34 and still counting

Today I turned 34. I'm happy admitting it. I love being a 30-something. I feel more sure of who I am and where I am going than any other time in my life. I like that.

However, my sister sent me a card this year that made me laugh. She said, "Is this when we start enabling each other to be in denial about our age? I think so! :)" Okay, sis, you just aren't old enough yet (she's 28) and I didn't think I was old enough yet.... Liz, you trying to say I'm old? jk, I know what you are saying.

Today was a wonderful day. My friends and family have loved on me all day. This morning, we all had breakfast together and I was given my gifts. A dress (to wear out this evening), a teapot I've been eyeing, the Juno soundtrack, and my sister's gift of a sushi press. I loved that all the presents were not generic gifts but ones picked specifically for me. Something I want to remember: Madelyn has been making me birthday cards ALL DAY! She made one last night, two this morning, two at school (as well as her best friend and her student teacher), and two more after she got home. I love that she loves me THAT much!

The day was fun and I felt very loved, but now for the great part. After feeding the kids mac&cheese and settling them in with a babysitter, we headed out to a VERY nice restaurant. This is how Ben started our outing. I thought it very clever and cute.

Did you see that? The Oceanaire! The best seafood restaurant in town! And man, did we eat up. I'm so full right now, I'm gonna bust. It was terrific, thanks babe. Thanks for some real adult conversation, great food, and a great time! You know how to make an "old" girl feel special!

Oh, and these were on my table when I got home. My daddy knows how to make me feel special too.... love you, Daddy!

Family Picture

This family picture is actually a bit old - from Thanksgiving - but I pulled it out from the files to print for Madelyn.  (She needed one to take to school.)  I thought while I had it out, I'd post it too.  I love you, crazy Rhodes!

Crap (I mean Craft) Room

Call me crazy, call me a packrat, call me embarrassed.... all I have to say is that something has GOT to change soon or I'm gonna completely lose it. You see, I have this room that I call my "craft room" and Ben calls my "crap room" (figure that I can't be upset when he's speaking truth). It is busting at the seams! Here, take a look:

this is the door into said room...

these are the 16 boxes of boys clothes that DON'T fit Grey anymore... (and a couple of really cute Easter type suits) [Come to think of it, I should ask in sis-in-laws if I should bring clothes down at Easter time.]

and the fabric corner...

and one of two baby paraphernalia corners (that we just might need one day)...

this is the pile that drives me the most crazy - the stuff piled up to leave and the bins I've bought to help organize the stuff that will stay...

but don't worry, there is a "place" for me to sit and sew (but barely)...

I would love to organize this room. Once, four years ago, I had a friend come over to organize it with me (Thanks, Sarah W!) and it stayed that way for about 2 weeks. Maybe a little longer, I don't remember. My issue is that a lot of stuff would leave if ... well, what is my hold up? Maybe I can do some processing here.

The kind of things I feel need to stay are:

• select baby toys, swing, exersaucer, and crib - we don't know what is ahead of us in the realm of foster care. I think that makes sense - right?
• fabrics that don't have any specific project - scraps are sometimes big enough to do something else with and I guess part of me is dreaming of doing a scrap quilt someday
• craft items that could, and do, come in handy - baskets, dowel rods, old fish bowls, old curtains, picture frames are all things that were kept in a time of non-use and came in handy later
  
• sentimental knick-knacks that aren't currently on display - so much of this is just stuff but is so hard to see go
• extra blankets and comforters - we have been in several situations where ALL of our blankets and comforters were in use. I can't in good conscience get rid of something that we would only have to replace
  

There is A LOT of stuff that needs to go though. There are boxes upon boxes and bags upon bags of clothes that are no longer necessary in our household. There are baby and children's toys that are no longer age appropriate or necessary for our children. There are suitcases that aren't used. And here is my dilemma - I don't want to give them to the Goodwill or Salvation Army because I would rather give them to people that need them or want them for free!

Just as I wrote that, it seemed silly. Silly because I am holding on this stuff hoping to find the "best" place to give it and it is ending up not being of any good use. Silly because I'm saying that I can determine where the best places are. Silly because I am surrounded mostly by families that don't NEED these hand-me-downs but the Goodwill and/or Salvation Army can make these things available to people that do. Granted, if I knew of the perfect family for any of this stuff, it would be bagged up and delivered. (I've been known to do this. Really I have!)

Nevermind.... I guess my next job will be to pull everything out and make a list of it. As a last call, I could email my list out to all my other mom friends to see if anyone wants to make any claims. Then, everything left will get loaded up in my van and taken to the Goodwill. [Or maybe I should talk to Ben about having a garage sale... it would be our first.] Sounds like a plan.

The good news is that I think with the removal of these things, I could easily organize the above list of things in my spacious CRAFT room. Whew... maybe you've helped me solve my problem and I *won't* lose it! At least not for this reason. Thanks for listening! And if you have any anti-packrat advice, lay it on me!

PS - Steph and Chris, so you want me to bring the boys clothes to pass off at Easter?

