Growing Up

Christmas 2009

2009-12-21T13:02:00.001-06:00

Worth It.

2009-12-06T14:26:00.001-06:00

Because I don't want to forget...

2009-11-28T22:51:00.005-06:00

It's definately better when seen through the eyes of a 4 year old. It may be the best christmas season yet.

Our Christmas season began last weekend. After an overnight "Girl's night" in Indiana, Aimee and I came home to a living room full of boxes, just waiting to be unpacked. We all took turns hanging up our special ornaments, and the Angel that has lived on top of our tree since 2001 was finally displaced by the coffee filter angel that Aimee made in preschool last year.

The displaced angel was purchased at a Walgreens in Indiana by Brian the first year we celebrated Christmas togather. He surprised me with a fresh tree, one of those light grids in the shape of a Christmas tree that you just drape over the tree, and 2 boxes of ball ornaments...all purchased at Walgreens (except for the tree).

The night before thanksgiving, we tried to light a fire in our fireplace before bedtime so that we could have storytime by the fire, but it seems that a nice family of wasps decided to make our chimney their home. Brian boarded up the fireplace and we had storytime and thanksgiving time by candle light instead.

Thanksgiving was special because it was the first year that Aimee really understood the significance of the holiday. She interviewed the family while we sat around the dinner table to find out what we were thankful for, and told Brian and me that she was thankful for us several times that day. She even told Danny that he was the most beautiful baby she's ever seen.

Last night, we bundled up and drove to Downtown Aurora to see the lighting of the Christmas Tree. I was able to convince Aimee that the young small live reindeer that were available for pictures and petting were on loan from Santa. The real bearded Santa passed right by us on his way to the Christmas tree, and Aimee got a picture with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, who was passing out fliers to promote the theater production of The Wizard Of Oz playing in theater across the street.

We sat in front of the tree and had Chocolate Abuelita from Brian's thermos, walked along the river, and came back home to have popcorn and watch Polar Express. Danny enjoyed being outside at night and took the time in the car ride to make conversation with us.

In the weeks to come: Downtown Chicago, The Polar Express at Blackberry Farm, and maybe another girl's weekend.

Just For The Record

2009-11-16T20:27:00.004-06:00

Daniel has grown into the cutest toddler boy there ever was. There. I said it.

His new interests include:

Wrestling with Aimee. (especially sitting on her head when his diaper is not dry).
The words Monster and Trucks
Goliath's lines in the story of "David and Goliath" "BRING OUT YOUR BEST SOLDIER TO FIGHT ME!" said in the most menacing tone that a 2 year old can summon.
Putting peanut butter on anything he can.
The Wiggles dances
His Elmo baby.

Randoms

2009-10-14T07:50:00.003-05:00

Brian and I are going to Cancun for our anniversary. We leave THIS FRIDAY!

Aimee's hair is long and thick and beautiful and it needs a trimming, but I don't want to take her to the salon because I'm afraid they'll cut off more than I want them to, so I'm avoiding it.

Daniel is turning into a typical boy. He loves to growl and jump off of things. I love it.

Work is insane. In a good way. I am starting to love my job and I am stressed in a way that makes me productive and feel good at the end of the day.

I am loving the parents in Aimee's new preschool class. It probably deserves it's own blog entry. Let's just say that there is some serious community being built there and probably some lasting friendships.

It feels like things are looking up.

Boys

2009-10-10T22:03:00.003-05:00

Last night was movie night. We watched the Barbie version of The Nutcracker. Danny spent the entire movie jumping off the couch, wrestling, and spinning himself dizzy.

He was just a tiny little loaf of bread when he was born. 6 lbs, 7 oz. He was the easiest baby I could ask for. When Aimee started pre-school, he wasn't a year old and as soon as he learned to walk, he became like the Mayor of the community center. He would proudly walk in every morning and say hello to every single person in the hallway. He would stop to inspect anything that was new or seemed out of place. Everyone knew him and random people would stop me to tell me how quickly he was growing.

Now my little loaf of bread is two years old. His vocabulary leaves me speechless. He practically has Goodnight Moon memorized and has a favorite bible story. The story of David and Goliath.
He prays when we pray "Dear Jesus, Amen!" or "I love you, Amen!", and can't go to sleep without a hug and kiss from his older sister.

He jumps up and down Friday mornings when I tell him we are going to Story Time. We are taking a gymnastics class once a week and he can easily do somersaults, walk on the balance beam, and he conquered his fear of the giant scary looking Air Track. He loves making friends and is currently obsessed with feet.

When I feel how solid his little arms and legs are, and how sure he is of his movements, I am taken aback. The other day, Stephanie traced his foot to make me a little card to take to work(She says she tried to trace his hands, but he demanded that she trace his foot), and my stomach just sinks when I see how big he is. In my mind, he feet still fit in the palm of my hand, but the reality is that he keeps growing. and growing. and growing.

That card reminds me that I need to be intentional about enjoying my children. Danny will never get lost in a baby blanket again. I love love LOVE that he's growing. He is as delightful as I could have hoped for, but I wish he would stay little just a little longer.

Four Year Old Girls

2009-10-01T21:05:00.003-05:00

If I could bottle her up I would. Sometimes I regret putting my little girl in 3 days of pre-school. It honestly seems like too much, to me, not her. Danny misses her when she's in school and at the same time loves the one on one time.

One of the sad things about school and extra curricular classes is that it has given her the opportunity to have a private life that she doesn't have to share with me. After 5 weeks of ballet, she still refuses to show me any of her moves, or even tell me about it. We are only allowed to watch on the assigned parent days in order to keep the kids from getting distracted. I have talked to the teacher and asked her if Aimee enjoys the class. The teacher assures me that Aimee is attentive and seems to enjoy it.

Yesterday she told me to just relax and chill out (with the attitude of a 14 year old). Today she told me that I did NOT look pretty as I was leaving for work, in hopes that I would change my mind and stay with her instead. It almost broke my heart.

On Sunday we went out for ice cream. She pointed across the parking lot and asked me what that other building was. I told her it was Olive Garden, a restaurant, she asked me if I would take her there. I think I will this weekend.

Promise

2009-09-18T20:51:00.003-05:00

I was recently reminded of a conversation I had with God roughly 8 years ago. It was at a time when singlehood was a rewarding way of life. I was happy with the way things were, and I just happened to mention to God that if things could continue the way they were at that moment, I'd be happy to just continue living that way. I was weeks away from making a radical change in my life that would lead me to an exciting and off beat lifestyle that would revolve around 3 things that I loved: God, people, and the arts. As an afterthought I added, "If you WANT me to be married some day, I want my marriage to glorify you and honor you. I don't want to get married if it's purpose is not to enhance my life's ministry." Never did I expect to meet my husband just two weeks later.

We recently celebrated the anniversary of the day we met. After 8 years of being a couple, it didn't occur to me that we should celebrate it, but it did occur to Brian. We had a wonderful night of dinner, conversation, $10 hot chocolate, and a relaxing nighttime walk around the riverwalk. It was wonderful and just what I needed to remind me of my purpose in marriage, motherhood, and life.

I remember that conversation I had with God vividly. It was, to me, a burning bush moment.

My relationship with Brian is easy. Loving him is easy. Wanting to spend time with him? Easy. Seeing him every day? Can't get enough of him. But this marriage thing, this family thing, this grown-up parenting thing? not so easy sometimes.

Meeting and falling in love with Brian was, to me, a response to that burning bush moment. It was a promise. Yesterday my husband presented me with a rainbow. A reminder that God is faithful to complete the work that he began, and that he never breaks his promises.

Pressure

2009-07-29T21:05:00.005-05:00

It's been a while and I'm feeling some pressure to write something great. I feel like I should write something meaningful and beautiful that will be able to explain everything that has happened in the past four months, how it's changed me, how it's changed our little family. That's a lot of pressure. I know I won't be able to do it, so I'll just start with right now.

I have been fighting against stress induced paralysis. Sometimes I just deal by not dealing, and that, my friends, is not a good way to deal. So I am committing to doing. Not TRYING to do it, DOING IT.

I have a new job. It started three months ago and today it looks very different from what I even interviewed for. It's been hard. I have to prove myself, and I am frozen with fear that I may not be able to meet my goals. So, I am trying to just shut it all off and go for it.

It seems like Aimee and Daniel have changed so much in the last few months. Daniel has a vocabulary that expands every day. He has an obsession with Elmo. He loves to play with his matchbox cars. He wants to do everything Aimee does. He hates going to the grocery store and it makes my life more difficult, but he randomly gives me kisses and it makes it all better. Aimee and Danny are both taking some classes now. Aimee is in her 2nd year of Pre-school and Ballet. Daniel is taking a Gymnastics class and will be attending storytime at the library.

Aimee has blossomed in so so many ways. She continues to be a fashionista and is now all about matching and jewelry. Going places with her is an entirely new experience and everything I ever hoped it would be. I am amazed and impressed with her ability to express what she's feeling and what needs emotionally and she breaks my pride and makes me feel ashamed when she asks for affection after I've diciplined her in anger.

So how is everything else? Well...it's funny how going through a difficult time can leave you strengthened in some areas and weakened in others. Perspective? So easy to lose. Commitment? I'm short-sighted. Regrets? Many. But I won't go into that, because I'm not as brave as my 4 year old daughter.

New Pics

2009-03-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

New pics on Aimee's picture blog.

Down

2009-03-06T23:34:00.005-06:00

I'm taking a break.

Updates

2009-03-01T22:41:00.004-06:00

I havn't had much time to blog lately. Danny gave up his morning nap so I have much less time to be on the computer, but it's AWESOME because now we can do stuff in the morning. I'm totally excited about having the mornings for outings instead of being stuck in the house. I already signed Danny and me up for a class at the library that meets once a week while Aimee is in pre-school. So fun!

I'll finish the story about Aimee at the zoo. Here's a quick version of what happened. Aimee had been climbing and jumping in the baby play area. Technically, she shouldn't have been doing that, but I let her because there was only one other baby besides Danny and she wasn't doing it near them. All of a sudden, the place was full of babies and three other girls that were there with a field trip joined in on the climbing and jumping action. I told Aimee to stop it and explained that it wasn't safe with all the babies. Aimee and two of the girls stopped, but one didn't. The girl that didn't stop climbed onto a pretend log that was right in front of Aimee. Aimee tried climbing as well, but I stopped her. Aimee stood there looking at the little girl. The little girl (about 4 years old) stopped climbing, got right in her face, and said, "What? Do you want to fight me because I'm climbing?". Right then the chaperone called them to move on to the next location. It made me think about when I was a kid. I am the oldest and I was raised to be kind and respectful. When I encountered kids with attitude, I was just lost and didn't know how to react. I'll have to figure out how I'm going to prepare Aimee for that kind of stuff.

