Olivia's Picture

My sweet girl specifically asked me to post this picture on my blog tonight. Seriously, she did. I need to do a serious update, but for now, I am granting my daughter's wishes and posting this picture she did of myself, Hayley and her in our house. So, enjoy my sweet girl's picture....

Holiday Reading For You.....

I am, without a doubt, the luckiest Mommy who ever walked the earth. Period. The end. Don't even try to debate the issue with me.

My precious ones amaze me on a daily....no moment-ly (I know that isn't a real word....would you believe I am in college?!?!) basis. I plan to do a "newsy" post here in the next few days, but had to practice my mother's bragging rights, once again.

The last post I did was a book written by the dear, sweet Feisty who is following in her big sister's footsteps as a child prodigy author/illustrator. Tonight, I have to share a book that Care Bear began (but the masterpiece is not yet complete.) She writes books almost every day. I honestly have a Care Bear library. Anyone know a publisher who publishes children's books written by children?! Because, seriously....I could retire for life off of this girl's creations. (FYI....these are copyrighted....no really....they are!)

So, for your bedtime story tonight, I present Care Bear's latest literary masterpiece (or at least the first half of it....)

(note the apostrophe and the comma in this page...I don't think I knew what an apostrophe or comma was until at least the 3rd or 4th grade....I could be wrong....that was, after all almost 2.5 decades ago....ugggggggggghhhhhhhhhh)

(Always pays attention to detail....check out the reindeer's necklace and the red marks coming from his nose to make it look like it's shining....)

(That up there in the left hand corner is a conveyor belt delivering the presents to the elves. This is as far as she got. At this point, she was so tired of coloring that she asked me to take over. I had to explain to her that what I would do would not do her book justice and that she should just wait until the morning when she isn't so tired. Seriously. I would do shame to her book.....)

Now, all biases aside, is that not amazing?! I have so many others she has written that I could share....maybe I should make a blog solely for my children's creations....is that too indulgent?!?! And artwork aside....how about that handwriting?!?!

So...calling all children's book publishers.....I don't know a kid out there who wouldn't enjoy a book written for kids by a kid.....after all, who knows a kids mind better than a kid?!?!

Another Artist In The Family

So, Livi is following in the footsteps of her big sister and foraying into the world of children's books written by children. I literally have a small library of books that Hayley has written, and the other day, Livi informed me she had written a book. She just drew the pictures and told me the story as she showed it to me and she has changed it each time she's told it; but I do know for sure that it is about me, Hayley and the twins. But I must share it. She is very proud!! (As well she should be!!)

The Front Page. These are "Ws".

She is learning about the letter W in school right now.

Not too shabby if you ask me!

This is supposed to be me. Aren't I gorgeous?!

This is a self portrait.

This is Hayley and her.

This is the twins and her.

And this is all four of them. The girls that is.

I personally think it's Pulitzer prize material. What do you think?? Not too shabby for a four year old, eh?

Doing Better

Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement when I was having my little "melt down". Not to minimize it....I was in a bad place at that time. Your comments made me feel not so alone.

Funny thing though....not too long after I wrote that post, somehow I just felt.....better. Not sure exactly what happened, but I quit worrying about things so much. A lot of the issues I was having at the time I published that post had more to do with former in-law issues than kid issues. I was expending a large amount of time trying to figure out where I fit in within this new and strange picture. Most of the time when couples divorce, the ex-husband and his family continue on, and the ex-wife and her family continue on. In my case, I continue on with both sides, but don't feel like I fit in so much with them anymore. But my children are still blood related to them. So I have felt a little awkward at times. I have some current issues with my former MIL that are still on-going, and I am not going to get into them. But somehow, I quit worrying about that, too. I just decided one day, "I don't know what these people think about me; I don't know how they feel about me, and quite honestly, I really don't care anymore. Like it or not, they will remain a part of my life because of my children and I might as well make the best of it." So I have. And since I made that decision, life has become significantly less stressful.

Don't get me wrong; I still have the on-going daily stress of raising four little girls on my own and a four year old who is still dealing with some major issues, but those issues are getting taken care of as well, and all I can do is leave her in God's hands and trust Him to take care of what I can't for her.

