A Day at the Fournier's!

This morning, the girls and I went to Andrew & Jen's beautiful new house for a swim play date! The pictures tell it all, but the girls HAD A BLAST! Then, Jen made us all a very yummy lunch. She sure knows how to take care of her friends! What she doesn't realize is that taking care of the Meyers is a lot like taking care of stray cats...we tend to keep showing up at the doorstep (lol).

Ally loooooooves to play with the boys (big surprise...sigh) and Em had so much fun running around in her little "beebeesuit." She even let Jen hold her in the water. Both girls did so good for their first time in a swimming pool. I think we'll definitely be doing swim lessons soon.

My new prayer, courtesy of my sister...

"Lord, please give me the persistence of a weed."

I just gotta make it another 24 days! But MAN are they dragging! Today, I think, has been the slowest day yet, and it isn't like I sat around twiddling my thumbs all day either.

In other news, I have found what I believe to be the second yummiest salad ever. Picture attached so you know what to look for, but they have them at Costco. Oh it was soooo good. All you have to buy are the salad greens, but it comes with grilled chicken, two kinds of Chinese crunchy thingies and really good dressing. I enjoyed every bite and am quite full.

Weeds

I am pretty sure that I have narrowed down what I plan to ask God when I meet Him. The first question will be, "Can you please explain the necessity of weeds?" And secondly, "Why must there be so many varieties? Was one not enough?"

I spent the entire afternoon weeding - the kids played nicely outside and I pulled anything and everything I could until I was close to anaphylaxis and could literally not take a breath without it sounding like I had just smoked a pack of unfiltered Camels in the past 10 minutes.

I have discovered that we have approximately 15-20 individual varieties of weeds, many who try their darndest to look like something that is actually supposed to be in the yard. Ragweed and I are arch enemies though. And boy do we get a lot of it here. Colorado summers are rainy, so things grow with fervor, and Ragweed is one of them. It even has an ugly name!! I came across one weed that literally made me laugh because I remembered a cartoon that it reminded me of. It was either Bugs Bunny or maybe even a Disney cartoon but the skit was about a weed who was very desperately trying to find itself a home in a garden. It would snuggle up to a pretty flower and try to look like whatever it was next to. When whomever it was tried to pick it, it dug in its little roots and put up a fight. Well this thing I encountered today did the same thing. Finally, in a sweat, I had both hands around it and was pulling with my legs and after putting up a fight for about 2 minutes, it decided to have the last laugh and I of course fell on my butt with weed in hand. BUT I WON!! (sinister laugh)

My goal is to have the yard in nice shape for when Colby gets home (25 days!!!! Can I get an AMEN!!) so that he can pick right up where he left off! I am sure he can't wait. haha

Kindermusik!

Today the girls and I embarked on a 5-week Kindermusik class called "Family Time." What a wonderful experience this will be!! To make it even more fun, our old neighbors from next door are in the class (they were renting the house next door and moved out to buy their own house but in the same neighborhood). It was neat to see them again.

This class is cut up into 5 segments. Each week we "go" somewhere new. Today's theme was "Visiting a Friend" and we learned about beats and rhythms. There was a lot of modeling between the kids and the teacher too. Ally caught right on and followed directions superbly. I was so proud of her and her listening skills (so why again can't she listen at home?!). Emily at first was very hesitant about everything but we discovered once you give that girl a tambourine, she's in Heaven. We caught her "singing" a few times to the music (not sure what the words were though).

It was a lot of stimulation plus a new environment and new people, so they are both crashed out right now for naptime! I am really looking forward to doing this every week with them. Anyone who has not done Kindermusik, I would really encourage you to look into it. There are many benefits beyond even what I can articulate here. I hope to keep the girls in a Kindermusik class as long as possible (until they can start piano lessons anyway!).

Wordless Wednesday

Venting, Ranting and yes some negativity!

I don't believe I have used my blog to vent or rant yet, so I'm going to do it today. Yesterday was a really bad day. In fact, it downright sucked! Here's why:

1) After showering and getting dressed in a brand new (size smaller!), super cute, Ann Taylor Loft outfit, I apparently did not secure the lid on my coffee cup and ended up spilling most of an entire cup of HOT coffee down the front of me
2) When pouring the kids' milk, the handle on the milk jug broke, it fell to the floor and broke, and I had about 3/4 of a gallon of milk to clean up off the floor
3) I checked my email and got not one but TWO zingers yesterday! One from a lady I sold some baby clothes to, who informed me she had to give most of them away because they were "substandard" (this infuriated me, because it was not true in the least). Then, an extremely irritating email from a friend who, lets just say, is not being real nice.

