a.rose

Sometimes these little people send quite the mixed message. Devin decided a while ago that Hanna seemed ready to start potty training.  She shows a lot of interest in the potty, and that Hallie doesn't wear a diaper. She likes to pull on Hallie's panties over her pants and rock out like that.  Devin doesn't think I should let her do that, but who am I to say no to hilarity? I wasn't quite sure if she was ready, because she never wants me to change her diaper, and I thought one of the signs that a child is ready for potty training is when they want the dirty diaper off... fast. But maybe I made that up?  Anyway, she fights me and fights me at diaper changes, which, admittedly, does make the idea of her going on the potty very enticing. So, we got out the old potty chair and put it in the bathroom, and at night when Hallie is going her pre-bedtime you-know we have Hanna sit on the little potty chair.  She loves it. But it's really more of a game for her. She

Once upon a time... There was a man and a woman, named Devin and Amy.  They started out building their family by adding a little girl.  Two years later they had another little girl. And, it looks like, come February, we'll be having another little girl.  The girls came with us to the ultrasound, and at one point Heather (yes, Devin is finally getting his Heather) waved her little arm at us.  It was pretty sweet, Hanna said "arm? arm?" When she first showed up on the screen we got a good shot of her head and Hallie said, "Head? Is that the baby's head?"  It is always so fun to see these little babies and feel like they are really starting to be a part of the family.  I'll put up a picture of the ultrasound tomorrow. For my own notes, the final vote on this poll was 61% voted boy, 38% voted girl.  Which doesn't actually add to 100...?

There is a comfortable silence that sometimes falls between couples that have been together for a while.  In our home I am frequently recognized as being "the talker", but lately when we have lapsed into silence it is Devin that breaks it. "Our lives are going to change forever on Tuesday."  He will suddenly say, his voice unable to conceal his excitement.  At first I thought this statement was overly dramatic, something more in line with what I might say than Devin.  Yet as I have heard him say it over the past few days as we get nearer and nearer to 10:15 on Tuesday I can't help but agree. When we find out if we are having a boy or a girl so many of our thoughts will begin to revolve around that new knowledge.  If it is a girl, Devin worries about creating a "sorority" somewhere in the house for all the girl stuff, (his big plan is to have them all bunk in the basement once we get it finished.  Wouldn't they love that?!)  If it is a boy, the

Is it coincidence? Is it an accident?  Just plain, dumb luck? When I go to the library, sometimes I have a planned list of the books I am going to look for, books that are on my to-read list over at Goodreads . But if I haven't had the time to sit down and look through that, then I just head to the library and quickly browse for titles that look interesting, meet my content criteria standards, and take as many of those home as I can find. And I don't know what it is, be it pure chance or fate. The first time it happened, I came home with two random titles, and they both ended up being novels about mermaids.  Huh, I thought to myself.  Then a while later, I came home with a stack of books and two of them were about women who lived through tragically horrible building fires.  That's when I really started to question just how random the picks of these books really were.  This most recent trip to the library, I came home with a really huge stack (most of which I had actual

You know, friends aren't the only ones who can play that multiplication trick.  Families do it as well. It is a simple formula really.    You take this:  and introduce them to this: and almost five years later you can easily get this: *Results are not guaranteed. (From left to right: Emily, Hanna, Tabitha, Hallie, Daniel, Annibelle, Jill, Callie) This time, I searched for about ten seconds to find old pictures. But don't worry, my sister didn't fail me. She sent me some pictures of the three of us in high school.  Thanks, Meems.  Sometimes, late at night, when I don't think anyone will hear me, I cry for that hair. I think Sarah looks exactly the same as she did ten years ago. (Pictures in reference to this post .)

Isn't it amazing how three people, in a matter of a few short years can go from this: (and here I really REALLY wanted to put a picture of us in high school, but, and Sarah will probably praise the heavens for this, I couldn't find one and didn't search longer than three seconds. Maybe Mimi will send me one?) to this: note: there is one small person missing in this picture. I think Daniel was already sleeping?  I love your cute little family Sarah, and it was so good to see you.  Let's try not to make it four and a half years this time, yes?

So yes, my last post was probably a little depressing.  And the fact of the matter is, even though we found out the tragic reason we had been sitting there/would sit there for so long, we still had four small people to keep happy.  The girls really did do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves.  All things considered.  Don't you love how happy something as simple as taking them out of their seats can make them? I mean, check out Daniel!

I returned home last evening from a little vacation.  My mother had been planning it for months, and we had been looking forward to it for just as long.  The plan was that I would fly from here to Ohio, where my sister would pick me up, and then we would drive from Ohio to Hershey, Pennsylvania.  In Hershey we would meet up with my mother, and my two sisters-in-law. Oh yes, and all the babies. For those who haven't been keeping track, or don't know my family, that's seven girls three and under, and one bubbling, bouncing baby boy.  We'd spend a week in Hershey, eating chocolate and whatnot, and then I was to drive back to Ohio with my sister, and then catch a plane back home, where there would be a happy reunion with Devin.  That was the plan. Isn't there some sort of phrase about the best laid plans?  The thing about plans is that you really only have so much control over life.  There comes a point when, after having made your plan, you just have to let it play