Fall Updates

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

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


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

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

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

Soon and Very Soon

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

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

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

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

Thinking

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

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

Sunny South

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

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

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

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

'Nastics Class

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

Snuggle

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

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

Responsible

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

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

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

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

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

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

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

Hey, Ladies First!

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

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

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

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

Overheard

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

Fair Birthday

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

Goodbye, GoopEye

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

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

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

Woof

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

Adelaide-y Who?

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

Wanna Hear It? Here it Goes!

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

I Taught her That

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

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

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

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

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

Holy Mole-y!

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yakity Yak

Monday was Josie's actual birthday. Here we have the rundown of what happened:
She fell down, skinned her left knee. Fell down again, skinned her right knee. She was minding her own business next to the stairs and got stung by a bee on her hand. (When she was crying and showing me her swollen little hand, I asked her if she knew what happened to bees after they sting you. She snubbed, "N-n-no." I said, "They die!" She perked right up and laughed an evil laugh... "Heh-heh-heh-heh!" To top off the day, at supper, she fell down the stairs. When Jesse tried to stop her rapid descent with his foot (which was the closest part of him to her) he kicked her in the face. Sheesh. I am hoping that this does not foretell what the rest of her third year will be like.

Adelaide has a funny, funny cry. She says, "Gi! Gi! Gi!" (this rhymes with knee); she also says, "Weh. Weh. Weh." Just like you'd say it if you were pretending to be a crying baby. She also always has to be doing something with her left arm: raising it above her head, waving it around, making punching motions with it (she already tried to pop Jesse in the face), holding it over her ear, and sucking on her fist. I think it must've been her favorite when she was in the womb... she can't get enough of it. She spoke her first word with some vehemence, then looked mighty proud of herself. The word? "Yak." Fitting, considering that's what her two sisters do all day long. Yak, yak, yak.

Sadie thoroughly enjoyed herself at Bible School... she made some new friends, showed off her new swimming skills, rode the golf cart, ate popsicles to her heart's content, and was allowed to indulge herself in her favorite pastime (which I cannot stand!). No, it's not picking her nose, or doing anything really bad or yucky... It's... it's... Argh. I can't even stand it. It's collecting millions of little bitty things and putting them all together in one place. Doesn't matter what it is! Beads, silk flowers, jewelry, blocks, fake diamonds, a comb, a tea strainer, a golf ball... the list goes on and on. No matter what she has, if you can put something INTO it, she has a compulsion to FILL IT UP. MUST NOT STOP UNTIL IT IS FILLED UP. Me, being the obsessive sorting out type, finds this behavior to be like nails on a blackboard! I know it's probably just a phase and maybe I'll miss it when she grows out of it, but let me tell you: It is HARD for me to sit by and watch it happen without snatching her purse (bucket, pillowcase, cup, hat, shoe, whatever) and sorting it back out!

The girls made us so proud at the Children's "Sounds of the Kingdom" program... they actually got up on stage and sang "In the Highways, In the Hedges." Even though they wouldn't let me move off the stage and I had to sing with them, they still did it! Josie grabbed the microphone and hogged it the whole time, and Sadie fidgeted quite a bit, but THEY DID IT! In front of 200 people! That's my girl(s)!

Jumpy Party

After much anticipation, Josie's "JUMPY PARTY at the JUMPY PLACE!" was a resounding success. She wore her birthday girl shirt and tiara ALL day long, even to the grocery store to pick up the cake. Then, great happiness of happinesses, they got to skip naps! Then, off to the jumpy place we went to meet all kinds of friends and practically the entire Ohio family (the NC family has another party scheduled for the week we are down there). There was stuffed-animal making (Josie got a giraffe, Sadie got a pink poodle), sliding, jumping, and bouncing around to their hearts' content, then there was pizza, cake, ice cream, and fabulous presents - opened from the birthday girl chair. I can't believe she's already three! I told her, "Now you are 3 whole years old!" She said, "Now I am old... like Grammie!"

Sharks and Middles

Sadie finished her swimming lessons last week... she knows how to float on her back now, and she can put her whole head under water. Josie is trying as hard as she can to keep up, so hopefully they'll both be swimmers in the next year or so. She was so proud when she finished playing "Sharks and Minnows" (she thought it was Sharks and Middles) and got her certificate of completion and her popsicle!

