Learning is Cool Stuff

I am amazed at how well Eleanor is reading already.  I actually asked her teacher, Mrs. Unnerstall, to try to discern if she was really reading or had memorized a few favorite books.  Turns out that, yep, she is reading.  In addition she is learning to spell.  She reminds me a little bit of Jo in Little Women...likes to read and write. In fact, she and I are reading the Louisa May Alcott book right now.  Recently, she and her sisters were sent to their rooms.  When she came down she brought some of her writings.  Not only am I very impressed, I was very intrigued with how her little brain works.  You can see, in her writing, how she must hear things and sounds them out in her head.  It's different than how a mature brain works (as indicated when I try to read what she has just read to me!)  I don't have many parenting regrets (yet) but one thing that makes me sad is that I probably missed moments like this with Meredith.  Regardless, it's fun to experience now.

Magical Mommy Moment

Parenthood is full of blessings but many get lost in the blur of everyday life. Recently, Meredith has offered us a parenting first. She, for the first time I am aware, now knows something neither Brad nor I know; how to play piano! Thanks to the hard work of cousin Ellory, Meredith is learning to read music and now has three songs in her repertoire. It's pretty remarkable experience. I keep thinking about and am surprised by the fact that I gave birth to someone that has now outpaced me. I hope there are many similar moments ahead of me.

Growing up Catholic

Brad and I are proud to be raising the girls Catholic and moments like we experienced at dinner tonight add to it.  We were nearly finished eating and Eleanor started humming and asked us to guess what she was humming.  I had no idea and was thinking of the Disney shows we watched earlier in the day.  Brad didn't know either.  She finished humming and then sung out loud "Lasagna in the Highest."  Huh? we asked.  "Lasagna in the Highest, from Church," she said.  Right on tune, she sang about the Italian casserole we all know and love.  The video below has the real version from a Mass in Ohio.



Brad thinks we should tell her.  I figure she'll figure it out in due time. I am just so darn proud she is paying attention.


 

Unplugged

We met some friends at Blumenhof Winery today and took the girls.  It was a beautiful day and we knew they would have fun.  It just took them a while to figure out what fun looks like without stuff or screens.  Eventually they danced, played in the woods and, my favorite, rolled down the hill.  Nothing like a little unplugged fun to really feel like a kid!  I love that this is a universal childhood experience.  No one had to show them how to do it, they just did it.  Eventually they were even joined by some adults (no, not us!)

Ride, Sally, Ride

Yesterday Eleanor and her Daddy took the training wheels off her bike.  Today she took off.  I am not sure which of us was more proud.  Of course, as her mother, I was proud of her for riding her bike, but I was more proud of how confident she was and how proud she was of herself.  Definitely a defining mommy moment.  Sure it was the same for Bradly who actually did the bike riding instruction...glad he's getting practice, I suppose the car will be next.

Best card ever

It's nice to be known so well. The inside reads "Where's your party at, bitch?"

Mrs. Perkins, sixth grade English teacher at SFB, would be so proud.

That mom

Recently I was at the car dealership waiting for a repair. I was a little put off at the morning I had given up to be there but I had bought my laptop and was hard at work. My concentration was broken when I heard a mother come in with her young child. I was surprised when the (not in school) Pre-schooler immediately asked for something from the vending machine. I was extra surprised that "that mom" said yes and could almost hear myself saying NO! to my children had they been along.

Shortly thereafter I looked up from my laptop and saw "that mom" playing on the floor with her child. I'm talking on-the-floor-pretend-play-where-you-be-the-bad-guy playing. I found myself thinking how, had the girls not been in school, I still would not have brought them. Quickly I realized how unhappy they would be if they were there. No snack. No momma playing on the floor with them. Sure they'd be wondering why they hadn't got "that momma!"

Another family fun day

Christmas Card Sneak Peak

Admittedly, this is a little premature, but as I learn more and more about blogging I like to try out the new things I have discovered.  Consequently, dear blog readers, you get a sneak peak of what I hope our Christmas card will look like this year.  With any luck there should appear a slide show of photos from our weekend trip to Destin.  What a blessing to get to watch your children see the ocean for the very first time.  Happy to share.

Forty, (quasi) Fit, and Fabulous

Not much more to say.  Love my husband, kids, family, friends.  Love my life.

Magical Summer

This has, undoubtedly, been the most incredible summer of my life.  When I learn how to do a slide show of photos I will add more pictures, but truth of the matter is that photos won't capture it.  I hope my girls will have memories of this summer.  Actually, what I really hope is that all summers will be like this one.  We are blessed.

