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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Phrase-ology

My ears were listening today and the ol' brain was filing better than usual. Here are some of the things my kids are saying these days...

'Your picking my leg' - That's Freeman Kid for 'Your pulling my leg'

'Mommy, my seatbelt/shoe/blanket/clothes is untaint' - Freeman kid for tangled.

'I'm a tasco!' - Freeman kid for, well, we have no idea what the word is supposed to be or exactly what it means, but it is said when they are taking their shirts off and they allow it to get 'stuck' on their heads, creating a colorful nun look.

'There's a stick in my finger' - Thomas for 'I have a hangnail'

'Can it play over and over and over again by itself?' - Freeman Kid for 'Can you put this song on repeat?'

'I used the dy-wen-ol to keen my hands!' - Sarah Grace for 'I used the hand sanitizer.' She calles it Tylenol. I have no idea why. But we have an understanding about it.

'I need some dock-it' - Sarah Grace for 'I need some chocolate'

Me too, Kita, me too.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Things I Want To Remember About Thomas - Age 3.5

I very diligently filled out Thomas's baby book. Each new whatever, I made sure to make record of it. I searched long and hard to find just the right book for Sarah Grace to call her baby book. I went through about once a month and made updates, being sure to stash away sweet mementos of her fleeting babyhood. Elizabeth, well I hate to admit it, but this blog is the biggest record of her first year. I have marked a handful of things down in a notebook that I plan to transfer to her baby book, when I find one. I am picky about those little books, let me tell you. Not just anything will do. I do have, much to my credit, a very thorough photo album of each child's first year.

But things happen past that first year that I don't record. Or in poor Elizabeth's case, in/ that first year that don't have a book to be written down in. So, for the sake of my reminiscing many years down the road, I will simply jot a few notes here from time to time to remind me of the sweet times that are my days and weeks right now.

Thomas:
I love how he uses his vocabulary. His ever expanding vocabulary. Although it grates my nerves at the time, I think it will also be a point to remember the way he expresses himself. We stay hard on him about whining and being sure to buck up and take things like a big boy, to shake off the small pains and inconveniences. He daily, well hourly, will inform us 'I am so upset,' or 'I am so disappointed,' or 'I am so hurt.' He pulls this pitiful little face and the saddest voice you ever did hear. Twenty, thirty, forty, and more times a day I hear these phrases. (um, no, I am not exaggerating)

I also get a kick out of how he tells people that he is Joshua Thomas Freeman and his Daddy is Joshua Harrison Freeman. He tells this with great pride. He loves sharing part of his name with his Daddy. I love how he laughs and wrestles with Joshua. I laughed out loud when Joshua dangled Thomas upside down and told him he was gonna take him and put him in the trash can and Thomas said 'Nooooooo, I'm a family!'

Because everyone knows you can't throw family in the trash can, right?

I love how he prays so sincerely at every meal, nap time, and bed time. How he thanks him for naps and toys and foods and friends and places that we went and how he thanks God that Baby Jesus was born in the manger and died for us. I love how he wants to learn his Awanas verse and tell everyone he sees. I love viewing Jesus through his eyes. It is so simple and refreshing.

I don't love, but I know it will make me laugh at the thought of it one day, the way he almost always puts his clothes on backwards. Pants, shirts, underwear, heels of the sock on the top of the foot. But, his shoes are always right!

I hope he is always just as affectionate as he is right now. He will pause in the middle of playing and run over just to give me a hug and a kiss. He likes to remind us that he gives the best boy hugs. He runs into our bedroom in the morning and wants to cuddle, and I happily pull him up next to me and cuddle until he gets down down to run around and beg for breakfast.

Recently, his pop phrase is 'I never saw/ate/did that before. I love it!' Which is just funny to me. He is genuinely excited!

There are so many other little things that I will just have to learn to write down when they happen or lose them forever. So many things go on through out the day that I think to myself, Oh, don't forget that. And by bedtime it is lost in the deep trenches of my mind, no telling when it will emerge again.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Do I Really Sound Like That?

There is nothing more horrifying than hearing my (sharp) words come out of the mouths of my children. Take this evening, just as an example.

There I was, feeling horribly sick and incredibly tired, with my brain only about half tuned into what my very active two year old daughter was up to. Our boys are at the lake doing some much needed maintenance, whilst us girls, who are, or were yesterday, all sick, stayed at home to pack more stuff into more boxes. More on that later. Sarah Grace is a bit restless though, since she is feeling better today and her prime playmate is off doing other things.

