Kevin's Status, Life on the Homefront, and Greedy Deer

I've had a few calls and emails from people concerned for Kevin's safety and our peace of mind over the past few days, so I just want to let you all know that he's still safe and sound. Maybe a little tired from putting in a lot of hours at work, though.

Life at home has been really busy. I didn't realize how much Kevin helps out until he's not here helping out! It's a lot of work to take care of these two little turkeys and keep the house relatively picked up and in order by the time I go to bed. On the go from dawn til dusk, except for a nice little snooze in the afternoon, courtesy of coinciding naps (Cue the rejoicing angel choir music.)

It has been difficult watching the nuclear reactor accident unfolding, since it is perilous and it also has an affect on Kevin's work. The incidents in Japan are having and will continue to affect nuclear policy and attitudes toward nuclear power in the US, for better or for worse, and I can't help but be concerned about job security and the future. I must admit I've been obsessing over the grim headlines blaring all over the world wide web. (Darn that whole infinite-information-at-your-finger-tips-24-hours-a-day feature of the internet!) But for now, I'm just praying they are able to solve the problem at the plant and keep everyone safe. There is more than enough sorrow and tragedy in Japan right now.

On the lighter side, Kevin sent me some pictures from his trip to Nara over the weekend. Here is some basic info about its history:

Japan's first permanent capital was established in the year 710 at Heijo, the city now known as Nara. As the influence and political ambitions of the city's powerful Buddhist monasteries grew to become a serious threat to the government, the capital was moved to Nagaoka in 784.
Nara is located less than one hour from Kyoto and Osaka. Due to its past as the first permanent capital, it remains full of historic treasures, including some of Japan's oldest and largest temples.

Bronze Buddha statue from 700 AD. It used to be plated in gold!

This is the temple housing the Buddha, built in 800 AD. It was rebuilt 2 times and is the largest wooden structure in world.



This is the entrance gate to the above temple. Note random deer in the foreground. Kevin said that there are many of these deer at the temple site. They are tame and eat little pellets right from your hand...or they may just try to find a snack in your back pocket or bag as well!

Speaking of eating...Kevin will be eating some more strange food in the coming days and I'm sure he'll send me pictures. Warning: you may not want to eat before reading the next post!

The Other Side of the World

As family and many friends know, Kevin was scheduled to go to Japan on business. And, just to clear up any questions, he did go and he is safe. While much of Japan has experienced after shocks and waves from the larger, 8.9-on-the-richter-scale earthquake, Kevin flew into much further south into Kansai with a final destiation of Kobe, which is just west of Osaka. Kobe is also on sheltered shoreline, so it is not a location at risk for tsunamis. So, in short, Kevin and his colleagues are safe, which gives me piece of mind. It is always hard to see him go on these long trips, but it was especially difficult this time, with questions about the disaster(s) unfolding as he flew away.

The kids and I talked to Kevin over video chat this morning and he's doing well, though he was pretty tired after a long journey. Here is a picture of Mt. Fuji that he snapped while on the plane. The passengers on the other side of the plane were able to see some of the earthquake aftermath, which is obviously quite severe in some areas.




Please be sure to keep those who lost loved ones, homes and businesses in your prayers. Here are some organizations involved in the relief effort as well, if you care to donate or keep tabs on how that is going.



Catholic Relief Services

The Red Cross

Salvation Army

My Fat Tuesday

I won't be eating those famed paczki, but this dairy free indulgence is no less than fab.u.lous. Mmmmmm...

Capturing the Moment

We had some family pics taken yesterday and the preview is up on the photographer's blog. So far, so cute!

We had a great experience with Melanie, and I definitely recommend her. I think she captured our family beautifully!

