Spring in our Step

Spring brings colors and a seemingly fresh scent everywhere you go.  We enjoyed the pastels at Easter, along with the smell of chocolates and our Easter dinner with family.  I remember when I was a little girl, my mom would do our Easter egg hunt with the real eggs we dyed.  Those left a smell after a few weeks when they weren't discovered, that's for sure!  Our plastic eggs give no clues as to their location, and if  we find a stray or undiscovered treasure, we don't have to rush it to the garbage can!
 Easter Sunday is always special, and it didn't disappoint  
this year. We had a meaningful day discussing why we celebrate Easter and how important it is to remember why we do.   Here are the kiddos ready for church. 


Last weekend, Dave ran his fourth half marathon.  He was running a quicker pace than any of his other races, but he got a cramp and had to walk it out.  Even with cramping up, he tied his best time, so we are proud.  He brought an aroma to our spring of hard work...I just don't like to get to close to that springy smell!  Grant and Katelee ran the kids marathon and had red faces as they crossed the finish line.  They were so proud, as were we, of course. 

I feel like I am adding to the spring scents, but not in a pleasingly aromatic way.  Last week, I was covered in Brenna's puke, this week, I have cleaned up her poop off my floor multiple times.  In fact, just a minute ago, I walked by her door as she is supposed to be having quiet time and there was a faint odor.  This was unnerving as it had been quiet for a good 10 min, where I am used to her banging on the door exclaiming, "Let me out mom!  I happy!"  Sure enough, as I opened the door she was caught red handed...or brown handed, and brown armed and brown legged. She had yet again, attempted to change her own dirty diaper.  Have I tried pull-ups, potty training, diapers on backwards?  Yes to all those.  We've washed up, but I can't seem to feel clean. Maybe the kitchen sink explosion has something to do with it...our disposal was backed up (not a good idea to dump a huge spinach salad down the drain), and I thought I could take the pipes apart and get the blockage cleared.  Well, yes I could...only my little bowl for the draining,  wasn't prepared for the spray of green water flowing all over.  The water reached from under the sink to the pantry.  I'm not sure why I think I am a plumber at times, but hey, I saved myself a service call.  So, if you happen to be around me and you catch a whiff of "new car,"  I've decided to insert the car fresheners to the insides of my clothes.  It's for the good of all. 

What a Difference a Day (or Night!) makes...

There are moments in our lives that change us. It may be when we are introduced to someone new, when someone we know is no longer with us, when something is diagnosed, when a choice is made, but a moment or day that alters the path we thought we were on. I have thought a lot about this recently. Challenges and heartaches that are not foreseen seem to smack us in the face and our reality becomes different. We can't go back and remake a decision, but there are things we can hopefully prevent from happening again. I am learning this in my day to day sojourn and I would like to now apply this to a certain two year old. It's time to discuss Brenna.

Brenna came to us with a lot of spunk and ambition. Hanging from chandeliers and walking at 8 months is no small feat. While it is not uncommon for a child to climb out of their crib, I was unprepared for the distress it would cause in my day without my restful slumber. Little B has mastered the art of crib entry and exit and as of late would swing open her door in the middle of the night (say 2am) and insist on staying up for hours. We were frustrated and exhausted and debated on a crib tent, a door cover, etc. Last week, I just switched out our door handle from the bathroom with her bedroom handle. Now I can lock her in. The first days were rough. She would use her little fist and pound against the door saying, "Knock, Knock. Out momma." She stubbornly refused to re-enter the crib, but sat in her baby shopping cart until I would release her from her room. As I type this, she is slumbering away peacefully. So, I think our efforts have paid off. I laid her down after reading her favorite book, and she said, "Knock Knock, momma. Stay in bed." That's her way of retelling how last week went. She had said the first phrase, and she has my answer drilled in her brain. What a difference in our happiness a night of rest makes!

She has grown up a lot this month, her language switch has flipped on and we are fully conversing now. My niece claims that while she was babysitting Brenna, Brenna wrote her numbers 1-5. She has yet to repeat that (well, for me, at least!); but with Brenna, I don't know that I can put anything past her! Next step: potty training.

I wanted to get a picture of Brenna when she jumped in Katelee's bath with her clothes on, and then Katelee made this disturbing face. It's an image I may not get out of my brain, ever!