Pirates and Petunias

Of Course It's Still Christmas -- Just Look at the Post Date!

2011-12-25T13:33:00.049-05:00

Yes, I know there are other moms out there who don't get around to writing Christmas blog entries until February. Slackers. Good thing that's not me! Heh, heh, heh. See? I am writing this on December 25, 2011. As soon as the Christmas festivities were over, I ~~lost all focus, got waaaaaay behind in the laundry, and spent far too much time crocheting and messing around with my new Kindle Fire for two months~~ ran right to the computer to document Christmas 2011.

Funny, though, Christmas was such an exciting time that my brain got a little fuzzy and I don't even remember all of it that clearly...almost as if it happened months ago. Oh, well, here's what happened ~~back in December~~ over the past few days:

Opening Christmas pajamas the night before Christmas

Sprinkling reindeer food on the front lawn

All cleaned up and jamified!

Reading A Visit from Saint Nicholas

Silly Mommy left all the nice Christmas cookies at Grandma Betsy & Poppa Keith's house. Good thing our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Chinese takeout came with some fortune cookies!

Santa did not seem to mind...

Christmas morning finally arrived!

After all the fun at our place, we headed over to the granparents' for some big family fun. That's a post for another day...say, December 26?

Adam the Six-Year-Old

2011-12-24T10:41:00.001-05:00

Adam, you are six now. Your dad and I cannot believe what a year of unbelievable change this has been for you. You have come into your own in so many ways, and you make us laugh with your funny little mannerisms and sayings. You are growing so fast that Andrew is getting nervous. You are learning to read. You can make the /l/ sound (when you want to -- we still have to remind you to do it!) (And I have to admit that I will miss you calling your wittle sister Wibby even though I know we couldn't have wet you go through wife wike that.) You have all sorts of quirky little interests that absolutely delight me and choke me up all at once. So, before I tell you "Happy Birthday," I want to capture in print the things that captivate you right now as you turn six:

Goons
Wallets
Rednose the Reindeer
State and World Flags
Clubs
Cutting the Cheese (sigh)
All Things Chocolate
Legos
Anything Andrew's Doing
Cleaning Your Room Very Late at Night After Your Father and I Thought You Long Asleep
Making Lists (I Wonder Where You Get That)

Happy, happy birthday to our precious ~~wittle~~ little Adam.

Jophes and the "Wise" Man

2011-12-18T21:44:00.002-05:00

This morning was the annual children's Christmas program at our church. Every year the kids dress up as characters from the Nativity and sing Christmas songs. This year Andrew was excited to have been cast in the role of "Jophes." (For some reason none of the children in this home can say "Joseph." They all say "Jophes." We ~~try over and over to get them to say it correctly until we are ready to pull out our hair~~ just go with it.)

Adam was originally supposed to be a shepherd. However, this morning they came up one wise man short, so the honor fell to Adam.

He got to wear an awesome crown.

Which proved a little tricky.

Here they are: Jophes, Mary, and the "Wise" Man.

Unfortunately this morning Libby woke up covered in an alarming-looking rash, so we ended up at the pediatrician's and had to miss church. So sad. But L's rash turned out to be crazy hives brought on by the double ear infection we had no idea she had. Her consolation prize for missing the Christmas program was winning the morning record for diagnoses circled on her checkout sheet at the doctor's, according to the receptionist who checked us out. Score! Wait a minute...

Happy Birthday, Quacky!

2011-12-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Andrew (or should we say, “Quacky”?),

Eight years ago we were so very eager to meet our new baby. We didn’t know if you would be a boy or a girl, so there was a lot of suspense! Finally, on a dark November night, you were born…and we had a little boy! Our Andrew.

But before very many days at all had passed, you had another name! You see, during the months we were waiting for you to arrive, our family and friends brought us many baby gifts. Since they didn’t know whether our baby would wear blue or pink, they brought yellow -- lots of yellow – so either a baby boy or a baby girl could wear it. And do you know what cute baby animals are yellow? Yep. Ducks. So pretty much all the sweet little baby clothes that were waiting for you had ducks on them.

One of the little outfits was a white terrycloth pair of pajamas with a (yes, you guessed it!) DUCK on it. Underneath the duck were written the words “Quack Quack.” Original, right?

May we mention another thing here? You cried. A lot. For about six weeks solid.

So, anyway, when Mom would dress you or change you or play with you, you would cry (because that’s sort of all you did for a while there!) And you would be wearing your little “Quack Quack” outfit, and Mom would say, “Oh, quack, quack, quack, is my little Quacky quacking?”

Moms say silly things sometimes when they have new babies.

Pretty soon Mom was calling you “Quacky” as much as she called you “Andrew”! And that’s how you got your nickname.

So, fast forward eight years. The good news? You stopped all the crying. The bad news? You won’t let us buy you clothes with ducks on them anymore.

We still can’t believe how that tiny little baby we brought home eight years ago has grown and changed. We are so proud of all that you are and all that you are becoming. You are your dad’s best buddy. You are your mom’s heart. You are your little brother’s hero (even if he doesn’t realize it yet). You are your little sister’s prince (because, you know, she thinks all the princes are the princesses’ brothers). You are funny and bright and full of promise. We are excited to see what God has in store for your life.

But no matter how big you get or where you go in life, remember this, Andrew: You will always be our little Quacky.

Love,

Mom and Dad

What Andrew's Been Reading Lately (Or, Why I Almost Had a Heart Attack When I Looked on His Nightstand)

2011-12-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

What I saw at first glance:

After experiencing some initial shortness of breath, I thought, "Wait. This is Andrew," and moved the noisemaker to reveal:

...A very poorly titled page about red-footed boobies (birds!) in National Geographic Kids magazine. Some editor clearly didn't think this through.

The Wallet

2011-12-09T19:27:00.000-05:00

One of Steve's old wallets has been flying around here for the longest time. He gave it to the boys to play with forever ago, and it just got absorbed into the toy jungle and forgotten.

Until recently.

Adam re-discovered the wallet last week and claimed it as his own. Since then he has carried it with him everywhere and has made sure that it contains all the things a wallet should.

You know, like an expired Kohl's discount card.

And a card he made me write "rednose reindeer" on. (He would not let me write "rednosed" with a "d." It had to be "rednose.")

A picture of the Mario Bros.

And, of course, an identification card. Adam was very sad that he didn't have a Ranger Rick membership card like his big brother Andrew. So Steve made him a (laminated!) Avengers ID card for his wallet. And Adam could not be happier.

My favorite story about the wallet? Steve took the kids Christmas shopping for me the other night. Apparently when they all got to the checkout counter, Adam very solemnly whipped out his wallet, pulled the "Rednose Reindeer" card out, and tried to pay for my gifts with it.

Turns out that a "Rednose Reindeer" card is not accepted as currency at that particular establishment. That's OK. They just don't know its real worth.

The Big Dig 2011

2011-11-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

So...it's been a while since I've updated the family journal. It's not that we haven't had anything going on. Au contraire. So far I've missed a home improvement entry, a birthday entry, a Thanksgiving program entry, and a major holiday entry. Why? Well, the whole "3 kids in 3 different schools" thing has turned out to be a bit bonkers. Definitely worth the sacrifices -- not complaining -- just bonkers. (Please, please...pray with us that Adam will get into Andrew's school next year.)

Furthermore, we're deep in the heart of birthday/big holiday season around here. Always a crazy time. And I am even behind in that because...

Finally, after a year of being completely confounded by all the little loops that previously all looked exactly the same and HOW CAN ANYONE POSSIBLY DO THIS?, I have finally unlocked the secret to crochet. And my inner 80-year-old is having a field day. She refuses to put down the yarn and crochet hook and get off the couch to do anything. She does not care if the family blog is updated or not. She can wait till another time to do frivolous things like "laundry" and "dusting." She doesn't even really care if the kids' faces *might* look a little dirty. But I've had a stern talk with her about putting down her crochet and moving over to make room for 37-year-old mommy. So, before I go give Libby's face a quick swipe with a soapy washcloth, I give you "The Big Dig 2011."

For quite some time Steve has been wanting to add a little brick walkway up the side of the drive. After thoroughly researching the project, it was time to begin. He began by digging out the area to be paved. Soon, he was joined by little helpers. Lots of little helpers. At one point he had six boys from our street out helping him dig. Sadly, the only picture I got of this was on my phone, and I am too technologically impaired to figure out how to upload it. But here are Steve and our boys toward the end of Phase Dig:

After laying gravel and sand and tamping, smoothing, and leveling the whole mess, it was time to lay the bricks:

A little more sand, and voila! The finished product:

The boys could not have been more thrilled to be part of the project, and we could not be more thrilled that they were actually quite helpful!

Stay tuned for the next installment of Pirates and Petunias, coming soon: "Andrew's Birthday."

And somebody, please...hide my yarn bag.

Wee Wee Wee

2011-11-19T13:43:00.000-05:00

Setting: The minivan. Libby is crying over something random.

Steve (trying to use reverse psychology to make her stop): Libby, can you cry all the way home?

Libby: NO!

Steve: Why not?

Libby: Because I'm NOT a little piggy!

Libby's Lunch Order

2011-11-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

Me: Libby, what do you want for lunch today?

Libby: A hot dog and no nap!

The Halloween Events of 2011

2011-11-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2011 began with a fun kindergarten pumpkin night at Adam's school. All the kindergartners and their families brought their pumpkins to be measured, weighed, and carved. Then everyone took the pumpkins outside, lit candles inside them, and lined up all the jack-o-lanterns in the dark. What a neat family night! Libby even won a prize for having the lightest pumpkin!

Adam's next fun event was Book Character Dress-Up Day at school. Steve and I tried desperately to convince him to dress up as Hedgie the Hedgehog from the book Hedgie Blasts Off -- to no avail. So Adam went to school decked out as Darth Maul from the classic (ha ha) children's book Lego Star Wars: Darth Maul's Mission.

Our Halloween feast this year was quite spooky. We had Witch's Hair with Frog-Gut Stew (black and white pasta which looked super creepy but was actually pretty tasty with spaghetti sauce) and Jack-o-Lantern Whoopie Pies. I brought out a side of garlic bread and asked the kids to guess what it was. They decided to call it Vampire Repellent, which was quite creative, especially in light of the fact that I was just going to call it "Regular Old Garlic Bread."

However, if you ask the kids, the best part of Halloween Dinner was the Witches' Brew -- root beer floats.

Libby the Sunflower

Captain America

Darth Vader

Libby could not wait to ~~go trick-or-treating with Ella~~ boss Ella around all night. Ella seemed to take it all in good stride. Thank goodness she is a patient little friend!

And Halloween wouldn't be complete without the annual photo of the usual suspects getting ready to shake down the neighbors for some candy...

And that, folks, is our Halloween from soup to Zagnuts.

Lunch

2011-10-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

In accordance with my rabid dislike of cooking and food preparation, I thoroughly despise packing school lunches. Trying to come up with a balanced meal and healthy snack every day that is both portable and edible is not my idea of a good time. Throw in a picky kid (I don't know where he gets it...ahem), and packing tomorrow's lunches can suck the joy right out of my evening.

After two years of packing school lunches for ~~Mr. Picky~~ Andrew, I have learned to run certain items by him before tossing them into the lunch bag unless I want to find out they were tossed into the trash at school. So last week as I was packing lunch for the boys, I was doing my usual preventative questioning as I went:

"Andrew, peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey? Granola bar or graham crackers?"

Andrew gave his specifications to the nth degree, as usual.

"Adam, sandwich or ravioli? Peaches or applesauce? Do you want green peppers for your snack? Chocolate milk or Capri Sun?"

Finally Adam looked up at me, heaved a great sigh, and said, "Geez, Mom, I don't care. Just pack somethin'."

Wow, lunch packing just got easier by half. Thanks, Adam!

Libby the Philanthropist

2011-09-24T13:09:00.000-04:00

All the kids at preschool were asked to bring in a gently used book to donate on Friday. When I told Libby about this, her immediate response was, "Not one of my books!"

After I spent a moment basking in the glow of that proud, proud parenting moment, I explained to Libby that we were going to share a book with a child who didn't have any books. As I spoke, I could almost see a light bulb turning on in her brain. She said, "I know!" and ran off. Phew! I haven't raised a completely selfish monster, I thought to myself.

A minute later, Libby walked down the stairs carrying a whole stack...of Andrew's books. "We can give them Andrew's books!"

It is so easy to be generous with other people's stuff.

The Hedgehog Returns...Minus a Tooth

2011-09-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

It's been a big month for Adam! In addition to starting kindergarten, he lost his first tooth! I caught a glimpse of something white in his mouth one night; and upon closer inspection, I found his new "adult" tooth growing in quickly behind the baby tooth he had not yet lost. Within a few days, the baby tooth was ready to come out. It's actually a little difficult to tell that Adam even has a missing tooth since the new one is practically all the way in already! Adam was so excited that the tooth fairy visited that he came in to tell us...at 5:30 am.

In other Adam-related news...THE HEDGEHOG HAS RETURNED!

Project Runway

2011-09-08T18:17:00.000-04:00

Our fashion designer Libby is modeling her own entry in tonight's runway show. For this challenge to make a ready-to-wear item using only craft supplies, Libby has created an A-line asymmetrical skirt made of drawing paper and tape. We think the hand-drawn marker design on the back gives it a more expensive custom look.

Libby has completed the look by using the Piper Lime accessory wall thoughtfully with watermelon boots and a polka-dotted hairbow.

Way to make it work, Libby!

The Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten

2011-09-01T12:15:00.001-04:00

Somehow it is time for Adam to start kindergarten. He is ready to go, reflective backpack straps and all!

(I love this picture with all my heart.)

I really can't believe he is old enough to be in this classroom.

And I won't lie...I was awake the entire night before Adam started kindergarten ~~worrying~~ praying.

But when we walked into the classroom, his teacher gave him a big hug. And I felt much better.

...And much better still when Adam came home. He wouldn't tell me a thing about his day. He didn't learn how to read. But there was no note from the principal demanding explanations or reparations pinned to his shirt.

Success.

Andrew's Village

2011-08-09T12:08:00.004-04:00

We have a really great school in our area. People apply for admission by the hundreds, and the school has to hold an annual lottery to determine fairly who will be able to attend. For three years we have entered Andrew's name into the lottery. For three years, no success. For three years we have prayed fervently, unceasingly, that one day our children would be able to go to this school.

Last spring, Andrew's name was higher on the waiting list than it's ever been, but that didn't mean much (we thought). He still wasn't "in." Another disappointment. Until Friday, when we received a ~~very~~ ~~extremely~~ WILDLY unexpected phone call. School had started over a week ago, but there were some children who didn't show. Were we still interested in having Andrew attend the school?

