wanted: a new mommy for cale

friday night, cale and i were having a midnight discussion that went a little something like this...

cale: "you're my best mommy!"

mama: "thanks, buddy."

cale: "my best mommy in this whole town!"

mama: "um, cale... you got another mommy in another town?"

cale: "no."

mama: "do you think you need another mommy?"

cale: "yes."

me: "ok... what kind of mommy do you think you need?"

cale: "a black mommy."

lesson: connor has a monster truck... cale wants a monster truck.
connor has a new backpack... cale wants a new backpack.
connor has a black mommy... cale needs a black mommy.

karan... you're up. just let me know when you want to come get him. i'm just kidding... i wouldn't give him away... even if he thinks he needs a new mommy.

meet mollie...

for those of you who've not had the pleasure of being nudged in the behind by her... meet mollie.


(this was mollie after she first came to live with us. she was 5 1/2 months old.)

mollie is our newest addition out at the ranch. like i needed a new addition. but need is such a relative term. anyway, she's here to stay. sometimes we like her. she's really sweet. and then sometimes she's a p.i.t.a. (as my friend andrea would say). like when she chews up my flip flops... or my favorite pair of peep toes... or one of the kids toys... or whatever i've missed picking up off the floor. it is getting better, but she's still doing it a bit. i just keep thinking that someday... some far away day... she'll make a fantastic dog. just like millie. i'm just hoping she's taking notes. and then when i'm really frustrated, she looks at me...

how could you not love that face?

mollie loves lily. i'm not sure if it's because lily pets her or if it is just because lily is the only little person at my house that doesn't run screaming when mollie gets near. gracie and cale pretty much ignore her. they're too busy to be bothered with her puppiness.

i think they're missing out.

cale's birthday

aren't birthdays fun? i prefer to string them out. why have just one day, when you can have so many? it used to be that way. we'd start counting down the days until my birthday right after christmas. everyone knew. and then... we'd have several parties. that was all until... i had kids. when, suddenly, life is no longer about me. it's about them. and by them, i mean the little people that follow me everywhere. but really, i'm ok with it. i am. (after much soul searching and many therapy sessions. i'm just kiddin'... kiddin' about being ok with it, 'cause i'm really not... i just pretend to be). anyway, since it's all about them now, we get to string out their birthdays. what's more fun than that?

take cale, for instance... he turned 3 last week and got to have 2 parties. we had a small family party on his birthday, and a big family party yesterday. and somehow, even though most of us have been uninvited by the birthday boy at some point when he was mad... as in "i don't like you... you're not coming to my monster truck party!"... we gathered anyway. it was wonderful and full of boy things...

like monster trucks and spiderman...

and good buddies...

and balloons...

that flew to heaven...

and, of course, cake.

(i know, here's where you'd like to see pictures of cale with cake everywhere. but, alas, there are none! he was too busy with the trucks, and spiderman, and his new backpack, and the balloons to care about cake. me, however... yum.)

it all brings me back to the importance of enjoying each smile, each laugh, and each moment of my children. (and no, i didn't quote that... it was me and a moment of brilliant clarity...)

its so nice to blog again!

hello. i've missed blogging and you, of course... a lot. and i mean a-l-o-t. i didn't realize how "into" it i've gotten until i couldn't anymore. well, i could... from my phone. it's not easy doing that. it's like sending a really long text and i don't like it... at least not from my phone. anyhow... computer is back from dr. pete. thanks, pete. no... really... thank you.

so, now, i'm in the process of reinstalling camera software. it's taking a while. a really long while. so, no pics tonight. just lots of gushing about how much i've got to share. things like... our trip to safari sanctuary... and cale's birthday party... and how cale told us he wanted a "bud light-year party"... and canning salsa... and cale's other birthday party... and about the local picture contest we didn't win (i'm still not happy about that)... and, well i'm sure there are lots of other things that just aren't coming to mind right now.

oohhh... wait. i've got one, and it doesn't require any pictures. so, after school started, we were in the car heading to dinner with jackie and ryan. i had cale, lily, and halle. i was giving halle the 3rd degree about school... did she like it? did she like her teacher? are her friends in her class? how was her day that particular day? halle goes on and on telling me what a great day she had. when she finished the daily rundown, cale pipes up... "i had a great day, cause i didn't pee-pee in my pull-up". it's the little things.

anywho... there's a little blinking box at the bottom of my screen demanding my attention. so, i'll take care of it. tomorrow, there will be pictures.

