Momma Mia

It's really fun, MOST of the time, to hear things that Kameryn has picked up from us that we weren't intentionally trying to teach her. This is one of those examples. I listen to the Momma Mia soundtrack in the car, and Kameryn apparently learned the words to this one.

Sorry that it's sideways. I still don't know how to turn it.

Moments I Would've Missed #1, #2 and #3

The week before I was officially off work I had a day off that I spent cleaning and making dinner and watching my girls. And it was kinda awful. The rooms I cleaned were dirty again within minutes, the dishes I washed were used for dinner and then just sitting there, waiting to be washed again. And my girls. Reagan is at a stage right now where she wants to be held CONSTANTLY. But Kameryn doesn't want to be ignored, so she wants me to hold HER constantly. So when I'm not holding them, they're both at my feet, begging to be held. And if I'm holding one, the other is at my feet crying at the injustice of it all.

At the end of the day I couldn't help but think I had made a terrible mistake quitting my job. How could I handle that all day, every day?

I came up with the idea of taking pictures of things during the day that I would've missed if I was at work. The little, sweet things that aren't particularly newsworthy, but that make you smile. And they started immediately.

#1: I was trying to get the three of us out the door. It's no small task, and if I'm trying to do it in a hurry it can be really frustrating. So I'm telling Kameryn that "We need to hurry! It's time to go!" And I go into the bathroom to get myself ready. And when I come out Kameryn has put her own socks on in an effort to help me out. Trouble is, she looks like this:It was perfect because it made me stop and realize that I was making something into a big deal that really didn't matter.

#2. No story behind this one, except that Reagan has been getting up at about 7, so I do as well, and we hang out for an hour or two while Kameryn sleeps. I was going in and out of the room cleaning up, and once I came in and found Kami like this:#3. I was hanging laundry in my bedroom and the kids were playing in the doorway. Kami would open the door, come run around the room, and then go out the door and slam it behind her. Reagan was getting really close to the door and once her fingers were so close to getting slammed that I told Kameryn she needed to stop slamming the door. Which of course, she didn't. So I told her if she did it again she was going to time out. And she did it again. So I put her in time out and told her to stay there until I told her she could get out. And then I went back to folding laundry, Reagan still playing happily on the floor, and Kami wasn't seeming too upset about being in time out. And things were SO quiet, but I didn't think much of it because I figured Kami was watching a movie. I didn't realize that I hadn't ever let her out of time out. And so I walked in the other room and saw:I'd say my chances of winning "Best Stay at Home Mom EVER!" are pretty much shot.

They Say It's Your Birthday...

Kameryn's 3 year birthday started out the way all birthdays should, with a "coffee." Obviously it's not REALLY a coffee, who would give a 3 year old coffee? That would be crazy! But a vanilla steamer in a Starbucks cup is just as good.

Kameryn's very first birthday present was actually something Jay and I got her the night before so we could set it up and have it ready. Kameryn could hardly wait, and everything we pulled out of the bag HAD to be the fish, right? Pink rocks? Were the fish in there? A heater? With fish, right? We didn't know if fish were going to be a good idea, we thought Kami might ignore them or not get too excited about them. Instead we got the total opposite reaction, of "You mean to tell me we have a fish tank with no fish?! And we have to go to bed and wake up tomorrow before we can get the fish?! What is WRONG with you people?!" (Jay was the one who bought the tank and everything that goes with it. If I had been the one picking things out I definitely would've gotten a little plastic castle for it. I added that for the 2 people who read my blog and will get the reference.)Chelsee came over when she got off work and we went to the store to find a present for Kami. We would hand her something and then ask if we should put it back, thinking once we found the PERFECT present she wouldn't want us to put it back anymore. We gave her barbies, stuffed animals, princesses on horses....but every time we asked her if we should put it back she said yes. Until we got to some figures. Of horses. She found 2, and after that didn't even want to see anything else. A baby horse? "Please put it back." The way she said it sounds polite, but she said it in a way that meant, "Morons, stop wasting my time." She did it with dinosaurs, an entire tiger family, even movies. Sometimes she would switch it up and tell us that the present we were showing her was "Too small for her." And sometimes "She was too little" for it.

Eating M&Ms with her Superman balloon. I'm so proud.
Pondering the life of a 3 year old. Surrounded by various treats and the card from Aunt Nolana.
We had planned to have a barbeque with Jay's parents for Kami's birthday, but Jay's mom was diagnosed with pneumonia earlier in the day, so that plan was nixed at the last minute. So after Jay got home we went to dinner, got some fish! Finally! And we had her blow out her candles. Not wanting to use the sheet cake we bought for just the three of us we used a red velvet cake we already had in the fridge. Kami blew her candles out, asked to do it again, did it a second and a third time, and then we went to bed without actually eating any cake.Our new fish. Or at least an abstract picture of what our fish might look like.

