Adventures of Eden the Determined

She awoke earlier than normal feeling that something was missing. Not knowing how to find it in the early morning dark, she let out a cry. Then another, only louder. The tall scratchy-faced one came through her door, retrieving the lost item. Ah, that it's--my pacifier.


As the scratchy-faced one left, she heard a cry from the brother. Well, if he's getting up, then I want up too!


This time the milk provider came. Eden was retrieved from her slumber fortress and transported to the sofa. A nice breakfast and a journey to the foreign "backyard" land were all she could take. A rest is what she needs, but not before a visit to the porcelain throne room.


"I am big enough," she thought to herself. "I do not need the milk provider to pluck me from this throne. I shall leap to floor." She lurched forward, but alas, she swan dived into the floor. Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark.Thankfully, the milk provider is also very comforting in these moments.


After a peaceful rest, she again awoke to the noises of the brother. Again it was time to venture outside where it was warm and sunny. She assisted the milk provider in the application of water to grassy areas, careful to avoid getting wet. It was all for naught, though. The brother eventually found ways of hosing her down.


"Never fear," she thought. "A quick cry to the milk provider, and I shall be dry again."


After receiving her dry clothes, Eden realized her belly was once again rumbling. This time the milk provider was well aware and preparing for lunch.


The brother, now also extremely wet, distracts the milk provider long enough for Eden to reach great lengths and hoist the pureed veggies from their resting spot.


"I am big enough. I can feed myself," she thought.

(Please note bruise on center of forehead.)

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After this, Eden played in shaving foam (cheap entertainment, folks), had a bath, and is now resisting nap time. Ahhhhh, what a day!

It Was A 3 Bath Day

Bath #1
10:30 a.m. Got Eden out of bed to dash off to Owen's speech therapy appointment, only to discover she had a full-out diaper explosion.

Bath#2
6:15 p.m. After playing in the garden/compost pile, and eating "dirt," Eden was covered in mud head to toe. (pictures to come)

Bath#3
7:00 p.m. We had spaghetti for dinner. 'Nuff said.

A bit of randomness

Owen at almost 16 months: (taken August 2006--professional magazine photo shoot)

Eden at almost 16 months: (taken last Thursday--with my point & click digital in poor lighting)Random video:

Overheard at the Cramer house

Owen to Eden: "You're drivin' me crazy!"
Eden: "Hi-eee!"
Owen: "Silwee, silwee, silwee." (said while patting Eden's head)
Eden: "Ha-iiii-eee!"
Owen: "Oh no! Holy, moly!" (said when we came to a red light while rushing to sports class)
Eden: "Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi!" (said as soon as daddy opens the door)
Owen: "Hubba, hubba." (said after his mom whistled at him)
Eden: "Blither, blabur, HI" (said morning, noon, and night)

Added a few minutes later: Eden also now says "pah-wease" as she signs please. She also learned to pick her nose (her brother confessed to teaching her--with much pride, I must say). She thinks it's downright HILARIOUS!

A Day In Time

Got this idea from my friend, Gena, at Harmonious House. Thanks, Gena!

