This was an inspiring and captivating read.

Make a Smilebox greeting

It was bound to happen.

With 3 kids, I'm surpised it has taken this long for me to have to say,

"We don't eat out of the trash."

wordless wednesday (oh, I do love the ease of wednesdays!)

Reagan Elizabeth @ 11 months

I can't stop with the "Not Me's!"

I did not, for the second day in a row, show up late to pick Addi up from school just because my neighbor has been picking her up every single Tuesday since August and told me last week she couldn't today. If that had happened, I would have had to wake Libby and Levi up, throw them in the stroller, run through the rain in my flip-flops and tell the same teacher I almost lost it in front of talked to yesterday that I needed to find my daughter because I was late picking her up. (Don't you know this will be the same teacher Libby will have in a couple years?!) Oh, No! Once there is a change in my schedule, I promptly type it into my calendar and remember it no matter what curve balls life throws at me.

I'm ready to start over and think I need another Monday to get it right!

And, yes, we have recovered the stroller. Apparently it blew down the alley this weekend when Bryan had the garage door open. A neighbor, not knowing whom it belonged, stuck it in another neighbor's garage. Thankfully, yet another neighbor saw it and let us know. Whew! Did you follow that?? It doesn't matter. We have it back.

Not Me! Monday

I've been a horrible blogger this past week and I'll tell you exactly what I have not done, in MckMama fashion, while I have not been blogging.

Well, to start things off, I really meant to post last Wednesday when Levi turned 11 months old. But I needed some pictures uploaded from my camera and I most certainly did not let my camera battery die only to realize that I have not misplaced my charger. I'm much too organized to let those things happen!

Libby's book order was due on Thursday and I did not wait until the last minute to fill out the form and write a check causing much stress because I could not find the checkbook. Again, I never lose things, so that couldn't have happened! I did not instead use 3 "free" coupons I purchased a previous month only to have Libby's teacher call me because only 1 "free" coupon per order is allowed. Now that would just make me look flighty and I am anything but flighty!

I also did not confuse the dates I needed Bryan to take off for preschool registration or my grandparents to babysit Levi and Libby while I went on Addi's field trip. Someone less together might have done something like that, but that's not me!

Thankfully I did not neglect my one goal of the weekend. I did not waste time on Saturday during my alloted time for planning Levi's 1st birthday party. I have priorities!

Over the past six days I have not started more than one post only to abandon it half way through never to return. I would never start something and not finish it! Not me!

I did not almost burst into tears today while explaining, to some teacher I don't know, why I was not late to pick Addi up and not covered in mud. I mean, what kind of mother would I be if my disheveled and dirty self showed up late to pick my daughter up from kindergarten? And the reason would not have been because as I walked out to put Libby and Levi in our double stroller, it was not where I always leave it. My next move would not have been to call my husband in a "freaked-out verging on hysteria" tone expecting him to tell me where the stroller disappeared to and then I would not have snapped at him when he was clueless. No, no, I am always a loving wife! If all that had happened, I definitely would never then decide to "4-wheel" the wagon through the mud at Addi's school in an attempt to shave 4 seconds off my lateness almost resulting in a call to a wagon wrecker company and more mud on my body than I've had in my adult life. Nope, not me!

What have you not done while I've been away? You can read more about what other's have not been doing at MckMama's blog. Oh, go ahead. It's cheap therapy.

One of Life's Great Mysteries

Why do toy makers even bother providing clothes for Barbies/dolls/Polly Pockets?

Two Silly Kids

wordless wednesday (on a friday)

This would've been my Wordless Wednesday, if today was Wednesday. And, if it was, you know, wordless!

Don't be alarmed! I've moved the lamp as to avoid electrocution and/or strangulation, but I did have to wait until he woke up since the cord was wrapped between his legs.

What? You would've woken a sleeping baby to remove the lamp/cord?!

(I did unplug the lamp, if that makes you feel any better, and I made sure I was in his room a second after I heard him rustle on the monitor.)

What's that yucky smell??

Okay, so I have a few posts waiting to be finished and published, but they'll have to wait.

We have some distasteful smell wafting from our kitchen/breakfast room and laundry room. I sort of smelled something yesterday and thought it was the trash. After taking out the trash, Febreeze-ing the air and trash can, and letting a candle burn all day, I thought the smell was gone. However, this morning Libby came in my room (I got to sleep in a little since we're having an inclement weather day!) to ask, "Mommy! What's that yucky smell?" (This a question she asks several times daily. She seems to have inherited my sense of smell which is fun when it's on overdrive during pregnancy.) I walked out of my room to find The Smell had intensified and overtaken the house. Nice.

My solution:

1. kick the dog out (I do feel a little bad, but she's been inside almost non-stop for the past 2 days and the sun's out melting all the ice. Fine. I'll let her back in after step 2.)
2. clean, clean, clean (Good news! I have my 6-year-old home and I'm not above child labor.)
3. light a stronger candle
4. bake cookies (The Smell might or might not be the real reason for this one.)
5. hope The Smell is gone by the time Bryan gets home from Houston later today (We've really missed him and there's nothing that says "Welcome Home" like a freshly cleaned house with a good smell).

