Gratefulness

Gratefulness: What I am feeling today.

Being home with my babies means more to me that words can describe. I love being the one to do fun things with them, fix their lunches, read books at naps, all the mundane and exciting things that come with being a SAHM mom. Today at nap, I read both their books and laid them down. L has been wanting to read her big sister book but we keep forgetting so today as I laid her down, we took the opportunity and read it. I snuggled with her on her bed and read it. Great one on one time - the time when conversations are the best and usually most meaningful because she isn't fighting for attention from her little brother. We talked about what it means to be a big sister and how she is excited to help take care of the new baby. We also talked about how lucky the new baby is to have a big sister like her!!

Nothing beats being a SAHM. Even when the days get long - it's still the best job ever!

Anniversary

So I forgot a pretty major day in our lives. Yesterday was the 11th dating anniversary for Daddy Piper and I. I have NEVER forgotten this before. And he forgot too. I called him a while ago and reminded him and he laughed. We used to go all out celebrating this day. No - guess not. At least yesterday was a nice day for us - great dinner followed by fun family pool time. At what point do days like this no longer mean we should celebrate them? I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. I truly love and appreciate my husband. Guess I need to get back to focusing on him as a husband instead of as my kids' daddy....

More swimming fun

Tonight during dinner, L asked to go back out swimming after dinner. My first reaction was "Uh - NO" simply because I didn't want to mess with getting suits on, sunscreen, all the fuss that goes with getting ready to go swimming but Daddy Piper agreed quickly and that was that. Silly Mama, I should have known better. Boy - was it fun! We went out for about an hour and it was such a nice way to spend an hour as a family!! L was showing how she can jump and go under, swim a ways and then swim back to the ladder. S is putting his whole face in the water now - big progress for him. We saw 2 old war planes fly overhead, probably from World War II. We got to laugh, chat and splash around together. It was just a nice way to end the day together. It was pure family fun. So glad Daddy agreed and Mama tagged along - way too much fun to be missed out on!

Waterpark Again!

We went back to waterpark today. Oh my gosh - what fun again! L is just loving this swimming stuff. We went with some friends today so that made it even more fun! This week was L's turn to enjoy the slides while S was happy to stay right by Mama the whole time. Here are a couple pics taken with my new camera. BTW - I just love this new camera. Should have just gotten it back in January when I first wanted it :- )

Here are pics of L and S playing "Shark" at the waterpark today!

S is talking while I type this. He wants to go back to Disneyland "next week". Sounds good to me. Daddy Piper is out of town, maybe I should take them???

Off to the Doctor, Again!

S has been having some blood in his undies and on the toilet paper after pooping. Yesterday - he had some in his poop so I called the doctor. Of course they wanted to see him. I took him in the afternoon while the other half of the Piper family went swimming. The doctor thinks it is a tear in his anal area from a hard stool he had a week ago. So he put him on stool softener until the tear can heal. But now he is afraid to poop :-( But I was interrupted in writing this post only to find - he pooped and to use his exact words "It only hurt a little bit". So hopefully things will get better from here!!

p.s. I am sure he will be pleased as punch years from now to know I posted this on our blog and then put it into our yearly journal!

Swimmin'

We have a little fish on our hands over here! L is honest to goodness swimming. Daddy Piper suggested some goggles might help her since her swimming/diving on Sunday left her with some super red and sore eyes. We got the goggles on Monday and there's been no going back. She is swimming like crazy!!! She is truly enjoying the water now. We went out in the pool yesterday morning, Daddy Piper took her out in the pool while I took S to the Dr. (another post) in the afternoon and we spent about an hour or so in the pool this morning again. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

Wonderful Weekend

We had such a nice weekend. Saturday was filled with Soccertots for S and lunch out (the usual) and a quiet afternoon.

