Hello, we are now ohioans

I apologize again for such a long time between posts. I am pretty much computer illiterate and am trying to get used to a new e-mail, using my parents' computer for now and trying to keep up with facebook. Miss all of you we left behind in Tennessee (including our house!) but it is nice being with the family. We really appreciate my parents letting us take over their house even though my mom follows my kids around with the vacuum cleaner all day. The girls are adjusting pretty well, the only problem being that they are getting too comfortable here and are having trouble minding. Isabella started school last week and is doing fine. She cried the first day for a while, but I expected that. She has had the whole summer attached to me, and what can I say, I am a terrific mom. I wouldn't want to be away from me either (ha ha). Seriously, I am so glad to be here and out of that house because I was the meanest mom all summer trying to keep the house clean and presentable. She did better on the second day (a few tears as I left and then totally fine). Now I am trying to convince her to take ballet, or swimming, or tennis, or ANYTHING. She definitely has separation issues. Today she said to me, "I am special in a horrible way." Well, maybe, but I also love her to pieces and think she's the greatest thing on earth (tied with her sister). I'll keep you updated on her progress. Noelle continues to develop her language skills and is talking in sentences. I can understand pretty much all that she says and everyone else can get about 75%. She has found many new things to climb on at grandma's house. We will be doing swim lessons and gym class this fall at the Y. Both girls are loving their grandmas' big flat yards to play in and the cooler weather. We have been outside more in these 2 weeks than we have all summer in sweltering TN. I am sure my opinion of Ohio weather will change once March comes and we are still having snow storms up here and the Tennessee dogwoods are blooming. Our house is still on the market as of this writing although we may have a prospect - I hate to say too much. We will be renting if we do not get an offer soon. Lots of lovely houses for sale here, don't know if we will buy or build, but we are excited to be moving into a home that we will raise our children in for most of their school age years. No pictures this time as my camera battery is dead and who knows where the charger is in my mess of boxes. Will try to have some next time. The kids still look the same, but Ben and myself have a little more gray hair due to all of this.

Chattanooga

We are trying to visit anything we have missed down here before we go up to Ohio for permanent residence. Last week we went to Chattanooga and rode the train, visited Rock City, Ruby Falls, Chttanooga Choo Choo, and Coolidge Park. Despite the crazy schedule that we gave ourselves we really did have fun. The girls would've been fine with just the waterpark and the overnight stay at the hotel, but Ben and I really enjoyed the other parts. It really is a beautiful place. If you live down here in Knoxville make sure you go see these things sometime.

the #1 reason not to have a kiddie pool (aka why no one will ever come play at our house again)

So last evening, Ben was taking way too long to mow and trim. After about an hour an a half I went to find him just to make sure that he wasn't a victim of heat exhaustion. I have to admit i was a little peeved because I had the children all day and I wasn't in the mood to bathe them and get them ready for bed all by myself. I grabbed Ellie and with Izzy in tow we stormed outside. There was Ben by the play area in the back where the pool is with a rake, a shovel, and the stinky trash can. He could tell I was mad but he quickly said "I've got a situation here". Then I watched as he put a looong snake into the trash can with the rake and threw it with force down the hill towards the woods. That is only the 2nd time I've said "oh Sh.." unapologetically in front of a child (the first was when Isabella peed through her swim diaper onto my upholstered chair 2 minutes before we had to leave for swim lessons). Ben said it was a copperhead and that it was pretty aggressive when he cornered it. I am not happy that he thought he could handle the situation (let's call varmint control next time please) but I am glad he found it and not me or the girls. I think I would have died on the spot. He thinks it was attracted to the water in the pool. So goodbye pool for now. We were going to take it down while we were away anyway, but it just might not go up again until Ohio.

chatterbox

The lightbulb has popped on in Ellie's brain and it seems that there are alot of things she has been thinking about. She will now say pretty much any word you ask her to repeat. When she wakes up in the morning or from her nap she now says "want mommy" or "want daddy" instead of crying. She said (I kid you not) "I love Izzybella" the other morning and she is the next person she is looking for after mommy and daddy. Other interesting words she has said are water, medicine, and glasses. She knows every friend of Isabella and hers by name and says them all. She kept saying "Look! Reed! Millie!" at church today (they were sitting in the pews where the good kids sit while my monkeys took the safer," easier to extract them "route of the back section.) She knows all of her Sesame Street characters and a song to go with each (Elmo is Melmo "la la la la"). It is so interesting since Izzy didn't really talk at all until she was 2.

