The Toothless Wonder Strikes Again!

I love that Aidan has lost his two front teeth on top! It is so absolutely adorable! I was so excited for them to come out that I actually bribed him. I know. As a parent I should not resort to bribing my children, but I couldn't help it. It is so cute for him to be toothless! I told him this summer as those top teeth started to loosen that I would give him a dollar in addition to the dollar the tooth fairy left him, if he would only get those teeth out before school started. He did get one out before school. I know you are thinking that is pure manipulation. I will have you know that it WAS really loose before it came out, thank you very much. Now, top tooth #2 is out, as well. I am sad that the his grown up teeth are already coming in, but, never fear, school pictures are next week. He will be forever memorialized in pure, unadulterated childhood innocence, as represented by toothlessness. I love it!

Here is the first tooth gone:

Here is top tooth #2 gone. Look at my little goober! He is so proud.:)

It Didn't Get Here

The "it" I am referring to this time is the kitty acquisition. Those poor kitties were just not healthy. They didn't stay. Sorry, kitties. They took a short trip to the Humane Society. Let this be a lesson to all you animal owners out there. It is being kind to spay or neuter your loving little pets. Then I don't have to explain to my 4-year-old, 6-year-old, and 31-year-old that NO the kitty is not coming back home with us. Seriously. It's just not fun.

A Day I Thought Would NEVER Come

And by never, I mean absolutely, never in a million years did I think MY husband would ask me if we could have a cat. This is the man who used to sick his dog on the cat every chance he got when he was growing up. But he has a soft heart. This morning, while washing his hands in the bathroom he heard a hiss, meow, woof! He then proceeded to the back door to call for Gomer. Gomer didn't come--which is very unlike him. Brad headed out to find out what Gomer was up to. There was one seriously peeved kitten hiding in a corner in our back yard. Not only that one, but there was another sitting on a log 5 feet away. I was then woken up from my sweet slumber (where I was dreaming that I was driving KIT from Knight Rider--it was very cool, by the way). Needless to say, the kitten was still peeved when I got out there. I blocked him one way while Brad grabbed him with gloves. We put him in a kennel and went back for the other one. Now I have 2 kittens in my dining room. This is where I get to the unexpected part. My husband (yes, Brad!) asked if we could keep them! Not in so many words, but I believe the exact phrasing was something like, "What do we tell the kids when they ask?" Ask what? I couldn't believe it. We'll see how it goes. One of the kitties does not look very healthy. If this/these cat(s) stay, there are rules. I will not do a litter box. They must be neutered. Hopefully, Gomer won't eat them. We'll see...

Washing in the River

By the title, you might just think that is blog will be about some wonderfully moving, deep spiritual experience. Sorry to disappoint this time. This is literal washing, of the poopy sort. This story begins on July 3rd. We were having a nice evening at Beaver Creek. It is not often that water actually flows through Beaver Creek, let alone enough to float on it. It has been about 3 years since there was really water in it. Most of the family was there; my parents, my brother & his family, our family friend, and us. I am standing on the side of the river just enjoying watching everyone wade in the water. The kids are floating on the tubes. There's laughing and splashing and giggling. Great fun! Great memories! Then I am distracted from my little dream world when my husband calls me over to get Breanna. Why can't he just bring her to me? The water's cold, I'm thinking. Never the less, I am the mommy, so I go to her. That's when he tells me. She has poop in her pants. Apparently, she had a wet fart. He was playing with her. Why do I get to clean it? Because I'm the mommy, that's why. I think it's the comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, that talks about as little kids we pretend to not see the dog vomit on the floor, so that Mommy can clean it up. This was one of those situations...even though my husband knew it was there. Hmmm...Anyway, I wade my little frozen feet to my little sweetness. I take her hand and we walk over to the other side of the river so that we are not upstream from everyone else. Down go the britches. Down goes the bum into the water. I don't carry a roll of toilet paper in my pocket, and, let's face it, even if I did it would just get those funky little roll-up fuzzies all over her hindparts anyway. So we washed in the river. If we are continuing on this honesty streak, the animals do it, too. You can't tell me that Bambi doesn't have the occasional bowel movement whilst prancing his happy hopping feet across the creek. So next time any of you that get your water down stream from Beaver Creek take a drink, feel reassured that the washing in the river took place several months ago. You have already drinken Breanna's little particles and moved them on through. Happy drinking!

