December pictures

A Christmas Tidbit from Ellery

Els is chatting with my mom on the phone today and mom was asking her about Christmas.  After answering some questions, she paused and said, "Nanna, how did you know it was Christmas here?"  Nana says, "it's Christmas, too. It's Christmas all over the world."  Another pause from E.  "It is" she says?  "I didn't know that."  Nana says, "Yes, everywhere. Call Goggy and ask him if he is having Christmas there, too."  Ellery says, "huh? It's Christmas in Anchorage too?"

Visit with Santa

Today is Christmas Eve and the busy neglectful mom that I've been lately has put off our annual Santa picture to the last minute...so...off to the mall we go.  On the way there we were prepping G that we were going to see Santa and that he was going to ask what the kids wanted for Christmas.  I was hoping that this would be the first year without a screaming kid (no such luck) and was trying to preemptively calm the fears of our 2 year old.  We get to the mall and the girls go right up to Santa, give him a hug and hop on his lap.  Hesitantly Grady looks over at him, checks him out, then runs up, gives him a quick hug, takes a few steps back and yells at him "Nanas" then runs away.  (Nanas = Thomas the Tank Engine).  Needless to say, the next few minutes were spent forcing G to sit on Santa's lap so we could snap a quick picture (which we did end up getting...its not good, but we have it!)

Oh, and...I overheard the girls telling Santa that they wanted magic wands.  Not sure where Santa is going to come up with those, but while he's making them, I'd like one too!

The Nutcracker Ballet

In keeping with the season and trying to be a good parent that exposed her children to culture (well, as much as I'm going to be able to in this small town) I thought I would take my girls to go see the Nutcracker. Not. My. Best. Idea. I think it would have been a little easier if I wasn't 7 1/2 months pregnant and of course the fact that its TWO AND A HALF HOURS long, so for a 4 and 6 year old that's like 3 weeks. Anyway....the house lights finally went down after 15 minutes of this conversation:

Child: "When is it going to start Mom? When?"

Me: "5 minutes, sweetpea."

Child: "That's what you said last time" (which actually happened to be 5 minutes earlier and and would have been correct if they had started on time.)

Me: "I know punkin, but that when it was supposed to start."

Don't these people know that there are antsy children (and a lot of them from what I saw) sitting in the audience???

Here is just a tiny snippet of the conversations that were interrupting everyone around us (poor, poor people who thought they were coming for a nice afternoon of cultural entertainment)

Act I: the party -- these are just a few of the questions I got

M: "is this supposed to be a party?"

M: "what are they doing?"

E: "Can I sit on your lap?" (mind you...belly out to here, no lap available anymore.)

M: "why isn't anyone talking?"

M: "is this all it is??? Just music??"

E: "I feel like I want to take my shoes off, can I?" (sure, why not, we're going to be here for awhile.)

M: "Can I sit on your lap?" (see above)

E: After Act I ends "it that all? Is it finally over? This is taking forever" (nope, just the first act....)

At Intermission: E: "Can we go home now???"

Note to self...wait until they are older...much, much older before trying this again.

Bribing Santa

I walk into the living room the other day to see this on the tree...

The note says, "To Santa, I love you, From Molly." Hey, its worth a try, right?

Thoughts from Ellery

Molly comes running into my office saying, "Mom, there's a problem. Mine and Ellery's toilet is plugged." Most likely someone used it and "forgot" to flush, but I went to investigate...just in case. Sure enough, no problem at all. Ellery helped me try to figure out the problem. She squatted down really low and looked under the toilet. "Mom," she says, "it doesn't looked like our toilet is unplugged."

Aahhh the mind of a 4 year old. You can plug and unplug a toiled just like a lamp!

We've pick out a name...

Another ultrasound confirms its a girl and i'm actually starting to believe it now...especially since G has said that all along. We have picked out a name. One in which my mom is not especially fond of, but we all love it. The girls are calling her by it. So are we. Every time I try to get G to say it, he shakes his head and says, "no, dede" (his rendition of baby.) I'll give you a hint....it starts with a B and ends with a Y....and no its not baby! :) Now to figure out a middle name...

The Cheerio Incident (and November pictures)

Another MOPS craft and a great teacher gift!

Personalized hand sanitizers. So easy and so cheap. I made a bunch for teachers and friends who are having babies soon to include with gifts. Here is where I found this one!

October pictures

M's first report card

Now that she's in first grade, I guess we get report cards sent home with them. (The school figures she's still too young to figure out the whole checking-the-mailbox-before-mom-and-dad-do thing.) Before I tell you about her grades, let me back up a month or two.

