A Sign of God's Love

"For the promise is unto you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom our Lord our God will call." Acts 2:39

Two Sundays ago we baptized Madeline Elizabeth at our church's Sunday worship service. In keeping with our family's tradition, Madeline wore the same gown that her sister, Mama, Aunt Caroline and Uncle Kevin all wore when they were baptized. She looked angelic.

At service, our family together presented Madeline for her baptism. And even though she'd entirely missed her morning nap, Madeline was her sweet, cheery self. She waited patiently as new members were received into our congregation and as another little baby was baptized. She didn't cry when Pastor Pete held her or when he sprinkled the water on her little head. But just in case, Kathleen loudly reminded her, "Quiet, Baby Madeline!" in the middle of Pastor Pete's closing prayer.

Madeline's baptism provided us with two beautiful opportunities. Not only were we able to publicly dedicate Madeline to God, but we were also able to teach Kathleen about baptism.

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It is a joy to watch Kathleen grow in knowledge of the Lord (even as limited as that knowledge is right now)! We pray that both our girls will one day declare their own faith in the Lord and that they will grow to be faithful, godly women.

We were delighted that Nan and Grandpa O'Connor could be with us for Madeline's special day. We know that her godparents, John and Marie, would have loved to be here, too, but Hawaii is a long way from North Carolina and even farther from Afghanistan. We are grateful that they and so many other friends and family have kept and will keep our little girls in their prayers. And we are certainly grateful that prayer knows no distance!

Too Busy to Blog...

We've been too busy having fun with Nan and Grandpa O'Connor to write any blog posts lately. We've been playing at the beach, eating shave ice on the North Shore, visiting a volcano (no lie!), and working around the house. Thanks to Grandpa O'Connor, we've got new pictures and mirrors hanging on our walls, a freshly painted rocking chair, a newly-organized storage shed, and a bunch of pretty new flowers in our front yard. More importantly, thanks to Nan and Grandpa, there's been more than double the normal amount of attention for the girls. That's meant more story reading, more snuggling, more walks, more ball-throwing, more swimming, more singing, and just more fun than usual.

Sadly, the fun departed our house today. Nan and Grandpa returned to California this afternoon. Even more sadly, Daddy went with them! He's visiting a graduate school, and happily, he'll be back home to us next week. For now, it's just the three Golby girls hanging out... We've got lots of stories to share, though, and we'll get around to catching up soon. We'll post about recent adventures in the next few days!

Tagged!

Paula tagged me. I've never done a meme before, and I have no idea why it's called that. Here goes, anyway...

1. Were you named after anyone? Sort of. I'm Kristen, and I was called Krissy growing up. I'm sort of named after my dad's favorite aunt, who was called Chrissy, but it turns out her name was actually Bridget!

2. When was the last time you cried? A tiny bit last night, when my circus ran me over before I could embrace it. Then I pulled myself together.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Mostly, but only if I'm careful when writing.

4. What is your favourite lunch meat? I'm a little embarassed to admit that I really love good, dried salami.

5. Do you have kids? Happily, yes: Kathleen is two and Madeline is five and a half months.

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? I like to think so.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Never. Ha! More than I should, really.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope.

9. Would you bungee jump? I don't think so.

10. What is your favourite cereal? Berry Granola from Trader Joe's. Oh, how I wish we had a Trader Joe's on the island...

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No, but the only "shoes" I wear are slippers (those are flip-flops on the mainland) and running shoes.

12. Do you think you are strong? No. I think I'm a wimp, mostly.

13. What is your favourite ice cream? Can I count gelato as a favourite ice cream?

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their smile.

15. Red or pink? Pink

16. What is the thing that you like least about yourself? I'm undisciplined and rather indecisive. I can't seem to stay on top of all the things I need to (or want to) and I'm a vast wasteland of unfinished projects...

17. Who do you miss the most? Oh, how could I choose? The "who" I miss the most is the collection of people we've left behind, most recently in Schweinfurt. And the worst part of missing that is that you can't really go back to visit -- they've all moved on, too!

19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Olive green capris and no shoes. It's Hawaii, folks. No shoes inside.

