tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23813841799269508872023-11-16T02:17:59.005-05:00The Merkel FamilyMerkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.comBlogger1155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-5690928376690616902016-01-15T09:49:00.002-05:002016-01-15T09:49:36.429-05:00All four babes<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/23767889954/in/dateposted-public/" title="Redskins Babies"><img alt="Redskins Babies" height="512" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1596/23767889954_fe8b72dd18_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-17258579590856552652016-01-15T09:41:00.002-05:002016-01-15T09:41:20.890-05:00Weeks 8 through 14<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/23605981443/in/dateposted-public/" title="006"><img alt="006" height="683" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/23605981443_2c41b59cc1_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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I blinked. I swear that's what it feels like. It truly feels like I blinked and now Sam is already three months old and in daycare and I'm back at work. The first day back has gotten easier with each baby and with Sam I cried for only a few moments in the daycare parking lot on the first day. After that it's just been a whirlwind of getting kids dressed and ourselves ready and out of the door on time.<br />
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Sam is already rolling over - sporadically - which feels entirely too soon. Overall she's just a happy and easygoing baby. She's not quite sleeping through the night yet, but she's only waking up once in the middle of the night and then again between 4:00 and 6:00 AM, which works out with our work schedule.<br />
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This kid also has such great head/neck control. When she's laying on her back she looks like she's trying to do a sit up and really she prefers sitting upright and facing out if we're holding her. For Christmas she got an insert for our highchair so now she can sit at the dinner table with us and she loves it.<br />
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My favorite part of the day is still pick up time. Everyone is always all smiles and it just melts my heart.Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-20534288890298492102015-11-25T08:23:00.002-05:002015-11-25T08:23:36.143-05:00Weeks 1 through 7Life with four. The days literally fly by. I'm in slight denial that I only have five weeks left of my leave and I'm trying to soak up as much as I can while I'm still home. I remember being frustrated and exhausted and napping all of the time when I was home with Stasa and Lexi and even a bit with Tommy. But this time I've only napped a handful of times and that was all within the first couple of weeks and when Samantha's up all night, like last night, I've been calm - tired, yes - but just accepting the fact that she's going to be awake for awhile and so I migrate to the living room and watch television while I walk her around the house or nurse her until she falls asleep.<br />
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Now that we're days away from Thanksgiving I finally got serious about the holidays and actually have advantage of being alone with the baby to shop. I was happy to announce last night that I'm nearly finished - I just need stocking stuffers for the kids and Tom and some gifts for family. Tom and I are also going to be canning jams and jellies again this year and I've been scouring Pinterest for new recipes.<br />
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Now that Thanksgiving break is in full swing I need to pull myself together, straighten up the house and find something to do with Stasa...maybe bake a pie or two!<br />
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Here's the littlest lady's first seven weeks.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/22908568959/in/dateposted-public/" title="007"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/610/22908568959_7257c9b734_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="007"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-6638101327550898422015-10-07T10:50:00.003-04:002015-10-07T10:50:46.845-04:00It's another...GIRL!Sunday, October 4th at 10:39 am we welcomed our fourth baby, another girl, into the world. Samantha Lee was born at 7 lbs and 15 oz and 21" long with a perfectly round head.<br />
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I was so uncomfortable toward the end and just done with being pregnant and by Saturday was still kind of disappointed that I had no progress up to that point. Saturday afternoon we took the kids to the mall to walk around since it was rainy and chilly outside. That night we put the kids to bed early and Tom wound up falling asleep after putting them to bed, which was probably good since he got a solid night of sleep. I stayed up until about 9:30 or so reading downstairs. I was dozing on and off and had a couple of faint contractions so I decided to go up to bed.</div>
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As usual I woke up in the middle of the night to pee, as did Lexi. Then around 4:00 am I woke up with a really painful contraction. I got up to pee and then tried falling back asleep, but by the time I started dozing again I had another contraction. I finally decided to get up to see if they would go away or strengthen. And since it was already 4:15 or so I figured I may as well brush my teeth before going downstairs, which then woke up Tom. I told him not to get up, but he knew better and came downstairs to keep me company. The contractions didn't go away and were about 8-9 minutes apart and strong. After about an hour or so of them I called the on call doctor to see what we should do. While we waited for the call back I had Tom call his mom to have her come stay with the kids just in case we wound up having to go in. </div>
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Dr. Shin called me back and sounded so groggy. Of course I would be too at 5:30 on a Sunday morning. She asked what my progress was at my last appointment and was surprised when I reminded her that I had none. She said to go ahead and get to the hospital, but not to be surprised if I was sent home. I was pretty sure this was the real deal - I mean I know my body well and the contractions were painful and by the time Dr. Shin had called me I was having to stop to rock and breathe through each contraction. </div>
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We got to the hospital just before 7:00 am and went up to Labor and Delivery to get checked and see if I was going to stay or be sent home. I gowned up and got in bed and was shocked to discover that I was already 6 cm and "stretchy." Of course that meant that we were staying put. The nurse started my IV so I could get my epidural in time and while the contractions were only about 10 minutes apart they seemed to be doing the job and I was able to breathe through them. </div>
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The anesthesiologist eventually came in and placed my epidural. Shortly after that Dr. Shin came in and broke my water and they placed a catheter to empty my bladder.</div>
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Once we knew we were staying and it was officially baby day, we started spreading the word to let other people know and Aunt Peggy came over to keep us company. Tom and Aunt Peggy got some breakfast and we sat around chatting for a bit. </div>
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The next time I was checked I was around 8 cm. The nurse kept checking on me and was paranoid that I'd be ready to deliver and I wouldn't know. I promised that I would be able to tell and would alert her the minute I felt like I was ready. After an hour or so I started feeling a lot of pressure build up and knew I was ready. I had Tom call in the nurse and gave Aunt Peggy a hug goodbye. </div>
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Dr. Shin came back in to check me and announced that it was indeed time to deliver. While she gowned up and the nurses got things ready for delivery and the baby, I tried my hardest to not push. Once they were ready they had me do one small practice push and then told me I could push for real with the next contraction. I pushed through two contractions and out came baby girl. Tom got to announce that it was a girl and Dr. Shin put her on my chest while Tom cut the cord. I got to hold the baby for quite some time before they took her over to the warmer to check her vitals and clean her up. Her APGAR was 9 and 9 and Tom took a lot of pictures while the nurse cleaned her up, weighed and measured her. </div>
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This was also the first time I actually saw the placenta. With all of the other babies I wasn't really paying attention after the baby came out, so I didn't even notice what was going on. </div>
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I feel like this delivery was the calmest. Besides me and Tom there was only Dr. Shin and two nurses - one for me and one for baby. After Samantha was born and she and I were cleaned up, everyone pretty much left us alone for a bit. She immediately latched on and nursed for about an hour. During that time we sent messages out to everyone to let them know we had another baby girl and Tom went to get Aunt Peggy to let her meet the peanut. </div>
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We were in the hospital for 29 hours and then came home and got settled in with our regular routine. The kids have been so happy with having a baby in the house and the biggest problem has been the arguments over who gets to hold her first and for how long. </div>
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Samantha is the perfect addition to our family. Our two Thomases were destined to be surrounded by girls. </div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/21397692054/in/dateposted-public/" title="017"><img alt="017" height="683" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/607/21397692054_412b356971_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-17808257191251462962015-09-30T14:32:00.001-04:002015-09-30T14:32:13.985-04:00In which the girls get glassesAs part of the preparations we're doing to get ready for the baby to arrive, we've been running around tying up lots of loose ends. Got new tires on the car, refinanced the house for a lower rate, purged a bit, and took the girls for annual eye exams. I took Stasa in last year before school started and she was borderline with needing glasses. The doctor had suggested we monitor her and bring her back again to be retested. Lexi's daycare held a free vision screening which she failed. At a parent teacher night that same week her teacher mentioned that Lexi had been favoring one eye and seemed to have a hard time seeing during circle time.<br />
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I made a last minute appointment for both girls with the eye doctor for this past Saturday. I honestly thought that we would be in and out, but instead we wound up being there for a couple of hours. Stasa went first and did great during the first part of the exam. I was worried about Lexi cooperating since she refused the vision test at her annual physical exam. She actually did better than Stasa did.<br />
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Then we went back with the doctor. Stasa hopped up in the chair and had a bit of trouble focusing at first. We finally got her to understand the importance of being honest about what she was seeing and to try her hardest. She has a slight astigmatism in both eyes and is just slightly nearsighted. The doctor wrote out a prescription for glasses and mentioned that Stasa would likely only really need them in school.<br />
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She hopped down and then it was Lexi's turn. Lexi knows the alphabet, so I was confident that she would at least be able to get through the exam. After working through most of the exam, we paused and the doctor gave her some strong eye drops to dilate her eyes. Since it was going to take about 20 or so minutes for them to work we went next door to the Lenscrafters to let the girls pick out their frames and to get Stasa's glasses started.<br />
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The girls tried on nearly every pair of frames in the kids section and immediately settled on what they wanted. Not surprisingly Stasa chose pink plastic Ray Bans and Lexi picked out purple Ray Bans. Both much nicer than my first pair of glasses - something I pointed out to them when Stasa was a bit upset that she had to get glasses.<br />
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After that we went back to the doctor's office to finish up Lexi's exam. She actually did great and once the doctor found the right lenses for her she was able to identify most of the letters. Unfortunately her right eye is considered lazy. The doctor said she could only get it corrected to 20/30. She asked us to come back in six months to have her vision rechecked and to give the prescription a chance to help her eye get stronger. If when we come back her eye can't get to 20/25 with corrected vision, we'll be sent to see a specialist to discuss the possibility of patching. The doctor also suggested we have Stasa wear her glasses all of the time to make it easier for Lexi to keep her glasses on.<br />
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And with that news we took Lexi's prescription over to have her glasses made and went home to get Tom and Tommy before picking up their finished glasses. They've both been diligent about wearing their glasses since we picked them up. We also bought both of them cords to help keep the glasses tight on their faces. Stasa complains now and then about wearing them and not wanting the cord on her glasses, but I haven't given in because even with insurance glasses are pricey and I don't want them falling off of her face while she's playing outside or at school. Lexi, on the other hand, hasn't complained once. Not once. She carefully takes them off at night and for baths and puts them on first thing when she wakes up. We think she is seeing the benefit of having them (no pun intended). We've also pointed out all of the people in our family and who we know who also wear glasses. Luckily there are quite a few in our family who do and there are a handful of kids in Stasa's class who wear glasses and her wonderful teachers made a big deal about how awesome her new frames are.<br />
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And they both look absolutely adorable in their frames, don't they?<br />
