Monday, October 3, 2011

S'more Time!

Okay, so when I was talking about "fall" in my last post, I was referring to 70 degrees, may-need-a-light-jacket-in-the-evening Fall. Not, 43 degrees, need-a-winter-coat-and-you-have-to-wear-socks-around-the-house Fall. It has been super cold here (to me) the last few days/mornings!
But regardless of my hatred of winter, super cold equals time for S'mores!! Last night D made a fire in the backyard, and we enjoyed a fun treat with the kids! With a 3 and 2 year old, you can't exactly "relax" around a campfire, seeing that they trip and fall about 80 times a day, and a roaring fire in front of them is just asking for it. However, it was still lots of fun and we had a good time taking silly pictures (and eating yummy S'mores).

Charley fully embraced her S'more and it was immediate love, but Eli couldn't get over having "sticky hands." He got the Salley sticky-hand gene that my sisters and I have, which can ruin a wonderful experience with syrupy pancakes, jelly sandwiches, and of course, melted marshmallows. Not that anyone likes having "sticky hands," but this gene seems to amplify the disgust of it. So anyway, once D got his hands clean and gave him a talk about how boys are supposed to enjoy being dirty/sticky, Eli downed his S'more and asked for more "cookie."
It's official. S'mores are better than broccoli.

 Here are a few tips that may enhance your S'more Experience this fall.
-The Clear Value graham crackers that cost under $2 are just as good for making S'mores as the $4+ Honey Maids.
-Baby wipes clean melted marshmallows off of hands (and clothes) with great ease!
-Candy bars now cost a $1 each, which I find ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I remember when they were 4 for a dollar, and I KNOW I remember when they were 3 for a dollar, or 33 cents a piece. We were able to use one Hershey's bar for four S'mores by breaking it into fourths instead of just breaking the bar in half, which I think is the norm for S'mores. We found the chocolate was sufficient, especially for the kids. And you save a dollar. Yay.

Daddy makes us laugh!!

Quite possibly last family pic without Baby Brother!

Friday, September 30, 2011

'Bout Time

It's been awhile. I blame my laptop. It has a power-supply issue and dies if I nudge it, adjust the screen, or sneeze. I also blame my need of a nap. Nap always wins over Blog. Except today, I'm working through it out of the desire to update you before this baby comes out and I never blog ever again.

Summer is officially over. I felt like it lasted about eight months. I'm tempted to say it was hot and annoyingly long, but I think that'd sound ridiculous coming from someone who lives in an air-conditioned house with her well-fed, healthy children, and whose air-conditioned car stays in the cool(er) garage. Don't get me wrong, I always welcome summer with open arms, but once the crisp air of fall returns, I'm totally in love with a new season and am done with summer.

The kids are now 3 and 2, which I can hardly believe. Eli especially grew like a weed this summer. He's super tall and talks a good bit. He's thinned out so much, that ALL of his baby fat is gone. Charley is still hanging on to some, but Eli is just long, lean boy now. Sniff. I will be sad when his "mease" turns into "please" and his "wabbit" turns into "rabbit" and his "I wanna 'nuggle' " turns into "No thanks Mommy, I'm too old to snuggle." He is still such a happy boy, and loves smiling, laughing and being a flirt. He does have a super-shy streak, and will cover his ears when he gets around strangers. He loves singing and will fall asleep singing and wake up singing. Eli is like his daddy, and while he is a good sleeper, he can survive on little sleep and wakes up, for the most part, in a good mood. Charley is more like me in that respect... let me sleep and don't wake me up...or else. Eli has recently taken an interest in stuffed animals...for example, he will sit one down across from him and roll a ball to it, and he once opened a play laptop to show Abby Cadabby how it works. He often gives his bear(s) big hugs and exclaims, "He's CUTE!" And the way he says "cute" is...well...cute! His most favorite things in the world, well above stuffed animals, are sports! Football, "Backetball," "Bateball," Soccer. Loves loves loves. And he appears to be a lefty. Throws with his left. Eats with his left. Colors with his left. Etc. I guess we will know for sure within a few years.


Eli's Birthday Cupcakes

I'm two!!
I love how he's looking adoringly at his candle...

