Do this for me...

I've been meaning to do this for awhile. PLEASE...if you read my blog and I do not have a link to your blog or webpage in my list of links, PLEASE leave me a comment with that link so that I can update it. I'm serious, unless of course you don't want me or anyone else to read your page (then why have one). PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do this for me.

Another M story

M was pretending that her two round inflatable chairs that go with her rose petal cottage were drums and she was making a beat. Then you could see her brain working and she tells hubs and I to wait wait...come here. She was going to play her guitar for us. And off she runs in a hurry.

So we wait and she returns with her ping pong paddle. She props it up as if to play it in a guitar like fashion only exactly backwards and resting half under her strumming arm and resting on that same hip. She sticks that hip out adequately and shakes it mildly as she strums along to her rockin' version of the ABC's.

Hubs and I, in good parent fashion clap along and wave our hands up in the air like we're at a concert. W gets into it too showing off his new clapping talent. When she's all done she bows and says, "Thank you. I'm only here for one night." and the waves and walks away.

J and I look at eachother and smile and later discuss how in the world she would even know that people actually do say that. My only thought is that they may have said it in the Barbie Diamond Castle movie. But we've only rented it twice and it's been awhile. We just got a laugh out of that one.

Uncle Patrick's Day

M is a little confused about the whole St. Patrick's Day thing. I tried to tell her about wearing green and such (didn't really even remember why?). Told her about the pinching thing and such. Later she says to me,
"I don't want to go to Uncle Patrick's party cause I don't have anything green to wear and I'll get pinched!"

I had no idea what she was talking about till I realized that she was talking about how she didn't want to participate in the St. Patrick's day tradition of wearing green. She was really having trouble grasping that this was a holiday not some function that we were attending. Still I thought it was cute that she linked it to her uncle somehow and then was worried about wearing green and getting pinched.

Never fear, we had plenty of green on and we had a grand time going to the library, having a playdate with Reese, making sugar cookies with green sprinkles, and taking a green bath tonight! Would love to show the pics I have of that, but not really internet appropriate, so I'll post a crop of one of the pics.



It was such a nice day after so many very rainy days, that we had some time outside as well. W enjoyed the swing in spite of his new teeth pushing through.


And just so you can see what I was up to yesterday on the oh so rainy day, I'll post a pic of the million dish marathon. Don't worry folks, the dishes in this photo are clean! There was not a dirty dish in the house for at least 30 minutes! haha! And yes I have to was them all by hand.
As M, has had some rough days in school lately, I'm proud to say that she has been extremely well behaved these last several days which is one of the reasons I was able to stay at it with the dishes till every last utensil was washed!

Stride Wrong

My local bff, we'll call her "B", has been handing me down a bunch of clothes, toys, and shoes lately and I'm thrilled. But some of them just weren't very cute. I don't complain, though cause most of the shoes were Stride Rite brand anyway and I always try to get M several pairs of these as they are better comfort fit shoes for kids.

In the not so distant past, M was having an issue of always falling down...sometimes even when standing still, so I thought maybe some good shoes would help. I hit a consignment sale several weeks ago and got 1 pair of nice leather closed toe sandals, 1 very nice pair of th*ong type sandals with a butterfly decorations on them, 1 pair of mary jane type tennis shoes with Mermaid decorations and panels for "air conditioning", and a pair of sandals that can be worn in or out of the water. I figured that I was set with those, all of which were stride rite brand with the exception of the water shoe. They do, however, carry similar types of water shoes at stride rite.

The day after I got those shoes, I got a stride rite coupon in the mail! hahahahaha! I just had to laugh. So I passed the coupon on to my SIL since those are hard to come by. Then B starts cleaning out (early spring cleaning) and she finds all these shoes in M's size and gives them to me. There are a cute pair of target sandals (pink with butterflies), an ugly pair of stride rite mary jane tennis shoes that are covered in dirt and a bit of paint. Then today she finds 2 pairs of winter boots (hope we're still in that size when fall hits), a pair of pink hiking boots (perfect if we pick up camping as we are hoping to do), and another pair of stride rite sandals. They are a little plain and kind of dirty, but I think with a bit of cleaning they'll be quite nice and kind of traditional.