2 a.m.ish Awoken by daughter who currently has a habit of screaming in her sleep. Say a silent prayer thanking God for my saint of a husband who gets up to quiet said screaming baby.
6 a.m. Awoken again by daughter who likes to start waking up with half-hearted whining-cry for about an hour.
6:28 a.m. Son is now awake yelling that he needs to pee. I scream, "So get up and GO!" Son ignores his mother, and continues yelling "PEE!" Husband moans. Daughter now screaming and definitely awake. I moan. Husband gets up to tell son to pee. He comes back to bed.
6:35 a.m. I debate whether I should shower now with all children awake, and one screaming--knowing that husband will stay in bed despite the chaos. I suggest he bring daughter to bed. He complies, but upon seeing her mommy daughter now has shrill-like scream in protest to being forced to lay down without mommy. I sigh--slight chance of a shower now. I crawl into bed, but not before bringing son with me--because, of course, he now too wants to join in the fun.
7 a.m. After a half-hour of trying to convince children to lay still for a blessed 20 more minutes I get up with daughter to nurse. Son, now knowing it's time to be up, shakes his daddy, "Time to get up, Dad, it's morning." Husband moans.
7:15 a.m. Breakfast, quick shower for me, and the husband's off to teach. I scramble to get myself and kids ready--son has "sporties for shorties" at 9 a.m. We make it on time! No small feat. Run back home, grab library book that's due today, and we're off again. Daughter falls asleep in car. Mom takes extra long way home to enjoy some peace & quiet.
Noon Lunch and another nursing. Husband is home, so we get a few minutes to talk about life--a stressful conversation, but definitely needed. Husband is leaving for 2nd job soon, but we get a good half-hour of rough-housing with the kids on the floor. Daughter goes down for nap, son and mom do preschool work, and then he's down for a nap too.
1:45 p.m. Mom goes to computer to check-in at work, catch-up on e-mail, and check-in on facebook. All is well. Decide that since husband is working late tonight, a nap might be needed--or, at least some quiet prayer time to reflect on said earlier "stressful conversation."
3:02 p.m. Eyes shot open--phone is ringing (ugh, usually I remember to turn all phones off). I don't recognize number, so I hit ignore, and close eyes. Buzz. A message. Great, now the curiosity won't allow me to go back to sleep. I check the message--possible new student for Matt. I get up & call her back. Sounds like a great lead. Back to bed.
4:08 p.m. Wake--wow, kids are still asleep. Check-in with work again. Go wake up kids. Sit on couch with kids and watch PBS cooking shows to ease them into being awake. This is heaven. Curled up on the couch with the world's cutest kids, watching someone else cook, and hearing son say "Mmmmmm, good."
5:00 p.m. Open curtains to allow setting sun in house. Turn around to see all the dust in my kitchen and living room. Decide to dust and wipe down cabinets. Daughter wants to "help." Give her clean rag, because her sweater that she chose probably isn't the best cleaning cloth.
5:30 p.m. Dinner time. Daughter whining and signing please for anything resembling food. Pop leftovers into microwave, and ask son to help set table. Kids eat without complaint or fight--a small miracle and victory that gives me hope for a peaceful evening. Make fresh whipped cream and serve with strawberries--everyone is happy.
6:18 p.m. Kids playing in daughter's room. Mom begins contemplating what needs to be done for tomorrow. Work on laundry.
6: 48 p.m. Daughter signs please to be brought up on couch with mom. Play peek-a-boo with daughter, and do a final nursing before bed. Pajamas, face washed, and daughter is down for night.
7:30 p.m. Allow son to play on computer, so that mom can fold laundry and watch television. Check on son during commercials, because he's becoming faster at computer know-how daily. Finish laundry, and decide to do a quick work-out (and by work out I mean jump on mini trampoline for 10 minutes, and then power tidy around house). Grab a handful of semi-sweet morsels, 'cause I deserve it.
8:30 p.m. Pajamas, teeth brushed, read books, and say prayers. Son is ready for bed. Mom heads to desk to finish prepping for tomorrow, check-in on facebook once more, and spend time on blog.
9:02 p.m. Son is hollering for his momma. "Color." "No." "Color." "No." "Color!" (This time with kicking feet.) Sigh. Here we go. Mom stands firm, son starts screaming. Mom leaves son crying and screaming--please, please, please don't wake up your sister.
9:22 p.m. Son now doing the "gulp-gulp-sigh" cry, mom's heart breaks, but she's also a bit perturbed. Grabs handful of tissues. Wipes his eyes, but firmly says "No coloring, it's time to go to sleep." "Momma bed." "No, you need to sleep in your bed." "Momma bed, please." "No." "Scared momma. Please momma bed." Sigh. Pray with son, and ask if I give him his Doodle Pro, would he please go to sleep. Deal. Son doesn't color. Just holds Doodle Pro and closes eyes. Unsure if I just totally failed as a mother. Return to blog, and await husband's return.

