Back to reality....

It was a delightful weekend. First a pedicure and then plenty of time to enjoy my husband. As I waited for him to arrive at the hotel I enjoyed this glass of wine. We saw movies. Ate at all our favorites and some new restaurants. We read books and enjoyed conversation and quiet. At lunch today it hit me that I really enjoyed my time with just Ed...and I wasn't quite ready to race home to reality...even though I missed my boys dearly. Neither of us had watches this weekend and at one point Ed's phone was dead and I left mine in our room. Time irrelevant...we weren't watching for nap time or bedtime...we slept late and ate early. It was just us. Thanks for a wonderful weekend away.

Look what I can do....

The life of a 18 month old...

7 years...

People always said, "Once you have kids you won't remember what you did with yourselves before kids." For a long time after Charley was born I would sit there and think really, really hard about what I did with my summers off from teaching, our weekends, and our evenings. What in the world did I fill my grocery cart with and did I ever go to Target?

Almost 7 years ago Ed and I chose to get married. It was just us - and ALL of our FABULOUS friends and family who celebrated all day and into the night (July 20, 2002)...yes our wedding reception ended at 1 am! On this day we had many hopes and dreams. We had a plan for children....someday. But we knew we wanted time for each other first. We had that time..but we don't remember much.

So, Ed and I thought about going somewhere to celebrate 7 years of ups and downs and all arounds. Crazy, Cozy, Calm, and Content. We brainstormed Vegas....one of our favorites....and other quaint or touristy areas around the mid west. But we finally realized that what we wanted was, "Life before kids...for two days." And what better place than good old Edina. This was an area nearby our first apartment. It is still a place where we prefer to go to movies and eat out. They have a new hotel, The Westin, situated within walking distance of some of our favorite restaurants and the movie theater. At first we thought it was silly to stay so close to home, to not explore unique new restaurants or challenge ourselves with a crazy white water rafting trip. But we decided that to totally relax meant, familiar. To go to Edina meant we wouldn't waste an entire Friday kid-less evening cramped in the car. So we made a reservation and anticipated a weekend "Of what we did before kids". Even though we know we will still mostly think and talk about the boys.

Before kids...

We believe we dropped what we were doing and went to movies (without having to pay for a babysitter).

We believe if we didn't feel like cooking we went out to eat and ordered a glass of wine (not a kiddie meal).

We believe we slept in, read quietly, went for a walk, or sat at a bar and talked about where life would take us in 7 years.

So this weekend - we get that. Thank you Grandma Charlie for loving up our boys so we can have this time to remind ourselves that the decision we made 7 years ago was absolutely the best decision. And that in 18 years when our little guys grow their wings and fly away from our nest...we will be okay. We will remember time with just us...and look forward to it.

Happy Friday everyone!

Grace in Small things #13

1. Clean floors...even if it lasts one hour.

2. Working hard all day to clean up around here. Using my time wisely.

3. Time spent with friends...chatting about life...on the same page...laughing and being happy. (Thanks Sherry, Lynelle, and Paula!) Looking forward to next weeks outing!

4. Shopping just a wee bit....I got two everyday skirts this week that I am excited about.

5. Henry is starting to talk...bug, bird, book, more, please, all things he verbalizes in his own way.

I am...

A friend (Kelly), shared this blog with me. Loved it. Thought I would try it since my day has been all about cleaning toilets, washing floors, and folding laundry. Nothing exciting to blog about.

For Today...

Outside my window... rugs drying in the breeze.

I am thinking... that I have a fantastic week ahead of me. Get away with Ed and time with Grandma Charlie!

I am thankful for... a friend who comes to my rescue too often. Thank you Lynelle for taking Charley so I can do some cleaning. I HAVE used this time very wisely.

From the kitchen... my last job to tackle...the pile of dirty dishes....besides our bedroom and bathroom....not sure if I will get there.

I am wearing... a new bra! LOVING IT! and.....cozy black pants and a gray t-shirt. It is a cool summer day.

I am reading... nothing right now- otherwise I wouldn't get any cleaning done.

I am listening....to the sound of our damn washing machine that is soooo loud and moves across the room. I am waiting for the day that it actually explodes into outerspace.

