March 17- Snack time

Seriously, thank you again so much to Sarah, Kevin and Evie for this little table and chairs set. You can’t begin to imagine how much we love it! The kids eat their breakfast at it almost every morning as well as all their snacks. It’s also a great art station, train table, and on occasion when Mommy’s back is turned it becomes a dance stage. That last one is being discouraged. It’s supposedly folds up to be stored out of the way, but we have yet to test that theory out because a day hasn’t passed that we haven’t enjoyed this little table.
I think our allegiance to Bitty Bows has been broken. For one thing, Ella is finally big enough that I think she’s ready to wear larger bows. When she was a baldie baby (who wasn’t actually bald, she just had fair hair), she wore lots of Bitty Bows. You remember the days, right? They stayed in and didn’t overwhelm her. But my last order of Bitty Bows, which I ordered on Jan. 23rd, didn’t ship until Feb. 27th and still isn’t here. I have a hard time when I get burned by bad customer service returning to that seller. So, I’m afraid I’ve moved on and Bitty Bows are a thing of the past for us.
No worries! We’ve got http://www.missyprissybowboutique.com/category_16/Prissy-Bows.htm now! Aren’t these bows just incredible? I was breath taken when they arrived in the mail this week. I just can’t get over how perfectly she matched the bows to the outfits I sent her pictures of! And her prices are beyond reasonable! Thank you again, Abbie! They’re terrific! Of course, they would have to be perfect coming from Missy Prissy, which is named after her precious daughter “M” (she frequents this blog and I’m sure she’ll let me know if it’s okay to release her daughter’s first name on here). You should see this little girl’s wardrobe. First off, she’s never worn a pair of pants, so you can imagine all the beautiful dresses this child wears. Secondly, she has these extravagant, gorgeous bows her mother crafts to match each of her fabulous outfits. She’s just to die for! I can’t sing Missy Prissy’s praises enough, and hope you’ll check out her site for your next order of bows.
I’ve been viscously jealous of all the beautiful spring like weather I’ve heard about Alabama receiving lately. One night last week it was so cold and cloudy Michael and I were positive we would wake up to a substantial last snow. But today is the first day we can feel the promise of spring in the air. Michael is in the field for the week for a training exercise (or as I like to call it, grown men and woman playing war games), so it’s just the kids and I at home this week. We were all three equally excited to get outside and spend a couple hours enjoying the warmer weather and sunshine. We enjoyed a long walk/wagon ride, swinging on the porch swing, sliding down the slide I dragged outside, chasing bouncy balls, pushing lawn mowers, riding in the cozy coupe car, and anything else they could get their hands on to play with. I cannot wait for the arrival of warmer weather and sunny days! We practically lived outside last summer playing in the little pool and water table and I’m looking forward to repeating some of those days.
Yes, Mommy got a little over zealous with the scissors and gave a very sever trim to both their bangs. I couldn’t stand seeing their hair in their eyes but a hairdresser I am not. I take great consolation in knowing in 2 weeks it will grow and not look so boxy.
This picture is for Sarah. Before they moved she was commenting on one way she could tell how much bigger the three musketeers were this year versus last was that last summer 2 babies could fit into the little car at a time. This year it’s a much tighter, if not impossible squeeze. They’re still trying mind you, but with much less success. Seriously, someone need to invent a double car! I fear this will only provide Michael with more reasons why he should buy them the power wheels Hummer he’s been eyeing at Yongsan Army base in Seoul. I’m not sure my nerves are ready to watch these two attempting to drive a power wheels just yet.
When all else fails you can always resort to giving your brother a push around the deck.
Going for a wagon ride.
Because everyone needs a little Dr. Suess in their life:
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Did you remember to wear your green today? Michael and I have always held a special place in our hearts for this holiday after spending several St. Patrick’s Days in Savannah, GA. Now that’s a St. Patty’s party! We’ve also felt we had a little luck’o the Irish, as it was St. Patrick’s Day 2007 when we brought Sterling home from the hospital. Our greatest St. Patty’s Day ever!
Irish Eyes are smiling. Actually, I think this little girl has zero Irish in her, and her eyes are actually blue, not green, but you get the general gist. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Just a sweet picture of my darling boy.
A little yard maintenance…on the deck? You may need to look for green pastures, son.
Ella is OBESESSED with her pockets these days. There are times she’ll ask to wear her coat around the house if she’s wearing an outfit with no pockets. She’ll put her coat on and walk around stuffing things in her pockets. The pants she was wearing today really infuriated her. They had faux pockets! She thought she had pockets, but they were only decorative, so she had to resort to using her back pockets…which aren’t as easy to find your stashed treasures in!
Thank heavens it’s getting warmer! The slide made the move outdoors today freeing up a lot of space in our living room. When we move back to the states I think we’ll need a very large playroom.
Why is it that the slide has been sitting in the corner of our living room since Christmas and it only gets used maybe twice a day? Move it outside, and it takes on this whole new appeal. They go wild! It’s the best toy ever! Does this mean if I refuse to let them eat broccoli they’ll start begging for it? Hum, interesting theory….
Peek-a-boo! I see two!
I still do not understand the fascination this laundry basket is holding, but it’s providing almost as much entertainment as the living room full of toys. Tonight while I made our dinner they spent nearly 30 min. popping up and down in the laundry basket. This led to Sterling’s first sentence. He’s been rapidly picking up words and has just begun to parrot anything you say, but tonight he spoke his first sentence…”There she is”! Of course, he did say “she” not “he” which probably stems from the fact that this is one of Ella’s favorite phrases to say, but no matter, he still strung together three words, making me a very proud Mommy!