Silly Burger "Kings"

Bathtime Baby

Adventures in Mothering

The new MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) year is about to begin. This year's theme is Adventures in Mothering. The topics are centered around carnival events. The lady who is in charge of decorating picked my family as the "models" for pictures of adventures in mothering. The photos depicted sort of crazy scenes like getting 3 kids buckled into their carseats, nursing a baby while working on a meal and having a toddler pulling on my leg. We didn't have to work very hard at staging these scenes, because this is my life. We have our own carnival every day for free. The pictures are pretty funny. I wish I had the copies.

Here was today's adventure in mothering. I worked at our church's Mother's Day Out program today. I've done it a few times. I work in the baby room so I can be with Little Buddy, and the girls go to their classes. I make a little money, get out of the house, and I'm still with or near my kids. Usually I have one other baby besides my own. Today there was an extra for a few hours. It doesn't seem like it would make that much difference, but it did. I know moms with triplets must be exhausted, but at least when you're the mama you know how to comfort them and what their schedules are, etc. I had a crazy couple of hours before everyone finally fell asleep. After we left there I went to Party City to order some balloons for Little Sissy's birthday party next week. Of course it took forever because there are so many fun trinkets to touch, play with, sneak into the cart, etc. I was finally to the counter to order the balloons. Little Buddy was buckled into the front of the cart, and I was holding onto it with one hand while I grabbed latex balloons and put them onto the counter. The next thing I know the whole cart was turning over and 3 kids were screaming. I was able to keep it sideways before someone came running to help. I think both girls decided to climb onto one side while I was talking, and their weight pulled the whole thing over. Thankfully Little Buddy's head landed in a vat of soft toys and Little Sissy was small enough to not get hurt. Big Sissy, though, has a pretty nasty fat lip. She was bleeding, and the more blood she saw the more she screamed. The poor guy at the counter gave them each a nice pink princess balloon (even Little Buddy), and I'm sure everyone breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when we finally got out the door. Unfortunately, you can't put a Band-Aid on the inside of your lip (see previous post).

Tonight we're all laughing about it (after explaining the serious dangers of doing that, yadda yadda). I just stick my top lip out and say, "Who am I?" and Big Sissy laughs. Our special angels were busy today, and I'm thankful. It has been an adventure, but please stop the ride. I'm ready to get off and go to bed. I think our passes are still good tomorrow.

Home Remedies

I have a problem. Canker sores. I've had 3 this month, and they're driving me crazy. I've tried the Ora-whatever cream, but it just globs up and falls off. Nothing sticks to the inside of your mouth, or I would put a Band-Aid there. I've been looking up home remedies--you know, stuff you can do to avoid using prescription medication. Some home remedies you are probably familiar with are aloe vera on a sunburn, chewing mint for bad breath, drinking orange juice for a cold. I found one I had never heard of--using ear wax to seal up a canker sore. If you ask my husband, he would say I have enough free medication to heal myself of a lifetime of canker sores. I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm pretty sure no one else is going to let me try it out on them first either...

Celebration of Discipline

I read a book in college--recommended by my InterVarsity staff worker--called Celebration of Discipline. It's a classic. I don't remember a lot about it even though I own it. The book is meant to spur us on to spiritual disciplines, but I felt defeated by even the title. Discipline to me is not a celebration; it is hard work and I'm just not good at it. Thankfully I've never had a weight problem. What I have now is, I think, the result of 3 babies in 4 years. Ask me next year if it's a problem...Anyway, If I got heavy enough I could usually fix it fairly effortlessly. I would get in moods of exercising. These moods could last months, but I still wouldn't call it a discipline. I've never been addicted to drugs or alcohol, so staying away from those things doesn't require much discipline. Here's what's hard for me: not spending money. I have many friends who don't seem to have a problem at all in this area. I admire them and I try to get tips from them, and if those friends are reading this, you will probably be appalled at my lack of discipline in this area just as I don't understand how people get hooked on drugs, etc. OK. There it is.

We got to a place this month where we had $10 to last a little over a week. This was not unusual when I was single. In fact, it happened every week. It was built into the budget. I could either rent 2 blockbuster movies or get one movie at shop-n-save and go out with the college group for a soda, etc. It SUCKED, but I got used to it. I ate a lot of cereal for dinner because I chose to buy a new shirt instead of eating. Now that I am married with children, this isn't a choice. Children need nutritious food, and husbands need meat. Luckily, we saw this coming and I actually planned meals to last us until the end so we could spend the $10 on milk and bananas--which constantly need restocked in our house. Now, don't go thinking we're poor. I don't want groceries to show up at my door because of this blog. We're not poor. We just chose (mostly I chose) to spend money on extra things this month. I bought things for a birthday party, had a fun girls' night out, bought some very discounted clothes to save for the kids, went to the Muny...