She was wandering around with Strawberry Baby and Butterfly Baby (how do you like those names?) feeding them, reading to them, and Mommy-ing in general. For several minutes I sat here in my unhealthy stupor watching her blur of activity and not really listening to her deluge of words. Then I noticed her voice change. She was chiding Butterfly Baby.

"Do not axe me dat twestion adin, es ma'am? De answeer is no and you must obey wif a sueet spiwit."

Not bad, all in all, but she sounded sooooooo exasperated.

My other favorite would be about whining. Oh, we can sooooooooooooo whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh around here. It grates my nerves particularly badly at, oh, say 1:30 in the afternoon. That last few minutes before I toss them in their beds for a much needed nap.

From Thomas:
"Mooooooooooommmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....Sawuh Gace ___________" (fill in the blank)

From Sarah Grace:
"Moooooooommmmmmmmuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh...Dhomas said ________" (insert 'no' in most cases)

From Me (the mature party in the house, right?):
"Guuuyyysss, quit whiiiiinnnniingggggg!!!"

Seriously, did I just say that? Out loud???

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Flowers & Fuzz

The kids and I went to see Granny (Joshua's Mom) today. It was just one of those days where we needed a change of pace. Me to forget the packing (can you say procrastinate?), and the kids, well, to see their Granny, of course. And since we are moving to her house, then it didn't hurt that I could toss a handful, uh, trunkful of toys in with us and get them there rather than here amidst the clutter.

Our moods matched the weather as we headed out, nice and sunny. We sang along loudly and mostly on key to several of the kids favorite songs. We counted trucks. And we sang some more. 'Cuz that is just what you do when you get in a car. Sing. About twenty minutes shy of Granny's house, Thomas asked if we could 'get some flowers to Granny.' Sarah Grace thought this was a splendid idea and got worked up in true Sarah Grace fashion. And really, how can you say no to that?

We detoured away from Granny's house and found a florist. The sign read 'Simple Pleasures' Florist and Quilting. An interesting combination, if you ask me. Yes, both of those things bring me warm pleasure, but I don't think I would ever have paired them. I unloaded all three of the kids and we trekked into the store. The proprietor was busy dealing with another customer, so we moseyed around for a minute, me lusting after several of the beautiful quilting fabrics and patterns and wishing with all my might I knew the first little thing about quilting, Thomas and Sarah Grace delighting in the array of silk funeral arrangements. I was afraid I would have to talk them out of one of those arrangements for Granny, as taken as they were with them. Nothing says 'I love you' like funeral flowers.

One moment I am fingering fabric, the next, I am nearly toppling over. Thomas suddenly appeared and jerked on my shoulder bag and said "Mommy, I have to go potty. Now." As he held himself. And looked uncomfortable.

We dashed off to what I am sure was not meant to be a public restroom, but seriously, what was I supposed to do? The store owner poked her head around the corner and offered me a smile. She laughingly told me she was the proud Mommy to five and Grandmother to ten. She understood our needs.

I immediately knew I had found a friend. Quilts, flowers, kids, understanding. What else could a girl ask for?

As Thomas wrapped things up, the other customer left and Ms Shelby attended to us. She showed us some pretty potted plants and a few pre-made arrangements. Nothing suited the kids idea of 'flowers for Granny' though. So Ms Shelby took them through to the flower cooler and let the kids peruse all the flowers. They started pointing out things they liked, and she started pulling out stems. She asked me if we wanted a vase or an arrangement that could sit on an end table. We opted for the end table.

Then she took the kids behind her prep counter and let them pick out the bowl and told them about the foam that would keep the flowers watered and pretty for a long time. This took several minutes as the ribbon dispensers, balloons, colorful vases and an eclectic assortment of other floral arranging paraphernalia were all stashed back there. They emerged and Ms Shelby began cutting ferns for the kids to insert into the foam. The she showed them how to snip and break and arrange the different flowers, allowing the kids to choose where to put each bloom and push it into it's newly designated home.



The kids loved snipping the stems and tossing the unused pieces into the trash box. They exclaimed as each flower was put into place. They took turns without arguing and remembered all their manners!



Then Ms Shelby allowed them to each pick out a card and and a Happy Valentine's plastic stemmy thingy to put into the foam. Oh, at the excitement! Ms Shelby encouraged them and proclaimed this the most original and beautiful piece of floral art ever. Thomas and Sarah Grace beamed and strutted around eying the other arrangements, noticing that they really did not quite measure up. I had to agree. This was a beautiful bundle of flowers.



As the kids jumped around for a few minutes, I learned that Ms Shelby will be offering quilting classes starting the beginning of March. What lovely timing! I think I just found a new hobby...