(will post the pic of them after they are cleaned up later)

So, I got to thinking about how to improve the initial pair of dirty "play shoes" as B said. I thought to myself, M would never choose these shoes even for playing. How can I improve them? As my mom said, I could try anything cause they couldn't get much worse. So, on my day off last thursday I took a stroll through Hobby Lobby (right by my house) to get ideas. And I had lots of ideas. I finally landed on the idea of silver glitter and sequins. Silver can mix and match with lots of things and M loves sparkle!


First I had to clean them, so I googled it and wikihow suggested cleaning them with toothpaste. M and I made a day of it (note this is actually a Montessori activity). We got out a towel, a huge bowl of warm water, some toothpaste, and an old toothbrush. It worked and we had a good time doing it. In fact, after I cleaned them I almost didn't want to decorate them.

(See the clean one next to the dirty one? That was my delayed thought to do a before and after pic but it works)

But I'm glad I did cause after I used flip flop glue to adhere a double layer of glitter and strategically placed sequins, M can not wait to wear these to school!

Who am I?

I am me, Gini.
I am mom to M...to W...to children to come, biological or otherwise.
I am wife to hubs.
I am housekeeper, though not always a very good one.
I am cook and getting better.
I am Christ follower...I dare not judge myself on this.
I am friend to many all around the globe and special friend to one nearby and one cross country.
I am surrogate mom to any cousin or friend of M or W's who happens to be in my care. I love most children like they were mine all along.
I am creative. When my mind isn't too cluttered with the everyday, it is teaming with ideas!
I am musical and dare I say talented. I love to sing, but mostly in worship to my King.
I am learning...sooooo many things. Sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, princessing.
I am moving forward. I am not sitting still. No matter how mundane the days are, I am moving forward with purpose. Sometimes I'm crafting. Sometimes I'm resting. Most times I'm trying to be a reflection of God to those around me.
I am intellectual, though I don't use the depths of it most of the time.
I am hungry...to be more. More musical. I want to sing more. To learn more guitar. To sew more for my children. I want to travel. I want to see so many things. I want to laugh more. I want to cry more. I want to cuddle my children more. I want to see more of my husband's dreams come true. I want more abundant life.
I am satisfied...mostly. with life...where we are, where we are going, what we have, what we don't.
I am dancing with my head back and my eyes closed to the music on my ipod...while doing the dishes.
I am attempting to harmonize to songs I don't know, at the top of my lungs...while cleaning the house.
I am excited about spring.
I am still enjoying the nip in the air though.
I am gonna be something great, even if very few people ever realize it. A great mom, a great wife, a great Gini. A great many things.
I am a skeptic.
I am an optimist...always.
I am a woman.
I am different.

I was once told I am intriguing.
Years ago I told my husband that I am bossy and have high expectations.

I am fascinated by medical shows.
I am no good at keeping up with people at a distance...sorry.
I am working on it...and getting better at it bit by bit.

I am wondering what God is up to in my life and family.
I am excited about it whatever it is.
I am out of shape and discontented with that.
I am tired alot, but not discouraged about it as interrupted nights mean precious babies are a part of my life.
See...I told you I am an optimist!

I am about to finish this post.
I am typing and eating lunch at the same time on my favorite day of the week. My day off.
I am listening and thoroughly enjoying listening to Death Cab for Cutie on my ipod.
I am not wearing make up, but at least my hair is fixed.
I am wearing jeans, a black long sleeved tee, my hubs old jacket (one of my faves), and house slippers that are like red fuzzy flip flops.
I am about to eat some fresh pineapple.
I am signing off now.

Grumpalump

Today started off so nice. We had previous plans to spend some time with our friends, outside, washing cars. Tuesdays are get a dozen donuts for 5.99 at DD, so we took the bit of our cash that we had left and headed there. The really nice lady behind the counter let us substitute one donut for a strawberry frosted one (M's favorite). Then we headed to the post office.

