Is the expression really piss and vinegar? Well whatever it is, my daughter is full of it sometimes.
Emily, my second child, is full of sass. She puts up with nothing, as her older brother tries to muscle her around. One of her favorite expressions is "Go Away (sometimes followed by mama, much to my delight)." She alternates this fun phrase with "Leave me ALONE." Often she says one of these while swinging her arm to knock over whoever is invading her space. And she growls it with this mean, raspy voice that you wouldn't imagine could come out of such a cute little thing. My little spitfire is not playing and will not be pushed around.
So here is an example of how her little feisty personality came out today...
One of my friends in my mom's group commented that Emily had such cute little sandals on.
And not knowing how to take the compliment my sweet 23 month old, yells (in her gruff, mean voice, of course), "NO!! EMILY'S SHOES!"
"Don't worry, Emily. I won't take your shoes." said the friend.
I am sure that Emily was saying "Go away" in her head, but I coerced her to sweetly say "Thank You" instead.
I have been trying to teach her that it is not ok to say "Go away" all of the time. And sometimes during these lessons, she whispers it to me.
What a stinker!
8/28/2008
Future Ambitions
This week, Lucas shared some of his aspirations with me.
"When I grow up, I want to be an acrobat, a ballerina and a dentist."
Lately we play acrobats on a daily basis, rolling around on the floor, trying to stand on our heads, balancing him up in the air on my feet, etc. Ballerina??? We do have a ballerina puzzle. And dentist?? He does like to brush his teeth (and wants to do it all by himself, though I rarely let him and I always follow up with the paste myself, just to be sure).
Today he added a new one to the list after we toured a local fire station with my mom's group. As a side note: It was an amazing field trip as one of the mom's in the group got her husband, fireman Dennis, to give us the grand tour. We saw their bedroom, kitchen, big screen TV, got to ride in the truck and spray the hose, hold their various tools, the kids even got "Fire Chief" helmets. My kids, especially Lucas, were in heaven. Even Emily got a turn with the hose. So fun...
I was talking about our memorable day at dinner and Lucas then added that he wanted to be a fireman someday. Actually earlier in the day he had said that when he was bigger he was going to go into the fire station and say "Can I drive the firetruck? Yes or No?" He makes me smile.
Another thing that made me chuckle was when we asked Emily at the table what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said emphatically, "Spiderman" with a straight, serious face.
"When I grow up, I want to be an acrobat, a ballerina and a dentist."
Lately we play acrobats on a daily basis, rolling around on the floor, trying to stand on our heads, balancing him up in the air on my feet, etc. Ballerina??? We do have a ballerina puzzle. And dentist?? He does like to brush his teeth (and wants to do it all by himself, though I rarely let him and I always follow up with the paste myself, just to be sure).
Today he added a new one to the list after we toured a local fire station with my mom's group. As a side note: It was an amazing field trip as one of the mom's in the group got her husband, fireman Dennis, to give us the grand tour. We saw their bedroom, kitchen, big screen TV, got to ride in the truck and spray the hose, hold their various tools, the kids even got "Fire Chief" helmets. My kids, especially Lucas, were in heaven. Even Emily got a turn with the hose. So fun...
I was talking about our memorable day at dinner and Lucas then added that he wanted to be a fireman someday. Actually earlier in the day he had said that when he was bigger he was going to go into the fire station and say "Can I drive the firetruck? Yes or No?" He makes me smile.
Another thing that made me chuckle was when we asked Emily at the table what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said emphatically, "Spiderman" with a straight, serious face.
8/19/2008
Trials (and Joys) of Motherhood
We've had a busy morning. I had to take Lucas into the Pediatrician because he had blood in his stool yesterday (the third time that I have noticed it this summer). He checked him out and decided to have a stomach X-ray done. I had to wait for hours in the office with two wiggly kids and then had to get my 3-year-old to lie still by himself on a table to get a tummy X-ray. This is very scary stuff, but Lucas surprised me by being super brave. He is really growing up!
