Thea isn't eating food yet, but we are planning to start her on it when she turns 6 months. In the meantime she has been trying out the high chair. She likes to sit with us at dinner time and practice on her toys!
I think she is plotting her escape, so the swing is now out of the baby soothing rotation. It was nice while it lasted.
This morning Cory wasn't feeling well, and I decided to brave taking the girls downtown by myself to get us out of the house. I titled this post building memories because on days like today when the task of two little kids all by myself at a crowded outdoor event seems too overwhelming, I have to remind myself that I am building memories for Leila and I want her to remember doing fun and unusual things, not watching cartoons (which she already does too much of!) This event is called Sand in the City, and it was really cool! Lots of giant sand sculptures to see, and we got to watch them working on carving out a herky! Aside from the sculptures they also had a couple of giant sand piles for the kids to plan in and some other games and balloons. So out we went! Just mom, Leila, Thea one umbrella stroller and my Ergo baby carrier. The Ergo is nothing short of a lifesaver, I don't think Leila would get to do nearly as many fun things if I didn't have the option of wearing Thea in a baby carrier. Thea even seems to really like it, so much that has been known to take a snooze or two in her cozy carrier!
Here are some pictures of Leila and the sand experience:
And this is how Thea has been traveling these day! :)
Cindy and I took the kids to the Childrens museum on a rainy day this week. They had a lot of fun shopping in the city market and Leila made me lunch at the pizza parlor. Great fun was had by all...taking 4 kids under 3 years anywhere can be a challenge, but we had lots of fun! 
My dad the handyman made this frog pull toy for me to give to a good friend of mine's 1 year old son. My job was to paint it, and as much as it pained me to let Leila paint, I gave in and let her have a turn. I would post a finished product picture, but it isn't finished yet :)
And of course she is already sporting some hawkeye gear...only 2 more weeks to football!! Go Hawks!
I hope my dad doesn't mind my candor, but I felt the need to share ;).
This morning I called my parents house to see what they were up to today. I admit that a weekend rarely goes by that I don't see my mom and dad, and I like it that way.
I could sense some sadness in my dad's voice when he reminded me that today they would be moving my littlest sister back into the dorms at UNI, and that next weekend my brother will be shipped off to Madison Wisconsin where he will be starting a new job for Hy-Vee.
My sisters Andrea and Cassie both live in the same town that Cory and I have made our home, and until the end of this month, Clay is also here in North Liberty. Though this is the second year that Dani has spent off at College in Cedar Falls...about an hour and a half away, and the furthest any of us Howard Kids have ventured from the comforts of Mom and Dad, it is still hard to see her go. Dani spent the summer working with Cassie at the Van Allen Summer Day Camp and we had the pleasure of her company on a consistent basis.
But Clay-boy is making the biggest move yet when he packs up his car for Wisconsin in another week, and we are all feeling the gloom of knowing that he won't be here with us all of the time. Though he has been working hard for Hy-Vee for some time, at least we knew that if we ever really need him, we could go walk around the store for a while where one of the managers would recognize us as Clay's family and page him to come and see us. I am thinking that this move may require a Hy-Vee boycott, it just won't be the same without Clay.
My brother is one of the funniest people I know (don't let that go to your head cheese boy), and at the same time, a very smart and well spoken young man. He has the sensitivity that one would expect from a guy who grew up in a house with four sisters, but at the same time, he can be such a guy. I reminded him when he told me that he was hoping to move to Wisconsin for a management job with Hy-Vee that he had better very closely consider the move and to keep in mind that there is not a single person in all of Wisconsin that loves him. What I didn't follow that up with at the time, but as we are all thinking about with his upcoming move is that, there are a lot of us here in Iowa that really do.
I reminded my Dad this morning that though Clay's moving away is going to be hard for all of us to swallow, the fact that he has the confidence to go after his goals and to take on a new, unfamiliar city is a testament to his parents.
I then told him about my little Thea finally making it over from her belly to her back and rolling all over my living room. Dad says, "well that is mostly good," and I agreed. As long as she doesn't try to roll off to Wisconsin.
So the Price we pay for Love...I read this quote once, "Grief is the price we pay for Love." And I couldn't agree more. Love is expensive, but worth every penny.
I love love love a homemade bag. I made my own diaper bag, and I made the one that I used when Leila was a baby...I have made a few different purses, some for myself and some as gifts for my favorite ladies.
