Sunday, June 20, 2010
Bath, Book, Bottle, Bed... A Family Routine That's Better Than Dinner Together
Post Pending :) Stay Tuned!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Girls and their Doggies
Long before there was Sarah Belle and Mary Danz there was Grace and Maggie. :)
Jerry & Cathey Capozziello's first little girls. Then along came "the girls." The new girls love the first girls... however we're not always sure the first girls share the same level of eager enthusiasm. :) But Mary Danz and Sarah Belle couldn't be happier with their older, wiser first ladies.
After all, who wouldn't love a doggie that let you crawl all over them, use their belly as a pillow while you drink your sippy, sit patiently while you investigate every nook and cranny?
But alas our fabulous DC apartment is too teeny tiny for 70lbs x 2 of four legged love. So while we embrace the East Coast, our first girls are manning the fort at home. Man we all miss our Grace and Maggie. (Even I miss them much more than I'd expected!)
While he's not a Capozziello, he is our guest for the summer. What a deal! Seven pounds of built in entertainment!!!
Both Sarah Belle and Mary Danz love "their" Hunner. He plays chase with them; he gleefully responds to mealtime spillage. He cheerfully greets them every time they track him down.
Now to be honest, Mary Danz loves him much more than Sarah Belle. SBC gets a little nervous when he barks and hesitates to cross his path. She's always been a little suspicious of "rat sized" canines. (She must get that from her daddy!) But Mary Danz... she's in heaven and baby - she's in charge!
He's so little that if he gets under the couch, or the bed, or really anywhere... forget getting him out without some major furniture adjusting. So we have a great system of leaving a little six foot lead on him most of the time.
Enter part two of this heaven on earth for Mary Danz. Not only does she have a lil buddy that she loves with all of her 17 mo old heart, but he comes with a handle and she can pull him across the wood floors where ever she wants! Occasionally he gets stuck on the wrong side of a chair leg or something, but she perseveres and just couldn't be happier. She would pull him around everywhere she went, all the day long, if it were up to her.
Lucky for Hunner... his resident adults respect that the love affair may actually be more similar to a stalking/abusive relationship that he just can't seem to figure his way out of. Sure he loves the attention. Sure he loves the family of his stalker. But the stalker... when he sees her coming he runs as fast as those two inch lil legs will take him. So his resident adults provide him some respite here and there and for that we know he is thankful.
He barks at his own shadow and we still have some housekeeping manners to refine, but when it comes to love... true love... Mary Danz is smitten!
I wonder if Grace and Maggie know she's cheating on them?
Jerry & Cathey Capozziello's first little girls. Then along came "the girls." The new girls love the first girls... however we're not always sure the first girls share the same level of eager enthusiasm. :) But Mary Danz and Sarah Belle couldn't be happier with their older, wiser first ladies.
After all, who wouldn't love a doggie that let you crawl all over them, use their belly as a pillow while you drink your sippy, sit patiently while you investigate every nook and cranny?
But alas our fabulous DC apartment is too teeny tiny for 70lbs x 2 of four legged love. So while we embrace the East Coast, our first girls are manning the fort at home. Man we all miss our Grace and Maggie. (Even I miss them much more than I'd expected!)
Both Sarah Belle and Mary Danz love "their" Hunner. He plays chase with them; he gleefully responds to mealtime spillage. He cheerfully greets them every time they track him down.
Now to be honest, Mary Danz loves him much more than Sarah Belle. SBC gets a little nervous when he barks and hesitates to cross his path. She's always been a little suspicious of "rat sized" canines. (She must get that from her daddy!) But Mary Danz... she's in heaven and baby - she's in charge!
He's so little that if he gets under the couch, or the bed, or really anywhere... forget getting him out without some major furniture adjusting. So we have a great system of leaving a little six foot lead on him most of the time.
Enter part two of this heaven on earth for Mary Danz. Not only does she have a lil buddy that she loves with all of her 17 mo old heart, but he comes with a handle and she can pull him across the wood floors where ever she wants! Occasionally he gets stuck on the wrong side of a chair leg or something, but she perseveres and just couldn't be happier. She would pull him around everywhere she went, all the day long, if it were up to her.
