tennis shoes trio

baby beast is about to walk...so today, she sported her first pair of shoes. i think she liked them...

auf wiedersehen

our sweet friends are leaving in the morning to go back to austria. i am going to miss our daily afternoon chats, and of course...i am gonna miss those beautiful baby blues. be well sweet friends....we will think of you often and see you soon.

opinions

you've heard the saying, i'm sure: everyone has one (or at least, that's the edited version).

well since this is my blog here is mine:

it is wonderful, fine, and even dandy to have an opinion. i have one on lots and lots of things. but guess what? it is wonderful, fine and dandy for OTHER people to have opinions, too.

AND...
(here is the kicker folks...read closely)
they do NOT have to be the same as yours.
amazing, eh?

so here is what i propose....if someone has a differing opinion, rather than judge, admonish, or ridicule....wait, pray, ponder, and LISTEN!!!

it isn't easy...and i fail at it regularly, but i challenge you to try it! let me give you a great example...

i love this ol' bloggity world. i do. no...really, i do. because every once in a while i will read something that stirs around in my brain for days and days, and then....WHAM...i learn something new!

the other day i read a blog that reiterated an old 1950's good housekeeping article, "Women should always try to look their best when their husbands come home from work. Take about five minutes every evening before he walks in the door to powder your face, reapply lipstick and straighten the house a little." and guess what folks...i was stumped! and to be honest, i was a bit outraged. what an old school idea. i am more than just a made up face! and what about my day? i work, i clean house, i shuttle three little kids back and forth to school, i run home, run to dance, cook dinner, pay bills...and the list goes on and on. huh?! i DO appreciate all my husband does...but by five o'clock the "witching hour" has hit my house hard, and make-up is the last thing on my mind!!

hmmm...so i waited.
then i prayed...
and i pondered...
and out of the blue...today the answer was revealed through a dear friend. she simply asked me,
"when clif walks through the door, what is it that you do/or don't do to let him know you are glad he's home?"
in other words: what is your "make-up"?

wow. not too shabby. for an opinion i initially viewed old school, i couldn't wait to put it into practice. so thank you dear lord, anonymous blogger, and sweet friend...your opinions have opened my eyes...not to mention helped cliffy!

1 corinthians 12:4-6

birthday legacy

today is a very important birthday. (easter 1997)

today my mother would be 64 years old. (circa 1951)

i have been pondering how to commemorate this day. (christmas 1977)

i want my children to KNOW her. i want my children to KNOW how much their grandmother loved, wanted, and planned for them, even before they were born. that countless hours were spent hand-making everything from sock monkeys to baby blankets, saving an endless supply of baby clothes, and packing away special surprises for "someday". (our wedding 2002)

but...that when i think of all the thing she left for her grandchildren, i am most proud of her legacy. (church pictures 1996)

there isn't a day that passes where someone doesn't comment on how she touched their life in someway....and THAT makes me smile. (governor's ball 1986)

i began this blog four years ago, today. ironic? i think not. (november 1978)

my mother was all about love of family, faith, and kindness to others. mix that with an amazing ability to laugh at herself, make something from nothing, and a tad of southern "spit-fire" and you have a rich heritage i am only too happy to pass on! i pray that through my words on this blog, and my actions in life that my children will be half as proud in thirty years. (circa 1988)

so thank you grandma carolyn for all that you have done and continue to do, i love you...and happy birthday.

no-snow snow day

today, started off a bit rocky. the kids did NOT want to go school. i HAD to go work. the dogs were out of meds. the girls had their ent appointment. clif had a big meeting. AND we were told we were getting a BIG snow. grreaaaat! by 11 the snowfall began...as did the mad rush by half the city to tie up all loose ends. by the grace of god,we finished up and were home by three, and were greeted by this....

this is vivian's bed...and i love it. it was my mother's bed when she was a child, and piled with old quilts, books, and comfy pillows, i couldn't help but feel it was calling my name. so as the all too wet and cold snow fell rapidly outside...i found myself curled up warm and cozy with this guy.

i was so content and happy i wanted to capture the moment by taking his picture. he wasn't keen on the idea.

but....after a bit, he began to soften...

and then he melted (as did i, and all the snow).

and after a while this is what the bed looked like. i read, we talked, he read, we giggled.

and it turned out to be the best no-snow snow day EVER!!!

vivian-isms

i often wonder if my five year old is smarter than me...she certainly has her own way of thinking!!

the great v's religious philosophy:
v: mom, today in chapel we learned "trust in god".
me: that's GREAT vivian!!
v: yep, even when your scared...just trust in god.
me: you're right!! you can use that ANYTIME even when you aren't scared...
v: yep, or like when you are REALLY scared....like when you are riding a stinky camel.

on technological advances and time management:
as she waited patiently for me to finish nursing frances, so i could read her a bedtime story...she asked, "hey mom...don't you wish there was an app for that?! it could save you a lot of time, if there was an app for oobie feeding frances."

on rules and regulations:
me: what is the one rule of being a good mommy?
v: love your kids.
me: what is the one rule of being a good big sister?
v: make sure frances doesn't have any choking hazards.
me: what is the one rule for being a good kid?
v: don't say the word "shit".

