A Very Merry Christmas... to the Car

Apparently our van needed a Christmas present this year; it was feeling rather left out. A present in the form of a shiny new transmission and shiny new front brakes, among other shiny new, smaller things (like engine mounts and a brake light).

Don't you hate spending money on your car? Especially three and a half weeks before Christmas? Yeah, me too.

Although, there is a silver lining. There had been a warranty extension on Odyssey transmissions at some point in time. We unknowingly missed that cut-off date by two months. However, Honda is still going to pay 75% of the cost of the transmission.

So, it could have been much worse.

Little Mommy in the Making

Just in the last few months Madeline has started play-acting with her baby dolls. Before she barely gave them a glance over her shoulder as she tripped over them while running by.

But lately, she's had them all wrapped up in a blanket, toting them around with her wherever she goes. I wish I had a real video camera so I could upload a clip - it's some of the funniest Madeline stuff yet. Of course she sounds remarkably similar to me talking to Adelaide; in which case I won't recreate the dialogue for you here.

She's not extremely compassionate. She'll round a corner, whacking the doll's head on the wall or whathaveyou. Then she'll ask something along the lines of, "oh, did you bonk your head?" as if she were merely asking if the sky is blue. Ah well, I'm sure compassion comes with age and maturity.

Also, yesterday I found her using up several wipes, 'changing' her baby's diaper. It was SO hard not to laugh when she yelled "OH YUCK! YUCK, BABY!" And then later, "Peeyoo, Baby! Oh! Sick!"

I'm sure I've never said any of those things while changing a diaper.

Can't Sleep

It may have something to do with the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks I had late this afternoon.

Oh well, we only live once. And it was worth it.

So, Thanksgiving.

Andy's friend/best-man-in-our-wedding, Josiah, and his wife are here visiting, staying with Andy's folks. We had Thanksgiving Dinner over there, which was nice. I didn't even have to clean! And I still have yet to roast a turkey. Although I did bring the pies, rolls, and the sweet potatoes.

Which, bytheway, convinced Andy's dad that he really doesn't hate sweet potatoes after all.

(Covered in brown sugar, butter, pecans, and coconut, almost anything would taste fairly delicious.)

Today I thought it might be fun to take the kids to the playground down the road and let them stretch their legs and run off some of that toddler energy. Except we adults nearly froze watching them run and play. I believe it's now time to pull out the winter coats. And hats and mittens and scarves.

At naptime Liz (J's wife) and I hightailed it out of here to that shopping extravaganza I stumbled upon the other day.

(It being the biggest shopping day of the year and all, you know.)

It was late enough we didn't have to fight any crowds and also we had no problem finding parking spaces. It was just so much fun and, oh! the sales!

Because what could possibly be better than an afternoon with Starbucks and sale shopping without kids?!

[Also, Andy didn't even call once to ask when I was coming home. So, clearly, it was a relaxed and enjoyable afternoon.]

Tonight everyone came over here for pizza. And so far my plan to get to bed early hasn't happened. But I'll say g'night for now, anyway.

Thanksgiving Eve

Okay, I take it back. There is a Homegoods here, I found it today when I was lost driving around.

We had such a great morning, Andy didn't have to work today. I was in my pj's till noon. (You can just go ahead and pretend like that is unusual for me.) Then later kids wanted to go out, so I decided to take them with me on a few errands and left the baby with Andy.

It's pretty bad when two kids feels like a vacation. Anyway.

So, we got lost drove around, looking for Walmart. I finally found it, after I found where all the good stores have been hiding (including, but not limited to, White House/Black Market, Restoration Hardware, Williams Sonoma, J. Crew, Starbucks, and a host of others. WE HAVE NOW ENTERED DANGEROUS TERRITORY, OH YES MA'AM).

I also feel the need to tell you that the only reason I was even looking for a Walmart was to hopefully procure a new pair of black Sunday shoes for Drew, since his ones from last year are woefully small.

Can you believe they had one single pair left, in Drew's exact size? The Lord saved them for me, obviously. He knew the frustrations (in the form of driving directions) I would encounter trying to find them. And then we (of course) stopped at Target on the way home.

(I realize I haven't mentioned Target in a while. Don't let that deceive you. We still go there daily occasionally.

You would have gone there today, too, if you'd forgotten to hand over the 10% off coupon to the cashier last time. Oh, and while I was waiting in line at customer service for my refund, Drew took it upon himself to show his new matchbox shovel truck to the lady in front of us and preface it with, "I go poop on the potty so I got a new shovel truck!"

She was thankfully understanding and good-naturedly enthusiastic.