In summary: for now, I feel better. Still stressed, but much more relaxed about it, if that makes any sense. Not to say that I will never again have another melt down. Pretty much par for the course for someone in my current situation. But it sure does help to know that there are people out there that love me and are praying for me; even those that I have never met before. So thank you.

And now, for some adorable pictures from our very relaxing, enjoyable Thanksgiving.....

Care Bear's braids courtesy of Aunt Sema

Feisty's braids courtesy of Aunt Sema

Katie playing with Grandpa P's mustache

Care Bear's fancy letter to Santa. Yeah, I know....her real name. No mistake.

Quite honestly, I didn't feel like taking the time to block it out. I trust you all.

I can trust you all, right?!?!?!

Oh, and incidentally, since you now know the other 3 girls' names, it hardly seems fair to leave Feisty out. Her real name: Olivia, but she insists on being called "Livi". So, there you go. But just for the record, should I ever go public again, they will resume as Care Bear and Feisty. Those names are still extremely fitting.

Hurray for Poop, Pee, and Sweet Dreams Juice!!

We're throwing a little party in here today!! Hurray for poop and pee in the potty!! Miss Feisty, as you know, has had her share....more than her share.....of health difficulties over the past year and a half. Twelve (12) UTIs to be exact. Doctor after doctor....ER visit after ER visit....more well meaning words of advice and tips than you can imagine.....so many antiobiotics that I would be surprised if she hasn't become completely immune. X-rays, invasive and uncomfortable tests, "pokies" (Feisty's word for shots and IVs) and two hospital stays.

Last month, when she was infected with her 10th UTI, she was finally able to see her primary care physician. We belong to one of those pediatric clinics that employ at least a dozen doctors, and unless you have an appointment booked way in advance, you better pray your lucky stars that you actually get to see the one you want. Well, it never happened that way. Every time (almost) she saw a different doc and we had to re-invent the wheel. Finally, last month, she got to see her doc. And thank the Lord for him. Stuff started to get done for her and she was referred to a pediatric urologist in Denver. She had that appointment yesterday. Unfortunately, for her, she had to endure yet another renal ultra sound and a horrible VCUG (uncomfortable and invasive for an adult.....much less a teeny four year old girl). The good news? No kidney damage, no urinary tract damage. Just a simple case of a vicious cycle of constipation, fear of potty, constipation blocking her bladder, fear again, more constipation causing the UTIs and on and on and on. The doctor yesterday gave us wonderful tips, advice, words of wisdom and (drum roll please....) a medicine that will prevent her from getting UTIs. Huh. What a concept. I believe I recall requesting this medication for her over a year ago after UTI number 3 or 4. I feel optimistic for the first time since this battle began. I feel hopeful and I feel in control of the situation. When you don't know what you're dealing with or what steps to take to make it better, its rather hard to feel in control; thus leaving the control in the hands of a very stubborn, willful and feisty four year old!!

My little girl is back. Her smile, her laugh, the spring in her step, her squeals of joy and the sparkle in her beautiful eyes. It is wonderful to see her be four again and not riddled with the misery of UTIs and constipation. She pooped twice in the potty today! Hallelujah! She did have a couple of accidents, but in her defense, she wasn't near a potty and given the fact that her doctor doubled her dose of Miralax, she's had some umm...diarrhea. But she is trying, which is more than I could've said a week ago! Thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts for my little darling girl. Don't stop now, though. This isn't a quick fix. She has to re-establish good habits and abandon bad habits that have taken her a long time to learn. She now has to un-learn them. And we have until next August when she goes to Kindergarten. (Lord willing, it will happen before January when she wants to enroll in a new pre-school that doesn't put up with un-potty-trained kids).

