This past weekend New York made headlines when it passed a state law legalizing gay marriage. In Chicago, the gay pride parade took place as it has for the past 40+ years. Facebook lit up with comments both in favor and totally against New York's decision.
In the past few months I have entered into numerous conversations with friends, colleagues, family and acquaintances about the subject of gay marriage/civil union. I was not always the one to bring it up. Sometimes a comment was made by the other party assuming that I felt the same way they did only to get an earful (nothing hostile mind you) from me pointing out another side.
I have been a social worker working in the field of child welfare/adoption for the past 15 years. Historically most of the agencies that I worked for were "faith based" and therefore I was never confronted with the issue of working with gay couples who wanted to adopt. However, the last job that I held and my current job are both non-faith-based organizations. My current agency is opening up their services to serve gay couples after years of not necessarily denying services but always just serving married heterosexual couples. When I was interviewed to work at my current agency I was informed of the direction that the agency was going and was asked if I was comfortable with this. My answer was an absolute yes.
You see, over the past 15 years my perspective has evolved due to my experiences.
At my first social service job I worked with several gay individuals. In fact, one of the men I worked with became a crush of mine until I found out he was gay. :-) Well, I don't know if the crush actually ended....I think I just knew it would --obviously--never pan out. But I came to become really good friends with these men. And their partners. They lived real lives, with real partnerships, shared homes with their partners, laughed with them, discussed starting a family together, entertained together, hugged one another, kissed one another, smiled at one another.....just the same as my heterosexual friends.
I have friends from high school that are gay, I know of a few individuals that I went to church with who are bi-sexual or gay, I have counseled gay-headed families who have adopted, I have counseled gay teenagers who are just wanting to be accepted and loved.
You see, my opinions that I have are based on experiences that I have had and currently have with real people. *Not saying that those who have also had personal experiences can't have a different opinion*.
Now that I am a mommy I have found myself wondering what would happen or how I would react if, in 15 years, one of my kids sits down with me and tells me that they are gay. I would hope that my reaction would be one of support, encouragement, unconditional love and comfort.
And then my mind wanders to how would I feel if my son or daughter was in a committed relationship and they were unable to marry or have the rights that every other couple in the U.S. have because they were gay. It would enrage me, I'm pretty sure. Because I love my kids more than anything and you better believe that I'm going to fight for them until I am no longer physically or mentally able to.
So, with all of that said......I have no problem with New York legalizing gay marriage nor Illinois legalizing civil unions. And I feel that way because of the experiences that I have had with gay people.....who they are, what they want out of life, where they come from, and how they just want to be treated equally.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Really?
Have you seen the Really? skit on SNL with Amy Poehler and Seth Meyer?
Well, sometimes my life could be that Really? sketch. I have learned to watch my mouth around my children because as we all know by trial and error our kids repeat everything we say. Especially when it's a word they've never heard before. So I have tried to be really cognizant of the words that I use around my children.
I find myself saying "REALLY?" at the top of my lungs sometimes in the place of other not so practical or kid-friendly terms. I seem to do this quite a bit in the car. :-)
I'm waiting for the construction zone to end and 2 lanes to turn into the 65 MPH zone and 3 lanes on I-80. I take off into the left lane and some teenage girl slowly merges into the left lane in front of me and proceeds to go the exact same speed she was going IN the construction zone. REALLY?
The same girl brakes twice with no one in front of her evidently because she thinks that I am following too closely and decides that it's her mission to slow me down (mind you at this point I am NOT speeding). REALLY?
I'm in the left lane passing a car in the middle lane only to be slowed down by someone with Indiana license plates (sorry my Indiana friends....it happens more often than not).....who just happens to think that the left lane is their own personal lane while they are chatting on their cell phone and they can go 10 MPH slower than the speed limit. REALLY? People: To clarify the left lane is a PASSING lane. If you are not passing the person next to you, you need to slow down and get behind them. REALLY?
If you can't talk on your cell phone and maintain your speed limit, move to another lane or stop talking on your cell phone. REALLY?
I'm heading down the road going about 45 miles an hour and a car turns from a side street right in front of me and stays in MY lane instead of going into the other lane. AND there's no one behind me. REALLY?
