Sigh. Holidays are almost over . . .

Here are some photos highlighting our holidays.
Christmas snuggles with Grandma
It is hard to get a good shot for the Christmas Card with two wigglers.
Really hard.
My Ju Ju Be.
The playstand Mike and I worked very hard on to give to the girls.
The whole Byard Clan at Eric and Bobbie's.

Tierney's favorite new outfit; her tutu. Thanks, Auntie Bobbie and Uncle Eric.
Tierney also really digs her new computer. She is entertained by it even now as I type.
I love my new yarn swift and winder. Hurray for knot-free yarn balls!
The playstand in action. It has become a house/kitchen/restaurant/ baby nursery.

I love the holidays. Such festive feelings and wonderful smells. This is the first year that I really felt the joy in being the mom/santa. Tierney, especially, is at an age where she marvels at everything. Mike and I worked really hard on getting some toys made for the girls. The playstand turned out wonderfully and both girls are playing in it the minute they get out of bed. Thanks to Nana and Papa for babysitting while we worked at Mike's workshop over the past month. When Tierney woke up on Christmas, she wandered into the playroom, stopped, and said "What's that?" "It's a house! And it's just my size!" I had also made many playsilks and toy food for the girls to play with. Not to mention all of the store-bought gifts. Santa went wild in my house and I am now paying the price with all of the new messes to clean up. Time to box up some older toys.

We headed down to Bakersfield for Christmas, take 2. We had lots of fun playing with cousins and snuggling with Grandma and Grandpa. Yesterday, Tierney was telling me how much she loved it when her cousin made songs for her on the piano. Emma had given us a mini-recital of Christmas tunes on the piano. She is getting very good! Allison hosted a dinner theatre to listen to the performance. It was fun to sing the carols and munch on a yummy heritage bird. Christmas was lovely as was the food. Good times.

Now, however, the whole family is feeling a little run down by a cold virus. I still don't have it full-force yet, but Mike and Juju feel pretty crummy. Babe's up, gotta go!

It's Decemberween

We went out to the Santa Cruz Mountains to chop down our Christmas tree on Saturday. The girls were great and Tierney trekked all of the way back up the mountain by herself. We had a tea party on the tree stump as Papa and Daddy tied the trees to the car. I did some furniture re-arranging in our house in order to both fit the incoming tree as well as the playstand we're constructing for the playroom. OK, now I am out of breath from wrestling these girls into their clothes for the day. Yikes. I need a coffee. Tierney is now making lipstick out of her yogurt and Juju is trying to climb on the table to type on the computer.

Last week we had some fun going to the Ardenwood Farm here in Fremont. Tierney learned how to shell dried corn and grind it into a meal. We then fed the cornmeal to the sheep. This week we'll learn about bunnies. For a little offbeat fun, we went to the Silliman Center to go swimming. They have this amazing indoor swim center with a heated wading pool. In the middle of the wading pool is this big play structure with slides and water fountains. Tierney had a blast. Juju and I eventually started shivering despite the warmish water and decided it was time to go.

I have just about all of my Christmas shopping done, which is exciting. I have three more items to make for the kids and one more to purchase, and I am finished.

So very tired

With the girls both working on the lung portion of their colds now, I am working on virtually no sleep today. Every time Juliana coughs, she wakes up and cries. It is heartbreaking when I am lucid, but absolutely maddening when I am trying to sleep. I remind myself of Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice when she admonishes her daughter to "stop coughing, Kitty -- you know how it tries my nerves!"

Mike is out riding in Belmont and I am fending for myself in a haze of semi-consciousness. Tierney has been following me around the house taking pictures of me. Those should work well as Halloween decorations next year, as I look like a total zombie. Plus, the bathroom seems to be a favorite photographic setting of hers.

On the upside, it seems to be a beautiful day outside and I might be able to muster up some energy to do some gardening after several cups of coffee. I think that it is time to finally dig under the tomato plants and clean up the front porch and walkway. My mailman no longer even says "hello" to me. I think that he is tired of having to trek through the jungle to my mailbox by the door.

