Three

I have Cousin Callie for part of the day and Maggie & Ellie are loving it! So far, we've had pancakes, played My Little P.onies and A.merican Idol. We've looked at pictures from our old house and of Ellie's birth. And I've managed to clean off our 2GB memory card, move 400 pictures to disks and make plans with my mommy friend K to visit Ms. A in the hospital tomorrow. This having three girls thing is crazy! There are ponies and B.arbies and girls squealing every single time I turn around!

I can't wait to get my hands on Ms. A's new baby girl tomorrow! Ms. A and I were trying to get pregnant at the same time. She was the first person that I told (in person over the phone) and she was just as happy as I was! My only regret about getting pregnant with Ellie is that A wasn't pregnant too. She went through several rounds of C.lomid before finally finding out that she was expecting. I have prayed for this baby so much. A has a septated uterus and has had numerous miscarriages in the past and having her little boy C (also known as Maggie's future husband) was such a miracle. She had a difficult pregnancy that involved weeks of bed rest and then he was born early and not in good health. After a long stay in the NICU and lots of therapy, he's a rough and tumble three year old! This pregnancy has not been uneventful, but I'm praying for a normal c-section delivery tomorrow. K and I are beyond excited to see each other, our friend A and "our" new baby.

Of course, my main reason for going to Sanford tomorrow is my midwife appointment with Peg. I admit, I'm excited to see her. It's funny how you spend all those weeks of your pregnancy going to the doctor and then you have the baby and you no longer have to go. Peg saved The Muffin's life and I would have definitely had a c-section with Ellie if she hadn't been the attending midwife. She knew that I was adamant about trying everything possible to have a VBAC and she made sure that the doctor gave me every chance.
And in other news...Big Daddy and I are sure that we aren't ready for baby number three, but we're also sure that we can't rule out a baby number three. When/how do you really know that you're finished having babies??? If you know the answer please tell me. Looking at this little baby-body makes me think that three wouldn't be enough!

Christmas Came Early

My mom called last night and said that she and my dad were coming over. I didn't know it, but they were delivering my Christmas present. They bought me the sofa table that I had my eye on. They are so sweet and I'm not sure what I'd do without them. Now, if I could just figure out what to put on my new table!

Then, I found out about this deal from a fellow blogger for 50 free photo cards. (And if you're signing up as a new customer you also get 100 free prints!) Needless to say, I called my mom and had her bring over Maggie and Ellie's Christmas dresses and we had a quick photo shoot. The girls (including Callie) are having professional Christmas portraits taken this weekend, but I wanted a shot of them together in their little dresses for our family Christmas card.

I wanted to share this because if you're like me, your paycheck is small...or non-existent. While I always do some sort of photo in our Christmas card, I often narrow down the list of people who will receive them to save on the cost of pictures and postage. This year, I'll be able to send them to lots of people and I may even have a few left over! We spent quite a bit of money on preschool pictures this year and we will have very few to share with friends and family, so this will be a nice way to share Maggie & Ellie in their Christmas dresses.

And speaking of Baby Ellie...I think we're going to get through our sleep troubles. I should point out that I'm so concerned and trying to be proactive because The Muffin had sleep issues. "They" say that good sleepers aren't born, they're made. We'll see. So far things are going well. :-)

What I Learned This Week

Another week of life, another week of learning.

• I should trust my instincts. When I went to The Muffin's preschool in May to enroll her, I got an uneasy feeling. I decided it was anxiety about Baby Ellie's impending arrival, the big move and sending my baby away to preschool. When I went for our parent-teacher conference in September, I felt sick and like I'd made a horrible mistake sending her to this particular school. I thought I was making a great choice because Cousin Callie & Mr. Beans both attended this preschool. There is nothing really wrong with this school, but I'm not at all fond of her teacher. On the day that she had a substitute I was reminded of how I wanted her teacher to be. The substitute made an impression on The Muffin too because she's still talking about her two weeks later. I'm hoping and praying that the preschool she'll be attending next September will exceed my expectations.
  
