The toughest job in the world?

     So last night while wrapping presents I flipped between yet another made -for-TV wonder on FaLaLaLaLifetime and Oprah's White House Christmas with the Obamas. It was a fun/political/Oprah adore-fest interview with two really personable (and photogenic) people. But my favorite part was towards the end. Oprah was asking about what they missed about their old life. They said it was only about five years ago that they were living in a small condo with the two little girls.

     Then Obama kind of pauses and says (paraphrase) "Wow, those ages when the kids are young. Its tough. I mean they're beautiful but wow. The diapers. It's a lot." 

     Michelle is just looking fabulous and unflustered (this is how all women view other women we only know one-dimensionally, have you noticed? - as perfect) But Obama really looked tired just thinking about those pre-school years. WHAT? The man who managed to win the most historic election ever and now is leader of the free world in one of the roughest eras ever...daunted by small children?!  For one brief TV moment, I was my own hero. Thanks O. 

Already, not yet.

My sophomore year in college I took a class called Christian Origins. I still remember wonderful, gentle, ruthlessly grading Professor Daise, dressed fully in Banana Republic linen, explaining the eschatology of Jesus to be the "Already, not yet" eschatology. He had come. He had fulfilled prophesy. The kingdom of God was upon us. But more was to come. The kingdom of God was coming. The kingdom was already here. The kingdom was not yet here. The tension remains. 

I can wrap my mind and my heart around this. Especially this time of year. He has come. Joy to the world. He is coming. We still wait in "fear and ever-pining." A dear family in our church lost their father and husband last week suddenly. The community that has surrounded them has been powerful and moving to see. Their faith in the face of unspeakable tragedy has challenged me greatly. He is here - already. The pain, the suffering, the loss are incredibly palpable and heart-breaking. Is He here? - not yet. 

I hope this Christmas you find a moment of peace and joy. I hope you get some great stuff. I pray that all around you see signs that He is here already. But in your darkness, and sadness, and amidst all that yucky crap that comes by way of being human - take heart. The best is yet to come. 

 Merry  Christmas. 

Imagination meets Consumerism...

Sophia: Look Mommy the moon!

Nina: I see it!

Sophia: Mommy, the moon has treasure!

Nina: (aww) What treasure does the moon have Sophia?

Sophia: A gift card!

oh dear.

Good Times Ahead!

Oh the comfort I take in  my oldest friends... I call this category of friend "Those Who Knew Me the First Time I had Bangs...and Loved Me Anyways..." (Yes, Daniel, due to your mocking and comments about the McDonalds arches, you are omitted) Even as Mariah is so far away in South Africa she brings such joy - yes, through a forwarded g-chat. Note the following exchange between Mariah and Erin this week:

Mariah : Can you imagine knowing each other at 75 or 80? That is going to be hilarious. If we outlive our husbands and our children won't take us, let's promise to live in a house at the beach - just the three of us. Just like it was in the beginning. 

Erin: I think this is a grand idea! Yes, please! We can take care of each other!

Mariah: That gives me something to look forward to!

Erin: Me too!

Mariah: It's a deal. We have to tell Nina. She doesn't have a choice.

Erin: Sounds good. I might have dementia. She might have Alzheimer's.

Mariah: That's okay. I'll probably have cancer.

Erin: The only sane one. Ha.

Mariah: Well, I don't know about sane. But certainly a good time...How was your day today?

Grand Illumination

All bundled up...This was Olivia's first trip to G.I. She was entranced by the fireworks just like she is by TV. 

There is so much love in my girls' lives. Tara and Ali carried Sophia the whole way...

Williamsburg was grandly illuminated last Sunday night by an incredible fireworks show and...candles in the windows. Clark Griswold is not welcome in this town. There is even an unspoken rule in the historic area against colored lights. Our neighbors are currently breaking this rule. I applaud them. Go rogue. 

Over the RIver and Through the Woods...

This picture is slightly disturbing. 

Sophia loved the green house!

Since we've been in Williamsburg we have headed out to an Ulster-American Garden Center to purchase our Christmas tree. We don't cut it down. They actually don't even grow them there. But it's about a 20 minute drive and we feel rural and we really like the family that owns it. Ulster is used to describe immigrants from a certain area of Northen Ireland. Very exotic. Very cool accents. 

Three years...

