Yes, it’s me. I’ve got everything going on for the stay-at-home mom stereo-type except for the bon-bons that are supposed to be stashed in the closet for after bed-time. I can’t afford bon-bons, or I may actually have some. Not every day is like this, just every other or so. I sit here, in my pj’s, hair in unbrushed pony tail, adorable, drooling toddler at my feet, pulling around some borderline-safe objects that I let him have (just my phone and a wrapped granola bar, nothing lethal, Mom) so I can have a few minutes to type, undoubtedly with many typos.
He’s really starting to be a little devil, though.
Mostly we laugh but we’re afraid of spoiling his good nature by letting him think that his naughtiness is cute, which, actually it is most of the time. It doesn’t help that Allie (his 1st love since birth) caters to his every whim. I used to settle disputes between the girls who were playing together. Now I have to comfort Taylor because her sister is too busy playing with Sam and entertaining him to play with her as much. I tell you, those girls are my right arm. Not only are they thoughtful and sweet, and provide loads of love and companionship for their baby cousin (who is an only child), but they are the daughters of my heart. I miss them just thinking about them right now.
I sang the Wonderpets theme song in a lullaby voice for 20 minutes straight at about 3 this morning. Then the stupid cat walked by the dogs who woke up to bark like mad as soon as Sam was back in his crib and I lay my head down . And so I nearly kicked 3 animals out the door around 4 this morning because of that stunt, but I still got up and at it this morning, forgetting to look for cars or neighbors as I saw the girls outside to watch them go to the corner in my pj’s, shamefully exposed. I came back inside and ate Sam’s leftover cheerios off of his tray for breakfast – he actually fed me a few, which is always fun, especially because he is our drool monster who is covered in what we coin as Sam-juice – and that usually accompanies whatever piece of food he sticks in your mouth.
I’ll spend the rest of the school day playing, loving, and feeding him. When the girls get home we’ll have homemade cookies for snack, do homework, prepare dinner, eat dinner (everyone but me) have baths (everyone but me), get ready for tomorrow, and go to bed for a good night’s rest under blankets that I crochet for everyone in their favorite color (everyone but me).
It’s been some time since I posted a blog. Mostly apathy, but also an overall I’m-just-too-busy-to-think-of-something-to-write lifestyle.
It’s been some time since I posted a blog. Mostly apathy, but also an overall I’m-just-too-busy-to-think-of-something-to-write lifestyle.
Christmas was awesome. Probably the best I’ve ever had, and I didn’t get much of anything – unless you count the priceless joy we felt in the morning to be together, to have nice things for Samuel, and at last have our own child ripping presents under our tree by the stairs. I love our old, crooked, drafty house. I knew it was ours before we even entered it. I loved the big bay window in the front of the house, and walked in to see the open stairway that, at the time, made me look at Wade and say, “Oh! Christmas stairs! Look, Honey, someday we’ll watch our children come down those stairs on Christmas morning”. That was about 5 year ago, and we never expected the wait that we had for a child to come, but then again, we also got to that point when we were okay not having any, and were making plans for a Hawaiin cruise for our anniversary. The cruise was replaced with crib and baby accessories – and, naturally, we think we ended up with the jackpot of all anniversary gifts. He’s our Christmas, Brithday, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, 4th of July present for the rest of our lives!
He’s really starting to be a little devil, though.
Mostly we laugh but we’re afraid of spoiling his good nature by letting him think that his naughtiness is cute, which, actually it is most of the time. It doesn’t help that Allie (his 1st love since birth) caters to his every whim. I used to settle disputes between the girls who were playing together. Now I have to comfort Taylor because her sister is too busy playing with Sam and entertaining him to play with her as much. I tell you, those girls are my right arm. Not only are they thoughtful and sweet, and provide loads of love and companionship for their baby cousin (who is an only child), but they are the daughters of my heart. I miss them just thinking about them right now.We try hard to teach the kids, even at Sam's age, the basic principles of the gospel. Our church has historical sites less than an hour form our home, where we took the kids on their last day off. It was a new and exciting experience for them to visit places where they've previously only learned about from pictures in church or family home evenings. Both girls were such a joy, excited to on top of Hill Cumorah, and very unhappy to be forced to leave without having found where the gold plates were hidden. The girls were even more excited to be on their way to see Joseph Smith's house. Taylor fully expected him to be there, and despite being told that he wouldn't be, she asked us to call his house to check (that's a mid-19th century replica of a house). 
