Barnyard Praise

Can you stand how cute these little praisers are?


My little horse is closest to the center and my cowboy is the closest to the center with the red bandanna.

If the video doesn't load for you, go here to see it directly!

A Day In Our Life

I did a video for the Mommy Madness site about everywhere our car goes in a typical day.

I'm worn out just thinking about it!

A Day In Our Life from Stephanie Click on Vimeo.

(If you can't see the video, click here for the parent site.)

First Trip To the Dentist

I put off taking the kids to the dentist for too long. I'm not really sure why. I carry dental insurance for each child ... I guess it's really just been "out of sight, out of mind".

Yesterday, the kids had their first visit to the Pediatric Dentist. They were a little apprehensive, but came away THRILLED and excited about all the cool things that they got to do while they were there.

I was amazed at the terminology that they used with the kids to get them to do what they needed. For example, when they want to suck the water out of your mouth with the hose, they told the kids to kiss the hose. Genius. It allowed them to get all the water out while getting the kids mouths positioned exactly where they needed it!

By the way, I'm starting an orthodontic fund for Piper today. $10 a paycheck from here on out. Piper's head is too small to accommodate her permanent teeth, so unless she has a tremendous growth spurt - she's going to need braces by the 3rd grade. I had M-A-J-O-R teeth problems ... I wore braces into college and had 6 extra teeth extracted by an oral surgeon when I was still in elementary school - not counting having my wisdom teeth out! I'm hoping she doesn't have near the troubles that I had. I'm REALLY praying that one set of sassy pink braces will fix her right up!

Avery, on the other hand, has dental textbook teeth. Permanent teeth coming in exactly where they should. Why is it always the boys that get the beautiful teeth and long eyelashes?

Here's a little slide show from yesterday to enjoy.

Barnyard Praise TONIGHT!

Tonight is the closing program for the WAM Jr. program at Second Baptist Church. This is Avery's second year to be involved. Since February, Piper has been involved and I joined as a "helper".

Avery has the opening line of the program ... too cute. I'm hoping he doesn't clam up, although he's becoming less shy. I'm sure he'll be fine. The Kindergarten kids are dressing as farmers.

Piper will be on the front row. (A definite advantage to being short!) Her class will be costumed as horses. I may just die at the "preciousness". She'll think she's the coolest horse that's ever lived.

Videos and pictures will be posted! Wish us luck :)

Crazy Pants Day

I got Avery all the way to the bus this morning and was giving him a hug before I realized that his pants were on backwards.

Seriously. Backwards.

Buttoned. Zipped. The whole nine yards.

I'm still not sure how he did it. He had to have just pulled them all the way up without taking the time to mess with noticing that there SHOULD BE a button and zipper to do.

The worst part is that not only did he wear them backwards from home to daycare, but he went to the potty when he got to daycare. (His second chance to notice something was wrong!) It was when he came out of the bathroom and I was hugging him good-bye that I noticed that I was patting on a button and not his little bottom!

Luckily, the assistant daycare director was there and she held the bus until I could take him back to the restroom and get him straightened out. All the way back to the restroom, he kept saying "What's wrong, Mom? What's wrong?" He had no clue.

Bless his heart.

Such a typical male.

Dancing in Wal-Mart

Sometimes we have a little bit too much fun with the music sampling station :)

My Big (Little) Girl

We're so proud of little Piper - this is her first time on the Honor Roll. (It's her first opportunity to be on the Honor Roll. Hate to make it sound like she's been 'underachieving'.)

Yesterday was a little bit bittersweet. We were so excited about her Honor Roll certificate, but also found out that she'll be promoting to a new class on Monday. Her new teachers will be the same ones that Avery had this time last year. They are great teachers, and more than prepared him for Kindergarten.

But, I LOVE LOVE LOVE her current teachers. They have been so good to Piper. They have loved and nurtured her, and have had patience ten-fold with my little girl. More importantly, she loves them. There have been many days that she's called me by one of their names. Normally, that would send me into some kind of guilty tailspin, but instead - I know - that it's a good thing. I'm glad that I can walk out the door of her classroom and know that she will be loved on all day long.


