Technically...

...I could say that I've already done my four posts for this week, if you go from Saturday to Saturday.  Or, technically, I could say that I failed because I've only posted three times since Sunday, the start of the week.

But, oh!  Look at the time.  11:59 is the time I STARTED this post, so I win either way, technically.  

Right now I am reupholstering a chair that must be from 1968.  It's a messy business that makes your back sore.  Too much floor time.  I've never done this before so I'm a little nervous.  I've sewn enough that I have confidence that I can do it, but there's the little details that I thought I'd figured out and now I'm wondering if it's going to be all screwed up.  

I took a pattern from the upholstery that I pulled off, but now that I've cut some of those pieces out of the new fabric, I am worried about it.  I didn't account for how the old fabric was all stretched out.  It won't lay flat.  So, what if I made it too big?  Then the piping won't be right on the edge.  I guess I could measure it.

Rachel!  Where are you?  Oh yeah, you're in Farfarawayville, Egypt.  Don't you hate it when some of your best friends move?  Far away?

And when your sister moves to Reallyfarawaytown, Egypt?  That REALLY sucks too.

Guess what's funny and kinda ironic?  Rachel and Lacy, my sister, only live about 45 minutes from each other.      

But that doesn't help me with my current reupholstery project.   

And neither does this totally random subject change.  (There is a correlation that you can see at the end, so it's not as random as you might think at first.) 

For Christmas, we bought our Ella a bunch of various art supplies.  She gets art supplies every year for her birthday and Christmas, it seems, but these Christmas gifts for Ella were a little less "Crayola-ish" and a little more "pro-ish".  (Not that they are professional quality things, for the most part, but they are much nicer than the very elementary things she's used in the past...)  She was so darling when she opened them.  The bigger present was an travel art kit that came with a big canvas shoulder bag containing several different mediums of paints, canvases, brushes with a nifty brush-keeper and a travel easel.  When she opened it she squealed with delight, squinting her eyes, and hugged herself, jumped up and down and exclaimed with great conviction, "OH!!!  Now I'm an ARTIST!"  It was one of the most genuine reactions I've seen from her and it completely melted my heart.  It was a good moment among many others that Christmas morning.

So, a few days after that (a week?), Ella wanted to do a painting.  I also had ordered her a painting technique book and so we experimented with some techniques, she and I.  Mac and Rohan joined the party later and we had ourselves a family art day, which I enjoyed immensely.  

In my enjoyment with my children, I couldn't help but think of my darling little sister, Lacy, who moved (to Reallyfarawaytown, Egypt, if you recall?) not so long ago.  Lacy is one of the most creative people I know.  She is an artist.  In our shared childhood, we had a good relationship.  We were friends, for the most part and I sorta looked out for her.  (Did her hair, helped her pick her outfits, walked to school with her trying the whole way to get her to move faster so we wouldn't be late...)  She was most often completely content to be by herself and draw pictures, paint, make some amazing sculpture out of paper, etc.

One year when cottonwood trees were dropping their cotton, Lacy wandered around and picked up little bits of this fluff from around the yard (or wherever it was... can't recall).  She collected enough of these bits that she decided she wanted to make something out of it.  So, in true Lacy fashion, she got some brown fabric and drew herself a little pattern for a bear.  Then she cut the pieces out, got a NEEDLE AND THREAD, and stitched this little bear up by hand, one limb at a time.  She then stuffed the limbs, body and head with her treasured pile of cotton that she worked so tediously for, and she hand-stitched all the limbs on to this little tiny bear that she created.  As if that weren't enough, she proceeded to embroider a nose and eyes onto the face. This bear was probably a total of about 6 inches in length.  It was the cutest thing, and when I was helping Lace pack up her house to move (Reallyfarawaytown?), we stumbled across this little treasure of bygone days.  

That Lacy of my youth woke up as my children and I made watercolor creations and she's been walking with me ever since.

And I miss my Lacy so dearly.  And love her so.

Goodnight.

Crush

Weekday mornings around my house typically go like this: 

Dustin is up really really early (like 4, 5 or 6 a.m., depending on the day) and I am dead-to-the-world asleep.  He wakes Ella up at 7 a.m.  He helps her get ready in whatever form she needs help (which isn't much).  He comes in our room at about 7:30 and says to me, "Tag, you're it," and kisses me goodbye.  I tell him to drive safe and he leaves for work (and starts my car for me on his way out, bless him).  Then I get up and take Ella to school at 7:45.  It's a pretty good arrangement for me as waking kids up in the morning low on my list of favorite activities.  (so is getting into a cold car on an Idaho winter morning...)

Lately, rather than what he normally does at work, Dustin has been doing surveying.  He's been working with a guy named Jeff and they've been working close to where we live.  So, instead of the 30 mile commute in the mornings, Jeff has been picking Dustin up at our house.  This translates into him not having to leave at 7:30, but leaving when Jeff comes to get him, anywhere between 8:10 and 8:40 a.m.  Which also translates into Dustin leaving me asleep (or me laying in bed listening to the household while I'm sort-of awake) and taking Ella to school.  It's been wonderful.  I feel like I'm on vacation if I don't have to leave my house in this snowy, cold weather to take my little Ella to school.  And, Dustin likes to take Ella to school as he rarely gets to.  And Ella loves it too because it's novel and special for her daddy to drive her to school.  So, I'm pretty much saying we're all in love with this little temporary arrangement. 