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Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-25519736182943901222015-09-29T11:14:00.002-04:002015-09-29T11:14:42.644-04:00The exhaustion sets in38 weeks, 3 days.<br />
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No progress.<br />
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Well, technically I guess that's not completely fair to my body. I was considered 30% effaced and "soft," but no dilation, which after dealing with annoying and irregular contractions was a disappointment to hear. Oh and apparently I've lost weight. But that's not as surprising seeing as I can barely stomach a full meal without feeling overfull.<br />
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And so I wait. I go back for another check next week. But.<br />
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I'm tired. Exhausted. All the time. I wake up every few hours at night and it's been taking me longer and longer to fall back asleep. It seems worse this time and by the afternoon I'm ready to pass out, which I often do after logging off for the day.<br />
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I stupidly got my hopes up for this appointment knowing that I was getting checked. And I know, I know, cervical checks mean squat and that you can go from being closed up to fully dilated overnight and that you can walk around 3 cm dilated for days. But still. I had hoped for something - just a smidge of progress.<br />
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The other kids all came slightly early: Stasa at 38 weeks 6 days, Lexi at 38 weeks 5 days and Tommy at 39 weeks 1 day. Maybe this one just wants to be a trendsetter in the family.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. I'm incredibly happy that I'm healthy, that the baby is healthy and that I feel well other than the exhaustion. I'm grateful that I'm able to safely carry the baby to term and am not on bed rest or anything like that. But.<br />
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I'm tired. I said that already. But I am. So I bought myself a chocolate frosted donut to cheer up. And it helped.Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-44762757310038148522015-09-25T11:08:00.000-04:002015-09-25T11:08:59.564-04:00DreamsI've never really put all of this out there nor have I shared all of my feelings about this with anyone beyond Tom, but lately I've been having a lot of dreams about my mom. It's probably the pregnancy hormones messing with me, but there it is. She's been on my mind a lot and consequentially I've been thinking about her last days a lot. Here's what I remember.<br />
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About a year after Tom and I were married I got a call from my brother. He said mom had collapsed and was now in the hospital and the doctors were saying it was likely a stroke. We left immediately, driving that night down to Richmond to be with everyone. The next day at the hospital mom was up and talking, not feeling great, but getting back to her old self. I was just leaving her room when one of her doctors pulled me aside and asked to speak with me. He showed me into a small room and without pause blurted out mom's diagnosis. "She has cancer. We believe it's stage 4 lung cancer. You should prepare yourself to say goodbye to her in a few months."<br />
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I remember standing there, shocked. I barely managed to put together a coherent sentence and started falling apart when the doctor looked at me and sternly said "You can't go back in there looking like that. If you cry she'll cry and then she won't hear what we're saying."<br />
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If I could go back in time I would throat punch that doctor. His bedside manner was nonexistent.<br />
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And so we went back to her room and they broke the news to my mom. She took it much better than the rest of us. A plan was made for her radiation and chemo and other meds and she was eventually discharged home.<br />
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Up until around the time I was engaged, my mom and I had a pretty tumultuous relationship. It was great when I was young, but then got worse as my parents divorced and steps entered the picture. It wasn't until I was with Tom that I really reconnected with my mom. And then it was great - we were talking nearly every day and Tom and I would visit mom and David and everyone on weekends.<br />
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So when she was diagnosed with cancer I was devastated for many reasons, but selfishly I was pissed that just as we were getting our footing again she was being ripped away from me.<br />
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At the hospital her prognosis was just a few months. The cancer had spread throughout her body and was quite advanced. But my mom had the best attitude and believed that she would beat it. I wound up packing up and living in Richmond with her for a few weeks to help drive her to appointments and just to be with her. Thankfully the company I work for is supportive and before flex work was the norm, they let me work from her home for as long as I needed to. My team even sent her a beautiful arrangement of gorgeous white flowers.<br />
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It's funny that no matter what age you are, when you go "home" you quickly and easily fall back in to that parent/child relationship. My mom was the sick one and yet she doted on me and I loved it. For me it brought back all the good memories of my childhood. She made me deviled eggs - and I've always loved her deviled eggs better than anyone's - we watched crappy television together, she came up to my room at night to chat and we just spent time together.<br />
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Shortly after the diagnosis my brother was scheduled to fly out to begin his work with the Army. We got up at an insanely early hour and I drove him to the airport to see him off to Korea. That left mom, David and our little brother, Josh, at home. Josh was so young then - just a peanut in elementary school and David was working as much as he could while still trying to stay within the median to allow them to receive Medicaid so my mom could keep getting treatments. God, I remember going to the Social Security office with her and to appointments only to be told she wasn't getting treatment because Medicaid denied her due to David making too much that month. The whole thing was a circus and so ridiculous.<br />
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I eventually packed my stuff and came back home to Tom and our life here, but was still in daily contact with mom. I literally started every day with a call from her and we would email back and forth throughout the day. I still have each and every email she sent me - no matter how insignificant or silly. It took me a long time to remove her contact from my phone and I think it just happened one day after I upgraded to a new one.<br />
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Over the course of two years my mom bravely battled cancer. There were so many procedures and hospital stays and Tom and I got used to driving up and down 95. In fact, there was a great fried chicken place down the street from the hospital that Tom loved and the cafeteria food was actually pretty decent. We got so used to the hospital that we knew our way around better than the halls at work. We would all take turns hanging out in her hospital room, keeping her company and just visiting. At one point Tom and I thought it would be funny to see if a hospital glove could fit on my head and it did! I wish I could find the picture of it - I looked so ridiculous and I can still hear mom laughing at me.<br />
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After awhile the doctors talked to mom about her options. The chemo was destroying her body and it was taking her longer and longer to recover after each treatment. She was tired. And she made the bravest decision. She chose to go home on hospice care and let nature take its course. To this day I don't know where she got the strength to make that decision. During her battle she had also gotten more involved in her church and I think she gathered her strength from her belief in God.<br />
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Then one night in December 2007 I got a call from David. Mom had rapidly declined and it was time for us to come down to say our goodbyes. I remember hanging up the phone and rapidly throwing clothes into a bag and Tom doing the same. We sped down 95 at which point Tom realized he left his laptop at the office. Shrugging that off we continued on and got to mom's house. I had just talked with her. She was up and walking and talking and fine. When we got to her house that night and walked in she was in a wheelchair barely sitting up and being spoon fed.<br />
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I was shocked at the transformation. I mean I had heard what David said on the phone and yet I still wasn't prepared to see my mom like that. About 15 minutes later Ryan came in. The Red Cross had gotten in contact with him in Korea and had flown him home to be with mom. She literally brightened up when she saw him. An actual smile on her face.<br />
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The next few days were a blur and nearly eight years later still feel like a dream. We each took turns sitting with my mom in her bed. At one point I decided that enough was enough and took a bucket of cleaning supplies upstairs and tackled the bedroom we were staying in - it was a mess from my brother and stepbrother staying in there. I remember coming downstairs when we finished and telling my mom all that I had cleaned. In hindsight it seems silly that I spent some of my last days with her cleaning the house, but I think at the time I just needed to feel useful and see that I was doing something - anything really. As mom deteriorated we all realized that plans should be made for her funeral so Tom and I went out and met with a funeral director and came back with information and pricing to share with the family. That meeting was one of the most painful things I've had to do. No one wants to sit with a stranger and pick out a coffin for their mother who isn't yet dead.<br />
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Shortly after that was the day everything happened. Our worlds changed forever. That Wednesday night Tom and I went up to bed as David took over being with mom. He and Ryan promised to wake us if anything happened. And so it did. In the wee hours of the morning Ryan came running up the stairs. "Come now. She's dying." I have never jumped out of bed so fast in my life. David, Ryan, Tom and I gathered around mom in her bed, each of us holding on to her and telling her how much we loved her. We eventually woke up Josh to let him say goodbye. I'm still not sure if he fully grasped what was going on, but I couldn't imagine him not having the chance to say goodbye. Shortly after that mom took her last breath.<br />
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Something else I never shared with many people is that I was pregnant at that time. We had just found out right before we went down to my mom's that last time. At the time Tom and I kept saying what a blessing it was to have life coming in to the world with all that was going on.<br />
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As that rotten day wore on I needed to break free and get home so I could just be. Tom and I drove back home with the intent to change out our clothes and be back in time for the funeral. I don't know what I would have done without Tom. He took care of everything - calling everyone for me so I didn't have to think about it. The support we got from family, friends and colleagues at that time was overwhelming. One of my best friends immediately got on a plane and flew across the country to be with us. I will never forget seeing her show up and all she did to support me.<br />
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The funeral itself was something I barely got through. I cried through most of it, not wanting to believe this was real life. When it was over, I got up and saw all who came. Family...friends...and my boss and closest colleagues. A fresh wave of emotion washed over me seeing everyone there and in that moment I felt so much love. For mom, for me, and for everyone.<br />
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Once the reception was winding down we hopped back on 95 to head home. I think all told I wound up taking three weeks off of work. A day or so after being home I started bleeding...heavily. Being new to the whole pregnancy thing, I knew it wasn't the best sign, but also didn't want to panic. Stupidly I dragged my exhausted self to bed thinking the bleeding would stop if I stayed still. I woke up early the next day and nothing had changed. Tom drove me to the hospital where we discovered that I was miscarrying. Grief upon grief. Why not just pile more sad on top of everything I was already feeling? I vaguely remember the days following that, but know that I spent a lot of time sobbing into my pillow or just staring in space. I've never felt so emotionally drained in my life.<br />
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This December will mark eight years since my mom died. And like I said at the beginning, the past couple of weeks have been full of dreams and thoughts about her. Last night I dreamed that she was still alive - sick, yes - but still alive. And I was pregnant and she actually got to be with me and feel the baby kick. I woke up in the middle of the night in tears because I thought it was real and then felt a stab in my heart when I realized it was all just a dream.<br />
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I wish it was all just a dream. Nothing is more painful than losing the person who loved you first in the world. The person who loved you unconditionally.<br />
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I love you, Mom.Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-70307885618002168172015-09-10T10:50:00.000-04:002015-09-10T10:50:00.328-04:00Thirty daysThirty more days. One month from today baby number four is due. It seems crazy that it's almost here. And yet in some ways I am so ready. This week has been a rough one thanks to a nasty cold. I'm finally on meds and hopefully on the mend now because having a violent cough while hugely pregnant is absolutely no fun. My belly is sore from the coughing and once I start coughing it triggers Braxton Hicks contractions which are also uncomfortable. I'm just a ball of fun these days. Other than that I've been soaking up all of the last bits of this pregnancy. This baby moves all the time. It makes me wonder if it'll actually sleep after birth. At least it makes kick counts incredibly easy to do.<br />
