A Good Day All Around

Today was quite full of good news. Apparently one of the other wine reps just upped and quit and the bosses dropped her accounts into Andy's lap.

Let's all say a prayer of thanksgiving. This family will continue to eat.

Andy came home a little earlier this afternoon and since I'm terribly concerned with his emotional well-being, I dropped everything and left him to babysit.

Because the second he walked in the door I realized I could potentially use him being home for the much-anticipated and all-important matter of getting my hair cut. So I flipped through the yellow pages, picked out the best-looking ad, called to see if they had someone that could cut my hair RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE and grabbed my keys. All in about, oh, 4 minutes.

A new haircut. It does a mama good.

And then I took advantage of being out alone and ran in the mall to exchange some jeans I had bought for Madeline (because I'm pretending fall is right around the corner). And as I neared the store I read "25% Off Entire Store!" Well, this must just be my lucky day. They even let me have the sale price off of my receipt even though I didn't have all the items there with me. The difference was exactly -$3.61. But it made me feel better. I mean, that's a whole half a pair of socks or something.

Oh, and today was my mom-in-law's birthday. And I've been prepared ALL MONTH LONG! I might have mentioned it before. Anyway, so she just opened her present and as far as I can tell is really excited about making rice the modern way.

And I'm excited about my hair. A good day all around.

(Very) Random Tidbits

I wore a flower in my hair today. Just thought you might want to know that. Andy liked it.

And then proceeded to tell me about how it reminded him of the Top 50 Celebrity Fashion Faux Pas something or other that he saw on TV. Something about a mostly-beautiful green dress but that it had a bow on the shoulder that was nearly the size of an elephant.

Apparently he did not think my flower was dainty or petite. But he liked it nonetheless. Men.

I also should mention that his orientation was today at the seminary. He starts class on Monday. Here we go! Last chance to take a peek around before the rollercoaster heads toward a looming drop-off.

So since Andy was busy with school stuff and most likely going to be gone all day, I decided to use the last free kids' meal coupon for Chick-Fil-A that we got sometime during VBS week. (Since it clearly does no one any good once it expires.) And if you think three small children by myself at a fast food joint sounds like volunteered torture, you're probably right.

It really wasn't as bad as all that. I let Drew sit in a real chair and kept the girls buckled snugly into the double stroller. That stroller is an old, trusty friend. The worst part was after lunch when Drew ran around unrestrained while I was trying to get the baby back into the sling and then I had to catch him to put him back into the stroller. I could feel the eyes watching me then. I've gotten used to the eyes. And the "wow, you have your hands full!" comment I know is coming as soon as anyone looks at me with their mouth open.

You know, sometimes I want to ask the old ladies huddled over in the corner eating their chicken sandwiches if they knew they were coming to the restaurant for food and entertainment. Because my kids are committed to providing them with only the best.

Oh! I finished picking out paint and carpet. So now I'll just continue to hold my breath until I actually see it. The phrase, "nervous anticipation" comes to mind.

And lastly, as we were driving home from church tonight we smelled a skunk. And then I heard, "Mommy, my nose hurts!" Well put, Drew, well put.

Diapers and Tricks. Oh, and House.

Guess where we went today. No really, guess!

Target! (I'm sure you're shocked.) But nothing exciting, I was just mostly out of diapers and toothpaste. (And, I might as well just say, I'm a very loyal Pampers mom. But Luvs were significantly cheaper, so we'll try 'em out. I'll let ya know.)

While I was there browsing through the handbags (because really, who can resist those?) Andy called to say that we weren't approved to rent the house. That was followed by a pause and then, "just kidding!"

What a booger.

Apparently we have really fabulous credit. Who knew?!

So I think we're set to move October 1. If all goes well with the renovations, that is. I'm supposed to have carpet and paint all picked out by, um, TOMORROW.

Y'all, the pressure.

I told Andy's mom about him trying to trick me on the phone. When Andy came home from work she came out and said that our friend had called - didn't we hear? and the message said there was a fire at the rental house.

I'll be honest and say that I almost peed in my pants. Or had a heart attack. Or both.

But really she was just trying to get him back for the above "just kidding" trick. Except she totally got me, too. UNFAIR, SO UNFAIR! It seriously took thirty seconds for my heart to stop beating so fast.

I'm still deciding if I should try to get her back for getting me while getting Andy back.

You know, spice things up a bit.

I'll let ya know.

Princess Leia Hair

Or something like that.

