Just a link...

My good friend the Diatribist posted this link her on twitter account today. I thought it good enough to spread around.

What your daughter wears matters.



Shameless plugs for the Diatribist. Because I love her.
Diatribist on Twitter

I couldn't ask for better.

My oldest child is a joy to me (they all are, honestly, but she's been shortchanged on the blog stories lately so it's her turn to shine today). Adrienne has the sweetest disposition. She loves to read, frequently telling me it's her favorite thing in the whole world. Any day that's a good day is often proclaimed to be The Best Day Ever. She wants to be a scientist (a few months ago she was still intending to be an artist... I think she's keeping that on the back burner for now).

She intends to have a science room in her house when she grows up and teach her children science and math and reading. She drew me a picture of her as an adult in her laboratory. It cracked me up. She had funnels and beakers and everything. It was awesome. She said her children will only be allowed in there if she is in the room to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't do anything dangerous.

Yesterday I was going back and forth with their school and other tasks. While I was away from the table Adrienne took over reading Genevieve's instructions for her math so G didn't have to wait for me. She likes to help teach G to read, too. She is a marvelous little helper. I was taking Xander to the potty and getting him ready for his bath and asked the girls to clear the table off. I fully expected to have to put away the food and wipe the table off (because even though they try it's always a bit sticky when they are done). Adrienne did everything but load the dishwasher. Even the leftovers were nestled in the fridge in tupperware containers.

She's such a super kid. I know she must get her disposition from her father. He's generally pretty laid back and mild. He picks his battles. She can be a whiner at times, but more often she's just a nice kid. She's never been a bully or bossy. When she was really little she preferred nudity. Then she discovered dress ups and spent the next few years in tutus and princess dresses. It boggles my mind a little when I think about it. It seems like it was such a short while ago that she was Xander's age. Naked and potty training. And now she's turning into a lovely young lady.

She is currently preparing for first Confession and Communion. I don't know where the last seven years went. I am so proud of her and yet a little sad at the same time. She'll never be as innocent as she once was. She gets smarter and more mature with each passing day. But at least she's still as sweet as ever.

Pet owners.

Inconsiderate pet owners are a giant pet peeve of mine. If you have pets and love 'em, good for you, I am happy for you. But for the love of all that is good and holy clean up your pets poop.

I get so sick and tired of watching people let their animals urinate on my lawn where my children play. I hate having to dodge giant piles of dog crap when we go on walks. I had a neighbor who used to let their dog poop in my yard. I took to flinging it back in their yard. I don't let my kids poop or pee in anyone's yard (and wouldn't let my animals do it either if we happened to have something bigger than a beta), why in the hell would it be ok to let your pet defecate in mine???

I don't consider myself an animal hater, but I am a very long way off from being an animal lover. They are fine as long as they don't invade my space.

I swear if I could catch the culprits in the act of leaving their animal's poop on the sidewalk I'd stalk them home and leave it on their doorstep.

I hate dog poop.

Back to the grindstone

The last 3 weeks have been spent pretty leisurely. I am finally getting back into the swing of my regular workouts and "strict" homeschooling.I cleaned house last night and steam cleaned the carpets. Spring cleaning? Maybe. The weather is beautiful and I'm loving it. I want to hurry through all the necessary stuff every day so that the kids and I can spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Matt shared this quote with me today, Few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly. (George MacDonald) He said as soon as he read it he thought of me. It makes me feel like a giddy school girl. haha To be that important to someone is a very special thing. I am glad I have that with him, and that every bit of it is mutual. I pray that other people can have this on some level, with their family, spouse, or children. Right now I am watching my friend's marriage fall apart, and while I honestly believe that leaving her is the best thing for him and his children (and I don't say this lightly because I believe marriage is a sacrament and you don't just toss it aside willy nilly), it's hard because I wish that they had what we do. But, he is an amazing father and I know that he has that love for his children. That's some consolation.

My son is being destructive. He figured out how to open the dishwasher and how to turn it off and on.

I am taking the kids for a walk. It's gorgeous and sunny and we're going to enjoy it. :) Maybe when we get back I'll throw the kids in the kiddie pool and sit outside and watch them play.

I think it's high time I closed this entry down. My thoughts are becoming even more random and a certain 6 year old is being a whiner about shorts.

Weather

I am seriously loving the southern weather. Sometimes I tear up a little inside when I think of moving north again someday. I would never find myself sitting in my backyard reading books and watching my children play in their inflatable pool in the middle of March up north. Never. Up there I'd be huddled under throw blankets on my sofa and tugging up my wool socks.

Honey, if you read this can we please retire in the south? ;P

Confession time.

I have a platonic crush on Bear Grylls. (Matt is very good natured about it.)

Forget for a moment that he's completely badass leaping out of planes and scaling mountains.

What I am really impressed with is that he is an awesome example of a good husband and father (and Christian to boot). I follow him on twitter. And every other post I just think "this man is amazing!" So many of his comments are about his family, or quoting Mother Teresa or the Bible. He posted to encourage prayer for the tragedy in Japan. Every time I see him say something about his family I am glad that there is a celebrity out there setting such a positive example.

"off for a long 4 week trip filming now- always so hard leaving home."
"have made it home to family! hurray. so happy."
"also took shara on the london eye in our own bubble to tell her i adore her!"

