Monday, May 30, 2011
May 30th, what a big day!
Seven years ago today I married my best friend and partner for this crazy life. As I walked down the aisle I felt such joy and excitement about our life together. We have had some adventures these last seven years with tremendous joys, difficult stressors and most importantly each other. With each day I become more thankful that I married this man and that we are experiencing life together. On our wedding day I was confident and trustful in the decision that we were making and I have not been disappointed. Here is a look back to our wedding day, May 30, 2004.
Two short years later we were preparing for the arrival of our first child. Allison Ruth Chaloupek came into the world at 8:36 am on May 30, 2006. She became the center of our universe as she initiated us in the experience of being parents. She has been a Daddy's girl from the start and our sweet angel has grown into a true little girl who loves pink, princesses, projects and going on (Daddy) dates.
May 30th has become a day filled with excitement, presents, cake and filling Allison's every wish on her birthday. As the day approaches I do not let it slip by that May 30th is also the day that I committed my life to my husband. I knew on our wedding day that he would be the most wonderful father and he has far exceeded any expectation. Our children adore him and he thrives on spending time with them and showering them with affection and his undivided attention. I am humbled and grateful that Jason loves me so unconditionally and that our life together is filled with laughter, joking and is a true partnership. I am reminded often that our relationship has grown and deepened as we are now the parents of two children with another on the way and that the trials we have been through together have only strengthened our bond to each other. The mundane chores of the daily grind are fun with him by my side and he never fails to push me past my comfort zone to experience life to the fullest. This day seven years ago I married my best friend and five years ago I became a mommy. Today I celebrate two of the best days of my life!
Monday, May 23, 2011
5 year check up
My baby girl is growing up so fast, and today proved it to me again. Today was her 5 year well check up complete with four immunizations for kindergarten. Her stats are as follows:
Height: 44.25 inches
Weight: 46 lb
Blood pressure: 100/62
She is in the 90th percentile for height and 75-90th for weight. She has a perfect height/weight ratio. After the prodding and inspection from head to toe, it was time for her shots. She was quite anxious waiting for the nurse to come back into the room. When the time came she turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. After the first stick, she let out a little laugh and a small smile. I think it hurt less than she expected! She did not cry at all for her shots and was thrilled with the hot pink and hologram bandaids that she got to wear all day. She got extra attention at school and made sure she sported them so it was the first thing Daddy saw when he came home from work tonight.
She is turning into quite the little lady and has a countdown to her birthday. When you ask her how old she is she currently states, "I am four and a half but my birthday is in seven days" (holding up seven fingers). When she was only a toddler, five was the age she strived to be. She would tell you, "I two, I wanna be five." This milestone is upon us. I am hopeful that her fifth year is all that she imagined it could be!
Height: 44.25 inches
Weight: 46 lb
Blood pressure: 100/62
She is in the 90th percentile for height and 75-90th for weight. She has a perfect height/weight ratio. After the prodding and inspection from head to toe, it was time for her shots. She was quite anxious waiting for the nurse to come back into the room. When the time came she turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. After the first stick, she let out a little laugh and a small smile. I think it hurt less than she expected! She did not cry at all for her shots and was thrilled with the hot pink and hologram bandaids that she got to wear all day. She got extra attention at school and made sure she sported them so it was the first thing Daddy saw when he came home from work tonight.
She is turning into quite the little lady and has a countdown to her birthday. When you ask her how old she is she currently states, "I am four and a half but my birthday is in seven days" (holding up seven fingers). When she was only a toddler, five was the age she strived to be. She would tell you, "I two, I wanna be five." This milestone is upon us. I am hopeful that her fifth year is all that she imagined it could be!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A day with the gators...
On Good Friday we decided to take advantage of the good weather and Daddy's day off from work to take a day trip to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine. None of us had been there before, so we were unsure of what to expect. The kids loved watching the gators in the big pit move around. We watched feeding time, attended the education session and toured the grounds. While the zookeeper was educating us on reptiles he opened up the floor to questions. Much to our surprise, our shy little Allison had her hand raised high in the air hoping for her turn to ask a question. Jason noticed first and screened the question before she could be called on. She did not get the chance to ask her question in front of the audience, but I am proud and impressed by her four year old courage to attempt to get noticed.
Here are some photos from our day!
Here are some photos from our day!
 |
| feeding frenzy! |
 | ||
| feeding the baby gators and crocodiles |
Let's put on a show
Recently Allison has decided that putting on a show is great fun and a wonderful way to get some positive attention. She typically makes up a dance and has now added songs. She jumps, twirls and dances to her heart's content almost oblivious to her audience until her final curtsy. She has added some opera style singing which is lovely. Today's original score consisted of at least two songs about piggybanks. That girl has always loved collecting her "monies".
Jack joined in as well and sang his favorite song from "The Lion King" about 3 times through. He sings "I just can't wait to be king" with great enthusiasm. As he went through it again, he threw his arms out to the side leaned his head back and went up an octave as he sang the last note. His bow was priceless as he bent forward so that his head touched the floor. It seems like I may have two performers on my hands!