Brian was laid off on Friday. We had a feeling it was going to happen. The company he was working for is all but shutting down. From 120 employees last month to about 20-30 in March.
We are hoping to hear good news this week from the other company he interviewed with in January. Keep us in your prayers. We are hopeful.

Challenge!

2009-02-26T16:48:00.002-06:00

I took the kids to the zoo yesterday. It was a pretty nice day and Aimee wanted to go and since we have a membership, I thought, "Why not?".

A great time was had by all, except that a 4 year old challenged Aimee to fight. Yes, she actually asked Aimee if she wanted to fight her.

More details to come.

Daniel

2009-02-11T23:17:00.003-06:00

Has been super cute and cuddly. Everything he does is cute to me. My developmental psychology book says that kids are especially cute during sensitive periods of development. That it's an evolutionary survival thing. If your kid is cute you will interact with them more, more interaction = more stimulation = more development. Also, it will help you to not want to give them away when they are bratty.

Good thing his sister is cute too.

Aimee

2009-02-11T23:14:00.004-06:00

Has been really bratty lately. She tells me that she just wants to stay in her pajamas all day, she wants to eat "lots and lots of sugar", and bargains for everything. She is also into kicking, throwing things, and pretty much defying everything I ask her to do...even if it involves doing something really fun. Her preschool teacher tells me that it's great that she can communicate her needs. That it's rare for kids her age to have that much self awareness.

*sigh*

Lord, help me.

Words...

2009-02-08T14:07:00.003-06:00

I see changes in Aimee every day. Her vocabulary astounds me. She uses the words "huge, gross, disgusting, and delicious" and many more phrases that crack me up. She insists that the bathroom door be completely closed when she uses the bathroom. She loves to pretend that she is her pediatrician and has a pretend medical chart that she always writes in and a home made kit complete with pretend syringes (mechanical pencils) and bandaids for giving us flu shots. She knows enough about herself to tell me that she is tired and needs a nap, or that the television is too loud for her ears, or to tell us to "BE QUIET" because her favorite episode of Caillou is on. She insists on being the first person in Daniel's room every morning and always greets him with a cheery, "Gooood Morning Sweet Baby!"

Daniel is growing too. He is having temper tantrums (too cute!), he counts to two as he's going up the stairs, he LOVES playing with balls and cars, and he can actually feed himself with a spoon! He also said "I love you" for the first (and only) time. He said it to Aimee before she took a nap and now refuses to repeat it. He loves pushing the handicap open door button at the community center. He always tries helping me with dishes by closing the dishwasher and is really proud of himself when I let him. He is completely in awe of Brian and almost always prefers his company to anyone elses.

Blago..

2009-01-29T13:18:00.003-06:00

Oh Blago.

I once had a conversation with a friend about ego-maniac men and the women who love them, protect them, and turn a blind eye to their scandalous behavior. This all seems so familiar in so many ways. I had a boss like Blago. When he finally lost his job, his mantra became, "I did all of these things for my employees! I just tried to make our workplace better! I had all of these wonderful ideas to improve our customer's lives!" Yeah right buddy. If you had just done your job and not put everything on me while you flipped houses instead of doing your job, you'd still have one.

I wish I would have voted for Judy Barr Topinka.

She's crazy too, but in a legal and lovable way.

It's not supposed to be funny, but it totally is.

2009-01-27T10:25:00.002-06:00

Daniel, my sweet natured, easy-going, happy little boy has been having temper tantrums. I know it's not supposed to be funny or cute, but it really is and I can't help but think it's funny.

44

2009-01-20T13:26:00.000-06:00

It's a great day!

Preacher Brian

2009-01-18T21:52:00.005-06:00

Brian got a chance to speak in church today. Our church is doing a series about faith. I want to share with you what he said:

Curt started off by telling the church that He asked Brian out to lunch that same day he was let go and expected Brian to be a total wreck. He was really surprised that Brian was pretty calm about the whole thing.

Brian then talked about how losing his job was a real shock and how the last time he was let go from a job he was 24, lived with his parents and all he had was a car payment. He totally went off the deep end.

This time, even though he has a family to provide for, he felt oddly at peace and he knew that even if the worst was to happen (like losing our house or something) it wouldn't destroy our family and we'd be ok. He talked about how he learned over the past several years that a man's job doesn't define him, that his self worth comes from being loved by God and family. He also knew that God would provide for us. Then he said that that we could have prayed more, and we weren't walking around being all like, "we know God will give us what we want!" (He said it in an exaggerated manly voice), but that faith for him meant accepting whatever God has for us and knowing that we will be ok.

Then Curt shared that about a week and a half ago, Brian called him to have coffee and he was expecting to have to council Brian out of depression or something, but that it was to talk about his 1st job offer, and that while they were hanging out, the 2nd job offer came in!

Brian said that he was really thankful that God was faithful to us, even when we aren't as faithful to Him as we should be, that he was thankful for our family and friends, and that he KNOWS that the things that matter most are the relationships in our life with God and others.

Some of the other things he was going to share include:

Even though Brian felt pretty secure about not losing his job, he started bringing his tools and personal things home a few weeks before he lost his job. He feels that God was prepared him.

He took a class on hydrolics last semester and didn't just get an A, the retiring teacher told Brian that he should apply to teach the class next year. The company he works for now makes parts for hydrolic machinery.

Brian has made a big career jump, he wouldn't have had the guts to try out for this new job if he had stayed at his old job.

Funny things about my kids.

2009-01-14T13:07:00.006-06:00

Aimee:

The only way she will sleep is if she has no less than 7 of any combination of : stuffed animals, dolls, books, her princess tent, her new baby carrier that she got for Christmas, stickers, and any other random thing. She also must have a minimum of 3 blankets; teddy blankie, princess sleeping bag, her new princess comforter (also a Christmas gift) are the staples.

Every night when we pray over dinner she thanks God for the egg our neighbor threw at Brian a few weeks ago. (I was in the middle of making cookies when I realized that I was short an egg. Our neighbor threw one at Brian and then gave us a carton of 17 more.)

She gets excited about seeing blood. I know this sounds macabre so let me explain why: Blood = a band aid. She loves band aids. If you didn't know that and saw her reaction to blood, you would think she was a little vampire.

Danny:

His favorite thing to do is to transport a large amount of tiny things from room to room. He takes handfuls of stuff and moves them from the floor in the living room, to the middle of the kitchen floor, to a chair in the breakfast area, to the middle of the playroom. This keeps him entertained for very long periods of time.

He loves to pretend to rock out with his various toy guitars.

He can't live without Aimee, even though she drives him crazy sometimes with her aggressive love. One day he woke up and Aimee wasn't home and all he did was go in and out of her room looking for her.

He can find any area that is suitable for hiding where ever he is, and he will sit there patiently for a looong time until we find him.

Officially Employed

2009-01-09T22:56:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's true! Brian got a great job. I am so proud of him for the way that he handled himself. Both companies made him offers yesterday. He made a good decision. More details later.

Thanks to call who prayed, offered encouragement, gave good advise, helped him look for jobs. We are incredibly blessed.

Gearing up for good news...

2009-01-07T20:27:00.006-06:00

Brian managed to land 2 second interviews with 2 different companies this week! In this economy. Hopefully we'll have some good news.

Wroblewski Family Sick Day

2009-01-04T10:09:00.002-06:00

We were all sick yesterday. Danny is getting over his cold and then he fell and scraped his forhead, Aimee developed a nasty cough (which thankfully is better today), and I could actually pinpoint the exact time that my sinuses started bothering me last night. I can hardly think today.

The hardest part about being unemployed is the waiting.

We have a lot up in the air right now. This week will be big for us. We will be making some big decisions. Please pray.

That is all.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T09:54:00.003-06:00

Let's remember that: the most precious gift of all, is our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that came to us through his loving sacrifice; that the real treasures in our life are our relationships; and that the memories we make the effort to make will stay with us even after everything else has gone away.

News..

2008-12-21T21:06:00.004-06:00

Brian lost his job on Tuesday. Just before Aimee's Preschool Christmas Program. The bright side? He made it to the show. The rest of the week has been a blur. My mom with us for 2 days to help with the kids while Brian and I scrambled to search for jobs and I prepared for my last final. Brian has handled it amazingly. He hasn't stopped to rest and has explored every avenue to find a new job.

We have been counting our blessings, our parents have been right at the top of the list. There are a number of circumstances surrounding this that really point to God's grace and provision for us. We have been able to find humor in our situation. Brian has somehow made time to make some great memories with the kids. He didn't have to miss Aimee's first Christmas program.

We have been celebrating Christmas all month in our home. Every day we have done something to celebrate the season. I have continued with those daily Christmas activities, but there have been times this week when I felt like I really might just fall into a heap. Luckily, I havn't and every day seems a little better. For example, today I had a revelation; we are really loved. That helps a lot. We have received many kind words, offers for help, and even a shiny new sport coat for Brian to wear on an interview. "It's Chaps!" :-)

Brian has an interview tomorrow. (Monday at 11). Please please pray, send positive vibes, light a candle, whatever. I have a phone interview on Tuesday, so if you can remember me too that would be great.

Three

2008-12-17T22:16:00.003-06:00

Latinos say that bad things happen in three's. (Do other people say that too?) When one really bad thing happens, people usually brace themselves for the 2nd and 3rd. And the evidence that this saying is true can usually be produced when a bad thing or two happens to the people around you. I know it's silly superstition. But these few weeks have softened the little part of my heart that is logical and cynical about these things.

I won't go into details about the bad things that have happened to us and those around us lately. If you are close to us, you probably know of at least 1 or 2. So as we see those around us become victims of life's sadness and we enter into that fraternity along with them, I've made an observation that I think is worth sharing.

As I have become both the bearer and recipient of bad news over the past few weeks I've seen a pattern. When someone has to give bad news, there is usually a seconds-long hesitation. Like the person speaking stops to think to themselves, "I can't believe I have to say this". And when someone makes that little pause, if you are the listener, you can feel it coming. You steel yourself for the bad news to come and wait for it. If you are giving the bad news, When the words finally form in the back of your mouth and escape through your lips with a little puff of air, you can almost feel your soul climb out of your chest and vaporize with those words.

The Bible is SO right about the spoken word. That part about having the power to build and to destroy? Yeah, it's true.

