They're gone...

The kiddies are en route to Minnesota right now. They left this morning around 9. They were both RIDICULOUSLY excited to go, but this Mama was ridiculously sad to see them go.

Aaron got to town yesterday around 6pm. The kids and I met him at our FAVORITE Mexican restaurant, Cebollas, for dinner and then ran to Target for a few last minute supplies for their trip. This was the first time that I insisted that Aaron buy his own kid necessities for his house, rather than taking mine with him (only to NOT return them!). The evening went well, considering (our disdain for one another). After our quick shopping trip, the kids and I went home (Aaron stayed with a friend) and began the wretched chore of packing. Ugh!

This morning went well. Aaron came over first thing, loaded up the car, packed a cooler, and they were on their way....

I made both kids PROMISE to call me everyday (although I know they won't WANT to talk to me everyday!) and made them pose for a quick picture on their way out the door. As every other time, I know the kids will have a GREAT time with their Dad, and I REALLY do want the break from reality...but I cried for a greater part of the nine o'clock hour thinking about how my little loves won't be home when I get off work tonight, or there in the morning when I wake up. Here's to making the most of these next seven days!

buh bye now...

The kids leave in a few days for MN. I am super excited for some time alone, but of course I'll miss my babies. I've started a list of things I need/want to get done while my hunny-bunches-of-energy are gone.

1) Clean out the garage. I have four or five totes of "stuff" sitting on my garage floor waiting to make their way up to the attic. I tried going into the attic once, but only with a lot of encouragement from my babies cheering me on from below, remember? The fiasco ended with me cursing all men (because putting heavy totes into a hot, buggy attic is clearly not for my kind), breaking a freshly manicured thumb nail, and most importantly, promising myself that I'd never again attempt to put anything in the attic. JM swears that this is a man's job and that he'll handle this. Perhaps I'll let him do it while I supervise. I'm great at that.

2) Finish my bedroom makeover. I started my bedroom remodel about four months ago. I talked about it here and here . It got a fresh coat of paint, new furniture, and new bedding. I have yet to hang anything on the walls or decorate beyond a framed picture of my grandparents on my nightstand. I'm planning to rearrange the furniture, hang a mirror, hang black and white pictures (maybe of the kids?), and HOPEFULLY move out the treadmill-turned-closet.

3) Road trip to Michigan. This weekend, JM and I will make the trek to Grand Rapids so I can meet some of his family! I'm SUPER excited to meet these amazing people I've heard so much about! JM is an incredible man, and it'll be nice to be a part of "his world" for a weekend! He's been so patient and understanding, driving to FTW to see ME all the time; I'm ready to go to his stomping grounds for a couple days! The following weekend, Megan and I are taking a day trip to St.Joe, MI. One of her teacher friends told her about the quaint little town, so we figured we'd take the day and explore. From there, we're going to Chicago, where we'll (hopefully) meet up with Adam and Gary for dinner/drinks, before getting the kids back the following day!

4) Try a new eatery. Every time my kids are gone, my old boss promises to take me to a local restaurant that I've not yet experienced. Last time we went to Henry's for a burger, YUM! And the time before that we went to Aboite Grill, where I tried tons of new foods! This time we're thinking either Bourbon Street in downtown FTW, or Joseph Dequis in Roanoke. Either choice will be delish, of course! I can't wait!

5) Get back-to-school ready. My baby starts school in less than four weeks. I CANNOT BELIEVE that Lilly is going into kindergarten already! We had a BLAST school-shopping last weekend. Nana definitely took care of Princess Lilly, preparing her to enter kindergarten as fashionable as possible! Lilly is very excited to go to a new school, but I can't help but worry about her making this very big change. Lilly has been through a lot of change in the past two years and has handled herself very well. I'm sure this will be no different. But still..she's my baby! I need to get myself ready to send the queen off to kindergarten. (Prayers please!)

The last time the kids were in MN was when Jeff and I started spending time together, outside of work. We were together EVERY evening and really got to know each other. It was AMAZING! I am TRYING to embrace my eight kidless days as much as possible, as I know it'll be December until it happens again!

Mothering

Happy July 1st, all! When I was telling the kids that it's July already (as though this means ANYTHING to them), I was reminded of my 7th grade English teacher Mrs.Wion. On the first of every month, Mrs.Wion would make a dramatic presentation (complete with tears) about how there had been a death the night before, and a birth that morning. Hmmmm? She was weird.

