For Reals

Adelaide just made her first real joke tonight... she was blowing into her hand, making yucky "Thhhhpppt" sounds, and Jesse said, "Hey, who did that? Somebody's stinky!" Adelaide said, "Josie did. Tooted!"


I've pretty much given up on writing down her new "words," since she's pretty much speaking in complete (if not always understandable) sentences all the time. Some of my favorite things she says now are: "Sumpting! Want sumpting!" "Wait! Hey, wait,
wait, WAIT!" "Mines. Mines! Addalay's!" "Book. Read it! Right tare!"

Sadie is enjoying being six, so far. She has decided that turning six has somehow magically made her capable of swinging under her own power on the swingset, being able to jump rope, braid hair, AND read Green Eggs and Ham all by herself. She's such a big helper with her sisters, especially Adelaide... so much so, that sometimes when Adelaide is hurt or crying, she'll yell for Sadie instead of me! On the other hand, growing up must mean more hormones, because she's been more of a drama queen than ever lately... crying over things, butting heads with me and Josie, and generally feeling sorry for herself and her rotten lot in life (like the fact that she can't drink juiceboxes every day and watch cartoons all the time... isn't it terrible?).

Josie was playing Cinderella the other day as she was helping me sweep the kitchen floor (a task that needs to be done at least 3x a day, especially now that it's getting to be outside time AND Jesse's office is now at home). She likes for me to be the wicked stepmother, but little did I know that today was the day that Cinderella would at last grow a backbone. When I said, "Hey! Get to work!" she threw her broom in the floor, stomped her little foot, and said, "You need to do some of your own work, Stepmudder! And tell those stepsisters they need to do some of their own work too, because I AM TIRED OF IT!" I said, "Cinderella doesn't do that!" She replied, "Well, she does today!"

The drama, ever compounded by Josie, had a splinter in her foot the other day. When I tried to get it out with a needle, she moaned, "THIS is the WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!" The very next day, when I told her we could make candy apples, she jumped up and down and yelled, "For REALS??? THIS is the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

Tub Talk

Adelaide is a TALK-ER. Holy cow. I don't know if she's just trying to keep up with her sisters, or make herself heard OVER them, or what, but she jabbers constantly. Here is a run down of her bath time conversation... see if you can figure out what's going on by her constant narration:

"Tub! Hot! Cold! Thank you! Welcome! Get it! Got it! No! Me! Mines! Elbow! Bubbles! Go! Boat! Pig! Head! Splashy! Oh WEASEL! Toot! Tooted! Heehee! Water! Booty! Okay! EWWWW! Cup! Messy! Dump it! Open! Wait! Wait! Wait! Oh, Baby! Hold her! SWIM! Hair! NOOOOO! All done! COLD!! Hand! Hide it! CUP! Fall down! rocky, rocky! Glug! Josie! Sadie! Tub! In! EVBODY!"

Quiet!

On the way to church Sunday, Sadie asked if we could listen to Laura and Mary (ie: Little House on the Prairie). Josie, who always says, "No! Not again!" was surprised to hear her voice come out of Adelaide's mouth, parroting her older sister. She yelled, "NO! NO! NOOOOO!" in a mean, growly voice. When I said, "Adelaide, be nice," she responded by changing the tone, but not content, of her words. She looked at me and sweetly said, "nooo."

In other car adventures, we stayed the night in a hotel last week when we went with Jesse a few hours away on business. The kids were excellent in the car, just biding their time until we made it to the finish line: room service and an indoor pool. However, they did have to do something to occupy themselves on the trip. Josie decided to sing the hours away... after lots of singing, she started in: "Twinkle, twinkle, little --" when Adelaide broke in and yelled, "QUIET!"

Speaking of Twinkle, Twinkle, Adelaide is now singing that particular bedtime favorite by memory. Though her memory somehow seems to be wrapped up in her mother's southern accent... she sings, "Twankle, twankle, lit... SAR!" What can I say? I love the twankle twankle.

Dirty Wormies

Yesterday, it was around 70 degrees here in the usually frozen North. Sadie and Josie spent a good 45 minutes digging for worms in the abandoned (by me) garden plot in the back yard in the afternoon. They were "saving" the worms from drowning, since they thought there was too much water under the dirt. After they caught 7 or 8long wiggly worms, Josie and Adelaide spent ANOTHER 45 minutes hunkered down on the ground, WATCHING the worms. Who knew worms made such good babysitters?

While the worm show was going on, Sadie and I played a version of badminton with a Winnie the Pooh beachball. This led to much running, laughing, rule changing (by Sadie) and eventually a broken badminton racquet. I think we need some birdies.

Today, Josie and I planted our lettuce seeds while Sadie gave the vinca vines a "haircut." Those things really take over the flowerbeds. Adelaide was a big help, walking around and pointing out "Dirt! Trash! Yuck! Dirty! Eww! Worm! Bug! Pider!" Later, they begged me until I finally let them put on swimsuits and squirt each other with the hose. Then they proceeded to rub mud all over themselves and pretend that they were gorillas... there was much grunting, jumping around, and beating of chests. Although I'd warned them that the muddier they got, the longer they'd have to stand under the freezing hose, they didn't listen. This, of course, ended up with two screaming, crying, wailing, freezing, dirty girls dancing all around on the driveway. Oh, and with me laughing. It was funny! I couldn't help it!

Jokey Josie

I went into the girls' bathroom to find Josie sitting on the potty in the pitch black dark. I said, "Josie, why are you pooping in the dark?" She said, "Because I'm nocturnal!"

Last weekend Grampie Don bought Josie a Browns jersey to wear when she watches football with Daddy (she's been envying Sadie's for over a year, so when he found one on sale, he snatched it up for her). She is so proud of it... she wore it around and even slept in it for two days straight. The other morning, after Adelaide dumped out our puzzle of the United States, Josie worked hard to put it together again. When I went to put it away, I noticed that New Jersey was missing. I said, "Josie, where is New Jersey? It's missing!" She said, "I know right where it is, Mommy!" She ran to the bathroom where her NEW JERSEY was hanging and said, "Here it is, Mommy! My NEW JERSEY!"

After an Easter morning candy fest (we had to stay home from church because Adelaide had "hand-foot-mouth disease," of all things), Josie was all hyped up... I heard her singing this version of her current favorite song, 'Old Dan Tucker':
"Get outta the way Adelaide, you're too late to get my candy!"

Adelaide wore around her little fuzzy lamb ears all morning (part of her Easter basket goodies) and later let Sadie try them out. Josie immediately decided that she was Mary (of Mary had a little lamb) and I was the Wolf. Josie came in my room with Sadie on all fours, baa-ing behind her. Josie looked at me and said, "Hey! She's a mean sheep! Be nice to her, Wolf, or she will kill you until you are dead!"

Deer!

Adelaide has really been freaking me out lately. Anytime we are in a room and there's a dark corner, or if she's looking INTO a dark room from the hallway or whatever, she'll look intently INTO the dark, point her little finger, and yell, "Deer! Deer!" I wasn't sure what the heck was going on... did we have ghost deer in our house or something? I knew she wasn't just meaning "dark" because sometimes she'll say "Dark! Deer! DEER!" The other night we came downstairs into the family room and she froze on the landing, got this scared look on her face, pointed her little finger into the dark corner of the room, and cried out, "DEER! DEER, MOMMY! DEER!" I walked over to the corner with her to show her that there was no deer anywhere around, but she was inconsolable. Weird.

I finally told Jesse about it, knowing that he would say I was goofy for thinking about this at all, but it happened over and over and over again! He informed me that he and Adelaide sit at the big picture window in the living room at night and look for deer out in the back yard in the dark. Adelaide always points out there and yells, "Deer!" when she sees one. Apparently, she has an active imagination since now she's seeing them INSIDE the house. At least there was a reason, though!!