On Monday, after taking Ella to school, Dustin asked me if I would get up and come and snuggle with him on the couch while he waited for Jeff to get here.  I agreed.  I came out and just laid my head on his shoulder for over a half an hour while he rubbed my feet.  It was so great.

Jeff arrived.  Dustin got up, kissed Rohan, Mac and I goodbye, and headed out the door with all his cold-weather paraphernalia in his arms, boots, bibs, coat, and hat, not to mention his lunch and a big jug of water (for hydration in the sub-zero weather we've been blessed with!). 

As I watched him walk out of our house, watched him move with his arms full, preparing to go to yet another day of work in the bitter cold , watched him put all his gear into the truck, followed by his lunch and then sit himself down and shut the door, I felt like a high-school girl.  As I sat there watching him trudge off to his frigid work-day, I said out loud to myself, "I have a crush on Dustin!", which made me giggle a little bit, but mostly I just sighed with contentment.  How cool is that that my husband of eleven and a half years can still make my heart skip beats and feel all fluttery?  I love that man of mine.  Even when he, upon my mentioning that he could use a haircut, informs me that he's going to let his hair grow until spring... ALL his hair (meaning his already long beard too)... I still love him even if I roll my eyes a little bit.   

As I was writing this post in my head I kept thinking of that David Archuleta song, "Crush".  I had to look up the lyrics...


Why do I keep running from the truth
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized
So mesmerized
And I've just got to know

Do you ever think
When you're all alone
All that we could be?
Where this thing could go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?
Do you catch a breath
When I look at you?
Are you holding back
Like the way I do?
'Cause I'm trying, trying to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away.


While those lyrics, in their entirety, don't necessarily apply to my current circumstances, they were entirely applicable back in 1997.  And I never dreamed just how far "this thing could go" between he and I.  It gets better every day, every year and I'm sure, every decade. 

Clancy + Dustin = TRUE L♥VE

New Life

This morning, as sleep was walking that precarious line of hanging on and sloughing off of my shrouded mind, I realized I had hands on my belly. I was laying on my back and must have been for some time because, as I was slowly waking up, I realized that my back was hurting me and I needed to move. I didn't want to though. While I was sleeping, my husband was laying there, hands on my tummy, feeling our baby move under my skin. I didn't want to disturb the moment.

Realizing after a few minutes that there seemed to be no movement in utero to disturb, I rolled onto my side. Dustin's hands remained on my belly waiting for more fetal acrobatics. I continued drifting in and out of sleep and, after an unknown quantity of time, Dustin got up to get ready for work. After he showered, he came back in our room and found me a little more coherent.

"I was playing with the baby while you were asleep," he informed me.

I responded, "I noticed your hands on my belly as I was waking up, but I didn't feel the baby moving at all. Was it actually moving?"

"Oh yeah! Totally!" he replied enthusiastically. "It would kick and I'd give a little push back. I'd feel a little limb and bounce it off my hand. It moved a lot and for a long time. The baby and I were having fun!"

Weird how I could be so asleep to not even notice any of that going on. But as I lay there thinking after he walked away, I was very grateful that I stayed asleep through it all. He got his own time "with the baby" as I was lost to the waking world.

A few minutes later, Ella walked in the room. She had a bad dream for the second morning in a row. Comforting words were said and she climbed in bed next to me filling Dustin's vacated spot. We lay there a few minutes and suddenly the baby got very tiny hiccups. I took Ella's hands and, placing them over the rhythmic hiccup-zone, told her of the baby's condition.

She got very excited as she felt the little repetitive jolts. "I can FEEL it, Mom!" she whispered enthusiastically. Suddenly, the baby decided it was awake and ready to roll around. The big sister thrilled at the various kicks and motions she felt. Swells of miniature body parts protruded and she informed me of every action. She laughed out loud several times. She asked what she was feeling... "Was that it's head? Is that it's leg? How does it make that bump stick out? What was that little bump?"

"I don't know Ella," I replied. "I wonder the same things all the time and I can never quite imagine the little person that can make all that movement simultaneously!"

As we lay there, I told her that her daddy was "playing" with the baby this morning while I was sleeping. She laughed. I suddenly realized that she, being my only daughter thus far, (March will tell if she is my only daughter ever) would one day, in all probability, get to experience this very thing, but from her own body, not just feeling it through her mother. I told her this, that one day she could feel this too but feel it all the time, every day as a new life develops into a whole, and very tiny human being.

I marveled, as I have time and time before, at the wonder of being a woman. This is a precious time, a wonderful gift that my body can give. I love feeling those jolts of a new life inside of me. Dustin can feel it from the outside as he lays there in dark, but OH!, the joy I experience with each little tap or roll from within! It is a wonder, a marvel and a miracle.

