Hey, you are looking a little trampy, Barbie.

Barbies were a big hit this Christmas at the Perryman house.  One of the not so pleasant side effects of having a house full of barbies is that you inevitably end up with a house full of naked barbies.  There are times when I walk into Abby's room (aka barbie central) and literally every single barbie is disrobed. 

Why?

Theory one: The clothes are hard to put on.  I have put approximately 100 barbie outfits in the last 3 weeks so I am an expert.  It is difficult to cloth them.  Once the dress is off, it is hard to get back on, without a crow bar and a lot of time.  I am glad I have a college degree so I know the exact angle to bend the barbie arm so the dress will go on.  I know the exact amount of pressure to put on the barbie foot so that the shoe will go on the foot instead of the foot wiggling out again.

Theory two: Art imitates life.  My kids like to be naked.  They would like to be naked all the time if I would let them.  Most days, Harper walks in from school and immediately takes off her shoes, socks and pants.  My friends come over and I am usually trying to make Harper put on a pair of pants seconds before they walk in the front door.  I don't always succeed.  I make Harper wear a shirt and underwear all the time, but she won't if  I don't make her.  Right now, my three big kids are all asleep in just their underwear.  I've given up on trying to make them were pajamas. 

Theory three: The clothes are so trampy, the barbies might as well be naked.  Every single barbie dress is super short.  Every pair of barbie shoes are stilettos.  Come on barbie, where are you going to wear these outfits?  Not to church or the library.  Not to the office or the grocery.  I guess the kids figure that where ever the barbies are going in those clothes, the barbies might as well go naked.

The flu does not count as a Christmas present

This year, my kids decided to get sick for Christmas.  In turn, each kid spiked a fever and was down on the couch for their turn with the flu.  My new snuggie that Harper gave me for my birthday came in handy as the favorite blanket during sick episodes.

Cece did sick the best because her illness came with a side of projectile vomit....be thankful I didn't take a picture because I was holding her each time.  Matt saw it happen and he can describe it if you would like, but please don't ask.
I took all four of my kids to the doctor on the Saturday before Christmas to get them checked out and to see if any meds could help.  I also took them BACK in on Christmas eve to have Cece rechecked.  It is times like this where I can see other parents looking at me and thinking: "why does that crazy woman have a traveling zoo with her at the doctor's office?"  Their thoughts come out in much nicer statements, like "you've got your hands full," or "what beautiful children," but I know.  What else could you say if you saw this all sneezing, feverish and loud in the waiting room sitting next to you?  You are just reaching for the hand sanitizer hoping that we all have the same form of one disease (instead of four different diseases) to spread to you and yours.  Giving is better than receiving at Christmas.

The kids did rally for Christmas.  While we were disappointed that we couldn't carry out our fun tradition of Christmas with Aunt Shandra and Uncle Thomas, we were very excited that Santa made it to our house.  I have lots of great Christmas pictures, but some of my favorites are the ones with "sick eyes."   You can see it in their eyes that they don't feel good, but gosh darn it, Santa came and they are going to have fun!

Christmas 2012

Even with the illnesses that made it into our house, we had a lovely Christmas.  It was CeCe's first Christmas and the big kids had a blast.  They are just the right ages to get it.  They understand the Christmas story and they like spending time together. While I may gripe about the occasional hardships of a large family, days like this make it totally worth it.  Here are a few of the good ones from Christmas.



Everyone made into this picture.  I like to call it "Christmas carnage."



Will riding his new bike in the foyer.

Hello Kitty and a craft?  This is so Abby.

Harper and I played princess legos all around the house.



Baby C and me on Christmas morning.  I am still in my pajamas and my hair is not brushed, but I do have coffee.

 

Here is Cece in her Christmas outfit.  Abby has learned how to read the words on the pants.  Every time I hold Cece up, she comes by and pokes her in the butt so she can show that she is reading the words.

