Mothers Day-- day 2

~A mother's hand brushes hair from your eyes, tears from you cheek, hurt from your heart.
-Lauren Benson

~Show me a woman who doesn't feel guilty and I'll show you a man.
- Erica Jong

~Being a full-time mother is one of the highest-salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.
-Mildred B. Vermont

~Childhood is short; regret nothing of the hard work.
-Doris Lessing

~Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
-Phyllis Diller

~The phrase "working mother" is redundant.
-Jane Sellman

~There's nothing wrong with teenagers that reasoning with them won't aggravate.
-Anonymous

~A mother's arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them.
-Victor Hugo

~Be good at "letting go."
-Marsha Sinetar

~Govern a family as you would cook small fish-- very gently.
-Chinese proverb

TOP 10 THINGS HANDED DOWN FROM MOM TO MOM (I have done every one of these!)

10. The loud finger snap that will stop kids dead in their tracks.
9. The "I'm not angry, I'm disappointed" speech.
8. The fine are of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
7. The ability to separate mixed modeling clay colors.
6. The rule about not mixing the modeling clay colors.
5. The keen sense that a child is probably sitting too close to the TV.
4. The "How do you know you don't like it if you haven't tried it?" line.
3. The appropriate amount of time to spend in the corner.
2. The various comebacks to "But all my friends are doing it."
1. The terrified look that follows the question "Where do babies come from?"
-Dee Ann Stewart

Mothers Day-- day 1

In honor of Mother's Day, and all of the fabulous women I love(mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, mom-to-be's)over the next few days leading up to the big day- I'll be posting some quotes from a Mothers book I read recently, titled "Wit & Wisdom of Mothers". Some serious, some funny-- but all will make you smile. Enjoy!

~There's no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.
-Jill Churchill

~A mother's hug says to the heart what a lifetime of words can never say.
-Mary Miro

~A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap. -Danish proverb

~A mom will sit in the rain in the bleachers to watch her kid sit on a bench.
-Bill Gray

~A mom's love waits up when the rest of the world has already turned out the lights.
-Diana Manning

~A mom's heart is a lot like her purse. It holds everything a kid could ever need-and a little bit extra. -Linda Staten

~Mom's hugs are like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... they're sweet and they stick with you a long time.
-Kay Andrew

~Few mistakes can be made by a mother-in-law who is willing to baby-sit.
-Anonymous

~What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.
-Mother Teresa

E.L. Fudge cookies, South Carolina State Fair, & "About"

You know, being the mother of a 4 year-old and 1 year-old I can honestly say that not much that they say or do surprises me anymore. I'm actually surprised if the day goes by and something strange hasn't happened. It's nothing for us to spend hours, days, or months discussing a topic. For instance, we had a sprinkler system installed last summer. Well, we did the "responsible" and legal thing of calling PUPS to come out and mark the utility lines before the guys started digging. Chloe was convinced that God had turned parts of the yard orange and yellow with special rain he sent down, and that He did this because He gets bored looking at the same color of grass all day up there in Heaven and he wanted to spice things up a bit. Maybe it was wrong of us but on day 15 of that conversation we decided to just agree with her and move on. Case closed--- or so we thought. A couple of weeks ago Chloe had a friend over for a play date and we (Chloe, friend, me & Emma in stroller) went for a walk through the neighborhood. Looks like someone else is getting a sprinkler system. Chloe saw the lines and in her exasperated tone that she can use said, "When is God gonna stop coloring the grass around here?!? I thought he had stopped but it looks like he's at it again. Can you believe that mom?" Knowing that if I didn't agree I would have to relive this story and my explanation for at least 2 weeks-- I did the weak thing and just shook my head and said, "Guess He wanted to have some fun again!"
Todays "reliving old moments with Chloe" story started with a trip to the grocery store. E.L. Fudge cookies were on sale, and pardon me but I can't pass up 2 buttery cookies with chocolate fudge between them for $2.19 a box! Who could?!? Well, Chloe asked for some pineapple and cookies for a snack. Simple enough-- or so I thought. She saw the cookie and explained (for about 20 minutes) how these cookies remind her how little she is. What?!? Exactly-- apparently they had these cookies for snack at school and "her Nina" could twist them apart "so gently" and lick the chocolate off before dunking the cookie in her pudding. Apparently Chloe wasn't so gentle in pulling hers apart and they kept breaking into pieces. She told me it was because she was so much "littler" than Nina. Well, I informed her that was silly and she just needed to pull them slowly and that she and Nina were about the same size. This started a retelling of our trip to the S.C. State Fair--in October. The height requirement for the slide ride was 42" tall. Nina walked up, measured, and was handed her burlap sack and sent on her way. Chloe however apparently measured in at 41 7/8" tall- so the dude made me go with her. I didn't mind, I grabbed the sack and rode down the slide with her-- I was actually glad he was doing his job, but really if I had teased her hair up 1/8 of an inch, the kid would've been fine-- and I wouldn't have to hear about this all the time and how that one moment from October means she is "small". So here's what she had to say regarding the cookie:

"Remember how I was smaller than Nina at the South Carolina State Fair when that guy measured me? So, I am smaller and I just haven't practiced enough with my cookies. And remember mom, about is not the same as same-- so I'm not the same size as Nina."