I DO use the REALLY? word/expression in other places than the car. Like the grocery store, gas station, work, facebook.
Speaking of the gas station: Why is it the one place that there are no clear unwritten rules/guidelines about who should get next dibs on the next available pump when the gas station is full? The other place is the grocery store...you would THINK it would be the next person in line that would get the next available pump or line that opens? REALLY people? REALLY?
My point in this whole little rant is that I have done a REALLY good job in watching my words around my kids. I choose not to swear or degrade others. Sometimes, I let a word or two slip. For instance, this morning I was carefully navigating my way through a pretty big puddle only to have a car pull up on the side of me spraying water all over my windshield....I said "thanks a lot jerks".
And to make my point hit home, what do I hear from the backseat: "Yeah, jerks"....and snickers from my 4 year old.
Well, sometimes my life could be that Really? sketch. I have learned to watch my mouth around my children because as we all know by trial and error our kids repeat everything we say. Especially when it's a word they've never heard before. So I have tried to be really cognizant of the words that I use around my children.
I find myself saying "REALLY?" at the top of my lungs sometimes in the place of other not so practical or kid-friendly terms. I seem to do this quite a bit in the car. :-)
I'm waiting for the construction zone to end and 2 lanes to turn into the 65 MPH zone and 3 lanes on I-80. I take off into the left lane and some teenage girl slowly merges into the left lane in front of me and proceeds to go the exact same speed she was going IN the construction zone. REALLY?
The same girl brakes twice with no one in front of her evidently because she thinks that I am following too closely and decides that it's her mission to slow me down (mind you at this point I am NOT speeding). REALLY?
I'm in the left lane passing a car in the middle lane only to be slowed down by someone with Indiana license plates (sorry my Indiana friends....it happens more often than not).....who just happens to think that the left lane is their own personal lane while they are chatting on their cell phone and they can go 10 MPH slower than the speed limit. REALLY? People: To clarify the left lane is a PASSING lane. If you are not passing the person next to you, you need to slow down and get behind them. REALLY?
If you can't talk on your cell phone and maintain your speed limit, move to another lane or stop talking on your cell phone. REALLY?
I'm heading down the road going about 45 miles an hour and a car turns from a side street right in front of me and stays in MY lane instead of going into the other lane. AND there's no one behind me. REALLY?
I DO use the REALLY? word/expression in other places than the car. Like the grocery store, gas station, work, facebook.
Speaking of the gas station: Why is it the one place that there are no clear unwritten rules/guidelines about who should get next dibs on the next available pump when the gas station is full? The other place is the grocery store...you would THINK it would be the next person in line that would get the next available pump or line that opens? REALLY people? REALLY?
My point in this whole little rant is that I have done a REALLY good job in watching my words around my kids. I choose not to swear or degrade others. Sometimes, I let a word or two slip. For instance, this morning I was carefully navigating my way through a pretty big puddle only to have a car pull up on the side of me spraying water all over my windshield....I said "thanks a lot jerks".
And to make my point hit home, what do I hear from the backseat: "Yeah, jerks"....and snickers from my 4 year old.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Monster Friends
Oh, to have the imagination of a 4 year old again.
On the way to summer camp this morning, Ethan and I had the following conversation (I'll try my best to remember it all....):
I just called my mom to ask her to remind me to write a check to my dad this afternoon when we got home. As soon as I hung up,
Ethan asked: Is Grandpa behind us?
Me: No, honey. I was just asking Grandma to write me a note so that I could remember to write a check to Grandpa.
Ethan: A check? (insert my thoughts here: Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting).
Me: Yes, a check for money.
Ethan: What's a check?
Me: It's for money. Mommy owed Grandpa some money and so I'm going to pay him back.
Ethan: How do you get the money?
Me: Well, we have a checking account at the bank where our money is kept and when we need money we write checks or we use our debit card. (at this point I'm wondering why I have decided to keep answering these questions).
Ethan: (for the sake of time and space....he basically asked me about money, how do we get money, from having jobs, etc.).
Me: Mommy and daddy both have jobs and we make money that way.
Ethan: Well, I have lots of jobs.
Me: Oh, really. What do you do?
Ethan: I rescue balls and kids and babies.
Me: Oh, wow. Do you rescue Reese?
