When opportunity knocks

Four years ago, I was given an opportunity to come work at my current job.  I had thought I had left this particular line of work behind because I can't say that validation has ever been a passion of mine.

At the time, I thought I would go back to school and get my masters in counseling.  I accepted the job thinking it would only be temporary.  Over the next months, I attended a few college information sessions.  No school was quite right, and I didn't feel peaceful about it.

Four years later, here I still am at this "temporary" job. 

Yesterday, I was complaining about my job to my best friend.  She asked me why I don't find another.  I started sharing the main reasons, and I was immediately struck with how ungrateful I was behaving.

Later in the evening, I started thinking about how many things have happened that could have gone so badly if I was at another company.

When I accepted this job, I didn't know that in just a few months, I would need a company that would unquestioningly give me several weeks off for a miscarriage.

I didn't know that I would want a very flexible schedule someday when I became a mom and that this job would offer that.

I couldn't have known that this job would give me a boss who understands when I have to stay home with sick children, call into meetings because I just can't make it into work that early, or leave early to get home for dinner.

I didn't realize how helpful it would be to work with my husband when our daughter only wanted me at night but I had so much work to do.  He would just open up my laptop and start doing it for me.

I never knew that I would need a boss who would respond so positively to an email sent from the hospital telling her we were adopting a baby, and I wouldn't be in to work... for a while.

Despite the fact that I had never asked for nor wanted this opportunity, God knew exactly what my family would need in the years to come.  Looking back, I see how this opportunity has shaped my life and provided for us in times of difficulties.

Sometimes, the best opportunities in life are those we never even thought we wanted.

In a scurry to plan a birthday

For Paityn's first birthday, we went to Disneyland.

For her second, we spent the day at the San Francisco Zoo and took her to Disneyland in September (not nearly as hot).

This year, she's finally old enough to enjoy the work that I would put into a birthday party, so for her third birthday, Paityn is channeling Minnie and going pink and polka-dotted.

It's hard to believe, but August is just around the corner.  I'm trying to get a lot of planning done now so I can work through everything and not have to try to cram it all in during the last week.

Pinterest has been my organizational hero for my planning.  Here are some of the ideas I have been pinning to my birthday board:

I'm loving these cookies and it would save me some baking.

This dress is adorable, and I could get a matching one for Livie.  But there are so many cute Minnie dresses on Etsy that I can't decide.  The nice thing is that we are going to Disneyland in September and Disneyworld in January (for Livie's first birthday!) so these will get lots of use.  (And I can't forget Halloween.)

This Minnie birthday was decorated beautifully and offers some wonderful inspiration.

I love these Mousketool favor boxes.  Too cute.

I'm going to make Dan drink a ton of Starbucks drinks so that I can use these for glasses simply because they are adorable.  He likes Starbucks, so I promise, it's not torture.

I'm going the cupcake route instead of a cake.  Paityn just eats the icing, anyway.  These look easy for me to decorate.  Now I just have to find a recipe.

I think I've decided on these as the invitations, but I'm also liking these.

I've also booked a sorta-Minnie Mouse character to come for an hour, so I don't even have to worry about entertaining!  Paityn loves characters, so even though this isn't exactly identical to the Disney Minnie, I'm sure she will still love her.

This will be my first kid party, but I am keeping it pretty small, so I should be able to pull it off.

Fingers crossed.

Wordful Wednesday - A Happy Hollow Day!

 
It's been a crazy week! (Deja vu... didn't I already say that last week?)  Work has been busy and both of the girls are fighting colds.  It's such a mommy thing, but I always want to take their sickness for them instead of watching them suffer.

Thankfully, both have remained cheery despite noses that have been dripping more goo than I thought was possible to contain in such small bodies.

Too much information?

Moving on, then.

This past weekend, we took advantage of the gorgeous day and went to a local kid's spot, Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.

I of course brought the camera only to realize when I went to take the first picture that the batteries were dead.

Brilliant.

And so me.

My trusty iPhone had to suffice, but I was rather disgruntled. 

There's a fork in the road as soon as you enter where you are forced to make a Sophie's choice between park or zoo.  Paityn being Paityn, she picked the park.  While she loves animals, she loves rides even more.  (Hence why we always vacation at Disneyland or Disneyworld.)

But first, she had to stop and spend some time playing in a rain ditch.

Livie has discovered the joy of toes and spends a great deal of time eying her own and contemplating how to get them close enough to her mouth to nibble.

I don't blame her.  Baby toes are nibble-iscious.

Then, it was off to the carousel.  They have an adorable one with tons of unexpected animals.  Paityn chose a black and white ruffled lemur, who was flanked by an okapi on one side and an emu on the other.

The eagle always makes me think of my friend Brandon.  Which then always makes me a wee bit homesick.

Livie soon had me cheered up, though.

One thing I love about my husband is his total lack of self-consciousness when playing with kids, especially his own.  It makes him the "fun Papa."

At one point, he was laying on flat out on this sphere with his butt in the air while Paityn pushed on it.  Completely hilarious, but I'll spare you the picture. 

Paityn was excited to discover she was tall enough for all the rides, and she immediately wanted to ride the roller coaster.  Remembering my own childhood trauma with the kiddie coaster at Marineland, I vetoed that request and suggested the cars.

Then Dan somehow talked me into letting her go on the Froggy Hop ride.   It went up pretty high, then dropped a few feet, bounded back up, dropped some more, and so on.  I was terrified and full of trepidation.

Paityn was not.

She laughed the entire time then proceeded to ride it three more times in a row.

Dan giggled quite a bit, too.

Paityn wanted to get her face painted like a tiger, then changed her mind at the last second and said she didn't.  I asked her if she wanted it on her arm and she agreed to that.

I don't know if you can quite tell, but Livie's onesie has "Little Sister" and Paityn's shirt has "Big Sister."

Olivia loved watching everything.  She is so incredibly observant and aware.   Where Paityn at this age would have completely melted down under so much stimulation, Livie thrives on it.

But it also tuckers her right on out, too.  Thankfully, Papa has very comfy shoulders.

There was time for a few more rides on the Froggy Hop before we left. 

Dan purposely had her ride this a few times while the park closed to avoid her asking about the roller coaster again (because I was concerned about her riding it).  But she really, really wanted to ride it, so I'm thinking about letting her when we go back this Saturday.

We'll see.

Isn't that parent code for "No?"

Hmm... stay tuned.

Linking up with these wonderful blogs: 

Angry Julie Monday
Naptime Momtog 
And then, she snapped
Baby Baby Lemon
The Paper Mama 

The picture TIME should have used

In my post on the TIME magazine article on extended breastfeeding and Attachment Parenting, my sole complaint was that I believe TIME  purposely used a sensationalized image to incite debate and increase sales.

As it turns out, Jamie Grumet was actually repositioning from a previous pose.  The inspiration of the shoot was religious paintings of the Madonna and Child.

I would have loved to have seen this picture on the cover.

Source: TIME

Would it have changed people's horror over extended nursing?  Probably not.  But I think it would have shed a more realistic light on it. 

Even though I don't often nurse my toddler sitting on a stool; she's a bit heavy for that, and I imagine so is Jamie's son.  I did just nurse my three month old that way, though, so it is definitely closer to reality.