Too Funny!

I had to share these for my own memory, but they may be a little "politically incorrect" or something. We went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and one of the waiters walked right by Kate speaking Spanish very quickly and she stared at him the whole time. A few minutes later, she started talking a bunch of gibberish and when I told her to stop talking like that, she pointed at the waiter and said, "That is what he said, mommy." I am sure he saw her pointing, so that is awesome! I wish I could have stopped laughing long enough to really explain why we don't do that. She is pretty smart, but a little rude to do right in front of him.
Also, this is an old story, but I was reminded of it with her cultural "experience" today. Last year, I was at the beach with Kelly and Turner and my kids, and we went through the McDonalds drive thru for a quick meal. The lady at the window was oriental (not sure if she was Chinese), but Kate shouted from the way back of my Suburban, "Ni Hao, Ni Hao Kai Lan!" If you don't know, there is a cartoon about a Chinese girl called, "Ni Hao Kai Lan" on Nick Jr, and she loves it. She was really trying to be friendly, but I quickly shushed her and told her that we don't assume people speak Chinese just because they look like they might. She really does keep me on my toes!

Fun and Cheap Clothes

Kate and Blake (Brandon) gave me some spending money to buy a new bathing suit, but they (he) didn't know that I had already found one on sale a while ago... so they (he) bought me a few other things. Happy Mother's Day to me! I am thankful for two sweet babies to keep me on my toes.
I don't know about any of you blog readers, but I have a hard time finding clothes that look cute and are in my price range. I know many of you are moms, and you know that bodies just don't look the same after babies, or some clothes look like people are trying too hard to stay young. So, I thought I would let you see some of my finds.


I found some cute new clothes today! I was so excited to find shorts that were not to short and not too long. These are called the "boyfriend shorts" from New York and Co. Their whole store was 50% off, so I paid $14 for each pair of these shorts. I got the colors pictured here, but there are plenty of other colors available. I also found the fun tube dress at Old Navy for $15, and it will be a favorite for the summer. It has a strap that comes up from the middle and ties around your neck.
I hate to bore you with a commercial for clothes, but I was pretty excited to find a few things- and you can bet that you will see me wear them over and over again!
I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day with their mother or their children today. I am thankful for all the mothers in our families!

Sound Machines & Other Important Things

Do any of you use sound machines? We sure do! We have always used one for Kate, because when we had her, we lived in a tiny condo and her bedroom wall joined to another condo. And then we used one when we had Blake because Kate was loud and because he was in our room for a while. We like the white noise/rain sounds, and we like it pretty loud!
I used one in college, and Kate used that same one until it recently broke. A while back, Kate started needing a nightlight because she was scared, so we started using the light projector one for her instead of a nightlight. She loves it! We usually love our sound machines... except for at 3 o'clock this morning. Our power flickered and they were gone! Kate's was off completely, and Blake's was a LOUD nightmare of birds chirping. Kate woke up immediately begging for her light, but she went right back to sleep. Blake didn't wake up (I don't know how), but I had to go into his room and turn off the birds and put his rain back on. Seriously, can they not put in a battery backup like my old-school model had? Who in their right mind wants to wake up to a host of chirping birds?
In other news- my sister and sister-in-law had their babies last week. Kelly called me early Wednesday morning as she headed to the hospital. I got to be in her delivery, which was not the most fun one for a previous NICU nurse. She will post the story on her blog soon, but I was just glad to be in there. It is amazing to see every time! John Burke is so sweet and little, and hopefully I will get my hands on him soon!
Then, Friday morning, Derek called and said that Stacy was in labor too. Seriously? We waited to hear more news later, and it was slow to progress, but baby Chloe was here around 5 that night. I finally got my hands on her Saturday morning, and she is tiny- 5 pounds, 5 ounces!
I have to say that it was perfect timing because Brandon had a pretty easy rotation last month and it was all ending this past weekend. He was able to watch the kids so I could be in on most of the action. The kids went up to the hospital 2 or 3 times, but it is no place for kids. They ate junk, tore up waiting rooms, probably annoyed lots of people, ate way too much junk, and just got bored! So, it was great that Brandon kept them home for most of the time. I am sure that is how he wanted to spend his off-time, but he sure didn't want to chase them through the hospital! Also, it was so nice because Kelly was still in the hospital, so we made a home-base out of her room while Stacy was in labor. Their rooms ended up being right next to each other, but Kelly was leaving as Stacy was coming up! We couldn't have planned it any better.

Sharing

We have been working on sharing lately, and I got some rare pictures of the kids trying to share candy, of all things. Having them so close together has given them no choice but to share, which is nice, but we all need a little reminder to share every once in a while. Sometimes, it is sharing a toy, sometimes a sippy cup when we are out and I can only find one (I don't care though, I would rather have them sick at the same time anyway), and sometimes it is sharing someone's attention. I feel bad- I have been busy sewing lately and I know that they are craving my attention when they want to just sit in my lap while I monogram things. I am trying to share time with them, time with Brandon when he is off, and time sewing... which is why this blog has been a little bare lately. And to be honest, I just don't have anything exciting to blog about. Give me a week to a month and I will have a new neice and a new nephew to show you!

