Cast Your Vote!

Mia wants a "shishter". Ali wants a baby brother. Joe doesn't say too much on the subject but we all know what he wants... I'm rather indifferent. A healthy baby is fine with me. We have a sonogram scheduled for October 21, hopefully the mystery will be solved that day! I thought it would be fun to poll everyone and see what you think... The poll will be up until the day before the sono. =)

Fund Raising

Here are my thoughts. We're barely a month into the school year and already Miss. Natalie is dragging home packet after packet of stuff we're supposed to be selling. Cookie dough, wrapping paper, gift shop items, magazines- you name it, we're probably selling it. It's such a broad range of stuff to sell, I don't know how to start! Here's the thing... they don't want Ali to call Grandma and ask her if she would like to buy something from the fund raiser! No- gone are the days when the little kids call up their Aunties and Grandmas and sweet talk them into a chocolate bar or two. Ali's school wants me to send in copies of my address book (I exaggerate ever so slightly) so they can sell them to these fund raising companies! Um, I don't think so! And here's how to the school gets you: Ali's teacher told the class of five year olds that if they bring in their Mommy's addresses for the magazine sales, they get their name on the board with a gold star, they will get to pick a treasure from the treasure chest, they get a ring-pop, and possibly win $20. Prizes, candy and money?? Ali has been relentlessly on my case to turn in the addresses. As much as I'd like to say that I stuck to my principles.. I can only take the pleading of my Kindergartener for so long... So for those of you who recieve postcards from the magazine sales company - you have my blessing if you disregard it and wait for that phone call about the cookie dough. =)

A New Season

We have long awaited the beginning this years' soccer season! And it's here! We're very fortunate that all six of the girls and Coach Joe enjoyed themselves so much that they all came back for another year of soccer! Our team stayed the same! The only thing that changed was the team name. The "Little Dora's" sounded much to juvenile for a team of Kindergarteners- so the girls (after several failed suggestions) decided to become the "Butterflies".

This is Ali's look when she's in the middle of a game. So serious. A little angry. It's caused me to ask her several times if she likes playing soccer because it's supposed to be fun. I get "Mom! I can't smile at the camera when I'm playing!" as a response. Fair enough. Ali assures us that she is in fact having fun.
Now, I don't know that much about soccer, but Coach Joe would like me to mention that Ali made a left-footed shot during this game and scored a goal. We have so much fun watching her!


Here's the Varsity Team after the game. They are so funny dribbling the ball up and down the field! James lines up the ball to make a goal while Mia yells "No hands Baby Boy, no hands!"

She shoots, she scores! Yeah Mia!!

And Pierce. He practices his kicks while laying at a safe distance. He loves soccer.

Great Idea!

We took the girls out to dinner for some family time before I had to come to work tonight. Here's our conversation in the car on the way there...
Mommy: "Hey girls? What are you going to order for dinner? What sounds good?"
Ali: "Well, I haven't decided yet. I think maybe chicken strips."
Mia: "Mia have dessert."
Ali: (Laughs) "Wow Mia! What a great idea!!"

(No, I didn't let Mia have dessert for dinner. I made her eat some fries first.)

To The Zoo, Again!

The weather is FINALLY changing! With a high in the upper 80's, we decided we were ready to make our first trip to the zoo since spring! We got there late and only had about an hour before closing, but with 4 kids to keep track of (between my sister and I) it really didn't seem all that short! So, ya' know how most little kids have a "boogie-man" or "monster" that lives in the closet or under the bed? Well, Mia has a "Pooky Monkey" (aka Spooky Monkey) that lives in the dark places of her bedroom at night. She worries about "Pooky Monkey bites!" Where did that come from? It might have something to do with the time I accidently let her and Ali watch King Kong. Didn't I tell you about that? Oh well, it's history, right? Anyway, I tried to take this opportunity to point out REAL monkeys at the zoo and show Mia that they are not 40 feet tall, and that they are in fact funny to watch. It worked!
And then we observed this lion. He put on a fabulous show of growling and roaring for at least 5 full minutes. It was awesome! And it made little Mia jump out of her skin. I give it a couple more days and then I'll be looking for "Pooky Lions" under her bed.

The most adorable partners in crime you've ever seen!

Best part of the zoo in Ali's opinion? When the Hippo went potty in his pond for a really, really long time. "He doesn't drink that water, does he?"

Here's Pierce with his Grandma. Post-burp. He loved the zoo.