Shooting Off

My little babies are growing up so fast, of course and as usual. This year we celebrated the 4th of July by heading to the in-laws to bbq and set off fireworks. Aidan was especially excited to get to help light fireworks this year. He was a regular little pyromaniac. It was really cute! He jumped all over the place and kept telling Brad, "I want to light another one!"--before the last one was even done going off. Breanna really like the fireworks, but was not so interested in lighting them. She sat on my lap and enjoyed the view...all while singing songs at the top of her lungs. Her favorite song, of course, was "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" which she sings all the time--at the top of her lungs in a big rocker voice. It is really funny! I guess she is just practicing for when she will have to sing over the noise of the kitchen. (As you might, or might not recall, she wants to be a chef and a singer when she grows up.) We also sang "God Bless America" and a couple more that I can't recall, but it was fun for all...well, the neighbors didn't complain, anyway. Good food, good fireworks, good company. What more can you ask for?

Flying Colors

I passed! Yeah! What did I pass, you ask? My orange belt test, of course. I have to admit, I was a little bit anxious going into it, but once I got there, it wasn't so bad. I won't say it was easy because I was dripping sweat at the end...due to running 25 laps and going mock 90 through all the techniques--all 500 of them. Okay, 500 may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but it felt like 500. Amazingly enough, I did remember them all. Aidan said he thought it was cool to watch, but he is a little bit nervous to do his orange belt test in a few weeks. Up until this point, testing is done in class with just one teacher watching. At orange belt, everything changes. You have to come in on a separate day, for starters. Then, you have to perform all your techniques in front of a board of instructors--who are mostly black belts--and your family or whomever else is watching. No pressure. It was a big relief for me for it to be people that I knew that I was testing in front of. My biggest problem was cotton mouth. After running the laps, I could barely talk because it was so bad. I don't know if it was just out of breath-ness, or my sjogren's syndrome, but it was terrible! I had to explain a technique while having no moisture in my mouth! Ick! Anyway, everything considered, it was not too bad. I now look forward to watching ALL of the rest of my family go through it. By the way, my favorite part was the very end of the technique section, before the question and answer time... and by favorite, I mean not so much. However, I am not going to spoil the surprise for those of you that are just about to start karate. I will let you stew on it and wonder...

Finger Wrapping

I often kid about Breanna having her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. I don't often get such a clear example of it, however. This last Friday we had a little check up for Breanna. Usually, at the end of said appointment, she gets a new toothbrush. Great. Not a problem. Wonderful, in fact. THIS time she got stickers...princess stickers that she picked out, to be exact. As we proceed to the car at the end of our appointment, she asked about the apparently forgotten toothbrush. I pointed out that she got stickers instead and that we would get a toothbrush at the next appointment to which she promptly responded with a yelling temper tantrum and refused to be buckled into her seat. We don't move until kids are buckled, so I patiently waited for a minute or two. When the tantrum appeared to not subside at all, I ever so kindly smooshed her into her booster seat, buckled her in, and went on down the road. It was so much fun to listen to her scream at the top of her lungs all the way home about a toothbrush. This is the part where the daddiness comes in. I told her along the way that she would get a spanking when we got home for her poor choice in attitude. She did not agree with the prescribed antidote to her behavior, so she decided to not hold still. I then picked her up and carried her to Daddy to administer the alleged injustice. Seriously, Daddy tapped her on the rear end with the spoon. I just glared at him. Daddy is supposed to back me up. He usually does a good job, but oh my goodness... that little, blond girl has him completely wrapped around her little finger. He just smiled and we all walked away...