We get all her work sent home, so I see the grades she's getting on a daily basis. When I say all, her work, I mean ALL her work! They first month I saved it all...in a pile...in my office...at my husbands request. When I realized that this was only ONE months worth of work...I selectively edited what I'm keeping (sorry babe). These papers kept coming home, mostly with the grades of S+ with some number grades, but those were always 97-100%. I kept seeing S+ after S+ and being the overprotective mom that I am, I was started to get a tad bit defensive. I mean, whoa, she's only 6, how perfect do you expect her handwriting to be anyway? See, where I come from, the grades are E = Excellent, S = Satisfactory, then you get the S+ and S- if applicable, and there must have been something else (N = Needs Improvement) but being the stellar student I was, I never got one of those (right mom??? =)

Well, like I said, we received her report card in the mail and all I saw was S+ ALL THE WAY DOWN THE LIST!!! Hunh??? Not one single excellent? Seriously??? We must have a talk here! Then I happened to glance at the top to see that the S+'s that were everywhere...well...they were the highest grade she could get. Oops! :) Here in OK, they grade by S+, S, and S-. So...silly me. No need to approach the school and start arguing her case.

We congratulated her, loved on her, and took her out to dinner to celebrate. She got to choose the restaurant and dessert. I figure the best way to keep the good grades coming home...make sure she knows what a good job she is doing. Make her proud of herself, and let her know we are proud of her too!

Another MOPS craft - fall wreath

First off, let me say, I am not a florist, nor a wreath maker, and...keep in mind...I have to come up with these crafts for $2 or less per mom...50 moms each meeting! Mini wreath form + wire + floral stems cut apart + ribbon = fall wreath.

D-D-D-D-Gog

So I get the G-man up from his nap and we're hanging out in his room on the floor looking at a wooden puzzle, void of all pieces, and talking about what pictures are there. Its an alphabet puzzle, so we're going through it. We keep coming back to Choo-choo (train) and Gog (Dog). I say to him, "D-D-D-D-Dog," because I'm attempting to teach him the proper pronouncement of the word. This is what he says to me, "D-D-D-D-Gog." Ok, so close enough.

September pics

It's a GIRL...I think...

Luckily we already have a lot of pink around here, so this might just work out fine. Although I'm not so sure that I believe the U/S tech. I've felt all along that its a boy. We have a boy name. Grady's pregnancy and this one were identical. (The girl's were identical, too). We have the space in Grady's room (I'm NOT giving up my craft room!!!). So...if it really is a girl, I sure hope she likes navy blue and boats! I have more U/Ss at 28 and 32 weeks. I'm going to have them check again...just in case.

Redoing the guest room...

Starting this week, we will have company in town for the next 40 +/- days. Lately the guest room has become a dumping grounds for all my ebay, etsy, craigslist and sewing projects. Knowing that bed will be used soon, I've begun to clean it out. (Side note to my guests...please don't look through the closet, its a bit scary!!!) Anyway. I've never LOVED the curtains in there and let's not get started on the fact that we've been here for 2 years and there are STILL no pictures on the walls. Anyway...I'm trying to get the finishing touches on some rooms before baby #4 comes because after that...nothings getting done around here! :) So, I'm blog hopping one eve and I come across The Nester and immediately *heart* this site! After reading about window "mistreatments" I decide I HAVE to change one of my windows...and this was an easy one to do!

The iron hooks just happened to be on sale at Hobby Lobby last week, so of course I grabbed them! Can't beat $5 a piece!!! I already had the curtains, but had sewed a rod pocket into them to hang on the rod I had originally put up. Honestly, the hardest part of putting these all up...ripping out the seams! :) I already had the clippy-rings leftover from who knows what! (See honey...I really will use the things I keep!)

After I got everything up, the window still needed a little something. I was going to make a sign, but at my weekly trip to HL this week, wall decor was on sale (again) so I grabbed that cute sign and just put it up. (Babe...I'm hearing you when you say "stop making things and just buy them!"...but just this once!) I love how it all turned out...and I already have a place to reuse the curtain rod...which I'm sure I'll be posting as soon as its done!

Now I'm on to the girls valence to try another type of "mistreatment." Then I'll hit the master bath, then....oh never mind....you get it!

First MOPS craft - jute wrapped vase

Last year I planned on posting the MOPS crafts that I organized. I think I might have gotten one posted??? This year....I'm aiming for more! :) Keep in mind that I have a $2 budget per mom, so I'm creative and frugal! Here's the first one, a jute wrapped vase. You start with this...

How do you do this??? So easy! Choose the back side of the vase, add some glue, add the jute...wrap. Add some glue (in a line up the back side of the vase), wrap the jute, add glue, wrap...oh you get it, right??? Here's some options of what I ended up with...

Now add your candles or flowers or just display them as is! Now while that glue gun is still smokin' hot, grab that ugly lamp base you've been meaning to donate and wrap that, too!

One thing I've learned about having kids...

Don't ever open your mouth and talk about something they've done or haven't done. Let me explain. The other day I was chatting with a friend and scissors were involved (usually with me, some sort of craft is! :) Anyway...we got to talking about scissors and hair and our kids. You know where this is going. I mention (kinda of questioningly) that my kids have yet to attempt self haircuts. See...that was my mistake. Had I kept my mouth shut and never said anything, I'm sure I would not be making this post. But no...I had to go and open my big mouth.

I walk into my bathroom last night to start the bath for the kids. I looked down and what do I see? Hair. Long strands of curly blonde hair. Luckily the girls were right behind me so I didn't have to scream loud enough to wake the whole city...just the neighborhood. And then I notice one child is no longer behind me. Ellery. The child whose hair is an uncanny match to what is lying on the ground.