I could never understand the "sweep it under the rug" people. Those people that pretend that nothing is ever wrong. I have to admit that I'm starting to get it. Words are really powerful. When we speak it into our lives, we validate that it's real. In this growing up process, I don't want to sweep things under the rug. I want to accept reality, without becoming an "only happy when it rains" type of person either. (It's SOO easy to become that! I think I used to be one!)
I need words in my life right now. I need the kind that have the healing and rebuilding power. Not the other kind. Even if sweeping it under the rug is easier.

Finals Week- Test 2

2008-12-14T23:24:00.006-06:00

I went to Starbucks to study today. The library was closed until 1 pm, so I went to the next logical place.

I'm sitting there deep in concentration when I notice from the corner of my eye a 9 yr old boy staring at me while he was waiting for his hot chocolate. I mean *really staring*. I look up and smile at him. He looks at me for a second, looks away, and then wanders a little closer to me. This scene is repeated 3 more times until he's finally 3 feet away from my table. I finally break the awkward silence by asking him very nicely, "Um...is there something you want to know?"
He breaks a smile and fires away this series of questions, "Are you doing homework? Are you in High School or College? (God bless his heart) Is it hard?" So I answer his questions and try to explain what Logic means.

Now let me give you a some more info before I tell you this next part.

We are at a Starbucks. He's ordering Hot Chocolate. At Starbucks. In this economy. He's 9. His mom and Grandmother are buying expensive coffee gifts. He is very well spoken.

So then he says, "I'm in tutoring right now because my mom has made a lot of mistakes in life and I hear homework just gets harder and harder."

Right when he says that his mother and Gma come around the corner and they engage me in a really nice conversation, apologize for the interruption and leave.

I know that may not *sound* funny, but it really was, and the Starbucks Barista's who watched the entire thing agreed with me.

I came home after 5 hours of studying to a jubilant celebration from Aimee and Daniel. They were very happy to have spent time with Daddy, but they missed me too and it was nice to get a happy greeting.

THEN, a good friend performed an amazing act of kindness and generosity by bringing over 3 square meals. THREE. Aimee and Daniel, who were offered up their Dad's special grilled cheese and bolognia sandwiches for dinner, were very glad for it, indeed.

A much needed GREAT DAY!

Finals Week.

2008-12-10T10:42:00.003-06:00

It's so much more stressful when you have to make 3 meals a day and make sure that 4 people have clean socks.

2008-12-08T11:11:00.000-06:00

SUCKS!

2008-12-03T18:04:00.004-06:00

So Yoli (my sister) had her wallet stolen today. You can read about it on her blog. It made me think of how much it sucks to have your stuff taken from you. It can affect you in ways that you don't expect. Share your own experiences in the comments section if you like. Misery loves company.

It's happened to me a few times.

1. I was a freshman at Purdue. I was President of a Latino student organization. I had put together an amazing party as a fund raiser for the group and to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. I had been at the party location all day and I took all my stuff to get ready for the party in my nice Eddie Bauer backpack. I tucked my bag in a cabinet in the bathroom thinking, "Hey! I know most of the these people! No one would take something that wasn't theres anyway right?" WRONG. Items Lost: Some clothes, a new bottle of Estee Lauder perfume, all my make up, the nicest backpack I ever owned. I couldn't believe that someone that I probably knew would do that to me. It still stings a little when I think about it.

2. I was working for a health insurance company. I was a community relations manager and I did a lot of charitable work in the inner city. It was Christmas time. We were doing "Free Pictures with Santa". Someone broke into my car. Items Lost: The Santa suit and my work bag with a cute little album with my wedding pictures in it. It makes me angry when I think about that cute little photo album.

3. Working for the same insurance company. I was invited to join an coalition of organizations that help ex-cons reintegrate into society. I was at their annual meeting. Someone broke into my car while three guys on their lunch break watched. They came out to tell me what had happened, no one thought to call the cops. Items Lost: My brand new car radio that I had JUST received for Christmas from Brian. A large collection of CD's, and my work pager. (They tried to get me to pay for it.) Ironic.

I'm sorry Yoli. It's a terrible feeling to realize that someone has violated you by taking your stuff.

PS.... Where is the secret service when you need them? Isn't Hyde Park supposed to be like the safest place in the nation next to the White House now?

New Link

2008-12-01T20:50:00.003-06:00

I listed a new link on the blog roll. It's listed as "Anonymous Friend". This is a good friend of ours that needs to remain nameless (you will see why when you click on the link).

Check it out. If you like The Office or hate your job, you will really like his blog.

Say Hi and tell him Lizzie sent you!

Realities of Life

2008-12-01T07:45:00.005-06:00

I can now say that I am absolutely and undeniably a grown up.

I once read an article that defined what made you a grown up. I don't remember all of the criteria, but it included having a mortgage and having kids. Puerto Ricans say that you aren't a grown woman until you can make a good pot of arroz con gandules (Puerto Rican Rice). I still can't. I can tell you that having a mortgage and having kids doesn't always make you feel grown up. Sometimes you just feel like a kid with a mortgage and kids.

These past few months have solidly brought me into adulthood. Having to make difficult choices, suffering with those around me because I can't do anything else to make things better, not having time to be selfish, trying to build an fort of emotional safety for my kids so that they don't react to my stress, knowing that it's ok to not please everyone, making decisions that I know others will not approve of because they are right for my family, and finally, having the judgement to leave a really fun social event before the kids have a total meltdown even though I am having the time of my life (and being glad I did); these are the things that have made me grow up.

It is sobering. It's kind of sad.

I am starting to understand that cliche' about kids being a joy and all of that. When you are feeling really grown up, watching them joyfully experience life can fill your heart with so much tenderness (and yes, joy) that you can feel like a kid again and really appreciate it this time around. As hard as parenting really is, watching my little Danny toddle around while Aimee puts on a singing show makes me so happy that I actually feel light-headed sometimes.

Being a grown up isn't all I thought it would be. Early 20's was much more fun. Life was hard then too, but it didn't seem so real. Being in my early 30's with 2 little lives (3 if you want to count Remmy) to watch over makes every decision so much more FINAL and SCARY.

But you know what? It is great to share in moments of child-like joy with my kids. It feels good to know that I won't shut down, that I can deal with life, and that I can shake off the things that are unimportant. It feels damn good.

Advent Conspiracy Promo Video

2008-11-20T14:45:00.001-06:00

Watch this video. It's good!

My church is participating in this. We want to build a well for an orphanage we purchased land for a few years ago.

If you want to participate, let me know. (I'll even forfeit my christmas gift.)

Great Times

2008-11-16T22:56:00.002-06:00

We had a great weekend. We didn't DO anything. Aimee and I ran errands on Saturday. I tried taking her to the movies for the first time and that didn't exactly work out, but at least we tried and she wasn't too traumatized. Well...at least she got over it quickly.

This morning Brian made a really good breakfast. Hashbrowns topped with 2 perfectly cooked eggs over easy: runny yolks and perfectly white whites, three slices of thick cut bacon on the side, and a cup of really strong coffee. I took the kids to church while Brian did stuff around the house.

Worship was beautiful.

Kids slept. We made Caldo de Res and did homework.

We ate dinner and played "Daniel the Dinosaur".

Aimee made a whole family of Mr. Potatoheads and put on a puppet show with them.

She sang all night.

Tucked Aimee in and she ended the day with prayer. She's into thanking Jesus for her heart lately.

Good times.

Halloween and Gitana dress

2008-11-10T10:09:00.001-06:00

The Future

2008-11-05T10:02:00.002-06:00

This morning, I was watching all the news shows with Aimee. She asked me "Who is Barack Obama?" I told her, "He is our new president. He is a very important man and today is a very happy day!" She spent the next 10 minutes asking me if every black man on TV was Barack Obama.

It is so exciting to think that her generation will think "that could be a very important man" when they see a black man on the street and not the negative stereotypes the generations before them grew up with.

History

2008-11-04T23:42:00.003-06:00

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Pride

2008-11-04T09:53:00.010-06:00

Today I voted for...

The military vets who have sacrificed life and limb. The men who committed their lives to fighting a war that began under lies and false pretenses, who trusted their government to provide them with basic protective gear and who didn't receive it. The guys who came home injured to a system that fails them and doesn't provide them with the care to deal with their injuries. I voted for a change in that system.

The working families that struggle to make ends meet and to fill their gas tanks and refrigerators, while the establishment continues to give incentives to big oil companies who have made record profits in a year when american families have had record losses. I voted to not give them any more breaks and to make them accountable for the resources they take from american soil and do not pay for.

The hundreds of elderly people that I personally met while I worked for the insurance companies that could not afford to buy both groceries and blood pressure meds. I voted to create a system that actually delivers on the promises that SS and Medicare made when they were paying all those taxes for the years that they worked.

The thousands of women that are faced with the decision to abort a child because they don't have insurance to cover maternity costs or a living wage to support the child. I voted to end abortion by addressing the root causes, one baby at a time.

The innocent men and women who have been tortured and jailed in secret prisons without the right to fight for their freedom. Habeus Corpus is a human right.

The constitution that has been the foundation of our society. The strength of our nation. I voted for an administration that will respect the constitution and the american people.

Today I voted for Barack Obama.

For Stephanie.

2008-10-28T20:43:00.001-05:00

She put the chair right in the middle of the leaf pile and just sat there sucking her thumb and holding her blankie while I did all the hard work. That's your niece.

For Stephanie

2008-10-28T20:37:00.001-05:00

I put this one up because I know your Spanish kids *love* Native American stuff. This was taken at a Pow Wow last month.

update

2008-10-22T23:10:00.003-05:00

We've had a great few weeks. Things are looking up in the Wroblewski household. I've been asking lots of people for advice, asking for prayer, and getting back into the grove of focused parenting. Danny is a RIOT. He's learning how to walk and sounding out words. Brian taught him this little yell and he does it ALL DAY. He has a really strong arm and LOVES to whip plates, cups, balls, Remmy's dishes, whatever he can get his hands on.

Aimee has entered into the "why" stage. She must have said the word "why" over 100 times today. I hope it doesn't get old. I hope she never stops asking why. Brian and I want to encourage her to examine everything, question everyone, and form her own opinions.
Dear Lord in heaven, please don't ever let the words, "because I said so" ever come out of my mouth. Please don't ever let my daughter surrender to a mentality that is satisfied with that answer. Give me the wisdom and discernment to guide her into becoming a woman who loves truth and never grows tired of discovering it.

Starting Fresh...

