Supercali-WHAT?!

At bed time, Maddie has decided that she wants me to sing new songs to her that she doesn't know.

I can remember when I was younger, I had my own record player and records (does that make me old?) with tons of songs on both sides that I would play over and over in my room. That was always so much fun for me.

I have tried to recall these songs, but I just can't remember all of them. Plus, most of them are the songs that kids are still taught in school today. (i.e. "The Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" & "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", etc...)

So, I've resorted to the fabulous Mary Poppins. Maddie's two favorites are:
"A Spoon Full of Sugar" and
(as sung by Maddie herself) "Superfralicagilisticgetmeoutofdocious"
In Maddie's own words, "I am NOT kidding"

While bathing the girls this evening, the conversation went down like this:

Me: Maddie, repeat after me. Brother is sleeping.
Maddie: Brother is sleeping.
Me: What does that mean?
Maddie: What does that mean?
Me: Funny...now what does it mean?
Maddie (smiling and with a giggle): Be quiet...?

She gets it AND she's funny. Oh, how I love her...I must not be doing too bad at this Mommy thing.

Deaf, Numb or Desperate?

I'm beginning to think that this week is Crazy Shopper Week. Do all the insane people come out for Back to School shopping?

Today, I stopped by Walgreens to pick up necessities (okay, it was Blue Bell ice cream & Coke - don't judge me--Rod's out of town! BTW: for those of you not from TX, you MUST try Blue Bell Ice Cream - it is THE creamiest EV-ER!!!) My Daddy was with us and he asked me to drop off his prescription while I was in the store. I was patiently waiting at the Pharmacy counter when someone said - "a Raccoon!" That was an expression I had not heard before, so I turned around to see who was behind me only to find a woman holding a Raccoon. Not a cat, not a dog, a Raccoon!!! (Danielle, maybe she can help you...apparently, she has about 10-15 of them at home) This strange 'pet' was kissing this woman incessantly on the cheek - the way an excited dog would do - Sure wish I had my camera - I knew you guys wouldn't believe me...

Yesterday, Carter and I went by Target to pick up a couple of things that we needed (No, it wasn't ice cream or Coke this time.) While we were browsing the aisles, there was another woman with her children. I counted four - which in my opinion is not really THAT many, but still more than I'd want to take shopping. They appeared to range in age from about 15 months to 15 years. I guess I expected that the 15 year-old would help out with the others - yeeeah, not so much!

They were quite loud. I swear they followed us around the store making my pleasant experience with a sleeping child more like what it would have been had my two crazy girls accompanied us.

At one point, one of the screaming children, perhaps 3 years?, was beating a drum begging to take it home. To which the Mommy replied, "No, just play with it while we are in the store." To which I replied (silently in my head), "Yes, please...that's what I'm here for loud banging noises!"

So, a few minutes later, I'm in the baby dept browsing for...nothing in particular when I hear (just above the whining and fussing) "You're such a brat!" I look over at the shoe dept where I see the 15 year old screaming at the 3 year old. All the while the Mom is carrying on like she has no idea that the kids are even there. Well, except the 10? year old that she is begging to come and try on shoes. It was obvious he had no interest in shopping this day. Never once did she stop to correct them in any way.

And I wonder....

...is she deaf?
...could she be numb to it all?
...might she just be desperate to get the back-to-school shopping completed?

After mumbling under my breath, "SERiously?!"...I thanked God for my beautiful children.

Lesson learned: Perhaps I should be more thankful for
1. my well-behaved children*
2. my wonderful husband who does a good bit of the shopping
3. fabulous family members who are always around to entertain my children so I don't become the 'Crazy Target Mom' I saw today.

(*No, my children are not perfect, not by any means, but never, ever have they embarrassed me the way I would have been if I had experienced today's 'Crazy Target Mom's' trip. I like to think that's because Rod and I have taught them to show us respect and well, just to behave!)

Maybe tomorrow I should just stay home...

4 - 42.6 - 26 - 14 & 9.7

Got your attention? You wondering if I have lost my mind? (I know, there wasn't really much to lose...funny!)

