Mrs. Claus at the Gas Station

Inevitably, I forget something on Christmas Day...Italian Stallion always tries to cover all the bases...we grocery shop, we get all the last minute things on the 23rd, so that we can hunker down and just enjoy the next 2 days without a reason to "go out"...but, as I said, it always happens...whether it be milk, or diapers, or forgot something for Christmas dinner...well, it's just something...this year was no exception...

As the girls opened their games, I realized that I had purchased AA batteries...however, the games needed AAA batteries...Bless his heart, he went out IN his christmas pjs to the only gas station still open in town...it went down like this:

Italian Stallion walks into the station and heads to the counter...The little old woman behind the counter has big glasses on, her gray hair up on her head and she's reading a paper...as he approaches he can tell that she's sizing him up...He says, "Merry Christmas"...she responds, after looking him up and down, "Son, the coffee's in the back and the batteries are right here...you aren't the first and you won't be the last!"

He stood there until a smile slowly crept onto his face...she knew exactly what he and evidently many others had already trekked in to get...Merrily he got those batteries and headed back home!!!

Thanks Mrs. Claus!!! We had a great morning!!!

Nutcracker Ballet

Every year since my eldest turned 4, it's been a family tradition to go see the Nutcracker Ballet at Christmas time. AND, every year, I get all teared up thinking how amazing and grateful I am that Anthony and I can do this for our girls...I was an adult before I ever saw this performance...infact, my first time was with my daughter...

My girls LOVE this experience...for weeks leading up, they are dancing with their nutcrackers at home, out come the ballet shoes and tutus...the CDs and all the different book versions that we have of the story...

When THE night arrives, they dress in their little Christmas outfits and matching black capes & muffs and off we go. This year we splurged on some really good seats! Although, I must add, that closer seats may not be all they're cracked up to be...considering my eldest made a comment about the "tights" of the Sugar Plum "prince's"...we got more of a "SHOW" than we were expecting (that's putting it very delicately I believe!:)) ANYWAY, I spent the evening "narrating" the story into E's ear...she got scared when the rats came out and told me how beautiful the flower fairies were...

It was an incredible evening AND to top it all off...the ballerinas came out at the end, after most of the audience had left and signed autographs and talked with the girls...my daughters were on clouds the rest of the night!!! What an awesome time we had together!!!

a quiet spirit..

I wouldn't consider myself a "quiet" person...I am energized by people, by being around people, by talking with people....goodness, I get energized just TALKING in general...my girls will be listening to music in the car and ask, "Mommy, are you talking to yourself again?"...yes, I am one that will have conversations with myself if noone else is around to listen...I think I once told someone that my dream job was to be a sought after public speaker that would talk to captive audiences of thousands...

All that said though, I really do want to have that quiet, gentle spirit...I learned what that was in college...I had a roommate who had it and I thought that I needed to calm myself down in order to "get one"...after a week of walking around being somber & aloof, my roommate finally confronted me and asked me what in the world I was doing...I'm still not quite sure how she answered with a straight face once I described my dilemma and how I was going about solving it...

Having a quiet spirit comes from the inside, not your personality on the outside...BUT...I will say that I think that those that are more introverted, introspective...yes, I might venture to say that they may have an easier time in being in tune with it...

My girls are so very different than me, personality-wise...I don't always understand it...it used to frustrate me because I so wanted to have all the answers for them...but over the few years that they have grown, I have grown too...and grown to LOVE those differences and can see the potential for them as well...

My middle child had a ballet recital today...you understand that if it were me on stage, I'd be ALL over the place...trying to get as many smiles and as much applause as I could...not so much for my little E...Bless her heart, she stayed up there the entire time...but she just STOOD there...in the past I would have been frustrated, wracking my brain trying to think of what I had done wrong and how do I get her to do her part...not any more...

I hugged her to pieces and told her how proud I was of her when the music finally stopped and she walked over to my lap. She's not a performer, she doesn't seek approval from anyone but Mommy & Daddy right now...and she won't people-please just to get applause or attention...(don't get me wrong, she's definitely rambunctious...but mostly just at home or when she feels safe) She said, "But Mommy, I didn't do anything...why are you proud of me?" My heart just swelled, "Because sweetheart, I love you no matter what you do or don't do...I love you just because you are mine!"

