Living In Perfect Chaos

KINDERGARTEN

2010-08-03T14:41:00.002-04:00

Ahh, yes. The time for tears has come. For me, that is. Isabella is fine. She's more than fine. She is ready for big girl school! I don't know what or how, but in the last two weeks, she has started reading and her drawings have become much more meaningful and detailed.

Is this what happens when a child is about to enter big school? It makes me so joyful for her and sad for me. IzzyB is definitely no longer a baby and I know that elementary school will only catapult her further into being a big kid. I know that iCarly and Hannah Montana loom in the distance. I've shielded her from all that crap as long as I could. However, now she will be in a school that varies in ages from 5 to 12. EEK!

Ava is super jealous. She has two more years of pre-k before she too heads to big school. The difference between a first born and a second is incredible. Ava is a very mature 3 1/2 year old. Anything Bella can do, she thinks she can do better. I'm not about to discourage her but good grief, she's my last baby and already she wants a school uniform and first reader books!

The girls have had a fantastic summer full of love, friendship, spit and fire. Sisterhood. Fortunately, they love each other FAR more than they dislike each other. There is a definite individualism sprouting with the two of them. Yes, they can play together for hours, but then there is Ava shutting us out of her room while she changes clothes. Or Bella, hiding keepsakes in special places in her room and requesting that NO ONE even bother to guess what or where.

Privacy.

Does it begin this early? Apparently so. We generally have a no shut door policy but if a girl wants to change into her princess pjs in private, I think she should have the right to do just that. Ava is almost embarrassed to ask me to wipe her behind for her, but thankfully she'd still rather do that than end up with skidmarks in her day of the week undies.

Bella regressed for a couple of weeks this summer. Pre-6 year old birthday. Maybe she too was realizing that she was beginning a new chapter in her life. For a while, she requested that we carry her, brush her teeth, give her our earlobe to rub (remember that from years past?).

Then she learned to swim. On her own. With nary a floatie within reach. Freedom. And she loved it. For two weeks, she learned how to take care of herself and I could see progress daily with her confidence and self-esteem. When the instructor said she was good enough to be on a swim team, Bella beamed up at him and then at me, her face full of pride and accomplishment.

My Kindergartener. Sure, she could've gone to K last year as a very young, immature 5 year old. But listening to that inner voice of parenting wisdom and the love of her pre-k teachers, we decided to wait until she was 6. And it is truly one of the best things we ever did for our formerly timid, insecure child.

Bella is ready. And so am I. Let the adventures begin!!

Pants On Fire

2010-05-14T16:43:00.002-04:00

Oh, my goodness, I am such a liar! I said I'd start blogging again and posted 3 times. Sheesh. You'd think life is busy or something.

We're ending the school year. I have so many mixed feelings about it. Bella is starting Kindergarten in the fall. What? Why? She doesn't help matters with the fact that she is totally into Barbie and wants to wear all of her shirts off the shoulder. Seriously. It is almost a daily battle. How do you tell a nearly 6 year old that you simply don't want her to look like a slut?

We finally compromised on bathing suits. She can NOT have a bikini, but we will allow a tankini. And toenails can be painted shades of pink but we draw the line at hot pink.

Bella's taste in friends is going from rough n' tumble boys with imaginations to girly girls with giant bows and frilly skirts who discuss those rough n' tumble boys with mock disgust.

Oh my, are we in for a long ride.

Following close at her heels is baby sister who is no longer a baby. Ava insists that everyone know she is three AND A HALF. Nothing less is acceptable. She mimics her sister in every way but adds her own flair. And sass. I can still pick out Bella's clothes with her but Ava wants to do it all by herself. I should really post some of the outfits my child puts together. She's good! Ava is all about finding colors in clothes that match but has no qualms about mixing prints and layering. My little trendsetter *beaming*

We so adore my girls. We're a little sad to be done with having children, but not TOO sad. We have balance in the family with the 4 of us. Well, technically, my husband and dog Zeus are outnumbered even more considering we just got two female Betta fish, but he's absolutely happy with that. Zeus would just be happy to eat the fish, no matter their gender.

I used to love blogging and looking back over the years, I've enjoyed reading about moments in our life that I haven't thought of. So, I will really try to return more often. I know that I would've loved if my mom had kept a journal of our life...all the good and the bad.

See you soon! And I'm not lying this time!

Always Learning

2010-02-01T12:21:00.003-04:00

The upside to a mild UTI for a 5 year old? She figures out the pause button on the TV remote pretty quickly.

For those of you who don't like to rely on antibiotics, I have been very pleased with D-Mannose in treating Bella's UTI.

D-Mannose is a natural occurring simple sugar that's a safe, practical alternative (even for infants) for the treatment of urinary tract infections. D-Mannose is absorbed eight times slower than glucose, and when ingested, is not converted to glycogen or stored in the liver, but rather goes directly to the blood stream from the upper GI tract. Hence, D-Mannose is mostly filtered through the kidneys and routed to the bladder.

It is also 10x stronger than cranberry which is great because Bella refuses cranberry in any shape or form.

I don't consider myself "alternative" or a hippie, but I do like having options for my family's health and well-being!

Happy Monday!

Life's Stories

2010-01-27T15:58:00.003-04:00

I find life to be full of surprises, mostly funny, though sometimes not. I also find that we human beings aren't as different from each other as we think we like to think are.

Everyone has a story. Everyone likes to share their story. I have to mentally make myself shut up from telling my stories simply because someone has told me theirs and I might have one similar. Sometimes I can hardly stand to be quiet cuz my stories seem so funny to me and I want others to laugh along. Is that ego or just wanting to connect with others?

That's why I blog. I can tell all the stories I want! Even those that I had to shut up about earlier in the day.

My brother is in Breckenridge, CO for his first ever ski experience. He's really excited but has no clue what's in store for him. I've asked him to take pics (he's already texted one to me) and remember all the gory details of learning to ski.

Because MY ski experience was a complete disaster! I look back on it now and laugh but at the time I was thoroughly pissed.

We went on our honeymoon to the gorgeous mountains of Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Canada. It is where the 2010 winter Olympics are being held for cryin out loud. I had no business skiing for the first time THERE. Nonetheless, hubby and I wanted to do something fun and a little crazy for our honeymoon. That seemed to fit the bill.

Whistler is absolutely beautiful and serene. Driving up through the mountains on the side of cliffs was breathtaking. Watching a small boulder narrowly miss us as it fell from the cliff was a wee bit life threatening.

We stayed in a fabulous townhome we'd rented, complete with a private hot tub outdoors. Perfect for honeymooners but, even more importantly, medically necessary for a beginner skiier in Whistler.

The morning started out great. I was to take a full day of lessons since I'd never even seen a ski up close. Wearing all that gear felt ridiculous. My leg muscles refused to cooperate with the simple task of scootching over to the instructor.

1/2 hour later, I was at least moving with both skiis lined up. 2 hours later, I was mastering the snow plow. If you don't ski, that is where you almost but not quite cross your seemingly 30 foot skiis in the front to slow your butt down as you speed down a powdery hill.

Lunch time came. I was feeling pretty good about my progress. Turns out, my new darling husband thought I was AMAZING on skiis. Really? Oh. Okay! What? You want me to take the rest of the afternoon to learn with you instead since I'm so awesome? GREAT!

The instructor just shook her head and waved goodbye. I figured she had her money anyway and didn't really care what I did.

So we start out. I fall. I fall every 2 seconds. Small children on short skiis with no poles are flying by me.

New hubby is eyeing me with concern. He asked me to remember this move or that as I curse the skiis flying off again.

Me: What "moves" are you talking about??

Hubby: Ummm. Weren't you over there to the left in your lovely blue ski jacket cutting back and forth?

Me: No. I was over there on the right running into the other newbies during my snow plows.

Hubby: Crap. (it may or may not have been a stronger word)

So we literally spent the next 2 1/2 hours trying to get me off of the bunny slopes. It was excruciating! God bless my husband because he was SO PATIENT with me and I knew he really wanted to leap onto the gondola and ski the black slopes with abandon.

I pretty much fell down the mountain that day. Almost at the bottom of Blackcomb, I was so mad that I finally got the hang of it. And then I spent the rest of our weeklong vacation in the hot tub, watching movies and hiking a mountain once my limbs resumed use.

I'm excited for my brother. I hope no matter how his first experience skiing turns out, he comes home in good condition with a great story.

Wait until he goes to the Grand Canyon. Boy, do I have a story to tell then!

Age Appropriate Honesty Or Just Total BS?

2010-01-20T12:47:00.004-04:00

We're quite relaxed about nudity. The girls ask questions about my body, giggle at it (thanks) and inquire about Hubby's anatomy. I want the girls to have a healthy view of their own bodies and also know that a male's body isn't some big mystery. We discuss personal privacy and the fact that some subjects are better left discussing with Mom & Dad.

However, inquiring minds still want to know everything.

My girls are fascinated with how they got here. We keep the rated R details out of our explanations but sometimes the conversation throws a curve ball and we're faced with a question we either have to dance around or tackle head on.

The other day, they were asking about their births. Easy enough, right?

How tiny were we when we were born? - I would show them an approximate length

How did we get out of your tummy? - The doctor cut my tummy to get you out (yay for c-sections when it comes to the birth questions)

Didn't it hurt? - No, I was given medicine so it wouldn't hurt AND I was so happy they were about to be born that all I could feel was love (embellishment is acceptable)

What is that blurry picture? - A sonogram. A picture of you in my tummy.

Did they know I was a girl when I was in your tummy? - (Uh oh) Yes.

Could they see my girl privates? - ...yes...

Boys have boy privates. They are called hangers. - Oh? (We're in the vehicle. There's no escape)

Yes. Boys have hangers. Daddy does. Ben does. Grandpa does. - Mmmhmm. (Had to throw Grandpa into the mix? Really??)

Ava pipes in: Boys have hangers, Mommy! Girls don't!

But they aren't really called hangers. What are they called? - (Turn up radio NOW)

I would normally tell the girls that boys have a penis except I know that my friends with boys call it quirky names and NOT penis. I am not gonna be guilty of using a word they obviously aren't ready to use with their children who own one.

We call them boy privates.

Do you think it feels funny when they sit on it? Their privates, I mean? - Well, why don't you ask Daddy? (finally, my out!)

I could tell Bella had filed this question for later. She and Ava spent the rest of the ride arguing about who was the tiniest baby.

When Hubby gets home that evening, the girls immediately start asking their questions.

Daddy, does it hurt when you sit on your hanger? - No, does it hurt when you sit on your girl privates? (He looks at me and mouths "Hanger?" I shrug. Their word, not mine)

Bella ponders and says, No, but I don't have a hanger - Good point.

Daddy, what do you call your boy privates? - My penis.

Great. Now I have to warn the mothers.

The Abyss of Life

2010-01-15T09:48:00.002-04:00

Ta-Dah! Here I am once again. Home sweet blog home. What? No more readers? Nobody hung around for the last several months waiting for my grand return? Mom?

I've missed blogging. I didn't realize how much I like writing full sentences until I joined Facebook and started giving sometimes witty status updates. Not as fulfilling as one might think.

So, I'm back to the blogosphere. Not for anyone else but me. As it was and as it should be.

See you in a few months.

I'm kidding! Oh, silly me.

Ze Queen Hath Spoken...

2009-08-15T12:09:00.002-04:00

Isabella is a decision maker. Not that she reaches her final decision quickly but when she's ready for change, she plows ahead and doesn't look back.

Bella decided 3 nights ago that she wanted to start sleeping in the big girl bed in the room next to ours. She didn't require anything from me other than a goodnight kiss and turning off the light on my way out. I was shocked!

This is the same child who has slept in Mommy & Daddy's bed since I was pregnant with Ava. The very child who would rub Daddy's earlobe to help her fall asleep. And now she's in the room next door hidden among 15,000 stuffed animals and dolls, snoozing until 9am.

We admit we miss feeling her toes knead our legs and her arms smacking our face in the night.

Even after 5 years of knowing and growing with Isabella, she still surprises me. She definitely likes to be in control of her own gig...at some point. Whether it is quitting breastfeeding, diapers, the crack paci or crying at school, when Isabella is ready to move on, she simply does it!

So while her Daddy and I pout a bit over her newfound independence, we are also bursting with pride at her ability to know when she's ready for change and she goes for it.

She is named for a queen, after all.

Too Busy To Blog

2009-08-13T20:32:00.004-04:00

No worries. We're alive.

We just play so hard, we pass out.

Spectators

2009-07-21T11:43:00.006-04:00

Boys are strange beings. We all know that. They just don't know that.

Bella has a cute friend named Ben who talks like a robot or roars like a dinosaur whenever we see him. Never a normal hello. That would be boring!

We also know that boys are visually stimulated. They like things that move. And before their brain slides to their pants, it is fairly rated G. Fast cars, football, bugs, air guitar, their pee stream, etc.

Even after puberty rocks their world, there's still a little boy lurking around, waiting for something to move and entertain them.

Hubby went to a networking event one evening and came home rather dumbfounded. It seems that as he was talking to a current client, she brought up that while she loves that her husband keeps their yard so lovely, he obsesses over the sprinkler.

Not the sprinkler system installed by a professional. No, he likes to manually hook up a twirly sprinkler to the hose, drag it all around the yard and watch in a daze while the water quenches his lawn's thirst.

My husband was taken aback because HE DOES THIS!

I think I got over it years ago. Watching my husband stand in one spot during the 20 minutes of a new area he's watering is just old hat to me. But I find it hilarious that hearing about someone else doing the exact same thing resulted in Hubby's shock over it.

Guys always like to think that no one else is ever like them, even remotely. I'm glad I wasn't the one to burst that bubble.

Oh, and of course staring at the grill while it does its magic on chicken or ribs. I'm sure no other man does that either!

I love you, Honey!

Gimme Five!

2009-06-24T18:16:00.003-04:00

Tuesday morning on her 5th birthday, Bella found a beautiful figurine of Tinkerbell on her nightstand. She was in awe all day of who possibly brought the lovely statue. Was it the Paci Fairy? Or maybe the Tooth Fairy? Or MAYBE it was Tink herself?? She swears she has heard tinkling sounds coming from her bedroom since.

I love that Hubby helped create this sweet magical memory for Isabella. He picked it out especially for her. It is similar to those "wooden" Willow figurines at Hallmark but it is Tink and she's pretty colors. The message at the bottom says "Let Your Dreams Blossom." He's such a wonderful daddy.

Today Ava pointed to the Tink statue and exclaimed, "Look, Bella! Its Tink from China!"

I kid you not.

------------- Kidbits -------------

Ava: I'm Gran's dawder.

Me: You are Gran's granddaughter.

Ava: Mmmmhmmm...I'm Gran's dawder.

Nevermind.

------------------------------------

Bella woke me up at 3am this morning.

She whispered: Momma, I just dreamed about blowing carrot bubbles! *giggles*

I think I just patted her head and went back to sleep.

------------------------------------

I can't believe this beautiful child before me was just 5 lbs 12 oz five years ago! What a wonderful time we're having being her Momma and Daddy and Little Sister. Bella's got a long list of things she wants to do now that she's five so here's to another awesome year!

We love you, Bellarena!!

How Many Fingers Am I, Momma?

2009-06-18T17:08:00.005-04:00

Babies are wonderful. They smell good, they are cuddly. They smile with unabashed love.

Toddlers ROCK. They are spunky, sparkly, argumentative, imaginative and smile as well as hug with unabashed love.

Ava's a yapper. She's been talking for a long time. At 2 1/2, she's at the stage where new and big words are very fun. She also creates her own words.

You want examples? Splendid!

Ava wears a rainsuit to go swimming.

She loves to drink Dr. Peppermint.

Her Papa (great grandfather), who is very sick, needs alot of lovins.

Big words as of late:

Danjuous - "Mommy, walking on the woad is danjuous"

Adowable - "Maggie is a cutie-pie and adowable"

Cussumuh - "We had two cussumuhs come look at the house, Mommy!"

Her facial expressions are hilarious. Eyebrows shoot up, eyes get huge. Everything is over the top and she makes lots of "o's" with her mouth when excited, which is often.

Her favorite person on Earth? Isabella. Ava is her big sister's mini-me with flair. And Bella's got plenty of flair of her own so you can just imagine the entertainment quality around here!

It is easy to get caught up in the every day chores of life but when I take a moment to sit still, I smile as I listen to my little girls pretend play in the other room.

"No Alice! Don't step in the fiery pit of the volcano!"

Shrieking...

"Alice! Alice! I save you!"

"No, Ava, you're Alice and you're dead."

"Okay, Bella!"

Rustling sounds. Grunting. (most likely because she's lugging Alice around the room)

"Wanna play school now?"

"Okay, Bella!"

Come to think of it...SISTERS rock!

Two Decades Later...

2009-06-15T10:45:00.002-04:00

Hubby had his 20 year high school reunion this past weekend. It was the strangest event I've ever attended.

Most everyone met at a downtown club on Friday night called 8.0. This was supposed to be the relaxed reunion before the formal reunion the next night (in other words, for those who didn't find it necessary to fork out $40/person for the real reunion).

