Wonderful Wednesday

Today has been a better day.

Grace took a nap.

The two concepts are definitely related.

Yesterday's little jaunt to do some shopping did not go well. I didn't make it to the grocery store, or to the store to run Mom's errand, or even to get gas. The first store we went to, the closest, was, of course, Hobby Lobby. And would you believe that Miss Grace did exactly what I was afraid she would do? She pitched a fit because she'd finished her milk and wanted more. She couldn't wait; she just pitched a fit. HL didn't have what I wanted anyway, so I left, irritated that I'd made a trip there for nothing and, honestly, frustrated with Miss G. Got into the car and headed out the parking lot, deciding between attempting another store or just going home, when I realized it was really quiet in the back seat. She was out cold.

I wonder why she was so tired? Humph.

~~~~~
So right now Josh has a friend over and the loft is filled with sounds of laser beams and magical bonuses and leaps and flying and shooting and yada yada yada. They have taken over this floor with the Wii and are pretty much in their own little world.

I would like to go to the basement and scrapbook.

But I can't.

I can't expect them to watch Miss Grace because they are battling on another planet, and I'm afraid I might come back upstairs to find my window scribbled on with green crayon. Like yesterday.

I can't anyway because I did not score at the Lobby of Hobbies yesterday. I still have no ink. And I can't start the next part without finishing what I've already started, that card I've mentioned.

So tonight I'm taking Chris to FoCo for youth group again, and being that it took $67 to fill my gas tank this afternoon, I think I will stay in town rather than come home and go back again, as I did last week. So I'm going to drop Chris off and drag Josh along and attempt to go by Joann's (ink) and the Super Mystery Store (Robert's birthday present) and WalMart (to fix J's glasses that Grace got her little fingers on). At least Josh will be with me. There's a better chance that Grace will be pleasant on this trip with Josh along. Seriously. Plus she had a nap today, remember? So there are two things in my favor... I can feel it... tonight... success.

A few of you e-mailed me privately and/or commented on the blog yesterday - and I wanted to say thanks for the encouragement. :) I appreciate it!

~~~~~
Yesterday I got out of the shower and was doing my hair when Grace came in to the bathroom. Noting the wet tub, she said: "Mama something something shower something all clean?"

Me: "Yes, Mama took a shower and now I'm all clean."

