Smile

Here's a little song I wrote.

You might want to sing it note for note.

Don't worry... be happy.

In every life we have some trouble.

But when you worry you make it double.

Don't worry, BEEE HAPPY! :)

Respite

I've developed a mystifying pain around my left shoulder blade. I didn't fall down or run into anything so I have no idea how it came about. Heat, massage and ibuprofen won't touch it. You may be asking yourself why I haven't seen a doctor and the answer largely lies with the fact we still don't have our medical insurance cards. A couple of weeks ago I tried to set up appointments for the girls as their birthdays are looming and I couldn't even do that without them. Plus I don't really know anyone who could take the girls (no VTers yet). And we were out of town for the long weekend. Not to mention I have to FIND a doctor! So I've had this pain for about a week now and it's just not getting better.

Around 2 PM today I really hit a wall. My shoulder was killing me and I had no energy. None. I was lying on my back (not because it feels any better, just because it's nice to not move) watching Ireland entertain herself by pulling diapers out of the package. Liesel furiously worked off her lunch buzz; prancing around and chatting to herself. I was able to peel myself off the floor long enough to put on a movie for Liesel and gather Ireland in my arms in the hopes she'd take a nap with me.

Turns out she wasn't really interested in napping but desperately wanted all my attention. As I lay on Liesel's bed, I fantasized Brent walking in, announcing the system was down and he was home for the day. I wished the RS President would call to check on me, stating she had no piano students and I could beg her to take the girls so I could rest. I was SO tired and in pain! The afternoon hours loomed ahead of me and I couldn't see how I'd get through it. In desperation, I said a little prayer, "Heavenly Father, would YOU please watch my girls so I can sleep?"

Ireland again bounced on her toes wanting to be picked up and once I held her she almost immediately closed her eyes and fell asleep. After a little while, Liesel wandered in and played for a while to the side of the bed. When I didn't hear anything for a few minutes, I glanced at her and she'd fallen asleep, face down. She slept for hours. Amazing considering she hasn't napped in what seems like eons. Almost a miracle you might say. I was blissfully able to give into my exhaustion and drift off.

When I picked Brent up from the train I told him about it. I couldn't help but cry as I told him the Lord watched the girls for me so I could get some much needed sleep.

The power of prayer.

Another Ireland Update

Like her sister, Ireland prefers to be naked. Changing her diaper has become a battle of getting her to stay still. I found that playing with her feet keeps her sufficiently entertained while I work like mad to keep her covered. Here we are just playing. LOVE her laugh!!!

Not that life is a barrel of laughs. No two ways about it, teething is a nasty business!

Grandpa is WAY more permissive with the girls when it comes to handling electronics! He feels he's giving them early exposure. I think he's also currying favor. You may remember he was the same with Liesel.

Usually my sewing machine is kept in the desk but I was working on a couple of projects. Ever the resourceful girl, Liesel discovered it was the perfect size for her. Ireland discovered Liesel's discovery, much to her delight. A Liesel in the Box if you will. Can you hear Liesel demanding her "privacy"? There's nothing in the world like seeing my girls play together!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope your day was filled with sweet scents

...or sweet treats

...or sweethearts

...and should you be a Cupid hater

...consider giving him one more chance!

XOXOXO, The Wuehlers

Chopped

I cut off all my hair just before the big move to Chicago. Brent had mentioned he really liked it short and I wanted to surprise him. Oi. I think I should have waited a bit longer for the idea to sink in because as soon as it was gone I regretted it. My stylist flat-ironed it and did a precision cut and then put in some layers. Then more layers and more layers. There's 3 inches of difference between the shortest and longest layers. I like layers but with lots of them it starts to look shredded as it grows out. When I get a haircut I want it to last a while! I don't want to have to go in again in 6 weeks because it looks like I haven't had a cut in 6 months. And yes, I spoke up before she put in yet MORE layers. She unsuccessfully tried to convince me it would be too thick and weighty. I did not cry though. I refuse to cry about my hair unless I'm losing it all due to chemotherapy. Hair grows back and in my case it grows quickly.

I'd told the stylist I wanted to play up the curls that resulted from my last pregnancy. I wanted to look like classic Hollywood. Growing up I had stick straight hair and always envied girls with curly hair. They looked romantic and could run their fingers through wet hair and go. I had to DO something or I looked haggard. They of course hated their curls. Thanks to Ireland, I now have curls and I just love them. Cutting off all the length really let them spring up. I've barely thought about my haircut since it happened (as evidenced by the lateness of this post on the matter) and I'm undecided on whether to grow it out again or keep it short for a while. Hmmmm, decisions for another day. In the meantime, here's a pic Brent took of me on my blackberry.

