I love you, stinky face

Where have my babies gone?

In just a few short days, they will be seventeen months old.  SEVENTEEN MONTHS!  I still can't get over it.  I remember them when they were SEVEN days old and just precious little blobs that needed everything done for them.

Now they are precious little toddlers.  And while for the most part I still get a hand in their daily affairs, they are truly calling the shots now.

Example: bedtime.

We have established a nice little routine before bedtime. We have a small snack with milk and then I announce "bath time!".  This is met with excitement and grins as they run to the gate in the kitchen, all the while Sabrina making the sign for "bath" and saying "baaaa".  Sammy runs around squealing.

Up the stairs.  This is their favorite thing.  I remember when they only just learned crawling the stairs, now it is a race to see who gets to the top first.

After their bath they get nice and dry while I am soaked from all the splashing.  They cannot bathe without splashing.  Splashing mama is so in right now, didn't you know?  These toddlers say so, so it must be.

But here is my favorite part of the day.  And it's not putting them to sleep.

I love our story time right before bed.  I usually read about two or three books before we sings some songs and they doze off to sleep.  I just love this time.  This is what I envisioned when I looked ahead when they were tiny little babies.  Creating wonderful and simple memories.....and this is one of them.  One day, they'll remember that we had this little nighttime ritual and I hope that they will look upon it with as much fondness as I do.

And I know they'll love it just as much as me.  They both have a "favorite" book right now, "I love you, Stinky Face", that is a must read at bedtime.  Sammy will hear me start to read it and I automatically have his attention.  He loves this one almost as much as "I'll love you forever", but we haven't read that in a while because I need a new copy.

Today he just kept bringing it up to me, waiting for me to start reading it.  Sabrina curled up in my lap to turn the pages for me.  Even if it has been one heck of a day with teething and toddler tantrums, moments like this overcome all. 

A day will come when they won't want me to read them stories, give them kisses on their bellies, or baby them at all. 

But that day is still far away.  And so I say, I love you, my stinky faces.......

Catholic Rant

Many of you may or may not know that I am Catholic.  I went to twelve years of Catholic school, was married in a Catholic church, and both of my children have been baptized as well.

I won't get into a religious debate on here, but yes, I believe in God and Jesus.  I have those beliefs, but I have some major beef and issues with the Catholic church in general.  I disagree with many things about the church, so I have been "sampling" churches in my area for some better spiritual belief. 

The most aggravating issue I have with the Catholic church is the seemingly always emphasis on money.  Sure, they don't always come out and ask for it (although they don't have a problem with that either), but some things that they charge for that you would think would be free.

Example:  My uncle just passed away.  This was my grandmother's son and she has been taking it very hard.  She went to the church yesterday and picked out all of her special masses for the next couple months or so.  Basically, she gives them the names of people who have passed away and in the "intention" part of the mass, a name is read aloud.

Kind of like this:  "In today's liturgy we remember those who have passed on before us"......and their names are read.

Okay, I say "Great grandma, that's really nice."  She picked out masses for my mom, my uncle, my grandfather, and my great-aunt (her twin sister).

Her reply:  "Yeah, and it only cost me 65 dollars."

Hold the phone here.

I said, "WHAT!?!?  They CHARGE you to have a name read aloud at mass?  They CHARGE you to ask you to think of someone in a special way?  THEY CHARGE YOU?????"

Clearly, they do.

She wasn't surprised.  I guess they normally charge ten dollars PER NAME, but gave her the five dollar discount.

I guess it's her senior discount, eh?

This really lit a fire under my a**.  I give to the church that I attend and I have no problem with tithing.  I understand that the church does have bills to pay too and they pay those with the donations they receive.  I GET that.

What I don't get is charging some to READ a name at mass.  You would think that got wrapped right in with your tithing as a member.  And for the record, my grandmother, who is on a fixed income, goes and GIVES to that church every Sunday and every holy day there is.  That includes the day Immaculate Conception (among other days) for you non-religious readers out that.  She GIVES to them more than she can afford.

Couldn't she get her shout out free of charge?

