E is sick :(

E has been coughing and coughing and coughing all day.  It's terrible, and I know she feels not so great too.  She got sick twice this afternoon - once in the living room, and then once on our bed while I was getting ready for work.  E's not sleeping well either, so I've been dragging her into bed with me to help her stay calm (instead of waking up crying for Mama and having me drag myself over to her room multiple times during naps and nights, resulting in little to no sleep for me).  I wish I had a magic wand to make her better, but I think this is just one of those things that needs to run its course.  Unfortunately, both times I tried to give E medicine she puked within 10-15 minutes.  Ugh.  Guess it's going to be a long night...

Bicycle fun

The girls had a play date with L's friend B from preschool this morning.  After tearing the house apart frolicking with toys, they all played outside on the assortment of bicycles (B brought his too), tricycles, wagons, and ride-on toys.  They also made the driveway super colorful with chalk.  Ha!  Very fun.  B's mom is also expecting a baby in mid June and, after much discussion, I agreed to have B stay over at our house when the baby arrives (planned or emergency).  L is super excited to have a sleepover, and B's mom is about 6000% relieved that someone will be able to take care of B (no family in town).  I love the play date, but I'm glad to get to know B's mom too.  Yay for friendship!

B riding L's Cinderella bike.  I think he liked the streamers on the handle bar best!

L getting possessive and trying to claim her bike back from B.  Check out his cool shark helmet!

I HATE THE TREADMILL

Every Tuesday night after work, I go to the YMCA and do my Wednesday run on a treadmill.  Why?  I figure that the girls don't need to go out with me every other day for a run when we could spend that time doing other stuff (e.g. running errands, going to the museum, play dates).  After having done this for almost a year, I can say without a doubt that I HATE RUNNING ON TREADMILLS.  I guess I'm just one of those runners that needs a change of scenery as I run.  I can't keep staring at the same display for long periods of time, barely paying attention to the inane sitcoms on the TV monitors nearby, listening to stupid girls gab about stupid stuff over my music, and wondering why the person next to me took that treadmill when the entire freaking row is empty. 

A perfect run for me would be at daybreak, not too cold, not too hot, not too windy, with good music going, shorts that don't ride up on (damn my thighs and their constant rubbing!!!!!!), little to no traffic, and great natural beauty all around.  I don't know how far I'd run - maybe a hour (~6 miles) - but it would be quiet around me so that I can keep my music low, hear my feet hitting the ground (no road! no sidewalk! give me TRAIL!), and feeling GREAT. 

So, you see how the treadmill is so dreaded in my world.  It doesn't give me anything that I want in my runs.  However, it's nice to be able to run whenever you want on one.  Still, it's better to be outside and enjoying the outdoors than cooped up inside exercising.  Actually, that goes for anything, not just exercising - get outside!  Enjoy nature!  Do something good for yourself!  BURN THE TREADMILL!!!!!!!

We found the playground!

Last time when we went jogging down on the river path, we found a rope climbing structure to play on over by the path.  I thought "there should be a playground here" but didn't investigate.  Today, before our jog, I drove around the park and found the playground on the opposite side of where we were last time.  Haha, success!  I promised the girls playground time after I got in my jog.

2.5 miles later, we loaded the car back up and drove over to the playground (did I mention it was also cold, overcast, and windy?  brrrrrr).  The girls were elated and jumping all over the equipment in excitement.  E, in grand style, stepped right in front of L as she was swinging and got nailed/punted into the air and landed about three feet away on the ground.  Much crying ensued, but was soon stifled when she noticed a baby climbing wall.  I love how kids at this age are like bipolar people to the extreme - SAD!  HAPPY!  SAD!  HAPPY!  Thank goodness they had a good time, but dang was it getting chilly!  I was so glad when they asked if they could play in the car.

E steering...something.

Getting ready to push little sister in the swing.

Fly!

I can push you, little sister!

Oh, L, you and your hiked-up pants... *shakes head in embarrassment*

Getting outside with friends

My friend C brought her two boys over to play this afternoon with L and E.  They all loved playing with their bikes, scooters, tricycle, ride-on princess toy, and wagon, as well as drawing all over the driveway with chalk.  The husband also got some great pictures of the rain clouds and all the rain still standing around after yesterday's storm.  I love spending time outside - I just wish the husband did too!

E doing what she loves to do best in the driveway - lay down and crawl.  ARGH.