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On Labor Day I felt well enough to sit outside with the kids while they played. It's funny how we'll have them outside running around all day and at the end of the day they're still full of energy. Well, that or they're just so tired they can't wind down for the night. Watching them play together is a lot of fun especially when they're actually getting along. I drew a road around our cul-de-sac for them to ride their bikes and scooters on and they spent most of the day alternating between riding around and embellishing the road with a sidewalk and many many houses.<br />
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Well, the day has already come and gone. Stasa started first grade this week and came home after her first day happy to tell us all about her new teacher and room. She was also thrilled to wear her new uniform, though we'll see how long that excitement lasts. I will say that I'm looking forward to no arguments over what she can and can't wear.<br />
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I think first grade is going to be another huge transition year for Stasa. Kindergarten was a transition, but at least she still had naps and a couple of recesses every day. This year though, it's a lot more. No naps (though she hasn't taken one since mid-way through Kindergarten) and only one recess. This year she'll also have homework - not a ton, but homework nonetheless. I'm confident that Stasa will excel this year as she does every year. She's a happy and caring little girl and craves knowledge - she literally soaks up everything. As we worked on her summer math workbook we saw how logical she is when solving problems. I will say that I definitely need to work on my patience when helping with homework. Here's to a great year!<br />
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<a data-context="false" data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="false" data-header="false" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/21065417355/in/dateposted-public/" title="008_diptych"><img alt="008_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5705/21065417355_94c7280275_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-79483239388586837922015-08-19T16:29:00.001-04:002015-08-19T16:29:07.663-04:00End of summer beach trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since we have a baby coming in about eight weeks I can't really take off a whole bunch of time as I'm saving all of my leave for maternity leave, but we wanted to take the kids to the beach for an end-of-summer vacation. My cousin's engagement party happened to fall on a Saturday evening and was being held near a beach so we decided to extend the weekend into a mini-vacation. The kids were beyond excited about spending time away at the beach, but I was still a bit wary about how crowded the beach can get and keeping an eye on them all. Turns out it was easier than expected.<br />
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We took off early on Friday and arrived before lunch. Our room wasn't yet ready, so we made some sandwiches, packed up our lunch and stuff for the beach and walked over. The kids could barely contain their excitement and started digging in the sand the minute we dropped our stuff. We rented a beach cabana every day so we could have some shade and a place to stow away our stuff.<br />
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The first beach day we spent as much time on the beach as we could and left when the kids started to look tired. After checking in to our room, we got everyone showered and dressed and then headed over to The Beach Pub for dinner. I had a pound of crab, but I should have gotten the flounder again. Don't get me wrong, the crab was good and definitely satisfied a craving I was having, but the flounder was so delicious last time. Like melt in your mouth delicious. Tom got some sort of platter and shared a scallop with me and I almost took the rest of them from him. And the hush puppies that came with the meal? They should be served with every meal everywhere. Enough said.<br />
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After dinner we walked the boardwalk with the kids and saw the statue of Neptune and took a few boardwalk pics. </div>
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On the walk back to the hotel we stopped at Dairy Queen and got ice cream. It was about that point that Lexi started falling apart in a major way. Sheer exhaustion got the better of her. So we went up to our room, got everyone ready and put them all to bed. We had initially planned to read or watch TV or something once the kids were asleep, but we both wound up falling asleep with them. Good thing, too, because Tommy was up at the butt crack of dawn. </div>
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I swear he got up early every day just to see the tractor comb the beach for trash. He also loved watching the people running and biking on the boardwalk and the garbage trucks. Once the rest of the family woke up we headed down for a quick breakfast before getting ready for the beach for the day. </div>
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Our set up on Saturday was similar to the day before, but in addition to renting a cabana we decided to also rent a lounge chair so we could have a clean space for the kids to sit off of the sand while they ate lunch. This was our set up for the day. We also put out another towel about 10 feet in front of this set up and dumped the rest of the sand toys with it. Kind of our way of extending our beach space and line-of-sight to the water. </div>
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Tommy and Lexi spent most of their time playing in the sand and running back and forth to the water. Stasa alternated happily searched for shells and body surfing the waves. </div>
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Eventually we were all in the water playing in the waves. Tommy reached up to be held and snuggled right into my body. The kid was done. I took him up to our spot, wrapped him in a towel and lay down with him. He quickly passed out and stayed asleep for a couple of hours in the cabana. </div>
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This one was a beach bum, too.</div>
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Although that didn't last too long. She stayed still long enough to warm up and then was up and playing in the sand and water with Stasa. </div>
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We only stayed until about 3:00 on Saturday since we had to get ready for the engagement party and wanted to give the kids some time to cool off and relax out of the sun. Even then we managed to get in a solid six or so hours on the beach. The girls passed out in the car on the way to the party - the sun and surf took a toll on them. I remember as a kid coming home from my grandmother's, Garu's, house having spent the whole day on the beach and riding the waves and just crashing on the sofa still in my swimsuit. Those summer days are still some of my favorite memories and seeing the kids play like that brings back all the good feelings from those days. </div>
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The kids were okay at the party - now don't get me wrong the party was great, but the kids must have been bored. We stayed a couple of hours and left a little after bedtime for the kids. Unfortunately we had to wake them all up when we got back to the hotel so we could get them up to the room and ready for bed. Fortunately they fell back asleep pretty fast and Tom and I were able to hang out on the balcony to people watch and chat.</div>
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You'd think that taking a beach vacation would be relaxing, but when you're traveling with a 2 year old who enjoys waking up every day at the crack of dawn. </div>
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At least him being up early helped us all take full advantage of the day. Bright side, right? So once again we went down to breakfast after everyone was up and had a chance to actually wake up. After that it was back to the room to pack our lunch and things for the day. Since this would be our last real day on the beach we wanted to spend as much time as possible in the sand and surf. And again we rented a cabana and beach lounge and the kids immediately dropped their stuff and started playing. We lucked out with the weather - it was absolutely gorgeous every day and this day was no exception.</div>
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We spent nearly eight hours on the beach that day. Tom and I were spent, but I bet the kids would have happily played for a few more hours. We packed up, got back to our room and got the kids cleaned up so we could head out for dinner. We debated driving someplace, but I really didn't want to get in the car with the kids for fear of them falling asleep and being grumps during dinner. We walked up and down Atlantic and settled on a Tex Mex place and then walked the boardwalk some more before calling it a night. As we were getting ready for bed we were on the fence about spending another day on the beach or just getting on the road early. </div>
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Of course the llama was up and at 'em before the sunrise again. </div>
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This morning though his incessant chatter woke everyone up early and after thinking about it we chose to get some breakfast, pack up and get on the road. I'm glad we made that choice because traffic wound up not being too bad and we got home early afternoon with enough time to rest and get everything cleaned up from our trip, including washing all of the sand and grit on the car. And hey, we even got a couple of hours of peace in the car on the ride home.</div>
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Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-50949645340257464392015-07-31T10:07:00.004-04:002015-07-31T10:07:44.158-04:00The days just keep passing byI find myself wondering how it's already August (well, tomorrow it will be) and I have only 10 weeks left until my due date. Stasa has three more weeks of summer camp and then a week of gymnastics camp before first grade starts. FIRST GRADE. Which means I need to get organized and get her school supplies, the rest of her uniform and school shoes. I'm in partial denial that she's going into first grade because that seems SO OLD. I know I said that when she started kindergarten, but seriously, this is getting real. She's both excited and nervous about it and has been prepping all summer with her math workbook and practicing reading to herself, which, by the way, takes FOR-EV-ER. I mean I know I'm supposed to be all supportive and encourage her reading, but good lord, sometimes all I want to do is fall asleep. That could also partly be due to being pregnant, but I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way even if I wasn't.<br />
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We've got a mini-vacation at the beach coming up, but other than that we've been laying low this summer and just enjoying time at the pool, splash pad and just being outside. Camp days have really been taking it out of Stasa and she often falls asleep on the drive home - and it's only like a 10 minute drive. She's also loving all the different things they do at camp - art, games, field trips - MY GOODNESS the field trips - the fact that she gets to ride on a legit school bus for trips makes her so happy. The little things. They spend as much time outside as possible and even with her applying sunscreen three or four times a day she's gotten such a dark tan. ::sigh:: I miss summer vacation.<br />
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We looked into putting Lexi at the same summer camp, but her age group only had half days and that just wouldn't work for any of us, so she's doing summer camp at daycare. They've upped the ante this year and are having fun things every day. Each night she asks me to check her calendar so she knows what to expect the next day. And I'm almost afraid to say it lest I jinx myself, but Lexi is like a different child. She listens more, is pleasant most of the time, kind and helpful without throwing a fit. We started a new behavior reward system at the start of the summer and weren't sure if it would make a difference, but I think the combination of that and maybe just her getting older has helped. I love watching her play with Tommy - they almost always get along nicely...it only falls apart if he's being a stinker or if Stasa crashes their play time. I'm learning that two together is fine, but three is truly a crowd and causes chaos. That isn't to say that the three of them can never play nicely together because they can, but sometimes, just sometimes I think they go all apeshit just to drive me up the wall. It's like they want to see how far they can push poor mommy until she breaks and loses it.<br />
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So...lately we've just been enjoying family time while we're still a family of five.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/19439711143/in/dateposted-public/" title="017_bw"><img alt="017_bw" height="683" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/271/19439711143_2ac12fbbe4_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-90449870053625836522015-06-08T16:00:00.001-04:002015-06-08T16:00:49.717-04:00State of the Uterus and Other Transitions<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Well, I'm over halfway there now. It's odd because most days I almost forget that I'm pregnant until I look down and see the little bump. For awhile I was only feeling a few flutters here and there, but each day the kicks and movements get stronger and stronger. Tom can tell when it's the baby, but the girls still have a hard time feeling it. The girls are desperate to feel the baby move, so I know they'll be thrilled in a couple of weeks once that really ramps up.<br />
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Not a whole lot has been happening pregnancy-wise and it feels like it's going by so fast. Probably because I'm chasing after three other kids all the time. Tommy doesn't quite understand what's going on, but if you ask him where the baby is he'll point to my tummy. He is getting quite attached to mommy and really doesn't like when his sisters come up to me if he's sitting on my lap or sitting next to me. "MY MOMMY! NO!" he'll yell. So territorial.<br />
