Date Night City

The babysitter's lined up, and Todd and I are headed into the city tomorrow night to see one of our favorite bands in the whole world perform at a cozy little venue called The Pageant.

And who might that band be, you may be asking?

BIG HEAD TODD AND THE MONSTERS!

Oh.

Yeah.


Todd, dearest of husbands, this one's for you...

Snow Day!

Yippee!! It finally snowed!

We woke up this morning to bright sun and drifts of the most glorious, sparkling, perfect-powdery snow ever!

I was planning on taking the girls outside to test it out later after lunch, but by mid-morning we started hearing the neighbor boys doing sled runs down the hill between our houses, and Iris couldn't take the anticipation anymore. So we all bundled up and headed outdoors a little early to join in the fun!

One of the best parts about having a walk-out basement is that it really does make the sides of our house awesome for sledding! Lydia was a tiny trooper in her little sled whizzing down the slope. Iris was a bit more cautious. Our neighbor boy was so sweet, though, offering to share his sled with her so that she wouldn't have to go down by herself. She declined, preferring to just watch the action and make snow cakes and angels instead.

And here's a clip of Iris making one of her snow angels.

We LOVE snow days!

Once

This weekend we watched this gem of a movie. Seriously lovely.

We were smitten from start to finish, I must say. It was that good. And the soundtrack is absolutely, amazingly phenomenal.

Here's a sample:



Beautiful. Moving. Incredible.

We recommend renting it immediately.

Project 2 Pillars

As most of you know, Todd and I will be moving back to Nebraska around this time next year to begin a church plant in downtown Lincoln.

In light of that, I just wanted to let you know that Todd launched his Project 2 Pillars blog today, and you can check it out here. The main purpose of the blog will be to not only give more detailed information regarding the mission, vision, and values of 2 Pillars Church, but we'll be using it to sort of chronicle our journey through this process as well.

Go take a look!

And Speaking of Masterpieces..

I let Lydia try finger painting for the first time today.

I'm telling you, the mid-winter doldrums are getting so bad around here that my usual OCD tendencies are flying the coop. I'm finding myself more and more willing to risk some mess in order to break the monotony. And the girls have been very appreciative; although, I think they may be a little confused and awed by this new, carefree, it's-no-big deal version of their mommy. But I'm trying, however, and that's what's important, right?

So. Lydia.

Lydia, after a few exploratory smears of paint across her paper just to see what all the fuss was about, decided instead that the paint worked much better as a funky type of hair gel or perhaps as a lovely new sort of lip gloss.

Enough said.


And I only cringed a little.

Iris Creates A Masterpiece

Yesterday afternoon I handed Iris a paint brush and a can of red wall paint and let her go to town on an old artist's canvas we aren't using at the moment.

Our bedroom happens to be in desperate need of some wall art, and I thought, why not let Iris do the honors? We are all going a smidge crazy being cooped up in this house what with the coldness outside and the colds inside. This little project livened up an otherwise boringly routine January day.

She loved every minute of doing it! I wish I had taken some video of her actually painting. It was priceless. You could definitely tell that she has watched me paint a time or two. Her mannerisms and some of her techniques looked very familiar - she knew exactly what to do!

Here is the finished result:

When I asked her what she was going to title this creative bit of work, she promptly replied, "Little Red Riding Hood."

Aptly named, don't you think?

Bittersweet

Today I enrolled Iris in the Pre-K program for the coming Fall.

I have to admit that I felt a little teary afterward in the car as we were driving home. Ridiculous, I know, considering that there are still eight months before she actually has to go, and it's only going to be two days a week for a few hours. Not a huge deal, right?

Oh, it's what it means, though. It means we are now standing on the threshold of a whole new world. A world that will begin to take her farther and farther out of my realm of complete influence - all right and good, and she is ready, but it still crushes me a little to think that very soon I will no longer get to be intimately involved in every single detail of every single one of her days.

It's such a milestone moment. Yet I'm left wondering if I'm ready...ready to send my little girl off to school. How is it possible that she's grown up so fast?

