But I YIKE Makeup!

This is Little Sissy's new favorite phrase. I don't know where my prissy girls come from. I like to look pretty. It just doesn't fit into my life right now. I wear make-up an average of once a week--when I'm going to church usually. And I had to have my ears re-pierced recently because I wear earrings so rarely that my holes closed up. But my girls LOVE makeup. Just ask them. Little Sissy has a whole spiel, which she will share with anyone who will listen (including her pediatric opthamologist, who made the mistake of asking what the pink stuff all over her cheeks was).

"Girls wear makeup. Boys don't wear makeup. Boys wear chapstick. Daddy a boy. Daddy don't wear makeup. I a girl. I yike makeup."

Today I went into the dining room where the girls were coloring and found this.

It was all over her lips, too, in various shades of Crayola Washables. She hurried and licked it off when she realized she might get in trouble. "But Mommy, I YIKE makup!"

First Time Sledding

My dear friend Amy called this morning and invited us to go sledding with them. THANK GOD. We love these friends. I met Amy when our firstborn little baby girls were in music class together at Covenant. Then we ran into each other at tumbling at the Y, then we had several classes together. We were pregnant with our 2nd babies at the same time. Both of our husbands were getting MDIVs (Masters of Divinity), and we both were getting masters degrees in counseling (before God changed my plans). In short, we have a lot to talk about.

I thought perhaps I was going to go crazy this week. Between Hubby being sick, Beth breaking her elbow (sorry, Beth!!!), and the snow; everything we were supposed to do this week was cancelled. I love last-minute plans. Little Buddy stayed home with Daddy and took a nap while we went and had a great day of sledding, crafts, and lunch with Amy and her girls.

Who needs a sled, anyway?

Avery and Big Sissy

Amy, Avery, and Skylar

Me and Little Sissy. Don't make fun of my hat. Someone gave it to me in seminary, and I still wear it when I want to be warm.

Tandem Sledding

Angel Baby

If you've been following this blog for a while, you are probably aware of the issues we have had with our firstborn. She is smart, thoughtful, perceptive, adorable--and hard. At least she has been. I've been noticing lately, though, that she is really growing up and becoming quite a delightful Big Sissy. She is maturing in her emotions, and though she still has occasional tantrums, she is much more likely to be able to express what she is feeling with words or even tears rather than angry outbursts.

Some examples of her recent sweetness are (1) offering to hold Little Sissy when she's sad and I can't get to her immediately and (2) telling me not to talk to Little Buddy about needing to throw my socks away. They had huge holes in them. She said, "Mommy, he really likes socks and I think that would upset him if he heard you say you were going to throw socks away." That sensitivity made me smile.

In other exciting news, she has kept her panties dry at night for 2 weeks in a row now. I do take her to the bathroom before I go to bed, but I prefer that to buying pull-ups! She also figured out how to pour cereal and milk into a bowl and get a spoon. Thankfully I did not know she was doing it the first time or I might not have let her try, but she only spilled a couple of drops and she cleaned it up herself before she even told me. I love that we are moving toward independence. The more independent she gets, the sweeter and more cuddly she gets at the same time. I am loving the phase we are in!!

It's All About the Packaging

I ate a LOT of chocolate when I was pregnant. I always loved chocolate, but when I was pregnant I craved, no I just needed it. I was shopping at Babies 'R Us recently, when this bar caught my eye.

A Belly Bar. This particular one is called "Baby Needs Chocolate." How clever. I bought it and ate it. It was actually pretty good, although not as good as chocolate chips straight out of a bag. See...all my chocolate chips would have needed was an extra label to make me feel better about the sheer numbers of them that I ate during pregnancy. Not that Hershey needs any help in their marketing, but they could have eased pregnancy guilt for a lot of closet chocolate chip eaters with just a little extra label. Like this...

Pregnancy Chips. "Mama's Having One of Those Days." The big Sam's Club bag could be called "Mama's a Little Out of Control." It's all in the packaging.

I Hate Germs

I really hate germs. I even hate my own kids' germs because I don't want to be infected or keep passing the germs around the family for the entire winter and spring. One or the other of us has been sick for a few weeks now. I already posted about sleeping through Sesame Street Live because I was sick, then Little Buddy got it. The poor thing had a 102 degree fever on Sunday and didn't want to eat or play at all. He seems better now. He finally ate at suppertime and was crawling around. Yay!!! I haven't even been to the mall to play all winter because I just know that we might as well be spitting in each other's mouths for all the germs we're going to come home with.

THAT is why this is the most hilarious blog I've read for a while. I've found my match. Even though I don't go to the mall, I still take my kids to church and let them lick on the pretend food that the other preschoolers have already licked. I'm pretty sure they just pick up random sippy cups, too, when they get thirsty. That happens at home, with much fewer children and fewer sippy cups to choose from!

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/01/478-sitting-next-to-sick-people-at.html

New Look

I didn't really have anything to say today, but Hubby went to Dave 'n Busters to play with the boys, so I had time to play. What do you think of the new look?

Elmo's Green Thumb

Today was a big day. Our friend won 4 Sesame Street Live tickets on the radio. Since she is a teenager and that is on her "opposite of cool" list, she gave the tickets to us. Unfortunately, I am sick. Thankfully I stayed well through everyone else's "stuff" at Christmastime and Hubby's surgery. But today I definitely would have called in sick if being a mommy were a "regular" job. I woke up all achy and sneezy and tired. The kids LOVED it, though, so I'm so glad I went. We treated the kids with cotton candy and a $10 Elmo balloon (yikes!). Then we had lunch at Amighetti's, my favorite bakery on The Hill (the Italian district). If you saw my "25 Random Things" list on Facebook, you already know that I can sleep anywhere, any time. If I don't feel good, that includes the Scottrade Center with screaming children and dancing monsters and loud music. Here's proof.

Little Buddy was tired, too, since he missed his morning nap, but he hung in there. He danced to the music and tried to touch all the kids around us. It was a great show about taking care of nature. They sang one song about not wasting water. I wish they would have had another one about not wasting soap, another about not wasting toilet paper and tissues. Somehow I think they might get it if Big Bird sang about it. Here's another picture of all of us awake and excited.