An Armadillo Drinking a Beer...and other adventures

With another international business trip under his belt, we are pleased to announced that Dad is home.    Ok, the word "pleased" doesn't really do it justice. It's more like jubilant/thrilled/elated/triumphant/relived/emocionado!

And fist bumps don't do it justice, either.  This calls for some old school cabbage patch action.

 

Cabbage Patch Dance - a dance involving putting the hands together in the form of fists and moving them in a horizontal, circular motion.  - Wikipedia

 

Around here, we call it "churning butter".

 In order to explain this excessive display of excitement over Dad's return, let's rewind a little bit.  Two weeks ago, we moved to a new state far, far away from all familiarity.  Just as the last few boxes were being unpacked, Dad had to up and go to Mexico for work.  Adios! 

 

No problem.  Mom's done this solo parenting thing before.  It's just that before, I knew where all of my household belongings were.  I could find my way to the grocery store without getting lost.  And if I did need help, I knew all sorts of people to call.  And Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne would usually come stay and assist.  But this time...crickets...

 

Determined to prove I had the strength and fortitude of all of the independent women who do this single motherhood thing daily without a support system, I accepted the challenge.  And the girls were little dolls for the most part.  Even though things went pretty smoothly, I was eager for Travis to return on Friday.  That's when I got the call; the one that told me his flight out of Mexico had been delayed 8 hours...making it impossible to make his connection...meaning he wouldn't be home until Saturday...if the stars aligned and he could pull this off at the last minute...on a holiday weekend. 

 

Suddenly the week of solo parenting that had seemed so smooth when there was a definitive end in sight turned into I-can't-bear-one-more-hour-of-Merryn's-hurricane-force-destruction-and-I-can't-take-one-more-minute-of-Josie's-whining and the waterworks set in.  And I told him in no uncertain terms that he better find me something NICE in that airport duty-free shop.  Really nice.

 

He responded with an email featuring pictures of my choices:

 That's a no brainer.  The armadillo drinking a beer.  Duh!  It will look amazing on my mantle!  And just like that, I was reminded of exactly why I love this man.

 

Fast forward back to Saturday evening, after all the high fives, fist bumps, cabbage patching, and raising the roof, we pulled up to the airport and saw the most wonderful sight: Dad was finally home!

 Joy

 Love

 Happiness

 Eskimo Kisses

 And what may be my favorite picture EVER:

 Yes, that about sums it up right there.

 

I insisted upon going out for Mexican food since I'd spent the week hearing how incredible the food Travis consumed in Mexico was.

Being significantly closer to Canada than we are to Mexico, the area is truly lacking in authentic Mexican cuisine.  However, we found a place with a festive, family-friendly ambiance, mediocre food, and unlimited chips (isn't that the best part about Mexican restaurants anyway?) and we had a great time.  How can you help but have fun watching Merryn inhale that guacamole?!  Talk about finger lickin' good.

 

This morning, Dad reached into his laptop bag and pulled out the gift he had purchased for the girls:

It was a stuffed horse that looks exactly like our backyard neighbor, Mr. Ed!

 Seeing as how Dad only brought home one toy for two sisters, this was the perfect opportunity for the girls to showcase the fine art of sharing:

 Eh, we're going to have to work on that sharing bit...

 

Or maybe we won't.  Because upon closer inspection, Josie informed her Dad that this little horse was "Broken.  No Button.  Needs Batteries."  

"Back in my day, we did this..." and Travis proceeded to demonstrate hoof clomping noises and enthusiastic "neigh" 's. You know you're old when you start a sentence with "Back in my day..." Oh Travis!

It doesn't matter.  Josie was NOT convinced.  Looks like Merryn will have this faulty heap of disappointment all to herself.  Nice try, Dad.

