playing chicken

     Today I would like to take a moment to explain a lovely bit of parenting that I have dubbed playing Baby Chicken. 

     This is a game that no matter how many babies you may have, you will never be able to win 100% of the time.  Heck, you'll be lucky if you can pull it off half the times a baby decides to play.

     Baby Chicken is where you put the baby down for bed, and baby decides baby doesn't want to sleep.  You spend a rediculous amount of mental energy trying to guess if baby is about to fall asleep, or way past sleeping.

     For example:  You put baby down.  Baby is annoyed by your decision to put baby down.  Baby verbalizes this.  If your house is small, you know about it.  If your house is big, you have a baby monitor and you know about it. 

     You, as the wise and benevolent parent, glance at the clock.  Baby turns up the volume.  Your brain starts to race.  Has baby made a mess in their diaper?  That happened the other day, but then yesterday baby figured that out and made I-need-to-be-changed shrieks and fooled you (you lost that round, didn't you now?).  You stand there, telling yourself you will finish these dishes, and if baby is still upset, you will cave in and let baby win.  Your brain rattles through way too many things: is that chubby thigh stuck in the crib slats?  Did that favorite toy get chucked across the room?  On, and on, and on...

     One dish later, that kid curls up and goes to sleep.  Dang.  You won.  Finish the dishes and drop down in a chair, mentally wiped from Baby Chicken.  Makes you wish the little thing would just fall asleep in your arms, doesn't it?  But let's save that for the next round, shall we?

Disclaimer:  I haven't a heck of clue as to how

this would work with twins.  You can use your imagination on that one (I do.  It's rather entertaining)...

this week's moment

This is my first baby to give any attention to the piano.  I missed it this time (film-wise), but she loves to raise both hands high above her head and then pound away like she's working on some concerto.

Have a great weekend everybody!  I'll have some finished projects to share next week :)

a place for "her"

Babies are such tiny people. In some ways - like time & attention - they need so very, very much. But property-wise, they really need so very, very little. We've been carving out a little bit of our world for baby sister, which the boys really love doing. They think it's funny how scattered her possesions will be for a while (oh, what I have learned with the first two!)...

Here's a couple shots of her little dresser, with a few precious gifts and handmade things stashed safely by.

And this is my cradle. I mean that literally. It was mine. I slept in it. We have a little Moses basket, which I love, love, love, and that she will be using first (those baskets are just so portable!), but when she starts flipping and rocking enough to make me nervous, I think we'll let her use my cradle for a while.

Oh, and this next is my favorite...

A sweet friend of mine made me that wonderful blanket, and I have it draped over - just waiting - our rocking chair. My Daddy used to rock me in it when I was a tiny, little thing (of course Moma did too, but I'm told that Daddy loved the rocking job:).

This chair makes me smile. It makes me think of all the sweet little chubby face moments, when my boys peered up at me through their long lashes. Of the daily twenty-minute snuggle my eldest needed for the first two and a half years of his life. Of stolen moments of quiet with my babies.

I look at that chair, and I can't help but wonder what eyes will peer up at me in just a few short weeks, what color-haired head will rest in my arms. I think of the tiny fists that will curl around my finger, and the toothless smiles, and I love that chair. It helps me slow down, it makes me remember.

things to come

Okay. This post is totally self-indulgent. No bright ideas, no cute phrases, no crazy boys-with-chickens pics. Just a quick shot of how I spent my evening after the boys went to bed.

Yup. Girly things. Now, if you will kindly notice, both the pinafore and the bonnet are fully reversable, and they are blue. With puppies. I have had these patterns and this material stashed away, for heaven knows how long (probably a good 2 years), just waiting.

You know, people keep asking us: "What are you going to do with a little girl?" Which I find hysterical. Yes, boys and girls are different. I know that. I get that. I was surrounded with boys (and redneck, country boys to-boot) growing up, which accounts for much of my oddness (I don't know why my best-friend gave me such an odd look that time I remarked that a Mack truck was beautiful).

So, in case you too are wondering what I'm going to do with a little girl, I'll put it right here: I'm going to sew, sew, sew. And then I'm going to put her in all those fun, easy-going clothes I've made, and set her right down in the dirt/sand/grass that the rest of us are playing in. I'm going to make sure she knows how to ride 4-wheelers and shift gears, and start a good fire. I'm going to let her get good and dirty, climb the trees God made, examine the worms that till His earth, and teach her about nature.

