Christmas Card 2011

Merry Montage Christmas

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Family Photos

We had our family pictures taken this fall by our dear and talented friend Sara Leo (see link to her photog blog and The Peasant Posy on the right.) We are so thankful that she does this for us a couple times each year. One of the reasons that it always goes so well is that she just lets the kids play. She gets great pictures of them in their element. Then we pose for a few shots, then the kids play some more, then we pose... It also goes very well because she takes her hubby along, and my kids think he is hilarious.

This post is dedicated to some pics that are a little more candid. I just love the different ways that these pictures show off individual personalities.

The books and TV show "Huckle Cat" has a Pig Will and a Pig Won't. Sebastien, ever the actor, loves to do the Pig Won't face.

This one is hilarious because we were trying to get them each to hold on to the bar and hold hands with each other... like Eden is doing with the bar, and trying to do with Sebastien's hand. Our little direction-follower. Sebastien is just being a goof-ball, and not following any directions. 

We were being bears. 

And this one illustrates what our kids look like when they are sad. So sad that they have to leave the park and so sad that Uncle Josh and Aunt Sara have to go back to their house.

This Happened Tonight

Tonight I could hear Eden crying from the bathroom, where her daddy was overseeing bath time for Sebastien and her. I could hear the crying, but couldn't tell the cause. Honestly, it is not that rare of an occurrence, so I was not alarmed. Curious, and of course concerned, but not alarmed. Naps don't happen as much anymore for S & E, so by bath time, both of the twins are about done with their day, and their fuses are short. Tears are easy to come by.

She came out, and I helped her get her jammies on. She was clearly still shaken. She cried on and off for a bit, so I held her and helped her take her deep breathes. Once she was calm, I attempted to help her to talk about whatever had happened. No-go. She wanted to sit on the couch with a blanket. Her eyes were still watery and she was very quiet. She wanted space, she said. Ok.

So Adam comes out and there's some time before bed, and he sits next to her, and he takes her in his lap.

Adam: "Can I tell you a story?"
Eden nods.
Adam: "Once upon a time, there was a little girl named...."
Eden: "Eden."
Adam: "Yes, Eden. And Eden was very..."
Eden: "Sad."
Adam: "Oh, yes, she was very sad. Eden felt so sad because..."
Eden: "She was taking a bath and her daddy was washing her hair so fast. So fast that Eden wanted him to go so slow."
Adam: "Oh, so she wanted her daddy to go slow?"
Eden: "Yes, and so she asked him to go slow but he still went so fast."
Adam: "Oh. I think that daddy thought it would be better to hurry and get it done, since Eden doesn't like her hair to be washed."
Eden: "But Eden wanted her hair to be washed slow and her daddy washed it too fast."
Adam: "Oh, I think that this daddy must be very sorry for washing Eden's hair too fast. And next time there is a bath, that daddy will wash Eden's hair more slowly."
Eden: "Yeah!"

Eden gets off of Adam's lap. She smiles the first real smile since the bath; her eyes light up. "That story made me so happy Daddy!"

She comes over to me and sits on my lap. "Mommy, I feel all better now!!"

And this mommy (and therapist) beams with pride. Then decides to blog about it.

Family Resemblance

Everyone asks us who Violet looks more like - Sebastien or Eden. I don't know. We have had so many people tell us that our kids all look so much alike.  I have never been able to see it. 

So I decided to do a side-by-side comparison. 

(Eden at just under 13 months)

 (Violet at just over 13 months)

 (Sebastien at 13 months)

Of course, had I been able to find pictures of all 3 kids in the same position with the same expression on their faces, it would have been better. But each of these expressions very well represent each child at this age. Eden, with her delightful little grin, Violet with her big, joyful smile, and Sebastien in the middle of babbling something, barely still long enough to grab a picture. So, weigh in if you'd like. 

Who looks like who (whom?) 

October

Oh, I love October. It's been an absolutely beautiful fall so far, and we have been enjoying every minute of it. It's been awhile since I've posted, and I actually had a friend *request* that I update my blog. And who am I to deny the masses what they want.

Here are some things of note.

Violet took her first several significant steps on September 23. Since then, she has made amazing strides. She can walk on uneven surfaces, stand up in the middle of the room, stop to pick something up and then keep walking... in short, she's a walking pro. 

This means that she can get where she wants to go. Where does she want to go, you might ask? Well, she wants to go wherever Sebastien and Eden are, mostly. Violet more and more prefers to be in the company of her older siblings. There are times, now that she has learned to say her sister's name, that she walks through the house calling "Eeeduh" or what sounds like "Yahhshhh" (which I'm pretty sure means Bash.) Sometimes this is tough on the "big kids," who definitely are used to playing together well, but aren't always sure how to integrate this little person who can't quite do what they are doing and who grabs things from them and is quite inconsistent as well. But sometimes they totally embrace it, and even ask for her to join them. 