Can I call it Spring?

Starting to warm up around here!! YEA!

On another note, just yesterday I stepped my big toe back into the engineering ring! I took on a part-time job (5-10 hours/week) working for the group I left in Nov 2007. I will be doing tech writing for them FROM HOME! I think this will be great because I'll be able to stay in the loop and be home with my kids... then maybe one day take a bigger step back. Right now I've made absolutely clear that Greyson and I are a package deal and that if I have to come in to the office, I most likely have him with me. And that I might not be working doing work hours because that is the time I spend with my kids.... They have been so understanding of this and I have felt so blessed. Yesterday, the group took Greyson and I out to lunch to welcome us. I am so excited to start this new adventure! And to think, if I hadn't quit 2.5 years ago and been in the office to visit back in November at just the right time, this probably would never have come together.... I'm so blessed. Thank you, God!

Swim Lessons

This winter I decided to put the kids in swimming lessons. They had a great time with it! And it went really well. (However, on the frigid -15* days, I was asking myself what I was thinking!)

Greyson's experience:
On the first day, Greyson was SO EXCITED about swimming lessons until the moment his feet touched the water at the edge of the pool where he REFUSED to get in... without me. And since I didn't have a bathing suit, he didn't get in. Everyone thought he was afraid of the water and everybody was wrong. He was probably a little skeptical of the new environment, but I suspect that he just didn't want to do it without me (the mama's boy that he is). He is most definitely NOT afraid of the water! This is my boy that holds his breath under water for what seems like forever in the bathtub. They have a class that runs at the same time that is a parent/child class. So, I asked and got permission to join him in the water with that class the next week. It was obvious to everyone at that point that he wasn't having a problem with the water, just with separating from mom. After a two weeks of joining him, at a convenient moment, I slipped him back into his original class (the man above was very instrumental in this!). He stayed with his class after that and had a great time!

Oh yeah, one more thing, it was during this swim class that I determined that Greyson needed to bulk up a little. His whole body would shiver from the time he got in to the time he got out. And his little ribs were a a little too noticeable. Although he was eating a lot already, I think his metabolism must be super-sonic fast. After this, I increased his diet's good fats and carbs (this would have been easier without a nut allergy to contend with) - whole milk, sunbutter, more cheeses, more pasta.... He seems to have gained weight and has stopped shivering so much while in the pool. On a side note: He also seems to have grown an inch or two in the last few weeks. Come to think of it, Madelyn seems to grown a couple of inches in the last few weeks as well.

Madelyn's experience: Madelyn was excited from the get-go about swimming lessons and it has been amazing to see Madelyn's progress from week to week (with the help of some "homework" in my gym's pool). She has issues with forward momentum but all in all, is getting the swimming movements down. In this picture, she is about to show me how she can go underwater and hold her breath. Very cool!

OUTside Winter Play

I think I'm finally starting to like Minnesota winters. At least when they are above -10*! Here's one of our outings - I think this one was in January. Since we missed our window this year, Madelyn and I have plans to go cross-country skiing next year.

The kids have figured out that they can sled down the side of the house and if they stay off the track that it gets longer and faster. I will send them outside and they will sled like this for 30-45 minutes while I work on something else (like dinner).

Ben acting as the stand-in for the last snowman's head. But no fear, the poor snowman got his own head soon after.

kids exhausted....

a snowball's trail (an attempt at an artsy-fartsy photo)

SNOWBALL FIGHT!

Bring it!

INside Winter Play

Since we seem to be coming into the warmer weather of spring (although I'm sure that I'm jinxing us), I thought I would post some cute photos of the "funner" stuff we did this winter.

We have a great time putting on music and playing our instruments. Greyson actually likes it better when the toy guitar doesn't play for him. He likes it to be quiet and HE makes the guitar sounds. We would also get out the drums (Greyson's Christmas gift) and harmonicas (Ben took Madelyn out over the winter to buy herself a REAL harmonica with HER money!) and keyboards and recorders and tambourines and shaker eggs... we love having a musical family!!!

We did a lot of building in our living room - train routes, bridges, lincoln log houses, truck assembly - we love that our kids love to engineer!

Hiding under baskets are a great way to kill some time. (note the cars Greyson has.... a new favorite! Speaking of which, we recently watched the movie Cars and Greyson LOVED it!! We liked it too - good message about "loving your neighbors".)

I had a great time chaperoning one of Madelyn's Kindergarten field trips to the Children's Museum. This is my little group of four that I had fun with. They are standing on the other side of a tank full of water (and turtles).

This is our storytime. Librari-Ann (or Miss Ann) does a GREAT job of it! It has been a staple of our week (even during the summer) since I quit working.

And the following two pictures are of when good friends, Joseph and Birgitta, spent the day with us. They are so good and so sweet! Joseph and Madelyn have known each since the daycare baby room. (There are pictures of them snuggling in the baby soft pit somewhere.) And their mom and I have gotten to be BFFs along the way.... Love you, Helen!



Where are Grey and GG? Peek-a-boo!