Peeing In the Poppy

This morning when I needed to get out of the house to get a few things done several things slowed us down. First both kids slept in. Then Eliot got really inspired to do a science experiment with his rice cake and tea. Then when we finally started getting dressed Eliot's rabbits (bear-it) suddenly needed to pee in the poppy (AKA potty, toilet, pisser).

I decided to go with this potty training opportunity and we ended up spending over twenty minutes with both of Eliot's rabbits (he is their daddy and so I suppose it makes good sense he should have two babies to care for) taking turns peeing on the potty, wiping with toilet paper and flushing. They peed with the kiddy seat on the toilet and off the toilet and with the seat up and with the seat down. Eliot sat on the toilet for a while too fully dressed in his pajamas and wearing a diaper filled with a gigantic bowel movement.

It was pretty amazing thing to watch. It reminded me that things will come along in their own time. It all will. The good. The exciting. The scary. The fun.

It also reminded me of the mysteries in life. I watched like a hawk to be sure the rabbits didn't end up in the toilet water. I know its clean. Yet I still feel positively grossed out about toilet water. When the potty training was done I used the toilet and ended up with one wet butt cheek. When I changed Eliot's pajamas one whole cuff of his pajamas was soaking wet. How. How did that happen?

Two Cs of Infanthood

Naomi figured out Cheerios last night. First she couldn't pick them up. Then she picked up one and couldn't figure out how to let go of it in her mouth. Then she managed to get a few in her mouth. Then she realized she could pick up a whole handful and deposit them in her mouth. My guess is that 1 of 4 Cheerios that I put on the table makes it to her stomach. Two of those 4 get sufficiently slobbery and stick to her clothes or my clothes or the floor or her face. The other 1 makes it to the floor where I undoubtedly step on it, smashing it to a Cheerios dust that will most likely still be floating around this house in 20 years.

Naomi also figured out crawling today. Until now she has pretty much been able to get her knees moving forward. She would move both knees and they would end up right behind her hands and she'd hold that for a second and then face plant onto the floor.

Today her hands started going forward too. Inevitably once in a while one hand would go forward and land on the other hand- thus causing more face first dives into the hard wood floor (accurate sound effect could be produced by dropping a bowling ball from 12-18 inches off the floor and then screaming your head off for a few minutes).

The First Mini F-Bomb

Tonight before bed (well before Eliot went to bed - Naomi is still upstairs screaming her little heart out) we were having one of those awesome family moments when I wasn't thinking about or worrying about anything else and all four of us were together and it was really, really fun and downright heavenly. Aron crawled onto Eliot's bed and hurt his ankle (the bed is all of four inches off the ground - so its prime territory for ankle injuries) and dropped an f-bomb. Which was followed directly by a well pronounced and unmistakable f-bomb from none other than our sweet, baby crazy, gentle, kind little two year old. If he has one tiny hint of manners as an adult it will be despite his parents influence. Cringe. Cringe. Cringe.

Slugs

Eliot and I found 4 slugs (which I called snails for nearly 2 hours until Rob corrected me) this morning and had an awesome time watching them. They're fascinating to watch. I loved seeing their little antennae come out when they decided to check out the world after the 70,000 times we touched or moved them and they rolled up into a slimy ball to protect themselves. We put them in a big clear bowl and watched their delicate underbellies. It was so fun. Oh my goodness - someday we'll get to turn over big, gigantic rocks and see what crawls around under them. Not that I'm wishing away the tender, young lives of my awesome kids. That is going to be so cool. And today was so cool.

Eliot and His Babies

This morning Eliot got his birthday present from Auntie Nancy - the stroller for his baby that he posed with upon my request (which really impressed and surprised me). He also got to meet his newest relative and he had a really, really good time. He was excited to see his little toes and his ears and his cute little baby smile. I lost count of how many times he asked to hold him. He is so incredibly gentle and kind and attentive. He really blows me away. And look at those eyelashes! Whew.

Arlo is a cutie - he looks a lot like his mom who is also looking smashing, well rested and downright perky.