To which I responded, "Pardon me, but if you use that tone with me again you'll be ABOUT to get a spanking-- and that is the same as SAME dear!"

"Sorry mom." -- Kills me how cute she is even when she's being a little snot!... God help me when she's 13!!!!

R U kdn me?

So, if you thought people driving while talking on their cell phones was dangerous-- how about driving while texting?!? Not saying I've ever done that (not saying I haven't). But it's time to realize that text messaging is taking over all forms of communication. It used to be that only the "kids" were doing it (like Micky's youngest brother and sister and my nieces). Well, now everyone's doing it (like me, Micky, and even his Mom!). And while I used to think it was crazy, I now see that it can be quite fun. I can't tell you how many times a text has brought a smile to my face-- well maybe not the text but the person sending it-- like Christy sending me "Dumb & Dumber" or "Christmas Vacation" quotes, or Carla and I texting silly "Office" comments back and forth. It's just fun! But it was just this week that I realized that this whole texting craze had reached a new level when Micky and I were texting each other Tuesday night (his late night at work). You won't truly appreciate what you're about to read unless you are a "Friends" fan, but just know that Micky and I used to watch that show all the time and it's being able to make each other laugh with these silly comments that makes me love texting. This is what we wrote:

me: How U doin? (like Joey would say)

it took Micky about 30 minutes to respond-- he was at work!

Micky: Could I BE any better? (like Chandler would say)

Yep, we're nerds. I'm just glad we get each others jokes-- makes life easy!

Family

As I sit here- full up to my ears with turkey, ham, stuffing, and giblet gravy- I find myself only able to sit and think (mainly because I don't have the strength to move this body I've stuffed for 2 straight days off the couch). My thoughts have ranged from all sorts of topics like 1. Who came up with the Lego idea and how? 2. Why does the sound of rain dripping off the house always remind me of my Nannie's house? 3. How many possible excuses can Chloe come up with for getting out of bed yet again (so far we're at 4 for the evening)? 4. Who was the first guy to ever use the "comb over" and who was the mean woman who told him it looked good and nobody would ever notice? 5. I think my tree needs a few more ornaments at the top. 6. I love hearing the sounds Emma makes on the monitor while she's sleeping (she's a soft moaner--like my brother Scott). 7. I sure wish Starbucks delivered--I'd love a White Chocolate Mocha with 2 pumps of vanilla right now. I'm pretty sure there's just enough room in the belly for a tall one of those! 8. I've got the most awesome family possible and it's weighing heavy on my heart that I may have hurt one of their feelings recently (completely unintentionally but if it hurt them it doesn't really matter how it happened I just want to erase it from their memory).--so that thought has led me to try to come up with some type of machine that can eliminate painful thoughts (something other than drugs or alcohol!). So far I got nothing. The best I've come up with so far is words. Plain, simple, words. The same thing that can cause the pain can some times be the same thing that can take it away. (Don't worry this person and I have already settled this and all is right in our worlds, but just knowing that the power you have with just a few simple words to hurt someone causes me to be a little awe struck)
This has really just turned into a big ramble now, but again, I'm too full to even close the computer so I'm going to type a little bit more. My family means everything to me-- and when I say family I'm not just talking about people who share the same blood or last name. I'm talking about people who I think of when I think back on some of the most important events of my life. People I've wanted to share great moments with-- like the births of my children and their baptisms, their birthday parties, silly 80 parties, and some of the best times just sitting around the table at mom's telling crazy stories and picking on each other and laughing so hard that you cry. People that get me-- and all the crazy that comes with getting me (laughing at my not so funny jokes, getting my references to "Dumb & Dumber", "Christmas Vacation", and "The Office"). These are the people I love. And I want and need to tell them that more.
So, for all you saps out there who are in my "family" and didn't even know it: I LOVE YOU!!!
Happy Thanksgiving and please don't laugh too hard as you picture me rolling off the couch to get one more piece of coconut cake!
(oh, and the Chloe count is up to 6 now-- with the latest being that Ariella Beariella (her bedtime bear) needs some more honey-- I had a hard time arguing with that one so I'm pretty sure she's in the playroom looking for honey! What can I say, the kids gonna have to teach me all about fractions next year. Do you really think I remember all that elementary school stuff? I can barely write a coherent grocery list these days :-) !!!!!

