Fun and... Not.

Yesterday I heard snorting, chortling, and chuckling coming from the direction of Adelaide's bedroom. I snuck in, and found Sadie IN the crib with Adelaide, with blankets pulled over their heads. Apparently, this was just too much fun for Adelaide, who ended up with the hiccups.

We have been using chore charts for about 4 months now. When the girls do something right, they get a check. If they do something wrong, like disobeying, fighting, etc., they get a "big fat X." Josie did not want to take a nap the other day. Just the simple fact that she was whining and crying about it proved the fact that she NEEDED to take a nap. I told her that if she didn't stop by the time I counted to three, she was getting an X. Josie, whispering under her breath while she stomped down the hall to her room said, "If you do give me an "X", then I will just ERASE it." What the heck!? Who does she think she is?!

Today while we were shopping, Josie had to go potty. While we were in the bathroom, she informed me that she could not go poop if I were talking, or if I were in the stall with her. I politely went to stand over by the sink, then burst out laughing when I heard her say, "Yes!"

Sadie Says

The other night for the first time in literally YEARS, I mixed up some Manwich sauce with some ground beef. The kids were grossed out when I told them it was called "Manwich." Of course, at first they thought it was made out of a man. Then after they tried it, they liked it. I laughed when Sadie asked for seconds: "More Sasquatch stuff please!"

We've been listening to VeggieTales Silly Songs with Larry. One of our favorites is "Where, oh where is my Hairbrush?" It's a catchy tune, believe me! When Sadie went to the grocery store with me the other night, she (of course) had to go potty. I asked if she could wait till we got home, but then she launched into this rendition: "Where, oh where is the bathroom?"

I introduced the girls to this little hand game that Angela and I used to play when we were little: "Bubblegum bubblegum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?" Cute, huh? Then Daddy got in on it and changed the words: "Snakes, lizards, monkeys, and frogs... how many beatings do you want with a log?" Sadie yelled, "ZERO!"

Dr.Goose

"Hi... I'm Doctor Goose!"

Precisely

Mommy: "Josie, don't forget to help with the dishwasher. That's on your chore chart, you know."

Sadie: "She doesn't do that one anymore. She retired."

Later that same day...

Sadie: "I am making a special stew. Hold on just a minute... I have to get a very precise measurement here and I don't want to mess up."

Good grief.

Mistaken Identity

Last night I read a book called "Just Like Daddy" to the girls. I always tell them who the author and the illustrator are before we start reading. The illustrator of this particular book was some guy named Frank Asch. As soon as I got the words out of my mouth, Josie, all excited, yelled, "Hey! I KNOW him!"

She doesn't.

Beauty and the Breast

Adelaide is now 17 months old, and I know that I should probably start weaning her (some of you would say I should've weaned her already!) but every time I think about it, I almost cry. Who knew I would grow this attached to something that I initially loathed and detested? I have to write down everything I love about it, since she may decide on her own that she's done and I may have no say in the matter. I love:

1. How she snuggles her little head down into the crook of my arm
2. How she opens her mouth like a little bird, and laughs if I wiggle around so she can't get to me
3. How she pats and/or squeezes me at the same time she's nursing
4. How she looks up at me with those big blue eyes and gets a "glazed, milk-drunk" expression
5. How when she's done, she's all rosy-cheeked, crazy-haired, and toasty-warm
6. How she goes "Mmummummumumum" when her mouth's full
7. How she digs into my shirt with both hands and tries to yank it out while saying "booboob"
8. How we snuggle together under the covers in the morning while she nurses and pulls on my bra strap, hair, or anything else she can busy herself with
9. How she thinks it's so funny to try to stick her finger up my nose when I'm not looking
10.How she follows me around, pointing and saying, "Eh, eh, eh!" and then gets all excited and laughs "heh heh" when I pick her up and ask her if she wants to nurse
11.How she plays with her hair and her little ears (which sometimes get folded back and stuck to her head) while she's nursing
12.How she does "the motions" to her lullaby at the same time (eyes, nose, ears, toes, hair, cheeks, mouth, 'feets')

Sigh. See? It's going to be hard to give it up. I never would've thought it. It almost makes me want to have another one.... Maybe I shouldn't stop just yet!

Where's the Trust?

One of my favorite things about Josie is the way she talks. She still says, "Woild" (world), "Goil" (girl), "lellow" (yellow), "dwink" (drink), Old MacDonald's (McDonald's) "That's cracka-lacking!" (her favorite quote from the Madagascar movie) and my new favorite: "Pencil sharpeninger" - you can figure that one out.

The other day we were discussing potty issues and when she might learn to clean her own little butt instead of yelling, "MOMMY!!! I'M DONE! MOMMMMMMMMYYYY!" I told her I thought it was about time to learn to do it herself. She looked at me very seriously and said, "Listen, Mommy, I'm still a little kid."

I made the first vegetable soup of the year last week, and as Josie was eating it, she kept picking at something in the bowl with her spoon. I told her she needed to finish her soup so I could clean up the kitchen. She said, "What IS this, Mommy?" I said, "It's a carrot." She said, "No it's not, it's a tomato." (she won't eat tomatoes). I said, "It's a carrot." She said, "You call it a carrot; I call it a tomato."

On the way to church Sunday, she asked Jesse a question... he answered her, but then she asked me the same question. He said, "What? You don't trust me?" She answered, "No, but I don't trust Mommy, either."


James, Teagan, and Ireson came over to play the other day and Teagan said something that hurt James' feelings... I don't know what it was, but he was practically in tears and Sadie was upset for him. Wearing her big pink princess dress (the one with the hoop skirt that Mamaw gave her), she dramatically proclaimed before she flounced out of the room: "She (Teagan) is mean and cruel too. This is no place for a lady!"

It's a Cruel, Cruel Summer...Now You're Grown

I know, I know... they're not really grown, but they're more grown now than they were at the beginning of summer. I was thinking the other day as we were riding bikes down the street (Sadie on her 2 wheeler, tearing it up in front, Josie on her hot wheels, pedaling as fast as she could, little legs all in a blur, saying that she likes to "drink the fall air," and Adelaide snuggled in the bike trailer behind me yelling "Dat! Tee! Mama!") that this was the only summer that the girls would be just this way. Adelaide, toddling around saying "Doot" to anything that moved, wading in the pool, throwing her leg over the side and climbing in with all her clothes on, soaking her diaper, eating sand at the beach, wearing her cute little pink sun-hat over her cute little sweaty pink cheeks; Sadie, long and lanky and reckless, climbing trees and jumping over anything she can stack up, whizzing by barefoot on her bike, catching toads and squirting her sisters with the hose; Josie, begging to go outside with no shoes on (ever), watering all the flowers with the watering can, always asking for popsicles, tan lines from her 2 piece Winnie the Pooh swimsuit.... Sometimes I love them so much it overwhelms me. I want to freeze them in time - capture the moment - keep them just this way forever. But, summer is officially over... another year gone, another year grown.

Don't be a sucker

Adelaide is a little goofball. She does things that are SO CUTE that is almost makes my heart hurt to see them. For example, if she sees you looking at her, she'll tilt her head over to the side almost as far as it can go, then SLOWLY tilt it back the other way, all while watching you with her big blue eyes. Also, she uses her face as a blueberry vaccuum. If you drop blueberries on the table in front of her (or any kind of little food on the ground, or anywhere) she'll plant her face down on the table (or ground) and suck them up. It's hilarious. Maybe not the most hygienic thing in the world, but funny nonetheless. She's also taken to flopping backwards onto Sadie's or Josie's beds, just lying there looking around... or flopping down on the floor wherever she is if she's tired or wants to look cute. She knows she is!

In other news, she's started yelling, "SAY-DAY! O-SAY!" at the top of her lungs while she runs up and down the hall, looking for her sisters. It's a nice break from "Mama!" which she said a whopping 148 times the other day (yes, I counted).

Tipsy

Well, since the very popular "Night at the Theater" when we saw Annie, quotes and song renditions have been popping up all over the place. I can't get "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" out of my head. Josie goes around singing "No one cares for you! A Smidge! When you're in an Orph! Anage!" while Sadie prefers "Lucky me, lucky me, lucky me... I'm dripping with LITTLE GIRLS!" There is a part in the play when Ms. Farrell is trying to take Annie out of the orphanage for a week to stay with Mr. Warbucks. Miss Hannigan does NOT want this to happen, because Annie is in trouble and has 'got it coming to her, and I don't mean a week in the lap of luxury!' When Ms. Farrell asked why Annie can't go, Miss Hannigan says, "Umm... umm... well, she's a drunk." OF COURSE, that's the quote that Sadie had to run with (she doesn't even know what a drunk is!). The other day I asked Josie to help me do something and she said, "I can't!" I said, "Why not?" and Sadie piped up from down the hallway: "She's a drunk!" I hope this one doesn't surface at church. :)

Don't You Believe It!

Josie and Sadie usually start their day by watching ONE Tom & Jerry cartoon, while they wake up and I make breakfast. While this has been the source of many jokes and giggles on their part ("Is you is, or is you ain't my baby?") AND something they have in common with Lynn and Deanna, my favorite quote is by Tom, after blowing up a radioactive mouse that he was told was not dangerous:

"DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT!"

You also may hear Josie saying this for no apparent reason... she just thinks it's funny, especially since she knows it makes me laugh. Well, the other night, she almost got in trouble because she wouldn't stop talking and go to sleep. I went in to tell her twice, then the third time I was done warning her. I said, "This is it. You will stop talking and you WILL go to sleep." She said, "Mommy, I just can't stop talking. God made me this way."

I left and went down the hall.

"DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT!"

What Kind of a...

As I was making lunch the other day, Sadie ran in the kitchen and asked if she could have a granola bar...the kind with icing all over the top. I said no, since we were going to be eating lunch in about 5 minutes. She stomped off, sulking, then came back in a few minutes later with her hands held out, palms up: "What kind of a mother - will not give her child - something to eat - when she is hungry?!" Oh my gosh... I could not keep from laughing, sassy though it may have been.

Aunt Lydia and Uncle Darryl went to Disney World for their anniversary/birthdays last week, and they brought the girls gifts back. Aunt Lyd is the coolest - she actually called from Florida to ask which Disney characters they wanted for sure. She came over on Thursday and brought the much-anticipated presents with her. Sadie and Josie tackled her at the door, yelling, "OH... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" before she ever even gave them the gifts. When she presented them (A tiny Tinkerbell with tons of accessories for Josie, a tiny Ariel with tons of accessories for Sadie), I thought they were going to actually jump out of their skins. They LOVE these little dolls and have played with them pretty much non-stop ever since. That night when saying prayers, Sadie bowed her head and said (heart-feltly :), "And God, thank you so much for Aunt Lydia and these WONDERFUL DOLLS!"

We've Got Annie

After 2 weeks of sticking to their chore charts, getting checks the whole time -- a major accomplishment, believe me, especially since one of their chores is "be kind to my sisters," the girls finally worked their way to their big reward: Seeing "Annie" on stage.

To be honest, since it was their first real experience with live theater, I think I was as excited as they were. Grammie came over to watch Adelaide, since "only big girls can go to see plays," and we dressed up in our fancy dresses and Daddy even
donned a nice shirt and dress pants. The girls said he would be the "handsomest daddy there." We decided to make a night of it, leaving early so we could have dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. Several people there commented on how pretty they looked, and even said, "Enjoy the show!" when we left (the theater was right around the corner from the restaurant). On the way, we went over different vocabulary words so they'd know what was going on - the set, the narrator, intermission, props, etc. and then - there we were. They handed over their tickets, grabbed their programs, found their seats (2nd row from the stage, on the end - woohoo!), settled in, and were hooked. I'm telling you, they did not take their eyes from the stage the entire time. When it was intermission, I had to drag them out to go potty because they were afraid they'd miss something. Luckily, they did come with me, because as luck would have it, we got to meet "Molly" and "Annie" herself in the bathroom! We let them jump line since they had more work to do. Sadie and Josie were both a little starstruck, but "Molly" told Josie she liked her dress and that she was the same age as Sadie. They were SO excited. Then we went back for the second Act and it was more of the same. They did not make a peep. They LOVED it. I was so proud of them! Josie was sad when it was over - she wanted to see more - but it was WAY past bedtime by then - almost 10:30 - so we headed home. It's been a couple of weeks now, but "It's the Hard-Knock Life" can still be heard at our house every morning when two little girls have to make their beds!

Where, Oh Where is my Toothbrush?

We were reading a bedtime story the other night while I held Adelaide, who was nursing. The story said, "Through the window, she could hear sirens wailing and horns tooting..." just then, I mean at THAT PRECISE MOMENT - Adelaide "tooted." We all cracked up, including Adelaide, who just loves to make her sisters laugh.

Well, as any of my devoted readers know by now, Sadie has her Snoopy, and Josie has her Blank. Up until now, Miss Adelaide has seemed somewhat undecided as far as choosing a "lovey," but now, much to my dismay, has chosen...drumroll, please... Toothbrush. Yes, Toothbrush is exactly what it sounds like. A toothbrush. Don't ask me why, but she LOVES her toothbrush. She wants to hold it all the time, whether it's in her mouth or not. If she's crying in the car? Give her Toothbrush. If she's fussing in the living room? Give her Toothbrush. If she's whining and holding on to your legs? You got it... Give her Toothbrush. I wonder what this means....

My mom was counting her toes the other day (Adelaide's toes, that is, not my MOM's toes :) and when she got to five on one foot, she stopped, then Adelaide says, "Six!" My mom nearly fell over. I was not surprised, though, since I figure all of my girls are genius. Genii. However you spell that word. :)

Also, Adelaide has discovered the joys of twirling. Last week she figured out how to do it, arms stretched out and yelling, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" until she got dizzy and fell down. She refused to do it in the grass, where her fall would be cushioned, though. Apparently, twirling is always more fun on pavement. At least until you fall down.

Treasures

After much yelling of "Duice! Duice! MMMMmmmm! Duice!" and pointing at Josie's, I reluctantly gave Adelaide her own popsicle to hold while they were riding in the bike trailer. A few minutes later, after much slurping, I hear Josie saying, "AAHHH! EWW! Don't touch me! You're GWOSS!"

Sadie moved up to the next Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago. It made me a little sad, since she's no longer in the "Lambs" class, where the youngest kids are... but she was super excited about going into "Treasures", even though she got a little nervous on the first day. We journaled about it in her little notebook later in the week, and she told me all about her day. In her words:

"When you're 5, you move up to Treasures Class. Since I was 5, I moved up. I thought you had to pay to move up. It was a funny feeling. I was a little bit shy at first. I didn't really want to move up because it seemed so different and scary. Mommy held my hand and walked in class with me and I saw that James and Teagan were both in my class too! That made me feel a lot better. I found out it was a lot more fun with my cousins. My teacher was very nice and kind to me. I made a book with her - a little Jesus book about Jesus healing leprechauns -- leprosy. He healed them! We don't eat snacks in class. I would rather have a snack, but that's okay. It's still pretty fun."

