cow, sheep, nick, joe, kevin

The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo was earlier this month and we try to go every year. The girls love to see the animals - this year we saw lots of cows and sheep in the barns. And, the rodeo is quite exciting. Katie particularly likes the Mutton Bustin', but this time we got to see the Calf Scramble instead. (if you're not familiar with rodeo terms, these two events are the ones that involve kids) Anna, as loud as she can be at home, has developed an extreme dislike of loud places, so she wasn't sure of the situation at first.

Well, as always, the best came last. I'll start at the very beginning... back in December, I was listening to Radio Disney (yes, sometimes when the kids aren't in the car, I foget to change the station). I think it was destiny, because at that very moment, they made the announcement that the Jonas Brothers would be performing at the rodeo. Holy cow! I called Shayne immediately and suggested that tickets to the show would make a great Christmas present. He agreed and went online immediately to make the purchase. SO, Christmas morning there was a small package marked to: Katie and Anna, from: Mom and Dad. Inside was a folded up printout of the ticket confirmation. Katie started reading it aloud to Anna and they both gasped with excitement when they read the part about the rodeo, but as she continued reading, she got to the part about the Jonas Brothers. Katie screamed, Anna screamed, then Bethany screamed (although she didn't know why she was screaming). It was an exciting moment! The next 6 weeks went by quickly enough, then it was time for the show. We left Bethany at home with Nana and headed directly into the craziness. Have you ever been to a tweeny-bopper concert? Our seats were way up there, but nobody complained, and we had the jumbo screens to watch. The zoom on my camera worked o.k. too.


Oh, the things we do for our children. Needless to say, we all had a great time and look forward to future rodeos and rock concerts together!

whistle while you work???

We didn't see the movie Enchanted when it was in the theaters, but I caught a glimpse on the Oscars the other night. Amy Adams performed this song, and the lyrics caught my attention. I can totally relate (to the cleaning part)...

Come my little friends
As we all sing a happy little working song
Merry little voices clear and strong
Come and roll your sleeves up
So that we can pitch in
Cleaning crud up in the kitchen
As we sing along

And you’ll trill a cheery tune in the tub
As we scrub a stubborn mildew stain
Lug a hairball from the shower drain
To the gay refrain
Of a happy working song

We’ll keep singing without fail
Otherwise we’d spoil it
Hosing down the garbage pail
And scrubbing up the toilet
Ooh!

How we all enjoy letting loose with a little
La-da-da-dum-dum
While we’re emptying the vacu-um
It’s such fun to hum
A happy working song
Oo-ooh
A happy working song

Oh, how strange a place to be
Till Edward comes for me
My heart is sighing
Still, as long as I am here
I guess a new experience
Could be worth trying
Hey! Keep drying!

You could do a lot when you got
Such a happy little tune to hum
While you’re sponging up the soapy scum
We adore each filthy chore
That we determine
So friends even though you’re vermin
We’re a happy working song

Singing as we fetch the detergent box
Or the smelly shirts and the stinky socks
Sing along
If you cannot sing then hum along
As we’re finishing our happy working song!

Ah…wasn’t this fun?

watch the video: Happy Working Song

As much as I'd like to have help around the house, I certainly DO NOT want that kind of help. The exterminator did trap a huge rat in our attic last month... maybe I SHOULD have put him to work!

haircuts

Bethany had her first real haircut a few days before her birthday. (I previously had trimmed her bangs a few times.) She was born with a head of hair, and it has continued to grow - straight and fast. The longest layer was halfway down her back, but there were lots of layers of baby hair still filling in. I just had them take a little off the back to even it up, and clean up the mess I made in the front.



Bethany enjoyed sitting in the fire truck (that's one of her new favorite things), and she only got a little irritated when she couldn't see the t.v.


The week before, Shayne came home with a new cut. In our 12+ years together, I had never seen it so short!

Here they both are with their new doos...

309 days to go

Cookie sales are OVER for 2008!!! Katie sold over 350 boxes (84 of which were donations for the soldiers) and participated in booth sales at Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. She's very excited about the trip to Space Camp she earned for all her hard work.

Looking forward to next year... Anna will be selling too!

boys

what we have to look forward to... riding in cars with boys... (this was a posed picture - I don't think she would have "leaned in" voluntarily)

...but it prompts the thought, in a house full of girls, what's to come... Anna talks about being a rock star and moving to Africa with her boyfriend - her idea of a boyfriend is what she's learned from the Barbie Diaries (cute movie)... Katie has had a little crush or two, but also has some nice friend-boys - we've tried to emphasize the importance of friendships, and the other stuff will come later - MUCH later... Bethany - she just might bite, watch out!

brown?

I saw this on The Truest Thing and was curious (as brown would be). Is it ironic that my blog is brown?

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

What color are you?

growing up

Bethany had her 2 year old checkup last week. She weighed 24 lbs. and measured 34 in. tall. She had to get one shot and all she said (in a sad little voice) was "ow". No tears, just ow. When the nurse was leaving the room, she said to us "have a nice day", to which Bethany responded (in a sad little voice), "thank you".