And with that thought, I say again... I love being a woman.

Ella

I've been having a wardrobe problem, as, I'm sure, anyone who has ever been pregnant can relate to. It's been getting better as I continue to grow abdominally. I can now hold up a few pairs of maternity pants without them falling off. But I have whined a little bit to my friend Rebby about this problem. It would appear that I only want to wear pajamas because they are comfy.

The other night, after a bit of whining about my clothes and my dreams of being in my pajamas, Rebby sent me home with a very comfy pair of yoga-ish pants and a shirt that matches. Today, I was still wearing my PJs when someone came to the door. This was not the hour one should still be in PJs so I quickly ran and threw on the borrowed comfy clothes from Rebby. I visited with my visitor for a while and then went to get Ella from school.

Ella climbed in the car and, as she sat down, I heard her little nose sniffing. She sat there testing the air for a few seconds as I was backing out of my parking spot. After a those few sniffs she asked me, "Did Grace and Olivia come over today?"

"No," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because it smells like their house in our car," she replied.

I laughed out loud and told her to smell my clothes. Grace and Olivia are Rebby's two younger daughters.

"Why do you smell like Rebby's house, Mom?" she asked. "Did you go over there today?"

"No, these are Rebby's clothes," I replied. "She let me borrow them."

Rebby's clothes, by the way, smell like fresh laundry... this is a good smell.

Her little sniffer was satiated and she let the conversation drop. Maybe I could hire her out as a hound dog part-time?

First Week

This is completely a "for my own records" post, just so I can have it recorded. Therefore, it is, potentially, rather boring. Sorry.


I mentioned that we are keeping Mac at home this year for school. The Idaho Virtual Academy "powered by K12" is our method of choice. In my ideal world, I would be choosing all his curriculum and planning it all myself. But, alas, I know my own limits and that is way more than I feel capable of at this point in my life. And that's o.k. K-12 it is!

We got all our "materials" a week ago today. (At the end of the day, so we didn't use them, we just got them out and looked at them.) We officially "started" on Monday. Monday didn't go so well. If you don't recall, look at my post that day and it will give you an idea of my Monday. That post wasn't entirely about my son or homeschooling, but those two things were the catalyst for a lot of dormant emotions and, to put it nicely, I lost it.

Tuesday wasn't easy, but I was in a better place.

Wednesday was quite good with a few, minor rough spots.

Thursday was good too... I think. I'm starting to blur a little on the details...

Today was long, but should have been short. We didn't have that much to do, but Mac likes to drag his feet and dilly-dally. It makes me crazy-insane, but somehow I've managed (aside from Monday) to keep my head and stay cool. (Go me!) This day had a lot of potential for being totally awful... maybe like Monday... but I chose to be chill and not react (...much. Does slamming my fist on the table and raising my voice count as a reaction? Probably, but I apologized right after and we carried on.)

Thus far he hates Math the most (not so shocking) and he likes Art the best. (not so shocking)

So far, I am pleased with the program. I am pleased that I can just go online and see what we're doing for the day and I don't have to plan. If you recall, planning is not one of my greatest strengths. I think it's good for Mac to be home. Truly. I am happy to see him interact with his little brother.

At this point, I'm happy that Ella has chosen to go to school as well. She loves school (although she loves it a little less since she's the only one who has to get up in the mornings at 7:00 a.m.) and I love watching her do her cute homework. I think I would be totally overwhelmed if they were both home this year. Mac and Ella are often the best of friends, but more often it seems, they antagonize each other and therefore harry their mother endlessly. This transition, I believe, has been infinitely smoother because Mac and Ella are not battling each other or vying for my attention all day. Rohan, in his easy-going manner, is happy to play Legos or sit on my lap while I do things with Mac. Bless that child. And bless Ella for choosing to go to school this year. And bless Mac for his strong will and his consistent, if begrudged efforts. And, if I may be so bold... bless me, too. For something.

So, there's the log for my first week in our new adventure. Pretzel dipping continues as does apartment management (or not... PLEASE let us get a new renter!!!). Also continues the mantaining of a household (to some degree anyway), and continues what would seem the easiest part of my life right now despite the limits it's putting on my wardrobe: baby-growing.

Logic...

My kids and I were eating lunch around our table yesterday and we were talking about a guy named Cliff that we know. Ella said, "Who's Cliff?"

Mac replied, "You know Uncle Dave? Cliff is Uncle Dave's brother." (Uncle Dave is, in fact, my uncle, married to my mom's sister)

Ella's face was still blank. "Who's Uncle Dave again?" and even as she said that, you could see the wheels turning and see her remember who Uncle Dave was (because we see him a lot and she definitely knows who he is...). It all clicked for her just as Mac said, rather incredulously, "YOU KNOW who Uncle Dave is!! He's our uncle, silly!"

They got it all sorted out and, because they are now old enough to grasp such concepts, I added that Uncle Dave is actually not their uncle, but my uncle making him their GREAT Uncle. At this revelation, Ella, who had just figured it all out, looked at me like I pulled the rug out from under her. "He's our Great Uncle?" she replied and with her cutest little shocked, dramatic, Ella-voice she said, "Then why isn't he dead!!!??"