Tonight we went to the Thanksgiving service at church and came home to leftovers for supper. I've also been busy today with these:





(My contributions for tomorrow's feast.)

On the Move

Look what happened today!

Evening Out and also, Wartbread

On Friday night we switched babysitting with some friends (thank you, N and B!) and went to a fundraising dinner event for the school that is our landlord.

(Which, bytheway, that is a such a great idea. Every parent loves a free babysitter; you switch off with another mom/couple a few times a month, and you can easily make those trips out alone or get to have a few dates without the extra expense of paying a babysitter. Plus, the nights or days when you watch the other kids - often they enjoy having friends over and will entertain themselves collectively as a group. It works out great for everybody.)

Anyway, back to the dinner. It was held at a local country club and Andy did a wine tasting during the cocktail hour and then he also had to sing during the program. Which is really fine because it meant his ticket was free. The speaker was Cal Thomas and he was fabulous. Wise, funny, highly entertaining, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Easily the highlight of the evening.

Yesterday was mostly unproductive but that’s okay for now and then. Although, Andy did take it upon himself to make dinner – a homemade chicken soup that turned out exceptionally tasty. The funny part was the bread he made to go along with the soup.

I used to bake a fair amount of homemade bread, (meaning I dump the ingredients into my bread machine and press ‘start.’ I usually use the dough cycle, though, and shape and bake the bread or rolls in the oven.) but haven’t in a while because the oven in this house has been broken since we moved in. It was finally serviced last week. (I know! Just in time for Thanksgiving!)

So Andy claimed the prestigious title of First to Bake Bread in our new house. And oh how I wish I had taken a picture. The rolls (blobs, really) turned out a little flat and really bumpy. I told him the bread looked like it had warts.

I am so not kidding.

I took one look and bust out laughing. Later he told me the dough had been really sticky and he couldn’t get them to roll into balls (I told him to add more flour next time) and so the parts that stuck to his hands got baked all rough and pimply like that.

But OH MY WORD IT WAS SO GOOD. I was even wishing I had more wartbread to go with my leftover soup at lunch today.

[And, Andy said I could tell you about his wartbread, but only if I was sure to tell you how delicious it was. So now that I’ve done my duty, I’m off to take a nap.]

I Defied the Rain Today

We had a slow morning and I was unusually tired. (Not pregnant, I assure you.) Adelaide has started waking up again during the night, hungry. I need to be better about offering her baby cereal during the day. She’s almost 8 months old, for pete’s sake! But she’s terrible at the whole spoon thing and I’m terrible at the whole patience thing.

Anyway, after my multiple cups of coffee and we were all dressed, I decided we might run out to the library and maybe grab some lunch. We needed a slight change of scenery and the kids needed a distraction from their morning crankiness. Plus I had finished this last night and needed a few new books to read.

All shoes and jackets were finally on and we were ready to march outside to the car when I opened the front door and was surprised to be greeted by rain. (The blinds were still closed, otherwise I might have already noticed the weather.) I told the kids we couldn’t go anywhere because look! it’s raining!

That was met with general displeasure.

So, I ran up and grabbed all the raincoats, mine included. Then I drove the van right up to the front door and loaded everybody in, one at a time. I was feeling rather adventurous. Or foolish. Whichever.

At any rate, I am happy to tell you that all four of us made it into the mall completely dry. It wasn’t that pouring kind of rain, just the drizzly kind that sometimes isn’t more than a sprinkle. And I have a gigantic umbrella. I had thrown out the library idea when I saw the rain; we would only be making one stop today and it better have something to do with food.

So Chick-fil-A it was, and quite a fun lunch we had. There is even a pet store in our mall (technically a “towne center,” whatever that is), so afterwards we went up and visited the puppies, fish, mice, and birds.

I call it free entertainment.

And I did make it to the library. I went after dinner when Andy was here to watch the kids. As I was looking up call numbers on the online catalog, I heard Madeline say she had to go potty. So I grabbed my purse and keys and bolted for the door, mischievously laughing and shouting a “bye!” over my shoulder.

I heard Andy laugh, too, a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

I’m glad I have a hubby with a sense of humor.

How does one resist?

Hide and Seek

Probably not what the inventor of the pack n' play had in mind.

Surprise Visit

My cousin Vangie and her hubby had a small reunion of friends this past weekend (I can't remember where now). Unfortunately, however, their car broke down on the turnpike on the way down Friday. ("...I'm sorry, miss, that is the one road we do not cover for emergencies.") So their time with friends turned out to be a little longer than planned and come today, their car was (and is) still at the mechanic's.