Um, let me think abou----YES!!!!!!!!

I did not come up for breath all weekend. We had two and a half days to get Andrew ready to start school on Monday. It was tax-free weekend here, and I had purposely planned NOT to go out because it. is. a. zoo. But there I was, with all the other ~~raging crazies~~ lovely, well-mannered people frantically buying school supplies, uniforms, and shoes. I mean, I went to Target. I went to the mall. I went to Walmart. On tax-free weekend. That's how much we wanted this school for Andrew.

In all the excitement and happiness and frantic filling out of endless paperwork, there was one tiny fly in the ointment. Andrew. For some reason, he was not happy to hear that summer's over! a month early! and that he has to go to a new school! and make new friends! and, oh, by the way...he gets to wear church clothes (uniforms) to school every day! including a belt!

There were many, many tears. And my heart broke for him. Really. I understand. I've been in his shoes. We moved a lot when I was young, and I attended six different elementary schools. Ultimately, though, all my stories and empathy could only go so far -- Andrew had to do this himself.

Sort of.

Andrew's little "village" of people who love him and who come alongside us to raise him stepped in in a big way. Our phone has rung non-stop for three days with grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors calling to check on him and offer him encouragement. People have come out of the woodwork to help in ways big and small.

So...

Thank you to our small group, who rejoiced with us and prayed for Andrew.

Thank you to our parents, who have called Andrew to encourage him.

Thank you to the aunts and uncles who have offered ~~bribes~~ tangible incentives to Andrew out of the kindness of your hearts and your desire to take away Andrew's sadness.

Thank you to our neighbor, who graciously kept Adam and Libby at 7:30 in the morning so I could take Andrew to school for the first day without the hyena circus in attendance.

Thank you to everyone who has called or e mailed. Forgive us if we haven't called you back. It's been a little nuts.

Of course, Andrew doesn't really understand all this...well, the bribes...he got the bribes. Even so, this is what he looked like his first morning of school:

So sad.

Thank you most of all for praying. I know some of you were praying for his teacher, for his friends, for his fears...I don't know what all everyone prayed for, but here's how Andrew came home at the end of his first day:

It wasn't so bad!

Welcome to second grade, Andrew. You've got a lot of people pulling for you!

Polite as a Princess: The Sequel New with Captions

2011-07-28T11:19:00.005-04:00

One of Libby's favorite new books (and mine!) is a little picture book called Polite as a Princess. It features various Disney princesses in little scenes showcasing good manners: "Snow White always waits patiently for her turn...Cinderella always covers her mouth if she coughs or sneezes...etc., etc." It is so cute and well done. Libby totally takes it to heart, so it is really helpful to talk about being "polite as a princess" in daily situations.

However, the author of the book left out a few key lessons about manners. So I humbly submit Polite as a Princess: The Sequel for little girls everywhere:

Page 1
Jasmine never refers to her rear end in public. She would never shout "I'm shaking my booty like a chicken!" in ~~Target~~ the bazaar.

Page 2
Nor would she loudly whisper it when her mommy told her that wasn't very polite and begged her to stop.

Page 3
Snow White patiently waits while her mommy is on the phone. She would never interrupt a phone call to a doctor/therapist/business associate of her daddy's/*name any professional* unless one of the dwarfs was bleeding or on fire.

Page 4

Cinderella *always* at least tries to go to the potty before leaving the house. Cinderella knows that public potties are filthy and disgusting and that they completely skeeve her mommy almost to the point of panic attacks.

Page 5

Ariel believes her mommy the first time when her mommy tells her she has no idea who that strange man riding a lawnmower by the side of the highway is. No, Ariel, Mommy doesn't know why he's riding a lawnmower. Sorry, Ariel, Mommy really doesn't know his name. Ariel, Mommy is trying to drive here. No, Ariel, Mommy can't look! We don't want to get into an accident! FINE, ARIEL, THE MAN'S NAME IS BOB! BOB, OK?

Ahem.

Page 6

Sleeping Beauty loves bedtime and goes immediately to sleep when her mommy and daddy turn out her light. After asking for and receiving one cup of water once she's in bed (which Sleeping Beauty and her parents all know she's not really thirsty for in the first place and is just using as a stall tactic), she would never dream of asking for another. Or another. Or another after that. Sleeping Beauty is intuitively aware that she is overtired and her mommy and daddy are D-O-N-E by about 7:30 every evening and is careful not to press her family's buttons once she's been put to bed for the night.

I think this book has the potential to do really well in the marketplace.

50 Years

2011-07-24T18:18:00.009-04:00

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to Steve's grandparents, Bill and Charmaine! The whole Nichols clan traveled to London, Kentucky to celebrate with Pop and Granny and many of their friends and extended family.
On Friday when we pulled into the hotel, I was beyond excited to see a Frisch's Big Boy restaurant in our parking lot. I haven't seen a Big Boy in years, and I realized when saw the grinning checkered Big Boy statue that my children have never eaten at a Big Boy. (Another Midwestern Mommy fail.) So Steve, his brother, and his brother's wife, and I all took the kids there to eat dinner. Before we knew it, the rest of the extended family trickled in little by little until our original party of eight became a party of sixteen. We kept apologizing to the waitress, but she took our ~~crazy~~ family in good stride. And now my children can move on with their lives, having finally experienced a Big Boy restaurant.

Friday night was spent gathered together in a couple of our rooms playing games (the kids) and making jewelry (the women). Libby made a bracelet with Aunt Carol, and it was the pride of her weekend. I made a bracelet with Aunt Carol, and it was the pride of my weekend!
The next morning we went to a nearby state park with the kids. While we were there, we saw these awkward fowl. Were they turkeys? Ducks? Chickens? Turduckens? They had webbed feet like ducks, that gross red skin all over their faces like turkeys, and feathers and spurs on their legs like chickens. Steve's brother googled "turkey duck" and found out that they were Muscovy Ducks. Creepy looking, aren't they?

Sadly, I took more pictures of those ducks than anything all weekend. Why? Because mutant ducks will pose for pictures with less hassle than my children. Plus there was a professional photographer at the anniversary party. I figured she could stress over who was sneaking a finger up a nose or making bunny ears in the family pics while I enjoyed myself!

Uncle Jon, Aunt Annie, and Cousin Oliver

The boys -- Adam, Cousin Logan, and Andrew

Libby

Unbelievable -- my boys looking at the camera and smiling NORMALLY! Hallelujah!

The Nichols grandkids -- the best we could do!

You may also notice that the subjects of my pictures are randomly dotted with little specks here and there. No, our family members aren't just messy eaters. (Well, OK, some of them are...but that's not the problem here.) Libby spent the weekend plastering everyone in Strawberry Shortcake stickers. I think probably half the adults didn't even realize that they were wearing Strawberry and her gal pals everywhere they went.

Later that afternoon we attended the anniversary party for Pop and Granny. The details at this party were unbelievable...so much planning went into it! Watching the slide show and seeing Bill and Charmaine's courtship, marriage, and family through the years was so touching. I kept thinking how blessed I am...through the covenants of adoption and marriage I get to call this very special family and their legacy of faith my own. That feeling continued through the evening as we all stayed up late reminiscing and laughing together. (Seriously, I haven't laughed so much in a long time!)

Steve and his grandfather

50 years together -- Bill and Charmaine (Pop and Granny)

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. Psalm 71:17-18

Puzzle Mania

2011-07-19T19:05:00.005-04:00

This is officially the Summer of the Puzzle for Miss L. We have been hard pressed lately to keep this girl in puzzles!

A while back, I purchased a 6-pack of lenticular puzzles to use as birthday present add-ons for Adam and Libby's little friends. I blithely gifted them left and right, thinking what great presents puzzles make. Then I opened one for Libby. Holy smokes. I didn't realize what "lenticular" meant...it means that the puzzle (and every piece in it!) shows a different picture when it is tilted or when you move your head. They are terrible! I can barely do them...what an awful thing to hand to a three-year-old. "Happy Birthday! Here's a visual nightmare marketed as a puzzle that will bring you (and your mom) to tears!" So apologies to all the kids who received really horrible puzzles from us. Please throw them away if you haven't already. We'll make it up to you next year.

And now the thing is, I have been out in the stores trying to find new puzzles for Libby...and darn if they aren't just about all lenticular! Apparently mommies everywhere need to rise up and revolt. We'll get my friend Jen to lead the cause. I bet she'll write a really scathing letter to the puzzle makers.

However, I did manage to find this two-in-one princess puzzle. Libby is obsessed with putting together the two puzzles and sitting inside the "'ring":

Just like the girl on the box! (No, really...it had better be just like the girl on the box, or I will face L's wrath.)

Moo, Take 2

2011-07-16T19:36:00.002-04:00

Chick Fil A Cow Appreciation Day has come and gone. I know that this is yet another picture of my kids in the same costumes as last year, the only thing remarkable about it being that I had to do a double take to figure out which cow was Andrew and which was Adam.

I wasn't even going to post about this year's Cow Day since I was so lazy and recycled costumes. (I had grand plans for a cow tutu for Miss L but never quite got around to it.) But tonight I had a flash of insight: One of these years one of the kids will decide he is too cool to dress up like a cow and break up our funny little bovine trio.

So now, of course, I must document every year's cow photo in our little family journal. Let's see how many years we can keep this going!

Still happy to dress up like cows in 2011...ages 3, 5, & 7

A Capital 4th

2011-07-10T13:35:00.008-04:00

Andrew and I had the opportunity to spend the Fourth of July in our nation's capital this year. More importantly, we got to meet the newest member of the family...my sister Abby's newest little one, Baby Cate!

Aunt Alison loves a little newborn. Just look at this sweet, sweet baby. We bonded. It was like being four years old and holding my new baby sister Abby all over again (except this time I wasn't ragingly jealous of the attention this new little critter was stealing from my parents, whom I had previously had all to myself). So...much better!

Here we are with new big sister Mary Caroline!

Anyhoo, my primary reason for the trip was to go meet my new niece and hang out with MC, but somewhere along the way we decided it might be fun for Andrew to come along as he is old enough to be helpful to a sleep-deprived new mom by entertaining her active two-year-old. And as my dad (whose secret ambition is to be a DC tour guide) would be in town as well, we figured Andrew could visit a few monuments and museums with him.

Andrew took his trip to DC very seriously. We got books and videos from the library in the weeks leading up to the trip so he could study up on his monuments, history, and what have you. He is a ~~nerd~~ child after my own heart.

Poppa Keith and Andrew toured the Air & Space Museum together one day and then headed in with the whole clan (except for me and Baby Cate) to see the "dice-o-saurs" (MC talk) at the Natural History Museum the next day. Unfortunately the only picture they came home with was one of Andrew eating ice cream next to some flowers. ??? It could have been taken anywhere in America...like in our front yard. Clearly I was going to have to take the boy into DC myself to get some pictures that would prove he'd actually been there.

Andrew at the Lincoln Memorial.

We also made sure to visit the World War II Memorial. Two of Andrew's great-grandfathers and a great-great uncle served in WWII. We were able to look up their names in the register there. Here is Andrew at the Ohio pillar in honor of his Great Grandfather Arthur.

Washington Monument. We were not about to climb up that thing in 90-degree heat.
The White House. Andrew kind of thought we might see President Obama. Not so much.

Uncle Adam made quite the impression on Andrew. Andrew "invented" a racecar in the backyard, which, according to him, took three people to run. Hmmm, I only see one person running this car...

Uncle Adam also dragged out MC's bouncy house for the kids. Good times!

Sadly, we have no photographic evidence of Uncle Adam's most fabulous accomplishment: the Fu-Manchu mustache he grew to impress Andrew. Take my word...it was awesome.

On the Fourth of July, Andrew had a special treat: the opportunity to see the fireworks in DC from a coveted spot on the roof of Aunt Cara's work building. What follows is a series of extremely tiny pictures from the night.

Andrew and Uncle Jordan in the Metro

Andrew with Aunt Cara

Andrew and I were so sad to leave MC and Cate, but we had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend that we will not soon forget.

Mr. Hospitality

2011-06-23T15:06:00.003-04:00

I like to entertain. I like feeding people (despite hating to cook). I like bringing out my grandmother's china and pretty serving bowls and making things nice for guests. I like having time to hang out with friends. I like a house full of people -- not all the time, but enough. So usually when I take one of those "What's Your Spiritual Gift?" surveys -- for whatever they're worth -- hospitality shows up strongly.

But over the past eight years or so, I've greatly cut back on the simple art of inviting friends over for dinner. Honestly, since we've had kids, dinner time around here is just one big crazy hyena circus. Ever been to a hyena circus? Me, neither. But I bet it's a lot like chowtime here. Lots of howling. And cackling. Oh, the cackling (usually it's me because, stick a fork in me, I am DONE). 5:00 "milk meltdowns." Hungry children whining for snacks. Spilled chocolate milk/canned peaches/yogurt/name the stickiest thing on the kids' plates. Trips to the bathroom. Arguments about how many bites are necessary for excusal from the table. Inviting friends into that mess wouldn't be hospitality. It would be just mean.

So, while my kids are totally used to taking dinner to families with new babies or illnesses or "needs," they really haven't had too much experience with having people over "just because." (Shame on me.)

Today I was telling the kids that our friend Mr. Matt is coming over for dinner tonight while his wife and kids are out of town. Adam looked totally confused. "Well, why is Mr. Matt comin' over, Mom?"

"~~Because Daddy and I think this is a good way to get him to stop associating with us completely~~."

"Because Daddy and I thought he might like company."

"But, Mom...he's a grownup. He can handle hisself!"

Clearly we need to brush up on our hospitality skills...both for the joy of it and for the example we obviously need to set for Mr. Graciousness & Co. Looking forward to it!

Best Buddies

2011-06-19T20:31:00.004-04:00

"Best Buddies": That's how Andrew has described his relationship with Steve since he could talk. Over the years, a couple more buddies have joined the club.

A few days ago, the boys put together a little pirate ship craft.

They decided it should go to their Best Buddy: "To Dad, From your Buddies Andrew, Adam, and Libby. Have a good time sailing. CBACG" (Coconut Brothers and Coconut Girl - we actually answer to a lot of names around here)

Here is the group of Best Buddies on Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day, Steve!

The Strange Secret Thoughts of Children

2011-06-13T20:22:00.002-04:00

Libby: I scared of the dark.

Me: You don't have to be scared. Who's always with you, even in the dark?

Libby: Santa!