"The offending angel"

Just Lick It

I was wrestling and tickling Breanna on the couch. I love to tickle her tummy. She gets so giggly! In the process, her little toe nail scratched my leg a little bit. It was not a major gash by any means, just a tiny little surface scratch--you know the kind that just leaves a little white mark on the surface. My first response was just a quick, "Ouch." Nothing major. Breanna was prompt to rescue me.
"Just lick it, Mom." I wasn't sure what she was talking about, so I inquired.
"What are you talking about, B?"
"You know, Mom. Where my toe scratched you, it left a white mark on your leg. All you need to do to make it go away is lick it," and then she proceeded to demonstrate by licking her finger and wiping it on my leg. Yum. She then again explained that the lick it technique does not work on red scratches...just the white ones. It's like magic. Who knew?

It's Finished!

Okay, well the first phase is done. We are remodeling our mudroom because I hated it, and because I started pounded holes in the wall before my amazing hubby could change his mind (again!) on which home project to start first. So demolition is done. Yeah! Now clean up begins and then reassembly. Sort of. We don't want to take out the old windows until we have the new windows. Thankfully, we have been getting a lot of rain lately. That makes for green grass, beautiful flowers, and soggy floors if we take the windows out. Soon. Patience, grasshopper. I am really trying...

In Town Hunting

My son LOVES hunting. He gets to go bird hunting with Grandad, and we hear about it for days. He talks about elk hunting all the time, too. And deer hunting...

Although we live in the middle of our small town, the area used to be full of orchards, and is still somewhat rural in feel. Occasionally, we get bears that knock our trash over. (Yes, I know they are bears because I called the police when my neighbors dog was barking incessantly at 2 o'clock in the morning. When the police arrived, they found the dog had treed a bear.) We sometimes have raccoons and often skunks. Much to the chagrin of my neighbors that have vegetable gardens, we also have deer. A couple days ago, 2 such deer were walking down the middle of our road. The kids and I happened to be out in the front yard. Aidan shushed Bre and I and quickly ran in the house.
"Surely, he is not afraid," I thought. I knew better. In the meantime, the deer started to walk down the road. Out comes Aidan from the house with his plastic Batman sword.
"What are you doing?!" I ask. It took everything I had to not roll on the ground laughing at his response.
"I'm deer hunting," like it is completely natural and common occurrence to deer hunt with a plastic, toy sword.
"What are you going to do with your sword?" With a questioning look as if I am the crazy one, he replied,
"I can hit it really hard!" as he raised his sword in the air and demonstrated his "really hard" hitting technique. Fortunately for the deer they had already run down the road out of sight. We did have to go for a walk and look for them, but we never saw those particular deer again...on that day. But I am sure that Aidan is still on the look out for them, and when that happens, they better hope he doesn't have his sword with him.

Faux Pics

Most people know that I work part-time as a faux painter assistant. Often, I try to describe some of the really cool effects that we do, but it can be hard to imagine what they really look like. Finally, I took some pictures of the last house that we did, and I will share them here with you. The pictures don't do the finishes justice, but they did turn out really amazing...if I do say so myself. Enjoy!

This 1st picture is the chocolate brown venetian plaster in the entry way. It has a slight metallic bronze finish, but it is very hard to see in the picture. It has a super glossy, very smooth finish--even though it looks textured and rough. This is one of my absolute favorites!


This alcove in the ceiling is a metallic bronze finish. It looks like a big piece of bent metal, but it is done with paint. Very cool!

This is the hallway from the garage to the great room. It has a very warm tuscan texture and finish. There are 3 niches with a darker bronze finish and granite "countertop" pieces. This same finish is also in the kitchen.

This is the great room and stairway. It has a warm, golden venetian plaster...and yes it goes clear up to the ceiling and, yes, those ceilings are probably 20 feet tall. Needless to say, I have gotten much better about dealing with heights.

This is a closer up picture of the great room wall. The light fixtures are gorgeous, as well as all the built in shelves. Again, the venetian plaster is a super smooth, shiny finish. It feels like glass to the touch and has crushed marble in it. Very pretty!