We went over to Grandpa and Grandma's the other night and stayed very late... until the lightning bugs came out. The girls had a blast TRYING to catch them and since Grandma was housing some teenagers from church camp, they had some help. They thought it was so cool to have glowing bugs in their hands and in their jars! It was such a nice summer night... they had on their pj's and were catching lightning bugs with no shoes on! What says summer better than that?

Special Delivery

Last night when we were praying (saying the Lord's Prayer), Sadie said, "Mommy, does God deliver us GOOD? Like in an envelope? Like the mailman? He delivers evil from us and good to us?"

Today, Josie was "nudie-butt" in the pool yet again... after a rousing rendition of "I Skinny-dippin! I Skinny-dippin!" she proceeded with this fine little ditty: "Row, Row, Row this boat, jinly down a stweam, Mary Mewilly Mary Mewilly, like a bus a gween."

Don't fret None

Last Sunday we had a cookout at Beth and Roy's house with some friends that were visiting from England (they have a little girl, Leah, who is 2 1/2). Sadie and Josie were so sweet to her, including her in everything, and calling her "our new friend." Leah is so cute, and her little English accent cracks me up: "Mummy, may I have some more potatoes?" And "I have to go wee-wee." Speaking of wee-wee, while we were there, Josie went to the potty and no one knew it. We were all talking and laughing and then when there was finally a break in the conversation, we all heard this little voice (which had obviously been calling for a LONG time from the direction of the potty): "Mommy!!! Daddy!!! ANYBODY!!!"

The way the girls' minds work never stops making me think. For instance, Sadie keeps saying that her "foot is dizzy." I couldn't figure it out until she said that it felt like it was spinning around and she kept it in one place for too long. So, foot asleep = foot dizzy. Josie, on the other hand, keeps saying, "Mommy, I am sleepy of this." That one was easier to figure out: sleepy of this = tired of this. I think it's so interesting how their brains grow and develop and figure things out.

Adelaide went for her one month check-up on Thursday... she's gained 2 pounds and has grown an 1 3/4 inches! When they weighed her on the scale, she squirmed around like crazy and just about turned over all by herself! The nurse called the other nurses over and said, "Look at this! Look how strong she is!" She did really well with the doctor, and cooed at him and she didn't even cry when he was looking in her ears. I was impressed. She's a sweetie. She's starting to smile a lot more, and she definitely knows when I am around. I love it. Looking at her makes me happy and sad at the same time... happy because I have her and she's so sweet and cute and wonderful and a world of possibilities all rolled up together; sad because I know this is probably the last time for me to be the mommy of a newborn. But I must enjoy it to the fullest extent! I must not fret! Here is her latest picture, complete with a milk goatee!

Bliss

Every once in a while, you experience a moment of sheer bliss. These don't happen very often... I can count on one hand the times I've had in my life that would fall into this category; today I had one of them. Usually you don't notice it until later... today, for instance, I didn't really realize it until I had 30 seconds of peace and quiet (very rare around here) for reflection:

I was sitting in our yard, watching the sun go down... it was warm, there was a nice breeze, I was nursing my baby and she was looking up at me, Josie had stripped off all of her clothes and was sliding buck-naked into her swimming pool, Sadie was wearing her favorite dress, bicycle helmet, and elbow and knee pads and was riding around on her bike, and Jesse was working on something with a screwdriver inside the garage. It. Was. A. Perfect. Moment.

Suddenly, it hit me: The only things that matter in my life, that REALLY MATTER, were right there in front of me at that very moment. Could anything be more perfect than that?

Dinosauraus

A while back, we went to one of those cook-on-the-table Japanese places. When the chef put the steak onto the grill, Josie said (really LOUDLY), "Is that Mouse Meat?" This is because of one of her favorite songs - A Wiggle and a Hiss - about a snake that hunts a mouse for meat. Needless to say, I'm glad she didn't ask if it was CAT meat. Good grief.