20. Have you ever re-gifted? I think so, but I'm not entirely sure.

21. What are you listening to right now? Birds singing and my baby cooing.

22. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Pale green, I think.

23. Favorite smells? Laundry soap -- I've loved it since I was a little girl. Lavender. Lily of the valley. Coffee.

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Paula, actually!

25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? She's one of my favorite people.

26. Favorite sports to watch? Kathleen playing the "throw ball game"!

30. Favorite food? An Italian restaurant on the other side of the island makes this salad with heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and bleu cheese. It's amazing.

31. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.

32. Last movie you watched? Miracle -- it was on tv.

33. What color shirt are you wearing? Sort of a reddish striped shirt.

34. Summer or winter? Living here in Hawaii, I'm inclined to say winter, but that's probably just because we haven't had one in a few years.

35. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

36. Favorite dessert? Cake. I just love cake. Or gelato, maybe. The flavor would depend on my mood -- sometimes it's lemon, sometimes it's chocolate.

37. What book are you reading now? The Myth of Moral Justice. I've just finished The Book Thief.

38. What is on your mousepad? Don't have one!

39. What did you watch on tv last night? I caught a moment or two of women singing on American Idol.

40. Favorite sound? My girls laughing. Pealing church bells. Music -- close harmony, an acoustic guitar, a children's choir...

41. Rolling stones or Beatles? Beatles

42. What is the furthest you have been from home? I hardly know how to figure that out... Russia, maybe? Estonia? It makes me want to pull out an atlas and measure distances, though I'm not sure where exactly I'd measure from anymore!

43. Do you have a special talent? A knack for ringing my husband's cell phone at the worst possible moment.

44. Where were you born? San Francisco, California.

That was fun! I tag Sarah and Shannan.

P.S. I just noticed that the numbering is sort of off... I swear, I'm not leaving anything out. I don't know how that happened!

First Crunch

We let Madeline try her first rice rusk a few days ago. The crackers are crunchy, but dissolve quickly in a little one's mouth. Kathleen loved them when she was tiny -- we wouldn't travel anywhere without out them. The crackers seemed like they might be a good diversion for Madeline, who's still teething. (We're thinking that the next tooth should be popping through any day now. The poor little thing is so uncomfortable!)

As it turns out, Madeline wasn't much impressed by them. Kathleen still liked them, though. And it made a sweet photo!

Surf's Up!

We heard on the news that that a swell was coming to the North Shore, and that the waves would be 18-20 feet high. We love to go up and see the surf when it's high, watching the truly brave (or truly crazy?) ride the towering waves. Even better, Nan and Grandpa had never seen the big waves on the North Shore, so we took them up to check it out. By some miracle, we scored a parking spot at Waimea Bay and we joined a crowd of on-lookers, sitting on the sand and watching the surf.

Although we love to swim at Waimea Bay in the summer, when the water's flat and calm, it's obviously not safe this time of year. We were careful to explain to Kathleen that we wouldn't be swimming. She accepted that limitation without any argument. She played with her bucket and "shobel" instead.

We all agreed: who could see such power and such beauty and not think of a Creator? Even though we get to see this beautiful ocean all the time, it doesn't lose its wonder....

O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

Psalm 89:8-9

Sweet. Tooth.

Happy belated Valentine's Day, friends! We hope that your day was spent with sweet friends and loved ones, and that you indulged in just a bit of chocolatey sweetness, as well.

Kathleen received her Valentine's card from Mama and Daddy at breakfast (along with her cute heart outfit from Nan and Grandpa), and we talked about Valentine's Day and showing love to one another. Kathleen quickly made the association between hearts and Valentine's Day and candy. As soon as breakfast was over, she took me by the hand and dragged me to the pantry, repeating, "Valentine! Valentine!" Once inside the pantry, she pointed out a red tin, decorated with white hearts. "Treats!" she exclaimed. Her Valentine gift from her Golby Grandparents, a tin of candy and other treats, had arrived a few days earlier. We'd opened the box together, and sampled a treat before we'd stashed it in the pantry and told her we'd have to wait for Valentine's Day. Well, Kathleen would wait no more! Impressed by her memory and communication, we indulged her in a bit of chocolate, even though it wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning!