For the first time in my life, I did not run for the camera. Usually in any situation involving my children, I grab the camera first...then help! Not this time. I wasn't sure if I was upset, sad, angry, but man...she was scared. Especially since I told her I would have to cut her hair to "fix" it. (Just between you and me...she was going to get a haircut anyway to trim off the green ends for the swimming pool...but I didn't tell her that and let her suffer a bit.) All through the bath, she was wailing "I don't want you to cut my hair. I don't want to look like a boy. I don't want to go back to school." Over and over and over. I didn't do anything to calm her, as I wanted to make sure this would NEVER happen again! Kinda mean, but I'm hoping it worked.

After I cleaned her hair up (luckily she has a mess of curls so the damage isn't that noticeable) she was complaining (read:still crying) that she doesn't like her short hair. (It's not that short...but short for her). I haven't checked on her yet this morning, but I'm sure she remembers.

Oh and I found out what scissors she used. I was perplexed because all the scissors are out of reach. All except little plastic ones that boast about not being able to cut hair...and I've tried them...just to make sure...and even those are locked up. Anyway...she got into my bathroom cabinet, opened up my manicure toolbox, and found my manicure scissors. Good thing they have small blades, or she might have "boy hair!"

Molly's teeth are getting knocked out

Well, ok, just one...but this was done by her sister. It was loose anyway, and she wouldn't let daddy touch it. All it took was an elbow to the chin as she and her sister were wrestling and...pop...out it came! Her 5th tooth.

Now we're waiting for another incredibly loose one to fall out...(which did a few days later because her brother knocked her in the mouth with a book and out it came!)

Girl or Boy????

I know it seems like I've been pregnant for like 2 years now, but really, its only been 16 weeks. Check back on the 29th. That's when my ultrasound is scheduled....

Yes, I'm still here...

Just a bit busy. I will get back to posting regularly as soon as I catch up with life. Oh....wait...is that ever going to happen??? :)

August pics

Oh boy...did I just make a big mistake...

I'm sick. I'm hungry. But I'm sick, so I don't want to eat. But I'm hungry and need to eat. What's a girl to do. I'm STARVING now since I've been sitting around wondering what to do. Well, let me just warn you...don't go looking at this website. Don't. Really. Don't do it. Ugh...you can't say I didn't warn you...again. I made the fatal error of looking through some of the cooking section. Then I saw it. A simple picture. A picture of pasta. Yummy looking pasta. I could just tell. Alfredo. Mmmm. I'm a gonner. I clicked on it...just to see if it was a link. It took me to this. It looks so simple. How can something so simple be so yummy, and so so bad for you? It can hurt that bad? I'll just try it. Just once. And I did. And now, I'm sitting here with a belly ache of a different kind. The over-indulgence type of belly ache. The kind where I just want to lay around and let the Alfredo seep through my veins.

Now where's the ice cream?

Another one from Ellery...

We have an upright electric piano in our living room, something I married into. Don't get me wrong...I took piano lessons for years as a kid, and at one point was quite good, I just don't practice anymore and it messes with my decor. Well, the kids LOVE the piano and actually know how to work it (all the demo songs and such). They'll turn it on and dance around in the living room. Quite cute!

Well, this morning, they are on it and had the volume full blast. My usual remark, "volume please." Ellery pipes back, "you never let us play adagio." (What she meant was Crescendo, but I'll forgive her 4 year old self for the mistake.) Molly turns to me and says, "that means loud, mom." Oh, right...silly me.

Have they been watching Little Einstein's???

Got some time to kill???

Last night, after a long afternoon spent in Tulsa with some girlfriends. (I wish I could say we did some fabulous shopping, but I'd be lying...unless you call Whole Foods, Sam's Club, Fleet Feet and buying a maternity belt luxurious!!! :)

Anyway...by the time I got home I didn't feel like cooking, so the fam jumped in the car and went out to eat. The bedtime routines started after our belly's were filled (a good hour later than normal) and everyone hit the sack. That is everyone except for me. I should have listened to that inner voice that said don't do it...don't...you're so tired and need every second of sleep...but I didn't. I ignored it. I stayed up WAAAY too late and read. Read a blog. Well, a book really. And then as if 2 1/2 hours of reading last night wasn't enough, I got up early this morning, grabbed my coffee (1/2 decaf, of course....why bother you ask? I know...but I had to cut out the caffeine due to pregnancy. The things we sacrifice for our children!!!) and finished the story. And because I'm blurry eyed and tired, I'm going to share it with you. Hey, misery love company, right??? You'll be hooked. I promise. You won't be able to stop reading. Here ya go...you have now been formally introduced to the Pioneer Woman. Chat with you in a few hours...

July 2009

Is this a Pottery Barn ad?