Should Have Known

You would think that after having two 15 month olds before her, I would have EXPECTED this from Adelaide. You would think, but apparently, one doesn't always learn from their mistakes.

Yesterday we went over to Aunt Becky's to have some school time and cousin time in the park. Adelaide had on a little sundress with cute bright green pants on under it because I'm trying to protect her little knees from getting scraped all the time. After lots of fun in the park (Sadie had a good time running Lexy the dog on her leash, hanging upside down on the monkey bars, and racing bikes with James, & Josie tried her best to pedal her bike with her short little legs and had a good time climbing and 'tandem-sliding' with Teagan) we packed up to go home. Adelaide's pants were covered in mulch and dirt, so I stripped them off of her and loaded her in her carseat. When we got home, it was naptime, so I plunked her down in her bed, turned on her lullaby CD, and closed the door. Seems routine, right?

I FORGOT THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE ON ANY PANTS! SHE ONLY HAD ON HER DIAPER UNDER HER DRESS! 15 MONTH OLD BABIES CAN TAKE OFF THEIR DIAPERS!

Veteran mothers are probably shaking their heads and laughing here, since they know what happens next. Heck, I knew what would happen next, too, but I totally didn't even think about it. Yep, Poop. Poop, and lots of it. I went in to get her up from her nap, and WHAM! The smell hit me in the face as soon as I opened the door, and there she stood... poop from one end of the crib to the other, ON THE CRIB SLATS, on her hands, on her HEAD, EVERYWHERE. I just left her there, called Jesse for backup (I yelled, "JESSE! Come downstairs RIGHT NOW!" He didn't ask any questions... just ran down the stairs to the poop bomb. I started the tub, he grabbed the screaming wailing poop-monster and started the first round of scrubbing, and I (yuck) began the long, Clorox-ridden clean up of the crib. Sadie and Josie didn't know WHAT to do with themselves, except run up and down the hall and point out poop that fell off Adelaide on the way to the bathroom.

It was not pretty. After I finished the crib, opened the windows, and turned on the air purifier, I accepted the stinkpot from Jesse and ran her through the bath again. Ugh. I think she could've stood a third round.

Saturday Here in the Park

Adelaide has begun talking quite a bit in the past few weeks. Her favorite words, up to now, have been "Mommy Mommy Mommy," "doot," and "Tat du" (thank you). Recently, she's begun expanding her vocabulary, which now includes "Buh-booooooo," "dirt," "duice," and "DadDAD!" She's never said "Dada," but always seems to use an exclamation when she says it, maybe because she's always so happy to see Jesse. It's cute... "DadDAD!" she yells when he comes home from work or when he gets her up from her nap. Love it. I also love the way she puts her little head down on my shoulder when she's tired or just wants a good snuggle... I don't remember the other two doing that, and I just eat it up!

Last week we went to this cool safari park place where you could drive through a big enclosure full of deer, moose, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, etc. It was an experience! Sadie and Jesse were fearless, letting the animals stick their heads RIGHT INTO THE CAR and eat from their cups of carrots and grain. Josie and I took a different route...dodging, yelling, hiding, and trying to keep the windows rolled up. It was a little scary, especially when a big old moose grabbed my cup of oats and ran away with it. Well! I wasn't going after him! Adelaide was in the back with Grammie, and she was a little scared at first (Adelaide, not my mom :) but then she got all excited and REALLY liked it when the giraffe stuck his head in. I have to admit that was pretty cool. At one point Jesse had TWO buffalos' heads stuck in his car window at the same time, not to mention disgusting buffalo slobber and other drainage smeared all over the windows and the rest of the car. Ick.

Yesterday we had a Saturday when we actually had nothing to do. It was a gift! Usually there are people to see and places to go; you know how it is. Yesterday, though, Jesse's & Sadie's fishing plans fell through and so we had the whole day off together. Jesse slept late (I tried, but it just didn't work out), the kids got to watch 2 cartoons instead of their usual one, we made pancake men and turkey bacon for breakfast, goofed around the house for a while, then went to ride our bikes at the park. We took a picnic and Josie's owl kite and it was a gorgeous day... I seriously had to use serious leg muscles while trying to pull my two younger children in the bike trailer, though. I think they've both hit a growth spurt, because it felt like I was trying to haul two buffalos behind me or something. Sheesh. Sadie stomped around in the river a while, and Josie pushed Adelaide in the baby swing... it was just a nice day. Then Grandma picked Josie up for her special "Josie Night" with Grandma and Grandpa (she got to eat at Cracker Barrel, get a giant sucker, watch Tarzan, and take a bath ALL BY HERSELF), and Sadie and Adelaide went with me and Jesse to a little festival where Sadie played a fishing game (with real fishing poles and real fish) and caught the biggest fish they'd had all day. Everyone applauded for her!

I found out today that when Sadie went to Illinois last weekend with Grandma, Aunt Lyd, and Teagan, she was an excellent cousin, traveler, and example. I was so proud! Aunt Lydia told me how Sadie shared and shared without complaining (she had a backpack full of snacks and activities for the 8 hour trip) and was very kind and loving to Teagan... except for the end when she said, "Hey, why don't you eat some of your own snacks?" But, it WAS an 8 hour ride; no one is perfect. Her Grandma told me that the girls had a little tiff and Teagan spluttered in Sadie's face because she was mad. Later Grandma found a distraught Teagan sobbing alone in the bedroom. When asked what was the matter, Teagan confessed that she had spit at Sadie and that she wanted to apologize. When she hugged her and fell against Sadie's chest, crying and saying she was sorry, Sadie very graciously said, "That's okay. Want a piggy-back ride?" What a forgiving spirit! I'm proud of both of them for acting so kindly toward each other. Ahh... the love of cousins. I don't know what I'd do without mine!

Skunky

Usually I get up around 7:15 in the mornings and bring Adelaide to our bed so she can nurse (it's our favorite cuddle-time, too) and sometimes (not often) go back to sleep. Sadie usually follows, asking, "Can I snuggle and play with Adelaide?" (she likes to hold her hand and make faces at her while she's nursing) then Josie, whose first words are always, "Can I watch Tom & Jerry in your bed and will you get me some chocolate milk?" Last week, this very scene had materialized, and we were laying in this order: Sadie, Adelaide, me, Josie, Jesse. Jesse had his back turned to Josie, and while we were all snuggling and being very quiet, Jesse had a morning, 'ahem,' "Toot," we shall call it. A LOUD one. Right on Josie! Adelaide laughed, because she thinks that sound is SO funny; Josie said, "AAAHH! Daddy tooted on my leg!" And Sadie said, "Well, Mommy, I guess you'll have to give Josie a tomato juice bath."

Birthday Re-evaluation

Soon she won't be asking me to play Candy Land with her
Soon she'll be too big to want a piggy back ride
Soon she won't be grabbing my legs and holding on for dear life

Soon she'll want to be alone in her room, not wanting me to rub her back and sing to her
Soon she'll forget all about sitting in my lap or asking for "special Mommy time"
Soon other things will be far more interesting than my face, my smile, my laugh

God, give me wisdom to be a good mommy.
Thank you for the tremendous opportunity to be in their lives. I surely do not deserve them.
Remind me daily that giving of my time is more important than a clean house or a fancy dinner.
Help me to be a good example to them... help me be who You want me to be.

I'm So Excited I Can't Stand It

We've had a couple of very exciting weeks around here. Last Tuesday, Angela, Cameron, and Caleb flew up to visit us for 5 days. The kids were SO excited that they could hardly stand it. We made a paper chain with links = number of days till The Day, and they were very diligent about making sure a link got taken off every morning until The Day. Josie actually jumped up and down and yelled, "I'm so excited I can't stand it!" Roy took me to the airport to pick them up (I still hate driving to the airport) and it was all very surreal when they got here... I don't know why. Angela thinks it's because we've always known each other (well, she's known me since she was 4 months old, and I've known her my entire life) and yet she was never an actual part of my life here - or at least she didn't know what my life was LIKE here. Anyway, the boys and girls got along famously from the very beginning... we were expecting that they'd get tired of each other, but nope. They played and played and played some more. On Wednesday, we had a beach day (which was also Adelaide's very first "play in the sand" at the beach day. She tried to eat some of it, but she mainly wanted to walk out in the water until it was up to her nose. That night, Jesse bravely babysat all 5 of them while Angela and I went out for sushi and a night on the town... it was the first time we'd been out ALONE for YEARS, and it was great. My favorite part was sitting in the cheapo massage chairs in the mall, watching people and making fun of ourselves and the pickle in the floor next to my seat.

On Thursday we went to the zoo with an entourage of people - Becky and her kids, Sarah, Aunt Cindy, Grandma, Melissa and Caroline, Jessica and Haley... the list kept growing and growing! But it was fun. Hard to stay together, but fun! The giraffes were a big hit (they came right up to the fence) and the dinosaurs were too (for all but Caleb - he was not impressed). We took pictures of him with Ireson, and the similarity was AMAZING. I've been saying all along how much they look alike, but having them stand right next to each other was really weird! Later we went to the "Mariachi Band's House" for supper and then over to Mama's house. On Friday, we stayed home all day then went to the Village Market for facepainting (again, Caleb was not impressed - he got a balloon penguin instead... but I was called an Old Lady for the first time by a 7 year old) then we headed to Beth and Roy's house for Teagan's birthday party. Angela said that hanging out at their house was probably her favorite part of the trip - I think it's so cool that she likes my Ohio family so much. :)

Saturday we left on a very long, somewhat eventful car ride... Caleb and Cameron got the carsick gene from their parents (Angela was AWFUL in the car when we were growing up... I still point out places on the side of the road when we're in NC - "Oh, hey... there's where Angela threw up once!") and we had one 'incident' on the WV Turnpike; of course, those curves could make anybody sick. Anyway, we stopped 4 times, we ate, we went to the bathroom, we cleaned up the car, we took our time. It took 11 hours to get home, but I used some meditation techniques and didn't get all freaked out. :) Plus, the kids really were very good for the most part and Angela and I got a lot of talking and "Millionaire" playing done.

The week in NC was fun... Chass and I had a birthday cookout, Grandma fed Adelaide so much that I found biscuit crumbs in her belly button, we got to swim in Papaw's pool, Mamaw told a gazillion stories to Sadie (Sadie just cannot get enough of her stories - Sylvia's going to have to write a book!), Adelaide was scared of Bayleigh at first but then Bayleigh gave her a toy and said, "Here go" and Adelaide said, "Taint Tu," and they were big buddies. Grandma took us out for a birthday lunch, we ate chicken and dumplins', played with Kimmie, Noah, Dalton, Hailey, and Lauren, went up the mountain and visited the cheese factory, Daddy worked on my car for me, and my Girls (not the kids...my grown up girls) took me out for my birthday, where I proceeded to get cake smashed in my face by a bunch of laughing Hispanic waiters. Ahh...good times.

My Favorite Part was the Bus

Last weekend we went with a group of people from church for a 7 mile canoe trip. Sadie had been once before and loved it, and Josie was especially looking forward to her first time in a boat (and on a bus - they take you to a drop off spot in an old school bus). We were all looking forward to it, since it was supposed to be sunny and around 84 degrees. Weeelll... that did not happen. Dressed in our shorts, tank tops, and donning our bug spray and sunscreen, we were dismayed to be about 2 minutes into our trip when the downpour came and proceeded to pelt us with water for the remaining 6 7/8 miles. Josie was pretty much freaked out the entire time. She was terrified of tipping over (she said, "I did not think it would be so tippy!"), even though the water was pretty shallow through most parts of the river (and by shallow, I mean we could use our paddles to push with instead of using them to row with). She cried because of the rain, because of the rocks, because she was cold... you get the idea. Here is a quote for you: "I do not like the rain! I do not like this boat! I do not like the cold! I do not like this water! I do not like this trip! I want to go to the party! How far is the party!? How many more minutes?!" And from Sadie, when Josie was whining and squealing from an 'almost tip' incident: "It's okay, Josie. Even if you fall in, you can stand up, and you can't get much wetter than you already are anyway!" Good point. She was so calm and helpful and great to have along!

Jesse decided to prolong our suffering by trying to FISH in the rain, and so we had to just float along instead of paddling as fast as we could and get it over with. Twice we had to turn around because he got his line snagged... Let me just say that he is lucky to come home with his poles intact. :) We passed the time by counting water lilies (we ended up with 61) and looking for snakes, muskrats, and cranes. FINALLY, we got to the dock area (about an hour behind everyone else) and ate the leftovers while we tried to dry out by the fire. Sadie had a good time burning sticks and leaves and everything else she could get her hands on while she thawed them out. On the way home we asked Josie if she liked the trip and she answered emphatically, "NO! My favorite part was the BUS!"

Jokers

Sadie: "Mommy, what do tweezers do?"
Josie: "Silly. They TWEEZE!"

Josie: "That lady had 3 babies in their, in their stroller. Three babies and they are all the same!"
Sadie: "Did she have a litter?"

Doot!

Adelaide's favorite word (aside from the obvious, "Ma-ma, which she says at least 300 times a day) is "Doot." I'm not really sure exactly what it means, but it can be used as a noun, verb, exclamation, question... whatever she feels like using it for at the moment. You might hear her chanting "Doot, doot, doot," as she chugs down the hall on her chubby little legs, or yelling "DOOT!" at one of her sisters when they tick her off. Whatever it means, it is funny. I'm beginning to think of it like "smurf." You know, "A smurf in the hand is smurf two in the smurf."

A few weeks ago her inner clown came out when I was bending over next to her crib to turn on her CD player (she listens to a lullaby CD when she's napping). Already in her crib, she snuck up behind me and poked me on the butt as hard as she could. I said, "Whoo-hoo!" and she nearly fell over laughing at her own cleverness. Ever since that day, the poking has been a much-looked-forward-to part of her every day routine. Her other new thing is blowing raspberries on me wherever she can get her mouth on naked skin. This includes my arms, shoulders, chest, head, chin, wherever. Then she laughs and laughs and is thoroughly pleased with herself. So am I, for that matter - she's such a goof.