G: "Good thinking, Mama!!!"

~~~~~
My sweet little girl, not yet 2... she's sneaky. And quite possibly manipulative. Do children really do this before 2 years old?

Case 1: We were upstairs and Grace was asking me over and over again for more milk. As I headed downstairs and out of sight, something caught my attention and I headed back up again... to find her with her hand on Christianne's bedroom door. She was shocked that I caught her - I could see it in her face. Did she deliberately send me downstairs as a diversion so she could break in to off-limit territory? I actually think she did.

Case 2: I was cleaning the bathroom this morning, thinking she was watching TV. As I came out of the bathroom, I could see her climbing up the back of the couch (you might remember Daughter #1 broke her arm doing such foolisness a couple of years ago), trying to reach (and therefore stretching precariously) the switch to the lamp. As she saw me, she literally jumped down onto the couch, leapt for the pillow, closed her eyes tight, and pretended to snore.

Yep, you got me, Grace. Sweet dreams.

Oh. She did that one twice.

Case 3: A little while ago I went to check on her, and sure enough, she was in my bathroom, emptying the contents of my drawer (it's never Ro's) into the sink, and rubbing a make-up brush all over her face and the cat's. I just stood there, and sure enough, when she saw me she jumped. She furrowed her brow, threw the items back into the drawer and began shouting at me. It must have been my fault, you know. My fault that the fun was over.

And lastly, Case 4: My sweet baby Grace is a lie-teller. I've never really dealt with this before and I detest lying. I don't mean to make a bigger deal out of this than it is, but it does scare me: if she's fibbing to me now, then what does the future hold? But a couple of times in the past few weeks I've watched her - two feet away from the cat - come over and tell me that "Crelcro got me". Poor kitty.

I need a nap.

Prayer Needs:

• A player on my sister's softball team lost her father this morning to cancer.
• My friend T - health problems, depression
• Another friend T - pregnancy
• D - job situation

Sorry, But Today I'm Having a Pity Party

You know, I actually try not to post when I'm feeling a bit down. No one would want to read that. But I have to admit I'm feeling a bit blah today, so if you're not in the mood, I won't hold it against you if you stop reading now.

But:

Gracie won't nap.

I have rubber stamps but no ink.

I'm seeing some of my character in that of the Israelites as they wandered in the desert - ouch.

Things aren't even going so well for Harry right now in the book I'm reading.

A friend of mine is having an awful time with her health, and consequently battling severe depression.

And four little baby birds died on my front porch yesterday. That was probably the kicker of them all.

So I figured I should just suck it up, get a shower, get Grace out of her crib where she's been pounding on the wall and jumping on the mattress for quite some time, and go shopping. I need groceries, Mom needs me to run an errand, and there is that matter of ink for my stamps that I need to settle. Yes, a trip to Hobby Lobby, even if just for an ink pad, should make me feel better. But then... the last time I took Grace to Hobby Lobby by myself, well, let's just say it was a little unpleasant. And more unpleasant than the experience itself was the sting of the very sharp criticism my laissez-faire parenting attitude drew from someone who called me out for being incredibly rude. ... and that's the short version. So as irrational as this sounds, four and a half months later, the idea of going to Hobby Lobby with Grace brings this awful memory to mind and it makes me just not want to.

Do you think I need mental help? I might.

But if I don't go out, we'll be left to eat TV dinners again tonight, my mom will be without hairspray when she arrives, and I won't be able to finish the birthday card I started with my new rubber stamps (that are actually nearly a year old but I've been too afraid to use).

So it isn't about me, right? I need to just... do it. For my family. For my mom. For the lucky recipient of this card I'm making. For that person who thinks I'm such a lousy mom.

And, I guess, for me.

Still a Good Day

Ate.
Shopped.
Made a card.
Read a book.
Ate.
Shopped.
Scrapbooked.
Ate.
Read a book.

Humph

It's snowing.

On Church and Scrapbooking

We are really coming to love our new church. Although it didn't feel big at first, we are becoming aware of how big it really is, in that we're finding it hard to remember faces and get to really know people. I think it runs about 500 people each week, through three services. Right now we are trying to make it a goal to get plugged in and get to know others through small groups, Bible studies, etc.

There is a moms' group every couple of weeks that I am looking forward to, although I've had scheduling conflicts every time it's occurred so far. :) Joshua has been diligent about trying to make friends in his Sunday school class. Christianne has met two girls through hers, and this week I took her to her first youth group meeting. (Can you believe she's ready for youth group? :: sigh ::) She enjoyed that quite a bit and is eager to go back. We are looking into finding a "flock" (small group) to meet with regularly as well - but it's kind of crazy with Ro working late nights several times a week. And lastly, Ro has just completed a 12-week Bible study on Biblical Distinctives, which determines what God's Word has to say on key values of the church (authority of the Word, roles, spiritual gifts, etc.).

I have to tell you... Ro came home last week and said that during the last meeting (this past Tuesday), our families were invited and we'd have a potluck. I said, "Great, what do I bring?" He said, "It doesn't matter." ACK! It doesn't matter? Surely coming from years in a southern Baptist church you know that organization matters in a potluck. ;) He told me, "He said it always works out fine." I just smiled and said something to the effect of, "That's a man planning a potluck for you."

Because I was sure that this potluck would end up with a dozen desserts and no real food, I made a boatload of mac and cheese. I also caught myself worried on the way there - will there be adequate forks? plates? drinks? But you know, he was right - it did all work out fine. There were even forks and plates and drinks... and a dozen dishes of pasta. :)

Ah now, where was I? Oh yeah... our church. One thing that truly impresses me, though, is that despite its size, the people who seem to know us most, ask about us most often, and remember the most details about us, are the pastors. Maybe you'd expect that, but in a church this size, I'm impressed. I've been in a much smaller church in the past where the pastor not only couldn't remember my name - he couldn't remember if I'd been there before - week after week!

But I think the thing I like the best about this church is that it is not very fluffy, not even for the kids. I get frustrated, honestly, with curriculum that teaches the same Bible stories again and again and again - Noah and David and Samson... They are important, of course, very important - but so is the rest of the Bible (often the Old Testament) that often gets neglected. I believe the kids are using John Piper's material in Sunday school. Christianne's group is studying God's character, while Joshua has been learning about the prophets (Amos last week), and the youth group is in 1 John. Good stuff, and pretty exciting.

The only bummer about our church is the distance. I do wish it were closer, especially with the price of gas right now (we're up to about $3.35). Still, you go where you feel God leading you, and we think, after the last few months, that this is the place for us. Praise God!

