Bathroom Conversation

Just a glimpse into my day:

Overheard the other morning while I was applying makeup:

(Upon the raising of the curtain, two curious children are seen playing with their mother's bathroom scale. They're adorable, even if they are continuously picking the scale up and dropping it to see the needle move.)

Bubba: "Ya-Ya, look! I am forty!

(The precious child means forty pounds)

Ya-Ya: "What am I, Bubba?"

(Ya-Ya stands on aforesaid scale)

Bubba (peering down): "You're tooty, Ya-Ya." (again meaning twenty pounds)

Ya-Ya: "Yay! When I'm three, I'll be three-ty!"

Bubba: "Mama, you should get on the scale!"

(Curtain falls quite rapidly and forcefully)

Grandpa is 95!

We were privileged to celebrate Hubby's Grandpa Virgil's birthday last week! He is a living testimony of God's blessing of longevity. I don't know about you, but there aren't too many ninety-five year olds in my circle of friends! Maybe I need to get out more...



Grandpa was so tickled that we were able to come and celebrate his birthday with him at his assisted living center. I think he even liked the balloons and Virgil's Root Beer that we brought him.

Such a sweet, sweet Godly man! His story of lovingly taking care of his wife for fifteen years is movie-worthy. Grandma had Alzheimer's and he went to her nursing home every day to feed and take care of her needs until she passed on four years ago! That is a rich legacy that he is passing down in our family.

Bless you, Grandpa!

Holy and Dearly Loved

You know, at our house we strive to teach our children how to have a meaningful relationship with our Heavenly Father at a young age.

We must be doing something right:



Here's four-month-old Ju-Ju having some prayer time.

Maybe he's praying for Mama to finish ironing so he can have some lunch.

Potty Talk

As a parent, with each child I look forward to the day when I can say he or she is potty-trained. What a sense of relief it is to not have to buy diapers in bulk for two children. Aaaahhhh...

Then it hits you. I am now required to know where every restroom in the Phoenix metropolitan area is. Not only do I have to know their location, but I have to be able to judge the time span it is going to take me to get there, usually lugging three other children, a purse, a diaper bag and other various and sundry items.

You know, of course, when newly trained, they wait until the last absolute second to let you know they have to go. Last night saw me scooping up Ya-Ya and running through Home Depot to avoid her doing her business in the fan and lighting aisle.

Tonight, the chosen location was the grocery store. Nothing says motherhood like having to find someplace to park a loaded cart and run like the wind to the potty.

I have to share just a smidgen of the conversation I had with Ya-Ya. Before you read this, though, understand that Ya-Ya is an incessant talker. She has her mama's gift of gab.

Here we go:

Ya-Ya: "Mama, is that a boy or girl?"
Mama: "That's a boy."
Ya-Ya: "Why he has a piggy tail?"
Mama: "Some boys like to have piggy tails."
Ya-Ya: "Oh. Ooooo, a little potty. I yike little pottys. Who's that over there?"
Mama: "It's another lady going potty."
Ya-Ya: "Oh. What's her name?"
Mama: "I don't know, Ya-Ya."
Ya-Ya: "Oh. Is she going pee-pee?"
Mama: "Yes, she is. Are you done yet?"
Ya-Ya: "Nope. I still pooshing it out. What's this?"
Mama: "It's a little trash can. Please don't touch it."
Ya-Ya: "Oh, a little trash can. Why is there a little trash can in here?"
Mama: "Ya-Ya, please don't touch! Aren't you done yet?
Ya-Ya: "Mama, can I crawl under the door? Why is the door locked? I don't want to go. Can I do the flushy? Where's Daddy and Bubba?"

And that, my friends, is your potty talk segment for the night. My mother always said real ladies don't use potty talk. I guess we're not ladies.

Bloggin' Away

When I say three, quickly jump over to my new blog!

Okay. Ready?

One.

Two.

Thr-

Wait a minute. You have no idea what I'm talking about, you crazies!

Introducing my new blog: This Mama's Heart!

Hubby and I have been going through a season of shifting our focus back to our home and family over the past couple of months. Please don't get me wrong, our family has always been our numero uno priority. However, I think we've been allowing other things to distract us.

Yuck!

So, now we're in the process of getting our family back into their rightful place in our attentions.

This new blog is a way for me to chronicle this journey that I/we are experiencing and learning from.

This is not someplace where I have the answers. Believe me! Instead, this is a place to celebrate victories, big and small, and to come share some challenges that are taking place in the life of this crazy conglomeration we call family.

That being said, I really want this to be interactive with you. I am always in need of ideas on how things may work for you or your family. Even just an "I hear you, girl!" or, "Yeah, we've been there." So, if you do drop by, please leave a comment. Of course, you don't have to, but I love to know what you think.

Also, I've realized that some people may not want to see a million, zillion pictures of my kids.

Gasp!! I know. What a ridiculous thought.

So just for those poor people, pictures will probably be kept at a minimum. Keep coming back here for updates on the Fam.

See ya over on This Mama's Heart! http://oneblessedlady.blogspot.com


This is One Blessed Lady!

Stars and Stripes Forever!

Ooooooo! Another holiday is here and I am chair dancing happily!

I heart Independence Day. I love the colors, the music, the history, the John Philip Sousa marches playing (former marching band nerd here!)...

One of my goals as a parent is to show my kiddos what these holidays really mean. Yes, it's wonderful to spend the day in the pool, grill out, and watch fireworks. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking that at all! Anytime we can cook outside during the summer is alright by me.

What I am saying is that I want my kids to have an appreciation of those who went before us and sacrificed, sometimes everything, to create this amazing place that we live in. These people truly believed from the depths of their being that they were following the will of God to form this country. They were driven by their purpose!

And so, from an early age, our kids have been thrown into the patriotic fervor that lives at our house all year long, but especially around this time. Now, we don't exactly reenact Revolutionary battle scenes in the back yard. No, no, no. That would just be silly. Nope, that will happen next year. We do, however, try to get them to understand the importance of this day.

Here is where I get dreadfully politically incorrect. Ready?

Brace yourself.

I really and truly believe that we live in the most blessed nation on Earth.

As a great teaching tool, we have this book:



America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney.

Fantastic illustrations and it gives just brief descriptions of everyday, All-American fun stuff.

Good, good reading for the whole family!

Happy Birthday, America!

How do you celebrate the fourth? Are there any favorite family traditions that take place?

Apples and Shirshee

My grandma, aka Shirshee, is known for her apple pies. Well, any kind of pie, really. Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to make pies like her in that great someday of being grown up.

So, now I'm grown up. At least, that's what my children (and responsibilites) tell me. Time to make pies!


Shirshee has a friend who has apples trees. Yes, there are apple trees in Arizona. Every year, this friend gives Shirshee bags and bags of apples and then Shirshee uses them to make apple pie fillings or homemade applesauce and then freezes them. Smart lady, huh?


Last week, Shirshee came over to help me (okay, I helped her) make my own pie fillings and apple sauce. We had children running in between our legs, trying to help us at every turn. What wonderful memories my kids are making, I hope! Best of all, Shirshee made special "pink" applesauce, which practically sent Ya-Ya into rapturous delight!



After a day in the kitchen, we ended up with four pie fillings and seven applesauces. It may not seem like a lot, but believe me, that's nothing to sneeze at! Oh, and we had two tuckered out ladies.


What do you like to make from scratch? Is there something that you, as a child, really wanted to learn to make?