Funny Girls

Sadie, after I said she was kind of a homebody: "I am NOT a homey!"

Josie, worried about her friends trying to tame a squirrel: "And squirrels can carry diseases PLUS!" Plus what, we'll never know. :)

Josie decided the best nickname for Baby Ben would have to have part of her name included. His new name around our house? "Benjo."

Adelaide's favorite things to say these days: "Nack! NACK! NAAAAACK!" meaning "Snack."

You say "Chugga chugga" she says "Choo choo!" This is Daddy's favorite game with her.

Well, at Least You Have Your Beans.

On Thursday we went to lunch for a joint Jesse/Sadie birthday celebration... at none other than our favorite Mexican place, with none other than some of our favorite people - Deanna, Baby Ben, and Lydia. Sadie has begun trying to look on the bright side of life. When Deanna's food was late arriving to the table, Sadie piped up, "Well, at least you have your beans." We all think this has the makings of a good family 'saying.'

Sadie has been obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie stories for about 2 years now, ever since Grandma Beth got her some books on CD for her birthday. She would listen to them non-stop (if Josie would let her. Adelaide now copies Josie and if she sees me going for the CD player in the car, she shouts, "NOooooo!"). Jesse introduced them to the TV series a couple of months ago (against my better judgement), and they LOVE them too. The other day, Sadie was contemplating the dreaded Nellie Olsen, her terrible brother Willie, and the awful Mrs. Olsen. She said to me, "You know what, Mom?" Mixing in her vast knowledge of fairy tale lingo, she informed me that "Out of the whole Olsen family, Mr. Olsen is the fairest of them all." I laughed, agreeing with her that indeed, all of them are pretty UNfair except Mr. Olsen.

Weasel

Josie, who has been giving me a really hard time lately, made the following statement when she didn't do what she was told: "I forgot that when you do something wrong, you gotta do the consequences."

In a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, Josie informed Adelaide that "You are so dramatic." Then she looked at me, rolled her eyes and said, "She is such a drama king. I mean queen."

Grammie tells the story of HeddieBell and Weasel, two people she knew in the NC mountains 'back in the day' when she was little. She and Sadie and Josie completely cracked themselves up one day when they decided that if HeddieBell and Weasel had kids, they would be named "WeaselHeads." After much sidesplitting, tearful, knee-slapping laughter, Adelaide picked up on the joke. She now goes around all day saying, "Oh WEASEL! Oh WEAAAASSSSEL!"

Space Savers

This is why I don't let my kids watch TV. Sadie (after a day that obviously included some commercials at Grammie's house) came home and quoted, "Mommy, you really need some super Space Saver Bags. They fit right under your bed, and you can squeeze the air completely out of them, mashing them flat and storing up to 12 sweaters all at once! It's just so convenient!"

Josie is the queen of all drama queens these days. I think we're going to have to send her to a fine arts academy. If she's in trouble or mad about something, she'll cry like the world is just falling to pieces, and she will SOB like her heart is just breaking. If I tell her to stop it, she'll breathe heavily and sigh and say, "I'm twying but I can't! I really just can't! I don't know how and I JUST CAN'T DO IT! Wahhhhhh!!" and she'll burst into tears again. It's so hard for me not to laugh at her (which only makes it worse because she says "EEEHHH! It's NOT FUNNY!"), but she's so DRAMATIC. The other day she worked herself into a worried frenzy while we were out shopping for Easter dresses because she just couldn't decide between the two that she liked. If I were THAT kind of parent, I probably would've gotten both of them for her. Luckily, I'm not that kind of parent. But I'm wondering: what in the world do the teenage years have in store for us?

Adelaide is continually cracking me up these days, trying out her new words (she picked up a little rat finger puppet that Grandma Beth gave her for Christmas and said, "WEASEL!"), her new skills (bouncing a ball, jumping, riding her little riding tractor, blowing bubbles, etc.), and her emerging conscience. I remember the other two doing this too, but I think it's so fascinating. She'll look at something she knows she's not supposed to do or touch, like the stove or the gum in my purse, and she'll say under her breath, "no, no... no, no...." like she's talking herself out of messing with it. I love that!

Hide-n-Hoot

Today during a rare spell of non-coughing, we all ventured outside into the (dare I say it?) sunny, spring-like weather! Josie was so excited to be outside that she zoomed off on her hot wheels, head thrown back, laughing hysterically. Sadie zoomed off on her razor scooter that she got for Christmas (that hasn't seen ANY action since we came back from NC) and Adelaide ran around stomping her feet on the ground... the poor kid has only seen tile, carpet, and snow for going on six months now. No wonder she was stomping... probably trying to figure out what the heck this hard stuff covered with green stuff is. Anyway, the girls made up a new game called "Hide and Hoot." Yes, it is played exactly the way it sounds. Somebody goes and hides while the other one counts. Then the hider turns into the hooter, and the hooter hoots until the finder finds them. HOOT HOOT!

Sick Sick Sick

It has been a TERRIBLE week for us. Last weekend when Jesse, Josie, Adelaide, and I got back from spending the weekend at a marriage conference with our friends Sonya and Rick, I got SICK. It hit me out of the blue... we had picked up Sadie (she stayed with Grandma and Grandpa so she wouldn't have to miss her first week of basketball classes), had dinner, and come home. We were putting the kids to bed when it suddenly hit me... then I proceeded to throw up 17 times in an 8 hour period. I literally thought I was going to DIE. I even called Mama in the middle of the night to tell her goodbye. She asked me if I'd been drinking! Do you believe that!? I slept on the bathroom floor, curled into a fetal position. Jesse kept the kids (and himself) sequestered from me. He slept upstairs, oblivious to the fact that I was croaking, "Help! Help!" downstairs, because making it to the kitchen for some ice chips was a completely insurmountable obastacle. Long story short, it was AWFUL. Over the next week, Jesse got a sinus/respiratory infection, and all three of the kids (first Adelaide, then Sadie, then Josie) got either one or a combination of both of these maladies. Poor Sadie was really sick... she's a trooper, though, and would just throw up and keep on going. She ended up on the couch for 2 nights so I could come and help her when she got sick... Josie was only sick for a couple of days and she acted completely fine except for throwing up a few times. She enjoyed the babying and the lounging around watching TV and sipping Gatorade part of being sick. My kids have watched more TV in the past week than they have watched in their entire lives! I just gave up and chalked it up to a bad week. I mean, if I wasn't helping one in the bathroom while she was being sick, I was cleaning up boogers and rocking someone else while they coughed their head off. I am longing for spring to GET HERE ALREADY so I can throw open these windows and get rid of all these disgusting germs. Or at least trade them out for new ones!

Making Mama Proud

Josie: "Know what mices' favorite game is? ParCHEESi! You know, because of the CHEESE!"

Sadie to Josie when she let her try out her new rubberband-powered airplane (courtesy of her Ohio history class at co-op): "You go girl! Make your mama proud!"

And when I brought home some of those all natural Cheetos that the girls LOVE, Sadie made up a poem for them: "Bag or Bowl, I don't care... Give me some Cheetos, or I can't bear!"

Playing Little House on the Prairie, Sadie let Josie be Laura for once and she decided to take the role of Pa. Carrying her sack on her back and holding Josie's bow and arrow (as her gun), she hiked off through the living room muttering, "I'll be back 'fore too long... let me git in here and hang my gun up on these pegs...." I asked her if she was going to bring home the bacon, and Josie said, "I know what that means. That means she's gonna catch a pig!"

Adelaide's new words that I didn't even know she knew until she used them in context (they all have exclamation points because that is how she says them): Peanuts! Scissors! Careful! Princess! Sooct! (scoot) Urnse! (nurse). And my favorite... I said we were going to Grammie's, and she said, "Yay! Boy! Fun! Bammie's! Go!"

