Little Bit...a FULL moon...

Little Bit has this issue with removing her clothes at any and all opportunities. She will remove her clothes and diaper and hide them somewhere. My only solution that works is to put pull ups on her. They tend to take a bit longer for her to figure out how to remove it. Once she figures that out, I'm out of ideas?! Let me know if anyone else has ideas! This is how I discovered Little Bit an hour or so after I had put her to bed. Her pants and diaper had been tossed out of her crib. She was sound asleep. I guess from a mama's perspective I can say...at least she was asleep...that's more important than being half naked!

Since I am sharing Little Bit memories and thoughts, I am sad to say that she is no longer calling her big sister LaLa. I know sad, right? She can now actually say her name, Charlotte. It was so sweet as she tried to say it and came out with LaLa. She is still known as Little Bit to most around here, and that name just fits her perfectly. She is such a bundle of everything in this little body! Amazingly, after months and months of trying to get her to say her name, she finally said it a couple weeks ago. She says it pretty quickly, and it is still hard to understand unless you are listening for it. It is still quite cute though! She is really growing up! I think this (her being able to say the real names and not her "baby" names she created) has really made me realize how much she has grown up. Where has my baby gone? It is exciting and sad at the same time. Hard to explain...

When did you realize or what made you realize your little one grew up without your realizing it?

Our Summer List...What to do this summer?!

I finally remembered to take a picture of our summer list. My mom would let my brother and I choose one fun "trip" or activity per week during the summer (water park, etc.). She would put it on the calendar, and we would look forward to that special day. It made summers fun and exciting! When I was a teacher, I would do this project as a writing activity at the end of the school year. It was always fun to see what the kids were looking forward to doing during their summer break. I would make my own list before my own children. I was facing several weeks of not teaching, and I wanted to make the most out of my summer and time off!

Now, it is a lot of fun to do it with my own children. We have been brainstorming for several weeks now. In fact, when we went to Panama City a couple weeks ago, we began the list. Each item was highly debated as of its importance to be included. Every family member made suggestions, but most of the items came straight from LaLa. She also made several ideas on Little Bit's behalf. Little Bit would agree or disagree with a YES! or NO! and thus our list making went on and on until it was finished!

It becomes easy to become lazy and let the summer and free time just slide right by you. Time goes so fast when we are adults! I want to make sure we take the opportunity to make memories. One mom mentioned that she wanted to be "intentional" with her time this summer. That is a great way to describe our goal. We want each moment to count! Of course, we do plan on having some of those lazy days along the way as well!

(By the way, I add this page to their scrapbook(s) at the end of the summer with pictures. It just makes it easier to go ahead and place it on a 12x12 piece of paper so it's ready to go!)

What do you plan on doing this summer? Have you made a summer list with your kids? Post a picture or your link!

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!

Ideas to Countdown to Christmas!

Hmm...21 days and counting. It's so funny to me that when I was little, I felt like waiting for Christmas lasted an eternity! Now, I am making list on top of list and still can't seem to find enough time. I'm trying to remember that child-like feeling and anticipation so my kids do not feel the adult stress and anxiety that can come with the holidays! When I feel like we are constantly looking for this and that for holiday parties, programs, and events...not to mention that last minute gift check list and menu, I try to take a deep breath and look at the holidays and the moment through my children's eyes. Then, the excitement can be absolutely contagious.

Our favorite thing to do right now is counting down the days to Christmas. LaLa brought home this cute paper chain counting down the days until Christmas from Preschool. Of course, Little Bit constantly grabs at it and takes off! We also have this little house that has a little drawer for each of the 25 days! I haven't figured out the PERFECT item to put inside the drawers, but for now, I'm using candy (yes, halloween candy that was left over) in each little section! I tell my girls that they appear in the mornings only after they go to bed! It makes them fall asleep just a little quicker! Plus, it reinforces counting and number recognition!

Here are seven fun ideas that we liked or have planned to do to enjoy each and every day during the holidays...and to count down the day until Jesus' birth!

