The Great Bug Hunter

God and Country Concert

We all attended the God and Country concert in Belton honoring all veterans including Poppie who served in the Army. It is always such a moving program that makes a person so proud to be a citizen of this country.

At grandma's house...

babies do their bathin' in the kitchen sink.

Happiness is...

...(at Granna's house) graduating to the "kids" table instead of in a high chair between mom and dad

Things I know now that I'm two months old...

It's a lot of fun smiling now. When I watch my daddy make those funny faces and sounds, my grins just sneak out. He doesn't know how silly he looks.

When I'm upset, I like it when Mommy picks me up and snuggles me; it makes me feel so much better.

The shots I got this morning really, really hurt me and the doctor was funny looking. Please don't take me back to that place again.

I like when Mommy rocks me and sings softly in my ear. She's not a very good singer, but it still calms me down.

Sutton sometimes takes me upstairs to the playroom to sit with her. It's fun hanging out with the big girls.

Landon likes to pick on me when you guys aren't looking. May be you could watch him a little closer from now on.

Baby vitamins...YUCK!

I really miss Reagan and Keaton when they're gone...I know how much they love me.

To Daddy and Hayden: I know you like to call me "Boo" as a kind of nickname, but you should know that Landon, trying so hard to be like you two, can't pronounce it and calls me "Boob," a name I don't feel is appropriate for him to say or me to hear. (It drives Mommy crazy!)


The end.

Bad day

Today was Peyton's two month check-up. All was well until it was time for her FOUR shots. My time today has been limited to nursing and holding our quite cranky baby. My to-do list is long and my laundry mountain needs to be scaled, but baby girl is hurting so all will have to wait until she goes down for the night...IF she goes down for the night.

Oh no she di'int!

Sweet saleslady: "What a cute baby! How old is she?"

Me: "Oh, thank you. She's almost two months."

Still sweet saleslady: "Well, she's just precious. Do you have others?"

Me: "Actually I do! I have five others."

No longer such a sweet saleslady: "REALLY?! You have five other grandchildren?!

Just call me Granny.

A fishy situation

It looks like the girls are having a great time with Diney and Big Daddy this week.

I sure miss 'em!

They always shoot the messenger

Weather in Dallas forced Jimmy's flight out of L.A. to be cancelled last night. Now the earliest he can get home is tonight.

I got to be the bearer of the bad news and told the boys of Daddy's delay. They both screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" and began reminding me that "you said he'd be home last night" and "you said he'd be here when we woke up!"

I can pretty much reason with Hayden but three year old Landon just doesn't get it. He sees it as me being dishonest...the proverbial bad guy in the situation. I told him Daddy would be here and he's not. They need someone to blame and I'm the closest and easiest target.

I will do my best to keep them occupied today. The one thing I won't do is mention exactly when Daddy is supposed to get home because the weather at DFW is supposed to stay bad tonight and into tomorrow...and I don't need another revolt on my hands.

Back to my refereeing duties...

I miss my girls

Keaton was in Oklahoma for church camp much of last week and now she and Reagan are spending this week with grandparents.

I know they are having fun, but I'm having withdrawals.

See you Saturday girls! I love you!

"How can someone so pretty..."

"...be so stinky?!" Sutton exclaimed about her baby sister as she was riding next to her in the car. (Small enclosed spaces obviously enhance odors. Hehehehehe!)

"She hiccuped, burped, and pooped all at the same time! How is that possible? I can't breathe!" Sutton continued, wrinkling her nose and feigning an asthma-like attack.

We discovered that all of the above had resulted in quite a mess. This particular "explosion" had gone up baby girl's back, up her chest, and down both legs.

If that isn't birth-control for a 17 year old, I don't know what is. (A mom can hope, right?)

God calms

When chaos ensues and overwhelming feelings impede my ability to think clearly, I can nuzzle her head in the crook of my neck and breathe her in. Immediately, my breathing slows and my mind clears, allowing me to reflect not on the turbulence surrounding me, but rather the peace and tranquility this tiny blessing bestows.

The end of the line

Our next (and final!) birthday celebration was yesterday afternoon. Mr. I-Can-Do-Anything-I-Want-'Cause-It's-My-Birthday enjoyed lunch with all of us, Diney and Big Daddy and yet another (and final!) birthday cake.

He asked me last night if he could go ahead and pick out a dinner restaurant since "Saturday was my birthday."

Um, NO!