At first, Hubster was over it. He had no interest in seeing people he hadn't seen since the 10-year reunion. He figured if they were really friends, they'd already be a part of our life.

Then Friday night rolled around. Old high school buddies were blowing his phone up with texts. At 5:30, he called me to say he really wanted to go. Fine by me. I've been busting my butt prepping our house to sell and an adult beverage along with adult conversation sounded appealing.

My MIL saved the day to watch the girls for us. She has a cousin visting and dumped her to watch her grandgirls till midnight. Now that's love!

Let me just say that I have NEVER seen my husband so nervous. He's not a nervous kind of guy! But he was a wreck Friday night. Too much beer gut? Would everyone notice his hair is thinning? He even picked out an outfit similar to what he might've worn in '89. I had to intervene on that one, of course.

After dinner, we went to 8.0. Hubby was worried (again, such unusual behaviour!) that we were the first ones there. He saw a friend named Paul. So, we were the second ones there. Former classmates started trickling in soon after.

Watching this 20 year reunion was just like a Ben Stiller type movie. People greeting one another with a total question mark on their face as to who's hand they were shaking. There were obvious comparisons of who looked different, fatter, better, weirder, balder than the last reunion. The women didn't even hide their contempt for some and surprise at others. Guys cursed one another in a jovial manner but there was a hint of true disdain sometimes.

And hardly any spouses of classmates were there. Isn't that STRANGE? My hubby had insisted I go. Why wouldn't a spouse want to see a glimpse of their loved ones' past? Shoot, I've already heard all the stories from the group of friends from HS that are a part of our lives. Numerous times. And yes, the stories get more exaggerated with each telling.

The hilarious and highlight of the evening was when we ran into "Jill". Hubby dated her most of high school and then dumped her in a not-so-gentle manner when he realized there were other fish in the sea. At the 10 year reunion, Jill still hadn't gotten over it. This time she tried harder.

There was idle chatter about who worked where, lived where, how many kids, are the folks still living here, etc. Then silence. Both Jill and Hubby were trying to not bail out rudely but neither had anything to say. So you could hear the crickets chirping. Really. We were outside on the club patio.

Finally, a friend who's a real-life friend showed up and, oh, the relief on my husband's face! I cracked up. Inside, of course. We said our polite goodbyes to Jill and bolted.

As the evening went on and the drinks were increasingly consumed, there was more laughter and less awkwardness. I was kind of suprised at how little reminiscing there was. Perhaps because 20 years later, high school's impact on who we are has diminished? Maybe because everyone has taken such vastly different paths in life? Some cling to the high school years, for sure. And there were definitely those who were on the prowl for a hook-up. Ew.

In all, I have to say that attending my husband's 20 year reunion has confirmed that I will not be attending mine. Sorry, former classmates! You'll just have to choose another Most Popular 20 Years Later.

Do They Still Make Calgon??

2009-06-08T17:51:00.005-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, ye loyal 4 readers. (hi, Mom!)

Ahhh....where do I begin??

School is out. We're in the second week of summer and already my children are prepping for fall. While at McDonald's (Old McDonald's, they call it) the girls spent the entire time pretending to go to school. We've been pumping up how very awesome school is and now there's a slight possibility they won't even go there.

Why, you ask?

We've just put our house up for sale. After 8 years in this wonderful blessing of a home, we've decided to get the heck out of Dodge. Whether this will all happen at a mule's pace is beyond me.

We've also come up with a crazy ass plan. I have to say "crazy ass" cuz it is.

We PLAN to sell our house, move into a condo temporarily, sell our renter house, fix up my mother-in-law's house, sell it, move all our butts about 45 minutes away to a town outside of the Big City onto a couple of acres of land with a big house, a big pool and a lil' bitty house for my MIL.

Told you it was crazy ass.

The girls are thrilled. Bella wants a house like Tara. If you recall, that is the Colonial style home in Gone With The Wind. See what happens when you leave movie books laying around? Kids get ideas.

Speaking of my big angel, Bella will be five in a couple of weeks. FIVE!

I'm already loving leaving the 4's though. Like magic, she's been sweeter, more loving and helpful. Don't tell me it is just because her birthday is around the corner! LA LA LA LA...I can't hear you!

Ava is preparing for the theater stage. I'm sure of it. I can just imagine all the plays and musicals I'll be dragging family to for her.

She dresses in costume daily. She sings daily. Dances daily. Uses dramatic flair daily. Isn't the writing on the wall??

Prime example: We're at my parents' house for the weekend and my children are obsessed with the stairs.

Bella's playing in one of the bedrooms up there and Ava's already gone up and down at least 15 times. This is only annoying because I have mini heart attacks each time she goes up. My folks have THE steepest staircase ever and my girls can't seem to grasp the concept of going up those deadly stairs without peeping through the bars, striking up a conversation mid-flight, or balancing on tippy toes and twirling while climbing up.

I told Ava no more going up the stairs! Without blinking, she headed upstairs. When I asked her just what she thought she was doing, she looks over her shoulder and matter-of-factly says,

"I need to check on Bella. I have to hug her."

What do you say to that? Especially since we spend hours a day telling the girls to love one another and be kind to one another.

Just when you think you're smarter than they are...

I will try to post more often. Life is truly hectic. Keeping a clean house daily is ridiculous. I can't wait to move and be a slob again!

For the moment...

2009-04-27T10:13:00.006-04:00

Bella has a new aversion to yellow. First, because she swore that it makes her need to pee when she even looks at yellow. Now she just insists that she wear no yellow. And no coloring with yellow. Yes, her suns are now orange.

We just roll with it.

Bella also has a new dislike for school. THIS one is getting old fast. Every day is a school day check.

"Momma? Am I going to school today? No? Am I going to school the day after this day? Yes? *whining begins on cue* But I don't wanna go to schoooooooool!"

Whip. me.

Ava is learning to be more social. Slowly. Ever so slowly. Usually when anyone says hello to her, she turns her whole body away and buries her face into me (because she is permanently attached to me, you know). It is almost embarrassing. She comes across as a little brat, I'm afraid.

She's bashful and I know what it is like to be misunderstood because of it.

The thing about Ava is that you are either in or you are out. She's her own reality show. There's no middle ground and no immunity unless you are on her Love List. And the list is really short. But recently she's added a few people. Thankfully, one of those people include her uncle, my brother.

Now we hear about Uncle C constantly. He's been added to her "I love..." list. Every day we go through her list of loves. His name comes with an asterisk. "Unca Clayton is a seely guy, Momma!" Followed by a giggle.

Sweet baby girl.

My girls are getting too big, too fast. We were all snoozing in the big bed in the wee hours of the morning and I could feel eyes staring at me. Usually it is Mia, the rubenesque cat, but this time it was Hubby. He said later that it sort of surprised him and made him a little sad to see how long and lean his babies have become. Even Ava's Buddha belly is disappearing. Bella has no more baby fat. She has very long legs and her daddy's nose. Ava looks like her mother. So all that makes Hubby okay with his baby girls growing.

Life is hectic and stressful so we crave all our moments of togetherness. Just being in the same room makes us all happy and content. I hope it is always that way.

Make It All Bettah...

2009-03-25T12:12:00.004-04:00

Our family has been through the ringer with health issues. I topped it off with an eardrum rupture last Monday and still feel like I'm in a tunnel. Hubby says I'm now the UnderTalker which is just one step up from being the Mumbler. Trying to compensate for not being able to hear my own voice and not wanting to yell, I guess.

We all spend a lot of time saying "Huh??"

My children are very concerned about everyone's illnesses. We talk about it constantly. Especially with Ava.

"Gran not sick anymore? Momma all bettah?" Ava will ask with great concern. 50 times a day.

Bella refuses to even touch someone else's cup, utensil, plate or napkin. She's so tired of being sick and is determined to not miss anymore school (thata girl!).

The best moment of my day of late has to be when I lay down with Ava at bedtime and she reaches up her chubby little hands to rub my cheeks, gazes deep into my eyes and whispers, "You a sweet Momma."

I hear her words clear as a bell and it makes it all bettah...

Just Cuz...

2009-03-13T13:15:00.002-04:00

Not much to say other than I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired (famous line from my Dad). The girls are finally feeling better and now they get to take care of their mother and father who are ill.

Still laughing? Yeah, we are too. With snot flying everywhere.

I went to see my Grandmother (my children call her Oma, which I love) who is living remarkably day-to-day with an extremely bad heart. How does she do it? I'm convinced it is all about removing stress from her life by moving into a lovely retirement home a year ago and having the will to keep on living and loving.

She's a little social butterfly, that one. Crowned Ms. Valentine's Day Queen. She got to dance with a short hunched-over Valentine's Day King. Then got irritated that his long king's robe got in the way so she hauled it up over her arm while they danced. She's a problem solver.

During that visit, I got to reconnect with my Aunt. I haven't seen her in many, many years and it was fun to catch up and see how we've changed and grown. She is fantastic with the elderly and they absolutely adored her. That was sweet to see.

I could see Mexico from atop the hill of my grandmother's home. Lots of city lights close to the border, not so much further away. Very strange.

I came home to two very happy little girls and one VERY happy and exhausted Daddy waiting outside the airport terminal. They had party balloons, streamers, hats and icing cookies for me at home. It was supposed to be a surprise but I wasn't even buckled into the car before Bella spilled the beans. She was quite proud of her big idea for a party. As she should be.

Though I think we've now begun a trend. Daddy had a welcome home party Tuesday night.

He brought them presents. He'd been in Orlando and returned with 2 very cute Disney babies. Cinderella (Ava's favorite) and Tinkerbell (Bella's new fave).

It really out shined the two wind-up plastic kitties I got in the airport gift shop on my return home.

I don't mind though. I'm just always happy when he returns home safely to us. I am glad, however, that he quit buying me souvenir thongs.

Ew.

Kid Perspective

2009-02-28T17:27:00.004-04:00

Bella Funnies...

"Mom, can we go to Old McDonalds today for lunch?"

"Sure, babe."

She claps her hands with glee and says, "They have the best ketchup in the world, don't they!"

------

We're watching the girls' favorite new cartoon, Olivia. This particular episode is about a new girl also named Olivia joining the class.

I tell Bella that one day she may have another Isabella in her class.

She nods, knowingly, and says, "Oh, yes. Or a Brandon, or an Ally, or a Meagan."

-------

The girls are playing outside and their "five more minutes" is about up. Ava doesn't want to go in and begins her fit.

Bella warns her, "Ava! We can't stay out here by ourselves because we might get nabbed! Mommy & Daddy would miss us and we'd miss them. And if they weren't nice people who nabbed us then who would take me to school?"

Indeed.

-------

On our way to their cousin Channing's house (hubby and I had a hot date) Bella pipes up from the back seat, "I bet the first thing Channing said when she woke up this morning was "Bella!"

Then we hear Ava mumble, "Thass stwange."

-------

Little loves, they are.

Step N Fetch It Momma...

2009-02-26T11:35:00.003-04:00

The last week and a half has been exhausting, at times frightening, interesting and even funny.

Ava had the stomach flu for 6 days. Both ends of her were going around the clock, simultaneously. Our home still smells like Lysol and Clorox. My hands are chapped from all the soap washings and anti-bacterial gels.

Then Ava was better and it was Isabella's turn. Let me just say that of the two, Bella is the worst patient. The whimpering, mumbling, whining, wailing, yelling. And that was just me! heh. I've reached and exceeded my goal of 10,000 steps a day getting Gatorade, puke bowls, carrying children to the toilets, lunging for clean-up towels and medicines.

So after many long nights and days, Bella is finally better too.

Let me tell you that after children haven't eaten anything in a week, they become rabid vultures once their appetite returns. They circle the kitchen constantly, eating everything in sight. They snarl at each other over cinnamon toast on a plate, each grabbing handfuls of it just so the other won't snatch it away. Then they hover in their corner, devouring it and begging for something else to eat.

They kinda remind me of my brother when he was a teenager with a bottomless pit belly.

And the potty training is back on. Ava's sporting her new princess panties. Such a tiny little behind to be wearing panties!

There have been very few accidents. Just races.

Bella will say she needs to go to the bathroom. Next thing you know, they are both bolting to the bathroom. They call shotgun on the little half-bath, then one cries while doing the pee dance as the other triumphantly does her business.

We have FOUR bathrooms, people.

Then they figured out how fun it is for one to be in the half-bath and the other to be in the kids' bathroom around the corner. Because they can hear each other. So then there's lots of giggling, singing and updates on loud toots or large deposits.

Not to mention all this time, I am in charge of wiping. Bella got really used to this service which was provided while she was sick.

I wait on Ava, who doesn't like the little potty seat because she'd prefer to teeter. She'll look up at me, taking her sweet time finishing up and tell me to go check on Bella.

Ooookay.

I go in to Bella and she's making origami out of toilet paper as she also takes her sweet time. You can't exactly rush someone on the toilet and my children know it and like it. I am their potty puppet.

I figure at some point I will be in control of this scene again.

Right?

Ugh.

2009-02-18T12:45:00.002-04:00

That's the best way to describe the past few days.

Ugh.

Ava's got the stomach flu and I've got 500 loads of laundry and cans of Lysol because of it.

I can't stand it when my babies are sick! For some reason, the violence that shakes such a tiny body during vomiting is the hardest for me. Last night she was curled up next to me moaning and then looked up to her Dad and asked, "Daddy, you make my tummy feeyuh bettuh?"

Poor Ava's been working hard on her potty training but right now she just doesn't have the oomph required to go through the process so we just change alot of diapers.

And then this morning, right before we were supposed to leave for school, my sweet Bella had her turn hugging the porcelain bowl.

Now we're all toting around our personal tubs. Gonna be a long day.

Hope you and yours are healthy cuz it certainly tis the season not to be!

Over The Edge

2009-02-13T14:53:00.003-04:00

I am artistic but I'm NOT craftsy.

That has been my mantra for years. I've always been one of those who is sort of envious yet sort of gaggy over those uber craftsy, scrapbooking, Martha-lovin freaks.

I think I'm a freak now.

Increasingly, I find myself doing art projects. Don't clap just yet. These art projects are not the kind I used to do like painting, portraits, fancy schmancy pieces.

Nope. Now I deal with purple glue sticks that dry clear, washable markers, blunt scissors and lots of construction paper.

It is CRAZY.

Take Valentine's Day for instance. Please. Take it away!

First, decorated heart cookies and heart-shaped brownies.

Then the 18 Valentine butterfly cards with Smarties inserts.

And I HAD to sign up for the Valentine's craft for the school party. My idea? Birdseed hearts. Seriously.

Which naturally went into cutsey Valentine baggies for taking home. Come on!

I even got a sick pleasure from the oooh's and ahhh's and comparisons to Martha.

Help.

Me.

The only thing that made me feel better was allowing my kids to devour all the candy in one sitting. I think things looked just about this hazy once they were done.

Happy Not Quite Valentine's Day! And did you know the Easter crap is already 40% off?! I'm salivating as we speak.

I do it all for these two beauties.

I think.

I Think I Have A Stalker...

2009-02-05T12:34:00.002-04:00

I bought a totally cute Daily Duties wipeboard chart last week online for Bella. I've been looking for one that would stick to the fridge and this one was perfectly girly and cute!

It arrived a few days ago jammed into my mailbox. The mailperson (cuz I'm PC) must've really worked to get that thing in there. When I opened the package, the wipeboard was not only bent but also creased all the way down the middle boxes.

Naturally, I called the seller. The package had nothing written on it like "Do Not Bend." She should be somewhat responsible, right?

Oh. My. Gosh.

This woman is driving me crazy! She not only called my cellphone and sounded very skeptical of my claim but asked that I email a picture of the damaged chart to her. Mmmmkay. I did.

She has emailed me 3 times since. First, to ask me to mail it all back to her. Then she obviously realized that was a dumb request by a seller so her next email said:

It's in the mail, and insured this time. I marked on it front and back, and the post guy stamped all over it. If it's stuffed in there again, maybe it'd be best to take a picture of it before removing it - to prove they've done it despite the FRAGILE - DO NOT BEND warning.

My eyebrows are raised in annoyance at this point. Don't you just chalk up the $8.49 as a loss at this point and just make it right with your buyer?

This email came last night...*DRAMATIC SIGH*...

Jennifer,

Me again. :)

Do you still have the complete package that was damaged? I spoke with a different person today, which told me if it was taken to the post office, to the supervisor there - and the delivery date was given, that they 'should' hold that carrier responsible and pay for the replacement.

I'm not sure if you ever go into town, or near a post office. Of course, I don't want you to go way out of your way! But would it be possible to either do this, or call and speak to the supervisor about the matter? It would have to be from the customer, or I would do this myself. The lady today told me that NO carrier should ever stuff something into a mailbox - that they are to take care with people's packages. (I liked her a lot!) :)

IF this is possible without any trouble, you would need to tell them the replacement product was the $8.49 plus the additional insurance - making it $9.44. Then I would just need to send another invoice to you for that amount to pay, so I could have it for my tax records.

