Thursday, February 25, 2010

It's amazing how Alyssa and I are so connected. It's always been that way ever since she was born. I had a difficult time after she was born and she had colic that whole time. When I started feeling better the colic suddenly stopped. So I've been really stressed and exhausted lately. So today she just starts crying in the middle of breakfast for no reason. Then she hardly eats her lunch (I'm the same) and sobbed like the world was ending when the boys at daycare touched her lovey. She's usually so easy-going.

Al came home from Monterey and gave me a much needed hug and she wanted in on the action. (To says she's possessive of her mommy is an understatement.) That hug alleviated a lot of the stress and I felt better--so did she. I tell you, it really made me stop and think about how much mommy's happiness affects the girls. Although I have to say that Alyssa is an extreme situation--maybe it's a Aquarius/Pisces thing. I may never understand . . .

Samantha is turning into such a 5-year-old. It's funny how much her personality is changing. She keeps cracking me up. This week she had a routine checkup at the dentist. She couldn't wait. She told everyone she saw that she was going to the dentist. She's always been obsessive about her teeth. She made goofy faces and acted so much like an older kid when she was in the office and it just hit me--she growing up.

Al rented a Barbie movie (The Musketeers) the other day and I looked at him like he was out of his mind. I thought it was going to be stupid and something that would be inappropriate. Boy was I wrong! It was actually awesome. It was so empowering for girls and the message (a girl can overcome any obstacle) was appropriate. Samantha ate up every minute.

I think we're going to start our bathroom renovation. The vanity is sitting in our bedroom and most of other things we have. I am getting sick of a leaky, rusty sink. We've been putting it off for 7 1/2 years. Plus we can garden in this rain, so at least we'll have something productive to do on the weekends.

Friday, February 19, 2010

It's Friday night--a rough week for me. It's been very busy at work and Samantha has been off school. She did go to Tanya's twice this week, which helped. She was busy with Al or my mom otherwise. The weather was fantastic through Wednesday. Thursday it was cold and back to the reality that we're still in the middle of winter. We were wearing t-shirts and played outside until 7 a few nights.

I keep reminding myself that we have a few more weeks until the time changes. I think it will make all of us much happier. It's funny how we all get tired of the winter soon after it begins.

Last weekend Samantha was begging me to come outside and "grow something." We planted 18 snow pea and 18 snap pea plants seeds. They got a great head start in our backyard. We also planted basil, chives, cilantro, and parsley that will live in the kitchen window. The parsley and chives will be able to go outside, but the cilantro and basil are too delicate.

I managed to get the painting finished on the armoire. The main piece is finally in our bedroom without the doors. Those are still in the garage waiting for a "rough up" to antique. It was quite a feat to get the armoire in our bedroom. It is taller than the door jamb and very heavy. We did a lot of maneuvering to get it in our room. I think it probably took us 45 minutes. It looks great--so much more substantial than the tiny, 5 foot armoire we had in there before. We have huge vaulted ceilings in our room that quickly dwarf furniture.

We're really enjoying watching the Olympics. It's always a sad thing when it's over. It's so easy to get excited about the races. The other night I found myself holding my breath during the speed skating!

Nothing new on Al's job search. However, he's been working to revise his resume. Let's hope that he gets some bites!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Sunny Day

The sun was out today and we were so excited. After our Saturday morning routine we couldn't wait to get home and put on our t-shirts and play outside. It was about 67 degrees, which feels great in winter.

Al ran his 20 miles in Monterey today. He did it, although not without pain, but he has such a sense of accomplishment. He will taper his run for the next few weeks until the Napa Marathon on March 7th. We were looking at the route today--beautiful. I wish I could run with him. They'll start in Calistoga (where he proposed to me) and then through St. Helena and Yountville to Napa. It is truly one of the most beautiful areas. I hope that the weather is nice and it doesn't rain. But I'll be there, nevertheless, cheering him on.

I just finished knitting myself an eggplant-colored, bordered scarf. It's the first time I did a border. It wasn't difficult and it took me only two weeks. Keep in mind that I only get an hour here or there to work on it. Overall it was probably about 3-4 hours. I can knit a hat in a day if it's simple enough. I've been working on the girls' "Peter Pan" hats. (They're green--that is why they are Peter Pan hats.)

I'm hoping to get the armoire finished this long weekend. I'll be so happy when we can get it out of the garage. I have to apply some wax for a faux antique finish and then one or two more coats of paint. It's been a long process, but it will be worth it. I'll post some pictures when I'm done.

For now I'll leave you with the sweetest pic of the girls.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Kinder registration

It's been a busy couple of weeks here and continues to be.

I've been swamped with work, which is always a good thing in this economy. There aren't enough hours in the work week, but I am learning to turn everything off at 5 and walk away.

Both kids have had rechecks for this last virus and both have received clean bills of health. Al and I are now back to normal, too. We've never all been hit by something at the same time. Our house felt like a germy mess for a while.

The weather is still much the same--lots of rain and hardly any sunshine. But the girls are taking advantage of any dry day they can. Yesterday, we spend a good part of the day cleaning up the yard and playing outside. It was hardly warm and the sun didn't come out, but they wore themselves out.

This week I get to register Samantha for Kindergarten. I can't believe that we're here already! It will be so exciting. She's started taking her lunch bag to school this month and will continue doing that for the remainder of the school year. Part of the Pre-Kinder structure is learning that each child will have a different lunch/snack than you do. They're also learning to open their food containers, etc. All the kids were very excited about this new development.

Al has his El Torito Fundraiser this week. He's been really busy planning that. For anyone who wants to attend, El Torito's in Monterey will host a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society from 6-9 on Wednesday, February 10th. 25% of all the proceeds will go to LLS! And we're less than a month away from his Napa Marathon. It will be crazy from here on out!

If you want to donate to the LLS but don't want to use your credit card, you can send a check written to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to 741 Del Mar Drive, Hollister, CA 95023.