Kathleen enjoyed more treats that afternoon at Valentine's Day party, hosted by her bestest little friends, Luke and Grace. The children all enjoyed some tasty cupcakes and then ran off the sugar, playing in the big backyard!

Got frosting?

And although Madeline didn't get any sugar for Valentine's Day, she had her own big news to share. Her first tooth arrived! We discovered it at lunch, when she was munching on Mama's finger... Well, that explains our sleepless nights!

So, What's This About a Circus?

Inspired by Marie, I recently decided our blog was due for a bit of an update. I didn't design the new header, but discovered it out on the internet and decided it needed a home with us. Hopefully you like our new look. While I was perusing potential headers, I got to thinking about our blog and about our life. It made me realize that it was time to change not only our look, but our name. And suddenly I knew that our blog needed to be "Embrace the Circus."

Perhaps you're wondering why I'd do that. What does that even mean, "embrace the circus"? Let me tell you. Because that, my friends, is a very good story.

The phrase "embrace the circus" was born (at least for our purposes) on -- of all days -- our wedding day. We had a marvelous wedding day. We were surrounded by friends and family for a ceremony in a gorgeous little chapel and a reception overlooking the Hudson River. We had all the trappings -- a saber team, a breathtaking West Point setting, our very own bagpiper, beautiful bridesmaids and darling flowergirls and an irepressibly charming ringbearer who had offered to wear camoflauge when we'd told him there'd be "soldiers" there. And yet. Oh, and yet.

We were married the spring after September 11th, when everyone was still working out the details of tighter security. On the day of our wedding, security at West Point's gate was backed up for more than two hours. Wedding guests -- even members of our wedding party -- waited in a long line of cars. They waited well past the start of the wedding! Our wedding was delayed as long as possible to allow our guests to arrive. Even so, our chapel wasn't close to full when the ceremony started. My grandparents arrived midway through the service. My godmother miraculously appeared just before she was to read scripture. Jim's ring disappeared at some point, and my father pulled off his own wedding ring for us to use. In short, the day was a bit of a circus.

Now, I'm a detail person. I like rules and organization and order. Lack of rules and organization and order can make me a little, well, anxious. So, having a circus on my wedding day should have made me a nervous wreck. But at some point during the chaos, Jim uttered the phrase that is now a Golby standard: "Embrace the circus." And so we did. We decided not to worry about the myriad things we couldn't control. Instead, we focused on celebrating the start of our life together, on enjoying the friends and family who'd joined us, and laughing at the circus we'd unwittingly created.

And, in hindsight, God couldn't have given us a more fitting start to our life together, a sort of foreshadowing of the chaos and laughter and love yet to come. Our little family has a wonderful life -- we have have each other, we have two sweet and funny girls, we have good friends, we've lived in amazing and interesting and beautiful places, and we have a loving and powerful God. We have more than we need. So much more. And yet. Oh, and yet. There are always things that don't go the way we'd like them to. There are separations. There are disappointments. And life is generally a little more chaotic than you'd hope. My house doesn't look like Martha Stewart's and my meals don't look like Julia Child's and sometimes I bribe my toddler just to make it out of the house (much less out of the commissary).

But if we focused on all that, we'd miss the joy that we have right now. And we do have so much joy. So when things get crazy (and they always do), we try to remember to "embrace the circus." And that's what we'll be sharing with you all -- a glimpse into our wonderful, beautiful, circusy life.

Life's a Beach

So, there are things that aren't great about living in Hawaii. The cost of living, for one. Sure, we get a cost of living adjustment to help out with that, but there's still something demoralizing about paying more for something on the island than you know you'd pay on the mainland. (And that's if you can find it!) And bugs. And lizards. Even the best housekeepers find those in their homes from time to time. And even though the geckos are cute, there's something a little creepy about finding them skittering along your wall or floor or countertop. And bugs are never cute. Not to me, anyway.

But some things about living on a tropical island are exactly as great as you'd think. The last few days Nan and Grandpa and the girls and I have spent our mornings on the beach, heading out just before Madeline's first nap (so she naps there in a little tent) and returning home just before Kathleen's nap (since she'll only really nap in her bed). You just can't beat days like this -- and in February, no less!

