Posession is nine tenths...

Janie's hitting her "terribles" I think. Maybe she's just teething some big molars. Who knows? She's been much grumpier the last couple of weeks and is giving Gracie something something that's been coming her way for a few years now.

One of the funny things that she's started doing is beginning words with "my" when it's something that belongs to her or that she wants. She has a little stuffed black cat that we call Halloween Cat. She now calls it Myloween Cat. Yesterday we went on a little tricycle ride to get in some practice. She calls it her Mycycle. You get the picture.

What's the deal with my children and riding bikes anyway? They absolutely hate it. All the other 4 year olds in our neighborhood ride two wheelers. Gracie shudders with fear at the sight of one. I'm really kind of frustrated and irritated that she doesn't want to even ride her tricycle for more than three minutes. Oh well. I guess we're just the wierdos of the neighborhood. Maybe I should just calm down and not want to fit in so much. (sigh)

Quote of the Day:
"The mother-daughter relationship is the most complex." ~Wynonna Judd

song of the day, kenny chesney, never wanted nothing more

A "Mom" Moment

Yesterday I had one of those profound "I am definitely a mother, and dang, I am awesome!" moments. Joe, Gracie, Janie and I had been out and about getting a few things at IKEA. We decided to go to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants while we were in the area, so we sat down in a booth and immediately Janie says, "I'm poopy!" with that darling grin of hers. I took her out to the van because I don't carry a diaper bag with me all the time, but I do keep an emergency one in the car for occasions just like this one. As I was rifiling through the bag I began to realize that there were indeed NO DIAPERS to be found. I knew that I just could not let her be dirty for the next two hours (because that is the amount of time it was going to take for us to eat and then drive home). I was seriously desperate for anything with which to cover the poor thing's bottom. And then my motherly inspiration hit! I had a cloth diaper (which I used as burp cloths for them), all I needed was something to fasten it onto her. I grabbed our emergency kit that I keep in my car too, and found some medical tape. I put the cloth diaper on her bummy and wrapped medical tape around the waist of it three times. Ta DA!!!!! Instant diaper! I was laughing the entire time I was doing this, and so Janie was laughing too. It was a moment I don't think I'll ever forget, it was so funny. But hey, she was poop-free and feelin' fine for the entire dinner!

(By the time we left she had completely soaked through the diaper and her shorts. In retrospect, I suppose I could have fashioned plastic pants out of the shiny silver emergency blanket, but I really think that would have been going too far, don't you? ;)

song of the day, buddy holly, peggy sue

Such a good Daddy...

Here are a few shots from Father's Day this year. Joe is such a great daddy to his little girls. He loves them so much and they adore him in return.

He let Gracie decorate his face with Hello Kitty stickers :)

Whenever he gets home they immediately want to be in his lap. Poor guy can't get 5 minutes peace until AFTER they go to bed. Too cute :)

Quote of the Day:
"One father is more than a hundred Schoolemasters." ~George Herbert, Outlandish Proverbs, 1640

song of the day, it must be love, alan jackson

"Picture" Perfect

We broke out our art easel a few days ago and the girls had some fun dripping paint on the deck ;) I love this picture because it is such a idyllic scene...french doors thrown open to a beautiful summer day, two sweet sisters expressing their inner selves through painting, etc. A big part of me though was having a heart attack hoping that the paint would come off of the deck, the railings, etc. without much trouble. Why is it that I have to be so darn tense all the time when it comes to my children? So what if a paint splat made it's evil way into the house? At least my girls had a small moment of carefree, childish happiness. (Now where is that Magic Eraser?)

Quote of the Day:
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." ~Lewis Grizzard

music of the day, sweet home alabama, lynard skynard

Janie Two-Spout

Here's a picture I took yesterday of my Janie. I think she is so beautiful. She is a perfect little messy porcelain doll. I'm afraid that she's growing up so fast that I'm soon going to be missing her when she was just like this...

Life has been good the last few days. The girls have been getting along fairly well and it makes me so happy when I see them chatting with each other or just sitting together sharing a few toys. They are both addicted to OtterPops, but other than that we're pretty healthy and happy !

I'm really enjoying both of the books I'm reading. Though I don't usually read "self help" type books, it's a good change from the hugemongous Gabaldon novels I've been into...and I have one more of those to read before the new one comes out in September. Oh well. For now I'm enjoying what I'm into. But I am worried about retaining all of the information that is contained in each of them. How the heck do you remember all the tips and advice you're given?

We're getting excited for our upcoming Torrey trip! I am a little worried about the girls getting into trouble and hurting themselves though. We had a BBQ at my brother's house on the 4th of July and Janie stuck her hand onto the grill lid not once, but TWICE!!! Whoever said that if you let them burn themselves once then they'll never do it again was out of their gourd. Janie is apparently of a scientific mind..."I wonder if this is hot. Ouch. I wonder if it's still hot. OUch. Hmmm. It's been ten seconds. I wonder if it's still hot. OUCH!" Poor thing.

Quote of the Day:
"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after." ~Peter De Vries

(music of the day: listen to the music, the doobies)