Little Fishies

Mason and Carter started swim school last night... a first for both of them. Mason loves it. He even went under water several times tonight, which is a HUGE accomplishment for him. He says he can be baptized now :)

Carter, on the other hand, may be expelled from swim school. He's terrified of the water - just like his older brother was until VERY recently. He screams so loud that the owner of the school offered to give me my money back. We'll try one more lesson tomorrow, but I'm betting he'll end up a swim school drop-out. That means my 40 minutes of peace and quiet may be a thing of the past. Darn! I had just gotten used to listening to audio books on my new little pink iPod (my Mother's Day present). I knew it was too good to last!

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words

Here's what I see when I look at these 2 pictures I took on Monday:

1. The sun does shine sometimes in our backyard (couldn't tell it today).

2. Girls eat much slower than boys. (check out their napkins)

3. I need to do a better job of teaching Mason to put his shirt on the right way.

4. I LOVE having a patio table on the deck. (when it's not monsoon season).

5. M and C love playing with their "sisters" Kaylee and Destiny in the backyard.

6. Mason carried his Gideon Bible EVERYWHERE the day after he accepted Christ as his savior. (see it on the table?)

7.They were all playing "boat" on the deck, but Mason was a pirate, Carter was a shark, Kaylee was Nemo, and Destiny was a mermaid. The Nemo and Mermaid version of the "boat" game didn't really mix with the pirate and shark version. The pirate and the shark had to sit in time out several times for attacking Nemo and the mermaid.

Must be All the Rain

I guess the cloudy, rainy weather has affected our mood around here. Mason woke up spouting hateful words, and Carter...well, Carter just threw his usual 25 fits that he throws every day. Carter's consequence is easy...I put him on his bed until he quits crying. Mason's, however, is a bit more of a challenge. I finally resorted this morning to the June Cleaver style lecture. "Now, Beave, you can't go around telling people you hate them. It isn't kind, and you're a kind boy. Run along now and remember the golden rule." Okay, so it wasn't quite that hokey, but it was close. And it obviously didn't work because he told our friend Kaylee that he hated her on the way home from school. SO I skipped the second lecture and made him pick out some "treasures" from his room that he could wrap and give to her as an apology gift. (His future wife can thank me later.) Then I picked out the next two things that will become apology gifts if he should decide to tell someone else he hates them. And should the trend STILL continue, he gets to use his allowance money to BUY apology gifts. Something tells me that Bill Cosby would be very proud of me.

Forgot to mention: Carter has started imitating me when he gets mad. He wrinkles up his nose and says, "I not very happy wif you!" I don't laugh, but it's really funny. Those are the things you wish you had on video to laugh a later...when it's not a discipline issue anymore!

Sweet Dreams

I just rocked Carter to sleep. He usually goes to bed by himself, but he was extra tired and clingy tonight. So I held him and patted his little baby back for about five minutes before he was sound asleep. I could see the clothes hanging in his closet while I was rocking him, and they looked so small. He seems much bigger during the day when he's demanding his way and playing like a big boy. But at night, he's my baby for just a little while longer. (And, no, I still don't want another one :)

Invasion of the Killer Worms

Every time it rains, we have slimy little earthworm friends who come in our house. I don't know if we need more weather stripping, a new door, or what, but I can't keep the creepy crawlies out of my living room! This morning there were three...yuck!!

Quirky, Rainy, Awesome Easter Sunday

Today I..
..woke up early, but not early enough.
..ironed Easter clothes because I forgot to do it last night.
..made muffins so my family wouldn't have to eat cereal on Easter.
..watched Carter tear into his Easter basket.
..left the kids with Jas to go sing with the choir in the 8:00 service.
..was late to the 8:00 service and didn't sing with the choir.
..LOVED sitting in the service alone with no distractions.
..got a call from Jas saying the Trailblazer tire was flat.
..went to Sunday school (alone) and met a super nice girl who was visiting.
..sang with the choir in the 10:45 service.
..shook like a leaf all the way through my solo (why do I do that?!?).
..LOVED sitting with my friend Christina during the second service.
..fought the urge to lean over and whisper the endings to Pastor Steven's stories.
..picked up Jas and the kids in the car with 4 good tires.
..met the McAbee family for lunch, where our party of 11 waited for an hour to be seated.
..thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship while we waited.
..came home and crashed on the couch...really tired...and really happy :)