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And since we know that about him, we moved him to his new room so he has plenty of time to get used to it and hopefully forget that he used to sleep in the nursery and crib. I love how his room turned out. Initially we were going with a rock-n-roll/industrial theme, but after realizing that we'd have to hang the guitars all the way up to the ceiling we gave up on that vision. I was pretty bummed because I really did love the idea of putting the guitars on display in his room. Plus it was a sneaky way of storing them. So we moved on. I spent a few hours over a weekend thinking about what we could do and finally settled on a farm/rustic theme. I had already ordered his quilt and thankfully it fit in with both themes. We used some old wood to create a couple of signs to personalize his room and hung up a piece of art that's been bouncing around our house with no home. I also painted an old bureau and made a nightstand out of cinderblocks.<br />
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The result is the perfect room for our little man.<br />
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He loves it and the transition has been so easy...actually the easiest one yet. With the girls we would put them in their big girl beds, say goodnight (after the whole routine) and close their doors and not two seconds later they were out of bed and running around. This little cherub says "goodnight" and "I love you" and then ACTUALLY GOES TO SLEEP. He doesn't even get out of his bed until we come back in the following morning,..even when he's wide awake. Sometimes we come in and find him in some interesting positions, though thankfully he hasn't fallen out of bed yet. We tried a pool noodle guard rail, but he hasn't seemed to really need it (even though this picture says otherwise lol).<br />
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Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-3202109677312014422015-04-24T08:14:00.000-04:002015-04-24T08:14:16.897-04:00Preparing for the transition...a big boy roomNot surprisingly, the girls are excited about the new baby and we've had many discussions about how we won't know if it's a boy or girl until the baby is born. They were initially upset because they wanted another sister, but now will tell everyone that they'll be happy if it's a boy or a girl because they love the baby. Easy for them to say that now. We'll see how they really feel come October. Although I'm not too concerned seeing how much they loved Tommy. I mean, Stasa started crying at the hospital at the end of her visit with Tommy because she thought we were all going home and would leave him there forever. She wanted to keep him. What a love.<br />
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People ask all the time if all the kids are excited about the baby and we always respond that the girls are, but that Tommy doesn't really get what's going on. He's almost 2 and we'll tell him that there's a baby in there, but he doesn't really seem to care. What he DOES care about is his territory...his room...the nursery. He knows what's his and doesn't hesitate to tell you.<br />
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We have some time before the baby arrives to start moving him to a new room so he disassociates the nursery as his and I'm hoping we'll have him in it sometime next month. I feel like he's going to be the toughest to transition.<br />
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Now that the girls share a room, which, good lord, can sometimes be a nightmare, we have two other rooms we've been using as guest rooms and for storage. One of the rooms, Stasa's old one, has all of Tom's guitars and amps and stuff in it and is the room I'd like to move Tommy in to. Instead of finding yet another new home for the musical equipment I thought I'd use that as a starting point for inspiration for the room. We ordered plain hooks to hang the guitars on the wall, although I REALLY preferred <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grip-Studios-Mayhem-Custom-Guitar/dp/B002VR2L0C" target="_blank">these amazing ones</a>, but didn't want to spend $40 a pop. From there I picked up some paint samples and put them up on the wall and at the same time ordered a quilt. I knew I wanted the room to be navy, burgundy and either grey or brown, so the quilt is a navy, burgundy and white plaid and we already had cotton burgundy curtains. Now we just need to clean and paint the walls, paint the bureau (and get new drawer pulls) and get a new curtain rod. I'm going with an industrial/music/rock n roll feel so I've decided to use galvanized pipe as the curtain rod and maybe something similar for DIY drawer pulls. I have some fun rock-n-roll type art to put up on the walls and now just need to figure out what I want to do with his initial for the wall.<br />
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Last night I put the quilt on the bed to see it with the curtains and wall samples. While the kids were playing in the playroom I pointed to the room and asked Tommy "is that your new room?" He yelled no and ran to the nursery. So I brought one of his regular blankies he sleeps with and put it on the twin bed and waited. He walked by, did a double take and ran in yelling MINE MINE! I thought he might grab the blanket and run back to the nursery, but instead he got a stool and climbed up on the bed to play. So I think I'll slowly move his stuff in the room and maybe even have him "help" move some things.<br />
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Little man is usually so easy going, but he's really starting to stand up for what's his which is why I think this transition needs to happen sooner rather than later.<br />
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He really is the sweetest little boy and loves his sisters so I'm sure he'll love the baby, too. Ahhhh, all in due time. Little llama turns two on Monday and for some reason it's bittersweet for me. I mean I'm having another baby, so it's not like he's my last and these are all of my last milestones (which I'm totally understanding now), but it's something about him not being a little baby anymore. Putting him down to bed all I want to do is hold him tightly and not let go. It makes it even harder to say goodnight when the sweet thing whispers "Iloveyouuuuuuu." Don't get me wrong, I feel the same way about the girls and after they're asleep I tip toe back in their room to tuck them in and whisper I love yous and give them goodnight kisses. But at bedtime? HA! <a href="http://momastery.com/blog/2012/05/22/whack-a-mole/" target="_blank">This blog post</a> sums up exactly what bedtime is like with those nut jobs. I reread that last night after dealing with the moles and was in TEARS from laughing so hard. I tried reading excerpts aloud to Tom and couldn't get through them without laughing because IT'S SO TRUE and is our life.<br />
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But I digress. Tommy will be two very soon and will be moving to his new big boy room. I can't wait to share pics once it's finally finished. Of course, since I'm relying on others ::cough::TOM::cough:: to help get it started it might take a bit longer than usual.Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-86273252230352732342015-04-06T15:00:00.000-04:002015-04-06T15:00:01.596-04:00"It's not about the goodies..."Stasa started telling us early last week how Easter isn't all about the goodies and eggs, that it's about Jesus. I'm glad she's realizing that holidays aren't all about presents and material goods. It's actually something we say for most things. Material things, while we have many, aren't that important. We talk about that when we go over our safety plan for fire or other emergencies. People are important. Not toys. Not things.<br />
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Unfortunately, it's a very hard thing to remember when your sister is getting birthday presents that you want for yourself. Even if you did have over 20 friends at your party (which equates to A LOT of presents). Always wanting what you don't have. Yet another lesson we're always trying to drive home - don't worry about what other people have, be happy with what you have. Share. Respect each other. Be kind.<br />
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This weekend we decided to brave the Easter vigil mass at 8:00 PM rather than face the crowds of people in the morning. We expected to have standing room only, so we got there a half an hour early to get a seat and were surprised to find the church mostly empty. Even as mass started there were still plenty of open seats. Even so, we opted to sit in the cry room, something we only do if the kids are misbehaving. But given the hour it was a crapshoot, so the cry room was our best bet...which would up being unnecessary. The girls were very interested in the holy fire and the lighting of the candles and held theirs very carefully. Tommy had a death grip on his (with my hand over it) and kept saying "light, mommy, light!" After about the second of five readings, the girls curled up on the chairs under our jackets and fell asleep. I thought Tommy would for sure fall asleep given the time, but nope. He was in it for the long haul and started getting a little goofy - quiet, but goofy. We've tried a vigil mass in the past when the girls were younger and I think we left right before the gospel reading (about an hour and a half in) because they had reached their limit. This year thanks to them sleeping we made it through the entire mass in peace.<br />
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Of course, that meant we got home on the late side and everyone went to bed later than normal. Tom even commented that maybe that meant the kids would sleep in for us. Yeah, right. Stasa was up and in my face first thing in the morning, sad because the Easter bunny hadn't come. (Remember how she lectured us about Easter not being about the goodies? Yeah, that was a lesson quickly forgotten.) I asked if she was sure, and she said she had looked out her window and didn't see any eggs, so she assumed that the bunny forgot about us. I suggested she go play and let us wake up a bit and not two minutes later she came sprinting back into our room yelling "THE BUNNY DID COME! HE DID!" She spied their Easter baskets from the top of the stairs. Holidays with kids will never get old.<br />
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Our bunny didn't bring a ton of candy this year and instead brought snacks like pop tarts (hey, it's breakfast food), pudding pouches and these chocolate milk straws. As they were plowing through their baskets, Tom asked Stasa to check if the mailman left anything by the door. She got up to check (not realizing that mail doesn't come on Sundays) and ran back shouting that there were eggs out there! So we got our shoes and jackets on over our jammies and ran out to search for eggs. Stasa's really quick and we had to remind her to let Lexi and Tommy a chance to get some of the eggs. Tommy happily wandered around and got really excited every time he found an egg on his own. Our eggs always contain money and the kids sorted their coins once we were back in. I think Stasa found all the eggs with dollar bills and wound up with a total of just over $5 in change while Lexi had just over $3 and Tommy got about $2.<br />
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After a quick nap it was time to head over to have dinner with the family. Since we didn't have a family party for Lexi, she got some birthday gifts while we were there. Grandma got her two new Lalaloopsy dolls with long hair and Uncle Pat and Mimi got her some fun and fancy dress ups and boas. Now, as soon as Lexi opened the Lalaloopsy dolls (there were two) she immediately turned to Stasa and said "you can play with this one" and handed her a doll. So thoughtful and kind. But as the day wore on Lexi decided that she wanted to play with both of her Lalaloopsy dolls by herself. When she asked Stasa for it Stasa broke down crying because life just isn't fair. And this mini meltdown over these dolls went on throughout the evening and night as she begged to have one of them.<br />
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I find this so interesting since as the oldest child Stasa usually gets the newest of everything and Lexi as number two gets a lot of hand-me-downs. Nearly all of Lexi's closet is hand-me-downs from Stasa and yet she's THRILLED with them because they're new to her. Most of their toys are shared between the three of them and usually they're okay with that. As I stated earlier, almost all of Stasa's class came to her birthday party. Over 20 kids. That's a lot of gifts. And Lexi sat patiently and watched Stasa open each and every one and not once complained that she didn't have any nor did she cry. She just accepted that these were Stasa's gifts and was happy with whatever little things Stasa let her play with.<br />
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I often feel like a broken record when it comes to parenting.<br />
"Please get your shoes on."<br />
"Clean up your mess."<br />
"Don't pick your nose and eat it."<br />
"Brush your teeth."<br />
"Be nice to each other."<br />
"Wash your hands!"<br />
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And on and on. But reminding Stasa to be happy for her sister is a hard one. Stasa's had so much time in the spotlight this year with starting kindergarten, learning to read, performing in school plays, starting Girl Scouts, losing teeth...and Lexi has been watching all of this from the sidelines. It's Lexi's turn. She just started Pre-K a half a year early (which will be GREAT for her) and we're really playing that up. And she turned four and is now able to write her name by herself. All big things. So we find ourselves reminding Stasa that we need to let Lexi have her turn and to be happy when people gift her things and to be even more grateful when Lexi shares her things with her. And really, that material things aren't important. It's easy to preach to others that "it's not all about the goodies," but it's a hard pill to swallow when it's turned back on you. Stasa will get there eventually.<br />
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Life is hard when your parents play outside with you and bring out the kites on a windy day.<br />
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And it's even harder when your parents won't let you whack your sisters with your toy golf clubs.<br />
