The 'Rodo'

First of all, would you please look at my hair. See that part flying around in the very front waving at you? Since the birth of the girl 2.5 years ago, my hair has never made a comeback. Now that I have drawn everyone's attention to it, let's forget I mentioned it. I'm not even going to start on Reese's hair because it's cute when you're 2 years old. But 27? Not so much. 

 She begged and begged to get on the "jumpy" but then continued to give us this face
It was like she couldn't believe we were actually letting her participate in such a ridiculous activity.

Reese looks like she is sad, but she was actually having so much fun...Until she needed to tee tee and we were miles from a bathroom so I had to hold her up while "I tee tee on da gwass." As expected, it ended up on her clothes, but praise be unto the Lord that is did not get on her momma's clothes because, again, cute when you're 2, not so much when you're 27. 

We ran into her BFF Addie. 

I looked away for 2 seconds and when I turned back around she was milking the cow. 

But the highlight of the trip was a snow cone. 

What are the odds that of the entire coliseum we ended up seating in the seats right beside Addie? Total coincidence. God must be a fan of their friendship to have allowed that to happen;)

During the rodeo Reese kept saying, "I frew with da horses." Which meant that she was tired of seeing the horses and wanted to see the cows. 

I'm concerned about my summer vacation

People, I am tired.

By 8:30 Saturday morning I could not contain her anymore. She had her clothes on and was headed out the back door while I loudly made random threats about if she didn't get back in the house until I could get out of my pajamas that I was going to wear her out. I'm going to go with the theory that she didn't hear me because she and eight of her favorite baby dolls were jumping on the trampoline two minutes later. It took less than an hour for it to become painfully obvious that I have got to create a board on Pinterest strictly dedicated to summer activities for a busy 2 year old. Oh my gracious. I pushed her around in her cozy coupe with all of her little "go dis way" and "go dat way" demands. And we played kitchen with her Play-Doh, and we jumped on the trampoline, and I pushed her on the swings, and we played ring around the rosie, and that was just the beginning.

Those of you with little people at your house, I have a question: do your little people let you go outside and sit down while they play? Or do you have to run around after them? 

This is what she told me: 

Reese: Come in my house wif me.

Me: I'm too big. I will just sit out here and you cook me something.

Reese: Not too big. Get on you knees wike dis. (She demonstrated what I needed to do.)

After we (meaning me) had been in the playhouse on our knees:

Reese (while on the trampoline): Pay 'ring around the rosie pocket full a posey ashes ashes' wif me. 

Me: You play it with your babies. 

Reese: Noooo. Peas ma-ie. Pay wif me. 

I played. As if there was any doubt. 

Saturday night Adam asked her if he could lay down with her at bedtime instead of me. 

Reese: Nooo. Ma-ie. 

Adam: Why can't I lay down with you?

Reese: I miss her. I cwy. 

Sunday Adam was working on some stuff outside and Reese kept saying, "Daddy come ere. Come in my house." Adam couldn't hear her because his air compressor was on. After calling him several times she started saying, "Adam. Adam. Come ere." 

A couple of weeks ago we were getting ready to go somewhere and Adam called for me to come do something. I didn't hear him, so he kept calling me. Finally Reese started yelling, "Wena, Daddy need you." Adam asked her who she was talking about because he wanted to hear her say my name again. She said, "my Wena, my ma-ie, my fwiend." 

Last week she started rounding up all her babies before bedtime so they could all sleep with her. This morning at 2:00 she started crying for me to come to her room. I went to see what the problem was "My baby won't do right." Which were my thoughts exactly. Her baby had on a bib and she couldn't get it back on her like it was supposed to be. 

Anyway, back to the point. All I know is I have got to get a game plan together before June. Other than going swimming, what are some things you veteran mothers do during the heat of summer? Preferably some things that will allow Big Mama to sit under an umbrella with her feet propped up;)

A day in her life

We went to the "rodo" (better known as the rodeo to those of us who speak English) this weekend and I plan to show you the pictures when the weather is sunny with little to no wind. That is when the satellite internet works the best which really isn't saying a lot because at its best it is only THIS much better than dial up. 