Ethan: Oh, no. I rescue other babies. And then I put them in the bank where they will be safe and my monster friends will take care of them.
Me: Oh, your monster friends? Who are they?
Ethan: Well, they are kind of scary sometimes but they don't scare you or daddy or Reese.
Me: Oh, but they scare you?
Ethan: Um, yeah. But sometimes they are nice. I have 4 monster friends. They are Tom, Bloop-Bloop, Jerry and my Tree Friend. (I'm not making this up people.....).
Me: Oh. Are your monster friends a cat and mouse like Tom and Jerry on TV?
Ethan: Oh, no. Mom, they are MONSTER friends. UGGGGHHGHH. (A loud sigh from the back seat).
Me: Oh, sorry.
Ethan: Sometimes my monster friends are good and sometimes they are bad. Then I get rid of them. So now I only have one monster friend.....Jerry. He helps me take care of the babies.
The End.
Oh, how I love this kid.
On the way to summer camp this morning, Ethan and I had the following conversation (I'll try my best to remember it all....):
I just called my mom to ask her to remind me to write a check to my dad this afternoon when we got home. As soon as I hung up,
Ethan asked: Is Grandpa behind us?
Me: No, honey. I was just asking Grandma to write me a note so that I could remember to write a check to Grandpa.
Ethan: A check? (insert my thoughts here: Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting).
Me: Yes, a check for money.
Ethan: What's a check?
Me: It's for money. Mommy owed Grandpa some money and so I'm going to pay him back.
Ethan: How do you get the money?
Me: Well, we have a checking account at the bank where our money is kept and when we need money we write checks or we use our debit card. (at this point I'm wondering why I have decided to keep answering these questions).
Ethan: (for the sake of time and space....he basically asked me about money, how do we get money, from having jobs, etc.).
Me: Mommy and daddy both have jobs and we make money that way.
Ethan: Well, I have lots of jobs.
Me: Oh, really. What do you do?
Ethan: I rescue balls and kids and babies.
Me: Oh, wow. Do you rescue Reese?
Ethan: Oh, no. I rescue other babies. And then I put them in the bank where they will be safe and my monster friends will take care of them.
Me: Oh, your monster friends? Who are they?
Ethan: Well, they are kind of scary sometimes but they don't scare you or daddy or Reese.
Me: Oh, but they scare you?
Ethan: Um, yeah. But sometimes they are nice. I have 4 monster friends. They are Tom, Bloop-Bloop, Jerry and my Tree Friend. (I'm not making this up people.....).
Me: Oh. Are your monster friends a cat and mouse like Tom and Jerry on TV?
Ethan: Oh, no. Mom, they are MONSTER friends. UGGGGHHGHH. (A loud sigh from the back seat).
Me: Oh, sorry.
Ethan: Sometimes my monster friends are good and sometimes they are bad. Then I get rid of them. So now I only have one monster friend.....Jerry. He helps me take care of the babies.
The End.
Oh, how I love this kid.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Siblings
It's been awhile since I've posted. I'm not sure exactly why it's taken me so long to post anything new, but here I am again. Hope you didn't miss me too much :-)
Jimm and I have been talking about putting Reese and Ethan in our master bedroom and us taking the smaller bedroom for quite some time now. Like months. But life kept happening and we just didn't have a whole day dedicated to doing it. Our plan was to ask our parents to watch the kids while we tried to accomplish this task, but once again life happened and neither set of parents could do it.
So this past Saturday, Jimm and I decided that it was time.
Of course we could have planned it out better. For instance, we decided to start moving furniture around just an hour before Reese's normal morning nap. Bad call on our part. She was wobbling around the living room like she just drank a bottle of Jack for the first time by 11am. She fell fast asleep on Jimm and a little while later I had the room somewhat organized so that she could go in her crib.
I must put this blog in reverse for a moment before delving forward into the story. Ethan was upstairs helping Jimm move all of his furniture, books, games, toys, etc. into our master bedroom so that everything could be rearranged. The kid did not. stop. talking. for a 1/2 hour straight. He was giving a running commentary on everything that they were doing, plus exhibiting an enormous amount of cuteness at the same time. He kept stating that "it was a good thing he had strong muscles" in order to help Jimm. He absolutely loved having a part in the process of this new arrangement and was completely excited about it.