I am Baby C

Life is pretty good. Mom holds me all the time. I make sure it stays that way, because I scream when she puts me down. I don’t care if she puts me down in the bouncy seat or the swing or the car seat, I scream.  I scream the whole time. Then Mom picks me up and I don’t scream. Sometimes Will holds me too. That is tolerable. But I refuse to let Dad hold me. I scream.

All and all, this family thing is cool. There is usually lots of activity and places to go.  I think the other little people might be crazy.  Who am I fooling, I think the big people might be nuts too.  Look what Mom let the little people do the other day.

I have a few new tricks that Mom seems to like.  I make these cute noises that are not even words.  Mom goes nuts and smiles really big.  Then I smile because she smiles.  It is just one big smile party. 

Don't worry, I have other tricks as well.  I can blow spit bubbles. If Mom holds me just right, I can poop all over her and my clothes. Life is pretty good.

My Productive Self and Non-productive Self

My Productive Self (PS) and my non-productive self  (NPS) are at odds most days. Here is what I hear them say to one another:

PS: Hey.

NPS:Hey, good to see you (they are very cordial to one another).

PS: What did you think of dinner last night?

NPS: Some of your best work.  You were really productive.

PS: Aw, thanks.  I worked really hard. 

NPS: Too bad the kids didn't eat one bite.

PS: Typical.

NPS: What? Sorry, I was watching Good Morning America.

PS: So what are your plans today?

NPS: Plans are really more your thing. I was going sit on the couch and hold the baby. Maybe take a shower but I don’t want to set my sights too high. I am okay to go one more day without a shower.

PS: Disapproving look.

NPS: Did you want to do something?

PS: I am glad you asked. I wanted to finish the Christmas cards, clean out Abby’s drawers, go buy stamps, call about repairing the windshields on the cars, scrub the bathroom, do the dishes and review the online customer reviews about pumps. We need to check work email as well, don’t forget. If we still have extra time between baby feedings, let’s run to Martins and get something fun to make for dinner.

NPS: No. Let’s watch the whole HBO series The Girls on demand.

PS: Wait, that seems incredibly….

NPS: Incredibly what?

PS: Lazy.

NPS: I agree to a shower and I will blow dry my hair. Don't we get points for nursing the baby ALL THE TIME and for picking up the big kids off the bus on time?

PS: Lazy.

NPS: Shhh…The Girls is on. Don’t you want to see this?

While I love both my productive self and my non-productive self, the latter has been putting the better agenda forward.  This is what maternity leave is about.  It is a reward, almost a prize for having a baby. Both my productive self and my non-productive self can feel the wonderful maternity leave days slipping away and don’t want to miss their chances for greatness. NPS wins once more today; we count the shower as a great achomplishment.

Lord, please don't let this little girl get hurt again

Abby has inherited my grace and agility.  Abby, I am sorry about that.  We were working on Christmas cards on Saturday morning.  I walked over to get the waffles out of the toaster.  When I was walking back, I watched as Abby simply fell out of the chair she was sitting in.  She just hit the floor.  It was not on purpose.  It surprised her as much as it surprised me.  She came up with a huge scrape on her nose.  It joins the bruise on her forehead she got the night before while wrestling with her brother.  Dang girl, you look like you got beat up. 

This is not Abby's first run in with injuries.  There was the infamous toenail that fell off when she hit it with a door.  Abby handled it with her own style, which eased the pain but did not stop the grossness. When her toe nail fell off, she put it in a sandwich baggy to show everyone.  We all had the same stomach churning reaction.  Then she asked me to paint her toenails, including the skin where the toe nail used to be so it would all "look good."  Yep, that was gross.  To Abby, it was awesome. 

I can't wait she will do with the headwounds.  She did ask me to write a note to her teacher this morning explaining what happened.  I asked her, why don't you just tell the teacher.  Abby let me know it would be better if there was a note.  The least I can do is give her (and her teacher a reason) to give her extra attention.