Now Sunday - what a fun day!!! I got to sleep in a bit and got up to a happy family, such a nice way to wake up :- ) We went out to enjoy the cool morning before getting the day started. I was enjoying lounging and having a cup of coffee until L had a run in with some ants. This was the only down part of the day. She got snacked on by a pile of ants. Her poor foot was chowed on. I rushed her inside and put some itch cream on it but it's still bugging her 12 hours later. Poor girl. The kids and I got groceries while Daddy Piper did truck work. When we got home from grocery shopping (which the kids were angels and such big helpers, while slurping on their Icees!), we got suited up and sunscreened and headed to the pool. I think this was our most fun time in the pool this summer. Both kids did great in the pool. L is amazing at diving under and swimming back to the side. She has come so far since starting lessons a month ago. S is actually dipping his head back into the water and blowing bubbles - a great first step to going under. Both love to hang on a noodle and make laps around the pool. Both Daddy Piper and I remained patient and calm and not one tear was shed nor one voice raised in 2 hours!!! We came in, much to the disappointment to the children, and had a quick snack and the kids and I napped for 2 solid hours. Sleeping after all the fun in sun is some of the best sleep! Daddy watched UFC with no griping, nice change for him. Everyone woke up happy and ready for some evening fun. We had yummy burgers off the grill and homemade lemonade for dinner. Everyone headed out to enjoy the nice evening. Both kids are showering now and looking forward to some ice cream cake for dessert. Daddy Piper finally got Mama a birthday cake, 2 months late.

Another nice day for the Piper Family. I was about to say I wish they could all be like this but you gotta have the down days to appreciate the extra good ones like this!!

Ramblings...

I have a ton of thoughts I need to get out so I can remember them another time. Oh but where to start??

• Had a great MNO on Wednesday with some girlfriends at a sushi restaurant. I have grown to CRAVE sushi during this pregnancy. Of course, just the kind with cooked stuff inside - no raw stuff for this mama.
• The dogs got themselves all tangled and twisted up around the tree I want hacked off in the front yard (I hate that thing). Poor Kazoo was tangled in Jay-Jay's chain and they were both wrapped so tightly around the tree. They couldn't reach their water and in this heat - poor guys. I figured this out when we got home from Home Depot and they hadn't moved an inch in the hour we had been gone.
• I sold my Canon camera and have ordered the Nikon D40. Hopefully this will satisfy me and I will quit selling and getting a new camera every 3 months.
• S is still doing pretty well potty training. He has had a bit more accidents than I am happy with but really - much less stressful than potty training L.
• L is doing great with swimming lessons. She is really enjoying them. Not quite up to swimming yet but going underwater and retrieving things from the bottom of the pool - AWESOME!!!
• It's less than 12 weeks until I have #3. Uh - what was I thinking?!? I am getting kinda nervous. I know I was nervous with S so it's about the same amount anxiety. We made a countdown chain the other day. That truly freaked me out, thinking about 84 days until the big event. L is so excited about it. S doesn't understand quite yet but he will when Baby Piper makes his/her appearance.
• This baby is super active now. And I am getting huge. And it's hot. HOT, HOT, HOT. I feel like an inferno inside and out these days. But I wouldn't give up being pregnant for anything. I love feeling the baby kick, seeing my big belly and knowing that I will be blessed with another Baby Piper soon makes it all worthwhile.
• Daddy Piper is getting ready to take a solo vacation. I am going to be home alone with these munchkins for a couple days. 1st time ever. Makes me thankful for good neighbors, in the event something should happen.
• Today's Friday which means a bath for the kids in Mama and Daddy's bath. They get a shower every day in their bathroom but Friday's they get a bath in our big tub. They both look forward to this every week :-)

I know there is more I wanted to write down but I am getting the "need to play with Mama" signal from Thing 1 and Thing 2 so off for now!

Fun Friend Filled Day!

L started our day out with swim lessons (she did great again - super awesome at going under the water!!) and then we headed to a friend's house to some fun water slide and pool fun. We belong to a mom's group that has been pretty inactive lately and seems to be picking up again. We gathered today for some fun in the sun. S managed to step off the ledge and go under again but was rescued :- ) We had a ton of fun. Our kids are getting so big. I joined this group when L was 9 months old, so about 3 years ago. Crazy to see how all the little ones are growing and changing. I am the 1st of our group to have #3. Hopefully more will follow suit soon!