*************************************************************************

At the sink brushing teeth...

Steve: Adam, you have to make sure you brush all of your teeth. You don't want to get cavities. They will have to drill your teeth to get the bad stuff out and put ugly silver in to fill the holes.

Adam: Yeah, but how do people get GOLD teeth? (Where this kid has seen gold teeth I have no idea.)

Later, during bedtime prayers...

Steve: Adam, is there anything you want to pray for?

Adam: A gold tooth!

Splashy Birthday

2011-06-11T17:39:00.005-04:00

Today was Libby's "friend" party. I love that one of my kids has a summer birthday! I've been waiting to give one of my kids a backyard sprinkler party, and my November and December birthday boys (and their friends) would probably not appreciate it so much.

The night before...pleasedon'train pleasedon'train pleasedon'train pleasedon'train...

God was gracious and gave us a day of sunshine for the girls to enjoy! (Which was a super good thing because a certain mommy didn't have a backup plan and had no idea what she would do with seven disappointed preschoolers in swimsuits and a messy house.)

Here is the annual shot of the birthday girl waiting eagerly for her guests.

First friend to arrive...Ella! (Isn't this picture the epitome of adorable?)

Filling up squirt guns. I am sad that I didn't find time to bedazzle all the girls' squirt guns. They seemed to work fine anyway. They were just less stylish than they could've been. Oh, well.

Stick 'em up!

Enjoying fishie cupcakes!

Libby after the party with her new pride and joy...three princess puzzles in one! Sweet big brother Andrew helped Libby put together her puzzles but decided he was way too masculine to be included in a picture with princesses.

Thanks to all Libby's friends for helping to celebrate her birthday!

Academy Man

2011-06-08T08:30:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Andrew's Academy of the Armpit Arts. Here at AAAA, we strive to instill kulture and klass in our students. Oh, and skillz. We want our students to have mad skillz.

Feel free to stop by the Academy anytime to sit in on a master class in the Armpit Arts. Bask in the glorious music of the Alphabet Song played on the armpit. (Believe us, you've never heard the ABC song like this before!) Sit under the tutelage of Master Andrew himself as he teaches his signature class, "Communicating With Parental Figures Via Armpit Sounds: Voices Are For Chumps."

We encourage our students to use the skillz they learn here at AAAA beyond the classroom walls. Visitors are invited to ride along for our special Kultured Karpool Friday Recital Series. It's the most unusual chamber music -- taken on the road!

We here at Andrew's Academy for the Armpit Arts believe in carrying our art forward. Therefore, we are extremely proud to announce the introduction of a groundbreaking new method. Register now and be one of the first to experience an exciting new course pioneered by our own Maestro -- "Armpit Noises Made Behind the Knee." Stop in any time of day to listen in on a practice lab.

Tuition rates are extremely reasonable as Master Andrew loves his art and has a passion for sharing it with others. Also, he is saving up for a Nintendo DS and will do pretty much anything for a quarter. Payment in fruit roll ups is quite acceptable as well.

Thank you for your interest in Andrew's Academy for the Armpit Arts, where we have been making joyful noises since 2011.

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

2011-06-06T23:03:00.002-04:00

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

Night and day it's Cinderelly

Make the fire, fix the breakfast

Wash the dishes, do the mopping

And the sweeping and the dusting

They always keep her hopping

She goes around in circles

Till she's very, very dizzy

Still they holler

Keep a-busy

Cinderelly!

Three

2011-06-05T20:50:00.005-04:00

Look at me! I'm three!

For my birthday, we had cake!

Then it was time to bring on the presents!

My family gave me so many nice gifts. The best one? My very own makeup bag full of lotions and potions! I keep it with me at all times.

I am one glamorous lady.

It's good to be three!

The Graduate

2011-05-23T21:05:00.003-04:00

Tonight was Adam's preschool graduation. It was a rip-roarin', rootin' tootin' time. All the graduates came racing down the aisle of the church one at a time on hobby horses. Adam led the charge, grinning ear to ear the entire time. If only I had known it was coming, I would've gotten a picture. Because it. was. awesome. Talk about Adam in his element!

Here is our little graduate with his Bible and "diploma"

And here he is with a classmate leading the Lord's Prayer

Adam and his wonderful teachers, Miss Ginger and Miss Libby. What sweet ladies who love these kids!

The whole family attended the graduation program, which was another milestone for us and further evidence that the kids are growing up -- everyone is old enough to go to a 6:30 program without a horrible 7:00 meltdown! That's not to say we didn't hightail it out of there at 7:30 with an increasingly cranky Libby...but it's progress!

Here they are: our two preschool graduates and our little "underclassman"

Watch out, kindergarten! Here comes Adam!

Spring Holidays

2011-05-08T18:58:00.005-04:00

Warning: This post is in extremely random order because that's just the way the pictures uploaded.

We had a great Easter this year! After opening Easter baskets and going to church, we headed to Beppie and Poppa Keith's for a fun day which included an egg hunt, a low country boil, and numerous games of "Cornhole." (For our Northern friends, that's the game commonly known in your parts as "Bean Bag Toss.")

Playing Cornhole

Egg Hunt

It does exist! The rare "fully smiling Libby" caught on camera!

Aunt Gwen with another "fully smiling Libby"

Libby with **soon to be "Uncle"!!!** Chris

The whole family on Easter morning. Libby takes her job as the family bodyguard quite seriously.

Our sweet babies

Some of you have been wondering if the Easter bunny followed instructions. He did not disappoint.

Today was Mother's Day. Steve took the kids to our local grocery store for what has become the annual tradition of decorating a cake for Mom. This year Libby was able to help!

All so serious!

OK, really. This picture with that look on Adam's face is the best Mother's Day present I could ask for!

Little Face

2011-05-03T20:20:00.003-04:00

It's changing...

Andrew lost another tooth today...

Play Ball!

2011-04-30T16:26:00.007-04:00

It's spring...time for team sports! Adam is playing soccer again, but this year Andrew decided he wanted to try baseball. Although the season is already a month old, it feels as if we're still just getting started. Games are only once a week; and with rain cancellations, sickness, and holiday breaks, today was only Andrew's third game and Adam's second.

Here are the boys clowning around before one of their games. (Adam may or may not be "shaking his booty like a chicken." I am too mortified to tell.)

Adam's first soccer game. He had a great time and stayed pretty focused.

Andrew listening to the coach's instructions. I love this picture.

Even Libby has a good time at the games! Here she is with a friend from church at their big brothers' soccer game.

Steve and I love the league the boys play in. It's through our "mother church," and the focus is on sportsmanship, not winning. They don't even keep score (officially...just ask the moms if you want to know the score, though!) for the younger ages. I like that the boys are learning how to be part of a team, learning how to respect and take instructions from a coach, learning skills so they know their way around a ball field, and learning that winning is fun but it isn't everything.

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

2011-04-28T20:36:00.002-04:00

"Jingle Bells"

"Jesus Loves Me"

"If You're Happy and You Know It"

"Sing Sweet Nightingale" (from "Cinderella")

Each night Libby treats us to an extremely loud concert after we put her in bed. Although her repertoire is limited, there are many encores. Many, many encores. And while sometimes it is frustrating that she remains so wide-awake long after bedtime, it tickles me to no end to hear her so un-self-consciously belting out her crazy lyrics all alone in her room.

I believe we'll keep the baby monitor around for a while longer.

The World According to Adam

2011-04-25T20:14:00.001-04:00

Me: Watch that tomato sauce. I don't want it to stain your shirt.

Andrew: Will it stain forever and ever?

Me: Yes, so be careful.

Adam (chiming in): Oxyclean will get that out!

Adam hands Steve a piece of paper on which he has written: AHJSKRIUWLKEEPFJJJPPKJSENCWJTR.

Adam: Can you tell me what this says?

Steve: Hmm. I'm not sure. Why don't you tell me what it says?

Adam: I can't. I don't know how to read yet.

For Easter I always make cutout cookies and decorate them with icing. This year I decorated a few of the egg-shaped cookies with crosses.

Adam: I'm going to eat this cookie with the X on it 'cause that's where Jesus died for our sins.

Reporting to Steve about Adam's day at preschool today:

Me: Daddy, Miss Ginger said that Adam had a good day at preschool!

Adam: Yeah, but the goodest days are when Poppa and Gangee are here. They let us eat candy and stuff!

Suspicion

2011-04-23T20:45:00.003-04:00

Mr. & Mrs. Sweetpea

2011-04-20T13:02:00.007-04:00

Congratulations to my brother Jordan and his bride, Cara! Last weekend they were married in a lovely outdoor ceremony in Arizona. Aren't they a beautiful couple?

THANKS TO THE GRANDPARENTS (more on that later), Steve and I were able to attend the wedding sans children -- our first kid-free trip together in over seven years. I have been getting a lot of flak from people for that: "WHAT? You've never been away alone together since you've had kids?" Well, no. I wasn't sure how or why until I started thinking it through. This is the first time in seven years that everyone is old enough to leave AND I haven't been pregnant with another one. And pregnancy + travel + me = yuck. But now all the kids can talk, potty, and get dressed by themselves. So it's not such a horrible imposition to leave them in someone else's care. (LIKE THE SUPER-AWESOME GRANDPARENTS.)

Anyway, on our fabulous adults-only vacation, Steve and I got to dress up and hang out with other grownups. (And get our pictures taken with cool cacti in the backgrounds, which we never get to do around here.)

We got to eat lunches in lovely outdoor courtyards like this one. Note the absence of playplaces. And children needing to be escorted to the bathroom.

We got to go on a really cool horseback ride through the desert with my sister Lindsay and her husband Kyle. Sadly for Lindsay, we could not find a mall on the trail. But she bravely stuck with the ride anyway.

We had a great time with family and friends, and Jordan and Cara's wedding was beautiful. Their pastor was amazing -- he conducted one of the loveliest wedding ceremonies I can remember.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Steve's parents graciously took on the job of keeping things running with three active little people.

There was some ice cream. (I do believe the ice cream man can retire based on the proceeds from those four days we were away.) Yes, I am aware that Andrew is not wearing any shoes. Let the record show I don't care.

There were trips to Sonic, where apparently the children were given hackey sacks to eat.

Before we left for Arizona, I created quite an impressive Manual for the Care and Keeping of the Nichols Children. While we were gone, Poppa created quite the hysterical document of his own, chronicling the life and times of our kids during our absence. Here are a few things Poppa learned:

General Observations:
Screams of delight and screams of anguish are hard to distinguish
Gangee generally gives in before Poppa and the kids know it
Remote control cars burn through the batteries (whew).
Poppa is MUCH more tired than gangee. Gangee has lots more energy than poppa.
Gangee dies at 8 pm…poppa goes to midnight

They do wear you out, don't they, Poppa? Seriously, we cannot thank Poppa and Gangee enough for the gift of a child-free vacation. People kept asking me in Arizona if I was worried about the kids or missing them too much. My answer: NOPE. My kids have totally hands-on, capable grandparents. I should probably be embarrassed by how little I worried once I set foot on that plane.

Now that we are home, I find myself thankful for several things:
1. The Moon girls have a new sister -- our first (and only)(and favorite) sister-in-law!
2. Steve and I had a refreshing time away together.
3. The weather was beautiful for the entire wedding weekend.
4. Steve's parents are still on speaking terms with us even after being left alone with our ~~monsters~~ children for four days. Probably because...
5. Andrew waited until they were gone for an hour before he threw up.

Back to reality!

Our Weekend Without Daddy

2011-03-27T19:59:00.003-04:00

Steve went on a guys' weekend to the beach, so the kids and I were home alone. Steve has spent many, many weekends over the past seven years taking care of the kids while I've been away on women's retreats, girls' weekends, and family events; but unbelievably, I have never spent a weekend with the kids all by myself. (I know.)

The kids and I had good times. On Friday evening, we got together with the other families whose dads were on the beach trip and let everyone pig out on pizza and race around the yard playing. It was a beautiful evening in the Carolinas and perfect for outdoor play.

The rest of the weekend was a different story: cold and rainy. Indoor activities only! In desperation, I took the kids to the mall. (Be silent. Take it in. I took the kids to the mall.) I don't know what it is about those places, but malls are unparallelled for bringing out my children's inner hyenas. I'm really not a "mall person" to start with, and over the years I have learned my lesson the hard way about taking kids there. The boys cannot take two steps unaccompanied by extreme horseplay. Libby wants in the stroller. No, out of the stroller. No, in the stroller. No... Everyone is suddenly hungry. And thirsty. And has to go to the bathroom. Adam is drawn to the stroller hood like a cat to catnip. updownupdownupdownupdown. Andrew insists that yes, we really CAN ride the escalator with the stroller. And he really sticks to his guns, determined to argue his point to the death (or to my admission to the asylum, which is surely not far off). All this while we're surrounded by the hundreds of other people who have brought their children to the mall to get out of the rain. But, as I said, I was desperate. I had to return a couple dresses -- which, ironically, I'd been putting off for almost a month until I could find time to do it without the kids. And I did manage to accomplish that -- just as Adam leaned into a rack of clothes only to find that *shock* a bunch of hanging sweaters could not support the weight of a small rambunctious boy. At that point I fled the mall with my gang of hyenas, clutching my return receipt and the shreds of my dignity.

Everything else was pretty uneventful after that. There was a trip to the McDonald's with the really fun playplace. Confirmation that Andrew has inherited my tendency to carsickness if I read in the car. Family game night. Further confirmation that Mommy Brain has killed off a lot of brain cells when I had to tell the kids that we would have to wait for Daddy to get home to read the Yahtzee instructions because they were just too confusing for me. Church.

All in all, we had a pretty good time, just the kids and I. But we were all super-excited to see Steve walk in the door this afternoon.

Now maybe we can play Yahtzee.

I Was Wrong

2011-03-22T15:53:00.001-04:00

March = Termites.

March = Crickets

2011-03-20T19:59:00.003-04:00

Clearly I haven't blogged in a while. We're still here; we're just hibernating. I've been feeling so guilty about not keeping up with the family journal, but then I looked back at the archives and realized that March/April is apparently the time each year that I get a little behind with this. So it's time to play catch-up. In completely random order, here's what's been going on:

Andrew is recovering from a nasty little bout of bronchitis. Fortunately we have terrific pediatricians and modern medications, and he is much better. Unfortunately one of the modern medications essential to his recovery is a steroid. If you've ever read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, that is the story of Andrew on this medication. It happens time and time again with this stuff...our sweet, mild-mannered little boy becomes *crazed.* Back-talking. Running around the living room in hyperactive circles. Defiant. When he first had to take this steroid four years ago, we thought he had lost his mind and that we had lost our easy-going little boy. Now we know to expect "the change." We just write a note to his teacher begging for mercy and patience, and we know we will get our beloved Dr. Jekyll back in a few days' time.

