...who turned into her best friend.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Happy Birthday Drue!
Three years ago Reese got a little sister...
...who turned into her best friend.
...who turned into her best friend.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Pleasant Discovery
I feel as though I should invest in some black and white striped attire and a whistle because I spend the bulk of my time acting as a referee between the wee ones. Reese and Drue are usually at odds about something and now Tate is realizing it's fun to run up and steal his sisters' toys or bop them on the head for no apparent reason.
Squealing, whining, and/or tattling usually follows.
The other day I watched in disbelief at Reese and Tate giggling together, sharing their toys, and playing a good ol' game of "copy what I do".
I took advantage of this special time and remarked to Reese, "I didn't know you two played so well together."
She sounded genuinely surprised when she responded, "Me either."
Squealing, whining, and/or tattling usually follows.
The other day I watched in disbelief at Reese and Tate giggling together, sharing their toys, and playing a good ol' game of "copy what I do".
I took advantage of this special time and remarked to Reese, "I didn't know you two played so well together."
She sounded genuinely surprised when she responded, "Me either."
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
T.G.I.B. (Thank Goodness I Blog)
If it weren't for my blog I would probably curl up into a ball in my closet and beat my head against the wall most days. My blog keeps me sane. When I am in the midst of an unfavorable situation I think to myself, "This will make a great blog entry". And that's what keeps me going. I know I must get through it for nothing else, than to blog about it later. I'm so glad my pain can bring my readers pleasure.
Each morning after we drop Reese off at preschool, I drag the other two on a seemingly endless slew of errands. I decided not to do that today. Instead, I planned an enjoyable morning at the animal farm, which is just down the road from the school. I loaded up the wagon & some bottled waters and off we went. I felt good about doing something fun for Drue and Tate which didn't involve perusing any grocery store aisles.
Gorgeous day, no crowds, 2 angelic faces smiling up at me from the wagon. I felt so invigorated I even let them both out to run around, thinking, "It's just the two of them, it will be fine." (Now don't get ahead of yourselves...I'm sure you are already busy concocting different scenarios in your heads.)
Let's just pause and take a look at some of the happier moments of our morning:
And that about takes care of all the happy moments. Not long after these shots, Drue discovered a kitty cat that roams free about the farm. Other mothers were letting their little girls pet it, so I figured my paranoia about fleas and ticks was unsubstantiated. I granted her permission to gently pet the cat. Tate ran over and started grabbing fistfuls of its' hair, so I quickly redirected him.
I redirected him so well, in fact, that he ran out of the little garden area and straight for the goats. No problem, I could easily still see both of my little darlings. But then Tate ran around a fence out of my sight. I ran to locate him but when I turned around, Drue was now out of my sight.
Well, this wasn't going to work one bit. I didn't want to leave Drue alone with a strange cat, and I couldn't just let Tate roam free among the e-coli infested goat feces, which unfortunately resemble little chocolate balls.
I sweetly called Drue's name and told her we had to chase after Tate. I couldn't quite make out her response, I was hoping it was "Yes ma'am. I'm coming." But after she didn't appear for a few seconds, I figured that hadn't been it. By this point I could barely make out the top of Tate's hat over the fence, so I called Drue's name a little more demandingly.
"Drue! Come on! Tate's on the run!".
She was not going to budge from her spot. That was becoming clear to me. And Tate was not going to pause and realize the error of his ways and come running safely back into my arms.
"Well, OK....I am going to get your brother!!!!".
And off I dashed. I collected him and headed back to Drue. I could hear her wails floating above the prairie grass. The cat had scratched her eye out, I was sure of it. I braced myself to scoop up her eye that was bound to be laying on the ground next to her, but when I rounded the corner, both watery eyes were safely still tucked away in her head and she had nary a scratch on her.
She was crying because she had to leave her new feline friend, and because I had left her to go get her brother. It wasn't like I had gone to the edge of the world and back...I was only about 20 yeards away.
I plopped her crying disobedient tushie in the wagon. I plopped Tate's squriming runaway tushie in the wagon. They were both howling and Tate kept sliding himself down so I could barely get the buckle fastened. Of course this little show was complete with a small audience of fellow mothers. I wheeled the wagon out of the park so fast we blew some of the peacocks' feathers off as we zoomed by.
Our leisurely fun morning at the farm had lasted a whopping 30 minutes! And that included the loading and unloading of the van.
We always try and make sure our kids know why they have lost a privilege. So I asked Drue why we had to leave the farm so quickly.
"Because I wanted to pet the kitty," she hiccupped. (And that's why we make sure they always know the real reason...)
"No sweetheart. It was fine for you to pet the kitty. But when Tate ran off and I asked you to come with me, you said NO and disobeyed."
Wait, there's one more sad tale to come.
Driving around that morning I had seen a few signs for neighborhood garage sales. I really like garage saling, especially for kids' toys, clothes, etc. But it's too exhausting to unbuckle everyone, get them out, walk up to a sale, and discover it's a dud. I convinced myself I could salvage my morning by going to a neighborhood sale. We already had the wagon, I would just park somewhere and pull the youngsters behind me through the rows of sales I was imagining.
We parked, got unloaded, and went to two sales side by side. Nothing for us. I looked down the road and didn't see any more sales. But I remembered one up the next street. So we headed up to that one...absolutley nothing for us! Oh well, I tried.
As we headed back to the van, I saw the house we parked in front of (who wasn't having a sale) had turned their lawn sprinklers on. We're talking nice, built in, soak the whole yard lawn sprinklers. I KNOW they did it out of spite. I just KNOW it! Why else would they have done something so inconsiderate? I wasn't even blocking any of their driveway or anything like that. I cheerily told the kids we would get to run through the sprinklers, because they were soaking the whole sidewalk also.