I LOVE MY JOB.

That is all.

Tidbits

• Few things are as wondeful than hearing my wee babes pray. Eden said "Amen" for the first time yesterday. Um, yeah, so that's her 3rd word. Dada, Momma, and Amen. Pretty cool. Owen's prayers are full of "thank you for friends," "thank you for camping mountains," "thank you for Dad, Momma, Eden, Owen, Pacas (his word for Grandmas and Grandpas) and friends" (he thanks God frequently for friends).
• Both kids are singing old-school Sunday School songs with me (I tend to sing when making meals for them). Owen is really good at "Jesus Loves Me" and "Down In My Heart." In the latter, he hollers out "WHERE?!" everyone time I pause. Then I hear him throughout the day singing "...joy, joy, joy--where?" Eden keeps up pretty good too. I think she'll be singing before she's talking.
• Owen's speech is rapidly developing these days. I hear him playing with his toys acting out stories. He will do voices for each of his trains and cars. I love that all his trains remember to say please and thank you.
• I'm thrilled that my kiddos get along so well, and play together frequently by choice. They do enjoy their quiet separate time, but for the most part they want to be together.
• Eden took a dive out the front door this week. Owen saw Daddy coming, and not realizing that Eden was leaning on the screen--he opened the screen door. She caught herself, but not before scrapping her head on the concrete. Ouch. A little blood, a few tears, and seconds later she was up and running again.
• In the last week it seems Owen's desire to learn has increased to warp speed. It took us a month in January to get about a week's worth of schooling done. We've zipped through 2 weeks this week alone, and done several extra projects. I learned that as long as I keep new things on the school wall, he'll eagerly want to get them done. It usually takes a bit of prodding to start, but once he's started he zooms through the rest. He asks A LOT of questions, occasionally asks for help, and is bummed when we stop (usually b/c he's finished all that I've prepared). We've been working on colors, shapes, writing letters, learning new words, number recognition and counting, understanding things like same or different, and lining things up in a row. He's also learning parts of the body, and we're reading "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". (We're also reading "James and the Giant Peach" at naptime). He recently made a collage and learned about Henry Matisse. From previous posts you know that he recognizes and can write his own name. He's a sharp kid, and works very hard.
• I start my new job on Monday. It's the weirdest thing--normally I would be overwhelmed with anxiousness and excitement, but I'm very peaceful about it. I am thrilled and looking forward to working, but I don't feel stress. Too cool.
• Matt has applied for several worship-leader positions, we're praying for one nearby. We don't want to move, but we've put this on God's shoulders to handle. A few weeks ago it seemed that Matt would lose several hours at Starbucks, but he's maintained a steady schedule. Starbucks has changed their policies on vacation accrual, so he having to take vacation time. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise, b/c Matt really needs (WE ALL NEED) some down time together.
• Lately I feel that I'm coming into my own skin, becoming much more acceptive of who I am. I announced to Matt a few nights ago that I'm the type of girl who tucks her hair behind her ears and scrunches her sleeves up--and I'm okay with that. Okay, that sounds odd, but had you been living in my head the last 28 years you'd know that I argue with myself daily about those things and others. I'm constantly telling myself to stop tucking & scrunching. Why? Somewhere during life I told myself it wasn't okay for whatever reasons. So, if you see me tucking my hair behind my ears and scrunching my sleeves up--just smile.
• Speaking of smiling--I got called for jury duty for the first time!! I'm so excited. I hope they pick me! In college I went to trials for my law classes (back in the day when I planned to go to law school). I had such a good time that I kept going FOR FUN! (Yes, I'm a freak. A hair tucking, sleeve scrunching, jury duty loving, FREAK, but hey--I'm okay with that. ;)