Lawrence is 2!!

Thanks for my stickers grandma.


Happy Birthday Lawrence!


This is yummy peppermint chocolate cake for the big people.

The unexpected

Hey there,
Its been a while because:
1. We found out a week before that we needed to be in Gettysburg PA the next weekend(weekend right before Thanksgiving) for a conference. So we drove the 10 hours both ways. We were only 2-3 hours from my folks but they were headed to NC so we just went and came back. Nuts.
Highlights?: The kids loved the pool and childcare.

Thanksgiving: We were hosting another family and 6 internationals. However, at 10am we lost our electricity! I went to the neighbors and found out that a transformer had blown and everyone for a few blocks lost power, for who knows how long. SO, last minute we moved the whole shabang to the other families house(phew!) It turned out well. Can you believe I've lived overseas 7 years and never lost power as much as I have here in KY? :) Speaking of overseas, I was inspired from past Thanksgivings with the Sawyers, to make real Cranberry sauce and yummy apple, sausage stuffing. Thanks Sawyers. Ahhh it makes me a bit sad to not celebrate with old friends:( Remember Caroline putting her blank on you and rubbing your belly Kevkin?

Big news: Lawrence is now sleeping in a big boys bed. Wow. Hard to believe. And he is just so much more able to understand and talk. SOOO freeing. But, so much discipline to be had. . .

hair cut

So, Mark has been on my case for some time to get those curls up to a "boy"level. I must admit I was hesitant, and now am a bit nostalgic as I look at this video. Aren't they great curls?





So, here he is without curls with Caroline for our Christmas pic:

Wall paper removal by Lawrence

Law was a little upset about his naptime yesterday. I was one tired mommy. So I let him up there for a while. I could hear him moving his bed, but didn't know the damage he was doing until after he woke up from his nap. see following picture:




Law at his best singing O come let us adore him:

Library

One of the things I was excited about in moving back to the states was the public library! WOOHOO.

Well, after yesterday, I'm not sure I'm taking both my kids there again for a while, maybe around the due date of the books. . . we'll see.

Any wisdom seasoned american mothers? Caroline is fine, we went for reading time. Lawrence on the other hand gave me a run for my $. They have these buckets of toys they put out for between reading times. We get there right before a reading time, but not right at reading time, so my kids find some toys. Well as soon as Law gets attached to some rings(he calls bagels) they librarian comes along and tries to get him to let go of them. OHHH NOOO, he's not giving them up. I, a little embarrased ask him to give them to her and then proceed to take them out of his hand. Imagine a almost 2 year old screaming "Bagel, Bagel I want my bagel" over and over at the top of his lungs. Now, I'm 5 months prego, and I'm trying to hold down my big boy. I try taking him to the water fountain, no go, the train table, uh uh, the other section of the library, no way "bagel, bagel I want my bagel" Ok, I'm done. Lets get Caroline and go home. Wait, how do I get Caroline in the middle of 10 kids and 10 parents? Ok, no ones helping. Everyones looking at me. Law is still screaming. Can't I just give him a darn bagel? NO, I can't give in, everyones watching, then all their little kids are going to want their version of a bagel. AHHHHHHHH.

So, I don't think its fair to rip Car out of the reading time, nor can I handle 2 screamin kids. So I give him 1 of the bagels. He is still crying, but a bit consoled. The librarian is opening in a round of Old MacDonald and that grabs his attention. . . Ok, its over, toys out again. I survived.

But come on. At first I was mad at the stupid library for having toys at all. Isnt' this reading time? Then I was mad at the librarian for making him give them up, can't he just keep the bagels? Then I was mad at all the calm mothers and fathers sitting there not helping me out, HELP!! Then I thought, maybe I'm the nutcase. Maybe my kids are way out of control. Maybe I just shouldn't go out.

Ok, I feel better. But I still won't be going back to the library with Lawrence anytime soon.. .

Meg

A little meeting of the neighbors. It worked! We met a bunch of them and talked with them for a few minutes!



























My new highlights. Better Glynnis, better. . .

One of those days. AAAAHHHHH. The kids seem to be at each other all the time. Maybe I'm trying to do too much, you know, the dishes, the laundry, freeze the meat before it goes bad. . . I don't know. I have them quiet at the moment, no they have themselves quiet at the moment. but I couldn't resist writing in the midst of the chaos. Today I went to the Post Office and its the 2nd time I've gone and dreaded it as my kids go nuts there. I bribed them with candy the whole time and it went better, but I told the post office man(praise the Lord hes a sweet one) that I won't be coming back after #3 is born. He said, thats why I quit at 2. Ok, sweet, but not as thoughtful as he could be. Ok, kids are fighting over a block. I wish Tedd Tripp would come parent my children. He'd do a much better job. Maybe I could hire him. Maybe I could go have a spiritual retreat so I can really do what I'd like to do in parenting. Anyway, I'm off to be the peacemaker or just send them to bed.