Organizing

One thing I love about having a big house is that we have three bathrooms. Two down stairs and one up stairs. When James and Audrey first moved up stairs, they started using that bathroom. I never took the time to clean out the drawers and put their own stuff in there. I finally got a little fire in my bones a few weeks ago to do that very thing!

Before pictures of the drawers in the vanity. I have no idea why most of those things are were in there or how long they were in there. They are so random....

Coffee can that actually had coffee in it. Baby powder. 

An empty toilet paper roll and a half used bar of soap.

Light bulbs, a few random barrettes, vapor rub pads,

an empty soap box and votive candle?

Empty shampoo bottles, a lamp and some decorative 

jars that I bought many moons ago.

The after pics. I am pretty satisfied with the outcome

and wondering why I didn't do it sooner! The twins

just love having their own drawers with their stuff in them!

Even when girls are just 5 they still have way more stuff

to store than boys do! 

Didn't realize this one was not turned right. Oh well,

just turn your head a little and you can see!

I also decided to invest in two Planet Box lunch boxes for James and Audrey this year and all 3 of us LOVE them!! They have yet to bring home any leftovers which is what I like to see!!

How could I?

How could I forget to include in the post from yesterday probably the cutest picture ever taken of this little muffin! This child has the cutest little thighs and hiney cakes ever! She's built so differently from James and Audrey. They both have slim legs and things. She's got tight ones. It's totes adorbs.

I had the thought last night that I really need to be including my Project Life photos on this blog as well.  Just for safe keeping! I will probably add 4 or 5 at a time. Not post them here every day like I do Facebook. But here is the one from yesterday's project and a few others I took at the store! I know people think I am crazy walking around taking pictures while grocery shopping but the store has some amazing documentary photo ops!!

For convenience sake

For the last few months now Olivia has been interested in using the potty and wearing panties. This made me very excited because I remembered how easy her big sis was to train and I just knew if she was already interested it would be a breeze.

WRONG.

I knew that Summer time was not the time to do it so I said when the twins start back to school I will tackle it. So, last Friday I did. As soon as she got her minnie mouse panties on she had to go so, she went in her potty!! Oh so easy this is going to be, I said to myself!! Ha. Ha. Ha.

She had around 6 or 7 accidents that morning, one including the good old poopy kind. I would ask her if she had to go and she would say "No. I done." Meaning "I already went in the potty crazy lady. Why would I do it again? Quit asking me."

By the time it was the time to go get James and Audrey she had started telling me, "No, I not! I done!!!"

After a few days of this I've decided that she's not ready. Actually, she's just too busy for it. I mean, who wants to stop what they are doing to get up and go to the bathroom? It's so much easier for her the way things are. I've also decided that she's not going to be as easy as her big sis. Not by a long shot.

This is what the potty gets used for the most times in a day. A stool.
At least she thinks out side the potty, errr box, right?

Blue makes you big

Remember the post 2 years ago about Audrey not wanting to go in by herself to dance class and what an ordeal it was? Remember we were already like 20 minutes late coming from the doctor? I should of labeled all my posts so it would be easy to find things cause I'd like to link that post up here but I can't find it. And I do not have all morning to look for it. So I am hoping that you all will remember so you can laugh and cry along with me today. Ok, you probably wont cry cause I didn't but I sure thought about it!

Yesterday was a whirlwind afternoon: Pick kids up from school, bring home and eat snack, help Audrey dress for ballet, take Audrey to ballet, come home, do homework with James, fix supper, do homework with Audrey, eat said supper, rush out door for PTO.

So, I had to drop Audrey off at the studio and go home. When I pulled up to the door she said "I am going in by myself?" I said "Yes ma'am" and she said "Oh yay! Yay!" And grabbed her bag, hopped out of the car marched over to the door and pulled that big old door open all by herself and marched in. She never looked back either. Sigh.

This thing that's called Reality

I've been participating in a project online called Project Life 365. It's hit or miss with me because I don't have a smart phone, I have 3 children and life just happens sometimes, not to mention that I am more committed to my family than any project. And my internet has been acting up lately. Like yesterday, the theme was Reality. I tried all morning to get a shot that I liked, that really portrayed my reality yesterday but it just didn't happen. I had something in mind that afternoon and got a few shots I thought would work but by that time my internet was down again so I just gave up and forgot about it until I had settled down on the couch and by that time only the prospect of winning a million dollars could of gotten me up.

So this morning I decided to blog about my reality.