But can I tell you how hard it was to get through this past week and a half? We skipped our Tuesday night at Cecil Whittakers. I went to the mall and didn't buy a thing--no smoothie, no coffee, no gumballs for the girls. We went on a picnic and didn't get Subway sandwiches. Nope. I just made them the old-fashioned way. I declined a Longaberger basket party. I bought groceries at Aldi's. Basically we didn't leave the house much because I didn't trust myself. I was kind of feeling sorry for myself until I was standing in line at Aldi's behind a man who looked down on his luck. He had a moderate amount of groceries in his cart, and his card was denied. He looked so sad and defeated. I don't know his story and maybe he has addictions, but maybe he feels like I felt this week all the time. My heart was so sad for him, and I felt even more embarrassed about how spoiled I am--hating that I even had to shop there. I really think if I wasn't so committed to staying home with my kids, I would get whatever kind of job I could to support my spending habits. But here's the good news. We did it. Payday is tomorrow. I've learned a lesson about discipline, and I truly have cause to celebrate. The credit cards stayed tucked away, and we have cents left in our account. I'm embarrassed that this is such an issue for me, but I'm thankful that God always sees fit to help me grow in every area! Celebrate!

Baby Love...My Baby Love

I never thought of myself as much of a "baby person" before I had kids. Of course I always wanted kids, but I was hoping to skip ahead as quickly as possible to the part where they could talk to me and I could teach them colors and numbers and Bible stories and such. I tried working in the church nursery because my sister was the coordinator. We were in a Pentecostal church at the time, and sometimes that hour turned into two if "the Spirit was moving." I was nearly bored to tears by the time the prayed-through mamas finally arrived to pick up their little angels. Miracle of all miracles, I had my first baby and I was in love--maybe not from day 1--but at least from the first ultrasound. My love has grown more intense as I relax into my role as mama to 3 babies. Here are some ways I know I'm in love with my babies.

* Even though I'm sleep deprived, I look forward to greeting them and seeing the big smile when I go to pick them up in the morning.

*I think babies smell like pancakes and maple syrup in the mornings.

* When I didn't see legs in my first ultrasound, I was already mentally redesigning my house and thinking about what kind of little wheelchair I could use for my child. (This was all a figment of my overprotective imagination. She was born with 2 legs and all other appropriate appendages.)

* I would rather buy my baby a new outfit than one for myself.

* I would give up the last 2 cookies to my 2 girls (maybe after trying to talk them into sharing one).

* I am willing to give up some luxuries of life (vacations, new home, a shower) to stay at home with my kids.

* I am perfectly okay with holding my baby through an entire 3-hour nap. (Sadly, I could only do this with the first one.)

* The thought of someone hurting my child makes me cry.

* The thought of sending my child to school all day makes me cry.

* The mention of their names makes me swell with pride.

* I am already praying for their future, their spouses, their career, their walk with God; and they're all age 3 and under.

* All my reasons for having only 2 children went out the window when I met my 2.

Love Your Neighbor

We've been trying to go for walks in the evenings since the weather has been so nice. Having kids is such an ice-breaker for getting to know people in the neighborhood. Twice a guy named John has brought out popsicles for our kids as we passed. We ended up chatting with him for a long time about his daughter, her wedding, her 2nd kid on the way. I know how much he paid for the wedding, how much he gives them toward their rent so they will stay in town with his only grandson...

Tonight a Pakistani lady started talking to us and the kids. Turns out her husband is a hemophiliac and they can't have children because of his health. They loved on our kids in their broken English and served us cookies in their home. She kept bringing out more stuff to give to us even though they are having to sell their business and can't work because of his health needs.

I'm feeling teary now because I'm realizing that (1) everyone needs to be connected to someone, whether it's family or neighbors and (2) our kids are such a blessing. They give us a connection but also help form a connection with others, and (3) I'm so thankful for our health and the relationships in our lives. I think God sent this time of good weather so we would get out with our kids and bring a little sunshine into the lives of others. I've always prayed that we would minister together as a family. Maybe this is just a start...

