Where's A Cat When You Need One?

The scene: Base of crepe myrtles in our back yard

What's inside: Three baby mice. Momma is nowhere to be found. We're not sure if Tucker has already eaten it or something else did. Maybe she's still lost or something.

This picture was taken after my oldest MOVED them to be safe from the animal that resides in our backyard.

The hunter: One Golden Retriever named Tucker. Sometimes I substitute the "T" in Tucker with another letter.

It was Sunday and we were getting down to the wire as far as packing up to move to our new house. We stayed home from church to get A LOT done. The kids are blowing bubbles trying to get rid of the numerous bottles of bubble solution that has accumulated over time. Then my oldest comes to tell me that Tucker has something. Sure enough when we yell his name a certain way, he knows he's in trouble. He gets as close to getting into the fetal position as possible for an animal his size.

He dropped something. Something that had fur. And a long tail.

Tucker was about to have lunch. A three course lunch consisting of mice. 

Tucker found their nest and was about to eat his lunch when my oldest saw what he was doing. My oldest had just "rescued" the mice from the jaws of our animal and found a new place for them on the side of the house.

In the shade.

With her bare hands.

NNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!! YYYUUUUCCCCKKKKKK!!!!!!

Without trying to freak her out I told her to go wash her hands with soap multiple times. Hubby and I are just wondering what the hell to do?!?!!? They're live mice. Do we bag them up and put them in the garbage? Do we put them in a shoe box? Give them a cruel death and let the dog eat them and let the dog possibly get some weird funk? Do we put them back in the sun, so maybe the sun will get them? WHAT?!?!?!

I'm freakin' out, but at the same time relieved that we're moving in a few short days.

 From that point on my oldest was set on helping them survive. First, she gave them a slice of cheese. I'm thinking either that's a myth or they were just too young to care. Hubby even took her to go get an eye dropper so she could try and give them water. After her story, the pharmacist gave her the dropper for FREE.

She's laboring over these yucky rodents, while I have to remind her five times a day to feed the 100 pound pooch that resides in our home. The one animal that we intentionally went out to adopt and brought home to be a member of this family.

We finally put our foot down and told her to leave these rodents alone. They could carry disease. She could get sick or worse. All we could think to do at this point is to pray that a cat comes across their path and takes them off of our hands.

On any given day that we've been in this house there are numerous cats that I've seen wandering thru my bushes. Where are they now? Where is the one ferrell cat that I need to do me a favor?  Put these animals out of their misery and move them far, far away from my house!

I'm praying for a cat right now. The cat that will take these furry creatures off of our hands. Like yesterday.

Birthday Fail

When J's birthday came around I had the best of intentions as far as the cake goes*.  I'm usually one who orders our cakes from our favorite bakery. But I saw a picture of a cake and I thought, "easy cheesy lemon squeezy". Ya. Not so much.

How hard could this be? It's four layers and sprinkles. To me, a cake makes the party. I loooooovvvve cake!

So I set out for my cake mixes and sprinkles. I wanted to do two layers of chocolate and two layers of yellow cake mix**.  I had recently come across a cream cheese frosting recipe that I used for the cupcakes that went to school and so I decided to use that for the cake as well.

It didn't help that I waited until the Friday night before the party. The party was Sunday afternoon. The cake layers were baked and cooled***.  So I started with setting up the bottom layer and frosting. The steps that you learn from cake decorating class.

• level cake
• make a frosting "damm"
• fill in frosting 
• level second layer and repeat

 

Doesn't quite look like the picture does it? Then either my frustration was heating up the kitchen or it was an unusually warm day in February****.  Plus, I had gotten some different sprinkles than were shown in the picture.                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                       

With icing running down the sides and nothing being stable I gave in to the defeatist attitude. I just put it in my cake carrier and shoved it in the fridge. At this point panic is setting in and I'm thinking, "What on earth am I going to do for a cake?" 

The next morning J was all excited to see the cake. I warned her that I wasn't happy with it and we could try and do something else. Or buy something else. When J saw the cake, I knew she was sincere. She said she thought it was very pretty and she liked how I did one layer chocolate and one layer vanilla. My seven year old was truly helping me feel better. But I still felt horrible for not being able to provide a cake that I wanted to make for her.  

