he comes home tonight.
Rehm looked at me doubtfully but aquised and went back to be. Then Charlotte came in:
Charlotte: Where's Daddy?
Me: He went to meet Uncle Kevin
Charlotte: So who is going to take care of us while he is gone?
Me: Um, me.
Charlotte: Are you sure?
Me: Um, yeah, that is why I'm here and talking to you right this minute. I am the adult in charge.
Who knew Mommy resting in bed when Daddy left for the evening could be so perplexing.
Hopefully I'll have new pictures soon.
Jenn
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Don't Need a Camera for this One!
Ugh! I'm the biggest idiot in the world! I hope you get a good laugh out of this one and hope I can see the humor in it soon.
Rehm and Charlotte are both signed up to play basketball. In getting them signed up it got confusing as to when and where they would be practicing and playing games. Then we got the call that Rehm's locations had changed. I thought I had it all straight in my head. Tonight I found out how very wrong I was.
Michael had a meeting after work where he was on a panel for a meeting being held by some Agile group (Michael feel free to edit this and make it accurate). [Side note: I do listen to my husband and have some idea of what goes on in his professional life, but a lot of the details get lost along the way, oops]
This meant that Charlotte had 6:00 pm practice and I had to take all four kids as Michael wouldn't be home. I told Rehm to pack his homework to do at the school. He ended up doing it after dinner in hopes of getting to play his Nintendo DS while we were gone.
At 5:45 I am getting everyone's shoes on when I realize Eliza Claire has a yucky diaper. I'll spare you the details but a wardrobe change was in order. We still managed to make it to N. Elementary by 6:05. I was feeling pretty good.
When we entered the gym I didn't see any girl players. Then I asked both the coaches their names. Neither was the one I was looking for. The coordinator looked us up on the schedule and told us we were supposed to be at G. Elementary. Oops! I got it a bit confused in my head and thought Charlotte was supposed to be at N. Elementary. No big deal I knew where G. Elementary was as that is where Rehm played when he was 5. We'd be even later but it would be OK. So I load all four kids and all their basketballs back in the car and head off for G. Elementary.
We get to G. Elementary and I go to grab coats only to notice that the pink coat I think is Ruby's is not hers. Hers is in my bag, this one is bigger with flowers. At N. Elementary I had asked Rehm to grab Charlotte's coat. Not only did he get Charlotte's but someone else's as well, oops.
Neither of the coaches at G. Elementary are the one I'm looking for. I see the coordinator there. I tell her this is our second stop and that the last place told us we were supposed to be at G. Elementary. She smiled and said "but this is K. Elementary." I thought I was going to cry by this point. I swear they changed the name of the school. I swear Rehm played at G. Elementary in the very gym I was standing in. But apparently having 6 month old twins when he was playing basketball there made the details like the name of the school a bit fuzzy.
The coordinator nicely gave me directions to the true G. Elementary and we trudged back through the gym and parking lot to get in the van again! During the walk to the van Rehm and Charlotte took it upon themselves to tell me all about how I had messed up the evening and that I'd better not lose the directions, etc, etc, etc. I had to give them a speech about how I expected them to do their best and sometimes they made mistakes and I was doing my best and they were going to have to be more gracious with my mistakes.
We load everyone in the car, again, and head off for G. Elementary, again. Are you with me? We are headed for elementary school number three!
I found the school but turned into the wrong drive. The kids started up, again. I reminded them I was doing my best. We get in the gym and we finally find the right team just as they are finishing practice and the parent meeting, oops! Charlotte was so sad. But the coaches were nice enough to introduce themselves and shoot a few baskets with her before we left, five minutes later.
All the way home Eliza Claire tells me, "but Mommy, I didn't get to throw my ball at that school!" And Rehm complains that he didn't get to play DS and says, "it's a good thing I did my homework before we came," in a very sarcastic voice. Then Ruby pipes up with, "my pants are wet!" I'd just asked her before we left the last school if she needed to go potty and she had said, "no, I fine." Surprisingly, I didn't yell and I didn't burst into tears. I didn't even call Michael's cell to leave a long message about what a horrible experience this was.
Everyone was in bed by 8:15 and Ruby is over her tantrum because she didn't get a song tonight.