Satan himself must have installed these water wonders because they shot powerful jets of water right at toddler face level and higher. Tate and Drue were soaked, the wagon was soaked, and the entire right side of their mother was soaked! I parked the wagon in the driveway and told Drue to make a run for the van. Of course, she and Tate were both crying again. Drue froze and wouldn't run through the water. So I ushered them over to the other side of the van, right smack dab in the middle of the garage sale traffic. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little red wagon roll right into the street. I gasped and grabbed before it could be crushed. As I walked around the other side to buckle them in, I loudly exclaimed, "I don't know why they turned on their sprinklers honey. THAT WASN'T VERY NICE AT ALL!!".
I'm not really sure why I put any expectations whatsoever on our outings. That's the only area in my life where I try and be optimistic, thinking to myself, "This is going to be a GREAT time for all!" only to be sorely disappointed. I guess in these cases, my pessimistic attitude will serve me well. If I head into an outing already convinced it's going to be a disaster...it can only get better....can't it?
Each morning after we drop Reese off at preschool, I drag the other two on a seemingly endless slew of errands. I decided not to do that today. Instead, I planned an enjoyable morning at the animal farm, which is just down the road from the school. I loaded up the wagon & some bottled waters and off we went. I felt good about doing something fun for Drue and Tate which didn't involve perusing any grocery store aisles.
Gorgeous day, no crowds, 2 angelic faces smiling up at me from the wagon. I felt so invigorated I even let them both out to run around, thinking, "It's just the two of them, it will be fine." (Now don't get ahead of yourselves...I'm sure you are already busy concocting different scenarios in your heads.)
Let's just pause and take a look at some of the happier moments of our morning:
And that about takes care of all the happy moments. Not long after these shots, Drue discovered a kitty cat that roams free about the farm. Other mothers were letting their little girls pet it, so I figured my paranoia about fleas and ticks was unsubstantiated. I granted her permission to gently pet the cat. Tate ran over and started grabbing fistfuls of its' hair, so I quickly redirected him.
I redirected him so well, in fact, that he ran out of the little garden area and straight for the goats. No problem, I could easily still see both of my little darlings. But then Tate ran around a fence out of my sight. I ran to locate him but when I turned around, Drue was now out of my sight.
Well, this wasn't going to work one bit. I didn't want to leave Drue alone with a strange cat, and I couldn't just let Tate roam free among the e-coli infested goat feces, which unfortunately resemble little chocolate balls.
I sweetly called Drue's name and told her we had to chase after Tate. I couldn't quite make out her response, I was hoping it was "Yes ma'am. I'm coming." But after she didn't appear for a few seconds, I figured that hadn't been it. By this point I could barely make out the top of Tate's hat over the fence, so I called Drue's name a little more demandingly.
"Drue! Come on! Tate's on the run!".
She was not going to budge from her spot. That was becoming clear to me. And Tate was not going to pause and realize the error of his ways and come running safely back into my arms.
"Well, OK....I am going to get your brother!!!!".
And off I dashed. I collected him and headed back to Drue. I could hear her wails floating above the prairie grass. The cat had scratched her eye out, I was sure of it. I braced myself to scoop up her eye that was bound to be laying on the ground next to her, but when I rounded the corner, both watery eyes were safely still tucked away in her head and she had nary a scratch on her.
She was crying because she had to leave her new feline friend, and because I had left her to go get her brother. It wasn't like I had gone to the edge of the world and back...I was only about 20 yeards away.
I plopped her crying disobedient tushie in the wagon. I plopped Tate's squriming runaway tushie in the wagon. They were both howling and Tate kept sliding himself down so I could barely get the buckle fastened. Of course this little show was complete with a small audience of fellow mothers. I wheeled the wagon out of the park so fast we blew some of the peacocks' feathers off as we zoomed by.
Our leisurely fun morning at the farm had lasted a whopping 30 minutes! And that included the loading and unloading of the van.
We always try and make sure our kids know why they have lost a privilege. So I asked Drue why we had to leave the farm so quickly.
"Because I wanted to pet the kitty," she hiccupped. (And that's why we make sure they always know the real reason...)
"No sweetheart. It was fine for you to pet the kitty. But when Tate ran off and I asked you to come with me, you said NO and disobeyed."
Wait, there's one more sad tale to come.
Driving around that morning I had seen a few signs for neighborhood garage sales. I really like garage saling, especially for kids' toys, clothes, etc. But it's too exhausting to unbuckle everyone, get them out, walk up to a sale, and discover it's a dud. I convinced myself I could salvage my morning by going to a neighborhood sale. We already had the wagon, I would just park somewhere and pull the youngsters behind me through the rows of sales I was imagining.
We parked, got unloaded, and went to two sales side by side. Nothing for us. I looked down the road and didn't see any more sales. But I remembered one up the next street. So we headed up to that one...absolutley nothing for us! Oh well, I tried.
As we headed back to the van, I saw the house we parked in front of (who wasn't having a sale) had turned their lawn sprinklers on. We're talking nice, built in, soak the whole yard lawn sprinklers. I KNOW they did it out of spite. I just KNOW it! Why else would they have done something so inconsiderate? I wasn't even blocking any of their driveway or anything like that. I cheerily told the kids we would get to run through the sprinklers, because they were soaking the whole sidewalk also.
Satan himself must have installed these water wonders because they shot powerful jets of water right at toddler face level and higher. Tate and Drue were soaked, the wagon was soaked, and the entire right side of their mother was soaked! I parked the wagon in the driveway and told Drue to make a run for the van. Of course, she and Tate were both crying again. Drue froze and wouldn't run through the water. So I ushered them over to the other side of the van, right smack dab in the middle of the garage sale traffic. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little red wagon roll right into the street. I gasped and grabbed before it could be crushed. As I walked around the other side to buckle them in, I loudly exclaimed, "I don't know why they turned on their sprinklers honey. THAT WASN'T VERY NICE AT ALL!!".
