Sanity Sold Separately!

Baby Fat

2012-02-01T06:45:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy has a lot of givens.

The most obvious, of course, being that you will get fat.

But that is okay because: a) pregnancy fat is cute and usually accompanied by lots of smiles from strangers and b) um, hello, you get a cute baby in the end and more smiles from strangers!

(Sadly, the fat immediately ceases to be cute as soon as the baby comes out and unfortunately tends to stick around!)

Another given, at least for me, is the amount of fat I will gain. Over the course of three pregnancies, the only thing that was the same about all of them was the number of pounds I gained.

(Disclaimer: I had pre-eclampsia with Libby and I am not counting the 20 lbs of water that I retained during my last month of pregnancy with her.)

So, three pregnancies.

Different eating and exercising habits each time.

Same weight.

Which, btw, was well over the recommended 30-35 lbs each time.

But despite that similarity, that weight never looked the same.

With Libby, I just looked terrible and really don't have many pictures documenting that.

With Emma Jane, I looked like I was pregnant for the first time not the second.

Here I am with her at 17 weeks:

I am still in regular clothes and didn't really look pregnant with EJ until into my sixth month.

With John, being a third baby and all, the belly popped out sooner.

Here I am at 16 weeks with him and sporting a definite baby bump:

And then came baby #4. A baby that I have already determined is definitely flying solo in there.

Here I am, still a few days shy of a second trimester:

What the hey!?

My belly should not be bigger than my boobs already!

Brad, my sweet husband, said to me last night, "Wow! You are really starting to show!"

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Big Boy, Big Bed, and a BIG pregnancy brain moment

2012-01-30T07:21:00.002-05:00

John recently made the transition out of the crib, thanks to one of our babysitters.

For the longest time (at least a year), there has been a full sized bed in John's room along with his crib. There wasn't really room for both beds, but we didn't have any where else to put it and I hated to get rid of it since John would eventually need a big bed anyways.

So anyways, on dates when Brad and I are out late, this babysitter had a habit of just falling asleep in the extra bed in John's room until we got home. On this particular night, I went to go wake her up and found that John was also sound asleep in the big bed. So I left him there and the next night he wanted to sleep in the big bed again.

And we pretty much never looked back. Easiest transition to a regular bed ever!

Well, after I found out I was pregnant and it became clear that we were not getting rid of the crib any time soon, we decided that 3-4 more years of ~~hitting our shins on the end of that stupid bed~~ a cramped bedroom was just not going to work.

So we bought John a bunk bed. We figured if baby #4 is a boy they will share a room anyways, and if not, well boys just like bunk beds.

Now, if you have ever purchased large furniture items, you know that you go to the store, pick out what you want, pay for it and then go home and wait for it to be delivered. Over the years, Brad and I have bought lots of furniture so I was familiar with this process. There were about 10 days between purchasing the bed and our scheduled delivery date.

Plenty of time for someone to, I don't know, buy twin sized sheets for the new bed?

Yeah.

That probably would have been smart.

But, never fear. In the absence of forethought, you can always just do what I did: you take the sheet off of the full bed and just wrap in around the twin mattress.

And then leave it there for another week and a half before you actually go buy the poor boy some sheets that fit!

(Totally blaming this on baby#4!)

Here is my big boy after his first night in his bunk bed:

I tried to sneak a picture of him still sleeping, but he woke up as soon as I opened the door.

He was really upset about the sheets!

(Or the unannounced photo session. Either one.)

12 weeks

2012-01-23T07:34:00.001-05:00

I got my first peek at my little peanut last Friday. There is something relieving about seeing concrete proof that I am in fact, pregnant and not just going crazy. (At least, not going crazy for no reason.)

This little baby is quite a mover and a shaker. He (and I mean that in a completely generic sense) had hiccups the whole time, which was just hilarious! Every once in a while the hiccup would be so big that it turned into a full body stretch/flip. And he kicked constantly.

Not that I could feel any of this action. It was so surreal, seeing all of this going on inside of me but not being able to feel any of it!

I spent the rest of the day just smiling. I already love this little cutie to pieces!

John and his Johnny

2012-01-20T07:55:00.000-05:00

The other day the girls and I went on a field trip to see the Florida Orchestra in concert and John got to stay with a babysitter.

This particular babysitter is a favorite of ours.

In fact the girls, upon hearing who John would be playing with while we were away, actually told me that it would be fine for me to go to see the orchestra myself and they would just stay with Miss Lauren. Needless to say, that did not happen.

John got spent some quality one on one time with Miss Lauren, and since Miss Lauren loves my son so much that she would rather spend money than make money while babysitting, they spent that quality time at Build-A-Bear!

He came home from his date with a new alligator friend, whom he cleverly named Johnny.

When they got home, of course, Mommy wanted to hear the details of their outing so Miss Lauren preceded to tell me about how much fun John had at Build-A-Bear: he picked out his own animal, helped stuff it and then picked out the outfit and helped to dress his alligator.

Now in my experience, when a babysitter is giving me the play by play of her time with my children there will inevitably come a point in the story that makes me close my eyes and shake my head. This portion of the story usually involves nudity of some sort. Today's story did not disappoint.

As John was dressing Johnny, he caught a glimpse of Johnny's backside and exclaimed:

"Oh look! He has a penis!"

I can just imagine how painful choking down the laughter must have been for Lauren as she explained the difference between a tail and a penis to my son.

After talking it over for several minutes, John (clearly unconvinced) turned to the Build-A-Bear employee who was checking them out and said quite proudly, "My alligator has a penis."

So for any of you moms of boys out there, wondering if your son would enjoy a trip to Build-A-Bear, I think the verdict is a definite thumbs up.

Just be sure he can differentiate between a tail and his penis beforehand!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Some 2011 highlights

2012-01-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

So it has been like 6 weeks since my last post. I really have been meaning to sit at my computer and catch up. There has just been so much going on. But before I get into any of that, let's take a look back at 2011.

We started the year off right...loving on our New Hampshire cousins!

We had a skiing adventure,

let Aunt Catie torture John with a pair of scissors,

and visited with our best friends!

This little cutie turned 4 in March

and my baby turned 2 in April.

Libby was baptized!

We spent some more quality time with our Atlanta friends

and celebrated another birthday in June.

I got to go back to college and reminisce the "good ole days" with these hotties! (I think we totally still pass for co-eds.)

We rode horses,

started a new school year,

and celebrated with my cousin, Sarah Jane, as she ended her school career.

We climbed mountains.

We watched (and won) some football.

We had a pretty fabulous year!

We even saved the best last.

In December, we told this little guy that he would be getting a "big" promotion in the new year!

He is still in shock.

Here is to 2012*.

I think this just might be the best year yet!

(*picture me raising an imaginary glass*)

Thanksgiving and the Iron Bowl

2011-11-29T07:44:00.001-05:00

So I blinked.

And apparently Thanksgiving occurred during that split second.

I am pretty sure Thanksgiving was fun, but it went by in such a pictureless blur! There was definitely turkey. And my brother and his cute girlfriend were there. Sadly, my sister was not. But other cousins came too and even brought their dog for Emma Jane to play with! (Seriously, this story would be so much better with pictures! Why don't we just skip to the part that I do have pictures of.)

So normally by this time, I have completely my Christmas shopping and most of my gift wrapping.

This year, I haven't even started yet.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't panicking just a little bit.

There just seemed to be so much more time until Christmas pre-Thanksgiving!

But I spent most of that time making really cute Iron Bowl gameday outfits for my favorite little football fans!

(I even made the ugly orange and blue ones!)

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was the Iron Bowl, the epic annual showdown between football's biggest rivals, Alabama and Auburn! (I should totally be one of those female sports announcers.)

We took the kids tailgating on campus before the game. After that experience, I think John is officially a die-hard football fan!

He is a die-hard tailgate fan, anyways! As we were leaving, John said to me, "I go tailgating moo-uh (more)." I told him we would definitely try to come to another game next year. He said, "I go tailgating dis yee-uh (year)." Then he pointed to a random tent and said, "How bout dat one?" Maybe next year we will try gate-crashing.

Emma Jane preferred the cheerleading aspect of the game. She was given a small plastic megaphone from some kind stranger, and she spent most of her time yelling "Roll Tide" into it at the top of her lungs.

And Libby, my little tenderhearted pacifist, learned a life lesson in smack-talk from her good friend, Jack. It is important to have thick skin when it comes to football and rivalries. (And Jack learned the hard way that telling a girl her dress is stinky is not going to earn any brownie points!)

But ultimately, Libby and her stinky dress earned this year's bragging rights!

42-14

So, in the (slightly rearranged) words of the previously mentioned smack-talker:

Alabama Rules,

Auburn Drools!

Until next year!

Roll Tide!

That's not lip smackers, honey

2011-11-10T06:29:00.001-05:00

You know those moments when your kid does something that just makes you so proud and you think to yourself, "Wow! I am really doing this parenting thing right!"

Yeah, this is not one of those moments.

Yesterday morning, Emma Jane came running up to me and said, "Mommy, look at my lips!"

Her lips looked totally normal so I said, "What's going on with your lips, honey?"

Emma Jane: "I'm wearing some of your makeup!"