Sometimes you need to rant!

Ok, have you ever heard someone say "I don't know how it happened but it did."? Well, imagine me saying that... like 100 times in 10 seconds. Now, I'm trying to keep things in perspective and realize that no one was injured and we still have a roof over our heads and food for our bellies--but I'm still seething over here. I'm the moron that SOMEHOW deleted ALL of the pictures from my camera-- which wouldn't be such a big deal except I still had ALL of our Disney pics on there and some of the cutest pics of Emma from the last month (sleeping with her arm hanging out of the crib, cheesing it up for the camera in her cute winter hat, playing with Chloe and Dad, and just looking adorable in everyone of those pics) I actually haven't shed tears yet, but they may come. I'm going to try to take some deep breaths and calm down, and maybe this will be something I laugh about later. I DOUBT it.


Ok, I've taken some breaths and I'm pretty sure I'll be fine now-- just don't let me near the Menu option on my camera again!
(See sometimes it's good to rant over something to get it out of your system--even if it's something silly-- I feel alot better now. Thanks internet for listening!)
:-)

Still here

Hello!!! I know, I know... it's been FOREVER since I posted. I am shocked at how many e-mails I've received asking if I'm through with this blog. (I thought only about 4 people looked at this thing--nice to know I was wrong!) But, no, I'm not through-- it's just been crazy busy around here this month and this is honestly the first chance I've had to sit and do this. I have several posts floating around in my head and can't wait to share some great stories about the girls. But for now, I'll leave you with a pic of the 2021 Mouseketeers from the Disney Channel!

Signs

On the ride home from my parents house, we pass 2 very hardcore Southern Baptist churches. Or I should say, their signs. See, one of the churches is off a side road so they put their sign on the "big" road so people will actually see it. I have no problem with this, and often get a chuckle out of reading their "loving" sign that usually has sayings like, "Repent or Burn in Hell" or "Visitors Welcome, Members Expected" posted on it. I'm all for professing your love for the Lord and trying to bring others to hear His word, but I don't usually like the wording they choose for their signs. Tonight proved to be an exception. Micky and I picked the girls up from Grammy and Papa's after we finished working late, and the sign tonight read, "God accepts you as you are, but loves you too much to leave you that way."
I've ridden by that sign probably a million times in my life, and tonight was the first time I was glad I read it. I sometimes forget how much God loves me-- loves us I should say. So tonight I'm thanking the church down the road from my parents house for reminding me to thank God for loving me and for continuing to mold me into the person I'm meant to be-- even though I've done nothing to deserve it! What an Awesome God!

When I "growed" up

(not sure why this whole post is in italics, but I couldn't fix it-- sorry!)


Last night, Chloe asked me and Micky the same question she's been asking for weeks:
"What do you want to be when you growed up?"

We gave the same answer we've been giving:
"We're already grown up. Mommy's a nurse and Daddy's a dentist."

Well, she never likes this answer. So, she proceeds to tell us what we will be.
"I'm going to be a Princess and Daddy will be a Prince. Mom, you can be the Fairy Godmother or Genie if you want."
To which we usually just smile and nod.

These exchanges over the past few weeks have got me thinking about what I used to want to be. And then last Friday, while at a friends house, I was talking to 4 of my closest friends and we realized that, at this time, only one of us is "using" our degree. Afterwards, I thought about it for awhile and I realized we were wrong. The truth is that only one of us is getting PAID money to use our degree. Three of us are stay at home moms (SAHM as dooce says!). I still use my nursing knowledge in caring for my friends and family, and my friends are using their teaching degrees EVERYDAY in how they raise their kids.
These past few years of staying home with Chloe, and now Emma, have been awesome and I wouldn't change it for anything. But I have had the struggle with "self-worth" that I'm sure every stay at home mom has when you think that -- because I'm not bringing home a check maybe I'm not contributing enough to my family. I've tried for 3 years to get over that feeling, and every time I think I've kicked it, it'll rear it's ugly little head again. It doesn't matter how many times Micky tells me I'm doing a great job or how supportive he is, that feeling can eat away at me for days, weeks, forever.... I've gotten better at dealing with it, but I don't think it will ever be gone for good. Maybe that's because when I was growing up I never thought I'd be a SAHM. I wanted to be a meteorologist and work on the Weather Channel. Some girls wanted to be like Debbie Gibson or Kelly Kapowski, not me-- I wanted to be Cheryl Lemke the weekend anchor on the Weather Channel.










I know I could have rocked out the jet-stream moving across the country like nobodies business! But when the time came to go to college, the closest school for meteorology was Georgia Tech. Out of state-- so not only out of price range, but way too far for this mama's girl to go! Who knows, maybe when my girls graduate college I'll go get that meteorology degree and be the "smoking hot granny" on the Weather Channel. But for now, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and realize how lucky I am to get to be here with our girls during this time of their lives, and try to stomp down that ugly little monsters head when he tries to make me doubt myself!
So, the next time Chloe asks me what I'm going to be when I "growed" up, I'm going to simply reply, "FABULOUS!"

