The First Week...

Last week, was a pretty crazy week Laine started preschool, had a short dance recital, we bought a Christmas tree and then decorated it. Monday we were suppose to get our tree, but it was too late and raining so instead we bought Lainey a small tree from target to put in her room; she was very excited, buying us time since we didn't get the tree as planned. Also exciting was the fact that on Tuesday she would be FINALLY, starting preschool, she has been looking forward to this since June (no lie). So we put her to bed, prepping her about listening to her teacher and being nice to others and such. She then tells me, "Mommy I am going to stay there all by myself, you aren't going to be there"; seriously if a bus were going to be picking her up in the morning she would have left with it no problems.

As a side, my kids do not like to wake up in the mornings; Eliot is usually up around 9 and Laine can easily sleep until 10 often even later… don’t hate.

Tuesday morning I go into wake her up around 7:45, “hey baby ready to go to school” she gets right up and hops into the bath we eat breakfast, pull Eliot out of bed and leave for school. After coming back home Eliot decides that the morning nap he has been trying to give up is now a necessity, so to the crib he goes. When E wakes up he points to Laine’s room and waves bye-bye; he misses his sister when she is gone. Back to the school to pick up my big girl, I talk to her teacher for a minute about their day and she tells me a couple highlights. They were talking about walking in the park Ms. J says asks what are some “houses” you would see in a tree, Laine replies “those are bird’s nest… oh and Ms. J park is P-A-R-K”. There was only a minor meltdown when we tried to leave, she thought she was going outside, but it was really time to be picked up… oops. Well we got our Christmas tree that night, she was having a great time; there were animals and all around fun times. After dinner, she asks as we walk in the door “Mommy, maybe tomorrow I don’t need to take a bath or eat breakfast, so I don’t have to wake up so, so early” I chuckled and said “we’ll see”.

My Art Is My Work...

Laine, Nathaniel and Eliot are in the kitchen, E being his usual mischievous self pushes over the trash bag that is tied and ready to be taken out. Nathaniel picks it up the bag and then she sees it, one of her beautiful drawings in the trash bag. The one she already told her dad NOT to throw away.


Nathaniel - "what's the matter?" 
Laine - through tears "my picture is in the trash"
Nathaniel - "how did it get in there?"
Laine - "I don't know..." (eyes widen) "you put it in there!"
Nathaniel - "uhhh"
*turning to me, still crying...
Laine - "Mommy, daddy thinks I make art for the trash"
*looking back to daddy
Laine - "Daddy, my art is my work"

The Perfect Day:

as told by Laine

"when I was a little girl, I made cookies; then we went to the park with Sam. Next we went to Monkey Joe's and to have ice cream. Then we rode the train to the library and after we came home... well actually we went over to Ava and Courtney's... oh and they went with us to the park and Monkey Joe's and to ice cream and to the library"

Sounds like a busy day :)

Just an observation...

I have a very smart daughter, well I'm bias of course but the level of understanding that kids have is remarkable. Lately I have been trying to limit TV, just while at home, grandparents houses don't count. By limit don't think she doesn't watch it at all because she does, I mean not sit if front of the computer for long periods watching Mickey, Pooh or Imagination Movers (also equally loved by my 1 year old). In giving her the opportunity to play, I realized she has an amazing imagination. Today for example, she pulled out one of her swimming suits that matched her tutu and put them on with some white shoes that kind of look like ballet shoes. Then she danced around the living room for 30 minutes singing to the top of her lungs; so cute. She is always coming out of her room with some kind of pretend costume on. Anyway, this may be some shameless bragging but I think my little girl is pretty rad. Oh and I'm not saying we will stop watching TV I mean after all she had to see the ballerina somewhere right? I just love watching to see what she comes up with.

Lainey....