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7651/16431936764_a1797e9fdb_b.jpg" />Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-56538723674225569432015-04-02T14:41:00.000-04:002015-04-02T14:41:19.300-04:00My thoughts lately...in no particular orderThree, almost four, kids in and I can say with certainty that so far, four is the most difficult age in terms of defiance. I vaguely remember Stasa acting out and talking back at that age, but she also responded to discipline and really didn't like sitting in timeout. And I think I'm probably remembering wrong because Tom reminded me the other night how we used to have to constantly place her back in timeout just to get through a four minute period. It's funny how our brains hide away those memories. Even so, I do remember how Stasa could (and still can and does!) happily sit quietly and color or play and entertain herself. <br />
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Fast forward to the other night. Now, both girls share a room, not out of necessity, but out of our desire for them to share more and their desire to be together more often. To me this was a great win - I got back another closet for storage space (something we need more of in our house with no basement) and I got to redecorate a room for them, merging all of their things into one bright and colorful room. For the most part this arrangement has been great - the girls love being in the same room and almost always want to play together when they're at home. Where it falls apart is at bedtime. And really this is where the effing fours come in to play, too. Part of the problem starts with dinner. The girls take a LIFETIME to finish even a quarter of their plate of food and believe me, we're not giving them a whole hell of a lot to start with knowing that they're food wasters. The only food rule we have at the table is that they take at least two no thank you bites of everything before asking to be excused. And usually all three kids are great about trying everything (even if it means sitting there for several minutes repeating that they have to at least try it). Stasa must be going through a growth spurt because she has actually picked up the amount she's been eating, but Lexi? HA that kid will wait you out ALL FREAKING NIGHT. She's been on a food strike for what feels like forever. When she does eat it's a bite here and there and her mostly bothering everyone around her or taking breaks to go to the bathroom. And more often than I like Stasa feeds in to the insanity Lexi's whipping up and before we know it both girls are fooling around and it's creeping towards 7:00 PM, then 7:15 PM and they haven't even made a dent in their food. And just to be clear - I do not subscribe to the Clean Plate Club and don't encourage my kids to eat everything, only for them to eat their requested no thank you bites, which really is what? Six bites of food? A nothingburger.<br />
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We'll have been at the dinner table for what feels like forever and we're creeping in to bedtime territory, so we set a timer and tell them they have until the timer goes off to finish up. That usually works and we're able to clear the table and dishes and move upstairs to start bedtime. Only more often than not the playroom and their bedrooms look like a tornado has passed through, so before we can even begin bedtime we have to pause to have them clean up the giant mess. I'm sure we could leave it or just throw things to the side, but I want them to be responsible for the messes they make because this mama already picks up enough and if I have to clean my messes, they have to do the same.<br />
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Bedtime has been the same routine since they've been very little. Most nights they'll get a bath or quick hose down, get in pajamas, brush teeth and climb into bed for a story. We were letting them each choose a book, would read them both and then it was lights out.<br />
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And then all hell would break loose. The minute I sat down on the couch - literally the minute I sat down - one or both of the girls would come out for water or to announce that they had to go potty (as they passed their bathroom to make said announcement) or to ask for another hug. Or they'd be playing around and running around their room. Now, Stasa's always been what we call a bedtime rebel, but has gotten better with age. We have told them that we're okay with them talking while in bed, but that we don't want them running all around, but they do it anyway and find themselves sitting in timeout.<br />
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Listen, in our house you only wind up in timeout for three reasons: yelling, hitting (or any physical harm) and not listening. For yelling and hitting it's an automatic timeout. But with listening we give three warnings. Three chances to get your shit straight and do what we've asked. Stasa almost always gets it together by the second warning, but has found herself sitting in timeout for yelling or not listening - almost never for hitting (actually that's mostly a Tommy timeout).<br />
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Lexi though. Oof. This kid. I tease that I call her Lexifer because she's the second coming of Lucifer. She's a good kid, don't get me wrong - loving and sweet and kind. But she's also...aloof? I liken her to a cat. She doles out affection, but it's on her terms and when she's done, she's done. And try telling her to do X, Y or Z. She's NOT having it unless she feels like it. Which means she winds up sitting in timeout for quite a long time since she refuses to actually SIT in timeout. How do you make a child sit in timeout if they refuse? For us it means breathing deeply and picking her up and placing her back in timeout.<br />
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Every bedtime was getting to be exhausting. To the point where I was going to bed unhappy with my own behavior. See, I'm instinctively a yeller. But I don't want to be - neither of us do, because we certainly don't want our kids growing up in a yelling house or have them be so immune to it that they yell all the time, too. I decided to try something different. We've kept the same bedtime routine only now even if I get upset or the kids are acting up (like they were the other night when they lost their skirts, dresses, and leggings to a week-long timeout), I reset my attitude for each part of the routine. So the kids splashed me from head to toe in the bath and refused to get out? Okay, talk to them, give them a warning and move on. The moving on part is always the hardest for me, but it's been the most freeing. Now we end each night with everyone curled up in their own beds listening to a couple of chapters of a book before lights out. Right now we're reading The Wizard of Oz - an old old copy of the book where Dorothy wears silver slippers instead of ruby ones. Stasa listens quietly while Lexi tosses around a bit, but both remember everything we've read and wait patiently for a picture page.<br />
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When I walk downstairs after bedtime now I feel happy and at peace with our day, even if it was one where the kids dumped out all of the art supplies and threw their pillows and stuffed animals everywhere. At least we ended on a happy note as a family.Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-10294275108926385352015-03-25T08:59:00.002-04:002015-03-25T08:59:45.333-04:00There's a new kid in townOr at least there <i>will </i>be a new kid in town. Coming October 2015, the fourth installment of the Merkel family. Merklet #4 is due October 10th, just one day before Tom's birthday. The girls have already suggested that we name it Ariel or Stasa or Lexi. All solid suggestions.<br />
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<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8728/16738823750_90cda7f423_b.jpg" />Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-91204667751550267502015-03-25T08:56:00.001-04:002015-03-25T08:56:44.554-04:00Soooooooooooo let's get caught up again, shall we?You know that Time Lapse setting for videos on the iPhone? Yeah? Well, that's what I feel our life has been like since the last time I posted. Work for both of us was busy through the fall and winter and is just now easing up. Added to that has been Tom going back to school, which doesn't add a whole lot to my plate, but it certainly does to his.<div>
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Let's go month by month...</div>
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<b>November & December</b><div>
As usual Thanksgiving and Christmas were spent at home with family. Stasa even had a Thanksgiving meal at school and lots of fun things counting down to Christmas, including special Christmas readers and visits from Santa and his elves. I'm sure I've said it before, but I really do love her school and can't wait until all of the kids are there. Stasa also sang in a Christmas pageant with her class and the whole school. The kids were all so adorable and the kindergartners sang and signed Silent Night in their Sunday best. </div>
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<b>January</b></div>
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The new year brought more snow and cold weather AND Stasa's sixth birthday. Every day I look at my Timehop app and am amazed at how quickly all of the years have flown by. We gave Stas a choice for birthday parties and she decided that she wanted to invite her whole class. Thinking that only a percentage of the 24 kids would show up we booked a party at our local bounce house for 15 or so. Well, we wound up increasing that number to 22! when nearly everyone RSVPed yes. Stasa couldn't have been more thrilled to have everyone there to celebrate with her and was a gracious host when it was time to leave, handing each of her classmates a helium balloon as a favor. That many guests means many many thank yous to write, which for a kindergartner is quite a task. She took about a week to finish them all since I insisted that she write them with a short personal note. It was actually great handwriting practice for her, too.</div>
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<b>February</b></div>
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Between school and all of the events we've had with that we've also had some Girl Scout meetings, though we wound up missing both our February meeting and a February event due to snow and school closings. To say I'm excited for spring to come is an understatement. I'm so over the cold and snow and ick. February was mostly consumed with my work and preparing for a huge firm event. I spent so many hours working that month I can't even recall anything else that we did other than the usual daily routines. </div>
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<b>March</b></div>
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That brings us to this month. My birthday month that I now share with Alexia, who just turned FOUR. My birthday was pretty low key - we wound up getting a ton of snow that day and both school and daycare was closed, so I spent the day playing outside with the kids and then later that night Tom trekked out to get me Taco Bell (per my request). Lexi only had one request for her birthday: that we spend it at Chuck E Cheese with just our family. So last night we did just that. Stasa spent the day at home sick - her first all year (knock on wood) - and she and I took breaks to decorate the house and bake the cake. Tom took off a little early from work to get the smalls from daycare so we could hit up Chuck E Cheese on the early side. If I ever do lose my mind and actually plan a Chuck E Cheese birthday party I'm tempted to host it on a weekday evening. The place was practically empty. We grabbed a table, bought some tokens, for which I had a great coupon, and let the kids loose. Stas eventually got tired and rested at our table for a bit, but Lexi and Tommy couldn't be stopped. I was actually surprised by how many games Tommy was able to play. We combined all of their tickets and ordered dinner. While we waited for dinner we let Lexi pick prizes for everyone. Of course you have to have like 2000+ tickets to get anything of value and we only had about 260, so she wound up choosing candy and a few plastic bracelets. They also had a deal for walk in birthdays, so I got her a birthday crown, guitar balloon, and medallion. Once we finished dinner there we packed it up and headed home for cake and a lively game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. I forgot how much fun that game is. Tommy's favorite part was taking the balls out of everyone's goal and putting them in his own. And so now the kids are counting down to Easter and Tommy's birthday and then we'll all count down to summer and warm days spent at the pool and camping. </div>
Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-5040898214238772332014-11-25T13:57:00.003-05:002014-11-25T13:57:40.983-05:00Catching up...and a confessionLet's start with the confession first. A lot of people take a look at our life and assume we've got it all together. Full-time jobs, three kids, mostly clean house (or so it seems in pictures), crafts and activities, volunteering, and the list goes on and on. Well, we don't actually have it all together. With both of us working full-time and still making time for our three kids, well, some things have to slide. So yeah, the laundry is constantly piling up and we often go to bed with toys still strewn about the playroom...and sometimes the living room. And yeah, it DRIVES ME CRAZY, but I think it makes me even more crazy running around trying to do it all. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't judge the life by the picture. Our house may seem put together in pictures, but it's likely I just threw some of the toys and mess over to the side to get a clean pic. Tricky tricky.<br />
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On to catching up. Life got crazy busy since Stasa started kindergarten. Tom and I have been trying to volunteer when we can, which only helps fill up our already full calendars. I also somehow found myself not only signing Stasa up for Girl Scouts, but myself as a leader. WHY? Because I'm crazy. But really it's been okay so far - I have two other moms helping and we only meet once a month. It's manageable for now. We'll see how I feel by the end of the school year.<br />
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Now that we're thisclose to Thanksgiving and then rolling into Christmas, I thought it made sense to actually share everything else that's happened between the first day of school and now.<br />
