Five posts in one day!

Now you know that I'm a serious blogger after posting five times in one day (or I guess addicted could be the word I'm after too).

I just had to let you know what I was doing today besides cleaning up potty, breaking up fights, and trying to explain to a three-year old and a two-year old that yes it's raining but no we don't need an umbrella because we're inside.

I have painted sixty toes and fingers in charisma pink.......started a new knitting project....Oooo, and here's the knitting project I finished a couple of days ago. I've always wanted to learn how to knit, so last week I bought a book and taught myself. I know you're impressed!

Here's what I should have been doing...

...the dryer still looks like this.......and the suitcases still look like this....Wonder what I'll do while the girls are napping? Read a book? Watch a couple of episodes of Planet Earth on the dvr? Eat bon bons?

Dad's going to kill me...I'd better get busy!

Alive

Well, it was a close call but she's still alive.

A little bit ago, Mara was standing in the hallway. She looked at me and said, "I have to potty." She doesn't need my help in that department anymore so she rarely tells me when she has to go.

I gave her a 'well, duh' look, pointed to the bathroom, and said "Just go."

Well, she did exactly that.....just went....right where she was.

Then we had a two minute staring contest in which I contemplated pinching her head off and eating it. Ok, so I didn't really contemplate that but I can feel by blood pressure going back up just talking about the incident.

I think we all need a nap.

Heaven?....No, Iowa!

The girls and I are going to Iowa tomorrow for my grandma's 80th birthday. 10 hour drive = no fun, but we're doing it in two days so it should'nt be that bad. Thanks you Jesus for portable DVD players! Oh, and Nana and Poppa are going too. Oh ya I'd go crazy if I were in the car that long with them by myself. I'm excited about seeing my grandma though. And the girls are way excited to see 'Gamma Iben' too. Mara says, "I'm gonna say HAPPY BURTDAY GAMMA IBEN, then I'm gonna gib her a big hug and kith too!" I guess that entire quote should have been in caps cause she really does scream the whole thing.

No blogging for eight days though! I'm twitching already. I'll take lots of pictures to share when we get back though.

Ok, I really need to stop blogging this morning and get some stuff done. I'm going to drive Dad crazy tomorrow if I'm not ready to go at the crack of dawn!

Uh Oh, More "Needs"!

For only $2000 you too can have this super ugly stroller! Oh wait, it doesn't come in a double stroller guess I don't really "need" it.Now this might need to be under the Christmas tree this year. It needs a third seat though.

No Picking.

First of all you need to know that I am a picker....scabs, zits, gray hairs, etc....they all need to fear for their lives around me. I stood at the bathroom mirror last night for over 30 minutes picking out gray hair. Then when I got the hair out of the sink that I had just picked out, I was surprised that it was gray. I even showed Phillip, "Oh my goodness Phillip, look at this. It's so gray!" He just looked at me like, "What color did you expect it be?" He didn't say anything though cause he loves me like that!

I do get it honestly though cause Dad's a picker too (thanks Dad!).

Ok, so on with the story.....
Emily has allergies that make her eyes get goopy and yucky. She had some eye boogers in the corner of her eye yesterday morning so I tried to get it out. Here's how the episode went....

Emily: (dodging me) Noooooooooo!
Me: Come here Emmy. I just want to get your eye boogers off.
Emily: (running away) Nooooooo, Mommy, noooooo picking....noooooo picking....nooooo picking!

I kind of felt like Swiper. Awwww man!

What I need according to Google...

I've seen this meme before and thought it was kind of silly, but I just did it and it's kind of funny.

All you do is google your name followed by 'needs'.

This is what I need according to Google....
1. Carrie needs a nice hot bath. (Oooo, sounds good to me!)
2. Carrie needs some care herself. (I'm not arguing here.)
3. Carrie needs help. (Ok, wait a minute...I don't think it's that bad.)
4. Carrie needs a good storyline. (Hmm, guess I need to share my story on my blog soon.)
5. Carrie needs to go back to school. (Not a chance!)

Kind of fun, now you try it...

Wordless Wednesday #4

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

I am loved!

Emily loves to sleep in. This morning was no exception. Mara and Becca were already downstairs and dressed when I finally heard Emily calling me. Mara and Becca stayed downstairs while I went to get her (she can get out of bed by herself but she's just always called for me instead). When I got up there, she asked me to lay down with her. We were just laying there cuddling and talking. I told her I loved her so much and was glad that God picked me to be her mommy. She got the cutest little grin on her face and I just knew that she was going to say that she loved me too and was glad that I was her mommy too. But instead (hearing the tv downstairs) she said, "MICKEY MOUSE CLUB HOUSE!" She scrambled down off of her bed and ran downstairs leaving me laying in her bed feeling SO loved!

Family Portrait

This is Mara's gorgeous artwork of our family. That's Phillip in the green upside-down with no hair. Emily and Becca are in the middle in purple and orange. Mara's in green and red with arms coming out of her ears, and that's me in blue with square hair. Call Mensa, I have an art genius!

