tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66699645545212337422024-03-05T23:42:36.507-06:00Mommy Times FourWendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.comBlogger183125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-51315038803772121182013-05-17T22:55:00.002-05:002013-05-17T22:55:48.565-05:00Sweet EndingsMy heart is full, and my body is weary as I sit here on Friday night at my computer. The past two weeks have been full of so many sweet endings that my heart is about to burst. Last Tuesday night Grant graduated from preschool, a ceremony complete with the cap, gown, and tassel. Just three days later, Ali Kate's school had their kindergarten program entitled, "Things that Make Me Happy." She had two speaking lines, and we practiced those over and over and over. It's the third kindergarten program that I've helped a child learn lines for and the fourth preschool graduation that I've attended. Cameras, camcorders, teacher gifts all in tow to each one. This time of year marks for me as a mom the speed at which my kids are growing up.
It honestly seems like yesterday that we were even sending Abby off to 4 year old preschool. I still remember the rainy afternoon when I met Mrs. Karen and Mrs. Leslie for the first time. We had a 1:00 appointment that day (why I remember that I'll never know...because I don't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday....or if I even ate lunch yesterday). After battling diabetes for a year, we finally felt like Abby could handle being away two mornings a week. It was with a great deal of anxiety that I turned my oldest child over to Getwell Road's Day School for just two mornings each week. We fell in love with the school that year, and we attended our first preschool graduation that year. I spent the entire summer after that crying myself to sleep as I dreaded one of my babies "leaving the nest" that fall. I'd been home with them all since Abby was 1 year old, and we didn't feel right if we all 5 weren't together during the day. I barely made it through that first day of kindergarten. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.
But this week my third daughter finishes up her kindergarten year, and somehow it just flew by. Ali Kate's kindergarten year was much easier on me than Abby's because we'd been at SBEC for 3 years already, and Ali Kate had Mrs. Pepin (Isabella's teacher from last year). It almost just felt like we'd just taken a few weeks off from Mrs. Pepin's class...we just happened to change which child stayed there all day. I didn't shed a tear that I recall when Ali Kate started. Unlike Abby's first day, this was our children's second home...and I was an old pro at this first day of kindergarten thing. I comforted first time school moms this time around because I'd "been there, done that, gotten the tshirt" as they say. I knew how lunches, car rider lines, homework notebooks, field trips, class parties, and everything else worked. I was the voice of experience. My how three small years can change everything.
So tonight I sit here holding back tears as I am literally closing an important chapter in this thing called "motherhood." I spent many, many years as the mother of newborns, babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. As of last Tuesday, I have no more preschoolers. All four of my children are school-aged children. And that day arrived way too fast for this mom who has loved the leisurely afternoon bike rides, rocking babies to sleep, afternoons spent with backyard picnics, and all that childhood includes. Way too fast those days flew by from holding Grant as a newborn to watching him graduate from preschool. Instead of 4 kids ages newborn, 1, 2, and 4...I now have kids ages 5, 6, 7, and 9. Abby is almost in the double digits. Now, how did that happen? A decade? Really? I still don't know what I'm doing as a mom, and I've been one for almost an entire decade already.
Yesterday Grant celebrated his 5th birthday. He came to the kitchen and announced that he wasn't 4 anymore because now he was 5. I told him that I needed my first 5 year old hugs and kisses, and he promptly gave me sweet "morning lovin'." Then he made his way back into bed with Sophie and asked for breakfast in bed. He spent the day with Dad (at his request) while I helped with Abby's 3rd grade class party. Matt and Grant visited the zoo and had a blast. We spent the afternoon opening gifts, eating cake, and then headed to Casa Mexicana so that he could get whip cream on his face at his request. I still remember the day Grant was born with such clarity. I remember heading to Dr. Peeler's office to record contractions on the monitor so that I could head over to the hospital. I remember how quickly and easily the C-section went and how easily Grant took to nursing. I remember the utter delight when I held my only son. I remember the hour or so that just Matt, Grant, and I spent in recovery before the arrival of our boisterous group of girls. I remember his tiny features, the way he snuggled in my neck, the hours I spent just holding him. And now he's five years old. He's grown up in dance studios, basketball games, school hallways, soccer games, gymnastics gyms, in the backseat, in strollers, and everywhere as we've taken his sisters to their appointments. He's grown from a tiny baby into an incredible (huge) little boy that I'm so proud of.
At his graduation, they showed a video where they asked the kids what their mom did while they were at school. Grant's reply: Alot of laundry. They also asked him what they wanted to be when they grew up. His reply: A superhero. I love that!
This week we've celebrated with Grant's birthday, Abby's end of the year party, and Isabella's end of the year party too. It's been so bittersweet to watch them grow just one more year older, move up just one more grade, and move one more year toward adulthood. It's been so bittersweet too to watch their teachers wish them goodbye and goodluck. Mrs. Hall was on the verge of tears as she talked about her class moving to 2nd grade. I was so nervous about having her because we loved Mrs. Vanderford with Abby, but I've fallen in love with Mrs. Hall as a teacher. Isabella could not have had a better teacher! She was the perfect teacher for my child, and Isabella has grown so much with her. She's learned to work hard, do her best, pay attention to detail, and have fun too. Mrs. Hall genuinely cares about each child and about doing her very best, and I've loved watching her this year. We've been blessed to have her. I was so sad as we told her goodbye, and I'm even more sad that Ali Kate won't have the chance to have her. When we decided to homeschool this coming year, that was one of the saddest realizations....that AK wouldn't have Mrs. Hall for 1st grade.
We've had a similar experience with Mrs. Lee. I was very nervous about having a teacher who didn't have children herself because I thought that she'd not be as understanding or careful about Abby's diabetes as some teachers might be. But Mrs. Lee has been Abby's favorite teacher. She's loved on her, taken care of her, texted me constantly, invested in Abby....she's been incredible. I know firsthand how hard the first year of teaching can be, and Mrs. Lee has done a wonderful job in her first year. I only hope she knows how much she's loved.
I had the kids in all 3 classes make the teachers a book about what they liked about their teacher, funniest moments, what their teacher taught them, etc. Some responses were funny (like the hardest part of Mrs. Pepin's job being bending over with her bad back!). Some were cute (like the teacher being 7 inches tall). Many were sweet and precious. Many children said that they loved their teacher and that she was awesome. I hope each teacher takes the time to go through these books and cherish these kids' answers.
Today Isabella's class had their awards day before their class party. Isabella achieved her goal of 100 AR points (she actually had 117). She worked really hard for those points, and I'm proud of how diligent she was all year long. She actually received the character award for diligence. Mrs. Hall gave a long story about how in 34 years of teaching she'd only had one other student who was like Isabella in the way that she worked so hard, did such a thorough job, made almost completely perfect grades, and worked so hard to help others (and that child was her niece). She was so proud of Isabella, and we were too! Isabella also received the "Sprees" candy award for doing her work so well and helping others get through theirs. So proud of her!
Tomorrow night includes another sweet ending as we end our years at our dance studio. We've been there for five years, and my children have had some of their favorite memories there. They've made new friends, learned new moves, hung out with girls, built their confidence, and learned to love dance. Abby will receive her 5 year award tomorrow night, and she's so excited about that. For many reasons, it's time to move on to another studio. I know it's the right decision, but I will miss being a part of this familiar part of our lives. We've spent many, many, many hours in this studio, and it will feel really weird for a while to not be a part of it. My girls are ready for a fresh start, and they realize that it's time to move. But still bittersweet.
