Tickle Me Tuesday

Thanks in advance for letting me rant and rave about my little ones without judging me as one of those crazy moms who only talks about her kids! :) I don't want to forget these things and this is my documentation.

Driving down the road on a very pretty day with blue skies and white puffy clouds:
Lila: I see a BEAUTIFUL rainbow!
Me (not seeing a rainbow): You do? What color is it?
Lila: It is BLUUUUEEEE and white!
Apparently she hasn't been paying attention to that "What makes a rainbow" book we've been reading.... since she was a baby. Kidding.
Luckily, on Friday we really did see a beautiful rainbow after a few showers in town.

On Sunday, I noticed the back of a house that I have shown in the past. It sits way off the road and I don't usually notice it when the trees are in bloom. I made the comment to Michael that I have shown that house before.
Lila, who doesn't miss a thing and pays attention to all of our conversations says, "It doesn't have brick on it yet."
I look at Michael bewildered as if to say, Is she talking about what I think she is talking about it?
So I asked her what she meant.
She said, "That house. It doesn't have brick on it yet." (The back is white vinyl)
Apparently, she HAS been paying attention to the Three Little Pigs book we've read twice. That is the only thing I can think of that would spur this thought. (Ya know, the house made of brick was the only house the wolf couldn't blow down.)

I branched out and purchased Fruit Loops this week at the store. This is not something I usually buy, but it was on sale, so I went for it. Today I got out the box and sat it on the counter. Lila suddenly shouts, " A Toucan mommy! There's a toucan on the box!"

Again, she is my first child, so I have no idea what to expect at this age, but this child's memory really scares me sometimes.
Example A: We were driving down the road when we came up on a truck that was pulling a boat. Lila says, "We went on that."
I ask her what she was talking about and she said, "A boat." She went on to tell me about how Zoe was on the boat and had to go to the bathroom so she got off the boat and then Chandra got off the boat and then her and daddy got off the boat and went on the tube and I stayed in the boat." She is right! This past summer we did go on the boat with Chandra and she did have to get off the boat with her dog Zoe to go to the bathroom.
Example B: This morning she asked me if Graham was in his crib. She thought for a few minutes and started telling me about how when we went to the big hotel that Graham slept in his pack n play and me and daddy slept in the big bed and she slept in the other big bed and that we saw the Christmas lights, but that Christmas is over and the lights aren't up anymore and that when we get home Daddy is going to put up our Christmas tree in our living room and that we need to move her bookshelf so that we can put up her tree in her room ( her bookshelf is now where her tree was) and put one in Graham's room and my room and then Santa can come and we can have Jesus' birthday....SHEW, just breathe girl! :)
I am assuming she is referring to the 1st weekend in November when we went to Gatlinburg to see the Christmas lights.

She also remembers things such as what she wears when something happens or when we go somewhere. I.E. Every time we wear the sweat outfit that she played in the snow in, she reminds me that is what she wore to play in the snow. Every time we wear her red jacket, she tells me that she threw up in that jacket. There are several other outfits that she references throwing up in ( can you tell we've had the stomach bug a few times this year?) Or she will say, I wore this to so and so's birthday party.
She received several pajama's for Christmas and whenever she wears them she is sure to tell me which aunt gave them to her.
She also knows directions. Every time we pass a certain neighborhood, she tells me that is where Hope and Aiden live. As soon as we turn on Port Royal Road she tells me that is where Miss Nastic lives (this is what she calls her coach at Let it Shine which whom she hasn't taken from since October.) She tells me where her Dr's office is and if we pass a building that looks like my Dr. she tells me "that is where mommy goes to the Dr.")
Just today, she said, "There's your office mommy." I have taken her there ONCE with me.
I think she got my weird memory about remembering what I wore to special events and Michael's observance! I know yall have some stories about your own little sponges and I would love to hear them.