Big Sissy-isms (updated)

I love observing my children's language development as well as their cognitive development. Little Buddy is now sitting up and rolling over. Little Sissy is adding words daily to her vocabulary. Big Sissy is exploring the depths of her thoughts and trying out new vocabulary from time to time. She knows the grammar rules; unfortunately, English doesn't follow rules so often. So she'll say things like, "I hear-ed a bird." I am constantly chuckling at her words and her thoughts. Here are some of them from the past week or so.

Is your mosquito bite getting better or is it worsing?

Mommy, do pufferfish go potty and poopy?

Mommy, do bugs go to heaven?

(Looking at a flock of birds) Mommy, are those birds racing?

(on a balance beam) Look! I'm balancizing!

Daddy (reading her Bible): Adam and Eve were in the Garden of...
Big Sissy: Egypt!

Aunt Yaya (after Big Sissy told her she wanted to be a miner when she grew up): Do you know what a miner does?
Big Sissy: No, but I want to be one.
Aunt Yaya: A miner has a very dirty job. He uses a flashlight and digs for coal and things.
Big Sissy: That's OK. I can take my Elmo flashlight and my piggy flashlight. They'll just need new batteries.

(After changing her mind several times) OK. I'm done using my mind now.

(After explaining that our friend just had sinus surgery and so we're going to take them a meal tomorrow) Big Sissy: Why are we taking them a meal?
Me: Because sometimes it's hard for Mommies to take care of their children and cook meals when they've just had surgery and they don't feel well.
Big Sissy: Oh, because the yucky stuff might come out of the hole in her nose and fall into the pan and then it would make the food yucky.
Me: Ummm...yeah.

(At a picnic when I told her she'd eaten enough snacks, she pulled a tiny little piece of pretzel out from under her fingernail) I'm just a little bit hungry, so I guess I'll just eat this.

Jason who?

Michael Phelps...ever heard of him? The guy is awesome. Eight gold medals in the Olympics. Holder of the swimmers' record. Holder of the USA record. Holder of the world record. The last event was the one that put him at the top, the team relay. One article I read said, "It was billed as a team relay race, but it was only about one man."

Was it? Jason Lezak had a vested interest, for sure. He was the oldest man on the U.S. swimming team and swimming so fast he broke two world records himself. But now no one is talking about Jason Lezak, the last man in the relay that put Michael Phelps at the top. He could have harbored bitterness that he wasn't getting the attention; he could have given the race away. It all rested on him. But he was a team player. He did his best knowing that someone else would get the glory. What's that like?

Are we willing to be the Jason Lezak for someone else? To work hard to support someone so they can shine, or do we need to promote our own talents? Life is like a team relay race in a lot of ways. We need each other. It's not about one man. It takes the whole team.

So congratulations, Michael Phelps. AND congratulations, Jason Lezak and the rest of the USA team!

Fun in the Sun

We went to my in-laws' house today to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. The cousins have so much fun playing together. Today they got to play in MawMaw and PawPaw's little pool. Big Sissy is convinced she can swim because the water is so shallow she can lay on her tummy and kick her legs. Little Sissy spent the whole time throwing the ball out of the water, then retrieving it and tracking grass in. She would rather climb than swim at this point, but she completely enjoyed it.

Big Families

My sister wrote a great piece (in her great new blog) about what it's like to grow up in a big family. There are 4 kids in our family, and I always felt like it was a big family. For example, we always had a station wagon or a van. When we went out to eat, which wasn't that often, we had to wait forever for them to get a table big enough. People would always ask my parents, "Are those all yours?" Being the nerd that I am, I tried to look at a census report to see what the average family is now. Turns out it's really confusing. The reports are broken down by 2 parents, 1 parent, people who aren't related living with you, parents who live together but aren't married, etc. America is such a hodge podge of people! Just watch the Olympics if you don't believe me. The first night I sat down to watch gymnastics I was so confused because the American team consisted of a Chinese-American person, an Indian-American person, and a Russian-American person. So just as the average American isn't necessarily blonde and named John (although I know a lot of blonde Johns and have actually dated a few), the average family definitely is not a married man and woman with 2 kids and a dog, all living in the same house. That being said, it looked like the average household consists of 3.13 people--including the adults. So a couple with 2 kids is now a big family. People already ask me things like, "Don't you know how to stop having kids?" or "Have you heard of birth control?" Of course I have. Here's the scoop for all those who are wondering... I LOVE big families. I hope mine gets bigger someday. It's worth being a little broke and not having a career for a while...even having to wait while the restaurant workers push tables together so we can all sit together. As long as each one feels valued, cherished, known, and has enough food to eat (and I'm still mostly pleasant to be around), I don't think I can have too many. This may change tomorrow when everyone's actually awake...ha.