I have put off going to the post office for awhile because for some reason that is one place where my children NEVER behave the way I need them too. Today was no exception. M was sooo good all morning but just found it impossible to listen and obey in that post office. Thank goodness for all the nice people that helped us. Now, we will be thrilled to hear when our friend Caleb gets his little happy. Shout out to my dear friend Kerrie. Wish I were near you and your family!

The post office is directly across from the library, so of course we chose to make a stop in. We hadn't planned on being gone long. I didn't even bring a baby bag of any kind...no diaper, nothing. So we went in with the understanding that we couldn't get much since we wouldn't be able to carry it. We came out with 10 movies and 4 books. M waited in the room where they were having storytime (I didn't even know about this but ran into a friend who informed me). I proceeded to take W and the stack of items to the car. I dropped them all in the parking lot. Thankfully someone helped me pick them up. I paid a tiny fine and then took the fam to the potty just in time for storytime.

M doesn't always do well in these, so it was going to be iffy and then on top of that it truly was W's naptime. They both did really well. It helped that one of M's school mates was there as well.

We got home in time to give W a bottle and put him to bed. I expected him to sleep for hours. that just wasn't the case. We had enough time to make lunch and eat it. M watched one of her videos from the library. Then W woke up. I put him to watching a baby einstein in his exersaucer and got ready quickly to head over to a friends. Got M ready quickly. Packed her bag and W's. Then W had left me a present in his diaper so I remedied that. Finally we were headed to Reese's house.

We have to pass the Doc on the way which jogs my memory that I was supposed to go in for W's shot only visit and M can't go back to school till she has proof of immunizations. I drop M off at Reese's and head back to the Dr just in time to see them unlock their doors. When I go in the line is long, but I'm relieved (in a weird way) to find that 3 or 4 of those in line are just drug reps. Then the first on the list can't be seen cause they don't take that insurance. So it's looking better all the time. This is a good thing since there is the one waiting room with stagnant, warm air (a breeding ground for all the germs that are surely floating around). It's too warm actually.

We wait. And wait. W poops again. There is no changing table in the bathroom there so I'm thinking surely I'll be called back soon. After an hour and 15 minutes of waiting I ask if they knwo when I'm going to be seen? they have no idea. They seem perturbed because I didn't set an appt. But it wasn't because I didn't ask. I was specifically told by Dr. and nurse to not set one. Just come in one afternoon, not friday, and get a quick shot. Apparently the nurse is out sick. They didn't inform me of that till I was very frustrated after an hour and a half.

They called me up at least 4 times. First, the bill we owed. quite a decent sum since we had been in and out all of January just about. We had recieved a bill for half the amount she quoted and were scheduled to pay it on bill pay next week, but they said she wouldn't send my chart back till I paid at least half. I have to text J to get approval. Both of us annoyed, agree we have to pay it. So we pay it so we can deal with the shots. Second, they call me up to see what W's date of birth is (which notoriously means they can't find his chart). Third, they want to know what shot he needs. I tell them I would know if they could inform me which shots he recieved at his last visit. They don't tell me and decide they'll figure it out. Fourth, they tell me he doesn't need any shots. I tell them that he only recieved 2 last visit and he is usually due for 3. In addition, the nurse told me to come in. They tell me that I should come back a day when the usual nurse is in and maybe she'll know what to give!

Now at this point I'm VERY perturbed. But I'm so calm and nice...I say I have been here an hour and a half. I do not want to come back another day. I'd like to figure it out and get it over with so that at least I'd have done something other than wait for the last hour and a half. This seems to annoy her and she says something about them being backed up anyway and me not having an appt. I tell her, it was not my choosing to do it this way. The nurse specifically instructed me to handle it this way. Well, she says, there is no way the nurse would have known she wasn't going to be here today as she called in sick. Again, not my problem. They double check. No W doesn't need another shot. Fine. But I still need M's shot record. I warned them of this when I first checked in and i was instructed to wait till after W's visit. That didn't work out.