They do listen

Last night Micky and I took Chloe with us to our softball game (we're playing for our church's co-ed team). On the way home, Micky and I were discussing my apparent lack of speed--shock, shock! And I made the comment that my knees were just dead and gone and I didn't think they'd be coming back, so I should just get used to not being so fast anymore (not that I was ever really a speed demon mind you!). Well, here's what Chloe had to say on the "dead and gone" subject from the backseat:

C: "Jesus died, but he can come back... 'cause he's God's son. And Jesus and God will save the day!"

I think she's got a pretty good understanding of things for a 3 year-old (for any age for that matter). Just goes to show, if you take them and show them, they can learn, and she makes it all sound so simple. I guess it really is.

Call me Paranoid, but...

I think they're already plotting against me! On more than one occasion I've noticed Emma and Chloe with their heads leaned toward one another (as if they were deep in conversation) and when I walk up, they quickly look away like nothing was going on-- Chloe will start flipping through a book and Emma usually starts singing her vowel song, "aaaaeeeeiioooouuuu." I'm thinking, although Emma's only 4 months old and just mastered the art of turning over, she and Chloe have been secretly communicating for weeks! I believe they discuss middle of the night wake-up times, as well as hunger pain times-- where they will, at the same time, start whining for something to drink (Chloe- chocolate milk, Emma- Enfamil Gentleease). Maybe I'm reading too much into this--who knows?!? But I recently captured a few pics of one of their discussions. You be the judge.. but I know they were plotting something
:-)

[click on pic to see larger image]


Emma is clearly whispering some top-secret plans










See how slick Chloe is? She wants me to think she's giving Emma a kiss. But in reality she's telling her about phase 2 of the plan.








Now they're just being cocky-- and smiling in the knowledge that I have no idea what they're about to do.






Now in this one, I think Emma is just being a good sister and friend and taking care of some personal grooming for Chloe. I'll have to teach her that we let people take care of that sort of thing themselves.







Chloe's trying to be cool-- smiling like, "there's nothing to see here, just some sisterly love"
Emma's not so smooth-- that face is definitely saying, "ahh man, we are SOOOOO busted"

Quattuordecim

Today is the 14th anniversary of mine and Micky's first date! I can remember it like it was yesterday-- down to the outfit I wore and everything. Micky planned the date, and all he would tell me was what type of shoes to wear. He picked me up in his black and gray GMC Jimmy and gave me the tape of the single "I Swear" by John Michael Montgomery. (A few weeks before while we were at our Junior prom-- with other dates!-- this song had played and we had looked across the room and it was like a tv moment, we just knew!) Then he took me for a picnic consisting of Hardee's fried chicken, rolls, and sweet tea at Harbison Park. At the time, it was a lovely park inhabited mainly of mama ducks and their ducklings waddling about-- now it's inhabited mainly by thugs and their crime :-( After dinner, we went to the Melting Pot for dessert and then to Finlay Park where we sat on the swings and talked awhile (we really liked parks!). I had to be home kinda early, 10:30, because we were both taking the SAT the next morning. It was a great date!
Most of our friends and family know this is our first date anniversary-- due to the fact that every year I go on about it ad nauseam! But few of them know that our first date was supposed to have been April 29th. It was postponed a week due to Micky getting GROUNDED! First, you need to know that our Latin teacher in high school was a great woman but not too much on the teaching side of things... we spent 3 years in Latin and watched more Spartacus type films and colored more pictures of gladiators and coliseums than you can imagine. This didn't bother us at all-- at test time the class (which consisted of about 12 of some of my closest friends) would get to "share" a test. Which Micky would take and we would all get A's! So, while we took Latin to prepare us for our careers in medicine and law, it mainly taught us how to completely circumvent all authority and get a good grade while doing so. The fact that I was able to pass the Latin exam upon entering college and exempt my foreign language classes still amazes me to this day! Anyway~ our Latin class was taking a field trip to Charleston, and Micky and a few of the guys decided that instead of riding the bus they would drive themselves. And instead of doing the field trip agenda, they would visit the beach, walk around town, and have lunch at T-Bonz. (I still have the t-shirt he brought me from T-Bonz!) Well, I don't think he got grounded because he drove, our Latin teacher was well aware of their plans even though his parents weren't, but he was grounded for the idiotic thing he did to get caught! That's his story to share--not mine so I'll leave it at that. I am still so thankful that I didn't go with them--not that they did anything crazy or something like that-- but because his mom still remembers who was riding with him and to this day will ask about them with a certain tone in her voice :-) I get the feeling our relationship (mine and Micky's mom) would be much different had I been in that car too!
So while I always remember this as being the date of our first date, it also makes me think about the silly things we did in high school that we sometimes got caught at! (Notice the word sometimes!) A lot has changed in fourteen years, Micky has long since gotten rid of the black Appalachian State hat he wore EVERYDAY for 2 years (oh, I loved how he looked in that hat!) I finally convinced myself to get rid of the outfit I wore on that first date(paisleys just aren't coming back in style-- not sure if they ever were but I loved that outfit!), and we're now the parents thinking about the days to come when our girls will try crazy things in high school and we'll have to ground them. But somethings never change-- every time I hear "I Swear" not only do I think of our glances at Junior prom, I think of our first date, Micky's wedding ring I had it engraved on, our first dance at our wedding, and all of the great things that have followed since that first date!
You guys let me know if you see any black App State hats for sale!