Then she added, "We can still eat it, right?" Honey, we sure can! It's all about priorities, isn't it? When Hubby went to pick up a cake that he had ordered for my birthday, I asked him to see if they had some spare cakes in the fridge that would be suitable for J's birthday. He (and DC) came through! They had a strawberry cake with strawberry puree on the top. 

After the girls had spent the entire hour painting their pottery pieces they gobbled up cake like it was candy! Everyone enjoyed it. 

I may just have to resolve to order each and every birthday cake from now on. I think I may be okay with that to make sure I get what I want. Or resolve to do this:

• stick to buttercream
• bake cakes one day, frost on another
• take a refresher course at Cake Carousel 

Was it a birthday fail, necessarily? Maybe not. A personal fail in my mind. But, all in all it was a great birthday for J! I couldn't ask for better, sweeter, cuter kids than mine!

*How does the saying go about the road of good intentions?
**Never forget the sour cream in cake mixes! YUM
***I'm not sure if I let them cool enough
****Or a combination of both







 

Happy 7th Birthday!

My youngest won't be 7 (technically) until 11:17pm, but we'll celebrate all day that she came into our life. She is sweet. She is loads of fun. She is a wonderful gift from God that I am truly grateful for! She is  a little comedienne. She completes our family.

I couldn't imagine life without my youngest.

My wish for her is that she lives her life knowing that she is surrounded by people that love her and that want the best for her. I hope that she loves herself enough to respect her body and to treat it like the temple that it is. I hope that she feels God's Grace all around.

I pray that I can live up to the example that she deserves in her life. I hope she knows how much I love her. And always will. 

Happy 7th birthday to my Jaimee!

Don't Bother Stopping At THis House

Sometimes I get a glimpse of what my life will be like with teenage girls. Our neighbors across the street have two teenage girls and I'm not crazy about the glimpse they have provided. We've been in our house over eight years. We've seen them grow from little girls to the age of the oldest just moving out last summer*.

In my hood you don't come across people too often. Hardly anybody does their own yard work, if they do they're nose is so far in the dirt that they don't have time to say hello. These are one of the few neighbors that I could actually tell you their name.

Now their youngest is old enough to date. It's quite a sad thing to see**. I'm hoping this latest boy won't last long. He's a little kid in a teenage body driving a convertible Ford Mustang***. He can't spend the time to get out of his car and go up to the door. His way of calling for her to come out is to rev the engine or honk the horn.

Are.You.Kidding.Me?

Why is this ok? One time, the dad even escorted his daughter out to the car because he wanted to sit in the car. Where is the self-respect of this young girl? If I could I would go to her and just shake her and tell her she is worth so much more! Why is it that the parents are ok with this?

Why is she that desperate for this kid's attention? Does her dad not give her the attention that she should have gotten all of these years? Has her mother not told her that she is a gift from God and deserves to be treated like a lady?

I would like to take this young punk and give him some lessons on how it doesn't take one minute to get his lazy behind out of his stupid car to ring a doorbell. If she is worth the gas to go pick up, she is worth turning off the engine and going to the front door. Each and every time. This just screams to me (the outsider) there is nothing respectable about him.

Young lady, he may be the first but he won't be the last. Kick him to the curb. You deserve and should demand so much more!

Warning to any boy in my daughter's future:

You won't only have my husband to contend with. You will also deal with me. You will show us the respect that we deserve. You will treat my daughters as the precious children of God we have raised them to be. If you think it's ok to just rev your engine or honk, keep driving. Don't bother stopping.


*unfortunately she didn't move away to college.
**isn't it wild how other people's children grow up?
***it looks as if it's pretty spanking new.

Hand In Hand

It only took about three weeks before we had our first early release day at school this year. No biggie. My oldest was off at fifth grade camp and it was just me and my baby*. She was bored silly without big sister around. She soon noticed my bookshelf with my scrapbooks and wedding photo album in it. One by one she gets them down from the shelf. Asking questions and making funny comments about some of the pictures. 

Then lastly, she got my wedding album down and started thumbing through the pages. Then I hear, "Mommy! You cheated on Daddy?!" I emphatically said, "NO" and went over to see what picture she could have been talking about.