Huh, that was a basketball practice experience I hope not to repeat again!
Oh, and now I have to find time to run over to N. Elementary to drop off the coat that isn't ours.
Hope you got a good laugh, someone should.
Jenn
PS When we got home I found that Ruby's pants weren't wet after all. I think she was just testing me to see if she could be the thing that sent me over the edge...Nah, not Ruby! She'd never do something like that!
Rehm and Charlotte are both signed up to play basketball. In getting them signed up it got confusing as to when and where they would be practicing and playing games. Then we got the call that Rehm's locations had changed. I thought I had it all straight in my head. Tonight I found out how very wrong I was.
Michael had a meeting after work where he was on a panel for a meeting being held by some Agile group (Michael feel free to edit this and make it accurate). [Side note: I do listen to my husband and have some idea of what goes on in his professional life, but a lot of the details get lost along the way, oops]
This meant that Charlotte had 6:00 pm practice and I had to take all four kids as Michael wouldn't be home. I told Rehm to pack his homework to do at the school. He ended up doing it after dinner in hopes of getting to play his Nintendo DS while we were gone.
At 5:45 I am getting everyone's shoes on when I realize Eliza Claire has a yucky diaper. I'll spare you the details but a wardrobe change was in order. We still managed to make it to N. Elementary by 6:05. I was feeling pretty good.
When we entered the gym I didn't see any girl players. Then I asked both the coaches their names. Neither was the one I was looking for. The coordinator looked us up on the schedule and told us we were supposed to be at G. Elementary. Oops! I got it a bit confused in my head and thought Charlotte was supposed to be at N. Elementary. No big deal I knew where G. Elementary was as that is where Rehm played when he was 5. We'd be even later but it would be OK. So I load all four kids and all their basketballs back in the car and head off for G. Elementary.
We get to G. Elementary and I go to grab coats only to notice that the pink coat I think is Ruby's is not hers. Hers is in my bag, this one is bigger with flowers. At N. Elementary I had asked Rehm to grab Charlotte's coat. Not only did he get Charlotte's but someone else's as well, oops.
Neither of the coaches at G. Elementary are the one I'm looking for. I see the coordinator there. I tell her this is our second stop and that the last place told us we were supposed to be at G. Elementary. She smiled and said "but this is K. Elementary." I thought I was going to cry by this point. I swear they changed the name of the school. I swear Rehm played at G. Elementary in the very gym I was standing in. But apparently having 6 month old twins when he was playing basketball there made the details like the name of the school a bit fuzzy.
The coordinator nicely gave me directions to the true G. Elementary and we trudged back through the gym and parking lot to get in the van again! During the walk to the van Rehm and Charlotte took it upon themselves to tell me all about how I had messed up the evening and that I'd better not lose the directions, etc, etc, etc. I had to give them a speech about how I expected them to do their best and sometimes they made mistakes and I was doing my best and they were going to have to be more gracious with my mistakes.
We load everyone in the car, again, and head off for G. Elementary, again. Are you with me? We are headed for elementary school number three!
I found the school but turned into the wrong drive. The kids started up, again. I reminded them I was doing my best. We get in the gym and we finally find the right team just as they are finishing practice and the parent meeting, oops! Charlotte was so sad. But the coaches were nice enough to introduce themselves and shoot a few baskets with her before we left, five minutes later.
All the way home Eliza Claire tells me, "but Mommy, I didn't get to throw my ball at that school!" And Rehm complains that he didn't get to play DS and says, "it's a good thing I did my homework before we came," in a very sarcastic voice. Then Ruby pipes up with, "my pants are wet!" I'd just asked her before we left the last school if she needed to go potty and she had said, "no, I fine." Surprisingly, I didn't yell and I didn't burst into tears. I didn't even call Michael's cell to leave a long message about what a horrible experience this was.
Everyone was in bed by 8:15 and Ruby is over her tantrum because she didn't get a song tonight.
Huh, that was a basketball practice experience I hope not to repeat again!
Oh, and now I have to find time to run over to N. Elementary to drop off the coat that isn't ours.
Hope you got a good laugh, someone should.