Me: "Oh. You look beautiful. Mommy is going to finish her coffee now."

And then I probably patted her on the head and sent her on her merry way so that I could enjoy my ~~crack fix~~ coffee in peace.

One cup of coffee later, I went to my room to get dressed and Emma Jane followed me, bouncing all the way. She ran right over to my bed and picked up a small, black tube off of the floor. She held it out to me and said, "See here is the make up I used!"

I know what you are thinking: "Oh no, she didn't!"

I was thinking it too.

But, oh yes. She did!

I took the "makeup" from her, gave her another pat on the head and said, "Yeah, don't play in Mommy's makeup anymore. It spreads germs."

My hope is that by the time Emma Jane is old enough to know what that stuff is, that she will have forgotten that she once used it as lip gloss.

I'm hoping that I forget too.

(Is it wrong that I didn't want to kiss her all day yesterday?)

I am linking up here:

Cracker Country

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

Friday we took a field to Cracker Country.

Cracker Country is an outdoor living history museum at the state fair grounds. When we walked through the gate we stepped back into the year 1898.

The kids had so much fun learning about life in Florida during the pioneer time period. We took a guided tour of the museum and in addition to learn lots of interesting information, the children also got to participate in some hands-on activities. They got to help make a rope, wash clothes on a washboard, learn about how a train depot operates and go shopping in the general store. Emma Jane and Libby each bought a bag of marbles and John got a wooden train toy.

They also got to make candles,

learn how to make butter,

and experience a one room school house.

Here is John hard at work "writing" his name on his slate.

All of the boys sat on one side of the room and the girls sat on the other side and when the children lined up to go outside the girls always went first!

There was a lot about the simpler life we experienced at Cracker Country that was appealing to me. There were also aspects of my modern life that I appreciate even more now.

Such as my washing machine, indoor plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, my king sized bed...

Yeah, two fully grown adults slept on this thing!

Crazy!

Apples, from tree to table

2011-10-19T07:59:00.007-04:00

Just a week ago, my kids were frolicking in this beautiful orchard,

picking fresh,

picture-perfect apples!

Since Emma Jane is learning letter A this week, so we just had to continue the apple fun by making applesauce!

The girls did the peeling themselves.

And they managed only one small injury!

Emma Jane helped me man the stove as the apples cooked. She only almost grabbed the hot pan once! (Teaching them to cook is going to take years off my life!)

John didn't help with the preparation, but he was all over the finished product!

Poor Ryan was really bummed when he heard how good it was.

He hates to miss out on something tasty! :)

Little Turkey and a Spanish lesson

2011-10-18T07:10:00.002-04:00

One of the highlights of our day in Boston was visiting the Boston Children's Museum. It is three floors full of hands on fun specifically geared for the kiddos. And the best part, on Friday nights starting at 5:30, admission is only $1!!

The kids had so much fun!

While we were there, we ran into a couple of college students that were that were participating in a study on children and emotions. One of them asked if John could sit a play a game with them. He seemed interested, so we sat down and the college student (whose name I don't remember so we are going to call her Mary) explained the game to John.

Basically, John had a piece of paper in front of him with a black square and a white square on it. Mary showed him a little picture of a stick figure and said, "This is Mr. Stickman and when he feels happy he goes over here on this white square. But when he feels bad, he goes over here on the black square." And she showed him how to do it. Easy enough.

And John cooperated the first two times Mary asked him to show her where to put Mr. Stickman. And then he decided to shake things up a bit.

Mary said, "John Mr. Stickman feels happy. Show me where Mr. Stickman goes when he feels happy."

John gave a devilish little laugh and said, "Nooo. He feels too bad!" And then John put Mr. Stickman on the black square. Mary corrected him and then said, "John, now Mr. Stickman feels bad. Where does he go when he feels bad?" To which my contrary son replied, "He not so bad!" And then John placed Mr. Stickman on the white square.

John continued to do the opposite of what Mary asked, laughing all the while, for several more rounds before saying, "All done" and hopping down.

Mary smiled at me and said "He is just too smart for me! And so verbal for his age!"

I think that is research study-ese for "Your son is a total smart a55 and he just spent 5 minutes screwing with me. Thanks!"

He is quite a little turkey. But so cute!

After leaving the Museum, we took the subway back to the Prudential Center. Libby was super pumped about riding the "underground train." I think she was expecting something along the lines of Space Mountain. Needless to say, she was sorely disappointed!

A few days later, she was still reeling from her disillusionment. She said to me, "They really should call that underground train dirty, unfun, smells bad, trash cans everywhere stupid train!"

I stifled a laugh and said, "Yeah, but for short most people just call it the subway."

She thought about that for a moment and then said, "Mommy, is subway Spanish for dirty, underground train."

I said yes.

Sermon Notes of a six-year-old

2011-10-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

Tonight at church, Libby grabbed a piece of paper and started "taking notes." Seeing as she is 6, her method of note taking was to simply write down random words and phrases she heard the pastor say. At the end of the service, her paper said:

Pastor Kens sister

feels

like a bodl (bottle)

isent (isn't) that werd (weird)

I seriously almost wet myself trying not to laugh!

Thankfully I managed not to pee my pants (which is harder than you might think after giving birth three times!) and just gave her a kiss and told her I was so proud of her for paying such close attention.

I just love that kid!

Make Way For Snellings

2011-10-14T09:05:00.001-04:00

Ok so I know it has been a million years since I posted anything on this blog. And it is entirely possible (and probable) that no one other than my mother is actually even interested in what I have to say anymore. (And even she isn't really interested in what I say...she just wants pictures of the grand kids!)

But even so, I have too many cute pictures of our trip to New Hampshire not to blog about it, so Mom, this is for you!

We just returned from our annual trip to experience all things Fall in New Hampshire. We packed as much New England fun into 5 days as humanly possible, including apple picking, mountain climbing and leaf collecting. (Blog posts about all of those topics to come!)

We also drove the hour south and spent a day in my new favorite city:

BOSTON!

If you have never been to Boston, you have to add it to your bucket list! We had the most fun day there! There is something for everyone: history, culture, great food, a wonderful children's museum, and we were able to walk everywhere (which helped counter the awesome food)!
I absolutely LOVE Boston! I was dreaming up ways to convince Brad that we should move to Boston, when something happened to change my mind.

You see, while I love Boston the city, Bostonians?
Not so much.

Now, I don't say this to offend any readers that might be from Boston or the surrounding areas, but seriously...why are Massachusetts people (and by people I mean drivers) so angry?

There was just so, so much honking!

Like the woman who honked at me and Emma Jane as we crossed Beacon Street. (With 4 seconds left on the crosswalk timer, I might add!) I mean, did it make her feel good to give the finger to a four year old? Did having to wait that four seconds to make her turn really ruin her day so much? What exactly is the point of honking at a pedestrian already halfway across the street?

Anyways.

EJ and I were far too excited about this place to let anything get us down!

What trip to Boston would be complete without paying a visit to Mr and Mrs Mallard and Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack!

(I could not convince the kids to get off the ducks long enough for me to take a picture of the sculpture!)

In fact John took a turn sitting on each of the ducklings. Here he is teaching Lack the ABCs.

We even discovered the "real" Mr and Mrs Mallard in the pond.

Unfortunately, there were no ducklings to be seen. Emma Jane was especially distraught by their absence. I tried to explain to her that ducklings are born in the spring and that the ducklings had simply grown up, but she just kept repeating "But they are supposed to be babies! They are babies in the book!"

I didn't even bother pointing out that the book was written 60 years ago and any actual ducks that may have served as inspiration have long since gone to duckie heaven.

John was not concerned by the missing ducklings. Her wasn't really interested in the ducks at all. He preferred chasing pigeons (which he kept calling ducks) and squirrels.

Now John is a seasoned squirrel chaser and he thinks it is really funny when they scamper up the trees away from him. He was not prepared for the somewhat tame Public Garden squirrels that are probably used to being fed by humans.

I have never seen my boy turn and run so fast as he did when that squirrel started to chase him back! (heehee!)

Squirrels, pigeons, ducks.

We had fun with them all.

Thank you, Robert McCloskey!

We are all children again in the Public Garden.

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-07-27T09:31:00.000-04:00

31 years have flown by!

I am so thankful for my sweet family and the shower of love they gave me this morning! It makes the aging part a little easier to take!

Table Manners

2011-07-06T06:41:00.000-04:00

Clearly my son has none.

Apparently he doesn't have a "gross factor" either!

Because, oh yeah, he is eating with that same fork that he just went digging for toe jam with!

And I have just given up being appalled by the disgusting things boys will do.

But really, dude! Feet on the table?

What would your Granna say!?

Fourth of July Sensory Tub

2011-07-05T06:58:00.000-04:00

I love the concept of sensory tubs! I have seen some pretty impressive tub themes on other blogs and I often think to myself, I should make a few of those for the kids to play with. But for various reasons (~~laziness~~), I never do.

But then I saw this super cute, patriotic tub posted on one of my favorite preschool blogs and I decided that this would be a good place to start. So I scoured the dollar bins at ~~my two favorite places~~ Target and Walmart for Fourth-themed items to fill the bin.

