Please, let’s not keep it

We’re stranded today until I can find my keys. (Yes, I already checked Madeline’s purse.) She got a ride to a princess party yesterday and I haven’t seen them since we switched out her carseat in the POURING rain. I do have a spare but it hasn’t been re-coded yet.

But, never fear, we’re not suffering for cheap entertainment. Look what Madeline just found:

That would be a turtle, in case you can’t tell. I’m crossing my fingers she doesn’t ask to make it her pet. A puppy is enough, thank you.

***Edited to add: I FOUND MY KEYS! They were under the sofa, pushed waaaaaay towards the back.

Madeline’s Purse

I took the kids to the park one evening this week and Madeline left her purse with me on the bench, (most likely as safekeeping from Adelaide).  I got a little bored and peeked in it, curious about what she deems worthy of toting around.

(And then I secretly thanked her for this blog post.)

When she went to bed that night, I dumped the contents out and snapped a few pictures.  When she’s in high school we’ll have a little laugh at the contents of her purse when she was almost four:

Jam-packed with junk treasures:

First we have the empty cardboards from the hair clippies folded in half, a remote to a broken car, a piece of folded construction paper, and a doll bib:

Some magnets and bracelets, band-aids (smart!), her phone and shades, the Southwest Airlines wings my mom gave her, and a couple of pilfered cars:

Fake flowers (they came from my Mother’s Day paper basket Drew made in school), some used princess stickers, and a ratty old tissue:

And finally, a pair of doll underwear and a sundress (you never know when you’re gonna need a spare):

Don’t you wish you could see what goes on in their heads sometimes?

Or not

Madeline got sick a couple of times in the middle of Sunday night so yesterday we pretty much laid low, waiting for the other kids to show signs of it and for her to recover. (And when one is in relaxation mode, one doesn’t do the laundry.)

I’m thinking it was something she ate because today she’s completely back to her normal self. We had met our fellowship group (and two others) for a picnic Sunday afternoon at a park and maybe she ate something that didn’t agree with her there. Or she just ran around too much.

Anyway, I’m just thankful that it appears to be over and no one else was affected. We haven’t been sick in a very long time, either, so there’s that.

Late in the evening yesterday she was feeling fine so we ran over to Wal-Mart to get a few things for Drew’s school lunch and to finally pick up some BUBBLES! The only problem was, I went to pay and realized my wallet was still at home on the counter. Doh.

Two trips later we had everything we needed. Except Madeline left her monkey in the store, so we had to run in a third time. Of course I was still wearing my pajamas and had assumed we’d only be running in quickly ONE TIME. Live and learn. (At least I had some makeup on.)

We did bubbles outside for a few minutes before I started Adelaide’s bath. Then Drew walked in the bathroom with his open bubble bottle and leaned over to blow bubbles into her bath, but unfortunately the bottle leaned with him and half the bottle dumped out onto his feet and all over the floor. Clearly it was past time for everyone to be in bed.

Okay, OKAY. I’m off to fold my five loads of laundry from last week. (I know, I live a glamorous life.)

The Ballet

My sisters had their birthday over a month ago but they were home on spring break and I never did anything for them. But then a few weeks ago I saw an ad for our local ballet company’s spring production, and asked if they wanted to go with me to that. (And Madeline, too, of course.)

So last night we went to the Ballet.

Madeline was HILARIOUS. She’s already asked me at least thirty times if she can be a ballerina when she “gets bigger.” She also put her hands above her head and twirled in the aisle the whole intermission, bumping into chairs and even a few innocent passersby.

And when I took her to the bathroom immediately before intermission (she absolutely could not wait), the first thing out of her mouth was, “IS THIS SO FUN AT THE BALLET?!!!”

Really, it exceeded my expectations. It was stunning. And the perfect length for a little girl to sit through, (which is helpful).

And yeah, I wasn’t kidding about the week-long birthday thing!

Madeline, The Storyteller

(I just want to warn you that her stories make no logical sense. And the “crab” part at the end? I STILL laugh out loud when I watch it and I’ve seen it many, many times. She’s referring to Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.)

