Elsa Photoshoot

Lisa just whipped this dress up in a day. It still needs a zipper, but a couple safety pins and we were good to go. There is a shocking lack of ideas for photoshoots for this particular dress on Pinterest, so I had to resort to my own lack of creativity. I know she's holding a basket in the movie, but the only ones lying around the house are all the wrong shape or color (seriously, there are two pink baskets around).

Then I saw the bookshelves in the living room. It's not a library, but pretty darn near it. With the baby content in the high chair and Elsa eager to take pictures to show Samuel, we started. Oh, also bribery by form of candy if she was good and watching the music from the movie, we started taking pictures.

I wish a couple would have been clearer, but overall, considering that I just did a 20 minute photoshoot with a toddler and taking care of a baby, I'd say they turned out pretty okay. 

This is by far my favorite Disney dress. Like out of all the dresses every, this is the one I would wear and want in an adult size. Not even kidding....

It's a Monday

This evening reminded me that today, indeed, is Monday.

Like normal for this time of evening, Elena is in the front pack. She drank the bottle, but now is crying for literally no reason. My back is sore. I rock her back and forth continuing where I left off in Persuasion. It takes time, but she soon sleeps. So I stand and read, making sure that I keep my posture correct.

And so I thought the last half hour of Monday's work day would pass peacefully. Then I hear. "I have to go potty!!" closely followed by "I'm peeeeeing."

Running down the hall, baby still sleeping in the front pack. "Let's go, let's go." I'm trying to guide her to the bathroom, literally three feet away from where she's standing. THREE FEET. She's refusing to move and pulling away from my grasp, I pulled her hair gently and grabbed her shoulder, I can't bend down without waking the baby, I want her at least on the hardwood floor and not the carpet, resigned to the fact that I'll be cleaning the floor. Elena's now awake and crying, Elsa's standing next to the toilet, still peeing, down her legs and onto a puddle on the floor.

I run for paper towels. We're out in the kitchen. And in the pantry. The only paper towels in the house are upstairs in my bathroom. I grab a new outfit, forgetting a towel and run back down. I start cleaning up the floor making my way to where she's standing. It's hard to clean with a baby screaming at you, so I put her in her bouncer and rush back. I was snippy and sharp at first and then I couldn't help but think it was amusing, almost hilarious.

Bath started, stubborn toddler refusing to sit down in the most definitely not-too-hot water, cleaning the floor. Toddler finally in the bath, baby crying again, so she's back in the front pack. And at this moment, Lisa shows up...

Ordinary

Yesterday, I made myself a cup of coffee. I turned on my Thumbprint station on Pandora and got to cleaning. It felt good to clean. Sometimes I feel overly lazy. It was one of those days however, that I stayed in my pajamas until the evening... Can't have it all. :-P

I went out last night to play volleyball. Driving through the snow/rain that had been falling for a few hours and was starting to accumulate. Turns out they only do volleyball on Tuesdays and hadn't updated their Facebook. Fine by me. I needed to stop off and get watercolor paper anyway. Still a bit of socializing and being in the busyness of Walmart made my cabin fever cease up a bit.

Today was a half day, strange, but nice after the week. I'm working a minimum of 11 hour days in combination with staying up way to late because of the time change and that's the only way to really get to chat with people. So no wonder I'm a bit tired.

Anyway, glad it's the weekend. It should be fun. It's been fun already, drawing with Elsa, painting the afternoon away while watching a movie. Looking at retro style clothes and wishing I could buy them. Writing and reading... Fabric shopping and then dinner with Lisa and the girls. Leadership, training and personality type conversation with Lisa, which was fascinating. Strangely, it made me want to take leadership classes...

Respect for Motherhood

I honestly don't know how moms do it and this week has made me respect motherhood so much more. I was sitting on the stairs, the baby crying... Okay, screaming.... in her crib upstairs too stubborn to sleep, even though she was exhausted. I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed.

A pile of laundry on the stairs waiting for me to take it up. Toys scatter across the hall and throughout the living room. The dishes barely done before lunch dishes begin to pile up. A partially eaten banana, an open applesauce, the remains of her morning bottle sit on the table above the thrown fruit pieces and puffs on the floor... Oh, and there's food on my shirt that Elena spit back out....

How do they do it all? How do mothers do it? I don't have to put on laundry, give baths or put them to sleep at night or a multitude of other things (birth included). My job is infinitely easier than being a mom. So to all mother's out there: props to you and keep up the hard work, I believe you are doing the hardest job in the world. You're an inspiration.

