Tidbits

Because we don't often have much to post-worthy, this post is just a bunch of tidbits of our life lately, youngest to oldest.

Curly. You know how I've gone around and around with her about the potty training. Well, I got rid of some food that had apparently gone bad. Since then, she's been a dream. I don't have to take her out on a leash, she just does what she's gotta do. No defiant plopping, no outright refusals, not much sniffing, a little chasing before she settles in, but that's ok. I like it when the squirrels and birds run her for me. She even told me one day when she had to go out. (Been trying to teach her that. Feels good to have a success.) I know I'm pathetic. None of you care, but after 9 months of pure frustration... I'm excited! I just hope she doesn't revert again after our trip to the beach this weekend. I will never again get a puppy! Oh, I also finally found a bone that keeps her from chewing things as much. As I vacuumed today, she pounced, nipped at, and chased the vacuum. She's my shadow. It's nice to be able to enjoy her for a change.

Everett tattles on himself a lot lately. "Momma, don't look at what's in my hand." I love it! But what do you do when he volunteers the truth? Or when he lies and says, "yea, I finished my dinner. But don't go look." He's so hard to punish anyway. Time outs are only marginally effective. Today, he wouldn't help Chloe clean the play room. So I gave him a swat on the butt. He went back into the room and told Chloe, "see, I told you I wouldn't cry." Shortly thereafter, he lost the privilege of having help. He cried for a bit, but then just did it... at his pace of course... thankfully he's a good kid and doesn't need much discipline anyway. Mostly, I just have to nag him until he remembers. He'll just run around playing, in his b-day suit. I tell him for the 10th time to get dressed, and he says "oh yea!" How do you forget that you're not dressed?

Chloe. Such a good, sweet girl. Last week, after school and time with grandparents, she had gobs of attitude. But this week, she's been SO sweet and helpful! She voluntarily helped me put things away after mopping today. I enjoy conversations with her. Like when she told me what she wants for her birthday. "A happy napper, a couch that turns into a bed from toys-r-us, and a pocket copter, no batteries included!" She also wanted to re-name Curly "Sparkles." Funny girl. She loves all things art. She made an art book. It's two pieces of construction paper taped into a folder where she puts everything she colors. She's SO proud of it all. It's really sweet. "Momma, do you love my art book?" She's also enjoyed watching her lima bean plant (from school) and a flower plant that she gave me for mother's day (also from school) thrive. We almost lost the bean plant to some fungus or parasite. But I managed to save it. I'm excited about that b/c it made me sad to loose her plant, and now it's thriving again. Speaking of which, we have a couple ears of corn showing! Yay! Our potatoes are thriving (not sure how or when to harvest) and strawberries are sprouting and growing, finally.

I'm of course always projecting. It's so hot though that I don't really care to build much. Chad and I started putting together the grill he got for his b-day. It's a beast. It will take a long time. So I'm cleaning house and getting ready for another weekend beach trip where we'll leave the kids with grandparents for the following week. I'm excited for a week of freedom, but dread the aftermath, the un-spoiling. They'll have lots of fun together though, which is good. I'm also trying to get our cars repaired. The car needs work. So Saturday, I let Chad take the van. He got a rock thrown at him and chipped the windshield. So now we have to get that repaired. It's always something eh?

Anywho, Chad's picked up an extra two Saturdays a month of work 1 1/2 hours away. So he's busy w/ that, video games, and watching "Jericho" with me in the evenings. It's an end of the world story line, which reminds me. I need to get on the stick and build another platform above our garage door for food storage... maybe next week when the kids are gone...