What an opportunity to show her love...if she were always performing or wanting to be out front, I think it would be harder for her to relate (as I had trouble) to just loving because. It amazes me the insight my little girls already have about God and his adoration of them...I don't think they struggle just yet with hearing him speak...now if Mommy could quit talking to herself and settle in the quiet once in awhile...hmmmmm...lessons I can learn from my children!

BEFORE

DURING

The turkey cookies we made for a snack...they were a big hit...good thing we saved 2 at home...by the time the girls got to the snack table, they were gone!!!

Beautiful Day!!!

Today was just plain FUN! It was beautiful outside and we ALL went out to play...We raked and raked and had a load of leaves at the end of our slide...the girls took turns figuring different ways to "land" in the pile! Our neighbor girl came over to help! Just had to post the pics, cuz they're just so darn cute!!!
Entitled: Going....Going....GONE!!!

Coming into her own...

What's up Mom? Why are you looking at me like that?

OHHHH...you like the lipstick I found in Sissy's make up purse? Yeah, I liked it too...she showed me how to put it on all by myself!

Here, let me give you a BIG smile so you can have the full effect!!!

Steppin' Out

It's hard for anyone to step out of their comfort zone. We like the "area" we are in and it makes us feel safe and "in control". I've got to believe that we all have one...a comfort zone that is! Anyway, my eldest has always had a thing about being clean. Never used a bib, never had messes on the floor, she never let her nose drip...even as a 2 year old, she would run for a kleenex before I could even get to her, she loves her smocks (that keep her clean when painting), but she never did attempt finger painting (too messy of course)...all that said, every year around this "pumpkin carving" time of year, I always ask if she'd like to help carve one pumpkin. She's content to just draw the face and sit back and watch as we all get up to our elbows in goo...UNTIL THIS YEAR!!!

She actually got into it...it was great...we had stuff in our hair and she was all ready to go! I LOVE when my kids finally feel the confidence that they need in order to step out of that "comfort zone" and try something new! Being a leader is hard, being alone is hard, trying something that you need to be brave for is hard...let's face it...anytime we experience change or something different, it rocks us a little...and I'm learning to be thankful for it...it's that "building character" again!

Sooo...we had a great evening...got MESSY and had some fun...here are just a couple CRAZY pics of the girls!

It's Driving Me POTATOES!!!

I need to write down the little comments that my kids say. Actually, I do write them down...now if I could just remember where i put them...(but that's a whole 'nother topic about my disorganization)...
My eldest just came down the stairs after being in bed for about 15 minutes...you can tell she is perturbed...scratching her side like crazy...and she blurts out, most emphatically and with complete sincerity..."I have a mosquito bite and it's driving me POTATOES!"...
Daddy jumps in with the correction, "Uh, sweetie...that's bananas, not potatoes..."
My girls crack me up! Last fall my husband was trying to get our middle child dressed for church, she kept crying every time he suggested something to wear..."I don't want to wear a frog's tail Daddy!" "Daddy" didn't understand what she was trying to communicate...so he replies, "point out the frog's tail E." She points... "OHHHH...you mean a turtle neck!"
I don't know where they get these cute expressions, but boy it makes me smile when they do!

Ever see that "Friends" episode...?

You know...that one where Rachel is running through Central Park and asks Phoebe to join her...and then Phoebe just starts flailing her arms and kicking her self in the rear end as she runs oblivious to anyone else around her...not a care in the world?

Okay, well if you haven't see it, that's okay...the point of the whole matter is just that Phoebe was carefree, didn't care what anyone thought, she just wanted to run like she did as a child...as fast as she could...at full speed...not worrying what anyone else thought...
Today was beautiful...the sun, the breeze, the sky...just gorgeous...so we ventured outside...
My eldest has been working "oh so hard" on trying to learn to jump rope...consistently...fast...She has really put her all into this...when she started skipping rope around the driveway...her expression, her determination, and her obvious carefree nature of just pure JOY for what she was doing...I had to capture it with a photo...I'm not sure if you can tell on this site that her tongue is out, her hair is all over the place, her back is bent, arms out...she's just giving it all she's got!!!

My second born was enthralled with bubbles...they say that somewhere in the midst of cyberspace and learning toys, "play" got lost...I've actually heard about studies that say that children should play more with things like bubbles, blocks, etc...instead of those computer learning games and the like...I guess it encourages innovation...I don't think she cares what the studies say...she just likes those darn bubbles! So, here are my 3 girls today...they are getting so old...so fast...I need to try to just enjoy more and worry less!