~ nite

i have a sick computer...

just so you know, i've not been just not blogging on purpose. a slight issue with our computer has made it difficult for me to blog. the issue is...well, it just won't come on. and by not on, i mean not at all. it won't go any further than the black screen with "Dell" in blue. it scrolls and thinks... and thinks and scrolls. and it drives me bananas. and what makes me even more bananas is that i've got stuff to blog about. fun stuff. with great pictures, too. so, kyle has taken it to a friend to fix it. now i'm blogging from my phone. which is fine and all, but god speed, pete. i miss my computer...

conversations with cale

i love conversations with cale. they are definitely one of the highlights of my day... most every day. we talk about all kinds of things, and you never know what he'll come up with. and he talks all the time. even in his sleep. he talks... and talks... and talks. right now he's singing "this is the way we make a gown, make a gown, make a gown, this is the way we make a gown... with princess dreams and magic" (no, daddy and poppy, i didn't teach him that... it's from a cinderella sing-a-long book we have). most importantly, when he talks i usually learn something new. for instance...

yesterday morning we were on the way to kk's house and cale had a little gas. he, of course, immediately starts laughing and loudly proclaims "i tooted"! then he says "wait, that wasn't a toot, it was a squeeze"... um, what's a squeeze? so i asked... "bubby, what's a squeeze?" to which he replies "it's a squeeze-toot". now, i've not been a boy-mom for very long and i don't pretend to know all things boy. so, if any of you boy-moms (or boys, for that matter) can explain this phenomenon to me, i'd really appreciate it!

so then, last night, he's in my bathroom to go potty. so he said. he's standing there naked, messing with his junk (you can thank my hubby for that wonderful word choice. he thinks it's hysterical... and now it's caught on... and we all say it. don't you know nana would flip out if she heard us say something like that.) anyway, i say to him "bub, quit messing with your junk and just go potty". "but mom, if i let go it goes everywhere". yet another thing i did not know. thank you for the insight. so now i'm wondering where was he when he figured out that if you "let go" it "goes everywhere". suddenly, i'm feeling the need to clean and disinfect both bathrooms.

canning and soapbox sermons...

guess what??? ok, you're never gonna guess... especially those of you that know me very well. so, i'm just gonna tell you what... tonight, i canned tomatoes. yes, you read that right. i canned two quarts of tomatoes. i'd like to say that they were all tomatoes from my garden. but, then you'd know i was fibbin'.


i went to a quaint little gardening class where we sipped "lemon-berry-ade" and munched on dehydrated apples and pears and other wonderful "garden-y" yummies. jenny had a kitchen full of the most wonderful jars. and they were filled with all kinds of goodies. some she bought and many she'd made herself. i loved how she encouraged us to do as much or as little as we wanted (with our gardens and the canning, of course, but i took it as so much more). and, to not feel guilty about it either way. i need more of that. why can't we just be real? flaws and all. why is it that we need to put on a show for other people. there, i said it. why can't it just be that sometimes things are wonderful and other times life sucks... yes, mother, i said sucks... again. my goodness. where the heck did all of that come from? i just went from canning tomatoes to a soapbox sermon... in a few short sentences flat. i feel better. you? yes... no... anybody... bueller?

anyway, back to my tomatoes... not sure what i'm gonna make with them yet, but i'll bet it's gonna be yummy! i want to try making jams, canning fruit, and maybe some other veggies. it's a whole new world to explore. never-ending possibilities. hmmm... what to can next?

so, now i'm really ready to get going on the fall garden. i'm gonna try some more tomatoes, maybe some lettuce, a few carrots, a little broccoli, butternut squash... and whatever else i find to put in there. oh yeah, basil... don't forget the basil.