Lucky for us, it meant they called us this morning: "Can we come over today? We broke down and we're close. And, oh, by the way, we'll be there in an hour."

[I've decided that an hour is a perfect amount of preparation time for visitors. You can get a place looking mostly decent in an hour but the kids don't have much time left to mess it up again.]

So, we had a happy afternoon snuggled on the couch, sipping tea and chatting. It was the kids' naptime, too. A peaceful time of day.

And, last night Andy's mom brought us leftovers from the church fellowship lunch and so the soup I had been planning to make for dinner last night was postponed for today. Which means I providentially had a whole meal ready for my unexpected guests - yummy soup, crackers and cheese, crusty bread with butter, and salad. Oh, and the last half of the Nestle cookie dough sitting in my frige made into cookies for a last-minute dessert.

It was a lovely day.

Flying South, Part III

Sunday was everything I hoped for. It’s really convenient being on vacation during Daylight Savings Time in the fall; it’s also really convenient to be on vacation when a Fellowship Supper is planned to follow morning worship. You get to visit with everyone at once.

Plus, I just really miss the RP service.

Sunday evening we met some friends and family for pizza at Aunt Collyn’s. The kids managed to collectively do a number on her house. She tells us she doesn’t mind, so I believe her. (And made myself feel better by the fact that the one thing that got broken originally came from my family via Nanny. And it will be easily fixed with a dab of pottery glue.)

Monday, Monday, what was Monday? Oh, yes. I actually got to carry on a half-decent conversation with Nicky while my mom watched our three older kids at the St. Elmo playground. So we had coffee and muffins. And pretended it was just like old times. I mean, pretended we were IN old times. (At least, I did.)

For lunch on Monday I went out to tea with the Girlfriends, my mom and Aunt Collyn. We’ll just try to forget some parts of that for now. Monday night the kids and I transferred lodging over to some sweet friends we were just getting acquainted with before we moved. And Drew had some boys to play with after staying with a houseful of girls (minus the newborn boy who isn’t much good for playing yet.)

We ate dinner over there and then my girls and I went over to say hi to some other church friends I’d been long planning to see. Tuesday, being my last full day, my mom and I ran some errands and stopped in at another house to see more friends and another new baby (picking up on a pattern here?).

When the kids went down for their nap, Jordan (my future cousin-in-law) and I went to Starbucks and since she’d been in Japan the whole week before, it was the first time I’d gotten to see her. And thankfully she could stay awhile, even amidst the post-naptime chaos of all those kids (and visiting Mays) crammed into one house. It was a jolly good time.

For SUPPER Tuesday night (let’s get that clear… it’s breakfast, dinner, and supper – apparently), we finally got some quality time with all things Chandler. Macy and Madeline were even wearing the same outfit. Good bread, good food, good pumpkin cheesecake – what more could a person ask for?

Then, even though it was getting late I decided since I was already practically next to Rock City to just ‘swing’ by the restaurant for some things from our renter and then also decided, since then I was practically next to St. Elmo, ‘swing’ by another friend’s house. So we sat in my car and talked for a half an hour. I felt totally irresponsible but, I’m the mom so I make the decisions. And, afterall, the kids were all in bed by 10:30. Which is not too terrible.

And, my last morning I spent at Bible Study, naturally. It was a fitting and bittersweet end to my week.

The whole time we were there we had gorgeous, perfect weather and the leaves atop Lookout Mountain were outdoing themselves with their bright fall colors. (It’s probably my favorite time of year.) And, while I really didn’t have any life-altering conversations or experiences, it was just good to be home. Fresh breath of Southern air, so to speak; good for my very soul.

The drive home lasted about 13 hours and while it didn’t go quite as smoothly as the ride down, all things considered it went fairly well. My loving mother stayed an extra day and helped us get unpacked and settled. Otherwise my bags just might have sat at the door for another week.

Who Knew?

That the Scruffy Varmint is really a children's book character. All this time I thought Andy made it up.

(He has this hide and seek/chase and tickle game he invented for the kids and that's what they call it.

Well, sort of. Madeline says "Skuffy Barmit.")

Flying South, Part II

The trip down was surprisingly pleasant. My mom and I were almost shocked at how well it went. It makes a huge difference that the kids can now talk. Before they were just strapped into their carseats with no explanation for the torture. This time they were excited to be going to Ch@ttanooga! And staying at Lily’s house! And seeing James and Cooper!

I thought they’d sleep during the morning since we pulled out at 7:15 but all those exciting prospects kept them awake. We hit Baltimore morning traffic and stopped for breakfast. Perfect timing, because when we got back on the highway the traffic was gone. Also, the deer was gone.