Another battle that we have dealt with for a long time is bedtime. For both of my girls. (The big ones that is). When I was a young, naive Mom, I had this goofy and ridiculous desire to cuddle my babies until they fell asleep and then place their sleepy little bodies in their beds. What I didn't realize at that time, was that meant that they would then expect that from me when they were 1, 2, 3, 4.....and beyond. Little did I know that my enjoyment of cuddling my babies to sleep was going to wreak havoc on future bedtime. I just recently (we're talking 5 months ago, maybe) got my children to actually learn to go to bed....in their own beds.....without me cuddling them until they go to sleep. Talk about a wonderful release of stress for me. I dreaded bedtime every day of my life.

It was going well until about two weeks ago when all of a sudden Feisty decided to revert back and decide she didn't like sleeping in her own bed. Inevitably every night, five minutes after she was in bed, I would hear, "Mommy?!" Dread filled me everytime I heard that because I knew what was coming next. "I'm scared. I want to sleep in your bed tonight." Besides the fact that I did not want to re-introduce that bad habit, I do all my school work in my room. Which requires light. And my computer. Several nights in a row, I had to forego doing my school work because my little girl was crashed out in my bed. Simply telling her that there was nothing to be scared of and that mommy is in the next room did nothing for her. Didn't matter.

One night, about a week ago, when I felt that this new problem( rather old problem re-visited) was here to stay, I had a stroke of genius as I walked up the stairs to, once again, beg my daughter to stay in her own bed. For mommy's sake, please!! She wanted some apple juice to drink. I got her some juice, and when I got into her room, I informed her very confidently that the juice I was presenting her with was "sweet dream juice". "This juice, if you drink it all" (which was also laced with her required stool softener), I told her, "will give you only sweet dreams. Keep it by you all night and if you get scared, take a drink." I got a huge smile from her. VICTORY!! It worked. Wow. An idea all my own. Not one given to me by another parent, my mother, a parenting book or a (former) sister-in-law across the street. An idea all my own. She drank it all down (which accomplished two goals; sleep and poop), and as I walked out of the room, she informed me, "Mommy! Now I'm dreaming about flowers!" I could barely contain my gleeful laugh! Woo-hoo!

It is now imperative that I have on stock at all times "sweet dream juice" (i.e. Tree Top Apple Juice.....Kroger brand will suffice). One night I ran out. I panicked slightly, and informed her that we ran out of sweet dream juice, so tonight, sweet dream milk would have to do. And it did. And it has worked every night since.

Rock ON!!

And oh yeah....the twins? They are ten months old today. Their birthday is in two months!! What?! Wasn't it just a week or two ago that I was sitting in the hospital on bed rest?! Almost a year. And what a year it has been! They are 14.5 and 13 lbs respectively. Both have their bottom two teeth, Kate is cutting her top two, and both are thisclose to crawling. Time to dig out the baby gates! I almost have toddler twins! UFF DA!!

On The Menu Today....Poop!!! Mmmmmm

The day started out like any other ordinary day in the life of Kristen....oh oops...my bad.....no it didn't. It started out like a train wreck when I was jolted out of bed at the early hour of 7:30 by Care Bear who sauntered into my room, turned on the TV and settled into watch Nick Jr. (Not that I expect my 6 year old --although she is usually more organized than I am-- to voluntarily get herself up and start getting ready for school when Mom is crashed out in bed still.) It took me a minute or two to get my bearings and figure out what was going on. Is it Saturday? What time is it? Why is my TV on? Why is Care Bear in my bed? And WHAT THE?!?!....Why is my face stuck to my Family Law book and UGH....whose morning breath is that?!?! GROSS! It's mine!

The morning continued to improve as I managed to get my lazy butt to the bathroom and discover that since I had chosen to use my text book as a pillow last night, my face was adorned with beautiful pink and green tattoos from high lighter pens. "Wow," I thought to myself. "Are my fellow moms at Care Bear's school ever going to be impressed by me this morning!!" However, lucky for me, I didn't have to worry about that, since as the next half hour progressed, it became glaringly obvious to me that I was not going to make it in time to take Care Bear to school (unless I really intended to scare the bejeezus out of the school administration and make them doubt my sanity and abilities as a mother...). Lucky for me, I have a sister-in-law (who I will legally only be able to refer to as my friend in the very near future) who lives across the street and was more than willing to escort Care Bear to school that morning. I think she was concerned about my sanity a little herself this morning when she got a glimpse of me.

