Foggy morning

Usually a morning like this exhausts me.  Makes it ten time more challenging to crawl out of bed for the way to early school bus.  But I have to do it.  Then the big girls get on the bus and I head out back to do a bit of yoga before Cadence wakes up.  I always enjoy my routine but discovered something about foggy days.  It makes me slow down my yoga.  It makes me breathe more slowly, hold my down dog even longer, stretch further into warrior, tune out extraneous sounds and thoughts even more.  Apparently foggy days make everything that is good about yoga even better.  That is a good thing!

Is my washing machine off balance?

We had an earthquake here.  The problem is - this is Virginia!  I was sitting at my computer home when I heard a loud shaking noise.  First thought - "Is my washing machine off balance?".  As the whole house started to tremble I realized it was an earthquake.  I quickly ran upstairs, grabbed Cadence who was napping, and ran out of the house to safety with her.  No, wait... that's what I SHOULD have done!  Instead, I sat there in my chair in complete shock.  Didn't move... not an inch.  Wow!  This is what has been haunting me the most.  Where was my maternal instinct?  Why didn't I spring into action, some kind of action, any kind of action, to "save" my family?   When I was 19 years old heading back to Ohio from Florida during spring break our car went off the road and flipped over into a creek.  As the water rushed in I felt sure that I would drown and I sat there pulling at the door handle trying to get it open.  The door didn't budge until some guy was knocking on the window yelling "Unlock the door!".  I realized at that time that I had a difficult time keeping my senses about me when fight or flight response kicked in.  I had just assumed though, that when those I love were in danger, some sort of better, smarter instinct would kick in.  I think that a large part of me assumed that the earthquake would end quickly and harmlessly, like the tremor we had when I was at a playgroup 8 years ago.  I sat in my chair thinking "This will stop any second" having no idea that it would last at least 60 seconds.  Luckily for us the only casualty was a favorite vase.  Cadence seemed unfazed when my shaking legs finally supported me enough to go get her from her crib.  The girls were at school and were a little scared but still felt it was more of an adventure than anything (although they aren't feeling that way about these aftershocks coming at 1am).  Any tips for keeping it together during a catastrophe?!

My favorite vase

Sierra's dresser

Cadence's room

This may have actually been caused by Hurricane Cadence

Cadence thinks that even when the roof is coming down you should look good!

Spa day and fashion show

Welcome to the Williams House of Style!  We started off with some pampering.  Doll baby gets a lavender infused lotion massage.


Sierra and Laurel enjoy a citrus foot soak while Laurel perfects her "Mwah!" face (or that could be her monkey face - not sure!).



I dug out my paraffin wax treatment and made sure it was as cool as possible.  The girls screamed as they dipped their feet into it but continued on with the 2nd foot.  They are learning that there is a price to beauty!

My ghetto paraffin wrap since I couldn't find the ones that go with it!  The girls thought it was hilarious that they were putting saran wrap on their feet.  Cadence wanted to partake in some of the spa day herself.

Laurel and Sierra decided to dress Cadence up and have her "pose".  Looks like she might be a natural!

 I think the diva is done!



School year 2011-2012

A new school year has started!  Yes, freakishly early, as always.  It's bittersweet.  I miss Sierra and Laurel when they have such long days at school, but Cadence is a completely different child when they are around.  She's louder, more demanding, and completely revved up - all the time.  So, I am looking forward to a quieter house and child for a little while.  We have been blessed again this year with wonderful teachers and I am so excited to see the girls grow and learn.  I'm trying to ignore the fact that Sierra is only 2 years away from middle school...  because that idea kind of makes me want to puke!

The first time Sierra's chosen to wear a skort to school in about 3 years!

"What?!  I'm not going with them?!"

While the big girls are away... the little one sits.  And sits.  And sits!  Cadence has been showing signs of being ready for potty training for months and I've been ignoring them.  Too much work, time and effort involved for me to wrap my head around.  But, I'm afraid I might miss my window so we'll give it a shot!

We potty trained her doll!

She's very good at multi tasking!

Since I'm up at the crack of dawn I'm trying to get back into my yoga practice.  The sun is just up, the air has been perfect, the sky is gorgeous, and there seems no better place to be than on my back deck saluting the sun.  Everything feels better when I manage to do this on a regular basis, both physically and mentally, so I'm hoping that I can maintain it.  I have about 200 projects planned for C's naptime, one of which includes playing with my camera and new lens.  I know that I am not using my camera to it's max capacity, and one day I'll take a class.... but for now, I'll just play!



Tree pose with morning sunlight

I've got lots of perfect evening sunlight to play with!

She jumps!