Those phrases are so simple, and yet (to me) they speak so much about how family is the most important thing to him. He adores his wife. He misses his children. He is thrilled to come home to them. I think the reason why I love Bear is that, in some respects, I feel like his life has a lot of similarities to ours. Clearly we are missing the whole fame portion. haha

Seriously, the only way Bear could be any cooler is if he was Matthew (as much as I love Bear, Matt still pwns). Matt may not have a British accent or do push ups in the buff after jumping into frozen rivers, but he reads his kids stories, gives them baths, puts them to bed at night (just to name a few). He helps me with whatever I need. He loves me beyond measure. He sets the same example for the men he works with that Bear does on a more public scale. In some ways I think that that's actually more important. It's good to have public figures setting a good example, but I think it is also tremendously important for all the dummies out there to see the Matts of the world doing it right. I think it's easier to dismiss when it's a celebrity, what they have is something most of us will never achieve. There are so many broken families and marriages. Our way obviously won't work for everyone, but if others could just see that being faithful and supportive makes a difference that's got to count for something. As far as husbands and fathers go I don't think Matt is average. I think he is well above it. And my crush on HIM is most definitely not platonic.

He did what...

My day has been pretty productive. A brief rundown: We got up, the kids had breakfast. We did school in record time (even though we got a late start). Adrienne, darling girl that she is, even helped teach Genevieve some reading. (I am seriously so proud of her, she's getting to be such a capable young lady.) Adrienne cleaned their room (with minor assistance from her sisters). I did some laundry. The kids had lunch. Xander napped. I cleaned up a bit. The girls played with their friends. Xander woke up. We went for a walk/bike ride to the park and back. Did some more laundry. I washed both cars. Cleaned up some more. Fed the kids dinner. Cleaned up again.

Here comes the exciting part.

I stripped Xander of his yucky clothing, took off his diaper and had him throw it away, and sat him on the potty. He sat there for a minute before going and closing himself in the pantry to raid the granola bars. He couldn't open the door on his own, so Adrienne helped him out (he had a granola bar in his hand and wanted it unwrapped for him), only to discover that in the two minutes he'd shut himself in there he had shat on the floor. I took him out sat him on the potty and told him for making me have to clean his poop up off the floor the least he could do is pee on the potty for me while I cleaned it up. I glanced back down just in time to see a little fountain of pee spurting out over the edge of the potty because his little man parts weren't pointed down well enough. I jumped to poke it down in there so as not to have any more nastiness to clean off the floor. Some got in the potty. More got on my hand and arm. I can't really be sure how much got IN the potty, honestly, because it was all soaked into a graham cracker he'd dropped in there.

Graham cracker pee and pantry poop. These are the gifts my son gives me.

Because I wasn't on the ball in January.

I made a pictureful post of Genevieve for her birthday, but I neglected to do one for Charlotte. Although, to be fair, Charlotte got a big birthday party and Genevieve (by her own choosing) had a small family-only party. So it's not like I totally gypped her. Still, without further ado some fond memories of my youngest girl to celebrate the occasion of her 4th birthday.

This is the day we welcomed her into our family.

 

 Charlotte was our one baby to retain some her chub. We called her Chubbs for about a year.

She was also the droolingest of our daughters. It was everywhere.

She seemed excited about everything in life. (Don't ask me what Adrienne was doing, to this day I still can't figure it out.) Easter, leaves, cake. She loved it all.

 

And then she wasn't a baby anymore... she was a Big Girl and a Big Sister. (She will still tell you that she is little and teeny-winy.)

And crazy silly.

 

 

But apparently still baby enough to smear food all over her face. (At that I guess she still is, I caught her with butter smeared all over her face last night.)

I never did figure out what she was up to that day, but she loves the beach. And I love this picture.

She's another one with the goofy faces. My children crack me up.

 

Playing at the park just before her birthday.

The day after she turned 4, wearing an outfit that was given to her as a gift. She adores this outfit and would wear it daily if I let her.

And here, just a few days ago, playing at the beach.

I wub my little Charlotte-ta-Barlotte.

Life is good.

I have been a slacker at posting lately... per usual... but I have been enjoying life. We have been able to enjoy some extra special family time these last couple weeks and I am trying really hard not to take it all for granted. Tonight we are celebrating Genevieve's 6th birthday. Pizza is ordered, cake is made (pineapple upside down cake, as she requested), and hot wings are absorbing sauce in the crockpot.

I was looking at some pictures last night and it's a little mind boggling to me how much my little middle girl has grown in the last couple years.

The day she was born... I still remember it vividly. 7 pounds 4 ounces, she looks so much fatter than that. haha

After we found out she had dislocating hips and was outfitted with her Pavlik harness (15 days old). 

13 weeks later (we were so lucky her case wasn't severe) she was out of that contraption, and before we knew it she was walking.

And not too long after she was a big sister.

And had her own unique sense of fashion. Beads and dress up dresses figured in heavily.

Around this same time frame she developed horrible red patches of eczema all up and down her arms and legs. My poor girl has had an awful lot of trials for such a little runt. She remained chipper and never complained, though. The only time she ever let us know it was bothering her was when she'd wake up crying in the middle of the night because it itched so bad. And I tried friggin' everything. It wasn't until we returned from Korea and went through the hoops to see a fantastic dermatologist that it finally went away. I really believe if not for the doctor that we were referred to she'd probably still be suffering with it today.

All ready for gymnastics in Korea. Mismatched socks, she still does that. If I look closely I can see the red patches on her arms. It makes me sad to remember her suffering.

Back from Korea and still our little Dress Up Queen.

I can't get over her faces. I love them.

Just last summer... and she's still changed so much. Where is my little baby that had dark curls and made an ET face?

 

 

November. Her head was in my lap. I love her.

And now she's 6. SIX!!!! What the hell, man. They really do grow up way too fast.

  

Happy Birthday, Sunnybeeb.