I Highly Recommend

While talking with friends lately about what we let our children watch/listen to, I was turned on to new and exciting things. It's hard these days to pick quality videos, tv shows, and music for smaller children, so I am offering up a few suggestions. These are a few ideas that have either been given to me as gifts or have been recommended by family members.
This my loyal blog readers, is Beethoven's Wig. It is a CD of well-known classical songs that have been "updated" to appeal to our generation. They have very funny lyrics sung along to the actual pieces of music, and it's great! I got hooked on BW when Christian was born, and we are now playing it for Caroline. There are 2 others available---BW2 and BW3, and they are ALL great!
This is the Praise Baby Collection. It is a CD/DVD/VCR of Christian hymns that will soothe any baby...trust me! Christian won a VCR tape of the one pictured when he was 6 months old, and he STILL watches it. The images in the movies are of other little children, animals, and other creative things...all designed with very small children in mind. There are about 5 or 6 different videos and matching CDs for the car. Let me tell you, they are great for long trips in the car!
Hermie and Friends is a great DVD/VCR for children of ALL ages. Caitlin still enjoys watching this one. Hermie is a creation of Max Lucado, and there are other DVD's available that are about the adventures of Hermie's friends. A few that we have are Hermie's A Fruitcake Christmas, Buzby the Misbehaving Bee, and Flo the Lyin' Fly. They each teach good lessons and are a positive influence.

A few others that I will mention but won't put pictures of are the Baby Einstein series of DVD's/VCR tapes. These have classical music, puppets, sign language, animals, etc to teach children different developmental skills.
Last but not least, I love all Veggie Tales DVD's/VCR tapes. They are hilarious, and the kids have a great time watching Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. Veggie Tales is now featured on the Saturday morning cartoon lineup!
For all of my fellow bloggers: if you have any other suggestions or movies/CDs you want to share, please either comment on mine or do your own post of them. Thanks!! :)

Anyone Gotta Map?

Ok, this is my "funny" for the day. If you haven't seen or heard about this, then you are in for a treat. Apparently, this was the Miss Teen USA pagent, and this particular contestant was, shall we say, special. Watch and laugh along with me!
Note: I really do pity this poor girl. She obviously spent more time worrying about being popular than paying attention in geography class. :)

The New Kid In Town

Today has already been quite the trip. I ventured out to BSA with my friend Dianne and Caroline and Christian in tow. We arrived at the hospital, but to our surprise, there was quite the upset going on. There were MULTIPLE hospital personnel in the entrance and posted at every elevator. I had one of them greet me as I came through the sliding doors, and she informed me that they were under a Code Grey, which meant the power was out to the building and they were operating on generators. The elevators were not to be used, and no one was allowed to visit patients. She told us to go to the new cafeteria and wait. The new wing of the hospital is SO NICE, and the cafeteria is amazing. Dianne, the kids, and I had a snack while we waited--not so patiently might I add. About 30 minutes later, we decided to try to use an elevator. At this point, no one was guarding them, so we went up to the Labor & Delivery floor and found Tina's room. She is doing great, and her precious boy is beautiful!! I only got to hold him for a few minutes, because Caroline screamed her head off out of jealousy. Gee, imagine that! LOL We got to talk to Tina for a bit, and they won't be releasing her until Friday or Saturday--she didn't elaborate on it, and the nurse walked in and whisked the baby away at that point. I did however manage to get a picture with John Randall. He is such a cuddle bunny, and has the fattest cheeks I have ever seen on a newborn. Tina told us that all of the nurses on the floor have come in to see him. Also, his pediatrician (Dr. Young--our pediatrician as well) was bragging about John outweighing all of the babies and "showin' them how it's done." :) I wish Tina and John a speedy return home!
Note: As I was leaving the hospital, they were still without their main power. A camera crew from a local news station was posted nearby doing noon coverage of the situation. SO WEIRD!!
Isn't John a doll!?! Notice the nice drool marks all over my shirt--thanks Caroline! lol

He's Here!