I have to admit that today I didn't feel very good, and I have been VERY impatient and snappy with the kids. I love having such a talker in Kate- she makes me smile or laugh right when I need it! Earlier, I told her that I was sorry that I had lost my temper and she said, "That's ok, but where is your temperature? Can you find it?" I laughed because she had no idea what a temper was, and she was already over the fact that I had hurt her feelings. Also, sometimes God uses that little girl to change my heart in a second. I was so frustrated getting them into bed and was waiting for her to come back to her room to get her pajamas on (after she did a naked lap through the house screaming "naked jaybird"), and right as I was about to scream at her, she ran in and hugged me and said, "I love you this much." My entire mood changed in a second, and I thought of Proverbs 15:1, "A gentle answer turns away wrath..." Her sweet words turned away my bitter frustration in a second. I am thankful for these babies that teach me more than I ever knew was possible. I promise I won't go so long before the next post!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! We have had a whirlwind of a day! I worked like a mad woman doing the finishing touches on the kids' Easter outfits this morning... yes, this morning! You would think I might have it ready to go, but I think I bit off more than I could chew. And, Brandon was on call today, so I was alone for church and lunch. Needless to say, Sunday school did not happen.

This was definitely my last opportunity to dress Blake in a smocked john-john. Brandon is DONE with them! There is nothing wrong with them, but I have a husband who would appreciate more "manly" clothes on his son. I worked hard on it, so I was able to squeeze it in for one last holiday. But isn't he sweet with his little white sandals?
He was mesmorized by the dandelions in the yard. We have always laughed at his squat to look at things down low. It doesn't look like it would be comfortable, but he does it every time.

My little man!

I thought this picture was funny looking, mainly because it does not look like him at all. But, his haircut made me laugh, so I posted it.

And this fireball... she behaved like a 2 year old today! She was sweet, but she wore everyone out. She wanted to be in constant motion and constantly eating candy. Then, she was definitely anti-nap today... which is never good for me when Brandon is on call. It makes for a long day! She tends to make my whole family (and anyone that meets her) laugh, so she made up for her moodiness by her funny little antics.

Gigi and her babies! The older "kids" sat outside by the pool while the babies took naps (or Kate watched cartoons on the couch), and it was HOT! But, we tried to put our feet in the pool, and it was shockingly cold. So, we just enjoyed the peace and quiet and put our feet in the pool every now and then.

Kate fell asleep on the way home from my parents' house, but that was it for her nap. So, we played outside as long as we could- but then we melted down. We just had a snuggle night, and she stayed close to me and read lots of books. I tried to put her down a little early, but she wasn't too keen on the idea. She stood at her door (remember the baby gate?) and screamed for a good 15 or 20 minutes, but then she went to sleep, so maybe she was just too tired for her own good. We are still good on the no-pacifier front, which is a blessing.

Now, for the GOOD NEWS!

It was nice to get them in bed and actually reflect on what today is really about. It is not about naptime, or how much time to myself that I get, or even having a husband present on a holiday... it is about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross so that you and I can live at all! I am so thankful to be loved by a Savior willing to die so that my sins can be forgiven. And OH- how evident my sins are every day as a mother!

Shouting It Out

I really wish I had something more exciting to tell you about on a Friday night, but I just changed a load of the kids clothes from the washer to the dryer and was amazed! There are a few shirts with what I thought were set-in stains, but they came out! I used a ton on each thing, but I didn't even let them sit very long before putting them in the wash- and all the stains came out. One shirt was COVERED in strawberry juice, orange drippings, and remnants of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich... all gone! It is Shout Advanced Action Gel for Set-In stains- they are not kidding!
Random, I know, but I feel like I need to share when something works! Here is Blake showing you his staining skills and his toothy smile.

Free

We are officially pacifier free at our house! Blake hasn't taken one since he was about 6 months old, but Kate has not wanted it out of her sight her whole life. She could only have it for bedtime, but she would have loved to have had it in 24/7.
We tried to give it up a while back, but the night we took it away from Kate, she woke up with the stomach bug, and then she was afraid of bedtime for a while... which started the worst behavior I have ever seen at night. So, I talked to my pediatrician, and she said that she probably associated taking away the pacifier with waking up sick, and she started throwing fits, which just became a bedtime habit. Then, we got the baby gate to keep her in her room, and she just had to cry for a few nights, but it was all better.
Last week, my grandmother, Nanny, fell and broke her elbow, and I was visiting her in the hospital after surgery around 7:30 or 8 at night, so Brandon was putting the kids in bed. I came home and Brandon had somehow talked Kate into giving her pacifier to the "paci fairy" to give to babies who need it. I thought it was a hoax and that I would hear her screaming all night, but she did it! We have been free from it for over a week now (I waited a week before mentioning it just to be sure). I was not too thrilled to take it away last week because the kids stayed with Papa G and JoJo this weekend, but the kids did fine.
I was at one of my best friend's weddings in Mississippi this weekend, and it was so fun. I am hoping my friend (hint, hint Melanie) will email me pictures so I can show you the fun. Brandon had to work, so I went alone, and I had my own king size bed from Thursday to Sunday... Heaven! I could shower, get dressed, fix my hair and makeup all by myself. I laughed on Saturday morning as I realized that normally, I get out an outfit, lay it on my bed, and then the kids run off with it and play dressup until I need to put it on. I then pick out shoes, but Kate just throws them on and tries to walk around in them, and then she wants to know about every little bit of makeup I use. She is a girl, through and through! Hope to show you pictures soon!