Potty Talk

Poodle was remarkably unconcerned with the potty when she was little. Don't get me wrong - I rarely went to the ladies' room unaccompanied. But the results of said action weren't interesting to her. We never had to childproof any toilets, and never worried about things being flushed into oblivion.

Well.......
lol........

Not so with Tooter. I discovered yesterday how very much interested he IS going to be. He didn't manage to get a hold of anything, thank goodness. But we're gonna have to keep an eye on this one!

What A Friend

Friends. Blessings from God, and important to our hearts. Friends are like the contents of a library. Better to have a few really good books, then shelves full of nonsense and tripe. At some point, we all may have picked up an acquaintence who would be prone to sending a drive-by email on some random Monday, meant to kick you in the shins. (yikes!)
However for any of the above one might acquire during his or her life, I hope you all have twice the number of the type of friend who did this Good Thing for me a couple of days ago.

I was having a Day. One of Those Days. You KNOW what I mean, yes? I sent a quick vent-my-frustration note to Patty who is a seasoned veteran in the SAHM Army, and who is brilliantly sympathetic. That late afternoon, as I was carting my toddler and baby off to KayRoger for some can't-wait items, she calls me on my cell phone. Why? Just so I could hear HER littlest one crying, complaining, and fussing loudly in the background. Can you think of a better way to tell someone "I understand your frustration, and I'm walking the walk with you!" ?

Thank you for that Patty - you couldn't have "said" it better!!!

Plumber Bill

Yay!!! At least that wasn't too bad. Just under $115. It was the connection of the copper piping out of the house to the PVC piping that goes to the meter. Whew. The only part of the yard that will have to be fixed is the bed right next to the house. Beauty!

Although they did recommend that we move the Japenese Magnolia that is planted right on top of the water and sewer lines in the front yard. Especially now while it is still small. I'll have to see what Jmk says about that. We didn't plant it, so we don't have a huge attachment to its current location.

Anyway, praise the Lord that the plumber's bill wasn't any worse!!! They were in and out of here in an hour. I won't know about the water bill for another month, since that gets billed in arrears. ::gulp::

Oh horrors.

We have a leak somewhere between the water meter and our house. More on that later.

As an unrelated aside, Poodle had her first bad dream last night. Well, not her first one. I know she's had some before. But this was her first one that she was able to explain to us. You know what made her wake up crying? She dreamed that Custard had run away. Awwwwww!!!!

Okay, back to the oh, horrors. There is some leak somewhere between the meter and the house. Thus, it's "our problem" as the water department was SO kind to explain. (I wanted to snip back that I realized that and that wasn't the reason I was calling, but I didn't. I stayed calm). It probably leaked for at least 2 days before it was caught. UGH.

At this point, we have NO idea how it happened. Don't even know where the actual leak is. Honestly, I don't know that we'll ever know what happened. Maybe the plumber guys will be able to make some reasonable guesses. Who knows.

I don't want to even think about the water bill we're going to have, much less the repair bill. Jmk called Kevin, and he'll be sending some of his crew out today.... they should actually be here sometime this morning. So, it's nice that we had someone to call first thing on a Monday morning. But they're definitely not going to be coming out here for free.

sigh.......

Good grief. We'll most likely have to add the cost of repairing the yard to the water bill and the repair bill. Depending on where the leak is.

Don't want to think about what all this is going to cost, but it's ALL I can think about right now! Yeesh!

It Is Finished. What a beautiful sound.

We're Finished!!!

Jmk and I have finally completed reading the Bible from cover to cover. For the first time ever.

I know this may take some by surprise. A lot of y'all know our parents and our upbringing, and it would follow that we would have already read the Scriptures by now. And, we have certainly read them. Just not every word. And, it is something that we were neither proud of nor easily admitted. Despite having diligent parents, preachers, and teachers, we just had never done what we needed to do.

But, after starting a “Read the Bible in a Year” schedule, we are grateful to be able to say that we have read God’s Word, every word of it. It’s a cause for celebration!!!

