My Little Bit is TWO!

Happy Birthday, Little Bit!

You know, my goal as a mother from early on was to make sure that I treasured every single little moment. I did not want to look back one day with regrets. I didn't want to hear a little old lady tell me, "it's over in a blink of an eye" and worry that I was missing something. Although that was my goal, I still feel like these last two years FLEW by without me noticing. I was intentional with my moments where my children are concerned, yet despite my deepest efforts, here I am two years since Little Bit was born...shaking my head and wondering where the time went.

I think with your first born you are so excited to reach each and every milestone that you are looking ahead...not behind at phases that passed by you. I know that is the way I was with LaLa. Plus, as soon as LaLa passed this baby stage, I was so excited about what was just ahead...preschool, being able to be more independent, soccer, more talking, more active, etc.. I was pregnant when LaLa turned two. I think that helped too! I knew the "baby" world was still just around the corner. It is so odd to be excited over such a milestone, yet so sad when those milestones go by as well. Wow, what contradictory feelings!

Little Bit is so excited about her big party on Saturday. She is pointing at pictures of all her friends and family (hanging up on a board beside changing table) and asking, "they coming to my bertday?" She can also hold up two fingers when you ask her how old she is. However, she has to hold up one finger on each hand because she just hasn't grasped the concept of two fingers side by side on one hand! Regardless, it's cute!

LaLa has been a great big sister to Little Bit today. She woke her up by singing happy birthday! We spent the day as a family at Chuck-e-cheese, and the girls had a great deal of fun. I think they should hand prozac out to the parents when you leave. Needless to say, the grown ups are quite exhausted!

Can you guess what kind of party Little Bit is having!?:)

My Sweet Ballerina

These are from LaLa's ballet recital...my sweet girl is growing up. I am having a difficult time realizing this for both of my girls. I love watching them grow and mature each and every day, but at the same time, I want to scream against Father Time because I feel cheated that my time with them "little" is so short. It's hard to explain. I think my baby, Little Bit, turning two is the source of all of this crazy emotions. Today is actually the LAST day that she will be one. The LAST day in my head of her being a "baby".

Getting Dressed.

Tap...love those hats as props!

Ballet...LaLa's little dance class was so sweet this year. She made some great friends (and the moms were great too!)

You mean I get a trophy?! You should have seen her face! Her class is on the far left.

How do you keep a busy toddler still during a recital? A "sugar" pacifier...aka...a ring pop!:)

LaLa's grandparents brought her a bouquet of flowers. She kept smelling them on stage.

One kid looking at that trophy (her favorite part of the night) and one kid that would not quit goofing off with that hat!

My sweet big girl!

LaLa with Robert's parents, "Nana" and "Daddy Gene". They drove all the way from Dalton, Ga to come to her recital for a couple hours! That's grandparent devotion!

My mom and dad with LaLa. (Gumpy and Mimi)

The Second Child Syndrome?

Uh...oh...I'm caught?! Run, run...hide...close my eyes. I can't be in trouble now!

Poor Little Bit simply looks pitiful in this picture! I snap pictures of my girls several times a week. The blog is great for holding me accountable to take pictures regularly. (Add that to the great reasons for blogging). Now, Little Bit is well taken care of, but she is a wild little monkey! She has no fear. She thinks she is as big and as tough as her big sister. She will climb anything. She makes the strongest willed child look like a piece of cake. She does everything with her whole heart. She loves her big sister like crazy. She copies her. She watches her. She adores her.

Little Bit sings songs...any song. She loves to dance. She skips or gallops rather than just walk. In fact, she rarely walks anywhere. She rarely goes in the direction you want her to go. You will often see me walking our neighborhood with my girls, yet Little Bit must be strapped in the stroller or attached to one of those kid leashes (at least it looks like a puppy backpack)! She loves to play with dolls as babies. She loves to dress up. She walks better in princess "high heels" than I do in my high heels. We are working on sharing because her current favorite word is...MINE. She loves M&Ms...I mean loves them. She loves her dogs...when they do not run away scared of her. She loves to swing. She loves the park. She walked really, reallly early...even though I did not encourage it...at all.

Little Bit is the second child. With LaLa, I made sure she never left the house without being dressed just perfectly. I always had the diaper bag packed. I had a stash of toys for restaurants. We planned our day around naps and days around her schedule. She never played with markers...or even art supplies for that matter without 100% supervision. Have you ever heard of Baby Wise? I lived and breathed that book with LaLa. If she spilled something on her clothes, I changed her immediately. Well, take another look at this particular picture and notice the arrows!

She is still so cute, but looking at this picture, it made me realize (once again) how I have changed as a parent. Do you see the arrows pointing at the spots on her shirt from lunch?! Did I change her? NOPE...we weren't going anywhere, and that would have been more laundry! Do you see the arrows around her little face? That is (once again) the result of a marker that she managed to snag from her big sister's stash. Fortunately, they are non-toxic because she colors on herself in her attempts to create her art! Despite the fact of the label declaring it is "washable". It is not. Markers on skin take several washes and a good day to get it off completely.

Do you notice her eyes are closed? Well, this is because I had just discovered the markers (with their tops off) in a trail straight to the culprit. Let me also mention that no matter how much I hide these stinkin' markers, she still FINDS them! What does she do when she knows she is in trouble? She finds a spot and closes her eyes. You see...in the mind of a one year old...or at least in the mind of my one year old...if she can't see YOU, she believes that YOU can't see HER! I continue to say, "I see you. Open your eyes. Did you get the markers out?" She never moves or opens her eyes. I give up and begin picking up the trail of markers and tops to hide them in an even more difficult hiding spot. She slowly opens her eyes and peeks to see if she is in the clear.

Oh well, choose your battles...yeah, she is definitely the second child!

