A Happy Thought:

(brought to you by Ms. Jae)








Shiny Happy (little person)--so stinkin' cute!!

i miss you

dear mom,
i just wanted you to know that i've been thinking of you. and ever since we moved, i haven't been able to find the moon. it makes me sad. i feel like i left it in louisiana. i'm sure i'll see it soon enough, perhaps we're just surrounded by too many trees and other houses. perhaps the city has covered it up with their bright lights. perhaps it really is gone. or perhaps i just miss you too much. i miss our late night walks. and i miss you.

thanks for all of your prayers. even from thousands of miles away, you still manage to be the best mom.

love you LOTS and LOTS!
xxoo

UPDATE!
The same night I wrote this post, I received a phone call from AUSTRALIA! My mom had decided not to extend her mission by six months--which means she will be coming home in November! OH HAPPY DAY! I got the news while waiting in line for my paint at Home Depot and I swear to you, every person in that department now knows that my mom will be home in less than three months!! WHOO-HOO!!

Lactose Intolerance

It's official. I am lactose intolerant. I have been cursed and sentenced to life in solitary confinement. (what? you actually thought I'd give up my Cold Stone Gotta Have It cake batter ice cream with raspberries and strawberries in a chocolate-dipped waffle bowl?!) Ever since 9 o'clock last night, my bowels have been...what's the word I'm looking for?--um, wrong.

I somehow managed a break long enough to drop my daughter off at school, seriously considered using their kindergarten-sized potty, thought better of it when I realized it was connected to their classroom--how's that for homeroom mom, huh?! Funkin' up the whole Kindergarten wing! Anyway, made it to Target without incident, which btw is located directly behind the school. ; )

And now for an important message to my kids:

Bud-uh, when I try blaming you for the next bathroom run in a public place, do not shout, "mommy, you gotta poopted again?!"

And Tiny, when I try blaming YOU for the fourth trip to the bathroom in a public place, do not start laughing and say, "mommy did you just fard-ed?!", and when I try to deny it, do not say, "not me! you did it! you fard-ed!"

I liked it better when the both of you were still old enough to blame for bathroom humiliations but still young enough not to know the difference. Thank.you.very.much.

Good to Know # 8

If you leave it up to your daughter to find herself a pair of underwear and pajamas, she will steal one of your t-shirts and neglect the underwear. (You will find out when she's fast asleep, and you tuck her little butt in bed!)

Not Off to a Good Start

My first clue should have been the fact that all three munchkins had gotten themselves up before the sun, claiming "we were just tired of sleeping so we got up during the nighttime to watch cartoons".

1. Couldn't get my daughter's hair to fix the right way, so I had to redo it three times (ok, 5 if you count the first two attempts.)
2. Couldn't find one of the shoes I had set out the night before,

we were approaching "late".
3. Couldn't find the keys to our van. ANYWHERE.

Screw it, we ARE late.
4. Realized we were SO out of gas that we were running on fumes. Whatever. Add another 10 minutes, I DON'T CARE.
5. Realized it must be bad because even the annoying blue van conveniently parked in the bus exit strip (preventing any parents from shortcutting their way through to the elementary school) is now gone.
6. Couldn't find parking anywhere in the school lot, so we had to park at the FAR end, walking with all three munchkins (at munchkin pace, of course), with the boy crying through the halls because he wanted his toys, the girl yelling "be quiet! we don't talk in the hallways!", and the baby stopping to look at every picture on the wall and every crack on the floor.

We even managed to miss the announcements AND the depressing soap opera type classical music playing in the hallways.

And it's only the fourth day of school. Loverly. Plain and simple.

Alright. Day two.

Sweetie was excited about her fist day of school. I on the other hand cried myself to sleep the night before (only after calling my mom in Australia to finally calm myself down). Even my husband was impressed by my display of uncontrollable sobbing--poor guy. He feels guilty for not having prepared ME for kindergarten! (He actually thought the only person he really needed to focus on was Sweetie--pah!)

Anyway, I indeed walk her to class each morning (the younger two munchkins in tow). Only I haven't fully adjusted to this new schedule of ours. You see, the kids used to get up in the morning and SLOWLY wake themselves up over Cheerios and cartoons. Now they get woken up bright and early, thrown into clothes, and have breakfast practically spoon fed down their throats and out the door before they even have time to wet their pullups. I'm still a bit shaky and out of sorts myself, but I have discovered Coke Zero is totally acceptable at 6:45 in the morning! Also, with the new change in schedule comes earlier nap times. This means we eat lunch at 10:45 a.m., play for 10 minutes to "work it off," then take naps by 11:30. That way I can (once again) wake them up, throw on new pullups, shove fruitsnacks down their throats, and get out the door by 1:50 p.m. to get ourselves a good spot in the carpool lane.