L riding her Cinderella bike with her Barbie helmet.  <3

E testing out her friend's scooter while wearing her Cinderella helmet.

Standing water in the construction site across the street.

A view east from the construction site across the street, with the crane looking...craney?

Lackluster day

I kind of feel like today has been one of those days where I had certain expectations and none of them came to fruition.  Very frustrating.

I expected to run 8 miles this morning.  I did that, but it rained the entire time.  Not so great being soaked through and through, but at least it wasn't cold.

I expected to go out for lunch and gorge myself on buffet stuff, both for fun and to replenish myself from my run.  Instead, I got a lunch in at my in-laws' house.  It was a nice lunch, just not what I expected.

I expected to take a nap this afternoon to recharge my battery.  Instead, I got a 4-year-old girl in bed with me who kicked, rolled over, and tried to touch me the entire two hours we laid down.  She slept at some point but I didn't.  ARGH.

Now, the only expectation I have left for the day is to take a super hot bath and lay in it to unwind my muscles.  The only problem?  THE HUSBAND IS IN THE BATHTUB.  As soon as he gets out, I am damn well making sure I get this expectation fulfilled!  *fist*

Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures

Since I won an annual pass for our family to the Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, we decided we should utilize it and go sometime.  We packed up and headed out this morning across town, and it was a great hour of fun looking at everything.  The girls breezed through everything in just over half an hour, which was kind of lame, but we did get to look a lot in the room with "enchantments," like fairies, witches, castles, princesses, etc.  I would love to go back sometime when the girls aren't with the husband and I to see it again.  I'm glad we didn't pay for it either, because we went through so fast!

Entrance door.  I LOVE the huge door, normal door, and miniature door!

The girls and I checking out the winter-/holiday-themed area

E was fascinated with the moving miniatures.

Fly, Rudolph, fly!

Part of a Halloween miniature set

I guess every miniature collection needs dogs playing poker.

THIS is the kind of dollhouse I wish I'd had as a child!

So much detail on such tiny things

L checking out one of the exhibits

The warfare exhibit was cool.  Check out this plane!

Moving a missile on a train?  Scary!

Having a snack while Mommy sets up a playdate from the museum.

Unexpected temper tantrum

E is always so excited to go to L's preschool.  It doesn't matter if we're dropping off L, picking her up, or anything else - she loves going there.  She likes to sit on the little benches outside that are "her" size, play in the classroom for a few minutes, and see all of L's classmates.  The other parents always remark how happy and upbeat E is.  It takes zero effort to convince her to come along to preschool.

It was raining today when it was time to go pick up L from preschool.  Luckily, I keep the two child-sized umbrellas in the car for the (rare) times when it rains.  E was elated to have the umbrella.  At first, she wanted to walk around with it by her feet.  Once I showed her how to hold it up above her head, she was tickled pink walking around in the rain and being dry. 

The problem began when we got to L's classroom.  I took E's umbrella from her, folded it up, and said "okay, we'll use it again when we go back out in the rain."  Apparently, it is not cool to take an umbrella away from a child, even if it's not raining at that location.  E started screaming, crying, and pulling on my shirt/pants to get back the umbrella.  The other parents were shocked - why was she so upset?!?  Even in the classroom, she kept crying and trying to get the umbrella back.  Clearly, it is NOT raining in the classroom!  Finally, E saw the sand table and started playing with that, but then she and L started fighting over the tools to use in the sand table.  Argh!  When I finally got them both wrangled and outside, I gave E her umbrella back.  She promptly tripped and fell over it (of course she put it back down by her feet), and started crying again.  *sigh*  I ended up carrying her back to the car with her holding the umbrella over the two of us while L used her umbrella alone.

Why, of all things, does an umbrella cause a temper tantrum?!?!??  Freaking KID!!!!!!!

Skype & My Oblivious Parents

Every few weeks, we hop on Skype for about 30 minutes so that my parents can see the girls.  It usually results in the girls going crazy, showing off for the computer camera, yelling, screaming, laughing, fighting over my lap space, and someone crying for one reason or another (e.g. injury, fighting).  However, it also amplifies the fact that my parents just do NOT listen to a single word I say.  I'm trying to quote directly from today's conversations below:

Mom:  How warm is it there today?
Me:  It was about 83 this afternoon, I have all the doors and windows open.
Dad:  It was about 20 here today.
Mom:  Yes, it was so cold here.  Is it cold there?
Me:  ...no, it was 83 here this afternoon.