We started this schedule around the 1^st of September last year. (wait for it……. There it is.) Despite our best intentions and efforts, it still took us a bit over a year. Katrina clean up contributed somewhat, but mostly, having a baby 2 ½ months after starting led to most of the delays. Like Jmk had to remind me many times, we weren’t in a race. We were just trying to finish.

And, OH, what a blessing it has been to complete this task!!!

Reading in this manner has a drawback in that in order to accomplish the day’s reading, one can’t always dwell on certain chapters or even verses that desire further meditation. However, being forced to push on through gets the words read.

And, the benefits have been so wonderful!

From my perspective (and maybe Jmk will post his thoughts later), I am acutely aware, more than ever, of how much I do NOT know about the Bible. Of how important true study of the Word is.

I’m so much more aware of how great of a sinner I am. Salvation by Grace is the sweetest sound to such a sinner as I.

The Old Testament isn’t actually full of “begats”. And learning to read the language in the KJV isn’t impossible. It just takes some familiarity.

Most importantly, I think Jmk and I both now have a springboard to go back and start true study of the Scriptures. For me, starting with the Pauline writings, I had to plum give up on reading the notes in order to get finished. (There were notes on just about every verse!) So, I think he and I both are going to enjoy being able to go back and read slowly and methodically. Reading the notes. Reading the cross-references. Contemplating what we have read. Talking about what we’ve read. Without a schedule nagging us to hurry up. With prayer that the Lord will bless our efforts.

We both feel that by doing what we were supposed to do anyway, we have been brought closer to the One who asked this of us.

If any of this sounds like bragging, then please forgive me. That is the farthest thing from what I intend. My only reason for posting this is to encourage anyone who might be rowing the same boat we were in to try doing what we did. Hopefully, you’ve all read from Genesis to Revelation. But, in case you haven’t, believe me when I say that the effort you put forth will be so very blessed. And you will be thoroughly happy that you have done this good thing.

Here is a good link to help you get started:

BibleGateway's Bible In a Year

It’s not actually the one we used, but I think I like this one better anyway.

God’s Word is so full of the encouragement and guidance and admonition and comfort that we need on a daily basis. You will be so very glad you read it all.

Praise HIM! Who was, is, and forever more shall be!

Time Marches On

6:30 yesterday morning.
6:00 this morning.

Wow.

First, let me explain that Jmk and I unknowingly started practicing "attachment parenting" when Poodle was a baby. It's not something we set out to do. It's something that we fell into by way of trying to survive a "high needs" baby as first time parents. It worked for us - that's all that matters. So, having Poodle sleep with us at night became normal, and didn't bother us. She'd start out the night in her crib, and when she needed to be with us, we'd bring her in our room. Later, when she was sleeping in a big girl bed, she was able to bring herself in our room whenever she wanted. (And, we found that she wasn't as in a hurry to do that, since she could do it whenever she wanted. Shocker).

These past couple of weeks, we've noticed hearing the pitter patter of little feet later and later at night/early morning. Then, yesterday, she didn't show up until 6:30am. And this morning, she didn't show up until 6:00am. And she wasn't coming in our room to go back to sleep. She came in because she was UP for the day, (the kids rarely ever sleep past 7am), and wanted to come in for our morning snuggle session. (Jmk leaves early in the morning, usually, and the kids and I stay in bed for 20-30 minutes and just snuggle after everyone wakes up. It's nice. I take full advantage of my opportunity to be a snuggle hog).
Anyway, there you have it. We fussed over her for sleeping all night long in her own bed, and she was so proud of herself. And we're so proud of her!

And you know what else?

I miss her!

I do. I miss her. I miss her smell at night, and I miss having everyone within arms reach during the night. Isn't that crazy? I should be jumping up and down for joy that we are finally on the actual path to one of the kids being able to sleep on their own, for real. But, mostly, I miss her.

I suppose it's because I know that every milestone such as this takes babyhood farther away. That wonderful time where Mommy's kisses can heal booboo's and the world is still an innocent place. She's 3. This is normal.... kids are more biologically ready to be alone all night and are more interested in trying to be in their own bed all night.

But that doesn't mean that I can't get a little verklempt when I think about it.
::smile::

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Happy Birthday to my darling Jmk!!!