After all of that, it turns out that my boy is constipated. The doc could see the evidence in the X-ray. Just as I suspected all along, my kid is full of #$%*;-).
After a lovely anniversary picnic with Daddy, we had to stop by the store and pick up all kinds of food assistance (prunes, apricots, pineapple). Later I have to go back and pick up a couple of prescriptions for him, too.
I also need to get one for Emily, whose diaper rash yesterday was so bad her diaper had blood in it. I had her wear underwear for most of the day and even let her walk around with a bare bottom for awhile. It was like we were potty training. And it was a long day full of accidents and messes. She even pooped on the carpeting when she was bare. It wasn't solid either which made it especially fun to clean up.
When I got home today, I called my friend, Becky, who is sitting for us tonight so that we can go out and celebrate 8 years of marriage. She had just come home from the Emergency Room with her daughter who is Emily's age to remove a Lego that she had shoved up her nose. Sheesh. "We just got back from stomach X-rays."
It is never easy to be a mom (what an idiot I was, when I thought that it would be!!). But when they hug and cuddle you and tell you that they love you, it makes it all the day's challenges and troubles melt away. And when I see their angelic, content faces sleeping serenely, there is nothing in the world that I would rather be than their mama. Nothing harder, but nothing better!
After all of that, it turns out that my boy is constipated. The doc could see the evidence in the X-ray. Just as I suspected all along, my kid is full of #$%*;-).
After a lovely anniversary picnic with Daddy, we had to stop by the store and pick up all kinds of food assistance (prunes, apricots, pineapple). Later I have to go back and pick up a couple of prescriptions for him, too.
I also need to get one for Emily, whose diaper rash yesterday was so bad her diaper had blood in it. I had her wear underwear for most of the day and even let her walk around with a bare bottom for awhile. It was like we were potty training. And it was a long day full of accidents and messes. She even pooped on the carpeting when she was bare. It wasn't solid either which made it especially fun to clean up.
When I got home today, I called my friend, Becky, who is sitting for us tonight so that we can go out and celebrate 8 years of marriage. She had just come home from the Emergency Room with her daughter who is Emily's age to remove a Lego that she had shoved up her nose. Sheesh. "We just got back from stomach X-rays."
It is never easy to be a mom (what an idiot I was, when I thought that it would be!!). But when they hug and cuddle you and tell you that they love you, it makes it all the day's challenges and troubles melt away. And when I see their angelic, content faces sleeping serenely, there is nothing in the world that I would rather be than their mama. Nothing harder, but nothing better!
8/15/2008
Reading Maniac
I have had an insatiable appetite for books lately. In the past month or so, I have read the following:
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- Into the Wild
- Tuesdays with Morrie
- World Without End
- Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (this has been read on and off for a few months)
- The Bible (though not the whole thing in a month;-)
It is time for me to take a reading sabbatical for at least a few days anyway. I need to clean the house, talk to my husband and feed the kids again. Seriously, I sat down the other day with them and read while they played in the sandbox and later watched Bambi.
Any good book suggestions once my reading fast is through??
8/06/2008
7/31/2008
Grody Head
So after 9 days of no real washing, my hair didn't look half bad in the end. Sure the greasy locks contributed to some enormous zits on my forehead that still haven't cleared up. But despite those and the fact that I felt grosser than usual most days, I found out that I really don't need to daily wash the hair.A couple people suggested using baby powder to help freshen the head, so I hesitantly tried it. It left me with a gross baby butt smell, a funky texture and powdered looking, grayish hair. I do not recommend this method.
I also found that I could wash most of it if I was careful in the tub not to get the stapled part in the water. I did this several times. I also used a shower cap on the top of my head and just washed the bottom part a few times, too.
The ironic thing about the above mentioned shower cap was that we got it at a hotel the day before my accident. Michael picked it up in the hotel bathroom and said, "Does anyone actually use these things?" I reminded him about the time he had stapes in his head and how a shower cap would have been useful as I slipped it into our bag "just in case we need it sometime." Little did I know I would be using it the next night.