Dad:  How is Lily doing at preschool?
Me:  Fine, she loves going there.
Mom:  Does she like it there?
Me: ...yes, she loves going to school.
Dad:  *to Mom* She only goes twice a week, I wonder if she likes it.

Me:  What did you do this past weekend?
Dad:  Eva looks so cute in your lap like that.
Me:  Yeah, she can be cute at times.  So...did you do anything fun last weekend?
Mom:  She looks like you right now!
Me:  So they tell me.  Did you go into town on Saturday?
Dad:  What are you doing this week?  Anything interesting?  (note:  I could have answered this question with the truth, or I could have said "having an alien's love child," and both would have registered the same non-committal answer because they don't listen)

Dad:  You're not saying much.
Me:  Is there any point in saying anything?  You don't hear me anyway, don't answer my questions, ignore me when I try to tell you something, and make me feel like an idiot most of the time.
Mom:  Yes, it's been good talking to you too.  You need to go now, I know.
Me:  ....!

So, if you ever meet my parents, or know them, and they talk about what's going on in my life, take it all with a grain of salt.  It's not like they actually know what's going on, pay attention to what is said, or even attempt to have a conversation with me.  It reminds me of talking to someone with ear blinders on (but of course, not blinders, because that would mean they could see - maybe earmuffs?).  Most of the time, whenever I hear them talk about something that happened with me or the girls, it's totally blown out of proportion, made up, or completely incorrect.  This is why I never tell them anything important anymore.  Have I told them about medical issues?  No.  Have I told them about training for a half marathon?  No.  Have I told them about my difficulties with potty training Eva?  No.  Why?  Why should I?  I don't want to waste my breath talking to people about things that are important to me that they just blow off by saying "oh, that's nice."  Total.  Waste.  Of.  Time.

Skyping with my parents is a waste of time, but it's one of those things I'll just have to suffer through.  Thank goodness they live 2000 miles away.

Backyard pictures

I attempted to use the husband's fancy camera today to get pictures in the backyard.  I say "attempted" because many of them came out fuzzy, and I certainly don't have the grace and good hand that he does.  However, I got a few good ones of the girls and Belle. 

"Why are you taking my picture..."

I love this picture - I just wish I hadn't washed out her face!

My beautiful little E.

L's favorite picture from today.  She looks so mischievous!

E watching what L was doing.

I LOVE this picture, except for the sun streak.  Maybe I should frame this one on the wall...?

Running around the dog and wreaking havoc.  Seriously, Belle is so patient with the girls - she just sat there watching them, as if saying "really?  THIS is what you choose to do right now?  chill out."

Playing down by the river

To celebrate a new year, and to have a little fun with our first run in the jogging stroller for 2013, the girls and I went jogging on the trail by the river near here.  It was actually really easy for me (paved!  yay!) and the girls loved seeing the ducks in the river (there was actually water in the river.  amazing for Arizona).  Afterwards, I let them play on the giant rope-climbing structure they had near the parking lot (I have no idea where the playground actually is there).  It was a great morning of exercise and being outdoors.

Attempting to climb

L got the hang of it, though she didn't get very high.

E couldn't quite figure it out.  She needed Mommy's help.

L actually seemed to enjoy going horizontal more than vertical. 

She actually started pretending that part of it was a hang glider, like in Go Diego Go.  Silly girl.

E just kept approaching it from way too high for herself.  I couldn't get her to start from the bottom.  Sounds like me, really - let's jump in at the hardest point possible and see if we can succeed!  Argh, terrible trait of ours.  ;)

Damn frustrating kids!

I realize my daughters are 4 and 2, but I still have a few expectations of them.  They include:

1.  When she wants something, she uses her words, not pointing and grunting in an imperious tone.
2.  When she wants something, she says "please" and "thank you."
3.  She will take turns with her sister when playing with toys, even if they are her toys.
4.  She will not be mean to anyone, especially someone in the family (e.g. Daddy).
5.  When she sits down to eat a meal, she will eat.  Period.