~~~~~
So I'm pretty excited to report that I got to do some scrapbooking this week. Everything fell into place where the timing was right, the scrapbook area was uncluttered and inviting, and I actually wanted to. I think this is actually the first time I've scrapped for our own family albums since I had to pack up my things last July. It took me two sessions to complete two pages, but it's going to take some time to get those juices going again.

That said... I've been thinking about cardmaking. I buy a lot of cards, and even when I buy the cheapies at WalMart, it adds up. I had asked Robert about getting me a cardmaking program for the computer - you know, the kind where you basically make it on the screen and print it out - but we just haven't done so yet. I know my friend Kathy makes nice cards like these, and I remember some pretty ones from Wanda as well.

But then yesterday while I was eating lunch and going through mail, I saw a tip in a scrapbooking newsletter from Archiver's: After you complete a page or layout, use your scraps to whip up a greeting card. In no time, you should have a plethora of cards for any occasion, and you've used up your scraps as well.

I don't know about you, but I save nearly all of my scraps, hating to waste stuff that I could someday use again. That said, I rarely use them! I have a huge amount of scraps that I've accumulated over the years. So the idea of making my cards from my scrap supplies (instead of the computer) is now quite appealing to me. In fact it was the first thing on my mind this morning.

Now the only greeting card I've ever really made from my scrapbook supplies (for people outside the family / to send), is what I made in a stamping workshop some time ago, and I've never used it. My biggest question is this: Do you buy card-sized envelopes at a craft store, and make the cards to fit? I know that envelopes can be made as well, but right now I think it would be easier to just concentrate on the card. I think a trip to Hobby Lobby might be in order; I need a scorer as well, and my one and only (how can that be?) black scrapbook pen has wandered off.

TGIF. Enjoy your weekend.

Now That's True Giving

I'm almost afraid to voice this, but... I think spring might have arrived here. I'm afraid to say it lest I jinx it or something, but I think it just might be spring. There's no snow forecast for the next 10 days, anyway. :) If it does snow, we might just make one of these:

I distinctly remember falling in love with novels when I was in third grade. I think I enjoyed books before that, but the earliest novels I remember reading was in Miss Lewis's class. I remember really enjoying the magical books written by a novelist named Ruth Chew, as well as enjoying Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and The Giant Peach read to us on a weekly basis by our school librarian, Mrs. Vale. Or Mrs. Vail. :)

Of course I remember reading other books as well - Harriet the Spy was a favorite, as well as some Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, and the Waltons. I didn't really fall in love with the mystery genre until I was a little bit older, I don't think.

But the reason for this little trip down memory lane is because my heart is absolutely delighted that Joshua, I think, is falling in love with reading as well. Christianne has read forever - handling Junie B Jones novels in kindergarten, and she always has more than one book going at a time. Joshua has always seemed to enjoy reading when you make him sit down to do it, but most of the time he seems to prefer video games and Legos. In the past few weeks, however, he's become engrossed with the Harry Potter books. I love it, of course - they are really tremendously written stories. He's currently 100+ pages into the the 4th book of the series, and I think this has to be the biggest book he's ever taken on. He's just loving it, though - not wanting to stop during the church potluck last night or when it is time for bed. I really hope that when he's finished with the series, he'll take on another that's equally as satisfying. I hope this is the start of a genuine, lifelong love of reading.