On another interesting (and somewhat disgusting) sidenote: I got a stomach bug the evening that I was supposed to get my staple out. As luck would have it, I ended up puking in the already filthy hair. Still feeling kind of sick, I decided that I had to go in anyway so that I could wash my freakin' hair already. I drove myself in and got the staple out and got myself home just in time to be sick again. Nice, huh.
It seems that I did attempt to partially wash or powder my hair almost every day. So I guess that is why it didn't look so very bad after 9 long days.
By the way, I am feeling better now and I have really been appreciating my showers again!!
7/23/2008
Metal Head
I officially have metal in my head again. The last time I had this I was 14 years old waiting to get my braces off. The braces lasted 4 years (I think). This staple that I now have gracing my skull will be out in another week. Thank goodness for that because I have to keep my head dry until then. No washing the hair until it's removal, though I cheated twice, trying to keep the area hair dry and failed miserably. I even had to go back in the the morning the day after it was inserted to "get my head checked" and see if I had to have it restapled. The staple felt like it was pulling out. Probably because I got it wet the evening before. Luckily, it was ok that day. Just now, I was able to wiggle it like a loose tooth, though. Hmmm. Is that normal?
So, why do I have this staple in my head you ask?
Well, the afternoon after we returned home, I was in a frenzy of getting organized again. Dirty clothes were in sorted piles on the kitchen floor. Grocery bags were on the table waiting to be unpacked. Mike and I were talking and both started to start putting the groceries away in the kitchen cabinets. I looked down and noticed that the kid's laundry pile had their filthy white socks and decided to sort them into our load for bleaching. I didn't pay attention to the fact that the kitchen cabinets were standing open above me and bent to sort the socks. When I stood up straight, the cabinet door (which felt like it was made of petrified wood) went right into my head. I crumpled to the floor and cried. I am a tough girl, but it hurt that bad! I just knew that it was bleeding and sure enough I had an open wound.
That night, I took myself to an emergency clinic to get my head fixed. A tetnus shot and one staple later (they actually use a medical staple gun to put it in!) and I am doing better. Let's just hope my hair holds out for a week of no washing and that I don't catch the staple on the brush anymore. That really smarts.
Signed,
One Greasy Woman
P.S. I will post a photo of how bad the do looks on the last day! Stay tuned...
So, why do I have this staple in my head you ask?
Well, the afternoon after we returned home, I was in a frenzy of getting organized again. Dirty clothes were in sorted piles on the kitchen floor. Grocery bags were on the table waiting to be unpacked. Mike and I were talking and both started to start putting the groceries away in the kitchen cabinets. I looked down and noticed that the kid's laundry pile had their filthy white socks and decided to sort them into our load for bleaching. I didn't pay attention to the fact that the kitchen cabinets were standing open above me and bent to sort the socks. When I stood up straight, the cabinet door (which felt like it was made of petrified wood) went right into my head. I crumpled to the floor and cried. I am a tough girl, but it hurt that bad! I just knew that it was bleeding and sure enough I had an open wound.
That night, I took myself to an emergency clinic to get my head fixed. A tetnus shot and one staple later (they actually use a medical staple gun to put it in!) and I am doing better. Let's just hope my hair holds out for a week of no washing and that I don't catch the staple on the brush anymore. That really smarts.
Signed,
One Greasy Woman
P.S. I will post a photo of how bad the do looks on the last day! Stay tuned...
7/21/2008
She'll Eat Anything (except real food)
We just returned home (Saturday night) from a road trip to Colorado for a week of camping. It was a fun time, but I am still recovering from the vacation. The car isn't fully unloaded, there are still piles of laundry to do and put away, etc.
Here is a funny story from our adventures:
Along the way, we stopped at a gas station to fuel up, get drinks and use the potty. I took both kids inside with me to potty while Mike pumped the gas. I had just sat on the bowl when I noticed Emily quickly bend down, snap something small and brown off the gas station bathroom floor and shove it into her mouth. Oh no she didn't.
"Spit that out! Yucky!!!!" I screamed. I was up in an instant, reaming out her mouth all the while gagging in my head. She began crying as I fished a brown M&M out of her pie hole. Gaaaaarossss!