I want to make a record of what our little princess is doing these days because let's face it tomorrow it will probably all change. 

6:10 am- During the week I get her up around 6:10, change her diaper, give her a cup of milk, and walk out the door. Sometimes, depending on her mood, I try to brush her hair. I know exactly what some of you are thinking: you don't even brush her hair or change her clothes. No. The answer is no. I try to avoid all manner of unnecessary hardship in the mornings. It all started back in the fall when I found out I was pregnant and Adam got a new job that required me taking her to day care. I was so sick most mornings I barely brushed my own hair. I felt confident that a bunch of preschoolers would not judge her if her hair was matted to the side of her head. (Saturdays she usually sleeps until 7 or 8, takes no nap, plays all. day. long., and goes to be by 8.)

6:25 am- Leave her in the loving arms of "Bezabes." Most mornings this is a pleasant event, but there have been times that she cries the ugly cry (mostly this happens when we have had a long weekend together). Those are the days I call Adam on my way to school and remind him how much I despise paying somebody else to raise her and blah, blah, blah. I've beat that dead horse so long that I don't think he even hears me anymore. 

3:15-3:45 pm- Depending on what I have to do after school I usually pick her up between 3:15 and 3:45. She is either eating her snack or playing when I get there. 

4:00 pm- When we get home she quickly changes into her Tinkerbell pajamas, (which she does "all by myself") usually wants to watch "Dynasie" (Duck Dynasty) or "Tha Wabbit" (Stewart Little which she thinks is a rabbit), and eats a  two or three popsicles. Denying that second popsicle usually sets her off and causes the first meltdown of the evening. 

5:00 pm- Adam usually gets home around 5. When she hears him in the driveway she wants to hide somewhere so he can find her. We promptly eat dinner when he gets home because Granny is hungry and Wheel a Fortune isn't going to wait on me to get the dishes put up. 

6:00 pm- I start the sometimes lengthy process of trying to get her to take a bath. Apparently she forgets that she didn't want to get in the tub in the first place because when I ask if she is ready to get out she says, "not chet." 

6:30-8:00 pm- "Pay games wif me" is all we hear. We either have to run through the house pretending like it is raining, push her in her Cozy Coupe, or pull her in her wagon. We usually read no less that 15 books during this time, and feed all of her babies their bottles. 

8:00 pm- She usually says, "I sweepy. Go to my bed." She and her daddy go brush their teeth, we get into her bed, read books, sometimes she says her prayers and sometimes she says, "I said it eserday." 

8:30-9:00 pm- Sometimes she falls asleep quickly and sometimes I have to tell her "bout da bears" and "bout da pigs" a hundred times before she falls asleep. And sometimes I fall asleep before she does and Adam comes in later to wake me up. I am sure there are a thousand things I need to be doing during this time, but this is when I get to stare at her and think about how fast she is growing and all that. And one of her little hands is fervently running through my hair while the other one is wrapped around my neck. It is so sweet that sometimes I just want to lick her little face. Just kidding. Sort of. ;)

9:00 pm- It is a race between Adam and I to see who can get to sleep the fastest. I almost always win. And all the things that should have been done in my house will wait until tomorrow;).

This is random, but she finally got to wear those shoes she loves so much. 

See what I mean? Don't you just want to lick her face? No? Maybe it's just because I'm her mother. 

So many random things

I know this surprises y'all (particularly Adam), but I've got a lot to say.

Monday night we were in Reese's bed telling her stories to get her to sleep. I always have to tell her "bout da bears" and "bout da pigs." When we asked her to say her prayers she said, "I did eserday." In her life, everything happens yesterday. Monday night she wanted Adam to "tell bout da mountains." In third person he started telling her about our trip to Jackson Hole, "The momma, and the daddy, and the little baby named Reese all went to the mountains. When they got there they rode in their chariot called a Versa. It had all of two and a half horses. When the daddy would make it go fast up the mountain it would get in a bind and sound like the motor was going to blow up." I don't think I have to tell you how hard I laughed. 