I NEED it!

Check this out. Don't you think I NEED it!?! It would look great attached to my new double stroller. As if we're not a big enough spectacle on our walks around the neighborhood right now! Anybody got $116 laying around?

Wordless Wednesday #3

MMMMMWWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!
For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

5 Things Meme

I've been tagged by Jessica at Itty Bitty Bits of Me for a meme, so here's goes....

5 snacks I enjoy
(Well, since I've been doing Weight Watchers since January I don't do snacks very often any more but when I do I enjoy them more than I used to.)
1. Chocolate Carmel Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Corner in Memphis
2. Banana pudding
3. White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks
4. Carot Cake from McAlister's Deli
5. Dried Cranberries

5 songs that I know all the lyrics to
1. Steve Fee's We Shine
2. Miss Pattycake's Pattycake Praise
3. Theme song to Thomas the Tank Engine
4. Most songs by Nicole C. Mullen
5. Indigo Girls' Joking

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Build a church building for Rock Springs Church.
2. Buy a house with a huge laundry room in a neighborhood with side walks.
3. Hire a housekeeper.
4. Help Phillip start his Photography/Design business
5. Travel

5 bad habits
1. worrying
2. grinding my teeth
3. picking
4. starting projects but not finishing them
5. starting new projects when I have other projects that are not finished!

5 things I would never wear again
1. That bright green velvet off the shoulder bridesmaid dress
2. Stirrup pants
3. a bikini
4. jeans with a single digit size
5. Aquanet hairspray

5 things I like to do
1. blog!
2. snuggle with the girls
3. sit at Starbucks with a good friend
4. sit at Starbucks with my husband
5. sleep

I'm now supposed to tag 5 people but I don't think I know 5 people who blog. So if you're reading this and don't have a blog, consider yourself tagged with this meme to start one!

Zero to Mess in Sixty Seconds Flat!

Mara and Emily were painting peacefully the other day. They both had paintbrushes and neat little puddles of about six different colors of paint on their paper plates. They were dipping their little brushes gently into the paint and creating gorgeous works of art. Becca started getting a little fussy. I realized it was time for her morning nap so I left the big girls at the kitchen table painting while I went to lay her down for her nap. So it probably takes me about 20 seconds to go up the stairs...maybe 10 seconds to lay Becca down....and another 20 seconds to go back down the stairs. Let's see, that's 20 + 20 + 10 = 50 seconds. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say 60 seconds. That's one minute later, and I return to this....
She not only decided to finger paint, but it looks like she decided to 'wash her hands' in the paint. Look at that face though. How in the world could I do anything but smile back, tell her how pretty her picture is, and clean up the mess!

Happy Father's Day, Honey!

To Mara, Emily, and Becca's Daddy...
I can't believe that this picture was taken three and a half years ago. You were so awkward and careful with Mara Lin then, but from that very first day you were the best dad I could ever have imagined. The girls absolutely adore you! Thanks so much for being an incredible dad....for being the picture of Christ in my girls' lives....for loving them and me unconditionally. Your princesses love you. Happy Father's Day.

Big One

So I've been posting several stories of the cute things that Mara says. Today Emily has a great one. I was just sitting in the bathroom with her waiting for her to finish #2.

Oh by the way, potty training is going tons better since this post.

So any way back to the story... She had just had a little #2 success and I was clapping for her when she said, "Wait Momma, wait, here comes a big one! Watch!"

Well, sure enough a big one came and I was laughing hysterically while praising her for being a big girl.

You know you're a mom when you can blog and laugh about poopie!

Ooooo, a contest!

So I don't ever win but it's not stopping me from entering...there's a first time for everything! Adventures in Babywearing is having a contest for a $75 gift certificate to MamaKanga.

So WHEN I win, what would I get with my $75?

Oooo, maybe one of these. I have the shabby chic one but Phillip thinks it's too girly for him to wear so I can spread the sling wearing love this summer in the 100 degree heat by getting this.Oooo, or I could always use a new diaper bag!And how cute would my girls look in these!
I'll let you know what I get WHEN I win!

I'll take some peace and carrots please.

I was fixing lunch today when Mara came in the kitchen...
Mara: Mom, wha cha doin?
Me: I'm fixing lunch baby girl.
Mara: Wha cha fixin?
Me: Hot dogs and peas. (I know, sounds appetizing!)
Mara: Oh Mom, that's my favoritest song!
Me: What's your favorite song?
Mara: Peas.
Me: Hmmm, I don't think I know a song about peas. Why don't you sing it for me.
Mara: I've got peas like a river. I've got peas like a river. I've got peas like a river in my soul!

Wordless Wednesday #2

Snuggling before bedtime. For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

Nicodemus' Confusion!

Last night Mara and I ran over to a friend's house to drop off some out-grown baby gear. While we were carrying the stuff to the van, here's how the conversation went....

