Moments from Family Life

Back in April (I think...), the Waldrop family came down from Richmond to visit us before they welcomed a third baby into the family. We decided to go to the zoo before they left and the weather was PERFECT. The girls had a great time checking out all the animals and all of the adults were very happy to have worn-out kids for the ride home. :)

And.... can you believe that the Navy will be packing up our house in 25 days?! We are really moving to Japan!!! We could have probably taken all of our furniture, but since we've been living on a medical school salary, we've haven't amassed a lot of super-nice furniture. Most of the furniture we have were things we bought as college-students or received as hand-me-downs. So we weren't exactly desperate to send them to Japan with us. We decided to have a yard-sale last weekend to get rid of as much stuff as we could. I made annoyingly-bright  yard-sale signs with big, neon pink posterboard and I posted craigslist ads advertising "some awesome crap!" to buy. Funny enough, I had some people that came solely because they wanted to see our "crap" and thought the craigslist post was hilarious. We started out with our driveway full of stuff and by 3:00pm, we had only a handful of items left. And, we made a TON of cash!

This is a picture of me SUPER excited for my birthday gift. The hubby got us some tickets to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler's 8th Symphony. We had some pretty shitty seats (3rd row SOUNDS good, but all we could see were people's feet in front of us on stage), but the performance was amazing. There was a full symphony orchestra, women's chorus, mixed chorus, men's chorus, and chilren's chorus all performing together. It was just fabulous. FABULOUS. Thanks to my hubs for the great gift!

Because our symphony experience was so good, we decided to jump on the chance for a free Virginia Symphony concert in front of the Chrysler Museum this past Friday night (complete with fireworks!). We took the girls and were very thankful that the concert was outdoors. The kids weren't exactly used to sitting still and listening to classical music.... But, they did pretty good and Ila provided some entertainment by imitating the conductor throughout much of the performance. Interestingly enough, about 3 miles from us - during the performance - a tornado formed over the river and swept up through Hampton. We just saw a lot of lightning from it, though it did give the concert an interesting ambiance. We really hope to give our girls a lot of exposure to the arts - especially since they are getting old enough to find it interesting. 

My Smart Cookie

Ila drew this for me. I had no clue what it was, so I asked her to explain.

She pointed to the gray scribbles and said, "This is the cloud. The cloud has rain that comes down out of it and goes to the lake. Then, a pipe carries the water to a special place (brown scribble in the corner) - by "special place" she means the water treatment facility - where the water gets cleaned. Then, the water goes through another pipe to our house (the oval/square thing in the top right corner) where it comes out of our sink (the arch in the middle of the house). That is how we get our water!"

WTF?! When did my kid learn about the cycle of water?!

Then, I walked into the living room today and saw Ila playing on her toy laptop. She was saying, "bulllll.... bulllll," and then said, "Mom? How do you spell 'TABLE'?" I looked over and on the screen of the laptop, she had typed, "TABIL"!!! I cannot even begin to tell you how exciting it is to see your child learning to read and write. I feel like once she learns to read, the whole world will open up to her. And, for her to be doing this at age 4 is just FANTASTIC. Sooooo freaking exciting.

I love my smart cookie!

I'm 27!

Look at me! I'm 27!!

I turned 27 today. Twenty-seven. I hardly feel like I'll be 30 in three years, but when I look around me, I definitely have that grown-up life I always imagined. This year will have a lot of changes for us as we move to Japan, dabble with homeschooling, hopefully travel around Asia, and probably deal with a deployment. I would never have imagined I'd be living this life at 27, but I know that my life is exactly as it should be. 

I do need to apologize to my husband.... Noon rolled around and I hadn't heard from him at all today. Every. Single. Person. that I talked to on the phone this morning heard about how I thought my husband had forgotten my birthday. It was after lunch that some flowers arrived and I, uh, assumed that someone had called to remind him of his wife's birthday. Turns out, he ordered the flowers as soon as the florist opened this morning and requested that they be delivered ASAP. Unfortunately, it took 4 hours and I spent my entire morning thinking my husband was a slacker. Sorry honey!! :) He DID get me tickets to the symphony on Sunday, though. Who cares if he didn't line up a babysitter before hand and now we are scrambling to find one.... it's the thought that counts. Ha! Seriously though. I love you, babe.

Tim said it was supposed to say "Darlin" (which is much more like my husband) and "I"ll see you this afternoon." Guess they botched that one....

We ordered some sandwiches from a local cafe for dinner and had chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Mmmmm. Lorel asked me if she could make a wish for my birthday, so I told her "Sure!" and asked what she was going to wish for. Her answer? "More cake!" Ha. Gotta love that kid. Minus the crying, screaming and bickering from the kids, it's been a nice little birthday. 


