A Little of This, A Little of That

It's been business as usual around here all week...nothing overly exciting to report!

It's been cold and rainy, so on the girls' days off from school they've spent lots of time like this...

(Curled up in bed watching cartoons and reading books...but with clothes on! HA!)
And Cate's been rather mischievous...

That would be the Bible I've had for over 20 years that my Granny and Pop gave me. The one where they underlined all their favorite verses and wrote little notes to me in the margins of the pages before they gave it to me. The one Earthly possession that I would be devastated over should something happen to it because it's one of the only things I still have that reminds me of my sweet grandfather whom I miss so much. And Cate ripped the pages from it. All I could do was sit in the floor and cry. And she was patting my back and hugging me saying 'why hoo crying, Mommy?' which made me cry even more. I was so mad. She knows better. I won't go as far as to say I'm over it, but it can be fixed and it doesn't change the way I feel about her. When it happened, Towns looked at me and all she could say was 'what are we going to do with her?' to which I had nothing to reply!
The girls started gymnastics at a new venue this week. They've been taking at another place across town, but it's a zoo with so many classes going on at the same time and we couldn't see that they were getting anything from it. So J scouted out another spot and after taking them twice this week, we're 100% sold! It's amazing to say the least. And they have one-on-one time with the teachers for a solid hour, which makes me a very pleased parent.
Bethany started out in a Level 1 class. And after evaluating Towns, they decided to put her in too! They've never put a 4 year old in a Level 1 class, so let's hope she can hang with them! So far, so good. Both of them are loving it! I had my camera with me last night, so I snapped a few pictures of them in action. The whole second floor is nothing but glass so that you can see what all is going on down below, and it's great entertainment!
Towns getting ready to do a back handspring...

B is nothing but a blur because she's so fast! This is her mid back tuck...

Right about then, I spotted Towns sneaking up onto the beam so she could make a 4 ft. jump into the foam pit...

She made it, and I could breathe again. I know it's only foam, but still!
I love this one...

If you'll notice, Bethany and Towns are fixing their hair the exact same way. Towns copies everything her sister does! Love it!
This one is funny to me...

That's the competition cheer team. Obviously they weren't performing at their highest potential, so Shane (the owner) called Towns over so they could see that she could do her back handspring (with a spot, of course) to show them that they need to step up their game! :) She's the pink blur to the left that's running off. I didn't catch the whole thing, but B motioned for me to look at what she was doing and by the time I did, she was almost gone. That's all she talked about all night long afterwards!
I haven't really had my camera out much this week, so this morning I had a feeling the girls were having Nikon withdrawals (I'm so kidding...they love it when they don't have a lens in their faces!). There was some major sisterly love going on at breakfast...


Not sure what Cate's doing to B!
We've been waiting all week for Friday to finally come. Towns got to wear pj's and take her sleeping bag to a pajama party at school...it doesn't get much more exciting than that for a 4 year old! She had everything packed and sitting by the door last night before she went to bed so that this morning all she had to do was grab it and go!

She looks like a hitch hiker in that one. Yes, I took her to school and didn't make her find her own ride. Only because it was raining and I would have felt bad seeing her stand on the street thumbing a ride while getting soaking wet! Kidding...
I love routines. This is ours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday when I take the girls to school...
Towns gets all of her stuff out of the car and gets it organized before she goes in and Cate looks on admiringly...

We drop Towns off at her class first. She puts her backpack in its spot outside the classroom and gets her folder and library book out so she can turn it in to her teacher. Cate waits patiently during all that. And once Towns is ready to go in, they give each other a big hug and kiss and Towns says "you have a good day in your class, Cate-Cate, and Sissy will see you in a little while." Just like that. Every single time.

Then Cate turns around and heads to her class with her Strawberry Shortcake backpack like she's something else...

And when we get there, she gives her backpack to one of her teachers and says good morning to all of her friends. I'm totally forgotten about at this point, therefore I casually say "ok, Cate, Mommy's going" to get her to give me at least a little love before I leave. And so she runs over and gives me a great big hug. And if I try to leave right after that, she'll remind me that I haven't given her a kiss...

Have I mentioned that I just want to freeze them and make them stay just like they are?! Thanks Taunton for the picture...even though it took 46 tries! :)

It's a big weekend for B! She's going to be at DNow with our church from tonight until Sunday morning which is HUGE for her! Those of us born in the 80's might remember it as Discipleship Now...you know they have that hip lingo that I can't keep up with these days. B's always liked to stay close to home, either with her mom or with us on the weekends. So the fact that she's going to be gone this weekend without any of us around is a major milestone! She'll be with her friends having a great time and probably won't give us a second thought...sigh. And I'm interested in hearing what all she learns over the course of the weekend. The theme is "So You're Dead...Now What?" and I have a feeling it'll be a great time of fellowship and learning. Have fun, B!