I have been a bit more crabby today again. I am super worried about some stuff. Worrying sure doesn't change the outcome. Wish I could learn that....

Soccer!

S's first sports photo...isn't he just adorable!

Swim Park

We went to a new local swimming hole today. It was fun. I was a bit nervous with 2 kids and only my 2 eyes to watch them both around so much water but it worked out. S went down the waterslide and went under and was fine with that. L wants Daddy to tag along next time so she can go down the big slides. We stayed about 2 hours. I need to remember to bring snacks next time we go since we all got hungry today :- )

I WON!

I won a giveaway on this website! She was giving away a Gerber giftpack and I won!!! Thanks Deal Seaking Mom for this awesome prize package!

Date Night

We had a fun Saturday! The kids woke up super early today (ARGH!). I miss the sleeping until 8 or even later days. I took S to soccer this morning. We hit Starbucks on the way to get some coffee to hopefully help keep mama awake for an hour of running around. Soccer was fun. S does such a good job listening and he has some real athletic ability. I think I might be getting a little far along in this pregnancy for the soccer thing though :- ) Then S and I brought home lunch from our usual haunt. Daddy Piper took the kids swimming after lunch while I got some housework done. An hour for me to clean, iron, and do the usual chores (while watching Sex in the City!) - it was so nice to get so much done in an hour. Both kids napped after swimming, so I crashed for a bit to restore my energy for our date tonight. After napping, we started getting ready for the wedding we attended tonight. We had a girl come watch the kids. She has been coming over every week to get to know them before we left them with her. They seem to really enjoy spending time with her and I know she enjoys them. So we got ready and left. Both kids were fine with us leaving, the drama would come later! We made it to the wedding with 10 minutes to spare. It was a gorgeous wedding!! It is a 3rd marriage for both. They really put together a nice ceremony and reception. The bride was gorgeous!! The groom just glowed with love. So nice to see people happy in love. Daddy Piper and I really enjoyed ourselves. We even danced to "Wonderful Tonight" which was a runner up for our wedding song. The frantic phone calls started about 8:30 from the sitter. S was crying and wouldn't settle down. He was the one I was worried about. Daddy Piper talked with him and tried to call him down. Well the sitter called back 5 minutes later, explaining that S was still crying. Daddy Piper told her what to do to calm him down and we didn't get anymore phone calls. We ended up staying out until 10:30 PM - late for us! Both kids were snoozing away when got home. Guess they settled down enough to fall asleep. It was a nice evening. We are going to try to do this more often - reminded us why we are together in the first place :-)

And now I return to my scheduled program!

AHH - hormones have subsided a bit and happy Mama reappeared!!!!

Today was a great day. Went to a youth museum with our playgroup. It was so much fun minus the potty accident S had RIGHT when we got there. So he played for 2 hours in undies since his "got it all together" mama forgot extra shorts. The kids played happily for 2 solid hours and didn't want to leave. Then we had an impromptu lunch with a friend of ours and her 2 little ones. How nice to have lunch out with 2 4 year olds, 1 2 year old and 1 1 year old and actually enjoy it. The food was yummy and the conversation even better. AWW friendships, where would I be without them?! Then I brought the kids home to Daddy Piper for naps while I attended a local homeschool event. It was very informative (once I found somewhere to get cash to register - UH when did people stop accepting a debit card?????). I got some great information and brought home a couple treats for the chitlens - new puzzle and 3 new books. They loved the puzzle and we read one new book at bedtime tonight. It was great to get the support from other parents who are on this same homeschool journey.

Now off to bed to get rest for our busy Saturday!

Still crabby....

But how can a mama keep up the crabby attitude with these cuties playing hide-n-seek??

p.s. LOVE the look on L's face while counting!

Then after a round of hide-n-seek and that same crabby mama getting ate up by mosquitoes, it was a race to see who made it to the house for showertime. As you can see, mama lost :-)

I have the cutest kids in the world and an awesome husband - so why am I so CRABBY? Must be the hormones! We are off to swim lessons and then I have my monthly checkup tomorrow, complete with glucose test (yuck). Then we are going to stop off at the hospital to check it out. It is a different one than I delivered the other 2 at so I want to see it up close, especially before Daddy Piper takes off on his mini-vacation in August.