You are such a devoted husband and a beloved father. You are the smile on our faces at the end of the day. We are so blessed to have you as the head of our home and the strength of our hearts.

Thank you for being so giving and loving and for being the epitome of dependability. Thank you for for being YOU!

Your day can’t possibly be as wonderful as you are, but I hope it’s at least close. We love you so much, and would be lost without you. You’re the best Scooper Daddy in the world!!!

Wiggly Wiggly

What's wigglier than a 10 week old yellow lab puppy? A 10 month old baby boy getting his nose wiped. Wow - Tooter does NOT care for the nose wiping. I'm sure Poodle didn't love it either, but I don't remember her being SO opposed to the idea. Praise the Lord, neither one of them has to go thru it very often.

We're all doing better - Poodle is even going to go to church today. MooMoo and GaGa are going to come pick her up, so I'm glad that she is feeling up for that. Of course, she IS a little energizer bunny, even when she is on the well side of a cold.

Blugh. I always feel so bad when I can't get to church. I know it's the best thing for both Tooter and for Jmk and myself, but still. I guess we've got to get completely over this junk before we get exposed to any new junk. Most especially Tooter. He needs to get this first cold thru and out of his system completely. Poor thing. Watching him figure out how to eat, drink, and nurse while breathing out of his mouth and not his nose is sort of pitiful. It will be funny when I know he's feeling much better.

Anyway, here's hoping that this takes care of our needing to have a winter cold. Blugh again.

Beware All Ye Who Enter Here

Break out the wooden placard, and post the Quarantined sign. Drape the windows with sheets to warn all who might come near. The Zoo home has been infected!

Okay, so it's not THAT bad.

But both kids are sick, and now Jmk and I are both starting to feel a little blech.

It's not a big deal. Just one of those dumb cold viruses, exacerbated by allergies, that isn't a major deal but will still make one feel like junk. I think Poodle probably picked it up from a munchkin she was playing with at Chick-fil-A on Friday. And, of course, it goes from her to Tooter, and on to us. Although, we're hoping to be able to fight most of it off. Tooter has it the worst. This is his first major cold to fight, so he's all a mess.
Poodle pretty much finished almost 2 liters of o.j. by herself over a two day period, so she is overflowing with good vitamin c and is doing fairly well. But she's pretty grumpy. (Translation: testing every boundary she has).

I, however, am beat. (b-o-o-h-o-o). Tooter "hasn't slept well" the past two nights. (Translation: he woke up every 30 minutes night before last crying because he felt bad and couldn't breathe thru his nose. Last night, it was still every 30 minutes, but at least he wasn't crying every time). And, of course, he isn't napping well at all. And isn't too thrilled with the idea of my setting him down. And, since I can't do much while trying to balance a squirmy 23 lb fussmonster, the household affairs have just about come to a standstill.

Again, b-o-o-h-o-o. Believe me, I know that we could have problems that are SO much worse.

But the grumpy house makes for a pooped mommy.

This really isn't a big news post. I just wanted to vent a bit. My sick ones are calling again. Loudly.
*smile*

The Party and The Princess

Everything was just wonderful for Poodle's 3rd Birthday!

First, she spent most of her actual birthday as a princess......

SueSue and PopPop and the puppies called her first to wish her happy birthday. And about 30 minutes later, Aunt Amy called! Then, later, we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and played with MooMoo and GaGa. Daddy came home early from work so that she could get......

.......her big birthday present!

Yep, she's a bike rider now! We skipped the whole tricycle thing, since these cute little bikes with training wheels are available. She's doing great on it! Still trying to get the hang of how pedals work, but she just about has it down. Steering will come next, I'm sure. *grin*




And then the day after her real birthday, we had her party!

Tons of family were there, and everyone was SO good to her. Quite frankly, she was overwhelmed. After everyone left, she took my hand and led me into the living room. She looked at all the wonderful gifts and started to show me some of the things she received. I think that's when it finally started to hit home that these things were actually hers. Thank you so much to everyone for coming and helping her have so much fun. And thank you for taking the time to give the little princess such wonderful gifts!!!


