Blog break!

Ok, I'm not really Gone Fishin', but I thought it was cute. I'm so creative like that. Ü

I'm just swamped right now. So much to do & there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to make much progress. Sunday is our annual 4th of July family reunion, which I wasn't going to attend, but now I am. Saturday we are heading to my brother's for a cookout & sparklers & because he (they) live close to where our family reunion is, I just decided to go ahead & do both. I am such a brave soul. Livin' on the edge, I'm tellin' ya. :)

They both are over an hour drive from our house - so we decided to get a hotel room for Saturday night to avoid driving back & forth. Should work out super & my wee ones love staying in hotels, so they are really excited. Which makes me all happy happy. But.

Now I have so much to do to prepare for both. I know I haven't blogged in a while & it's not looking good. So I've decided to take the week & Gone Fishin'. :)

Don't forget about me - I'll be back! Have a super week & a super 4th! Ü

Kidbits.

Bentley to Audi: Hey, at least you're not the runt on your team.

Jaguar to Daddy: Hurry up dad, you're slower than Christmas!

Mercedes to all of us while it thundered: Thunger! Cwose you eyes!

Sugar and spice.

And so sweet! ♥

Not quite 2 1/2 years old yet. I know I've said it before, but I would be so thankful if time would just freeze. She's my last baby & she's growing too fast. She is so precious & I would love for her to stay this age forever. Such a cute age.

She's talking up a storm & has been for quite some time. She said the phrases below at 23 months. She wasn't quite 2. I jotted them down because I thought they were so cute coming from an itty person.

Wipe fell off! Look at that! I help-ed you. Go away! Put sock off? Where Mommy go? Daddy home! Go bye-bye in minute? No! No, mine! I want dat blanket. I want that. I pay'in! (playing) I need hug, pease. Hallo? Bye bye. I want down pease. I take bath bubbles! Don't do that. That tickles. Turn movie on? There it goes! Mickey Mouse! Do it on me. (Put it on me, she meant? Can't remember.) Yah, again. I need taggie. Oh no, I drop it! Give the book to me! Hold dat. That's so funny! Here you go! Yep. Nope. What? I walk! Shup up. (Nice.) Get away! Doggie barking. Read book? Hi puddin'. Balloon, baby! Outta batterwies. Oh my gosh! Shoes on? Don't scare me wike dat! I want some! Watshing a movie. Unbuckle me! Pease hold dis. I pay (play), peaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee? Me princess. My baby. No want kiss. Come on! I woosh (wash) hands. Good!

Naturally, her vocabulary has progressed since that time & there's no way I can document them all down. She speaks clearly & I can understand 95% of what she says. :)

Some quick ones from tonight:

Her: Bleh! Me: What? Her: That 'mell! (smell) LOL I was cleaning my bathroom counter with Seventh Generation & it does not smell pretty. Ü

LET ME DO IT!!! (She screams this often.)

I get it for you! I turn my wadio/fan/nigh light on. Oh. I got it! I need lip stuff! (Lipsmackers :) I do it! Hot Donald's! (McDonald's - we have no clue why she calls it Hot Donald's.) I want drink you coke? I want moeeeeeeee (more). Peaseeeeeeeee? (Please) You welcome. 'Scuse me. I toot! I not poopie. Lets go! Thaz mine! Give it to me! Okay. Goo (good) night Mommy. No wanna go night night! Oh no, I dwop it! It not wooking (working)! I find it! So scary! I wuv you so mush (much)! Goo (good) moening (morning)! Dont want poptart (& many other things). Turn up pease (radio). You no sing!!! (She gets perturbed when anyone else sings besides her.) I cwean (clean) up! I do it! Hold me pease. I need up (to be held). I no (don't) know. I need color ('to' color). Tank you! I put in (it) the frig for you! Turn up pease Mommy. Mine! - don't tush (touch) it!

Yesterday at nap time, I laid down for a few minutes. I had the monitor on. I heard nothing out of the ordinary. A few minutes later, I heard something suspicious. "Bentley, what is that?" "It's the baby! She came downstairs with her pillow & taggie!" She sure did! She was watching tv with Bentley. LOL Cracked me up. She had crawled out of her crib, with her pillow & taggie & trucked them both, including herself, downstairs & to the other side of the house. She crawls in & out of her crib all the time. Time for a big girl bed. Sigh. Ü

She also is a singer. All the time. I have yet to capture her singing on video - I'll try to do that in the next few days. So stinkin' adorable!

My 'Dusty'. (The name the nurses gave her after her birthmother abandoned her & yes, we call her that sometimes. :o) How I treasure every ounce of you. Sweet, sweet baby girl. ♥

*This morning I was greeted by this tiny tyke, who had once again exited her crib & came downstairs. Tonight I will put her crib mattress on the floor (& I'll install a doorknob cover so she can't get out of her room) until I get her a big girl mattress this weekend. If she now going to make a habit of climbing out of her crib, I see no sense in keeping her in there & jeopardizing her getting hurt. Sigh. RIP, beautiful, last-baby crib. :(

Cell phone usage.

I am totally against texting while driving. Heck, truth be told, I am totally against talking on a cell phone and/or reading emails while driving. My husband talks on his cell while driving 7 hours out of 8. It drives me insane. I think it is totally irresponsible & risking the safety of innocent drivers. My guess is that in the near future, cell phone usage while driving will cause as many, if not more, deaths than drunk driving.

Feeding my addiction. Wooden chairs.

This little jewel is about 3' tall. I found it at a garage sale today for $5. I know. Contain your excitement. Can you believe it? Ü

While Clorox Wiping this little jewel, I discovered it is dropping paint like you wouldn't believe. It's probably lead paint, at that. Baha! I had to get it up & away from the wee ones, so I chose the ledge that hovers above the landing. You remember the ledge? The one I despise cleaning, because I can't reach. I literally tossed the chair & rooster up there, hoping they'd land in a satisfactory spot. Ü

Now picture this little jewel in hot pink. Just perfect for Jaguar's room. Score again! ♥

Caught in the act.

I told my husband someone was eating the peaches & leaving their peach pits in our yard! Busted! Ü

Reading.

Today I took myself & my children to Barnes & Noble. What an amazing store. It's a pleasure to walk into & a pleasure to browse. So peaceful & calming, but exciting at the same time. Full of adventures - from Cooking & Decorating to the Bible & everything in between. My children were mesmerized. Yes, we had been there before a few times, but we don't live 'close', so it had been a while. Way too long. We could have stayed for hours, sinking down on their soft chairs, just reading. We vowed to return much sooner next time & we then left with some fun treasures.

I'm not a reader. Never have been. I have high hopes of changing that. Not only for myself, but to encourage my children, as well. Even though Bentley needs no encouragement to read (he's a pro!), I hope to entice the others. Audi has now learned to read, so we are at a really good place. Ü

When I purchased this sectional a few years, I did so mainly for one reason (besides color :) - when I saw it on the showroom floor, I envisioned my entire family curled up on this couch reading books together. I knew it was ample large enough to house us all. I bought the couch. :)

I asked for Laura Bush's new book for Mother's Day. I received. :) My new summer plan not only includes quiet reading time for myself, but for my children. 15-30 minutes daily, individually. In addition, I have decided to purchase one "classic" at a time & read for a bit every night to all four of my children. We read together, but it's so informal. I want formal. :) This time I chose The Wind in the Willows & when we finish this book, we will return for another. And another. We're going to read right here on this comfy couch. I am so excited about implementing reading time together.

Next time someone (including myself) exclaims "I'm bored!", well, grab a book! Bored no more, all the while being lost in an adventure. Ü