I breathed a little sigh of relief when she said she would take Care Bear to school because the pressure was off a little. I didn't have to offend anyone with my face artwork, or my heinous morning breath, or my babies' nasty smelling diapers. The relief was short lived, however, when I discovered that during the chaos of getting Care Bear out the door, that my little Emma Bemma was downstairs screaming her head off. It didn't take me long to realize that her little constipation problem (don't get me started on the fact that I seem to have yet another child who suffers constipation) had apparently corrected itself overnight and a little explosion had taken place in her pants. She (suffice it to say) was not happy with how long it took me to take care of her issue. So much so that it was nearly impossible to get her wiggly little butt to sit still so I could place another diaper on her. Between holding her belly down to get the new diaper on her and using my other hand to wipe her, I somehow neglected to wad up and secure the nasty diaper. But by the time I had finished with her, I had another screaming baby to tend to and a four year old screaming at me for Fruit Pebbles. So, the stinky diaper got forgotten.....

Fast forward half an hour. Feisty has been fed...babies have been changed. And curiously enough, I realized (a little too late) that those babies were being uncharacteristically quiet. For babies who don't stay content for more than ten minutes at a time, that made me a little nervous. And my instinct was correct. As I headed down the stairs, the pungent aroma of baby bowels was a little too strong for my taste. My first thought was "Oh CRAP (literally)....a baby pooped on the floor.....". Oh, if only that was all.....

My sweet little curious scooters had discovered a fun new toy. The un-wadded, un-secured MASSIVELY POOPY diaper! "Oh, what fun this is! What is this squishy smelly stuff? Let's finger paint with it Katie! OK, Emma! Wee-hhheeeeeee this is fun!! And since we put absolutely everything in our mouths, why should this be any different?! I mean who care if it smells like the county dump! How will we know if we don't try?!?!" Have you ever smelled a babies' breath after they have taste tested their own poop??!?! I hope for your sake that you haven't. This was a new one for me. A new mommy experience. I thought I had experienced it all. And you might think that was it. But not quite. Feisty, curious to know what all the commotion was about came down the stairs, and in my full on panic, I failed to notice that she had stepped in the poo and tracked it all over the white play room carpet!!!! (Please tell me....who puts white carpet in their house unless they plan to use it for a show home?!?!....No offense to anyone here who may have white carpet.)

In a mere hour, I managed to have a full months worth of disasters. I was a walking Murphy's Law example this morning. After the disasters had settled, the poo was cleaned off of carpets, shoes, clothes and babies' mouths, and I had to sit on my front porch, stare off into space for a minute or two, and then did the only thing I could do. Laugh hysterically. I mean really. Who does this happen to?!?! Me. That's who.

On a high note....the rest of the day was great. The weather was beautiful; Feisty and I played in the carpet of leaves at my parents' house and enjoyed the day and I did no school work. Who could concentrate after all that?? Not to mention my head is so full right now I think I might just be on overload.

Oh, and just for the record.....this song playing is my new anthem. Not the part about wanting to start a fight, or being a rock star....but the other stuff. Booyah!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Feisty!

My dear, sweet Feisty,

There is no way in the world that a simple letter to you on you birthday could accurately convey to you how much I love you, how much you mean to me, and how proud I am to have you as my daughter. But hopefully you know that already and someday you'll have a good time reading back on the letters I wrote you for your birthday.

Exactly 4 years and 4 hours ago you came into my life. It is unbelievable to me that it has been that long already and you are such a big girl now. They say that when you become a parent that time goes so much faster than it ever did and that kids grow up so fast. I am finding that to be more and more true every day, week, month and year.

I remember your birth-day like it was yesterday. I can remember your cry, your face when they first gave you to me. I remember those first few days of your life in the hospital and after we took you home and how the adjustment from 2 to 3 kids seemed so huge to me at the time (looking back and knowing what I know now.....that was cake). I remember your colic and thinking how it was never going to end and people telling me their stories of colic and how those children turned out to be the most mild-mannered, sweet and empathetic children. While I wouldn't exactly call you "mild-mannered", the words "sweet" and "empathetic" could have your picture next to them in the dictionary.