Last but not least, this end of this school year has a bittersweet feel to it because we wont' be at SBEC this fall. I'll have to blog on this soon (because it's a long story), but we are homeschooling our kids this coming year in obedience to what God's asked us to do with our finances. I know it's a huge change. There will be hard days. I'm scared to death, but I know it will be fine. I've got alot on my plate to work out in terms of schedules, curriculum, resources, testing, paperwork, etc. But there will be time for that. I'm nervous about the kids not being with their friends, missing class events, transitioning back into school, etc. But I know that God has asked us to do this, and I will obey Him. I know He's going to bless this obedience, and He already has. Matt received a raise yesterday, just one week after I pulled Ali Kate and Isabella out of SBEC. I believe that was His way of blessing our obedience. While I know nothing about homeschooling (although I rocked as a teacher :), I know that with God all things are possible. I know that my kids will soar academically and that we as a family will grow through this experience. We plan for this to be just a year, and we'll see if it will be longer. We are on the road to being debt-free, and I'm so very excited about that!!! We are giving over this part of our lives to the Lord, and I'm so excited to see what He has in store for us! I'm looking forward to being the one to teach my babies their schoolwork, and I'm looking forward to the extra hours that I'll get with all of them. I'm so blessed to have been able to stay home for the past 8 years and to be able to send our kids to private school. I'm also blessed to have been academically accomplished and able to teach my children well. God has blessed us beyond measure, and I can't wait to see what this adventure holds in store for us!
So as I go to bed tonight, I'm full of raw emotion. My children are growing up oh so fast. My cribs, strollers, and bouncy seats have given way to backpacks, dance shoes, and soccer balls. My afternoon leisure reading of kids' books has been replaced by helping memorize book reports. Discussions about diaper brands and nap schedules have given way to discussions about getting ears pierced and Ipad usage. And just as fast as those changes happened, I know that these days will give way to days filled with ACTs, drivers licenses, first dates, and college campus visits. And it's true what they say: My job is to work myself out of a job. If I do this thing called motherhood right, that's exactly what I'll do. Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-30410727742099606532011-06-18T01:33:00.002-05:002011-06-18T01:42:52.555-05:00I Miss My Blog :)Several friends lately have either started blogs or have been sharing theirs...and frankly, I've begun to miss mine! I started this blog a while back when I realized that I just couldn't keep up with journaling or scrapbooking to hold our family memories. I do still scrapbook four or five times a year, but I haven't journaled in ages. When Abby and Isabella were small, I'd pore over a journal and write them the sweetest love letters while they napped...seriously I did. When Ali Kate came along, she got a few letters...and I don't believe I ever even bought a journal for Grant. People have joked that by the 3rd child they're lucky if Mom even has newborn photos of them. There's some wisdom in that! Especially if you have all 3 kids in just 3 years. <br /><br />Needless to say, time has flown by over the last 3 years...and we are now a very different household than we were when I started blogging and stopped journaling. We've truly moved into the next phase of family life, and I really want to journal about this transition. To be honest, I've gone kicking and screaming into this phase because I absolutely loved being at home all day with my four little, tiny babies with no other cares in the world. For five years, I stayed home and just took care of my babies. Obviously, we did much in our days....but I had no schedule to keep, carpool to run, lunches to pack, homework to do, tickets to buy, game schedules to remember, playdates to shuttle, swim lessons to attend... our days were spent at home, at the park, having picnics, reading books, coloring, playing ball. We still do alot of those things, but those sweet "slow down" moments as I like to call them are few and far between. I've been hanging onto those memories for a while now. But last week at church I read a verse (which of course I can't recall exactly this precise moment) that said that it is foolish to look upon what we had in the past. I'll have to find the exact verse. This past year I've been trying to hold onto the slow pace of the past five years only to realize that it's really time to embrace and move into the "school years" as I'm going to have 2 kids in school in just a few weeks. Wow!<br /><br />That said, I'm so excited to open this blog back up and to share/record the transition that our family is making as we move into this new stage of life. I already have so much that I want to journal about this past year...so I know there's going to be alot of "rewind" time as I go back over this past year. Yay!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-60518577851615561482011-06-18T01:28:00.000-05:002011-06-18T01:28:12.477-05:00Where I Wish I Was Right Now...<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3x_crfUEm3CX4SoKniq45l_IrQJS75almDP3wPe05qosh-f542V3qwOwFfcLkTu3D50ovUAgUJ6SwD97NZSKaWWwNo6MMwUkcvVXtYMIGzr8iwhHNu6VmyXBwZoyQpToG_A7D4aVDYfk/s1600/IMG_7816.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3x_crfUEm3CX4SoKniq45l_IrQJS75almDP3wPe05qosh-f542V3qwOwFfcLkTu3D50ovUAgUJ6SwD97NZSKaWWwNo6MMwUkcvVXtYMIGzr8iwhHNu6VmyXBwZoyQpToG_A7D4aVDYfk/s400/IMG_7816.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br />Taken on the beach in Destin in March...wishing I was there this very moment...I'll have to blog about this trip one day.<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-3669801500172434442011-06-18T01:22:00.000-05:002011-06-18T01:23:10.156-05:00Making a Splash!<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH3e6dC5CdPo9KWo6ZrVRBe6wvIPXL39MX0_4IrZMP_5sNyr0FWuv-YKJAidyoAA-rUrl62p4K2S7zLvBwWTWsMfBUaA9pKPK_oLeK6ci02JQKZZGykQDrTr7wE4XgkRt80-kwZP-fRM/s1600/IMG_8472.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH3e6dC5CdPo9KWo6ZrVRBe6wvIPXL39MX0_4IrZMP_5sNyr0FWuv-YKJAidyoAA-rUrl62p4K2S7zLvBwWTWsMfBUaA9pKPK_oLeK6ci02JQKZZGykQDrTr7wE4XgkRt80-kwZP-fRM/s400/IMG_8472.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br />Abby's 1st grade class' end of the year pool party... Did she really just finish first grade?!?<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-7142673452450398342011-06-18T01:20:00.000-05:002011-06-18T01:20:58.648-05:00Isabella's 6th Birthday<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaioYyosEreH655KfLQkbZu2XLYpW14Rp_dCxN5aE_vJr_3LaSQ__ALZboMAaYiyf2TCK6QVcBlLm9_aPRcH7rTjCnxA0UYeQuIpt4Gbn16mZ7YR6i4AcxXlfKNWaQUhIqe9-I_kMBtQ/s1600/IMG_8611.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaioYyosEreH655KfLQkbZu2XLYpW14Rp_dCxN5aE_vJr_3LaSQ__ALZboMAaYiyf2TCK6QVcBlLm9_aPRcH7rTjCnxA0UYeQuIpt4Gbn16mZ7YR6i4AcxXlfKNWaQUhIqe9-I_kMBtQ/s400/IMG_8611.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <br /><br />Isabella and her friends showing off their paintings! They painted owls that all matched her invitation. The girls all had lots of fun, and they all had great owl paintings to take home after the party!<div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-17357833976900622412011-06-18T01:07:00.000-05:002011-06-18T01:07:41.343-05:00Delight!<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmJr9Ix71XAEdVWia0N_ym3Hzj85qs7ChnNbNi0Cm7Z4p2UuCP1kZaj5Ldhfeu13GYG8w6XIQ2NM0FtzDTf5eTefyrAg14FKKF8gAFehyphenhyphenKsH8WRv_mwM-P3AxhAgw1qC506kAAHgbl48/s1600/IMG_8595.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmJr9Ix71XAEdVWia0N_ym3Hzj85qs7ChnNbNi0Cm7Z4p2UuCP1kZaj5Ldhfeu13GYG8w6XIQ2NM0FtzDTf5eTefyrAg14FKKF8gAFehyphenhyphenKsH8WRv_mwM-P3AxhAgw1qC506kAAHgbl48/s400/IMG_8595.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br />Absolutely delighted as everyone sings Happy Birthday to our sweet Isabella at her 6th birthday party!<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-30361123204145251022010-12-05T01:52:00.005-06:002010-12-05T02:05:01.892-06:00I Think I Can, I Think I Can...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0VYeyRBzEpLAEZcShnRAE4zRmS_fmns5uBGfMcFdrJa_EB6oKj8JeKCScU3roEs9g4Vl10bCktUdpdV8XwbstCkiKQYZ1AeaafwFJCINw0snYfuxZTJW2jJFupCVxLnptNiqrPgjccc/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0VYeyRBzEpLAEZcShnRAE4zRmS_fmns5uBGfMcFdrJa_EB6oKj8JeKCScU3roEs9g4Vl10bCktUdpdV8XwbstCkiKQYZ1AeaafwFJCINw0snYfuxZTJW2jJFupCVxLnptNiqrPgjccc/s320/IMG_0622.