And if you're thinking, "Good luck with that, just wait till she becomes a teenager," then I have an answer for that too. I refuse to worry about that. God isn't giving me a teenager. Today He's given me two awesome, fun little boys, and a tiny little girl. And I won't let the chubby fingers, the diaper changes, and the baby laughs slip through my fingers unnoticed because I'm worried about tomorrow.

He wouldn't want that.

Oops!

Oops! I realized the other week that I totally and completely forgot to send something fun to my girlfriend back home when she had her baby. I think this occured to me when I was posting a picture of the little pirate lass from our last trip to Ft. Pierce. She and her mother and sisters made a big deal over my first pregnancy, so I couldn't let this go! I doubt very highly that she reads this blog, so I thought I'd show off what I've been up to lately!
I made her little girl a couple of bubble suit jumper thing-a-ma-jigs, and a bonnet. I'm going to use the extra fabric to make a couple of these and put them in my shop too...
They seem like just the right thing for summer (or really most of the year where this kid lives), so hopefully they'll fit okay, and she won't mind the ribbons! The pattern I used for the first one was okay, but I felt like it left a good bit of room for improvement, so I altered a few things for the second one, and was really happy with it (not only was my way a bit neater, it was also easier - go figure)!

A Small Discovery

First, some fun stuff. Here's the ship L built. Very proud of this ship, he was!

And here's M wearing my shoes. He walked around repeating, "Mama shoos! Waak, waak, waak..." over and over!And here's my small discovery. Yesterday we went to REI for fun. That's a great store to take kids to. The staff are usually very friendly, and the boys loved getting in the store tents and checking the traction of their shoes on the rock pile (it's made for that). But most of all they love going through all the camp gear gadgets (I love it too). Even M put everything back where he found it! I would love to have been there when the staff went to clean up the mess that they'd expect two small boys to leave and found it left better than most adults! They both were drawn to the small greenish camp cups, and being a dollar I let them each have one.

The cups are perfect! Just the right size for small ones, durable, don't spill easily, perfect for snacking from, stackable, and have a little handle! What a great thing for the boys! Silly, I know, but when you've experienced the frustration of tipping kiddie cups, or giant-portion sized kiddie cups, you'll know what I mean!

It's the little things that make life grand! And in case you're wondering, M did not spill that cup of milk!

6 months

And now, for a brief comparison! Here is M at 6 months old...

Gosh, I love my kids! I am so greatful for them, even when times are tough. I just dig into the Word, get a little creative with my parenting, and remember my focus that this is my chance to model a loving God to them, One who loves them unconditionally and One they can trust that anything He asks is ultimately for their own good.

And here is L at 6 months...

Bath Escape

M came flying out of the tub, tossed his towel, and climbed up into Mama's rocker. We love this spot. Babies are so beautiful, aren't they? I couldn't help but capture and record this precious moment in my toddler's life before scooping him up to get him dressed. I can't believe he's 19 mths old now! I love you M!

I love my life!

I would rather give up just about anything (except my DH and my faith) rather than give up the chance to stay home with my boys. They are so much fun, and so unique. And the things I'm privy too, like kisses and toddlers in headphones, cuddles, watching my 4 year old's eyes light up when I teach him something new, and seeing them learning to play together and put someone ahead of yourself, well, these kind of things are, to me, the very air I breathe.

Thank you God, for cameras. They are such an amazing way to capture some of these moments, and share them with others!

Fun for Mommy

Okay, so I had a ton of fun yesterday! M's 6th tooth finally broke the gumline, so he's back to his old self, exploring and tearing through the house at a rate that would wear out his brother!

I used the day to do some sewing! Not pictured is the bathrobe/pajama robe I made for myself. By far the most complicated pattern I've tried (that was quite a surprise), and I'm pleased with how it turned out, inspite of my horrid machine. I've done some looking online, and apparently most of the basic Kenmore sewing machines are great, but there was a few years where the models give people problems. Guess who bought hers during that time frame?

At one point, as I was picking out the 46 random loops that suddenly appeared on the bottom of my project (which just happened to be the RIGHT side), I came very close to throwing the whole thing off the balcony. Very close. Very, very, well, you get the idea!
Personally, I think it would be lovely if my whole family decided to get together and get me a new machine for Christmas, just an idea for all of you out there. I could pick out the machine and everything.
Anyways, I made these tiny little shoes for M (L thought they were for Jack at first, but even Jack's feet are too tiny - being an inch long). Here they are with the bag I made the other week.