Our snowman, complete with evergreen hair (painstakingly collected by Sadie) and bright green leaf eyes (from Josie - she said she wanted his eyes to be green like mine, since no one else in our house has green ones!). Adelaide did NOT enjoy her snow day, even though she was dressed up in her cute snowsuit. She burst into tears and yelled, "IN! COLDY! COLDY!"

It's a Draw

Last night Sadie jumped out of the dark bathroom and scared Josie (again). Josie reflexively punched Sadie in the stomach. Sadie comes down the hall, wailing and crying that, "I just wanted to crack myself up again!" So my question here is:
a) Should someone be in trouble or
b) Should I call it a draw and go hide somewhere and laugh?
I'm going with b.

Ode to Grandpa

…on his 60th Birthday (co-written by Sadie and Josie, with a little help from Mommy :)


Nothing brings us quite as much joy
As spending time with our Grandpa Roy.
We love when he reads Bible stories to us
And how he yells “Man up!” really loud when we fuss!
We know he likes telling us about Noah’s ark
And watching TV shows all about whales and sharks...
Along with basketball, football, and baseball
Give him his remote, he might give you a call!
But nothing puts him in a better mood
Than sitting next to us and stealing our food!
And everyone knows that one of our issues
Is how we like to sit with him and eat cashews…
While he sits in his big brown chair
And takes kids to see sad movies about bears!
He likes buying stuff when Grandma’s not home
But when she comes back it sure makes her groan!
Sometimes he tackles us and starts to tickle
And that’s when we know we’re in quite a pickle!
And when Grandpa says, “HEY! WHY YOU LITTLE…
"WHIPPERSNAPPERS!” it always makes us giggle.
Grandpa likes eating healthy stuff, like steak
And stuff he THINKS is healthy – like pie, cheese, and cake!
When we grow up we want to be just like that guy –
It’s going to take work, but we’re gonna try!
Well, not JUST like him, maybe not quite so tall –
But he really is the very best Grandpa of all.
Yes, Grandpa’s got some BIG shoes to fill
But in 60 more years, we will love him still!

UGHS and Kisses

Shown here, you will see evidence of what I like to call "Valentine Overkill"... I got the girls little gifts that Jesse didn't know I got and so HE got them stuff I didn't know HE got, plus they got stuff from TWO grammies AND money in fancy cards from Papaw and Mamaw!!! They LOVED all the special surprises and they felt really LOVED. :)

So, after Jesse and I finally got to go on our "date night," (we didn't count the Sweetheart Supper because I didn't sit down for most of the night :) I got food poisoning. That's right: FOOD POISONING. Jesse thinks it was the stomach flu, but it only last for about 24 miserable hours and no one else got it, so I'm pretty sure it was FP brought about by eating some wilty leftover salad from our "date night" the night before. UGH. It was AWFUL. Let's just say I may never eat spinach artichoke dip again. The kids were so cute and helpful and concerned. They kept coming to my door, knocking, and sticking their heads in to see if I needed anything... just to check on me. How sweet! The next day after Jesse went to work and I was feeling as though I had been hit by a truck, Sadie and Josie did their best to take care of Adelaide for me while I pitifully lounged on the couch, sipping Sprite and water (brought to me by Sadie) and nibbling crackers (proffered by Josie). It was a horrible couple of days, but I was very proud to see that my girls have definite nurturing instincts and they are somewhat selfless when it comes to helping those in need -- namely, me!

Sadie and Josie had excellent cousin (and Aunt Becky) time when they slept over last week during a snowstorm. Here they are in the gigantic Bedouin tent they built in Becky's living room.

Tonight, after listening to Sadie's and Josie's prayers in their room, I leaned in to listen at Adelaide's door to see if she was asleep yet. Having been put in her crib against her will 15 minutes earlier, she was still awake and quietly calling, "He-welp! He-welp! Out! He-welp!"

Amen

Josie is sick of listening to the Little House on the Prairie audio books. Sadie LOVES them and would listen to them over and over, all day long. In the car the other day on the way to our homeschool co-op, she asked me to put on "Indian Camp," one of the Prairie stories, and Josie said, "Pa, Pa, Pa, Pa, Pa! Pahhhh!!! I am tired of Pa and Ma and Laura and Mary! That's all I ever hear!"

At school during lunch time, Adelaide, not to be outdone by the older kids, ran all around the huge room - chasing and being chased by - her sisters and some new friends. To my bewilderment, I heard her chanting as she ran: "Nah nah nah nah nah nah!" like, "you can't catch ME!" Where did she ever learn that? :)

The same day, on the way home from school, Josie said, "I am NOT listening to Laura and Mary on the way home! I don't WANT to!" Sadie replied, "You can't always get what you want." Josie came back, "Well, neither can you!"

And to top off the day:
Mommy: "Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop... when the wind blows, the cradle will rock... when the bow breaks, the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all."
Adelaide: "Amen!"

Moment

The other night I had one of those moments. You know, the ones where you just want time to freeze so you can permanently etch it into your memory. It was a "mental picture" moment, for sure. Sadie and Josie were hanging out at Grammie and Grampie's house, so just Jesse and Adelaide and I went to run some errands. It had just started to snow when Jesse took Adelaide out of the car in her pink fluffy coat and started walking to the shoe store (he needed new basketball shoes) while I headed over to the craft store next door. I just happened to look around at them before I went in the double doors, and it literally almost took my breath away. He was holding her up in his arms, in the cold dark night, while the snow fell down, shining in the glow of the streetlight in the parking lot. He kind of twirled her around while she looked up at the snow and tried to catch some on her tongue. Just an ordinary moment, you know? But something about it made it a moment I don't think I will ever forget.

Hmm. Time to stop?

Adelaide, upon waking up in the morning:

"Mommy! Mommy! Nurse! Boobie! EAT IT!"

Thoughts on above

Sadie has been complaining for weeks about a "lump in her snow boot." She says that she accidentally got it stuck under a cart at the grocery store and ever since then, it's had a big lump on the inside, which I cannot feel because, "your foot will not fit in MY boot." Coming in through the mudroom last week (where we take off boots and coats) I heard Josie say, "Sadie, I wonder why God let you get a big lump in your boot?" Sadie responded, "Well, it wasn't GOD'S fault - It was MY fault!" I wish we were all so quick to take responsiblity for our actions!

On the way to Grammie's house yesterday, Josie was commenting on how cars look teeny tiny when they're far away, and bigger when they're closer. She went on to compare them to our family (like she does almost everything these days): "That one's as big as Adelaide, that one's as big as me, that one's as big as Sadie, that one's as big as Mommy, and THAT one's as big as Daddy. Nothing's bigger than Daddy. Except God."

Adelaide is plugging along in the middle of a complete language explosion. She repeats EVERYTHING, especially the last words you say. Her favorites right now are "okay, all done, dirty, trash, yuck, mine, cheese, milk, cereal, raisins, vitamin, car, coat, shoes, no thank you, Sadie, Josie, sister, nice, gentle, & Sowwy!"

This picture is from our very first day of our homeschooling co-op. We were SO excited!

Nuthin!

Adelaide made up her first rhyme. First, she asked for one of her favorite snacks: "Prune! Prune!" Then she followed it up with a mischevious grin: "Boom! Boom!"

Yesterday, Sadie hid in the bathroom with the light off and waited for Josie to come by. When the unsuspecting victim walked by, Sadie jumped out and yelled "BOOGITY BOOGITY!" Josie answered with a terrified "AAAAAAHHHH!!! Don't ever DO that!" Next, while Sadie cackled and laughed down the hallway, Josie came stomping through the kitchen with a mean look on her face. I said, "Josie, what did Sadie do? Josie, without looking up, kept on walking and said, "NUTHIN!"