I think that it was one that had fallen off of her clothes and onto the floor (we had been snacking on the treat in the car). Shew, at least it was a food substance and probably ours. Perhaps she was following the 5 second rule.
Sorry sweetheart, that rule doesn't apply in a public restroom!!
So my Emily hardly ate any real food on this trip. And we offered her some of her favorites. She just ate when it was off of a filthy, germ infested plate called the bathroom floor. Yuck.
Here is a funny story from our adventures:
Along the way, we stopped at a gas station to fuel up, get drinks and use the potty. I took both kids inside with me to potty while Mike pumped the gas. I had just sat on the bowl when I noticed Emily quickly bend down, snap something small and brown off the gas station bathroom floor and shove it into her mouth. Oh no she didn't.
"Spit that out! Yucky!!!!" I screamed. I was up in an instant, reaming out her mouth all the while gagging in my head. She began crying as I fished a brown M&M out of her pie hole. Gaaaaarossss!
I think that it was one that had fallen off of her clothes and onto the floor (we had been snacking on the treat in the car). Shew, at least it was a food substance and probably ours. Perhaps she was following the 5 second rule.
Sorry sweetheart, that rule doesn't apply in a public restroom!!
So my Emily hardly ate any real food on this trip. And we offered her some of her favorites. She just ate when it was off of a filthy, germ infested plate called the bathroom floor. Yuck.
7/01/2008
Soccer Momin' it Up
Well, we did it. We bought me a minivan. And just in time for my birthday. We actually spent 3 stressful hours of my birthday signing the paperwork and bringing home my sweet new ride. What a gift!
I was actually too scared to drive it from the dealership, but I took it up the street to church the next day and was really impressed by the way it handles. I didn't notice it feeling like a huge vehicle and the visibility was great.
It is an awesome car and doesn't look half bad either...for a minivan. It's not my pre-kids, sassy red Miata, but maybe is the cool mom alternative. And boy, will it let us hold a lot of camping gear for our upcoming halfway across the country, road trip to Colorado. Much more than the microscopic Miata would have.
6/25/2008
Dream Minivan
WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?!!?
I am actually getting excited about owning one of those mom mobiles that I claimed for years that I would NEVER drive. A minivan like my mom drove and I had as my super embarrassing car to borrow in high school. And we are on the road to buying one. We are in the market anyway and hope to have one before our road trip to Colorado this summer for a week of camping (the gear would be definitely be a tight fit in my Escape).
What does it take, though, to find something that is affordable, reliable, remotely cool looking, with low mileage and not being sold by someone trying to scam you (I have actually had two people try to get me to send them money in the UK this week on Craigs List)? My first choice at this point is a Honda Odyssey, but it is hard to find one that meets all of our requirements and that we can afford.
There I said it. I want a minivan. We will actually be able to fit our third child if and when we have one, and the visiting grandparents, and sometimes the roommate, too.
Any shred of coolness that I was gripping onto for dear life is now flying out the window of my SUV. Yes, a minivan...what a nice, practical ride!
I am actually getting excited about owning one of those mom mobiles that I claimed for years that I would NEVER drive. A minivan like my mom drove and I had as my super embarrassing car to borrow in high school. And we are on the road to buying one. We are in the market anyway and hope to have one before our road trip to Colorado this summer for a week of camping (the gear would be definitely be a tight fit in my Escape).
What does it take, though, to find something that is affordable, reliable, remotely cool looking, with low mileage and not being sold by someone trying to scam you (I have actually had two people try to get me to send them money in the UK this week on Craigs List)? My first choice at this point is a Honda Odyssey, but it is hard to find one that meets all of our requirements and that we can afford.
There I said it. I want a minivan. We will actually be able to fit our third child if and when we have one, and the visiting grandparents, and sometimes the roommate, too.
Any shred of coolness that I was gripping onto for dear life is now flying out the window of my SUV. Yes, a minivan...what a nice, practical ride!
