And the One-Liners Just Keep Coming

This morning, at breakfast, K was talking about the freckle that L has on the palm of her hand. K said it was strange and L replied, "It's not strange!" I told L that is wasn't strange, it's unique, it makes her special. She said, "It's not special!" I said, "Yes it is. You are special because God made you that way." Her reply?

"God didn't make me special! God made me L_____!"

I Think She May Be Coming Down with a Case of OCD

On Tuesday, I took K to the dentist. She is a great patient and did everything she was asked to do. I must give some of the credit to the hygienist who explained everything to K beforehand and even let her play with some of the equipment. And in the grand dentist tradition, K got a goodie bag filled with all things dental: floss, kid-friendly mouthwash, toothpaste, and the beloved toothbrush (Pirates of the Caribbean!).

Ever since that day, K has become obsessed with brushing her teeth. And flossing. And rinsing. After every single thing she eats. Especially if it has sugar in it. Sugar of any kind. Like after she ate a pear for a snack yesterday. After she got home from school. After dinner. Before bed. Before school this morning. Flossing and rinsing with mouthwash included.

I realize that it is probably just a phase but there's only so many times you can brush your teeth!

Oh, the Things They Say

I have always been able to talk with my children easily. We just have fun together. We usually talk about what they did that day during dinner. I have long thought that K would be my most vocal one, that I wouldn't have to ask much of her, that she would tell me things and L would be the one I have to pull information out of. This has not been the case as of late. When I ask K what she did at school her answer is, "I don't know." It's as if I have to pull teeth to get out of her what she did at school.

L, on the other hand, is a fountain of information. She told me that she and her friends were going to get motorcycles, pink, of course, and ride around. They had this whole plan to ride around on their pink motorcycles with their pink helmets. Of course, that's just for the girls. The boys were going to have black motorcycles except for H (one of her boyfriends). H was going to get a red one because red is his favorite color.

I would love to be a fly on the wall in L's class. The conversations that must go on!

War Eagle! (And Happy Belated Birthday to Me)

So, we won! It was beautiful. I'm still kicking myself because I didn't get a t-shirt a few years ago that said "Fear the Thumb" in reference to our streak of beating Alabama. Now that shirt would be obsolete and I am, frankly, a bit superstitious about such things and if I had actually gotten the shirt we would have lost last year and I would get no satisfaction out of that shirt. (Sorry about the run-on sentence). But we won last year and this year, too. Oh the joy! It was a great birthday present.

Actually, ten years ago, my 21st birthday was the day of the Auburn/Alabama game. I lived by two football players. The game was in Auburn. We won at the last second on a field goal (a very long field goal as I recall). It was just fabulous. What a birthday that was.

Fast forward ten years and my how times have changed. I am so thankful for the life I've been given. I have a wonderful husband, three beautiful children (even if they are beasts at times) and family and friends I cherish. This past year has been full of smiles and trials and I wouldn't change one minute of it!

Christmas Music

You'll notice on my sidebar that I have a link for the new Michael W. Smith Christmas CD. I believe that I'm going to get a free copy just because I blog and I signed up in time. As soon as I get it, I'll let you know what I think. If you click on the link, you can listen to several of the songs. Even if you're not a fan of MWS, his Christmas albums are wonderful. They are always the first ones I listen to at the beginning of the Christmas season, to get into the spirit!

Parfum d'Old Spice

Ever since we got our new toilet, the girls have wanted to use it rather than their own. Why bother with a used one when a new one is available? So when L came into my room and asked if she could use my potty, I begrudgingly said yes. I usually make them use their own but I guess I'm getting soft in my old age.

She went in, closed the door, did her business, and flushed. I was working on the computer, just outside the bathroom door, and realized, several minutes later, that L was still in there. Then I heard rummaging. Not a good sign from a 3-year-old in her parent's bathroom. I told her to get out of there. She dropped what she was doing and obeyed (good girl!).

Since it was time for dinner, I escorted her out of my room and into the kitchen where I smelled some sort of perfume. It smelled like air freshener at first but I couldn't place it. I asked the girls if they had sprayed something and, of course, they denied it. L asked to be picked up and I, again, obliged. (See? I am getting soft.) That's when the smell got stronger.

Apparently, L had put on her father's Old Spice deoderant while rummaging in the bathroom. She even got it in the right spot. I know she missed her Daddy last week but that's a little over the top!

Pictures Coming!

Oh, I've been so blog neglectful this week. With an out-of-town husband and a sick child I've had my hands full this week. Fortunately, S is back and will be for awhile. For that, we are grateful.

One fun thing I got to do this week was do a knitting demonstration for K's class. The librarian at her school asked if I would show the kids some hand-knitted items and I was happy to oblige. I could have thought of a thousand reasons not to do this (H needs a nap, H needs to eat at that time, L is sick, I have other errands to do, etc.) but I really wanted to do this so I made the time. Just to see the look on K's face when I told her what I was going to do was proof enough that I made the right decision. She was so proud to have me in her class and to share with all her friends. I'm so thankful I got to do that.