This is the venetian plaster in the dining room. It is the same golden color as the great room (as they are connected), but it has a different metallic gold glaze on top of it. It turned out gorgeously!

This is the ceiling in the dining room. It has an inset ceiling. It is a little hard to see in this picture, but it is a soft, almost cloud-like faux finish. Very elegant and subtle. Tina (my boss) is the one who painted this one.

This niche is in the dining room. It has the gold venetian plaster.

This ivory venetian plaster niche is next to the steam shower. The walls are a bronze metallic finish that is SUPER cool! This is the first time we have done this metallic finish and I absolutely LOVE it!

This inset is above the bathtub. It is the metallic finish in the center, then framed by the ivory venetian plaster, then surrounded by the bronze finish again. I loved how this turned out, too.

This is a close up of the metallic bronze finish. Again, it does not do it justice, but it is gorgeous and very warm feeling.

This is the view as one soaks in the bathtub. The columns (done by Tina) are venetian plaster, but they look like they are solid marble. There will eventually be a t.v. in the middle of the tile.

This is a different view of the ceiling above the bathtub. It's a little further back so you can see the arches above the bathtub.

That is the end of my little bragging session. I hope you enjoyed it! Call me if you would like to do these or other finishes in your house!:)

Ketchup

Of late I have been a bit lax about blogging and adding pictures, so everyone can see how big Breanna and Aidan are getting. So I am going to play a little bit of catch up in this blog (Get it? ketchup...the title of this entry. Ha ha).

For Christmas Aidan and Breanna got a new fort/swingset from the grandparents. They love to have picnics at the table. I was able to snap a few shots of them enjoying their lunch. Of course, they spied Mommy spying on them. I just love how well they play together...when they aren't fighting!

No, Breanna does not have pink eye. For her 4th birthday, Breanna got make up. Boy, was she excited! This girl is all girl. In this picture she is having fun applying LOTS of eye shadow. Fortunately, the colors are light...

Aidan and Breanna attend the AWANA program at our local church. Every year at the end of the year, they have the AWANA Grand Prix. Aidan's first year, he and Daddy made Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. He won 2nd place for design. I don't think he crossed the finish line. Last year, Daddy procrastinated a little bit and we made a fun car, but it didn't place at all. This year was Bre's first year, so she got to make a car, too! She was so excited. The picture below is the kids watching Daddy paint their cars. There are 2 divisions: TNT (older kids) and Adults and/or Sparks & Cubbies (younger kids). Obviously, we all know who really does the work on the little kids' cars...hence the adult category. Breanna placed 3rd for design this year with her pink fairy car. I think it crossed the line once. We are going to focus more on speed next year, and maybe we can all cross the finish line, at least...hopefully. Nevertheless, it was good fun for all!

It seems like yesterday--literally--that Aidan was headed off to his first day of kindergarten. Now he has less than 2 weeks left. One of the events that always seems to mark the end of the school year is Games Day. Aidan and his class walked to the nearby park and happily participated in Games Day this year. I was able to follow and take a few pictures of the giggles and grins that were so easy on this warm spring day. By the way, that scooter that Aidan is sitting on and pushing himself with plungers is indeed a toilet seat. They assured us that they were not used prior to this day...

Another event that marks the end of the school year is the AWANA Award Ceremony. Like I said previously, both kids attended this year. Breanna got her book 1 award...and a coupon for free Cold Stone ice cream. She and Mommy already used it, but don't tell Daddy. Aidan didn't finish his book this year, but we'll get caught up next year. He still had a lot of fun and enjoyed bringing his friend, Gavin, with him the 2nd half of the year.

This is Aidan at his point in the award ceremony. He cracks me up because whenever he does anything like this, he "stands at attention" just like a Marine. He's so handsome...

With that, I will sign off for now. Enjoy the pictures. I do actually have some writing in progress for this blog, but it is *obviously* not finished yet. It may be a few days before it gets done. I actually have to write a paper for my karate class to get my orange belt in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.