Yesterday was a day also where it felt like I was the only one not allowed to have an excuse or be in a mood or just not want to be nice to everyone I encountered. Yesterday was a day where all I wanted was for someone (heck, anyone!) to understand that I am nearing the end of my patience rope and that being a SINGLE mother to two VERY active, VERY busy toddlers is exhausting. I am beyond tired, people. B-E-Y-O-N-D. The purple circles under my eyes have taken up permanent residence. I am now exploring ways to have surgical intervention without looking like Joan Rivers! All I want is to have my husband home, for life to return to "normal" and to have a good night's sleep, totally uninterrupted! Oh, and have my babysitter home from her family vacation, I want that too.

OK so I feel better now. Getting off proverbial soapbox now. Anyone who reads this is probably thinking, "jeesh, woman, get a grip!" I'm trying! Really, I am!!!! And anyone who encountered me yesterday in my special mood, please accept my heartfelt apology.

This weekend - ahh, the sun, the park, tired kids!

Some cute pics from this week

Also in light of the fact that the girls love music so much, I have signed them up for a 5-week Family Time Kindermusik class starting on the 28th! I am so excited and I just know they will have a blast. It will be a lot of fun to do something together, too.

Ally's love-love-loving preschool

Hard to see but in the picture with the white paper, she traced those O's all by herself! Her teacher told me today she is extremely impressed with Miss Allyson and that her attention span is amazing. Way to go Gator!!!

Ode to My Husband...

(best read to the tune of Hickory Dickory Dock...)

Here is my attempt at a poem.
Oh how I wish you were home.
The kids miss you lots,
and the grass...how it rots,
oh how I hate to go to bed alone!

In the time that you've been away,
my heart's grown fonder each day.
The kids grew an inch,
I learned how to stitch,
and operate the lawnmower today!

So while I have learned to go it alone,
I want to be sure that you know,
That you are missed by your clan,
We want to hug and kiss you again
And that we can't wait to see you, DAD!!!

(ok, thank you to all of you who made it through that...I know it was akin to hearing nails on a chalkboard...I will refrain from all future poems for awhile!!)

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dad's and Grandpas!! Cuz without you, well, we wouldn't be here! : )

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Thanks for being the best Dad ever. I value very much the relationship we have and that I know I can talk to you about anything. Thank you for always being there for us. I love you very much!!

Parental Achievement #2

Teaching my 2 yr old the CORRECT way to eat edamame!! (Next step: pronouncing it correctly!)

Did you know?

That the number of cricket chirps in 15 seconds + 37 = outside air temperature (Fahrenheit)? How amazing is God to think of that?!

How to Know You Are Selling Too Much on Craigslist...

The scene:

Ally has a handbag over one arm and her pretend cell phone to her ear. I start to ask her something and she covers the mouthpiece with her hand and says, "Quiet please - I am on the phone with a lady. She's coming to buy Emily's clothes."

I'm embarrassed yet laughing at the same time. Ah, 2 year olds...

Gotta go - someone's coming to buy Emily's baby clothes, but don't tell Ally! haha

You turn your back for one second...

This was too funny not to post. I think the picture speaks for itself!!

Our week in pictures

I...

I am: woman, hear me roar!
I think: way too much
I know: myself
I want: to lose 10 more lbs before my vacation
I have: SO much to be thankful for
I wish: It was July 22nd
I hate: when people hurt
I miss: my mom & sister
I fear: losing someone close to me
I feel: tired
I hear: silence!
I smell: my really yummy diet bar for lunch
I crave: my sister's awesome cheeseburgers and sauteed onions
I search: for my life's purpose
I wonder: where we will be in 10 years
I regret: when I yell at my kids
I love: my friends and family
I ache: when I can't be with my family
I care: about those closest to me (and even some who aren't close to me!)
I always: say my prayers before going to sleep
I am not: well rested
I believe: in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth
I sing: more than those around me would like me to
I dance: like Elaine from Seinfeld
I cry: myself to sleep sometimes
I don't always: let people know how I really feel
I fight: being very critical of myself
I write: because it frees me
I never: want to stop learning
I need: to finish paying off debt
I am happy: that my hubby will be home soon!!

Ally's First Day of Preschool

Little Miss Ally was SO excited to start her first day of summer preschool today! She clung to me for about 2 nanoseconds and then ran off saying, "Bye Mom!" I think I lingered with tears in my eyes for a moment before the teacher kindly reminded me I could leave. So Emily and I had some time together to go to Whole Foods and peruse the aisles, then we came home and had lunch before it was time to get "sissy." It was so cute when we arrived to pick her up, Em said "Ally!!!" All the kids were sitting on the floor on shapes waiting for the parents to arrive. I think this will be good for her (and for me and Em) and get her all prepared for real preschool in the Fall!