Lagniappe

Helloooooo?????

2011-07-11T00:20:00.002-05:00

Long time no post!

Hello to all. Not sure if anyone checks anymore, but I take a peek back at my blog on occasion, and I kind of miss blogging. And my memory...sheesh! My memory. Or lack there of. Each time I read an entry or two, I'm reminded of things Linus has done that I had forgotten. It makes me mad to think of what I might have "lost" in the past year and a half. Thinks like the fact that Lolly can't say sandwich, and instead calls it a dammit. ;) Or that when I took Lolly's temperature the other day, she asked me if she had Bieber Fever. Yikes! And Linus! My sweet Linus. You know she's been cracking us up for the past 18 months.

Time for me to get back to it!

A HUGE thank you to those of you who have continually checked in on me. When I'd see an email pop up here and there, it truly made me smile. They always seemed to come when I needed them most. Thank you!

My Amazing Dad

2010-02-03T23:59:00.004-06:00

I'm having trouble going to sleep tonight. My mind won't give in and let my tired body sleep. I'm painfully aware that by going to sleep tonight, I'll wake up tomorrow, and with tomorrow's dawn brings the new part of my identity--the part I never wanted to have. This morning was the last day I got to wake up without a huge hole in my heart. I don't want tomorrow to come. I want to hold on to today as long as I possibly can. Technically it's already tomorrow (I tweaked the date stamp on this entry), but since I haven't slept yet, I can still pretend it's not. Today, I can say I saw my dad. I touched my dad. I kissed his forehead. I hugged him. It all ended today though.

Today my dad passed away.

Today my heart broke.

Today I woke up as a girl with a living father. Beginning tomorrow, and for the remainder of my life, I'll be a girl with a father who is no longer living. A girl who can never again hear his voice. Hear him tell me how proud of me his is. I can no longer watch him dissolve my girls into precious giggles with his antics. I am so thankful that I did have those opportunities despite the pain I feel right now.

As thankful as I am, though, I just can't give in to sleep. I want to hold on to today as long as I possibly can...

The day I got to be with my dad.

The last day he was alive.

To see what an amazing man he was, read here and here.

The Power of Seven

2010-01-02T23:12:00.003-06:00

Linus had an amazingly good day today. She's my spirited child, and many of her days are spent bouncing from one thing to the next. Today she made an effort to enjoy life like only Linus can, yet do so in a calm manner. She did a fantastic job. Seriously fantastic. When we talked about what a great day she had, I asked her if she noticed the difference. Yes, she did. I asked her if she felt any different during the day. Yes, she did. I asked her how she felt different. Seven. Seven? Yes, seven. "I felt seven years old, Mama. Not six and three quarters, but seven!" Ahh, to look forward to counting each and every fourth of a year! :)

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T23:43:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone in blogland!

I'm hoping to get back to regular blogging. In the past I've used it as a way to remember the cute things Linus said. Lolly has joined the cute sayings now, and remembering for two is twice as hard (duh!), so I've GOT to write it down.
-----
We had a fantastic Christmas. Linus loved every. single. thing. she got. Lolly still has one unopened present. She only got five things total from Santa and us, so it's not like we went overboard. I simply forgot how long it takes my girls to open presents. They give each gift due time before moving on to another. Lolly thinks her world is complete with a phone, remote, and purse though. :)

Merry Christmas from my two favorite kiddos and me...

Linus, 6 yrs

Lolly, 16 months

Kids Live Here!

2009-10-04T21:52:00.006-05:00

How to tell children live in this home:

Why, yes, that is a frog in our fan. Which one do you think is responsible for this?

By the way, the fan looks dusty, but I promise it isn't. I'd freak if I had dust blowing around!

Hello Again...Again!

2009-09-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, trying again. Things are really busy here, but I'm petrified that if I don't make the time to blog, I'll forget the things my kids do. So, here's to another go at making an effort to blog and read blogs.
-----
Just in case you thought life might be easier at my house with Lolly than Linus, I present How to Know You've Lost the Sippy Cup War, Vol 1.

I've tried casually to introduce the sippy cup to Lolly a few times. She's less than thrilled with them. I tried again today. I believe this qualifies as a fail: I handed the sippy to Lolly. She handed it back, shook her head no and said, "bot bot."

More proof:
While Army, Linus, and I sipped on the most delicious milkshake ever (we split it, one sip in and we all knew splitting was a huge mistake!), Lolly was finishing off her lunch. She had a huge lunch--pasta, turkey, carrots, peas, and crackers. The kid can eat! Once she ate her last bite, she looked at a piece of bread and began her efforts to let us know she wanted it. In the meantime, I asked her to point to the light. "No, no, no" she said as she shook her head. I repeated, "Lolly, where's the light? Show me the light." Since "no, no, no" didn't work on me, she tried another approach. She lifted her palms, shrugged her shoulders, and made an "I don't know noise." Army then asked her if she wanted bread. Immediately she shook her head yes. After he gave her a piece, he asked her to point to the light. And she did. Then she laughed. Little stinker! She already knows how to bargain.
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A little Linusism:
Linus asked for cinnamon toast for breakfast. I'll admit I usually cut her sandwich into however many slices she wants (or even shapes when she was younger or on holidays). She asked for it to be cut into quarters. Since I knew that meant more chances for her to spill the cinnamon, I said no. She grinned and said, "Ok, then, how 'bout fourths?" :P

Well Hello Again!

2009-08-19T13:32:00.002-05:00

I finally remembered my blog address, so here I am. Just kidding. We've had a LOT going on. In the past few weeks:
*Linus had surgery
*Linus had surgery issues
*Army had a birthday
*I took the girls to my parents to celebrate my dad's birthday
*Linus cut the ever living daylight out of her finger
*Linus had more surgery issues
*Linus started first grade. FIRST GRADE!!!! How'd that happen?
*Linus had a project for school
*My dad spent a week in the hospital in congestive heart failure (he's still there)
*Linus had another project for school (seriously--two in the first three days!!!)
*I've had four meetings
*I've been preparing for Lolly's first birthday, yes it's been a year. She'll be one (sob!)

Sooo, I've been busy. I've checked blogs, but probably only once in the past few weeks. I've got a load of emails to return. I've got more work to do with Linus, and I've got to finalize things for Lolly's birthday. Thankfully we only do family for first birthday parties. I can't imagine planning a huge party right now.

Oh, and did I mention I had house guests for a total of eleven of those days (not eleven days straight though).

I should be around more now though, complete with first day pics, birthday pics, pics of Big L's new haircut, etc. :)

Catfish Anyone? How 'Bout a Side With That?

2009-07-29T11:25:00.005-05:00

Two years ago, I posted my first real post here. Things haven't changed too much at my house...
Here's the first post:

An Extra Dose of Embarrassment!

(at the time this occurred, Linus was about 3)

I took Linus to lunch at a local restaurant that I love in the town where my parents live. It was just the two of us. Here's our conversation:

Linus: Mommy, look at his pecker.
Me: Linus, let's play I spy. I spy with my little eye something green.
Linus: Is it the leaf, Mommy? Look, he has a pecker too!
Me: Ok, Linus, your turn. What do you spy?
Linus: I spy something blue. (then a guy walks by and she looks in his direction). Look Mommy he has a big pecker!
Me: (thinking...blue...blue...find something BLUE!)
Linus looks in another direction and says, "and he has a small pecker"
Me: Um, blue! Uh, could it be that chair?
Linus: No
Me: (BLUE, BLUE, find something blue!), could it be that picture?
Linus: No, look mommy, his pecker is hard and looks old!
Me: Linus, shhh, we'll talk about that later!
Linus: Why Mommy, don't you see his pecker?
Me: Linus, ssshhhhh!
Linus: Look, Mommy, his pecker is different colors! And llllooooooonnnnnggggg! Then she points up near the ceiling.

I looked up and there was a parrot! The restaurant has fake trees with lots of parrots! She was talking about the parrot's beak!

Whoosh, big sigh of relief! Still embarrassed, but sooo glad my 4 year old princess doesn't know that kind of pecker!

And here's what just happened at our house:

Linus used a back scratcher and attached some of the hook rings from Lolly's toys to create a fishing pole. She'd "catch" other items by attaching them to the rings. When she hooked a cat, she announced that she caught a "catfish." When she hooked a sword, she caught a "swordfish." Then she decided to cook her catfish. I asked what she was cooking, and she said, "I'm cooking catfish with a side of potato wedgies."

Poor girl, she's got great ideas, and she even has a pretty extensive vocabulary, she just gets the words wrong sometimes.

ROARRRRR!

2009-07-24T18:02:00.002-05:00

Lolly has a new trick. She imitates everything, and I do mean everything. She's pretty good at it too.

For a while now, she's been making a "roar" noise which she learned by imitating Linus. She just started crawling a few feet, stopping, lifting up to a kneeling position, putting up her "claws" and saying "ROARRRR!" Then she drops back down to all four and crawls some more. It's so cute hearing her sweet little baby voice try to roar with effect. :)

Extra Effort

2009-07-16T23:19:00.003-05:00

We went out to dinner tonight. It was actually our first time going out to dinner in quite a while. We went to a quaint little burger place that has a deck that overlooks a beautiful waterfall. Linus was mesmerized. Lolly didn't care about the waterfall at all...the cafe lights on the porch held her attention. Well, that and food.

On the way home, we had to drive through a very dark area. Because there's little interference from city lights, you are able to see the stars very well. Linus announced she that it was so clear and beautiful that she could see God. I was touched. Until...

Me: You do?
Linus: I sure do. I can hear him too.
Me:You can?
L: I sure can.
Me: What's he saying? (Will I EVER learn?)
L: He's saying that he's disappointed.
Me: Really? (Right about then we were passing some road construction where they're cutting into the trees--looks like they are expanding the road. Linus is a big tree hugger, so I thought she was going to make a comment that God was upset that they were cutting down his beautiful trees).
L: He said he's disappointed that you took away my puppy and bear (stuffed animals) today.
Me: He was? I was disappointed in your behavior too.
L: Um, Mama? He was disappointed in YOU not me. He was disappointed that YOU took away something that your child loves so much.

MORE Sweet Lolly!

2009-07-11T19:16:00.003-05:00

Linus and I were discussing how much I love her this afternoon. She'd open her arms and say, "This much?" and I'd say, "No, more." After a few rounds of this, Sweet Lolly starts making the /m/ sound and signing "more." She's been able to sign more for a few weeks now, but so far it's only been when she wanted more food. :)

Oh Lolly, My Lolly

2009-07-01T18:34:00.002-05:00

My sweet Lolly has really blossomed lately. She continues to be the complete opposite of Linus, but that just makes being their mom even more fun.

A few weeks ago, Lolly learned to say "hi." More accurately, she learned to whisper "hi." Poor baby had been with me on errands most of the day, and she crashed in her carseat on our way home. Since she's rather small for her age (10 months, can you believe it? I can't!), she still fits in the infant carrier. I didn't want to wake her, so I quietly brought her in and put her carrier down right outside the bright lights of the kitchen. I could still easily see her, but the lights wouldn't wake her up. I was surprised when she still hadn't woken up when we finished dinner. I debated waking her so that I could feed her, but I decided to wait until after I finished cleaning the kitchen. As I'm wiping down the table, I thought I heard something. Neither Army nor Linus were near, so I decided I imagined it. A minute later, I heard it again. And again. And again. I looked over at Lolly, and she was grinning ear to ear and whispering, "Hi!" It was so adorable, and it completely melted my heart. I really wish I'd had the video camera nearby.

Extra Embarrassing

2009-06-28T00:48:00.002-05:00

Shortly before Army and I met, a friend tried to set me up with her friend. I don't think either of us was interested in the other as anything more than friends, but my friend really did have good intentions in her attempt at playing cupid.

A few of us (girls) met him and a few of his friends at his apartment. The deal was they'd make us dinner if we'd make dessert. Sounded like a good trade off to me. I was surprised at how incredibly delicious their dinner was. As a freshman in college, I fixed a small plate so I wouldn't look like a complete pig. Although I would have loved seconds, I didn't dare go back. I had a very small light lunch that afternoon because I knew I'd be eating whatever they cooked for dinner and whatever we cooked for dessert. I. Was. Starving.

I had grand ideas for dessert. We were going to make a dessert that the guys thought they could only get in New Orleans. As we cleared the table, I noticed the mess the boys left in the kitchen. I was secretly pleased because I realized that I could snag another bite or two of the delicious dinner while they ran out to pick up a movie for us to watch after dessert.

I waited until they were safely out of the apartment and on their way to the store, and then I spooned a HUGE mouthful of dinner into my mouth as I danced around the kitchen. With a full mouth, I encouraged my friends to have another bite too. As I shoveled another bite in (and I'll shamefully admit that at this point I had a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other), I saw lights flash and heard a horn. My friend looked out the window of the apartment towards the parking lot, and there the guys were...watching us inhale their delicious food. They were cracking up. I was not. I have always turned red rather easily when I'm embarrassed. Thankfully they couldn't see me that well.

When they got back with the movies, they were greeted with a yummy dessert. They teased us unmercifully, then we watched the movie. The teasing went on for quite some time, and any shot we'd had at dating before was completely blown at this point.

About two and a half years later, Army got a fabulous summer job through a connection his brother had. He had a great boss, and really enjoyed getting to know him. Every time he mentioned his boss's name, I cringed. The guy had the same name as the person my friend tried to set me up with. I knew it couldn't be him though because he didn't know Army's brother and the guy had moved back to his hometown after college. Eventually he and Army began doing stuff outside work, and he invited us to his apartment one evening before going out. As we pulled up to the apartment, I was visibly squirming. I tossed question after question at Army about this guy because he lived in the same apartment complex as the guy from college. I kept reminding myself that I knew he had moved back home, so this guy could not possibly be the same guy from dinner. He also didn't work in the same field as the guy from college. As we walked up to the apartment door, I thought that it was a rather odd coincidence that Army's boss lived in the exact same apartment that I'd been in two and a half years before. Again, no way this guy could be the same guy...he'd moved back to his home town, he didn't know Army's brother, he was in a different field of work. Then he answered the door. The same guy answered the door. In lightening fast though, I debated acting like I didn't know him, but I was busted when he said, "Hi Lanny! I haven't seen you in ages. Come on in. Can I get you anything to eat?" I wanted to melt into the ground!