5/21/2008
Beach Photos
This weekend, we stayed with my cousin Landis and his wife Kat at their place in Richmond, just outside of San Francisco. To kill some time before dinner, we took a walk with the kids along the Bay Trail and enjoyed the sights along the way. The kids loved playing in the sand at the beach. Mike and I captured some cute shots there.
Our Freaky Fun Weekend
We went to San Francisco this weekend to take part in the Bay to Breakers 12K. The infamous road race was in it's 97th year. It is a wild and crazy event that is notoriously San Franciscan, complete with costumed runners and "uncostumed" ones, too (a.k.a. naked participants). Seriously. Our first sighting of a nudist, was actually a bouncing male spectator near the start. A weird sight for sure and we found it kind of hard not to stare. As the race progressed and we saw more flesh, we got mostly used to it. Not to mention that all of the streakers (that we witnessed) were older men who really should have kept their clothes on in my humble opinion. Oh well.
We ran as a family and were fully clothed, thank you. In fact, we all dressed up in costume: me as Wonder Woman, Mike in drag (just kidding, really as a cow), Lucas as a lion and Emily as Elmo.Mike, my seriously strong husband, pushed the kids in a double jogging stroller for the entire 7.5 miles, even up a really steep San Francisco hill. And he didn't complain once. What a guy!! He and the kids were huge fan pleasers, too. Everyone was yelling "Hey cow!" and "moo" and telling the kids (who were just along for the ride, mind you;-) that they were doing great. Even giving them high fives. And me, nothing, except one drunk guy who beckoned me with a "Hey Super Girl!" I even went to slap a five to a person that had just given one to my husband and they pulled their hand down just before we connected. I was overshadowed by a cow and a couple cute kiddos. Perhaps next time I will push the stroller and get more support.
We saw some interesting sights, like a straight looking guy on our train into town wearing pink hotpants and a fuzzy, cropped sweater and a care bear headpiece (he was going to the race). A team of people dressed as salmon walking the opposite way of the racers (swimming upstream). A masked Hillary and Obama arm in arm waving at the crowd. And a shocking "Save the Boobs" float that was promoting breast cancer awareness.
Tonight, I received my race photos and noticed that a naked guy and I finished at the same time. Great, weird naked guy stole the thunder in my finishers photo, too. Dang it!
All in all it was a great time, despite the 2 hour bus ordeal where the driver got lost, being cold and exhausted and unable to nap afterwards like I always used to do following hard races. It makes a difference doing these things post kids.
5/04/2008
A Little About Me
Where was I 10 years ago?
I was 21 years old and just about to graduate from college. I was pretty unsure about the future: I had no idea what I would do after graduation (no job lined up, not sure where to live as my parents were out of state, yet the boyfriend, Michael, was back home). I also had a nagging fear that I would be one credit short and unable to graduate.
5 things on my "to-do" list...
- Become more like Jesus and follow more fervently after him
- Get cracking and more serious with my marathon training
- Enjoy life more
- Keep the house cleaner
- Get to bed at a better hour so I am not tired ALL of the time
Snacks I enjoy
- granola bars
- yogurt
- dried fruit
- chocolate
- a cup of coffee, heavy on the sugar and cream
- teddy grahams or goldfish crackers (stolen from the kids;-)
- fresh baked goods
- Pay off debt.
- Give generously to the church and other charitable organizations.
- Buy a minivan for me so we can all fit easier and an Evolution for Michael so he's not working on his dumb car all the time.
- Pay for my family and Michael's to move out here. We miss them so!
- Travel around the world (Italy, cruise to some exotic islands, maybe even live in different places for a while just to try them out).
- Craig's List
- Anger
- Pride
- Talking at inappropriate times or too much
- Saying idiotic things (mostly being accidentally rude, foot in mouth type stuff)
Places I've lived...
- Chicago, IL
- Casselberry, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Tallahassee, FL
- Roseville, CA
- Fifi's Poodle Palace-I washed dogs, painted their toenails, put bows in their hair and perfumed them, too. Seriously! First job.