2008-10-06T07:06:00.002-05:00

I'm re-starting today. Things have gotten a bit sticky over here in the Wroblewski camp. I'm discovering that no matter how hard I try, I can't insulate my kids (yes, both of them) from my stress. Aimee is head strong and forceful, so you can imagine how she is reacting. I can't offer her an ice cream cone without her having a temper tantrum, so you can imagine how she reacts when I ask her to clean up her toys. Danny is sensitive and perceptive. He can't help but start crying when I'm trying to dicipline Aimee. So from now on, I'm redirecting my nervous energy about school and everything else. I have re-ordered our day. I have armed myself with early morning prayer and meditation and some ideas that I had forgotten about parenting a toddler. Oh, and I stopped spanking. Your prayers and encouragement are appreciated.

Daniel Brian 9/22/07

2008-09-22T07:44:00.003-05:00

One year ago Daniel Brian came into our world. He was more beautiful than I even hoped for and my heart expanded more than I thought possible. I am helplessly and completely in love. Happy Birthday Daniel!

Preschool Pics

2008-09-05T17:02:00.002-05:00

Preschool!

2008-09-04T07:17:00.004-05:00

Update:

It could not have gone better. We had a GREAT day. She LOVED school. No tears. No potty accidents. Details and Pics! To come.

Today is Aimee's first official day of preschool! We had the orientation on Tuesday. I'm way excited and documenting every part of today. I promise I'll post pictures and let you all know how it goes.

Politics

2008-09-01T21:15:00.008-05:00

Ok, so by now, you have probably heard that the Republican nominee for VP is the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. If you are aware of that, then you are probably aware of this too... her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. This revelation came in response to the rumor that was flying around that Sarah Palin's 3 month old child was not really her's but was her daughters.

The rumor turned out to be untrue, but in response to it, the Palin family came out with the truth. McCain's people are saying that they knew, but they didn't feel it disqualified her as a candidate and that "parent's should not pay for their children's sins."

Here is my opinon.

As a parent, I'm confused and really sad for the 17 year old daughter. By accepting the nomination, her parents have exposed her to the criticism and ridicule of the entire world. While teenage pregnancy is a reality at all levels of society, it is still not acceptable. In all the pics I've seen of her on the campaign trail, she looks horrified. (I can't imagine being pregnant and living on a tour bus and airplanes, by the way).

They have already made her a poster child for making the right decision, but she's also a poster child for why Sex Ed is important. She grew up in a very conservative christian right wing priviledged home and even she became a statistic that could have been avoided. With everything that this child (the 17 yr old) is going to go through in the next few years, the LAST thing she needs is to do it in the public eye. The LAST thing she needs to be is a poster child for any cause. I question her parent's judgement. I question how any parent, mother or father, could put their own ambition over their child's well being, especially when she is going to need them more than ever.

The McCain camp says, "They are an American family. Lots of families deal with this, unfortunately, she will have to do it in the public eye." That's where they are wrong. She did NOT have to do it in the public eye. She could have carried her baby and built her life without many people really knowing, commenting, or caring about it. (I mean, there are more caribou in Alaska than people right?)

Being a young mother is hard enough. That, in itself, is consequence enough for her actions. Both Obama and McCain agree that people should leave the daughter alone. However, Dobson and the President of the Christian Coalition have already issued supporitve statements, gossip bloggers have already called her a whore. Good luck keeping her name out of the mouths of pundits and comedians.

Poor girl.

Back to school.

2008-08-28T07:17:00.009-05:00

I started last summer, but I didn't write much about it because I think it took me all of the session to process how I really felt about it. Of course, I was so excited to be back, but I also had to deal with a range of emotions that frankly, caught me off guard, and needed some serious reflection.

Let me tell you about the summer session. I took a business law class. I promised myself that I would not be the annoying older lady in the class. I remembered having several of those in my classes at Purdue Calumet, and I did NOT want to be that. The first day of school, I was so nervous that on the way to school Brian's cousin Robin had to assure me that I did NOT look old. She reminded me that I didn't have to raise my hand to ask for permission to go to the bathroom, and then she tried to make me feel better when my coordination betrayed me as I tripped going up the stairs. She even walked by and peeked in my class so that she could later assure me that I looked like a regular student and not like an older lady.

What she didn't know was that by that time, I had already broken my own rule to try to blend in. The teacher had asked us all to introduce ourselves and tell him if we had jobs. I gave up the info right away. "I'm a stay at home mom." The instructor asked me about my kids and then said, "Oh you must be really busy." One of the 19 year old boys in the class actually laughed. HE LAUGHED! He thought the teacher was joking. I immediately wished on him the blessing of a furtile wife with a career that requires a lot of travel.

The class was mostly 19 year old guys. There were 5 woman in my class. 2 of us were over 20. I loved the subject. It came very easy to me, and since the class was based on discussion, well, I became "that" lady. The opinionated one that enjoyed arguing with the professor. The one that everyone wanted in their group because they knew they'd get an A. The one that the professor called when she missed class to make sure she knew that he was going to give a quiz the next day. The summer session was over as quickly as it begun. It was a fun and easy class for me.
I was also able to take the class during the day, which gave both grandma's (and Mona) a chance to spend quality time with the kids and allowed me to go to school without interferring with our cozy evenings at home.

This semester will be different in just about every way. First of all, Brian and I are both taking 2 classes on different nights. Our classes are difficult and will require lots of studying. I am entering into my 2nd week of classes and I have already determined that I am NOT the most annoying person in either of my classes. I actually don't even stick out! Both of my classes are taught by interesting people, and the students in the class are way more diverse and interesting than they were last semester.

It's going to be a stressful 4 months. However, we know that life with children only gets more complicated as they get older. Soon, they will have their own evening commitments and our schedule will be dominated by their needs. If we are going to do this school thing, now is the time.

Also, I may be putting Aimee into Pre-school. I find out in the next few days. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I've got a crush on Biden...

2008-08-23T10:53:00.003-05:00

So it's going to be Obama/Biden. I know that most people have probably never heard of him, but he is truly a bad ass. If they made Congress and Senate trading cards, I'd keep Biden in a plexiglass protector on the bottom of my sock drawer along with Durbin and Gutierrez. He's a champion of justice, a patriot, and he knows his foreign policy. I'm kind of dizzy with excitement.

I've held back on blogging politics in the past few months, but there is a whole bunch of stuff I've been thinking about that is just begging to come out, so get ready.

Tropic Thunder

2008-08-22T23:51:00.004-05:00

This is hands down, the funniest movie I've seen all summer.
Don't see it if you are easily offended.
We got to stay out WAY past our bed time tonight.
We even got to get coffee with our friends afterward. We sat outside and talked until an hour after they closed the Starbucks. I don't even remember the last time we were able to do that.

Tomorrow I get to spend the day with my mom. It will be fun.

Growing up!

2008-08-14T07:44:00.002-05:00

Danny got his first two teeth! The tops! They are just two little gleaming white bits sticking out, but they are teeth! He looks so dang cute I can hardly contain myself. It hurts a little that he's growing up. I keep telling him to stay little, but he just won't listen.

Genetics...(With Aida's permission).

2008-08-06T07:17:00.007-05:00

There has been a lot of talk that my little Aimee has a remarkable resemblance to my cousin Aida. Aida was my very best friend from the time she arrived from Puerto Rico when she was 5 or 6, until she returned when she was in her late teens to go to College. (Her blog is linked on the side.) There is much more I could write about Aida, but I have Aimee tugging on me, so I'll make this post quick.

We all have those little qualities that made us different when we were little kids. Among Aida's qualities were her wildly curly hair, her ability to do things way differently from other people and still succeed at everything, the faces she made, and this other thing she shares with Aimee that prompted me to write this.

We all know that Aimee resembles Aida a lot when she was a little girl in her facial features and her hair. But this other thing is truely comical.

This morning, I made myself an English muffin with a little bit of cream cheese and apricot jam. Aimee came up to me and wanted to try it, so I gave her half of it, which she gobbled up. She stopped to ask me what was on it, and I told her, "It's cream cheese and Apricot Jelly."
"Crunchy? Where's the crunchy?" she asked. "No, not CRUNCHY. CREEEAM CHEESE. Would you like some more?" I asked. "Yeah". (She doesn't know that this isn't her first time eating cream cheese.)

So I went to make her another English muffin, when she came and asked me where the cream cheese was. I showed her. She picked it up, took it to the table...and this is the part where my cousins will start to crack up....she lowered her head and held her nose over the container and smelled it for like a minute. "NO! NO CREAM CHEESE!". She declared after having smelled it long enough. My daughter smells new foods to determine if she will eat it. Like Aida used to do when she was little, and I don't just mean that she smells it. She does it with the same exact flair that Aida used to do it with. I love genetics.

Daughters

2008-08-03T07:59:00.003-05:00

Last night Brian and I went to my brother in law's engagement party, hosted by his fiance's parents.

It was something to behold. The amount of time, care, and attention to detail that was put into this family party was an act of love.

It was held at her parents home. It started with coctails and appetizers in their beautiful patio garden. They played a "newlywed's" type game and then had some questions for the guests where we got to hear funny stories about their childhood. It was a great icebreaker. (I love me some ice-breakers).

Dinner was served in an unbelievably decorated tent that was put up in the yard. It was like scene out of a movie. No detail was spared. Candlelight, flower arrangements, even the plates were decorated by hand. It was visually stunning.

Her family was warm and funny.

It made me think of my wedding. When Brian and I were getting married, I didn't care about the details of the wedding at first. We were both so in love (still are), that the details didn't seem to matter, and I would have been happy with a pot luck in the church basement. All I cared about was having our loved one's celebrate with us. My mom encouraged us to have a big fancy wedding. She suggested the banquet hall and even helped pay the difference. I had a hard time understanding why she would want to invest that kind of money into an *evening*. Now that I have my own daughter, I understand.

Your love for your children doesn't change from the first love you experience the first days that you hold them in your arms and see their perfection. It just keeps adding layers ontop of layers. Most of us girls dream of our wedding day at some point in our lives, and my mom wanted me to have that dream. She didn't want me to look back on the most important day of my life wishing I had done it differently. Maybe that's why since the beginning of time, mother's of the bride are so involved in their daughter's wedding. And the Brides are all like, "OMG, my mother is CRAZY! You think SHE was the one getting married! All I want is a bucket of chicken and my MAN, but all my mom talks about is prime rib." Then those brides have their daughters and not only do they UNDERSTAND...they eventually BECOME their mothers. I hope to one day honor my daughter the way my mother honored me and Beth's parents honored her last night.