I never went out with them again. I decided it was a friendship Army could have, but I'd stay out of it. That worked well for me. Army's job was only a summer job, and although he and the guy remained friends for a while, they rarely saw each other once Army started med school. A few years later, my friend mentioned that the guy had once again moved back to his hometown. Dang if he wasn't in my town for a conference last week. Of all places, I ran into him at a restaurant. Lovely. Just lovely. Thankfully I had two adorable little girls with me. They were a great distraction from the fact that I just don't have my college body anymore...very likely due to that food shoveling I did in an apartment once upon a time.

I Love Linus!

2009-06-22T14:55:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, Linus and I were chatting. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but I made the comment, "Well, that's just ridonkulous."

As seriously as can be, Linus looked at me and said, "Mama, the word is ridicleeus."

Poor girl; she's always had difficulty with ri-dic-lee-us and fab-lee-us. Honestly though, I think I prefer her way anyway. ;)

Remember When...

2009-06-08T18:25:00.002-05:00

Linus has been reminding me that we haven't followed her dreams yet. Little turkey. She knows how to get her way.

Who's On First

2009-06-03T13:21:00.002-05:00

My life appears to be a daily Abbott and Costello routine. When Lolly has a bottle, it's a Dr. Brown's. They have a million parts, and it takes me forever to load them in the dishwasher. Linus was watching me load the other day, and she has some questions. Apparently she thought Dr. Brown was a person we know.

Linus: Mama, how many bottles did Dr. Brown give us?
Me: What?
Linus: Dr. Brown. How many bottles did he give us for Lolly?
Me: Twelve.
Linus: No, not Dr. Telf (her pediatrician), Dr. Brown.
Me: No, not Telf, Twelve.
Linus: Mama, bottles. How many bottles did Dr. Brown give us for Lolly. Not Dr. Telf, but Dr. Brown.
Me: Twelve, Linus. Not Dr. Telf, but twelve Dr. Brown bottles.
Linus: Nevermind.

Extra Happy

2009-05-27T00:21:00.002-05:00

Linus got an award at the Awards Day assembly at school today. I'm curious what kind of award y'all might think she received. Sooo, what's your guess?

Extra Thanks

2009-05-25T22:59:00.003-05:00

A very heartfelt thanks to the many men and women who have served our great country and provided us the freedom that we enjoy. For personal sacrifices you've made, as well as the sacrifices your families have made, I am forever grateful.

Among other family members, my father, grandfather, uncle, and great uncle were service members. My grandfather was among those storming the beaches of Normandy. Oh how I wish I had been able to hear his stories first hand.

Guess Who

2009-05-21T21:50:00.002-05:00

Guess who said the following tidbit. Bonus points if you can tell me what the person was talking about.

These nipples are hard, but when you suck them they go down.

A Sign of the Times

2009-05-19T06:20:00.000-05:00

Linus has this (very annoying) toy that says, "Red Alert!" Despite trying to tell her otherwise, she's convinced it says, "Credit Alert!" and goes around saying it constantly. I guess she's not too young to teach her about good credit. :)

Sweet Little Lolly

2009-05-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

Afternoon carpool at the school Linus attends is run like a well oiled machine. Nine cars load at a time after snaking through the parking lot. The kids are called in stages, so they are (usually) ready by the time you get to the loading area. As we snaked through on Friday, Linus made it to the first holding area more quickly than usual. Lolly looked over (two rows away, and kind of hidden!) and noticed Linus. She immediately got a huge smile and her whole body began bouncing and shaking with happiness. It was finally time to see her Linus. Then we pulled forward to continue moving towards the loading area. Lolly panicked. She began screaming and reaching her arms towards the window in the direction of Linus. And she screamed and cried until we finally got to Linus. By the time Linus got into the car, Lolly had worked herself into a full panic and was doing that cry-breathing when you can barely catch your breath. Linus could not stand to see Lolly so upset. It's so sweet to watch their love bloom and show.

Linus has been in love from the beginning. :)

Extra Sleepy

2009-05-15T06:15:00.001-05:00

Stupid, stupid, stupid internet is giving problems, so I'm going to do a quick post and hope it works...

Last night a loud crashing sound woke us up. Army groggily asked what the noise was.

Before I could answer, he began snoring. Between Army and the dog, who never even woke up, I feel quite safe. Ha! At least we have The Bitch to protect us.

Extra Love

2009-05-14T06:12:00.002-05:00

No Swine Flu here. Just lots of giggles and smiles. My goodness I love this girl!!!

Extra Sick and Tired

2009-05-13T06:15:00.000-05:00

Tuesday morning when I tried to wake Linus for school, I was met with some resistance. As I nudged and said her name for the second or third time, she coughed and said she couldn't go to school. Then she coughed again. When I asked her why she couldn't go to school, she coughed again, snorted like a pig, coughed again, then said, "Swine flu."

Honestly, I'm not sure whether she caught a glimpse of the media hype or if she overheard Army and I talking about it. She never opened her eyes and never cracked a smile.

The child is even funny in her sleep! :)

Extra Annoyed

2009-05-12T06:10:00.001-05:00

What happened to customer service? I know I've gone off on this before, but it's on my nerves again.

*Yesterday we were at Home Depot, and the guy in front of us was sent back to get an identical product as the one he planned to purchase because his didn't have a bar code. We waited (and didn't mind, really) while he ran and got another one. The cashier told us we could go to self-check if we wanted to because it would be faster. We're big fans of self-check, but because we were getting items that had nearly non-existent weight, we knew from experience that self-check would give us problems. Once the guy returned and finished checking out, it was our turn. We placed our items on the counter, and on the last item, there was no bar code. I told the lady it was $9.99, but she said, "I can't just trust the price you're telling me, I have to have the bar code." Fine, I get that you can't just take my word for it, but I'd sure as heck say it a different way. Perhaps, "I'm sorry. I have to scan a bar code for it to ring up." would have been a little less harsh than I don't freaking believe you. I was annoyed (hey, they're shooting 100% on missing bar codes per transaction), so I just said, "We'll just get one next time." I was not going to make the man in line wait yet again for somebody to go get another product. The lady got annoyed with me! She told us we could go to the garden center after we finished checking out, switch out the product, and then pay for it there. Um, no. I have two kids with me. Home Depot is a nightmare with my kids when things go well, I'm not dragging them back through the store again. And really, it wasn't a time sensitive item, so we really can pick it up next time. Or elsewhere. I still don't know why she couldn't call the garden dept and ask for a price check. And for the record, without my kids, I would have just gone and paid for it in the GD, but still. Customer service people. Novel concept.

*Monday I took the girls into Walgreens to pick something up quickly. Linus wanted everything in sight, so I wanted to keep the errand as quick as possible. We made our way to the checkout, and the (very) elderly lady in front of us wanted to do two transactions. No problem. As we waited, the line grew, so the cashier asked another one to open the counter behind us and help check out. Keep in mind I have a baby in my arms and another child with me along with what we were buying. As soon as the other lady opens the other counter, the lady behind, who works for Walgreens, rushed over there and bumped in to me in her attempt to beat anyone else there. I'll give the first cashier credit, she asked the girl who bumped me to please let the customers go first (to which the girl said, "but I'm in a hurry."). No apology whatsoever from the girl, and there's no way she didn't know that she bumped me. It jostled Lolly enough that she started crying! Ugh!

What happened to training employees in customer care? I worked at a bank in college, and I had hours of training in customer service and I didn't even work in a department that interacted with customers! I volunteer at Children's Hospital, and you better bet we're trained in customer care. As a parent of a child who has been a patient at Children's, I can guarantee it's the little things that count.

I know I sound geriatric whining about customer service, but really, if I'm going to spend money somewhere, I'd rather not be pushed, you know? That's not to say I'll never shop at Walgreens or HD again, but if it becomes a trend, you better believe I'll stop. I'm a fan of locally owned stores anyway, and there's plenty locally owned hardware stores and nurseries. What's your experience?

An Extra Year Update

2009-05-11T06:45:00.002-05:00

Some of you have asked how my father is doing. Unfortunately, he's gone downhill since my post last year. He was able to return to work, but he has since retired. Thankfully that was an option for him.

We've had quite a few scares over the past year, but the most significant came in August. Because nothing is ever boring and simple at our house, my dad lay dying, yet again, as Lolly began her entrance into this world. The doctors were very frank with my mother, and they let her know that it was very unlikely he would survive the night. What began tears of sorrow and fear became tears of hope and happiness as we celebrated life: Lolly's birth and my dad's survival.

We don't know how much longer we have with him, and quite frankly, I'm not sure how much more his body can take. For now, though, we're enjoying the time we do have.

Thanks for all your good thoughts! I cannot begin to tell you how much they meant the first time I wrote about his incident, now how much they've continued to help as we go about this journey.

Here's the original post in case anyone is interested:

Sunday, May 11, 2008

An Extra Birthday

One year ago today, I got one of the worst phone calls a person can get.

Linus and I enjoyed a fun Mother's Day Luncheon, then Army and I headed out with our agent to look at houses. While we were out, my mother called. I confirmed that we were planning to go to her city the next day, and then asked her if I could call her back when we were finished. She realized just how busy we were, and readily agreed. She planned to go shopping with one of her friends, and then possibly out to dinner. My father was out of town.

As Army and I were driving home, my cell phone rang. I fished around for it, and just as I found I found it, voice mail picked up. I looked at caller id and grumbled when I saw it was my mother. I though, ugh, she knows how busy I am--I told her I'd call when I could. Right before the tone went off to let me know I had a message, I though to myself, oh no--what if something is wrong. I dialed her number, but I got a busy signal. She has call waiting, so I knew that meant she had to be calling somebody else. I went ahead and listened to my message. It was short and her voice was filled with fear: Lan, I need you.

I tried to call back, but now there was no answer. I thought about calling my dad's cell, but since he was out of town, I knew all I'd do was worry him. Just as I was in near full panic, Army's cell rang. It was my mom. I could only hear his side of the conversation, but I knew instantly it was really bad. Then he handed me his phone.

"Lan, I'm on my way to SmallCity (where my dad was). They found Dad in a parking lot. Lan, he wasn't breathing and he didn't have a pulse. They think he had a heart attack. They have him at the hospital now. That's all I know. Can you come?"

"Wait, Mom. What are you saying? Is he dead? A heart attack is impossible. He had an angiogram not long ago, and he had no blockage. Something is not right. I just don't understand. Yes, I'll come. Where is he? Is he alive? Who found him? How long had he been down? Mom, IS HE ALIVE?"

"Lan, I've told you all I know. Can you come?"

"Mom is he alive? What hospital?"

"Lan, I don't know. I think he's alive. They had him breathing when I spoke with the hospital, but he keeps slipping."

"Hang up now! Mom, you've got to call the hospital back and tell them he's on a blood thinner and all his medications."

My dad carried a list of all his medications in his wallet, so thankfully they were able to have immediate access to all meds and dosages. "Lan, I've done that. Can you come?"

"Mom, who is with you? Have you told Sis? What about your sister?"

"Lan, I'm alone. I really need you. I called P, J, J, and K. None of them answered their cells. I was supposed to go out with P and J. They are probably in a store and not getting good reception. I haven't told you sister yet. I can't Lan. I just can't do it and drive to SmallCity. I've just got to focus on your father living."

At this point, I'm in tears. We pulled into our garage, and I'm immediately greeted by Linus. In my not-so-finest-hour, I barked at Linus to go to her room. I didn't want to make her panicked. Duh, not quite sure about seeing her mommy in tears and telling her to go to her room was going to keep her from getting upset. Thankfully we had a great babysitter here, and she went and took care of Linus. WonderDog was already at the vet's clinic--we had boarded her since we were planning to go out of town early the next morning.

Mom called back and said J and P had called her back when they saw their missed calls, but that she told them not to go up, she'd be fine. I called J and begged her to go to my mom even though mom had said no. J told me she and P were already in the car--they were dropping off J's daughter and then headed for the hospital in SmallCity. Funny thing is, they had no idea where the hospital was. Army went to med school in that state, so he knew and had to get them there over the phone. I felt better knowing my mom wasn't going to be alone the whole time.

I called Mom again and asked if she'd told my sister yet. She said she hadn't and that she couldn't. Calling my sister was soooo hard. She was in the car with her whole family. I asked her to call me back when she got home, but she could hear the emotion in my voice and demanded that I tell her what was wrong right then. I told her and she fell apart.

Next I called one of my mom's sisters despite my mom asking me not to. I had no idea at the time, but my aunt had just learned my uncle was terminally ill, yet they didn't have any answers beyond that he would die. She dropped everything and decided to come right up. I knew she would. My mom and that aunt are super close, and I also knew she'd make the trip with my sister. My sister had decided that her husband would stay home with the girls, and she'd come alone. I didn't want her making that trip alone.

Next I had to focus on getting us out of there. It took us a little while to pack and get on the road (it felt like forever!) because I had no idea how long I'd be gone, nor did I know if I'd be attending my father's funeral. It was awful.

On the trip to get to SmallCity (about 5 hours away), I was on the phone constantly. I tried so hard to be very cryptic in what I was saying--I wanted to shield Linus as much as possible--but it was near impossible. We called Army's brother and asked if we could drop Linus there for the night, and of course he said yes. I called my mom's other sister and asked her to pray. She lives about 15 hours away from SmallCity that my dad was in. She offered to take the next plane out, but I asked her to wait and we'd assess everything in the morning.

On the way there, there was an unbelievable amount of road construction, so our 5 hour trip ended up closer to 7 1/2. I was constantly in contact with my mom and sister getting updates.

I prepared my mom for seeing my dad with tons of tubes (assuming he was alive) and his color being off. Thankfully, Army knew exactly what to expect, so he had me tell her exactly what she'd walk into. Finally she was able to call us with the good news that he was alive. Better yet, he didn't look bad at all. Sure he had a few tubes, mom said, but he looked just like himself. Why I believed that, I'll never know. I guess I needed to believe it.

Mom called and asked us to stop at her house and let her dog out. I wasn't all too happy, because I wanted to get to my dad, but we did it. At that point, I decided Linus would go on with us. She knew something was up, and I could NOT just toss her off to a relative.

