You said you wanted me to post more...

I have a few problems. And I'm coming to you, my adoring fans...er...fan, for your input. If not....hey, I should be able to at least make you laugh...on my behalf of course. Now where to start.

Let's start off with something more simple. Last night I went in for a Sleep Study to attempt to find out why on Earth it is that I'm so unbelievably exhausted. Ya know...like the fact that I can't keep my eyes from wanting to shut and stay shut when driving a little distance. For some reason other drivers don't care for it when you try to drive with your eyes shut. Also: people within the vehicle you are driving don't really like it also. It makes them nervous. Darn pansies.

So I went for my study and I slept. I woke up a few times to move some, and it did take me a while to fall asleep. HELLO...not the easiest to fall asleep when you are this wired.

This morning they woke me (side note: one will wake faster and be more alert then normal when being waken by a stranger in your not-normal setting. Good Morning Nurse Lady!) and told me that I have Sleep Apnea and will have to come back another night to sleep with a CPAP on to find out what pressure works for me. Yeah...that was a lot of words to get the idea across that I will be going back to sleep in not-my-bed at not-my-home with a scuba diving type mask on forcing air into me. (And I'm now wondering why is it no one has ever inflated and floated away while hooked up to a CPAP...I'm imagining a cartoon of someone floating against the ceiling with the tubing tethering them to the machine. Spouse in the room, looking up..."uh...honey?")

But I digress. All this is to say that I do have Sleep Apnea (in the first 1/2 of my study I stopped breathing every 9 minutes, on average. Cool, eh? Also: Never before did I study for sleeping. Maybe that is why babies don't sleep through the night at first...they are studying how to. Yeah yeah...bad humor. It's 11:48 at night, give me a break.) In a couple weeks I will go back and then work on getting my own CPAP for here at home. I'm hoping to then dream of scuba diving in some beautiful reef and waking up refreshed. Hey, a girl can hope.

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I'm going to once again try to prove that I'm either completely crazy or an awesome mom. At the end of this month I have invited all 11, you read that right...eleven, girls from Cassie's class to come to Cassie's VERY LATE birthday party.

A friend of mine, who is actually a Mary Kaye consultant, and I will be giving the girls mini facials and teaching them a little about skin care. The girls will then be able to put a little age appropriate make up on (aka lip gloss and light shimmering eye shadow) Yup...keeping things age appropriate...no making these girls look like hoochies here. I've also asked my almost sister-in-law to come help do mini-manicures too. Alright, so we are just painting nails...I can make believe if the kids can.

Then, just to test my sanity, I've invited all 11 of these girls to spend the night here. At my home. Where I will be.

Andy has already told me he doesn't care what I do because he will be playing his Xbox all night. That is 'man' for "you're on your own toots!" I figure there is a very low chance that all the girls will be able to come and stay over anyway. Of course, with my luck...

Please stay open that night if I need to be rescued. Thank you :)
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I love Kalli. Really I do. She is so unbelievably sweet. She is gorgeous and very smart. She is very attached to me...maybe too much at times, but that is ok. She is my baby after all.

Kalli is also hilarious. I mean shaking your head laughing hilarious, at times. Most of the time she doesn't even try to be funny. She is just showing you something or telling you something and after you laugh she will blush and try to hide some.

Tonight, I'm sitting with Cassie, checking her teeth after she brushes them and Kalli comes in by us ready for bed (in long shirt) and says, "I can give myself a wedgie. Look...". And then she does. She pulls up on her underwear until it is seated just inside her seat and then she says proudly, "see...".

Now I'm not sure, but when did this become a talent? I just laughed and shook my head and said wow. Cassie looked at me as if to say that her sister was nuts and continued with her teeth. I told Kalli to go show her daddy what she could do and she blushed and hid. I only wish these were the moments that I could get on video because seriously...this is blackmail material in the making!!
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I don't know what to do about this next one. The girls had 'Spring Pictures' at school a few weeks ago. I think that it is silly that they are now taking pictures two times a year and trying to get parents to buy more. I mean hello, 1 sheet (8x10, 2 3x5s, OR a sheet of wallets) is $12. RIDICULOUS!

Well, that is until the pictures came home. See, they send the pics home, you keep what you want, send back any you don't want, and any money for those you've kept. The pictures that came home of my children are breath-taking. I think that they are beautiful. And I'm going to have a very hard time sending them back.


See what I mean?? And then I put the girls' beginning of the year next to the recent ones and...WOW! They have changed so much in just 6 months. Where did my little girls go??

Agreed? I just look at those pictures and am stunned. There are no words....
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Okay, a couple last pictures of things. No long story to go along with them really, I just liked them so there you go :)

Brady wanted to be carried the other day so I put him front facing in the carrier I have. He loved it and I got things done.

I brought some fake flowers from the dollar store the other day to make a little seasonal bouquet here at home. Here is what I made up. Nothing super, but I like it. And it adds color to my kitchen. Besides....they make me smile when I am doing dishes.