Tina and Randy welcomed their son, John Randall, into the world at 12:52pm. He weighed 10lbs 11oz and was 21 3/4in. long. He has black curly hair and a bunch of it! Tina was feeling quite out of it when I talked to her, so I think I'll wait until tomorrow to bombard the Labor & Delivery floor and take pics. :) The sad thing here is that Tina was only 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant---so think of how big that baby would have been if he'd been "full term!" Ouch! LOL

This is the day!

That's right! Today is a great day for a birthday! My wonderful friend Tina (really, she's my older sister and my mother just doesn't know--*wink*) is scheduled to deliver her son, John Randall, by c-section this afternoon. I am SO EXCITED!!! More updates later...

Moms Day Out

I met my friends Jill and Keri at Blue Sky today for lunch. We had a great time talking, eating, and watching my older 2 play in the big ol' sandbox outside. It certainly was crowded though! :) After lunch, we all went to the mall and shopped for about 2 hours. Christian got to pick out a costume at the Disney Store, since he has been waiting about 2 years to get this particular one...we were on top of it this year! lol Caitlin hung out with Mimi who met us at the mall...she gave Mimi some "fashion advice" and helped her try on some clothes. I got to buy a dress for myself *gasp* and I think I'm gonna like wearing it. Believe it or not, I made it out of there without purchasing a single thing for Caroline (yes, I am in shock as well). All in all, it was a great outing and much needed!

(L to R) Keri and her precious son, Mason (6 1/2 mo.)...Jill holding Miss Alexis and Caroline. Isn't that a great pic of them all?!?
Christian as Buzz Lightyear. The costume came w/a cool head thingy, but he wasn't in to modeling that just yet :)

You Know He Doesn't Want It Cleaned When...

I was giving Christian and Caroline their baths yesterday morning when Christian said the FUNNIEST thing. I was drying him off, and I asked if I could check his "private area" to make sure it was staying clean. He looked down at it, and with the most serious face he said:
"No Momma. It's broken. I put it in the fence and broke it. Sorry!"

I tried not to laugh, but I was dying inside.

"Are you sure Christian? Is that really what happened?"

"Alright. I tell you Momma. I put it on the table, and broke it. It's really broken. Sorry!"

At this point I couldn't keep a straight face. I began to giggle, and he did too. I decided that it was clean enough and I'd just leave it alone. Apparently he really didn't want Momma to look. :)

Probably Should Have Been A Cop

When I was young, I dreamed of being a cop just like my Daddy. I thought he had the coolest job, wore the coolest clothes, and the best part---he got to tell people what to do (or so I thought). I had to put those dreams to rest when I married John. We decided a long time ago that even though I was capable of being a cop, it wasn't going to be a good idea. For the kids, having both parents work shift jobs would not be a stable home. I think we made the right decision. *wink*
Anywho, this entry is just to demonstrate the point that I would have made a decent cop--at least in my mind. :) These are two separate instances where I decided not to keep my mouth shut...see where this is going?!?

#1:
We were all over at my parents' house on Saturday, visiting with my Uncle Kelly and his family. We had just finished eating dinner, and Mom, Aunt Vicki, and I were sitting at the bar in the kitchen visiting while the men and children hung out on the back porch. I looked out Mom's big bay window into the front yard, and saw the most irritating thing. There was a man, mid-40's, walking a Beagle along the sidewalk. He stopped at a certain point in Mom's yard and allowed the dog to go through the "potty ritual" while he nervously looked into the window to see if anyone was watching. I turned to Mom and said, "Hey, don't you just love it when people let their dogs poop in your yard." A look came over her face. "Is it a Beagle?" she asked. She ran to the window and looked out. "It is!!! It's that stupid Beagle!! That darn man comes by everyday about the same time and let's that dog do that on my lawn! I am SO TIRED of it! I'll be right back." She proceeded to run to the front door and throw it open, making sure that she made a ton of noise doing it. The man looked at her and began to scurry away, dog in tow. She shut the door and went back into the kitchen to talk.

At this point, I was severely irritated. She didn't make a big enough point to him in my mind. Time for the fire-y redhead to step in.

I went to the door, burst out of it, and ran across the lawn to confront the man. He was a ways down the sidewalk by now, so I just yelled at the top of my lungs..."Hey YOU!!! STOP letting your stupid little dog poop in this yard. DO YOU HEAR ME!?! Stop it!!" I went back into the house, somewhat satisfied. What was funny was that the entire family, men and all, couldn't believe I had the guts to say something. It was a side of me that not many have seen, but that would show up again sooner than expected....

