Thursday, February 24, 2011

Favorite Person

Not me, or Steven... the girls favorite person is Heather.  They adore her.  They think the sun rises and sets just for her, and that she can make their lives full of magic, candy, and awesomeness.  I love that they love their cousins, but I hate that they assume she comes over just to cater to their every whim.  She does love them, and plays with them, she's really a great kid.  I hope they're both as fabulous when they're teenagers.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Thinking

When we were picking up the girls Sunday, as we were thinking about leaving, my mom's phone rang.  It was my Uncle Bob.  My Aunt Maura was diagnosed with lung cancer last spring, and despite chemo, radiation, and surgery,  things are not going well.  He was calling to tell my mom that she's no longer at home.  Her pain isn't managed well enough, and she's in a hospice center at the local hospital.  She's so uncomfortable they have her on Oxycontin, Oxycodone, and Morphine.  And that only brings her down to a 4 or a 5 pain-wise.  So there's a trip to NH in the works.  We saw her in November at Erin's party, and I'm glad we made the trip.  She got to see the girls, and I got to see her.  So even if it happens that I don't make it up to see her again, I did see her. 

Erin's planning her wedding in August, and I'm really sad thinking about how things could happen.  Lynise's wedding was happy AND sad since Linda wasn't there.  I don't want that for my cousin. 

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sleepover

I love when the girls have a sleepover at Meema's house.  She  misses them so much, and they love to go there.  They wake up bouncing around yelling "It's a Meema day!" and are always so happy to be there.  That really makes me smile.  I'm also happy to have some alone time with Steven, even though it usually centers around what we're going to eat for dinner, and running errands.  This weekend was no exception.  We ran errands, ate dinner at Red Robin, and hung out at home just relaxing.  I really enjoy it, and I know the girls enjoy themselves too.  In fact this time they completely forgot about calling to say they missed us.  They only reason they were reminded was that Meema didn't know what time Hannah takes her meds before bed.  So they called to ask me.

This weekend coming up we have something fun planned.  Some friends of ours had tickets to see Toy Story on Ice in Boston.  They are unable to go, and asked us if we knew anyone who liked Toy Story and would want to go.  So far, the girls have no idea.  I'm thinking we're going to just put them in the car after lunch Sunday and start driving.  We'll take the T in, since that's easiest, and I'm certain both girls are going to be over the moon!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Falling Apart

I've noticed something since being sick.  And this is the first time I've been sick in more than a few months, which is good news for me.  No one cleans during the week.  No one picks up the clutter.  No one wipes off the counters in the kitchen.  Also, the dishwasher stays loaded, clean, and useless.  While the sink at the same time stays full of dirty dishes.  Don't get me wrong.  I appreciate my husband and his weekend cleaning sprees that involve vacuuming, mopping floors, and scrubbing the tub.... but that doesn't help me when I'm feeling awful and can't bring the laundry upstairs, or stand long enough to unload and reload the dishwasher.  He is a great guy, and he means well.  But I'm starting to think I need to get stools for the kitchen so the girls can clean.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Warming up

This week it's starting to warm up a bit.  The snow piles are getting smaller, if slowly, and the sun feels nice.  In fact it's surprising how nice a breeze feels when it's 40, instead of when it's 20.  Amazing how big a difference those 20 degrees make. 

Hannah's started back into her need to wear dresses/skirts.  I don't have a problem with it, except that usually it's VERY cold in the morning, and much warmer in the afternoon.  Yesterday she wore leggings under a skirt, and when we got to the bus stop, I realized that in her sneakers, her ankles were completely bare.  No socks and no leggings covering them.  She insists that she wasn't cold, but now the hunt begins for some new leggings, that are both long enough, and skinny enough.  I'll hunt for both of them, since we all know that Norah has to do whatever Hannah's doing.  And while that's fine, she has enough clothes to dress 5 little girls.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Sick

Hannah's feeling better.  Still coughing, but the fever's gone, and she ate all her dinner last night.  That's a sign she's on the mend usually.  She doesn't eat much when she's sick, but then neither do I.  However she's managed to share her lovely illness with me.  So yesterday I felt sick, but not awful... and this morning I feel like I've been run over by a train.  I hardly slept, I'm coughing so hard muscles I didn't know I had, hurt.  At the moment I'm hanging out in bed, and Norah's watching Finding Nemo, and I'm crossing my fingers that she's not going to come down with it either.  Wouldn't surprise me though. 

