Daddy painted my toenails

Oh yes, you read that right. Matt painted Abby's toenails. I always wanted little girls for myself but yesterday I realized how important it is for a dad to have girls.

Sorry about your baby book, Harper

So Harper had her first solid foods, but I just don't remember the date. I have a rough idea. I remember what I made for dinner (we had eggs). I remember that the big kids were running around with Matt. I also remember that Harper did not like the baby single grain oatmeal and kept making a disgusted face and kept spitting out the food.

I did take pictures. The camera remembers the date right!?! Yeah technology! No, the date is wrong! I am sure it didn't happen on June 1st. Harper has not yet been alive on a June 1st.

Harper, I am pretty sure it was either February 5 or 12th.

Cherished Illusions of perfect motherhood

One of my best friends gave me this one year for birthday or Christmas and I love it. It sits in my kitchen window above my sink. I look at it all the time and it makes me smile. It reminds me not to take myself too seriously.

Cherished illusions I have:

1. One of my biggest opportunities (HR work speak) is that I need more patience. I often think that I am being VERY patient when in actuality I am rushing things-dinner, growing up, having bills paid off...I need to slow down.

2. Parenting would get easier as the children get older. It kinda does in certain areas, but new things come up! Babies don't fight with each other. Being fair was not an issue when they couldn't talk back.

3. My kids are always going to be well behaved. Again, everyone thinks this before they have kids. Not a big shocker. It is easy to have this illusion during the good times, not when your two year old is screaming for a sucker and has just had a poop in her pants instead of on the potty.

4. 29 used to be young and glamorous. I started looked at 'simply ageless' facewash the other day and thinking it was a good idea. I remember thinking that I would rule the world when I was this old. I kinda do now, but just at home with Will, Abby and Harper.

5. I won't get caught speeding/running a red light/having an out of date inspection. Over the last 6 months, I have been pulled over for all of these things. I vow to obey traffic rules better.

Wine night- Magnolia Ridge Style

Every month I look forward to wine night. Not do I get to laugh until it hurts, I also get to run my mouth!! Each month, I stay up too late, drink one glass of wine too many, eat junk food....and love every minute. Thank you to all who host and all who attend. I am going to list a few notable stories so I won't forget. There are many more stories that I cannot post in order to protect the innocent (or not so innocent). You know who you are...
1. I learned that you can put a hamster on a leash and that someone actually has walked a hamster. The rationale? Real hamsters need to go outside because they need to be on grass, right?
2. Multiple ladies still wear their mouth guards and retainers at night on a regular basis. I also learned you can take your retainer to the dentist with you and they will clean it for you. The practical side of me congratulates them. The teenager inside of me says "eww...gross."
3. Lots of people have tried hip hop step classes at the gym and most of us have failed at them. The highly choreographed moves are hilarious when a person recreates them in the middle of my kitchen after a glass of wine.
4. The 'I'm just sayin' story was first told at a wine night. Matt used to say "I'm just saying" in an argument to make his point and it would drive me nuts. I am glad to report that Matt no longer uses that phrase in arguments because all the ladies bugged him about it when they ran into him at the pool or the playground. I owe my sanity to you.

Baby Harper in the Bumbo

Thanks to my cool neighbor Emily, we have a bumbo seat for Harper. Harper loves sitting up on the kitchen counter and seeing everything. She surveys the kitchen and watches me as I run around getting ready in the morning. Harper also loves that Abby doesn't bother her...as much. Harper never crys but the other day she broke out in a loud squal. I asked Abby what was wrong with the baby. Abby let me know that "Baby Harper started crying 'cause I roared at her." Go figure. The bumbo has only been in our house only one day and you can see that everyone likes it. Matt is working on the computer while Harper sits in the Bumbo. It looks like Harper is watching tv with Abby, but I don't think she can see if from her seat.
Abby also wanted a turn in what she calls the 'bimpo'. She also called it the 'potty seat' but I quickly corrected her but I really hope she doesn't try it.

A chat with William

We were eating dinner on Tuesday. Between bites of food, William said to me: "Mom, there is this wolf and if he sees it, we are going to be cold for a long time."

I was baffled so and I asked him to repeat. He said the exact same thing word for word.

I said, "Will, are you talking about a groundhog?"

Will: "Yes."

I said, "Will are you talking about the groundhog seeing its shadow?"

Will: "Yes."

I said: "And having six more weeks of winter?"

Will: "Yes Mom. You got it."

It is always interesting to talk with Will.

Our Car Trip

We traveled last week to Cookeville, TN to be with my family for Mayme's memorial service. It was a beautiful service and we got to be together as a family. To drive the 16 hour trip (8 hours each way), we rented a minivan and asked (begged and pleaded) my sister to ride with us so we would have an extra adult in the car. We were lucky to have Aunt Ack-Ack with us. She did great through the crying, snack demands and multiple stops at resturants with a playland. I never saw her laugh so hard as when Abby asked if 'Ack-Ack make funny of you Mom?' Becca had made fun of me, for the record. On the way back, we drove with limited stops to beat the snow. We did what ever we had to in order to keep the little people happy, including bribing with soda. I ended up separating Will and Abby after I found myself saying, "Just hit her back Will, then she will stop bothering you."