So...moving forward. We were totally caught off guard as to how much crap we had accumulated in our closets. Especially the kids closet. It was jam packed full of clothes that they had outgrown. I thought I had done a better job at staying organized and exchanging sizes with changes of seasons....but obviously I was seriously mistaken.
I was still organizing stuff and was smelling pretty bad when my friend Andrea knocked on our door at about 5pm or so. Talk about embarrassing. We had crap everywhere....the kitchen, the back porch, the living room....sigh. Luckily she didn't seem to notice how gross I was or what a mess our house was...she just needed to borrow a jacket for her son since the weather had turned colder and they were at a family party just down the street from us. Jacket found and borrowed....now to finish the task at hand.
I finally got everything mostly organized and changed around by about 6:30pm. We worked ALL day long at this huge task.
Now I started feeling anxious about the next step: That my 10 month old and my 4 year old would actually be sharing a room. Reese has been sleeping through the night for several months now and Ethan usually sleeps like a champ. But they have never slept in the same room. Did we just make a huge mistake?
We had to change Ethan's routine up: so I was expecting resistance and a temper tantrum. Normally I take Reese up to bed and close her door. Then Jimm takes Ethan up to brush his teeth, go to the bathroom and then they sing a song and say prayers (about a 1/2 hour after Reese goes down). So our plan was to put Reese down and then have Ethan sing his song and say his prayers downstairs.
Do you know that he actually asked to go to bed that night? He was SO excited about his "new room" and sleeping in the same room as Reese. He never questioned the change in routine and has completed his new nighttime routine like a champ the past 3 nights. I think I severely underestimated my boy.
And Reese has never slept better. They both slept soundly until 7am Sunday morning.
They are really developing a strong bond with one another. Reese laughs at everything Ethan does...he's a star in his sister's eyes and he knows it. She wants to try everything that he does. And just this morning she walked the length of the living room unassisted and he said "I'm so proud of Reese!"....OMG tug at my heart strings and call me a sap. Love those kids.
Proud, thankful and blessed Mama.
Jimm and I have been talking about putting Reese and Ethan in our master bedroom and us taking the smaller bedroom for quite some time now. Like months. But life kept happening and we just didn't have a whole day dedicated to doing it. Our plan was to ask our parents to watch the kids while we tried to accomplish this task, but once again life happened and neither set of parents could do it.
So this past Saturday, Jimm and I decided that it was time.
Of course we could have planned it out better. For instance, we decided to start moving furniture around just an hour before Reese's normal morning nap. Bad call on our part. She was wobbling around the living room like she just drank a bottle of Jack for the first time by 11am. She fell fast asleep on Jimm and a little while later I had the room somewhat organized so that she could go in her crib.
I must put this blog in reverse for a moment before delving forward into the story. Ethan was upstairs helping Jimm move all of his furniture, books, games, toys, etc. into our master bedroom so that everything could be rearranged. The kid did not. stop. talking. for a 1/2 hour straight. He was giving a running commentary on everything that they were doing, plus exhibiting an enormous amount of cuteness at the same time. He kept stating that "it was a good thing he had strong muscles" in order to help Jimm. He absolutely loved having a part in the process of this new arrangement and was completely excited about it.
So...moving forward. We were totally caught off guard as to how much crap we had accumulated in our closets. Especially the kids closet. It was jam packed full of clothes that they had outgrown. I thought I had done a better job at staying organized and exchanging sizes with changes of seasons....but obviously I was seriously mistaken.
I was still organizing stuff and was smelling pretty bad when my friend Andrea knocked on our door at about 5pm or so. Talk about embarrassing. We had crap everywhere....the kitchen, the back porch, the living room....sigh. Luckily she didn't seem to notice how gross I was or what a mess our house was...she just needed to borrow a jacket for her son since the weather had turned colder and they were at a family party just down the street from us. Jacket found and borrowed....now to finish the task at hand.
I finally got everything mostly organized and changed around by about 6:30pm. We worked ALL day long at this huge task.
Now I started feeling anxious about the next step: That my 10 month old and my 4 year old would actually be sharing a room. Reese has been sleeping through the night for several months now and Ethan usually sleeps like a champ. But they have never slept in the same room. Did we just make a huge mistake?
