Meanwhile...

While Maggie, Genny, Marcus, Parker and I completed the Color Run this past Saturday, Dan took the girls to a nearby park to kill some time until we crossed the finish line. Genny's husband, Andy, took the opportunity to borrow our camera and snap some fun pictures of the girls!

 (totally one of my favorites!) 

  

 (and, yes... Hattie has the tail end of a week-long shiner here. She fell off the step in the back porch....) 

 (love this one, too!) 

 In our upstairs hallway, we have framed snapshots of the kids, surrounding one of my favorite quotes: 

"Enjoy the little things in life- for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things." 

Some of these pictures are DEFINITELY going on our wall... 

Color Run!

This morning Maggie and I participated in the "Color Run" with my friend Genny, her daughter Parker, and our friend Marcus from college. We had such a great time! 

 Mags and Parker getting ready to run! 

 Lucy came along as a cheerleader (Mom thought she might be a bit little for the entire 5K this year...) 

We are READY!

 Here we come... no  color yet!

   Run, Parker! Run!

 Marcus had a time to beat... he left us in the dust! 

 Finishing up.... 

 See that pink packet Parker is holding? We might have been done racing... but the "color fun" wasn't quite over yet!

 Genny and Parker- all done!

 DONE! 

 

 Poor Parker was sooo tired!

 Me and my favorite little "Color Runner!" 

 We had a great time!

The Table

My gramma was an amazing woman. Some of you might have known her. Many of you never had the opportunity. As the only granddaughter, my gramma and I had a very special bond. I have countless treasured memories of time spent with her. When I used to sleep over, she'd let me pick bridal dresses from the JCPenney catalog, then draw, color, and cut them out for my paper dolls. I used to sit on her lap, paging through old photo albums, while she'd tell me stories about my grandpa (who I never got to meet) with stars in her eyes. Every once in a while I think I smell her... a comforting mix of Emeraude perfume, menthol cough drops, and fried chicken. But most of all, I remember her in the kitchen. My gramma was an excellent cook...and a pretty darn good baker, too. Wednesday nights were family nights- when all 12 of us would squeeze into that tiny kitchen (sitting on slippery stacks of Sears catalogs or, if you were lucky, the milk can!)  to share a pan of baked spaghetti (OK, so this might not be the finest showcase of her culinary talents...) or chop suey. Widowed at a fairly young age, my gramma never had an excess amount of money- but she took great pride in cooking for her loved ones. Whether it was 20 different kinds of Christmas cookies, pompookies, or a simple bowl of cinnamon jello, her food provided a certain comfort and familiarity that I still miss.

My amazing gramma passed away on October 8, 2005. I can honestly say a day has not gone by since then that she hasn't passed through my mind. Sometimes it makes me happy. Sometimes I get terribly sad. When I look at my three beautiful girls, I know how much joy she would find in them, and I'm heartbroken that she never got the opportunity to meet any of them. We talk a lot about my gramma, though... and my girls talk about her frequently, too... to anyone who didn't know better, they'd never guess my girls and her had never met. I feel quite strongly that Maggie (her namesake) and my gramma have a special bond- there are lots of little quirks they share- so much that my mom and me have taken to calling Maggie "Little Midge" when we see one.

After my gramma passed away, each of us grandchildren were given a check- the only stipulation was that we do something "lasting" with it- no paying bills, no vacation, etc. I knew what I wanted to do with the money immediately. It just took me over 7 years to finally do it... We are finally at the point (as we talk about transitioning Hattie from her highchair to a booster seat) that we have outgrown our hand-me-down kitchen table with only 4 chairs. And, since I don't live in a funky New York apartment with my girlfriends, the thought of buying an extra, mismatched chair ("Friends" hello???) doesn't appeal to me in the least. So.... I went shopping. I had an idea of what I wanted, but had a hard time finding just the right table in a store. After a few months, we came across a place online where we could custom order our own Amish made table and chairs. After a few more weeks of debating between table sizes and chair shapes, we took the plunge and placed our order. The company was amazing to work with- and was MORE than patient with my endless questions and indecisiveness with the stain samples they sent. I think I put more thought into this than I did when we bought our first home! About 10 weeks later, they called and said our table was done ahead of schedule and ready to ship. We had to make sure we would be home- but they wanted to come on a day we already some big plans (did you read the American Girl doll post?) So.... they compromised. They ended up delivering it about 10 pm one Friday evening. And it was beautiful. But.... .it had no legs. Talk about torture! We had dismantled and moved the old table out into the garage to clean the floor and make room for the new one's arrival. Once we discovered the legs were not on the delivery truck, I was heartbroken (and thought it would be a great excuse not to cook dinner until they arrived!) But, once again, the table makers came through. They called Dan with an apology while we were on the train the next morning, and promised to ship them immediately. We had them within the week (and, yes, in the meantime we moved the other table back inside and I kept cooking....) 