As a young mom myself, I can understand trips to town being hard. So, if this is just impossible, maybe you could send me the delivery date/ approx. time/ post office phone number - for me to see if they would talk to me about it.

Cripes, Lady! Is this a joke? Am I on YouTube??

I'm sure this isn't over. I didn't even know how to respond to that last email. I am NOT going to do all that!

Suggestions, o' wise ones?

Tip Swap

2009-01-30T14:37:00.003-04:00

I love tips. I love crafty ideas for organization, discipline, cleaning, storage, entertainment...anything!

So today I would like us to swap mom tips! I have a few that make my life and/or my family's life much easier. You moms probably know or do most of these but then maybe some of it is new to you or you can put your own spin on it.

1) Port-0-potty. When Bella started wearing big girl panties, we began toting the potty with us when we traveled or went anywhere that a clean restroom wouldn't be available. Of course there are potties made specifically for travel, and that is awesome, but you can also just take your kids' potty, insert plastic bags and remove once used!

2) Cookie Cutters. These make everything taste better and crafts more fun. My kids will eat just about anything if it comes in a shape. And don't just go for stars and hearts...there are great cookie cutter sites that sell everything from fire hydrant to groundhog shapes. Cookiecutter.com is great (Paypal friendly), as is thecookiecuttershop.com.

3) Pizza Wheel. These are perfect for trimming off the crusts of sandwiches, quartering quesadillas, cutting herbs (like messy cilantro) and brownies.

4) Vicks Vapor Rub. This works amazingly when you rub it on the bottom of your child's feet and cover with socks. The night time coughing will reduce greatly or stop altogether. Seriously!

My girls love to be independent...sometimes. I certainly like to encourage it...sometimes :) So...

5) Kid Pantry. My children eat all day long. They are snackers. So I have low shelves in my pantry with little baskets of food they can help themselves to. Organic fruit strips, little boxes of raisins or craisins, Goldfish crackers in little ziplock baggies, unsweetened applesauce or Ava's fave...mandarin oranges (I drain the sweet juice out before she inhales them).

6) Kid Fridge. Bella knows how to open the fridge door and would stand in it to reach whatever she wanted. Now she has a low shelf in the fridge with a cup of celery and baby carrots in water, apples, pears and string cheese.

7) Baby Wipes Containers. These are excellent for storage use. You can stuff them with plastic bags and keep in the car (you know you always need a plastic baggie when there isn't one available!). Or fill them with craft supplies like brushes and paints.

Your turn!

The Perfect Self Portrait...Or Close Enough.

2009-01-22T18:32:00.004-04:00

My husband always impressed me with his ability to take self-portraits with a camera. I usually ended up with just my forehead or half my face. Then I became a mommy. This means that I am also the picture taker. So I have very few pictures of me with my children.

Now I practice self-portraits. The key is to have long arms, it seems. And squish everyone together at the same height.

This one reminds me of Bella's favorite joke:

Do you know when it is time to see the Chinese dentist?

Tooth-hurty...

Wee one down, people! Wee one down!

Why does my daughter look so pained?

For the last time, Bella, I cannot see your face when you play Bashful.
*sigh* At least all our faces are in the picture?

It appears that I have one smile. One. I'm THAT expressive.

Or maybe I just like to keep things simple.

I did all this work to print pics for hubby before he went out of town and GUESS WHAT. The printer is totally out of ink. At least we had fun! :)

What I Learned Last Year

2009-01-16T13:02:00.005-04:00

1) Honeycrisp apples are hands-down the very best snack apple. Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady...you are dead to me.

2) Mom groups are a great concept but it is still like high school. The Snobs, the Misfits, the Nerds and me.

3) Weaning from long-term breastfeeding and then embracing the open medicine cabinet and wine without abandon has proven to be much more difficult than anticipated.

4) I know the words to more children's music than adult's now.

5) Four year olds like to discuss death. Alot. And they pretty much figure death is temporary as well as great fun.

6) Ruby is a pain in the arse. Max needs speech therapy.

7) America's Funniest Videos on Sunday nights is stressful for Isabella and a riot for Ava.

8) The Office still makes me laugh and uncomfortable.

9) Two year olds echo four year olds. It is as though we live in a canyon.

10) Daddys of little girls love convents and guns. Even if they never liked either before their daughters came along.

11) Laundry breeds. Not that it is new news, just still shocking.

12) I am a better mother to not always feel the need to control everything in my children's lives. Allowing them both to wean off their plastic or human lovies has been good for all of us in the end.

13) Kids are fantastic procrastinators. I expect this will last well into their 20's.

14) Reconnecting with friends and family from the past can be wonderful as well as really weird.

15) Facebook makes no sense to me but it is absolutely addictive.

16) Clothing is totally overrated. Just ask Ava The Nudist.

17) Fart = Funny in our home. Thanks, Honey.

18) Not all organic foods taste better but organic chicken DOES.

19) Creating an eBay store is nerve-wrecking, exciting and worthy of putting it off a few more months.

20) Sometimes being a good person means keeping your mouth shut and your heart open. Kinda tough when you are all that and a bag of chips, ya know.

So I kept the 2008 lessons learned pretty light and fluffy for ya. But isn't that how we should view the past for the most part? If we harp on the bad, it doesn't do much positive for us in the future.

Here's to the silly lessons of 2009. May you have many :)

Kidbits for the new year...

2009-01-07T15:10:00.003-04:00

The other night Hubby was telling the girls a bedtime story. A wonderful tale about the friendship between a Pegasus, a bald eagle and Sammy the snake. As he was really getting into the plot of the story, a little hand shot up in the air.

Bella: "Daddy, can I tell MY story now?"

Hers was about a Pegasus, a ball eagle and Sammy the turtle.

-----

Kids have a very interesting knack for being candid with their kid logic.

The other morning, Hubby told Bella to pick up her blocks at night so he wouldn't step on them in the wee hours of the morning. Slightly confused, Bella asked him why he doesn't just walk around the blocks.

Um, yeah, Daddy...

-----

Ava hates baths lately. She loathes washing her hair. It is major drama every time we do it. When Bella went through this stage, I began washing her hair via Marge's Beauty Shop. This means setting up a washing station, getting the fancy strawberry shampoo and putting on my best over-the-top beauty shop persona.

We tried this with Ava last night. As I was scrubbing and "gossiping" with her, Ava grinned and said "See? Is not so bad!"

*snort*

------

When presenting me with a piece of white paper that appeared to be blank, I asked Bella if she was going to draw a picture. Surprised, she said, "I did!"

Oh.

I told her I couldn't really see it very well and again looking surprised, Bella said, "Well, I can!"

What is it they say? Art is in the eye of the beholder. Or the artist?

-----

Ava speaks very well but gets her responses confused. If you ask her something that she doesn't know the answer to, she will shrug her tiny shoulders casually and reply "I don't sink so."

Correcting her is to no avail.

Her favorite thing to say is "I can DO IT MYSEFF!" Never any confusion on that one.

-----

Bella insists that all the songs she sings are without err.

"Give up the morning glory" is correct. Apparently, "Give God your glory, glory" is not.

Also...

"Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. They are yellow, black and white."

We are bumblebees?

-----

Ava will one day grow up to be a star on Broadway or a magician. She changes in and out of clothing no less than 15 times a day, sometimes so fast that you could barely see what she'd just put on before.

With a new interest in potty training, it is your guess as good as mine if she's going to pee in her diaper and immediately want a new one, pee in her potty and spray as she watches in awe, or go without a diaper at all and complain when her new change of clothing is suddenly wet.

*sigh*

-----

The most baffling of all has to be Isabella's new desire for...wait a minute...

A diary.

Seriously.

She's 4 1/2!

Help.

Vacation? Really?

2009-01-05T17:08:00.005-04:00

Christmas vacation. What does that MEAN?

It means no more school. You and your children get to spend every wonderful freaking moment together for 14 days.

It means baking and eating and eating and baking until you don't want to do either anymore. Then you wear your pj bottoms until you decide to pony up on your New Year's resolution.

It means realizing just how much you do around the house. And how much your husband must do at the office. He at least keeps his underwear, newspapers and fingernail clippings off the floor THERE, right?

It means checking your email throughout the day for the 36 emails about incredible sales you have no intention of looking into but you are delighted with all the attention.

It means having to listen to Rudoff the Red-Nosed Reindeah, Jingle Beyells and all the holiday songs learned for the Christmas progam...performed nearly a month ago. Are there Valentine's day songs we could be working on?

What is the beauty of Christmas vacation? Well...

We get loads of time with Hubby/Daddy. There's never enough of that.

We play games together, dance together, make up songs together, nap together.

The girls remember that they really are each other's best friend. Sharing one another with cousins and friends isn't nearly as fulfilling as an afternoon pretending in the playroom. Or the kitchen. Or under Mommy & Daddy's legs as they lounge on the couch and ottoman reading the morning paper. Or by the bathtub as Mommy gives up on any hope of a Calgon moment.

We see extended family that we haven't seen in months or even years. We swap photos and stories, laugh and even cry.

We cuddle up by the fire and make smore's. Then we have an 80 degree day and spend the afternoon at the park. Mom feels all good about those nature walks and vows to do it daily, then the temperature plummets to 40 degrees and she eats all her Lindt truffles instead.

We stay up late, we sleep late. All together at first, then each to our designated beds or sleeping spots only to squish next to each other on the couch in the morning to watch Charlie & Lola's Christmas for the umpteenth time. Fortunately, we all love those two.

Hubby and I watch our beautiful, healthy children in our wonderful home and feel so very blessed. To be their parents is an honor and a joy. You can never even come close to imagining what it will mean to your soul to have children until they are there. Husband and I hold hands, sneak kisses and try to whisper sweet nothings but that's pointless with screeching girls around so we've got love code. We are best friends and the loves of one another's life. It wasn't an easy or short road to get where we are but we certainly wouldn't change a thing.

'09 will be difficult for many...most, I'd even venture to say...but hopefully this year and it's Christmas vacations will still result in precious moments of pure love and joy with one another.

Bella's advice for your new year? Twirl in a teacup at least once.

Happy new year from our family to yours :)

Mehwy Kwissamiss...

2008-12-17T10:23:00.003-04:00

Iced cookies, pumpkin breads, pies, cakes, candies, peppermint bark...

Why don't we bake all this yummy goodness year-round? Cuz we'd be large as boulders?

Hope you are all having a fantastic holiday season thus far!

Two For One - Lessons Learned

2008-12-10T17:38:00.006-04:00

If you never leave your 2 year old for more than a couple of hours and then one evening leave for 6 hours to attend a party until nearly midnight, you may very well get finger-stabbed in the eye...

If you want people to be super nice to you and even sympathetic during the Christmas shopping season, get your eye finger-stabbed.

The tiny abuser insists my eye is "burnt."

Free At Last!

2008-12-01T15:04:00.006-04:00

She came, stayed awhile and has finally left. The Paci Fairy's kid sister...the Boobie Fairy.

Yes, dear friends, after nearly 4 1/2 years of nursing (holy CRAP!) my duty as a nutrition vending machine is finally over.

I'm too elated right now to be sad about it but I have no doubt there will be a tinge of longing for that unique mommy-baby closeness.

I've been asked countless times why I chose to nurse so long. With Isabella it was unintentional. She just kept going! Then she abruptly stopped when she was 19 1/2 months old and a few days later I found that I was pregnant with Ava.

With Ava, I promised her at least that same length of time for Mama Milk. Once 20 months passed, I started to panic a little. She was full force with no end in sight! Then I'd relax and remember that nursing for any child over the age of 6 months is about SO much more than nutrition. I provided comfort for Ava that no one else could. I take great pride in that.

There's no rule about nursing. What works for mama and baby is what matters. The past two months we've been dwindling those shared moments to nary a minute before nap or bedtime. She would pat my right boob and say "Dis one ehpty (empty)" and then the left "Dis one good!"

For some reason she and Righty became out of sorts because she couldn't nurse without tearing it. Yeah, did you just cringe? Mmmmhmmm...

About 5 days ago, we decided to experiment. That's the best part about parenting. Experimenting and then being so friggin EXCITED when it works out!

We let Ava lay next to Bella to fall asleep. Project Distraction.

She would tuck her chubby little hands under her cheek, squeeze her eyes shut to pretend sleep and then actually fall asleep! Magic! Knowing that she and her sibling were not at all used to sleeping together, I waited until she was sleep twitching before moving her to her crib.

We've done this nightly. I panicked a little because we went out of town but we tried it again and it still worked!

Twice, she has awakened and asked for Mama Milk. It was half-hearted so I gently told her that it was all gone and she could either lay back in her bed or snuggle with me. She opted to snuggle.

The best part of all this? No tears. No heartache.

My children have taught me that not everything has to always run according to my time table. If I allow them their own, we all win. Even if it takes a wee bit longer :)

Listen Up, Guys...

2008-11-29T18:11:00.003-04:00

What not to say to a woman you've apparently been stalking:

"Pardon me for saying, but you are REALLY CUTE and probably married, huh? Don't worry, I'm not following you. Ha. Ha."

First of all, telling a woman she's CUTE isn't going to get you anywhere. Confirming that you've been stalking her by denying it certainly doesn't help matters.

Hubby thinks I should be flattered and carry some pepper spray along with an air horn.

Randomness...

2008-11-24T17:04:00.003-04:00

First of all, today I heart Home Depot. Yes, the man store. I rarely go in there but Saturday was family day which means we are velcroed to each other for the entire day. That includes barber shop and the man store.

Last spring we got the hankerin (I'm Texan, ya'll) for a propane fire pit. The one we like was tall with a bar around it...for hot cocoa of course...and the pit was in the middle. $299. No thanks! Then hubby saw it this summer. $129. Ooooh...maybe. How bad do we want/need it? Not enough.

This weekend while searching for a spring loaded hinge at the man store, we saw the cool propane fire pit. For FIFTY SIX DOLLARS.

It looks really awesome in our back yard.

----

I've never given a music review but I have to now. Did you watch the AMA's? Or did you flip channels and come across the New Kids On The Block trying out new sounds with their old songs? Me too!

Did you cringe? Did you laugh as Donnie Wahlberg attempted to rap to Right Stuff? Did you wonder if he's a wee bit jealous that Marky Mark grew up and is a talented director/producer?

Me too! Sadness, really. Movie sequels are rarely good but boy band sequels? Eeee... From 15+ years ago? Eeeeyew.

Stay in your decades, people! Let our memories remain as fluffy as your hair was, k?

----

A child gang is after my daughter. They are ages 5, 9 and 10. They ride in front our house either on their bikes or their heelys (for you geezers, those are tennis shoes with wheels). Used to, they waited to pounce when the my girls ride their bikes in the driveway. Bella gleefully skips up to them to pick flower weeds, talk about school, run up and down the grass at the front of our yard.

Then dear husband hovered on the porch while Bella socialized for a good HOUR yesterday. WHAT? Doesn't he know that just sets us up for begging in the future??

Then today the door bell rang at 1pm. Ava was napping. I peeked out. The gang leader, 5 year old Justin, was jumping up to ring it again. I wished them away with all my might. Then he rang the dang bell 5 more times! This time I opened the door and his backup, 9 year old sister, was there. She merely said "It's us."

And?

Then she asked if "that girl" could come play. At least know her name!

I don't know that I'll ever let my children just run hog wild like these kids do and like I did when I was a kid. Not sure if that mama knows but these are far different times!

----

Ava should just be nicknamed Mini B. She walks, talks and acts like Bella. Many say she looks like her too. But I wouldn't know as of late because this is all I see:

Something in the air...

2008-11-14T15:06:00.002-04:00

I don't know how but it is not humanly possible for me to ever leave Target without having given them a hundred bucks.

I went in today with a list for 10 things. TEN. Then the One Spot drew me in. $5 there. No biggie. Then the sale rack for the OshKosh Genuine Kids (my favorite for the girls!). $11 there (one striped pant, 2 polka dot leggings). Not bad, eh?

The rest is a blur. All I know is that when it came to checkout time, my eyebrows shot up as the register did. $104.23.

DANGIT ALL!

That target logo is really hypnotic spend all-your-money trickery. I'm on to them now! HAHAHA!

So....see you next week with my hundred?

Oh, Thanksgiving Tree?

2008-11-12T14:06:00.003-04:00

I'm chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas. I think our home is it's prettiest when decked out in reds, golds, velvets and greenery. A crackling fire, evergreen candles, Christmas music classics played quietly in the background.

Love. It.

It is tradition for us to begin decorating the weekend of Thanksgiving. I just don't know if I can wait that long!

Plus our house is super duper clean because friends came over yesterday for a playdate. Their kids and mine, not us adults playing Barbie or anything. Though that might've been fun.

With all this cleanliness and lack of dust bunnies around me, it would be the best time to drag down the attic boxes of Christmas goods, dontcha think?

My friend, C, has a very Southern Living decorated home. It is picture perfect and I get jealous. I imagine any woman who enters her home leaves with decorating ideas and just a weensy bit of love/hate. (Kidding, C!)