 My father died when I was eighteen, so I knew early on that I would always ask my oldest cousin to walk me down the aisle. My baby was looking at the picture of me and my cousin about to walk down the aisle and I burst out laughing. I explained that my cousin had represented my family in giving my hand in marriage to Daddy. 

It was all better after she saw that yes, Daddy was there and he and I walked out of that sanctuary hand in hand. 

She cracks me up with most of the things she says. She has such a personality that it's hard to keep a straight face. I love her for it!

*1st grader, but she's still my baby

The Perfect Ten

I first met her with ten fingers and ten toes. When I first saw her she had blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was and is a blessing to me. She is a lively and creative spirit. She has a tender side and she's very sensitive. She is smart and energetic. She is the apple of her daddy's eye. And mine as well.

My oldest is ten today. I'm a little freaked out. Time has flown and I don't know where it has gone. I want to grab on to some moments and just live them forever. I want to never forget. I want to never forget the time when she was a baby and I would move my hand in front of her mouth and she would make funny noises.

When she was a toddler we would ask her what Daddy says. Her response would be, "I love you". When we asked her what Mommy says, her response was, "Sh*t". Yep. That's when I knew she was watching me and I had change my ways.

Then came time for her to go to pre-school. No biggie. She was cooler than a cucumber and ready to make new friends. We had a few years of "Muffins with Mom" and "Donuts with Dad". There were Christmas programs where they actually sang Christmas Carols.

Sending her off to elementary was a breeze. There hasn't been a teacher she hasn't liked. There may have been one or two I haven't liked, but she knows none the wiser.

My heart leaped for joy when she was ready to be baptized. She had followed God's command and made a public profession of faith. A tender heart learning to live in God's love and light. I get none of that glory. I don't deserve it. God gets all of the glory!

Ten years have gone by. Ten years of growing in God's Word. Ten years of growing up girl.

Ten years have gone by.

Thank you, God for allowing me the privilege of being this young girl's mother. Thank you, God for blessing me with her smile, sense of humor, her silliness. It just doesn't get any better than this! I lift her up in prayer to grow more independent in her faith. I pray for her to have a strong mind and body. I pray that she hears and feels a strong sense of destiny and purpose. Whisper in her ear, God, what You would have her do. May she have a desire for integrity and strive for excellence. May she always glorify Your name in everything she does, Lord.

Ten years have gone by. It's unreal. Happy birthday to my ten year old daughter!

I Miss My Kids. Really!

I'm approaching my fourth night of the kids being at the grandparents house. The house has been clean for three days straight! It's quite nice that I haven't had to do as many dishes without them here. Hubby and I have watched movies and eaten dinner out without having to worry about who's gonna watch the kids. 

But, I miss my kids. Really! I miss their laugh, and their smiles. I miss their unending requests for something to eat and even their silly little sisterly spats. I miss their adorable faces. Other times if Hubby were to ask me if I missed the kids, I would quickly say, "No. Not yet". This time is different. 

The trip over to the grandparents was a little last minute plan. Usually, I'm at my wits end and that's when Hubby calls his parents to see if they want to spend a little quality time with the little cherubs.We haven't gotten the chance to get that much summer under our belts so far.  It really hasn't been all that stressful. Yet. 

I know I should be grateful for the free time. Trust me I am. 

Today was the first day I actually got out of the house to do something "fun". I'm not sure it gets any better than a chocolate mint pedicure! I had had enough of being cooped up in the house, not being able to think of something to do. Normally, I would have no problem thinking of something to do. It would be party central around my house. Ideas run rampant in my head, while the kids are running around the house. 

So, I'll savor my last night until the kids come home. I look forward to them returning. They have been missed. They are loved! I can't wait to kiss those cute little faces. 

I Am Projected Out!

Fourth grade seems to be the year of the project. At least the second semester is anyway. And I'm beat!! I don't believe I've ever worked as hard on something as these projects. Should I be working this hard? It's not my project. I've done my schooling. But what kind of mother would I be if I didn't do anything? 

As soon as we got back from Christmas break it was announced by my fourth grader that she had a science project due. Excuse me? We had just had two weeks off  that we could have used to work on this project. But alas, that time was gone and we had to buckle down and get it planned, started and then finished in two weeks. We did a  project on density. I have to say it was pretty fun and I think we did a darn fine job. You should have seen the ones that actually got ribbons at the science fair. Augh! 