Thankful

It is hard to teach kids to be thankful. We talk about it and discuss it, but when it comes right down to it, they (we all) have it pretty good. Our house is warm and there are things we like to eat. The laundry is done and we have cable. Will did a paper at school of all the things he is grateful for. This reminds me that the basic things are good things and not to miss them.  This is so my boy:

To follow his example, here are the things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving.
1. I am thankful for 4 healthy, vivacious children that challenge and delight me.
2. I am thankful for disposable diapers.
3. I am thankful for maternity leave.
4. I am thankful that I remembered to thaw the turkey this year.
5. I am thankful for a husband who has funny stories and more patience than me.
6. I am thankful for a mom that doesn’t mind coming to my house to cook most of the thanksgiving meal.
7. I am thankful for mashed potatoes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Card 2012

A big thank you to my friend Christy for taking pictures of us for our Christmas card.  Thanks to her, we only had to get dressed and walk down the street to take our pictures.  After  I washed everyone, (or forced people to shower...you know I am talking about you, Matt), convinced everyone that the clean matching clothes I picked out would not hurt them (this included Matt) and then squeezing my ownself into my only acceptable pair of jeans, I could not mentally be strong enough to get this whole crew out somewhere to take pictures. 

We ended up with some great pictures! These will be coming out in my Christmas cards.  But a blog is no good unless it has the outtakes. Bear with me as I must add commentary.

Matthew started the bad idea of bunny ears.  When I found out, my face changed from this happy smile to darkness so fast that I scared the kids.  Matt is used to it so it barely registered with him.

Here comes the sassy!  This is Abbys natural pose.

Oh Harper, I see you trying to get back to your old spot on my lap.  I should have told you that you would be giving it up to CC for at least a year.

I love this one!  Too bad Harper is wearing her Hello Kitty flip flops on a cold November morning.  Christy cropped those out for me for the final.

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Halloween 2012

It was a very exciting year of trick-or-treating for the Perryman family!  Matt came down with the stomach bug on Halloween day so he didn't get to go as Tiger this year.  He did offer it to me but I opted to go as a banana again (I AM ANNA BANANA!!).  Thank goodness Shay was here to help with the trick-or-treating rounds.

Our night started at 5:30 because I couldn't hold off the troops any longer. 

1. Harper went as a princess.  She had to be talked into a long sleeve shirt under her dress because it was 50 degrees.  Harper held her own at the start of the night by running after the big kids from house to house.  When it got dark, Harper began to ask the people handing out candy "are there monsters here?"  Each neighbor assured Harper there were no monsters but that didn't stop her from getting in the stroller and not getting out until we got home. 

2. Cecilia went as a skunk.  She slept the whole time. She did give up her stroller to Harper when it got dark but she continued to sleep while being held.

3. Will was a reluctant Ninja.  He let me know that I purchased his costume too big so he didn't want to wear it.  He changed his plan once the candy started flowing into his bucket.

4. Abby went as a diva.  That was the PERFECT costume for my little diva. 

This girl loves towels

Harper has always loved towels.  Since she has been able to talk, Harper could say "tow-el."  Her love for towels has not wained, even as she has grown into a remarkable young lady.  A side effect of Harper's towel love is that I find towels EVERY WHERE.  She sleeps with a towel.  She has towels at school.  She keeps one in the car.  My linen closet have towels stolen regularly.  We have purchased her special towels, but Harper is not discriminatory about her towels.  She just wants them all, they must be nubby and they have to be dry (don't give her a wet towel, not even a little).  When I walked around this morning, here are all the places I found discarded towels.

William and his sisters

William, along with me, was pretty surprised when Cecilia was a girl and not a boy.  We had let the gender be a surprise until the birth.  Here is the story he wrote.  The pictures is upside down so here is what is says: Hi, my name is Will.  I have 3 sisters.  I have 0 brothers. 