#2:
I was relaxing in the living room and checking email last night around 9:30pm, when I heard a noise that has grated on my nerves since the day we moved in. It was the sound of a very annoying individual riding a 4-wheeler up and down the alley that is between all of the houses on this end of Foxridge and the field. We are definitely blessed to live at the end of the cul-de-sac, but there are times people use the alley as a raceway. The sound of this 4-wheeler is like a really loud engine that someone is reving. By the time it reaches the top of the hill/alley, it's at its loudest--right by Caroline and Christian's windows. I let the noise go once...then twice...then three times....
By time number four, something inside me clicked. I had HAD IT with whoever this was that just had to drive his 4-wheeler and make enough rucus to awaken the dead, especially at nighttime. I realized John was in the shower and couldn't take care of the problem, so it was up to me. I went upstairs, retrieved John's LED flashlight from the nightstand (it's the size of a cop's flashlight and about 10,000 times brighter than anything I've seen), and marched out into the dark via my front lawn. I stood at the border between the grass and the alley and waited...
Here he came-the biggest loser in town-driving the 4-wheeler. I could see its headlights, and I just waited patiently until it reached the edge of my lawn. I then turned the flashlight on into the guy's face and yelled, "Hey YOU! STOP!!" Needless to say, it scared the crud out of him--so bad in fact that he slammed on the brakes and made the turn around our fence onto our driveway where the 4-wheeler died. He couldn't revive it. This was too good to be true!
I marched my happy self around the corner with the flashlight, stood back about 20ft. from him, shined it directly into his eyes, and began reprimanding him. It went like this: "HEY!! What in the world do you think you are doing? STOP riding up and down this alley!! Do you see those 2 windows up there (I was gesturing toward my house at this point)?? I have 2 babies alseep up there, and YOU are waking them up!! I have a 6'4, 230lb, bodybuilding husband in the house that could take care of you in a second---don't force me to go get him!!! You really don't want to piss me off!!"
Might I add that during my whole rant, the poor man was trying to start his 4-wheeler and shield his eyes from the blinding light at the same time. He was a Hispanic man that looked to be early 40's--way too old to be joy-riding if you get my drift. Obviously scared and shaken, he says, "Ok, ok. I go home. I go home. Promise! I go home now."
That's right you will!!
So I continued to shine the flashlight at him until he got the 4-wheeler started and even while he was driving back toward the bottom of the hill/alley. He went so slow that it almost died on him again, but he certainly did not want to "piss me off." I did see a glimpse of some brilliance in him. :) Fire-y redhead strikes again!
I really hope things quiet down around here for a while. I don't think I can handle much more excitement in my life. I guess stay-at-home momma fits me for now...but bullies beware!! lol

This Is The Way We Spend Our Day....

Without Caitlin around to entertain Christian, his energy is focused on Caroline---poor baby. :) I pulled her pack-n-play downstairs to keep her in "baby jail" and away from the stairs for a while. Christian is constantly trying to climb in and irritate the livin' daylights out of her. Ahhhh, nothing like sibling rivalry.
Anywho, he did do something nice. He loaded Caroline up on his ride around fire truck and pushed her all around the living room for about 45 minutes straight. She loved driving the truck, honking the horn, and moving the shifter that makes noise. It's so funny---in my sleep last night, I could still hear the truck saying, "Out of the way! Rescue workers on the way!" Oy.
The sad thing about Christian and Caroline playing together---she already beats up on him. She'll pin him to the floor and bite or drool all over his shirt. He always yells, "Momma! Cawowine is dwoowin' me!!" lol Silly boy!