This morning we were reading about Cain and Abel. The girls were enthralled with this story of jealousy, murder, and punishment. At the end when Cain says that everyone will try to kill him as he's wondering the land, God tells him that no one will hurt him, because God will mark him, to protect him. Sadie immediately draws a parallel to The Wizard of Oz story (not the movie), when the Good Witch Glinda kisses Dorothy on the head and marks her so that no one will dare to hurt her. I was thrilled with her thoughtful comparison! That's my girl!

Made It!

Last weekend when we went to Chicago for the weekend (to stay with Norm & Deb and to get my new brace for my back issues) Sadie and Josie spent the whole weekend with Grandma. They had a great time. Well, the kids did, anyway. I think Grandma was pretty worn out by the end of the weekend, and who could blame her? They are high energy/high maintenance kids! They finished reading The Wizard of Oz, went to see the Princess and the Frog movie with Lydia, visited Aunt Cindy, helped cook, played in the playroom, slept in the Princess and the Pea bed, and generally had a good old time. Grandma Beth told me that on Monday morning, Josie came downstairs - crazy-haired and sleepy-eyed - and said, "Well, Grandma, I made it through THREE WHOLE DAYS without my mommy or my daddy." Grandma said, "Would you like to go snuggle in my bed?" Josie replied, "No, that's okay. I just wanted to tell you. I'll go back to my bed now."

Wonders

Yesterday in the car Josie asked Jesse if it hurt the skunk when he shot at it with the BB gun last year (we had a skunk lurking around our back yard for about a month last spring). He doesn't think he actually even hit it, but he said, "It wouldn't really hurt the skunk - wouldn't make him bleed or anything. It just scared him. It would be like me shooting cotton balls at you to keep you from coming toward me. Would that stop you?" Josie deadpanned: "It wouldn't stop me from LOVIN' you!"

Sadie learned about the 7 continents today. She also learned about some of the wonders of the world. When I asked her what natural wonder is off the coast of Australia, she replied without hesitation: "The Great Wall of Coral!"

Down Daddy!

Yesterday morning the driveway was ICY. I went to take the trash down to the end of the driveway and chickened out halfway down, leaving it there until Jesse could take it on his way to work. As I watched from the door at the kitchen, he said, "I think it's all melted off now," and he wheeled it down. When he got to the end of the driveway where it slants to the street, he slipped and his feet flew right out from under him and he landed right on his butt. All I heard was an echoing "WoooHoo!!" from outside, and from inside I heard Sadie and Josie chanting, "Daddy is down! Daddy is down!" while Adelaide snickered at the kitchen table (she is not one to be left out of a joke). I said "Why are you laughing?" She said, "Funny! O-key? O-key!"

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

After almost a month of waiting, we FINALLY got to have our Christmas celebration with Grammie and Grampie Don. Grampie got seriously ill with an infection while they were in NC, and he ended up having to have surgery and be in the hospital for a few days while still there. We were worried about him! We are thankful that he's okay now, and we had a fun time eating chicken corn chowder, opening yet another pile of presents, and showing off new toys.

Sadie's favorite thing? HAIR! Yep, Grammie got her some fake hair. Who would've thought? Josie's favorite? Her own bow and arrow! Adelaide's favorite? A bag of marshmallows! Grammie finds the best gifts.

No business like Snow business

Last week in the car, we did the Roll Call to make sure everyone was in the car. Josie performed the much-loved task, making a squeaky "He-uh" sound for Adelaide, then Sadie did an actual Roll CALL from her pretend cell phone to advise me that she was in the car. I loved her play on words.

We went to the bakery and Josie got a slice of delicious chocolate chip pumpkin bread. She went on and on about how great it was, and then I accidentally handed it to Adelaide instead of her when we were back in the car. When I tried to get it back, well, THAT wasn't happening! My little grown-up, sharing Josie said, "It's okay, Mommy, I already had some of that delicious bread. Adelaide can keep it." What wonderful sharing! I was so proud.

Sadie stayed over at Grandma's for a day and a night, having special Grandma time. Josie, bored and lonely (and without anyone to boss her around) said, "I miss her. I think I'm going to start calling her Ned." Where this declaration came from, I do not know.

We had quite a bit of snow last week, and after doing all the crafts any of us could stand, we all bundled up one day and went out for some snow fun. When I told her to
put on her snow pants, Josie clobbered me and laid one of "Josie's hugs" on me, which are quite possibly the best hugs in the world. She really throws herself into them. Is there anything better than a little kids hug? I can't think of anything. Anyway, we wondered out into the snow, Adelaide looking like Ralphie's little brother - you know, the one who couldn't put his arms down in his snowsuit - and Sadie and Josie finally free from the house and ready to burn some energy. First up: Rabbit tracking. They followed rabbit tracks all the way around the house back to the pond, then caught up with some deer tracks and followed those. Next, Sadie decided she was the world's biggest rabbit and she jumped all over the place, making her own trail and destroying the real one. Josie decided to make snow angels, and she did a pretty good job, too, but she gave up when she got snow down her neck. All the while, Adelaide is following me around saying, "Cold! COLD!" over and over. I ended up having to carry her around (the snow was so deep that her little boots weren't helping much) and THAT didn't last long, since she = heavy and my back = hurty. Sadie then decided to help me knock icicles off the gutters (without my permission) and proceeded to take one right on the nose... OUCH! She got a fairly big (and I know painful) scratch, so we decided to call it a day. A snow day!

All Done!

Adelaide, much to Jesse's delight, has learned the word "SI-DUR!" which she yells all the time, while jumping up and down and trying to get some of his drink. She's also started folding her little hands while sitting in her high chair and praying at the table. It's so cute! She also likes to wrap her face in the curtains NEXT to her high chair (usually with something gooey all over her face) and yell "Peet boo!"

Some things that are not so cute: Her SCREAMING bloody murder when she's mad. It seriously hurts our ears. I can't stand it! She also has started throwing things down that she doesn't want and yelling "NO! ALL DONE!" when she doesn't want to eat her veggies. She's VERY opinionated, and she doesn't care who knows it. It makes me SO MAD, but she's so cute and funny about it that I laugh anyway. I have to turn my head so she won't SEE me, of course, but I admit it: I laugh.

The other day I left home for about an hour to go to the grocery store. Jesse was in charge. When I came back, Adelaide had bright red streaks all over her face. I thought it was blood! Nope... worse. Permanent marker! DADDY! Argh!

Bonky

Adelaide, hitting her head on the headboard of my bed, yelled out, "Ow! Bonky!" Sadie and Josie found this incredibly amusing, and used this new word throughout the day yesterday.

Josie never ceases to amaze herself: learning to pour her own juice from the bottle, doing the laundry, using grown-up scissors... she said to herself, "I can't believe all this stuff I am doing! I'm just growing and growing every day!"

Sadie informed me that even if I DID put a rock on her head, she would keep on growing, maybe as tall as the ceiling. She said "The rock will just keep getting higher and higher on TOP of my head, Mommy" (complete with eye roll).

Toot toot!