Quite the Tuesday

It's been quite the week for it only being Tuesday. I am truly exhausted. I'm trying to have a good attitude and will probably cut my personal time down to get more sleep tonight.

Elena is having issues. She flat out refuses to drink the milk from the fridge and is now getting to the point where she just straight up refuses to drink from a bottle. It's purely a stubbornness issue. She's stubborn about eating other baby food and is now throwing other food on the ground. So she is grouchy because she's hungry, wobbly and falling over because she's hungry, not sleeping much because she's hungry. She's also having some bottomly troubles (if you get my drift), which also makes her grumpy. Anyway, it all makes me worried because the milk and the baby food are her only source of calories between 6-6...

Elsa, on the other hand, talks non-stop. No, literally non-stop. She enjoyed singing at the top of her lungs, 'reading' stories out loud and having tea parties. She also has a knack for needing my help during a strategic moment with Elena...

I'm still finding good things every day and I know I'm in a serious transition phase, but prayer would most definitely be appreciated as I figure out this new routine with these girls. Especially that Elena would start drinking from the bottle again...

An Interesting Day

Today was the first full day nannying this year. I've had a few part days and helped out a lot for the remainder of the time, but this was the first time la mother was gone and I had the munchkins.

One word to sum up my day? Poop. Do I need to explain? Nope. I really don't. I "handled" it. Get it? Was that enough of a hint. Anyway, a lot of diaper changing, a baby and toddler both mad at me at the same time. A few attitude issues. Stubbornness over a bottle and nap time. And baby carrier back aches.

Sounds like a rough day, right? Well, amid those little annoyances, there were baby snuggles, giggles and laughter, a tidy house that lasted all of four minutes, toy playing and lots of talks. And I was able to laugh off a lot of the issues as being entertaining or found success in them when I made corrections and said child listened and responded. Plus best friend conversations.

And some hashtags to go along with my life:
#NotMyKidNotMyParentingMistake #keeptinyhumansalive #Practiceparenting  #anotherpoopydiaper #didIgetdressedtoday? #Itstooquiet #mykidswillbeperfectthankstothispractice

My 'Work' Day

I've been back in Tennessee for two weeks. My 'work' days consist of changing diapers, doing dishes (sometimes), sitting on the ground playing with Duplo, drinking imaginary tea, catching the baby before she eats somethings disgusting from the ground, reading stories, baby and toddler snuggles and making kid food. There are sticky fingers, un-swept floors and always a scattering or more of toys everywhere.

The most used word around here? No. No, Elena, don't go in the bathroom. No. No, no pantry, no touching that outlet, the laptop, the cords. No, please don't eat that old piece of strawberry of the floor that Elsa dropped and never picked up. No, don't growl like that...No, don't climb on the stairs. The list goes on. With mischievous looks and eagerly crawling back to whatever forbidden thing or area, I'm kept pretty busy.

Grace vs. the Girls

I think today may have been the hardest day since I've been here. I tend to be a busy person, so when the highlight/outting for the day is going for a super slow walk around the block, I get a little antsy.

Elsa and I had a rough day. She didn't do a great job of listening and would run away from me while talking. She also fell from the bar stool while Elena was in the front pack napping and hit her head and her chin (double whammy, back of the head and chin...). She was crying and panicking over that and had to use the bathroom at the same time. I was trying to keep Elena and Elsa to both calm down. It was a bit of an adventure... Elena's nap was cut short and Elsa was crying... I don't know how moms do it.

Needless to say, nap time was early and lasted a long time. It was a good break where I was able to kinda recharge and try and refocus my attention and goals as far as working with the girls. I think I might need to leave all electronics upstairs and read (both my books and Elsa's books) and play more actively with Elsa. It'll be good to spend less time on social media and reading has far more benefits! The after nap time was WWWAAAAYYY better.

This evening was quiet, Lisa and I talked a lot, I got some work done, including getting a passport interview set up... It was relaxing. To finish up the day, I painted and listened to music.

Grumpy, Cranky and Naughty

 I woke up tired, body hurting and no energy. Elena woke up just before eight and so I brought her to my bed and she just lay there smiling at me. How could I be grumpy? She cooed, giggled and wiggled on the bed until it was time to get up.

We made the 20-ish minute drive into town to pick up some things, but mostly chocolate and Ibuprofen. Elena slept the entire way there and Elsa kept up a good string of conversation, mostly talking about "your friend, the other Gracie". Elsa loves wandering around stores and what store is better then Target to do that in?

