Sleepovers

When you're a kid, is there anything better than having a sleepover with your friends? Sydney Huntley is the girls' best friend, despite being 2 years older than them. They had so much fun last night and the giggling didn't last much past 8:30. A good night for all of us. I think their favorite part is the morning since they don't have to wait until 10 a.m. to play together!

Undecided

I'm not sure which picture I'm going to use for today, because both are fairly defining for how different family members spent their time. Since it's my blog, I can decide to adjust the rules to suit my needs, so maybe it'll be a 2-picture day (although I've taken more like 75!).

One of my favorite parts of school was going on field trips, and my kids feel the same. Today I got to accompany Ryan on a trip to Historic Latta Plantation. We learned so much about plantation life from our gracious tour guide (who reminded me a LOT of a blonde Alyson Hannigan in American Pie). I can not imagine what it must have been like to live during those times. Ryan was particularly grossed out by the fact that once a child turned 6, he or she was responsible for emptying and cleaning the family's chamberpots each morning! We got to tour the house, kitchen house, slave quarters, and grounds. Ryan got to make a beeswax candle. But the best part for him was getting to go home with me and get home an hour before his sisters. Gotta love those priorities!











When we got home I discovered that Kevin's work load was on the low side today so inbetween calls he painted the dining room! I had done all the taping yesterday, but was amazed that he got all the walls and ceiling done already. I like how the color stands out against our main downstairs color.

Decisions, Decisions

I maintain that the hardest part of painting is figuring out which color a room should be. Kevin (the painter) does not agree. However, since Kevin is in the mood to do painting, and since this only seems to happen during the end of January/beginning of February, I'm picking out paint colors. And he really does seem to enjoy the project--it's totally his idea, afterall! I find with him I get way more accomplished around here by not nagging. I may have to wait a year or two (or 3) to get pictures hung, but once he's in the mood, he'll hang pictures (or paint, or build shelves, etc.) all day, for several days and he'll do a really good job of it. And I get to learn the virtue of patience. Totally worth the wait.

Apparently, I Rock.

I felt like dinner tonight was one of my cop-out meals. The kind that just gets thrown together without any kind of recipe. After all, it was just taco night. Brown some ground beef, throw in a seasoning packet and some water, warm up some tortillas, cut up some tomato and avocado, shred a little cheese, heat up a can of corn, slice a few apples. Voila! It would seem that my children felt otherwise. About midway through dinner, Katy commented "Mommy, this is the best dinner. You are the best cooker." Huh. Maybe I need to keep it simple more often.

Why We're in NC

Kevin used to spend over 2 1/2 hours every day commuting to and from work when we were in northern Virginia. He would leave around 7 in the morning and get home around 6 in the evening. Our kids go to bed at 7, so that left virtually no time with their father. Now he takes them to the bus stop several mornings a week, and comes down for a little break when they first get home from school. And barring any conference calls, he's "home" by 5:00 every night. Add to this that he now has a large, quiet office in the trees with a treadclimber, TV and full bathroom just steps from his desk (not to mention a comfy bed to take those long phone calls from). Not a bad gig.

Love Notes

Who wouldn't melt if they found this while going through their daughter's "Home Folder" after school:











Translation for those not used to deciphering kindergartenese: "Dear Mom, I miss you. I love you. I really miss you. Dear Olivia"

Morning Routine

The kids have to leave for the bus stop by 6:50 in the mornings, which can make for a bit of a rush. To ease the routine, we pick out clothes the night before and make sure backpacks are packed and ready to go. We like them to sleep as late as possible, so their alarms go off at 6:13 (don't ask, I have no idea how that time was decided!). They get dressed and head straight downstairs for breakfast. Most mornings its cereal, but sometimes we have pancakes left from the weekend, and tomorrow we'll have homemade banana bread--yum! While they work on eating, I pack their lunches. We usually finish at the same time and then I fix hair while they put on shoes and jackets and lip balm. There's not much time built in for extras, but 97% of the time we run like a well-oiled machine.

Getting Organized

A few nights ago Kevin & I were watching a program on HGTV about selling your house. No, we're not planning on moving! Just like watching the shows. Anyway, the staging professional was organizing the pantry, and when she was done I was reminded how much I like having my own pantry nice and neat. Sadly it has gotten sort of sloppy since the last time I cleaned it out. I was inspired--after all, why should your home only look nice and neat and organized when you're trying to sell it? That's how I want it to look while I'm living there! So while Kevin painted our powder room, I worked on cleaning up the pantry. My next big project is rearranging the kitchen cabinets--now that we've lived here over 2 years I have a much better idea of how I work in this kitchen and some things need to get moved around.