I am loving these blossoming relationships. I have always sort of worried that Violet would feel left out; she doesn't have a twin, after all. And she's the 5th member of the family, making it an odd number.  But in the last month I have seen so many tender, sweet, and fun moments between Violet and Sebastien, between Violet and Eden, and between all three, that I just don't worry so much about that anymore.

Violet has discovered that she loves to color. (See picture below.) She also continues to love singing, dancing, babies, and all small stuffed animals (think Beany Baby size.) Violet is discovering her voice as well. Not only using words (which increase daily), but her ability to say "yes" and "no" (through adorable head bobbles) to whatever we suggest. And sometimes it isn't as much adorable as it is clear protesting, clear determination to get what she wants. She is learning to use her voice, which is great.

She is no longer on two naps, but takes morning "rest" time and then a long afternoon nap, anywhere between 2-3 hours. And she sleeps a pretty solid 12-13 hours at night. I'm not really mourning the loss of the morning nap, because it does make us a bit more able to get out of the house.

Sebastien and Eden are loving school. LOVING school. The picture below is on orange day. All week long they count the days until they get to go to school. They come home with new songs an dances and stories and just bursting with new experiences. It's a joy, and it's a blessing. One report that we have now gotten from their teacher - who is fabulous, by the way - is that Eden is very talkative at school and Sebastien is quite quiet. Who knew. But thinking about Sebastien and how content he is to be in his own little world, I shouldn't be surprised. Eden, on the other hand, loves to play with, talk with, be with others. Plus she really likes to figure stuff out and know the answer. So...yes, it makes sense.

At some point I will blog AGAIN about the potty. But I don't want to right now. And truly, I could go on and on about the funny things that Eden and Sebastien say, and the adorable little things that Violet is doing and learning. I could blog for hours about these kids who fill my heart and my life with so much joy. But I think for now, I'll leave well enough alone and go to bed.

More About School

Sebastien and Eden have successfully attended school without a parent twice now. Both have gone without tears and had a fabulous time. Get ready for a long post....

The first day I dropped them off after lot of talk over the previous week, so that by the time we got there, they pretty much understood what was going to happen. I still expected that when I turned to leave, someone (ah-hem Eden?) would be anxious and want me to stay or something. I had all sorts of plans to make this go well. But when the time came, I kissed them good-bye, they turned away and didn't look back. So...that's great! I'll admit I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I may have wandered the hall with Violet a little bit, you know, just to be sure. But it was not necessary for me to linger. They were good.

Did I cry? Well, maybe I teared up a little as Violet and I drove away. But honestly mostly I was just proud, thankful and excited.

When I picked them up, I went a little early and I could see them through the window of the classroom. They were sitting in a circle with the other kids, doing the "Going on a Bear Hunt" song, and fully participating. Bash was bopping his head and doing the motions, and Eden was also doing the motions, watching carefully to make sure she had them right. It was a precious sight.

Mrs. Vos told me that they did great. She said that when she announced that they were going on a bear hunt, Eden looked at her and said, "A bear hunt? That's interesting!" And at one point they were making fuzzy bears, and Bash kept putting on more "fuzz" (paint) and saying, "Is it fuzzy yet?" with every new stroke of paint. She also mentioned that at the very end, with only a few minutes left, Eden got a look on her face, "like she was done with her day here." Mrs. Vos invited her to sit on her lap, which Eden did for a minute or so and then she was all smiles again.

Bash was very sad to leave. He continued to tell me that he wanted to go back to school the whole way home, once we were in the house, and through lunch. Eden was absolutely beat from her busy morning, and did not want to talk about details.

However...when Eden woke up from her nap, I crawled into bed with her for some snuggles. Suddenly, she said, "They had Veggie Tales, and we have Veggie Tales! They were there!" I said, "Veggie Tales? At school...on TV?" And she said, "No.... SONGS!" Well this opened a floodgate of information. She went on about rest time and laying on a mat, and Mrs. Vos turning off the light. She talked about the color of her mat, and the color of Bash's mat, at which point, Sebastien was apparently awake because he said, "yeah...green." She told me about the bear hunt, about the song they did and the craft. She was excited because next week they were going to talk about caterpillars.

Which leads us to this week. Both of the kids have had colds this week, and I was praying that they would not have to stay home from school. Thankfully no fevers and enough improvement meant that they could go today. They were both so excited to go back.

I have not gotten a lot of details about their day today. But they did well again. Neither were sad when I left. Bash brought Bob and Larry for Show and Tell. Eden brought their LeapFrog computer.

Adam picked them up and walked them home. Mrs. Vos reported that Sebastien was a little more subdued, which makes sense since he is still a little under the weather. But later we were asking them about school and Eden told us that they watched a beautiful butterfly on TV, and that "Mrs. Vos had a low TV but Mrs. Alfree had a high TV." I don't know what that means. She also told me that she showed her computer for Show and Tell and said "I teached Mrs. Vos how to use it." And Sebastien spontaneously told us, "A butterfly lays an egg, and the caterpillar comes out and it has so many legs! Then he spins and spins a cocoon and goes inside and stays for two whole weeks. And then he wiggles his body and wiggles his head and POPS out and...it's a beautiful butterfly!"