Splish Splash

We went with Jesse on a business trip Monday night and we ended up having a little impromptu mini-vacation. It was fun because with 3 little kids, you rarely do anything that's spontaneous! We stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool, then we visited a gigantic waterpark (I mean, GARGANTUAN) and the kids had a blast. Sadie was an inch too short to ride the big rides (I was a bit relieved, to be honest) but she went on EVERYTHING that they'd allow her on, and Jesse had fun taking her up the stairs and down the slides... she's not afraid of anything. I'm glad he took her, because I am and always have been PETRIFIED of water slides. Too much can go wrong, I always say! I remember getting flipped around and whacking my head on the side of one of those curly slides when I was a kid, and that was on dry ground! Josie was mad because she was still too short to go on many of the slides, but the ones she could get on, she loved. She didn't like wearing a life-jacket, though... and I didn't blame her because you had to hook the bottom strap between your legs and boy, did it look uncomfortable!! Adelaide had fun splashing around in the baby pools and play area, and we all liked the giant indoor wave pool. Jesse's favorite part was room service, I think :) Anyway, the kids were great in the car... it's so nice having kids that don't fight and yell "are we there yet?" the whole time you're on the road... I'm glad we started traveling with them early and training them well from the beginning!

Josie is Four!

Having a child like Josie is both a blessing and a curse. She completely cracks me up, but that is not a good thing when discipline is involved. Sometimes she'll be in trouble and I'll be trying to reprimand her and I'll have to leave the room so she won't see me laughing. Does anyone else have this problem? She loves life. She lives more deeply than anyone I've ever known! When she's happy, her joy is complete... you can see it in her squinchy-eyed grin and hear it in her goofy 'oyoyoyoy' laugh. When she's sad, LIFE IS OVER and she sobs her heart out and is inconsolable (ie: "I am going to my room and to my bed and I am just going to cry and I'm going to STAY THERE!"). When she's mad... well, just watch out. I honestly don't know what to do with someone that has a temper like... um... like... well, like mine.

We celebrated her birthday all week. On her actual birthday, Grammie came over and we had a special birthday breakfast. Then we went to dinner at her favorite Mexican restaurant, aka the "Mariachi Band Singers' House," where she got to wear the giant sombrero. Sadie was extra nice to her all week, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and Jesse took her to Toys 'r Us to pick out anything that she wanted (within reason, of course). On another night, I asked her if she wanted anything special for dinner and she picked dinosaur chicken nuggets and organic fries. :) Funny. Anyway, she decided she wanted to have a "water party" at home, so we swam, played on the slip-n-slide, jumped in the bouncy house, had a water balloon fight, and roasted marshmallows in the backyard. My favorite quote of the party: "So, are you going to bring out my cake or what?"

Funny things since turning four:

Josie came into the kitchen in her fancy dress-up clothes, gave me a sly look, raised her eyebrows, and said, "Hey, Mommy... Guess what? I'm naked under my clothes."

Josie has decided that the new restaurant down the street is is going to be either "Shaker Slick and Doob," "Ducker Lick and Toob," or "Quaker Dick and Lube." I don't know what that last one means, but it does NOT sound good!

Wedded Bliss

Ha ha... that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one! :) Just kidding. Adelaide, my mom and I went to NC last weekend for my cousin's wedding. My BABY cousin. I cannot believe that he is old enough to get married. Sigh. It seems like just yesterday we were playing the fishing game off his front porch and he was pretending to be a Japanese chef, throwing plastic knives in the air. Time flies! Anyway, the wedding was beautiful... outside on the top of a mountain in Blowing Rock, right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I miss those mountains so much... when I drive those winding roads and feel the cool air on my face, it's just like coming home again. We had a great time at the wedding (I got to spend some time with my Angela), and Adelaide had a great time with Amanda, who saved me by babysitting ALL DAY (the wedding lasted a good six hours). The best thing about it was that the minister's last name was "Hitch." Perfect!

Life with Sadie

-Sometimes living with Sadie is like living with Randy Jackson of American Idol. She ties a leash around Josie's waist, yanks on it, and says, "Come on, dawg."

-I asked Sadie who the first president of the United States was, and she answered without hesitation: "George Pilkington." (This is probably only funny to my immediate family :)


-We're getting a new restaurant in town, and I asked what the name of it is going to be. Sadie is convinced that it is Quaker Steak and Loo Hoob.

-I had a long talk with my Daddy last week in NC and I was telling Sadie about it. She listened for a while, then said, "And exactly when did all this talking start, anyway?"

Something Stinks

The other day I had to take the trash out because of Adelaide's poopy diaper. I put a new liner in the kitchen trash, then lit a candle because let's face it: poop stinks. Then I tossed the match in the trash and turned to leave the room. Suddenly I hear a WHOOSH! I turn around, and a FIREBALL IS COMING FROM THE TRASH CAN. I know, I know... run the match under water before you throw it away - I don't know what came over me. Maybe I just have too much on my mind or MAYBE the cheap trash bag wasn't fire retardant! Anyway, the smoke detector's beeping, Adelaide is crying, and Sadie is running down the hall yelling, "Do we need to use The Plan!?" and Josie screams, "Mommy is burning the house down!" Jesse was no help at all since he was in the shower and did not hear me yelling for help. So I kick the flaming trash can over to the kitchen sink (luckily Jesse installed a pull-out faucet for me not long ago) and stupid me turns the water ON before I pull the handle out, so I spray down a couple of the walls and the floor before I actually put the fire out. Dripping, shaking, and out of breath, I threw the smoldering trash can outside and came back in to sop up all the water. Of course, after all the commotion, Jesse comes in the kitchen, wrinkles his nose and says, "Something stinks."

Goed Crazy

Try to sing this in your best Cookie Monster impersonation and you'll hear Josie's latest rendition of this Steve Green favorite: "In my fadder's house are manee man-shuns, manee man-shuns in my fadder's house! In my fadder's house are manee man-shuns, manee man-shuns in my fadder's house!"

While eating our favorite vegetarian sushi (avocado with cucumber and cream cheese), Josie decided she wanted to use some chopsticks, too. She said, "Hey, Mommy... can I have some of those... those... those rice tweezers?"

After going potty, Josie always says "I goed pee." I always say, "You went pee?" and she always says, "Yeah, that's what I sayed. I goed pee."

Keeping it Simple

I taught the girls the secret knock "Shave and a Haircut - two bits" and they say it all the time now. Apparently, their cousin James taught them a little hand game that goes "Skunk in the barnyard, P.U.! Somebody ate it, that's you!" Josie got it a little mixed up the other day on the way home from our bike ride... she sang: Skunk in the barnyard, two bits!"

We love listening to Little House on the Prairie (we have the CDs in the car) and, as a parent, you'd think that nothing could be more wholesome, right? Imagine my surprise when Sadie came in from swimming lessons and said, "Well, the only good Indian is a dead Indian." Needless to say, we had a little history lesson. Then they both shucked corn for lunch :)

I like the way Sadie and Josie keep things simple. For instance, if they're playing pretend and need to name something, like a herd of My Little Ponies, they'll go with the simplest way: The blue one is Bluey, the green one is Greenie, the yellow one is - you guessed it - Yellowy, and if they need names for similar looking ponies, they just switch to added adjectives, ie: Bluey-Greenie or Orangey-Purpley.

Marshmallow Soup

Yesterday Josie asked me when it was going to be cold again, and I told her not for a while, since it's finally summer! She said, "But I want it to be cold again! When is it going to be cold enough for you to make me some marshmallow soup?" After some digging, I realized that she meant HOT CHOCOLATE. How cute is that?

Why Babies are Babied

You know how you always hear things like, "Well, she's the baby of the family..." and "She always gets what she wants because she's the BABY," and "She's the baby, she can do no wrong...." Well, I have figured out this phenomenon. It's not BECAUSE she's the baby... it's not because the parents LOVE the baby more. It's because by the time the baby comes around, the parents realize that their other kids have grown up WAY too fast and they just want the baby to STAY a baby for longer. I am loving Adelaide's 'babyness' so much right now that I want her to stay just like she is!

It Just Doesn't Pay

Today at church, Sadie came out of Sunday School and showed me her "boat," which was made of that green foam you put flower arrangements in, popsicle sticks with paper sails, and drawings of little stick people. She said, "We learned about Jonah. He disobeyed God and he was REAL stubborn and he got swallowed by a giant fish which is also a whale!" As I was admiring her project, I noticed that her boat only had 4 people on it. I said, "Who are these people? Is that one Jonah?" She said, "Oh no... that's you, and that's Daddy, and that one is me, and the other one is Adelaide." I said, "Where's Josie?" She answered, "Well, we had to throw Josie off the boat because she is stubborn like Jonah."

Just a-Cleaning

Yesterday we got the pool out from behind the shed and proceeded to clean it up. Well, I squirted dish soap in it, got out some rags, and squished some spiders, but Sadie and Josie carried buckets of water back and forth and had to climb in and scrub out all of the winter grime. I decided to make them do it themselves so they could see what it feels like to complete a "job well done!" I think it was worth it, because they were so proud and THRILLED to be able to play in their pool all day yesterday (including Adelaide, who climbed in and out, in and out, in and out). It's hard to not step in and do everything for them, since it would be so much quicker (and easier) for me to do it, but I know that's not very character building. I really don't want my children to feel "entitled;" to become people who think that the world owes them a living. I just can't stand people like that!

Adelaide is One!

I can't believe how fast this past year has flown by. I can't believe my sweet little Adelaidey-Who-Dee is already a whole year old. Let me just say that I have thoroughly enjoyed being home with her this year. I didn't have the opportunity to stay home when Sadie and Josie were this small, and I feel very blessed to be able to enjoy this time with Adelaide - well, with ALL of them. She is such a joy to me... I love seeing the little changes in her every day, the little things she learns, the new looks she comes up with, the new words she makes up (my favorite is "ticka-ticka-ticka," which sometimes morphs into "ducka-ducka-ducka." It's like she is really tasting the words almost... like she's rolling them around on her tongue and experimenting with them to see what might come out! She's so developmental! I love it. I love her sweet personality and how she's so jolly and chubby and CUTE. The definition of cute baby is what she is!

We had her birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa's house last Sunday afternoon, and we had a great time. We let her open presents first, then we had dinner (roasted turkey, yum!) and then the cake. Apparently, I let the elastic strap on her pointy birthday hat flick her on her chubby chin and so she was screaming while we sang to her and brought the cake over. It seemed all was lost and she was just going to have a tantrum, but I had the presence of mind to stick my finger in the cake icing and plop it in her mouth. The crying, shall we say, CEASED. She forgot whatever was bugging her and went straight for the cake... "Hmmm... let me poke my finger in here, and here, and oh, over here... and I will eat this, and that, and oh yes, this! Yummy! How much of this is Mommy going to let me have, anyway!? All of this? For me? I can't believe it! Joy of joys!" It was hilarious to watch her pick away at the cake, especially when she put one palm completely on top of the cake (to protect it from thieves, I guess) and continued sticking her finger in the other side and cramming it in her mouth. Thank goodness Aunt Cindy was there to give her a bath! It was not a one person job! She had icing in her ears days later, and you don't want to know about the poop issues... but I think it was worth it! :)

If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Anysling at All

Sometimes I wish Josie would be quiet and not say "anysling!" But usually she succeeds in cracking me up. Once we think something is funny, then she hangs onto it and uses it FOREVER. There is no new material with this comic. If it works once, that's good enough for her. For example, "Yoy-yoy-yoy-yoy" is a goofy way that she likes to laugh... she does it every time, if she thinks anyone is listening. Another thing she says is "Ahwahmen, Ahwahmen" at the end of her prayers. Then she laughs and says, "Hahah! I said AhWAHmen." This does not ever get old for her. She also knows most of her shapes, but the pointy thing with 3 sides is forever going to be known as a "Trianganal." Just as Grandpa is now always going to be "Poor Old Grandpa," since he no longer has a minivan. :)

Sadie and Josie were playing outside and sharing a bag of Natural Cheetos (if you haven't tried these, try them! They are so much better than the fake flourescent orange ones!). Suddenly a fight broke out and I heard Sadie yell, "Well, I'm going in! And I'm taking the Cheetos with me!" Later when Adelaide broke one of her puzzles apart, Sadie said, "Hey! You know better than that! You're one!" She pretends that she's wearing a nightcap like Laura Ingalls, only Sadie's nightcap is usally her underwear. She scared me into thinking I had somehow created an anti-Semite the other day when I heard this from her room: "HAhah!! Now I'm going to get those Jews!" I walked in and looked around, wondering what the heck was going on and WHO she had heard this from! Then she explained that she was pretending to be Hamaan, and Josie was Queen Esther, saving the Jews from the evil Hamaan. Thank goodness!! I should've known she wasn't saying anything bad... after all, the other day she reminded me when I asked her if God makes good things AND bad things happen, or if He's only in control of the good things. She answered, "Well, Mommy, God turns the bad things INTO good things. From the mouths of babes.

Give one to me, sir!

Today we had a huge yard/garage sale, and Sadie and Josie ran their first business venture - a Lemonade/Cookie stand. Lemonade was $.25 and cookies were a steal at $.10... they made almost $15! They were great saleswomen... they would follow customers around and look up at them with big eyes and say, "Excuse me, ma'am, would you like some lemonade?" Who can resist that? Not many people, it turns out. They finished with a huge profit margin. The funny thing is, neither of them know how to make change yet, so they ended up with a LOT of tips. Some people thought they were so cute, they just gave money to promote "free enterprise." Josie got the cups ready, Sadie poured, then Sadie took most of the money (she also tried to swipe some of mine:) and Josie would say, "Thank you! Now you can give one to me, sir!" Once a lady said she had to go to the car to get a quarter and Josie said, "Oh, you don't have to do that - you can have one of mine to buy some lemonade with!" There were about a dozen people here and they all laughed at her because it was so sweet and cute. She ducked her head (I think she was a little embarassed) but I told her I was proud that she was so generous! Adelaide spent the morning eating raspberries in her high chair outside, surveying the landscape and yelling "Dad! Da Da DAD!"