Spring Break 2010

I'm rewinding a bit back to last week during the girl's 'Spring Break'.

Not only did Cassie get her first eye brow wax, and we visit Chuck E Cheese...we also went WILD!

Cassie took the car out for a spin on the town. Being as short as she is and the fact that she is only 9,
she really had to concentrate on her driving hence the intense look.

Being as wild as the girls get, they headed out for a night out on the town

and found themselves happily Cage Dancing

In the end Kalli booked the trip for the two of them and they went on Safari.
Those wild girlies!!

Okay, so not that wild. But it was fun to spoof on the 'Girls gone Wild' title. That is until I was making the sign on the ground in the driveway and the girls kept yelling, "GIRLS GONE WILD". Go ahead try to explain to a 5 and 9 year old why they shouldn't be yelling that out loud.


And the moral of the story: My girls were a little too excited about "Girls Gone Wild" and therefore will be grounded for every spring break until they are married.

Paula: The Good Times, The Bad Times, and the Body that Hates Her

Last week Andy called me from work and told me that he had been called into a meeting with his team leader, supervisor, and the plant supervisor. It was a spontaneous meeting And the conversation went something like this...

Supervisor: We want to have a meeting with the plant supervisor, the team leader, you and I.
Andy: Alright...when?
Supervisor: Right now.
Andy: Okay...

He must have gotten that look on his face because his supervisor told him that it wasn't anything bad.

Andy went into the room and sat down, still nervous. It is at this point that they started telling him how much they appreciate everything that he has been doing. For several months now he has been coming in 2 hours early several times a week (some entire weeks) and learning part of the team leader's job. He has also been cross trained in many of the other ares of the plant in the past year. Andy has also done most of the team leader's job when she is not at work.
In the meeting, they said that some people would have quit or complained by now because of the extra work load and the expectations that have been placed on him. The supervisor and plant supervisor commended him on his attitude and his willingness to learn. They told Andy that he absorbs new information like a sponge and is then ready for new challenges.

And then...he was given a promotion. And a raise. I'm so unbelievably proud of him. His hours are changing some too. He was working 7-3:30, but now he will have to go in earlier so he will be working 5-1:30. While I have to admit that it has got to suck getting up so early in the morning. Is there really a A.M. version of 3:30? Seriously?? However, he is enjoying the being done at 1:30 and I am loving having him home earlier.
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Last week was the girls' Spring Break from school and while we didn't do too much extraordinary, we did have a nice week. The girls played in the basement a lot, showing me that they can get along and solve their own problems.

On Friday, the last day of Break, I took the girls to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games. However, before heading there for fun and excitement we stopped off at our local salons and Cassie got her eye brows waxed for the first time. As of late it seems that some of the hair on her face is starting to darken. Mainly eye brows and a little bit on the upper lip. We started with eye brows as well...honestly, I come from a family of uni-brows. Cassie inherited this wonderful trait as well.

Before: Uni-brow and hairy

She was very nervous going in and cried some, but after they did it the first pull she said that "it felt like pulling off a bandaid. Or like pulling the tape off when I tape her mouth shut." Huh???? Yes this is what she said in front of the ladies that were doing her and my waxes. So I had to clarify before Child Services was called. Every now and again when Cassie is talking up a storm and driving me insane I will use scotch tape and 'tape her mouth shut'. Cassie, however, made it sound like I duct taped her mouth on a daily basis...which by the way would eliminate the upper lip problem.

After all was said and done, Cassie loved it. She kept saying that she was so pretty now. And I kept correcting her by saying that she was always pretty...this just makes her eye brows look that little bit more defined and clean. And it is very true.

After: cleaned up and looking fairly good.
Next time I will have them round the insides a little more so it looks less treky looking.

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So, we've talked in the past about how my body hates me, right? And about how I'm very coordinated? Well...I have a story to show just how true these things are.

Sunday morning we were walking dogs and I rolled my ankle. Of course my ankle rolling and then giving out completely caused me to fall on the gravel road. I stopped my face from hitting the ground with my hands and surprisingly never lost the dog. As I was laying on the ground the dog, Emily, came back and looked at me as if to say, "why are you on the ground?"

Andy was a little ways in front of me and turned back to see me completing my fall to the ground and then rushed to see if I was okay. (fortunately he was the only one to see my embarrassment) I said that I was okay and I tried to get up and walk off the pain in my ankle. It wasn't really helping, but I was hoping. I then mentioned how my knee was really hurting and that I was sure it was scrapped up and that I'd have another bruise. I told Andy that I didn't want to look, but should. I pulled up my pants leg and what I saw made my stomach flip and Andy say "oh my God". It wasn't pretty. I had gouge in my knee and it looked like a flap of skin was hanging there some. I pulled my pant leg back down and thought about trying to walk this off as well, but I gave up and went back to the house.

Before: Open, fleshy looking boo-boo. This picture actually doesn't show how bad it really was.

