Shaking the House Down!

Fourth grade was first year we moved that I remember actually being effected by it socially. From 1st through half of 4th grade we had been living at my grandma's house, not far from my school. I had so many wonderful teachers at the school, and great friends from my years there, I don't know that I was 'popular' but I was comfortable for certain. Then we moved as my mom and stepfather tried to reconcile, he even bought me a puppy at Christmas and my little sister a nice CD player, which I always suspected as a way to get back on my mom's good side. And apparently it worked, as we moved closer to their job, a computer type of business (think Kinko's)about half an hour away.
My sister and I began attending a school we had passed many time in the past and always thought looked old fashioned and run down compared to the nice, new and clean facility our prior elementary school had been. I don't think it was a bad part of town, but the school hadn't been updated in a long time, evident by one example- they still used the card system in the library instead of computers. Our old school had taught us how to use it, but only as a formality because we rarely ever had too.
Growing up at my grandma's house, I remember always being jealous of the kids who lived so close to school they could walk. We were close enough, but not quite that close. My feelings towards that all changed when we had moved just up the road from this new old school, and now I actually did have no other choice but to walk. It was also the first time I had to worry about carrying a house key with me since my grandma didn't initially live with us, so we came home to a big empty house most days.
It was another big blue house, one of the biggest and nicest I remember living in, with a huge fenced in back yard and a basketball court too. I remember being excited about it, but then rarely going out to play. I was definitely an indoors kind of girl.
As for school, I was in a split class. I was in the older group of 4th graders which was just a handful of kids compared to the 3rd graders in our class. I don't know if its just a part of the 'oldest sibling' syndrome, but I was very upset at the fact that I was better friends with the younger 'little' kids then those my own age. Apparently at this school, by 4th grade most students had already learned about the 'birds and the bees' but I hadn't yet. I was considered very naive by my 4th grade classmates, and I always felt so small in that class. Thankfully it was the one and only split class I was ever in, but it began a pattern of a lack of self confidence in myself which continued and contributed to the rest of my school years.
At home, it didn't take very long for my mom to decide that her marriage was beyond reconciliation. I barely remember my stepfather being around when we lived in that house. One night, I think it was somewhat stormy outside, so my mom decided we would all sleep on the pullout sofa in the living room for fun. I don't remember if it was just me and my sister Carolyn or if the 2 youngest of my siblings were there too, but we waited on the couch as my mom ran upstairs to get some linens. Then there was an earthquake. Not surprising for the area, and to a kid it was great fun! And from upstairs my mom yelled down to us- "Hey girls, stop rough housing, you're shaking the whole house!" And we were just sitting on the couch laughing at our little secret because we knew it had been an earthquake and she didn't! We told her when she came back down, but I remember wondering how she could possibly have thought it was us since everyone knows you can't shake the house from the downstairs, just the upstairs!!
Well at the end of the school year, since my mom could no longer afford to for us to live in such a big house, it was time for another move. This time to some apartments in a different part of the city, where we would go to a brand new school, and I couldn't be happier!

This is the 6th post in a series of 12 I am doing to record my youth for my children and grandchildren to read someday at

What Kind of Man are You?

At some point in this past week, I was loving on Zachary and called him, "My little man!" And Natalie elaborates my statement with, "A cute, fluffy, little man!"
Needless to say, daddy wasn't a huge fan of Natalie's choice in adjectives for his son!

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Though I didn't catch much of what was said, in a case of what I am sure was being overtired after a later then usual night at church, Natalie began to chatter to herself...and kept going and going and going. She sat on the potty talking away, then moved onto her bedroom, and held a steady stream of one-sided conversation with whoever was listening, and didn't go silent until the lights were out! If I hadn't known any better, I would've thought her daddy had given her a cup of coffee with the buzz of energy she was running off of!

This post is linked to

WFMW: Journaling for Our Children

It is so nice to know the things I try to teach Natalie do get through sometimes, at least the most important things.

As we were leaving for church one night last week, I looked up at the sky in which the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sight, pink and orange stripes ran across the sky from the horizon. I said, "Look at the pretty sky, Natalie!" and then she looked up and exclaimed, "Jesus painted the sky!"

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A few weeks ago Natalie had her blood pressure taken for the first time at the doctor's office. She did not like it, and now asks if she has to do that everytime we go to the doctor's....