Lucky for Hunner... his resident adults respect that the love affair may actually be more similar to a stalking/abusive relationship that he just can't seem to figure his way out of. Sure he loves the attention. Sure he loves the family of his stalker. But the stalker... when he sees her coming he runs as fast as those two inch lil legs will take him. So his resident adults provide him some respite here and there and for that we know he is thankful.
He barks at his own shadow and we still have some housekeeping manners to refine, but when it comes to love... true love... Mary Danz is smitten!
I wonder if Grace and Maggie know she's cheating on them?
A Lil' Tribute to My Daddy
My Dad... Boy do I love my daddy. We didn't necessarily have the best of relationships growing up (but how many kids actually do?) but now... he's one of my best friends. I know I can always call him and work through any problem I'm having trouble solving. I know I can always call him and just vent - but I may have to tell him in advance to "just listen, don't solve." :)
He taught me to kick it in gear and that you can always find just a little more energy to finish the job. He taught me to work hard, don't be afraid to get dirty or sweaty but take an afternoon nap. He's always believed in me. Since I was a little girl he's told me "I can be anything I want to be" and I've always believed him. 
I'm definitely my father's daughter. I have his patience level and his temper, but I also have his drive, determination and persistence. We often call him "Crazy Man Cravens" (and it's a well earned nickname) but I might have a touch of that as well. :)
It's so fun to watch him with his grandkids now. He wants to be called Grandfather. Not pops or grandpa, or any other variation... only Grandfather. The peanut gallery teases him but you know what... I like it. It fits him. He's not the stuffy ole windbag, but more the gentle, playful man who's full of genuine love and affection.
He gets down on the ground and chases them like he's a kid himself. He's all about bear hugs, tickles and "I'm goina get you..." It's real and it is substantial... "Grandfather" just fits. Now who knows... once all the kids start talking they might end up just calling him "pa"!!! hehehe
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of the famous CDC sayings. Just those little things that make you smile (or get annoyed when he was right and you were well... you know... not.)
- "A pound of prevention is worth an ounce of something" (I never remember this one but I do know it's important! hehehe)
- "For every plus, there's a minus"
- "Pay me now or pay me later"
- "Now be careful. Those cops in (insert name of any town) have one job... revenue collection."
- "They've made the list..."
- "Let me explain to you what hard work really is..."
- 'Something about don't do xyz but get a bigger hammer if it's not working" (again, an important one that I always mess up!)
- "Let me tell you how to study history..."
I know there are others but you get the picture!
He's a good man my daddy and I'm so very thankful to call him Dad.
Happy Father's Day Slick!
Transitions, Smamitions, I Don't Want No Stinkin' Transitions!
So everyone knows puberty is a nightmare. Your emotions are all out of whack. Everyone tells you new and exciting adventures are about to happen, yet you have to say good bye to the old things you knew and loved so much. Good bye Barbies, hello Ken. How do some kids make the transition smoothly and gracefully like "it's no big thang"? While others (like me!) trip, stumble, fall through it until they finally (hopefully) catch their footing after much travail? There's rarely anything private about "the change."
Jerry and I have discussed this numerous times. We've decided puberty doesn't just happen once, but over and over again each time you transition to the next stage of life. When you graduate high school... college, job, move out, none of the above... all of the above?!? When you get your first real, grownup job... When you get your second real, grownup paying job... When you get married... When you have kids... And that brings me to my life today...
Getting married was not 100% smooth sailing, but probably 98%. After all, I'd spend decades imagining, planning, dreaming, writing out exactly what my married life was going to look like. I loved my husband and LOVED my married life... after all when you get a new last name like "Capozziello" how cool is that?!?
Having kids... not so much. Of sure... I always knew I wanted kids. Always thought I wanted five, four boys and a girl. Seemed like the perfect family number and design. But I never really spent much time on the dreaming side of the plan. When my friends had kids I would get excited and say "congrats!" but secretly thrilled I wasn't at that stage yet.