After watching 6 drug reps come and go and waiting for now more than an hour and a half...I'm not seen but at least I got a shot record so M can go to school tomorrow. W missed his nap entirely as he was supposed to get one while waiting at the doc, so he is out cold already. AND thank goodness for friends who watch your kids at the last minute and for leftovers!

Next, we deal with the onslaught of ants in the bedroom. This is the worst place for ant season...and apparently it has begun!

Snow Day!

I was really skeptical when they were predicting snow for Sunday. I mean really. We usually get one good snow a season and the season had basically come and gone with no sign of it...save for a few flurries on two occasions. Still, for the three year old in me and the three year old in my house, I secretly hoped that the weather man might actually be accurate this time. But Sunday we awoke to wet, sloshy rain, just the same as the day before, and the day before that! Disappointed and not surprised, I went about my chores with steadfastness. I don't remember quite what the deal was with the baby boy, but we had to pay him a good bit more attention than usual, yet M was still very well behaved (with the exception of skipping her nap, a habit that seems to be a daily occurrence for the moment). I chose to reward her by allowing her a Daddy Daughter Date Night to Moe's. With a bogo coupon of course! [on a side note that $8 excursion served for 4 meals with no problem!]


Just after I chose to miss the meeting I had hoped to attend with my local group "Slightly North of Mainstream" the snow began to fall! I was immediately relieved that I hadn't attempted to get myself and W out in that on our way to Anderson.

It fell, and fell, and fell with what appeared to be no end in site. I don't remember ever experiencing an actual snow storm and thus had no real life application for the term. Like the flash of lightening that split across the flake filled sky, I suddenly realized that snow storm was a totally seperate term. Then came the thunder that quickly solidified the thought. The storm part, that of the thunder and lightening came and went rather quickly, a fact that left M grateful.

She then spent the moment before bedtime, sitting in her room with the curtains pulled back and the lights off so she could better visualize the snow! I have to say, it was awe inspiring.


The next day, she burst into our room declaring that she looked out the window and though she didn't expect it, the snow was still there even though the sun was shining very brightly. We decided that a warm breakfast and then several layers of clothes would be perfect for winter play preparations.

During W's nap, we hit the snow hard. The best snow piles in the front...something about the type of grass that seems to make the snow seem deeper. Unfortunately, the snow in the front was all powder and no play.

Not to mention, those cars that were out seemed to be having trouble on the ice and I for one didn't want to be in the yard when they slid off the road into our yard.

So we found the snow that was getting the most sun. The little bit that it was melting made it better suitable for building a snowman. And that's what we did.

We both made snow angels...sort of, as the layer of ice in the snow made it harder to see the indention. We threw snow balls. We marveled at the icicles. M played with the ice puddles that she imagined to be not quite ready for ice skating. She took a stick and hacked away at the ice in one of these puddles. Then after we were thoroughly soaked, we went inside.

We shredded the wet layers of clothes and discarded them into the dryer. She couldn't warm up fast enough, so she opted for a warm bath and that seemed to do the trick. Then she put on her clothes straight from the dryer and had chicken noodle soup for lunch. And truly as fast as the snow came in, it melted away in the same fashion.

We giggled at our snowman today as he lay face down on the ground, toppled over as if someone had given him a push from behind.

Apparently I missed his 5 month pic as well

How cute is he anyway?! This is at the Children's Museum in North Carolina. I'm not sure exactly when it is, but given the location of it in my pic files and his appearance, I'm almost certain these pics were intended to be his official 5 month pics. Fairly certain these were taken in December.

More Catching up with W

And this is W eating puffs and feeding them to himself. We aren't sure they like him very much, but he sure likes them! Oh...and he is about 7 months and about 2 weeks in this pic! Notice the short sleeves. It was at least 70 degrees that day!


This is mommy wearing W in the hip position in her homemade pouch sling. He and she rather enjoy this carry. He is early 7 months in this pic and yes it is another 70 something degree day in February! We went to the zoo for his first trip with two other moms and their little ones.