Chunk, however, is having other thoughts........ "Hmmmm", thinks Chunk. "If she has a bike now, that must mean......"

"Yes!!! I get the car!"

We love you all so much for loving our children and being such a big part of their lives. Thank you for giving of yourselves and your time and your gifts. Jmk and I are so grateful to be blessed with the best family (and friends!) in the world!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!

Because today, you ARE a princess, my darling daughter. Three years ago, you came into our lives and changed the whole world for your daddy and me. We have learned a love that is all encompassing. A love that makes us even pray for our own safety so that we may always be here for you. A love that was given to us by our Heavenly Father.

The Lord blessed us when He gave us YOU. He gave us the precious gift of a beautiful daughter. All the praise is HIS that we can celebrate this day.

But all the celebration is yours, our Monkey Poodle Princess! The day is yours, and we will look for Nori, we will play at CFA, we will eat pink cake with pink icing, we will watch whatever movie you want to watch, all day long. You can wear your tiara that you made with Mommy for the rest of the day if you want. And if you want to take a nap in your princess dress, that's okay with me too.

Mommy will not worry about laundry or email or anything that will keep me from playing with you today. You may be excited to be three, but I get a poignant reminder of how blessed your daddy and I are. And our hearts are full. With love for YOU!

Small step for baby....

Giant Step for Babies-Who-Want-To-Get-Into-Their-Sister's-Things

Tooter has taken his first steps! To be honest, I think Jmk and I both would say that he did some steppin' 2 days ago. But, I'm going to call it official today. Got it on video for Jmk when he gets home. You should have seen his face!!! I would let go of him, pat the couch, and tell him to go for the couch. He'd grin, let out a little "heh", and then teeter forward a step or two. He's a groovy kid.

Y'all have to know that I really wasn't in a hurry for this, as you can imagine. BUT, I also could tell that he was ready for it, and wanted a bit of encouragement. Thus, I helped him out with the whole "go for the couch" thing.

I figure he'll be full on mobile by Thanksgiving. But, we'll see. It is insane that that this much time has passed this quickly. whew. Monkey walked this fast - actually she was walking by 10 months. So, it's not as though I wasn't sort of expecting it. It's just hard to see my baby leaving babyhood behind.

blech.

Jmk and I were looking at pictures from Poodle's 1st birthday party yesterday, and we were a bit overcome at how... well - little and full of baby'ness she was. I swear, it's hard to remember them that little. The pictures are wonderful to have. We know that we'll turn around twice and Tooter will be this little boy. Someone who is turning into a little person in his own right.
I just..... just want to... I don't know - have a better memory or something. I want to be able to conjure up the feeling of my babies as babies. Be able to remember every single moment of their childhood.

Might as well wish for wings to fly, huh?

Yikes - I'm getting a *bit* too dramatic. It's just Tooter's 1st steps. My baby's 1st steps. And I'm so proud of him!!!!

Deck - complete; Boy - cruising

The deck is complete! My dear Bob Villa/Weekend Warrior started this project around the first of September, and has already completed it! (It's beautiful, honey. Thank you for your hard work!) We had a very slight decline in elevation from the patio that Jmk wanted to take care of with some wood-buildin', and he did a beautiful job. (Wife bragging is allowed here). The cool curve on the right hand side goes around the goldfish pond. We still have some landscaping to do around the deck, and in the rest of the backyard, for that matter, but having this big project finished is sort of a cool entry into hunting season. (The time of the year when NO big projects shall be started, thank you very much). When you walk on it, or at least when I walk on it, there is a distinct boat launch/ramp feeling. Almost as though you ought to be able to sit down and let your legs dangle into some gently lapping salty water, with Mr. Buffett playing in the background.

I love it, honey!

In other news, Chunk is starting to cruise in earnest now. (For those who don't bother to keep up with baby lingo - and I don't blame you - cruising is comprised of the baby holding onto things as he/she "walks" around). I.e. - Chunk cruises across the floor by holding onto the couch. Make sense? (This is also known as this-is-your-last-warning-now-finish-babyproofing-the-house movement). He is still moving very slowly, but the movement is now in earnest.
Lucky for us, the house is already babyproofed, complete with green crayon on the walls.
(Jmk has to remind me weekly that we don't need to worry about redecorating, repainting, re-anything until the babes are old enough to understand that Mommy's sanity is directly tied to how much milk you spill on the couch and how many times you let the dog in the house with muddy feet).

