Easy for YOU to say...

Elianna was running around the house singing "Supercalifragelisticexpealidocious" from Mary Poppins, as if you didn't already know that. (I don't know why she bothers watching that movie. It has been her favorite for ages and she practically knows it by heart.) Anyway, Chad and I got such a kick out of her attempts, we thought we'd share them. Mind you, it was funnier when she was running around the house, but I made her sit down for the camera. One really funny part got cut off. At the end of the last video, she blurts out "JAMES!" Unfortunately, my card was full and stopped recording just before she said it.

Motown Winter Blast

If you are in Michigan, check out the Motown Winter Blast

Chad and I went to this a couple years ago, and it was GREAT! I would highly recommend it, as long as your kids are old enough. I saw some people wrestling with strollers, but with all the snow that's not a good idea. (Your kids would need to be old enough to walk around bundled up for 30-40 degree weather.)

One of my favorite little details was the "S'more Kits" you could buy for a couple bucks. They had little sticks, marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. You roasted them at little roasting stations - YUM.

The "Taste of Detroit" was fantastic, and since you only buy a bite or two of all the foods, you can try a lot of different restaurants.

I wasn't brave enough to try the snow slide, but you could ice skate for free! (That looked less dangerous, but actually the slide may have been safer.) ;0)

Working Mom! (Like I wasn't before!??!)

I always thought that was the dumbest term. I mean, is a stay-at-home mom a non-working mom?! So here's a new one for the mix: I am now a stay-at-home-working-outside-the-home-without-leaving-my-home mom. I applied for an administrative job at a resume and transcription office, and the kicker is I don't have to leave my house! I will be able to do all my work right from my computer. The office offers a lot of services, but I will specifically be doing transcription. WOW - that is a very grueling job. I was expecting "dictation," where someone drones on into a recorder and you type what they say. That sounds easy enough. Well, transcription, on the other hand, is writing a transcript of any number of situations, including interviews, focus groups, etc. I aced the required grammar and vocabulary tests, which should come as no surprise to those whose English I have corrected (hee, hee), and she was impressed with the test transcript I had to send in. *doing the happy dance* The office manager said she is leery of stay-at-home moms who apply, since generally they just want a job they can do at home and actually don't know how to write a coherent sentence or spell simple words. I set out to prove her wrong, and apparently did so!!! We've spent a lot of time chatting on the phone, and she is a kindred spirit. We both cringe when people write "could of" or "allot" instead of "could have" or "a lot," and we both are used to our friends and family rolling their eyes at us when we morph into the role of Grammar Police. She assured me it's an addiction, and that I am free to embrace it. I mail out my contract this week, and then I am on probation. I am VERY excited about this opportunity, since it combines my love of English, my love for working on the computer, AND being home with my girlies! Unfortunately, it will also cut into my computer time, which is already sparse. So, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up with blogging... We shall see. I'll keep you posted!

Zoobilee!!!

Cabin Fever was creeping in, so my mom and I decided to take the kids to Zoobilee. Fun for them... and getting out of the house for me! What a deal.

We all had such a blast, and I sure got a great work-out!! Elianna needed some help climbing up the platforms, and I was saddened to see that somehow (it's a medical miracle) she managed to inherit my gene that completely voids any coordination or athletic ability. It didn't slow her down, though, it just made climbing harder!! I tried teaching her several different climbing methods, and she was able to climb a bit on her own without my help. Selah is fearless, climbing on anything she could reach and laughing hysterically when I dropped her down the slide. She looked down her nose at the little toddler area, and kept begging anyone near the climbing platforms to pick her "Up, Up!!" (There was only one platform low enough for her to climb up on, and she got bored with that one after a while!) Elianna was more cautious, but after about 10 minutes or so she was whizzing down the slide on her own as well. I didn't get picture of her playing on it, but Elianna's favorite part was the little mock suspension bridge. (You can see it on the picture above.) She and the two friends she made spent a large chunk of time running back and forth over that bridge!


Elianna swinging on the ropes... while Selah (in the background) gleefully climbs the only platform low enough for her to reach!


Leave it to my girls to keep heading to the Reading Area... and I just kept kicking them out. Literacy and problem solving skills be darned, I didn't pay 9 bucks for them to do puzzles and read books! We could do that at home, or for free at the library. Get out there and climb, CLIMB my money's worth!! (Okay, I read them each one book before I kicked them out.)


They do puzzles as a team - Selah pulls off all the pieces, and Elianna reassembles it.


The pathetic little toddler area. Neither of the girls was very impressed.


Elianna saw one of the dads playing this video game, so she pulled up a chair to give it a try. It got boring, though, since I wouldn't give her any money.


Fun flying down the slide! Yes, I had to fling Selah down on her belly. If she went down on her bottom, she would slip back and bonk her head.


All tuckered out, relaxing for a bit!