Hannah also asked to have her hair cut yesterday, so since she had perked up, we took her.  It's adorable, and pretty much the same haircut she had when Mimi was diagnosed.  She loves it, but I need to take her somewhere to get it fixed, the back is wrong.  She is so cute with it short, it's one of my favorite looks for her.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Possibly not a good thing

Norah's wearing a crazy, mismatched outfit she picked out.  Including a blue/blue striped dress.  And she picked a blue lollipop at the hairdresser.... so now her lips and her dress match.  Maybe not such a good thing.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Every Time!

I swear germs have a radar for when I've made fun plans for Hannah or Norah to do something.  This time, it's Hannah.  She's supposed to go to a movie night with Mimi, Iza, and Magi and then have a sleepover.  Then tomorrow we're supposed to go visit Grampy and Mimi and have lasagna and maybe go sledding again.  And yesterday she started coughing, and this morning she woke up sniffly and complaining that her stomach hurts.  It sucks to get sick, it's worse that it happens when we have plans she already knew about.  So unless she goes to school today, which isn't looking likely, she'll be missing the movie night/sleepover.  And hopefully she'll be feeling well enough to go visiting tomorrow.  The good news is since it's family, they won't mind if she's still a bit under the weather, and that might just mean no sledding.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thinking about change

Since Norah was tiny, I've been adamant that she would NOT get bangs.  I like her face shape without them, and her hair never hit that awkward stage where it was short enough in the front to look like she had them.  Hannah's did though, and she looked cute with them, so I started trimming them.  What a pain in the neck that is.  She doesn't like it, I don't like it, and while it does look cute, I think she'd be cute without also.  So now that the holidays are over, and picture opportunities are still happening, but not for cards and whatnot.  I think we're going to start growing hers out.  Today I put the front up in a little side pony, and clipped up her bangs.  She does look cute, so it reinforces my good plan.  Lets see how long it lasts before it annoys her and begs me to cut them.

Monday, February 7, 2011

A full week?

They're only calling for 2-4 inches tomorrow, so I'm hopeful that Hannah might actually get a full week of school in for the first time since before Christmas.  I don't like snow, but I know we live in New England, and it's not likely that we'd see NO snow all winter.  But this winter is just ridiculous.  I'm almost tempted to hope that the ridiculous groundhog is right.  An early spring would be lovely.  But even if we get warm spring temps earlier than normal, it still won't be anytime soon that we can go out to the park and they can run off some energy.  It's crazy just how much snow there is in our backyard.  The snow comes up several inches past the swing seats, and where the roof has been cleared, it's nearly up to the top of the slide on the swingset.  I can't really even send them outside to play, since Norah can't even walk out there.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

I'm glad they were wrong

Yesterday they were saying we were going to get another 3-6 inches of snow and slush.  Thankfully they changed it yesterday morning.  It snowed for all of 5 minutes, and then changed to rain and freezing rain.  Yes that makes driving treacherous, but it isn't anything that we need to shovel or plow, which is kind of important here.  There's nowhere to put any more snow.  I have to back into our driveway because I can't see at all, and backing out into the road when you can't see, seems worse somehow.  Now of course they're saying we're getting more snow and rain on Tuesday, but I'm hoping spring is in sight.  I don't remember the last time we had this many storms all at once.  It's crazy!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

All out of whack

Poor Hannah.  It's easier to say that now that she's in bed.  She's had quite the attitude today.  After two random snow days in the middle of the week, I think going back to school today was a let down.  She has been tired and grouchy all afternoon.  I'm sure that the impromptu trip to the hospital for her follow up xray didn't help the change in routine any, but she has just been full of attitude all day.  I actually sent her to bed early because she was being fresh and rude.  Obviously too tired to be communicating with people appropriately.  She was still crying, albeit quietly, when I put Norah to bed a few minutes later.  I understand she's sad, but I don't LIKE being the bad guy.  Just listen and be nice, there won't be any consequences for that.... or at least not bad ones.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pressed for Time

Friday afternoon I had planned to take the girls to the Eric Carle museum for a couple hours before Hannah's follow up with the pediatrician.  We ate lunch, then went out and got in the van to head up.  But something wasn't right.  All my gauges were reading, even without the key turned on.  That's not normal.  So I started and restarted to see if it helped.  Nothing did.  A call to Steven and a trip home for lunch made the van at least driveable for the doctors appointment, but that meant that we got to spend our weekend shopping for something new.  The van needed a computer part, which is prohibitively expensive on an eleven year old vehicle.  So rather than replace the part, we'll spend slightly more money overall, and have a car payment instead.  We purchased a kindly used 2006 Hyundai Elantra.  It's a spectacular blue color, and both girls think it's wonderful.  I do too.  So far anyways.  I only drove it home from the dealership, but with snow today and work calling, we'll see what it can really do.