I'm not really sure why I put any expectations whatsoever on our outings. That's the only area in my life where I try and be optimistic, thinking to myself, "This is going to be a GREAT time for all!" only to be sorely disappointed. I guess in these cases, my pessimistic attitude will serve me well. If I head into an outing already convinced it's going to be a disaster...it can only get better....can't it?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Success!
Sweet victory! My Wednesday scheduling woes have been conquered.
For some odd reason, Reese's preschool administrators neglected to contact me to see if a pick up time of 2pm on this particular day, or any other day for that matter, was conducive to my other childrens' naptime before developing their program.
I was ecstatic when we received the news last winter that Reese did, in fact, get into preschool for the Fall semester. I was thrilled she would be going the three days a week I am off, so transportation won't be an issue. I wrinkled my nose at the Wednesday hours, however, when I saw they went until 2pm. But I tossed the paper aside and figured I'd worry about that when the time came.
The time has come people...and that wrinkle of my nose has turned into a LARGE pain in the patootie. Tate and Drue nap from 12:30 until 2:30 like clockwork 7 days a week. (Well, Sunday naps are all over the place, but God is about the only person I even consider rearranging the nap schedule for.)
For years I prided myself on not being a Mommy Nap Nazi. I didn't want to miss out on life, thinking my little ones would turn into pumpkins if they weren't in their crib within a one minute window. I expertly put the girls on a sliding scale nap schedule and they did fine. Then along came our bouncy rough and tumble little boy who exhausts me so much some days, the ticking of the clock mocks me that 12:30 is still a looooooong ways away.
Of course, he used to take 2 naps a day...back in the good ol' days. But that wasn't all it was cracked up to be, because when he woke up from his morning nap, it was time for Drue to go down for her nap, and when she woke up, it was time for Tate's afternoon nap. It made running errands impossible, and it made getting any cleaning with just one child awake at any given time impossible.
So it was almost a relief when Tate and Drue got onto the same one nap a day, my blessed two hours of semi-freedom to conquer clutter and cleaning. (Thankfully, Reese can entertain herself for a bit and I don't have to follow behind her making sure she hasn't fallen head first into a toilet somewhere.) Momma IS NOT happy when something gets in the way of naptime.
First Wednesday of Preschool: I kept Drue and Tate awake until after we picked Reese up, then put them all down for naps so we could go to the circus that night.
Tate needed quite a few pep talks and water tossed in his face to keep him up. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the little darlings after lunch. Their eyelids were getting droopy so I threw them in the van and went to Target. It took much prodding to wake them up when we got there but they behaved acceptably. (I'm not sure, but Drue may have been sleepwalking through the store.)
Tate and Drue both napped well when we got home. I had to lay down with Reese for a few minutes but she fell asleep quickly and slept the longest of all of them.
Second Wednesday of Preschool: I mapped out a brilliant plan to get naptimes in plus individual quality time with the younger two. We ate early and I put Tate down at 11:30. Drue and I bonded...my poor middle child who will never have Mommy all to herself. We all went to pick Reese up and Drue fell asleep on the way. So she was a big grouch when I had to wake her up to traipse into the building. She took a great nap when we got home, but Reese never did fall asleep , leaving me frazzled because she had to go to choir practice at church that evening.
And let me tell you, it is next to impossible to keep an active 16 month old boy quiet for 2 hours straight in the house. What was I thinking? He apparently hadn't been paying attention when I explained to him the finer points of my plan.
Don't get me wrong here. We are not the quiet as a mouse house during naptime, holding in all coughs and sneezes lest they wake the sleeping babes. We have always vacummed around our sleeping newborns to get them accustomed to noise. But the occasional creak in the floorboard or barking dog is minor compared with Tate running up and down the hallway, in and out of the bedrooms with the doors open, and banging on the doors if they are closed.
I had forgotten all about our usual custom of having a supper meal that evening. Plus I had to finagle getting a shower while making sure Tate was supervised. I couldn't shut him up in his room alone because it's right next to Drue's, and he would beat the wall down to get out. I finally tossed a wide eyed Reese in there to play with him with threats of no more candy ever if she acted up in choir out of her sheer exhaustion.
I slapped some peanut butter on a spoon for Reese with a slice of cheese on the side and flew out the door with her as soon as David came home, grumbling about my day from the underworld as my stomach growled for some supper of its' own.
So that theory got tossed out the window as well. Good-bye individual quality time.
Third Wednesday of Preschool...today - Dropped Reese off, ran some errands, fed the little ones at 11, had them both down by 11:30, cleaned til' 1, showered, got the little darlings up and loaded into the van by 1:40, arrived at Reese's preschool with 2 happy campers by 1:55pm. I wanted to shout my accomplishment through the rafters. I wanted to inform loudly to all the yuppie moms arriving from a day of playing golf and sipping St*rbucks to pick up their one and only child, that I just cracked the code. I figured out how to have a productive day that included rearranging naps, lunch, sidestepping any meltdowns, taking care of my own personal hygiene, and having something planned for supper (it was a frozen dinner alright...give me a break) all within mere hours.
The kids were fed, I was fed, and Reese and I leisurely strolled out the door to head to choir when David came home.
I'm not even going to think about next Wednesday right now. I am just going to bask in the glow of my day today which ran like a well oiled machine. Because I'm sure next week, my day will spring a leak and the oil will spray me right in the face...
For some odd reason, Reese's preschool administrators neglected to contact me to see if a pick up time of 2pm on this particular day, or any other day for that matter, was conducive to my other childrens' naptime before developing their program.