The other sort of funny thing is that Eden has not peed at school at all. She wears her undies, but she won't pee there. By the time she gets home, she has to GO. So I said, "Why didn't you go pee pee at school, Hon?" And she said, "Oh, our potty is just better."

Can I just say how much I love hearing them talk about school! It just warms my heart. I am so proud of them, they have both taken to this new adventure like total champs. So far the Friday morning preschool experience has been wonderful and I'm just so thankful.

First Day of Preschool...

Sebastien and Eden had their first day of preschool today! Well, it was technically just "visiting day," but we are counting it as the first day. 

All ready to go!

Done with pictures, let's go Mom!

 We had a lovely walk to school. The kids chatted eagerly all the way there. "Will we get to paint?" (Eden.)  "Does Mrs. Vos have a basement?" (Sebastien.) "What door will we go in?" (Also Sebastien.) "Is it going to be Christmas at school?" (Eden) "I'm going to play a xylophone!" (Sebastien.)

Eden was a little anxious about going to school and repeatedly asked whether I was going to stay with her. As it was visiting day, I could say that I was. (I am not sure how it will go next week when I have to drop them off and leave...but one day at a time.)

Aren't they adorable in their way-too-big backpacks?

I only have pictures from the walk to school. I did not actually take pictures in the classroom. Mostly because none of the other moms were armed with cameras. Plus I felt like maybe I needed to just be in the moment and not preoccupied with capturing the moment on camera.

Their teachers are absolutely wonderful and definitely did a great job allowing the kids to explore and get to know their school setting. Sebastien was eager to answer questions and speak up. He had fun exploring the room, and seemed comfortable with the whole situation. Bash was sad to leave. The entire walk home, he dawdled (even more than usual) saying "I want to go back to school!" He even stopped or turned around a few times, like he was going to head back there whether Mommy liked it or not.

Eden was more shy at first in school, but was definitely interested in the craft they did and the "bear hunt" that was organized. After all was said and done, she walked in the house to tell Grandma Tuls (who was home with Violet) "We had fun at school!" She also had stories to tell Daddy later. I think that we have our tentative girl pretty convinced that preschool is a great thing. (Cross your fingers and say a prayer that she'll hold this opinion next week when it sinks in that Mommy doesn't usually stay at preschool. But again, one day at a time.)

Happy Birthday Violet!

Our sweet baby Violet turned 1 on August 30! We had a birthday party for her on the 28th, and we were overwhelmed and touched by the attendance and the gifts of family and friends who adore our girl almost as much as we do. Violet was fairly serious during her party, taking it all in. But some day she will love hearing all about her first birthday party!

Sebastien and Eden had a great time at Violet's party, and thoroughly enjoyed eating Violet's cake and opening Violet's presents. They liked entertaining Violet's guests and playing with Violet's new things. They've even asked a few times since Violet's birthday, "Is it Violet's birthday again today?"

Violet is looking and acting much less like a baby and more like a toddler all the time. She is not walking quite yet, but she is very capable of getting where she wants to go, nonetheless. She crawls pretty quickly and scoots around the furniture with ease. She can stand for a couple seconds on her own, and has taken about a step and a half a few times.

Violet loves books, and she points to pictures and words (with her chubby little pointer finger) wanting to know what things are. She also likes to take our fingers and make us point to the things she's interested in. Vi is more and more eager to follow her brother and sister around and she often wants to join in their activities (much to their dismay at times.) But by far Violet's favorite thing is music. She enthusiastically joins in our after-dinner family dance parties. She bops and twists to music without fail. And usually when someone starts to sing, she will begin to swing and sway.

Violet is gaining new words as well. In addition to Mama and Dada, her favorite word is "ball." She can also say, "up," "buppa" (grandpa), "buh-bye" and she can say "oof"(woof), "moo" and "meow." She can sing "EIEIO" and does the motions with "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." She says "ooooh" when looking at books with Mama and "mmmm" when she's eating. She also can fake sneeze, and she often joins in laughing when everyone else is, with a rather fake-sounding laugh.

Violet loves finger foods, and it's harder and harder to get her to eat baby food without her making a ridiculous mess. (She really took to her birthday cake, but then struggled to sleep that night, all hopped up on sugar.) She likes to hold her own spoon and dip it in her yogurt or her baby food jar to feed herself.  We've switched Violet to cups from bottles, and from formula to milk. She does not always love drinking from her cup or drinking her milk. But we're sticking with it. We also dropped her bed time drink. She has done just fine with that change. She sleeps very well at night, and usually naps two times a day.

The last year with three very young ones has of course had its challenges at times, but it has been worth absolutely all of it. Violet is sweet, funny, adaptable, clever, social, cuddly and just a wonderful addition to our family. We are so excited to continue to watch her grow and learn about the world around her. 