Libby has discovered the movie "Cinderella"! She doesn't sit through the whole thing, but she has probably seen all of it in bits and pieces. Here she is with her friend Gracie watching it for the first time. Now she talks nonstop about "Gracie, popcorn, and 'Cinderella.' "

While Libby and Gracie were downstairs watching "Cinderella," Adam and Gracie's brother Aedan were busy watching "Star Wars" in their man cave.

Adam has been diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder. I cannot express what a relief this has been to find this out. He's always been our "wild one." Whatever the experience, Adam wants it faster. Higher. Harder. Crazier. We call him "Kramer" (as in Cosmo Kramer from "Seinfeld") because he never just walks into a room...he falls into it in some crazy way. And while he's one of the most athletic kids on the street, he can't sit through a meal without falling off his chair. These observations (and several others) gave me an uneasy feeling, but I kept chalking it up to his age: "Oh, he's just being two...Oh, he's just being three..." etc. But now he's five, and I realized there might be more to it. My sister Abby gave me a great book called The Out-of-Sync Child, and wow! There was Adam -- a sensory-seeking little boy. An evaluation with an occupational therapist confirmed what I had read. We're already seeing some progress from some of the new tricks we've learned to help Adam.

Regarding the above...it was a relief to have a diagnosis, but talking with the occupational therapist also confirmed one of my worst fears. I asked her if therapy would extinguish Adam's sensory-seeking behavior or just give him ways to work with/through it. She said it depends, but most likely he will always have that need for the thrill. Read: I am going to be spending my old age chasing Adam around the continent and holding a giant rescue net on the ground while he dangles off every mountainside he can find. I have an "X-treme" child. (I have suspected this from the time he was a newborn and could get out of any swaddling I threw his way.)

Further regarding the above...he gets it from his father. People in my family just like to watch TV and knit. We could not be less "X-treme"...we're really not cool enough to be "X-" anything. But we know lots of the answers on "Jeopardy," and we make really great all-cotton washcloths.

In other news, Libby got a new nightgown! I think she has accessorized it beautifully.

And that, folks, is our March. We're back!

Hair

2011-03-05T12:50:00.003-05:00

Can you guess yesterday's theme? Hair!

Andrew had Crazy Hair Day at school (part of Spirit Week). I think he qualifies for an award:

And yesterday after preschool, Libby went to the salon for a "real" haircut. She was looking a little scraggly, and we needed to address the home haircut she had inflicted on herself in January. Since her little experiment with the scissors, we have had many, many conversations about how only Mommy and Miss Karmen cut Libby's hair. So Libby was quite happy to climb up in the chair at the salon and sit nice and still while Miss Karmen made her look a whole lot better!

Nothing Says "I Love You" Like a Corndog

2011-02-18T10:13:00.000-05:00

My Dear Little Valentines,

Well, you've done it. Just by being born, you have brought out all my latent minor holiday goofiness. Thanksgiving? Oh, we are so making hand turkeys and Pilgrim hats. 4th of July? That's right. We're wearing and eating all red, white, and blue. I'm even starting to wax enthusiastic over completely pretend holidays like Chick-Fil-A Cow Appreciation Day. Let's all dress up like cows!

Really, during some of these holidays I have been tempted to quilt us some matching theme vests. It's that bad.

So Valentine's Day presents all sorts of opportunities to be all pink and red and heart-y and to shower you with fun and love and kisses.

Yummy Valentine's cookies!

New stepstools! (These may or may not have been waiting unassembled and unpainted in the garage since Christmas 2009. I will never tell.)

Fun times before Valentine's Dinner!

All such fun ways for me and Daddy to love on you and celebrate this ~~cheesy little Hallmark~~ great holiday.

But truth be told, the cookies, the stepstools, the little presents -- they're nice, but...

I know the best way to say:

BATTER-WRAPPED HOT DOGS ON A STICK.

Love,

Mom

Well, That Explains It

2011-02-05T17:08:00.002-05:00

The boys are all playing outside. Andrew walks out the door, carrying a novel.

Me: Hey, Andrew, where are you going with that book?

Andrew: Outside to watch Adam and Josh play Wedgie Giver.

Can't believe I needed to ask.

Cinderelmo

2011-02-02T20:53:00.001-05:00

Belly Button Parade

2011-01-25T19:05:00.002-05:00

I suppose I should not be surprised...

That the little sister of two big brothers...

Came downstairs "ready for bed"...

Like this:

Why?

So she could join "The Belly Button Parade"...

Of course.

A Night at the Races

2011-01-21T20:07:00.003-05:00

Time for another movie night! Andrew finished reading The Black Stallion last night, so this morning we decided to do an impromptu viewing of the movie tonight. Let me tell you, I was seriously sweating the theme dinner for this one. The only racetrack foods I know of are bourbon and cigars. And I am fresh out of those. Thank goodness for the creativity of my cousin Molly, who came to the rescue with the idea for the entire dinner while we were talking on the phone this morning.

Let me say up front: I know. Almost all of our theme dinners feature hot dogs wrapped in dough. It's just so versatile!

Tonight's masterpiece, thanks to Molly: saddlebacked horses, split-rail fence, and grass.

The kids (with trusty friend Josh, of course!) figuring out dinner. For some reason they got the grass and the horses right away. The fence took them a little while.

An irresistible homage to "A Christmas Story": Show Mommy how a horsie eats!

It's been years since I've seen "The Black Stallion." I had forgotten how fantastic it was! The kids (well, not so much Libby, who was overtired and acting like an overtired two-year-old) were enthralled. And the movie has lots of great themes...which we will discuss later because it is way past bedtime at the Nichols Corral.

Why My Kids Get A's in Sunday School

2011-01-13T13:16:00.001-05:00

Me: Libby, how do you spell your name?

Libby: Um, Jesus?

Rite of Passage

2011-01-11T19:03:00.003-05:00

When I was little (I think maybe three years old?), there was a commercial on TV for Silkience shampoo. It featured several different women with long, flowing, Farrah Fawcett-type hair. One of the models was a beautiful Asian woman whose hair swooped dramatically over one eye. I thought the whole 30-second spot was the height of glamour, and that particular hairstyle hiding one eye was the epitome of sophistication.

At the time, I was trying to grow my hair long enough to wear pigtails...also a sophisticated look; but the Silkience hair gave me a new vision.

I knew that I, a three-year-old Midwestern girl with stick-straight mouse-brown hair not quite long enough for pigtails, could look exactly like the Asian model...if only I could get my hair to swoop down over one eye like hers did. A brush didn't work. Neither did bobby pins. I was frustrated, but a flash of genius showed me the way: scissors! I could cut my hair into that gorgeous swoop!

Needless to say, the scissors in my little paws did not yield the anticipated results. My mom got a big surprise when she saw me. And the only help for the whole situation was a Herself-the-Elf haircut for me. Let me just say that no one commented on my sophisticated appearance that year.

I think every little girl gives herself a little home haircut at some point or another. So I should not have been quite so surprised when I turned around from the stove tonight while making dinner to hear Libby saying, "I cut my hair!" And hair was everywhere on the floor.

Truly, I did not see this coming. The only thing I can possibly think of that may have given Libby the idea to do this was this morning's Sesame Street episode: Baby Bear needed a haircut, and the show's segments were all about hair and haircuts.

Whatever the reason, here is the result. The other side of her head is much the same.

Please. Let me invite you to pause for a moment and take it all in: The home haircut. The bruise under one eye. The polyester Tinkerbell nightgown with reindeer pajama pants (worn all day long...we never quite got dressed today).

Sophistication.

Priests and Robbers

2011-01-08T20:45:00.005-05:00

Last year Adam came home from preschool and told me that for snack they had crackers and wine. Obviously I knew that couldn't be right. I had to get to the bottom of it. Were they playing "communion" at the Presbyterian preschool? Our church (also Presbyterian) uses grape juice. They don't even give wine to adults. So why would they give it to preschoolers? And what kind of wine tastes "a little like lemonade," anyway? It took a few minutes, but once I put my Mommy Translator to work and figured in Adam's squeaky little speech quirks, I figured out they'd had lime drink for snack.

So I should have been more on the ball last week when Adam told me about a cool new game they were playing at preschool. "It's called Pwiests and Wobbers," he told me. Priests and Robbers? That sounded a little odd, but he was so enthusiastic. Eyes sparkling, he told me how the priests chased the robbers around the gym and chuckled with glee as he said that he got to be a "wobber." (Heaven help us.)

Again I was left wondering about what goes on at this preschool. In my mind I pictured the kids getting into the costume box and donning 1940's priests' cassocks and black-and-white striped prison outfits with black masks, a la the Hamburglar, and chasing each other around the gym with rosaries and giant fake-jeweled crosses.

I guess with all that's been going on with our injured reserve list around here, I was content just to think, "Strange...but whatever" about Priests and Robbers for a few days. But yesterday it came to mind again, and the light bulb finally went on: This can't be right. What if I applied the Mommy Translator? It only took a couple minutes.

Pwiests...P'wiece...POLICE!

Oh. Police and Robbers.

That makes so much more sense.

But still, Priests and Robbers might be kind of cool.

Why I Dare Not Take All 3 to the Pediatrician

2011-01-07T15:20:00.005-05:00

It's been some kind of week. Our injury rate is now one significant injury per child, per day.

On Wednesday, Adam was riding his bike. He had been playing on his new skateboard right before he hopped on his bike, and he was wearing every protective device we own: helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and knee pads. Unfortunately the wrist guards made it impossible for him to use the handle brakes on his bike, and he crashed. Of course he landed on the one area that wasn't armored: his face.

Last night, I went to a meeting. When I came home, Steve told me Libby had fallen off a kitchen chair and landed on the tile floor...on her face. She was in bed when I came home, but I got a good look at her sad, bruised little cheekbone this morning.

So it was pretty fun to walk these two into preschool this morning looking like they had been tossed into a tiger's cage wearing meat helmets and try to explain in a credible fashion that coincidentally they both managed to scrape up their faces significantly within a day of each other.

Meanwhile, Andrew had been home from school for two days with a high fever. Miserable, but at least he didn't look battered. Until...

Today I asked the kids to go wash their hands before lunch, and somehow Andrew's finger got closed in the bathroom door. (Ewwwwwwwww.) The fingernail turned black almost immediately (ewwwwwww), and Andrew was in a lot of pain. So I knew we had to take him to the doctor right away.

But then I looked around at my brood.

Individually, they are pitiful. Pathetic. Bless their hearts.

Together, they scream, "Someone call Children's Services!"

Thankfully Steve was able to meet me at the pediatrician's to take the littles home while I took Andrew and his finger in because there is no way I could have taken them all in looking like that and not been escorted out by the police.

** Stop reading here if you have a weak stomach. **

So the doctor had to burn a hole in Andrew's fingernail to relieve the pressure and hopefully save the nail.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwww.

** You may resume reading. **

And we were done.

Until Andrew's leg "just started hurting" (???) upon leaving the exam room.

Now he is walking with a limp. It goes nicely with his tear-streaked face and the huge wad of gauze on his middle finger.

I give up.

Buckeye Brothers

2011-01-04T14:22:00.008-05:00

I was so excited to find Ohio State Buckeye shirts on sale here in North Carolina! So I bought two and brought them home for the boys. I could hardly wait to show Andrew his new shirt. Unfortunately his reaction made clear that I -- born in the very heart of the heartland at the Ohio State University hospital, the child of an OSU graduate, and a lifelong Ohio State fan -- have failed in my duties as a Buckeye and a mother. As Andrew examined his new shirt, a confused expression crossed his face. "Mom? I thought we voted for the Colts." So I explained to him the difference between college football and the NFL and that we root for the Buckeyes on Saturdays. His response? "But, Mom, what about Carolina?"

I don't know how this happened. I have been singing "What's Round on the Ends and High in the Middle" and "I Wanna Go Back to Ohio State" to my kids from their babyhood, despite my reservations about encouraging children to "buy a keg of booze and drink to old Ohio till they wobble in their shoes." And Andrew has known the answer to "What's Round on the Ends and High in the Middle" and why since he was three. So it's not like this "Buckeye fan" thing came out of the blue.

Now, I am all about "When in Rome..." and learning to say "y'all" and drinking sweet tea, but this...this is clearly unacceptable.

Oh, and my children won't eat a potato (the Official All-Purpose Vegetable of the Midwest)...they just want rice.

Transplanted Midwestern Mommy FAIL.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T20:19:00.006-05:00

Dear Kids,

It's after 8 pm on New Year's Eve. Libby, you are (presumably) asleep upstairs. Andrew and Adam, you are watching "The Black Cauldron" with me and Dad. I just realized that I am under the gun to put this blog to bed for 2010, and I haven't even covered Christmas. So I am multitasking: quality time with you guys and documenting memories of this last week or two.

This was our Christmas (or "Christmakkuh" as we should probably refer to it this year since it stretched out over so many days) to travel to Indiana to be with the Nichols family. So our Christmas began with our celebration with Poppa Keith, Beppie, and Aunt Whitney the week before Christmas Day.

Libby and Beppie having Christmas tea.

The next day we got a big surprise! While you kids were out with Daddy, Santa stopped by our house! Even though it wasn't quite Christmas Day, he left a few presents here so you could have some to open under your own tree. You just missed him, but he couldn't wait around -- it was, after all, Santa's busiest time of year.

Look who got a new bike! No more hand-me-down boy's bike for Miss L!

Libby's baby got a new bottle and diaper bag for Christmas!

Adam, you just make me laugh. Nice shirt!

My sweet little Christmas boy.

A few days later, we all piled into the car to make the long drive to Indiana. Thanks to some new four-lane roads through Ohio, a 5 am departure time (oh, yes, we did!), and three children old enough to watch movies in the car, the trip was much less hideous than usual. We're making progress! This was an exciting year because you had a new baby cousin to meet: Baby Oliver! And you had good times playing with Cousin Logan.

White Christmas in Indiana!

Reading "The Night Before Christmas" with Poppa.

Putting out reindeer food on Christmas Eve.

All the Nichols cousins!

Cookies we made for Santa.

Leaving cookies and a note for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning: Santa wrote back! Uh-oh...Gangee's on the naughty list!

Christmas Day: Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

And there it is. Christmas 2010 in pictures.