Preschool Memories

I haven’t shared any “inside” information on LaLa’s end of the year party last week. If I was this broken up on LaLa moving on to K4, what am I going to do when she graduates from kindergarten…or high school…or college?!


Here are some of the fun things we did for the end of the year…

These are cards that we made for each student so they would have their friends' personal information. All of the parents signed a release at the beginning of the year allowing me to create and share a student directory for the parents. I would not share personal information without being sure it was alright with everyone...so always check first! Hopefully, this will encourage the preschoolers to keep in touch over the summer. They made some wonderful little friends. I always made books for my students when I taught, and I always included my address as well. I loved receiving and returning letters throughout the summer with them.

These were just water bottles that we found at the dollar store. LaLa and I cut out the kids' first initial using my Sizzex (which is one of my all time favorite scrapbook toys). Just a tidbit of a secret...I use 'shelf liner' rather than the 'cricut' vinyl to make the letters. It works the same. Plus, you receive a lot more for a better price! I just look for good quality vinyl liner.

 

LaLa's Preschool teacher's end of the year gifts. Now, she is ready for the beach...plus, she likes (amazing there are still people out there that like it and have time to do it!) cooking! The students also worked together to make their teacher and teacher's assistant flower pots out of their handprints and a scrapbook filled with their "thoughts on their teacher". I forgot to take pictures!

Prior to the party, the students had the opportunity to enjoy a field day of sorts. LaLa's favorite part was the "jumpy house". She also played with chalk, bubbles, beanbags, and hula hoops.

I love their little shirts. Aren't they cute?

Party time...picnic style!

Each parent sent in an "outdoor" item to go in the kids' goody bags. Here are some of the things that were included: the shovel and pail, a backpack, a bucket hat, bubbles, chalk, a bug catcher, a bug net, plastic bugs, a magnifying glass, a float for the pool, etc.. Now, LaLa has seen this bucket sitting on her classroom's shelf for several days, she has been chomping at the bit to get her "end of the year bucket". You would have thought it was pure gold. Every single day, she would ask if today was the day she received her bucket! Then, we got it home, and I think I intervened a gabillion times when Little Bit and LaLa were not wanting to share the items. Obviously, they both liked all of the items!

I know I wasn't the student this year. I wasn't the teacher. I had a marginal part as just the mommy. However, on this last day, I wanted to pat myself on the back...and I still just might. This is the first year that I realized the parents' full perspective on the school year. Despite the marginal part, it is still a great deal of work as the mommy of the student. A lot of juggling your role as mommy and letting someone else have the control...ups and down of learning and behavior...your little one loving and disliking school from day to day...knowing how to handle a situation to not having a clue how to really handle it...learning when to say yes and when to say no to people...letting go (did I mention that yet?)...juggling picking up, dropping off, volunteering, schedules, and all while you have another little one very dependent on you...

see, a great deal of work!

If I ever go back to teaching, remind me to give the mommies and the daddies a certificate of hard work at the end of the school year and not just the students!:)

I felt like we completed the school year successfully. Our first one...my first one...ever...as a mommy. I survived it...successfully...and LaLa did too, of course!

One phone call can change so much...

Yesterday, a friend and I thought we would steal a few minutes away from our families. I am off to the beach this week. She is off to the beach next week. We needed pedicures. Our husbands took on the role graciously of staying home and watching our girls. We sat down in these luxurious spa chairs, feet placed in warm sudsy water, and prepared for some girl chatting and some special treatment for our toes. About that time, my phone rang. It was Robert. All I gathered was panic in his voice (he never, ever panics), blood everywhere, my sweet baby crying, and that she had hit her head. My friend and I, literally, paid the lady something for the inconvenience, jumped out of the chairs, and ran to my car. Somehow I drove to my house without hitting anyone or anything. My friend did say a prayer for Little Bit, but I think part of her might have inwardly prayed for my driving!;)

As we pulled up to the house, my parents had just arrived as well. Robert called them to help with LaLa and for a car with seats if he had to run her to the hospital. Currently, my SUV is the only car we have with a backseat. Fortunately, the bleeding and crying had subsided by the time we arrived.

The story has varied according to who tells it, but from what I can gather, she was playing like the couch cushions were "lily pads" with her sister. Robert was doing the dishes (where he can still see them in the living room over the bar). She tripped in the midst of a jump and hit her head on the wall of the fireplace or coffee table...that's the sketchy part. The part where LaLa was the princess and Little Bit was the frog in the game prior to the accident is the only part that is accurate and consistent on everyone's account.

We decided to take her to Scottish Rite to make sure she was okay (concussion?) and to see if she needed stitches. They were incredible there. I was so shaken up I put her birth date as July 15, 2010...um...not quite, but they still looked at me concerned. I am somewhat of a germ fanatic and hospitals just freak me out a bit (okay, a lot). I did not want Little Bit to touch anything (not to mention that we had grabbed her and left without her shoes). We managed to keep her amused by walking and talking a lot. They checked her out immediately...head wound really gets you to the front of the line. They put this head band and numbing gel on her that had to stay on her for thirty to forty minutes. Hmmm....keeping an almost two year old from pulling it off...interesting. Then, we saw the doctor. He was great...absolutely great. I'm sure it was mostly due to my friend's prayers on the way to the house. He decided to put in a couple stitches because of its location. It would have continued to bleed and not have been able to "close" and "heal" properly. He said that there was no concussion and the wound was not too bad. He reassured us both (pale still, I'm sure) that head wounds bleed a great deal.



Then, the awful part. They swaddled her, wrapped her in a straight jacket, washed the blood out from her hair (right at her hair line), and cleaned the wound preparing it for stitches. She fought and fought to get out of that thing. She was crying, sweating, and pleading for "mama and dada to help". Heart breaking and breaking and breaking. Completely helpless. I am not good in emergencies. I cannot even sugarcoat the extent of my lack of ability to deal with them. I thought I was going to pass out when they took that thing and began to stitch her up.