I got a bunch of remarks from the last post about my hair being so long. Which, by the way, I'm chomping at the bit to get it cut. So, talking about long hair - I thought I'd also post these:

5 Months

It hardly seems possible that much time has passed.



She's a breeze baby, she is.

Breath of (Very) Fresh Air

Today was a much-needed break of a day. Last week was just plain rough. I'm not even going to talk about it because I'd rather just forget the whole thing ever happened.

So! My mom-in-law had planned for us to go out to tea with one of her friends from the church. Andy was duly warned, oh about three weeks ago, and was buttered up good for his solo day with the kids. We weren't even set to leave until after 1, but he took it upon himself to play with them all morning so I could take care of the baby and, also, get ready.

Which meant he was ready for a break right when we were ready to walk out the door. I think his words were, "now I know how you feel."

Oh, buddy. You ain't got a clue.

But! On the bright side, it was naptime. So he put them down for a nap and as far as I knew, went on his merry way.

[Now may I just interject here? One of his ideas was to take the kids (All! Three! Kids!) to the church pool party, also going on today. I'm not really sure what drug he was hallucinating on, but I talked him out of that idea right quick.)

Y'all. A couple of towns over is a shopping/dining extravaganza I never even knew existed! (And we only walked past the entrance to the tearoom three times before we finally realized where it was. It looked more like a flowery home-decor shop.) I don't even need to tell you that I enjoyed every sip and every bite. Oh, and, without children.

And then the three of us walked around in the "feels like 104" heat and window shopped. That's the kind of 'shopping' that makes you break the Tenth Commandment even if you are trying really hard not to.

I didn't spend a penny.

Not that I didn't want to at times, mind you. And then we drove home. Sigh.

I walked in the house to find that instead of their usual three-hour nap, the kids had only slept about an hour. I kind of felt sorry for Andy but then I remembered this was a measly taste of the battering I get daily. So I put that thought right out of my little head. And, besides, he seemed in quite good spirits when I got home.

After dinner, we put the kids in their jammies and left them with the in-laws and went to see "The Bourne Ultimatum."

I don't even remember the last time I went out, alone, with Andy. So it was high time for a real date. And this time, since we'd just finished dinner, we actually refrained from the popcorn drowned in fake butter. I know, a true battle of self-control.

Oh, the movie. Well, you'll just have to go see it.

A Talkin' Girl

These are funny to me because they were totally unexpected at the time. A friend who also has a first boy and then a daughter said I would be amazed at how fast Madeline would catch up to Drew. With words, anyway. Maybe not quite that yet, but she's coming along.

Me: "Madeline do you want some ice cream?" Her (nodding head): "in a bowl!"

"She all wet. She ano'er shirt." (Adelaide sucks on her clothes.)

"Watch the bus?" (meaning the "Wheels on the Bus" song on dvd.)

"Where my pu-ple banket?" (purple blanket)

"I wanna see Pidge." (The dog's name is really Pudge.)

"I wanna take a nap." Yes, she really said that. And yes, she really took one then.

"I'm not stinky. I just wet." Think she's ready to be trained? Now if only my mental stamina would catch up, I might actually try it.

Maybe in my next life.

Back In Business

After some minor connection problems (such as Andy slamming on the breaks and launching the laptop off the passenger seat and breaking the wireless card) we are finally back up and running. All I can say is thank goodness for insurance.

No, Pampers is not paying me for advertising.

I stumbled across these a little while ago. (Well, by "stumbled," I really mean the blinking red "SALE!" sign caught my eye.)



They now live next to the dining room table. I love them because they have just enough wetness and soap (or whatever it is; I'm not really into label-reading) to wipe a greasy face clean - but do not leave any residue (like most regular diaper wipes). They are incredibly soft and really strong. I only have to use one per meal... I rinse it after wiping one kid's face and use it on the other. And then rinse it again and wipe the table. It's really just like a pre-wetted/soaped washcloth that you can throw in the trash when you're done.

And I'm all about throwing things in the trash when you're done.

Oh, and Madeline loves how they smell. Bytheway.

Rainy Day Survival

[I wrote this for Monday. Oh well. It rained again today anyway so the same stuff applies.]

It rained today. All. Day. Long.

But Madeline and I had a tender mother-daughter moment. "Pretty!" "Pink!" "See?"


I think the purple plush background is a nice touch, don't you?

And, do you know how hard it is to take a picture of a two-year-old's feet? I must've taken ten blurry ones before I finally held her down and got a good shot. She clearly wasn't too enthusiastic about showing her pretty pink toes to Blogland.

