Mama of 2 P's in a Pod

A dear friend of ours is lying in a hospital bed clinging to life right now, while our other dear friend, her husband watches in fear! I won't go into details of how she got there, actually they don't even know, but the scary reality of it is she may not be home for this Christmas or any for that matter! It's a terrifying reminder of just how fragile life truly can be! It's scary to know a 31-yr-old mom of two may not make it through the week! And it's even more scary to know the fear and uncertainty her husband is dealing with moment by moment, and the idea of having to make some tough choices is terrifying! So prayers please that her body and will is strong enough to pull through and that the doctors are able to find a cause and effect!

I love this time of year, usually! I love the magic I see in the girls' eyes as they enjoy all of excitement and magic! I love hearing them sing Christmas songs ever so sweetly! I love hearing their Christmas wish lists when they sit on Santa's lap! But this year, I've found myself in a bit of a grinch-like slump! I'm not even sure why really! I think a bit of it is post-magical vacation let down. Real life is not as magical as the magic kingdom! It's dirty and full of rude, hateful people! And that stinks! I think life would be much sweeter if the whole world was like the magic kingdom! Ok yes, thats silly, but that's all I've got! Actually I think it is a mixture of post vacation, straight into thanksgiving, sick kiddo for 6 days and lack of preparedness for Christmas! Normally, I'm done shopping by now an everything is wrapped! Then I focus on big P's birthday which is a week from today! But that hasn't happened! I won't finish it until ne...

We got back from the happiest place on Earth last Monday and have been going, going, going since! Thanksgiving mid-week followed by a mean strain of the flu for little P! I had plans to go Black Friday shopping with my mom (for the first time) and went to bed Thursday hoping to get rested up! Well around 1 Friday morning I was woken up by a sad and sick little girl! And she's been sick ever since! A hospital visit has cut back on the vomiting, but she hasn't kept much in her little body! So we are resting, and I mean we, she does not want me put of her sight! So no school for us! I feel bad because we missed 6 days for vacation! But life goes on! So I promise great pics from Disney World at some point! For now, I'm on the couch with my snuggle bug!

We leave for Disney World in 4 days, 2 hours, 46 minutes and 57 seconds...but who's counting? I have begun the laundry sort through (on top of the normal laundry doing) to figure out what to pack. Here, the weather will be a cool, fall high of 59 most of the 8 days we are gone. Florida, specifically Disney-ish area will be 83-85 degrees most days. So I'm putting a nice assortment of crop pants and jeans in our suitcases. Mix in a few pairs of flip flops and the oh-so-necessary pairs of tennis shoes to be comfy in, and its a lot to get done. We did the run for travel size items tonight at Target. Thankfully Kris is helping sort all of the items we need to bring (ie: gift cards we got for the girls to use, lanyards for their Disney passes and trading pins). Its a big task. But one that will be well worth it all! Thank goodness for family! We are staying with my cousin Sam who lives near the airport so we don't have to start our trip off getting the P's up at 4 am to go th...

Yes, that may sound strange! But 1) I never got to go to preschool, my parents made too much money for headstart (which is a joke!) and there weren't many other affordable options back then! And 2) I got hired as a permanent para in the preschool room at the girls' school!!! I could not have asked for a better place to call 'home'! I work with and for two awesome ladies! And the kiddos are so entertaining and a blessing to work with! I get paid to fingerprint!! A few not-so-downsides, I'm exhausted! This is my second week. Found out I got it last Monday, started last Tuesday! So finding a way to get back into the full-time work routine has been a challenge! Now juggling housework, kiddo time (our own) and hubby time as well as time for Mr. Higbee is my biggest goal! That and working out time! I can feel the sluggish non-working out feeling settle in and it's not pretty!! But I can do it!!! I've got some great people who inspire me to get going everyday! Oh a...

We love this time of year so you will probably be seeing lots of pictures of the P's as we enjoy Fall! Here are a few from our church's recent Fall Festival. Again, what a blessing to be part of such a great worship community! The P's and their friends, K, M & G!!! Little P coming down a corn maize slide! Big P swinging away! Having a blast on the giant jumping thingy!

I was asked the other day what I "Did" by another parent at the girls' dance class. When I said I was home, I got the blank look on her face and an "oh." She quickly turned to talk to a more exciting parent. That got me to thinking about a few other encounters I've had since I've become a Stay at Home Mom. There are the other SAHMS (the online term for stay at home moms)who fall into two categories. Jumbled SAHMS and just SAHMS. Jumbled are as follows, they LIVE for being home, they spend a lot of their time while not with children, either online in mommy clubs or at a meeting with other jumbled SAHMS. This time is usually spent in a play group or other function disguised as time for the kids to play, but it is truly a time for women to either gossip, judge or get time out of the home to hold onto any sanity they have. I am not trying to be rude about Jumbled SAHMS, because there are truly a few who spend their entire day trying to do good for their own ...