Things have been going pretty well around here. After week of feeling nigh unto death, the antibiotics finally kicked in on Monday and I started feeling a lot better. So much better that I have made an effort to rejoin the land of the living, ie: we went to Sam's Club yesterday AND to get Adelaide's 1 month picture taken AND to the Walking With Dinosaurs production downtown. Sam's was anxiety-causing, to say the least. We had to get 2 carts, and I had to pull both of them to the van, unload, load kids, feed baby, etc. It was hard. I know I'll get used to it, but it's hard! Then we ended up spending almost 2 1/2 hours at the portrait studio because they were understaffed, although we had an appointment, which was irritating! Adelaide did not want to cooperate with the photographer, of course, but the girls did. They cracked me up with their cheesy smiles and goofy expressions. After we were finished and were looking at the proofs, of course the baby woke up and had the sweetest smiles you ever saw. A day late and a dollar short, as my Daddy likes to say. Anyway, the pictures turned out pretty cute. I will try to post one when they come back.

The Dinosaur thing was pretty amazing. Although going downtown is somewhat nervewracking for me (I think I'm becoming a bit of an agoraphobic), the actual show was great. The dinosaurs looked SO real and the kids were fascinated. Sadie couldn't stop talking through the whole show: "What is that dinosaur doing? Where is he going? Why is he so big? What are those horns for?" and Josie just kind of sat there, mesmerized. Every once in a while she would say, "What's that one's name?" but other than that, she just watched. They thought it was really cool... I was impressed that they actually sat through a 90 minute show without jumping around and falling off the balcony.

Picking and Grinning

The other day my mom said to Sadie, "Oh, sorry, I was confused." Sadie said, "Well, that's what happens when you get old." Sheesh.

She's also taken to saying, "As a matter of fact..." and "Back in the old days..." like she knows about the old days! I don't even know much about the old days!

Josie, on the other hand, has decided that ACTUALLY is her new favorite word. She says actually this, actually that... it makes her sound much older than 2 1/2!

They were out in the yard with Grammie last week and there was a bit of an incident involving a watering can that they both wanted. It ended with Josie on the ground, Sadie on top of her... both of them yelling and screaming... Sadie grabbed the toy and ran away, laughing, the victor, and Josie threw a tantrum on the ground, hollering her woes to the sky and anyone who would listen. Then suddenly she stopped, jumped up, and ran away. She said, "Well, I was crying, but then I saw a butterfly, and I was happy."

They both went to pick strawberries with Aunt Cindy, Aunt Becky, and their cousins yesterday. They had a blast and picked LOTS of berries. Becky said Josie was the best picker of them all, and went around saying, "Hey! I need a bigger basket!"

Adelaide is doing great... she's getting cuter and cuter, and yesterday she said, "Goo." I love it when you first hear their little voices. Sadie and Josie ask at least 5 times a day each if they can hold her, and they love just looking at her and petting her little head. I, on the other hand, have had a very rough week. I ran a fever of 104 for a couple of days, with chills like I was in the North Pole, and ended up back at the doctor again (after talking to them a hundred times on the phone) and I have 3 different infections... mastitis, a UTI, and my incision site from the C-section. I'm now on high-powered antibiotics, but I feel like I've been in the middle of the 7 deadly plagues or something. Hopefully God has heard my pathetic prayers and I will feel better soon... I'm so tired of being sick and tired (I'm sure everyone else is, too! :)

Genetics

Josie got bucked off of her ROCKING horse last night. She somehow leaned a little too far back and CRASH! Right on the floor. I cracked up. So did Sadie. Josie, who was on the verge of crying, decided to laugh since we were, then proceeded to do it over and over again. Sadie, while pulling a wagonload of mulch across the driveway, failed to look up and BAM! She ran right into the back of Grandma's car. Maybe they don't look much like me, but they are definitely MY children!

Adelaide is doing really well... she's gained back almost to her birthweight, her light jaundice is pretty much vanished, and she is getting cuter every day. She's also sleeping well, usually about 5 hours at a time at night (she'd probably go for longer, but I'm waking her up for now - according to Babywise, the Baby Sleep Bible :). I'm doing fairly well... thank the Lord for mothers/grandmas! My mom was here all week last week, and Beth was here Saturday until last night. They are the best!

