Us girls were playing on the bed after Bailey woke from her nap. We put our heads together in a group hug:
Lauren: We're making a plan!
Me: A what?
Lauren: A plan to defeat Daddy!
I'm still laughing...poor guy doesn't stand a chance!
We were listening to a kids song in the car about policemen. One of the lines in the song says something about how they think they have the best job:
Lauren: I know who has the best job, my Mommy.
Me: I do? What is it?
Lauren: Being a Mommy!
I think she's right. No job is better than this!
And someday when she takes on this job, I hope she still thinks it's the best!
While driving home from Phoenix, Dean and I were talking about saving money or something along those lines and Lauren piped in from the back seat:
"If Daddy worked harder we would have more money!"
We both busted up laughing! We have obviously taught her well, that you are rewarded for working hard. However, I guess we need to work on the understanding that Daddy does work hard, but sometimes, no matter how much harder you work, you still only get paid what you agreed to get paid.
Oh, my sweet girl!
I will be the first to admit that I am not the best cook.
Not horrible, but not the best.
I made eggs for breakfast the other morning. {This is usually Dean's job, but he wasn't home.} Kylee's scrambled eggs turned out edible but sure didn't look like it.
As Lauren was dumping the uneaten eggs in the trash:
"These eggs look scary. Someone in our family is a bad cook. It's not me and it's not Kylee and it's not Bailey....."
Yeah, I knew where she was going with that.
Obviously, there is at least one more person in my family who finds my cooking to be sub-par.
At least she is honest.
And at least I didn't burn the toast!
{Oh wait...that time I might have!}
Lauren: Mom, there is a green stick in my lasagna.
Me: There is?
Lauren: I think it's poison ivy.
I guess that's one way to try to get out of eating dinner.
However, while I know I am not the best cook, I am pretty sure I know the difference between Italian seasoning and poison ivy.
Me: Look guys they are growing cotton in those fields. That's what all the white stuff is.
Lauren: {Passing another field} Do they grow chicken in that field?
Me: No. Chicken is made of chickens, the animals. It doesn't grow in a field.
Lauren: Oh really? huh.
Someday I will explain where hamburgers come from!
Lauren and Kylee were playing Barbies. Lauren was pretending to be Cinderella and calling off all the things she was doing.
Lauren: I'm mopping the floors. Now I have to do the laundry. Scrubbing the toilets-oh I hate scrubbing the toilets. {etc. etc.}
She continued to call things Cinderella was doing, then she must of ran out of ideas, because she said:
Lauren: Hmm. What else do you do, Mom?
Yeah, that's right. I am practically Cinderella.
At least she recognizes it!
Of the last 5 years, this was my favorite Mother's Day! Dean took the girls out shopping Friday night and I had a whole 4 hours to myself! Then Sunday morning I slept in and Dean and Lauren made me a delicious breakfast of french toast and bacon! We headed to church and then had dinner with my family. It was a great day!
At breakfast the girls gave me my gifts. Kylee "picked out" sewing supplies; she knew exactly what I needed! All week Lauren had been beyond excited about going shopping for my present. She would say do you want this or this? Or do you want this or this? Apparently at one point I said I would rather have jewelery over something else. So that was it. She was insistent upon getting me jewelery. So Dean took her to Target and she spent at least 45 minutes picking out my present! Dean said he limited her to a certain section and she would sit and examine each item. Dean asked her if she liked one and she would grab her head with both her hands in frustration and say "I don't know. I don't know what to pick!" Finally she settled on 2 pairs of earrings, a heart locket {which she calls a locker} and 3 bracelets! Each one only cost $4.99 and coming from Target you know the quality isn't top notch, but to me they are priceless. The excitement {she could hardly contain herself as I opened them} and love from her in picking out each one meant so much. She is such a sweet little girl! {unfortunately I didn't get pictures}
Being a mother is hard, every day has new challenges and some days I have just about had enough. Regardless of the rough days, every wonderful, fun, happy, spiritual, positive moment that happens the rest of the time makes up for that ten fold. I love it and I wouldn't want any other job. I look forward to the years ahead of watching our sweet little girls grow and welcoming baby number 3 to our family!
***Did you catch that? Yeah, I'm pregnant! Baby Three is due the end of October. We should find out what we are having at the end of this month. Any guesses? Another girl or is it finally time for Dean to get his little boy?? We can't wait!
Lauren turned on the Old Testament videos today during nap time. I got endless questions from her as she watched. She was totally enthralled with it all....
Kylee has figured out that if her sister hits her, her sister gets in trouble. Now anytime Lauren does something Kylee doesn't like, she comes crying to me saying Lauren hit her....
Kylee: Wauwen hit me.
Me: Lauren, did you hit Kylee?
Lauren: NO!!!
Me: Kylee, stop lying. Lauren didn't hit you. You need to tell the truth.
Kylee: Otay!
Lauren: Hey! She's like Satan!
Lauren (to Kylee): Do you want to be a bad person? Then don't lie!
I had to leave the room, I was laughing so hard!
What am I going to do with these two?
Several weeks ago Lauren asked:
Lauren: Is Dad going to decorate the kitchen for Valentines Day again?
Me: I don't know. Do you think he should?
Lauren: Yes! Then it would be the best Valentines Day of my life!
So after a reminder from me of what was expected of him by his 4 year old, Dean decorated the kitchen with hearts like he did last year. I think this will become a new tradition!
We had heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, followed by spending too many hours making too many heart shaped sugar cookies!
The girls were excited to give Daddy his Charly Brown Valentine DVD and were even more excited to find that we got Kylee a Strawberry Shortcake and Lauren a Lemon Meringue! The girls have carried them around since they opened them and ask for them first thing every morning! Who'd a thought something so simple could produce so many hours of play!?!