• We need to go on dates more often. It was nice to eat lunch without trying to figure out what to order so that Muff will have something to eat or worry if the baby is going to behave. We were able to take our time doing the things we wanted to do. Although I was a little rushed when I was shopping, Big Daddy took his time looking at and test driving the car that he was interested in.
• I'm looking forward to my yearly exam. It helps that I'm going to see my extra-special midwife, get to see my two mommy friends and that I should be able to see Ms. A's new baby...also known as Muff's future sister-in-law and Ellie's future BFF. I can't wait to take Ellie & The Muffin to meet he new baby and let Muff spend a little time with her future husband, Christopher.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm really missing my mommy friends since Ms. A is about to become a mommy of two. I so wanted our kids to grow up close to each other.
  
• I can totally handle these two crazy girls of mine. I've decided to throw caution to the wind more often and drag both Muffin and Ellie places for no good reason. Recycling center, library, Wal.mart for no reason...we're there! I love it!!
• The housework can wait, but my girls cannot. Right now the whole house is clean. It will not last. The hardwood floors will be dirty before bedtime, there will be more laundry to wash and dust will start to settle on everything. The house will not fall down if I decide not to clean everything again tomorrow. It will all wait, but Muff and Ellie will not. They are growing so fast.
  
• I can live without coffee, but I don't want to. For some reason I went two consecutive days without any coffee. I didn't have withdrawals or anything, but I like my life better with coffee in it.
• I need a good, reasonably priced age-defying moisturizer. Isn't that self explanatory?
• I love mascara. I may stray and try others, but this one is always the one I go back to and love. I really love the product and the price. I'm really frugal and "beauty" products just aren't worth spending a lot of money on since I'm a SAHM.
• Baking soda is my friend. Okay, so I didn't actually learn that this week, but I was reminded of how wonderful baking soda is. I brush my teeth with it, occasionally exfoliate with it, clean my shower with it and use it to do countless other things.
• Good jeans are great. I finally think I've found a pair of jeans that stay where they are supposed to. They have just enough stretch to hold their shape, but they don't get bigger and bigger and show too much skin when I bend down.
• The library rocks! Movies, books and Storytime make The Muffin happy!

Jump over to Musings of A Housewife to read more "What I Learned This Week" posts.

From The Mouth of The Muffin & an update on last night

The Muffin- (looking at the calendar) Wow, Sharley's birthday is really soon.

The Mommy- We need to get her a present. What do you think she would like to have?

The Muffin- Maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The Mommy- Do you think she would like that?

The Muffin- Yeah...or maybe some new play dough. She really likes play dough!

I know exactly where she gets her sense for buying gifts from...her Daddy.


In other news...
Baby Ellie and I slept much better last night. I did lots of research on sleep stuff yesterday and last night. I'm doing a combination of sleep training and night weaning, but not using the crying it out method. I sort of Ferberized The Muffin at seven months old and that helped tremendously...at least for a while. In the end, we'll do what works best for us. And by us, I mean me and Baby Ellie. There's really not anyone else that's involved in this. I can assure you that Ellie will not go without food when she needs it, but she needs sleep too. She slept later and seemed happier today. I'm going to pray that tonight goes well too.

Here we go again

I could blame it on the time change last weekend, but I'm starting to wonder if it's my fault. Baby Ellie has started waking up very often during the night. I went through this with her big sister and I can't go through it again! Okay...I can, but I don't want to. I'm tired and irritable and I need more sleep. Of course, I've been researching sleep issues today and I know I'm not alone. I did this same research when Maggie was about this age and I know some of the things to do.

Please pray for me and Baby Ellie...seriously. After the sermon at church today, I've decided that I should pray about this.