Jenn
PS When we got home I found that Ruby's pants weren't wet after all. I think she was just testing me to see if she could be the thing that sent me over the edge...Nah, not Ruby! She'd never do something like that!
A Breakthrough
We went to McDonald's for lunch today. Yeah, I know it is McDonald's and I really don't like the place, but it was rainy this morning and with Ruby potty training a close potty is a necessity. Thus, the park was out.
The girls were really excited to go to McD's and I knew they would entertain each other and allow me to catch up on some phone calls and reading. When we sat down to eat, Eliza Claire asked where "Yink-on" (Lincoln) was. When I told her he wasn't coming all three girls looked a bit confused. Normally we meet some of our friends for playdates at McD's as it makes for an easy place for the children to play while the moms catch up. Today it was just us.
Now for the breakthrough. I didn't have to climb through the maze to rescue Eliza Claire one single time today! Yippee! Halleluja! Woohoo! Over the summer it seemed that every time we went to an indoor playscape something would upset her and I'd have to go get her. Today she did great! She had a fabulous time and didn't get upset! It was so nice. I loved seeing her way up high smiling and waving down to me. Too bad I didn't have a camera to snap her picture. Maybe next time.
Jenn
The girls were really excited to go to McD's and I knew they would entertain each other and allow me to catch up on some phone calls and reading. When we sat down to eat, Eliza Claire asked where "Yink-on" (Lincoln) was. When I told her he wasn't coming all three girls looked a bit confused. Normally we meet some of our friends for playdates at McD's as it makes for an easy place for the children to play while the moms catch up. Today it was just us.
Now for the breakthrough. I didn't have to climb through the maze to rescue Eliza Claire one single time today! Yippee! Halleluja! Woohoo! Over the summer it seemed that every time we went to an indoor playscape something would upset her and I'd have to go get her. Today she did great! She had a fabulous time and didn't get upset! It was so nice. I loved seeing her way up high smiling and waving down to me. Too bad I didn't have a camera to snap her picture. Maybe next time.
Jenn
When will it get here?
I am shocked that it has been a week since I've blogged. I don't know what has come over me. I've had nothing to say. I know that is unbelievable to most of you! I think not having a camera is making it especially hard for me to find something worth writing about. And you know what. The blasted camera is sitting somewhere in Oregon and I don't know when it will leave. Apparently bad weather has delayed the shipping!
Argh! Do they not know how badly I need this silly camera? Do they not understand that I can barely function without one? Apparently not. It is supposed to be here Friday. I hope it really is. And I hope I really like it when it gets here.
Shh! Don't mention this next part. I've decided that if I don't really like it, I'm going to put it up to give to Rehm for his birthday. He'd like to have camera and I think he is too big for a kid/toddler version and think this one would make him a nice one if it doesn't work for me.
So here's hoping I have a working camera by Saturday morning. If not I truly might just go crazy.
Jenn
Argh! Do they not know how badly I need this silly camera? Do they not understand that I can barely function without one? Apparently not. It is supposed to be here Friday. I hope it really is. And I hope I really like it when it gets here.
Shh! Don't mention this next part. I've decided that if I don't really like it, I'm going to put it up to give to Rehm for his birthday. He'd like to have camera and I think he is too big for a kid/toddler version and think this one would make him a nice one if it doesn't work for me.
So here's hoping I have a working camera by Saturday morning. If not I truly might just go crazy.
Jenn
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The rest of Christmas
I posted about Rehm's worst Christmas ever, but I never got around to posting about the rest of Christmas or anyone else's experience. In this case I think pictures may be more useful than words...
Christmas Day:
Sunday before Christmas and Christmas Eve:
Yesterday I heard the girls singing Happy Birthday when they were supposed to be napping. After "nap time" - they didn't actually sleep - Cici asked them who they were singing Happy Birthday too. They told her they were singing to Baby Jesus. Hopefully that means we are doing a decent job of focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. Although, last night on the drive home from dinner they spotted Santa and both started telling me that "Santa says ho, ho, ho!" Apparently Santa had just spotted Barbie...
What were they thinking?
This afternoon while I was blogging my thoughts on Barbie, Cici told Charlotte to check on Ruby and Eliza Claire who were playing in the backyard. She went to the door and said "Cici! They are naked!"
