I is for Isaac. J is for Jillian.

My little preschooler is learning a lot this year. This is her buddy, Isaac. She talks about him all the time. And according to her, I is always for Isaac. (By the way, Isaac's mommy took this super great picture!)

she turned "free" in july

The other day Brent said, "Mommy loves you and Daddy loves you and..."

"My BIRTHDAY loves me!" Jillian finished.

tea for two (nostrils)

This morning, I used the neti pot for the first time in awhile. Jillian was fascinated and said in her typical sing-songy fashion, "You have a tea party in your nose, Mama?"


Jillian donning her swimsuit (aka "swimsoup") and froggy galoshes.

three things jllian does which drive me nuts

1. Skips naps. This week, she only napped once, which was today. You know what happened on day four of no nap? swear words. (To be clear, not said to Jillian.)

2. Packs bags. If she gets her hands on a gift bag, grocery bag, backpack, or the like, she will fill it to the brim with random stuff from around the house.

3. Fakes inability. For instance, she acts like she can't get her boots on. Mind you, she wears the same boots she wore last year when she was one and a half and used to put them on ALL the time. In fact, this Summer, I had to hide them because she insisted on wearing them. And now???? faker.

i'm married to a beautiful man

Jillian this morning:

"Wha you doin' Daddy? You shavin'? Ooohhh...you booootiful, Daddy. Your face ih boootiful."

my little stumbling block

Okay, so, confession: I haven't been paying attention as much during dinner prayer times. I peek through my fingers and watch Jillian. But, how can I not???




Hope you're as entertained as I am as we wait...and wait...and wait! I think I'm feeling a few contractions...hope this means something!

Happy Birthday, Jillian!

One minute old.




One year old.




Two years old!

Happy 4th of July! (delayed!!!!)

This was supposed to post on the 4th...I have no idea what happened.

Hope you're safe, enjoying fireworks and experiencing...peace!

Q: "how did you know to take her to the hospital?"

Okay, okay...you want the scoop on the pink arm. I feel pretty cazh about this ordeal, because, really, statistically speaking, we just knew we'd have to deal with this eventually. Of course, I thought my first kid fracture would have happened to one of the boys, but no. Leave it to the most determined and most fearless child.

So, I was making a snack of peanut butter and apples for Miles while he played with Jillian. Little did I know, he was making a barricade of large soft toys on the landing of the steps. The huge squishy square was no match for her strength. She pushed it...and went with it. All I heard was a thump. I ran to her, internally freaked out, bent down and gently stroked her back. Of course, I wanted to pick her up right away, but if medics are cautious about lifting an accident victim, I think I'll follow suit. It didn't take too long before I got over that notion and I picked her up and snuggled her for about 10 minutes while she cried.

I was still trying to figure out whether it was a "that freaked me out" cry or a "I'm in tons of pain" cry when the boys would carelessly walk in the room and ask to watch t.v. or would start singing really obnoxiously to compete with Jillian's noisy cries. seriously. They can be that clueless and insensitive. I know they're young, but c'mon?!!!

So, how did I know to take her to the hospital?

I offered her a handful of mini marshmallows. When I watched her strain to get one only halfway to her mouth and have to give up, I realized there was a huge problem. The boys were immediately sent to the neighbors and I headed to Children's ER.

Of course, she really seemed fine at the ER, but...she wasn't.

oh no!!!

good toilet reading?

Jillian peruses CJ Mahaney's Cross-Centered Life.