Friday, June 6, 2014

Feeling Good Again

I am happy to report that, as of Tuesday, we are no longer a breathing treatment/Zyrtec taking, steroid inhaling, snot filled, coughing house hold!  Tony and I are thrilled to retire the Nose Frida for a little while and have two kids who feel much better.

The kids have felt so much better that Durinda even got to take them to the playground in our neighborhood on Wednesday morning. She said that the kids were a little leery at first, they didn't know quite what to think of the wood chips, but they figured it out pretty quickly. Jack tried to eat the wood chips- yuck- and climb up the slide; he's such a little explorer boy.  Harper quickly figured out how to climb up the stairs and was very proud of herself when she and Durinda and Jack reached the top. Here are some pictures of the playground adventure.
Our household was turned on its ear this week because we're getting a new roof. Things didn't quite go as planned, but we all made it out okay. Abby took refuge at Nana and Pop's house so she didn't have to listen to the hammering all day long, but the kids and Durinda were at home for most of it. It was funny to watch Jack walk around with his hammer; he would bang on the window sills when he heard the men hammering on the roof. Jack also liked to sit and watch the men working; he was enthralled with watching the men climb up and down the ladders. Jack also decided that his sister's dollhouse might be a good resting place- I shook my head while I watched him plop down and watch some TV- he's such a funny kiddo.
Harper has been learning how to express her opinion a little more this week (I didn't really think she needed any help with that to begin with). This girl is on an independent streak and insists on doing things herself: feeding herself with a fork/spoon, brushing her own teeth, holding whatever she is trying to take a bite of (a tomato today, for instance), but at the same time she can't quite complete any of those  tasks successfully by herself- this makes for a some very trying times and I am learning to be patient (or trying to be patient). Harper also wants to be held quite a bit so she can see everything and uses this new vantage point to demand things by pointing and yelling/grunting/screaming until she gets what she wants- ugh. I love that Harper is coming into her own, but I wish that she would be a little more tempered about it. I suppose this is something we will work on.

Harper had fun this week carrying around my smoothie thermos (this girl also loves to take a "sip" of my smoothie and inhale 1/2 of my breakfast) and pretending to drink from it. I also asked Harper to smile for me today and said "say cheese, Harper" below are a couple of pictures that resulted. This is the first time that I've asked either of kids to smile for a picture and they complied- progress!

I will leave the blog tonight with something that seemingly has nothing to do with the kids. Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Tony and I were talking about this today, and we realized as we talked that to Harper and Jack WWII will not be anything of great importance- it will just be another chapter in a book about some forgotten war, something to memorize to pass a history test and then move on. I suppose because my grandfather fought in WW II and I've heard his war stories, and I'm married to a history buff who likes to read/watch anything related to WW II, I grasp in some small way the importance of the immense impact of D-Day 70 years ago, and the sacrifice of all who fought and their families. Tony and I feel like it's our job to teach Harper and Jack the importance of this day too. I hope that when you read this, H & J, you will know and appreciate all the freedoms you have because of the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy 70 years ago today.

"They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate."  -President Franklin D. Roosevelt

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