Sure enough when I got to the door there were two completely naked children running around in the back yard. When asked where their clothes were they ran over to the baby swing and said "right here!" They had loaded all of them in the swing. Their shoes, socks and diaper/panties were strewn throughout the yard.
I asked Ruby why she was naked. Her response: "Cause I NAKED!!!!!!!" Then she danced off to enjoy her new found freedom.
I have no idea what made them decide to take every stitch of clothing off and run around but I'm glad it is almost 70 degrees in TX today.
For obvious reasons I won't be sharing pictures of this little incident.
Silly girls! There is never a dull moment at my house...
Jenn
Sure enough when I got to the door there were two completely naked children running around in the back yard. When asked where their clothes were they ran over to the baby swing and said "right here!" They had loaded all of them in the swing. Their shoes, socks and diaper/panties were strewn throughout the yard.
I asked Ruby why she was naked. Her response: "Cause I NAKED!!!!!!!" Then she danced off to enjoy her new found freedom.
I have no idea what made them decide to take every stitch of clothing off and run around but I'm glad it is almost 70 degrees in TX today.
For obvious reasons I won't be sharing pictures of this little incident.
Silly girls! There is never a dull moment at my house...
Jenn
My Thoughts on Barbie
I spent an hour at Toys R Us today with Charlotte. She has a gift certificate from her birthday to spend. She kept trying to convince herself that each item she saw was the one she had to have. When I asked her what it was at least half the time she had no clue. I told her is she didn't know what it was or what it did she could not buy it. While she was browsing the Barbie isle I spotted this gem.
I do not like barbie and overall think Barbie is a ho! I mean what child needs this Barbie? Can we get anymore trash than this?
I know the picture is not good but I only had my camera phone as my new camera has not arrived yet . It isn't scheduled to get here until 1/9-1/15. I may have a mini-breakdown from picture taking withdrawal before it gets here.
Back to the picture, even blurry you get the point: Barbie is a Ho! For a clearer picture click here.
Michael sent me this article today about how our girls are growing up to fast. No surprise when stuff like the above Barbie is being marketed to them. I won't even get started on the Bratz line. They are forbidden in this house. Barbie just has to be checked for ho status. If she is a wholesome Barbie or a princess Barbie she is usually allowed.
While at TRU I also saw the retro barbies from the 70's. This one caught my attention as I'm sure either my sister or my cousins (Vicki and Tracy) had this Barbie. My favorite Barbies were the ones with the sunglasses on their heads and I remember this outfit. It was always a favorite of mine - I think because it was easy to get on the Barbie. I guess Barbie was a ho even back in the 70s...as the outfit is completely see through!
Oh and I convinced Charlotte that if she didn't find something she really loved she should not spend her gift card. She decided she really wanted a Diamond Castle Baribe and they were out of stock today. So we will be going back another day to shop again.
In other news Mary from the Little People Nativity has been found. She was hanging out with the stuffed animals and dolls. But now the cow is missing again. I'm assuming it went back to the farm to be part of the herd. Oh well, a nativity minus a cow isn't a big deal. A nativity minus a Mary, well that is another story...
OK, I feel better after getting that all out of my system.
Jenn
I do not like barbie and overall think Barbie is a ho! I mean what child needs this Barbie? Can we get anymore trash than this?
I know the picture is not good but I only had my camera phone as my new camera has not arrived yet . It isn't scheduled to get here until 1/9-1/15. I may have a mini-breakdown from picture taking withdrawal before it gets here.
Back to the picture, even blurry you get the point: Barbie is a Ho! For a clearer picture click here.
Michael sent me this article today about how our girls are growing up to fast. No surprise when stuff like the above Barbie is being marketed to them. I won't even get started on the Bratz line. They are forbidden in this house. Barbie just has to be checked for ho status. If she is a wholesome Barbie or a princess Barbie she is usually allowed.
While at TRU I also saw the retro barbies from the 70's. This one caught my attention as I'm sure either my sister or my cousins (Vicki and Tracy) had this Barbie. My favorite Barbies were the ones with the sunglasses on their heads and I remember this outfit. It was always a favorite of mine - I think because it was easy to get on the Barbie. I guess Barbie was a ho even back in the 70s...as the outfit is completely see through!
