Rough Day

We woke up to "snow" this morning and I use the term snow very loosely. We have about 1/2 inch. Our girls were thrilled and the preschool was cancelled due to in climate weather. (I can just imagine the laughs coming from all the Northerners and Mid-westers who are reading this). The morning started off fun! We got to go to our church and decorate sugar cookies. From there the day spiraled downward with varying degrees of craziness. Then my husband came home from work and we went to meet my friend to go to a consignment sale. It was great and I got some real deals, but I noticed our oldest was being really good. Does anyone else have a child that when they don't argue and are acting compliant they make you freak out? We do. And it is her. I noticed she kept saying she was cold. Needless to say by the time we got home she was sick. Her fever is around 101. As we were coming in, she held the door and started bawling. I picked her up and she says, "I can't keep holding that door. It's too hard and it hurts me!!!!!!!!! I can't do all these things everyone wants me to do!!!!! It's too much!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" I almost lost it. I think that is so cute and FUNNY! Then I deposited her onto the couch and she asked if she could have plain, warm water. Then she beams her big blues up at me, tears hanging on her eyelashes and said, "I've had a rough day". You gotta love it!

Elmo is God?

Tonight as the girls were bathing I overheard one of the funniest conversations ever! They have this huge Elmo and a tiny little Barney figurine. The youngest was telling me about Awanas and hearing that Jesus walked on water. The oldest said she heard this too. I was telling them the story. The youngest picks up Barney and says in a weird wobbly voice, "God, I am walking on water. Come save me!" Elmo, quite proud in his role of Jesus, quickly plunges through the bubbles to save Barney (who is now HOLLERING, "I'm DRAINING") and says, "I'll save you! I made the world and I can save you too! Just put your feet on TOP of the water instead of draining!" Somehow I heard God laughing from Heaven! I also think that somewhere there is a great analogy or sermon illustration here, but I have not yet found it.

Dreams really do come true....

Everyone knows someone who has gone through massage school. People crack the same joke, "let me know if you need a volunteer! HAHAHAHAH!" Guess what? Someone really DOES need volunteers and I AM ONE! On Friday night, I go over to a friends house and get a completely free one hour massage! I do have to fill out a paper saying it really took place. I am very, very excited!!
More good news, the girls were much well behaved today! I got a great workout at the gym and got a lot done here at the house. I am beat!

Tired

I am tired! I had a good workout at the gym this morning. Plus all the things we are trying to clean out around the house. The girls also wore me out. They were very "anti-cleaning" today, which is exhausting! Then our youngest attended a midnight conference titled, "how to try and manipulate your parents through utter cuteness mixed with sadness". We were on our way to the gym and she was bawling her little eyes out. I asked her why she was so upset. Her reply...."I am not ready to start missing my Daddy. I want to be with him right now." I told her he was at work. She said, "That's ok. I can go sit by his desk." Seriously, where do kids come up with this stuff????

Red Neck Central

It's official. Our house looks like a red neck headquarters!!! We have been clearing out and have lugged a ton of stuff "out to the curb". Including, but not limited to, a bed, wood, old toys, old books, branches and even some old washing machines (or worshing machine if you prefer). Now we are just PRAYING that we are correct and big trash pick up day is right around the corner.
Today I took the girls to a party for a friend of theirs who is now 6! They got to get tattoos and have their hair sprayed. We made them wash it out though, much to their dismay. I also took them to the bookstore after church and they saw a little boy they know from the gym. A little boy who they always see with his mother. Today he was there with his father. Our oldest says, "Whoa! Mommy! I always thought he was a little boy like me, 4! He must be big because he is all alone here at the bookstore!" She was SHOCKED! I told her he was with his daddy and she said she did not think he had one! =D

Fun Day

Today one of my closest friends had her fourth baby. They had their fourth little boy and I was among the first to see him! He is so cute! Seeing a new little baby just makes you feel so excited!
Meanwhile, on the home front, my husband began demolition in our bathroom. We have a few repairs to make in order to be able to list our house.
Our girls made us feel like such jerks today. They have been having a problem cleaning up their toys. We had been telling them for at least 20 minutes to clean up their playroom. They kept getting "distracted" so we told them we were giving them till nap time and whatever was not picked up we were giving to other kids. They came up at the end of their time and said, "well, we are giving a bunch of babies, a parachute and some dress up clothes to kids that really need them." We felt like an inch big, but we still followed through on it. Kids have an uncanny ability to make you feel like queens or in our case jerks.
At the end of the day though the toy room is officially clean! =D

Nice

Last night we listed some items for sale. They are ALL sold!! We sold out kayak, trailer, rototiller and stained glass equipment! I was so excited!! I really need an eye exam and we had to buy new tires for the van. These items will cover all these expenses. That is SO nice.
Not much is new other than that. I have barely seen my husband today and he will not be home for several hours yet. Ugh.
The girls are both fine. They had good days! Tomorrow is our friday fun with gymnastics and we always hit a fast food joint with a playland!!! That is pretty much the ultimate for young ones!