Anyway, she takes about a week to decorate for Christmas. Any excuse I have during the holiday season to get inside her house is a good one. Decorated trees in every room! Greenery draped in the most perfect places. Stockings hung by the chimney with care. Sick. Like, awesome sick!

Not only that, C bakes Christmas goodies. Mmmhmmm. Feeling the love/hate yet?

If I could nominate her for one of those Better Homes & Gardens contests to show off her skillz, I would. Then she would love/hate me!

Though I'll be waiting until Thanksgiving weekend to decorate, you can bet your bottom that I will be accidentally on purpose visiting her home for more ideas. Copycat friendships are healthy, right?

Super!

Kidbits...

2008-11-07T16:19:00.003-04:00

(Since Bella isn't really a toddler anymore, I think these snippets of funny should be retitled, don't you?)

-----

Bella surprised me this week by spelling "STOP" upon seeing the sign. I was delighted and we celebrated with lots of commotion on our drive to school.

After school, I got a good giggle.

Bella: Mom! I spelled "STOP" for all my friends and teachers. They were amazed. And guess what? (my children's favorite question) Mitchell can spell "STOP" too but WITHOUT USING HIS WORDS!

Her eyes were big as saucers with amazement at his tremendous gift of spelling. I asked her how that can be. She replied that he spells it with his mouth closed and points in the air for each letter.

She was so mad at me for laughing with his mother as I told her about her it. Ooops.

------

Ava: Mama! Guess what! Mmmnn*inaudible* an hoses (horses) take NAPS!

Me: Yes, they do!

Ava: Mama! Guess what! Mmmnn*again with the inaudible* an hoses EAT!

Oookay...this could go on all afternoon, couldn't it?

Ava: Mama! Guess what!...

Me: Look, Ava! Want a piece of gum?

Works every time.

-----

Halloween was pretty low key but fun. We went with a bunch of other kids to two nursing homes. Yes, two. We're greedy? Let me just say though, that not all nursing homes are created equal and it is not only sad but really stinky (in the lesser of the two).

Even the little ones learned quickly how the trick or treat gig works. In fact, Ava's new little partner in crime would just help herself as long as the nice lady held out the basket. Considering most of these sweet people didn't move too fast, she got plenty of goods.

Ava polished off the candy as soon as it hit her bucket. Bella was too busy twirling and whirling, keeping tabs on friends and hitting up the lady by the popcorn machine for more (oddly enough, the dear woman was giving each kid that passed two kernels of popcorn as their treat).

The kids partied like it was 2008, gobbled up whatever amount of candy their tiny tummies would allow, then crashed before anyone could think about evening festivities. Fine by us. They didn't need those chocolates, caramels or gummy severed fingers anyway. Just let Mommy and Daddy take care of it all, my sweets.

I'll Take One Square Peg, Please...

2008-10-28T13:30:00.002-04:00

Women intimidate me. Groups of women make me wish I was a turtle. Then I could just leap into my cozy little home when those women got scary and poke my head out to say hello when someone friendly drops by.

I have been attending a monthly mom group that focuses on community service, fundraising and special interest playgroups. A close friend is very involved and new friend I've made recently is also a member. Easy peasy, right?

Mmmhmmm...

After dropping off Bella without a look back (her, not me) and then handing off my screaming two year old to the very kind nursery worker, I hang around the front desk as my good friend C gets the little ones registered in the nursery. In part so I can listen for Ava to calm down (she does, rather quickly) and so I don't have to walk down the loooong hall to the big room full of women. My friend is awesome about introducing me to people but I swear the more I'm introduced, the more I am wishing for a shell to retreat to.

I'm a social tard. Why blame the other women? Most were friendly, some avoided eye contact, a few looked like they also wish they were turtles.

As the meetings go on, I begin to realize why these groups exist. We women often need a support group and sometimes don't want to admit it. Whether it is regarding our spirituality, our marriage, our children or various other reasons.

In this case, it is for our children as well as for ourselves. We all want to be the best parents we can be using fresh ideas and approaches, some old school but alot of it new. We want to set a good example for our children through community service, which is important for every citizen to be a part of. We want our children to see us socialize and become friends with those who may be a little or even a lot different than we are.

I like that. I really do.

So I will leave my shell at home, or at least in the car, and keep going to these meetings. It is healthy for me to continue developing new relationships and since I'm always harping to my children about acceptance of others, I should probably do the same.

Women can be alot of things but motherhood often helps us look past ourselves for the sake of others.

*gulp*

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction?

2008-10-17T10:59:00.004-04:00

This week at school was all about authors and books.

Bella and her friends wrote this cute little story.

Or...not so cute.

Should I be more concerned that the elephant's name is "Reno"...

that Mom is such a hardass...

...or just the state of healthcare?

Now I want to know what the other kids' books were about!

Party On, Dude.

2008-10-10T10:47:00.003-04:00

What do you do when Daddy buys the wrong pull-ups?

Wear them on your head and dance, of course!

A welcome distraction from a very boring debate.

And apparently, a recurring theme in our home.

This is Bella in July of 2006.

Hubby is just glad I didn't post HIS picture with a diaper hat.

Terrific Two's! (wishful thinking?)

2008-10-06T16:09:00.006-04:00

Sigh...my baby is a little less baby now.

Ava turned 2 last Thursday and her present to me? Peeing in the potty for the first (and so far, last) time in her life! We whooped and hollered like all kinds of crazies over it. She was quite pleased once she got over the freak factor of something leaving her body and traveling so far down.

Bella has taken it upon herself to be Ava's English teacher.

On the way to school Thursday, Ava was asking for her dad. Bella told her that Daddy was working and took the opportunity to help Ava improve her vocabulary.

"Ava, Daddy is at wuhk. Can you say wuhk?"

"Momma, what does "wuhk" start with? Dubba-yew?"

"Okay, Ava, can you say wuh-WUH- WUUUUUUHK."

Thank goodness they sit in the back seat cuz I was crackin up in the front!

Then we had a family party at our home yesterday. Just a little get together to stuff our faces and get sugar highs. Mission accomplished!

Ava is an inventor, did you know? After blowing at her candle (I had to blow it out) , she had the brilliant idea to use the end of the candle to scoop up the tasty chocolate frosting. How cool is that? Use your birthday candle as cake fork! The downside was when she got more wax than frosting in an eager bite, so maybe next year she'll come up with something better.

Her favorite present? Birthday Bear from her Daddy, of course!

Our sweet Ava Elizabeth. She's funny, sassy, smart and loving. I can't wait to see what she's got in store for us as a two year old!

The End of a Long Chapter...

2008-09-25T17:20:00.008-04:00

She has finally come to our home and put an end to over 4 years of really awesome and pretty bad. We've been wanting to invite her over for a visit since we first heard about her but until 2 weeks ago, it seemed she would never be able to.

Who could she possibly be, you ask?

The Paci Fairy.

Did you know that she even existed? We sure didn't. At least not until 1 1/2 years ago when we were told that Bella needed to let go of her pacifier for good. We tried everything from "oops where have they all gone" to snipping the end off and hoping she'd find no use for it. Have you ever heard a kid desperately slurp on a tipless pacifier??

Desperate.

At 3 years old and up, that's what the relationship with a child and her pacifier becomes. More than a handful of times, my husband or I have had to make a mad dash to the store for a stupid pacifier because of the heartbreak and wails from our dear daughter. She would literally have panic attacks and convulsions if bedtime came and her beloved cigarette...I mean...pacifier was not to be found.

So for the last 1 1/2 years, we have waited for her mad paci sucking to stop so we could pop it out of her mouth for the night. Do you know what a pain in the butt that was?? Okay, not that bad really.

We are probably considered "soft" parents because we don't believe in pushing our kids to do something that isn't absolutely necessary or they are too far from ready to do it. Isabella has taught me that lesson because if she isn't ready for change, then it is an uphill and losing battle to attempt it.

I had cut the tip of the pacifier last year and for some reason decided to do it again 2 weeks ago. When she saw her injured love, she started to panic but then I told her that pacifiers are meant for babies and a broken pacifier just gets full of germs. When she asked if those germs get into her mouth and I said yes, the love her life was suddenly the most disgusting thing she'd ever laid eyes on. It was suddenly a long-term relationship gone really wrong.

Sunday night, the Paci Fairy in all her glittery glam showed up. She left a sweet, sparkly note for Isabella, praising her big girl choice to leave the pacifier for her so another baby girl who needs a cig can use it.

The Paci Fairy also left a beautiful wood Melissa & Doug castle for the big girl. Yeah, that Paci Fairy has good taste!

Bella was able to make the change when she was ready and she is darn proud of herself for it.

Now I am happy to report that because Ava never used the pacifier as more than a teething tool, we will not have to invite the Paci Fairy over EVER AGAIN.

However, is there such thing as a Boob Fairy? May need to contact her before too long. For several reasons...

Hey, Kids, Let's Be Tacky Today!

2008-09-15T13:15:00.003-04:00

I like to think I'm a good influence on my kids. So last Friday I dashed all hopes of it. We crashed a birthday party at McDonalds. Oh yes we did!

The girls were promised a 1/2 hour at the indoor playground at McDonalds if they behaved that morning as we ran errands (which they loathe). We get there and I see a new mom friend that I met at my friend's Girls Day Out a month or so ago.

Turns out she was there having an impromptu birthday party for her 5 year old since Hurricane Ike was about to release his wrath on Texas and spoil her son's original fishing party.

Because she's super nice, she of course asked us to sit with them. Well, that rolled into snagging a couple of cupcakes, singing happy birthday (Bella met the boy once before) and walking away with two goody bags!

Needless to say, I feel a bit guilty. Perhaps we should've just gone to a corner table to eat and play on our own. But how could we when Bella's BFF showed up to celebrate too? I tried to politely duck out of all the mom's generous offerings, but didn't want to be a pill about it either.

So I guess we'll pay it forward. Somehow. For now, my girls think going to McDonald's is the best idea EVER and want to try every day to see if another kid is having a party.

*sigh*

Hangin In Possum Kingdom

2008-09-08T17:52:00.008-04:00

So, if you are from Texas (particularly Northwest), you may know what Possum Kingdom is. If not, then it probably sounds pretty gross. Who wants to hang out with a bunch of possum? They all end up as roadkill anyway.

Or you may think the above even if you are Texan, like me.

Possum Kingdom, I found this summer, is an absolutely gorgeous lake surrounded by cliffs and rolling hillsides. There are possums, but only the sneaky ones who come in the night to dig up our aunt's beautiful lawn. She has one of the spectacular homes on the cliffs. To get to the dock, you are basically walking at a 30 degree angle down the cliff to a limestone rock lake. Quite a workout when you add a kid or two in your arms.

I give the wonderful description to say that NONE OF THAT MATTERS. I still got completely freaked out about the water. Lake water gives me the willies. (Did I mention Willie Nelson has a home on the cliffs too?) No matter, once my big toe dipped into the clear as a lake can be water, my heart started pounding and I swear a piranha or dead body was waiting for me in there.

However, my oldest child couldn't get enough of the lake. She flung herself in from the boat, from the dock, from the jetski. She even begged her dad to let her jump off the 15 foot high deck atop the dock. Eh, no.

Ava hated the boat. The wind. That dang life jacket. So she napped on the boat. The entire time!

But she was quite happy to be on dry land. Like her mama.

I thank you, Possum Kingdom, for showing us your beauty and allowing my Isabella to find her adventurous side. Ava may find it next year. Or she may be more like her mother than we already know.

Bella Moment at the lake's restaurant:

She was completely baffled why anyone would chop off a deer's head and hang it on the wall.

We fielded questions for an entire evening over it. Husband's solution? He told her that the deer was just so beautiful when it was alive that when the deer died, they hung it on the wall to show everyone its beauty. She accepted the answer but still didn't understand why the entire deer couldn't jut out from the wall.

Can we get a distraction over here, please?

From Fee To Fowa.

2008-08-29T16:45:00.007-04:00

Best advice I've heard about parenting?

If you want to know how you are doing as a parent, listen to how your children speak to you and others.

So very true. While my girls have picked up a little drama from their mama (and Daddy!) they are also very loving, kind and funny.

Oh, and an older mom of 20-something girls told my husband that the hardest and most important ages for raising girls are 11 and 14. Interesting, dontcha think?

-----

Thursday was Bella's first day of preschool. It was a completely different scene than last year when she went to school.

We ran out of time for breakfast so there is her Cheerios in a cup. First bump in the road and all of that was on the floor. Good one, Mom.

This is Bella attempting to smile at the camera but being distracted by all her friends headed into the school. Naturally.

Did she cry? No way. In fact, she didn't even say goodbye to me! Many parents might have had their feelings hurt but I was thrilled that she was more excited to be there than sad to leave me.

Who did cry? Ava. She didn't like leaving her sister there one bit.

But she got over it rather quickly.

I really didn't do anything productive in that 5 1/2 hours Bella was in school. And at 2:15, all the mothers were lined up to pick up their big little people. One mom joked that by May, we'll all be scrambling to get there by 2:30. So true!

I'm cool with preschool. It is the big "K" of next year that makes my heart leap out of my throat and slap me.

Did your kids start school this week?

Toddler Tidbits

2008-08-25T12:31:00.003-04:00

Bella, stretching out after a long nap: "Daddy, I need some lotion. My back is KILLING ME."

Some grownups need to keep their drama in check.

------

Me, rocking Ava at 1:30am after she woke up howling and is now ready to play: "Baby, why aren't you sleepy?"

Ava: "Becuss."

Because. Did she warp speed to teen-speak in the wee hours?

------

Bella with her ever present obsession with marriage: "Mommy, can I wear your wedding dress when I get married? And can I put roses on it to make it prettier?"

Sure, babe. You might also want to get it dry-cleaned or just cut the bottom half off since I never did. An outdoor wedding and a total (but awesome!) dive jazz cafe reception leave many memories on silk.

*I recently found out that my child isn't the only pining away for love. Her friend Paige, quite the tomboy I thought, has declared that Gavyn is her "true love". Gag away, my friends*

------

This morning we were talking about Bella's friend, Rebecca, who broke her arm last week. I told Bella she'd need to be gentle with Rebecca while she healed.

Dr. Isabella said: "When everyone breaks their arm it doesn't hurt because their mommy puts a piece of paper around it and hangs it on their shoulder till they get bettah."

Yes, my little Texan has a bit of a Boston accent. For no reason at all.

------

News From Down Under...

If your child has an inexplicably bright blue bowel movement, check the color sidewalk chalks for bite marks.

Wonder Girl

2008-08-21T15:12:00.007-04:00

My children are so different. If you have more than one, I'm sure you can claim the same.

Bella is sweet, sensitive and princessy (read that to mean theatrical if you wish). Ava is Miss Jekyl and Hyde. I mean that in the most loving way, of course. She can go from a tender kissy moment to an ear-piercing "No!" with sparks of fire in her eyes faster than you can even think to blink.

I'm not sure what to do with this tiny screaming bundle of wonder. Naturally, Ava picks the best times to display her tonsils. The store. A friend's house. Anywhere that "inside voices" are preferred.

She's smart as a whip and SHE KNOWS IT. Singing her ABCD's as loud as she can with a triumphant smile when everyone around oooh's and ahhh's. She dresses and undresses herself faster than a tire change at a NASCAR race then exclaims, "I did it!" Ava knows how to draw circles and does so on everything. She tells everyone her name with great satisfaction. "I'm Aba Eeesabef!"

The girl isn't even two and already tells us "I do it mysef!"

I mean, come on!

The challenge before me? Helping this child use her abilities for good and not evil. I decided to not put her into school this year but realize now that I'll have to fill that time with things for her to do. When she's bored, she's a force to be reckoned with.

For all the itty bitty whirlwind that Ava is, her number one favorite person is still her big sister. She wants to be all that Bella is and more. Note the TWO crowns on her head...

We've All Heard It...

2008-08-11T20:23:00.005-04:00

Kids and peanut butter can be dangerous.

Now I know another way.

Retro Superhero

2008-08-06T10:15:00.002-04:00

After a day spent running around in superhero masks with Mitchell, Bella woke up this morning begging for one.

And here it is. She completed the outfit with the sparkly headband thingie. I think that's her superhero face, but I'm not sure.

I would like to thank State Farm for their contribution of the red and white brochure.

GDO

2008-08-04T10:13:00.004-04:00

Saturday, my friends, was AWESOME.

One of my BFFs is turning 35 this week so she decided to have a Girl's Day Out to celebrate on Saturday. The day included my very first pedicure (sad, huh?) complete with Korean toe art.

Then we hung out at her pool all afternoon. Without children! We quickly adjusted, don't worry. Sipping sangria, reading gossip rags and talking (laughing) about how our husbands think all women talk about is sex. Then we got dressed up for dinner at the fabulous Mi Cocina followed by an eye-opening evening at a bar downtown.

It's funny because my husband and I, along with his entourage of friends, would hang out at this exact same bar about 5 years ago. The scene was so different from then! Or maybe I just am?

