Summer Vacay...Episode One

summer has been great. it has been especially nice to have w home with us. he certainly bit off more than he could chew this year...so i have enjoyed seeing him relax. this school year i will have to play the part of naggy, whiny wife and remind him not to take on so much. i play this part well.

we have been staying busy...good busy. seeing the sites and getting things done around the casa. all in typical daniel fashion, of course.

for example:

we went to the botanical gardens last week. m has developed the habit of not going to the bathroom when she wakes up. we beg, plead, sit her on the potty, promise her treats...she refuses. it was no different the morning we ventured out to the gardens. we arrive only to

discover that we had left both strollers at home. we ALWAYS have a stroller on hand...not sure

what we were thinking...anyhoot. ej had a hat so we decided to take a quick stroll and stay in the shade so that he wouldn't get too much sun. so...off we go...long story short...we were there about 30 minutes (still trying to get m to go to

the bathroom mind you..."you need to go potty?" "no thank you" "here's a restroom...let's go potty" "no" "let's sit down on the potty anyway"

"NOOOOOO" (screams...bangs head)) we arrive at the pond when suddenly peels of blood curdling screams break the morning stillness... then i hear "sprinkle, sprinkle"...and...there she is...peeing under a cypress tree...sigh...

in other news...

bennett has lost his top two teeth. he looks super cute and lisps. he could talk the hind leg off a mule. by 8 am i am asking him "have you met your word quota yet?"... to which he usually responds "what's a quota?" or "did you know that on super mario brothers that in world 8 i can defeat the mini bowser and you should always use the koopah shells to....blah blah...". he and his dad are reading "the magician's nephew". they're almost done. he went to t bar m day camp a couple of weeks ago. he had a great time swimming, playing, and learning more about how to be a MAC (Man After Christ). he talks alot about being a christian (mind you...this talk

does not count against his quota) and we've been talking to him alot about accepting Christ as his Savior. i believe he is ready...we hope to hear that he has made this decision soon...he is such a sweet boy!

well meredith. her recent activities include, but are not limited to...pillow diving (she piles all the couch cushions in the middle of the den), hitting her head on walls, floors or other's folk's heads in fits of rage, swinging in the backyard while wearing a pink tu-tu and mardi gras beads, and wrapping her daddy around her little finger.

ej has a little tooth poking out on the bottom. he is super cute and super pleasant. he is rolling over in both directions although i do not have visual confirmation on the tummy to back roll. he is eating a variety of foods now. i'm holding off on most fruits (he eats applesauce for bfast) in an attempt to develop his taste buddies for veggies. we'll see if it works...

me? well...i think i'm like a duck...calm on top but paddling furiously underneath...i shall go make breakfast methinks...

more later...but first...a summary...

1. summer vacay progressing as planned

2. bacon and waffles says i

3. paddle paddle paddle...

OHMeredith

The Games of the First Momlympiad

i can accomplish many, many things with only one hand. the other hand is now holding a baby. i was wondering how many moms have noticed what they're able to do one handed?

i shall heretofore create the Momlympics. the first event of the first momlympiad will be one-handed stuff. perhaps the one-handed relay, the one-handed slalom? i haven't thought of what i'll term the new game...that'll come later, tater.

so...here's what will qualify you for a medal in the one-handed event...feel free to add a task to the appropriate medal (limit it to stuff you've actually done)...altho...i maintain my right as creator of the momlympiad to edit your addition...

All events to be performed while holding a screaming, hungry, sleepy, and/or wet baby (oh...and the "child" to which I refer is not the child in your arms...it's one of your other chilluns):

Bronze Medal

giving another child a bath

pouring a cup of milk

wiping the counters

emptying the dishwasher

swiffering

Silver Medal

making a sandwich

kneading dough

folding laundry

changing a poopy pullup w/o spillage

Gold Medal

buttoning a child's shirt

making a bed

dressing yourself

putting on a child's socks

more later...that's all i could think of for now.

to sum:

1. should the momlympiad be a summer or winter game? perhaps neither...how about spring?

2. instead of medals, i think i'll hand out spa treatments and massages

3. 5...5 total hours slept in the last 24...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chester is Here!

Edward Joseph Daniel

January 17, 2011 10:49 AM

8 pounds 1 ounce

20 1/2 inches long

William has decided that his name is Eddie Joe. Stephanie has not decided what his name is. Bennett calls him EJ and Meredith refers to him as the "new baby". Grandma Pam has decided that his name will remain Chester.