Today, our little man Carter turned 4 - 4 Months that is! How did we celebrate? I took the sweet little boy to be tortured at the doctor's office. He was cooing and smiling and jabbering non-stop. He showed off all his talents for the nurse. Holding his head up while sitting assisted, putting weight on his legs, bringing both his hands together, smiling at her, etc...In fact, he also threw in a six-month milestone - reaching for and grabbing ahold of stuff. He really is a strong little guy. Way to go, Buddy!

He cried the entire time the nurse was administering his 4 shots. I was relieved that the 5th was an oral medicine---only to find that he decided it was not worthy of consuming. Carter 'rejected' it along with his mid-morning meal all over his clothes. Thank goodness I keep the diaper bag well stocked!

Since he was displaying his talent of drooling and bubble blowing for the doctor, she took a look in his mouth to see if she could find any emerging teeth. I must say, this Mommy was happy to hear none would be coming through soon. She did mention that we could start on some solid food whenever we were ready. That's exciting, but I think we'll wait just a little bit longer. He's growing just fine on Mommy's milk for now.

Doctor Bel was very pleased with his stats.

Head: 42.6 cm (50 -75%)
Height: 26 in (75 - 90%)
Weight: 14 lbs 9.7 oz (50%)

Yes, my child is THAT big! And I couldn't be more proud.

Letter from Carter

Dear Family and Friends,

I noticed there's a new boy in the house. I've seen him around a few times. Don't worry, I'm not jealous. In fact, I rather like him. According to Mommy, he's downright adorable. I did notice that it seems like Mommy is always holding him which is confusing because I can feel myself in her arms and hear her voice in my ear.

I was standing in front of him today (with lots of help from Mommy) and went to give him a kiss. He kissed me back, but his kisses weren't warm like the ones that everyone else gives me. He felt very cold - almost like he was behind a piece of glass.

He makes me smile. It's good to have another little boy my age in the house. I hope that once we're both able to sit up on our own, he will play with me. I'll be mobile soon and I'm not so sure my sisters are going to be so crazy about me getting into their stuff. Besides, it's all girly - with the dolls, bottles, bows, and pink, pink, pink!

So, about this thing Mommy calls "tummy time" - I'm not so crazy about it. Not really sure what it's supposed to accomplish, except make me cry. It's frustrating that I cannot just get up and crawl away. Today, I tried to lift my arms and legs up off the floor, but still, I could not fly. I concentrated really hard. I bet Mommy could see the determination in my face.

Those toys that she puts on the floor beside me, I have figured out how to pick them up. I just keep trying to eat them. They don't taste very good, but chewing on them makes my gums feel better. Mommy calls it "teething" I'm not sure what that means, but I think it might change what I get to eat. I see big people putting things into their mouths all the time, but they don't typically pull them back out. I think that has something to do with eating. I hope to be able to do that someday. It's got to be better than just having milk all the time - BOR-ing!

I do prefer being on my tummy instead of my back though. Monday, when Mommy laid me on my back and was trying to put my socks and shoes on while talking on the phone to Poppy, I decided to give her a hard time and so I rolled over on my tummy. Instead of getting upset with me, Mommy was very excited and praised me for a job well done. She doesn't put me down on my tummy very much and so apparently, this was my first time to roll over. She was very happy and gushed on the phone to Poppy how great it was.

Life is great for me. I am very happy. Everyone I meet is so nice and always talks sweet to me. I can't help but smile and "talk" to everyone I see. When I first entered the world just under 4 months ago, I cried. I was in a comfortable place. It was warm and cozy and I did not want to leave my home of 9 months. I cried very loudly. I wanted the whole hospital to hear me. But then the doctor person handed me over to this woman I call Mommy.

I spend most of my time with Mommy. She takes great care of me. Everywhere Mommy goes, she takes me along. It seems she is the only one who can feed me right now. There are these things called "bottles" that I do not like. I refuse to drink from them. And don't even try handing me one of those "paci's" YUCK! Mommy says I make ugly faces when she tries to give me one. I always spit it back out.