Paul and Beth, Brian and I wish you a magical engagement, a beautiful wedding, and a lifetime of happiness. The stress is worth it, the money is worth it, and a lot of times, giving into your mother's wishes is worth it too.

Aimee: Your new bedtime is 6 pm.

2008-08-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

When I decided to stay at home, we knew that we were immediately going to give up a few things; vacations to the carribbean, bi-monthly manicures and pedicures for me, nice phones. It's totally worth it. I love being home with the babies, but every now and then, there is something that makes me wistful for those days when we indulged because we didn't have to worry about buying formula and diapers. I'm talking about the Nintendo Wii.

We usually try to avoid things that we can't afford. What's the point? But this Wii "contraption" has been hard to avoid because it really and truly is- all the rage. Still, we knew that we'd never have one because, well, we try to be responsible people. And responsible people don't spend money they don't have on things they don't really *need*.

Then my mother in law called me. "I've decided that I'm going to get us a Wii". I almost choked on my coffee. A WHAT? "And I'm getting some games too". She told me that I didn't have to tell Brian if I didn't want to, that we could surpise him. So I kept the information to myself and after having dreamed about it all night, I decided that the excitment of waiting for it was really part of the fun, so I called Brian at work and told him to call him mom because she got something for us.

Brian and I immediately decided that our kid's bedtime is now 6pm, our daily dinner will consist of take out and fast food, and that we are basically going to pretend that we are 14 again. We got the Wii last night and played well past our bedtime. The thing that is so exceptional about the Wii is that most games are very physical. The wireless remote and sensor that you place on the TV allow the games to be lifelike and physically challenging. So, if you are playing bowling, you actually have to go through all of the motions of bowling. The speed of the ball depends on the force that you put into swinging your arm. Wii really is more high tech and fancy schmancy than I thought. So last night we spent hours playing boogie and Dance Dance Revolution. We really felt like we were 14 again....except that this morning, reality hit me when I woke up unable to move because of the soreness in my muscles. I'm 31.

What makes this gift even more fun and meaningful is that it was totally a huge surprise and unexpected and undeserved. I have a feeling that our family parties won't be the same. Now excuse me while I take an ibuprophen and put my kids down for a nap.

Princess this, Princess that..

2008-07-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

Brian stayed home from work today because I'm feeling sickly.

He put blue food coloring in Aimee's White Cheddar Mac and Cheese and told her it was
Royal Macaroni.

Also, we've been watching Sense and Sensibility each morning.

Family FunDay!

2008-07-26T22:15:00.000-05:00

It was pretty high!

The girls wanted to make sure she won.

These are some pictures from today. The first is a pic of Daniel that Brian took while I was laying in the hammock with Danny.

The rest are from a huge party that we went to today. It was amazing!

So about the party:

There is a young couple at our church that is in the process of adopting their first child from Vietnam. International adoption is crazy expensive. Like $30,000 for the whole deal. About half of that money goes to the orphanage and the rest is in travel, documents, fees, lawyers, ect. The couple has been raising the money through a series of fundraisers and this was (hopefully) the last one.

The party was held at a beautiful farm that is owned by a family friend of theirs. The theme was a western party and they had a ton of cute carnival style games designed for the under 8 crowd. They also had 3 bouncy houses. One for toddlers, another for the pre-school/kindergarten crowd, and one of the big kids. As you will see in the pics, Aimee quickly graduated to the big kid bouncy house that included a rope wall that she climbed at least 30 times. They also had face painting, water games, hay rides (which Aimee refused to go on), a Starbucks lounge and chocolate fountain with Wii Rock Band, a silent auction, a professional photographer took western themed family portraits, and the cleanest port-a-potty I've ever seen. Most of the things were donated by sponsors and everything was free to the guests. Another friend of ours, who had two daughters that are adopted from Vietnam, spoke about his experience during dinner and asked the guests to donate whatever we could. It was really emotional and Brian and I were practically doing breathing excersizes to keep it togather.

It is really an amazing thing to be able to be a part of this experience. Brian and I have a heart for children, and it is our Christian call to care for the widows and the orphans, but we don't know if we will ever be able to adopt for ourselves, so it is such a priviledge to be a part, however small, of someone else's journey.

More Pics!

2008-07-26T22:00:00.002-05:00

Aimee got to feed the horse grass. It was a riot!

This was her first look at the pretty strawberry painted on her face.

Pretty sunset.

The welcome sign was provided by my father in law. It looked great!

Aimee had a fantastic time. The youth group girls from our church are so generous with their attention to the young kids. They spent so much time today holding Aimee's hand and walking her from game to game, rigging them so that she would win no matter what, and letting her pick which ever prize she wanted. They fawned over her and complimented the pretty strawberry painted on her cheek to match her shirt. At the Starbucks lounge, one of the girls made sure that Aimee got one of the last strawberries and helped her dip it into the chocolate fountain.

Another thing that makes me so proud and happy is that she didn't have any accidents! I can almost say that she is potty trained! Hip! Hip! Hooray! I say "almost" because we still have to figure out how to stay dry during sleepy times. I'm sure it will come with time.

Danny was a perfect little angel. He spent most of the day with Brian and was content to be held and admired. We stayed until the sun went down and then called it a day.

I Love Three

2008-07-22T20:27:00.002-05:00

This morning, while Aimee was distracted from the TV, I started flipping through the channels and happened upon the 1940 version of one of my favorite movies and books of all time, Pride and Prejudice. (I happen to be reading the book right now). It had just started and since Aimee was distracted and Blue's Clues was not on her mind, I decided to leave it on for a few minutes. When I went to change the channel, she said, "No! I want to watch that! I want to see the princesses!" Just to be clear, she wanted to watch PRIDE and PREJUDICE. The BLACK AND WHITE 1940's VERSION.

I can't even begin to unpack all of the emotions I felt at that moment. Pride. Joy. Glee. Amazement. Satisfaction.

She watched the entire thing with me.

I love LOVE LOVE three.

Indiana

2008-07-13T21:37:00.003-05:00

It was a fantastic few days in Indiana. We are back home now. Aimee got very emotional when she saw Brian. She was so busy with all of the fun things we had going on that I think she actually forgot to miss him. When she saw him, she was flooded with emotion and spent the rest of the evening in tears. I asked her why she was crying and she sobbed and said, "I'm crying because I'm SAD! Where's daddy?" I can't wait until adolesence. If we survive it, I will expect a pat on the back.

We had

3 days of Vacation Bible School.
2 trips to Downtown.
1 first ride on the train. (2 if you count the return trip).
0 temper tantrums.
5 fighter jet sightings (from the Gary Airshow).

I got to read 2 books.

I'll go into more details later.

One more thing:

Brian rode the L.A.T.E. Ride last night.

25 Miles through Chicago and down the lake shore.
1 am - 5 am. Brian rode it in a little over 2 hours.
10,000 riders
1 pair of bunny ears on his helmet
Countless drunks cheering him on.
He said it was the time of his life.

Always have a camera handy...

2008-07-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

I woke up Friday morning a little before 7 am. I would have liked to have slept in, but Aimee had other ideas. The phone rang as soon as I walked down the stairs and I immediately wondered who the heck was calling so early, and WHY were they calling so early. It was my neighbor. "Liz, look out your back window!" My immediate thought was that I was finally going to see the 2 dozen bats she swears live in our tree, the ones that according to her, come out every day at dawn and dusk. I have yet to see a single bat.

So I looked out the window and saw one of the most awe-inspiring and exhilarating sights I've ever seen in my life. About 8 hot air balloons landing in the field behind our house.
I yelled up to Brian that he needed to get up RIGHT NOW and look out the window. I ran outside and acted like I was three years old.

The hot air balloons were part of a yearly festival that happens in the suburb one town away called, "Eyes to the Skies". The balloons were participating in some sort of competition. A team of people set up a giant "X" in the field and the people in the balloons dropped small bean bags with a parachute as they drifted past the "X". They landed in the field, then returned back to the festival.

Brian and I ran back in as soon as they landed to get our camera. Our joy was quickly turned to a little bit of frustration as we realized that our nice digital camera has gone missing. It was hard to be too upset, however. The balloons were so beautiful and really kind of magical. It really takes a lot to impress me and make me feel like a little kid again. This did the trick.

The Incredible Hulk

2008-07-02T05:37:00.002-05:00

Brian and I went to see this last night. Before I say anything else, let me say that I have no interest in comic books or super heros. My interest in seeing this was based on the really good reviews it received, Edward Norton is in it (he's an amazing actor), and that Get Smart was sold out. GET SMART sold out?

This movie ROCKED my world. If I were a 13 year old boy, I would have clapped at the end, without caring that all my buddies would make fun of me for the rest of my life.

Go see this movie, then call me so we can get all geeky about it togather.

Three

2008-06-27T20:16:00.003-05:00

Three is both utterly terribly exhausting and delightfuly wonderful at the same time. Aimee turned three a few weeks ago and every day is a new discovery. Every day she is able to command her tongue a little bit better and new phrases and words pour out of her mouth as if they were in there all the time just waiting to be freed.

New words and phrases:

Actually
Special
Did you hurt yourself, Mommy? Can I kiss it?
Are you done breaking? (After Brian explains to her that I'm taking a break).
BLUE'S CLUES IS COMING UP MOMMY! (Except that she still says "Blue's Blue's".)
Can I have a Tortilla?
What's that?
Mosquito bite (She has like 3 of them).
Brow
Oh My Dear! (Instead of: oh my God or gosh).

Today she finally came to understand that the Mexican looking baby in all those baby pictures she likes to keep in her room are of HER and not Daniel. He's the white looking baby. Which means that she now understands that she once was a baby herself and she is growing.

She has yet to understand that although many people like calling her "Princess", I am not, in fact, one of her servants who she commands with phrases like, "Mommmmy....Chocolate Miiiilllk" or "You clean it up for me, Mommy" or my favorite, "Mommmmy, you go find my bwanket".

The Wiggles are sooo last year and the Disney Princesses are where it's at.

Potty training, until now, has been an utter failure. I am convinced that her "accidents" are merely a form of rebellion and excersizes in showing me who's really boss.

She is demanding, headstrong, and vocal.

She also still smells like strawberries. She likes Target, asks if we can go for ice cream when we go on walks along the Naperville River Walk, and dances like a Puerto Rican when she hears dance music at the Frozen Yogurt place.

She has already skinned her knee twice this summer. We were half way to the park and I don't know if she cried more because she thought that we wouldn't go to the park anymore, or if it was because her knee hurt. I remembered what that felt like, the devastation of having awesome plans interrupted by a stupid accident, and the relief of making it to the destination even though everything didn't go as planned.