We also had some quality time with the Play-doh. I like it because I can sit and play with them and it's fun for me, too. I also stay because I do not want to see what level of ruin they could achieve if left to their own devices.




And, this one's from today. If you could just imagine the look of surprise when Drew fell right through the bottom of the overturned Rubbermaid he had been jumping on.

Quite Frank-ly

This weekend, as in the one that just passed, we had our very first visit from a Ch@ttanooga friend.

A FRIEND! THAT CAME TO SEE US!

And confirmed for us that our kids have more energy than charged electrons. Like I didn’t know that. Anyway.

Friday night Andy and Frank ate dinner in Atlantic City (at one of Andy’s restaurant accounts, obviously). I’m sure it felt just like old times, but not. I can’t comment on either the food or the conversation because I don’t have ESP.

Since the guys were gone, the kids and I spent the evening at Target, naturally. Saturday morning we ate pancakes and then went to see the aforementioned house. And then while I stayed with the kids during their nap (Mommy, the Babysitting Slave), Andy and Frank drove down to Longwood Gardens. They named it as their most extraordinary plant experience, ever. Which might be saying something.

[I confess, the whole prospect sounded a little dull to me at the time and I was quite happy to stay home and stare at Mr. TV. But probably if I had seen the website and what beauty is to behold there, I might have been a little jealous.]

Saturday evening we ordered pizza (because what else is there to eat on a Saturday night?) and the guys went to a movie so I could, yet again, be Mommy, the Babysitting Slave. But I really didn't mind. They went to see “Transformers.” And that’s when I asked Andy, ‘uh, how old are you?’

All in good fun, of course.

Yesterday, being Sunday, we went to church. And then came home. And then ate a lasagna that Mommy, the Kitchen Slave made. For more on that riveting meal, click here.

And then Frank was off. I told him next time, to please bring his wife.

We Might Be Moving

This is more like an e-mail, really. Except instead of writing a mass e-mail and trudging through my contact list, I'm just going to post it here. For simplicity.

The story:

The church we're attending here has a classical Christian school attached to it. They just bought a huge tract of land (by local standards, anyway. This is not Montana.) to renovate into the new school campus. It was originally a small military academy, and most recently, something else (name deleted for security purposes). Well there is a house on the property that is currently being used as an office building. The school wants to renovate it back into a house and rent it out to some nice happy family folks.

That's where we come in.

So our friend from the church (who is the Mr. Money Bags of the venture, far as I can tell), showed us around the place this morning. Andy saw it Wednesday night but I had other obligations to attend to (Mommy, The Bedtime Slave). It looks quite promising. I mean, when you're living with your in-laws, doesn't anything with four walls you can call your own look promising? (I'm just kidding. I love my in-laws. I just don't want to live with them for the rest of my life.)

Right now it looks, well, rather office-y. Stark white walls and old faded indoor/outdoor carpet. And a huge copy machine right smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. The showers were taken out of the bathrooms and there is no stove. Quite useful things for a home you plan to, you know, live in.

BUT! If we decide we want it, they can start the renovations right away. And I would get to pick the carpet. And the wall paint. Have you ever heard of such a sweet deal? (That was rhetorical, bytheway.)

Alright, details, details. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms. The room we'd use as the master bedroom (it could really be an upper-level family room) is enormous as far as bedrooms go. I could have my own sitting area. Where I can have my maid bring me hot tea and fashion magazines. There's also a door that leads out to a small deck/porch area. And a bay window.

The two other main bedrooms are a good size. I'd put Drew in his own and make it a big-boy room. No more of this baby nursery powdery blue. The girls would get the other room. It would be pink, naturally. There's even two closets in there. And the fourth bedroom could pass for a shoebox but it will do just splendidly for a study/office. For Andy. Since that's why we moved here.

The lower level - it's a lot of space but really low ceilings. Oh well. One can't be too picky. All the windows (and there are a lot of windows. Love those.) are relatively new and easily go up and down. It's really bright and sunny from all the light pouring in. Which will be good in March when I'm suffering from the 'everlasting winter' depression.

The kitchen is big enough to accommodate a good-sized table and chairs. Then the living room area (did I mention the low ceilings?) is about half the length of the house and is a pretty good size as well. It's more space than our house in Ch@ttanooga. And then there is a utility/storage room where they are going to also have the laundry stuff. (So I can continue to be Mommy, The Laundry Slave.) That room is huge, too, probably bigger than the kitchen.

Oh, and since it's relevant, the utilities will all be lumped together in a flat monthly fee. Which includes phone and cable. Just thought you'd want to know.