Now, on to my boy! HE IS WALKING! Now, that tickles me! It is not all the time and he still wants me to hold him, but at least I know that he really CAN walk. He actually took his first steps the Saturday before he turned 17 months. It was only a few, but then within the next few days he up and walked half way across the room. It has been a slow process, but he has gotten to where he will walk and then turn around and walk back. He can still crawl super fast so if he really wants something then he gets down and crawls. (This was my post for last Tuesday and just in a week's time he is practically walking all the time now!)
He has really taken off with his words lately too. I feel like I have been mooing and quacking at him the past 8 months and he still hasn't totally responded. One morning, when his sister wasn't around I decided to ask him what all the farm animals say and he busted out with almost all of them! Since he was on a roll I asked him his body parts and he actually participated with me! WOO HOO! He still loves to just talk about cars, choo choo's, and beep beep's the best.
My "tickle me" for him today is while reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, he held up his fist to give me a pound! We always say,"Boom" when we do this, so when he heard me reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, his reaction was to give me a pound.
Also when changing his diaper tonight, he said, "SHOO WEE...Poopie!" HAHA!
I have a feeling he might be like his sister and her observance. We had to go back past church today about an hour after we dropped off Lila for school. Right after we passed it, he started saying, "Lila, Lila and pointing." He must have recognized that is where we take her.
Love this boy!

Put 'em in the dirt....

and let them play.
This is what Michael told me when we were pregnant the first time and we didn't know what we were having yet. Because I have 3 older sisters and 7 nieces (6 at the time) all I seem to know are girls. I asked Michael, "What do you do with a boy?" and that was his reply.

Now, I know:

My little Fashionista

I posted this post last year when Lila got her new sunglasses. Unfortunately, that pair broke, so here she is sporting her new pair.




I've been contemplating chopping the back of her hair since her sides are finally starting to grow a little. It was a lazy day at home, so we were "letting the mullet fly" and trying the big bow in the front. :)



This little girl keeps me in check making sure that her pants, shirt, shoes, and sometimes, even her panty's always match...Oh, and don't forget the bows!! She has made me turn around and go back and get them. I know all yall think it is all me, but this girl doesn't know life without her piggies and her bows!

A boy and his dog

Poor old Chloe girl. She is our million dollar bionic dog. She has 2 synthetic knees and bad hips and elbows. She is the best dog in the world though. I feel bad that she doesn't get the attention she deserves. I can't wait until it is warmer and we can go out together. She doesn't know any tricks other than, "Lay There." That is is our inside joke, because literally she finds her spot she wants and just stays. However, now with two young ones in the house, she often hears sayings such has, "Beep Beep!" "Chloe, get up. Get out of here!", "Chloe, you are in my way." "Get off of my bean bag." Poor old girl just wants to be where we are. She just turned 12. Although, I admit, she seems much much older. She has had a rough life in terms of health issues, but she is pretty spoiled on the inside.
On days when I lie down at night and am not even sure I have petted her, I am reminded that she is at least shown some affection by someone...even if it is not what she bargained for.

G loves to love on his "Co-key", as he calls her.
What is it about a boy and his dog...oh, and his trains???

Tickle Me Tuesday

-In hopes that I don't forget some of the funny things that come out of my kids mouths, here are some of my "tickle me's" for today.

About 20 minutes after I dropped Lila off at school today I get a text. It is from her teacher. I immediately thought, "UH OH"
I opened it up and this is what it said, "I asked the class what an elephant says & Lila said, "Roll Tide." You just need to teach her Rocky Top."

This made me giggle all day. I think it totally caught her off guard. When I picked Lila up from school, Miss. Faris was quick to tell me that they sang Rocky Top! :)
When we got home Lila said she needed to go back to school to tell Miss Faris that she has a Smokey!

-While I was pulling out of our neighborhood today, I looked to my left up the street and noticed a lot of crows. Thinking about what could be dead up there, I said aloud, "Uh oh". Lila asks me, "What did you hit mommy?"
HAHAHA!! That is terrible isn't it?