One little stinker, named Kylee, found Daddy's present and decided to open it for him. From the bedroom I could hear her ripping into it! I went running in to find her innocent face "Look Mommy! Baryee Bown!" How could I get mad at that!?! {see pic above-I tried salvaging it}.
I sure am lucky to have an amazing, ever patient husband and sweet, adorable little girls that make my life practically perfect! I'm glad they are mine! I wouldn't have it any other way!
At the end of January, we joined R&L preschool group for a tour of the fire station. The firemen and paramedics were so patient and kind with the kids. They took them for little rides in the fire truck, sprayed the big hoses so the kids could see all the water, let them try on their gear, did heart monitoring on a couple of the kids, let them sit in the ambulance and gave each kid their own fire hat, pencil and sticker! Lauren loved it, but Kylee was terrified of all the big and noisy things around!
Ryan in the gear like his Daddy used to wear!:
Lacie wearing the gear too:
All the kids:
Hanging out in the ambulance!:
Lauren thought it was pretty cool that she could hear her own heart!:
I tried to get a picture of the girls together in their hats, but there was just WAY too much going on!
The tour ended with a hilarious lesson on "Stop, Drop and Roll" and us waving good-bye as the firetruck and ambulance drove away to a real emergency call. I am glad we decided to tag along, it was fun experience for everyone!
In the car on the way home from church, Dean was telling me how in Nursery they have dance time. Kylee loves it and made Dean get up out of his seat and dance with her.
Lauren: Dad, you should be a dance teacher.
Dean: Why?
Lauren: Because you are a good dancer!
Dean: Yes, I am and you should always remember that!
We shall see how she feels about that when she is a teenager!
Lauren got a new hair cut. She H-A-T-E-S having her hair done, so we decided to just chop it all off!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
We both really like it! I guess it requires a little more effort on my part when we want it to look cute, but on days it doesn't matter, it takes about 2 seconds! We are growing her bangs out, so for now they will most likely just end up in a clip!
Well this little photo shoot soon became a tickle fest, thanks to Kylee:
Who tried to end it with a kiss...
But then everything went down hill, once Lauren and I got behind the camera!:
Scary I know! But we were crackin' up! Lauren couldn't stop giggling and just kept saying "Let's do it one more time!" after each picture we took! I was willing to make a fool of myself on "film" and sacrifice any speck of dignity I had, just to make my Lauren happy! I sure love my crazy, silly baby girls!
Lauren: Hot chocolate is good for us, right mom?
Me: Yeah, it's okay. As long as it isn't too hot.
Lauren: Yeah...but we only drink it on trains.
"Here, we've only got one rule:
Never ever let it cool!"
-The Conductor, The Polar Express
Lauren on the Polar Express, December 2009.
Today I was cutting up fabric for blankets that the Young Women are making to give to a shelter for abused women and children, here in town. Lauren, who has been sick {again-sigh} came in to see what I was doing:
Lauren {asking about a particular fabric}: Oooh, is that Care Bears?
Me: Yes it is.
Lauren: What's it for?
Me: The Young Women are making blankets to give to kids that are sad or sick.
Lauren: Well, I'm sick!!!
Me: Yes, honey you are.
Lauren: But I have lots of blankets and they don't have any, right?
Me: Yep, you are right!
This little conversation made me smile. I knew the minute she saw that Care Bear fabric she would be wanting it. I love how in that moment, she really wanted it and realized that technically, according to my requirements, she "qualified" to get a blanket, but she knew someone needed it more than her. I just hope that I can raise my kids to be mindful of others needs and then act on it, regardless of their wants. Definitely something we need to continue to learn together...and now is as good of a time as any to start!
Lauren loves wearing pants and sweaters. Even during the summer when it is 120 outside {of course I don't let her out of the AC...helllooo heat stroke!} I can't blame her...she gets it from me. However, I usually hide the winter clothes from her until it's actually cold enough to justify jeans and a jacket, otherwise she will ask me everyday to wear them.
Lauren: But mom you get to wear pants!
Me: Yes dear, but that is for the safety and well being of the general public. I suffer in the heat for the welfare of others! {No one should be forced to see these white legs--No. One.}
The other day she found the sweaters....
and shared with her sister...
Kylee: Stop mom. Stop.
Okay. Okay. No more pictures.
And the sweaters went to the top of the closet.
Hopefully for not much longer.
It is October after all.
Me: Lauren you need to put away the toys that you got out.
Lauren: I have to do everything around here!!!
Me: I know. You are so picked on.
Lauren: Who do you think I am? Cinderella?
{I think we have a drama queen on our hands!}
At our house, we quote movies.
A lot.
Now even Lauren is doing it.
This week on the big screen: Incredibles
Lauren: I'm done.
Me: Eat your dinner.
Lauren: But I'm not hungry for meatloaf.
Me: We aren't eating meatloaf, it's ravioli.
Dean: She'd eat if we were having Tony loaf.
Me: Huh? {I obviously missed that one!}
Lauren: What are we doing to today?
Me: I don't know. What do you want to do?
Lauren: I don't know. Something amazing I guess!
And those are only 2 instances I can think of right now!
Maybe we've seen this movie one to many times!
Lauren: I want to go to the movie right now.
Me: No. We are going to the store first. If you can behave, then you will get to go to the movie.
Lauren: {sigh} I don't have a good feeling about this!
Kylee: Mooon!
Grandma Beth: Moon? I don't know where the moon is tonight.
Lauren: I will ask my dad. He knows everything.
{I am sure I didn't get the whole conversation right, since I wasn't there. However I love how confident she is in her Daddy! To her he is the smartest man alive; he knows everything. Someday she might change her mind about that, but for now we will enjoy her sweet confidence in her dad!}