And a little weekend update...
Baby Ellie and The Muffin had a great time staying with Nana & Pawpaw while Big Daddy and I spent a little time away. We looked at that car, had lunch at P.anera and then went to T.arget and Old N.avy. I skipped Star.bucks...sadly. I still have shopping to do, but Muff is taken care of.
Today, we went to church, had lunch with my family and then had Cousin Callie most of the afternoon. The weather was great so we spent time outside swinging, drawing with sidewalk chalk and riding bikes/walking.
The week ahead is looking good! The Muffin & Cousin Callie will be out of school, so I'll have three girls for half of the day. On Thursday, I'll be leaving Ellie & Maggie so that I can go to my yearly Ob/Gyn appointment. I'm SO excited about that. I'll be driving to Sanford, seeing my favorite midwife Peggy and then going to the hospital to see my sweet mommy friend, A and her new baby daughter. The baby will be arriving by c-section on Tuesday or Thursday. To top it all off, I should be going to visit A with our other mommy friend K. I'm terribly excited about seeing them, but I'll miss my two girls at home.

Baby Ellie at 5 months

Baby Ellie, today you are 5 months old!

I cannot believe it has been five months ago since midwife Peggy helped me push you out into the world. I cannot believe that it has been five months since you made The Muffin a big sister and me and Daddy the parents of two little girls.

Your sister remembers when you were "squished" in my belly. She remembers me being in labor with you and she tells me that I was being "too loud when the little girl was saying be quiet". (She remembers the picture of a little girl dressed as a nurse that starts the "quiet zone" at the doors leading to the birthing center) She remembers the day that you were born and is still so excited to see you every morning when she wakes up and she still loves you so very much.

Now, what are you up to??
You sit a little bit by yourself, but you always reach for something and fall over.
You reach for everything.
You love your keys and your little baby.
You still wake up two or three times during the night to eat.
You only take two naps during the day, and you sometimes fight sleep.
You like to squeal (wonder who taught you that?) and laugh and smile, which delights your sister.
You get so excited when someone comes over to pick you up.
After several attempts, you like to eat rice cereal and you love bananas.
You roll from back to front.

We love you Baby Ellie!

YUMMY!!

Well...the birthday cake was yummy! It didn't matter that it was in several pieces by party time. My sister said it was the best cake she'd ever had and of course, The Muffin loved it. And, I'm quite the coffee maker too, so maybe one day I can be a professional barista! Big Daddy enjoyed his birthday dinner too. He requested a certain kind of chicken and King's Hawaiian rolls. I fixed (turkey) bacon wrapped asparagus and baked beans to go with it.

We are finalizing our date plans for Saturday. Big Daddy has to decide where he wants to eat for lunch. I think he is thinking of upgrading the gift that he usually buys for himself. For several years he has purchased a new gun on his special day. This year, we are going to look at cars. There's a Lexus that he wants to look at and test drive. Does anyone remember what he bought me for my birthday???

And in other news...
The Muffin's request to try "that yummy chocolate candy", also known as Ferrero Rocher, was granted. Let's just say I'm a Rocher lover and was tickled when The Muffin asked to try it after she saw the commercial. (I think she subconsciously remembers buying the treat for Gammy Gladys at Christmas before.) She picked the traditional hazelnut as opposed to the Roudnoir. We'll try that next time!





I think she liked it!

Unfortunately, I share her love for chocolate.

Big Daddy's Birthday

Big Daddy decided to go to the gym last night, so The Muffin and I decided to go ahead and bake his cake. She was so excited and was impressed with how the cake "grew and grew and grew" while it was in the oven. It was a pretty cake...until I took it out of the pan.That is one of the layers in three pieces! And the other one is in two pieces!

I greased and floured the pans, I swear. I've only made a layer cake three times and each time this has happened. I think I need silicone baking pans. They are supposedly fool proof. I slapped on tons of chocolate icing and we'll be eating the cake tonight with my family. I'm sure it will taste yummy.

The Muffin wanted to know if we would be playing games and getting our faces painted. I think Cousin Callie's birthday party made an impression on her!

Normal

Both girls were up at a little after 6:00 this morning. That's a full two hours earlier than what I was starting to get used to. We took advantage of having a long morning today and decided to go to Wal.mart for no reason at all.

We have always lived in a town without T.arget or an indoor mall. Sadly, Wal.mart has always been the place that we would go just to kill time and hang out. We are a little closer to both a T.arget and a mall, but I didn't feel like spending any extra time in the car. Since having Baby Ellie, our "for no reason" shopping trips have been non-existent. Baby Ellie slept in her car seat while The Muffin and I looked at Christmas decorations and toys. A good time was had by all!