Daddy Day

Mondays were consistently "Daddy Day" for the first two years of Sebastien's and Eden's lives. Adam started his work day at 6:00am so that I could go to work at noon, then he would bust his hiney during naps and after I got home to finish up anything that he hadn't gotten to. After Violet was born, I took my sweet time in going back to work, and Daddy Day was not so consistently happening. Adam continued to work in Grand Haven on Mondays, but I really worked very few Monday hours, and for awhile I worked none at all.

But I will now only be working out of Bethany's new Grand Haven office, and so my schedule has changed. Mondays is once again Daddy Day! Our routine will be changing a bit this time, because Monday will really be my only set work day. So my mom is helping us cover Monday mornings so that I can start my day earlier without Adam losing work time.

All that to say that Daddy Day is back and better than ever. Daddy Day is a highlight of our kids' week. They love Daddy Day, and I can say with confidence that having a Daddy Day is one of the best decisions we made for our family. Moms and Dads typically do things a little differently, and we are no exception to that. Our kids are better for having both in their routine.

This particular Monday, Adam started his day at 6:00am like usual, but my mom was in Turkey, so we could not have that "cover" for those morning hours. I started my day a little later and Adam cut his morning a little short. Then he busted his hind-end even harder during nap time and after I got home, so that his work didn't suffer.

But the point is, on that Monday, he helped the kids make their first "To Do List."

I don't know about you, but if that was my to-do list, I'd be pretty excited too. The kids loved it. When I came home, they went point by point through their list, telling me about all the things they did that day with Daddy. I think it just might have been one of the best Daddy Days ever. Adam is really an awesome dad, and our kids just adore him and every moment they get to spend with him.

The only "problem" with this particular day was that the next day, Bash hauled out the list thinking that we were going to be able to repeat all those activities in order...

THREE!!

I am just amazed at how fast the last 3 years have gone. Each phase has brought about new and exciting things, and being the parents of these kids just keeps getting better and better. For this post I'm going to do my usual thing, but then Adam is also going to add his perspective.

Ladies first...

Eden continues to light up our lives with the sunshine of her smile. She approaches life with amazing curiosity, a clever and analytical mind, and a joy that oozes out of her. Eden is always asking questions and wanting to figure things out. She is first and foremost a daddy's girl, but has a sweet relationship with me as well. Eden is intense in some ways, yet as happy as could be. She is good to Violet and interested in helping to care for her.

Eden in Daddy's words...

Eden is very physical. She has a very high body awareness. She is a graceful jumper and climber. She likes frequent hugs and touches. She will often initiate spinning or being thrown in the air. She will dance, but prefers to dance with someone. She likes to read books with Bash or a parent. She likes to understand the world. Her vocabulary is excellent because she uses words to define the world. When someone misuses a word (either accidentally or in an attempt at silliness) she will let them know. She loves to eat fruits and vegetables. She has an passion that sometimes requires her to slow down and take a deep breath, but she's three years old and her job is to embrace that zest. Our job is to help her handle it. She will sometimes say the funniest things that leave us all scratching our heads, not because of the words, but because it is amazing that this little girl came up with something so creative and clever.

The eldest...

Sebastien is our goofy, sweet darling, just as always. He is musical and creative and happy. He has a sensitivity to him, and yet at times he seems impervious to those around him. Bash can be satisfied to live in his own little world, though he is quick to let Eden in. His imagination continues to astound us, and he combines that with his love for music - he'd rather make his crayons dance and sing than actually color with them, he uses almost anything as a horn (of varying types) and he often makes up songs or changes the words to his favorite ones. Bash loves to cuddle, and he is so affectionate.

Sebastien in Daddy's words...

Bash is very musical. He will sing songs, fill in his own words for those he doesn't know, hum, dance, and play musical instruments. He has an imagination that knows no bounds. Sometimes it takes him a few minutes to come back from wherever he is when we need his attention. He is just as happy with a stick as with an expensive toy. He does not need constant attention, but when he does needs a moment of connection he really needs it. He cuddles and sometimes breaks down for seemingly little reason. He is kind. He shares well. He can be mischievous, but this flows out of his non-stop imagination, not because he is trying to do something he shouldn't, and his accompanying head tilt and smile let you know that he's just loving life.

And together...

Eden and Sebastien are absolutely best friends. They adore each other. Whenever we do things with them separately, they greet each other with big hugs before anyone else. They play together so well, and want to do everything together. They both enjoy (amongst other things) dress-up, racing, books, swings, learning Spanish words, acting like characters and animals, and ketchup. They giggle at each other's "jokes" and recite their favorite books, songs and shows together. At this point, they rarely "fight," I just can't express enough how much the enjoy each other. My heart just melts at this unique and wonderful relationship.

Daddy says...