Oh, and the school playground is in the backyard. A nice feature.

All in all, once the renovation is complete, it would be a really comfy house for whoever will move in. We'll just pray for now that it will be us!

Coffee Girl

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Hair Washing and Other Things

I started to feel bad that I talk so much about my kids here. And then I remembered - it's mainly a mommy blog, afterall. So if you find this kind of stuff boring, well, click away to the next blog, my friend.

Moving right along.

Madeline tried to wash her own hair again today, sans water. I actually had the camera close by, too.




There was, as always, a mess in her wake:



Then later this afternoon I was holding the baby and sitting with the kids in their room. I was the proverbial fly on the wall for one of their precious 'conversations' as they were going through Madeline's drawer in search of jammies. (I always dress my kids in jammies for naptime because they sleep about an hour longer that way. And I'm all about longer sleep.)

"Dwew, hewp!" And then, "You need help, Ma-line? Here, let me help you." When she managed to pull her pajama pant over her foot, "yay, Ma-line, good gwirl! That's a very good gwirl!" It just tickles me pink to see him try to be the big boy when he's still so little himself.

I also snapped a picture of them playing "tag" today. Although, they don't call it that. They just run around screaming and chasing each other until one (or both) of them gets hurt. (And, yes, that's "Cars" playing in the background...it was an ordinary day.)



An ordinary day that also included playing Miss Piggy Nose:



And, last but not least, I snapped a series of Adelaide in her pink chair. If you're not already bored to tears, just click on the picture.



Happy Weekend, y'all.

Note To Andy

The coffeemaker works much better if you actually put water in the back.

I'm just saying.

Quite the Flying Scare

Just when I was thinking how lazy and uneventful today has been, and that I had nothing really worthy of a post, Madeline decided to go and spice things up a bit. With a flying jump that would make any circus stunt man jealous.

Context.


See that tweed piece of furniture posing as an innocent loveseat? Don't be deceived. I was sitting across from Madeline on the porch swing, enjoying the lovely afternoon and the break from the heat. She climbed up on the table and I can't really give any reason as to why, except that she's a natural-born, world-class climber and she just does such things.

Then she hopped on over on to the "loveseat." But it's really a launching-pad springboard type device only posing as a brown tweed loveseat.

She did not even pause for a breath at the deck rail. She flew right on over and landed somewhere down below on the black top. So that you can get a clear picture of how high she was, notice that the gray shiny thing behind the "loveseat" is the top of my minivan.


I nearly had a heart attack right there on the spot.

Of course my main concern was if she was still alive - but she was wailing loud enough to wake anyone sleeping in a hundred-mile radius. My next concern was if she could still move. But she was picking herself up by the time I raced down and around the steps.

We sat and cuddled on the porch swing for the next twenty minutes while we both calmed down. Really, though, she only cried for a minute or so. Obviously it scared her way more than anything (me too!). I'm so thankful she wasn't hurt. I don't even want to think about what could have happened.

And I think we'll find a new location for the launching-pad springboard type brown tweed "loveseat."

Fun Monday

Welp, I suppose I should take a break from all the shoe shopping going on around here and post about today. It was a Very Fun Day in the grand scheme of the summer. As I mentioned earlier, my mom and sisters are here on their way down to Covenant. And if you don't think that we're on the way from Colorado to Georgia, you haven't met my mother. (I.e. "Let's take a road trip to Washington State and oh, let's stop in Maine while we're at it.")

First, as all good days start, we went to Target. (The shoe shopping.) By the way, did I ever tell you that for a grand total of one dollar at the Target snack bar, you can purchase a full bag of popcorn AND a drink? BOTH! FOR ONE DOLLAR! It's my stay-awake-in-the-car-till-we-get-home-for-your-nap tactic for my kids. They each get a cup of it and of course I drink the Diet Coke. It makes us all happy. For a dollar.

Anyway.

My mom kept the kids and my sisters and I (with their vast collection of sunglasses - more to choose from, my friend) drove down to Ocean City. The only mishap on the way down was getting off the toll road too early. In the process of turning around we ended up paying the toll three times. THREE TIMES. Instead of ONE.

We walked the boardwalk and peeked in several shops, got our feet wet, stopped for ice cream - everything you'd expect to do while at the beach.



(And thankfully you can pay for parking with a credit card since we spent our cash on THREE TOLLS!)

It's hard to believe my little sisters are all growed up and going to college. We had so much fun Cassandra and I fell asleep straight away while Carrissa missed the expressway home. Next thing I knew we were halfway to New York. We weren't planning on seeing New York. Fabulous as it is and all.