What books influenced your love of books?

~~~~~

On another note, would you do this for someone in your church?

Cuckoo, Cuckoo

Grace randomly exclaims every once in awhile, "Cuckoo clock!" I don't get it; we certainly don't have one, nor do I recall seeing one on TV. There's nothing similiar (that I can figure out) about the circumstances, so I don't know why she keeps saying it. It cracks me up, though.

Sometimes it's very, very clear that Grace's older siblings have a profound influence on her vocabulary. One of her favorite things to announce these days, quite loudly (like her brother) of course, is, "I farted!"

Yep. Classy, huh?

We had a wonderful weekend. The weather was beautiful so we had a picnic and play time at a nearby park. It was really fun. Josh didn't even want to go at first (preferring to stay with his buddy playing video games), but afterward he said, "That was fun!" We fed the bread that was remaining to the geese and the ducks in the lake. Nice, fun, relaxing afternoon.

Got a lot done around the house, too. Ro worked on a sprinkler problem and built my cabinets. I got 6 boxes unpacked and the basement is looking really nice. I have a pile of things to go to Goodwill (actually I prefer to wait for the people who come around and pick it up - should be soon), a small box of stuff to try to E-bay, and about 6 boxes worth of Grace's better outgrown clothes I'm going to try to sell (if it's worth it) to the local used kids' clothing store. Once I get those piles out of there it will be great! :) That particular area will be finished until we come into vast sums of money for the big TV and entertainment center we'd like to add, and I can turn my focus to the other half of the room that is the scrap / craft / laundry area.

I'm hoping spring has arrived. It's cooler today - only 53 right now - but sunny. The grass is green (when did that happen?) and will need a trim sometime soon, and the tree out front has beautiful white flowers all over it. I don't mind the cool weather or even rain, but I really do hope we're done with the snow! That just seems a bit much, if you ask me. (Not quantity - just psychologically. It *is* the end of April, for Pete's sake!)

Praises:

• C has worked out her friend issues, and brought her friend A to church yesterday!
• W - great report from the doctor; treatment NOT needed at this time!

Continuing needs:

• M - surgery recovery, finding the source of problems
• Talena - pregnancy*
• D - grieving loss of dad, dealing w/mom's psychological issues
• N - marriage

* Funny how through the fall I had a TON of pregnant friends; right now all I know of is Talena and (I think?) another girl from our CA church family.

<-- That's Red

When Mom was here a few weeks ago she taught Grace to say "I love you more," in response to the regular "I love you"...

Grace woke up around 2 and slept fitfully with us after that, until she woke up again at 5 and wouldn't go back to sleep. I laid on the couch with her for about half an hour but she just wasn't in the mood to rest. Later this morning she said, "Hi, Mommy - how are you?" I said, "I'm tired, Grace," to which she replied, "I'm tired more."

Yeah, but it's your fault. ;)

My favorite thing she says right now is "My name is Grace," because she sort of says it in this deeper voice and points to her chest, tilting her head down but looking up at you with her eyes. Hard to explain, but it cracks me up every time.

She is learning her colors - she has pink, orange, green, and blue down for the most part. She loves to tease, though, and likes to give false answers (also when you ask other questions) with a twinkle in her eye.

I am so blessed to have been able to stay home with each of my children and to watch their development day-to-day. It's incredibly rewarding and insanely fun, albeit tiring!

I finished watching The Illusionist yesterday. Anyone seen that one? There were so many times I thought about turning it off and deleting it from the TiVo, but the last 10 minutes of it really made the whole movie. I'm glad I stuck with it now. So if you haven't seen it and want to - stay with it. It's a little slow-going (I thought) but the ending makes it worthwhile.

