Little things from Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday

Li Ya fell down today and started to cry.  Mi Na felt bad and offered Li Ya her Sleeping Beauty baby doll, which she previously denied her on the ride home from preschool.  I said to Li Ya, "Li Ya, that was so nice of Mi Na, can you give her a hug?"  Li Ya gave her a hug.  It was beautiful.

Stephen reported that he finished his Wednesday night homework on the bus ride to school.  Steve had sent him on the bus with all the materials he needed to complete his assignment.  I love his eagerness.

This afternoon, I complimented Mei Li on her outfit: a white and gray striped t-shirt, emerald green leggings with a dog print, and a hot pink knit twirly skirt.  In response, she twisted her legs back and forth so her skirt swished, and then she giggled a little.

Mei Li rushed through her piano practice so she could go play outside.   Her piano-playing profile included a large bird's nest on the back of her head, the result of two days of complete hair neglect.  I wonder if I am the only mother to let that happen regularly.  Sigh.

Thursday

This morning, I witnessed Li Ya feeding her pretzel sticks to Mi Na.  I love watching their relationship develop.

Around bed time, I walked into Stephen and Mi Na's room to find the older three kids playing something together.  Mi Na was wearing Mei Li's bright pink polka-dot pajamas, which are humongous on her.  She was jumping up and down and dancing in front of the window singing, "Welcome to our party!" in kind of a low husky voice.  Then she said, "Mom! Do you want to come to our girl party?  I mean, boy and girl party?"  Poor Stephen really gets roped into a lot of girl play.  He handles it well, and I think he'll make a terrific husband.

Charlotte's Web was the book of choice for Mei Li and Stephen tonight.  Gosh I love that book.  I read it slowly and with my best character voices, which aren't that great at all.  Mei Li rested her head on my shoulder while I read.  Stephen sat on the other side of me, leaning on my arm.  Heaven.

Long live summer!

 

Mi Na woke up with a fever.  She wasn't too ornery, but she did request to take a nap this morning.  The idea to go to the National Zoo came to me at 10 AM, which was of course too late to do anything about it.  So we didn't go, but I did break out the new water guns.  The kids haven't really played with any before today, but they definitely enjoyed them.  Mei Li and Stephen expressed gratitude multiple times for their fifty-cent treasures.

I love how simple things make them so happy.

After the backyard water games, they came inside to wash up.  Mei Li and Stephen created an obstacle course that kept them happy for most of the afternoon.  Mi Na just wanted me to hold her.

This evening, we saw a bunny in our backyard.  Mei Li and Stephen were so concerned about it eating our grass and vegetables that they decided to set a friendly trap for it.  It consisted of a box, string, and some baby carrots.  Mei Li even painted the inside of the box with her nail polish to make it look like grass.  From the deck, I watched Mei Li tiptoe into the backyard to set the trap.  She looked up at Steve, Stephen, and me and whispered, "Don't worry!  I'm okay!"  Somehow I don't think we'll catch a bunny, but it was cute to watch them make a plan (for a whole hour) and execute it.

Long live summer!

It's just Wednesday.

It's been a good day.  Since I completed my last long run (a 10-miler) on Monday, the rest of the week will be easy until the half marathon on Saturday.  I ran 3 miles this morning and it was freezing.  I thought it would be cold the rest of the day too, but it was actually just perfect.

All three kids were dressed well before it was time to catch the school bus, which is kind of amazing for me.  Mi Na's usually in her pajamas all day long.  I guess I was feeling particularly ambitious today. ;)

We headed to the bus stop, Stephen on his bike, Mei Li and me on foot, and Mi Na in my arms.

 After Mei Li caught the bus, we went to the tot lot to play.  I couldn't get over the perfect blue sky and bright orange leaves.  It's the kind of sight that fills me with faith and gratitude.

 

 Mi Na was loving the slide.  She climbed up the stairs and slid down the slide over and over again while giggling.  She is delightful.

 

This tot lot clearly didn't offer enough conventional fun for an almost 4-year-old boy, but it's a good thing he's creative.

 
You know, having Mei Li go to kindergarten has been a great thing for Stephen.  He gets more time with me and less time to torment Mei Li, which he does often and with great pleasure.

 
I feel like today was Mi Na's first day as a real toddler, complete with running-away-from-Mommy-while-laughing, and the tantrum after leaving the park.  This should be a fun couple of years.

The rest of the day was pleasant and relatively calm. Although, unfortunately for Steve, I was kind of grumpy in the evening.  Come to think of it, I've been grumpy every evening this week.  I'm blaming it on the time change or hormones.  Whatever it is, it's definitely not my fault. :)

My Little Babes

Lucky me.

Our week

Friday 5/28

It was Steve's first full day back. We had many goals for the day, but not everything went as planned. At least we were together.

