My Callings...

I have been blessed in my life to have been called to be a number of things.

1. A daughter
2. A student
3. An athlete...OK, I was a swimmer and that is all :-)
4. A sister
5. A grand daughter
6. A cousin
7. A friend
8. A niece
9. A wife
10. A mother - of which I am the most proud!!

Really the list could go on and on but after a conversation with one of my sisters today I know that I have been blessed to have been called to be a teacher and a coach and maybe more importantly, a mentor.

Children have come and gone in my life for the past 21 years, none of which belonged to me through blood ties, but all of which belonged to me for a moment as I introduced them to the water or took them to a place (and times) in their swimming careers that they never thought possible. Those children looked up to me, trusted me with their lives and their hopes and dreams and they allowed me in to their lives.

Some of those children are now getting married while others are finishing high school or finishing college. Some of those children would not recognize me if I showed up at their doorstep today but yet I will always remain a person who left an imprint on their lives.

I had coaches who made all those impressions (and more) on my life and because of those coaches I worked hard to hone my craft and become the very best coach and teacher that I could be. I am most proud of those moments when some of those children say "I remember when..." I made an impact and I have furthered a sport that I love with every fiber of my being. I have inspired others to pass on this sport to another generation with a passion that is needed to REALLY be a teacher.

Anyone can teach....but not everyone can be a teacher. I am blessed to have been able to have that title. I am blessed to have been a part of and a memory for so many children over the past 21 years.

My name is Dayna Harvey Palmer and I have been a teacher and a coach for 21 years....and I am not sure that I will ever be able to quit. It is my drug of choice and I am totally OK with that. Actually, I think that I am kind of proud of it!!

So, here is to never really "retiring". May I continue to be blessed to get to touch the lives of other people's children in the environment that smells of chlorine be that as their teacher OR the teacher of the teachers and the coach of the coaches :-)

Here is to inspiration and passion!

Funny things...

Each of my kids say some of the most amazing (and usually funny) things. Driving in the car with them always gives me a few laughs...

Landen: "Mama, I am your big boy baby." Landen wants to be a big boy but he knows that Mama is a little sad that her baby is growing up. He is giving me the best of both worlds :-)

Bryden: "Can people breathe in Heaven? I think that they are probably all astronauts." Could you guess that Bryden goes to a Christian school and that her Kindergarten class just finished a unit on Space? :-)

Hayden: (as we are driving by Gold's Gym) "Mama, I want to take you there so that you can get your muscles back. When I was in your tummy I made it very big." Oh how I wish getting all those muscles back was just as easy as walking into Gold's Gym!!

My children are a joy...most of the time :-)

May I Please Ask...Why Me??!!

I am an insomniac. I have been this way for MANY years (probably since college) but it has become worse over the years. I am sure that having kids, starting a business from scratch, owning a house that does not clean itself or having a kitchen that has not figured out the fine art of cooking meals on its own and a washer and dryer that don't get the laundry done without alot of help JUST HASN'T HELPED!!!

No matter how tired I am, as soon as I lay down at night my brain flips on and needs to run down all kinds of lists and work VERY hard to create new ideas for me to work on. My dear husband says that the cure would be to just try to go to bed at 9pm. There are 2 problems with that...the first being that I loose the entire night of peace and quiet but the second being that I would probably wake up at 3am and not be able to fall back asleep. I speak from experience on that one.

So, here we are on Thursday afternoon. Just to add to my sleeping issues...everyone in my family has been sick.

Last Tuesday - Landen threw up all night
Last Thursday - Hayden threw up all night
Last Saturday - Jim had to ward off throwing up
Monday afternoon - picked up Bryden from school early with a 100.8 temperature.
Tuesday - Bryden home with 102 temp.
Wednesday - Bryden still home with 102 temp that finally broke at about 8pm.
Thursday - Landen has a 100.8 temperature.

Anyone see the pattern here??? Things are not looking good for the hope of going to bed early or that this next sickness isn't going to run through the Palmer household.

Maybe the only way that I am going to get some much needed sleep is to get sick. I know that if I end up getting sick I will be out for at least a week. So, I will get some sleep...but there will still be the issues of the house that doesn't clean itself...the washer and dryer that can't do laundry without help and a kitchen that refuses to cook meals!!