We had lunch with Daddy today. Well, Mommy had lunch with Daddy. I just had to sit and watch. Mommy says that I look a lot like Daddy. In fact, most people say I look very much like my Daddy. When he holds me, I really like to check out his hair. Daddy talks to me a lot. His favorite thing to say to me is "I hope you like what you see 'cause in 30+ years, this is what you're going to look like." My Daddy is a funny, funny man.

Have I mentioned my sisters? I have the absolute BEST sisters in the world. My oldest sister, Maddie, is very nurturing. In the car, she tries to quiet me when I'm upset by talking to me and holding my hand. When we get home, she loves to help unbuckle me from my carseat (with Mommy's permission) and take off my socks and shoes. It makes me very happy to be free. My other sister, Hailey, is FUN-ny! She makes me giggle. I don't know what it is, but I can't help but laugh at her sometimes. They both like to help Mommy get "diapers and wipers" for me. It's great to have sisters.

Well, It's time for me to take a nap, but I have asked Mommy to include a picture of my new friend for you all you see so you will know him when you see him.

Love to all,

Carter

I'm gettin' Creative!

So Wednesday, I joined in on my first class discussing the book by Lisa Welchel: Creative Correction. I really enjoyed myself probably for several different reasons:

1. It's a pretty good book so far.

2. I had great female adult interaction.

3. I have homework each day that will require me to get into the Bible more.

4. My girlfriends CRACK ME UP!

5. Lisa actually has some good ideas of ways to include verses from the Bible when disciplining my children. By using this technique, I hope that they will learn it's not Daddy and me alone, but the wisdom of GOD through HIS Word that guides them in how to live.

6. My friend Ms. TD is doing a great job leading us and keeping us chatterboxes girls focused on the topic.

7. I'm not the only one in the room who is still nursing and has to bring my son with me because his dinnertime falls in the middle of class.

8. I enjoy learning new things that help me be a better Mommy.

WOW Wednesday (WithOut Words)

Sisterly love

Who needs sleep? Not me!

So, the saga continues another day. It didn't start out so easy today.

At about 3:30 AM, I hear the creak of my bedroom door and it's Maddie...

Maddie: Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom
Me: So, go!
(back again)
Maddie: I don't want to flush it because I don't want to wake up Daddy.
Me: Go flush the potty!
(truth is, she does not like the sound of the toilet - any toilet - flushing)
Maddie: Can you take me back to bed now.
Me: Sure (In my mind I'm thinking: Hey, why not, I'm only half asleep now - who needs sleep? Obviously not me! I don't work...)

So, I take her back to her room - thought I saw something on the floor, but in my state of mind, I thought I was just seeing shadows - and back to bed for me - YAY, 3 more hours of sleep!

Maddie: Mommy, it smells in my room. I can't sleep in there.
(Again, in my mind, I'm thinking: Clean sheets, she's got clean sheets - how can they smell and at this point, Carter is awake, so I'm feeding him and I'm just too tired to deal with a stinky room)
Me: Just sleep in Hailey's bed. (Hailey had already joined us in our bed - because she woke up disoriented - 3 hours in her own bed, not bad - we're getting there!)
Maddie: Can you cover me, I can't cover myself very well.
WHY NOT, remember: I don't need sleep anymore...

...I slept in.

Don't get me wrong, I got up dressed the girls, loaded them into the Expedition and sent them on their way with Daddy to Aunt Stephie's house for the day. Then, I went back to bed. Turns out, I DO need sleep...Who'd have thought?

The girls had a great time today. They went to the mall and played, they rode the carousel and had lunch at Chick-fil-A (I'll never forget Maddie called it Chicken Yay for the longest time - so cute!) After lunch, they all went to the pool for a swim. Boy were they tired. Both girls were in bed an hour early. Nice! Hailey asked if she could go back again tomorrow. Sounds like a plan to me. What do you say, Steph?

Today I turned my attention to the kitchen. And one more load of laundry - Maddie's sheets, again! Some time in the middle of the night - lets just call it 3:30 AM, she got sick. Which would explain the spot I thought I saw on the floor and the "smell" she reported that was keeping her from her sleep.

What did I accomplish today while my little man slept? 1/2 of the Kitchen and Maddie's room...we'll do pictures tomorrow.