It's Friday! (Right?) I am so glad, and Ro even works the early shift today. :) Yippee! He got more cabinets (hopefully this is all I'll need for the current project) this week, so hopefully we can get them built soon and I can unpack a few more boxes. I found some cabinets at Target that are cheap but functional and they are currently in the basement holding games and puzzles, and will hold craft supplies after the last ones get built. I spent a lot of time last weekend cleaning up down there - unpacking boxes and filling the cabinets, organizing a bunch of stuff for charity and such, just general clean-up. The basement kind of becomes a dumping ground sometimes, and I don't want it that way. Eventually (who knows when we'll have the money for it, though), we'd like to put a nice TV down there, move the video games and such down there, etc. - and make it completely a recreation room since my craft supplies and scrapping stuff are already there. We're trying to do little by little, with the cabinets (next stop a media cabinet I think) currently, but there are some other things that will just have to wait until we have the money (TV, scrap countertop, etc.).

It just feels so good to be rid of clutter. I can function better, think better, and heck, even sleep better when I've gotten the clutter out of my bedroom.

TGIF. Enjoy your weekend.

Lots of prayer needs today:

• W - discussing treatment opts and etc w/doctor today
• M - recovering from surgery; may the doctors find what the problem is
• D - loss of father, mother having psych issues
• N - marriage
• C - friendship struggles

Yes, You Do

So the highlight of my day yesterday was getting sound on my blog. :) I'm not especially computer literate and I wouldn't be able to do this blog at all if Blogger didn't make it really easy to lay things out and move them around. I am kind of proud of myself for figuring out where and how to add music, though. You don't mind if I pat myself on the back for that, right? After all, it's for your listening pleasure as well. (And if you don't like the music, you can press the pause button or mute your speakers.)

The second highlight of my day was changing Ro's ringtone to one from Go, Diego, Go! :)

We had two days of gorgeous weather and warm temps - got up to the low 80s. I shaved my legs. Walked to J's school. Thought about planting daffodils. And then, of course, it snowed. It was light snow, and it didn't stick, but, hmmm... it's weird here. The quote of the day yesterday was the weather girl saying, "We have a spring storm coming in to give some relief to this heat..." Heat?!?! Sheesh.

This morning Ro was frustrated with a spreadsheet he was working on and shouted, "I don't want to use this crappy program - it sucks!" Grace didn't even look up from her work on the windowsill with the wipes she swiped but chimed in, "Yes, you do!" She is such a card. She brings us so much joy and laughter. Sure makes me tired, though - just this morning she's been in C's room no less than 4 times and has completely torn up the loft.

The other kids are doing well. J got all his goodies yesterday from the AHA fundraiser. He is about halfway through the third Harry Potter book, which makes me ecstatic. He has been reading books that are novels or novellas for awhile, but that are pretty easy for him. These are a little more challenging and he's loving them. Chris is being re-tested here for gifted and talented education, since the records that came from CA didn't include test scores. We had such a frustrating year last year that I'm not at all concerned about whether she "makes it" or not. (I don't know what the difference is, but J was placed into GT within the first few weeks of school.) Chris is having some issues with a friend at school, but I guess that's one of the biggest challenges about middle school and that age anyway, right? She is still enjoying her cooking club, making Mexican food this week and ice cream next month. I can't believe there's only about 6 weeks left of school!

Birthday season begins for us soon - Mom, Dad, Ro, Josh, Chris, and Grace, not to mention a few friends we have tucked in there as well, and Mother's Day and Father's Day. Then these last few weeks of school are filled with so much as well. Chris has two field trips, and Josh has field day and a carnival and tonight an art show. Busy, busy. Ro is finishing up a Bible study next week at church, too. And me... I just try to keep everyone organized. :)

In the News:

• Bible on the Desk

Am I Buggin' You?

So yesterday was a pretty fun day. We got up and made pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and J's friend K arrived soon thereafter, and then we got ourselves together and headed over to FoCo for the Science Center. I was really impressed with this place, and truly, how many places can you take your kids to where the entertainment (and education) spans from your youngest at under 2 to your oldest at nearly 12? We had a great time there.

Chris, Josh, Ro, and Grace all sampled some gourmet edible larvae. They came in barbecue and zesty cheese flavors:
Check out Chris and Grace working the pulley chair:

