the Randoms

+ I think we've got the toddler bed training down. I can't believe I am saying this, but Jo's been doing amazing with it the past couple of days. To review: we tried it out months ago and failed miserably. Instead of it getting better each night, the time we spent wrestling/pinning/trying not to scream at her each night got longer and longer and she would get up multiple times in the middle of the night to just wander around. She slept on the floor more of the night than she did on the bed. So, back to the crib she went. This time around, we sat with her until she fell asleep which could be up to an hour. She tested us, sure, but eventually it got better. There was less screaming and more routine. She tossed and turned a lot, but wouldn't freak out as much. Now? We read her a story, tuck her in, say goodnight, and leave. She may or may not cry, and she doesn't get out of bed. SUCCESS. I chalk it up to her being a couple months older.

+ We're hoping to get Audrey sleeping in there by 4 months old. Hubby doesn't know that is my goal, but there it is. She's sleeping in our room and it's fine so far, but she will outgrow that lovely bassinet at some point and I'd like to have her crib trained before that happens. I'm thinking I'll start having her take morning naps in there to start. Any suggestions besides that?

+ We had a great weekend of just staying home. We got a bunch done around the house (laundry, cooking, cleaning) and had my parents here on Sunday to shop and see the girls (and us too I guess). Shopping was a huge success!! I found my tall black boots (finally), got some more leggings, a skirt to go with the leggings, a top to go with the leggings, and a few regular shirts. I need to update my essentials in the closet and it was nice to be able to do it without too much of a struggle.

+ Today we had an appointment with a Pediatrician for Audrey. She's had a few incidents where she seemed to stop breathing during wake time. Her face would turn red and she'd take a few (long) seconds before inhaling sharply and screaming out in fear. It scared us too! I talked to our family doctor about it and she sent us to Peds to make sure it isn't sleep apnea. Thank God it isn't, and hopefully she'll just grow out of it since babies tend to not breathe regularly right away. I didn't know this, but now that I think about it I have noticed it with both girls. They will take a few normal breaths, pause, and then continue. It's not steady like adults until they are a few months old. 

+ I was talking to a friend the other day about staying inside most of the winter and how dreary it can be. Ironically, we were saying that it hasn't been that bad and definitely isn't as bad as we had expected. I was so sure last summer that winter would be awful since we'd be cooped up inside all day with the same scenery, sick of each other. Instead, we're cozy and happy, playing most of the day with enough visits to Grandma a week to keep us from getting stir crazy. It's nice to have these slow months with an infant before the crazy summer months come again.

+ Macy's had their "sidewalk" sale this weekend so I went and checked it out with my sister (who works there) and found awesome deals. To be fair, she found the deals and I paid for them, but I'm happy with it either way! I got coats for both girls next year along with pants, matching tops (love that), and a Christmas dress for Audrey next year (that Jo will probably wear at least once this year since it's gold, not red and green). 

+ I never mentioned it on here, but we got a new vehicle last month! Hubby found a black Ford Expedition that was within our price range. It has one row in the back instead of two since it used to be a cop car, and no middle console. It works awesome because I can jump in the back and sit between the girls when one (or both ) of them needs something. Not having that third row seating is also ok with us because we needed the extra space for our huge dog and all of our stuff when we are traveling, not for more people to sit in it. We were so thankful to find it! The best part is we sold our old Trailblazer this weekend so we are back down to a two car family. It felt good to get that out of our garage since it had been sitting there waiting to be sold for a solid month now. 

A few pictures to keep it interesting:

Pudding face

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Sleigh Ride

A couple of weeks ago, we (along with my sister Lara) went to the twin cities for another family get together with my dad's family. It's become a tradition for us to get together after the holiday season since a lot of the cousins work retail or strange hours and can't get away until after the crazy holiday shopping is done. We've gone on sleigh rides in previous years and usually have supper and open little gifts after playing a gift exchange game. It's always a lot of fun. Last year, Josie was only 7 months old so we went on the sleigh ride without her. This year, we brought her with while hubby stayed behind with Audrey.

What was I thinking? An hour long sleigh ride for a one year old is not a good idea. It wasn't too bad temperature wise, unlike previous years, but the girl wouldn't leave her mittens or boots on. Between three of us, we managed to keep her semi dressed for at least half of the ride. 

I got a few less-than-adequate pictures but they are better than nothing!

She had some big eyes looking at the big horses

Hubby got to hang with Audrey, something he doesn't get to do very often!

Josie helper #1 aka my cousin Lindsay

My cousin's family  - at least we got one good family photo even if it wasn't ours!

After we got back to the house, Josie thought she'd attempt hanging out with the "big" kids. It was fun to see her try, but they were a little intimidating and she found her way back to us pretty quick.

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Smiles

Audrey's smile makes my day! I got a video of her flirting with me a little in between her long slumbers (girl likes her sleep). 

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Memories: THE Teacher

Describe your teachers at school.

I always had something like a dream of what teachers should be like. I loved the idea of a teacher that you could come to with any problem or concern, thought or good news. I was and am a people pleaser, so as a young child I tried extra hard to get the teacher's favor. Looking back, I'm sure I was a little obnoxious just because of my do-good ways. Once I hit middle school, I wanted that same amount of attention and but it had to be masked. I didn't want everyone around me to get the wrong idea of me and assume that I liked the teacher.

Sadly, my desires were not meant to be met. Most of my teachers had lost their passion along the way and therefore did not inspire me in the least. I continued doing the best I could in every single class but rarely actually enjoyed the subject at hand. At the time, I assumed that it was my own fault, that while everyone else seemed to be learning and loving different classes, it was my own problem that I didn't. I've since realized that my teachers were dull and didn't care about what they were teaching. Other people naturally liked these classes (think history or art) so it didn't matter how the teacher was.

I spent years hating history classes. I enjoyed English classes because I liked grammar and writing even though I didn't want to admit it at the time. I hated science though. Oh man, I did not have good science teachers.

Then there was music. Music is my thing, if you didn't know. I tried in my younger years to not let it define me, but it was meant to be and I could not avoid it. My mom is a music teacher and was determined to have musical children. She really hit the jackpot with both my sister and myself because we have taken and run with it more than she probably would have expected or hoped for when we were just little babes. It's in our blood, but it was our environment too. We couldn't have escaped it if we tried.

 To emphasize my destiny, the only teachers I seemed to enjoy and connect with happened to be the music teachers. I look back at them fondly and love getting the chance to see them to this day. I would go to their offices, joke around, pour my heart out, discuss the day, and just get to know them as well while they got to know me. It continued on from high school into college, and now that I am an adult, I consider them my friends.

I didn't get to have THE teacher, the one that I love so dearly and will always remember with exaggerated greatness. Instead, I get to have a handful. They all shared something with me that to this day is still at the top of my list (what list, I'm not sure...THE list). The great thing about music is that it cannot be outgrown. We'll always have that connection. Maybe that is why they have always meant so much to me. Either way, I'll always be thankful for that part of my education in the small little town where I grew up. After all, it IS my thing.

This is the picture I use for my piano studio flyers, taken by my friend Lacey. Fun, isn't it?

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