P.S. Did I mention?

Did I mention that Charis is potty trained? It was the easiest thing in the world. From now on my advice to Mom's will be to wait until THE KID is ready. Seriously, as I mentioned before, the first 2 or 3 days she had a little accident, but other than that ~ easy breezy! I thought my other kids were easy... She started on a Sunday, and since then, she only wears a diaper at night. She does wake up dry, but I can't find that mattress pad I used under the other kid's sheets when they first potty trained, and I really don't want to have to change sheets in the middle of the night just in-case she did have an accident. I'll use the last of diapers up this way, and then after that, we're done. That'll save, like, $30 a month or something.
She actually does it all on her own. She gets mad at me when I tell her I have to wipe her booty after pooping. Her little potty is in the kitchen, and half the time I don't even know she has gone. I'll walk by and notice I need to empty it. We run around every day, and we just go to the bathroom wherever we are. I mean, it feels like she's been potty trained for months. At night when I lay her down and grab a diaper to put on her, she stiffens her legs and says "what are you doing???? I not need diapers!!" Hopefully she'll do good on our long drive to Alabama next week! I only like to stop when we need gas. Maybe she'll get her first experience of peeing on the side of the road! Just kidding.

New Rule...

Okay, so for the sake of my sanity, I have invoked a new rule at our house. Selah and Bryson have pretty much grown out of nap-time, but I still need it! I don't need a nap (well, maybe I could use one??), but I need their 'nap-time' to happen. SOOOO, here's the new deal. When Charis goes down for a nap, if the other 2 kids don't want to take one (duh), they have to play quietly or read or whatever~ in their room! I told them it's still like nap-time for Mommy. I still get the quiet house. And no kids can talk to me, because they know it's still like nap-time (although that little rule never actually sticks... they still come out occasionally for this or that) . And they have to do it until Charis wakes up. AND I MUST ADD... not only is this good for me, but it has been really good for them. They are forced to play with toys in their room that usually sit forgotten. I hear them talking aloud and using their imagination. It's great.

Ahhhh, this just makes me laugh

She is a NUT!!!!
Charis Alayna Anne
This child has put on more make-up, lotion, nail polish, and lipstick (she calls it "lips") like nothin' I've ever seen before. Every single day, countless times in a day.

She now picks her own clothes every morning, asks for tights and a bow, and then the make-up. She's a rough and tough little girly-girl.

little artist in the making

Selah is so proud of her latest piece of artwork. She brought it to me and told me that she is ready to frame it and put it in her room. My kids are happy as can be when they have art & craft stuff in hand~ which is pretty much daily. (remember the whole playdough blog from a few days ago). This is just marker art, but she is very fond of it and I told her I would showcase it on my blog.

Handmade by Heather

My cousin Heather has her own on-line store. She hand makes baby blankets, burp cloths, and baby slings. Her website is madebyh.com. She made Bryson and Charis the sweetest little blankets when they were born, with their names monogrammed on them and everything.
But my favorite thing that she makes is the BURP CLOTHS. They are the best! Definitely one of my favorite baby items. She uses fleece, cotton, flannel, and even the popcorn fleece (love it!) and once again, monograms the baby's name on the little burp cloths. She has a fabric selection on her website you can choose from, or you can find your own fabrics and she can make everything for you. One thing I like so much is the way she puts the gift baskets together when you order.
She is very creative, very innovative, and just a really cool (home-schoolin') Momma. I love it when Moms ~in addition to everything else we do~ find a way to use the artistic talents and abilities we've been given, and then turn it into something other people can find and enjoy.
If anything, just check out her website, it's really neat.

madebyh.com

One of my favorite of him...

I had to throw in one of my favorite pictures of him too. This picture of Bryson was taken at Selah's 5th birthday party. He looks "ALL BOY!" and I absolutely love it.