I am hoping... to get a walk in with my boys today.

I am creating... a clean cozy house for my mother in law so that she can enjoy the boys while we are away.

I am praying...that everyone stays healthy so we can enjoy the week up north coming up.

Around the house... you will no longer find several toys...I tossed a big bag in the garbage! WOO HOO! Although as soon as Charley arrives home I know he is going to ask where they are. No doubt about it.

One of my favorite things... having the windows open.

A few plans for the rest of the week... grocery shopping...nothing else I HAVE to accomplish.

When asked...

When I asked Charley what he wanted for lunch today. He responded with this:

"Something I can eat with a fork!"

Hmmmmmm....the possibilities are endless!

Wednesday Mornings Summer 2009

Being a mama doesn't get much better than this!

Grace in Small Things #12

1. Tonight for dinner Charley had his salad in a "big" bowl...one the same size as Ed and mine. When he saw this he was excited. His salad consisted of 1/2 mix of spinach and 1/2 mix of regular lettuce from the bag. Sprinkled with some sunflower seeds and croutons...with lite Caesar dressing (his choice). Not only did he devour his salad but he wanted more. He did use one piece of spinach as a fan while repeatedly saying "fan! fan! fan!" in which Ed replied, "Charley, we don't play with our food." Then I responded, "Hey, he is eating spinach. Can't complain about that." Which Ed then said, "True." Charley has always been my eater. One of the many things I love about him!

I multiply this by 5 to make my Grace in Small things #12 complete!

Grace in Small Things #11

1. Watching Henry try and make me disappear....by closing his eyes for several seconds. I am pretty sure that is what he is doing.

2. Mama School time with Charley. We talk, we learn, we have moments together.

3. Motrin: After some Motrin Henry napped for an hour this morning and 2 hours this afternoon! Making the 5:30 am start to our day a little more acceptable.

4. Anticipation of my get-away with Ed. 7 years of growth, love, and evidence that July 20, 2002, was a great decision!

5. Meal Group - We had our monthly exchange and once again my freezer is full of yummy meals that require heating the oven or crock pot and opening a bottle of wine.

Early mornings...and the world spins madly on...

Henry has gifted me with early morning rising the last few mornings...5:30AM - COME ON! I am trying to have a really good attitude about it. Today we snuggled under a blanket and watched Sesame Street...I know, he isn't two yet, but what else are we going to do at 5:30 in the morning. If my husband wasn't such a hard worker I could get a good walk in with my little guy...but he is- so sitting cozy is what we will do this morning.

And my world spins madly on...

Yesterday we had some free passes to the Mall of America Amusement park. One of the passes was a lucky one and scored us 100 points. Normally the pass is good for one or two rides. But 100 points is worth almost 30 some rides! So we rode as much as we could handle...or maybe as much as mama could handle. Ever notice that young child rides all go around in circles...at varying degrees of speed. Mama was spinning and dizzy all morning. And then we passed it on to some random stranger that was looking to buy some tickets. Since you have to use it the same day you redeem it. That felt amazing!






Henry has no fear of the rides. But our last ride was a hot air balloon type ride. Where you slowly move up and down in a relaxing manner. It was the highest ride we went on...not the fastest, but the highest. And I noticed this face on Henry for most of the ride. There was a noise he made too...kind of an ewwwwwwwwww! It was kind of his disturbed face. This morning, during the wee hours of the morning he came to me with a toy that had come apart. He had this same face on. So I am pretty sure it is his disturbed face.



I might be making this face by the end of the day...storms predicted - up since 5:30am - and still have to make my freezer meals for meal swap today at 11! Woops...forgot that one yesterday! Happy Tuesday!

Note: The song that plays...often on my blog is a favorite. The words don't necessarily have meaning. But the instrumental in the song I love. I know it starts : I woke up , wished that I was dead....and that is NOT the case. Sometimes I wake up and really hate that it is 5:30 and I can't get another hour and a half of sleep...or more... like my friend Lynelle. However, I wake up ready for a new day, excited to be a mommy to my two boys...and heck, with two extra hours to love them up, fold laundry, and get things done.