Speaking My Language

Recently Husband and I took Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages quiz. It asked us each a series of 30 question with two possible responses and ranked the personal importance of five acts of love based on our answers. It may seem super cheeseball (actually, the more I type the cheesier it sounds), but even in just the past week it has made a difference in our closeness and understanding of one another. How awesome is that?!? After seven years together I am still learning about my husband and better ways to love him!

Two of my top-ranked love languages are Quality Time and Acts of Service and, boy, was he speaking my language this weekend!

As a Christmas gift/going-away celebration I was planning to take the girls to see Disney's Frozen and have a sleepover at our apartment. I was going let Husband off the hook and keep the girls by myself, but he chose a day and planned the movie all by himself so that we could be together. He offered to spend his Friday night with three hyped up little girls watching cartoons. What other 21-year-old guy would do that? Few, if any. 

(She's a lazy sloth)

 Not only did he make his grand gesture of self-sacrifice, but he bought me a Christmas tree! We're moving next month and had decided that it would be easier to skip out on a tree and decorations this year. It made me sad, but it made sense. Well, Friday afternoon I pulled up to our building just in time to see Husband sprinting across the parking lot with a little tree over his shoulder. I was so surprised! He had spent the entire day cleaning our apartment and finding a little tree. It was perfect. He loves me so good.

I love this picture of Lucy. When we finished decorating, all of the sparkly green ornaments were in one group at 3-year-old eye level. HA!

While it was very selfless of Husband to spend his weekend babysitting with me, I think he enjoyed the cinnamon rolls and sweet snuggles he was getting.

Married for 99 years or footloose and fancy free, it's important to know how you need to be loved. You can take Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages Quiz here.

Nervcited

 Yes, I am feeling very nervcited lately! 

(that's nervous + excited, for those of you who don't speak Bethanese)

After three years of sitting for the Potter girls, it is time to move on. Little by little my college classes have begun to conflict with the hours I work and this coming semester has sealed my fate and forced change to be made. There's a word for it... not bittersweet, just... bitter. Yeah, bitter. Its like the end of an era! We're talking, when Rachel moves out of Monica's apartment sad, people! I am going to miss my girls terribly, but its part of growing up. 

I've known this was coming for a while so I've had some time to get used to the idea and start the application process. I'm now moving out of the slightly depressed phase and on to nervcited about change! (But I'll totally still sob on my last day)

The scariest part of this change is that currently I have no leads. Zilch. Nada. None. 

My school schedule mostly leaves space for night work, meaning restaurants are my best bet. The problem there being that I don't have any experience. I've applied to a lot of places around town but so far haven't heard much. So I don't know yet whether I'll be paying rent or living in a box. Time will tell!

I'm trying to look on the bright side and I'm very excited about the prospect of gaining new skills, meeting new people, and working with grown-ups. I know that I was made to work with children and I love that, but it will be nice not having to worry about other people's bathroom habits for a change! I hear there's also less biting in the adult world.

Whatever might happen with my employment, or lack thereof, I know that its in God's hands and that He will provide just as He has time and time again. I will not be afraid, just nervcited!

balloons from hellogiggles

Nanny Diaries: a funny, a sweet, and a gross

For a year and a half now I have been the proud full-time nanny for the three silly little Potter girls: Rylee, 7 years; Emory, 3 years; and Lucy, 18 months. In that time I have learned a lot about kids and myself and yesterday reminded me of all the reasons I love my job, as well as how strong my stomach has gotten!

It was Ashlee's (Potter mommy) birthday on Thursday so I hung out with the girls extra late so that the Potter parents could celebrate like adults with adult friends. We made a totally pool party day of it and had a blast!

Funny

While in the car we always listen to Disney songs on shuffle from my iPod for the simple reason that the girls love them and I don't have to answer a million questions about why I have so many love songs and why did "they" break up. So we're driving to the pool yesterday morning and playing "I've Got A Dream" from Tangled and Rylee takes particular notice of an unfamiliar phrase. 

The line goes: "I've always yearned to be a concert pianist!"

but Rylee turns to me and asks: "Bethany, what's a concrete penis?"

OH MY GOSH! I almost wrecked the car for laughing so hard!*  

Sweet

Around 2, after stuffing ourselves with pizza my mom brought and playing in the sun, I had to make a drug store run to pick up a prescription and more swim diapers because Lucy was blowing through them! But when I walked off to my car without Lucy she squirmed down from her chair and waddle-ran after me and threw herself on the concrete sobbing. I couldn't just leave her there with my mom when she was being pitiful, so I loaded her up and took her with me. She was being very good waiting in the long line and quietly yammering on in baby speak about whatever she saw. 

I've been with Lucy since she was 15 days old and I've gotten pretty attached to her. I love all the girls, but its quiet time that reminds me of my special connection with this kid. I kissed her little forehead and gave her a squeeze. She looked up at me, giggled and returned it with a sloppy, open-mouth, baby kiss on my cheek, gave me "taters" (a fist bump), and snuggled her head on my shoulder. I love Lucy and I am really going to miss her when I grow up.

Gross

We finished our pool day around 6, ate and played at Chick-fil-A, and finally got back to their house for baths and bedtime. Poor Lucy has missed her nap for three days in a row so she was barely out of the bath water before she nodded off. Emory convinced herself that she wasn't sleepy long enough to make it to the couch and curl up next to Rylee before passing out. I had Rylee hide so that I could tell Emory that everyone was in bed and she needed to be too. Yes lying is bad, but I at times like this I don't care much!

I picked Em up and started to carry her to her room went the perfect day went to pot. She raised her head to say, "Where my mo--" VOMIT SPEWING EVERYWHERE! On my face, in our hair, down the left side of my body. I stood her on the floor, more puke. Grabbed her hand and drug her to the bathroom to finish, leaving a trail down the hallway. I kid you not, it looked like the scene from Sixth Sense! I put her in the bathtub (she was so groggy that she couldn't understand why she needed two baths) and went to clean up, but luckily (luckily?) their giant red lab, Forbin, had already eaten most of it. I tucked Em in bed, borrowed some clothes from Ashlee, and washed my hair in the sink. When I got home I super scrubbed myself before Tommy or the dog could love on me. 

Kids are so pitiful and confused when they get sick. When she was in the bath Emory looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I so sorry. I need clean up the floor, Bee?". Broke my heart. She's so precious, even when she's a barf monster. To think that I used to get sick at the sight of baby spit up. I was such a weenie! 

Hope you weren't eating when you read this! Happy weekend!

*I did not actually "nearly wreck"

**Couldn't find a recent picture of all three girls. Age that one about a year and you've got it!

does that make me bad?

I love taking pictures of Lucy while she's having a fit! At the time it's just really loud, but the fit is over soon and the pictures crack me up! She gets upset over the silliest things (ex. not being allowed to eat plant dirt/dog food/cat litter) and that makes the pictures even funnier! She's just so mad!

And she turns beet red every. single. time! Oh it's just so funny! But if you think I'm a total jerk for snaping pictures while Lucy is so obviously distraught, take a peek of her hamming it up for the camera

(taken seconds after her meltdown above)

Princess Lucy! Sweet girl wore that crown for the rest of the afternoon!..that is until she remembered it was up there and thought it would be put to better use as a chew toy.