After what seemed like forever, we arrived at the hospital. My father had been moved from the ER to CICU. Since it was a small city, they had a small hospital, but that small hospital was wonderful. They didn't want my mom to be alone (before her friends got there), so they had one of the security guards available for anything she needed. He brought her fresh coffee constantly, bottled water, blankets, etc. We all came to love this man. He checked on my dad for the longest time after the incident. They also had a private entrance to the CICU. We LOVED that!

We finally learned that what we were originally told wasn't accurate. Dad had been in a place of business when everything happened. This business had security cameras that captured it all, so we were able to get a detailed story. Apparently Dad had cardiac arrest (but NOT a heart attack) and his heart and breathing stopped. He dropped between two displays, and it took three minutes for anyone to see him. Once he was seen, they called an emergency, and two other people there began CPR. An ICU nurse noticed the commotion and removed the CPR guys because they were doing it incorrectly. By this time a person at the business trained to use a defibrillator came (seriously, what are the chances?) and she and the ICU nurse shocked Dad back into a good rhythm. They continued with CPR until the ambulance arrived because he still wasn't breathing on his own. He had to be shocked multiple times and eventually he even began breathing sporadically on his own. He tried to tell them about his medicine, but he was unable to talk. He continued to go into bad rhythm in the ambulance, so they had to shock him in there too.

When Army and I went to see my dad, my mom, Sis, and aunt were already back there. Linus stayed with mom's friends (she knows them well). Linus, naturally, entertained the CICU waiting room. My mom lied! My dad looked AWFUL. He had tubes coming from everywhere. His ventilator tube still had the attachment they use in the ER while they are trying to keep the mouth open, so it was shoved in there and made him have a grimace on his face. He was completely unresponsive.

When the doctor saw new people in the room, he came in immediately to explain, yet again, what was going on. I asked Army a question, and the doctor gently explained the answer to me. When he found out Army is a physician, he gave him the rundown in words that are way above my head. Army asked a few above-my-head questions to which the doc answered above-my-head answers. Then doc turned to me and saw the completely lost look on my face and brought it all back down to my level. That meant the world to me. Within seconds of him leaving, Dad began choking on secretions in his vent. They called a RT, but apparently Dad couldn't wait for her to arrive. The ICU nurse went into action, tubes went flying, a doc came running, and my sister and I broke down. Army walked us out of Dad's room, while Mom stayed behind. As soon as he got us to the waiting room with my aunt and mom's friends, he ran back to be with my mom. It was awful. Absolutely awful.

Despite the fact that it was now about 2 in the morning, Dad's nurse insisted my sister and I come back to his room again so that we could see that he was now ok. I'll forever be grateful to her for that.

Mom's friends went home, and Mom decided to stay the night in the CICU waiting room. Because of Army, I knew the statistics: most people who code do it again and do not make it. I wanted to stay too, but Mom wanted me to take Linus to a hotel. Army, Linus and I headed out. Mom, Sis, and my aunt stayed.

The next morning when the doc rounded, he told my mom how happy and surprised he was that Dad made it through the night. That stung like I never imagined. I was happy to know my father was still with us, but hearing how close he came was awful. We were also given the news that if he didn't wake up within 24 hours (he was in a coma), that he likely wouldn't.

We all looked for glimpses of hope, yet Dad did not wake up. We'd think he moved a finger, just for a nurse to tell us we imagined it. Hour by hour went by, and our fear grew.

Saturday night (over 24 hours since the incident) my sister went back to the hotel with us. She had a connecting room. She called me, and we had the dreaded conversation: what if we have to have the really dreaded conversation--do we remove him from life support? They had prepared us that we may have to discuss it since he didn't wake up. Army kept insisting that we give him 72 hours. If he still didn't wake up, he'd want a brain function test run, then run again 72 hours after that.

Sunday morning (Mother's Day), they let us know that 24 hours had well passed. Mom insisted Dad has always done things in his own time, and that 24 hours didn't count for him. Army insisted we give 72. During the past day and a half, I'd made calls to other family members to keep them up to date. Many of them are physicians too, and they agreed with Army: 72 hours was a must. Somehow I was appointed the family spokesperson, a job nobody wants, so I had to speak to zillions of people.

Late Sunday afternoon, we decided to go for 72 hours and screw the 24 hour idea. My sis had been out of town the two weeks prior, so mom sent her home to her kids, and my aunt home to her ailing husband. Army called work and let them know to cancel his appointments...he wouldn't be there.

Later Sunday afternoon, a priest was called in to say a blessing over my father. I begged everyone to tell my dad that this was NOT Last Rites, but nobody did (I was at the hotel with Linus, so I couldn't tell him myself). They all thought I was nuts--Dad was in a coma, it didn't matter what they told him. I, however, had been watching his vent like a hawk, and had seen that he was beginning to breathe over his vent and on his own some. I also noticed that his respiration number changed very obviously when we were in the room talking. I KNEW he could hear us. Anyway, nobody told him it was NOT Last Rites. The priest got started, and within a few minutes, Dad kicked his leg hard. It was as if he was saying I'M NOT DYING! Army got the nurse, and she got the doctor. He did that dreaded sternum rub (for those of you who haven't seen it, it's awful---they rub their knuckles into your chest as hard as they can). Nothing. Not a budge. They called it coincidence that he moved. We knew otherwise. Then Army pointed out the respiration number and that the respirator was doing 100% of his breathing. They said he was slipping further. Army said he had worn himself out trying to kick.

They sat us down and said that patients simply do not "just wake up" like that, that they do it very slowly. Mom said leave it to my dad---he'd 'just wake up' like that. The doctor said he certainly hoped so and asked if he could add Dad to their prayer chain at his church. Of course!

Mom and I though he opened his eyes just a tiny bit, but we were told he didn't really. Nothing significant happened that night. Army spent the night at the hospital that Sunday night while my Mom came back to the hotel for some rest. Naturally she couldn't sleep, so she was back at the hospital before dawn. Then I got a phone call: Lan, HE'S AWAKE! Come quick!

I raced over there. He sure enough was awake. He was fighting the vent, so they removed it with the warning that he'd likely have to have it placed again. He didn't. Once the vent was removed, he began reading everything on the tv. We were amazed. So was the doctor. My sister rushed back. They asked us to leave while they assessed him, which they said would take 1-2 hours, so we grabbed a bite to eat. When we returned, Dad was eating a popsicle, though he was begging for banana pudding instead. They said he had to have the popsicle, and that he couldn't have anything milk based for at least another day. Within an hour he was eating that banana pudding. :)

It took a few more days to get him moved to a bigger hospital in a larger city. During those days it became rather obvious that this would be a long road. He did not know who any of us were, what he did, where he was...nothing.

He had to have surgery at the big hospital, then a few weeks later was moved to a rehab facility. He was in the rehab facility for a month or so. While there, he began to learn our names once again. He did, however, have tremendous memory issues. There was no way he could be left alone. His license was taken away (no complaints--he obviously couldn't drive!), his freedom was taken away.

Once he left the rehab facility, he went home, but he still required 24/7 care. It was very difficult to see my strong father in such a state, but we were so thankful he was alive.

After several months, we began to see little sparkles in his eyes, symbols that he was regaining his jovial personality. We collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Fear was replaced with hope. Although the dad I had grown up with may never return, I at least had a little bit of him. I could hug him. Linus could sit in his lap. A wife had a husband, two girls had a Daddy, and three girls had a grandfather who we all almost lost.

Exactly one year later we celebrate a re-birthday with him. I'm so proud of his accomplishments. Through tons of hard work, he's regained his independence, his life. Last week, he even got his license back. He taught a bunch of family and friends to never give up. That's a lesson that will take us so very far! Actually, we've learned that lesson twice--my uncle, the one who was terminal, is still with us. And he's not listed as terminal anymore!

I love you Dad! Thanks for sticking around! :)

Extra Happy Wishes

2009-05-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

To all the Mommies, Birth-Mommies, Step-Mommies, God-Mommies and Mommies-to-be, Happy Mother's Day!

I plan to spend the day with my two girls. Linus formulated a plan for breakfast for me (Army had to spill the beans because he knew I wouldn't like it) that I'll enjoy with a smile. The thought she put into it more than makes up for the not-so-great food. Anyway, it's the company it's all about! Later, we'll probably plant some flowers. Unfortunately, we won't be able to go see my own mother.

How do you plan to spend the day?

An Extra Special Evening

2009-05-05T22:13:00.003-05:00

Mid-afternoon Army and I were hand delivered invitations to a dinner tonight. The invitations were hand written, personalized, and they were detailed. At the appropriate time, Army and I made our way to that party.

We didn't have to go too far to get there...just up the stairs to the playroom. When we made it there, our hostess with the mostess, Linus, surprised us. She had soft music playing, a table set perfectly, dimmed lights, and fancy napkins that she made. She presented us with a hand-written menu complete with prices and pictures to go with each item.

Army and I oooh'd and ahhh'd and finally made our selection. While we waited for our dinner to cook, we were presented with imaginary tea, which Linus poured for us, tea cookies, and soup. Linus joined us for dinner while Lolly happily bounced in her Johnny Jump-Up.

After dinner, Linus told us the dessert list. She highly recommended the Cinco de Mayo Sundae, and she stood back and tall while we made our selections. We both chose the sundae, which was imaginarily delicious, and then the three of us enjoyed the music and conversation.

Who knew dinner prepared by a six year old could be so delicious and fun?

An Extra Prayer

2009-05-03T22:38:00.002-05:00

Linus goes to a religious school. She learns a prayer each quarter. While I don't believe that rote memorization of prayers equals a true religious belief, I do see their reasoning behind memorizing the prayers. Linus has a LOT of trouble memorizing the prayers each quarter though. A whole lot. Their current prayer is the Hail Mary. We've made a lot of progress towards memorization thus far, but I think it's obvious we've got a way to go still.

Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Linus's version
Hail Mary, full of God, the Lord is with me. Bless it are thou among women, and bless it is the fruit of the womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for our centers, now and at our death. Amen.

I try to say a bit, then have her repeat it. Here's our conversation:
Me: Hail Mary
L: Hail Mary
Me: Full of grace
L: Full of God
Me: Linus, Grace like your name. GRACE. Surely you can remember that, right? Full of Grace
L: Full of God
Me: The Lord is with thee
L: The Lord is with me
Me: Blessed art thou amongst women
L: Bless it are thou among women
Me: And blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus
L: And bless the fruit of the womb Jesus (I left that one alone because I think it's better than many kids' fruit of the loom
Me:Holy Mary, mother of God
L: Holy Mary, mother of God
Me: Pray for us sinners
L: Pray for our centers
Me: What did you say?
L: Pray for us centers. Aren't we praying that we do well at our centers, especially on Fridays during free centers time?
Me: Sinners, Linus, not centers. Like a sin.
L: Oh, well, we should probably pray for our centers too.
Me: Now and at the hour of our death.
L: Now and at our death.
Me: Amen
L: Amen.
Me: Your turn. You try it on your own.
L: Ok. How does it start?
Me: Hail Mary
L: Hail Mary. What's next?
Me: Full of grace
L: Like me!
Me: Yes, like you.
L: Full of God.

Ugh! She'll get it eventually, right?

Extra Long Lashes

2009-04-23T18:29:00.006-05:00

Have I ever told the story of the lady at the Dollar Tree? We were in there one day, and she commented on the great lashes my girls have. After going on and on about their eyes, she asked me to look up (I was digging for money), and when I did, she laughed and let me know that my girls' beautiful eyes did NOT come from me. Thanks lady!

Is it wrong to be jealous of my girls' eyes?

Linus--you can't see the full effect of her lashes here, but it gives you an idea

Lolly--she was only 6 months old here...imagine in a few years!

An Extra Round of Pics

2009-04-23T18:15:00.004-05:00

Be forewarned: I've figured out the issue (looks like my photoshop has seen its last day), so I've got pictures...and more pictures...and more pictures. Daily pics. :)

When Linus was 9 months old, she got a Cheerio stuck on her nose. It upset her at first, but I laughed, and eventually she thought it was funny too. I loved that set of pictures, and I planned to stage some with Lolly. Well, Lolly took care of that on her own for me. Check them out:

Linus

Lolly

Nearly identical expressions:

Lolly isn't really very fond of Cheerios. She'd much rather throw them on the floor. :)

Any idea how to do a video for the technologically challenged? Every single site I've tried to use to upload it says it's too big of a file.

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

2009-04-18T16:44:00.003-05:00

Is there anything cuter than a chubby little rubber band fist feeding an adorable lipped baby mouth?

That's a Cheerio on her nose. More to come...

Extra Random

2009-04-17T14:34:00.003-05:00

Sorry about yesterday's post!

Y'all are cracking me up. I checked my stats yesterday so that I could try and tell who saw it and who didn't (I couldn't tell because I hadn't paid attention to times). Y'all came out of the woodwork to read that. I had nearly 5 times the amount of hits for the same day last week. Maybe I should be edgy more often (kidding).

We had a fabulous field trip today. I was hoping for lots of pics, but I took TWO. What kind of mother, especially a camera happy mother, goes on a field trip with both kids and only takes two pics?

I really want a warm brownie with chocolate chips in it right now. How's that for random? Doesn't it sound good though? What's your favorite dessert type food?

Bite Me!

2009-04-16T13:04:00.003-05:00

***Remorse has set in. I'm removing it***

Um, yeah, reality sinks in

2009-04-14T23:00:00.002-05:00

And this, my friends, is why we'll only have two...*

We got a phone call this morning that Linus stuck a bead in her ear. As luck would have it, Army wasn't in the office today, so I couldn't just run her by so that he could remove it. That would be way too easy.

On my way to pick her up, my mind wandered; dancing around my mind were thousands of random thoughts. After the obvious I hope she's ok and not too scared, I moved on to dang, I'm glad we didn't skip her bath last night which progressed to I hope her ear isn't full of wax. Then it occurred to me that you have to put a reason for checking your child out of school. I was not putting "stuck a damn bead in her dadgum ear" on the sheet of shame for all the parents to see. I opted for "sick" since she'd have to go to the doctor...that does make her sick afterall, doesn't it?