Isabella is big into dancing right now. She won't go to class, but she is learning a little from me and from "So you think you can Dance" episodes that I DVR. She really does feel the music with her whole body and I'm not just saying this because I want her to be a dancer. Today at the Conatser's house she was doing an interpretive dance to the soundtrack of Caddyshack. Not something that everyone can do. The last time we visited Aunt Suzy an SUV rolled by with some heavy bass rap music and she had no problems shakin it for the c-bus. I need to find a dance school in Ohio that teaches contemporary/jazz. That is her genre no doubt. In other developments she is learning how to sound out words and write all of her letters. I am getting nervous about finding her a new preschool.

House for Sale

It has been a while since I've written as we have been working hard to get the house up for sale. Finally we made the call and have had the sign in the yard for about 2 weeks. We have had some traffic come through so I am cautiously optimistic. Of course, I do love Knoxville and all of our friends here, and all the shopping, and all the things to do here, and the winter time here, and the natural beauty, and my job, and Ben's take home pay, and the southern living culture. So, what I am saying is I will not be heartbroken if we do not sell right away. We visited our family in Ohio this past week. It was so nice to see them and the girls just adore their grandparents (Izzy the grandmas and Ellie the grandpas). And that, my friends, is the real reason we may leave. We looked at a totally awesome (forgive my surfer adjectives) house on a totally awesome lot too. Still don't know what we will do, build or buy. We'll just have to see if the right place is already existing for us. Ben said to me on the way home, "How does it feel to know nothing about your immediate future?". I said, "kinda feels like being pregnant." I don't know how long I can stay sane and keep my house sparkling clean though.

The Wedding and Easter Sunday

Haven't written in a while due to my preoccupation with my dear friend's wedding followed by a visit from my parents and Easter. The wedding was beautiful, very classy. It was great to be with all my old high school friends again. We even got to spend a little extra time with Lori, who I have been friends with since her birth (I know we did not play together that early, but you get the point). My girls loved her and the princess nightgowns she brought. Isabella also got to catch up with her godmother Becky, my other best friend who I have known forever. Tana was gorgeous and looked like she belonged in a bridal magazine. I hope that she has a wonderful marriage and good luck to her and Brad as they move to Hawaii. We rented an awesome house with several bedrooms, waterfalls and landscaping outside, chickens, horses, and cats for the girls to play with and feed. We even got to collect fresh eggs from the chickens each morning. If anyone is interested in going to Asheville let me know- I would highly recommend this place.

The girls had a great time with the grandparents. First with Ben's parents in Asheville and then mine here in Knoxville. We can't wait to see them more often. Ellie even is saying grandma and grandpa now. She was looking at pictures last night and pointed right to grandma and said it. She does seem to gravitate towards the grandpas though. Izzy loves her grandmas.

Easter at our house began as any other Sunday would with the girls arrising early and a frantic hurry to early church. We discovered that Ellie loves chocolate and Izzy loves t-ball and is actually somewhat coordinated. I was happy to see that Miles had a little meltdown on Easter too. Both my girls were sugared up and CRAZY and fighting, and unappreciative, etc. etc. At the end of the day I said to Ben, "I wish we could just do this day over". He said, "You'd want to go through that all again?". Anyway, the pictures are sweet and we will just remember the fun parts I am sure. Hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday!

This one's about me (mostly)

In a change of character I just had to write about the Knoxville 5K today. My friends Nicole and Ann joined me at 6:30 this morning to embark on the adventure of running the hills of Knoxville for 3.1 miles. I have not run a 5K since college. Although my time was a full 10 minutes slower than my run 10 years ago, I am still proud that I did it. A year ago my pelvis would have broken apart I think. It was so inspiring to see the marathon runners start their race and the spirit in the air was all positive. One of the marathoners running by said, "26 miles to go!". Although the race was NOT easy (especially the beginning 1.5 miles that were steadily uphill!) I had renewed hope in myself and my body's ability to get in shape again. Who knows what the future may hold, but that half-marathon is looking enticing for next year. I believe that Nicole and Ann are inspired as well. In fact, we need a 4th person for our marathon relay team next year. Any takers?
Just had to take a second to brag about my baby too. Noelle stayed dry all afternoon and even asked (in her own way) to use the potty 2 times. Not too shabby for 17 months. What a smart chicky she is. But that's all I'll say since this one is about me.

