Thank you, Jesus, for washable markers

Dinner Conversation

Here's the scene: last night at dinner, Ziva declared she was full after just a couple bites. I took three green beans from her bowl, set them on her plate, and told her that she needed to eat at least those three before she could get down. If she did not eat them, she would go to bed early (we're finding this to be the only consequence that even remotely fazes her). After a while, the conversation went like this....

Ziva: I want to get down.
Vince: You need to eat those green beans or you will have to go to bed early.
Ziva: (a beat) I want to go to bed early.
Vince: I don't really think you want to go to bed early.

(Out comes the lower lip, and Ziva begins to pout and cry)

Vince: Ziva, you need to stop being fake. That won't work on me. (Pouting continues) Do you know who the biggest faker is?
Ziva: Yeah (still pouting/whining/crying)
Vince: Who?
Ziva: Me (STILL pouting/whining/crying)

And at this point, the discipline loses its effectiveness since we're both laughing. And Vince corrected her that no, HE is the biggest faker. At least she comes by it honestly. :)

Announcing...

In case you haven't heard yet from some other means, I'm pregnant! Baby #2 is due on June 3 (which is our anniversary...we always manage to have due dates on significant days!), and we are very excited. We actually planned for this one so we're feeling a little more prepared (although the "shock and awe" of Ziva is something we wouldn't trade for the world!). The timing couldn't be better as far as school goes, and we are just thanking God for how He blesses us. Ziva wants to see the baby in my belly already, and even Vince can hardly wait. Yesterday he said, "I need to go to sleep, but...I want to have the baby!" Cute daddy, huh? My first prenatal visit is November 3, and we should get to hear the heartbeat then. We'll keep you posted on every little milestone!

Life in August...and half of September, oh my!

I forget how quickly time goes by once the whirlwind of school begins. Last time I was talking about how we survived the first week, and here we are now almost 5 weeks in! We're starting to settle into a routine, especially now that Vince has finished his training in OKC. He is working the midnight shift now, so that's taken some getting used to, but he is starting to adjust to the new sleep schedule, and I think I'm adjusting too. We still get lots of good family time, like dinner together every night and playtime after school, so it's working out well. He's loving the job, so that's really about all that matters. I'm enjoying this year so far...a different mix of classes than I expected, but they're good. And I love that I get to teach AP Lit again, so I'm a happy camper.

Ziva is loving school as usual. She got to call me the other day at lunch to tell me that she ate all her food and got a treat--an M&M. Lately she's been sticking food--chewed or not, it's never the same--in her cheek and leaving it there....forever! Once she had several pieces of corn in there for at least 2 hours (from dinner until it was time to brush her teeth) before I noticed. We have no idea why she's doing it, and it has lead to some tearful mealtimes, thus the victory call on Thursday. (Wednesday was a day of no food at all because she refused to swallow what she'd "hoarded".) I did notice a couple days ago that she has two bottom molars coming in, so maybe that's a part of it. Who knows.

I can't think of any really funny things she's said recently, except one a few weeks ago. We were all in the car and she was speaking gibberish for the sheer joy of it. Vince said, "Ziva, what language are you speaking?" And she responded, "I"m speaking KIDS!" at the top of her lungs. Hilarious.

Here are a few pictures that aren't as recent as I'd wish, but they'll do for now....

At the zoo a couple weeks ago. Sorry you can't see her face that well...

All decked out, ready for the pool.

This one should have been a video so you could hear her declaring, "I. AM. PRINCESS. ZIVA!" She's wearing a posterboard crown with "jewels" from a broken necklace glued on it.

We survived the first week!

School started this past week. It was a welcome event for me since Vince has been gone the last two weeks for his training in OKC. He comes home on the weekends, but a whole week with just me and Ziva gets a little boring for her, poor thing. There are two weeks left of the training, but now we have school to keep us busy, so it's good. He just heard today that he will probably have the midnight shift when he gets back, which is what he wanted, so we're happy with that.

So far school is going well. Ziva is doing great.....no one can get over how much she's changed and how much she TALKS! She cracks us all up every single day. I ahve to try really hard not to laugh sometimes when she needs discipline. I'm still a work in progress.

I will work on getting some pictures up soon. I haven't even begun to recover from the 6 months (and counting) where we were without a laptop and HOW FAR BEHIND I am when it comes to taking, uploading, printing, and organizing pictures. It has to happen, I'm just scared. But I'll make myself sometime soon. Keep checking back!

She IS listening!

Just have to share some of the funny things we've heard come out of Ziva's mouth lately....proof that she hears everything!!

Last week at small group, she had Vince's Bible and was "reading" to herself. When I realized what she was saying, I cracked right up, interrupting a serious moment in group. She was saying "'Never!' Triton shouted. (this part over and over) 'He's a human! A fish eater!'" (we've been reading "The Little Mermaid" a lot lately)

The other day we had on a Veggie Tales video about being patient. Ziva wasn't really watching it and was busy playing. Vince said, "Hey Ziva, come here." She replied, "I'm doing something. Just be patient!"

And just now, as I was getting ready to write these and we're sitting in the business center at the apartments, she said, "I need to check my email!"

Maybe we're better parents than we think we are...

Lately the biggest parenting struggle we've faced (at least in my opinion) is getting Ziva to eat good food. The foods she eats aren't bad, they just don't add up to a very balanced diet. There only a few things she will always eat: string cheese, applesauce, and muffins (or any other member of the bread family). I try to make healthy muffins using pumpkin, zucchini, applesauce instead of oil, and whole wheat flour, but still. Only muffins isn't much of a diet. Then there are the things she will usually eat, but sometimes flat out refuses: corn, green beans, oatmeal, peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt, chicken nuggets, ham, cereal. And there are the every once in a blue moon (but don't count on it) foods: blueberries, bananas, carrots. Pretty much any other fruit or vegetable is a never, although I keep trying (I sure hate throwing it away when she licks it and then wants nothing to do with it!). And of course, she is my daughter and a part of the Calvert clan, so she will ALWAYS eat sweets if we let her.

Now here's where I get to the part about maybe we're doing better than I think. I look at that list (and that is truly all that she eats...on occasion I'll give her some of the "grown ups' dinner" if I think she'll eat it, but other than that, what you see is it!), and I think, oh my. But last night we went to dinner with some good friends who were visiting, and Ziva mainly at the french fries from her kids meal, with lots of ketchup (she LOVES ketchup). Now, you can see from our sorry little list of foods that, pitiful though it may be, there's no grease. So she ate a meal of french fries, and then we went to the park for a little bit where she swang for about an hour (probably didn't help....), and then on the way home, she PUKED all over herself and the car seat. And as gross as it was, and as much as I hate cleaning vomit from the carseat, I was encouraged. Obviously she's not used to greasy foods, so at least that's one positive in our parenting. Am I weird?