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547104011967665794" /></a><br /><br /><br />I think I can, I think I can....Jean Stockdale has taught us in MOMS for years that party of our job as moms is to slowly release our children into the adult world so that they're ready to be independent. I'm not good at that at all! If I could, I'd keep them all babies for a very, very long time and then ease them into toddlerhood. After that, to be quite honest, I'd fast forward from 2 until age 4....right now I have both a 2 and a 3 year old in the house as I've had for a few years now...and it's rough!<br /><br />So what does this picture having to do with all of that?!? Today we threw out THE HIGHCHAIR! We purchased this when Abby was 4 months old and about to start rice cereal. I remember going with Matt to Babies R Us in Memphis and picking this one out because it was bright, had fun toys that could detach, and had 3 washable trays that snapped off. We had NO IDEA that we'd have this highchair for the next SEVEN years!!!! This high chair has sat all of our babies from their first bites of cereal to their last days when baby sister or brother needed to take over the throne. Well, Grant is 2 1/2 now, and there's no baby brother or sister waiting in line this time for the highchair. But it was time. It's been past time. He's needed to be in a big boy chair for a long, long time. But he's my last (unless God has a really great surprise in store for me one day)...and I've let him be a baby in every way much longer than I did with the girls. At his age, they were all in big kid seats, potty trained, way past the pacifier...but not Grant :) My little man isn't even thinking about a potty (except to flush Awana books and dolls in), nor is he even budging an inch on the pacifier issue. He's told me clearly before when we couldn't find a paci that I could go to Target and buy a new one. He's smart!<br /><br />So today, while I didn't break down for Matt, I was silently grieving this visible reminder that our house is becoming one of big kids and not babies any longer. We once had two cribs, a pack n play, swings, bouncies, play yards, jumpers, changing tables, and even a highchair in our house. The other items have gone one by one to friends and to charity...but the highchair was one of the last remaining pieces of being a mom to a little bitty one.<br /><br />So, I'm trying to tell myself that I can do this....I can start to teach them to grow up and to help them move from stage to stage....I just may have to rock babies at church more often now :)Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-22703872113665303202010-12-05T01:46:00.002-06:002010-12-05T01:51:58.882-06:00Knocking Off A Little DustTonight, for whatever reason, I sat down and read a mommy blog...and then another...and then another. Before long, I looked up and it's past 1 a.m.! My crew has been asleep for hours, and I should be resting too. We've been fighting the stomach virus again for a while, and I think I'm just so glad to not be scrubbing something or holding someone's head while they throw up. I've actually been relaxed as I sit at the computer.<br /><br />All that to say...I realized just how much I missed blogging. In particular, about our family. I used my blog for a while to keep an account of the day-to-day happenings of our family. We've moved into a new stage of life where the day-to-day happenings oftentimes drain me of any energy to recount the day that just ended. But Matt made me a bound book that contained my blog entries from the past, and it's truly a treasure. The scrapbooks I make are cute (and dusty now too) but not as full of detail. When Abby and Isabella were very little, I kept individual journals and wrote them letters very, very often. Life with two girls just 18 months apart gave me lots of free time to write, journal, reflect. Add two more kids in a row...and that time is gone!<br /><br />With no promises of everyday blogging or anything else pressureful, I am re-entering the blogging world. My kids have just got too many cute memories that tell our story for me not to record...Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-9009325300435424362010-03-17T22:37:00.002-05:002010-03-17T22:41:36.553-05:00Making the RoundsI'm about to make my way out of the "work zone" on the computer to make my final rounds around the house before bedtime. One would think that I'd be way past this by now. But I think I'll probably make "final rounds" at night even when the kids are 18. Even though I tucked them into bed 3 hours ago, I just can't help but sneak into their rooms to kiss them one more time and see their sweet faces once more. No matter what happened that day, all is forgotten as they sleep so peacefully. I love to watch a sleeping baby, a sleeping toddler, and even a sleeping 6 year old. Matt thinks I'm crazy for checking on them once more every night before I settle down for bed. I think it's being a mama. That's what we do. <br /><br />So in a few minutes, I'll be off to retuck each child into bed, straighten their covers, adjust the thermostats, say little prayers, kiss them once more, and then tiptoe back downstairs to sleep...hopefully through the night. But if one of them does crawl into our bed, I think it'll be alright. These days are fleeing...and one day they'll be too big to want to crawl into our bed at night. And I'll be glad that we let them snuggle while they were little!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-60586850211243585452010-03-17T21:31:00.002-05:002010-03-17T21:36:45.018-05:00Loving these daysMy neighbor gave me a gift today, and she didn't even know it. Her boys have been outside playing from time to time with each other...never with Mom and Dad. They're a bit older than my kids, and they play outside in nice weather without their parents. This afternoon while I was having a blast with my kids in the backyard, I noticed my neighbor all alone checking out some work she'd had done on her house. Alone. While I was surrounded by lots of fun, giggly laughter...the kind that's absolutely infectious!<br /><br />I just stopped right there during our playtime and thanked God for these days. My kids will one day too be big like hers, and these types of afternoons pushing them on the swings will be a distant memory. I know there will be new things to treasure when those days come. But today I stopped to draw in the laughter, the silliness, the fun that is my kids while they're little. Thank you, Lord, for these sweet and tender days with my kids. I've been regretting that they're not tiny anymore. My baby will be 2 in May. Those baby and toddler days flew by! Just like the gray haired ladies told me they would! But I don't have to let these preschooler days fly by. I'm going to soak them in...and spend lots more time giggling in the backyard. I'm so glad I caught a glimpse of my neighbor and that God allowed me to slow down enough to notice how full and blessed my hands were at that moment.Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-75112128206477240182010-02-08T23:09:00.002-06:002010-02-08T23:22:58.297-06:00Snow Day!This morning Matt came in while I was showering to announce that there would be no school today. Seriously?!? We'd had no big warning from the weather announcers that we should expect snow. I'd seen it in the forecast several days before, but it wasn't showing on my Iphone anymore.<br /><br />So after I got dressed, I went to peek out the window (I'm worse than the kids about snow days). And there were these big gigantic flakes coming down. We already had several inches, and it was still coming! I was delighted. Now...since there was no Mother's Day Out or big kid school for Abby...I thought it wise to get some work done early and let the kids sleep in. That plan lasted about 20 minutes until Isabella woke up and saw the snow. Within a couple of minutes, the whole house was awake and ready for snow day!!<br /><br />For whatever reason, I've made sausage balls for breakfast every time we've had snow/ice this year. So off to the kitchen I trotted to make my friend Lindsay's sausage ball recipe (so much better than our old recipe). While they baked, I got everyone dressed for snow play. And they eagerly ran off to brush their own teeth to get a check on our new chore charts. Lovin' me some chore charts!!