Taking in the sun and listening to the surf, and enjoying the full thirty seconds Kathleen sat still.

On the go! The girl can't decide whether she likes the water better, or the sand. So mostly she runs back and forth between swimming and building sand castles. She's a study in perpetual motion.

Isn't she a beauty? This is just moments before she toppled over and got a faceful of sand. Poor little girl! She recovered well, though. She's a little trooper!

All this could be yours, folks. Just come visit! The Motel Golby will be open until mid-summer when it will be relocating... Well, we'll let you know where we'll be when we know!

Hearts and Crafts

During a recent trip to the post library's storytime, Kathleen showed a lot of interest in the arts and crafts portion of the program. This wasn't entirely surprising. We pull out the crayons and paper or stickers and coloring books (or some combination of the aforementioned) at least once a day. But the storytime craft offered a new (well, new-to-Kathleen, anyway) tool that Kathleen found to be a revelation in fun -- a gluestick. Kathleen could not get enough of the glue stick! She was happy to glue down anything that stood still. "Gluestick!" she'd chirp, as she'd rub it on the construction paper, the table, her fingers... By the end of the morning I literally had to peel her away from it.

Kathleen's enthusiasm for the gluestick got me to thinking about different arts and crafts we could do at home. Suddenly, I had the perfect excuse for a trip to the scrapbooking store! Now, I've not gotten my act together to the point where I can actually scrapbook, but I will happily buy scrapbooking supplies. I just love the paper and ribbons and the pens and the tools... Sadly, though, they generally sit in my scrapbooking storage container, unused and forgotten. But Kathleen's love affair with the gluestick meant that I could buy fun Valentine scrapbooking supplies and that we could actually use them. We could make Valentines!

So, on Sunday (while Daddy and Grandpa were living it up at the ProBowl) the girls and I sat down to make Valentines. I thought that the activity might require some explanation for Kathleen, but I'd forgotten that Caillou (her favorite TV character) made Valentines for his friends. Kathleen knew exactly what was going on, and would yell out, "Makin' Valentines!" as she worked.

(Sorry for the dark and blurry photos. Daytime photos are a little hard inside our cinderblock house!) Kathleen showed her own artistic style, arranging punched circles of pretty paper and little foam hearts in a distinctly modern way. Madeline supervised. And when Mama wasn't supervising quite enough, she even got in on the action:

Watch your mailbox, friends, because a Valentine might be headed your way!

Grandparents are Great

Nan and Grandpa arrived from San Francisco on Monday, much to our delight. They've slipped right into our little routines, joining us for story time at the library and walks to the park and other fun. Because we've seen them fairly consistently over the past two years, there's basically no adjustment time needed for Kathleen. She calls them by name and talks to them nonstop and snuggles up against them on the couch.

A quiet moment with Nan.

Madeline loves the extra attention, too. Two more grown-ups means extra time being held and fussed over, and who wouldn't love that?!

Whenever Grandpa comes into town, we not only get to enjoy his company, but we get to enjoy his work. Grandpa always manages to complete a number of little projects when he visits -- so far he's refinished a rocking chair and hung a few mirrors. Nan and Grandpa brought Kathleen a toy tool set, so she can help Grandpa work. Kathleen loves her new tools; the drill and hammer are particular favorites.

A tool tutorial from Grandpa. Watch out world, Kathleen's got power tools!

Sitting Pretty

Madeline surprised us yesterday: she sits! We've been practicing a lot lately, but the most we'd been able to manage was a few seconds before tumbling over. But yesterday we sat her up and she stayed that way for a few minutes... She did eventually keel over, but she did so with a lot of grace and without knocking her pretty little head. Good job, sweet girl!

My theory is that Madeline wanted to have a new trick to show her Nan and Grandpa O'Connor when they arrive tomorrow. We can't let the bigger, chattier members of the family get all the attention...