Just an Average Monday

6:30 am. Woken up by 4 little eyes peering over the edge of the bed into my face. Mia says,
"Me pee-pee on floor."
6:35 am. Attend to leak in bathroom.
6:40 am. Girls seated at kitchen table. I rummage through the pantry looking for suitable breakfast. (Sidenote: My Mom had this hang up with cold cereal when I was little. She said it was appropriate for weekend breakfasts only. Now I feel like a slacker parent when I give them cereal before school. Darn you, Mom!) Mia starts crying because she wants Mac N' Cheese. We decide on blueberry muffins.
6:50 am. Ali starts crying. I ask her why. She says her nose itches. I get her a tissue.
6:55 am. Ali and Mia put on their clothes with little complaint (pleasant surprise) Brush their teeth with little complaint (also a pleasant surprise). I start detangling Ali's hair and ask her how she wants to wear it...
7:00 am. Still discussing Ali's hair options.... Shower turns on. Oh, Daddy's up.
7:10 am. Back in the kitchen. Girls eating yogurt. I brew a cup of herbal tea and begin emptying dishwasher. Ali starts crying. Wants to know why I won't get her any milk. I tell her I don't recall her asking for any milk. She says "Ye-es, I did ask you..." with an attitude usually reserved for 14 year old girls. I correct her attitude. Give her a glass of milk. Ali says, "I can see somebody is not using their ears today." Daddy appears in kitchen to collect morning hugs.
7:15 am. Muffins are done. I burn the back of my hand pulling them out of the oven. Ouch, Ouch!
7:30 am. Daddy loads Ali up in the car. Mia decides to ride with. I wash pots and pans from night before. Gulp down luke-warm tea I forgot about.
7:40 am. Mia will not relax until I help diaper and dress her babies. She has at least 8.
7:50 am. Mia's day can resume.
8 am. I vaccuum floor.
8:30 am. Magic erase crayon from tile floor...
8:45 am. Mop floor until I run out of Swiffer Wet. All cleaning ceases when I run out of Swiffer Wet.
9 am. Mia wants a "Nanny" for a snack. I give her a banana. She peels it herself and cries when the banana breaks in two. I let her try again with a new banana... Success! I eat the smooshed, broken "Nanny" myself. Yumm....
9:30 am. Gather dirty clothes, make bed, staighten up...
10 am. I enjoy a nice, warm, quiet shower! (Sidenote: Showers for the Mom at our house are overrated and don't happen everyday. This was indeed a treat.) While rinsing my hair, Mia screams into bathroom with a bucket on her head shattering the peace and quiet and scaring the crud out of me. Really. I smack my elbow on the tile ledge. Mia giggles and runs off having elicited the desired response.
10:05 am. Daddy sticks his head in bathroom. I am hopping around with shampoo in my eyes, rubbing my elbow and trying to keep my burned hand out of the warm, running water. He asks why I'm not dressed yet....

Heaven

Out of the blue, as I was getting ready for work yesterday, Ali came in my room and asked me where Heaven was. I tried to explain in five year old terms that it's not a place like McDonald's or Grandma's house, but a place your soul goes after you, er, die. Then she wanted to know when she was going to die. Then she started crying. "What if I get there before you? Who will take care of me? Nobody will love me there! I will miss you too much! Who will give me breakfast? What if it's BORING?!" Nothing I said would stop the tears. In fact, all my answers seemed to add to her hysteria. It was one of those difficult parenting moments where I just wanted to hold her and cry too! Finally I told her that it's just a big, complicated concept for someone who's five and when she's bigger we can talk about it some more. How do you tell a five year old not to worry about it? Then I suggested she call her Grandma. (When you can't fix it, pass the buck... )

This conversation with Ali reminded me of my worries as a little girl. Countless nights spent fretting over the depletion of the ozone layer, global warming and house fires. I would lay in bed and prioritize my sister and stuffed animals. Like, if our house was on fire, first I would rescue blankie, then Leslie, then Bear, but the rest would probably burn. My parents, of course, would have the sense to save themselves. Then my guilt would force me to spend an hour singing, "You are my sunshine" to all the stuffed animals and toys that wouldn't make it.

I must have been an over-informed kid. No more church for Ali. Just kidding....

Mia's Mothering

Here is a little girl obsessed with babies. I can't pretend that I don't know where she gets it! Baby Pierce and all his accessories are her new favorite play-things. She wants to hold Pierce, feed Pierce, rock Pierce, kiss Pierce, burp Pierce and watch Pierce sleep. The other kids are in the pool, but Mia is watching Auntie Leslie feed Pierce. And when Pierce is napping, Mia uses his bottles to feed her baby dolls she has strapped into Pierces' carseat.

She swaddles up her babies and carries them around the house making "shushing" noise. Mia still refers to James as her "baby". My favorite phrase from Mia lately is "Drop me off Baby's howse, otay? Right now!" She says this as we load up into the car for any errand...

Here are the girls in their playroom on an average afternoon; Ali is in full dress-up gear and Mia is mothering her favorite baby. Mia has a very diverse brood, and "Black Baby" is her favorite. Yes, that is her name given by Mia. She picked up on the most obvious distinguishing characteristic and her favorite babies became "Black Baby" and "White Baby". It's all very cute when we're at home, but when baby accompanies us to the grocery store, it can get a little uncomfortable... "No cry Black Baby!!" "No, no White Baby, no hit! Say sorry!" "No treat White Baby." "My Black Baby nappy. Shush, shush... " It sounds really bad, especially that last part.. "nappy" is "napping" except Mia doesn't get the "ing".

Ali's mothering techniques come across a bit more bossy. There is always a consequence for babies and sisters that do not follow directions. Everyone usually ends up in time out for something....
Ali has pretty much ditched her dress up trunk and now raids my closet for acceptable attire. You may recognize this dress from mine and Joe's vacation photos...

Mommy News

You may or may not know that I have been considering going back to school for a while... Joe finally got tired of hearing about it and said, "Send in your application already! See what happens!" Well, I was accepted! I'm terribly excited and terribly anxious about what the next three years are going to be like! I should complete my program with a master's of science in nursing by 2012 and then plan to practice as a nurse midwife. Your prayers as I get started would be greatly appreciated - and then if you could pray for my sanity for the next three years...