I'll Take Summer, Please

I spent the weekend with the funniest guy I know. Just the two of us. Sometimes in the craziness that is our life I don't quite appreciate how much fun he is to be around nearly as much as I should. We spent the entire weekend doing work (me) and taxes (him) and we still had a good time! And since our heat went out Friday night and the guy that is fixing it can't get the part he needs until Monday morning, we spent the coldest weekend we've had in a while wishing we were back in Mexico...

Vacation talk occupied 3/4 of our time. We're already planning for the summer! Can you tell I grow increasingly ready for higher temperatures (hey, I'd even take spring in a heartbeat) by the day?! Oh how I wish I saw warm weather in the near future!!!

I'm Easily Entertained...

The other day while I was waiting for B at the orthodontist, I randomly started looking at the pictures on my phone. Have you ever done that? I highly suggest it if you need a laugh because it can be really entertaining if you have a little time to kill...

Exhibit A:

B and I being complete lunatics in the TJ Maxx dressing room sometime last summer. You'd think we have no life! If you click on the pic to make it bigger, you can see B making a halo above her head. Hope lightening doesn't strike! I'm only kidding! :)

These are from last summer, too. The girls and I met roommate (Anna Kate) and little miss Katherine for lunch in Birmingham, and Cate wanted Katherine to love on her so badly! Towns wanted the same thing, but was a little more gentle in showing it. After lunch AK and I wanted a picture together, but since we were the only two adults present I asked Towns to try and take the picture. This is how it turned out...

AK is in position, I'm walking back to stand with her after giving Towns her instructions, and Cate has hit the jackpot because she's got Katherine all to herself while no one is looking!
These next ones are just from this week alone...
Towns entertained Cate by dressing her up while I was finishing up some work...

Cute B showing me what was in the Valentine's treat box her mom sent...

Cate loves pockets. But she only puts her right hand in her pocket, and it's always the back pocket instead of the front. She was doing it the other day as we were leaving the post office, so I asked her to let me take a picture and she cheerfully obliged...


Yesterday we ventured out bright and early. We went to see this big guy...

Where we got fun stick on earrings (that had to cost all of $.03) with the $10 in tokens it took to 'buy' them with the tickets we won. Towns' earrings fell off yesterday and were lost, which wasn't pretty. Cate lost one of hers, too. But she still has one that she refuses to take off and this is how she went to school this morning...

I tried to tell her she looked like a pirate, but she didn't know what I was talking about nor did she care...

One last camera phone pic...

B and I were accidental twins the other day and didn't realize it until after we got out of the car and were on the way inside the orthodontist office. Too late to fix it! Great minds think alike...right Bebs?! I promise not to do that again!!
Last night, B and I made a late night run to Target where I found these...

They're tiny...just the perfect amount!
What you don't want to see is this...

B's always said that her idea of a perfect night at home (where she'd feel like such a celebrity) would be sitting on the couch and eating Ben & Jerry's right out of the tub, so I couldn't not buy them once I spotted them. You can check that one off your list, B...

It was g-o-o-d!

Never a Dull Moment!

Last Thursday morning, Buggy woke up with crazy bed head and had to be put straight in the bath to tame it down. Nothing too eventful, of course, but just so you can see what a clown she is...

She's just like her Daddy and I love it!
That afternoon Towns and her friend Emma exhibited some major sharing...

One pair of skates, two little girls!
What to do?

They came up with that one on their own!
Right about that time J brought Bethany home from school in a bright red Mustang convertible that he drove home from work. She flew in the door proclaiming that it was the worst day of her life because she was beyond embarrassed from him picking her up in that car! :)
But these three weren't embarrassed in the least...

We took them for a spin around the block. And when we got right in front of the house, we let them stand up and pretend they were in a parade. They were waving their hearts out!
When it was time for J to go back to work they were not happy campers! Cate went straight to Bethany to cry on her shoulder for a while. B gave her lots of love which made it all better! That, and the fact that we told her we'd take her to the Mex (Mexican restaurant down the street) and Bethany's basketball game shortly after.
Sometimes (ok, most of the time) I feel like a traveling circus when we go anywhere. Thursday night at Bethany's ballgame was no different. I purposely sat at the very top of the bleachers so that we wouldn't be in anyone's way. Turns out it didn't really matter. We were just as much of a spectacle as we always are!!
During one 8th grade girls basketball game (which doesn't last very long) we:
-took 2 baby dolls, 1 Care Bear, 3 purses and 3 diaper bags into the gym with us
-Got 3 Gatorades, 2 waters and 3 boxes of popcorn
-spilled most of it on the bleachers
-the orange Gatorade ended up all over this man's pants in the background...