Mara: Mom, why are we putting Becca's swing and chair in the van?
Me: Because Becca's too big for them now. We're going to let Joseph's babies use them.
Mara: But Mom, Joseph doesn't have a baby.
Me: Joseph has two babies but you haven't seen them yet cause they've been too little.
Mara: Two babies?
Me: Yep, two babies.
Mara: Not one baby?
Me: Nope, Joseph's mommy had two babies in her tummy!
Mara: I didn't know they come in twos!

Too cute, but that's not the funniest part....

Mara: What are the babies' names?
Me: Daniel and Catherine.
Mara: Daniel?
Me: Yep, Daniel.
Mara: Blank stare....(five minutes later) But Mom....
Me: Yes Baby Girl.
Mara: But Daniel is a big boy.
Me: No, we know two boys named Daniel. One is a big boy and the other is Joseph's new little baby brother.
Mara: Blank stare....(five minutes later) But Mom....
Me: Yes Baby Girl.
Mara: How did Daniel get to be a baby when he was a big boy?

I bet I tried to explain it to her for another ten minutes....Sissy's name is Emily but we also have another friend named Emily but they are two different people....Mommy's name is Carrie and Auntie Carey's name is Carey but they are two different people....etc.

You guess it, the response I got from her was...
Mara: Blank stare....(five minutes later) But Mom....

Now I know why Nicodemus was so confused!

Just a pic

I'm just trying to add this picture to my profile so it'll show up when I leave comments. Think I can figure it out? If I can't, I'm sure Phillip will fix it when he gets home! (I love you honey!)

Updated to add: I did it! ALL BY MYSELF! Just call me Mrs. Tech-Savvy Blogging Girl! Ok, not really. I guess that just goes to show you how easy Blogger is. So how many of my friends are going to start a blog of their own?!? I'd love familiar company in this blog world. Dad, you can even do it!

Can I measure up?

So I've been thinking/reading/studying/stressing-out about the Proverbs 31 woman lately. Am I a 'virtuous woman'? Here's just a short list of her qualities....

• her husband trusts her
• early-riser
• unselfish
  
• loving wife and mother
• smart shopper
• seamstress
• gardener
• good housekeeper
• trains her children with wisdom
• her husband appreciates and praises her

And that's just a short list! Wow, that's a lot to measure up to. Do I even possess half of these traits?

I am naturally hard on myself. I compare myself to other wives, mothers, and even celebrities. And I know I'm not alone in this...most women do this same thing.

God knew that we would be critical of ourselves and knew we would seek examples to follow. Isn't it cool that he put such a detailed description of a virtuous woman in the Bible? He knows my heart, loves me so much, and thought of everything. Pretty cool!

So the thing that stresses me out though is trying to measure up. God knew we would be hard on ourselves, so why did he have to make her so perfect? It's like she's mocking me! There's no postpartum depression, frustration, fast-food getting, pretend she's asleep and doesn't hear the baby crying in the middle of the night so her husband will get up in her description. Her children don't even watch tv!

I know the Sunday School answer...read what I wrote about ten lines up. But still I'm stressed out! What do ya'll think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments (Mom, just click 'comments' on the bottom of this post and type your comment...you can click the anonymous circle and just sign your name in the 'leave your comment' section.). It's ok to say that I'm way off base and just need to relax too!

Test Signature Post

I'm not Carrie, I just look like her on Blogger. I'm actually her husband, and I'm testing a signature for her.

One of those days.

Ok, it's just a blog worthy day. Things are happening right and left that are just begging to be blogged about!

Emily (who is still running around with just her panties after taking off her drenched clothes from 'the walk') has just discovered that Becca's pacifier will stick in her belly button. She's also discovered that she likes doing things that make Mamma laugh.

Have I mentioned that I love this job!

Noggin should have weather.

Note to self...
Check the weather forecast before deciding to take the entire circus on a walk around the neighborhood.

Maybe Noggin needs to have the weather report in between Dora and Diego every morning!

The girls did however have fun hiding under the tree and jumping in the puddles left by the torrential down-pour!

Motherhood Lesson # 784

Poopie + Johnny Jump Up = A really big mess!



I'll spare you the pictures.

Wordless Wednesday #1

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

Can the big mouse see?

The girls love the theme song to The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mara and I were singing it together tonight. I would sing "It's the Mickey Mouse..." And she would sing, "Club House." Then I would sing, "Come inside..." And she would sing, "It's fun inside." Make sense? Anyway, we got to the part that goes, "M-I-C-K-E-Y..." The next line is of course, "M-O-U-S-E." But this is how our version went tonight...
Me: M-I-C-K-E-Y
Mara: Come on you can see.
I couldn't help but think of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song..."There's a bathroom on the right"!

More Water Fun

We have discovered the fun of playing in the sprinkler. There are several fun things that I don't do with the girls just because it's messy. Well, not anymore. I saw this picture last week over at Antique Mommy. I would so be the mom yelling at him not to jump in the puddle. But isn't that picture THE picture of pure kid joy! I want to have fun with my girls and worry about the mess later...or better yet not even worry about the mess at all.