Nature walk

Ellie led me on a nature walk today.

The leaves are starting to turn bright colors

But not quite as bright as these hairclips I bought for her and Violet to share

She doesn't even care if she looks like Princess Leia with one behind each ear.

On our way back home we found a really neat tree-lined path

Come on Mom!

Look Mom, I'm taller than you!

Aren't the leaves going to be beautiful?

But not as beautiful as Ellie :)

Today was not my day

It was supposed to start out well.  Jason promised Rowan that he would wake up early to spend time with him, leaving me to sleep in with Violet.  Unfortunately, Violet also woke up, but at least she was content to stay in bed with me and gaze around while I dozed until she fell asleep again.  So, I had a late start to the day, but from the time I woke up until just a couple of minutes ago, I have been running nonstop.  Here is a picture that pretty much sums up my day:

I put these dishes in hot soapy water to soak just after I woke up.  They are still sitting there now, in cold scummy water, waiting for me to drain the water and refill so I can wash them.  I just never got a chance to clean them today.  In between snacks, lunch, walking to and from preschool (twice), having a friend over to play, playing outside after school, and running to ballet, we were pretty busy.  Throw in a fussy 5-week-old, and my hands were too full to wash dishes.

I mentioned ballet - today Ellie started another cycle of ballet class tonight.  It is at an inconvenient time for us, but not impossible.  I lucked out and a neighbor volunteered to have Rowan over to play with her boys, but I did have to wake up Violet to race to ballet with Ellie.  Big mistake!  She was not happy with me, and she was very vocal about it.  In fact, I must have looked pretty flustered, because one of the moms at ballet (a complete stranger) kindly offered to pick up or drop off Ellie any time.  Hmm, a little odd, but she was very sweet.  Violet calmed down a little as we sat down to wait for our ballet girls.  Then, she exploded in her diaper.  Ah, that made her feel even better - for a few minutes.  Then she was not happy about the stuff in her diaper.  The problem?  I didn't have any other diapers.  I grabbed one during our rush out the door, but I must have dropped it on the way to the car.  So, I took the screaming baby to the car to hunt for something that could be a diaper.  I found a cloth wipe (and some disposable wipes) and headed back into the school, but I didn't make it there without falling into a small hole in the grass and scraping up my leg.  See?

I totally fell to the ground, but luckily I had a tight grasp on Violet and she was unharmed (she was also unharmed when Rowan brought her to me this afternoon, but that's another story).  So, I went into the bathroom, wiped up Violet, and made a temporary diaper out of paper towels and the cloth wipe.  I felt a little embarrassed going back to the other moms, because I now had another reason for them to feel pity for me, but I asked the helpful mom to hold Violet while I cleaned off my leg as well as I could.  And yes, it was as painful as it looks :)

Then, I came home, put a real diaper on Violet, and put all three kids to bed.  Thankyouverymuch.  I don't really drink alcohol, or I would be having a nice glass of wine or two right now.  Instead, I indulge in gooey treats.  Like warm peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with frozen vanilla custard and nutella on top.

Now, who wants to go reach in the sink and unplug the scummy water so I can wash the dishes???

Baby love... for a little while

One month? Seriously?!?

Violet is one month old today.  When did that happen?  We've been so busy around here that the time has just flown by.  Just look at how much she has grown!

So many people ask me, "How do you do it all?"  The honest answer is, I don't.  The house is usually a mess, the older kids are always fighting, and sometimes I don't shower for 3 days straight.  I just make what is important to me a priority.  For me, that is family, food, and fun.  I'll pack up the kids and head to the library to escape the toys covering the living room.  Push all the dirty dishes into the sink so I can make apple crisp.  Skip a shower and even some sleep if it means game night with the neighbors (as long as they don't mind the smell!). 

Still, it has been a little chaotic around here lately.  I know Ellie is old enough now to start having permanent memories, and I sure hope she doesn't remember holding her screaming sister while I go to the bathroom, playing in pajamas with Rowan while Jason and I try to sleep in a little longer, and spending "mom and me time" cleaning the bathrooms.  Instead, I hope she remembers going apple picking as a family, riding her bike down to the soccer field with Daddy every day for soccer camp, and climbing trees with neighbor friends.  I am being very conscious of not putting too much responsibility on her at such a young age, but it is so tempting to ask her for help when I just need a helping hand, because she is usually my most responsible option. 

 Violet is by far our most attached baby.  I never thought I would let one of our kids sleep in the bed with us, but it has just worked out best to have her stay in our bed.  Actually, Violet is pretty much on me all day and night, except when Jason is home from work and able to walk around holding her.  She is the most content snuggled up in someone's arms (or baby carrier).  (By the way, have I told you all about our trip to my dentist when she was 3 weeks old?  Let's just say, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would nurse a baby while reclined with my mouth wide open as the dental hygienist scraped away at my teeth.  Fun times.)   As she gets older, she does tolerate lying down to look around for brief periods of time.  Especially if Rowan is entertaining her :)

The next two months are gearing up to be even more busy for our family.  Jason is working full time for the university's teacher assistant union throughout the 2010 election.  The older kids have started preschool again - Ellie going M/W/F afternoons and Rowan going T/Th afternoons - which means we walk to the preschool every weekday.  We'll also be doing homeschooling activities with both of them.  In addition to school, Ellie is taking yoga and ballet and Rowan is taking yoga and soccer.  Little Violet will be busy learning basically everything.  And me, well, right now I'm just along for the ride :)