Ours includes:

red and blue straws cut into small pieces (the girls helped me with the cutting)

sparkly red, white and blue pom poms

red, white and blue star confetti

red, white and blue necklaces

small buckets

star sunglasses

American flags

gel clings

and fireworks straws.

I pulled the bin out for the kids to play with on July 1st and they have LOVED it!

They have asked to play with everyday and it easily keeps them occupied for 45 minutes or more! It has been so fun seeing the games that they have come up with. Libby and Emma Jane had a race to see who could fill up a bucket with only items of one color the fastest. The prize for the winner was a firework straw!

John's favorite were the gel clings.

He especially liked clinging them to himself!

Emma Jane showed him how to stick them to the windows.

The kids had so much fun with this! I am sure this will be the first of many sensory tubs at our house!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!

The real father's day

2011-06-21T06:31:00.001-04:00

Brad finally made it home early Monday morning. Like 1:30am early!

Before going to bed, Emma Jane requested that daddy wake her up when he got home. Which Brad did. He picked her up out of bed and rocked her for a few minutes. She said, "hi, daddy" and then her eyes rolled back in her head and all the bones in her neck seemed to turn to jello. Then we put her back to bed.

Around 3am Emma Jane burst into our room in a complete snit because no one had woken her up to welcome home daddy. I just let her sleep with us the rest of the night rather than try to argue with her.

When we all finally woke up for the day, the children gave Brad his Father's Day gifts.

Before he opened it, I had no idea what was in the blue bag. Libby wrapped it herself. Inside was a frame she made at church, a card she drew, and a permanent marker she swiped off my desk! She is such a funny kid!

Emma Jane made Brad a trophy. I thought this turned out so cute! She did the painting and I helped her glue it together.

Libby also made a couch coaster too. It is just an unfinished picture frame which Libby painted and decorated. Then we glued wooden balls (the ones with flat edges, sold as doll heads) to the bottom and added a picture. It fits over the arm of the couch and is a perfect spot for daddy's coffee cup in the morning!

We made Brad a special dinner which he, unfortunately, wasn't able to enjoy since his stomach still isn't right after the traveling to India and all!

But we are just so thankful to have him back! It was a wonderful day-after Father's Day!

Father's Day, sort of...

2011-06-19T07:08:00.001-04:00

There are a bunch of sad kids without their daddy in the Snellings house this Father's Day.

Brad has been on a mission trip in India for the last week. He was supposed to return home this morning. The children worked so hard making him cards and a few special gifts.

And then we found out his flight was delayed. Then cancelled.

Hopefully he will be home tomorrow.

And we will shower him with all of the Father's Day love that we had planned for today.

In the meantime, here is a picture of my daddy. (And a very cranky Libby!)

For those of you that can, hug your daddy today!

And for those of you that can't, I'm with you.

Happy Father's Day!

6

2011-06-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

Today, my sweet Libby turned six years old!

I can't believe how quickly she is growing up!

Happy Birthday, Libby!

What if...

2011-06-15T07:13:00.000-04:00

fish came to the Aquarium to see us?

I'm linking up here:

The Georgia Aquarium

2011-06-14T14:36:00.000-04:00

We are in Atlanta this week visiting our favorite friends!

This morning we took the kids to the Georgia Aquarium. Let me just say, that the Georgia Aquarium is waaaaaay better than the Florida Aquarium! (Does that strike anyone else as weird? Or is it just me?)

The kids had a blast checking out all of the different animals.

And there were a ton of animals to check out! Some were familiar favorites like

dolphins,

tropical fish,

piranhas,

and sea anemones.

There were also some animals that we had never seen before.

Like beluga whales,

upside down seals,

brothers,

and wall-climbers.

Is that a cool aquarium or what!?

What is your favorite animal at the aquarium?

Mine is probably the wall-climber!

Solitary Confinement

2011-06-06T20:20:00.007-04:00

That is where Emma Jane spent most of the afternoon.

In her room. By herself.

Why, you ask?

Let me tell you. Yesterday started off well enough. We ran errands, went to the gym, had lunch, read some books, and then I sent the girls to play quietly together in their room for a while. I sat down to ~~read a book~~ fold clothes when who should come trooping into the living room but my two giggly girls.

"What do you need?" I asked.

"We-ll. Um, Emma Janie peed. On my bed."

Ugh!

Do you remember what a nightmare it was to potty train Emma Jane? Well even though she is mostly potty trained, she still has frequent accidents. Like several times a week. It has just become part of our normal routine.

So my initial thought is that the girls must have been sitting on Libby's bed, playing, and that EJ had an accident. But upon further inspection, I found her shorts and panties were dry.

What?!

Oh yeah, my girl actually pulled down her pants and PEED on her sister's bed!

And the best part...I was already washing Libby's sheets so Emma Jane peed directly on.the.mattress!

Really, I should be commended for the calm manner in which I handled this. Although I think dangerously calm mommy scared my girls more than totally ballistic mommy would have.

And people, I have tried everything I can think of and I can't get that pee smell out of the mattress. It was still damp and smelly last night at bedtime, so Libby got to sleep on Emma Jane's bed and Emma Jane got to sleep on the floor.

And that was after spending the entire afternoon in her room. When Brad came home, EJ was allowed out for dinner and then she went straight back to room for the rest of the night. She actually took her punishment well. I think she knew better than to mess with me!

And seriously, tips for getting the mattress clean, are welcome! I really don't want to have to throw that mattress away!

Libby's Baptism

2011-06-06T07:09:00.005-04:00

Back in November, Libby prayed with Brad and me to receive Jesus as her Savior.

Yesterday, she made that decision public through baptism.

It only took us 7 months to finish the 4 week children's membership class required by our church! Who thinks we are too busy?! ;)

It was an exciting day for all of us!

Here are a few pictures:

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

*You can't see this in the pictures, but before baptizing someone the pastor will ask for friends and family to stand in support of the one being baptized. Well, I sing in the choir and so when Libby's friends and family stood, so did the whole choir! When I asked Libby afterwards if she had seen Daddy and Emma Jane in the congregation, she said, "No, but I saw everyone in the choir stand up! That was cool!" So thank you for making my girl's big day so special!

True Beauty

2011-06-03T07:27:00.000-04:00

My beautiful daughter.

May your outer beauty always pale in comparison to your inner beauty.

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Neighbors

2011-05-23T21:33:00.006-04:00

My mommy radar went off today.

I was shocked when it did.

Not just because the (seemingly minor) incident made my stomach fall into my shoes, but because it was so unexpected.

I realized that I have created quite a tiny little bubble for my family to live in.

Because they are always with me, I have complete control over where my children go, who they see, what they do. I completely trust our small group of friends. And I think it has made me complacent.

Enter neighbors.

So what happened, you ask?

I am almost embarrassed to tell, because on the one hand it seems so small. But on the other hand, it has the potential to be catastrophic. And I don't know if I could live with myself if something happened to my girls because I didn't do my due diligence with them.

So here it is:

This afternoon, the kids and Aunt Martha were playing outside in the front yard. The two little boys from next door were out walking there dog with their dad and stopped to play for a few minutes. The boys are around Emma Jane's age and even though we have lived next door to each other for over two years, we still don't know this family very well.

But we know them well enough that if my kids are outside and they are outside also, we play together sometimes.

Anyways, the boys headed back over to their own driveway and Libby and EJ followed. This wasn't a big deal, because like I said, we have played in their driveway and vice versa several times before. I told Libby that she could play for 5 more minutes and then dinner would be ready. Then I went back inside to finish dinner and left John and Aunt Martha in the driveway.

But instead of staying in the driveway, both girls took off into the backyard, behind the tall privacy fence. Emma Jane came right away when called, but Libby didn't. Because she had gone on into the house.

Aunt Martha came and told me immediately. And when I heard that she was inside our neighbor's house without me, my heart skipped a beat.

Now I think that these neighbors are probably perfectly nice people. All of our previous interactions have been pleasant. But like I said, I don't really know them. And in addition to the 4 year-old twin boys, they also have a teenage son. And the worst part about this instance, their mother wasn't even home. It was just Libby and a house full of boys for a minutes. And my mind immediately went to what could happen in just a few minutes.

Now of course, she came out safe and sound and chattering excitedly about feeding their pet rabbit. But I still just felt uneasy about it.

I had a talk with both girls and made it clear that they are never to go into someone's house, even a friend, if a mommy isn't there. And of course, neither of them understood why. Libby even said, "But there was a daddy home."

I just repeated what I said and told her she had to trust and obey me about this one. But even though she agreed, I know she wasn't satisfied with my answer. I don't want to freak them out or make them fearful of men or think that everyone is a predator.

But at the same time, I want them to think everyone is a predator. I want them to be safe.

How do I do that?

How we stay cool during Florida summers

2011-05-22T22:13:00.004-04:00

When the temperature is already in the 90s in mid-May,

we like to cool off in our igloo tent from IKEA!

I call it $10 well spent!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Two of a kind

2011-05-10T20:44:00.006-04:00

You may remember this post I wrote a few months about my husband's interesting eating habits.

Apparently it runs in the family...

This is Emma Jane's plate of spaghetti from dinner tonight.

Like quirky father, like quirky daughter!

