More of me...

I recently saw a commercial for a Lifetime movie starring Molly Shannon called "More of Me". What a wonderful concept! In one scene, she is looking in a 3 piece mirror wishing there were more of her and her 3 reflections step out of the mirror to lend a hand. Now, being a stay-at-home mom of two, I can fully appreciate the idea that it would be so nice if I could just split myself in half. One half to deal with one child and the other half to deal with the other child. Even better, if there were 4 of me: one for each child, one for my husband and one for myself (maybe I'd actually get a bathroom break or a meal on time). I'm not very good at asking for help nor do I necessarily want to accept it when it's offered. My problem is feeling like if I get help with something, I have somehow failed or admitted that I can't do it all myself. There is also the guilt that comes with mommy territory...mostly I feel guilty that Luke doesn't get the attention Kate always had and that Kate doesn't get the attention she has become accustom to. I can't even feel okay when Kate gets attention from others because I feel guilty that it's not coming from me. Am a warped or what?! So on days like today when toddler emotions are a little unbalanced, Mommy's patience is running low, and naps are way too short I have to vent and move on. Taking every task one step at a time keeps me from either spontaneously combusting or completely losing my mind. I know every mom out there knows exactly what I'm talking about and that does give me some peace of mind. =) It may sound like I'm complaining but...oh, who am I kidding, I am complaining...as busy and exhausting as life can be I wouldn't trade it for anything. How could I when I get to look at these two every day. So here's the question of the day: Whether you are a mom or not, what are your secrets to success when you have one of those overwhelming, I wish there were more of me days?

Long time, no blog...

I know I've been a terrible blogger! Life has been pretty busy and I have a feeling this is just the beginning. So here is a quick picture-less update with the promise of a better post to come. Of course next week will include some sure to be adorable Halloween pics. =)
Luke has become quite an active little thing. He can no longer be found in the position you left him in as he is rolling, rolling everywhere. The boy wants to crawl so bad he can taste it but only succeeds in pushing himself around with knees while dragging his poor little face along the carpet. He doesn't seem to mind it, though. John thinks he will skip crawling completely and just start walking around since he is happiest in the standing position. I think this is mostly because it's the best position for watching his big sister who he thinks is sooooo funny!
We met our new pediatrician, Dr. Aufdemburg, at Luke's 4 month appointment last week. He is really nice and has, in our opinion, a great view on the vaccine issue. Luke was 13 lbs. 7 oz. (25th percentile) and about 24 3/4 in. (50th percentile). So, typical of our children, the doctor declared him to be lean. He is in great health and will "keep us busy" said Dr. A after Luke destroyed the paper on the exam table. I'm sure Kate will help us keep him in line, though, as she has become quite a little mother. She recently lectured him about grabbing his cousin, Brooklyn, while they were laying on the floor together. It was so funny listening to her say, "Luke, no grabbing Brooklyn. That's not very nice. You listen to Kate."
Kate is staying busy. Every day she becomes more and more girly. Today she was walking through the house with her blanket acting as either a flowing dress or a train dragging behind her. She is still enjoying Toddler Club on Wednesdays and "Boogying to Books" on Fridays. We went to California Adventure last week for the first time and had a great time, she especially loved the Live Playhouse Disney show. She is looking forward to our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with cousins, Jonah and Javan. We were supposed to go yesterday but the air quality has been so bad with all of the fires we decided to put it off until next week. So stay tuned for those pics.
Speaking of the fires, we are so lucky to be safe and relatively unaffected by these devastating fires. The worst we've had to deal with is the layer of ash and dirt covering everything, the smokey haze floating around and the 90-100 degree heat. We do, however, know many people who have been evacutaed and are anxiously waiting to see whether their homes will survive. I can't imagine the feeling and my heart goes out to everyone in that situation. Say a prayer for them.

What a busy week...

Well, it's been a busy week which explains why I'm so behind on the posts. Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to:

Sunday 9/30- marked the 12th anniversary of our first date! Aww, so sweet! Just a couple of 16-year-olds out for a terrible first date...if you haven't heard that story remind me to tell you sometime- it's a wonder we are where we are today! =)

On Monday we had our good friends, Sean and Rachel Reeves, over for dinner. They are another happily-married-after-dating-at-Brethren Christian High School-couple. We had such fun reminicing about those drama-filled high school days.

On Tuesday we went to Disneyland for the first time in several months. Last Christmas we got annual passes and have had a lot of fun. It was Luke's first trip and he did great. His favorite ride was "It's a Small World"- he looked around in complete awe. So cute! Nana and Grandpa went with us and Grandpa bought Kate a beautiful hat. She loves to wear it with the veil over her face like a bride- much to her daddy's dismay. =)

Wednesday was Toddler Club, as usual, although we don't have a craft to show since it was painting with pudding and Kate ate it all. Delicious!

We started "Boogying to Books" at the Rossmoor Library on Friday with friends. It was fun, though a little chaotic with 23 kids between the ages 15 and 30 months! We're looking forward to going every Friday for the next couple of weeks.

Friday night was our 10 year high school reunion. It's hard to believe it's been that long since our days at B.C.H.S. Only about 1/3 of the class showed up but it was fun getting to see and catch up with old classmates. Hopefully the 20 year will have a better turn out.

Then came the weekend. We spent a couple of days in San Diego with the Irelands. It was a lot of fun. We stayed at a cute hotel in Old Town and went to the zoo on Monday. Stay tuned for some pictures and a more detailed post about our zoo day.