Few New Pics of the Kiddo

 Leah and her cousins show off the Easter eggs they dyed that morning. Leah only used two colors: blue & yellow (her favorites).

 Leah: "I cryin'. I'm sad." (This is all an act, mind you. It usually ends with a request for a hug, followed by an "I happy now".)

 

 Leah's Easter basket was a shovel and bucket. Looks like we made the right choice, since Leah carted both around Easter Sunday as she hunted for acorns.

Leah and I (and her bucket, of course!) enjoy the beautiful weather on the porch swing.

Ever Closer

The other day, as Scott, Leah, and I were hanging out on the front porch, Scott mentioned compiling a list of projects he'd like to complete so that he could tally up the cost and then work enough overtime to cover it. "You mean, before the baby arrives?" I asked. He nodded in agreement.

At the time, I thought, "Sounds like a good idea to me," and I still (generally) think so. But as I made a mental list of the projects he might be considering (garage door trim; porch rails and posts; new flower box in front of porch), I realized that accomplishing such a task might take a little more time than allotted.

After all, the little man will arrive in two months. TWO MONTHS! I've been pretty laid back about his arrival (compared to Leah's), knowing that everything (translation: personalizing the nursery for him) will get done eventually, but in the midst of knowing that, I haven't paid much attention to time itself. But then, as I was planning out my week (which involves looking at the month as a whole to figure out what needs to be done), I realized that May 1 is Sunday. SUNDAY! There's still so much to be done! 

Thankfully, we have two more months. (Ahh, I'm so thankful I'm an optimist at heart!) We'll slowly but surely cross off items from the "to do" list. First on the agenda: buying a shade for Leah's room so that we can transition her into it. After that, everything else will fall into place. Now, let's hope I remember that this time next month.

Perspective

This afternoon and evening were a reminder in perspective, simply because they didn't go as I had anticipated. First Leah didn't nap. Then I had to spend about 20-30 minutes figuring out what was wrong with the Internet connection/ and calling Comcast (ugh), which meant that I didn't get a workout in. Then, tonight, I couldn't get Leah into the bath after dinner (she usually LOVES her baths); every time I dipped her toes in, she'd say, "Go poo-poo," so I'd stick back on the toilet. At one point, I tried convincing her to take a shower with me, but only met with the same response. Ugh. Needless to say, nothing went smoothly this evening.

But, in the midst of the endless toilet-tub dance this evening, I remembered that this all could be worse; I have friends with sick kids, others adjusting to new cities/ homes, and still others whose husbands are deployed. Some are stuck in limbo while awaiting orders. Some have tough decisions to make regarding pets or family. My minor list of inconveniences today is just that: minor.

So with that thought in the back of my mind, I forced myself to see the humor in Leah's antics. As she sat on the toilet for the umpteenth time, her hair wet and sticking out every which way, I couldn't help but laugh. Then I laughed more when she pointed out that her hair and toes were wet. The lesson in all this? Perspective. There will always be setbacks and frustrations and slippery kids who need to poop, but how we respond to them is our choice. We can give in to our emotions or we can find the humor in the moment, forcing ourselves to laugh or giggle. I only hope that I choose the latter more regularly.

Latest Addition

I couldn't sleep last night, and I think it had something to do with our latest addition. Maybe the excitement kept me from relaxing enough to rest. (I'm sure it had NOTHING to do with pregnancy hormones!) Maybe the anticipation of seeing it again today made me eager for the day to arrive. Maybe the... well, I'm sure there could have been a whole slough of factors that triggered my insomnia. No matter; we have a new addition: a silver 2011 Hyundai Sonata.


We've been car hunting for a few months now, but only seriously doing so the past couple of weeks. After a visit to Carmax a couple weekends ago, we decided on the Hyundai Sonata due to its size (Scott can fit comfortably in the backseat even with the driver's seat all the way back; the trunk is massive) and gas mileage (22 city; 35 highway). We were debating between an older model and the 2011, but ultimately agreed that we liked the styling of the 2011 best. Plus, since this car is going to be with us for sometime, why shouldn't we get something that we really liked rather than settling? So, the hunt was on. 


There were several criteria for this new vehicle: mileage, price, year, and interior styling. (Exterior color was also a factor, but not such a limiting one. We wanted a dark color, but, well, silver is obviously not.) Most of the 2011s we found fit one criteria and a minor one (color), but not the major ones (mileage, price) we were considering. Until THE ONE. Scott's co-worker (who runs a car dealership on the side) had some friends at a dealership in McLean that was selling THE ONE. After talking to them, he managed to negotiate the rock-bottom price that we could pay for the car, so Scott checked it out while at work. Just from his quick inspection (he didn't get it), he told the salesman that we'd be back that night to take it for a test drive/ check it out. 


So Scott and I headed back up to McLean after he got home from work. (Thankfully, Leah got to spend that time with Nama and Grandpa, a much better option than hanging out at a car dealership!) We hadn't planned on buying the car last night, much less taking it home, but... well, God had other plans. After taking it for a test drive, we discussed letting the salesman know that night or today if we wanted the car. Of course, we both knew that we wanted it and that we wouldn't find a better deal elsewhere (remember, we'd been searching), so why wait to let him know? 


He started our paperwork and then said something about us taking the car off the lot that night. What?! We hadn't planned on that; we thought we'd be up later in the week do so. Again, God had other plans. So, with a few signatures, we drove home our new (used) car. I'm so excited! Of course, I'm also a bit nervous. After all, I'm accustomed to driving a little bitty car, and this one certainly isn't (though it reminds me -- size-wise-- of the Intrepid my parents had when I was in high school). Give me a few days driving this one around, though, and I'll adjust to a larger vehicle. After all, I was going to have to anyway, regardless of what car we decided on.