Audrey's body language and facial expression portray my feelings this week exactly. While it's been great getting back in a much needed routine and adding some much needed stability to our busy, busy lives, the reality of it has set in. Exactly what reality is she talking about, you may be wondering. Well, I'll tell you:

1. James and Audrey are in KINDERGARTEN. While it's not a lot, they have home work now and that symbolizes so.much. more than what I ever imagined. It seemed like ages before we would get here and now that we are here it feels like I blinked.

2. I have two kids in kindergarten. Two sets of the same homework each night which means it has to be done separately because they sneak looks at each other's pages to make sure theirs match!

3. I have a 2 year old who is more independent than you can imagine. While she has a sweet spirit and a strong will, one that can somewhat quickly be shaped when needed I might add, she is still 2. And if you've ever raised a two year old, you are smiling right now. It's the most magical age and the one of the hardest.

4. I have a 2 year old that is ready to be potty trained. This fact makes my eyes hurt.

5. James and Audrey are almost 6 and I am seeing some attitude changes already. In fact it really started over the Summer. I have been doing this thing they call parenting long enough to know that you go through cycles of easy and hard and harder. I'm also aware that the older they get, the parenting needs to change. It's a harsh reality when you realize that play time is over, basically.

Parenting is always serious business, I know that. It's just a completely different ball game with a whole new set of rules when they are 6. It was that way when they turned 4. Maybe it's every 2 years that the rules change? I'm not going to call any body out, not now at least, but we have been having some serious discipline issues with a certain twin of ours. It's brought me to tears several times in last few days and if I'm being honest, it's been tough all Summer.

It's just that this week it's hit us that even though the issues aren't exactly changing, the child is and so we need to as well. We've got to arm our selves with some new strategies, a little bit more patience and a lot of love, grace and mercy. And I need to sharpen my iron will. Not in a bad way, but in a way that it will help every one involved. I've got to remember that things an angry 6 year old can say, well, most of the time are not really valid. Any way, parenting can be challenging and sometimes I wonder if I'm up for that challenge. At times this week it's really felt doubtful. But I've written a verse on a note card for me to look at every day and I've plunged back into my Dr. Dobson books. Yes, I am a Dobson advocate. He's gotten me this far (with the Lord's help, of course).

Lamentations 3:21-23 
This I recall to mind. Therefore I have hope. It is of the Lords' mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Baby Chicks

Ever told your kids something in the moment that you didn't really realize the effect it could have months down the road? No? Well, I have. And it involves eggs and chickens.

A while back, like months and months ago, Audrey and James were sitting at the bar eating some hard boiled eggs. I was feeling rather chippy that day and when Audrey asked me where eggs came from I told her chickens. And when she asked me what eggs were I told her........baby chicks. I Know. I know. I said it with a sly grin but the horror that immediately came across both their faces (but especially Audrey Grace's) let me know that saying that was probably not my brightest moment. By a long shot.

I quickly tried to correct my mistake but the damage had been done. Apparently. In that moment they seemed to somewhat understand that it wasn't really a baby chick that they had just devoured and have not mentioned it since then (that I remember anyways). And they have eaten hard boiled eggs and scrambled eggs and fried eggs plenty of times since then.

What's the problem you ask? Well, technically there is not really a problem but after this mornings conversation that involved their 2 year old sister this time, if I hadn't already I'm really, really wishing I'd never said the words "baby and chick" in reference to an egg.

I had fixed the twins hard boiled eggs and butter toast for breakfast. They were in there chomping away when I heard Audrey say something about the yellow part being a baby chick and she wasn't going to eat it. I tried to ignore it but Jon walked in about that time and was like "What?" He had a few things to say and wanted to know where in the world they had heard that. I must of looked like the 2 year old admitting to eating all the oatmeal cookies when I very sheepishly said "Well, they might have heard that from their mother." He just looked at me and busted out laughing and said "good job mom!" Of course this was in the kitchen and the kids were in the dining room. Olivia was sitting at the table this whole time and when Jon was about to leave (breakfast bowl in hand containing his hard boiled eggs) Olivia did her usual yelling "Kiss!! Kiss!!"and was running to find Jon. He knelt down to kiss her and as he pulled away she looked in his bowl and said "NO!!!! I want the baby chick!!!! Baby chick!!! I want it!!!! Pwease!!!!!!!

A little bit of this

Getting up at 5:30 a.m. is H.A.R.D. but it pays off in more ways than one. I hope I can keep it up. Why oh why is it so hard to be good??? It's only morning #3 and I still have lots to catch up on but I feel a nice routine settling in. And this I like!