First Day of 3rd Grade

My baby girl Caitlin started her 3rd grade year today at Arbor Christian Academy. We are so thankful that God blessed us with the money to send her back there. She was so excited to see all of her friends again, and her teacher, Mrs. Lewis, is a doll. I just know she will have a wonderful year!
Something else special happened today. Caitlin was featured on the front and second page of the Amarillo Globe News! Mimi submitted her name to the "Ones To Watch" section, and her picture and a blurb about her were printed. It was nice that they put her in today's paper--it made her 1st day of school that much more memorable. You can see the article by clicking the link below and scrolling down a bit.
Caitlin, I hope you have a wonderful day, and I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures in 3rd grade--I love you sweetie pie! :)



Ones To Watch Article in Amarillo Globe News

Family Visits

We had a great day this past Saturday. John and kids let me sleep in until 11am. I felt so spoiled! Then, John took Caitlin to the gun range, where she proceeded to show off her Annie Oakley skills. That girl can target shoot, I'm here to tell you!
Mom and Dad invited us over for dinner, and my Uncle Kelly, his wife Vicki, and their daughter Madison were there visiting. We ate, hung out and the kids played for a while. We then decided to go bowling. Mom stayed home with Caroline, and the rest of us went and had a blast. The funny part was when I noticed on the scoreboard that there was a place that kept track of how fast you threw the ball (how many mph). John, Dad, and Kelly began a contest to see who could throw the fastest. Soon, what started as an innocent game of bowling became a crazy show of strength. :) John had them beat with 22.68 mph all the way until the last 3 frames. Dad surprised him and threw one that went 23.10 mph, and John had no time to recover. Dad won!! From what I hear, he used to be an awesome bowler back in the day *wink*. Way to go Dad! So sorry for you John...lol
Also, let it be known that I was ahead at one point, beating out Dad, Kelly, and John. It didn't last, but it was nice. :)

Side Note: When going bowling with men that are 6'4", 6'5", and 6'6", finding shoes is a trip. Did you even know they made size 15 bowling shoes?!?

Caroline with her Great Uncle Kelly
Caitlin, Christian, and their cousin Madison playing in the yard...Christian has a shark face on his head that he would wear on his mouth and chase the girls around
Dad bowling
John showing his stuff
Christian bowling--and I might add that he did it by himself!
Yup--sadly this is me bowling. Thanks a lot John! lol
Caitlin and her funny way of bowling. She did throw a strike or two this way!

The Funniest Piece Of Mail I've Ever Received

I got a sweet note in the mail today from my precious friend Tina. She always knows just when to send me things like this to brighten my day. After reading it, I could NOT quit laughing! Here is what it looked like:

FRONT OF CARD:
INSIDE OF CARD:

Is that not a hoot?!?!?!? Ok, now here comes the BEST part. Tina included this slip of paper. It has to do with what happened to me, Mom, and the kids down in Palo Duro Canyon this past weekend (refer to blog titled "A Camping We Will Go to fully understand the humor of this). Enjoy!
P.S. If you can't read what the cartoon says, click on the image to supersize it. :)

If I Only Had A Blog....

I received an email this afternoon from Mom. She's having difficulties finding something that she needs to finish the remodeling of her master bath. I am posting this for her, because she wishes she had a blog to put it on (she should get one, I know).

Side note: If you have ever special ordered anything from Home Depot, you will definitely feel her pain. If any of you read my blog about my new countertops, then you know my take on them. *wink*

Mom's Email:

Being jealous of those in the family who have dual-flush, energy-saving toilets, I’ve been looking around Amarillo for one. Alas, there is one on display in Home Depot, but none to be had without special ordering (and as Melissa can testify, Home Depot’s special ordering is very hard on your nerves). I resorted to calling local wholesale and retail plumbing suppliers. No one had any or any idea who had any. One older lady who answered the phone at Morrison Plumbing Supply was particularly baffled. When I repeated I was looking for a dual-flush toilet, she yelled, “YOU MEAN IT AUTOMATICALLY FLUSHES TWICE IN A ROW???!!!” I pondered how to describe its functions to her. Then I said, “No, it has a light flush and a heavier flush.” After a second, she said, “Oh, I get ya. Nope. Never heard of ‘em.” I thanked her politely and hung up, resigned to using 3.5 gallons every flush, and 7.0 gallons when we have to flush twice in a row. If I had a blog, I’d put this on it. But I don’t.

There ya go Mommy Dearest...you have officially been "blogged!" :)

It's Time For A Baby Gate When...