Well three years ago tonight, I was lying in a recovery room wondering why no  one was speaking english, and what bizarre culture considered ice chips to be a reasonable meal option. Travis was somewhere holding Sophia wondering why she didn't have any teeth. In an amazing surgical moment, we had gone from a couple of two to a family of three, "Tyrone Simone"  turned out to be a 9lb plus GIRL and our lives have never been the same. Sophia claims that today she is three and next year on her birthday she will be eight. And that probably won't be too far from how it feels...John Lennon says "Life is what happens while you are making other plans" Well, Sophia happened while we were making other plans, we adjusted, and its amazing to look back over the trajectory of our lives in three years.  And you know I am feeling sentimental when I include a picture of me on an operating table...Did you know that  morphine makes you itch? Sadly my most emotional memories from this life-changing, yet very unnataural birth was of begging the anesthesiologist to scratch my nose. 

We had a great day of celebration including celebrity guests at Sophia's class, and a trip to the ice skating rink. I will post pictures soon. And a big shout out to Avery and Joel Solomon - Baby Aidan made his much anticipated entrance this morning - and Avery is probably out jogging with him in the BOB right now - she is amazing.  Two 107 babies born on December 16th!

It might be time for the 15 Passenger Van...

If you see me, the majority of time I appear to be accompanied by two rather short people: Sophia and Olivia. But if  you engage our little group in conversation you will quickly realize that there is more than meets the eye. Sophia, like her father, is an extrovert. She does not like being alone or playing alone. I am sometimes not available (intentionally) to entertain her and Olivia does not meet her criteria yet, thus enter Diego, Pedro, Drew, Gracie, Evan, and Baby Jesus. Sometime I can trace the origins of her imaginary friends, others I have no idea. But I am quite happy about the multicultural bent her group has and that Jesus is truly her friend. In all seriousness, it is fascinating to watch her imagination at work. It's also interesting territory to navigate as a parent - does Diego get his own glass of milk? Can Olivia really not sit in a chair because Pedro is already there? Sophia has been sleeping on the floor because Diego is in the bed. I often hear her imitating me to her friends "Diego, you need to cooperate. Pedro, I am not your slave. You need to sleep all by yourself and wipe your nose yourself."  Is that what I really sound like? No wonder she's creating an alternate reality...

Picking Up the Pieces...

Growing up, this book was one of our favorites. It tells the story of a Mama Elephant just trying desperately to get out the door to a dinner party - her one chance each year. She has three small elephant children who seem to be in conspiracy against her. She finally emerges, dressed beautifully, kisses the children goodbye with their grandmother and the last illustration shows the back of her dress covered in paint from the paint kit in which she had unknowingly just sat.

 It's funny how you can look back on something and really understand for the first time. I melted down last week. Bad. Like fetal position on the bathroom floor bad. Motherhood meltdown. I remembered that scene in Divine Secrets of the YaYA Sisterhoood when the bipolar Mom just drives away one day and rents a hotel room to sit in the bathtub and drink champagne. I wanted to be her. At least she had a goal and executed it. 

After some intervention from a sweet husband (in the form of donuts and a thick magazine with lots of mascara advertisements) and brunch with some dear friends in which I confessed, without trying to be dramatic of course,  "I am losing my soul!" I took a deep breath and started putting the pieces back together. I informed Sophia that I was the Mother and she was the Child and I would no longer be sleeping in her room with her (long story - thus the meltdown) after screaming and crying she recovered and informed me that Diego would be sleeping with her (that's for another blog post).

 Raising children is the hardest thing I have ever done but it is no doubt the most important. And its full of such amazing moments but in the midst of those moments...it's incredible work. I love to read blogs of mom-idols who somehow can make it all look so beautiful. The lack of pictures on this blog lately belies the two truths 1.I still can't find the cord to my camera and 2.it's not been pretty lately.  But my recent hope is that my idea of beauty will be transformed. And that I will slow down and be grateful enough to enjoy it. Tonight Sophia thanked God for her bath - she took two today. There is beauty everywhere...

Sounds of the Season

Last year I didn't think it could get any better than hearing Sophia singing all the words to "Hark the Herald."  When those two year old lungs belted out "God and sinners RECONCILED" all my Christmas dreams came true.

 But this year her song choice is "Deck the Halls" My favorite line? I love hearing her sing "Troll the ancient Yule Tide Carol". I don't know what trolling is but I think I need more of it in my life this season.