We missed gymnastics class. The traffic was pretty bad and we just weren't going to make it. Mei Li was unbelievably sad. We felt horrible and we knew it was all our fault.

We picked up some yard tools from Lowe's. We ate lunch with Christine and retrieved our other car. Steve picked his bags up from the airport. This took the entire day.

Saturday 5/29

We spent the morning in the backyard together pulling out weeds. I stayed with the kids inside while Steve finished up the weeds in the back and the front, trimmed the bushes, and raked the leaves from last fall.

We did unpack a little.

Sunday 5/30

It was our first full Sunday in our new ward. Everyone is so kind. Mei went to primary and Stephen went to nursery without any issues. Steve and I get to sit together in Sunday School for the first time in months.

Monday 5/31

Memorial day began with a trip to the spa for Mei Li and me. I had a spafinder gift certificate since Christmas 2008 and hadn't used it yet, so I took Mei Li with me to get our nails done.

I got a pedicure and Mei Li got a manicure AND pedicure. I chose dark red for my toes and Mei Li chose blue for her toes and purple for her fingers.

She was tickled to be there sipping apple juice from a stemmed glass while Miss Gale worked on her feet. She asked Gale a ton of questions.


The next activity was our ward's Memorial day picnic. It was so hot! We had fun meeting new people and watching our kids run around. Stephen's cheeks were bright red.

It was too late to put Stephen down for a nap after the picnic so he was a disaster for the rest of the day.

Tuesday 6/01

I took Mei to joy school and then Stephen to wiggles and giggles. We were late to both.

I went to a Relief Society activity that night. I had fun. It's hard to remember everyone's name.

Wednesday 6/02

See previous post.

Thursday 6/03

It was Mei Li's joy school graduation. Mei Li was sad that day and didn't want to sing the song with the other kids.


It is sad to see things end. Thanks to the other joy school moms for a fun year. Mei Li learned so much from all of you.

Next, Janine cut Mei Li and Stephen's hair. I love Janine. Mei Li now has bangs and she looks adorable. I was so pleased with her hair, but I was also strangely sad. Another change took place. Change is hard. Or, I'm just really hormonal.

Then it was off to Ali, Chloe, and Teo's house for some water fun, popsicles, and s'mores.

It was so nice to be with familiar friends.


Friday 6/04

I took the kids to the nearby fountains in the morning. We met friends from our new ward there. It was hot, but the kids had a great time.

We made it to gymnastics! Mei Li has so much fun in that class. She's getting much more coordinated.

Afterwards, we went to Chick-fil-A and then to Mackie's for some swimming with Lilly and Emerson. Mackie stayed in the house with napping Stephen and Carter while I watched the kids at the pool. We switched places for the last hour. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.


Steve beat me home that night. That was also the night we fired the guy working on our front and back yards.

Saturday 6/05

Steve was up early in the morning and worked until late at night buying supplies, preparing soil and laying down sod in our front yard. He is a tireless worker.

We did manage some together time in the middle of the day to eat at Foster's and pick up the sod.

Stephen wanted to help dig. Steve indulged him for a little bit, but otherwise, I tried to keep the kids out of the way.

Steve's clothes met the trash at the end of the day.

Sunday 6/06

We went to church in the morning. Mei Li had a hard time going to primary. I don't blame her at all. I wonder how long it will take before this new ward doesn't feel new anymore. I'm guessing a year.

In the evening, we went on a walk together. We live about a quarter of a mile from the W&OD trail. I love that. It was a warm evening, but there was a strong breeze and it felt wonderful.

We passed an inline hockey rink, which Steve was impressed with. Steve was happy to see that the sign said girls and boys could start at age 4. He would really like Mei Li to do something sporty next time I sign her up for classes. I'm not opposed at all, but maybe we should start with soccer or basketball and wait until she's little older for inline hockey?

I think this is what normal life feels like. I love it.

Silver and Gold.

I started sobbing in the middle of dinner preparation after I talked to my visiting teaching companion, Taunya, on the phone. I am going to miss so many people when we move.

In the almost 3 and half years that we've lived here, I've watched many friends leave. I never liked being the one to be left behind, but leaving is no fun either.

My mother worked very hard to teach me that I can be happy if I decide to be, but life as we know it is so great that I haven't needed to decide to be happy. I just am.

Thank you all for making it so easy to be happy here. I will miss you.

Details

due date: July 12

current health: fabulous

first trimester health: junk

to find out or not find out: Steve will and I might not (and if I don't, none of you will either :)

Mei Li's hope: recently changed from boy to girl

Stephen's hope: a boy and a girl (not happening)

baby bump: appeared exactly four days ago

feelings: we are overflowing with gratitude and happiness

Cherry Blossom Sunday.