So it begins

Tonight we sat down together while the girls were at Awana's and hammered out some details. We have listed a bunch of our belongings to sell/donate.
I gave my notice at work, but my husband has not. He will do that tomorrow.
Here is a cute conversation heard in our van today.
Three year old, "Do you know why me pants are up over me legs? Me legs are fweaty."
Me, "Can you not say 'me legs' and say 'my legs'?"
'MOMMY! YOUR legs aren't fweaty, MY legs are fweaty! Silly Mommy!"
Silly Mommy indeed!!!!!

My. Goodness.

You know my husband went today to get his contract and to be sworn in. We also knew he would be getting his class dates for sometime in may or june. Yeah right! Try March 19th! Yes. In less than 30 days my husband, the father of our two darling girls will be gone for 3 months. That means that within the next 4 1/2 months we will be moving...somewhere! I am thrilled and horrified! We have so much to do until then.
There are a lot of mixed blessings with this though.
1. He does not have to precede his training with an additional 1-3 months of training like we thought! GREAT news!
2. He will not be there during the full heat of summer.
3. He will not be "gone" during summer. This makes it easier on me because the girls will have activities and it will keep me going.
Please be in prayers!

Wish there did not have to be a title

Well, my husband goes tomorrow to get sworn into the U.S. Army as an officer. By this time tomorrow we should know when he will go to his initial trainings and where. It is VERY exciting and VERY nerve-wracking!
We have been talking to the girls about what this will mean and how our lives may be changing. Here are their two extreme reactions...
Oldest: "So, Daddy will have a new job in the Army where he is kinda like a policeman keeping people safe. Will he get money for doing that?" I said, "Yes". She said, "So, does this mean we will finally have enough money so that I can take ballet AND gymnastics?"
Youngest: "You might be proud of daddy, but I think I will just be sad and miss him all the time."
I think I will want to remember those reactions for a time to come!
Then today our oldest had a "revelation". She said, "Mommy, today at the gym things were really crazy. I know my sister is three and I know ____ is three. BUT did you know, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME SIZE?????? One of them was taller than the other and the other was shorter than the other. Isn't that crazy?"

Ahhhh

The girls were really good most of the day today. In fact we let them take a little of their saved allowance and buy something at the bookstore this afternoon. Sometimes it feels like all we do is correct and fuss at them etc. BUT tonight we went into their room to tell them it was time for bed. They had surprised us by cleaning it!! We were floored! So, we proceeded to fawn all over them, hug them, kiss them. They were so proud and so were we. It was a nice experience!!!

Salami

Today I took the girls to Sam's Club. They LOVE going there because of all the food they hand out. Tonight was the jack pot of free samples! I was able to have a sample YUMMY of Eight'O'Clock coffee! The girls got samples of sugary cereals they have never had and do not know the names of! They got to try a macadamia nut cookie, mini corn dog and shrimp and THEN the big moment....SALAMI! When I was a young kid, I remember going to the deli with my parents and they would give you a free slice of salami and I loved it. Well, the love was passed down today! I actually ended up buying them a pack of salami because they were going on and on about it! It was great! Strange, I know, but it made me feel like a kid myself.

Fun

We ate our yummy lasagna and then took the girls out for sugar free ice cream! It was great! They were thrilled to go our for a rare treat. My husband and I had coffee. Decaf, of course.
The other thing I wanted to write about was our four year old. She broke my heart at her class party today. She stood there while kids ran all around. She just blanked out and twirled her hair around and around until it was in a huge knot. She did play musical chairs, but could not even giggle. What really killed me was when she squealed to my dad about how much fun it was. It tears me up inside. I want her to get in trouble at school for talking in class. I hurt so much for her. Please pray that we can get her in QUICKLY for an evaluation.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

This Valentine's is going great so far! I took the 4 yr. old to preschool and hit the gym with the youngest. We went to the store and a man gave her a free balloon! Woo-hoo!!! Afterwards I took JUST her to a lunch at McDonald's. She was so goofy! She was SO excited to get a kids meal (VERY rare treat). But she got so excited she ate maybe 2 bites, but wanted ALL my grilled chicken. Go figure. =) Then we went back to preschool for the big party! Our daughter did not win Miss Valentine, but we all had fun! Tonight I making lasagna. YUM! Tomorrow my parents have agreed to watch the girls so we can take in a movie! Yeah!! Happy Valentine's to ALL!

