Lovely Saturdays

Pancakes, Coronado, Picnics, Naps, and Wii: The Ingredients to a Great Saturday.

I think it's a crime to live so close to the ocean, but not see the beach very often during the winter months. Nate feels like going to the beach and not getting in the water is the equivalent of driving to Disneyland and sitting in the parking lot all day. The obvious solution here is that we need to get Nate a wetsuit.

I need time outside in beautiful places to fill up my soul tank. I also need quality time with my little family. Although Nate doesn't need these things in the same way, he happily took his wife, daughter, and little developing boy to spend the morning at Coronado together this Saturday.

We strolled along the beach, meandered around lovely neighborhoods, then spent time having a picnic in the park and playing on the slides. It was sunny and breezy, but not too cool. It was beautiful. It wasn't extravagant. It was perfect. Thanks for filling up my love tank Nate!

Family Self-Portrait on the rocks by the dunes at Coronado.

We call this her Flocks of Seagulls Hair. It was in a cute pony and bow, but she wanted to feel the full glory of the wind in her essence and therefore flung her restrictive bow to the ground. I understand Little One. Something about the beach that calls for a desire to be free.

Fun on the slides with Daddy. We spent a lot of time here going down and gleefully requesting one more round. "Uhn," she says with eyebrows raised and an expectant smile and a chubby little finger resting on her cheek.

And what better way to end the day than to come home, take a LOOOOONG nap, then play a little Mario Kart Wii with Daddy.

Having a completely free Saturday is a rarity in our household, but they are oh so good when they do come!

How We Purposefully Potty Trained Our Toddler on Accident

As always, I had a plan. And as always, Selah Grace had her own ideas.

The plan was to ease Selah into potty training, allow her some potty "knowledge" and "experience" before I plop her into that tiny plastic chair and ask her to tinkle. For the past month or so we've been utilizing our local library checking out picture books, videos, and songs about potty training. Smart little one that she is, she's picked up right away on new potty signs and eagerly strings three baby signs together: book, potty, music to let us know when she would like to sing the potty songs from one particular book.

The plan:
1. Begin reading all these stories, sing these songs, talk about the potty, etc.
2. Buy Selah Grace her own potty and put it in the bathroom for her to explore for a month or so.
3. Begin the training.

We got as far as step 1, but the plan derailed at 2.
She was so excited to USE her potty that the second we got home from the store she pulled her pants down, ripped her diaper off, and spent the rest of the afternoon naked running back and forth to her little potty to sit and the toilet paper to "wipe", which basically consists of wheeling off streamers of tp and throwing them in the big people toilet.

So far she's only really used her potty once, but she gets the concept. So that is how we purposefully potty-trained our toddler on accident.

And now by popular request: The Pee Pee Dance
(She gets a little camera shy so she's less animated than usual. But she's bent over and holding her knees together like the lyrics suggest. And no comments please on the big pregnant lady hopping around.)




Roll Call of Our Favorite Potty Books

This book holds a wealth of potty songs set to popular tunes, such as The Itsy Bitsy Poo Poo. It is by far the family favorite.


" A 'witty' and 'gentle' " tale of potty training.
This one is fun for S.G. to act out while we read.


In this story the toddler teaches her bunny to use the potty. Selah has her own stuffed bunny that she drags around so she loves this one.

Rainy Days

There's something about being home on a rainy day that is just so wonderful. I love the rain. Granted, if you are trying to drive through a downpour that can be unnerving. Or if you are stuck in a classroom with 25 sun-deprived kids climbing walls on a rainy day schedule, that can push you into insanity. But if you are lucky enough to be tucked into home on a rainy afternoon the possibilities are scrumptious. Some of my favorite wet weather, indoor activities include:
* cuddling into sweatpants
* reading
* watching movies (preferably dramatic epics full of romance and adventure like Empire of the Sun or Joy Luck Club)
* snacking on hot chocolate and homemade bread
* falling asleep on the couch with the rain pittering in the background

San Diego doesn't get much rain and the storms we receive are pretty mild. It has been such a treat for me to enjoy a few rainy days.