Eden and Bash love each other. This is evident in the way they ask about each other when one is sleeping too long, or off to the doctor, or even just in the other room. They cuddle, and hug, and laugh and it is one the best sounds in the world when giggles erupt from their bedroom when I'm doing dishes after supper.

p.s. several of these pictures were taken by Mikaela - thanks KJ. :)

I Promise...

This blog will not turn into Caryn's Running Blog. But I do want to say that running is going well. Better than I thought it would, actually. I have continued to chip away at my best 5K times. Saturday I ran 5K in 33:20, and then tonight I ran for 45 minutes and ran 4.27 miles, according to my Nike+ (which, by the way, if you run and you don't have a Nike+...GET ONE!) But the best part of tonight's run was that I ran my best 5K time yet as part of this longer run. I ran 5K in about 32 minutes. This is not a great time for everybody, but considering that this is only week 4 of my running, and considering how my first run went... it's a big improvement for me. I no longer feel the need to run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Tonight of my 45 minutes of running, I only walked for 2 minutes, total.

So my training is going well. Pretty soon I'm going to start the fundraising part! So watch for more on that to come.

Also watch for birthday posts coming soon - Bash and Eden turn 3 on Friday!!!

P.S. I know I could jazz this post up with some stock photo of something related to running, but when I search for such photos, all I see are running girls/women/ladies who look nothing like me, running on terrain that looks nothing like the places that I am actually running. So you are just going to have to deal with text only.

Potty Update

You have to really love to hear about my kids' development to appreciate this long post about bodily function... Chalk it up to another post that really is mostly about helping me remember later...

So. Potty Training. Let's review. In the archives, you'll notice that in November of last year there was a post called "Potty Training Day 1." I spent the majority of that month in the bathroom with Eden and Sebastien with very very little progress to show for it. We did rather conservative approach including pull-ups, lots to drink, promised "prizes" of stickers or tic tacs for pee, M&M's for poop. The month passed with only 4 or 5 successes, which all were Eden. I was exhausted, the kids were indifferent. I decided to take a break. I ate the M&M's myself. Adam helped.

In January of 2011, we spent 3 days doing a 3 day potty training approach recommended by a few sources, which is basically a cold-turkey approach. All-in. Put your kids in undies and wait for some sort of bodily function to happen, then rush them to the potty. We basically spent 3 days chasing kids all over the house, cleaning pee out of the carpet, and dealing with children with bad stomachaches who were holding in their #2's. Until they stopped holding them in, and then we had poo's in undies. By the end of day 3, we were impressed by dry nights and dry naps, but other than that, Sebastien had not once peed in the potty, and Eden was juuuust starting to have a few successes. (Still no #2's anywhere near the toiley.)

Overwhelmed kids and exhausted parents led to abandoning that effort. In retrospect, I probably should have let Sebastien go back to diapers and let Eden keep some of the momentum going... but whatever. I didn't. Instead, we put pull-ups on and went back to sitting them before baths, and once and awhile to practice. The kids didn't seem to mind one bit. They were showing little to no interest in the potty.

This served us well when we went on vacation, by the way, since 18 hours in the car with pull-ups is better than pit stops every hour for potty training kids!

But around late April, Eden was beginning to talk more about the potty, and since she was the one who seemed to be having more "success" on the potty, we decided to divide and conquer. Around mid-May, I started putting Eden in undies for several hours each morning. On day one, attempt one, she peed on the potty! I actually teared up the first time, I was so proud and so relieved! At first I was sitting her every 15 minutes, and she did not complain at all about sitting and trying. Initially she was actually peeing a little every time. So I started extended the time in between.

She has been doing very well. We've increased her time in her undies slowly, and at this point, she only wears pull-ups at nap and at night. (And once in awhile if we're going somewhere for awhile and would need to use a public bathroom...she's afraid of the loud hand dryers.) She's had a few accidents here and there, but that's to be expected. She sits on the potty about every hour and she usually stays very dry. Two things we're still working on: she does not usually tell us when she has to go and she does not want to go #2 on the potty. She usually waits until the pull-up goes on at bedtime. Once in awhile she holds it in too long and gets really crabby. We're trying some things to help her go on the potty, but mostly we're taking the stance of giving it time and not putting too much pressure on her.

So, now for Sebastien. This is just crazy. This boy had shown so little interest in the potty until just the last couple of weeks. Noticing this, I put him in undies one morning for just about an hour and a half...We sat backwards and drank and drank... and we went through like 6 pairs of undies in that time, and one of them had poop in them.

On Tuesday I put him in undies for awhile, and it was clear that he was going little bits and then stopping... actually aware that he didn't want to go in undies. Progress! Then he was sitting and he peed on the potty for the very first time!! Just a tiny bit and kind of on accident. But it happened. :) I didn't get another chance to work with him until Friday. The undies went on and the child stayed dry for 2 1/2 hours, but he did not pee on the potty once! Mind you, I gave him lots of extra liquids and I sat him every 15-20 minutes. So the pull-up went on at naptime. He woke up from his nap just SOAKED.