The band that played was called Phantom Five. They were obviously mid-lifers who'd watched one too many rock videos. The bass player was as Flea as he could be, but not. The lead singer would tuck his imaginary rocker hair behind his ears. And I swear he was wearing the exact same Cowboys t-shirt that my husband owns as a pajama set.

The highlight was the 40-something drunk woman who would dance like it was 1999 in front of the stage, only to trip on a crack in the concrete and pop back up to keep twirling.

Heeeelarious.

Being there with 3 other married moms, we all agreed that we are definitely happy where we are in life.

The long, wonderful day ended for me at about 10:30pm. Twelve hours away from my beloveds was more than enough and I felt rejuvenated, ready to resume my happy reality.

Four women who didn't know each other very well at 10:30am but were best buds by 10:30pm.

Now that is an awesome GDO, right?

Blue Pox?

2008-08-01T15:09:00.005-04:00

The girls are both enrolled in Little Gym this summer. Bella loves it, Ava, not so much. However, they both live for the very end of class when Ms. Bubbly stamps their hands, feet and tummy with a shape ink stamper.

Yesterday, Bella was in a mood that was less than lovely (we'll chalk it up to the four stabs in her legs the day before for shots). When Ava's class was over, Bella wanted to play in the gym. I let her for a minute or two and then tried to corral her. She'd have none of it. The girl can scowl like nobody I know...well, other than her Aunt Amanda maybe. She played Dodge Mom for a bit till I got tired of looking like an idiot and scooped her up.

While she was having her fit, she missed out on getting the beloved farewell stamps. She wailed about that all the way home.

Kids are good at moving on, right?

Eh. No.

What started off as quietly coloring on paper turned into one tiny victim of a determined-to-make-it-happen stamper with NON-WASHABLE MARKERS. What kind of mother am I that those are even in the house???

Ava thought it was fun at first. Not so much when it was bath time.

Who ARE You People?

2008-07-30T17:50:00.001-04:00

(hahaha...I accidentally typed the title and pressed Enter so it posted with just that sentence. Woulda been funny had I left it there, no?)

Let me just say that it appears I grossly underestimated my children's affection for poor, dead Willie. They've not searched for him or asked why there's a smaller feed bowl for the cats OR questioned the fact there are no more trails of cat puke (signature Willie) for them to step in.

Good thing? Or bad? In fact, a random Pomeranian showed up in our garage and Bella was all over adopting the fuzz ball in a heartbeat. Fortunately, the neighbor came to claim her runaway and now even that cute little yapper is off Bella's radar.

Egocentric, anyone?

------

Last night Ava was wearing Bella's perfectly pink bathing suit (with hearts, as she would insist I add) whilst without a diaper. Mmmhmmm.

Soon I heard screams of horror and disgust. Bella looked as if she'd never seen a human turd before and Ava couldn't believe that came out of her butt and rolled out of the perfectly pink bathing suit onto the carpet.

For a nano second, I was going to react with anger. But poor Bella was so traumatized over her sister's dirty deed and Ava was so beside herself (er, at least her doodoo) that I had to laugh and then reassure everyone involved that I could fix the situation. After dousing the perfectly pink bathing suit in Shout and washing it in scorching hot water, I scrubbed the floor armed with Resolve.

Ava, looking wild-eyed, kept repeating, "Aba poopoo in baving suit Bella! Ewww! Aba poopoo on da for!"

I figured today isn't the time to introduce true potty training. However, if they can forget about a cat they had all their lives, surely they can forget about this even quicker.

-----

Ava's so sweet with all her spontaneous kisses and hugs. She says "Thank you" and "Peas" and "Sowwy, Bella" (alot, actually) without prompting. She initiates the family dinner prayer by smooshing her chubby hands together, bowing her head and mumbling "Ah-men!"

Then there's my Ava who is STILL nursing. Yes, I am fully aware that she's nearly 2 years old. But dangit, she isn't giving up her mommy milk without a fight!

I am only a human pacifier at this point. And a rarely used one at that but every single day we have the same drama:

Ava: Wan mommy meyuk. K? Le bit?

Me: Ava, it is all gone, remember?

Ava, face scrunching: Le bit? Peeeeeas? (big doe eyes)

Me: Ava, no, honey, here's some water.

Ava, furious: NOOOOO! Le bit! Mommy meyuk! PEEEEEEEEEAS!!

Then she will two fist my shirt and I swear she's thinking about decking me. I set her away from me and she bursts into heartbroken tears.

I give in.

Wouldn't you?! I mean really, who's it hurting to give her a lil' mommy milk for comfort? Yeah, I'm tired of being a milking cow for 4 years but there's no law (other than the silent social one?) that you can't keep nursing.

She's sleeping through the night now, which was my biggest gripe about breastfeeding. There's no pattern to when she nurses other than she just thinks about it. In fact, she'll even tell her Gran there's no more mommy milk, which I find interesting. But like any comfort addiction, she can't quite let go. Yet. And that's okay. Today. When Ava hits the 2 year mark, it may just get ugly. Cuz I'm tough like that. HAHAHAHA

Toddler Tidbits

2008-07-25T21:05:00.002-04:00

Bella and Ava come into the bathroom where I've just showered and they are happily munching cheese pizza.

Me: Girls, you need to eat in the kitchen like normal people.

Bella, in a rather high-pitched tone: Mom, we aren't normal.

Touche.

-----

Way too obsessive.

Bella: Mom, do I have babies in my tummy?

We've had this conversation numerous times yet she never seems to get tired of it.

Me: No, sweetie, you may have babies one day but after you fall in love and get married.

Bella: Well, I want to marry Mitchell because you married Daddy. But me and Mitchell will live with you. And we'll have six babies.

She pauses for a moment, then chuckles and says: That's going to be ALOT of diapers for six babies.

Oh, Love, you don't even know.

------

The next day she brings it up...again.

Bella, whispering with hand to her mouth: Gabyn (Gavyn) wants to marry me but I want to marry Mitchell.

Me: *sigh*

Bella: So Gabyn can marry Ava. And they will have two babies. I'm going to have six babies. Sarah, Alan, Ann, Eemy (I don't know), Lala (is she bored now?) and Ivan (the painter's name).

Me: Those are great names. But how about you just be a little girl for now and enjoy having friends to play with?

Bella: Okay. But then I'll marry Mitchell and we'll live with you and Daddy. And Mitchell's mommy can live in her house but she will help take care of the babies.

SERIOUSLY, child. Let's move on or you're going straight to an all girl's school.

-----

Name that tune!

This is Ava's favorite song of the week: Mehwee Hada Leul Lamp

We Do, But We Don't...But We Do!

2008-07-23T16:12:00.003-04:00

That is what it is like if you know about us and our home.

Once again, we have decided to hold off placing the house on the market. Other than the fact that real estate has tanked more dramatically than the Titanic, we are nearing the end of summer and still too many projects (ie. crap) to deal with.

It isn't like we have to move. We just want to. However, if we are going to move it will be to another city at least an hour east of here. That means leaving friends, school, little gym, our favorite restaurants, etc. (oh come on, you have favorite restaurants too!)

Friends and loved ones have been hearing this song and watching this dance for years. I'm sure they are all rolling their eyes, throwing up their hands and ordering an extra margarita. Okay, maybe just Amanda is. (cheers, sis!)

We are in an extremely blessed situation and we have to make the best decisions because of it. Want and need are very different, ya know?

I'm disappointed, I won't lie. I've had dreams of living elsewhere for awhile. However, everything in life happens for a reason and in due time. For now, I'll practice patience, continue with the projects (ie. crap) and let Bella enjoy another year of preschool with her friends.

Who knows, maybe I'll even relax and enjoy this blessed situation! Hubby would be speechless.

I Scream, You Scream, She Screams Loudest!

2008-07-19T13:41:00.006-04:00

This is my usual Ava.

Delightful, sweet, funny and very loving.

This is an artist's rendering of Ava as of late.

(Okay, so Edvard Munch saw her future since he's been dead 54 years)

Needless to say, she has been exercising her

vocal cords when dissatisfied, which seems to be often.

Two's with Bella were a breeze.

My littlest ladybug may make up for it.

Perfect Chaos As Usual

2008-07-17T13:28:00.004-04:00

Sorry to be Debbie Downer as of late. Things are looking up. At least for our other cat, Mia. I swear, she's elated that whatever happened to Willie, he's out of her life. She has been ticked off at us for 6 years since we brought him home as an unruly kitten. She spent the last 6 years getting lazier and so fat that she really needs a cat Lapband. When she lays on the arm of Hubby's chair, the arm disappears, as does the remote if you were looking for it.

The girls haven't mentioned Willie at all, probably because he's a cat and if he graced you with his presence on any given day, it was like a Sasquatch sighting. And yet he was their favorite.

------

Bella's practicing for the Olympic swim team. We got our huge hot tub fixed and keep it about 80 degrees. Perfect temp and perfect depth for a 4 year old. She dives, swims, floats, holds her breath, treasure hunts and has been doing so much of it all that she has her first swimmer's ear infection.

She went to see her favorite Dr. CurlyQ yesterday and after a mini chatfest, we've battled putting ear drops in her ears. When your child is 4 and you want things to happen, you begin to barter. Put these drops in your ears and then you can go to that fabulous swim party next Sat. Put these drops in your ears IF YOU EVER WANT TO SWIM AGAIN! Okay, so my patience is running a little low.

-------

Remember those little ears listening? Same goes for the littlest ears in our family.

Last night Ava pretended to call Daddy, phone flipped open and propped between her ear and shoulder: "Hi honey! Mmhmm. *fake giggling* Bye baby!"

A good reason to keep all conversations within earshot rated G, dontcha think?

-------

Bella's been cursing. Sort of. She unfortunately heard me say "dammit" the other day when I nearly ripped my toenail off my big toe by jamming it into a stool. Now when she's frustrated or mad I hear her whisper, "Dommit!"

Kinda cute and funny. Mostly ignored. Though I did tell her it isn't even a word. She just scowled at me and I heard her curse over a broken crayon 2 seconds later.

I'm not sure what to do about Bella's newest form of insult, sticking her tongue out at me. Why does it bother me? Because it is so quietly defiant? I can not look on purpose, for the most part, but I certainly don't want her going around sticking out her tongue at teachers, other kids or other family!

Any creative suggestions? Nothing about tongues rotting off or something coming in the night to take it, k? Thought of those, decided against 'em.

-------

There's a gecko in my kitchen pantry. Guess we'll just never eat again.

Happy Thursday!

Goodbye Willie

2008-07-15T06:23:00.004-04:00

It is a very sad day in our house and the girls don't even know it.

Willie, our orange and crazy but lovable tabby, died this morning. My husband is beyond upset because he accidentally ran over him. Willie is an indoor cat but somehow snuck out last night and I imagine got pretty disoriented and hot.

It is heart-wrenching to lose any pet but especially with Willie. That cat drove me nuts but my husband and children adored him. I'm not sure what I'll tell Bella. She's going to be very sad and confused.

Goodbye, Willie. You were loved and will be missed.

Even Scarecrow Had A Brain

2008-07-14T13:45:00.004-04:00

Let me just say, this Presidential election is a whip already. Yeah, it has been for awhile but as party candidates rev up for the big day, the ignorance, stupidity (there's a difference!), hatefulness, racism, sexism and blatant lies are overwhelming, not to mention frustrating. It isn't so much the candidates as it is the election machine.

What I really REALLY do not like is the drivel that gets passed off as truth in emails, be it from the far right or the extreme left. We should all know that what we see and hear is rarely, if ever, the truth. I can't believe how many people blindly follow their party's rhetoric. We are, for the most part, an educated nation, are we not? I would imagine that most voters are but, heavens, the misinformation zipping about the air waves and Internet is astounding!

Any election year is important, not just this one. I beg of everyone, do your own research. Look at all sides, even the one you may be so adamantly against. Vote while armed with facts and not emotions or preconceived ideas about a party or person. Otherwise, we are just harming ourselves and allowing democracy to disintegrate into nothing but political fanfare.

Grrrrrrrr!

hehe

Have a nice day! :)

Go Bella, Go!

2008-07-02T20:25:00.005-04:00

Isabella is my chirpy cheerleader. Anywhere we go, for however length of time we are there, she wants to make a new friend. I am not this way. I don't seek out a chatfest with random people, unlike my daughter.

What amazes me is Bella's technique. She will first try to make eye contact with the kid(s). If they ignore her, which often happens since she targets the older ones, then she siddles up to the parent to gab. Pretty brilliant, if you ask me. She figures if she can get "in" with the Mom or Dad, then the kid(s) will see that she's A-OK to be a temporary BFF.

Once in a blue moon, like yesterday, the parent will promptly ignore her. Even when Bella got alarmingly too close to invading personal space, the mother acted as if she wasn't even there. Bella would look at me and flash her best cheerleader smile, then try once again to use her super friend powers on the lady. She tried with all her MIGHT to get the mother to look at her, without ever saying a word to the woman.

This whole time, the target child for future friendship was obviously torn. Should the little girl act as her mother did and ignore the bouncy blonde grinning at her? The girl would eye her mother, stare at Bella, then go back to her Gameboy, never really playing so much as looking perplexed.

I'd finally had enough. The mother was to the point of being rude but then I had to remind myself that I don't know her and perhaps she just wasn't in the mood to be chirpy. I beckoned Bella over to me and quietly suggested she find someone else to chat with. Fortunately, Bella was all over that like white on rice and bounced over to a just as bouncy boy waiting for his little brother to be done with gym class.

Whew.

Sometimes we have to step back and try to view situations from other angles. Good thing too. I didn't want to have to whip out my can of whoop ass on Rude Mama.

Little Ears Listening...

2008-06-25T09:30:00.002-04:00

We all know that our kids see and hear everything we do, however, we aren't always sure how it translates to them. We certainly don't always know how they are going to repeat it to someone else.

Yesterday when Bella and her daddy were swimming, she asked him why he drinks beer. Naturally, he replied that he enjoys it. Then Bella told him that her friend Madison's dad can't drink it because he falls into the pool, bumps his head and gets sick. Bella thought it was quite funny and as she repeated the story to me, she laughed and dramatically smacked her forehead with her hand.

No, it isn't good that little Madison either witnessed that or had to hear about her dad's incident.
What was fascinating to me was the girls at some point on the playground while chattering decided to discuss beer. Beer!

I wonder what else she and her friends talk about as they swing or draw circles in the sand. I hear snippets of conversation when around them but can you imagine what the teachers must hear out of the mouths of our babes?

My Funny Bunnies

2008-06-19T16:35:00.004-04:00

Bella crying: Mama! I hurt my foot! *insert dramatic wailing here*

Me: Oh my gosh! I can't get you another foot!

Bella, serious as can be: Why? They aren't on sale?

-------

Ava, naked (of course) in the their little swimming pool: Mama! Watch is! Soupy he whoa! *insert dramatic splashing here*

That's "super hero" if you didn't catch it.

-------

Daddy leaning out the back door: Bella! Time to come inside for dinner!

Ava leaning out the back door: Beyla! Tie comside deenuh!

Everyone needs kid stereo.

-------

Bella: Mitchell (her BFF) and I play superheroes. Gabyn (shunned since age 2) and I play married.

Mom: Oh yeah? How do you play married?

Bella: We dress up, eat cake and dance around and around and around till we thow up.

Now THAT'S a wedding party.

Go Get Your Pappy, Girl!

2008-06-13T12:51:00.005-04:00

* WARNING*

This post is not intended for any male readers who may stumble onto this site or may be secret admirers of my fabulous writing skills.

Yesterday was a bit rough. I had 1 cm of my cervix removed for a biopsy. There's nothing quite like seeing part of your baby maker floating in a tiny cup.

Let me back up this story a bit.

About a month ago, I went to my OBGYN because I needed a birth control that would also control my nasty mood swings. (Not sure yet about the mood enhancer aspect as of yet) As is always the case for a wellness exam, I had a Pap smear done. No biggie, right? I've had those since I was a teenager.

The doc called me back in the next week. It was an abnormal Pap. Mmmkay. Still, no biggie.

Right?

Obviously, I know nothing about what a Pap is for or what the results mean. I'd never even given it much thought. Paps are just part of being a woman!

Dr. OBGYN did what is called a colposcopy, which is a procedure that allows the doctor to closely examine abnormal cells on my cervix. It was uncomfortable but not terrible. The nurses were joking and flitting about as they normally do.

Then Dr. OBGYN got more serious. Turns out the abnormal cells (called dysplasia) were high risk for being precancerous.

CANCER?!?

That word immediately jolts a person into paying attention.

To be on the safe, and healthier, side, yesterday a LEEP was performed. The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is used when your Pap smear indicates the presence of abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix. This does not mean you have cancer, but treatment of the abnormal area is important to prevent the cells from developing into cervical cancer.

I'm a total ignoramous because I thought, okay, I'll go in to see Dr. OBGYN and he'll electrocute those bad boys and I'll go on my merry way.

Well, let me tell you, there was nothing merry about yesterday. However, I am very glad that I went for a wellness check-up a month ago. Had I not been checked out (the last time I went was nearly 2 years ago) it is very likely that the dysplasia could've turned precancerous or worse.