Elianna's Stage Debut

Elianna sang in church for the first time with the "Patch Club." I was a little worried about how she'd do, but she actually behaved very well!! There was the minor mishap of her taking off her shrug and shoes while waiting to go on stage, then handing her shoes to the teacher once she got up there! (I didn't get that on video, but you can see in the picture that she's handing the teacher her shoes.) When her friend started playing around, she got this very serious, disturbed look on her face, and leaned over to see what the teacher was going to do about this. It wasn't until everyone started laughing at the other girl that Elianna realized things were okay. Elianna is a stickler for doing things "by the book," so you can tell she really didn't know how to take it when her friend started hamming it up. (I am glad they are letting her in this class. It's technically for 4-year-olds and older, but she is doing great and really enjoys it.)

Curse of the Pink Pirate

Okay, this post might very well cost me my marriage, but I think I have proven that my sense of humor often supersedes my sense of kindness and decency.

I was coming home from grocery shopping, oblivious to what was going on in my home. I had made the mistake of leaving my precious, impressionable children with their father AND Uncle Jonny. Either one of these particular adult figures is a dangerous influence at best, but combined... I don't know what I was thinking. Anyway, I arrive home to find our truck parked in the street in front of our house, so I pull into the driveway. I was just grabbing a few bags when I hear an engine rev and a SMASH. I turned around to see that someone (very quickly) pulling out of the driveway across the street had backed right into my truck!!!!! They hit it so hard it actually moved the truck over a few inches... very nearly into the ditch. I'm standing there staring in shock, when what do you suppose comes charging out of MY HOUSE. My darling husband... dressed as a pirate. Oh, and not just any pirate. Apparently, the only head gear he could find (to imitate that turban like head wrap all true pirates wear) was my daughter's fuzzy pink blanket. And the only appropriate nose ring he could find was... a large, dangly rhinestone-studded clip-on earring from her wedding dress-up kit. His eyes were flashing and he calls to me, "Someone just hit our truck!" He comes charging down the driveway, apparently having completely forgotten his attire. I barely had time to sputter out a response that came out something like, "You are NOT going over there dressed like that!" He hesitates, and you can see the realization dawn on him that he almost stormed over and confronted a very inebriated redneck... while dressed as a pink pirate. At this time, my brother bursts out to see what the commotion is about, and he is dressed in a large Target bag. (He cut leg holes out, and looped the handles over his shoulders.) Very disturbing. Have you ever had one of those moments where you think the world has gone mad? Yeah?

Welcome to my life.

P.S. In case you were wondering what happened to the inebriated redneck, Chad called the police, who administered a breathalyzer and arrested the guy. There were open canS (yes, plural) of beer all over the truck, and they didn't even have the sense to throw them away before the police came. I guess I'd rather they smash into my parked truck than a car with people in it!!!! What an idiot. I hope they throw the book at the guy - there is absolutely no excuse for getting behind a wheel while drunk. Accidents happen, but I have no tolerance for drunk drivers.

I'm a Mailbox Assassin!!!

Did you ever just have one of those days? I seem to have them with disproportionate frequency. A few weeks ago I was visiting my mom, right when Selah was just getting over that last tummy bug. It had been a bad few days, since when Selah vomits, she turns into a human sprinkler. So, not only do I have to settle her down and clean her up, clean myself and change all my clothes, I usually have to use about 1/2 bottle of Oxy Power Fantastic on my carpet, furniture, walls, etc... I was stressed and exhausted, and the kids were grumpy. I ran out to start my truck, which was parked in front of my parents' house, and decided to pull it into the driveway to be closer to the door for loading up. I glanced in my mirror, looked over my shoulder, and backed up. CRUNCH. I backed right over the neighbor's mailbox. Grrr... I was ready to cry at this point, but instead I took a deep breath and went and knocked on their door. I calmly apologized and left her my number. I told her I was willing to pay for a new mailbox, and sorry for the trouble, etc... She was as sweet and bubbly as always, saying "Oh, don't worry honey. God does all things for a reason." Yeah, only this reason seems to be for a wealthy family to get a mailbox paid for by us, when we can barely makes ends meet anyway, because I decided to murder an innocent mailbox. (Hey admit it, I'm not the only one who gets a bad attitude when God is teaching you a lesson!! At least she wasn't mean and cussed me out...) Not helping my poor attitude was the fact that we have not had positive experiences with the lady's husband. The guy was mowing his lawn once, and actually CHASING neighbor kids around with the blades engaged. Slash Tag everyone, sounds like fun! On top of that, this same Einstein who chases kids with lawnmowers for fun once buzzed right by my terrified two-tear-old while mowing one day. Elianna was following Chad around my parent's yard (there is no fence between them) and the guy comes whirring right by just feet away. Chad whirled around to get Elianna, and there she was cowering down on her knees petrified. The guy didn't even stop. Chad scooped her off and stormed to our car, and the guy buzzes by AGAIN and this time his blades throw a rock that smack Chad right in the neck. Chad was perturbed, to say the least. So today, I get a message on my answering machine. "Hi, this is Mrs. _________, your parent's neighbor. I just wanted to let you know we got a new mailbox and it cost $100. Have a blessed day!" BLESSED day!?!?! Why does she keep invoking God's name? And it's not like God was going to bless me anyway with my cranky attitude. For one thing, I didn't know a new mailbox costs $100!??! Did they find one that addresses and stamps mail for you? Scans it and incinerates junk mail automatically? Writes back all those credit card companies and demands to be taken off their mailing lists? I mean seriously, $100!??! OUCH! (Okay, I had a comment reprimanding me for complaining about the cost, so I need to point out that this part is supposed to be funny for those who don't see the humor!) *sigh*We had a kind older lady slide on the snow and hit our mailbox last winter, and we graciously replaced it. Ourselves. Still, I knew at the end of the day, it was the right thing to do. Chad, who still can't stand him anyway because of all the lawnmower incidents, told me although I had no legal obligation to replace the mailbox, we both agreed that we were morally obliged to make things right. Now, it's always harder to make things right with someone who you don't particularly like (it was much easier helping out the nice old lady who smashed not one but TWO mailboxes on our street). Even if we can only afford to send them $10 at a time, our integrity is worth $100, and technically... I did crush their (nice) mailbox!!!!