Once it was over, she was fine. Her daddy handed her milk and her blanket, and she placed her head on my shoulder and fell asleep before we walked to the car. It had been an eventful day for a little girl....and me.

The first thing she said when she woke up was...ow...boo boo...hair hurt. Yes, baby, your "hair" will hurt for a couple days. You are just going to have stop being such a monkey! I think it is going to be Little Bit that gives me a heart attack and makes me gray WAY before my time. She has no fear. Sometimes, I want to be more like that myself. Sometimes, I long for the days when she didn't know how to be mobile yet and was safe!

The stitches should dissolve in a few days. Until then, we can't brush her hair. I can't remember whether or not we can wash it. Hats at the beach...she can't touch it...all that fun stuff. Do you see that girls crazy hair? Well, she will have that same crazy hair for a few days it seems!
It just amazes me that ONE...one simple phone call...can change so much...so fast. Fortunately, it all worked out, and I can this blog post to her scrapbook. Let's just hope that it's the last entry that results in a head wound and blood. On another note...does anyone know how to get blood stains out of a cute Bailey Boys outfit and couch cushions????

Have you ever wondered what your life would be life if…?

My goal lately has been to live in the moment. This lesson was a Bible study that I heard several weeks ago that has been on my mind. How often do you live in the moment? I mean fully live in this exact moment? When you are sitting in church listening to the sermon, are you making your to do list in your head rather than taking in that exact moment? (I am.) When you are driving in your car from place to place, are you living in that exact moment? (I am usually struggling to entertain my children, focus on driving, and talking on my cell phone.) When you are with your children, do you drink in every drop of that moment? (I don’t. I am usually saying, “I can only play for one more minute. Then, I have to get dinner started.”) Wow, are there really that many moments that I miss? Are there that many moments that I do not take full advantage of by living in it completely?

I had always thought that my multi-tasking ability was one of my best attributes. Now, I am not so sure. That attribute might be in part responsible for making my mind race and wonder when I should be living my fullest life in every moment. Do I sometimes make wrong decisions or wrong turns in life because I am not in the moment? Would I have the opportunity to enjoy life and my children more if I was in the moment? Would I hear and feel God more within those focused moments?

James 4:14 says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Regardless your religious preference…we most believe in one thing: life is short here on earth.

We know life is short. We know we are not promised tomorrow, yet I allow my moments to get stolen.

It is difficult to focus on living within each moment. My brain has been trained to multi-task, to rush through each activity to get to the next, to be productive, to make my decisions based on a quick response not giving myself time to consider what I think and feel or meditate on God’s desires. Try it. Try to be consumed with each and every moment today. IF you are talking to your preschooler, put your entire self into that conversation. My preschooler talks so much that it is really difficult. My eyes glaze over after a while. Do you know my biggest flaw? My most difficult thing I overcome every day? To focus on a task. My mind wanders while I write. It wanders while I fold clothes. My mind wanders and races so I venture into another task or thought. Would I actually be more productive if I lived within the moment? Would I actually (gasp) enjoy or actually complete putting away laundry?


What would my life be IF I lived within every moment? I wonder…

Overheard...

*My Little Bit has been flipping out (to say the least) over SNAKES. What in the world has put this fear into her? She will run frantically for me yelling, "Help, Mommeeeee, Nakes." I will encourage her to get in the tub, and she will adamantly shake her head, "No, dere nakes." Robert and I just couldn't figure it out. It was funny at first, but then it has become a complete fear of hers. Late at night, I heard the girls whispering in their room, "Little Bit, give me the silly bands or the snakes will get you." Little Bit promptly handed over silly bands to her big, manipulative sister saying, "no, nakes, LaLa." Hmmm....I think I have found the culprit! LaLa, I wouldn't blame your little sister if she gets you back for that one day!



*I called Robert today as I was on my way home.

LaLa answered the phone.
Me: What is daddy doing?
LaLa: He's pole dancing.
Me: He's what?!
LaLa: pole dancing.
I hear Robert in the background asking her to repeat it again. She clearly says the same thing again.
I hear him ask her where she heard that from. (By the way, he is coloring with Little Bit and watching the Braves game.)
LaLa: I heard it on the chipmunks.
Me to Robert when he gets the phone: What in the world are you doing? AND, where in the world did she get that?!
I do not remember that part AT ALL on the chipmunks?! Maybe we heard it wrong? Maybe she heard it wrong? Great, now our child is going to go to her private, Christian school tomorrow and tell her teacher and friends that her daddy was pole dancing?!



*LaLa and Robert were taking a nap together on our lazy weekend. They love watching the Braves game. She is one of the only four year olds that I know that can name almost all (entire starting lineup) of the Braves players. She is a serious fan just like her daddy.

LaLa: Daddy, I know a lot of the Braves players because we watch the games together. You watch My Little Pony with me, but you do not learn their names. If I know the Braves' names, you need to know the ponies' names.

LaLa continued to teach Robert each of the ponies’ names and quiz him for the next thirty minutes. Finally, when he successfully named each one, she was ready to take a nap.



*On a walk on our street today, I wearily told LaLa that her mouth had to be so tired because she never, ever quits talking. She said her mouth was not tired at all. I told her my ears get tired sometimes of listening. Robert sincerely turned to me and said, "Now, you know how I feel about your talking." Hmmm...Didn’t like the comment, but it made sense. I guess I do know now.


*As I was driving, LaLa said to Little Bit, "Little Bit, will you always be my best friend?" That mama moment made me want to melt and cry all at once. (maybe that will make up for the snake episodes!)

*We are having some DREADFUL traffic that we face on the way to church or preschool due to construction. However, instead of dread the construction and traffic, I end up laughing and smiling because Little Bit is so in love with the tractors. LaLa is pointing them all out to her the entire trip there while Little Bit squirms and screams excitedly, "TACTOR, TACTOR!"

