Mika Messes with Mommy

This is not a new thing. I should be used to it. In some ways, I am. In other ways, every time is like the first time. In times past, I have taken pictures but this week of messy blitzes mixed with a hormone shift on my part has not lent itself to my being in the mood to document with my camera.

It all began on Sunday when she only had a few moments to herself and boy she did work fast. She climbed up on the table, peeled a banana and snuck it into her room. She quickly went to work smearing it all over the floor and a bit of the area rug. I was not amused. But I kept my cool and took care of it. We still got to church on time. Phew!

Despite my being within earshot and only 15ft away in the bathroom doing my hair AND her older sisters being in the room, Mika was able to rub dirt from the potted lemon tree into my good couch cushions with great stealth on Monday. She got her first real big girl spanking for that one.

Tuesday was pretty mellow, I would not have counted a bit of fingerpainting with milk on the counter as a part of her blitz if today's mess would not have occurred. She sweetly apologized for that mess and even cleaned it up herself.

Wednesday has just been one of those moody, mellow blah days. Nothing is wrong, in fact, all is pretty right. It's normal to be slow and sleepy when you are almost due but it is a special thing when your 7 yr old feeds the girls breakfast and tells you to sleep a little longer. I got up, we painted and we went to the library for the Homeschool Poetry and Art Festival.

The library was an adventure. It was anticipated that going out during naptime would result in the aforementioned 2 yr old letting her loud wail loose at every inopportune moment. It was Providence that afforded me with great cool and mommy awesomeness during all that. But once you are back home, you just aren't in the mood to be further tested by a 2 yr old covered in VASELINE!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is Thursday. It has lots of promise. We only have to leave for a appt with my midwife at 7:30 in the morning. She could really do a doozy if she plans right. This week could only get more interesting, don't you think?

Perhaps Michaela is hoping that all these spikes to my blood pressure will get her baby sister out faster so she share her love of mom's lipgloss with the unsuspecting Paisley. If that happens, I will be sure to take a pictures.

Loved, Blessed and Grateful

I have fabulous sisters. Tempest, Traci and my sister by marriage, Kaylee, have been the means of making this next step into motherhood one of singular celebration for me. Creamy Baby Girl #4 is on her way very shortly and Tempest told me that it was time that I have a baby shower. I have to admit I love a party. I mean, who doesn't?

However, once the ball was rolling I got suddenly VERY self conscious and told her we shouldn't do it because this is my 4th daughter and I was afraid that people would consider that a faux pas. Tempest lovingly, but still in true "Tempestuous" form, assured me that I was being dumb and that it was still on.

I will love her forever for her persistence, enthusiasm and support of me in that way. Since she doesn't live in state, she called on our sister Traci and my sister in law, Kaylee, to make the shower happen. And I have to say that I am ever so glad she did. Temp did everything possible that she could on her end and then Traci and Kaylee took over from there.

This is how it all went down. Sam, husband extraordinaire, helped me get the house all prettied up. He was up late the night before trying to finish the crown moulding in the living room and when I woke up the next morning, he had not only cleaned up the serious sawdust and tool mess but he helped me hang some things up on the wall in the most attentive way and he took the girls daughters out on a date during the shower.

Traci and Kaylee arrived at my house and they decorated. Kaylee was in charge of the food and the decorations. They were just too cute. She prepared the YUMMIEST girl food. (I *heart* lil' smokies in a blanket, btw. You rock, Kaylee.)

Traci was THE MOST darling, generous and creative of hostesses. We played fabulous games and Traci gave out some killer gift baskets. I mean seriously, how often do you come away from a baby shower with a basket of spa goodies AND a gift certificate for a pedicure when you win at the baby food tasting game?

We had a fabulous time. I literally felt bathed in love just by the presence of so many of my friends. I was on a high for such a long time afterward. That kind of love is what makes my house even more of a home. Thank you so much for all of you who came, who wanted to come but couldn't and who have come by to tell me that I was dumb for limiting my guest list by some faux pas fear, to hug my neck, rub my belly and even drop a sweet baby gift off.

I consider my friends to be my angels here on earth and I was shown that I am surrounded by many. I also must say this....my angels have FABULOUS taste!! Paisley will be very organized, well dressed, burped, diapered, accessorized and kept warm because of all the gifts. Again..THANK YOU!

And now for the pictures. I was 2 days shy of being 36 wks along. I am sporting a great basketball belly, huh? About 5 days after that, I had an appt with my midwife and I was measuring....42 weeks. 42 wks at 36 wks along. I can't help but be proud of a stat like that. I grow a good belly, what can I say?


















*Gushy, Sentimental, Excited Heartbeat*

I can't believe that I almost missed out on such a fabulous experience. I very nearly denied myself of an outpouring of love, friendship and celebration. I learned that one should never ever limit or deny others the opportunity to come together and shower you with love. I can't say thank you enough. Ya'll are the best.

Dear Mom--A Post Homeschool Breakdown Note

I have to say that we were on fire today in homeschool. She did NINE lessons of Math today. She was on a roll when it came to place values and I wasn't about to stop her. We did one hour in the morning and then another hour in the afternoon.

Then we had another break and then we did one and then two lessons of Language Arts. All was well, we were smoking it up. We headed into a spelling test. Pleasantness was exuding from us. Then, ladies and gentlemen, Olivia couldn't figure out how to spell her heart words. Heart words are words that don't follow the spelling rules, you just have to memorize how they are spelled.

