lizcarey.com

Hannah, ONE year ago!

So admittedly I am an on again off again content provider of personal photos and blog posts and websites and videos, I start and stop everything. But I have to spend countless hours watching “Baby’s Day” or “Wiggles” with Rachel tucked in the bed with her pillow “just right” and her blanket “just right” and her hand attached nearly constantly to my chest in comfort, just so. Luckly Hannah is still enamored with mundane objects like knobs and keys and crackers and the occasional dangerous chew toy, like a plastic bag, or toothbrush.

But I preach “try again” to my children, so I too will try again to blog. I have a lot of super cute pictures, and Hannah just turned ONE! And I am feeling their infancy escaping and even their childhood floating away ever so effortlessly (for them).

So this is it, this is my chance to be a good mom and blog it all so there is a permanent record of their neverending cuteness and neediness and our relationships and our adventures. I will try.

July 11, 2008 - We love our visits to Ella's house.

What is up with everybody benefiting and not taking any personal responsibility for anything in our governmet, it’s just criminal, yet there are no trials like enron, or worldcom or all those other hints that this was coming… what is happening!! and this Barney Frank thing that you just did on CNN We the People’s Court is outstanding. Where is the leadership and the trust… you say it, I hear ya.

June 13, 2008

I’m not sure if this Wall Street Journal article means that people can really vote at the Bruce Springsteen concert, but I don’t care. The fact that you can register and vote for the president on the same day, is crazy. We must pay attention to the voting process in our country, we are at a time where trust is hard to find.

“During a one-week period that ends Monday, voters can register and cast a ballot at the same time. The Obama campaign, in particular, has encouraged residents to take advantage of the same-day process. On Sunday, Bruce Springsteen plans to perform at Ohio State University as part of a rally for Democrat Barack Obama that is aimed at increasing registration and early voting.”

“In arguing for the election observers, Republicans have raised concerns that early voting, particularly when same-day registration is involved, could increase the chance of fraud.”
…
“Ohio law does not specifically provide for election observers for early voting”

Rachel, holding a baby kitty at Nick's 3rd birthday party.

Dear diary,

What the ***k is going on? We actually just paid tax credits and incentives to everyone in the congress, exactly buying their votes? Are we kidding here, that is so cheap!

Why didn’t we get any economic minds from the public to oversee the government here. These people in Washington are a joke. They needed all these other tax add ons to deal with a crisis, that’s like saying, my house is on fire, but first let me get a few things before I run out the door. Lame.

I like Sarah Palin, she seems like she’s driven her own car, brushed her own hair and just been normal in her recent life.

Anyways, Sean just walks around talking on his iPhone about the big idea, and reading Richard Branson.

I would love for my family and friends to agree with my political views, because I’m always right! but at least I hope they are all staying informed. I really like Glenn Beck, here’s some enlightened reading on the economy, read Glenn Beck’s Letter, really, it’s interesting, and at least he’s a witty person, even if you don’t agree.

peace, me

Father's Day 2008, Gulfport, FL

Dear diary,

I’m a little un-nerved about the economic situation of the humbled USA here lately. Glenn Beck tells me that these are “the next four most important days of your entire life”. The decision to spend 700 billion dollars on some bail out plan makes me sick, and all I see is another government controlled entity sucking more of my freedoms away with rules and taxes that suck. Sean says it may “get more weird”, it may even suck just a little more, but basically, chill out, because were not living under a bridge just yet. He won’t listen to Glenn Beck tell me the end is near, and he’s watching Fringe instead of CNN right now. So, I too will try to relax a bit, I am more outraged at our society for this crappy deal of no way out and I can’t help but skip a few heart beats listening to Glenn Beck and CNN and all the other media. Is this really one of those paradigm shifting moments?

Only time will tell I guess.

Dear Rachel, you are beautiful inside and out! Carefree, curious, confident!

You love to run. You do summersalts on the bed. You unload the diswasher, holding a glass in one hand, your other hand behind your back, and you shake your head, saying “not safe… break… joke”.

You struggled and struggled until you mastered holding up two proud fingers.

You like to say “do it” and “self” and “own” and “me, Rachel”. It’s so cute!

You can sing the abc’s now, sometimes missing a letter here and there. You can definitely count to 5, and mostly count to 10. You like the 1, 2, buckle my shoe song.