Summer Anyone & My Embroidery Revelation...

I have started to monogram all gift bags. They are perfect to throw in ballet clothes or for nursery or toys for a restaurant or whatever!

Okay...my embroidery plan that I mentioned a while back...for those of you who care:).

I have decided to no longer do any embroidery of personal items. (in other words...I will no longer embroider anything you give me.) I have reasons...I promise. First,  it makes me a nervous wreck (that should be reason enough!:)) I have had people ask me to embroider all kinds of wild things. I do not want to embroider your grandmother's childhood blanket (I still love my friend that asked me). Good grief...I would die no matter how much you assure me that it is fine if something happens to it. With embroidery, you can remove any stitches (for the most part), but it is always a possibility that it will leave a mark or holes. If I embroider something I have (a towel, a bag, a shirt, etc), I ususally have more. I can replace it easily. If I can't replace it, I won't feel bad...well, as bad!

Second, I cannot embroider everything. Let's see...people have asked me to embroider crazy, crazy things...umbrellas (which would be super cute if I could do it...and you can with "embroiderable" umbrellas"), little bitty items (I don't even know how you fit a letter on it much less fit it on an embroidery machine), hats (nope can't do hats), shoes (nope can't happen), smocked dresses (probably, don't want to "probably" do a dress that you paid eighty dollars for! I would stop breathing), bathing suits (yes, you can do some types...only some) etc. The thing is even if something is embroidable...it has to "fit" on a hoop or rather pull the object far enough from the front where it is embroidable! Okay...boring rambling...but this is my reasoning...so I thought I would share. No mean looks...you still have to love me...lots!

My hubby gave me this wonderful machine last mother's day because I embroidered all things in my house. What's embroidered in our house (by the way, I do not know how to properly conjugate the verb "embroider" so excuse my mistakes!!)? I have embroidered curtains, framed fabric, my lamp (tricky), towels (hand, beach, bathroom, kitchen), blankets, pillows, pillow cases, shower curtain, basket liners, etc.. When I had girls, it became an obsession to monogram all their little things. He figured he had a lot of high priced hobby toys. My scrapbooking and purse obsession added up to be costly overall, but I did not have any big toys. He thought he would share the love a bit and surprised me with a wonderful mom's day present...my embroidery machine. I never thought it would turn into a great way to make extra (secret) spending money! I love doing it...especially when my kids cooperate and give me time to do it! It can make anything special when you add a monogram. If I thought I could get away with it, I would monogram my own shirts!

If you find something just wonderful that you want embroidered, ask me! Like...hey, I found these cute bags at Target. Do you have anything like it? I probably do! Or, a friend of mine...will call and say I really need two hot pink shirts that have a black monogram to go with a cute black skirt the girls have. No problem! I'll try to find them for her! It eliminates the randomness of "trying" to embroider something that may or may not be possible and the possibility that I could mess up something you own.

I'm hoping sometime this summer to have a site or etsy shop...the only thing is my dear friends and their friends are keeping me so busy that I'm scared to add more (strangers' orders) into the mix! Do any of my wonderful friends know how to do this kind of thing or set up paypal...hint...hint?!

Beach Bags for the twins...can I please have twins. Did you hear that? That was my hubby choking when he read that! Their stuff is just too cute! Hee hee...that's what would happen. I would finally talk Robert into having a third, and it would be twins! Better yet...twin girls! Four little girls...I better stop while I'm behind!

Well, now that I shared (and you all promised to still beg and want my stuff I make) my plan...

I can tell you the important stuff...

I am loving this weather....the sun...the walks...the jasmine...the garden. I love it all. I am not a winter girl, but I just can't get enough when spring hits. It just gets better and better after that point.

And, I just love this little face coming to ask me if we can go play in the "pood".

Of course, sweet girl, who could say not to playing in the "pood" with two cute girls! And better yet...they won't tell that I haven't shaved my legs in a week...I know too much, huh?!

I'm off to splish and splash in the pool with my girls. Gotta love this time of year!

Beach bag and towel for LaLa's little friend.

"Happy Mudders Day" & Thoughts About Being a Mommy

Mommy. Mama. Mother. Mamamamamama. Mom. These are the names that altered my life forever. That title of Mommy is the first time that I felt complete purpose for my life. It changed my perspectives. It changed my fears. It changed my goals. It changed my life.



Motherhood...a place that I never thought I would want to be. I assumed if I did ever become a mommy it would be a mom with a career, a nanny, a cleaning crew, and a nice, stylish wardrobe. I did not even plan on making a lot of money. I had dreams and plans of working or creating a non-profit organization to protect/support/advocate for children.



I know so many that dream and fight to have a baby of their own or through the gift of adoption. They have fought paperwork, time, money, infertility, tests, tears, miscarriages, and disappointment working toward experiencing the wonderful gift of motherhood. A gift that is easy to take for granted when you're tired and overwhelmed. My heart goes out to those that go through those trials and tribulations in their journey. There are so many sweet, innocent babies out there that need mothers. I pray and pray that they will find their way into their arms. I know a time after my miscarriage that I felt pain like no other. I felt like I lost a gift before I ever had the opportunity to treasure it.



When I became pregnant, I remember looking for a nanny to help when the baby came. I remember thinking (despite how wonderful and qualified the person was) that there was no way I wanted this individual raising my baby. You know what? I finally came to the conclusion that I was the only one that I wanted raising my baby. Then, I had to break it to my husband. I am finished with working. I will now be a stay at home mom...over night...decision made. One baby changed my mind...my life.



Time after time I feel frustration, confusion, overwhelmed, exhaustion, and just plain dumb as a mother. I heard a statement recently that explained it all. It's not that I have lost brain cells as a mommy. Rather, I just have so much more to do, think about, and worry about as a mommy. I do not have enough brain cells to go around!