I ran across this blog today, and I was almost inspired to get out my sewing machine! Here it is for anyone else out there with a bag problem like mine! :) 
I do like to remind my husband when he rolls his eyes about my fabric buying that my homemade purses generally take less than 10-15 dollars in materials for me to make, and I could always cut back on the fabric stash and buy myself a 400 dollar Coach bag!
Thea's first boat ride...I think she liked it!
Daddy helping Leila fish...they were unsuccessful, but Leila did get to see another kid catch a cat fish. She asked me, "Can I pet it?!?!" I told her she could pet her own fish if she caught one. I am glad she didn't catch one.
I found this picture on my phone memory card when looking for vacation pictures. It was taken in July of 2007, during my Uncle Jim's funeral Cory took Leila outside to walk around and she found these very friendly kittens.
These pictures are from the last time that my Grandma Dalene saw Leila before she died. How the time has flown by.
I recently finished reading this book and I had to post about it. The Author is a pediatrician named Mark Sloan, and here is the book:
This book was truly amazing! I haven't really been into reading books in the last few years with everything else that I have going on, but lately I have rediscovered the public library as a great "Mommy Day" Activity when I am home with the girls, and as a wonderful resource for information on whatever I happen to be interested in learning more about that day.
I tend to read non fiction books. I generally feel that if I am going to take the time to read a book, I want it to be filled with truth...I can create my own fiction, but good informative prose feels like a good use of my reading time.
On the day that I discovered "Birth Day" I was browsing through the new books section of the library and since I am a mother who recently gave birth, this book drew my attention. I have to say though, that this was such a really interesting read that I would recommend it to anyone, no matter what your experience is with childbirth.
The book is filled with interesting medical information about the process of childbirth as a child goes from fetus to newborn and also includes lots of interesting historical information. I had always kind of wondered how it happens that a baby goes from living in a bag of water to breathing air in no time flat and now I know, and you can too!
On top of everything else, the Author adds a personal anecdotal touch to his book, that really keeps you engaged. Definitely check out this book, I can't recommend it enough!
My sister Cassie has been living with us since sometime early this year...before Thea was born. She had kind of a crappy living situation and were more than happy to coerce her to move in here with us to escape the creepy roommate and not have to pay rent at two places.
So anyway, today is a very sad day for me...Cassie is moving on to her next home. When I moved out of my parents house in 1999 Cassie was 13 years old. We didn't have much in common, and I think we irritated one another more than anything else. Over the past ten years a lot has changed, and the 5 year age difference between us seemed like much more of a real difference back then. After being blessed with a few short months sharing a roof with my little sister again I feel like I had the opportunity to get to know Cassie the woman, and realized how much we have in common, and how much I like her.
Cassie is great friend. It was interesting for me to hear about our childhood through her eyes, something that I hadn't really heard before. Maybe the best part of having a Cassie was the help. She has been a lifesaver during these months with a new baby around and a very active 3 year old. It is kind of like having a sister wife that you don't have to share your husband with! I have had it good, and I haven't taken it for granted. I think that decades from now I will remember this time that we had together and I will be happy to have had the pleasure of sharing my home with my sister. Cassie is pretty awesome, even aside from the help around the house and with the babies, she is funny, smart and beautiful and one day she is going to make one amazing mother.
I love my Cassie, but I think Leila will miss her the most. Cassie's new house is only across town though, so she best plan on making frequent visits so we can all get our Cassie fix in.
I feel like I should have more to say, but right now I am just not feeling inspired, so I will just say this-- Everyone should have a Cassie.
We spent a week in Missouri visiting with family and hanging out by the lake. Thea and I had a very relaxing week of napping and hanging out in a cabin where I didn't have to think about my mess and all of things I need to do around my house, so I had a very nice relaxing time in spite of the fact that we didn't spend much time out and about. The rest of the family had a great time out on the lake in Dad's boat and with Uncle Randy's jet ski's.
Thea did take her first boat ride, a short little cruise around the lake. Since the water is so smooth down there, it was nice to get to take her out. The water on the reservoir up here is always very choppy and I wouldn't feel comfortable having my little baby jostled around in a boat.
