Perfect Little Snow Angels

We got our wish and today was an official snow day. No school! Chiggie was elated. She slept until 9, ate pancakes for breakfast and basically took it easy all morning. We played in the snow briefly. It is freezing cold outside and the babies just can't handle it. The forecast shows snow Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My mom and I are running a bake sale booth at this weekends' Christmas parade so I hope it isn't too wet and miserable.

In other news, I had an appointment with the Nurse today and my pregnancy was confirmed. I was given a due date of 7-26-07 which also happens to be Tea's birthday. We'll see what happens though. I have an appointment with the Doc on January 8th and at that time I should get an ultrasound and have a real date. Still very surreal!

Snow Day

This is what we woke up to this morning. We have about 6" and it's still going strong. It is only 19 degrees outside and the roads are slick. At 7 am Chiggie and I sat listening by the radio chanting, "no school, no school." The announcer didn't agree though, and stated that schools would be in session and on time. Bummer. She was at least excited to get to wear her new snow boots. We got there, unfortunately not on time. We could only go about 10 mph and there were several fender benders along the way.

This afternoon I hope to take the older girls out to play in the snow and maybe build a fort. It's supposed to snow until midnight. Who knows maybe tomorrow we will get our snow day.

Way Back When

Pictures like this reaffirm that things cannot make you happy. This is a picture of Chiggie's first Christmas. It is amazing because I felt absolutely on top of the world. After what seemed like the longest wait of my life I finally had a little baby to share the Holidays with. We have a lot more stuff now. There will be more presents under our tree, our stockings won't be pinned to the wall with tacks, but the only thing that really matters is that we have a lot more love.

Thief in the Night

Tonight when the King got home from work, he turned on all of the lights and inflated the snow globe. He had brought home a seven foot pre-lit artificial tree as a surprise for the parlor and we set it up, which took about 15 minutes. Then we got ready to take the princesses outside to admire the outdoor decorations again. The King went out first and he came storming back in. All I heard him say was that someone had stolen the snow globe and unplugged our lights! I rushed outside and sure enough the globe was gone and the lights were out. It was pitch black and hard to see anything. I ran over to the neighbors house and asked if they had seen anything and they hadn't. The King took off to find the culprits.

As he was pulling out the light shining from the headlights illuminated the side yard and there she lay, the snowglobe. The wind had unplugged the lights and blown the globe towards the back of our yard. I tried to flag him down but he was gone. With all the raucous the neighbors had come out onto their porch they were shaking their heads in disbelief. I mean who would steal a snow globe out of someones yard? I was too embarrassed to tell them no one and it was all just a big mistake. Plus I was a little worried that the King might possibly get arrested for assaulting an innocent teenager he suspected may have been involved.

He returned shortly and he too was humiliated when he realized it had never been gone at all. We waited until everyone had gone inside and then drug it around back. Tomorrow we will set it back up. If anyone has any ideas as to what we can tell the neighbors to save face I would love to hear em'.

29 Days and Counting

Well the stockings are now hung by the chimney with care. I just have to find one for Midge. I looked for one that said 'baby's first Christmas', but I couldn't find one that I really liked. I think I am just going to look for one that matches the rest. I guess I should just pick up two! Next weekend we will be getting our tree. We have to wait because we always get a live one and we don't want it to be dead the week before Christmas. It's tradition for us to buy and decorate our tree on the first Saturday in December and then spend that evening at the Christmas parade. Now if we could just get some snow........

OOOHHHHH......AAAHHHHH!

This is our this years pride and joy. It was a beautiful day to be outside hanging lights and our outdoor decorations are complete. We are in the process of finishing the inside so I must be going. I will be back tonight, with some indoor pics!

The Tell Tale T.V.

About 3 years ago we bought a new flat screen t.v. We spent some time thinking about what we wanted, measured our entertainment center and headed out to make a purchase. After showing the sales associate which one we wanted, we paid in the electronics department and were told to wait out front and the t.v. would be brought out to our car. We waited and waited and finally out it came. They loaded it up and off we went. It wasn't until we got home that we realized it was the wrong t.v.! A better, more expensive t.v. A bigger screen, higher quality t.v.! We cackled greedily at our good fortune. We made some adjustments to the entertainment center and hooked that baby up.

Fast forward 3 years. The t.v. is acting bizarre. The screen is fine, the picture is fabulous. But sometimes it just won't turn on. Other times it turns on all on its own. And sometimes it even turns off all on its own. It's eerie to say the least. Maybe we should've taken it back. It's that sound, click click, click click, click click. Its like it knows. Creepy.