Childhood Revisited

Having children has a way of bringing vivid memories of your own childhood crashing back to you. Sometimes, like when they're crying because a friend has been mean to them, it can be heart-wrenching. Other times it's just amusing. Like today, for instance, as Olivia decided that she no longer needs my help getting bandaids down from the cabinet. I can't remember how many times I climbed onto counters when I was a kid (still have to sometimes!). Guess it's time to invest in stock in bandage manufacturers since I won't be able to control access to them as easily now...

Mr. Fixit

After visiting Mom & Dad P over the Christmas holidays and seeing their beautiful new blinds, Kevin was inspired to get wooden blinds to cover our front downstairs windows. We decided on a dark cherry finish with black twill tapes and they arrived this afternoon! I heard Kevin using the drill downstairs, but figured I had plenty of time to get down there and snap a picture--after all he had to hang them in four windows. However less than 30 minutes after he had started when I finally showed up with my camera, he was already done and cleaning up! That is one handy man I'm married to--and he was willing to humor me and pose by one of the finished windows. I'm a lucky girl. Isn't it funny how little things like that can hit you sometimes and just fill your heart with love?

Bubbly Bathing Beauties

While driving home yesterday the girls begged to have a bubble bath that afternoon. They had just been bathed that morning, and with the way they battle dry skin in the winter I didn't want them to have two in one day. I promised them that they could have a long, "play" bubble bath tomorrow which seemed to satisfy them. Almost as soon as they walked through the door from school this afternoon they were reminding me about their bubble bath. Seemed like a great opportunity for today's picture. Love that natural light--it makes them look so beautifully rosy. Not that they need much help. Hopefully they won't be too mortified by this picture in later years--I think it is simply perfect--exactly who they are right now.

Fresh Cut

Ryan desperately wants to have long, mussy-looking hair. It's the style that seems to be quite popular right now for boys. But that desire is just not sitting well with his well-groomed Daddy (kinda ironic, isn't it?). Every time he gets to the point where Kevin can't take it anymore, the struggle begins anew. Apparently while I was away this weekend Kevin tried to take him for a haircut and Ryan begged for him to wait and let Mommy take him. Hmmmm. Guess he knows that I'm a bit more sympathetic to his desire to express himself. Never said he wasn't bright! Anyway, after I got home today I took him to Pigtails & Crewcuts and found a very receptive stylist who listened to what was important to both of us--neat, but longish. I think she did a great job. Ryan & Kevin are happy too.

Spoiler Warnings

In case you like to read my blog in the order in which events occur, you will need to close your eyes and scroll down towards the bottom of the page. I can not figure out how to get the posts to display in reverse order, and because of my trip I haven't been able to post the past 6 days in order. Grrrr. Being a techno-dummy can be a pain sometimes!

It all Ends up Here

At approximately 4 a.m. I woke up with a really bad feeling in my stomach... I will not bore you with any graphic details, but suffice it to say that my dear friend Stephanie was subjected to seeing and hearing more than any person who's not your mother or your spouse should have to. The up side is that I was supposed to pick up the girls today, the Zirkle's were happy to keep them an extra day, and none of my children ended up exposed to whatever I had. Unfortunately I can not say the same for Steph's kids. I was careful to wipe all bathroom surfaces with Clorox wipes after each visit...













ETA: I've been looking at other blogs involved in this project and they all seem to have pictures of President Obama for this day. Given my feelings about his presidency, this one still seems to fit.

Getting Out of Dodge

After an enjoyable weekend in Maryland, it was time for me to head back down to North Cackalackey. The following day was Barack Obama's inauguration and I wanted to be out of the DC Metro area--traffic is bad enough around there without all the added hullaballoo! I had a short stop planned at Stephanie's, which turned out to be a blessing... And don't worry, Mom, I was quite safe while taking this photo--both hands on the steering wheel, camera balanced on steering wheel to prevent camera shake, a couple of quick clicks as the sign approached, eyes on the road at all times--I promise!