#5 is in bold because this is a constant problem and I just had a meltdown over it tonight.  It doesn't seem to matter if they like or hate what is in front of them, if they specifically requested it, or if it is exactly the same as Mommy and Daddy's dinners - they. won't. eat.  I have tried bribery ("you can have ice cream if you finish your dinner!"), threats ("no Daniel Tiger if you don't eat your dinner"), being nice, being mean, leaving them alone at the table, spoon feeding everything, and even trying to make the food look cute (e.g. happy face in applesauce, string cheese peeled into a flower, etc.).  NOTHING.  WORKS.  They will eat about 25-50% of what is on their plates and then refuse to eat anymore, especially E.  They will talk talk talk, play with the food, drink everything in their cups, try to play with other things on the table, and pretty much anything else instead of eat.  It's not like I give them too much to eat either - they can easily eat what is on the plate and have seconds if they wanted.

I am so fed up with it.  I spend a lot of time thinking about what to feed them to make them happy, keep them healthy, and provide a good variety of things to eat.  Then, I go and get the food, prepare it, cook/bake/microwave it, make sure they have everything they need, honor requests, and what do I get?  Two little girls who mix their foods together to the point that they won't eat it (because, frankly, spaghetti in applesauce with carrots on top is just gross), food hidden in napkins and thrown on the floor, crying and begging to leave the table, one freaking noodle on the fork at a time, gagging sounds and motions every time they are forced to eat a bite, etc. 

Tonight, I made lemon pasta for them.  To make it really simple, I just put that and applesauce on their plates, gave them milk, and that was that.  They complained, wouldn't eat, played, and just generally didn't eat what was in front of them.  I literally wanted to cry.  I spent almost a hour putting together the pasta for the family while mediating fights, watching the girls as they played outside, and keeping the dog from going crazy every time someone passed the front door.  I'll admit I yelled at them.  I asked, why should I bother making food for you when you won't eat any of it?  What's the point?  Why should I do something for you when you won't do the same for me?!??  And that, I think, is the crux of it.  As I said at the start, I realize they are 4 and 2, but the double standard here is ridiculous.  I can't bend over backwards to help them out when they won't budge an inch to help me.  I let the husband take care of them tonight after dinner because I just couldn't be around them. 

So, I dread tomorrow when the same thing will happen with every meal.  However, there will be no snacks until meals begin to be eaten.  Period.  I don't care how much crying, yelling, and pleading happens - no snacks.  Nothing.  They can have water but THAT'S.  IT.  Maybe they'll get it through their thick skulls that Mama is not playing games about eating, and wasting food is a huge no-no for me.  We'll see.

7 miles? Why not

I ran 7 miles this morning.  Okay, technically, I ran 6.7 miles and walked 0.3, but let's just round it up to 7.  When I finished, I thought "okay, great, that's how it will feel to run half the half marathon in March."  Crap.  I hope I get better and get more endurance, because it sucks right now.

I had a couple thoughts while running this morning that I thought I'd pass along to anyone who might run (and doesn't know this already):

1.  When mapping your route to run, don't use horse trails.  I literally had to walk over a patch of huge stones for about 30 feet that I didn't expect to be there.  The trails are also quite up and down.  Yeeps.
2.  Running downhill is easier than running uphill, especially when uphill is at a 5% grade.
3.  I have the most random thoughts while running.  Today, I had an episode of Angel stuck in repeat in my brain (I watched it last night) with Maroon 5's Payphone playing the background.  Usually I run with my iShuffle but didn't use it today.  I think there was also a dancing Big Bird in there somewhere.  Weeeeeird.
4.  Please don't call me on my cell phone when I'm running - I won't answer.  Also, don't call repeatedly when I keep sending it to voicemail. 
5.  Cars don't care if you're two feet from them - they will still zip by at 50 mph.  All you can do is cross your fingers that you won't get hit today and that they see you.

Next weekend, it's 8 miles.  Lovely.  My left hip is killing me (I've never had hip pain before I started running looooong distances!), I'm exhausted, and I'm beginning to wonder if my body will be able to take the punishment of a 13.1-mile run.  I guess we'll find out in March!

More sick children in the house

L and E are both sick.  L was so unenergetic today that she just wanted to lay in my bed all day and do nothing but drink orange juice.  Poor kid.  E was super clingy and crying all the time, so I was super glad to put her to bed.  Frankly, I'm exhausted.  Time for bed for this tired mama...

Name jokes

Tonight in class, I had a female student show up named John.  I kid you not.  She goes by another name, but her official legal name is John.  How odd is that?

It reminds me conversations the husband and I used to have when I was pregnant (both times) about giving our children sexually ambiguous names (e.g. Pat, Terry, Chris, Taylor), names that are impossible to spell (e.g. Supercalafrajalisticexbealadocious), or names that are spelled one way but sound another way (e.g. Eubnskfcyb, pronounced Josh).  We'd get to the point of tears because we were laughing so hard, probably at someone's expense, but boy was it great.