Rats, Teeth, and Pig-Pickins

We left for NC on Wednesday last week and we got home around 2am on Monday morning. It was a short trip, but we had a lot of fun while we were there... the girls got to go to their very first pig-pickin (at Louis & Brenda's house) but Josie was mad that she didn't actually get to PICK the pig. I think she wanted to pick it out herself. Anyway, they got to hang out with their friends Kimmie, Noah, Dalton, and Hailey, eat a lot of BBQ, and swim in the most freezing water I've ever felt in my life. Then we went to my cousin Adam's Honey-Do shower and played with Cameron, Caleb, and Bayleigh. The girls stayed with Papaw and Mamaw while I went to Girls' Night at Melanie's new house, and they had a good old time feeding fish (carp in the Marina) their leftover grilled cheeses (Sadie said Papaw got grumpy when she tried to feed the fish her WHOLE sandwich... he said he didn't buy the sandwich for the fish - he bought it for her!), then Sadie held one of their renters' pet rats. Josie wouldn't touch it, but Sadie thinks she is Steve Irwin, so she thought it was fabulous. They also got to play with Lauren and Sydney, but the baby and I didn't get to go because she was crying for her bed. Josie got launched off the see-saw, landed on her head, and Papaw had to pick her up... later, she got launched off the wagon INTO the garage, but she just jumped up and said, "I'm Okay!" Like mother, like daughter, I guess. :) Adelaide learned to play peek-a-boo by putting her hand over both eyes at once... she was a teeny bit S-P-O-I-L-E-D to her mother, but we don't say that out loud. She didn't want anyone to hold her but Grammie and Amanda, but strangely, if she couldn't see me anywhere, she was fine. I think she's going to be a great actress some day. Talk about your over-reacting. Anyway, Great Grandma spoiled them as usual, but she wasn't feeling as well this time so we had to be careful with her! She was still traipsing around through the garden and bushes with them, though... nothing will keep her down when she wants to be up. The most interesting thing happened when I wasn't even around. Thomas, Elizabeth, and Josh came over to Grandma's to visit and Elizabeth asked Sadie if she could see her loose teeth (she had 2 that were ready to fall out, but she wouldn't let anyone near them). She talked to Sadie the whole time she was "inspecting" her teeth, and Sadie was answering all of her questions, and she didn't even notice when Elizabeth pulled not ONE, but BOTH of those loose teeth! Sadie didn't even know it! Amazing! Sadie said that from now on when she has a loose tooth, we have to go and visit Elizabeth. :)

Wrath of Grandma

Sunday we went over to Grandma Beth's for her birthday celebration. Josie decided to have some alone time outside on the little deck off the front walk (about a foot off the ground). She said, "I think I'll just go have myself a little snack at the red table out there," and out she went. A few minutes later, I heard a little voice call "Mommy!" very softly. I looked all around, and then movement from the window caught my eye. All I could see were Josie's feet sticking up in the air and an upside-down red chair tumbled on top of her. I raced outside to make sure she was okay, but when I got there and asked if she was hurt, all she said was, "Help Mommy... I'm squishing Grandma's flowers!" You have to know Grandma and her love of gardening, but apparently somewhere along the line Grandma put THE FEAR into Josie! Poor Josie. I had to laugh...it was like she was scared to even call for help (loudly, anyway) because horror of horrors! Grandma might come and catch her in the flowerbed!

I Think it was a Moose

Jesse found my "Lowe's List" in the floor of the van, but he wasn't interested in the list. What caught his attention was the "DIE" scrawled on the back of the list in giant 2 inch letters. Hmm. At first, I thought I was getting death threats (not those again! :) then we realized at the same time that the list was written on a piece of paper that Sadie had written her name on... the SA had just been torn off. Thank goodness for her distinctive "i"s...there is no space between the dot and the letter - she just sticks the dot right on top so they look like lollipops.

Yesterday on the way to school, we were talking about death (again). We heard about the Indians wearing loincloths on our Little House on the Prairie CD, and this sparked a long conversation. "What are loincloths? Why were they wearing them? Was Tarzan an Indian? Who else wore loincloths? Adam and Eve wore loincloths, but why did God kill animals to make them? Why didn't He just give them some clothes? (I thought this was incredibly insightful and a great opportunity to talk about blood sacrifice... had I not been talking to 2 preschoolers). And what kind of skin was it? Was it a moose? I think it was a moose. How did God kill those animals? I think He just zapped them." Josie asked when she was going to die, and I told them that maybe we'll be lucky enough to still be alive when Jesus comes back and then they won't ever have to die. Sadie said, "Hey, we would really have everlasting life! Just like John 3:16!" Then she proceeded to spout off the entire verse AND give me a lecture on the word perish, which means "to die, you know, like in Esther when she says 'if I perish, I perish.'" Sometimes I am seriously overwhelmed at what these children absorb. I pray that I keep giving them the right things to fill their little brains, because they are SO SMART and they remember EVERYTHING. It's such a responsibility.

Cuteness

Adelaide just seems to get cuter and chubbier by the minute. I've started calling her my little linebacker. :) I know that once she starts walking, some of the chubbiness will come off, but I don't want it to! I love how squishy and soft and yummy she is, with her poochy little belly and her jelly rolls on her legs. She is so cute that I can hardly stand it! Today she tried to climb into the bathtub - and she would've made it, too - but Sadie and Josie sounded the alarm just in time. She's pulling up on everything now, and she's practicing climbing up and down the stair into the kitchen...thank goodness we only have one step up there into the family room or I'd be a nervous wreck. Every day I am reminded of how wonderful and fleeting these baby days really are. I thank God that I'm able to be here for every minute of hers.

Sucker!

Josie's version of a classic:

"Get outta the way, Old Dan Tucker! You're too late to get your sucker!"

Sunday after church, Sadie said she was thirsty, but the only thing we had in the car was a bottle of blue Gatorade that Jesse brought with him. I passed it back to her so she could have a sip, but apparently the blue dye in it somehow reacted with her skin - she's had a Gatorade mustache for almost 4 days now. It's funny, though -it's so perfectly symmetrical that she kind of looks like Fred Flintstone or Homer Simpson with stubble. She's taken to talking with her hand over her upper lip when she thinks about it, because I can't stop giggling.

What'll it Bee?

Yesterday, Sadie went on a field trip with James and Aunt Becky to learn about baby animals and bees. Today, we wrote a story chronicling her trip. She learned quite a bit about milk, lambs, plowing, etc., but when we got to the "bee" portion of the story, I began to wonder if maybe the teacher was just making stuff up (or maybe Sadie was :)...

"We learned about bee pupa - eggs of bees. Beekeepers spray smoke on the bees so they will gobble up the honey fast so it won't get burned up and they'll get a tummyache." Interesting.

Safety Troll

The other night Josie asked me if I would read her "the book about Choke-a-pontas. I mean, Hocus-pontas. Um, Poca-chantas. You know, that Indian."

She has also decided that her role in the family is that of Chief Safety Officer. Her main job is to police who is or who is not wearing their seat belt in the car. One day I mentioned that she was the Safety Patrol; yesterday, she said, "Daddy! Put on your seat belt! I am the Safety Troll!"

Jesse taught Adelaide to nod her head on Saturday. I know that doesn't seem like a big accomplishment, but it is SO STINKING CUTE to watch her nod her little head in response to you nodding YOUR head. I'm loving it. She's also pulling up on everything and feeling all proud of herself for standing there, seeing the world from a whole new angle. I confess that I am not very encouraging at this point... I want her to stay a baby just a little bit longer. :)

Yesterday, we (and by we I mean Jesse, Sadie, and Josie while Adelaide and I watched) planted 4 trees in our front yard. Hooray! I love getting new trees, and these are the same kind that are at my Daddy's house in NC, so they make me feel at home, too. :) Anyway, Sadie is beginning to have what I always called a "smart mouth." She doesn't really understand what this means, though, and I have tried to explain in vain. I think she's too smart to NOT say "smart" things, but I don't think she really gets the connotation that it sends to people... she doesn't want to be "sassy," but sometimes she says things without really meaning for it to be sassy and it just IS! So back to the tree planting thing... she hit the tree with her shovel, and Jesse told her to stop because it was a baby tree and she might hurt it. He said, "Would you hit a baby with a shovel?" Later, as he was shoveling dirt back into the hole around the tree, Sadie looked at him and said, "Daddy, would you throw dirt on a baby?" Sigh. I'm in for it.

That's Just Ducky

Adelaide was having a very verbal moment the other day. Just when I got excited, though... well, look what happened.

Me: "Say duck."
Adelaide: "Uck."
Me: "Say Quack."
Adelaide: "Cack."
Me: "Say dog."
Adelaide: "og."
Me: "Say woof."
Adelaide: "uff."
Me: "Say cat."
Adelaide: "at."
Me: "Say Ma-Ma."
Adelaide: "Cack."

Looking for Work

I was trying to explain the importance of being a good mommy to Sadie and Josie, ie: I have to feed them healthy food, not feed them a lot of sugar, I have to be careful what they watch on TV, I have to make sure they say their prayers, etc. Josie said, "What will happen if you are not such a good mommy, Mommy? Will you be out of a job?"

Worm Condo

Today, we planted lettuce borders around our flower beds. I'm thinking that if we keep the veggies closer to the house, maybe it will keep the bunnies farther from the veggies. We shall see. We used this stuff called Deer Scram, which supposedly works on rabbits, too... my tulips are still there (last year they were chewed off to a NUB) so I think it may be working. It smells HIDEOUS, though. Oh well, at least it's organic. The kids lost interest in the planting shortly after they discovered 5 worms in the dirt (it would've been 6, but Sadie accidentally pulled one apart when she was trying to get him out of the ground) and proceeded to "relocate" them to the worm condo currently under construction on the other side of the driveway. The worm condo consists of a big pile of mud, 2 watering cans, a hole, 4 muddy croc shoes, and 2 disgustingly dirty little girls wielding garden tools. Ick.

This afternoon, we made our semi-annual trip to the dentist for cleanings (for Sadie & Josie). Josie insisted that Sadie go first because she was "afraid that MY teeth will fall out, too." We love going to the dentist. The kids think that the moving chair, the tiny mirror, and the spinny brush that tastes like vanilla ice cream are THE BEST. I'm a lucky mom, I know - some kids would have to be tied up and bribed, threatened, and smacked to get them in the chair! Anyway, the hygienist once again recounted the evils of thumbsucking to Sadie, who just smiled and nodded and pretended that she was going to try to stop. Hah! I could tell what she was thinking - "Get me out of here so I can get my Snoopy and I'll show you how evil sucking a thumb can be!" Oh well. She can't suck it forever, right?

Pa! It's Easter Day!

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and we had a nice church service and then a fun family lunch at Aunt Cindy's house. Well, it was fun for everyone but Adelaide, who skipped ALL her naps and was a bit of a grouch. Lydia and I hid our Easter eggs for the kids, and then we kept forgetting where we put them. Apparently, we're better "hiders" than we thought we were. When the kids took a turn and hid them from US, we realized that they really are smarter than we are! Their eggs were much trickier to find than ours were!

This morning we were playing "ponies" in the girls' room while Adelaide crawled around getting into mischief, eating plastic snakes, and busting her top lip on the floor. Suddenly, something smelled STINKY. It turned out to be Adelaide, but I didn't know that at the time, so I said, "Josie, I think you stink!" Meaning to say that she AGREED Sadie piped up instead, "I exist!"

Today at lunch, Jesse asked Sadie if she lost her other tooth yet (she has another loose one on the bottom). She said no, and then he asked Josie if she'd lost a tooth yet...she said no, and then he said, "Well, did you lose any hair?" She looked right at him and said, "No, did you lose EVERY hair?" Oh man, I laughed so hard. I don't think that she meant it in a mean way at all, but the way it came out was so stinking funny.

We've been listening to the Little House in the Big Woods on CDs that Sarah got Sadie for Christmas last year. The kids (especially Sadie) LOVE these stories. As soon as we get in the car, Sadie asks to start the CD, please! It's amazing how she sponges up these stories (along with the ones that Grammie, Mamaw, and Papaw tell her) and can repeat them to you almost verbatim! Today, when I asked her to call Daddy for lunch, she yelled up the stairs, "Pa! It's dinnertime!"

Who is it?

Adelaide is all over the place now, and she is really asserting her newfound sense of independence. She wants to eat only things that she can pick up, she refuses to let me change her diaper or her clothes without a HUGE fuss, and she flails her arms at any given opportunity to show her disgust and annoyance. Sunday at church, she actually smushed her face into the carpet and kicked her legs while she screamed - her very first temper tantrum, I think. I had to laugh, but I'm kind of concerned about the tantrums to come! She's pointing at everything now, which I think is SO CUTE! Her favorite things to "point out" are birds, Daddy, pictures on the wall, and magnets on the refrigerator.

Jesse told the girls about serving papers downtown and how the men always yell through the door, "WHO IS IT?!" So when we were on the way to the library the other day and I asked Sadie who her Storytime teacher was going to be, she yelled (in a low, growly voice like Daddy's) "WHO IS IT?!" I nearly had to pull off the road it made me laugh so hard.

This morning as Josie was drinking her cranberry juice and eating her yogurt, she said, "Mommy, how do they mash up crayons (she pronouned this as 'crans')to get cranberry juice?" A good question, I thought!

5 Years and Counting

I can't believe that I am now the mother of a 5 year old. It always seemed to me that FIVE seemed like such a big number... like it was a milestone that was so far away for us. But now, as of around 10:00 this morning, Sadie is five years old. Sigh. I have mixed feelings, as usual. She acts so grown up, sometimes, that I forget she's so young. Being such a tall little bean-pole doesn't help matters, either. Tonight before bed she said, "Oh well. I don't think I've grown ANY since I was four. I am exactly as tall right now when I'm five as I was yesterday when I was four!"

Today she got to go up to the birthday box at church, and I just watched her, smiling and proud that she's my daughter (she was so cute and ladylike in her special black & white birthday dress with the red rose pinned on the skirt), but also a little teary-eyed... knowing how fast the past five years have flown by and knowing how fast the next five will. Sometimes I hug her so tight - not wanting to let go, but knowing that one day I will have to. I have to remind myself that she's on loan to me from God - that she's really His and not mine at all, but He certainly knew what He was doing when He created this whole mother-bonding thing. It's like the saying "Being a mother means to forever have your heart walking around outside your body." When I have time to actually sit and ponder the meaning of life, sometimes I think about how I am HIS child, just like Sadie is MY child. And if God loves me even more than I love her... how much must that be! It isn't even fathomable to my fragile, limited mind. We are so undeserving... especially me. Undeserving of His love, undeserving of these precious babies and these precious years. Undeserving, but incredibly grateful.

Alert the Media

A funny thing about kids is that they like to keep you in the loop. They want you to know what's going on in their lives. For instance, you might be standing in the kitchen, minding your own business, when a four year old zooms in and yells, "Mommy! I gotta go poop!" then runs back down the hall in a blur. I love how no matter where I am or what I'm doing (or what they're doing, for that matter), they BOTH have to let me know about their bathroom activities. Sometimes I tell them that I'll alert the media, but usually I just say, "Okay! Thanks for telling me!"


Another thing that I love is that when they have a sudden feeling of love, they just HAVE to let you know. I love sudden hugs for no reason, slobbery kisses when I've just fixed my hair or put on make-up, and (most of all) when someone comes in and yells, "You are the best Mommy in the woild!" "Mommy! I love you so much as the stars!"

Missing Tooth

On Wednesday afternoon, Sadie said, "Mommy, my tooth is wiggly." When I went to look at it, I yelled, "Holy cow!" and immediately called the dentist because it was REALLY LOOSE. I didn't think you were supposed to start losing your teeth until you were 7 or 8 years old! The dentist set me straight, though, and said that it was perfectly normal to be 5 (in 2 weeks), suck your thumb, and lose your bottom teeth first. Whew. I was seriously scared at first. Sadie climbed on my lap to cuddle and said, "I don't think I want to lose my tooth! I want to stay a little girl." She seemed a bit sad, so we snuggled and I told her that even though she's growing up, she will be a little girl for a long, long time... and she will ALWAYS be MY little girl.

