New blogs!

I would like to announce 2 new blogs to join my list....Ladd has started his own blog (and he's OK with using his actual name!). It's Ladd's Pad on the link to the right. I'm not exactly sure what he'll be posting about, something sports related to be sure. Be prepared for lots of whining about the overall lackluster performance of Seattle sports teams. He's also a fan of Comedy Central's news shows so it should be a good read.

I also (rather quietly) started a photography blog over the summer. It's listed as my photography blog on the side. I'm still not sure the direction it will go, but I've posted a few of the pictures I took and a small recap of the camera class I took over the summer. I'm going to post the fabulous photo shoot I did with my little sister CJ, so look forward to that.

Happy reading!

Target, tantrums, and glares

Against my better judgement I took Popcorn (and Cutie Pie) to Target. We were completely out of pull ups, we had used the last one the night before. Popcorn is often dry, but it never fails- the one night I don't put one on her she is wet. L had gone to Waco to close on our house (yes, we finally closed!) and I wasn't sure when he was going to return.

The Target trip started out well and good, we looked at the dollar spot for something fun but Popcorn was more interested in candy. We moved on to the kids section and got the much needed pull ups. As we were walking back to the food section we passed the toy aisle and Popcorn spotted the coveted Little Einsteins Rocket toy. She has wanted this toy for the past year but I thought it was a passing fancy, something she said she wanted but would forget about in a couple weeks. Boy was I wrong. She wanted me to buy it but the thing costs $40. I tried to explain that it was a big gift, for Christmas or Birthday but all that did was make her cry for either holiday to come sooner. Meltdown begins.

She continued to carry on, getting more and more upset. She was going through the list of relatives asking if they could buy it for her, then asking when her Birthday was. I hurried to gather the rest of the things we needed and then we got in the check out line. By now Popcorn was really screaming, sobbing and causing a general disruption. Enter the older gentleman in line in front of us. He looked back and gave me the nastiest glare I have received in a very long time. If looks could kill I would have been a goner.

I don't understand what people think glaring will do. Did he think I couldn't hear her? Because I assure you, I could. My head was throbbing from the constant noise. Did he think it would spur me into action? I had already tried every bribe/threat/consolation I could think of. Was he trying to let me know he was annoyed by her? I was standing there in utter mortification, trying to escape the store as soon as possible because I knew it is bothersome to others. Was he trying to let me know he didn't agree with my parenting style? It's really none of his business, but at this point all I could do was ignore her because I would either burst into tears or scream my head off.

He turned around to get a couple more icy glares in and then I noticed another line open up so I darted over, checked out, and was on my way. As I was driving home I vowed (yet again) never to take Popcorn with me to Target.

Wisdom from Sponge Bob

Let me start off by saying that Sweetie and Popcorn love Mr. Sponge Bob Square Pants. And who do we have to thank for this? Yes, none other than Uncle G. He even gave us our very own DVD, which they like to watch. I think it's cute that they always think of Uncle G whenever they see Sponge Bob and I suppose it's an Uncle's job to introduce the finer things in life to his nieces (he also entertains them with burping). None the less, they are rather into Mr. Sponge Bob.

However, there is something wrong in the Universe when my girls have seen more episodes than their Uncle. While we were in Seattle an episode came on and Uncle G was excited because it was new. Sweetie then informed him that she had seen it not once, but twice! What a proud mom moment!

I'm not sure why I'm posting this (nothing else too exciting going on I guess) but the girls have been quoting some funny things from Sponge Bob. There is an episode where the Crabby Patty restaurant stays open 24 hours a day and Sponge Bob is excited to do everything at night. Here is popcorn with a quote:

Sometimes we get silly and add 'at night' in a smooth voice at the end of everything we say. Good times.

Another proud moment...we were at Target and I heard this coming from my sweet little girls:

Translation: 'Now that we're men, I change my underwear'. I couldn't figure out what in the world they were saying, then I was a little embarrassed. We came home and they proceeded to march around the pool saying it over and over. Thank you Sponge Bob for adding some culture to our lives!

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our silly world, and if you need any wisdom from Sponge Bob give us a call!

Swimming skills

The girls wanted to show their new skills so we took some videos...

First up is Popcorn. I have no idea what she is saying, feel free to take a guess.

Next is Sweetie and Popcorn. This one cuts off because the camera memory card was full, these videos take up a lot of space!

Don't you love how Sweetie was using their screen names? :)

Accident prone?

I try not to label my kids but Popcorn has a knack for finding accidents. Even from a very young age (like 6 months old) she has gotten herself into trouble. She fell down our long staircase when we lived in CA and she was just learning to crawl. She fell and got a concussion at the age of 18 months when we lived in PA. That was a scary trip to the ER. Sometimes I wonder if the head trauma has done permanent damage.

Here's a few things that happened over the summer:
1) She fell several times on the driveway and skinned her knees and heels of her hands. My mom thought it was her shoes but in reality it was just her.
2) She fell flat on her stomach while trying to play 'duck, duck, goose' while we were at the Mariner's game.
3) While at Seabrook a bike fell over onto her and knocked her into a puddle soaking her pants (this might have just been bad luck).
4) While running on the grass she tripped when her foot went into a small hole.
5) She was playing and fell into the pool. Not to worry- I was actually in the pool when it happened and she kind of landed on her noodle anyway. I still don't know how she managed that one.

In general she runs into walls, trips, and looses her balance all the time. Her pre-school teacher in Waco said that she couldn't walk down the hallway in a straight line. L likes to say that she just isn't graceful. Just the other night she missed getting onto the toilet and landed in the garbage can near by! That was just funny.

I'm sure I'm missing something- feel free to add to the list in the comments!

Baby no more

Cutie Pie had her 15 month check-up yesterday. She seems like a toddler, no longer a baby. Before we left for Washington she was still crawling and nursing. Now she walks all over, she doesn't nurse, she talks, has an opinion and a little temper! It's so fun to watch her interact and play with her older sisters.

I LOVE our new pediatrician- and that's saying something considering I've been to 6 different doctors with my kids. She was really nice, very knowledgeable, unfazed by Popcorn's antics and made sure she answered all my questions. What more could I ask for? Here are Cutie Pie's stats: height- 32 inches (90%) weight- 23lbs (55%) head- 19 inches (97%). Sweetie had the same stats, and is still very tall and thin. Popcorn is more proportional hovering around 85% for height and weight.

Cutie Pie was enjoying some apple blueberry baby food in the above picture. I only let her feed herself if I plan on giving her a bath. I think she likes making a mess!

1st day of pre-school

Popcorn actually started school yesterday- I'm a day late. She was very excited to go, especially since I have been telling her all summer that she had to stay home with me. I had a very hard time finding a place to send her, everything was full. I had been calling since June; I tried at least 10 places with no luck. Once we arrived in Dallas someone at Sweetie's new school recommended this church close by and Popcorn got into the last spot!

We miss our old pre-school though. Popcorn absolutely loved her teacher plus she got to eat lunch there and take a backpack. Now she gets out at noon so she eats lunch at home and they don't let the kids take backpacks, they have to take a special tote they make you buy. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers! We hope she has a good year.

Ever the goof- Popcorn can't just smile, she always has to do something funny. Here's a couple other shots I took before she smiled.