As for Graham:
Anything that we put in front of him to eat, even if it is ice cream, he says, "HOT HOT!" SOOO CUTE!

Wordless Wednesday

Super Shopper Style


OR......not so much of a super shopper! HA!

I HEART YOU

This year, I got into Valentine's Day a little more than usual. Well, more than I have in a few years. Except this time it was for my kids instead of for my man. Sorry honey! He knows I love him and I actually think the best present I could have gotten him was to not spend any money on a gift for him! :) We still managed to make it special without spending a ton of money on each other. I am so very thankful to have him as my Valentine! He is and always will be my one true love.
The kids and I started off LOVE week with a trip to a local bookstore to hear Valentine's stories with Max and Ruby and lunch with Lila's best bud, Mason.

We had a snow day from school on Tuesday and on Wednesday we visited with some of Lila's oldest friends and made some yummy cookies and Valentine's for the daddy's.
Here they are working hard on their cookies!




Thursday Lila had her party at school, as she worked very hard in making Valentine's for all her friends. I am kicking myself for not taking pictures, because I let her "sign" her name to each one. I must say, there were a few that I was quite impressed with, especially the one for her teacher. I went to take dinner out of the oven and came back and found she had already written on hers. It was perfect! It looked more like Lia, than Lila, but still, perfect to me!
Thursday night Michael and I had our date night. I told him not to plan anything for the evening because I had a surprise for him. Little did he know the "surprise" was using the gift card for a Viking Cooking class that HE had given me 2 years prior for Valentine's Day! :) I'm sneaky like that. It was actually perfect. We had a great time and an awesome meal....even though we didn't sit down to eat it until after 9. That is ok, we had a great night out together and actually learned a little about cooking!



Friday, after our church's Friday Fun Day, Lila had more of her friends come over to play. Can I just say this girl was SO excited to have her friends over!


We need to do it more often. If I can only keep my house clean we just may do it. Of course I did not get a picture of all the kids. I was too busy giving the kids heart shaped peanut butter sandwhiches, heart shaped jello, and kool-aid heart ice cubes! :) Yes, I got made fun of, but I don't care. I love doing stuff like that. Again, I just don't do it enough.
Here is a snapshot of their special LOVE drinks!

Saturday, I woke up to heart shaped pancakes and after Michael and the kids made a trip to the store to get me some medicine (stupid sinus infection), he came home with flowers and a heart cake for Valentine's. Lila had picked both of them out so it made it even more special. She didn't get to go with Michael to get my birthday cake and she has not let him forget it. She kept asking if she could go with him to get a cake for me. SO SWEET!


We had a great Sunday morning at church and visited with friends for lunch. Lila and Graham were hamming up all the attention.






We came home quickly to let the kids squeeze in a short nap before church. This is how G and his daddy spent the afternoon. Now that is LOVE!


We played the newlywed game in Sunday School, which Michael and I bombed. Not really, we just didn't get the tie breaker question....next time. We get made fun of for always winning, but that truly isn't the case. We've only one once, and I guess we were just a little mushy about it, so we get teased. I love it though!
We finally had a minute to let the kids open their Valentine gifts when we got home and to Skype Grandmother and PopPop so they could show off all their goodies!

I love the look of pure joy and excitement on Lila's face. She had the best time opening and was geniunely happy with each thing she pulled out.





Graham just wanted those cars. He was one happy camper, until his sister tried taking them away. Notice here he is yelling, "CARS!" Gotta love BOYS!


We carried our love week over as our best neighbors came over and the kids made more cookies! Yes, I am going to be 500 lbs by the end of this pregnancy. I am asking now for you not to make fun of me.
The kids and I talked a lot about Love this week and what it really means. We talked about God's love for us and how we should love others. I know some people just think of Valentine's Day as a made up commercialized holiday, but I truly enjoyed getting to share my love this year with those that mean the most to me!