"...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

Good Friday at the Mall

Jas, Carter, and I braved the mall tonight so that I could look for an Easter-y, springy outfit of some kind that I can wear in the freezing cold, rainy weather we're supposed to have on Sunday. I think Oklahomans should abandon the idea of Easter dresses and bonnets, and adopt the much more practical idea of Easter sweaters and earmuffs. I'm not complaining, though, because I haven't been to the gym enough times to feel comfortable in spring dresses yet, anyway. So I'm kind of grateful for the excuse to wear my comfortable black pants and my new white blazer that I discovered at NY & Co., paired with a turquoise shirt for extra springiness. AND the blazer was 15% off because I'm a AAA member...who knew?

Carter thoroughly enjoyed the experience because he got to ride in the race car stroller that you can rent for a ridiculously high price at the mall. He also made a friend at the kiddie playland. He found a little girl who liked to play chase and make "scary" monster faces as much as he does...what luck! Mason, just for the record, was playing at a friend's house. So a good time was had by all...except maybe Jas, who got dragged to the mall to Carter-sit while I shopped. He was in good company, though. The kiddie land was full of dads, and there were an unusual amount of men pushing race car strollers tonight.

Perfect Weather + Restless Boys = P A R K

We stopped at the park in the Spangler's new neighborhood after picking up Mason from their house. It was the perfect size for him to run off his after school energy and for Carter to follow along like he's been at school all day, too.

Carter is having an issue with the word "stupid." He can't quit saying it. Unfortunately, his favorite movie, Game Plan, has this toddler curse word in it a few times. And the other favorite movie at our house, The Little Rascals, has "suck" and "bite me." Ugghh...why do they have to put those words in kids movies?!? We may have to stick to the black and white Little Rascals movies to avoid modern day foul language.

I Wanna' be a Rock Star

We went to a super fun, super loud rock concert for kids today at church (right before the super windy, freezing cold Easter egg hunt). The Crosscut band played praise music that the kids...and adults...could get up and dance to. Yes, I said dance...in a Southern Baptist church. I had this amusing vision of my little Baptist grandparents sitting on the back pew with disapproving looks on their faces. Who knows, though, Grandad Roye might have joined in when we sang "My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save...forever, author of salvation..He rose and conquered the grave...Jesus conquered the grave..." Grandad Roye loved God with all his heart for most of his 99 years, and I think he might have just belted out the words and raised his hands in praise if he had the chance. It was definitely an amazing time of worship. Even Mason sang the songs, and he never sings in regular church worship. He brought the band's CD home and listened to the songs over and over. Carter, however, wasn't thrilled about the loudness of the concert. He watched the show with his hands over his ears and a pouty look on his face. He must be the only real Baptist in the family :)

Pictures to follow when I figure out how to get them off my phone...

Much More Fun Than Work!

I am officially procrastinating. I need to write 2 articles today, but today doesn't actually end until midnight. So I'm playing on the internet, and I've found a couple of really cool things:

AudibleKids - Kids' books you can download to your mp3 player. Put to music and read by celebrities, these books are super cool! They seem to be a bit pricey, but I see a link to a $.99 sale. I'll be trying this out today. More on how it goes later...

31 Awesome Birthday Cakes - I don't know if these are as easy as they're supposed to be, but they're really cute. Trains, castles, ladybugs, dump trucks, you name it...they have it. I love the monkey and lion faces!