A slice of Rainbow

2011-05-02T06:51:00.005-04:00

We celebrated John's birthday by spending a family day at the beach.

(Which is the reason for my lovely and fashionable wife-beater tank)

After all the sand and sea we could handle, we came home for birthday cake!

Does anything say happy quite like a slice of rainbow on your plate?

Happiest of birthdays to you, sweet John!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Two

2011-04-28T19:54:00.011-04:00

My baby turns two on Saturday.

Two years filled with

laughter

curiosity

fearlessness

appetite

grunts and other noises

bathroom antics

independence

snuggles

sword fights

dirt

baby curls

snakes, snails and puppy dog tails

and so much love!

Happy Birthday, John Thomas!

2009

(photo by Luke Beck)

2010

(photo by Kathleen Dellinger)

2011

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Artistic Differences

2011-04-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Art reveals so much about a person's personality.

I can give three children the exact same art project and they will come back with three totally different creations.

There is Libby's carefully crafted, symmetrical masterpiece.

Emma Jane's expressive, abstract creation.

And then there is John.

Who forgoes all the materials provided for him and just fingerpaints with the glue instead.

I'm linking up here:

and at My Wee View

Mommy and Me Monday - The Mommy Playdate

2011-04-24T21:15:00.011-04:00

We just returned home from a fun filled week in Alabama!

After days filled with egg hunts, tea parties, cookie making and pool fun at Granna's, we headed to Atlanta to visit my Aunt Martha and have a playdate with our best friends!

After playing a really fun Easter game, courtesy of Miss Emily, we took the kids to the playground to run off all that energy so that Em and I could sit and talk.

Because really, this playdate was really for the mommies.

The fact that our kids like each other is just a bonus!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:40:00.001-04:00

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

Sunday is coming

2011-04-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

For the last several days, I have really enjoyed reading other people's thoughts and reflections about Easter and Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

When I woke up this morning, I was struck with the thought that today is Saturday. Now I realize that this is not breaking news on any level. But if you will bear with me for moment, I will try to explain why this hit me so profoundly this morning.

I have been going to church my whole life and while my depth of understanding about what Jesus did by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day has increased over the years, I have always known that Resurrection Sunday follows Crucifixion Friday. I have never really given any thought to the Saturday that falls between the cross and the empty tomb.

But this morning, I was thinking about how Peter and John and Mary and the others must have felt on Saturday. After the terror of witnessing their good friend (and the man they expected to be the Savior of their people) being executed like a criminal, Saturday must have been a very dark day indeed. They didn't know then that Sunday was coming and I can only imagine (and probably not very well) the fear and sorrow and confusion they must have felt on Saturday.

And it made me grateful for the knowledge of Sunday. And as I was thanking God for His provision, I was reminded that God's provision is NOT dependent on my knowledge. I realize again that this is not groundbreaking news, but it was profound for me this morning.

The 1st century believers, did not know that Sunday was coming, but God did! He always had a plan and He was fully in control then just as He is now. Even when hope seems lost and darkness and fear abound, GOD is still on His throne and we can rest in the knowledge that He knows exactly when Sunday is coming.

So today, on Saturday, in anticipation of Sunday, I am thanking God for His grace, mercy and love and for providing me with HOPE!

Sunday is coming, my friends!

Days like today

2011-04-21T08:20:00.004-04:00

I didn't sleep very well last night.

I am visiting my mother this week and at her house I have to share a room with John. Who apparently talks in his sleep!

So I woke up grumpy and tired this morning.

And even though my mom is taking care of the kids and letting me be alone, I can't go back to sleep. My head is too full of thoughts. Mostly sad thoughts that I can't help thinking. I try to be a positive thinker. I don't like dwelling on unpleasant things, but on days like today my melancholy personality takes over and I just have to spend some time in "the depths of despair" as my favorite fictional character likes to say.

My head is remembering a similar morning five years ago. In fact it was this very morning.

April 21, 2006.

I was at my mom's house that day too. And I hadn't slept well either.

Libby was 10 months old but still waking up every two hours to nurse like a newborn. I was exhausted and stressed and fighting that internal battle of not wanting to lose someone I love, but not wanting him to be in pain anymore either.

So the night before this morning, I left Libby in the capable hands of my Aunt Martha, armed with a bottle of dreaded formula and I went next door to sleep at my neighbor's house.

And even without the waking baby, I still didn't sleep. My cell phone was by the bed and I just laid there waiting for it to ring. My sweet neighbor left a flashlight next to the bed for me, just in case I had to walk home in the dark.

My aunt called around 4am to tell me that he was gone. I walked home through the trees with my flashlight and up the stairs to my parents bedroom. My brother was sitting next to the bed just looking at him. I didn't say anything and I didn't get too close. I didn't really want to see a dead body. And I knew my dad wasn't there anymore anyways.

I looked at his face one last time before leaving the room. His eyes were wide open and his mouth was in a slight "oh" shape. His countenance hadn't fully faded yet, and in his eyes there was still visible the awe-struck wonder and relief he must have felt when he saw Jesus, coming to take him Home.

It has been five years. And most days I can remember my dad with a smile. I can laugh at memories and feel peace that he is in the presence of God and that I will see him again.

But some days, like today, the pain is still fresh.

And I am overwhelmed with missing him.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-19T09:09:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday, our Sunday School class had our annual picnic and egg hunt.

I realized this year that in regards to egg hunts, times have changed.

Gone are the days of slowly picking up eggs that are "hidden" in plain view.

These days, it's a mad dash!

And if, like Emma Jane, you haven't fully made the transition from slow, methodical hunting to the frenzied free-for-all we experienced Sunday, you might wind up with only three eggs when all is said and done.

But if you look sad enough, and maybe cry a little, then someone (maybe someone who took more than the 10 eggs allotted for each child) will graciously share some eggs with you.

And then all will be well.

And the loot inventory can take place without incident.

Because isn't that what Easter is all about? Candy-filled eggs?

No, it isn't. But I have more to say about that in another post. Stay tuned!

twinkle toes

2011-04-17T21:03:00.010-04:00

The girls and I had a very fun weekend with no boys around!

We went out to dinner, spent a day at Epcot, swam in the pool, and as the highlight of our girls weekend...

we got pedicures!

Emma Jane and I both picked a lovely pink, while my wild child, Libby opted for sparkly blue toes.

They both giggled nonstop as the sweet Vietnamese ladies trimmed their nails, scrubbed their feet with pumice (EJ actually kicked her lady during that part...I think it was a reflex), and rubbed lotion on their legs.

And I giggled as I watched all of this unfold.

And even though Emma Jane stuck her finger on my big toe before the polish was dry, I think this might have been my best pedicure ever!

No Boys Allowed

2011-04-14T09:08:00.004-04:00

This is not usually a phrase I allow in my house.

But I can get any with saying it this weekend, because all the boys are gone.

Brad and John left this morning for their first father/son weekend.

And I miss those boys already!

Multitasking

2011-04-12T06:32:00.001-04:00

When you are running the dishwasher and washing a load of cloth diapers simultaneously and the phone rings just when you are stepping into the shower, it is probably a good idea to let the voicemail do its job.

Otherwise, you might wind up talking for 10 minutes while the water runs.

And it might turn out (after you have already put shampoo in your hair) that your hot water heater isn't a good multitasker.

That is all.

Simple Pleasures

2011-04-10T20:21:00.000-04:00

Watching my daughter

watch some ants.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Breakfast with my boy

2011-04-06T06:47:00.000-04:00

Not only does John no longer look like a ~~girl~~ baby, he no longer acts like a baby either.

He has decided almost simultaneously that he no longer needs a sippy cup, a booster seat, or help...with anything.

Instead he is a practically grown-up almost two-year-old

that is quite capable of ~~scaring his mother to death~~ climbing onto the barstools unassisted,

and prefers his cereal in bowl, rather than a snack-trap (with milk, mind you!)

He is an old pro with the spoon skills.

And he is careful not to spill even one cheerio!

But even with all of this new found maturity, he does still like to just dive in with his hands every once in a while...

I mean, he is still a boy!

4, and a few weeks

2011-03-28T20:09:00.000-04:00

So I am officially the worst mother in the world!

Not only did I fail to blog about Emma Jane's birthday, I but I just flat out forgot about it!

I don't mean I forgot her birthday. As if she would have let me do that! I just momentarily forgot that I even have a blog and that her birthday might make a good post. Clearly I am losing my mind!

And even worse, I don't have any pictures of the event to share with you now. Because instead of a party, we just went to Disney World as a family. And since that is something we do pretty often, I don't even bother taking my camera with me anymore.

I mean, how many how many pictures of Cinderella do we really need?

So, here we are three weeks late, wishing Emma Jane a happy 4th birthday with the most recent picture I have.

Isn't it just fitting that she is giving me that slightly pitying, you've-lost-you-mind-but-I-am-going-to-pretend-I-didn't-notice look as I snapped her picture?

Sweetheart, please forgive me for contributing to your middle child syndrome.

Happy 4th (plus some) Birthday!

I love you to pieces!

Hacked (aka John's Loon Story)

2011-03-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

John didn't get to go skiing, but he did love the snow.

