Silent Sunday

Best Friends

Last night Boop had his best friend over to play, watch a movie and eat brownies with. JD is Boop's one and only friend. Well, that isn't entirely true. He does have one or two other boys that he gets to see occasionally but JD is his "best" friend. Boop has known JD since he was born and they see each other pretty regularly. JD is a year older. It has been my experience, with boys and girls, that everyone gets along better if there is a year difference. JD's sister is Nature Girl and Little Mama's best friend. Nature Girl is 7, JD's sister is 6 and Little Mama is 5. Everyone plays together so well. Last night all the girls all went somewhere so JD came and hung out with Boop. I love watching them play and listening to them talk. I think when they were littler they had a few sharing issues but now when they get together you don't even know they are here. They really do get along very well. I would say, though, most of it is JD :) He is just such a good kid - really no trouble at all. Anyway, I am glad Boop has such a good best friend. Best friends are important, no matter what the age . . .

The Recycling Man and Other Things

Yesterday was Thursday which I guess I knew because I called Daddy to make sure he put out the recycling can and the garbage can. I would have done it but it was pouring rain :) Anyway, he had and I was thankful! About 9:30 I heard all of this big time honking of a horn. It wasn't a car horn it was like a truck of some sort - strong and loud. I thought maybe we were getting something delivered and the delivery truck needed someone to move or was going backwards. My curiosity got the better of me and I looked out the front window. IT WAS THE RECYCLING TRUCK. Every Thursday during school when the recycling truck would come Boop would want to run out and watch them empty the can. Because we haven't been in school and things are a little crazy, Boop has probably missed the last couple of Thursdays. Well yesterday the guys were honking for Boop to come out and watch them. They honked and they honked and they honked. I am sure the neighbors were annoyed! Anyway, Boop was in his room so I opened the front door and ran to get him. He was still in his PJs and it was sooo wet outside. But he ran to the end of the driveway and the recycle guy said "Hey little man!" Everyone smiled and waved to each other. I said "Thank you." It was sooo cool. I had to call daddy and tell him. Today, if I get a chance I am going to email Waste Management and let them know what great guys they have!!

Last night we had a pizza picnic and watched White Christmas (with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye). There is a song in the movie called "Sisters, sisters." The two main ladies in the movie sang it over and over. Last night in the shower I heard the girls singing it over and over :) Then when they had put on their matching night gowns they gave us a show. Singing and dancing to the song "Sisters, Sisters." They choreographed it and everything. It really was quite good!!

While nursing EG, she takes her hand and rubs it up and down my side. It is sooo soft.

Today we are going to get our tree - yeah!!

Another Love/Hate Relationship

I love/hate fast food. We have sworn off McDonald's (well sort of). The one by our house is horrendous. The food is cold and the service _ _ _ _ _. And you spend a fortune for it. Hubby ever once and a while will go but I refuse to eat it. We love Taco Bell (relatively inexpensive and great service), Hungry Howie's Pizza (cheap and pretty darn tasty) and the most favorite fast food restaurant of all - Chick-fil-A. The food is good, the service is superb, the restaurant is clean and they have an inside playground. One of the first outings I had when Boop was a newborn was to a surprise birthday party for a friend. The party was at a restaurant and daddy was working. I was just going to make an appearance so I wanted to feed the kids somewhere cheap before we went. We stopped a Chick-fil-A. I was still learning to maneuver with a 4 yo, 2 yo and a newborn. Boop was in his carrier and I was trying to open the restaurant door. One of the Chick-fil-A employees saw me struggling and came and opened the door for me. They have consistently helped me with food and kids over the past three years. Kids eat free on Tuesday and they have clowns and balloons. Now the hate part of my relationship - I know the food is terrible for the kids and me for that matter. I am one of those who mills my own wheat, we have real butter, real peanut butter and fruit and veggies with lunch, real honey made down the road, succanat instead of sugar, whole wheat pasta and Irish sea salt. I don't say that to brag or make others feel bad if they don't do all of that. It is a choice we make for our family. It is hard sometimes and can be expensive. But I always find it ironic when we are in the drive through of a fast food place. All of this to say, we are having Taco Bell for dinner tonight . . . .