Time for a triple, super duper latte. My machine is warmed up at last.

New crafts finished

It is so satisfying to finish some crafts. My knitting has stalled since I have had the same sock on needles for a couple of months now. I finished my niece, Eleanor's, doll for her birthday. I loved this one and was loathe to part with it.
I scored an XO Laptop off of Ebay for Tierney to give to her on Christmas. I had wanted to get a padded bag that she could store it in and travel with, but no one seemed to make one in its size. I did come across a woman who had made her own custom bag for it, so I gave it a shot. This is what I came up with:
I love the kitty cat pattern. The computer should arrive on Monday. I'll have to sneak out into the garage and to check it out and make sure that it fits in the bag well. Hopefully, Tierney will forget about all of the gifts I have been making, or Christmas will not be much of a surprise.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Well, sick or not Thanksgiving was a delightful feast. Even better, I didn't have to cook! Thanks to Janet for a fabulous meal and for allowing me to crash when my cold, my medicine and wine had a party in my bloodstream. I had forgotten that I'd taken my meds so near dinnertime :) Here are some photos.

It's becoming a tradition

For me to be sick on Thanksgiving. Last year I held my first family dinner and was too sick to taste anything. This year, I am feeling better but still on the verge of a meltdown. The girls have had a rough week with colds. Juliana sneezes and suddenly has two snail trails streaming down her nose. Blech. They have had some lousy nights sleep-wise. I have no idea why I am still awake after such disruption during the last few nights. Hopefully, we'll all rally for dinner tomorrow.

Daddy's Girl

It's pretty amazing how much Tierney looks as her Daddy did when he was her age. Can you even tell that isn't Tierney playing on Uncle Eric's back? Maybe we'll end up with a raven-haired beauty.


She is starting to get the cheeks Mike had before he leaned out.
Janet, Mike, Eric and Lance in Novenber, 1976.

Respite

I just love when this happens. After an afternoon at Costco and Joann's, both girls transitioned from the car to naps seamlessly. Well, Juju is technically still in the car. I have the door from the garage open to the house as well as the car door open while I sit here in the kitchen with an ear out. If at all possible, one should let sleeping babes lie.

We are heading down to Bakersfield this weekend for an early Thanksgiving with the family. It's been a while since we visited, so it will be good to see everyone and have all of the girlies get their playtime in. I was at Costco getting gas today and was so excited to see the numbers move so slowly on the dollar ticker. $2.13/gallon!!! That makes the trip to Bakersfield so very much cheaper than it has been. I feel like I stepped out of a time machine. When I commented to a neighboring gas pumper that it was so nice to see such a low number on the readout, she replied "Not low enough!" Now, she was driving a duallie ford truck, so I am sure that it is still costing her and arm and a leg to drive. Really, though, I am happy for a 55% reduction in gas price. I'll take it.

We have so much to be thankful of this year, Thanksgiving will really be special. I am so thankful that in the midst of the economic woes plaguing the country Mike has a job that is actually doing great business. I live in a wonderful home close to family. I have two girls who both have become the best snugglers. My job rocks. My husband is tolerant of all my idiosyncracies and cuckooness. And Tierney told me this morning that I did a good job in making her rainbow silk, that I am a "good maker." What else can I ask for?

Imaginary Friend

Tierney has been so creative lately. Today, she, Juliana and I were enjoying a ladies luncheon together after doing some Christmas shopping. When I asked her to get back onto her chair and have a bite of her sandwich, she told me that she couldn't because she was "too busy" (this is a favorite phrase of hers whenever I ask her to do something she'd rather not). She said that she couldn't eat her sandwich because she was too busy feeding her baby dinosaur, Rexy. Sure enough, she was under her chair pretending to feed a miniature, man-eating carnivore. What is it about dinosaurs that children seem instinctively attracted to? I think that we must not have developed a lasting fear of them before they became extinct. Something got a little screwed up in the evolution of our brains :) So, Rexy (I love it! -- her name for T-Rex) was well-fed today and Tierney's sandwich was virtually untouched.