gracie's first day of kindergarten

well, i am officially the mama of a kindergartener. and (somehow) we all survived the first day. if you read yesterday's post, you know i started crying at "meet the teacher"... what you don't know is that i cried all morning getting her ready... and on the way to school... and on the way into the school... and when i was trying to take her picture next to the "welcome to kindergarten" sign (that she wouldn't stand next to, so i didn't get a picture)... and when we got in her classroom... and when she put her stuff away... and when i took her picture with her teacher... and when she went to sit at her desk... and about how she didn't even look back as i walked out of the room... and on the way to drop off cale and lily... until cale said "hey mama, want me to burp my abc's?"... really? that pretty much dried my tears.

so, i've prepared a short photo montage of our morning...

this was the best photo of several attempts to get everyone together... looking at me... smiling... maybe when they're older, right?

awww... there's the famous little kindergartner, now...

and when she was walking into the school...


and was she was putting her stuff away...

and with her new teacher (whom i just love)...

and when she sat at her desk... and, by the way, cale wanted to know where his seat was...

and with her basketcase mama.

today, i felt like time just dragged on. i was giddy when it was time to pick her up. when it was our turn in the pick-up line, she came running down the sidewalk to the car. i asked her how her day was, and she exclaimed "i can tie my shoes now"!!!

it's so good to be in kindergarten.

so much to blog about, so little time...

several times in the last couple of days, it's been brought to my attention that i've not blogged lately... so, here i am. i'm gonna be really honest... i've chosen sleep over blogging many recent nights. i'm really not doing much sleeping, so maybe i should be choosing blogging instead... hmmm...

anyway, lots going on at the ranch these days, and i mean lots. lets start with...

the garden: it's not good, not good at all. it's so not good, i pulled it all up tonight. i'd have taken a picture, but i'd rather you remember it's better days. you know, like in an obituary, when a 89 year old crosses over to the "great by and by," but the associated picture was from when they were 34. i'd rather you remember the garden when it was 34. the good news withthe garden is that i'm going to chance some fall planting. so, we'll see how that goes... and, i know, that whole "great by and by" was just wrong... but, when has that stopped me? moving on...

the p.m.'s: they're gone! yea for me! saturday is demolition day, and they don't even know it... he, he, he...

the new puppy: that's right... we've got a new puppy. her name is mollie. millie and mollie... isn't it cute? more on her later...

the circus: the most exciting news is that gracie starts kindergarten tomorrow. i know she's been in a preschool for 2 years now, but there's just something about it being actual kindergarten. it seems so... big. i'm not ready for big... for me or for gracie. so, when we went to "meet the teacher" this afternoon, the teacher came and hugged me... i started crying. jackie says that's for 2 reasons...

1. she's pms-ing, so i must be too, and

2. it's part of being a mommy. it's what happens when they really start school. for real. no more play-school. this is big girl stuff... with real report cards... and field-trips... and smart boards... and attendance policies...

that are enforced.

so, now we're all ready for our big day tomorrow. backpack is packed and ready, all her paperwork has been filled out, lunch is made, clothes are laid out, and the twinkle toes are just waiting to walk her into her new school...

gotta go... there's a meltdown a-comin'...

they're back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

guess who's back in town???

yep, the little p.m. parents and their little p.m. babies. for those of you who missed my earlier posts about the p.m.'s, they are the purple martins who have taken up residence on my front porch. i was pretty nice about it for a while... not anymore. they're like freakin' rabbits. i had no idea. i mean, really, they're on their second flock... or nest... or round... or whatever the heck you call it. and that's just this summer. i'm definitely getting a p.m. house. maybe they'll move off of my front porch. oh yeah, by the way, saturday i was trying to unload my car from tiffany's baby shower... they were divebombing me... again! it's my house!!! are you kidding me??? this time, when the last baby is gone, so is the nest. call me mean or cold-hearted... i don't care. i want a poop-less porch and a divebombing-free front yard... gracie wanted to know if daddy would knock down the nest so she could have a one of the babies. um, no. oh, and i'm sure the hummingbirds would appreciate having exclusive use of their feeder, again.

this p.m. baby was perched on the feeder for quite some time and the poor little hummingbirds were freaking out. it really was kind of funny watching the whole scene... my gosh, i'm getting old... no comments from the peanut gallery...

nite, nite.

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...