Growing up

Get real, right? I was thinking about my DIRL post, and realized it's pretty utopian in its perspective. This blog is where you're mostly going to see the "baby book" version of our lives. I want to be real (as in, more than Dan in Real Life real). In case you need to know, it is not all roses here all the time, but this just doesn't seem like the place for the thorns. At least not most of the time.

The thing is, I sometimes feel like we are living a rather utopian life right now - we are in the middle of a precious season of life. For that reason, I feel a sense of guilt if I'm ever found less-than-positive about any number of things . . .

If you have a minute, read this article

The thoughts the author expressed resonate with me - and I guess you could say that most of the posts here capture the "kairos"moments we have. I don't usually want to re-hash some of our more chronos moments that include meltdowns, discipline decisions, self-doubt, thrashing on the floor & screaming at friends' homes or feeling exhausted after a night of nearly no sleep (notice I don't ascribe these behaviors to any specific people in our family - they might be said about any of us at different moments!). Maybe if I write more often, some of the chronos will sprinkle itself throughout, because we sure have plenty of them to go around here.

In weekly news: we had a Friday full of highs and a couple lows, it was one of those memorable days. The morning began with me winning a book from the AM station I often listen to . . . "if you're the first caller, you'll win this book" and I gave it a shot. I need to start listening to a station that offers a chance at an all expense paid trip to Hawaii.

Shortly after the book jackpot, Karis decided to sit on her little port-a-potty. In front of the kitchen stove, so you know, she could look at herself (she loves mirrors, this girl). I was listening to her happily singing "Angels we Have Heard on High", when she stopped abruptly to say "pee in potty!" I ran to her spot and wouldn't you know, there was "2" in the potty! So, we had a little dance party, washed our hands, and she got a green m & m and carried it around saying "I got a treat. I found a meatball" (she calls anything round and chocolate a "meatball"). We kept the party rolling by traveling to NE Mpls. for a playdate with another baby Charis. Chraris's brother Jonas kept Karis well entertained and the mom and I managed to have a nice chat while Charis slept on my shoulder. Precious.

The other fabulous Friday occurrence was that Trevor got a new work computer. A big deal, trust me. Top off the day with a quick trip to Trader Joes (with only one mid-store meltdown for Karis) and a viewing of this week's Parenthood episode, I'd call it a fab Friday.

We proceeded to a mostly normal Saturday, with some super happenings. The day began with Karis running around the house in her swimming suit and sun hat, and ended with Trev and I getting a nice meal out while Karis played with her fave friend, "Dee".  Trevor and I enjoyed talking about our words for the year, chatting with the waitress, trying to not inhale our food and make the meal last. A theme of our talks this month is how this is the year we will grow up. We'll both be 30 after all! This fancy meal was part of that plan, for sure - really, probably the nicest we've had (just the two of us, that is) since our honeymoon.

So, there you go. Some days just have more kairos than others.

Other random Karis-isms this week:
"Wear hair like mommy's!" (and then spending an unreasonably long time checking herself out in the mirror)
"My nose is cold"
"Happy Day, Dee!" (i.e. happy birthday, Lukas)
"I be back" (i.e. I'm going to the basement and will be right back)
"Mommy Andrea" and "Trevor!" (i.e. scary! I'm not ready for Karis to know my name yet)
"Hellooooo, we're home" (while walking in the door)
"Whoopsie daisy!"
"Feed Kitty Bear lunch" (while preparing a tray of fake food for her favorite stuffed animal)
"Wear swimming suit"
"Mommy sit" (while directing me to sit in whatever place she thinks I should be at that moment)

Books in our lives lately: Praying for Strangers, You are Your Child's First Teacher, What Happens When Women Walk in Faith, The Shadow of His Wings. Trevor is being uber ambitious in tackling Les Miserables. Karis is hopping around from Apricot ABC's to the Foot Book, and our absolute fave, what we call The Polar Bear Book.

That's it for now, I feel like every day has a million things I want to write down and remember . . . and then of course when I sit down they all escape my mind. We went for a walk in the snow this morning and it dawned on me that Karis is 2 and a HALF. That half just feels so significant all of a sudden.

Just minutes after waking up, hair goes into a ponytail and blanket becomes a cape