We managed a little trip out yesterday afternoon. We went to City Hall to pay the water bill and then walked to the library. The cashier at City Hall thought I was brave for making the effort to pay the bill in person. I told her that we were also going to the library, but I left out the part about Baby Ellie fighting sleep and crying for quite a while before I put her in the sling. By the time we walked into the library, Ellie was asleep. I wore her facing me for the first time yesterday. She had her little head on my chest and had a very nice nap.

Making little trips out with both girls makes me feel a little more normal. It's not as easy as it was when it was just me & Muf, but it's not that hard. I always find myself struggling to get out the door, but once we're in the car, it all gets a lot easier. More than anything, I know it feels more like normal for The Muffin and that is great!

Now, I'm off to hang diapers out to dry. Both girls are asleep for the first time in a long time and I think I need a cup of coffee.

What I Learned This Week

Here's my list...hop on over to Musings of a Housewife for more.

• I really need to lose at least 15 pounds. We started looking at pictures from our first family of three beach trip and Big Daddy said, "Wow, you looked skinny!". He didn't mean it in a bad way, but ughhh.
• We really need to find the right church here. Going to our old church for just one Sunday totally reminded us of what it feels like to be in the right place.
• Changing the time by one hour messes up our schedules by at least two hours. I did not "gain" an hour...I really lost two.
• Watching Big Daddy and The Muffin recycle together is so sweet.
• I like it when Ellie grabs my nose.
• Ellie likes Gammy Gladys just as much as her sister does.
• Baby Ellie doesn't like naps anymore. She's taking that cue from her big sister.
• I can't get enough coffee.
• I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
• The Muffin really enjoys cooking.
• Baby Ellie is just not interested in baby food yet.
  

Pictures from the weekend

Maggie and Cousin Callie went trick or treating. Callie was a "Hollywood Starlet" and Maggie a ballerina.

Ellie stayed at home since she doesn't eat candy.


On Sunday we traveled back to Sanford to go to "our old church". Maggie was happy to see Ms. Bell and Big Daddy and I were thrilled to be back at his church.
After church, we drove around town, had lunch and then visited with Gammy Gladys. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of the girls with Gladys, but they were tickled to see their Gammy!!

Maybe Tomorrow

We had a fun and exciting Halloween weekend, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to write all about it and share my pictures. Ellie decided to wake up at 3:00 and not go back to sleep until it was time for me to start getting ready for church.

So...I've been up since 3 am and I'm ready for a shower and hopefully a good night's sleep.

Happy Halloween...Early

Big Daddy had to work late and I had so many things to do. Actually, the only thing that I really had to do was fold the two loads of laundry that have been on my bed since this morning. I decided to do the responsible thing and start the dishwasher (which I rarely use) and take pictures of my girls in their tutus. We carved our pumpkin last night, so I'm sharing a few pictures of that as well.

The Contest

Yesterday I participated in a contest that I didn't even know I was in. I did my usual drop off routine at preschool. The Muffin was supposed to wear or bring her Halloween costume if she wanted to. She wore her tutu to the car, but then realized that it was too too big to fit in her seat. Before I had Ellie and her tutu strapped in The Muffin had her tutu sitting beside of her. I guess I got too too carried away with the tulle!

The Muffin was happy carrying her tutu in a bag and very happy to hang it in her cubby. Everyone else in the class had decided to wear their costumes. There were three D.isney characters, (Tinkerbell, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty) a princess wearing pink and then the only boy in the class was a dinosaur. The Muffin didn't mind that she was the only one not wearing a costume. And she didn't mind that it was only a tutu, because that's what she wanted. She had a very sweet substitute teacher (Oh, how I wish this lady was her teacher every Monday & Wednesday!) that told her just to let her know if she wanted to wear her costume. I left the school feeling sort of bad that she didn't want to wear her costume and wondering if we should have bought a really elaborate D.isney Princess costume when they were marked down to $50 when we were at the beach. Then I remembered all of my years of preschool teaching and how all of this was about what my daughter wanted and not about trying to out do any of the other children or parents. If my daughter wants to be a ballerina then that is what she will be, period.