Last night began the start to a seven-day stay with JM. He's working closer to FTW than usual, so he's able to come to my house after work for the next few workdays. Also, with it being a long holiday weekend, he's staying with us! I'm super excited to have him here, and a little anxious to see how the week will go. I'm a creature of habit, so anything (or anyone) who throws that off, may reap the negative effects of my controlling demeanor. JM reads me really well and knows when I'm needing some attention from AFAR! I'm confident that the next week will be pure (errr, mostly) bliss!

I realized this morning as the kids and I pulled into daycare listening to Ke$ha that I probably don't have the best music selections for my kids all the time. I've never been a big fan of Ke$ha's, but some of her stuff is catchy...just ask Anderson! I know I know, tacky. Bad mom.

The kids leave in a few short weeks for MN. They'll be gone for ten days. I'm nervous because this is the first time they're going there when Aaron and I just blatenly aren't getting along. He's gone days without calling the kids, he's been nothing but nasssty to me, and I've lost all but an ounce of resepect for him (that one ounce being the fact that my mom said I HAD to respect him as the father of my children). It's going to be tough sending them off with him this time, but I have a lot of stuff planned to keep my mind busy...including a weekend getaway to MI to meet Jeff's families!! I always look forward to my time away from the kids, and I know they need the time with their dad, but I still hate the thought of not being with them for ten whole days! EEEEK!

You're scary!

So I've been dating my boyfriend for about four months now. Things are pretty great...better than great, actually! We both work for the same company, and all the coworkers at my campus told us that we should hang out and get to know each other. "Not gonna happen," we had both promised (them, each other, and ourselves). We were like the male/female version of each other; perfectly content in our single, simple lives. Well, one "not-a-date" later we became inseparable. Things have been nearly perfect ever since! We have the most open, honest, and loving communication. JM treats me like gold, he respects me, he adores me, he makes me feel like I'm the most important thing in his world, he does anything to try to keep me happy...and for those of you who know me well, that ain't easy! LOL! Okay, okay, I could go on for hours talking about how great he is, but let me get to the point of this post...

JM has NEVER yelled at me. Never. He's never even slightly raised his voice at me. He is so level-headed and gentle that the thought of him getting upset (at anyone) seems so far-fetched. Well, last night it finally happened (errrr, KINDA). I don't write this to display him as a monster (because that'd be impossible), but rather show how ridiculously nice this man is. Here's what happened:

JM had a long day at work. He has a lot of responsibility with his job and sometimes it gets exhausting, or at least I'd assume it does. Although he never complains about his job and does an amazing job of "leaving it at the office," last night was just one of those nights. I could tell he had a lot on his mind, as he talked about work for awhile before things turned ugly (for us!)! I started in on my normal needy tactics, he wasn't saying the right (enough) things, and I ended up pouting and telling him I needed space. He and I both knew how ridiculous this was, and normally JM would "save us" and swoop me up and tell me how perfect I am and how much he adores me. (Yes, this works for me. Childish? Perhaps!) But tonight was different...my gentle, loving, nurturing boyfriend blurted out:
"You want me to give you space? Well fine! Maybe we both need space. I'm sorry Gretchen, but I'm not going to apologize, I'm sorry. I won't. I'm serious. I'm sorry."
Now, anyone who knows JM knows that this is completely out of character for him. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. And this argument (or sad, pathetic rant), just further proved how insanely kind my boyfriend really is. In his fit of anger (which lasted a total of 2 minutes), he managed to "not apologize" four times, tell me how pretty I am, tell me how much he adores me, etc. This guy does not have the ability to be mean. He truly is the nicest person in the world!

I know I'm a lucky girl. I know I need to make sure I wake up everyday and try to make HIS day a better day. My normal bratty ways need to vanish. I don't want to push JM to his breaking point (no matter how severe). JM is a true blessing to my life. I feel complete.

She really IS though...

During my morning read on Yahoo, I came across an interesting article. As parents, its our given right to believe that our children are brilliant,(even if they're not!)! You can read the entire article here, but here are points that stuck out to me!

Retains Information: The term "in one ear and out the other" seems to apply to most children. Those who are a cut above when it comes to intelligence actually retain a wide variety of information and are able to recall it at a later time.
Does retaining even not-so-valuable-info count? My precious five-year old is the master at holding onto things and bringing them up (using them against you, even) months later. Lilly can still recall times that her brother got to do something and she didn't. She remembers times when I wouldn't get her her "gladiola" sandals for her birthday that she was just dyyyyying to have. Who knew that all these memories were a sign of her retaining information and being on her way to baby genius status?