Wishing...

My morning started off the same as most mornings do-- waking up to the sound of Clyde walking across the hardwoods in the great room to come stand by my side of the bed and shake all of his 72 pounds, thus waking me completely with the sound of his jowls flapping in the breeze. While this is always somewhat annoying, I very much prefer this to the smell that would awaken me if he didn't come to get me-- which would be piled up right in front of the back door-- as if to say, "If you'd get me a doggy door, I could've done this outside." Well Clyde, if we had a doggy door that you could fit through we'd be inviting every human under 6 feet and 170 pounds to enter and take what they'd like-- not to mention all the other beasts that could use it-- like bears or anaconda type snakes! So~ as I left my bedroom and entered the den, something large and sharp entered the heel of my left foot. And no matter what I tried I could not get it out! It stayed there all day until Micky got home and could surgically remove it-- and wouldn't you know, today was his late day and he didn't get home until after 7! So I spent the day limping, or what Chloe calls doing my "pirate walk". We're still not quite sure what it was-- not a splinter as I had thought-- luckily I'm up to date on my tetanus shot! Anyway-- back to the point-- my day didn't start off too well. Then, Mom called to see if she could take me and the girls to El Chico's for lunch! And seeing how I strongly believe that guacamole serves some type of medicinal purpose, I quickly accepted the invitation. As we were leaving El Chico, my day took a fantastic turn for the better-- thanks to a fountain and the sweetest 3 year-old I know! They have a small fountain in their entryway and Mom always gives Chloe a few coins to toss in as we leave. Well, today we could actually hear what she wished for and it went a little something like this.
She had several coins and each of these phrases was accompanied by her tossing in a coin.
C: "I wish I will always wuv my mommy, daddy, grammy, and my baby." toss
C: "And my Papa." toss
C: "My Tywer." toss, "Christy" toss, "Nano" toss, "My Nonnie" toss
Then she looked down to see she only had one left and said, "And I wish they wuv me too." Then she kissed that coin and tossed it in. I gave her a quick hug and she said, "Those are my best wishes."
It only took her about 30 seconds to do all that, but in that time I was able to picture her through all the stages of her life so far-- and all I could wish for is that time would SLOW down. She's growing up so fast, and she's just as sweet as she is beautiful!

Is there something in my teeth?

Micky and I are out of town at the state dental convention (without the girls :-( or :-) )-- can't decide if I'm happy or sad about that. But-- once again, I forgot my toothbrush! I guess if I had to forget something I'd rather it be that than birth control pills or the box of Hostess cupcakes I brought! At least it was no trouble finding a new one. As a matter of fact, I think the Colgate rep and the Oral-B rep were about to fight over who could give me a new toothbrush! Don't worry, I calmed them down and took 2 from both of them! I'm such a peacemaker!

Deep Thoughts... with Pinocchio!

Those of you who know Chloe know that there are some days where she's very talkative and some days where not so much talking goes on-- usually just deep thinking and a lot of drinking (juice that is)! On her "deep thinking" days, I try really hard to pay attention when she does decide to start a conversation because you never know what random piece of information you're going to hear! Yesterday was a deep thinking day and here are just a few of the topics she felt were worthy to discuss(and I thought were pretty funny):
1. On the ride home from school:
Chloe: Mom, ask me who the line leader was today.
me: Who was the line leader?
Chloe: MEEEEE!!!
me: That's great-- how did it go?
Chloe: well, I walked outside and down the hall,and to the bathroom-- and everyone followed-- because I was the leader.
me: I see.
Chloe: It was a good day.

For those that don't know, in Chloe's world, being the line leader is about the best thing that can happen to her at school-- unless it's Donuts for Dads day-- which is next week and she has informed us that her dad is supposed to take chips... for Donuts for Dads day. Who are we to argue?

