Another edition of Monday Love…
A Quote: There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. – Jane Austen
Something personal: Many of you know that we put our house up for sale at the end of January. It was so much hard work, packing and filling an entire storage unit with “stuff” we thought we could live without for several months — until we unpacked it in a new place. And then spending many weekends cleaning our house for strangers to peruse and inspect, always making the “top of the list,” but never getting an offer. Many things have happened between then and now, but the bottom line is: we are staying. While it is such a relief, it’s also so overwhelming. We want to do several things to make our house easier to enjoy (top priority is a fence!) and we have to deal with bringing back all the “stuff” that once cluttered our lives. All of that aside, I am truly happy to be in my home and to spend an amazing weekend with my family (without worrying about a showing). This is our first house as a married couple, our first house as parents, and our children’s first home. It is so very special.
Jake has been enjoying the garage (aka Daddy’s workspace) during our transition process, because there is soooooo much trouble for him to find. Hammers, screwdrivers, wood, power tools — any boy’s dream.
Love this pic of my Jakester.
Kylie got to spend time with her BFF – Ainslee. Love these girls!!!!
The highlight of the weekend was the hour spent playing in the sprinkler. Our house has a HUGE front yard and very small backyard, so Jeff put an old-time sprinkler head in the grass and let the kids run around out front (yes, clothing on, very redneck). They laughed, we laughed, it was so much fun. Kylie announced that we should do this EVERY Sunday afternoon! Hmmmm, okay. :)
I had to share this last one of Kylie, along with a little story. Being the primary caregiver for my children, I have spent so much of my time in “mommy-mode.” You know the drill: feeding, changing, kissing boo-boos, scolding, hugging, bedtime, etc. Of course, Jeff does MORE than his fair share of these things, but the kids have always looked to me a bit more as the authority figure during these early years. I remember reading something about these stages of parenting (in Rosemond maybe?) and how the mother needs to transition away from sole-caregiver and make sure that she allows for the father to re-insert himself as an authority figure so the mother can be the “wife” too – not just always the mommy. It’s much deeper than what I’m explaining – but that’s the gist. Anyway, I have really tried to “let go” of my control a bit, which is hard for me since I’m a control freak anyway. This morning Kylie and I had yet another battle about her clothes and when she went to Daddy, he over-ruled me. I didn’t say a word. Later today I told Kylie there would be no “treat” after dinner. She went to Daddy (who was sitting right next to me) and he over-ruled me again, and agreed to let her have a Fig Newton. Logically, Jeff and I both know it’s a good compromise, because one fat-free Fig Newton is WAY better than ice cream or cookies, etc. But to Kylie, it was another victory. I didn’t say a word. On one hand, I believe that parents should stick together and back each other up with decisions (big or small). On the other hand, I feel like this is a transition and Kylie is beginning to see Jeff as more of an authority figure – and granting him the respect that he very much deserves. With these little victories Kylie can see that Daddy also has the “parent-power” and that he is an equal in parenting and in our marriage.
And so, my Kylie Bear, wet from the hose and so very happy with her “treat” from Daddy…..
A cool shopping find: I wanted to share this
cool shopping list from Real Simple that I have been using for the grocery store. Maybe you already have one, but I used to just list the items randomly on a piece of paper, and then curse myself when I forgot something that was way back on the first aisle when I had reached the last aisle. This list also helps keep me from buying things I don’t need, since I don’t even go down an aisle unless I need something from my list.
Weekday Dinner Plan
A peek: Last but not least, a teeny-tiny peek from my Mommy Sessions on Saturday! ;)
We spent some extra time doing pictures of Mr. P and Miss Lily Kate, who are both growing up into such beautiful kids. Big brother loves his little sisters so much and never hesitates to cuddle in with them for pictures (SO cute!). Maggie was completely disinterested in me (as most one-year-olds are) but I managed to capture the essence of her age — discovery (mostly of the leaves and rocks!). If you want to go back in time, you can see her NEWBORN images and her SITTING/SMILING images too!
by Crystal
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