The next project was to make a travel brochure about The Alamo or any other battle site in the state of Texas. This was prompted on the day AFTER it was due by a phone call from the teacher telling us our fourth grader hadn't turned it in. Seriously, I was about to hit the roof. We hustled  to get this thing printed out. I did all of the research while my kid was at school. I told said kid to choose what she would like to put in the brochure. Hubby was in charge of getting this thing printed out with what little printer ink we had left in the printer. This was on a Wednesday. 

That very next Thursday we were building a piano out of a gift box for the music teacher. Yep! The music teacher had all of fourth grade make a music instrument. This was assigned some time ago, but my fourth grader forgot about it. Until the week it was due. Thank God the piano didn't have to make music, it just had to look like an instrument. I was mad, frustrated, flustered and wondering if there was a rock I could go hide under. 

Now I'm breathing down the back of a "Free Market" project. The kids have to come up with a product to sell to the other kids and the proceeds go to a charity chosen by the teacher. Where do I start with this one? The kids make a product and the fifth grade comes around to all the stations and buy their goods if they so choose.  Hello? Kids running out school with money? What if the "charity" is the teacher's mortgage company? If this were truly a free market project the kids would have to cover the costs of their product first then any remaining monies would be considered profit. 

The kids chose to do sand art. They would provide the sand and the plastic bottles and the kids that want to shell out the money they can make their own designs. I've seen how much colored sand costs. I'm stunned. I've seen the recipe for making my own colored sand and I have no desire to have the leftover 15 pounds of sand laying around the house. Even the least expensive plastic bottle is about $1.19 each. 

Dear teachers, I'm projected out. I've had enough. These projects are a little too much back to back. Some of these are middle school worthy projects and we don't have anybody in middle school yet. Like I said, do I just let my kiddo take a hit on her grade if she doesn't get it done?  Or, do I jump in and help? When is it too much help on the project, and when is it not enough? 

*Winter Break, Christmas Break, call it what you will. I call it what it is. 

Turning 6 and a Sleepover

My little one's birthday came and went. Thank God! She had been talking about it non-stop. That's ALL we talked about. Every day leading up she would ask if it was the day of her party. Finally it came time for the slumber party. WOOHOO!! I can finally stop hearing about it.

In a huge way I love planning the kids parties. In a huge way I hate it. It's stressful and hardly anybody RSVP's anymore. The school makes it impossible to discreetly hand out invites, you either mail the invites or you invite the whole class. I would have loved to mail them if  the PTA would have gotten the directory out by then*. Plus, there was no way I was about to invite a whole class of girls and boys to a sleepover. Don't want that many kids here OR that many gifts. It's just common sense why you can't invite boys to a sleepover anyway.

I had planned for the girls to decorate pillow cases to go with the slumber party theme. We had cupcakes and we had gotten the movie How To Train Your Dragon to watch before lights out. Everything went great. I had made a sample pillow case to show the girls. They were super easy. I got some fabric markers and once I was done with my case I tossed it in the dryer for thirty minutes to set it. 

Here's mine:

It turned out to be a fun little craft that took up a good chunk of time. I'm pretty sure the girls had fun with it. 

This is how J's turned out:

L did a great job on hers as well:

I love how my oldest did a picture of the family. Isn't it scary, crazy how the likeness is so much like Hubby? 

They've wanted to sleep on them ever since. No ink has rubbed off, everything is staying where it should. I credit http://familyfun.go.com/parties/sleepover-party-704560/ for the wonderful ideas! She's a little more grown up and a little less my baby. It sort of breaks my heart. 

*What's the point of getting it out in late February? Half the year is gone. If you can' t get it out by October, don't bother. Save the money and the paper. 

My Little Valentines

Happy Valentines Day! 

I have to say I am one lucky lady to spend it with my wonderful husband and our two very sweet kids! They mean everything to me. When one of my kids is hurt that hurts me. I struggled with something recently. It came down to pure thoughtlessness. 

My oldest went over to play at a friends house. When it came time for me or Hubby to go pick her up she called and asked if she could spend the night. Absolutely! She was having a good time and we were thrilled! Then the dad of the family where my oldest was staying the night went to go get milkshakes. For the family. With four kids of their own but one was at a friends house. They didn't get one for my oldest. Who was their guest. 