 

I'd like to extend my utmost respect and admiration to all the single moms out there.  Hats off to you.  Special thanks to the compassionate lady who saw me struggling with the massive kid cart at Super Walmart.  As the storm winds threatened to send it flying while I was trying to unload my babies, she ran over to hold it steady for me, and she listened to me blabber on about how my husband was out of town and we ran out of milk and that's why I'm out here in this weather looking like a mess on the verge of tears with two toddlers in tow.  Even though this benevolent stranger will likely never read these words, that random act of kindness meant so much.

 

And last but not least, a great, big, bienvenida a casa to my husband, who better be sticking around for awhile if he knows what's good for him ;-)

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Our impending move is quickly approaching and even though we've moved many times in the past, this time is different.  Moving is always an emotional experience.  Leaving the wonderful neighbors, colleagues, and friends we made in various cities is always hard.  But those other moves never came close to eliciting this degree of sentimentality.

 

Our lives changed dramatically in the past four years that we've lived in this home.  We went from being two carefree young professionals to being parents.  We became a family in this house.  We brought our babies home to this house. 

 

This is the family room where Josie sat perched on her trusty, giraffe-print, circular mat, for months and months and months (16 to be exact) until she became mobile.  Meanwhile, Merryn was perched on that mat for about 30 seconds before she decided she'd rather be on the go and into everything, actively challenging my OCD with her hurricane force energy.

 

This room is my favorite.  It started as an office and we decided to turn it into a playroom when we became pregnant with Merryn.  Adorable hot air balloons created by Travis (aka "Crafty Dad") adorn the wall as the morning light floods in through a big window flanked with soft green curtains.  The girls spend most of their day in this room, reading books, having picnics, and dancing along with the singing animal collection.

This is our patio where a big, beautiful hackberry tree shelters us from the summer sun and holds a little red baby swing that has evoked countless gummy grins.  On this patio, the unmistakable sounds of a Midwestern summer evening fill the air- cheers echoing from the softball game at the park across the street, and the faint melody that trails from the ice cream truck as it beckons neighborhood children.  This is where we've fired up the grill, watched fireworks, and had many late night talks over a couple of beers after the girls are fast asleep.

 

At the end of the hall is the nursery where our girls sleep side by side every night.  Its decor is gender neutral, strategically designed to be equally welcoming to either a boy or a girl when we got the call that every adoptive parent yearns for.  A giant oxygen tank and pulse oximeter serve as poignant reminders of the arduous journey that Josie traveled from her days as a medically fragile infant to a thriving toddler.  Many a bedtime story has been read in that cozy brown rocker and many a morning fist bump has been extended between those cribs. 

 

Like most formal dining rooms, this one was only used on holidays but those occasions held the most significant memories.  At this dining room table, we announced our intentions to adopt a baby with Down syndrome to my mom and sister.  One year later, that precious baby sat in her daddy's arms at this same table, surrounded by the adoring gazes of a family who was profoundly grateful for the blessing we had received.  This is where we proudly displayed our pint-sized Christmas tree and nativity set every December, and it's where we exchanged the gifts we'd lovingly selected for each other on Christmas morning.  This is also where we shared our last meal with my dad, who was painfully weak and frail from cancer, but he was determined to fulfill his promise to join us for Thanksgiving.

 

On one level, it's just four walls and a roof in a family-friendly neighborhood in a wholesome Midwestern town; a mere real estate listing consisting of bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage.  But to us, it's a sanctuary where we laughed, loved, lost, and realized our dreams.  And the gravity of that, my friends, cannot be underestimated.

 

Going forward, we will establish another sanctuary.  We will share new experiences.  We will realize new dreams.  But this stop along memory lane will always be sacred and forever cherished.

Week In Review: Elephants, Sheep, & Papa!

A few weeks ago, I woke up early, cancelled my appointment at the bank, packed up breakfast, and threw the kids in the car so that we could be perched and ready to see a parade of elephants walk through the streets.  That's not something you see everyday, right?  I knew Josie would be thrilled!

Turns out I don't know my kids that well after all.  Because even though a herd of elephants sashayed in front of her, trunk-to-tail, larger than life, all Josie could do was repeatedly inquire about the whereabouts of the sheep.

