From 6 to 16 in about a minute

We took Abby to the mall tonight to (gulp) get her ears pierced.  Let's just say she did much better than I did when I got mine done.  Ask my family.  They'll gladly tell you, and they'll be sure to embellish the good parts, too. 

Since the tee-ball game got canceled for tonight, Abby asked if we could take her to the mall..."to get my ears pierced, and then to play on the playground, and then to look at things we could buy."  Hmmm.  Well, we can at least do #1... So we go to the legendary Claire's Boutique.  Thank goodness they're still in our sad little Galleria, because I have no idea where else to take one wanting to get one's ears pierced.  The girl working was sooooo super nice, thank goodness!  I think she really helped Abby feel at ease, because she was pretty nervous on the way there. 

Abs chose a pair of Hello Kitty earrings.  SO cute!  Back in my day, we had the ol' 12 birthstones to choose from.  And while I'm on the subject, back in MY day, it cost $6.00 to get your ears done.  $6.00.  Before leaving the house tonight, I fished $20 out of my other purse (you know, my other purse), thinking that it would cover the earrings, and there'd be enough left for Auntie Anne's afterward.  HA, uh, yeah right.  I just about had a heart attack in the store when we turned the thing over and saw that the earrings were $29.50.  I kid you not!  And that was one of the less expensive options!   So.  Times have changed, and apparently I need to get out of the early 80's.  Maybe if I get brave, I can even venture out of the whole 1900's. 

Abby, looking a little nervous

holding back a tear or two.  She was such a big girl!

cool bag!  Maybe that explains the $29.50.

be still my heart.  She looks so GROWN UP!  

And let me tell you, she is psyched to go to school tomorrow and show all her friends! 

Maybe I can start getting out of the 80's by not using words like "psyched" anymore.

Random stuff

Catching title!  I know that just makes you want to READ ON! 

Tee ball has started, school is winding down (hooray), the weather is lovely (except for today; we have a river flowing down our street).  Ian will graduate in a MONTH - like, from high school!  Unbelievable.  I started dating his dad when he was 7 YEARS OLD.  Now he's enrolled in college.  More on that later. 

Well now that it's MAY, maybe you'd like to see a pic from Easter.  Remember Easter?  

That's the kids' new favorite thing to do at church - go to this little spot and play until Daddy brings the car around.

Here are a few more random pics of late...

1. Nolan, tired. 
2. Abby, pensive.  This is so "her." (not posed at all - she just does this)
3. The kids posing for me
4. Sorry, had to sneak this one in.  It's just so thrilling to 1.see myself in a picture and 2. have it be somewhat flattering.  I'm wearing makeup here - that's pretty awesome.  This is on our wine & cheese train ride a few weeks ago.  Fun!  Except that I was way overdressed, and I hate being overdressed.  The lady at the ticket place looked me up & down and said, "well you're all spiffed up." - but not in, like, a complimentary way.   I do not like being spiffy if no one else is being spiffy.  But I do love the word "spiffy."  And let me tell you something else about this train ride, after several glasses of wine and very little food...well I think the movie we saw afterward was extra hilarious to me, if you know what I mean.  Now I've said too much.

Things I've been doing lately, in no particular order:

1. Being hooked on The Pioneer Woman's blog.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  This woman is awesome.  I totally love her!  I was poking around online looking for some new recipes, dinner ideas, etc.  Somehow that led to my finding her blog and spending a ridiculous number of hours (yes, hours...not all in one sitting though, OK?) reading her story of how she met her husband.  I have never read such a romantic love story in all. my. life.  Seriously.  You have to read this. 