Caroline just about gave me a heart attack this morning. I had sent the older 2 kids upstairs to play, and I put Caroline down by the toy box so I could switch out some loads of laundry. I was literally gone for about 3 minutes, and when I returned, Caroline was gone and the house was quiet.
Big tip-off there that something was going on.
I went to the stairs, and there she was--halfway up!! She has not attempted to fully climb the stairs until today. She has gotten onto the bottom stair before, but she instantly cried because she didn't know how to go up or get back down. I quickly snapped a picture and yanked her down.
Needless to say, this momma is heading to the store to buy a baby gate (let me mention I already have one at the top of the stairs). Watch out world! The littlest Haskell is on the move!

Wave Good-bye To Bluey

As most of you know, I drive the total "sex machine" known as Bluey. She's an '06 Kia Sedona, and the kids named her that because of her dark blue color. I love, love, love my mom-mobile, and you couldn't get me to drive anything else at this point in my life. Having the kids separated by their own seats is a wonderful thing. :)
I had stayed home all day yesterday (miracle in itself) until I was supposed to meet John at the gym around 5:30pm. I loaded the darlings into their seats, turned Bluey on, threw her in reverse--and heard the most gosh-awful noise! It sounded like metal grinding on metal. My stomach did a flipflop. I put it into drive to pull her back into the garage. Same horrible noise. Caitlin began to freak out on me at this point. "Mamma!! Is the car gonna fall apart?"
Golly I hope not.
So I put her in reverse again to pull her into the driveway to get a better look. I made a perimeter around the van, checking to make sure I wasn't dragging a pipe or something. Nothing.
I got back in, put it into reverse--same thing!! Oy.
I then drove her back into the garage and called the 1-800 number on the window for roadside assistance. I looked out onto the driveway, and there was a large chunk of metal laying where the car had been.
Sweet fancy moses. Just what I wanted to find--NOT.
I made the kids pile out of Bluey, called John to come home and scratch the gym plans, and then called my grandma to see if I could borrow her minivan for a day or so.
Now comes the weird part.
My grandma said she'd love to let me borrow the minivan, but my dad was already coming over to get it. His truck had apparently had a minor explosion under the hood earlier, and he had to have it towed to a nearby mechanic.
What in the world is going on? Are the stars misaligned? Is it a full moon? How does it happen that both of the vehicles we took to Palo Duro Canyon go caput on the same day and we both need to borrow the same minivan??
Ok, plan B. I called Dad and talked him into letting me borrow the minivan (thanks Dad--you're the greatest by the way). I waited for 3 hours until the tow truck FINALLY found our house. It really stinks that we still don't exist according to maps and mapquest. The kids stood out on their fort in the backyard and watched the tow truck man load up the van. Christian waved and pathetically says, "Bye-bye Bluey! I miss you!"
He came running to me and said, "Momma, are they takin' my car away?"
"Yes, Christian, they have to fix it."
"That's not very nice. They need painkins (spankings)!"
That's how I feel too, baby boy. *Sigh*

Funny side note: I was telling Misty about it this morning, and she said, "The darn snake got mad that he got chopped up at Palo Duro Canyon and he got his snake buddies to sabotage the vehicles." ROFL--probably true! :)

A Camping We Will Go...

My parents invited us to go camping with them in Palo Duro Canyon this weekend, and it was very exciting. The original plan was to stay up late and watch the meteor shower that was supposed to happen, but we all crashed and didn't get to see much. Oh well! :) We did, however, have several adventures---both planned and unplanned.
We got out to the camp site Saturday evening. The kids were trying to be "big helpers" while John and Dad were putting up the tents, so Mom and I decided to take them down to the creek nearby to play until camp was set up. As we were walking on the road to the creek, a big rattlesnake crossed in front of us about 20 ft. away. I saw it and yelled at Mom (who was carrying Caroline) to stop, just in time. She freaked out, the kids freaked out, and we stayed back until we saw the snake slither into some nearby shrubs. I saw a camp close to where we were standing that had several college-age guys hanging out, so I asked if any of them had anything to kill a snake with. One of the guys was apparently a snake hunter. He ran in, grabbed a shovel, and went straight over to where the snake was. Within 5 minutes, he had killed the snake by cutting its head off, buried the head (so no one would touch it and get poisoned), cut the rattle off and put it in his pocket, and displayed the snake's body for all to see (at this point we had drawn a crowd of campers). The guy let all of the kids around him touch the snake while Mom, Caroline, and I stayed in the background. ICK!!! :) We continued on to the creek and the kids played for a bit there.
During our stay, we saw wild turkey, countless fascinating bugs/insects, deer, and even a curious prairie dog. Caroline did great-she slept as well as she does at home. Thanks to John we had a nice fire and made smores. Mom and Dad cooked a wonderful breakfast Sunday morning, and John, the kids, and I went on a great hike. John carried Caroline in her sling on the hike, and she slept the WHOLE time! Thanks to Mom and Dad for inviting us and for sharing in our adventures!
The wild turkey--they were actually quite tame
The snake before the guy got ahold of it (center of pic)...
And the snake after...yucky!
Playing in the creek
Caroline trying out the water too (she LOVES water)
A sweet sister pic
The Campfire Master with a mouthful of sunflower seeds
Christian and Caitlin enjoying the campfire with Pappaw