So Saturday afternoon the undies went on again. He was dry for about 2 hours, no pee on the potty until finally he was sitting and a little came out. Then a little more. Then a little more. Each time I cheered, and then I said, "Bash, you've just peed on the potty 3 times!" He smiled a sly little smile and said, "Is it going to be 4 times?" Then he peed a tiny bit and laughed and said "FOUR!" This went on and on, this little game, until we got to 9 times and finally he just let it all out. It was hilarious. And awesome.

So, now we suddenly have a boy that pees on the potty regularly. Even if he's wearing a pull-up, like in the car or if we are going out, he keeps it dry. He will also poop in his undies though if he's gotta go. So while with Eden we can sort of let her play and we don't have to worry about it, we're quickly learning that we need to keep an eye on him for signs of #2's.

That's the potty update. Eden's further in the process, but it's amazing how quickly it is happening with Sebastien. It's like it just clicked. Which is what people say happens but it's hard to believe when you're on the other side of it.

Adam is right about running

Warning: You will not at all be impressed by my athleticism (or lack thereof) when you read this post. If for any reason you want to think of me as athletic, don't read this post.

Since I'm running a 5K in September (see previous post), it seemed like a good time to start running. A couple weeks ago (before I signed up for the 5K) I ran 2 miles... and I felt good. I didn't go that fast, but after not having run regularly since before 2 pregnancies and 3 babies, I felt pretty good about it.

So, I signed up for a race, and set about my plan to train. I thought, hey I just ran two miles fairly well a couple weeks ago, I think I'll try to run for 10 minutes, walk for 2 minutes for the entire run. Adam, my well-trained runner husband, said "Why don't you try 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking for your first couple of runs?" To which I replied, "Nah, I can do more than that! I don't need to start out that slowly!"

Off I went on my first 3 mile run in several years. The first mile I felt great. I mean, GREAT. I trotted along, thinking about how I would get home and look at my watch and be amazed at how quickly I was able to run. The second mile, I had to slow down a bit, my hip was starting to hurt, but I still felt confident that I had made the right call. Pace, schmace, I can do this!

The 3rd mile I almost fell over and died. I felt like I had nothing left in me whatsoever. I had to break my 10 and 2 plan and walk a block. At the end of that break, I tried running some more and woops, my legs forgot how. So I had to walk just a little more. Luckily, some Black Eyed Peas came on my iPod at that point, and I was able to shuffle forward in a slow jog. Say what you will about the BEP's lyrics, some of their songs just make you want to move.

Ok, so long story short, it took me well over 40 minutes to run 3 miles.

I decided that I should take Adam's advice on my next run, and I shaved 4 minutes off that time. On my 3rd run, I shaved off another minute.

He knows what he's talking about with this running thing.

p.s. if anyone has any ideas about how to keep my shorts from riding up between my thighs, I'd be all ears. As long as your advice isn't "Get smaller thighs."

My first 5K

First, let me say... yes, this is Caryn writing, not Adam. Adam has run thousands of 5Ks. But I've just committed to run my first one. I am saying it out loud, in public, months in advance... so that I cannot back out.

But the truth is, for this one, I really don't want to back out, and I'm not even that tempted. I'm running to raise money for Susan G. Komen because of my amazing and inspiring friend, Ellen (DeYoung) VanOss. Ellen is fighting breast cancer. She's fighting like crazy every single day. And the people who love her are doing a lot of praying and we're trying to help - help with her kids, help with her house, help raise money, help make her laugh - even though we can work our butts off and it will still pale in comparison to the hard work she's doing every day to survive.

The very least I can do is get over myself and run. So, on September 24, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, here I come. It won't be pretty or impressive or noteworthy to anyone. But, good, because that's not why I'm doing it. Maybe the reason that I know that I can run this race is that it has nothing to do with me at all.

Ellen participated in this event in 2009 and 2010, captaining Team VanOss-ome. I'm so honored to join this team this year. So, please, check out my fund raising page if you are at all inclined to donate money to this essential cause.


Lifelong friends...Sarah, Sunny, Jillyn, Ellen, Tena, me, Suzanne
(photo courtesy of Jillyn Segroves - thanks Jillyn! Her photography site is linked on the right.)

Violet is 9 months old

9 months old! I can't believe it, time is just flying by. Violet is doing really well. She has hit a major growth spurt. As of her doctors appointment last week she weighs 19lbs, 14oz. Her leg rolls have leg rolls. There is no longer any sort of concern whatsoever about her growth. She went from being in the 38th percentile at her six month check up to the 69th percentile at her 9 month.

(Reckon with the chunk!)

Violet is totally ready to move. She is very close to crawling and she is already wanting to hold on to fingers and try to take steps. While the last 8 weeks or so she has been completely satisfied to sit on her little blanket and just play play play, lately, she seems more frustrated at not being able to move on her own. I'm waiting for her to just take off one of these days. (Then I guess I better start vacuuming more regularly again.)