May I Please Ask...WHY ME!!?? :-)

Stop Chicks

A few days ago we ordered in Chinese food. I have 3 children who run the spectrum of liking food. Bryden will look at it and say "I don't like it". Hayden will give it all a go and then pick out what he likes and doesn't like. Landen doesn't have a picky bone in his body...if it is on a plate...he will eat it.

So, the food has arrived and I am pulling it out of the bags and opening everything up. Bryden is on the counter with "helping" me and she says "Mama, why do we have stop chicks?"

What?? Not sure what she was asking me, I turned to look at her and see her with a set of chop sticks :-) Bryden has a way with words...see post on Swabs and Bald Seagulls :-)

I don't think that I will ever eat Chinese food with chop sticks again without thinking of my sweet girl.

How Blessed

I think that I am pretty lucky...I have been blessed with a great family. I look forward to 2008 being a year that I create more opportunities to connect with my family. My kids love to read and color and swim (imagine that!!) and play outside (a bit cold for that right now) and play dressup (yes, all 3 of them) and just really be kids!! I love that and I don't want to miss out on a single minute.

Has it really been a year??

OK, I'm not sure what happened...I was doing a decent job of blogging and then **POOF** I found Facebook...sshhh...don't tell the people at Blogger :-) Maybe it is that I just don't have anything entertaining to tell my readers...yeah, right...hey, maybe I don't have any readers left and I will just be writing this for myself to go back to read...

2007 has been a year of some of the biggest highs and lows...it has been a challenge that has brought us closer together as a family but very thankful that 2008 is right around the corner...with the new year comes new opportunities.

Jim's grandmother was diagnosed with a rare type of lung cancer in October 2006. We were blessed enough to get back to Idaho for Thanksgiving while she was still feeling pretty good. Jim went back to Idaho in February for a week to spend some more time with her. Sadly she passed away in May 2007. Frances will be missed by everyone but we are grateful to know that she is in Heaven :-)

Summer was busy as I was preparing to launch http://www.roanokeforwomen.com/ on August 1, 2007. This new website has been a great addition to our community and has become embraced by many area businesses. The goal will be to have 100 businesses listed on the wesbite in the next month. I have hired a full time sales person who is more a partner than an employee. Having John on board has allowed me to hand over all the sales stuff to him and I am spending more time working on community involvement projects, networking events and speaking engagements. We will be launching 3 more sites in 3 different cities in 2008!!!

November was a sad month for the Palmers. Our beloved dog (didn't love all the dog hair in the house though :-) was diagnosed with a blood cancer that spread throughout her body. We decided that the only fair thing would be to put her to sleep before her quality of life diminished. So, on November 7, 2007 Cammy Palmer went to Dog Heaven. She was almost 7 years old and we will all miss her very much.

On November 11, 2007, Jim's grandfather passed away from congestive heart failure. I believe that he probably died of a broken heart since his wife had been taken from him only 6 months before. Oh to have love like that in your life!! Marion French is in Heaven with his wife and their infant daughter and leaves a great legacy for his children (4), grandchildren (8) and great-grandchildren (12).

We had lots of visitors this year...Jim's mom and dad came to visit in the Summer. My best friend from high school, Shanan, came to visit in November (oh, lucky her) and then my mom and dad came to visit over Thanksgiving.

We didn't do much traveling this year...but I did brave the airports and take all 3 kids back to Vancouver in June for 10 days. Yeah, that won't be happening again anytime soon!! At least people felt sorry for me and were more willing to help!!

We are blessed to get to end 2007 on a good note. We had a wonderful (and low-key) Christmas here at home...Bryden's 6th birthday is today (that is hard to believe) and we have so much to look forward to in 2008.

I promise to blog more...it is actually theraputic for me...if I would just make the time to do it...

Until then blog diary!!

December Pictures

I know...I know...2 posts in the same day. What is this world coming to? if I have to answer another phone call that begins with "You need to update your blog!" I may give up all together.

See, I have a million things going on in my life and that isn't to say that other people don't. I just seem to have fewer hours in my day living over here on the East Coast - 3 hours fewer to be exact.