Long story short...this was the end of my walking dogs for the day, I felt like a dork, and once we were back in town Andy and I headed for the ER. It was a blast and I came out with an air brace for my right ankle, 10 stitches in my left knee, a tetanus shot in my left arm, and antibiotics to be on for the next several days. Seriously, not that good of a time.

After: Bruises setting in now, the girls say my stitches make my skin look like they are lips.
It hurts to move my knee and just thinking about bumping it makes me cringe.

And now for the question of the evening. When you have an injured ankle/leg they tell you that when you are going up the stairs to lead with the good leg and when you are doing down the stairs to lead with the bad. Up with the good, Down with the bad. However, how do you do stairs when both legs are bad?? Yeah, I haven't figured it out yet either. For now I just do my best with as little moaning as possible and hope that I am not sweating by the time I get to the other end of the stairs. Yes, it is a sad life that I have here. I'm thinking of making a sitcom out of it. I'll just simply call it "Paula: Good Times, Bad Times, and the Body that Hates Her". Has a certain ring to it, doesn't it?
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I feel like I have so much more to post about, but sleep is a little more important and it is almost 11:00pm. I'll work on it tomorrow, if time presents itself. ;)

The Wheels on the Bus go round and round....

Look - 2 days in a row. :)

Tonight Kalli was singing the Wheels on the Bus, but was making her own verses up. In case you are looking at singing her version, here are the verses

The babies on the bus go wha wha wha
The mommies on the bus go shh shh shh
The daddies on the bus go read read read
The grandmas on the bus go knit knit knit
The grandpas on the bus to (snoring sounds)
The kids on the bus go sit sit sit. -mind you at this point she sits with her head leaning on her arm like she is sooooo bored. I think the last verse should have been the kids on the bus go are we there yet???

I thought some of the parts were just hilarious! When she does the grandma knitting she mimes with her hands like she is making something. When she does the grandpas snoring she lays to the side on her hands and snores. I had to try very hard not to laugh. Man, I love that girl!!
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I'm still sick, but not as bad as I was last night at this time. Still considering taking some Nyquil tonight so I can get another good night of sleep. I could really use it.

Again...I shall leave you with a couple pictures. Tonight they are Miss Kaitlynn...my Bella Bean.

For some reason she loves this toy pacifier and will carry it around, suck on it, and put it in her 'bag' that she plays with. It is completely hard plastic which makes this a interesting feat.

She decided the other night that a pair of Uncle Andy's basketball shorts were a good scarf. She carried them around before putting them over her head. She then went over and hugged Andy.

Ta Da!!

Yes, it has been a long time since I've posted. It just so happens that by the time my day is done...whether it be a day of babysitting, being mom/wife, volunteering at school, hanging out with my BFF who is going back to work on Monday, running errands, or helping to care for my not-so-independent mom, or some combination of them...I'm just exhausted. If there was a way to write a post earlier then 9:00, that would probably help the frequency of posts. However, even now, at 10:00 I'm still busy.

Tonight Kalli and I ran to the store after dinner to get her a new pair of 'gym' shoes. (someone should have been praying for me going into a shoe section with Miss Kalli) She has been complaining that her shoes "feel funny" for a while and after looking for new ones I figured out why they "feel funny". The shoes that she was wearing were size 11. The size that we got tonight for her and fit with just a thumb width of growing room are size 13. The girlie needs to learn to say, "hey mom...my toes are squished...wanna buy me some that actually fit??"

Also, as I'm writing this, I am finishing up cooking a roast. It needed to be made or frozen so I started it after dinner tonight. It's going to be dinner tomorrow night? Or snacks over the weekend. Or something or other.

So update on where a few things are before I put roast away and head to bed.

My mom: doing alright...still hurting some, but pain is mostly under control. Is quite independent, but still needs some help from time to time. She actually made me laugh out loud by leaving me a message on Wednesday morning saying that my "mummy was unraveling". Her leg is in a splint with an Ace bandage wrapping the entire leg and the end of the bandage had come undone at her toes and was literally unraveling slowly. She couldn't reach it (for some reason she isn't that flexible anymore) and was afraid that if I didn't come help she would have a trail of bandage by the end of the day going from the living room to the bathroom. After I stopped laughing and gathered myself together (where is the oxygen when you need it?) I stopped by her house to wrap her back up and used packaging tape to get it to stay. I thought duct tape would work better, but for some reason the idea of me and duct tape coming at my mom seemed to worry her. I don't understand why either.

Weather: There is absolutely nothing more self defeating then shoveling snow only to turn around and see the ground is already covered in a thin layer of new snow. Wednesday I shoveled 3 times. Thursday I shoveled here at home once...snow blowing at the end to clear real heavy stuff from plow. Sun came out and by the end of day my driveway was dry. And because I'm a wonderful daughter, I went to my parents and cleared their driveway...which included a lot of chipping at ice and compacted snow.