Assisting with Sleep

Beth and Rob were treated to immense sleep deprivation by Sunday morning thanks to two relatively sleepless nights. I got to take Ally to Columbia Mall for a few hours while Mandy napped so that Beth & Rob could catch some zzzzz's as well. After several hours spent wandering the mall, playing in the play area, riding the escalator, and best of all riding the merry-go-round, we headed home. We were met by cheerful faces who had managed to get a bit of a nap and a shower. After a quick lunch, the 3/4 of the Stewart clan headed upstairs for an afternoon nap, and I had the pleasure of holding and cuddling my new neice.

Big Sister Day

Beth and Rob brought Amanda home from the hospital today, much to Ally's delight. Almost as soon as she was in the door Ally was begging to hold her. Her huge grin melted a bit when Mandy soon began crying. Beth quickly explained that new babies have to eat a lot and it had been a while since Mandy had eaten anything. Imagine Ally's surprise at seeing Mandy nurse! By the next day she was feeding her own dolls from her tummy too. So cute.

Introducing Amanda Paige Stewart

Ryan is home with Kevin for the long 5-day weekend. The girls are at Nana & Pap's. And I am in Maryland with my family meeting my new neice. She is simply perfect. There is nothing quite like being so close to something so fresh from God.

Getting Ready

I spent today running around in my van. First I volunteered in Olivia's class, and then it was off to Staples to pick up some last minute items for tonight's GeneWize Information Session that we put together at the local library. When I returned I had time to practice my presentation with Barbara, and then it was off to the bus stop (did this on foot). Back home I ran around getting everything put together that we needed to take and worked on packing for tomorrow's trip to Maryland. All the while I was waiting to hear how my sister was doing--she had gone to the hospital that morning to have labor induced! Just as I was getting ready to leave for the presentation I got the call that I was an aunt again and that everyone was healthy. Can't wait to hit the road tomorrow!

My Little Reader

I can not imagine how rewarding it must be for kindergarten teachers to watch an entire class full of children learn to read, because I have found it utterly amazing as each of my three have unlocked the alphabet and discovered its secrets. Ryan is reading on a fifth-grade level and is currently devouring the Lemony Snicket books. Olivia is reading at the level of a first-grader in the middle of the year and really is enjoying a series of books about 2 little dogs named Bella & Rosie. Katelyn is reading at the level of a late first-grader/early second-grader and has been enjoying reading all our old Dr. Seuss books. As a lover of reading, it is unbelievably gratifying to watch my children develop an enjoyment of books too!

RDE

Olivia is very diligent about saving her money, and also loves doing chores around the house to earn money. Thanks to a visit from the tooth fairy a few nights ago, she had enough to buy a Lil Kinz that she has been wanting for a while. We had to stop at 3 different stores that carry Webkinz products around us, but finally found the Cardinal at Cracker Barrel. She now registers her Webkinz on her account by herself (can't believe how tech-savvy my kids are already). She decided to name this bird "Red" for obvious reasons, but had a slight bauble while typing, so he is officially "RDE" instead. Oh, and she's wondering when she'll lose another tooth so that the tooth fairy can come again...

Never-Melting Snowmen

This month the girls are learning about all kinds of winter-related things in school. Everything from penguins to Eskimos. Oh, and that white stuff. You know, snow? We don't get much snow around here in North Carolina, so our kids don't get much opportunity to build things like snowmen. As a homework assignment, each kindergartener got to build a "never-melting snowman" using different craft-type things. We took a fun trip to Michaels and decided to use styrofoam balls to construct our snowmen. Thanks to my scrapbooking supplies, we had an easy way to do the eyes, mouths and buttons with brads. They collected sticks from outside for the arms and we used felt to make the noses, scarves and hats. Katy's snowman has the larger nose & hat, Livvy's snowman has a more closely spaced mouth (their observations, not mine). The class will use the snowmen for all types of learning activities throughout the rest of the month.

Toothfairy Time!

Oh thank God. This tooth has been loose for several months, but it has been very loose, like hanging by a literal thread, for about 4 days. Flapping when she talks. Olivia has not been eating unless she can break her food into a tiny piece and place it in the back of her mouth. She would not let us touch it. She would not even wiggle it herself. She was terrified of loosing this tooth. I couldn't take it anymore this afternoon and so I was a bad mommy and forcibly made her let me feel how loose it was. I gave it the tiniest of little, itsy, bitsy pushes in the opposite direction and it fell onto her tongue. I'm not sure if her tears were from relief or shock, but the tooth is now safely tucked into her new toothfairy pillow. Hopefully the next wobbly tooth will be a bit less traumatic.