Who knew "th" could be so hard?

On Sunday after church we were all sitting at the table eating leftovers and Andy started asking the kids about what they had learned in Sunday school.

“The boat.”

Andy: “The boat? What about the boat?”

Madeline (in the most condescending, you’re-the-dad-you-should-know-this voice and gesturing with her hands): “When God? was sleeping in the boat and the funder came!”

(Yes, we died laughing.)

Sleeping Beauty

I haven’t posted anything today because I was too busy chasing my kids around parking lots (do they ever learn?) and not-cleaning my house. (Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?)

I took this picture of Madeline napping in my bed the other day. Don’t mind her dirty monkey. (The poor thing has a very tough life, trust me.)

Sometimes I still stare at her and can’t believe she’s mine.

Pardon me while I ramble some.

Last week was really a lot of fun. I’m thankful because a) it was freezing and we were mostly forced to stay inside and b) I’m susceptible to the winter blues. Staying warm AND upbeat is a bit of an accomplishment. For me, anyway.

(Friday it was 26 degrees here; I really mean FREEZING. This is the South. Not Alaska.)

Some highlights: Sarah and I took our girls and her little boy to the museum on Tuesday, which is always a great time. (Except I did get a(n unfair) parking ticket.)

(Just realized I never told Andy.)

(Oh well.)

On Wednesday we had some friends here to play and eat lunch. It was good to finally catch up with her. Wednesday night my college friend Kristine (who lives in the area) came over for dinner and to hang out with me and the kiddies. Can you tell I like to have people over? And hey, it usually ensures a cleaned house.

(Unless it’s Nicky or Dolly because they no longer count as guests. Overflowing laundry bins on the kitchen floor are fair game. Enter at your own risk.)

On Thursday I finally got to meet another college friend’s brand new baby. Drew was in preschool so Andy only had to care for the girls – prime time to visit friends and get some errands done. Except I ended up being late-ish to pick up Drew and another little boy because I took a (couple) wrong turn(s) from her house and got (really) lost.

On Saturday I had an appointment with my hairdresser friend and finally got a real haircut. A new haircut (and color!) always helps to lift the spirits (and you know it’s true).

Last night my sisters came over for a while. (I don’t clean for them, either, by the way.) They even helped me fold some laundry and get the kids ready for bed. Andy and I had planned on going down to B’ham for church this morning and spend a day there but decided last minute we just couldn’t swing it and stayed home. (Sorry again, D. Hope you found takers on your extra food!)

I tried to get some photos of Madeline in her dress today because it’s one of my favorites. Clearly she wasn’t in the mood to be photographed:

But what can you do?

Madeline-proofing

The other day I spent the entire morning re-hanging all the dresses Madeline had pulled out of her closet, and putting all the girls’ laundry away that had sat folded (and played with and re-folded) in my room for a week.

Let’s just say that if changing outfits were an Olympic event, Madeline would win gold.

(She’s even famous for it. The last time we talked about going down to visit Dolly, the first thing Ruthie asked was, “is Madeline going to take all the clothes out of my closet again?”)

So I knew it was only a matter of seconds before all my hard work would go to pot.

But I finally wised up and installed a hook-and-eye lock on the top of her closet door:

(Our house is old and has settled so the closet doors don’t actually shut. This is the best I could do.)

When she saw it, “Thank you, Mommy! Now Adelaide won’t mess up my closet!”

(Yes, I’m SURE Adelaide’s tall enough to reach all those dresses.)

And while I was at it, I put a lock on the desk drawer in the kitchen, which up until now I haven’t been able to use, for obvious reasons:

I think she knows how to open the drawer, but I don’t think her little fingers are strong enough to do battle with the spring-lock.

Oh happy day.

She is her father’s daughter

I vacillated this year on whether or not I would really decorate for Christmas. I do think it’s important to set apart the holiday season for my kids as well as create memories and Christmas traditions as a family.

