Finally

We are all doing the happy dance because Lake's tooth finally came out today! He pulled it by himself and he looks much better. He lost one top tooth last month and since then this other tooth has just been hanging, dangling actually. He was a visual to the words snaggle tooth. Now he just looks so cute. I've taken a picture and will try again to post...

'Cause

OK, Trixie has heard me ONE time answer, "Because" to my boys. I don't usually say that alone, I usually follow up with why. When Trixie heard me, I had already answered the question several times and was out of patience. I have noticed Daisy answering me with, "'cause" and shrugging her shoulders. I have not ever that I can remember answered her like that and I don't think any of the other kids have answered each other for her to hear. That's just something that I don't like to say - it just seems kind of rude. So, now I have to really pay attention to everyone and to see where she's picking it up and try to cut it out.

Weekend Recap

We had a full weekend! On Friday night we ate dinner at T's house with her family. She along with her husband have a daughter that is in Lake's class and a son that is eleven months old. The ten of us ate, played and laughed alot!

On Saturday morning Tate had a soccer game in which he scored a few goals. Then we had lunch at Chick-fil-a (we let the kids pick) and then we had to be at Lake's basketball game an hour early for team pictures. The games were all running late so we didn't get out of there until almost 3:00pm. We came home and let the boys change clothes and then we took all four kids to my mom's house. They played 'hospital' for several hours while John Henry and I went on a date! All was well until around 10:00pm Daisy fell and busted her lip. She was OK but Nano panicked because there was alot of blood.

Now about the date: We went to dinner at Sazio's - they do not have a kid's menu! Then we went to the bookstore and John Henry bought me a book. I picked something completely different - "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. I can't wait to read it but I'm trying to finish a book my mom loaned me first. Plus Trixie brought me three books when she came a few weeks ago. I love to have a stack of books waiting for me. I panic when I'm reading something and don't have another book waiting!

After the bookstore we went to see the play, "The Trial of Frank James." It was incredible. Our very good friend, Genius, had a part in the play. He was the reporter, Bill Figures. The play portrayed the trial as factual as possible. Genius did a wonderful job. I wanted to punch the lady beside me and say, "Hey! Do you see that guy?? Isn't he great?!" but thought I'd better be quiet so I wouldn't distract everyone else!

Afterwards we picked up four sleepy children and came home.

Designated helper

Rosie has declared herself as the helper for the day. She has helped by encouraging Daisy to use the potty. (Daisy stayed dry all night and has been accident free so far!) Rosie also cleaned her room. She even made her bed. The toys are all stacked up by her closet but atleast she's trying. The smile on her face when she finished was priceless. She did all of this without my asking also.

I was cleaning the kitchen while this was going on and Daisy came running to me crying and saying her sister's name. After investigating, I found that Daisy had hit Rosie (Daisy was getting the toys out as Rosie was stacking them ....Story of my life!) So, Rosie pushed Daisy and made her fall. I definitely understand Rosie's frustration but explained that you can't do that. After the tears both girls apologized and they have even hugged each other without my prompting.

Update on picture posting - still no success. I tried again and when it says the picture has loaded, I can't find it. This was two hours ago. Is this common or is the picture lost?

Potty training Julia

Julia is a baby doll that belongs to Rosie but since she is at school today, Daisy is playing with her. Daisy has only used the potty once today but is trying to show Julia how to use it. She actually tried to sit her on the big potty (the one with actual water in it) rather than the training potty. Fortunately Julia did not fall in and according to Daisy, Julia had some success.

Still learning

Yes, I'm still learning things....Like don't leave a plate of cinnamon rolls close to the edge of the counter where Daisy can reach. She will get the plate and eat the tops off all of them. Hopefully she will be hungry for lunch because we are going with Ms. V to an all girls lunch. She may just crash from all of the sugar!

Did you catch that I actually cooked for breakfast on a school morning? I've been trying to feed the boys something warm before school (rather that cold cereal) and they seem to enjoy it. They are a little easier to wake up when I tell them I've prepared either cinnamon rolls or muffins or whatever for breakfast. I know it's nothing fancy but I remember the few mornings when my mom would wake me up and I could smell something good - brings back nice memories! Oh, and boys that go to school in a good mood make my day much brighter!

