Introducing...

...my newest niece, Caroline (as in 'sweet Caroline') Lillian.  Born yesterday (June 6) to my youngest brother and his wife, she is 7 lbs, 12 oz of perfection.

Isn't she beautiful???

I just love a newborn baby in my arms!

Big cousin Staley is smitten!!

(Adelie was too, but I wasn't brave enough to try to get her in a picture with Caroline yet.)

A new big brother and proud father.

And while Evan and Melissa were busy having a new baby, big brother Liam has been busy doing things like this...

I

Sorry, Evan.  And future Liam.

Making a Difference

Yesterday, after 32 years of teaching, my mom retired.  I got the privilege of attending the retirement luncheon that they have at her school each year to honor the retirees.  It was nice to be able to share that moment with her, to hear all the wonderful things that people shared about her, and to witness the difference she had made in the lives of those she encountered in her 6 years at Washington High School.  But what struck me the most were some of the brief words she shared while being recognized.

My mother is an amazing woman.  She is energetic and upbeat, positive and nurturing.  But her passion is people.  She just has a way of making everyone around her feel good.  And that's a great trait to have, but my mother uses it with a purpose.  She has a way of being in each moment and finding those individuals who need that interest, that attention, that validation, that love.  She sees the people that others don't.  She reaches out to those individuals that others shy away from.  She embraces those who are different.  Those who are lost.  Those who are invisible.  And she not only makes them FEEL important, she makes sure that they KNOW that they are important.

My mother shared some words with the other teachers and school employees at her retirement luncheon yesterday.  She said that there are students who may not share the same enthusiasm for your class or your teaching that you have.  But she said that there are others for whom one teacher could be the difference in that student's four years of school.  Her advice:  Look for those kids.  Look for those people that you taking the extra time, the extra interest, the extra attention could truly change their day.  Their year.  Their lives.  It's such an important message, not just for teachers, but for all of us.

I know that every person my mother came in contact with over her 32 years as a teacher is better for having known her.  But I also know, without a doubt, that she was the difference in the lives of many of her students and co-workers.  And I take that as a challenge.  I know that I won't make a difference in every person's life.  But I will try to keep my eyes open, to stay in the moment, to really look for those people that may need a difference-maker in their lives...and then try to be one.

Congratulations to my mom.  What a difference maker!!

Church Pictures

We went to church this evening to have our family picture taken for the new church directory.  I had been a little concerned about Adelie's blood blister on her lip and how that would look in the pictures.  As it turned out, that was the least of our problems.

A recipe for disaster:

1.  The picture people were running so far behind that we were at the church for almost an hour before they were ready to actually take our pictures.  And as much as Staley enjoyed dancing on the 'stage' and Adelie enjoyed climbing up and down the steps to the stage, an hour is a LONG time to entertain 2 little girls in the sanctuary of a church.

2.  As our original scheduled time was right before dinner, an hour later we had passed up our normal dinner time and were quickly approaching bedtime.  That's generally not the best combination for cooperative, compliant, smiling, happy girls.

3.  The photographer who got the unfortunate job of trying to photograph our little family was a nice enough elderly gentleman who knew very little about taking pictures of young children.  He kept trying to calmly explain to Adelie (as she was wriggling off my lap) and Staley (as she was standing on one foot, spinning around, putting her hand on her head) that they needed to stay still and look at the camera.   As I'm sure you can imagine, his strategy did not prove very effective.

4. I had been very up-front with our photographer that we JUST wanted to get the photo for the directory and would not be purchasing any pictures.  He informed me that he would still take a variety of shots and poses as it was required of him.  After 2 poses and about 10 pictures (when Adelie was starting to cry and Staley was refusing to stand up), he gave up.

5.  The tough part was that we still had to choose a photo that will be displayed in our church directory.  In most of the pictures, Staley had this awful grimace (I think she was trying to smile) and there were several pictures that at least one of the girls was looking in the wrong direction.  One picture was SO bad that I actually laughed out loud when I saw it.  When it was all said and done, I found ONE picture that I'm not embarrassed to have in the church directory.  And all things considered, I'm calling that a success.