She walked around messing with her tooth for 2 days, and it looked so funny - it was literally just hanging by a thread in her mouth. She was kind of snaggle-toothed and it was hard not to laugh because it was almost sideways in her mouth. We made a special trip to the library to get books about losing teeth, and she talked to her grandparents about it - Papaw said to look out for the Tooth Fairy, because she's a sneaky one; Grammie tried and tried to get Sadie to let her pull it, but Sadie said NO THANK YOU!; Grandpa said, "Hold everything! Turn off the TV! I have to see this!"; Grandma said she knew a story about Mole and Troll and a string and a doorknob - Sadie said, "Well, I am NOT going to do THAT!" and Grampie said, "Poop? Foot? WHAT is loose? Your what?" Sadie yelled, "My TOOTH! My TOOTH! IN MY MOUTH!" (Grampie can't hear on the phone).

So Friday night, tooth barely hanging on, we brushed teeth and went to bed. Saturday morning came and Jesse asked Sadie where her tooth was. She said it was in her mouth - but it wasn't. They tore her bed all to pieces, searching for the missing tooth, but they couldn't find it anywhere! Sadie decided to write a note to the Tooth Fairy. It said: Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost my tooth and I can't find it. I looked everywhere but it is gone. From Sadie.

She put the note under her pillow and this morning, she had 5 whole dollars under her pillow! Wow! The Tooth Fairy must be trying to keep up with inflation. I only used to get $1. She woke me up and said, "Hey! Mommy! Do you want to see what the Tooth Fairy gave me? A note! And a TON of money!" She showed it to her daddy and to Josie, and then, without any coercion on our part at all... she said, "I'm going to give part of this to God at church today. And here, Josie - you can have one too." We were so proud of her!

Baby Fonz

Adelaide officially started crawling on Saturday while we were in NC. She was trying to get Josie, who had a hat with a ball in it, and suddenly everything came together for her! Now she's getting faster by the day! My favorite thing that she does these days is "tweedle" her OWN ear while she's nursing, much like Sadie tweedles Snoopy's ear when she's sucking her thumb. I wonder if she learned it by watching her big sister.... I also love how she waves her hand in the air and chirps, "HEY!" like the Fonz. Yesterday I went to get her up from her nap and she was sitting up in her bed, looking at her elephant book (Mommy Loves Me) and having a good old time all by herself. I guess even babies need some privacy, but in this house, that is a rare treasure.

The Longest Name Ever

Josie said when she grows up, she's going to name her baby Rainbow Child Necklace Beauty Flower Jewelry Bracelet Snowflake Hairclip Heartbeat. My only question is that with TEN names, can't just one of them be Mommy?

The other day Josie asked me (quite logically, I thought) if since God can hear everything we say all the time, "Does God have really big ears?"

As we were driving to town, Josie informed me that she did NOT want to take the highway. She wanted to take the low way.

Yesterday, she said, "Mommy, do you remember that time a long time ago when we snuggled with Daddy on the couch and we had a blanket and it was night and Daddy made a fire in the fireplace and we watched the Crocodile Hunter and it was cozy? (Sigh) That was a wonderful special time."

If You Axe Me...

Highlights from our trip to NC in March:

"What the? This is the cook on the table place Papaw and Mamaw always take us to, but where's the cook on the table?" We ended up staying there anyway, but only because Papaw said we could go to the playground afterward.

"Where's Scotty? Dag-gone! We want to ride on the 4-wheeler!" I had never heard the expression "Dag-gone" from Sadie before... she must've picked it up on this particular trip.

Sadie lost her shoes in the sandbox while she was playing with Noah and Dalton... it was so nice to be where it was warm enough to TAKE your shoes off.

They both had their first lesson in football with Adam - hopefully they will improve as they get older - heehee! I was later informed that Adam is a FUN older cousin to have.

"Tiny pancakes, Grammie! We want tiny pancakes!"

We played at Heather's house one afternoon, and before we could turn around, Sadie, Josie, and Sydney were all naked and heading for the dress-up clothes.

Great Grandma Genevieve stayed up with Josie just about all night one night when she was having an earache. Grandma excels at over-nurturing and being a GREAT great-grandma. :)

They loved climbing trees this time... especially Sadie, who must be part monkey. Once when they were pretending to be woodcutters, I heard Josie say, "You axe this side and I'll axe that one."

When Amanda came over, Sadie said, "I like Amanda. She's nice. And pretty. AND pretty cool!"

Josie informed Uncle Thomas that "Our family's baby has SIX teeth." I think she was feeling competetive with Bayleigh, who can already stand, but has less teeth than OUR family's baby. :)

There was lots of holding hands with Caleb (Josie) and wrestling with Cameron (Sadie) and Bayleigh kept trying to get Adelaide to stand up like her, to which Adelaide replied, "BLAH blah ble blah!"

Baby Days

I know that Adelaide is still a baby (she's 9 months now), but she's SO close to crawling; she's eating finger foods; she's singing little squeaky songs to herself; she's growing every day! And that makes me kind of wishful for the little tee-tiny baby days again. You know, the snuggly soft sweet whispery cuddly baby days, when she would just lay in my arms and stare at me for hours (or until she drifted off to sleep).
Now she's just busy, busy, busy. So am I! But it just goes to show you that no matter how busy mommies get, there is still room in their for hearts snuggling a newborn. Adelaide is already older than Sadie was when we got pregnant with Josie... this saddish feeling just makes me wonder if we should have one more, or if I would feel this way about my youngest no matter HOW MANY babies I had. I'm obsessed with watching "Kids by the Dozen" and the Duggars these days - don't get me wrong... I would never have a dozen children, but I can kind of see where they're coming from now!

Jesse's Girl

Lately, Sadie has been asking some really good questions. Like, "When Jesus comes back, will He be the king of the earth or will GOD be the king?" She also wants to know about levers, pulleys, how plants grow, if fish sleep, what kind of foods bats eat, why do teeth chatter, how many minutes are in a day, if a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, etc., etc. But, she's still her father's daughter: last night, she came upstairs where I was working in the office and passed some STINKY gas. Instead of saying, "I Tooted!" and laughing like she usually does, she turned around, walked out, and said, "I'm gonna leave that one for you to enjoy, Mommy."

Bad Morning to You

Adelaide has had an unexplained high fever for the past several days. At first, I thought it was because she was teething, but then the fever kept getting higher and higher. When it went up to 104, I gave up and took her in to the doctor on Saturday morning. After checking her out, he said the good news was that her ears looked great (we assumed a fever meant an ear infection; it usually does with our kids), but the bad news was he had no idea why she'd had such a high fever for so long. Since girls are more apt to get UTIs, he thought that was a possibility... unfortunately, the only way to get a sterile sample to check for it is to catheterize. I fought him on it, because I had to go through that once with Josie and I knew it was awful... but he finally talked me into it, because I didn't want her pain to persist if it really WAS a UTI. Anyway, it was torturous. I had to hold her little arms down while she screamed and cried and looked at me like, "Why are you letting them do this to me, Mommy?" I cried and cried. THEN, I had to take her to the lab for bloodwork (the ladies were super nice there and let us go in front of everyone because they felt so sorry for Adelaide) and I had to hold her while they dug around in her little arm with a needle to try to find a vein. THEN, we had to go BACK to the doctor's office and they gave her two shots full of this gluey-like high powered antibiotic (which they said really hurts as it goes in) in her chubby little thighs. Needless to say, it was NOT a good morning. The only redeeming thing about having a sick little one is the thankfulness that you get when you realize that some parents have to go through things like this on a daily basis - God help those people. That, and the pitiful snuggling of their heads into your shoulder because that's all they feel like doing. The snuggling is not so bad.

When You Talk to Little Girls...

This is what you might hear:

From Adelaide: "Foof. Goog! FFFFfffff.... baboo! Gi! Gi!"

A few weeks ago after their baths, Sadie put a toy in her mouth and dropped it in front of Adelaide, who thought it was SO FUNNY that she laughed until she THREW UP in the bathroom floor.

From Josie: "Daddy took us to McDonald's to play on the playground, but he took some vegetables to eat while we were in there." - Which was NOT TRUE. She just didn't want Daddy to get in trouble for feeding them fast food!

When we were eating lunch the other day, Josie said, "Is this supper? Dinner? Lunch? I get infused."

After we read "The Little Bitty Raindrop," Sadie informed me that when rain goes back up into the sky, that means it "EVAPORATES," which she learned at the Natural History Museum last week. I asked her what it's called when it falls back down. I was looking for condensation, but Josie surprised me when she piped up, "That's called GRAVITY!"

From Sadie: "A bad stranger that's a GIRL? I guess you'd kick her in the ...!"

When we saw a little girl at the store who still had a pacifier (and she was probably 5 years old), Sadie and Josie both laughed. I asked them why they were laughing, and they said, "because she's a BIG girl, not a baby!" Later that day, Sadie, after some deep thought, said, "I think it might be time to stop sucking my thumb, because I don't want people laughing at ME."

When talking about praying to idols, I showed them Adelaide's "snozzler," just because it was sitting there on the table and it was handy. I said, "Can you imagine praying to something that isn't even alive? Like this thing?" They both said, "Ha hah! That's just crazy! Oh great and powerful snozzler...!"

The girls locked me in the bedroom and set a "trap" for me. I heard Sadie yelling outside the closed door: "BEHOLD! The hamster is trapped!" I guess I've graduated from "mean old witch" to "hamster."

When we were watercoloring at the kitchen table, Sadie said, "Huh! Well, look at that! The paint is being insorbed!"

Sweethearts

I love how when Adelaide is nursing, she'll grab on to the strap of my nightgown and yank on it like it's her lifeline, or rip cord, or air horn (if she was a truck driver). I also love how sometimes she'll see something she thinks is funny (while she's eating) and she'll laugh these explosive little laughs, WITH her mouth full. I can't believe how much I love this whole breast-feeding thing - especially with my past history of giving up! I almost gave up with her, too... thank goodness I didn't.

Last night we had our first annual Sweetheart Supper for church (which I coordinated). It seemed to be a resounding success - especially the "Not So Newlywed Game. The girls stayed home with some teens from church (Keylah, Alissa, and Chloe) along with 4 other little ones. They had their own Valentine party while we were having ours. Sadie said they had a good time playing hide and seek AND they got to watch Bambi. Josie loves having people over, though usually she forgets their names and just calls them "That Girl" or "That Boy." Today, Jesse gave them their little Valentine surprises - heart socks, little stamps, and tiny flowerpots with seeds - lavendar for Sadie and strawberries for Josie. He told them it was because they are his sweethearts and they just lit up... they thought it was great. So do I. My daddy always gave me a Valentine's gift or sent me flowers to school, and it really made me feel special as I was growing up. I'm glad Jesse's decided to continue that tradition.

Thunk

There I was, minding my own business, trying to get the girls ready for preschool this morning, when I heard it -- the dreaded THUNK, followed by crying and screaming. The crying? Adelaide and Josie. The screaming? Me. Adelaide rolled off the bed and landed with the back of her little head up against the dresser. She was fine, but it scared her - and Josie, who was playing with her when it happened - to death. Poor Josie was all to pieces and couldn't stop crying about it; later she told me that God came down and gave her a hug and that made her feel much better - but she was still sad that Adelaide "got hurted."

I'm kind of relieved that it happened, honestly, since all babies are supposed to hit their heads before they're a year old (an old wives' tale, I know), and I was responsible for both Sadie's (the awful car seat incident) and Josie's (the phone dropped on the head trick) thunkings. At least Adelaide's is over with!

Josephine-y Jellybean-y

Today, Josie and I had special "Mommy/Josie" time. We went to the Christian bookstore, and she picked out a tiny little Bible that she carried around in her pocket and showed to everyone who would look at it. She also made up lots of stories that she "read" to me in the car on the way home. She's so funny and personable, but she worries about talking to strangers. I tried to explain to her that it's okay to talk to strangers if Mommy or Daddy is around, just not when she's by herself. She asks me what's okay to do ALL the time, like she's constantly trying to figure out boundaries and rules in her little head. I'm glad she's always trying to do the right thing, although she still tries to get out of any wrongdoing by saying, "Sadie did it!"

The other day, I was trying to tell her that she needs to be still and quiet sometimes (she had talked without ceasing ALL DAY LONG) and I said, "Even the Bible says to be still and know that I am God." Of course, she replied, "YOU? YOU are God?"

She's been using some awfully big words lately, but my favorite things that she says are: "As a fatter-a-mattley," and "A-wah-men, I said A-WAH-men!" closely followed by "It goed away" ie, "my knee hurt, but it goed away."

Josie and her "Monkey-phone."

Winter-y Giggles

Josie to Mommy: "I love you than anysling."

Sadie about supper: "Corn on a stick? I LOVE corn on a stick!"

Sadie about her Betta that has long fins: "I think I'll name my new blue fish Boo Boo Chicken."

Adelaide in her growly voice: "Blah-blab-blah-blab-blah!!!"

Josie about the giant 4 foot icicle on our back deck: "That is the biggest one of ever!"

Josie about her books of choice: "I like these... especkeley that one."

Josie to Mommy when she's supposed to be in bed: "I can't sleep, Mommy. My toes keep talking to me."

Sadie to Daddy when he mentioned getting rid of something old and worn out: "Give it to Mommy! She likes to wear old worn-out stuff!"

Josie to a (mildly offended) lady at the grocery store: "I'm proud, proud, proud to be a COW!"

Peace

Yesterday, Josie had to have some bloodwork done, and she was simply amazing at the hospital (we had to go there to the lab) - she didn't even whimper when they drew out 5 vials of blood. They asked if she wanted to look at the pretty picture on the wall so she wouldn't see the needle, but she said, "No, I want to watch!" She thought it was so cool to see the blood coming out of her arm! What a little trooper.

We spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa last night (since Jesse is still not home from Jamaica and Grammie's time at our house was up) and we all stayed together in Grandma's "beach room." Adelaide was in a little baby sleeping bag next to the bed, and Sadie and Josie were in a pallet (feet to head) at the end of the bed. As I sat there perched up on the high antique bed, surveying my "kingdom of little girls," I felt this overwhelming peace... of knowing that my children were all safe, warm, fed, and cuddled up right there in the same room with me. That's an awesome feeling - one that I truly thank God for. When I think about all the mothers in the world (Israel, in particular), who are in constant fear for their children's very lives, I can only sit in wonder and awe that God has chosen ME for this gift of peace.