I'm really enjoying myself. It feels so nice to have so much energy to clean. I never knew sitting behind a desk/computer could drain me so much.

I am loving this SAHM thing...

Just call me Mommy-Sue

So, Monday was my first official SAHM day! I had a great day with my little man. We started our day off with a quick breakfast together. (He nursed while I ate) Anyway, after that we had some wonderful Mommy-Carter time talking and smiling at each other. Then, I laid out his quilt made by the wonderful quilters at Church for him to have a little tummy time. Check out those bright fun colors!

While he coo'd and drooled, I spent my time here:

Now that I'm not "out" making money, I've got to earn my keep. (No, my Husband's not making me -- although, he would be disappointed if I sat around all day, I'm sure!) It's my personal goal over the next couple of weeks to go "room by room" cleaning the house. Not just picking up and putting things in their proper place. CLEANING! We've both been so busy with work and the kiddos we haven't had a chance to keep up with the house as well as we'd like. And boy did I clean...I got down on my hands and knees and wiped down the baseboards. I Lysol'd the windowsills, mopped, dusted (with Pledge) and made sure not to miss any nook or cranny.

Did I mentioned I washed, dried (remember BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!) and folded 5 loads of laundry. Yep, we all slept with clean sheets.

Which room will I tackle next?

10 things I'm thinking on the 10th

1. So, tomorrow is my last day of work. How is it I can be excited and sad and nervous all at the same time? I've been there 10 years - a whole decade! I've seen a lot of changes, met a lot of people across the country, watched those people come and go. Now it's me that's going. I'm just gonna be "Mommy" How exciting is that? I'll miss all the friends I've made and maybe I'll miss the daily adult interactions outside of the home, but I'll no longer be missing my babies. Totally worth it!

2. I HATE MY DRYER. My clothes dryer that is. I shouldn't complain because it was free. We've actually been lucky enough (here's where I knock on some wood) we have yet to have to purchase one. Perhaps I say that to hope to have to, but then (I'll refer you to #1) I don't think it's in the budget. Let me explain...recently, something happened and either the machine won't stop running or the buzzer won't stop buzzing - depends on the cycle you use. So, before I remember to check on it, BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! I'm getting tons of "exercise" leaping out of my skin, I mean, from the chair and racing into the utility room to stop the beast and it's incessant roar.

3. My little boy ain't so little. So, at just under 3 1/2 months he is 14 1/2 pounds! Such a change from my girls who were tiny. You know the boy is big when the doctor says, "Don't bother waking him up to feed him, he seems to be gaining just fine!" I'll just say - my Boy hasn't missed a meal yet.

4. Girls are whiny. At least mine are. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my girls. I love them LOTS! And I must add, they are quite adorable. But, man can they complain. Anyone else have girls that can find something wrong with every piece of clothing down to their socks? A typical morning might go something like this:

me: Maddie, let's get your shirt on.
Maddie: But, I'm tired.
me: I know you are, but the quicker you get your shirt on, the quicker you can lay back down
Maddie: Awww...
(we get the shirt on and the conversation continues)
Maddie: I don't like this shirt, it's too short.
(I must interject here that the shirt goes past her waist)
me: It's fine Maddie.
Maddie: No, it's too short (as she attempts, unsuccessfully, to pull it down over her knees)
me: you'll be fine, let's get your socks on
Maddie: Okay, but I want the short ones
me: that's what I have
(once the socks are on...)
Maddie: Mommy, fix the bumpies, there are bumps on the sides of my toes.
me: Maddie, all socks have these, there is nothing I can do (and I really do try to fix them for her)
It goes on and on...her shoes have bark (from the playground) in them, I've put them on her too tight, it hurts her head when I brush the tangles in her hair - really, I think the only thing I've figured out is the shorts or uniform skirt.

5. There must be a reality show for everything. There are so many that some are actually very close duplicates. (American Idol, Nashville Star, America's Got Talent, etc) Some of them, I enjoy (Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, American Idol -yes, I'm a dork), some freak me out (The Baby Borrowers, The Bachelor, Big Brother - can't bring myself to watch these) Really, is that all we can have on TV for the summer - perhaps I should buy a book - or maybe I should just read The Good Book!

