Look at the fishies.

We went to the aquarium in Chattanooga almost two weeks ago, and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. It was a fabulous short day trip and the aquarium was amazing.

Here is Emily and I petting the sting rays. They would come right up to you...almost like they liked being 'petted'. Emily was right in there and loving every minute of it.
Mara on the other hand....well, this is how she 'petted' the sting rays. She would'nt touch the fish but she was all about this snake. I don't know about that girl!
We just happened to be there at the penguins' feeding time. It was really neat to see them diving in the water after the fish.
I love these pictures of the girls' silhouettes in front of the biggest fish tank I had ever seen.

The good thing about waiting this long to blog about it though is that I don't remember any of the stressful times of that day but do remember the precious family time we got to spend together.

According to Mara....

...it's almost "Hambruary."

**Look at Becca in the background trying to do the motions with her....so cute!

Wordless Wednesday #26

Tea party......for ten!
Clothing apparently was optional.

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Why women live longer...

These pictures are pretty funny. I can so see my husband doing all of them....oops, I mean I love you honey!

The 'I' Word

Infertility.

It sucks.

My mom just gasped at me using that word, but there's no other word for it.

It took us a year and a half and some fertility drugs to get pregnant with Mara Lin, and the same fertility drugs to get pregnant with Emily. Becca was a total God thing and the best surprise I've ever gotten.

Now, about five years after our first fertility struggle, I find myself in the exactly same place. And the surprising part is that it doesn't hurt any less this time.

In fact it might hurt more just because it hurts now, and 'now' hurts hurt more than 'then' hurts.

Pay It Forward

I've seen this going around on a couple of craft blogs that I like to read, but I'm always too late to join in.

Not this time. I got in on the 'pay it forward' fun on Peaknit.

Here's the deal with pay it forward....

“It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

So, I'll send a handmade gift to the first three people to leave a comment. And then you get to do the same on your blog. So much fun!

Hmmmm, now what am I going to make.....

Is it spring yet?

Becca's ready for Spring! Ok, so I'm the one who's ready for Spring. This cold weather stuff stinks!

This is a free pattern from verypink.com, and it looks super cute on Emily as a shirt too.

"Ok Mom, photo shoot is over."

A Daddy Voice

Mara: Momma, your voice sounds funny.
Me: Yeah, I have a little cold so my voice is kind of scratchy sounding.
Mara: No Momma, you have a Daddy voice.

Guess I'm sounding a little manly!

I feel like the Verizon guy.

Can you see it now?
...the header?

More Addiction

Here's my first stab at a lace pattern. These flew off my needles and I loved the lace so much that I just started some monkey socks the other day.

Addiction

I think I'm addicted......to knitting socks. If you've ever put on a hand knit sock, then you'd know why. The feel SO good! And I guess there could be worse addictions.

Oh, and do you know how hard it is to take a good picture of a sock on your foot? You should try it!

Help...Updated

Can you see my header? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks!

Updated to add: Ok, so I'm fairly certain that no one can see my header. But why can I see it? Hmmm, any ideas would be appreciated.

She must be having an out of body experience.

"Mara, are you upstairs?"

(voice from upstairs) "No"

Hmmmmmm.

Wordless Wednesday #25

Say Cheese!

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

It's Tea Time

Mara and Emily went to their first real-life tea party the other day.

We talked all week about what we were going to wear, and Mara only changed her mind about which dress she wanted to wear a hundred times. Emily on the other hand was very adamant that she was going to wear the Buzz Lightyear costume. She didn't care that all of her friends would be wearing dresses, she wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. I was pretty worried that Buzz Lightyear would be crashing the tea party, but I talked her into the yellow dress just a few hours before.
We had SO much fun being girls!

Crazy Momma

The girls looked so cute last Sunday in their new jumpers. I just had to try and get a picture of them before rushing them out the door.

I guess I had told them more than once how cute they were because Mara said, "Momma, do you like having cute girls?"

I said, "Yes baby, I do like having cute girls."

"Well....we like having a crazy momma."

Ha, guess she has me pegged.

Shake It

All three girls were having a praise parade ala Miss Patty-Cake the other morning.

Becca came up to me holding a maraca.