... Did I mention that Piper's boyfriend is already in the new class? Oh the drama. They're like an old married couple. Fight. Make-up. Hug. Fight. Make-up. Hug. Stay tuned for more on this one.

Spring Break

We've had a busy week. I took a little blogging Spring Break ...

(1) My Aunt Tempa came to visit from Lexington. Everyone says I am more like Tempa than anyone else in the family. I hope that's true :) Well, we had a great time with her. The kids took to her immediately. Piper was INSEPARABLE from her.

We did several fun things. Saturday we went to the Museum of Natural Science. Dinosaurs, precious gyms, 3D IMAX movies, McDonalds, and a lot of exotic animals filled the day. We all really enjoyed it. Tempa's birthday was on Monday. What better way to spend the day in Texas than at the Rodeo. (I've still never seen an actual "Rodeo" and this was my third trip!) The kids had a ball looking at all the farm animals and riding rides. They LOVE the rodeo and we escaped without buying any western wear, so it was a full-on success.

Monday night, we treated Tempa to dinner at our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant "Ruthies". The picture here is just before they put whipped cream on her face. I totally would have opted to take her to someplace a little more civilized with the "celebration", but my mom (Tempa's older sister) insisted that she go there.

Tempa flew home on Tuesday. We were all sad to see her go and hope that she comes back to visit us soon. It was nice to visit with her and see my children loving her as much as I do.

(2) My mom has been here all week as well. She and Tempa flew in together last Friday. Mom has been keeping kids on opposite days this week. It works well for them. Each gets to have special time with her, but still go to school on the days that they do special projects. Avery's class went bowling one day this week and to a huge park on another day. Today Piper's class is doing Pajama Day - her favorite day of all time! The days that they've stayed with mom have been so pretty. They've walked up to the park and played outside a lot.

(3) Don has been home every night this week. With all the schools being on Spring Break, he's not been teaching. The kids have loved having him home as well. He's picked up whichever child from daycare and gotten a little alone time with them. For some reason, they love riding in his car. It's like an amusement park ride to them!

(4) The weather has been GORGEOUS. Since Monday, we've had temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s every day. I'm glad that mom has had such good weather for her visit (last weekend was the pits), but boy has it given me Spring Fever! I'm ready to throw open the windows, do some spring cleaning, and start throwing stuff away!

For some reason, I get in a "throw stuff away" mood when the seasons change. It's a good thing :) I'm always amazed at how much C-R-A-P we have. Stuff we never use and just keep moving from house to house. It's insane.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Enjoy your family and friends.

Our "Pet"

We have a pet. Well, Avery and Piper have a pet. Let me be more specific ... Avery and Piper have a pet that I care for and they rarely even notice.

It all started in June of 2006. We lived like this ...

For you that have children years apart in age ... I'm sorry. We lived by the "kill two birds with one stone" method and potty trained everyone at once. We're overachievers.

Honestly ... I wish ... We never set out to potty train both kids at once. During the course of events, Piper figured out that Avery was getting a lot of attention about this "peeing in the potty" business and hopped on board.

We didn't complain.

This is how I lived for about a month ... Cheering everyone on. Singing Silly Songs. Bribing with M&M's. I can still hear Piper saying to Avery "Come on Avery ... Come on Buddy! M&Ms!!!" She was clearly in it for the food.

We didn't care.

So, eventually it happened. We were officially "potty trained". Everyone at our address could use the bathroom on their own. It was a right of passage after having two kids in diapers for over 18 months. We felt like we had won the lottery.

Being the great parents that we are... we said the kids could have a pet, and then we picked it. A goldfish. Low maintenance. Pees in the bowl. Food is less than $4 and lasts for months. Our kind of pet.

The kids were very excited and named our new friend "Tico". We thought he might live a couple of months and then we'd move on to something else. (Not "something else" another animal, "something else" another toy/friend/new obsession.)