Here are some of the things that keep me busy:

3 kids - ages 5, 3, 1 - who can't seem to do much on their own except make a mess
a house that never seems to get the hang of cleaning itself
a kitchen that WILL NOT make any meals without alot of assistance
a husband - who is able to do many things all by himself
laundry - that multiples at an astonishing rate
a job (teaching swimming lessons) - I actually have to go to the pool 15 hours a week so that money appears in our bank account
another job (www.Roanoke4Kids.com) - at least I can do this one from home but it doesn't matter how much work I do on it money doesn't seem to be appearing in my bank account very quickly
this blog - that I obviously do a poor job of updating
another blog (http://roanokeforkids.com/roanokekidsblog.html) - that I update more frequently but it is all another job related

So, please don't phone me anymore asking for an update....here it is. All of you on the West Coast should be thankful that you have 24 hours in a day to get everything done that you need to. 21 hours is just not enough time :-) And please remember that when it is 8pm in BC it is 11pm in Virginia.

Happy Holidays!!

Dayna, Jim, Bryden, Hayden & Landen

Hope everyone is well and having a wonderful time with family and friends. We miss you all and hope that one year we will see many of you for Christmas!!

The Joy of SANTA

Last night we took the kids to see Santa. Now, Bryden and Hayden love Santa. Landen will have had no memory of Santa from last year so that could prove to be interesting. Landen is Mama's boy but I was hoping he would at least sit on Santa's lap and not cry. I figured that the other 2 would be blabbing Santa's ear off. That would be a Harvey thing to do.

After waiting oh, about an hour, we finally got to see the Jolly Old Soul. Bryden so badly wanted to sit in Santa's lap but because she was the biggest she had no kneel on the floor. Hayden sat on Santa's knee with the most sour face I have ever seen. He did not crack a smile...not even once. Landen keep looking at me with that "Holy crap!!" look on his face. He had to make sure that I was never out of his line of vision.

After the LOVELY picture was taken and a horrific amount of money spent to pay for it...Landen was passed off to Daddy. Then came the big moment. Hayden was going to get to ask Santa for the "big plastic gun" he wants. He wouldn't look at Santa, nevermind talk to him. So, I had to tell Santa what Hayden wants for Christmas. Hayden did say Merry Christmas when he climbed down off Santa's knee though. He could at least remember some manners.

Bryden climbed up on Santa's knee all on her own and snuggled into his arm. He asked "Bryden, what would you like for Christmas." She replied "An Ariel doll from the Disney Store." Santa then said "Oh, an Ariel doll. What else would you like?"

HANG ON SANTA!!! We have been telling our kids that Santa will only bring them 1 present each!!

Bryden looked at me with the biggest (and most confused eyes). She had only thought of 1 thing to ask for. So, in her sweet way she looked back at Santa and said "Just an Ariel doll thank you." Phew!! Had she asked for something else I was gonna be in trouble. As far as I am concerned "Santa" is done shopping for this year!!

Well, 1 out of 3 smiling is OK...no crying is even better. On the way out Hayden says "I don't like that Santa guy."

Another successful year going to see "that Santa guy". Thank goodness we don't have to do it again for another 365 days!!

Ho Ho Ho.....

My SWEET Babies :-)

Do they get any cuter than this? :-)

B- is 4 1/2

H- is almost 3

L - just turned 1

My how times flies!!

Remembering 9/11/01

It is amazing to think that 5 years have already passed since that horrific day in New York, at the Pentagon & in Pennsylvania.

I was sitting in my vehicle this morning and at 8:45 the radio station that I was listening to had a minute of silence in remembrance of the first plan hitting the first tower. I actually sat and cried as a million thoughts went through my mind.

I was living in Springfield, VA at the time and that is a mere 15 miles from the Pentagon. I remember hearing a BOOM and within a minute we heard on the news that the Pentagon had been hit as well. It was terrifying. That night we as we laid in bed we heard the F16 airplanes above the apartment building patrolling the airspace and they were armed. I couldn't help but think that this is how many people in other countries go to bed every night due to war and civil unrest.

Within 9 days of the attack I had to fly from Washington, D.C. to Toronto and then take a train to Montreal as my final immigration hearing has been scheduled. I was 6 months pregnant and had to make the trip all on my own. I waited in line at the airport for more than 4 hours. So many thoughtful people helped me with my bags or pulled up chairs so that I could rest. I have NEVER been afraid to fly. I have been to Thailand for crying out loud!! Once I got checked in and through the security check point I sat down and wept. I was frightened for myself and for my unborn baby - my sweet Bryden.