2. I took her and Emma by Micky's work to see everyone, and the first thing she said to them was: "I'm going to be a mermaid at my church and my baby is going to be baby Jesus." They were a bit surprised by this random piece of news, but apparently she'd been thinking about this the whole way there and explained to us that mermaids were indeed there when Jesus was born. She thinks they should get to be in the church play too. Again, how do you argue with that?

3. Chloe got to go to church with me last night while I practiced handbells. I told her to sit very quietly and eat her snack (Goldfish) while we practiced. That worked for about 4 minutes... then she had to go potty twice in 7 minutes. After the second trip, she did sit quietly and play with stuff in her bookbag. After practice, our music director let Chloe play on the organ for a few minutes. That was a LOUD couple of minutes, but she was rocking the organ out! When they got done-and I got my hearing back- this was our conversation:
me: Did you like playing the organ?
Chloe: I was just showing him how to do it.
me: (trying not to laugh) Really? I think he knows how to play the organ very well sweetie.
Chloe: But he can't dance and play at the same time like me-- so I was showing him how to shake his head and move his shoulders.
me: I'm sure he appreciated that.
Chloe: well, he said thank you so that means he LOVED it!

So, remember if you LOVE something-- be sure to say thank you!

4. For a few weeks now Chloe's had days where she wants to be a boy like her daddy. We usually just play along, but yesterday it got pretty interesting on a trip to the bathroom. She had to go potty and was very quick to say, "I can do it myself mom." So, I let her go. When I walked by the bathroom she had her pants off and was STANDING on her stool in front of the potty. Here's how that went down:
me: Chloe, what are you trying to do?
Chloe: I'm just going to potty mom. Pwease shut the door.
me: Well, you've got to sit down
Chloe: I'm a boy remember, and this is how we potty.
me: Well.... only REAL boys get to potty like that.
Chloe: (almost in tears) but I am a real boy... see-- and she straddled the potty and went.
I about had a heart attack but guess what-- not a drop hit the floor. Apparently girls can stand to potty if the aim is right. Who knew?!? Luckily, 5 minutes later she decided it was more fun being a princess and was a girl again! We definitely have to get Pinocchio for her to watch!

Hi, I'm Grace. Nice to meet you...

Those of you who know me well, know that I am about as coordinated as a 3 legged dog on skis! As a matter of fact, some of my close friends don't even bat an eye when I fall face first walking in the mall-- tripping over nothing but my own feet and hopping back up faster than any bunny can hop-- they're just used to it. And they know that unless I mention it, then it didn't hurt a bit and we can just keep talking about whatever and not even break stride in the conversation. :-) One of my most memorable falls was from about a year and a half ago. Micky and I went with Carla and Ross to a concert at the Newberry Opera House. As we were leaving and walking to the car (completely sober mind you) I fell full body, face first on the pavement. My hands actually got caught up in my jacket so I wasn't even able to use them to break the fall. Again, I hopped up in record time, but that fall actually left a few marks and drew a little blood. I do have to give those guys credit-- they were actually nice enough to make sure I was ok before they busted out laughing. Not sure if I could have done that-- I've imagined what it must have looked like and I think it's HILARIOUS! My most recent fall happened tonight at aerobics. Yes, I said aerobics. Don't be so shocked! I've been going to work-out for a few weeks now, and I'm really terrible at it! But I like it-- I feel good when I leave knowing that I've done something good for myself-- and it helps me feel better when I dive in to a hot fudge sundae for dessert! They do a lot of step aerobics, and for someone with my great coordination that can be a challenge at times. Tonight as we were going over the box (from one side to the other) I caught my left foot on my right heel and just about hit the floor. Luckily, I was able to catch myself before I went down too far, but unfortunately, Jane still saw me and I could tell she was dying laughing on the inside-- not that I blame her, it was pretty funny and I got a chuckle out of it! I'm just impressed I didn't end up eating the floor! Oh, Jane is a lady that has been in every class I've taken. I only get to go a couple of times a week, usually late in the day after Micky gets home, and she's been their every time I go. She loves to tell me how she's been doing it for years and to just stick with it and I'll love it. I have no idea what her real name is, so I refer to her as Jane, short for Jane Fonda. After our hour long workout, she still looks like she just came from the salon-- fresh makeup and all-- and I'm standing over there dripping sweat like I've been working on the chain gang all afternoon by the railroad tracks! Oh well, I do think she means well and I do admire the way that woman can work out-- it's impressive.
So, I've been thinking about this falling addiction of mine lately, and hoping that it doesn't pass on to my daughters. So far, so good with Chloe. The jury's still out on Emma. We've been having "Dance Parties" just about every night for awhile now, and lucky for Chloe she seems to have inherited her Dad's smoothness. Again, if you've seen me dance, you may have wondered if I was hurt-- don't worry-- that's just how I roll. I'm well aware that I'm no Paula Abdul in the dance department, but I guarantee you that I have more fun dancing than her. I have several theories on people who just stand around and watch other people dance: #1 they're just taking notes on some dance moves to use for the next video they're choreographing #2 they are such good dancers they don't want to make the rest of us feel bad and #3 (this is the one I believe in the most) they just have a huge stick up their a** and think they're too good to look silly and have fun with the rest of us! I realize that some people aren't as willing to embarrass themselves as I am, but sometimes you just got to let go and see what happens when you swing your arms this way or that! Life's too short, and besides, Chloe thinks I'm an AWESOME dancer and Micky loves me enough to tell me I look great! That's all that really matters to me!