I totally busted up laughing. The logic of my seven-year old Ella... all the "Greats" are dead in her mind!

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday Morning

It is Tuesday, isn't it? I'm losing track...

- Yesterday I fell asleep at about 5:00 and slept for about an hour and a half. It was blissful, and that's coming from a girl who normally abhors taking naps, but it did make it very hard to fall asleep at bedtime so I watched a movie.

- Don't watch the moving "Knowing" if you want to fall asleep peacefully. Especially if your husband is working out of town. I missed his reassuring presence in my freaked out state.

- I am so glad Dustin doesn't work out of town all the time anymore. I feel incomplete when he is not home. I am such a lucky girl to love my husband so much. (and to have him love me as much in return and miss me too.)

- I suck at watering the lawn. Dustin is good at it. Another reason he's awesome to have around.

- My [clean] laundry pile is rather large again. I do great, and then I don't. I still like me, even when I don't do great at keeping up on laundry. Isn't that awesome?

- Getting dressed everyday can be frustrating when you're feeling vain and you are sick of your clothes.

- My favorite pants, the Big Star jeans, are nearing the end of their life. They are the comfiest, cutest jeans and their old-age/near-deathness makes me sad.

- I love Cheerios.

- I love cheese.

- I love nectarines.

- I love it when I make dinner.

- I don't like it when I don't make dinner. Last night we had cereal for dinner. That's a sure sign that Dustin is out of town.

- I don't want to be a landlord anymore.

- I didn't make my bed this morning, and that just makes me laugh.

- My dryer just shut off and I sat down here at the computer when I started the dryer. That means I've been sitting here WAY too long.

- My dryer is quiet and I STILL appreciate that. Never take your quiet dryer for granted.

- I need new sheets. My favorite super-soft cotton ones now have a hole in them because they were so threadbare that I put my little toes right through them in the night. That makes me sad.

- But new sheets will make me happy.

- Air conditioning is really really spectacular. Really.

The end.

Friday's Fabulous Five

1- I've moved back into the part-time-single-mom life with surprising ease. It was really hard the first two days, but then I settled right back into my groove. I don't know if that's a good thing, but I'm grateful that the transition wasn't as hard as it was the last time.

2- Laughter. It truly is my favorite thing. Laughing hysterically at Arctic Circle is even better.

3- Sunshine. It's supposed to be nice weather this week, a welcome change from the gloomy rain. But, the rain did provide for perfect snuggle days!

4- One time Ella was watching me type something. I was typing really fast... I think I was transcribing. She watched me for a while and finally asked, "Mom, do you have eyes on your chin?"

I didn't understand the question at all and said as much.

She explained her query with another. "How do you know which buttons to push for typing?"

Giggles ensued.


5- I know I've been writing about him a lot, but I must add how I love Rohan and his precious little isms. Just now I was getting some laundry folded and a stream of sunlight from the window poured in just next to where I was standing. I would flip the clothes when I pulled them from the basket and as I did, dust particles would move through the stream of sunlight very quickly and then slow down as the air stilled. Rohan watched this with interest and asked me, as he has on numerous occasions, "Mom, what's dose?"

I replied, "Those are dust particles."

"Dust pawticles? Den, why dey wuv us?"

I couldn't suppress my mirth, but he didn't seem to notice, and on the heels of his previous question asked, "And, why dey wun awound?"

My giggles erupted into a full-blown belly laugh and I couldn't answer those two questions or any of the deluge of questions that followed, distracted by my son's precocious mind.

Friday's Fabulous Five

This is going to be a slight variation on the usual FFF. This is more like Friday's Random Five.

1- Lots of moments throughout my day, I think in FaceBook statuses. "Clancy is smelling something yucky in her garbage... time to take it out." or "Clancy needs to clean her room." or "Clancy wonders if she can Fedex bugs?" or "Clancy's happy for Maria, and sad at the same time... all wrapped up in one pretty package." or "Clancy should really get rid of those socks she bought when she was in 7th grade."

Do you think that's a clue that I spend too much time on FaceBook?


2- Sometimes I say I'm going to do something, and then I don't do it. It bothers me a lot when I do that. A lot.


3- I love my ring that I wear on my pinki. It was my Grandma's and I think of her every time I look at it.


4- I love my hair short. I don't know how long this "growing it out" thing is going to last...


5- Ella is the most animated, theatrical, and dramatic child ever. AND she has excellent pitch for a 6 year old. She throws marshmallows while singing "Popcorn Popping" in an adorable manner too.

See... lots of fabulousness in there, but lots of randomness too...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Proverbs a la MacElla

I once got an email that said this:

"An elementary school teacher gave each child in her class the first half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb."

They were funny, but I wondered if they were real. I think the email I got said they were six year olds. I thought I'd try it out on my 8 year old Mac and my 6 year old Ella and see what they finished off these proverbs with. Enjoy...