Kids, you are too little to understand -- we try every day to tell you -- you are very blessed. One day when you are older and look at these pictures, I hope you will really look at what they represent. Don't look at what's in them. Look past the presents, extremely nice as they are. Look at who's in them. Look at all the people in these pictures who love you! Check out your grandparents -- you are blessed with four who would do anything for you. Look how special they all made Christmas for you and the delight they took in your delight. Look at your cousins. I am so excited that you have cousins! Cousins are gold. I pray you will remain close through the years. And we're not in any of these pictures, but I think you know...the people behind the camera love you very much.

Daddy and I are so thankful for this Christmas and this year with all of you.

Love, Mom

Five

2010-12-20T21:31:00.003-05:00

Adam, you are five today! This day has been a long time coming; but one preschool party, one "friend" party, two early Christmas celebrations, four cake mixes, and a lot of presents later, today's the day!

At your checkup at the pediatrician's today, we got some questions answered. Namely, is it really possible that we have been watching you grow taller from one night to the next morning? And how on earth can one little person outgrow so many pairs of pants at the rate you've been outgrowing them? Apparently you've grown three inches since your checkup last year. Questions answered.

You had a very small party this year. Neighbors Josh and Caleb and church buddy Aedan came over for a night of pizza, cake, and Batman movies. Gangee helped make the party special with all the decorations.

Cake topper thanks to Gangee! Yellow icing thanks to Mom, who, midway through the arduous process of coloring white frosting bright yellow, realized she could have just bought already-yellow lemon icing.

You and your buddies enjoying pizza during "intermission."

Bat pizza! Thankfully you and your little friends have great imaginations. I tried.

Gearing up for the party with Gangee's cool decorations!

And now I have a secret confession to share with you (and any of the millions of people on the world wide web who stumble upon this). My favorite part of your birthday was being with you today at the pediatrician's when you got your shots. Remember? You were screaming and crying and so very upset and I was frantically promising you donuts and Sprite? Good times. No, seriously. After the shots, you snuggled up on my lap in the exam room and just let me hold you for a while. That doesn't happen so often anymore. And you are five now. I don't anticipate being able to cuddle you on my lap for much longer -- especially at the rate you're growing. So, while I am sorry for your tears and sadness, I admit that I relished those moments trying to comfort your sobbing little self.

Fortunately you recovered pretty quickly from your traumatic experience at the doctor's. Some presents helped. (See below.)

Five. I just can't believe it. My funny little baby with the mischievous twinkle in his eye is five. Happy birthday, ~~little~~ big boy.

Santa Closet's Coming to Town

2010-12-14T17:30:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year. The tree is up, Mom is up to her ears in unfinished Christmas projects, and Adam can be heard earnestly practicing for his preschool Christmas concert:

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all da WAY!
Oh what IS it is to FUN in a one more soapin' SWEIGH!"

On Sunday the children at church did a mini-program for Christmas. Andrew got to dress up as a shepherd and give the introduction to one of the songs.

Here is the only decent group shot I could get. Our camera doesn't like the lighting at our church. What cute kids we have in our congregation! Andrew is dressed in his red shepherd's outfit on the right. If you look for argyle in the middle of the picture, that is Adam. He was dressed as a reluctant Southern boy wearing what his mama made him wear to church. He was adorable, if I do say so myself. And frankly I don't really care what he was wearing. I was just relieved that he did not end up sprawled on his face in a giant pile of dirt and poinsettia leaves in the middle of the program.

Andrew with his buddies Seth and Michael before the program.

In other Christmas news, Libby is terrified that "Santa Closet" will come to her house. A large, strange man with a beard showing up at her door yelling, "Where's Libby? Ho Ho Ho!"? That's the stuff of all her greatest fears rolled into one. Poor Libby has been walking around mumbling her new mantra over and over: "Mommy and Daddy and God keep me safe Santa Closet...Santa Closet not come Bibby's house." Good old Santa Closet is up there with spiders in Libby's book.

One thing Libby does like about the Christmas season: Christmas music! She loves helping me and Adam practice his preschool songs at the piano. And I am so happy to have a little person sitting so sweetly next to me on the piano bench.

Another One?

2010-12-10T18:28:00.004-05:00

It looks like Cocoa has a cousin. Meet Honeybear. He and his journal followed Adam home from preschool today. Apparently that place is just crawling with homeless bears with no baby journals of their own.

Last year, I got away with writing a 3-sentence journal entry for Cocoa. (The 24-point font I used and the giant blown-up pictures made it look like a full report.) (I'm sure I fooled all the teachers and other parents. Totally.) Much to my dismay, this year's parents have really stepped up the journal entries. (Thanks, Susan. Really, two pages of adventures with Honeybear?) Oh, the pressure. So far Adam and Honeybear have eaten ham for lunch (directly off the table like hillbillies) and watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." We don't have a lot going on this weekend. I think the ham and the TV show may be the highlights.

I guess I'll have to step it up, too.

Think this will work?

Gingerbread House

2010-12-06T21:46:00.004-05:00

Beppie brought the kids a gingerbread house kit! After several days of ~~patiently waiting~~ begging to put it together at completely inappropriate/impossible times and whining when I told them no, the kids were thrilled to build the gingerbread house tonight!

Here it is:

Adam was so proud that the candy design on the roof matched on both sides. He is so artistic and particular about it! I love that about him.

Adam's chief delight: "Look, Mom! The gingerbread man has a mean face! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!"

(Mr. Gingerbread does look rather ticked off. I imagine he is yelling at the kids to stop riding their bikes through his yard. Rather ironic that he's standing on a doormat that says "JOLLY," though!)

I can't believe the house turned out so cute! However, I won't lie...it was an interesting time "building" a rather fragile house with sugary icing, tiny bits of candy, a tired two-year-old, and two somewhat wobbly little boys hyped up on high fructose corn syrup and Christmas emotion. I am now going to spend the rest of my evening breathing into a paper bag.

What I Found

2010-12-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

Last night around 10:00 pm...an empty bed and no Andrew:

Next to Andrew's bed:

Upon further inspection:

Someone remind me why we buy furniture for these children?

And today I found more!

This morning in the music room...I found two little cousins:

And a little later in the kitchen...check out the floor:

I don't think Mary Caroline wanted this to be found.

There's always something interesting to be found around here!

A Very Moon Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T12:22:00.010-05:00

Two days.

One grandfather.

One grandmother.

Ten aunts, uncles, fiancees (ugh, we all hate that word), and "significant others."

Four "born" grandchildren.

One "unborn" grandchild.

Two turkeys.

Three turkey legs (all consumed by one small boy).

Eight pounds of mashed potatoes.

Two trips to Urgent Care.

One trip to the Emergency Room.

One case of pleurisy.

One case of croup.

One ear infection.

One big Yankee gift swap (ironic, most of us actually being Yankees...)

Countless games of Jenga.

One Arizona football game. (Bear down!) (That has nothing to do with childbirth.)

Several coins and gifts from Taiwan.

Two adorable little dresses handmade by Beppie.

Lots of good times.

Four extremely overtired children.

One big happy family.

Because We Are Super Classy

2010-11-21T13:07:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of our precious two-year-old daughter singing the classic Christmas song "Jingle Bells." As taught to her by her two big brothers. Holding a tinker-toy microphone. Wearing a dinosaur costume over fuzzy jammies. With no hairbow. In our extremely messy bedroom.

Seven

2010-11-16T15:14:00.006-05:00

Andrew, unbelievably, you are SEVEN.

What's going on with you now?

You are 48 1/2 inches tall.
You weigh 54 pounds.
You are in first grade.
You are a voracious reader.
You think anything involving underpants (oh, most especially wedgies) is the funniest thing, EVER.
Your favorite thing to do outdoors is to ride your bike.
You love to burp. At least you say "Excuse me" pretty automatically now.
Your favorite meal (as requested for your birthday dinner) is spaghetti, fruit cocktail, root beer, and cupcakes. (I will not open my mouth about some of the components of this meal because it is your birthday.)
You have been wanting me to spike up your hair with gel in the front when I comb it. Your earnestness about this makes me giggle to myself.
You love building with Legos but have recently branched into K'nex.
You are so excited that we have started weekly game night -- just you, Mom, and Dad. You are freakishly good at Rack-O. Dad and I can't seem to beat you!
You are adorably kind to your baby sister.
You continue in your twisted "You're my best friend/I can't stand the sight of you" relationship with your brother. (I think it'll work out OK in the end.) (Maybe with some therapy.) (I'm just saying.)
Your daddy is your hero.
You make your mom so very, very happy...just by being your sweet little self.

Happy 7th Birthday, Andrew!

In Search of a Good Time...

2010-11-14T20:45:00.005-05:00

This year for Andrew's 7th birthday party, we had a scavenger hunt. ~~A few~~ 14 boys (plus Adam) came to help celebrate! It was an uncharacteristically beautiful November day, so pretty much the entire party was spent outdoors. Thank you, Jesus.

I found instructions for making this cute treasure cake online. Miraculously, the whole thing did not collapse on itself! Gangee, who was here for a visit, and I had fun shopping for all the edible treasure!

The boys were split into four teams of four. Each team had a leader. And at this point I must give BIG UPS to our friends Mike and Josh, who came with their boys to the party and stepped in as team leaders along with me and Steve. We could not have pulled this off without them!

Each team had a pack of clues to solve. Upon solving each clue, the boys had to find an object scattered in one of three yards (thanks to Elijah's and Josh's parents for letting us use their yards!) on our street. Then they had to perform a silly activity and have the team leader take a picture.

Best of all, the boys are at the perfect age for this. They were so into "team spirit" and earnestly raced around the neighborhood solving clues. **So adorable**

A couple of the teams in action:

The whole crew ready for some cake! (Can you see why we were so excited about having nice, outdoor-play kind of weather?)

The birthday boy blowing out his candle:

Everyone got to play and eat cake outside after the scavenger hunt.

What a wonderful day of sunshine, friendly competition, and celebration! A good time was found by all.

Decision Not to Order School Pictures:

2010-11-12T16:57:00.002-05:00

Confirmed.

Pop Quiz

2010-11-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

How well can you understand Adam-ese? See if you can translate the words/sayings below.

1. Edwoo

2. Wibby

3. Ooooh! I'm gettin' THAT!

4. Oooooh! Edwoo's gettin' THAT!

5. MooooOOOOoooooOOOm

6. Misser Fweeze

7. Skewwiken

8. Gridge

9. Backack

10. Wipe

ANSWERS:
1. older brother

2. younger sister

3. phrase uttered during EVERY toy commercial targeting boys

4. phrase uttered during Strawberry Shortcake toy commercials

5. maternal figure

6. favorite Batman bad guy

7. bones forming framework of human or animal body

8. structure which spans river or chasm

9. schoolbag carried on the back

10. color that is the "opposite" of black

Halloween Spooktacular

2010-10-31T21:02:00.004-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love the ages of our kids right now? I got so hyped up about Halloween this year! All three of the kids get it this year. We've had fun talking about it, planning costumes, and counting down the days to the big night.

This year I decided to do a full-out Halloween dinner menu for the kids. I knew I would do "Mummy Dogs" for the main dish and "Boo Cups" for dessert, but I was stumped for sides. I found an idea online about cutting potato slices with cookie cutters and frying them, so I tried it but had very low expectations. Can I just say, YUM? We had pumpkin- and acorn-shaped "french fries," and they turned out great! And Adam, our creative one, asked if we could cut green peppers to look like jack-o-lanterns. What a cute idea! Thanks, Adam!

With their tummies full, the kids were ready to put on their costumes and go trick-or-treating. If you're wondering why their faces look so sad and unexcited, so am I. ??? Seriously, they look like the dog just died or something.

Ninjas brandishing their swords

Libby wearing her Raggedy Ann costume (taken off her life-sized doll!)

And...HOW CUTE IS THIS? Since we have two life-sized Raggedy Ann dolls, Libby and Ella were both able to dress up in the outfits! Libby is wearing 2010 Raggedy Ann, and Ella is wearing 1976 Raggedy Ann, which I wore for Halloween when I was two! I could just gobble these two up.

Favorite quote of the night?

Me: Libby, what did you get for Halloween?

Libby: Scared!

Halloween Preparations

2010-10-30T20:51:00.003-04:00

Making candy necklaces with pumpkin charms...

The results...

Libby gnawed on her pumpkin charm and made it unusable for the neckace...

Adam's necklace...

Andrew's necklace...

Jack-o-Lanterns!

Happy Pumpkin, Scar-Face, and Fangs

BOO!

A Tale of Two Two-Year-Olds

2010-10-29T19:53:00.003-04:00

When I was two, I was an only child. I lived on a quiet cul-de-sac with my mom and dad. My mom wore rockin' orange-printed bellbottoms (I'm betting polyester). I rode a little red tricycle. It was just my speed.

Oh, and my mom dressed me like a Cold War-era Eastern bloc grandmother. But I digress.

Now I have a little two-year-old of my own. She has two big brothers. She lives on a very lively cul-de-sac that is absolutely crawling with kids -- mostly boys. Her mom wears a standard uniform of crew-neck cotton tee shirts (long-sleeved in winter!), jeans, and flats.

But a little red tricycle is way too tame for this two-year-old. She prefers to ride her big brother's big red bike. It's the only way to keep up with "the guys."

She's amazingly good at it!

I bet in 30 years she'll be making cracks about how her mom dressed her, though.

Would You Love Me If...?

2010-10-26T19:31:00.003-04:00

A few years ago, I was talking with one of the (many) extremely wise older ladies in our church about raising kids. She was telling me how she and her husband used to play a game with their kids every night at bedtime. The kids would ask, "Would you love me if I..." and make up scenarios that would test a parent's love. And my friend and her husband would assure the children that, yes, they would love them in and through any circumstance.

I was just telling Steve last night that the boys are getting to the age where it might be a good idea to do that. I envisioned Andrew coming up with some real imaginary humdingers. Steve and I would talk with him about consequences and sorrow over poor choices but ultimately assure Andrew that we will always love him, no matter what. We would be Noble Parents! Andrew and Adam would be Rooted and Grounded in the Assurance of Their Parents' Love!

Tonight the dinner menu was grilled Hawaiian pork kebabs with red onion and pineapple over rice. I expected fits from the kids as anything that does not begin with "Macaroni and Cheese" is usually challenged. But when they saw the shish kebab skewers, their faces lit up. Dinner on a stick! Brilliant. (Note to self: look for ways to serve meatloaf and mashed potatoes on skewers...) The kids dug right in and ate well. I was sitting in a rather dazed feeling of bliss that dinner had gone over so smashingly when Steve interrupted my dreamlike haze by yelling, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Andrew had carved his name in the table with the shish kebab skewer. And because what Andrew does, Adam must also...so had Adam.