Charley... She is our imaginative little one, who talks talks talks or sings sings sings all the day through. She is full of drama and emotion, but you wouldn't know it if she was in a group of unfamiliar faces. That's when she clams up and sticks her finger in her mouth. She often says funny things, but often times isn't trying to be funny...she's dead serious. Her favorite things are the My Little Ponies my nieces handed down to her and pretending -- pretty much anything -- but lots of times pretending to shop with her cash register and grocery buggy. She loves books and flipping through the pages "reading" what they say (based on the picture or because we've read the book five bazillion times). If she is allowed to watch TV, she turns into an absolute zombie who is non-responsive to the English language. Apparently she gets this from her father, so I hear from his mother. We don't do TV much, but Blue's Clues, Dora and Dinosaur Train, oh and how could I forget Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, are the favs around here.

Our sweet girl...
Both kids remained fairly healthy all summer. In fact, we recently had our first snotty-nose since April, which was like a four-month stretch (which hadn't happened in like 3 years!). Cue the angels singing!! However, Charley and Eli are both prone to what appear to be viral fevers. They get super high fevers which can last anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days. "High" temp for Eli is like 102-103 and "high" for Charley is like 105-106, which goes without saying, is scary. We just keep them drugged up and give cool baths if needed (which is just plain treacherous for everyone involved). Anyways, this has happened three times this summer. Boo. But so grateful for their overall health... something I NEVER want to take for granted.
As far as the conditions of their hearts... well, we work on it every day. ALL day. As they've been young, it has been a lot of "behavior modification," but we certainly want to have "heart-change" and not just raise robots who know their manners but can't put themselves under authority. I'm learning daily, and have LOTS to learn about how to go about doing this. Grateful for a husband who takes the lead and fights the good fight along side of me.

Most Recent Family Pic. Eli is sitting on "the belly"

Pregnancy update? Well, I'll be 36 weeks in a couple days. Whoa. That's insane!! The most common question I get is, "How are you feeling?" and I often answer, "Can't complain." I really can't. I feel pretty good. I'm tired. And I have to wear annoying compression hose on my legs due to varicose vein issues. It takes like ten minutes to get them on in the morning, and by the time that's through, I'm so tired that I'm ready for bed! BUT, they make my legs feel much better and I just realized the other day, I have no swelling in my feet like I did with the other pregnancies (hence "compression" hose...you'd think I'd catch on quicker). I have low-blood pressure and low-blood sugar issues, so between the two, I often feel like I'm gonna pass out. Not fun. But...it's all worth it. And even though I said "I can't complain" that whole paragraph sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm really not trying to! Just trying to fill you in. Especially our family far way who doesn't have the luxury of seeing my amazing nude-colored hose. :) Can't wait 'til we meet this little boy!!

Mema and Granddaddy came to visit for Eli's bday, and we went to Sky Top!

So there's an update for ya. I really want to post more often. I will try! Until then...

Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Silly Things She Says, Part 2


"I had a grape popsicle and he had a carrot one" (Apparently orange colored things are carrot flavored).

One night I was telling Charley a story about "Princess Charlotte" and her brother "Prince Elijah." In the story, Prince Elijah bothered the Princess by taking something from her, but she said, "No thank you, No thank you!" and quickly forgave him. The story went on for a few minutes and then Charley interrupted me and said, "Hey Mommy...Can you go back to the 'page' with the "No thank you's" and put in a consequence there for the Prince?" Wow...she wants justice even in make-believe.

While touching my belly and talking real close to it... "Hey baby...I heard you kicking last Sunday. How 'bout you do it again so I can see how you do it?"

Charley often describes people by the color of the shirt they are wearing. For instance, "What is that green lady doing?" Unfortunately, she is often intrigued by people wearing black and white. The other day at CFA, she pointed to a table full of business men and loudly said, "Mommy, that is A LOT of mans, isn't it?!..... What is that white guys name?" She has also said, "What is that black man doing?" (white man in black shirt) and "Yeah, that brown guy did that." (black man in brown shirt).... I love the innocence of it...


"Mommy, may I have some water?"
"No you may not." (for the record, it was past bedtime and she had already had some)
-Long Pause-
Pointing at my belly, "Is the baby crying in there?"
"No, he doesn't cry."
"Why not?"
"Because he has everything he needs...like food and water"
"He has food and water?"
"Yes"
-Pause-Puts on puppy dog eyes-
"Well, then can I have some water since the baby does??"
(hmmm. water, no! teachable moment, yes!)