The Sport of Shopping

People train for this day all year long. I mean there's the mad dash, the cart derby, the slide and grab......I could go on and on. There's a part of me that wants to be there. In on the action. I'm quick. I'm agile. But on the other hand I used to work in retail as a teenager and I know that I just don't have what it takes. The professionals are brutal and will stop at nothing. I love the sales and there are several of them that are hard to resist but I am just not willing to "fight" for them. We spent the day at home in hiding. But when things die down, we're gonna shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Growing Pains

Tonight the girls had a little campout while they watched a movie and it brought back old memories.

Me: "Remember when we used to sleep on the floor in front of the t.v. every year on the night before Thanksgiving? We would leave the t.v. on all night and then wake up to the parade."

King: "Oh yeah, I remember that, that was fun."

Me: "I wonder why we quit doing that?"

King: "Because Chiropractors don't work on Thanksgiving."

Evening Out

Chiggie is officially on Thanksgiving break. Tonight her and I went to see The Santa Clause III: The Escape Clause. It was cute and she loved it. It will be so nice having her home all day for the next six days. The next few days we'll be busy getting ready for the Holidays. Tomorrow I am going to spend the day cleaning the house and organizing Christmas decorations. I am also going to make some white chocolate fudge for the next days' dinner. Thursday we will be going to my Mom's house for a traditional feast of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and of course pumpkin pie. Friday we will set out all of the indoor decorations and then Saturday all the outdoor stuff will go out. I will try and post some before and after pictures so you all can see just how festive we are!

Burnin Up

It is definitely the season for sneezin'. Everybody around here is stuffed up. Midge has definitely taken the brunt of it but being this is day number 5 I am hoping the worst is behind us. Today I was rummaging through the bathroom drawer looking for the thermometer when I came across our old one that should have been thrown away. It did give me a good laugh though.

You see one day the King came home from work feeling a little more tired than usual. He said he was feeling achy, and very low on energy. I suggested he take his temperature as at the time there were several really nasty viruses going around. I sat by him on the couch while he used the thermometer. To my shock his temperature was 103.5. I immediately got him a pillow, blanket, cold rag for his head, Tylenol, and the t.v. remote. He nodded gravely at my gesture. I cooked dinner and brought his plate to the couch. He was able to eat, I was relieved.

As I was doing the dishes I really began to worry. I mean that is a really high temperature for an adult. I went back into the family room and suggested we call the doctor. The King, droopy eyed, declined, and in a raspy weak voice suggested he just rest. On a whim I decided to take my temperature just to see. Wow 104.9. I felt perfectly fine, but either we were both dying or something was up. I got another thermometer from the upstairs bathroom and checked the King again. A balmy 98.6! Turns out the thermometer was faulty and the King was fine. He finished the dishes.

Giving Thanks a Little Early

Tonight we went to the Thanksgiving dinner at our church and really I am thankful to just be home. I had pink lemonade spilled in my lap on four different occasions, Midge is still stuffed up and miserable, and I am pretty sure that a few young couples we managed to touch may never have children. If they weren't so cute I don't know what I would do. I am thankful for them every day!

Jolly Ol' St Nick

Well we made it through yet another year of Christmas pictures. Usually we make an appointment for the first weekend in December, but this year we decided to beat the crowd and get in before Thanksgiving. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because we got in well over an hour after our scheduled appointment time. Thankfully everyone was on their best behavior and we kept our sanity. While we waited to preview the pictures we took the princesses to visit Santa. This is the first year, aside from 6 months old, that Chiggie would even go near him. As you can see from the picture she didn't get too cozy but at least she went up there. Tea thought it was the greatest thing ever and I think Midge was just really confused at that point.



Waiting in line for Santa was ridiculous. We were the 2nd ones in line but the lady ahead of us would settle for nothing short of absolute perfection. Her son, we'll call him "Mikey", was on Santa's lap giving that deer in the headlights look most 3 year olds give and she was barking "smile Mikey, smile." We waited for "Mikey" to smile for like 20 minutes when finally the lady jerked him off Santa's lap and advised the staff that they would be back tomorrow after her and "Mikey" had a little talk. Sucks to be "Mikey".



Anyway, I had planned to buy a disc of the portraits we bought but the studio is on to me and they don't do that anymore. You can have the album e-mailed to you as soon as your package is ready so I signed up for that. That way I can e-mail the entire album to anyone who is interested in seeing some of the shots we didn't order. Trust me the wait will be worth it!