Sam started going to a toddler group, and is starting Nursery at church next week. As is normal for his age, he doesn’t much care for interacting with other toddlers as much as he is interested in poking or prodding them, and stealing a girl’s chair while she’s in it, or taking the toy with wheels from an innocent boy’s arms. Ought to be interesting to see him go to school in a couple of years.
Although it’s early to decide, because Sam is our whole life, we’ve hmmed and hawed over schooling Sam, how and when, etc. Shall I sitck him preschool at age 3 so we can afford to do things like eat again? Shall we bubble him up and home school him? Shall we tow him to Syracuse for private school where I’d work and pay for his tuition with every cent of my pay? Shall we put him in Montessori where there’s borderline results? We’ve decided to go traditional, as long as it suits his needs. I’ve been pleased the school where the girls go, and honestly it’s those middle and high school years I’m worried about more than the time they spend as believers in Santa Claus with other kids who, most of them, are into Disney princesses and Spiderman. So, there’s a light at the end of our financial crisis tunnel – when one day I’ll work again. Of course, what I’ve learned over the past year and a half, is that I need to just roll with it, and not plan too much. Wade may land himself in another tipped-over Big Mack truck, Sam may develop a major social phobia and refuse to go to school (unlikely though, he’s pretty social so far), Tim may remarry and decide to move to Colorado in which case I’d be jailed for slashing his tires and burning down the U-haul, Allison may win a fortune in a children’s art contest (because, wow, that kid can paint), Taylor could drive me to be committed with her incessant “Aunt Bethie!” whining, or I could end up staying home for many more years!
In life, we just never know. And so, I go forward, day by day, sometimes bathed and groomed, sometimes just playing with a happily drooling toddler who loves me today as much as I love him, and we both laugh hysterically over his pants falling down while playing ball – I’ve got a mad-crazy husband who is a phenomenal Daddy to our boy, I can honestly say I never saw I man come close to worship of a child so much in my life – and Sam truly loves him at least as much as me (and more on many days) - and that’s the life I’m happy to have – today.
Sam started going to a toddler group, and is starting Nursery at church next week. As is normal for his age, he doesn’t much care for interacting with other toddlers as much as he is interested in poking or prodding them, and stealing a girl’s chair while she’s in it, or taking the toy with wheels from an innocent boy’s arms. Ought to be interesting to see him go to school in a couple of years.
Although it’s early to decide, because Sam is our whole life, we’ve hmmed and hawed over schooling Sam, how and when, etc. Shall I sitck him preschool at age 3 so we can afford to do things like eat again? Shall we bubble him up and home school him? Shall we tow him to Syracuse for private school where I’d work and pay for his tuition with every cent of my pay? Shall we put him in Montessori where there’s borderline results? We’ve decided to go traditional, as long as it suits his needs. I’ve been pleased the school where the girls go, and honestly it’s those middle and high school years I’m worried about more than the time they spend as believers in Santa Claus with other kids who, most of them, are into Disney princesses and Spiderman. So, there’s a light at the end of our financial crisis tunnel – when one day I’ll work again. Of course, what I’ve learned over the past year and a half, is that I need to just roll with it, and not plan too much. Wade may land himself in another tipped-over Big Mack truck, Sam may develop a major social phobia and refuse to go to school (unlikely though, he’s pretty social so far), Tim may remarry and decide to move to Colorado in which case I’d be jailed for slashing his tires and burning down the U-haul, Allison may win a fortune in a children’s art contest (because, wow, that kid can paint), Taylor could drive me to be committed with her incessant “Aunt Bethie!” whining, or I could end up staying home for many more years!
In life, we just never know. And so, I go forward, day by day, sometimes bathed and groomed, sometimes just playing with a happily drooling toddler who loves me today as much as I love him, and we both laugh hysterically over his pants falling down while playing ball – I’ve got a mad-crazy husband who is a phenomenal Daddy to our boy, I can honestly say I never saw I man come close to worship of a child so much in my life – and Sam truly loves him at least as much as me (and more on many days) - and that’s the life I’m happy to have – today.