Therefore, I'd now like to make an announcement. I'm done with winter. I'm moving on to Spring. I am putting away my shovels, my ice scraper, and my stupid bulky winter jacket. I will bring them out again in December...maybe November...but not before. I'll let you know how it works out, but don't be surprised if you see me shaking my fist at the sky cursing Mother Nature.

Me: Exhausted, but loving things. I told Andy the other night that I feel like I have 30-some balls that I am juggling and I have no help. Of course, if someone tries to help and takes a ball it'll throw the rhythm all off and I will end up dropping them all. Therefore, don't distract me, ask before you grab a ball, and help hold me up if I start to fall over for exhaustion.

The Girls: Sassy as ever. Though that is what I always say. Honestly, they are doing good. They are both growing so quickly and I'm noticing little changes in them as they get older. I'll get more into them in upcoming posts...which I'm hoping are soon. But here is a little story... On the way home from the store tonight with Kalli, we were both quiet when all of a sudden she started singing. I listened closely and heard her singing B-I-N-G-O. Only it wasn't Bingo. It was K-A-L-L-I. And the beginning words were: There was a person who had a kid and Kalli was her name-o. She went through the entire song until she was clapping all the letters and then everything went back to complete silence. I smiled silently because really....that girl is flippin' adorable!

I used to be sorta cool

Okay...ready for too much information? You've been warned.

Kalli has constipation. This is an issue that she has had her entire life. She has spent probably about 98% of her life constipated. This is an every day problem. And I have to tell you that spending every day thinking about someone else's bowels is not how I thought I'd spend my life.

Let's flash back to before I had children. I went about life without thinking once about anyone's bowels. Even while babysitting, I never paid that much attention and I thought it was weird if the parents asked if the baby had any poopy diapers while they were gone.

Coming back to the present, I spend my days not only keeping track of my children's bowel habits, but also those of any children I watch that day. This would be one of those things that they don't prepare you for when you are pregnant or thinking about having children. This is also one of those things that I never thought I'd be posting about. Yet with all the talking about it we do here, I thought..."why not?"

This is all to get to this little story.

Yesterday Kalli told me that she had to poop. This is code for 'follow me mother as I wish to talk your ear off in the bathroom as I sit on the throne and then have you make sure that my back end is completely clean'

Usually Kalli will talk and talk and talk and....you get the idea...while we bond in the bathroom. She mostly talks about school, make believe friends, jokes, or little things that she has noticed. And for the most part I find myself leaning on the wall nodding my head waiting for my role of making sure her back end is completely clean.

Yesterday, however, Kalli decided to talk about her poop. As she pooped. She talked about how her belly hurts a lot because she doesn't poop much. She talked about how her poop looks like rabbit poop. And then she told me every time she pooped a piece before finally telling me that she was finished and how many pieces she had pooped.

Yes, folks...this is my life now. And I used to be kinda cool.

I'm hoping to get a post done tomorrow during the day. One with a little less sh*tty of a topic.

Wherein I find myself sighing a lot.

Kalli was a hoot tonight. She was having a small fit because...well because of a lot of things, but I think it is mainly because she is 5, life isn't fair, and she was tired. But that is just my opinion.

On the way home from my parents I had both girls with me and Kalli was STILL crying. (at this point it had been about 10 minutes) Finally she starts talking some.

Kalli: Daddy yelled at me. And it broke my feelings when he yelled at me. And then it makes me sad.
Me: Why did daddy yell at you?
Kalli: Because I kept asking for McDonalds. And he said no.
Me: Well if you didn't keep asking and asking, he probably wouldn't yell at you.
Kalli: But I really want McDonalds.



Background - Andy had gotten the girls ready to go and helped Kalli get her jacket on and boots on. Telling her that we would just carry her snowpants because she didn't need them to get in the car and then into the house.

Kalli: I need my snowpants.
Me: Kalli, you don't really need them. You aren't playing outisde and we were just getting into the car and then straight into the house.
Kalli: But I need them because my legs are going to be cold and turn into ice cubes.



Kalli then told me that she had money in her pocket. Coins. However....

Kalli: When I get out of the car at home I'm going to be cold. And because I'm not wearing snowpants my pants will freeze and break off and then my money will be all over. And my coins will freeze and then people will see them. I don't want anyone to see my money.



Because we aren't worried about anyone seeing our underwear....just our frozen money.

I love the girl, but I find myself sighing a lot with her. There just is no winning. I seriously think she is going to go into acting. Anyone want to pay for her to get into drama classes? She'd be a shoo-in.

NaBloPoMo - Day 28

Tonight Andy and I took Kalli along to Sonic to pick up some food for my parents and our little family. As we were sitting in the drive through, Kalli saw one of the carhops ride past on skates with a tray of food.