In our little newsletter we were asked to bring one treat (and it was underlined three times) for the children's Halloween treat bags. I bought Dum Dum suckers, Skittles and Oreo fun packs. The Muff picked the Oreos and I placed a bag of them for each child in a ziploc bag with her name on it. I expected her party treat bag to have one treat from every child. Needless to say, a few, okay probably all, of the parents brought more than one treat. The Muffin has no need to go trick or treating because she already has a nice, little stash.

In our packet of information at the beginning of the school year we were reminded to sign up for two class parties. Although I had my ideas of which parties I wanted, I let Miss Muffin choose. (Our parties are later in the school year and I don't even remember which ones they are.) We were asked to only come to the parties that we were in charge of . Being a former preschool teacher, I completely understood and obeyed this request. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the preschool ten minutes before dismissal to see that all of the other mothers were at the party! I couldn't help but get a little mad and of course, that left The Muffin being the only child without a crazy, excited, camera-toting mother coaching their child on how to pose. I don't think she minded. As soon as we left the room she complained that all of the children and their mothers were being so loud. I couldn't help but snicker because those moms were acting so...stupid.

Long story not quite as long, The Muffin wasn't herself at all yesterday morning before school, during school or after school and as I was fixing lunch and she was sitting at the kitchen table (evaluating her candy stash) she said, "Oh, I feel like I'm going to.....blaaaaakkk". She "throwed up", as she likes to say, all over the table and herself. After that, she acted normal again and I think she would have worn her tutu to school if she'd had another chance.

And on another note, this is not anything serious or health related or really anything to even bring up, but it would make me feel better to ask. Please pray for my sweet, little Muffin. I don't want to go into the details because I want to protect her privacy (even though I just shared that she puked all over the table). It's been a rough six months for her with having to live without her Daddy being home for a while, then the move, the new sister, then moving again and leaving her church and her friends in the process of all of that. I think that all of this has really taken it's toll on her. She is such a happy little girl, but Big Daddy and I have noticed such a difference in her. It breaks my heart to see and hear her laugh and suddenly realize that she's laughing the way that she used to laugh before all of this stuff happened.

Time Flies

Big Daddy and I felt like we sort of lost the summer after The Muffin was born and we've sort of felt the same about this past summer. I guess moving and having a baby within 7 days of each other combined with another move and a "to-do" list a mile long makes you feel that way. Now, it's Fall and I'm feeling like Christmas is so close and then Big Daddy will start working on his MBA again the first of the year. We are trying to get a few things taken care of before he starts spending almost all of his time away from work locked upstairs in the bonus room, a.k.a. his room.

We're having a "date day" to celebrate Big Daddy's birthday and I'm hoping to finish most of my Christmas shopping. I'm really excited about buying gifts for The Muffin this year. I feel like I finally know what she'll really like (B@rbie's, My Little P.onies) and my mom, sister and I have already picked out some really fun things. Baby Ellie is another story! Of course, she has all of The Muff's old baby toys and my mom already has a few new things for her. The Muffin loves this for herself, but it would really be for Baby Ellie. I'm just not sure that Big Daddy will go for an $80 baby toy... I'm not sure that I want us to spend that much money on it either!

I guess if all else fails, I can just get a few empty gift bags for my two sweet and crazy girls!Baby Ellie may look like an unwilling participant, but I assure you that she was loving this!

What I Learned This Week

This past week has been fairly uneventful, but I'm always learning something new. You can visit the carnival at Musings of a Housewife.

• Kids really do say the darndest things.
• No matter how much sleep I get, it never seems like enough.
• Planning a date for Big Daddy's birthday is so exciting for me that I want to pick the restaurant. (Any suggestions??) Maybe that's because we ate at Zax.by's on my birthday.
  
