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.