Yep, it's wrong in so many ways

I don't even have anything to say to defend myself, except please excuse the messy room.  This is darn cute, even though it is way wrong and probably illegal south of the Mason Dixie line.  I know better, I really do.  That's why I share on our own private blog, not on Facebook.  Or YouTube.  Oh yeah, I actually did post to YouTube.Check it out here.  Please don't pass judgement.

Weather forecast from a four year old

Saturday morning I walked into the living room and practically ran into Poppy.  Indignantly she told me "The news is over.  There were two suns and lots of rains."  Huh? I thought about it and then it hit me.  She had seen the 7 day forecast.  It is supposed to rain all the way through Wednesday and the sun is forecast to shine on Thursday and Friday.  She was right, two suns and lot's of rains.

The Circle of Life

Like her sisters before her, Lillian has had an incubator in her preschool classroom during the weeks leading up to Easter.  Last Tuesday's storms apparently hurried the hatching process as 4 chicks had made their debut through the night and were dry and fluffy by the time I dropped Poppy off at school Wednesday.  In fact, another chick was working hard to join the family so I hung around to watch it happen.  The birthing process is a miracle to behold in and of itself, but watching Poppy watch the chick hatch was a stunning, proud moment for this momma.  Her eyes were as big as saucers, her mouth hung open and she applauded wildly when that little soggy chick finally plopped itself out of it's egg.  It was a poignant experience to share with a child born from me who will, likely, one day birth her own child.  That, I suppose, is the circle of life.

Ski-tastic!

We were thrilled to take the girls on their first ski trip over Christmas Break.  To be sure we weren't spending thousands of dollars on something they might hate we stayed fairly close to home.  We went to Chestnut Mountain in Galena IL. I was pleasantly surprised.  It was just a six hour driver, there was real snow and the girls seemed to like it.  By the end of the trip Meredith and Eleanor could both stop (key to really enjoying the ski experience!)  Lillian says she didn't like it but I think she is just a little young.  We snuck her in to ski school even though the minimum age is 4.  We were busted, but they didn't kick her out.  See all three try their skills in the brief video below.  Meredith goes first, Poppy comes down second with a little backwards skiing thrown in for goo measure and Eleanor brings up the rear.  Daddy is thrilled to have three willing ski partners in the making.

Proceeds from our lemonade stand

This is what $200 of peanut butter and jelly look like. The girls donated it to the food pantry. We are very proud. A good lesson in humility and service.

Amazing what difference a year makes

We took Meredith ice skating last year.  I think it was the worst 10 minutes of her life.  Not this year.  Brad took her for her Daddy and Me day and she rocked it.  She is like a regular ice princess. 

God has such a sense of humor

I am cracking up at my last post...

We got home safely from Notre Dame and talked the whole way about how much fun we had.  It really was a great time and so far from our daily lives.  However, just in case we were enjoying ourselves too much God planned a huge reality check for us.  We returned home in time to take the girls trick or treating and hurried around to get out the door.  Lillian wasn't feeling well and kept complaining of a headache.  She had a low grade fever, but in spite of my better judgment, I gave her Advil and put her in the car seat.  By the time we arrived at Uncle Bill and Aunt Alberta's, Meredith was crying.  I knew we were in trouble when she said she wanted to go home.  I packed her up, walked out the door and SPLAT, she threw up on the doorstep.  I took her home, turned out the lights we cuddled in bed.  I am not a coed, I am a mom.  I get the message, God.  Joke's on me.  

Living like a coed

I am writing this post on a trip home from a football weekend at Notre Dame.  While the Irish lost to Tulsa we had a great time acting like coeds...staying up too late, drinking too early and being too silly. The best part about our grown up weekend was the chance to revisit our youth. We went with the Richardsons and the Lynchards and, since none of us actually went to college together, it was a small glimpse of how it could have been. We are driving back home to life as we know it and while I am always grateful for the chance to get a way and the chance to go home.

Ten years of email down the drain

Brad walked in at 1:30 AM on Sunday morning and wondered what I was doing still on the computer.  It seems our email had been hacked and bgpettet was sending pharmaceutical emails.  Lots of pharmaceutical emails.  So I begrudgingly began the task of changing our email after the girls went to bed at 8:00 PM.  Here I am two days later still making updates and changes.  We have had our email address since before we got married, hence the bg (Brad and Gretchen.)  Appropriately, I have changed the email moniker to something more representative of our full family (the pettets).  Hopefully that will last us another ten years.  It's amazing how a functionality that barely existed ten years ago has become such an integral part of our lives.  Our families, our friendships, our finances, and even our fun (cardinals, vacations, etc.) are all part of email life.  Now I have to sit patiently to see what I have forgotten and who cannot contact us or, whom we can't contact.