M- Better safe than... sorry.
E- Better safe than... than you get better than sick.
The original proverb: Better to be safe than sorry!

M-Strike while the... lion pounces.
E- Strike while the... tiger runs.
The original proverb: Strike while the iron is hot!

M- It's always darkest before the... light.
E- It's always darkest before the... night falls.
The original proverb: It is always darkest before the dawn.

M- A rolling stone... falls down.
E- A rolling stone... goes falling into the river.
The original proverb: A rolling stone gathers no moss.

M- A bird in the hand is... nesting.
E- A bird in the hand is... pecking you.
The original proverb: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

M- There's nothing to fear but... spiders.
E- There's nothing to fear but... lions.
The original proverb: There's nothing to fear but fear itself.

M- If you can't stand the heat then... get out of the sun.
E- If you can't stand the heat then... go in a pool.
The original proverb: If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

M- The squeaky wheel gets... repaired.
E- The squeaky wheel gets... a very flat tire.
The original proverb: The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

M- To err is human... but to never make a mistake is mortal.
E- To err is human... floats up.
The original proverb: To err is human, to forgive is divine.

M- I think therefore... I die.
E- I think therefore... bats around.
The original proverb: I think, therefore, I am.

M- Early to bed and early to rise makes... sunset and sunrise.
E- Early to bed and early to rise makes... something very sleepy.
The original proverb: Early to bed and early to rise makes and man healthy, wealthy and wise.

M- A journey of a thousand miles begins with... one mile.
E- A journey of a thousand miles begins with... after you like something.
The original proverb: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

M- There is nothing new... but you.
E- There is nothing new... instead of a new monkey in a cage.
The original proverb: There is nothing new under the sun.

M- The grass is always greener... on the other side.
E- The grass is always greener... because of the sun and water.
The original proverb: The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

M- Don't count your chickens...in numbers but in groups.
E- Don't count your chickens... because they might not like you.
The original proverb: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

M- You can lead a horse to water, but... not land.
E- You can lead a horse to water, but... don't let it fly.
The original proverb: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

M- Don't bite the hand that... feeds you.
E- Don't bite the hand that... is a very skinny one.
The original proverb: Don't bite the hand that feeds you

M- No news is... nothing.
E- No news is... something of good people.
The original proverb: No news is good news.

M- A miss is as good as... a catch.
E- A miss is as good as... possible.
The original proverb: A miss is as good as a mile.

M- You can't teach an old dog new... tricks.
E-You can't teach an old dog new...dances.
The original proverb: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

M- If you lie down with dogs, you'll... get slobbery.
E- If you lie down with dogs, you'll... like them because they lick you and give you kisses.
The original proverb: If you lie down with dogs, you'll rise with fleas

M- The pen is mightier than... the pencil.
E- The pen is mightier than... ink.
The original proverb: The pen is mightier than the sword.

M- Where there's smoke there's... fire.
E- Where there's smoke there's... gas.
The original proverb: Where there's smoke there's fire.

M- Happy the bride who... dances with you.
E- Happy the bride who... dances with a prince.
The original proverb: Happy the bride who the sun shines on.


M- A penny saved is... mighty.
E- A penny saved is... a lot of money.
The original proverb: A penny saved is a penny earned.

M- Two's company, three's... a gang.
E- Two's company, three's... having fun.
The original proverb: Two's company, three's a crowd.

M- Don't putt off til tomorrow what you... get.
E- Don't putt off til tomorrow what... want til you don't get it.
The original proverb: Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

M- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and... the universe cries with you.
E- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and... the world cries with you and the universe spins.
The original proverb: Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.

M- Children should be seen and not... heard.
E- Children should be seen and not... hidden.
The original proverb: Children should be seen and not heard.

M- If at first you don't succeed... keep going.
E- If at first you don't succeed... you may have to sleep.
The original proverb: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

M- you get out of something what you... get in.
E- You get out of something what you... notice that you're still in the same spot.
The original proverb: You get out of something what you put into it.

Ella Says the Darndest Things, Episode 3

My Ella is the sweetest, cutest thing. I so love her.

Ella loves to sing. (I wonder where she got that from?) Last school year (Kindergarten) she learned the song "I've Been Working on the Railroad". She and Rohan have been singing this song into our big box fan making their voices wobble. Actually it's EXTRA wobbly because last night the fan fell and broke a blade off which makes it uneven in it's "beat". Anyway, back on track...

We all know the words to this song...

I've been workin' on the railroad all the live long day.
I've been workin' on the railroad just to pass the time away...

Then it goes off into the part about Dinah blowing her horn and Ella sings the following part like this:

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah.
Someone's in the kitchen I knoooowww-
Someone's in the kitchen with Diiiinaaahhhhh
Strummin' on the Ole' Man Joe.

Just in case anyone doesn't know the real words, it's "strummin' on the ole' banjo.

She just plain cracks me up!

Ella Says the Darndest Things, Episode 2

Episode 2 on my blog, that is. She says funny things all the time, but I had to run, not walk, so I could blog about this one.