On Saturday we had a BBQ at Allie's house to celebrate. I attempted to do Kameryn's hair, and when I finished and she looked in the mirror she exclaimed, "I look like a mouse!" I did take pictures of her hair with a shirt on, but I chose this one because her face in this looks EXACTLY like a picture of Chelsee when she was younger. EXACTLY.

Opening a present from Danae.More Horses! Does it get any better than that?!

Paintbrushes!
Paint! And play dough! And more paint to paint a cow bank! Crayons! And a coloring book!
Pumpkin quizzing Kami on colors.
Thank you to everyone! Kami had a great time and got totally spoiled!

SAHM

Do you know that feeling when you've finally decided to cut your hair, and you're sitting at the salon looking in the mirror while they're combing your hair and you think, "Wow, maybe my hair really does look good this long!" And then they pull out the scissors, and you hope for the best?

Right now I really hope that's happened to someone else so people aren't reading this thinking "Psycho!"

Anyway, the pre-haircut hair-admiration is the point I'm at in my job right now. My job that will be ending in a week. A four day work week. Right now I'm working, trying hard to teach someone else how to do my job and thinking, "Man, I'm really good at this." I see how she's struggling to pick it up and remember when I was that way, and it's easy to see how far I've come. I wish moments of clarity and acceptance like this didn't always come at the end of things.

I'm excited and anxious about the huge change that I'm about to make. I have a ton of ideas about what being a stay at home mom will be like, and I'm hoping that I'm able to accomplish even half of what I want to do. I hope it will be as good and fulfilling as I imagine it to be. And I also think I'll find it harder than I expect it to be.

I didn't EVER see myself wanting to be a stay at home mom. But I also didn't realize how much I would want to spend every minute with these two:(Poor Reagan, reduced to trying to drink the doll bottle because no one ever feeds her!)

Easter

This year for Easter Danae and Gary invited us up to their place to do a candy-gathering race in true Hanna fashion. The kids had so much fun gathering candy, and we had fun watching. The one surprising thing? When there's only two 2 year olds gathering candy, it actually takes awhile. As in it's not all over in 3 minutes. That was a different experience.

Reagan was content to chill in her carseat while her sister made a haul.


Kameryn, more interested in looking at her candy than posing for the picture.
At home, the girls got their Easter baskets and got to look for eggs. Kami loved looking for the eggs, and we had so much fun watching her find them that we hid them all again for her. Twice.
We had so much fun. Thanks again to Gary and Danae for helping make our Easter AWESOME!

WE: What are you tired of?

My answer can be found here.
To play along with weekend exposure, please read the rules here.

I'm Proud, but I Still Blame Chelsee.

First 5

I'm the happiest when I feel inspired. Some of my favorite days are really simple. Sitting around with a choice beverage, reading poems and Brian Andreas and writing in my blank book. To me: bliss. Sometimes days like these inspire me to create, and most days I chicken out because I wouldn't know what to do.

BUT, thanks to Kim and the fact that I couldn't resist getting something she'll make for me, I have agreed, in turn, to make something for the first 5 people that comment on this blog.

So. The rules.

The first five people to comment on this post will receive something made by me, especially for you.

And the fine print:

1- Since I choose what I make for you, there is no guarantee you will like what I make.
2- There are no returns/exchanges.
3- It will be for you and only you.
4- It'll be done sometime this year.
5- You will have no idea what it's going to be.

And the catch - because there is always a catch...you have to post this on your blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own readers.

So, if you'd like a Kjersti-inspired gift, please comment now.

Pictures Involving Lots Of Pink

If anyone is wondering why I post far more pictures of Reagan than I do of Kameryn, here's the answer: Kami doesn't like being in pictures very much lately. And Reagan is still too young to run away.

Not a great picture of her teeth, but there they are. In all their majesty.

Reagan: Six Months Old!

If you're finding it hard to believe that Reagan is already 6 months old, believe me. So am I. Reagan, however, thinks that she's far older than she is, and is getting frustrated with all the baby stuff, like not walking and not eating real food. And so, one of her developments this month: Her two bottom teeth (picture to be posted later. You know, because I don't have one yet.)
So, Reagan is a big baby. It's hard to believe we used to tease her about her chicken legs, because she's so much bigger now. This baby loves to eat. Unlike Kameryn. Much more like Jay and me. And she may or may not be wearing 12-18 month pants. And the 12 months shirts that Jay just bought for her yesterday? Really tight. Which just goes to show that we do feed her. Every once in awhile.Reagan is so fun to be around because she's really happy. She loves to laugh, and she loves her sister. I think she'll be crawling in no time, and once she figures it out, I think she's going to be zooming around this place. I love to see how fast she's learning, but I can't believe how fast it's all going by. I can't wait until I'm with her everyday.