So I want to encourage every one of you lovely ladies to never miss your yearly wellness checkup. They exist for a real reason after all! Pap smears can help your doctor help YOU.

Three cheers for the Pap smear!

heh.

Two Little Monkeys Jumpin On The Bed...

2008-06-05T11:44:00.006-04:00

2007

2008

I don't really remember if Amanda, six years younger than me, would do whatever I asked whenever I asked. I hope so, for my Mom's sake, because it is quite entertaining to watch Ava do what her sister tells her to.

Sometimes Ava will come into the room wearing 7 layers of Bella's clothes. She looks like a 2 feet tall rainbow Eskimo.

Yesterday afternoon she came running into the living room wearing my silk nightie as a superhero cape. The guy working on our spa was certainly surprised and I was shocked to know I still had nighties.

This morning, Bella shaved Ava's beard with a baby comb. I didn't bother to tell her that most girls don't have beards. Maybe she's hoping Ava will join Barnum & Bailey?

No matter what role play they are in, Ava dutifully obeys. Right now she is the perfect playmate for Miss Bossy. I don't expect this will last forever because as monkeys see and monkeys do, Ava will one day want to be Miss Bossy. I don't think that's going to play out as smoothly. Though perhaps cousin Korenna will be her Bossy apprentice.

For now though, Ava seems content with repeating the last word of every one of Bella's sentences, wearing sister's panties over her diaper and doing as she's told without much fuss(by Bella, certainly not by her mother).

Barreling Towards 40

2008-05-28T10:30:00.003-04:00

You know you are getting old when you are putting on eyeshadow and the skin on your upper lid follows the shadow applicator from where it is supposed to be towards the other side of your lid where it didn't used to be.

The Grass Is Always Greener...

2008-05-24T13:20:00.003-04:00

...if you buy 4 pallets of it.

Ahhhh, yes, instant gratification. Babies love it, as do children, so why not adults too?

Granted, we are hoping this new green will help sell the house but I will certainly enjoy it as long as we are here! Don't ask about the weird rocks and stones laid out. We had nothing to do with that and never knew what to do about it since there is an even weirder drainage pipe system under there!

I think too that I enjoy seeing a color other than the white walls/cabinets I've been scrubbing for over a week.

Viva la sale!

hehe...

No Humble Pie Here

2008-05-22T13:44:00.007-04:00

We are in our final days of 3 year old Frog Class. In about a week and a half I get to start begging her friend's mothers to take her for a few hours when I've peaked on sanity with both children shrieking and tattling.

Bella learned a great lesson about following rules at school recently. As you may remember, she didn't nap or lay on her mat as instructed and in turn didn't get to color which lead to an Oscar worthy performance.

Tuesday was a whole different day for Isabella.

Not only did she lay on her mat quietly, when one of her BFFs was distraught at having to attend school that day, Bella put on her happy face and cheerfully invited Madison to play. The teachers were so impressed with how thoughtful and loving Bella was, they deemed her Line Leader which is like being a miniature Commander in Chief for the day.

She's been glowing ever since. Then of course this morning she had it all planned out to offer her undying love and friendship to Madison once again so she could be Line Leader.

*sigh*

When does humbleness kick in?

And....scene.

The LYOCBWS Law

2008-05-15T14:33:00.003-04:00

I think I should approach Congress about a Leave Your Other Children Behind When Shopping law. Not only for other shoppers' sake, but the mother and her little outlaws.

It is hard enough shopping for groceries with one child, but taking TWO kids under the age of 4 to a dress shop? I was and it was insane.

Husband has his annual company retreat this Friday night. That means it is super sassy involving tricked up drinks and unrecognizable tiny food. I haven't bought a new dress in probably 4 years. (Yikes, writing that makes me sound even more pathetic!)

With time crunching on me, I dragged my poor darlings to Dillard's. And Banana Republic, followed by Ann Taylor. Then I gave up and took them somewhere I could bribe them with toys. TJ Maxx.

I don't believe in child leashes, or child muzzles, but yesterday both would've been helpful. I don't think I ever tried on a dress completely. I was too busy dragging tiny bodies from under the dressing room stalls or curtains. Every time Ava would see my dress start to come off, she'd screech out "Mama Meeyuk!" Bella wanted to chat with the dressing room attendants about the clothes, which meant she was peeking outside the stall every nano-second, leaving everyone privy to my half-dressed self.

CRAZY.

I made it through. Even long enough to zoom in on some super cute patent leather heels. However, I told Husband that if he wants me to look like a normal human being tomorrow evening, he'd better work a half day to keep the monkeys at bay.

I will definitely have some cheese with that wine! :)

Know Your Territory

2008-05-13T17:09:00.004-04:00

Bella had a birthday celebration day at school today. I sent M&M cookies with festive napkins for all her friends. They sang Happy Birthday to her and she got to wear the Birthday Crown all day. Her birthday is in June. Can you imagine her confusion?

Confusion or not, she apparently turned into a birthday brat. When I picked her up at school, she was just waking up and asked to color, as the other kids were doing.

Her teacher said no. Em. Okay and why?

Teacher went on to explain how much Bella had misbehaved at naptime. That she refused to lay down and be quiet. The kids don't have to sleep but they do have to lay on their mats. Apparently, Bella was quite belligerent about it.

I took wailing Bella from class and we started to leave when I thought how this wasn't a good way to leave school. We talked a bit and agreed she should apologize.

Bella hugged both of her teachers and apologized for misbehaving. They hugged her back and told her they love her and want her to have happy days.

Not missing a beat, Bella said, "So can I color now?"

Just as quickly, Teacher chirped, "Maybe Thursday!"

Ew. That didn't go over well. We went on our wailing way to the car.

Hey, it is Teacher's territory, not mine. Her tough love is what has helped Bella most during this past year of school. Tough love for me too...

Our Home Is A Storage Unit

2008-05-09T15:55:00.006-04:00

We are finally FINALLY going to put our house on the market. This is huge for us. Emotional, exciting and scary.

Nearly 8 years ago, a wonderful woman (Em) died and left us her home with everything in it. Everything. Not only that, but everything her best friend (Dee) who died 2 years before left HER. They were major packrats as well as collectors. We have collections ranging from stamps to belt buckles to books!

So this has been a crazy blessing, if there's such a thing. It has resulted in 7 years of sifting, sorting and boxing up. We've donated at least 25 truckloads to the Salvation Army and other charities!

How many truckloads of trash? Not much. Because we simply cannot decide what to do with all this! What on Earth does one do with other people's memories and treasures?

Our biggest issue seems to be finding family who will take the personal items of either women. Dee was an only child, Em just has a sister-in-law who only wants Em's brother's things. So that leaves us with boxes and boxes of photo albums, slides and movie reels.

It leaves me a little sad for both ladies. Neither had children (they viewed my husband as their own, in a way). However, they were really big into geneology, family history and family memories. I already donated all their geneology work back to the Geneological Society, so future seekers can find the research these women so diligently put together. There are numerous awards for both women. Who wants that though? I can't just throw it all away!

I have a nagging feeling that I must make sure everything in this house that we do not want to keep is carefully distributed to those who will continue to care for it.

Any suggestions? Dee's family seems to be the most difficult to find. Do we post something somewhere about it? Do we keep hanging on to her things? We have to do what is right!

***UPDATE***

Seriously, as I was finishing this up, my mother-in-law was able to locate Em's cousin! That is incredible! Whew!!! But we've still got Dee's stuff...

Seeing Is Believing

2008-05-07T09:12:00.005-04:00

Or is it?

We have a very lovely, elegant Christian woman neighbor named Eve. Fitting, right?

Eve and her husband own a funeral home. They are very involved in their church and the community. I know this because she's always trying to recruit us to her gospel church. Eh, no thank you. I like to worship while mumbling, not shouting.

One early evening I saw a woman getting out of Eve's car. She looked like a cross between Tina Turner, Cher and Scary Spice. I couldn't help but stare and then she waved at me. No, wait, she was waving me over to her. As I got closer, it was Eve! Huge crazy black and gray striped wig, very loud leopard print rocker outfit, heels higher than stilts. She was waving some Emmy looking thing at me and proudly exclaiming she'd won Best Director. Ooookay.

Now when I see gentle Eve plucking weeds from her flower beds, I can't help but stare in bewilderment all over again. You truly never should believe in just what (or who) you see at that moment.

----

As a mother, seeing is believing as well, right? I always thought that but as my kids get older and weirder things happen with them, I know that saying does not apply to children.

Ava had some strange blister thing going on her lip yesterday. I called the nurse to see what I could or should do. She had me come in to make sure no blisters were in Ava's throat.

After meeting with Dr. CurlyQ, there was immediate concern over tiny pinpoint dots all over Ava's left cheek. There was a rush on blood tests to determine if the petechiae (broken blood vessels) were caused by a number of things, the worst being Meningococcemia or Leukemia!

WHA?!!

That made for a VERY long day. Ava had the displeasure of her first needle in the arm to draw what appeared to be half the blood she owns and I had to hound the doctor's office all afternoon for the results. My mind was swirling from "It is nothing we can't handle" to "OMG, how are we going to deal with this?"

Thankfully, Ava is fine. Perhaps she broke those blood vessels by coughing too hard. Or it could be she was on the tail end of a virus (which I had last week) and it stressed her body.

How could I not know my child had a virus, you ask? Well, Bella had Strep a month ago and the only reason I thought anything was wrong is because that dangly thing in the back of her throat was in a swollen tonsil sandwich.

Part of me feels like a bad mom for not noticing things earlier. The other feels like I over-react and my kids are getting to know Dr. CurlyQ so well that she may one day be invited to their weddings.

I am learning that what you see isn't always what you believe it to be. Politics should have taught us all that! *snort*

I do want to say though...if you ever see pinpoint dots that look like blood, either purple or red, please take your little one to the doctor immediately. Though if your kid has just been finger painting, might check those speckles first. :)

Life In Pictures

2008-05-05T13:48:00.003-04:00

A photo journal of the past week. ONE WEEK.

I'm exhausted :)

Family Reunion

Bella Scarfs Homemade Ice Cream

Ava Passes Out After Hoovering Homemade Ice Cream

Grandma's House

My Lil' Ladykins

Three Going on 13

Mayfest

Tea for Three....Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

Ava LOVED the rides at Mayfest. See the wheel she's gripping? She wouldn't let go when the ride was over. Lucky me got to pry her fat little fingers off, legs kicking, tears streaming while she wailed, "Weddy! Go! Weddy! Mah-meeeeeeee! Wide 'gin!"

She did the same thing on the Carousel (the pics from that were too scary to post) and the miniature train (no evidence of me crammed into a midget choo-choo, sorry).

My advice on festivals: Just don't look the Carny in the eyes.

Where Am I?

2008-05-02T09:57:00.004-04:00

Oh my gosh! It has been so long since I've posted. That's weird because almost nightly I lay in bed thinking about that day's worth of blogging material.

Hubby and I had our first real date since Ava was born. It was AWESOME. We celebrated 5 wonderful years of marriage with a fancy schmancy dinner complete with me in a dress and heels. I even drank a glass of wine which left my nose numb and my chatter giggly.

The highlight of the evening, other than uber romance, was the preteen boy who maybe didn't think I saw him in the window as he passed by and made goofy faces. His mom was horrified and apologized profusely which was cute.

Then we had a family reunion at a beautiful lake. The kids played until they couldn't play anymore and we took the Pinto of barges on a mini-tour of the water. I swear it was a trailer attached to two floating devices and a dinky motor. We had to sit close to the back so as not to appear we'd gone down Splash Mountain even after the snail's pace poke about the lake.

This past Monday, my girls and I drove to help take care of my mom. Let me take a moment to laugh about that...

First of all, my mom is a rock. She is the most determined human being I know. She had major surgery two weeks ago and she is kicking butt (slowly) in recovering. So how helpful was I? I got DOG SICK on Tues. I couldn't function. It was ridiculous! My mom proved once again who's boss and took care of her granddaughters as well as her kid.

I have to admit, selfish as it may seem, I enjoyed having my mommy take care of me! The next day was much better and I got to help her out which is good because I felt lame-O.

That brings us to today. We're back home, doing mountains of laundry and preparing to begin our journey into selling our home. Egads. That makes me excited as well as want to throw up.

----

Kid Bits

At my grandmother's house for a visit yesterday, Bella pulled off the brown armchair cover and placed it on her head. Her face beaming, she exclaimed, "Mommy! Look! I'm Jesus!"

Fortunely, my grandmother found this to be cute and not blasphemous.

Parent Tip

If you simply must pull over onto the side of the road so your toddler can pee, I do not recommend choosing a patch of beautiful wildflowers to do so. Your toddler will squirm and squeal with glee trying to pick a flower while relieving herself all over your shoe (or toes in sandals, as it were).

Also, this all leads a 19 month old to believe she's getting jerked around because she's strapped into her carseat like a straight jacket while her sister gets to pick pretty flowers in the sunshine. Screaming will undoubtedly continue well past the time you leave the scene of your crime.

Big, But Not SOOO Big

2008-04-03T15:13:00.007-04:00

Bella: Mom! What's that smeyul? (she has a Southern drawl at times)

Me: What smell? I don't smell anything.

Bella (waving unopened chocolate chip granola bar at me): Oh! I guess it must be THIS. We should open it and see!

-----

Bella got an invite from Austin in class. She doesn't particularly like him but I thought I'd check.

Me: Do you play with Austin? Is he your friend?

Bella: No. I don't play with him. Well, sometimes I play with him but I don't like him.

She laughed.

Bella: That doesn't make sense! I said I don't like him but I play with him! (rolls her eyes and chuckles, walking away)

-----

Bella had some fandangled exercise program at school. That involved loads of parents with video cameras there to capture their angel's 2 seconds of fame. After an entertaining rendition of Hokey Pokey, Bella and her class had to sit on the sidelines with their teachers for another 35 minutes. Do you realize how long 35 minutes is to a kid, especially when she can see her parents on the other side of the room?

You are bound to get some blubbering tears. I could only watch it unfold from where I was. All cheerful and proud of her performance, waving gleefully at us, then 20 minutes ticked by and boredom set in as other kids did their exercise show. Then the realization that her mama was over there holding baby sister and her beloved daddy was there too.

Wait a minute! (uh-oh...here it comes)

Her family is over THERE and she was over HERE.

Tears turned to sobs which turned to wails. I know Isabella very well and that she wasn't about to let us leave that building without her. She could care less at that moment about eating lunch with her friends and laying on a napmat pretending not to sleep.

She cried through the group picture. She cried as she put on her backpack. She cried until I got down and hugged her tight. She even cried as she waved goodbye to the friends who were staying for the rest of school. Ava grabbed the rolled up napmat and began dragging it behind her, she of course was ready for her big sis to come home. I held Bella's hand and I could see the total happiness on her tear-stained face that she was leaving with her family.

I have a highly sensitive child. She's been that way her whole life. So she's the crying kid in class. One day she'll grow out of it. Right now she doesn't care because she loves and needs her family more than she loves and needs her friends. And I'm okay with that. One day the friends may be seemingly more important. I'll just soak up all the Bella love I can for now.

Anything She Can Do, I Can Do Better...

2008-04-01T12:11:00.004-04:00

Ava is competitive. It is the darnedest thing to watch an 18 month old try to out eat, out drink, out run, out play and even out bathe her sister.

I don't know where it comes from!

A while ago, as I was feeding Ava, Bella came over for a bite and Ava started yelling, "Mo! Mo!" while zooming at me with mouth wide open, trying to shoulder sister out of the way.

If Bella dresses up. Ava dresses up. If Bella's carrying her 10lb baby, Ava stops dragging hers by the foot and hauls it over her shoulder to carry it.

It gets really ridiculous with Daddy. As soon as he walks in the door from a day at the office, both girls run screeching with joy towards him. Then Ava nearly panics trying to leap into his arms before sister, all the while eyeballing her. Then they cling to his legs as he lugs them around like leg weights to go change his clothes.

Don't get me wrong. The monkey-see, monkey-do of my little one also brings some of the sweetest and surprising moments.

Ava has been saying "I la yew" without prompting for nearly a month. She even gives a bonus smooch afterwards. Melts my heart every time!

Because Bella is loving with Ava, for the most part (hey, they are siblings!), Ava will hug her big sister with cute little grunts of affection at random.

Ava also talks. ALOT. The child knows more words than I thought possible for her age. I attribute that to her mimicking Bella. Perhaps she decided to learn early so she can out talk Bella too.

But these two, with their contrasting competitiveness and sister love, are also going to be a force to reckon with in the coming years. There are already secret giggles and sideways glances at their parents as they run gleefully from playroom to bedroom, clutching something under their shirt or in a blanket. A number of times I've sneaked (yes, I sneak) into the playroom just to startle them as they sit in a sea of shredded paper, quietly concentrating on ripping out the coloring book pages or breaking/peeling every crayon they own.