(This is her monkey boyfriend. She loves him)

Her two favorite new tricks are holding her hand up to her eye to play peek-a-boo and reaching her arms up for "So big!" She thinks she is the cat's pajamas when she pulls these things off. (Which, of course, she is.) Vi is very close to clapping, too. And she goes nuts for Puffs and would eat them all day every day if we'd let her. I am also fairly certain that she is calling me "Mama" occasionally. Several months ago, I thought she might be saying "Hi" but that stopped, and now I think it was just babbling. But now I feel like I should count this as her first word. (Partly because Sebastien and Eden both said "Dada" way before they said "Mama." So, it's my turn!)

(This is her cheesy "check out my cute teeth" smile!)

She had some issues with ear infections over the past couple of months. Turns out she is allergic to Amoxicillin, which is unfortunate. But now that we know that, we know how to treat her ears, and after a couple colds and a couple ear infections, she has been healthy for the last couple of weeks.

Of course, she is still just an absolute joy. Sebastien and Eden are more and more interested in her, as she is interacting with them more, too. It is so fun to watch the three of them together. Eden in particular loves to help with Violet - feeding her, singing to her before her naps, giving her hugs and telling her it's going to be ok if she fusses. It's very sweet and Violet loves it.

Credit to the fabulous Sara Leo

New family picture at the header and pics of kids on the sidebar are credited to the fabulous Sara Leo. (Link to her blog at side.) Sara's our good friend, and she took some impromptu pictures of our family when she was over one Saturday evening in April. They turned out great - we are truly blessed to have such a talented photographer in our "inner circle." :) I posted the whole album on Facebook, and had planned on posting some more here, but blogger is not cooperating. (Just like how the pic of Violet is so much smaller than the pictures of the twins. What is going on here?)

More Twin Stuff

Sebastien and Eden have great communication, and they say a million funny things every day. Sometimes they hear common phrases and then repeat them just a little off, like, "Please and Gentlemen!" and "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when stars are grey" and "on your market, set, go!"

And of course often they hear things in books and stories that they don't understand or haven't heard of before, like their "Bedtime for Francis" book refers to spankings. So yesterday I hear them saying to each other:

E: Spanking? What does spanking mean?

S: Spanking is kinda like a mountain.

E: No, Spanking is kinda like a train.

Eden is very into "Why?" Everything is answered with "why?" It's still very cute to us, but now extra funny given this interaction:

Adam: Eden, please do not touch that

Eden: Why?

Adam: Because it's not safe

Eden: Oh. What does 'why' mean?

While Sebastien and Eden never really developed any kind of "twin language" they definitely have a few things that only they do that we didn't teach them, that they developed between the two of them. Two examples:

Sometimes they are singing or reciting little scenes from Veggie Tales or something and there's a phrase that they don't know exactly how it goes. So they both say "Didda Didda Didda" to fill in whatever they can't perfectly recite. It's perfectly acceptable "filler" in both of their minds, and they don't challenge each other to say it right if "Didda Didda Didda" is used.

Any time they need to name characters, and they don't use their favorite fictional characters (current favorites: George, Larry, Bob, Linny, Tuck and Ming Ming) they are named "Balotch, Baleetch and Balootch."

Another funny trend is saying something and then adding, "said Eden with a little small sigh," or "said Eden, as she yelled down the stairs." Or my favorite from today, "...said Eden wearing her undies under her pants." (Or any number of creative endings.) Sebastien also ends many sentences with "Said Bashy." He just doesn't get as specific.

It's definitely their world and we're just living in it. It's a very entertaining world.

Better than the best pair of jeans...

Do you have trouble finding jeans that fit, like I do? You shop and try on, finally decide on a pair that fits alright, only to have them stretch out too much, or shrink in the wash. Or you got them altered, but then they still look too short or too long...or now that they're altered, the proportions look off. Or they fit really well for about a year, but as your body changes, your jeans just can't keep up, and you have to start all over.

Imagine a pair of jeans that you put on and immediately you know, these fit. I mean, really fit. You can sit down, cross your legs, wear ballet flats, boots or flip flops. As your body changes, they seem to just adjust. You can wash them and they come out fitting just as well and even (is it possible?) better than before. And somehow after years of wearing these jeans, they're not threadbare, there are no holes, they still look great, in perfect condition.

I've been married for 10 years as of today. Before Adam, I had "tried on" other relationships, tried to make them fit. But when Adam and I got together, our relationship FIT. He fit me better than anything or anyone ever has. Being his wife feels so natural, so comfortable, yet so challenging (in a good way), and being his wife makes me so full of joy. Through the last ten years we have both changed, we have grown in some ways, and shrunk (?) in others. But we continue to fit.

The best part of our marriage is Adam. The best part of me is Adam.

I am so thankful that God put Adam in my life. I don't want to know where I would be without him.


Happy Anniversary Adam Navis, I love you so much!