Sixth of the Sixth

1. Go to your documents/pictures.

2. Go to your 6th file.

3. Go to your 6th picture.

4. Blog about it.

5. Tag 6 people to do the same.

I got tagged by Abby to do this, and this is the picture that came up:My friends may have to help me fill in the blanks on this one a bit. I know that we were going out to dinner for Katie's (far right) birthday, and her parents took us to and from in this limo. We went to a really fancy restaurant, one that had 7 courses and brought us ice cream in the middle of the meal. To cleanse our pallets. And I felt like we were SO cool. I want to say we were 14? 15? I'm not sure.
I've been so lucky to have good friends my entire life. Even still I feel like we can get together and pick up where we left off almost effortlessly, no matter how much time has gone by.

So let's see. Tagging 6 people:
1. Allison
2. Danae
3. Mom
4. Special K
5. Liv(e)
6. Allie's Amanda

The Books Of January

As always, this year I've set a goal to read more often, and last year asked for suggestions on good books. I ended up reading these three, only one of them being from the suggestions I received, but I figure at least I'm going in the right direction.

First book was "Marked" by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. My aunt Dariece suggested it (Thank you!) It's about vampyres and people who liked Twilight would probably like this one as well. It's an easy read and entertaining, but not as squeaky clean as Twilight. I liked it. Jay really liked it and went out and bought the next 3 books, which he then read in 2 days. And the next one is coming out in March. I would say the book is a mix between Twilight and Mean Girls, and worth picking up.

The second book I read was "An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination." We had gone to the library to get the second book in the Marked series, and this book caught my eye. I picked it up because I thought that the title was interesting, and when I read the back it wasn't my type of book at all. It's a memoir about a woman who gives birth to a stillborn baby, and then a year later gives birth to a healthy baby. I don't do well with sad stories about babies. But I checked it out anyway, thinking maybe I could work up the courage to read it, and after I finished Marked I read the first chapter. The author, Elizabeth McCracken, is a really funny, insightful author who writes a beautiful tribute to her experience and her first baby. Each chapter is almost like a short story in itself, and some of them made me laugh, and some made me bawl. But the book was amazing, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone.

The last book I read was "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. It was one Allison read and recommended to me. And what can I say about this book? Any way I try to describe it won't do it justice. When I was reading it, I could read 100 pages and it felt like only a couple minutes had gone by. The story is beautiful and the writing is genius. Once you read this book, it will own a small piece of your soul. I think everyone should read it, and at the same time, I don't think anyone should read it that wouldn't understand how amazing it is. I don't know what kind of a recommendation that is, but it's the best I can do.

Up Next: Gone with the Wind. Since the book is 1024 pages it's one I wouldn't even attempt, but my friend Abby recommended it, and Abby knows her stuff. So I'm hoping to be finish it in February.

Waiting on the Weather...

So, a couple weeks ago I gave my job notice that I'll be leaving when the weather gets warm. Jay makes enough when he's working at his seasonal job that we've decided I'll stay home with our girls. I know that it's a risky thing to do with the economy the way it is, and I realize that I may be home a couple months and then asking my current job if they'll take me back, but it's worth it to me to try. Which is a little surprising, because growing up I never thought I would want to be a stay at home mom. I kinda resented the idea of it. But come on, how could I know back then how much you miss your babies when you have to leave them for 8 hours? How could I know that your kids immediately become the people you don't want to be away from for any substantial amount of time?
So I know I'm leaving, but I don't know when. And because of that, it doesn't feel real at all. Especially now when it warms up a little bit and then snows the next day. But I'm looking forward to the transition and excited about what it will mean for me.
Thank you for everyone that I've told so far that's supported me. Like I said, I know it's risky. But I also think it's exactly the right thing for me right now.

Mostly Right

I have a lot of things I need to update on, and obviously I've fallen a little behind. I'll be updating a lot more frequently in the next few days. Story number one for today involves potty training Kami. We started a couple weeks ago, and Kameryn is doing extremely well with it. We've got her a little Elmo potty to sit on, and she hasn't had very many accidents during the day. We're so proud of her. And she's proud of herself.
There was just ONE thing we needed to be a little more clear on explaining to her. Had to do with quantity.
Lesson learned.