Really, kid?  I give you the largest living land animal, native to Africa, right here in the continental United States, in all of it's glory, and all you can think about are a-dime-a-dozen-woolly livestock that can be found at any given county fair?! 

What can I say?  She's a sheep enthusiast.

 That's exactly how Dad became the favorite parent.  Not like the title was mine to lose or anything.  I am under no illusions about that.  But it's the little things that give him the edge.  Like Mom offers vegetables; dad offers pizza.  Mom offers flash cards; dad offers singing animals.  Mom offers elephants; dad offers SHEEP! 

That's right.  By presenting a handful of sheep enclosed in orange plastic fencing, Dad single-handedly redeemed Josie from the elephant disappointment, further reinforcing his hero status in the eyes of Josie bo peep!

Where does he get his magic touch, you ask?  Well, probably from his own dad - better known as "Papa" around these parts.  The "pied piper of children" effect must be genetic as evidenced by the way Papa's presence immediately commands a mellow and attentive compliance from our girls during an impromptu photo shoot last week:

God bless him!  Despite Papa's best attempt at toddler herding, the cooperation exhibited by both the elephants and the sheep put my children to shame. 

That pretty much sums up our week - a cross between a circus and a rodeo with a little county fair thrown in for flavor.

*Special thanks to Papa for making time to see us during his business trip. 

Josie's new walker

Operation "Walk by Thanksgiving" is in full swing around here and it's all hands on deck.  Josie's fantastic physical therapist, Bea, is always full of creative ideas.  The most recent trick she had up her sleeve was this adorable little walker.  It's much smaller and lighter than Josie's gait trainer and it doesn't have a seat so Josie cannot just sit and relax like she's prone to doing.  Josie gave it a once-over with Bea and decided she'd be willing to try this novel contraption.

 Josie's very own walker arrived via UPS this weekend and Josie was so excited to open her new "present".

 After a quick glance at the instructions, Josie was ready to assemble that bad boy.

 She tweaked a few of the settings...

 ...and then cleaned up her mess, per mom's directive.

 At that point, Dad stepped in to make a few more adjustments.

 Josie helped.

 

Tennis balls were added for a really sporty feel (that is if the "I-just-broke-out-of-the-nursing-home" look is considered "sporty") and she was off!  Unfortunately, steering posed a greater challenge than we had anticipated.

 We're going to have to work on that when Josie's feeling cooperative.  Unfortunately, when it comes to walking, we've got a lot of attitude to contend with.

But no worries - I have a secret weapon and I'm not afraid to use it:

Check out our little speed demon in action:

Love Machine

Dad is back from his business trip to India.  Boy was he missed!  The girls were delighted to see him.

 

As if his sheer presence wasn't thrilling enough, he brought the girls gifts: singing animals from India!

The upside of having a dad who travels for work is that their international singing animal collection is expanding rapidly!

 Of course some of us are happier about that than others...

Dad sure has a knack for picking out singing animals.  Just when we think they can't get any weirder (or uglier), he amazes us.  I can't even venture a guess as to what he'll return with next time!

Mom vs. Dad

Today Josie got a new Mic-Key button - a ritual we repeat every three months.  Here she is on the exam table this afternoon, anxiously anticipating her new accessory.

Three months ago, at her last appointment, she was accompanied by her father because I had just given birth.  This is what the doctor found when he walked in:

Just to clarify

In Mom's care:

In Dad's care:

As you can imagine, I was mortified when I saw this Kodak Moment that my husband was kind enough to capture for posterity.

Me (in a shriek 3 octaves higher than my usual voice): What happened to her hair?!?!

Travis: She pulled it out.  We had a long wait.

Me: Why didn't you fix it?!?!

Travis: I tried three times!  I don't know how!

Somehow, of all the talents my husband has acquired over the years, he missed "Toddler Hair Styling".  We're going to have to work on that. 

When we got home, we attempted a little photo shoot, showcasing these sassy sisters in their matching outfits from Mama Hop, but this is all we got...

More screaming and shushing...Sorry Mom.  Maybe next time!