Thanks to swim team we have been at the pool a lot this summer!  Cadence was out to prove her fearlessness early on - jumping off the side of the pool unattended and unfloatied.  She definitely requires a very close eye at the pool.  Her fearlessness even showed up at the deep end by jumping off the diving board!  Most of the time she doesn't seem like she needs me a lot (she is very independent), but this is one time when she does - just a little bit.  Just one finger's worth of reassurance and I gladly gave it to her.  She walks all of the way out to the end of the board by herself then turns back to me and holds out her hand.  I give her one finger which she holds onto, oh so gently, and then she steps off the board and lets go.  I love that moment!  The moment when she takes a little bit of strength and comfort from me to give her the courage to JUMP!  I hope she will grow to know that she can always find that strength and comfort in me.

Words of encouragment to jump to Laurel who is waiting for her

Momentary pause to ham it up for the camera

She jumps...

...and recovers

One day she'll be doing this!

15 minutes of silence

This is what 15 minutes of silence looks like in my house:

yes, that is a pantyliner on her stomach... classy!

On the other hand, 15 minutes of noise looks like this:

maybe not so bad after all!

What does silence look like at your house?!

Hiding from the sun again

It's another comfortable, crisp day at 96 degrees here in Virginia.  Ugh!  I am so over this heat!  I used to love hot summers.  I lived in Atlanta for a year and that was my favorite time.  Now, not so much.  Maybe it's changes in my body as I get older or lugging all of the things that are required when you have three kids with you or worrying if Cadence's carseat will be too hot and she'll scream bloody murder getting into the car.  Whatever it is, I'm over the heat... or at least 90+ degrees of it.  I'm a happy girl in the mid-80's!

This morning started early with taking the car to the dealership for a small repair (the second in the two months we've had it... not great!) and a celebratory breakfast followed by the gym and grocery store.  At the dealership they had tried to run the car through the carwash but it wasn't working, making me realize how dirty the our swagger wagon really was.  It seemed like the perfect time for a hands on carwash!  Everyone joined in and made the most of the running water by getting soaked.  The car got clean too, so it was a win-win! 

We headed inside to get our clothes changed and Cadence wanted to put on a nightgown prompting Laurel to declare a pajama day.  And why not?  We stay huddled inside in our pj's when it's cold and snowy outside, why not when it's melting hot and we aren't headed anywhere?  (Although I did cross my fingers that no one pulled up while I was feeding the chickens.)  After lunch we had our own little dance party with Cadence rockin' out on her piano.  That girls loves to make noise!  Then on to making Ghoul Juice.  It was a fun experiment, although the final product to drink was not nearly as exciting, or tasty, as the girls had hoped. We had a good time trying though!

Next up, naptime for Cadence, movie time for Sierra and Laurel, and blog time for me.  We had a "final cob" for Sierra for dinner.  She loves corn on the cob but is having her chipped front tooth fixed tomorrow (4th time's the charm, right?!) so this will be the last time she can eat it.  Cadence loves it too!  We decided to paint some pictures to send to friends and then Sierra and I started our training for the Women's 4-miler that we are doing together this year.  Yes, we probably should have started our training sooner than 1 month before the race, but have I mentioned that I've been hating the heat?  Based on our first "run" today we may do a run-walk!  All in all though, it has been a good day hiding from the heat!



The new family stickers that Brad got for the car... it seemed a necessary buy when you get a van!

They are all good little washers

Does anything taste better than cold water from the hose on a hot day?  Probably, but it's refreshing and nostalgic.

I'm not sure how it progressed to filling their boots with water!

Laurel's warning to outsiders

Ingredients for Ghoul Juice

Fresh lemon juice (insert sour face here!)

Ghoulishly cool!

With "worms" and "eyeballs" to complete it

"Drinking" from the worm

They love corn on the cob!

A messy end to the day

She can suck!!

Cadence can finally suck!!  I think that everyone in the restaurant knows that now considering how we all celebrated!  We started using juice boxes and Capri Sun drinks a few months ago and when she would make a seal with her lips around the straw I'd give it a little squeeze (like a reward).  She quickly caught on that with much insistence she could hold it herself and just squeeze the drink in, but we continued to work with it once a week or so.  She always wants to drink whatever I or the girls have and gets so frustrated when it has a straw and she doesn't get anything.

I was giving her water the usual way (placing my finger over the top of the straw, trapping water, and letting it pour into her mouth) when she insisted that I put the lid and straw on the cup.  Then I suddenly saw water in the straw and get all the way to her mouth!  The girls and I hooped and hollered!  We are so excited to reach this milestone.  Now, on to talking, girlfriend!