So tonight (after Steve and I heartily conveyed our feelings about carving furniture with skewers, took away dessert, and sent the boys to their rooms), we got to introduce "Would You Still Love Me If...(I carved your table with a shish kebab skewer)?" at bedtime and assure the boys that we do still love them.

I thought this game was supposed to be hypothetical.

Pumpkin Pickin' Pictures

2010-10-22T20:19:00.002-04:00

Our Next House

2010-10-20T13:35:00.002-04:00

Adam has apparently been experiencing some dissatisfaction with some of the major constants in his life. First, it was the car. Lately, Adam has been obsessed with houses.

For a while he was fascinated with "those short houses" (ranch-style homes). Who lives in them? Can they stand up inside? Do they have bedrooms? Do they have food? Do they have toys? I don't know where Adam came up with these thoughts, but he was quite concerned. Our friend Tiffany graciously offered Adam a tour of her spacious, high-ceilinged, one-story home so that Adam could satisfy himself that they were not living in some kind of vinyl-sided beaver dam. (Thanks, Tiffany!)

Adam's recent conversation has centered around "our next house." I had no idea our current house was so unacceptable. But next time we go house shopping, Adam has some ideas about what we will need to look for.

It will have a front porch. (OK by me.)
The front porch will be double-storied. (That gets a little tougher...really, Adam, you think I'm going to let you anywhere NEAR a second-story porch? I would never sleep another wink.)
It will have Christmas and Halloween lights up all year round. (No comment.)
There will be a movie theater. (Poppa Jon...???)
The house will have candles. (Yeah, right. File this one with the second-story porch. Another of those "Adam + ________ = certain disaster" things.)
And there will be a new dog. (Well, maybe a little black lab puppy...)

3 Ninjas

2010-10-12T19:20:00.003-04:00

The Smoke Dragon Ninja

The Fire Dragon Ninja

Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. OK, OK, I can't stand it. They are a force with which to be reckoned.

But both quake in the presence of...

The Hairbow Dragon Ninja

Three Houses

2010-10-02T08:16:00.005-04:00

Not much time for blogging lately. After eight straight days of fevers, respiratory infections, and croup the other week, our pirates and little petunia are all back at school and doing well.

I've had the privilege over the last couple weeks to visit the homes of three families very close to our hearts.

The first home was the scene of a celebration. After many, many months of waiting and an extended trip to a Peruvian orphanage, our friends welcomed home two adorable little boys. Mom, Dad, two older sisters, and a grandfather were there with faces glowing when my children and I arrived. The house was loud and happy. The boys don't speak English yet, but that did not stop them from trading silly bands and laughing and playing with my boys. In my ~~halting~~ nonexistent Spanish, I tried to welcome the boys and tell them how glad we all were that they were finally here. The little one skipped out to my car with me and poked his head into the dishes I had brought for dinner, parroting my English words with a big smile: Apples! Green Beans! I could've just scooped him up and nuzzled him. I know his new family must do that a lot.

The second home was also celebrating, in a quieter way, the birth of a new little sister. This is baby number four, but somehow there was still the hush that is always present when there's a new baby in the house. Big brother (Andrew's BFF Josh) was radiant with quiet excitement. The younger ones were climbing all over, pointing out the baby's features: Eyes! Nose! Baby! Mom and Dad were exhausted but joyful. No way to get the older kids to nap every time a new baby naps. I know. I've tried. How wonderful to share in the excitement and sweetness of a precious little newborn and to give thanks for her safe arrival.

The third home was very still. Our dear friend, a husband and father of two, suddenly received a very grave diagnosis a couple weeks ago. A few Sundays ago we were chatting with him in the halls at church. Today he lies in a hospice bed, suffering. Very soon this faithful man, loved by God and loved by us, will be home with God, who will wipe every tear from his eye. He will suffer no longer. In the meantime, a family is stunned and grieving even as they cling to this hope.

All these visits, one pretty much on top of the other. So much life...just happening. Trying to process all the joy and sorrow is overwhelming. More than ever this week, in these homes and in ours, in every situation, the Lord is near (Philippians 4:5).

If you are reading this, would you please pray for these families? God knows their names and their specific needs.

Benjamin & Christian and their new family
Baby Erin and her family
Kofi, his wife, and children
And in a fourth house in another state, too far for us to drop in for a visit, Steve's uncle has also received a very serious medical diagnosis. Please pray for Brian and his wife.

Off to Church

2010-09-19T18:10:00.002-04:00

Libby was just passing through the dining room, where I was helping Andrew with homework. I had to ask her what was up. Her answer? "I'm takin' my baby to church!"

Thank goodness our church has a pretty relaxed dress code.

The Beach

2010-09-03T19:50:00.005-04:00

Our long-anticipated summer beach trip has come and gone. We've been back for two weeks now; but with school starting almost immediately after we got home, I haven't had time to go through pictures and organize my thoughts about our trip. I would like to note, however, that we had every piece of luggage unpacked and all the other trip detritus put away within two hours of getting home. I do not believe that has ever happened after one of our trips, and I am hereby giving myself and Steve an electronic pat on the back. Go, us.

This was our best beach trip yet! We stayed in a beautiful new condo. The boys were beside themselves with delight to find themselves sharing a room with a bunk bed and their very own TV. (Honestly. They would have happily holed up in that room for the entire week and emerged blinking and pasty at the end and declared it a wonderful vacation.) Libby could walk this year. Let me repeat that. Libby could walk this year. No one had to be carried to the beach. Everyone could run and play in the surf. No one was crawling on strange floors, picking up who knows what. Taking babies to the beach is entirely different from taking kids to the beach. Taking kids to the beach is fun.

Poppa and Gangee joined us for the week once again this year. Gangee and Adam are both early birds, and every morning they went for a walk on the beach. Adam really looked forward to those walks and went in to wake Gangee up each morning -- well before 7 am -- so they could hit the beach. I love that Adam had that special time with just him and Gangee. Poppa spent his time, as always, catering to his grandkids: watching countless hours of Sesame Street videos with Libby, walking the boys to the pier, and throwing kids around in the pool. (Good thing Gangee's been making Poppa work out!)

We always try to have a nice vacation so the kids will have great memories of our family trips. I am a traditionalist (shock), so I always try to get in the "classic" beach activities for the kids. This year, we visited the state aquarium. We spent quality time playing in the pool. We body surfed in the ocean. We ate ice cream on the pier. But if you ask my oldest son, the highlight of vacation was...playing the Crane Game. Andrew spied it at the general store at the pier and suggested that next time we went to Walmart at home, he could play the Crane Game in the lobby there! Deciding quickly that playing the Crane Game at the beach was *slightly* less trashy than playing it at Walmart in our hometown, I gave Andrew the go-ahead to play. And wouldn't you know...the little booger won.

Par for the course, I have quite the gallery of goofball pictures. The elusive "perfect picture of all three kids on the beach" remains elusive. But we're getting better! There was definite improvement this year, and I remain optimistic that one day I will get that picture. And the kids didn't cry about getting their pictures taken this year. Andrew just said resignedly to the others, "Mom's gonna dress us up in church clothes, take us to the beach, and take our pictures again." That kid gets smarter every year.

All in all, this was vacation at its finest. We spent the week coated in Cheetos dust and sugar cereal residue. When it got too bad, we'd just take a little dip in the pool. Do not ask me how ~~many~~ few baths my children got that week. It's embarrassing. I think I remember throwing them all into the shower and shampooing their hair once. Beyond that, we relied heavily on the scouring properties of beach sand and the cleaning power of chlorinated pool water.

Great vacation. Great family.

Here They Are

2010-08-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Top Ten Reasons I Do Not Drive A Monster Truck

10. They don't come with the LATCH system for carseats.

9. The temptation to crush cars driving in front of me going 5 mph under the speed limit would be unbearable, and I would not look good in prison orange.

8. The other parents would think I was a showoff when they saw me doing wheelstands in the preschool pickup line.

7. Adam would definitely steal my keys to go joyriding.

6. Libby doesn't have any hairbows that coordinate with...mud.

5. It wouldn't fit in the garage.

4. It wouldn't fit in the parking spaces at Target.

3. What's the gas mileage on those things, anyway?

2. Everywhere I went, I'd have to hear it: "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY...BE THERE!!!"

1. Come on. My monogram would look totally silly on the back windshield of a monster truck.

Monster Mama

2010-08-30T11:44:00.002-04:00

I love my mini-van. I love the automatic doors. I love the (oh-so wipeable) leather seats. I love the separate temperature controls, which have saved my marriage over and over again. I super-duper love the heated seats -- yes, even in the Carolinas. And I am not afraid to use them in April if it's still a little chilly.

The kids have their own captain's chairs. No one touches anyone else. Everyone has his own space with cup holders and snack holders. It's a far, luxurious cry from Ye Olde Moonmobile -- the 1985 2-toned blue 8-passenger Dodge van I was crammed into growing up with my 5 sibs.

My sweet husband has worked hard so that his family can have such a nice ride. I, for one, am totally appreciative. So I was a little surprised to have the following conversation with Adam this morning on our way to the gym:

Adam: Moooooooom? (We're working on the whining. Really. But he's just not getting it.)

Me: Yes?

Adam: This car isn't good.

Me: What?! This is a great car!

Adam: No. This (gestures here) and this (gestures there) isn't good. Why didn't you get another car?

(Let me interject here that we got this van before Adam was even born. So I'm not sure why the only car he's ever known is suddenly such a problem for him.)

Me: What car should we have gotten? (I'm expecting him to say he wants a sweet tricked-out Suburban like he just rode to the beach in with Poppa and Gangee...it's the only thing I can think of.)

Adam: Why didn't you get a monster truck?

Me: Speechless.

**Post to follow: "Top Ten Reasons I Do Not Drive a Monster Truck"**

He's a Grader!

2010-08-28T22:44:00.003-04:00

When I was in kindergarten, all I wanted was to be a "Grader" (as in student in first grade, second grade, etc.) "Kindergartner" didn't sound very grown-up to me, but being a "Grader" represented the ultimate in maturity and sophistication.

Now my own little guy has joined the ranks of the glamorous ones. On Wednesday Andrew started first grade. When I asked him if he was excited to be a "Grader," he looked at me and said, "Huh?"

So I explained to him the prestige (in my mind, anyway) associated with being in a "grade" instead of just "kindergarten." And he looked deep into my eyes and said, "Huh?"

Sheesh. Maybe Adam will be my kindred spirit in this in a couple years.

Just the same, Andrew is happy to start a new school year. Here are some pictures of him on the first day of school. A certain pushy little sister (who is becoming something of a camera hog) insisted on being in each and every frame.

"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out."

Proverbs 18:15

Little Sister

2010-08-22T19:18:00.004-04:00

It's tough having two big brothers.

I knew from the beginning they were kind of crazy.

And they started trying to make me a part of it early on.

They like to dress up. A lot.

I don't always know quite what to make of it.

The worst is when they get me involved. I've pretty much quit resisting.

Sometimes they won't share treats.

And they have been known to mess up pictures where I am trying to be my cutest. Ahem.

They love me a lot. A whole, scary, lot.

Yeah, they can be pretty nutty. Sheesh. Boys.

But sometimes, just sometimes, the tables get turned...and my brothers get buried helplessly in the sand while I stand over them and calmly enjoy my Cheetos.

It's not always so bad being the little sister.

Six Going on Twenty-Six

2010-08-21T19:52:00.002-04:00

The Setting
The master bathroom shower.

(I promise, this is totally G-rated. It's a family blog.)

The Players
Steve, overseeing Andrew's shower before bedtime
Andrew

Andrew: Dad, can I use your soap instead of the kid soap? Then I'll smell like you.

Steve: Sure.

Andrew: Can I use your shampoo, too?

Steve: Well, you can, but if you get any in your eyes, it will really sting.

Andrew (considering): How much?

Steve (knowing Andrew's ridiculously low tolerance for even the barest discomfort to his orbitals): Kind of a lot.

Andrew: OK. I'll use the kid shampoo on my hair. And your soap on my skin. Then I'll smell like half a man and half a boy!

A Funny Girl

2010-08-15T19:54:00.003-04:00

Steve: Libby, are you Daddy's girl?

Libby: Nooooo. Not Daddy's girl.

Steve (knowingly): Oh. That's right. You're Mommy's girl.

Libby: Nooooo. Not Mommy's girl.

Steve: Well, then, whose girl are you?

Libby: I Cookie Monster's girl!

Sweetpea's Getting Married!

2010-08-08T21:54:00.005-04:00

When I was almost four years old, my mom and dad had another little girl. I was glad enough to have a sister, but I was really ticked off that they didn't name her "Susan." I still remember vividly how strongly I felt about it. They got me a doll named Susan but were firm in their choice of the name "Abby" for my baby sister. Hmph.

When I was six years old, another sibling was on the way. This was back in the days when people didn't usually find out the sex of the baby before it was born. All I knew was that this one had better be a girl, and my parents had better name her Susan.

Well.

It wasn't a girl. And his name most certainly wasn't Susan.

This is how I felt about that.

Contentment wasn't my strong suit back then.

But something happened when my parents brought baby Jordan home from the hospital. I fell in love with that baby. He was such a sunny, happy little guy with an instinctive sense of humor right from the start. I called him Sweetpea, and he was my little buddy.

Three more little sisters followed Jordan. The poor kid never had a chance, surrounded by five sisters as he was. It's a miracle he ever got into the bathroom. My mom always joked that one day he would make a fine husband because we girls would have him trained so well.

Now ~~Sweetpea~~ Jordan is all grown up. And we just got the happy news that he is engaged! He asked his lovely girlfriend Cara to marry him over the weekend, and she accepted.

To Cara: The sisters and I have done our best with Jordan. He's a pretty good guy. One thing, though. He's been known to go to the potty outside, but that's only when we wouldn't let him into the bathroom. Or when he was really sleepy. Or when he was hanging out with the next-door neighbor kid. Of course, he was three years old. I think he's outgrown it by now. I hope he's outgrown it by now.

To Jordan: Boy, don't screw up.

Really...Jordan and Cara, we wish you all the best. We couldn't be more delighted for you!

Lemonade Stand

2010-08-07T12:07:00.003-04:00

The plans were in place. The stand was built, thanks to Dave Emrich. A date was picked. Lemonade and cookies were prepared.

This morning, our boys, their friends Sam and Charlie, and one Efficient Baby opened for business. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!

We have friends who are in the process of adopting two little boys from an orphanage in Peru, so we had decided in advance that all the money we raised at the lemonade stand would go to the orphanage.