Because it seems like yesterday, literally just yesterday, that she was this:

Our baby.

Our Very Own Music Monday

It's time once again to share with you some music from one of the bands we currently can't get enough of at the Bumgarner house. If these guys were the soundtrack of our summer, I would say The Avett Brothers are definitely the soundtrack of our lives right now. They are in turns mellow and upbeat and have a folksy, bluegrassy sound we all love - the girls included.


"For Today"


"Bella Donna"

I'll end with a song that's not from The Avett Brothers, but it's a family favorite nonetheless. This is one of Iris' absolute all-time best loved songs. And when I say loved, I mean LOVED! I think the number of times I've heard this song numbers into infinity! In fact, the first time we ever heard her say the word "again" when she was tiny was when she shouted it from the backseat on the way to church after listening to it. Our girl seems to have banjo in her blood. Hmmm...I wonder where she gets that from? (I'm looking at you, Dad!)

David Crowder Band "I Saw the Light"

Vomit Vomit Everywhere

So Lydia had her first experience with vomiting last night.

Unfortunately, it started at our babysitter's house. And nothing makes a babysitter want to say, "Hey! I would totally love to babysit for you again. We had an awesome time! Call soon, OK?" than a nice pile of vomit on her carpet, I'm sure.

She struggled until about midnight, vomiting every 30 or 40 minutes or so, and then she was OK for the rest of the night. Today she seems to be completely fine, so I don't know if her supper didn't agree with her or if it was a random bug or what.

I'm just relieved that whatever it was doesn't appear to be sticking around. Ew! Is there a more disgusting chore than cleaning up vomit?

Because Scaling the Stairs Just Wasn't Enough...

Lydia has figured out how to climb on top of our ottomans.

We, being faithful bloggers, of course coerced her (and she was more than happy to comply, I must say) to recreate her daredevil accomplishment in order to capture some video footage:

Don't you love how proud she is of herself?

Last night Todd and I were lingering at the supper table chatting and catching up on our respective days. We both happen to glance into the living room to check on the girls, only to see Lydia standing on the handle bars of her ride-on toy trying to use them as leverage to propel her up into the chair!

She is absolutely fearless, and although we are, I will admit, proud of her tenacious spirit, I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of keeping her safe! She is into everything and willing to do anything. Especially if she sees her adored big sister doing it. She considers the fact that she's barely one a mere minor detail.

This always having to think ahead and be aware of where she is at all times is a completely new experience for me. Iris never got into anything as a baby. You could leave her alone in a room for hours and she would just play happily and contentedly with her toys. I never had to worry about her messing with stuff or experimenting with the furniture in ways that might result in a trip to the ER.

Lydia, sweet Lydia, on the other hand, is going to force us to hone parenting skills we don't even know we have yet.

I hope we're up for the challenge...

A Trip to the History Museum

This morning we took the girls to visit the History Museum in Forest Park, something we've been wanting to do for awhile but haven't gotten around to. Todd and I haven't been there since the first year we lived here - shameful!

It was well worth the trip. We all had so much fun! But I will say this: we didn't realize that we weren't supposed to be taking pictures in the exhibit rooms until the very end - after we'd taken all our pictures! Ooops!

This is the statue of Thomas Jefferson that greeted us as we walked into the lobby. Pretty impressive!

The "Spirit of St. Louis" - the plane Charles Lindbergh used in his solo flight across the Atlantic.

Iris tried out some of her best moves on a huge floor map of the World's Fair.

We girls got up close and personal with a mini replica of the Ferris Wheel from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Lydia liked testing out the teeter-totter while enjoying her snack.

These chairs were Iris' favorite thing. She couldn't get enough of them! She is a true Cardinal at heart.

We finished up our morning with lunch at Meriwether's, the museum's restaurant:

The hostess handed out sticker packets to the girls to pass the time before our food arrived. Daddy and Iris had a great time getting creative.

Lydia wasted no time trying out the complimentary crackers.