Elsa decided to be a *bit* of a stinker once we got back. She wasn't excited about picking up her toys and ended up fake crying, pouting and running away when I called her. It happened multiple times over multiple things all morning. I think I handled it well, I was firm, got down to her level and made her look me in the eye as I corrected her. Every time she eventually apologized and gave me a hug. I've been expecting this, I've been here for a month, so a little push back was bound to happen soon.

I got to catch up with my oldest sister today, which was awesome. She's so busy that I rarely get to see her on Skype, so it was nice to have a one on one conversation with her. And to see her face, once we got the Facebook video call to work!

I guess I was truly exhausted because I spent the nap reading and watching dumb home decorating videos on Youtube. Elena decided not to take a full length nap and was consequently quite cranky until she fell asleep again about an hour later on the floor in the bonus room upstairs. I ended up napping at the same time on the couch... So that was my day. It was still a good day, even with the little hiccups of attitudes from all three of us.

Wednesday

Today, I woke up feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and homesick. On top of that, Elena screamed this morning for twenty-ish minutes. I couldn't figure out why. She was fed, wasn't tired and I thought she had a clean diaper. Turns out she didn't. Even after changing her, she was still crying and wouldn't be consoled until I took off her pajamas and let her play in just her diaper, which she loves. She wore herself out, because she slept pretty soundly during the first hour of her nap, so it was nice to get in a break.

Elsa was a sweetheart today, so instead of an early nap, she and I watched Sofia the First and ate cheddar popcorn and she had M&Ms. Then she took a nap.

During the evening, Lisa and I had a couple good talks before she talked with Samuel and I got to look into some local things to see. I've always wanted to see fall from a different state, so I'm going to find a hike, waterfall or something else nature-y to fix my autumn bug. Yeah, I've been here for 4 falls now, but I've never actually ventured out that much. Since I have a car this time, I thought I'd make good use of it!

Anyway, counting my blessings, praying and finding encouragement in the little things. Every day- even the hard ones- have good moments and reasons to praise God!

Homesickness and Routines

Yesterday I cried. The baby wasn't sleeping, I was fighting a headache, fighting the desire to give in on my No-Sugar September and I was tired. So I sat on the couch, baby in my arms and burst into tears. I'm fine, I know I'm fine. It didn't hit me until about an hour later: I am homesick.

Realizing that made me examine the day a lot more. It's still too early to form a routine, I'm learning a new one, the routine of an infant and a toddler. It made me go easier on myself and to just do the next step.

Deep breath. I can do this. To do list written, dishes knocked out, bed made, simple things. The girls are happy, Lisa's happy, I am happy. I love this place.

Cascade Falcon XXII

Cascade Falcon has now been over for almost two weeks. So now I can actually think about it and not feel exhausted. ;-) So here's my experience.

I went into CFXXII dreadfully unprepared. I didn't have the uniform pieces I wanted, I had holes in my shoes.  I had an injured ankle.... Anyway, my attitude was a *little* less enthusiastic about going. I griped to Evelyn and she told me that I signed up for it, that I needed to find something good about going. So I thought and this is what I came out with:

1. I go to support my siblings. It was Jane's first time on Cadre and she did great!
2. I go so the parents of Arlington's cadets know there is someone reliable who their cadet can talk to if there is a problem. Or for parents to text for information.
3. I go to take Arlington Composite Squadron exclusive pictures. It's been nearly two weeks and NO official pictures have come out.
4. Learn something new.

So I adjusted my attitude. I was going to be positive, give leadership advice when needed, supply snacks to cadre members, not cause drama and have fun.

I got there and learned that instead of 1 flight of girls, I would have a squadron (2 flight- 24 people) to take care of. I had 1 hour to get 24 girls through the shower (we had 3 showers).... That's like 2 minute showers.

I have girls who cried, wanted to give up, who were homesick and in pain... I also had girls who inspired, who thrived under the leadership environment, who took initiative and who pushed themselves. I had girls who wouldn't shut up and girls who wouldn't talk.

I got pictures every day and it took me two days to completely edit them. I still haven't gotten them to parents like planned.