Thanks to a terribly snowy day downtown, Jesse got to come home early (most of the businesses he needs to get to were closed) and we had a special day! The girls had all checks on their chore chart for the past couple of weeks (plus they did GREAT on the trip to NC and back home) so they were deserving of a special treat. We took all 3 girls, sans naps (gasp!) to the library to pick up "Where the Wild Things Are" which I read to them on the way to the theater to SEE "Where the Wild Things Are." We had to read it first, of course, and I somehow never got around to reading them that one before today. They liked the book, of course. What kid doesn't? I loved it when I was little. The movie, however, was a different story. THEY liked it, but I LOATHED it. I thought it was TERRIBLE. Yeah, the monsters looked good, but the rest of the whole thing was totally off. It makes me mad because this just happened to me with the "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" movie. It ticked me off, too. Why do these people insist on trying to improve on perfection? It drives me crazy! In WTWTA, they completely left out the whole concept of "imagination..." it was like Max ACTUALLY went to another land. And, worst of all, they left out that his room grew vines and flowers all over it and turned into a jungle! That was my favorite part! For Pete's sake, that part takes up at least 5 pages of the book! Sheesh. To top it all off, they weren't even IN a jungle; they were in a forest and a DESERT! Hated it. Plus it was dark and dreary and depressing. I could've done a better job than that and I've never written a screenplay in my life. Sorry. I digress. The kids liked it. The best part of the whole movie, in my opinion, was when Jesse tried to "sneak one out" while we were sitting there without anyone hearing it. Ol' bat ears Adelaide heard it, though, and began yelling, "Toot! Toot! TOOOOOOOOT!" at the top of her lungs. So much for going incognito, there, Dad.

The other great part was when Adelaide pooped in her diaper and I had to change her while she was STANDING UP. This was a first for me, when poop is involved. I felt like quite the accomplished supermom when I escaped from the bathroom unscathed.

To top it all off, Sadie finished exactly half of her giant reading book (we marked the spot and it's been her seemingly unreachable goal for at least 6 months). The reward? You guessed it. The dread Chuck E. Cheese's. It actually wasn't bad this time... we had a coupon, a ton of tokens left over from her birthday party in March (yes, we've been in recovery for the past 10 months), and we got there relatively early so it wasn't packed. When we walked in, the lady at the door asked if we were there for a birthday party, to which I replied, "Hah! That's one mistake I'll never make again!"

Anyway, we had a good time and the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves (they found a new favorite game, the DOG POUNDER) and wore themselves out running around and trying to score tickets. Needless to say, everyone collapsed into bed when we got home... Mommy and Daddy included.

New Year's Eve Bash

On New Year's Eve, Grandma and Grandpa had their 2nd annual "Grandkids' New Year's Eve Party and Sleepover." It must've been sheer insanity, with 6 kids 6 and under at their house, but the kids had a blast. My girls looked forward to it for WEEKS; they still remembered the party they had last year. Grandma Beth goes all out for this thing: decorations, party hats, noisemakers, special crafts, special dinner and snacks IN the grown-up dining room, games, stories, AND a sleepover? Can it get any better than that!?

This year, the hit of the party was the "blindfold game," where Grandma blindfolded someone and they had to guess which stuffed animal they were holding (chosen from a giant pile of stuffed animals next to the party-goers). The best part was apparently when GRANDPA took a turn. Another hit was storytime- they read books for at least an hour. Grandma said their favorite was one about a little sheep, wolves, and a shepherd -a parable full of symbolism - when Grandpa asked if anyone knew what that meant, everyone said no except for Sadie, of course, who piped up, " I know what it means... it's like when God killed the devil, which is sin. I learned that at the Boar's Head Festival!" Yay, my future English major!

The next day, all the parents showed up and we opened our Christmas presents and had waffles. The kids loved their gifts from our Ohio family... a Mousetrap game from Aunt Sarah, books, teacups, and the next Little House Book on CD from Grandma & Grandpa, a paintable teaset & Shirley Temple movies from Aunt Cindy & Uncle Bob, a Sit and Spin from Beck & James, teeny dress up dolls from Lyd & Darryl, mosaics, ponies, and a keyboard from Lynn & Deanna... I can't remember everything. There was a lot! They loved it all and they were very good this year about saying thank you and giving everyone hugs. I was proud of them for their good manners!

Later we bundled up and trekked over to the sledding hill in the nearby park. I, of course, abstained from sledding, since I would probably end up in the emergency room or WORSE, but the girls had a good old time flying down the hill with Uncle James, their cousins, Aunt Becky, Aunt Cindy, and Grandma. They are so brave, if somewhat lazy... Aunt Cindy kept pulling Josie and Ireson up the hill because they didn't want to have to walk back up on their own power! :)

It was a good day, and we are thankful for our families, near and far.

Oh Christmas Eve

Josie spent the last two weeks singing, "Oh Chrismtas Eve, oh Christmas Eve!" in perfect tune with "O Christmas Tree," which I think is a vast improvement on the lyrics. We should come up with a totally new song for next year.

We finally got to have our Lansing Family Christmas at our house the day after we got back from NC. Santa works his way up from the equator, so he comes to our house later than he does in the south. :) The girls were filled with excitement, and they put out milk, cookies, and water for Rudolph the night before. The next morning they waited for us to go into the living room to see what Santa brought... they were so excited! Josie had been wishing for a Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine, while Sadie really wanted a Barbie Mermaid Falls toy to play with in the tub. Adelaide got a refinished little kid rocking chair in bright green (that just happened to be mine when I was a little girl). We had lots of fun opening presents, playing, and just spending the morning together before Daddy had to go to work. Sadie got him a set of checkers, which he wants to teach her how to play pretty soon, and Josie got him a little race car model for them to build together. Sweet!

We spent the rest of the day playing with new toys (the biggest hit seemed to be the GIGANTIC ball Jesse ordered for them from Hearthsong... you can actually crawl INSIDE it and roll around) and napping, because we were all Christmased out!

The Claw!

A few nights before we left NC, Jesse and I were in bed watching "Elf" when we heard Grandma's voice yelling this from the living room: "Woohoo! Hey!!! Hey!! Somebody help! Woooo!!!" I jumped up as fast as I could and ran into the living room to see what the heck was going on, only to find Sadie and my mom curled up on the couch fast asleep and my grandma leaned back in her recliner, snoring. Apparently sleeping in a recliner can give you a doozy of a bad dream. Jesse and I got a good laugh out it, and we all made fun of Grandma the next morning. Good thing she's a good sport and laughs at herself too!

On Sunday afternoon, I was in the bedroom with the door closed when my mom stuck her head in and said, "Is Adelaide in here?" (she had been playing in the kitchen with my mom and grandma). I said, "Ummm, no. I thought she was with you." Mama said, "We can't find her! We've looked everywhere!" Of course, I thought the worst...she had opened the back door, wandered to the road, gotten hit by a car... something like that. Then I saw Grandma leaning over to look underneath the long tablecloth on the dining room table. She said, "Hello?" A little voice said, "Heh-wo!" Adelaide had swiped a candy cane out of the candy bowl, then HID under the table to tear off the plastic wrapper and eat the candy cane unhindered. What a sneak!

Sunday night, Sharon and Gary came down and Sharon told Josie, "You are just as cute as a button!" Josie responded, "Well, I am! I am CUTER than a button!" Later, Uncle Gary honed his storytelling skills with Josie, after teaching her what it means to be "all riled up" right before bedtime. Thanks, Gary! :) He told her about THE CLAW, which is when his hand loses control of itself and tries to grab you and tickle you, even when he tries to stop it :) Josie thought this was HILARIOUS. When he was trying to tell her a story about Brer Rabbit, she kept interrupting and yelling "It's THE CLAW!" and grabbing him and tickling him. Great fun!

When Melanie and Ada stopped by, Ada (a VERY precocious 2 year old) told us this joke (or at least this is how we heard it): "Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other side!" Funny, especially coming from her. Later that day, after thinking about it a while, Sadie said, "You know what? If I made that joke up, I would say, 'Why did the chicken cross the playground - To get to the other SLIDE!'" Badomp bomp!

Lying on the bed, goofing off with Adelaide, Jesse said, "Who's your best friend?" Without missing a beat, she said,"Daddy!"

