Sometimes the word "SUCKS" is appropriate!

I've spent some time today....remembering.

Remembering a wonderful woman. The MOST fabulous woman I've ever known.

MY MOM!!

Those of you who knew her -- you understand.

Those who never met her -- well, you missed out!

Wow, what a fantastic woman. What an angel from God. A gift from heaven. Truly the best Mom a girl could ask for. She was always so supportive of all four of her daughters. She was proud of who we all had become. And somehow, no matter how hard people might think it is...she found a way to be there for all of us (and Daddy) whenever we needed her - even the times when we didn't realize we needed her.

And I'm remembering today.

Not all happy memories mind you. Like the significance of today.

I can remember it like it was this morning...the day my Dad called. His words cut..."Your Mom's gone..."

I remember falling to the floor screaming, "NO!!" like a heartwrenching scene from a movie. And I don't think I'll ever forget that.

It was three years ago today.

And you know what? It SUCKS! It sucks bad. My daughter, Hailey, and my son, Carter, they didn't get to know her...and that SUCKS! They have no memories of her at all. In fact, Carter never even got to meet her. She doesn't even know I got my boy! And Maddie was only 3 years old. Really, how long will those memories last? And does she really even remember? Or have I planted those memories in her mind?

Anytime something great happens with my kids...a milestone....an accomplishment...or even advice I need to seek...I feel this ache to call her. She would rejoice with me, she would cry with me, she would lift me up. But, I don't have that. And it SUCKS! Sure, I have friends and sisters and my Daddy and my wonderful in-laws...but it's not the same. It's not Mom. A girl needs her mom!

I can't help but think of her every day. Every time I look in a mirror, I see her...and it's SO hard. I can see her in my face and in my mannerisms. I can even hear her in my laugh. I love remembering her, but I don't want to be sad when I do.

So many times I hear older ladies speak of their mothers and a pang of jealousy comes over me. How fair is that?! They are so much older than me and yet they still have their moms. When younger women complain about their moms, it makes me want to scream! I think on the inside, I do a little. And then, I feel horrible knowing that Mom would be so disappointed in me. And that makes me feel sad...and it sucks!

So, yeah...sometimes, the word "SUCKS" is appropriate.

Thank you, my dear friend, for lunch and shopping and a little much needed distraction.

One Child's Loss is Another Child's Gain

Sort of...

Friday night, Maddie lost her first tooth.

Saturday, Carter's 8th tooth broke through!

On Saturday morning, Maddie checked under her pillow where she had left her tooth (safely placed inside a ziplock bag) She was so excited to find in its place a ziplock bag of coins! She had over a dollar and was beyond thrilled.

Imagine her surprise when she found out that the Tooth Fairy left her tooth under Mommy's pillow. You see, the first tooth that a child loses is important to Mommies and if the Tooth Fairy were to take it and leave, Mommies would be sad. She found it amazing that the Tooth Fairy could reach under her pillow as well as Mommy's pillow and neither one of us felt her do it!! She is one sneaky little fairy.

Later in the day on Saturday, Carter pulled my finger into his mouth and bit - OUCH! (of course.) I thought that tooth was never going to come in. He has been biting me so much lately (on my shoulder, my arm or just about any part of me that was conveniently near his mouth), I was starting to think maybe I was just a big chew toy.

But we're good now...until next time.

What does the Tooth Fairy look like?

Tonight while getting the girls settled in for bed we noticed that Maddie's tooth was getting extremely loose. We've had her working on it for a few weeks now and it was time to get that thing out!

She wiggled it. I wiggled it. Daddy even tried to get her to let him wiggle it! There was a little blood and some slight confusion (on Maddie's part) and then with lots of reassurance from Mommy and Daddy, she twisted it around and **POOF!!** out came her first tooth!

(It's kind of hard to see since her "adult" tooth is already coming in!)

Maddie had lots of questions: "What does the Tooth Fairy look like?" - "Will I feel her under my pillow?" - "What if she comes and I'm not asleep yet?" and "Does she come down from Heaven?" (Oops! Should I be feeling guilty about this?)





We've placed it under her pillow and will await the arrival of the Tooth Fairy...




Now, if only I could find some cash!

I hate flossing...

I took the girls to the dentist a little over a week ago for their first cleaning and dental exam. I'm a little behind on Maddie, but early for Hailey - that makes up for it, right?

Maddie went first...she is the big sister!

Then, Hailey put on her brave face.

I think I was more nervous than the girls were. I just wasn't sure how the girls would react to having someone scraping their teeth or that they would choke on the taste of the gunk that the dental hygenist uses to polish teeth.

I was pleasantly surprised when one of the girls from the dental office came out and told me how great it was to take x-rays on a child that wasn't a screamer for a change. (She should come to my house, wouldn't she be in for a surprise!!) To be honest, I think Maddie was just so surprised at what was going on, she didn't know how to react.

