Arrghh Mateys!

So Michael finally got his own dress up stuff yesterday,and can now be a pirate instead of a princess. Terry found this on the bargain table at Borders, and it's been a hit. It was hard convincing him to take it off to go to bed, and it was the first thing he asked for this morning. I hope it lasts till Halloween, it would make a great costume. Just need to find a parrot for his shoulder.....

Twins in Boots

This was one of those moments yesterday morning when I was glad I had the camera handy. They saw their boots in the garage and decided to bring them in. Poor Mike, between his 2 sisters, I don't know if he ever will learn to do anything for himself!

She's movin' on

Emily has hit some milestones in the past week.......

It occured to me that she had started asking for her paci during the day, which was a new thing. Our rule has always been it stays in the crib, and is only used at nap and bedtime. Same with Michael's diapers that he sucks on. (don't ask me, all four corners of every one of them are frayed and yellowed, but he LOVES them. ) Last Wednesday I realized she had bit a hole through her current paci, the only one left. She doesn't care about the hole, but I do; it's a choking hazard. Plus, if you are old enough to bite holes in it, I think you are past needing one! I slipped it out of the room when she wasn't around, then mentioned that it had to leave because it was broken. The first time without it was that day's nap. She talked about it for a few minutes, fussed a few minutes more, then talked in her crib for an hour before falling asleep. That night she cried for about 10 minutes, and that was it. She will ask for it every now and then, with a wry smile on her face, then say "I just jokin, paci all gone" I'm very glad it went so easily, if only breaking the thumb habit was that painless.....

Before nap today they were playing in their room. I decided to put away a few baskets of laundry before reading to them. When I got back to their room, she had removed her diaper, done her business (both kinds) in the potty and was busy using a wipe to clean the few little spots on the carpet. All this without any calling for me to help. Little Miss Independent. She is wearing just undies when we are at home, and that is getting the message across. I would love to have her trained before school starts, we have 5 weeks till then, and I am hopeful. Even one out of diapers would be a huge savings.

Off to test the Crockpot lady's mac and cheese recipe, will let you know how it turns out.

What a Crock!

Yesterday I was watching daytime TV (a rarity) while ironing (even more of a rarity, but I am in Consignment Sale mode) and had Rachel Ray on. One of her guests was this woman, whose New Year's Resolution is to use her crockpot everyday for 365 days. I had time tonight to look through the recipes and there are some that I want to try. I also like how she gives "The Verdict" for each dish, and her kids opinions as well.

I really am trying to do the whole "you eat what we eat" thing, but some nights it is just so painful. Like tonight, I made a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and carrots. Is that so awful? Sophie had been grocery shopping with me today, and knew I was making it. About an hour before dinner it began: "Do I have to eat it Mom? I've tried it before, and I really don't like it, and I don't like mashed potatoes either, and you know I'd rather have raw carrots than cooked......blah, blah, blah, on and on it went till I thought my head would explode. For awhile I was strong, telling her she could take a bite of everything, could have raw carrots and applesauce as well. Plus we could make cresent rolls. No relief from the barrage of complaints. I finally came to the conclusion that eating with her would be a waste of a good meatloaf. So, the kids ate ham rollups, cheese, raw carrots and apples, then watched a video while Terry and I enjoyed our lovely meatloaf.

In Peace.

And Quiet.

Fish and Turtles

Terry and Sophie went on their first fishing outing today. We started with the breakfast of champions: Cheerios and powdered sugar donuts. Isn't that what all great anglers eat?


While we were helping them get ready, Terry found a turtle on our back stairs. We never actually saw him, as he was afraid to come out once the kids were all around. We did place him back in the woods, I was pretty amazed he would have made it all the way up the lawn.

Here they are before leaving. Please note the Disney Princess pole, it was either that or Dora at Wal-Mart, and as anyone knows, Dora is for babies, not 6 and a half year olds. Larry, maybe you can consider offering this purple/pink combo to your customers?

They fished the pond at Roswell Park, and in the first 10 minutes Sophie caught (and released) this beauty. I asked her what it felt like to catch her first fish, and she said it was slimy and scaly. Terry reported that her casting was great, and she never got a tangle. They had practiced yesterday afternoon, so it must have payed off.

There were many turtles in the pond, and they were trying not to catch those, but they kept biting. One did hook on Terry's line and he wasn't able to get the hook out of it's mouth. He ended up cutting off what he could. At dinner Sophie said she can't wait to go again, but not to that pond, because,"there was only one fish in there Mom, and I already caught it."

The Fourth

Habby Forf of Juwhy!

That's how Michael and Emily greeted the day, after some coaching from Sophie. It's funny how excited they can get about something they have no concept of. Sophie had a greater understanding of the holiday, after Terry explained that it was our nation's 232nd birthday. We went to the local Marietta parade, which was hot, but fun.


Michael's favorite part was the fire engines, Sophie's was the marching bands, and Emily's was the funny clowns. (and those are her words, they are not just clowns, but funny clowns) Mine and Terry's were seeing the veterans and how the crowd stood and applauded them. To see the assortment of men and women from all different wars, some my father's age or older, walking in the hot sun because they are proud of their country; it brought tears to my eyes. And trying to answer Sophie in a way she could understand when she asked about them was humbling as well.

Later that afternoon the Amsterdams and our good friend Ruth joined us for a cookout. Thanks to Ruth for staying with Michael and Emily, and sitting with them when the neighbor's firecrackers woke them up, so we could enjoy taking Sophie and Noah to the fireworks.

Before we left for the fireworks, I thought Sophie and Noah would burst from excitement.

The weather could not have been better, it was pleasant with a slight breeze. We had a rousing game of Monkey in the Middle, the kids had snow cones, lit sparklers, then we settled in to watch the main event.


One of the best parts of being a parent is getting to see it all again through their eyes. I like fireworks, but watching your child's reaction to them makes them even better. The look on their faces when that first one exploded onto the black sky was priceless. That excitement carried them almost all the way home, they kept wanting to know what time it was, so they could marvel at how late they were up. Definitely good times.