<br /><br />Now taking Abby out in the snow posed some slight dilemma. So I decided to put her leg into a garbage bag. Then I put her pants on top of the garbage bag and stuffed it in there really well. Then when we went outside I loaded her into our Radio Flyer wagon and wrapped a towel around her leg for extra measure. Can you tell I don't want this cast to get wet? I did decide to not let her walk in the snow for fear of breaking her other leg or soaking her cast. But I pulled her around the yard in her wagon and let her build a snowgirl from inside her wagon. We even had snowball fights too!<br /><br />Isabella and Ali Kate loved being in the snow. They had a blast. Isabella made "snow pies," and Ali Kate just kept scooping it up in her hands and licking it. We made two snowgirls complete with berries for eyes, twigs for arms, a hat, a scarf, and other nature items for accessories (we were out of carrots). Grant wasn't too fond of the snow, and I can't blame him. It was almost up to his knees. He really couldn't figure out why he had to wade through this stuff. So Mommy held him alot while I launched snowballs at the girls. Did I mention I grew up in South MS? It snowed maybe 4 or 5 times my whole childhood and NEVER like this. I don't think I've ever seen this much snow before except on a trip to Boston in high school.<br /><br />We played outside for about an hour until everyone was good and frozen. Then I had the kids totally undress in the entryway and go fetch clean fleece pjs from the clean laundry basket (that saved me from folding and putting away 8 pieces of laundry!). Then they watched a movie while I cleaned up and did some laundry. I also spent some sweet, sweet time alone with Grant looking at picture books and building blocks. He won't let me stack more than 4 before he knocks them over and gut laughs!! <br /><br />The day went on with indoor play and some great storytime tonight. If you haven't read the book Pinkalicious, you've got to check it out. Love it! The girls (definitely not Grant) love to sit forever and read story after story. Grant likes to hit us in the heads while we read all of those stories...so he had to hang with Dad during storytime. Boys are different!<br /><br />Tomorrow we'll be getting ready for everyone's Valentine's parties at their schools. Yay!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-33357132949427630632009-12-11T13:07:00.002-06:002009-12-11T13:16:38.179-06:00We're Still Here!Well...it looks like I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I have. I've been so super busy with everything (I do have 4 kids) that I haven't blogged in a while. I've got plenty to blog about but just no time really. I should be scrubbing the kitchen floor and ironing right now, but I want to sit for a few minutes.<br /><br />I just had to explain the new header. That picture was taken in an attempt by Matt's parents last Christmas to get a family picture of us in front of the tree. Every year we do this, and every year the picture looks something like this one. I actually did have one halfway good picture, but this one was just too fun to pass up! This is the Stines...what you see is what you get! We're loud, crazy, busy, chaotic...we weren't before we had so many kids. I actually remember having 2 sweet little girls and being a very normal, quiet family like everyone else. Then came #3 and #4. That changed everything! <br /><br />We haven't taken a Christmas picture yet. Not because I'm a procrastinator (I'm not). I waited forever to get their matching outfits in. I seriously could not find 4 matching outfits for boys and girls sizes 2-6x in any of my favorite boutiques.,..seriously. And I started looking early (like early October). So I ordered on the Internet. I was about to order them when I got an email that they were going to go 50% off for Black Friday...so I did what any frugal stay-at-home mom who has to buy 4 matching outfits would do...I ordered them right after midnight on Black Friday. Then a week later I got an email saying that Ali Kate's dress wasn't in stock....really?!? Really. After all of the hunting, planning, searching I'd done...and it wasn't in stock. So what do I do? I scoured the internet to find it and called all kinds of places to be sure they had it before I clicked "order" on another site. I found it. Paid full price plus $6 shipping (ouch!). Then I had to wait almost another week to get it. In the meantime, Grant's longall had to be hemmed. A fabulous woman did hem it in 24 hours...we'll be repeat customers of hers!<br />And in the meantime, I did get the girls all new haircuts so they'd be cute for the pictures...and I cut Grant's hair myself (I'll so have to post about that later). Let's just say that my calling is not to be a stylist. Ever. <br /><br />So after all of this, I've got 4 matching outfits (which are beautiful I might add) in hand...but 2 of my 4 have the most disgusting snotty noses (and Grant has a big goose egg on his head...which is normal for him...he's all boy and into EVERYTHING). So we've been waiting for a couple of more days for them to look cute again to try to snap that perfect photo and get these cards on their way.<br /><br />And if we don't get the photo? No problem...we could always send this one!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-9732527524580451672009-10-26T21:30:00.004-05:002009-10-26T21:53:56.986-05:00Not Me MondayIt's that time again. Not Me Monday. Time to join in with women around the world as we admit our imperfections to one another....yay!! Seriously. It's so nice to know that we're all doing the best we can, and we all don't meet the "mark" each and every day.<br /><br />So what didn't happen to me this last week? Well, let me start with Sunday morning. I didn't wake up at 7:00 for church when I'm supposed to wake up at 6:00 to get this family moving. It takes the full 2 1/2 hours to get us all ready for our day at church. Then I didn't have this happen to me. I most certainly didn't have my next to oldest walk up to me and ask me to get the sticker out of her hair only to find that it wasn't a sticker...it was bubblegum. Her sweet dad definitely didn't let her have gum the day before without making sure that he got the gum back after her gum-chewing session. Seriously, I make it a habit to ask for gum back when I do let Abby and Isabella have this fun treat. That was I don't find it later in the van, on the floor, or in this case in my child's hair. <br /><br />Well, I didn't proceed to try to wash it out of her hair and then remember that once my mom used peanut butter to get it out of my own hair when I too slept with bubblegum in my hair. I most certainly didn't holler to my husband to bring the jar of peanut butter to the shower to help (it wasn't coming out so well on its own). I then of course didn't smear loads of peanut butter in her hair and then slide the gum right on out. Aren't you glad you found this entry? You may seriously need to use this home-grown knowledge one day on your own kiddos!! And I did wash her hair 3times after that just to be sure that she didn't smell like a PBJ in Sunday School.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcUtqVe3II4PfSgJPwvjZ9GbLtiAI_cegTxEnoA87oQ7IEiiNnTv1_JwSpZYcKXA06v-f-QITCN8F5KLx9ui9-YDpe3RDLmCHSANRD65X9GJFuHaKx16wPNmh9UTCLnwoCJG1EYbUHYU/s1600-h/pb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcUtqVe3II4PfSgJPwvjZ9GbLtiAI_cegTxEnoA87oQ7IEiiNnTv1_JwSpZYcKXA06v-f-QITCN8F5KLx9ui9-YDpe3RDLmCHSANRD65X9GJFuHaKx16wPNmh9UTCLnwoCJG1EYbUHYU/s320/pb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397105945384087234" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />What else didn't happen to me this week? My same child, I think I see a pattern here, didn't steal a Green Apple Airhead at Shoe Carnival. Not my child. We ran in there because I couldn't find a size 13 pair of Keds to save my life for my oldest. Now all Southern girls have white Daphne t-strap Keds in the winter. It's like an unwritten rule. Well, when you get to a size 13, you have to get the laceup kind. Yuck. If you're a Keds representative reading this, please please consider making the Daphne in larger sizes (at least a 2 or 3 please). I digress.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf45hHrF0wEPqbCzs8f_Pef6XICEbPKVs7H8b_6TuortBlAhOi5WlbU4dPlgQzETTW-sZSnQ8EW5yTO66jRGZ00RE5aN5h_J_wAa2xRq7R_Y1BBaYg95bDlIZPJEzmOPlPHfDMjXocO-I/s1600-h/SDC13294.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf45hHrF0wEPqbCzs8f_Pef6XICEbPKVs7H8b_6TuortBlAhOi5WlbU4dPlgQzETTW-sZSnQ8EW5yTO66jRGZ00RE5aN5h_J_wAa2xRq7R_Y1BBaYg95bDlIZPJEzmOPlPHfDMjXocO-I/s320/SDC13294.