Adreneline Rush From Hell

As if cleaning all day and falling over in a heap of exhaustion in a dirty living room isn't enough to challenge my self-esteem I just spent nearly 20 minutes unsuccessfully trying to set mouse traps (fingers smashed, trap flying in the air f-bombs dropping) to catch the little shit that walked right under the chair I'm sitting in (I guess I'm not only invisible at the store - I'm now invisible in my own living room).

A year ago I could set a mouse trap and did when this snotty little things great, great, great aunt spent a week (or two - lets be honest here) wandering around our house. How have I lost a skill in the past year? You'd think I'd be even better at it after changing 65,000 diapers, washing 100 million dishes and taking out the garbage every 3 seconds. Strange.

On a positive note today is our one year anniversary of owning our house and apparently the good old jaded, sarcastic Sara hasn't been lost forever to the God's of oh isn't life sweet with kids around.

Its Getting to Be That Time of Year

Okay - this is not some passive aggressive attempt at hinting that hey you readers should cough up some gifts. This is my attempt to be helpful to those who already planned to give gifts to the kids.

I've been thinking about winter activities for the kids and thought of this one today. I think it would be a BLAST to have a fun little parachute to play with when we have play groups.

So the first thing on Eliot and Naomi's wish list on my newly updated and fantastic blog is this cool parachute. It doesn't need to be this exact parachute, it does need to have handles and not be one of those 24 foot deals (although that would be super awesome the next time I plan a play date for all adults).

I had a very busy day yesterday. I literally went from one thing to the next. I woke up and got the kids dressed on my own and fed and out the door to church (oh and I got a shower and ate too). I worked the nursery at church and then gave a presentation about the millennium development goals. I came home and fed the children again, changed one AGAIN (goodness), got them to sleep, ate some food, spent some time with a friend who is newly in love, responded to some emails, picked up the house, did some dishes, packed up dinner since we were eating on the run, went to a party, came home, put the children to bed, greeted the babysitter, went to a concert and then out for drinks.

Today was the busiest day I’ve had in over two years and although I preach (probably to the point of boredom) about the values of slowing down, keeping things simple and enjoying life at a child’s pace I positively loved today. I had zero moments of mind-numbing boredom while feeding Naomi food that she spits or grabs or smears in my hair. I didn’t have to play any games over and over and over and over again. I wore a matching outfit that wasn't a t-shirt all day. It was clean for most of the day too.

I had adults to talk to all day. When I woke up in the middle of the night I thought of my kids. How sweet and tender Eliot is. How he takes his time with so many things. How he ran down the driveway at the party and fell on his face. How Naomi seems to know how to wave. How she smiles so much. How her newest little tooth is growing. I loved, or so it seemed at 3:30 am, every single ounce of their little, tiny beings. I loved everything I know and don’t know about them.

I couldn’t wait to get up and play with them today.

I love that feeling and want more of it.

Today I got a babysitter so I could get some work done. I worked at an insanely fast pace for 2 and a half hours trying to get as much done as possible. Then I came downstairs for lunch and forgot that no matter how quickly I get lunch on the table Eliot won't eat it any faster - or how fast I get the food into Naomi's mouth she'll still need more. I ran around for a half hour like a crazy woman and then realized both kids were acting out and feeling crazy and I had to slow down and chill out.

Someday. Somehow. I have faith. I'll find balance.
Please. Please. Please. Please let it be soon.

Gethsemane's Newest Choir Member

Naomi has added her own, shall we say, flavor, to the 10am service at Gethsemane for the past two weeks. By flavor I mean ear-piercing screams sprinkled with the finesse of a bull in a child development center throughout the quiet, prayerful times of the service.

Aron reports seeing a few annoyed looks throughout the congregation and for the most part people are incredibly patient and understanding and make kind jokes. Some even look at me with the understanding that only comes from living through similar situations.

Did You Know the Human Brain Weighs 8 lbs?

Eliot has been asking to try on our glasses from time to time lately. I caught a picture him the other day in mine. This picture falls far short of showing that he is actually really cute in glasses - which I imagine he is destined to wear for a large chunk of his life since both of his parents are practically blind. Thank goodness we're both so incredibly good looking that his gene pool isn't a total dud.