- Retail (County Seat, Circuit City, Petite Sophisticate)
- Food (Angel's Diner, Barnies Coffee)
- Cumulus Broadcasting-My college internship. I was the promotions assistant. The job rocked!! I got to do parades and other events, live broadcasts, even helped out with a morning show once.
- American Real Estate and Financial Services-Marketing Assistant. First job out of college. I was told that I was so good at making copies! That made me proud;-).
- Laser Institute of America-Marketing Coordinator. Got to travel around the country to do various trade shows and conferences.
- Campus Crusade for Christ-Marketing Manager and eventually Event Planning Manager which I loved!! Great place to work.
4/28/2008
Watch What You Read
We returned our library books today. The large stack included a board book that Emily threw up on during a coughing fit in her bed recently (she now has asthema like her brother--JOY!). I cleaned it up as best as I could with wipes and Lysol. I told the librarian about it and said that I was prepared to buy the puked upon book. She looked it over and determined that it didn't appear damaged.
So...all of you locals, don't let your kids cuddle too much with the library book "Hugs." If you see it on the rack, maybe pass it on by...
We also let Lucas read his library books while pooping on the potty. Wasn't there a Seinfeld where George took a book into the restroom and the was forced to buy it/couldn't return it? Hmmmm...
So...all of you locals, don't let your kids cuddle too much with the library book "Hugs." If you see it on the rack, maybe pass it on by...
We also let Lucas read his library books while pooping on the potty. Wasn't there a Seinfeld where George took a book into the restroom and the was forced to buy it/couldn't return it? Hmmmm...
4/27/2008
The Haps
Today my butt hurts. We did squats yesterday and I am feeling it. I love (and hate) the pain!! Our new, somewhat lofty goal is to try getting up one morning at 5:30 am to work out, and hopefully one evening and weekend morning, too. I also want to get in 3 runs per week, one of them being a long run. I am really going need to start getting serious about this if I want to be able to complete the CIM (California International Marathon) with my sister in December and not walk (er...limp) away injured like I did last time. These workout goals are pretty lofty as we have had weeks go by with no gym workouts together and me only getting a run or two in, but I hope that we succeed. Maybe more exercise will help me not feel so darn tired all of the time. Such a catch-22, though, because I often feel too tired to be motivated to exercise.
We are planning on doing The Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco in a few weeks. It is a very unique event where most runners dress up in costume (and some even illegally don their birthday suits). I plan to be Wonder Woman and I think that Mike will be running as a cow.
Oh and we had a new roommate move in this weekend. Jeanette is Michael's age, sweet, quiet and great with kids. In fact, she now teaches at a Montessori school and was previously a nanny. Lucas was kissing her at dinner on the night that she moved in which is really quick for him to be won over. I think that it will be a really great thing for us and her.
We are planning on doing The Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco in a few weeks. It is a very unique event where most runners dress up in costume (and some even illegally don their birthday suits). I plan to be Wonder Woman and I think that Mike will be running as a cow.
Oh and we had a new roommate move in this weekend. Jeanette is Michael's age, sweet, quiet and great with kids. In fact, she now teaches at a Montessori school and was previously a nanny. Lucas was kissing her at dinner on the night that she moved in which is really quick for him to be won over. I think that it will be a really great thing for us and her.
4/16/2008
Road Rash
Lucas was practicing on his big boy bike yesterday, a two wheeler with training wheels that our neighbor, Blake, gave him. He was doing great and looked like such a big kid riding it. Before I helped him climb on, I told him that we really need to get him a helmet. Of course, those were famous last words.I suggested that he turn around in our neighbors driveway to head home. He did so, but went over the curb, lost his balance and flew from the bike, hitting his head and face on the street. I watched it happen from a few feet away. I heard the sickening thump of my child's skull connecting with the road. He started screaming and I ran to him and scooped him up in my arms. I was too scared to look at his face, for fear that he had knocked out a tooth or scraped up his handsome cheeks. I just held my screaming son to me and walked home, leaving the bike in a heap behind.