When I was in middle school I spent a ton of time babysitting - actually made pretty impressive money for a non-teenager. I was pretty good if I say so myself and I loved my little buddy more than anything under the sun and her mom... I knew when I grew up I wanted to be just like her!
Yet another transition gone array. Remember the tripping, stumbling, falling... that was me and my own puberty transition. What a disaster. And babysitting, along with my love of kiddos, was just one of the casualties. Fast forward to today... Now I have two babies of my own!
I love, love, love them. I have a good friend who had a similar perspective, read: fear, on babies). Shortly after the girls were born I told her, "It's amazing!! They are CUTER than puppies!!" And boy did I mean it - as if anything could ever be cuter than puppies. By golly gee wally... my lil' widgets are the best thing God ever did (well besides my husband, and Jesus, forgiving my sins... you get the picture)
But now what? I have these two kids that I just can't get enough of but what exactly is my life supposed to look like now? What happens to my fabulous career that I just love? What happens to my plan of being a stay at home mom? How exactly do you raise well adjusted, well mannered, children that love Jesus, respect their elders and are a joy to be around? I've read Proverbs 31... and I am struggling to believe that woman really existed.
I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm tired. I know I have toddlers and that takes a lot of energy. I know I have two of them and that takes three times the energy. I know my husband lives 1200 miles from our real home. I know I'm carrying the literal weight of an extra person. I know all that but so what. I've never been slowed down by obstacles in the past. I've always embraced them and charged forward enthusiastically.
But this is different. This has almost stopped me dead in my tracks. I don't like it. How do I transition to this next stage? I want a list, specific instructions, a how-to guide. I always say I may not be creative but I'm a great emulator. So I need someone to emulate!
Are you not really a good mom if you work a traditional job? Do your kids suffer if they spend their days with a well meaning but nonetheless a stranger? How do they get your values? How do they get nurtured sufficiently? What if their caregiver doesn't love them as much as you do? What if she doesn't tend to every tear and tantrum the way you would?
How can you be a good, professional career woman if you have kids? If you give 100% during the day, what will you have left for your family? If you only give 70%, are you really willing to be a borderline "C" student at the office? Is it worth it? If you give it up, where will you get that great recognition for a rock solid project well done? Where will you get camaraderie from like minded folks? Where can you use, really, really use, the brain God gave and the education you paid dearly for to make a difference? If you embrace your career, what example are you setting for your children? If you don't embrace your career, what example are you setting?
Prior babies, I could go at 110mph. Maybe not as fast as my friends Sarah and Jeanie but I could hold my own in the game of multi-tasking. I loved my thriving career. I loved my thriving faith. I loved being a good wife. I loved my home remodeling, my growing friendships, volunteering, traveling, cooking, gardening. Bringin' home the bacon and fryin' it up in a pan baby!!!
So here I am. Smack dab in the middle of a transition. A well meaning but not so supportive friend recently said I'm not any fun to be around these days because I always seem to be sad. Well I don't know about all that but I do know I do not like change, or at least change without a solid POAM, that maps out the road to the end destination. I'm not crazy about swinging from a tightrope, or tiptoeing through quicksand, or even repelling down the side of a mountain. Where am I transitioning to? What am I leaving behind? What am I taking with me? What's going to be better? What will I miss? How do I get there? How will I know when I'm there? Where is there? So many questions, so few answers.
I'm practicing embracing the unknown (ya right - it's going to take A LOT of practice) but practicing nonetheless. I know that the other side of this transition is glorious, that the next stage of life will just confirm that life gets better and better! So embrace the transition I will. I don't promise to be graceful, patient or even enthusiastic about it but... once I figure it out... watch out world!
Jerry and I have discussed this numerous times. We've decided puberty doesn't just happen once, but over and over again each time you transition to the next stage of life. When you graduate high school... college, job, move out, none of the above... all of the above?!? When you get your first real, grownup job... When you get your second real, grownup paying job... When you get married... When you have kids... And that brings me to my life today...
Getting married was not 100% smooth sailing, but probably 98%. After all, I'd spend decades imagining, planning, dreaming, writing out exactly what my married life was going to look like. I loved my husband and LOVED my married life... after all when you get a new last name like "Capozziello" how cool is that?!?