We had to change Ethan's routine up: so I was expecting resistance and a temper tantrum. Normally I take Reese up to bed and close her door. Then Jimm takes Ethan up to brush his teeth, go to the bathroom and then they sing a song and say prayers (about a 1/2 hour after Reese goes down). So our plan was to put Reese down and then have Ethan sing his song and say his prayers downstairs.
Do you know that he actually asked to go to bed that night? He was SO excited about his "new room" and sleeping in the same room as Reese. He never questioned the change in routine and has completed his new nighttime routine like a champ the past 3 nights. I think I severely underestimated my boy.
And Reese has never slept better. They both slept soundly until 7am Sunday morning.
They are really developing a strong bond with one another. Reese laughs at everything Ethan does...he's a star in his sister's eyes and he knows it. She wants to try everything that he does. And just this morning she walked the length of the living room unassisted and he said "I'm so proud of Reese!"....OMG tug at my heart strings and call me a sap. Love those kids.
Proud, thankful and blessed Mama.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Unexpected Moments
For those of you who know me well, you know that I have uttered the words "I could never be a stay at home mother" more than once before. I just don't have it in me.
But over the past several days I have realized that I could definitely work part-time. I have spent more time with my kiddos due to a holiday, my mom not feeling well and my MIL having surgery this week.
It's been awesome. And my little girl has nailed the nap thing down. She's finally getting that when I take her upstairs, turn the light out and rock her for a few minutes it's time for a nap. Even if she's still awake when I put her in the crib. She gets it. Hallelujah! Sorry, I digress again (I seem to do that often while blogging....).
I have been able to spend some incredible one on one time with Ethan while Reese is napping. We've played with all of his new games that he got for his birthday....Toy Story Yahtzee, Bingo, 2 playdoh games, Mario Kart and Just Dance for Kids (Wii games). We've also gone on bike ride/walks and used all of his new bubble machines (3 to be exact).
I wish that this could be my schedule all the time. I would love to spend some more time with my kids. Time in which I'm not rushing around grocery shopping, doing laundry or cleaning the house. Time in which I don't find myself losing patience with both of them because I have too much to accomplish and can't be bothered by their questions or little hands clinging to my pant legs.
I was able to treasure each moment with them over the past several days. And it will continue over the next few days. I get summer hours on Fridays! We are closing the office at 1pm now on Fridays through August. So excited that I get to give my mom a much deserved break on Fridays and that I get to spend some more quality time with my kids.
Now I just have to figure out how I could do this part time thing. :-)
Wishful thinking. But maybe in the future, just maybe God will work it out for me.
Treasure each moment with your kids: I'm learning that it all goes way too fast.
But over the past several days I have realized that I could definitely work part-time. I have spent more time with my kiddos due to a holiday, my mom not feeling well and my MIL having surgery this week.
It's been awesome. And my little girl has nailed the nap thing down. She's finally getting that when I take her upstairs, turn the light out and rock her for a few minutes it's time for a nap. Even if she's still awake when I put her in the crib. She gets it. Hallelujah! Sorry, I digress again (I seem to do that often while blogging....).
I have been able to spend some incredible one on one time with Ethan while Reese is napping. We've played with all of his new games that he got for his birthday....Toy Story Yahtzee, Bingo, 2 playdoh games, Mario Kart and Just Dance for Kids (Wii games). We've also gone on bike ride/walks and used all of his new bubble machines (3 to be exact).
I wish that this could be my schedule all the time. I would love to spend some more time with my kids. Time in which I'm not rushing around grocery shopping, doing laundry or cleaning the house. Time in which I don't find myself losing patience with both of them because I have too much to accomplish and can't be bothered by their questions or little hands clinging to my pant legs.
I was able to treasure each moment with them over the past several days. And it will continue over the next few days. I get summer hours on Fridays! We are closing the office at 1pm now on Fridays through August. So excited that I get to give my mom a much deserved break on Fridays and that I get to spend some more quality time with my kids.
Now I just have to figure out how I could do this part time thing. :-)
Wishful thinking. But maybe in the future, just maybe God will work it out for me.
