I Think She's On To Us

With our Disney trip just weeks away, Jason and I have been using Mickey's name in vain to get our children to behave. Over the past month, we've been known to say things such as: "If you do that again, I'll call Mickey Mouse and tell him you can't come to Disney World." Or "If I hear you say that again, I'm telling Mickey and he won't let you ride any rides." Or, perhaps taking it a bit too far, "If you can't be a good girl, Mickey Mouse will not be your friend. He only wants to hug nice girls."

Today as Arden was misbehaving (what?! Arden, no not her!), Jason told her that he was going to call Mickey Mouse if she didn't straighten up.

Arden looked him straight in the eye and said, "And Santa and the Easter Bunny too?"

To Be Filed Under What in the World???

Today as I was about to back out of a parking space, a woman knocked on my window. Thinking I must know her from somewhere, I rolled down the window and smiled politely.

"I don't know if anyone has told you this before, but you look JUST LIKE Cynthia Nixon," she said.

It took me a minute to place Cynthia Nixon--Miranda from Sex and the City. Miranda? Seriously? I mean, let's be honest, Miranda is attractive, but who wouldn't rather be told they look like Charlotte, or even Carrie? So I sat there in my seat, staring at this stranger, trying to determine if this was meant to be a compliment or an insult.

Noting my silence, she went on. "I mean, when I saw you come out of that store, I did a doubletake. You look JUST LIKE her!"

I continued to stare, wondering if Cynthia Nixon ever had to drag a forty pound baby carrier into a blinds store. Also, did she ever do it wearing jeans that were at least two days past due for a wash and a two year old running shirt that may or may not have spit up on it?

"OK. Um, thanks?" I shrugged, still unsure of the appropriate response.

She smiled. "I did the whole mom thing, too," she said, nodding to my mini van. "And I always looked frumpy. So I wanted to tell you that you look JUST LIKE Cynthia Nixon!"

Now, see, that's the part that really confused me. Did I look frumpy too? Did she feel a special bond with me with the "whole mom thing"? Was she trying to rally me out of my frumpy mommy existence by comparing me to a famous actress? And if so, couldn't she have told me I looked JUST LIKE Scarlett Johansson?

Pictures. In Case You've Forgoteen What My Kids Look Like.

In nearly three months, this is the only decent picture of all three of my girls. How cute are they in these matching dresses my friend Sarah made? Bragging, I know, but hello?? Have you noticed the name of my blog?



Someone likes her play gym...







Arden's haircut--the aftermath



Let's see that a little closer, shall we?




Claire--my camera shy child. Seriously, can I get her picture when she's not striking some ridiculous pose? This week's favorite is giving me a hang ten sign (or is it I love you or possibly even a rock on?).

There Once Was a Girl

Dear Arden,

I am so thankful for you. You light up the room with your sweet dimpled smile and big blue eyes. Your laughter is infectious. You are naturally funny and so, so silly. You say "Ahhh, she's cute" as you peer over baby Amelia and you give frequent, uninvited hugs and kisses. You make us laugh everyday and sometimes, when I look at you, my heart feels too big to fit inside my chest. You are a sweet, special gift from God.

But you are also a turd.

Someday, I'm sure I'll look back on this time in your life and chuckle at your antics. I'll smile fondly as I recall the time you bit the sweetest boy in your class at school. And the time you bit his eight year old sister at a church gathering. I'll giggle as I retell the story of you shouting "GO AWAY" to an elderly man at Red Lobster and the time you said "I hate that girl" to the unassuming checker at Old Navy. I'll laugh nostalgically as I remember the way you used to steal things from Claire and then run away, laughing hysterically as she collapsed on the floor in a sobbing heap. All the times you had to sit in time out at dance and school, all the times you humiliated me by saying hateful things to strangers, all the times you made Claire cry, all the times your defiant behavior sent me to the brink of insanity, all these times will make me laugh and long for the old days.

But now is not that time. Now is the time to order parenting books off the internet and ask random strangers for advice. Now is the time to pray that you make it through a school day without biting, hitting or scratching another child. Now is the time to make sticker charts and reward good behavior while punishing bad behavior. And now is the time to realize that this, too, will pass.

And when it does, at least I'll have some good stories to tell at your wedding...

The Last Laugh

Scene: Jason and girls waiting in mini van while I run into store to buy a baby gift.

Claire, whining: Why do we have to wait in the car? It's so boring.
Claire, whining louder: I don't want to sit here. It's booorrrring.
Claire, whining even louder: This is sooooo boooorrrrriiiiiinnnnnggggg!

Arden: Blah, blah blah....

Claire: Stop it it, Arden.

Arden: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah

Claire, whining: Stop it, Arden.

Arden: I not crying.

Claire: Well, you pee in your pants, AR-den.

Arden, passing gas and laughing: I just bookied.

Something to Blog About

I like to blog. I really do. It's just that lately things have been getting in the way of my blogging. Things like an ice storm that knocked out our cable modem for two weeks--but not our neighbor's (I'm still highly suspicious of this, Cox Cable). And then there was Claire's super cool roller skating party. Followed by the pneumonia. Oh, the pneumonia. And let's not forget the Great Hard Drive Crash of
'09.

Now that we're all healthy (knocks on wood and looks suspiciously at two year old with finger in previously infected ear) and have a functioning computer with an internet connection (knocks on wood and looks suspiciously at corrupt hard drive waiting to be mailed back to Dell), I hope to get back on board with blogging. Because I don't want you to miss out on this...



Or this...




And certainly not THIS...

Pictures...

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Lots to catch up on, but for now, how 'bout some pictures?

Amelia really liked her first real bath and Claire was so glad that her cord fell off that she kept asking to see her belly button to make sure it was still gone.


Amelia's first Sunday at Church. Everyone was all dressed up in their matching dresses that my friend Sarah made for them. This, unfortunately, is the best picture we were able to get that morning (thanks, Arden).


During the ice storm, we spent a lot of time playing our new Wii (once we got our power back). The girls were in denial that it was icy and freezing outside, hence the swimsuits.


Amelia enjoying some time under the play gym. This is not something she gets to do often, as it tends to be a little hazardous (thanks, Arden).


Does my head make this flower look big?


My one month old!


My FIVE year old!


My two year old who just realized that it's not her birthday too.


Five going on Fifteen..