I just didn’t know if I had it in me to rummage around in the attic, half bent-over, searching for that elusive Christmas box and then dragging it all down and putting it out.

And the dusting, the boxes and trash, the what-the-heck-do-I-do-with-my-regular-nick-knacks quandary, and the DO NOT TOUCH, YES, PRETTY, DO NOT TOUCH!!!

(All that and the side of my personality that says if I’m going to do it, the whole entire house needs bedecking, floor to ceiling. I must enjoy overwhelming myself.)

You can imagine my relief when it finally occurred to me that I didn’t have to have a garland or snowman on every available surface. I don’t even have to use everything I own!

So that was my philosophy for Christmas decorating this year: pick and choose. (You’ll see the results on the 15th.)

But yesterday morning, I was laying in my bed completely asleep, and IN my sleep, I heard the clanking of my porcelain nativity characters somewhere in my dreams. I woke up and shot out of bed.

I walked into the living room to find Madeline standing on a kitchen stool she’d pushed up next to the entertainment center, the angel and a wise man nestled in the crook of her arm, and the rest of the figurines clumped precariously near the edge.

I can’t blame her for being drawn to them. I hadn’t put them out until after she was asleep so they were completely new and wonderful to her. And they’re very beautiful to look at.

I explained that yes, they were fun to look at but they were also very fragile and we don’t touch them. Which, might I just say, is extremely hard for Madeline. Way more so for her than for Drew or Adelaide.

So I was telling Andy about it last night, and his immediate response was “she’s just like me!” He went on to tell me how over-the-top curious he was as a kid and how when his parents left the house, it was a mad dash to rummage through all their stuff.

(And yes, his mom reads my blog – hi, Mom! But Andy said he didn’t care if I posted this story because he’s “27! They can’t be mad about it now!!” So there you have it.)

Anyway, the main thing we talked about was that Andy ALWAYS knew what his Christmas presents were. He’d hunt around in the attic, his parents’ closets, the cellar, everywhere. Even ceiling tiles, I kid you not.

From his own mouth, “I was a SNEAK.”

There was a funny story from one year – his parents knew he’d been sneaking around and didn’t put his main gift under the tree. After the rest of the gifts had been opened, Andy kept asking them, “are you sure there’s not one more present?!” How’s that for giving oneself away.

So basically, yes, she IS her father’s daughter.

What we’ve been up to all weekend

For some reason the Rehearsal Dinner slideshow I slaved over won’t upload to Blogger, but here are a few of the highlights from Friday night:

(And I think I may have forgotten to mention that Madeline was the flower girl.)

If you’re interested in seeing the rest of the photo highlights, click here.

Wedding pictures to follow!

The Toaster Diaries

I don’t know about you, but when I need counter space, I simply stack whatever’s in my way on top of the nearest teetering pile, whether it be on the desk, breadbox, stove or small appliance.

(As opposed to actually putting things away first. Who does that?!)

Which explains why a couple of months ago I had a bag of flour sitting on top of my toaster.

Unfortunately, Madeline is an overly-curious button puncher and had turned the toaster on whilst eating her cereal on a stool at the counter.

I had been sitting at the dining room table, relatively close by, and kept smelling a faint burning smell. But whenever I walked back into the kitchen, I found NOTHING, and repeatedly returned to my seat, totally baffled.

I picked up the flour several hours later and the light had immediately clicked on as to what had happened. I even got a picture of it:

My now melty toaster:

(I cleaned it up and you’ll be happy to know it still works.)

Then, yesterday, Andy was about to drop bread into the very same toaster when he noticed something and peered inside.

You’ll never guess what he pulled out:

Yep, my pearl necklace, down in the toaster slats.

I WONDER how it got there.

(*Edited to add: Our toaster now resides on the counter unplugged.)

And feel free to tell me your kids’ funny words

After we ate tonight I was having a little chat with Madeline in the backyard. She’s getting pretty good at these utterly hilarious monologues. I really ought to catch one on video.

Anyway, one of the things she kept saying was “he has a badegg” and I finally realized she meant ‘headache.’ (She pronounces the word ‘egg’ as ‘aay-g’ so in her mind it does sound like ‘ache.’)