Wearing Wisdom

"Listen, my child, to your father's instruction
and do not forsake your mother's teaching,
They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck."
Proverbs 1:8-9

Midweek Amusements

When we woke yesterday morning, it was pouring. Now, this sometimes happens here -- it'll be raining at 5:30 or 6 in the morning, and it'll clear up by 8 or so. But such was not the case yesterday. It just kept on raining. I should have known it would happen, because the commanding general was set to change command yesterday morning on the parade field. The girls and I were looking forward to attending and watching the band and all the battalions in the division. We'd even stopped by the rehearsal to check it out the day before. But the rain was enough to keep us away. Unfortunately the soldiers didn't get that choice. There wasn't a rain plan, so hundreds and hundreds of soldiers had to stand in the rain for several hours. Jim, of course, was one. Poor Jim.

We skipped the ceremony and visited the library's story hour instead, which is our usual Wednesday activity. Kathleen isn't very good at listening to the story. I'm not sure she even realizes that the woman in the front of the room is reading a story... But Kathleen loves the library. She spent our time there dashing around, looking at the shelves of books, repeating, "Library! New books! Library! New books!" Madeline must have been equally excited about being at the library, because she kept babbling all through story time. And we managed to log another first at the library (this one's for you, Krissy Toth): our first successful public pottying. I'm just glad it was at the children's library and not, say, Walmart.

We left the library and made a quick trip to the commissary. As we arrived at the commissary, the soldiers were marching off the parade field, and they crossed the street right next to the commissary parking lot. The girls and I took advantage of a break in the rain and walked over to watch them. Kathleen starting running in little circles and dancing when she saw the troops, yelling, "My Daddy! My Daddy! Soldiers marching! My Daddy! My Daddy!" The soldiers detailed to direct traffic thought she was hysterical. It was too bad her daddy didn't get to see her. (His battalion had been the first off the field, so they were long gone by then.) But he had a good laugh when he got home!

Keeping Busy

So, blogging has been a bit of a challenge lately. Generally the girls have napped at the same time in the afternoon, giving me (even on a bad day) at least 90 minutes to get things done. But for some reason, that just hasn't been happening lately. Instead the girls are tag-teaming -- I'll get one down just moments before her sister awakes. That arrangement is good for one-on-one time with each of the girls, which is precious, but not so good for overall productivity. So, things that can only be done when I've got two free hands and a clear head have beeen slightly neglected around here. Blogging, mopping the floors, the list goes on and on...

In an attempt to catch up, I got up early this morning. I did manage to get a little accomplished. I set two pots on the stove to simmer, one of apples and one of carrots. (We haven't started feeding Madeline fruits and veggies quite yet, but I've begun preparing some food for her so there will be plenty ready when she is.) I sat at the computer and, just as I began this entry, Madeline woke. It was about an hour earlier than I'd been expecting her, and I let her cry for a moment to see if she'd fall back to sleep. Her cries only became more insistent, so I went into her. The poor girl had gotten her leg stuck in the crib! Madeline's been rolling all over, making use of all the space in her crib, prefering to sleep on her stomach. This time her travelling didn't work out so well for her. I freed her, and tried to calm her, but no amount of soothing would convince her to go back to sleep, so she came out to work with me in the kitchen. So much for blogging!

And when the girls aren't sleeping (which is a lot!), they're busy! Kathleen is particularly busy. Lately I've found that it's best to have Kathleen very involved in whatever I'm trying to do, because a few unsupervised moments can lead to a big mess. Over the weekend we washed our cars, which was a fantastic chore for Kathleen. (Even a mess is clean, in that case!) She loved to help.

Kathleen has been helping me water flowers, sweep, plant cuttings, move laundry, do dishes, and cook. But chaos can ensue even when we're only a few feet apart. For example, a few days ago the girls and I were putting away clean laundry when Kathleen disappeared for a moment. By the time I crossed the hall and found her in Madeline's room, she'd covered her face in diaper cream. (Channeling her inner mime, perhaps?) When I stepped away from the sink yesterday while Kathleen was washing her hands, she emptied an entire bottle of lavender baby wash. Last week we were in the kitchen, cooking chili and corn muffins for our celebration of "If You Give a Moose a Muffin." (We've already eaten buckwheat pancakes for "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" and cookies for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," so we've about exhausted that game.) I was standing at the sink rinsing the beans for chili, and when I turned around, Kathleen had emptied the bottle of chili powder across the floor, and was making her own art exhibit in the middle of the kitchen. By some miracle the amount I needed for the chili was still in the bottom of the jar!