After that we lunched at CiCi's Pizza - probably the most reasonable meal we've had in a long time, with great service and decent food. We came home and the boys got to work making their own rubber bugs with J's Easy Bake, er, Creepy Crawler Oven. They made quite a few and you know how I love themed activities. ;)

Ro q'd up some burgers and we played some X-Box, the 4 of us, while Grace entertained herself while squirting us all with the squirt bottle we use on the cat. It was hilarious, actually... a little annoying, but it kept her busy while we played. We laughed and had a wonderful time. And then, after she went to bed, we had Family Movie Night and watched a DVD that was pretty highly recommended to us - The Ultimate Gift. We all liked it quite a bit.

So it's been a quiet sort of spring break, but I really enjoyed the down time. It was so good to just hang out with the kids, and not be running all over the place, and doing the museum and CiCi's on Friday just rounded out a nice break.

This morning we did a little bit of garage saling... one evil ;) woman we ran in to who works at J's school reminded us that school is out for them next month! Yikes! Next month?! Where has the time gone? Seems like they just started at their new schools such a short while ago! We found a desk for Christianne's room at another sale... It isn't what I have in mind for her room for long-term, but it's a good, solid desk with built-in drawers and everything and we got it for $10. It's pretty neat, and I think she's pretty happy with it. We don't do a lot of garage saling but here and there we like it.

So tomorrow is church and we'll probably play games and do some more stuff as a family in the afternoon, and then we get back to our routines - kids back to school and Ro back to work. And me... back to routined chores and all that jazz. :) I've got a cabinet to fill (and hopefully after tomorrow, a final bookcase for G's room), laundry to do, toilets to clean, and I've got a bug up my butt to get some scrapbooking done. We'll see what actually does get done by the end of the week...

Do You Sudoku?

Mom and I got pretty hooked on it when she was here. I've done them before, but not often. But since her visit it's now a daily thing.

Snow today, lots of it. Well not lots by CO standards but definitely lots by CA standards. Maybe half an inch or so...? and it's still coming down. It's not really sticking to the roads or anything so it's not that big of a deal, although I'd hoped to go walking today. Oh well.

We're watching a friend of J's this week. He's a good kid and they play really well together. Even C plays with them sometimes and they do well. In fact, yesterday the 3 of them played together so well that in exploring the basement, they decided it would be fun to climb through the window, up the fire escape ladder and run around the house to ring the doorbell. Yep. Fun.

Been a pretty low-key week here, though. We've pretty much stayed home all week. Ro is putting together some cabinets for the basement (yay, maybe I can unpack some boxes) and has been working on a co-worker's computer. The kids have kept busy. I've been piddling around and reading Harry Potter and working Sudoku. I think tomorrow, since it's Friday (I think tomorrow's Friday) we'll go to the Discovery Science Center in Fort Collins and treat the kids to pizza for lunch. Speaking of which... we've been very disciplined - we haven't eaten out a single time in 8 days now. That may not mean much to you but that's our biggest temptation and probably our least disciplined area in terms of $. We love to eat out. But we've realized lately that it's not only expensive, but the service is often lousy and the food is not often what we'd wanted. So why waste $ on things that only irritate you anyway? So yeah... we're proud of ourselves.

I think we're about over our colds, although as usual, my cough lingers. Grrrr... Everyone seems to be okay. We did Family Movie Night last night and watched The Water Horse. I love that movie. And now... I've got a Sudoku to solve.

Just Can't Seem...

The TV is on here most of the time, I think. Sometimes I remember to turn it off when Grace is napping, sometimes not, but it's usually on. We're not always in front of it, but it's just about always on.

So there's a commercial for Kia that has a catchy little tune that probably plays 5 or 6 times a day... catchy but pretty discouraging!

I just can't seem to get it right today.

I just can't seem to get it right today.

I just can't seem to get it right today.

I guess I'm gonna give up.

The bummer is, of course, that this is the song that plays through my head quite often. :(

'Course there are days like today, when I pull up my blog, and I see that I last posted all about it being Friday... when it was actually Thursday. And so the ditty continues in my brain...

Funny, no one corrected me, either. Hmmm...

