take me out to the ball game!

Thanks to the wonder of facebook and it's ability to connect you to people that you would otherwise never talk to again, my dear hubby scored some free tickets to the Cubs game last weekend!
4 tickets.  Wife thinks: "What a great idea for a Saturday outing with the family!"  Husband thinks: "What 3 friends can I take along on this testosterone filled day?"

Wife wins.

So we loaded up the van on Saturday morning and headed to Chicago. Now, I must admit, I'm not a baseball fan. So, I understand why my beloved wasn't too keen on the idea of taking me and the toddlers on a trip like this. But I was SURE we could make it fun!! So I promised I would be a fan for a day and the kids would not be a bother... at least not to him.


We arrived at Wrigley about 2 hours before kick-off the first pitch. Good thing, because it was blustery and we forgot to pack hats... so, off we were to the 'official cubs merchandise' tent outside of the stadium to make our first inflated purchase of the day.... HATS!



While this one was oh-so-tempting, it didn't do much for keeping the ears warm....

So, we settled on the cute bear hats with ear flaps... until EE convinced us that her hands would get cold, too... so we sprung for the cute bear hats that had LOOOOOONG ear flaps that doubled as mittens....

Daddy got a new hat too.....

Our seats were awesome! They were club seats, row 10. But we were at the end of the row, so our seats were actually right next to the wall....

...which resulted in a game ball 'catch' for the little one  (ok, ok... it was a foul ball that didn't make it into the stands, so it was handed to her... pretty cool, nonetheless...)  I know she looks a tad bit peeved here, but she was loving it... she was petting the ball for a good 10 minutes and we almost needed the jaws of life to get that thing out of her hands.

and we even found time for a game day nap.....

When it was all said and done, I think even the husband would say it was a great day. He got to experience a long-awaited first trip to Wrigley field, I found myself cheering for the Cubbies, and the girls had an absolute ball!!  Eden loved people watching and Jada was intent on the game pretty much the whole time she was awake - and she loved dancing to the music (and our seat neighbors had a good time watching her)!

If this opportunity comes again, I'll be a nicer wife and let Nate take some friends... but a family day was what I desperately needed, and this day did not disappoint!

those three little words...

well, it's official... i'm pretty sure there is nothing better for a mother than to hear an unsolicited 'i love you' from your children.
twice this week, jada has looked at me so sweetly and simply said, "i love you, mommy." 
ahh... just what i needed!

Where do you read YOUR magazines??

Nate was sitting on the couch this morning, reading a magazine, waiting to leave for church. Eden walks in, looks at him, and asks, "why are you reading a magazine? Are you pooping?"

Preschool

My first baby.... the one that made me a mom.... has decided to grow up, with or without my approval. She has wanted to go to school since she was 2 years old. She's finally old enough.
Let me start by saying I am not one of 'those moms'... you know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that cry over milestones, the ones that can't stand to see their kids grow up. I never understood what the big deal was about sending your kid to school. I mean, that's what kids do, right??  They don't stay babies forever. And, let's be honest, as much as we love them, there's some days we can't wait for them to turn 18 and move out!!
So, with that all being said, the emotions that came along with sending my firstborn to preschool caught me completely off guard!!  I mean, it's only 3 days a week... and I'll be working anyway so why would it be any different than sending her to the babysitter??  Hmm.... apparently my heart knew how different it would be.
The tears started flowing 3 weeks ago, already!!  I innocently walked into story time at the library... just like I do every Tuesday. The story of the day?  Llama Llama Misses Mama.  Mrs. Miller barely made it past page 4 before I started losing control. I sat behind my girls, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as I wiped the tears away. I took the tissue to my nose hoping I could pass this all off as a terrible allergy attack.  I cried till the very end. This Mama was surely going to miss her Llama.  After library time, EE told me the story made her sad. Whew!! What a relief!!  "It made mommy sad, too, Eden. What part was saddest for you?"  --  "When Llama didn't want to eat his lunch."  Hmpf. Not really what I was looking for....
Then last week we had Preschool Orientation. It was just paperwork, people. Simple rules and information. Calendars and phone numbers. And I cried. How could I not??  My baby is certainly not old enough for all this 'school stuff.'
But she is. She has never, not even once, questioned whether she was ready. My delicate flower... my introverted little girl.... my baby that won't talk to anyone that hasn't proven themselves to her.... She could not wait to start this new adventure. No jitters, no nerves, no questions... she was doing this and it couldn't happen fast enough!
So, yesterday I dropped her off for her first day. Mrs. Yoder took her hand and she walked confidently into the building and never looked back. And neither one of us cried!! :)

Before she left, she warned me she "probably wouldn't talk to anyone right away." And she didn't. But she had a great time and can't wait to go back tomorrow!!
You should see the smile that comes across her face anytime someone mentions school. Pure delight.

As I sit here with tears in my eyes wondering where her 'baby years' went, I am reminded of how fun it is to watch her grow. And I know this is only the beginning. I love her more and more every day and I imagine that isn't going to change anytime soon. Kids grow older. They change. We change. That's life.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it if those changes didn't happen! I can't wait to see the wonderful lady this little 4 year old grows into. I know I'll cry more tears through this growing process, but they will be happy tears!

Take Time...

The entrance of our library has a little table that holds a vase filled with purple and brown artificial flowers. I pass them every time we enter the library without a second glance. Until a few weeks ago.
We were running a bit late for the puppet show and I was rushing the girls out of the van and into the library. We walked through the first set of double doors and Eden walked straight over to the little table that holds the flowers and started to smell them. Here were are, running late, and my daughter is smelling fake roses. So, in my hurried state of mind, I quickly said, "Eden, let's go... we're late! We don't have time to...."  And then I caught myself. I was about to tell my daughter we didn't have time to stop and smell the roses. Is that the lesson I want to teach my kids?? No!  So often, that is the way I find myself living my life, and I want better for them.
So I stopped talking and she finished smelling. And then her sister smelled them. And apparently they smell like strawberry milk! :)
I try to teach my daughters valuable life lessons every chance I get. But on that day, I was the student.  I would like to say that I really took that lesson to heart and that I 'stop to smell the roses' in every aspect of my life. I don't. But I'll tell you what I do.... I make sure to leave a few minutes early for the puppet show now, because those flowers have become a favorite of those two little girls. And I want to make sure they always have time to stop and smell them.

Oh, those brains....

Eden needed to use the restroom this morning (we were at home). She walked down the hall right past the door. I asked where she was going and she just laughed and turned around. I asked if she remembered to put her head on this morning. She said yes. Then i asked if she had a brain in her head. Her response could not have been predicted.....
"Apparently not, because i always forget where the bathroom is!!"