Bob the Builder, surprises, and mind tricks

I think my mind is playing tricks on me, but I swear my girls grew today. They picked me up with Dan on the stairs outside of the library today, and I looked at them and thought 'why in the world do they look bigger and older?!' My sweet girls. Abrie starts doing her sideways wave to me and jumping up and down in Dan's arms the second she sees me, and my big girls give me the biggest hugs imaginable.

*****

I'm wondering how Dan will manage with his three lovely ladies when he is sleep deprived starting tomorrow. It just so happened that he was off these past two nights which coincided with my first two days. So, I don't know if he'll have less enthusiasm on those days or if he'll keep kicking butt at this? He has been awesome. It's neat to hear his little stories about their day now. He used the free museum pass from the library to take them there this morning. There is a temporary 'Bob the Builder' exhibit at the museum until May, and apparently it is really neat. He took some pictures for me, and I thought they were too cute. He said they had a lot of fun.

I heard Maddie and Faith whispering in the back seat today on our drive home. Maddie kept saying to Faith, "shhh, it's a secret. Don't tell Momma!" I kept asking Faith and Maddie what the secret was, and I couldn't believe that even Faith wouldn't tell me. She just kept doing her crooked little smile! Their secret upon pulling into the driveway was that they had planted a mini-garden with Daddy. They were so proud! Dan has been wanting to have a little garden for the longest time, and he kept encouraging them to paint more and more creek rocks for it. They used them for decoration and then Dan let them plant some little flower seeds. It's quite cute, and I'm sure they'll be out there every day checking to see if they have grown!

I need to be next to them

My little family is all I think about it when they are not with me.

Oh, how I missed my little girls today. I kept thinking about beautiful freckles, my funny Flop voice, and my little Show-by Dobey Doobey Snack.

Dan took them to Chuck E Cheese this morning-- a place that I despise. They haven't been there in a year or so, and boy were they excited to have today as an excuse to go with Daddy. They spent the rest of the day playing Cars (Disney Cars is a hit with the three of them.. I have found it quite surreal to see all three of them playing so well together with their cars and the rollercoaster and all because that was one of the first things that Maddie and Faith used to play together when Faith was becoming more of a toddler at about 8-9 months. Abrielle loves to play Cars, and the three of them sit there forever together).

Of working

Had an interview with the director of the library on Wednesday, and got the call that afternoon that I was hired.

I'm ecstatic in some ways. Some of the financial load will be taken from Dan's shoulders, and now I can help. Having a house comes with a lot of hidden costs.

I am overwhelmed emotionally in other ways at the same time. And, to say I am overwhelmed is putting it mildly. I'll be away from my three little girls-- for the first time ever since Maddie was born 5 years and 2 months ago. Granted, they will be with Daddy (who will be forsaking sleep to stay up with them), but selfishly I want to continue to be with them 24/7. I know there will come a day when they may not want to be with me 24/7, and so I relish the time that we spend together here and now. I know these moments are fleeting, and I live for them. THEY have been my 'career' for all these years, and the best one I could have ever imagined.

Ideally, I would love to pursue photography which is truly the only other passion I have besides my beautiful, little family. But, we must do what we have to do. Dan is already excited to figure out things to do with his little ladies. He's funny because he has been asking me for ideas of different playgrounds and places to go. He will probably be sleep deprived, but I know he will thoroughly enjoy the time he will get one-on-one with his girls.

From here on out I think the name of the game will be o.r.g.a.n.i.z.a.t.i.o.n. I am a very organized person, but I have a feeling I will now have to be above and beyond organized for the sake of time management.

*****

Totally unrelated, but our friends introduced us to an awesome little sandwich shop in West Reading today, the Yellow Submarine. It was so cool and delicious. The whole shop is decorated in Beatles murals and memorabilia. Girlies thought it was terrific just to say they were eating in a 'yellow submarine!' Haha.