Such a beautiful day today, bright and clear and sunny and warm. I took an extra-long walk this morning, just enjoying how still and beautiful it was. I took Chris to the mall... wore my flip-flops and capris... and came home to see that there's a storm warning for tonight. I guess the one thing I'm learning about NoCO weather is that it's pretty random.

Prayer needs:

• W - health concerns, biopsy this week
• Talena - healthy pregnancy

TGIF

How on earth can it be Friday already? Truth be told, I've sat down to blog at least twice this week, but I just haven't felt like there was much to say, and I haven't felt well enough to be motivated. It's Friday, though, and I'm glad for the weekend, and I'd like to think I'm feeling better, so... here I am.

Here's one of the "snakes" Grace is afraid of:

So I'm cruising down the freeway on Wednesday, on the way to take my mom to the airport, when the dome lights come on in the car, and at the same time I can hear wind, as if someone rolled a window down. I look at my control panel (Is that what it's called in cars these days?) and sure enough, it indicates that a door has come open. Which door? Grace's, of course.

Can you believe that? For the first time in my life I had to pull over on the freeway, to get out and close Grace's door! Now before everyone chimes in, yes, there is a childproof lock that I had not enabled, and you will be pleased to know that it is enabled now. I hadn't thought about it since we got this car, and seriously, Chris and Josh never even attempted such a thing. They never messed with the locks, the windows, their seatbelts, and certainly not the door handle! I was pretty darn shocked! As it is, I can't keep Grace's seatbelts on her properly. No matter how tight we make them, she frequently slips them off her arms. (She hasn't yet figured out the button to undo the one around her waist, thank the Lord.)

When we got to the airport, I explained to Grace that "Memaw" was going on an airplane back to California. She didn't really appear to get it, just cheerfully said good-bye and that was that. Then yesterday Grace asked for Memaw. I said, "She isn't here. Where's Memaw?" and she replied, "California." She says California so well, and so clearly - she used to just say Cowl (and moo), but now she says the whole word... although when she's being silly she'll say Calichicken.

I love listening to Grace talk. She's told me for a long time when she needs to be changed by saying, "I'm stinky." Now she often comes to me and says, "My butt hurts." It makes me crack up because she's so matter-of-fact. I think she's about ready to start potty training, although Chris and Josh were both 3 before they were trained. Maybe I'll start working on it next week while the kids are home (easier when you don't have to go out much) and get an idea if she's ready or not.

I was told last week that WalMart (all, not just mine) is not going to be giving out the happy face stickers any longer. I know this is shocking news, and you don't know what you're going to do without them. Neither am I. Chris and Josh used to get them (I really don't know what the attraction is) and as soon as we got home they went on their bedroom doors. THAT was a mistake! Those were the toughest stickers to scrape off when we were prepping the house to go on the market!!! No stickers at this house, except on paper! Live and learn - you think you're being a cool parent until it's time to clean it up - then you realize you're more fool than cool.

Anyway, I digress. Grace *loves* those stickers. From the moment we get out of the car and approach WalMart - any WalMart, mind you - she begins to chant: want happy face want happy face want happy face. We usually get one as we go in and she plays with it all throughout the store - sticking it on her shirt, on mine (mind you my breasts are generally where they land), dropping them on the floor, calling out longingly, "My happy face...!" until I go back and peel it off the floor... it's usually lost all of its stick by the time we get home and ends up in the trash, although one stuck to the garage floor for quite awhile before it disappeared.

I just noticed on my desk that I have a roll of Veggie Tales stickers, all the same, 200 count, of Bob the Tomato with a caption that says "God made you special." I think I should throw them in the car for our trips to WalMart. Hopefully that will get me through 4 or 5 months I think.

Finally, for your reading pleasure, I thought I'd share a couple of interesting articles I've come across this week:

• Student Sues WI School... (FoxNews.com)
• Disposing of the Disabled (ChristianPost.com)

And for my reading pleasure, I think I'll go back to Hogwarts for awhile as Grace watches Dora the Explorer. ;)