I'm washing dishes. The rest of the family is playing outside. Ella comes in holding her eye and says excitedly, "We're sleeping outside tonight!" as she walks through the kitchen.

"Cool!" I respond.

She's already out of the kitchen. She is gone for a couple minutes and walks back into the kitchen holding her eye shut with her fingers so I can see her eyelid.

"Mom, look. I got a little scratch on my eye-pod."

I stifle a laugh and respond, "I'm so sorry honey! Where did you say you got scratched?"

She's a little impatient with my question as she is clearly showing me by holding her eye shut. She irritably responds, "On my eye-pod, Mom! And it hurts!"

I just had to hear her say it again... I love that kid.

Oh and the image was even better because of her outfit that she's had on for the last couple hours...

Do you love the leopard print stockings?



And that's Mac and Rohan too... standing in front of our tent that they and their Dad are going to sleep in tonight! Needless to say, the kids are bouncing off the walls with excitement.

Ella Says the Darndest Things...

As I've mentioned a couple times... I recently read The Host by Stephenie Meyer and LOVED it! For any of you that haven't actually seen the book, this is the cover. (minus the 'available now' blurb)


I was sitting reading this book for a while during the day when Ella suddenly asked, "Mom, aren't you finished with that eyeball book yet?"

I laughed. I blogged.

Gettin' the Hang of Things...

I am happy to report that I am finally getting the hang of being a mom. Just kidding.... sort of. I just had a very successful birthday party event on Saturday. Let me elaborate...

Somehow we have managed to celebrate Ella's birthday this whole week. From Sunday to Saturday. It was not every day in between, but we had a little family party on Sunday last and then Wednesday was her actual birthday, upon which I had thought I'd do a little friend party for her. Memorial Day weekend was busy and the thought never entered my brain that to have said kid party, I would have to send out invitations IN ADVANCE! We all know that I'm a bit of a procrastinator (getting better... but not cured yet!) but this time it just wasn't even a thought that crossed the brainwaves. So, Tuesday afternoon I realize that her birthday (and the day I wanted to have her friend party) was tomorrow! Needless to say, I didn't have the party on her birthday. I felt guilty not doing anything on her actual birthday, so we went to the zoo and out to dinner like I said in a previous post.

Ella had her little heart set on a party with her cute friends... so we planned it for Saturday. I still managed to wait 'til Thursday afternoon to get the invites out, but none of the moms sent me any hate mail for my short notice, so I guess that means they will still be my friend.

I asked Ella what she would like to do at her party and she pulled out her I-know-my-mind card, and she fired off this list without any hesitation. (FYI, she did not get that card from me when we shuffled her deck!) She ticked each one of these off on her fingers as she spoke them:

• Balloons
  
• Tug-of-war
• Red Rover
• Fishing game
• Treasure Hunt
• Cake and Ice cream
  

I am sad to say, I picked up the balloons at the store and somehow didn't get out of the store with them. But everything else was on target.

Here is why I am so excited about this story- I am a notorious procrastinator, as mentioned. At events like this I am usually frantic because guests are arriving and I am not even close to ready. This time, I was only slightly frantic for the hour before, but I got everything ready by the time the first guests were arriving. (well, I did have to ask the first guest to go inside so I could hid the treasure without her seeing, but we won't count that! And we also won't count that I had to ask my mom to whip the cream for the cake...)

I am also famous for overplanning the amount of games for the amount of time. Not this party, baby! I suppose that could be Ella's doing, since she planned the party... Either way, we were done at almost exactly 3:30 which was right on schedule. I felt oddly satisfied when it was all over.

My favorite, and many of the kids' favorite as well, was actually the tug-of-war. I didn't want to buy a big fat rope for it, so we had to get creative. My dad busted out his climbing rope. I am not exactly sure how long it is, but it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 feet. We were getting it doubled up for the tug-of-war and somehow it evolved into a REALLY "long" game of jump rope. That would be long as in feet, not time. The kids were giggling non-stop as the weight of that doubled yet still very long rope would hit them and sometimes sweep their legs out from under them. It was truly hilarious.

Anyway, the party was great. Ella was thrilled, all kids had a good time, and the Mama was satisfied after a good, hard day's work on the Motherhood job site.

Happy Birthday Ella Brae!

Yes, it's true. Rohan and Ella's birthdays are just five days apart. We had a little family party on Sunday. My sister was in town with her two kids. We had a cake for Rohan and Ella both, so they both blew out candles. It was fun.

Then for today, which is actually Ella's birthday, we went to the zoo. It was just Mac, Ella, Rohan and I and my parents. Dustin was at work, of course. It was raining earlier this morning, but we went after it stopped and stayed til they closed. It was a very pleasant day. The animals were mostly very active in the cool but comfortable air. The crowds were very sparse, I'm guessing due to the rain earlier. Very pleasant indeed.

As we left so late, I didn't want to go home and cook dinner and have everything run late...so, we went to 5 & Diner! While we were sitting there eating she asked, "When are the workers going to come out clapping and sing Happy Birthday to me?" It was so cute! She, apparently, remembers that they do that at restaurants and wondered when they would do it for her! We asked and they sang AND gave her an Oreo milkshake on the house! She felt very special.