My New Babysitter

Daddy's Little Prodigy

We got a "new" basketball hoop, so Daddy's been working with Big Sissy on shooting hoops. So far she seems to have Daddy's passion with my ability. Not a good combination. Daddy took these pictures. I was inside, but I'm pretty sure they didn't end well...

Bright Eyes

Little Buddy FINALLY rolled over today! Yeah!! The doctor said at his 6-month appointment that he wasn't worried; he just has a lot to try to get over. I didn't actually see it, sadly. He was fussing at about 4:00 this morning. I went in to make sure he didn't have a blanket over his head or something. He didn't, but he was sort of on his side. When I went in to feed him at about 7:30, he was on his belly. Then after his nap I was getting a diaper and he flipped from his belly to his back. Both ways in one day! Go buddy!!

Girls in Braids

My cute little Pocahantases, Pocahantes, Pocahanti?...These are my cute little girls in braids.

Sassy One

Other husbands call their wives cute names like Buttercup, Baby Doll, Sweet Thing. Mine calls me Sassy. I'm pretty sure I know why, but it would be nice to change it up sometimes. Like Sunday when my parents said they liked a particular song done at our church, and Hubby asked, "Oh, you mean that one that they did the verses one at a time?" I could have asked what he meant instead of making jokes about trying to sing all of the verses at the same time, but of course I didn't. So tonight I was listening to talk radio (I was driving Hubby's car). They were promoting the St. Louis Public Library systems and talking about all these great new programs they have now. One is called, "Ask a Librarian." It works like this: When you have a question or need help finding something, you can always ask a librarian. Wow. I didn't know my little town's library was so advanced, but they've had that program for years. Another great feature they have is movies where the words are spoken out loud for the visually impaired. What a great idea!! I'm so glad to live in such a forward thinking city.

I know, I know...this is why I got my nickname.

Peanut Butter 101

Tonight I had to get a few items at the grocery store, one of which was peanut butter. I start panicking when I see scrape marks on the side. Must get more...must get more...must get more. Anyway, I saw a group of young guys huddling in front of the peanut butter. At first I was a little intimidated, and then I heard their conversation:

"So there's creamy, crunchy, and extra crunchy. Don't they have just REGULAR peanut butter? I guess crunchy is regular, because it's in between creamy and extra crunchy, right?"

"Uhhh...I dunno. I guess so."

The nice thing would have been to ask if they needed help, but I didn't want to insult their "intelligence." I don't want to brag, but I do know my peanut butter. I'm thinking they were college freshmen, straight from mama's house to the grocery store. Maybe colleges should offer a mandatory freshman class so these poor kids can survive, like "Peanut Butter 101." If they had that when I was a freshman, I feel confident I could have taken that instead of caluculus and kept my scholarship. I probably could have tested my way to a peanut butter minor, at least. I'm not sure there's much use for that, but it's probably just as good as a sociology minor. Anyway, I was there once. I remember when I first got married I was making a recipe that called for 2 cloves of garlic. I bought a package that had 2 bulbs in it, so I thought that must be what it meant...oops. Live and learn. One bite of crunchy will be enough to never make the peanut butter mistake again. Oh to be a fly on that dorm room wall for the first bite...

Tradition, Tradition!

Every time I go to the Muny I have the songs stuck in my head for weeks. Last night we saw Fiddler on the Roof, another of my favorites. Even the girls are singing their own rendition of "Tradition, Tradition" because they've heard me singing the few words (actually word) that I know of it. I love the Jewish culture because there are so many traditions. I was trying to think of my family's traditions--the ones that are unique to us and not just because we're American. Here are a few:

1) Blackening the face of the birthday kid with coal (or tar) on the morning of his or her birthday. This was dad's thing. I probably won't carry it on because we have enough trouble getting everyone's faces clean and out the door on time in the mornings. Dad also tied a brick on my sister's head to keep her from growing. I kind of like that one.

2) Saturday morning pancakes

3) Sunday morning donuts

4) Sunday afternoon roast/carrots/potatoes, alternating with Sunday afternoon turkey/mashed potatoes (I like the food traditions.)

