More Funny Things....

MAC is just too much of a thinker, is my conclusion. When she talks, you can almost see the gears turning in her brain as she tries to formulate her thoughts into logical communication. Her most favorite phrase right now is, "Do you want to hear a funny story?" It turns out, this is not actually a question, but a lead-in. Her stories are often imaginative and far-fetched. I sometimes have a hard time following the plot, but she has it all worked out in her head.

What really gets to me is when she uses my own words against me. Whenever she has been naughty, she has to sit in time out. After time out, we discuss the naughty behavior, she apologizes to the appropriate party and I say "I'm glad that you're sorry and I hope that you don't do that again." Life then goes on.

The other night, in the bathtub, MAC pinched MMC on the cheeks and scratched her pretty bad. MMC was crying and MAC got a wet, bare-butt spanking for hurting her sister. After she had been tucked into bed, I went in to discuss why that behavior had been unacceptable. She explained her defense (MMC was playing with her Ariel doll) and then I explained why that had been unacceptable and that we must share our toys in the future. I told her I was sorry I'd had to spank her and that I loved her very much. She then replies, "I'm glad you're sorry, Mommy. It will be okay." Then she brushed my hair back from my face.

One of those things you look back at and just chuckle. Little devil!

Missing our Babies

Ahhh, the sound of silence. Or at least the lack of noise. Hubby and I are both enjoying a few days of peaceful existence while MAC and MMC spend some time at Granny and Poppa's house in Oklahoma. Maybe enjoy is too strong of a word. Appreciate, perhaps.

And while the quietness is nice for the first day (or maybe two!), it starts to get lonely very quickly. I'll admit, I've called Granny every day to see how they're doing and talk to the girls (that is, if they're not too busy doing more fun things!)

But they'll be back on Thursday and I'll be back to chasing them around and attending to their needs 24-7. But isn't that what Mommies are made for? Yep. And I wouldn't change it for the world!

I love you guys!
~Mommy

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

MAC is changing every day it seems. It doesn't feel like all that long ago that we were coming home from the hospital with her. As we go through the same milestones with MMC, it is hard to remember that MAC is just three years old and not a full-fledged adult.



One of the fun things to watch is when she gets to thinking about something and the wheels in her head start turning. The words that her mind creates are usually good for a long laugh! Here are some recent examples:



"Mommy, Nana and I rode on the alligator!" (This would be the ELEVATOR at church!)



"Sleeping Beauty is very sad because she poked her finger on the steering wheel." (Pricked her finger on the SPINNING wheel is more accurate)

"I'm so sad."
"Why are you sad, MAC?"
"Because I left my heart in Homa-homa." (This is how she pronounces OKLAHOMA, where her Granny and Poppa live)



But the most classic case of manipulation is when she knows there are consequences coming. She looks me in the eye and says "But I just love you beary much, Mommy!"



I've never been so good at laughing without it showing!

(MAC and MMC lounging on their Princess Couch!)

Thank God Almighty, A Roof At Last!

If you missed the adventure, we recently replaced our roof. Here's what it used to look like:

Notice the moss on the far right side? That would be the old shake shingles growing things. ugh.

After two long weekends and a lot of trips to dump the trailer, we have our new roof.

Isn't it pretty? And it's leak-proof. We've had several storms move through and no leaks! Yay! Thank you Lord!

Whirlwind Weekend

So we've returned from a whirlwind weekend in Oklahoma spending time with family. Here's how things went:

Friday

Daddy had to work until 3 pm, so I spent the day packing all the rest of our stuff and cleaning the house. By the time he gets home, we're all dressed, the truck is loaded and we're ready to go. We leave at 3:30 pm and don't arrive in OK until 8:30 pm. That's right. Our 3 1/2 hour drive took 5 hours. The time wouldn't be so bad except MMC was whining for about 3 of those 5 hours. I've never been so happy to put that truck in park.