I was ecstatic when we received the news last winter that Reese did, in fact, get into preschool for the Fall semester. I was thrilled she would be going the three days a week I am off, so transportation won't be an issue. I wrinkled my nose at the Wednesday hours, however, when I saw they went until 2pm. But I tossed the paper aside and figured I'd worry about that when the time came.
The time has come people...and that wrinkle of my nose has turned into a LARGE pain in the patootie. Tate and Drue nap from 12:30 until 2:30 like clockwork 7 days a week. (Well, Sunday naps are all over the place, but God is about the only person I even consider rearranging the nap schedule for.)
For years I prided myself on not being a Mommy Nap Nazi. I didn't want to miss out on life, thinking my little ones would turn into pumpkins if they weren't in their crib within a one minute window. I expertly put the girls on a sliding scale nap schedule and they did fine. Then along came our bouncy rough and tumble little boy who exhausts me so much some days, the ticking of the clock mocks me that 12:30 is still a looooooong ways away.
Of course, he used to take 2 naps a day...back in the good ol' days. But that wasn't all it was cracked up to be, because when he woke up from his morning nap, it was time for Drue to go down for her nap, and when she woke up, it was time for Tate's afternoon nap. It made running errands impossible, and it made getting any cleaning with just one child awake at any given time impossible.
So it was almost a relief when Tate and Drue got onto the same one nap a day, my blessed two hours of semi-freedom to conquer clutter and cleaning. (Thankfully, Reese can entertain herself for a bit and I don't have to follow behind her making sure she hasn't fallen head first into a toilet somewhere.) Momma IS NOT happy when something gets in the way of naptime.
First Wednesday of Preschool: I kept Drue and Tate awake until after we picked Reese up, then put them all down for naps so we could go to the circus that night.
Tate needed quite a few pep talks and water tossed in his face to keep him up. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the little darlings after lunch. Their eyelids were getting droopy so I threw them in the van and went to Target. It took much prodding to wake them up when we got there but they behaved acceptably. (I'm not sure, but Drue may have been sleepwalking through the store.)
Tate and Drue both napped well when we got home. I had to lay down with Reese for a few minutes but she fell asleep quickly and slept the longest of all of them.
Second Wednesday of Preschool: I mapped out a brilliant plan to get naptimes in plus individual quality time with the younger two. We ate early and I put Tate down at 11:30. Drue and I bonded...my poor middle child who will never have Mommy all to herself. We all went to pick Reese up and Drue fell asleep on the way. So she was a big grouch when I had to wake her up to traipse into the building. She took a great nap when we got home, but Reese never did fall asleep , leaving me frazzled because she had to go to choir practice at church that evening.
And let me tell you, it is next to impossible to keep an active 16 month old boy quiet for 2 hours straight in the house. What was I thinking? He apparently hadn't been paying attention when I explained to him the finer points of my plan.
Don't get me wrong here. We are not the quiet as a mouse house during naptime, holding in all coughs and sneezes lest they wake the sleeping babes. We have always vacummed around our sleeping newborns to get them accustomed to noise. But the occasional creak in the floorboard or barking dog is minor compared with Tate running up and down the hallway, in and out of the bedrooms with the doors open, and banging on the doors if they are closed.
I had forgotten all about our usual custom of having a supper meal that evening. Plus I had to finagle getting a shower while making sure Tate was supervised. I couldn't shut him up in his room alone because it's right next to Drue's, and he would beat the wall down to get out. I finally tossed a wide eyed Reese in there to play with him with threats of no more candy ever if she acted up in choir out of her sheer exhaustion.
I slapped some peanut butter on a spoon for Reese with a slice of cheese on the side and flew out the door with her as soon as David came home, grumbling about my day from the underworld as my stomach growled for some supper of its' own.
So that theory got tossed out the window as well. Good-bye individual quality time.
Third Wednesday of Preschool...today - Dropped Reese off, ran some errands, fed the little ones at 11, had them both down by 11:30, cleaned til' 1, showered, got the little darlings up and loaded into the van by 1:40, arrived at Reese's preschool with 2 happy campers by 1:55pm. I wanted to shout my accomplishment through the rafters. I wanted to inform loudly to all the yuppie moms arriving from a day of playing golf and sipping St*rbucks to pick up their one and only child, that I just cracked the code. I figured out how to have a productive day that included rearranging naps, lunch, sidestepping any meltdowns, taking care of my own personal hygiene, and having something planned for supper (it was a frozen dinner alright...give me a break) all within mere hours.
The kids were fed, I was fed, and Reese and I leisurely strolled out the door to head to choir when David came home.
I'm not even going to think about next Wednesday right now. I am just going to bask in the glow of my day today which ran like a well oiled machine. Because I'm sure next week, my day will spring a leak and the oil will spray me right in the face...
Monday, September 17, 2007
A Star Spangled Evening
CUTE- realizing last night that Tate and I were wearing matching white flag t-shirts to bed.
NOT SO CUTE- realizing at 3am that Tate and I were wearing matching white flag t-shirts as I was preparing to whisk him off to the ER due to breathing difficulties and croup.
I quickly dashed upstairs to put on a different shirt because I didn't want the hospital staff to think we had coordinated our outfits on purpose for our early morning emergency visit. (I had to change out of my pajama pants anyway, so I didn't really waste anymore precious time just throwing on a new shirt as well.)
THE IRONY OF IT ALL- the only other clean t-shirt I could quickly locate in the wee dark hours of the morn was a red flag t-shirt.
My, didn't we look like quite the patriotic pair...
NOT SO CUTE- realizing at 3am that Tate and I were wearing matching white flag t-shirts as I was preparing to whisk him off to the ER due to breathing difficulties and croup.
I quickly dashed upstairs to put on a different shirt because I didn't want the hospital staff to think we had coordinated our outfits on purpose for our early morning emergency visit. (I had to change out of my pajama pants anyway, so I didn't really waste anymore precious time just throwing on a new shirt as well.)