Emily was across the street in our driveway when it happened and walked into the street to help her brother. "Lukie, Lukie" she called walking across the street with her arms out. I hustled over to her to get her to safety.
I took Lucas home and realized that he was screaming now for his bike and his shoe that he apparently lost when he fell. I set him down to retrieve his things and was so relieved to see that some splotchy road rash was the only injury that he suffered. His mouth and teeth were intact and there was no blood on his face. Praise God!
And today one of the first things that we did was to buy him that darn helmet that I have been putting off.
4/09/2008
Like a Sailor
My boy started cussin' tonight. It was bound to happen. I just didn't expect it until middle school or so. A drop of butter fell from his bread onto the plate and he said, "CRAP."
I wasn't sure if I had heard him right.
"What did you say, Lucas?"
"CRAP!!"
Yep, I heard him loud and clear that time.
"Where did you learn that word?"
"Grandpa."
So I will let Grandpa take credit for teaching my little boy to swear, but really he probably picked up crap from me. I do let the occasional crap or worse slip out accidentally.
I wasn't sure if I had heard him right.
"What did you say, Lucas?"
"CRAP!!"
Yep, I heard him loud and clear that time.
"Where did you learn that word?"
"Grandpa."
So I will let Grandpa take credit for teaching my little boy to swear, but really he probably picked up crap from me. I do let the occasional crap or worse slip out accidentally.
And Speaking of That...
Emily went poopy in the potty today!! I don't want to get my hopes up, but maybe she will train early. She has been going pee pee periodically for a couple months, too. What a big girl!! It helps that she always wants to do what her big brother does.
4/06/2008
All Because of a Coat
We met Michael for lunch yesterday at a KFC near his office. The man in front of me in line was wearing a Miami Hurricanes jacket. The Hurricanes were another arch rival of my college football team, the Florida State Seminoles.
It is always neat to meet someone from back home, too, so I said something about his jacket. We struck up an easy conversation about Florida and college football rivalries. He told us that he was in town for a Lutheran Pastors Conference.
"Oh, my best friend grew up Lutheran. In fact, her mother, Carol, works for a Lutheran office in Orlando."
"Carol, you know Carol?! I grew up with Carol in Fort Lauderdale. She used to be a dental hygienist and worked on my teeth."
What a fun small world experience!
So Carol...
Pastor Jim (I think that was his name??) in Tampa is visiting Sacramento, happened to run into your daughter's best friend at a KFC and says "Hi." If he is single, I think that you should consider marrying him!;-). Pretty coincidental.
It is always neat to meet someone from back home, too, so I said something about his jacket. We struck up an easy conversation about Florida and college football rivalries. He told us that he was in town for a Lutheran Pastors Conference.
"Oh, my best friend grew up Lutheran. In fact, her mother, Carol, works for a Lutheran office in Orlando."
"Carol, you know Carol?! I grew up with Carol in Fort Lauderdale. She used to be a dental hygienist and worked on my teeth."
What a fun small world experience!
So Carol...
Pastor Jim (I think that was his name??) in Tampa is visiting Sacramento, happened to run into your daughter's best friend at a KFC and says "Hi." If he is single, I think that you should consider marrying him!;-). Pretty coincidental.
4/05/2008
Surprise Dinner Guests
The authorities paid me a visit again. This time they made a house call right in the middle of dinner.
Instead of it being a California Highway Patrolman racing after me on the freeway, it was the Roseville Fire Department, 3 firefighters and their shiny red truck all in our front yard.
We heard the truck rumble up and I hoped aloud that it might be UPS delivering a surprise package. WooHoo, what could it be?
Michael said that he thought it sounded like a bigger truck than UPS, maybe a even fire truck.
And Lucas excitedly chimed in, "Maybe the fire truck is coming to rescue me!" From what, we will never know? Hey, my dinner wasn't that bad;-).
Michael got up, looked out the window and confirmed that it was a fire truck. No package for me, but still kind of exciting. What is going on? My thoughts immediately flashed to the girls that I had corrected 30 minutes or so earlier for laying in the middle cul-du-sac (eating popsicles and lying in the road--so smart). "Girls, that is not a safe thing for you to do." I prayed that they had not foolishly laid back in the street and gotten hit.