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Right after school started we took off for a Labor Day camping trip with family at The Cove. I think I may have spent the majority of my time walking back and forth to the bathrooms with both girls. I so love these camp grounds, especially the fact that there's a small lake beach.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15690326307" title="IMG_4630_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4630_e" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/15690326307_4fe09fc733_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15850288936" title="IMG_4503_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4503_e" height="683" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7463/15850288936_b865a80238_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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Funny thing about that bathing suit I'm wearing. We packed what felt like our entire house to go on this camping trip with the kids. Every time we try to whittle down the pile, but with five of us there seems to be so many things we need. It wasn't until we drove all the way there, set up camp, and started getting the kids ready for the beach that I realized I forgot our bathing suits. Good grief. Since Tom wanted to chop firewood for later, I packed the kids up and drove 45 minutes into town to the closest Wal-Mart in the hopes of finding something for me and Tom. We hit the jackpot. The girls picked out Tom's new trunks, which featured the Dude from the Big Lebowsky. It was that or trunks with an eagle and flames. The girls couldn't stop laughing at the dude. So the dude it was. My options, however, were pretty slim. I finally found a top and bottom that sort of went together. We grabbed our stuff, paid, and hightailed it back to camp, where we changed into our suits only to find that the top I bought was waaaaaay too busty for me. Good thing I brought a bunch of sports bras. We had a great time with the kids and family and can't wait to go back next year!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15690333947" title="IMG_4295_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4295_e" height="683" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7498/15690333947_43bab42ed3_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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On to...regular days hanging around the house.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15850310326" title="IMG_4810 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4810" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8647/15850310326_2be8d3a3ff_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15874131031" title="IMG_4869 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4869" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8574/15874131031_c6c980df5e_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15876126855" title="IMG_4866 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4866" height="683" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7555/15876126855_435c0ab4b2_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15689284068" title="IMG_5171 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5171" height="683" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7480/15689284068_c159a58f07_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15876140182" title="IMG_5169 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5169" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8647/15876140182_50a543afaa_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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Then between huge work events we had Halloween. I barely got the kids costumes together before the trunk-or-treat at Stasa's school. This was our first trunk-or-treat and Tom was going all out with decorations, which I thought was a bit much for a school thing, but I couldn't have been more wrong. People went waaaaaaaay all out. When the deuce and a half rolled up next to us with a big screen and fog machine I turned to Tom and said "not enough." Next year we'll have to amp it up even more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15253852834" title="IMG_5086 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5086" height="683" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7463/15253852834_1b9d30949f_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15874120561" title="IMG_5092 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5092" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8595/15874120561_c1d6674a00_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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And then again between even more work events we wound up in the hospital with Tommy. It started with what looked to be a bug bite which then got infected and drained, but then got worse. We had started taking him to the doctor on a daily basis for meds and monitoring and then ended up taking him to the ER one night after his fever spiked. And thank goodness we did because the infection was serious. They admitted us and put him on a few different IV antibiotics for four days. We were finally discharged, he finished all of his meds and is just now getting back to a normal routine (and diaper changing schedule). We didn't tell a lot of people that we were in the hospital since news was changing every day and we really couldn't have visitors. Tommy was in pretty good spirits for the majority of our hospital stay as long as no one was touching him or his IV.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15877038015" title="2014 11 Tommy Hospital Stay by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="2014 11 Tommy Hospital Stay" height="1024" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7472/15877038015_c8cd037a12_b.jpg" width="706" /></a><br />
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That brings us to this past weekend, where Stasa was the lucky duck of the week and got to bring home the class mascot, Brown Bear. We had already gotten an earful on what everyone else had done with Brown Bear, which included bounce houses, play places, exciting (and expensive) outings. Well, we showed Brown Bear a GOOD TIME. First stop: the spa (aka our washing machine). Then he met a bunch of our bear friends, learned the fine art of mancala (and got his butt kicked), played dress up, went to dance class, the mall, Cracker Barrel and dinner with Grandma. Basically went and did whatever we already had on our schedule. And Brown Bear LOVED all of it. At the end of the weekend Stasa put together a poster about all of the fun she and Brown Bear had together. And since she got Brown Bear she also got to share her poster with the class, be the line leader for the week AND bring up the gifts at school mass.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15254542774" title="IMG_5210 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5210" height="683" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8583/15254542774_4407829be9_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15254542224" title="IMG_5213 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5213" height="683" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7534/15254542224_aea3f467bb_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15689649880" title="IMG_5269_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5269_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7502/15689649880_c0f3703dea_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
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And that about catches us up...for the most part...there are still a lot of things missing, but that's life, right?<br />
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Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-89328512389334638872014-08-26T21:33:00.000-04:002014-08-26T21:33:04.821-04:00The first weekLast winter Tom and I finally got serious about school for Stasa and did our research and ended up visiting a private Catholic school on the recommendation of another parent. We hadn't even considered private school because we always thought it would be too pricey. We couldn't have been more wrong. We scored the jackpot of all private schools. It's affordable, it's Blue Ribbon certified, and it's Catholic, which for some may not seem all that important, but for us we want our kids to grow up in the church. Plus no CCD. Double score. As the months have flown by we've felt more comfortable with our decision. One night we were watching TV and a commercial came on. It was shot from the point of view of a kindergarten girl and she was getting on the bus for the first time and looking for an open seat. I had SO MUCH anxiety watching that commercial and at the end Tom and I both looked at each other and said "I'm glad Stasa won't be on a bus." Not that there's anything wrong with the school bus. Hell, I rode it most of the time I was in school and I think I turned out fine. It's just...it looked so overwhelming and scary and the first day of school is big enough without adding riding the bus to it. Our school has also been so good about staying in contact with us and hosting several get togethers for the new parents and families.<br />
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During our visit over the winter we fell in love with the school, the teachers, the curriculum, and the community. Since then we've begun attending mass there rather than the church we were at and we love it. There are so many more young families at this church and we feel more at home. </div>
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Last Wednesday we took Stasa in for Kindergarten orientation so she could meet her teacher and classmates and see her room. She came running back to us at the end clutching a new teddy bear with an orange ribbon tied around it's neck, for Kindergarten Orange. Such a thoughtful thing for them to do. That evening Tom and I went for parent orientation and got a chance to see her classroom and talk with her teacher and learn more about their curriculum and classroom routine and rules. I love her teacher - she's the perfect mix of sweet and strict, but leans waaaaaaaaay more toward the sweet side, which Stasa responds well to. I mean, the woman sent Stasa (and all of her classmates) a post card telling her how excited she was to meet her and that she can't wait for school to start. Such an incredibly thoughtful gesture.<br />
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We learned that in Kindergarten Orange, the teacher has an Oops Book. If students misbehave once they get a warning. Twice and they have to write their name in the Oops Book. Three times and they put a check next to their name and miss half of second recess. FOUR times and they put another check and miss ALL of second recess. We went over the policy with Stasa and she had a lot of questions about the consequences and then declared that she would not have her name put in the Oops Book. Her teacher also has the kids settle their own disputes by using a "I feel, because, I wish" formula. Each gets to have their say - for example if they were fighting over a toy they might say "I feel mad because Michael knocked down my block tower. I wish he wouldn't knock down my building." and "I feel sad because Tommy won't let me play with his block tower. I wish I could play, too." She says it's really effective and we're going to try to use it more often at home, too. Maybe even an Oops Book of our own.<br />
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Monday was the Big Day. Kindergartners get to wear play clothes while the rest of school wears a uniform. I made Stasa a new dress for her first day - it fit her personality to a T. The first two days of school are special arrival days and early dismissal. We parked, took the obligatory first day of school pictures and lined up behind the Orange K flag with the rest of Stasa's classmates and parents. As everyone was lining up, Father Mike came out blowing bubbles and talking with all of the kindergartners. Stasa pretended to be shy and wouldn't blow bubbles with him, but happily stood in line with the rest of her classmates. Once everyone was lined up, morning prayers began and Father Mike walked around blessing everyone with holy water. We all got a pretty well covered with holy water as Father Mike is quite generous with the blessing. The kids LOVED getting blessed and were all giggling when it was their turn. After everyone was blessed and prayers were finished the kids started filing in to the school. Stasa happily walked in, looking back only to wave goodbye. No tears from any of us.<br />
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Early dismissal days are let out at 11:30 and our school has a rigid car pool pick up routine, so we were a bit nervous to get it right. We stupidly drove Sexy Flexy for pick up on Monday and wound up in the very last van/SUV line. Everyone waits for all of the kids to be in the cars before they allow cars to start leaving and they dismiss the car pool lanes one at a time, beginning with the car lanes and ending with the vans and SUVs. Lesson learned: pick up in the Passat always.<br />
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The end of day report was a good one and Stasa told us she had fun, but, and this is a Big But (in her kindergarten mind) the playground has NO SWINGS. THE HORROR. Apparently this was Big News from all of the kids and the first thing everyone told their parents.<br />
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Today was another longer drop off, but shorter than the first day. Just a few prayers said, hugs and kisses and the kids walked off to class. Only this morning Stasa was full of anxiety and tears and it didn't help that her BFF from preschool was snubbing her in line. It broke my heart watching her walk off in tears, but another little girl in her class gave her a big hug and I know her teacher was looking out for her.<br />
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This morning the school hosted a new parents coffee to allow new families to meet up with their sponsor family and just get to know everyone better. We've been trying to remember everyone's names and I've been making notes on our class roster so I can remember which parents belong to which child. It's been so nice having multiple events and opportunities to meet the other families and get to know the school and community better.<br />