Operation "No More Fits"

It just hit me yesterday that Carter is getting in the habit of throwing some sort of fit...hitting, yelling, screaming, throwing objects, etc...WAY too many times a day. I wouldn't say that I've exactly enabled him to do it, but I haven't been consistent in trying to stop it. So I'm trying to be more alert to the fact that he's spitting at me or throwing his shoes at me (yes...I can tune these things out...it's called survival), and then give him an immediate consequence. I'm not expecting instant results. I still remember Mason's 3-year-old tantrums and behavior issues. He's lucky he stayed alive long enough to turn 4. I hope I can at least turn back the tide, though, so we might could go to a restaurant without everyone in the room staring at us, wishing we would take our screaming kid home. I'll post a screaming Carter picture as soon as he gets mad again...which should be any minute now.

Q.T. Pie Isaac

Our little nephew/cousin Isaac, who just turned 3 months, is getting cuter every day. Here he is in one of the gorgeous knit creations from his grandma Linda. She's a master knitter who has made him absolutely adorable hats, sweaters, booties, blankets, etc. Lucky kid!

Out with the old...

Okay, so God reads my blog AND my mind. I hadn't even blogged about my new novel yet, and He's already sending me a very clear message about staying focused and finishing the darn thing. Our Sunday school lesson this morning was about the perseverance of Nehemiah. He stuck with the project God gave him, building a wall around the city, even though he had distractions, naysayers, and even death threats. Writing a novel sounds trivial in comparison, but it's the project that God has given me...if only I could stick with it!

I made the executive decision to abandon my first novel because it has serious problems in the first couple of chapters that I can't figure out how to fix. I've been avoiding the issue for months, and I decided last night to just start on my second novel idea and quit worrying about the first one. Here's my storyboard...yes, the main character looks a lot like Scarlett Johansen. And a couple of the other characters resemble soap opera actors. It helped me write chapter 1, though, so it's doing its job so far.

Sidenote: I created this on scrapblog.com. It was really fun and easy. I haven't had a chance to explore it much yet, but it looks SUPER cool! I may have found my new distraction. Maybe I shouldn't visit the site again until after I've finished writing my novel.

It's Not April Yet

We went from flip flops to rain boots to snow boots in three days. Typical Oklahoma spring weather, I guess. After a LOT of rain and some slightly severe storms, it started snowing this morning and hasn't quit. We even had thunder while it snowed for awhile - I love it when that happens!

The Facts of Life

Ya' take the good ya' take the bad, ya' take 'em both and there ya' have the facts of life...the facts of life...

It's my theme song for the evening. I can't explain why...it just is.

In my last post I was complaining about a lot of things that have now been resolved. Funny how I can be so frazzled one day and wondering what the big deal was the next day. Carter's ear infection is gone. We found a great car to buy. And we have a new fish named Max to replace our beloved Binky, who went on to the great lake in the sky. I think he may have died of complications due to fishy obesity. We fed him at least twice a day, and our new beta fish instruction page says to feed him no more than two or three times a week. Oops!

Speaking of fish, check out Carter with his new "Nemo" that Gigi and Grandad bought him at the aquarium. Notice how he takes off running as soon as I tell him to say cheese. It's one of his new, three-year-old personality quirks.

Oh Great!

Mason's fish died at some point yesterday, and I didn't notice it until bedtime. I remembered the lesson I learned from the dead snail and decided not to tell Mason until after school today. Now I get to dread it all day. Great!

Carter woke up at 4:45 a.m. crying and saying his ear hurts. Great!

We're in the middle of fixing the van/buying a new car/living with one car and I have to beg a ride if I need to leave the house. Great!

And I have no groceries. Great!

I'm claiming this verse to make it through today: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice" Philippians 4:4. Luckily, there's a catchy little song to keep it fresh on my mind today when I want to scream, yell, and cuss at some poor, innocent person...or at Jas.


UPDATE:
Jas is taking a sick day today to help with Carter's medical issues and to solve our car dilemma (a TALL order, to say the least). I just got back from the pediatrician, and Carter has a full-blown ear infection - a first for our family.