Dreams

Saturday morning I was congratulating myself on my current sanguine state about having a newborn while wading into the murky and fickle waters of parenting a toddler. By Saturday afternoon I had considered all the things I wanted to get done before the little one comes: organize garage, decorate nursery, transition 20 month old to toddler bed, potty train said toddler, find cheap deep freeze for garage, fill said deep freeze with a year's supply of casseroles, etc. Goodbye sanguine mom, hello slightly overwhelmed mom, but still optimistic this will all happen in time and happen smoothly.

By Saturday night my dreams were a little more honest.

Dream #1: I'm driving a friend's red truck down a hill. A stoplight and t-junction are coming, but none of my attempts at pumping the brakes or pulling the emergency brake on are helping. We go careening through the light at 120mph and I make a wild turn at the T, while cars honk and spin-out to avoid us.

Dream #2: I'm driving again. Little silver car now and this time the route I'm supposed to be taking is all closed down so I have to go trek down a different road, which puts me on an onramp, which turns out to actually be an off-ramp for the other cars. I'm driving the wrong way down the highway and have to do some sweet Italian Job action to make things right while narrowly missing the large group of stroller-pushing moms in yoga pants out for a morning pram parade.

Dream #3: Still driving. Things seem okay until I realize that the petals are kind of far away. I can just barely reach them with tip-toes if I scooch down, but the steering wheel is tilted really weird, and I'm trying to buckle up to no avail, and something else feels really weird. Why is the distance to the front of the car so hard to judge? Oh crap, I'm in the backseat!

I looked up car dreams in the dream dictionary and here's what it said. Car dreams are an indication of your dependence/independence and the degree of control you have on your life. Having trouble with seat belts means you're worried about the future. Speeding and viewing your speedometer represents your pace of life, how hard you are driven to complete something, and that things are moving too fast.

I don't think I really needed help clearing any of that up. Those symbols seem pretty obvious.

Now I'm no dream interpreter expert, but when I woke up Sunday morning I had to admit that maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me that I don't feel quite so in control or easy-going about the changes in our life as I thought. My positive attitude has just been giving myself pep-talks, but at the core this all feels out of my hands.

But God, so good with knowing what I need put this verse in front of me Sunday morning:
"God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

The truth is that the steering wheel isn't in my hands and it doesn't need to be! Knowing that God is faithful makes careening down this road both exhilarating and trusted. Life, here we come!

Losing a Layer

While on a stroller walk through Balboa Park with a friend this morning we touched upon the topic of how many kids we would like to have. (Yes, I know that giving demands to the Creator like I'm ordering up the house special is rather futile but we all have an idea of what we think we would like.) Their family would like to have two. Two seems like a safe number. Parents can mark children man to man and don't have to fall back into zone defense. The whole family can fit into an economical and ecological sedan, along with the family dog. Although adding any number of kids into the equation will inevitably increase the crazy, two kids seems manageable. There can still be a reasonable amount of order with two.

But what happens when you throw in more? Nate and I would like more than two. With three the family still can fit into that cute little car. Sans family dog of course. But teams aren't even when there's only three siblings to play against each other. It's looking like it's going to have to be four.

Another one of my friends, who is a mom of three, said that with the third child a layer of life is stripped away. She isn't saying that the joy in life is taken. She's just saying that the thin barrier between ordering everything to be maintained and maintaining order is gone. When there are three problems that need immediate attention, you work as if in triage. Patch up what's necessary for THIS instant, move on to the next, then go back and smooth everything over. Transaction costs were talked about incessantly in our college political science courses and abstractly in our philosophy courses. I think you only truly understand transaction costs when you become a parent, and then only really feel them deeply when you become a parent to more than one.

If this is already what happens with three, then why not have four? We like the idea of the number four. It's a good round number.

Foreseeable problems to navigate: financing a family of six, driving anywhere together as a family, sharing rooms, listening to unthoughtful/uncensored people balk at the size of our family.

