Pro-Mama

I'm thinking about going professional. Seriously - this is my 3rd baby - I know it all now. Everything there is to know about parenting, I've got it. I should win awards.

How to tell when they're hungry? Mastered it.
How to get them sleeping through the night? Done.
Best calming techniques? You guessed it - I know 'em.
Best solution to teething? Been there, done that.
Diaper rash? Gone
Skin rash? Working on it, but it's going away.
Best way to avoid a tantrum? Got it. (though it varies for each child).
Best snacks? Already in the pantry.
How to potty train? Took a lot of error with first child, but 2 of the 3 are now fully trained, so not too bad.

I mean I really don't like to brag on myself, but seriously, I should be the next baby whisperer or something.

For example: Do you remember this post?

Bald and drooling....

Well, I was right. I knew what to look for, I saw the signs, and I diagnosed the problem. So congratulations Owen on your first tooth! FIVE months later...

Not many women can sense teething that far in advance...I have a gift. I'm going pro.

(Pictures of said tooth popping through the gums to be displayed at a later date. I don't want to wake him up to take his picture because that would contradict the whole sleeping through the night deal. )

PS - In case you don't know that I'm a highly sarcastic person, (in which case, we've obviously never met) clearly, I was being facetious. I'm on my 3rd kid and still don't know what the heck I'm doing.

Fashion Star

They say what's on the inside is all that really matters. I know that, really I do.
That's why I tried. I really did try to let her leave the house looking like this.
I mean, in the grand scheme of things, what's more important: her having self confidence and "artistic flare" or me wanting her to look cute at pre-school? I mean seriously...it's just a bunch of 4 year olds. For crying out loud, they don't care how she looks.

I did try. Promise.
I couldn't do it.

So, we compromised.
Compromise is good. It's a valuable lesson to learn.
The pink socks, twirly skirt, and purple hat weren't going, so we changed the shirt.
Compromise.
If compromising is such a valuable lesson, why do I feel guilty?
She wasn't hurting anything.

Aahhhh...mother's guilt. Does it ever end?

I asked her to put her hands on her hips and strike a pose.
I think (thank the Lord) we can cross off supermodel from future career choices.

Not to be outdone by big sis, here's "Spiderman". Don't even try to call him Isaac today.
He gets mad. Real mad.

Next time, I won't care. Promise. As long as everything's covered - I won't care.
I'll keep trying.

Busted

We try to keep certain doors in our house closed.
Sometimes we forget.

Uh-Oh. Somebody got busted.

You can't see it, but there was plenty more toilet paper pulled off the roll. These are just the two pieces he chose to play with/eat.

"Oh, come on Mom....don't be mad. Look at how stinkin' adorable I am."

"What? I came back in here to clean up. I promise."

State Fair Part II

Todd playing with his youngest son. I love these two pics. (and these two guys).

EG just found out that we're staying even later and letting them each pick one more ride. Think she was excited about the news?

Seriously, it should be illegal to be this cute.

We're home now. Everyone's in bed. Most of them are sleeping. Tomorrow....well, tomorrow I'm going to have 3 cranky, tired babies who have to get flu shots....But today, well today was pretty much awesome.

An afFAIR to remember....

Happy 9 month birthday Owen!
Boy, did we celebrate. (Pun definitely intended in title). We spent the afternoon and evening at the State Fair. We rode rides, gained weight, walked a lot, and had a pretty dang good time.

Both my little dare-devils wanted to try the roller coaster and loved it. You can't see Isaac's smile in the picture, but it was just as big as his sister's. They also loved the swings, ferris wheel, and spinning tea cups.

Owen's favorite part of the day was when he got to crawl around and eat grass. Can't get the kid to eat cheerios or stars, but he certainly downed some grass today...

A fun pic of our kids, a few of our teenage "kids", and of course, Mr. Potato Head.

To Be Continued....
(since I still can't figure out how to post more than 4 pics at a time. You'd think blogger would make this program more"blonde friendly," but they didn't. sigh.

A Standing Ovation...

So the kids are really into performing plays right now.
Translation: she drops a shoe, he finds it, brings it to her, and they dance. (Cindarella...) Repeat above sequence as many times as possible before bedtime.

This picture was taken before the big event on Sunday night.
(Yes, they picked their own costumes. Yes, she really wanted her "prince" to be a fireman. No, he did not cave. He chose instead to wear red and green, with a necklace and boots....)

The prince waiting patiently for the shoe to drop.

Poor Cindarella dancing alone because the prince refused to dance with her.
The back-up prince was busy figuring out how to fully show his enthusiasm during the play.

Alas, the standing ovation. That's right - he's pulling up on anything and everything. And as you can see, he's quite proud of himself for it.

Then and Now

I already miss this. Really miss it.
I loved the "curled up in a ball, passed out on anything, anywhere" stage.

That's not to say the "falling asleep while busy sitting up playing with our blanket" stage isn't seriously cute too, but I still miss it.

There's no place like....Heaven

Top 10 Reasons the Diva has been annoyed with me this week:

1. I can't tell her exactly when we're going to Heaven.
2. I don't know if it's in two weeks or two years. (her suggested time frame).
3. I can't tell her exactly which of her friends will be there.
4. I don't know exactly what God and Jesus are doing right now.
5. I don't know what kind of music they will have there.
6. I don't know if or how often there will be pajama or dance parties there.
7. I don't know exactly how we will get there.
(When I suggested flying, she said "Great, I likes to ride on airplanes")
8. I don't know if there are princesses there.
9. I don't know what she'll eat there.
10. I forgot to wash her pink leggings before school on Friday.
(I know the last example was unrelated, but she was fairly annoyed about that....)

The above picture was taken at the mall. I now wonder if she thought that motorcycle would take her to Heaven. It was one of her suggested modes of transportation, along with walking, cars and bus rides.

Why is she obsessed with and asking so many questions about Heaven this week? I haven't the slightest clue.

Does she think of Heaven as the ultimate family vacation? Pretty sure she does.

Should I tell her that to get to Heaven, she has to leave here? Don't feel like explaining that right now. Would you please be a dear and do it for me?

FINALLY

A few pregnancies aside, I have been running since the 9th grade. I'm not as fast, thin, or energetic as I was back when I started, but I'm still chugging along. Some days I wake up excited to get out there and hit the pavement. Today was not one of those days. Wasn't feeling it, but I'm training for a race, so I got out there for a 5 miler and I must confess: The years of running have finally paid off.

That's right, I found $5.00 on the sidewalk.

Hello Starbucks.

Sleep Tight

Do you think he was climbing back into the bed or trying to get out when he finally quit fighting sleep?