My Marine

I love living in a small town. I really do. Last weekend was the yearly parade for spring time. As usual, we went to go watch. As usual, there were marching bands, the queen and her court, the senior citizen king and queen, floats, and the color guard. My son is a fanatic of anything remotely having to do with the Marines, Army, or military in general. Something only has to be camouflage to be completely awesome in Aidan's mind. Perhaps because I grew up in a military household, I feel strongly that we need to salute the flag for the entire time that it is in front of us until it has passed. I know that freedom isn't free. The least we can do is salute the flag of our country. My kids darn well better get their behinds up, too. I seriously get choked up every time. I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes every time the flag goes by. When the Army trucks and the Marine humvee drive by with soldiers in uniform sitting in it, I always try to look in their eyes and tell them, "Thank you!" I'm getting forklempt just writing about it 2 weeks later. I know it's not a lot, but I just want to express my thanks at least a little bit and in a small way to those that do protect and serve our country.

What does all that have to do with MY marine? It's simple. We all know that Brad was not in the Marines. However, I would honestly be surprised if Aidan does not become a Marine when he grows up. He loves to play good guys and bad guys and little army men. Anything camouflage is "Marine" to Aidan. Grandpa and Great-Grandpa were Marines. He and grandpa play Marines. He just loves it. So a few weeks ago I was playing with my camera and, as usual, Aidan was a more than willing subject...with his sword and his Marine salute. Make sure you look at the pictures in order...no, we don't salute Hitler in our house. I am still working with the timing on my camera. You'll see what I'm talking about below.

After this picture was taken, Brad did explain to Aidan that one's hand is supposed to go down after a salute...

Sparring

Scent. Sight. Hearing. Take it all in, but don't focus on anything. "Too many minds" it's called. No, I don't hear voices in my head. Feel. Trust my feelings...my senses. You'll have to pardon me today. I am just processing outloud. Let me back up a little. Last week at karate, we did this blindfold exercise. Basically, you walk around with your eyes closed and a blindfold on. There are several others doing the same thing at the same time and there are 2 or 3 unblindfolded people grabbing your arms or covering your mouth, or something like that. It sounds kind of freaky, but it is a controlled situation and is actually kind of fun! Last week when we were doing the blindfold exercise, I did really well for once (the first time was not so good). To make a long story short, I paid attention and was able to stop just short of running into the "bad guy"--even flinching out of the way--several times. Honestly, I couldn't see with my eyes. It is very strange to describe. I kind of felt like Luke Skywalker, but it wasn't all wierd "the force is with you" type stuff. It was just paying attention to everything, but nothing. I know it sounds really wierd. Fast forward back to last night and sparring. Now I am trying to put those two things together: being aware of my surroundings (which is helpful in a lot of ways), and sparring/fighting. It is reacting, but from my feelings and not necessarily to what I see because that can be distracting. Hmm...a lot to think about.

Something the Karate Kid Didn't Teach Us

As mentioned a few blogs back, Aidan started karate with Grandad. Since then, we have all started karate: Brad, Breanna, Me, AND Aidan and Grandad. It has been a blast! A fun family activity that is a great workout at the same time...who could ask for more? So it has been a couple months now. We are learning new skills and we are all yellow belts at this point. Very cool. Now we are beginning to spar. Basically, that means we are learning to fight. Honestly, it is a lot of fun. Last week, I got to spar against Brad. This is where I get to the part about what the Karate Kid DIDN'T teach us about karate. Apparently, it is very important for guys to wear a cup when participating in karate--even during regular class. So as much as I do honestly love my hubby (...you can see where I'm going with this...) I ACCIDENTALLY kicked him where his cup should have been. Oops! He was a good sport about it. He didn't cry in front of the whole class...even when his incredibly insensitive wife was laughing. So in this public forum, I wanted to apologize to my hubby ONE MORE TIME so that he knows I really mean it. I am sorry Brad for kicking you there. By the way, he did make a full recovery.