If I am wrong here or I'm just not seeing it, someone please let me know.

Perhaps it's just one more thing about this specific church that ticks me off.  Or maybe I am in serious need of a Diet Coke.

Rant over.

Ugh

Once upon a time, before I had children.......I loved to go to school.  Of course, being a teacher I truly love to teach, but I used to love learning as well.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I often elected to take classes on campus even if an on-line was offered.  That's how much I loved going to school.

In the summer of 2006, we found out we were pregnant with the twins.  I was nearing half way through my masters program, with hopes of graduating and completing the program within one year.  In the fall I was still working and after a slip down the stairs at work and a blood pressure scare, Jason and I decided together that I would hold off on finishing my masters.  My point being that I have the rest of my life to finish that program, but I have nine months to get these babies good and healthy.  So while I continued working, I let go of one extra stress at the time......

It was, in hindsight, probably the best decision I ever made.  For the most part, the pregnancy was relatively healthy, and with about five weeks left to go before their birth, I stopped working as well.  My ankles were the size of telephone polls and I can't believe I ever wanted to wander around a college campus looking like I was twenty months pregnant.

It was a good decision.

So for the past sixteen months I have thoroughly enjoyed staying home with the babies.  The days are our own and we do as we see fit.  We go to the park, we visit friends, we chill at home.......and for the past sixteen months I really hadn't given that masters program much of a second thought.

Until recently.

In Michigan, you have five years to teach with your original, provisional certificate.  At that time, you must renew and most people go with their professional one.  In order to get your professional one, you must have eighteen post grad. credits.

No problem. 

Or so I thought.

I thought I had eighteen--in fact--I would have damn near bet my life on it.  But I only have fifteen.  I have already received an extension for my provisional certificate.....but before I even worried about it anymore, I signed up for an online class so I can just get the darn professional certificate and be done with it.  Are you following all of this?

Really, it doesn't even matter, since I am not working again this year.  But I signed up for the online class and since July 3rd have been regretting almost every second of it.

It's not that I can't do the work, because I can and I will.  It's not that it's terribly hard, although some of it is confusing.  It is a research class......with lots of terms and information.  Quantitative data versus qualitative data, variables, independent variables, random samples, cluster samples.......etc.

Ugh. 

And even thought I can and will complete all of this, I have just lost my motivation to learn this stuff.  It doesn't excite me anymore.  I'd rather be playing with the babies then responding to a group discussion. 

I gotta give up some major props to the mama's who work, go to school, and those super mama's out there that work and go to school.  Because this one little class is beating me over the head.

Off to work on creating a random sample.  Doesn't it sound fun?

Oh, and doesn't that lady on the cover of the book look just a tad too happy about educational research?  ;)

Kisses

This was just too sweet not to post.

These are the moments that make up my day.....and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world:

 

Stubborn, but sweet

Sammy is a stubborn boy.  He is patient, but oh so stubborn.

If he sees something that he wants, he is relentless.  He doesn't throw a fit like my precious daughter, but keeps coming back for his prize.   He waits and waits and waits, but doesn't forget.  He just waits until he can make a move.  Example:  When I give them a bath, I put the shampoo, baby wash, and big cup thingy that I use to rinse their hair, right outside the tub.

He is obsessed with the big cup thingy, which I am sure has a real name.Every time he is in the tub he spies it.  And waits for the exact moment to make his move.  He'll wait until I am shampooing Sabrina or washing her up and try and climb out of the tub.  And he doesn't stop until the big cup thingy is in his possession.

It isn't just the big cup thingy either......if something is on the counter that I swore I moved back far enough, he gets it.  His arms go into super stretch mode and he doesn't stop until he gets what he wants......quiet and diligent, but ever so sneaky.

Luckily, I fall into a category of "things Sammy wants", most of the time.  Today, I was trying to make dinner in the kitchen and he just kept following me around, grabbing my legs, until I picked him up. 

I looked at him.

He looked at me.

He smiled. 

He had gotten his prize.

And then ever so gently, rested his head upon my shoulder.

Sigh.