I just got the most awesome email from a very good friend of mine. She and another good friend want to give me a breakfast/baby shower this fall before the little one arrives. How totally sweet is that!? I cried like the hormonal, emotional pregnant woman I am. I have made such good friends here in the last couple of years. I feel so lucky to call these women my friends!!!

Movie Day

Monday's are movie days around here. Our local theater has a summer program that we participated in this year. It has been fun!! The kids sit so well for a movie, mostly a cartoon type movie. It was a wonderful morning. I was driving home from the movie thinking how lucky I am, truly blessed to be a SAHM with my children. I enjoy spending time with them doing fun things like the movies and the not much fun things, like grocery shopping. After having all these wonderful happy feelings, I get home and I was CRABBY! It felt like a demon had taken over my body and I was horribly crabby. I hate when that happens. I was better after a nap but gosh I hate that uncontrollable feeling of despair, misery, anger.... all negative crap. We did end up having a nice evening together. Oh and Daddy Piper is back to work tomorrow - WOOHOO!

More Rain

We had more rain this evening. Here are the kids out playing in it again:




This picture is taken just as a huge crack of thunder scared the kids:


It was a nice day. We had a weird morning though. I had some pregnancy complications (more of the same old, same old - just needed to rest some and it got better) and then S got super crabby for some reason. I held him for awhile after his daddy had a turn holding him and he fell asleep on me. It was uber weird for him to fall asleep @ 9:45 AM!!! He slept until 11:30. We got to thinking this afternoon that maybe it was the multiple ant bites he got yesterday that made him so sleepy this morning. We still don't quite understand it but he has been fine all afternoon. L and I went grocery shopping together this morning. It was so much fun to shop with her. She helped read off the list and marked things off as we added them to our cart. It was great mommy/daughter time for us! Then after lunch, her and I napped while the boys hung out outside and enjoyed the nice weather. We do have one thing we need to nip in the bud and that's her attitude. I didn't realize that the crabby, snotty attitude would start at age 4. Any tips? With all the rain, Daddy Piper's work is canceled for tomorrow. With the steady work over the past 12 weeks, it's been so nice not to have that worry on my mind but now with it dwindling a bit, that worry has creeped up on me again. Nothing that worrying is going to help - that's for sure. But still, I worry just the same...

Family Day

We spent yet another day as a family today. ALL day as a matter of fact and it was fun. Yep - FUN, can you believe it?! Daddy Piper got up with the kids this morning at the crack of dawn and I slept in. I only slept about another hour, not like last week :-) I got up and made blueberry pancakes. We all decided to go with to see S play soccer today so we got ready and headed out. S did great at soccer today. He followed direction very well. It is so fun to watch him out there. He such athletic ability already. L and I had a blast watching him play. Then we went to lunch at Quizno's, an after soccer fav. We came home and got ready to play in the pool for awhile. We spent about 2 hours out there. It was so nice. The weather was gorgeous and the water was a perfect temp for splashing around. L is doing great at going under the water. She will do it all by herself now. It's weird how last summer she wouldn't go under for anything but would jump off the side without a problem and this summer it is the exact opposite. No jumping in but will go under for long periods of time! S is a power kicker. He grabs a noodle and swims all around the pool by himself. I think the next session of lessons, we are going to sign him up too. Should be fun!! After swimming, we came in and took a nap. The kids slept about 3 hours - HOLY COW!! We had a typical summer dinner - grilled brats, french fries and watermelon, with that yummy fruit dip. We went back out and played for a bit outside since the weather was just wonderful this evening. Shower, books and off to bed. It was a wonderful, relaxing day for everyone. L seemed to be in a "mood" off and on today but we worked through it. S is still having a stuttering problem but again nothing we can't handle with great days like today!!

We had some sad news today that a dear friend of mine, one of my best friends, had to take their new baby girl back to the hospital today because her bilirubin levels rose. She needs to be under that special light until they can get them back down. Please keep her in your thoughts!!