Juliana is pretty proud of her new-found clapping ability as well as being able to stand on her own from a sitting position without holding onto anything. She still loves to crawl because she is so speedy at it. She gets going with serious giggles when T gets down on all fours and crawls alongside her.

Photo Update

I have finally updated the Picasa Web slideshow to the left. Click on it and then select "slideshow" once you have been redirected to the Picasa page. Nana and Papa got Tierney a digital camera and she has been taking many pictures of her bear in various positions and locations. I think that he may become a bit like the traveling gnome in "Amelie." T is really becoming very nurturing of her bear. She is always telling me to "shhhh" because Bear is sleeping. She rocks him to sleep in her rocking chair and gets him all wrapped up in a blanket before putting him in his crib. I made her a dolly thinking that she is entering the doll stage, but no, she wants nothing to do with it. Bear is her special friend and she has no room in her heart for another. She is a great person to take shopping if you want to save money. When I look at pajamas at the Carters store she tells me "No Mommy, I already have some of those." She really excels at understanding the difference between want and need and keeps my spending in check! Juju is really singing and babbling a lot now. She loves music and has figured out how to use T's keyboard and other musical toys. She gets them going and does her special dance on all fours. Her only words so far are Mama and Hi. She has been working on four top teeth coming in and is especially drooly and sensitive. She follows me around saying "mama" and tries to crawl up my leg. Tierney is becoming very imaginative in her play and pretends quite a bit. Today she was being a dinosaur and stomping all around the playroom. She'll announce out of nowhere that it is "growl time" and practice all sorts of roars. She told me this afternoon that she was going to "run away from me to work at her work bench with her tools" and that she'd "be right back." She loves working with her tools and pretending that she can fix things like Daddy and Papa. We were at a friend's house who had a toy stroller recently. Tierney thought that the wheel was a little wobbley, so she told me that she needed to "fix it." I told her to go ahead and fix it, so she looked around before finally exclaiming that she couldn't because she didn't have any tools! Sounds like we'll have another tool and gadget afficianado like her Daddy. I'd better go and fix dinner. The "I'm hungry" calls are getting more frantic. I'll add comments to the slideshow later tonight.

We did it!

Mike and I crossed the finish line of the Big Sur Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Despite the rain and temps in the 40's - low 50's, we managed to eek it out in 3 hours and four minutes. The sky opened up and absolutely poured on us when we crossed the finish line. We certainly weren't the speediest of the bunch, but we weren't the slowest either. We were #128 and #129 of 342 racers in our pack. Since our only goal was to finish, we felt really great about that! We ran about 4 miles and walked the remaining 9 by alternating walking and running throughout. I can see how these can be addicting. We are planning to do the one in Santa Cruz in Spring. It's really great to have a goal to work towards. Now, I am resting my sore hips for a day or two before keeping the momentum going. Since the weather was so nasty, the girls weren't there to cheer us on, but they were cozily waiting for us in the car when Lance and Janet picked us up.
Here are some photos of the race courtesy of Bobbie and the race photographers.
At the start.

Somewhere past mile 10.

Argh! Must sleep!

Here we are on Saturday night in Monterey and we are getting ready for bed. The girls are in their matching footy jammies and ready to climb into bed. In a mere 6 hours we must rise again to get ready to join the very chilly bunch of runners. 6,000 fools out at the crack of dawn to run like lemmings toward the sea. Good times! It is awfully cold out so I hope that we stay warm by moving. Wish us luck!

Another test video

I'm trying a different video host. Just testing



Untitled from Christina Byard on Vimeo.

Hurray! For the most part . . .