However, more often than not, I feel admiration from my kids. My girls are two little people that tell me and think day after day that I am pretty as a princess....even with my glasses, ponytail, and sweatpants. I feel unconditional love when their sweet voices say "I love you, Mommy". I feel happy when my silly faces and "tickle tackles" make them giggle contagiously. I feel secure when they fall asleep beside me and reach out to snuggle in their sleepy state. I feel an overwhelmed need to protect when they cry or hurt, they run to me for comfort, a kiss, or a band-aide. I know for now...a short, very short time....I can make their hurts better.

I want to give my children so much. Most of all, I want them to be happy, healthy and strong. I want them to see God's love through my love. Yes, it is challenging at times. If I cannot show them Christ-like love, then who can I expect to show them the love of Christ.



I know that I would give anything, anything at all, for my children....my body, my time, my thoughts, my nights, my days, my life.



Yes, I would die for them...in a heartbeat...without a moment of hesitation. Could I let them die for me? Honestly, NO, I could not.



When I became a mother, I realized the sacrifice and love that God showed us when He gave us His Son to save us.



Wow...there are no further words to express that kind of sacrifice.



I love you my sweet girls. Thank you for making mother's day my favorite day of the year...the day that reminds me what a blessing being a mother truly is. LaLa and Little Bit, my mom used to tell me that you will never know a mother's love until you become one. It is so true....I will love you both....forever and always.

Love, Mommy



May all of you, Mommies or soon to be Mommies, have a very happy and special Mother’s Day.

A Pirate Party...A special moment

This is my last post about LaLa's fourth birthday, a pirate party. I wanted to share two quick lessons that I will never forget as a mama.

The pirate party was a lot of fun. I would have to admit to my little girl that she had a great idea for a party. Something I never realized before I had kids, but you, as a parent, will spend most of your weekends shuttling from birthday party to party. It makes you really appreciate the guests that come to yours because it is a lot of work and time to make it to all these kid celebrations every weekend! Pirate was a theme that was fun and different from the norm. That statement describes not only the perfect pirate party but also my sweet, special, and unique little girl.

She is one of a kind! I can already see at the young age of three four that peers have influence over each other. My hope and prayer for her that she will stay true to her unique self and special spirit without being influenced by the "way" others assume she should be. Sometimes that uniqueness can drive me crazy as a mama, but I try to remind myself to value it rather than squelch it. LaLa put it best when I was trying to persuade her to a princess party, "Mama, my friends will love to be princesses, but I want to be the pirate and lead the crew. I'd like an eye patch and a peg leg." I pleaded to LaLa, "BUT don't you want to be a princess like everyone else?" LaLa replied, "No, mama. I'm a princess every day. Everyone is a princess at their party. I want to be something different, but if my friends want to be a princess, that's okay with me. I'm just going to be a pirate when I'm four. Maybe next year, we can do a princess party. We'll just have to see." EVEN the best mama couldn't argue with that statement... So, LaLa, you lead your crew and be whatever you want to be...for your birthday parties and in life!

Picture of Little Bit & her Daddy Gene. She wasn't feeling quite like her peppy self at the party. Ear infections, sore throat, and new teeth have a tough battle for Little Bit lately! She looked super cute as a little pirate though! She would not. absolutely. would not let me fix her hair! Oh, well, choose your battles!

Okay, now to my favorite, most precious birthday and mama moment ever!

We asked LaLa what her birthday wish was for her party. Did she want a character or a jumpy (thank goodness she said no)? She wanted her daddy to dress up like a pirate. Hee Hee. IF you know my husband, Robert is somewhat reserved. He can be crazy and rowdy, but he must be perfectly comfortable in the situation first. It was sort of the family joke that Robert was going to dress up for her party because no one (and I mean no one) thought he would ever dress up. Bless his heart. He found a pirate costume (from my brother....hmmm...odd, huh?) and spent the night before the party planning his costume. Just as people were starting to arrive, he came down the stairs all dressed up as a pirate.

Robert coming down the stairs in his pirate costume for the birthday party!

LaLa's facial expressions were priceless. It melted my heart. She looked up at her daddy and said (as she smiled and hugged her daddy), "Daddy, you tricked me. You did dress up like a pirate to make my birthday special."

Took this picture as she looked up and saw daddy as her pirate.

Later, that night as I put her bed, I asked her what her favorite part of her birthday was....after toys, toys, toys, cake, ice cream, food, friends, games and all...do you know what she said?

"Daddy dressing up for my party was my favorite part of being four. Daddy is my prince, mommy." I don't think I have ever loved my husband more than at that moment! It reminds me of this plaque I saw once at a craft festival,

"I found my prince, and his name is Daddy."

Better later than never...going to share Easter pictures on the next posts! Then, (hopefully!) I can share the reason(s) why our life has been so extra crazy lately!

Easter Cuties...

We enjoyed an Easter party last week at my friend's Hope's house. She is like me and loves parties. We had so much fun! She had an egg hunt. I think each child filled TWO buckets of eggs! She had them decorate little "egg" cupcakes. Each little girl brought their dolly as their guest to enjoy the party as well. The girls also had stickers to decorate their "Easter" basket, which was a pail & shovel (great idea!), before the great hunt! The little ladies at the party had a great time playing together and enjoying yummy, kid friendly snacks!

Our host, Hope, then gave each guest a goody bag (PACKED full of everything imaginable), their eggs, their decorated pail and shovel, a mini cupcake to decorate at home with their dolly, bunny or lamb ears, and a day full of wonderful memories with thier girlfriends and their mommies.