Unfortunately, the day before we left for our trip Cory's Dad suffered a stoke. We decided to go ahead with our trip as he seemed to be doing pretty well on Saturday morning. Things turned badly for a bit but Ed seems to be recovering very well and you would never guess that a week ago he was in a very sensitive medical state. He is still in the Hospital at the University and Cory and I and Thea came back early from vacation to spend some time with him. We expect him to be released next week and then he will have some therapy. Leila stayed with Grandma Lori and Papa Carey and continued to enjoy her wonderful vacation eating chips, playing on the boat and staying up way too late. When Dani asked Leila what her favorite part of vacation was she responded with, "My family!" That makes me feel really good, and I think the rest of the family would agree.
I have some pictures that I will try to add later when we locate our card reader, including pictures of fun on the boat, and Leila's first (and unsuccessful) fishing experience.
Cory and I have decided to take on a big project this fall that is going to keep us from getting ready to list our house. So we have decided that to save ourselves some stress we are just going to put off our plans to move for now. So our new plan is to work on getting Thea to sleep in the crib in Leila's room. Once we have that worked out, I think I will feel a little better about staying put for a while. Maybe this way we can afford more of what we want in a house by the time we are able to get around to selling.
We heard this song on the radio during our long trek back to North Liberty on Thursday and Cory and I agreed that this about sums up our feelings lately...things will slow down sometime, right?
I am posting this mostly for Jessica, who was looking for ways to get her daughter to eat veggies, but since it is so wonderful, I decided to post it here. This cake is so moist and delicious!
Chocolate Zucchini cake
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil (or sub apple sauce)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
cream together above ingredients. mix in:
1/2 cup sour milk (if you add a tsp of white vinegar to 1/2 cup of milk and let it set a few minutes, i will begin to curdle and you can then add it in. Or use sour cream.)
2 1/2 cups flour
4 Tablespoons Cocoa
1/2 tspbaking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
mix this all together and then add in two cups of grated zucchini (I used 2 average sized zucchinis)
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes.
I didn't bother frosting mine... it was so good it didn't need frosting!
Enjoy!
During our trip to Champaign this last weekend Cory brought up a book that he has recently started reading. Cory is a real dork when it comes to statistics, so no surprise that he thinks Freakinomics is a really interesting read. Must run in the family because Evan had read it too and had a lot to say about it.
As I mentioned in my last post, Evan and Karen have great kids. They are all teenagers, and they are very friendly, confident, smart and productive people. At least partially a product I am sure, of the way that they were raised. Something that I have always admired about Evan and Karen, is the lack of anxiety in their home. They always seem to be such relaxed, go with the flow and everything will be ok kind of people.
When discussing parenting and statistics, Evan pointed out the likelihood that anything bad will happen to your child is so low, it isn't even worth worrying about in most cases. Their kids don't run wild by any means, but they do have a lot of freedom, and I am sure that has helped to build their confidence.
So there you have it, statistically, your kids will be fine, they won't be abducted from the playground, might as well let them have some freedom and learn to take care of themselves.* Man I wish I could do that. This is my goal, to not feed my own anxiety to my children, I know that is what is best for them, but this is a huge challenge for me, and I don't think that this is something that will ever come easily. I want my girls to grow up carefree and confident.
Juxtapose this realization on my part with some heartbreaking news that I heard this week. I am a member of an online community comprised mostly of mothers of young children. It is so wonderful to belong to a group of caring individuals that share each others joys and heartaches as we all raise our children and learn from each other.
One member of this community announced this week that her nine year old daughter has been diagnosed with a 100% fatal neurological degenerative disease (Juvenile Battens Disease). She had mysteriously began going blind, and in combination with some personality and learning challenges that had developed after she had turned 5 years old, her mother made it her mission to find out what was going wrong with her child. Now she knows that this is the first step, and her child will eventually deteriorate until she passes away in her early adulthood. This isn't a woman that I am particularly close to, but my heart is breaking for her. I can not imagine anything worse than watching your own child's life robbed of them slowly as they deteriorate. The odds of this happening to a child? This disease strikes 2 to 4 of every 100,000 live births in the United States. Life isn't fair. No amount of statistics can reason away the truth when it hits you.
I really do try to let go of my worries and my heartache over things I can't change, but it isn't something I am any good at. I have to remind myself that this world is cruel to those that live here, without any regard to the kind of life you lead, and all you can do is play the odds, hope for the best and worry about the worst only if it happens to you. That is the healthy, well adjusted way to get by.