Anyway, I knew I wanted to plan something special for our first meal on our new table. Then... life happened, and it turned out not so special but it WAS pretty memorable. The girls normally eat breakfast at the kitchen island. We had actually assembled the table and moved it into the kitchen after the girls had gone to bed, so when they saw the table in the morning, they INSISTED on sitting there to eat their cereal. So...our first meal was pretty much Rice Krispies and OJ... which Lucy promptly threw up. All over. The new kitchen table. Ahhh... life.

Regardless of the meal served, the purpose is still the same- to bring our family together. While Dan carefully walks around the table, wiping up any stray fingerprints and admonishing the girls for breathing too hard in the direction of the new table, I love watching my family interact there. Every mark, scratch, and scuff is just another representation of our family spending time together. Years from now, those imperfections are what's going to make this OUR family table. In the past month, we have shared many meals at that table. We have celebrated at least one birthday and a Mother's Day. We have colored many pictures, completed a few homework assignments, and played a few board games. It's sounds so silly to think a simple kitchen table could have so much meaning, but I KNOW how much it meant to my gramma to be able to bring her family together.... and I know how proud she'd be to have a seat at said table... helping us make memories. 

Love you, Gram. Happy Mother's Day. 

Our American Girl

Several months ago, as Maggie watched a friend unwrap box after box of American Girl clothes and accessories at her birthday party, a teeny little spark was ignited in that five year old brain. Around the same time, gramma passed along an American Girl doll catalog that came in the mail, which fanned that teeny spark into a small bonfire. In the past few months, Maggie has reviewed that worn, wrinkled catalog countless times. She has had me read each of the doll descriptions to her several times- until she could recite their place in history and backstory all by herself. With a few months leading up to her birthday, Dan and I had the discussion about getting her an American Girl doll of her own... for those of you NOT familiar with the dolls, they are pretty expensive and we also knew that by getting her a doll, we'd be opening ourselves up to the "I want/need..." of just about every item in the catalog to go along with the new doll. We decided that we would give her a choice- an American Girl doll or a "kid" birthday party with her classmates. Believe it or not, we'd probably come out about even money-wise either way.... Without hesitation, she chose the doll and held to her decision for the months prior to her birthday. If we thought that poor catalog was well-loved BEFORE, whew! She paged through that thing repeatedly.... "pre"-shopping for JUST the right doll (and ONE outfit that we also promised she could get!) 

Last Saturday, we woke up early, dropped the little ones off by gramma and papa, and headed down to Chicago for our big day. There is a big American Girl doll store on Michigan Avenue- so we had planned a day of lunch, a little bit of sightseeing, and a whole lot of shopping! We emailed Auntie Katie (our very own Chicago expert and native) asking for some restaurant ideas in the neighborhood. She suggested some great local places to eat, and even mentioned that there was a Rainforest Cafe in the neighborhood. While Dan and I were excited to try something a little more "unique," once Mags heard the Rainforest Cafe was an option- there was NO changing her mind. Oh well, it was her special day..... (on a side note- Dan mentioned after lunch that his sandwich was really good. Maggie just kept saying, "See? I TOLD you I'd pick a good place for lunch!") 

 waiting outside the Rainforest Cafe

 SOOOO excited for lunch! She even got to order a (gasp!) Sprite! 

After lunch, it was time for shopping! Watching Dan and Maggie walk hand in hand through the busy streets of Chicago just about melted my heart. 

 We made it! 

After an hour (or a little more....) of some serious shopping, Maggie left a very happy girl. She was able to get her doll and a swimsuit from mom and dad. She also used some of her birthday money and some AG gift cards she received to buy a bunch of accessories as well. Maggie, in her little red coat and red American Girl shopping bag was pretty darn cute, I might add. I can't begin to tell you how many people stopped her to tell her she actually LOOKED like an American Girl doll! 

 As we strolled around the city, we stopped along the river for an impromptu photo shoot, checked out the Hershey store (where Dan DID NOT buy me the one pound Reese's Peanut Butter cups), and headed to the Disney Store- because Maggie insisted all day that we stop and buy something for Lucy and Hattie so they wouldn't be sad when she came home with her new doll. How can you argue with that? 