officially 4

Izzy is now four and she looks the same, talks the same, can wear the same clothes, and can still come in my bed in the middle of the night. The only worry that turned to reality is that she could not see her grandmas while she was still 3. The morning started with tears regarding the before-mentioned subjects but they were quickly resolved with the suggestion of opening birthday gifts. This dried up Izzy's tears but was the cause of an Ellie outburst which was not what I predicted. I had no idea that she was old enough to care. But, as though of you who know her know, she wants to be older than she is on most accounts. Izzy received princess dolls and a dollhouse from Ben, Noelle, and myself, some pretty dresses from grandma Julie and Grandpa Del, and a Toys r us gift card from Aunt Kellie and Uncle Steve. Rumor has it that they want to come to Knoxville to help her spend it. After lunch Ellie took a nap (all that crying and envy wears a girl out) and we had some nice alone time with just Izzy. We had cake and ice cream when Ellie woke up and then headed over to Concord park. That in itself was a testament to Isabella's maturity as she had no problem climbing all over the equipment even though there were other kids all over it. A year ago she would have just stood back. After the park we went to dinner where Izzy said in the most serious tone, "This is a really nice dinner together guys". We tucked her in bed that night and at 11:30 she came into our room (she had said when she was 4 she would sleep in her own bed all night). Oh well, maybe next year or when I'm a little less groggy and can stop her. All in all it was a great day.

The Tea Party

For Isabella's 4th birthday we decided to have a little tea party with her playgroup friends. I stayed up late the night before and rolled out of bed in the am only to have much difficulty convincing my girls that they needed to dress up. Izzy wanted to wear her rattiest looking dress and even then only with much encouragement. I even offered her my pearls which she put on reluctantly. Ellie would have none of it and I finally just put her in a t-shirt and shorts. Oh well. Ava showed up looking beautiful in her Sleeping Beauty dress at which point Izzy wanted her Cinderella dress on. Why is it that kids already think their friends are smarter than their parents at age 4? The rest of the crew arrived. Miles looked handsome in his dress shirt and even brought flowers. Millie had a skirt on, although her scene stealing moment was actually at the end of the party when she looked like an old lady getting ready for a cruise. Lindsay must have been in a similar mood to Isabella as she took her dress off as soon as she arrived. Audrey and Reed hung out while Ellie tried to play with the big kids. Everyone had a good time although nobody wanted tea (yuck!). The cupcake frosting was definitly the best part of the whole spread. Isabella was wound for hours afterward, but was very helpful with the cleanup. She even asked to use the handheld vac. I can't believe she is almost 4. There are times when I wish she would grow up, but for the most part I wish I could freeze her where she is. She has so much personality. I love watching her dance and sing and just talk. I hate that she visits me every night in my bed, but I also know that there will come those days when she won't want to sleep with me, or shop with me, or snuggle with me, or even look at me.

The Horror of Turning 4

Today during dinner Izzy suddenly became tearful at my mention of her turning 4 soon. I thought this might be in response to her previous (2 months ago) statement that when she turns 4 she will sleep in her bed all night every night (this was in response to our exasperated "this has to stop!" after several return trips to her bed that night). But no. First she said, "but I want to see Grandma while I'm still 3!". I tried to reassure her that she will see Grandma within a month and to boot there will be cake, candles, and presents. "But will I still have this face? Will I look like Isabella?" Mercy child. She must have seen how much I have aged this year and become frightened. If she only knew that if she did not wake up every night and come find us she might look weeks, maybe months younger. Mommy and Daddy would be less irritable and healthy, and yes, maybe look 29 or so.

Shark face and a big girl

A strange title I know. Isabella is really into practicing different emotions, or different faces anyway. This isn't a surprise to us since one of her earliest favorite passtimes was to watch herself cry in the mirror. She could whip up a batch of tears for no reason. Now, besides sad face, she also does happy face, surprised face, disgusted face, and shark face. I know that shark is not an emotion, but it does scare me, so I suppose we could also call it mean or scary face. What do you think? Notice Ellie trying to imitate. I can't believe that I'm going to have a 4 year old in a couple weeks. She does not let much get by her. I really need to watch what I do and say. In other news Ellie went pee on the potty for the first time yesterday before bathtime. I think it was intentional but I'm not sure. She thinks she is a big kid already and has been interested in the toilet for months. Most of me does not want this to happen this early because besides the expense, diapers are actually very convenient. But I am still proud nonetheless.

The Great Escape

Well, today the event that I have been dreading happened. Ellie climbed out of her crib. Luckily I was right there and caught her on the way down, but I don't plan to sit in her room all night waiting for when she decides to go wander the house. She had bitten Isabella (another first) and I put Noelle in the crib for punishment while I consoled her sister. Apparently Noelle thinks she is too young for time out and took matters into her own hands...and legs...and biceps. So tomorrow I am off to Babies R Us for the recommended crib tent (thank you Nicole) as there is no way that she is ready for a big girl bed. Can you imagine her in a twin bed? She would get lost in there. I've been reflecting lately on how easy Isabella was as a toddler because ,besides the drama, she never tried to climb on ANYTHING. Most of the time I was trying to peel her off me. Honestly, it is really nice to have 2 such different personalities in our home. I still don't understand how 2 such mild mannered adults have produced the Drama Queen and the X Games star as offspring though. Maybe it was all that southern sweet tea I had during pregnancy.