Concentrate!

We re-read Hiawatha's Childhood (the actual poem) the other day and the girls sat totally enraptured the whole time. I love the fact that they will listen to, and actually pay attention to, a poem! It does my English major heart proud. Anyway, later on that day, Sadie's little mind was working away as it usually does, and she said, "So, Mommy... Nokomis was actually Wenonah's mother, so she was Hiawatha's grandmother. And Nokomis determined to take care of little Hiawatha, since he was an orphan." I didn't even know she KNEW the word "determined," much less how to use it in context!

Josie cracked me up when she was helping Grammie make a cake the other day. She wanted to lick the icing off the beaters SO MUCH that she put the back of her hand to her forehead, put a pained look on her little face, and drawled, "I fear I shall die if I do not have it!"

Sadie and Josie were in the kitchen trying to tie a ribbon around one of their stuffed animals, and they are not the best knot-makers in the world. From the laundry room, I heard Sadie yelling in an exasperated voice, "CONCENTRATE, JOSIE! YOU MUST CONCENTRATE!"

Adelaide is very close to crawling these days... for the past two days she's been rocking back and forth on her knees and yelling "Goo!!" in the new deeper voice she's developed lately. Her top two teeth are a constant source of wonder for her - she's always clicking them with her bottom ones and making faces like "What the heck is in my mouth?"

I'm With You!

The Southern drawl that usually follows us home for a few days has lingered on this time... just last night, Josie sang, "Go tell it on the mountain! Over them hills and every-ware!" and Sadie just turns hers on and off on a whim - "Hey! Look over back air behine at char! My Snoopy's over air behine at char!" Sheesh.

Today, the girls were asking me how God talked to Joshua (the subject was brought on by listening to their cousin Cameron singing "The Battle of Jericho" song). I told them that a long time ago, God spoke out loud to people sometimes, so they could hear Him with their ears. I said that today, God talks to us through the Bible and we can hear Him with our hearts instead of our ears. Josie said, "Hey! Mommy! Sometimes I can hear God in my heart! Do you know what He says? He says - Don't be scared because I'm with you!"

That totally MADE MY DAY. :)

Christmased Out

Whew. The rush is over, and I finally have time to sit down for five minutes without someone yelling "MOMMY! I NEEEEEED YOU!" at me. We had Christmas morning at our house (with just us) on Monday morning, and it was so much fun. The girls' two big gifts that they REALLY wanted were somehow hidden by mischievous elves, and after they thought they were all done, they found the others. It was SO CUTE. Jesse asked them if they had gotten everything that they wanted, and they said, "Yep.... oh, wait. Except for my treehouse (Josie) and my purse with lots of stuff to put in it (Sadie)." The look on their faces was absolutely priceless when they found their gifts hidden in the corner. I think that's going to have to become a tradition!


We had a great trip down to NC, and the weather (and traffic) both ways was a definite blessing. We had no bad weather to contend with, and traffic was clear and easy. I couldn't believe it! Anyway, we got there early Tuesday morning, so we had basically a whole week to visit, party, and do nothing. We got to spend lots of time with Papaw and Mamaw (yes, there was tractor-driving involved, and Sadie got to steer all by herself), our cousins (Adelaide and Bayleigh had a fabulous time getting to know each other, and Sadie and Josie had a great time at our Christmas Eve get-togethers - trying to pull poor Bryce apart with their other cousins and wrestling with Caleb and Cameron), and our friends (the girls made their debut at Melanie's new house for the first time and we also got to spend time at Louis and Brenda's AND Brian's house). Sadie and Josie attended their very first wrestling match with Britt and Natasha at my old high school, and you should've seen them doing their own moves on the gym floor in front of the bleachers!

Unfortunately, Jesse and I both got a yucky cold - no big surpise since I seem to get sick EVERY time I go home - and we had to cancel a few things toward the end of the week. However, I did get to see my friend Jason whom I haven't seen in almost five years, so that was good. All of the girls were EXCELLENT the whole time we were there (with the exception of a couple of minor meltdowns brought on by lack of naps). As always, Sadie and Josie had a grand old time at Great Grandma's house, even though it was a bit crowded for my (and Jesse's) taste this time around. The weather was gorgeous most of the time, and we didn't even need a coat for a few days.

Adelaide is getting her two top teeth now to go along with her two bottom ones. The girls are offically "Christmased Out," and I have purged the toy closet and toy box to make room for the giant mountain of presents they received from our Ohio family before we left plus the other giant mountain of presents we hauled back from NC!

We're glad to be home, and now we're just trying to get back into the swing of things. Thank God for our families, our friends, and the hope of a new year.

Hooray for Me!

Adelaide said "Ma-Ma!"

That Christmasy Time of Year

I must say, I've been enjoying the Christmas season this year (so far). We've baked cookies, made yummy butter mints, made and decorated clay Christmas ornaments, cut out cinnamon applesauce ornaments, decorated everywhere, sent out newsletters, wrapped presents, danced to Christmas music, learned the "What Can I Give Him?" poem, sang "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "The Little Drummer Boy" over and over, read lots of Christmas stories, built a gingerbread house with Grammie, watched Rudolph, Frosty, and the Grinch (but not to the obsessive extent of last year), watched Christmas lights with Grandma, Grandpa, and Sarah, delivered cookies and goodwill to our neighbors, visited an amazing display of Nativity scenes (HUNDREDS of them) and generally had a fun Christmasy time. We're almost packed and ready to leave for our Southern Christmas :) but first... it's time for the yummy Christmas Breakfast for Supper celebration with Grandma Beth, her new waffle maker, and a ton of relatives and presents at our house! We can't wait! :)

Num Num

Today, Adelaide got to hold her very first food (well, the first food that I didn't snatch away from her because she swiped it off of my plate when I wasn't looking). I did give up and start giving her rice cereal last week because she was watching all of us eating supper with this pitiful look on her little face, and she couldn't take her eyes off my fork as I was eating. I broke down, and boy is she a little chow hound. Anyway, I bought her these little organic rice husk things (called Num Nums) that dissolve easily, and she tore into one today and goobed it all up with her baby slobber... she ate the whole thing (this was great entertainment for Josie, who watched the whole thing) and looked very pleased with herself.

I was thinking today that this is the only time that the girls will be THIS age on Christmas. I know, I know. That's a goofy thing to think, but I can't seem to help it. Never again will they be 4, 3, and 6 months at Christmastime. I guess it makes it sort of bittersweet, but also more special. Let's make it a good one!

Rub a Dub

Never have I seen a child enjoy her bath more than Adelaide. The cooing. The splashing. The gurgling. The squealing. The trying to catch the streams of water dripping from her washcloth. The belly laughs. The gleeful snorts when I wash the ticklish palms of her hands. I think I have almost as much fun watching her as she has being in the tub!

King of Candyland

We were wrapping presents, Christmas music playing in the background, when Josie informed me that "Santa Claus is coming to town, Mommy! He's coming to town in a red convertible!"

Yesterday, we went to Candyland, a life size version of the board game for kids to play around in. Sadie had a great time - up until I told her to stop running, to which she replied, "Who made you king of Candyland?" I had to hide my laughter as I sent her to time out. Where does she even hear this stuff?

The Lost Book of the Bible

After learning a new song at church, I heard two little voices echoing down the hall: "Do not LIE! Do not STEAL! Do not deceive one another! That's BENNIGAN's Chapter NINETEEN, verse ELEVENTEEN!!" Okay, so maybe they've been going out to eat a little much lately. I immediately started going over the REAL books of the Bible, just in case they were too confused. :)

As I tucked Josie into bed the other night, we were snuggling and talking and I asked her what she thinks she wants to be when she grows up. She hugged me and looked into my eyes and said, "Mommy, I don't want to grow up." I asked her why, and she said, "Because, Mommy... I don't want to be big. I always want to be your little girl." Le sob. I then had to explain through my watery eyes that no matter how big she gets, she will ALWAYS be my little girl. Then I ran to my room and cried!

Gitchee Gummee

We were at the mall the other day and I walked down the hallway away from the kids while pushing the stroller. I could still see them, but I guess they couldn't see me because suddenly I heard my own words coming from Sadie's mouth: "Don't you ever go out of my sight without telling me first, Mommy! Never, EVER! Do you hear what I'm saying to you?"

Josie marked all over our bed with a black magic marker. When confronted, her response was this: "Well, you were busy and I couldn't find any paper." Hmm. At least she was honest, I guess.

Adelaide has started this thing where she reaches her little hand up while she's nursing and starts patting, patting, patting me on the cheek. It is so sweet! I can see why some moms say they get addicted to breastfeeding.

Two Saturdays ago, we went to the circus. It was FABULOUS! Better than when I was a kid! Jesse got us awesome seats - we were in the 2nd row, right on the floor... almost close enough to touch the elephants! The girls thought it was great, too - they were enthralled from the moment we sat down. We loved the dancing ponies, the clowns and the bubbles, the racing motorcycles, the acrobats...all of it!

The other day we saw the very first Christmas lights on our street and Sadie said, "Uh-oh. Now we have to be good or Santa Claus will not say 'Ho Ho Ho'---he will say 'NO Ho Ho!"

I totally missed my exit on the way to gymnastics class and made us late. I was feeling really dumb, and Josie practiced her encouragement tactics. She said, "It's okay, Mommy. It's okay if you messed up. You are still the best Mommy!" It made me feel so much better!

We borrowed Hiawatha from the library last week, and the girls were immediately taken in by Longfellow's drum-beat meter. Now, I hear them running through the house yelling, "By the shores of Gitchee Gummee!" "Daughter of the Moon! Nokomis!"

I Like to Move It

Usually when I tuck Sadie in, I sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (while I rub her back, of course). Sometimes, I switch it around and say stuff like "Up above the world so high, like a Snoopy in the sky... Like a hotdog in the sky... Like a tea tray in the sky..." She always laughs, but I can tell it drives her crazy. She ALWAYS says, "No, Mommy! Like a DIAMOND in the sky." The other night, I went through the whole thing and switched it 3 or 4 times, and she was getting exasperated, saying "DIAMOND!" every time, when I said, "Like a ruby in the sky..." She started, "No, Mommy... well, okay. I like rubies."

Jesse took the girls out on a Daddy date Saturday night while I had my Spa Party at our house. They went to the "Jumpy Place" and then to see Madagascar. Josie was totally impressed with the "I Like to Move" song. You can imagine my delight when I caught her in the bathroom in front of the mirror, pants down, shaking her little butt and singing at the top of her lungs, "I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT!"

In other news, Adelaide has started growing a little baby mohawk on top of her head. I think she's a little young to be showing that kind of individuality, but she insists on keeping it that way. :)

Guacaroni

Tonight after an exciting round of jumping on the kid-size bungee jump at the mall (loads of squealing, laughing, and general merriment all around) and watching Daddy get his first pedicure (an anniversary gift from ME :) we stopped to grab some Mexican food on the way home. Jesse went in while I waited in the car with the kids, and we ended up discussing guacamole. Josie said, "Guacamole... guacamole... but wait - that's yellow, and made of noodles!" Sadie said, "No, Josie. That's MACARONI. Sheesh." Josie smacked her palm to her forehead and said, "What am I saying?!"

Yummy Yummy

Life seems to be in a whirlwind for us right now. School on Mondays, grocery store on Tuesdays, gymnastics on Wednesdays, doctor appointments and the library on Thursdays, breathing time on Fridays, busy busy weekends, Church on Sundays, do it all over again. I've decided that my new motto is, "A clean home does not equal a happy home." Maybe if I chant that over and over, I'll stop being so OCD about cleaning up after the kids ALL THE TIME.

Today, Josie belts out, "YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY I've got LOVE IN MY TUMMY!" about 100 times in a row. I asked her where she learned it, and Sadie rolls her eyes and says, "Grammie." Of course. Grammie also taught Sadie the diarrhea song ("No stwain, no pain, just sit and let it dwain..."); I'm beginning to wonder if my mom's visits should be supervised. :)

Adelaide has developed the cutest little chipmunk cheeks that you will ever see. When she smiles, her whole little face lights up and her eyes almost disappear! She is an absolute joy to be around... well, 90% of the time. The other 10% is spent screaming her displeasure at not getting F-O-O-D fast enough, and it literally makes my ears roar. The kid is LOUD.

Fall Updates

I didn't realize it before now, but fall is apparently the busiest time of the year for us. I haven't had a free minute in the past 3 weeks! Anyway, here is an update of some of the girls' memorable fall moments:

Sadie was lamenting her sad life (the fact that she couldn't have two juice boxes in one day) and she said that it wasn't fair. I told her that life's not fair. She thought about this for a minute, then scowled and said, "Well! It IS fair! If it's not, I'll just KICK EVERYONE!" Ironically, I've had that same thought myself. She has learned to ride her bike WITHOUT training wheels... a marvelous feat for a 4 year old, according to the bike store where she got her new kickstand (she's so proud of it!). Jesse taught her in 3 lessons. I'm so glad he did - I couldn't bear to watch her dive off one side and then the other, over and over! He told her it's more important to learn to FALL correctly than to learn to ride. Gotta give him credit there... I wish I had learned to fall! Maybe Sadie won't break every bone in her body like her mom!


I overheard Josie muttering to herself in the family room the other day as she piled blankets and pillows on the floor: "I'll just make my little self a bed right here... make my little self a bed." I can only assume she meant she was making HERSELF a LITTLE bed, but I thought it was so cute that I didn't even ask. She somehow developed impetigo on her little butt, and so she's had a rough time for the past couple of weeks. Bless her little heart, she gets in the shower (no baths till it's all better) and sticks her butt under the water and says, "Ahhh... that feels good on my poor booty!" It's finally almost cleared up, thank goodness. I've been up to my ears in laundry, since I've been washing everything she touches. Miraculously, no one else has caught it (yet).

Adelaide now has her two bottom teeth and she's grabbing everything that she can get ahold of with her chubby little hands. She's also fond of sticking her feet straight up into the air and flapping her arms like she's trying to take flight. She spent the evening at Grandma and Grandpa's house last weekend while we took Sadie, James, and Josie to the Zoo for their annual Boo at the Zoo night (the puppet show with the shark was everyone's favorite). Instead of taking her nap like she was supposed to, she opted to scream her head off until Grandma peeked in the door to check on her. When she heard the door open, she turned her head, looked straight at Grandma, and LAUGHED! Stinker. She's already got us figured out. I gave her her first taste of rice cereal last night at dinner. She looked so proud of herself when I popped it in her mouth, like "Ha! Finally!" Right now she's kicking the heck out of the duck on her play gym and yelling "GOO!" at the top of her lungs.