The pair on the right are kinda snug and fit him now, the pair on the left I made a little bit bigger, for his next pair of shoes. I am so pleased with these! Totally cute, easy to make, and comfy. M was soooo excited when I put them on, and made no efforts to pull them off (complete opposite of L's first reaction to those hard-soled things he had).
Well, heading to Ft. Pierce on Monday! Can't wait! I've been getting all my stuff together for the school Author Visits I'm doing, and going to pack this weekend!

Hope y'all can see this!

LB started to try the walking thing, but discovered this technique was easier to master. Too funny, isn't it? Anyways, we've had a great week! My book was officially released Tuesday, and it's starting to show up on more and more internet bookshops. Valentine's Day was sweet - Hubby got me roses, then left tulips and bottled Fraps (cold coffee) in my car.

BB ate lunch with the 3's class after Bible Time, and Hubby and LB and I had a lunch date!

And I spent a bunch of Friday trying to coordinate with teachers and media specialists for my upcoming visit to Ft. Pierce. I'm really excited about going to the schools and talking with the kids about writing and reading. One of the media specialist is going to do a Reader's Theatre and let the kids act out my excerpt from the book's website! That'll be something fun for them to do beforehand, and it'll be awesome to watch it come to life....

Anyways, hope the video works. If it doesn't, then I won't do that again. No pictures hoping that it won't take any longer to load!

Happy Day!

What a fun week! Just did "normal" things, but we also had a few good pow-wows! I made an indian headband for BB, got a couple good pics of LB in it too(while BB was sleeping). We ran around and danced to the song about indians from - yep, you guessed it - Peter Pan!


The pediatrician said LB might just not be interested in being spoon-fed (he just doesn't open his mouth at all) , but not to worry, he'd "be able to feed himself at 7-months!" So after some thought (there are just too many healthy things in all that baby food I made to skip it - plus it's so convenient to use), I went and picked up this little strainer thing. You can put the food in still frozen in cubes (good for teething), or I've also been mixing in rice cereal so it's pretty thick and filling up his little strainer. LB really seems to like it, and this way he's developing a taste for all that yummy produce! He also tried a regular little bite of my homemade bread today, and really seemed to like it!
Update on the Peter Pan room for BB: I got Tink's colors mostly done, was waiting to outlin her skin till I got Peter's flesh done...

And here's Peter... Lindsay came over Saturday and painted Peter's hair and the tree I drew on the wall. BB was so excited, he knew that tree was the one where Peter and the Lost Boys live (even though I'm going to give it some leaves - on the movie they live in a dead one with a noose called "Hangman's Tree). Next step is to finish the details on Peter, outline the flesh on him and Tink, and then put some greens on the tree.

BB's having such a fun time with it, and requested the croc, Captain "Cook," Michael's bear, and a picture of Michael and John play-swordfighting. It's all going so well, I plan to keep adding to it (one thing at a time)...

Have a great week everyone!

Peter Pan

What a better week! Everyone seems to be feeling better now, and we've been having lots of fun! BB is infatuated with Peter Pan (singing, dancing like the indians, acting out portions of it, etc.), so this week Lindsay helped me transfer some coloring pages I blew up onto BB's walls, and I started painting. BB was blown out of the water! Here's the work in progress on the big pirate ship (left the palm trees for later)...




LB on the move! He has completely perfected the I-can-get-to-sitting-by-myself and quickly moved to the I-bet-I-can-pull-up-on-this stage. He's taken some tumbles, but nothing a kiss and a cuddle can't cure!

BB, hard at play! He loves the pirates, indians, lost boys, Peter, Tink... the whole thing! Having a rough time with the whole "sharing" thing - I mean, isn't everything mine? See the pile of stuff on the right? That started as a tunnel, and turned into a place to hide things from LB... I know all kids go through this, so we've just been using it as a good opportunity to teach BB a lot of things (sharing, boundaries, being obedient, and on and on).
These are the next two pictures for BB's room - Peter and Tinkerbell. He's really excited about them!

Oh - and this Friday will be Yellow Day! Have a great week everyone!