Having kids... not so much. Of sure... I always knew I wanted kids. Always thought I wanted five, four boys and a girl. Seemed like the perfect family number and design. But I never really spent much time on the dreaming side of the plan. When my friends had kids I would get excited and say "congrats!" but secretly thrilled I wasn't at that stage yet.
When I was in middle school I spent a ton of time babysitting - actually made pretty impressive money for a non-teenager. I was pretty good if I say so myself and I loved my little buddy more than anything under the sun and her mom... I knew when I grew up I wanted to be just like her!
Yet another transition gone array. Remember the tripping, stumbling, falling... that was me and my own puberty transition. What a disaster. And babysitting, along with my love of kiddos, was just one of the casualties. Fast forward to today... Now I have two babies of my own!
I love, love, love them. I have a good friend who had a similar perspective, read: fear, on babies). Shortly after the girls were born I told her, "It's amazing!! They are CUTER than puppies!!" And boy did I mean it - as if anything could ever be cuter than puppies. By golly gee wally... my lil' widgets are the best thing God ever did (well besides my husband, and Jesus, forgiving my sins... you get the picture)
But now what? I have these two kids that I just can't get enough of but what exactly is my life supposed to look like now? What happens to my fabulous career that I just love? What happens to my plan of being a stay at home mom? How exactly do you raise well adjusted, well mannered, children that love Jesus, respect their elders and are a joy to be around? I've read Proverbs 31... and I am struggling to believe that woman really existed.
I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm tired. I know I have toddlers and that takes a lot of energy. I know I have two of them and that takes three times the energy. I know my husband lives 1200 miles from our real home. I know I'm carrying the literal weight of an extra person. I know all that but so what. I've never been slowed down by obstacles in the past. I've always embraced them and charged forward enthusiastically.
But this is different. This has almost stopped me dead in my tracks. I don't like it. How do I transition to this next stage? I want a list, specific instructions, a how-to guide. I always say I may not be creative but I'm a great emulator. So I need someone to emulate!
Are you not really a good mom if you work a traditional job? Do your kids suffer if they spend their days with a well meaning but nonetheless a stranger? How do they get your values? How do they get nurtured sufficiently? What if their caregiver doesn't love them as much as you do? What if she doesn't tend to every tear and tantrum the way you would?
How can you be a good, professional career woman if you have kids? If you give 100% during the day, what will you have left for your family? If you only give 70%, are you really willing to be a borderline "C" student at the office? Is it worth it? If you give it up, where will you get that great recognition for a rock solid project well done? Where will you get camaraderie from like minded folks? Where can you use, really, really use, the brain God gave and the education you paid dearly for to make a difference? If you embrace your career, what example are you setting for your children? If you don't embrace your career, what example are you setting?
Prior babies, I could go at 110mph. Maybe not as fast as my friends Sarah and Jeanie but I could hold my own in the game of multi-tasking. I loved my thriving career. I loved my thriving faith. I loved being a good wife. I loved my home remodeling, my growing friendships, volunteering, traveling, cooking, gardening. Bringin' home the bacon and fryin' it up in a pan baby!!!
So here I am. Smack dab in the middle of a transition. A well meaning but not so supportive friend recently said I'm not any fun to be around these days because I always seem to be sad. Well I don't know about all that but I do know I do not like change, or at least change without a solid POAM, that maps out the road to the end destination. I'm not crazy about swinging from a tightrope, or tiptoeing through quicksand, or even repelling down the side of a mountain. Where am I transitioning to? What am I leaving behind? What am I taking with me? What's going to be better? What will I miss? How do I get there? How will I know when I'm there? Where is there? So many questions, so few answers.
I'm practicing embracing the unknown (ya right - it's going to take A LOT of practice) but practicing nonetheless. I know that the other side of this transition is glorious, that the next stage of life will just confirm that life gets better and better! So embrace the transition I will. I don't promise to be graceful, patient or even enthusiastic about it but... once I figure it out... watch out world!
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