Well as we went out to the car on our way to church a different night last week, I was holding Natalie's hand in the parking lot of our building. I gave her hand a little squeeze, and in a silly but curious way she asks, "Mommy, are you taking my hand pressure?"

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While I love sharing these funny and cute moments with everyone out in the bloggy world, I have decided to start a journal for each of my children- though Zachary isn't talking quite yet. I will record all the funny things they say and do, so not only I can look back on them when I need a laugh, but also so they can have a treasured keepsake someday to share with their own kids as they too discover the joys of parenting a child who speaks their mind- however silly or goofy the thoughts may be!! I already bought the cutest little journal for Natalie's cute words!

This works for us! How do you record these treasures for your own children?

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And if you are a sentimental sap like me and love that idea- you just may love recording your youth with Janna over at Mommy's Piggy Tales beginning October 7th! It will be a 12 week session (though you may write as often or not as you choose), and each week we will be sharing memories from a different age inour lives! Just think about having your story written out to share with your children and children's children!! What a great way to leave a legacy!! Check out one of my posts from the last session.

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family and
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Rings Aren't Tasty!

Natalie and I played a game of Pretty, Pretty Princess before lunch yesterday. We went around the board slowly collecting a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, a tiara and a ring. Natalie won the game by being the first one to be wearing each piece of jewelry all at once. Then after being declared the winner, she took the tiara off, and said, "Your turn to be the princess, Mommy!" And handed it to me. What a sweet little girl I have!!

(This picture is actually from last Christmas when she got this game as a gift. We forced Daddy to play it with us, and he actually won!)

But I was still missing the ring, so I slipped the large fake jewel on my finger and showed it off to her. Pretending to admire it, I teasingly said, "Oh, your Daddy has great taste!" Of course I did not expect my 4 year old to find the humor in that, but I got a smile out of it myself. But then Natalie pipes in with, "Rings aren't for eating silly!!" Then I got a really good laugh out of it! And she was right, rings are not for eating, and in all honestly, probably taste horrible.

This post is linked to

Six Word Saturday

CLEANING, COOKING, AND CONFUSION FOR DESSERT!

What a day! All week I have been working towards a little 'fall' cleaning. Maybe I shouldn't even call it that, since most people probably regularly mop their floors, but I don't. I just sweep and spot wash. But not this week! I have been dusting, mopping, tidying, and laundering everything I could think of!! Today was my big day of it because not only was my husband home to deal with the kids, but we had guests coming over for dinner...or so I thought!
I had talked with a friend of mine on Wednesday, but she needed to talk with her husband before confirming anything for the weekend. We have been trying to do dinner since around late June!! Something always comes up, something at church, or Jon's work, or just the craziness of life with toddlers! But she messaged me on Facebook Thursday evening to confirm, and I replied...I did reply, I swear it, I remember distinctly what I wrote and hitting reply, and feeling confident we were set, nothing was going to come up this time!!! Well Saturday is here, I made a cheesecake last night, and I made my meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs, YUM! 10 minutes to the time we had discussed Wednesday, I begin looking for my phone just in case they forgot which unit we were in. I find it in the depths of my purse...OFF. Uh-oh! I quickly plug it in and turn it on to find a message from my friend asking if we were on left at lunchtime!! I called her but didn't get through. I checked Facebook to discover my reply was not on the message she had sent me as it usually shows up! Luckily they hadn't made dinner yet or other plans and we did reach them, but what a crazy evening!! I don't know what I would've done if they hadn't come...I have a LOT of meatballs cooking for just us, even with leftovers!!
It was a great time of fellowship though as we ate dinner and watched the kids play. Well worth any 'drama' or confusion that may have come up if you ask me.

This is linked to

Gravy Fingers

I have a double treat this week, since in one night both my husband and daughter had me in fits of laughter!

After church Sunday evening, we stopped by the Wendy's drive-thru on our journey home. At the first window, my husband hands over his card to pay. A minute later the girl in the window is still trying to swipe it but the card is just not working, so she calls her manager over. The manager is the first to notice, Jon had given his military ID (with a strip on the back to further fool the eye) as payment instead of his credit card!

Then after arriving home and playing, I mean, eating her dinner, Natalie was told to go get her pajamas on. So almost ready for bed, only task left is to go potty, Natalie comes out into the living room. We had asked her to use the potty, so before we could scold her for not doing what she is told she explains, "My fingers are gravy." Both confused by what she is saying as well as what this has to do with using the potty, it finally clicked...GREASY is what she meant. She couldn't get the door knob to the bathroom open because her fingers were greasy from her french fries!!