So, from that extreme to another....on this day last year I was bringing home my little Landen from the hospital. It was such a happy day. There was not time to reflect on what had been lost because I had just gained such a beautiful little treasure.

I pray that everyone will always remember the events of 9/11/01 and be so grateful for the free countries that we live in. I am blessed to be a citizen of Canada and a resident of the United States. Some people never belong to a safe country and I belong to 2. I am so fortunate and I will never take my freedom for granted and I will always be grateful for the men and women, many of whom are mothers and fathers, for the sacrifice that they are making to keep us safe.

Never Forget!!

Being 35...

On Friday I turned 35. There was a time that 35 seemed like it would be so old. Now it just seems like another year. I actually took some time to reflect on the last 5 years. 30 - 35 was the time of the most dramatic changes in my life. I want to write down my thoughts so that in 5 years I can look back and remember where I was at in 2006.

I have moved twice...given birth to 3 babies...worked for 3 different swimming organizations...started my own business again...left childhood friends at home to make new friends as an adult...I have been back to BC only 3 times...started a blog :-)...I would rather be at home with my family than out running around...I love my children more than I ever thought possible...I am so far behind in all my scrapbooks...I am a child person not a pet person...I love having pictures of my family all around me in my home...I enjoyed renovating rooms in my house...I love my husband more than I ever thought possible...I want to be more involved in my community...I want to take more time to travel to new places as the kids get older...I am proud of what I have accomplished and how I have handled the difficult times...I would not go back to my 20's :-)

The last 5 years have gone by so quickly in some respects. Amid all the chaos of life with children - diapers, nursing, not enough sleep, picking up the same toys 5 times in one day - and working part time I feel like I may have missed so much. Yet, as I watch Bryden learn to print her name and color beautiful pictures...and Hayden learn his ABC's and count to 10...and sweet little Landen starting to walk along the furniture and learn to sign "more" so he can ask for more food....I think that I have done the best job that I can to be there for my children in each moment.

Jim has flourished in his career as an attorney. Maybe one day he will be in a position to want to start his own law firm. I think that in the past 5 years I have been instrumental in encouraging his success. I thank Jim often for working as hard as he does to support our family and so that I do not have to work full time. I can focus on maintaining our household and caring for the kids. For that and for him I am so grateful and blessed.

Leaving BC and the business that I worked to hard to create was very difficult for me. I started to teach swimming lessons again (on a very small scale) when we moved 3 years ago. Now, I have a business that is as successful as it was back in BC. I am teaching about 100 children every 6 weeks. I am so fortunate that I get to do a job that I love to do.

So, what will the next 5 years have in store for me? What exciting times will be waiting for me from 35 - 40? Some things will never happen again -like giving birth to 3 babies in 5 years and starting up another swimming lesson business. Other things may repeat itself - like moving and keeping my business successful. Still other things will happen for the first time - the kids entering school, taking all 3 kids on an airplane to come back to BC, cutting back how much I work as my children get older. Some things will remain a constant in my life - loving my husband and children, looking to challenge myself in the business arena, making new friends and keeping up with old ones, taking time to be proud of what I have accomplished and looking forward to all the moments yet to come.

So, what do I want to accomplish in the next 5 years? That is such a tough question to answer as I feel that my goals are all over the map.

I want to be the kind of wife who is supportive and encouraging but who also can challenge Jim to make decisions that may be out of his comfort zone because I know that together we can accomplish anything. I want to date my husband since we kinda missed out on that aspect of our relationship :-) I want to make sure that I say "I love you" on a daily basis but I want my actions to support those words.

I want to be a loving mother who is attentive and caring but yet a mother who encourages my children to set goals for themselves and strive to reach them. My children will know that I would rather that they try something and fail than not try at all. I will be there to help pick them up, dust them off and set them on their way again. My children will know that I am proud of them. I want to make sure that the kids are given opportunities to try sports (not just swimming :-) and musical instruments. I never want my children to be spoiled. I want my children to always feel comfortable in coming to talk to me.