TV

I have a love/hate relationship with the TV. Right now with the baby in the house I kind of love it. Especially a day like today when it is cloudy and rainy. Majority of the days I limit the amount of time we watch TV and it is usually first thing in the morning when I am getting breakfast and school ready. Each child has a "day" and they can pick what we watch. It is usually about an hour long, sometimes more depending on whether it is a movie or not. I have tried to record education, science, animal related stuff so they can watch that. But, honestly there hasn't been much on for them to see. Around the holidays we watch a lot of Christmas movies etc. Not only do I limit the time they watch but I am very thoughtful about what they watch. I try to steer clear of a lot of cartoons and just plain mindless entertainment (although we do watch Tom and Jerry occasionally :) The kids have seen Fiddler on the Roof, Holiday Inn, The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit. I try to make it "quality TV." But I am not always successful with that. We pick a lot of things that daddy and I grew up watching. Netflix just sent us White Christmas. I wish I had the guts to just get rid of the thing except for movies but hubby grew up with the TV and that isn't going to happen. He watches a lot of the History Channel so the kids will watch that with him. When the kids are in bed, I watch about an hour. At least I have it on. I usually am doing something else, paying bills etc. When daddy is home there are shows that we enjoy watching together and DVR them. We also have it on during College Game Day ;) I know I could live with out it and actually did for awhile. Although I hated not being able to watch football and basketball!! I think the thing that has me most upset right now is even during the kids holiday shows and sporting events they have very adult commercials. It has surprised me what they advertise during Frosty!! I try to fast forward through it but one of the reasons the TV is on is so I can get something done. Since we have had people in and out helping me with the baby etc. the TV has been on more than I care to admit but I have to remember everyone is here to help me. When school starts back we will be back into our routine and TV will once again be a very small part of it. I know that keeping my kids totally free from TV will probably just increase their curiosity later in life but just like everything else I try to teach them - life is about choices, God has given us free will, I hope to show them we are a product of our choices. If we choose to put good, wholesome things in, the chances are better of good wholesome things coming out. A reflection of Phil 4:8 . . .

Santa

This morning our goal is to go see Santa. Yesterday the kids worked on their final lists for Santa. Nature Girl had a lot of American Girl stuff on her list. As did Little Mama. Samantha, Little Mama's American Girl, is being retired this year so she (we) wanted to be sure to ask for the things she (we) really wanted to have :) Boop had some interesting stuff. For instance, a pretty moving deer - a boy one, a castle and a snowman. Santa will have fun trying to deliver those things. Thankfully he did ask for a robot which I am pretty sure Santa will be able to bring him! If we actually make it to see Santa this morning I am hoping there will be pictures along with this post. Haven't decided whether or not EG will be in the picture. Daddy and I have decided we don't want Santa holding a 3 1/2 week old. So now we have to flip a coin as to who is going to be in the picture with the kids - mommy or daddy. I told daddy, it all depended on whether or not mommy got a shower before we go ;)

P.S. To all my friends and family in the midwest, I am excited you are getting all that snow :) On a day like today around the holidays I miss the snow. After Christmas I will prefer my low 60 degree weather :)

Tidbits for Today

We did not get to go to the parade this year. My friend had sick children so we had to cancel. It was too cold and too crowded to sit on the street to watch the parade. (We have become spoiled!) The kids didn't seem to mind as much as I did! To make up for the disappointment, Daddy ordered Sonny's and took them for a 4 wheeler ride around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. All is well that ends well . . .

Boop to Daddy: "When I get older can I drink coffee?" Obviously a food group in our house . . .

The girls spent yesterday afternoon at Grandma's helping decorate her house for Christmas and making brownies. The had a really wonderful time. Nature Girl likes the decorating and the feeling of Christmas and Little Mama likes the baking. Something for everyone . . .

On Friday I had to give EG a bottle. I was so afraid to do it because I was afraid she wouldn't nurse any more. But, she took the bottle and is still continuing to nurse. I gave her one bottle Saturday and one Sunday. I will continue to do so in the afternoons until it is no longer needed. We go to the doc today to get weighed . . .

Daddy is back to work today. But he hopes to be home by 3 o'clock . . .

This weekend I started a Bible study with a friend. We are going to take the next couple weeks and study the book of Psalms. We are doing it for our own edification but also as a way to keep us accountable for reading and living God's word. We are reading chapters 1-4 this week . . .

Confession: I love routine and structure. It is a security blanket for me. It helps maintain/retain confidence in what I do every day. I struggle big time with flexibility and the unexpected. As I was loading the washer and dryer this morning it hit me like a ton a bricks. Routine and structure are my idols. They take away from my faith in God. He is in control not the routine and structure I make up everyday for my security. I believe that God is a God of order so I don't think having a plan is a sin but my faith and comfort and confidence and happiness and security need to come from Him, He who sent His Son for my salvation. Hmmmm . . . .