Spiderman

Yesterday Daisy wrapped a blanket around her head and said, "I'm Spiderman." I replied, "You are?" She asked, "Scare you?" It's hard to act scared when you're laughing! Do other girls play Spiderman or is this learned from big brothers?

I should not drink coffee at 7:00pm

Most people know to not drink coffee with caffeine at night. I didn't think it would bother me because I can drink caffeinated sodas and go to sleep with out any problems. I finally became sleepy around 11:30pm, fell asleep shortly after and then woke up around 1:00am with Rosie crying about her legs. Of course, this woke up Daisy. Daisy went back to sleep but Rosie kept waking up and crying about her legs. She is very tall and I wonder if this is growing pains or should I be concerned? She didn't do anything unusually active for her yesterday.....

So, how do I function today? Drink more coffee!

A girl has a crush on Lake

I really like the girl and her family. But this is my first child. He's only seven. He's still a baby! The girl is seven and they are in first grade together. They play really well together. She wants to ask him to be her boyfriend. I asked Lake about it and he sort of rolled his eyes and said, "Mommm..." Later he said he didn't want to ever get married and he wanted to live with me forever. Then Tate spoke up and said he wasn't getting married until he was as old as Yoda or atleast starting to turn green like Yoda! Also, Rosie says she is going to marry her Daddy and that I can just be his friend.

Something I noticed over the weekend

Well, I actually noticed earlier but actually thought about it over the weekend. Rosie has red hair and Daisy has blonde. Rosie LOVES Cinderella (blonde) and Daisy LOVES Ariel (red). Is this because they identify and relate to their sister?

Since it's Monday and it's raining again I think we'll try potty training again. Plus, Daisy has already dressed herself this morning. She took off her pajamas and pull up and put on her Little Mermaid nightgown and Care Bear panties. Oh, and she has also gone to the potty this morning. I would really love for her to be completely out of any kind of pull-up or diaper before summer. Just maybe....

I'm glad that's over with!

Yesterday WAS the worst part of the whole thing. Today was very simple for me AND I received good news which is what I expected.

Grandma came early this morning to stay with the girls. She got here just as we were trying to decide whether or not to send Lake to school. He was complaining of a stomach ache - I thought it might just be a nervous thing but it is SO hard to know what to do. After talking with him he decided he could go to school and stay with the nurse if he got sick. (The nurse is a very good family friend.) Of course, when he got to school he felt fine.

I think Rosie and Daisy had a fun time with Grandma. Evidently they cleaned their room (what's up with that??) and read books for the three hours we were gone. Whatever they did, it wore Daisy out. Around 1:30 she climbed on the couch with a blanket and fell asleep. It's unusual for her to take a nap unless she falls asleep in the van.

I just hope everyone goes to sleep early tonight!

The hard part is over with

OK - I have finished the nasty drink. That was the longest four hours. When the nurse gave me the jug I didn't quite get why she laughed when I asked if it needed to be finished in two hours....Now I know. I almost didn't make it in four hours. Atleast that is supposed to be the hard part and now it's over. Tate has already asked if the doctor is going to video the procedure because he wants to see it. I'm sorry to disappoint him and WaWa but I don't want to see any movie about this!
Oh, I almost forgot - Trixie asked what it tastes like. Hmmm, let me think if I can describe it. Sort of like VERY salty, yet smooth Gatorade with no flavor mixed with a very flat tasteless soda. I even added the flavor packet which was very deceiving. It smelled like cherry kool-aid but didn't taste like it at all. Did I mention it was 4 liters???

My little cheer leader

Daisy is proving to be quite the cheer leader. I am having a colonoscopy in the morning and have to drink 3-4 liters of Golytely with 3-4 hours. It is the most disgusting thing I've ever had to drink. I think I've gotten about 1 liter down. Every time Daisy sees me with my blue cup she points to it and says, "Drink it!"
She's not being bossy - it's actually cute and is helping me get this stuff down.
I hope to be finished drinking before the boys get home from school because Tate doesn't handle this kind of stuff very well.

No more high chair...

