water bugs

more preschool wisdom...

Nora is perched on the big toilet in the bathroom and she screams out to me, "Mom, don't come in here...it SMELLS!"

Addison is 'telling it like it is' to mom and dad in the car, "My name is NOT Addison Rose. It's Addison. You can call me Addi."

Dad yells, "Let's GO!" Nora responds, marching."Hut 2,3,4..."

I will show you

Long gone, hopefully, are the days where they are not tired enough for nap. Here now is the season of playing outside all day and falling asleep before lunch because you are wiped out! YEAH!

So yesterday the girls were trying to slide down the hill on their bottoms, because all they can remember in their two and three year old brains is sledding down that same hill. I tried to teach them the art of rolling. Addi caught on quickly and Nora went sideways for most of the time and then just figured it out on her own. She has no fear that one.

Nora, "Mom, I can't make it not go sideways"

Nora, "Mom what's that in my hair?"

Nora, thinking to herself "This stick is much funner than trying to roll..."

Today they attempted the wall jump.They both jumped from the first block, they both jumped from the second block. But, when it came to that third one Nora jumped 10 times while Addi just moved up and down and up and down. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Addi kept stepping down one and finally she jumped from the third one after Nora had jumped a dozen times. Be careful of the volume on this video. They scream to each other at the end:)

Jump

one... two... free...

Nora jumps, Addi moves down the steps.

delayed jump

jump again

Words of Wisdom on a Wednesday

From Nora:

Mom, my tummy hurts. I think when I eat candy it will feel better!

I am a taco taco girl and Addi is a nacho nacho girl.

Screaming very loudly. EVERYBODY BE QUIET! Maleah is sleeping!

It's 8:45 am and we just finished breakfast. Nora scoots a chair over to the counter and grabs the bag of Fritos Scoops... Nora, if you get one chip mom will spank your butt.

Okay, I will get two chips mom!

From Addi:

Mom, at Sara's only one person goes in to the potty at a time. We have to wait outside the door for our turn.

I am tired mom, I am going to bed. You stay up all night and work on the 'puter.

Mom, do you like the blue coffee or the red coffee better? (Maxwell house vs. Folgers) my answer? ...the one that is on sale honey.

hair addiction

I have scheduled hair cuts for the girls tonight. All three of them. All. THREE. of. them. My stomach is in knots. It is killing me slowly to think of those tiny blond curls dropping to the floor.

The word addiction can be defined as "what we devote ourselves to habitually". I can see things all around me that are addictions. I devote time to my computer, the girls' hair, food...do I devote the same time and attention to my God?

Psalm 86 1-3 reads, "Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly."

I am thankful that God hears us, answers us, protects us, saves us, and shows mercy on us as we devote ourselves to Him. I know that I need this encouragement and God's help to devote, serve and trust God instead of all the other addictions I give into- things that have no importance in God's plan.

It grows back, right? That is what I keep telling myself. Asking the Lord to remind me of what is important will help me get through this, too. It will still be painful, I know. But I will get through it.

Nora Kneivel

yes, she does ride that way, thank you santa

Bonus: includes close up footage of hacked hair cut done by wicked sister

Project Man's daughter

Like father like daughter. And, yes, that is a playdough hammer. And, yes, she really got the nail started. And, yes, she already had one in the wall all the way when I figured out what she was doing. Sigh...

Oh, and, yes, those are the walls dad just painted so he could put the trim up.

two and three year old wisdom

Driving in the car I am wiggling along to the Christmas songs on the radio and telling the girls to dance, too. Addison starts singing. Nora screams, "ADDI don't sing, JUST DANCE!"

I say to my littlest when she just wakes, "Morning, sweets."
"No," she says. "I am Nora."

Addison is pretty much potty trained. She is noticing that Nora is getting treats more often than her for voiding on the potty. So she negotiates a deal with me. "Mom, I will go potty IF you give me a BIG sucker."

Santa entered the gym last night after the concert and Nora sees him and yells, "Mom, I wuv that man!"

I tell the girls that Grandma's birthday is coming up. They get really excited and say,"I want to go to her party!"

Digging in the treat bags they got from Santa the girls are devouring candy. I ask, "How many candies are you going to have?" Nora holds up one pointy finger and says, "TWO". Addi looks at her fingers and finally just holds up all of five and says, "Free".

name that tune

can you guess?

tookies

My nose is cold and I am in my own home. I find this the perfect excuse to A) use the dryer and B) turn the oven on. While it's on we should probably put it to good use and make COOKIES! I mean just because we have had cake almost every day since October 8th we can't deny the perfect cookie baking day a dream of her own.

Addi has been fighting a cold and her naptime :) for a while now. She whines and grumbles every day. "Mom, I am a big girl, see I have unerwear!", "Mom, but it is not dark out yet." "Mom, my mattress gives me owies." This last one I thought was fairly clever and she demanded it for several days until yesterday when I tried to change her sheets and noticed small holes in her sheet. Um, yeah, the springs have broken through the !@#$ mattress. So, into the bunk beds she goes. Shoot, I felt dumb. But today she took FOREVER to get to sleep so by the time she went down Nora was up and at 'em.

Back to the cookies...

Nora and I started making cookies and I put all the ingredients on the counter.
She eyed the m&m's. She watched them carefully. She helped me by dumping ingredient after ingredient into the mixing bowl. When I came to the chocolate she shrieked when I dumped a part of the package in and her hand went deep into the peanut buttery, oatmeal sugared batter. She was trying to save the colored yummies from a slow and heated death. She succeeeded in rescuing a few of them until I finally gave in and gave her a handful in the measuring cup. She was happy to wait until the "tookies" were done to eat the rest.

I love that little colorful chocolate lover:) Wonder where she gets her addiction?

Two

The big kids gave Nora two spankings yesterday for her birthday and she was stomping mad, "No, don't spanka me butt!" She screamed. I asked her if she knew how old she was and she proudly nodded her head. "Are you two?" I asked her. She shook her head no and matter of factly replied, "I yellow". And with that she went on with her normal daily business of making messes. Happy birthday baby Nora!

Doing the dishes with daddy

...a very very very fine house

UPDATE: Addi just came running into the kitchen with her camo binaculours and said, " I am going to get the BIG one."

I asked her, "What are you hunting? Deer? Pheasant? Rabbit, Fish, Squirrel?"

"She put her hand on her hips and looked at me, "No, mom, I am hunting forks and noodles!"

quote of the day =

mom "Nora do you want peanut butter on your toast?"

Nora looks at mom quizzically and bends and touches her toes, "No toes, mom, SPOON!"

Some time ago the big kids ransacked our old cd collection. One of their favorites is a mixture of Tina Turner and Joan Jett. Right now they are in their rooms cleaning away to "What's love go to do with it?" and "I hate myself for loving you".

And I am praying for no unannounced visitors. Where is that VBS cd when you really need it?

Almost Two Year Old Wisdom

Nora came to me this hot, humid afternoon with a tiny white weed flower in her hand. She smiled sweetly and said, "Fwower for mommy." I took it from her and hugged her sweat soaked little body. Then she toddled off into the yard. All of a sudden she stopped and turned completely around. She was wagging her tiny index finger like a pro. She looked right at me and screamed in the most clear and perfect voice, "DON'T EAT IT!"

cooling down