We all jumped up to peer out and see what was going on and were shocked to see the uniforms coming out of the truck and heading up our driveway. What the?
They had received a call from a neighbor in the neighborhood behind us reporting smoke in our backyard. They had even given our address. Hmmm, no smoke back there and I hadn't even burned dinner. Weird. I wondered how neighbors behind us would know our street address, but shrugged it off.
I put it all together just now, hours later. I think that those girls played a prank on us to get back at me for scolding them. They called 911 and reported a disturbance at our house. Would a couple of 7-year-old girls do such a thing? I made lots of prank calls when I was a kid, but never one like that!
They both seem like sassy girls with little adult supervision or respect for authority. They walk around the neighborhood like they own the place, even sometimes peering in our windows, picking our landscaping (flowers) and playing in our front yard. I've corrected them before about these things and wonder sometimes if I am being a mean, crabby woman. The kind that yells at the kids to stay out of her flower beds, but I don't know, I feel like they should know better. I teach my kids to stay out of people's yards. It is not polite to trespass. And come on, we have flowers and pretty things in our yard to make it look nice and to enjoy. Not so that the neighbor kids can wear flowers in their hair and play flower girls by littering the rose petals all over the sidewalk. Pick your own darn landscaping! But I digress...
Well, if nothing else, the surprise fire department visit provided us with some dinnertime excitement! Lucas loved seeing his heroes come to our house.
Now what to do about the sassafras potential pranksters? Making a false 911 call is a pretty serious offense!!
Instead of it being a California Highway Patrolman racing after me on the freeway, it was the Roseville Fire Department, 3 firefighters and their shiny red truck all in our front yard.
We heard the truck rumble up and I hoped aloud that it might be UPS delivering a surprise package. WooHoo, what could it be?
Michael said that he thought it sounded like a bigger truck than UPS, maybe a even fire truck.
And Lucas excitedly chimed in, "Maybe the fire truck is coming to rescue me!" From what, we will never know? Hey, my dinner wasn't that bad;-).
Michael got up, looked out the window and confirmed that it was a fire truck. No package for me, but still kind of exciting. What is going on? My thoughts immediately flashed to the girls that I had corrected 30 minutes or so earlier for laying in the middle cul-du-sac (eating popsicles and lying in the road--so smart). "Girls, that is not a safe thing for you to do." I prayed that they had not foolishly laid back in the street and gotten hit.
We all jumped up to peer out and see what was going on and were shocked to see the uniforms coming out of the truck and heading up our driveway. What the?
They had received a call from a neighbor in the neighborhood behind us reporting smoke in our backyard. They had even given our address. Hmmm, no smoke back there and I hadn't even burned dinner. Weird. I wondered how neighbors behind us would know our street address, but shrugged it off.
I put it all together just now, hours later. I think that those girls played a prank on us to get back at me for scolding them. They called 911 and reported a disturbance at our house. Would a couple of 7-year-old girls do such a thing? I made lots of prank calls when I was a kid, but never one like that!
They both seem like sassy girls with little adult supervision or respect for authority. They walk around the neighborhood like they own the place, even sometimes peering in our windows, picking our landscaping (flowers) and playing in our front yard. I've corrected them before about these things and wonder sometimes if I am being a mean, crabby woman. The kind that yells at the kids to stay out of her flower beds, but I don't know, I feel like they should know better. I teach my kids to stay out of people's yards. It is not polite to trespass. And come on, we have flowers and pretty things in our yard to make it look nice and to enjoy. Not so that the neighbor kids can wear flowers in their hair and play flower girls by littering the rose petals all over the sidewalk. Pick your own darn landscaping! But I digress...
Well, if nothing else, the surprise fire department visit provided us with some dinnertime excitement! Lucas loved seeing his heroes come to our house.
Now what to do about the sassafras potential pranksters? Making a false 911 call is a pretty serious offense!!
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