Cutting Down Christmas

The Chainsaw

The Bits, one of whom is being very helpful. Remember, we are all about child labor here.
"Kids, if you want a Christmas tree this year, you are going to cut it down. Or at least get the gas tank" (don't worry, it wasn't full--we aren't into giving our kids hernias)

This one isn't really all that useful yet, but she is darn cute, so we keep her around.

We traveled over the river and through the woods.
Or maybe just walked across the yard to our own personal Christmas tree farm.
(Kallie isn't really being a faithful companion--she is just looking for a stick.)

My Fearless Engineer led the way as we searched and searched . . .

Until we found the perfect tree.
Well, Bitty Bit thought it was the right size anyway.

We ended up opting for this one.

And the Bits did a "cutting down Christmas" happy dance.

The Best Things

I think every stay at home mom struggles with certain things.

The mind-numbing routines of laundry, vacuuming and mopping. All. Day. Long.

The lack of interaction with adults. A toddler's repetitive "Why?" (or, rather "whyyyyyyyy?") is not exactly stimulating conversation.

Snot. And other (worse) bodily functions that must be dealt with.

Stigmas. I can tell myself that people are just ignorant all I want, but it still hurts when they assume I must be less intelligent simply because I choose to not be in the workplace anymore.

And really, it IS hard to continue to challenge myself intellectually. The Cat In The Hat doesn't really push my mental capabilities (although I am pretty good at saying tongue twisters now!).

As much as I absolutely adore my children and would lay my life aside without a thought for them, there are times when I feel like--if one more person wants to cling to me or touch me or demand something of me--I might explode, or just collapse from exhaustion. Especially since this pregnancy has been so hard physically. Sometimes just walking is a challenge, much less carrying a two and a half year old.

There are times when I am pretty sure I have done permanent damage to my sinuses or my skin from all the cleaning fumes. My Handsome Engineer loves to remind me about respirator masks (especially after I bleached the inside of a cabinet last week and smelled bleach for hours).

Every mom feels like this at some point. Sometimes it is moments, sometimes it is days. Sometimes life is just hard and those moments stretch into weeks or months. I know I have been there. And yet, somehow, we find the strength to smile and hug our kids, to tame the part of us that just wants to hide under the covers or run away for a few days.


And then we get special gifts from our kids. The things they don't even realize they have done, or what it means to us. The things that I would have missed if I had shut down. Those moments that make me want to sob, not from frustration, but sheer joy.

Things like Lil Bit's homework on thankfulness last week:


And just like that, I am reminded that the laundry and the snotty tissues, and the million mundane tasks are simply a small part of what I really have. I am available when my girls need me, and that is truly priceless.

And then I call my Handsome Engineer at work and cry with happiness.

I am sure pregnancy hormones didn't have anything to do with that last part . . .

What's Wrong With This Picture?

And, no, I am not talking about the obvious "there is a hole in your living room wall". My handsome engineer had to cut the whole in order to run some new electrical wire to the upstairs (and then the attic). We tried to run it without cutting into the drywall, but it didn't work out--the wire kept getting stuck.

and by "we" I actually do mean "we" this time--I helped!
actually, maybe that was the problem . . .


Anyway, this is an external wall. And it is missing something vital. Something that has made winters much more difficult for this Southern girl.

Just Call her Grace

I have blogged before about Lil Bit's dancing. Unfortunately for her (and maybe fortunately for her daddy), she gets her dancing capabilities from her mother. Which means she is entirely uncoordinated.

She started out great . . .
Definitely concentrating, but doing a good job. She has great posture, which helps her look graceful in still shots.


But then the trouble begins . . .

She is doing this move beautifully--but it is the wrong position! Notice where the other kids' feet are, and where Lil Bit's feet are.

And then the funny concentration faces start . . .

I don't thinks she is doing the right move here, either, but apparently no one was.

Next the class moved from ballet to jazz. I think we may have found her niche.

Here she is doing a jazz-walk across the studio and she actually looked pretty graceful and kept the rhythm of the music very well.

But she caught me off guard when, during a short break, Lil Bit broke out in her own little jazz dance to the music that was still playing . . .

She incorporated a fast little box step and moved her arms and hips in perfect time.

And darn-it-all, she was GOOD! I was floored.

Her poor daddy.

Application to Date My Daughter

Chris actually filled a version of this out as a joke (I think!) back when we were dating. I wonder if my dad still has that somewhere. Any parent (especially a dad) of little girls will appreciate this!



Print out and submit as per instructions at the bottom of the form.