A Hole-y Day

For months now, Breanna has been asking to get her ears pierced. Daddy has consistantly said no, but Breanna is very persistant.

"Daddy, can I get my ears peered?" And, yes, she said peered. She likes earrings, she told him. After months of asking, Daddy finally gave in. This last Monday was the big day. Off to Wally World we went. Daddy held Breanna on his lap. Mommy snapped away at the camera with Grandma behind hers. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Here are Daddy and Bre, picking out the earrings. Still very excited!

Cleaning the earlobes. Still excited!

Checking the dots to make sure they are even. Still doing well.

Ow! She said. I was glad they did both ears at the same time.

So that hurt a little more than she was expecting. Glad Daddy was there!

Again...glad Daddy was there!

It didn't take long for the ouchie to wear off and the excitement to come back. Now Bre has become a professional at tucking her hair behind her ears so she can show off her new sparkly earrings. What a big girl!

I am still here. I haven't forgotten about my blog, even though I will admit I have been neglecting it. I am very excited to say, for those of you that read my blog to see my kids, I have good news. I finally got a new camera! Yeah! I haven't had much chance yet to learn all the cool stuff it can do, but I can at least take a simple picture. Here are a few of my fast growing sweetnesses...

Aren't they cute?

The Karate Kid Lives On

You know you loved it. We all did. It was the 80's. Daniel-son. Mr. Miaggi. The crane kick--you know you did it. Admit it. On the playground. I was there, too. Anyway, what's not to love? We still watch it at our house. Unless you are Renese, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's the Karate Kid movie. Well, the Karate Kid came back to life recently--in a little different form. He's a 6-year-old white kid from Colorado instead of a 15-year-old Italian kid from New Jersey. Aidan started karate lessons thanks to Grandad. He has talked about doing karate for a really long time, so I was pretty surprised when we went on the first night and he got his suit on and didn't want to participate at all. Great. It's already paid for. Get out there and do it. No, Mom. Fine. Grandad did it. Sissy did it, even. Now Daddy's up there. There goes Mommy, too. No Aidan. I don't want to push too hard. Fast forward to night #2 of karate. He's out there on the floor doing the kicks, punches, stances, and answering questions--with Mommy and Sissy. Now all 3 of us have our white belts. I'm serious. It's fun. Now he goes twice a week and loves it! However, he does have a small reservation about his instructors: he doesn't think they know how to do the kick from, you guessed it, the Karate Kid. I told you we still watch that movie.

When I Grow Up...

Breanna is a little singer. In fact, as I write this she is sitting with the headphones on singing kid songs. She also loves to help cook. She likes to sit on the counter and pour ingredients and stir. It only made sense, then, when she told us a couple days ago that she was going to be a singer-chef at church, specifically. This girl knows what she wants. When I was her age, I wanted to be a nurse. The only problem was that I didn't like needles, and I still don't. Obviously, that didn't work out. That's okay. I really do love being a Christian mommy, a business owner, volunteer (at church, Aidan's school, and La Leche League), wife, friend and painter. I think my time is pretty well filled. She can do what she wants. This is such an amazing country. That really can happen, provided the Lord doesn't return before she gets grown up. She did inform me the other day that she asked God to come into her tummy now. I think she did that so she could have communion at church. We're still working on that one. Precious are these memories.