I snapped this picture of Little Bit running after eggs. She would shout, "FOUND YOU" and put each egg in her bucket. This was her first 'official' egg hunt because she was so little last year. She figured it out pretty quick by watching the big girls. The bigger girls were so sweet to her. They would drop an egg or two in her bucket or point out a hidden egg for her. I was so impressed with their thoughtfullness, especially at such a young age.

LaLa's little bunny expression posing for a quick picture with her doll baby, Lily.  She was the youngest out of the "big" girls, but she loved following them around and playing pretend with her baby doll. The other little girls were so cute, but I'm always cautious of posting pics of other people's kids without asking...so you'll just have to take my word for it!

We were so shocked to receive a package a few days later from our friend, Mrs. Hope. Do you know what it was? A beautiful collage of each of the girls! Hope has wonderful talent with her camera...and capturing their personality in her shots. It was a great way to welcome in Spring and enjoy the day with friends!

Oh, HEAVENS! My weekend mess of stress...

I guess I often say "oh, heavens" when I'm in a pickle. LaLa just walked in her room and said, "oh, heavens, mama, what have you done?!"

It has to be done...every mama knows that it does. I don't think my husband has any idea of the extent of work that is involved in switching out seasons and sizes out of our girls closets. It is a massive project. Why in the world am I doing this project the week before LaLa's pirate birthday party? I don't know. I'm asking myself the same thing! I'm a glutton for punishment...or maybe I know that I will clean it up and organize it before pirate guests arrive. It's good motivation at least. I didn't mean to pull everything out. I started small, but I just got more and more involved until the closet was empty and the bed was full. Let me add, this is the bed and the bedroom that LaLa no longer sleeps in because she insists on sleeping in her sister's room.

I'm not sure where to start. I have two girlfriends that have cleaned and purged kid's clothes over the last few weeks...first motivation that inspired me. I really don't know what they have and don't have...second motivation. I need to buy spring and summer stuff...and they have both grown so much! I have bought some stuff ahead last season. I have no idea where that should go. Will I have more kids one day? Should I save all their clothes when they outgrow them? I'm running out of space for storage and I may not have more...or if the sun and the moon and the stars aligned, we could even have a boy instead of another girl one day! Should I pack up the stuff LaLa outgrows because Little Bit is close behind fitting in those clothes. UGH! I probably need to be working on that pile of clothes rather than blogging about it.

I just had to share my mess of stress! I think I just close my eyes and blink and maybe it will organize itself...or maybe I should go to Starbucks and walk down every aisle of Hobby Lobby...it'll still be there later, right?

If you have any organization ideas for closets, please share....

Show some Dr. Seuss Love!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

I didn't plan on sharing this today, but since it is a great opportunity to have some fun with your kids, I thought I would go ahead! Check back tomorrow to see what fun my kids and husband had over the weekend!

A lot of kiddos are celebrating Dr. Seuss this week because it's his birthday! Dr. Seuss is just so much fun so I wanted to share some ideas that might inspire you to go a little Dr. Seuss silly too!

LaLa and I made OOBLECK to take to her preschool class. The book, Bartholomew and the OOBLECK, is long, but it has a great message. The king learns that he made a mistake, but there was something he could do to fix his mistake. He could admit it was his fault and say those magic words..."I'm Sorry!" That was right up our alley with what we have been working on it in our house! OOBLECK was super fun to make, but you have to be brave! IF you are not so brave, make it first, and then let them squish their little hands in it!

Recipe for OOBLECK (there are quite a few...here is an easy one)

• 
  
  2 cups corn starch
• 
  
  2 drops of food coloring (I put mine in the water before mixing)
• 
  
  water (add it in a half of a cup at a time and stir. it is usually close to the same amount of starch you put in.)

Other favorite Dr. Seuss things to do with little ones...

1. anything rhyming! You can't help but to rhyme when you read a Dr. Seuss book. It's perfect to teach and master those concepts!

2. have a Dr. Seuss book fest! Grab lots of pillows and snacks, cuddle up, and read your favorites!

3. make a Dr. Seuss hat & teach patterns (red, white, red, white)

4. bake a cake and sing happy birthday!

5. read Green Eggs & Ham. Then, you can eat green eggs and ham. I sent in some to LaLa's class on Monday. I wish I would've taken a picture because it looked so gross! Her teacher said they loved it though!

6. read the Foot Book. Trace your kid's feet, cut them out and use them to measure things. Little Bit didn't get this concept. She just wanted to keep stepping on the paper again...and again...and again.

7. read a Great Day for Up and draw all the things you can think of that can go UP, UP, UP!

8. our last one that we are doing this week is to watch a Dr. Seuss movie for movie night. LaLa's little class is watching Horton Hears a Who! I think we might watch it again that night and make little whos out of pipe cleaners and googly eyes. There are lots of good Dr. Seuss movies out though! My kids learned to jump on the couch from the movie, The Cat in the Hat (thanks Dr. Seuss). PLUS, I didn't realize everyone didn't know this until I told two girlfriends of mine...and they didn't know! They do now and take advantage of it, but BLOCKBUSTER is doing 99 cent family/kid movies. We go on Fridays and get a few for a week. Cheap and easy! There is also a BIG variety!

Great Links...

http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/250.shtml

http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/themes/seuss.html

http://www.seussville.com//university/

It's a Pirate's Life for ME!

I think that I have become the fastest typer ever. seriously, ever. See what happened was...I had a kid. She started rolling then crawling and finally walking. After she became mobile, the computer time had to be quick. really quick. If you aren't quick, she (now they) would just crawl on and over me until they are on top of me blocking the view to the computer and randomly pushing buttons. In order to outsmart my kids and still have my outlet of this machine (my laptop), my fingers had to get FAST! That is also why I write completely what is in my head...without rereading and without spell checking! So, never look to closely to my postings!

Okay, well, I went with my mom (thanks for joining us in our chaos) today to get my girls hair cuts. Little Bit got her very first haircut! I will share more on that next week because you know there is always (always) a drama filled story or adventure when it comes to our world or any world with kids.