Coach K

Duke's Coach K has nothing on my Coach K. Sure, Duke may have won a lot of games and championships, but that was with kids who were recruited because they were already great basketball players. My Coach K is teaching kids the skills to become great basketball players. And he does it with patience, and humor, and helps them to learn the fundamentals of the game and good sportsmanship. And some of the kids on his team have a lot to learn. They just need to stick with my Coach K.

Introducing Harriet

Harriet is the class bear for Mrs. Wagner's kindergarten class. She spends her weeks hanging out in the classroom, but on the weekends she gets to vacation at the homes of the children in the class. She has her very own travel journal to record all the fun that was had on each of her trips. This weekend she has traveled to our home to visit Katelyn!

Lunch Lady

Every Thursday I volunteer in Olivia's classroom for 40 minutes at the art center, and then for about 30 minutes in the cafeteria for lunch. Livvy LOVES when I'm there, and I enjoy knowing that I'm doing something that she appreciates so much. As a "lunch mom" I get to help the kids open their milk cartons and other packaging, cut apples, peel bananas, give lots of hugs & kisses to Livvy and Katy (who is just a few tables away), and then wipe down the tables and sweep the floor under their table when they're done. It is amazing how much more independent they have all become just since the beginning of school.

Wiped Out

Getting back to the school routine has been hard on the kids. We weren't the most responsible parents over Christmas break and allowed them to stay up much later than usual on more than one (okay more than two or three) occasions. They really handled the late nights well, but after three early mornings and three long days of school, Katy in particular was showing the effects. I shot this picture about a half an hour before dinner.

Seasonal Water View

This time last year we were still in the middle of a drought. We hoped for a rainy winter to help mitigate the effects of the previous 6 months. Well, rain it did, and rain it has. And now when I look out my windows, I can see Lake Norman across the street. I love how the weather affects the way the water looks--can you tell it's been raining again? But I'll take rain any day over the ice our friends up north are getting! It's the middle of winter and in the mid 50s outside.

Back to the Grind

My original plan for a picture for today was the kids going off to the school bus. However getting 3 still sleepy kids dressed, fed and out the door with lunches this morning got to be a bit too much, so I captured them emptying their home folders this afternoon instead. It is amazing how much paper comes home every day with 3 elementary school aged children.

End of Break

The last day of a 2-week long Christmas vacation. Ryan & Brandon are heading out to play flag football and Nerf tag with Jake & Gavin. They'll be taking Mr. Chum Chum (the hand puppet that drives me crazy) with them...

Holiday Hangover

If I had my way, Christmas decorations would all be put away by December 31st. I love the idea of starting a new year with my home clean and clear of the holiday clutter. But since we didn't return from holiday traveling until January 1st, and the 2nd was spent unpacking and doing laundry, that means the decorations won't be put away until today. And then the new year can officially begin.

Laundry

After more than a week away from home, the laundry really piles up. I got everything unpacked last night and have 8 BIG loads to do today. So glad I was caught up on cleaning and laundry before we left on our trip!

Project 365

Okay, if I'm going to be honest, I have been really struggling with this blog thing. There are soooo many things that I mean to put up here, and then I don't get around to it, and then more things happen, and then I have this HUGE post that I feel some sense of obligation to put up to keep things up to date. And then the blog becomes a source of tension and stress.

Well, no more. This is supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be a way for our friends and family to keep up with what's going on with us. And mostly, it's supposed to be EASY. Where's my EASY button?!

So this year I am embarking upon a scrapbook challenge called "Project 365." It's fairly evident what that means--a picture a day, EVERY day, for an entire year. And a quick blurb about the picture. Emphasis upon quick. And easy. And the cool thing is that I'm getting this kit that is going to allow me to make a super quick and easy scrapbook of this endeavor.

I was thinking to myself, "self, this would be a great way to keep up with the blog! Each day when I load my single photo of the day to my computer, I can simply add it to the blog, along with my daily blurb." Cool.

Now that's not to say that I'll only be taking that single picture each day. I'm sure there will be plenty of days where I'll be taking WAAAAAAAAAY more than one. But I'm going to stick with just putting that one pic a day on the blog, and save all the other photos for the photobook at the end of the year. That way those pictures will all be a wonderful surprise for the photobook recipients!

And so, here we go. Project Zirkle 365.

January 1, 2009
Today is Orange Bowl day for Virginia Tech. And we are driving home from our DELMARVA Christmas tour showing our colors. By the way, VT WON!!!