Fairy Homes

We are a household of girls...well, except daddy of course...but, let's face it...he's vastly outnumbered. Therefore, princesses rule and so do american girls, baby dolls, ballerinas, the color pink or purple, dress up clothes, polly pockets and fairies!

I never dreamed that I would be a mom to girls...I always pictured myself as having a little brood of boys...but God knows me better than I know myself...and so today, with joyfulness and glee...we all set out to create some fairy houses in our front yard!!!

I know there is a book out there about these things, but we've never found it...so we just made up stuff as we went...sticks and bark make a great table, clover leaves for placemats, acorn shells for cups...a shell for a bed and leaves for the covers...we worked plenty this afternoon to make this little haven for some small fairy to call home.

I hope they keep that imagination and those niave, playful minds for a little while longer...it's so much fun!!!

I Go In Spurts...

I'm not talking about the bathroom...let's just get that picture out of your head right now!!! I'm talking about blogging...there are times that I feel like I can't write enough about what is happening in my life or what I'm feeling or thinking...and then there are times that either life is just too hectic or I just feel like I have nothing to say (which more me...well, if you know me, that's pretty crazy...I ALWAYS have something to say)
It's October already...I have 50 million things going through my head...they range from topics such as politics (did you watch the vp debate tonight?) to schooling, to bible studies, to house projects, and what in the world am I going to cook for dinner tomorrow night???
So, really, I'm just writing tonight because I can't focus on one thing...I'm rambling and since my hubby has long since gone to bed, I'll just ramble here on the computer!
We took the older girls to see the "musical" of Charlotte's Web tonight ...I put musical in quotations because I conveniently left out that piece of information to my husband when purchasing the tickets. He is all for fun activities with the girls and that includes plays or performances...but, musicals...well, sometimes he just can't stomach it...thankfully it was just an hour and it really was well done...we laughed, my eldest cried (she's read the book, listened to the book, watched the movie both cartoon & the other version...all hundreds of times) but, she's my sensitive one...so when Charlotte died, she crawled on my lap and pushed her fists into her eyes to keep from letting the tears spill over...
I love my girls and the differences I am seeing in them...it amazes me beyond belief that 3 kids coming from the same combination of parents can be so completely different in almost every area! Our baby is starting to spread her wings and we have discovered that she really likes to exert her will!!! holy cow! It's just neat to get to know each one of them...
Okay...so that's it really...no pictures, no funny story...just boring blabbing about my day...or rather, my evening...I'll try to be more focused and "inspiring" some other time...

The Day the Lights Went OUT!

We live in the Midwest...we're not near oceans, gulfs or even lakes...we don't have rolling hills or gorgeous landscapes...we have some old Indian caverns to explore and the parks are really nice...but pretty much, we're just here, livin' life never really expecting anything out of the ordinary...

Enter IKE!!!

He rolled right in this passed weekend and wreaked havoc on many...now I know, it's NOTHING compared to what happened down south...and because of that I even cringe to write this blog entry...and so I do it tongue in cheek, because in the whole scheme of things...it's not that bad...

I know I sound more like a Paris Hilton devestated over a broken nail (sorry PH...since we're not BFF's, I'm not too worried...ANYWAY...) but, just humor me here...

So IKE comes blowin' his way across our suburbia neighborhood...takes a few shingles, trees, even smashes a few cars along the way...but, when he wiped out the electricity...MAN!!!

The first day...it was humorous.

The second day..."hey, we're in Colonial Williamsburg, we can do this!"

The third day...OKAY...I'm GRUMPY!!!

We do have a gas stove top...so I was able to boil water in order to bathe the girls and to wash dishes, etc. Some didn't even have that. Because it's that time of year, the sun goes down much earlier, so those candles came out by 6pm. I think I fretted most about loosing food. Fortunately our dear neighbors loaned us a generator for a few hours each day to keep things cool.

Then there was the laundry. The day the lights went out, I was in the middle of my loads...I had them all piled: the whites, the lights, the darks and the bedding...I had just finished my middle child's bedding and transferred it to the drier...Needless to say, she slept in a sleeping bag that night. I had her sheets hanging up in the doorways of our house all the next day to dry.