It was, however, a beautiful drive back, complete with a pretty sunset:


We met Andy, my mom, and the kids at Chili's for dinner. Because all Very Fun Days end by eating dinner at Chili's.



As you can see, Drew is very serious about his salsa. We've trained him well, I'd say.

Alumni Newsletter Meme

I'll post this one, too, since it's been collecting dust in my draft box.

Alumni Newsletter Meme, courtesy of BooMama, et al.

[Write two blurbs for the alumni newsletter, updating your life. The first should be the perky, show-offy kind that everyone writes. The second should be the darker side of honest.]

Version 1: On the same day as graduating from Covenant College ('02) with a history major, Moriah married the ever-handsome Andrew. They stayed in the Ch@ttanooga area for Andrew to finish up his music/voice major. During that time Moriah worked for a prestigious law firm in downtown Chatt. After two years of blissful marriage their beautiful son, Drew, was born. Moriah has since been a full-time mother, enjoying her role more than she can say. The couple had a daughter, Madeline, in 2005, who is full of life and provides endless entertainment for all those who know her. The newest baby, Adelaide, was born four months ago and is all smiles and baby fat. After managing the St. John's Restaurant/Meeting Place for a number of years, Andrew has since decided to improve himself and serve the Church by going to seminary to become a pastor. The family moved from Ch@ttanooga to somewhere up North and is currently living in the fabulous posh accommodations provided by his parents.

Version 2: On the same CRAZY day as graduating from Covenant College ('02) with a history major, Moriah married the ever-handsome Andrew. They usually see eye-to-eye. They stayed in the Ch@ttanooga area for Andrew to finish up his music/voice major. During that time Moriah worked for a law firm in downtown Chatt. She decided she'd rather be a mother. After two years of mostly-blissful marriage, their beautiful son, Drew, was born. He can wear out even the best of mamas. Moriah has since been a full-time mother, enjoying her role more than she can say but sometimes wants to lock herself in the bathroom and cry in the shower. Their daughter, Madeline, was born in 2005, who is full of life and provides endless entertainment for all those who know her. (As well as endless opportunities to clean up messes.) The newest baby, Adelaide, was born four months ago and is all smiles and baby fat. She also loves to poop. After managing the St. John's Restaurant/Meeting Place for a number of years, Andrew has since decided to improve himself and serve the Church by going to seminary to become a pastor. The family somewhat sorrowfully moved from Ch@ttanooga to somewhere up North and is currently living in the quite comfortable accommodations provided by his parents. For continued coverage of the family's current state of life, please see the post "Reflections," also listed in this blog.

High School Spirit Gone Bad

I saw this meme floating around maybe two weeks ago and thought it'd be somewhat entertaining to revisit high school memories.

1. Who was your best friend? Cynthia Halls. We wore the same purple dress to prom and I knew instantly she had good taste. I can't believe I'm posting these pictures for all of Blogland to see.



2. Did you play any sports? Yes, yes, yes. Not that you could tell by my mommy physique now. I played 9th grade softball. I’m too old to remember anything about it now. I was on the swim and diving teams my sophomore year. Went to state for individual diving and made a specticle of myself. And I did cheerleading my junior and senior years. We competed and went to nationals in CA. Both years. We were good. See?



Here's the "non-serious" picture taken after nationals:

Don't ask me what that was all about.

3. What kind of car did you drive? A ’96 Saturn SL2 which we still have and my hubby drives. It’s still fairly clean, even. Good lil car.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? At a game in uniform. School events ruled our Friday nights. But most of my friends went to the games anyway and it was fun, fun, fun.

5. Were you a party animal? No because in order to be a party animal you would have to have GONE to parties.

6. Were you considered a flirt? No.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? I sang in the choir all through high school and loved it. (Do not read that to mean I can in fact sing.)

8. Were you a nerd? Uh, no. But yes in the sense that math usually makes sense in my head.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? No.

10. Can you sing the fight song? Yea, I think it’s still ingrained in there somewhere. I sang it every Friday night for two years for crying out loud.

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Had a few… My cheer coach and my calculus teacher were the same person and she was great at both. Also my physics teacher was hilariously funny in his quirky sciency way. Both of their last names escape me now.