In summary:

1. Yes, we have a name.

2. No, we don't have a name.

3. I have three chilluns. THREE!!! Whoot!

Law of Somethingoranother

here's what i've noticed...

my floors stay pretty clean (considering the toddlerage wandering around my casa)...UNTIL i sweep and mop the floors. suddenly, juice goes flying. have you noticed how it's never water that gets spilled? it's always a beverage with 3 cups of sugar in it. OR i drop something...like a whisk i used to whip up a lucious pan sauce. the coils boy-yoing-yoing all over spewing the saucy goodness on counters, cabinets, and floors alike.

life lesson? everything can and does spill just after a thorough cleaning

also...there is never a tub pooping incident until the day i clean the tub. that day was today. m has been doing an excellent job with potty training. she's even 2ing. she 2ed this afternoon...by herself no less! just as i was gloating about my potty training skills... i left the room for approximately 2 minutes only to return to a tub full of poop, bathtoys, washcloths and a meredith. so much for that cleaning. after fishing out the poop and the meredith, i filled the tub with nasa-hot water and bleach.

life lesson? pride cometh before the fall.

and, of course, a summary:

1. i should stop serving anything but water after cleaning the floors

2. i should go out to eat after cleaning the floors

3. i should ax william to bathe the potty trainee

Steph's Rules for FB

Rule #1 Please learn the diff between your and you're

Rule #2 If it's supposed to be a secret, don't post it on your status report

Rule #3 If you cuss on your status reports or posts more than a couple of times, I'll hide you...or delete you...that would make you sad

Rule #4 If your trying to tell someone off just give them a call. Don't make me suffer through your tirade

Rule #5 If you caught what I did in Rule #4 then I'll give you a high five

Rule #6 Please respect my FB minimalism...I don't farm, play Farkle, or collect treasure...I do love Jesus...but do not have to click "like" to prove it...

Rule #7 Please do not use pictures of body parts or tattoos as your profile pic...especially if I only vaguely remember you from high school or if your tats are ugly

Rule #8 Please don't write a novel in your status report. You'll know if it's too long if you have to use the "see more" option. I prefer Reader's Digest to War and Peace

Rule #9 Two, To, Too...See Rule #1

Rule #10 Their, There, They're...courtesy AHK

33 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

so...i turned 33 on monday. when i was younger, birthdays were a big deal. not so much anymore. they're just another ordinary day. i don't feel 33. i still feel 23! i guess that's good...

we've had a busy couple of weeks and it's not going to let up soon. we had a great easter. the in-laws and w's came over for dinner and egg hunting. fun was had by all.

b update: i had a conference with b's teacher yesterday. we're both so proud of him. he has really matured in the last several months. she says when he first started pre-k, he played by himself. now he interacts with the other kids. she said that he can be loud and squirmy but considering how he was earlier...loud and squirmy is a great improvement! he is really enjoying tee ball. last year he really held onto our pant's leg...now he runs right out to join the other players. he's doing a much better job of being "baseball ready"...no more building dirt towers or picking flowers! we're working with him on his batting and running. his catching is really going well. he is such a pleasant person to be around. i am excited to see him growing up. excited and sad! we're about 80% firm on our decision to send him to rg for kinder. i'm having a hard time relinquishing several things - him! and the control i have had over his education. need i remind you, dear readers, that he is one smart cookie...thank you very much. but i know that public school (at least for the first couple of years) will be more about social development than educational development. i look forward to seeing him excited about going to school.

m update: well, well, well. what can i say about m? she and i have our sweet moments...where she's cuddling, laughing...but...we also have our "i'm gonna scratch your eyes out if you don't give me what i want" moments. who knew that having a girl would be so difficult? she's very outgoing. afraid of nothing...especially throwing huge tantrums in public. last nite we went to dq for a blizzard...when it was time to go she threw a horrible fit! screaming, throwing herself onto the greasy floor...the whole nine yards! totally unashamed that chica. maria says that her espanol is coming along nicely. she is begining to sing the alphabet song and twinkle, twinkle. i hope to catch it on camera soon.

w update: contest is over! his symphonic band made 122 and 121...the honor band made 121, 111...yay! the rest of the school year is downhill. he played golf with his dad yesterday. he came home and told me about every single hole/stroke. i was riveted indeed.

well...lots of other things are going on. most i cannot blab about...b/c after all...one can never be totally honest on a blog, right? no one decent, anyway...

in summary:

1. 33...ho-hum.

2. contest is over...whew!

3. if you don't have anything nice to say, don't post a blog