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.