"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."