Why don't I just send her on the bus, you ask? Oh, because of things like THIS! (click here) So rest assured, I will be one of THOSE moms...walking her to class every morning and waiting outside for her when the last bell rings. (until she's 30!)

Not.One.More.Day.

To My Little Sweetie:



I cannot believe you are about to start your first day of school. It does not seem right that you are old enough to attend Kindergarten. The truth is...you are growing up. Despite every last attempt to keep you my little girl forever, you continue to evolve into this amazing little person. One full of ideas, aspirations, shortcomings, and successes.



One so sure of herself, confident and yet so sensitive to the world around you. You have the same thirst for knowledge as your father. You have his keen sensitivity to all things beautiful; flowers, colors, trees, music. I pray you will continue to seek out those things. You pay attention to the feelings of others and notice when things aren't as they should be. No matter the situation or circumstance, you do what you think is necessary to comfort those around you. You have been given the nickname of Sweetie for that very reason. You are a sweetheart!



You were the first person to teach me how to be a mother. The first to teach me about unconditional love first hand. You were the first to grow within my womb, the first to have your heart beating within my own body. You were the first to teach me the joy and pain of childbirth. The first to show me what it was like to experience having a piece of your heart and soul turn into the beautiful little girl you are today. I'd like to say that I am a better mother now than I was then, and I pray that I can say the same thing in another ten years. Just like you, I will continue to learn and strive to be a better person, to learn life's lessons, and never forget I will protect you more fiercly than a mama bear. I love you and will go to the ends of the earth for you. Just do me one favor...allow me the time to savor every precious moment of your sweet little life and don't complain when I cry that you refuse to stay little forever.



I dedicate this little story to you. For the past two years, I have felt like the Monster at the End of the Book. Knowing that with every page you turn, we get closer and closer to the day you will start school, a day I dreaded because it meant you were no longer little enough to stay home with me. It also meant a great milestone for you. I suppose for so long you were MY baby, and now things have changed a bit. I will now be known as Sweetie's mom...and that I can live with.

THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THE BOOK
(click here)

Pssst. Pssst. I LOVE YOU. xxoo
Good luck on your first day of school.
snuggles and lullabies,
mommy

Don't Wanna Bitch

I am trying really, REALLY hard to find something to blog about that doesn't include another bitchfest. I could talk about the nightmare of trying to get my son's medical records (and the physician's absolute refusal release them to me), the stupid high school reunion emails I keep receiving (even though I graduated 11 years ago from a DIFFERENT high school), the death of our little red car, the amount of unpacking NOT getting done around here, and whatever else I have been stewing over these past few days.

But honestly, things really are going pretty well. We've had some memorable family dates. The kids are adjusting well to the move. We bought a new car (and we can actually afford it)! My husband is extremely busy with his new job, but he seems to really be enjoying it. Hard work pays off! Our house is spacious, the children can hide from me (and scare me to death!), our neighborhood is so quaint and friendly (in fact, our oldest just got invited to her first birthday party in the new city!), our yard gets fertilized and cut by the home owner's association every three weeks, and we have dry cleaning service that picks up and delivers our laundry every Thursday!

How can I complain?! Here are some pics of our latest family date!

So Many Good Posts...

It's official! the little miss family is now ONLINE! Donations and welcome gifts are now being accepted at all target and home depot stores nationwide...as we have a lot of updating to do!

So, my first full day of internet service. Let's see, what did I do all day long? Um, clean the house (a tiny bit), IM my friends (quite a bit), download 423 pictures from my camera and into my "July 2006" file, feed the munchkins mac and cheese (as we recently unpacked the microwave), strip more wallpaper, cruise the web for updates on Kevin Martin (who has just reconnected with Candlebox), settle my bills online, and try for the life of me to find good color combinations for painting EVERY ROOM in the house.

Headlines of the past month:
Oldest Child gets Bicycle for Birthday (big girls cry big tears)
Tiny Learns NOT to "tush fi-yer" (sparklers make blisters)
Asian-americans Lack Skills in Communication (little miss suffers panic attacks)
Dog Sets off Alarm in Old House
Cooking Proves Difficult as Unpacking Continues
Little Miss Checks Off Another Year
Haircut Mishap of 2006 (little girls are expensive to maintain)
Sunburns on the Beach Lead to Skin Cancer
Powerwashers are NOT Window Experts!
Summer Heat Reaches All Time High (a/c just can't keep up)

and last but not least:
Little Miss Returns to Blogworld!