5) Opening matching pajamas on Christmas Eve and the rest of the presents on Christmas morning. I will definitely keep this one up.

6) Birthday spankings (with one to grow on)

7) Grandma's house for Christmas (this has changed to Mom's house for Christmas)

8) Grandma's house for Thanksgiving (this has changed to Aunt Saundra's house for Thanksgiving)

9) Shopping for school supplies, one new outfit (which usually included a jean skirt), and our "school shoes" that we were required to wear once a week. These were usually from Frank's Shoe Store in Collinsville.

10) New summer clothes for my birthday that I could wear to youth camp.

11) Orange Crush at "the stand" at youth camp.

12) Sleeping in curlers on Saturday nights.

13) Family dinner together at 5:30 every night.

14) Running down the hill for Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special at Grandma's house. (We didn't have a TV until I was in high school.)

15) It's a Wonderful Life every Christmas.

16) Decorating and hiding Easter eggs.

17) Christmas morning stockings with a note from Santa.

18) Sharing a 7-Eleven Big Gulp with my mom and sister and hanging out in the old church basement while Mom worked on the bulletin.

19) Church, church, church. Sunday morning, Sunday night, Thursday night, Tuesday night youth group, Monday night youth rallies.

20) Getting ice cream at DQ after every chorus concert, band concert, play, etc.

21) New outfits for our spelling bees.

22) Trading rides to school with Jenny Witsken and her step-dad.

23) Friday nights watching "5 Mile Creek" movies (after we got a TV).

24) Friends over on Sunday afternoons.

25) Black patent shoes every Sunday from Labor Day to Easter; White patent shoes from Easter to Labor Day.

I'm sure I'll think of a bazillion more. Traditions are important, I think. They give a sense of security and belonging. I think I want to start some more with my family. Right now we have our Tuesday nights at Cecil Whitakers (with a gumball), church on Sunday mornings, dinners together around the table. Hopefully more will evolve as they get older. Tradition, Tradition!

Hosanna!

Tonight the girls were playing outside, and they started pulling the weeds growing by the driveway that were almost as tall as they are. Then they started waving them back and forth and shouting, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" I'm kind of proud that they remember the story from Easter but embarrassed that we have weeds the size of palm branches.

Separation Anxiety

There has been much research and and literature written on separation anxiety. This is where the child cries when mommy leaves and feels unsettled until she returns. I haven't seen much on the mommy's separation anxiety. I sent Big Sissy to Aunt YaYa's house tonight--by herself--and I'm feeling a little teary and unsettled. The thing making me feel better is that she was SO excited all day. Even in the car on the way to our meet point, every time I looked at her in the rear view mirror she had this huge grin on her face. She loves Aunt YaYa, AND they're going to Six Flags tomorrow. She's been there once, just before she turned 2, but she doesn't remember it. The teary moment came when she gave me a hug and asked, "Mommy, are you going to miss me?" *gulp* "Cause I'm going to miss you, Mommy." *blinking back the tears* Little Sissy was a little sad about staying home until she realized that after Little Buddy went to bed she was the queen of our house for about an hour. She was climbing all over us, getting held, and loving all the attention. It's really a win-win situation tonight. Big Sissy gets all the attention there and Little Sissy gets all the attention here--temporarily. I might have mentioned the mommy guilt I feel for not being able to give them more attention individually at this moment...

We took Little Buddy for his 6-month doctor visit today. I just giggled the whole time because he was so happy and bouncy, even while he was being examined. When the doctor tested to see if he could bear weight on his legs, they looked like they were dancing together. Dr. H called him a "Bubba." I'm not sure if I like that, but it does fit right now. So far he's been called Bubba, Bruiser, Buster, Buddha. Why do chubby people get called "B" names? Maybe I should protest when Hubby calls me Babe... ha. So this will cease to be cute when he's about 3, but right now I can't get enough of his little chubs. He's actually moved from the 94th percentile weight down to the 84th percentile and up to the 90th percentile for height. So in theory he should look thin, right? I don't think I understand this percentile thing. Anyway, he was definitely not so happy and bouncy when he woke up from his nap. He is sore and cranky. Hopefully he'll sleep off all the poison we call immunizations tonight (the media is really getting to me on this subject).

I'm off to find my pacifier (something chocolate, maybe?) until my baby returns.

Happy 6 months, Little Buddy!