I hope my daughters will continue to grow as friends and confidants. I'm just not sure how to make them both see that there's no need to compete for anything. And that having different color sippy cups can be a good thing.

Enjoying a poncho tea party

Simply Enchanting

2008-03-23T16:04:00.004-04:00

Princess Preschool

Today, we are learning to color without eating the crayons

as well as

how to slap magnetic letters up on a white board.

A princess always holds her basket just so when retrieving letters.

Princess see, princess do.

Princess Preschool Graduation

(okay, its really Easter Sunday)

Which word came first? Alienate or Alien?

2008-03-19T17:35:00.006-04:00

I realized today that I am NOT perfect.

I KNOW!

Okay, I realized it about a week ago. See? Imperfect.

I think I'm pretty much all that with the self-esteem, happy-go-lucky, life is what you make it, guns don't kill people, people kill people. Oh, wait...

Today it dawned on me that I don't like sharing people I care about.

We went to yet another birthday party for Isabella's friends. Only this time, it was for her BFF, Mitchell. His mom and I are good friends. We talk nearly every other day and see each other on school days. She's funny, relaxed, smart and we could blab endlessly.

However, when we are around her other friends, I clam up. I have nothing brilliant or even half-coherent to say. I feel awkward and ridiculous. I just converse with all the humans under 4 feet tall and hope adult whats-her-name-in-blue won't make eye contact.

It has been this way with any friend I've ever had. Yay fun when just us. Boo-hiss when someone else shows up. Very mature, I know.

I also don't like sharing my sister. She is my BFF. But when I am around her friends, the same tardness comes over me. Words don't even form in my mind to say to those friends. All of whom are very nice and funny! I just stare at inanimate objects and laugh way too loud at what everyone else says.

My husband says I don't like to share him either. But that's not it. I like hanging out with him and his friends. It is relaxed and we always have fun. However, throw in a new (and always temporary) girlfriend of theirs, then I am obligated to be Provider of Small Talk with her and it throws me off completely. Bartender!

I guess I'm still insecure around women I don't know well. I am trying so hard to overcome this because it is very frustrating! I've struggled with group bashfulness all of my life. I'm 35 friggin years old though! Why can't I hang out with a clan of mothers or non-breeders and be as cool n' witty as I know that I am (and MODEST, mind you).

*sigh*

Being a grownup is hard.

Its Great To Be A Kid

2008-03-14T12:59:00.005-04:00

Unhappy with the idea that I can't birth a big brother for her, Isabella has decided to take care of it on her own.

She told me yesterday, in the car (where the most interesting conversations take place), that she'll just get married, have a baby boy named Iloveyou and when HE gets bigger, he'll be her big brother. That's a good idea, right, Mom?

Umm...

+++++++++

You know all those cool names for the colors in the crayon box? My favorites were always Periwinkle, Aquamarine and Bittersweet.

Now I actually own a crayon color. Rather, my children do. It is this fabulous fuzzy Goldenrod reading chair that was my grandmother's. It rocks, swivels and is totally FUZZY!

Can I Just Throw A Tantrum Too?

2008-03-04T14:09:00.003-04:00

Have you experienced the judgemental stare of others, particularly parents, as you try to wrangle your writhing, screaming, sobbing toddler from whatever plaything they've attached themselves to when playdate is over?

Have you had the joy of playing dodge kid at, oh, lets say Chuck E. Cheese, when the party is long over and your child manages to outsmart AND embarrass you as she avoids being nabbed to leave?

Do you handle these moments with grace? Or do you, like me, grit your teeth, call your child by her full name while shooting the most intense you-better-get-over-here-or-else looks her way only to be ignored because she's too busy in her moment of meltdown?

*sigh*

Bella's never handled leaving playdates, parties or the park very well. Or the pool. Hmmm, all those begin with "p"...isn't that interesting?

AnyWAY, I always give the recommended 15 minute warning. Then 10, then 5. She accepts the invisible timer with an enthusiastic "Okay, Mom!" like she's so grown-up and cooperative.

Then that silent dinger goes off and she senses it. That's when all hell breaks loose, or at least she does. Sometimes she reacts verbally with an intense wail as she convinces herself that her heart is breaking over such tragic news that it is time to leave.

Other times she reacts physically by running around whatever establishment I'm about to be humiliated at. She'll sob and screech like a curly-headed banshee.

I will grab her arm generally, trying VERY hard not to leave permanent finger marks, and I do the whole get down on her level to talk thing. But she's gone to visit that toddler Other Side where they hear and see nothing other than their own anguish.

I need new magic tricks as mine are obviously no longer working. As you know, you can talk to a kid till you're blue in the face but in that horrible moment there's not much to do (that I've seen) than to hook them under your arm while lugging your other kid and march silently out of the playground/party/playdate/pool.

No wonder my right arm looks as if I benchpress 150.

Tiny Toddler Tidbits

2008-02-27T14:14:00.004-04:00

We all know how entertaining Bella can be. Now her little sister is proving to be just as much of a performer.

Ava's learning words at lightning speed but she's also learning to DO things that just blow my mind because she's not even 17 months old yet!

The other day Ava was naked, her favorite thing to be, when she climbed onto her stool by the changing table, grabbed a wipe, cleaned herself (surprisingly well!), placed the wipe on the table and got back down. Impressive, I must say.

Today, she was eating lunch with her sister in our library as I cleaned the living room. She came into the kitchen yelling, "Mo! Mo!" and doing the sign furiously for "more" indicating she wasn't satisified with just one measley scoop of mac n' cheese so I'd better hop to it.

I'm working on weaning her so she's completely testing me. Ava will pat (pound) my chest, her eyes never leaving mine as if to challenge me to deny her. If I tell her that she can't have Mama Milk yet, she'll gripe at me, then go off to play. A few minutes later, she'll return, pulling my shirt up, again with the stare of a determined cat, unwilling to back down. This game goes on all day. At least she's not pivoting on one foot in a circle of rage anymore. That's progress.

Then this morning as we waited for Princess Isabella to wake up, Ava flopped over onto me for a hug, grinned and said, "Eyelouuuu." If you need toddler translation, it means "I love you." My heart melted immediately. Then I realized that her grin was a prideful one and probably due to the fact that she FINALLY said it, on her own terms, after a dear aunt tried for 2+ hours at dinner last night to make her say it. I just had to laugh at my little stinker and return the love with some tickles.

It surprises me how amazed and delighted I am by my second child's achievements as if the experience is new. But it is new, really. My daughters are their own unique person, something I am blessed to witness every day!

Travel Tip - Be Prepared!

2008-02-18T11:47:00.005-04:00

GOOD IDEA:

Leave Daddy with the babies for the weekend to visit Oma, the sweetest most beautiful grandmother in the world.

BAD IDEA:

Not breastfeeding for 30+ hours only to wake up looking like a porn star. In tremendous PAIN.

Fortunately, my littlest angel was more than ready to oblige when I walked in the door. We'll work on weaning another day. Or week. Or month.

No Words

2008-02-11T22:15:00.001-04:00

I have nothing to say in this post.

I'm just proud that after a ridiculous number of

attempts to get these two in a picture together that

doesn't require Photoshop intervention, I have this:

Absorb the cuteness...

And The Winner IS????

2008-02-06T13:49:00.000-04:00

I don't talk politics on my blog but this year's Presidential election is fascinating to me. It is such a huge milestone for America to have not only a woman running but also a black man. AND one of those people will win their party's nomination!

No matter what your party affiliation, I hope you too are excited about this historical election. Now our children may truly get to believe it when we say they can be anything they choose to be when they grow up.

Good Lord though, I hope my girls don't want to be President!

In honor of our nation, Bella is here to sing (yes, sing) our Pledge of Allegiance:

"I pledge allegiance to the Unida States of Amewica, and to the Repubicks, for which is sands, un nation, under God, inavisable, in libuhty and justice for ALL, Mama!"

Boys, Boys, Boys

2008-01-29T17:14:00.001-04:00

Picking up Bella from school today, I got to listen in on her conversation with this century's Brat Pack. That includes Bella, her BFF Mitchell, Madison, Elena and Gavin.

Gavin's status always teeters, however.

Example:

As they are all coloring, waiting on the parents, Bella tells Gavin that she'll play with him in FIVE DAYS and waves her five fingers at him with a scowl.

No more. No less.

He says something inaudible and she barks at him, "But I love MITCHELL and I said I'd play with you in FIVE DAYS, GABIN!"

Thus is their relationship. A total love-hate toddler friendship.

It all started last year when Bella was 2 1/2. She began preschool and immediately Gavin began pestering her. We called him the Over-Hugger. He could NOT keep his hands off of her and it distressed her a great deal. Even when she dropped out of school, she talked about him for a year. Then he ended up in this year's class.

She tries to make the best of it but he's as third wheel as it gets. Poor Gavin is that boy who pokes, teases, laughs at and irritates the girl he loves. Gavin's mom says that he blushes when talking about Bella. He "writes" her name instead of his own. He's a love-sick puppy destined for constant rejection from my daughter, it seems.

I've tried to explain the boy-likes-girl game but she doesn't understand. Her sweet Mitchell isn't that way! He is kind, loving and attentive. Gavin doesn't stand a chance.

So, I'm trying to think of ways to help Bella handle Gavin's type of adoration and friendship. She talks about him all the time. I think she wants to like him but his aggressiveness makes her angry.

And this is only age THREE!

Stepping out with the paparazzi.

January 24

2008-01-28T23:27:00.001-04:00

Our world has once again been blessed by an angel.

I'm proud to introduce my beautiful niece,

Korenna Kate.

More Toddler Tidbits

2008-01-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

"Okay, Mama, you be Dorafee and I'll be the Wicked Witch."

In a high voice (you can NOT play pretend using your real Mama voice), I say something like "Hi, I'm Dorothy, who are you? Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"

Bella wrinkles her nose and her eyebrows furrow into what we affectionately call a frinkle as she wags her finger at me yelling all scraggily, "I'll get you, my pretty! An your little dog TOO!"

And...

Scene.

She falls to the floor giggling with great satisfaction at her performance.

-----

Today during a bath, Isabella drew a line all the way across her belly with an orange tub marker. Then she said it was her scar from having a baby.

Me: "So where's your baby?"

Bella: *splish splash* "She's at AndAmanda's house."

Me: "Oh. And are we going to get your baby?"

Bella: *complete exasperation at my ignorance* "YES, Mom."

(she's serious now) "We will get it in FIFTEEN DAYS."

Everything is fifteen minutes or fifteen days as of late.

So, Aunt Amanda, she may be looking to bring Baby Johnson home in a couple of weeks. Perfectly okay by me, but you might take issue with it.

Let me just say that having a c-section has thus far provided THE easiest explanation to how Ava got out of me. She's going to be mighty freaked out when she learns the other way babies are born.

----

When I picked up Bella from school, all the kids had a police badge pinned on them. I asked if she'd told everyone that her Uncle Daniel is a policemen and she promptly turned to shout out the info to her classroom.

On the way home, we talked about policemen and she said her daddy is a police officer. Well, no, only Uncle Daniel is a policeman.

Bella: "Uncal Danyul works in a police office. Daddy works in a office. "

Me: "Yes... "

Bella: "Sooooooooo, Uncal Danyul is a police office man and Daddy is a office man. "

You got me there, little one.

-----

I am very excited that Ava's learning words at warp speed. Toddler Tidbits will be all about eavesdropping on the two of them before long!

2007 Down, 2008 Go!

2008-01-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

Well, 2007 went out as eventful as it started.

After a whirlwind weekend of Christmas family celebrations, we got home Christmas night and watched with breathless excitement as the girls ran to the living room to see if Santa visited.

Bella squealed with delight at their new dollhouse (I constantly have to say "yours AND Ava's dollhouse, honey") while jumping up and down over her Sleeping Beauty VHS.

Yes, I said VHS. We figured out long ago that little kids and VHS tapes are AWESOME. She can turn on the TV, push the video in and all I have to do is make sure she doesn't have a Disney movie marathon.

That night, about 2am, I had a rude awakening. Not just that I had to go to the bathroom. Oh, no. The rudeness happened when I (thank heavens) decided that night to peek into the toilet before sitting.

I saw something dark and slammed the lid down.

That's crazy, I thought to myself. Maybe Bella just didn't flush...five days ago.

I opened it again. Looked awfully big.

Turned on the light.

Saw...

Okay, I'm not going to post the picture because it might make you lose your breakfast, lunch, dinner or all thee above.

It was a squirrel.

YES IT WAS. A very real, very dead squirrel. Eyes open, mind you. I threw up a little in my mouth, slammed the lid again and, heart pounding, climbed into bed. Because I am a nice wife and didn't wake my husband to fish out the toilet critter.

I spent the rest of the night half sleeping and half wondering if that was just a freaky dream. Hubby wondered the same till HE lifted the lid at 6am the next morning. By then, our furry friend was a wee bit fluffier. By the time my husband could get in the mindset to retrieve him, Squirrel was...um...easily deflated.

That is all.

----- In Cuter News -----

We cleaned out Bella's old nursery and made it into a playroom. YAY for all involved. We packed up loads of stuff into boxes for the attic and used a Sharpie to mark everything. Several hours into working we couldn't find the marker.

Went looking for the marker and instead found this:

Ava's Doll

At first I thought we'd had our first acting out by Bella on little sister's things. Then we saw that if she's acting out, it was also on her own toy dog as well as our library bookshelves.

I tried not to seethe. Really, I did. Through gritted teeth, I asked Bella why on Earth she colored on everything.

She picked up the doll and said, "But MOM, lissen to me. The baby is an INDIAN and needs her headband."

And the library shelves?

"That's my ARTWORK! Don't you love it? Isn't it buuuuuuuuuteeeful?"

Oh.

So it wasn't malicious graffiti at all. It was a 3 1/2 yr old filled to the brim with imagination. How do you get mad at that? If anything, I'm irritated at myself for all those Crayola washable markers Bella's been using for 2+ years!

Long live the Magic Eraser. That thing probably causes cancer but it wipes away Sharpie in a jiffy.

---- Still Cute News ----

Ava throws temper tantrums now and tattles on her sister by babbling in a tattling tone and a frown. Her tantrums consist of pivoting on her left foot in circle really fast while shaking her head and screeching. Humorous when performed just once a day.

New Year's Day dinner at my MIL's we had spinach. Bella used to love spinach but not that day. An aunt who was there commented how she is allergic to spinach. Intriguing adult conversation about allergies went on as Bella picked at her plate.

When hubby asked Bella to eat, she said "You know, Dad, I think I'm allergic to spinach."

They hear all, see all and apply all.

Here's to a happy, healthy, story-filled 2008!!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T20:16:00.000-04:00

We are all packed and ready to go. I even devised a plan where Husband will take the girls with him to fill up the vehicle in the morning while I cram the Loving Dollhouse accessories in and shove Princess videos down stockings.

I'll slurp the chocolate milk (Bella insisted on it for Santa), nibble the carrot and toss the cookies back into the jar.

Then we're off on a four hour journey to my parents'. I'm very excited to see my family yet dreading the drive. This time I was super smart and put Bella's potty in the back because there's no "just in case" when we travel. It is more like "inevitable pee panic" and I don't feel like holding her naked behind out over the grassy knoll just to be splashed anyway.

No trip begins without a Starbucks fix. Tall, non-fat Peppermint mocha. Thank you, weird Bleached Bangs Girl in the window as you complain to your BFF, Gay Guy, about the previous night's boring party. No, I do not want a 350 calorie piece of lemon pound cake. Today.

On we go to visit, laugh, play and rip into gifts with our family. First mine, then Husband's. He gets irritated that I separate the families out like that but how else do you explain it without sounding confused? We're going to visit my family and then my family.

I hope you all enjoy your families, however many or whoever's they are.

Merry Christmas and I hope to read all about YOURS soon!

Tiny Teachers

2007-12-13T12:08:00.000-04:00

I have a very strong conviction to teach my children to accept diversity in this shrinking world. While I may not know the details of how or what I'll teach them, I feel it is important for my kids to be socially educated, compassionate and empathetic. Of course there are moral limitations and I'm still trying to define what those should be as my children grow.

Sometimes kids turn the tables and teach us instead.

I took Bella to an indoor playground last week after school. We arrived about the same time as two other little girls about her age.

One girl was named Kylie and she was African American. The other little girl looked as if her face had been beat up by concrete with cuts all over, swollen eye, nose and lip. Her name was Sarah.

Bella doesn't have many African American girls in her school, I'm not sure why. She hardly ever sees children with injuries or disabilities (I had to double-take with Sarah because I first thought she had a facial deformity).

But after formally introducing themselves and giving each other the once over, the girls gleefully ran off towards the slide, chatting non-stop.

The discussion?

How they got out of their mommy's tummy. A universal topic.

None of the girls pointed out each other's differences or even Sarah's poor beat-up little face. There was no staring or grimacing. There was immediate acceptance and willingness to be best friends for the 15 minutes we were there. They hugged, held hands, cooed over Ava and told silly secrets.