1.  Advent Activities: recipes, activities, crafts and more for each and every day!

2.  Countdown Chain: Make a simple paper link chain special by numbering the strips from 1 to 24. Write a special message or event on each link before you stick them together in order. I used to do this when I was a classroom teacher. I was so excited when LaLa brought one home! We are working on her writing her name smaller (she writes it BIG now). So, each day, she takes off a link and writes her name on the broken link. It provides her a limited space to practice those fine motor skills! It's part of the "game" of counting down so she never questions the activity as "work"!

3.  Twelve gifts of Christmas: wrap 12 gifts from the dollar store...or here's an idea (saved happy meal prizes). It really doesn't matter what it is...it's the mystery and the opportunity to unwrap them! Wrap each one and place a number on it. Each day, the child looks for the appropriate number and gets a treat! It extends the gift fun that is usually limited for morning of Christmas!

4.  Make your own calendar and place a note behind each number counting down the days until Christmas. Some of the notes could have jokes, riddles, an errand, or a 'treasure' hunt to find something in the house! This would be great for new readers!

5.  Coloring sheets for the 12 days of Christmas-so cute

6.  More coloring sheets with the words to the song

7.  For older kids-Several activities from crossword puzzles, vocabulary & wordsearch, etc.

Mama Drama #83: We should all countdown to the day that we celebrate Jesus' birth! Our kids and family will know just how wonderful of an event it is if we are excited and looking forward to it!

A Wiggly Good Time!

We went to the Wiggles concert on Sunday. It was a full day trip because it was over an hour away. I have to be honest and say that the wiggles is definitely one of my favorite concerts. I am actually being serious. They keep my entire family completely entertained! They go out of their way to make sure the children and the families enjoy their time, and they definitely make sure that you get your money worth. This was our third wiggles concert, and I have learned quite a bit along the way! You might think I'm a little quirky for even blogging this, but I have more times than not looked up this very same topic online when I have been planning my family's trips to various concerts!

First, the wiggles is the only concert that I know for kids where the characters come out into the crowd. They also will read your child's sign if you make one and hold it up at the appropriate time. (I actually read this online the first time we went and was so excited to see that it was true!) I learned that my kids were even more excited if I included their names in the sign we all created, then the wiggles would say their names. Wow, this is unbelievable to small children. LaLa continued to say over and over...I can't believe Murray knows my name! They make you bring half size poster board sheets now. We happen to have ours rolled up in the bag, and I didn't hear this rule until later...fortunately for our sign!

Second, bring whatever "character" stuff to eliminate the need to make extra, expensive purchases at the event. Wow, those "souvenirs" are so pricey! I thought about buying a "wags" lovey for my Little Bit, but it was fifteen dollars! The first concert we took LaLa to we were so unprepared! We went empty handed, and we spent a fortune. We have learned...after that experience...to go prepared! We took all of the little stuffed characters with us, the hat, the sword, the light up red car, etc. Just so you know too...they always sell something that is going to light up and just attract your children like moths to a flame! Well, fortunately, we did buy this item three years ago at our first wiggles concert. We just bring it every time we go back. We also keep those bracelets and necklaces that glow on hand. They are at the dollar store for a pack of six or so, and they are marvelous for events like this!

Third, save even more money! Bring snacks and drinks! I always try to pack something fun and different. This time I packed these neat dinosaur fruit snacks where you try to put them together to make a dinosaur! Oh! Something else to bring that is specifically for the Wiggles concert is a bone for wags and roses for dorothy! A lot of times if you get there early, you can also get some cute pictures in front of the stage. We were able to get some really cute pictures before an elmo show of LaLa at "sesame street". Another random and money-saver is to try craig's list or ebay to get tickets. The closer it is to event...the more desperate people are to sell tickets...cheaper! My friend managed to get some great Elmo tickets this way! Wiggles is our tradition. We went ahead and ordered from ticketmaster to ensure that we did get tickets this year. If you sign up for ticketmaster, they will tell you when tickets go on sale. Sometimes, as for the wiggles concert, they will also do a presale to provide you with an opportunity to get even better seats!