What do you say when you pick up your child who has just stuck a foreign object in an orifice? The accident report cracked me up. The blame game has already begun...found a bead in her own classroom and stuck it in her ear (she wasn't in her room when it happened). Ha! I'm not blaming y'all for this. My child did it. Actually, the first version of the story from her lips involved a bead that she found in her classroom, stuck in her pocket, and it magically jumped in her ear. She eventually said, "Well, it didn't exactly just jump there on its own. I stuck it in the empty space." I'm sorry Linus, did you just tell me you stuck a bead in the empty space between your ears? Please, my baby, please let's find another way to phrase that.

While we were in the car, we made it to the root of the reason for the tears. She was worried the bead was going to roll further in and go to her brain. I could have settled for "What brain Linus? You stuck a stinking bead in your ear. Are you sure you used a brain for that one?" but instead I nicely told her that it couldn't and wouldn't. Oh, but I'm not a doctor, so how can I know? So we had to call Daddy so that he could assure her that it wouldn't go to her brain. I'll have to remember the comfort that gave Linus the next time we write one of those huge education loan payments to Sallie Mae.

We got home, and despite LOTS of drama, Army was able to look in her ear. Sure enough, there's a bead. Naturally, since Army doesn't make a habit of carrying all of his instruments home just in case, he didn't have the needed equipment for the beadectomy. A humiliating call to the dr's office later (I know there's no way we're the only ones who have ever called for this despite the way they made it sound) and Linus had an appointment. After some playful drama (and,really, I don't blame her at all---I'm sure I'd be a little dramatic if somebody was fishing something out of my ear) the bead was removed. Poor Linus, the dr handed it to Army who promptly inspected it then threw it away. I think she wanted it as a battle scar memento.

Once home, Linus played for a few minutes, then she fell asleep for a solid four hour nap. I think the worry wore her out. But OH MY GOSH! She woke up full of energy. Bedtime didn't come easily tonight. The house was very quiet while Linus napped (imagine that!) so Lolly fell asleep and took a three hour nap. Wow! The two of them were on a roll tonight. L-O-U-D and W-I-L-D.

•Not really. I'll post about it someday though.

Extra Sad

2009-04-13T23:03:00.003-05:00

I'm sad tonight. I've actually been thinking about this for several weeks now. I know some of my friends from another group that I'm a member of will understand (and for those of you waiting for your first or second, please know I'm not trying to offend you at all!).

Before I say anything, I *do* know that I have two fabulous children. I love them dearly, and I think that's apparent from my posts. They mean the world to me, and I cannot imagine my life without them. I'm so sad, though, that this is likely the end of the road for babies for me. I've always dreamed of a big family--not octomom big, but big nonetheless. While I'm happy for people who have newborns, I want to experience that one more time so badly. I know Lolly is still young, and I absolutely adore the age she is now, but I just don't have that finished having children feeling. My arms and heart ache when I see a newborn. While I'm not ready for a newborn right this very second, I'm also not ready to close that door for the future.

For whatever reason, I keep torturing myself too. For the members of the other group I referenced earlier, I look at the monthly stats every single month. This month, we would have gone out several times. I don't know why that hurts so badly--maybe the what if? I also keep playing back exactly what was going on with Lolly one year ago on a daily basis. I miss that. I miss the non obvious pregnancy blossoming into the quite obvious one. I miss the dr's appointments. I miss the excitement. And I miss the final result: a new life to hold and nurture. A new life to revel in. A new life to stare at for hours on end, to breathe in with every breath I take, to love, to cherish, to help mold in to a wonderful little being.

I love all the new experiences Linus gives me, and I love watching Lolly grow, but I'm not ready to acknowledge that it's over. As Lolly turns another month older, I relish in her accomplishments, yet I mourn the fact that I'll never get to witness it first hand with another. It certainly doesn't upset me so much that I can't enjoy Lolly, but it's there lurking in the back of my mind.

Lolly is getting old enough that some of her newborn toys, equipment, and clothing need to be given away, yet I can't do it. Thankfully I do need to send my sister some newborn clothes, but the rest of it? It's in Lolly's room. I can't do it. I just can't. Packing things away as Linus grew wasn't hard for me. This time, it's killing me.

I don't want to sound ungrateful. I am incredibly thankful for the two children I have. I'm just having a difficult time coming to grips with this being the end of the road baby-wise. :( I keep waiting for reality to sink totally in, but it just hasn't yet.

Extra Blah

2009-04-13T02:58:00.002-05:00

Why are posts so much funnier in the middle of the night?

Last night (Saturday night) was had a comedy of errors here. I went to bed (close to 3!), but because of everything that had happened, I couldn't fall asleep. As soon as I did, I was startled awake by Army. Then again, I tried to fall asleep to no avail. While I was lying in bed, I was composing in my mind what I planned to blog the next day. And you know what? It was really funny...at 3:30. Now? Not so much. So why is it that it's so funny in the middle of the night, but not the next morning?

I'm tired of the blog blahs! I thought (again, at 3:30) that they were passing. Looks like they aren't.

Blah!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T21:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!!!

Linus Strikes Again

2009-03-30T07:54:00.002-05:00

Mama, do you believe in following your dreams?

Sure.

Good, because last night I dreamed we went to Walmart and got the same backpack as Maddie, the one I've been asking for.

Extra Love

2009-03-26T08:38:00.002-05:00

Lolly. My sweet Lolly.

Lolly is seven months old now. How'd that happen so quickly? This is one of my favorite ages. She's a total monkey right now (I don't lift her up, but she won't let go). If she's lying down, she hooks her legs around my arm, her arms around my wrist, and she hangs on. She loves climbing things as much as her little body will allow. She's still an itty bitty thing, but she's getting big chunky thighs. Have I ever mentioned how much I love baby thighs?

I love her toothy grin. She's been working on getting her two bottom teeth. Poor baby, they both broke through on the same day. If you ask her, "Where are your toovies (that's what Linus called teeth when she was a baby)?" she'll open wide, stick her bottom jaw out a bit, and smile a big ole smile. I can't get enough of it. I ask her constantly. :)

I love listening to her babble. There's nothing sweeter than hearing "Mama" even if it doesn't have any significance to her yet. I still love it. I also love listening to her inflection. You can tell her mood by her babble. When she's happy, it's such a sweet babble. If she babbles a bit, but doesn't get the attention she wants, she gets louder and more direct.

She's obsessed with her feet. She holds them constantly, and they often find their way to her mouth. Her feet are finally starting to fill out a tiny bit. They are still really narrow, but we're getting there. Until recently, her feet looked like newborn feet, only a tiny bit longer.

She's far more into the oral stage than Linus ever was. If Lolly can pick it up, it's in her mouth. If she can't pick it up, she leans her head toward it so she can get her mouth on it. She's also much more analytic (can you even say that with a baby this young?) than Linus was. Linus was the most content baby ever. NOTHING bothered that child. Lolly is determined to figure out how things work. She's twist, turn, manipulate, etc objects until she can figure them out. We used a binky clip for about 30 minutes before she figured how to unclip it from her dress. She studied it and studied it until she could get it off.

And best of all, she's a cuddler. She loves to put her head on your shoulder and pat your back. I love it more! She loves to be cradled in your arms. If you lie down with her on your chest, she's transformed instantly into peacefully sleeping baby. It's instantaneous. Of course, that comes with the flip side too--she can't stand for me not to be in sight, and she does not like strangers at all.

Linus is still her favorite person in the world. I hope they are able to share the fantastic friendship that my sister and I have!

I remember wondering the same thing I've heard several friends wonder as the birth of their second child approaches: How on earth can I love this second one as much as I love my first? I remember everyone telling me that it wasn't just possible, it was a given. I secretly thought they were wrong. I simply could not fathom loving another child like I love Linus. I was so wrong. Turns out there was room in my heart to love another child with everything I have.

An Extra Eww!

2009-03-25T00:29:00.003-05:00

Marketing people should ask Linus for her opinion before they use their ideas on products.

At Costco this evening, Linus noticed this product:

Hey, look, they have wipes for WonderDog now!

Wait. Ewww, that's gross.

Ewww, I'm never wiping WonderDog's bum! Ewwwww! Mama! Ewwww! Gross! WHY, Mama, why would they make that?

Ewwww!

Army and I somehow stifled our laughter...until a lady walked over to check out what the commotion was about and cracked up!

Moral of the story: Don't put a DOG on a wipes container. There's nothing cute about poop, so don't try the puppies and babies angle! Linus will call you on it!

Spring Break Review

2009-03-23T08:11:00.002-05:00

Our Spring Break can be summed up in two words: great and horrible.

Monday--rain, rain, rain, and more rain. We didn't get to do nearly as much as we wanted to.

Tuesday--portraits. We actually got a few good shots. As expected, Linus worked the camera while Lolly refused to smile. I can't wait to get a good look at them. All in all, it went much better than expected. Of course, in our book, it's always a success when we are not asked to not return.

Wednesday--the begin of the decline. Lolly stuck her finger in my eye. Not just a little poke-- she really stuck it in there. I called Army to complain and see what I could do for the discomfort (not much, we didn't have anything in the house to help). He called back to check on me, and decided to run home to bring me some numbing drops. They helped immensely, and he decided to stay home, which helped even more! He never ever cancels appointments. Thankfully his partner wasn't busy Wednesday. It seems my complaining was justified. The numbing drops held me over until I could get it looked at, and when I did, the dr said Lolly had not only scratched my eye, but she also damaged a muscle when she stuck her finger in the area between my eyeball and where it meets the head! Ouch! I still can't see well out of that eye, but it doesn't hurt as badly as it did.

Thursday--Lolly to the babysitter so I could spend some one-on-one time with Linus. We ran some errands, then we had a really nice lunch at a local bakery. We ran another errand which was a total bust, but other than that it was a great day. We didn't get to plant the seeds Linus picked out, but we knew we could do it the next day.

Friday--I got a new niece! She weighed one ounce more than Lolly, and she was the exact same length. I can't wait to see her and hold her! I planned to plant seeds this morning, but Linus slept late. When she got up, it was windy. Really windy. It was a no-go on the seeds. My ear started hurting, and by Saturday I had a raging ear infection. I'm wondering when my body is going to get the memo that I'm in my thirties, so I should not be getting EIs anymore!

We didn't get to do many of the projects I had planned, nor the ones y'all suggested because of my eye. We'll spread them out for after school fun, weekend fun, and summer fun. Thanks so much for the great suggestions! They all sound great! I'll try and post pics of what we did get to soon.

Extra Crafty

2009-03-16T20:58:00.005-05:00

Spring Break began for Linus today. I had planned "Camp Spring Break" for around our house to keep her occupied, but today was rainy, so we went through more than I expected. We've got tons of outside activities and toys, but until the weather clears up, we're stuck with indoor things. We are members of a great science center, so that's on the list, but things like the zoo won't work in the rain.

We're doing portraits tomorrow, and that should take a few hours of our time. I'll likely come home from that in need of a very stiff drink (why, yes, we did have a photographer tell us that our child was the most camera happy child she'd ever seen, but please find another photographer because she couldn't keep up with her). Stiff, people, very stiff. Recipes welcome! Funny side story, that photographer has pics of Linus on the wall because, yes, she is in fact camera happy. You're shocked. I can tell.

I'm not against down time at all, but Linus is definitely a child that needs planned activities too. This is the child who told me no more ballet lessons because she had to stay too still. She loves gymnastics. Imagine that.

So far, we're making:
*a kite
*soap
*another bulletin board for her room (possibly)
*ice cream the old fashioned way once we finish reading Farmer Boy (Little House on the Prairie series)
*we may do another butterfly garden, but that's not exactly time consuming
*chalk (possibly--she has tons, but I think making some would be fun too)
*a mirror for her bathroom--I'm letting her bling it all up!

So, all you crafty and not-so-crafty people out there, I need some more ideas. What were some of your favorite things to do with your children or when you were a child?

Noooooo!

2009-03-13T09:17:00.003-05:00

Linus slipped a little gem in on the way to school Friday morning.

L: Mama, Quinn asked me if I wanted to kiss him yesterday.
Me: Um, uh, really?
L: Yeah, but it's ok. I told him no. Not just no, but no because we are too young. No because I'm not his girlfriend and he's not my boyfriend. I told him we're in kindergarten!
Me: Good for you Linus!
L: Mama, I'm not even thinking about marrying him, so there's no way I'm going to kiss him!

Ugh! Why does it have to start so young?

Picking Up Linus

2009-03-11T15:51:00.002-05:00

Every afternoon, I'm treated to the best show. It all starts when I put Lolly in her carseat. The tears begin to fall, but they are immediately replaced with a smile as soon as I utter, "Let's go get Sissy." She babbles on for most of the ride to get Linus. We usually have to wait a few minutes before they dismiss, so Lolly looks at the clouds and carries on one-sided conversations with them. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, she'll even sing to the clouds. After dismissal, but before carpool line begins moving, Lolly will begin to fuss just a bit. It's as though she's saying, "Where's my Linus? Let her out! I'm ready for her." As soon as we begin moving, Lolly begins squealing with delight. As we pull up to the loading area, Lolly becomes quiet. She waits in great anticipation for her sister. The second the car door opens, Lolly's head turns quickly and she gets the biggest smile on her face. As Linus climbs into the car, Lolly's smile grows even more, and she begins kicking her feet. As soon as Linus is buckled in, she turns to Lolly. Day in and day out they have the same conversation:

Linus: Hi there. Did you have a good day?
Lolly: Aaaaaa
Linus: AAAAAA yourself
Lolly: AAAAAAAAA
Linus: AAAAAAACCCCKKKK!
Lolly: AAAAAAA AAAAAAA AAAA AAA

Then Linus begins making silly faces and Lolly giggles. That makes Linus giggle as she continues to make silly faces. Lolly's laughter eventually graduates to a belly laugh. Their eyes never leave each other.