For some reason I have a really hard time not worrying about the worst when it happens to anyone. This is probably why some would say that I am a "bleeding heart liberal." It's true...I can't help myself. I have a tendency to take a walk in the shoes of others no matter how cramped they may be, and most times I just wish I could let it go and be thankful it isn't me. On days like today, it hurts to be me, and yet I know I have no idea of the pain of those that have been hit with the short end of a deadly statistic, and I hope I never do.
If you want to say a prayer for Kate and John and their daughter Rachel, I am sure they can use all the prayers they can get.
**disclaimer: I am not suggesting sending my 3 year old off to the park alone, and the Champaign Coobs' would not either...remember their children are teenagers and I am speaking in generalities about my own children and my ability to let them be little and learn for themselves without stepping in all the time, and not worrying about what might happen to them, as unlikely as that might be. (Just in case you were getting nervous. :))
Sunday night in a fit of determination Thea finally managed to swing her chubby little leg hard enough to propel herself on to her belly. And then she was pissed. And so begins the first stage of mobility. Oh, and tooth number 2 also made its grand arrival on Sunday night!
We spent this last weekend in Champaign Illinois visiting Cory's brother and family. It was really a great time. Evan and Karen have three of the nicest teenagers...I only hope that we do as good a job with our girls! Unfortunately, our camera stayed home so we didn't get any pictures on our trip...sorry to disappoint!
Since we don't really have enough going on in our lives right now, Cory and I have decided to take the plunge and sell our house so we can move on to something that suits our family a little better. We love our neighborhood, and we love a lot of the things about our house, but there are also a lot of things about this house we don't love...the big one being only 2 bedrooms on the main level.
We have a lot of work ahead of us. I have kind of started the process by going through the house and starting to eliminate the clutter. I hate clutter anyway, so I am actually really enjoying this part. I have boxes of stuff ready to take to consignment and I can't wait to be free of it. I already feel lighter! :)
The next part of the process is what I am not looking forward too...painting. Ick. And we have a lot of it to do. I am afraid this process is going to take longer than I anticipated, but our intention is to list our house and start the process to purchase a lot in the subdivision we have been eyeing for some time now, and begin the process of building our hopefully forever home. So we may end up in a real bind having to try to sell this house before we can close on a new house, or we may end up in a different bind if we sell this house and need to get out of it before our other house is done. I am really hoping that scenario 2 is the problem we run in to, if we have a problem. Wish us luck as we start this process, I have a feeling that it will be causing me a lot of extra anxiety, but I have been thinking and praying on this for a long time, and I feel comfortable that this is right for us. Now I am really hoping we can afford to build the house we want!
these are the lyrics to one of my very favorite songs of all time. Every time I hear this song I think of my girls and my heart swells with my love for them. The song is by Dar Williams and she does it beautifully:
The One Who Knows
Time it was I had a dream
And you're that dream come true.
If I had the world to give
I'd give it all to you.
I'll take you to the mountains,
I will take you to the sea.
I'll show you how this life became a miracle to me.
You'll fly away, but take my hand until that day.
So when they ask how far love goes
When my job's done you'll be the one who knows.
All the things you treasure most
will be the hardest won.
I will watch you struggle long
before the answers come.
But I won't make it harder,
I'll be there to cheer you on.
I'll shine the light that guides you down
The road you're walking on.
You'll fly away, but take my hand until that day.
So when they ask how far love goes
When my job's done you'll be the one who knows.
Before the mountains call to you,
before you leave this home,
Wanna teach your heart to trust
As I will teach my own.
But sometimes I will ask the moon
Where it shined upon you last
And shake my head and laugh and say
It all went by so fast.
You'll fly away, but take my hand until that day.
So when they ask how far love goes
When my job's done you'll be the one who knows.
I haven't ever read that book, though if the Coralville library has it on CD, I will probably give it a listen one of these days. The village I am referring to is the Howard Family babysitting network.
I have been back at work for about 6 weeks now...and so far I have had my wonderful sister Andrea watching my babies for one full work day, along with her countless other contributions, like driving me around to collect and drop off a rental car for my work trip last week. The Lovely Cassie has hurried home from her shifts to help watch the babes so I could take off for my trip, and she has been here to help Cory out with bedtime and dinner time when I couldn't be.
My mom has been sacrificing her own professional advancement and holding strong against pressure to work full time so that she can keep her "grandma day" and I can keep my manageable daycare costs and part time work.
If not for the support of my family, I would be spending half the time at home and paying double the cost for daycare.