Foreseeable solutions: pressure's on to be incredibly smart and athletic like their daddy, I've always preferred SUV's anyway, that's just the way it's going to be so enjoy the nightly slumber parties, that's their problem not ours!

You may think we're crazy, but I say bring on the chaos! It sounds like a marvelous time!

Trouble Shooting Marital Bliss

We all have our weird little quirks. I for instance: keep a running commentary while driving, don't like listening to people chew, look for the shopping cart with the least amount of hair wrapped around the wheels, need the sheets pulled taught, and have to have the cupboard doors closed while watching tv. Nate doesn't have to work around any of these oddities, but I know he has a few of his own.

I've learned to live with mine, but there is one thing that I'm just not sure how to master...
Nate's pocket pile. I need help from you out there. What do I do with this pile of boy stuff (in a very loving wife way of course) that gets unloaded onto our dresser every afternoon? I need ideas to keep the keys, work keys, wallet, chapstick, deodorant, bank statement, sports ticket, lint, etc. out of eyesight. Anyone out there conquered this dilemma?

Lifestyle Goals for 2010

Welcome 2010!

New Year's resolutions never really seem to stick. So instead of resolutions, this year I'm writing down some lifestyle goals I feel compelled to incorporate into my life.

Jenny's Lifestyle Goals for 2010:
* Write. Without concern for convention or usefulness. Just because I like it.
* Submit small articles to magazines. Who knows?
* Potty train Selah Grace before her baby brother arrives.
* Be active. (The recent adoption of Wii into our home has already bumped this up.)
* Balance being a wife/mom/friend/etc and extend grace to myself when I can't seem to find the balance.

Nate's Lifestyle Goals for 2010:
* Not make any lifestyle goals (fail).

Favorite Things

The Sound of Music was on TV the other night and as I sang along with Julie I started to make a mental list of what some of my favorite things are. I really could make separate lists devoted to the different genres of my life: favorite baby things, mama things, woman things, ministry things, etc. But life doesn't really get to be in separate, clean, segmented compartments. So here it is. Obviously my ultimate favorite things are my husband and daughter, but I'm not putting people on the list. All in a jumble...my recent favorite things:


Costco Baby Wipes
Because let's face it, we've got a lot of diapers to change and buying these puppies in bulk for wholesale prices is the only sensible thing to do. But not only are they great for wiping little bottoms, they are also great for napkins on BBQ night, cleaning up sticky spills in the cup holder of the car, dusting furniture, cleaning mirrors, swiping picture frames, and de-sanding feet after the beach. We have packs all over the house serving all kinds of purposes. They're great!


Our Public Library
I love the public library. We are in there at least once, if not twice a week. Free books galore. Free DVD's galore. Free baby books galore. Free baby DVD's galore. And if that weren't enough...They also have a Friends of the Library bookstore with GREAT books on sale for $1 or less. They have musical concerts. They have a toddler story and dance time where we go have stories read to us interactively and we sing and dance and learn. AND there are two service dogs at this library. One cocker spaniel who as far as I can tell just lays around and lets little kids pet it. Selah loves him. The other is a big collie who's job is to snuggle next to kids and let them read books to him. Selah loves him too. She loves going to the library these days (we're still working on the quiet sqeals of glee). First she looks for the puppies, then she goes and picks out a DVD for herself, then a board book, then hugs the stuffed penguin on the children's rug, then goes to the kids' tables to color, then either sweetly holds my hand while I pick out books and movies for myself or runs amuk "rearranging" books and creating an early exit for us.


Gold Eye Shadow
It's fun and girlie. What can I say? It isn't very inconspicuous, but it's fun to shimmer sometimes.


Chick-Fil-A Sandwich and Waffle Fries
Yum!


Microwave
This may seem like a weird one, but it's true. I didn't like living without a microwave for so many years. Mainly because it takes a lot of forthought and planning or a lot of grossness to defrost meat for dinner without one of these. Also great for melting chocolate perfectly every time and zapping frozen vegetables. It just seems so much easier to make dinner if you have one of these.