As our luck would have it ... here we are three years later and the fish is still alive. No one pays attention to the fish but me. In fact, it swims to the top of the bowl when it sees me. I should be flattered, but like everyone else in my house - it just means that they want something from me (food)!!!

Also, it bares noting that the fish is no longer Tico. The kids decided last year that they would now like to call the fish "Goldie". This alone is a testament to why we can't have a dog or a cat. Can you imagine how confusing that would be to an animal?

A couple of nights ago Don and I noticed that the fish was turning flips horizontally. Very slowly the fish would roll over. It was strange. We assumed that "the time was near" if you know what I mean.

Every now and then, I'd look over and the fish would be upside down floating at the top of the water. I'd go over, knock on the glass, and he'd roll over and start swimming again.

Bizarre.

I have a friend at work that has a degree in Marine Biology and I figured, although a slim chance, I would ask him about Goldie/Tico.

I'm amazed that he immediately diagnosed the problem. It's called Swim Bladder Disease.

It can be caused by dirty water. Oops. (Look closely at the picture to the left and you'll notice that the fish is upside down. See the eye at the bottom of the body. The quality of the picture stinks, but whenever the fish sees me looking at him/her, it turns right-side-up.)

I hate cleaning the fish bowl. It's not as bad as other housework tasks, it's just the easiest to put off until tomorrow. And, let's be honest, no one complains about it. In fact, no one but me and Tico/Goldie even notices.

I'm glad, at this point, that it seems to be non-fatal. I haven't looked forward to the day that I have to explain death of a pet. But, really, who am I kidding. Would anyone even notice? Actually, I guess they would after a day or two.

Oh, and we are off to a good start in healing. The article says to "withhold food for a day or two". No problem. I fed the fish last night and couldn't remember the last time I fed it before that.

Oops.

The Mom Quiz

I gave this quiz to my kids tonight. I had them come in one at a time so they wouldn't influence one another. The results are ... well, thought provoking.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Avery - "I love you"
Piper - "Stop being mean!"
(Funny how the personality of each child is exposed in question #1)

2. What makes mom happy?
Avery - Me doing what you ask
Piper - Listening and saying nice words

3. What makes mom sad?
Avery - When I don't do something you ask
Piper - Being bad

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Avery - Making funny faces
Piper - Doing silly faces
(Apparently, I make funny faces ... who knew?)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Avery - Just like me
Piper - Good

6. How old is your mom?
Avery - 41
Piper - 50
(We'll be working on this on quite a bit in the coming days.)

7. How tall is your mom?
Avery - Bigger than me
Piper - Medium

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Avery - Boss me around
Piper - Make money
(If I had bet a million dollars on this question, I would have lost every penny. These are the furthest things from my "favorites".)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Avery - Play with Piper
Piper - Do your work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Avery - Movie Star
Piper - Praying to God
(Look out Beth Moore! I'm hot on your trail.)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Avery - Writing stuff on the computer
Piper - Putting your hands up on a rollercoaster
(Why Piper thought this was something I was really good at is beyond me. I must have made quite an impression on her at Disney World.)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Avery - Touching bottoms
Piper - Being mean to me
(Apparently, I'm not good at being the disciplinarian. I stink at spanking and being mean.)

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Avery - Work
Piper - work

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Avery - Hamburger
Piper - Salad
(Neither of these ... Hello, Spaghetti!!!)

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Avery - Getting money
Piper - Speaking good

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Avery - Cat
Piper - I don't know

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Avery - Help each other out
Piper - Doing puzzles

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Avery - same hair and same skin color
Piper - We have the same face and the same hair

19. How are you and your mom different?
Avery - not the same eyes
Piper - we don't have the same hands

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Avery - when she smiles at me
Piper - cause she loves me very much

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Avery - kissing him
Piper - kissing him
(Don will love this one!)

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Avery - Friday's
Piper - work
(I can't remember the last time my foot graced the door of a Friday's ... I knew in my heart of hearts that they would say "CVS". I'm shocked that they didn't!)