Cabin Fever

Is anyone else sick of winter? Are your loved ones, especially pint-sized loved ones, driving you a bit bonkers? We've been a little stir-crazy in our house, and it has been difficult to stay cool and collected at times. Most of those times are when Monica is bouncing off the walls. What we all need is a good romp at the park, but with nearly a foot of snow on the ground, that is a ways off. So, as always, patience is key, and little reminders on the basics of loving little ones is also helpful. I found this article on 9 Simple Ways to Make Your Child Feel Special right around Valentine's day, and it has been a great reminder that little things--like cuddles, loving words, and letting little ones help around the house--go a long way in restoring love and order where toddlers are concerned.

Monica is now at the age where she likes to scribble and draw and help with projects. She especially enjoys Do-A-Dot markers (She'll say "Monica wants to do Dooadah!), which are basically sponge-tipped bingo markers scaled down for little people. The markers and a Do-A-Dot book were a Christmas present from Aunt Beth and Uncle Marty and they are a hit! We used to have to sit next to her to help her push down on the marker, encourage her to make more than two dots with one color, and keep her from Do-A-Dotting her mouth, her clothes and the furniture. It took about half of the coloring book for Monica to find her stride, but now she can sit at the table on her own and produce fabulous works like the little garden scene below. This is particularly exciting for me because I LOVE craftiness and projects and I would LOVE to include Monica in some of my crafty pursuits. Granted, knitting and quilting and jewelry making may be a few years away, but every step counts!

Potty Talk

We have officially entered into the whirlwind of potty-training. It seems kind of silly to call it a whirlwind, but if you've done it, I'm sure you can think of really chaotic moments...sprinting to the bathroom with an already-peeing kid...hearing your child say, "I need to go potty!" and then, 3 seconds later, watching the pee run down their leg onto your floor...smashed #2 in the underwear...the list goes on.

I originally did not plan to potty train until Monica was much closer to three, but when she started stripping off her dirty diapers and leaving them as presents throughout the house, we figured we had two choices:

1. Duct-tape her diapers on

2. Start potty training

We opted for the latter, since she is over two, has a lot of interest in bodily functions and is generally eager to use the potty. At first, we went full-board--training underwear, plastic-y training pants setting the timer and having her sit on the potty every 20-30 minutes. There were some accidents, and some successes. We were not to be daunted! But then the plastic-y pants chafed her legs and she ran away from us at the mere suggestion of big girl underwear. So then we took the risk of just the underwear. That was when we all started getting discouraged.

I think we attacked it a litte too much by having her sit on the potty every 20-30 minutes because then she started to whine and fight, sit on the potty for 10 seconds, say she was done, only to have a huge, clothes-soaking accident 10 minutes later. After a couple days of that, my patience was waning. However, it wasn't until the dog got involved that I lost my patience altogether. Just before Kevin came home, Monica had a poo accident in her underwear and ran to the bathroom with said poo dropping to the floor as she ran. I ran after her, cleaned her up and, having had my fill of accidents that day, put her in a diaper. When I went to clean up the poo on the floor, it was gone, but there was Buck looking up at me innocently. I'll let you put two and two together on that one.

Since the Buck Incident, we've backed off on Potty Training Boot Camp for everyone's sanity. I don't think Monica has quite enough self-awareness to be potty trained as of yet. If we didn't remind her to use the potty, she would probably just go in her diaper 80% of the time. But, I also don't think it is wise to give it up and go with option #1 above. So, we have her sit on the potty a few times a day with some success, and everyone is more at peace. The road to potty trained will probably be a long one for all of us. Let the adventure continue...

Jim Dinosnore

Up until a few nights ago, no one was sleeping very well in our house except Buck and Monica. James had back-to-back colds, and being a mediocre sleeper in the best of times, he was up A LOT over the past couple of weeks, which means that Kevin and I were up A LOT over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, this last bug is on its way out and we hope to have a reprieve for a little while. I took these pictures and look at them frequently to remind me that :

1. James is a precious little bundle!

2. Time moves quickly and James' babydom will be over before we know it.

3. Assuming #2 is true, Kevin and I will sleep again!

Monica calls this outfit "Jim's dinosnore clothes"