On Monday, we climbed in the car and Josie said, "Mommy, I have a hypothesis." I didn't even know she KNEW that word! We picked up my Daddy (Papaw) to go over to the park and go "Traipsing through the snow." It was COLD. The girls didn't want me to go with them, so Adelaide and I wandered around while they went on a big adventure with Papaw. At one point, he told Sadie to watch it or she was going to fall. Sure enough, right after that, boom! She said, "I fell right on my hind end!" When we left, I was preoccupied with getting everyone in and getting the snow off, and so when we pulled out onto the street, Adelaide called from the back seat: "Buckle! Buckle!" Sure enough, I hadn't buckled her all the way in. Daddy was very impressed with her smartness (not with my lapse in safety)!

Snow Heatherns

Adelaide has somehow decided that the proper way to run is by putting her arms straight out behind her... like a backwards superhero. It's hilarious!

Today she flew over to Papaw and Mamaw's with us for Christmas dinner (turkey, yummy mashed potatoes, etc.) and to open gifts. The kids made quite a haul: new shoes, clothes, backpacks, books, dolls, and the piece de resistance...two big hatboxes full of dress up clothes. Josie's had a purple hat with a plume, gloves, a boa, and a skirt and shirt, and Sadie's had a pink ballerina dress, flats with ribbons, a crown, a magic wand, and a bracelet. They immediately ran to put these on, and then they proceeded to put on a "Cinderella show," with Sadie as Cinderella and Josie as ALL of the supporting roles (Fairy Godmother, Prince, Stepsisters, etc.). Papaw and Mamaw enjoyed the show immensely, especially the "after show" when the actors came out to curtsy and 'meet the audience.'

Later, we went out to play (Papaw tried out Sadie's new scooter) and they had fun running up and down the driveway (Adelaide), riding the push car (Josie), and jumping through the snow making rabbit tracks (Sadie). After the grownups got too cold and went inside, Papaw opened the door and yelled out to the kids, "HEY! Get in here, you little heatherns!" :)

The girls wanted to stay at their house, but Jesse and I had to put Adelaide down for a nap and meet Brian for dinner. As I was leaving and giving final (obey) instructions for the girls, I told my daddy, "Don't let them see anything on TV with bad words, cause they'll repeat it..." Josie piped up, "Yep, we will!"

P.U.

Taylor and Evelyn came over to see the kids this morning... Sadie pulled Taylor back into the 'playroom' and was shortly joined by Josie. Apparently, somehow the conversation turned to personal hygiene. Sadie to Taylor: "You're too big to take a bath, aren't you?" Taylor: "Yeah...I haven't taken a bath in the tub since I was your age." Josie: "You must be pretty stinky, then."

Hog Pig

Sadie: "I can't wait to get to Brenda's for opening presents because we get to go Hog Pig!" (aka "Hog Wild")

Adelaide: "Night night." (on the floor at Brenda's after the Christmas extravaganza - and after bedtime).

Josie: "I had very much fun when Daddy took a nap with me. That's all I wanted for Christmas, and it was like a sleepover!"

There are No Orphans of God

The Christmas cantata at Chasity's church was great. After taking my Daddy a coconut cake and some of Jesse's pecan pie, we met Becky, Stephen, and Hailey at the church and settled in to watch the show (after Sadie and Josie snuck backstage with Chasity - they thought that was great fun). We sat behind Becky and Stephen so we could talk more easily, though I think they were probably sorry once the cantata started. About halfway through, there was a song called "This is Our God," that talked about the sacrifice that God and Jesus made with Jesus' birth, life, and death, and how much they love us. Well, I started crying, and I didn't stop until the very end. After that song, Chasity sang her solo... and she was just amazing. I was so proud of her - I haven't heard her sing in church in years, since we used to sing together. She was SO GOOD and the song was definitely the best one in the whole cantata. It was called "There Are No Orphans of God." It talked about how no matter how bad things seem here on earth, God sees us all the same... loves us all the same... there are no outcasts, there are no strangers, there are no orphans of God." I pretty much bawled through it, and I started getting backward glances from Becky and Stephen and our kids (I think it scared them that I was crying so much - Josie came to sit on my lap and rub my head) - and I didn't have a tissue anywhere. I ended up having to wipe my eyes on my nursing wrap/cover, which doubled as the world's largest handkerchief. After that, Kimmie came out and did this dance and then there was some miming to another song. It was very cool - they turned out all the lights, and the mimes, who were wearing all black except for white gloves, stood underneath a black light so the gloves glowed bright blue. There was another song then about how no matter what you've done or how far you've been from God, he still wants you to come back. Some of the mimes fashioned a cross out of their hands while the other ones made "come forward" motions with their hands, like Jesus is calling you to the cross. It was so touching to me... I've felt kind of like a wall has been up between me and God for quite a while now, but suddenly, the walls crashed down and I had a tremendously emotional (and welcome) experience. I felt like God had given ME a Christmas present right then... and I am SO glad that we went. I guess it was all a part of the plan. I haven't been to a Christmas play in over 8 years, and we just happened to be able to make it to that one. Coincidence? I think not.

After the play was over we all met in the fellowship hall with everyone for cookies (LOTS of cookies) and to talk over the play. It was a fun night. Jesse asked what the difference was between a Baptist and a Methodist (he really wanted to know what the answer was) and Stephen laughingly explained that "A Methodist will say hello to you in the liquor store." Hehee

On Christmas Eve, Jesse and I finally made it to Kohl's to see Brian for a few minutes and pick up some last minute things (and we snuck to Sonic for lunch - by ourselves). Then we went in circles around the grocery store, searching for frozen orange juice to make punch with. Later, after much drama at Grandma's (rivaling the Jerry Springer Show), we finally made it to the Church Christmas Dinner (not A church, but the Church Family) with my Daddy and Sylvia. It was good to see all of my family there together and the girls warmed right up to their cousins and played a rousing game of tag. The cutest part was seeing Sadie, Josie, Lauren, and Sydney (Syndey, according to Josie) sitting in the kitchen floor all together while Sadie told them stories. Too cute.

Next we trekked to Scotty and Angela's for ANOTHER dinner and more Christmas madness. It actually wasn't too crazy this year, and the girls had a great time - Sadie and Josie playing with Cameron, Caleb, Adam, Natasha... and Adelaide playing with (and fighting with) Bayleigh. Grandma Genevieve had given Adelaide some really cute sparkly silver shoes the other day, but her little foot was too chunky to wear them! So Grandma gave them to Bayleigh (their birthdays are two weeks apart), who had them on last night. Adelaide spotted the shoes right away, and proceeded to try to be like Grandpa Roy and "re-po" them. Bayleigh said, "Mine!" and took one shoe, but Adelaide said, "ADDALAY!" and snatched one back. This went on for some time, and we thought there was going to be a fight! The older great-grandkids put on a show, much to Uncle Thomas' dismay :) but everyone else liked it! Sadie and Josie said the "Long Long Ago" poem, and then Cameron sang the verses to "Go Tell it on the Mountain" and the other kids chimed in on the chorus. It was really good, I thought!

We got Bayleigh a red and white hat like Adelaide's blue one (the world's cutest hat) and when they put them on, the whole room stopped to watch. It was the CUTEST thing EVER. Of course, they wouldn't sit still enough for us to get a good picture, but it was one of those things you won't forget!

When we got back to Grandma's house, we all got ready for bed and then Jesse read us the Christmas story from Luke (my favorite version) before we all snuggled in for a long winter's nap. This morning, Sadie and Josie were thrilled to find new Razor Scooters with their names on them! They tore through the house all morning, toes beware! Adelaide had new tub toys, which she had to check out in the "sub, sub!" and Jesse got me some cool new leopard PJs. I feel blessed beyond measure this year, even though financially, times are kind of hard. God knows just what we need, doesn't He? It's amazing. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Oh Chwistmas Twee!

I've decided that while life isn't really more important here in the South than it is at home in Ohio, I just tend to have extra time to write things down while I'm here; hence the play by play!

