So Much For the Opposable Thumb

Mae has lost another tooth, but this time she lost it in a very unconventional way.....

This tooth of Mae's has been wiggling it's way out for about six months now, and by the latter part of last week it was getting to the 'ewe, would you just pull that thing' phase as it was hanging quite precariously in its half-twisted way. Up to this point, Mae has pulled her own teeth (thank you very much. seriously, thank you Mae!) but this time she asked her dad if he would tie a string to it and close the door. I must mention that this method was tried on her first tooth but it never worked, so both Ryan and I didn't think it would actually happen, but she asked again anyway and Ryan obliged her.

Ryan pulled out the dental floss (about two yards of it, that should be sufficient, yes?) and tried to tie it around the loose tooth. After several attempts, Ryan finally was able to get the floss secured to the tooth. And he did a good job too! In fact, he did such a good job that when Mae decided she didn't want to go that route, the floss would not come off!

I came into the room at this point, with the video camera, only to find Mae freaking out and crying because the floss was tied tight and there was no removing it with the tooth intact. I gently looked at it and decided I would cut the floss as close to the knot as possible. However, I had no sooner turned my back on my crying child to get the scissors, then I heard laughing.

Laughing? But she was in the pit of despair, like two seconds ago!

When I had turned my back, Mae was on her way down the pit and was leaning/falling backwards in her despair, when the loose end of the floss got caught on her foot. When there was no more slack left in the floss the tooth came out! And presto change-o Mae went from misery to a gleefully happy girl!

So much for the tie-the-string-close-the-door trick! Maybe next time.

What Goes Around Comes Around

When I was growing up I often heard my dad jokingly say to me 'You can't date until you're married'. I'd either give him a little laugh, or if I was in my teen years, my typical reply would have been a roll of my eyes (sorry Dad!). Now that I have kids of my own, it's my turn to pass along the age-old phrase.

The other night Mae was telling us about a boy in her class who had invited her to his birthday party.

Mae: Matthew has been acting weird lately like sitting by me and stuff, like he likes me.

Me: (not wanting her to get freaked out -or myself- and not wanting to make a big deal of it, I said) Well, you can't date until you're married.

Mae: (with a deep sigh) I know, I know.

Oh good! Disaster averted......but did I detect an eye roll there?!

Housecleaning Hurts!

Seriously. I have a blister on my hand to prove it! How can this happen? I only vacuumed the entire house (taking me approximately 45 minutes). That shouldn't result in a blister, should it??!

But on the bright side, I found my missing pair of earrings!

Score: Housecleaning-1, Me-1

I Love Thursdays!!!

All week I've been looking forward to today. No, it's not because Lost returns tonight (although that does carry it's fair share of anticipation)! Today is when my kids and I get to gather at a park with new friends!

A week or so ago, a small group of moms from Caleb’s preschool class decided to get together every Thursday at a park. We get there shortly before lunch and stay until almost nap time or when we need to be home for our school age children to return. I love it! We are all in a similar stage of life with kids the same ages and genders. It’s great to finally have some friends that I can connect with. Who knew that these lovely ladies were in my ‘garden’ all this time? God is so good to bless me with these new friendships!

Actually, I should also be thanking God for my son. Caleb is the outgoing, happy guy in his class and everyone seems to be his friend. I wish I was as outgoing as he is! Maybe I would have made friends sooner? But the Lord is sovereign and is providing me with friendships in His own time…..and thankfully that time has come!!!

So with that I say Hallelujah, it’s Thursday!!!!

Sues!

In a previous post this week, I mentioned that I was in the market for a new pair of shoes, and then in yet another post with subsequent comments, it was brought to light that Ryan has a cool pair of 'sues' too. So I have two reasons for this post today.

Number one is to announce that I did not purchase the shoes/sandals that I said I was going to. After spotting said sandals, I went to my local REI to buy them only to find out that they don't actually carry that brand in their stores. I could only purchase them online.

Bummer, I wanted to try them on first!

Well, as I was waiting to be helped, I did what any self-respecting woman would do in my situation, I looked at the shoes they had on display. I even slipped one on. When I did I thought 'these are comfy'. But I promptly took it off and put it back. After all, those shoes were not why I was there, I had come for another. After returning home I kept thinking about the shoe I slipped on. So I went back to the store. But this time there were way more customers than there were sales people and I had my three kids with me. Not a good combination. I did manage to get two pairs to try on but they were not the right size and I could see that getting another round of help was not in my future. So I left. Later, after much thinking and many views of both shoes online (many, many, many views to be more precise) I decided to purchase the shoes I tried on in the store. So I returned this afternoon and bought them. Although they are not red as I was looking forward to, they are a cool burnt orange. And that makes me happy!

The second thing on my agenda for this post was to show you (mainly Jenn) Ryan's 'pimmy sues'. Now, before I show you the picture (but you looked already, didn't you? I know you did!) I wanted to set this up. These shoes of Ryan's aren't what would typically be refered to as 'pimpy'. They're just, what we think, are cool shoes. But because we are probably more nerdy than cool, we call them pimpy. That's all. Just snazzy shoes with the wrong name by the wrong people. But they are pretty cool, really!