I can't wait to hear what funny and crazy things Zachary says someday! If he takes after his sister, he is sure to be a great source of constant entertainment!!

This post is linked to

Like Mother, Like Daughter...So It Begins!

After pulling into church Sunday morning and unloading our little family from the car, I began to walk my daughter in the direction of her Sunday school class. Before getting to far we ran into her friend Joel who was tugging on his dad as they waited to find out if this was the Sunday for class promotions.
Natalie was excited to see Joel, it seems the week she has been feeling deprived of social interaction.

Walking up and standing in front of Joel, Natalie held the sides of her skirt in her hands and swinging just a little from side to side, she says "So Joel, how do I look?"

It was just priceless! Especially as it reminded me of the way I ask Jon each Sunday morning what he thinks of any outfits I have put together, no matter how often in the past I have worn it. She certainly is taking after mommy!!

This post is linked to

Hold the Flavor Please!

I just must share my daughter's most recent 'Kid's say the darnedest things' moment.

This is actually a picture of her from the Fourth of July, but you get the idea, the girl loves her corn on the cob!!

Jon had decided to grill our corn on the cob for dinner. Natalie is a huge fan of corn on the cob, so though she wasn't sharing in our grilled steaks I had made sure to get her some corn to share with us. As Jon brings in the slightly charred cobs of sunny deliciousness, Natalie scrunches up her nose in disgust and says "Can you take the brown off mine?"
Jon and I chuckle a little and he replies, "That's called flavor! It's what makes it good!"
After a few moments of deep thought, Natalie looks up again at Jon and asks very sweetly and innocently, "Can you take the flavor off mine?"
At this point Jon and I are laughing pretty heartily as Jon says "Sorry, but no kiddo!"
And Natalie refused to eat her flavorful corn that night! But I sure did enjoy mine, poor girl didn't know what she was missing out on!

Linked to

Crayon Therapy

Once upon a time I worked in childcare at our church on the East coast. I loved every minute of it! It was mostly nights, a few weekends if there was something extra special happening. I loved my coworkers and I loved the children. We did crafts, read books and colored with the kids. Before this if you had asked me to color, I would've stuck up my very mature adult nose at you and said, "Coloring is for children, I am an adult. I just don't color!" And if by chance I ever did, it wasn't with crayons, after all I am much more refined then that, I would use color pencils or markers. Of course this was all before Natalie hit the age when coloring became an art form. Now its one of her favorite pastimes. And sometimes I even join her.
Do you ever wish you could go back to being a kid again? Life seemed so much simpler, no stress and responsibilities to get in the way. I, being not a therapist but a regular patient to this form of therapy, propose that as adult when we are stressed out to the point of hair loss, deeply longing for something simple to soothe us, that we color. And not just color with anything! Oh for this therapy to truly work we must use the most essential medium available to children, the crayon. Let the crayon flow as an extension of yourself, as you concentrate on staying within the lines of any random picture in a book full of colorless pages. Use the repetitive and constant movement of your hand as a way to erase all the tension from your body and mind. Remember an easier life, filled with coloring pages, juice boxes, and cookies waiting patiently for you when you return home from school. Then be bold, post your newest masterpiece on display for all to see. The best of your work should go in a place of honor, right alongside the greatest artists of our time, our children, on the refrigerator. And as you stand back to admire your work, consider what your next project may be!
Need more therapy...give finger painting a try next!

The 4-year-old Trouble Maker Strikes Again!

What a crazy week topped off by an exhausting weekend!! Most of last week I was actually making decorations for a children's party I was throwing for a friend who is moving very soon.



I think handmade ones look so much better and are much more affordable then the store bought kind, though we used a mix of the two.



I made 6 butterflies and ladybugs, 30 flowers, 40 leaves, plus a 'pin the petal on the flower' with 20 extra leaves for the game. As you can see I didn't quite need to use everything, but most of it went up.



I also baked, frosted and decorated 2 9-inch cakes for the birthday girls. I am by no means a professional as you can see, but it is a hobby I enjoy, more so though when I am not feeling rushed, but the outcome is always something that makes it all worth it to me.