I like to remind myself that Kathleen's busyness isn't an attempt to kill me or drive me crazy. (Some days that's easier than others.) It's simply her way of exploring her world, and (hopefully) a sign of curiosity and intelligence. And although it may give me a headache some days, I really wouldn't have it any other way!

Adventure!

"Adventure" is currently one of Kathleen's favorite words. We use "adventure" frequently, to convince Kathleen that an otherwise less-than-exciting outing is just what she wanted. The commissary? An adventure! The NEX (Navy Exchange)? An adventure! Schlepping around on a hundred errands when we'd all rather go to the park? An adventure!

However, we took advantage of Friday's "training holiday" to take a more legitimate adventure and visit the Honolulu Zoo. We hadn't been in ages -- the last time we'd gone was in March, I think. We spent the ride into town talking all about the different animals we'd see. By the time we arrived, Kathleen was very excited. Madeline, a little less so.

She rode in the stroller for the beginning of our tour of the zoo, but eventually moved to the Beco. Despite her laidback posture, we think Madeline really enjoyed the morning. Even if she didn't love the animals, she was amazingly well-behaved.

We traipsed all over the zoo. Fortunately for us, the Honolulu Zoo isn't all that big, so Kathleen was fine walking most of the time. She didn't want to sit in the stroller. When she did need a bit of a ride, she elected to sit on Daddy's shoulders.

Kathleen was mesmerized by the animals, particularly by the monkeys.

She was extremely impressed by them once they started moving around. To be honest, I found it pretty impressive, too. Those guys can move! Another highlight was the giant tortoise habitat. The turtles were out, slowly crawling around their exhibit. Of course, the thing that made the turtles exciting for Kathleen (and the preschool class that showed up while we were there) wasn't so much the turtles -- it was that a sprinkler was running to keep the turtles cool in the heat, and the kids got wet, too!

And just in case walking all over the zoo wasn't enough exercise, Kathleen stopped and tested out the playground next to the Keiki Zoo. (Keiki means "child," or in this case, "children's." The Keiki Zoo is the petting zoo.) The playground is set beneath some gorgeous old trees, so it's shady and cool, even in the heat of the day. Kathleen loved it!

Eventually, we called it a day and headed for home. Not that it was a whole day -- it was more like a long morning. Although we felt sure that Kathleen would fall asleep on the car ride home, she stayed awake for some Jamba Juice. That meant we got a whole nap in the afternoon. That, in my opinion, is a perfect adventure!

Checking up on Madeline

Big smiles
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Our littlest girl is giving us plenty to smile about these days. Madeline is amazingly social and has accumulated an array of crowd-pleasing skills -- she coos and gurgles, blows raspberries, and giggles. She'll watch until she's sure she has caught your eye, and then flash her biggest grin. She's quite the little flirt!

I can already see that our days of a stationary Madeline are numbered. We've still got a ways to go before I'll be chasing after her, but this little girl can hardly wait to get on the move! She's mastered rolling. I hadn't realized how adept she'd become until the other day, when I laid her on her back on a blanket to play while I folded laundry. I'd just straightened up when I noticed Madeline was already on her tummy, pushing herself up with one arm and reaching for a toy with the other!

And although I don't remember starting Kathleen this early, we've recently given Madeline her first couple tastes of rice cereal. So far, so good. She has taken a few tentative bites, and seems happy to be a part of meal time. I think watching all of us eat was making her a little jealous!

We took her in for her four month check up last week. (A little late, but she's still four months old!) Madeline weighed in at 14 pounds, 15 ounces, and she's 24 inches long. According to her pediatrician, those numbers put Madeline a touch above the 75th percentile. Madeline again charmed everyone in the office, and weathered her vaccinations like the little trooper she is.

And one more important thing about sweet Madeline: no one can make her laugh like her sister. Madeline laughs a lot, but she laughs most consistently for Kathleen. Honestly, half the time I can't even figure out what the two of them are laughing about. (Of course, I am well aware that in a few years time they'll be laughing about me!) Here's just one of example of our two giggling girls in action:

Surprise, Mama!