3 weeks and counting

It has officially been 3 weeks since Breanna quit nursing. It only took 2 of those weeks for her to quit asking for it. I'm really proud of her. And she only cried to sleep in my arms 2 times. That was terrible. I just kept trying to not think, "All she wants is to nurse just a little bit. I could nurse her for just 2 seconds..." It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Seriously. She's my baby. She does keep telling me that she loves the nini's, though. And she does still come snuggle next to them and say, "My nini's." I don't tell her that Daddy is glad to claim them as his now...Once upon a time, they were mine. Another cute thing Breanna has been doing that I just now realized has been happening since she weaned is that she keeps telling me she loves me--about 50 times a day...literally. I might be downstairs and I will hear a little voice holler down, "I love you, Mommy!" I might be going to the bathroom (with the door closed for 10 seconds of privacy) and I hear, "I love you, Mommy!" through the crack underneath the door. It's all the time. I have to admit that it is just precious and I really do enjoy it. It's just funny. I guess all those billions of times when she was nursing, and she would look up into my eyes and smile that milky grin at me, it was her way of saying just that, "I love you, Mommy!" She is such a big girl now. In just a few short months she'll be 4-years-old. She is so into girly things now, too. This girl LOVES nail polish. The paints hers every day and mine at least once a week and the grandma's as much as possible, too. Now it is time again to get re-fitted for bras, but as I like to say, that's a blog for another day. For now, I am focusing on a new stage with my precious baby girl who is now a big girl.

I Can't Get No Satifizacation

One of my pet peaves is being forced to eat food after the point of being full (aka "cleaning your plate). It goes back to the breastfeeding thing, I'm sure. B-fed babies eat until they are full, then they stop. You can't force them to continue nursing when they are done. It's just how it works. They learn to listen to their body and what it is telling them. I love Aidan-isms and Breanna-isms. This pet peave and this week's Aidan-ism converge at the dinner table. I often ask Aidan if he is satisfied or if he is just eating because it tastes yummy. So here is the convergence: satifized. Translation: Mom, I am satisfied, so I'm done stuffing my face because it tastes good. Satifized. I just thought it was so cute. As he is learning so much, his Aidan-isms are becoming fewer and farther between. What fun they are!

Postscript

If you would like to join us for our "Bye-Bye Nini" Party, it will be this Friday at 6:00 p.m. at our house. We will be having cake and saying goodbye to Ninis. No presents, please. We are just celebrating the end of one stage and the beginning of another for Breanna. Thanks!

Bye-bye Ninis

That's it. Done. Finito. Sianara. Good bye. A bittersweet end. I am excited to have my body to myself again. After all, it has been over 6 years now since that has been the case. I am also so so and I keep crying. This morning at 6 a.m., Breanna came into my room to snuggle (a.k.a. to nini).
"Mommy, can my lovey and me sleep with you?" she asked me. Actually, I was awake--not awake-awake, but my eyes were open. If you've ever read most anything by Dr. William Sears, he talks about how mom and baby develop the same sleep pattern. If you sleep with your baby close (ie. in your bed, or close by your bed), you will notice when they are little that you will wake up about 2 seconds (literally) before they do. It's kind of weird until you understand what is happening. Anyway, this morning was one of those times. Breanna had been sleeping all night in her bed, but apparently we are still on the same sleep pattern. So here come Breanna and lovey.
"Yes, you and lovey can come into Mommy's bed, but NO nini because you ninied at bedtime." That's our deal lately. I've been trying to wean her completely, but she has really hung onto those last two nini times. And forget about those if she doesn't feel well; it will jump from 2 times to 20 times during the span of the night. She's just a comfort nurser. Fine. I get that. I cannot throw any stones. I'm sure I have mentioned this before, but I nursed until I was four. Yes, that is 4-years-old. In fact, she told me a couple days ago that she would be done with ninis when she turned 4. I don't know if that was Gram's prompting or if she came up with that on her own. In all reality, that is not far away. Her birthday is in April, but I am ready to be done now. I know some of you reading this will think that I should have weaned her 2 1/2 years ago, but until now, it has worked for our family. I wasn't ready to wean then and neither was she. Back to our story...
"Okay, Mommy. No ninis," as she climbs into bed.
"Just one nini, Mom?" Breanna asks in her sweetest little voice.
"You just agreed to no nini, Breanna," Mommy gently reminds her. Here come the waterworks--loud, boogery, squeaky waterworks. She's a little on the dramatic side. I try to calmly be logical with a 3-year-old at 6:00 a.m. Apparently kids don't go much for the logic when they are emotional (see yesterday's blog). It just escalated to yelling, more crying, more squeaking, Daddy waking up, too...you get the picture. It's not a pretty one. So I take her back into her bed, which she does NOT want to do.
"I'm done. No more. I will let you nini, but it is the LAST time--EVER!"
"Okay, Mommy, but I LIKE ninis." Breanna's crying stops. Mine starts. Sobbing. Boogers. Bawling, really. Breanna ninied *both sides* for the last time. It probably only lasted for 2 minutes at most. Nursing really is a sweet experience. You hold your baby close. Your skin touches your baby's skin. They take nourishment from your body. It is truly an amazing gift that God has given to mothers. It is always the perfect temperature. It is always just exactly what baby needs to satisfy thirst and then hunger. It is always just the right amount. If baby is sick, it is the perfect medicine. You get to smell your baby's head and stroke her hair. She looks up into your eyes because even as a newborn with poor vision, the distance between baby at the breast and mommy's eyes is exactly the right distance to see the love in mommy. Then baby smiles at you and milk runs from the corner of her mouth and it is just the sweetest, most wonderful thing ever. And now all that is over for us. Even in my excitement as I write this, I am getting all weepy again. So what wonderful thing did Breanna say after this monumental nursing session?
"Mommy, does Jesus have a dog?" It's probably not the exact phrase I would have chosen to end this significant time in both of our lives, but it was perfect. It was Breanna's choice, and that's what this has been about. Meeting her needs, so that she can be confident and free to become the sweet, bossy, beautiful angel that she is.