"Hey Charley...Are we having a baby cow?" No.
"A baby horse?" No.
"A baby dog?" No.
"Then what are we having?" A baby people.
"What kind?" A boy people.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Silly Things She Says, Part 1

Every three-year-old says funny things, and that's why I must get these down before I forget them and before she's not three anymore!

I told Charley we were going to the doctor for her three-year-old checkup. Hours later, she said, "Mommy, will the chipmunk at the doctor hurt me?" She continued to talk about the "chipmunk," as I was scratching my head, until I realized she was talking about her checkup at the doctor. I then started using the word "appointment," which she then confused with getting a shot. When we left, "Mommy, that appointment HURT me!"

That same day, after her checkup was complete, the doctor left the room and Charley asked, "Mommy...what was that thing around his neck??" I explained that it was his stethoscope and that he used it to listen to her heart. Without hesitation, she replied, "And he heard God in there!" This comment wins the cute award.

We were all in the car together as a family...D was driving... We pulled onto the interstate where they were doing road work, so there were cones everywhere. We had to veer around them quickly to enter the highway, and D commented, "Gee, that was drastic" and I agreed. Charley, who had observed the orange and white striped cones, asked, "What's a giraffe stick??" We tried to explain that we were saying "drastic" and that it meant "a sudden change," but of course that answer didn't fly. She proceeded to ask if giraffe sticks were what giraffes ate, and later, why did the giraffe sticks suddenly change? Eventually we gave up.

"Mommy, maybe one day when Daddy gets old like you, he can have a baby too."

This is my dad's favorite. We were visiting my parents and my dad was reading a book to Charley. She ended up getting frustrated because he wasn't reading it exactly the way she wanted, so she brought the book to my mom and said, "Mema, can you please read this book to me because Granddaddy can't read."

Back when Granddaddy Rose was sick, we were leaving my parents to go visit him. My dad, who is also "Granddaddy" asked Charley, "Don't you call Granddaddy Rose, Granddaddy too?" and Charley replied with a confused look on her face, "No...I just call him Granddaddy" (as in, not Granddaddy 2, duh, people).

Charley pointed at an overweight lady at a store and exclaimed in her naturally loud voice, "Look Mommy! That lady has a baby in her belly just like you!" This one wins the "most embarrassing thing said to date" award.

After Granddaddy Rose died, Charley asked if he had died on the cross like Jesus. I explained that he hadn't but that he was with Jesus. She then asked how Jesus and Granddaddy "got way up there"...I don't remember what I said, but she interrupted, "But God was with them, holding their hands, so they weren't scared, right??" Tear-jerker award.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Summer Cut

So we tried using the ear-guard piece thingy on our friend's clippers that we were borrowing to cut Eli's hair...and nearly gave him a bald spot. We then had to take it allll the way down. Good-bye curls. (for like a week until they grow back). He looks like such a big boy!

Go Cocks! Nat'l Champs Back to Back! You better believe mommy watched every second of every game and nearly had several heart attacks until our defense managed to pull out of  several one-out, bases-loaded situations. Maybe I will play beatball, as I call it, for Carolina one day.



If you are thinking, "that doesn't look so short," let me remind you of this hair-do...

Friday, July 1, 2011

Big-Girl Room

Move on over crib and changing table... A big girl is moving in!
The kids and I were gone last week, so D stayed up super late every night moving furniture around so that Charley would now have a big girl room. Partly because Eli will get her old furniture and the baby will get Eli's old furniture, and partly because it is just time! Time for Charley to be out of the crib (with the side down) and time to get that changing table out of there! I won't lie, it was kinda sad for me in a way! Charley's room has looked the same since we prepared it for her before she was born! Over three years ago! But, it's just a room and I'm grateful for her growth and transition to this new stage.


Hmmm....I think I like this...but I'm not sure.

Ooooo! Daddy set up the hope chest that had been in the guest room so that it now holds all of Charley's dress up clothes. So sweet.

Here's the big-girl bed. Thanks to our niece, Salley Kate, for passing down her quilt to Charley! The bed was my Mema's (Charlotte Blair) from before she married my grandfather in the 40's. My mom slept in it at some point in her childhood too.
Reading in my big girl bed.

 
Reading with daddy. The bed is now up against the wall instead of jutting out in the room. More floor space!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Cowboys and Princesses

Summertime=More time with Emrick!

"I think I'll round up a booger," says the cowboy.

Pretty pretty princesses

Please dance with me, Mam.