I opened my daily devotional email a minute ago and ran right into this verse:
James 1:19-20 "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
I guess God read my blog post today. There are also some great tips for keeping my kids from inheriting my short temper...or at least helping them deal with it better than I do sometimes. And to think I almost deleted that email before I read the lesson.

Movie Date

Gigi and Grandad came to town this weekend, much to Mason and Carter's delight. They took a trip to the aquarium and had a movie night at home while Jas and I went on our once-a-quarter date night. We ate at Outback ....again... where Jas made sure his seat was facing the basketball game on TV...no comment. And then we went to see Knowing. Very creepy, very weird, but somehow very good. It was a well written science fiction/fantasy/action plot that kept me on the edge of my seat...literally. I started getting suspicious of other movie-goers who walked up the stairs and sat behind me. Even Jas kept glancing back at a guy who walked by us with a hood over his head. The eerie whispering voices coming out of the surround-sound speakers were a little disturbing. I'm not usually a fan of science fiction or movies that end with (spoiler alert) some sort of space aliens, but this movie was very well done...in my opinion.

The Great Outdoors

This is the first week in a long time that we've spent more than 5 minutes outside. Mason and Carter loved the old west town at Heritage Park. It's such a unique place to play...although it always seems sunnier, hotter, and windier than any other spot in town. The kids had a great time, though, and were not happy when it was time to go home. The next day, we spent some quality time with a bottle of bubbles in the backyard, followed by lunch and games at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Spring Weather for Spring Break!

Today is the first day of Spring Break, and the weather is cooperating nicely! We took a picnic lunch to the park today and had tons of fun in the sun with the Drakes. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer, and we have another picnic-at-the-park playdate with the Circle of Friends group from church. I'm trying to keep our social calendar booked this week...idle kids at home on break are known for driving their moms crazy (not that my kids ever drive me crazy :).

Totally Unrelated Sidenote:
I checked out a book from the library the other day for the first time in over a year. I lost the last book when we went to Dallas for Mason's surgery, and I can't bring myself to fork over the cash to pay for it. AND I really haven't felt like I have time to read. I really wanted to read The Boleyn Inheritance, though, so I checked it out with Mason's library card. I read some this weekend and almost all day today...when I wasn't at the park or on "mom duty"... and finally finished it just after midnight. It was very interesting, but now I'm going to have nightmares about beheadings on the Tower Green. Nice.

Georgie Porgie

Mason and his friend Shawn have been playing cops during recess, but Mason told me yesterday that they've changed their game. Now they're chasing the girls.

One of the girls they're chasing is Brianna, who Mason says he's going to marry. I asked him if he was going to marry her because she's fun to chase. "No," he said, grinning, "I'm marrying her because she doesn't like me."

Happy 3rd Birthday, Firefighter Carter

Our resident firefighter turned 3 last weekend with a fantastic fire truck party...on a miserably cold day...the day after he stayed home from school with a fever, cough, and tons of snot. It's taken me a week to get the post written because I caught his cold, and then Mason managed to catch the flu AND strep. Needless to say, it's been a fun week.

What was your name again?

I've always said that I have a bad memory, but I'm realizing that's not quite true. My brain is just very selective. It holds onto useless pieces of information I'll never use again and lets go of all the important stuff.

Things I can't remember without LOTS of help:

• Names of people I see and talk to regularly
• Birthdays of friends and family members
• Appointments
• Commitments
• State capitals
• The current day or date

Things I can't seem to forget:

• The French names of all my friends in high school French class
• Random "beauty" tips from teeny mags I read in the 7th grade
• How to ask where the trashcan is in Spanish
• Way too many facts about the history of the British monarchy
• A squared * B squared = C squared (who cares?)
• The lyrics from every song in Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis (okay, and Annie, too)
• The plots (but not the titles) of just about every short story I ever had to read in lit classes
• Commercial songs and catch phrases from past decades (Where's the beef?)