I want to take a bit more time for me. I will get all my scrapbooks caught up because it is theraputic for me :-) and they will be treasures for my family. I will start to wear clothes other than sweats..right now I am a great candidate for "What Not to Wear". I will start training again as I would like to compete in another natural body building competition in 2009. I want to get involved in our community - maybe with Special Olympics. I want to take some classes at the college....like photography and cooking. I want to meet a girlfriend for coffee once a week and have an adult conversation. I want to start swimming again because I know how theraputic that can be for me.

So much to do in the next 5 years. I can wish it to go by slowly but I know that the reality is that it won't so I need to make the most of each day with Jim and the kids and with myself. I am truly blessed to have so much and only be 35. I would not change a thing...OK, maybe I would want a few more hours in each day so that 8 hours of sleep would be attainable...

Being 35 is going to be great!! Wine gets better with age...so, why can't I? :-)

Ahhh...the summer of relaxing...

I have always loved summer...there is so much time to just sit around and relax and do a whole bunch of fun things. OK, maybe that was true when I was 8!! Not so much now. I feel like life gets busier as the summer goes on. The Palmer family has accomplished so much just since the beginning of June!!

First we went to St. Augustine, Florida which was heaven on earth for a week. No computers, no cell phone and no work!!

When we got home I started a 2 week swimming lesson set. I had almost 50 children registered to swim Monday - Friday for 2 weeks. I was in the water 6 hours a day!! I have not taught that much since...well, EVER!! What was I thinking?????

In the middle of all that was a birthday party that Bryden and Hayden were invited to. We have this neat place in town called "Pump it Up". It is a whole warehouse filled with "jumpy toys". You know...those big balloon type things that the kids can climb into and jump around in. The
cool thing is that the parents can join in too. The party was fun and the kids were worn out which in turn means that it was fun for me!!



Father's Day also fell in that time...which we celebrated in grand style. OK, not really grand style but I made dinner (which is an event in and of itself) and we had a picnic outside (which the kids love). We filled up our oversized plastic pool and set out the "Slip-n-Slide". Jim had a good time playing with the kids.

Jim's mom and dad arrived on June 29th for a 2 week visit. It was great to have them here. The kids adore Grandma and Poppa. Every time we hear an airplane Hayden says "Poppa come here?" We took them to Charlotte, North Carolina which is about 3 hours south of us. There was a HUGE outlet mall that we did some shopping in. Good thing I have the excuse of needing to buy school clothes!! Then came July 4th and the fireworks show on the street in front of our house :-) The kids hate the fireworks because they are too loud but we do it for the tradition.

Poor Bryden has a December birthday which means no party with friends year after year. So, this year we decided that she would have a 4 1/2 birthday. We had a beautifully sunny day with about 12 kids here. We rented one of those "Jumpy Toys" for the day and the kids had a ball. The really funny thing is that all of Bryden's friends from school have become swimming students of mine :-)

Then came the FAIR. What an exciting (and expensive) outing that turned out to be. Pony rides, funnel cakes, roller coasters, petting zoos and silly fair games...but it was all worth it!! The kids had so much fun. At the very end of the day the kids wanted to go and see a magic/kids show. So, off we went. The very last act called for someone to JUMP and someone to DANCE. Bryden went up on stage to do the JUMPING and Hayden went to do the DANCING. At the end of the "act" the audience cheered for the person they felt did the best. Our sweet Hayden won the gold medal :-) After a bit of talking about second place and how everyone can't win at the same time...Bryden was OK with Hayden being the star. Someone said that her behavior reminded them of ME!! I was offended :-)



Well, there is a month's worth of updates. Now ya'll can stop bugging me to update pictures f the kids. I have lots to tell you all still....the trials of potty training Hayden....Landen's obsession with food...Bryden swimming the length of the pool "freestyle" and "backstroke".

So, all is well in the Virginia Palmer's house...would love to get some updates from our friends and family who are all over the place....except Virginia :-(

Magic Sissies

Hello, my name is Dayna Palmer and I lie to children. I lie to the children that I teach swimming lessons to but worrisome of all I lie to my own children. See, I often have new "swimmers" in my classes who do not like to put their face in the water. Worse than that task would be for the children to open their eyes up while under water!! It is torture...or at least you would think so by the tears and screams that come from the pool when I am teaching.

