School Anxiety

So, as Adam came downstairs tonight after giving Elise a bath, I had these four outfits sitting on the back of the couch. He didn't really have an opinion as to which would be 'best' for elise, but I'm nervous. I've already picked out and then eliminated 4 OTHER outfits in this process.
You see, tomorrow (Thursday) is Elise's first day of preschool. Although we've talked about it this week, she doesn't really understand, but I'm FULL of ANXIETY! I'm worried that her outfit won't match up with what the other kids are wearing, the kids won't be nice to her, she won't like the snack, etc...seriously, I think she'll do a great job. She's so outgoing, plays well with other kids in general, and LOVES talking to anyone who'll listen. She's going 2 days a week (9am to noon) for the month of May to 'test it out' before the 3 days/week this fall. I think she'll LOVE it, but I'm nervous, excited, worried, all wrapped up in an indecisive mom who can't pick out her 2 year old's outfit. I think she'll go with the khaki capris, Little Mermaid shoes, and the pink and blue ruffled top. Or maybe the green dress...there's no way I'll sleep tonight!

"Mommy's Pacifier"

A friend stopped by today with a late Congrats on Baby/Early Mother's Day gift...it's a jewel-encrusted wine glass painted with phrases such as "I need to "wine" too", "I can see my feet again", "I just lost 10 lbs, let's celebrate!", "Nurse This", etc...and "Mommy's Pacifier" is written across the bottom. It was a sweet gift and hilarious glass. I'll be having a nice little glass of Merlot after the girls are asleep in my new cool glass. "Kum-pai!!!" ('Cheers' in Japanese!)

The Harvest...

After just a month (or even a little less!), we've already gotten to enjoy the 'spoils' of our garden! Ok, maybe not plural "spoils", but we did pick and eat ONE STRAWBERRY. It was great- we grew our own piece of fruit, picked it, cut it into 3 pieces (very small pieces), and each enjoyed it! It was fun and tasted great. Elise asked for "more berry", but we think it'll be about 2 weeks before the next 3 berries are ready. The next spoils will be jalapenos...there are almost 10 that'll be ready in the next week!!!! We'll get to share some with neighbors, which is fun...
Until the rest of the fruit/veggies are ready, we'll keep hitting our local farmers' market. On Saturday mornings in the historic Summerville town square (about 2 miles away), there's a Farmers Fruit/Veggie and Craft Market. We went this weekend and got some fantastic Strawberries, Bananas, Watermelon, and Peppers. It's always fun to support local farmers and the prices were great, too! =)

"Love"

I feel like I spend hours each day telling Elise and Ainsley that I love them. Once or twice, elise has repeated right back to us "Love you, Mommy/Daddy"...which absolutely MELTED my heart. It really was amazing! However, last night Elise muttered her FIRST UNPROMPTED "Love you" comment, unfortunately, it wasn't toward Adam or myself! We were all playing upstairs trying to kill 30 minutes after bathtime before bed. Elise was playing with her PRIZE possession, Her Uglydoll "BeeBop". She has slept with this stuffed "monster" EVERY SINGLE DAY/NIGHT since she was about 8 months old...hands down her main source of comfort in bed. Anyway, we were playing around and she ran over, picked up BeeBop and said, "Eis (Elise) love him" and ran out the room. Adam and I looked at each other in amazement! The first unsolicited object of her love was a midsized stuffed animal (gift from Uncle Kelly) with a goofy face...oh well, maybe we'll be next.

The dive the hunt the fish

I headed offshore to do some fishing, SCUBA, and spearfishing on Saturday. We did some bottom fishing with little success but dove twice in about 65ft of water. The visibility was not great, only about 15-20 at best, but the spear fishing made up for it. I shot the two Sheep Head and the Amber Jack on the first dive. I passsed up Amber Jack and Sheep Head on the second dive hunting for the elusive Hog Fish and Grouper. I chased one Hog Fish but got a bad-angled shot on him and he got away. There wasn't a scale on the boat but we estimate the Amber Jack to be about 20lbs and the larger Sheep Head to be about 10lbs. It was a great day of recharging the batteries and enjoying a bit of nature...and taking some of it with me. Now we just need to cut Erica loose from the munchkins for a day for re-charging her batteries, but I'm guessing she'll pass up the spearfishing.

In case you were wondering I found out the Amber Jack is most likely the "white fish" you see on many seafood menus. Apparently more tonnage of Amber Jack is sold than any other fish. They are certainly big, abundant and fight like crazy. Having one at the end of a spear is a blast. Around here they call them a reef donkey because of the fight.

Ah, Prayer...

