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?