By the actual party, my house was quite a mess as all my time and energy went into finishing the decorations and cake, while also taking care of the kids as my husband Jon happened to be working some pretty crazy late hours last week. Saturday and Sunday I took to just relax and put my feet up amongst the usual weekend activities, such as grocery shopping and going to church. But this morning reality sunk in as I looked around my disaster of an house and realized I need to do some serious housework today. As Zachary began his morning nap I set out to begin clearing away the clutter in my living room as Natalie kept herself entertained in her room. Due to recent problems with her getting into trouble behind the closed door of her bedroom, she can no longer have it shut when she is back there to deter anything going on that shouldn't be. Apparently that was not enough! Unfortunately her bedroom is tucked away towards a different part of our home then the living room, so I don't have full view of what is going on, and as I cleaned, some very naughty little finger snuck some markers back into her room. This is what I found....



And yes that is marker on her face as well, though since its purple, from a distance it looks more like a black eye! And that is actually after she attempted to clean herself up as evidence of my bathroom hand towel.



No damage to any furniture or walls, though there is a small spot on her comforter where she set the marker without a cap. When I asked her what had happened (okay so it was pretty obvious) her response was a very innocent sounding "Somebody colored on me!" She was right, somebody sure did, but the part she somehow thought she could hide from me was that she was that somebody! An unmistakable fact considering Zachary was sleeping and I was cleaning and no one else is home! In the end she did indeed get punished (while I tried not to laugh at how she looked!) and hopefully learned a lesson though sometimes it all seems futile.
Welcome to my crazy and sometimes seriously frustrating life with a 4 year old trouble maker.

No More Chef Boyardee for Me!

No more Chef Boyardee for me! I am disowning this once beloved brand name for once and all. * Important note: If you still ignorantly enjoy Chef Boyardee, and prefer to keep things that way, I recommend you read no further!*
Just a few weeks ago, while munching on one of my childhood favorites- the mini ravioli- I discovered what looked like the leg of some sort of creepy crawly creature tucked away inside the little pocket of pasta. Even though I was only half way through my bowl, that was the end of my meal. I lost all interest in not only the ravioli, but in any food I might have eaten for a little while following. I was one hundred percent grossed out, though I wondered if my imagination had gotten the better of me and saw something that wasn't necessarily what I had deemed it to be.
A few days later, I headed out to the commissary, list in hand. I browsed through the usual aisles, grabbing the foods my family loves as I went. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of a towering shelf packed with a variety of Chef Boyardee canned convenience. I cringed as I thought back to the trauma the last purchase of this product had resulted in. But in the end I decided everyone, and everything, deserved a second chance, so I reluctantly added a few cans to the growing collection in my cart, and continued my shopping.
The days passed, as most in my life do, with me awakening to a crying kiddo, calling out for mommy before the sun has even gotten out of bed. I make a simple breakfast and get on about our morning routine. But on one particular day, before I realized it, I was staring at lunch time feeling as drained as if it were bedtime! I quickly called on the old reliables for my kids, a recent favorite, Eggos with honey and some canned fruit. Now I don't much care for that particular meal so I decided to take the plunge and dive into a bowl of Chef Boyardee ravioli once again. I popped the bowl into the microwave with a sigh escaping my mouth and a grumble rumbling from my stomach.
I cautiously examined my first bite. That's when I saw it. What looked to be another leg of some sort poking its way through the sides of the pasta. I began to investigate further, I pulled apart the top and bottom layers of pasta and I followed the leg as it trailed further into the 'meat' of the ravioli. With my fork, I prodded around inside it until I found what appeared to be a ball like body attached to the stingy leg!! At this point I could go no further. My decision was made and absolutely final: Goodbye Chef Boyardee, I will no longer be able to enjoy the tomato drenched morsels from your quick and easy meals. While others may find spiders, cockroaches, or any other many legged miniature beasts to be beneficial and full of protein, I personally prefer the flavors of steak and chicken to fulfill that particular part of my nutrition.

Ants in My Pants!

Ants in my pants, and crawling up my arms. They line up around my kitchen sink and parade across my dining room table in search of crumbs- they must know I have young kids! I find them in books and by the toilet seat. I even found them lazying about in a sauna once, only for me, that sauna was my chamomile tea! No peace from these little pests, not anywhere!! No matter how hard I clean, they come in their armies, marching in despite the causalities they continue to face. I must confess and ask for your forgiveness, because when I think about these tiny nuisances, a smile works its way across my face at the thought of squishing or stepping on them. I admit it, I enjoy ending their miniature lives almost as much as they seem to like driving me 'ant-y'!