Every single day this exact scene occurs, and every single day it makes me smile. It never gets old. :)

Extra Info, Linus Style

2009-03-10T00:56:00.003-05:00

Leia sent this to me so that I could ask Linus the questions. Her daughter had great answers! I hope y'all enjoy Linus's answers as much as I enjoyed the answers her daughter gave! :)

How Well I Know Mommy
Linus, March 2009

1. What is something Mommy always says to you? I love you.
2. What makes Mommy happy? When I'm on green. (Behavior chart at school)
3. What makes Mommy sad? When I'm on yellow.
4. How does your mommy make you laugh? tickling me
5. What was your mommy like as a child? Linus & Lolly
6. How old is your mommy? I don't know. 20 or 21.
7. How tall is your mommy? Stand up and let me think. (Stands up to measure me & accidentally bops me on the head)
8. What is her favorite thing to do? give hugs to me
9. What does your mommy do when you're not around? She finds me!
10. If you mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? helping people cook...at home and never eating out...ever...never ever again. (Ya think she's still a little bitter?)
11. What is your mommy really good at? cooking
12. What is your mommy not good at? I don't know, maybe not being nice to Daddy (as she giggles)
13. What does your mommy do for a job? She makes me hot chocolate and makes sure I'm on green.
14. What is your mommy's favorite food? club sandwich
15. What makes you proud of your mommy? that you hug me and give me kisses and make me grilled cheese
16. If you mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? It'd have to be on the cooking channel.
17. What do you and your mommy do together? sleep
18. How are you and your mommy the same? we hug cheethother (each other)
19. How are you and your mommy different? She's taller.
20. How do you know your mommy loves you? she always gives me hugs
21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy? they dance together and throw snowballs at cheethother (it snowed last week)
22. Where is your mommy's favorite place to go? out to eat (gee, Linus, is that a hint?)

How Well I Know Daddy
Linus, March 2009
1. What is something Daddy always says to you? clean up your playroom
2. What makes Daddy happy? hugs & feeling his beard (she calls his 5 o'clock shadow 'beard seeds' and she loves to run her hand across it and giggle)
3. What makes Daddy sad? when I get in trouble
4. How does your daddy make you laugh? tickles me
5. What was your daddy like as a child? he was a child?
6. How old is your daddy? I don't know, 20? (So that makes us what, 14 when Linus was born? Just call him Alfie!)
7. How tall is your daddy? (jumps up and raises hands) this tall
8. What is his favorite thing to do? hug me
9. What does he do when you're not around? finds me
10. If Daddy becomes famous, what will it be for? a rock star
11. What is your daddy really good at? helping people who are sick
12. What is daddy not good at? behaving and changing Lolly's diapers (not true, he's very helpful)
13. What does your daddy do for a job? work
14. What is your daddy's favorite food? Pizza with green olives
15. What makes you proud of your daddy? that he comes home from work
16. If your daddy were a cartoon character, who would he be? Jerry (from Tom & Jerry)
17. What do you and your daddy do together? throw snowballs at cheethother
18. How are you and your daddy the same? we walk the same
19. How are you and your daddy different? he's tall, he has short hair, his hand is bigger, his eyes are green
20. How do you know your daddy loves you? he gives me kisses
21. What does your daddy like the most about your mommy? he likes her lips--I know because he kisses them!
22. Where is your daddy's favorite place to go? I wish he liked McDonalds & Wendy's!

Happy Birthday My Baby!

2009-03-04T17:44:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday

my sweet Linus!!!

Today you are SIX! My goodness, time flies!

Thank you for six of the best years of my life!

When you were one, you discovered your grandmother's velcro rollers (which, thank goodness, she doesn't use).

You got a musical set for your birthday, and you loved to climb in the drum!

The day before you turned two, you fell down and bumped your head on the coffee table. I rushed you to the dr's office, and thankfully you were fine. It never even bothered you!

That year Easter was less than three weeks after your birthday.

You loved to curl up and pretend you were watching tv.

You loved playing in your 'house' when you were three and for many years to come.

You got a bike for your third birthday. "Please may I ride?" came out your mouth ever single time we pulled into the garage and you spotted the bike.

At four, you discovered make-up. Give it a few years, Sweetpea.

Dance, dance, dance! You loved the parade!

At five, I took you for a haircut. They knew it was your birthday and treated you like a princess.

You picked out a cupcake that night. We had a real cake at your party.

And now you've turned six. This morning when you got up, you asked me, "Mama, are you proud of me?" Yes, my sweet, I sure am.

"And, Mama? Are you a little heartbroken too?" You can always make me smile!

I love you Linus!

Questions I've Been Asked This Week

2009-02-28T10:46:00.003-06:00

Linus stumps me with her questions on regular basis. I think I've mentioned the time she asked our realtor what a square foot is when she was four. Our realtor nearly fell off her chair. Over the past week, she's had some doozies.

*(I was cooking pasta) Mama, I see the smoke (steam) coming from the pot, but then it disappears. What's happening to it? Where is it going? Why does it disappear? *Side note: I LOVE the way she says disappear: dis-duh-peers

*Mama, when you die, what happens to your peepee and poopoo?

*Mama, after you die, what does God put on you? What does he use for a diaper?

*Mama, can I have at least a brother and one more sister?

*Mama, how exactly do babies get out? This has been asked several times, but my sister is due soon, so her pregnancy has brought up several questions.

*Mama, how do babies get in?

*Mama, can we pick up dinner tonight and pretend you made it?

*Mama, how come we can't see the moon during the day? Where does it go? Sometimes I see it, but not usually. When I do see it, it looks like a puff of smoke that is in a circle like a moon, not a lighted up moon. How come?

So far I can answer her questions, but I think I've only got another 6 months or so until she passes up my abilities!

An Extra Stand

2009-02-26T22:30:00.003-06:00

I've mentioned in the past that our family has eaten out more than we should. Lately, though, I've been a cooking machine. It is very rare that we eat out anymore. With flu season, Army comes home pretty late, and with school, Linus needs to head to bed pretty early. Eating out simply isn't an option most nights.

Linus usually loves whatever I cook. She will eat chicken any way it's served, which makes it very easy for me. Army is very easy to please--he doesn't care if we're having a gourmet meal or sandwiches. I have had a lot of variety in the meals I'm cooking, but apparently it's not what Linus was looking for.

One night this week, Linus fell asleep around six. She woke up and took her medicine around nine. We offered her dinner, but she decided to go back to sleep instead. The next morning on the way to school I asked her why she didn't want dinner the night before. I had to laugh at her answer:

We never eat out anymore. I was taking a stand.
Edited: Oops, I got it wrong! I can't believe I did that. She didn't say she was taking a stand. She said she "was making a statement." Same thought, different words.

Unstoppable

2009-02-24T22:36:00.002-06:00

Ya think she knows?

I have serious issues with my children growing up. It's happening too quickly. Waayyy too quickly. I, however, don't want Linus to be aware of my desire to keep her pint sized forever. I get the feeling that might be unfair. ;) I thought I was doing a pretty good job at hiding it until this morning in the car.

You know, Mama, I'm going to be six next Wednesday. I know you're not ready for that, but you need to be prepared. It's going to happen. You can't stop it.

I guess I don't hide things as well as I think I do since my FIVE (saying it as often as I can until next Wednesday!) year old can see right through me.

Last Call

2009-02-21T20:59:00.004-06:00

Army and I went to a fundraiser auction tonight that benefits the school Linus attends. While we were there, a guy approached us to buy a raffle ticket. Army asked what it was for, and the guy said, "It's alcohol. Lots of beer and hard liquor." I perked up, but Army declined saying, "No thanks. I don't think we have any more room for it."

What? No room? How much liquor do you have???

Remember, Linus attends a religious school. We looked like total lushes!

PS--We did buy a raffle ticket, but we didn't win. :( It looked like a great assortment!

Extra Strange

2009-02-18T21:55:00.002-06:00

Army and I had to go to a government agency yesterday. We had a three hour wait, and we had to have Lolly with us. I thought it would be difficult, but Lolly was amazingly good. She took a little nap in my arms, and when she was awake, she was content to look around or play with us.

When she was sleeping, we couldn't help but hear a conversation between two guys. Guy #1 did the bulk of the talking. He talked about "mounting" women. He also told his friend that it is "much better to be rode than to ride." As he's talking about 'mounting' and 'riding' ~~ladies~~ females, he mentions one person who 'rode me good' and then turns to his friend, Guy #2, and says, "I don't see your cousin any more. You know what she's up to?" HELLO?? Don't talk to me about what you do with my cousin. Ever. A few minutes later he mentioned a controlled substance and how much he hated it. Another guy there (not Guy #2) asked him if he had anymore and how much he'd sell it for.

Once we were called up, we were sitting close enough to another couple to hear one of them lose her temper. She dropped just about every curse word I know. She pitched a fit better than any child I know can do. Really, did she think cursing the lady behind the window out was going to make her do something she had already said multiple times couldn't be done?

What has our society come to that this has become acceptable? I'm in my 30s and I can guarantee you my mother would still chew me out if I acted like that. Not that I ever would...

An Extra Meme

2009-02-16T17:30:00.005-06:00

A (late) Valentine's Day Meme. Got this from Leeann.

♥ How long have you been together?
17 years together, married 10
~
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Time-wise--not too long, but we had one of those total cliche relationships since we talked for hours when we met and hit it off immediately.
~
♥ Who asked who out?

He asked me out, but we had been out with a group of friends several times first.
~
♥ How old are each of you?
We're both in our 30s. I'm a cradle robber though (barely, only by 4 months)
~
♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
That's a toss-up. His live closer, but we still see my sister several times a year. We talk with my sister much more often.

~
♥ Do you have any children together?
Two of the cutest in the world! :)
~
♥ What about pets?
We have Wonderdog. We also had a fantastic dog that we got on Valentine's Day shortly after we got married (he wasn't a V0Day gift). He's been gone 3 years, and I still miss him. Is that odd?

~
♥ Did you go to the same school?
When we met we attended separate colleges, but I transferred to his.
~
♥ Are you from the same home town?
Nope!
~
♥ Who is the smartest?
There's NO WAY I could have gotten his degree! He's smarter book-wise and life-wise. And he's definitely smarter with money!
~
♥ Who is the most sensitive?
me.
~
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We rarely eat out without our children.

~
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Not far, maybe 800 miles.
~
♥ Who has the worst temper?
I explode and it's over. He brews and brews and brews, then he explodes, then he brews and brews and brews.

~
♥ Who does the cooking?
me
~
♥ Who is more social?
He's social at work, in general though, I'm the more social one. He does better when we go to some formal function where I don't know a lot of people though.

~
♥Who is the neat freak?
Neither one of us are real neat freaks, but that is one of the things I explode about. I can't handle a house that is too messy for too long. I crave order.

~
♥ Who is the more stubborn?
without a doubt, me
~
♥ Who hogs the bed?
me, I guess, though probably neither of us

~
♥ Who wakes up earlier?
he does because of work

~
♥ Where was your first date?
a bar--we're really classy like that

~
♥ Who has the bigger family?
He does.

~
♥ Do you get flowers often?
No, but I tend to think they are a waste of money--they die!

~
♥ How do you spend the holidays?
with family

~
♥ How long did it take to get serious?
not long at all; we really hit if off pretty immediately

~
♥ Who eats more?
him, hands down. well, except sweets--he's a cookie person who can eat them and then walk away. I'm a grazer with sweet.

~
♥ Who does/ did the laundry?
Me. I'm not sure he knows how to use our machines. He did use to do his own for a short while though. His idea of laundry is tossing it in and turning it on. I sort, change temps according to type of clothes, etc.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
I use it more, but he's better
~
♥ Who drives when you are together?
Always him. He gets car sick, so he has to drive. I don't mind one bit!

Extra Shocked, Extra Sad

2009-02-09T18:55:00.001-06:00

I had a different post planned for tonight, but I got some news a little while ago that I'm having trouble coming to terms with. Be forewarned, there's lots of background with this.

One thing many teachers know is that principals come and principals go. A few gems stick around for years, but in general, their tenure at one school lasts a few years. For my first teaching job, I accepted a position at an inner-city school. I was young, and I believed I could make a difference. In general, I don't think I'm hot stuff, but quite honestly, I do believe I made a difference that year. Unfortunately, it was also a year riddled with some serious problems. My heart ached for these children. I spent the year at the doctor's office dealing with stomach issues resulting from my inability to compartmentalize my stress and heartache for these children. One was repeating the grade and had been ridiculed by a former teacher (it was documented & the teacher was not asked to return) for being "stupid." One was seriously ill and hospitalized. One was horribly abused (several teachers witnessed it, but DHS did nothing). One would skip breakfast and beg to come into my room (they waited in the halls reading books before the first bell) so she could sleep. She generally slept the first two hours after arriving at school---because she was too scared to sleep with the constant gunfire outside her window at night. One got sick on a regular basis because her family rummaged in garbage cans for leftover food. I was naive back then and believed that the school system was set up to help these kids. I was disapointed, heartbroken really, that this school did not seem to help. In the spring, one of my fabulous students (I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically) brought a gun to school. He was a very promising student with very caring parents. All of a sudden they were faced with placing their son in alternative school (the only placement for the school system because of the zero tolerance policy) or placing him in a private school which they could not afford. Seeing the pain in their faces proved to be the final straw for me. I knew that I could no longer be an effective teacher in that environemnt (the administration).

My next job was in a much more affluent district. It was actually the district in which I lived (this is important). It was VERY hard to get on in this district, so simply being hired renewed my faith a little in my teaching abilities. I once again felt like I could breathe. I had one issue that year, and the principal backed me entirely. My faith in the system was being restored. Then the principal abruptly announced her resignation. When a new principal was announced, my head began to spin again. She had previously been fired from our district for some very unethical issues. She then was hired in my old district, where she was genuinely hated. She remained there until they could no longer take her, and then she returned to my new district. We (teachers, other administrators, parents, other district employees--basically everyone) were shocked. Outraged. Disgusted. Her reign of stupidity was awful. After the first year, over half the faculty left. That's significant. I refused to leave (though I'll admit it crossed my mind). I knew I could outlast her (remember principals come and principals go), and I wanted stability on my resume. There were several cries of foul during her time at the school: thousands of dollars of PTO money was missing, school funds were missing, other things were stolen, etc. She also had ridiculously unethical suggestions for us: keep school money in your car and don't turn it in but once a month, etc. She'd give our home phone number to parents. When I couldn't be reached at home one day, she simply told the parent my address and how to get to my house. Lovely, huh? She made a big deal of how we appeared to the community (remember I lived in this community). Now I agree that we should present ourselves as professionals, but I do not agree that having boys sit in your lap in the community is a good idea! She'd try to "save" the students who were habitually in trouble. I'm all for helping them, but her ideas just let them fly under the radar now, and that will not help them. She'd make them office workers and hand them tests to run off instead of letting us run them off ourselves. Copies of our tests were everywhere. She'd DO projects for students at risk for failing. Helping them do it? Yes, a student can learn from that. DOING it for them? Absolutely not! She plagiarized multiple times and was caught doing so. She bragged about getting new tires on school time and using school money to do so. Bragged. Openly.