I wish! Nope. It's just our backyard. Its FINALLY starting to come together. Those of you who know me, know that I've been on a year long search for chaise lounge chairs. Its taken that long because 1) we live in "the middle" 2) I'm very picky, and 3) there's a budget. (Isn't that usually the catch???) Anyway...I finally found the right style that had both single and double chaises and were affordable (I found an internet coupon for 20% off and basically got a chair for free!). But the best part??? The cushions. I have to tell you about the cushions. Cushions usually cost between $75-200, depending on style, color, depth, etc. Well, these babies...I found these guys at Garden Ridge for $30 a piece. You read that right...30 smakeroos! I'm still tickled with that one! They were on an end of the season clearance (cuz its July, you know...time to start decorating for Christmas, right???) so they were moving them out. And I found them. 4 cushions, 4 pillows, in the EXACT color and size I needed. This NEVER happens to me! But it did...so don't go asking me for any lotto numbers, cuz I used up all of my luck...on chaise cushions!

Now if I could just finally pick out a few trees to plant...

Oh, and thanks babe for putting them all together!

Back in the saddle...or on the horse...or whatever it is

First of, no we don't have a horse, just using the saying. We got back in the pool today after the "incident" last week. (No I'm not expanding on that just quite yet. Still too recent of an event.) Joe and Grady jumped right in while mom waded around in the shallow end watching the girls splash around. I probably would have gotten in, but was feeling to tired and lazy to go change into my suit. It was too hot of a day not to get in and it was time. We've had a nice rest from outdoor activities but it was fun to be just us in the pool. It's a bit hot down here this summer, so as I'm sure you've guessed we are rather popular. I'd love to say its due to our fun and entertaining nature, but I'm guessing it might have a little something to do with the pool?!?! Anyway, we've been entertaining on almost a daily basis and I have a very nice tan to prove it...even with 30 SPF!

Well, its almost midnight. I stayed up late to finish another 2 scrapbook pages. I got creator's block in the middle of it, but still finished. I don't love how they turned out, but they are done. I've been having fun experimenting with new techniques and playing around.

Goodnight...I hope! :)

Bed-head and all (June pics)

I've sorely been neglecting the picture posting aspect of this blog. I have this wonerful new camera and lots of pictures, but its tricky to get the pics onto the computer, edited and posted. So...here is my morning. Unedited, uncombed, unposed, but posted!!!

2 more pages...

My two sweet girls!

What am I doing this weekend?

You got it. Hopefully I'll have wonderful pictures to show you of how it turned out.

Post Note: Um....ya....on that...? Well, I got a few in the ground. That didn't work out so well and they have since been overtaken by these horrible weeds. Weeds on steroids apparently. Man do they grow big and fast down here. Others died in their little plastic pots as I wasn't able to get them all taken care of. The surviving few, ended up in real pots on the patio. Those are ok, but since we'll be having 100 temp over the next few weeks, if I don't remember to water them, they're gonners! I did mention how much I despise yard work, didn't I?

My name is Kelly and I'm a multi-tasker

Really, its bad. I'm always doing more things than I should be...all at the same time. Like, I can't sit down to just watch TV, I have to be folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen or sewing. If I'm outside with the kids, I'm pulling weeds, cleaning the garage or back porch. Waiting for school pickup, knitting, cleaning out the car, or flipping though one of the gazillion magazines that are piling up. So, this is what I did at swimming lessons last night. A cute fabric flower. I saw something similar somewhere and thought I'd take a stab at it. This is for Ellery's hair. It's about 4" across and 1.5" high. Love it!!! And she's so excited to wear it. I'll get a pic of it in her hair (as soon as the smelly glue dries)! My first attempt was a little flat and part of the charm is the 3-D-ness (yes, making up words here). I hand stitched the first try and while cute, not exactly what I was after. This time I ran it through the sewing machine with the longest stitch length...MUCH easier and MUCH quicker. Anyway...love it (did I already mention that?) Going to make more. Ells will wear 'em...she's my girly-girl. Molly, I'm afraid, takes after me in the sporty-tom-boy area. Oh well, at least one of them will love it!

Uh oh....I did it...

Thank you to all of you who have sent me requests to join. I finally caved. I gave in. I joined Facebook. Don't get your hopes up for me to be attentive to my account, just know that its there! I have no idea what a "wall" is or how post comments. :) ...and OH MY GOODNESS...was I really the last person on the face of the earth to join??? I think so!!! :) So, I have some questions....please leave a comment with an answer...or helpful advice about Facebook. (See, I'm use to blogging!!!)

1) Is it ok to add people that you went to high school or college with if you don't keep in touch? Even if said schools were many moons ago?

2) PROBLEM SOLVED - How do you add a picture? (Really, I'm so up on all the tech stuff and usually really good, but a little intimidated here...)

3) How do I change setting so that I don't see every time someone updates their account or sends a message to someone else? (Or is that kind of the point???)

4) KINDA FIGURED OUT - What is "wall-to-wall"?

5) PROBLEM SOLVED - How do I change my name to add my maiden name?

More to come...

Yay a custom patch order...

What do you think??? This is my test run on a pair of Miss M's jeans. Somehow ALL of her pants have holes and I'm trying to get a little more use out of them for Ells. Anyway...someone ordered some custom patches on Etsy and here's my first "draft."