12. What was your school mascot? The Knights of Northridge.

13. Did you go to the Prom? Of course, didn’t you?! I’ll crop out my date but here’s me in the limo:



14. If you could go back, would you? No, but it sure was fun while it lasted.

15. What do you remember most about graduation? I had to be on stage with the senior choir all through the ceremony, which I thought was annoying. And I vaguely remember picking up my diploma afterwards and feeling a sense of well, freedom. And then we had that all-night party thing. I clearly was too tired then to remember it now.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? I don’t think we had one since it was sort of a regular occurrence by then. I only had like one class my last semester anyway.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked at Limited Express during the Christmas rush. And made a hill of beans.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? Einstein’s Bros. Bagels. I had a love affair with their asiago cheese and their Caesar dressing.

19. Have you gained weight since then? No comment.

20. What did you do after graduation? My family moved to Virginia and I left for college at the end of the summer. The rest is history, folks, so to speak.

21. What year did you graduate? '98

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Names will not be given to protect the forgotten.

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? I doubt if our senior class officers will have it together enough to organize a reunion. I think it would be far more interesting to go to the ’97 class reunion because most of my close friends graduated then. But I doubt their senior class officers will have it together enough, either.

No Reservations

Now. Andy and I both saw the German original "Mostly Martha" and loved it. (Thanks, Nicky.) So, I was expecting to really not like the remake. But my mom and sisters are here for a few days and they wanted to see it (not having seen Mostly Martha).

Andy and I are not ones to turn down a free movie. Or popcorn drowned in fake butter.

So we all went last night and I must admit, we were more than pleasantly surprised. The trailer, in my opinion, made the movie look, well, not very good. But the movie itself was much better than anticipated. Andy and I both really liked it. (Which is saying something.) I asked him about all the restaurant stuff (since he knows about such things) and he said he felt it was pretty much spot on. Except she wouldn't have gotten that phone call in the kitchen. And who really cares about that?!

And while I'm giving movie reviews here, my parents also recommended to us "Miss Potter." We got it a couple of weeks ago through the mail from "The Blockbuster Netflix," as Andy calls it.

Really liked that one, too.

Case of the Missing (Broken) Salt Shaker

If you haven't read the previous post, you need to do that first. For context.

Okay, so last night I scoured the internet for a replacement salt shaker. There is none to be found, folks. When I realized that, I might have panicked just a little bit. I ran downstairs and hauled the kitchen trash up to our bathroom and I am not too proud to admit that I actually dug through it in hopes of rescuing the broken pieces of Mr. Salt Shaker. Diapers and all.

I was going to glue it back together and cross my fingers, so to speak.

But, there was no Mr. Salt Shaker. Anywhere.

I had another mild panic attack. So this morning I've been a litle on edge about how to break the news to my mom-in-law. When she came out to the kitchen I decided to dive right in and asked her if she got the pieces out of the trash. She didn't know what I was talking about. I told her the whole saga, only to find out she didn't care about Mr. Salt Shaker. Her response was, "do you know how many salt and pepper shakers I have?!"

So, who got those pieces out of the trash?

At least it's not my burden anymore.

Unfortunately I may have to rename this blog

The kids broke the salt shaker. It was my mom-in-law's. I haven't told her yet. But I will, after I order a new one somewhere.

The evidence:




I caught them licking the carpet. It was a proud moment in parenting history.

And, while I'm on the subject of destruction, take a look at this:



That used to be a beautifully-wrapped birthday present for my mom-in-law. Her birthday is in August and I couldn't remember the exact day so I went ahead and got prepared on August 1st. Apparently Madeline thought the present was for her.

And, in case you're wondering - No, Andy's parents do not read this blog. I'm living with them. I need to maintain some semblance of privacy.

I'm just sayin'.

In Other News...

Adelaide:
Yesterday she fell off the big white lazy-boy chair in the living room. Apparently she can roll over. Who knew?! (She's fully recovered.)

Most of her newborn hair has fallen out and I trimmed off the old man mullet. No Dade County hair in this house! I'm sure those thick locks will now be growing in full force.

Madeline:
She will get her own post, as usual.

Drew:
I have no idea how this came up during dinnertime conversation, but it did. (And yes, I have Andy's full permission to reveal what I'm about to.) I must have been teasing Andy for his naturally-tinged yellow teeth. And working on colors with Drew and Madeline. So I asked Drew, "Drew, what color are Daddy's teeth?"

He thought, furrowed brow and everything, for a minute and then,

"brown."

We BUST out laughing. I think they had to scrape me up off the floor.

Really. Long. Day.

Today was one of those days where you actually start to wonder if it's ever going to end. The main air conditioning unit downstairs broke two days ago. Yesterday wasn't so bad. Today was bad. And heat makes a long day worse.