I believe this is W's 7 months birthday and he was very "into" his tongue for a few day there. So here he is showing it off in all its glory!

Catching up with W

This is W at 6 months and 1 week. Gammy and Pawpaw came for our belated Christmas visit! He was loving his presents from Aunt Sue, and Gammy and Pawpaw! So here he is at 6 months!

W at 8 months!

Well, I finally figured out how to post pics on this computer after a short tutorial from my hubs.
That requires me to first do the post on W's progress as he has now reached 8 months! What?! How fast did that go by?! He is a Young through and through. He loves to babble and clearly knows the meaning of dada and mama. He says baba all the time but hasn't connected it to mean hello or goodbye. He does seem to wave sometimes when he sees someone new or for the first time in a while. He reaches for me and J when he wants to be picked up. This is new as of this week. He has 2 teeth. The second of which seems to have come fully forth on the 1st of March...also the day of his first snow. He only went out there for maybe 1 minute at the most and wasn't really sure what to think but he was hip slung in the pouch and then wrapped under my lovely sweater wrap that SIL Shelby got for me 2 Christmases ago. Little did she know that it would be super handy when baby wearing in the cold.



He sits fairly well on his own, though appears to be too busy to sit still for any length of time. He LOVES to roll...and in true father-like form rolls all over the place. He has recently gotten into some seriously off-limit things much to our surprise. As ready as I am to see him crawl, I'm still glad that he doesn't. Although, we are working with him on getting the hang of it cause he tries with all his might. He love stuffed animals. Not sure what it is about them, but they can usually make him giggle. His favorite movie is Baby Wordsworth (baby einstein). He has signed deliberately 3 things. First he signed "more" the second to last week in February. Then the following week he signed "eat" and "milk". I'm not yet convinced that he understands fully what he's doing, but he watches us and then mimmicks us.


Last Dr. visit he weighed in at 19 lbs and 6 1/2 ounces. So our weight concerns are a thing of the past! He has adorable curls that come out if he gets sweaty or if it happens to be humid. Sometimes he randomly gets tickled and laughs when we change his diaper (we haven't figured this out yet). His alltime favorite baby food is Cinnamon Raisin Granola! This is followed closely by carrots, and green beans. He is pretty good at feeding himself, although he works to hold his own cup. He's still trying to figure out how to tilt it to get the liquid to the top.



He is going to love walking when he gets it, cause he LOVES to hold your hands and walk around or dance (which is about the cutest thing I've ever seen)! He is in the process of sleep training and doing pretty well actually. He still wakes and fusses a little bit in the middle of the night, but most of the time he soothes himself back to sleep relatively quickly. I had to comfort him just once last night and that wasn't for long, and I put him back in his crib awake and never heard another peep. So, his mom is looking forward to the soon to be full nights of sleep!

Mercy Blurb

Setting: Just now. In her room. She's in my lap with her blankie. We are in the rocking chair. The lullabies are playing on her music player. The lights are off and the guardian angel night light is on. We are talking and rocking.

Mercy: Mom. Mom you are frustrating me with your talking too much. It's making me wound up.
Me: (inside-hahahahahaha!) Oh sorry. You are so right. I'll be quiet.

Mercy: (starts talking about something else)
Me: Shhh...if mommy has to be quiet, you need to be quiet too. It's time to rest.
Mercy: (after a little bit of quiet listening to the lullabies) Mom, I have to tell you something.
Me: OK
Mercy: Sometimes at school, Maddie puts her hand over my mouth and tells me I can't talk to her. that's not very nice.
Me: What are you saying to her? are you being mean?
Mercy: No. She's not being nice.
Me: Well, maybe you are talking too much.
Mercy: Yeah. That's what she says. You remember how this very night you were talking too much? It's just like that.
Me: Well, remember how you said I was frustrating you when I was talking so much. Well maybe you are frustrating her.
Mercy: Yeah.
Me: She probably shouldn't put her hand on your mouth. But maybe you shouldn't talk quite so much. (me thinking this conversation and my little lecture are about to warrant a repeat of the previous events with my talking so much becoming frustrating).