They enjoyed milkshakes in front of my daughter and didn't offer to get her one or even share. Of course we didn't find out until our oldest came home the next morning. I was floored. I was upset. I was pissed. My oldest was a guest in their home. They treated her like dirt. My oldest wouldn't hurt anyone. We've never done that to friends of our kids. 

Let me just say that at first my oldest was going to stay until a certain time. Maybe the thoughtless father had believed that my oldest would be gone by the time he got back, but when the decision was made that she was staying the night, there is such a thing as cellphones. 

Do I just stew in my pissed off-ness? Do I get my oldest a milkshake the next time she's invited over and let her eat it in front of them the next time around? Just move on as if nothing happened? 

We tried to explain that some people are just thoughtless and that we have to move on. It's so much easier to tell that to someone than to follow through with it. We tried to make other moments in the weekend a little more special to her. I think we tried to have those special times with her for us as well. To help her know that we love her and that what happened shouldn't. 

The Friday Morning Party Train

Fridays, by far, are my most favorite day! On Friday mornings there is a party in my head and in my heart. They are warm and fuzzy even when it's 25 degrees outside. It's the kick off to the weekend. A kick off to fun. Most of the time. 

My children haven't gotten this memo apparently. I tell my kids the tv gets turned off at 6:30 in the morning. There is breakfast to be had. There are clothes to put on. Hair and teeth to brush. There are backpacks to get together and out the door we go so I can get to my crossing guard duty. 

Leave it to my youngest and most opinionated* to change her mind about what she wants to wear, what socks she wants and how she wants to wear her hair.  It drives me nuts. I don't have time for her to change her mind 20 times. We get into an argument. Daddy backs me up and youngest is almost in tears. 

I have to tell my oldest at least three times to finish eating instead of playing with the dog. Three times. I don't have the clothing argument with her because she doesn't care what she wears. Yet. But she acts as if I've just beaten her with a stick for telling her to eat instead of playing with the dog. She could have done that instead of watching tv. 

When we get into the car, their backpacks should be on their backs. Not back in the house. It's 25 degrees outside and I've told them more than once that their jackets should be zipped. Are they?? 

THESE CHILDREN NEED TO GET ON BOARD THE FRIDAY MORNING PARTY TRAIN!!!!! Friday mornings shouldn't suck like this last one. It's supposed to be "Fabulous Friday" around our house. 

*who picks out her clothes the night before

Mommy is Soooo Mean

On Monday we woke up to snow and no school delay. It's below freezing. I made sure the girls were dressed in layers. At least one anyway. The older daughter's coat has a broken zipper so she's in a button up coat. At least older girl is wearing a turtle neck and t-shirt over it.

I tried to make the younger wear a turtle neck, but she said it itched. I'm grasping here. So, if she's only going to wear a t-shirt a puffy coat will follow with scarf and gloves. I made her zip up the coat and get bundled before getting in the car. 

Then whispering is heard. The younger is mad and she's sharing her unhappiness. Of course not loud enough to tell what was said, but loud enough to know there was something sinister being said. Hubby asks what was said. Older daughter will tell Hubby anything. She caves easily when daddy is involved. Older kid says, "J said mommy is soooo mean". 

I'm mean because I made sure that she was warm. I'm mean because I made her wear a puffy coat. That she said she liked when we bought it. 

Suck it up, kids! I'm mean because I love you and don't want you to freeze to death. I'm mean because I want you to turn in to productive, responsible and caring young ladies. Ladies who look back on their childhood and can say that their mommy really loved them and took care of them. 

I want what's best for them. Hopefully one day they will be able to see that. 

Be Careful What We Wish For

A few weeks ago we were traveling in the car. I'm not sure why or how the subject came up, but we were talking about President Obama. My oldest says from the back, "I wish he would die". My heart sank at that moment. I may not agree with any of his policies, but I definitely don't wish for his demise from this earth.

I thought to myself, he is a man just like my Hubby. He has a wife and two young daughters. He is trying to do what he believes is the right thing for this country*. Granted, my Hubby isn't leader of the free world, but that could only be a matter of time**. Like my Hubby, he is surrounded by family and friends that love him. In just a couple of short years he will go back to private life. 