THE IRONY OF IT ALL- the only other clean t-shirt I could quickly locate in the wee dark hours of the morn was a red flag t-shirt.
My, didn't we look like quite the patriotic pair...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Lesson in Osmosis
Each night during the girls' bedding down process (which has actually been going a lot more smoothly as of late) it becomes a mad dash to gather up which books each of them want to have in their bed to look at. The rule is: NO GETTING OUT OF YOUR BED after we read the story, have our little prayer time, and I kiss and tuck them in.
So if they each have a stash of books in their bed already, there is no reason to get back out again. For the past few nights I have been reading a bible story out of one of their picture bibles. We all three snuggle in Drue's bed (because it sits against a wall so it's easier to fit) and I read them their story.
Tonight before I started reading, Drue quickly swiped a book off her little shelf and carefully placed it under her pillow. I just figured she wanted to hide it from Reese so she could look at it all to herself. So I wasn't about to draw attention to it.
As she settled in next to me for our story she quietly explained, "I put a book under my pillow so I can dream for it tonight."
Sweet dreams little one...I hope they are filled with little furry animals scurrying into The Mitten...
So if they each have a stash of books in their bed already, there is no reason to get back out again. For the past few nights I have been reading a bible story out of one of their picture bibles. We all three snuggle in Drue's bed (because it sits against a wall so it's easier to fit) and I read them their story.
Tonight before I started reading, Drue quickly swiped a book off her little shelf and carefully placed it under her pillow. I just figured she wanted to hide it from Reese so she could look at it all to herself. So I wasn't about to draw attention to it.
As she settled in next to me for our story she quietly explained, "I put a book under my pillow so I can dream for it tonight."
Sweet dreams little one...I hope they are filled with little furry animals scurrying into The Mitten...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Gross, but Funny
Drue is a cuddlebug. I am loving it! Whenever I plop myself down on the couch or leather rocker in our living room, my lap isn't empty for long. (And I secretly like the fact that even if she is already sitting on her Daddy's lap, she will promptly come over to mine when it becomes available. SCORE!)
Tonight was no different. I ran a few errands after supper and when I came home and sat down on the couch...there she was. Scrambling up as fast as her little arms and legs could get her there. Reese sat next to us and we all shared a bowl of popcorn.
Shortly thereafter, there was a rumbling noise that escaped her little bum area. I think I ignored the first rumbling. But when it happened again, I brought it to her attention because our dainty little angels still need to be reminded from time to time to say, "Excuse me" after they let one rip.
"Quit tooting on me." I instructed her.
"I didn't."
"Yes, you did," I corrected her as yet another little rumble was heard and felt.
"Did my toot come out of my bottom?" she asked, looking downward with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yes, it came out of your bottom," I replied, fanning the air around me with my hand. Reese was finding the whole scenario hilarious at this point and was giggling away while she fanned her little hand in the air also.
"Why did my toot come out of my bottom?" Drue inquired.
There are just some innocent questions that tickle me so much I can't possibly answer them seriously.
At this point, Drue started to slide off my lap. At first I felt bad because I thought she was embarrassed or I thought our guffaws may have hurt her feelings.
I collected myself and asked, "Where are you going?".
She stood in front of the couch and peered down into my lap, "I want to see my toot."
Tonight was no different. I ran a few errands after supper and when I came home and sat down on the couch...there she was. Scrambling up as fast as her little arms and legs could get her there. Reese sat next to us and we all shared a bowl of popcorn.
Shortly thereafter, there was a rumbling noise that escaped her little bum area. I think I ignored the first rumbling. But when it happened again, I brought it to her attention because our dainty little angels still need to be reminded from time to time to say, "Excuse me" after they let one rip.
"Quit tooting on me." I instructed her.
"I didn't."
"Yes, you did," I corrected her as yet another little rumble was heard and felt.
"Did my toot come out of my bottom?" she asked, looking downward with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yes, it came out of your bottom," I replied, fanning the air around me with my hand. Reese was finding the whole scenario hilarious at this point and was giggling away while she fanned her little hand in the air also.
"Why did my toot come out of my bottom?" Drue inquired.
There are just some innocent questions that tickle me so much I can't possibly answer them seriously.
At this point, Drue started to slide off my lap. At first I felt bad because I thought she was embarrassed or I thought our guffaws may have hurt her feelings.
I collected myself and asked, "Where are you going?".
She stood in front of the couch and peered down into my lap, "I want to see my toot."
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Eyebrows
David has no eyebrows. OK, he has eyebrows but they are white blond so you can't see them unless you get right up close to him. He was playing around with my mascara in the car today (don't ask). Actually, I think he was just restless while we waited for our food, and since I wasn't playing peek-a-boo with him, he picked up my mascara and colored over his eyebrows.
I didn't like the look. It was kind of spooky. Tate kept looking at him strangely also. I quickly made him put his sunglasses back on when they came out to deliver our food. I much prefer his invisible eyebrow look.
Before he washed it off Reese said, "Mommy...Daddy doesn't look like a Daddy. He looks like a rock-n-roll star."
Barbie Beckons
A friend of mine called at 8:30 last night to tell me that Barbie was going to be at the zoo today. Being the proud owners of 5 Barbie Princess movies and of 2 little girls who watch them over and over and over again, I was elated to discover this. Tate watches them as well, but David swears up and down he must just be interested in the swords the princes carry. I found David watching TV and simply said, "Barbie is going to be at the zoo tomorrow." Just hearing that one sentence, he too, knew our Saturday morning had just been booked.