So, as I did with Rohan, I wanted to take you on a little tour of Ella's 6 years of life...

Ella Brae

The little miss just hours old.


The new and expanded family. Check out the swollen nose on the mamma~


A couple weeks old... so pretty.


Sleeping by big brother Mac.


Look how cute!


This is Ella and my Grandma Carol. I miss Grandma every day. She was sunshine in human form!


The impish side of Ella...


My mom photoshopped it and made lots of little imp Ellas.


One of my favorites... she is about 7 months old.


Her first Easter. I made the dress too big, but look how cute she is!


She had the bow-leggedest legs you ever did see! She walked at 8 1/2 months. I think she was about 10 months in this pic. (Mac's boots on her. And stitches in her eyebrow...)


She loved to pretend she could read.


Christmas, 19 months old.


Ella and her famous Dee Dee.


Easter number two. She was almost two years old.


Mac and Ella got into the flour and sugar. She was covered!


On our way to an impromptu Halloween party!


Easter number 3!


Ella on her 3rd birthday!


Camping, three years old.


She decided she wanted freckles, so she drew some herself.


This was typical Ella hair at this age. That's why we chopped it short not too long after!


She would fix her hair herself... can you tell?


A favorite picture of my Ella.


Happy Birthday number 4!


Halloween at four years old.


Halloween at five.


Taken last Saturday. Happy Birthday, happy girl! We love you!

Ella...

Ella- Do you know how I love you, Mommy?

Me- How's that?

Ella- It's the same as your warm.

Me- Ah! That's so nice honey! Thank you?


I'm not sure what my warm is, but I asked her again to double check and, yes, she loves me the same as my warm! What a sweet, random girl I am blessed to have as my daughter!

Recycling with Ella!

Does anyone besides me ever feel guilty throwing away a pair of jeans that have enormous holes in the knees? I hate doing it, but aside from cutoffs, which don't always look "sharp", or perhaps a denim blanket, I've never known what to do with them.

So, I mentioned in a previous post that I was sewing on Monday with my friend, Melissa. I thought I'd post about our little project!

Melissa's mom once recycled a pair of Elsie's (Melissa's daughter) jeans that had gotten holes in the knees. She made a cute little skirt out of them. Unfortunately, Melissa's mom passed away a little over a year ago, and Melissa wasn't sure about how to recreate it. So, we put our heads together and with the help of her mom's large stash of fabric that she inherited, we created little skirts of our own for our girls!

Ella was thrilled to be the recipient of an old/new skirt! These pants were even to small for her, but I cut out the inseams and now they fit! Anyway, Ella was pleased as punch and wore it to school! She is a darling little thing, and definitely all girl! (check out that pose! lol!)

Tag Kids!

So... I've been working on this blog for days and days. I wanted to get the kids to answer for themselves (with the exception of Rohan) and I succeed with Mac. Ella told me some things and then freaked out when I told her that people were going to read it! She's so cute...
Anyway here it is...

Mac, Ella, and Rohan got tagged by their friends Ellie and Dayton with "10 Things You May or May Not Know About Me".
Whew! Here goes....

Rohan:
1- There is, at this point in my young life, not one vegetable my mom found that I will eat - at least on a regular basis! I will have one pea occasionally or one bite of a crunchy carrot... and when I say occasionally this is MAYBE a once every two or three months kind of occasion! I mostly will not eat fruit either. Perhaps a nibble of a orange or strawberry occasionally, but that's it, baby!
2- I love to build Legos with my mom! (see previous post)
3- All my mom's kids have one comfort thing that hangs on from babyhood. Mine is hair. I love to play with hair, especially when I am tired. When I was a baby and my mom was trying (in vain, mostly) to get me to sleep in my crib, she would stick a lock of her hair (which was long at that point) through the bars of the crib and I would play with that until I went to sleep. Since my mom cut her hair very short, I tend to play with my own hair more. It makes mom kinda sad that I don't play with her hair much now.
4- I have perfectionist tendencies. I have to do things in just the right order or way. If I don't, I do them over again and again until they are just right. For example: We have a van. When I was a little younger, I had to get out of the van in just the right way. I would climb out of my chair by myself, (no, MOM, Roh Roh do it!!!!) and then I would hold out my hand til mom gave me her finger... not her whole hand and not just any finger.... her pointer finger. Then, with my other hand I would hold on to this bolt that sticks out of the sliding door of the van. THEN, I would STEP down out of the van. Not jump... not climb... but STEP! This was a LARGE step for my little body. It would be like an adult trying to "step" off of a four foot high wall. If the step didn't feel just right, I would climb back in and do it all over again. Most days my mom tries to humor me in my antics, but when she's in a hurry and she makes me do things her way (fast), I get very upset and throw a huge fit... to which mom says, "Sorry, dude! We're in a hurry today and you gotta do it Mom's way!"
5- When I was a mere 16 months old, I would watch THE WHOLE movie of The Karate Kid. Not just once, but over and over for months at a time.
6- I am SOOOO cute! My brother, sister, Mom and Dad always want to eat me up cuz I'm so cute!!!
7- I am a concerned little guy. If someone even says the word "Ouch", I immediately ask, "You okay?"
8- I don't yet know how to fall asleep without my mom or my dad laying by me. I used to... until the day I refused to sleep in a crib (15 months old). To get me to STAY in my bed, mom and dad started to lay by me and they haven't had the gumption to figure out how to stop!
9- I talk in my sleep and my mom thinks it's so cute.
10- I learned to walk at 8.75 months! And I learned to pedal and steer a bike just before my second birthday!