I am happy at the turnout of yesterday's elections, for the most part. Finally, the person I voted for has won the presidency! It feels so nice to have your voice actually be heard. Unfortunately, props 8 and 10 were not so lucky in their results. I honestly think that many people were motivated to vote for the presidency and just neglected to actually READ about the other issues on the ballot. They ended up voting by the emotional impressions they got from TV sound bites. I really think that the two minute TV ads should be banned from politics. They only serve to mislead the public.

Stepping off my soapbox, I'll post some photos of the girls. We have had quite a bit of fun this week. Our walk to the polls yesterday was especially enjoyable. We followed up our vote with a walk up the hill to Starbucks for a free cup of Joe and a maple nut scone. We had been cooped up all weekend during a rain storm, so it was nice to get out in the sunshine again. Juliana is really getting into playing these days. She plays peek-a-boo by hiding her head in blankets and lifting it up to giggle endlessly. She absolutely adores the bathtub and crawls in the bathroom to look longingly into it if I don't keep the baby gate installed in the hall. I finally got a non-slip mat for the tub so that she can sit in there without sliding all over the place. She turns into a totally different girl in the tub. Just as T was, she is positively fearless in the water. It is really fun to give the girls baths together.

Both girls seem to be developing pretty intense separation anxiety. Although it keeps me from getting my chores, projects and blogging done, I must say that it is nice to be in such high demand. Tierney will come to look for me and say "Mommy, I can't see you in there. Come with me, I miss you!" She tried to convince me not to go to my Mom's group meeting last night by telling me that she would miss me. She offered up the fun time of going into the "school bus" to look at books (the bookmobile came to the neighborhood last night) with her. "It will be fun." In the end, I had to just sneak out to go to my meeting :)

Last night at bedtime, I was rocking Tierney and calming her down for bed by talking about our weekend plans. We are going to stay on a "school bus" (Nana and Papa's RV) in Monterey. Mike and I are participating in the Half Marathon along with my Mom and cousin Kate. Mike's cousin, Leslie and sister-in-law Bobbie will be on a parallel course at the race as well. We will be one big happy family of sore bodies on Monday! Tierney is excited to sleep in her sleeping bag on the school bus and maybe go to the beach or aquarium. Hopefully, the projected Saturday rain will have passed by race time on Sunday.

Tierney likes to pretend that she is a Kangaroo by putting her bear into her "pouch" and jumping around.
Halloween. The cat is in the bag.
Story time before bed.
Two girls in a tub.
Nana's birthday dinner.

More Craft Projects Finished

I finally finished the dolly for my neice, Emma's, 7th birthday. Tomorrow's walk will be to the post office to send her off to Bakersfield. Now I need to turn around and make another one for Eleanor's 2nd birthday in a couple of weeks. Hers shouldn't take so long because I'll have the patterns for her clothing already. For Emma's, I had to design some clothes patterns since I couldn't find any commercial ones that would fit her right. I do like how they turned out and now I have patterns for future dolls already made. Once again, I am thankful that I have my snap press and serger. They are a couple of my favorite tools. I tried out my new ruffler foot for my serger and am in LOVE! All girls' clothes need ruffling and this foot makes it so unbelievably easy. I can't believe how long I've sewed without it. I got an off-brand bias tape binding attachment for my sewing machine that totally sucks, though. I ruined a lot of fabric and pulled out quite a bit of hair trying to get it to work. Hopefully, I can return it and save up for the real deal from Bernina. I learned my lesson that there is a reason that the Bernina brand stuff is more expensive.

We totally slacked and did not go for a run today. Ah well, I'll go out on my own with the girls this week. Mike let me sleep in for the first time in months and I really enjoyed it.

Halloween Dress Up

We went to a carnival yesterday where T got to play games in exchange for candies. She downed two lollipops lickedy-split. Here are a couple of the costume photos. We'll have more on Halloween, I am sure, when we do a short trick-or-treat route and hand out candy at our house.
Juj is, obviously, a cat and Tierney is a "butterfly ballerina" as requested.