Although the school had a superior rating when she began, it quickly began to fall. Teachers had their hands tied (we were told no grades recorded below 60 ever; she also changed--openly--students grades on a regular basis). While I realize that may not sound like a huge deal, it is a really big disservice to the child and their parents. A parent does not know their child does not grasp a concept if they continually bring home good grades. If a child does not understand one step in building block concepts, they cannot be successful as they climb the ladder. It's just not fair to the child. You are setting them up for failure.

At any rate, her reign of stupidity lasted several years before she moved on (to another job that she GOT FIRED from because of unethical issues---google it, you'll find her name, and now her name comes with a nice large lawsuit because her image is tarnished, tsk tsk).

So many of us were just worn out at this point. Our faith in the educational system had hit a new low. We were all excited to get a new principal; somebody who could renew our faith. We didn't really care who it was, though there were rumors that the high school assistant principal was going to be our new principal. Rumors proved true, and we were thrilled! He brought a breath of fresh air to the school, and for the first time in years, a positive light was shining brightly in all the eyes of the teachers. His impact was immediate.

With our new principal, came a new assistant principal. For what it's worth, I loved one of our assistant principals under the last principal---adored him!--but his hands were tied. He tried so hard to help, but when you are met with defeat over and over again, it brings you down. Anyway, the new assistant principal was wonderful too. He and I hit it off immediately. Our personalities just meshed. Both the principal and assistant principal supported us wholeheartedly. It was such a welcomed change.

Anything we needed, the principal or assistant principal (or bookkeeper--she's awesome) made sure we had. They believed in us. They knew we'd been beaten down, and they worked very hard to build us back up. They cheered us on both professionally and personally. They understood that things happen. They treated us like humans--not only humans, but adult humans--for the first time in years. They asked our opinions, and they listened to them. Our students flourished under their leadership. So did our teachers. The entire school environment changed. We were once again a happy place. They encouraged us along the way, and they thanked us for what we did. Our school regained its previous reputation. Most of us were reunited with former love for teaching. I loved these guys, I truly did, as did many other teachers that year.

After a few years, the assistant principal moved on to become the principal of another school. His teachers there loved him too, and would happily do whatever he asked.

Recently he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He has a school that loves and needs him. More importantly, he has a wife. He has children. And he likely has less than a year to live. Less than a year to spend with his wife. Less than a year to spend with his children. Less than a year to hug and kiss them. Less than a year to play with them. Less than a year to make memories to last their lifetimes.

I know any of us can go at any moment, but knowing you are dying (though he says he's choosing to live in the present) has got to be hard.

He has such a positive attitude, but I just can't seem to shake my sadness for him. For his wife. For his children. And for generations of future students and teachers.

Extra Missed

2009-02-06T16:34:00.004-06:00

Those of you who know me from elsewhere probably know where I got this.

Are there any products that you loved once upon a time but are no longer made?

I loved (as in my mom bought me a ton when I went to college because she was worried I wouldn't eat otherwise) Carnation Breakfast Bars. I think they still make the chewy ones. The ones I loved were before the chewy ones. They were harder. And delicious. I'm pretty certain they were bad for you, but when you start your day out with such goodness, it can't go wrong! I really, really, really miss them.

I also miss these little bags of granola goodness called Granola Crunch. I remember a green packet, a red one, and an orange one. The orange one was peanut butter flavored. They were little pouches of crumbled granola, and my mom used to surprise me with a pouch in my lunch every now and then.

Planter's Cheese Balls anyone? They used to come in a blue can with a yellow lid. They have some attempts at the airy yumminess (I think Cheeto's makes a 100 cal pack), but nothing even compares.

Hmm, does that say something about me that all the things I miss are food?

Oh, I know a non-food one. Bath & Body Works used to make a milk and honey body wash that came in a tall glass bottle. It left your skin so soft, and it smelled delicious.

Is there anything you used to be able to get but miss now?

Customer Service

2009-02-04T22:36:00.002-06:00

I used to think my grandmother was uptight when it came to customer service. I remember her complaining about what CS had turned into in the last few years of her life. Then I started spending my own money, the money I worked for, and I started to see things differently.

I don't expect somebody to cater to my every whim by any means. In fact, I can't stand it when a salesperson hovers while I'm shopping. On the other hand, I cannot stand it when I practically have to beg to have somebody ring me up so I can pay for what I want to purchase. Basically, all I ask is a simple acknowledgement when I walk in the door ("Hi, let me know if there's anything I can help you with.") or something equally simple. It irritates me no end when I walk into a store and the people working there are too busy chatting to ever acknowledge my presence, even when I'm at the counter, products in hand, waiting to pay. It also annoys me when a store worker is taking a clearly personal cell phone call. I couldn't care less if they are talking on their cell (or even business phone) while I'm shopping, but if I want to give you my money, please don't make me wait while you gossip with your friend. There is a shop near my old house that I never intend to step foot in again because they never ever stop talking with each other. I've seen more than one person just leave their items on the counter and leave, and I've seen the ladies there never say a word to the customer beyond the total while ringing them up. I find that rude and poor customer service.

I've always wondered how some of these stores stay in business. Today I realized I am part of that equation. While I intend to never shop at that store near my old house, I do shop at a similar store near my new one. It's a little boutiquey store that has fabulous children's items. I've come across one worker there who was decent, the others are ridiculous, including the owner (who once was surprised that I was looking for an outfit for a baby girl because I looked like the mother of a boy---wth???). They rarely stick to their posted hours, they are not willing to help (and when you are ordering a monogrammed item it's kind of necessary to actually speak with them!), and they do not like children in their (children's) store. I don't like their customer service at all, yet I keep going back. Why? Because they have adorable things that I can't find anywhere else. Because it's close to my house. Because I love their stuff, damn it! So it occurred to me today that if the product is what people want, customer service really doesn't matter. Every single time I go there, I leave saying to myself that I'll never return, yet I do. Time and again. Clearly they've got me with their products, and sales are what you need to remain in business.

So, what customer service things make it or break it for you? If a store has something you want/need, will you keep going back despite poor cs?

Extra Love

2009-02-03T20:54:00.002-06:00

Most years Army and I don't really celebrate our true anniversary much. We were married a few days before Christmas, and since having children, we tend to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. We intend to go out, we even get a babysitter, but since we have a babysitter, we can't help but run those errands while we have one. This year was our tenth anniversary, and we did celebrate it in a grand way. Today marks 17 years that we've been together. Not something we tend to celebrate really.

This afternoon I crawled into bed after picking up Linus from school. Army had the day off, and he entertained Lolly while Linus and I took a nap. He came in to suggest we have dinner, but I didn't feel well and didn't want to get up. A little while later he suggested I get up and ready for dinner again. Turns out he had planned a dinner date for us. I felt horrible that ruined his surprise! I've got a rain check for later in the month though. :)

I'm so glad we made that decision 17 years ago! I feel really old (17 years?!?), but really loved!

Extra Effort

2009-02-03T00:28:00.004-06:00

For a long time, Linus had trouble with the word maracas. She called them caracas. She'd try to say it correctly, but time after time, it came out caracas.

Tonight at dinner, Linus was talking about our president, Maraca Obama. Poor child, she tries, she finally says the word correctly, but it's not the right word. Army and I chuckled, and she couldn't figure out what was so funny.

I can't help but think Maraca Obama is related to John O'Cain (I've heard Linus and many other kids her age call him John O'Cain).

Extra Sick

2009-01-29T13:34:00.004-06:00

WHY oh why are soooo many people googling 'extra long tongue?' I get multiple hits per day from a google search using those words. Sometimes it varies a bit to 'girl with long tongue.' I don't care how you phrase it, somethings not right with that many people looking it up.

Guess it's time to change my settings!

What google searches turn up on your blog that amaze you?

Please Sir, May I Have Some More

2009-01-26T08:48:00.004-06:00

When Linus, my mom, Lolly and I were at the restaurant the other day, Linus decided to order her food herself.

Are y'all ready to order?
Yes, please. I'll have a bowl of soup, please.
Sure thing. What kind would you like?
Warm kind, please.

Extra Gross!

2009-01-23T18:23:00.002-06:00

I saw perhaps the most disgusting thing I've ever seen today. Linus, Lolly, my mom, and I were at a restaurant. We were all enjoying ourselves until my mother asked me if I saw what she saw. I was completely oblivious, and would have been very happy to have been able to remain that way. Unfortunately, she pointed me in the direction of a woman changing her baby.

Changing her baby's poopy diaper.

In a restaurant.

On the table.

Let's recap. She changed a poopy diaper on the table. That is all degrees of disgusting. Vile. Vulgar.

I know babies poop. I know they poop in public. I also know that not in a million years would I change Lolly's diaper on a table in a restaurant. In fact, my first comment was, "Oh gross, Mother! That lady put her naked child on a table in a restaurant. I'd never do that to Lolly!" That cracked my mother up. Lanny, that's beside the point. What about the poor people who sit there next?

As we watched, because we just couldn't peel ourselves away, the lady took the dirty diaper and put it on the table.

Vomit.

How can somebody not know better than that.

Linus naturally had the best line of the day: Mommy, why is she doing that? I would never poop at a table. There's no difference. I *almost* wish she could have heard Linus!

Hooked On Phonics Worked For Us!

2009-01-20T20:46:00.005-06:00

WARNING: LANGUAGE!

A conversation from our house today:

Army brought home some stuff from work recently that had three lowercase letters on it...afc. Linus knew it came from work, but didn't know what it was. All of a sudden, she blurts out, "Daddy, you work for a fuck!"

HUH???

"A fuck, Daddy, you work for a fuck. This came from your work, and it says a fuck...(points to it) see a /f/ /k/...a fuck."

I was a complete waste of a mother as I had to leave the room before she saw the tears of laughter streaming down my face. Army was the good parent and walked her through it.

So Maybe She's A Little Off

2009-01-19T22:45:00.004-06:00

Linus greeted me first thing this morning with "Happy Martin Luther King Day, Mommy!" Naturally, I returned the greeting. A little while later, she said it again. I asked her who Martin Luther King was, and she said, "He's the one who made the poor little old lady get up because he didn't want to sit in the back of the bus. He made the little old lady, Rosa Parks, get up from her comfy seat because there was a sign that said, 'Blacks must sit in the back.' and besides, Mommy, doesn't he know there are no black people. Why don't grown-ups know their colors? She was brown. And old. And that's not nice. Not one bit."

As I tried to explain to Linus that she kind of got her story mixed up, she became more determined. "No, Mama, he made her sit in the back. He took her seat. But he was doing a good thing. A really good thing. (Pause) How's it a good think to make an old lady get up from her seat?"

Again, I tried to explain who MLK was and who Rosa Parks was. "But Mrs. ___ said so. I. I. I know she did. (beginning to whine) I heard her. I was paying attention."

She finally let me explain, and she listened well.

I thought.

During dinner, her daddy asked her who Martin Luther King was. Anybody want to guess who made a little old lady get up from her seat on the bus so he could have it?

We'll be working on this one!

Logic Linus Style

2009-01-18T00:16:00.003-06:00

Linus got in a bit of trouble at school on Monday and Wednesday this week. Nothing too serious, but still trouble. She got put on "yellow" at school, and she was punished at home. This weekend she wanted to go to our local science center. It really is a lot of fun, and they change the exhibits often, so there's always something new to see. I explained that we were not going to the science center because she was on yellow twice this week, and that is unacceptable in our house, so we definitely weren't rewarding it. As innocently as she could, she looked at me and said, "But Mama, they weren't next to cheethother (each other)." as in yellow Monday, green Tuesday, yellow Wednesday, and green Thursday.

I hate when she does that! It's so hard to discipline her when she's so funny! We still do, but I sure am laughing inside!

Extra Curious

2009-01-16T01:19:00.002-06:00

Daisy touched on something in a recent post that made me curious. She discussed blog persona versus the true person. I think I come across as who I really am. I do hold back on occasion because I really hate to hurt people's feelings, but other than that, I think I am Lanny (which is a funny statement in itself since (duh!) my name isn't Lanny).

Some of the people who read this blog have "known" me since Linus was a baby (thanks y'all! you have no idea how much you've meant to me throughout the years), yet I don't think even they have seen a pic of me. Possibly Melissa and Leia, but I don't think they have. In fact, there's only one person who reads my blog that I know knows what I (used to) look like. I don't even really look like that anymore.

Anyway, Daisy got me thinking about three things:
1) If you know me in some way outside of the blog, do I come across the same way here as there?
2) Do you feel like you come across the same way in your blog as IRL?
3) What do you think I look like? This should be fun!

And as a side note to Daisy and BayouBelle, thank you so much for the award and meme. I don't know what I've done, but I can't post images at all on my blog right now, so I can't follow through with the 'rules.' Once I figure out what I did, I'll post them. In the meantime, thank you so very much for thinking of me!

Extra Confused

2009-01-14T11:33:00.003-06:00

Linus recently noticed differences in the color of people's skin. Unfortunately, she overheard somebody say something about a "black" person. Linus, annoyed that the person said another person was black said, "He doesn't know his colors, Mommy. He's brown, not black." Army and I reminded her that if we have to describe somebody, we describe who they are not the color of their skin. I was proud when she asked me what the color of their skin mattered anyway because we're all just people. I thought I had passed along the message I intended.

Then we went to the doctor's office. Linus's eyes grew larger and larger as she spotted baby after baby in the exam room occupied by triplets. We had to wait in line behind their mother while she paid, and Linus began to whine a bit. I asked her what it was all about, and was a little surprised by her answer: "We only got one baby. They got three. I wanna be brown, Mommy. I want three babies too!" She then turned to the mother of the triplets and said, "This is Lolly. She's my baby sister. I only got one. You're soooooo lucky! I wish we had three babies. I wish we were brown." Thankfully, the lady did not appear offended.

We once again had a discussion about us all being the same, and that skin color doesn't make a person who they are on the inside. She agreed as long as I'd accept that she wished she was brown instead of pink (because then she'd have triplet siblings, of course).