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The end of day report was pretty much the same today as it was yesterday - Stasa had another great day and happily reported that she still did not have to put her name in the Oops Book and did was well behaved and didn't get any warnings. She was happy and good tempered for most of the afternoon, but then started falling apart toward 3:00 and finally ended in a full blown meltdown in which I put her in her bed and shut the door. Ten or so minutes later she came out and curled up on my bed and fell asleep for a couple of hours. I didn't realize the emotional toll the first couple of days would have on her and I imagine it's only going to be the same for the rest of the week, especially as we enter full days tomorrow. Here's to a strong finish for the first week!</div>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/15025769506" title="IMG_4207_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4207_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3919/15025769506_0f92b7c34b_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-11815553757726730482014-08-13T14:46:00.000-04:002014-08-13T14:46:05.476-04:00Camping at Izaak Walton<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14908612502" title="IMG_3783_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3783_e" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3923/14908612502_aec38b1514_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14722304539" title="IMG_3934_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3934_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3852/14722304539_14403a47bd_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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A couple of weeks ago we spent the weekend camping at our local Izaak Walton campgrounds. It's literally 20ish minutes down the street from home and it's where Tom used to camp as a Boy Scout. It was my first time at the campground and I was surprised at how pretty it was for being so close to home (I mean 66 was RIGHT THERE). We wound up being the only people camping, though there were plenty of people at the range and others who came to fish. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14905885211" title="IMG_3923_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3923_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/14905885211_f6dbff712e_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br />
We were given two campsites to use, which was more than enough space, so we set up the tent at one end, farther away from this huge fire ring and used the other side for cooking, eating, and playing. The campgrounds were also right on a man made pond, which we were allowed to fish in. This was the first time we've taken the girls fishing and Stasa was dying to go out on a boat, but there was no way we'd catch anything with her making noise ON the water. Not that we caught anything anyway. We tried and tried and got a few good nibbles, but wound up only catching lilypads and logs. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14885980276" title="IMG_3824_bw by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3824_bw" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5571/14885980276_710b7b76ae_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14905895031" title="IMG_3886_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3886_e" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/14905895031_3af4bafffe_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14722340638" title="IMG_3984_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3984_e" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3924/14722340638_f142e9d003_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14908598862" title="IMG_4049_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4049_e" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/14908598862_d0d63ca6f2_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14722338468" title="IMG_4050_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4050_e" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3912/14722338468_6c53b12bd8_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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Our first night there we hung out and had a late dinner before putting the kids down for bed. Neither Tom nor I slept very well the first night, which always seems to be the case when I go camping, and everyone was up at the crack of dawn the next morning. Tommy seemed to love being outside all of the time and getting dirty. He happily played with his cars and dinos in the dirt. After breakfast we got dressed and ready for a hike through the grounds, though it wasn't as long as we were planning since some of the paths were cut off by huge felled trees. After coming back from the hike I went to scratch my leg and found two ticks on it. After that we were even more diligent about checking the kids and ourselves for ticks. I ended up finding four ticks on me and then another one after we were home with a total of two actually biting me. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14908596862" title="IMG_3904_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3904_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/14908596862_bf70b17de5_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<i>Side note: I did some research on preventing ticks from biting and found tea tree soap and rose geranium oil, so we'll be trying both of those during our next camping weekend. </i><br />
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Tommy was the only one who napped and the girls were happy to spend the day alternating between fishing and playing and exploring the grounds. At one point we all played hide-n-seek together, which was hilarious because both girls either hid in the place I last hid or they would hide in plain site - like under a picnic table or behind a skinny tree. Tommy even joined in on the fun and hid with me a couple of times, but his giggles gave us away every time.<br />
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The other different thing about this campground was the bathroom situation. As in there really wasn't one. The Cove had nice-ish bathrooms with running water and electricity and showers. This place had an outhouse and a hole in the middle of a plywood board. I took one look and saw creepy crawlies dart back in the hole and announced to the girls that they would be learning the careful art of peeing in the woods. No way was I going to pee in the place people went to be murdered. PASS. <br />
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Other than the ticks and the murder house the campgrounds were gorgeous and we had a great time. I love that this place is so close and we'll likely book a couple of more weekends through October before it gets too cold for this mama to sleep outside. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14885967616" title="IMG_4093_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4093_e" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/14885967616_9b8d80c26d_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14722307109" title="IMG_4017_bw by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4017_bw" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5595/14722307109_1b53f516fb_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14722282760" title="IMG_3971_bw by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3971_bw" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/14722282760_08e93ce6cf_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14722290710" title="IMG_3819_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3819_e" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5565/14722290710_cd09b2cb4d_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14908952995" title="IMG_3845_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3845_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3838/14908952995_bc5a2bf677_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-91937214504144209602014-07-30T10:29:00.000-04:002014-07-30T10:36:48.163-04:00It's a zoo in here! Pun intended.A few weeks ago I asked Tom what we should do with the day and then rattled off a few options: Gravelly Point, swimming at The Cove, the zoo, the mall by the monuments. He suggested we take the kids to the zoo and then to dad's house for dinner and a movie. We quickly showered, got everyone dressed, packed snacks and lunches, sunscreened everyone up, packed up the car and an hour later were on our way to the Metro. Yes, going from unshowered and in pajamas to fully dressed and packed in an hour is defined as quick for a family of five. LOL
<p>The girls absolutely love the Metro. We brought our double stroller and the umbrella stroller because we knew at some point all three were likely to be exhausted, but at the start of the trip we only had Tommy and a bunch of cooler bags in the strollers and the girls stood on the train holding the pole. After switching lines, we finally arrived to Woodley Park and began our walk to the zoo. Somehow I forgot that the walk from the Metro to the zoo was all uphill. And then the zoo is basically one giant hill. Not a problem until you're tired and hot and ready to leave and you're stuck pushing 60-70 pounds of kid and stroller up a giant hill in the heat and humidity.
<p>Anyway. We got to the entrance and snapped a pic of the family with the zoo sign. Since it took us so long to get ready and then get to the zoo everyone was hungry the minute we walked in. We stopped in the shade and had a quick quick snack and water break and then headed on to see the animals. It was a somewhat hot day and we got there right at lunchtime so most of the animals were either indoors or curled up high in a tree or in the shade.
<p>The girls really got a kick out of seeing the elephants and I'm pretty sure they could have stood there all day watching them drink and eat and walk around. We let them stay for a bit and then moved on to the panda exhibit.
<p>The pandas. My GOD. Honestly I don't get why everyone is OMGOSH SO EXCITED about seeing the pandas, but they are. We walked by the outdoor exhibit and caught the tail end of one of the pandas. I figured that was enough and we started walking on, but then I realized that we were walking straight into the indoor panda exhibit. It was crowded and hot and loud and obnoxious and at one point I caught myself complaining to Tom, "It's a zoo in here!" And then we both laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. The girls LOVED the pandas, especially the baby panda. As soon as they saw them we hightailed it out and grabbed a spot of shade to have lunch. Of course the moment we moved on away from the bathrooms was the moment Lexi decided she had to go RIGHT NOW. I ran both girls to the bathroom, both girls crying the whole way about how they didn't want to go potty, forced them both to sit and try and sure enough guess who ended up going potty. Mommy is always right.
<p>After the potty break we went over to see the Great Cats, but ended up only seeing a lion and a few tigers. The poor lion was just relaxing in the shade, probably thinking "THIS is supposed to be my kingdom?!" The girls loved the tigers, especially this one who walked by and growled a few times.
<p>We watched the tiger clean itself for awhile and then headed over to see the gorillas and orangutans. One of the gorillas walked right up to the glass to eat, which really thrilled the girls (and the other kids there). Once we finished up at the ape house we decided to call it a day. We were all hot, tired, and getting cranky. Luckily on the way out Stasa spotted the zebras, an animal she really wanted to see, but we didn't have time to go find.
<p>So back to the Metro we went. This time the walk was all downhill, a nice treat after hauling three kids, two strollers and gear uphill. We finally get on the orange line to get back to our car only to have the train stop halfway in a tunnel at Foggy Bottom. We stood in the (unairconditioned) train for about 45 minutes before they finally opened the emergency door. Without any announcements made we just all walked off the train onto the platform and watched as Metro workers ran to and fro flipping seats up. They finally made an announcement that there were technical difficulties and since they were already single tracking due to scheduled maintenance they had no ETA on when it would be fixed. I suggested we just cab it back home and at one point convinced Tom to leave to get a drink, but the minute we walked away the train doors opened and closed, so we went back to the platform to wait. And about 30 minutes later the train finally moved. Empty. Then we watched like six other trains come through, none of which were the train we wanted. When our train came through we got on, only to have standing room only the whole way home.
<p>Thankfully we got back to our car in one piece, with some of our sanity still intact. To reward the kids (and myself) for being somewhat patient during the train incident we stopped at 7-Eleven and got Slurpees. Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-57780606162621542342014-07-08T14:20:00.002-04:002014-07-08T14:20:53.682-04:00Summer memoriesThis summer is flying by already and it feels like it just started. My goal has been to spend as much time as we can outside with the kids and so far we've managed to do just that. We've had a couple of busy weeks with family visits, Tommy's baptism, and the patio being finished. My brother, his wife, and stepson came for a long weekend and we spent a couple of days downtown visiting Arlington, the monuments, and one or two museums. We took the kids with us one day and then put them in daycare for the second so we could get around a bit faster. It was great to see him again and to meet my sister-in-law for the first time. They had been stationed in Hawaii for the past few years and recently were moved to upstate New York - talk about a climate change. I kept joking that I didn't want to be in any pictures with Tracy because she made me look like the whitest ghost. Hopefully now that they're on the east coast we can visit more often. After Ryan's visit, we had the Chicago Merkels come to town for Tommallama's baptism. And in keeping with the Merklet tradition, he was the loudest child during the service. Way to keep the tradition strong, little man.
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As our kids have gotten older I've started thinking about my own childhood more and all of the things I loved doing as a kid. My childhood was filled with climbing trees, practicing gymnastics in our side yard, and chugging Kool-Aid. We used to play outside from sun-up until the street lights came on (and even then begged to stay out later). We'd only come in to eat meals and even those were gulped down as fast as possible. I distinctly remember chugging my huge glass of milk at dinner in one gulp just so I could get back outside right away.
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There have been so many small things that have happened over the past couple of weeks that have made me smile.