So, I had one of those over-booked, super panicked mom moments! The kind that makes you certain that someone out there is ready to nominate you for the 'worst mother of the year!' award. Big P was part of a 1st-3rd grade cheerleading clinic at our district's high school last weekend. I had it plugged into my iPhone calendar of course, along with the 10,000 other things going on. My calendar told me it got over at 12:30pm! So around 12:20, I get a call from the coach to make sure I'm ok, the clinic got over at noon and she was with Big P waiting for me. I freaked! I didn't want to be 'that' mom and I certainly didn't want my little girl traumatized! Thankfully no trauma! She was coloring and happy as could be when I got there at 12:30, the time my super mom calendar told me to be there! But I was embarrassed to say the least! And I'm sure this Friday night, when we brought her to the football game to cheer on those T-Birds, the coach was thinking, ...

Kris and I have been plotting a trip to Disney World for a few years. About 6 months ago we decided to make it a reality. We made our final payment on our trip yesterday. We had talked about keeping it a surprise until we actually left, but after some thinking and talking and more thinking, we decided it was important to include them in our first family vacation. We want them to realize why we are no longer going out to eat...."do you want to grab that Happy Meal or have spending money at Disney World?" And our travel agent and friend Kela gave us some ideas her parents used to get them to work hard on their chores to earn spending money on our trip! Plus, we want them to have some say in planning our time in the Sunshine State. We got a few goodies to help with the surprise after school yesterday. Here they are reading the letter we wrote them to tell them about what we are doing! Big P has turned into quite the reader! And here they are after they finally figured it out! Al...

With the start of the new school year, is also the beginning of the girls' activities. Yes, I am aware that I signed them up for extra-curriculars, but thankfully I have not gone overboard with what they are involved in. I have a few friends who are not very good at saying no. Kris and I want the girls to try everything and see what they like and are good at, and go with those, but that does not mean we need to try everything at once. Big P danced last year and did awesome at her recital in June! Little P did AWANA at church (coincidently the same night as Big P's dance class which made for a fun shuffle across town) and LOVED IT! In fact, Big P realized mid school year she wanted to do AWANA. We told her we would let her try it this year. SO they are now both in dance one night and AWANA the next. They both played T-ball this past summer, thankfully on the same team. Next summer will be a different situation. Big P would like to try volleyball and soccer. Little P loves to pla...

Tomorrow is Little P's first day of kindergarten...and Big P's first day of first grade. They are sound asleep, mommy is wide awake! Much like that night before Christmas feeling! I'm so excited and yet a little sad to see them go. Summer went too fast! But I know they will love it! So much to learn, wings to spread and life to live. So I will be fine...yep fine. No I'm not crying I have an eyelash in my eye!

Three years ago today, I got a phone call from my husband saying a fellow brother and firefighter mentor had died while fighting the same fire he was on. It was a brief conversation, one that literally took my breath away. And one that still haunts me today. It was a hot day, much like today's forecasted high of 104. I had taken the P's to the lake to ride their bike and trike across the dam. But the heat was too much and we gave up pretty quickly. Oddly enough, the picture I took of that little bike ride is on my very first blog post. Kris called as I loaded our girls into my SUV. I automatically drove to firestation number 8, or 8's, Tony's station and what is now Kris' station. My husband is an emotional person, but sometimes he is very difficult to read. Our girls were very young at the time, 2 & 31/2 and I didn't know what I was supposed to do. He seemed like he wanted to be with his brothers, so I left after a short visit. Hindsight of course tells me ...

We enrolled the P's in school today. A little bittersweet to be sending Little P to kindergarten already! But I know she's ready, and I think in a lot of ways we are too. I do worry that her strong will may get us a couple of phone calls from the principal, but in a lot of ways that strong will help her and her big sister. Big P is very ready for first grade, in fact she asked if she could just go to school year round. I hope that enthusiasm continues! I start a new job next week. Sadly, its not at the girls' school which is what I had really worked and hoped for. I will continue to try and get a fulltime gig there, but until then, I'm working for our local Emergency Management Dept. Thankfully, its part time and it sounds like it will be extremely flexible, which is what I need after my other recent job experiences. I won't go on that tangent today.:)I am excited to make a little bit of money for our family again, and to have a glimpse of my own identity again. I j...

Today is Little P's 5th birthday! A pretty big deal!! Its so bittersweet, because while part of me is happy to see her growing into such a sweet little girl, the other part wants time to stand still to keep her little forever! We had a fun day as a family. Lunch at one of her favorite places, some shopping and playing and it was all topped off with a 'friend' party at Chuck-E-Cheese tonight! Where has the past 5 years gone? I remember holding her in my arms that first night, not wanting to sleep just so I could watch her sleep, feel her sweet breath on my neck and wrap her hand around my finger. Thankfully, she had no problem letting mama snuggle with her now, I hope that never changes!