It makes you wonder about the parents that give their children names that belong more for the opposite sex.  Why name a girl John?  Why give a boy a very girl name (e.g. Princess)?  It doesn't make any sense to me.  Let's give the child at least one leg up in the world by giving him/her a decent name!

Pedicure & waxing

I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, hence the reason I asked my father-in-law to come watch the girls.  However, about a hour before he was to show up, my doctor called and said no dice, doctor would be unavailable this afternoon.  Well, at least they called before I went over there.  It was a conundrum - I had a babysitter coming, time to do something, and nothing to do.  What should I do?  Then I remembered the awesome gift card my in-laws gave me for Christmas and decided to put it to use.  By some miracle, the place I wanted to go still had openings!  WOOHOO!  Off I went.

I got a pedicure first, which was relaxing.  My nails are now pink (much to the girls' delight) and my feet feel fabulous.  Then, eyebrow waxing.  I haven't had that done in over 10 years, so I wasn't sure how overgrown they were.  Luckily, not too much.  I did, however, forget how painful waxing can be since I had had it done before.  After we first got married, I actually tried to wax my legs at home with a do-it-yourself kit and it was a disaster.  This?  Smarted.  After the technician was done, she said "oh good, it's not red, just pink!"  What?!  LOL.  My entire brow/forehead was pink to match my toenails.  However, now I have nicely shaped eyebrows.  ;)

It was a good afternoon.  Unexpected, but good.  Thank you, FIL, for still being willing to watch my little demons girls!

College night

Tonight was my first class of the semester at the community college.  All in all, it went well.  I had 14 students show up, we played and chatted, and I played some Mozart at the end.  Not too shabby.  The spring semester seems easier to teach than fall every year, though I always dread coming back for some reason.  Maybe it's just that I've taught the same thing for so long now that I just want a change.  Maybe I just don't want to leave my family in the evenings.  I don't know.  Whatever it is, it just makes me want to do less work and more procrastinating when I actually do have to do the work.  Ugh.

Off to fix my syllabus - one of the students pointed out that my numbers didn't add up.  WHY THE HECK DO I SEND THE SYLLABUS OFF TO TWO OTHER FACULTY MEMBERS TO CHECK IT IF THEY DON'T CATCH THESE MISTAKES?!?!??

Exercise and sleep

For me, if I exercise, I get exhausted but can't sleep.  It's awful.  When I go for super long runs early in the morning, I can't really fall asleep for 4-5 hours afterwards even though I can hardly move from being so tired.  This is especially unhelpful when I exercise in the evening.  Tonight, I went for a run and finished at 8:45pm.  Well, I didn't really have much of a choice in selecting the time of my workout, but that's okay.  However, it means that I'm still up at 10:30pm and not ready to sleep while my husband lays beside me snoring away.  Ugh.  Can you sleep immediately after exercising, or am I one of the odd ones that can't quite swing it?  When I do sleep, I sleep like a dream - straight through the night, no waking up in the middle of the night for anything, and feel damn good in the morning.  However, I'm not there yet.  Guess I'll go do some school work for tomorrow.

Photos of L at 4

I asked the husband to take some pictures of L tonight so I could put together a thank-you card from her birthday.  He responded by taking some pretty cute shots.  L definitely isn't a model, and her smile could use some more teeth, but she's still a pretty girl!

I'm a cute girl

Um, are these sleeves?

Here's my back side, Daddy!

Modeling in her coat and pink sweatpants.

My favorite picture from the series.  <3

L "smiling."  I think I need to work on this with her.

Yay, I'm FREE!

Standing in the street thinking.

RSVP - Do it or suffer

I was just reading something elsewhere on RSVPs.  The person who wrote it was saying that the date she had set as the RSVP deadline for her son's birthday party was tomorrow, and thus far she only had one RSVP back (out of close to 20).  Should she expect more tomorrow or the next day?  Unfortunately, I responded to her no, probably not.  Here's my story and why.  (note:  the numbers are approximate now as it's been long enough that I don't remember the exact ones, except the ones that were missing)

Last year, for L's 3rd birthday, I sent out invitations to close to 30 people.  They were almost all family, a handful of friends, and ourselves.  I'd learned from previous gatherings, both my own and others in the family, that simply saying "RSVP by this date" wouldn't cut it for a lot of people.  They're lazy.  So, I came up with "RSVP regrets only by this date."  See how I did that?  If you're NOT coming, let me know; otherwise, the assumption is you ARE coming.  By the date I listed on the invitation, I had 22 people on the list to come party.