Goodbye DVR

Adam and I have been talking for a long time about cutting down on cable. We don't watch sports and rarely have time to watch movies. Frankly, most of the shows that I watch are major network shows and would be picked up by an antenna. And Adam just doesn't care that much about TV. The main reason that we didn't do it sooner was our DVR. Oh, our beloved DVR.

Our relationship with the DVR started right before the twins were born. We splurged; we recognized that it was a chunk of our budget, but we were just so tempted by how cool it was, how easy, how "now." And indeed, it was all of those things. It made watching TV so convenient, especially when we had twinfants and were home so much. We stopped watching things when they aired or even knowing when things were really on. (Except The Biggest Loser - that is one show that we watched on Tuesday nights. But we fast forwarded through a LOT of it, which is what made the show actually good. At this point, we have let go of that show altogether.)

As time has gone on, we have become accustomed to life with our DVR. But the cost continued to plague us. We were paying for so many channels that we never watched. And our awareness of other options for TV-viewing was growing. Netflix streaming, Hulu, network websites... to name a few. Momentum was keeping us attached to our DVR. Momentum and ease.

Finally we made the call. I was taken aback when the AT&T person said, "Do you want this effective today?" I stumbled, "uh, uh....I guess so" searching frantically for reasons to hold on. But no, let's rip this band-aid right off. "Yes, effective today." As soon as we hung up, I quickly turned on the TV and starting jotting down the things in our queue. As I was doing so, a message came on: "Your service has been discontinued, the system will restart in 30 seconds."

NOOOOOOOO!!!

But, yes. I think it was a good call, and now, two days later, I'm realizing: It's not that big of a deal. We're not really missing anything. Adam and I signed up for Netflix streaming through our Wii. We both will sign up for Hulu accounts (not Hulu Plus at this point.) We'll see how it goes. It will be an adjustment, but in the end probably almost as easy. And a whole lot cheaper.

Easter Grace

On Easter Sunday we attended church with Adam's parents at The Branch. Easter is a holiday that we usually spend with Navis' and we always enjoy our day with them, including the service at The Branch. This Easter Sunday, I could not help but reflect back to the service we attended there on another Easter Sunday.

It was 2007. Adam and I had been trying to get pregnant for a long time and I was heartbroken and empty. The Branch is a great church for young families, and on that Easter Sunday, the sanctuary was just packed with beautiful little people. The young children were parading around in their Easter best, smiling and singing. The parents were doing likewise.

And I just stood and cried.

I remember that hurt very well. I know that the pain that I was experiencing in those days was nothing like the pain of the Cross, but it sure felt like torture to me.

Little did I know that God's grace was waiting for me later that same year with news of a pregnancy. Though aided by doctors and more interventions than anyone really plans for, it remains a miracle. Then, just two years after the news of those two, another miracle... God's amazing grace visited us again, reminding us that He had it designed all along. And He's full of surprises!

So this year, I stood in that same sanctuary and sang Amazing Grace while holding my little miracle, while my two older miracles stood on their chairs and with their grandparents and daddy and danced to the music. And I again shed tears...but this time, not at all empty, but as I let the words pour over me, FULL of His grace and His love for me. "My chains are gone, I've been set free, my God my Savior has ransomed me!" I don't ever take these three for granted because for a long time, I thought they wouldn't exist. Praise God for my children, constant reminders to me of God's love and His amazing grace!

Update on Eden's Writing

I posted a picture in March of Eden's first attempt at writing her name. Here we are, not even quite six weeks later, and she has made definite progress. We don't really work on writing letters! I am telling you, this girl is a go-getter. Today Eden wanted paper and her crayons and she said, totally unprompted, "I'll write my name!" And this is what she did.

Interestingly enough, if I ask Eden how to spell her name, she does not tell me. I'm not sure if she can't tell me, but she doesn't answer. She asks me to answer. But she can sit down and decide to write it.

Not to compare, but since most people ask about Sebastien when I bring things like this up... Sebastien does not have the same interest in writing letters. He loves books, he knows all his letters, both big and small. But he doesn't care to sit and write. He also doesn't really color or draw much. It's just not his thing. I'm not worried about it; the time will come when he will be able to as well. I mean, they're not even 3 years old!

(But certainly learning to write "Sebastien" is going to be much harder!)

Thank you, Eric Carle.

You've probably heard of, if not read, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle. There's a line at the end that says something like, "He wasn't a little caterpillar anymore...He was a big fat caterpillar." We like to read this part with emphasis..."He was a BIG, FAT caterpillar!"

Well, my kids love to hear stories about "When mommy was a little girl" and "When daddy was a little boy." It's one of our bedtime rituals, we tell them little stories about when we were kids - stories based on little memories like "Mommy and Uncle Eric would catch fireflies in the back yard." But I find that even these little snippets of memory can become interesting enough stories for 2 1/2 year olds.

Eden almost always ends these stories with, "And Mommy grew and grew and grew until she wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a BIG FAT Mommy!"

Thank you, Eric Carle, thank you.