Best Parts of 2012

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hiatus

I want my life back

this class ( cataloging) has required an unbelievable amount of time.

25 things I'm thankful for...

Our pastor assigned us to make this list this week. My ideas started out small and got bigger.

1. David doesn't mind doing most of the grocery shopping or dishwasher-loading.
2. Jackie has the girls on a schedule (now if I could just stick with it on weekends and holidays).
3. Gabriel loves to help--especially with Eva.
4. Carmen is generous with massages, notes and cards.
5. Paloma cracks us up constantly.
   
6. The kids can't wait for Eva to awake in the mornings so they can play with her.
7. Eva loves bath or shower time! I love to hear her laugh out loud.
   
8. All of the kids love to read, and we will never run out of reading material, even if confined to the house.
9. My commute to work is under 5 miles, and my car still runs well, looks okay when I get the junk out of it, and best of all, is paid for.
10. I don't have to worry about the kids while I'm at work.
11. I finally have some friends in my neighborhood, thanks to the kids being in school.
    
12. I have friends at work, some I see daily.
13. My photography and computer skills are now used just for fun and hobbies.
    
14. I have friends through this blog that allows me to appreciate life more fully.
    
15. I am able to pump milk for Eva when I cannot breastfeed.
16. We're all healthy.
    
17. God provides all we need, and because we were born here at this time in history, we enjoy the luxuries of electricity, running water, and highways.
    
18. Our pastors at church are fantastic, and we are happy to be a part of our community of faith and especially our Sunday school class.
    
19. Our house may be a mess, but at least we can afford our mortgage and we're out from under the credit card debt for the first time since we've been married. (Dare I add a sprinkler system is coming soon?)
    
20. We don't have to "worry 'bout a thiiiing". This one made me realize I needed to make a Thanksgiving playlist.
21. Which leads me to: Music, art, literature, color, KERA, iPhones, iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, Blogger, and my camera.
22. My mom still thinks it's worth all the trouble to feed us every Sunday lunch which is what makes it possible to see my whole family virtually every week.
23. I finally know that Charlie is happy & healthy.
    
24. I have great in-laws who love and support us.
25. America, and all of the people who work and fight for our country... maybe now we can regain our place in the world, leading for the better and setting a good example.
    

Overheard during the Cowboy game today:
"Is football the opposite of soccer?" Gabriel asked David.
(I did not stay tuned for the answer.)

David's advice: be more selective about your blog topics.

You know I really don't care much about sports. But it's different when I know the players! Check out number 5: that's Steven, playing football for North Pole High School! I love this picture. So cool, and it was on the front page of the sports section in Fairbanks!

I'm counting on you, Steve, to get the family out of Alaska when you graduate in May--choose your college carefully! :)

Spilt milk

Whoever said "Don't cry over spilt milk" was not a breastfeeding, working mother who sacrificed every spare solitary second of the work day pumping breastmilk to feed her ravenous baby.

Before our only afternoon pep rally, (they're usually in the morning) I decided to take my pump to my classroom after I'd used it for the last time. I did not know until I returned almost an hour later that I had knocked it over, spilling over 12 ounces of liquid gold. It was everywhere, and I cried as I cleaned it up.

Of course my principal stuck his head in the door about this time. "Are you okay?" I swear, he must think I am unstable. I think he has seen me every time I have cried in the past 8 years (that's how long I've worked for him, minus one year when he changed schools before I did). "Yes," I lied, laughing, "you don't want to know!"

From the crib, in the dark, Paloma calls out to me,"Is it morning?"

(Half of the time I try to get her to go back to sleep--she is always aware of when anyone is up--she sleeps like I do.)

I go in and get her out.

"I'm not tired anymore." (She has learned to say this more nicely than this summer when she'd whine, "I'm tiiiired of sleeping!")

On our way down the stairs, she yawns, and just in case I think that means she's not ready to get up, she says, "That was just a morning yawn."

So, I'm telling the kids it's time to figure out dinner and Paloma says, "I don't want dinner-- I want lunch! How about Sonic?"

The kids say to Gigi and Amy, "Can you eat with us?"
"Please?"
"Please?"
"Please?"
"We'll see," I say.
"Junie B. Jones says 'we'll see' means no," Carmen explains.

Paloma says to Eva (all the time, actually), "Mom likes you to be asleep, but I like you to be awake."

I tried to explain to Paloma that it's not that I like Eva to sleep all the time, but that babies need sleep. She is not convinced.