Cute Pants v 2.0

Okay - so I sort of cheated on the picture of Eliot in the cute pants before. Sam - here is a better shot of him wearing the awesome pants. The next time he wears them I'll try to do even better.

A New Fun Car

Aron went to Duluth this week and had an awesome time and came home with this super duper fun car from our friend Bev. Thank you Bev! This car is not only a really fun toy - check out these cars! He loves it and he loves the box it came in and the manual you can see him reading here.

Cousin Fun - Minus One

Eliot, Naomi and I were there yesterday when Isadora woke up in the morning. This is a fun shot of our 'wake-up activities.' Isadora was super flexible with her completely-different-than-normal morning. And, as you can see, Naomi was thrilled to have her to lean on.

The Whole Family

For those of you interested in Arlo's stats - here they are (and don't quote me, this is from memory):

Time of Birth - 7:30 ish (that is pm - who ever heard of THAT go Arlo - go Nanny!)
Weight - 8 lbs 5 oz
Length - 21 inches
Head size - 14.5 cm and Nan says she'll never be the same
Cuteness factor - 10++

Precious

Isadora was very attentive and enthusiastic about little Arlo this morning. She welcomed with undeniably open arms.

Welcome Baby Arlo

Nan and Rob and Isadora had a baby boy named Arlo last night. Yeah! I had the honor of meeting him this morning. He is a very peaceful little guy and super cute too!

Will I Ever Learn

The very first time I voted it was in a primary race (I think) and I had NO clue who to vote for so I chose one of the people because his last name didn't sound like a brand of beer. I was in high school and sick of people getting drunk and doing stupid stuff. That person ended up winning the race by 1 point and made my parents and all of our neighbors really angry. I decided then and there I'd never vote for someone who I didn't know I wanted to vote for and that I'd use higher standards than what their name sounds like.

Today I voted for a guy who I did some research on and felt good about. I took the kids to the polling station - it was Naomi's first chance to vote - and Eliot and I talked about voting and they got stickers. I did the best I could to impress upon them the importance of voting.

The guy I voted for won and is currently still celebrating at the night club next door (it is 11:45pm). He was even standing right below our bedroom window for a while and we could see the flashes from cameras going off. Wow - how awesome at 11:30pm. Aron slept for all of 3 hours last night. I haven't slept well in days. We both tried to go to bed early (Aron really early) and now we're enjoying an historic bit of revelry. Oh yeah.

This guy - if he wins in November - will be the first Muslim in the US Congress.

The Many Sides of Eliot

We caught this picture of Eliot smelling the flowers on vacation. Every time we walked by them he stopped to smell them and usually asked Aron to smell them and me and even Naomi. Just after we took this picture he ran down to the beach and chased every single duck away with great glee.

Bruce

The morning we left for vacation I told Eliot we were going to Duluth. He paused for a moment and then said geese (gee) and made a throwing motion with his hands and said rock (rah). And then he did that again. And again. And again.

Once we got to Grand Marais he continued to ask for geese and rock throwing on a regular basis. One night on vacation he woke up at midnight and I picked him up and he said 'gee' and 'rah' again.

Lucky for him a Canadian Goose adopted the Gunflint Lodge and hung around on the beach a lot. He was named Bruce by someone at the lodge and thus we have this picture of Eliot and his good friend Bruce the Goose hanging out at the slide.

What Up Wit Dat

A few days ago I was goofing around on the Internet feeling exhausted and like it was just wayyy to early to go to sleep (8pm) and I found a web site that said you could enter your kid in a cute kid contest. (I feel embarrassed to admit this) I uploaded this picture. I think Naomi is insanely cute and this picture is just major evidence in my mind. I filled out the paper work and everything to enter her in a contest judged by professional modelling agency people. After spending a few minutes on this exercise in vanity I found that I had to pay $20 to put Naomi in the contest and came to my senses and closed the web page. A day later I got a newsletter with tips for getting your kid into modelling. I unsubscribed for any of you out there who are afraid I've gone completely insane. She is so freaking cute.