Now on to the or rather my focus of the moment! Da da da dum....PIRATES. Yes, I'm serious about this. You heard me correctly. PIRATES. I am quite focused or possibly obsessed with pirates.

I really, really enjoy celebrating and planning parties, but I especially go a little nutsy for my kids birthday parties. I try hard to thrifty in my planning and preparations. I learned long ago to make a budget and buy early and slowly or I would be one of those people with a three ring circus pulling up to her yard. My husband and I both believe in celebrating birthdays BIG and special. I think he might have had something else in his head in thinking that than big children birthday parties, but seriously, who really runs our world...this mama, of course. He just looks at the pictures on the blog and doesn't read all the words so he'll never know...just don't tell him!:)

In the goal of planning ahead for LaLa's fourth birthday in March, I began asking her (last winter. ok, maybe fall) what theme she wanted for her birthday. From what I understood, she had chosen a princess party. I had this envision of the disney princesses, a bibbity boppity boutique, a princess visitor, dress up time, and so on. Then, she changed her mind from theme to theme to theme to theme. It messes with my world when they do things like this. Then, I decided I wasn't going to ask her anymore and do what I wanted because why should I ask a three year old...Well, maybe because it is FOR her, but I thought maybe I could just CONVINCE her of my great idea. I thought...oh, grand, let's do princess and pirates. It incorporated two themes she mentioned. Plus, we could still keep my six months of princess planning. My unique little one said, "Oh, mama, that's great. My friends will love being princesses, but I think I'll be a pirate." She has stuck on being a pirate. I just can't stomach making tutu dresses for dozens of little girls and hiring teenagers to do cute hair dos and invite a princess to visit when my LaLa will not be participating. Instead, she would be the one with the eye patch and the sword hunting for treasure. As a result, I have given up my princess party...until hopefully, next year. I plan on starting trying to convince her for her fifth party theme to be princesses the day after her fourth birthday party.

All the information was to ask my bloggy friends if you have ideas. Since I have succombed to the requests of the birthday girl (probably as it should be!), I have searched for ideas...a lot. I have found some cute stuff...get this...at the dollar store (plates, decorations, eye patches, etc). I mainly need a cute birthday outfit for the birthday girl...her suggestions were a tutu, an eye patch, a "dook" rag (I think this is a "doo" rag...I'm not really ghetto...I'm not sure if that is even right. I asked her what she was talking about. She replied, "like daddy wears when he runs and bikes and what the pirate's crew wears"). By the way, she doesn't like the skull and cross bones. "They are spooky," she says. Totally limits a pirate theme. Hmmm...she sounds like a punk rocker pirate. I also need some cute activities (I really want a pirate or a parrot to come to my house. I know, I'm special). I am trying to think of some wonderfully cute invitations that I can copy create. Oh, I need a cute cake idea too! I usually make their cakes, but I am so thinking about cheating this year and buying one!

Anybody have any ideas?

Gotta Do What You Gotta Do!

When is the last time you had the opportunity to sit back and watch a movie with your hubby? If you have small children, it has probably been a while. Going to see a movie takes a great deal of action on your part. You must plan a babysitter, pay a babysitter (ugh), deem a movie wonderful enough to rush there and rush home...maybe go out to eat in the midst of your date if you are feeling advantageous (or if you have made family feel sorry enough for you to babysit for free!) Well, I think Robert and I have solved at least a portion of this dilemma. We work very hard to be creative in order to do fun stuff with little ones and on a budget. It usually involves an act of congress and the begging of family to help orchestrate some time off, but not this time...

A drive in movie... 

Yes, I'm serious. They still have these around, and I have to say that they are GREAT! We visited this one in Atlanta a couple times during the summer. We were newbies to this concept, and we weren't quite prepared. IF you live in or near Atlanta, I highly recommend this idea! I'm sure they are around other areas as well...it may just take a little research first. I didn't even know we had one until this summer AND get this...it's 20-25 minutes away! I know seriously...all this time, I could have actually seen movies when my girls were little...and loud.

My Suggestions for a drive in movie with "younguns'"...

• If they are preschoolers, try explaining the concept. We told LaLa that they play a movie for grown ups on the big screen and made a big deal about letting her choose a movie for the back.
• In our world, we do not let them out of their car seat. If we do, it is all over! They sit in their car seat and watch their movie while we watch ours...the exception is if we have to go potty, but then it is right back in your car seat.
• Bring blankets and lovies to get cozy...and hopefully they will fall asleep.
• Bring lots and lots of snacks.
• Bring dinner for you and your guy.
• Most weekend nights are a double feature. When the girls were younger during the summer, we would have shuffling during the first movie, but we would get to enjoy the second, late night one because they would fall asleep! However, we were quite tired!
• You get to TALK during your movie!
• You can wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt. No one will ever know....unless you go potty!
• Bonus: you can bring ANY food...you don't have to pay for the expensive concessions!
• Bonus: IF your kids do scream or talk, you don't have to leave the movie!
• Put your kids in their jammies. Ours either fall asleep during the movie or on the way home. We just put them in their bed when we get home.

We went out last night. We never got out of our car. We were all in cozy, comfy clothes. We got to see Valentine's Day. Both kids fell asleep in the car. We spent 15 dollars total. Ahhh...sweet success...and I GOT to see a grown up movie!

Do you have any great and sneaky date ideas? A date...even a sneaky one...can be great for your marriage and your mental state as a mama!

Baby Proof with Style!

Of course part of our mama drama with kids is baby proofing. I think every family has to baby proof according to their child's curiosity or ability. Some houses will need minimum baby proofing because their children may not be as adventurous or...umm...let's just say creative. If you follow my blog, you know that my kids fall into the busy, creative, adventurous, and can you believe they thought of that?! category.