We ended up leaving a day earlier than expected after Scotty called and warned us of an impending blizzard on Friday (we were supposed to leave Friday afternoon after Jesse got off work). Roy graciously said to "hit the road," and we did... at 7pm on Thursday night. We drove all night and got here at 4:30am on Friday. It's a good thing we did, too, because they got almost a foot of snow here, which hasn't happened since I was 17! That's a long time, and it takes the one plow in the state of NC a VERY long time to plow all the roads here. :) The kids were really good in the car, and I thoroughly enjoyed the new song I learned from their book on tape: "I'm Herman the worm-an and I like my squirming and I like being close to the ground... boom boom!" I think I liked it more than they did, and now the silly, non-Christmasy song is stuck in my head.

On Friday, before the roads got really bad, we delivered Cinnamon Bread to Louis and Brenda (after I lost it, blamed Jesse for forgetting it, then found it in the van) then came back to Grandma's and got to see Derek and Theda for a few mintues before they left for Florida (they brought us a whole box full of yummy cannoli). The snow fell, and fell, and fell, and one of Grandma's giant spruce trees fell, and the snow still fell!

Saturday, when we woke up, there was snow everywhere, and all the southerners blamed us for bringing it with us. We put plastic bags on our shoes (of course we didn't bring any snow clothes down here... who would've thought?) and headed up to Angela and Scotty's house, and proceeded to play in the snow ALL DAY. Sadie and Josie ended up wearing a dazzling array of clothing borrowed from Cameron, Caleb, Angela, and Sharon. They went sledding (Sadie went really far, overshooting the boundary tree and landing in the blueberry patch once; Josie and Caleb went tandem-sledding and there was much squealing and shouting for joy), played with the cat, Spencer (Sadie kept carrying him around and putting him in the snow when she thought no one was looking), riding the 4wheeler with Daddy and Scotty, unfroze at Aunt Sharon's (Sadie spent a long time at her house, eating chili beans and thawing out with hot chocolate), and had a great time playing with the boys in their rooms. Adelaide took a long nap on Caleb's bed, then ran around playing with bowls (I cleaned out Angela's tupperware cabinet) and trying to keep up with the big kids. Jesse, Scotty, and Uncle Gary spent the day getting cars unstuck from the driveway, clearing driveways, and playing around on the 4 wheelers. Angela and I finished wrapping her presents and then she made my new favorite for dinner: Hamburger pie!

On Sunday, there was no church anywhere, so we went over to spend the morning and early afternoon with Daddy and Sylvia. The kids were really glad to see them and ended up staying over there to snuggle, eat popcorn, and watch movies after Jesse and I left to put Adelaide down for a nap. Daddy told them the "tobacco story" about how when he was little, his daddy bought cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco for him and his four brothers, and put it all out on the table and said, "Boys, I think you're old enough for this now, so have at it!" They learned a lesson that day, and NONE of them ever smoked. Sadie and Josie think this is incredibly funny. I think it was good parenting! Josie is excited about the pile of gifts under Mamaw and Papaw's tree... and I quote, "Hey! Look at our stack!"

While they were there, I snuck out and picked up Melanie for a quick trip to Cato's. It was great... we have to steal moments together when we can, you know.

Later, Thomas, Elizabeth, Josh, Natasha, Britt, and Bayleigh came over to play. Adelaide was a little shy at first, but she finally warmed up to Bayleigh and they are SO cute together. I could just sit and watch them play together for hours. Later Angela, Scotty, and the boys came down for supper (Great Grandma let Sadie and Josie help make the biscuits), and the house was madness. But it's fun madness when you're all together at Grandma's house, even if I did have to do the dishes! The kids were going crazy, running around and around and around from the kitchen to the living room, wrestling in the floor, and finally Angela and Scotty took ALL of them to their house (except the babies) for a sleepover.

On Monday, the kids stayed at Angela's for as long as was humanly possible. They were NOT ready to go, but I thought Angela was ready for them to go! They'd had a great time sleeping in the living room floor, having PJ day, forming alliances (older kids against younger kids) making cinnamon/applesauce ornaments, and having a generally good old time. Jesse and I took Adelaide and went to the bank, where we saw my cousin Kristi and several other people who loved Adelaide's hat! Then we picked up the girls and put them all down for a LONG nap. Later, we went to my Daddy's and Sylvia's (Papaw's and Mamaw's) for T-bones (cooked by flashlight on the carport outside), and then a rousing game of catch in the living room... Sadie gave Mamaw a reprieve from story-telling for the night!

Tuesday: How many times can one person go to Walmart? I think I've been there 5 times already and I've only been here for 5 days. Ridiculous! We got BoJangle's for breakfast, then I went to Angela's for a while (by myself) while she baked me my very own Hamburger Pie. Sounds gross, tastes delicious! Later we took the kids over to play with Dalton and Noah (Kimmie is almost 13 - almost too old to play!) and Chass made them macaroni and hot dogs for lunch. Adelaide and Sadie kept trying to swipe M&M's, and Josie and Dalton played non-stop, listening to music and running around like hoodlums. After we got back to Grandma's, Melanie and Ada stopped by to play for a while, and Jesse made pecan pies with Sadie and Josie. The kids and I went out to Daddy's, where there was much tickling, ball-playing, and dirty fake-outs (Papaw taught Josie to fake a throw, so she kept looking at him while she chucked the ball at Sadie!:). After we got the kids to bed, Jesse and I went BACK to Walmart AGAIN, where we saw my cousin Bridget, then went up to Melanie's to hang out... just grown ups!

Wednesday: Grandma made the kids livermush for breakfast, then Amanda came over and we all went up to Melanie's to play until naptime. Later, we're headed off with Becky, Stephen, and Hailey to see Kimmie and Chasity perform in their Christmas play. So far, we're having a great mix of relaxation and busyness! Hope it stays this way!

Christmas Jingles

Josie: "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, is a partridge in a pear tree!"

Josie and Sadie: "Deck the halls with bells (bales?) of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la!"

Adelaide: "La la la LA!!"

Sadie: "Well, Santa is good, but we all know the TRUE meaning of Christmas. And that would be Jesus is born!"

Adelaide: "Ho ho ho! Doot!"

Pet Ant

Sadie: If I were in Chicago and Lydia was there with me, there would be TWO Lydias there." (Simon's mom is also named Lydia). "So how would one Lydia know if I was talking to her?"

Mommy: "Well, you could call Aunt Lydia "Aunt Lydia," and you could call Miss Lydia "Miss Lydia."

Josie: "I don't have an Ant Lydia."

Mommy: "Um... Yes you do."

Josie: "No, I don't have have a pet ant named Lydia. I don't have an Ant Lydia. I do have a pet uncle, though, and his name is Darryl."

Sprinkles

Yesterday the kids helped me with a Christmas tradition: we made holly. Like Rice Krispie treats, only with cornflakes and green food coloring. It was so much fun... I actually relaxed for a while and let them do all the stirring, and then they took turns putting the berries on (red hots) and eating them (one for you, one for me, one for you, two for me...). Today, we've been working on cookies. They are sprinkle-nuts. Seriously, if you pick up a cookie they put sprinkles on, you are covered in sprinkles because there is no way the poor icing could possibly hold that number of sprinkles! Anyway, it's fun. Now we're on to stacking the presents for NC (trying to fit them all in a single laundry basket should be fun) and getting ready for Sugar Cookie Day at Aunt Sue's house tomorrow and NC the day after that!