Get your TiVo ready Ladies!

Let me start by thanking my dear friend Carla for notifying me of this GREAT event! New Kids on the Block are without a doubt-- BACK! According to people.com, they will be performing on the Today show Friday morning. If you miss it, don't worry, I'll be recording it (probably while wearing my "I Love Jordan" t-shirt with my hair in a side ponytail!) and you are more than welcome to come over and check it out when you get a chance! Until we meet again, just keep on Hangin' Tough! :-)

6 Powerful Words

Have you ever had someone say something to you that made you stop dead in your tracks?-- like mouth gaping open in shock and you can actually hear your heart beating kind of reaction? If so, you know that type of reaction doesn't happen often and that it can be brought on by something that makes you feel wonderful or, like in this instance, by something that makes you feel like a little piece of your heart just broke. Well, as anyone who has spoken with me in the past two weeks knows, we had been having some trouble with Chloe acting up a bit and having more than her fair share of potty accidents. And for awhile, Micky and I took the completely wrong approach at dealing with this-- fussing at her harshly and/or taking away fun stuff she likes to do. Normally, these types of punishment would be fine-- she typically responds well to a good talking to or us turning off Little Bear as means of getting her to listen and do better. Notice the use of the words TYPICALLY and NORMALLY. It took us a week or so of her not being herself to realize that her TYPICAL and NORMAL have been changed forever. Emma is now 11 weeks old, and Chloe didn't start acting this way until about 2 weeks ago. And to be honest with you, I figured she'd already done all the adjusting she needed to do. Needless to say, I was WRONG. Not once has she shown any negative feelings towards Emma. If anything we have to keep her from loving on her too much. But she was showing us in those other ways (ways that we took awhile to see) that she's still trying to figure all this out. If you know me, you know I usually hate "psychobabble" advice and anything that "experts" have to say. Well, I may have to change my opinion on some of that. Tuesday I was pretty much at my wits end and decided to search for some advice on the Internet-- using my favorite search engine Google, I looked up some articles on potty training regression. And what do you know, they all said the same thing-- the #1 cause of regression is stress-- and the #1 cause of that stress is a new sibling. I don't think I can put into words how big of an idiot I felt like, but it was GINORMOUS! This really wasn't something I didn't already know, I was just trying to fool myself into thinking that this couldn't be happening to my child. ARROGANT!-- another word I think that described my approach. So anyway, that night Micky and I had a long talk and decided we needed to change our tactics and try to pay attention to what she was trying to tell us. And basically, she just wants to be held and hugged on and told stories and tickled and told how much we love her and played with and treated like the princess she is. You know what, that's all pretty easy to do once you take the time to realize what's really important. The house getting cleaned and laundry getting done sometimes just have to wait, and that Seinfeld rerun we've seen 10 times just needs to be turned off. As long as there's clean underwear in the house, we'll be ok! :-)
Ever since Micky and I have wised up and made some changes, we've gotten our old Chloe back! I missed her greatly!-- and the potty problem has resolved very quickly! Chloe summed it up best with 6 very powerful words. The other night after I told her a goodnight story and was tucking her into bed she reached up and put her hand on my cheek and said, "Mama, I'm glad we're friends again." My heart skipped a beat. All I could do was hug her and tell her I love her-- and then run downstairs to bawl my eyes out :-) It's amazing how perceptive children can be, and it makes me hurt inside to know that she thought I wasn't her friend for awhile. But trust me, I'll make sure she knows everyday that she is my truest friend and always will be.
Micky and I are well aware that we can learn a lot from our 3 year old, and she does indeed teach us new things everyday,we just have to stop whatever silly thing we're doing and pay attention!

The POWER of a Dollar

On Sunday we had a family lunch at Micky's parents house. While there, Chloe's great grandmother, Nana, slipped her a dollar. Chloe quickly slipped it into her pocket and has guarded it all week. She's been thinking very hard about what she would like to do with this dollar, and this morning she came to me with her master plan.

Chloe: "Mom, I need you to take me to the store."

me: "What for?"

Chloe: "I NEED to spend my monies--see (she held up an extremely wrinkled 1 dollar bill that she's apparently been sleeping with under her pillow-- I guess she doesn't trust us not to take it!).

me: "What are you going to buy?"