We're getting closer

Oh my, this is quite the photo. It's kind of shocking to see one's self in a photo and not really recognize the subject. I certainly will not miss my nursing physique when it is gone -- I had to get the most uber-supportive sports bra in order to run with any semblance of comfort. I just don't know why anyone would pay money to have such nuisances surgically implanted in their body! Anyway, our race weekend is getting closer and, thankfully, we are getting better prepared for it. We went out to Coyote Hills by the bay here in Fremont for an 8 mile interval training session. We certainly won't be bringing home any medals for time, but we are confident that we will at least finish! I think that finishing is a worthy goal for a first race :) Other than the fact that both girls were less-than-thrilled to be stuck in the stroller with the chilly wind blowing in their faces, we had a really good time. Tierney was excited to see all of the geese, pelicans and egrets in the creek along the trail. This weekend we will try for 10-12 miles and call that close enough to get a feel for how we'll do on the full 13. I don't want to push it too much any closer to the race just in case one of us hurts ourselves in any way. I am actually feeling really great and am ready to head out for my normal 5 miles tomorrow. We'll head up the hill to Mission Coffee for some Java and a Ginger Cookie. Yum! The weather is so fantastic, the last of my tomato crop may actually ripen. I love Autumn. . .

Playing together

Juliana is in love with her sister. She wants to do everything that T does. She also wants to eat everything that T does. Tierney has now become very protective of her plate of food when she sees Juj even think about making a move toward her table. Just when I think that Tierney is finally going to sing herself to sleep for an afternoon nap, I'll find that Juju has snuck down the hall and peeked around the corner into T's room. Giggles ensue as J quickly crawls to Tierney's bedside. Naptime is a bust, yet again. That's okay. I'd much rather have girls that can play together well than girls who nap well overall. They are awake together for much more time than they are asleep, so those are the valuable hours. Here they are after Juj found T in her room. She had crawled onto a blanket and Tierney drug her out into the living room, showing off her new-found mode of transportation.

Figure Drawing

Tierney had begun, as of yesterday, drawing figures with intention. She has been drawing shapes and lines and attempting letters, but never really any figures. She draws spiders with lots of legs, eyes and a mouth. I am very impressed. Plus, it works out great for Halloween decorations :)

Growth Spurts

Things seem to have calmed down around here lately. Both Tierney and Juliana have been going through some extreme growth spurts. I forgot that when kids are about to go through a developmental leap, their behavior gets erratic. Tierney has had a mental growth spurt, for sure, following that bout of terrible twos. She now has such amazing sentence composition. She tries to make every sentence a compound one. She says "but" a lot to tie thoughts together. When I ask where her bear is, she replies "Hmmmm. . . I don't know (pause) but (pause) I think (pause) that I need to look for him." Many sentences also now start with "but." As in "but I like graham crackers. They are yummy and I put them waaaay down inside my tummy!" So, with this new method of self-reflection before speaking, she seems to have less frustration and tantrums. At least for the moment :)

Juliana is getting big and cheeky. I keep waking up at night thinking that she is Tierney in my arms, she is so big! The last couple of nights she has struggled at night with growing pains. She wiggles and wiggles and kicks all night long! It is like sleeping with wet noodle. Last night she had her first broccoli. She loves putting it all in her mouth but then doesn't really get how to swallow the chunky stuff. She loved the sweet potato/chicken puree I made from what we were eating for dinner. I'll upload the pic we took of her broccoli experience last night soon -- it's a giggle.

Nana and Papa are home - Yay!

Tierney is over at Nana and Papa's house right now, playing. This means that I have actually gotten to take a shower today! What luxury! They had been in Las Vegas visiting Gary and Gail for the past week+ and we are glad to have them home -- as is their kitty. Juliana is a babbling lady today. I fear that she has inherited the same mysterious gene that makes Tierney so very, very talkative. She has always babbled, but now she seems to be babbling sentences, if you know what I mean. She strings together all sorts of sounds and seems to be communicating with them. She tries to say "kitty" when Zoli walks into a room, but it comes out as just the "K" sound. "Kitty" was T's first word. Juju absolutely loves her sister, even when T covers her up with a blanket in an attempt to make a tent out of her. T is really into hiding under blankets these days. She has fallen asleep under her blanket in the hallway or on the floor of her room after refusing to go to bed because "she isn't tired, it's a sunny day!" Here she is in the hallway the other day, being "not tired."