Sibling Fun

I'm lucky that on most days, my kids play well together. I think this has to do with three things:

(1) Boy/Girl
(2) Their close proximity in age
(3) Their personalities are SO different

But, they have figured out that nasty word "competition" this year. Everything is a competition between them. It's a race to get up the stairs, it's a race to get shoes on, if you compliment one - the other will immediately say something wonderful that they've done. We've been working hard on this. And, for the most part, we've gotten it under control. (I think the race up the stairs will live on regardless of what we say ...).

It's days like yesterday that make me love these kids even more, and KNOW that they love each other and are really the best of friends.

I bought each child a small sandcastle set at Hobby Lobby. They were only $1.99 a piece and it made not breaking anything in the store more of a reality to grab something off a shelf when we walked in. They were so excited to take them outside and play in the sandbox. They talked of all the amazing things they were going to do and I got to shop in relative peace.

Yesterday was a little cool and a whole lot windy, so Avery asked to take his out of the bag to play with in the kitchen. Before I knew it, he had a spoon and in the pail was mixing up a (pretend) cake for Piper's Birthday! I was completely unaware that it was her birthday, but she acted like it was completely planned. When the cake was done. He took her into the den. Lit the imaginary candle and proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to her. It was precious. Just him in his little 5 year old voice singing to his little sister that was thrilled to death to have his full attention.

Piper blew out the candle and they pretended to eat cake.

Then, she came in the kitchen and in the same pail, made him a birthday cake. She stirred and mixed the pretend batter so much that MY arm hurt! She baked it just right and even pretended to put frosting on :) Then, she "surprised" Avery for his birthday. With the same energy and pride, she sang "Happy Birthday" to him and he was so happy! She lit the candle on his cake, and he made a wish and blew it out. It was amazing.

I stood at the sink pretending I wasn't watching. (You parents know how kids will quit doing cute things if they know you're watching them!) I was so blessed to know that should anything ever happen to me that they have each other and that they will take care of each other.

After the parties concluded (there were 4 in all), it was medicine time. Avery took his medicine like a champ, but knew that Piper was dreading hers. She's still doing breathing treatments and she doesn't mind the treatment as much as the fact that she can't play while she's doing them. Since I couldn't take a picture of the "birthday parties", I did manage to get a picture of Avery being a great helper with the treatment. He knew she was sad, so he agreed to stay with her and be her helper.

Is Avery going to be a great husband or what? I love these precious kids.

Hannah Montana

Most of you know by now that with Piper - you never know what she's going to say. She's 4 years old going on 16. Oh, and complete girly girl. Geez ... we are in for it.

Well, last night she made the official transition to "tweenager". We were in Michaels and she saw a Hannah Montana poster. Piper said, "Mom, I want to get a Hannah Montana movie. I need to know what this is all about."

The fact that she "needs" to know what "this" is all about screams foul to me. I've never seen a single episode of the show, but I've caught my fair share of commercials. The thing that scares me is that I know she'll love it. This, my child that has 4 plastic microphones and cried at the Italian Festival when we wouldn't let her get on the stage and sing. And, I would bet money that if you looked in her purse right now (yes, she carries a purse), you would find (1) lip gloss, (2) a microphone, and (3) a toy dog of some sort - because you know all glam celebrities carry dogs in their purses.

Maybe we'll start with "young" Hannah Montana ... prior to the Hannah Montana that now dates 21 year-old boys.

Better yet, I wonder if I could persuade her to start with Mary Kate and Ashley. Remember how cute they were. There's a thought ... let's try that.

If you want to get rid of any old DVDs - send them my way!!!!

NOT HAPPY w/ HEALTHCARE

I'm a little miffed right now. This has not been the greatest week in Click Healthcare History.

Here's the 30 second summary:

Monday - Avery throws up in Target. Yes, I said, in Target ... not in Target's bathroom. The most puke I've ever seen come from a child, btw.

Tuesday - I leave for a 3 day work trip. Don stays home with Avery (who also has diarrhea) - Piper goes to school. Pediatrician won't see Avery. Says it's a stomach bug, so no need to come in. I didn't know the doctor could "not" see us. I was "not" happy. (PS - I miss our Franklin pediatrician SO much!!!)