All that stuff

We're in the car on our way to VBS this morning, and I look back at the kids in the rear view mirror. Ellery's staring at me, so I give her a goofy look and then smile. She says, "Mom, you are beautiful with all that stuff on." (Stuff being make-up). I'll keep her!

Is the world flat?

Molly asks "Mom, if the world is round, why is it that everywhere we go is straight?" I started to explain about relative size and all that but, man, she's only 6; I'm going to have to get much smarter...before she does! =)

Woe is me (Ellery)

So she comes down the stairs in this terribly melodramatic sad whine and after asking her to repeat herself...

This is what I heard: "Mommy I lost something I've loved my whole life."

This is what it means: "Mommy I lost (threw it behind my bed) something (a rock I got yesterday in VBS) I've loved (which changes daily) my whole life (all 4 years)."

Look familiar?

Does your house ever look like this? Some days it seems that no matter how much time I spend picking up, every time I turn around, this is what I see. (Could that be because I have 3 little munchkins running around sabotaging me? Yup!) I always try to go to bed with the house clean, that way at least I can wake up in peace and not walk out of my room to work first thing in the morning.

The other evening, Miss M and Joe are snuggling on the couch. She takes off her glasses and sets them on the coffee table and burrows under the covers. Joe says, "Please take your glasses over and put them on the counter so Grady doesn't get them." Her reply, "that's OK Dad. I don't need to. Mom will take care of them. It doesn't matter where I put them, mom always takes care of them." OK...so apparently I'm picking up after them a little too much. But how do you get a type A gal to stop??

Oh, and yes, if you were wondering, I do feel like laying down in the middle of it and just giving up! (But then I'll just wake up to a mess.)

May pics

Ellery's thoughts on kids

We're discussing children and being a mom and how many kids she's going to have. Follow the conversation:

E: When I'm a mom, I'm not going to have any kids.
M: Well, sweet pea, in order to be a mom you have to have kids.
E: OK then, I'll have 100.
M: That's an awful lot of work are you sure you want that many?
E: Nope. (pause) Are we going to have more kids?
M: I dunno...should we?
E: Yes, but let's tell daddy.

Everest here he comes

Do you think he's hungry? I was pretty proud of myself to actually catch this one on camera. The first time it happened I was shocked. Then relieved that he hadn't tumbled backwards and knocked himself out on the tile floor. Then surprised at how quickly he did it. Like he'd been practicing (although he's yet to figure out how to escape!) Then wondering where my camera was. All these thoughts fly through my head in a split second (yet it takes me a few minutes to type!?!?)

Anyhoo...we have a climber. Molly did this too, so really, should it be so surprising to me? Nope. He climbs anything in site. Including our bathroom cabinets. The other day, I walked by the kids bathroom and the water is running. Huh, that's funny, the girls are outside with dad, did one of them leave the water on? I turn the corner and here he comes walking out of his room saying, "Uh-oh" and is soaking wet. Head to toe. So is the bathroom counter, floor, towels, mirrors and wall. Amazing what that child can do in just a few seconds! (I was warned about boys, but little did I know... :)

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mom's out there....I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day. May this be a day all about you. Enjoy it. Remember what a blessing it is to be a mom. Thank your mom and love your kids!!!

My solution to holey knees

What is it with kids and putting holes in all pants, tights, jeans, leggings!?!? I've started cutting off the pants to make them into shorts, which extends their life a tab bit longer...especially if you live somewhere with longer summers! I use to patch from the inside with fun material so you'd see a circle or square of material through. I just played with a fun new toy and now have made some cute patches.

I'm going to be selling them in my store. I've hand cut most, but boy does the die cut machine make this so much easier!!! The butterfly is the first of many to come. Now I just have to sell, sell, sell so that I can buy more dies! If you're interested in some, let me know.... bugaboogifts@gmail.com

Short shorts

Usually, to hasten the morning routine, I pick out the kids clothes the night before. On the mornings the clothes aren't laid out, the girls get themselves dressed...like this morning. Molly keeps coming to me with choices, and I keep telling her to just get dressed. She came in wearing a pair of shorts and told her she'd have to change. They were too short for school...even for Kindergarten there is a dress code! She says, "Mom, they're called shorts. They're supposed to be short!"

How do you argue with that??? (I still made her change.)

Just a snack

Another tidbit from Ellery:

We were driving home from an evening event where she had left with cookie in hand. In the car, she asked if she could eat it. I answered yes. A few minutes later she asked if she could have a big marshmellow when she got home. I answered no. She told me that it wasn't fair because she wanted dessert. I asked her what the cookie was. She said "just a snack."