We also went for the 2nd year to the Easter eggstravaganza at Gring's Mill this morning. This was Abrielle's first time, and she was a bit of a pistol at first because of the morning cold, but then calmed down and loved it. She went from screaming in everyone's ears to waving and smiling to one and all. She LOVED the Easter bunny, and of course the little petting farm. Maddie and Faith exchanged their white eggs for dyed eggs in the craft barn, and painted them in the comfort of home after I got Abrie down for her afternoon nap.

B2: (Almost) 11 months old

My Abrie has been so unbelievably pleasant this past week.

Her sleep is off and on, and has been since about the end of January. Those darn teeth. She still only has her bottom two teeth, but I can tell that there are many more that are trying to come through. Her sleep has been much better this past week, but the week before that it was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. Not only her nighttime sleep, but her naps as well.

But this past week? The girl has been on the ball with her charm. Sissys are loving it, and she has even been more flirtatious with strangers and other people which is totally not her style. My girl is not a stranger lover. She wants not much to do with anyone besides Dan and I. But, lately she's been doing her sideways wave to everyone and anyone that approaches within a few yards. It's hysterical.

The girl LOVES, LOVES, LOVES puppies and kittens. She has two books that are her all time favorites right now about peek-a-boo puppies and kittens. And, she discovered Faith's puppy that walks and barks that we got Faith when she turned one. Remarkably, the thing still has the same batteries that it came with (mind you, it was one of those Target brand toys) and still works. Abrie absolutely loves this puppy. She hugs it, kisses it, talks to it, and waves to it to come to her.

It's funny too that my girl is on the left side of every growth chart known to man, and yet the girl is going to eat us out of our home. She has always either been off her chart completely, or been in the 5% for her growth, but people comment to me all the time that they don't know where she is putting all this food. She eats like a horse. Her nursing has actually also gotten much better in the past two weeks which is wonderful. It's ironic though too that Abrie has always been smaller than Faith when it comes to statistics, but yet, she does seem bigger than Faith used to be at this age. Then again, she is wearing clothes that has been passed on by her sisters so it's all been washed and, inevitably, shrunk! But, she is wearing 12 months and sometimes even 18 months.

Our little Showcase is almost 11 months old (2 more days) and just so much fun.

Beautiful weather and busy-ness

Today is rainy, and tomorrow is supposed to be the same. But, there is no way that I can complain even in the slightest. We just had one of the most beautiful March weeks that I can remember.

I swear it was one of the busiest last week too. We definitely made time to be outdoors daily though, and absolutely enjoyed it.

Monday: Had some neighborhood friends over for a pre-St. Patrick's Day 'fiesta' of sorts. Maddie and Faith both tell you emphatically that they don't like St. Patrick's Day since it is a green day, and to them it should be pink (M) or blue (F)! They are too funny. So, I tell them it is their favorite holiday just to harass them! (I also tell them that they'll fit the three 'Sleeping Beauty' fairies perfectly if Abrie ends up with green as her favorite color one day). Anyway, I decided to make it fun for them and they decorated green jello-poke cupcakes and made a rainbow/shamrock banner. They had a lot of fun.

Monday was also Abrie's follow-up appointment with the doctor for her purplish skin. They told us that she has unexplained cyanosis, and that she should grow out of it. They did an oxygen test, and said they might follow up with labs if it's still like this at her 1-year check.

Tuesday: Had my first 'photo shoot' with a neighbor. I thought it was quite successful, and my girlies were overjoyed that the subjects were- for once- not them!

Wednesday: Maddie's first dentist appointment! She was quite nervous for this, as she has been with everything else related to talking about kindergarten preparations. But, she did wonderfully. Faith and I went in to the room with her, and she sat very still for it all and they each got a quarter afterwards for a prize.

I had another interview at the library in the afternoon, and am hoping this one will be successful.

