Happy Birthday, Abby!

My sweet and loving Abby turned THREE last month. I can't believe I already have a three-year-old. The time has flown by! Words cannot express how much I love this adorable, creative -- almost always naughty -- gem of a daughter.

We celebrated the big day by going to the circus. I thought the 'circus' was going to be Big-Top-Pee-Wee exciting. But alas, it was boy-scouts-could-have-made-the-tent-and-preformed-the-show exciting. Not so much elephants and tigers as ponies, doves, and dogs. I will give them props for having a camel. The kids loved it and the adults made fun of it -- what else is new?

It's really hard to have Jeremy gone for holidays and birthdays. We make the most out of it, but it's not the same without him. I try not to be in too many photos, but I couldn't resist getting one family photo on Abby's big day.

Abby got bored about half way through and played with pop cans. So, clearly, not much has changed in her world!

My friend made these awesome cupcakes for Abby's kita. She's got mad skills I wish I had. I was a little disappointed there weren't any leftovers to take home. Good thing I ate one (or more) or on the way there!

Abby's favorite part of the day was opening her presents.

I love how serious she is about these bathtub crayons. Thanks for the recommend on Facebook, Gil!

I know you are dying to see the camel, so here is what you missed. The commentary from my sister wife Shawna really makes the video. I'm a huge fan of the ending. I'm sure the camel won't be coming back next year if you know what I'm saying....

So Lazy

I'm too lazy to write an actual blog, so here are a few quick thoughts from my week.

Abby often wants to go out and play, even when it is -10 (like my car registered three times last week!). I usually make her wait until Oliver is taking one of his tiny naps in the late afternoon, but yesterday she was dead set on outside time being RIGHT NOW.

This was how we compromised:

For someone that couldn't look both ways as an infant, Oliver has a dead-on-smack-things-out-of-your-hands reflex. He can pull plates off tables, knock yummy treats out of your mouth, and smash you in the teeth with his helmet in a blink of an eye. I couldn't be prouder.

He loves to grab the sides of his helmet near the top of his head and shake his head back and forth. Its' almost like he's saying, "hold on to your helmet -- this is going to be awesome." Strangely, I find myself reaching up to touch my imaginary helmet some of the time. That's what happens when you don't get enough sleep....

I really need to watch my mouth around the abs. This became apparent when we went outside and she proclaimed (as loud as she could), "It's so frickin' freezing." It's hard to scold someone for telling the truth :)

This is what happened when I went to the bathroom the other day. I only did a number one, so you can imagine how fast she was able to cut these berries. So glad she choose a dull knife!

It's nearly impossible to find a hat big enough to put over Oliver's helmet. Not to mention a hat that needed rather large spaces in the top so he wouldn't overheat while wearing it. Since Oliver loves to be in his stroller, even when it's "frickin' freezing," his nanny made him this super awesome hat. Loves it!

I had a parent-teacher conference at Abby's preschool last week. I'll spare you all the details, but I did find one comment rather interesting: I need to start telling the other parents to "mind their own business." It's pretty well known that German people don't pry into other peoples business. Apparently, the teachers feel the other parents ask me too many personal questions. Questions like: Why are you living in Germany? Does Abby like speaking German? Why does your son wear a helmet? Etc. It highly offends them. They feel I am being taken advantage of because we are foreigners. They told me that if I didn't feel comfortable telling the other parents to "mind their own business" then they would tell them for me. Um, no thanks.

Speaking of asking questions... it's amazing to me how interested people are in Oliver's helmet. He gets stared at ALL the time. In fact, a person was staring at him so hard while he was in the grocery cart that she walked into me in the produce aisle. I usually just jump in and let people know what's up if they clearly looked distressed about it. One lady had the audacity to say, "Well, that must be embarrassing for you." I should have picked him up and hit her with his dang helmet. Ugh! I'm going to scrapbook him some eyes for the front with these words in capital letters: STARE A LOT? Stay tuned for photos.

Helmet Envy

Abby had two days off from her preschool this week, so we went downtown Berlin for some sweet action. Of course, that meant LEGOLAND!

We brought along some friends who had never been there.

Before you all send me nasty emails about letting my kid swim with sharks.... I'll have you know that he was supported by a re-enforced lego platform inside the mouth and my vice-like grip while 'swimming.' Plus, he's wearing a helmet -- hello!