So without further ado, here are our shoes........


Aren't we just the epitome of being wicked sic gansta yo?! (wait, don't answer that!)

Isabel's Words

Isabel is really taking off with talking. She says new words all the time. Of course this is another fun stage to be in. Ryan and I love it when the kids say new things and when they say them in ways that are not quite correct. Cute stuff! That's all I gotta say.

Here is a ever-growing list of words that Isabel says (and the meanings):

Bow - Isabel
Cae-Lah (and later) Kah-Lah - Caleb
Cam-ma - Grandma
Cam-ma - Grandpa
beekee bug - lady bug (my personal favorite)

gug - hug

kick - kiss (who doesn't need a good kick every once in a while?)
c-d-d - dvd
fwhy - flower
drink - orange (color or the fruit)
drink fwhy - orange flower (of course!)
duice - juice
watey - water
gock - sock
meee - please
cyco - motorcycle
cyco-mama - look mama, a motorcycle! (gee, thanks Isabel.)
sue - shoe
pimmy sue - pimpy shoe
tootie - turtle (what did you think it meant?)
liney - lion
may-mo - rainbow
pidey - spider
I did-ee - I did it!
dinney - dinner
gway - yogurt (isn't that what Miss Muffet ate....curds and gway?)
what-choo - bless you

A Perfect Weekend

My mom returned home yesterday (sniff sniff). I miss her already, but at least I have some good memories and great pictures to remember the time we had while she was here.

Friday we went to a flower plantation to see the beautiful display and gardens. This was the perfect place to visit with my mother. Caleb was not with us for this excursion as he was at a birthday party for one of his friends. So it was just us girls who walked the gardens, found our way through a flower maze with Mae as our leader, enjoyed a wagon tour of the flowers out in the fields and took lots of memorable pictures.

Then on Saturday we took Mom to the beach. It was on her list of things to do while she was here on her visit. So we could not disappoint her, that would not do! As there were no complaints about going to the beach, we all got back into the truck for an afternoon of sun, sand, and ocean! Mom brought her camera and took some pictures of our outing. I'm glad she did too, she took some good shots! (thanks Mom!) When we got back home I plugged her flash card into the computer and snaked some good shots and copied them onto ours! (thanks again Mom!)

I enjoyed having my mother here at my house, I always do. My only hope is that she won't mind coming again (even if that means enduring the long road trip to get here, but hey, that's what airplanes are for...right?!).

**The slide show also includes a few pictures of when the kids and I were in Modesto last week. I had to squeeze them in too because I, well, just had to! (big grin)

My Next Pair of Sandals......

Aren't they cute??! I haven't bought them. Yet. But like the Proverbs 31 woman, I am 'considering' them. I know, I know, buying a pair of shoes can't quite be compared to purchasing a field, but my point is that I'm not being impulsive. I'm going to think about it and hopefully in the end make a wise choice and spend my money well.

I've been looking for a new pair of sandals and these have many things going for them. For instance, I like that they are leather, and RED, have a rubber sole (easy on feet when being on them all day!), as well as being easy to take on and off, and I think they will go well with both shorts/capris and jeans. I found them on REI's website and they have them in red and brown, but come on, how fun is brown when they can be had in RED?!

Like I said, I haven't bought them, yet. Maybe if I save up my Craigslist money and do well with selling stuff in an upcoming garage sale.......then I'll get them! What do you think? Are they me?

Home. Alive. Barely.

The kids and I returned home today. This time my mother joined us for the journey home. It was great to have her help on the long drive (thanks Mom, you're the bestest!).

The first thing I can say about being home is; I'm soooo very glad to be home after that long drive. The second is this; Ryan had better be thankful he still has three kids (they almost didn't make it!). I'll tell you what, those kids sure know when they've had it with being on the road. The only difference between me and them at that point is that I have a smidge more self control. But that's is, just a smidge.

The ride up to Modesto did not go this poorly. In fact it's almost like I had a whole different set of kids with me. What happened?? Actually, I think I know. On the way up everyone is excited about going to Grandma's house and doing all the things we've been talking about doing when we get there. Going back home is no fun. Nothing fun ever happens at home (even if Grandma is along for the ride, apparently).

Trips like this make me pause when thinking of making this trip by myself again. But aside from the last hour and a half of the trip with all the behavior that gave new meaning to the word perseverance, our Spring break trip was great. I enjoyed seeing good friends and spending time with family I don't see that often. The Lord is good to bless us with the opportunity to live closer to family, and for that I am so very thankful.

As for the remainder of the Spring break we will be entertaining my mother with a field trip to see a plantation of blooming flowers and a day at the beach. And I've only got two days left to do it! I will now banish all thoughts of today's road trip and focus on the remaining time with my mother. But if I ever mention doing another solo road trip with the kids again.....will someone please shoot me?