Potty training is going well. Only one small accident today. Most of the time, I just take her to the potty, but several times today she said "potty" to me. Of course, the mini-m&ms and stickers help too. We're very proud of her.

AND, she graduated from her crib to the big girl bed last week. She's having a little trouble settling in at night, but she sleeps solid once she's out. This morning she slept until 7:30. When she wakes up, she comes to the door and knocks lightly until someone opens it. As you can tell, the pacifier is still in the picture. Thanks to Ms Charity for the cozy fleecy blanket - the colors are perfect!


I've been asked many times if I'm sad that my baby's growing up. I don't really feel like it's the end of something. I'm so happy to watch my girls develop and grow. My challenge is trying to provide the same opportunities for Anna that I did for Katie, and the same for Bethany that I did for Anna. So far, I think I'm doing alright. I'm glad I have THIS outlet to track our memories!

p.s. if you know anyone who needs a crib, let me know!

mish mash

Here's a bunch of random stuff I wanted to share and didn't want to do a separate post for each...

2/6 Talent Show Auditions - Katie tried out for her school's 1st annual talent show. They did the auditions by grade and said they would choose the top 20. More than half the 3rd grade tried out - that's 100+ kids! She read her own version of the Shel Silverstein poem "For Sale". (She also did this at our church family retreat last summer). We were doubtful that she made the cut due to the large number of auditioners, so we were very excited when we found out she was in!

2/7 MOMS Club Meeting - the San Antonio Public Library's Little Read Wagon came to visit and share literacy information with us. I have a passion for children's books, so I love these opportunities. The best part - we get free books! My favorite this time was Please, Baby, Please. The pictures are adorable and we can definitely relate to the story line.

2/7 "P" day at preschool - They focus on a new letter each week, but this one came with great anticipation. Anna wore her pajamas and took her pillow and ate popcorn for snack. Here's the bad news - I didn't get a picture. (bad mommy, bad mommy)

2/8 Movie Night - woo-hoo! I don't remember the last time I've been to a grown-up movie. I think I'm averaging about one per year. My mom and I saw Fool's Gold. It was entertaining, but not quite what we were expecting. A little less like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, a little more like Indiana Jones. Wonder what I'll get to see next year...

Happy 2nd!

I guess the most significant event of the past 2 weeks was Bethany's birthday. My baby's not a baby anymore! She was really excited about opening her presents. We had a hard time deciding what to get her because, being the 3rd girl, we kind of already have all the standard stuff. My favorite gift was the Wee Sing Together movie. We're big fans of the series and they finally have them on DVD! We celebrated her big day at Chuck E. Cheese with a few friends and family. Bethany has a thing for the big mouse. We practically had the place to ourselves. Lots of fun, food, and games. (Wait, that sounds like a commercial.) Katie and Anna previously celebrated their 2nd b-days at CEC as well - a tradition, I guess. The funniest thing - when it came time for the cake, we were halfway through the song when I set it down in front of her... she decided she didn't need to wait until we were done - the candles were out in one blow. Needless to say, we missed the photo op! Oh well, plenty of others... I asked my mom to snap some photos while I was scurrying around. When I downloaded them at home, there were 120!!! I won't post them all, just a few favs.
Oh, and one short video clip of Bethany dancing (unless you want to see the one of Shayne dancing.)

I'm ba-ack

Other than a little allergy gunk, everyone is doing well. The "other 2" never got "it". I've spent sometime reading up on all I've missed on my favorite blogs, and now I'm ready to update my own. This may take some time... baby steps... I'll get caught up... I think I can, I think I can!

4th down & 2 to go

Ugh! It struck again last night. Now the girls and I have all had it. I'm going to buy more Lysol and hope that Shayne and Nana don't get it!

I promise - I really do have lots of fun things to share...

sick day

Well, I thought I'd get some blogging done today, but we've had our 3rd family member down with a stomach bug in less than a week. It seems to pass quick, and I used extra Lysol this time, so hopefully no one else in the house will suffer. Maybe I'll post more tomorrow...

btw, Happy Valentine's Day!

stay tuned...

we've had a busy 2 weeks... I have lots to share, I just haven't had time to post!

cookie update

Katie exceeded her goal and still has orders coming in! We now have the fun job of sorting, delivering, and collecting payments! We're picking up our cases tomorrow and will hopefully start delivering by mid-week. We also have booth sales at Wal-Mart and Blockbuster the next few weekends.

I'll catch my breath in March!

potty prep

We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel... the tunnel of diapers, that is. Bethany is SO ready to start training, I just need to make sure that WE (the mom and dad) are ready. Her birthday is in 10 days, and 24 months is about when I started working with both her big sisters. I've marked a week off my calendar to give her my undivided attention. I need to buy some M&M's and little foil star stickers. We've been watching potty movies and reading potty books, and I even showed her the pink training pants yesterday - her eyes lit up and she had a huge smile on her face! I think (and hope) that things will go smoothly!

old favorites:
Once Upon a Potty
Potty Time With Bear

new favorites:
Elmo's Potty Time
No More Diapers for Ducky

and of course... the pink panties!
Gerber Training Pants