Five

Happy Birthday Sugar! Mmm, I think maybe Spice would be more fitting...
Today was a packed day, for which I am going to take off my heels (finally) and go to bed. More pictures of the Birthday Girl tomorrow!

I love you!

(wish the one eye wasn't so out of focus)

It was warm today

and no, not outside. I guess it is slightly warmer out there today, but it's rainy. Today though, it's warm inside. I liked today. So I had to write about it before my perception possibly changed (that tends to happen once the mayhem of kids getting out of school shows up... wonder why!). But really, we didn't go anywhere today. No runs to Target or the Grocery store. No doctors appointments. Nothing. So Ase and I sat home and danced, folded laundry, danced some more, watched barney (yes this was very difficult for me, but she was entranced for her first viewing), worked on dishes together (gulp), and then dressed up. There aren't many days I feel I can slow down and just be here. I wish I did it more, although the house is glad I don't. No, I didn't get things done near as quickly as I could have, but we still got some stuff done. And it just makes me realize how much I really do love my little parrot!

Caught in the act!

The kids are always in the back yard now. All the kids. The neighbor kids. Friend's kids. Everyone. And I love it! But this time, it was just Ase out there. Can you tell she's pleased?

At the park

Just a 2 hour flight

I have to say thank you to "Auntie Jo" as she's known around here. She came visit for a week and I loved every minute of it. This was probably the easiest time we've had together. The kids played so well and we just took it really easy by not making any plans. I don't know if that was by intent, or default, but it worked out great. If you haven't heard, lines are up to 2 hours long when you can actually find a gas station here with gas (although we managed to find a line that was only 2 minutes long. Yay!!). It's INSANE! So we decided to conserving the fuel we had would be the best option. We ventured out the last day to Burt's Pumpkin patch but I'll post more later. I just wanted to make sure and say

Thank you

to Jo for getting on a plane with two kids while prego, just to hang out with me! You're the best!

The Mouth of Babes

Okay, so I don't usually do these, but I just couldn't resist when I saw this one on my friends blog. There is just something about kids and what they say. Here is how ours went.

What is something mom always asks you?
Bug: To take care of Ainsley
Nutmeg: Choose the right

2. What makes mom happy?
Bug: That I do what you telled me to do
Nutmeg: Helping

3. What makes mom sad?
Bug: When I don't do what you telled me to do
Nutmeg: Not choosing the right

4. How does mom make you laugh?
Bug: Ummm, tickle
Nutmeg: Being silly

5. What was mom like as a kid?
Bug: Me, when I do things.
Nutmeg: She was a baby

6. How old is your mom?
Bug: 25 (yea!!!)
Nutmeg: 30

7. How tall is your mom?
Bug: 16 tall
Nutmeg: Big, super big

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Bug: Play with us. (I'm glad it was that!)
Nutmeg: Play with us (I must be doing something right, that's 2 for 2)

9. What does your mom do when your not around?
Bug: I don't know, cause I just don't
Nutmeg: Scare us

10. If your mom becomes famous what will it be for?
Bug: because your a genious (that is why I love this kid!)
Nutmeg: I don't know

11. What is your mom really good at?
Bug: exercising
Nutmeg: doing the dishes and Guitar Hero

12. What is your mom not so good at?
Bug: I can't think of nothing for that one. These are some pretty hard questions.
Nutmeg: Nothing

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Bug: Take care of us
Nutmeg: To take care of us

14. What is your moms favorite food?
Bug: fruit
Nutmeg: Lasange

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Bug: That you're a good mom
Nutmeg: choosing the right

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Bug: A dragon
Nutmeg: Clifford

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Bug: Go to the pool
Nutmeg: Help and play

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Bug: Ummm, I don't know why, I can't think of nothing
Nutmeg: I don't know, there's nothing the same of us

19. How are you and your mom different?
Bug: I don't know whats different
Nutmeg: cause your big and I'm small

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Bug: That I love you
Nutmeg: You tell me

Elements in Dancing

I put on some music Saturday for the kids to dance to. They LOVE to dance to music. Nutmeg even had to go and get her "dance costume" on so she could dance. Funny how the clothing makes such a difference! I had been dancing with the girls when Bug decided he was missing out on all the fun. I was exahusted (yes, this is a sign I'm getting old) and decided I would just let Bug take it over. Little did I know he really would. Nutmeg grabbed his hands to start bopping around like we'd been doing, when he explained he was going to teach her how to "dance for real". He then placed her hand on his shoulders and his on hers. They danced around the floor like that. And every now and then he'd take her hand and twist her around, bringing her hands back to his shoulders. It was such a grown up thing for such a little kid to do. I didn't teach him this, and he didn't learn in it school (trust me I asked!) but he definitely knew how to slow dance. I grabbed the video camera for which he was very willing to perform, but naturally the battery was dead. So this was all I was able to get. Man, he's gonna get all the girls when he gets older!!

To be a kid again

I just love these photos of the kids. They are just so happy! It's not the smile-at-the-camera happy, or the smile-because-something-was-kind-of-funny happy. No, it's real genuine happiness. The kind we tend to forget when we become adults. The kind that is shoved beneath all the social "rules", all the "work", and the "reponsibility". But just think what examples we'd be setting for our kids if we were able to show them this kind of happiness. What would that tell them about life? My favorite moments are those in which I let myself be a kid again. I dare say these are probably their favorite moments too. Kids need structure, but they also need someone who can understand them. And what better to understand than to remember how to see the world through their eyes. Once there, the world is a much better place. I love it there.

Now I need to learn how to put down all those "responsibilites" just for a bit each day, to show my kids how to love and live life. I have a feeling this is much easier said than done, but something I long to relearn.

I guess the best teacher would be my kids themselves.

Now to convince myself to let go....

I'm Dreaming...

I want to remind you that this is Georgia. "Hot-lanta" as we're called. We don't get snow. We don't do snow. Georgia does not own a single snow plow. So what happenes when we recieve an inch and a half of snow on a school night? We drag the kids out at 8:00pm to go play in it. That's the logical thing to do right? My friend and I thought we were the only ones crazy enough to do this, but as we head outside we notice all the kids on the entire street are out playing. In fact, a couple of houses up they already have a 5 foot tall snowman built. Since we aren't quite geared up for snow (fabric mittens don't hold out the wet) and the kids are past tired, we head in half an hour later in tears. Fingers are TOO cold! So a round of hot chocolate does the trick and we are all off to bed. It snowed again two days later, with atleast 2 inches this time. Again, this is Georgia, so church was cancelled and we all stayed home to keep warm. You've got to love it!

Silence

" I love you little elephant"

silence.

The Elephants

There once was a mommy elephant who said to her little elephant, "I love you". The little elephant replied, "I love daddy". The mommy again said ever so patiently, "I love you SO much" to which the little elephant replied, "I love daddy SO much".

"But don't you love your mommy?" asked the mommy elephant. "I love her a little" was the reply. The little elephant then expounded with "I love daddy this much" with her little arms stretched out as far as they could reach, "and I love mommy this much" using two fingers on one hand to show the distance.

"Do you really love your daddy more than you love your mommy?" came the next question from the mommy elephant. "Yes" came the innocent and honest answer from the little elephant.

"But why do you love your daddy so much more?" came the next question from the now humbled and somewhat saddened mommy elephant. "Because I just do" was all the little one would say.

As the mommy elephant tucked her little elephant into bed, a tear rolled down her cheek. "What's wrong mommy?" came the concerned voice of her little one. "Nothing sweetie" was all she could say.