Little Buddy is 6 months old today. I can't believe how time is flying by. He's definitely showing some personality now. He loves to laugh--even fake laughs--and is still very laid back. He can sit up pretty well for several minute stretches, but still falls over when he gets excited and starts flapping his arms. He cries when mama leaves the room sometimes now, and definitely recognizes when a stranger tries to hold him. Still no rolling over, although he's been in "rolling" boot camp for several weeks now. He loves to look at his hands and hold onto his feet. He is very cuddly and feels very secure when he holds onto my hair. Everything goes in his mouth now. Tonight he had my Sam's Club receipt mostly destroyed before we even got to the door where the little old man stands to make yellow marks on your receipt.

Let's see...what did we do to celebrate? Oh, yeah. I left for the whole evening and Daddy put him to bed without a bottle. Happy Birthday, Little Buddy! :) The bottle thing was actually an accident. The bottle was warming while Daddy was reading stories to the girls, and then next thing you know he was just dead asleep in his arms. I'm pretty sure I won't get to sleep all the way through the night tonight. I had a great time with my mom and sisters, though. We went to P.F. Chang's. I'm in love with the crispy green beans. They're like onion rings without the bad breath. Perfect.



I'm off to take a little nap before Little Buddy realizes he's starving and rings the dinner bell. Good night.

Interesting Juxtaposition

I really just wanted to use the word juxtaposition in a title. But I was noticing as we drove down the river road and a CRAZY man on a motorcycle kept swerving in front of us and zooming past (can't let a minivan pass you on your cool motorcycle, after all) that he wasn't wearing a helmet. I guess the law in IL allows for this kind of irresponsibility. Then on the other side of us, on the trail next to the bluffs, there were bicyclists. They were very spaced out and not in danger of running onto one another, but they were all wearing helmets. I found this very interesting. There has been a lot of awareness about bicycle safety in the last few years, but I would dare say it's much more dangerous to be going 80 mph on a motorcycle with no helmet!

Highlights from our Weekend

My parents babysat Little Buddy for a few hours this weekend so we could take the girls to Raging Rivers. It was the first time I had left him anywhere (outside of the church nursery) while he was awake. I figured he wouldn't take a bottle; I was right. My parents were troopers, though, and walked him around, bounced him, took him outside, and tried to appease him until we got home and I could nurse him again and put him to bed. It is really tricky trying to do an outing between feedings, especially when you have to drive to get to the thing you're doing. So I fed the baby, we loaded the girls in the car and drove 35 minutes to Raging Rivers. They were having a work party event for my dad's former place of employment, so we stood in line to get our grub, then we literally had about 30 minutes to play before stood in line to get our free popsicle and had to head back to get Little Buddy down for bed. Luckily the girls had a blast, got a popsicle, and didn't know you're really supposed to stay at a place like that all day. They loved having one-on-one attention and lots of water shallow enough to just run around in.

Other highlights: my dad's "nature walk" with the girls. They were gone so long I thought they might have had heat strokes, but it turns out they were in the backyard admiring wild flowers, katydids, and deer poop. This is strangely very fun for my little tomboy girls. Big Sissy was also enamored by Dad's shed, which is really "like a really big farm or barn or something where he can keep all his tools." I realize what city kids I'm raising when deer poop is the most amazing thing they've ever seen. On a side note, this was really obvious when we went to Indiana over the 4th of July. They got to pick fresh peas out of the garden and feed them to the baby chicks. It was like walking on the moon...the awe, the wonder. I guess I've never ACTUALLY walked on the moon, but I can imagine. I'm a little sad they may never have the experience of walking to school through the woods and chasing their band instruments down the creek like I did. Now that I have to pay for instruments and such, this is probably a good thing, but I'm longing for a taste of country life at this moment.

Back to the highlights: REAL breakfast on Sunday morning (no dry cereal all over the van...yeah!), tons of friends from high school to visit at church, good games of Rummikub with my parents (this is what they do daily now that Dad's retired. The game is a permanent fixture on their dining room table), watching a deer out the kitchen window, and lots of extra people to love on our kids. Little Sissy thinks Papa is supposed to always lay down with her for naps now. Somehow spending the night--even one night--with grandparents makes the visit feel so much more special and unhurried. It was so refreshing and relaxing--just what I needed.

Our Progress...

...after 3 weeks of feeding Little Buddy baby cereal. This is not very encouraging.

Slap Happy