Snow day number 2

Well, yesterday we played outside without coats and blew bubbles. Ellie ate alot of bubble soap and Isabella tried to dominate every activity. Noelle can now climb up the slides and go down by herself. She also happened to fall down our hill in the backyard, first doing a somersault and then logrolling about 5 more times before Ben rescued her. Just a few scratches on her face but now I remember why we wanted to build that railing off the patio. Today it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was probably more than we have ever had since we have lived here in Knoxville. Isabella had a wonderful time as I knew she would. She pestered me all day to go outside but I was unwilling to take both girls out by myself. So I offered to take her out when Ellie napped. Well, Ellie never napped, so Izzy was downright furious by the time Ben got home. We listened to Ellie cry on the monitor and Izzy said, "I think she's asleep mommy". Nice try dear one. Eventually Daddy came to her (and my) rescue. I shoved them both out the door at him and said "see y'all in an hour!". Noelle was not sure of the snow at first. She was skeptical of her outfit which greatly impeded her mobility. She licked the snow and made a "brrr"face. Ben took her sledding down the hill. She cried but when he brought her back to me she cried to go back out. Maybe she was just a little wary of that hill from the day before. Maybe Izzy has the right idea. Here is a picture of her taking her baby swimming today. They both had to put on bathing suits. Then she loaded her baby in the car and was off to the makeshift swimming pool - our bathtub. It made me shiver to look at her but I had to choose my battles today. By the way, I have the best husband in the world. He is mopping our floor right now on his own accord. I am such a great housewife. My hubby works all day, takes the children when he gets home, did the dishes and now is cleaning our disgusting house. What have I done to deserve this?

Izzy's Dance Recital

The reason this entry is so delayed is because I have been trying to upload video of the main event onto this blog without success. I suggest visiting Paula's blog if you are a friend, or you can go to youtube and look at my videos. They are listed under cindymariematheson. The show was great and I have to say it sure beat the 3 hour long recitals that I used to be a part of (just ask my poor husband that in his undying love for me sat through 2 of the same show my senior year - gotta love that man!). Izzy was very "participatory" and seemed to eat up the fact that she was on display. I am glad she had Millie next to her to help her remember the steps! At the end all the students received a special medal and got to stand on the podium. Isabella again took the time to pose like a supermodel to get her picture taken. I am glad that her first ballet experience has been fun, without pressure, but now that she is almost 4 it is time to put the pressure on (just kidding, but....). I think that is she still loves it after this smemester we will try out a dance school, just have to wait to see where we will be in June!!

Christmas and happy new year!

I know, I know. Everyone has already moved on into the new year, but this is my first chance to post. We started out Christmas Eve with a dr. visit for Isabella. She seemed to be coming down with her 10th cold since October and I just wanted some validation in my thoughts that she might have allergies. Well, we don't know the answer to that yet, but we did find out she had double ear infections. Ellie had double ear infections as well, so needless to say we had not been sleeping much. We skipped church that evening in an effort to stay sane. Isabella perked up a bit and we set out cookies and milk for Santa. She was excited for him to come but did not want to see him because she is afraid of his beard. Both girls went to sleep easily, antibiotics on board. It was a true Christmas Miracle as Noelle slept through the night that night. Both girls were excited to open presents - they got a playhouse like Lindsay's to share, Isabella got a doll with a potty and sink, and Ellie got some little people playsets from Santa. Mommy and Daddy got them some clothes and puzzles. Ellie really got into the paper ripping but truly enjoyed climbing on top of all the presents rather than playing with them. We made it to church that day and enjoyed a calm, uncrowded, beautiful mass. After that it was time to get to work since we were leaving for Ohio the next day. We stayed in Ohio for 1 week and enjoyed seeing all of our family. The girls received way too many gifts from everyone and we could barely fit everything in to make it home. Isabella had a great time with her Grandmas and Grandpas and Ellie began to warm to everyone too. I think she is beginning to remember people from visit to visit now. She definitly prefers the men over the ladies though. She knows how much those Grandmas and Aunts want her approval - she prefers the more low key approach of the 'pas. We celebrated New Years with a sleepover at Uncle Davy's house. I made it to 11:20. Just couldn't do those 40 extra minutes. I climbed into the bed next to Isabella and was glad to just sleep next to my sweet girl to bring in the new year. We have much to do and look forward to this year. My personal resolutions are to find more patience with my children, lose 50 pounds (would it be asking too much to accomplish this by April 1st for my bridesmaid dress?) and to be more productive with my time. Happy 2009!!!