P.S. Here's a picture of what we can afford versus what they bought:

Har, har, couldn't help it.

Selah's Stats

I took Selah for her 15-month Well Child Check. (I can't believe she is growing up so fast!!!) The little booger managed to be sick at the time of her appointment, so she got out of getting her vaccinations. (She only needs one more anyway.) She is hanging right in at the 50th percentile, except for her weight, which was only 25th percentile due to her illness. (She had yet another tummy bug and was vomiting and had diarrhea the four days leading up to her visit. Needless to say, she lost almost two pounds!) I asked the doctor about all these tummy issues, and she said it just sounds like she is going to be susceptible to those kinds of viruses. She assured me she did not have the symptoms of a more serious gastrointestinal issue, lactose intolerance, or celiac issues as I had feared. Phew!! What a relief!! While Elianna is more susceptible to the colds and respiratory problems (and has only thrown up once in her life), Selah rarely gets colds (and only gets the sniffles at the most) but catches every tummy bug that goes around. *sigh* At least they provide some variety. Selah is feeling better now, and eating like a piggy. So, I'm sure she's already gained her weight back!!!

As fussy/crabby as she was for her doctor visit, being sick and all, she still was able to dazzle the doc with her vocabulary. She happily pointed out and named body parts and prattled other favorite words. Her vocabulary was at 30+ words last count, with new ones being added every day, and she is already forming two word phrases. She also knows a rather motley assortment of animal sounds: Owl, kitten, dog, bear, mouse and bird, yet she is stumped by the usual cow, pig or sheep. Go figure. The doctor said she is happy for a 15-month-old to say 5 words, so she was very happy about her large vocabulary. She attributed this partly to my "No TV" campaign and lots and lots... and LOTS of reading. (Selah is just as addicted to books as her sister, probably one of the only things they actually have in common. Anyone caught sitting around her will be brought a book and be demanded to read.)

So, I am thankful for a happy, overall healthy and normally developing child. I do not take this kind of thing for granted, since it is not really in our hands!!!! We can do what we can to stimulate and teach our children, but there are some things, both mentally and health wise, and are simply out of our control. So I try to remind myself to be thankful for these seemingly mundane check-ups, when there are mothers struggling with special needs children who would love to have a normal, mundane check-up. The Lord has a different plan and purpose for each child... not to mention each parent.

Wedding Website

I discovered Momentville from a friend, and thought it was a very cool website. So, I've talked Sarah and Eric into making a wedding website, and we would love all of you to check it out, sign the guestbook, leave comments, take our polls, ask questions, RSVP, etc... The only thing I do NOT like at the site is the wedding day countdown. As the planner, the last thing I need is a deadline!!! ;0) We are still working on it, so pardon us while we continue working on it. Anyway, check it out:

Eric and Sarah's Wedding

Beautiful Bride

Here are some more pics (above) and a video (below) of Elianna in her Bridalware. And of course, Little Sissy had to jump in the action, even though she was still in her jammies... (She did consent to a boa and a small bouqet, but only for about 5 seconds.) We got a CD of love songs at a wedding reception (they were the wedding favors - what a cool idea!) and Elianna just loves that CD. She was all decked out, minus the shoes since she couldn't dance without tripping, and dancing away to "At Last," so I had to break out the video. Her mini bridesmaid/sister danced along, but her dance looked suspiciously like the "Hokey Pokey." It's funny how Elianna takes it all so seriously, and then there's her little goofball sister. What a pair.