I love you so much and for so many reasons; first and foremost because you are my daughter. But you endear yourself to me more and more every day because of who you are and who you are becoming.

I love your heart. It is so tender. It is so caring. It is so full of love and concern, sympathy and empathy for the people you care about.

I love how protective you are of your big sister, Care Bear. Despite the fact that sometimes she can be a bully-ish big sister, that never phases you and your love for her never wavers. She has always been and will always be your hero.

I love how you have acclimated so well to being a big sister. You are a champ. I love how you care for and love your little baby sisters, particularly "your baby", Emma. I love how you talk baby talk to them.

I love how you rub in the kisses I give you so that you can keep them forever.

I love your imagination and I love how you do not need to have the most modern gadgets and toys in order to have fun playing. You use the best gadget you have; your brain. I love that you want to play with me, your old mama, in these games. I cherish that because I know that will not always be the case.

I love how you call goosebumps "juice bumps", your heart beating "beeping", your feet sleeping "snoring", marshmallows "shmarshshmallows", Jesus "Jejus" and many other "Feisty-isms".

I love that you love being my "buddy". I love the times that you and I get to spend together in the mornings after the older kids go to school and the babies are sleeping. You talk a mile a minute and never run out of things to say.

I love that you have an imaginary "phone buddy" that you have full conversations with on the phone. I hope "Callie" calls you today and tells you "happy birthday".

I love your hugs. Your amazing, crushing, full-of-love hugs.

I love that you've learned to ride your bike and I love watching you riding your bike around our street with your neighborhood buddies.

I love your smile. You have one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen and it radiates your whole being.

I love hearing you sing in the back of the car when we are on the way somewhere. You have a beautiful little singing voice and I hope you always love to use it.

I love your zest for life. Your enthusiasm and your excitement can make even the most mundane things seem like the most amazing thing in the world!

I love all of the pictures you've been drawing lately. You are starting to take after your sister in the artistic talent department. I want you to know that I have saved every little picture, chicken scratching and doodle you have ever made.

I love that you have been planning this birthday and the activities for it since before Christmas. I hope it has been all you dreamed it would be (up until this point).

And while some of your little "OCD" tendencies can sometimes get on my nerves, or may not occur during the most convenient times, I love the fact that you know what you like and what you want and that you have the fierce determination to go after it. I hope you always have that fierce determination but that your sweet and kind heart will always be there to off-set that fierce determination. Those two characteristics will get you far in life.

I could write pages and pages on why I love you so much. What I have written to you today just barely scratches the surface because there is not a way to put onto paper what is in my heart for you.

I love, adore and cherish you my sweet little girl. And I couldn't be more proud of you. I am thankful everyday that I was lucky enough to give birth to you. So on your special day, I want to wish you the very best of birthdays. You are my big four year old girl and I hope you have a wonderful year!

Love with all of my heart,
Mommy

Awards Ceremony

Welcome to Mama's 1st Annual Award ceremony. All five of my children have recently achieved some pretty important things, therefore I decided they deserve to be recognized for their fabulous accomplishments. Please join me in congratulating them as well.

We will begin with......

ANAKIN

Anakin has had a little bit of a rough year this year in school. It can be hard to convince him to sit down after school and do his homework. However, as of the last few weeks, he has done his homework without being reminded and (for the most part) has been remembering to turn it in. Good job, Anakin, for your efforts in working harder in school. Your hardwork will pay off in the end!

Now, on to.....

CARE BEAR

Care Bear has had a real issue with stage fright in the past. Anytime there was a performance she was in, whether it be at church or at her pre-school, she would just stand there on the stage with a "deer in the headlights" look, regardless of all of the encouraging, hand-waving, and stupid looking faces I would throw her. However, this past Christmas, she was in our Church's children's Christmas program, and for the first time, she actually performed!! I was so excited and so proud. I wanted to do a "happy dance" right in the middle of the aisle. This past Tuesday, she had her "Kindergarten Showcase" at school. I was holding my breath until I saw her step on to the stage hoping that her Christmas performance wasn't just a fluke. And it was not. She sang her heart out and did all of the motions all the way through (with the exception of one song that she said she hated and proclaimed early on she would, under no uncertain circumstances sing that song.....and she held to her word...). So Care Bear is awarded for overcoming her "stage fright". I'm so proud of you, sweetie!