Joining the 21st Century

Until yesterday, I had an old-fashioned, antiquated cell phone (2 years old) that couldn't do anything but call people and take pictures. I thought that was all I needed, but now I know better. I need a Smart Phone that can accommodate my unlimited texting, function as an mp3 player, check my email, update my Facebook status....and call people and take pictures. Of course, I can't figure out how to get the camera feature to work, and I may have to fork over more cash to download the Facebook application. But I love my cute little green Palm Centro. No condescending remarks from all you iPhone addicts. There ARE other cool phones in the world.

It's Not About Me

I love it when I make myself do something that I don't want to do, and then it turns out to be a totally fulfilling experience. I've been avoiding Awanas at our church for over a year and was (honestly) not happy a few months ago when I got roped (guilted) into helping. It was a nightmare for a few weeks, but we kept going because Carter absolutely LOVES his Puggles class. He knows that Wednesday means Puggles, and he's not a happy camper if he misses. Long story short...I really like helping in Mason's Sparks class now. And I love seeing him get excited when he learns new Bible verses. Just goes to show how much God can accomplish in our hearts when we get out of the way and let His will take over.

Galations 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

O'er and O'er Again

I'm looking into hiring a staff for the following:

- Laundry
- Sweeping cereal and rice off the kitchen floor

- Cleaning the toothpaste out of the sink after Carter "washes his hands" (?)

- Buying new toothpaste

- Picking up Hungry Hungry Hippo marbles off the floor

- Wiping little, lotion-y handprints off the TV screen

- Retrieving sippie cups from under the couch and dumping out old juice/milk/etc.

- Reminding Mason that "But I was just..." IS arguing

- Reminding Carter that he can't sit on the TV cabinet to watch TV

- Pushing in the bottom drawer of Jas's dresser

- Turning off every light between the living room and bathroom

- Throwing away empty boxes that have been left in the pantry

- Cutting the boys' hair and clipping their nails

- Putting on Carter's Pull Up and pajama pants ten times after he gets out of bed to "go potty"

- Laundry

Applicants should send a resume and references to my email address
(Note: The list above is not a complete job description, but a small sample of required duties.)

Let Me Hold You Longer

When I was strolling through Drug Warehouse today, I discovered the poem I was trying to describe a few posts ago. Actually, Carter discovered it when he reached out and grabbed a children's book by Karen Kingsbury...my favorite Christian contemporary author. The book is called Let Me Hold You Longer, and in usual KK style, you can't read it without a box of tissues handy. Here's page 1, courtesy of Amazon.com:

Long ago you came to me,
a miracle of firsts:

First smiles and teeth and baby steps,
a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away
and leave me to your past,
And I will be left thinking of
a lifetime of your lasts.

Sniff, sniff...

Here are some pictures of our memories (hopefully not "lasts") from the past few weeks.

(a) Mason and Carter on Valentine's Day before school

(b) Carter and his super cute friend Jordan on her 3rd birthday

(c) Mason at the park on a gorgeous February day

(d) Kaelan, Mason, Carter, Kendall, Kolson, and two of Kendall's friends at Bounce U during one of the snow day bounce sessions - a HUGE lifesaver on the third day in a row that the kids were home from school because of icy roads

Bad Boys

When Mason got in the car today after school, he was bursting with excitement about a new song he learned on the playground. He couldn't wait to sing it for me.

Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna' do?
Whatcha gonna' do
When they come for you?

He had to sing loud, though, because Carter was telling me over and over again that he wanted to go to "Ma Mart" and get some "Rice Christmas Trees." We didn't go to Wal Mart to get Rice Krispies, but I did laugh out loud at my 6-year-old singing the Cops theme at the top of his lungs, like it was the latest cool hit song.