Laine ~ daddy your a genius
Daddy ~ Laine, do you know what genius means?
Laine ~ yes
Daddy ~ then, what does it mean?
Laine ~ umm... what does it mean?
Daddy ~ it means you are really super smart.
Laine ~ oh... there's smart and there's k-mart smart.
Daddy ~ laughing... oh?
Laine ~ yes, that's what the light bulb says.

just an update on life recently...

Things are crazy busy, I finally found a space to work in, in my tiny house... sure it is the garage and it is July in the Carolina but hey it's my space. Paint, drawings, sketches and fabrics everywhere :) Other news, Eliot is turning one, it has taken me all month to get use to the idea, and I *think* I'm okay with it. Birthday's are always so bitter sweet, especially when you think you may not have anymore babies. I love that he is walking and getting in to EVERYTHING, but man it is tiring; I mean really, Lainey was not nearly as active. He isn't talking as much as she was, but he communicates well with the signs, he too is a very bright little one. Laine is busy being her magnificently, dramatic self; she is awesome.

Every new stage of life brings challenges and rewards, I know that may be cliche, but learning to balance life and living it are crazy. Some days I don't do so well, but most I think I do pretty good. I have so many things swimming in my head right now that I feel frantic to get them out and on paper. Since I am working on so many different creative projects I feel as if they will all bleed together, then you add "mommy I want some juice", "mommy I'm hungry" or "mommy will you read this to me?" and you have one very frazzled mommy. Of course the needs of the babies take priority, but you understand what I mean. So anyway a short update on the Calnin crew.

Lately I have had a shift in thinking; for example; for whatever reason I live under this self-imposed pressure to be the perfect wife and mother. By perfect I mean have the house clean, laundry washed (and folded, ha), groceries purchased and dinner cooked, everyday. Now, as unfounded as this pressure may be it is very real; so here is what I did. I cleaned my house, I know revolutionary right? For almost a month I have kept it up (well mostly). What I discovered is that I could play with my kids and not feel guilty, that I could surf the net, during nap time of course, and not feel I was being lazy. I know these are all things I am not suppose to feel, but this is what I have struggled with and I think there might be others also.

Here is the thing, this pressure is not something that should be felt, we should allow ourselves to be with our kids and enjoy them, and as they say it goes by so fast. I have decided that I will not spend this time feeling like I should be doing something other than playing with my kids. I am not one to jump to the next thing right away and do things at a different pace, but I am not lazy and I am a good mother and wife... I do have to keep telling myself this. If there is a night where I don't clean up after dinner or the load of clothes are not put in every night, it does not reflect how I love my family. As a mother the thing I realize more and more everyday that we do the best we can and let the rest go.

Also the way I feel the Lord sees me is changing and that really helps to show me I am not all that bad after all. The things that make you feel happy are the things that make him happy. Anyway that are just a few things I have been thinking about and trying to figure out how to say, hope it made sense.

The Daily Habit...

So here are my thoughts:

• It is tough keeping up the house everyday.
• It is not easy to make sure your 3 year old doesn't pull all of her toys out and leave them for your 9 month old to find.
• It is really hard to clean the kitchen after a long day of running errands and completing aforementioned tasks.
• It is good to have a clean house.
• 9 month old's can move fast, really fast.
  
• I am GOOD mother and wife.
• I do not like laundry, but do like clean clothes.
• One day I will not be tired.
• 3 years old's are really funny.
• I love baby kisses and big girl kisses.
• I like peace.
• I miss my husband when he is not around.

That is it in a nutshell, things are really busy, but life is grand.

A few random words from Lainey...

Over the past weeks Laine has said some really funny things; here are just a few.

~When asked about a wedgie her response; "Yeah.... Mommy, why do your panties have to go up your butt?"
~"Eliot you have to be quiet... you have to stop crying, this is your last chance, if you don't be quiet you will have a quiet time"
~ In regards to her "super-duper" ice cream "it's red and blue and yellow and green, this ice cream is tripping out"
~ "I need a lip gloss hit."
~ "Mommy you can wear a dress, with nothing on your legs"
~ When climbing the jungle gym and almost to the top "I can do this, I know I can"
~ When it snowed "there's snow outside... mommy do you have any presents?"
~ Looking out the window a the snow "...we could put our Christmas back up"

She makes me laugh all the time, she is a great little girl. There are so many more, but this is all I can think of today.