Weekend Fun

Well, with Monday over and T finally asleep, I can reflect on the weekend. Juliana has really begun to eat solids. She is really loving pureed mangos with bananas. A tropical delight. Here is a pic of her and her teething biscuit, which she smears all over everything. Earlier in the week, I canned spaghetti sauce made fromt the garden tomatoes. It is super delicious. I have another batch of tomatoes that will, hopefully, ripen before the season ends. I'm still eating lasagna leftovers from a batch I had made with the fresh sauce. Yum. On Sunday, Mike went for a bike ride over in Belmont hills. When he finished, he stopped by the local bike shop to ask about a quirk with his bike. They happened to be holding a preview of the Specialized line of 2009. So, of course, he had to try out some of the new bikes. Out he went on the trails again with another group of guys. I was wondering what was taking so long with this ride. Thankfully, he did not come home with another bike!!

When he did return, I took my happy, purple Electra Townie out for a spin. I hooked up the bike trailer and rode to the grocery store. I have decided to just go ahead and brave the crazies and do some riding. I am not comfortable taking the girls on the city streets, however, so my trailer was strictly in tow so that I could bring home groceries. I ended up taking the turn into the Safeway parking lot too quickly, hit a bump, and totally flipped the trailer! I know that the people behind me must have been freaking out that I totally injured my children. Curiously, though, no one stopped to ask. Anyway, those things are not the most stable when empty. I had a lovely shop and went out to load my goods into the trailer. One of the workers said "You've got the right idea, there. I hate to tell you, though, but you forgot your kids!" -- No, sir, that is the idea!!

So, I pedaled home with a smile on my face, singing "Goosey, Goosey Gander" (nursery rhyme songs are on an endless playlist in my head) to myself. We rotisseried the chicken that I bought and hung out on the back patio while T and J gathered herbs from the garden to make their own stone soup in a flower pot. Finished up the evening by working on Emma's 7th birthday present. I will post photos when I am finished. It is shaping up pretty well. I've got to get started on T's costume soon. A purple butterfly ballerina. I picked up some lavender organza with some subtle sequin action. Should be fun.

Yesterday, Tierney was saying that she was building a house. I was busy working on my project, so I wasn't really paying too much attention. When I looked up, she had built a beautiful, symmetrical house from her blocks. Usually, she just stacks them so that she can knock them over. She is really having a mental growth spurt.

BLISS!!!

Yes, they are BOTH asleep, simultaneously!!! Just had to share. It's been 15 minutes that I've been utterly alone and I am in heaven! If they would just do this every day I think that I could handle the craziness.

Seriously, is it over yet?

Today is the first time that I really began to fantasize about walking away from my children for an hour or so. I ended up taking a breather when Mike got home by going and picking up some Thai Food and Beer in preparation of watching the V.P. debate. I have been going mad. It feels like I am on this ridiculous hamster wheel in which nothing that I do -- be it in my housework or parenting T -- has an impact. Every mess I clean up is promptly replaced by another one. Every explanation I give is followed by "why not?" Is this why working moms look at me like I have three boobs when I say that I enjoy being a stay at home Mom? Because children turn into fiery devils at 2 and a half and mothers are grateful for the temporary separation during the day? God, if only I did have three boobs, maybe Juju wouldn't be so cranky. I mean, I do enjoy being a stay at home mom, without a doubt. I fully know that this is a phase. I don't need the lectures reminding me of that. I guess what I am realizing is that I am going through a phase, too, in which I am just frustrated and tired. I think that I am allowed those feelings.