Treasure each moment with your kids: I'm learning that it all goes way too fast.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Girlfriends
I was listening to the radio a few days ago, or it could have been a few weeks ago...I lose track of time these days....Anyway, I already digress....and I heard that women spend more time getting ready to go out with their girlfriends for girls night out than they do for date night with their husband or boyfriend. Hmmmm. Why is that? Do we need to impress our friends more than our significant other? Or is it the impression that guys are going to be looking at a group of girls out together and we need to look our best? Or is that we care more about what our friends think than our significant other? I really honestly don't know. I'm not necessarily putting myself into this category..by the way....I'm not a "girly girl" that needs to spend hours getting ready to go somewhere. I can usually get what I need to get done in about a 1/2 hour. However, I do have friends that take hours to get ready so this may be true for some.
But it got me thinking about my friends. And girls nights out. And how important friendships are for our self-esteem, feeling valued, feeling pretty and attractive, etc. I mean, seriously. Don't our friends give us more compliments at times than our significant others or family members do? Countless times I have had a friend say "oh, you look good in that color" or "your eyes look so pretty today" or "are you losing weight?". And boy does that make me feel good. Who doesn't need a night out in which you laugh, cry, celebrate, make fun of your husband or boyfriend or significant other, tell jokes, act like ladies but sometimes let out a loud laugh or fart, vent about work or our significant others, discuss what's going on with our kids, gossip but try not to, and lift one another up by complimenting and praising who we are as women????
I am a firm believer that good friends you hold strong connections with will always be in your life...no matter if you move away, or if it's just contact by facebook and email..they will always be a part of your life. They may play a bigger part of your life in certain seasons and a smaller part in other seasons. But they will always be a part of your life. I have stayed in contact with friends with whom I grew up with. Are we as close as we were 20 years ago? No. But I've stayed connected or even re-connected. I have also gone through a period of not talking to a friend for various reasons, only to connect later on with an even stronger friendship. I think the people you surround yourself with at specific seasons in your life is directly related to what you are currently experiencing and also who you have the most in common with. For instance, I am not as close to a group of friends that I once hung out with quite a bit mainly because my life has changed dramatically....I got married and now have two kids whereas they are still single and enjoying that lifestyle! But I am still friends with them and value their friendships...we're just in different circumstances and seasons now.
In the past few months I have started hanging out with a wonderful group of girls from my church. They are fun, full of personality, crazy, spiritual, and striving to be the best women, wives, mothers, teachers, social workers, nurses (wow, just realized that those of us working are all in the "helping fields") that they can be. It's been wonderful to be a part of these growing friendships and I can't wait to see what God has in store for all of us.
With that said, I am off to a wonderful girls night with some of those very girls tonight! We are going to laugh our butts off at "Bridesmaids" and then we're off for dessert and drinks!
I hope that all women out there have the opportunity to experience strong bonds with their girlfriends....
But it got me thinking about my friends. And girls nights out. And how important friendships are for our self-esteem, feeling valued, feeling pretty and attractive, etc. I mean, seriously. Don't our friends give us more compliments at times than our significant others or family members do? Countless times I have had a friend say "oh, you look good in that color" or "your eyes look so pretty today" or "are you losing weight?". And boy does that make me feel good. Who doesn't need a night out in which you laugh, cry, celebrate, make fun of your husband or boyfriend or significant other, tell jokes, act like ladies but sometimes let out a loud laugh or fart, vent about work or our significant others, discuss what's going on with our kids, gossip but try not to, and lift one another up by complimenting and praising who we are as women????
I am a firm believer that good friends you hold strong connections with will always be in your life...no matter if you move away, or if it's just contact by facebook and email..they will always be a part of your life. They may play a bigger part of your life in certain seasons and a smaller part in other seasons. But they will always be a part of your life. I have stayed in contact with friends with whom I grew up with. Are we as close as we were 20 years ago? No. But I've stayed connected or even re-connected. I have also gone through a period of not talking to a friend for various reasons, only to connect later on with an even stronger friendship. I think the people you surround yourself with at specific seasons in your life is directly related to what you are currently experiencing and also who you have the most in common with. For instance, I am not as close to a group of friends that I once hung out with quite a bit mainly because my life has changed dramatically....I got married and now have two kids whereas they are still single and enjoying that lifestyle! But I am still friends with them and value their friendships...we're just in different circumstances and seasons now.