The incredible view of the Park from the restaurant windows!

Both my parents, especially my dad, are passionate history buffs. I always remember our trips to museums or to visit landmarks and national historic sites as magical because it seems we got to live, and breathe, and experience what we were seeing just through their sheer enthusiasm and incredible knowledge of the past. When I was little, my hero was Laura Ingalls Wilder. How I desperately wanted to be her, running carefree over the prairies. I absolutely think that one of the greatest legacies I've received from my parents has been a deep and abiding love for history.

I want to give the same to my own girls.

Crash..or the Girl Formerly Known as Lydia

We experienced some high drama at our house last night.

It was about 5:00 pm, and I had just gone upstairs to try to figure out what to feed the girls' for supper and pack the diaper bag. Todd was due home from work any minute, and we had about fifteen minutes before we needed to leave to drop off the girls at my dear friend Sarah's house so that Todd and I could make our appointment that evening.

All of a sudden I hear a thud! boom! boom!

Of course, instantly my heart skipped a beat, my body flooded with dread, and I rushed over to the stairs where Lydia was on her hands and knees at the bottom, her blanket twisted around her legs, crying at the top of her voice with shock and fright.

I jumped down the steps at record speed, and as I gathered her into my arms, I noticed that her lip was bloody. All the way up the stairs to the bathroom I was thinking, Oh Lydia, please let it just be that you bit your lip and not that you knocked out a tooth, or worse, you poor, poor baby.. and selfishly, I'll admit it, way, way in the back of my mind I was thinking, Please let it be that you just bit your lip because we really, really need to make this appointment tonight..I know, again, selfish. But there you are. This could not have happened at a more inconvenient moment.

So, once upstairs in the bathroom, I laid her on the floor and tried to get a closer look in her mouth to see where the source of the blood was. Not fun. Lydia, as you can imagine, wasn't a real big fan of me probing around in there, which didn't make it very easy to get a good look. But I persevered, and the minute I lifted up her top lip, it was all very clear what the issue was.

It appeared she had torn her frenulum. You know, that little weird, seemingly useless flap of skin attached to inside of the lip and gum. Blood. All over in there. *shiver* My poor, poor girl!

A bit of panic set in. My brain froze. What to do? Where to go? Pediatrician? ER? Urgent Care? Do they even do stitches for that? With shaking hands I dialed our pediatrician's number while shouting at Iris to get her shoes and coat on. Lydia, once I had stopped messing with her mouth, was over it and just rested calmly in my arms looking at me curiously while I rushed around like a maniac.

Because my ped's office couldn't get us in before 6:45 pm that night (who knew they were open late on Mondays?), they recommended the ER. This was a bad, bad choice as there is nothing quick about our local emergency room. By the time we got there and got checked in, Lydia's mouth was not even bleeding anymore, and she was happy as a lark. I, meanwhile, was freaking out a little about all the sick people whose germs were swirling about in the air potentially infecting my girls and feeling more and more like we shouldn't even be there. We waited an ENTIRE hour (the supper hour too, mind you) in the waiting room before deciding to maybe try for that 6:45 pm appointment at the pediatrician's. The chances that they would actually do stitches was nil according to the nurse who checked us in, and so why wait for an eternity to see an ER doctor who would essentially tell us this, when we could receive the same information from our own dear doctor (conveniently located right around the corner) about a billion times faster?

To make a long story short, that is exactly where we headed, and Lydia did indeed sever part of her frenulum. This heals perfectly fine on it's own in a matter of days, apparently, and is no cause for any alarm. It's actually quite a common occurance in children who have fallen, according to our doctor, because of where and how they grab with their hands while falling, or something like that. I wasn't paying complete attention to what he was saying because I was just so glad it was no big deal. Whew! It never hurts to be sure though, right?

She's a super brave girl, our little "Crash". And not easily deterred by something as minuscule and unimportant as a torn frenulum. The minute (she didn't even wait to take off her coat!) we walked in the door she made a beeline straight for the stairs!