 When you're always the one TAKING the pictures, it's important to remember to sometimes step away and ask someone to snap a picture of you and the kidlets, too. Just sayin'

 A GORGEOUS day... a little cool- but the sun was shining and the tulips were starting to bloom!

 What a diva!

 Not sure who has more freckles... Maggie or the doll! 

 Playing with the camera settings on the train ride home. LOVE Maggie's reflection in the window on this one... 

Overall, I think our day was a HUGE success. It was so much fun to have some one on one time with Maggie for a change. She's such an easy-going kid, and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle of the craziness of day to day life. Days like this are such an incredible reminder that I am not just a mom of "kids," but a mom of a few small, individual little PEOPLE. Once in a while, it's such a treat to kind of step back and "catch up" with your own kids, you know? 

April 16

Six years ago today, April 16, 2007, a beautiful, blue-eyed baby girl was placed in my arms. We named her Margaret Julia- after two of our beloved grandmothers. As cliche' as it sounds, my heart grew so big with love in those minutes after she was born, I thought it could burst right out of my chest. That was at 6:23 am. 

Just a few hours later, after a hot shower and in between "new baby" visitors, I sat in bed, snuggling Maggie and inhaling her "new baby" scent. I glanced up at the TV in the corner, and noticed they had interrupted whatever show happened to be on with breaking news of a shooting at the Virginia Tech campus. I watched horrified, as the details unfolded... over 40 people were shot, more than 30 were killed. What a horrific news story to witness- just hours after bringing my first baby into this world. As I held her, I began to cry... I'm sure hormones played a big part at this point, but I was heartbroken that I was responsible for this new little being and the news was proving what a crazy, dangerous world we lived in... where people just showing up to work or school were getting killed. In the years to come- there have been more and more and more stories like this... TOO many stories like this. 

Just this past week, I was talking to my aunt about recording the local news broadcast, as Maggie was scheduled to be shown in their "Look Who's Six" feature. The email from the news station said that it would be aired "between 7 and 7:30, although the time is tentative due to the nature of live news." She kind of laughed it off and said that she doubted there would be any natural disasters this week to take over the newscast. 

Then, someone planted bombs in Boston. 

And, once again, the "mom" side of me got angry, defensive, scared.... What kind of sick world do we live in  where people think stuff like this is OK? Cool? Productive? How do I explain this to my kids? DO I explain this to my kids? What if they hear about it at school? How do I protect them from the crazies? You know... all those questions that keep you up at night....  

On the way to school, they were of course, discussing yesterday's bombing on the radio. I reached over to turn off the radio and put on a CD, when the DJ said, "I'm sad but not scared. We have to remember there are far more GOOD people in this world than bad." Simple- but it hit me. It was something I needed to hear this morning. As Facebook is flooded with pictures of Mr. Rogers and his "Look for the helpers..." quote, I'm reminded: LOOK FOR THE GOOD. It's something I try to do on a daily basis, but can easily lose sight of in the midst of tragedy and chaos- but probably the time I need to look for it the most- if not for me, for my children. Because, for every horrible story like this in the news, I have ten other stories of kindness and charity.... like the man who paid for our dinner one night at Chili's, because we reminded him of his family many years ago. Or the woman at Lowe's who replaced the broken part of Hattie's window shade last night at 8:30 instead of making us buy a new one. Or the cart collector at Pick N Save who loaded my groceries in the back of my van so I could get the kids in their carseats and out of the rain. Or the man at the video store who slipped my daughter a free package of microwave popcorn to watch with her newly purchased "Hotel Transylvania" DVD. Or the people who look the other way at during mass when my baby is screaming her head off for more Cheerios, but then come up to me after church to tell me how valuable it is that we bring our children each week. Or the nurse at the pediatrician's office who hands me a tissue to dry my eyes because I'm crying harder than my baby who just got 4 shots in her thighs. Or the little people I work with who give the BEST hugs and high fives and are so genuinely happy to see me each day. Or the teachers who watch over MY babies while I'm at work, comfort them during fire drills or soothe them when they scrape their knees on the playground. 

Look around. There is good everywhere. We can focus on the scary, unknown, crazy part of our world...or we can turn off our TVs and computers, at least for a little while, and focus on the GOOD. Or, more importatnly, we can try to be a part of the GOOD. 

I wasn't going to let any of that stand in my way of celebrating Miss Maggie J's SIXTH birthday today. Besides the local news, she was also pictured in our newspaper for her birthday. So... I carefully folded the newspaper in half to hide the headlines and accompanying photo from yesterday's tragedy so I could show off the beautiful, blue-eyed six year old featured on the front page of our newspaper!