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397106603976035682" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />While I was trying on shoes, two of the employees started talking to me...and yes, they were two of my former students from my middle school teacher days. And here they were seniors in high school now...and helping me with my shoe crisis! Well, the one teenager says to me, "That one eating the candy is so cute!" And I didn't reply, "What candy?!?" That's when we unfolded that Isabella had helped herself to an Airhead while I was catching up with my students. While she had stolen (and we had to have a long talk about this and of course actually pay for the already digested airhead), she had at least found a garbage can and thrown away the wrapper so as not to make a mess. I must have trained that backwards...clean up: important....stealing: not so much. I totally joke! Of course, it's the honesty that's most important, and she's young. I don't think she honestly realized that the candy wasn't there for her to just munch on while we shopped. So we had to have a very long explanation about that one!<br /><br /><br />This week Matt most certainly didn't accidentally put Grant in Ali Kate's white Rosalina shirt. You know, the Sir John ones are for boys and Rosalina for girls. Well, Matt didn't miss the scalloped collar and mistake it for Grant's shirt. Explanation? It was a 2T. Seriously? And he chides me for dressing Grant too "girly"...I may put him in smocked tractor jon jons, but at least I don't put his sister's clothes on him for church!! Honey...when you read this...I love you!!<br />It really could have happened to any of us!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4hYFUm90wty8vIwzNpXRKelXQv7mDKbrn6SevTqu2sd5vzlhk2RLiVR4jPAEKf5QuGS98hNo9aeFXkW2KFrcRFqh3xInvU4CXi8XunJCq1eTr_RFiDc96hN2Bgm_lVtOYEnMJUxY78g/s1600-h/cookie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 104px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4hYFUm90wty8vIwzNpXRKelXQv7mDKbrn6SevTqu2sd5vzlhk2RLiVR4jPAEKf5QuGS98hNo9aeFXkW2KFrcRFqh3xInvU4CXi8XunJCq1eTr_RFiDc96hN2Bgm_lVtOYEnMJUxY78g/s320/cookie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397107463945806178" /></a><br /><br /><br />And this week I didn't take my kids to the bakery for a special "treat" because I wanted one myself. And my linebacker of a 17 month old son most certainly didn't holler "COOKIE!" at the bakery lady until she selected one for him and fed it to him herself....seriously! And the next morning, Grant most certainly didn't say cookie as soon as he got downstairs for breakfast. Not a kid after my own heart. I'd never eat a cookie for breakfast! Not me!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-84674337625064449452009-10-20T23:19:00.006-05:002009-10-20T23:33:08.991-05:00Works For Me Wednesday...Toddlers and Preschool PrepJoin us on the Works for Me Wednesday Blog Carnival hosted by "We Are That Family."<br /><br />This year we took a big leap when we had to get 3 of our 4 little, tiny kids ready for preschool and Bible study 3 mornings a week. So what works for us? Prep, prep, prep. Now...let me confess that I'm not always as prepared as I am tonight. Yay for me tonight though. Now I can sleep till 6:30 tomorrow morning unless our little guy decides to wake up before the sun does. Seriously. He will.<br /><br />We're the king and queen of assembly lines here at our house! Matt and I are both of the thought that if we can streamline as much as possible, then life will be easier. And with four kids ages 1, 2, 4, and 5, we're right on this one thing for sure! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2t1nJKEHijh7rMdfQtgbxh-o_sqqVnAuYkJ8pG1G474zZSJRuexRFse3vX1dyMBFHUVKTmJGSlj3Wtr8zE7i1eOcrgVIDAP8hS-9U3krMl8o7lQ6h42q1jKah4N1CfpBaXUifR81QhjQ/s1600-h/SDC13342.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2t1nJKEHijh7rMdfQtgbxh-o_sqqVnAuYkJ8pG1G474zZSJRuexRFse3vX1dyMBFHUVKTmJGSlj3Wtr8zE7i1eOcrgVIDAP8hS-9U3krMl8o7lQ6h42q1jKah4N1CfpBaXUifR81QhjQ/s320/SDC13342.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394904804881421026" /></a><br />Here are the girls' clothes and shoes all laid out already for tomorrow...did I cheat a little this time? Yeah. I went shopping today and got them all matching outfits that they're going to wear tomorrow. So I didn't have to do any real work to pull this together. We've got panties, socks, shoes, outfits, and matching bows ready to go! I really do try to get these things laid out in the kitchen at night so that in the mornings they can get dressed right before breakfast in peace. My morning goal? To enjoy them before I take them to preschool. I want them to be happy and ready for fun!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCblgrBjD6dYu3oDO8o512p_JZRuK0dCB1-G3sfciOg6JpsUW-qyo77eaXot5ibfmX8zQNQp_SVLoi56nMIk0pJt6ZRwig2j5PDNQI8QGJv7P9XeNUjLz6WLO5WplMPVWZtasJQr8i0w/s1600-h/SDC13343.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCblgrBjD6dYu3oDO8o512p_JZRuK0dCB1-G3sfciOg6JpsUW-qyo77eaXot5ibfmX8zQNQp_SVLoi56nMIk0pJt6ZRwig2j5PDNQI8QGJv7P9XeNUjLz6WLO5WplMPVWZtasJQr8i0w/s320/SDC13343.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394905591407916482" /></a><br /><br /><br />While this looks like a huge mess, it's actually most of the bags we'll need for tomorrow. We've got 3 lunches, 3 backpacks, 1 diabetes care bag, and 2 nap mats. Nap mats aren't even shown here (they're on the floor). I've already packed their lunches...and take a guess...they're all the same food. Sometimes I'll sneak a small sweet into Isabella or Ali Kate's but otherwise all 3 are the same for my sanity and simplicity. PBJ, PBJ, PBJ. Banana, banana, banana. Cheetos, cheetos, cheetos. There's something nice about doing things exactly the same. Of course I vary it from time to time to make them feel special or give them their individual favorite treats but usually it's the same as their sisters.<br /><br />And while I didn't do it tonight, last night I actually fixed everyone's breakfast and poured their sippy cups (leaving them in the fridge of course) so that this morning would go smoothly. It's very hard getting all of them out of the house fed, cleaned, and looking cute...and most importantly keeping my testimony intact as I love on them before they start their days...without getting everything done the night before. Pack lunches, fix breakfast, lay out clothes. <br /><br />Oh, and one more thing....I lay out clothes and shoes from youngest to oldest, left to right to keep things straight. Especially since my 3 girls are almost the same sizes. I do the same when folding their laundry. Left to right...works like a charm!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-28823740804932556102009-10-19T21:48:00.004-05:002009-10-19T22:12:12.129-05:00Not Me! Monday<a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBs9lqyl_AqBE-W8PYCYym19dxeDVc32riGeRY_8SlsYMnV0FH6YYesl9dLmB4aRd1T70bIiyIP9LSd1JHROOtgVQ4AxFmzVnTBejpr_jNmQalXS1ChhpYsOcGE4q4sD5GfBFlw3U88vY/s1600-h/NotMeMondayButtonV6copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 67px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBs9lqyl_AqBE-W8PYCYym19dxeDVc32riGeRY_8SlsYMnV0FH6YYesl9dLmB4aRd1T70bIiyIP9LSd1JHROOtgVQ4AxFmzVnTBejpr_jNmQalXS1ChhpYsOcGE4q4sD5GfBFlw3U88vY/s320/NotMeMondayButtonV6copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394513081820398306" /></a></a><br /><br />I've participated once before in this blog carnival, and I thought it'd be fun to do again today while I'm supposed to be printing orders. I'm tired and need a break for a few minutes. Here's are some things that I definitely have NOT done this last week (the theme of this carnival is of course to admit some things that show we're really not perfect...seriously, a mom, not perfect? Don't let the kids know!)...<br /><br />Right now underneath my stove there is <em>most certainly not </em> a GoGurt tube from a couple of days ago. My husband would NEVER have forgotten to finish this important task of retrieving the gogurt that my little sweet Ali Kate most certainly didn't throw underneath our stove in a fit of rage because it wasn't the right flavor. And of course I most certainly didn't nag him at least 10 times to retrieve the gogurt!!<br /><br />This morning I most definitely didn't do this: Same kid...she's 2...so let's keep that in mind. She <em>did not </em>have a small accident at her big sister's school because she didn't scoot back far enough on the toilet...I <em>most certainly didn't </em>leave my 3 kids in the restroom with strict instructions to not touch anything in site while I <em>definitely DIDN'T </em>run back into big sister's kindergarten class to grab her extra panties in her extra clothes bag that the teacher keeps on hand. The teacher then didn't have a look of horror on her face when I said we had an accident because she of course DID NOT think that it was our 5 year old (rather than the 1, 2, or 4 year olds). Then after cleaning everything and changing into big sister's spare panties...I most certainly didn't let my child wear her dress/leggings set sans leggings the rest of the day (after confirming with her preschool teacher that they weren't going outside today). Not me...never!!