And, if none of that works, we may have to bundle up and open all the windows to air the place out.

I better get busy and I'll be back later or tomorrow with one of those other posts.

If she were President

(If I were President, I would pick up trash. And donate toys to other people. And help people be nice.)

I'd vote for her! And not just 'cause I'm her momma. Actually, it sounds a lot like what I do day in and day out. Who knew motherhood would qualify you for a term in the Whitehouse :)

----------------

This next picture has nothing to do with the post - I just thought it was cute! She went to an arts and crafts birthday party on Monday and got her face painted. (She's a puppy dog, if you couldn't tell.) It was a very cute idea and perfect for 6 year old girls.

all smiles now

But she wasn't smiling earlier this morning when she did this...

or while she was getting it all taken care of by the doctor. In fact, it took two nurses and me to hold her still during the stitching and that was after the two nurses and Bryan held her still for the numbing shots. We were promising the moon trying to get her to calm down. She settled for ice cream and the hope that we "won't go to this doctor ever again!" Instead, she wants to "just go to doctors with lollipops and NO shots!" I wisely did not make that promise :)

old news

So these pictures are from Christmas! I know, I know...

I may post Halloween pictures next :)

The last night we had available to see Santa I rememberred I had yet to get the kids picture with Santa. It was Levi's first Christmas, after all. How could we not? I knew Santa would be at Safety Town, so we headed over there. I didn't have my camera, so this is what we ended up with. Not sayin' I would've done any better, but I think I might have zoomed in enough so "Frisco Fire" wasn't competing for photo focal point. Really, I'm not meaning to complain. The pictures were free and the kids got to tell Santa what they wanted. You can't beat that! We waited and waited to see these in our email inbox and they finally arrived a couple weeks after Christmas. I was bummed thinking we had made the effort (at the last minute) and then we'd never have the proof, but I was especially bummed because I wanted this picture...

Sweet Levi suddenly realized someone he didn't know - someone a little strange looking - was holding him and he did not like it. I also have pictures of Addi very upset with Santa (and the Easter Bunny). Libby was always fine with Addi next to her, which is funny to me because now she's my biggest scaredy cat :)

shoulda known better

I should have known better than to dress Libby in a very cute Gymboree shirt with matching bows for preschool. It would be a day paint was involved.

I should have known better than to wash (and dry!) clothes without deliberately checking for "Dry Clean Only" garments. One of Bryan's favorite Banana Republic sweaters now resides on my side of our closet.

I should have known better than to leave Levi alone downstairs while Zoe's water bowl was within his reach. I was putting the laundry I didn't shrink away upstairs, heard a loud crash, and came down to find this.

Is that not the most devious grin on his face?!

I'll have to be more dilligent about sending Libby to preschool in Target/resale shop/hand me down clothes only and moving Zoe's bowl outside during the day.

(For the record, it was freezing this morning, so her water was inside because she was also.)

As for the laundry, well, I kind of like my new Banana Republic sweater. It's a lot softer than all my Old Navy ones. Plus, there's a few more on the other side of our closet I have my eye on!

wordless wednesday

(she pulled it herself)

revelations

*Clarification: The Polly Pockets accessories didn't get in my eyes. (I see how unclear that was now that I've reread. There goes my attempt at brevity.) I'm organizing the playroom this week and those things are so eensy-teensy I can barely find them. Seriously, I've almost jumped up and screamed at least a dozen times because I thought a shoe was a bug. That's why I might go blind, because I'm straining my eyes so to see the dern things.

Now, who would like to know how I know number 1??

1. Suave deodorant does not work.
2. Polly Pockets accessories might make me go blind.

That's all for today. Just thought I'd share.

kIdS

Apparently you have to tell some kids that scissors are not for cutting hair.

Apparently you have to keep scissors away from some kids.

Apparently the temptation is just too great for some kids.

Libby Lu would be one of those kids.

I know this and I've known it for some time, but that she would cut her own hair never really crossed my mind.

(Didn't the Lord chuckle when he placed her in my womb?!)

Addi would've never cut her own hair. Oh! No! She knows scissors are for cutting paper. And, only paper that's been pre-approved for cutting by mom. And possibly by dad.

So, yesterday, I caught Libby in the act of cutting her own hair!

Fortunately she did a better job than the guy here, so with just a little snip or two from me, it looks fine. Barely noticeable.

She has been threatened. She has been lectured. She has assured me she will never cut her own hair again!

But, she is one of those kids!

*Please excuse the remnants of her M&M snack on her mouth. I was never going to let my children be seen without their mouths being wiped. And then I had Libby... :)

I think I got it right

Bear and bare are confusing words. I wrote "bear" in this post and then wondered if I should have used "bare". This is what I found. What'd you think??

10 Months

Our Little Man is 10 months old! Just as it's been with his sisters, I cannot imagine my life without him. I wonder how I didn't feel as though something was missing before he was born?