I guess what I am trying to say here is, thank you. Thank you to my whole family for the sacrifices that you have made, and are making on behalf of me and my girls...I don't think there is any way that I could thank you enough for the gift of time with my kids. What a blessed life I lead.
Getting off the bus at the end of a school day when mom was home always excited me as a child. I remember one day coming home and mom had made us caramel popcorn for an afternoon snack. Sometimes when mom had been at home while we were at school I would come home to a clean bedroom when I had left a giant mess that morning. I loved that too.
I honestly hadn't given much thought to my own childhood when I have thought about how things would be for us raising the girls. How did I feel about how I spent my time? I remember a time when I spent my days with my dad on the farm while mom was at work. Highlight being the pork fritters with velvetta and ketchup that dad would make me for lunch. Low light would probably have to be the day that he wasn't paying that close of attention to me and I rubbed my arms all over this really soft pink stuff. Fiberglass insulation. It really isn't all that soft after a while.
I liked following my dad around while he worked. I also spent a lot of days with my mom. We did a lot of shopping, and eating at Mr. C's.
I remember days spent with "Grandma Marge" at her house in Tabor while my parents were working. And kool aid and bologna sandwiches at Debbie's house.
Now that Leila is getting to the age where I know that she is going to be keeping some of these memories we are making, I worry a little bit more about the way we are living our lives. Is she going to remember loving the weekends that we all have together? Will she appreciate her school days, or years from now will she wish that she hadn't been "raised" at Love-A-Lot?
When my Grandma died I thought about all of the lost time that I hadn't had with her after my family moved away from our home right down the road from her farm. At first I thought, "if only we had stayed...I would have had so much more time with her." But then I found comfort in the knowledge that when I visited her, I was really with her. I did not take her for granted. Every time I said goodbye, I told her that I loved her, and I know that she knew that not only did I love her, but I wanted to be with her and that is why I made that trek across the state to stay at her house.
I hope more than anything that Leila will remember fondly the days that she got to spend with her mom, watching movies, playing with Play doh, reading books and spending time at the library and the park. And I hope it feels special to her.
Some days I think too much, and I have had a few of those days lately.
I had a bad mommy moment this weekend...we were playing in a hotel swimming pool and Leila kept splashing me in the face. Annoying, but then Cory handed me Thea and when Leila continued to splash me, and now her sister I was getting frustrated with her, and I splashed her back. Right in the face. She looked down, and I thought she was going to cry. I felt like a pile of poo. Man, here we were trying to have a special family day and play in the pool...the first time this year that she has gotten to go to the pool...with a baby sister at home, it is hard to do things that a 3 year old enjoys, like swimming. She pouted for a while, and I tried not to cry. She moved on to continue to play and have a great time. I hope she doesn't remember that incident. I wonder if I will remember it when she is grown. Sometimes I wonder if I should have had to take some kind of test or something to prove I was grown up enough to have a kid.
This week I had to spend a night away from my family to travel for work. Someone I work with asked me about my baby and how she was doing, as he also told me about his seven month old son. When I asked him what his wife did, he replied,"She stays home with our baby. I don't want someone else raising my kid." Ouch.
This was the second year that Leila was really excited about fireworks. Here she is with little Sidney Pfeiffer watching some at home fireworks. She even managed to stay up late enough to see the Coralville fireworks. I love fireworks, but they are even better now that Leila and I can sit together and ooh and aah over our favorites!
Resting up after a walk through the fossil gorge at Coralville Lake
Cassie helped Leila cool off :)
Such an easy going baby. It was 85 degrees and the sun was hot. We stuck on the sunhat and glasses, rubbed on some sun block and she fell asleep in the baby carrier! Look at that smile!
An attempt at the water fountain...too cute not to capture.
I think these boys need a sister! :) Bryce and Eli really like Thea!
One of the best things about being a mom to two...watching Thea's face light up and her little legs kicking when she sees big sister come near. I only hope she learns from Leila how to be a smart, sweet, brave little girl who will play with any kid who will have her and doesn't manage to pick up the stubbornness and tantrum throwing skills. I guess I should hope she doesn't pick those things up from me either, huh?
How you doin'?
She looks awfully cute in her bumbo seat...too bad her legs are too fat to sit in it for long. Her feet turn purple after a couple of minutes!
I bought a little floor gym at a garage sale, so far it is 3 dollars well spent. Leila likes to cheer Thea on as she attempts to lift her head during tummy time, and keep her company while she plays on her back too.
Makes a good sleeping mat too!