She was talking about her stuffed dog, by the way.

Drew’s got a couple of wrong word usages himself. This morning I asked if he wanted his shoes on and he said “no, I’ll just nuse my feet for now, Mama.”

And both of them say “nemember?”

It’s a bit too cute for me to correct.

For now.

Early Bird Gets the Worm

I realized something this morning.

It finally occurred to me that Madeline? …is a morning person. I don’t mean she wakes up early (although sometimes she does), but that when she wakes up, she’s happy and ready to talk.

(Very unlike the rest of us who need a slice of quiet – and perhaps a strong cup of coffee – to be even remotely chatty.)

I think she must get it from my mother. I distinctly remember hearing a story about how she would annoy her college roommates because she popped out of bed each morning ready for conversation. She said she had to learn to keep her early-morning comments to herself.

I somehow doubt Madeline will be learning that lesson any time soon.

For me, it honestly depends on how much sleep I got the night before. If I feel extremely tired, I probably won’t be in any mood to talk. But if I got restful sleep, I can chat along with the best of them.

Which makes me curious – do you consider yourself an early bird or a night owl?

(Or something in-between?)

Play at your own risk

When my kids got up from their nap yesterday, there was general whining and all manner of crankiness. They wanted to go to the playground, which was really fine by me; fresh air and change of scenery never hurt anyone.

It was almost time for dinner – but thanks to their little counter cookie raid, no one was in danger of immediate starvation.

So we went. I had thrown on a grubby shirt and Madeline had found me some (unmatching) shoes. I figured we weren’t going to see anyone we knew, so it didn’t really matter and, due to the whining, I just wanted to get there fast.

We immediately saw people we know. Figures. I chatted with Janna a bit, but she and her hubby had family in town and so eventually she followed her in-laws and son over to another area of the park.

I was pushing Adelaide on the swing when suddenly I heard Madeline crying, loudly. Very loudly. And there was Craig, carrying Madeline down the steps toward me as she screamed.

(So, yes, the one time I don’t want anyone to take notice of us, we are naturally the front and center of attention.)

(In a very crowded playground.)

He said she had fallen and hit her eye – probably tripped on the step up to the slide. And I’m sure she was running because she never stops. Anyway, by the time I got to her, the eye was already huge.

He was so gracious and kind to carry my kids’ bikes all the way home. I mostly carried both girls, one of them screaming in my ear, the other trying forcefully to be let down.

I tried to get Madeline to ice it but have you ever tried to keep an ice pack on a three-year-old’s face, much less an eye, before?? High near impossible.

It doesn’t seem to bother her much today, and it probably looks much worse than it feels because she hasn’t said a thing about it.

Almost looks like she got into some of her mama’s purple eyeshadow.

(If I owned any.)

Deep & Wide

This just cracks me up.

Madeline’s rendition:

Deep & Wide from Please Pass the Salt on Vimeo.

Showering Babies

We live in a college town. My sisters (twins, nine years my junior) are back in the area for their sophomore year.

Hello, Free Babysitting. How very nice to meet you.

They came over last night to watch the kids so I could go to Nicky’s baby shower. Nevermind that I didn’t bring her a gift, I was just there for the coffee.

I mean decaffeinated Earl Grey tea.

And chocolate cake.

I think she got some great stuff, although I couldn’t see a thing during the gift-opening process, but she said she got a ton of diapers (which she asked for). It’s a good thing, too, because I already gave her all of Drew’s old clothes.

(4 huge Rubbermaid tubs’ worth. How many clothes does one boy need?)

The shower was also for another friend (Hi, K!) who is having her first boy after two girls. So I’m sure she got some wee boy clothes, but again I couldn’t really see from where I sat. (But I was only there for the party, remember?)

When I got home I hung out with my sisters for a while and Carrissa told me she had asked Madeline when her birthday was.

“Twenty minutes.”

Yeah, baby girl, I sometimes wish that, too.

Hair Diva

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