It's Not Delivery

I can't think of anywhere that I would rather be on a Friday night than right here in my house with my family. The King makes the best pizza I've ever had and it makes for a great kick-off to the weekend. We will all spend the rest of the evening cuddled on the couch, fire in the stove, watching Disney Channel. Perfection!

Don't go hatin', I also fell down a flight of stairs today, and Midge has a cold that has brought the dreaded bulb syringe out of hiding. But hey that's life.

Snow Family

I found this while going through my photo archives and for more reasons than one it really made me smile. This picture was taken the winter before we moved to Florida. I made the snow people myself, and they were only about a foot tall. It's strange how much can change in four years. We have since added two more snow people to our family. I haven't really built a snowman since then. The next two winters we spent in Florida and last year, at 7 months pregnant, I didn't really feel like romping in the snow. This year if we can get enough snow for two snow parents and 3 snow kids, then build I will.

Extreme Makeover Baby Edition

Now who doesn't look better with blue eyeshadow?

Candy Turkey

Chiggie made one of these today at preschool and I thought it was too cute! Fun to make and even more fun to eat!

What you need: 1 chocolate covered cherry

1 cookie

Indian Candy Corn

2 miniature m&m's

1 hot tamale

chocolate frosting

Directions: Frost the cookie liberally with chocolate frosting.

Using the frosting as glue, paste the chocolate covered

cherry on top. Press the candy corns along the back to

make the feathers. Then use the m&m's as eyes, and

the hot tamale as the neck. Voila, you now have your

own sweet turkey.

Now go make one, you know you want to!

Early Education

I have never really been the type to push my children academically at such young ages. I do however work with them through play to help them attain the skills I know that they will need once they begin school. With that said, here are a few funny Chiggie stories from the past week.

Me: "okay Chiggie, what letter is this" holding up a flashcard with an 's' on it.
Chiggie: "That's an s."
Me: "what sound does the letter 's' make?'
Chiggie: "sssssss, like cinnamon, right mom, sssss like cinnamon or like circle."

Me: pointing to a picture of a clock, "okay Chiggie, see the big hand is on the twelve and the little hand is on the six, what time is it?"
Chiggie: smiling and nodding like she is understanding the concept for the first time, " time for dinner."

Me: "Chiggie if you want to be big and strong you are going to have to eat at least some of your dinner."
Chiggie: " I am not hungry right now and I am already getting big and strong from all of the Halloween candy I ate."

What a character!

Eviction Notice

I haven't been sleeping well at all lately. Waking up several times a night with a foot, or back side right in my face has been driving me nuts. I woke up twice last week with no feeling in my shoulder, and that beat the pain that came once the numbness wore off. The pain and lack of sleep lead me to the decision to evict Midge. She will be getting the standard 30 days notice to allow her to get her things moved upstairs. When her time is up she will be 10 months old and I think she will be fully capable of making it on her own. I have been taking her upstairs often lately to try and acclimate her to her new "crib." She likes to sit in there and play with toys but I don't know if her sentiments will change once she is solo. So far she has been the most easy going baby we have had and I think she will make the transition smoothly. And who knows if all goes well, then in 2007 I may even be able to roll over in my own bed.

Gettin' Busy

We had an enormous to do list this weekend. It consisted of a soccer banquet, two birthday parties, having the SUV detailed, and several other must dos. Unfortunately the housework took backseat to the fun and now tomorrow will be all work and no play for this girl. This week shows the potential to be insanely busy. The princesses have an appointment for Christmas pictures, Chiggie has school pictures, we have a concert to go to, and Tea has a doctors appointment. Those are just the few things that stand out in my frazzled mind.

This time of year is so busy. I really need to start doing some more Holiday planning. I have made some gift lists and I have a pretty good idea what will be under our tree this year, I just need to do some shopping. I have never been one of those people that has all of their shopping done by the end of September, but I also don't want to be shopping at the last minute. Baking is another thing I want to do a lot of this Holiday season. It's so fun for the kids and I love to eat the goodies so we all win there.

On an end note I must say the princesses have been on their best behaviour while grocery shopping lately. This may or may not have to do with the fact that Chiggie spotted Santa Clause their two weeks ago. He wasn't in his traditional Christmas Suit, in fact he was wearing civilian clothes (overalls and a flannel shirt) It was obviously him though, I mean he had the white hair, long white beard, reading glasses, a cart full of chips and root beer.... Ever since we haven't had one tiny problem. I guess I should've pointed him out sooner.