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Drinking water straight from the hose or sprinkler.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14417764377" title="IMG_2570 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3912/14417764377_2fac68349f_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2570"></a>
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Running barefoot in the grass while waiting for fireworks to start.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14624232003" title="IMG_2578 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3923/14624232003_df59f063db_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2578"></a>
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Playing catch with cousins.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14417943789" title="IMG_3049 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14417943789_f799477fb2_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_3049"></a>
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Watching backyard fireworks.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14602536764" title="IMG_3425 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/14602536764_6c345d16fc_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_3425"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14601263211" title="IMG_3242_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3876/14601263211_7de5e829aa_b.jpg" width="1024" height="758" alt="IMG_3242_diptych"></a>
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Practicing cartwheels again and again.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14603949362" title="2014 07 06 cartwheel by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14603949362_641f4fef02_b.jpg" width="1024" height="341" alt="2014 07 06 cartwheel"></a>
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Splashing around in an inflatable pool.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14602542994" title="IMG_3481_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/14602542994_66f652010d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_3481_e"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14601271471" title="IMG_3457_bw by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5314/14601271471_94671ac761_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_3457_bw"></a>
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Riding bikes around the neighborhood until it's dark.<p>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14417859940" title="IMG_2963_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14417859940_a0b03d506d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="758" alt="IMG_2963_diptych"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14601235551" title="IMG_2892_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3917/14601235551_cfff4e037d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="758" alt="IMG_2892_diptych"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14602193754" title="IMG_3030 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14602193754_15e9de66f2_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_3030"></a>
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Here's to a summer full of more memories.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14417543630" title="IMG_2880 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3875/14417543630_0b02312831_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2880"></a>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-12200032920711777782014-06-20T13:13:00.001-04:002014-06-20T13:15:22.474-04:00Our Whole 30 journey so farI think it was Tom who first brought up the Whole 30 challenge and after reading about it I kind of just forgot about it. But then we started talking about it more and more, especially as we kept ordering take out and eating out at restaurants. Finally, as I was biting in to my pizza slice on Memorial Day, I looked at the greasiness and then at Tom and proclaimed I was starting Whole 30 the next day. Planning be damned! I know he prefers to have advance notice for changes like these and needs time to mentally prepare, so I told him it was okay if he didn't join in, but surprisingly he dove in head first, too. The next day was a bit difficult as we discovered that sugar and soy were in practically everything. And having not prepared, our meals were pretty plain. We downloaded the shopping list and made an inventory of what we had and what we needed to get at the store. Later that week after work we divided and conquered, one going to Costco and the other to the local international grocery. While shopping we were texting and calling each other to compare prices and produce selection. We came home and packed our fridge and counters with fresh produce, fish and meats.<p>
Our first week we kind of just improvised our regular rotation of meals to be Whole 30 compliant. After that I started browsing around for new recipes and meal ideas. Nom Nom Paleo is still one of my favorites - we made her mayo and I think I like it better than store bought mayo. <p>
I'm not going to lie - it hasn't been a breeze. I've battled cravings and bad habits (snacking snacking snacking!) and there have been some nights when I've gotten home late and all I wanted to do was order out, but instead I mustered up the energy to at least chop a quick salad. Including today we have six days left and while a lot of Whole 30 followers wind up extending it to a Whole 60, I'll be excited to be done. I was good and followed the rules, so I haven't weighed in yet, so I don't know if I've lost any weight. I have realized that I don't need nearly as much sugar as I was used to consuming, I'm liking black coffee now, and am enjoying having dried fruits and nuts as a snack instead of my usual cheez-its or goldfish. That said, I do miss feta cheese and milk. Our Whole 30 has been a bit harder, too, since we didn't force the diet on the kids. Making them grilled cheese sandwiches and not taking a little bite was painful. Or when I would make them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and not be able to lick the PB off my finger. BIG sad face. <p>
We have come up with some delicious meals that have left us satisfied. Here's a snapshot of what we've been eating. <p>
Top row from left: first day of Whole 30: black coffee, hard boiled eggs, fruit, tuna salad lettuce wraps, dates and veggies; meal 2: chopped salad, peas (didn't realize we should have limited these until after eating them. oops), and sliced beets; meal 3: egg salad lettuce wraps with homemade mayo<br>
<p>Middle row from left: meal 1: scrambled eggs with coconut milk (so yum!), fruit and black coffee; meal 2: eating out! grilled salmon, steamed broccoli and salad; meal 3: more scrambled eggs, sweet potato hash, fruit and coffee<br>
Bottom row from left: meal 1: spinach salad with apples, beets, onion, celery and pecans; meal 2: roasted eggplant rounds topped with homemade tomato sauce; meal 3: scrambled eggs topped with sauteed tomatoes and onions and a side of sweet potato hash<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14443749176" title="whole 30 meals_1 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/14443749176_de55fa51be_b.jpg" width="1024" height="1024" alt="whole 30 meals_1"></a>
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Top row from left: meal 1: spinach salad with mushrooms, strawberries, blueberries, onions, and almonds and a side of spicy cauliflower "rice"; meal 2: imum bayildi made from leftover roasted eggplants and sauteed greens; meal 3: On the grill: cod filet, yellow squash and sweet potato with a side of salad (spinach, romaine, onions, dried cranberries and chopped almonds)<br>
Middle row from left: meal 1: pan fried tilapia with sliced avocado and tomato; meal 2: ried eggs with a side of sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers and sliced avocado; meal 3: zucchini pasta and homemade sauce SO YUM<br>
Bottom row from left: meal 1: carrot and cabbage salad, beets, hake salad, and sauteed spinach; meal 2: hake lettuce tacos and carrot and cabbage salad; meal 3: fried eggs topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers, and tomatoes and a side of sweet potato hash browns and chicken skin "bacon" for Tom<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14280238260" title="whole 30 meals_2 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/14280238260_5845ccd30a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="1024" alt="whole 30 meals_2"></a>
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Top row from left: meal 1: pre-made egg cups with broccoli and mushrooms; meal 2: zucchini and eggplant pasta; meal 3: microwave "baked" apples tossed with cinnamon and coconut oil and walnuts<br>
Middle row from left: meal 1: Sweet potato and apple hash browns with fried eggs and sliced avocado and tomato; meal 2: pan fried hake topped with a garlic lemon aioli and roasted cauliflower steaks and fruit salad; meal 3: scrambled eggs topped with salsa, avocado, sweet potato and apple hash browns and a side of fruit<br>
Bottom row from left: meal 1: fried plantain chips; meal 2: albacore tuna salad with homemade mayo in lettuce wraps; meal 3: mashed sardines with homemade mayo, lemon juice, onion, s&p on top of chopped celery, tomatoes and peppers<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14280237780" title="whole 30 meals_3 by Kari, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14280237780_d2e24f2606_b.jpg" width="1024" height="1024" alt="whole 30 meals_3"></a>
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Some other favorites have been sweet potato fries and homemade ketchup, Nom Nom Paleo's Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup, the Pioneer Woman's Brussels Sprouts (tweaked to be Whole 30 compliant), and the occasional smoothie.<p>
Next Wednesday we'll be done and we'll start reintroducing dairy, sugar, soy, grains, and legumes, but we'll probably try one or two Whole 30 days each week. I have enjoyed that this challenge has forced me to look at different foods and come up with new recipes and meals. We all get stuck in food ruts and this was a nice way to change things up and try old foods in new ways. Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-50255473477990555882014-06-20T09:28:00.000-04:002014-06-20T09:30:45.761-04:00Recital weekendThis year was the first year we had both girls in dance class. Luckily for us their classes were back-to-back every Saturday morning, though it would have been even better had they been at the same time. Two birds, one stone and all. Unfortunately for us their recitals were on separate days, so instead of having a single recital we had a recital weekend: Friday dress rehearsal, Stasa's turn on Saturday, and Lexi's on Sunday.<br />
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Now, Lexi wasn't the most patient ballerina during the year and hardly ever paid attention during their recital routine practices. I was fairly sure that she would break down crying when we left her backstage and then either refuse to come out on stage or just stand there. Well, she did neither. During the dress rehearsal on Friday night both girls were amazing. In fact, Lexi was the best in her class and did EVERY move. I was so proud of both girls and took them out to eat for a special dinner that night. The next day was Stasa's recital and she woke up so excited for STAGE DAY! This year I put a bit more makeup on her than I had in the previous years. She sat still the whole time and let me apply a little eyeliner, light eye shadow, mascara, blush and tinted lip gloss.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14464091992" title="IMG_2051_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2051_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3876/14464091992_ed73ddfedb_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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And look at that pose! The kid has it DOWN. She did a great job on stage, as always. Tom bought her a bouquet of flowers and gave them to her at the end of the recital. <br />
The next day was Lexi's turn and since her recital was late afternoon we were able to get her to take a nap first. I should have planned better though because for some reason I thought we had to leave the house at 3:00, but really that's when she needed to be backstage. EEP. Thankfully I pulled everything together and was able to grab her and speed off to the school. Tom and the kids came after and got in their seats right before the recital began. And again Lexi made us so proud. She remembered every move (with a little help from her teacher in the stage curtains) and had the biggest smile on her face. Actually both girls had smiles that lit up the stage. After Lexi's recital Tom gave her a big bouquet of flowers, too. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14278848638" title="IMG_2064_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2064_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5536/14278848638_db7ed8598e_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14465441815" title="IMG_2080_e by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2080_e" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14465441815_16f34d151d_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14278804719" title="IMG_2078_diptych by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2078_diptych" height="758" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14278804719_9bd704804f_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>
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Check out their routines:<p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TkAr0G-8Twg?list=UUECT6KmziMN8ObXkoEsimDw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SdCP181Yahk?list=UUECT6KmziMN8ObXkoEsimDw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381384179926950887.post-12257670450252911212014-05-23T15:36:00.002-04:002014-05-23T15:36:21.432-04:00LatelyAs the weather's been getting warmer, we've been spending more and more time outside with the kids...and doing a bit of yard work. Last week we spent most of Saturday cleaning up our front walkway and the huge dirt mound next to it. In doing so, we dug up a ton of earthworms which the girls quickly adopted. They made a home for them in an abandoned flowerpot and happily filled it up with fresh soil and a little bit of water. After that they kept digging around looking for more worms. <br />
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At the end of the day, they left the worms in the dirt filled pot, went in for a shower and bed. The next day they dumped them all out to check on the "little wormies" to make sure they were happy. After each worm was checked over, they put them back in the pot with even more dirt and water and went about their day.
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We worked from home on Monday with the windows open to enjoy the beautiful weather. I glanced up and saw some birds dive bombing the ground. I got up to see what the crazy birds were up to. A couple of them were happily taking a dirt bath in the dirt mound we had smoothed out. It needs grass seed, and we've bought the seed and all, but by the end of the day we're too lazy to even spread seed around. Anyway, the tiny birds were rolling around in the dirt and shaking and flapping away. The others were still divebombing and all of a sudden I saw their target...the flowerpot of dirt and "little wormies." EEP. I left them to their lunch, but later on the ride home from picking up the kids I told Stasa and Lexi about the birds and their worms. Stasa was outraged and insisted that the worms were in the pot to be safe, not for birdies to eat them. When we got home she made a huge sign that said "NO BIRDS ALLOWED." She told me that her pot of worms is not a bird restaurant and she wanted them to know they weren't welcome. Sorry, birds. You're on your own for food.
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/karimerks/14066647960" title="IMG_1903 by Kari, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1903" height="683" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/14066647960_78cf51c519_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a>Merkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13556928466821631021noreply@blogger.com0