Jesse has lost a lot of weight (I'm still stuck at 10 pounds, but that's better than nothing!) and is working a lot, since I'm not working at all. Oddly, I'm more tired than I have ever been in my LIFE. People who say stay-at-home moms don't work are just plain crazy. I'm loving the fall leaves, sick of hearing about the election, reading a book called "When Mothers Pray," planning a Spa Party, weed-whacking my garden to get it ready for next year, and trying to not go nuts. That's pretty much it for the updates... guess I'll leaf it at that! :)

Soon and Very Soon

Josie - whose favorite song at the moment is Soon and Very Soon, We Are Going to See the King - is still in the throes of potty training. Although she's doing pretty well, she doesn't really give much notice of when she's "gotta go!" In the car the other day, she said, "Mommy, I need to go pee!" Since we were about 10 minutes from home, Sadie started singing, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see some pee... soon and very soon, we are going to see some pee!"

Earlier that day, Josie got mad at me because I made her buckle in her booster seat. Next thing I knew, she was crying in behind me and sniffing, "Nobody likes me... boo hoo hoo... nobody likes me." Sadie and I cracked up. Finally, Josie laughed too and said, "I'm tricking you! Everybody likes me!"

They both really want to know when Jesus is coming back (so do I, for that matter). They ask me out of the blue, and they get frustrated when I can't tell them an exact day or time. I keep telling them that even Jesus doesn't know when He's coming - only God does. Sadie said, "Well, I'm tired of waiting." Josie replied, "God, please make Jesus COME NOW!"

In other news... Adelaide has a tooth!!!

Thinking

Sometimes I worry that by the time I HAVE time to sit down and enjoy my kids, they will already be all grown up. They're changing so fast... I looked at my 2006 scrapbook this morning, and Sadie and Josie are already SO different - especially Josie. She turned from a baby into a little girl in a matter of moments, it seems like. I tried to find the exact minute when she changed, but it doesn't seem that there was one. Either that, or I missed it.

Right now, Josie is playing with her little pet shop while wearing her blue Cinderella gown and Sadie is playing with her My Little Ponies while dressed up in her big floofy pink princess dress. I want to play with them, but I feel like I have a hundred things to do. However, I know that pretty soon they won't really want me to play with them...they'll have better things to do. Now that I think about it - what am I doing here? I have to go!

Sunny South

We went to NC on the first of October, and the girls had fun:
-Sewing with Great Grandma Genevieve
-Killing tons of little red "beetle-bugs" with scalding hot pots of water (carried by Grandma, of course)
-Riding on the back of Papaw's pickup truck on the little "stools" (wheel wells)
-Playing with Junior and Sissy, Mamaw's two new Boston Terrier puppies
-Going to the Apple Festival and buying a stop-sign shaped flyswatter from the Shriners
-Visiting and playing in Sharon and Gary's RV, otherwise known as the "house car"
-Sorting and categorizing tons of buttons on Great Grandma's dining room table
-Wrestling with Cameron and Caleb
-Going on a picnic with Mamaw and Papaw
-Watching Adelaide stick both legs STRAIGHT UP in the air so she could see her toes
-Jumping on the trampoline at Kristi's house with all their cousins
-Rolling down "Acorn Hill" with Kimmie, Noah, and Dalton, and playing "Spies" until they were so tired they couldn't even stand up
-Riding up in the van on Papaw's hydraulic lift while he changed the oil
-Seeing Mommy chase a crazed yellowjacket all over the car (inside and out) for 20 minutes until she finally smushed it... Josie said, "Mommy, you're my hero!"
-Hearing Sadie make her first REAL joke when Josie said she wanted to eat her "BURGER," to which Sadie replied, "Yuck, Josie, I didn't know you liked to eat BOOGERS!"

"I said to myself, Self, are those Fleas?"

Sadie is the narrator of her own life. If you follow her around all day, you might hear her saying things like: "She places her hands on the floor and everyone says 'What is she doing?'" "As she climbs to the top of the ladder, she wonders what she will do next!" "What is that you are hiding, I ask myself!"

Today, Josie asked me if I remember when we were sick "Last Day." Last Day refers to any day other than today, whether it's yesterday, last week, or a month ago. Anyway, she was talking about being sick and throwing up (a traumatic even she recalls pretty often) and she said, "When I threw up in my bed, that's when I had the flea in my mouth...that's when we had fleas." Since I don't remember ANY of us having fleas, we're pretty sure she meant when we had the FLU BUG. FLU BUG = Fleas. I can follow that. :)

'Nastics Class

A few weeks ago, we started gymnastics class at a new gym... it's WAY better than the one we went to last year. The kids think it's great, mainly because there is a huge pool-size pit filled with giant foam squares that they get to jump in. Sadie gets in trouble every week because she refuses to get out once she's jumped in. The kids can actually get lost in there... once in a while you'll see a foot or a hand sticking out, but the rest of them gets buried under the blocks. There are also two "in-ground" trampolines, which are WAY safer than regular trampolines. Josie is still a little scared to jump on the suspended one (it's attached by springs over a big square hole in the floor); she always asks the teacher to hold her hand. She says, "I'm afraid that I will fall through the little holes! I need for you to hold my hand and jump WITH me." She's getting braver and braver though... I think she'll do it next week!
Today when they were going through their obstacle course (forward rolls, monkey jumps, balancing on the "turtle," etc.) Sadie was in line for basketball behind this little boy who forgot to replace the 3 little balls on the polka dot after he threw them. Since these were implicit instructions from the teacher, Sadie went over, poked him on the shoulder, and explained the situation in the way only she can - complete with the expectant little face and upturned palms. Apparently, he agreed that it was his "bad" because he went right over and fixed them for her.
Anyway, they're loving it, and I love watching them learn coordination and balance... Lord knows they need help with THAT since I'M their mother!

Snuggle

This morning as I was feeding Adelaide (in bed), Sadie came in and crawled in next to me to snuggle. Josie, of course, was still conked out in her room (she's my late sleeper). It was nice being tucked in between both of them so close and snug!

Jesse & I have started the South Beach Diet - along with several other members of the family. So far, he's lost 10 pounds and I've lost 4. I'm pretty happy with that, since I'd come to a standstill of baby-weight-loss. Now, if it just wouldn't start snowing next month, we could stick to our bike-riding, too!

Responsible

Being a parent has got to be the most terrifying job in the world. In what other profession do you have the sole responsibility of making sure that an individual or group of individuals learns EVERYTHING they need to know to SURVIVE? Even in the Army, the guys already know how to wash their hands, brush their teeth, eat, pray, and poop! Sure, you might have to teach them certain survival tactics, but they already know the basics. The Lord knows I sometimes FEEL like a drill sergeant. SADIE! PANTS! NOW! JOSIE! NAPTIME! ON THE DOUBLE! The Bible says "do not worry about tomorrow," but I find myself disobeying that order a lot. I'm constantly wondering if I'm making the right decisions regarding the girls...if I'm turning them into the kind, considerate, well-mannered ladies I want them to be, or if I'm overbearing, overprotective, and well, overwrought! How do you know if you're giving them the proper tools to be productive citizens of society and of the kingdom of God? I don't want to wait until the last minute to figure out, Whoops! Should've done it THAT way, I guess - you know, when Sadie's 17 and hindsight kicks in. It scares the heck out of me. I feel SO RESPONSIBLE. I know that sounds silly; I AM responsible for them. But the vast weight of these little lives that God has placed in my hands not only lifts me up - it weighs me down. I feel so blessed with a purpose as their mother, but I also feel a burden for them. How can I make sure I'm doing the right things? Experienced parents out there (preferably ones that did not turn out serial killers and the like), can you give me any advice?

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

Sadie's story:
"Once upon a time there were five little girls: Rainbow, Sunny, Cloud, Sky, and Marlene."

Josie's story:
"One at a time, there was a froggy, and there was a froggy, and there was a frog, and a mommy frog, and a daddy frog, and POOP!"

It's a bird...a plane...a pineapple!

Today at lunch, Sadie was (again) recounting how she was right about the whole "Sharks and Middles" debate (that's the game she played in Swimming Lessons - Sharks and MINNOWS. She's bound and determined that it was called Sharks and MIDDLES). She finally said, "I am right and EVERYBODY ELSE is WRONG." Laughing, I told her she was just like her daddy. She said, "Nope, I am just like my Papaw." She's right... both of them are notoriously always right.

Tonight we rode bikes at one of the parks close by, and we had a picnic for supper while we were out on the trail. It was great fun! Sadie rode her own bike and pumped her little legs just as fast as they would go (although she did have to get off and push a couple of times). Josie rode in the trailer with me, watching the sun set and looking for flowers. Adelaide was all googly-eyed, watching the world zoom by... loving it and laughing from her perch on Jesse's chest. It was a great family night. On the way home, Josie the chatterbox rehashed everything she had seen that night (and some things she HADN'T): "I saw trees, and flowers, and birds, and the sun, and the moon, and the sky, and rocks, and a squirrel, and dirt and woods and a pineapple...." A pineapple? I think she was just testing me to see if I was listening.

Hey, Ladies First!

We started preschool again last week, and the girls had a good time... they seem to have settled right in (Josie is doing really well with concentrating this year) and they are ready to learn! Yesterday we learned bike safety, and they were so cute zooming around the parking lot "obstacle course" with their little pink and purple helmets on. Earlier, all of the kids were playing on the playground and there was some pushing and shoving at the ladder to the slide. Aunt Becky told the boys to be gentlemen and let the ladies go first, so they did. Later on, Josie ran through the boys yelling in her low, gruff voice, "HEY! LADIES FIRST!!!" She reminds me of Imogene in The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever.

Adelaide is intent on sucking her right thumb, whenever she has the good fortune to find it. She's kicking her play gym and her bouncy seat to beat the band, and cracks herself up when she looks in the mirror. She thinks that MOMMY is the funniest person alive, which is great for me, since the other two were total Daddy's Girls when they were this age.

Yesterday in the car Sadie was playing with her Magnadoodle when she piped up from the backseat (she can buckle herself up in her booster now), "Hey, Mommy! Look at this word! I wrote the word SAP!" I looked, and sure enough, she wrote it AND read it. Then she defined it, "Sap comes out of trees and it is sticky and you can make syrup out of it." "Oh, and I also wrote MOP." Well, needless to say, I was impressed. And proud of her!

Jesse bought me a bike for my birthday. Well, actually, he bought himself one too. AND a bike trailer/stroller thing so we can pull the kids along behind us. We took them all out yesterday... I pulled the trailer and Jesse strapped Adelaide to his chest in the Snugli, and we tooled around the neighborhood. It was GREAT. I cannot even express how great riding a bike again is - I think it's been about 10 years since I've been on one! The wind in your hair, the breeze at your back, the good tired feeling when you jump off, the freedom... Sigh. We should've gotten bikes YEARS ago. I'm loving it!

Overheard

"I don't WANT to! Hmmph!" "Deeper than the hollar..." "If I was an Ade-lady-who, I'd toot real loud and say GOO GOO! I wish I was an Ade-lady-who!" "Stop touching me!" "Don't talk to me!" "I love you bigger than the sky!" "Can I hold the baby?" "Have you seen my Snoopy?" "Can you get me some chocolate milk?" "Can I have a snack out of the snack closet?" "God does not ever have to go to sleep." "That is NOT funny!" "I am serious!" "Oh, I love you so much!" "You are my best friend!" "I need you!" "I'm slinking about the mole!" "I stay up longer because I am older." "Goo!" "Mommy! I NEED you!" "You are a booty butt! Hey, I said booty butt!" "I slink so."

Fair Birthday

God may or may not look like a cloud, according to Josie. Sadie is of the opinion that He looks more like a lion. I told them that the Bible says we are made in His image, so I'm pretty sure He looks more like a person. Sadie said that if that's the case, then He at least has HAIR like a lion. We went out to one of those Japanese cook-on-the-table places for my birthday on Wednesday, and while the food was excellent, the best part was watching the chef torment the kids (much to their delight). He kept yelling "FIRE!" and scaring the heck out of Josie (she bravely made a conscious decision to laugh instead of cry) and Sadie thought the egg tossing and knife throwing and "Oh yah, I'm good, Oh yah!" was hilarious... she laughed the entire time. They stayed with Grandma Beth while I went to the spa with my mom on Thursday (Yay Spa! Yay facial! Yay massage!) and they baked me a cake in Sadie's EasyBake Oven. I also got great cards this year... a talking Elvis, a singing Jackson Five, a Woogley Boogley Bee (from Josie), a singing "Over the Rainbow Card" (from Josie), and lots of others. Yesterday we went to the fair with Becky and her kids. We had a good time, but we were pretty much "Faired Out" after 3 hours or so. The kids loved riding the dragon roller-coaster, but poor Teagan got a bee sting on her hand while we were waiting in line. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of all the rabbits (SO cute), the giant turkeys (the kids gobbled at them until one of the turkeys gobbled back and scared them to death!), and the dairy cow demonstration. Then we saw all the miniature horses (our friend from church was showing hers there) and the ducks. By this time, we were all filthy and dusty and hungry (you don't really fill up on cotton candy and kettle corn) and hot so we headed back to the car. On the way home, I dropped Josie off at Grammie's house and Sadie spent the night with Deanna and Lynn for the first time. I was afraid she would be scared and cry to come home, but the opposite happened. She had such a fabulous time (going to Chuck E. Cheese, watching the Bee Movie, snuggling with Deanna, and playing castle/"Mean Guy" with Lynn) that she cried because she HAD to come home.

Goodbye, GoopEye

Today we went to Storytime (the kids were thrilled to learn about dinosaurs and make Pterodactyl bracelets), then to the park (we hiked into the woods and Sadie the Duck Terrorist had a grand old time screeching at the ducks and giving them little duck heart attacks), then home for a picnic. It was a fun day.

Thankfully, the GoopEye has made a retreat from Adelaide's right eye... FINALLY. I hope it's gone forever! Everyone kept asking me if it was pink eye, or conjunctivitis, or another yucky eye disease, and I had to keep explaining over and over that it was only a blocked tear duct. I'm hoping we've seen the last of it.
Today when I was tickling her under her arms, she started making an unfamiliar noise - I thought she was coughing at first, but then she kept doing it with this big smile on her face and I realized SHE WAS LAUGHING! That made my day.

Jesse is teaching Josie to ride her bike... Her little feet barely reach the pedals so she's having a hard time pushing hard enough to gain any momentum. To remedy this situation, Jesse tied our dog leash to her handlebars and has been pulling her around on the driveway as she pedals and steers. Sadie thinks it's hilarious and rides all around them like a buzzing bee, flitting here and there and showing off how well she can already handle HER bike. It's an odd thing to see your husband leading a bike with a leash.

Woof

Today the girls were pretending to be dogs. Sadie said she was a Collie Dog. Josie said she was a Chili Dog.

Adelaide-y Who?