Kalli: Mommy, I just saw a girl carrying food while on roller skates.
Me: Yeah...the waitresses here can roller skate to deliver food to vehicles. They even get paid a little extra for using skates.
Kalli: I want to do that.
Me: Well, when you get old enough to get a job you could come here and get a job being a waitress
Kalli: I need to learn to skate. Will you hold my hand?
Me: Yes I will. And did you know that sometimes if you are friendly and nice when you are a waitress you can get tips? Tips are when people give you extra money for doing a good job and you get to keep it.

This was followed by silence. I had stunned her into silence. Seriously...silence.

Me: Do you think that is cool?
Kalli: YES! Can I skate on the carpet when we get home?
Me: Your skates are too little for you know...you need new ones for your birthday.
Kalli: Yeah, because I need to start practicing.

When we got back to my parents' house Kalli told my mom right away about the waitresses on skates, how when she is older she is going to work there, and then she had to play waitress and 'deliver' everyone's food to them while pushing her feet over the kitchen floor as if she was skating.

The girl already has goals.

NaBloPoMo - Day 8...Hey, I'm doing great!

I am running a race that never ends. It is called my life.

With Becky's baby shower finished, I thought I could sit and relax for a while. Maybe my "To Do" list would shorten some and make me feel less stressed. Have we talked about all the issues I have with stress? And guilt? No?? That is a story for another time.

Today after visiting at my parents I came home and looked around my home. My first thought...who the hell messed up the place and were we robbed? Then I remembered how I have been busy with shower things, school things, and all those other things. None of which included cleaning and straightening. So I added cleaning and straightening to my "To Do" list.

Then I remembered that I haven't finished all of the calendars that I make for Christmas gifts. I do have pictures picked out for all of the months...minus November and December, of course. However, I don't have my last calendar completed with backgrounds, months, numbers, and holidays. So I added that to my "To Do" list.

Then I also remembered that Christmas is under 2 months away. Which, honestly, scares the crap out of me. To start with I don't have any shopping done or ideas of what to get anyone. And most importantly, Christmas Eve is Cassie's birthday. Her 9th birthday. Do you know what this means? It means that I WILL HAVE A 9 YEAR OLD! And yes, that deserved to be in CAPS and with an exclamation point.

I find it so hard to believe that she will be 9 in just a couple months. I can still remember the day she was born. And how in denial I was that she was coming that night. I didn't want a Christmas baby. And I had already been to the hospital with preterm labor so I didn't want to go again. I remember saying to Andy and my mom that I wasn't going to the hospital again just to go home without the baby outside of my body.

Cassie was born one month premature, yet very healthy. She had trouble with her first few breaths but was ready to go after those. And that pattern has continued to this day. There are moments when she struggles, flounders some, or has trouble with things. She needs some reassurance or a few extra words of encouragement along with a hug and then she is ready to go. Cassie had her first surgery at 2 hours old and her second surgery at 2 days old. And since then several more. She bounces back quickly and for the most part doesn't let things get her down.

Lately, however, a few things have been changing. Cassie is more emotional then her normal. She is crying more easily and has been wanting to cuddle more. She's been giving hugs and kisses more freely and has been wanting to be held. Yet she is becoming more independent too. She wants to do things with friends without Kalli tagging along. She sometimes pushes me away when I try to play with her. She is growing up quickly. In 6 weeks and 4 days Cassie will be 9 years old. And I will be adding to my "To Do" list again. This time adding finding a way to slow down my childrens' aging process.

Let's not even talk about the fact that Cassie literally comes up to just below my shoulders now. And we also won't mention that when I noticed this fact she looked at me and said, "it's ok...you are short." And we also will ignore the fact that it is a good thing that she is so pretty and still innocent because seriously...how rude.

May 11, 2009

Kalli didn't go to school today. Instead she went to the dentist for xrays. Remember back in April when she fell on her face and looked like she just had botox? Yeah...well last week I noticed that one of her front teeth was gray. After brushing it good it still looked gray. This is when my brain engaged and I remembered her fall. I called the dentist and the appointment was made. Turns out that her tooth is 'dead'.

As of this moment she is keeping the tooth until it falls out naturally. However, I have to watch for infection of the root. If this happens then she will have to have it pulled. We're hoping to go the natural way. I don't want to be the person to tell Kalli that they are going to pull her very intact tooth out.
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Tonight we were at my aunt's house and the girls were having turns riding on the 4-wheeler. Now I wasn't there when this happened but my aunt told me about it later.

Cassie, Andy, and my aunt were standing watching Kalli and I on the 4-wheeler and also watching the cows that live at my aunt's place. Suddenly one of the bulls jumped onto a cow. Now you and I know why...it's spring...everything is twitterpated. Cassie saw this, though and laughed out loud saying, "look at what the bull is doing. he's jumping on the cow." She doesn't know about twitterpation yet.

The picture, though, I got before the following happened...another example of the cows 'playing' together. If you look past the cows in the front to the black and white bull in the back you'll see what I accidently caught. Cow porn.