The line was already very long by the time we got there. Apparently, they were also showing a sneak peek of the new Barbie Princess movie. But the reserved seats were all taken for that. Which was fine...we just wanted the girls to get a glimpse of Barbie, in the flesh. (I'm sure David was hoping to get a glimpse of her as well). I was so anxious standing there waiting. She was only there until 11am and I was scared to death we would finally get up to the front of the line and she would leave. It's so funny how you can handle disappointments for yourself with ease, but when it comes to your kids, you'd do anything to prevent them. No, I didn't have to knock any little girls in the knee caps to get ahead in line. Thankfully, we made it about 5 minutes before she was about to leave.
We had a leisurely carousel ride. They make David dizzy so he always sends me instead. I told Reese to pick 3 animals together so I could be sure and hold on tight to Tate while also keeping an eye on them. She thought I meant to pick something we could all ride together, so we all squeezed into this peacock bench. They were a little sad when they realized it didn't go up and down.
Here's a shot of my big guy climbing up the entire slide all by himself!
We stopped for lunch afterwards and Tate started howling to get out of his seat so I started playing peek-a-boo with him. I couldn't get enough of his little laugh. When I see his smile, it makes me forget for a minute how ornery he is.
The line was already very long by the time we got there. Apparently, they were also showing a sneak peek of the new Barbie Princess movie. But the reserved seats were all taken for that. Which was fine...we just wanted the girls to get a glimpse of Barbie, in the flesh. (I'm sure David was hoping to get a glimpse of her as well). I was so anxious standing there waiting. She was only there until 11am and I was scared to death we would finally get up to the front of the line and she would leave. It's so funny how you can handle disappointments for yourself with ease, but when it comes to your kids, you'd do anything to prevent them. No, I didn't have to knock any little girls in the knee caps to get ahead in line. Thankfully, we made it about 5 minutes before she was about to leave.
We had a leisurely carousel ride. They make David dizzy so he always sends me instead. I told Reese to pick 3 animals together so I could be sure and hold on tight to Tate while also keeping an eye on them. She thought I meant to pick something we could all ride together, so we all squeezed into this peacock bench. They were a little sad when they realized it didn't go up and down.
Here's a shot of my big guy climbing up the entire slide all by himself!
We stopped for lunch afterwards and Tate started howling to get out of his seat so I started playing peek-a-boo with him. I couldn't get enough of his little laugh. When I see his smile, it makes me forget for a minute how ornery he is.
Night at the Circus
It's that time of year of year again when the Ringling Bros roll into Kansas City. This year, we were about 4 rows away from the action! Compared to last years seats in the nosebleed section where I held my breath the whole time hoping our antsy girls wouldn't fall into the rows below us, these were great seats. All opening night seats are $11.
We decided to chance it and take Tate along with us. He came last year too, but was only a few months old and slept through the entire second half contentedly in my lap. His eyes were WIDE open the entire show this time. He laughed and squealed and pointed at the different people and animals. One time I looked over at his excited little face and said, "I'm sorry I didn't want to bring you."
Don't get me wrong, he had his fit pitching moments. But it was so loud in there, his cries didn't disrupt anyone. We just held on to him tight and when he realized we weren't backing down and were not going to unleash him to run out onto the stage and get trampled by elephants, he found his blanky, popped his thumb in his mouth, sat back, and enjoyed the show. He was more entralled by the big screen showing everything on it. I kept trying to point out to him that we were just a few feet from the live action! Forget the screen!
Reese kept sweetly asking for a toy of some sort. I knew which one she would pick out. The $20 light up one that spun around. And we'd have to get one for Drue also. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. She was satisfied with getting cotton candy for her treat which came with a cute hat. We paid almost as much for that as one of our seats!
It was a fun show. I always enjoy these types of things as much as the kids. Thankfully, they had all had late naps that day which made for better moods all around.
Here are my two little clowns back home getting ready for bed. It was after 10pm by this time. Don't they look sleepy?!
We decided to chance it and take Tate along with us. He came last year too, but was only a few months old and slept through the entire second half contentedly in my lap. His eyes were WIDE open the entire show this time. He laughed and squealed and pointed at the different people and animals. One time I looked over at his excited little face and said, "I'm sorry I didn't want to bring you."
Don't get me wrong, he had his fit pitching moments. But it was so loud in there, his cries didn't disrupt anyone. We just held on to him tight and when he realized we weren't backing down and were not going to unleash him to run out onto the stage and get trampled by elephants, he found his blanky, popped his thumb in his mouth, sat back, and enjoyed the show. He was more entralled by the big screen showing everything on it. I kept trying to point out to him that we were just a few feet from the live action! Forget the screen!
Reese kept sweetly asking for a toy of some sort. I knew which one she would pick out. The $20 light up one that spun around. And we'd have to get one for Drue also. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. She was satisfied with getting cotton candy for her treat which came with a cute hat. We paid almost as much for that as one of our seats!
It was a fun show. I always enjoy these types of things as much as the kids. Thankfully, they had all had late naps that day which made for better moods all around.
Here are my two little clowns back home getting ready for bed. It was after 10pm by this time. Don't they look sleepy?!
Friday, September 07, 2007
School Days
Ok, so a bit turned into 2 days, but it's been CRAZYVILLE around here. I have to revamp my whole schedule just to fit everything in. Some days it's either blog or brush my teeth...and I'm pretty sure those I come in face to face contact with would much prefer me choose the latter.
Alright already, this post isn't supposed to be about me, it's supposed to be about our sweet little Reese, who joined the ranks of bazillions of other schoolchildren this week. Just one more little tidbit about me first...in the title of my last post I stated that I DIDN'T CRY on her first day.
I just don't want that feat to be overlooked in all of this. I got teary eyed on the way to drop her off. We were listening to the Veggie Tales sing a sweet little rendition of Seek Ye First, and I had to turn it off and put on a regular radio station to get my mind off cute little children...namely MINE whom I'd be dropping off in a few minutes to begin her formal education and whom, one day, I'd be driving to drop off at a University somewhere.