As the kids and I were eating dinner Andy called to say he was still in the middle of an appointment, over an hour away, and it was going to be a late night. No husband to help shoulder the evening responsibilities also makes a long day worse.

So, I decided to change it up a bit (and please let's just get out of this house already). We went to Target. Because that's where we go when there's nothing else fun to do. It was a breath of fresh (AIR CONDITIONED!) air.

I found these toddler visors the kids thought were funny and quite frankly, I'm all about the $1.99 entertainment. I ripped the tags off even before I had my receipt and let the kids wear them out to the car. The fact that it's already dark outside is completely immaterial. Hat's are fun, see?!

As we were driving home I could hear Madeline whining about her hat, trying to get it on. Then I heard, "Got it!" Here's what she looked like when I turned around.



If I had been drinking water I would have squirted it out my nose.

I Just Realized...

that I have some Southern Baptist friends who may read this blog. I hope that last post did not offend anyone. It was just supposed to be funny in typical bloggy fashion.

We're Reformed Presbyterians (currently PCA, to be specific) and believe the occasional beer (or other alcoholic beverage) is o.k.

I hope we can still be friends.

You can thank Andy for this post

I just went to go take a shower. Turned, grabbed a towel and ran for my camera. Full Speed.

This is what I saw:



Take a close look. What is an empty beer bottle and a spoon doing with the shampoo, soaps, and razor blades?

Or should I even ask?

Reflections

I've been thinking about how to write such a post as this for a while. What should I say and what should I not? I feel the need to just get this post "off my chest," so to speak. Please bear with me and I'll warn you in advance it will be long. Too long. Sorry.

I am feeling more settled now and actually have days where I'm even happy. The days of depression come less and less often. I don't think I'll ever feel like this place is home (I've come to embrace my inner Southern girl, y'all), but it's okay for now. What follows are mostly random thoughts. In no particular order and/or significance.

I am learning to find a deeper joy in being with my kids. Let's face it, moving to a new place caused my social life to come to a screeching halt. Almost all of my time is now spent at home alone with them. Andy and I have talked a lot about parenting in the recent months...how my role as mama is not to merely baby-sit them ("let's just make it to bedtime, people!") but to truly love and teach them. It's hard, y'all! Sometimes I'd rather be doing other things than well, playing cars, eating mac n' cheese, and changing the trillionth diaper. Er, that goes without saying.

I'm also learning (sometimes slowly) to enjoy this place for itself. Although Andy's parents aren't home a lot during the week due to their business, it's been really fabulous having them around. Especially for Sunday mornings. Usually they take Drew and Madeline to Sunday school and I can get ready and feed the baby in peace. And drink my coffee hot.

Other things I like about life here:

There is no sales tax on food or clothing. 'Nough said.

I've also enjoyed the occasional break from the summer heat. Up here we'll have typical hot summer days, but a cool day or two usually follows. It's nice to actually be outside during the summer instead of always running for the relief of the air conditioner. And their backyard is a child's paradise.

I LOVE how the laundry is right outside my bedroom door instead of on the other side of the house.

VBS was a wonderful break. It's nice to have quiet mornings once in a while. It was fun to enjoy my newest baby without worrying if the other kids were going to sit on her head.

Some things that are not so great:

The North is not the South. I know. Very Profound. But there is something to be said about good ol' Southern hospitality and you don't quite find the same thing anywhere else.

It's against the law to pump your own gas. Yeah, I agree. And usually the attendants don't speak the king's English and are often rude. And slow. Very slow.

It's also against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving. I can see the safety precautions for that but still it annoys me. Most drivers have those ear pieces that make them appear as if they are talking to thin air. Me, I just put my cell phone on speaker and TALK REALLY LOUD. It works.

I still miss my Chatty friends terribly. That is, by far, the hardest thing. I was used to y'all being around! Oh how I took our impromptu Sunday evening bashes for granted (even though Steve and Andy inevitably fell asleep on the couch). I miss my babysitters (or Nicky, as the case may be), and all those little things I'm now having to do without. And I miss the Restaurant food (I'm talking about the important stuff here!). And my friend D being only a two-hour drive south...

Church stuff... I miss the red Trinity Hymnal, raised hands during the Doxology and the like, having weekly Communion and the loud, hearty (corporate) 'Amen!' I'll miss the ol' Women's Bible Study come fall - my Wednesdays just won't feel like proper Wednesdays.

Of course I miss having my own house. I feel slightly awkward asking folks over since we're sort of just staying here. It's such a weird balance between being *where we live* and *not really our home.* And, as y'all know, I'm nothing if I don't like to have people over. A lot. And I miss that St. Elmo playround for a front yard. That was handy.