Next is, little miss.....

FEISTY

It's no secret that Feisty has had some issues surrounding the potty. And while she has not yet mastered the skill, she has improved greatly and I am very proud of her. She no longer even wants to wear training pants at night (however, mama overrides this....for now....)which is a good sign. While she is hesitant to go at first, once she does, she is sooo proud of herself and likes to show the world (or whomever happens to be around at the time)how good a "job" she actually did. Congratulations, sweetie, on getting the hang of going potty. Keep working on it and hopefully by fall, you'll have it mastered and can go to PRE-SCHOOL!!

On to the mini-twinnies.....First up.....

KATIE

As I've mentioned before, Miss Kate can be a little fuss budget. Afternoons seem to be rough for her. But lately (due to more sleep, I firmly believe), she is such a little "ray of sunshine" in the morning. This morning I woke up and heard some noise coming from her little bed. I was half waiting for a wail, or a scream, but I went over there and she was laying on her back, just looking around the room and gave me the most beautiful of baby smiles. What a great way to start the day. So, Katie is being awarded for her improved sleep patterns and that beautiful smile (which is much preferred over your snorts, miss Kate!)

And last, BUT DEFINITELY not least.....

EMMA BEMMA!

Emma Bemma has turned into my "champion sleeper". She has even surpassed her big sister, Feisty, a couple of nights this week. As a rule, she has been sleeping 8-8.5 hours straight a night lately. Not always, but more often than not. Her twin isn't doing quite as well yet, which is why Emma-Bemma is being awarded for her "superior sleeping skills". You are my hero Emma. Thanks for letting Mama sleep a little more. I love you, sweet pea!

And that's it....I think. Five awards. Five kids. And that is all there will ever be.

I love all of you and you make me oh, so proud!!

THEY DID IT AGAIN!!!

Complete Disbelief

My baby girls (of the twin variety) went to sleep at 7:00 at night. They are morning babies. Awake at the crack of dawn; happy as can be; crabby by afternoon and asleep by early evening. I went to bed at 9:30, thinking to myself that I would probably be awoken within the hour. Instead, I was awoken at 1:30 a.m. by my baby girl (of the *almost* four year old variety) to change her soaking wet jammies and sheets (due to the fact that she violently refused to wear training pants last night. I told her not to bother waking me up if she peed her bed because I warned her. But like I could really in good conscious let her sleep in her own pee....I digress.) It wasn't until I had changed the jammies and gotten Feisty back to bed that I realized, "It's 1:30 a.m. Those babies are still asleep!" Brief panic ensued as I feared SIDS, but when I checked on them, there they were, side by side, slightly snoring and sleeping (so to speak) like babies. I hustled myself back to bed to take advantage of this momentous occasion and slept for two more hours before I was finally awoken by both babies to be fed. The each ate and promptly went back to sleep until 6:30 this morning when they woke for the day---big, gummy, giddy smiles and all.

Eight and a half solid hours of sleep for those babies, people!! That is so huge! I am not delusional enough to think that there will be a repeat performance of that tonight. I won't get my hopes up. I've been burned too many times by getting my hopes up like that with previous children.

Had I not had to get up in the middle of the night to clean up another kid, I myself would have gotten six straight hours.

I am impressed, baby girls. Please, for the love of everything, KEEP IT UP!!!

MIKAYLA!! In Concert Today!!

Welcome! And thank you for coming tonight to the "Mikayla" concert! For those of you who have never been fortunate enough to attend a Mikayla (a.k.a. Care Bear) concert, let me be the first to congratulate you on your wise choice of entertainment for this evening. For you are in for the time of your life. But I will warn you: Mikayla has very set ideas about how her shows run. She's rather the pint-sized diva. So you will notice as you enter the arena (that looks suspiciously like a living room) that there are rules posted here and there that you must adhere to, or suffer the wrath. Don't say I didn't warn you. And should you be the lucky person who follows the rules the best, than you shall have bestowed upon you backstages passes and the opportunity to "meet and greet" the one....the only.....