<br /><br />And I did not throw 2 fun size kit kat bars into my purse this morning for breakfast...never would I eat chocolate candy bars for breakfast.<br /><br />And to top it all off today, I <em>most certainly didn't </em>wait in line forever to buy the cutest Little English overstock smocked dresses for my girls and some other clothes for my handsome little guy. I <em>most certainly don't </em>have a horrible weak spot for smocked clothes at discounted prices, no not me. And I of course have no weakness for chocolate. Or boutiques...not me! And if you're one of my friends reading this and you happen to go to the sale later this week when they've marked things down more, call me while you're there...I'd like a few more pants for Grant...seriously....<br /><br />As for more things I haven't done this week. I definitely did not have my sweet husband install and then teach me how to use my new diecut machine to make girly die cut letters and invitations. I most certainly didn't have him making swirly vinyl letters...and I'm not now sharing that with the entire Internet. Honey, you are the best!!<br /><br />For whatever reason...this is fun to admit my shortcomings...I've got my fair share...because too often we take ourselves so seriously and think that everyone else has it all together. Just read some of the other people's entries...none of us is perfect...and it's quite a chuckle to share what we've NOT done lately!!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-20636369390100894312009-10-10T22:42:00.002-05:002009-10-10T22:54:17.327-05:00Oh, to catch up!To begin to catch up blogging would be overwhelming to say the least. The last entry on here was right before Abby started kindergarten....so I thought it appropriate to add some first day of school pictures at the top. Of course, to blog about everyone's first day will take a while...and one day I should sit down and do it. But not right now.<br /><br />Since my last entry, we've been swamped!! I've sent Abby off to kindergarten, Isabella off to 4k, and Ali Kate off to preschool. And Grant...well, he's stuck at home with me and loving it! We've not made it but to 2 days of preschool though. Strep, fevers, and stomach viruses ravaged our household for the better part of 5 weeks. I'm not kidding. We'd get sick, get well, get sick, get well. Never the same kid twice in a row. We went through cycle after cycle of getting sick, waiting to be not contagious to go somewhere, then watch someone else get sick. Repeat cycle. And did I mention it rained for weeks on end I think. Seriously. So most of September was spent indoors with sick kids on rainy days. My TV worked overtime! I'm not an advocate of TV viewing for more than maybe 2 hours a week....oh, but we logged at least an hour each day during sick fest 09. I'm ashamed, but it's true. We hit survival mode a few points, and I had to let Olivia or Franklin babysit one kid while I took care of a feverish baby or a throwing up toddler. We even had to say goodbye to a car seat that couldn't be used again after a throwing up incident.<br /> <br />During September, I think we successfully cancelled every bunco, church meeting, girls' night, playdate, you name it. We were just quarantined by choice.<br /><br />Then as that all finally let up I began to face some serious medical issues which I'll not go into right now....I'm still waiting to get some answers but am very thankful for modern medicine. Without modern medicine I wouldn't be able to sit here and type. My sudden onset of arthritic issues rendered me unable to care for my own children for almost 2 weeks. Matt has been home way too much, and my dad has had to come in and save us. He even took the dynamic duo back with him for a week to relieve me. I'm doing fine now thanks to the meds. If I miss them though, I can't move. Seriously. It's that bad. <br /><br />Now that we're all finally well...and I'm on the right medications...we're going to have a fabulous October. We've already decorated, and we've been fall clothes shopping lately. We've been doing some crafts too. I'll have to post pictures! And of course playing outside in this nice,cool weather. I absolutely love fall...and the baking that goes with it! <br /><br />I've got some great stories and more to write soon....just when I'm not so sleepy!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-55445270306129890092009-08-10T20:34:00.002-05:002009-08-10T20:53:29.159-05:00I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-9nbzTg8doFcLB1Hyx2QSWsd1wYkZTGxq3X_RFEgSkGGriys2r5Xb2cl7qkGtcDWNoDovDCDC7MPs224on0Gkm4yQ4oTyeLgblxBP6AX34mIzOZ-x7mgPpdg1D2UzroDHQ6b7LSNzuA/s1600-h/SDC12852.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-9nbzTg8doFcLB1Hyx2QSWsd1wYkZTGxq3X_RFEgSkGGriys2r5Xb2cl7qkGtcDWNoDovDCDC7MPs224on0Gkm4yQ4oTyeLgblxBP6AX34mIzOZ-x7mgPpdg1D2UzroDHQ6b7LSNzuA/s400/SDC12852.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368518400182791842" /></a><br />I think I can do it. I really do. I really think that I can put on my big, brave mommy face tomorrow and do it. Or can I?<br /><br />Just last week I was at Methodist Germantown on Thanksgiving Day delivering the smallest of all my babies. Just last week I cried my eyes out as my oldest daughter announced her arrival into the world with big, loud cries. Just last week I was putting her in her preemie clothes and those newborn Pampers Swaddler diapers. Just last week I was rocking her to sleep every night. Wasn't that just last week?<br /><br />Somewhere in the midst of me having one baby after another for four solid years, that little baby grew up. And tomorrow, bright and early, that little baby is going off to school. Real school. Big kid school. Not the Mother's Day Out that all of us mommies call "school" for our 3 year olds. No, the big one. With kids that even drive themselves to school. Where those 5 years went, I'll never know. Well...I do know. Most of them went to being pregnant, having a baby, caring for that little baby, being pregnant again, having a baby...there's a pattern there. And during all those cycles, my oldest was growing up. And growing up way too fast! I've known for a while that it's been happening. She can ride a real bike, read an entire book that she's never seen before, brush her own teeth, lay out her own clothes, fix her own meal (if she had too), check her own blood sugar, fold her own laundry, clean up her own room, converse on an almost adult level. <br /><br />Oh, my mama's heart is breaking tonight. Tomorrow my life will forever be different. Four years ago I finally got the privilege of staying home (when Isabella was born). I have spent all day every day with my children. Now the oldest two did go to preschool two mornings a week this past year...but really that was no preparation for what this year will hold. Tomorrow I join "the club." Those moms that live in their SUVs and minivans. Those moms who somehow remember the names of dozens of kids, moms, siblings, teachers, and others from school, soccer, dance, church, gymnastics, Bible study, the grocery store...you name it. Tomorrow I can't stay in my pajamas if I want or go to the Children's Museum all day or swim with the kids for hours on end. <br /><br />This afternoon I got a glimpse of "the club." At gymnastics, so many sweet mamas were sharing their stories about their first day. Long carpool lines, crying kids, kids that didn't want them to drive them, mean teachers, sweet teachers....tomorrow I will have my story to share. I will be a school-aged mom. Really? Me? A school-aged mom? My head spins just thinking about it. I have grown so very comfy in my role as a stay-at-home and play mom.<br /><br />Jean Stockdale has taught us time and time again to begin slowly to release our kids. Our job is to prepare them to leave one day. To prepare them to live as adults. To teach them about the Lord and point them to Him through instruction and example. And this aim will never change. Whether Abby is at home or at school. And so in the morning I'm going to begin to release her. And I am so thankful that the Lord has provided us with the ability to send her to an excellent school with such a fabulous teacher! Her teacher is a fun, spunky lady who genuinely loves the kids and what she does. She loves animal print fabrics, wears the cutest dresses, has her hair in the most stylish cut, and always has her makeup just perfect...so you know she's got an A+ in my book! And after meeting with her for Abby's diabetes care...I know that Abby is in great hands. Most importantly she's in the Lord's hands.