My dear little Hayden is one of those children that I torture. He has not been in swimming lessons all winter with me because he has been sick with colds and after colds come ear infections. His torture has only been able to come in the form of a bath. So, I figured that a week in Florida would be the start of a wonderful relationship between Hayden and the water. He was a little reluctant at first but after about a day and a half he wanted to "Yump!!" into the pool, he would float back to the wall if I gave him a push but best of all he was going under water and keeping his eyes WIDE open.

This is where the big lie comes in. In order to get the kids - Hayden included - to open their eyes in the pool I tell them that I have put fishies in the pool. The only way that they can see them is under water. They won't see them if they look for them on the top of the water....because they are MAGIC fishies.

A first born child will usually look at you with skepticism and then maybe give it a try. They often bounce right back up and say "There are NO fishies in there!!" A second born or later has a bit more imagination than us first borns so they will go and give it a try (with a bit more drama) and stand up and announce "I saw a BLUE (or their favorite color) fishy!!" After those first moments the task of opening their eyes is not so bad and finding different color fish can be very exciting.

So, without any prompting after the first time he tried to open his eyes Hayden went under water and when he came back up he ammounced (as loud as his voice could be) "Mama, I saw the MAGIC SISSIES!!" Hayden has a bit of a problem pronouncing "F's. So, while I was so proud of how brave he was I had to laugh (along with all the other people at the pool). Maybe Hayden will learn to love the water just as I do
So, the following picture is proof that Hayden loves to look for MAGIC SISSIES!!! Hopefully little Landen won't be too far behind :-)

.

Fun in St. Augustine

Well, after 3 months I am finally getting around to "blogging" again. Life has been busy with the kids and with swimming and being on the computer when I don't have to be doesn't appeal :-) So, when Jim agreed that it was in the best interest of our family to get away for a week or so I quickly planned a trip.

We went to St. Augustine, Fl which incidently is the oldest city in the United States. I have to be honest though...we drove through the city...but other than that I didn't do one "touristy" thing. I spent the week reconnecting with my husband and the kids. We did alot of swimming in the pool (can't we do that at home :-) and in the ocean. We built many a sand castle and chased many waves. It was relaxing and stress-free...well, as stress-free as a vacation with 3 little ones could be!!

So, here are some pictures of everyone. I promise to post some more in the coming days. I have to catch everyone up on the kids and tell a funny story for each of them :-)

Swabs & Bald Seagulls

There is no question, Bryden is a very smart little girl :-) Everyone agrees...her grandparents, her teachers, her friends even say it....but most of all her Mama thinks so!!

Every once in awhile she will be trying so hard to carry on or start a conversation above the 4 years old that she is. That scenario often produces funny little "kids say the darndest things" moments. This weekend she had 2 in the same day!!

We had a beautiful, sunny weekend last weekend. It was about 80 degrees and Jim took the kids outside to play in the backyard. Soon after being out there Bryden ran into the house like her hair was on fire. "Mama!!! There are big swabs outside!!" You can imagine my confusion in not being sure what a swab was. So, I asked "What is a swab?" She tartly replied, "Mama, you know. They are so big." Still not sure I prompted her to tell me a little more about what a swab looked like. She said, "It is big and has wings."

OK, from that description I realized that it is big and that it flies. So, I went outside onto the deck to see for myself what a swab looked like. When I got out there Bryden ran away screeching "Another swab!! It can eat you!!" I didn't see a thing out there that was big and was flying nevermind something that could eat me. My brave little Hayden came wandering up and pointed and said "Mama, fly." Then I realized what a swab was. It was a WASP. At that point I didn't know which was funnier...Bryden who couldn't pronounce wasp or Hayden who thought it was a fly.

For some reason Bryden can't get her mouth wrapped around the word wasp or wasps. It comes out swab everytime. It makes me laugh everytime I hear her say it or think about her saying it. The funny thing is that she is hearing herself say wasp and doesn't realize that she is saying the word wrong.

Second funny word of the weekend. Same beautiful day, same deck outside, same sweet little girl who is so smart (thought I'd throw that in there again :-). Bryden looks up into the sky and points at a large bird. Then she says "Mama, that is a bald seagull isn't it?" I didn't have the heart to correct her so I said "Yes Bryden it is." I am sure that if God created a bald seagull he would have had them flying over our house that day.