Oh and I convinced Charlotte that if she didn't find something she really loved she should not spend her gift card. She decided she really wanted a Diamond Castle Baribe and they were out of stock today. So we will be going back another day to shop again.
In other news Mary from the Little People Nativity has been found. She was hanging out with the stuffed animals and dolls. But now the cow is missing again. I'm assuming it went back to the farm to be part of the herd. Oh well, a nativity minus a cow isn't a big deal. A nativity minus a Mary, well that is another story...
OK, I feel better after getting that all out of my system.
Jenn
Friday, December 26, 2008
Indecision
I hate it. I truly hate it. Anytime I have a "big" decision to make I research and research and end up with too much knowledge and can't make a decision. Not only does the drive me crazy and stress me out, but poor Michael has to live with me while I agonize over whatever the current decision is. What is causing all my angst? Right now it is purchasing a new digital camera.
I dropped mine on Christmas Eve. The event was nothing spectacular. I was holding it in my hand with my hand down by my side and the kids came running by and either bumped in to me or I got distracted and dropped it. Either way it hit the laminate floor and bounced once and landed. It didn't fall hard and the surface wasn't that hard. It had definitely survived worse falls. I didn't think anything of it until I went to take a picture later and when I turned it on I got a black screen with the cryptic message "Lens error, restart camera." That is when I noticed the case had separated slightly at the seam. Uh oh!
I really liked my camera. It was a great point and shoot. It was a Cannon and just a good camera. I had had it almost two years. I'm bummed to be in the market for a new point and shoot. I was hoping at some point to add a DSLR to my collection and have one I could throw in my purse for those moments that have to be captured when we are out and about just living normal life and one for "good" pictures. But that is not to be. Now I'll be replacing the point and shoot and continuing to dream of the day when a DSLR can be a reality.
So here is where I am. Olympus makes a shock proof camera. It is made to withstand drops from five feet. It is waterproof to 10 feet, crush proof to 220 lbs and weather proof to 14 degrees. Sounds great right? So what is the problem? If I buy it I lose megapixels from what I'm currently used to and it costs a little bit more than my other option ($40 more).
My other option is a very reasonably priced Nikkon that has the same megapixels I'm used to and more optical zoom than I currently have. And the price is nice.
So do I go for more zoom or more durablity and less resolution? What to do? I can't decide and therefore can't order the blasted camera. Furthermore, about once an hour I start talking aloud about what the pros and cons are of each choice and my husband is about to pull his hair out or shoot me. It shouldn't be this hard. I went to Best Buy this morning with every intention of walking out with the Olympus (I've now found it $35 cheaper online) but started looking around and due to information overload now can not make up my mind.
My mother would tell you I have had this problem since I was a small child. And would probably proceed to tell you about finding me laying in my floor in front of the closet on school days crying my eyes out because I just couldn't decide what to wear. My dear husband would roll his eyes and tell you any time an item costs more that $100 I do this and drive him crazy. He would tell you it doesn't matter if it is a car seat, jewelry, electronics or carpet cleaners I research things to death and then due to my neurosis can't actually make a blasted choice.
I see this as a blessing and a curse. I usually mull over things long enough that I don't have buyers remorse, but I make myself and my dear husband miserable during the process.
So which one would you buy? Depending on the minute, maybe second, my answer changes. Ugh! So bets on which one I chose and how long it takes me to decide?
I dropped mine on Christmas Eve. The event was nothing spectacular. I was holding it in my hand with my hand down by my side and the kids came running by and either bumped in to me or I got distracted and dropped it. Either way it hit the laminate floor and bounced once and landed. It didn't fall hard and the surface wasn't that hard. It had definitely survived worse falls. I didn't think anything of it until I went to take a picture later and when I turned it on I got a black screen with the cryptic message "Lens error, restart camera." That is when I noticed the case had separated slightly at the seam. Uh oh!
I really liked my camera. It was a great point and shoot. It was a Cannon and just a good camera. I had had it almost two years. I'm bummed to be in the market for a new point and shoot. I was hoping at some point to add a DSLR to my collection and have one I could throw in my purse for those moments that have to be captured when we are out and about just living normal life and one for "good" pictures. But that is not to be. Now I'll be replacing the point and shoot and continuing to dream of the day when a DSLR can be a reality.