Well, if we must baby proof, I think we should definitely do it with some crafty style. I saw these little thingies (technical term) at a boutique a while back. They were nine dollars. Yes, I'm serious. Nine dollars for one. My brain was instantly thinking, "You have gotta be kidding. I can so make that for a lot less."

They are very easy. AND, this was something that was easily versatile for a boy or a girl. In fact, you can switch them out when you need a change. All you need is a hot glue gun (or some strong craft adhesive), little painted, wood item(s) (I found these for .50 to .99 at Michaels), and a box of outlet covers. I obviously went on some sort of bender at one point or another buying these wood animals because I found several of them in my craft closet. The flowers were used to "label" drawers in LaLa's room, and the jungle animals were for some project that I intended but didn't do for the girls' bathroom! We have boxes and boxes of outlet covers. When I was pregnant with Little Bit, I thought I'd save time by registering online at a local Baby superstore. Well, rather than clicking 1 for outlet covers, I accidently clicked 11...too many ones. So, if you have received outlet covers with your baby gift in the past, that is probably why!!

Hmm...now where is my glue gun? I had just collected my materials, and so impressed that I had remembered to snap a picture only to find my glue gun had walked away! Of course, with kids and crafts, you have to look in the unobvious places...Ah ha...there it is...

You just have to put a dab of hot glue or craft adhesive on the back of an outlet cover. Then, push it firmly onto the animal or item. Let it dry completely before you stick it in the outlet. If you get a little anxious and plug it in before it is dry, it will come off the next time you pull out the outlet cover to use your plug in!

It makes a fun difference in boring outlets...

        Before...So boring!

After...with a sweet monkey hiding the outlets...perfect for our jungle themed bathroom.

Before...in LaLa's Charlotte's Web themed room...takes away from her cute grass bordering the wall.

After...I had to keep the outlet cover in the bottom holes because the flower only covered the top one.

I think I could have glued it lower and covered them both...but I'm too lazy to do it again! The flower used to have labels in the center. I found these oval mirrors on clearance for .25 (pack of 3) at Michaels. They fit perfectly in the little flower's center. It would be fun if you had a little toddler pulling up to see himself/herself in flower mirrors around the room. They look like they "fit" mixed in the grass around LaLa's room. She decided on all flowers, one ladybug, and a little frog to cover her outlets.

Hmmm...now, off to do another breathing treatment with LaLa! I think we are all getting better! AND, of course, to enjoy the snow falling in Georgia. Can you believe it?! Snow...twice in one year in the SOUTH! Of course, they closed schools in our county last night because of the chance of snow! If they just say snow in the South, they shut it all down!

I've never done this before, BUT I am going to try to link to DIY day on a Soft Place to Land...Click the link here to check it out and all the fun, creative do it yourself ideas! Plenty to get your crafty, mama brains busy on a snowy, cold day!

Save your Sanity...Try a Fort!

She said the sparkles were tinkerbell dust.

I'm desperate. Absolutely desperate. I need something. I mean anything that would make my little one happy. She has been hacky coughing so much that she can't sleep. Do you know what happens when a three year old can't sleep? I am praying for patience and creativity.

The prayers must have work because I have not heard any whining, crying, or squawking in minutes. Actually, I think the coughing has even subsided to a minimum.

On that note, I put a call into the doctor this morning. She finally called back and because of LaLa's fever (which has broke), complaining about hurting when she goes potty (has a history of kidney reflux) and this hacky cough that is causing her to throw up and be miserable...we have to go back to the doctor's office this afternoon. I'm normally a very conservative mommy on medication. BUT not this time. I want drugs. Give her something to make her feel better. WE were just there forty eight hours ago and left with a chest xray and diagnosis of a viral infection and maybe something starting up. That's an expensive appointment for nothing to be specifically wrong with her...just my thoughts. Don't you hate that?!

Before...

Okay...back to answered prayers. Creativity struck...I'm giving God credit because I actually had just desperately prayed for inspiration and patience! I was moving the chairs to vacuum under the table (umm...still haven't done it after Sunday's company...) and eyed the clean, folded blankets on the stairs (you know from all the LAUNDRY from the three year old throwing up after coughing until she's blue).

After...

Ah-ha! I told LaLa to stay on the couch for a big surprise (not that she was really moving and groovin' anywhere anyway besides being attached to me). I used the blankets to put over the table, grabbed a disco ball and light (I think this stuff was from when I was in college...a LONG time ago! See, hubby, labeling the boxes in the garage did help.), made yummy snacks (oreos, grapes, carrots, and strawberries--desperate attempts to get the sick one to eat anything), lots of pillows and blankets, a mommy note, and hauled down LaLa's little tv. I wanted Christmas lights, but I couldn't reach that box! We turned on Cinderella and climbed in. The note was a big hit because she couldn't figure out how to "get" it because it was on top of the glass table facing down at her. Hee-hee to think like a three year old! As Little Bit says, "TA-DA!" A good old fashioned fort with a few surprises.

Mommy Note that I placed face down on the glass table before throwing blankits on it. It was hilarious listening to her tell me that I was magic because she can't figure out how it's stuck there and she can't touch it.

Let me just tell you...this simple idea saved my sanity...at least for now...We both actually fell asleep under the table for a little while. Can you imagine if someone stopped by? "Oh, just come on in. We were just napping under the dining room table." 8) Little Bit was sleeping in her crib. She may be the Godzilla of a fort when she discovers it!

No pictures, please. Is that actually a small smile from the sick one?

As for when the fun wears off, who knows?!

It seems a lot of us are (or will) be covered in snow. You may not have sick ones to entertain, but you may enjoy a good fort if you have bored little ones! Let us know if you try it out!

Off we go, off we go...to doctors office we go...again! Yep, it's our new theme song!