I said, "Shake it, Becca."

Now, I know that I was meaning the maraca, but Becca misunderstood a little.

She totally busted out some serious booty-shaking, complete with hands on her hips and everything.

Literal

Mara had her four year check up the other day.

She really loved getting her eyes tested.

She stood down a hallway with one eye covered, and read the eye chart beautifully.

Then the nurse told her to cover the other eye.

Well, Mara did exactly that...

So now she stood down a hallway with both eyes covered, and didn't read the eye chart so beautifully this time.

We all got a good laugh though!

I've moved.

You just thought I was all tech savvy with this here blawg thing, but now I have my own domain. Dad, that means I'm no longer threegirlcircus.blogspot.com, but now I'm www.threegirlcircus.com!

Old bookmarks with the blogspot part will still get you here, but if you have a minute...go ahead and update.

Loosing Your Mind....aka Taking Pictures of Toddlers

Updated to add: I did make these outfits. It's The Children's Corner 'Lucy' pattern.

Ok girls, look at Mommy.Thank you Becca. Now Mara and Emily, you look at Mommy too.

YooHoo, Becca. Y'all look at Mommy.

No really guys, look this way.

Oh forget it!

Sell Out

We went to see the new Veggie Tales movie last weekend.

First of all, the girls loved it. Their momma....not so much!

The more I think about it, the more disappointed I am.

We are huge Veggie Tales fans and own every video they've ever made. I love how they teach the bible to my girls in their way out there, non-conventional, kid-friendly ways.

That was exactly what I was expecting from this new movie.

But sadly, Veggie Tales has sold out to the lets be good, do the right thing, and maybe infer a little about God every now and then crowd.

I don't want my girls to be good, I want them to be Godly. And I don't want them to sell out like Big Idea has.

So.....It is a good, light-hearted movie that the kids will love, but don't expect any more values from this new Veggie Tales movie than you'll get from any Disney movie.

#746 on the list of things I never thought I'd say...

The other day, we were heading to the van.

By the time I got Emily and Becca down the stairs and to the van, Mara had already been there for a couple of minutes.

When I walked around the corner of the house to the van, the following conversation took place...

Me: Mara, please don't lick the van.
Mara: But Momma, I'm making a picture of you.

Sure enough, there were two eyes, a nose, and she was working on the smile when I told her to stop. All drawn with her tongue.

And as if that's not funny enough... Here's another conversation under the same circumstances but add rain later that same day....

Me: Mara Lin, I told you not to lick the van. That's gross.
Mara: But Momma, I'm thirsty.

I love that girl, but that's pretty gross!

Toothpaste, Yogurt...what's the difference?

A Secret

Mara Lin just walked up to me and said, "Momma, I have a secret for you."

"Oooo, Mara I love secrets. What's your secret?"

Brushing my hair off of my ear she whispered, "You're a great mommy, and God made you."

Oh I think my heart might have just burst.

Wordless Wednesday #23

This week's Wordless Wednesday is a video...Becca dancing to her own music.

Shake it, Becca!

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Help: Slow Down

It's backwards day again. Instead of giving advice, I ask for advice.

The last backwards edition, I asked for advice on keeping my sanity with a dawdling toddler. A couple of the ideas are working great, but now I have a whole other issue on my hands.

Emily has started stuttering really bad. Not just the normal get excited kind of stuttering. She can repeat a syllable a dozen times before the word comes out and is getting really frustrated with herself.

So I googled toddler stuttering and found some advice, but now I need advice on how to do that advice. And that last sentence made total sense didn't it!

Ok, anyway, several doctors suggested that I slow down when I talk to her and just slow down our general pace of life. Do you see the problem? I have a dawdling toddler who I'm trying to teach not to dawdle, and now I'm supposed to slow down.

And that doesn't even take in consideration that I also have a four year old and an ornery 16 month old (Mom, no need to stick up for Becca Sue....she's a cute ornery 16 month old!).

So here's what I need....some practical advice on slowing down. I still have to get everything done....three girls dressed, teeth brushed, hair fixed, etc. Oh and they have to eat too. Anyway, how in the world am I going to slow down?

Hit me with your best advice!