This "I miss" list could go on forever, so I'll just end there for now. And sorry for the length, again, but thanks anyway for 'listening.'

The Ice Cream Cone

Yesterday my kids were introduced to the Ice Cream Cone. (Only theirs was black raspberry and not 100% Colombian Coffee. Which means they got a fair night's sleep. Unlike me. Anyway.)

It was love at first lick.

I'm sure it will be a very long and loving relationship.

I Am Wide Awake

It is 1:47 a.m.

An unholy hour.

I had Colombian Coffee Ice Cream for dessert.

That may have something to do with it.

Madeline and The Bat

Ew. 'Tis true.

My mom-in-law walked inside yesterday afternoon and said "Madeline found a dead bat."

I'll let that sink in.

Apparently bats can't take off from the ground like a bird (who knew?) and so the one we saw the other day on the ground and perfectly healthy, has died. Right there in the dusty backyard. I don't know for sure if she touched it but believe me, I scrubbed her down anyway. Just the thought of a dead bat touching my sweet baby (ladylike though she mayn't be) gives me the creeps.

I'm telling y'all, she is the one that keeps us on our toes. And so I'll continue to record it for posterity and for her future college roommate and perhaps husband. (Be warned!) It's not that I don't love my other two kids enough to write about them all day long. But Drew's stories would be "he plays with his cars, he watches some movies about cars, he takes a nap, and oh he eats." Adelaide's would be even less interesting, "she sleeps, she eats, she poops, she smiles, she 'eats' her toes, she sleeps, she eats." And on and on.

While Madeline will continue to feed this blog for many moons to come. On to the next adventure. Or mess, as the case may be.

There's a Shower I am Missing Tonight

Because I am up here.

And it is down there.

For two very special babies.

Waaa.

Maybe Papa John can make up for it. Mmm.

Like Twins, But Not!

Wow, three posts in one morning. Must be a record or something.

Anyway.

It's really hard to having two girls in a row (especially after a boy) to resist buying all their clothes matching. Adelaide has all Madeline's old clothes - which is way more than plenty. But when I see something cute for Madeline of course I really want to get one for Adelaide, too.

Because then they can match!

Because Some Have Asked

And not just my mom, either. Thankyouverymuch.

"How do I leave a comment? Do I have to have a blogger account?"

No. You should be able to click on "comments" at the end of any post, and a window with comment options should come up. If you do not have a blogger account, click on the button that says "other" and type your name in the box.

Leave the box for URL empty.

When you're finished, all you have to do is click on the "publish comment" button.

Another question: "If I leave a comment on an old post, will you even read it?" I get e-mailed when there are new comments. So, yes.

That's all, folks.

How Do You Explain?

Yesterday morning Madeline came upstairs crying and carrying on. Mumbled something about her nose. She's only barely two, so she doesn't talk, uh, with precision yet. She did manage to eek out "I hut my nose." I tried to console her and check for a nosebleed. Nothing too serious. But then she says, in all seriousness, "I need bandaid."

How do you explain to a 2-year-old that you don't really put a baindaid on that part of your nose? (I mean the two holes that you do actually have to breathe through...)

About 20 minutes or so later, we were snuggling on my bed and she was showing me what was in her paper bag. She pulled out one of Drew's cars (maybe 4 inches long?) and tried to get the tiny door open. She held it out to me, "open it." After I had opened the door and handed it back to her, she tried to stick her big toe into the car and kept saying, "get in, get in!"

So. How do you explain to a 2-year-old that there is NO WAY she is going to fit in that car. Ever.

?!

Kids - The Pushing Kind

I wonder why kids, little ones in particular, feel the constant need to push things. We start them out with push-walkers they practice walking behind. Then they graduate to strollers for their dolls, tiny plastic shopping carts, mail carriers, whathaveyou. I'm not sure every kid is a pusher. But my kids are both of this brand.

Drew likes nothing better than to load up all his toys (mostly cars, naturally) into the seat of an umbrella stroller and push it around the driveway. Madeline? The same. Except instead of toy cars and plastic tracks, she loads up a doll, her sunglasses, a neckless, and plenty of linen napkins. (She's swiped a huge stash out of my mom-in-law's cabinet and they have become her doll "bankets." They are just the right size. And pink. She takes them everywhere. Don't ask.)

I marvel because a lot of their playtime is spent not playing with their toys, but PUSHING their toys. And that's WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. We've even started leaving all of the umbrella strollers out.

Just in case they might want to, well, push something.