People were so generous. More on that later.

Here's a shot of our first customer! This guy obviously is at home in front of the camera.

We had a little lull in business, but then things picked up.

Lots of friends from church stopped by. And, of course, faithful BFF Josh and his family.

The boys had a wonderful time yelling "Lemonade for sale!" at the top of their lungs every time a car passed by. Libby yelled, too.

The boys also were responsible for serving customers and taking money. Libby wanted in on that action as well. After watching the boys collect donations for a while, she walked up to the next car that pulled up and yelled, "Money, please!" Which, of course, is everything I've ever prayed against...watching my daughter standing on a street corner asking people in cars for money. Fortunately the young moms in the car my two-year-old was attempting to hustle thought it was hysterical.

We were open for business for about an hour and a half. The boys kept wanting to know how much money we'd made. We had no idea, but in the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, "You never count your money/While you're sittin' at the table," so we waited till we got home to tally it up.

$91.65 for the orphanage. Seriously. People were so generous.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our lemonade stand this morning!

Be Careful...That's an Heirloom

2010-08-05T19:22:00.003-04:00

One of Andrew's (many) obsessions as of late is to make a hat in which to store stuff. You know, like food. And bandaids. Because you never know when you might scrape your knee and need a snack. Away from home. While wearing a 2 1/2 -foot-high cardboard hat. It's just best to be prepared.

Of course, whatever Andrew does, Adam must also. So today we picked up some posterboard, spent some time making plans, and went to work making hats.

At one point, (oh, I just love the earnestness of Andrew) Andrew told me that one day when he is a daddy, he will give the hat to his first son, and that son will give it to his son, and so on.

So I felt it important to document the origin of an heirloom.

Look, kids, here's your great-great grandfather wearing The Hat of Many Wonders long, long ago

Great-great-great Uncle Adam wearing his hat. Sadly, the hat (much like most of Uncle Adam's other possessions) did not survive into future generations. It was mysteriously destroyed in a freak accident known in family history only as "the ceiling fan incident, part one."

Great-great-great Aunt Libby insisted on having her picture taken as well. Her "hat" is probably the only *actual* heirloom in this whole post.

Growing Up

2010-08-03T20:59:00.005-04:00

The last couple days have seen a lot of big changes around here.

First, Andrew and Adam have been taking swimming lessons for the last week and a half. We've done swimming lessons in past years, but all the kids ever seemed to learn during those lessons was how to play ring around the rosy in the water. However, something has clicked this year, and the boys are both starting to swim! I watched in amazement yesterday as Adam swam the length (well, really the width) of the indoor pool and only put a foot down once or twice! Today we went to the outdoor water park after swim lessons were over, and the boys can now go down the big slides without life jackets. (I can hear my mother sucking in her breath. Don't worry. There is a lifeguard waiting at the bottom who helps the kids swim to the edge -- much to Andrew's dismay.)

Next, Libby has been working on potty training this summer. Without going into too much detail, she's pretty much there! We've made several successful diaper-free public appearances. So today I took the step of removing the changing station from her bedroom because it looked sort of silly...

With Libby's new BIG-GIRL BED! We've had it stored in the garage for a few weeks now and finally got a new mattress over the weekend. Yesterday Libby woke up super-early and then inexplicably refused to nap all day. And I decided that it was the perfect night for FIRST NIGHT IN A BIG-GIRL BED! So we took down the crib and put up the bed.

Bye, bye, crib!

Libby in her big-girl bed! Do not ask me how long ago I bought the bedding. I've been waiting for this.

OK, let's see how this goes! Night night!

Libby did great. She fell asleep quickly and stayed in bed all night. Even better, she stayed put in the morning till I came to get her. It helps that her bed has room for a trundle underneath and is super-high. She has no idea how to get in and out yet, and I have threatened death and disfigurement to anyone who shows her. I was pretty worried about the nap today, but it went really smoothly!

It feels really strange to have all these major advances happen for all three kids in just a couple days. More than that, it feels really good to have that crib out of here!

Yeah, That's How I Roll (Now)

2010-07-29T11:57:00.008-04:00

More notes to my younger, childless self:

One day you will be the kind of mom who does not even notice that Child #2 gets into the car without wearing any shoes...

Until you get to the gym parking lot and he announces, "Hey! I don't have any shoes on!"

And because you are now that kind of mom, you will take him into the gym (which has the rule "You must be wearing a shirt and shoes to enter this facility" clearly posted on the door) anyway because swim lessons are starting in 3 minutes.

You will realize that in your younger days you sadly underestimated the wonder and glory of swim lessons that last for two whole weeks in the middle of a long, boring summer.

After walking shamelessly (OK, totally embarrassed but there's no help for it) through the halls of the gym with your barefoot progeny, you will take Child #2 (still shoeless), his brother, and his little sister (now clad in rubber crocs and a too-small smocked dress found stuffed in the bottom of the diaper bag after wetting her pants at the gym daycare) into McAllisters for free iced tea. Nothing should get in the way of National Iced Tea Day. And it's right on the way home from the gym.

At least little sister's hairbow still coordinates with too-small dress. Certain priorities will NEVER change.

You will not even think about your own awesome getup (sweaty gym shirt, track pants, no makeup, ponytail) until you are accosted by two beautifully dressed and made-up Mary Kay consultants running a promotional giveaway at the McAllister's entrance.

They will descend upon you like buzzards on fresh roadkill because *clearly* you are in need of their assistance.

You may find that some days you sigh a whole lot more than you used to. It's OK.

Sometimes it's just better to throw away the whole sippy cup. Or the underpants... 'nuff said.

Yes, you will make a separate dinner for the kids...more often than you ever would've dreamed (Thanks for the idea, Brian and Melissa! Glad to know I'm not the only one. Oh, and sorry about ratting you out on the internet.)

There will be a day when you tell your children, "You may play a video game (it's called a Wii...you'll find out more about that later) ALL DAY." And you will actually follow through with this promise.

One day you will allow your child to grab a box of cereal out of the cart, open it, and start snacking WHILE YOU ARE STILL SHOPPING IN THE STORE AND BEFORE YOU HAVE PAID FOR THE CEREAL. Yes, you will be one of THOSE parents. Because THOSE parents realize that once in a while the quiet is just worth it.

It gets worse.

One day -- before you even WALK INTO THE STORE -- you will be bribing your children with popcorn from the Target snack bar so they will not act like hyenas on crystal meth while you go in search of antacid pills, bread, and an ipod armband.

It will totally work.

It will even allow you to peruse the clearance racks and score a couple more dresses at rock-bottom prices for little sister.

Because she will need a lot of them. Just ask the gym daycare workers.

A Matched Set

2010-07-28T20:45:00.001-04:00

My little Muppet babies.

Stick 'Em Up

2010-07-21T20:36:00.002-04:00

Aggary Ran

2010-07-13T21:30:00.005-04:00

When I was about two, my mom made me a giant Raggedy Ann doll. It was as big as I was -- in fact, my parents dressed me up as Raggedy Ann in the doll's clothes for Halloween that year. I had "Aggary Ran," as I called her, for years and years. And then she disappeared. I couldn't think where she might be except possibly my parents' attic. But since last time anyone went up there it ended in my dad falling through the ceiling and landing in the laundry room*, no one has been super-eager to go up there and check.

So I was so very excited when my mom went online and tracked down the 1970's pattern (the newer ones are cheesy, she claims) and made Libby her very own Raggedy Ann doll for her birthday!

Well. That was about a month ago. But tonight, Andrew was looking at Libby's Raggedy Ann and said, "I think I saw your other Raggedy Ann's hair in my closet." WHAT??? So I went upstairs and looked on the highest shelf in Andrew's closet and found...my old doll! I guess I put her up there seven years ago when Steve, seized with panic that we might not have enough closet space for ourselves and a newborn in our four-bedroom home**, built closet systems in all the closets when we found out we were expecting Andrew. I shoved some mementos up in the then-guest closet and then...had three children and lost most of my short- (and long-) term memory.

My Aggary Ran is, for the most part, just as I remember her. Some of the thread on her eye has snagged a little, so now she looks like has some fine lines around her eyes. Hmmm. She probably thought the same thing about me!

Here is 1976 Aggary Ran with her buddy 2010 Raggedy Ann. I think it's cute and highly appropriate that Libby's doll has a hairbow and her name on her dress.

Libby is so excited to have two life-sized friends!

Glad to see you again, old friend!

*No doddering old fogies were injured in the making of this (sadly) true story. However, there may have been some mild profanity.

** And, oh, yes, Steve was right. What I wouldn't give for a few more closets.

Moooove Over, Halloween

2010-07-09T19:38:00.003-04:00

Today I discovered something that brings out my inner ~~dork~~ artist. That would be Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A, our family's fast-food restaurant of choice. Every year Chick Fil A invites its customers to dress up as cows and come in for (free!) food. There are games and prizes, a cow mascot, and lots of people running around with black spots pinned to their shirts. We've been at Chick Fil A on Cow Appreciation Day in years past, but never on purpose. (When you visit CFA as often as we do, you just stumble into these things.)

I have to say, I am loving this season of time with the kids being 6, 4, and 2 years old. Everyone is old enough to walk places under his own power. No diaper bags, strollers, bottles, or baby food. If Libby misses a nap once in a while, it's not great, but it's not a complete tragedy. We're just more "portable" as a family unit overall. And at the same time, all the kids are still young enough to be thrilled by little things and enjoy them together. All of them will watch "Sesame Street" together. Santa and the Easter Bunny? Believed in and celebrated by all. I know this time won't last long. So when Cow Day was advertised this year, it just seemed like it would be do-able for the family and that the kids would think it was really fun.

What I didn't know was how much fun I'd have getting ready for Cow Day. (I know, I really need to get out more.) But, even though it was a little last-minute, something about planning and crafting the costumes was quite therapeutic! And the kids were so excited to dress up.

Here is my herd grazing on the front lawn

Mama and her little calves at Chick Fil A

"And-moo" and the CFA mascot

It was a really fun trip. The kids loved walking into the restaurant and mooing -- even Libby. (She really roared more than mooed, but whatever.) All went well until the cow mascot, which is pretty giant, walked up to greet the kids. Libby freaked out. Even after we came home, Libby was looking around every corner, worried she'd find that cow. And now we have to spell "c-o-w" lest we induce more frenzies of fear. My poor little calf.

So, providing that (A) we can convince Libby that the cow will not get near her and (B) the kids at ages 7, 5, and 3 still think dressing up like cows is cool, we are going to Cow Day again next year. I'm already planning the costumes. They're going to be moo-velous.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-04T22:27:00.004-04:00

Our 4th of July holiday weekend started off with Family Movie/Theme Night. Having finished reading the book Holes, we were ready for the movie and the special "Holes"-themed dinner. On the menu: Food with holes in it! Calzones baked into rings, green pepper rings, and pineapple rings. And, of course, donut holes. And "hole" milk. Wokka wokka. Even the napkins had holes in them! If you're wondering why the meal was served on a crab plate, it's because crabs live in...holes! OK, OK, not really...the food just fit best on these particular plates. But it sounded good, right?

Andrew and Adam are always excited for a chance to ~~eat in front of the TV~~ bond with the family.

Libby's food, served on her Abby Cadabby plate. It has nothing to do with theme night. We just don't want to hear the tantrum that will happen if dinner doesn't involve Sesame Street.

Today after Sunday School, we went to Poppa Keith and Beppie's house for some 4th of July swimming and grilling! The kids had fun at the pool with Aunt Gwen, Aunt Whitney, and Beppie.

Daddy is so much fun at the pool!

It was an action-packed day of fun in the sun! This picture taken on the ride home says it best:

Finally, of course, there were some fireworks. There are always plenty going on in? around? our neighborhood on the 4th of July. I'm not sure exactly where they originate or about the legality of it all, but they're fun to watch from our backyard. The kids were in bed but not asleep when the fireworks started, so Steve got them up to watch. Andrew decided to watch through the window from the safety of the kitchen table. He wanted to see but was slightly nervous about it all. Adam went out in the backyard and shrieked with delight with every boom. The louder and closer, the better, in his opinion. It's the Andrew/Adam Axiom at work again. Could I possibly love these two little boys' extremely different reactions to the fireworks any more? I just think this sums each of their personalities up so tidily.

God of Wonders

2010-07-02T18:19:00.004-04:00

The day started at 5:50 am. I was awakened from my blissfully sound sleep with "Mommy! Milk! Milk! Elmo! Meshi Steet (Sesame Street)! MILK! MOMMY! MOMMY! ELMO ELMO ELMO ELMO!"

We may be staging a Sesame Street intervention for our youngest before long.

As the morning progressed, so did the chaos.

Libby spent the morning wearing nothing more than a smile and Andrew's soccer medal. Adam was running around in swim trunks and navy blue dress socks. (With all the clothes shopping I do...)

There were fights over Legos, arguments about breakfast, and doll stroller derbies on the new(ish) hardwood floors.

A cherished water shooter got broken at the pool, causing sadness and tears.

Baby sister -- who had been awake for far too long -- started losing it, fell and scraped a knee, started bleeding, and really lost it before we could leave the pool.

Which caused us to make another March of Shame (our second this week!) out of the waterpark.

And that was all by noon.

But...I have to write down the moments of grace that I experienced in the midst of it all. Because if the past is any indication, we will have more days that look like this one. My ears will be ringing, I will be tired of arguing with these little lawyers-in-training, and the next meal to invent and prepare will be looming again. And I need to remember the diamonds I have stumbled upon in the dust and keep looking for more. And I will not remember them if I don't write them down.

So let us return to the waterpark, where Andrew had just brought me his tears and his broken water shooter. Adam came running up to see and immediately said, "Mom, I'll share my water shooter with Andrew. He can have it today, and I'll have it tomorrow. And then he can have it the next day, and I can have it the next day..." And then Adam promptly handed Andrew his unbroken water shooter.

That does a mama's heart good. Even better on a morning like this one.

Fast forward to the car in the pool's parking lot, where I have just belted in two loudly (incessantly) chattering, wet boys and a screaming, bleeding toddler who obstinately refuses to let me put a bandaid on her scraped knee. Oh, the noise. My throbbing head. I got up too early for this. Make it STOP. So what do I do? Crank up the Kids Worship CD in the car. Adam likes the music two ways: LOUD and FAST. And, magically, everyone stops crying, chattering, arguing and starts...singing! "God of Wonders," their new favorite song. Adam has a big grin on his face and is singing lustily. Andrew is proudly doing the hand motions he learned in Children's Church. Even Libby is trying her best to sing along in her best toddler nonsense words. And as I look at my three little people singing earnestly in the rearview mirror, I have an all-too-rare moment of clarity: this is grace in the real world -- in my real world.