6. Dieting is hard! There are too many yummy things that are no-no's. Does anyone know of a diet that includes Cokes and chocolate?

7. I am one lucky gal. Not only do I have three precious children, but I also have a wonderful Husband. He's got to be one of the most supportive people I know. He doesn't expect me to do all the housework or take care of the kids by myself. He might cook dinner or even help me bathe the children. He's even been seen doing laundry from time to time. (Sheets and towels, of course!)

8. Going to the movies is expensive. We have been discussing taking the girls to see a movie - (we're thinking Kung Fu Panda, which was only rating PG for the Kung fu scenes) I love to go to the theater with the larger than life screen, but the cost sure adds up fast. It's so hard to GO to the movies, when I can OWN it for less than the cost of two adult admissions!! $8.50 per adult ticket, more than $5 per child ticket, and then we'll have to have snacks, popcorn $7?, drink $4?, candy $3? Almost sounds like a MasterCard commercial - all I need to add is "Spending quality time with the family: Priceless!"

9. Gas prices impact everything. (I hear you - "News Flash!!") I'm starting to worry that I'm going to see an awful lot of the inside of my house. That only means that our electric bill is going to go up. The more I'm at home, the more I turn on the air, the more I turn on the air...well, you get the picture. The cost of a gallon of milk is now less than a gallon of gas (never thought I'd see that day) Anyway, I'm watching our grocery bill increase and prices for everything else going up...inflation! It's like 20 years of the cost of living increase happening all in one summer. I don't know if this is a recession or not, but it sure does stink!

10. Sometimes, I only have 9 things to think about. This might just be one of those times! HA!

He Can't Help But Stare!

So, 2 1/2 year old Hailey refused to go to sleep until I turned him around. She told me he was staring at her. You'd think I was referring to her Daddy's deer mount, but NO, it was this:

How can she be scared of a stuffed puppy with a rose in his mouth?

I do have to say this is probably the strangest baby gift we've ever received.

WOW Wednesday

(WithOut Words -- almost)

Colored tongues...our favorite thing about popsicles.

It's not an Earthquake - Just Happy Feet!

Sunday, we celebrated our Nephew/Cousin Jonathan's birthday. Jonathan and his family (the Mc4) as well as our Poppy (my Dad) had just returned from a near three week vacation including a cruise (maybe one day our kids will be old enough we can go! Although, I don't want to rush these precious moments while they are small.)

So it had been a while since the girls had seen their Poppy and they wanted him to come over to see their tongues change color after eating popsicles. Dad/Poppy decided it was past time to come over and spend some time with the kids. I agreed...3 weeks! Not to mention - he had just traveled across state (TX is rather large) to visit a friend the week prior to his 3-week trip. It had actually been 4 weeks. (Now, I know what some of you are thinking reading this - you might not see your folks, but once a year - I would die!) Since our family is all settled right here in the same city (sort of), we see each other at least every couple of weeks - some of them more often.

The girls had a blast! Poppy was so much fun! They played upstairs in the gameroom above the living room where I was folding clothes left undone for the past week. (Mommy was also VERY happy Poppy came & Daddy will be pleased when he gets back in town, too!) I could hear the "pitter-patter" or rather "stomp-stomp" of little feet all over the ceiling. They were giggling and squealing - such fun!

Later that night as I was putting Maddie to bed, she could not get the words out quick enough. "Mommy, we played with everything. We colored and then I played on the computer and after that we got out the cars, we rolled the ball back and forth and then we had a picnic!"

Believe it or not, the toys were actually all put away when I went upstairs to brush the girls teeth. I got Maddie to bed and went downstairs to relieve Poppy of 'baby duty' - which he seemed to be enjoying. Hailey was dying for attention from Mommy, so Poppy continued to rock Carter to sleep. I placed Carter in his bed and we kissed Poppy goodnight. Hailey was able to have some good ol' Mommy cuddle time.

We're so glad we have you, Poppy! Thanks for the wonderful evening...We sure do love you.