It was wonderful to see and I was proud of all three girls. I know social exchanges won't always be so pleasant or without judgement, but I hope I can teach my girls to always be kind, think before they speak and not stare at those who may be different from them. Then again, they will probably learn more by example and that is the most important lesson of all. For all of us parents.

What Kind of Friendship IS THIS?

2007-12-10T18:37:00.000-04:00

Thanksgiving weekend, my sister Amanda and her family drove two hours to spend the day with my little family and my inlaws. Not only is THAT sweet, she also brought four starter kits for Amish Friendship bread.

I know. She's amazing.

I rarely bake. It requires precision and patience, both of which I'm lacking. But because she brought me the generous gift, I decided to go for it. I read the directions which called for mushing the bag every day for 10 days, but on the 6th day in, I'm supposed to add a crapload of ingredients before the daily bag mushing.

I opened the bag and...

Oh! *gag*

Gaw! *eyes tearing up*

I had to ask Amanda if this was actually moonshine bread because I'm pretty sure at this point it would explain her 2 year old's love of the stuff.

After that nice whiff, I spent the next four days grimmacing at the fermenting goop in a bag on my counter.

I came thisclose to tossing the bag out on day 10. But I knew that I couldn't lie to Amanda about a bread I never baked. So I followed the rest of the directions which basically told me to separate into 4 more starter kits. Out of love for others, I chunked that.

I did, however, make one batch of the BEST BREAD EVER! Wow. My kids loved it and we polished off the two loaves in less than a week!

All of that painstaking mushing and grossing out taught me a valuable lesson. Well, besides having a little more faith in my sister's love for me.

It made me remember that not everything in life is as it first appears to be. Often a bit more time must go by and with a few changes, what seemed awful can turn into something wonderful and unexpected.

Yeah. Check out the deep thought. I have no voice (oh, the kids LOVE it) but I've still got random thinking going for me.

Help. Me.

2007-12-03T18:22:00.000-04:00

So Bella was supposed to be taking a nap, or "resting" as she calls it, and as I'm just about to sip on some nice hot tea, she comes into the room, tears streaming down her face.

Me: Honey, what on Earth is wrong?!

Bella *sobbing*: I can't sleep because my hair isn't curly!

And she hands me the hair gel.

Oh, yes. Vanity has arrived. For the past two weeks, she's obsessed about her curly hair. It is no wonder though because everyone and their Grandma comments on how pretty she and her curls are every time we leave our home!

I think the whole pretend beauty shop ploy to get her to wash her hair has backfired on me.

She's Still Baby Ava

2007-11-29T14:37:00.001-04:00

As Ava nears 14 months old, I'm asked increasingly when I will stop nursing her. Honestly, it depends on the day I'm asked what my answer will be.

Ideally, I'd like to nurse her as long as I did Bella which was 19 1/2 months (that 1/2 definitely counts!). However, she only quit nursing because I was pregnant with Ava and apparently the hormones changed the flavor...or something like that.

I have no intention whatsoever of getting pregnant again and because Ava hasn't weaned herself yet, I see no end in sight. She used to just yank my shirt up but at least now she just gives the ol' boobie a nice pat when she's ready to snack.

If it weren't for the night nursing, I"d keep going until she weaned herself. Yet at 3am when she's hollering from her crib and claws at me like a starving bear cub, I grit my teeth a bit.

By morning, though, when she's had a breakfast from something other than me and is happily ignoring me, I crave the bond of breastfeeding.

Never fear, she comes patting for a snack around lunch time. And then I can hold her sweet little body close to me, watch her watching me with a grin and I'm in that moment that makes nursing so extraordinary.

Until she starts her breastfeeding gymnastics. The child can stand, twist, turn, giggle, babble, play with a toy and still never lose her latch-on. Remarkable, really. For ME! :)

For now, we continue on with the plan to let Ava wean herself. I'm sure it is more about my need to hang on to her babyness than it is for her to need to nurse.

They truly are babies for such an incredibly short period of time!

WWYD?

2007-11-28T16:23:00.000-04:00

So Bella missed school Tuesday due to a hacking cough followed by phlegm (or as she put it, she "thowed up and swallowed it").

Guess I didn't feel bad for children outside of her class because we went to Target and then a super happy place for chicken nuggets and indoor playground.

My girls are wonderfully behaved while munching on their lunch as I survey the room. A family in front of us, also wonderfully behaved munching their food. A family across the room where the mother is yapping on her phone, her 2 year old is harassing the newborn, and the tag-along friend is in fa-la land with her fries.

Then the 2 year old bolts across the room towards the family in front of me. He STEALS a nugget right off one of the kid's trays. He begins to reach for some fries and Tag-Along decides to clue in and retrieve him.

Not 5 minutes later, he beelines for our table. I never touch him but I definitely told him "NO!" with emphasis on the N and the O. He grabs for whatever he can, then settles on a tug-of-war with me over Ava's chair. Now the mother, never getting of the phone, gives me a sorry "oh, sorry" and drags him off.

My kids go play. I protect Ava from Tiny Terror which bores him, so instead, he steals Bella's shoe and runs all around like a crazed maniac. I'm seething now and just as the mother grabs the shoe and brings it to me (STILL ON THE FRIGGIN PHONE) the goblin posing as a child tackles Isabella!

God bless Bella, she cried out "Why is my new friend pulling me down?"

Rather than get arrested for beating up a mother, I packed up my kids and we left.

I'm not a confrontational person, especially with strangers, because I get all red-faced, shaky and idiotic. However, when it comes to my children I get darn closer to bravery!

What would you have done?

Holiday Cheer

2007-11-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

Silly me. I thought I'd dress the girls up in really cute, wintery nightgowns and they would show their love for each other (or at least the camera) for Christmas pictures.

So Much For That Job Interview

2007-11-19T14:41:00.000-04:00

Being the good, dutiful wife that I am occasionally, I was washing hubby's dress shirts for the following work week.

I open the washer, pull out the shirts and...PLOP.

I look to my right and there perched on the edge of the washer is a very clean, very dead, 3" long gecko.

I nearly threw up all over those shirts.

Oh, and a giant Chimpanzee nearly scarred my daughter for life by getting in a fight with another one, then slamming into the glass window she was peering into while learning all about awesome nature.

How was your weekend?

Once Uponsa Time

2007-11-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

"There was a beeooooooootiful princess named...Awowa. But the mean, um..."

*whispers behind her hand* "Mommy, what is the mean lady's name?"

"Oh, yes...the mean lady, Malificent, didn't like Awowa. She was jealous and it isn't nice to be jealous!"

*frowning* "So mean Malificent tricked Awowa to touch the noodle at the top of the stairs and all the land fell fast asleep."

"The prince heard about the beeoooooootiful princess and fought the dragon" *She stabs around with an air sword*

"And the dragon got dead and flew far away! The Prince kissed Awowa and all the kingdom woke up and they got married! *she says this part really fast and nearly breathless*

Be Friend. *she bows her head in appreciation for the applause she's about to receive*

Yes, she ends stories with "Be Friend", how cute is THAT? I love LOVE that Bella tells us stories now. Watching her pull stories together from what she's heard or seen and how animated she becomes during her story-telling is a delightful peek into her imagination. *sigh* So blessed...

Scary As Can Be

2007-11-03T12:58:00.001-04:00

Halloween at our house was good fun. I mean that with the slightest sarcasm.

Waiting an entire day to put on a cute costume to go collect candy from people who tell you how adorable you are is pure torture for a kid. By the time Daddy came home, Bella had already wiped off her rosy cheeks and yanked out her bow, Ava had a run in her pantyhose (get used to it, love) and her nose was green slime. The whining had nearly driven Mommy over the edge as she was beginning the sick day from hell.

However, once we showed up at the fall festival (I think it is so silly that this is the new Christian "PC" for Halloween) and saw all the fairies, princesses, goblins and an entire family of The Incredible (seriously. How cute is that?) Bella and Ava both lit up with excitement.

We ate, we walked, Bella jumped in the bounce houses, exiting them as only a princess could.

Ava walked and ran everywhere. Yes, ran, at least as much as pudgy tiny legs can muster up. I envisioned her face planting in the asphalt as she decided to test her new skill, in new shoes and a fluffy costume. My heart couldn't keep functioning in my throat so we distracted her with a brain-rattling carnie train ride.

It really was a fun family night watching the girls enjoy themselves so much. Then with amazement as our three year old ran like a freight train fueled by pure fructose until she crashed into a cotton pillow wall. First thing she asked for the next morning? Candy, of course.

How was your Halloween, or, Fall Festival?

Tub Talk

2007-10-24T12:16:00.001-04:00

"Look, Mama, I have a tail!" *splish splash*

She pretends to look sad, eyes downcast.

"I wish I was a yuman."

A human?

"Yes. I wish I was a yuman so I could marry my guy."

I don't say anything, I just keep scrubbing her down, probably a little too vigorously.

"Alls I have is this tail. I have two arms, a tummy and seashells on my boobies. See?"

"But (again with the downcast eyes) I wish I was a yuman like my guy. Papa told me not to go to the Seawitch but I did'n listen. Papa wants me to stay with him and my sistuhs but I need my man so I need legs."

A dramatic sigh as she splish-splashed some more.

Rather than throw up on us both, I silently curse Disney and offer to wash her hair in the pretend beauty salon, complete with Marge the Hairdresser. When that distraction failed, I dangled the promise of a popsicle if we ended this episode of Mermaid Angst immediately.

Sugar overrules a guy any day when you are three.

67 Days, 1597 Hours, 95824 Minutes..now 95823 Minutes..

2007-10-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

...'till Christmas.

Last year was a nightmare trying to shop with two babies. I can only imagine the hellish adventure this year with a very verbal 3 year old and fidgety one year old who wants to roam the aisles (Roam. HA. Try run) rather than sit in the cart.

And because I am SOOOO smart n' savvy, I am doing most of my shopping online. It is fantastic. Some stores offer free shipping, some $5 across the board, others have online specials. It is very fun and I can load up the virtual cart, change my mind five times, then order!

However, it appears that I've forgotten who I am.

Yesterday, one of my husband's gifts arrived. I diligently put it in the Christmas gift box hidden somewhere in my house.

On the way home for dinner, we're just chatting about our day and the upcoming week. Out of nowhere, I change the subject and blurt: So do you want your Christmas present now?

Him: Um, what?

Me: Well DO YOU?

Him: Sure, is it shoes?

Me: YES

Him: Dress shoes?

Me: Eh...no. Shoes? Pshaw. What shoes? I haven't gotten you anything yet. Quit pestering me! Christmas is still two months away!

In my opinion, he stared at me a little too long for a person who's driving a small tank.

Head On! Apply Directly To The Forehead. Head On!

2007-10-17T10:38:00.000-04:00

I'm kidding. This is not a commercial for Head On!

Actually I want to answer Dr. J's question about feverfew. My husband gets seasonal migraines and suffered for years because Excedrin and Tylenol don't work. The migraines would be so bad he could hardly function at work. It was awful and broke my heart to see him go through each attack.

Then a long-time trusted family doctor suggested he try feverfew rather than a prescription that could lead to issues with high blood pressure.

Feverfew, High-Parthenolide, commonly known as Bachelor's Buttons, contains niacin and iron and provides nutrition to the central nervous system. This herb offers nutritional support for migraine headaches. High-Parthenolide Feverfew delivers 500 mcg of parthenolide in a total of 212 mg of feverfew--from a specially grown "high parthenolide" feverfew leaf--per capsule. Parthenolides are sesquiterpene lactones, the major dietary components of feverfew.

These have saved his life and if that seems too dramatic then it definitely saved his sanity! He starts taking feverfew late summer and continues on through spring. It takes about a month for the feverfew to really be effective and that's why he begins taking it before fall starts.

Of course no woman should take this if she's pregnant or nursing. And I highly recommend the pills with the crushed feverfew leaves as opposed to feverfew free leaves for tea. Unless you like the taste of dirt and bark, then more power to you :)

------

Thank you everyone for all the advice and thoughts on organics! I definitely have to continue my research, especially on those items like milk that we use every day. Silly me thinking I could trust companies to just do the right thing :)

It Ain't Easy Being Green

2007-10-14T17:57:00.000-04:00

It started with recycling. Hubby began insisting on recycling about three years ago and I think we're pretty darn good at it.

He buys organic feverfew for migraines (works like a champ!) and organic lotions/deoderants. He tried just baby talc but let me just say that we live in Texas so talc and my nostrils are not man enough for his pits in 100 degree heat.

Then after Bella was born, I made the decision to buy only organic milk and then all organic dairy. Easy enough and makes perfect sense for a baby's body, right? Now if I was a even better mama, we'd be doing goat's milk and not cow but I'm not there yet.

Today we spent a eye-popping amount of money on all organic foods at Whole Foods. And it isn't that it all costs so much more than "conventional foods", just that the additional dollar or two more per item for being organically grown adds up quickly!

There's the argument that studies have shown no advantage to buying organic. I disagree. My husband's family elders grow most of their food or buy it locally from other farmers and they are very healthy, active 80 and 90-somethings. Even with his grandfather smoking like a freight train and drinking more than a brewery can churn out in a day, he still works from 4am to 5pm (okay, with a couple of naps sneaking in).

My husband and I have decided to make some lifestyle changes. We are stepping away from processed foods. Slowly. Gotta give ourselves some time to recover from the lack of instant gratification that comes from boxed cookies or potato chips.

We are committed to eating organic, whole foods. We are going to even switch to more "green" housecleaning products. We plan to grow our own herbs, which we attempted a few years ago until the cilantro went nuts and ended up 4 feet tall with flowers all over. Pretty but not tasty.

I used to make fun of those hippies eating organic but it seems so logical now. We aren't going vegetarian because we don't mind a nice juicy steak. However, we do require that lovely cow be fed grass and not grain.

Sure, there's hype and it is deemed trendy to be organic. Yet it is going back to the basics. Simplifying the human diet as it should be. Will we be healthier? I can't see how we wouldn't be.

Will we be broke? Eh, check back with me on that.

What's Mine Is Mine, What's Hers Is Mine.

2007-10-09T16:19:00.000-04:00

Love is patient and love is kind. Unless you are three and one.

Ava had a fun birthday party on Saturday, complete with balloons, birthday cake and sugar rushes. Bella had a great time trying on all of Ava's new clothes and playing with her new toys.

We've officially begun the lifelong journey of learning to share.

Being a firstborn, I try hard to keep in mind what it's like, rather than get completely frustrated, when Bella kicks her little sister out of her room. Or yells at the 21-pounder for wallowing all over her before she's had her wake-up milk.

Explaining repeatedly that Ava gets first dibs on her own toys or that Bella has to share HER toys within reason is exhausting. Bella simply sees no reason for either.

Beyond sharing things, I work daily to share myself with the girls. I have to remind myself of the emotions that come with being the oldest. There are more expectations with the older child which can result in frustration and jealousy of the little one being canoodled while big sis has to fend for herself more. The balance of teaching Isabella independence yet allowing her to be snuggly and needful is very important to me. And her.

So that brings me to my questions:

What rank, if any, are you in the sibling order?

What have you liked most and least about your place in the birth line?

What, if anything, do you wish your parent(s) had done differently with you and/or your siblings?

Did your parent(s) do anything special just for you?

My husband is an only child and the addition of Ava to the family has already been an eye-opening, amazing experience for him. There's no such thing as a perfect parent, but we strive to be good parents. Our goal is to raise healthy, happy, kind and giving children. The dramatic flair both girls possess is just pink icing on the cake!

One Year Today

2007-10-02T14:40:00.000-04:00

Dear Birthday Girl,

I can't believe we've already had your sweetness for a year!

You are the light of your sister's life. Isabella adores you and loves being your big sister.

You grew from tiny peanut to sittin pretty and before we knew it...

you were climbing into and out of trouble.

However darling you may be, dear Ava,

Willie still doesn't like his ears tugged.

Your smiles, your giggles, the way you cuddle with one arm curled tightly around my neck. How you suck your finger and thumb till they are raw. The way you look at us with a sparkle in your eye just before going off on another adventure, certain to result in shredded paper or half-eaten crayons/playdoh/books.

How your precious nose wrinkles when you are frustrated or simply want to hear yourself breath funny. The way you plink on the piano so proudly while standing on tippy-toe. Or hold a fresh diaper under your naked behind and squat on it as if to help me out. And those sweet, wet baby kisses at bedtime.

Ava Elizabeth, we love and cherish everything about you. Thank you for enriching all our lives.

Love,

Mama, Daddy and Bella

Happy Birthday, Ladybug!!

21 lbs, 30 in
Perfect in every way :)

Puff Jenny

2007-09-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, during a wonderful performance of

Something Imaginary by Isabella,

a cute little bumblebee maraca flew into my face.

This morning, the teacher got a sobbing,

wailing, oops-she-peed-on-the-floor-so-sorry Bella

plus her mother looking like this:

I'm wondering if Ms Woodsen will ask Bella later

today what happened to her mama or

if she'll just conclude that we are fully dysfunctional.

**UPDATE**

Nobody told me that two days later it

would hurt like a mofo and look like this!

I know, I know. POOR ME!