Not only was I preparing food and drink for everyone, but so were several of the family members.  I specifically remember the husband's parents and his grandmother preparing loads of food.  We needed food for 22 people, right?  That can be a lot!  The day of the party came and L was elated to have so many people come.  I was glad for the RSVP so I knew how many people were coming!  As the party wore on, I realized that there were only 15 people total.  I kept waiting and waiting for the other 7 to show up - I mean, where the f* were they?  They never said they weren't coming.  By the end of the afternoon, it had become painfully clear to me that these 7 people weren't coming, hadn't bothered to let me know that, and we had a huge amount of extra food and activities because we had planned for these people to come and. they. didn't.  Included in that total were two kids, for whom I had prepared goody bags as well.  They didn't show up.

L had a great birthday party.  It was a great time with the people who came.  I am supremely thankful for those who did come to celebrate, as we all had a great time.  However, I was upset, disappointed, and angry that the 7 who didn't come couldn't bother to let me know ahead of time.  How ridiculous is that?  I decided then that I would not be inviting them to any other parties we'd be having (RSVP or not!), and it was probably better for me to wean my contact from them on a more permanent basis.  Prior to this, I'd been hoping for a better relationship - now, not so much. 

So, this is what I told the lady asking about RSVPs - she's not going to get responses.  If she wants responses, she'll have to contact each of those people individually and ask, which really defeats the purpose of sending out invitations prior to the party anyway.  People have grown so lazy in our society that they can't extend a courtesy to their family and/or friends to let them know that they will or won't be able to attend a function.  Frankly, if you send out something with a RSVP and people don't respond, I'd just not invite them anymore.  Am I vindictive?  Yes.  Is that fair?  To me, yes, probably not for most people.  I just don't see the point in having relationships with people that can't treat me or my family members with respect and common courtesy. 

If you want me to treat you well, you'd better damn well treat me that way.

Are you looking at my BOOBS?!

This evening, I was going to run to Chipotle, get food for the family, bring it home, and then consume it.  Plans quickly changed when both girls threw a fit that they would A) not be able to go with me, and B) be left at home with Daddy, so we all piled in the car and went.  I guess we'll just consume it at the store!

This is similar to the shirt I was wearing tonight:

I got it from my lovely brother and sister-in-law for Christmas, and it's the only piece of clothing that I have now from my undergraduate institution.  It's a long sleeve shirt (as opposed to this one), and I wore it today since I was just bumming around the house with the family.

As I was coming back from grabbing napkins to our table, a man in the middle of the restaurant looked at me and said "wait, BGSU?"  I replied yes, BGSU.  He then said "AY ZIGGY ZUMBA!" and I had to laugh.  He said he was an alumnus as well, but probably many years before my time.  It was nice - I'd never met another person here that went to the same school.

When I got back to the table, I realized that if they guy noticed my shirt, he was looking at my boobs.  The husband then asked me if I wanted to get my drink from where the napkins were, so I said no, you get it, and handed him my cup.  LOL.  He was so confused but complied.  I didn't want the guy looking at my shirt/boobs again!  I know, ridiculously self conscious, but there you go.

Has anyone looked at your boobs today?

Lost in Translation

I had meetings all afternoon at the community college in preparation for the spring semester, which starts on Monday.  First, I'm guessing the college got majorly sued recently because we got hammered with copyright law details in all the meetings.  Second, while I understand why these meetings have to occur, I just don't quite understand what these meetings do for me beyond reiterating stuff I read (because I really do read stuff about my employer!).  I have many examples from today below:

VP says:  You should probably insert something your syllabus about grading so that there aren't any questions.  Students like the clarity.
I hear:  PUT IT IN YOUR SYLLABUS BEFORE I ROAST YOU LIKE A MARSHMALLOW WHEN THE SCHOOL IS SLAPPED WITH AN ELEVENTY-BILLION-DOLLAR LAWSUIT.  OH, AND STUDENTS CAN'T READ OR PAY ATTENTION.