Jack joined in as well and sang his favorite song from "The Lion King" about 3 times through. He sings "I just can't wait to be king" with great enthusiasm. As he went through it again, he threw his arms out to the side leaned his head back and went up an octave as he sang the last note. His bow was priceless as he bent forward so that his head touched the floor. It seems like I may have two performers on my hands!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
today is a workday
I am blessed. That pretty much sums it up. I have a wonderful husband and wonderful beautiful children. I am lucky to have a profession in which I work two days a week to keep my skills up to par and still have plenty of time with my children. As a mother, everyday is a workday. Most days I roll out of bed and into the chaos. I might get a shower by dinner. On the days I go into an office and become a professional I wake up early, shower and put on makeup. When I am there I feel like I am in the driver's seat. I work with children and their parents and my advice is usually taken and implemented. My job fulfills me professionally and I know that I am serving my calling when I am there. After a 10 hour work in the office day, I come home to my children who have only seen me long enough for a kiss and a quick brush through their hair in the morning. The evenings on days like today are not usually pleasant. There is fatigue on all of our parts, a general lack of following directions and demands of who is going to put he or she down for night nights. I have guilt at wanting to get my little monsters to bed before the sun sets.
Then there are the other days where the job of being a mom is not so stressful. When we can talk, ride bikes and have a morning at the park. There are games of memory and Candyland (which I cannot win when competing against my children, trust me I am trying). There are temper tantrums and time outs, there is still a general lack of following directions but somehow I am not as frustrated. Maybe it is the rhythm of the day and the general understanding between a mother and child. "The look" tends to work more on the days that I am home than the days I am not. Maybe it is the 10 minutes of shut eye I get when keeping my toddler still long enough for him to take his afternoon nap. Maybe it is the extra time that it unscheduled. Maybe it is the juicy kisses that I get when I pucker up and reach for sweet hugs from my babies.
I still get frustrated and exasperated on the days I stay at home. I look forward to my work days, to the escape that my job provides. The thing I look forward to the most when I am returning to work is that I know when I will be eating lunch and that it will still be hot. I feel guilty about this as well. I realize that there is no perfect balance but that I may be living the closest thing there is to it.
I am in the driver's seat at home too. I am responsible for myself, for the things that come out of my mouth. Whether I am engaged in the day or distracted are all my responsibility. I am the person who sets the tone with my voice, instructions and consequences. This is work. Being a mother is the greatest joy but also brings the greatest burden. I am going to be the person who gets the blame if my kids don't turn out to be upstanding members of the community. I thought picking names was pressure, I didn't have a clue about the pressures of molding a human being. So today is a workday. I am doing the work that God has given me to do. I will rejoice in my achievements and strive to improve in all the ways that I fall short. I will try to deflect the guilt that creeps in, all the while knowing that a mother's guilt is never ceasing. Most importantly I will give thanks for all the blessings in my life!
Then there are the other days where the job of being a mom is not so stressful. When we can talk, ride bikes and have a morning at the park. There are games of memory and Candyland (which I cannot win when competing against my children, trust me I am trying). There are temper tantrums and time outs, there is still a general lack of following directions but somehow I am not as frustrated. Maybe it is the rhythm of the day and the general understanding between a mother and child. "The look" tends to work more on the days that I am home than the days I am not. Maybe it is the 10 minutes of shut eye I get when keeping my toddler still long enough for him to take his afternoon nap. Maybe it is the extra time that it unscheduled. Maybe it is the juicy kisses that I get when I pucker up and reach for sweet hugs from my babies.
I still get frustrated and exasperated on the days I stay at home. I look forward to my work days, to the escape that my job provides. The thing I look forward to the most when I am returning to work is that I know when I will be eating lunch and that it will still be hot. I feel guilty about this as well. I realize that there is no perfect balance but that I may be living the closest thing there is to it.
I am in the driver's seat at home too. I am responsible for myself, for the things that come out of my mouth. Whether I am engaged in the day or distracted are all my responsibility. I am the person who sets the tone with my voice, instructions and consequences. This is work. Being a mother is the greatest joy but also brings the greatest burden. I am going to be the person who gets the blame if my kids don't turn out to be upstanding members of the community. I thought picking names was pressure, I didn't have a clue about the pressures of molding a human being. So today is a workday. I am doing the work that God has given me to do. I will rejoice in my achievements and strive to improve in all the ways that I fall short. I will try to deflect the guilt that creeps in, all the while knowing that a mother's guilt is never ceasing. Most importantly I will give thanks for all the blessings in my life!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I am very sorry momma.
Allison is almost five and as the months have ticked by she has become quite articulate. She has an explanation for every transgression against the rules. She tries to gain just a few more seconds after receiving her directions by filling the silence with chatter, all the while ignoring the icy mom stare I am giving her. Her talking has gotten her into trouble at school and at home. Well, now she has upped the ante.