Wide Spectrum of Interests: Gifted kiddos display an interest in a wide variety of topics. They may like dinosaurs one month, space the next month, and so fourth.
While my darling daughter isn't a fan of aerodynamics or extinct animals, my doll baby does display an interest in a wide array of things...mostly fashion accessories. While one day she is obsessed with her thousands of multi-colored bracelets, the next day she is onto new flip flops, endless bathing suit options, and occasionally switches up her favorite Taylor Swift song for the week! Does this count?

Writes and Reads Early: If your tot is a smarty pants, she may be able to read and write very early on and without having had any real formal teaching.
On a more serious note, I do have to say that I am very impressed with Lilly's writing skills. After her 5th birthday party, she sat down at the table and had to write everyone a thank you card. Of course I had to help her with the spelling, but she wrote each and every note on her own. She loves to write-- maybe she'll be an author (ya know, if that fashion career falls through!)!

Is Musically or Artistically Talented: Children who display an unusual talent for music and/or art are often considered gifted. Tots who can draw things to perspective, have perfect pitch, or display any other higher perception of forms of art usually fall into the gifted category.
Lilly is a great little artist! I've never seen a five year old make such masterpieces with sidewalk chalk! She's seriously a great little artist..and I secretly love how skinny she makes me look in every portrait!!!

Has an Advanced Vocabulary: A tot who's early to speak is not a sign of giftedness alone, but if your lil talker is using advanced vocabulary and sentences, then he or she may be as bright as you think. According to the NAGC, "Children at age two make sentences like: 'There's a doggie.' A two-year-old who is gifted might say, 'There's a brown doggie in the backyard and he's sniffing our flower.' "
If either of my children used the word "doggie" after the age of one, I'd flick them! I've never been one to baby-talk with my kids, even when they were babies. I have always talked to them like people, maybe to a fault. Lilly has started (correctly) using the word "literally"....The other day she said "Are you seriously going to wear that? I can literally see your brawl right thought that shirt." Wow.


Okay okay, maybe my tot isn't a genius, but she is a smart little girl! She is hilarious (and knows it), and I just love her to pieces!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's just one of those things...

As I prepare for my little princess to start kindergarten in two short months, I am realizing how much more complicated things will be! We were trying to book our fall vacation, but for the first time, had to be aware of a school schedule! It seemed so weird to me! My little lady is too young to possibly be starting school, not to mention we are so comfortable in our routine, this is really going to throw us all for a loop (hopefully just temporarily!)! I'm nervous to go through this alone, but I know I'll work it out, as I always do!!!

Another thing I've had to consider is the visitation that I'll have to set up with Aaron. As things are now, the kids are able to go to their dad's house a few times a year. With Lilly starting school, that's going to be a little more difficult! They will visit for ten days in July and then probably won't be able to go back until Christmas break, if even then. It stinks, for everyone. I'm doing my best to "share" the kids as much as possible, but it's so hard with the distance, as it is. I just know this new school schedule is going to complicate things even more. I'm hopeful that things will fall into place nicely, without much conflict from Aaron. We'll see!

I know tons of families deal with distance like this all the time. I'm sure we'll get it all worked out. It's just going to take a lot of compromise between Aaron and I. ...and we all know how well THAT works! Oh well...I guess it's just one of things things we're going to have to conquer for the sake of our babies!

Crybaby

I cry. A lot.

But, I've noticed lately that I rarely ever cry anymore. I don't know if I just feel happier overall, or if I've learned to control my emotions better. I don't know?

I overheard a very "interesting" conversation Sunday afternoon. I was the recipient of a pocket dial. I heard some really gross things. Things that made my hands shake. Things that made me sick to my stomach. And things that helped validate that everything I had been concerned about, where in fact true. I hung up the phone and quickly called my mom. Although I already knew what my mom would say, I still needed to hear her laugh with me about what I heard, remind me how much better my life is now, and assure me that me and the kids were going to continue to be okay. Yes, I shed a few tears, but at the end of the conversation, that was it. This was something that, in the past, would have stuck with me for days (maybe even weeks!). It would have weighed heavy on my heart, my mind would have been a mess, and I would have cried endless tears over this.

Maybe I'm growing up? Perhaps it's me moving on? Or it could be that I just stopped giving a hoot about the worthless people in my life!!! Regardless, I am proud of myself for not constantly thinking about this incident and letting it ruin my happy day!


Happy first day of summer!!!!