I gave the high chair away this weekend. We've had a high chair in the house for seven years and now it is gone. I'm glad to have the extra space but didn't expect the sadness I'd feel when I look at where it once sat in the kitchen. I look forward to all the fun times I hope to have with my children as they grow but, oh, how I miss that new born baby time, too.

More progress

Rosie made much progress at school today. She only attends preschool on Tuesday and Thursday and each morning when I drop her off I am physically exhausted. I try to keep the morning very upbeat and positive about what she will learn that day and how much fun she may have. I have even struggled with whether or not I should pull her out and try again next year. I love the school and the teachers and the director. Rosie is very shy and I was just like her as a child. I still struggle with it myself on occasion. I'm hoping that by letting her attend this school she will be able to deal with this on her own before she goes off to kindergarten.

This morning when we got to school she was talking very animatedly with Daisy about how much fun it is to go to school and that Daisy can go next year. She was smiling when the teacher got her out of the van - even the teacher was pleasantly surprised.
The best thing was when I picked her up. The first thing she told me when the van door closed was, "School is very fun!" This was without any coaxing on my part!! What a relief. She is such an easy going child for me and I don't send her to school so that I get a 'break' but rather for her to gain more social skills. You'd think with two brothers and a sister that would be socialization enough!! One step at a time and I will be grateful for the progress as we make it.

So Sweet

Daisy just came up to me and said, "Kiss it."

I said, "Kiss what? Does something hurt?"

She puckered up and kissed me then said, "Thank you."

Then she walked away and started playing again.

Fun Weekend

Trixie and WaWa came for a visit on Saturday and they brought Mama Dog. We all (with the exception of Mama Dog) went to Lake's basketball game. Posters were made before the game started while Lake was with his coach preparing for the game. He was smiling when he saw his name in big letters! They lost but the kids don't know this because we don't keep score until he moves up in the league. This is for fun and to learn the fundamentals of the game.
Trixie and WaWa spent the night at a friends house but left Mama Dog with us. She was a lovely house guest. She makes me want an inside dog....Maybe when we get a larger house.
We had lunch with Trixie and WaWa and their friend. I think the whole family really liked the guy - and I think he survived the kids! Later, all of us girls ran an errand for my mom and then Trixie and WaWa had to leave for home. Tate took it the hardest. He thought WaWa could just leave Trixie for awhile and come and get her in a few days!
Trixie has posted photos on her blog. I'm still working on posting photos. I tried and then got kicked off the internet....Yes, we still have dial-up and that happens more than I would like. I'll keep trying.

A Milestone?

Daisy officially can open the refrigerator. This is not a good thing since her favorite thing to get out of the fridge is the chocolate syrup. She is so proud of herself and I'm pulling my hair out! We have never had to baby proof the house with the other three kids and since we are not having any more I don't want to start now.

On the other hand, she has done really well with potty training today. The only accident she had was in the closet. She was hiding and I think she couldn't get out in time to make it to the bathroom. Atleast she came and told me as soon as it happened.

I have noticed as her vocabulary increases she is becoming bossier. Right now it's cute but for how long? I love to hear her voice. My mom does, too. Daisy likes to sing and her favorite songs to sing include "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Rock A Bye Baby", and "Happy Birthday." In the first two songs she doesn't get all of the words but she definitely gets the important ones. At the end of "Happy Birthday" she even blows out a candle!

One last thing about Daisy - when playing hide and seek with the others and the counter says, "Ready or not, here I come!" she yells "OK!" from her hiding spot. Cracks me up every time!

Rainy Friday

Since it's raining and I don't have anything new to blog about I thought I would post some background information.

I am 35 years old. My parents divorced when I was four. I have a younger sister (same mom) and two younger brothers (same dad.) I rarely see my dad and talk to him maybe once or twice a year. However, I have a great relationship with most of his side of the family. Although I don't see them as often as I would like, when we do get together it is usually a great time!

My mom is on her fourth husband. We actually like this one. My mom is the best and I can honestly say that she is my best friend. (She hasn't figured out how to read this, so I don't write that for her benefit!)