We learned to wash our dishtowels and other clothing "necessities" by hand and hang them out to dry on string we tied to two of our dining room chairs. The rest of our clothes that we were able to wash got put all over our backyard (enjoy the pics).

It's over now...the lights are back on...my laundry is almost caught up...I can use my oven and even take hot showers. It's amazing to me how dependent we are on electricity. I guess we'll chalk it up to another family memory to talk about in the years to come!

There are still many here waiting for the power to come back on still...I wonder what their perspectives will be as well...hmmmmmmmm?

Being in the middle is rough sometimes...

The Middle Kid Syndrome...I'm not sure if it's really a syndrome or not...although I can't REALLY intelligently speak of it since I'm a firstborn. Not a lot of people put stock into the whole Birth Order philosophy...but, I can't really deny some key points from it. After all, my husband is the baby of his family...and I will admit that coming from having all younger siblings, entering into a family of all older siblings that were in different seasons of life than us...Well, that took some getting used to...

All that to say...I'm watching my 3 daughters...my eldest definitely has those first child personality traits. She's the worrier, the mothering type, the one that hates to fail and tends to be perfectionistic in even the littlest of areas...My baby is a typical baby...well, she IS a baby right now, but even so, she's the one that likes to get us to laugh, she's been the easiest of sleepers, the carefree one...

Then comes my middle girl...she's my adventurous one, the "it's okay, Mom", the pick herself up and brush off so she can keep going, the bull in the china shop...but she's also at an age where her baby sister gets a LOT of attention because she has to....and her older sister is doing all this new stuff, like soccer or school or piano lessons...and she's just gotta sit there and watch. Granted, she is her BIGGEST cheerleader...always wanting to clap or say "great job"...but you can tell that she sooooooooo wants to get in there herself...

It happened at soccer practice last night. They let her join in the drills, but when it came time for the scrimmage, she had to step out and her heart broke...the tears came in buckets...She had been holding it in as best she could, because she HAD been warned...but when the time came...her little 4 year old heart couldn't take it...

I don't know...I think building character in our children is alot easier SAID than DONE...My heart doesn't do so well with it either...and yet, I look at my Middle Brother...I have to admit, he's smarter, well rounded, laidback and takes life as it comes...so maybe all the "character building" of watching me go first did him some good...just not sure how my Mom handled it at the time...

Sugar Highs with Friends

It's not often that I get out...just me...let me rephrase...me without the girls...It's not anyone's fault but my own. I think I either have the "guilties" if I'm away OR I just have too much stuff to accomplish, OR I'm just too plain tired...

But...there are those rare moments, that I get up the gumption and force a friend or two to join me. Nothing huge...my favorite thing to do in the evenings, when everyone else has gone to bed...is make that Barnes 'n Noble run...just to sit there with all those books and magazines and sip a latte...oh, it's just a bit of heaven.

I have one friend who, when I am with, we can easily sit in the same room and "visit" by exchanging novels that we've each recommended and READ...my husband doesn't count that as visiting, but she and I have a blast...it's just the way we are wired...

Tonight, another fantastic friend of mine, who is due with baby #3 any day, agreed to join me on this evening adventure...let's just say that after Cheesecake Factory slices and a starbucks coffee...we were on massive sugar highs.

We stopped first at the mall in order to get in some quick returns and then head over to BnN...I think the people we encountered thought we were nuts...it's as if our mouths couldn't stop talking...we struck up conversations with everyone and spoke LOUDLY. My friend commented through our stops that we kept getting things "free"...like a free shipping card from TCP, or the hot fudge cheesecakes or the deal at Barnes n Noble...the more I thought about it...I'm sure those poor people were just trying to passify us and get us out of their store quickly!

By the time we got to Barnes n Noble, we had already hit the restrooms a couple of times and kept spotting silly magazines or the EVER lovely SCHOOL BOOKS...I think the phrase is, "Once a teacher, always a teacher..." We were stuck in that school supply area until closing!

There is absolutely no point to this blog entry except to write about a great time that I had with a great friend tonight...I apologize for the lack of excitement or humor...BUT, I had a fun evening...I plan to try to make it happen more often...

Sisters

You'd think with the AMOUNT of pictures that I take, I wouldn't feel like I have a moment undocumented. My camera is at my hip many times throughout the day, whether it be for "planned" special moments or for just ordinary life...but, there are times that we just ARE...no cameras, no video...just BEing...