Wednesday - 6:45 AM Don calls to tell me that now he's throwing up and has diarrhea. He and Avery are dueling banjos at this point. Both drag Piper to school. Thank goodness we live close.

Thursday - I pull into town and go straight home to bleach the entire house (Don/Avery still sick) BEFORE I get Piper from daycare. As I'm pulling into our street, daycare calls - Piper's throwing up and has diarrhea.

Friday - Send Avery back to school. Don's still sick, Piper's still sick. I stay home to get everyone uncontaminated. Around 3:00 PM, Piper quits throwing up/diarrhea and starts running a fever. WHAT??? Where did this come from? With that, she starts this deep cough (think 70 year old man that has smoked for 67 years.)

Saturday - Doctor finally agrees to see Piper. She prescribes a breathing treatment for which we have to rent a machine. Can't find a place to rent a machine.

Sunday - Finally figure out that Kroger rents machines. Start Piper on treatments.

Today - Everyone is back to work and school. Hallelujah.

Tomorrow - Don gets the epidural with steroids in his back to help alleviate the pain he's had (since January 8) from the herniated nerves.

UNTIL .....

Don gets a call from the surgery center. He happens to ask what the co-pay will be. (Our policy says that if it is an out-patient PROCEDURE, then the co-pay is $50. If it is an out-patient SURGERY, the co-pay is $500. Big difference.) It's $500. I'm not kidding.

This is especially not cool since we already KNOW that we've reached our $1,000 deductible getting MRIs, X-rays, etc, getting prepped for this PROCEDURE. I'm waiting for the bills to start rolling in on that.

Here's the catch: Don's deal tomorrow is a PROCEDURE, but because he's having it done in a SURGERY CENTER - we're expected to pay the SURGERY co-pay. Seriously.

Needless, to say, he immediately called the doctor to see if we could schedule this PROCEDURE at a different place, but they are out to lunch. Of course.

Pray for this to be sorted out. That Don can get the treatment and that we don't have to rob a bank to pay for it.

Oh, and Aetna ... you can suck my foot. We're not friends anymore.

Bible Verse Video

As promised ... here are the kids singing Luke 6:31 (last week's Bible verse!)



If it doesn't load, go HERE

Next week is Ephesians 4:2 - "Be patient bearing with one another in love." Sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It ..."

Our Little Pageant House

This my friends in Miss Indiana, Katie Stam ... I've seen her crowned Miss America seven, yes seven, times!!! Piper is STILL obsessed with watching the pageant. If she wasn't so blasted cute while she was watching it, I would have erased it by now. She knows what events come in what order and has her favorite contestants. AND ... she's still not over the fact that Miss Texas didn't make the Top 12. What a rip-off!

I was thinking that maybe we could enter Piper in a little local pageant. Just for fun, you know. Well, all was on course for that until TLC's show "Toddlers and Tiaras" came on last night. Don was blown away. I loved the little girl that was all glitzed up (probably because I understand and appreciate mascara) and Piper would love that, but the little girl was completely over-coached. It definitely took away from her on stage. She was so cute and lively backstage - then turned like a robot (Don's words) once it came to her turn.

So, for now - Piper can continue on with her nightly evening gown competitions in nightgowns with baby blankets clothes-pinned on to make a train and plastic high-heels from Target, and her tap-dancing talent in her "Snow White shoes" that make a clicking noise on the tile. We have 13 years until she's eligible for the Miss Texas pageant, and if we start saving today - we might be able to afford to buy her a pageant swimsuit by then!!!

Polar Express Day

This made my heart smile!

Today was pajama day in Kindergarten. The kids were able to bring pillows, blankets, and a stuffed animal. They were going to eat gingerbread cookies, drink hot chocolate and watch The Polar Express.

I wish I was in Kindergarten ... what a perfect day :)

(Thanks to my friend Brenda, the room mom, for sending me this great picture!)

We're Back

We're back from Disney. I can almost feel my feet again ... more on our trip later, just know - it was a success!!!

Last night, we decided to order pizza, take it easy, and rest.