This afternoon Kathleen woke a little early from her nap. I was still nursing Madeline, so I didn't go to get her right away. Normally, if that happens, Kathleen sits in the rocking chair reading books, so I wasn't particularly concerned. Additionally, I was listening to her on the baby monitor (which we've begun doing since Kathleen's been sleeping in a toddler bed), so I felt confident that there wasn't much going on. Ah, how wrong I was!

After a few minutes, when a fully-fed Madeline had been placed in her crib, I went to get Kathleen from her nap. She had just begun fussing when I opened the door.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" I began. And then stopped, dumbstruck.

Kathleen sat on her bed, literally covered in baby powder. Her face was white like a mime's. Her bedsheets looked as though they'd been given a liberal dusting of powdered sugar. The floor was covered in powder, too, complete with toddler footprints. The air in the room was hazy with it.

My brain kicked in a few seconds later, when I told Kathleen not to move and that I'd be right back. I ran to the diaper bag, fished out the camera, and captured this moment of toddler mayhem:

After snapping two quick photos, I grabbed Kathleen and began (cautiously) to dust the powder off her. In a matter of seconds, I too, looked like I'd been rolling in powdered sugar. I tried to take stock of the damage, inspecting the linens and floor. Oddly enough, there wasn't any container of powder lying around the room.

Kathleen must have sensed my confusion, because she wriggled out of my arms and went straight to the dresser. She opened the top drawer, pulled out the now-empty bottle of baby powder, and handed it to me.

"Mama, this!" she explained.

All I could do was laugh. How could I be upset? After all, she did pick up after herself!

Soldiers Marching!

Watching the band march...

Daddy's battalion got a new commander this week, so on Monday the girls and I attended the girls' first change of command ceremony. This is a pretty impressive place to have a change of command -- from the parade field you can see the mountains, which are gorgeous. The day was sunny and warm, and the ceremony went beautifully.

We watched from a shady spot a little ways from the seating (since we're not always reliably quiet, so being right by the podium seemed a dangerous idea). To my delight, the girls were very well behaved. Madeline didn't fuss a bit. Kathleen even managed to stand with her hand over her heart for the entire national anthem. She loved the band's music and the marching soldiers. In fact, she'd say, "Soldiers marching!" every time they moved. She looked for Daddy, and I think she saw him as his company passed us. At least, she smiled like she'd seen him!

New Tricks for a New Year

Have you seen all these toys?
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

The girls are growing at a rate I find truly astonishing! Every day the two of them find new ways to entertain (and occasionally exasperate)each other (and their parents).

We recently rearranged some furniture and rediscovered the exersaucer, which had been stored in its box under Kathleen's crib. Even though we figured Madeline would be too small to use it, we decided to set it up, knowing that "too small" turns into "too big" all too quickly. Good thing we did, because Madeline took to it immediately. In fact, she seems to have been ruined for any other distracting device -- she's had enough of the bouncer and the swing. Only the exersaucer will do. She's surprisingly strong, able to hold herself up and turn herself around, looking at and testing out all the toys. And Madeline loves to have Kathleen play with her, manipulating the little puppet or demonstrating the gadgets. Madeline smiles and laughs as her big sister points out new things. The two really do get along famously.

Kathleen has also been busy trying out new things. We're so grateful for the warm weather here, because playing outside is one of our favorite things. Friends gave her a bubble-blowing lawnmower for her birthday, and she pushes it around the yard in little spurts, pausing to run after the bubbles. Kathleen's quite the little runner, and we have lots of fun playing tag and racing to the park. The other day we were playing outside when she began to use her Superman ball as a bouncer. (I'd say that she'd been inspired by Dwight Schrute, but she hasn't seen a moment of "The Office"! )

She took a number of tumbles off the ball as she bounced, but that only made her laugh harder. I wish I'd thought to take some video of it. It was hysterical!

Happy New Year! (At least in New York)

We celebrated New Year's on New York time, so that bedtime happened right on time!



We wish you and yours all the best in 2008!