• The Muffin's half birthday just happens to be the same day as our engagement anniversary. This is the first year that I've realized it...I'm slow, I guess.
• I think I'm really addicted to coffee. I look forward to drinking it anytime of the day...but only with some sort of chocolate in it.
• The Muffin loves to cook.
• Baby Ellie can stay in the nursery at church without crying!
• My hardwood floors squeak when they're really clean. :-)
• Laundry is the story of my life.
• Baby Ellie loves to pull her socks off and this will lead to losing a sock before church.
  

The Weekend Ahead

We are ready to start our weekend! Most weekends around here aren't that different for me. I still have to cook, clean and do laundry as well as care for the kids and try to do a few a extra things while Big Daddy is around to help. And in my spare time, I'll be trying to read a page of this book, because I feel like I could use a little refresher.

This weekend we will be going to a little festival here in town- keyword: little. The Muffin is excited about the possibility of riding the kiddie rides and eating a funnel cake like last year. (Okay, I admit, I'm excited about the funnel cake too) I'm hoping to get a new hair bow or two to add to our collection with the hope that Baby Ellie will enjoy wearing pretty bows for longer than her sister did. (At least we have cute hair bow holders, courtesy of Auntie Charles, to hold our unused hair bows...I'll share pictures one day.) Big Daddy had wanted to go to the farmer's market, so we may go there after the festival. It will depend on how Muff and Baby Ellie are holding up and we'll see if my hip survives the walking. Have I told you about my hip problem??

On Sunday, we will be attending the early service at our regular church and then going to The Muffin's preschool church for their "Children's Sabbath" celebration. Muff has been tirelessly rehearsing the song that I'm pretty sure she won't be able to utter a word of once she's in front of the church. Bless her heart, she's shy like her mama!

This will give us another opportunity to attend a different church since were not 100% sure that we're at the right one now. I won't get started again on our troubles with finding a church.

And since this blog is all about preserving memories of our "ordinary" life for my sweet girls:
We love you both more than you'll ever know.
You make us so happy.
We want to find a great church as much for you as we do for ourselves.
We try to do fun and exciting things on the weekend to make lasting memories for you.
It really is all about you.

Sweet Girls

Tuesday started out as a very good day. I had accomplished more by 10:00 than I normally accomplish all day. That should have been a a warning that things were about to go downhill.

My mom came over for lunch and I asked if she would watch the girls while I watered the newly sewn grass "real quick". An hour and a half later, I came inside, wet from the knees down and tired. My mom left, I put Baby Ellie in her crib and took The Muff to her room so that she could nap. An hour later, The Muffin was still awake and it was 3:00. I told her to get up and we started playing grocery store and kitchen. I knew it would be a long evening because Big Daddy was going to the gym after work.

I fixed dinner and it was not good. Immediately after we ate I gave The Muffin a bath and we played some more while Baby Ellie fussed and chewed on her fingers, my shoulder or anything else she could get her hands on. I decided to take her to her room and changer her into her pajamas. The Muffin told me to get the camera and this is what happened. It was the perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm not a big fan of baby hairbows and headbands, but Baby Ellie was looking a little too boyish in her overalls and Halloween shirt! Her head is big. She will not be able to ever wear this headband again. It was fun to dress her in this shirt since I bought it about a year ago when she was baking in the oven.

What I Learned This Week

Musings of a Housewife is hosting the What I Learned This week carnival again. I'm actually going to participate this week! It seems like I've been too busy lately to get a post for this together. My next goal is to participate in Tara's Music Monday, if I can find the time to search for and remember how to post a video!!

• Explaining death and Heaven to Maggie is a challenge. My little Muffin has such a sweet heart. (I really like what Big Mama told Caroline about Heaven.) The Muffin and I discussed how our sweet friend loved fishing and I told her that he might be fishing in Heaven with Jesus. Unfortunately, I told her this as we were driving by the pond near our house and now she thinks that our friend might be fishing there. My heart broke.
  
• Seeing one of your dearest, sweetest friends without her husband for the first time ever is heartbreaking.

And on a lighter note...