One of those things to "catch up on" is of course blogging. Today I will attempt a short run through of the two weeks we were in New Orleans. My sister and her children came for a few days and we did lots of fun stuff while she was there. Of course, we went to the French Quarter!! This day we went on a Sunday evening and met up with Jon's brother Will and his wife, Angela. Thank goodness they were there too as I was feeling a little too big for my britches thinking I could go down there and park all by my little self. After all, Jon and I had spent 3 days downs there walking all over creation and by the time we left I was feeling extremely confident about my French Quarter directional instinct. Until I had to try and find a parking lot/space. After about 10 minutes of going in circles, the kids finally caught on to what was happening and started complaining. So I called William, he came and met us on a corner, we all pilled out and he jumped in and found a great parking spot with in like 50 seconds.

A few of the days we were in the Crescent City were actually quiet. On the Friday that my sister was coming into town, every one was at work and Jon had left to go back to GA for the weekend for church and during nap time I snuck around taking pictures of James and Audrey while they were out side playing. I figured out how to to turn the beep noise off the camera because it was seriously ruining my game. I could never sneak up on any body; the beep always gave me away right before the shutter released. I put my telephoto on and had a good time catching a few shots form inside the house until they saw me and started yelling at me to "STOP TAKING OUR PICTURE!!!!" So I went out side around the house where they couldn't see me. I got a few there and then James threw a Frisbee over the fence and they concocted a plan to go retrieve it. I followed them. It was hilarious listening to the 5 year olds seriously think about how they were gonna scale that fence. I got busted soon after though and had to help them try and find the Frisbee. Which we never did, by the way! Then they went back to catching lizards. Paw Paw and Su Su's back yard this Summer was a hot bed for lizards. I've never seen so many. The kids had so much fun catching them. It is a great memory for them!!

A moment on the lips, for ever on the hips

Emily sent this to me yesterday and I laughed so very hard and am still laughing at it! I have the best sister-in-law a girl could ask for. Actually I have two of them but I am just referencing my first this morning. Emily is like another sister to me and even though we live 500 miles apart, we've forged a pretty tight relationship. At least I think so! Any hoo, last fall we started doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout and we were each other's cheerleaders. We would always try to encourage each other and make each other accountable for doing the hard.as.heck. work out every day. And we were very successful for quite a while. Then something happened and we quit. We started again and were pretty successful and then something else happened and we quit again. So basically it's been since sometime in May that we last worked out with ole Jillian. Through out the Summer we whined and complained and talked about how we were fat and lazy but didn't really care. Then, it happened. The new shorts at the beginning of the Summer that I bought have gotten tight on me. And a few pretty other disgusting things that I am ashamed of for letting getting jiggly again. I wont share what Emily has discovered since it's not her blog but it's pretty much the same problems I have :)

We have vowed to start again and keep it going strong for at least 30 days. At least. Well, I've gotten up at 5:30 the last 2 mornings to get mine in and Em did hers yesterday morning while her youngest "worked out" with her. I told her she was a rock star for doing that.

I almost cried when I thought about getting up at 5:30 again but I didn't. I almost cried when I lifted my arms this morning when I got out of the bed. But I didn't; I just grunted and made a few other whining noises. I'm pretty up set at myself for letting me get so behind. I was in such a good place for a long time and having to work so hard to get back there is almost worse than the tight pants.

Kindergarten

This morning came and went quicker than I had anticipated and the emotions were much different than they were at their 1st day of preschool. It was all comfortable, kinda like putting on your favorite pair of comfy socks. They were excited, mind you, but not with the anticipation of starting for the very 1st time. I'm glad for that. I was a little worried that James might not be so keen on it; he's been worrying about this homework stuff he's heard about from his cousins and a few teachers. Poor dude. He's even propositioned me a few times to let him skip kindergarten and just do 1st grade twice. That way he wont have so much work to do. For true. But he was cool this morning and one of his best little buds is in his class, not to mention his sister. Who still by the way is NOT one of his best friends. She's his sister, for crying out loud.

Olivia was excited to take them to school this morning and even talked Audrey into giving her her old backpack this morning so she could take it to school too!! Sweetness. She wore it the whole time we were there and kissed them goodbye, waved to every one and was all smiles until we got in the car and she realized what had just happened. I had to hear about Audrey and James back at school the whole ride home and that she wanted.to.go.back.and.get.them.

She was pretty depressed after we got home and very snarky so we went for a walk. But that didn't lift her spirits at all so I asked if she wanted to go home and paint and that was the winning ticket!! We had a pretty good morning after that. We played and played and played. And now I am tired, tired, tired. I forgot how exhausting it is to entertain a 2 year old. I better get myself together!!