Admin Asst:  Finals are from Wednesday thru Monday.
Me:  What about Tuesday/Thursday classes?
Admin Asst says:  You give your final on Thursday.
I hear:  Obviously, you do not get a full 15 weeks to teach your class like everyone else.  You lose an entire day to fit my schedule, and don't you dare schedule something on that Tuesday marked "last class" when I just told you that finals end on MONDAY.  HOW DARE YOU QUESTION WHETHER I MADE A MISTAKE ON MY HANDOUT.

Librarian says:  Make use of our facility!  We have great resources for faculty and students!  Beware copyright law!  Ask questions and we have answers!  I'm super perky!
I hear:  There are large chocolate chip cookies on a plate behind me that smell delicious and taste even better.  Isn't it a shame I'm talking so you can't rush the table and grab fistfuls of their chocolately goodness to shamelessly stuff in your face?

Dept Chair says:  This is a list of materials that are copyright-law protected.  Use this worksheet to figure out if it falls under Fair Use.  If the student doesn't own it via a textbook, be careful.
I hear:  Everything you use in you class is a violation of copyright law, the school will be sued for eleventy billion more dollars because you decided to use #24 white paper instead of #60 white, you cheapskate.  Sacrifice your children now to the Copyright Gods so that we may all have peace this semester.

You get my drift.  My mind wandered, I felt harangued, and I just wasn't in the mood to deal with all this do-this-do-that stuff.  In all honesty, I know it's important stuff.  I know I'll follow their guidelines, but does it really have to be presented in this format?  Why not make it more fun?  Tiring, boring, and I'm still longing for cookie goodness.

Annual check-up

The girls had their annual check-ups today and all is well.  E is still small for her age, at 33 inches tall and 25.2 pounds, while L is still huge at 42 inches tall and 38 pounds.  L had to get four shots (poor kid!), but she apparently doesn't get anymore until she's 11.  11!  I can't imagine her being that old.  They were very pleased for the stickers they got afterwards, and I was pleased that I got about 20 minutes with the doctor to talk.

Each visit, I have to fill out these questionnaires that gauge how well the girls are growing mentally.  I'm posting the picture I took of part of L's because I found it hysterical.  Enjoy - look at the upper right.

"What do you do when you're cold?"

Cancelled

I got a call this afternoon from the head of my department at the community college informing me that my second of two classes I'm supposed to teach this semester has been cancelled.  Bummer.  I was looking forward to teaching this class (a continuation of my other one), but only 8 people signed up for it.  Apparently 15 were needed to have the class go.  DARN.  However, my beginning class is a go, so I get to deal with beginners again this semester.  *sigh*  Somedays it's so frustrating dealing with a room full of adults that have no clue what they are doing.  Exhausting too!  I guess I should just be happy that I still have something to do while other instructors are getting their entire loads cancelled.  Still...disappointed.  I guess there's always next semester.

Happy birthday, L!

Today is L's 4th birthday.  I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that my oldest daughter is now 4.  Is that possible?  I can still remember when my husband was teaching her how to jump when she was 20 months old by feeding her treats like a dog.  4?  Seriously???  She's almost ready for elementary school!!!!!!

I think L had a really good day.  Daddy stayed home from work so he could make her strawberry pancakes for breakfast (among other things), then she opened up her gifts from us (a Barbie helmet and a new Cinderella bicycle), played all morning, had lunch and games at Peter Piper Pizza, napped, played outside on her new bike (and fell off many, many times), got her choice dinner of corn dogs (yuck!), took a hugely bubbly bath, got her favorite stories, played with dolls with both Mommy and Daddy, and then was off to bed.  All in all, I think it was a good day.  The only meltdown came when E tried to take toys away from her.  :p

Mmmm, strawberry pancakes!

So, SO happy for her new Cinderella bike!

Munching on pizza at Peter Piper.

Birthday balloon!

E is so pleased that she inherits the tricycle and Cinderella helmet now.

L riding after Mommy (this is the first time in 5+ years since I've ridden my bike!)

Full regalia - bike, helmet, and training wheels.

Making faces in the tub.

Cheesy grin in E's room.

Daddy reading L the special Happy Birthday To You book.

In the course of her playing last night, L decided Prince Phillip should have a purse.  Wait, maybe it was DADDY that decided he needed a purse!  Silly, silly Daddy.

Night night, L!

Happy 4th birthday, L!  I can still remember you being that itty-bitty gorgeous baby of mine.  I will always love and take care of you because you are MINE!!!!!!!!!

L at birth, on my shoulder.

L at age 1 - all chub!

L at age 2 - now a big sister!

L at age 3, hugging Captain America.