Spiders and Snakes and Guam, Oh My!

Before Jon and I arrived on this little island we now call home, I was terrified of Guam. When I first learned of the possibility of ending up stranded out here, it was around April 2004. Jon and I had been married a few months and the boat he was attached to at that time was planning on making its move here that December. Of course God calmed my fears by giving us the opportunity to stay in the states for a little while longer, though still on the opposite coast which I knew and loved. Apparently though, that was just the time He felt I needed to mature enough to deal with a move overseas because sure enough when Jon attempted to get orders to where we met and now call home, we were informed our best chance of getting back would be to go overseas first. Guam was were his recruiter had in mind.
Again the visions of tiki huts, beds draped in netting to keep the giant mosquitoes and poisonous snakes out, and spiders the size of small cars filled my dreams. I even began to develop a mild claustrophobia at just the thought of being on this speck of land in the middle of a huge ocean, miles from the civilization I had grown quite fond of. I never thought we would find a good church, there couldn't possibly be very many, let alone a Baptist church, on such a small island. And where was I supposed to shop??!! I imagined buying coconut bras and wearing sarongs and mu-mus everywhere. The thought of moving to Guam left me with these vivid nightmares and more!
Quickly the end of July 2008 was at our doorstep, and we were on an airplane. Approximately 24 hours on 3 different planes, plus an 8 hour layover in Japan later and we arrived on Guam at 2 am to NO sponsor waiting to pick us up. Finally we managed to reach the duty driver from Jon's future boat, and he came to get us. He drove us to the Navy lodge where we had made reservations before our little adventure all began, but we arrived at the hotel to find they had booked him as a single sailor in a barracks style room, otherwise they were packed full, of course! Well we made due with that little room with the full size bed for Jon and I. Lucky for us we had brought along in our luggage Natalie's toddler sized aerobed. Only a week and half later our car arrived and we found a place to call home. Our furniture came about 2 weeks after that. As you can tell, my initial feelings for the island, though not the nightmare I had worked myself into believing, were still not that great! I was ready to leave before the 1st month was over!
Fast forward almost 2 years later and Jon just put in his paperwork to extend! Though there are still many issues I have with Guam, mostly the awful roads and lack of shopping malls, as well as sometimes unbearable heat and humidity, I have also found happiness here. I enjoy our church as much as I could any other in the states. We have been blessed with the most wonderful friends I could ever imagine. And we live in a comfortable, spacious apartment, minus the netting and to my surprise minus the giant bugs- mostly. One part of my nightmares was true, bugs are bigger here!! The fact that we have had very few get into our apartment makes that more then bearable!
In fact, I have written all this, just so I can share with you, that we found our first spider (other then the tiny flimsy nothing ones) tonight!! Now for at least a week I will be scanning the ceilings- where this one was- and walls at 5 minute intervals for any sign of 8 scurrying long legs, but at the same moment I sit back and think, "Man, that's pretty good!". I know back home in the states there is no way I would've gone almost 2 years without spotting some big brown creepy spider running for cover across my living room floor! Guam isn't so bad after all!! Though truth be told, as long as my big strong bug killing husband is around, I don't mind the little chill of terror that rushes through me as I leap onto the nearest chair when I spot something creepy crawly! I know he will always rush in to gallantly slay the beast and save his damsel in distress!