• Even though Baby Ellie has extended her sleep time in the morning and I'm getting an extra hour (or two) of sleep, it's just never enough.
• Most of my time is spent doing laundry or cleaning children in some form or fashion.
• Muff's preschool is trying to rob me blind with the prices of school pictures. Of course, I want tons of pictures of her and Baby Ellie in their giraffe pants!
• Trying to establish family traditions for our family is difficult, when Big Daddy will not pitch in with fun and exciting ideas.
• I may never get both the garage and bonus room straightened up and everything put where it belongs. At least my room, a.k.a. the laundry room, is as neat as it can be!
• Getting a sweet card from someone at your old church can really make you miss everyone there. It only makes things worse when we aren't so sure that we've found the "right" church yet. *sigh*
  

Family Traditions

Now that our family is complete, I want to start establishing family traditions. Big Daddy's family has never made a big deal about birthdays and I don't think they have celebrated a holiday the same way more than once since we've been together (1996). My family is quite the opposite. I would like for Maggie & Ellie to feel special on their birthdays and for us to do certain things with the passing of each holiday.

Back when I was teaching preschool the first time, my first favorite little girl brought this to school on her birthday. At the time it seemed silly, but now I desperately want one of my very own. I'm thinking of picking up a "special" plate that can be used for a special person on their special day. Big Daddy will be celebrating his birthday on November 4 and I'm going to make a big deal about it with the kids. We'll be making a cake, decorating signs and we'll probably even have balloons. He doesn't know it yet, but Big Daddy will be eating his cake on a special plate too! My first favorite "little" girl, Kelly Grace, will be celebrating a big birthday this month and I'm going to find out if she'll be eating on her red plate. I bet she will!

Miss Muffinhead is desperate for a jack-o-lantern, so I'm hoping that we'll start the tradition of carving a pumpkin and maybe enjoying a cup of homemade hot cocoa together while our pumpkin seeds are roasting.

Last year we bought a new gun on the day after Thanksgiving and then I decorated the Christmas tree alone. I'm thinking that we'll eat breakfast and then decorate the tree together (me & Muff while Daddy plays with Ellie) while listening to a Christmas CD. I also want the girls to hang their own stockings on the mantle.

For Easter, we will make "Resurrection Biscuits" and read the Easter story. And of course, we'll hide Easter eggs and talk about Spring things too.

What's your most favoritest family tradition?

Weekend Review

We have had another busy weekend, but nothing fun to report.

I went shopping on Friday with my mom and my girls. We were able to buy a couple of things for Christmas. I got a call while we were shopping letting me know that one of my best friends and Maggie & Ellie's adopted Gammy (back in our old hometown) had lost her husband. I cried right there in Walmart and The Muffin was so concerned about what had happened. I told her a little later and she was heartbroken and confused.

I'd appreciate your prayers. I want to explain things in the best way so that I can help Muff understand death and Heaven. I want her to understand why he won't be there on our next visit. I want my sweet, special friend to be okay knowing that her husband is now breathing easier and I'm sure, fishing. I want to be with her and feel useful. Mostly, my heart just aches.
Big Daddy and I left The Muffin and Ellie with my mom and sister today so that we could go to the visitation and the funeral.

Finally...

No, that's not just a picture of the kitchen. That happens to be the last naked window that's no longer naked!
I finally found fabric for a little window mistreatment for the kitchen. I used the chocolate brown sheets that I bought for the apartment for the french doors. (Oh, but I never told you about those sheets! The apartment needed "curtains" and I refused to spend money (or time) on real curtains and rods, so we bought sheets and I used thumbtacks to hang them. So, my mom took the sheets and hemmed them into curtains!) We bought the brown and cream toile fabric and I told her what I wanted. My mom took the fabric and brought back exactly what I had in mind.

These matching shirts are also courtesy of Nana. And just wait until you see the Christmas dresses that they'll be wearing! We must get Aunt Lisa to take pictures of all three (Maggie, Callie & Ellie) girls!

Big Daddy is working late (AGAIN!) so I must get back to my game of grocery store and then do baths. Such an exciting evening!!

Wordless Wednesday- Happy Girls

Wrapping Up the Weekend

I thought I would take a minute to share our exciting weekend. And by exciting, I mean not that exciting.