VBS/Mimi & Pappaw's Backyard

This post is a bit late, but I still wanted to include it. So much to share from the past weeks and weekend, so bear with me! :)
My friend Jill invited Caitlin and Christian to attend her church's Vacation Bible School recently, and they had a blast. Caitlin has loved going to VBS at Grandma Duke's church for a couple of years now, and it was cool to be able to try another one as well. Jill and my other friend Keri were the teachers for the 3 year olds, so Christian felt very comfortable there. On the last day, they had a party with water games and snacks. John, Caroline, and I got to go watch it all, and I snapped these pics. Thanks to Jill and Keri for being so kind to Christian and Caitlin. They really had a good time!
Christian participating in duck, duck, goose using water balloons--too fun! My friend Keri is in the red shirt and cap
Caitlin getting in on some water gun action


Here are some other pics of the kiddos in my parents' backyard. Their wildflowers are just beautiful, and they have a cool hammock chair that the kids play in all the time. It's always a photo opportunity there! :)
As promised, Caitlin took her turn posing in the wildflowers
Does this look like an ornery little boy to you?!? :)
I loved this pic--shows their personalities for sure! Caroline had her finger in her nose or mouth in every pic I took lol

Got Stress?

John sent me this the other day, and I have found it to be very useful. I hope it helps you today as well!

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it does not happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that will not fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you cannot do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; do not use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it is time to go to bed to pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that you have never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Talking To Caroline

Christian did the most hilarious thing this morning. He was sitting at the bar having some cereal, and I was sitting in my recliner watching Caroline who was playing with toys on the rug. It was complete silence until he spoke up and said, "Hey Caroline, what are ya doing?"
"She's playing with her blocks," I responded.
"No Mamma!! I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Caroline!" he grumpily exclaimed.
"Oh goodness, I am so sorry Christian," I said. "Go ahead and talk to her again. I'll stay out of it."

:)

Christian began again. "Caroline, what are ya doing?"
"Oh nothing much brother. Just playin' with my blocks." (Let me interject here that I talk for Caroline a lot. I hold her up to the kids, change my voice to a more whiny version of mine, and carry on conversations with them as if it really was her talking--and that is what I did in this situation)
"That's cool Caroline," he responded.
"Hey Caroline! Can I come play with you after I finish my cereal?" he asked.
Again, in my Caroline voice I answered, "Sure brother. Come play with me."
"Thanks sissy. I'll be there in a minute."

So, basically, I have become Caroline's voice. Christian refuses to let "Mamma" answer questions for Caroline, so I guess I'll be talking like a squeaky chipmunk until she can form sentences. :)