Gymboree gal

Birthday candids

A little full of himself

We went to lunch today to celebrate Hayden's birthday. When we had all finished our meal, the waitstaff came over to our table to serenade the birthday boy.

Initially he was apprehensive...












then he got tickled...

















And finally, true to form, he decided to direct the serenaders.




Had we left him alone, Mr. Narcissistic would have requested an encore.

Happy 6th Birthday Hayden

The morning you were born I told Daddy that I had never heard a baby cry so loud. Your shrieks filled the delivery room and reverberated down the halls of the hospital. Your ear-piercing wails were deafening and elicited comments from hospital staff and family members alike.

You have demanded attention ever since.

You are fearless. Like your father, every microphone is a natural extension of yourself and every stage is your home. You walk into a room full of people with a resolution beyond your years. I've watched you over and over again when with a group of children, gravitate towards the child with the least confidence, making that child feel special and accepted. You are intelligent and talented, yet more importantly, you are compassionate and loving; characteristics so necessary, yet so rare in the world today.

This week you say you want to be an astronaut and a Ninja when you grow up. Next week you'll probably have different plans. Who knows where all you will go and what all you will accomplish as the possibilities are limitless and the future so bright.

Regardless of what you decide, I am so proud of you, so honored to call you my son, and so thankful to have a front-row seat in your life.

Happy Birthday sweet boy. I love you.

Mom

My little alarm clock

My little clock "rings" at 1:00am, 3:00am, and is ready to begin her day around 5:00am.

(YAWN)

I've checked her head to toe...and can't find a "snooze button" anywhere.

Sometimes my Mommy dresses me...

and sometimes she is busy and I get to dress myself. (But she won't take me places and I don't know why.)

Forgiveness

My biggest sister still loves me...even after I spit up in her face.

It's all in the interpretation

Whole family in the car coming home from Walmart...

Mom to Peyton: "You are such a sweet baby."

Landon (not to be left out): "I a sweet baby too!"

Mom: "You're a baby?"

Landon (proudly): "Yes, I a baby."

Hayden (quite rudely): "You're a whiny baby!"

Mom (scolding): "Hayden Luke!"

Hayden (trying to stay out of trouble): "But I meant that in a good way."

Whole car in unison, "Yeah, right."

One of the many reasons I love him

Him (after his before-church shower): "Honey?"

Me: "Yes."

Him (very sweetly): "Do you think you could get the girls to help you do some laundry today?"

Me: "Sure. Why?"

Him: "Well, I'm out of underwear and have been wearing this same pair for three days now and I probably need to change by tomorrow."

OOPS!

(Isn't he the grossest sweetest man ever?!)

Father's Day candids

Daddy got shirts, shirts, and more shirts for Father's Day. He did get one cool gift you can see here. Plus he got a nap which is worth more than any of those other items.

Our children are truly gifted

Hayden
"But I have too much hair on my body!" Screaming in pain due to cuts on his fingers, elbow, shin, and stomach(?!) after trying to shave with an old razor.

Landon
"I tut it!" Proudly showing off his new bald spot after attempting to cut his own hair with scissors.

Reagan
Giving Dad a sqeezing hug from behind: "Careful or I'll do a 'heinlick remover' on you."

Hayden
Pointing at a cemetery we were driving by..."All the people in there are dead."

Keaton
"I know I'll pass the lice test..." (A required check for all children before heading to camp) "...because I only itched my head three times last night -- I counted."

Reagan
Reagan: "You're being hypocritical."

Dad: Do you even know what that means?"

Reagan: "No, it just sounded like a good word."

Sutton
Sutton: Is it okay if I go play sand volleyball with my friends?"

Mom: "Did you forget you are grounded?"

Sutton: "I didn't forget, just thought I would give it a shot."

Mom: "Not happening."

Sutton: "Figures."

Landon's arsenal

Each time I find Landon beating up on a sibling, I take his weapon of choice away and hide it on top of the fridge so he can't reach it. Invariably, he finds another implement with which to wreak havoc and I end up taking that terroristic tool away as well and, again, placing it atop the fridge.

Tonight as I made dinner, I noticed the top of my refrigerator was quite cluttered so I decided to clean it off. The following is a picture of what I found. Mind you, these were all confiscated in the past few days and doesn't account for all other torture devices he's created such as stuffed animals he hurls at faces or karate chops to the abdomen.

So I reassigned all of the confiscated fridge-top items to the garage making our home temporarily safe from our toddler tormentor...until he remembers that the brooms are still in the laundry room and the yard stick is in the closet. Then watch out.