John Henry and I have been married for twelve years. We dated for five years before we married. I promised my grandmother that I would get my degree (B.S. in Business Administration) before I got married. I worked my way through college and feel that's the way it should be done unless you get a scholarship. I don't think parents should foot the bill for that. I know I tried much harder knowing that if I messed up it was my money that I was wasting!

John Henry and I have had our share of trials but with good friends and strong family support (and lots of prayer!) we have pulled through. I think (and he would agree) that we now have a strong marriage that is on solid ground. We still disagree and as long as I let him win sometimes things are fine. He reads this and the 'letting him win' thing is a joke between us. My marital advice (if asked) would be to try this: Know that you are right but sometimes let him think that he is. When John Henry found out I do this I thought he would be mad but it has become a source of great humor for us.

Lake came after we had been married five years. Tate came 20 months later. Rosie came 25 months after Tate. Then Daisy was 16 months after Rosie. Their ages now are: Lake is 7 years and 3 months, Tate is 6 years and 7 months, Rosie is 3 years and 6 months and Daisy is 2 years and 2 months. That makes for a wild and crazy house but I wouldn't change any of it. I love being a mom.

One more thing about me - this rainy weather makes me want to grab a good book and a soft blanket!

Everyone is well!

Finally everyone is well and no one is showing any signs of the stomach virus. Lake will be able to go back to school tomorrow. It has been over 4 weeks since I've had Daisy all to myself and I'm very much looking forward to it.

I got Lake's paperwork from school yesterday and found out that he is the "Star Student of the Week" for his class. The teacher said he is a friend to everyone and that he always gives 100%. He didn't seem too excited about it but I'm hoping that's because he wasn't feeling well. Today he did all of his homework and read two chapters of a Magic Tree House book. I'm so glad he likes to read!

Tate has been a sweet boy as I'm sure it seems that Lake and Rosie have received lots of attention lately. Although on Monday John Henry did take him fishing after work...so, he hasn't been totally neglected.

Now a stomach virus...

Just as I was writing about Rosie in the make up last night, Lake went running down the hall to the bathroom. So, now we have a stomach virus in the house. He seems a little better today but Rosie has been complaining of a stomach ache. This is how it started with Lake. My main concern is that Trixie and WaWa are coming this weekend and I don't want to send them home with this virus. Hopefully it will stop with Rosie (Tate and Daisy don't usually get these things.) I'll keep you posted, Trix.

Oh, Trixie said she would try to help me post pictures this weekend, too! Yippee!

Playing in Mommy's make-up

Yes, I caught Rosie playing in my make-up this afternoon. When I asked her what she was doing she said she was "trying to be pretty like you." How was I supposed to respond to that?

Rocking my baby...

I have overheard (several times recently) Daisy rocking her baby and singing "Rock a bye baby." Earlier today Rosie was rocking Daisy in the rocking chair and singing "Rocking my baby in the tree top." I think I like her version of it much better!

Sleep over

Last night Tate slept over at a friends house. The little boy is in his class at school and I have really enjoyed getting to know the mom. There is also a little sister that will start kindergarten the same year that Rosie does. I'm hoping that they will get to be friends and that will make the transition to school easier for my very shy daughter.
Since Tate wasn't going to be here, I let Lake invite a friend over for the night. Around 9:00pm Lake said he was ready for bed. I think his friend thought they were going to be staying up really late; however, they were both asleep by 9:30pm. I don't think Tate got much sleep last night so I hope to have all four children to bed early tonight.

Report cards

Lake and Tate got report cards yesterday. Lake received all A's and Tate received mostly S's (the highest they give in his kindergarten) and a few P's (progressing to S.) I was concerned with sending Lake to the magnet school that his grades would fall...silly me! He loves it so much that he wants to do the work and do it well. When I've talked with Tate's teacher (she was also Lake's teacher last year) she says he is doing really well, too.

"Prescription Cookies"

Ms. V called last night to check on Rosie. She said she had baked some special cookies and prescribed that they would "heal" Rosie. She dropped them off around 11:00am. She had them wrapped in a bag with a cute ribbon. Inside the box was a sweet note for Rosie and the most delicious oatmeal, chocolate chip and pecan cookies. I don't usually like oatmeal cookies but these were good! Rosie took a bite and said "Yum!" And....I think she's much better. Why do I think this? Well, the Cinderella wedding dress had been hanging in the closet for almost a week - until tonight! She put it on along with the tiara and dress up shoes. Yippee! I am so ready to have my Rosie back to normal.