Some Sad News

While going about my normal early morning routine, my brother called to share some very sad news with me. A childhood friend of mine, Renee (Hall) Ramsey, was killed in a car wreck near Goodland, Kansas while on her way to vacation in Colorado with her family. She was driving, and her mother (Rachel) and sister-in-law (Leah) were passengers. Renee's father (John), big brother (Jay), and little sister (Britanie) were in the vehicle in front of them, and they saw everything happen in the rear view mirror. Britanie sent my brother an email with all of the details of the crash, along with updates. Apparently, Renee was trying to avoid hitting another car that was coming into her lane and she lost control of her SUV, sending it rolling into a grassy embankment. She suffered massive head injuries and died on scene. Her mother suffered multiple injuries--a broken arm, dislocated shoulder, 14-15 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and bruising from head to toe to name a few. Her sister-in-law suffered from a damaged carotid artery, multiple fractures, dislocations, broken ribs, and lung damage. She is doing better than the mother, but still not great.
My family has known Renee's family for many years. When my brother and I began taking violin lessons, they were some of the first friends we made. In fact, both Josh and I played duets with Renee and Britanie--some even for competition. Renee and I lost touch after I got married and she moved to Omaha, Nebraska. I had often wondered where she was and what she has been doing. I feel so very sorry for her husband, Zack. He had to work, so he was at home when all of this happened.
I just want to ask for prayer for this family. The mother and sister-in-law are in a hospital in Denver, Colorado, so they are far away from home. I really don't know how everyone is coping with the loss of Renee on top of the massive amount of medical care that the other 2 women are receiving. One of the lines in the email that Britanie sent really stood out to me. As a mother, it completely breaks my heart. Here is what she wrote: "She (the mother) is in great pain, but today was able to talk to us for the first time since Saturday. Her few words have indicated that the greatest pain she is suffering is a broken heart, as she keeps whispering 'Renee' over and over and making crying noises. Her eyes are mostly swollen shut though, so her tear ducts are not functioning normally."
As I mourn the loss of a friend, I am reminded that it is very important to tell each and every person that is dear to my heart that I love them. So, to you all--my family and friends--I love you.

9 Months

Today was Caroline's 9 month checkup. She weighs 17lbs 4oz and is in the 25th percentile for weight (no surprise there). Also, she is 30 inches long and is above the 95th percentile, which really surprised the nurse practitioner (Sherri). She said that that means Caroline has grown 3 inches since her 6 month checkup, and that is rare to grow that much. Not for my babies it's not! :) Just when I thought Caroline would be chubby, she turned out just like her brother and sister--long and skinny.
Caroline is now pulling up on furniture and trying to stand without support. She still crawls like an inchworm, but will get up on her knees when she feels like it. She also refuses to eat baby food. She prefers table foods--anything Momma and Daddy have will do. :) She feeds herself and doesn't let much drop into her lap, which is a disappointment for Charlie who usually cleans out her high chair when she's finished. lol Caroline can say Dadda, Momma, Sissy, baba (bottle), bye-bye, and hi. She has 6 teeth and still not much hair. :) She can imitate quite a few things, like different noises Christian makes at her. Also, she can play pattycake, and will do so on command just to hear me say YEAH!
I really can't believe it's been 9 months since I had her. It totally blows my mind how fast time flies by me these days, but I do look forward to seeing her grow up and learn new things. I thank the Lord everyday that my children are happy and healthy. I couldn't ask for anything more!

They're Watching Us, I Just Know It!

As I was always told, life changes when you have kids. No mystery there. The only thing is, no one told me just how much life would change when you have your third kid. I go through the daily routine feeling certain that there is not a soul in this world that deals with the same issues that I do. I totally believed for the longest time that no one would ever understand what it's like---until now. My mom has been sharing this comic strip with me called Baby Blues. I swear, the writer must have a hidden camera in our house, because it is a true reflection of our day to day happenings. The stay at home momma, Wanda, has three children--Zoe (roughly Caitlin's age), Hammie (about a year or two older than Christian), and Wren (she's close to Caroline's age). I burst into laughter at some of the things these kids do that my children would do or have already done. Some of the things the parents do are horribly familiar as well. So if you have three kids, you will DEFINITELY understand and enjoy the following cartoons. If not, then you will pity those of us who do! :)

Simply click on the comic strips and they will show up big enough to read!

Another Caitlin Moment

"Hey Mom, ya know what?"

"What sweety?"

"At kids camp one night, I laughed so hard that I almost lost my laugh box."

"Ya don't say." :)

Add These To The Kids' Christmas List

The Japanese certainly are creative. I found these books on the internet today that are so very interesting. They are made to teach kids about their bodies, but I really don't know what would happen if they became part of our home library. We may never regain control of the Haskell household!! :)
This one is my favorite! LOL
Too funny!!