Saturday- Baby Ellie decided to start Saturday morning off at a little after 5:00am. She made the decision to start Friday morning off the same way. Mommy is not amused. I had fed her twice during the night and then around 5:00, she was ready to smile, laugh and play. She went back to sleep around 6:30 and of course, The Muffin was up and ready to go around 7:00. Big Daddy took her into the living room to watch "Ellie Mae movies" (a.k.a. "The Beverly Hillbillies") and I was allowed to sleep in until about 8:15. I was able to enjoy my nice comfy bed and listen to Baby Ellie talk and squeal at her daddy and big sister for 15 minutes before I couldn't go another minute without my coffee. It was pure bliss. We were all outside at a little after 9:00. Big Daddy and I pulled up dead weeds and filled in holes in the yard while Ellie enjoyed sitting in her bouncy seat and The Muffin did all sorts of stuff. (We made an appointment with the yard man to sew new grass seed for Monday, so we had to do this even in the muggy, misty weather) We came inside, had lunch and spent a little time playing in Big Daddy's room upstairs. Todd the Mailman surprised me by delivering the frames that I bought after I won a giveaway from Just Simply Southern. They are pretty and I'll try to share pictures soon. After lunch and naptime, we went shopping. Big Daddy needed a few things and we wanted an excuse to go to the big city and have dinner out. We made a poor choice for dinner, but were able to try a restaurant that we had been wondering about. Lesson learned and we will never eat at this place again.

Sunday- Baby Ellie was up two times again during the night. Both times she quickly went back to sleep, but as soon as I would put her in the bed her little legs would go up in the air and she'd grab onto her little toes. it was cute, but I just wanted her to go back to sleep. After a couple of times, I went back to bed and listened to her wiggle around on the baby monitor. She wiggled herself back to sleep both times. She was up again at 5:00, but I left her in her room until about 5:30 when she started getting vocal. I normally get up at 6:00 on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday for church or preschool, so we were actually ahead of schedule. The muffin was up right after 6:30 and then I heard Big Daddy in the shower. We were all dressed and ready to go on time! We arrived at church, left Ellie in the arms of an old friend that was staying in the nursery, grabbed our pager and dropped Muff off in her class. I was so ready to sit and enjoy the praise and worship service! Before the sermon even started, Big Daddy handed me the vibrating pager. He helped me find my way back to the preschool wing and we peeped in Muff's room. She was fine, but I could hear Baby Ellie...screaming. They had given her bottle and then she started crying. They didn't want to page us, but I was so glad that they did. Big Daddy went back to the service and it took me a few minutes to get Ellie settled and then she fell asleep.
I felt so good the other week when she stayed in the nursery. Having to be paged made me feel so bad! Of course, I wanted to be with her if she was inconsolable, but I want her to be happy at church. She is very much aware of when I leave the room and I'm the one that feeds her 99.9% of the time...and helps her get to sleep...and pretty much does everything for her.
The Muffin had a great time and that was so nice to here. She has had a hard time trying to get used to a new church while missing her old church. I have been worried about all of the old things that she had to say goodbye to and all of the new things that she's had to get used to. I know everyone says that children are resilient, but I know that she misses things from our old life just like me and her daddy.

So, now I'm praying that Baby Ellie will do well next week in the nursery so that Big Daddy and I will feel comfortable enough leaving her for two hours so that we can find a Sunday school class. I'm praying that The Muffin will learn to love this church (which I think she is) and make new church friends and that Big Daddy and I will find a class that we enjoy as much as we did our old one. We are all having to open up our hearts and embrace new things.

The Week Ahead- The Muffin has school pictures at preschool tomorrow and I'm going to get my driver's license changed to reflect my new address. After that, Muff and I will be going to the pediatrician's office so that she can get the flu vaccine (we're trying the nose spray this year). I think a Sweet Tea will be needed after this dramatic event!
Baby Ellie will be with Nana until lunch tomorrow. She'll have her picture taken at preschool on Wednesday. The girls will be wearing giraffe print pants ( a gift from my sister), so I'm very excited!