Fourth, make it memorable. Work together with your kids to make a special outfit. They can even paint on a shirt or try iron ons! Take pictures. Make a scrapbook together after the event. It makes the memory last, and you will not believe how much your kids will invest into making a scrapbook, talking, and sharing it with anyone who will listen! Create a countdown with sticky notes counting down the days before the special event. This can build the anticipation for anything! Enjoy your kids' expressions throughout the event. The first time Robert and I took LaLa to the Wiggles concert, she was about a year and a half. She literally opened her mouth, eyes staring straight ahead, and clenched both fists shaking her entire body because she was so excited. I just stared at her, and I almost cried myself because of her enjoyment. That is what it's all about!

It's easy to say you don't want to do things (concerts, museums, trips, etc.) because your child is too young to remember them one day or to put things off until they are older. However, most of our personalities are developed by age three...before most of our recalled memory ability is developed. Don't wait until they are older. It is so meaningful to their development at every part of their life! It doesn't have to be expensive or anything huge. It has to be something that builds experiences. Our children personalities, their inquisitive nature, their passions are developed through these experiences that we offer them.

Mama Drama Rule #70: Even if they never remember that we took them to this place or on this trip, we can know that it is all part of what makes them into what they will be one day!

Friday Night Fall Fun For Little Ones...

Friday nights have become our movie nights. We all get ready for bed and cozy in our jammies...We'll make a homemade pizza. Everyone will add their favorite toppings, and we will have some sort of special treat for dessert.

LaLa had a special project of sorting foam shapes. This kept her busy for the longest time! I made a mental note that this would be perfect on a smaller scale for a peaceful restaurant experience!

For this movie night, we had to add some Fall Flair! Our yummy treat was pumpkin rice crispy treats. I am rice crispy treat impaired. It is the easiest dessert to make, yet I struggle every time. My poor friend, Pepper, is ever so patient with my multiple calls as I struggle through the cooking tasks! LaLa and her daddy ate more than she rolled the balls for the pumpkins! Little Bit even ate her fill of treats!

It was LaLa's movie pick, Cinderella III. We enjoyed the movie. It does have a couple scary parts for a little one, but it was very cute. It was a fun movie night and even more special with our Fall treats!


Mama Drama Rule #58: Family time is one of our greatest treasures, but it's often lost with our busy lives and schedules!

Stone Mountain Adventures...and GPS disadvantages!

Well, today, we went to Stone Mountain. It is another one of our fall traditions that we started doing the year I was pregnant with LaLa. My college roommate, Pepper, and I have taken our kids every year since before they could walk! It's one of those things that I hope to do when they are all teenagers, but they know they can't resist too much because they JUST know it's something we do every year.

This year was a little different. My husband was out of town...convenient and sneaky, huh? Not so sure that one was a coincidence! Well, once he wasn't going everyone else's husbands slowly backed out. So, there we were with our plans made months ago all of us with no husbands and excited little ones! It gets better! We start hearing throughout the week that Saturday is going to be one of the coldest days so far this year. That's okay, we can handle the cold! It'll just add to the Fall atmosphere, Right??? Yesterday, I went on the hunt to find hats and gloves. Of course, I then had to embroider their monograms on their hats! It's an addiction!

I'm not one to go out on such ventures with both of my girls all by myself. Things just happen to me it seems where as it is never a simple task! I had cute outfits for my girls. I packed enough for a week trip...just in case! I had all of our winter gear. I had directions. I'm ready!

I check out the news this morning. It says no chance of rain except in far north georgia and a cold, cloudy day...so we're good, right? WRONG! I start driving up there, and guess what? It starts raining. Yep, raining. Now, cold I can handle. Rain...I'm getting worried. I didn't plan for this! I made it to the park...with only a couple phone calls to make sure that I was going in the right direction. I pull into the park and have no idea where to go to park. So, I decide to follow where all the other cars were going because surely, I think, they are going to park.

