Fudgecicles

Ali says to me, "Mom, I know she's doing the best she can, but can you wipe up that mess??"

Shortly after, Mia says, "Hand cold! Me all done!"

Chores?!

The girls are starting to find themselves responsible for more of their own messes. The nausea that is STILL slowing me down has really put into perspective all the "picking up" after the munchkins I actually do. For the most part, the girls seem to like having "real work" to do! Some of their jobs are putting away the clean silverware, clearing the table, taking out the trash in the bathrooms, putting away clean laundry and picking up their own toys. I can't say they are always eager to help - Ali frequently has some dramatic complaint.... "This takes YEARS to do!" "You NEVER just let me play!" "This is so BORING!" "I'm so TIRED!!" "This makes my hair look WEIRD!" But I think they are learning that part of being a family is working together.

Funny Stuff

Ali has had a few gut-busters lately and I thought I had to share.

A couple days ago the girls and I spent a day at my Mom's house. Sometime in the afternoon it got a little quiet with Mia busying herself in the sunroom and Ali up to something upstairs. Nobody was crying and I knew where they were, so I let them be. Ali came down and asked her Grandma how to spell her name. Grandma spelled "T-A-M-M-I". Ali went back to whatever she was doing and a few hours later we went home. Sometime after we had left, Grandma went upstairs to find wads of unrolled toilet paper in the bathroom and other messes. Taped to the bathroom door was a hand drawn picture of a Grandma-looking lady with a big X drawn through her and the words "NO TAMMI" printed above. Presumably to keep Grandma out of the bathroom and from discovering that Ali had been into things she's not supposed to get into.

Here's a conversation from the backseat of the car as I drove past a community carnival with rides and a Farris Wheel.
Mia: "Me go? Me go Momma? Ride choo-choo? Me go?"
Mom: "Let's ask Daddy. Maybe tomarrow."
Mia: "Me go, Momma. No Ali go. No Daddy go. Me go. No you go."
Ali: "Mia you're just little. You can't go by yourself. When I'm a big seven year old, I can take you in the car and Mom and Dad can relax at home. But you can't go by yourself now, you could get lost. Mia, do you LIKE getting lost?"
Mia: "No Ali! Me go! No you go, Ali!"
Ali: "Mia! Listen! You can't go by yourself! Some mean person might put you in a box or something and steal you away. Do you LIKE being scared, Mia?!"

At this point Mia burst into tears and all conversation was halted by Mom.

Welcome Baby Pierce!!

He's here!! Pierce Anthony arrived on August 1, 2008 at 9:54 in the morning. Despite being two weeks early, he weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 19 inches long! Both Pierce and his Mommy are feeling great and are expected to come home tonight. Pierce is having some issues with newborn jaundice (just like his brother James did) and will be coming home with a special blue-light to help him get over it. It's a common situation - no worries!
Big brother James was excited to see Mommy and Pierce. We joke that for months while we've been talking about "Baby Pierce" and setting out clothes and furniture for him, James must have been wondering who the heck Pierce is and why am I the only one that doesn't see the kid?

When he was asked later if he had a baby brother named Pierce, James simply replied "no".


This is a proud cousin. There are two proud cousins actually. And they argue about Pierce - "My baby Pierce!" "No, I get to hold Pierce first." "No! Me hold!"

And here is Pierce's Auntie hijacking the baby from Mia. My first hand account is that he's delicious. Smells like Johnson's and baby breath. Love it.