And yet, inevitably, 1 hour afterwards, I am wishing I had a mounted camera in my house that could just capture our lives 24/7. My girls crack me up...they come up with sometimes, the silliest, yet creative, ways of play. I've learned to act like I'm not listening so that they will continue their dialogue...once I listen in, they start giggling and stop...so I just go about my business and "eavesdrop" while pretending that I'm engrossed in washing dishes or cleaning the floor.

I wish i had a video or picture of them playing today...I can't even write out the "play" they were performing because it wouldn't do it justice...they were just being sisters...not just sisters, they were friends...the way they talked, interacted, played...they know each other so well...sometimes this is bad because they know how to "push the other's buttons"...but most of the time, they "get" each other...and I love it.

I am humbled by their love for each other, the way the forgive so quickly...We just finished a chapter book entitled Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. I read it when I was little and I thought I'd read it to them...we got a kick out of Ramona's behavior towards her older sister. Ramona is quite the pest and I'm amazed at Beezus's patience with her...but, it definitely made my girls appreciate each other a bit more.

Don't be fooled though...my girls fight, tease and exasperate each other DAILY...but, I pray with God's help, that they will always love each other in the end and continue to be friends even when they are older!

Lost Tooth, Two Wheels...what a summer!

I'm sure that this won't be the LAST "summer" related post, but it is that time of the year...the ending of summer...the beginning of school...the ending to the hot days...the beginning of the cool nights...the ending of sprinklers and outside pools...the beginning of campfires and smores...

Our summer has definitely been one of major family happenings. I need to preface this "blog" saying that if you have young children who have active imaginations, I wouldn't advise allowing them to read this particular entry...why? you ask...because I will be addressing some infamous people: i.e. The ToothFairy and Santa Claus...I will just leave it at that...

And so...I begin with my eldest. After a YEAR of a wiggly tooth (at least that's what she tells me) it has finally made it's exit. The permanent tooth is already there, it actually popped up behind the baby one quite awhile go...it was a tad "gross"...just to be honest...but, as a mom, I sucked it up, closed my eyes and pulled that sucker out 2 days ago and it's been "somewhat" blissful ever since...which leads me to my first topic of discussion: The Tooth Fairy...

I need to be honest...Italian Stallion and I haven't necessarily denied the belief of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc...however, we haven't exactly encouraged it...be it our over zealous and paranoid nature of wanting to be sure that our kids understand the TRUE meaning of Christmas and Easter...we kinda skipped over good ole St. Nick and Mr. Bunny...so there you have it...now, what to do about the tooth fairy??? What to do???

Yeah well...I hear the going rate for a first tooth is $5...so that's what my eldest found in her pillow the other night..."Mom, did you put the money there?" she innocently asked that morning. How do I reply to that without lying...YES...CHANGE THE SUBJECT..."Do you want waffles honey?"

When it was all said and done...I didn't lie, she got her coins, I have her tooth, she still play pretend fairies and I'm getting really good at changing subjects... Which is a perfect lead into topic #2: Two Wheels...My 6 1/2 year old learned to ride a two wheeler earlier this summer...about the middle of June...it took about 2 weeks. It was grueling...lots of cheering, encouragement, falls, and bandaids. My "just turned 4" year old came to me yesterday, "mommy, I want to learn to ride a two wheeler like Sissy"...

My first reaction was to...could it be...yes, CHANGE THE SUBJECT...but, she wouldn't be derailed..."Mommy, I REALLY want to do it." I took of the training wheels and practiced for about a 1/2 hour. My parents came into town unexpectedly and "took over" the two wheel practice. Long story short...as I was out running errands I got periodical updates:
1) She can ride down the slope of the grass 11:45 a.m.
2) She can ride the length of the driveway and turn around 12:05
3) Ummm, she just took off down the road to the cauldisac (sp?) and is on her way back 12:15

So...needless to say, it's been an eventful summer...now all we need is little Baby to start walking...YIKES!!!

The Neighborhood Gang

There are 2 other families in our neighborhood that our family happens to click with...It's amazing to me how kids bring people together...I'm so thankful for the little friends my girls have to play with each day. I'm thankful for their parents whom I trust and with whom my children feel safe.

We decided that as an end to the summer fling, the 3 families would head to the zoo for the afternoon/evening to first see animals and then head to the ride area...(ride wristbands only $6 after 4pm...great deal!!!)