Mike is going through old photos on his computer now and just came across the photo of T the last day we allowed her to have her pacifiers. It happens to have been exactly the time that she became a monster. She really seems to need some sort of soothie or outlet. Something that helps her reflect and calm down. She just gets all riled up and throws a fit without them. I am not going back to pops, but I think that we are just going through a transition where she is learning to handle her emotions on her own. Me, too :)

Playing Girlies

Juliana is really beginning to enjoy playing with her sister. She follows her around like a little puppy dog, always at Tierney's heels. Sometimes, they just have a giggle fest where they just think of each other as the funniest thing they've ever seen, as in this photo.

Tierney and Eleanor got some one-on-one time since Emma went to the Planetarium with her Daddy on Friday night. They had a blast playing and taking a bath.

Okay, I think that I have finally gotten enough sleep. Zow, I needed some recovery time from my solo adventure. We had a fun weekend in Bakersfield, despite some sickness (or allergies?). It is harvest time there and, boy, can you tell! They have to vigourously shake the almond/pistachio trees in order to harvest the nuts and it really stirs up a lot of dust and pollen. The girls have had runny noses and hacking coughs since Friday. It seems to be getting better now that we are back home. We had a rough time sleeping due to physical crumminess and everyone was really tired as a result. Saturday we went to a local baby boutique to buy gifts for Benjamin's first birthday. They had a whole bedding section set up with cribs and beds on display. At one point while we were waiting for the gifts to be wrapped, Tierney was nowhere in sight. My Mom and I were searching for her in the usual spots when the sales lady pointed out a little girl in the crib section. She had found a cozy toddler bed, gotten in, and pulled the covers over her to take a nap! That was the only time she went to bed volutarily the whole weekend.

Tierney also had her first professional haircut. She got to sit in the fire truck chair and watch Thomas (one of the creepiest kids shows ever) while the stylist cut her hair. She still doesn't have much hair at the temples, so we are keeping it cut in an A-line until we get more hair for ponytails. Her sentences have really become complex over the last week. She uses a lot of abstract terms and fully completes a thought. Her favorite songs to sing right now are "I've been working on the railroad" and "Happy Birthday."

Kate, Amy, Allison and I all went on a walk Saturday morning. We met at 7:00 a.m. before the sun became blazing hot. Kate had a GPS watch that calculated our moving pace and distance. Without trying to go fast, we walked 4 1/2 miles in an hour, so I think that we shouldn't have a problem keeping up with the required pace of the half-marathon. I just have to make sure that I don't go any slower than that on miles 10-13, which are supposed to be the hardest. I think that today I'll take the girls on the local bike trail for our walk. We have a nice route that goes around a lake, too, but the geese totally defile that park with their excrement. It always feels so yucky to walk around goose poop. Tierney has climbed into Juju's crib, so I had better rescue the little one.

Home, yet again.

I am sooo verrry tired! I don't think that I will ever want to go away with the girls without Mike with me as a backup. I have serious respect for single parents. I cannot imagine parenting alone every day. I am exhausted. Going to bed now.

My favorite quote of the day

"No Mommy, let me mop. You sit down on the couch."

Tierney. We are having a good day today :)

Dreaming of a Chicken Coop

Now, I know that I have way too many projects ahead of this, but I must say that I am dreaming of having a small chicken coop. One large enough for 3 or 4 hens. Wouldn't it be grand? 2-3 eggs a day and free manure for the garden. We had one growing up in our backyard that I remember fondly -- until they started dropping like flies from disease or from our psychotic neighbor's intervention. My grandma and grandpa had a very large coop that we would check for eggs when we went over. Plus, with the price for free range eggs up to $5 a dozen, it's attractive from an economic standpoint. I looked into how large coops should be for 3-4 hens and found this very attractive plan for a backyard coop.
Is that not the cutest flippin' thing you've seen? I can just imagine taking the girls out back to collect eggs and talk to our chicken friends. It has a footprint of 4' X 8', so it's nice and compact.