2. Reading  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  (I know that's supposed to be underlined but I don't know how to do that!)  I'm actually venturing into something a little new...a college friend (from Furman!) got in touch with me (gotta love Facebook) and asked if I'd want to contribute to the website he works for, as in, do I want to write some book reviews?  Uh............sure!  :)  This is new for me, I've never written a book review.  Only book reports, like in middle school, when I'd basically skim the book the day or two before the assignment was due, then summarize the back cover or inside flap and call it a report.  I don't think that's going to fly this time.  So I've actually been reading the book.  Well, procrastinating on reading the book.  Little did I realize that once I agreed to do this, I'd be thrown back into high school, with that same feeling of "oh, man.  I have to do this assignment."  Or like those dreaded summer reading lists that I always used to put off until the last two weeks of August.  (Not that I'm complaining; I really do want to do this!)  It's just funny how it has that distinct "homework" feeling to it.  Well anyway, I devoted this past weekend to getting down to business and READING the book, which, once I got started, went quickly, and now I'm looking forward to the writing part.  I think that will be the easy part; we shall see.

3. Contemplating life.  Seriously.  Ooops, that's the second time I've used the word "seriously."  I don't know what's going on with me, but I have been seriously deep in thought lately.  Distracted during the day, lying awake with my mind racing in the wee hours.  I guess that's all I'll say because...there could be strangers reading this blog!   Or worse, people I know!

4. Various and sundry mom-related activities - my favorite kind!  This week, when/if the rain lets up, we'll be going out to do our second annual Easter egg tree.  That was great fun last year and it reminds me of Mam-Mam.  Abby & Nolan will both be playing tee ball this year - fun!   A little nervous about how Nolan will do with this 4-year-old attention span, but it's tee ball for Pete's sake. 

Let me see if I can rustle up some pics...

 Abby figured out how to cross her eyes...

Nolan, not so much.

OK, now I remember how I got my (self-appointed) title of Mother of the Year.  This is just pathetic!  These are all the pics I have to offer?   I promise to get my camera out and do better next time around.

But, in my own defense, it has been late winter/early spring in western PA.  I'll paint a little word picture for those who have never experienced such a time in such a place: dreary...cold...cabin fever...we're all driving each other nuts...we've done all the creative indoor activities that we can think of all winter long, and now Mommy is just fresh out of any more ideas, and soooooo looking forward to summer it's not even funny....OK.  Can I be off the hook now?  A little?  ;)

Well, in order to not end on a whiny, complain-y note...let me do a little bragging on my kids...consider this your "spoiler alert" - if you don't want to hear me get all obnoxious about my wonderful, super-smart, super-awesome, funny, adorable, intelligent kids, then stop reading now.  You've been warned.  I'm serious, it gets bad.

Our dear little Abby, her kindergarten teacher informed me, is reading and writing on a second grade level.  Yep!   I was only a little surprised at that.  You should see the things she does around the house.  She writes messages to all of us, she makes herself little "to-do" lists before she goes to bed each night - for the next day.  In her dresser drawer, I found a detailed plan for an April Fool's joke she's planning to play on me.  She just finished reading her first "chapter book" - 100% by herself.   The girl is freakin' smart!

And then there's her brother, who at 4 years old, can count by ones, twos, fives, and tens...to well beyond 100.  Trust me, I've been privileged to hear it, number by painstaking number, MANY times.  Oh, so many times.  We figured out one day that the little thermometer in our car can be switched back and forth from Fahrenheit to Celsius.  Our little Nolan kept asking me to "push the button" - F to C, C to F.  OK, Nolan...let's give the button-pushing a rest?  So one random day, the temp was on Celsius, and from the backseat, I heard Nolan tell me what the temp was in "F."  Fahrenheit.  I was like, whaaa?  I pushed the button, and sure enough.  The kid is freakin' smart.  Oh, AND he can also read large parts of books - especially Dr. Seuss books - pretty much by himself.  AND he's starting to write.  Did I mention he's 4 years old?  (Hey, I told you it was going to be obnoxious...)

So that's that.  For now.  I have to get myself and the little guy dressed & ready to go play with a friend this morning...then who knows what.  I have a list of "nagging tasks" to do that's a mile long, maybe I'll try to knock out some of those today.  It's cold & rainy (shocker!) so it's a good day to do it!