Now, the demonstration was really just a way to show the kids the different tools used in knitting, along with different yarns used and things that can be made by hand. While I didn't have a whole lot to show them, I had plenty. Remember this is a group of five-year-olds. They were really more interested in the yarn and feeling the different textures.

So, I'll try to do better about blogging this week. I have a few pictures to share, including L's first Thanksgiving program. She was really cute!

My Children, The Cats

My dad and stepmother have 3 cats: George, Audrey, and Proctor. They are sweet and funny cats, mostly hiding when we show up with our brood. The one thing they love is a good box. I don't really know what it is but a good box will provide hours of entertainment for these animals.

(Can you see where this is going?)

Today I got a new stroller for H. We purchased a "travel system" when I was pregnant with K that has lasted all these years. The carseat part is still just fine but the stroller part is, well, falling apart. All of the straps have dry rotted so that I can't buckle H into it should I want to take him out of his carseat. I find that detail to be very important in a stroller. Since he's already proven to be a wiggle worm, I don't want to risk him falling out of said stroller.

I found a great deal on a stroller online. Free shipping. Excellent price. Tons of accessories and attachments. Clearance item. Cool color. Did I mention that I got a really good price? Anyhoo, it came today and I spent the last half hour putting it together in our kitchen. It really wasn't that difficult except for the two little girls "helping." As I was figuring out all the accessories, the girls found the box. They played in that thing forever and it's still sitting on the floor of our kitchen.

I've just gotten a really good idea for Christmas...

It's the Little Things

Earlier today, I posted about rest for the weary. I needed that today! And just when I thought I had to do everything, the girls go and surprise me. As I was putting them to bed and turning out the light, I noticed that they had very carefully laid out their clothes for tomorrow. I didn't tell them to do it, they just did it on their own, shoes included! It was the sweetest thing.

H is 6 Months Old!

I know I say this a lot but I'm so amazed at how fast H's first year is going. He's getting so big so fast, it feels like one really long day since he got here (a friend of mine says, "The days are long but the years are short"). For those of you who need to know specifics, H went to the doctor this morning and he is a whopping 18lbs, 15oz and 27" long. He is a chunk! He's gained 13 pounds in 6 months. That's a lot to me. The best news is that he's all caught up for his age group, landing in the 75th percentile for a normal 6-month-old boy. That is great! No wonder my arms are sore by the end of the day!

(I'm including a picture of L and H because L wanted to be in the picture and I took about 10 trying to get both of their faces in the frame. It wasn't my best picture-taking venture.)

Rest for the Weary

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

So That's Where it Is

We, like the majority of Americans, have 2 phones. We have only one phone line but we have receivers in the kitchen and our bedroom. About a week ago, I realized that I could only find one of them. I hit the page button on the base and was able to find one, conveniently located in my hand, but couldn't find the other one. I looked in all the normal places, including all the cushions on the sofa and the chair. I looked under all the furniture. No phone. It was gone.

The other day, however, the girls were playing in the living room and the kitchen. They went to their cabinet in my grandmother's china cabinet and I noticed what looked to be a phone. Sure enough, there was the other phone, complete with a dead battery. I had to explain that these phones were not toys!

In Memoriam

Fishy - July 2005-November 2007

This post is dedicated to our faithful friend, Fishy. He was such a good pet, never asking for anything other than food and clean water. He celebrated many milestones with us, including the birth of our son in May. And while Fishy wasn't the type of pet to sit on your lap, he served a special purpose as the very first pet we ever owned.

Fishy, you will be missed!

(Please note: the above picture is not of our sweet Fishy but it's the best I could do.)

Because I Don't Want to Leave Him Out

Since H didn't get dressed up last night, I thought I would post my favorite picture of him. I took it with my cell phone so the quality isn't that great but thanks to modern technology, and a husband who understands it all, we were able to transfer it to my computer.

At Least I Didn't Forget My Camera

I just so happened to remember my camera last night as we went trick-or-treating for the first time. This is our first year to do that mostly because I just didn't want to bother with it. Frankly, the girls never asked and I never mentioned it. But now that K is in kindergarten and has friends that talk about trick-or-treating, we had to go this year.

We have some wonderful neighbors but I don't know them all that well and we would be limited to about 6 houses for our trick-or-treating debut. Plus, I really didn't want to drag H around the entire time so we joined some of our friends in their neighborhood. They have lots of kids on their street and I actually know more of their neighbors than I do of my own. (I realize this is sad).

Here are the highlights of our trick-or-treating debut:

• K and L getting dressed up as princesses, yet again
• L and her friend W being petrified (and I do mean petrified) of a man in a mask. The mask wasn't that scary and it was someone we all know but they were petrified nonetheless
• L deciding, after a very short time, that she'd had enough of the trick-or-treating and joining Mama in handing out the candy
• L saying, "Here boy" or "Here girl" in reference to the children coming to get candy from us
• L saying, "Mama, cover my eyes. He's scary!" (At which point she took my hand and covered her face)
• The Daddies pulling the kids in the wagon and the Mamas sitting in the driveway handing out the candy. It was a great night!

Ice Princess K

Ice Princess L

The kids at the end of the night (Honestly, walking around is so tiring!)