If you've browsed Pinterest, you might have seen an idea going around where you ask children a set of questions each year on their birthday. They questions give you an idea of what that child's personality and interests are at that age. But why can't adults do this too? So, I found my own set of questions over at Hopes and Dreams and you can find her original post with these questions here. I can't wait to look back over these answers in 10 years and see how I have or haven't changed. 


THE LIST:
1. List 5 random facts about yourself.
Hmm... I am addicted to caffiene. Specifically, the Peach Mango "crystal light" energy mix from Wal-mart.
I love self-help books.
I have never watched all the Star Wars movies.
I literally have a hole in my neck that has been there since birth. No one notices it though.
I go back and forth over whether I should keep my hair short.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
Losing a child because... I'm a mother. That simple.
Crickets. Most other insects can be squashed. But crickets... ohhhh no, crickets can JUMP ON YOU.
Heights. I'm really not sure why anyone ISN'T scared of them.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
Different from most of my friends that I know of. I tell my parents a LOT of things. 
4. List 5 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
It's not a big deal. You don't have to play all the games that everyone else does. You don't have to be like everyone else. None of this will matter in 5 years... or... ever. You are awesome.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
Quiet time. My girls playing and laughing together. Reading good books. Cuddling with my husband in bed. And honestly, life in general.
6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
Post-partum depression. Hands down. Even worse than my parents' divorce. 
7. What is your dream job, and why?
It's not one particular job, but my dream job would involve doing something that I'm whole-heartedly passionate about and that enables me to help others. If it brings in a decent amount of money, that's a huge perk.
8. What are 5 passions you have?
1) Mothering. Whether you are a working-mom or stay-at-home-mother, I'm not sure how any parent couldn't be passionate about it. 2) Self-awareness and growth. Life is a journey of understanding who we are and how we can become better. 3) Our food and where it comes from. Enough said. 4) and 5)? Well, I don't have a lot of time for passions with two little kids. I'll work on finding some....
9. List 5 people who have influenced you and describe how.
Can I include everyone from UHON? No? Okay.. well... how about I group some together?
1) My 208 girls. You know who you are. You will ALWAYS be some of the most important people in my life and will always mean the world to me.
2) My sister, Sarah. I have a much bigger appreciation for having two healthy children. And, I think I am more compassionate towards people with disabilities than I would have been without her in my life. 
3) The UHON admin. What you have put together and managed to keep going year after year is one of the best things in Chattanooga - probably in the state, too. I can say with 100% certainty that I would not be the same person if I had not been a part of that fabulous program.
4) Dr. Chris Stuart. You were one of the first people I was ever completely honest with and helped me to become more comfortable with who I had always been. You also helped me figure out how to develop a strong argument - always handy - and how to write well. At least, I think I write well. 
10. Describe your most embarrasing moment.
You think I'd actually list it here on the INTERNET?! Ha.
11. Describe 3 pet peeves you have.
1) When my husband yells at me to "come here" with some sound similar to what you would use to call a dog while walking to your illegal still in the mountains of East Tennessee. 
2) Smoking while pregnant. Smoking near children. Just smoking in general.
3) Feeling better than people who live life differently than you.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
Wake up at 6:00am to Lorel standing beside the bed saying "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Fix breakfast for the kids and eat a bagel while watching the first half-hour of the Today show. Get ready to go to the library for story-time OR get the kids dressed for a neighborhood walk/run. Come back home and let the kids play or watch tv. Fix some lunch, read books to them while they read. Nap time! Woooo! If Ila doesn't nap, she does something quiet or plays games on www.pbskids.org. After nap time, we either play some more, do some activity together, or go to the neighborhood playground. Then I fix some dinner, we watch the national news, and then start bedtime routine with the girls. While the girls play during the day, I try to do chores around the house - put away dishes, wash and put away laundry, clean, do the bills, make meal plans/grocery lists, work on stuff to do before moving, blog, etc. One of the hardest things to get used after having kids was not feeling "productive" during the day even though I hadn't sat down but maybe twice. There is ALWAYS something to do when you have kids.
13. Describe 3 weaknesses you have.
I'm not patient. I lose my temper easily. I worry too much about what other people think of me.
14. Describe 3 strengths you have.
I can recognize when my emotions are driving all of my actions/reactions. 
I like to think I'm pretty personable and easy to talk to.
I am really good at asking questions and thinking things through.
15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
A gorilla. They are smart and strong. 
16. What are your 3 greatest accomplishments?
Getting into a Ph.D. program for Clinical Psychology.
Getting my Masters degree in the same two years that I had two kids. 
My two sweet children.
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
Staying centered and calm. I'm always working on it.
18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
It wasn't difficult to forgive once I separated myself from it. And, I would never put it on here.
19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
Chatta-freakin-nooga, Tennessee. It's where my life really started and I have so many good memories there. It's also where we want to raise our kids, where we want to have our careers, where we want to be involved in change, and where many of our friends reside.
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
My sweet Papa always wearing overalls and his rough hands holding mine.
My sister, Sarah, laying on the floor having a seizure more times than I can count.
Sitting on the arm of the couch while my dad played James Taylor songs on his guitar.
21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
I'd change people's moods. Think of how awesome it would be to take an angry person and make them happy? 
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
Who the heck knows. I just hope that my little family is happy and healthy. Where we are and what we're doing will work itself out. 
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
Um... what are hobbies? Does Pinterest count?
24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
Considering we don't have a special-needs child, it's a LOT different. We have a lot more freedom in many regards. 
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
I would LOVE to sit down with the Dalai Lama! I could care less about what we would eat. 
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
That people who think/feel/live/act/believe differently than you are wrong and should convert to your way of doing things. 
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
My eyes. They are a pretty blue color and I've never felt bad about them. Wish I could say the same for the rest of my body....
28. What is your love language?
I do know what book this is referring to, but I haven't read it and therefore, can't answer.
29. What do you think people misundertand most about you?
That if I don't believe "x," I'm a bad person/lost soul/should be pitied.
30. List 3 things you would hope to be remembered for.
Being a loved wife, mother, and woman. 
Attempting to make the world a better place.
Advocating the cultivation of understanding and compassion for self and others. 