I Feel So Cool

Almost 40 people have requested access to the blog. I feel so humbled and honored. I plan to switch over the blog in a few days (to a personal blog that you need to log in to read) so please let me know (if you haven't already) that you'd like access by emailing me at saramcginley@gmail.com

In Case You Haven't Seen Enough Vacation Pictures

The water. The rocks. The gorgeous weather. Do I miss it. Oh how I miss it.

Please note the cutie pie pants Eliot is wearing. One of Nancy's awesome students sent these our way with the totally fabulous deal that all we have to do is put picture of him wearing them on the blog. Okay its not as spooky as it sounds.

Welcome Memphis!

We have a new and FUN neighboor. Memphis moved in last night and came to visit us today. He is very mellow and fun and cute and sleepy. You can check out his fun blog too.

Table Manners

Tonight at dinner my mind was wondering as it does sometimes while eating dinner with my awesome kids and husband (the most talkative in the bunch being Naomi) and I was thinking about how seemingly random experiences in my life have lead me to the place I am today. And I was thinking about the nice hotels I got to stay in when I went to South East Asia and somehow that connected in my head to being involved in the Episcopal Church and how I've sort of learned a few manners and how that's a good thing 'cause I'm a little less of a slob these days.

Just as I was thinking that bit about my new found manners Eliot passed some gas at the table. Very shortly thereafter I leaned over a bit and also passed some gas. Since I was thinking about my new found manners I made a point of saying 'excuse me.' Just then, with the impeccable timing of a drunken frat boy who has been well marinated in the fine decorum of his very own mother, he also leaned over and, well, lets just say it. The kid leaned right over and farted.

Aron laughed so hard I think he almost cried in front of me for the first time since before our wedding. I very nearly snorted my tiny little lady-like bite of food right out my nose.

Toddler Fun

Isadora brought her parents and wonderfully behaved brother over to play this afternoon and holy cow we had a great time. Eliot and Isadora played together. They played hide and seek. They hung from Naomi's chair. They played wheelbarrow with their dads. Don't get me wrong they've been playing together for weeks now. Actually playing so we don't really need to watch them or interact and can actually TALK to each other (well in that way that parents talk to each other - you know 'So what was I saying before I left the room to get a bowl of applesauce that is now being thrown on the floor? Oh yeah and then I found a cup of rotten milk in my underwear drawer. Oh wait a sec, big stinkin' poop here').

Tonight was so cool. Eliot was running somewhere and literally ran into Isadora who was hiding behind a curtain. It was awesome when he realized it was actually her he was running into. And then he wanted to play hide and seek.

Its so wonderful to see them interact with each other in ways that haven't been engineered by us in any way.

HONESTY MOMENT HERE
I'm distracted as I write this.

I'm watching an old Scrubs right now and they're talking about an epiphany toilet and its really, really funny and its almost 9:30 pm and I'm going to hit publish now.

The Beach. Finally the Beach.

I've been fantasizing about taking the kids to the beach since, well now that I think about it, before Naomi was born. I naively thought we'd spend our whole summer picnicking there. Silly, silly me thought Naomi would be on a schedule and it would include being awake from about 3pm on. I thought I'd be able to pack up dinner and take all of us to the beach and Eliot would like the water and we could eat dinner there and come home. Oh silly, silly me.

We made it today. Schools in session. Labor Day has passed. When we got there there was 1 other kid and his mom and grandma. We were there tho. And Eliot loved it and Naomi played in the sand as if it was the coolest thing since hands.

When Eliot saw me packing up too he got a paper bag and put a few of his favorite toys in it. Then when I said it was just about time to go he got his paper bag and put it near the back door. Holy cow he is growing up!

Thanks for this Awesome Jacket Gramma Vicki!

Senator Kramer Does Smile

Doesn't this rock! Aron caught this picture while we were out hiking. I love pictures with Eliot smiling - and pictures with me and the kids together. This one beats them all!

As I'm writing this Eliot and I are having a smiling contest. We stare at each other with serious faces until one of us smiles and then we both crack up and then we start over again. I"m so glad I'm not in a board room right now!