He pretty much loves anything that he is allowed, even encouraged, to throw at his sisters!

Unfortunately for John, that is where the fun ended.

The camel's back finally broke on the plane ride to New Hampshire when some well-meaning gentleman complimented Brad on his beautiful little girl.

Daddy demanded a haircut!

And my sis, who has been wanting to cut John's hair for a year now, was all too happy to oblige Brad in this area.

And luckily, Catie is pretty talented with a pair of shears. Because John was determined to stop her from hacking off his beautiful baby curls!

He almost succeeded! It actually took two days to complete the haircut. He became so hysterical during the initial attempt, ~~one would have thought we were scalping him~~ we decided to give him a break to sleep on it.

Three lollipops were clearly not enough to make this experience bearable.

But after a good night's sleep, he seemed to have ~~forgotten the previous night's torture~~ forgiven Aunt Catie and allowed her to finish giving him his haircut.

He looks so handsome and grown up now!

And it only took mommy three days, to stop being startled by the sight of him!

Skiing at Loon - Libby and Emma Jane's Story

2011-02-28T13:53:00.001-05:00

As I said last week, Libby and Emma Jane are born skiers!

I was prepared for it to be a diaster, especially after Libby had a meltdown about the color of her ski boots. They didn't match her ski clothes and we all know what a crisis that is...to a five-year-old girl.

But thankfully, after a good night's sleep, she got over it!

We enrolled them in ski school for lessons ~~so that mommy and daddy could have free time~~ so that they could receive proper and age-appropriate instruction.

Both girls LOVED ski school. It was an all day program that alternated between indoor playtime and outdoor ski lessons.

I sneaked a picture of one of Emma Jane's lessons:

When I picked them up after the first day, Emma Jane said, "I wish we could just live here all the time!"

Libby equally enjoyed ski school! When I asked about what she learned she said, "Well, I really don't like doing the pizza slice, because really I just like to go FAST!"

And she does! When I took her on the bunny slope myself, she was halfway down the slope before I was even off the lift!

Emma Jane preferred a slower run down the mountain with the help of daddy.

Or she was just being lazy...who knows?

And since no vacation with my sis is ever incident free,

Emma Jane filled our injury quota by slipping on some ice and smacking head first into the sidewalk.

And then she spent the rest of the weekend milking it for all it was worth. My girl knows how to play the sympathy card!

Skiing at Loon - My story

2011-02-25T06:45:00.000-05:00

It's been two years since ~~the ski trip from hell~~ ~~the one where everyone got the plague~~ our last trip to Loon Mountain.

Since all the kids, except John, were old enough to go to "ski school" this year, my sister and I decided to risk it and go on another ski vacation together.

And although John's runny nose worried Catie a bit a the start, I can now say with confidence that the Snellings/Casey vacation curse has been broken! We made it all weekend with no vomit, no antibiotics, no trips to the ER and only one minor head injury. (I'll get to that soon.)

Overall, the weekend was great! Almost all the kids had a blast at ski school! And clearly, my girls are being raised in the wrong part of the country, because they were born to ski!

But again, I will tell you more about that later...because this post is about me.

And I, as it turns out, was not born to ski!

I have been skiing exactly three times.

The first time was eight years ago. Brad and I had only been dating a few months when we went skiing together. It did not go well. Brad spent his childhood skiing all over Europe and is basically an expert. I have trouble walking without falling down. Neither one of us is incredibly patient. We really should have foreseen the fight that took place on the bunny slope!

Three years ago, we took our first trip to Loon with my sister and her family. Having learned from our mistakes, Catie took me down the bunny slope, while Brad skied elsewhere on the mountain...away from me. And while I did more falling than skiing, I made it down. I was very proud of myself!

And in the three years that passed between that trip and this one, my memories of skiing altered ever so slightly. In my head, I knew how to ski. How to slow down and turn and stop. It wasn't so hard! Surely skiing would be like riding a bike!

So this year, we skipped the easy slope. We rode the gondola straight up to the summit. And as I stood there on my skis, with the wind whipping around me and the snow blowers blowing at full tilt and watched the 7-year-olds on snowboards blazing past me, I did what any woman who has calmly faced childbirth three times would do: I had a major panic attack!

But my sweet, patient sister talked me through it!

I fell a lot. But I made it down the mountain.

And on my next run, I fell less.

And on my third run, I didn't fall at all.

And then, I went skiing with my husband!

And I only had like one more small panic attack after that!

Who knows? Maybe I was born to ski!

My sister and me, safely at the bottom of the slope!

(And don't worry, I will be back next week with the head injury story!)

Warning: Cuteness Overload Ahead!

2011-02-16T07:11:00.000-05:00

What do mean, put your shoes back in your closet?

I think I look so cute in them!

Okay, so I realize this is three posts in a row about John, but he has just been doing so many cute things lately and his recent obssession with my shoes (really, anyone's shoes) has been cracking me up! And notice he snagged one of his sister's socks as well! Seriously, what am I going to do with this kid?! He is a class clown and he's not even old enough for preschool yet!

Licking on a prayer

2011-02-14T06:52:00.000-05:00

Life with a boy is so different than life with just girls.

John is louder than the girls. Sillier (which I did not think possible!) than girls.

He is dirtier, hungrier, more physical, more territorial and, as I recently discovered, more irreverent than his sisters.

And when I say irreverent I don't just mean he amused by his own boisterous bodily functions. Even though he is. John thinks that nothing is funnier than to pass gas and then pat his own bottom and say "toooo" and then laugh hysterically.

But this latest irreverence appalled me even more than that. The other night, I was rocking John and trying to settled him down for bed. It wasn't going well. John was too busy cracking up at his own farts to snuggle with Mommy and sing Jesus Loves Me.

So after a few minutes, I said "Ok, John are you ready to say prayers." He nodded and so I folded my hands and he folded his little hands over mine and got real quiet and I closed my eyes and started to pray for him.

It was such a sweet moment!

And then...

Just as I was about to say Amen, I felt warm, slobbery little puppy dog tongue on my nose!

He LICKED me!

On my FACE!

While I was PRAYING!

And it was gross!

And he just laughed and laughed.

Don't let that little angel face fool you!

He's a devilish little stinker!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

The puddle and the traveler

2011-02-09T06:26:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, it rained in Florida.

And from that rain, a puddle was born.

It was a small puddle, but proud and brave.

In that same ~~driveway~~ land, there was a traveler. He was a strong and adventurous lad and eager to discover.

In the course of his travels, this young adventurer stumbled upon the puddle. And in awe he approached it with the reverence one weary with thrist might approach an oasis in the desert.

And like a man tired from his journey, the traveler drank deeply of the puddle.

And thus ended the proud puddle's life...as most of it was absorbed by the traveler's sweat pants.

The End.

Superhero cookies

2011-02-04T07:07:00.000-05:00

One of my goals for 2011 is to cook more with my children.

I feel that cooking is an important life skill and one that they should learn young. I wish my mom had taught me to cook when I was young. But at the same time, I understand why she didn't. I often find myself shooing the kids out of the kitchen, because I can do it faster, and with less mess, if they aren't "helping."

But I need to let that go. And deal with the mess, because we are making memories. And because my girls might not be blessed with husbands that are as easy to please as their daddy is. If Brad hadn't been so willing to eat anything, and I do mean anything, in those early days of our marriage, I might have gotten discouraged and we would be eating take out every night!

And for the record, when he is old enough, I want to teach John to cook too, because men need to know their way around a kitchen too.

So all that being said, the easiest type of cooking (for me) to include the kids in on is baking. So we have started baking a lot. A lot! Cookies, muffins, bread...you name it we are making it!

This cookie recipe is one of our new favorites. Not only are they super tasty, they are also healthy. That's right, healthy! You are going to want your kids to eat these cookies! They are loaded with good things like grains, fiber, protein, omega-3s and the best part: no ~~crack~~ sugar!! They are sweetened with real maple syrup* so that means no ~~crack~~ sugar highs. And no ~~crack~~ sugar crashes! And if your kids are as ~~addicted to~~ affected by ~~crack~~ sugar as mine are, you are probably doing a little happy dance right now! Woohoo!

Emma Jane named these Superhero cookies. The cookbook that I borrowed this recipe from called them Super-Charge Me! cookies, but EJ thought that was a dumb name, so she renamed them with something that made sense to her. Superheroes need to eat healthy food so they can grow big and strong. To a three-year-old, that made much more sense than being super-charged. :) And since I tweaked the recipe a little, so I thought it was fitting that we tweak the name too!

I am writing the recipe for you exactly the way it appears in Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton, but I will notate the changes I made.

Superhero Cookies

1 cup quick oats

2/3 cup spelt flour*

1/4 tsp (rounded) sea salt

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used 1/2)

1/8 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4-1/3 cups raisins or chopped dried fruit

3-4 tbsp carob or chocolate chips**

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup flax meal

1/2 cup pure maple syrup***

3 tbsp almond butter (may also use peanut butter)

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp canola oil****

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, raisins, and chips. Sift in baking powder and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flax meal, syrup, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Stir in oil. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until just well mixed. (Do not over mix!) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon batter onto baking sheet evenly space apart and lightly flatten. Bake for 13 minutes (no longer or they will dry out). Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute (no longer), then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes about a dozen cookies.

