Two Long

I know it's been too long since I've written an update when Geoff has changed jobs twice and we have welcomed two babies into our extended family. Yes, I said two jobs.... more on those babies in a bit.

At the start of spring, Geoff left his job as a contractor at MCR (the job we moved to Dayton for) and rejoined The Circle of Trust as a gov't employee, known in the gov't world as a GS-13. He was excited at the places his spreadsheets could take him, since the KC-X program he had been working on was tied up in a legalities. With a new boss and a new cast of characters at work, Geoff was looking forward to a new challenge, but it was short-lived. Within the last few weeks, Geoff was more less hand-selected to take a job where he will be working directly for a general, amazing the high-ranking officer with his spreadsheeting wizardry. It's a fantastic opportunity for Geoff; within six months he was promoted to a GS-14. Now he will have his own office and be supervising other analysts. He has also been told his job will require him to give briefings at the Pentagon. Geoff is in Excel heaven. Of course the job will be more demanding and require longer hours. The biggest immediate impact this job will have on our family is that I will have to give up my job.

Yes, I too, have been employed; for a month and a half. I had been talking about it for some time, but finally made the decision this summer that I was going to actively seek a tutoring job. Nothing too intense, but something to get me out of the house and back into the field of education. Much to my surprise I was offered a job almost right away at the tutoring center just down the road. It was a perfect fit! About 15 hours a week, tutoring great kids, working with a girl I really enjoy. And it was good for my family, too. Geoff took on a stronger care-taker roll around the house, which in turn created a whole new dimension between him and the girls. While the girls were always a little sad when I left and always psyched to see me when I got home, they were really into their Daddy Time. Though my time as a tutor was short-lived, it gave me two valuable gifts: a chance to be a part of the professional world again, and even more importantly, it gave me great insight on what I can and should be working on at home with the girls to help them succeed in school. Of course I wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't say that planning for and preparing three less meals a week wasn't a nice break, too.

It has been a very busy last eight months around here. At the end of March we took a road trip to Illinois where we stayed with our friends, Clint & Michelle, and met up with fellow O'Town natives to watch Owatonna's junior A hockey team. A short, but enjoyable little family trip to the Land of Lincoln. Our spring trip to Minnesota came a little sooner than expected with the passing of Geoff's Grandpa Beardsley. We packed up the car and ventured to Duluth where had a great time with family and celebrated his grandfather's life; no doubt he was smiling down as we really enjoyed ourselves and our time together. From there Geoff flew back to join The Circle of Trust, and the girls and I went to join our circle of family & friends, where we spent a busy two months going to the cabin for spring cleaning, then back to Owatonna for my nephew Max's birth, making weekly trips to Rochester for my grandpa's radiation treatment at Mayo, and we even managed to sneak in a trip to the Minnesota Zoo, a few hockey games, a concert, a prom, and a high school graduation.

Had it not been for our impending family vacation, I probably would not have left home. But we had our first ever real family vacation on the horizon. And at the end of June we traveled to Washington to visit our family there. I am not exaggerating when I say we had the time of our lives! Geoff golfed nearly every morning at courses in the valley, and in the mountains. We took road trips to various places near Wenatchee where we were staying, we ate fresh cherries right off the tree, but most of all we just enjoyed the company of family. The trip would have been perfect, had it not been for the isolated evening the girls devised a plot to turn their grandparents' house into a canvas of chaos. You can read the full depiction, photographs and all, on my blog under the title Night of the Naughties in the July folder. It's worth the read!

Our eldest naughty started preschool this fall, and both of the girls are now actively pursuing gymnastics. Abby loves to learn, and jumps at the chance to write her letters and practice cutting and gluing. Both girls have turned our house into their personal gymnasium. Anything they can flip off of, they do. And if they could spend all day in their leotards, they'd do that, too.

Right now we're just living the Ohio life. The fields are starting to brown, there are pumpkin patches around every corner, and big red Os everywhere we turn. But are we still rooting for our Minnesota teams? You Betcha!

Oh, and as for that second baby... my cousin Luke and his wife, Molly, welcomed a baby girl into the world on Saturday, Oct. 10th. We're looking forward to seeing Mya Ann Hartle at Christmas. Congrats to Luke & Molly, and to my Aunt Vicky & Uncle LeRoy who are now beaming grandparents!

happy autumn.
*brookie

The Color of Innocence

Snuggled into my bed, Abby and I were enjoying some alone time together watching the Twins game. Abby says very little when asked about preschool. But get her alone with a little snuggle time and she opens wide up.

The following is a snip-it of our conversation Thursday night.

Abby: "Kyla is chocolate."
Brooke: "What does that mean?"
Abby: "What color is chocolate?"
Brooke: "Brown."
Abby: "Kyla is brown."

And that was it.

I Love That Dirty Water

When Abby & Lauren get a song in their heads they lose control and turn it into the dance party of a lifetime.

Here's what I found my lovelies doing when they thought no one was looking....

I Love That Dirty Water

(Remember to pause the playlist on the right side of the screen.)