Thursday: Went to Lancaster to see cousins Tyler and Molly, and Grammy and PaPa. Girlies had a blast at this awesome playground that we went to with their cousins. It is called 'Daniel's Den' and it is behind a church in Mountville. It was perfect for all ages. Abrie had a blast too. The girl could live on the swings! And, the lake behind Grammy's house is perfect for hiking and fishing. Dan wanted to check out some fishing spots.

Friday: Went to St. Pete's to hike and have a picnic in the morning. Another favorite spot. And, another interview with the library in the afternoon. We tried out a place that opened up right across the street from us for dinner that night, and it was delicious and a lot of fun. I love that it takes us 2 minutes to walk there!

The weekend was also beautiful and we enjoyed it at the creek and elsewhere.

When there's nothing better to do on a rainy day...

... play some indoor hopscotch!

Girlies love these Crayola Color Surge fluorescent markers and paper, and at Five Below they are about $10 cheaper than the normal price. It was such a nasty day today, and we spent the entire day inside. Abrie was a ham all day and in the cutest mood ever, and while she was playing with all of their Cars, I decided to use the bright paper to make big girls an indoor hopscotch. They loved it!

C: Get ready, get set...

... I suppose the 2nd part to this will come in August/September.

Today was kindergarten registration day. I truly think I might need some sort of tranquilizer when school does start next fall. I already felt ready to lose my composure at any second today just being in Maddie's proposed school.

I feel as though I have successfully homeschooled my girls (and continue to do so) rather than going the pre-school route, and wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I haven't seriously considered keeping Maddie out of public school. It is definitely still there as an option, but as of right now, I think Dan and I are both convinced that we will try this route and see how it goes. It is just proving to be more emotional than even I could have expected.

It seems surreal to me to have been getting Maddie ready today for her kindergarten registration. And, this is only REGISTRATION. School hasn't even started yet! We walked up to the school on Tuesday this week and picked up the papers (it's a beautiful walk through our neighborhood), and went up to French Creek this afternoon to eat a packed dinner by the playground and the water beforehand. It felt so surreal to be walking Maddie up to the school doors, and the anticipation and anxiety overcame me knowing that this is a first step to a first step of letting go in her life.

I think my main thing with my girls is that I love having them here with me. I love watching them learn. I love doing things with them, and teaching them. I love their curiosity and their companionship-- to each other, and with their Daddy and I. It's hard for me to think about not having Maddie here with her sissys next year during our daily 'adventures,' and to think about putting my trust in someone else to watch over her and keep her as happy and safe as she is here at home.

It's hard for me to even write without getting emotional! And, so I will continue to focus on the fact that we still have all of spring and summer to enjoy with our Cran. Not to mention, I know she will excel in the whole experience of it all.

*****

Maddie did wonderful during the 30-or-so minute 'assessment' today. She was too cute, and we were so proud. She went with the teacher and principal without showing the fear that she had told us she was experiencing. Dan felt even more proud because he said kindergarten was one of the most traumatic experiences of his childhood! He was totally a 'Momma's boy' and says he still remembers crying and crying about not wanting to leave his Mom. So, he was very pleased with how eagerly she went. The principal (who is as sweet as can be) came up to us and told us, "I just had the best conversation with your daughter. She was telling me, 'I am a little nervous about this' and went on to tell me 'this summer I want to be able to go underwater, but I don't want to dive headfirst because my Momma suggested that I will hit the wood at the bottom of the pool." Oh man, I started cracking up about that! Dan couldn't figure out what Maddie had been talking about, but I remember telling her one time about how she should never dive headfirst into shallow water, and she must have figured that the bottom of the pool is made of wood! Haha.

She did her vision test and hearing test, and they took her back to draw a picture of herself and do the computer for letter and number identification. She was so proud of herself that she knew all the answers. Faith was anxiously awaiting her 'sistaw' to get back to her, and they hugged when Maddie came around the corner!

Spring preview

The weather has been nothing short of awesome. Totally and completely awesome. Even short sleeved weather awesome today!