Changes I made:

*a note about spelt: I did use spelt flour and I really like it, but if you want to substitute regular white flour, reduce the amount by 2 tbsp.

**I omitted the chocolate chips. I added an extra 1/4 cup of raisins and 1 tbsp of sesame seeds, which are loaded with calcium! Sunflower seeds would also be yummy!

***I substituted brown rice syrup for the maple syrup. It is a little more mellow.

****I used coconut oil instead of canola.

This recipe doesn't require the usual exact measurements of most baked goods. It is very easy to tweak. If some of you decide to try them, I would love to hear your variations! Enjoy!

I don't want to be tacky

2011-02-01T07:12:00.001-05:00

Last week, my sister and her family came to Florida for their annual "escape the snow" vacation.

All the usual fun was had, including an adults only double date.

But I have to say the highlight of the week for me, was a little big girls only outing to the hair salon with Libby and this little munchkin.

Libby desperately needed about 4 inches cut off and Morgan just came along for the fun of it.

As Libby was sitting in the chair having her hair trimmed by Victoria, Morgan explored the salon.

"Aunt Lauren, what are all of these different shampoos?" she asked me.

So I read some of the bottles to her.

"Which one do you like best?" she asked.

I told her that I didn't actually use any of those shampoos. I need a color safe shampoo and those were on a different shelf.

She pondered this thoughtfully before asking, "Why?"

I replied, "Well, I put fake color on my hair and if I don't use the right shampoo all of my fake color will rinse right out."

"Well what color would your hair be if that happened?"

(BTW, while Morgan was grilling me with 20 questions, Libby was treating Victoria to her own endless diatribe of fascinating kindergarten thoughts. Five-year-olds are fun!)

Since my own next appointment with Victoria is still a week away, I was able to answer Morgan's question with a visual aid! I pointed to the hair closest to my scalp and said, "Do you see all of those gray hairs? That is what my hair would look like if I didn't color it."

Without missing a beat, Morgan replied, "Well that sure would be tacky!"

Thankfully, at that exact moment, Victoria was in between snips otherwise she probably would have scalped Libby! It took her a full 90 seconds to recover enough to continue Libby's haircut.

And during the grown-up laughing fit, Libby continued to talk endlessly to herself and Morgan stood quietly by, most likely trying to picture Aunt Lauren with a head full of tacky gray hair.

But I totally understand where she is coming from...

I believe I used those exact words when explaining to Uncle Brad why my monthly salon visit was an absolutely necessary expenditure!

we've got our eyes on you!

2011-01-26T07:19:00.001-05:00

When NOT to talk on the phone

2011-01-25T07:07:00.000-05:00

There are lots of obvious, inappropriate times to be chatting it up on the telephone.

For instance, at the movies or during a wedding. Clearly, one should not talk on the phone at these times.

While doing the dishes or giving a small child a bath are two more good examples of when not to use the phone. Can I get an "Amen" from anyone who has ever dropped a phone into warm, sudsy water?

This next one is a little less obvious, but I personally believe that the check out line at the grocery store should also be avoided as a talk time venue. Because the checker, bagger and any other surrounding shoppers just really don't care to listen to your conversation. Save that phone call for the car! (If my husband happens to be reading this, I of course mean everyone else should save their phone calls for the car. I certainly never use my cell phone while driving. Ahem-hem.)

And of course, one should never ever attempt to talk on the phone while simultaneously purchasing airfare online!

Because one might just click "confirm and purchase" and then realize that she booked her family's return flight for a month later than desired.

And then one might find that she has to spend the next hour and a half to correct a ten-second mistake.

And after one has spent said hour calling the airline, canceling the flight, receiving a travel voucher to use to repurchase a flight online (since of course one can't get the cheapo web only fare over the phone), calling the airline back because the website won't accept more than four types of payments (and since the website also automatically split the voucher money even between the four purchased tickets) it wouldn't allow one to use her credit card to pay the $30 per ticket difference changing one's flight incurred, getting back online and making two separate reservations in order to "beat the system" and typing in every one's name and birthday every.single.time one does this!

After all that, one might sit back and think it would have just been easier to spend an extra month at one's sister's house.

So in conclusion, next time hang up the phone, complete the task at hand and then call your sister back for a nice long chat. You'll be glad you did!

Seven

2011-01-24T06:38:00.000-05:00

Today is my seventh wedding anniversary.

A lot has changed in 7 years: jobs, addresses, hair colors, etc...

But some things are the same.

Like the quirky way my husband eats.

He starts at the back of his plate and works torwards himself, while keeping the ratio of meat to veggies equal throughout the meal.

I picked up on that quirk on our first date.

We went to an italian restaurant and about half way through dinner, I noticed that all of his pasta was on the front half of his plate and the back side was empty. Whereas my pasta was spread out on my whole plate, there was just less of it than when I started.

I thought that was so funny then. And it cracks me up even more now. Because now I know him so much better and I know that this eating habit just fits with his methodical, well thought out, Type A personality. Just like the gone-in-60-seconds way that I ~~shovel it in~~ eat fits with my personality.

Who knew you could tell so much about a person just by looking at their plate?

Anyways, back to my story...

So I noticed Brad was a really neat, really s-l-o-w eater, but I decided that he was also really hot so I went out with him again. And then we got married. And then seven years went by.

So then the other night we go to the movies, and Brad orders a large popcorn. (He got suckered in by the "it's only a dollar more and you get free refills" gimic, as if we could ever even finish one large bucket of popcorn!)

As the movie was starting, I reached over for some popcorn and noticed that the back of the bucket was emptier than the front. I whispered, "Honey, you are doing that funny thing where you eat back to front with the popcorn." Brad, who doesn't realize that he does this until I point it out, just laughed. And I laughed. And I remembered that first date and how I didn't want it to end. And I fell in love with him just a little bit more all over again.

tongue twister

2011-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

John thinks it is hysterical when I roll my tongue at him.

I think it is pretty stinkin' cute when he copies me!

(Although his tongue rolling isn't quite as cute as Emma Jane's attempts. Because bless her heart, she's just sticking out her tongue!)

She has a need for speed

2011-01-17T07:21:00.000-05:00

One of Emma Jane's current favorite activities is to whip around the driveway at lightening speed on the ~~deathtrap on wheels~~ razor scooter.

side note: Emma Jane begged for weeks for "Santa" to bring her a new bike for Christmas, even though Libby's old bike is just her size. And "Santa", being a big softy, got her the bike and now she won't freaking ride it! Turns out pedaling is hard work and my little speed demon likes to go fast!

Anyone need a 12" princess bike? We have two!

Anyways, she loves whipping around the driveway at dangerous speeds and oblivious to anyone or any car that might be in her path. Her knees have permanent scabs on them and her brother (who is often the one in the line of fire) has a few bruises too.

But Emma Jane doesn't let that get her down. She just cries hysterically for a few minutes and then gets right back on that scooter and says, "Hey mom, take a picture of me with my leg up!"

Showoff!

He, not she

2011-01-14T07:10:00.001-05:00

If one more kindly, well-meaning stranger tells me what a pretty little girl my son is, I might just lose it.

Yes, I realize that he has long curly hair and his older sister's face. Libby often cracks herself up by saying that her baby pictures look like John wearing a dress. And I admit that if he were wearing a dress, he would arguably look like a little girl.

But I never do dress him up in dresses. I dress him in very manly brown and green and blue clothes with footballs or trucks or puppy dogs on them! Clearly not the clothing of a little girl!

So seriously, people, throw me a bone! Tell me how ruggedly handsome and masculine my obviously male child is! Because if one more of my husband's flag football friends says "Dude, I didn't know you had three little girls. I thought your youngest was a boy" he is going to make me cut all of these beautiful baby curls off!

And then I will have to cry.

And you will have to live with the guilt of turning my baby into a grown-up little boy.

Can you live with that?!

Like father, like daughter

2011-01-13T07:35:00.000-05:00

My husband is a great father.

Our kids just adore him and often copy him.

I love that they do this! For one thing it is just really cute and for another Brad has some wonderful qualities that I hope our children will emulate as they get older.

I just don't think his fashion sense is one of them...! ;)

A very merry un-snow day

2011-01-12T06:47:00.000-05:00

While the rest of the Southeast United States has been having one snow day after another, we have been having lots of un-snow days. That is sort of like an un-birthday, but with snow.

Anyhoo...

Speaking of un-birthdays, last weekend Brad and I went with some friends to see Wonderland. It was so amazing and included a choreographic shout-out to every boy band from the last two decades all rolled into one song. I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard!

Which would have been a real shame if I had, because in celebration of the un-snow day (or just because we felt like it, whatever) we got dressed up un-prom style for our night at the theatre!

Don't we look smashing?

Most other theatre-goers were dressed in jeans...very uncool!

(And with that I am done with the un-puns.)

Wonderland opens on Broadway in March and I really want Brad to take me to New York to see it again. Sadly, the "cuz I really want to" argument has thus far failed to convince my husband.

Off with his head!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:40:00.002-05:00

We are all fired up about 2011!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T07:05:00.000-05:00

I love this year's Christmas picture. It is just so indicative of each of my children.