The Mess You Never Thought of...

So as a parent you realize there are going to be a certain amount of messes you will have to clean up dirty diapers, mud, paint, Sharpie (if your three-year-old happens upon one) and of course the countless toys that seem to multiply while you sleep. Then there are those messes that are just, well unbelievable. Today was one of those. Today I had a migraine; nothing terribly out of the norm but never less I was in bed (with the kids) until noon. I got a call from my husband, so I am talking on the phone when Laine decides she is done with the bed and leaves the room. This in itself is no cause for alarm she often goes to play in her room alone, but then things got quiet and she would not answer me, so I know something is up. I call she finally answers and tells me she is “sweeping”, hmm, why is she sweeping? I think. Then she runs back in my room not a minute later telling me she “meeds” the diaper bag because she “meeds new panties” well at this point I realize I need to go find out what happened so I go to the kitchen; she comes with me and said, “look at the pretty colors, mommy, it’s pink and orange” to which I response yes that is correct. On the floor I find where Laine has discovered a large pack of Orange Jell-O that is now spilled everywhere, but wait there is more, remember how she said she “meeds new panties”? Yes she has peed on the Jell-O, making for a very sticky, very orange paste all over the kitchen floor. Oh the wonders never cease.

We are all different people...

It seems funny to me that two people can create two very different kids. Other than one is a girl and the other is a boy, their personalities are almost completely different. There are a few similar things, they are both pretty adaptable, they both have blond hair and blue eyes and they both like to be ahead of the curve. Beyond that, not much else is the same. Lainey is a very independent child and always has been, never wanted to be held, was okay whenever I left her with a babysitter, very verbal at a very young age, plays alone well, really likes to sleep and is really into music; even when she was in the womb. Eliot, now obviously he is still really little but the things I have noticed so far, he wants to be held most of the time [and by me no less], never wants to be alone, is very aware of me not being in the room with him, he doesn't respond to music much but loves color and textured, and is not really that keen on sleeping but does sleep late in the mornings.

They are great kids and it is awesome to see the giftings that are developing in them. I have been thinking about how Nathaniel and I have been trusted to bring these two little ones up and how we have to be able to recognize there gifts to help them cultivate their callings. What an amazing responsibility that is; parenting is really one of the greatest things we are called to. I know these are all things you have heard before, but when you begin to see it for yourself it is sobering, in a good way. Sometimes we, well at least I, get caught in the monotony of daily life we forget the big picture. There is nothing easy about what we as mothers and fathers do, but there is a purpose in it all. I am really grateful that I have good examples of parents in my life; they have taught me so much about myself but also how to raise my own kids.

The busiest time of the year...

It is has been a little while, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, yes I know for most of you the holidays are long past, but for us things are just now beginning to return to normal. It all starts back in November when we celebrate Nathaniel's birthday and Thanksgiving, sometimes on the same day. Next my birthday, usually nothing big; I am not much of a party person. Then Christmas of course and the day after we usually fly to WI for more Christmas and a big New Years celebration. Finally, Laine's birthday which is usually celebrated at least twice once in WI and once here with a party. So after a solid 2 and 1/2 to 3 weeks of gifts every other day, Lainey becomes quite difficult to handle, as you can imagine. Then there is little Eliot, sweet Eliot; I think maybe we are getting back to a good schedule, which is wonderful I didn't know how many more nights I could take of getting up every 2 hours. So today I think I have my little girl back; there have only been a couple of very minor melt downs and the baby took 2, yes 2, good naps. Now if I could only find my living room floor.

Here is to a great 2009!