Learn and heart created a world of hurt and tears in our abode, let me tell ya. She threw her pencil--twice. I think she even lost it the second time and had to go get another. I ignored it all and calmly told her to do her best. It is a very good thing, my friends, that I took my fish oil this morning. It tends to help keep my irrational, hormonal pregnancy irritability at bay along with its bad reactions.

Well, then she walked off and I told her to come back. She looked at me and said in her most sassy and disrespectful voice, "What?". *GRIN* In that moment, I was taken back to yesteryear when I gave my mother the same kind of backtalk. It made me inwardly smile and apologize for my doing that to good ole mom and thus getting it back in return. That inward smile also kept me from popping those loose lips of that 7 yr old.

I told her to come closer so I could give those lips a pop. However, after a pause for some self control and actually telling her what was to come next, the urge was gone. The threat itself was sufficient to only heighten the wailing, weeping and reddening of eyes. I wrote down the words she missed for her to write down 1o times and told her that she lost her treats and TV for the rest of the day. I went back in 15 minutes later to see how she was doing on the spelling words and along with her neatly completed work, I found this note.

Dear Mom,

I am sorry for what I did. You can send me to bed without dinner.

Your friend,
Olivia

I looked over at her. She was pretending to be asleep on the futon. I smiled, left the room and sat down to write all this down. *BIG GRIN* I have never sent her to bed without dinner. But that would be a good punishment for her, the kid does have a hole in her leg. However, I think the no treats or TV will be sufficient.

I love being a homeschooling mom. I really do, who would want to miss these moments? I wouldn't miss them anyway. They'd just come in the form of homework breakdowns instead.

I, now, have a vastly poopy 2 yr old at my feet and must sign off. Happy Tuesday to all and to all Happy Biggest Loser and American Idol night--at which time at least 1/3 of my children will be asleep, the 2nd third will be in her room awaiting the 3rd 3rd who will be getting into her pjs after children's choir practice.

Baby Tooth Gets a Surprise

There once was a tooth, a wiggly top tooth, on the left side of a lovely girl's mouth. It was a baby tooth, a sweet little baby tooth, who had been with said girl since she was just a baby herself. The baby tooth was good and faithful. It helped the girl chew her food well and open stubborn plastic packages of treats like fruit snacks and cheese sticks. It also helped keep her other teeth in a nice, straight row.

As the girl grew, sweet little Baby Tooth began to realize that her time for helping the lovely girl was almost over. She tooth began to feel lose and what was more surprising she also began to feel another big girl tooth pushing down on her from above. The lovely little girl began to wiggle Baby Tooth and but Baby Tooth was strong and she hung on with all her might. She did not want to leave the little girl.

The little girl was gentle. The little girl told Baby Tooth not to be afraid. The little girl explained that a magical being called The Tooth Fairy would come and take her away to a special place. Baby Tooth felt better about this. After all, who wouldn't want to be whisked away by a kind, magical fairy?

On January 3, 2010, the little girl found Baby tooth to be oh so loose. It was only hanging on by hers last few threads. She was nervous, she didn't want it to hurt when she pulled Baby Tooth. Her mother was clever. She told the little girl that the Tooth Fairy pays more on Sundays and that the little girl should just pull that sucker right on out. The little girl screwed her courage to its sticking point and went at it. She twisted, she tugged, she wiggled and then....

That baby tooth came right on out! Well, let me just tell you that there was great rejoicing in the house even Baby Tooth was excited. She was beyond excited to meet the Tooth Fairy. The little girl wrapped up her precious baby tooth and stuck it in a little pouch on her bedroom door, much to her displeasure, but her parents knew she'd never get any sleep if she put Baby Tooth under her pillow.

The next morning, the little girl woke to find 8 quarters under her pillow! She was ecstastic. She ran upstairs and told her mother that the tooth fairy must know her because she was given 8 quarters because she was turning 8 this year. She was enraptured with bliss because of this.

Baby Tooth on the other hand was surprised. The Tooth Fairy took her to the land of the "Daddy's Coat Pocket". There was another major surprise as well. The Tooth Fairy was no little, sparkly, flying fairy. The Tooth Fairy turned out to be a kind, good, handsome hunk of man. He was tall and lean, with red hair and dreamy blue eyes. Baby Tooth has found this situation to be better than anticipated and thus we find that everyone lived happily ever after.

Girls Night Out

A friend of mine came into town last week and several of us friends got together for an exciting night of BOWLING. Let me tell you there is nothing like setting a bunch of mothers lose on the world at 8pm at night in a bowling alley. There is nothing that brings out the giggly and silly high school girl in a bunch of thirtysomething mothers like a bit of freedom that comes from not having to wrangle small children. We ate like high school girls too. Geez, I could go for some more of those cheese fries, english chips and fried zuchinni sticks right now. I am SO glad I braved driving in the snow for that night. I had a truly fabulous time. Here are some pictures that document out night out.






There are more pictures that I don't have but let me just say that there was lots of fun that came from some ladies standing on their heads and singing, friends trying to break the concentration of the active bowler by goosing them, fun dance moves and struts galore and at least one successful bowl was celebrated by someone pretending to ride the ball return like a horse. There were a couple of husbands present and I do believe that he asked his fantastic wife if she was always like that when she was out with friends. *giggle*

One of the greatest blessings in life is friends. I love what Clarence the Angel on It's a Wonderful Life says, "No man is a failure who has friends." Isn't that so true? Friends should remind us of all that is good, happy, joyous and brilliant in the world and I am grateful that I have friends that do just that. They are a safe harbor and they bring the warmth of God's love into daily living.

So, here is to you all my incredible friends ((HUGS)). Now, who wants to go bowling?