Danger is her Middle Name

Adelie has no fear.  If it's there, she'll try to climb it.  And if she falls off, she'll get up and try to climb it again.  The following photos were taken within a 10 minute time frame this morning to illustrate my point.  THIS is my Adelie...  

Her favorite place to hang out in Staley's room

Climbing onto the rocking chair in her room...where she then likes to stand up

Unfortunately a new bathroom obsession is climbing onto the toilet.  

And yes, that is a mermaid in her mouth.

Luckily Adelie seems pretty coordinated, because I'm amazed that she doesn't get hurt more often than she does.  Unfortunately, based on her never-stops-moving, always-climbing, living-on-the-edge lifestyle, we still have our fair share of injuries.  And Sunday marked one of the scariest for me so far.  On Sunday afternoon, Staley and I were sitting on her bed reading books.  Adelie was playing on the floor.  All of a sudden, I heard a loud thud.  That horrible type that you just know is going to be followed by some screaming and crying...and probably some bleeding, swelling, or bruising.  I raced off the bed and scooped Adelie up to see blood pouring from her mouth.  We hurried into the bathroom for wet washcloths.  Her mouth bled and bled and bled.  When I looked into her mouth to see where exactly the injury was, I was shocked to discover that she had torn her frenulum (the little piece of tissue that connects her gums to her upper lip.)  A quick Google search calmed me when I discovered that this type of injury is very common and does not require treatment.  It also made me feel a little foolish as it warned not to pull the lip out to look at the injury as this causes increased bleeding (since I had done that no less than 15 times.)  But Adelie, being Adelie, bounced back quickly.  A bloody mouth, a fat lip, and a large scabby blood blister isn't going to stop her.

It may not look great for our church directory pictures tonight, but it's not going to slow my baby down.

New Roommates, Old Roommates, and Roomba too

We've had several changes in our lives the past few weeks.

First off, we have new house guests.  They are helpful, considerate, and fun.  They LOVE spending time with the girls.  They moved into our basement not even a week ago, and they have already done some of my laundry (including folding), offered to cook some meals, and are a nightly request for reading bedtime stories.  I am excited to have my parents staying with us while their new house is being built (in Eureka!!!), but my excitement couldn't possibly match that of the girls.  Grammie and Grandpa ALL THE TIME?  As Staley would say, "Winner, winner, chicken dinner!"

While we have added some new roommates to our lives, last week-end gave me a chance to catch up with some of my old roommates/housemates/teammates/friends.  I got together in St. Louis with my group of college friends for our annual girl's week-end.  We had a lovely, relaxing, fun get-together doing all those things you don't get a chance to do when your lives are run by small children.  We had a 3 hour lunch, leisurely shopped, went to a movie (that did not involve animated characters), enjoyed late night appetizers and dessert, talked for hours, and even slept in.  No one cried when things didn't go their way.  There was no food thrown on the floor.  I only had to pack one small overnight bag.  And I enjoyed 3 meals where I only had to worry about myself.  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

My college friends

And on Mother's Day, we welcomed another addition to our family.  Family member?  Pet?  Toy?  Housekeeper?  Whatever you want to call it, I'm smitten.  It doesn't need to be fed or watered.  It's small and unobtrusive.  It has provided plenty of entertainment for the girls.  And, best of all, it vacuums my house while I'm otherwise occupied (including under the beds, dressers, and other small areas) and then puts itself away when it's done.  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!

Roomba, my robotic vacuum

Hours of entertainment for the whole family

Progress?

Now when we're playing outside, when Adelie puts things in her mouth (acorns, leaves, sticks), she takes them right back out and hands them to me.  That's progress, right?

Question of the Day

Which is more annoying?

Schlepping your two daughters and a half-full grocery cart to the questionable grocery store restroom so your daughter (who emphatically told you 15 minutes ago that she did NOT need to go the bathroom before leaving the house) could use the facilities...

or

...the kid-sized carts that the grocery store puts right at the front of the store (where every child that enters the store is sure to see them) with the metal bar across the front that is at just the right height to hit your Achilles tendon each and every time your child is not paying attention and runs into the back of your legs.

Not to discount your opinion, but if you voted bathroom break, then you've probably never tried to supervise a distractible 3 year old pushing a little cart through a crowded grocery store when you have a long grocery list, time constraints, and unprotected Achilles tendons.