Free Food

Today the girls and I got to babysit for my favorite little baby boy! We all had fun. My husband ended up working late so we all decided to go eat at IHOP together. We get there and it is FREE PANCAKE night! It was awesome!
While the meal was nice, the after was not so nice. Imagine two young girls with no naps, sugar rush from maple syrup and past bedtime. Yeah. It was humiliating! Our eldest and youngest were sitting very politely when out of the blue, the older one shoves the youngest off the bench and she falls onto the hard floor and bangs her noggin. Needless to say it was horrid. Luckily they are both asleep and looking like angels again! It is amazing how they do that.

Cute

Prince Daddy

Today was THE DAY of the Daddy/Daughter dance. I was real curious to hear how my husband would do with a 3 and 4 year old. They all came back glowing! They had so much fun! Each girl got a silk rose, teddy bear, a polaroid photo and a heart lollipop. They also ate their weight in cookies, m&m's and punch. Afterwards, he took them to the bookstore for milk and coffee. It was so sweet to hear about their time there. He danced with both of them together. I think if we are still in the area next year they will do it again.
On a side bar, our youngest STILL has not sucked her thumb! I cannot get over this!
Also, yesterday I walked them to a local park. Our youngest asked why God had made this swing so low for her. She said she wanted to tell Him thanks, but didn't think He'd hear her. I told her He would. She says, "Dear God, Thanks. Mommy, did He hear?" I told her He did, and she lit up like the 4th of July.
Kids Rock!!!!

48 hours and counting.....

Our youngest has now gone 48 hours PLUS without her thumb. She is so happy and proud. Here is what I didn't expect. MY feelings of sadness. When she was just a few months old she found her thumb all by herself and never gave it up. She used to look so cute all curled up with her thumb in her mouth. Now, at 3, I am used to coming in her room at night and hearing a happy little thumb-sucking sound. Now I go into her room and see her sleep sock covered hands trying to rub her special blankie. It made me want to cry!! My husband thinks I've lost my marbles. I swear, this is harder on me than on her though.
Today was really fun! We had beautiful weather and I walked the girls to a park and McDonald's and then UP our hill. They had a blast!!!

No more

Today our youngest went to the orthodontist and I was so pleased with the results! They said she has already done the damage by sucking her thumb. However, they do not want to treat her because they don't want to scare her. I guess she will get a jaw expander when she gets older. He did say we need to have her quit sucking her thumb. Let the campaign begin! So far she is almost 24 hours without!!! He had some great ideas and they are actually working!!!! She is so proud and her sister is so jealous. =)
He said he will not treat her until she gets her 6 year molars. In the meantime we can pray that God would reverse the damage.
Also, a positive update on our oldest. I was at the gym when I got a call from her school because she was upset and crying. I flew threw town to go check on her. She was fine when I got there. Obviously she was not talking to anyone there. BUT the milestone was for her to CRY at school!!! She does not laugh, point, talk, wave or cry at school EVER! We were so pleased! Plus she let her teacher hold her. It was an exciting day around here!

Off to Orthodontist

In the morning I take our youngest to the orthodontist to see about her crossbite. Hopefully it will go really well! It will just be a consultation.
However, a friend of ours whose hubby is a Dr. said we needed to get her checked out because she is always on her tippy toes. We called her pediatrician and they do want to see her. It always something! =)
Is anyone reading this familiar with the Liberty Tax places where they pay people to stand outside in ALL forms of weather dressed up as statues and Uncle Sams? Our girls LOVE these places. They call these people "the wavers". It's cute, because they call the statues "porkies that look scary like Ursula from the mermaid show". The other day we drove past and a midget was one of the wavers. One of the girls (I think the little one) said, "Awwww, look! A mommy waver is taking care of her baby waver!" I thought that was so stinkin' adorable!

Wobbly Eyes

Today I had an errand to run with our youngest. I told her I wanted her to stay awake in the car and that when we got home, she could take a nap. She looked at me (making a VERY 3 year old face) and said, "Well, my eyes might get a little wobbly, but I will not go to sleep." No one else may find this cute, but I did and this is my blog that I titled "Ramblings" for a reason! =)
It was so beautiful here today!! We put on short sleeved shirts and played outside at our friends house for 2 hours! The girls are PASSED out now!! I love warmer weather!!

Feb. Fun

Public Commentary

Tonight our daughter (you know, the one with selective mutism??). She decided to make LOUD public comments about everyone we saw. She said of the lady across from us, "Wow, she does NOT look like she feels well." The woman really didn't look like she felt well. Then to a lady talking to us, "LOOK! Her white hair is REAL!" This poor woman had a skunk streak very prematurely in her hair. THEN as we were walking into the bookstore. "HEY! Look at that stranger!" He was a stranger! It was crazy!
This morning we got outside to the van and our oldest says, "Hey! Why is there ice on the van?" My husband just laughed and said, "man, as a former northerner you HAVE to blog about our daughter questioning IN FEBRUARY why is there ice on the van."
It was a cute day and to make it even better, they BOTH took naps today! Yea!!!