Last night after their shower Jack was on the potty and Allison was given her direction to go get her jammies on. She really wanted to cheer her brother on his quest to put his pee pee in the potty, so proceeded to avoid eye contact and continue to encourage her brother. I made direct eye contact with her and gave her the instruction again, with the stern warning of "Last chance". She complied and as I turned around I saw something out of the corner of my eye. There she was all sassy and defiant with her tongue stuck out at me. Once spotted she immediately straightened up and ran to her room. It was obvious that I was not supposed to see this, but too late.
I was stifling the giggles but knowing what this really meant from my preschooler, I called Daddy reinforcements to have a discussion with her about respect. When Allison gets in trouble she is devastated which makes me wonder why she makes the choices in the first place. She takes some consoling to calm down and is very sensitive about letting anyone down. She is a very sweet girl with a gentle soul. She came to me bearing a note she had written and a picture:
Allison spoke with tears streaming down her face saying, "I love you momma, and I am sorry I hurt your heart. Please forgive me. I drew a picture of me with a sad face and crying because I am heartbroken that I made you sad."
Hugs and kisses made the tears go away and she learned a little lesson about respecting her parents, hopefully.
Last night after their shower Jack was on the potty and Allison was given her direction to go get her jammies on. She really wanted to cheer her brother on his quest to put his pee pee in the potty, so proceeded to avoid eye contact and continue to encourage her brother. I made direct eye contact with her and gave her the instruction again, with the stern warning of "Last chance". She complied and as I turned around I saw something out of the corner of my eye. There she was all sassy and defiant with her tongue stuck out at me. Once spotted she immediately straightened up and ran to her room. It was obvious that I was not supposed to see this, but too late.
I was stifling the giggles but knowing what this really meant from my preschooler, I called Daddy reinforcements to have a discussion with her about respect. When Allison gets in trouble she is devastated which makes me wonder why she makes the choices in the first place. She takes some consoling to calm down and is very sensitive about letting anyone down. She is a very sweet girl with a gentle soul. She came to me bearing a note she had written and a picture:
Hugs and kisses made the tears go away and she learned a little lesson about respecting her parents, hopefully.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunsets
This past weekend my family and I all gathered in Panama City to celebrate the life of Henry Lawrence. Better known to me as "Uncle Hank". I spent a good portion of my childhood in Panama City and Uncle Hank and his family were a constant presence in my life while we lived there. We spent weekends on Shell Island where the sand is white as sugar and floated in the Gulf. We would gather at Uncle Hank and Aunt Huck's house each weekend for shrimp, applesauce, and other concoctions. There seems to be as many pictures of us taken in their home as there are in our own.
Uncle Hank was Grandmommy's youngest brother. They were a tight knit group of siblings who placed great importance on knowing and loving your cousins. My mom counts her cousins as some of her best friends. I find this a treasured gift that continues to be passed down through the generations.
As the family gathered this weekend we stood around and told stories about Uncle Hank. We looked at pictures, we laughed and we celebrated family just as Uncle Hank would have wanted us to do. I stood back and noticed how my mother, my siblings and I slipped back into the gentle rhythm of Panama City life. I realized, not for the first time, that Panama City is my hometown. It is familiar, friendly and the memories there are pleasant and are the definition of childhood.
The homily was given by Uncle Hank's son, Rev. Bob Lawrence. Through the years he had gathered letters from his dad, lists, notes, some poignant and some mundane. He had kept a letter, one in which Uncle Hank had listed all things that he was thankful for. As he read only a portion, there was not a dry eye in the house. I realize that it is so important to focus on what we are truly thankful for, and not those things that we want or need. In several letters it was written that Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday because it was a time for family and for being thankful and there were no distractions to these goals. It was about eating good and enjoying each other. We had our own Thanksgiving this weekend. As his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews gathered we ate well, enjoyed our time together and gave thanks that our lives had been touched by such a great man.
Uncle Hank was Grandmommy's youngest brother. They were a tight knit group of siblings who placed great importance on knowing and loving your cousins. My mom counts her cousins as some of her best friends. I find this a treasured gift that continues to be passed down through the generations.
As the family gathered this weekend we stood around and told stories about Uncle Hank. We looked at pictures, we laughed and we celebrated family just as Uncle Hank would have wanted us to do. I stood back and noticed how my mother, my siblings and I slipped back into the gentle rhythm of Panama City life. I realized, not for the first time, that Panama City is my hometown. It is familiar, friendly and the memories there are pleasant and are the definition of childhood.
The homily was given by Uncle Hank's son, Rev. Bob Lawrence. Through the years he had gathered letters from his dad, lists, notes, some poignant and some mundane. He had kept a letter, one in which Uncle Hank had listed all things that he was thankful for. As he read only a portion, there was not a dry eye in the house. I realize that it is so important to focus on what we are truly thankful for, and not those things that we want or need. In several letters it was written that Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday because it was a time for family and for being thankful and there were no distractions to these goals. It was about eating good and enjoying each other. We had our own Thanksgiving this weekend. As his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews gathered we ate well, enjoyed our time together and gave thanks that our lives had been touched by such a great man.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)