It was so worth it. I talked again to Evelyn yesterday and some things I got from the experience were: 1. I don't have to spend time with other senior members. The majority of the time, I was alone, watching my cadets.
2. I don't have to be friends with everyone. There were people there who I didn't get along well with. He just didn't treat me well and I had no energy to deal with that.
3. Always look into someone's eyes to ask they if they're okay. The answer will be different.
4. Never baby someone's injury. Have a suck-it-up mentality. If they're in serious pain, you'll know.
5. Thank people for helping or teaching you something.
6. Making eye contact and verbally greeting people are both just signs of a good person.

7. No matter how tired you are, standing outside and watching the sunset, even for just a couple minutes is always worth it. I recharged almost every night this way. It was a couple minutes to think over the day, pray and see something beautiful.

8. Always have a notebook with you. The one I chose was too small, so I didn't use it and regretted it a little.
9. Thank the people who serve you food. I know this one from experience....
10. Take time to write in year books, you never know what will make someone's day. I found out that I was the only one to write in one of the girl's book last year and it meant a lot to her.
11. Always be observing what going on in your surroundings.
12. Have a few stress relieving things to occupy the minds of students and cadre. One of my cadre members right before a stressful inspection had her girls playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. It was great.

I learned so much more, but these are the ones that came to mind first. Check out my pictures on Facebook!

Home

Welp, the time has come, I'll be traveling back to Washington tomorrow. The busiest travel day of the year. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to go home. I've missed my family for ages and so much as happened since I left. I can't wait to catch up with everyone. But like every time I leave this place, I realize how much of my heart is here.

I pulled my suitcase out of the closet last week and started collecting the random things that I wouldn't need and while doing so, Elsa asked
"What are you doing?"
I looked up at her, she had been playing happily
"I'm packing to go home."
She got really sad as she climbed down from the bed and came over.
"But... You are home..."
It nearly made me cry, but I gave her a hug instead. For someone so young, she understands a lot.

Today, I spent a good deal of the morning catching up on some miles I was behind from the weekend. Then we Skyped home for probably the last time this visit and talked with Anna at West Point as well as the family back home.

I made her macaroni and cheese for lunch and tucked her in for her nap. Our morning had been filled with songs, laughter and fun. This afternoon while she naps, I did laundry to get ready to pack and made salted caramel pretzel bark (seriously addicting) while listening to Pandora.

Oh, and I got a sweet package in the mail today from a friend. She's a favorite. :-) and not just because she sent fall cookies.

So my next post shall be from Washington where I will be diving into Thanksgiving, family, friends and holiday baking.

A Happy Day

Photo shoot with babe today. Changed her outfit three times and she was awfully good about it all and I got a few good pictures. 

We watched Sofia the First, did dishes and made macaroni and cheese. It was a happy morning. 

The afternoon started with 3 mile workout, shower and then break while Elsa napped. I did some watercolors and Spotify. 

The best part of my day was Skyping my best friend and catching up with her. Elsa took an immediate liking to her and popped in and out of the screen while we talked. It through her off that we had the same name. I needed to do dinner, so we just hung out while I cooked. It was like we were hanging out together. It was awesome! 

I made Hawaiian BBQ wraps for dinner, which were a hit and after Samuel, Lisa played Wizard. It's a pretty sweet game and although I was in the lead for the majority of the game, I still managed to lose. We made chicken and avocado eggrolls, which are a favorite here. It was a good day.

The Things I Learn- Number 2

Of course while I'm potty training her, she wants to wear a tutu. And pants. -_- Small victories, however, are worth celebrating with 1/4 pieces of Starbursts. We're making progress.... I still never thought I'd potty train someone else's kid.

Routine

The Tennessee routine is setting in. Today has been wonderful so far. The morning was filled with playing with Elsa, potty trailing and picture taking.

The afternoons around here are beyond quiet. With the little munchkin sleeping and no one else in the house, it is completely silent. I worked out, showered and still had 2+ hours of free time before she woke up. For me, that means I get to recharge my batteries. It means art, reading, writing and listening to music. It means chatting, looking up new places to go and thinking. 

The late afternoon and evening will be filled with dishes, tidying up and games. It is a slow paced day, but I'm cherishing these slow moments because one day, I will want them back. 

Return to Fort Worden

For two months, we had a date set aside in September to spend together at Fort Worden. We made improvements from the last time by making ferry reservations and packed enough food for everyone.

