evening commute conversations with the circus...

you never know what you're gonna hear in my car...

first, i picked up gracie this afternoon, along with her good friend abby. we had ice cream and played. so, i overhear gracie telling abby that she saw 3 policemen chasing a car yesterday... that's news to me. so i start questioning her. from my interrogation, i conclude that she's not exactly telling the truth. so, i call her out... "gracie," i say, "are you fibbin'?" to which abby replies, "no, she's not even six yet"... when gracie realized that abby thought i said "seven", she looked at abby and said "abby, you are hilarious!!!" then they both fell over laughing.

then, we pick up cale and lily. when porkchop gets in the car, the dinner discussion commences. the first item on his list about his day was to tell me that he didn't like the cheese that kk gave him today, but "at least i didn't yak". thanks, cale. then i ask what he had for lunch... "a sandwich"... "what kind of sandwich, bubby?"... "um, the square kind." and from that comment, i am fully convinced that some things... like being a smarta**... are hereditary. poor kid, he comes by it honestly.

now, for the finale... let me say first, i'm not really sure what the initial action was, but the reaction was a play cell phone flying through the air and connecting with gracie's right eye. oh yes, that's gonna leave a mark. cale, of course, said he didn't do it. that means... and this is amazing... that old cell phones grow wings and hurl themselves at people. really, cale? just as gracie starts to calm down, cale starts yelling at me to go... "cause the light is green, mama"... again, really? so, i find myself trying to rationalize with a 2 year old about how i am driving, he is not, and he should leave it to the big people who have drivers licenses. it's always something...

mmm, yummy... oatmeal

i don't know if it's that lily is the traditional "third child"... or that i'm more patient in my old age... or if it's just that i'm really, really, really tired... but there are things that she does (or, is allowed to do) that i wasn't so eager to let the other two do. i didn't want them to get to dirty or get their clothes too messy. i know, it all seems to be an admission of a slight control issue... no comments from the peanut gallery, please. i'm just trying to allow them to be a little more themselves... and play until they look like they've got a really good tan (that's really dirt)... and color the trees purple if they want... and sing silly songs that make no sense... and just be kids who know that they are loved no matter what. how the heck did i get on that soapbox??? anyway, i think it's more about the fact that i've been through this twice and i've learned a few things, like... i know she won't break, she will wash, and i can get out most stains... thanks to aunt b's "special paste". so in light of my previous "ah ha!" moment, when she asked... ok, lets be honest, she grabbed the spoon and yelled at me... i let her feed herself breakfast...

and she loved it...

and she didn't care that it was all over the place...

and when she dropped the spoon... (that's the "uh oh" face, by the way)

... she improvised.

saltine toffee

all week long i've been trying to find time to make the saltine toffee recipe... and tonight it happened. i was so excited. i was gonna take pictures and post the recipe and go on and on about how good it is... but, it didn't turn out like it was supposed to. don't get me wrong, it's still really good... it just doesn't look like it should. and it for sure doesn't look like karla's did.

now, i love to cook and bake... which many of you know... but i hate it (oh sorry, gracie says i'm not supposed to say hate)... anyway, i really dislike it when a recipe doesn't turn out the way it's supposed to or the way i see it in my head. like the toffee... what's in the pan on the stove is not what was in my head (but, did i tell you already that it's good?) even more frustrating this time is that the recipe calls for 4... that's right four... ingredients. pretty hard to mess this one up, and yet somehow i've managed!

for my mom's birthday last year, i decided to make a 2-tier cake with tiffany blue icing. good idea, right? not really. i had the basics down just fine... the cake tasted great and the icing tasted great. the wrench was the tiers... apparently i needed more stabilization than a couple of toothpicks between tiers, cause when i started icing the cake, the top tier slid off the bottom tier. everyone but me thought it was funny.

i don't have these kinds of issues very often, but when i do, they're good ones. so, i guess we'll suffer through a taste test at the office tomorrow and mull over the issues with my saltine toffee. when i get it right, i'll show you the pics and give you the recipe... in the meantime, get me your recipes to taste test and share!!! am i the only one who thinks this is a fun idea? surely not! so, get busy...

mmm hmmm... yummy!

let me tell you, the dinner i made on saturday night was so worth the 2 hours it took me to cook. i told my hubby that it was SOOO good, i would have spent that time even if i'd been the only one eating! it was so good that it's blog-worthy!!! here, let me show you...

i know, it looks good, doesn't it?!?!?! steak fingers (with gravy... homemade, of course!) and sweet potato fries... oh, my... yummy, yummy, yummy!