April pics

Caught with her hand in the cookie jar

I've never really used this phase before, but today...it really happened. I made cookies for Joe last night. Those of you who know me, know that I don't bake. I don't even pretend to bake. I don't enjoy it. I don't have the patience for it. And...I always screw it up. Except for cookies. Chocolate chip ones, to be exact. That's it. Oh...well, occasionally, I change it up a bit and add butterscotch chips or white chocolate chip, or heck...get wild and crazy and do all three, but that's it. (And they are pretty darn yummy!!!) But, I digress. So last night Joe begged for cookies and I made them. Actually, he begged for them the night before about 5 minutes before I was going to bed. Last night he got his cookies. Today...he might notice that there aren't a whole lot left, and it wasn't me!! While Ellery was eating lunch, I came upstairs to write a quick email (mistake #1). I had doled out the usual lunch and since she was almost done, I thought I'd give her a cookie for dessert as long as she finished her lunch. The cookie was placed on the counter next to her bowl of fruit (mistake #2). I ran upstairs a few minutes (mistake #3). When I came back down, all I could see over the counter was a quick movement of a hand, pulling away from the stove, coincidentally where I had put the cookies on plate wrapped with plastic wrap (mistake #4). I walked into the kitchen to find her running around the island to hide....cookie in hand. That child is getting much faster. I chased her around the island a few times (slower than normal because I'm a bit sore from boot camp...which is a whole other post) and sadly could only grab her by the hair (no one was harmed, I promise...she thought it was funny that mommy couldn't catch her!) Anyway...she fessed up to eating the cookie I had given her (note: BEFORE she finished her lunch) and taking more. How many more??? I have no idea. All I know is that plate is much emptier now that is was last night. Now Joe could have eaten some for breakfast, but I'm betting Ellery took more than 1 cookie!

My Little Man

Love him!

What comes after a million???

Joe and the girls were in the car the other day and they were talking about numbers and sequencing, like hundred, thousand, million, billion, etc. Well, Joe asks Molly, "what comes after a million?" She looks at him with this funny look on her face and says, "a million and one!"

March pictures

The Hampster Wheel

No we did not get a hampster, mom. Like I really need more to pick up after? It's just don't you ever feel like you're on the wheel? You know...running and running and walking and running, but you never seem to get anywhere? (I guess it could be my treadmill, too!?!?) Anyway...I'm in a rut. All the way around. House, kids, work, crafts, exercise, life...just a rut. I clean a room, I walk into another room to clean it, I go to put something back in the first cleaned room and somehow its messy again. How does that happen?

On that note...must update later...life has happened here...BRB...

Baby Zandee

I have wonderful news today. My dear friend Kristen and her hubby are expecting! YAY!!! We are so excited for you. It's been a long wait and I know you will make wonderful parents. We gladly welcome you to the wonderful world of parenting! Here are just a few tips from a somewhat seasoned parent...

1) Take pictures every month of your pregnancy. Regardless of how you look and feel now, you will want to look back and see your pregnant belly!

2) Start stocking up on diapers now. They're expensive and you can never have enough.

3) Now and when the baby comes....if people offer help...take it!

4) Sleep when the baby sleeps.

5) Get a great diaper bag. Not too little, not to big. Enough to fit diapers, wipes, change of clothes, burp cloth, bottle and a toy. You will be carrying it for a long time, so make sure its cute.

6) Don't buy the matching quilt to the bedding set unless you plan on hanging it on the wall. You'll end up using receiving and minky blankets anyway.

7) When you make up the crib, layer pad, sheet, pad, sheet, pad, sheet. This way when the baby spits up or poops through, all you have to do is pull the top layer and not take the mattress out of the crib to change it. (Which is not easy to do.)

8) Buy a pack of white wash clothes at Costco/Sam's and have them stashed all over the house. Perfect size for burp clothes, cheap, great absorbency, and easy to bleach.

9) It's your baby so enjoy every minute of it. They are small for such a short time. You can never give them too much love.

OK...so that's it for now. Hee hee, I can't wait to see pics of you preggers. Congrats you three! =)

Thoughts from Ellery

Driving to school this morning:

"Wow mom, what a beautiful day." (It's cloudy and overcast). "With the birds singing....and....the clouds.....wait a minute....we need the sun to have a beautiful day. Maybe its not so beautiful."

Thoughts from Ellery

Really, I should just start a whole new blog about "Thoughts from Ellery." These tidbits of wisdom seem to come almost on a daily basis. I love it. She makes me smile all the time! Well, her 4th Birthday was on Saturday. Some friends stayed over after the party and we took all the kids for a bike ride/walk around the block. We passed by another friend's house (Aubrey) who was cooking dinner and could see us out her kitchen window. Aubrey knew we had had Ellery's party that day, so she asked Ellery what she got for her birthday. Ellery answered, "presents" and kept right on riding.

Molly's race

All weekend Molly's been complaining about going to school today (Monday). She keeps saying she feels like she needs to stay home. Come Sunday evening, I finally get out of her why she doesn't want to go. You see, they're doing that Presidential Health thingy. You know, you remember, the see-how-far-past-your-toes-you-can-stretch thing, and the how many push-ups and sit-ups you can do, and the timed running thing??? I remember. I loved it....but then again, I was pretty athletic way back when. =) So, I guess in P.E. today, they were doing the running part and Molly didn't want to do it. She thought they had to race for a mile and was telling me, "that's an awfully long time to run." So...when I picked her up today, she was pretty excited. Not only did she run the whole distance (which turned out the be a 1/4 of a mile), but she "won." Meaning she got the fastest time out of the whole Kindergarten. It wasn't a race at all, but she was excited that she still came in first. I was pretty surprised especially since she's one of the smallest kids in the class. I guess those short little legs can motor pretty fast...unless I've asked her to do something...?