There is Emma Jane, grinning from ear to ear, basking in the glow of her own cuteness, and completely oblivious to anyone else around her!

And there is John, who is indignantly protesting that I have dared to require him to sit still for 2.5 seconds!

And Libby. My beautiful, beautiful Libby. Who has the most enchanting, contagious smile. Until you ask her to pose for a picture...then she turns into Chandler!

God bless them, every one!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Snow Day

2010-12-22T22:37:00.004-05:00

A trip to visit grandparents is always a treat.

I mean, who doesn't love continuous spoiling!

Our first morning in Nashville also provided an extra, unexpected, treat:

SNOW!!

John had never seen snow before and was instantly curious about it. He ran over to the grass and gave it a big stomp!

And then he got upset about the white stuff clinging to (and probably seeping through) is "whoo."

Brad convinced John to give the snow another chance by forming it into John's favorite toy.

I still don't think he is sold!

Emma Jane had also never really experienced snow. The last time we saw snow she was John's age and suffering from the Black Death, so she (and mommy, not that I'm bitter) didn't get to enjoy it.

Not that she would have anyways, apparently. EJ is a true beach baby and really didn't like the cold snow.

(Btw, you can't see it, but in her pocket are two radishes that were supposed to be the eyes on her snowman that didn't happen. Thankfully she gave them back to me later that day instead of forgetting about them and letting me find rotten radishes in her coat next year!)

Libby, on the other hand, LOVED the snow! She didn't care that it was cold and wet and that she was under dressed! She didn't care that the snow was too powdery to make a snowman or for snowballs. She was just excited to have a chance to throw snow at mommy. So was Daddy...notice the fingers at the side of the picture.

So that was are snow day. Er, snow hour! It had all melted by 10am. But we enjoyed it while it lasted...well, one of them did anyways!

A short Thanksgiving post

2010-11-30T00:12:00.001-05:00

I have a ton of pictures of Thanksgiving.

And I had very good intentions of putting together a nice long, photo-filled post of all of the fun we had with our favorite friends!

But instead my family was struck down by the ~~stomach bug~~ plague the day after these folks left.

So it didn't happen.

At least we had fun while they were here!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Cuties in the Tub

2010-11-16T21:39:00.005-05:00

We don't usually all bath together.

For one thing, the bathtub is really small and all my kiddos like to "swim."

But hey, I was in a hurry and after the sand fight they engaged in in the backyard, all three children desperately needed cleansing!

But thank goodness I got such cute photographic evidence, because it will never happen again!

Between the splashing water all over my floor and Emma Jane not being able to keep her innocently incestous hands off of John's boy business, I think it is worth the extra 30 minutes to do separate baths!

Say "Teeeese!"

Notice anything different?

2010-11-03T09:34:00.000-04:00

How about now?

Still can't see it? Take a closer look...

My very brave, big five-year-old got her first pair of real earrings! She has already started picking out some of my earrings to wear once she is aloud to take hers out. I have a feeling that she is going to grow to have an obsession with big earrings just like her Mommy!

Fall Festival Fun

2010-11-02T07:37:00.003-04:00

Sunday evening was our church's annual Fall Festival.

Last year, John was only 6 months old, so he spent the entire festival riding around in his stroller and watching his sisters have all of the fun.

This year, John owned the Fall Festival!

He had a blast playing all of the games, like Fishing for Apples,

and eating tons of junk food, like the cupcake he devoured in just three bites!

But his favorite part by far, was digging for candy!

And his favorite candy was the DumDums! He came home with a bag full of them. Mommy kept trying to direct him towards the Snickers bars, but he could not be swayed.

He had so much fun, he ~~was really pissed when it ended~~ didn't want the night to be over!

Oh yeah,

Libby and Emma Jane were there too.

Libby's New Glasses

2010-10-19T22:52:00.003-04:00

My baby girl is looking very grown up these days. She just got her first pair of glasses and I think she is looking pretty adorable! And older!

Everyone has a different opinion about the glasses. As you can see from the picture, Libby is not really loving them. She wouldn't even crack a smile for me. She seemed happy enough when we were picking them out, (my girl does love shopping!) but when she got them home she complained that they hurt her eyes and itched her nose and then she got down to the heart of the issue and asked me why no one else in our family has to wear glasses. I felt so sad for her and I tried to make her feel less self conscious. But my explanation about my contacts did not really make her feel better.

Emma Jane responded with typical little sister jealousy. She tried to convince that she also cannot see and then started whining about how she really needed glasses too!

To Libby's face, Brad was super excited for her and told her how beautiful she looks in her new glasses.

To her face...

In private, his response went something like this:

Brad-"She needs glasses. My beautiful baby girl needs glasses! But she is so beautiful!"

Me-"She is still beautiful, honey."

Brad- "But the glasses are covering up her face! Let's just be honest, little kids in glasses are just funny looking."

Me-"You were the mean kid in elementary school, weren't you?"

Brad-"Whatever. I feel the need to blame someone. My vision is perfect so I am going to blame you."

Me- *eye roll*

Brad- "No, really. First you give my children your deformed, go-go Gadget toes and now you are passing on your bum eyes!"

Me- "Yep, babe. You really married a genetic lemon."

He didn't really think that was as funny I did!

And I don't blame him for his reaction, because honestly, I was a little disappointed when the doctor said she needed glasses. Even though I was expecting it. And even though I know that this is the best thing for her right now.

Once Libby realizes how much better she can see with the glasses, I think she will start to like them more. And I think her dad will like them more when he sees how much they help her.

And I think Emma Jane will keep squinting up her eyes and pretending like she can't see where she is going...for at least a few more days!

Where's John?

2010-10-13T06:43:00.002-04:00

There he is!!

Where's John?

Really, Mom? I was kind of done with peek-a-boo...Just sayin'.

Perhaps we misjudged the wicked Queen

2010-10-08T06:49:00.001-04:00

We recently took a trip to Epcot.

While there, the girls friended a few more princesses.

While waiting in line to see Snow White, Libby ~~chattered nonstop as usual~~ told me all of the important things she wanted to tell Snow White, such as "Snow White is my favorite princess movie. It doesn't even scare me!" and "The next princess Polly Pocket I am going to get is Belle. Then Snow White. Because I already have Cinderella and Aurora."

When it was finally our turn, Snow White greeted Libby and Emma Jane and spent several minutes talking with them.

Then she posed for a picture with them.

As we were walking away, Libby said, "Mommy, I didn't tell her any of the things I was going to tell her...She just never would stop talking!"

That got me thinking. Perhaps it wasn't vanity and jealousy that drove the wicked Queen to try and kill Snow White...

Maybe she just wanted Snow White to shut up!

I like a man that takes out the garbage!

2010-10-06T06:36:00.000-04:00

some ants are just ants

2010-10-05T07:06:00.000-04:00

I love talking to Libby.

And she loves to talk.

To anyone. About anything.

Each conversation with her is an adventure because you just never know what is going to come out of her mouth!

Recently after church, (the timing of this particular conversation still confuses me a bit) Libby said to me, "You know Mommy, all of my boyfriends think all ants are fire ants. But they aren't all fire ants. Right?"

I had gotten lost after the "all my boyfriends" part so I had to reply, "What was that?"

Libby repeated herself (verbatim): "You know, Mommy. All my boyfriends just think all ants are fire ants. But they aren't all fire ants."

Me (still hung up): "So who are all your boyfriends, dear?"

Libby (slightly nonplussed by this turn in the discussion): "Um Nicholas, and Aaron, and Jack Powell." (Yes, she called him by his full name!) "Do you remember that time Jack Powell was at our house and there were some ants in the driveway. Jack called those fire ants, but they weren't. They were just regular ants."

Content that she had steered the conversation back in the right direction, Libby sat back and buckled herself in so that we cold finally leave the parking lot.

I was left to ponder the day that my daughter calls some boy her boyfriend and means it...I am so not ready for that day!

Sweet Siblings

2010-10-04T06:39:00.000-04:00

I wish they were always this sweet!

apple picking

2010-09-09T20:11:00.007-04:00

We spent Labor Day weekend visiting my sister in New Hampshire.

And while we were there, we enjoying one of our favorite New England pastimes...

Apple Picking!

Emma Jane worked really hard picking every apple she could reach.

She was very proud of how many apples were in her basket. She only stopped picking because the basket was getting too heavy for her to carry!

Ryan also worked very hard to fill a basket.

Ryan and Emma Jane spent a lot of time comparing their apples and had to respectfully disagree as to who picked the most.

Libby was less competitive about her apples.

In fact, she only picked two apples.

One for now, one for later!

John was fascinated by the snack trees.

And like his biggest sister, he didn't waste any time before chowing down!

(After freaking out just a little bit about my baby eating unwashed fruit, my sis pointed out that they were organic apples and so while not necessarily clean, at least they were pesticide free!)

What could be better than an apple straight from the tree?

According to these four, a fresh apple cider donut from the general store!

And since I don't have any pictures of her picking any apples, here is an extra shot of Morgan enjoying her donut.

You Should See the Other Guy!

2010-09-08T08:26:00.002-04:00

Lefty

2010-08-18T06:52:00.000-04:00

I think John might be a lefty.

