Motherhood Illustrated

We are blessed with books - LOTS of children's books fill our home.  The shelves are full in both the girls' rooms, they are scattered about the living room, the back seat of my car, and in nearly every room.  We are very lucky to be able to provide our kids with so much literacy from the moment they were born.  And they are blossoming because of it.

But after several years of reading the same books over and over and over, I find myself not always paying attention.  My mind wanders off as I read aloud the same stories that the girls have been requesting for a long time.  I do enjoy having a child on my lap and sharing a good book, don't get me wrong.  And I plan to keep on reading to them long after they can read (Morgan can quite well already) and put themselves to bed.  But every once in a while, I come across a page that catches my eye and makes me chuckle because the author and/or illustrator seems to capture exactly how I feel!  And I realize that I am not alone in this parenthood thing and someone else gets it!

So here are some of my favorite illustrations from children's books we have around the house and some of the moments that only a mother is lucky enough to experience.

I might as well climb in there with them - I'm going to get wet!

Mama Berenstain Bear and I are kindred spirits!

Jamie Lee Curtis' books for kids are awesome, but her illustrator, Laura Cornell is even more amazing.  I love how they capture all the highs and lows and goofiness of childhood.  

Yep.  And did you also know Hands Are Not For Hitting and Feet Are Not For Kicking?

Oh Prudence!  And Prudence's mother!  You make it look so easy!

I also adore Olivia books.  Here is just one more reason why.  

It's amazing (and troubling?!) how often this phrase comes out of my mouth!

But it's also amazing that I get to tuck my kids in every night with beautiful stories...

.... and of course be there when they need me.  

SWEET DREAMS

And so I don't get in trouble, here are the books that these wonderful illustrations came from:

What Do People Do All Day?  by Richard Scarry
The Berenstain Bears Sick Days, by Jan and Mike Berenstain
My Brave Year of Firsts, by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
Pacifiers Are Not Forever, by Elizabeth Verdick and Maricka Heinlen
Once Upon a Potty, by Alona Frankel
Olivia Forms a Band, by Ian Falconer
No Biting! by Karen Katz
I'll See You in the Morning, by Mike Jolley and Mique Moriuchi
Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

Oh, June

June is here and I'm feeling pretty good.  I have been dreading this month for a while now, but it's very hard to explain why.

I guess I'll start with why I am loving this month right now.  For reasons known only to the universe, I am very happy.  And I love watching my girls grow!  Sasha is on the potty train and leaving the station!  After an attempt a few months ago, my mother wisdom the second time around (and a wise preschool teacher) told me to just let her do it on her own.  And she really is.  She has a ways to go yet, but Sasha is on her way to big girl land.  And I am surprisingly OK with that.  She is hilarious and defiant and adorable, as only a two and a half year old can be.  But she still snuggles in bed with me in the mornings quite happily, so I know she is still my baby girl for a bit longer.

Sasha's first polish - matching toes!

"Sasha's Potty Chart" (thanks, Morgan!)

The girl loves to dance any chance she gets

Morgan's new school for next year!

Morgan's last day of preschool is tomorrow and I can already feel my emotions stirring!  She has spent three wonderful years at her Spanish immersion preschool.  And while I won't be missing the commute to North Portland, I will miss her fabulous director and the amazing environment the school provided Morgan with.  I wonder what will happen to her strong Spanish skills, but I am determined to keep them up as much as I can (and as much as she is willing) here at home.  And I am determined to make her last summer before elementary school a really special one.  I can't believe she is almost in kindergarten!

Someone is growing up!

In three weeks from tomorrow, I will be trying to do something I never thought I would:  run a half marathon.  I still can't believe that I just ran 10 miles last Saturday.  I remember when 4 miles was a huge deal!  And through running, I have made a new friend!   I never thought I could actually run and talk at the same time (without passing out), but being able to chat on our nearly 2 hour training runs has made the miles go SO much faster.  I was thinking about my new friend yesterday, and I honestly think this is the first friend I have made outside of preschool, my neighborhood, or a kids' activity.  We get along so well because we have lots in common.  She has two boys the same ages as my girls, she works in a school, and is my age almost exactly.  But above all, I love the fact that we met because of our own interests, not because of something that our kids were doing.  It sounds weird, but when you have young kids, this is a BIG deal!

Headphones & shoes: Sasha is ready for a run

And next June, a year from now, the four of us will hopefully be in London while Sam teaches UP students there.  It will be an adventure for sure, but one that I am so excited to share with our kids.  We are hopefully going to travel after, possibly to France, if we have any money left after being in London for a few weeks!

