Constant Beginnings

the crazy train that is, not me. I am not slowing down. Too much to do in so little time ;) We had a great weekend. We didn't DO alot, went basically nowhere, but my head is much clearer and I feel we have a plan in place. This is what we accomplished: 1. I made a list of all the things I want/need to get done. 2. I made homemade oreos and gave nearly all to neighbors and Chris' work friends. 3. I created little Halloween treats for Claire and Mya's friends at school. 4. Laundry was washed & dried. 5. I began going through the stacks of papers that have become my recipes, cutting and filing appropriately. 6. I prepared the new meatball recipe that we will eat for dinner tonight. 7. I put together the salad I brought to work for a luncheon today. 8. I made Mya's lunch for today. 9. Chris fixed the hole in the bike tire so Mya can work on riding a bike with two wheels. 10. Chris put up the crib. 11. I updated the software on my computer and Chris attempted...

I can't believe I've we've survived the last two months. They  have been purely crazy. I shared that we enrolled Mya in a new preschool program in August. Although it is truly amazing and EXACTLY what she needs, the schedule is less than desirable. Right now Chris and our friend, Erika have been taking turns dropping off the kiddos (Mya and her buddy Asa) at 8:15, then Erika (or sometimes me) picks them up at 2:00. We bring them to an FCC provider who is located at a neighboring village--about 10 minutes from our house where they stay until we are done with work. For Mya, it ends up to be about an hour or so. It is a huge pain as I then have to go pick her up, back track either back to base or home, get done with whatever I need, load up the car and take the kids to the next activity.  I've searched high and low for someone to help us. Someone to rescue us from this burden. Someone to simply pick up Mya and watch her for a few hours or even ...

We are heading to Italy for the long weekend--Pisa, Cinque de Terre and Florence. It will be a whirlwind trip, but again, crossing off 2 of our "must sees." It should be fun! I had my 16 week check up this week. Claire and Mya were able to listen to the baby's heart rate. It was 160 bpm.  I'll also throw in the fact that the Chinese calendar is once again predicting a boy for us. If you've read my posts from my first two children, the Chinese calendar predicted them to be boys as well.  Hmm.....

(This post is entirely for my own memory and simply because I live and breath speech.) Mya's speech development has been so different than Claire's. It seemed as though Claire began articulating every single sound correctly around the age of 2-2 1/2. Of course, I know this isn't 100% true, but she was a very articulate, well spoken child. Mya, on the other hand, is just as well spoken with language skills far beyond her years, but her articulation has been clouded by a frontal lisp since I can remember. I've taught her to "keep her teeth closed," which corrects the issue, but Chris and I don't harp on it constantly. We go in spurts, reminding her here and there. She has recently begun to correct herself. She now says the "sh," "ch", and "j" sounds correctly.The only errored sounds that remain are the /s/ and /z/. She is even beginning to say these correctly at times--all by herself. Our little girl is growing up.

Chris and I had this elaborate plan on how we were going to share the news with our girls. I ordered adorable shirts, which took forever to get here. They were supposed to ship Oct. 4, but didn't. I am not a patient soul at all. I love to share good news and spread the excitement. We went to a German doctor last week for a gender reveal ultrasound. He was 99% certain of his selection. Claire and I began looking at clothes online. She asked questions about why we were looking at baby clothing, but thankfully, my sister has a little guy and a baby girl who is due in December. They are my perfect excuses for all things baby! Claire asked nothing more and began pointing out things we should buy Jackson or the new baby girl. Our weekends typically involve partaking in a local event or just relaxing, which means a trip to the KMCC Mall. Saturday we went shopping or at least looking. Once again, the girls became excited, choosing items for Jackson or the new baby girl. I decided I cou...

Dearest Claire and Mya, It has been some time since I've actually written a letter to motivate, inspire and share my hopes and dreams for you. I suppose life got in the way. Regardless, there is no excuse. My hope is these letters will live on long after I am gone. I hope you will hear my voice as you read them, understand the love I have for you, and know that I am always walking along side you, cheering you on each step of the way. You are both so young, yet so compassionate. Your concern for others inspires me. Compassion is seeing someone who is suffering, understanding or feeling their pain and having the desire to help. I witness your compassion on a daily basis. When Mya is crying, Claire, you are the first to lend a hand, ask her what is wrong and try to make things right. When I complain that I am not feeling well, Mya, you are the first to bring me a blanket, give me a kiss and ask me if I am okay. There is a new child at school. She is in the first grade and suffers...