1. Name :_________________________

_________________________ Date of Birth :_________________
2. Height :___________________________ Weight :_______________________ GPA :________________
3. Social Sec. #_______________________ Drivers license #______________________________________
4. Boy Scout Rank :__________________________
5. Home address :____________________________ City/ State____________________________________
6. Do you have one male and one female parent ? Yes _______ No _______
7. If no, explain :_________________________________________________________________________
8. Number of years parents married :__________________________________________________________
9. Do you own a van ?______ A truck with oversized tires ?______ A water bed ?_______
10. Do you have an earring , nose ring , belly-button ring ?______ A tattoo ?_______
(If yes to any of #9 or #10, Discontinue application and leave premises ...
11. In ten words or less, what does LATE mean to you ?___________________________________________
12. In ten words or less, what does Abstinence mean to you ?______________________________________
13. In ten words or less, what does DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER mean to you ?___________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
14. Church you attend :_________________________________ How often you attend :_______________
15. When would be the best time to interview your Father, Mother, And Minister ? ___________________
16. What would you want to be IF you grew up ? _______________________________________________

Answer by filling in the blanks. Please answer freely - all answers are confidential
(that I won't tell anyone - ever- I promise).

If I were shot, the last place on my body I would want wounded is in the __________________________

If I were beaten the last bone I would want broken is my ________________________________________
The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is ___________________________________

When I first meet a girl, the thing I notice about her first is_______________________________________
(Note: If answer begins with T or A, discontinue and leave premises: Keeping your head low and running in
a serpentine fashion is advised. )

I SWEAR THAT THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF: NATIVE AMERICAN ANT TORTURE, ELECTROCUTION,
CHINESE WATER TORTURE, RED HOT POKERS, DEATH, AND DISMEMBERMENT.

Signature (that means your name, moron)______________________________________________________

Thank you for your interest. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing. You will be contacted in writing if
you are approved. Please do not attempt to call or write. If your application is rejected you will be
notified by two gentlemen wearing white coats and carrying a violin case.

APPLICANT'S RIGHT THUMB PRINT IN BLOOD

Golden Retriever Cat

Remember Charlie? He's our outside cat.

We adopted him from the animal shelter to be a farm cat. To live in the barn and catch mice and such.


He never really bought into the whole "outside cat" thing. He thinks he is a Golden Retriever--he likes to go on walks with us and would much rather cuddle than be independent.


This was actually rather helpful last week when both my girls came down with strep throat. He jumped right in Lil Bit's lap and snuggled in. That day, comforting a sick little girl was infinitely more important than catching mice.

Thank you, Charlie--I can tell this was really a sacrifice for you.

Hay Neighs and Freedom

This post, oddly, has nothing to do with horses, despite the name.

First, I want to thank ALL the veterans. I am truly grateful that you have given so much to provide freedom for all of us at home, for all of us who will never truly understand the level of sacrifice you made. Thank you.

Thank you for protecting us.


Thank you for making it possible for my kids to run wild through a "hay neighs" (Bitty's version of "hay maze") with careless abandon.


Thank you that they are not hiding in fear from war or terror.


Thank you for preserving a way of life. I apologize that we, as a nation, often take that way of life for granted and forget how much is given each day to keep it.


Thank you for giving much more than we could ever repay. And know that my two little girls, at least, are told about the heroes that keep them safe (and "hero" is not a word that we allow to be used lightly here). They might not understand it yet, but their smiles are there because of the freedoms they enjoy.

Thank you.

Simplicity of a Child

Jesus said, "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. Mark 10:13-16

Bit-isms

Most of Bitty Bit's little language flubs I think are adorable and I don't actually try to correct. I am not talking about mispronunciations, but expressions or words that just aren't quite right.

Things like "doctor appointing" instead of "doctor appointment".
Or, "hold you" instead of "hold me" when she wants to be held.

There are so many that are precious, and won't last forever and so I enjoy them and treasure them.

Others are, while funny, I don't really encourage. Instead of "button", Adeline says "butt". So she will often tell me she "pushed the butt". Definitely funny, but maybe not something I should encourage.


Lil Bit's vocabulary is funny in an entirely different way. She often uses words or phrases that are either for someone much older, or just from another time period (maybe I should start reading modern authors more often than the classics). Right now my sweet girl has strep throat. Last night she looked up at me with big pitiful blue eyes and said,

"Sickness is a very bitter pill to swallow, is it not?"

What I was thinking was, "Hey, kid. You're six. And it it's 2009, not 1880" while trying not to start laughing at her over-seriousness.

What I did was give her a big hug and a kiss on her head and said, "Sometimes it is."

Cavalia

I saw this on CNN this weekend and wish I lived where it was showing!



I also now feel like a real slacker of an equestrian.