But here it is June 12th, and in an alternate, bizarre universe, I would be having a baby in June.  But I'm not.  I had a miscarriage last November that rocked my world, and still does sometimes.  Even though it was a pregnancy that was not meant to be, I still remember that June 8 was my due date.  For months, I have been wondering how it would feel when the day finally came, and here it is.  I made it.  I didn't die of a broken heart.  And in fact, my heart feels pretty content and full and light, something I definitely couldn't say several months ago.

So all of that wonderful, good stuff above outshines all the rough stuff of the past few months.  I know the training for my half marathon has helped incredibly to pull me through the grief and heal my wounded spirit.  It reminds me again how thankful I am for my beautiful children, my supportive and loving husband, a strong, healthy body, and a future that still looks amazingly bright.

All Aboard the Potty Train!

About three weeks ago, Morgan and I hopped on the Potty Express in hopes of a smooth journey to Diaper-Free-Big-Girl Land. It's been an interesting ride so far, and since it has consumed my waking hours lately, I can't help but tell everyone about it. I never would have thought I would have so much to say (and even sing) about pee and poop, but that appears to be yet another perk of being a mom.

What I didn't anticipate is the roller coaster ride that it would be for me. Morgan seems to be taking it in stride, but somehow my emotional barometer is tied to whether or not something appears in the potty. This probably has to do with the fact that we have been in a pretty steady parenthood groove for a while. Having a toddler, instead of rapidly changing infant, has given us a sense of confidence, knowing how to handle most things that come our way. But potty training was something I secretly wished Morgan would just teach herself. For several months we'd been talking and playing potty time - with her pretending to go, making her doll go pee, watching Mommy use the bathroom, and all the other publicly inappropriate bathroom-related activities you can think of. Even though I know it's something that all parents do at some point....and everyone I know over the age of 4 or 5 seems to have this mastered, it still made me second-guess my parenting skills.

I'd read books that had ways to tell if your child was ready for potty training. I bought "supplies" to get ready (big girl undies, stickers, potty books, reward charts, pull ups, special wipes, etc. etc.), but none of that magically taught Morgan how to do it, or made me feel any more ready to take this on. And I didn't want to be one of those pushy parents that forced their kid to do something before they were ready. After all, she's the one in charge here - I really don't have much control over what she's doing (a lesson I'm sure I will be reminded of over and over over the next couple decades).

Then, as if there was a sign from the potty gods, we had the first annual "Naked Poncho Day." I could also have called it "No, Mom, I'm going to be naked and not get dressed and not go to play group where you have a chance to talk to adults and you will be my hostage here at home and yes I will wear only my green poncho Day!" but I didn't. Instead, I turned a moment of toddler spontaneity/insubordination into the kick-off day for potty training my daughter!

Fortunately for me, Morgan caught on pretty quickly once the diapers were off. We are slathering on the praise and cheers and hugs for all her success (as you can tell in the video below). In the beginning, every time Morgan made a "deposit" she got to call and tell someone - like Daddy or Grandma Dinda. She liked leaving detailed messages to like, "Hi, I went pee pee... in the potty. Bye." Once, we called Sam who was in the dining hall at the university and he had to discretely tell Morgan he was proud of her without the students around him catching on. Another time, we called Grandma Dinda and Aunt Amy and cousin Amanda happened to be at her house. Morgan received a round of applause and cheers from them over the phone - it was like a celebrity endorsement.

So while we are definitely not at the final destination on this journey, we have crossed some bumpy terrain and are well on the way to Diaper-Free-Big-Girl Land. And while I am not very proud of how much I have talked about the potty in the last few weeks to anyone who would listen, I am very proud of Morgan...and yes, a little proud of myself too.

[PS: I dedicate this blog post to my mom, who made sure I mastered this potty thing long ago. Thanks, Mom!]

Avery's Sleep-over

My neice, Avery, had a sleep-over at our place last night and no school today, so she is hanging out with me. Morgan had her preschool, so Avery and I got some girl time to ourselves. Since Avery is a loyal "Holloway Happenings" follower and is always asking if the photo or video I just took will be on my blog she is contributing today. So here are some photos from today and a brief narrative by Avery herself!


Hi, I'm Avery and I am in first grade. My best friends are Gretchen and Cambria. My favorite project we did in first grade was fudgecicles in math. Today I was with my aunt and uncle and cousin. We got to go to Starbucks coffee and go see Uncle Sam in his office. Then we got to go pick up Morgan in her preschool. I was in the hospital on Thursday night for bumping my chin. I almost needed stitches, but I just had to get glue and chinstraps and some medicine on my chin. It happened when I was at my day care. That's why I have a band-aid on my chin.
Here is my bunny, Nike, and dog, Oliver. They are drinking coffee and looking at the newspaper with Aunt Robin.
I did some art today. And I made a handprint and it was painted blue, with a green outside. It had polka dots. The border was purple and red and made out of wood.
We were dancing to some music called "Under the Sea" and Morgan was sitting on the potty.