**Note - I left the camera at home today. I thought about taking it, I really did. But Granny has a camera, and I have a thumb drive, so I could just use hers, right? Yeah, not if I don't go by her house to get it first! That and I had no way of knowing this woman would bless our day in so many ways with her friendly manner. Hello! She let my kids play in her flower shop! That being said, you have to suffer through with fuzzy images taken from the cell phone. I never knew I would be so glad to have a camera phone!

Monday, February 04, 2008

Gone Fishin'

For those of you who don't know, we're moving. You wanna know what stinks about moving? Packing. Especially when you don't know quite where to start. Make no mistake, I have plenty of helpers! Elizabeth is quite content to pull the books off of the shelves where Thomas and Sarah Grace so diligently helped to put them away a couple of years ago. This is good. I need to pack them. This is not good. I need to sort through them and nix a few. And so it goes.

In my total state of dauntedness, I have decided to do something that I am a little better at. Show off my kids and their many talents!!!

We went to my parents house a couple of weeks ago to let the kids wish my Mom a happy birthday. I can't say how old she is. All I know is it is a year younger than my Daddy. And some change, if you wanna get real technical. Anyway, while we were there, the kids delighted in hanging out in the garage with Daddy and he delighted in giving them casting lessons. I forget what they called it at the time, 'Catching' I think. I will need to check with my parents to see if they remember. It's iffy, at their 'advanced' age.

They had a ball casting and reeling, casting and reeling. Daddy sat back proud of his two new fishing buddies. Sound like a fish fry come spring!

I just hope that when they get hooks on the end of the line they catch fish...I seem to remember catching my Daddy's hat a few times, and maybe his earlobe a time or two...


The Game Plan

I watched the news last night. For those of you who don't know my news watching habits, I have none. So it is news that I simply watched the news. I know the Giants won, the Patriots lost. I know that there have been a gajillion visits from presidential candidates, or her husband in a certain case, here in Alabama. I know about a recent bank robbery, a large drug bust, and a house that burned down. I know that Auburn beat Alabama in the women's basketball game, and that Tiger Woods won something. Again. Oh, and I watched the weather. In case I wouldn't have been able to tell by looking out the window today, or just listening, actually. Rain is in the forecast. Thunder too. Sweet buckets full of rain. To add to our low lakes and rivers. To refresh our plant life and wild animal life.

So with such a wet and cold week ahead of us, I will adjust the NetFlix queue such that we receive children's movies, insure that we are stocked up on popcorn, crayons and coloring books, and welcome the chance to let the kids watch absolutely more television than can possibly be good for them while I get our home packed into boxes.

Oh, and take those luxurious naps in the middle of the afternoon that I miss so much. Au revoir!

Friday, February 01, 2008

Brotherly Responsibilities

Thomas is what most people would consider a very calm boy. He has two siblings, both sisters, and he stays home with his sisters and his mother all day long. He is constantly being told to be gentle, take care of his sisters, be a gentleman. He is not one to be climbing in closets, or even one to be playing a lot of ball. He loves to cook in the kitchen with Sarah Grace, whipping up all manner of yummy creations. He enjoys teaching Sarah Grace all the things he has learned, and is generally good to just play contentedly with Sarah Grace and Elizabeth in a more or less quite fashion.

Lately however, when Joshua walks through the door in the evenings, Thomas and all his pent up testosterone attack him, growling "Let's fight, Daddy!" He hurls himself at his Daddy, smacking him about with his sword until at last the great Daddy falls forward, crying mercy. Thomas will jaunt about announcing his defeat as the girls look upon the scene, Sarah Grace occasionally offering up a kiss to make it all better. Then the beast rouses, and the ruckus continues.

Today Thomas and Sarah Grace and Elizabeth were all playing rather peacefully in Thomas's room when I heard a shriek that brought me to immediate attention. Did I need to interfere or was it one of those things to let them work out amongst themselves? As I perked up my ears to try to listen in more closely to what was going on, I heard Thomas grunt a couple of times and proclaim he got it. Then he came running through the living room and into the kitchen. The next thing I heard was a kitchen cabinet slam and the pitter patter of Thomas feet as he ran back to the living room.

'I caught the monster and I fwew it away in the twash can. Sawuh Gace didn't like it bovering her under the bed. It maked her scared.'

And he ran back to Sarah Grace and told her loudly and proudly, 'It's my basponstabidatee to take care of you. I won't let the monster get you. You just tell me and I will just catch it and fwow it away for you.'

Sarah Grace promptly played the damsel in distress as she pointed out several monsters for her brave brother to bundle off to the 'twash can'.