Baby Signs
These have been such a joy for our family. Why wouldn't you do them? They are easy and fun to learn, based on ASL and whatever our own little one makes up. Even though Selah Grace can't really speak to us in more than two word sentences, she precisely communicates and has been for quite some time! Thanks baby signs! Her new sign of the week is for Nintendo Wii. She holds one arm out stiff and waves wildly like she has a controller in her hand. Smart little girl. Maybe Mama and Daddy shouldn't play so much?...


Beth Moore Bible Studies
Okay, so I know I said people weren't going on the list, but it isn't Beth Moore that I love so much (although I do) as it is her Bible studies she writes for women. I'm not very good at giving myself a structure, so I appreciate the structure of the studies she writes and I always learn so much about history, about the character of God, and about myself when I do them. They are so good!


Labeler
I like organized closets. Don't be fooled. We don't actually have any of those in our house, but I've seen them at other people's places and I like the dream of having our very own some day. My sister-in-law gave me a labeler for Christmas and I've already run the batteries down using it so much. It brings me great joy.



Double Stuffed Oreos and Milk
I can't get enough milk these days. Also can't get enough double-stuffeds. Oreos are really one thing you can't skimp on and buy generic. Hydrox just aren't the same. There's only one Oreo and they only taste better with pregnancy!

And to make it a nice, round 10 things...


The Hot Glue Gun
I like being crafty and making things. It is incredible the amount of craftiness that can come from wielding this $2 weapon!


Those are my things that I love this week. They will most likely change next week. Any of you have any favorites that life just wouldn't be the same without?

Merry Christmas Morning

Last year was Selah's first Christmas, but she was still a little baby and just working on crawling toward presents. This year she was a much more enthusiastic participant. She still didn't know why there were presents under the tree, but she did have a marvelous time exploring the wonder of Christmas morning. It was so much fun for Nate and I watch her little face light up in discovery!

Here's a little montage of the morning. From our home to yours...

Holiday Movie List and the Missing Piece

There's just some movies that we grow up watching around Christmas time that become stamped into the holiday tradition. In fact it almost doesn't feel like Christmas until I've seen them. TNT's 24hr marathon of the Christmas Story on Thanksgiving Day seems to herald in the beginning of the Christmas season with John-the-Baptist like "Prepare Ye The Way" proclamation. It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on the 34th Street seem to be the quintessential holiday movies about family and recognizing the treasure right under your nose. Others are newer, but seem to be instant classics. These are the movies Nate and I enjoy watching year after year (in no particular order):





And yes, I love watching each of these movies (sometimes in the middle of July b/c I've missed them since December) but do you see anything wrong with this picture? (Not with my movie choices, but with their absence.) This is Christmas after all.

Walk down the thought road with me for a moment. It will become clear in a minute...

My cousin married a man from Venezuela. In their culture they hide the baby Jesus in the nativity set on Christmas Eve and put him back in the scene on Christmas Day, the celebrated day of his birth. Happy Birthday! Today after spending almost an hour in a Target parking lot waiting for a spot, making a return, and walking away almost in tears, after talking with my husband about the budget for the month, and after forgetting to do the advent calendar as a family before putting the little one in bed, I'm beginning to feel like the hands of hurriedness and impossible expectations have hidden our Jesus from our Nativity season. He's just a little baby, and is easily hidden behind mounds of packages!

Something feels off. Especially now that we have little ones in our family, Nate and I want to try to bring Love back into the Christmas picture. We need some divine inspiration to know how to do this without retreating to some equally unholy place of asceticism. Even if you don't believe in Jesus, you do believe that Christmas time is supposed to be about Love. Right now it feels like there is a lot of Love missing from the Christmas season, at least in San Diego.

It just doesn't quite "feel like Christmas" until I've sung along with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye or recited the Pledge of Allegiance to bless the food with Aunt Bethany. But shouldn't it really not feel like Christmas until we put baby Jesus back in the Nativity?