In the past few months I have started hanging out with a wonderful group of girls from my church. They are fun, full of personality, crazy, spiritual, and striving to be the best women, wives, mothers, teachers, social workers, nurses (wow, just realized that those of us working are all in the "helping fields") that they can be. It's been wonderful to be a part of these growing friendships and I can't wait to see what God has in store for all of us.
With that said, I am off to a wonderful girls night with some of those very girls tonight! We are going to laugh our butts off at "Bridesmaids" and then we're off for dessert and drinks!
I hope that all women out there have the opportunity to experience strong bonds with their girlfriends....
Monday, May 23, 2011
My 4 year Old
Ethan's birthday was on May 20th, but I have been running my butt off since Thursday night that I haven't had time to sit and breathe let alone right a post about my cutie pie! Boy, did we celebrate this year with a bang!
Thursday evening Ethan's 2 sets of grandparents, Jimm, Reese and I attended his first ever preschool graduation (well, he got a certificate because thank goodness we have another year of preschool left!). This proud mama watched her little boy sing his heart out to some oldies but goodies in the genre of "Bible songs"...yes, Ethan is going to a private preschool. Sidenote: we don't plan on him attending private school in the future but for right now this school had the best program and it was affordable and convenient for our schedules :-). They also recited some Bible verses and sang "We will Rock You" with some more powerful "Jesus" lyrics! Then Ethan cautiously crossed the stage to get his certificate and shake hands with the preschool director and his teachers. So. C.U.T.E!
On Friday (his actual birthday) his class field trip was planned to go to Exploration Station down in Bourbonnais. So my wonderful mother in law watched Reese so that I could have some Ethan and mommy time. It was great to be able to explore with him and then of course about 1/2 way through he totally forgot about me because his friends were there and they are way cooler than mommy. Sigh. A glimpse into my future.
We went home and played with a new bubble machine that Grammy gave to him. Reese giggled at her brother chasing bubbles all over our yard...another snapshot to be remembered! Then we took a short walk and got my little girl down for a nap.
Grandma and Grandpa came over for dinner and to give Ethan his big presents, because they didn't want to lug them to the train restaurant on Saturday...totally understandable! He got a Radio Flyer Scooter and his own BBQ grill to help daddy cook dinner with! From mommy and daddy he got a couple of "educational toys": a Melissa and Doug clock to help him learn how to tell time and a magnetic calendar to help him understand his days and months. We also got him a Wii "Just dance for kids" game. Oh, my gosh...he LOVES it! He keeps making mommy dance with him and I'm liking it because it's a nice workout!
On Saturday was his first ever kid party. It was small and I wanted to keep it that way. We had about 7 kids and then parents there. My cousin, her husband, their little girl and my parents also came. We went to the train restaurant in Schererville, Indiana. They all got to ride the train and then they were set loose in the arcade room. They all had a blast! Then we had some awesome cake made by my friend Alicia at My Sugar Satisfaction (also Ethan's friend Malachi's mommy). Ethan opened his presents with the help of his friends and got some pretty good stuff! Sidenote: thanks to the mommies who also got him clothes! :-)
On Sunday we went to church and then we went to go see my Grandma at the nursing home. She wasn't having a very good day. She had a bad cough and they were giving her medicine that made her drowsy...so I or Ethan would be talking to her and she kept falling asleep in her wheelchair. But it was really cute because I asked Ethan if he would sing some songs to her that he sang at his preschool program. And then when he saw that she was falling asleep he would sing "Jesus Loves Me" to her really quietly and would tell her "it's ok GG, you can sleep". Melts my heart.
My 4 year old is one of the sweetest and incorrigable little boys ever. He drives me crazy but I would do anything for him. He was extremely hyper last night waiting in anticipation for my brother to come over to our house with presents. He kept pushing Reese over and taking things from her and finally Jimm sat him on the couch and told him not to move until Uncle Mike got there. He started "fake crying"...well, part of it was real, but he just kept doing it and finally I started laughing...couldn't hold it in any longer. That's what my boy does to you...makes you want to punish him and hug him all at the same time!