Yep, they were going to park, but I end up in some area where there are people...young and old...in kilts...like scottish things. Parking is crazy. There are army people directing traffic. I realize that I am not going to the mountain part. So, I try to turn in an empty parking lot...well, this was blocked off because a helicopter was landing. Literally, it was hovering as I'm aimlessly trying to get out of this parking lot! A person in army clothes runs to me and helps me (probably thinking I'm half crazy) get out of the parking lot. Then, I tell the next army person directing cars that I am trying to get the mountain part, and I think I'm lost. They end up moving a metal fence and cones so I can get out of there. I still couldn't find the parking lot for the mountain stuff! It took me 20 more minutes, and I had to ask two other people. I even ended up going down a lane meant only for the "duck mobiles" that stone mountain uses...that's what authorized vehicles meant I guess! I thought I was authorized because I had paid for parking!

See, this is why I don't venture out to unknown places alone with my poor girls! At one point in response to me yelling "oh no, we're not suppose to be here!", LaLa said, "Mommy, just take a deep breath and look for a mountain." That's pretty good advice from a three year old! Who knew it was going to take me longer to find the parking lot than it did to drive to the actual park!? GPS helped me get there...just not to the parking lot! They probably think most people just need help to the destination...well, obviously, they don't know about my daily mama drama!

I'll share more about our cold, rainy stone mountain fun later! It ended up being a great day...with adventures in and of itself! LaLa even tried to explain to someone that she was not a boy because she had a woohoo (use your imagination). My friends decided the rain and cold was too much, but we were brave souls that stuck it out! We have passes so I don't blame them for saving their expensive tickets for a better day! I guess we weren't just brave...there was NO way I could talk my three year old into leaving after she had been so excited! Never a dull moment in our world! Definitely lots of fun memories...and we all survived the day...even having both girls by myself. By the way, God bless all the mamas that do this stuff alone because they have to! I'm exhausted!:)

Mama Drama Rule #57: Wisdom from LaLa...In times of stress, just take a deep breath!

Where Has the Time Gone?

My mama drama for today is the overwhelming job of changing closets out for seasons and for sizes! Who would think that this simple, yet HUGE, chore would be a complete and total emotional one? Well, it certainly is for me!

Yes, it is October, and I am just now clearing out the closets. My excuse is the crazy weather down here in the South. We have still had some absolutely beautiful, summer like days...even in October! It's hard to know what to expect from the weather. Thus, I continued to give myself the excuse of putting off this dreaded task.

Then, I begun going through Little Bit's closet and taking out everything that doesn't fit and all of her summer clothes. I am still in the phase of boxing everything up....either for my friend, Pepper, to peruse through later for her little one or for a potential future baby of our own. Then, I think...oh, wow, three girls...oh, the high maintenance of it all-the weddings, the school, the colleges, the prom dresses, the drama!

As I am clearing out Little Bit's closets and drawers, my kids are running around like wild animals. What I put in the tubs...they take out. What I fold...they unfold. Well, you get the idea. Yet, I still am feeling near tears as I fold up each and every piece of baby clothing from Little Bit. We are entering into 18 month sizes...not even a baby anymore. All these little shorts and tops, the little jammies...I fold each one and can remember her (and even LaLa in some of the ones that were handed down!) wearing them.

It's not that you don't want them to grow up. They bring so much joy and excitement with each day and milestone that passes, but it is so sad to feel like time is going faster than you can keep up with. The feeling that you have blinked and missed so much. The feeling that it's gone by so fast that you didn't get to cherish it like you should have. That your babies are growing up faster than you can grasp onto.

Yes, I am being completely sappy over just folding some outgrown clothes. Then, I look over to my loud little monkeys...LaLa and Little Bit are pushing baby doll strollers as hard as they can into each other, they have manipulated one of the under the bed tubs that I emptied as a catapult for the dolls...and eventually LaLa tries out on Little Bit, LaLa tries to sit in her baby doll stroller so Little Bit can push her, and Little Bit has an open (washable, non-toxic) marker in her mouth-which I hide markers in our house like a squirrel with a nut..so I'm not sure how this one was discovered! As I'm soothing Little Bit after she's been flipped with the tub and a couple dolls, wiping marker off her mouth, and helping LaLa get her hiney unstuck from her baby doll stroller, my reminiscent moments only lasted for a few seconds. However, my heart was still tugged as I worked on this task even as my mind was telling my heart that I am completely crazy...I'm blessed I've survived this long with my two little ones!