Tierney just came in from the sandbox while I was typing this entry. She brought sand in a cup and forced it into Juju's mouth. I can't seem to communicate well enough the importance of not putting things in her sister's mouth. Second children suffer so much abuse so early, it's no wonder we are such hardy creatures.

So far, so good

The Pops are gone and so are the nighttime cries for them. The Pop fairy brought Tierney an excellent flashlight to play with in the dark. Mike snuck this shot of T about 10 minutes after he had put her to bed. She was all set up in the rocking chair, reading to herself in the dark.

Juliana is really starting to eat now. Just like T was at her age, she'll pretty much try anything. Tierney's diet is not so varied these days. For some reason, the only green thing she'll eat is broccoli. I am taking the girls down to Bakersfield this weekend to visit and attend Benjamin's first birthday party. Mike is staying home to work on making some looms in his shop.

Gymnastics Fun

We went to a Toddler Playgroup today at Top Flight Gymnastics here in Fremont. Tierney joined a few dozen other toddlers on all of the fun Gym Equipment. It was a blast. Trampolines of all shapes and sizes, ropes and rings to swing on and drop off into a pool of foam blocks. There was so much to do that she just kept wandering around and jumping in.



When she got home, she was well worn out and I was looking forward to a nice, peaceful naptime. I put her in her room where she was winding down and playing. The power in my house flickered off, then on when I heard Tierney shriek. I knew exactly what it was immediately. She had moved her bed out from the wall, exposing an electrical outlet. She had somehow disconnected a chain that operated the security bars outside her window and inserted two sections of it into the outlet. Fortunately, she only had a mild burn from the sparks that jumped out and onto her thumb. She probably got a good jolt, too, but I am not sure. From her description, it sounded like a burning feeling to her. I had to fetch a yardstick to coerce the chain out of the socket. It was pretty well jammed in there. Sparks flew out and put on quite a show. My heart was beating so fast! I felt like we had really dodged a bullet. Mike is installing permanent outlet covers as I write. She has been disciplined about fiddling with that chain and moving the bed so very many many times, I am sorry that this had to be the ultimate lesson.

Home Again

Me and Mama

My Mom attempting to nap with Juliana

Playing with Daddy.

The wonderful view.

OK, I am ready to start a new week afresh. For some mysterious reason, other than the fact that she's two years old, Tierney turned into a monster last week. I truly would not have been surprised if her tongue had forked in two and she'd grown a tail. She definitely wants to be in control (I have no idea where she would have gotten that trait, he he). It was nice to go to Tahoe so that we at least had some different topics to battle out surrounded by beautiful scenery. The weather was wonderful and the air was so crisp and clear. Aahh, I sigh and relax my shoulders just describing it. We went down to the lake with Grandma yesterday before we left and played on the toys there. I wish I had discovered that playground sooner. We had lots of fun up in our room ordering room service and watching movies. Tierney loves the tiny jelly jars and salt and pepper shakers that come on the room service tray. Mike brought his mountain bike up and got a chance to ride on some local trails Saturday while I watched the girls. When he got back, I did a little video poker with my Dad and had a fabulous deep-tissue massage by Pierre. Mike and I then switched responsibilities and he went for a masssage. We all went out for dinner at the steakhouse on the top floor of the hotel. This was the first time Tierney had behaved and actually eaten at a meal in days. Grandma kept her entertained and eating noodles while we all had some super yummy beef. On our way home we stopped in El Dorado Hills to visit Mike's brother's family. That is a neat little town where they have made everything rather centralized. It seems like one could walk to pretty much any place one needed to run an errand. That's one thing that is frustrating about our area of Fremont. The freeway kind of cuts us off from the rest of town, so it is hard to walk to very many places. I have braved the crazies on the road and ridden my bike to the store. It was more thrilling than it should have to be. Anyway, we had a great time and I am now re-energized to deal with the terrible twos. Time to get T ready to visit Nana.