Oh the Wells Fargo Wagon Is 'a Comin' Down the Street.....

The mail man has been busy making deliveries to my door this past week. Last Thursday I got this:



Did I really order that?

Nope, I didn't. I won it! Remember when I was a part of the Ultimate Blog Party last month? Well, they had about 100 'door prizes' and I won one! One of the things on my list of 'would like to have if I won' was a personalized lunch box. At first I was thinking 'oh great who am I going to let have it? Mae or Caleb?', but Ryan said they were kinda girly, so I let Mae have her pick (you can go here to find them and other neat things). And surprisingly, Caleb hasn't said one little peep about 'why didn't I get one?!'. Good call Ryan - thank you!!! I think it's cute, and Mae is happy with it. Besides, I can't complain....it was free!

So, anyway, that was delivery number one. The other delivery I received came last Saturday. Remember last week when I posted about the necklace I purchased on Etsy? Well it's here and I love it! I think I will change out the chain for a thinner more delicate one and make it a bit shorter too, but I am quite pleased with it! Sorry, I don't have any new pictures, but it really does look like the one I posted earlier. The lady did a very nice job of making it and even shortened it for me when I asked (I could have had it made shorter, but I was afraid it would be too short, but this gives me the opportunity to do it myself). If you like the necklace or would like to see other things she has made you can check out her Etsy store here.

I had another package come the other day, but I can't say what it was because it's a birthday gift for my mother (and she reads my blog....hi Mom!). I am so happy to be able to hand deliver her gift in just a couple days! The kids and I are driving up to see our family during Mae's and Caleb's Spring Break. So if you don't hear much from me over the next week that's why (not that I do a smashing job at posting with any regularity).

So there you have it! Three deliveries from my friendly neighborhood postal worker!

**Just as a bonus....the title of my post comes from a movie, can anyone guess which one? And as a double bonus can you name the actor who delivered it?

March Movie Review

Here's the list from last months movie queue!

1. Becoming Jane - First off I gotta say that I loved this movie! It is a biography of Jane Austen. Anne Hathaway played Jane and I thought she did a good job. To be honest I wasn't expecting much when I learned she was playing the part, no reason why, I just didn't think it would work well, but I was wrong. Before watching the movie I had no idea of what Jane's life was like or what happened. So the ending was a little shocking and sad. I totally recommend this movie!

2. Nicholas Nickleby - A movie adaptation of Charles Dickens book of the same name. I didn't care too much for it. I've seen other made-into-movie books of his and liked them immensely (Oliver Twist and Bleak House, to name a couple) but this movie is the exception to that rule. The guy who played Nickleby was too modern looking and just seemed too Hollywood Pretty Boy to me. Hathaway was in this movie too, but her performance was much better than his. The story was good but the acting wasn't, which is too bad. If BBC can get their hands on it then maybe it'll be something worth watching.

3. Meet the Robinsons - A family movie night flick, and a great one! I could see myself watching it over and over (kind of like Cars!). I laughed and enjoyed the characters and storyline. I highly recommend!

4. Wild Hogs - Not good. At all. Oh there were a few funny parts, but some of the humor was off-color and not appreciated. The story was not exactly what I thought it was and the acting, for the caliber of actors that were in the film.....not good either. I do not recommend this to anyone. Ever.

5. I Am legend - Not a bad movie, actually a bit better than I anticipated. If you like tension filled thrilles (is there another kind?) then you'll like this one. But don't be surprised by the bit of gore and smidge of violence (that part I don't care for, just let the record show).

6. Enchanted - Love, love, loved it! It was cute and funny and just plain made me laugh! Ok, so it was a bit on the cutsie side, but I don't care....I loved it!

7. My Brilliant Career - I didn't know it, but this movie was based on the autobiographical novel of the same name (author was Miles Franklin - amazing what one can discover via Wikipedia, isn't it?!). This was an Australian film and done some years ago, 1979 to be exact. I enjoyed it, even though I thought it was just a story until the end when it gave a little update on the happenings of the character. In some ways it was not unlike Becoming Jane in the way the writer grew through older teen years and how love effected her life. I liked the movie and don't mind recommending it.

8. Rendition - Another tension filled movie. Does the US really allow 'rendition' as legal?? Scary to think that it is truth. This movie was not based on a true story, however it is disturbing to know that it's probably not too far off base.

9. Michael Clayton - Again, not my type of movie, but it wasn't too bad. It did have it's fill of language that I thought unnecessary (which, for me, always is). The story line was interesting and the way it was drawn out was done well, the acting was pretty good too (and I'm not much of a Clooney fan, he always seems to me to be trying not to smile or laugh, but not so here). Overall I'd say it was ok, but I wouldn't recommend it.

My favorite movie of the month is a toss up between Becoming Jane and Enchanted. Maybe I'll go with 'Jane'? And that would only be because it was based on the life of Jane Austen. But then again....I did really enjoy Enchanted. Ahhh! I don't know! You watch 'em and let me know what you think.