Oliver got the okay to go in the Bjorn for the trip. Sweet progress. Check out his mad focus at the motor boat pond. Abs is such a pro at this part of the museum.

No pregnant lego mothers are allowed on this sweet ride. Aw, snap.

I'm not sure who are the bigger monkeys....

Abs was NOT down for a family photo.

Here she is getting her "roar" on.

Oliver was fascinated by this dudes 'helmet.' You can almost see him coveting their newer-solid-top version. He's probably wondering why these dudes got to go on an adventure with their hats and he only got to ride around in the Bjorn with his. It's always fun to find other people with your same sense of style.

Oliver was not the least bit concerned that I left him to fend for himself against this giant spider. He's pretty chill about monster-sized insects.

He survived!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This quote from the book The Happiness project really struck a chord with me: There is no love. There are only proofs of love. Whatever love I might feel in my heart, others would see only by my actions.

I decided that I would focus on showering Abby with 'proofs of love' while Jeremy is gone. It is no secret that she adores daddy and simply tolerates mommy. That's okay, because I have a son who thinks that he'll die if he's not breastfeeding every minute of the day. There is a good chance that he will never get married and want to co-sleep with us for time and all eternity. These few mommy-only months are where I am hoping to steal back some of the joy she shares so abundantly with her dad, and make an extra special effort to bond more closely with her.

My friend Jessica is amazing. She makes every holiday a celebration. Her children's lives are always filled with surprise and wonder -- you can see the 'proofs of love' everywhere throughout her home. I ransacked her blog for some small ideas that I could copy until my own inspiration kicked in.

This is what I created: a sky full of hearts for her to walk under everyday. She LOVED it. I'm glad because it took stinking forever to make. Oliver also loves to reach up and try to grab the hearts as we walk up and down the stairs. It even makes my heart melt a little every time I see them. I thought about sending a string of hearts over to Jeremy to hang above his head, but then I thought it might seriously creep out his roommate.

My friend (Oliver's amazing nanny) helped me make a 'daddy hug' pillow for Abby to sleep with at night. She even made a snap-on heart that Abby can take with her to school in her pocket. She has been a life saver for me while Jeremy is gone.

It looks much more fun in the daylight.

Here is Abby checking it out for the first time. Notice when she sees all the candy she says, "Blah." Looks like I'll have to step it up a notch next year!

So Stinkin' Cute

These are the last of the hand-me-down clothes Abby received as an infant. We have been so blessed with all the second hand goodness.

My wonderful husband had some flowers and chocolates sent to me for Valentine's Day via my sweet friend Susanne. It was such an unexpected and appreciated surprise! I've been smiling all day.

Saturday is always a hard day for me. I've got both kids all day long, and things tend to get out of control around 2-3 in the afternoon. Today was nice enough that we could take the chaos outside. I've been pretty good about letting Abby pick her outfits on the weekend. Today she rocked her piggy pajamas, her spring rain boots, and her winter jacket, hat, and scarf.

Abby did this all while I was in the bathroom. She is super efficient at making messes. Someone ought to give this girl a medal!

Oliver loves when Abby blows bubbles directly in his face. She is so thoughtful.

Abs and I had a master plan to bake three dozen chocolate chip cookies for our friends for Valentine's Day. While I had my back turned, Abby added a TON of extra butter. I had no idea until....

.... the first batch of cookies came out looking like this:

Abby loved the butter-rific cookies. I bet she'll have some "issues" later this evening.

Oliver LOVES to lay directly on the hardwood floors because he can pump his legs and push himself around from one place to another. His helmet also makes a fun and inviting sound when he moves his head side to side. That is the ONLY reason I leave him so vulnerable out in the open for short periods of time during the day.

This video cracked me up, even though I should probably be a tad concerned about Abby's less-than-friendly attitude. At one point she says, "I'm going to cut your finger. Go away, Oliver." Where does she hear that stuff? It's not like I go around threatening to cut anyone I know. She doesn't watch any TV (only movies I download to the Apple TV) and I know FOR SURE it's not in any of those flicks. She said it in English, which means she didn't learn it at the kita. Ugh. Kids will say the darnedest -- and sometimes totally inappropriate -- things!

Perhaps we need a Family Home Evening lesson on not harassing other members of our family, including the furry four-legged ones. If she wasn't so stinkin' cute I'd be afraid of her. Very, very afraid.