So, when you see a swab or a bald seagull think of sweet Bryden.

The Love of My Boy

Yeah, today is Friday and it is the day that Hayden and I get to spend a little bit of time together. Landen is sleeping and Bryden is at school so Hayden and I get to have some fun.

For anyone who knows me well you will know 2 things. The first is that I always said that I would not have children (or get married for that matter). My logic was that I didn't need my own because I taught swimming lesson or coached competitive swimmers all year round. Those parents paid me to work with their children and then I got to send them home. What a good deal that was!!

The second thing is that I do not have an artistic bone in my body. My type "A" personality does not seem to allow me to be artistic and creative. Now, I can color in the lines with the best of them but I really struggle to draw anything freehand. I know that I don't do it well so I shy away from it. OK, that is an understatement...I stay away from drawing like it is the plague.

Well, this morning Hayden and I sat down with a pile of books and started reading. I love to read and it was going along very well. Then suddenly Hayden stood up and said "Mama draw". He ran to his desk and picked up some paper and a pencil and came back to me and with all kinds of anticipation in his eyes said "Fava Tuck, Mama". My initital response was "No Hayden...you draw Mama a firetruck." That did not go over so well. He said "No, Mama draw."

So, with all the apprehension in the world I started to draw a firetruck. As I am drawing I am thinking "What a lame attempt this is." When I finished Hayden said "Nice. Draw airplane." So, I drew an airplane. Then he asked for a "Nana" (which is a car...cars say nanana...that is where the name comes from). Then a "Bus"...then a "Boat"...then a "Choo Choo"...then a "Peace Car"...then a "Tuck" (truck).

As I drew Hayden smiled ear to ear...the smile that only my sweet boy can do. He didn't care that in the world of artists his Mama would receive a failing grade. He only cared that I was sitting with him...he had 100% of my attention and I was able to "draw" his favorite things.

I now know that I could never have lived my life without children of my own. I love to teach swimming lessons and I love to coach those swim team kids but I think that I was meant to be a Mama. All the years of loving everyone else's kids was preparing me for the time that I would love my own in a way that I never knew possible. I am so proud of each of my kids and I love them so much and yet so differently.

I will NEVER be an artist in the "real" world but in the little "Palmer World" this Mama can draw firetrucks, buses and boats with the best of them. The love in my son's eyes is what tells me that. I hope that he can see the love in my eyes staring right back at him.

The Way to Hurt a Mama's Feelings

It happens all the time to my kids. People stop us and comment on how beautiful their auburn hair is or how cute their curls are or how pretty their smiles are. On the outside I smile and say "Thank you". On the inside I am crying because all three of my children look JUST LIKE JIM!! It isn't fair. I carry these precious children for 9 months (Bryden was 9 1/2 months) and they don't look a think like me. One would think this was odd since the Harvey genes were so strong in our family.

The nice thing is that no one (other than family...which doesn't count) has ever made a comment about the children not looking like me. That is until we went to the mall a few months back. A nice little old lady came up and said "Oh, your children are beautiful." And I said my usual "Thank you." But she continued. The next words out of her mouth were those that no mother wants to hear. "They must look like your husband."

Now, while I know that is true I DO NOT need a sweet little old lady to remind me of it. So, I am not in therapy for this but I am tackling it head on. YES, MY CHILDREN ALL LOOK LIKE JIM AND NOT ME!! There, I said it and I am OK with it but it doesn't mean that my feelings aren't hurt just a little bit :-) Maybe I should try one more time to have a baby that looks like me :-) So, below you will see what I am talking about and you can draw your own conclusions.

The first picture is Hayden at 21 months old and the second is Jim around the same age.

The above picture is of Landen at 6 months old (well almost) and the picture below is of Jim with Michele at about the same age.

Well, there I have posted these pictures for all to see. Uncanny isn't it. Imagine how I felt in the delivery room when they hand me these babies that I know came from me but don't resemble me at all. I hope now everyone feels sorry for me and will always tell me from here on out how much my kids look like me. I will know that you are lying but I promise not to care :-)

Bryden & Hayden - First Haircuts - Pictures

Bryden holding her "hair bag" and not being very pleased with the process. Hayden is more than entertained with the sucker that he got. My boy sat still!!
The end result is 2 little kids that look better than when they got up this morning!!