Every day/night before Elise gets in bed, we say a quick prayer. "Amen" is all she's ever said, but she bows her head, listens contently, and every once in awhile will throw in an extra request, usually "Gus". That's it. Last night at dinner, elise grabbed for our hands and said, "Amen" to get us started. Adam prayed for the meal, our health, good sleep overnight, etc...then we noticed Elise mumbling something along with us. So, Adam quit talking and elise spoke up (still bowed head and holding our hands...she very clearly said "Mommy, Gus, Table, Gus, Towel, Pizza (!?We were eating salads, I promise!), Hide n Seek. ....(pause) AMEN!" She was so proud of herself and I (shocking) had tears in my eyes. We're not sure if she was actually praying for Hide n Seek or if she was finished praying and then ready to Play Hide and Seek. Either way, it was adorable and so sweet and sincere.

Japanese Lesson...toilets

There are a lot of things that America does well (ie-Panera Bread, Target, Fresh Market Grocery stores), but one thing that Japanese have cornered the market on is HEATED TOILET SEATS! The traditional Japanese toilets (for MEN and WOMEN) are basically recessed urinals in the floor. You stand over it and squat/hover to relieve yourself (pic on left). You also provide your own toilet paper to wipe and paper towel/handkerchief to dry your hands after washing up. Although a little tricky to get the hang of, they're fine once you're used to it- especially if you have good balance and strong quads.
On the other hand, the "Western-style" Japanese toilets are HEAVENLY... they're in many of the malls, big train stations, and hotels. There is a control panel on the side (right picture) that allows you to play music or the sound of running water (in case you get Stage Fright to pee in public), a bidet to rinse with, and a few other buttons that I never figured out! But the greatest part BY FAR is the fact that most of these "Western style" toilets are heated. Since Japanese homes are NOT typically well-insulated, they get the important part right...the seats are warm and toasty to sit on and it really makes the whole experience nice. (side note- Japanese are INCREDIBLY clean and sanitary...I would NEVER SIT ON A PUBLIC TOILET in the USA, but it's ok over there, REALLY!). So, there you go...a lesson on Japanese toilets that you never knew you were interested in! I add all of this because in the last year of being pregnant and getting up to pee multiple times overnight and now getting up a couple times to feed Ainsley, I sit of the FREEZING toilet seat all the time. There are so many times that I've hollered out to adam (who's trying to peacefully sleep), "AUGH, I MISS THE HEATED TOILET SEATS!!!" So, there you go.

comparing Buddhas...

Here's a picture of Elise at about 9 weeks old and Ainsley at 9 weeks, too. We have them labeled as "little Buddhas" on the computer. SO great! I think Elise was probably a little chubbier at this point than Ainsley is now, but they're both happy, healthy babies. =) Hmmm,...and maybe I need to get my hair cut soon, too! I haven't had it cut since September...this is the longest hair I've had since college!

baby model, con't...

I just love the little spit bubble he captured in this picture. She's so curious and you can really see that in her eyes!

seriously, a baby model...

On Sunday morning, Adam and I were up having coffee, elise was still sleeping, and Ainsley was being super cute (although I would prefer she had been sleeping, too..). Adam grabbed the good camera (we love our SLR) and started snapping away at alert little Ainsley and a few of these turned out really well. Her true expressions were really captured and she's just so stinkin' cute and HAPPY all the time.

Straberries, Peppers, Grapes, OH MY!

So, in order to keep up with my "Tagged List" (see item # 7) posting from a couple weeks ago, Adam and I decided to plant a garden in the backyard. I can't keep flowers alive, big bushes and trees are too expensive (also related to Tagged List #2 ), so we figured we'd kill two birds with one stone... 1.grow something that looks nice and takes up space in the yard AND 2. get to eat it (hence, save $$) in the long run! So, we dug up all the overgrown, nasty flowerbeds that the previous owners left us and planted Grape bushes, Cantelopes, Watermelon, Strawberries, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, a lemon tree, and spice boxes with onion, chives, and (my personal favorite!) cilantro. So, just 10 days into our endeavor, we already have one strawberry!!! (see picture above- it's still white/green, but definitely a strawberry!) So cool. There are clear little buds on the pepper plants and grape bush, too. (Personally, I thought grapes grew on vines, but this is a bush- I should probably do some research to see what it really is...). We've already used the cilantro which makes me so happy b/c I LOVE the smell and flavor, and the hot pepper plant came with a few peppers ready to be picked, so we've had those on turkey sandwiches all week. It's kind of cheating, but, whatever... it still came from our backyard. So, there you go. Working toward 'granola-ish' living, and saving money. you gotta love it.

One more set

After Ainsley spit up on that first outfit, I switched her to a clean onesie and hoped to get a few more pictures...however, the "window" was gone and she was no longer in the mood for a photo shoot. This kid can SCREAM when she wants to! once again, I KNOW the pictures are sideways, but I still can't figure out how to get the vertical images posted correctly...any experts on iPhoto, HELP! Ok, THANKS to Kristen H and Casey's friend Annie...the "Modified" file is what I needed to find. I knew it would be something easy, but now I've got it! I'll go back and fix all the former sideways pictures now. THANK YOU!