THAT Lady

You know the one I mean. You're in Walmart. She has a screaming 6-year-old, a three year old in tow, and she is trying to keep her cool. This 6-year-old is not just screaming, though. He's hitting, biting the cart, kicking at mom, oblivious to all other's around, and screaming at the top of his lungs things like, "I am SOOO mad at you!" "I just want that toy!" "I am not talking to you again until I am 10--no 11!" "You are so mean!" "You are so mean!" Oh, did I already say that one? I just heard it so many times that it is still repeating in my head. Yes, it was my normally sweet son who was yelling, hanging off my coat, pulling on my purse, and acting like "a bully, maniac, crazy" to put it in his words. Honestly, I was really proud of myself. I didn't lose my cool--even when I got the sympathy looks from strangers. You know, the ones that are thinking, "Oh, that poor woman. I would have beat my child to death by now if they acted like that in public." The stares. That drives me crazy. One lady watched from the optical shop and then walked to the outside door when we went out so that she could continue staring at us as we walked to our car. You can't even beat your children in public now. You can't take them to the dressing room or the bathroom; big brother is watching everywhere. Besides, Daddy had the leather belt on him at work. My knit belt would not have had the same effect. What could have caused such a terrible outburst in the middle of Walmart? A toy. The word "no." A combination of things really, but it was not something I would like to be repeating anytime soon--or ever again in my life for that matter. My kids both received a $15 gift card to Walmart for Christmas. Great! We'll use it as a counting/budgeting lesson. Wonderful! In the excitement to leave for Walmart (as Aidan explained it later), he forgot his wallet with the rest of his spending money. He wanted a toy that was more than $15. No problem. That didn't actually trigger the fit. He wanted a toy that Mommy wasn't so sure was good for him, so I told him I would talk it over with Daddy and then go from there. It sounds reasonable enough. Even logical to my ever-over-emotional brain. Apparently not to a 6-year-old boy. This toy was not something he had even played with before! He couldn't even remember the name of it--just that he had seen the cartoon before (score: 500 for commercialism, 0 for mommy-logic). Needless to say, he will be getting a Daddy spanking tonight, no tv for 2 weeks, and he has to call Uncle D and apologize. Why Uncle D, you ask? Because he is the only one in the store that I know the name and phone number of. If I had everyone else's info, Aidan would be calling them, too. If you happened to be in Walmart this afternoon, let me know and my son will be calling you, as well. The lesson I am trying to teach him is that there are consequences in life for the actions we choose. Today he made some ba-a-a-a-a-d choices. But I still love him.