Our 1st Haircuts

Today was a big day in the Palmer household. Bryden and Hayden had their first haircuts. I know...Bryden is 4 and Hayden is almost 2 1/2 and it seems odd that now would be their first haircuts. Many children get a haircut in their first year of life. Well, my children didn't have enough hair in their first year of life to have a haircut. Sad isn't it?

People thought that Bryden was a boy all the time because of her short hair. She has such beautiful naturally curly hair (thanks to Daddy) and I was really afraid that cutting out the curls now would cut them out for good. That is what happened to my sister so this was hard for me to do. Due to the curls her hair looks like a rat's nest more often than not. No matter how much conditioner we use or how often we brush it the tangles return. The poor child cries every morning before school because I have to brush her hair. She has been asking for a haircut for a few weeks now.

Hayden, on the other hand, was looking more and more like a girl according to Jim. He also has naturally curly hair (thanks to Daddy) and I loved the little curls at his collar and around his ears. Jim thought that enough was enough and it was time for Hayden's hair to be cut as well.

So, off we went to the mall. There was no wait and we were ushered right it. At that point Bryden started to cry and said she didn't want to do it. Being the mean Mama that I am I sat her up in that seat and saw to it that we went through with the hair cut. I would rather deal with a few minutes of tears (due to fear) than tears every morning (due to pain). When all was said and done we actually got a smile out of Bryden. Maybe the sucker had something to do with it.

Hayden was my brave boy. He climbed right up into that chair...also with the bribe of a sucker...but at least there were no tears. He sat really still and let the nice lady cut his hair.

So, the end result is that after some apprehension (on my part) and some tears (on Bryden's part) we have children who are more beautiful than when we started the day. That from a biased Mama but you can look for yourself :-)

Oh dear furnace!!

I came home from work on Thursday night not feeling very well, kinda like I was coming down with a cold. Great...this is all I need. Bryden had an upper respiratory infection that was almost gone and Hayden's ear infection had cleared up. I guess that it is only fair that it is my turn.

I didn't take the kids to school because I was feeling pretty awful. You know, the kind of sick when your skin hurts to touch and you are hot one minute and freezing the next. Yep, that was me!! So, we made it through Friday and it was on to Saturday. Thank goodness for Jim. He let me sleep in a bit and rest most of the day. I still wasn't feeling great. Why is it that when mom's get sick (the person in the family least available to get sick) always gets it worse than anyone else?

Well I thought that Sunday things would start on the upswing I quickly figured I was wrong. Bryden was still coughing...Hayden was really fussy...and Landen had a "yuck nose" as Hayden would say. Nobody ate much and we all just sat around hoping to feel better sooner than later.

At about 6pm I wondered why the house felt chilly. I figured that Jim had turned the temperature down a bit. When I looked at the thermostat it read 67 degrees - that is 19 degrees for those of you in the "NORTH" :-). We usually keep the house at about 69 or 70 as the kids won't wear socks and don't keep the blankets on at night. What was odd is that the gauge was set for 70 degrees. We are all sick and our furnace is BROKEN!! At one point during the night I checked and the house was a little more than 63 degrees which is 17 degrees back home.

Jim slept in my office with Bryden because it has electic baseboard heating. The boys slept in their room with layers of clothes on and a space heater to provide warmth...and I got to sleep in the king size bed all by myself with lots of clothes and lts of blankets. OK, sleep in a realtive word I guess. Hayden cried most of the night (a signal that his ear infection has returned) and when Hayden wasn't crying Landen was because he could hardly breathe. His "yuck nose" was filled (and I am not exaggerating) with more green snot than I had ever seen before. Sometime between 4am and 7am I got about 90 minutes of sleep.

So, what is the end result you ask? The furnace needed a new ignitor switch which for almost $200 was replaced on Monday. I wish everything else was as easy to fix. Hayden has another ear infection so he is on more medicine. Landen has an upper respiratory infection and it will just work it's course with some help from triaminic. I am suffering from a sinus infection and exhaustion :-) Bryden is still coughing and my loving husband is caring, sensitive and made dinner last night for me!!

I hope that the rest of the week gets better...as do the kids and I. Please don't take your furnace for granted. Get it checked before winter starts :-) Too late for this year and too early for next year.