so, i enjoy cooking... and eating... so much that i was thinking of devoting some blog time to cooking... and eating. what do you think? i think it would be a good way to share recipes... and not just mine. how's about i share my favorites and yours, if you'd like? i'll test the recipes... take some pics... what do you think? anyone... anyone... bueller? somebody please comment... i like it when there are comments... it makes me giddy... so comment! go ahead... you know you want to! come on... it makes me giddy...

summer vacation... the pictures... finally!

i know... finally, right? i'm finally getting vacation pictures posted. it's like i have 3 little kids and a full-time job, or something... so, here are a few highlights for you to enjoy!

it is official... lily loves the beach. actually, the waves. anytime she could get in them, she did. it wasn't enough to have tiny waves lapping her feet... oh no... she wanted to be in the full rolling waves... and she squealed every time!

i think gracie and cale had as much fun destroying the sand castles that had been built, as daddy did building them. although, i don't think he enjoyed watching his hard work go down in flames!

really? you're gonna put that in your mouth... with sand all over it???

gracie enjoyed afternoons by herself (and mama, of course!)...

this was our m.o. most nights... it didn't matter that we'd already had baths for the night and were in our jammies... the waves called... and, thank goodness gracie and cale were there to answer.

this little guy (the bigger little guy) was so excited to pose with his fish and cale... gracie wouldn't go near it...

i told kyle that bret michaels is the only one who can pull off the sexy pout (and not that well, might i add...). can't i get a smile... and some teeth? really? come on... is that too much to ask?

and... the crowning picture...

ahhh... my sweet babies. these pictures were worth the entire vacation... and all the hassle it took to get family pictures on the beach. i can't show you any more of the family pics until i decide what to use for christmas cards. i want you to be surprised...

aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!.... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why is it that when all i want to do is lay down and rest for a little while, just a little while... like 10 minutes... gracie and cale act like wild banchees??? for 45 minutes now, i've been trying to get them to go to sleep... and they won't. it's like i've given them 14 bowls of ice cream... which i haven't. and cale... he's so dang loud. there's either no volume or max volume with mega bass. this is about to get ugly... aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so, since i'm not resting, i'll show you some pics of the storm as it rolled over "the ranch" last night...

have i told you lately... i absolutely love my camera!!!


by the way, i've just made them go to their own beds, and gracie keeps sending cale out here to ask questions. this, by the way, is a regular occurance when she knows they're supposed to be in bed. so, he comes to ask the question... as his sisters' messenger. which, by the time he gets to me, the intended question has been forgotten and it's now just some very loose version of the original and usually doesn't make any sense. so, i tell him... "bubby, that makes no sense". so, he marches straight back to her with the proclamation that her question makes absolutely no sense... which drives her bananas! it's really funny watching their interactions... one day, she will not rule his world. i know... same thing happened to me. but, for now, it's working for them.

p.s. i promise i'll get on posting vaca pics... very, very soon!

deep thoughts by cale...

let me set the scene for the following conversation that took place between the boy and his mama... cale, because he's a boy and it is utterly impossible for him to put his big toe outside without getting filthy from head to toe, had to bathe after being outside sunday afternoon. when the bath was finished, i asked him to pull the plug to drain the tub. the entire time the tub was draining, he stood there... naked (of course), with his hands on his hips, and his belly pooching out. i, as the ever observant mama, deducted that there were deep thoughts rolling around in that little head... so I said...

mama: "cale, get out of the tub... now"

cale: "i think i'm gonna stick my pee pee down the drain"

(in the mama's head: what, really?!?!?!?!)

mama (very calmly, and not laughing): "why would you do that?"

cale: "i dunno..."

mama: "what would happen if your pee pee went down the drain?"

cale: "i would get little and go down the drain and get it"

mama: "how would you put it back on?"

cale: "i'd just hammer it back on!"

summer vacation... day 9...

sorry about that. we stopped for dinner and then decided to find a place to stay. had to deal with the circus, so no more writing last night! anyway, now we are into day 2 of our trip home. just came through dumas, arkansas and so far this morning we've seen soybeans, rice patties, and cornfields. oh, and lots of tractors. the circus is watching another veggietales... finally. i unplugged it earlier and made them just stare out the windows... gave them a speech that went a little something like "when daddy and i were little, we didn't have movies to watch, mama's phone to play with, or color wonder markers to color with. we had to just watch the land go by". oh, when life was simpler. so, as i blog on my phone... they're watching a movie... and quiet again! i'm pretty sure daddy is done. he's tired of driving and tired of arguing kids. they start arguing and then (not to be outdone) lily starts crying or yelling. serenity now!!!!! it's exactly how you'd imagine a road trip to be with 3 little kids. but, it's all been worth it. everyone loves the beach... gracie already asked if we could go back. yes, honey, i'm already ready... actually, i never wanted to leave. my sweet husband just hugged me while i cried beacuse we were leaving. i know, it's ridiculous... can't help it. i tried to start a discussion about next years vacation... somehow i don't think kyle is ready to talk about it. i think he's concentrating on keepin the force field up around the drivers seat that veggietales songs and arguing cannot penetrate. me, i'm getting really good at ignoring it! anyway... i'll post pics when we get home (and i have few minutes) of our vacation adventure. speaking of home... i wonder how my garden is doing? the dogs haven't been there to keep the critters out...