Three is awesome and sad at the same time. This is the last year I can call my little baby girl a "little baby". This year, all that is baby inside of her will be outgrown and a little girl will fully replace all of her babyness. It makes me want to cry.

My Little Danny is growing up!

2008-06-18T05:36:00.002-05:00

I keep telling Daniel that he should just stay little for me. That I want him to stay my little baby forever so that I can just hold him in my arms and smell his soft little neck all day. He won't listen to me though. He keeps getting bigger and more like a boy. He can't sit still anymore and prefers to crawl all over the house now. Our gates are back up so that I can contain him in one area of the house. It looks like his first tooth will be coming in soon as well (He's 9 months already!). Changing him has become a challenge because he refuses to sit still. The minute I take his diaper off he flips over like a little alligator.

The other night, he woke up crying at 2 am, and it turned out to be a little gift to me because I got to go into his room and just hold him until he fell back asleep. I put him on my chest and laid back like I used to when he was a little newborn and he immediately fell asleep. I was so tempted to just stay like that the rest of the night.

I said it when Aimee was born, and it's true with Daniel. Time just speeds up when you have kids. All I want to do is hold on and slow things down a little bit, but time just won't stop for me, and Daniel won't stay little.

Father's Day

2008-06-15T20:49:00.005-05:00

We are fortunate to have our kids. Even as we struggle to know how to deal with each new challenge without being really sure if what we are doing is right, we feel blessed and at the end of the day we are aware that when this stage of life is over, we will long for it. Our children are blessed. As their parents, we are (sometimes painfully) aware of our shortcomings, but our spirit is really one of wanting to be the best we can offer them, and without sounding prideful, they don't really have it so bad.

Brian is an A+ dad. I love him. Our kids love him. We are blessed to have him.

A Maldonado Girl's Right of Passage..she'll be dealing with hair issues for the rest of her life.

2008-06-05T21:12:00.004-05:00

Aimee got her first haircut today! She was so well behaved and I think she actually enjoyed it!
We went to KidSnips, the children's hair salon. All of the seats for small kids are cars and airplanes. Each station has a DVD player and as you can see in the background, it is also a toy store. We've been there before because my friend manages that salon and I was a little worried that we wouldn't be able to tear her away from the toys, but she didn't even pay attention to the toys at all! She received a balloon, they took a picture of her and gave us a certificate and a lock of her hair, and she got to pick a free toy out of the treasure chest. The hair stylist, Miki, was really great with Aimee. Aimee was totally at ease with her. Miki did her hair like a princess crown with small clips and put fairy dust in her hair. It was a great experience. We even went for ice cream afterwards.

by the way... I know her hair looks short in this picture, but they just cut a tiny tiny bit. Like maybe an inch. It just looks short fro this angle.

A Wroblewski Male Right of Passage

2008-06-05T21:06:00.002-05:00

Wroblewski's love their meats. Especially turkey. This was Danny's first meat-centric meal.

Retreat

2008-06-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

We went on a retreat a few weeks ago with our church. Daniel stayed with my mom for the weekend. It was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures.

Aimee really liked sleeping in the bunk bed with me.

She spent hours playing outside with all her friends.

The resort was really beautiful. This is the view from an observation tower that they have all around the resort. It's Green Lake in Wisconsin.

I'm just sad it has to end..

2008-06-01T21:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes Brian will ask me what my least favorite part of my day was. He usually asks this when we've had a particularly eventful day.

We've had some very eventful weeks (which is why blogging has been so slow).

My answers have been, "I just wish we could have stayed longer" or "I'm sad it has to end" or "I wish we could do this all the time".

We are having a lot of fun in our free time with the kids. I LOVED my first day of school.
Aimee has a tan. Daniel is crawling. Brian and I have been getting weekly date nights. Our parents are amazing and generous. We bought me a fancy-pants new bike for my birthday.
Playdates have been fun and grown up talk has been interesting, stimulating, and rewarding.
Brian likes work more. I'm sleeping better than ever.

Guess What?

2008-05-28T06:42:00.002-05:00

Aimee knows that if I ever say to her, "Guess what?", something fun is about to happen. Sometimes, when she gets a bright idea about what she wants to do, she'll say, "Guess what? I want to....go to park today".

So... Guess what? I start school today! I am so deeply grateful to my wonderful family that is being so supportive. It is really humbling to have people willing to sacrifice so much of their time to take care of the kids so that I can work on achieving my long held goals. Thank you.

Re:thinking

2008-05-26T20:12:00.007-05:00

I'm going through some changes.

I'm thinking that change happens a bit more frequently when you choose to live life intentionally. Maybe not for everyone. For me? Yes. I am in evolution.

I'm hoping for courage and confidence. Some things are easier when you have the support of loving friends and family, and I'm learning to accept it freely, with gratitude.

Other things have to be done alone, and it seems so much harder that way, but that is just the way it has to be... for now anyway.

Sign of the times

2008-05-16T21:40:00.003-05:00

I've been really busy, so blogging has been light. Things are good. Our summer calendar is already half full.

I usually write all my introspective stuff in the early pre-dawn hours of the morning. I've been enjoying my sleep lately, so nothing profound has found it's way onto this website in a while, but I'm working on it.

I've had an unhealthy obsession with politics and the immigrant experience. I hate it, but the subject always seems to haunt me, even if I try to avoid it.

I'm trying to make our household more eco-aware. Recycling more, buying products with less harmful chemicals. A trip to the ER last week from a bad reaction to some cleaning chemicals has me thinking that maybe my kids shouldn't be breathing in harmful fumes.

SHE DID IT!

2008-05-07T10:55:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to my youngest sister, Stephanie for graduating from Indiana University with a double major (?) in International Studies and Spanish. It is not surprising to me at all that she graduated in 4 years (most people don't do that anymore) because she is wickedly smart and super competitive. It seems like just yesterday she was graduating high school and we were at her college orientation. Time has gone by so quickly and she has been able to experience so much without getting distracted by life, as so many do.

We are all super proud of her and excited to see what good things life has in store for her.

Gratitude

2008-05-01T09:35:00.004-05:00

What luxury to be a middle class stay at home mother and go through periods of discontent. I recently came out of one. It is a natural season in the year's emotional cycle of the SAHM. Some wish for more stuff, others yearn for the stress and praise of corporate life; for me, sometimes it's both. That season ends and enters in a new time of gratitude. My healthy children, appreciative husband, loving family, modest home, living within our means, being in touch with what it means to be in relationship with God; while I survey these things, a great sense of humility and responsibility descends on me. To be born in this time, to live in this land of plenty -- it just seems like a waste if it isn't shared.

I would like to simplify, downsize, take smaller bites and savor each thing intentionally.

31

2008-04-28T10:17:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow I turn 31 and for the first time in a looong time, I have so much going on that I completely forgot about it and don't really care about celebrating it.

All of a sudden, life is very busy. I actually offered to coordinate a series of events at my church for women. One a month for the next...however long we decide to keep doing this. The first event is Wednesday, May 14th and I am feeling a little bit of pressure to make it freakin' awesome so that the women that go to it will really be blessed and want to come back for more.

Stephanie graduates this weekend and Brian and I will be traveling sans kids. I am not nervous at all about leaving them with the grandparents, but I know that while it will be amazing to actually ride in a car for more than 30 minutes without having to concede to my little tyrant's demands for control over the music selection, I am going to miss them terribly. I also still need to buy a dress, since the whole weightloss thing hasn't gone so well and I sent all my fat clothes to Mexico when I lost weight after Aimee. I refuse to wear maternity clothes.

I am also in charge of making sure care packages for the college students at our church get put togather and delivered for final's week, so I'm remembering the importance of delegating and I've been calling and emailing people with their tasks.

I don't like drama in my life and I had a disturbing little piece of it last week. I'm not sure how it's going to be resolved, but I think that brutal honesty, prayer, and maybe maturity (I am almost 31 now, you know) have kept me from obsessing and losing sleep over it.

School starts 4 weeks.

God is good.

I think I'm officially one of those animal people....

2008-04-25T16:18:00.005-05:00

I am cooking dinner for my dog. He has a stomach thing and I was advised to give him rice and ground beef. I don't have ground beef, so I'm cooking the rice in my fancy Organic Free Range Chicken Stock from Trader Joes.

I will be ordering Pizza for the humans in the family.

Giving In..

2008-04-24T12:49:00.003-05:00

I've received a lot of compliments on the pics that I post here. Although I said I would never do it, I'm going to give in and give credit where credit is due.

When my in-laws come over, my mother in law basically spends 75% of the visit with the camera glued to her hand. Somehow, she has learned how to make that camera obey her every command at the very moment she commands it to do something. My camera still takes a good five seconds to take a picture, even after I've given it a pep talk.

So I'm giving credit where it's due. Most of the pictures I've posted have indeed, been taken by Carol W., family photographer extraordinaire.

Great Days...

2008-04-21T23:39:00.008-05:00

Great Days!

2008-04-21T23:19:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago, a recruiter that has placed Brian in jobs in the past called to see if Brian would be interested in taking a different job. He campaigned hard, calling and emailing daily with new details about the job offer that made the pot sweeter and sweeter. A really big raise, good benefits, a nice job title, the prospect of ascending in the management ladder. Did I mention generous relocation benefits? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this awesome job is in Alabama. I have to admit that we thought about it for about 1.5 seconds. The huge bump in salary was even more tempting because the cost of living down there is almost half...yes half of what it is here. A house like ours would cost less than half of what we are paying for ours right now.

That thought was immediately erased from our collective mind as we considered what our life would be like without our parents and siblings. It is true, we depend on you. A lot. Great days with you drive the point home.

Seriously. Cute.

2008-04-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

Seashells

2008-04-15T22:25:00.007-05:00

I am so happy that it is finally spring. The sunshine and warmer temps have warmed my spirits and I am find myself feeling more myself and more deeply in love with everything. I am appreciating in a new way how truely funny and wonderful my two cuties are. Aimee cracks me up all the time with the new faces she is making and the funny things she is saying. Daniel is so aware. He and Aimee get into these cute squeaking matches. Daniel will squeak and Aimee will imitate, then he'll squeak again, and so on and so on. Aimee can make him laugh histerically just by saying "tickle tickle tickle", even when she is sitting on the other side of the room.

I would like to collect these little moments like seashells and store them in a box under my bed so that I could take them out when I find that my spirit has been chilled by my soul's winter. I wish that on those days when things seem dark and unhappy, I could hold these moments in my fingers and close my eyes, so that I could come back to these joyful times - even if only in my memory.