(The poor beast had been hit by a car and was lying in the middle of a lane, causing all sorts of traffic delay. We first heard about it on the radio and then saw it while inching through the bumper-to-bumper madness. Talk about a ‘deer-in-headlights’ look, this was the real thing.)

The rest of the drive went more quickly, and we didn’t even have to stop for lunch until past 3 when the kids woke up from a nap. After that I was armed with some brand new toys that lasted for about an hour, and we didn’t even have to turn the movies on until late afternoon.

Yes, movies. Sweet, sweet movies. No, we did not pay $950 to replace the unit in the van. We used early Christmas money and bought the little portable kind that you can strap the screens to the headrests. Thank you, Andy’s parents. Thank you.

Pulled into Sarah’s grand ole home a little after 10. Not too bad, really. I went to my old wonderful Wednesday morning Bible study the next morning. (Okay, we were a little late. I really just wanted it to be like old times.)

I’ve had this gift certificate for a massage at the local mountain spa for the last almost year that I never had a chance to use before we moved. You better believe I brought that valuable coupon with me in the hopes I might be able to squeeze it in while I was down there. So Wednesday afternoon I called to see about any appointment openings. The receptionist looked and could I get there in fifteen minutes?

Why yes, yes I can.

I dropped everything and drove over there for an hour of childless, peaceful bliss. It was shaping up to be a wonderful week indeed.

Wednesday evening we had planned our annual kiddie costume/candy party. I still am amazed at my friends’ abilities to throw together stunning costumes in less than an afternoon. Maybe I’ll get onto that creative wavelength and attempt a costume for next year.

And then again, maybe not.

[Also, this sums up my thoughts and feelings about the whole Halloween business remarkably well. In case you're interested.]

Thursday and Friday can only be termed Shopping Days. I’m sure the North has home decorating stores but I have yet to find the good ones. So, this trip was also convenient for a Hobby Lobby and Homegoods run in the hope of finding treasure.

And, along with the treasure theme, I figuratively struck it rich. The North really doesn’t know what it’s missing without the Homegoods and Hobby Lobby goodness that's to be had. I found two or three area rugs for a steal, a couple of paintings/wallhangings and a mirror for a steal, and several fun nick-nacky things also for a steal. My mom even picked up three cute little wooden rocking chairs for the kids (early Christmas) - another total steal. (Even if they made re-packing the van to go home a little awkward. Those and the giant rug down the center of the aisle.)

The kids and I had a picnic with a friend Thursday and Drew was just sure the tractor (Brite can tell you the specific name) driving down the road was going to ‘get him.’ That and the horse behind the fence at least a football field away. Maybe we should work on depth perception.

I can’t remember what we did Thursday night but I’m sure it was fun.

Oh wait, I went to the book club which met at the local Starbucks. Starbucks and Lookout Mountain – a brilliant combination.

Also, I’m not really part of this book club. I just know all the ladies who are. So I crashed their party, so to speak. And I never even read the book. But the way they talked about it, I just might pick it up soon.

Friday morning the mother and boy Lewins came over and our conversation centered around “stop touching that,” “don’t hit him,” “give that back,” and “come back inside.” As you can see, it was a terribly profound discussion.

Friday night several close friends and I hit the Meeting Place. It was a happy reunion.

My mom and I took the kids to Creative Discovery on Saturday morning, and met Nicky and Co. there. I’m sure she’ll always appreciate how I stood in the middle of the street shooing mad drivers onward while she hurried to get to that premium parking spot I was saving for her. It was an act of love.

And convenience. Who wants to wait for their friend while they walk 12 blocks with two small boys and only one in a stroller?

True to style, we crammed the rest of the afternoon with lunch, a nap, a St. Elmo late-afternoon playdate, and then another dear friend picked me up for dinner and my dear mom took my kids for the evening.

It sure is handy traveling with your babysitter. I think I’ll do it from now on.

Since I’d just been to MP the night before, we decided to check out the new Southside, which is now also called Niko’s. It was good, even if we had to salt just about everything.

I take my salt seriously, as you know.

And then we spent the rest of the evening enjoying her quiet apartment and on-demand movies. And a liberal dose of chocolate.

[to be continued...]

We Are Back

That's all.

For now.

Flying South for Winter

(I know it's really fall, but 'winter' sounds better.)

We, if you hadn't guessed, have come down South and are having a grand ole time. I'll update again when I am home and get unpacked and have clean laundry.

And write out all the stories about all the fun we're having.