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” 

-Desmond Tutu

Haircut

Hattie's hair has been growing like a weed. It's getting thick in the back, but has no definite shape, and is always a bit unruly. Something like this: 

One night, after her bath, I had the great idea to give her a little trim... Mostly, to cut some bangs, in the hope of giving it a little shape and maybe, end up looking a little something like this: 

(this is Lucy in Sept. 2011 after her first 'big' haircut) 

I really don't know what I was thinking. She wiggled, her bangs ended up super crooked, and now she looks more like Lloyd Christmas than anything else. We're keeping our fingers crossed that her hair grows out quickly and keeping her in lots of cute hats in the meantime: 

And... if you are really, really curious... here's what the hats are hiding: 

Thank GOD she's cute....   :)

San Antonio

The second weekend in March, Dan and I had the opportunity to take a (childless!) trip to San Antonio to celebrate our friend John's wedding. John was the best man in our wedding, as well as Hattie's godfather, so it was important to be able to celebrate this special day with him. Oh, and Dan was best man. We HAD to go! 

We knew about the wedding far, far in advance, and debated back and forth about whether or not we were going to bring the girls down with us. There are some great family activities in the area (Sea World, awesome zoo, children's museum, etc) but the thought (and cost!) of flying all 5 of us down there, plus carseats, strollers, luggage, the fact that it was a 7pm wedding (meaning mom would be leaving very early with some tired girls....), and a gramma and papa who were chomping at the bit to babysit for 3 days straight meant that we ultimately left the girls behind. (Side note: the "mom" emotion that goes along with boarding a plane and leaving my 3 small children behind is worthy of a blog post all it's own....) 

After dropping Maggie off at school on Friday morning, we headed up the the airport with plenty of time to check our bags and enjoy a nice cup of coffee. We hesitated to go through security too early, because if anyone is familiar with the local airport, once you pass through security, you are stuck in a long, boring hallway of... not much. I much prefer the Starbucks and ping-pong table side of the airport- thankyouverymuch. 

Anyway.... our boarding time was 10:45, so a few minutes after 10, we headed over to the security. The lines were looooong and I started to get a little anxious. Then, a few minutes later, I heard the announcement. You know, the "final boarding" announcement. For. OUR. Flight. What? I pulled out our tickets. Our DEPARTURE time was 10:45- not boarding time. I started to freak out. Cry. Swear. Whatever. Dan was ever so calm- reassuring me that we could catch a later flight if need be. I was more worried about catching the connecting flight in Dallas now that we missed the first leg of our journey (I'm so NOT a seasoned traveler, can you tell?) Once we got to the security gate, I got through just fine. I was standing at the other end, waiting for my shoes- and Dan starts yelling, "GO! Just GO! I'll bring your shoes. Just GO!" So, I run. Barefoot. Through an airport. Thank God I was in a panic about the flight, or I would have had a breakdown just thinking about the crazy amounts of bacteria and germs infecting me at that point (lesson learned- ALWAYS wear shoes with socks when traveling by plane) As I'm running through the terminal, searching for our gate number, I hear someone yell, "Sal-Mon? Is that you? Are you Sal-Mon?" What? Who the heck knows me in the airport? And I'm late for my flight. And I'm barefoot. And panting. I don't want to deal with anyone right now... but then I realize it's the man at the gate. And he's waiting... for us. They were holding the plane- waiting for Dan and I. I yelled at him that my husband was on the way, and he reminded me that we needed to be on the plane "like, 10 minutes ago." Got it, dude. Thanks. 

We made it. Our second flight was delayed over an hour anyway- so we were super late to the rehearsal. Oops. Doesn't matter. It was a great night. Texans know how to party. Taco bar, beer, and a mariachi band. And that was just the rehearsal dinner.... 

The wedding was lovely. The bride was beautiful. The band was great. But can I let you in on a little secret? The BEST part of the entire day? Dan had to leave for the wedding a few hours early for pictures, etc. I had TWO HOURS and the entire hotel room to MYSELF to get ready. It was heaven. I didn't have to share the mirror with anyone. I took a LOOOONG shower. I didn't have to comb anyone's hair or zip up anyone else's dress. I didn't have to double-check the diaper bag to make sure I had enough diapers packed. I turned up my iPod and enjoyed. Heaven. 

Sunday we had the day to ourselves for sightseeing. The weather was beautiful- sunny and 60s. We had a great time strolling along the Riverwalk and checking out the Mexican marketplace. We tried on cowboy hats and walked through the Alamo. It was nice to be reminded that we are two people who had a history and a story before we had children... it's really easy to lose sight of that sometime. 

Monday we headed home. I was ready. I missed my babies!