I once saw someone*** on facebook refer to him as Satan. Are you kidding me? People give him way too much power and credit when he is referred to in that way. I've read the Bible. I know what Satan can do, and Obama comes nowhere near. He is a mere mortal like the rest of us. Why should we sink to the level of the people who would refer to President Bush as Hitler and burn him in effigy? 

I quickly corrected my daughter about wishing people would die. I asked her how she would feel if someone said that about her father. 

I love my daughters and wish for them to come into their own strengths and viewpoints where politics are concerned. Not to just follow their parents like sheople in a herd. We should pray for the office of President. Whether we agree with who is in that office or not. We can pray for change. We can vote change. 

*don't get me started. 

** ;) one can dream right? He sure would be great at it. 

****on most days she is certifiably CRAZY.

She Insists On Dressing Herself

The teachers at my kids school must think I'm either crazy or dirt poor. I'm not sure which. On most days I'm not sure I care. My youngest has gotten into a phase where she insists on choosing her own clothes every day. On most mornings when we need to be out the door by 7:10am I am not about to go to battle over clothes. 

Today when we left the house it was 45 degrees outside. By the outfit my youngest is wearing you would think it's 85 degrees. Granted it will get up to the 60's today, but it will be a while until then. I at least made sure she had her puffy coat on. She liked it at the time she tried it on, but of course, she doesn't like it anymore*. 

So, dear sweet teachers: trust me. I keep hoping that she will learn a lesson and dress a little more warmly. She is a very opinionated little blessing from God. I'm not going to die on the battlefield of dress code until she tries to leave my house looking like a two bit tramp. 

* I think I liked her a little better before she could express so many opinions. She changes her mind constantly and it drives me batsh*t crazy. 

American Girl

American Girls aren't cheap! Wait a minute, some might be, but not the dolls for heavens sake. The dolls are about as high maintenance as a real, live girl! There's clothes, furniture, books and even a doll hair salon at the American Girl store. 

I thought it would be fun to kick off the Thanksgiving break by taking my girls to the American Girl store and letting them choose a new hairstyle for their doll. I gave them a budget of $15 per doll. I think I was possibly even more excited about this little outing that my girls were. 

We went walking around the Galleria while waiting for the dolls to get done. I wanted to get back to the salon in time to actually see the dolls getting their hair done. We were late getting back so we missed the actual hair styling. They were just waiting for us in a special little cubby that they use to hold the dolls in. My girls loved the hairstyles they had chosen. 

It was my hope that this new hairstyle would last at least a month. I made that clear to my girls as well. I thought that was very reasonable. Apparently, it wasn't. My oldest came to me the NEXT DAY and asked if she could take her dolls hair down. I thought if either of them would have done this it was surely going to be my youngest. 

After I picked my jaw up off of the ground I told her, "If that's what you really want to do." I did add that I wasn't about to pay for another hairstyle. I explained that she would have to save up the money for the next one*. So down came the hair and pretty ribbons. I was crushed, but tried to hide it as much as I could. 

Chalk another lesson up to motherhood. 

*Ha! That won't be happening anytime soon. 

You-nique!

Now that we are in the swing of being back in school, we pretty much have the homework thing down. On certain days there is math homework. On others, there is integrated. Everyday there is a writing assignment for homework. A writing assignment the other day was on the topic of "How are you unique?" My oldest had a hard time thinking of ways she is unique. She asked me for help. I relished in that one and I still think of ways that she is one of a kind. 

In a world of right handed people, she is a lefty. She and her sister are the only ones in our family. My father was a lefty and I kind of like to think that that was a good quality that my girls could have inherited from the one grandparent who is not here with us. In her class at school she is the only lefty! 

In this society blonde hair, blued eyed people are considered to be pleasing to the eye, she has brown hair and blue eyes. A contrast that stands out and I think it's perfect. I don't want my girls to blend in with the "Barbie doll" crowd. Anybody can buy a bottle of bleach and those crazy blue contacts. 

She has a tender heart. She helps with the special ed kids at school and it never crosses her mind to make fun of those kids or to be mean. At some moments I worry that her heart is a little too sensitive, but time will change that. Unfortunately. 

She's the tallest girl in her class. She's a little embarrassed about this at times, but we always tell her to stand up straight and be proud! When I was growing up, my mom would have my grandmother add a row of lace to EVERYTHING  when it was getting  to be too short. At least I don't make her do that! 