So, we got there and the kids had a blast...the dads met up with us moms/kids and we made our way to the rides...

It was a fun evening...the dads were quite the sports, riding the rides. We came to the conclusion that we are a lot older now...I don't think it was that encouraging now that I think of it...nonetheless, the spinning, the up and down...man, we were exhausted by 8:30pm...WHAT IN THE WORLD?

At one point, my eldest had a bit of a hard time with something...my husband is so wonderful with her...he "gets" her...he sees that heart...I couldn't resist snapping a shot of him with her.


Fortunately, everything turned out fine and they were up and running again! I can't believe we stayed out that late with our littlest one, but it was worth it. I'm so thankful for those families and the friendships we've made here. Great Ending to a Day!

House Rules and other memories

I'm not sure how we got onto the topic of conversation at the dinner table...of course, I think that's how most good memories are...you don't really remember what triggered them, but you sure have a good feeling about the entire experience...

So, somehow we got talking about rules...not sure if it was other families' rules or school rules or what, but that got us into our own house rules...

The girls start sweetly with rules we live by...here are some examples:

*Love Jesus with all your heart
*Be kind to your sisters
*Obey Mommy and Daddy
*Clean up after you make a mess

Somewhere in the midst of the meatloaf and mixed veggies, they got a little off track and the giggles ensued...here are more "important" house rules they came up with:

*Don't wash your hands in the toilet
*Don't nature tinkle in the middle of the living room
*Don't swing from the ceiling fan
*Don't jump out of the upstairs windows (should I be worried that they ONLY mentioned the UPstairs windows???)

Anyway, you get my drift with this story...at this point, it could only get worse, we were all laughing so hard coming up with incredibley ridiculous, and dare I say, rules that centered around the "potty"...they were cracking themselves up, let alone just me and their daddy!!!

Which brings me to our next memory made today: the Farm Market! I have to admit that we live in just the best neighborhood ever! We kinda live out of the way of the city...I affectionately refer to it as the "boonies" but it's not really that far...it just feels like it...I mean, the neighborhood DID just get cable, even if we don't have sewers yet. It just feels homey here, everyone watches out for everyone else...the kids are not just well behaved, but fun and sweet and just all around neat kids to be around...and the parents are actually cool too:)


The kids decided to raid everyone's gardens, moms made zucchini bread, we tied up our herbs in bundles and we had ourselves a little farm market....and threw in some lemonade to boot! We only charged 25 cents for any one thing on the table. The kids had a blast and we actually made about $10 for the hour we were out there. It was fun to watch them make their little sign and wave down customers...even if they did eat up all the free samples of bread before anyone even got to our store.




Oh and yes that is a little red cash register...it has a little microphone and everything...it was interesting to hear my middle child talking into it loudly, "the customer would like a zucchini for 25 cents please". The money was then paid, the little chime would sound and then all the kids would ask for more lemonade for themselves...

Just another memory in the making!

Community Carrot

Okay, so we've been sooooooo patiently waiting for our garden produce to be ready to "harvest"...I know that it's only the beginning of August, but to a 6 and 4 year old, planting in May seems like a longggggggg time ago...

Who am I kidding, to a 34 year old it seems like a longggggggg time ago...I was ready to start pickin' something. We've already gotten our zucchini, but after 10 million of them (well, that might be an exaggeration...) I wanted something else...so, I decided we could pick ONE carrot...just to "test" and see how it was growing of course.

Just so you understand: because of my lack of patience the first time around, the carrots are kinda all over. I planted them in one spot and they didn't grow fast enough for my liking so I replanted some beans...I was upset about this because it was an entire pouch of carrot seeds that were "wasted"...but, low and behold, 2 weeks later, up come the carrots, in between the beans...therefore, we have these roaming carrots sticking up and I ended up planting "official" rows of carrots in a different location. (This time I was more patient and just let them be however, are about 3 weeks behind the roaming ones...)

All this to say...I couldn't wait another second, I HAD to see how big these carrots got...so I let the girls pick the biggest one and we all took a bite! YUMMY...and I don't even like veggies that much!

Everyone got in on the action...even my little 4 tooth wonder. I don't think that I necessarily have a green thumb...but, it could have a shade of sage or hunter in there right?

All Good Things Must End...