So here is where I am. Olympus makes a shock proof camera. It is made to withstand drops from five feet. It is waterproof to 10 feet, crush proof to 220 lbs and weather proof to 14 degrees. Sounds great right? So what is the problem? If I buy it I lose megapixels from what I'm currently used to and it costs a little bit more than my other option ($40 more).
My other option is a very reasonably priced Nikkon that has the same megapixels I'm used to and more optical zoom than I currently have. And the price is nice.
So do I go for more zoom or more durablity and less resolution? What to do? I can't decide and therefore can't order the blasted camera. Furthermore, about once an hour I start talking aloud about what the pros and cons are of each choice and my husband is about to pull his hair out or shoot me. It shouldn't be this hard. I went to Best Buy this morning with every intention of walking out with the Olympus (I've now found it $35 cheaper online) but started looking around and due to information overload now can not make up my mind.My mother would tell you I have had this problem since I was a small child. And would probably proceed to tell you about finding me laying in my floor in front of the closet on school days crying my eyes out because I just couldn't decide what to wear. My dear husband would roll his eyes and tell you any time an item costs more that $100 I do this and drive him crazy. He would tell you it doesn't matter if it is a car seat, jewelry, electronics or carpet cleaners I research things to death and then due to my neurosis can't actually make a blasted choice.
I see this as a blessing and a curse. I usually mull over things long enough that I don't have buyers remorse, but I make myself and my dear husband miserable during the process.
So which one would you buy? Depending on the minute, maybe second, my answer changes. Ugh! So bets on which one I chose and how long it takes me to decide?
Thursday, December 25, 2008
The Worst Chirstmas EVER!
Rehm checking out what Santa brought
Playing with his alien maker -very cool he loved itWell for most of the family it was a great Christmas, but not for Rehm. Poor guy had one of those days where nothing went like it was supposed to. Santa brought him three games for his Nintendo DS. He was thrilled. He went to get his DS so he could play them and it needed to be charged and he couldn't find his charger! We looked and looked and never found it! No stores were open that would have a charger so we couldn't even go purchase a new one - he just couldn't play these three great new games. It was bad!
Then he got out his new airbrush painter and the markers were dried up and it wouldn't spray. It said it will use any super tipped marker. We tried some other markers that look to be the same size but they would not insert far enough into the sprayer to work! Poor guy - this wasn't looking good.
He went upstairs to try out his new desk (actually an old desk mine and my mother's before me that we repainted for him) and there was no chair - we had forgotten to get it down from the attic! And the switch on his brand new desk lamp is broken and the lamp can't be turned on!
Rehm got a bit whiny and put out to start with but quickly changed his attitude and had a good day. I was very proud of his behavior. He never pitched a fit or even shed a tear. He did great and was a real trooper.
We will be braving the shopping crowds tomorrow to find a DS charger and to replace/return his airbrush toy and his desk lamp. And yes, we will also be getting his chair out of the attic.
It has to be really difficult when your little sister keeps delcaring this the best Christmas EVER and your Christmas is definitely NOT!
Merry Christmas - Hope you had a Charlotte Christmas and not a Rehm Christmas!
Jenn
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Five Year Old Fashion
I love to see what Charlotte is going to come downstairs in each morning. It is a shame you can't see the pink and green camouflage shirt she is sporting under the striped sweater. She has an...interesting... style all her own and I try my best not to squash it. The boots are a particular favorite right now. Thanks Kennedy!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Nativites around our House
Eliza Claire: Mommy, what this?
Me: That is one of the wise men that came to see Jesus after he was born.
Eliza Claire: No it not! That Larry!
Me: Well, yes, that is Larry but he is dressed up and pretending to be one of the wise men.
Eliza Claire: Where baby Jesus?
Me (pointing at the manger): Right here is baby Jesus.
Eliza Claire: Mommy, that not baby Jesus! That a carrot!
Um, I think she might have a point. That is a carrot. And apparently at two a carrot can not also be baby Jesus. That is just too big a stretch.