Ladies In Red

Our favorite place to buy the kids clothes, Today's Kid (a children's boutique here in Owasso) sells the most adorable clothes. Every once in a while the owner asks if I can take some pics of the kids in some of the new outfits that come in. The girls really get into it. I use to have to bribe them to let me take pictures, but now they love "modeling" as Selah calls it. She then puts the pictures on her website to showcase the clothing. We started doing this with/for Cindy when Bryson was 6 months old. He has done his share too :) Here are a few of my favorites of all I took that day. Looking at the girls like this makes me thankful that they each have a sister. Now if I could get a brother for Bryson!?!?!??!?!? not gonna happen.

Surely...

Surely I must be the worst Mommy in the world. I hate playdough. My kids love it, of course. I don't know what it is... well, yes I do. It's the mess. And the colors get mixed up. The little playdough tools get all crusty and dirty with dried left-over playdough. I always give in and let the kids buy the cute little playdough sets, and then I regret it--big time. Last weekend Charis picked out the little birthday playdough kit from Wal-mart. And she wants to play it EVERY DAY!! Now, for the most part, I kind-of take pride in the fact that all 3 of my kids love crafts. They would spend all day cutting, coloring, pasting, painting, lacing, sewing, stickering, playdoughing, etc. But the playdough just drives me nuts! The crazy thing is, there's nothing more soothing than holding and molding a nice warm batch of homemade playdough. But the mess and the crumbs and the clean-up several times in a day!?!?!!? AAAAAHHHHH. I can't stand it. So, I guess it's official. Surely I must be the worst Mommy in the world.

All in good timing??? NO. All in HER timing.

As if the flu isn't enough, we now have a little girl that refuses to wear diapers. Charis decided on Sunday that she is "a big girl" and she wants to wear panties, not diapers. She has done amazingly well. I said "Charis! Do we have to do this now? Mommy's sick!?!?!?" She said "Yes." She even wore panties to preschool today, and came home with the same pair on... no accidents. She has had one accident each day (this is day 3) so far, but not major ones. No poop yet though. That's going to be interesting. (long sigh) Other than the nay-nay thing, she doesn't really have any "baby" left in her. She lost it faster than the other 2. Well, not as soon as Bryson, now that I think about it. She has always been so independent and just one step behind the others.
Her comprehension and verbal skills are so good that she seems like she's about the same age as the other two. She didn't start talking in full sentences until she was 21 months old, which is quite a bit later than Bryson did, so I thought she would stay "baby" longer (since we totally got ripped off with Bryson... he was so sharp...he talked, etc. when he was a still a baby). But once Charis hit that 21 month age, she took off. She amazes us with the things she understands. She actually uses the proper tenses for things when she talks. For example, the other night we were talking about Alan and I going out for Valentines Day, and she said "not us?"
They're all pretty amazing. But then, every parent thinks their kids are the smartest, the cutest, the funniest, etc. etc. etc. I suppose I'm just doing my job ;)

