oh diapers, where art thou?

Today was packing day, because in the morning we are off for a 7 day vacation to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York! We are all thrilled about the trip, but this packing...whew. It has really taken it out of me this time. 7 days worth of packing for four has left my mind boggled and my body beat. Or maybe that's the new baby on the way. Or maybe it's both.

I think my strategy in attacking this project was flawed from the get go. Instead of packing for one person at a time, I began packing for all of us in stages. I'd do a little in our room, then head to Marianna's, then to Adrienne's, then back to Marianna's to put back everything that Adrienne had just pulled out of Marianna's bag, then back to Adrienne's to see what she was pulling out in hers. It's been crazy. And in the midst of the craziness, I realized that I had lost 100 diapers. Gone. Vanished. Diapers of all things. I scoured Adrienne's room then Marianna's, and I found nothing. I knew I had bought the giant pack of diapers from Sam's just a week ago, but knowing that doesn't mean squat if I couldn't find them. So it was off to Target for me tonight to buy a new pack.

When I got home, I found all the diapers in the girls' doll house. We are now definitely covered for the trip.

So once we finally get off on this trip, what do we have in store? A visit with Nathan's brother in New Haven, which includes a tour of Yale (where he works) a hike, and a visit to a terrific ice cream parlor. A 3 day trip to Boston where we will go to a Red Sox game, walk the Freedom Trail, and do a little whale watching. We are wrapping it up with two days in New York where we plan on visiting the American Girl store, and seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway.

We can't wait.

And we can't wait for that new little baby either. I wasn't really going to leave you with just that snippet. We are expecting this next little one early December, and we are so excited and ready to see what God has in store. I don't know everything the next months hold, but I couldn't feel more sure that God is in control, and He will be walking us through every step of the way.

saying goodbye makes me sad

And after two nights in a row of saying goodbye to my TV friends, I'm feeling blue. Isn't that silly? But I do. Eight years of 24 and 6 years of LOST, and now, in back to back nights, they are over. I knew it was time, but I still don't like the moment when goodbye actually comes.

Goodbyes make me want to grab a pack of sour straws and do something frivolous or get a tall Chai, curl up with a book, and read until the blueness lifts. I think the book without the Chai will have to suffice for tonight, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll be as good as new.

But for tonight, I will mourn. Goodbye 24 and LOST. It's been a fun ride.

(un)reserved

How many of you know what it is like to parent a reserved child? I would guess many of you, although I'm sure there are some out there with only extroverts that have never known a day of reserve in their lives. I actually have one of each. My super-extrovert, Adrienne, has never met a stranger. I used to have to retrieve her from the laps of random mothers during story hour and keep her from joining the picnics of those seated around us at parks. She checks herself into her class at church, runs to greet friends (adults included), and I can count on one hand the number of times she has cried when I have left her.

But long before I had my super-extrovert, I had Marianna. She has lived life right in the middle of extrovert and introvert from the moment she was born. What I mean by that is that she is either very reserved or very unreserved, not that she is actually in the middle. Because she is most definitely not. She is a mixture of both extremes, and I never know which it is going to be. Sometimes she will strike up a conversation on the play ground with a stranger and run off with that child as if she has known her for quite some time. Other times she will not even glance at other kids or offer so much as a, "hi." This week at church we were walking through the halls when a cute little boy her age yelled, "Marianna, Marianna! Hi!" She almost ran and hid because she said she didn't know his name.

If any of this sounds familiar, then you know that one of the difficulties of parenting a child who has both tendencies is not having much of an idea how your child will react in a given situation. Do I know for sure how Marianna will respond to going into her class? Not really. Do I know whether she will talk to the people Nathan works with when we visit his office? Nope. Do I have any idea whether she will hide behind my back or jump right into the action when we walk into the middle of a birthday party. Not a clue. So this past weekend, I really didn't know how she was going to respond to her first ever dance recital. She has never been on stage. For my intro/extro, the day held the possibility for many outcomes. I hoped it would be a day she really enjoyed 1) because of all her hard work 2) so she would have a positive first experience in front of a crowd. But I reallly didn't know.

30 minutes before the show started, I dropped her off backstage. One of the last things she told me was, "Mom, these socks are really hurting my feet." Not a good omen. I sat out in the auditorium and waited til her number to see what it was going to be. 10 seconds in, I knew she was a performer. The stage, at least for now, is like a second home.

It could have gone very, very differently, and if so, that would have been fine. I never want to force her to do something she doesn't want to do. But I also never want her reserve to keep her from doing something she loves. I'm glad to say that for her first recital, it definitely did not.

Birthday Days

After a weekend of celebrating, Adrienne officially turned two on Monday. She seems unaware that this is her moment to become terrible, so thankfully she has continued on just as always. I hope none of her older friends let her in on the secret =)

We started the celebration on Saturday with a cookout party in Adrienne's Jannie and Smokey's (my parent's) backyard, newly equipped with play set and a trampoline, making it a fun party destination. There was only one problem. Two minutes into the party, Adrienne took a nasty fall. Probably the worst one to date. There was blood and swelling, both things that don't seems right for a birthday girl, but she took it in stride and seemed to enjoy the party regardless of all injuries sustained.

There were presents, games, jumping, crafts, and my very favorite part, a lovely pig cake!

Adrienne's wounds are healing nicely, and she got some encouraging news from her doctor when we went for her two year checkup. She is now officially on the growth chart, weighing in at the 5th percentile for weight! For a girl who has never gotten to the first, that's something to celebrate all by itself. She also has been doing some vertical growing as well, hitting the 50th percentile for height.

Our girl is growing up. She is talking more every day, growing more lovely all the time, and she has never been a greater joy. Happy birthday, baby girl!

Guess Who's Having a Party?

Here's a clue. The owner of these cute little toes.

Yes! You guessed right.

Adrienne is having her two year birthday bash today, and boy does it look like a beautiful day for a party!

Want a preview of what's to come?

You'll never guess what this morphed into last night, but I can tell you it sure is cute!!

The Personalized Peacock

I'm so excited about my sister's new monogramming business! She and her good friend Ashley have opened up shop, and their work is amazing. If you have a need for anything personalized, go over to her website and check it out! She is also hosting a giveaway here for a free item of your choice. Hurry over and enter!

the artist within

It seems like Marianna has tapped into hers.

Here are a few samplings from the past two days.

...a recipe

...the new decoration leading into our bedroom.

This is is my favorite. It was what she came home with from church Sunday morning.

If you look closely, you can see that Ariel is wearing a King of Kings crown on her head. Looks like we have our work cut out for us where her theology is concerned =)