Thank you God for my family you have blessed me with. Help me to be a more patient, loving wife and mother and help me to treasure the golden days like today. Please watch over and protect new baby Anna. I know you have her in your loving arms. Please give her mama strength to get through this little hurdle and bring the baby home safe.

Rain, Rain Come Again TODAY

We got a crazy rainstorm last night. The kids slept through the whole thunder/lighting episode! Today they had fun playing in the rain puddles up front. The close-up of their faces is when an airplane came over head. My babies LOVE airplanes!!

Typical Day

We had a pretty ordinary day around here. Started out with L going to swim lessons and then we met some friends at this indoor play land thing, which totally sucked. Parents really need to watch their kids. It is not my job to watch your kid while you sit around gossiping with your friends. We came home and had lunch, watched a movie and napped. It was nice to get some much needed paperwork done this afternoon with Daddy Piper. The only downside to the day was L deciding she would rather go to daycare than stay home with Mommy since it looks like they have fun at that daycare place. It really hurt my feelings but she's 4 and of course daycare looks fun. They were playing with a parachute for goodness's sakes :-) Oh and the other downside was S pooped in the shower - GROSS!! It must have been an accident but still - not real fun to clean up. It reminded of the time when L was about 1 or 2 months old and pooped in the tub with me while I was bathing her. Totally grossed me out then too!

Stuttering...

Way back in Oct of 2006, we rented a cabin up North for the weekend. Long story short, L fell into a cactus and got some stickers in her body. Her dad wasn't too happy with the poor listening job she was doing while he tried to remove the stickers and ended up yelling AND spanking her. It was a first for both from him to her. She was devastated. The next morning, she woke up stuttering. I was very concerned since she had always talked so well. I really thought it was a reaction to the traumatic situation of having daddy spank and yell at her. We called the dr on call and was assured that this was probably normal but if she showed other signs of a head trauma to take her to the ER. She seemed fine except the stuttering. We came home early from our trip because we were so worried. She even noticed the change in her speech and commented "Why am I talking funny?". Okay this was going to be a long story short but guess not. After taking her to the dr and having a friend talk to her speech therapist and long hours of research on the Internet, it was determined this was completely normal and even more so from an above average smart child whose mind is simply processing things faster than their tongue can spit them out. Well today - S started stuttering. Pretty much at the same time as L did (28 months for her - 27 1/2 months for him). We were on way to get a coffee while L was in dance and he started. He didn't really notice it himself until we were home and he was using the potty and was trying to say "I all done" but kept saying "I, I, I, I, I" a bunch of times. I was not worried in the least time since having already been through this. He finally looked up at me and said "Mama, help me talk" and started to cry! I felt so bad for him but was laughing at the same time. He looked so sad there sitting on his little potty, naked as can be and crying because he couldn't say what he wanted to say. We got him cleaned up and had some snuggle time while I talked with him about the stuttering, trying to explain it to him (that it was okay, etc.). He didn't stutter the rest of the evening. He got caught up on a few words but slowed down and took his time and that seemed to help. I felt so calm and relaxed this time, having already been through the situation with L 2 years ago. It got me to thinking about other things. I am so much harder on her than I am on him. I really need to relax and let her be a child. I expect so much from her, since she acts and speaks like she is so much older than 4. I really need to relax and enjoy her. AWWW - Motherly guilt. I don't think it will ever change.

Bedtime Storytime

One of my favorite times of the day with the kids is bedtime. I LOVE snuggling in their bed and reading books. We usually gather on L's bed (more comfy with my big belly) and read 2 books, one for each child. For some reason, we had got out of the habit of bedtime reading awhile back and I missed it. We read books throughout the day but the bedtime book had gone to the wayside. Fortunately, we are back into the habit again. (As I type this, the baby inside my belly is letting me know he/she enjoys it too or I think that is what all this kicking means!) I enjoy reading books and hope this nightly reading instills a love of reading into my children as well.

We also have taken a more scheduled approached to homeschooling lately and began a letter of the week program last week. This week the letter is "B". S can recognize the letter and tell me the sound. I have L reading words that begin with the letter. We all take turns trying to write the letter and color a picture that has the letter on it. Any advice on homeschooling is welcomed!!