Beauty from Ashes

The boys and I traveled to Borger for Gran Hanna's funeral and just got back yesterday. It always amazes me how God can take a sad day and turn it into a blessing. It's hard to say good bye, but it's good to see loved ones that we never get to see. Carter couldn't get enough of his Grandad, and he was not too happy when Grandad paid attention to Baby Isaac. I got to spend some quality time with Isaac -what a sweet little guy! Mason made fast friends with Grandad's super cool cousin, Priscilla, also known as Ooh Hoo. It's a good thing she has grandkids because she was our housemate for 3 days. Anyone who's not used to kids would probably opt for a hotel room instead. I have pictures to post...just as soon as I find my camera...

I Had to Try it Once

Tofu nuggets...

The first recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook

that I've HATED.

After taking the time to

cut the tofu,

dip each tiny nugget in broccoli puree,

roll them all in a breadcrumb mixture,

and fry them in a pan,

I ended up putting the whole mess down the garbage disposal.

Luckily, I ate one before I took the time to fry the second batch.

It was...well..how to describe it.......squishy-slimy-bleckkk-YUCKY!

No more tofu in my grocery cart...ever....again....

If I'd Known It Was the Last Time...

I read a poem one time that was about how we celebrate our children's "firsts," but the "lasts" tend to go unnoticed. The last bottle, the last time Mom was "Mommy," the last hug from chubby little arms. I don't remember what it was called or one single line from it, but I remember crying my eyes out and making a point to record every-day occurrences a little better before they become the "lasts." It's part of the reason I started blogging. Here are some things that are a part of life at our house...for now...

• Mason's obsession with football (but complete lack of understanding the game itself)
• Carter's obsession with fire trucks
• Driving by 2 different fire stations every day to "see if the doors are open"
• Two antsy little boys eating Goldfish in the double-seat cart at Wal-Mart (before they start arguing and kicking each other)
• The Wii...Backyard Football, Bowling, Tennis, Baseball, Wii Fit
• Movies...The Grinch, Game Plan, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Firehouse Dog, Journey to the Center of the Earth
• TV...Scooby Doo, Franklin (before school), Caillou, Fireman Sam, sometimes Diego
• Books...Narnia Chronicles, Junie B. Jones, Goosed, anything about the Titanic for Mason, anything about fire trucks for Carter
• Mason's paper, tape, and staple creations...wallets, rockets, telescopes, doghouses, etc.
• Carter's happy chattering from his room...where he plays with his fire trucks

Pray for Our Nation

As King Obama quietly reverses the ban on abortion funding on day 3 of his reign, I'm saddened by the prospect of more atrocities to come. I'm also baffled by the fact that so many Christians in this country are willing to look past an evil agenda and support a man because of his skin color. As we embark on a new era of liberal agenda, consider the following:

1. "Jane Roe" Norma McCorvy, of the famed Roe v. Wade case, has been a Christian pro-life activist for several years and now admits that she lied about being raped. Her child, incidentally, was born healthy and given up for adoption.
2. "Jane Doe" Sandra Cano says that her case, which before the Supreme Court along with Roe v. Wade, was based on "lies and disinformation." She has tried to get the ruling reversed, but apparently The Court isn't interested in the truth.
3. A nation that grows callous to the murder of unborn children will soon accept the "mercy killing" of others whose lives are deemed invaluable. The elderly, the terminally ill, the severely disabled. It's already happening in the Netherlands.

"What an irony that a society confronted with plastic bags filled with the remains of aborted babies should be more concerned about the problem of recycling the plastic"... - Winifred Egan

R.I.P. Mr. Snail

Mason is having a hard time dealing with the loss of his pet snail today. I get the loser-mom-of-the-year award for telling him about the tragedy before school this morning. It didn't occur to me that he would get teary and try to convince me that maybe it was just asleep. He was definitely in denial because the poor little thing was hanging out of its shell and obviously no longer with us. Anyway, his teacher called to assure me that he seemed to have recovered by the time he got to school. He was already making plans to pick out a new mollusk friend. He had a slight relapse when he got home and saw the snail in the bowl...still dead...but I think he's okay now.