Another scrapbook page

We've had a busy few weeks here. I've helped throw a baby shower, Ellery's 4th Birthday party, the girls started swim lessons, an eardrum rupture and 3 separate ear infections, one night of no sleep for mama, coffee spilled on my carpet (no connection to the no sleep), the pool pump almost broke and I'm sure there's more, but my point...What picture do I post??? The one of the page I completed last night! Hey, a girl's gotta have priorities, right? Well, here is page #6 for the year. I'm aiming for 52 completed pages this year. Yes, I know, that is a HUGE goal for me, especially since I haven't scrapped in over 18 months, but I'm going to make it. Right now, I'm only 9 pages behind....ok, so maybe that's a lot but each page seems to take sooo long right now. There is a learning curve right? I mean, at some point I have to get quicker??? Oh well...I'm having fun! =)

This is page #6. It's my pregnancy with Ellery. Notice there are no pictures of me? Well, that's because the only ones I had were that of me 9 months preggers, sitting on the couch the night before my C-section. Not pretty. You see the mat the ultrasound pics are on? There is actually a hidden pocket behind it. I sewed 3 sides of the mat and all the other ultrasound pics are tucked away. I also used my foam stamps and acrylic paint for the first time. Love them. Will be using them more. A lot more. Anyway...enjoy!

Ellery my brain-child

It's been warmer here lately, so we've been wearing more summer-type clothes. On our way to school the other day Ellery says, "Mom...you and Grady and Molly and I are all wearing short sleeve shirts. Everybody is wearing short sleeved shirts.....except for the people that aren't." Chemical Engineering, here we come!

Musical Beds

We've been playing musical beds at our house. Or at least the kids and Joe have. It seems, by morning, that the two children that can escape from their beds, have. The final location changes a bit...sometimes our bed, sometimes the couch, sometimes the floor, sometimes each other's beds...you just never know where they are going to end up, but most likely, it isn't' their own beds. Sometimes Joe moves around with them, or ends up in one of their beds. I, however, will rarely give up my spot. It's my bed. It's comfortable. I paid for it. I'm sleeping there.

Well, one early morning I was awoken by a little person in our bathroom. When she finished and climbed into our bed she was a little upset. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "there is no spot for me." I answered back, "yes there is...its up in your bed." "I don't like that spot," she replies wiggling down under the covers. Well, you lucked out this morning kiddo, cuz I'm too tired to argue with ya!

February pics

Sadly, this is our only picture for February. Notice the huge load of dirt in the driveway...that was our second load so imagine what I was doing all month instead of taking pictures! :) Hey, but our backyard is coming together!!! Finally! My favorite part...the piggies sticking out. My least favorite...the clean up of the boy, the clothes, and my carpet. But did the girls (and Joe) ever have fun burying him!

Never a dull moment around here...

All of you that have or have had little children in your home know that life is full of surprises. Surprises like tough questions that are asked where you have to think on your feet, finding toys in random places, kids saying things at the most inopportune times, your babies getting sick and trying to clean up with only your shirt, and, of course, other bodily functions. Yes, I left that one for last because that's what happened to me today.

Silly me for trying to get a little work done while Grady's awake. Tax season is in full swing, and I'm trying to stay ahead of the game...and get our own personal tax return done. I got a little caught up in entering donations and zoned in a bit...too much, I guess. When Grady was at my office door for a second protesting about something, I should have taken it a bit more seriously. After finishing the page I was working on, I went to find him. I walked out my office door, and what greeted me? Poop. On the floor. Assuming the cat did it, I went to find out where Grady was. He was happily playing with a toy in the playroom...naked. Where's his diaper? I still have no idea. He's not talking and I can't find it. The first thing I did was make sure Grady didn't play with the poop. Clean hands...Phew! Next...back to the changing table to get him covered again...and this time dressed. (I didn't quite get that far after his bath.) Get TP, put poop in toilet, wash hands again, look for diaper...nowhere. Put Grady down for nap, look for diaper...nowhere. Oh well, it'll show up sooner or later. Meanwhile, I hope I don't step in a puddle of pee.

Now, back to those donations...

P.S. Found the diaper. Grady so kindly put it in one of the toy bins in the playroom.

Cat food? Really?

I'm sure you can already guess which one of my children this post is about! Yup...Grady. I come around the corner and guess who has the cat food bowl in his hand and is munching on a handful like its chex mix. I can't imagine it tastes very good and kinda hurts my feelings when I know he won't eat the very edible food I feed him, but cat food? Really??? Oh well, at least its the high protein kind!

Ellery's thought of the day

When discussing her nap, she says, "Mom, I'm not going to take a nap, I'm just going to rest my eyes."

Craft-n-Chat

Well, I am frantically preparing for our first open house. Jennifer and I are starting some crafting classes which will be held at the Amazing Transformations Studio: Tri-County Tech Center in Bartlesville, Incubator #4. Our open house is Thursday, Feb 19th, from 6-8. (For more information, contact Jennifer at jennifer@atredesign.com) Anyway...trying to get a handful of "example" crafts done, which means that my office is a complete disaster! There is fabric, punches, paper and buttons EVERYWHERE!!! No joke. And its all on top of tax client stuff and normal life stuff! Yikes!!! I have got to get a grip....SOON! =)

Pictures of the crafts to come...I promise! =)

What did I do today?