It's 2:45 am and it's too hot to sleep! Literally, it's 85 degrees here but the heat index is 94! Our AC has been running non-stop and the house is semi-cool. But, not cool enough for me I guess. And having my mind race doesn't help either. It's been a bittersweet summer for our family. While having me home has been a blessing, it also means a lot of changes in our lives. We recently had what we once considered 'good friends' move to the Southwest part of the country. These are people we've spent a lot of time with, in fact, at one point, I think almost all of Kris'days off we were either sharing dinner with them or planning our next time spent together. Our children were close. R was big P's first official best friend and the joke was they were going to have an arranged marriage, we have the picture to prove it. But, as often as not, people get busy and the phone calls became one-sided and what had hoped to be a last get-together before their mo...

What is this? Summer is almost over? Yikes! Where has time gone? Oh, I know, we've been super busy and we didn't realize it was sneaking by! I love Independence Day, but the 4th always means summer is almost up! We've had such a good summer so far. No major trips or anything like that, (those come later!) but we've truly enjoyed it so far. The P's were in my cousin Steph's wedding. They were great little flower girls! And of course right after that, was Big P's first dance recital followed by her first summer camp! And in all of that, rain make up t-ball games. A bittersweet end to the season, probably the only time the P's will be on the same team! Now that some of that madness is over, I am hoping to enjoy the lazy days of summer with the girls and Kris. However, as I type, Big P is enjoying herself in Arkansas, her first trip away! Mama is trying to be strong! Here are some pics from our fun!

I had a heart-breaking conversation with an old but good friend online today, The kind of situation that makes you examine your life and how you're living it! Looking around my life, I see a lot of unfinished business. Everything from projects around the house and personal goals. Its seems most of what I am living is in the "I can do that tomorrow" phase. Thats not a good place to be. This isn't going to be one of those pity party posts we are all entitled to every now and then, but rather a "what can I do now?" post! One of the most beautiful people I know is desiring something that came very easily to me and my husband. Her journey has been an extremely gut wrenching one that has left her not questioning why, but rather looking for how! Knowing her determination regardless of the heart break involved has me re-evaluating my determination for life. That includes everything from the small laundry/clothing sort project I have to how Kris and I discipline our ...

So it's 2am Monday morning and I'm wide awake in bed! My husband however, is outside our bedroom window with his best known partner in crime, his brother B. What are these two dorks doing at 2am? They're attempting to rescue a box turtle out of window well to the basement. I discovered 'Sammy' about a week ago when we got some good ol' Kansas rain, 3 inches in one night to be exact. I'm not sure how 'Sammy' got down there, the window well has a cover on it. Which from the muffled conversation I hear, is a problem for them at the moment! I'm not sure why they picked 2am to get him. But stranger things have occured! At least I'm always entertained!

I had this vision that as a stay at home mom, I would have so much time to get so many things done. I would have time to organize our house, I would have time to have a set schedule on how I did the ins and outs of housework so I could enjoy time with the girls. I would have time to sit on my laptop and write until my hearts content. However, reality has hit and I find myself tired....a lot! It seems there are more things to fill that precious time. So the organizing has been put off, the housework has been put off to the necessity FIRST and has turned into EVERY DAY! And my writing feels forced. I do have more time with the girls and I know I should be grateful for each and every moment of that, I am believe me! However, I need to write. I need to get these ideas out of my head so I can share them. With who? Not sure at this moment but writing is my being. Not like 100% of my being because being a mommy and a wife take up quite a bit of that! And again that is all a true blessing whic...

I'm blogging from my phone! How cool! Ok my dork moment is over!! My good friend Laura had a top 10 list of her favorite things right now. So I had to jump on that wagon too!! Besides our beautiful daughters and my wonderful husband, here is a list of some of my favorities right now. 10. The amazing spring (&summer) sunsets we have in Kansas! 9. Being able to be outside with the girls to enjoy those sunsets! 8. No socks!! (which means I get my toes painted by our artsy 6-year-old) 7. Taking the P's to T-ball, because it means nights at the ball park are coming soon and because I love watching them be so active! 6. Training wheels and bike helmets...a little peace of mind for this mama! 5. Sleeping with the windows open (sorry Laura had to agree!) 4. Knowing I get to spend our summer as a mama FULL time!! 3. Planning a huge surprise for the P's!!! HUGE!! 2. Sweet Tea! 1. Hearing Little P say 'bonus!' or Big P say 'i'm so ready for first grade!'

Ok I'm in a good mood, which is good right? I've had a lot going on these past 3 months, so I apologize to those of you who check my blog (THANK YOU THANK YOU BY THE WAY)! I am going to make a personal goal of updating this every week! So please hold me to it if you can! The P's are doing great in school! Big P is a little sad though. Her best friend Tucker is moving at the end of the year. Yes she is in kindergarten, and yes she is only 6, but this friend is a very good one. The kind that she swears she will marry when she's 30. He is a little gentleman, opens the door, makes sure she is ok on the playground. I see why she *Hearts* Tucker. He is moving to Western Kansas, his dad is taking over the family farm. So, despite Kris' objections (he hates driving to Western Kansas) we will probably make a couple of trips to the farm. On an awesome note, Big P is quite the reader now! She read 5 Dr. Suess books on her own to her little sister a few nights ago. Kris and I a...