Eliot's First Kayak Ride

Eliot and Aron spent some time out in their funny plastic kayaks. There were two boys there who spent huge quantities of time out in these things with their very energetic and saint-like grandma. They were 8 and 10 years old. It is practically incomprehensible to me that Eliot will be able to maneuver one of these things on his own in so few years.

What Can I Say

Stever Irwin RIP

Sad news today - The Crocodile Hunter, Stever Irwin died yesterday while doing what he loves - hanging out in nature. Steve got Eliot and I through the first several weeks of Naomi's life - at that point his stuff was the only thing we had around the house that was suitable to show Eliot (I might have been exhausted but not exhausted enough to let him watch Fight Club).

Checking out the Lake in the Morning

A Bunce Special

Eliot's God Father Eric and his wife Sarah - our awesome friends who moved far, far away always give Eliot super adorable outfits for his birthday and other awesome occasions. This one arrived for his 2nd birthday and it ROCKS. Although you can't tell - this shirt even had a CAR on it!

You can see here in this picture Eliot is holding his newest toy (as of the moment this picture was taken) a Hummer from McDonald's. Wow. My kid has a toy hummer from McDonald's. I'm just going to try not to think to hard about that fact.

Sweet Sweet Sweet

I swear both kids grew up a lot over our vacation. Eliot starting sayings tons of new words and Naomi is close to crawling and she is sitting up and I don't know about you but she just looks mighty grown up (for a baby that is).

Hanging Out

Eliot decided he wanted to climb into our fun king sized bed in our hotel room in Two Harbors (we stayed there on our way to Grand Marais - which was brilliant - the trip home was loooooooooooooong) and hang out with Naomi after we all went 'swimming' in our awesome bathtub.

Blog Questions

I've heard from a lot of people about the blog (which really strokes my ego I must admit). I'm happy to grant access to lots of people - just not freaky stalkers and people who want to lure my kids into their car with candy and random information they shouldn't have. So if you're not the boogy man or one of the bad-guys I'm happy to give you access. I NEED your email address tho to do it so - "Carla" who left a comment and any others - please send me and email and when I do the change-over I'll email you an invitation.

saramcginley@gmail.com

Vacation Sweet Sweet Vacation

We just had the BEST vacation I ever remember having. Not only was the place great - The Gunflint Lodge in Grand Marais, MN (the other side of the lake was Canada) it was perfectly timed (can you say BURNOUT CENTRAL around here before we left) and the weather was unbelievable!

I also had a few gigantic epiphanies such as

1) money is just money - it doesn't need to be more than that
2) my husband is a great dad

Okay so I knew both of those things and there is lots to say about the money thing but that's for later - the husband thing I knew and after spending most of a week on the beach with a bunch of other dads it really hit home.

So many of the other dads sat around helplessly barking at their kids about what they couldn't do and never actually told them what they could do. And they rarely sat down on the ground and actually DID anything with their kids. Aron and Eliot spent hours (literally hours) sitting on the beach throwing rocks and talking about what they saw going by - ducks, boats, canoes (news), geese etc etc etc.

So thank you God - I mean really thank you God for an awesome vacation, awesome weather and and awesome husband and dad (who is mighty cute too!).

REMINDER - I'm changing my blog in a week or so - if you want permission when I switch to the private blog thing please email me at saramcginley@gmail.com

Changing the Blog

So I've noticed that I'm getting a little nervous not knowing who is reading this blog. I put this fun stat counter on the blog just 'cause I'm kind of geeky (although I could never boast the high level of geekiness my sister Laurie has) and then I started seeing that people read this blog from all over the place.

So in a week or so I'm going to make this a permission only blog - I'll give permission to tons of people (I've noticed some of you out there link from my friend Anne's blog and my friend Jess' blog and my sisters blog) I just don't really feel cool about giving permission to random folks who I don't know at all anymore - I'm realizing I share an awful lot of info about the kiddoz on here.

So please email me at saramcginley@gmail.com and I'll put you on the list of people who can log into the blog.