A Lot of Crazy for a Little Weekend.

Last weekend we went up to my parents' place for an overnighter. A short visit, but worth it...just enough time to have a birthday lunch for my Auntie Max (85 years old, Happy Birthday!), and spend some quality time with Mom before her surgery, hittin' the thrift stores. I finally found the perfect frame for a beautiful print I bought on Etsy a while back...just needs a good spray-paintin'. 

Matt went with my dad to an estate sale auction...which turned out to be a lotta junk. The PEPpy one ran and ran and ran outside before dinner Saturday, going around the house a few times and spanning every square foot of deck, grass, and garden. Being the great imitator that she is, she also did a lot of pointing and yelling at the dogs in her sternest (funniest) tone...someone has been hanging out with Grandma a bit too much! Paige also spent some time playing the old upright piano I learned to play on.

She played for Josh's old toy dinosaur...

...then played with the dinosaur...














Mom's arm surgery went well, but there was more scar tissue than expected, so it will take a bit longer to heal. This is the same procedure(s) she had done on the left arm last year, to repair carpal and cubital (upper arm) tunnel syndromes. Prayers for a speedy recovery would be welcome. I'm glad we got up there so she could get some pre-op Paige time...no lifting for a while!

Now we are scrambling like crazy toward this next weekend...Memorial Day weekend. Our church has a family camping trip, to Camp Albright, and this year is huge. Like over 90 people huge (maybe not so huge to some of you, but last year was maybe 40). We haven't packed a thing, still have some shopping to do, and I'm trying to finish up my homework. Yikes!

We've decided to use our tent this year, and even take Paige canoeing with us in the Hersey River. Doesn't she look ready?

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Noticing A Pattern...

I get so frustrated every time I realize that it's been a week, over a week, over 2 weeks since my last post (and let's not even talk about this past winter's delinquency), but I'm beginning to realize why.

The good: I'm on break from school, which means I have lots n lots more quality time with Paige & Matt and the opportunity to do so many other fun & exciting things. It's a refreshing break from the computer and modern-day media.

The bad: I'm on break from school, which means that when class is in session, I'm posting more because I am supposed to be doing homework, but I'm bloggin' it up instead. Need to work on this...I believe it's called time management?

So the past 2 weeks have flown by. I got lots of extra snuggle and play time with Paige, even though she went to Grammy & Grandpa's for a weekend. While she was there, we ran the annual Riverbank Run on May 8. It was momentous...my very first 5K! I've said for years that I would never be a runner, but I'm getting there. Already planning to run another in June, since I'm so disgusted with my time (more on the June 5K later). I chose Riverbank as my first 5K in recognition of Matt's first 25K...yes, I said 25, as in 15.5 miles (there will also be more on Matt's awesomeness soon)! 

(so not my most flattering photo op, but we need to remember this momentous occasion...ick) 

Our friends Brad and Jen also ran (she in the 5K--much faster than me even with an injury--Brad in the 25K), and since their daughter was also at her grandparents' house, we had a chance to go out Saturday and do fun grown-up stuff! But we ended up not knowing what to do with ourselves after dinner, and were so tired we just went home. Figures! But we had great sushi and company at Tokyo Grill ...even Matt tried the veggie ones. 

How perfect that we picked Paige back up on Mother's Day...we went to church with Matt's parents and Granny, then for Chinese. At the restaurant, all mothers were given carnations, which became our Paige Entertainment Devices (did you know the petals are edible, so it's safe for play w/baby? Just a fun fact from Kindermusik). 

At one point, Paige got treated to a bit of ice cream in a cone...the one time she really wanted to use her spoon, and this happens:

Don't you worry, she got every drop...and finally ate some veggies too.

Unfortunately, we all missed the Muziekparade this year during the annual Tulip Time in Holland thanks to the nasty weather. I didn't even think to take a picture of Paige in her dress in front of my own tulips. Maybe in front of a display of Delftware or Windmill Island the next time we're over there.

The rest of Mother's Day was just plain nice. We took a Sunday drive while Paige napped in her car seat, picked up some flowers and plants from Countryside Greenhouses, and had yummy Mexican takeout for dinner since we got home late. On Tuesday Matt cooked what he had planned for Sunday: smoked BBQ rib dinner and carrott carrot cake for dessert (see how my married name has affected my spelling?). And, of course, we snuggled.

I just love being a mama.

Inspiration and Thanks.

“Nursing is an art...it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit?” 

Florence Nightingale

A blessed Nurses' Day to my fellow nurses everywhere.

A little PEP in your step...

Note: this post was written nearly 2 months ago, but it's taken me that long to get a certain picture that I wanted for the post! Hey, that's life with a toddler.