We got settled in with the pizza and Piper came down from the gameroom saying that she and Avery needed "the cheese". I sent it with her and asked that she bring it back down when she was finished. She did, and then went and got a spoon from the kitchen. I didn't think much about it, but did mention to Don that I felt like there was a lot of cheese gone.

At 8:00 PM, Don called up to the kids and neither responded. They were asleep. They had gotten pillows and blankets, made a little nest on the couch and were O-U-T!

Here's what we found on their table ...



... classic.

If I could do it again ...

If I had it to over again, I would write down all the funny things that my kids say. I was reminded to this today when I found a piece of paper that said, "Don't tell Dad that I was being bad. It's a secret." [whispered to me on October 22, 2008 from Piper].

Why, oh why, have I not written ALL these things down.

:(

Gold Medal Big Brother

I went on and on about Piper yesterday on her birthday ... however, let me tell you about sweet, sweet little Avery. God bless his compassionate little soul. He's really an 80 year old man trapped in a 5 year old's body.

Here's his first little sweet statement of the night. We had just parked at Chuck E Cheese. I got Avery out, and my mom got Piper out. As Avery was getting out the car, he looked at me and said "Mom, tonight, let's only play the games that Piper likes, ok?" I could have just melted ... I almost cried on the spot.

Later, Uncle Cory and Riley called. Piper talked and then handed the phone to Avery. He talked for several minutes and then was winding the conversation up. He said "good-bye," but then I heard "WAIT WAIT WAIT ... one more thing! (pause) Thanks for calling my sister on her birthday." ..... Anything he could do to make her day more special, and to let other people know that THEY made her day special, he was right there to acknowledge.

I mean, really ... who wouldn't love to have a big brother like Avery? Piper is a lucky girl, and I am the luckiest mom in the world.

Happy Birthday, Piper

I can't believe my baby is four years old. I am really kind-of sad. I hate to see her grow up although I love each year with her more than the last. With both kids, I always catch myself saying "I love this age!" only to find out that I love the next age even more ... But something about three with Miss Piper has been special.

We have a bond that is really neat. She is very clingy to me and very much my shadow. Avery is very content to play on his own or sit and watch a movie ... not Piper. If I'm home, she's under my feet. She's really not a bother. She just needs to be doing what I'm doing. If I'm putting on make-up, she needs to have some to put on. If I'm putting away dishes, she needs some to put away. If I'm folding clothes, she needs some to fold. (She's excellent at folding dishtowels and washclothes!)

Piper talks 1,000 miles a minute. If she's not talking - she's singing. Either a song she's learned at church or school, or most likely, a song she's making up on the spot. She is the life of the party. When we walk into daycare, everyone knows her name. I'm not sure how they know her, but they do ... and they love her. Probably because she's the class clown. (See picture below)



Overall, she's a wee little girl. Very petite, although she's grown immensely over the past year. She's definitely getting taller, but not one bit wider!!! Her curly hair is down past the middle of her back when it's wet, but curls right up to above her shoulders when it is dry. She's our "Curly Girly"!!!



Here are the Top Five Reasons that I love this little girl:
(1) Because she can laugh at herself. I love that she is secure enough, at age 4, to know that sometimes you just have to laugh.

(2) Because she is loves to cuddle. She will always sit in your lap and let you love on her. If you ever want someone to cuddle up with, she's a willing partner.

(3) Because she is the most beautiful girl in the world. She has a definite outward beauty, but she is even more stunning on the inside. She has a heart for people that is 10 times her size.

(4) Because she is honest. She'll always tell the truth when asked and sometimes when she's not asked! It's encouraging to know that she understands that it's always better to tell the truth than to fib. However, she sometimes tells too much ... (i.e. standing the line at Target ... "I smell Dad's bottom!")

(5) Because she loves me as much as I love her. Piper is everything I ever prayed for in a little girl. She is so much fun to love and nurture. I am so blessed to wake up each day to not only one, but TWO answered prayers.

Happy Birthday, Piper. I hope you have an incredible year. I'm so glad that God chose me to be your Mommy.