It's Go Time!

Ugh. Try not to shudder when you're staring at my awesome photo. As you can tell, the sun doesn't shine here and my pale skin glows like I'm in the freaking movie Twilight. I hope this display of almost transparency didn't ruin your week. This girl needs a serious vacation somewhere with a beach!

Okay, enough of the melodrama. I digress.....

Today is the day that I officially announce that I am leaving the whining and 'making excuses' phase of having an infant and deployed husband. I'm channeled my inner warrior and setting some goals and declaring them to the world to hold myself accountable.

Those of you who know me well, know that I am one of those insane people that delights in pushing themselves to the limit. I take New Years Resolutions like a second job and make everyone around me miserable as I complete them. I've already reached a good number of my 30 things to do before I'm 4o goals, which just simply makes my heart sing.

I am a little disappointed that no international adventures with my friend Kim made the list for obvious reasons (kayaking in Belize is next but no dates yet), or that I won't have any life changing moments -- new babies, conquering mountains, romantic getaways with my man. I guess everyone needs to take one year off to get the little-but-still-important stuff done.

Obviously, Abby and Oliver have to be priority one for the next few months, so I selected things that I could do when they were sleeping or in the evenings. After much thought and preparation, the list is finished!

Here is what I'll be doing in my 'spare' time (whatever that is!):

Completing three Beth Moore studies: David, Psalms and Esther. I doesn't sound like a lot but they take about a month a piece to complete.

Completing the Be Thou Transformed personal study program.

Completing 10 Fema classes online.

Finishing my Christmas cross stitch Santa project.

Completing 27 personal progress values (these are the 27 you can do in 2-hours or less).

Take one UMUC class: PHIL 140 Contemporary Moral Issues or HIST 157 US History Since 1865

Read all four Gospels with McConkie Commentary. (Seriously intense)

Get back up to running 5 miles at a time (thank goodness we bought a stinking treadmill).

Read General Conference (last session and the upcoming one) and get my quotes up.

My main goal this year is to lose 45 pounds. I did it after Abby and now I have to do it again. The good thing is that after Abby I was starting at 219 and after Oliver I get to start at 195. So I'm starting further down the scale, which is a nice bonus.

I love Weight Watchers and am jumping on board that wagon. I like that I can eat whatever I want in moderation and nothing is off limits. This time I am going to eat healthy instead of figuring out how much unhealthy food I can still eat and still lose weight. I'm also banning all diet food with their cancer-causing fake sugars and chemical crap, except Diet Coke. Coke keeps me from screaming nasty words at the world. Coke is a must-have.

So... here's to crossing things off my list. Cross your fingers for me!

Lucky Duck

Someone special has a birthday coming up this month. Most of her presents are still in the mail, but I ordered this pretty number from the Germany Amazon so it came directly to our house instead of the embassy. My neighbors were kind enough to intercept my package and then brought it over and handed it to Abby. She thought THEY were the greatest! Hugs all around.

That being said, they did leave a message in my mailbox saying that they got the package. To be more specific it said, "We got your package. Please ring us to get it. It's very nice. In love with you, the neighbors." I think they meant to say, "we love you" instead of "in love with you." They do know Jeremy is gone so maybe they are making their move. Either way, they rock.

What are the chances this is going to stay in the box until the 23rd?

These bikes (without the pedals) are all the rage over here. It seems like something she will totally kill herself on, but kids get the hang of them quickly and have no troubles balancing. Most of her schoolmates bike to school on these. You could almost taste the jealousy.

Here is a dress that Abby got from her friend Ainsley before we left Japan. Oliver has tons of Scott clothes. It's amazing to me that Abby still remembers where they come from and will tell me every time she puts it on that it is from her friend Ainsley or that Oliver is wearing something from her friend Scott. She has a FANTASTIC memory. It is much better than mine.

For example, yesterday I couldn't remember the pin code to my bank card. It's the same bank card and pin code I've had for five years. Not to be outdone, I also couldn't remember the pin code for the other bank card I had. I actually had to email Jeremy in Africa to send me all the pin codes to the plastic in my wallet. I used to make fun of my mom for calling us by the wrong names but at least she could get money out of a bank machine to feed us with. Sometimes I think I am seriously losing my mind. I'm only 32 -- what a shame!