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And because I didn't get a chance to get on the computer yesterday. I hope that everyone had a pleasant Mother's Day. I know that I did. I spent the morning with my mommy and the afternoon at my sister-in-law, Trina's, house having a bbq with Andy's side of the family and Trina's parents. A good time was had by everyone and Trina put on quite a spread. (Thanks Trina)

Tomorrow I'm making dinner for my parents to thank my mom for giving birth to me. With the fact that I pooped on her right after I was born, she deserves more then a dinner, but I do what I can.

Ears. Falling. Off.

Tonight Cassie is spending the night at my parents. Kalli is here with me. Keeping me company. Kinda. Have I mentioned the fact that she talks CONSTANTLY?? She does.

I'm sitting here trying to fix up some pictures I took earlier today and she talking non-stop. Half of it is not even directed towards me. Therefore I only listen about a quarter of the time. That is until I hear her saying that my clock is cheating. Huh?

Me: What did you say?
Kalli: Your clock is cheating.
Me: How is my clock cheating?
Kalli: The last number is cheating.
Me: What do you mean the last number is cheating?
Kalli: It is going faster then all the other numbers. It is cheating.
Me: oh. That is how it is suppose to work. The last number changes the most.
Kalli: Na-uh. My clock doesn't do that. Your clock is cheating.
Me: O-kay.

I gave up at that point of the conversation. My clock is cheating. I bet it even cheats more during the night. That is probably why I feel like I don't get much sleep.

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I just asked Kalli to stop talking for a little bit. She looked completely dejected and went out in the living room to whine. I went out to talk to her and told her that my ears hurt and are going to fall off from listening to everything that she is saying. She then said, " No...they are stuck to your head. They will never fall off." This is when I said ok and walked away. Pick your fights, Paula, Pick your fights. She is still going on (following me) about how "they are stuck to your head forever and won't fall off. Never!"

Seriously...I understand how my parents felt when I was younger and I talked constantly. Or how my babysitter's daughter felt when she said that her ears hurt from listening to me. Cause my ears do hurt.

Alright. I'm going to go lay down and hopefully get Kalli to cuddle with me and fall asleep. Because when she is asleep - she doesn't talk. With my luck she'll start talking in her sleep now.

May 4, 2009

Tonight we had hamburgers for dinner. I started the grill, put the burgers on, and came back into the apartment to saute mushrooms for Andy and my burgers. When I went to check on the burgers again something was off. Like the fire. We were out of gas. And let me tell you this...when you have a gas grill, running out of gas kinda kills the grilling aspect of cooking food.

Andy headed to get a refill of propane while I did non-cooking things in the apartment. (I was going to say he went to get gas, but that just seemed like too much information)

While he was gone Cassie and Kalli were playing outside. Kalli was tossing the ball to Cassie and Cassie was hitting the ball. Let me tell you that Cassie is awesome at hitting a ball...she connects with the ball almost every pitch. However, she isn't so good at hitting it into the same spot. I turn to see Kalli crying because Cassie had hit the ball and connected with Kalli's cheek. Kalli sat on her slide crying while Cassie apologized whole-heartedly. When that didn't work Cassie called for me.

Me: I see Kalli.

(I would have been more concerned if it wouldn't have been just a very light-weight wiffle-like ball. I watch as she just sits with her hand over her cheek crying)

Me: Kalli...
Kalli: (in whining crying voice) Huh
Me: Are you bleeding?
Kalli: (Still crying) No...
Me: Is anything broken?
Kalli: (continuing to cry) No...
Me: Then you are okay.

(Kalli then comes in by me in the kitchen)

Kalli: (more whining then crying) Cassie hit me in the face
Me: I know... she said that she was sorry.
Kalli: (whining..I think you get the point) But it hurt
Me: Yes, but are you bleeding?
Kalli: no
Me: Is anything broken?
Kalli: no
Me: Then you are okay.

Kalli then walks outside and says very matter-of-fact to Cassie...."mom said that I'm not bleeding or broken so I'm okay" God, I love that child!

Just to note...Later in the evening Cassie hit a ball pitched by Andy and line drove it to...uhm...a part of his body that he finds very important. While it didn't hurt, it was shocking for him. Cassie, however, found it hilarious and spent like 5 minutes almost falling over from laughter.

Let's just say it'll be an interesting summer.

April 24, 2009

This should have been posted last night, but I wasn't able to get the video put in until today as my Kalli was calling for me. Some things are more important then posting.
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My mom told me a Kalli story today and I can't remember the beginning part, but you don't need it to enjoy the story.

Grandma: I think you are fibbing.
Kalli: I am not a fib
Grandma: No, I said you are fibbing. A fib is the same as lying.
Kalli: I am not flying!

I'm thinking she needs her ears cleaned out.
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Yesterday Cassie went to work with my mom for 'take your child to work day'. The biggest part of the day was when they headed to Oshkosh to tour a bridge. How is it you tour a bridge? I don't know, but they did. The bridge in question is a newly built bridge and the 'tour' included watching the bridge open and shut. Also, getting to wear a bright vest and a hardhat.