Turning Thirty-Two

Each morning of my birthday since I can remember my first waking moments are spent thinking, "Today is my birthday!" When I was younger it was always a feeling of excitement.... the special cards, happy birthday wishes, gifts. All for me. All about me. The milestone birthdays were especially important, packed with new privileges that only that magical birthday can bring. And then some time in my mid-twenties the realization that the big Three-O was creeping up began to cast a cloud over my birthday. When the day of the big Three-O arrived it was filled with clouds. And rain. But it was also filled with family & friends who gathered to wish me a happy 30th, a happy golden birthday. It was a great day.

But turning 32.... I guess a mother of two preschoolers should expect nothing less than what I got on my 32nd birthday. I was awakened at 4-something by the word, "Mommy!" No time to even think, "Happy Birthday to me." I ran to the bathroom, grabbed the puke bucket, and cleaned up my lovely. The rest of what should have been our sleeping hours was spent either catching the projectile or waiting for another round. I woke up on the floor of our family room, our traditional staging area for the ill. Lauren crawled into our make-shift bed with Abby & I when she awoke, and the girls and I snuggled, watched a little Good Morning America, I fielded a few early bird birthday calls, and then the best gift a 32 year-old mom could ask for erupted around me. My girls serenaded me with their misstepped version of Happy Birthday To You. It couldn't have been more perfect!

Thank God for that moment. The day just went downhill from there. Oh Abby felt better, and there were no more vomiting episodes. And Geoff did come home at lunch with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. But there were countless behavioral issues, followed by burnt take-out and a homemade birthday cake that was short on frosting. And I did receive several phone calls, e-mails, cards and Facebook birthday greetings, which in themselves truly helped to salvage my spirits. I've certainly had better birthdays, but I'm quite happy to be walking in my shoes.

So how do you follow a day like that? Well, if you're a mother of these two lovelies, you start the next day with a peaceful walk so early the sun has not even begun to rise wearing those comfy worn-in shoes. You admire the clear skies and vibrant stars, and then you become a casualty of the darkness, and step in your own dog's steamer.

I'm still quite content to be walking in my own shoes.... I just keep them out of the house. At least until I can be sure all of the poop is off.

Snack Confusion

Tonight Abby questioned, "What does Mrs. Hart say, 'Sit like a pretzel' for when she reads us a story?"

Trying to reinforce Mrs. Hart's policies I replied, "So you keep your legs under your body and to yourself. Do you like to sit like a pretzel?"

"No, I like to sit like a Dorito."

The Mean Mom. The Bully.

Life with Lauren has been trying, to say the least. If life in the twos is terrible, life in the threes is far from a breeze. It is one thing after another with this young lady, and today was really no worse than usual, it was just put on public display.

Twice today I had to remove Lauren from a store by hauling her carcass out over my shoulder. The tantrums escalate to a display worthy of an Academy Award. The first came in Target, the result of not getting an Icee. Out we went. The second was on a much grander scale, this time I paraded right through the food court with my naughty just as the patrons were flocking for lunch. Only this time I wasn't just accessorizing with Tiny Tot over my shoulder, I was also wearing the crustiest glare I could muster up.

After we enjoyed a nice mid-morning snack, I told Lauren she could spend some time playing in the kids area. She was having a ball, running, climbing, and bouncing about. That is until she ran into Long Hair Boy. Lauren had climbed up onto a delivery truck and perched herself onto one of the sides. What Long Hair Boy had against Lauren I do not know, but he was bound and determined to take her place and never give it back. Ever. She moved on for a while, but when she went back, there was Long Hair Boy. Eventually Lauren ran to me in frustration, "She is stupid," she proclaimed with her eyes full of tears. We took a few minutes to gather our good graces and I reminded her that the perpetrator was not a girl, but a boy with exceptionally long hair. With just a few minutes until it was time to bug out I wanted to leave on a high note, so I encouraged her to give it another shot. Well, you can about guess what happened next. When Long Hair Boy saw her coming, he reclaimed his post at the top of the mountain. If I had a mirror, I'm sure I could have seen the smoke coming out of my very own ears. There was no way around it; this kid sucked. His grandma was oblivious. Does Long Hair Boy not know that the slightest thing sets off Lauren, and as a consequence, I have to deal with the wrath? I wanted to pull his scraggly long hair and point out how much I loathed him in that moment, but that would not solve anything. It also would not set a very good example for my young daughter. So I did the next best thing. I stared him down. It was a piercing stare. And several times I broke from it, only to stab him again and again with my angry mommy eyes. He may have won in his battle with Lauren, but in this Mommy vs. Long Hair Boy playground rumble, I was the queen of the mountain.

I'm not particularly proud of my behavior. But I have this to say, it is a classic example of a gift mother nature has given to all of its mothers. Don't piss off a mom.

Paradise

Abby left the dance floor twice at Bob & Cassie's wedding dance.... Once to go to the bathroom, and another time to get a drink, and only because I insisted. That's it. She was dancing before the dance even started, and when it was over asked, "Why is everybody leaving?"

This video pretty much sums up her evening.

Abby In Paradise

(Remember to pause the playlist on the right side of the blog to hear the video.)