He is doing really well in school. He writes his name really well..when he feels like it. :-) His imagination is incredible. He can tell a story like no one's business. He has pretty good coordination and has been riding his little bike with training wheels for over a year now. He doesn't seem to have too much interest in organized sports (ahem...just like his daddy), but maybe my girl will be a tennis or volleyball player like her mama! I can see Ethan playing soccer, though. We shall see!
I love my four year old with all my heart. He is an incredible blessing to me and to Jimm.
Thursday evening Ethan's 2 sets of grandparents, Jimm, Reese and I attended his first ever preschool graduation (well, he got a certificate because thank goodness we have another year of preschool left!). This proud mama watched her little boy sing his heart out to some oldies but goodies in the genre of "Bible songs"...yes, Ethan is going to a private preschool. Sidenote: we don't plan on him attending private school in the future but for right now this school had the best program and it was affordable and convenient for our schedules :-). They also recited some Bible verses and sang "We will Rock You" with some more powerful "Jesus" lyrics! Then Ethan cautiously crossed the stage to get his certificate and shake hands with the preschool director and his teachers. So. C.U.T.E!
On Friday (his actual birthday) his class field trip was planned to go to Exploration Station down in Bourbonnais. So my wonderful mother in law watched Reese so that I could have some Ethan and mommy time. It was great to be able to explore with him and then of course about 1/2 way through he totally forgot about me because his friends were there and they are way cooler than mommy. Sigh. A glimpse into my future.
We went home and played with a new bubble machine that Grammy gave to him. Reese giggled at her brother chasing bubbles all over our yard...another snapshot to be remembered! Then we took a short walk and got my little girl down for a nap.
Grandma and Grandpa came over for dinner and to give Ethan his big presents, because they didn't want to lug them to the train restaurant on Saturday...totally understandable! He got a Radio Flyer Scooter and his own BBQ grill to help daddy cook dinner with! From mommy and daddy he got a couple of "educational toys": a Melissa and Doug clock to help him learn how to tell time and a magnetic calendar to help him understand his days and months. We also got him a Wii "Just dance for kids" game. Oh, my gosh...he LOVES it! He keeps making mommy dance with him and I'm liking it because it's a nice workout!
On Saturday was his first ever kid party. It was small and I wanted to keep it that way. We had about 7 kids and then parents there. My cousin, her husband, their little girl and my parents also came. We went to the train restaurant in Schererville, Indiana. They all got to ride the train and then they were set loose in the arcade room. They all had a blast! Then we had some awesome cake made by my friend Alicia at My Sugar Satisfaction (also Ethan's friend Malachi's mommy). Ethan opened his presents with the help of his friends and got some pretty good stuff! Sidenote: thanks to the mommies who also got him clothes! :-)
On Sunday we went to church and then we went to go see my Grandma at the nursing home. She wasn't having a very good day. She had a bad cough and they were giving her medicine that made her drowsy...so I or Ethan would be talking to her and she kept falling asleep in her wheelchair. But it was really cute because I asked Ethan if he would sing some songs to her that he sang at his preschool program. And then when he saw that she was falling asleep he would sing "Jesus Loves Me" to her really quietly and would tell her "it's ok GG, you can sleep". Melts my heart.
My 4 year old is one of the sweetest and incorrigable little boys ever. He drives me crazy but I would do anything for him. He was extremely hyper last night waiting in anticipation for my brother to come over to our house with presents. He kept pushing Reese over and taking things from her and finally Jimm sat him on the couch and told him not to move until Uncle Mike got there. He started "fake crying"...well, part of it was real, but he just kept doing it and finally I started laughing...couldn't hold it in any longer. That's what my boy does to you...makes you want to punish him and hug him all at the same time!
He is doing really well in school. He writes his name really well..when he feels like it. :-) His imagination is incredible. He can tell a story like no one's business. He has pretty good coordination and has been riding his little bike with training wheels for over a year now. He doesn't seem to have too much interest in organized sports (ahem...just like his daddy), but maybe my girl will be a tennis or volleyball player like her mama! I can see Ethan playing soccer, though. We shall see!
I love my four year old with all my heart. He is an incredible blessing to me and to Jimm.
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