summer vacation... day 8

ok, i've got some bad news... you might want to sit down... we are headed home. i know, it's very sad and upsetting. alright, maybe not for you (you know i'm talking to you jack), but for me it is. i'm not ready for our vacation to be over. i could have just stayed. i will say, however, the tar balls that washed up on the beach this morning after a big storm last night sure made it a whole lot easier. in case you're wondering, tar is not fun to scrub off kids... or yourself. we didn't have any issues until this morning. so, now we are road-trippin' it... with veggietales in our ears, and a 5 year old back seat driver. gracie hollars at me if i have to take off my seatbelt. yes, thank you, i do know that the policeman will get us if i take it off. just a bit ago, we drove through faith hill's hometown... everybody sing with me... "it's a long way from star, mississippi, to the bright lights"... ok, i'm done. you're singing it now, aren't you? he, he. hold on, we are stopping for dinner...

summer vacation... day 5

it's tuesday, july 6th, and we're on day 5 of our vacation. how's the beach this morning, you're wondering? well, it's raining... again. and i don't mean sprinkling either. it's really raining, like blowing patio furniture around, raining. so, the kids and i are laying in bed watching tv. i'd like to go shopping, but that's a little difficult when the outlet mall is outdoors. maybe i'll get busy reading one of those books i brought or take a nap. it's so different when i'm not at home with a kajillion other things to do. it's thundering, again. decisions, decisions, decisions...

summer vacation... day 4

well, we made it to ft. walton beach on saturday evening. the circus officially LOVES it!!! gracie wants to be on the beach every waking minute looking for shells... cale wants to play in the sand... and bug loves the water. we spent the entire day on the beach yesterday. well, all of it except for the time we came in for naps. i'd be a little jealous too, cause it's awesome here! the waves, the sand, the breeze... i could sit out here all night. earlier this evening (after very possibly the best steak i've ever had!) headed out for the much anticipated crab hunting. we had our flashlights (some fancier than others) and crab boxes. i think the "big kids" were more excited and had more fun than gracie and cale. you should have seen us scurrying around the beach with our flashlights, squealing when we found one. the official count was 12... gracie had 8 & cale had 4. poor little bug and daddy stayed upstairs and had a bottle... let me clarify... bug had a bottle. I think it was a good excuse for him to have some quiet time. but, it didn't last long... our crab hunting was interrupted by rain... which we've had a lot of today. it sucks (yes mother, i said sucks) to be at the beach and have to be inside for anything but naptime! gracie declared it the "worst day she's ever had!" oh how i wish i had the concerns of a 5 year old! hopefully tomorrow will be better! for now, i'm gonna call it a night. the waves are making me sleepy... nite!

summer vacation... day 2

i'm sorry, ok? i'm sorry. i know i've been really bad about blogging this week, but with 3 (yes, that's right, 3) sick kids and a vacation to get ready for, i've been a tad bit busy! sick, as in couldn't go to daycare. but, we've survived the last week, everyone is much better, and we are well into day 2 of our road trip to ft. walton beach. you might think i'd rather be home with 3 sick kids than in a car for 14 hours with the circus, but so far so good! (maybe i shouldn't write that... is there any wood to knock on around here???) we've, well they, have watched the movies a kajillion (that's another one of "my" words) times... they've colored... they've sang songs... they've asked when we will be there more times than i can count... remember when your parents would get so irritated when you'd ask that question? now i understand. we've got about 4 more hours, but how do you help a 5 year old understand just how long that is? in a short time it'll all be over... i'll have sand between my toes... waves crashing on my feet... the smell of saltwater... building sandcastles... and a view of the circus experiencing it all. i'm so excited! can't you see it? awww, so sweet. as for kyle... i think he's ready for a drink. oh, wait... he's perking up... it's usher singing "yeah". oh how i wish you could see this... he's making a pizza... now he's doing the qtip... definitely not where he's supposed to live. are we there yet?