Flu...Shmoo

It started last week with Selah. She had the flu for 5 days, I think. Then I got it over the weekend. Bryson started showing symptoms last night, and Charis just in the last couple of hours. Alan's next, I guess. He's going to Chicago on Thursday, so it'll probably hit him just before he leaves. He has been bringing me potato soup from McAlister's for lunch, and sweet tea too. It's times like this that I realize I take good healthy days for granted!
Selah is such a good care-giver. She always has been. Even when she was just a little toddler, if I was sick she would rub my shoulders and bring me drinks. Mostly she just stays right next to me to provide comfort and make sure I'm alright. Last night she knew my feet were cold, so she sat at the other end of the couch and held my feet under the blanket to make sure they stayed warm. She told me that if I didn't sleep good, she wanted me to wake her up in the middle of the night so she could take care of me. She was pretty insistent. Alan and I use to say "she would make a good nurse... or at least a really great mommy!"
I miss the days of walking around in circles cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. Sitting on the couch is a bore.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy You Are Loved Day!! It has been a good day. It started at 1:00am, actually. I had a special plan for Alan, but since we went to bed at the same time last night, I couldn't get it set up (it was of course a surprise). But, I KNEW at least one of the kids would be up in the middle of the night (in the last 2 1/2 years I've only slept through the night maybe 5 times). Selah woke me up at 1:00am and asked if I would come sleep in her bed with her. (she has been sick. when the kids are sick they sleep with me or I sleep with them). So I got out of bed, and told her to lay on the couch for a few minutes and then we would go back to bed. I grabbed a pile of V-day cards, and taped one to the shower door, one to the cereal boxes, one to the milk jug in the fridge, one to his keys, put one in his brief case, and laid one on his seat in his car. Then Selah and I went back to bed.
He liked the surprise(s). He gave me my card, which was a gift certificate for back-ordered Brighton jewelry that I've been wanting. Too bad it wasn't here for me to wear today, it has little silver heart charms on it. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! But that's okay. It's all good!
I gave the kids stuffed animals. Lynette brought over candy and fun stuff for them. Alan asked me a few weeks ago what I wanted to do, and I told him I wanted to go see a chick-flick and get popcorn, coke, and candy. We saw Definately, Maybe. (why can't I ever spell the word definitely right the first time I type it??) Anyway, we had a good time. It was a good movie, but a little depressing. The romantic part was cute, but it was kind of a bummer at the end because it brought to reality the sad effects that divorce has on kids.
I've been thinking a lot about Dad today. First Valentines Day without Mom. I cried this morning when I was taking my bath. Charis of course reminded me that "Grandma Vicki is in heaven" She said "Come here Mommy.." and she leaned over the side of the bath and gave me kisses and hugs.
Selah is on a date with Dad right now. He asked her a week or so if she would go on a date with him on V-day. She has been looking forward to it. However, It's almost 10:00pm... past her curfew I think. Her love language is Quality Time (in a very strong way) so I'm sure they are having a fun time together. She really comes alive in that one-on-one setting. I hope it made his night a little easier.
Maybe I'll call and make sure everything is okay... (oh gosh, I just had a little fast-forward moment of the kind of Mom I'll be in about 10 years or so)

Missing My Mom

(long sigh) Sometimes I have to "do a double take" is a sense, and wonder if this really happened to us. Honestly, I still can't believe Mom's gone. I miss her so much. There are days that I really want to pick up the phone and call her. And almost every day at some point when the phone rings, for a split second I think 'that's probably mom calling me.' The biggest reminders for me of how much I miss her is the phone call thing, and eating out. We ate out alot with Mom and Dad. I have memories at almost every restaurant in town, of us walking in together (or of us waiting on them to arrive :)-ha ), talking and eating. I can look over at the table we ate at and relive the moment in my mind. We loved to go eat with them at the new restaurants in town that just opened up. With the growth Owasso has had the past few years, there are quite a few places that we enjoyed together. Mazzio's every Sunday after church. McAlisters Deli every Tuesday after Ladies Bible Study, when Selah was a baby. On and on...
This past Sunday we bought new furniture for our living room. We were at Mathis Brothers for several hours picking out the fabrics, fringe, etc. When we got in the car and headed home, the first thing I wanted to do was call mom and tell her about it. These are the times my heart hurts the most.
I do feel very alone. She has always been "in my corner." Especially lately with spending so much time thinking about homeschooling the kids, I really wish she were here. Sometimes I feel so "alone" in a sense. I have plenty of friends, and can't go anywhere without seeing and talking to people I know. You probably wouldn't think I'd feel so lonely with a life full of great friends. But much to my surprise, I do.
I guess I've always just thought she would be here to help me raise the kids. Not necessarily to share in the responsibility, but to share in the journey. The kids do okay with the situation. We talk about Grandma Vicki quite a bit. Charis asked me the other day when she is going to come back from Heaven. Charis has been a big support through this, funny as that may seem. When she sees me cry or knows that I am sad because of a memory or because of one of those reminders I mentioned above, she says to me... "it's okay Mommy! Grandma Vicki's in heaven!!!" and then kisses me. If this happens when we're in the car, she say "I'll kiss you at home!" One day Selah came out of her room all dressed and ready for the day. She was wearing the earrings Mom gave her just a couple weeks before we knew the cancer was back. And she was wearing the Breast Cancer neclace I bought for Selah to wear when Mom was sick. Selah showed me the earrings and neclace and said to me "I'm thinking alot about Grandma Vicki today."
She was loved by so many, and she really was so fun. She loved everything! I miss her charisma and her fun spirit SO much and just can't hardly stand it.