She is the first of her friends to have braces. Unfortunately, my husband and I didn't have the best teeth growing up. We both had braces. I am thankful for them. Granted, she's a lot younger than both my husband and I when we had braces, but I hope that this will be prevention of her having to get them when she's a teen. My hope is that the orthodontist really isn't after our money and that this will help her in the long run. 

Her face has been kissed by an angel. She doesn't like her freckles, but I couldn't imagine her without them now. Someone once said, "A face without freckles is like a  sky without stars". 

She loves her sister and holds such devotion to her family. She is a "Daddy's Girl" through and through. 

She taught me what it was to be in love at first sight. From before she was born, she was loved and wanted. . The unconditional love between a child and parent can't be beat. It's the highest high. Sometimes it'll even break your heart. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

To my wonderful not so little girl, you are wonderful in God's eyes and in mine. You are unique and like no other. You are a piece of heaven on this earth. I am lucky and privileged that you call me, "Mom". 

Manners Really Do Matter

We have a cute book on our kids bookshelf that's called Manners Matter. The main characters are from a popular PBS children's show called Arthur. Who would have thought furry rodents could be so entertaining?We read it over and over. Arthur and DJ and some friends teach a gentle lesson to another about being nice and using manners.

Nothing would horrify me more than if my children were to show disrespect to other adults, or kids for that matter. I hope that my husband and I do our best to encourage manners at every turn. Please don't get me wrong, my name is not Emily Post and I am not related to Miss Manners. But we believe that "Please", "Thank You", and "Excuse Me" should be a part of our daily vocabulary.

Apparently, I am in for a rude awakening since not every parent goes by this philosophy. We've had numerous children in and out of our home.  Whether they are friends of our children, or children of our adult friends. Since our children (and my husband and I) are still young there will be many more children in and out. There are some children I love having over and over. There are some that I wish would never come back, until they learn some manners and respect. I can't use the whole girls are nice and boys are bullies excuse, because I've seen lots of boys with better manners than some girls I've been around.

Just let me say that to get to my kids on an on-going basis, you must show me and my house respect. I will not put up with your pouty little temper tantrums, and slamming of the doors. I am not your maid, you have two legs and two arms, clean up after yourself. It would not kill you to crack a smile and say, "Thank you". I don't mind the whole "BFF" mindset. But, you will not be allowed to dominate all of my kid's time that doesn't allow for her to nourish friendships with others. My kid will not be spending entire weekends with you just to keep you entertained. Weekends are also family time. 

I have nothing against kids. I was a kid. I even have a couple. It's really simple, just show me respect and I will show you respect. I have earned that much. So kiddies, crack a smile. You're precious freckles will not fall off. I promise! 

Growing Up Girl

I have to admit, I may complain about having girls, a little too much. I worry frantically about how it will be when they have the "teen" at the end of their age. It's really not that bad. They have the sweetest demeanor. No one can argue that. It's a fact. I'm not just saying that because I'm their mother. It's true.

I still want to play dress up, but one is at the age that she doesn't want to play that game anymore. She actually has opinions on the clothes she wears. My youngest is a little flashy and she lets me pick out some "fun" stuff. The "baby" would change clothes 5 times a day if I let her.

One thing I love to do with them, and we even drag daddy along, is go to see the "G" rated movies. They actually make movies that I can let them watch and my husband and I just love to watch over again.

We recently saw "Ramona and Beezus". Fun, fun movie! Ramona is the middle child of three girls. She lives with both parents and life is good. Ramona has the best intentions, but in a lot of cases chaos insues. All of the characters in the movie were portrayed in a mostly positive light. One thing that I loved about the movie was the relationship between Ramona and her Aunt Bea.

I guess I liked it so much because I have that type of relationship with one of my aunts. I'm not saying that it's always "peachy". I am the daughter she never had. I love her like my mother. When things aren't "right" with my relationship with my mom, my aunt is a great sounding board. She's always been that way for me. She always will be until she is called Home.

I'm hoping that my girls will have another older woman in their life that they can rely on when they don't feel that they can come to me. Whether it's a cousin, family friend or aunt, I hope they have that camaraderie they can trust and rely on. I can't force it, it just comes naturally.

This is my prayer. One of many!