The truth behind "cute baby pictures"

So, as parents, we all want to send out adorable baby announcements, Christmas cards, etc...but it's HARD WORK to get a good picture of a squiggly, wiggly, unpredictable infant. . I was trying to get some more cute pics of Ainsley the other day during Elise's nap, and here are some of the options. Note we begin with color pictures, the spitting-up (total luck that I got that one!), and then I switched to Black and White so the spit up just wouldn't show up!! Is that gross? look closely and you can see the wet spot on her right shoulder! whatever it takes...=)

few more pics from the Wedding

March 29, cont...

Flowergirl...kind of...

Early October 2007 or so, Jen and Paul asked us if elise could be a flowergirl in their wedding along with their niece on Jen's side, Alexis (who's almost 6). I had visions of my barely 2 year old (at time of wedding) being a perfect little addition to the ceremony. She would walk down the aisle with a little bouquet, wearing a gorgeous dress, hair back in cute little bows and ribbons, holding hands with Alexis...all done to 'introduce' the Bride down the aisle...everyone would look lovingly at elise, she would be sweet, cute, and perfectly obedient as she stood at the alter to participate in the Union a new Husband and Wife. Adam tried to convince me that it probably wouldn't look like that, but I still had my visions of perfection...
Skip ahead to March 28, 2008. My adorable, outgoing 2 year-old had an idea of her own. During the rehearsal on Friday night, elise wouldn't even look at Paul or Jen. In order to make her comfortable with the church, I let her walk around the alter/stage area, practice going up the three steps to get there, etc...and we discussed how if she "walked with Alexis to see Uncle Paul and Jen", she'd get a lollipop. Sounded good to me- I was prepping her for the day ahead, going over it many times, etc...
Wedding day arrives. Saturday, March 29...elise looked great and was having a good day. Her hair wasn't cooperating that day and was a little scraggly. We had four lollipops staged around the room for her to go towards if needed...
The Processional begins, I (erica) head down the aisle with the bridesmaids, Alexis and Elise are holding hands well and holding flowers and Adam sends them down the aisle toward us. SHE MADE IT ALL THE WAY DOWN THE AISLE!!! SUCCESS! "Uncle Kelly" has lollipop #1 and she grabs that immediately. She then runs up on the alter and sits down next to the pastor. that's fine. Then she starts to lift up her dress and play with her tights...The bride's music comes on and everyone (thankfully) looks to the back of the church for Jen and her dad. I scoot over and grab elise to sit next to me. I give her lollipop #2. She drops her flowers. She stands next to me for 10 seconds. Then gets fidgety and starts talking loudly. I pick her up to calm her down, but she gets mad at me. I set her down on the step up to the alter behind me. She climbs up there and starts trying to run away from me to play....heading straight for the LIT Unity candle. I let her go for a second, then have to lunge at her to avoid setting the church on fire and ruining the 'unity' of the event. I grab her and try to hold her again, that doesn't work. She gets down and starts whining loudly and I hand her off to Adam and my cousin's wife, where Lollipop#3 and #4 are waiting for her. ALL of this happens BEFORE the Congregation even sits down! Jen's dad is saying, "Her mother and I give her away" as little bridesmaid #2 is handed off...phew! Exhausting. Alexis was great and stood perfectly still the entire ceremony next to the Maid of Honor. Elise sat with my cousin's wife and played with her new Dora sticker book while double-fisting lollipops the rest of the time... pictures afterwards were also a mess for elise, but the photographer putting a DORA sticker on his forehead was helpful! =) Overall, we call it a success b/c she made it down the aisle with Alexis and flowers, but it was a crazy attempt, too. We're Thankful that Paul and Jen had a great attitude and LOW EXPECTATIONS for the whole thing...it was fun and definitely memorable. =)

...Here Comes the BRIDE!...

This past weekend, my 'little' brother Paul married a wonderful woman, Jen, and it was truly an incredible event!!! I was honored to be a bridesmaid with three other friends of Jen's, Adam read Scripture, and elise was a flowergirl!! Our older brother Kelly was the Best Man, and he did a PERFECT job in supporting Paul and other Best Man-type duties! Paul and Jen had decided to have the photographer do pictures before the ceremony at Jen's parents' house and it was a GREAT decision. They were both so relaxed and got to just hang out with their closest friends. They had a special "reveal" moment with just the two of them- and we all know they both cried! (Jen is totally a Romantic and we all know Paul is a big Softie, too!). =) That time at Jen's parents' house was some of my favorite time of the day- we were all relaxed, everyone looked fanastic, and it was a great group of people all together just CELEBRATING Paul and Jen! I'll add more about elise and her flowergirl 'duties' later today during the girls' naps! (this picture of Paul is so precious. He was watching the photographer David get some solo shots of Jen...the look on Paul's face was awesome as he just stared at his bride- he didn't even know there were 10 other people around him!)...