That being said, I (the one and only Mama of Mikayla) will serve as your interpreter this evening should you have any difficulty making sense of the rules. Mikayla is, after all, only five. And you also might like to check on the list of invitees first to see if you're even allowed into this all exclusive event:

Did you make the cut? (psssst....even if you didn't, I have connections. I'll get you in!)

Keep your eyes out for the rules. You do not want to tangle with this girl. Believe me!!

Rule #1

(Reminder: If you have a question you have to raise your hand!)

Rule #2

(Reminder: If you have to go to the bathroom, you have to raise your hand!)

Rule #3

(Reminder: If you have to take care of a baby, wait until after the song)
**I think this one was tailor made for me....the majority of you can probably bypass this rule!

I know, I know.....I've never been to a concert with so many rules before; but Mikayla likes things the way she likes them. Whatcanyoudo??

Sooo.... Mikayla has just informed me that there are some backstage pass winners. Too bad the rest of us just could not keep our mouths shut!

The list of contendors is above. Notice she added some dialogue there from Miss Kate. Despite the fact that Kate went "wa wa wa wa wa" throughout the whole show, she is still being honored with the chance to meet Mikayla!

And the winners are!!

Kate and Emma!!

Now, to me, that somehow does not seem quite fair considering those babies wailed through the whole thing. And I, following rule #3, completely ignored and neglected them throughout the entire thing and didn't even win a pass! How fair is that?! I sense some favortism going on here.

Despite getting dissed by my own daughter, I thoroughly enjoyed the Mikayla concert. I do plan on attending another in the near future (and another....and another....and another.....)

See you at the next show! :-)

The Buzz This Week

So, I thought once I was back at work it'd be much easier to keep up on this thing. But it turns out that since I'm back only part time now, and my hours coincide with covering everyone's lunches, I don't have as much "play time" as I used to when I was here 8 hours a day. Which also means I don't have as much time to go and visit you all; cuz it could literally take my entire four hour shift to visit everyone in my bloglines. So, I read when I can and post when I can; which unfortunately for me.....is not very often.

But here's the buzz around my parts as of late:

CARE BEAR:

Still obsessed with NKOTB. I have created a monster! She must watch my old, ancient NKOTB video at least once a day....often times many more than that. It is typically the show she chooses to watch before she goes to bed. And she insists that I watch it with her. Now, in my day, I probably watched it at least 1/2 dozen times a day. I can't even believe it's still functioning. And while it was fun and reminiscient to watch it once....maybe twice.....I must say that I'm getting a little weary of it now. I'm just about ready to hide it.

I purchased Care Bear the NKOTB Greatest Hits album--at least she now has something to listen to in the car. But not just in the car---no, that's not good enough. We have to listen to it in the house as well as we watch her dance and sing to it under her "celebrity moniker"---Mikayla. Yes, she has given herself an assumed name. She has strict rules (i.e. no laughing, no smiling, no getting up, and no talking during her shows.) She's a cross between a diva in the making and a grouchy old school teacher. After her "shows", she allows us to stand in line for autographs from "Mikayla." Sooo.....do you all think American Idol will still be around in the year 2018 when Care Bear will be 16??

She wrote notes for the "boys" the other day. Loooooove notes. Yikes. I'm getting scared.

Another Care Bear tidbit: Here is a little conversation she had with my mom the other day while I was at work (this is copied and pasted from an e-mail my mom sent me):

She is typing away on a calculator telling me she's doing
CSAPs. I ask her if she has to do CSAPs at school. She says, no, but they have
to be quiet when the other kids are taking them. Then she tells me Anakin said
he'd be annoyed at her if she
was noisy while he was taking them. Then she
told me she didn't need to take them because she's already smart, and CSAPs make
you smart. Then - she says,"Grandma, what are CSAPs?