Random

2008-04-10T22:40:00.002-05:00

Aimee wanted to smell everything today. She asked me to carry her to the stove so that she could smell what I was making for dinner. Than she spent the rest of the evening going around the house looking for things to smell.

Here she is with her Uncle Paul over the weekend.

Daniel Brian

2008-04-07T23:41:00.002-05:00

When I was pregnant and found out that I was having a boy, we used to sit around and imagine what he would be like. We would say that he was probably going to be the exact opposite of his sister, Aimee. Aimee looks just like me. She has dark hair and dark eyes. She has an explosive temper. Her disposition swings like a pendulum from one extreme to another. She is either deliriously happy or utterly devastated. The elements of her composition are tears, and laughter, and squeals of happiness. She always smells like strawberries and cotton candy. She is aggressive and determined. We would say that Daniel was going to be a chubby little polish boy that would smell like butter and mustard. That he would be steady, and reasonable, and frugal like his father.

Daniel is now six months. Let me tell you a little bit about him. I think he looks exactly like his father. Believe it or not, he smelled like butter for the first 4 months and his crib sheet needs to be changed very frequently because he sweats in his sleep. While his sheet does not smell like mustard, it does smell like vinegar, which is an ingredient in mustard. Daniel is the most cheerful baby I've ever seen. He smiles freely and frequently. Crying is reserved for extreme circumstances and he prefers to communicate his needs with mild fussiness. His eyes are so bright that you can see the whole room reflected in them. His smile is like seeing a birthday cake with blazing candles.

Every morning, Aimee happily bounces into his room and immediately climbs onto the side rail of the crib so that she can yell, "Hi Morning Daniel!" She grits her teeth because she is so excited and full of emotion to see him and aggressively grabs his hand and then lets it go when I tell her to be gentle. Daniel receives this greeting with a great squeal of joy and enthusiastic kicking, not minding the aggressive hand holding/pulling or that the morning greeting was delivered through gritted teeth.

Beyond the joking that Brian and I did, we never really imagined what our kids would be like. I was ecstatic with joy and surprise when I met them both. The first time I saw them, the air was knocked out of my lungs. I feel unworthy that God would create such beautiful perfect little things and place them under my stewardship. Here's to hoping I don't screw them up too much.

Let's talk weight loss

2008-04-02T05:00:00.005-05:00

I stopped going to my Weight Watcher's meetings in February because I momentarily (for like 6 weeks) felt like going crazy. I gained back 8 pounds, but I'm not going to cry about it now. I kind of enjoyed every calorie I put in my mouth and now I'm over it. I went back to WW 2 weeks ago and found that my meeting had a new leader. I have been to lots of different locations and seen lots of leaders (maybe 10) and I've never seen a leader that wasn't a grandparent until now. Not only is the new leader totally NOT a grandparent, she is totally hot. I'm talking skin tight black dress paired with shiny, pointy, red, knee-high boots hot. All hotness aside, she is also kind of annoying in that energetic cheerleader at a funeral kind of way. But she is hands down the best leader I've ever had. I would even say that I love her.

Let me give you an idea of what the WW meetings are like. You walk in, hand the receptionist your little card where you log your weight and step on a scale. The scale has a little display box sitting on the registration desk where only the person sitting at the desk can see your weight. They write your weight down on your little card and then you go into the meeting room. If it is your first week at WW, you are shocked at the number of people that weigh 125 lbs that struggle with weight issues and you are relieved to not be the fattest or thinnest person in the room. The leader gives a short talk about that week's topic. The talks are always very helpful, but it isn't like therapy or anything. They are usually very clinical. This week's talk was about emotional eating. Hot girl did such a good job that here it is, 5 am on a Wednesday, and I can't sleep because I'm thinking about why I'm overweight.

WW is all about control. You control what you eat, how much of it, and when you eat it. It's not a rigid diet. It's a system to help you understand how you should be eating to be healthy. Control isn't really hard, but it takes a lot of effort. Usually, when I'm following the plan I feel in control of my life. I would even say I feel happier. (To be read in a whiney voice) SO WHY DOES IT FEEL SO DIFFICULT?

Food has been just about everything for me except for what it should be. At WW we talked about using a tool called, "Reframing" which basically means, changing the way you think. That is probably the hardest part about a weightloss journey. Every holiday, every stressful situation, every moment of boredom is an opportunity to go back to old behaviors. This weight loss battle is like a spiritual struggle for me. I go back and forth and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it. For now, I'm going to take on the attitude that I did this weekend with the closet cleaning. I don't really want to do it, but I'll do it anyway and feel better about it when it's done.

Assignment 47 Trailer

2008-03-30T22:19:00.001-05:00

This is a trailer for a movie that one of our friends wrote, directed, and starred in. It looks amazing and we can't wait until it comes out!

Something New

2008-03-30T21:11:00.004-05:00

I was thinking today about how I haven't posted in a while because my mind has been like my messy closet. I know that there is a lot of cool stuff in there, but it's just all bunched up togather and I don't have the energy to pick through it all. When we got home from church today, Brian got into an organizing frenzy. Even though I didn't feel like doing anything but laying down and watching a Jane Austen movie, I sucked it up did what Brian does when I get into a mood like that and helped out. It was therapeutic to clean the closet (and get started on the garage). It was a metaphor for what I need to do in my life. Even though I don't really FEEL like doing what I need to do, I just need to do it.

So, in the attempt to clean the messy closet of my mind, over the next few days I'm going to write a couple of random things that I have floating around in there. Kind of like when you make piles in an attempt to organize.

To CCC:

It's been a hard winter, I know. Be encouraged. Spring is here and with it comes the clean breeze of change and new life. My prayer for you: that God's fresh annointing would flow over you like a river. That this would be a time of renewal. That the branches of your tree would be brilliant with blossoms and your harvest bountiful.

He kills me with his cuteness.

2008-03-25T07:08:00.001-05:00

Potty Training!

2008-03-12T22:33:00.004-05:00

It started Monday night. This is a picture of her first trip to the potty.

We are using what I'm going to call the marathon method. The day after this picture was taken, we rolled up the rug, covered the couch, put the potty in the middle of the living room floor. We are spending our days drinking juice and practicing using the potty. We have a poster to put stickers on every time she goes, and m&m's to reward any attempt to use the potty. She's already tried tricking me into giving her m&m's by sitting on the potty and trying to convince me that the pee-pee just disappeared. Smart girl.

The first time she used the potty, we celebrated as if she had gotten into Stanford. Our exhuberant joy scared her a bit. We called the grandparents. We danced. We took pictures. It was great.

Here are the stats so far:

Day 1: 6 successful trips to the potty, 3 accidents.
Day 2: 5 successful trips to the potty, 1 accident.

Daylight Savings Time

2008-03-10T17:04:00.005-05:00

The time change has not been kind to the Wroblewski clan. Brian stayed home until noon today because I was so behind on my sleep. I slept in until ELEVEN. It was glorious.

We had some great weekends lately. We've had social commitments just about every single weekend since late January, but I feel like they are starting to wear on us a bit. After Easter, a break will be in order.

Congratulations to my Brother in Law Paul and his fiance Beth on their engagement. I am anxious to hear all of the details. I want a minute by minute play-by-play. Also, I just realized that if Beth changes her name to Wroblewski, both Brian and Paul will be married to Elizabeth Wroblewski's. Weird.

Words fail...

2008-03-06T07:07:00.010-06:00

Change is heart-wrenching. Sometimes we may find ourselves on a path that is not of our own choosing. The reaction to being thrust into an unchartered course really depends the perspective of the travelers, I guess. I AM young and I don't know a damn thing, but I can tell you this: dark valleys can turn into thriving rivers without warning.

My prayer is for wisdom, a fresh annointing, grace, and truth.

I am heartsick.

It's Official

2008-03-03T08:54:00.004-06:00

I'm going to Northern. And it makes me feel really old. The day before the shootings, I received my housing packet in the mail. I wasn't going to open it. I was going to take a picture of it and post it on my blog the next day to announce to everyone that I was going to go to school there. I was going to leave it out on the counter so that when Brian annoyed me, I'd point to the housing packet and say, "You know, I DO have other options."

Just about the time that my youngest sister, Stephanie (who is 9 years younger than me and 3 years older then my future classmates) is graduating, I will be starting school. That makes me feel old. I am receiving emails and informational pamphlets with pictures of really young kids on them. That makes me feel old too. I just received an invitation for an orientation luncheon for minority students. I would like to go because I really do need to get oriented to the campus and their services, but I'm worried that if I go, the other kids will think I'm one of the teachers-- which made me just realize that I will be older than some of my teachers. Ummm, Yeah. I am old.

Fessing up...

2008-02-26T21:31:00.003-06:00

Ok. It's time to tell the truth. I broke my "no spanking" rule. It happened a few weeks ago when Aimee was REALLY misbehaving and I already had her in time out. Daniel was finally asleep and she was SCREAMING her head off in a tantrum. I told her that if she screamed again, she'd get a spanking. She stopped screaming, looked me right in the eyes, opened her mouth REALLY wide, and let one out that shook the entire house and woke up her baby brother. I walked back in to her room, turned her around, and gave her two good wacks on her pampered butt. I then explained to her that what I just did is called a spanking and that she would get another one if she did that again. Just to test out what I had just told her, she screamed again, so I reluctantly spanked her again. That was the end of the screaming. This happened several weeks ago and she hadn't received any spankings since then.

Today, the same scenario played out, but THIS time, all I had to do was threaten to spank before she immediately stopped screaming and layed down to take her nap. She must have wanted to see if I'd remember what spanking was, because as soon as I walked out of her room and closed the door she let out a big scream. I walked back in. She immediately tightend her buns and tried scooting away from me (she was laying down). Again, I turned her around and firmly, not angrily, spanked her. I told her that if she did it again, I'd have to spank her again. I walked out of the room a second time and she let out a little scream, I reasoned to myself that it wasn't an intentional scream, rather, a loud cry. Then silence and another big scream. Again, another firm spanking, she became quiet, and immediately went to sleep.

I had a very difficult few days with her last week that didn't include any spankings, but did include her first self given hair cut (right on top of her head), lots of BIG messes, and more than a few afternoons waiting for Brian to walk in the door. I decided to really pray a lot this week and to be a lot more strict. I know she is testing me, and I need to respond to her testing by showing her that I am going to be consistent. As much as I HATED how strict my mom was when I was little, I was always comforted by it as well.