I thought skin color descriptors weren't really an issue anymore until Tuesday night. I forgot to thaw some chicken, and we didn't have any fresh chicken in the house, so I gave in and honored her request for Wendy's. She wanted chicken nuggets, and when she dug into her bag she noticed a sauce container. "Mommy, they gave me skin colored sauce."

Um, it was honey mustard. I don't know about you, but I don't know a single person with skin that's yellow with pepper flecks.

Extra Hard of Hearing

2009-01-13T00:46:00.002-06:00

I have a cold. It's making it difficult for me to hear clearly. Can you guess what I misunderstood in my conversation with Linus?

L: Guess what we learned about in school today, Mama.
Me: Ooohhh, something fun, I bet! Tell me.
L: Incest. (Army starts laughing because he knows I must have heard it wrong)
Me: WHAT?
L: Incest.
Me: WHAT??? (Army is laughing hysterically at this point)
L: Incest. You know.
Army: Tell Mommy what that is.
L: Bugs, Mommy. Bugs.
Me: Army, did she say insects the whole time?
Army: (laughing) Yep! But I knew what you heard!

Facebook

2009-01-10T12:49:00.003-06:00

I've been thinking about this post for a few days now, so I think it's funny that I've seen quite a few blogs lately with similar posts. Must be the time.

Eons ago my SIL sent me an invite, and I just wasn't interested. Let's face it, Linus is a handful, and I didn't want something to distract me and keep me up later at night that I already am (I'm a serious night owl). Little by little, more and more friends joined. When the mother of a friend joined, I decided I absolutely didn't want to join. I love this mother to death. She's a really fun mother, but she's still a mother, you know? And hush, yes I do know I'm technically a mother, but I'm not old! Or at least I'm not as old as she is. A group of friends joined about six months ago, maybe more, and I went back and forth with the idea of joining, but I didn't. Now they're all sharing their pics that way, and I can't see them. Wah. So, I'm entertaining the thought of joining again. I'd love your thoughts.

A. Do you Facebook?
B. What's your favorite thing about Facebook?
C. Should I join or not?

An Extra Vent

2009-01-09T07:50:00.000-06:00

Eh, so much for being nice. This is my second not-so-nice post in one week!

I'll just come out and say it. No sugar coating. I really dislike kiosk workers at the mall. My first mistake was going to the mall. I loathe indoor malls. It was a necessary trip though, so we went. After we accomplished our original goal, Linus needed a snack. Army took her to get one while I ran one more errand. Our mall has two distinct types of kiosk workers: the super aggressive sales ones and the lazy not-getting-off-their-cell-phones-for-anything ones. On my way out the store, I was accosted by the first type. I swear these people spot me and peg me as a softy. During Christmastime I'd tell them I wasn't interested, and if they'd persist--and they always do--I'd tell them I was paying a babysitter and didn't have time. Most of them would back off then. A few still didn't. I had Lolly with me this time, so I couldn't use that excuse. As he comes toward me, he began reaching around my neck. I politely told him I wasn't interested, but by the time I got that out of my mouth, he was holding his item around my neck. Don't touch my neck. I can't stand that! I again told him I wasn't interested, but he wouldn't let go. After I said I wasn't purchasing anything, he started in with, "I'm just trying to make a living selling the best product on the market." Blah, blah, blah. It was live info commercial, and I couldn't flip the channel.

Most regular stores don't treat their customers that way. If they did, customers wouldn't return. The thing with a mall, though, is that you don't have a choice. At our mall, they line every walkway. It's ridiculous. I am thisclose to not going back to the mall because I can't stand them.

So, what's your take on kiosk workers?

The Good, The Bad, and The Great

2009-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

First the good:
As I sat still in carpool line yesterday waiting for Linus, I was met with an unusual silence. Lolly usually screams when we're not moving, but today she was looking out her window towards the sky. I tilted my head back in the headrest and gazed at the sky too. It was full of clouds. I immediately saw two cloud shapes. The first was a playful dog, mouth open, with floppy ears, kind of like what you'd see in an ad from the 50s. The second was a loooonnng wiener dog with droopy ears. As I sat there staring at the sky, I was brought back to college. We used to go to the bowl to "study" and we'd inevitably lean back to enjoy and soak up the sun's rays. We'd watch the clouds go by, occasionally commenting on the figures we saw in the clouds. Rarely did anybody see what somebody else pointed out, but it was always fun. The wind began to blow, so the clouds began moving quickly, but I was still enjoying it. I noticed some very dark clouds, but above them were the fluffiest whitest clouds I've ever seen. It was rather relaxing and amusing

Until the bad...
All of a sudden I got a horrible pain. Horrible. I wore jeans and a t-shirt to pick up Linus today, and somehow in all my moving around to look at the clouds, I pinched my thigh with the jeans. Ouch! It hurt! Badly! And since I was in carpool line, there was nothing I could do. I tried to wiggle a little, but it didn't help. I tried to stretch my leg a bit, but that didn't help either. I certainly couldn't jump out of my car to fix it. Ugh! Hurry up carpool line! Finally the line began moving, and I was able to pick up Linus. A mere 10 minutes and I'd be home sweet home.

Then the great happened...
On the drive home, Linus said, "Oh look at those clouds Mommy! Look, that one looks like a turkey. And look! The sun looks like the Star of Bethlehem the way it's shining down! I just love looking at the clouds, Mama!"

Me too, my baby, me too!

Extra, Annoying

2009-01-07T11:42:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I at least try to be somewhat politically correct most of the time. I'm not today.

Is there a blogger that really irritates you? If it's me, don't answer! There's a blogger that really irritates me. I've tried to read her blog, but it's just incessant whining about every freaking detail of every minute of every second of her day. She also throws overly sweet sappy stuff in there in an attempt (?) to make the whining ok. Many of the bloggers that I follow read her blog, and she comments on their blogs also. I know I must be missing something, but I just can't figure out what it could possibly be. For the most part, I ignore her comments. I think she's probably a genuinely nice person, but the whining irritates me, as does the know-it-all attitude. No kidding, one time she told a male blogger about something male-specific. Um, I don't know about you, but I sure haven't figured out all the females out there, much less the opposite sex!

I really don't like disliking people (especially internet people who I don't even really know!). I can skip her blog, but I can't hide her comments on other people's blogs. So make me feel better. Is there a blogger that annoys you too?

An Extra Lesson in Words

2009-01-04T21:59:00.003-06:00

Linus and I were playing a game in the car one day while we waited for Army to run an errand. She'd describe an animal, and I'd have to guess what it was. Once I figured it out, I'd describe and she'd guess. She constantly picked animals on the more rare end of the spectrum (not dog, cat, fish, etc). After several rounds (and at this point, I'm struggling to think of animals, yet she's got an arsenal saved up for future use), Army comes back to the car. He heard my description (alligator--brownish/greyish but lots of times colored green in pictures, four legs, tail, likes the water) and knew what it was. Linus heard it and said, "Is it a pollywog?"

Seriously?

First of all, that wasn't even on the radar for me. Second, HUH? Her vocabulary is completely different than mine!

An Extra Year

2009-01-01T18:12:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year!

Here's to the best year yet!

------------
Overheard today:
Army: Linus, don't move! Let me help you get down right now!

Army (after a minute of silence): Linus, you can't ever do that again, ok? You could have gotten hurt. That was very dangerous. Linus, do you understand? You can't ever do that again.

Linus: Ok Daddy. I was just trying to be Superman.

Army come into the kitchen a few minutes later and says, "Oh my gosh, Lanny! You should have seen what Linus was doing. It looked like so much fun!"

Do boys every grow up?

Two In One Day!

2008-12-31T12:04:00.002-06:00

After almost no posts in November and December, here's my second for the day. Record breaking, perhaps.

In a fit of desperation I asked Linus to go get me a KitKat. Army got a small bag of them one day last week. I didn't like asking Linus to get it (yet another notch on my Mommy of the Year belt), but I needed one, and I was busy with Lolly at the moment.

Um, I can't. I'm sorry.
What do you mean you can't. Are you ok?
Well, I can't. They're all gone.
What do you mean they're all gone? What happened to them? LINUS! Did you eat them?
Yes.
Linus! How many did you eat???
Well, that depends on how you count them. I ate them while they were still stuck together. I didn't break the bars apart.

And because I'm a bad parent, I called Army to tell him because I thought her answer was so funny!

And It Continues

2008-12-31T08:29:00.002-06:00

Linus woke up screaming. Once I got her calmed down, we had the following conversation:

Sweet pea, what's wrong?
I had a dream.
What was it about?
My daddy...He..He (more crying)
Linus, it was just a dream, sweetie. Are you ok?
Yeah, but my daddy...he...he...he took the wrong thing out of the closet.
(trying not to laugh) What do you mean?
He took the wrong thing off the hanger. There's a good side to it though; it was my old closet at the old house.

Extra Sad

2008-12-26T23:47:00.002-06:00

Linus hates our 'new' house. We've been here for six months now, so I'm not sure we can really call it new anymore. She's made it clear for quite a while that she doesn't really like it, but it's been a more frequent topic of conversation lately than usual. Not too long ago she told us that she really doesn't like this house, and that she "left her smile at the old house" because she liked it more.

Tonight we did a drive-by to retrieve her smile from the old house. I sat back and smiled, pleased with my brilliant plan. As usual, Linus put a kink in my brilliant-ness. She tried to grab her smile as we drove by, but it was happier at the old house, so it didn't want to come with us.

Not to be outdone, I told her that I was so glad she tried, and that when she was able to convince her smile to go with us, that we could probably find a treat for her and the smile.

And again, she put a kink in my plans. "Well, ok Mommy, I just grabbed my smile. Do I get a treat now?" After confirming that she would indeed get her treat, Linus mentioned, "It's too bad I can't wear it, but at least I got it. Maybe one day I'll like our house enough to wear it. That reminds me, Mama...I think I want to put a new house on my Christmas list for next year."

Will I ever learn???

Extra Thankful!

2008-12-25T23:33:00.002-06:00

One of our Christmas traditions is baking a birthday cake for Jesus. Linus loves helping me, and who doesn't like eating cake?

This year I made sure I had everything I needed. Late last night, I discovered my cake mix (there's no way I'm messing up my kitchen making a cake from scratch when I know I'll be cleaning wrapping paper, twisties, cardboard, etc all day) had been opened. Oh no! Nobody is open Christmas Eve late at night, nor are they open Christmas Day.

WALGREENS to the rescue. Our 24 hour Walgreens, which isn't my Walgreens, but isn't too far away either, was open! MANY, MANY, MANY thanks to the employees who reported to work on a day others enjoy as a holiday. They saved a family tradition for us.

Extra Special

2008-12-24T06:45:00.003-06:00

Army outdid himself this past weekend.

Friday was our tenth anniversary. He booked the exact same room we spent our wedding night in. After a delicious dinner, he had chocolate covered strawberries waiting in our room--just like on our wedding night. We enjoyed a cool breeze and drinks on the balcony before returning to the room to munch on some more strawberries. AND we didn't have to get up at 4:15 to head to the airport for our honeymoon this time, so sleeping in a bit was very nice!

The weekend didn't end there though. On Saturday we headed to my aunt and uncle's house to visit with family, and naturally, eat some more. Despite spending loads of time playing with cousins, Linus did pretty well. We also visited a new restaurant (more later this week) that my friend owns. It was delicious. Linus had had it by this point though, and she fell asleep in my lap while Lolly slept in my arms. It was a lovely day and evening spent with friends and family.

The only part of the entire weekend that didn't go as I'd hoped was that I did not get to meet Katie. I had really been looking forward to meeting her, but my own stupidity got in the way (I left my computer with her info at home). :( Hopefully she'll forgive my incompetence and be willing to attempt meeting another time!

Extra Info

2008-12-18T09:31:00.003-06:00

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

More than you probably want to know...

Brainella tagged me, and I'm a bit thankful because it made blogging easy today.

7 random things about me...

I have sock fits. I cannot stand it if I can feel the seam of a sock. Just the thought is bothering me.
I have no feeling in part of my forehead. It's the result of a lovely accident when I was 20 and went through the window on the other side of the car. I'm a seatbelt wearer, but there were no seatbelts available. :(
I love to read, but I don't have the patience for it right now.
I'd love another child, but I don't think that will happen.
I love to bake.
I have to carry an EpiPen everywhere I go, and I hate that!
I wish my dad would 'wake up.' I know it's not going to happen this much later (18 months) though.

Pass on to five people:
1. Jeannie
2. Emily
3. Leia
4. Katie
5. Katie

The rules:
1. Link back to me for nominating you.
2. List 7 random things about yourself.
3. Nominate five other bloggers.
4. Link to them on your blog.
5. Post these rules.

Hellooooooo!

2008-12-15T17:10:00.002-06:00

I guess I owe some of you an apology. I know I told a few of you I'd update in a day or two, and then I never did. It wasn't intentional at all. I've been very busy, and quite honestly, I've had zero desire to blog.

Zero.

I'm going to make an effort again though. While I don't miss blogging at all, I do miss y'all. During my blogging aversion, I didn't really check blogs either.

So, how was everyone's Thanksgiving? We were very fortunate to have a full house. I had 13.5 (my sister's pregnant) people staying at my house, and another 6 come one evening. We celebrated many things including Lolly's Baptism. She was fabulous. Actually, both of my girls were great for their Baptisms. The priest commented that most babies cry when the water is poured over their heads, but neither of my girls did. Anybody see spa days in their future? Both of my girls, in all their refluxy glory, spit up volumes immediately before the Baptisms. Cleaners love us!

We're busy getting ready for Christmas now. Is it just me, or did Christmas sneak up on y'all too?

An Extra Letter

2008-11-20T09:03:00.002-06:00

Dear Moron on the Parkway,

Hello Moron. You know that pedal on the right? That's the gas pedal. It's very helpful. When you're on the parkway in our subdivision at 7:30 in the morning, chances are people don't have the time for you to take your sweet time. We're all on our way somewhere. I'm not asking you to speed, but it would be nice if you could go somewhere near the speed limit. You know, within at least 10 miles of the speed limit would be nice. The speed limit would be nicer, but I won't push it.

And another thing: the break pedal is NOT necessary going UP the mountain! Trust me, you're already going slow enough. No need to use the break.