Feisty News:

Feisty is still trying to learn to go potty. She's gotten to the point where she refuses to wear training pants anymore, yet every day soaks and/or soils her underwear and pants. She's getting there, but hasn't quite got it. She's even gotten to where she doesn't want to wear training pants at night. I have had to gently force this issue because I have no desire in the middle of the night to bathe my (almost) four year old and change sheets because she has soaked and/or soiled her jammies and bed. I applaud her desire and her willingness to go from training pants to underwear; but not at night; not until she has got it. So we've compromised. She wears underwear over her training pants at night.

This morning I'm at work when I receive a wonderful "letter" and picture from Feisty:

vvbbcbvvbvvvnvbvbvnfvfhhjfhhfffffffffffffvhvhgfghfghgtjhkgjjthhyhgjghh
ghjhrgrgkjkerkjjkgjhjjjhngnhhmnjjjvnnnvvnbnnnnbmn
nnbvvbnnvbvbfbgmgbmmmfbnfbgbffgbgnffiofytyiytygjjtjufhuuyuyjhruuiyt5
7hrhojthhtgggffjfgbdgdfgfggfgjdfjsdgjddjgdfhjgdjhgdgsjfdhghafhdafg
fdgghdfgfhfggggggghfgfjfhghfhgggfvvvffbvfvvfgfff
b gbfgbghbggbgbgtybddhdfbfgh
vsacvbnbnbnbjffhfgfbfbnvnbbffbhnvfhghgrhfhfghhfggfhbbgbnfknknbbnnbjhh

Roughly translated, this says something like, "Dear Mommy, I went poopy in the potty all by myself! I love you so much, etc, etc, etc...."

Now, I will show you a picture, but am warning you to scroll quickly past it or look away now if pictures that proud 4 year olds take of what they "produce" in the potty offend or disgust you. This is Feisty's proof to send to Mommy. She wanted to save it in the toilet til I got home, but Grandma convinced her to do this instead:

Yay, Feisty!! Mommy is soooo proud of you! We'll do the "happy dance" when I get home!

********************************

Feisty has very cute ways of putting things. For instance; she calls goose bumps "juice bumps", she says her heart is "beeping" instead of beating and today, when we were driving to meet Grandma at my office, she took of her sock and shoe and was thoroughly irritated. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "My toes are snoring". (Feisty speak for her foot is asleep). Everyone together now......"Aaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"!!

TWIN NEWS:

And last, but definitely not least.....some twin stuff.

Our church is blessed to have the best nursery attendant ever. Her name is Sandy and every child who ever has the pure luck to be in the nursery with her absolutely adores her. Feisty is beyond her nursery days now, but still considers Sandy her "best friend". Since my older girls have "graduated" and moved on to bigger and better things, Sandy is now thrilled to have two more of my offspring to coddle over. And coddle she does! Here are the chunky monkey twins (as opposed to teeny-tiny) modeling their new duds, courtesy of Sandy:

I.LOVE.THESE.SHIRTS!! They crack me up!!! Like these babies' butts could EVER look big! Welll.....maybe when the diapers are full their back ends might protude a little. But anyway....

Then, here they are modeling their custom made beautiful little fleece blankies given to me by a friend at church whose sister makes them. They even came in little custom made bags with their names on them!!

The little girlies are growing cuter by the day and their personalities have definitely started to make themselves known. Emma (aka "Little Squirt" aka "I can't sit still in my mama's belly") is actually the more mellow, "go with the flow" kinda gal. Much more content to lay on the floor or swing in her swing and look up at you with her piercing, beautiful blue eyes. Katie (aka "big squirt") is a fuss budget. A snorter. Her eyes may be piercing and beautiful as well, but more often than not, her face is screwed shut in a crying, screaming position, so it's hard to tell. OK, so it's not that bad, but she is much fussier than her twin. She has, however, treated me to some beautiful smiles lately and when she is content, loves to lay on the floor and kick to her hearts content.

Sleeping is still a crap shoot. Never know how it's going to go from one night to the next. So, as always, I am tired. Probably will be until I'm 50 years old....if I live that long!

Have a great weekend!