 
Eighteen months isn't a real birthday, but it still felt so momentous...so...old, for a baby. Where she's not quite a baby, but not fully talking toddler. I've had my eye on something special for Paige, that's been beckoning me every time I visit the Etsy shop of Crystal Johnsen, a mom, crafter, and writer of the blog Little Bit Funky. It couldn't be more appropriate than for Paige. First, a story...

You see, Matt and I simply could not decide on a baby girl name...boy's was in the bag before we were ever pregnant, but of course, we were having a girl. We would compare lists frequently, and read through three different baby name books. Near the end of the pregnancy, Matt proclaimed he'd found the answer: Paige. I actually loved Paige, but didn't love the initials: P.P. Yep, one of my co-workers had a daughter named Paige, last name starting with P, who was in junior high and in the midst of heckels of you-guessed-it from ruthless boys. She passed the warning on to me from her daughter, even though I'd not shared our name ideas with anyone.

 

This bothered me those last few weeks, but what was I to do? I finally came to the realization that, if paired with my Grandma's name, Evelyn (which I'd hoped to use for her middle name anyway), it would be "P.E.P." Think of the cute nicknames...Pep, Peppy...besides, she would likely marry one day and take another name...right? She couldn't hate us forever. So I told Matt, it was either Evelyn Paige, or Paige Evelyn...and Paige Evelyn it was. Secretly, I planned to try and beg and bribe talk him into my other favorite name while I was in labor in the delivery room...

"What will be your daughter's name?" Suddenly, here I was, in the O.R.--not the delivery room I'd hoped for, and I certainly had not planned on the panic and rushing of so many nurses and physicians around me. As my nurse midwife, MaryAnne, snapped pictures with my camera, and Matt was off somewhere else putting on scrubs, and the anesthesiologist was trying to distract me by asking this question, I stammered: "Um, well...Paige Evelyn". 

Now, I wouldn't have it any other way. I should have known our little baby girl would live up to her...initials!

You can get your own pillow (initials or full name), or any number of lovely, cheerful, homemade goods here. As you can see, we have a satisfied customer--even Matt thought it was "cool"! Check out Crystal's fun and inspiring blog, "Little Bit Funky" too...button is on the right!

The Blur That Was Last Week.

I don't know what it was about last week, but it felt different. It was such a blur, I can barely remember the first part of it. I was supposed to be catching up in my research class all week, but I'd find something else to do every time...or fall asleep while reading or listening to online lectures. My final is Monday was today. Yikes. On second thought, "yikes" still fits...but it's a good thing that I'm a better paper writer than test taker. I now have 2 weeks of academic freedom! 

One thing from last week that I'm reminded of every time I look at Paige: her fall in the driveway. I was dropping off a meal at my friend Regina's (I drove Matt's new-to-us car, now that's something else that happened last week), and realized as I drove home that I really had to use the little girl's room. When I made it home, I dropped my bag at the door and rushed to the bathroom! That's when I noticed Paige's purple dress on the floor...first aid basket out...band-aids...steri-strips...STERI-STRIPS?!?!?

As soon as I was out of the bathroom, I gasped, "What happened to Paige?!?" There she was, laughing and stuffing her face with cheese in her high chair--a good portion of skin missing from the left side of her nose and a soggy band-aid on her left forehead. Matt had been working on getting a garage sale together for the weekend block sale, so Susie had come over to watch Paige. The combination of being outside and playing with Aunt Susie had apparently put Peppy into overdrive. She ran so fast and tripped and fell so hard that Sue said she somersaulted. I feel horrible that I wasn't there. A few bites of her daddy's awesome chocolate cake and Sesame Street/Curious George band-aids seem to have fixed her right up. So now she points to her head, saying, "Elmo?" Thankfully, no steri-strips.

Matt held a garage sale with the rest of the neighborhood. I was unable to help (and, for the record, I warned him of this!) since I had to work Thursday and Friday nights. I still can't figure out how he managed to feed Paige and keep her in check while dealing with the crowds. Saturday it rained all day, so he didn't open up shop...it went to Goodwill instead. Bonus: the garage is clean too. I had to run to the bank to get Matt change after I got home from work...stopped by one of the other garage sales and met a nice mom our age and her 2-year-old. She refused to take money for the toddler clothes I wanted to buy from her! Note to self: bring her cookies.

Mom had come down to help watch Paige Saturday while the sale was supposed to be going on. They must have had a super great time, since she slept 13 hours that night! Mom & Sue went out to dinner with us, and the coolest thing happened...we didn't worry about cigarette smoke! That's right, Michigan restaurants and bars are smoke-free now, so no one--especially people with asthma (like Mom & Sue) has to choose between breathing and having a nice dinner out. Gee, what a concept!

Hope you're all breathing easy in the spring pollen, and enjoying the sunshine and God's creation! Next on my school-free agenda: crafting craziness and DIY daze!