Another note of interest, at least to me and Jmk, is that Chunk just fell asleep on the dog's pillow in the living room. I have pictures. Will post them in the next day or so. Why is this interesting? Because he just went to sleep. No rocking, nursing, nothin'. Monkeypoodle nehhhhver did that. Chunk never really has either. He's always been better about sleeping in general, but this is a first even for him.


Off the wall question: Any of you ever clean out your fridge of all the things that REALLY need to find their final resting place in your garbage can, and realize that half your fridge is now half empty?
lol.... oh well. At least now I know where all my tupperware is.

The Correct Order of Things

Jmk was putting Poodle to bed the other night, and I had just left Chunk's room from putting him to bed. Poodle saw me, and walked out of her room to give me a "hug and a kiss". There was a Friends rerun on tv, and she happened to catch Ross and Rachel sharing a smooch. She watched that, and turned to Jmk and me and said:

"they're getting married?"
We said "yes, they're getting married".
Then she said "and now they're married".
"Yep, they're married".
Then she says matter of factly, "And they live happily ever after".

**gulp**

And Jmk says to me "And may she never know anything but that".

What a precious thing the innocence of children is!

No, Ross and Rachel were not getting married. But, to her, when two people kiss, they are either getting married or are already married. At least that's what all the princesses do in all her movies! That's what she knows. That's what makes sense to her.

And, oh, the beauty of her understanding is enviable. It makes the Scripture teaching regarding "Faith of a child" make so much sense to me.

Weddings, Whys and Waves

There are a few things I wanted to share today! Y'all will have to suffer me a little parental storytelling here. The Blog is a sort of public journal that is helping me keep up with things for the years to come. First of all - 5 years ago today, Jmk proposed to me! Yes, 9/11 was an impetus for this occurrence. We had already talked about our future, and he had already been diamond shopping. But as we stared at each other the evening of 9/11, after watching the horrifying scenes on television, there was a palpable feeling of "why are we waiting". But it was a feeling to which neither of us gave a voice. And then the evening of 9/12, I agreed to do the smartest thing I've ever done in my whole life. And that was marry my best friend, my soul mate, my answer to prayers.

The Lord was so good to me when he gave me Jmk!

Okay - enough mush. Baby talk now!

Poodle has started playing the Why Game. We spent 15 minutes at supper Sunday night playing this game-of-no-end. It has already created fodder for amusement - specifically for me and Jmk.

"Why did the wolves chase Belle?"
Because they were being mean.
"Why were they being mean?"
Because..... because they didn't eat their breakfast.

Yes. I actually said "because they didn't eat their breakfast". Jmk lost it, and I couldn't keep a straight face at all. Y'all, please understand that this feeble attempt at answering her question came after 15 solid minutes of whys. I was worn down. My brain was turning to jello. My stamina had been depleted. I. was. spent. Thus, wolves became extremely grumpy and unsociable due to poor nutritional habits. It happens.


In Other News:
Chunk can wave bye bye now! Started that yesterday when he waved bye bye to Poodle as we were leaving her room at nap time. Poodle thought it was just SO cool that the first time he waved bye bye was to HER! He just waves that fat little arm and looks at it his hand as though it is about to sprout flowers. It is terribly cute. Poodle never did the wave bye bye thing when she was this little, so I'm having a grand time getting Chunk to do it.
(Of course, she makes up for her delayed bye-bye'ness by insisting on giving everyone a "hug and a kiss" when they get into their car to leave our house!)

I have another story to tell about Poodle (I know - you're just shocked, aren't you?), but I'll save it for tomorrow. Small children are hankerin' to go outside now.

Thanks for checking in!!!

BIG News!!!