To steal a line from the kids' song: "Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth." We all sang.

I'd like to say that we came home and spent a delightful afternoon together doing family Bible time, counting our blessings aloud with one another, baking cookies for the neighbors, and praying for world peace.

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you can probably guess that's not how it went.

But I still had a song in my heart.

I Lost My Heart to a Cartoon Character

2010-06-17T19:31:00.006-04:00

We just watched the movie "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," which was hilarious. At least, the parts I got to see and hear around the shouts and mayhem of wrestling boys were hilarious. I plan to watch the movie on my own later to catch all the stuff I missed the first time.

Anyway, as I watched, I was immediately struck by the resemblance between these two guys:

Adam, age 2

Young Flint Lockwood, main character in CWACOM

Big, googly blue eyes. Crazy hedgehog hair. Earnest little expression. Sweet little muppet mouth. Propensity for blowing stuff up and causing huge commotions. The similarities are eerie.

I found myself wanting to snuggle Flint Lockwood, cartoon character, and give him lots of Eskimo kisses. Is that weird?

Shady Acres

2010-06-16T19:36:00.004-04:00

I've always joked about how we keep nursing home hours here -- up at dawn, dinner at 5:oo pm, bedtime at 7:00 pm. But here is further proof that we are not so much running a household of young children as a residence for old folks:

It's 92 degrees outside. It's June. In North Carolina.

Oh, and that's not apple juice on the floor.

"Two-Two's" and Tiaras

2010-06-12T16:38:00.008-04:00

Today was Libby's birthday party! Friends Ella, Grace, Molly, and Adah came to celebrate, eat snacks, and just be generally precious.

Each of the girls had a tutu, a tiara, and a sippy cup.

And what princess would be complete without a wand?

Party preparations were so much fun. Gangee helped a lot. So did Poppa. Here he is making tutus. Yes, really. I do have the best father-in-law in the world.

Libby could hardly wait for her friends to arrive.

Finally the party was in full swing.

We had yummy food!

"Princess Dino-Gator" put her own special twist on her outfit.

Everyone was sooooooo adorable.

So Long, Kindergarten

2010-06-10T14:57:00.007-04:00

Andrew has had the most wonderful year in kindergarten with the most wonderful teacher. Yesterday we all (including Poppa and Gangee, in town for a visit) got to attend Andrew's kindergarten graduation. Happily, this was more of an end-of-the-year get-together in the classroom, not a ceremony with caps and gowns and all. However, the day before graduation, Andrew came home and told me he had to wear "wedding clothes" to graduation. Ha! And here I was planning on sending him in a polo and nice shorts. But he was very insistent. Fortunately he had a set of "wedding clothes" from Aunt Lindsay's wedding last summer. So Andrew went off to school wearing this:

And no sharp-dressed man is complete without a Shrek pocket watch (compliments of McDonald's):

Andrew's teacher later told me that when he arrived at school, all the girls in his class decided he was "the most handsome man they'd ever seen." I always thought those girls had good taste.

Here is Andrew with his fabulous kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Millett. I didn't cry during the class video, but I got a little misty looking at all the pictures of her shepherding Andrew's sweet little class throughout the year. What a wonderful, caring teacher Andrew was blessed with this year!

It was not a sad day. It was happy and cute and tender and funny...made even funnier when I realized that Andrew's buddy also accessorized with his best watch for this important occasion. Look at these two sporting their Happy Meal finest:

Yes, from start to finish, this was kindergarten at its best.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Libby!

2010-06-04T08:16:00.000-04:00

Miss Libby, you're two today! What are you up to these days?

You're talking! You've started making three- and four-word sentences: "Mommy, here remote!" "Mommy, Daddy home!" "Mommy, Aba (Adam) hit me!" (Busted, Adam.)

You are riding your three-wheeled Radio Flyer scooter with surprising agility. I have a feeling that in a couple years those boys will have nothing on you. You love your little pink helmet.

You love to wipe your nose. It's not runny. You just want to wipe it. Constantly. I have to hide the baby wipes and napkins, or you would go through them all in an hour. If you had a wristwatch, I am pretty sure you'd keep a tissue in the band...

Which leads me to believe that you have inherited my "I'm really a ninety-year-old deep down" gene. Andrew has it, too. I'm sorry. You may expect a lifetime of being cold in a 75-degree house and wanting to take a lot of naps. Other than that, it's not so bad.

Instead of "Carry me" and "Hold me" you say "Carry you" and "Hold you" and reach up your arms. I heart this.

You are developing a sneaky little obsession with a green RoseArt marker. Fortunately it's washable. I don't know how you keep getting a hold of this particular marker, but this week you have used it to scribble on the walls, the fireplace, the carpet, your rocking chair, and, of course, yourself. In fact, I had to pause in my writing of this post to pry the green marker (again) out of your grasping little hand and wipe the marks off the kitchen table and chairs.

You love books! This makes Mommy sooooooo very happy. "Read! Read! Read!" you demand, waving books in our faces. If they're Sesame Street books, so much the better, in your opinion.

You finally have all your teeth...except those two-year-old molars. I have a suspicion they're lurking right below the surface because, to be honest, you've been a bit of a grouch the past week or two. And that is not at all like you!

You are super-adorable. Daddy and I can't decide if it's your sweet little face, your hysterical little personality, or your funny little outfits. (Mommy has a slight obsession with dressing you and is unashamedly going to continue to put you in the pinkest, girliest stuff I can find until you are old enough to object.)

Two years ago, we did not think you could get any sweeter than this:

We were wrong. Happy birthday, little two-year-old girl!

Boy Heaven

2010-05-31T13:04:00.006-04:00

Adam and Andrew had a special treat this weekend -- a mini-vacation! Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Kyle invited them to their house in Augusta, where the boys spent two days in Boy Heaven. Lindsay and Kyle are renting a house on a farm until they find a house to buy, and it is an ideal place for little boys to grub around. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Adam and the resident longhorn

gearing up for fun on the farm

dueling tractors

what would a boys' weekend be without a truck?

exactly the reaction to horses I would've expected from both boys

Uncle Kyle showing the boys all the fish in the pond

the highlight of the weekend: first time fishing! Andrew with his first catch

Adam's first fish

bonus: grubbing around with worms. fishing is awesome.

getting the fish stink off the boys

it's too bad Adam didn't have any fun

Aunt Lindsay styled the boys' hair

not sure what's going on here...

Whew! That was just day one. The next day the boys were treated to putt putt golf, go carts, and a roller coaster. There were movies, cold pizza for breakfast, and probably all kinds of junk food I don't want to know about. Uncle Kyle contemplated eating a cricket or a worm to impress the boys while they fished, but Lindsay and I assured him that the boys' standards were way lower than that. So Kyle contented himself with burping for them. They were suitably delighted.

I asked the boys what they would say to Aunt Linsday and Uncle Kyle right now. In Andrew's words, "I liked fishing, and I liked going on the go-carts." Adam could not be reached for comment as there is a new Scooby Doo showing right now.

THANK YOU, AUNT LINDSAY AND UNCLE KYLE!

Toothrow Away Or Not...That Is the Question

2010-05-27T21:04:00.002-04:00

Andrew has now lost two teeth. My sweet little baby's face is already changing and looking older. My friend Susan warned me this would happen when he lost teeth, so I was prepared. However, I was not prepared for the question of what to do with the lost baby teeth. When Andrew was born, Gangee gave him two little personalized silver keepsake boxes: one for his first curl and one for his first tooth. So the first tooth Andrew lost was easy -- I just popped it into its special little velvet-lined box and stuck it in Andrew's closet with his other baby mementos. Done.

But then Andrew ruined things by going and losing another tooth. There is no keepsake box for "Baby's Second Tooth." So now, sitting on my bathroom counter is that second little tooth. (The Tooth Fairy thoughtfully left it there for me after taking it from under Andrew's pillow.) And I am stumped as to what to do with it.

On the one hand, it really feels creepy to keep a collection of lost teeth. Because if I keep this one, I will have to commit to keep them all...and three kids times twenty baby teeth is...well, it's late and I don't want to do math, but I'm sure it's a lot. It just feels a little...I don't know...serial-killer-esque to hoard them. And where would I keep them? A plastic baggie doesn't seem dignified. I sure don't want them in my pajama drawer. Would having them made into a necklace be inappropriate? And what kind of earrings do you wear with a baby-tooth necklace?

But on the other hand, I pick up that little tooth, and it's...my sweet little baby's perfectly white, perfectly straight, perfectly perfect little tooth. The tooth that kept Andrew (and us) up nights as it came in. The tooth that we greeted with applause when it finally broke the surface. The tooth that signaled the end of the precious gummy baby grin and the beginning of the cheesy little toddler grin. And it's just sitting there on my counter -- a part of my boy. I can't bring myself to put it in the trash. It feels disrespectful and wrong just to throw it away.

So, there it is. Sorry, but this post will have no closure. Not tonight, anyway. The tooth will stay on my counter. Each morning for the next I don't know how many mornings, I will pick up the little tooth as I have done every morning for the past couple weeks and ponder again God's marvelous workmanship, my little guy's fleeting boyhood, and the question of what to do with this little tooth and the others that are surely to follow.

Aquaman

2010-05-25T08:45:00.002-04:00

Showers at our house are oceans of fun.

She Didn't Mean It, Grandma...

2010-05-24T10:53:00.003-04:00

A conversation with my daughter as I am putting her in her carseat:

Me: Who loves Libby? (I'm expecting the answer to be "Mama!")

Libby: Poppa Teef!

Me (a little surprised at the random answer but happy to hear it): Yes, Poppa Keith loves Libby! Who else loves Libby? Does Beppie love Libby?

Libby: Noooooooo. Poppa Teef!

Bubbie, Bibby, and Beppie

2010-05-17T15:46:00.004-04:00

My aunt Barbara (Bubbie to her grandchildren) is in town! Libby and I were able to meet with her Great-Aunt Barbara and Grandma Betsy (Beppie) for coffee today.

Here they are -- Bubbie, Bibby, and Beppie:

Mother's Day: Behind the Scenes

2010-05-10T13:19:00.004-04:00

Sunday was another in a series of really great Mother's Days. For the past seven years, I have felt loved and special on Mother's Day. This year was no exception. The last couple years, Steve and the boys have gone to an area grocery store to decorate a special Mother's Day cake for me. The first year they gave me the cake, Andrew asked breathlessly, "Isn't it the most BEAUTIFUL cake you've ever seen, Mom?" (It was.) This year they decorated a giant cookie cake. It is my favorite part of Mother's Day each year to see how excited the boys (and Steve!) get over this project.

I also got a beautiful necklace handstamped with the kids' names. My friend Alely made it. You can see her work here.

And...I got a new Bible. I have mixed feelings about this. I love my old Bible. I've had it since I was 17. I love looking through it and seeing underlined/highlighted passages and remembering why I marked them. I love how the old notes jotted in the margins bring to mind my beloved high school pastor preaching or the discussions we had with the girls' group that crowded into our college dorm room. There is even the note I wrote on the front page reminding myself to buy the study book we did in our first small group at our church. I know where everything is in that Bible. I might not always be able to cite something chapter and verse, but I can see it in my head and say, "That's in this book, on the left-hand side, about midway down the page" and turn right to it.

But, my sweet old Bible looks like this (missing cover thanks to Zoe, who ate it along with lots of copies of Guideposts back in her Christian Literature phase):

And I don't care. My friend Jen gets a kick out of seeing me with my ratty old Bible because she says it's just not like me. (To which I say, come on, Jen...you've seen the inside of my car. I'm really not that put-together!) However, in the past few weeks, my Bible has entered a new level of decrepitude. I really can't depend on it holding together any more, and I am afraid for its safety.

So, the kids got me this:

It's pink. It's called the Busy Mom's Bible. Like, like. I'm excited to think about what the notes and markings in this Bible might reveal about this current stage of life 15 or 20 years down the road. And I think it'll be a really good thing to read these new pages with new eyes.

I think it would be really great to attribute all this thoughtfulness every year to my kids, but I can't -- especially not Mother's Day 2003, when Andrew wasn't even born! No, the kids love Mother's Day, but they are still too little to arrange the kind of sweet Mother's Days I have experienced. The mastermind behind all my special days is Steve. I love how he encourages the kids to get excited to celebrate Mom! (I also love that he lets me sleep in and take a 3-hour nap on Mother's Day.) Thanks for being the Daddy behind Mother's Day, Steve!

Pirates and Petunias

Of Course It's Still Christmas -- Just Look at the Post Date!

Adam the Six-Year-Old

Jophes and the "Wise" Man

Happy Birthday, Quacky!

What Andrew's Been Reading Lately (Or, Why I Almost Had a Heart Attack When I Looked on His Nightstand)

The Wallet

The Big Dig 2011

Wee Wee Wee

Libby's Lunch Order

The Halloween Events of 2011

Lunch

Libby the Philanthropist

The Hedgehog Returns...Minus a Tooth

Project Runway

The Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten

Andrew's Village

Polite as a Princess: The Sequel *New with Captions*

50 Years

Puzzle Mania

Moo, Take 2

A Capital 4th

Mr. Hospitality

Best Buddies

The Strange Secret Thoughts of Children

Splashy Birthday

Academy Man

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

Three

The Graduate

Spring Holidays

Little Face

Play Ball!

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

The World According to Adam

Suspicion

Mr. & Mrs. Sweetpea

Our Weekend Without Daddy

I Was Wrong

March = Crickets

Hair

Nothing Says "I Love You" Like a Corndog

Well, That Explains It

Cinderelmo

Belly Button Parade

A Night at the Races

Why My Kids Get A's in Sunday School

Rite of Passage

Priests and Robbers

Why I Dare Not Take All 3 to the Pediatrician

Buckeye Brothers

Christmas 2010

Five

Santa Closet's Coming to Town

Another One?

Gingerbread House

What I Found

A Very Moon Thanksgiving

Because We Are Super Classy

Seven

In Search of a Good Time...

Decision Not to Order School Pictures:

Pop Quiz

Halloween Spooktacular

Halloween Preparations

A Tale of Two Two-Year-Olds

Would You Love Me If...?

Pumpkin Pickin' Pictures

Our Next House

3 Ninjas

Three Houses

Off to Church

The Beach

Here They Are

Monster Mama

He's a Grader!

Little Sister

Six Going on Twenty-Six

A Funny Girl

Sweetpea's Getting Married!

Polite as a Princess: The Sequel New with Captions