Blogs/Veteran's Day

How can you tell I'm blogging more frequently? My titles get lame-r.

So I haven't been visiting any blogs in the last few months, because of the move, total upheaval of life, and lack of good internet connection/time. How's that for excuses? But now that things are calming down, and I have time to blog, I am trying to find all the blogs I used to have saved into my favorites. Except that my favorites are on the crashed laptop. SO I am going through past comments or just plain trying to remember the blog addresses, NOT EASY.

Hopefully I'll be able to get to some of them and from their blogs, be able to more. But to be honest I don't have the time to look at all of the ones I used to. And I guess that's okay.

Today Little d had a program at school and I was so excited to hear her sing God Bless the USA and do the sign language to go with it. But due to bad seating, I saw none of her (and as you tell from the photo, I barely grabbed a shot of her leaving the performance!). It was a moving program none the less, but I really wish I could have seen her perform. I am pretty sure the Christmas program will have better seating. Fingers crossed!

Off to sleeeeeeep!!!

ETA: the photo

Fine! I'll show you my kitchen!

It's not completely clean, heck it's not even finished, but here's the latest pictures. There is still backsplash tile work to be done and and the vent hood needs to be installed. And of course, as with the rest of the house, no decorating has been done yet. But who knows how long all this will take?

And was I standing sideways when I took this one??

Shhh--that's like three posts in three days--what next? All the laundry done??

Little md

He's not so little anymore. He weighs 20 pounds. Yes and he's tall too.

He is such a happy baby. Truly. Always has a smile. Even for people he doesn't know. He's mostly sitting up now and in the last couple of days he's started pushing up on all fours. I can't believe we are close to crawling aready. Childproofing--here we come!

Since he was breastfed until just recently, he's only had oatmeal. But starting tomorrow I'm trying a veggie. Sweet potatoes or green beans...haven't decided yet. Both of the girls were started on green beans, but we'll see.

He can mumble dada and mama and high-eye (which I guess is southern for hi!). But I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what he's saying. He loves his sisters like nobody's business! He is just fascinated with them. And the best part is they looove to perform for him. Dancing, singing, whatever they can do to make him laugh!

Really it's just crazy fun to have three children. I never could have imagined life could be this awesome!

Let us pray

About that church thing. I started going again. Not really kicking and screaming, but let's say only as a favor to my dad. And the entire hour of quiet. (It's a Catholic mass, so of course it's quiet....except for that song with the tambourine. Really? Is this 1970?) Anyway.

It was a little weird. It's a church here that I've only been to for a couple of weddings and one funeral, so it's like going to church in a new town. Don't really recognize that many people either, but the priest who just took over is amazing. I adore him.

So I agreed to go back with my dad to church. Here's driving up here every Saturday so we can go. I don't look forward to mass necessarily, but I do enjoy spending time with dad. And there is one part of the mass that I meditate on all week.

It's the "Let us pray" part. If you're not Catholic, there is this part where a reader (or in some places the priest) says Let us pray for blank (like the sick of the parish, or our nation's leaders, or victims in Haiti) and the congregation responds "Lord hear our prayer." There are several prayers and then they say "For the intentions we hold in our hearts......pause....Lord hear our prayers." So the first week I was a little caught off guard. I was mostly stressing about attending my niece's baptism the next day--where I had been unasked to be Godmother. (The priest of that congregation deemed me unfit to be a Godmother. I wrote an entire post about the whole situation, but I decided not to publish it.) Where was I? Oh yeah, so I was kind of in a stressed mood and when the 'pause' came "just let me get through this baptism with out crying" popped into my head. And somehow. I did. And better than just getting through it, I finally made peace with it. And the whole week was somehow better.

So the next week I thought "help me be a good wife". I know. Please. I'm rolling my own eyes at that, but that's what popped into my head. I guess you would have to check with D to see how well that worked out.

Week Three: "Help to be a better mother." This one I actually premeditated. I just felt like the entire week I was screaming at the kids. Mostly Little d. And by Saturday I was feeling like (as my crush Glenn Beck would say) a crap sandwich. I think I did make a conscience effort to dial back the temper and handle things with a cooler head.

Last week: "Contentment". Just in everything. To stop always seeing the incomplete undone things around me and the things I can't change as dominating my whole world. To be content with all that I have. I think it's working. I actually feel a heavy mood lifting away. Every time I feel some negativity popping up, I just think "contentment" like some kind of mantra. And for whatever reason--prayer--it's working.

Tonight's prayer...understanding. Like for example why D felt the need to go hunting even though this is his only days off in months and our other house is STILL not ready to be put on the market....

Miss me much??

Let's see if I get to sit long enough to type a blog post.

Halloween came and went. And if I had photoshop on the laptop I would load some pictures for you today, BUT it takes forever to load the ginormous pics and I quit messing with them once I uploaded them to facebook. Incidentally, if you want to be my friend on FB just email me (it's on the sidebar), and I'll add you. You'll get updates about me more regularly! I know you want that right?!?

Little d is doing great in school. Tomorrow we have a required conference with her teacher to get her first 9 week report card. I am so anxious to see how the teacher perceives her. AND to see how well she's doing--or if she's paying attention!

And now I'm holding Little md...

He's helping!

I'm not breastfeeding any more...as per his wishes. And I'm okay with that. It was nice not to make the decision to wean on my own. Seriously son--mom is so thankful to you. Easiest baby to breastfeed and easiest to wean. So just for giggles let's add it up. I spent 29 months of my life pregnant and 21 months breastfeeding. (two months pregnant for the miscarriage if you're wondering about that math.)

gotta go...miss scrapbooking like an old friend...