A Mommy in the Making

Since adding a new baby to our family 15 months ago, I am discovering that I am raising a mommy in the making! I, myself, had 3 younger sisters and lived most of my life with my mother and grandmother. Talk about a house full of estrogen!! Due to this environment I have very little experience with young boys. So I have no idea how my son will react to having a new baby again, as I hope to in a few more years, but I truly enjoy watching Natalie's natural nuturing nature present itself more and more.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. For Natalie's 2nd Christmas, Santa brought her the mother load of doll clothes, accessories and even a new doll to add to her growing collection. And over the years I have continued to contribute to it myself regularly. Can a little girl ever really have too many dollies? It is nearly impossible for me to resist buying Natalie the new Mommy & Me dolls, each in a different adorable outfit- a doll ready for the rain, or one on her way to the beach, then yet another preparing to be tucked into bed. I think there must be a special gene God has embedded in the hearts of little and big girls. Most of us long for the joys of motherhood from the time we can walk, all the way to the real deal as our first child is born! Over time, I have had the privilege to witness Natalie care for her naked baby dolls, as well as her perfectly dressed stuffed animals. She carefully tucks them into bed in the doll cradle. Or when they 'cry'- and one actually does much to my regret- she rushes to soothe them, offering a bottle or pacifier, and if that doesn't work she just whips up some of her delicious potato, shoe and sock stew. Natalie enjoys pretending to be a mommy.
Since Zachary has come into our lives I have watched as Natalie now mothers not only her dolls, but also her baby brother. She rushes to get me a diaper from his room when I run out in the living room. She brings him toys. In fact one of the very first days after he arrived in his new home, while I sat changing his diaper on the floor, Natalie brought an offering of small toys and placed them in a pile beside Zachary. She rejoices in his triumphs right beside me. And she helps him up when he falls. She is quick to let me know if he is doing something dangerous- as well as other things not so dangerous. And just minutes ago, as Natalie helped me out by giving Zachary his bowl of scrambled eggs for dinner, I watched her carefully blow onto the eggs, then feel with her fingers to check that they would not be scorching Zachary's tongue tonight, then again blow more on them to ensure cool eggs, before finally placing the bowl onto his high chair. And that's when it really hit me...Natalie truly is a mommy in the making!

Introducing, Natalie, The Naive Jester

What personality and attitude my daughter, Natalie, has!! Sometimes a little too much when it comes to the latter of the two. Here are some of the those precious moments we look back on and laugh, as the term 'kids say the darnedest things' takes on a very personal note to me!

As we waited at the doctor's office when I was pregnant with Zachary, I covered myself very carefully with the sheet. The doctor, who incidentally goes to church with us, is going to be coming to check my cervix and as I was hoping this would be my last visit before I had my precious boy, I insisted Jon and Natalie come to the appointment with me to hear the baby's heartbeat, that symbol of the life inside of me, one last time before we would be very much aware of his presence in our lives! My doctor came in and soon was covertly checking my cervix under the sheet so that Natalie would not see anything. But apparently she is more perceptive then I give her credit for because out of her sweet little mouth at 3 years old, comes the concerned and curious phrase, "Doctor put fingers in Mommy's hoo-hoo?". Needless to say I turned bright red and was completely speechless myself!

As Easter approached we pulled out some of Natalie's past Easter baskets and some plastic eggs so she could brush up on her egg hunting skills in time for the Easter egg hunt with some friends we had planned for later that week. One day she brought her basket and some toys out to the living room and preceded to put her foot into the basket and then gently place random toys on top of her foot within the basket. I looked at her puzzled and dismissed her strange behavior, saying to her "You're a weirdo!". Without missing a beat, Natalie replied, "No, I'm not a weirdo! I am a genius!" I didn't even realize she knew what that word meant!!

As a family we approached the 'fork in the road' at the mall. Jon was to go one direction looking for something, and I wanted to check out some things in the opposite direction. I assumed Natalie would want to go with her Daddy, being the daddy's girl she is, then as we prepared to make the trade-off, I would take the stroller, and Zachary in it, from Jon and he would be taking Natalie who was holding my hand, and Natalie declares she wants to go with mommy! How sweet, its such a rare moment when she prefers mommy over daddy, unless of course Jon is punishing her, then she uselessly clings to me for sympathy (which of course she does NOT get!). And as Natalie and I head in the direction of tiny clothes and frilly dresses I ask her what made her so adamantly want to tag along with mommy, and her reply is, "Because you a lady, and girls have to stick together!" That explains it all!

As per our usual routine, Natalie rushes into the bathroom before lunch so that I can put her hair into a ponytail and pin back any stray hairs that may be searching for a sticky substance to bathe in. She gets up on her stool as she carefully chooses the color of ponytail we will be using today, and I stand behind her and begin to gather up her long locks. Looking up into the mirror, as if for the first time, she so elegantly announces in her own surprise "I am soooo pretty!" All I can do is chuckle to myself and agree, but of course I have known that for over 3 years.

Some of you may have already heard these little antidotes from me other times, but be on the lookout for more from Natalie, the Naive Jester. She is always coming up with more innocent yet hilarious comments to put a smile on my face and hopefully on yours as well!

What funny and cute things have your children said that made you laugh or turn red with embarressment?