Behind Bars

Bad girls, bad girls, watcha gonna do when they come for you? Well last night they almost "came" for Tea. As we were trying to get everybody into their pajamas and ready for bed last night Tea snuck the phone into the other room to make a quick call. She came walking into the family room carrying the phone and handed it to me. I took it, saw that it was on, and heard a voice coming from the receiver.

Me: "Hello?"
Lady: "Excuse me ma'am is there an emergency there?"
Me: "Ummm not that I am aware of" I mean I just used my last diaper on the baby, but does that really constitute an emergency?
Lady: "This is 911, and I have an officer on the way to check on you"
Me: " I am so sorry, my two year old got a hold of the phone. We'll take care of it I am sorry for the inconvenience."

Thankfully the operator verified our information and cancelled the officer. I hung up the phone and turned around to see Tea grinning from ear to ear. She spent the rest of the night behind bars. That'll learn her.

Super Star

Tonight was Chiggie's soccer banquet and the kids had a blast. It was held at a local pizza parlor and every kid from the team was there. After everyone had eaten and the kids had drained their parents of quarters playing video games, the coach gathered all the kids around and handed out trophies. The kids were so surprised. We had kept it a secret since the end of the season two weeks ago. This is the first trophy Chiggie has gotten and she is so proud. The trophy actually looks just like her and she keeps saying over and over "I knew I was a super star." Yes Chiggie you are our Super Star!

If you give a puppy a french fry

If you are eating the most delectable french fries that you have ever had and your new puppy is looking at you longingly, begging to try just one. Don't give in. If you give the puppy a french fry then you might wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of her tummy rumbling. You might be so tired that you don't get up in time and she doesn't make it to the "potty" on her own. You might have to get out all of your accident supplies and spend the next 30 minutes cleaning the area. By the time you do that you won't be tired anymore so you will take the puppy out to the couch where the two of you will play and watch t.v. After a while of being up you might get hungry. You could look in the freezer where you may or may not see frozen french fries. You might heat some up and have yourself a snack. The puppy will give you that longing look and you will toss her a fry briefly forgetting why you are up. You will remember quickly and the puppy will spend the rest of her night in the back yard!

Heat Wave

Last week the temperatures were below freezing on several different occasions. We lay huddled under blankets, shivering, too scared to chance raising the thermostat and our utility bill. Then we got the wood burning stove, ordered wood, and waited. We dared the temperature to drop back down. Eagerly we watched the weather channel expecting to see cool days and chilly nights. Nope didn't happen. We have experienced a heat wave. Today it was in the 80's. I was half tempted to go outside myself, rip the cover off the air-conditioning unit, and fire that baby up! It's supposed to be this way for the remainder of the week believe it or not. Ironic, yes I really do think.

Do I have something in my teeth?

After almost 9 months without, Midge has finally decided that solid food is not so bad. At first she would eat a few small bites and lose interest. Now, until that jar is gone, you better stay right in her line of sight and not make any sudden movements. During her entire meal she makes smacking noises and squeals with delight. She makes several attempts to grab the spoon mid-air and shove it in her mouth herself. Needless to say a bath usually follows dinner.

Snoozin

You know how sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night, glance anxiously at the alarm clock, and then snuggle back in when you realize you have only been in bed an hour and you still have 6 more glorious hours to go? Well the other night or morning I should say the King and I both awoke at the same time. Our eyes raced to the clock and we both let out a sigh of relief when we saw that it was midnight. My mouth was dry so I got up to grab a quick drink. Funny, the clock in the kitchen said that it was 5am. Hmmm the clock in the family room said the same. Turns out neither of us remembered pushing snooze but somehow the time on the clock was changed. Now its funny, but at that very moment neither of us laughed.

A girl and her Dress

I was cleaning out my hope chest this morning and there it was. Chiggie's Mickey dress! It has been a long time since I have seen the dress but I haven't forgotten its significance. The dress was a gift from a trip to Walt Disney World when she was almost two years old. It was love at first sight. She wore the dress everyday for an entire year. When we would go somewhere that she had to wear something different she would immediately put the dress back on as soon as we got home. This dress has been worn with a turtleneck, snow boots, sandals, etc. It no longer has a seam on the bottom and the side is torn and tattered. This never bothered her. She fondly named the dress "My Mickey Dress" even though the emblem is Minnie Mouse. We finally retired the dress at age three when it began to look more like a tank top. It was a sad day, she helped me fold it and watched as I closed the chest. I guess you really can't come between a girl and her dress.

