Friday's Letters - An Unexpected Break

Some photos we took on our long weekend away. 

Dear Pre-school - I'm very thankful you are keeping the kids an extra four hours today so they can attend the Tropical Party. Mommy gets an unexpected afternoon off and the kids get a party - win/win!

Dear Mom - I am so excited that your plane tickets are bought! It's going to be so great to have you here to help with the kids. It will be the first time you've seen me massively pregnant in person. So glad you get to be here to experience a birth with me.

Dear Twins - I am loving how active you are and how much I can feel it. Nothing "alien-esque" yet - but I'm sure that will come pretty soon. I can tell which one is kicking and one of you is definitely more active at this point (but you also have a little more room in there - according to the ultrasound). Now we are onto the hard part of choosing names. Two names is hard! But I guess I could choose one and your daddy the other - that's fair right?

Dear Hubby - Thanks for helping so much with the kids naptime and bedtime this week. Most especially for convincing Lucas that he's not really "too old for sleeping (napping)". That way Momma got some much needed rest in the afternoons. I'm also looking forward to our lunch date today.

Falling asleep on Daddy's shoulder. 

Happy Friday! 

Friday's Letters - I should have known

My hubby likes to down-play things and then surprise me later. For instance, just before we became engaged, he spent several days trying to convince me that the whole idea of engagement rings was out-dated and ridiculous - why did I need a shiny, diamond filled symbol of our love and commitment? Of course, he'd already bought a ring months before that my mom (who he hadn't even met in person yet) had already seen, thanks to MSN messenger and a web link. While I wasn't entirely sure if he was joking or serious about the ring thing, it did make our engagement "event" a lot more special.

So over the last few years, I've learned that I don't have to "remind" David of any big events or give subtle (or not so subtle) hints for upcoming occasions. I'd rather keep my expectations low and be surprised by his thoughtfulness. He doesn't disappoint. :) 

 I guess it also helps that I'm not too high maintenance? Ask David if he agrees with that statement. 

After writing yesterday about how we usually keep V-day pretty low-key, David arrived home with roses, chocolate and other goodies. One was a Subway sandwich, which is one of our favorite quick lunches (not available everywhere in Brazil). The other was a set of "Mommy" stuff - an anti-stretch line cream, a soothing gel for legs and feet (even more reason for a good foot rub!) and a sweet smelling perfume. Along with a sweet card of course. Can you guess what ILYMIW means?

So today I'm dedicating my "Friday's Letters" to my one and only Valentine, David - 

Honey, this year we will celebrate 8 years of marriage, and a decade of knowing each other. We've lived on three continents, experiencing the different cultures and countries where we each grew up. You are a faithful and constant partner, a loving husband and a wonderful father. 

There are too many things to thank you for, but I will mention a few - I love the way you can't resist the kids' requests for snuggles at any time of the day or night. You love to lavish them with toys and remember all their odd requests. I love to hear you explaining to Lucas about God, His word and making Jesus a real presence in our home. 

Thank you for making so many phone calls for me that I'd rather not make. Thank you for encouraging my various creative pursuits and reading my blog. Thank you for being a voice of reason and logic when it sometimes defies me or I'm tempted to rush into something. Thank you for surprising me. 

I look forward to many, many more years of surprises.

ILYMIW!

Taara

An Open Letter

via

To Whom it may Concern:
Do I really have to clean the house today? You know in five minutes it will be just as messy, if not messier than before.

Why is it so expensive to fly these days? I'd really just love to hop on a plane and visit my parents for a while. Never mind how tricky it would be to fly with my two toddlers across two continents...

Speaking of toddlers, why do mine get up so early? I mean, come on, anytime before 6:00am just isn't cutting it for this mom. What can I do? They go to bed at 8:00 - 8:30...

The best gift I could get right now would be an hour to myself with a grand piano and all my sheet music. Pure. Bliss. (Or 4 plane tickets to Canada, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here...)

On a more realistic note, the phone call from the furniture store this morning totally made my day. Our new sofa is being delivered next week! One tiny little love-seat just can't fit our family any more.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Friday's Letters

Rare moment of peace. 

Dear hubby - so glad you are coming home today! It means I get saturday off, right? (and breakfast in bed? - ok, maybe that's asking too much) Dear crazy neck/back pain - you are a wonderful excuse for me to not clean the house, but the bathrooms will soon reach critical mess... Dear rice-pack - you are a wonderful aid in healing this back/neck pain. Dear kiddos - our trip yesterday to the mall was more like a nightmare, next time we are using straps to keep you at arms length! Thankfully the play place kept you occupied for a while. Dear Levi - dearest nephew, we are praying for your safe arrival into the outside world. Come quickly and safely. Your mom is a trooper for making it through almost 37 hours of labor already! Dear doctor - I am so thankful to have found you! You made a great first impression on me by taking one quick glance at the kids entry forms and calculating their age to the year, month and day. Plus, I am super happy that you speak English!

Happy Friday everyone!

Friday's Letters

Dear weather - What's up? I thought it was supposed to be spring here?!? It's too cold for our non-heated homes. Dear mystery cough - You are tormenting my little boy, not assuaged by nasal spray, honey, cough syrup, humidifier or inhaler. Please. Just. Go. Away. Dear mind - why do you always think of great posts right when I'm about to sleep, and don't have the energy to write it down? Dear Twitter - I'm the newest to join your ranks and not sure exactly what to do now. #clueless (did I do that right?) Dear hubby - I'm really not looking forward to having you gone all next week. Dear Readers - I am so sorry I had word verification on - I thought I removed that a while ago. Now you can comment freely!

Friday's Flowers

Dear Bright Yellow Flowers - you are so bright and cheerful on this grey and slightly chilly day. I love how you are an instant pick-up to the living room. I hope you last all week until I can pick up some more flowers at the weekly market. Dear Market Lady - I find it really random that I have never talked to you, nor bought anything from your stall and yet you still recognize the crazy blond-haired foreigner and ask where my little kids are. Dear Bubba - I know that whenever I find you hiding in a corner, it's because you are up to something, so it was no surprise when I found a half-drunk bottle of orange juice hiding under the table when I started cleaning up this morning. At least it was freshly squeezed and so good for you.  Dear House - could you please stay clean for more than five minutes after the kids get home from school? Dear Weekend - I am looking forward to a relaxing Saturday with the kids and no commitments. Me thinks we'll watch a movie and cook up some good chicken noodle soup and biscuits.