Isn't she super cute? Too bad she couldn't have brought it home...she could have started a new trend at school. She did bring home a few things, one of which was a really nice water bottle. I've already laid claim to it...though Cassie doesn't know it yet.
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I have one last thing for you before I go cuddle with my Kalli girl (she is calling for me to come to bed...yes it is only 8:00) The other day I had my niece over and I was taking some pictures (I know shocking!) when I got her giggling. I grabbed my camera that also does videos and got some of her laughter on record. She is so darn cute. Enjoy!

Laughter is the best medicine

It's been a while since I've shared funny things that the girls have said and the past 2 days have been full of funny moments. Here ya go.

1. The past couple days Kalli has been having a blast with her tea set. Yesterday her and I had tea and she would ask "how many cups of sugar do you want?" After looking at her bewildered, I tried to correct her telling her that what she meant was "how many lumps of sugar did i want". She, of course, had to argue. No, she wanted to know how many cups I wanted. I've decided that I pick my arguments with her. Therefore I just went along with it sipping my tea with 1 cup of sugar and mentioning how sweet the tea was. "Yes" she replied, "this is the best tea ever. Would you like another cup of sugar?"

2. This morning there was snow on the ground when we woke up. I know...it sucked! However, Cassie (my crazy child) was thrilled with it. Kalli....not so much. When I showed her outside she began crying and sobbed, "But I didn't want any more snow." Me too, hun....me too.

3. Tonight Kalli again had the tea set out and was serving tea to Andy, Cassie, and myself. After talking with Cassie for a little bit she asked Andy if he wanted more tea and I witnessed the following...
Andy: No thank you
Kalli: (looking at him dumbfounded) But it is the best tea ever!
Andy: Yes it is very delicious.
Kalli: (looking deep into his eyes and talking as if she is trying to hypnotize him) If it was delicious then you want some more. Riiiight?
Andy at this point burst out laughing.
Kalli: (trying to make eye contact with him by turning her head almost upside down as Andy continues to laugh) What? What? What? What is so funny?
I had to turn away to keep her from seeing my laughing. She is just so darn cute.

4. Later in the evening I was playing with Cassie on the floor. We were playing with her new Bakugan. Ok, I was trying to keep it from her and she was trying to get it from me. There was a lot of diving after it and laughing. At one point it was across the room and I grabbed at it right before she did. She sat back, looked at me and said "Fiesty!" Who knew she knew the meaning of that word and could use it correctly.

5. As the girls were heading into their room to go to bed tonight I heard Kalli say "Holy Fudgemaker" I'm not sure what it was in reference to or any of the details, though I doubt she was referring to person who makes fudge in a church. I vote to blame Andy on this one.

Backseat Drivers

You know how when teens start learning to drive they become 'back seat drivers' telling you things that you already know because all of a sudden they know things too. While I don't have a teen, I have been having a backseat driver for the past couple weeks.

It all started last week when I made a right turn onto Mason. From the back seat I heard, "that light was still red."

Huh?? I explained that if a light is red but there are no other cars coming and there is no sign saying that you can't....you can turn right on a red light.

Then a couple days ago I was sitting at a light waiting for the way to be clear to turn left. From the back seat I heard, "The light is green."

Huh?? I explained that just because a light is green doesn't mean that you can just go. You have to make sure that the way you are going is safe too.

Finally yesterday I was going down the road and as I went through an intersection the light turned yellow. From the backseat I heard, "why didn't you stop?"

Huh?? "that light was yellow", the voice from the back says. I explained that if you can't stop safely you can go through a yellow light.

Now, here is the kicker. The voice from the backseat was the voice of a certain little 4 year old. When did she become so observant?

February 11, 2009

This morning while helping the girls get ready for school Cassie asked what Valentine's Day is.

C: What is Valentine's Day about?
Me: It is a day that people use to show and tell other people how much they love them and appreciate them.
C: I don't get it.
Me: You will when you have a boyfriend.
C: MOM! They are just crushes.
Me: No...I didn't say that. I mean when you are older and have a boyfriend. On Valentine's Day boys like to take their girlfriends out to dinner and sometimes buy them flowers and chocolates.
C: I like chocolate
Me: Exactly.

February 6, 2009

It's time for bed and Cassie is spending the night at my parents. Kalli is laying on the floor of my bedroom and asks if she can watch tv. As it is 9:15, I tell her no and that it is time to go to bed. Kalli then begins complaining...

K: But you can watch tv, right?
Me: Yes
K: Because you are a grown up, right?
Me: Yes
K: I wish that I was a grown up.
Me: It isn't always fun being a grown up.
K: I wish that when I wake up tomorrow I would be a grown up.

I remember feeling like this sometimes when I was younger. Now that I am a grown up there are times I wish I could just be little again.