Chloe: "Well, I'd like a new computer, a choo-choo train, a fire truck, some pizza, some ice cream..... and a duck."

me: "Is that all?"

Chloe: "I guess I'll use the change and get me and Emma a popsicle."

The CHANGE!!!

Well, because she added Emma to her last item and was ok with sharing, I didn't have the heart to tell her that the $1 she had wouldn't even put a third of a gallon of gas in one of her parents gas guzzling SUV's. That's probably info I'll wait to tell her once we've completely ruined the environment for her generation.
But, I have decided that since she is so optimistic with her spending and has great ideas on how to spend it (there wasn't a thing on her list that I wouldn't want myself!), that I'm going to start letting her pick my stock trades and update my portfolio for me. I figure I'll give her the paper with NASDAQ listings and a marker and which ever one she colors the prettiest--that's where the money goes. I'm pretty sure this is the same system our current broker uses, so I've decided to keep it in-house from now on. Who knows, if she does well, I just might give Emma a marker and let her give it a try. Although, she'd have to hold it with her toes. Her toes are without a doubt the one feature she inherited from me--they're ginormously long! She can reach across the room and tickle your ear and completely fool you into thinking there's no way a baby can move that fast. But all she has to do is point that toe that went to the market, and she never had to leave her swing! In a few years I'll show her how to pick socks up off the floor without having to use her hands or bend over-- it truly is a good skill to have when you're rushing to straighten up for unexpected visitors!
So, wish us luck on our new stock endeavors, and if you know of someone looking to sell a duck, firetruck, or choo-choo train real cheap give them our number!

Rollin' with the Homies

If you've ever seen the movie Clueless, you'll know that the above line should be sang while moving your hand like it's going up and down hills. I'm not too proud to say that Micky and I can both quote several scenes from this movie-- just don't tell him I told you! The title and that line kind of sum up how our last 3 and a half weeks have been-- somewhat clueless, and we're definitely just rolling with it! Our pastor, who recently welcomed his third child, told me that going from 2 kids to 3 wasn't near as shocking to the system as going from 1 to 2. I guess I'll have to take his word for it-- but it has been a little jarring. To keep things in perspective-- we're all healthy and happy so things are actually great! We've been tired, but we would have been crazy not to expect that! Emma is such a blessing-- sweet, beautiful, and very laid back (I think she gets that from her Daddy!). We're still trying to figure out what all of her sounds mean, but she does a good job of letting us know if we're not on the right track!
Here's a little recap. On her one week birthday, Emma woke up with the sniffles and congestion in her chest. If you know me, then you know panic immediately set in. See, one of the downsides of being a nurse is that you know of all these crazy diseases that affect like 1 in a million babies and that's where your head goes as soon as you think your child may be sick. Luckily, she didn't have a fever and was still eating and sleeping great. So, the doctor said to keep a humidifier beside her (to loosen the congestion) and if we needed to, use saline drops to loosen the "snots". By week 2 birthday, the cold was gone-- and amazingly enough her cord came off on her 2 week birthday! If you were around when Chloe was a baby, you'll remember that hers stayed on for a crazy 14 weeks. Yes, 14! She still has her pediatricians record. Week 3 has been busy-- she had a checkup and now weighs 9 lbs and is 20 1/2 inches long, and we took her to church Sunday. I think she digs the organ! Thanks to our recent heat wave (it was 78 here yesterday!) I took the girls to the zoo yesterday. We met Chloe's bestest friend Nina and her mom and brother there. It was so nice to be outside-- and it was great for Chloe to get a chance to run around and be out of this house for awhile! Emma slept the entire time we were there, so I couldn't ask her who her favorite animal was! But something tells me we'll be making a few more trips to the zoo before long!
So, there's a little of what we've been up to. Hopefully, it won't be so long before I can post again. Emma seems to have a sensor attached to her vocal cords, that anytime I get on the computer it causes her to cry! I think that's due to all the time I spent on here while pregnant-- she developed an attachment to the internet and is going through serious withdrawals! Hopefully all the Enfamil can help ease her pain! She's not shy when it comes to feeding time-- and she's a bit of a slurper at times-- I think she gets that from me! Oh, I almost forgot, last night she only woke up once!--and it was at 3am! I got so excited that it took me almost an hour to calm down and go back to sleep myself... go figure! If it happens again I'll try to act more cool about it. I think Emma was embarassed for me when I was going on and on to her about how proud I was of her for sleeping 5 hours straight. (won't be the last time I embarass her!) But hey, when you haven't slept more than 3 hours in a row for 25 days, you'll understand!
And there she is-- better go! Have I mentioned how much I love baby neck sugar? Best part is, it's still great from the 3 year old too!