I got ahold of myself and we all bumbled into the building. They don't have curbside drop off, so I have to unbuckle everyone each time and finagle the double stroller through the double doors of the church school which do not have that magic button to push that hold the doors open.
Anyway, I did get teary eyed again while we were waiting outside her classroom with all the other kids and parents. But nary a tear fell to my cheek. If just one tear had fallen, it would have been all over. I'd have been a bawling crumpled mess on the floor.
Let me back up a bit. We have been preparing for Reese's first day of preschool for months. Buying new outfits here and there, picking out new hairbows that I am vowing not to lose the first month of school, picking out her backback and lunchbox. I love how her backpack takes up half her body. The night before her first day, I was running around like a crazy person getting her outfit ready, her lunch packed, and her sheet washed for rest time. Then I realized I had to get the other two kids' outfits ready plus my own. Normally on my days at home, my attire consists of a t-shirt, ball cap, and jeans. Her school is filled with prim and proper Johnson County moms and I don't want to embarrass her this early by dropping her off looking like a frumpled mess.
David had to make a last minute trip to the grocery store for a few items while I stuck around home and continued preparing for this next step in her life. She only eats lunch there on Wednesdays so I want to put little love notes for her to find each time. Since she can't read yet, I figured I'd draw little pictures. I had the first one all planned out...I even drew a mock up of it at work. It was going to be her and me with a heart in between us and a rainbow. Across the top I wrote I LOVE U REESE! Replacing the word LOVE with a heart. Simple. Easy for a 4 year old to figure out. Lets her know I'm thinking of her.
When David got home from the store, he caught me sneaking the picture into her box.
"What's that?" he asked.
I excitedly showed it to him explaining how I wanted to draw a new one every week when he pulled out a tiny little storebought card with the Disney Princesses on the front.
"I thought this would be cute to put in her box. You can print out each of our faces and tape them on the inside."
BLAST! I hate it when he comes up with cuter ideas than mine. Which actually happens quite often. He's a man for crying out loud, their minds aren't supposed to work like that.
He took a closer look at my drawing and asked, "Where am I?".
Oops.
I stumbled over my words and explained that I just wanted it to be a simple little picture so she knew I was thinking about her...blah blah blah.
"Well, her Daddy will be thinking about her too!" he reminded me.
I headed straight downstairs and printed off little pictures of me, David, Drue, and Tate and dutifully taped our faces inside her card and drew hearts around them. David also bought her some fun squisy colorful pencils to take in her bag. All night long he kept rubbing it in that he'd had the whole family in mind when he was picking out her little treasures.
I warned Reese that I would be taking her picture quite a few times that morning. I've discovered that if I warn her early about stuff like that, she's more likely to cooperate when the time comes. I even told her I'd be taking a picture of her once we got inside her classroom. It helped that the other moms all had their cameras out too. After I snapped that last picture, she waved her little hand signaling it was time for me to go. I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss then turned to leave. She ran over and gave me a hug. That made my whole morning. Then I watched as she bounced her little blond curls over to the play area without looking back.
There was an emptiness in our day without her. The van was strangely quiet. I kept asking Drue if she missed Reese, to which kept responding, "No". We ran a few errands, which is much easier to do with just two of them, I must admit. But I had to fight the urge to tell everyone in the store who smiled at my two youngsters that I actually have one more child who wasn't with me because she started school today.
She was happy to see us when we went back to get her that afternoon. She had a great first day. She told me all about it. I put everyone down for naps when we got home. I had to lay down with Reese so she would be sure to fall asleep because we were heading to the circus that night. She grumbled at first, but within 10 minutes her breathing became even and steady and she was o-u-t. My exhausted little preschooler.
Now if I can just muster up the courage to take her back next week...
Alright already, this post isn't supposed to be about me, it's supposed to be about our sweet little Reese, who joined the ranks of bazillions of other schoolchildren this week. Just one more little tidbit about me first...in the title of my last post I stated that I DIDN'T CRY on her first day.
I just don't want that feat to be overlooked in all of this. I got teary eyed on the way to drop her off. We were listening to the Veggie Tales sing a sweet little rendition of Seek Ye First, and I had to turn it off and put on a regular radio station to get my mind off cute little children...namely MINE whom I'd be dropping off in a few minutes to begin her formal education and whom, one day, I'd be driving to drop off at a University somewhere.
I got ahold of myself and we all bumbled into the building. They don't have curbside drop off, so I have to unbuckle everyone each time and finagle the double stroller through the double doors of the church school which do not have that magic button to push that hold the doors open.
Anyway, I did get teary eyed again while we were waiting outside her classroom with all the other kids and parents. But nary a tear fell to my cheek. If just one tear had fallen, it would have been all over. I'd have been a bawling crumpled mess on the floor.
Let me back up a bit. We have been preparing for Reese's first day of preschool for months. Buying new outfits here and there, picking out new hairbows that I am vowing not to lose the first month of school, picking out her backback and lunchbox. I love how her backpack takes up half her body. The night before her first day, I was running around like a crazy person getting her outfit ready, her lunch packed, and her sheet washed for rest time. Then I realized I had to get the other two kids' outfits ready plus my own. Normally on my days at home, my attire consists of a t-shirt, ball cap, and jeans. Her school is filled with prim and proper Johnson County moms and I don't want to embarrass her this early by dropping her off looking like a frumpled mess.
David had to make a last minute trip to the grocery store for a few items while I stuck around home and continued preparing for this next step in her life. She only eats lunch there on Wednesdays so I want to put little love notes for her to find each time. Since she can't read yet, I figured I'd draw little pictures. I had the first one all planned out...I even drew a mock up of it at work. It was going to be her and me with a heart in between us and a rainbow. Across the top I wrote I LOVE U REESE! Replacing the word LOVE with a heart. Simple. Easy for a 4 year old to figure out. Lets her know I'm thinking of her.
