We've come a long way baby!
My grandmother just sent me an email that I wrote her over four years ago - and it was fun to read. Life gets so much easier as the kids get older!
Hello Grandma,
Thank you for the anniversary wishes - I'm proud of the 9 happy years we have spent together. Chuck is a wonderful husband and father, and I feel blessed that we have been able to build a family together. You wrote to us while we were on vacation, and I'm just now getting back to you. Here's a glimpse into the reason:
Our life continues at a somewhat ridiculous pace... happy though. This morning, rather typically went something like this:
I woke up at 6 and worked until 7:30 when the kids woke up. The plan is to have them dressed, fed and to daycare by 9 so I can get back to work.
Instead - Charlie was the first one up and decided to remove every article of clothing from his dresser in search of the pair of pants he wore yesterday. (The objects of desire were in the laundry - but clean - but this was not discovered before leaving everything else he owns on the floor of his bedroom). As a side, I cannot tell you how sick I am of the red rain pants that must be worn 3-5 times a week along with this tie-dyed Pokemon shirt that is 3 sizes too large for him.
Charlie saw this a great opportunity to learn to fold clothes. Charlie is a bit compulsive - so the folding lesson - which I was able to demonstrate 36 times as I folded all the clothes he had dumped on the floor - took a long time - because he has the coordination of a 5 year old (and therefore folding abilities of same) but he is a perfectionist and wants it to look like a department store clerk folded it. By the end of this, the clothes he intended to wear were still no where near his body, but I was pleased to have his dresser reorganized and pulled out all the small clothes to save for Samantha and give away.
Samantha woke up amidst the hubaloo - and also had some issues with getting ready this morning. I had picked up a darling purple gingham tank top and bloomer set at a second hand store yesterday (then quickly washed it last night while doing laundry for the stupid red rain pants) and was excited to see her try it on. "No Dress Mama. Ham Jammies." (She pronounces her name like a pork-product). I couldn't find matching summer jammies last night, so she slept in a stained long sleeve hand-me-down pooh bear red white and blue shirt from Charlie and hot pink leggings. There is no way I'm going to send her out, even in Tillamook, in that get up. I stripped her, put on the purple gingham bloomers (for some reason these were acceptable) and asked Charlie to tell her how pretty the "shirt" was that went on top. (I didn't want her to think it was a dress - she's decided dresses are evil). I told her to let me know when she was ready for clothes went back into Charlie's room to finish his dresser until she came to me and said "Ready Shirt Mama".
Phew - crisis averted.
I was then told they were "hunry for freckfas", so down we headed for English Muffins, peanut butter and pears. I packed a lunch for Charlie and then the two of us went in search of his shoes - a tiresome daily routine.
After about 15 minutes of it I started yelling upstairs to Charlie "he was going to have to find a place to keep his sneakers he could remember and that he could go to daycare barefoot and if he didn't for all I cared since I was tired of starting so late because of this same battle every morning" until I was stopped by Samantha who came running out into the living room face covered and fists full of "I Can't Believe it's not Butter."
Apparently she can't believe it isn't either, because she was grinning from ear to ear saying "Budder mama!" Charlie then entered the room, carrying two cap guns (but no shoes) and asked "What'd she do mom?" I think he was going to use the 6-shooters as a new discliplinary method.
It was not until after 10 that I was able to sit quietly and reflect on my beautiful children, cleaned of margarine, shoes on, happily playing with their friends at Tillamook Bay Childcare Center. Why some mothers stay at home with their children is beyond me. ;-)
Chuck asked me to add the part about how he had to leave for Astoria at 7 a.m. this morning and found that his car battery was dead because Charlie had turned on the overhead dome light as he got out of his car last night...
making it necessary to jump his car with mine before he could leave for his
9 a.m. hearing 90 miles away.
I hope you are enjoying your summer - our vacation was WONDERFUL. Just fun family time, swimming, biking, tennis and sun (we left the margarine at home - and didn't wear shoes for a week). We returned and Summer is actually trying to break through the gray Oregon Coast weather.