Lots of Love,
Lanny

A Little Extra Potty Talk

2008-11-17T22:24:00.004-06:00

Linus and I had to make a Target run late this afternoon. I prepped her on the ride over that we were going for specific items, and we would not be getting extras. For the most part, she really stuck to it and we actually had a really good time. On the way to the car, she noticed a sign.

Look, Mommy, a circle with a slash and a P.

It sure it Linus.

No P? (confused look on her face) No P??? What? You can't pee at Target?

Linus, that means...

(interrupting me) Oh, that means no peeing in the parking lot. Who on earth would do that?

Sweetie, that means no parking. You can't park where those signs are.

Oh, really? I hope nobody gets confused!
*******
That's not the first time she's said something embarrassing by mistake at Target. When she was about two she and I were at Target. She was sitting in the child seat part of the basket and we were chatting as we shopped. All of a sudden, Linus makes fists, sticks out her pointer fingers in a hook, puts them on top her head, and announces (very loudly) I'm horny, Mommy! She literally meant that she had horns on her head, but to others around, that's not at all what she said!

Extra Sweet!

2008-11-16T23:26:00.003-06:00

I captured an amazing video of my girls tonight. Lolly began to get fussy as we finished dinner, so Linus entertained her. You can see the adoration Lolly has for Linus in her eyes. The feeling is mutual.

I had my camera in the diaper bag, so I had pulled it out to take a few pics of the two of them. I just happened to flip it to video right when Linus kissed Lolly's feet. Lolly got a huge grin and then made a raspberry. That made Linus laugh. Linus's laugh made Lolly laugh. Lolly's laugh made Linus give a big belly laugh. Lolly took a deep breath in and let out a deep belly laugh too. The two of them were cracking each other up for several minutes, and I captured it all on video.

I'm not sure it gets much sweeter than this! :)

Extra Frustrated!

2008-11-15T23:50:00.002-06:00

Army and I spent our evening attempting to get a paperclip out of an Xbox. What on earth gave Linus the idea to hook one in there is beyond me. She's doesn't play with the Xbox, so it's not like it's part of her daily treasure of toys. In the end we were somewhat successful. We got the paperclip out, but the DVD part of the Xbox doesn't work very well anymore. Unfortunately, about the only reason we use that thing is for the DVD player. UUUGGGHHH!

I'm not really sure if this is a new-sibling-rivalry thing or what. Somebody please tell me it will end soon though!

Remembering...

2008-11-14T22:38:00.002-06:00

Thinking of a very special little boy tonight, his short but powerful life, and his mommy who is one of the most incredible people I know.

I love you dearly, my friend. I feel so blessed that you've been a part of my life for the past 23 years. You've always been there for me despite our physical distance. I've never quite felt that distance as much as I have this past year. I wish I could ease you pain somehow.

Extra Happy!

2008-11-13T18:20:00.002-06:00

I've mentioned the immense fear of the dentist that Linus has before. My poor baby has calcium deposits on her teeth. Her teeth actually come in this way. Unfortunately, it has to be scraped off with a sharp object at the dentist's office. I'm sure it's rather scary to have it done at such a young age (she started at 18 months). We were thrilled when her dentist told us that it's very rare for adult teeth to come in this way too. Poor Linus is among the rare. Her adult teeth are coming in with this stuff too. Thankfully, it doesn't come back after it's been removed.

I dread the dentist as much as she does. A trip to the dentist turns my sweetie into a serious wild child. There's lots of screaming and crying involved. And it's not just me! Haha--it's only Linus.

Before our trip today, I let her know that they would have to scrape her new adult teeth (bottoms). She lost her teddy bear last week as part of a punishment when she got in trouble at school. I promised she could get the teddy back early (she wasn't due to get it back until tomorrow), and we could go to dinner anywhere she wanted tonight. I told her that if she got scared, she might want to think about her teddy or dinner.

When the hygienist called me back, I was thrilled with the report that she behaved fabulously. No cavities? Oh, great, but I'm far happier that she behaved! The hygienist gushed about how well she did, which thrilled Linus (and me). Then the dentist complimented her behavior too. Oh yeah, he also said she brushes very well and mentioned no cavities too. :)

As we were walking to the car, I said, "Wow, Linus! I'm so proud of you! No screaming and no crying? That's great! I'm knew you could do it! I knew it! Yeeeaaaaa Linus!" Without a second's pause, she added, "And no biting! I didn't even bite the lady, Mama!" Um, yeah, she *may* have even bitten the lady in the past.

On the way home, I was praising her again, and I asked her if she thought about her teddy or dinner to help stay calm. She said, "Yes, I did, but I thought about God more. He surrounded me and helped me stay calm. I knew I was ok, Mama. He's real, you know?" That completely melted my heart. And then she added "...and I watched some tv." :)

My baby is growing up! While I'm thrilled she's becoming independent (it was her first time back there without me), I'm just not prepared for it. I'm glad for her, but a little sad for me.

An Extra Meaning

2008-11-12T22:25:00.003-06:00

Linus talking about WonderDog:

(giggling) "If I stick my finger in her back hole, she starts sniffing!"

Army and I knew she was talking about the dog, so we both directed our complete attention to her. Turns out she was talking about sticking her finger in one of the back holes of the dog's kennel (she was in her kennel because we'd had company just a few minutes before).

Whew! She had us scared there for a minute.

And before anybody freaks out because she was in a kennel---she's not in there all the time, she actually likes her kennel and goes in there willingly, and yes, we did tell Linus that she could not stick her finger in there anymore!

Extra Tired

2008-11-11T22:45:00.003-06:00

I'm exhausted. I've had a very long day both physically and emotionally.

Have you ever had a time when you're so tired that you hurt? I ache, and I'm tired, yet I'm restless. I hate when I get this way! I need a nice warm bath to relax.

What's your favorite bath product? Mine has been discontinued, and I'm beyond sad!

Extra Rude?

2008-11-09T22:16:00.002-06:00

What's your cutoff time for calling somebody? More specifically, what is your cutoff time for calling somebody with small children?

We got a phone call after 10 last night, and I thought that was pushing the limits.

So, what's your cutoff?

Not Only Am I Smart, I'm Evil!

2008-11-09T21:39:00.002-06:00

Army is a HUGE Steelers fan (unless the Saints are playing---then house rules state you must cheer for the Saints!). I know a decent amount about football, but there's a lot I don't know. Army played football for years, though soccer is his true love, so he knows a lot. Well, it's either his experience, or it's just a man-thing. I don't know. Anyway, there was a Steelers game on today. I try not to ask too many questions while they are playing (I ask away during commercials), but I was full of questions today. Some were annoying: "Why do they call it ____?" I knew he'd reached his limit when he looked over at me and smirked, "Yellow line!" A few years ago, I was in complete awe as to how they could paint that yellow line to show how far 'til the down and remove it so quickly. Once Army and my dad recovered from their fit of laughter, they let me know that it's not on the field, just the tv. So now when I've asked enough, he tells me I'm at the yellow line. I still had more questions though, so I was bombarding him during commercials. When he'd once again had enough, he looked down at Lolly, who was nestled on his chest, and said, "Be sure to ask your mommy who Pat Good is when you get older."

Game on, Boy. Game on!

I then asked him if the other team could really decline a penatly (I knew the answer). He gave me a confused look--probalby because he knew I knew the answer--and explained penalty declines using various scenarios.

Since he answered that question, I knew I had him where I wanted him, and went in for the kill...

"So, if the other guy catches the ball, they get an out, right?"

And I even lasted at least 10 seconds before I cracked a smile.

I'm the Smarterest

2008-11-08T17:52:00.002-06:00

On occasion I can be a bit spacey. I had a nickname because of it in high school. You know the "Most Likely To ____" that they do in high school? Yeah, I made it in there too. Army got a kick out of how ditzy I could be at times when we fist started dating. I've really gotten a lot better though.

Until today.

I have satellite radio in my car. Army was listening to one of the SEC channels. After one team scored, "PAT GOOD" rolled across the radio screen. A few minutes later, "PAT GOOD" scrolled again. Thinking out loud, I said, "Who is Pat Good? I've never heard of him before. Actually, I've never seen them scroll the name of the commentator across the screen before." I though Army would bust a gut laughing! "Lan! P-A-T GOOD. Point After Touchdown. They made their point after touchdown!"

Oops!

Super Duper Extra Unfair!

2008-11-07T11:39:00.002-06:00

Can somebody please explain when things change? Why the double standard?

Lolly is a little bitty thing. She's the extreme opposite of Linus. Lolly is small all around. Linus was huge all around. Despite being small, Lolly does have a little baby fat. Linus had lots of it. :) Linus had no fat compared to the baby down the street who we ever-so-unpolitically-correctly referred to as Sumo. *hanging head in shame* That baby had rolls on her rolls. Linus just had rolls. Anyway, Linus truly was a beautiful baby. Sure, I'm biased, but she really was. I'll have to dig up a picture at some point. People constantly said, "Oh she's so beautiful. And just look at those chubby thighs." Linus also had huge cheeks. We called them pillows because she'd tilt her head just a little to the side and rest her enormous cheeks on her shoulder and fall asleep. People would usually say, "Oh those cheeks! I could just eat them up!" Both comments are commonly said around babies. People just adore babies and all their chubby glory. I do too.

So getting to my very long winded point: why the double standard? Nobody ever looks at my thighs and says, "OMG! I love your chubby thighs!" It's so unfair! :P

Extra Quick

2008-11-06T14:01:00.003-06:00

I'm sure you've been in the position to need a polite, but snappy, comeback line. I know I have. I'm really great at them too.....about 20 minutes after the event. They're really not too effective that much later though.

I admire the people who can nicely put an end to the direction a conversation is going. Like I said, I'm not too great at doing it when I need to. Later, yes. At the time, no. I think it's partly my non-confrontational manner, and partly that I'm so stunned by what's said that I can't think on my feet. When I do succeed, I'm so stunned that I have to fight the urges to simultaneously look stunned and smirk.

How 'bout you? Are you good with comebacks? What's your favorite one you've ever heard?

Extra Thankful

2008-11-05T11:59:00.003-06:00

At the risk of sounding like the most unpatriotic person on the face of the earth, I am SO glad this election is finally over. It went on and on and on and on.

No matter how you voted, are you glad it's over too? Did it seem to drag on forever for you too?

Extra Curious

2008-11-04T11:42:00.000-06:00

Have you voted yet today (or earlier if your state allows)?

Extra Wordy

2008-11-03T22:58:00.002-06:00

It's no secret that Linus talks a lot. A whole lot. Recently Army and I have begun to worry just a bit about the future because Lolly babbles a lot. Can you imagine how difficult it will be for either of us to get a word in?

Tonight we were having a quaint little get together for dinner. As we're enjoying our dinner, Linus mentioned death. Army asked her how it made her feel, and she responded with "Well, it makes my smile turn upside down." Army told her that it's perfectly ok to be sad when someone passes away...at which point Lolly let loose with a loud "Oh yeah!" Everyone heard it. Now I'm not foolish enough to believe my two month old is really talking, but boy did it drive home the idea of what talkers we're raising!

Extra Wordy

2008-11-02T15:36:00.002-06:00

I'm unofficially trying NaBloPoMo. Unofficially because I don't like to fail, and if I don't officially sign up for it, then if I don't post everyday, I still haven't failed. Great logic, huh?

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Do you ever find yourself in a situation and think, "I'll have to blog this?" It happens often around here, but I rarely blog about those times. I tend to forget most of them. How sad is that?!? Last night as I was dozing off, I thought about another totally random fact about me. It was something that drives me absolutely insane. It bothered me just thinking about it last night. What was it? I don't have a clue. How I can't remember something that annoys me is beyond me! Then there are the "lost blogs" the posts that never get published because I'm worried they might offend somebody (hello? It's MY blog, why do I care?), or the ones that I worry would 'out' me to my friends and family.

Do you do this too?

Extra Effort

2008-11-01T16:58:00.003-05:00

For the Catholics out there:

Linus got in trouble at school last week for not genuflecting before she entered the pew. I'll admit, I was a little surprised but if she gets in trouble at school, she has consequences at home, so I knew I had to address it. She ended up having something taken away, and we practiced genuflecting. A lot. On Fridays the students (and family members who are able) attend Mass each week. Linus was reminded to genuflect on the way to school. I'm happy to report she did it Friday before entering the pew.

She also did it before entering the booth at a restaurant yesterday. :D

Extra Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

2008-10-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

Let me start by just being blunt. I suck at song lyrics. Royally. My husband and friends love how wrong I get them. And it's not just songs...I got a nursery rhyme wrong too. You know Old King Cole? Well, he wasn't a merry old soul, he was a very old soul until I was in COLLEGE!

When I was little, my cousin got me to call a radio station and request a song. A particular song that he'd heard me singing incorrectly. Because I thought he was the coolest guy on the planet, I did what he wanted. I called the station and asked them to play "I Never Want to Bite the Dust." They dj thought it was so funny, that he asked me to say it again and again and then played the recording of me on the air. And then they played Queen's Another One Bites the Dust.

I should have learned then, but I obviously do not learn from my mistakes. I've misunderstood tons throughout the years, and I'm still doing it. I was convinced Alan Jackson sang "...we found drugs, vowed we'd never give them up" instead of "...we found trust..."

And of course I've misunderstood all the typical ones that most people have trouble with too. We all know Manfred Mann sang "wrapped up like a douche..." right?

So, have you ever misunderstood any lyrics?

Extra Weird

2008-10-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

Can somebody please explain why the hum of Lolly's swing makes me sleepy each time I hear it, but it does NOT put her to sleep?
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Can somebody explain why I suddenly crave Sprite? In August of 2002 I was pregnant and SO sick. I'd try sipping on Sprite, but it didn't help. I went for yet another ultrasound, and the doctor (he did them himself) was running late. I was in the exam room waiting for about 30-45 minutes, and I constantly had to bolt to the restroom. After seeing me for at least the 5th time, a nurse took pity on me and got me crushed ice to pour my Sprite over. Though I was very thankful, it didn't help. I had to make a dash during the ultrasound. Talk about embarrassing. Anyway, I haven't been able to handle Sprite since that day. There were times I literally gagged at the thought. On Friday, though, I craved Sprite over crushed ice. When I asked Army to get me one, he was shocked. I craved Sprite again tonight. Weird.
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Can somebody explain why my 5 year old is having more trouble sleeping than my two month old?