<br /><br />So it is with a huge mess of emotions that I send my baby (yes, she will always be my baby) off to kindergarten tomorrow. To make new friends and learn new things. And I am so excited for her because this year holds so much promise! She's going to fall in love with school just like I did. And I can't wait to join her in her new stage of life....let's just hope I adjust to my new stage of life quick!<br /><br />And if you've actually read this far...I ask that you add Abby and her teachers and staff at her school to your prayer list this entire year as they have the very serious and challenging responsibility of managing and controlling her diabetes all day every day. Please also continue to pray that our insurance will cover her continuous blood glucose monitor...it's being reviewed soon. The Lord knows the need, and I know His hand is on this.Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-71618231596880606032009-08-07T01:01:00.001-05:002009-08-07T01:01:00.410-05:005 Things FridayJean Stockdale, one of my all-time favorite teachers of the Word of God, is hosting 5Things Friday over at her blog (you really should go check it out). Today she's asked us to chime in with 5 things we love to do with our kids in the summer. Here's the Stine's five:<br /><br />1. Eat popsicles in our pajamas, diapers, whatever out on the deck too many times a day (thank goodness for those yummy Crystal Light ones that Abby can devour)<br /><br />2. Swim, swim, swim whenever we can have an entire morning or afternoon<br /><br />3. Eat picnic dinners outside on our gigantic picnic blanket (this may have been the best $9.99 I've ever spent)<br /><br />4. Have impromptu movie night where we take baths in the mid-afternoon, put on our pjs, pop popcorn, and lay with our pillows and blankets in the living room to watch a good movie together<br /><br />5. Water play...wading pools, the actual sprinkler, slip n slide, you name it...we're there!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-25538712284201520382009-08-06T15:09:00.000-05:002009-08-06T15:09:22.203-05:00A Thousand Words Thursday<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtML0ByPXKBFxyTpMuiASgkZEIjMI2mozLcaZw4YOruQIemMiGVGMjALSpaxeNca2eUd69a64t31uN4iQAVzBRyPv9xTIRm2cQuOFhYQok9ef_AnQl2rBUrsZqQU43G04eiVGxSVh4XE/s1600-h/SDC12730.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtML0ByPXKBFxyTpMuiASgkZEIjMI2mozLcaZw4YOruQIemMiGVGMjALSpaxeNca2eUd69a64t31uN4iQAVzBRyPv9xTIRm2cQuOFhYQok9ef_AnQl2rBUrsZqQU43G04eiVGxSVh4XE/s400/SDC12730.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br />Country life is for kids. My girls love the open fields, real hanging-from-an-actual-tree tire swings, golf cart rides through blueberry bushes, swimming with their cousins, running barefoot through the dirt, eating dessert twice a day....all the things that we just don't get living in the suburbs of Memphis. This is summer at its best.<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-86559913953986128362009-07-29T23:24:00.002-05:002009-07-29T23:32:51.875-05:00Oh, that Grant manFirst of all...I just saw Grant today and realized that he's not all that little anymore. Do you ever look at your "baby" and realize that they're not really a "baby" anymore? Well, he is only 14 months old...but it seems like he's been here forever...and he's a big one. I mean big! Like wearing size 5 diapers and 2T clothes kind of big! But something about his facial expressions and contour is changing from baby to toddler...and Mama's not ready for that!!!! This is our last one (like 99.9% probably our last one)....and I want to keep him a baby forever. And ever. And ever. Only for a little while longer will those fat chunky legs be adorable!<br /><br />Grant is into everything these days...keeping us on our toes. Today he played in the dishwasher while I cooked dinner. I was trying to keep him occupied so that I could put together a nice meal for everyone before I had to dash into the rain for a church meeting (which I was late for despite leaving with plenty of time to spare). When it rains in Memphis, people forget how to drive, so you need to add like an hour to your drive time. The interstate was a nightmare! <br /><br />I digress. He entertained himself by putting a Little People girl into the dishwasher several times and then rescuing her. Put her in danger. Rescue her. Put her in danger. Rescue her. This was working very well for him for a while until he decided that he needed to climb up my leg while I was working at the stove. Not the best idea. So brilliant mom that I am...I put him in a walker so that he can roam the house without destroying everything in sight. Wrong!<br /><br />Grant literally made his way from our living room back to the stove in less than a minute with his walker flying skills. It was insane! The girls never flew around the house in that thing. I don't even use it often...just in times like these when I need a few minutes. How he's gotten this good so fast I don't know. Boys are just different. Very different. I'm in for some surprises I think in the upcoming years for sure! <br /><br />Maybe tomorrow I'll carve out 10 minutes to upload a picture of my handsome man to go with this post. He is one very handsome little guy for sure! Those blonde curls make your heart melt!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-75366201619063003802009-07-20T20:18:00.002-05:002009-07-20T20:25:47.752-05:00Sometimes You Just Give UpDon't know why...but today was one of those days. The kids were irritable ALL DAY LONG. I should have been a smarter mom and cancelled our afternoon playdate based on the morning's behavior. But I thought a nap would cure everything. I found us this afternoon ruining what could have been such a fun playdate. We invited some friends from church over....friends that Abby and Bella usually love to play with. But my girls were so whiny, irritable, cranky, etc....that they just wouldn't brush it off and play. We wanted to go to the Redbirds game with some friends, but we just had to give them a light dinner and send them off to bed (early, like 7:00 early). Their bedtime is around 8:30....but they just couldn't function any longer. <br /><br />And I'm really praying that a good night's sleep cures it all! I want this to be a fun week! <br /><br />On a much better note, we began the process today gathering information on getting Abby a continuous blood glucose monitor. Pray along with us that everything will line up so that we can get her on one of these. I just wanted to do cartwheels when I read about how this technology works. It would be a huge blessing for her to be able to be on one! I'm excited about the possibility of having this extra safeguard in place for her (especially with her going off to school).<br /><br />Oh, and I also have to praise my dear Matt. This weekend he went crazy and literally kept the washer and dryer going non-stop both Saturday and after church Sunday. Let me say that Matt may in a normal month do 2 loads of laundry if that. So I thought he was losing it! But he really worked hard to help me get ahead at home, and I appreciated it so much!! Much praise to him for doing those 5,092 pieces of laundry (my guess but probably close!!).Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-31311437206281828932009-07-17T23:22:00.004-05:002009-07-17T23:35:34.338-05:00Real life pictures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUX_2KW323wZ2GSk8OnYQ7ylR5LaniOCd9Ib55am3Dgyd2ZywvV7mgqkTt1-nS2HCnhveSyUjlAqcRAASa_LVu0F7YGvLXVWrmSbAvj-gN5E5ki-cGopkNn0y2c-1icL6U9HueExNGm8/s1600-h/SDC12609.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUX_2KW323wZ2GSk8OnYQ7ylR5LaniOCd9Ib55am3Dgyd2ZywvV7mgqkTt1-nS2HCnhveSyUjlAqcRAASa_LVu0F7YGvLXVWrmSbAvj-gN5E5ki-cGopkNn0y2c-1icL6U9HueExNGm8/s400/SDC12609.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359651717292572978" /></a><br />So sometimes I know it's hard to see an image on the screen and translate that to reality. I am horrible at visualizing pieces of furniture or decor in my home until I actually bring it in the house! Pitiful I know. But true!<br /><br />So I thought I'd take this chance to show a few of my recent orders. I took this picture at night (and I'm not a professional photographer by any stretch of the imagination)...but you can get a great idea of my finished products by looking at these photos. Enjoy!