First off, thank you very much for asking! Well, where do I start? After I got kiddo #1 out the door, and finished getting ready and the rest of us headed for the car. I couldn't get the doors open, so after checking inside, I confirmed that my gut feeling was right...dead battery. We were heading to MOPS, so I called a friend, with a van, headed to the same meeting, to come get us. (Thank you, Jill!!!) After the meeting, she carpooled us back home. For all her trouble, I figured the least I could do was feed all the kids. So we got them fed and busy, so we could go try to jump the car. Quick question...why is it when you need a man, they are no where to be found? Not one single guy. No utility truck, no neighbor, no couple perusing homes...nada. After reading the instructions (yes, I'm one of those) on both the car AND the jumper cables, Jill and I got to work. I called a girlfriend/neighbor (thanks, Aubrey) to have on phone, just in case. After all, there are 4 small children inside my house and both moms outside dealing with electricity and batteries. (Somewhere in the booklet it did mention that the battery could explode...) Here we go, positive, positive, negative, ground, start engine, idle, attempt to start engine.....nothing. Disconnect. And again...and again...NOTHING! To make a long story short...the Honda dealership sent someone out to jump it and I took the car in while Jill stayed with the kids. Turns out my battery was just at the end of its short little life. While the car had consumed too many hours of my day yesterday (and Jill's), there is some good news...everything was surprisingly free of charge due to the warranty (that never happens to me) AND they had the car in and out in less than 15 min (also never happens!!!) Love Honda of Bartlesville!!!

A little "funny" for the day...

One of my girlfriends sent this in an email...it was too cute! I'd love to give credit to whomever wrote this, but alas, I have not the information (so if anyone does, leave a comment so I can post. =)

Based on "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff
If you give a mom a muffin, she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. She'll pour herself some. Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She'll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks. She'll remember she has to do laundry. When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper. She will get out a pound of hamburger. She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With A Pound Of Hamburger.) The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail. She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her checkbook. The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. She'll smell something funny. She'll change the two-year-old. While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring. Her five-year-old will answer and hang up. She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee. Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup. She will pour herself some. And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Now...where did my muffin go???

Can we say "temper tantrum" with two capital T's?

Oh......my......goodness. Too funny! First off, we've never had a kid throw and all out temper tantrum (believe it or not!) Maybe that's why I found this so funny? New experience? I was having a really hard time not laughing at him. So, I hear Grady downstairs just pitching a fit, and went down to see what was the matter. He was face down on the carpet kicking and screaming. He'd occasionally look up, scream, face in the carpet, kick...over and over. I turned to ask Joe what happened (we're still not really sure)...he thinks its because he got his ball stuck on the other side of the baby gate!?!? (My guess...T...I...R...E...D!) Anyway...no calming this kid down, so we just watched him for about 10 minute (I was debating getting my camera, and for once didn't!) I finally went over and picked him up, and he quickly quieted. I grabbed his bottle (yes, he's still drinking milk from a bottle) and pacifier (and yes, he still has his paci) and he wanted nothing to do with either which is a rare occurrence...that is until it was HIS choice. Then paci in mouth AND bottle in mouth. This kid is pretty good at multi-tasking, as long as it involves a paci. He can scream with his paci in his mouth...he can eat with his paci (although most times he takes it out and sets it in a certain spot on the counter so as to not dirty it)...he can shower with his paci...and now, apparently, he can drink milk out of a bottle with his paci in his mouth.

Anyhoo...if this is any indication of what this child is going to be like going through his "two's," I just might have my hands full. Sweet as sugar most of the time, but man...he's got a bit of a temper, I guess!

Bye Bye Nanna

After a week and a half trip, we (the girls and I) took Nanna back to the airport today. Not a problem until we started to close up the doors after we got Mom and her bags out. I think that's the point the girls realized what we were doing....saying goodbye.

Ellery
"Mommy...I think I'm going to cry. Nanny's hurting my feelings 'cuz she's leaving. Nanna's broke my heart." After a few tears, she put her thumb in her mouth and that was that.

Molly
She WAILED for almost the entire 45 minute drive home. As if that didn't get old fast within the confines of the car, it was interspersed with the following thoughts said randomly through the tears:
"Oh, Nanny."
"I didn't get to play with Nanna today."
"I miss Nanna"
"She's at the airport now."
"I was laughing when she was here, but now I'm crying."
"I don't want her to leave."
"I'm not crying because I'm tired, I'm crying because I miss Nanny."
"When will she come back?"
"I always miss her when she leaves, but I don't miss her when she's here."

Halfway into the trip Ellery turned to Molly and yelled, "Molly...stop making so much noise!" (Amen, sister!!!) Mom...you are already missed...by all the Gallagher gals! Sadly, I agree with Molly, but am able to control myself a little better...most of the time! =)

January Pictures