Chicago Auto Show

I've been slowly reading through Frommer's Chicago with Kids and that's where I heard about the Auto Show. The website, describes it as, "First staged in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America and has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent. This year marks the 103rd edition of the Chicago Auto Show." It's held at the McCormick Place complex which is 1.2 million square ft of exhibit halls. We had an amazing time. Here are the highlights:

There were lots of green initiative cars like this one that plugs in.

Of course Lightning McQueen was there! Mater too. In anticipation of this event I introduced Liesel to Cars this week. Can you tell she's star struck?

They had these guys all over just constantly wiping finger prints off the cars. That job would have literally driven me insane.

There were driving courses for kids (foreground) and adults (background). Even though that incline looks impressive, they only let people drive about 2 mph and it's monitored at every curve.

There was a section of antique cars with lots of Model T's. Thanks to my parents, I have a healthy appreciation for old cars and this sign just made me smile.

This Duesenburg was just beautiful. Without the antsy kids I could have spent my entire time at the show just admiring it.

But the car I wanted to take home with me was even more untouchable...

Maybe I'm still reeling from the recent blizzard? I have no idea how to use all the bells and whistles (and believe me, it has A LOT!) but I just know in my bones it would come in handy. For a lot of... stuff. Like getting through traffic, and decorating the apartment, and quilting. This was a Ford F-350 with tow cables on the front, the back, little spouts on both ends for I have no idea what, a roomy extended cab and double rear tires. Yes yes, I'm Jonesing for this one.

A 1969 pace car next to the new 2011 one. If I had to pick, I'd take the 1969 version.

I haven't seen doors like these since Back to the Future.

We learned a little late in the game there were two sides to the exhibition. One had all the luxury cars like Lexus, BMW, Acura, Mercedes, etc and the other side had Ford, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, etc. After checking out a Lexus SUV that starts at $78,000 we felt much more comfortable on the other side of the exhibition!

The Frommer's guide said it was a kid-friendly event because even children can check out the cars. We found that was only partially true. The second I put Liesel in the driver's seat I had a line of 3 couples waiting to get in. One lady actually scoffed at me for letting her do it. We were able to find one car that wasn't so crowded and Liesel was getting more and more comfortable. I got out and she moved over to the passenger side. Meanwhile, an african-american teenager jumped in the driver's side, smiled at her and nonchalantly said, "Wanna go for a spin?" I have never, EVER seen Liesel get out of a car so quickly! The guy was really nice about it though.

I love any event where there's a line for the men's bathroom but the ladies is free and clear!

There was also a section of military tanks and cars but it was just before we left and the girls were plotting a mutiny. Sorry I don't have any pics of those! The nicest thing about the show is we could check out cars without a salesman breathing down our necks. It didn't occur to Brent or I that the show wasn't full of tire kickers like ourselves. Some people actually buy a car at the show. As such, the Illinois Secretary of State was there and had we thought to bring the required information, we could have registered our car! It wasn't a total loss though because we were able to get the forms for registration and the study guide for the written test. That's right, to get a driver's licence in Illinois you have to take a written test every 8 years. This is one exam I'm confident I'll score higher than Brent... but we'll see!

Sweet

Many of my dearest friends are companions from my mission. I don't think it's coincidence that I often hear from one of them when I'm going through something rough. The 5 months when Brent was in Boston while the girls and I were in Iowa City, were particularly rough. In the middle of it all, I was deliriously happy to get a package from Laney, the last companion I served with.

Laney makes jewelry and wanted to create something for my birthday. She took the time to call Brent to get ideas. When he wasn't much help (sorry honey, you are a man after all), she looked up my sister Reagan on Facebook and contacted her. Reagan made some suggestions and below is the final result:

The edelweiss charm is for Liesel. The Celtic knot is for Ireland. The middle charm says "dilseacht" which is translated as loyalty or faithfulness. I immediately put this on and have since worn it ALL THE TIME!!! I was so touched to get something so personal in a time of trial. It's one of my favorite accessories.

Laney's online store is cleverly named "Cache of Panache." Should you be interested in any of her other creations, it can be found here.

Simple Pleasures

Liesel has wanted her own credit card for quite some time now. Brent and I put as many expenses as possible on our credit cards to earn frequent flier miles. We've found it's also easier to track and categorize our spending. I guess because of that practice, my little girl became fascinated with the many times I've pulled out my card, swiped it and signed on the electronic pad. Now when we approach a check out, she asks for her credit card. In the past I gave her my Panera rewards card, but I think she had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't real.

For Family Home Evening we decided to get our library cards. The Schaumburg Public Library is a five-star library. No lie. I didn't even know libraries were rated! There's a deli/coffee shop as you walk in. One of the rooms has comfy seats and a fireplace! Story time takes place in "The Enchanted Forest" which is a section of the children's area (which is the size of a regular library). They have tons of programs for all ages and even meeting rooms. It's definitely a nice library.