Cousin Love

Poor Olivia...first day home, jaundiced, and wrapped in her glow-worm blanket gets a taste of what life will be like with these two first born...

Good Friday 2009...

November 3, 2009...I love the subtle, neutral backdrop that our couch provides...

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Olivia turned one on November 3! I have been waiting because I can't find the cord to the new camera we bought because we ruined our old one. Again, you see the dysfunction. So though, the blog did not reflect it, we celebrated our Foo quite well. And she rose to the occasion with a sense of maturity beyond her years ...

Watch out, she's at the  big girl table!

Help Lashelle! Where are you?

Addie and Sophia developing their very special relationship...

Our family takes the worst, most awkward group pictures - and I love it.

October 31

Family Halloween Pictures? How far I've fallen!

Trick or Treating Sneak Peak

Behold - Dorothy the Goldfish out on the town!  More to come of Elmo and Dorothy as I retrieve pictures from people I surround myself with who somehow are able to remember their cameras and keep them from breaking...

Pumpkinville 2009!

Family Portrait - with that 70's tint ala' the disposable camera. Oh and that must be Mr. Pumpkinville's thumb...

Last year Olivia enjoyed Pumpkinville during her last days in-utero...I remember hoping the hayride would induce labor and help me avoid the c-section. Neither happened...but here we are a year later happy and healthy!

Bringing in the Professionals...

My dreams came true last month when Lashelle  Chappell did an incredible photo shoot of our family at the ol' Alma Mater. Lashelle was so relaxed with the girls, she caught great pictures of their true selves - and their sweet sisterhood:) I will be forever grateful to her for expanding my family portfolio beyond camera phone pics and JC Penney...

The Ballad of Sophia Bobby...

Well, never a dull moment around here. Sophia's imaginative play reached new heights this week as she has been in a constant role play for four days straight: She is Mary and Elmo is Baby Jesus. Elmo is such a faithful playmate - and so versatile. The conversations have been priceless:

Sophia: Mary is going to Colonial Williamsburg and so is Baby Jesus. We need to put him in the stroller. We can't leave him alone in the manger.

Nina: (Thinking well we can use this play as a learning exercise.) Sophia, who visited Baby Jesus when he was born?

Sophia: The shepherds

Nina: And the Wise Men

Sophia: And the Foolish Man.

Nina: The Foolish Man?

Sophia: You know, the Foolish Man - who built his house on the sand.

(And later, I try again)

Nina:  Sophia, who visited Baby Jesus when he was born?

Sophia: Grandma and Buela and Bodie and Wilson.

(Getting in the Car on Wednesday)

Sophia: Mary and Baby Jesus are coming. But not Joseph. He has to go to work. He works at the church.

(And Finally...)

Sophia:  Baby Jesus sleeps in bunk beds now. He doesn't fit in the manger anymore. He is nine years old now.

Halfway There...

Here are the Cousins at my parents house a few weeks ago for the Renovation is Over/Daniel is 30/Baba and Bobo are moving in/Do We Really Need a Reason to Have a Fiesta? Party (note the quality of picture - I stole this from Daniel and Lindsey's blog)

Here is Olivia at Busch Gardens one month ago. A bad picture, but the truth is that she is walking now and I HAVE NO PICTURES OF IT! I am horrified and at least this picture she looks like she is about to take off. 

We road-tripped it to Warrenton to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Armstrong. Here is my sweet "Atlanta" Family - it was a great reunion!

Well we're back. I apologize to you (mainly my Dad and my sister, the rest of you I know just read anonymously) for our month long hiatus due to my broken camera. What? You ask...We thought the camera was water-proof and shock-proof. It was. Just apparently not Simone-proof. I took it to Massey's Camera in downtown Williamsburg in hopes of supporting the local business and actually reparing something instead of contributing to a disposable society...when he quoted me at least 150$ to fix a camera that cost about that I said, oh well I tried and we actually have bought  (drumroll please...) two disposable cameras. Yes, they still make them. No, they are not digital so I'm very intrigued as to what our Pumpkin Patch pictures look like. But who knows if we will ever get them developed...I am my mother's daughter. In the meantime enjoy some pictures from a month ago because now....(other reason for hiatus)we have legitimate internet. It's amazing to be sitting in an different chair and using the computer. I used to always have to sit in the one at the door....So hopefully we will have our camera issue fixed soon...in the meantime enjoy some old pictures and my stories about my children that I know are only this interesting to me (and maybe my Dad and my sister)