No One "Huhs" Like Gaston

Last Friday, Grandma Beth took Sadie, Josie, Aunt Becky, James, Teagan, and me to the theater to see "Beauty and the Beast." It was a great show! The kids were so excited (it's one of their favorite stories and they love any live theater, PLUS Grandma, Aunt Becky, and their cousins? What could be more fun?). They dressed up in their Christmas finery, we had dinner (just them and Mommy), then we met up at the theater with Grandma. They couldn't wait to get inside the auditorium, and they kept trying to peek in the doors before the ushers started seating people. The ladies outside the doors were big fans of their "Dorothy shoes," which Grammie gave them early for Christmas, just for such occasions as this. Josie volunteered to sit with me in front of everyone else (we had 5 tickets in one row, 2 in another) and proceeded to strike up a conversation with an older gentleman next to her. She and Sadie and James were very friendly and talkative until the show started, then they all sat back and watched as Belle came on stage - and this lady REALLY sounded like the Belle from Disney's animated cartoon. We were impressed. We recognized some of the actors from the "Annie" show we saw back in September, which was neat. The Beast did an excellent job... I didn't even realize that he was the same guy as the Prince until the end of the show... I thought he was 2 totally separate actors! That's good work! James and Sadie were so excited (Teagan too)... I kept hearing them whispering back and forth to each other and to Grandma - and Aunt Becky had to keep shushing them, but it was still fun! After the show the kids got to meet some of the characters (they wouldn't go near Gaston, though, which was a hoot - he was really great at being the bad guy, but I think the kids thought he was a little TOO good at it), which is the plus of a smaller theater. They wouldn't meet you out front to shake hands if we were downtown at Playhouse Square, that's for sure! We love going to see plays, and one of Sadie's goals for this year is to "do a play" of her own.

The best part of all of this for me is the fact that Sadie, Josie, AND Adelaide (who didn't even see the play, but copies her sisters perfectly) go around striking "muscle poses" like Gaston and going "Huh! Huh!"

Good Twy

Today during naptime, Josie ran into my room, crying. She snuggled her head against me while she sat on my lap and explained that she "just can't be good all the time." She said, "I want to be a good sister - I twy and I twy and I just can't do it!" This all started two days ago when she accidentally pushed Adelaide off the special reading chair in the living room and Adelaide bonked her head on the floor. Josie's been feeling guilty ever since, and she keeps thinking about being a bad sister. I'm glad that she has a conscience about things like this, but what can I say besides "I try to be good all the time too, and I can't do it either. God just wants us to keep on trying."

Christmasy

Feeling "Christmasy," today, although I was forced from my sickbed to pick up family portraits at the mall. While walking by the "Christmas Train," I found that I only had $3 cash. The Christmas Train costs $2 each, so only one kid could ride. Just when I decided that NO ONE was going to ride, a nice elderly lady came up and gave us $1 and told us her grandkids were too big now to ride the Christmas Train, so this ride was on her. Sadie and Josie jumped up and down, squealed, and said, Merry Christmas, nice lady!"

Boo Boo!

Tonight in the car, Adelaide got her chubby little pointer finger stuck in the hole in a plastic drink cup lid. She poked it in there, and then of course the little poky teeth around the bottom of the hole held her finger for ransom. She freaked out. I was driving, so I couldn't just turn around and help her, and she screamed like an alligator was chewing her hand off or something. Finally I put my flashers on and pulled over, but of course I couldn't get it off either... it was like Chinese handcuffs! Luckily, I had my handy-dandy fingernail clippers in the van, so I cut the side of the lid and tore it in half. She then held her injured (but not bleeding) finger up to my lips and said, plain as day, "Boo boo." After I kissed it for her, she was fine. Aahhh... the healing powers of a Mommy's kiss. There's nothing else like it, is there?

Nativity

Today at church, Sadie and Josie and I sang the Thank You For Your Blessings song. On stage, in front of everyone, WITH my guitar. It was a big step for me... performing and playing at the same time (and I use the word "playing" in the loosest sense possible). I guess it sounded okay. A few times I just stopped strumming because I knew I had the wrong chord... Jesse said no one noticed because no one there plays the guitar. Including me. :) Anyway, I was so proud of the girls... they sang their little hearts out, and they stood very still on the stage next to me with their arms by their sides and smiles on their faces, just like we practiced! I had told them I was nervous (about playing in front of people for the first time) beforehand, but I think it's important they know that Mommies get scared sometimes too, and you just have to face your fears and move ahead. Hopefully that was a little life lesson for them... that even though you might mess up, at least you try!

This afternoon Beth and Roy came over for soup and turkey sandwiches, and the women (or females, I should say, since Sadie and Josie helped too) put up the Christmas decorations while Grandpa and Daddy watched football. Seriously, how much football can a person watch, anyway!? I can watch it for about 10 minutes before I completely conk out. Anyway, we got the stuff put out, and later there was a "shift change" when Grandpa and Grandma left and Grammie and Grampie arrived. After that, we finished decorating the tree and Jesse put up my new nativity that he cut out for me with his handy dandy scrollsaw and that the kids and I painted. Adelaide said, "Oooh!" when she saw it, so I think she likes it too. Then while I crashed on the couch (decorating is hard work) Sadie and Josie and Adelaide and Grammie played dress up. First, Sadie came in as Cinderella, with the scary full-face mask on that I wore for Halloween when I was little. It's not supposed to be scary, but there's just something about it covering up her entire face with just her little eyes peeking out that gives me the willies! Her blue Cinderella dress comes up to the middle of her thighs now! That is because she is what we from the South call a "long-legged fraycus." Next, Josie came in with a long pink ballgown on and a pot full of daffodills which she informed me was her wedding bouquet. They sang "here comes the bride, big fat and wide" and she threw the bouquet (pot and all) to me. Last but not least, Adelaide made her dress up debut by toddling as fast as she could through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into the living room sporting a flaming red, super long, wild and crazy Ariel wig. She thought it was the best and kept saying "Hat! Hat!"

All in all, it was a good, productive day. Let's see what the rest of the week has in store. :)

Thank you, Lord

There's a roof up above me
I've a good place to sleep
There's food on my table
And shoes on my feet
You gave me Your love, Lord
and a fine family
Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me.

This was always a kind of "theme song" at White Oak Baptist, the church where I grew up. Sometimes we sang it so much that I got sick of it! Looking back as an adult, I now understand why those words never got old to the "older" crowd at church. These words are so true! Those people knew something that I, as a child, didn't. I taught the chorus to Sadie and Josie, and I hope I can teach them the truth of these words as well.

Migration

Josie likes to say, "Sometimes you ALWAYS..." as in, "Sometimes you always wear that shirt," or "Sometimes you always put jelly on my toast." Jesse thinks it's a hoot.

In the car on the way to lunch today (we met Grandpa, Aunt Lydia, and Lynn at the Mexican place) Sadie pointed out a big flock of crows. She said that they would probably be migrating soon. Josie said, "I know what that is! That's when they go south to look for food! Hey... I will be migrating soon. To look for macaroni and cheese and dumplins and pinto beans." She didn't really mean it as a joke, but I thought it was a great one!

Right now, I hear Sadie and Josie singing "I love you cheeseburger" in the bathtub, amid splashing and laughing... I hear Jesse and Adelaide stomping through the bedroom, playing hide-and-seek (aka "Peet-boo!")and squealing with glee (Adelaide, not Jesse)... life is good.

Tricky tricky

Last night before I put the kids to bed I told Josie a secret - that we were going to go to Grammie's house for breakfast this morning. Shortly thereafter, Josie tracks me down in the utility room (gathering up laundry, as usual), with tears streaming down her face. Clearly distraught, she finally got the words out: "I told I told I told Sadie my secret, and she told me her secret if I telled her my secret, and her secret was... it was... (big sniff) that she is going to the waterpark with Daddy all by herself and (sobbing) NOT ME!" Poor Josie. I explained that Sadie had just played a mean trick on her to try to get her to tell her "secret." Sadie obviously wanted to know Josie's secret, and pulled the old "I'll tell you if you'll tell me" trick, although Sadie completely fabricated her secret. Josie narrowed her eyes, squared her shoulders, and stomped back to bed. A hard lesson learned.

Fun and... Not.

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

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

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

Sadie Says

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

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

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