A friend once told me that God grew a momma another heart for each new child. I remember worrying when I was pregnant with Libby (as I'm sure all mother's pregnant with their second child do) that I wouldn't have it in me to love her as much as I loved Addi. When I was pregnant with Levi I knew I would love him as much as his sisters because of my experience with his sisters, but I still wondered where that love would come from. I didn't feel like our family was incomplete before I found out I was pregnant with him, yet it was. I didn't have an overwhelming longing for a son. SomeOne else knew. SomeOne else prepared my heart, grew me a heart, if you will, for each child. How thankful I am to the One who knows better than me.

In honor of his 10 months, I'm going to list 10 things that are special to me about Levi David.

Here goes...

1. his smile - It lights up a room. He smiles with his entire face and he smiles a lot! In fact, he's learned to smile when I point my camera at him. Levi has to be pretty sleepy or sick not to smile at anyone who makes eye contact with him.
2. his hair - For the most part it has grown out evenly, but he has a clump on the crown of his head that is about 4 inches longer than the rest. I really can't bear to cut it.
3. his (lack of) teeth - Since he's my last baby, I look at his smooth gums and pretend he's not growing as quickly as he really is. Plus, you know, he's still nursing. No teeth when nursing is a plus. His oldest sister taught me that lesson.
4. his joy - Levi is joyful. He bounces up in down in joyful delight when he sees me or Bryan or his sisters or Zoe or another kid about his age.
5. his kisses - These don't happen often, but they are major when they do. If Levi plants one on you, it is wet, it lasts a long time, and it's usually followed by a few more. Like Libby, he doesn't kiss on request though.
6. his determination - At this age babies are supposed to forget about objects when they are out of sight. No one told Levi this rule. When he decides he wants something, there's no stopping him. When he started trying to climb the stairs he would lose his balance, fall down, cry for approximately 3 seconds, and then begin to crawl up again. Now he crawls all the way to the top several times a day. You should see his smile when he makes it!
7. his noises - Whether it's a deep growl, a girly-sounding screech, a mamamamamama, a chuckle, whining or a raspberry, Levi has his own noises. He certainly isn't a loud baby, although he can be and I wouldn't say he's all that verbal (this is coming from a momma used to the non-stop chatter that is 2 little girls), but he makes his unique sounds.
8. his ease - Maybe it's because he's the youngest of 3 or maybe it's because he's a boy or maybe he is just easy-going, but he's pretty easy. He doesn't cry much. He doesn't mind the car or the stroller. He isn't especially needy. He likes his momma, as all babies do at 10 months, but he's okay with other people if he doesn't see his momma. He looks at me and smiles when I sternly tell him NO. His toughest "issue" is still waking up a couple times every night. But, he's small like his sisters were and I haven't forced the issue. When I don't want to get up 2 or 3 times every night, I will or I'll wait till he turns one and wean him. So, even that's not a huge deal to me. Most nights.
9. his boy-ness - Unless he spots a toy in one of his sisters' rooms, he goes after the most boy-ish toys we have. Now, if he sees a "forbidden" toy, he will do all he can to get his mouth on it, no matter how pink or girly it may be. It honestly amazes me that he naturally prefers balls and cars to dolls.
10. his self - He is fearfully and wonderfully made! Praise God! There isn't another Levi and I'm the privileged one to call him my son.

I see glimpses of change in him. He's looking older (even with that toothless grin) and doing more. I wish I could remember every smell, every sound, every look, every slobbery kiss because I know those things will be gone all too soon. I love him today just the way he is and I look forward to loving him more with each passing day.

two-thousand and nine

How did it get to be 2009 already? That means I should've graduated from college almost 10 years ago! Instead I was on the 5-year-plan. Too bad that can't make me a year younger :)

Well the New Year has been pretty busy for us in Its premiere week. Of course, we celebrated New Year's Day and Eve. On the 1st we ate our black-eyed peas and spent some time together. The night before we ate pizza with our neighbors and played games while all 6 of our kids played together. No one was up to see the New Year in. Although, I might or might not have still been awake reading at midnight. On Friday we went to see The Trains at Northpark. Today we met my family to celebrate Grammy's birthday. Happy Birthday, Grammy! And, while this is not such an active event, I should mention Levi turned 10 months old today...more about that tomorrow.

Our Christmas was wonderful! And busy! How was yours? It's hard to believe we've been back in Texas for over a year now. We feel very blessed that our children (and we) get to see their 4 grandparents, 6 great-grandparents, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins over Christmas.

Addi starts school again tomorrow and Libby will start preschool on Tuesday. Poor Lu missed her preschool Christmas party because she was sick, so she's really ready to get back. With tomorrow's high temp predicted to be 30, our walk to and from school should be invigorating. Of course, yesterday the high was 80. I've lived here most of my life. Why does this crazy weather still surprise me?

I have a million stories to share and even more pictures since I last posted, but they'll have to wait. Bryan just started a fire. The couch is calling me.

I'll say goodnight with our Christmas card picture. (That's the non-sharp, plastic ornament hook in Levi's mouth)