Simply Wonderful

The weather today is absolutely gorgeous and we could not get out of the house fast enough. We took the puppy for a walk with a layover at the park where the girls ran around and soaked up the Autumn sun. Midge enjoyed being pushed in the swing and Tea enjoyed the pushing. It is amazing for me to watch Chiggie swing all by herself. She swings as high as she can reaching towards the clouds claiming to eat their fluff. According to her, cloud fluff tastes very similar to cotton candy but is not sticky at all. I would love to try some but my teeth are so sensitive lately and swinging makes me air sick, so I have to live vicariously through her on this one. I wish everyday could be so simple.

Fire in the Hole

Here she is, our new pride and joy. Here's to a nice and toasty winter!

Goodbye Gas

Today we will bid our elegant gas fireplace ado. While we have enjoyed the thing immensely we just can't handle the cost of operating it anymore. Before summer even ended we made the decision to install a wood burning stove in the fall. Well the time has come. We advertised the gas in the paper and have a looker coming this afternoon. We bought the wood burning stove yesterday and by tomorrow we should be roasting marshmallows. I am a little concerned about being in charge of the fire when the King isn't here. Usually I am the one up camping who throws a log on the fire followed by high pitched screaming, stamping, and concluding with "I am okay, just a little burned nothing some sylvadine can't fix." So, we shall see. As soon as she is up and running I will post a picture for all to see.

I Had A Dream

It all started with a dream, or a wish if you will. I can't really say that we needed a new vehicle, we all fit in the one that we had. I can on the other hand say that we desperately wanted a new one. The princesses could barely move in the backseat of our previous ride and when we opened up the door to let them out it was like snakes coming out of a can, they just popped right out. Soooo, we searched high and low, did some research, and finally made a purchase. We made the right choice. The King is absolutely in love, and as for the rest of us, we feel like Royalty riding in this rig!

Sweet Summer

By the end of this past summer I was fairly certain that I was ready for it to be over. We enjoyed yummy food cooked on the grill, late nights outside with the girls, watching Popstar play T-ball for the first time, and visiting our absolute favorite camping spot. Now that it is November and the weather is inevitably changing, I find myself remembering what was such a short time ago very fondly. My hands are already chapped from the cold, my roses have wilted, the grass we worked so hard to grow from seed is now dormant, and at 3:30 in the afternoon I am walking through the house flipping on lights because it is getting dark outside. I love the fall I really do, and I am looking forward to the Holidays and all the traditions of the season, but the love I feel in the summer is even warmer than the sun!

Bank Bones

I had to go to the bank this afternoon to make a quick deposit and it turned out to be a real treat for all involved. We all loaded up into the new Chariot...finally enough space for everyone. I had Popstar and Skunk with me so it was much needed. At the last minute I decided to bring Beasley as she was tangled up in the back yard howling like the hound she is. We got to the bank and I really put on a show for the teller as I tried to pull into a space that my new Chariot was way too big for. I had to open the door to get the tube to put my deposit in because I was too far up from the console to reach. The teller and I then had this conversation:

Teller: : With a smirk "How's the weather up there?"
Me: Blushing, " just adjusting to driving such a big vehicle"
Teller: "How many kids you got in there?"
Me: "Ummmm 5, yeah 5"
Teller: "Wow, they all yours?"
Me: "No, 3 are"
Teller: "Wow 3 kids"
Me: Nothing, but thinking, has this lady looked into my finances and is now wondering how we support them?
Awkward silence ensued.

Finally the tube came back through the shoot, I again got out and retrieved it. Much to my delight there were five suckers.......and three dog bones. No kidding dog biscuits at the bank. I didn't realize there would be such a need. I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Is This Thing On??

Mike check...check...check...one two three..... Okay I think this thing is on. Where to begin. Okay I know I would like to thank my family for giving me this idea. Okay for all the family that is out there reading thinking, "I never told her to get on the internet and do this!" You didn't really give me the idea but you inspired me to start this whole thing up. I figured this would be an easy way to somewhat communicate with you all on a regular basis and keep you updated on the Princess Trio, the King, and my self the Queen B. As soon as I get this whole thing figured out I will be putting up some pictures and personalizing my pad so to speak, so be patient. I love you all and stand by for more!