So it is a good thing we also have the Fisher Price Little People Nativity as well. (The current model is more elaborate than ours, oh well. Though there are some add on pieces I wouldn't mind having...) All the characters actually look like what the children think they should look like. Except, we currently have a problem. Mary is missing!
What will we ever do? How can we possibly have Christmas without Mary? What was she thinking leaving that newborn baby? At the moment we have a stand in but it just isn't the same. I've search the house and so far no Mary. Apparently being the mother of God's Son is just a bit too overwhelming at the moment. I can't imagine why she would think that. I mean I get overwhelmed by being the mother of mere mortals imagine the pressure of being the mother of Jesus! I think I might just check out for a bit too.
What will we ever do? How can we possibly have Christmas without Mary? What was she thinking leaving that newborn baby? At the moment we have a stand in but it just isn't the same. I've search the house and so far no Mary. Apparently being the mother of God's Son is just a bit too overwhelming at the moment. I can't imagine why she would think that. I mean I get overwhelmed by being the mother of mere mortals imagine the pressure of being the mother of Jesus! I think I might just check out for a bit too.
Holidays at my house are never dull.
Edited to add: Michael wanted to know why I was so obsessed with finding Mary tonight. He just shook his head when I told him it was because I needed to take pictures for the blog. At least he tolerates all my crazy blog induced habits.
'Twas the Night before Christmas
Yes I know it is really two nights before Christmas but bare with me for a minute.
For several years we have made a point to drive over to Chianti Court to see the lights and read the story "'Twas the Night before Christmas." The entire street works together to decorate all the houses and string lights from all the roofs across the street. In each yard there is a big sign with part of the story painted on it. In the center of the cul-de-sac the neighbors have a collection center for donating toys to Brown Santa.
In years past we have driven the street and read the story, this year we decided to park and walk. Everyone had lots of fun. Rehm kept declaring which house had the least and most decorations. Ruby got very excited each time we got to another page of the story, Eliza Claire got scared by a truck with a loud engine and Charlotte danced around and well, was Charlotte. This is one of our yearly traditions that I truly love and look forward to each year.
We came home and all the children had a Krispe Kreme donut before heading off to bed. What do you bet they insist that the donuts become part of the tradition in future years?
Merry Christmas!
Jenn
Friday, December 19, 2008
Our not so Little Angel
Isn't she beautiful? This was Charlotte after her last ever preschool Christmas Chapel! She is growing up so fast. She did a great job singing each and every song.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Life is Good...
Yesterday all the children's choirs sang at our 11:00 worship service. Both Charlotte and Rehm were singing. Michael was not at church with us as he was home with the little girls as they were recovering from sinus infections.
Charlotte's choir only sang the first two songs of the service. I needed to pick her up and take her back in the sanctuary with me right after she sang. When I went to pick her up I was talking to a dear friend who was also picking up her daughter. We are in support group together*. We both have children in heaven. She was telling me about a book on loss she has been reading. She quoted the last couple of sentences of the book. I can't give credit here as I don't know the title or the author. When I do I'll let you know as it sounds like an interesting book that I would like to read. Anyway, the book ends with something along these lines: "Life is good but something is missing. Life is good and something is missing. Life is good..."
My friend was pointing out that today was one of those days when we got to live the "life is good." That we were making wonderful memories with our living children, doing the things we always thought and dreamed about doing when we had children one day. And that today "life was good." It was so very true.
Charlotte and I went back in the sanctuary and she was sitting in my lap. We had a family get baptised. After they had baptised the baby the minister led the congregation in singing "Jesus Loves Me." This is a part of baptisms that is especially hard for me as we sang that song at Sam's memorial service. I can hear children sing it with no problem. But hearing adults sing it, especially in our sanctuary puts me right back in the second row of the church singing "Jesus Loves Me" with aching empty arms, a six inch incision that was throbbing, feet too swollen to fit into shoes, tears streaming down my face, wondering if I will ever get to hear a child of mine sing that song. It brings me to tears every time. Every. Time.
Yesterday I was sitting in the church with my precious five year old on my lap, listening to her sweet voice sing those wonderful words accompanied by the voices of the congregation and my dear friend's words started echoing in my head "Life is good but something is missing. Life is good and something is missing. Life is good..." I hugged Charlotte a little closer, and yes, I shed a few tears. I was right back at the memorial service but this time I was holding a child of mine and hearing her sweet singing. A feeling of coming full circle washed over me. Life is good.