Busch Gardens and a Half-Marathon

A few months ago, Tim signed up for a half-marathon in Williamsburg, VA. Since it was on a Sunday, we decided it was a good opportunity for a little family vacation and we made plans to visit Busch Gardens and make a weekend of it. We left yesterday morning around 9:00am and got to Busch Gardens around 11:00. It took FOREVER to get in because we were in a military line (we get free tickets once a year) and the girls were a lot more patient than I thought they would be. They were soooo excited! They were willing to try any ride and I think I was probably more nervous on some rides than they were. Busch Gardens was fabulously family-friendly. Though we missed out on all the big roller coasters, the girls were each measured when we got in and they received a color-coded wristband along with a sheet of paper letting us know what rides that color would be allowed on. It was extremely helpful. By the end of the day, we were all tired - especially since we didn't take a stroller! We're trying to get the girls used to doing more walking in preparation of our move to Japan (and subsequent world travel!), but after a couple of hours, we were just carrying the girls most of the way. Needless to say, I've got some sore muscles today. 

This is Ila's "super excited face."

Our first ride - the buckets that take us over the park!

Check out the tall blue roller coaster - and the straight-down drop!

Ila insisted on riding this after we ate lunch... Tim and I were definitely afraid of puking.

She was so excited!

Lorel seemed happily surprised when it started moving.

Wooooo!

Tim is just hoping he doesn't barf. Lorel is having a blast!

Climbing up the dragon treehouse.

Both the girls were scared to walk across the nets (about 2 stories up), but we helped them over.

So freaking cute!

Ahhhhh, ice cream.

That's my girl. Mischievous as all get out.

Two spoons are better than one.

Lorel drove her bumper car in a circle by holding her foot on the pedal and leaving the steering wheel alone.

Ila loved driving her own car.

Kisses for Bert.

This is what the girls looked like after we left. 

A good end to the day!

 This morning, we had to get up at 5:00am (yes, all of us!) to get ready for the Half-Marathon. Our hotel was about 3 miles away, so all the girls had to get up to drive Tim to the start-line. The race was supposed to start at 7:00am and it weaved through Colonial Williamsburg, close to Jamestown and back to the College of William and Mary. We took the double jogging stroller and the girls and I staked out a spot along the course around mile 2. As we stood in front of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, the girls got to watch their Daddy run by and they cheered for him and all the other runners. They loved cheering! I think I probably walked a 5K with the girls while we waited for Tim to finish the race and we headed towards the finish line about half an hour before we expected Tim to finish. He was hoping to beat his previous times and was aiming for 1hr, 50 minutes. He came in at 1:49 and we couldn't be more proud of him. The girls were so excited to see him and Lorel quickly stole his medal. All in all, it was a great little weekend and a fabulous time spent with our family all together.

Tim is #715 and is in the gray shirt with black pants.

Crossing the finish line!

About to die.

The real winner. Ha!