The new 'do

I love new haircuts. :) 

A hot mess

Mother of the Year, indeed.  If ONLY I had the presence of mind to get a pic!  I can add another thing to the ever-growing list of things I swore I'd never do as a parent (you know, back when I was a perfect mom - before I had any kids).  

Abby's get-up she went to school in this morning consisted of: a pajama shirt covered by a zip-up hoodie sweatshirt, jeans that she got as a gift - they are huge in the waist and short in the legs, with little embroidered things all over - I hid them, but apparently she found them today.  Cinched tight with a belt, no less, creating a balloon effect at the top.  Novelty green & purple ankle socks, and boots that remind me of Napoleon Dynamite's moon boots.  But at least they cover up the socks and flood pants.  Oh, and a turquoise wooden beaded bracelet - the finishing touch. 

My alarm went off at 6:30...after I dragged myself out of bed, I came downstairs to find that she was already dressed.  Like a designer on Runway, she stood by her outfit.  She was SO proud of it.  Maybe on another day I would have been more insistent, but today I just didn't have the heart to tell her to change.

Letting my child put together her own outfits and wear them out of the house...check.

That got me thinking...what else is there?  What else do I do that I swore I'd never do?  Dare I go there?  Deep breath...

- Owning a video game console...check
- Letting my kids watch TV, even obnoxious shows like (gulp) Spongebob...sigh, check*
- Cereal for dinner on nights that I just can't muster up the energy...check
- "Because I'm your Mommy and I said so"...check, and proud of it
- Licking my thumb and wiping sticky stuff off of faces...check (sorry, kids)
- Not using spanking as a disciplinary measure...check
- Finger-combing hair when I've realized that we forgot to brush it before leaving the house...check

*the dreaded Spongebob show is by far the most objectionable show they watch.  By far.  Nevertheless, they love it.  And what's more, I have to admit...it's pretty funny.  It does get turned off when it gets too obnoxious.  I really have no idea how it all started, letting them watch that show.  You wanna criticize?  Go ahead, I'm sure I deserve it. 

The list could probably go on, but those are the things that used to make me say, "What kind of parent...?"  I guess I know now.  ;) 

Eh.

Not much going on.  We're snowed in...school is already canceled for tomorrow again...Mario Karts marathon today...I'm sure a better blogger could come up with some interesting and witty commentary about the last few days, but it's 11:09 pm and I'm not really up for it!  Enjoy some pics! :)

 

SNOW!  I wish I'd had my camera when we took the kids out to play on Saturday (the "first" blizzard)...they were in total awe.  The snow came up to their bellies!  Nolan wasn't so crazy about it; he kept saying it was "too steep."

 

Abby's encouragement to the cats when they were trying to learn (or rather, when I was trying to teach) how to use the potty.  It didn't work; we're back to the ol' litter box.  You can't blame me for trying!

 

(The Magna Doodle plays a big role in our house)...here we have Nolan's own writing!  I found this in his bed a few days ago.  So proud!!!  My little guy is learning to write!  It says "Nolan's bed"...didn't know if that was one of those things only a mommy could figure out, like when little kids talk and no one else can understand them except for their moms...uh, anyway.  Today he wrote his name on all his class' valentines.  It was really sweet. Very proud. 

 

Tumbling class at the Y.  I'm not just being a crazed mother trying to live out her unfulfilled dream (think "Mary Lou Retton") through her daughter, but...I really think that Abby has some natural ability, and  I would really love to send her to gymnastics - like "real" gymnastics.  Now if we could only win the lottery so we can send her to a session or two...ack!  It's so expensive.  But where there's a will, there's a way. 

 

One of Ian's basketball games 

The Tooth Fairy Cometh

 

My girl lost her first tooth!  

It happened at school.  She immediately came home and put it in her tooth fairy pillow - actually, she offered for Nolan to put it in the pillow, which was really sweet.  This was VERY handy last night.  The tooth fairy didn't have to dig around under the pillow of a sleeping child, looking for a very tiny tooth. 

The tooth fairy put a dollar in the pillow's pocket, and put the tooth in my jewelry box.  :)