So this past Saturday at 7:50am, three Fuji's, three Grays, three Jamiesons, one Hacking, four Miles and one Caitlin-- fifteen people total-- loaded into the our "rad" semi-white van and headed for Fort Worden. I forgot how chaotic and loud a full van can be, but it was fun to listen and participate in the different conversations. We arrived in Coupeville at the ferry terminal in great time. Forty minutes before the ferry was to leave. It left us the perfect amount of time to play Duck, Duck, Bang and Ninja in the parking lot. 

Fierce game of Ninja at the ferry terminal

Once on the ferry, the looks we got while fifteen adult/teens got out of the van was priceless! It looked like a ridiculous amount of people in one vehicle. 

All those people fit in one van! 

We admired the view and eventually met up on the Mezzanine deck of the ferry where it was relatively quiet and clear. We had to take what is now a traditional ferry picture for us. 

We arrived at Fort Worden hungry and ready to explore. We grabbed lunch things and headed for the beach. 

Some things you should know:

Gracie+Beach= Friends

Gracie+Beach= Frolicking 

Gracie+Beach= Happiness 

Gracie+Friends+Beach= Bliss + <3

So we ate our Robin Hood lunch of French bread, meat, cheese and sand. Washed it down with Mucho Mango tea and water and hand pies. 

The beach explorers took off, running and laughing down the beach, we were happy. There was real sand between our toes and sun in our eyes. The majority of them ran around the bend in the beach and way out from eyesight. Since shoes, socks, bags, wallets and food were still at our original lunch area, I stayed relatively close looking for cool rocks and shells and talking with Lindsay. 

After a good hour or so, the beach wanderers were called back (I'm mean, what can I say), so we could go explore the fort. They came back with smiles, covered in sand and some wet. 

The beached boat was our next destination. We had to get a group picture there and recreate the recreated Washington Crossing picture from last time... 

We went next to explore the upper bunkers. They were pretty much all the same, but still pretty sweet and not as busy as the lower bunkers. We always search for the best singing bunker. Part way through the exploring, Nick, John and I ditched in hopes of finding a different room to sing in, or just get away from the rest of the group. I think a good scare would have been planned as well. It was fun. I took a bunch of picture as we continued to explore, we ran around, sang and looked around more. 

Near the end, some of us got "separated" from the rest of the group (we thought they would find us, but instead, they went all the way back to the van). It gave us a chance to sing a little as a smaller group. The funnest part was when this dad and his three girls walked past and we screamed really loudly and Ian banged on his Cajon, then silence. When we stepped out into the hall, no one was there. It was awesome! 

Overall the time at Fort Worden was a blast, although it could have been longer.... 

The second ferry ride was us hanging on that same Mezzanine deck the entire time. Gracie gave me a killer neck massage. I was so out that walking back to the car was really really weird feeling. 

Since spending ten hours together wasn't enough to satisfy anyone, we went to Fort Ebey to watch the sunset and sing some more. It was the perfect way to spend the evening. The acoustics in the large room at Fort Ebey were way better than any of the others at Fort Worden. 

It was a sweet time and once again, I am left thinking that I know a great group of people and am thankful for my friends. Until next adventure... 

Zucchini

Today was a great day. I went to the J. family's house at noon to hang out with the younger kids cause Mrs. J. had something else going on. It was fun, we talked, they showed me their shell and rock collections, their trophies and ribbons and other things they thought I'd be interested in. They're sweeties. We went on a walk in their neighborhood, the boys picked me gigantic handfuls of dandelions and clovers. On the way back, this sweet couple offered us some produce from their gorgeous garden. They gave us mass amounts of ripe pears, plums, tomatoes in different varieties and zucchini. It was quite the 1/4 mile walk back with four kids and bags full of produce. An adventure!

We spent the rest of the afternoon eating lunch, doing dishes and chatting about random stuff before I left. I seriously <3 those kids.

Got home and almost immediately started making zucchini bread with Jane. The kids had been dying for more since they ate the last of the previous 12-16 loaves we made (okay, we gave away quite a few)... Jane and I settled on making x6 our recipe, a total of 12 loaves. Everything was going great until I counted out the last of the eggs. The recipe called for 18 total. I had 17.

1 egg short.

I could have made it work. I don't think it would have ruined the batch of bread, but I wasn't willing to risk wasting 6 cups of oil, 6 cups of chocolate chips and a multitude of other ingredients. So not worth it.

I grabbed my wallet. I would just head out to Walmart, just a five minute drive away. I stood stupidly in the driveway, the only car there was Dad's car. Jane wandered over to Craig and Janay's house and borrowed an egg with the promise of a loaf of zucchini bread tomorrow.