While he was not so excited at first, he is such a good big brother to CC. He loves to hold her and take care of her. Will and I have talked about that God has blessed him with not one, but three sisters. He gets to be a very special guy in our family.

Baby Cecilia Anne is here

We have number 4!  Cecilia Anne arrived on her due date, 9-20-2012, at 6pm.  She gave us a run for our money, trying to stay in when we all wanted her out.  My epideral wore off at the end of the delivery but I did survive (I do not regret the loud words I had for the doctor).  No matter how she made her entrance, I could not be happier with my newest family member.  William, Abigail, and Harper were thrilled to meet their little sister. 
Since having Cecilia I have learned:
1. My mom rocks.  She came up and cooked, cleaned and kept me sitting on the couch for a whole week.  I already knew my mom rocked, but it was a good reminder. 
2. My house is loud.  Cecilia is right at home in the noise.  She sleeps right through it all.
3. Harper was a really easy baby.  I guess I believed that Cecilia would be like that.  She is not.  Cecilia is not a bad baby, she just wants to stay up all night.  I want to sleep.
4. The kids are conspiring against my sleep.  Harper, Will and Abby woke me up at different times in the same night.
5. I am no longer pregnant however I don't want to give up my pregnancy eating habits.  I love chocolate cake.

Abby is playing soccer

Now that Abby is five, we wanted to give her a chance to play an organized sport.  She loves the whole concept of being out on the field and everyone watching her.  I get lots of waves from the field. 
The whole family went out to support Abby at her first game. 

Abby never lets me do her hair so this day was special for me too.  She let me put in a braid.  She took it out right when the game ended.  Doesn't she look professional?

Harper kept sitting in my seat.  I am nine months pregnant so no body gets to sit in my chair.  I had to take away her popcorn.

Will liked the popcorn.  He kept asking me what the score was, but they don't keep score for the five and under group. 

I didn't take any pictures of Matt but if I did, you would have seen one proud Daddy.  His little girl was out there kicking away, doing us all proud.  We think she made contact with the ball a few times too.

What did you do on your 3rd Birthday, Harper?

She took her sister to the kid's urgent care.  Nothing says birthday fun like playing in the doctor's office while big sister Abby is being diagnosed with pneumonia.  Abby came home from school not feeling well.  She has asthma so I gave her a nebi treatment.  Because she had a fever, I took her to the doctor "just in case."  Three hours later, we were going home with three stickers, two popsicles and one more nubulizer treatment.  Harper also go the stickers and popsicles but kept Abby entertained during the treatment. Abby immediatly threw up once we got in the car...too much sugar, abuteral and not enough dinner. 

Harper was a trooper.  Happy Birthday little girl!

The first day of school

Summer is done and it is time to go back to school!  It is Abby's first day of kindergarten and Will is going to second grade.  We have new book bags, clothes and over 100 dollars with of NECESSARY school supplies that are packed and ready to go.  We forgot to tell Harper she was not getting on the bus with Will and Abby, which caused a few tears for her and a few laughs from the other parents at the bus stop.  Abby was thrilled to go to kindergarten.  She was born to ride the bus and find her own way. 

Harper plays the drums

My little Harper has a knack for the drums.  While we lost most of the parts that go with the drums, Harper still scoots her chair right up to play.  Go for it Harper.  Rock on.

Corn

Will told me over dinner that I had bought the wrong corn.  I was a bit puzzled, as it tasted like regular corn to me.  It was, in fact, the same corn I have been buying for years.

He told me in a soft sweet voice: Yeah, but this corn makes me want to throw up.

He did not mix his words.  This guy does not like corn. 

I look all professional in the newspaper!

Yes, I bought the paper in Panera after dropping my kids off at school.  I then showed the lady who rang me up that I had made it into the paper.  She told me "good job" which felt kind of strange.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/business/2012/feb/09/tdbiz01-elephant-insurance-hiring-more-workers-in--ar-1674934/