They were both excited to wear some really funky glasses while they watched an episode of Hannah Montana on the ceiling!!

As you can imagine, Maddie was thrilled!

Hailey asked for Dora, the Explorer, but they didn't have it.

We work really hard to make sure the girls brush their teeth twice a day and it shows!

The best news of all......WE ARE CAVITY-FREE!!!

When their appointments were over, they were given new toothbrushes (purple for Maddie and yellow for Hailey!) and a choice from the treasure box. Maddie picked a ring (which she rarely removes from her finger) and Hailey found a water gun (not sure she understands what she actually picked!) It was a fabulous first visit to the dentist!!

By the way, does anyone know how to reach the Tooth Fairy? I need to let her know she should check into taking out a loan. Maddie has four loose teeth! OH, and two of her "adult" teeth are already coming in AND one of her six-year molars has burst through the surface!!

ON A SIDE NOTE: When he was finishing up with Hailey, the dentist looked at Carter in my arms and commented on how cute my kids were. Then he said, "Are you guys planning on having more or are you done?" (Why do people always ask me that?!)

Then I started wondering if he says that to everyone OR if the kids are ugly, he thinks to himself something more along the lines of: "Your kids are ugly, you should totally stop..."

just wondering...

10 things I'm thinking on the 10th

1. I used to think when I looked at my batteries that had 2009 stamped on them - "2009!! That's so far away!" I still have some of those batteries...


2. I love yard work. I don't mind mulching a flowerbed, pulling weeds, mowing... Just being outside is wonderful - especially when it's sunny. Sunshine makes me happy!


3. I do not love housework. I can't stand cleaning the house. Especially, the bathrooms. Yuck!!


4. I don't mind doing laundry, to an extent. Lugging them downstairs (okay, so I throw them over the balcony - it's fun for the girls...okay, okay...so it's fun for me!!), sorting them, washing them (really, the machine does the hard work), shifting them to the dryer (LOVE the smell of Bounce dryer sheets), I don't even mind folding them. And...that's where it ends. I'd rather someone else hang them and put them away!!


5. Lately, I've been having the hardest time watching shows involving children. I can't stand to see anything bad happen to kids. I know it's just a show and they're just actors, but it's too much for me to handle. My heartstrings can't take the pull...


6. I love opening up my house to company! I totally hate the part where I have to clean the house, but what better excuse for cleaning than for a bunch of friends to come over.


7. I have the best friends. I love spending time with them. Even my newer friends are awesome. I think I could hang out with them at least once a week.


8. I feel sad seeing companies go bankrupt. I don't like to see anyone fail. What's crazy is watching these big businesses that I've seen around for what seems like forever and they're going under. I'm ready for it all to stop. I've had a couple of friends hit by the economy downfall and I'm thinking that's two friends too many...


9. I probably mention this at least once a month (if not more) in my blog, but I have THE BEST kids! I guess as a parent, you're supposed to think that about your own children. Every night when I put them to bed, they are so sweet. The girls will pull every precious little stunt to get out of going to bed. It starts with wanting to cuddle (this is the ONE thing that neither Mommy, nor Daddy can refuse) then it moves to needing to go potty, wanting a drink, chapped lips, boogers (gross!), "I forgot to kiss and hug you" (Trust me, they NEVER forget to kiss and hug anyone), "Our movie is over", "I can't hear the music" and so many more. And then there's the boy...I get to snuggle him to sleep and then gently place him in his crib. He just rolls over and scrunches up so sweetly. Makes me want to pick him back up and cuddle some more. Oh, how I love those kids!!


10. I am so ready for wood floors. I mentioned before that I love having people over. It's true, I do, I just wish I could make my carpet invisible or maybe just the obnoxious stains everywhere. It drives me nuts! Even a water spill can leave a stain. We've had the 'professional' carpet cleaners come out and clean it & we've tried the Oreck dry-cleaning system (LOVE my vacuum, by the way)- NO LUCK!! The ugly stains just find their way back to the surface. Some days, I'm tempted to pull up the carpet while Hot Rod is at work. Do you think he would notice?

This Like...Never Happens!

A couple of weeks ago, I was blog-hopping like I often do when I ran across a contest on one of my favorite little blogs, The McMommy Chronicles.



If you've ever visited McMommy's blog, you know there is nothing little about it. She is hilarious. And most of the time her posts are just real life situations. Things that have actually happened to her. She has the ability to portray her stories in ways that are quite humorous. Other times she provides helpful information like using a diaper urinal or nipple cream lip gloss.



So, as instructed, I made a comment on one of her blog posts about this precious necklace that she got from Bejeweled by Jules. And then, it happened! Random.org picked my number!! I won this custom, hand-stamped necklace. And I love it!

Be sure to check out her Etsy Shop. She has several different necklace styles and even a bangle bracelet.