This weather is perfect for Abrie. She absolutely despises the cold-- can't say that I blame her when she's not quite at the walking stage, and therefore is immobile in her snowsuit while sitting in the stroller. But, she totally loves this weather and her big sissys, Dan, and I do too. Spring fever has totally overcome our family.

We've been living it up while we can, since we're well aware that it could very well be short lived. We've been at the creek daily, and had an evening picnic at Gring's Mill yesterday with our neighborhood friends that the girls love. Girlies have been outside pretty much all day, and have been doing their afternoon activities and crafts on the front steps while Abrie naps. And, we're hopeful to see cousins sometime this week.

Have been taking advantage of the weather too to try and get some pictures of my girls since I have given the camera a winter rest. Natural light is so much better, and I'm anxious for some spring blooms for even more pictures.

Baby girl, Abrielle

My Showcase has been sleeping so much better. Without jinxing myself completely, she really has done almost a complete 360 in terms of sleep. I truly think it was those two bottom buggers that were bothering her in early February, and now she seems to be shaking the teething problems... at least for now! These days she gets up once at night but goes right back to bed once I help her find her pacifier (never would have thought she would still be attached to that darn thing at 10 months of age! ugh), and so it's 7pm-7:30am most nights.

Little woman has an appointment next week at the doctor for something that I'm assuming is nothing, but just airing on the side of caution. Her hands, feet, and even lips and mouth turn purple these days on a fairly regular basis. I have noticed it for awhile now, but never really thought anything of it-- just chalked it up to the PA cold. But, it seems as though she wakes up regularly like that and it happens sometimes when she eats, so I wasn't sure what to make of it?

Other than that, my girl has some adoring fans in her big sisters and- boy- does she love them! The three of them are all so funny together.

My freckled girl

Maddie's classics these past few days:

This morning she told Dan and I with the funniest face, "last night, I had dreams of boys, boys, boys." What's funny is that her mindset is totally innocent, it's just that she is 100% princess/prince and fairytales. Oh, this girl!

The other day for some reason she started asking me if I always knew I would have daughters. I told her that I assumed we would have three little boys, and I've been shocked ever since that we have three little girls. I asked Maddie and Faith if they thought they might have daughters or sons one day in the future, and Maddie responds like this, "if I had a boy, I would be horrified!" I could not stop laughing and asked her why she would be so horrified? She told me, "I am surrounded by girls. I don't think I would know what to do with my own son. I think I will ask Donovan!" Hahaha.

'Enchanted' heartbreak came back with a vengeance the other day in the form of a story version of 'Pocahontas II.' Maddie and Faith have been wanting to watch the sequel to 'Pocahontas,' and Maddie found a story about it in one of their big Disney books. I have never seen the movie, so reading the story was the first I learned of the gist of the movie. Needless to say, I should have read over it first before reading it to my sensitive soul. Apparently, Pocahontas falls in love with John Rolfe instead of John Smith and this was too much for my Cran. This girl is intent on girls sticking with only one true love, and NEVER digressing from this! She's too much!

Faith-y

Faith is totally into braids these days. She asks me every single day for some variation of a braid. She wanted two braids the other day, and a lot of days she wants "one braid with my hair down, Momma." It's so funny. Of course, I love the practice. I always loved braiding my doll's hair when I was little, and now I have some willing daughters of my own!

My Flop was so funny today. She and Maddie play together every waking second of every day. The second that they wake up in the morning, they are either downstairs or in their room making their 'set-up's' for that given day. Today was the first day in this new house that they played separately for the majority of the day. They had their own set-up's going; Maddie was in the living room and Faith was in their room with Abrie's blocks. She was building block beds for Aurora and Snow White, and even made "bunk beds" for Prince Phillip. I had to videotape her playing by herself, because it was so sweet. When I watch her, I realize how much she emulates her Maddie and does things the way that Maddie has "taught" her, and yet I see how much of Faith has rubbed off on Maddie too.

It will be so fun to see what Abrie thinks of her big sister Faith as she gets older.