Adelaide is SO sweet and beautiful, I just want to squish her. I know that sounds weird, but you know how you get that primal urge sometimes to just SQUEEZE something? That's how I feel when I look at her chubby little cheeks, thighs, arms, well... just about any part of her. When she's nursing and looking up at me with her big blue eyes, it just makes me want to melt. Especially when she smiles WHILE she's nursing. Her smile lights up her eyes, and she's so cute that I can't even stand it. I can't really explain it, but I'm guessing that if you're a mother, you know what I mean!

Wanna Hear It? Here it Goes!

Josie is a songwriter...at least while she's in the car. This is her new thing: "Hey, Mommy. I see a green light. I know a song about a green light. Wanna hear it?" "Hey, Mommy. I see a tree. I know a song about a tree. Wanna hear it?" "Hey, Mommy. I see a con-vert-ible. I know a song about a con-vert-ible. Wanna hear it?" You get the idea. The songs are actually pretty interesting, and they usually go something like this: "Oh, green light! You are green! And you are tall! And where is your mommy green light and your daddy green light and you are the baby green light! La la la!"

I Taught her That

My cousin Taylor came home with us this trip (she's flying back down on Thursday) and the kids have had a hey-day with her. She's been so fabulous... I mean, I wish I had a 14 year old all the time! The girls are loving it. Today, they painted birdhouses together and played in the pool just about all day, then they went for ice cream tonight. I don't know what I'm going to do when she leaves - I'm spoiled!

We all went to the zoo on Saturday, and we met Deanna and Lydia. After a bit of an altercation at the Wendy's drive-thru (don't ask), we had a high old time visiting the sea lions, monkeys, tigers, and bears. When we went into the rain forest, which is dark, Josie immediately yelled, "HEY! Where's Deanna!?" This wouldn't have been funny aside from the fact that Deanna was pulling the wagon that Josie was sitting in. Deanna laughed and told Josie that she couldn't see her in the dark.

On Sunday at church, Taylor went into class with the girls, which they loved, and then we all sat together during the worship service. For one of the first times I can remember since I was a kid, I almost laughed OUT LOUD during the service. Sadie moved up to sit in the pew in front of me between Grandma and Jenny. She had Snoopy, and was (of course) sucking her thumb. I poked her and whispered, "No thumb!" She popped it out of her mouth, then leaned forward s-l-o-w-l-y. This head-bent stance is the one she takes when she is sucking her thumb, and she must've known I would think that's what she was doing, because suddenly I see two "thumbs ups" sticking up on top of her head. I cracked up!

Yesterday we went to Teagan's birthday party, and the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They love Teagan, they love parties, and they love Darryl and Lydia's house (where the party was). Unfortunately, sweet and fun-loving Josie has a dark side. She and Teagan had a bit of a, shall we say, "run-in" over a pair of brown crocs...Josie was bound and determined that they were hers (they weren't) even though she wore her purple and pink ones. Needless to say, there was much screaming and kicking and a general melee ensued. I don't know what I'm going to do with her. She's like Dr.Jekyll sometimes...I can only imagine how things are going to be when she gets older and has PMS! Yikes!

We went for a walk this afternoon and bought green beans from our neighbor's garden, then came home and broke/strung them. Taylor and I did the stringing, and Sadie and Josie broke. It was so much fun! I love stringing beans. The girls made up a bean song that goes, "Beans, beans, BEANS! BEANS, beans, beans." Catchy, isn't it? :) I also bought Adelaide a new play gym today, since the one Sadie and Josie used has kicked the bucket. When we put her on it (the girls both had to help assemble it, because they "are like Papaw," they informed me), Adelaide just gooed and kicked and smiled all over the place. She whacked one of the toys with her little fist a couple of times, but I'm not sure it was intentional, since she isn't totally aware of those things growing off the ends of her arms yet. Anyway, she was excited, and she started sticking her little tongue in and out, in and out. Sadie said, "Hey, do you see that? I taught her that."

Holy Mole-y!

Sadie and Josie have the terrible habit of leaving the door into the garage standing open. Therefore, a MOLE got into our house. I was the unfortunate soul who spied said Mole down the hallway, running into Adelaide's room WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING IN THERE. What to do, besides yelp, scream, and jump up and down?? Horror! I finally sucked it up and ran in, grabbed her, and high-tailed it out of there. Sadly, the girls had heard my screams and lived in mortal fear for the past 4 days until we caught said Mole on a glue-trap in the middle of the night. They were inconsolable; they were convinced that said Mole would attack in the middle of the night, and they refused to do anything alone. The buddy system is alive and well at our house. Josie was in Time Out on the stairs into the living room when I heard a shriek and screams of total panic. I thought the mole was attacking her, or at the least, that she had seen it lurking by the basement door. Instead, she yells hysterically, "I-HEAR-A-NOISE-I-THINK-IT's-THE-MOLE-IT-IS-GOING-TO-GET-ME!!!!" Thank goodness Jesse got rid of the varmint early this morning, and life can go back to... well, ... as normal as it was before!

Can't You Just Feel the Moonshine (part 3)

Sheesh! This trip was LONG! I'm tired of writing about it! On Wednesday, we went to Heather's and had chicken nuggets and some kind of yummy veggie pizza, along with popsicles that they girls spread all over the house. Sadie got dressed to the 9's in Sidney's (yes, Josie, SID-NEY, not SIN-DEY) dress up clothes. We found out that Sidney has the same purse-stuffing propensity as Sadie. Poor Sidney, who has 2 older brothers and never gets to play with girls, kept saying, "Don't go! Don't go!" anytime I stood up or left the room. Josie had an accident, probably from guzzling all of Heather's juice boxes, and snuck in to ask Heather for a Pull-up. She said, "It's a secret! But that's okay if we don't tell Mommy. Where are the Pull-ups?" Of course, Heather told me, and then Josie came in, gave Heather one of her infamous squinty-eyed mean looks, and said, "Hey! That was a SECRET!!!" The kids all wrestled around and played outside, where they hid from us in the back of the van and found a GIANT butterfly. They had a blast. When we left, Sidney asked if she could smell our car - that was funny! I think maybe she liked the smell of baby Adelaide or something.



Then we went straight to pick up Papaw and Mamaw and ride up the mountain for a picnic - which was promptly rained out. So, we ended up at Shatley Springs and ate fried chicken, greens, biscuits, preserves, and sweet tea. Sigh. It makes me hungry just typing it! Then we fed leftover cornbread to the fish and ducks, and Josie found a caterpillar which Sadie dubbed "Greenie" and we sat there telling stories - Papaw told the famous Junebug & Chicken story - and just goofing off by the pond for over an hour. Sadie told Mamaw that she had "beautiful voice when you tell stories," trying to bribe her to keep going (Mamaw has LOTS of stories). In the car on the way home, Papaw read the Potty book (much to his dismay)!

On Thursday, we had a pool day with Aunt Sharon and Angela. Then the girls had a big old time beating up Papaw outside. At supper, he told her to leave that dirty old dog (meaning Snoopy) alone, to which she replied, "Papaw, it is NOT playtime, it is EATING time." He cracked up, since these were the same words he said to her the night before. Josie discovered a love for matchbox cars and Mamaw gave her some to take home. Adelaide smiled and gooed at Mamaw and Papaw all through our hamburger supper. When I left to go get diapers at the store, I said I'd be gone about 15 minutes. Sadie piped up, Or more like 40 minutes!" Does she know me, or what? Josie got mad because we had to go home to go to bed and she said, "I'm not going to say ANYSLING!!!" Sadie walked over to Great Aunt Nettie's house with me in the dark, which was a big deal for her. She said it was her first time walking around outside when everyone else was in bed.

Last but not least, on Friday, Adelaide ROLLED OVER! From front to back! 3 times! Sadie and Josie high-fived each other, then Adelaide. They were all proud of her accomplishment! :) Then the girls had a curler party with Grandma's curlers, Marie brought them fancy flip-flops, and we had Josie's 2nd birthday party outside, which turned out to be a lot of fun. It was very low-key and laid back, and lots of people showed up to play outside and just hang around and talk and eat watermelon and popsicles. Josie got a lot of loot, too!

Can't You See the Sunshine... (part 2)

Sunday, we went to church at White Oak after a breakfast of sausage biscuits. The girls both enjoyed saying "uh-huh-huh-huh-uh-huh-huh" on the dirt road (I think that's the first time our van -just bought from Beck & James) has ever been on a dirt road)The girls insisted on seeing Great Grandpa Ralph's grave, so we walked up to the graveyard and they were very interested in knowing whose grave was whose, why they died, etc. Josie said, "This is Great Grandpa Ralph? But I love him so much and I never get to see him!" They had fun playing with their cousins Meghan and Lauren, and visiting with Great Aunt Odessa. Great Grandma pointed out the big rock that rolls over when it hears a rooster crow, and then we picked up Chinese food for lunch. Later we wrapped up Papaw's birthday present (a tub full of bubble gum) and Sadie wrote Papaw on the top. At his party, Josie got so tired that she got out of the tub, stripped off her swimsuit, and took a naked nap on the side of the pool. Later we had airplane races on the driveway with Angela, Lauren, and Papaw. The next day they slept in (thank goodness) until 10am, then played the "Ant Killing Car Wash" (don't ask) on the patio. Hailey came over to play and they had a big time bouncing a ball in a sheet, eating pinto beans, calling each other "Bootie Butt," and going on a Snoopy hunt with a giant flashlight. Adelaide was smiling up a storm and cooing at Great Grandma, much to her delight! Later we had "Girls' Night" with my friends and all the kids came tromping through the living room like the Lost Boys - Zorro, Darth Vader, some kind of sword-wielding pirate, etc. and they all followed Stephen and Scotty outside like the Pied Piper. Stephen tried to help Josie get her shoes on the RIGHT feet for once, but I heard her yelling at him, "But I LIKE THEM THIS WAY!!!" When we got home, Josie tried to feed all of those pesky nocturnal birds at 10pm, and Sadie cried because she saw a picture of her and Grammie and she started feeling all nostalgic.

On Tuesday, the girls stayed with Brenda and Kimmie, Noah, and Dalton while I went to lunch with Chass and Becky. They had a fabulous time there, then had a watergun fight with my Daddy. We ate at the "Ham House," which Josie decided was "Sam's House." Sadie ate tons of jelly off her knife there... what kind of mother does she have?! Back at Grandma's, Josie spilled powder all over the bathroom floor, and so she and Sadie took it upon themselves to wash the floors in the bathroom with water and washcloths. Grandma thought that was so funny...seeing two little kids mopping the floors on their hands and knees! Now if only I could get them to do that at home!

In My Mind I'm Gone to Carolina... (part 1)

After a LONG trip (10 hours, to be exact), we made it to my Grandma's house at 2am. We stopped 3 times so I could nurse Adelaide; apparently stopping that much adds on 2 hours to my traveling time... usually we get there in 8. On Thursday, we played with Cameron and Caleb. Alas, Cameron is finally too big for the Pack-n-Play, so there could be no pinto bean party this trip. He made himself useful by lifting the 3 smaller kids in and out of the Pack-n-Play and moaning and groaning about it. :) Adelaide had her big southern debut, meeting Great Grandma, Thomas, Elizabeth, Josh, Papaw, Mamaw, and Dillon (Mamaw's grandson). Sadie and Josie also "re-met" him, and Sadie was not impressed. It takes a while for her to warm up to some people, and he was being a typical boy (he also was trying to be "the boss," as she put it, and she did NOT go for that at all!). He asked her to be his girlfriend, and she just looked at him like he was crazy, then she said, "No, I do not." Josie said, "I will! For 2 weeks!" Then we all swam in the pool; Josie was a hit in her "Superman" floatie suit. Sadie got mad at Papaw because he squirted her in the face with a watergun and she flat out refused to believe that it was an accident. Was she TICKED!!! She finally got over it and decided that squirting HIM in the face was payback enough... and also a good time. That night after I got all the kids in bed, Daddy picked me up from Grandma's house and we had a Father/Daughter date, which was fabulous... I think it's probably been at least 8 years since we've been able to go out by ourselves and just sit there and talk. I loved it!

On Friday, Grandma showed the girls her "Moonbloom" flowers, which were right up Sadie's alley. Anything having to do with the moon or stars are her favorite things at the moment. Then we went up to Angela's house to play and swim (the girls are so brave when she's around...seems like they trust her in the water more than they trust me...?) Josie pigged out on fresh peaches, then we went back and fed the birds with Great Grandma. We had supper with Papaw at the Japanese place, then walked at the park and played on the playground. Papaw thought it was funny when he was pushing Josie on the swing and she counted all the way up to "Eleventeen!" Sadie enjoyed watching the tennis players, and they both pretty much got disgustingly filthy in the gravel/ashes on the walking trails and in the playground. When we got back home and I put them in the bathtub, they streamed dirt all over the place. Yuck! After they went to bed Mama, Nettie, and I played cards with Sharon... I forgot how much fun it is to play Rummy!

On Saturday, the girls got their wish and finally got to go play with Kimmie, Noah, and Dalton at Louis and Brenda's house. I'm telling you, they play the "I'm Noah. You're Kimmie! Mommy is Dalton!" game all the time. It's so funny... anytime they're fighting about something, Jesse will say, "I'm Noah!" and it totally distracts them so they forget what they were fighting about. Anyway (I'm distracted myself, now!) we went over there and played in the pool and goofed around for half the day. Brenda was having a yard sale, which Josie was thrilled to see (she loves yard sales) and she also has a huge stash of UNMONITORED juice boxes in the fridge on the screened in porch. What better place could there possibly be? Louis gave me a deal on a picnic table that he built, and Don offered to drive it home on the back of his truck for me. It's sitting out on my deck now, waiting to be stained! We went home for naps then over to Thomas and Elizabeth's house for the Sunday School pool party (do you notice a pool theme yet?). The girls have no fear now that they have had a)swimming lessons - Sadie and b) the Supersuit - Josie. They jumped right in! Sadie hurt her butt when she jumped so she gave it up and played with her cousin Taylor OUTSIDE of the pool. Then we all rode the golf cart with Josh, and somehow Josie got her feet stained all bloody red. It was the weirdest thing... we figured she must've stomped some Koolaid somewhere along the way. We finally got to meet Bayleigh, Natasha and Britt's baby who is 2 weeks older than Adelaide. She is so cute! She looks like a little Kewpie doll. The only thing cuter than the two of those babies is the two of them TOGETHER!
That night, Sadie said, "Hey. I want my Daddy." I asked if they wanted to call him and talk to him, but Josie said, "NO! I want to SEE HIS FACE."

And a One-a and a Two-a and a Three-a

Okay, after causing much confusion to my devoted readers, I must clarify and say that these are NOT the same baby. There are three different girls here!