I think she's going to be a thrill-seeker, this one.

Overheard

Iris: Mama! Get Lydia away from here before she spoils my appetite!

The word "appetite" as defined by Webster's Dictionary:

1: any of the instinctive desires necessary to keep up organic life; especially: the desire to eat

The word "appetite" as defined by Iris:
1: a snugly bed on the floor with all her blankets and stuffed animals

Silly girl. I think she may have her definitions a bit confused...

Jacket Envy

Lydia: "I've been noticing your jacket ever since you walked in the door. Do you mind if I touch it?"

Cousin K: "Um...mommy...someone...can I get a little help over here?"

Lydia: "Say...this feels really nice! It's so soft and cozy. Where'd you get it?"

Cousin K: "Thanks. Yeah, it IS soft and cozy. I don't really remember where I got it, but I know I like it!"

Lydia: "Mom! I definitely think I need one of these jackets! Can we get one?"

Iris: Holiday Fashion 2008

Over the course of the last few days while back in Nebraska spending time with family and celebrating Christmas, Iris had many lovely opportunities to try out several new ensembles.

Here's a small sampling of some of her favorite looks:

"The Dancer"

"The Artist"

"The Ski Bunny"

"The Bride"

Aren't they great? One of the things I'm loving most about Iris right now is her wildly creative and rather diverse sense of style. It's so very awesome!

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

We bought this interactive nativity scene long, long ago for Iris' first Christmas. Todd and I thought it would be the perfect way to give her (and any future children we might have) the opportunity to actively participate in the story of Jesus' birth. Of course, back then at the ripe old age of seven months, Iris wasn't that in to it. This year, however, at the very grown up age of three and a half, she's been super excited about doing the calendar.

It really is pretty cool (although a bit primitive looking, I know). The story is broken down into twenty-five parts, one for each of the days leading up to Christmas starting December 1st, and there is a little piece of the nativity scene to put up on a burlap "calendar" that corresponds with each day/portion that is read. Iris does a great job helping daddy "tell" the story.

Lydia has been excited to get in on the action too. The minute we pull out the stuff, she starts dancing with joy...although, I think she's probably mostly just dancing with joy because she can't wait to chew on the baby Jesus. I can't tell you how many times we've discovered Him missing when we're picking up at the end only to discover Lydia trying to eat Him!

We have a lot of fun together as a family, and the girls really do love doing it. I have to say that it's probably one of our most favorite traditions of the season.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Climb Every Mountain

Another momentous event has occurred at the Bumgarner house. Lydia, much to our great surprise, has figured out how to climb up and down the stairs all by herself! And while we are so very, very proud of our brave girlie, we must admit that this amazing feat she's managed to accomplish does make our hearts quake a little with apprehension. She is just so small...and it's a long way down...and...yikes!

Here's some video of her going up the stairs:

And going down the stairs:

You know, I actually felt a little sad as I was putting the baby gate away tonight. It's such a milestone, and it means she's moved yet another step further ahead on the road to independence. A step further away from needing me so much which is something I never thought I'd miss. *Sigh* Our baby is growing up way too fast!

Recycling At Its Most....Interesting

Just when we thought we had discovered all the possible uses for those plastic shopping bags we always have lying around...

Iris goes and takes it to the next level:

Here's our creative lady modeling her new line of swimwear.

Hey, you know, she's down with saving the environment!

Jammies Are The New Blankie

At our house, we store the girls' jammies in the cupboard underneath the bathroom sink. Lydia, the most brilliant of tiny tots, has caught on to this. Without fail, every single day, no sooner do I put the jammies away and begin going about my business, do I hear the cupboard door slam open and lo and behold, Lydia triumphantly appears in the living room, arms laden with blanket sleepers.

I'm sure her fascination with her jammies..and pants..and shirts..and jackets..is mostly rooted in the fact that she is a tactile girl and loves anything soft, but we get such a kick out of our silly weirdo who would prefer to drag around clothes as opposed to anything else.

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!