So there. I've come clean.

Crossroads

2008-02-21T00:13:00.004-06:00

I'm at a crossroads and it's kind of scary. I was accepted at Northern Illinois University (yes, the same school that's been in the news for that horrible thing that happened last week). It's a good school. If I decide to go, it will mean two years...maybe more...of discomfort for our family while I complete my bachelor's degree. The other option I've looked into is a small boutique university that specializes in Adult degree completion programs. While it has a great reputation in the Education field, their business program is known for "cranking out degrees".

I heard something interesting the other day. Someone was saying that often times we do not succeed because we are afraid. Sometimes we fear failure, other times we fear success, but usually we fear leaving our comfort zone in order to achieve. Later on, I heard something else that I am claiming for myself. "Would God bring me this far to not see me through to the end?" My answer is a resounding "NO! He doesn't leave his work unfinished!"

Stay tuned to find out what happens as I make a HUGE decision in the next two weeks.

Goodnight Moon

2008-02-16T22:37:00.008-06:00

Dear Aimee,

Today we had a family day. We spent the day at home chasing you around the house, playing under the covers, and holding you while we watched PBS Sprout. We decided at 5pm to go to the mall to get a few things and take you to ride the Merry-go-round.

When we got to the mall, it was still daylight, but the moon was already very visible. For the first time, you immediately noticed the moon and pointed it out to us saying, "Hello Moon! The moon is in the sky!" As we walked from the parking lot
to the mall, you tracked the moon with every step and waved good-bye as we went in.

Your daddy and I have discovered that using the Merry-go-round as a reward is the most effective way to get you to behave at the mall, hands down. You usually hate doing anything that isn't your idea. If we want you to walk, you want to be carried. If we want you to sit in your stroller, you want to walk. When we were waiting for your dad in the tool department of Sears, I explained to you that I wanted you to be a big girl and walk, and that if you got tired, you should sit in the stroller. If you did these things, then you would get to ride the Horsies. You immediately sat in the stroller and stayed there for an hour and half until it was time to ride the horsies.

When we got to the food court, you obediently sat and began to eat your chicken nuggets. I was unaware that you were keeping your eye on the Merry-go-round and as soon as it stopped, you put down the fry you were about to eat, grabbed me by the hand, and led me to the line forming to get on the ride. You patiently waited the 10minutes it took the attendant to come back from his break, handed him the special coin you have to buy to get on the ride, and you picked a big black horse with pretty braids to ride on. The attendant took another five minutes to get the ride started, which was fine by us because it gave you a chance to pretend to ride the horse.

By the time the ride started and went around twice, all you could talk about was eating your "shickens" (Chicken nuggets) and going home. When I finally convinced you that your shickens were waiting for you to eat when the ride finished, you spent the rest of the ride waving and yelling "hi" to your daddy every time it went around to where he was waiting with Daniel.

When we walked out of the mall, it was already dark and the first thing you did was look for the moon. It was a little hard to find because it was really cloudy, but almost instantly, the clouds opened up where the moon was and you were able to find it. I carried you to the car and you spent the whole walk to the car with both arms high in the air singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". When we got to the car, you said "goodnight" to the moon and blew it several kisses.

It may sound cliche', but having you and our brother in our lives makes the world magical again.

Belated

2008-02-15T07:23:00.002-06:00

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! I had a root canal yesterday. We did have a good day, however. My mom was able to come over to take care of the kids and I was able to run some important errands after the root canal. Aimee made Brian and I a Valentine's day card while I was gone and when I came home we all made cupcakes togather. Aimee ate a whole bowl of frosting and like 4 cupcakes. (So much for not letting her eat too much sugar!) Brian and I ended up going out to dinner at the last minute, since my mom stayed later. We have a tradition of always going to the most GHETTO places for V-day dinner. It didn't start out that way, we'd just get frustrated by the 3 hour waits at other restaurants. The one year we thought we'd beat the waits by making reservations at a really nice restaurant, we ended up waiting 2 hours anyway.

Some of the trashy places we've been to include: Miner-Dunn in Indiana, (Dirty burger joint) Steak and Shake, Denny's, I think one year we just got Harold's chicken. This year, we went to a place that we always joked about going to called The Fox Restaurant. It looks really dirty from the outside, so we thought it would be the perfect place for Valentine's day. It turns out that it's actually pretty clean. The food wasn't bad. Perfect Valentine's day.

In Today's Chicago Tribune...

2008-02-13T11:10:00.001-06:00

This is why I can't vote Republican (even though I think abortion is wrong).

WWED: What will evangelicals do?

When longtime evangelical leader James Dobson endorsed Mike Huckabee for president last week, how many voters were listening? Polls and scholars suggest not as many as in the past.

In fact, surveys say the same voters who catapulted George H.W. Bush and his son into the White House favor Democrats in this year’s presidential election, spurred by a new generation of evangelical leaders.

Concerns about poverty and health care have made the evangelical vote that Republicans have come to expect much more of a wild card, reports George Barna in the latest survey by his Christian polling firm.

Many scholars attribute the shift to a new generation of evangelical kingmakers entering the political conversation, including author and activist Rev. Jim Wallis, Rev. Sam Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and Lynne Hybels, wife of Rev. Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. They support the theory that conservative power brokers such as Dobson no longer have the clout to dictate how evangelicals should vote.

In Wallis’ latest book "The Great Awakening," he calls for a politics of solutions for hunger, poverty and health care and reminds readers that faith was the driving force behind the abolition of slavery and civil rights. From Wheaton to Winnetka, Wallis will tour the Chicago area next week.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez, "the Karl Rove of Latino evangelical strategy," told my colleague Margaret Ramirez that conservative evangelicals of the past have discouraged platforms that don’t address abortion or gay marriage.

"The agenda of the evangelical church in America has been two-fold since 1973: It has been sanctity of life and traditional marriage. ... It’s almost blasphemous to go beyond those two items," he said. "Now, the Hispanic evangelical comes along and says there are other items that we need to look at. What about alleviating poverty, from a biblical view? What about health care and education? What about speaking against torture? What about human rights?"

But Lynne Hybels insists that the evangelical community has never been a one- or two-issue voting bloc.

"The silence of moderate and progressive Christians has perpetuated a narrow view of evangelicals," she said, breaking her own silence. (In the past, she worried that anything she said might be construed as political and get Willow into hot water.)

"Evangelicals committed to the fight against poverty and injustice, both locally and globally, have been working, volunteering, funding and praying about those issues for decades," she continued. "Finally, their voices have become prominent in the political conversation."

Indeed, Michael Lindsay, author of the book "Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite" said about 70 percent of today’s evangelicals simply don’t identify with the Religious Right.

Lindsay said reporters and pundits should be careful not to confuse evangelicals with Republican conservatives. Exit polls on Super Tuesday illustrate Lindsay’s point.

According to a post-election survey conducted by Faith in Public Life and the Center for American Progress Action Fund, nearly 340,000 white evangelical Democrats in Missouri and Tennessee favored Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But one would never know from reading the exit polls that day because pollsters only asked Republicans if they were evangelical, said Katie Barge of Faith in Public Life, the non-profit organization that co-sponsored the survey.

Those exit polls also failed to note that white evangelicals in both states ranked jobs and economy as the most important issues in deciding how to vote, far outnumbering those who considered abortion and same-sex marriage most important.

What issues do you consider most important when you vote? Do you look to any particular religious leaders for guidance?

Today

2008-02-12T23:09:00.002-06:00

I'm on Facebook now. It's already been more successful than my little stint with MySpace.

Heal this nation...

2008-02-11T21:57:00.001-06:00

I'm in favor of Hillary because I think she is more capable of cleaning up the mess that Bush II is leaving. It's starting to look like our Southsider might take the nomination...and if the primary voting in my very republican neighborhood is indicative of what's going on across the nation, we may have our first president from the South Side of Chicago.

This video gave me the chills and is inspiring. I hope he's as good at fixing problems as he is an orator. I have hope that we can.

Epilogue

2008-02-10T15:15:00.000-06:00

So in order to bring closure to the really long blog about being dissed by a good friend, I feel like I should share how the story ended.

I did a lot of emotional/spiritual work over the past several weeks and that whole situation was really an aid in helping me to be released of other issues that were affecting me.

A few days after writing that blog, there was a reconciliation with this person. There was an apology and an explaination. The things going on in this person's life were much worse than I knew and a small part of me felt guilty for making this story all about me. However, I have the freedom to say that I am the central character in my own story, so I'm not going to discount my own feelings.

The wonderful thing is that had this reconcilation happened a week sooner, I would have been robbed of the lesson and healing. I am thankful for the work that God is doing in me. I am thankful that these lessons will lead to stronger friendships, a more effective ministry in my life, and a greater understanding my own value. I am not ashamed of the work God is doing in me.

Today

2008-02-10T15:08:00.000-06:00

There was an AMAZING marriage proposal at church today. Loved it.

Cuteness

2008-02-08T07:39:00.000-06:00

Growing Up

Christmas 2009

Worth It.

Because I don't want to forget...

Just For The Record

Randoms

Boys

Four Year Old Girls

Promise

Pressure

New Pics

Down

Updates

Challenge!

Daniel

Aimee

Words...

Blago..

It's not supposed to be funny, but it totally is.

44

Preacher Brian

Funny things about my kids.

Officially Employed

Gearing up for good news...

Wroblewski Family Sick Day

Merry Christmas!

News..

Three

Finals Week- Test 2

Finals Week.

SUCKS!

New Link

Realities of Life

Advent Conspiracy Promo Video

Great Times

Halloween and Gitana dress

The Future

History

Pride

For Stephanie.

For Stephanie

update

Starting Fresh...

Daniel Brian 9/22/07

Preschool Pics

Preschool!

Politics

Back to school.

I've got a crush on Biden...

Tropic Thunder

Growing up!

Genetics...(With Aida's permission).

Daughters

Aimee: Your new bedtime is 6 pm.

Princess this, Princess that..

Family FunDay!

More Pics!

I Love Three

Indiana

Always have a camera handy...

The Incredible Hulk

Three

My Little Danny is growing up!

Father's Day

A Maldonado Girl's Right of Passage..she'll be dealing with hair issues for the rest of her life.

A Wroblewski Male Right of Passage

Retreat

I'm just sad it has to end..

Guess What?

Re:thinking

Sign of the times

SHE DID IT!

Gratitude

31

I think I'm officially one of *those* animal people....

Giving In..

Great Days...

Great Days!

Seriously. Cute.

Seashells

I think I'm officially one of those animal people....