Hello Grandma,
Thank you for the anniversary wishes - I'm proud of the 9 happy years we have spent together. Chuck is a wonderful husband and father, and I feel blessed that we have been able to build a family together. You wrote to us while we were on vacation, and I'm just now getting back to you. Here's a glimpse into the reason:
Our life continues at a somewhat ridiculous pace... happy though. This morning, rather typically went something like this:
I woke up at 6 and worked until 7:30 when the kids woke up. The plan is to have them dressed, fed and to daycare by 9 so I can get back to work.
Instead - Charlie was the first one up and decided to remove every article of clothing from his dresser in search of the pair of pants he wore yesterday. (The objects of desire were in the laundry - but clean - but this was not discovered before leaving everything else he owns on the floor of his bedroom). As a side, I cannot tell you how sick I am of the red rain pants that must be worn 3-5 times a week along with this tie-dyed Pokemon shirt that is 3 sizes too large for him.
Charlie saw this a great opportunity to learn to fold clothes. Charlie is a bit compulsive - so the folding lesson - which I was able to demonstrate 36 times as I folded all the clothes he had dumped on the floor - took a long time - because he has the coordination of a 5 year old (and therefore folding abilities of same) but he is a perfectionist and wants it to look like a department store clerk folded it. By the end of this, the clothes he intended to wear were still no where near his body, but I was pleased to have his dresser reorganized and pulled out all the small clothes to save for Samantha and give away.
Samantha woke up amidst the hubaloo - and also had some issues with getting ready this morning. I had picked up a darling purple gingham tank top and bloomer set at a second hand store yesterday (then quickly washed it last night while doing laundry for the stupid red rain pants) and was excited to see her try it on. "No Dress Mama. Ham Jammies." (She pronounces her name like a pork-product). I couldn't find matching summer jammies last night, so she slept in a stained long sleeve hand-me-down pooh bear red white and blue shirt from Charlie and hot pink leggings. There is no way I'm going to send her out, even in Tillamook, in that get up. I stripped her, put on the purple gingham bloomers (for some reason these were acceptable) and asked Charlie to tell her how pretty the "shirt" was that went on top. (I didn't want her to think it was a dress - she's decided dresses are evil). I told her to let me know when she was ready for clothes went back into Charlie's room to finish his dresser until she came to me and said "Ready Shirt Mama".
Phew - crisis averted.
I was then told they were "hunry for freckfas", so down we headed for English Muffins, peanut butter and pears. I packed a lunch for Charlie and then the two of us went in search of his shoes - a tiresome daily routine.
After about 15 minutes of it I started yelling upstairs to Charlie "he was going to have to find a place to keep his sneakers he could remember and that he could go to daycare barefoot and if he didn't for all I cared since I was tired of starting so late because of this same battle every morning" until I was stopped by Samantha who came running out into the living room face covered and fists full of "I Can't Believe it's not Butter."
Apparently she can't believe it isn't either, because she was grinning from ear to ear saying "Budder mama!" Charlie then entered the room, carrying two cap guns (but no shoes) and asked "What'd she do mom?" I think he was going to use the 6-shooters as a new discliplinary method.
It was not until after 10 that I was able to sit quietly and reflect on my beautiful children, cleaned of margarine, shoes on, happily playing with their friends at Tillamook Bay Childcare Center. Why some mothers stay at home with their children is beyond me. ;-)
Chuck asked me to add the part about how he had to leave for Astoria at 7 a.m. this morning and found that his car battery was dead because Charlie had turned on the overhead dome light as he got out of his car last night...
making it necessary to jump his car with mine before he could leave for his
9 a.m. hearing 90 miles away.
I hope you are enjoying your summer - our vacation was WONDERFUL. Just fun family time, swimming, biking, tennis and sun (we left the margarine at home - and didn't wear shoes for a week). We returned and Summer is actually trying to break through the gray Oregon Coast weather.
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