The only downside is getting a card is harder than being accepted into the FBI. I figured we could gather all the required information and get it taken care of in one fell swoop. With our lease agreement, bill with the new address, and random piece of mail we were approved to check out materials (phew!). The woman processing our information asked if we wanted a card for Liesel. Since a card is also required to play with any toys on the premesis (ie Thomas the Engine trains are not sitting out on the large train table), I figured it would be a good idea.

Oh my. When Liesel found out she was getting her own (credit) card she danced like a dervish. The fact the card has her picture on it is even more amazing because it really and truly is HERS! She was so giddy with joy about it they had to take her picture 4 times because they were all coming out blurry. I love that the fish face one is the keeper. When that woman handed Liesel her (credit) card she was happier than a pig at slop. Even she obliged Liesel's fantasy in saying she was glad to help process her 'credit card.' The other card processing people left their desks to come over and hear Liesel rhapsodize. As we walked out, she flashed it to everyone (seriously, EVERYONE) and loudly announced it was her credit card. Liesel carried it around all night and I thought I'd have to rip it out of her hands while she was sleeping. If she loses it, I have to sell her to the library or something like that. I have a feeling she'll keep a close eye on it though.

Sneak Peak

I've received a surprising number of requests for pics of our apartment here in Chicago. I've been hesitant to post any because we still have some boxes to go through and pretty much every room needs some final touches. However, to sate the curiosity of my 3 blog readers, here's a few things I feel comfortable sharing:

The list of foods Liesel will willingly eat is rapidly shrinking. Too many times I've found myself staring into the fridge and pantry waiting for something to speak to me. Until now. This simple dry-erase board divided with electrical tape saves me time and anguish. Just 10 min on Sunday night and my week goes SO much more smoothly! It's also nice when Brent's on tap to feed her because he doesn't have to ask what to prepare. Love, love, love this! Wish we'd thought of it sooner. You may wonder why there is no spot for Sunday's meals and that's because Sunday is Mom's surprise.

We have no mantle or shelves for pictures so I grouped these together to decorate one wall of the girl's bedroom. It looks much better than I thought it would!

I always thought that if I decorated a home, the very first priority would be the master bedroom. Everything else can be mayhem if I have somewhere to retreat, relax and recharge. So it stands to reason that the first room in our apartment that's 100% complete is the girl's bathroom. But that's mostly due to Target having a Circo line of bathroom items in a duck theme.

When both the girls have turned 9 months we've taken them to get professional bathtub photos . Cliche? Perhaps, but they look so cute with their smooth and plump baby skin. Note the long ribbon of different colored bows (above). I can never have too many bows for my girls!

The inspiration to do a bathroom with a duck theme came from my SIL Lisa who hung pics of her little ones in their bathtub photos. It's so fun and whimsical, I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Boston apartments are notorious for having little to no closet space. I am beyond thrilled with our walk-in closet here in Chicago! My shoes finally have a home and I can see all my clothes at once. I've never liked the idea of packing away seasonal clothes. Now I don't have to!

Another organization favorite? The dual-sided hamper. When I do laundry, a chunk of clothes are pre-sorted. Love it.

Currently our bedroom is decorated in engagement and wedding photos. I know that's kind of cliche, but seeing those images definitely sets a romantic tone. I feel strongly that a master bedroom should not look overly feminine or masculine. It should look like a couple lives there and both have a say in the relationship. We've chosen shades of dove gray and charcoal gray to get that sense of yin/yang. I'm waiting to buy some new pillows that have some stripes on them and will balance out the bedspread which looks slightly girly to me right now. The runner for our dresser has plaid on one side and a swirly pattern on the other.

When we got our desktop a couple of years ago I didn't care much about memory or ram options, I just wanted the cordless keyboard and mouse. It makes the desk a cleaner place. When Liesel's watching something from iTunes we can quietly put those to the side so she can't do any damage to the computer. The diplomas are honestly not meant to be an ego wall. We're hoping the girls will always have an understanding of how important education is for our family. Brent and I coincidentally saved our tassels from graduation. When we visited BYU after we married, we were thrilled to find they had diploma frames that incorporated them.

Another organization favorite! If there's something Brent needs to take care of, I can slip it in his inbox and vice versa. We try to go through our inboxes once a week. We get a lot more done and again, things don't get lost. Yes, Brent's inbox is empty while mine has a few things. He has been cleaning, organizing and filing at amazing speed. He almost has fewer things than I do when you count my sewing, scrapbooking and memorabilia. If you know Brent at all, you know how amazing that is.