Ade-lady's Birthday

Where to begin? All day last Wednesday, I felt very weird... I went around hugging the girls constantly, writing them letters to read when they grow up, praying, etc. I guess I was just scared. Apprehensive would be a better word, I suppose. I couldn't sleep at ALL that night, which was just as well since we had to be up at 5:00am on Thursday morning to be at the hospital by 6:00. On the way, Jesse played some Lonestar song on the iPod which almost made me cry (probably not intentionally being sentimental, knowing my husband) while we watched this gorgeous sunrise coming up over the highway. When we got to the hospital (he totally utilized the maternity parking the whole time we were there) we went straight up to the 3rd floor and they checked us right in... I was the only one on the whole floor that morning, so we got plenty of attention. Something that helped ease my tension was noticing a plaque on the wall of the maternity hall: Psalm 139: 13-14, "You knit me together in my mother's womb; I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" We got everything situated (gown on, IV in, monitor on, cathether in --ick --prayers said, etc.) by 8:00am. I kept telling them I had to pee, but the nurse said my bladder couldn't be empty when she put the catheter in so I should wait. Well, I waited and waited an WAITED and finally Jesse went out and got her. When she put it in, we saw her eyes grow wide with amazement as the bag just about completely filled up all at once. She said, "Whoa!! You really DID have to go!" Like I was making it up or something! At that point, my bladder felt like it was the size of a pea (no pun intended) PLUS I was nervous which makes me have to go anyway. Enough of that, though. So once that was done, Jesse got his scrubs on (which would barely fit over his giant shoes... apparently most doctors have tiny feet or something) and suddenly it was 8:35 and they came and got me and took me through the swinging doors to the O.R. The anesthetist (Dr. Donahue), whom Jesse thought was funny (when I asked if he would be in the O.R. the whole time, he said, "No... I usually leave to take a smoke break.") immediately got started on my spinal block, and got it in the very first time with no trouble at all. The only thing I felt was the little needle they used to numb me. It was surprisingly (and I was relieved, believe me) painless... my right side started going numb right away and they laid me back on the table and started putting up the drape in front of me. Before I knew it, the doctor came in, 2 nurses for the baby, 5 other helpers, and a paramedic in training (I told them I didn't care if he watched the surgery; I will probably end up calling him for help one day when my shoulder falls out). Jesse barely made it in the door before they started cutting! Suddenly, there was tugging, pulling, and voila! We heard Adelaide cry for the first time... which of course, made ME cry for about the millionth time in 9 months. Jesse said she was perfect, and that she looked like me but with the "Roy lip" and my Daddy's skin tone. They held her up for just a second so I could see her and the doctor said, "Happy birthday, baby!" She was so cute with her dark hair and olive skin and her scrunced up little face! The nurses took over with the baby and then it seemed like a LONG time before they finished sewing me up... When they finally did finish, they moved me to another bed and put Adelaide next to me while they wheeled us to our room. After that, everything is kind of a blur... I was SO sleepy, but I couldn't really go to sleep. I dozed in and out all morning and afternoon, but I don't remember much of what happened. My mom brought the girls in with their "Biggest sister" and "Big sister" t-shirts and they were SO excited to meet the baby. Sadie just stared and stared at her, and then whispered, "I think she's gonna break my heart!" Then Josie said, "She's so cute... she's just so cute. Hey! I need to see her feet." Then Beth and Sarah and Roy came, then Lyd and Darryl, Melissa and Caroline, Cindy and Becky... there were a lot of visitors, which was nice. Jesse brought us flowers and a huge purple butterfly balloon, just like I'd always wanted :). He had the world's most uncomfortable chair/bed, so he only stayed with us on Thursday and Friday nights. I mainly stayed in bed and tried to rest, but they feed you so much at the hospital I would barely finish one meal before it was time for the next one! The nurses were fabulous... I couldn't really have asked for better care - I think they were better this time than at the previous two hospitals I've had babies in. Adelaide was a little bit jaundiced, but not so bad that they had to treat her or anything; we were sprung from the joint on Monday around lunchtime, and Daddy picked us up to bring us home. Lots of people in the hospital, the elevator, and the sidewalk stopped to tell us congratulations and how cute she was on our way out. When we finally made it home, the girls were about to pop with excitement, and could not WAIT to hold their new sister!

Introducing... Adelaide!

5-29-08

9.47 lbs.

21 1/2"