Ella:
1- I am a sunshine kinda girl! I am sweet and loving and sprinkle joy wherever I go!
2- I was an angelic baby. (and still am angelic...) I slept through the night at six weeks old. Not just any old six hour or eight hour kind of sleeping through the night... My mom would put me to bed at 7 o'clock p.m. and I wouldn't STIR until 7 o'clock a.m.!!! Mom thought she had died and gone to heaven... oh wait... she was still waking up with MAC a few times a night. (he didn't sleep through the night until he was three years old!)
3- I, like both my brothers, have my little "vice" that has hung on from babyhood. Mine is my DiDi. DiDi is a special blanket that I love to "suck". I actually put my thumb in my mouth (but strangely, do not suck my thumb... it just sits in my mouth) while I pull the satin edge of my now tattered blanket through my fingers and rub it on my cheek.
4- I love to play Legos with my mom.
5- I am a really good little singer. I have great pitch for a 5 year old!
6- I am extremely tall for my age. I always have been! When Mac went to first grade, the teacher was trying to find a seat for me cuz she thought I was in her class!! My mom told her that I was only 4 years old and the teacher couldn't believe it! I was taller than half the kids in the class!!
7- I walked at 8.5 months! I crawled for only two weeks before that (at 8 months!). I learned to ride a bike with no training wheels last summer!! YAY!!!!
8- I love to listen to most all music, and almost anytime music is on I run and put on a dress so I can dance properly!! I mostly love to listen to "girl songs" (anything sung by a girl) but I also really like Journey. My favorite Journey songs are "Any Way You Want It" and "Separate Ways"!
9- My favorite colors are pink and purple. I am definitely a girl... I love to play with Barbies and baby dolls and My Little Ponies. I also love to read Little House on the Prairie books with my mom.
10- My mom and dad picked my name before mom was even pregnant with me. When they found out they were having a baby, they told both of my grandmas that if I was a girl they were going to name me Ella. They found out then that Ella is the name of my Grandma Nene's Grandma, and my Grandpa Roger's Grandma too! So I'm named after a great-great grandma on both mom's and dad's sides!


Mac:
1- My real name is McKinley. My name has quite a heritage. It was my great-great grandfather's name, as well as my great-great uncle, and my uncle, and now me! My great-great Grandpa McKinley (he went by Mac too!) was born on the day President William McKinley was shot. My Grandpa Mac's parents were friends with the President and his wife, and so they named their baby William McKinley after their friend and President. Cool, huh!?
2- I REALLY, REALLY love video games. All kinds... little computer games, Wii games, PS2 games, Game Cube... I think they're all great and sometimes that's all I think about!
3- I love to build Legos with my mom. And I love cameras and playing soccer!
4- I learned to walk at 9.5 months and learned to ride a bike with no training wheels when I was still 3 years old! (a few months from 4)
5- When I was a baby, my big vice was my binkie! I LOVED my binkie, and I still tell my mom that I miss it even though I'm almost 8 years old!!!
6- I'm curious about everything! I like to get books at the library that tell me about different things! I don't like school, but I do like to learn new things.
7- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE horses! I have loved horses since I was a tiny boy. They are my "thing". I have LOTS of toy horses, but not a real one. I want one though.
8- When I was about 2 years old, my mom and I were mad at each other. I got my face all scrunched up and as angry as a two year old can say something, I said, "You want piece of ME?!!!" I was only two!!! My mom couldn't believe that her little two year old would ask that, and it made her laugh to herself! This has pretty much been my motto for my life. I a feisty kind of guy... but equally sweet!
9- I am a very hard worker. I love to work with my dad or grandpa or grandma outside. I also love to help my Grandpa Brayt with projects. One time they had to replace the floor in their bathroom and I carried every piece of board to the garbage pile! Grandpa cut them into small enough pieces for me to carry by my two-year-old self!
10- I love the outdoors, I love to Rollerblade (and I'm really good at it... I can even take jumps!), I love my family, I love to go camping, I am a picky eater, and I have a huge heart that is so sweet and big!!!

And all three of them say, "My mom can hardly believe she is so lucky to have me!!!" ;)


Wow!!! I think I'm finally done with this!!! I think we will tag our friends Keller, Emma and Angela, as well as Hazel, Lilie, and Elsie! Oh... and Mac requested that we tag Gramma Nene!! :) (She's a kid at heart...heck, we gave her a giant teeter-totter for Christmas!)