I know it is still too early to tell for sure, but I have noticed that he uses his left hand to eat with most of the time.

Using the spoon by himself is a new skill...hence the mess.

He switches back and forth some, but he definitely favors the left right now!

I really hope he stays a lefty. And that he gets a little neater with that spoon...

Bath time!!

I'll get back to you with an interesting title...

2010-08-11T07:22:00.000-04:00

I have been finding it hard to blog this summer.

I keep telling my mother, in response to her oh so subtle hints, that I just haven't had time to blog lately. And to some degree that is true. I have been super busy this summer.

I just haven't been busy doing anything all that interesting. Nor have I bothered taking pictures of the boring stuff very much.

But I have heard from some of you (cough*mom*cough) that you've missed seeing my cute kids this summer. So, for you, here are some of the things we have been filling our days with:

We have been painting,

playing with Barbies,

reading books with (or that could possibly be stealing books from) baby brother.

swimming,

swinging,

and just general silliness.

Some of us have taken boredom to new, unexplainable levels,

but mostly we have just been hanging around...

without clothes on.

You didn't honestly expect me to make it through a whole blog post without a naked kid picture, did you?!

30

2010-07-27T06:52:00.001-04:00

I turn 25 27 30 today.

~~The phrase whoopty-freaking-doo-dah keeps coming to mind.~~

I am really trying to have a good attitude about it.

Luckily, my fabulous, sweet husband has made having a good attitude a little easier for me. Friday he scheduled a babysitter and took me out on a date to celebrate. He didn't tell me where we were going...only that I needed to dress up.

I was so excited about our mystery date and I spent most of the days leading up to it trying to guess where he was taking me. Which I never did.

He took me to Maggiano's Little Italy. And I will be honest, at first I was a little bummed that we would not be able to eat "family style" with just the two us.

But I was just so glad to be out with my husband, I kept my ungracious thoughts to myself.

Which was a good thing since the host led us past the main dining room into a private room where five of my best girls and their husbands were waiting to shout "SURPRISE!"

I am sure that I must have looked slightly dumbfounded for a moment, because I really had no idea that Brad had planned a party for me until that moment. Although it did explain why no one had called me all day long!

We had so much fun laughing and talking (and laughing some more) and eating way too much good food! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and an even more wonderful husband!

Maybe 30 won't be so bad.

Cheers!

Edited to add: So far, 30 has rocked!! This morning, my girls surprised me with a special birthday card they had made (with a little help from Daddy) and then Brad totally surprised me with a new camera!! I am so excited about playing with it! Be prepared for picture overload on this blog in the near future!

To Infinity...and not much farther

2010-07-15T20:01:00.000-04:00

On Monday, I gave you a partial peek at our trip to Disney.

But of course, there was more to the day than just princesses. (Although my daughters only seem to remember the princesses!)

Libby and Jack rode Space Mountain for the first time.

Melody got her very own tiara.

And Emma Jane got dissed by Buzz Lightyear.

No lie.

After waiting in line through two superhero bathroom breaks,

the kids finally got to meet Buzz. Emma Jane was so excited about being about being able to say "to infinity and beyond" to the real Buzz Lightyear. Unfortunately her dream never became a reality...because when it was her turn to give him five, he pulled the "too slow" move on her.

And she, in a nap-deprivation induced fit of hysterics, ran away crying and refused to go back and have her picture taken with him.

Buzz still managed a ~~fake~~ smile for the camera, but it was obvious he felt really bad about traumatizing a three-year-old.

Hosted by Cecily and Momma

Mommies love their babies

2010-07-14T06:06:00.001-04:00

Even gorilla mommies

My Dream Job

2010-07-12T07:46:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted to be a ~~real~~ princess.

After spending just a few moments with these royal ladies,

I think my daughters' professional ambitions are sealed as well!

Who said this was fun?

2010-07-08T20:40:00.000-04:00

We thought it might be fun to introduce John to the slide. I mean, what kid doesn't love the slide!

Um, my kid, apparently.

After desperately trying to make an escape, my husband ~~just pushed him down the slide~~ gently guided him to safety.

See...safety.

At least I have two ~~normal children~~ daredevils to slide with!

Hosted by Cecily and Serious Krystyn

My little Frodo

2010-07-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

When it came to naming each of our children, my husband was allowed little to no input.

It's not that I didn't want input. It's that he was completely incapable of being serious during any of the baby name discussions.

Most of his name suggestions came from The Lord of the Rings. With choices like Galadriel and Bilbo, I'm sure you can understand why I didn't take him seriously.

But as I have gotten to know my son, I am starting to think that perhaps Samwise Gamgee was not such an off the wall suggestion. I am pretty sure that John might be a hobbit. He doesn't have unusually hairy feet, nor is he abnormally (or even normally) short. But his eating habits are definitely becoming more and more hobbit-ish by the day.

Here is his normal food schedule:

Wake up. Immediately have breakfast.

An hour later, have second breakfast.

An hour and a half after that, it is time for elevensies, which is then quickly followed by lunch.

By 12 o'clock, it is completely normal for him to have eaten 4 times! And I don't mean a cracker here or a few grapes there. I mean two waffles, followed by a whole banana and a carton of yogurt. And that is just first breakfast!

The other day, I put him in his high chair for dinner at 5:45. At 6:30, he was still eating!

I don't know where he puts it.

Seriously.

The kid barely weighs 21 lbs.

Where is the food going!?

For more Wordful Wednesdays, visit

God Bless America!

2010-07-04T10:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Fourth of July!

PSF and John's First Haircut

2010-07-01T17:00:00.002-04:00

John's hair has been getting a little unruly lately.

I have resisted getting his haircut because he is my first baby to have curls over his ears.

But the out of control hair in his eyes finally won and I took him to get a trim.

He thought the haircut was pretty fun.

And he was thrilled to be able to see again!

He is so handsome!

Please excuse the picture quality. I took them with my phone camera.

Hosted by Cecily and ???

WW - Thumb sucker

2010-06-30T07:08:00.001-04:00

I know most people would not encourage their child to suck their thumb. It is a bad habit that is hard to break.

But...

it is just so stinkin' cute!

Overheard in the Chick Fil A ladies room

2010-06-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

Taking three children to the potty in public is always an experience.

If you have been reading my blog with any regularity, you are probably aware that we are big fans of Chick-fil-A. We often have lunch at the Chick with friends. Or by ourselves...we aren't picky.

On this particular occasion, we were alone. After eating lunch, my plan was to just hop in the car and go home. But both girls had to go potty and they assured me, while holding themselves and jumping up and down, that it could not wait the five minutes it would take us to get home to our clean, unpublic restroom.

We all crammed into the handicap stall. Since the stroller was in the trunk of my car, I had to hold John (who was dying to get down and play in the toilet) and help Emma Jane get on and off the potty without falling in.

While I am trying to juggle those two, Libby ~~is distracted by something shiny~~ starts playing with the door of the trash receptacle that is on the wall...yk, the one for sanitary products!

Me: "Libby, stop touching that!"

Libby: "Why?"

Me: "Because it is dirty!"

Libby: "Why is it dirty?"

Me: "It is a trash can! Yucky things go in there!"

Libby: "But it is empty."

Me: "That is not the point! Stop touching it!"

Libby: "Hey, Mommy, I can see somebody in there!"

That is when I realized that the there was one trash receptacle being shared between two stall and sure enough, when Libby pushed open the lid she could see straight into the other, occupied stall!

Me (whisper-shouting): "Libby! Stop it right now! That is so rude!"

Libby: "What? I can just see her feet."

Me: "Oh my goodness! Just.step.away.from.there!!"

Libby: "Okay Mommy. Mommy, why is it rude?"

Me (still trying to whisper): "Because people need privacy when they go potty. Would you like it if a stranger was watching you go potty?"

Libby: "No."

Libby: "Mommy, what's a stranger?"

Oh just shoot me now!

The best part...The woman being spied on burst out laughing. I imagine she had been doing that silent, shoulder-shaking laugh up to this point and could simply no longer hold it in. When we exited the stall she was waiting for us by the sink. She patted me on the back and said, with tears in her eyes, "Don't worry. I have kids too."

Yes, but are your children little peeping toms?

Tea for Seven

2010-06-28T06:52:00.001-04:00

This past Thursday, Libby and five of her friends had tea to celebrate Libby's fifth birthday.

We went to Mrs. Tea's Garden Tea Shop for a Fancy Nancy themed tea soiree. (That is French party. You know, everything sounds fancy in French!) The girls dressed up in their fanciest clothes, complete with tiaras and floppy hats.

Emma Jane is wearing both a tiara and a floppy hat. She is extra fancy!

Mrs. Taylor (the tea shop owner) read the girls Fancy Nancy and then they decorated fairy wings as a craft before sitting down for tea.

As a first course, the girls enjoyed fruit, pretzels and colored mini marshmallows.

After they finished the fruit course, they were served (on a three tiered server, just like a real tea!) finger sandwiches, scones and dessert! All of the girls went straight for the top tier...those little chocolate cakes were delicious! They also drank pink lemonade out of real china teacups.

It was a perfect party for my fancy girl!