Geometry Jack

"Mommy, do I look like an eyeball?"

"Mommy, can you even see me?"
"Mommy, I'm a triangle!"
"Mommy, I'm a line!"
Aren't you proud, Aunt Sarah??

**Do I even want to guess what the wet spots are? I've decided it's better not to ask.

Happy Birthday, Poppi!

How old is Poppi?
M: 59
N: 47
J: 17

What does he want for his birthday?
M: To live here with us again
N: A football movie
J: A red blanket [This is also what he picked out for him at Christmas!]

What's his favorite kind of cake?
M: Tres Leches
N: chocolate
J: creamy with sparkles [sprinkles] that's white

What do you love most about Poppi?
M: He acts funny and calls me his monkey.
N: That he's silly
J: Playin' with him and lovin'

What do you want to say to Poppi on his birthday?
M: I love you and I hope you have a good birthday! And I hope you get to live here permanently!
N: Happy Birthday! You're the nicest Poppi ever!
J: I love you!

Oh they crack me up

Noah: (arriving to visit at Memaw's house, very sweetly) Memaw, I'm not going to waste my time watching a movie while I'm here...I'm going to waste my time talking to you!

**********************************************************************************

Jack: ("reading" an instruction manual for the DVD player) So, first we have to compare and contrast...

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Jack: (inspecting the phone carefully) This phone says 2 + 2. How funny is that? (with perfect inflection!)

Me: What?

Jack: The phone. How funny is that?

**********************************************************************************

Jack: This map says we have to go 15 cybermeters. You're driving. Have a nice trip.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not spend most of my week feeding this cutie-pie baby Tylenol and Orajel because he's working on cutting his top front teeth.

I am not totally and completely in love with those two bottom teeth he already has.

And you know I did not let him use his own cutie-pie toes as teethers, right?

Even if it made him this ridiculously happy?

I also did not take pictures of my drooly, teething cutie-pie while loads of laundry sat un-folded on the couch. Nope! Not us!!

Everyday blessings

It's been a pretty normal week around here, thankfully. Other than an ear infection for Noah and Luke trying to cut teeth, it's pretty much status quo. Normal being, you know, this: ...and this:

...and then there was this:

...and how can I forget this?

Whew! We are plum tuckered out from all the normal around here!

WHEN DID THIS BECOME MY NORMAL??!!

Daddy's Girl

There are some advantages to being the only girl...a Valentine's date with Daddy! They tried to hide their excitement: "Smalling Gothic"

But she was starting to crack...

Finally she admitted that she was slightly excited about a night away from the brothers.

What a special girl and special daddy! I hope she never forgets how dearly she is loved!

Momtessori

My friend, Laura Beth, has a great new blog called Momtessori, where she shares fabulous ideas. She probably doesn't even know this, but she was the first person I remember meeting at Lipscomb. I transferred there in Spring 1999 from Harding (where I'd transferred in Fall 1998 from Western KY) and was at an orientation for transfer students that she was leading. I remember what a bubbly, optimistic, genuinely kind and giving spirit she had then...and has for as long as I've known her. I didn't know her beyond that interaction during my time at Lipscomb, but she married the brother of a good friend of ours (whose wife also has a great blog!) and we all went to church together in Nashville, so I got to know her for real :) As you will read from her blogs, she is creative, hilarious, and just all-around precious. Thanks for the wonderful ideas and encouragement, Laura Beth! Check her out!

"Not Me!" Monday (or Tuesday, whatever)

Time once again for "Not Me!" Monday, courtesy of the coolest mother of MSC* that I know**, the one and only MckMama! Please jump on over there, share some of your own insanity honesty, and then allow me to not confess share some of the events of our week...

First of all, it is not true that all of the things I'm listing have actually happened in the last 72 hours because I cannot remember anything AT ALL that happened before that.

So, wouldn't you agree that a fourth time mom (technically 5th, but she's already been successfully mothered!) would know better than to leave Valentine's chocolates within reach of the 8 month old super-stealthy crawler/puller-upper/cruiser/climber who has just this week discovered that he really, really likes to eat (other than mommy's milk)? Of course she would! That's why I so did not let Luke get a foil-wrapped Spiderman chocolate off the couch (because what responsible parent leaves chocolate on the couch? NOT ME!) and put the entire thing in his mouth. He then did not sit perfectly still, in awe of the awesomeness that was in his mouth, while said non-existent chocolate melted and oozed out of the foil until nothing was left except the foil. His Memaw was not at all the only adult in the house paying attention and did most certainly not alert said fourth-time mom to the fact that her baby was eating chocolate. I did not then walk over, sweep the foil from his little slobbery mouth, and proceed to thank God that he did not swallow the foil. Surely I did not then giggle for the rest of the day at the fact that he LOVED the chocolate and that it was a pretty cute and fitting, although accidental, Valentine's gift to him!

And of course I took this as a reminder to be more cautious about things left around that he could put in his mouth, because AS SOON AS we got home from Memaw's, I did not put Luke down on the floor while I unloaded the Valentine's loot, only to have him crawl back to me 2 minutes later with an orange mouth, reeking of Dorito! Because you should know by now that I am not the kind of mother who would have missed the fact that Noah was eating Doritos earlier in the den (because my children always obey and always only eat in the kitchen!), leaving pieces on the floor. So, to sum up this Valentine's Day, the baby was not introduced to 2 different categories of junk food! Not in this house!!

Jared did (really!) take Madeline to a father/daughter Valentine's dance on Friday night. Afterwards, he let her choose a restaurant for dinner and she chose a seafood place named after a colorful crustacean. However, the Friday before Valentine's Day meant a 50 minute wait at 7:30 pm, so they opted for a different restaurant which she also likes. She was disappointed, but handled it well. Sooo... when Noah ended up spending the night with a friend on Sunday and Memaw offered to take Madeline and Jack for the night, we did not wait until after dropping off said children to go eat at that same seafood place named after a colorful crustacean with only the baby in tow. Without mentioning it to the big kids, of course. We are not that mean!

While mopping this week (I know, I know, shock and awe that I was mopping!)--Swiffering, actually--I didn't even let Luke chase the mop around because it helped dry the floor faster while also providing him hours minutes of giggle-inducing entertainment!

And on Sunday night at church, I did not willingly confess to Valerie, after Luke dropped his paci on the floor and she returned it to me, that I frequently put toys back in the diaper bag that have fallen on the floor with the express purpose of appearing to have some modicum of decency, when in reality, I totally plan to pull it back out for them in a few minutes without cleaning it. I would not do such a thing NOR would I admit to it if I did!

I sure am glad none of THAT happened to me this week!


*many small children
**I don't really know her but I have her blog in Google Reader, and I may or may not be a stalker capable of winning a MckMama blog trivia contest were such a thing to exist

Courage

I wish I'd written this post myself!