No matter how many years pass or how full my life is, Sam will always be in my heart and mind. I will always, always wish he were here with me. But I will not let his loss overshadow the the blessing of knowing Sam for such a brief time or the additional blessings God has bestowed on me and my family. Life is good!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
Jenn
*Let me just say a bit about support group. Michael and I attended a group regularly for serveral months after Sam was born. It made a huge difference for me to be around others who truly understood what we were dealing with. Several years later, we felt called to start a group at our church. We have since passed on leadership to others who are better suited to leading the group today. I don't attend regularly and I no longer need group to get through the month, but I love this group of people. Even 9 years after Sam's death, it is still great to have friends, and they are definitely my dear friends, who truly understand what it means to have a child in heaven. I see this group regularly, mostly for social gatherings and do attend group every couple of months. I strongly recommend support groups to anyone going through difficult times. It is so nice to know you are not alone and that what you are feeling and thinking is completely normal given the circumstances.
Charlotte's choir only sang the first two songs of the service. I needed to pick her up and take her back in the sanctuary with me right after she sang. When I went to pick her up I was talking to a dear friend who was also picking up her daughter. We are in support group together*. We both have children in heaven. She was telling me about a book on loss she has been reading. She quoted the last couple of sentences of the book. I can't give credit here as I don't know the title or the author. When I do I'll let you know as it sounds like an interesting book that I would like to read. Anyway, the book ends with something along these lines: "Life is good but something is missing. Life is good and something is missing. Life is good..."
My friend was pointing out that today was one of those days when we got to live the "life is good." That we were making wonderful memories with our living children, doing the things we always thought and dreamed about doing when we had children one day. And that today "life was good." It was so very true.
Charlotte and I went back in the sanctuary and she was sitting in my lap. We had a family get baptised. After they had baptised the baby the minister led the congregation in singing "Jesus Loves Me." This is a part of baptisms that is especially hard for me as we sang that song at Sam's memorial service. I can hear children sing it with no problem. But hearing adults sing it, especially in our sanctuary puts me right back in the second row of the church singing "Jesus Loves Me" with aching empty arms, a six inch incision that was throbbing, feet too swollen to fit into shoes, tears streaming down my face, wondering if I will ever get to hear a child of mine sing that song. It brings me to tears every time. Every. Time.
Yesterday I was sitting in the church with my precious five year old on my lap, listening to her sweet voice sing those wonderful words accompanied by the voices of the congregation and my dear friend's words started echoing in my head "Life is good but something is missing. Life is good and something is missing. Life is good..." I hugged Charlotte a little closer, and yes, I shed a few tears. I was right back at the memorial service but this time I was holding a child of mine and hearing her sweet singing. A feeling of coming full circle washed over me. Life is good.
No matter how many years pass or how full my life is, Sam will always be in my heart and mind. I will always, always wish he were here with me. But I will not let his loss overshadow the the blessing of knowing Sam for such a brief time or the additional blessings God has bestowed on me and my family. Life is good!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
Jenn
*Let me just say a bit about support group. Michael and I attended a group regularly for serveral months after Sam was born. It made a huge difference for me to be around others who truly understood what we were dealing with. Several years later, we felt called to start a group at our church. We have since passed on leadership to others who are better suited to leading the group today. I don't attend regularly and I no longer need group to get through the month, but I love this group of people. Even 9 years after Sam's death, it is still great to have friends, and they are definitely my dear friends, who truly understand what it means to have a child in heaven. I see this group regularly, mostly for social gatherings and do attend group every couple of months. I strongly recommend support groups to anyone going through difficult times. It is so nice to know you are not alone and that what you are feeling and thinking is completely normal given the circumstances.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Somebody's Tired
Eliza Claire and Ruby have been sick for two weeks now. We finally went to the doctor yesterday for an anitbiotic. Both girls really don't feel great but refused to nap yesterday. Poor Eliza Claire was so tired she kept dozing on the couch but her loud siblings kept bothering her.
Feel better soon Sweetie!
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