"Is God Bigger than Autobots and Decepticons"?

On the way home from Tulsa this morning, the kids and I were having [another] discussion about God. We were talking about how big God is, and about Him creating the world. Selah was telling Bryson that God is big enough to hold the whole world in His hands. Then the conversation proceeded as follows:
Selah : "God can even hold the sky in his hands too!"
Bryson: "Mommy, is God bigger than Autobots and Decepticons?" (those are the leaders of
the good & bad Transformers)
Mommy: "Yes Bryson, God is bigger than Autobots and Decepticons"
Bryson: "He is bigger than the sky... wow. Even trees are not taller than hotels, right?
Selah: "But don't worry, if God comes down to earth, He won't step on us."

Cowboy Football (but not THE Cowboys)

We are having so much fun right now! This year for SuperBowl we decided to stay home and enjoy the game, just me and Alan and the kids. We made little smokies, veggies and dip, chips and queso, cowboy cookies, and Selah's special request... hot apple cider. The kids helped me make the cowboy cookies. I explained to them that it's my favorite chocolate chip recipe. And that Uncle Andrew made a batch when Alan and I were dating. I told the kids it was a recipe from Grandma Lou Lou, which she got from her mom, which was passed down from her mom. So our cookies were from a recipe from their Great-Great Grandma. Right now they are taking their first bites... and the verdict?!?!?!!?
Selah: "I like it! It tastesess like oatmeal to me. Milk pul-ease!"
Bryson: "Bad" (yet, he's still eating it)
Charis: shakes her head yes when I asked her if she likes her cookie

Back to the game. I like the Patriots and the Giants, (Patriots will set a perfect season record, and Eli Manning (Giants) is so young it would be cool if he wins it) so I'm happy with either team winning.

Will it last?

Selah told me today that she does not like boys. When I asked her why, she said "because they spit and sometimes they pee outside" hmmmm. okay. Will that last until she's...oh...23 or so? Doubt it.

Point made. Loud and clear.

Yesterday was a fun day. We ate lunch with Stephanie and her kids at McAlister's Deli... my very favorite local lunch spot. Stephanie and I frequent McAlister's Belly (as all my kids call it) so often that we are "in" with the managers and the people that work there. They give us stacks of surveys to call in and get $ off our meals, and we often get extra cookies, chips, etc. just because they like us. Not sure why, since we always come dragging our 5 little wild and crazy kids with us, but they do! In fact, this week we didn't make it in until Friday, and they said they were wondering where we had been all week. Ahhh. The things we do to get through the day sometimes. Eating lunch out is my sanity. I think we only eat lunch at home maybe once a week. Someday if/when that slows down, I suppose I'll find myself with quite a bit of extra $ in my pocket.

Last night we ate out too (okay, it usually doesn't happen that we eat out twice in one day). It was Friday night! We met my Dad, my Grandparents, my cousins Jennifer, Heather, Becky, Brad, and all the families. We went to Chimi's to get together before Heather and Jim flew home to Atlanta. We ate and visited for a couple hours. Since Mom has died we have tried to do better about getting together more often with extended family. It has been fun. I have got to know my cousin Becky a little better. She has such a bright, smiley personality. The thing that intrigues me the most about her is her ability to laugh at herself... and to laugh along with everyone even if they are teasing her. After dinner the guys all went to play pool at McGoo's (pool hall) again, and the girls went back to Jenny's house. My Grandpa Jim even went to play pool with them this time. Alan came home and told me that Grandpa used to be a die-hard pool player back in the day. He told them a story about when my Dad was little... Grandpa said he used to play pool all the time, and one day my Grandma walked in the pool hall with my Dad, set my Dad on the counter next to Grandpa, and walked out. Grandpa said it wasn't for about another 20 years until he picked up a pool stick again. Funny story! I guess she made her point pretty clear that day ~ ha!