There is a baby on the way!!! Nope, not us this time. It's Robert and Jaime! Big surprise. Big blessed surprise. Anticipated arrival on April 7th, or somewhere thereabouts. We are all so incredibly excited and happy for them - and for US too!!! heeheee!
Tax time baby - on the way!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAGA!

Yes - Happy Birthday to my sweet father! The man who for all my life has worked hard and loved his family hard. I have so many favorite memories of my childhood with him, but one that is standing out at the forefront of my mind today is how he used to hug me in the mornings before he left for work. I'd come downstairs for breakfast just before he left for work early in the morning. And he'd hug me, and I'd stay cuddled in his arms for as long as I needed to be hugged. Some mornings I only needed a short one, some mornings I needed a long one. And no matter what, he didn't move until I was "through" getting hugged. I know now how difficult that probably was some mornings. I'm sure there were times that he could barely stand still because of all the things waiting for him at the office that day. But I never knew it. He was there with me 100%. And he still is today - although now it's *my* babies who get most of the hugs. :-) You are the greatest Dad I could have had!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

I'm in love............

Every day when I come home, I fall in love all over again. She meets me at the door and jumps in my arms and squeezes my neck and laughs. We play and play and she helps me cook supper. She reminds me how fun it is to be young. After supper we have bathtime and brush-our-teeth time (with her Barbie toothbrush). We can't leave the bathroom without putting Barbie to bed on her "pillow". We put our night shirt on and brush our hair. We put our many MANY babies to bed and wrap them up in their own blankets (a seemingly endless process, but cute nonetheless). We lay down and we say our prayers. God bless Mommy and Daddy and Tooter. God bless MooMoo and GaGa and Granny. God bless SueSue and PopPop. God bless everyone else she can possibly think of that night. God bless all my family and friends. And God bless me. In Jesus name, Amen. Then we read our night time story. I tell her she's a stinker and she grins and says matter-of-factly, "I know." I sit in the rocking chair and read a little while she watches me or watches the fan or simply drifts off to her own world. Then I close my book and turn off the lamp and lean over and kiss her on the cheek. I whisper in her ear, "I love you babygirl."

......and she tells me, "I love you too Daddy"...........

And One More Thing

The Website has been updated with the link to the latest pictures. It's "the" and our last name with an s dot com. Please bear with me on the website. I'm fiddling with it in an attempt to streamline a few things, and things are a bit cuckoo. Once I have everything down to as few steps as possible, I'll leave it alone! (I'm mostly trying to get a simple site built without using Publisher, which just produces way too big of a "thing" for me to deal with).

love y'all!

Happy New Year!

Yes, for me and Jmk, the day after Labor Day has always meant a new school year. These days, the kids have already been back to school for almost a month already. Course, I think they get OUT earlier than we did. I don't remember exactly.
At any rate, I have that "new year'ish" feeling today. Almost feel like I need to write out some resolutions or something. The main one I have in my mind right now is to lose five pounds before Poodle and Tooter's 3 and 1 year checkups. (I made the grievous error of getting on the scale at Tooter's 9 month check up. ha! What was I thinking? And why do I still weigh so much?) That appt is in November. After Thanksgiving. lol.... nice goal, huh?

Anyway, let's all take a moment to say goodbye to summer and hopefully to the HEAT. Jmk is halfway thru the framing of a new deck/extension of the patio, and we are looking forward to enjoying that with some cooler weather.

Now, on to the really important stuff. Kids' News! **grin** Actually, no major news to report other than a new tooth on Tooter. He is trying to be like his friend J.D. and has finally gotten that 4th bottom tooth in. Ehhhhh - it's on its way in. We're still in the process. Which explains a LOT of the grumpy behavior over the weekend. Thus, we now have 4 on the bottom, and 4 on the top. You know, I'll have to go back and look, but I think Monkey only had 2, maybe 3 teeth at this point. Course, comparing kids is about as valuable as washing your car right before it rains.

So, happy new school year from us old timers who didn't start school until after Labor Day. Kudos to MSU for showing some good promise this past week, and way to go to MooMoo's Ole Miss for looking pretty darn good themselves!

Anyone else feel the need to go to pick up some brand new spiral bound notebooks?