Not Every Day Can Be Hunky Dory

5:06 p.m. - On hold with AT&T....again...for at least 30 minutes...still waiting as I type...kind of feel sorry for whoever finally picks up my call

5:00 p.m. - Obama on the news. He sure is a big talker. Not sure how he expects to "win this war (on terror) on our terms" while closing detention centers where terrorists are held. But, hey, some people think he might be supernatural, so who am I to criticize...

4:45 p.m. - Received an email outlining the new president's moral agenda, copied directly from the White House website. Stem cell research from live embryos, unlimited abortion rights, etc. Seriously? We have that much apathy about the sanctity of human life now?

3:15 p.m. -Took my kids to the park to enjoy the GORGEOUS 70 degree weather and left 15 minutes later, trying to teach Mason about how to deal with bullies. I watched 2 boys about his age flat out, no-holds-barred bully my child. They were trying to intimidate him into giving him one of his Rolo candies, even after he had finished them all. They worked tag-team and would back away to laugh and point at him in between threats. We were at the nicest park in town, and the bullies were clean-cut kids wearing Ralph Lauren shirts. It was the best opportunity in the world for me to talk to Mason about bullies, though. And, yes, I gave him full permission to turn around and give them back whatever they're dishing out.

We were also late to Mason's school this morning, and my day at the preschool was less than fabulous. SO...I'm not cooking dinner. We're going to Chili's.

Underwear Update

48 hours in big boy underwear
1 poopoo on the potty (only a tiny bit on the floor before the mad dash to the potty)
1 fire truck prize for going poopoo on the potty
2 peepee accidents
0 packages of Pull Ups in my future (hopefully)

Thoughts of the Week

On Laundry:
1. No matter how cost conscious you are, don't even think about washing used Pull Ups in the washing machine. They just end up weighing 10 pounds, bulging with water, and still slightly yellow in the front. And the rest of the clothes in that load end up with a hint of a urine smell.
2. It's kind of sad to see the clothes in my laundry getting bigger - and I'm not just talking about my own jeans. Mason and Carter's clothes are no longer "baby clothes." (No, it doesn't make me want to have another one.)

On Words:
1. Mason's new word is "dude." He starts every sentence and comment with, "Dude!" He no longer refers to me as "dude," though. We have a strict "no calling moms, teachers, or any girls 'dude' " rule at out house.
2. Mason's other new word - and I debated about admitting this on the internet - is "ain't." I can guarantee with 100% assurance that he's never heard that word at home. I'm guessing it's an unpleasant side effect of living in small-town Oklahoma. He seems to be saying it much less, though, since I started taking toys out of his room when he slips. It really only took one lost toy to solve the problem...for now...
3. Mason's new experimental "shock" word is "bebe" or "boobie." Both words refer to the same part of female anatomy, and he says it with a mischievous giggle. It's particularly annoying when he says it during the prayer in church....for no apparent reason. This one is new as of today, so I haven't devised a remedy yet...probably the toy removal plan that worked so well with "ain't."

The Spirit of Christmas Future

With all the technology we have, you'd think someone could invent a virtual Christmas Tree that looks beautiful when the projector is on and disappears when that projector is off. You could even decorate it by selecting lights, garland, and ornaments from a menu. Of course, there would also be several toppers to choose from. If I ever see one of those for sale, I'll be the first in line to buy it. My bet is on Nintendo to get that on the market.

Our Christmas Future will include these ideas:

• Three gifts per child - one to play with, one to read, and one to wear (thanks to KJ for putting this on your blog)
• Mason and Carter making each other a gift to exchange on Christmas Eve
• Making ornaments for the grandparents to put in their M & C ornament boxes (both of which I still have for some reason, but they will go to the Gigi and Mimi next year).
• Reading a page from Just 25 Days 'Til Christmas each night starting Dec.1
• Adding one piece to the nativity scene each night (M & C loved looking in their stockings every night to see which piece was in there)