lovely, eh?

a walk to remember

we were out of school, and off work today...so we decided it might be fun to visit some friends...popa and dotdot! even though it was dreary out, dotdot suggested a walk to the park. i must admit i thought it was kind of nutty, but we had nothing else planned, and as she pointed out, "we will have the whole park to ourselves!" so i grabbed the kids coats and boots, and dottie (who is originally from denmark) did the "european baby swaddle" for frances, and off we went!

this little girl had a lot of fun on the swings...

and so did this little boy!!!

and after we attempted to skip rocks (a LOT of rocks) we enjoyed a stroll along the stream. but where is baby frances you ask?!

well, apparently that european baby swaddle is magic. she napped for our entire outing, plus another hour and a half....that's THREE hours total!!

yep...dottie will now be coming to my house EVERY night!

rock out

just for fun, we gave bauer a mohawk.

he rocked it...and his guitar! but the best part?

vivian running and getting the iphone to capture the moment! :)

friday nights

at least once a week, mainly fridays, we have very special dinner guests. i don't know why i never take their picture...so this week i decided i would.

we don't have a fancy meal, but everyone has plenty to eat. we don't have a plan, but somehow everyone enjoys themselves. we often laugh, tell old stories, laugh some more, and stay up later than we planned.

well....some of us TRY to stay up later. ;)
thanks for wonderful memories, daddy and dotdot...we love you!!!

ol' dr.pepper truck

this was our old go cart when we were kids. it is made to look like an old crank dr.pepper truck but don't be fooled by its sweet appearance. it has a lawn mower engine and can haul booty. what do i love best about it? mainly that it has found a second life with a second generation of kids! (never fear, sweet ycc, it has rotten tires that have yet to be replaced...the kids just love sitting on it and pretending!)

in a flash...

some days i wonder, "how will they make it to eighteen? how will IIIII make it?!?"

and then i find them cuddled in bed, reading each other their favorite stories and i wonder, "what will i do when they are eighteen...how will i make it?" my mother was right...it is but a flash, you must enjoy every second!

international visitors

this is sweet hersh, aka hershey bear. and this is sweet frances introducing hersh to mum-mums.

hersh was born two weeks after frances (but only because he was very, very happy inside his mommy's tummy!)

we love him. (and his mommy, and his daddy.) but he lives in vienna. :(

BUT he is here for the WHOLE month of january!! yep frankie...that makes me happy, too!!! :)

snow, southern style

yep, we got some. actually...we got five inches of beautiful powder, a rarity in these parts.

it was this beautiful baby's first snow.

but this big girl....she is a pro!

and this little guy was pretty excited, too.

even this mommy was excited!! so we bundled up, and headed outside for a neighborhood snowball fight.

and some sledding.

and yes, and in case you didn't know...here in the south we use what we have. this was the most popular sled of the day, and incidentally also the fastest.

of course, no snow day is complete without a hot chocolate break. here all the kids are waiting patiently....

well...all except one. ;)
hope ya'll have a wonderful fun and safe snow day...wherever you are.

sweet anticipation...

when a weatherman predicts snow in the south, the adults make a beeline to the grocery store for bread and milk.

and the children...well, they take a different approach.

(this was taken when only a handful of flakes had fallen. she then spent the next thirty minutes waiting...oh, to be a child!)

i heart the iphone

i did it. i finally broke down and got an iphone. there are many reasons to love this wonderful little piece of technology, not the least of which is if i forget my camera...i still have one on hand! and therefore, i admit it: i am addicted. i know, i know...now pick yourself back up off the floor and finished reading the post. ;)

for example: one day, bauer and i went grocery shopping. he was SO well behaved that i told him he could pick anything he wanted as a surprise (rookie parent mistake) so he picked candy (of course!). i looked in the backseat and saw this happy face...a boy, at long last, alone with his candy...no sisters in sight in which he might be forced to share.

and a few minutes later i saw this. can you say sugar crash?!

and who could resist this sweet boy's pleas to dress like a football player?

or to capture a moment....of shall we say...his softer side?!

and where is baby frances in all this? well...i guess she too has discovered a new love for technology. look at our little computer hacker go!!

a boy's love of football

as we are headed to academy sports...
me: bauer, if you are a good boy while we are in this store i will let you look at something VEEERY special.
b: what is it mommy?
me: this store is a very neat store...it has an entire row of FOOTBALLS!
eyes wide...mouth open in complete awe...
b: footballs? footballs? i LOOOOVE footballs.
i want to see them.
i want to touch them.
i want a BLUE one.
oooooohhhh FOOTBALL, i love you football.
okay, i'm a good boy, mommy. now take me to the footballs!!
i think the boy likes football, eh?

c, do you know anyone who might agree? ;)

a day in the life...

poor frances...sometimes life is just so hard.

even though she makes being this cute* look easy...it apparently, is a very tiresome job!

because more often than not, to rejuvenate, she and popa have a little quality time together...

and then, she must begin her beauty regime!! so next time you see this cute face on the blog, please stop for a moment and think how much effort goes in to being baby frances! ;)

*clif, would like you to know that he calls this "the bunny suit", just like ralphie's from "a christmas story". have mercy...