It seems like everywhere we have been in the past 2 weeks somebody has had a virus. Of course anytime I mention a virus, Adam calls it, "the virus" as if it is THE ONE that's going to take him down. I have no doubt that if somebody told him he could avoid throwing up by drinking gasoline he would pull up to the pump and guzzle premium unleaded. He has been on a steady diet of "tummy bug juice" for I know the past month, possibly longer. 

Thursday morning I walked past Adam in the bathroom while he was getting ready for work:

Adam: Lookin' good.

Me: Thank you.

Adam: No, I'm talking about me.

Sigh. 

February and March are the beginning of my absolute favorite time of the school year. (Not of the whole year because I think the record shows that fall is my favorite time of the year followed closely by June and July (for obvious teacher reasons). Through my unofficial 5 years of research I have found that this is also the time of year that the kids actually like me. Shocking. Up until now it's all strict and serious, but then the kids have figured out how I am and I have figured out how they are, and we get to actually relax a little (in the discipline department). Plus, by now, all the trouble makers have usually found themselves either in alternative school or suspended.  

Thursday I read Oh, the Places You'll Go to my students. I realize the good Dr.'s birthday isn't until today, but I was (cough, cough) sick Friday so I had to read it Thursday. I love getting to read this book because it is particularly relevant to high school students who are faced with all sorts of life changing decisions on a daily basis. After reading it, they have to write their own version that starts "Oh, the Places I'll Go." They have to discuss their 5 year, 10 year, and 20 year plan, making it all rhyme. In my 5 years of doing this assignment the most memorable was a student who talked about how he would be in and out of jail during each of those periods of his life. Later that year he robbed the grocery store in town, but got caught because his getaway car wouldn't crank. People, I can't make this stuff up. 

I got peer pressured into taking off Friday. Allison and I were both sick. Yeah, sick of school. I'm just kidding. I can speak for Allison when I say that she loves all the little children. Oh, and me too. I love most some all off the big children. It was the first time we had ever taken off for un-child related purposes. It was liberating. We went to Cottontails and on the way I changed her life. She didn't necessarily say those exact words, but I know when I introduced her to a venti White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks her life was forever changed. Allison, you my friend, are welcome.

I am cheap. Well, let me clarify. I will lay down the cash for things I deem worthy, but trivial things will be and have been cut from our lives in a red hot minute. Such things include: land line phones, call waiting, caller ID (Adam was devastated about the caller ID. You would have thought I had our electricity turned off.). We wouldn't even have a land line except we have limited cell service at our house. Between the cell phone service and the lack of high speed internet you would think we live on another planet. Anyway, I called to get our package changed on our land line. Before I even ask about the outlandish $45 a month we paid for local calls and 100 minutes of long distance (we need long distance because we both have out of area cell numbers) the guy had added call waiting and caller ID AND lowered our bill to $15 a month. I almost wept. Caller ID is right up there on my list with the invention of indoor plumbing, and not something I ever want to live without again. But if the price goes up? It's gone.

I went to the new Publix yesterday. A-maz-ing. After I fought the battle getting in the door, it was smooth sailing. Not one time did my buggy get side swiped, and I didn't feel like we had caught an incurable disease when we left, unlike any trip EVER to Walmart- which is officially dead to me. (Considering the grocery bill when I left, I may be speaking a little too hastily about the Walmart thing. I'll probably eat those words.)

Reese gave these out for Valentine's Day. I had all the bags ready to put ribbon on and I looked over and saw her getting worms out, licking them, making a terrible face and putting them back in the bag.  Disclaimer to the day care mothers: those were trashed. 

Another disclaimer to the day care mothers: that pair of Tinkerbell pajamas that she has on every. single. morning? That's actually 3 pair that are on a regular rotation. She refuses to wear anything else, and to be honest with you it is a battle I will not fight. Which is exactly why I went back and bought more.

She is still loving her big girl bed. I still have not decided on a duvet cover fabric mainly because the fabric I want is going to cost me a small fortune.

She is in love with these turquoise shoes I bought at Target. If only she had an outfit to match them.

And that's all for now. I think.