I actually wanted to entitle this post, "My Boobs Hurt"...perhaps that was just a bit of TMI...but there you have it anyway...I'm supposing only those that really know me read this thing anyway...



Sooo onto my ramblings: I have officially finished nursing...it's done, over, finite, bye bye, (there's a french saying here that I can't remember how to spell...) Okay, so it's not that I'm in a deep depression or anything, but it's a little bittersweet I have to be honest.



My baby is 1. She's probably our LAST baby too...there are only 2 things that I see that I will never be able to do again: 1) be pregnant 2) nurse...all the other stuff can come back again with being a grandparent (which is a longgggggggg way off)



I did not necessarily enjoy being pregnant...it was fun in the middle maybe, but the beginning was yuck and by the end I was ready to be done...nursing is opposite...it starts out a little rough, but then it becomes this incredible thing. Maybe it's my need to be needed, but it just touches my heart when she is cuddled close and I'm the only one that give her what she needs...plus, I did enjoy actually HAVING a chest for a few months...



But, that time has ended...now, don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to being able to participate in activities that my older ones are involved in...my ability was so limited before....however, it's still a little sad...she's alllllllllmost walking, she drinks her milk from her big sippy cup and all my old bras are WAYYY too big!!!



So, that's my lament for tonight...Italian Stallion comes home tomorrow...I'm sure my mood will greatly improve and the self-pity will diminish once he's here...oh, just can't wait!!!

The End of Charlotte

Normally, she's my rough and tumble kid...things kinda roll off her back...she brushes herself off..."I'm okay Mom" and she's off and running again. She's quick to see when other's need that "push" to get back in the game...she's been there...

So it sometimes catches me off guard when something drives home to her heart so intensely...and yet, for a little one, that "something" could be anything...

Tonight, it was a spider.

We have lots of spiders around here...I don't like to kill them because they catch the flies and gnats and they don't really bother me all that much. The girls on the other hand, do NOT like them. And my middle child LOVES to be the hero...to squash the invader and save her sisters from infinite peril...(you know, from those killer ants and monstrous fruit flies...)

We're headed out for our nightly bike ride and low and behold...a spider, on the driveway...she rushes to it, bends down to inspect...yes indeed, it IS a spider...fairly large, will definitely fit under her flip flop and WHAM down it comes...as mommy is yelling in the background, "wait, don't kill it..."

too late...yes, too late for that poor spider...what she didn't realize until after, was that it was a mommy spider with over 20 teeny tiny baby spiders riding on it's back...as her foot was just hitting, that mommy spider shook off the babies and they went scattering everywhere...

"I killed the Mommy...they will never have another Mommy..." and the tears came in buckets...

It broke my heart...she informed me before bed that she will NOT be killing another spider ever again...and she wanted to be sure that Jesus wasn't going to forget to watch out for those baby spiders...

That's my simple story for today...We are without TV, nor DVD player ( I think I just broke it), I've read all my books from the library and my husband is in California...it's a lonely night!

Projects

Okay...I'm a projects guru...maybe I should change that to addict? The problem is that I can't seem to stick to one thing...I get excited about something (I see the end, the final project in my head)...then I get impatient and do one of two things...either drop it completely OR hurry through it to get to the end...(It's that instant gratification problem I have too)

So, I started cleaning the house yesterday...got distracted by the garden...couldn't lift the bag of weeds and dead plants so I left it in the garden and trudged back inside...started on project #1: the painting of the old wooden tray. I was really excited with this one...found some old paint, got it all done, hardly waiting for the coats to dry in between...had the bright idea to varnish it...only varnish I could find in the basement was high gloss...who cares, I want it done...

Yeah, so I spent about 2 hours today sanding the entire thing down for the 2nd time, that gloss is hard to get off...

Project #2 was the sewing of the placemats...again, patience is a virtue and I am lacking in that virtue...Let's just say that oblong is the new rectangle at our house!!! hey, they are at least DONE! If they make it through one spin in the washer, I'll be happy!

My dad and I had a talk recently about how I have inherited a syndrome...I don't really have a name for it...it's just that I've got too many hobbies or things that I'm interested in and I never seem to finish anything...you've got to see my dad's barn to understand...but ya know, perhaps that could be called adult ADD??? who knows...

This is my 2nd time around trying the blogging...got totally sucked into facebook...so we'll see where this leads!!!