Not All Days Lead to Fat Lips...

I couldn't help but add a few "happy" pictures to today's entry. Kate has decided she likes to line up some of her friends and have her picture taken with them. It's so cute. Sam, on the other hand, has decided that Thomas the Train is his new friend.

So You Had a Bad Day?

Yesterday was a little rough at our house. We started the morning with the intent to have a great day that would be full of adventure. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. Sam got his fat lip by 8:30 a.m. in an accident with the play shopping cart. It got away from him as he powered across the wood floor and red blood cells flew everywhere from his lip as tears rolled over his chubby cheeks. I felt so bad for him.

Thankfully, his tears dried and we later headed to the park to swing and play on the slide. Kate got her fat lip after falling from the swing onto the sand covered playground. She did her best to be tough, but as her nose and lip swelled, she just sobbed. Since she rarely cries over her boo-boos, we knew she was miserable. She spent the rest of the day clinging to Mama & Daddy and laying around.

Time and Tylenol have a way of healing many wounds and by this afternoon, everyone was back to bouncing off of every surface they could find. Kids are pretty resilient and I'm so glad.

How Do You Really Feel Sam?

For the past several months, I've been trying to figure out who Sam looks like and who he takes after. He has blue eyes...his Daddy's are brown and mine are green. He has blond hair...Daddy's is brown, Mama's is enhanced with blond. He's tall and thin for his age...I was a blimp at 13 months.

We have noticed that the shape of his eyes is the same as his Daddy's. I think that's fantastic, because I've always loved his Daddy's eyes. As for my contribution...it appears he got my personality. Poor thing. I mentioned this to my sister-in-law recently...about his personality being similar to mine. She responded by saying, "Oh, you mean that overly dramatic thing?" Yes, that. Sam is amazing, he can go from happy and playing to wailing in an instant. He'll fall back onto his bum, throw his head back, inhale half the oxygen in the room and let out a siren like scream. It's classic. If he did inherit this acting quality from me, it must be purely genetic, surely he's never observed such a scene.

The good news is we never have to wonder how Sam feels. Even if he can only say 3 words, we can determine his mood by the ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide in the room, his body language and the look on his face. Even if he never sits in his playgroups and emotes with his friends, everyone will know exactly how he feels.

Kate's Fall Routine

With everyone going back to school and signs of early fall around us, we are now starting our new fall schedule, too. Kate has several new activities to look forward to and we are wondering what we've gotten ourselves into.

Saturday morning marked the beginning of our new adventures. Kate & I went to our first class at Cricket Academy of Chinese Language. We are enrolled in a class called "Baby Cricket" and are embarking on a journey to learn more about the Chinese language and culture. There are 10 other little girls in our section and we had a great time. We met her teacher, Shen Laoshi, and learned a few new words and songs. We had only sung the "Ni Hao Song" once and Kate was already working on me to "Sing more songs, Mama!!"

Daddy took a few photos of us before we left for Cricket (including a detour to Starbuck's). I discovered one has to have a shot of caffeine on board to participate in a class with 10 energetic, fireballs.

Kate must have enjoyed her first class...when her Daddy went upstairs tonight about a 1/2 hour after putting her to bed, he heard her quietly counting to 10 in Chinese...

Zai jian

Withdrawels from an Empty Account?

My alarm went off this morning at 5:15 a.m. and I hit the snooze button with a sigh of dread. My body was just not ready to head to the gym and get moving. So, I laid there for a while, savoring the softness of my favorite fresh, cotton sheets and began to pray.

I was praying for wisdom in raising our kids. They are charming and lovable, but pose new challenges daily. Kate is the most energetic, inquisitive, peristent nearly-3-year-old child that I have ever met. There are moments when I just don't know how to channel that energy or harness that enthusiasm into something besides kicking her brother between the scapulae (shoulder blades) or running him over with his own toys. So, I prayed and thought. It occurred to me that I was searching for ideas in a vacuum of knowlege. It reminded me of going to the bank and trying to withdraw funds from an account that has no money.

I've never had a near 3-year old...I lack experience. But that doesn't have to stop me, it just means that I have to draw upon resources other than myself. So, I perused a few books today, spoke to a few trusted friends and family, and really spent some time thinking about my daughter. She is such a gift and being the oldest, my learning curve with her is steep. But, as I go to bed this evening, I will go to sleep encouraged. My prayers for wisdom are beginning to be answered. I have some new priniciples to put into practice with Kate, I have the support of other mothers, and I know that I am not alone. A small deposit was made into my parental account that can begin to grow. And, as my knowlege grows, I will grow as a parent.

Playtime with Mama & Daddy

Kate and Sam were so much fun tonight. After Kate took a ride around the block on her tricycle with Daddy, she came in to play with Sam. She practiced jumping off the ottoman (gymnastics starts next week, so she's getting into shape) and Sam cruised the house with his shades on. They are quite a pair.

The Power of Positive Thinking...

I remember as a kid finding the occasional copy of Guideposts magazine around our house. I would read them because the stories were positive, easy to understand and short. I also remember hearing about the link between The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale and Guideposts.

It's been several years since I've read a copy of Guideposts, but I was reminded of it today. I was at work in the clinic and saw an adorable. elderly, hard-of-hearing patient. When I asked her how she was (I asked loudly), she replied with a smile plastered across her face "Norman Vincent Peale!!".

My assessment at the end of the appointment was that she's doing quite well, thank you very much!