-made 2 trips to the little ladies' room
-during one of the trips Cate's high heels she was wearing (forgot to bring her more shoes - those were what she wore to the car so that's all we had - mother of the year) failed her because she refused to hold my hand going down the stairs and it resulted in a busted lip and skin coming off of her chin
-while I was dealing with that Towns and Emma were standing right in front of the coaches making them unable to see their basketball players on the court
-it was unusually quiet while this was going on so all you can hear is Cate screaming
-and you can also hear Bethany yelling to me from where she was cheering to get Towns and Emma immediately because they are 'all up in the way'
-I'm trying to find somewhere to dig a hole and crawl in
-oh wait, I can't. I'm supposed to be in charge.
-just when I thought it was almost over and I could finally get everyone to the car, the game went into overtime.
....and these are the days of our lives!
But as crazy as it all is, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's my life and it's insane most of the time, but I'm thankful I'm never bored!!!
And you have to admit these girls are pretty cute which totally makes up for it...


B, just be thankful you didn't have to sit with us! But on the flip side, everyone does know you belong to us so you can't escape it that easy! HA!!

Craft Mania

We've had a week. It's been one thing after another, and by just Tuesday morning I was ready to throw my hands up and play all day. And that's just what we did! Actually, when you have children like mine they'd rather do arts and crafts over anything else...

We started with finger painting...

Cate couldn't believe that I was actually telling her to go crazy and stick her fingers in it...

She had to look over at Towns to make sure it was really ok to do it...

She finally dug in!


Blondie went to town with it...

But Cate's a neat freak and couldn't stop wiping her fingers off long enough to paint much!

Besides, it's way more fun to dip the wipes in paint anyway...

And then wipe the counters down with them, not stopping until every square inch was covered in green, orange and two shades of pink...

Is it crazy that I've kept every single thing they've ever painted? These are no different. These are just two of the ten that were painted...


Towns painted this one for me...

It's a picture of the two of us at our favorite place (no, not Target) - Point Mallard!
Can't you tell?!

After the painting session, they danced their hearts out while I laughed hysterically...

Wardrobe change, then more dancing...

(I love how the headband is pushed forward so much that Cate looks like she's wearing elf ears!)


In this one, Towns was trying to teach Cate how to do a curtsy that we'll really have to work on...

The girls were worn out after all the action, so I let them lay on our bed to watch Strawberry Shortcake and rest for a while. What on Earth would make me think that would go as planned? Not even two minutes had passed before this had happened...

See that goose egg on the right side of her forehead? That's what happens when you're jumping on the bed and fall head first off of it. And the hardwood floor breaks your fall. Not pretty.
I diverted her attention to more crafting!
Towns had 'homework' and had a little snowman from school that she had to decorate from things found around the house. I knew how it would go if I let her do it and left Cate out of it, so I made a copy of it and let the two of them go at it. The idea was to use things like beans, cotton balls, etc. because that's what most normal people would find around their house. But here's what's lying around ours...

(Love that Towns drew ear muffs on her snowman)

Ribbon, buttons, glitter, and pipe cleaners! I love having a craft box.
One day I'll have a craft room!!
Wednesday morning we had to take Towns' snowman back to school to turn it in, and Cate wasn't missing a beat when she grabbed hers to turn into Mrs. Judy and Mrs. Irene...


And when we got to school, low and behold Mrs. Michelle was wearing the shirt Towns gave her for Christmas! Of course we had to have a picture...

Turns out that both of her teachers had planned to wear their shirts last Friday to surprise her. Mrs. Michelle knew she'd be out sick and saved it to wear when she'd be there, but Mrs. Glenda wore hers and we missed seeing her. Oh well, maybe next time!

Back to Tuesday...

Am I the only person in the world who didn't know about these things?
How did I miss those when I was a kid??
I found the kit at Target in the Valentine's section and decided to see what it was all about. I don't know who had more fun with it - the kids or me!

I cut the shapes out and let them color them, punched holes in the top so we could hang them on a Valentine tree, then stuck them in the oven only to watch them come out like this...

Unbelievable! Why am I so amazed by these things?! Goodness...

By Tuesday afternoon my back was killing me from standing at the kitchen counter all day long playing craft supervisor. And this was the mess I had to clean up...

But I have some sweet, sweet keepsakes from it and that makes it all worth it!