When David got home from the store, he caught me sneaking the picture into her box.
"What's that?" he asked.
I excitedly showed it to him explaining how I wanted to draw a new one every week when he pulled out a tiny little storebought card with the Disney Princesses on the front.
"I thought this would be cute to put in her box. You can print out each of our faces and tape them on the inside."
BLAST! I hate it when he comes up with cuter ideas than mine. Which actually happens quite often. He's a man for crying out loud, their minds aren't supposed to work like that.
He took a closer look at my drawing and asked, "Where am I?".
Oops.
I stumbled over my words and explained that I just wanted it to be a simple little picture so she knew I was thinking about her...blah blah blah.
"Well, her Daddy will be thinking about her too!" he reminded me.
I headed straight downstairs and printed off little pictures of me, David, Drue, and Tate and dutifully taped our faces inside her card and drew hearts around them. David also bought her some fun squisy colorful pencils to take in her bag. All night long he kept rubbing it in that he'd had the whole family in mind when he was picking out her little treasures.
I warned Reese that I would be taking her picture quite a few times that morning. I've discovered that if I warn her early about stuff like that, she's more likely to cooperate when the time comes. I even told her I'd be taking a picture of her once we got inside her classroom. It helped that the other moms all had their cameras out too. After I snapped that last picture, she waved her little hand signaling it was time for me to go. I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss then turned to leave. She ran over and gave me a hug. That made my whole morning. Then I watched as she bounced her little blond curls over to the play area without looking back.
There was an emptiness in our day without her. The van was strangely quiet. I kept asking Drue if she missed Reese, to which kept responding, "No". We ran a few errands, which is much easier to do with just two of them, I must admit. But I had to fight the urge to tell everyone in the store who smiled at my two youngsters that I actually have one more child who wasn't with me because she started school today.
She was happy to see us when we went back to get her that afternoon. She had a great first day. She told me all about it. I put everyone down for naps when we got home. I had to lay down with Reese so she would be sure to fall asleep because we were heading to the circus that night. She grumbled at first, but within 10 minutes her breathing became even and steady and she was o-u-t. My exhausted little preschooler.
Now if I can just muster up the courage to take her back next week...
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
First Day of Preschool (Read: I didn't cry!)
Just a few quick pictures to tide you over...I will write about it in a bit.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Camp Out
For the long holiday weekend we set out on a camp out adventure...to our backyard! (We felt more at ease knowing the chicken exit led straight to our own back door).
Actually, the girls really did great. When Tate is at a more unexasperating age, I think we'll all have a blast together. We're thinking maybe next summer...no wait, that will be the start of the terrible twos...perhaps the next...or the next.
The little fella did get to romp around in the tent for a bit before he was tucked snugly into his crib...inside the house.
The girls--finding a comfy spot to crash after they just spent the past half hour jumping up and down on the mattress. Oh yes, there was a mattress. Originally David was going to be the one sleeping out there with them. I had my doubts that arrangement was going to work. I headed out to check on them all one last time around 9pm and he claims the girls wanted me to stay instead of him. How could I say no to that?
Reese waiting patiently for the campfire to be ready to roast her marshmallows. Which you could barely tell even got roasted. She was just eager to get them into her mouth.
Drue - enjoying her creation.
It really was a lot of fun. No overly crazy or exhausting tales to blog about. (I know you're disappointed). David told 3 little ghost stories I found off the internet for kids. He gave each story a quick once over, then retold them all in his own way without even having to look back at the paper. He's a great storyteller. Maybe that's a man trait. Only he uses his trait for good, not evil.
The girls settled down quite a bit after David and I switched places and we soon drifted off to the sound of cicadas and crickets. Those things are loud. I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to fall asleep at first. We all started off sleeping in one direction and by morning we were all 3 going in different ones.
I kept waking up, tucking the girls in, because I was getting chilly. They tend to creep out of their blankets. Turns out, David slept on the couch in the living room in case he needed to be our knight in shining armor should a fox come around for a midnight snack. I was a teensy bit worried of that myself because we have seen them in our neighborhood on more than one occasion, and even saw one in our own backyard.
Actually, the girls really did great. When Tate is at a more unexasperating age, I think we'll all have a blast together. We're thinking maybe next summer...no wait, that will be the start of the terrible twos...perhaps the next...or the next.
The little fella did get to romp around in the tent for a bit before he was tucked snugly into his crib...inside the house.
The girls--finding a comfy spot to crash after they just spent the past half hour jumping up and down on the mattress. Oh yes, there was a mattress. Originally David was going to be the one sleeping out there with them. I had my doubts that arrangement was going to work. I headed out to check on them all one last time around 9pm and he claims the girls wanted me to stay instead of him. How could I say no to that?
Reese waiting patiently for the campfire to be ready to roast her marshmallows. Which you could barely tell even got roasted. She was just eager to get them into her mouth.
Drue - enjoying her creation.
It really was a lot of fun. No overly crazy or exhausting tales to blog about. (I know you're disappointed). David told 3 little ghost stories I found off the internet for kids. He gave each story a quick once over, then retold them all in his own way without even having to look back at the paper. He's a great storyteller. Maybe that's a man trait. Only he uses his trait for good, not evil.
The girls settled down quite a bit after David and I switched places and we soon drifted off to the sound of cicadas and crickets. Those things are loud. I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to fall asleep at first. We all started off sleeping in one direction and by morning we were all 3 going in different ones.
I kept waking up, tucking the girls in, because I was getting chilly. They tend to creep out of their blankets. Turns out, David slept on the couch in the living room in case he needed to be our knight in shining armor should a fox come around for a midnight snack. I was a teensy bit worried of that myself because we have seen them in our neighborhood on more than one occasion, and even saw one in our own backyard.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