Saturday

Our (extended) family pictures are scheduled at 9:30 am, which means Daddy, Mommy, MAC and MMC have to be clean, shiny and in our picture clothes by 9 am. And we did manage it. Barely. Pictures were interesting. MAC (and apparently Cousin A.) had been up for a good chunk of time in the night and neither were willing to sit still and smile. I'm anxiously awaiting the proofs, because I'm hoping we can use them for Christmas cards.

After that, we had just enough time to eat lunch at Granny's house and get everyone dressed for the wedding at 2 pm. Mind you, no one's had a nap at this point! On our way to the wedding, MMC falls asleep and I'm able to keep her sleeping through a portion of the ceremony (It was a Catholic wedding!). But just at the quietest point in the whole thing, she turns around, sees Granny and says (clear as a bell) "HI!" Everyone around us was snickering, but I'm used to it by now. After the ceremony, we headed to the reception (or as we told MAC, the Ball) for food, drink and dancing. MAC and MMC spent most of their time on the dance floor.

After that, we headed back to Granny's house for a small rest and then we changed clothes and headed out again. This time, we were going to the 8th Annual Pig in the Ground. We'd bought the PIG shirts and used iron-ons to make the girls a shirt that matched. The party was fun, but we were tired. Granny and Poppa picked up the little girls and Mommy and Daddy headed back to the cabin soon after. How boring are we?

That's our daughter!

Tonight, Daddy had to work late and Mommy had school. So, Aunt J. graciously volunteered to take them with her to church and I would pick them up later. Honestly, I was the most worried about MMC because she's been having "stranger anxiety" lately. MAC would be fine (I was sure) because Cousin T. would be there playing with her. I arrived, a few minutes early and observed unnoticed. MAC was not sitting in her chair like all the other good little boys and girls. She was standing immediately in front of the teacher who was reading the story and holding up a picture. The teacher asked MAC to sit in her chair so everyone else could see. MAC looked her in the eye and then poked the picture before returning to her seat. Needless to say, I waited a little while before I came to the door and said "I'm MAC's Mommy!"

After my face quit burning, I picked MAC up and then went down to get MMC from her room. I chatted for a few minutes to make sure the night had gone relatively uneventful. Apparently, MMC is just the best little mommy to all the younger babies! Who knew? As we walked off, I noticed that MAC was eating something. I glanced down to see a cracker/cookie thing that I didn't recognize in her hand. "Where did you get that?" Her reply was a crumb-y smile. "Did you bring that snack from Aunt J's house?" Nope. Then the teacher glances up and says "Oh, those are little treats I brought in. It's ok." MAC had taken it upon herself to investigate the counter where the nursery worker stands when you pick up your child. She had also decided to help herself to the home-made pie crust cookies this nice lady had brought for the other nursery workers that night. After repeated assurances to me that she didn't mind, I prompted MAC to say "Thank you" and rushed out with my face burning. Her punishment? She had to give what was left to Cousin T.

Guess that's what I get for not watching her every single second!

Why don't these things ever happen when Daddy's in charge?

Is this our life?

On our way home from seeing my little brother in his Fall Concert, I had two very fussy little girls on my hands. MMC was just plain tired and tired of being in her carseat. MAC's "tummy is very hungry" and she needed to be in bed because "It's dark outside, mommy!" It was an early 8:00 pm. So, weighing the remaining 30 minutes of our trip home, I decided to stop and feed the backseat monsters some chicken nuggets. Sitting in the drive thru, waiting to order, a little voice peeps up, "Mommy, I have to potty." I whip the truck out of the drive-thru, into a parking stall and race to get both girls out of their carseat restraints (remembering to grab my keys!) and into the building so MAC can potty. All the while, I'm telling her, "Hold it in your tummy. Hold it in." Fortunately, we made it just in time. There's nothing like helping a three year old potty while keeping your (newly walking) one year old from touching and putting everything in their mouth (EWW!). Well, we got our chicken nuggets, made it home and everyone (except Mommy) is in bed asleep. Whew!