Long night

Well, actually the past few nights have been long. Last night Rosie kept waking up and crying about a tummy ache and continued to have diarrhea. So, when the doctor's office opened I was probably the first to call. They determined she couldn't take the antibiotic and we opted for an injection of Bicillin. She was a big girl - cried but didn't flail around. When the nurse came back to check on her, Daisy said, "Back up!"
I hope they always stay protective of each other. Since Rosie hadn't eaten much in the last four days she got to pick where we went to lunch (Chick-fil-a) and also got a cute pair of jeans that has flowers embroidered on the legs. Oh, and they also came with a sparkly pink belt. Thankfully Daisy already has a similar pair because she thinks they are really cute, too!

Back to reality

Lake and Tate went back to school today. Lake was a little hard to wake up this morning but once he got moving he was ready to go to school. He really loves school this year. He's not bored like last year. Tate wanted to know if he had art today. I know that makes Grandma and John Henry so proud! I never suspected he would love art so much - he doesn't show that much interest at home. Maybe because Lake shows so much artistic talent that Tate doesn't feel like he can compete? Recently I've tried to make a really big deal when Tate draws or colors or just practices his letters and that seems to have helped.

Rosie has dance today. She really wants to go but we'll have to wait and see how her tummy is. The antibiotics seem to be giving her lots of trouble. She has new ballet shoes and dance clothes, though....

Daisy has been busy making chocolate milk at her kitchen set. This has really been a big hit with the girls. They play with it several times a day. Last night Daisy cooked chicken and served it to me....in the frying pan! Is this because of something she has seen (or the lack of something because I haven't been able to cook lately??)

Oh - last night when the boys were saying their prayers, Lake was thankful for a wonderful day. A WONDERFUL DAY. He had spent most of the day with me: going to the dentist (no cavities), visiting GiGi, going to Target and eating lunch on the road. He later had John Henry to himself for basketball practice and dinner. He has never said that he's had a wonderful day. I'm really going to strive to spend one on one time with each child. Daisy gets it when Rosie is at school, but now that I can see how much they really enjoy it I can't wait to do more with each one.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend. We traveled to the farm on Saturday and spent the night with Grandma. We went to Nashville for dinner, shopped for a little while and then went back to the farm and tried to get everyone settled down. We had no intention of letting the kids stay up until midnight! Well, of course they were all excited about sleeping in sleeping bags so it was nearly 11:00 before they got to sleep. Rosie woke up shortly complaining of a sore throat and she had a fever. On Sunday morning we gave her Tylenol and she seemed to feel better. So, we took Papaw's truck and drove around the property. Before I tell you more I have to tell you what the kids were wearing: Lake, Tate and Rosie had on jeans and long sleeve shirts, Daisy had on a light pink sweat suit that also had white 'fur' on the pullover hat. For those of you who don't know there are cows on the property. We came upon these cows while the kids and myself were riding in the back of the truck. Daisy kept calling, "Hey, Cows! Moo!" and then she would wave her hand in front of her nose and say, "Ewww, it stinks." She definitely looked like a city girl! The other three enjoyed the sights and smells of the farm but she just kept wanting to go home.

We finally came home around 7:00pm. Probably not a minute too soon, either. Rosie's fever came back and she couldn't keep Motrin or Tylenol down. So, this morning I took her to the doctor and yes, she has strep and scarlet fever. She has finally been able to keep the medicine down but her fever keeps returning as soon as it is time for the next dose. I'm just frustrated because I took her on Thursday and she tested negative for strep. They even grew the culture and it was still negative on Friday....

Since she is the sick one, she has chosen to watch Cinderella and we are watching it for the second time today. Thankfully, John Henry was off work today and was able to take the boys fishing. I don't expect them back until after dark.

All in all the break from school has not been very exciting for all - but atleast it has given them a time to recover!