Kalli then decides that she has forgotten to get something so she gets up talking about how she should make a list before bed listing everything that she needs. Then she wouldn't forget anything. My thought...if she is already thinking about making lists, can you imagine how she'll be when she gets older? Can you say OCD??
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Tomorrow we are taking the girls to The Building for Kids. Cassie had a field trip there last year and loved it. Back in September we started working at earning a trip to The Building for Kids through good behavior. They earned marbles by doing certain things, and lost them by doing other things. Well, at the beginning of this week we finally finished moving all our marbles into the Building for Kids jar. Woo-Hoo! As you know, they have a hard time with staying in their room all night and each lose 2 marbles every night they come in our room. Hence the reason it took a while to accomplish.

Cassie is thrilled about going. Kalli is excited because Cassie is, but unsure of what to expect. The part I love is that it is a way for them to expel some energy, learn somethings, and enjoy themselves completely. And I don't have to come up with tons of activities. The kiddos have fun and mommy stays sane :)

Hopefully I'll get online tomorrow night to share some of the pictures and stories from our adventure to Appleton.

I don't like purple!

Cassie got home from school, we had supper, we went to conferences for Cassie, and then we came home. And that is when the crying started. And the crying ensued. Oh the crying. Oh the tears. The crying, "I don't like purple."

Huh??

Kalli is upset because she is hungry and we've said no snacks because it is almost bedtime. What does purple have to do with anything? I have no idea.

Andy: Why don't you like purple?
Kalli: I don't like purple when I'm sad.
Andy: But you like purple when you are happy?
Kalli: Yyyyeaaaaaahhhhhh. (crying continues)

I'm seriously considering putting her in acting classes. She is so unbelievably dramatic.

Luckily she did get over the wanting a snack bit. And she moved onto "I love you so much" bit. Of course this was when she was put to bed and didn't want to go to sleep. This is becoming an every night occurrence. She calls me in there about 3 times telling me that she loves me so much and that she just can't stop loving me. I'm not sure what this has to do with going to bed, but it stalls, so I guess it works well for her.
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Tonight was Cassie's conference with her teacher. We didn't learn anything that we didn't already know, however it is always nice to visit with her teacher and to discuss things with all parties (Cassie, teacher, parents) present. This way Cassie knows that we are all on the same page, what exactly is expected of her, what she needs to work on, and what we are thrilled with.

Tomorrow is Cassie's school concert. I can't wait to see the songs that she has been working on as she has been keeping them a secret from me. You know there will be pictures on tomorrow's blog. At least I hope I get decent pictures.

January 13, 2009

Earlier today Kalli and I were home alone and I was trying to get a couple things accomplished. All of a sudden she hit me on my rear. I turned and looked at her and asked why she did that. She replied, with a completely serious face, "Cassie did it."
I told her that Cassie was at school. She said "she is invisible"
Then I asked her if Cassie had turned invisible, came all the way home just to spank me, and then went back to school. Kalli said, "yup"

She did it a couple more times through the day saying that "Cassie did it."

I don't even know where to go with this.

Then tonight, we were all in the living room, Andy and I sitting on the couches. Cassie was standing next to where Andy was sitting and I was across the room. Kalli went up to Cassie and hit her on her rear. When Cassie turned to look at her Kalli said, "Mommy did it."

????

Mind you she hasn't been hitting hard and she is just playing, but I'm so confused where this came from. At the end of the day I did tell her that she can't blame other people for things she does, but I have to say I find myself laughing when I turn away. The things this girl does.

January 11, 2009

Today I started a new hobby. One that I never thought I'd find myself doing. I watched this video that was posted on one of the blogs that I read, Balancing Everything, and today while at my mom's I tried it. With a few questions that my mom answered, I started to knit a....I'm not quite sure what it is yet. Maybe a pot holder. Maybe a small blanket for the girls to use with their barbies. Maybe a scarf. We'll just have to see. It isn't perfect (Hey give me a break...this is my first attempt after learning from watching a video once.) and I seem to have gained width on it somehow. I'm special like that.

I plan on trying to knit more things, though I'm not sure what. Then I'm also going to take on crocheting. I know a little about crocheting, but it has been a while since I've done anything. If nothing else, I can crochet a chain that I can use to tie up the kids.
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Yesterday was Cassie's family birthday party. We had cake and ice cream, she opened gifts, and we visited. I was very impressed with my little girl as she said thank yous without prompting and even before she opened the gift. She'd open the card, thank the person, open the present, and usually thank again. After she was finished opening gifts I had her say one big thank you to everyone before we moved onto cake and ice cream. Between her manners and the sharing with her little sister (though she didn't really have to..I told her it was up to her. It is her day) Cassie made me very proud of her. She really is turning into a wonderful young lady.

*We're growing bangs out. If you went through the process of growing out your bangs ever, you'll remember what a pain in the behind it is.*
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Lastly for tonight, I want to share something Cassie said today that made me laugh out loud.
She was standing, balancing without crutches, by my parent's couch. She lost her balance and fell. She got back up and said, "Falling looks like it is easy. And it is."

Gosh, I love that girl!