Another edition of Monday Love…
A quote: A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother. - Mark Twain
Something personal: We had the joy of keeping our niece, Ally, this past weekend. It was quite interesting to have three children, age 5 and under, running (and toddling) around. I spent the first few hours alone with Ally while my two kids were at school, and it was truly peaceful. She stared at me almost the whole time while I made her lunch. She willingly tried everything I put in front of her, she smiled and pointed, and even clapped. WOW! My kids never clap when I serve them food (except maybe for ice cream)! It was a poignant reminder of how my life has changed over the last five years. From no babies, to babies that can’t walk or talk yet, to children that follow me constantly and demand things from sunup to sundown. At each stage, I must admit, I longed for the next. And then, sitting at that table with sweet (and very quiet) Ally, I wondered what my hurry was? Even now I’m constantly thinking, “I can’t wait until they are just a little older so we can (insert any activity here) without a meltdown, tantrum, or slew of complaints.” And yet, could anything be more precious than my Kylie Bear saying she did a prayer at school chapel for me so that Jake wouldn’t wake me up in the middle of the night anymore and I could get more sleep? Or, what about my two year old Jake saying “I just want you Mommy” when asked why he’s crying. My children love me more than they can even put into words, so it’s hard to figure out why I want them to grow up. I think I’m just tired. And after the last several weeks of interrupted sleep, I can say that being tired really changes my attitude about things – including my children. But little miss Ally was a good reminder of how fast they grow and change. AND, my kids used to clap when I served them food, but then they grew up.
With three kids in the house, I didn’t have time for any fancy photos, but here are a few quick pics of my niece. Isn’t she adorable?? And yes, I did the ponytail on top of her head. Hee-hee!
And I must say, she was the EASIEST of the three kiddos! :)
Something I love: As I mentioned before, we’ve had some rough nights in the James household! I think it’s payback for Jake sleeping through the night almost 100% of the time in his first two years (after 12 weeks of course). He’s been waking up multiple times per night, often crying about bees in his crib, or a bug on him. :( Enter, my Tassimo Espresso Machine. I’m actually not a huge coffee drinker. Meaning, I don’t drink coffee everyday, nor do I “have to” start my day with it. But, when I’m really tired in the morning, it calls to me — seriously, it does, I’m not delirious! Since Jeff doesn’t drink coffee, and Starbucks gets VERY expensive, I wanted something that could make just one cup of Starbucks coffee — AND I wanted a latte or cappuccino, rather than just a plain cup of joe. This thing ROCKS! And I actually like the Gevalia Latte and flavored coffees even better than Starbucks (which is a good thing, since the Starbucks T-Discs have been discontinued). It makes a wonderful, frothy, steamed milk for the latte, or you can add that to your regular coffee as well. And my kids (and Jeff) love the hot chocolate. It’s awesome! :)
Darn it! Now I really want a cup of coffee!
Happy Monday!!!
by Crystal
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