We blow birthday candles out still, after almost 6 weeks now since your actual birthday.

And Barney is a huge hit, but it makes your brother complain. When you were first learning to talk you called him “Barn”. We sing those purple dinosaur songs all the time… Mr. Sun, Sun… and Mr. Knickerbocker… you are so funny. You mimic your friend doing the Cooper Dance sometimes, and you mimic your brother, telling me to “stop” in the middle of my fine singing.

We mess around on the art table every day now: coloring, painting, glueing, playdough and your newest accomplishment, scissors!

You’ve grown up into a fine 2 year old. 35 inches high, and 26 lbs. You have a baby, she nurses, and takes a bottle. She cries a lot! She has a great mommy though! Always rocking and pushing her around in the stroller.

We sing the ABC’s to Hannah to bounce her to sleep in the Amby Swing, you’ve learned to be cooperative at naptime. You love your sister and the two of you are so symbiotic, often waking from your naps within minutes of each other, even when nothing had seemingly stirred you. But you are starting hit her and that has to stop.

You are sleeping as good as you can, and crawling into our bed to get some of the same snuggle time daddy and Hannah and I enjoy. We have all seen Nemo about a million times. But that is all that the bedroom tv plays. A little Disney channel here and there, and we do miss the dvd portable since your summersalt landded on it, but we are taking a nice break from it. The car dvd’s can suffice for now.

There are a million little things I like about you!

love, mommy

Dear Rachel,

Today, for the third day in a row, you were playing peekaboo, in the stores, out of my eyesight, and although this is not the first time you have played in the familiar aisles of our Publix, Mall, or Target, this is the first time that I saw you think it was a game, instead of a curiosity. So I told you, the plain truth. That there are bad people, people that can take you, people that can take Hannah when I leave her to run after you. And I am sorry. I apologize that the world is not safe enough for you to run to and from the next aisle of the grocery store that we go to over and over again. And it’s not safe enough to run out of sight even in the food court at the mall where we love to play or run through the endless racks of clothes.

My love, you are growing up and I adore you!

Love, Mommy

Dear Girls,

Today was the first day we all had swim class. The weekend is over and first thing Monday morning we have swim school at La Fleurs at 9:15am! Nana went back to work in the schools so there was no baby sitter for Hannah. Instead of taking a break from lessons, we decided to all dive in head first (so to speak)!

Yay! What a successful first day. We got up with perfect timing for a Hannah cat nap. Both you girls got your suits on and we were out the door and on time without tears! We all dipped into the water and went through the station routine that is so familiar to you Rachel. I remember starting swim lessons with you at 6 months, I was shocked that the teacher wanted to dunk my baby under water! And now look at us! Rachel is swimming, picking up rings from the bottom, jumping off the side! I love it! Rachel, you are ready for the next class, but I know it will be hard to separate from mommy and your little sister. But you are a fish, embrace it! And Hannah, you love the water. You are splashing at least two months earlier than Rachel. I wish for you to love swimming as much as your big sister!

It is not easy taking two girls in the water, but we are a team. Even when Hannah made a huge pooh at the first station, we all went to the bathroom together. We got showered and soaped off together, and all three of us made it into dry clothes!

We celebrated our success with a trip to the mall play area and lunch at Chick-Fil-A. And we were back home and napping in perfect noon fashion.

I even got almost two hours of solice before my little ladies made a peep.

Michael Phelps is an amazing, incredible, unbelievable Olympic phenomena… but I know, he couldn’t do a day like this!

Love, Mommy

Dear Hannah,

We took a nice bath tonight, and Rachel tried not to squirt you in the face with the new squishy basketball toys. And after winding down in the bedroom for some time, once again, Rachel flipped the plastic doll swing, once again, and it screached! and you jumped! and then you just busted out laughing! Rachel and I looked at each other and just laughed and began about 10 more minutes of coaxing you into the giggles! You are precious sweetheart! My little pumpkin pie!

Love, Mommy

Dear Diary, I would like to take a shower and deep condition my hair, shave, exfoliate, and just stand there and let the burning hot water pound the back of my neck… but no, instead, I have a splashing two year old at my feet and/or a grumbling infant chiming away in the bouncy seat next to me. Eventually, I’ll get back to me time… and for the meantime, I am actually clean, just not pampered! me