<br /><br />And be on the lookout for new fall and holiday designs as they are gradually added to our site!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-16983990389645423652009-07-17T22:16:00.008-05:002009-07-17T22:34:08.636-05:00Oh, how we spent the weekend of the 4th!Matt and I got a wild hair (well, really Matt did) that we'd shake things up a bit in the Stine house. Ali Kate and Isabella have always shared a room since AK was born. Always. But lately they've been having MAJOR problems sharing a room because (imagine this) they keep each other awake laughing, playing dolls, talking....I mean big, serious offenses here!! (oh, so kidding) Oh, my goodness to be a little girl again. Anyway, it began to take a toll on them as they went week after week with no nap (and a toll on Mommy too who counts on nap time to be her productive time). So Matt suggested we move Abby and Isabella together. And while our new home is much larger than our old one, the kids' bedroooms are still not large enough to spaciously accomodate two preschoolers and all their stuff!<br /><br />So we made the decision to give up having a playroom. Now I can already hear mamas near and far lamenting this. Oh, no, not the playroom. But seriously...my kids had one of the best playrooms ever and didn't really actually go play in it all that often. I had visions of me having to scrape them off the playroom floor to come down to dinner once we moved in our house...didn't happen. I sometimes actually begged them to go play in the playroom while I cooked or cleaned. Didn't happen. Only when I was up there engaging them would they play there....so we figured that giving it up wasn't really much of a sacrifice.<br /><br />So July 3rd and 4th...we painted. Well, first we moved all of their belongings up their the week before (and casually made several playroom toys disappear into toy oblivion). We had to thin out lots of room. So many of our large items found their way into our (gasp here) garage. That's another blog entry for another day.<br /><br />Anyway, the playroom was still this dark brown (not my favorite but very low on our list of rooms to repaint when we bought the house). So of course we had to change that IMMEDIATELY. We don't keep a house this messy I promise. I took this after we had moved all their stuff into the middle of the room to prep for painting.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSadTCzcvckh4whi-2T9i1vUonoemOp-yGwP5MGfN3lrsARxOlHxhYGQBQXvX68yFZiUlcndPm7w2lrbDdyAu5Yc6_tKavR5t2yBNeSTfYCF_er1Tp2eqjwTeDoKPHd0zbCV6KX92V7zI/s1600-h/IMG_2564.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSadTCzcvckh4whi-2T9i1vUonoemOp-yGwP5MGfN3lrsARxOlHxhYGQBQXvX68yFZiUlcndPm7w2lrbDdyAu5Yc6_tKavR5t2yBNeSTfYCF_er1Tp2eqjwTeDoKPHd0zbCV6KX92V7zI/s320/IMG_2564.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359636342373669666" /></a><br /><br />And I have always wanted to paint a huge chalkboard wall for them. So here was my chance. My kids are allowed and ENCOURAGED to draw all over the wall. Since they already have shown interest in decorating our walls (see my main entrance hall where Ali Kate used a black Sharpee to draw Mommy a mural. We still can't find the exact shade the previous owners had this house painted after many, many phone calls. Here's Abby testing it out while it was still a work in progress.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8UYmXZB0v2m10vnOd-Bl7fsrm-Jpn3n_VaUuMblDz0JF0KfYiUMRzx8GAt-0aN2FYP2YOCyssuTTTiRddeedULkSWEEjjFv-uy1bz5B97RXYw6YuMhECcn0VTwe_IqibTgpuawTRoQg/s1600-h/IMG_2573.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8UYmXZB0v2m10vnOd-Bl7fsrm-Jpn3n_VaUuMblDz0JF0KfYiUMRzx8GAt-0aN2FYP2YOCyssuTTTiRddeedULkSWEEjjFv-uy1bz5B97RXYw6YuMhECcn0VTwe_IqibTgpuawTRoQg/s320/IMG_2573.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359637102116344258" /></a><br /><br />After lots of painting during bedtimes, naptimes, and independent playtimes...we got the job finished. It was alot to paint since it was a big room and of course being dark brown meant that the whole thing had to be primed first (that equals painting twice). But we painted it together and knocked it out pretty fast!<br /><br />And here's what it looked like once we got it all put back together!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnB8PJ3vP5rxwoYS2pBlrGJe97b-YebYA2atnymSU5PVHEw1LWm5zHBjPIbj12EGDPU-8sNlzDqW_6QldnygofgWuUFBog5eTY2toQM7be3Y55VlRBtVYMQ6iSOMqjz0Jmb1Lsdeuhv8/s1600-h/IMG_2600.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnB8PJ3vP5rxwoYS2pBlrGJe97b-YebYA2atnymSU5PVHEw1LWm5zHBjPIbj12EGDPU-8sNlzDqW_6QldnygofgWuUFBog5eTY2toQM7be3Y55VlRBtVYMQ6iSOMqjz0Jmb1Lsdeuhv8/s320/IMG_2600.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359637680394582034" /></a><br /><br /><br />Big thanks to Brian and Amanda Williams for giving us the color from Ella's room. We've had a couple of flops with doing an apple green, and I've just given up on apple green. But when I was at their house last, I fell in love with Ella's bedroom color and knew I would use it whenever we redid the girls' rooms. So Ella...thanks! We are loving this color!<br /><br />And now my next project is to get their room super organized with cute labels on everything and then to paint their monograms above their headboards. And of course figure out what to do with their walls. I'm not 100% decided yet how I'm going to decorate (we eventually need to buy new comforters that match...these are the same color scheme but different designs...so I may wait a bit to decorate it all!).<br /><br />And what do the girls think? They love it! It totally revitalized that space! They play in it tons every day and even let the babies play there too. We set up a grocery store in one area, a dollhouse in another, school in one...they love it!!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-74403069855240572762009-07-14T17:14:00.002-05:002009-07-15T22:09:22.923-05:00Before and After<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeA8UbvxTGGqsMD2e26PtKEAEpdlgmEesQtso3W_gV8voFNval9MmKiJtCtWC5jR6I4cm18eUMmxIH3fmZKE8qhMoxDaRAfRSJ5UaWK4YCO5JLHh_mJsenIgEmLvyY0vbB97TXkgp1to/s1600-h/July+3,+2009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeA8UbvxTGGqsMD2e26PtKEAEpdlgmEesQtso3W_gV8voFNval9MmKiJtCtWC5jR6I4cm18eUMmxIH3fmZKE8qhMoxDaRAfRSJ5UaWK4YCO5JLHh_mJsenIgEmLvyY0vbB97TXkgp1to/s320/July+3,+2009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358889771976599426" /></a><br /><br /><br />So I would desperately love to show you a "before and after" of me losing 60 pounds! But that's still being worked on....only 10 lost so far. So instead I'll share these pictures that my 5 year old took before I finished mowing the yard and after I finished. Matt has been SO busy lately, so one day a couple of weeks ago I decided that the best way I could show love to him was to mow the yard for him. The kids stood in the shade on this VERY HOT day and ate popsicles while I mowed the front. What should have taken 25 minutes took over an hour since I had to stop and be the popsicle police several times. I also learned how to bag the grass, restart the engine, and add gas.... several phone calls to Matt later I did finish the job. <br /><br />And afterward, I got out the hose and sprayed it straight upward so that I would be soaked. It was at leat 95 that day. I'm sure the neighbors and passersby thought I was insane, but that water was so so necessary!<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6669964554521233742.post-78441282822359972552009-07-05T21:36:00.002-05:002009-07-05T21:40:20.890-05:00Not So HealthyThis morning we had to stay home from church because Grant had some horrible diapers yesterday. We'll leave it at that. We also wanted to avoid the hand-foot-mouth that seems to be plaguing his room at church.<br /><br />So I had time to actually fix breakfast. Not just a cereal bar or Eggos or bowl of Cheerios....but actually flip some pancakes. (I do cook dinner but rarely cook breakfast!). Anyway, Isabella ate last because she slept in really late (like 8:30...that's what fireworks will do to you!). She ate her pancakes and then brought her cup of chocolate milk (2% mixed with sugar-free chocolate syrup) to me in the other room. She said, "I can't drink this because it's not healthy for me." I very seriously told her that she could put her cup in the sink then if she didn't want to drink that unhealthy stuff. But then I said, "What about the pancakes? They weren't healthy for you." She said, "But I love them. I can eat those!"<br /><br />Gotta love it!! Four year olds rock!!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10506170288214189625noreply@blogger.com1