Congratulations to New Baby F

Another of my best friends in the whole world gave birth to healthy baby girl today. Congratulations to the F family on their newest addition!!!!

More Potty Training Part???

S is doing WONDERFUL going potty all by himself. It is a such a huge event when a toddler is potty trained. I never understood the significance of it until I had one of my own potty trained and now both of my babies are potty trained. I still put a diaper on S during naps and at bedtime but he is waking up dry after naps, so that will change soon. The sticker potty chart has worked again for the Piper Family!

More Movie Time

We (yes Daddy Piper came along!) took the kids to the movies today. We saw the new movie Kung Fu Panda and both kids did amazingly well sitting through the movie. They really love the movies. It was a fun time for everyone!!

Baby #3

So I went to bed right after my last post and laid there and BAM this baby started kicking like crazy. I realized that I haven't wrote much about this pregnancy. Probably because it has been mostly uneventful, unlike the other 2. I LOVE feeling my babies kick inside me. It is the most incredible feeling and impossible to describe. I am so lucky to get to experience this one more time. I know this will be our last baby (unless I can get some miracle advice on how to change my hubby's mind!!) so I am trying to enjoy every minute of it. Being pregnant is completely awesome and being pregnant without complications - a true blessing!!

Happy 4th of July 2008!

We skipped the trip to ND this year in lieu of going back for a graduation in May. I was totally bummed about this. 4th of July is the best time of year to be in ND!! L kept asking about the parade and Art in the Park. We will try our best to make it up there next year. That's when we plan to have the new baby baptized as well. Anyway, our 4th ended up being pretty fun after all. We started the day out in the pool for a couple of hours (we had a water fight - boys against the girls and the girls kicked butt!) (oh and L is totally afraid of the water, way more AFTER 2 weeks of swim lessons than ever before, what's that all about??) and then had a yummy lunch with watermelon and fruit dip (perfect summertime treat) and naps. When we all woke up refreshed, we played some games and put puzzles together as a family. This evening we had brats and pasta salad for dinner. We let the kids stay up waaaaaayyyy past bedtime to watch New York's fireworks on TV. Daddy Piper thought it was going to be too stormy here for fireworks but they went off without a hitch. We climbed up on the roof and watched them. L was pretty scared to climb up on the roof in the dark so I said I would stay on the ground with her but she got brave and we joined the boys up on the roof. This was so nice!!!! So peaceful, being together the 4 of us, watching the beautiful fireworks all around us (and some lightning too!!). It was such a relaxing day, from start to finish. I feel so blessed to have such a family!!

Drowning (or rather going under)

I have sat and wondered what I would do if S were to go under the water while watching L get swim lessons over the last 2 weeks. I wondered if I would freak or just calmly get him out and go about our business - well now I know. S fell in the water today while at L's swim lessons. We usually play on the step across from the area where she is getting lessons. The steps are about 1 1/2 feet deep. It has worked out well. S gets to splash around and play and I get to stay cool in this 110 heat without bearing my swelling body to the world in an unflattering maternity swimsuit. Today - he reached for a toy and went headfirst into the pool. I just hopped down, scooped him up and back to splashing and playing we go. He wasn't even upset or freaked out. Just shook his head a bit to clear the water and continued playing. Guess I know now what kind of mama I would be in an emergency - calm, cool and collected.

p.s. L calls going under the water "drowning" hence the title of this post. No one drowns around here on my watch!!

Thank you God for watching over my babies and keeping us all safe in your loving arms.

Dress-up

The kids played dress-up today. Guess it's time to get S some "boy" stuff to play with....



Boy dress-up clothes just don't seem as fun as girl ones. I think that will make a good potty prize soon!

Siblings

It was the funniest thing today. S followed L around and did everything she did and it was driving her BONKERS! I laughed out loud for a good 2 minutes watching her try to get away from him to no avail. I had to take a break from finishing this story to go get S off the potty. He went poo and decided to wipe himself, resulting in poo all over his potty chair and the toilet - YUCK! Okay done for now - off to paint with the kids!!