Mama Drama Rule #55: Cherish each and every moment that you have with your children...grasp to every moment and keep your memories like small treasures. For me, I know the future holds as many wonderful memories as the past has when they were sweet babies...maybe this little task just helped me to remember to treasure the present ones a little more!

Half Birthdays: An excuse to celebrate!

I'm taking a break from my obsession with decluttering and organizing to brag about my wonderful hubby! He has to hear...more often than not...when he does something wrong so I figured when he does something right, I should definitely point it out! All women know, it's kind of like when your children do something right, you praise them to encourage positive behavior...husbands are the same way. It's easy to forget to notice the small stuff with all the focus on the little ones!

Somehow in my childhood, half birthdays were created and adopted. It's a wonderful concept; however, at almost thirty, I am definitely the only one out of my family that still celebrate them (Well, my mom will sneak us a gift and use our half birthdays as an excuse!) and probably one of the only adults still celebrating them! I love them though...honestly, probably more than my regular birthday! My real birthday is in the midst of our anniversary, valentines day and several other family members birthdays. I'm usually too tired to enjoy it and celebrate it! My half birthday though is in the beginning of fall...right when all the holidays are just about to start, but still before the stress and chaos. The air and excitement of fall and a new season is just within reach. Plus, it is such a great pick me up to get a cake, a small present, and to feel special on a random, unexpected day!

I encourage you to find any excuse to celebrate life. We usually don't even realize all of our missed opportunities to celebrate life until we are faced with a tragic end of it....don't wait until then! Half birthdays are especially great if you have a summer birthday and miss out on having a special day during the school year. What about those December birthdays? How wonderful would it be to have a special day that you don't have to share with the chaos and stress of the holiday season. Even if only you celebrate your special day, it's still worth it. Reward yourself with a special treat and do something special.

Despite his skepticism in the beginning of our dating relationship, my husband has embraced the half birthdays...at least for his three girls. He made mine very special (without reminders I might add). He brought me beautiful sunflowers, a chocolate and strawberry cake, and I treated myself to a couple new books! Regardless if you embrace the idea of a half birthday...an opportunity to eat cake and get surprises, can't be all that bad! So, check the calendar and find an excuse to celebrate and make a memory!

Mama Drama Rule #38: Never stop celebrating birthdays...getting older is much better than the alternative!

Making Summer Memories

Summer Fun can be found in the most unexpected places! My girls love to cut grass with their daddy on his John Deere or with their Grandaddy (aka Gumpy) on his super duper lawn mower. We stopped by to say hello to my parents, and LaLa could just not get out of the car fast enough once she realized her Gumpy was cutting the grass without her. In her mind, nobody can accomplish this particular task without the help of LaLa! She was already on there and strapped in before I could even get Little Bit out of her car seat! I turned the corner and saw LaLa and Gumpy giggling like crazy little kids going around and around. It just made my heart happy. In this moment, LaLa would not have been happier if she would have been riding the teacups in Disney World! It made her day, and it made her laugh!

When I ran over there with my camera, they stopped real fast like they were little kids in trouble! I had to tell them to do it again so I could catch it on camera. LaLa got off and couldn't walk straight! Silly, silly!

Our Memorable Summer Moments 2009...
according to my little family:
1. Cutting the Grass with Daddy and Gumpy
2. Our Vegetable Garden
3. Going and Cheering for Daddy in his Triathlons
4. Beach Trips!
5. Little Bit starting to walk & her big Birthday!
6. LaLa's Soccer Games
7. Grilling out & eating outside
8. Fireworks & Fun on the Fourth
9. Bubbles & Chalk Hopscotch with Nana & Daddy Gene
10. Going on walks & "nature hunts" with Mama
11. Going on "trips" with MiMi shopping & to the park
12. Playing Games with Aunt J

Mama Drama Rule #25: There is nothing like a child's laughter to brighten your day! When you get crazy and frustrated, stop, take a break, and get on the floor with your little one. Tickle them and make silly faces until they do that great big belly laugh! It will surely make you forget your frustrations!