First Soccer Practice

Eli had his first soccer practice tonight. All day long he was oh-so excited. He wore his soccer jersey shirt and track pants in preparation, and he reminded me every chance he got that "Daddy" is really "Coach". Lehr told him a few weeks ago that when they are on the field, he is to call Lehr "Coach" only. There will be no special treatment out there. So anytime I'd say "Daddy" today, Eli would repeat what I said, inserting 'Coach' for 'Daddy'. Example: "I'm making a sandwich for Daddy because he won't get to eat before practice." translated to "Ohhhhh...you're making a sandwich for Coach?"

Eli loaded the car with his soccer ball, cleats, shin pads, and soccer socks. We arrived at the field just as Lehr was setting up. As soon as Eli saw him, he took off, saying, "Dere's my COACH!!" Tyler showed up quickly afterwards and the two boys had a great time kicking the ball around the field. They were both so focused - it was neat to watch!!

Maddie loved getting in on the action too. She chased after the boys (and the other kids that showed up) and kicked the ball any chance she got. The practice lasted one hour and I was amazed that all of the kids lasted the whole time, paying pretty good attention to Lehr and the other coach. They did a quick warm-up with a few laps around the field. (Eli passed me and said, "Look, Mom. I'm da caboose!!") Then they did some balancing work with the ball and lifting one leg, and then they went into some drills and scrimmage. I think the neatest thing for me was seeing how focused Eli was on playing with the other kids and listening to instruction. He never ran to Lehr looking for reassurance, he never cried when someone else had the ball, he never stopped playing because he fell or got hurt....I was so proud of my determined little boy! If tonight was any indication, he has a great work ethic! The only downside to the evening was when Lehr kicked the ball back into the field and caught Ty's chest with the ball. Tyler was tough though...he barely shed a tear.

Visions of Sugarplums

There are some days when I really wonder if the kids found a sugar bowl and licked it clean. They were VERY busy at church yesterday. Not bad, but busy for sure. And Friday night we had our small group and they were high-octane also. I had to chuckle because for the first hour or so, Maddie was pretty calm. Actually, VERY calm, especially for her. I joked with our hosts that their house must have a calming effect on her because the Maddux they were seeing was not the Maddux I'd spent time with the last week. The man of the house mocked me, saying, "Not my Maddux." Sure enough, after dinner my girl showed them a thing or two.

Speaking of sugar, Eli had a Pajama Party at school on Friday. The kids wore their PJs to class and they had waffles for snack. When I picked Eli up, the teacher told me of some funny conversation during snack. One of the other children only ate the butter and syrup off his waffle, asking for more 'topping'. She kindly told him that he needed to eat the waffle; he couldn't just eat the syrup because too much sugar could make him sick. Apparently my boy chimed in with a "YEAH! Sugar can make your tummy hurt!" Atta boy.

A few 'new' things with the kids:
Maddie pushes in all of the chairs after we eat each meal. She walks around the table and does her best to scoot them in. She actually does alright with the chairs Lehr and I use, but the two with booster seats are obviously heavier and near impossible for her to move. So she stands next to them and complains until someone helps her. A bit OCD, if you ask me.

Maddux loves to say 'bye-bye', and she enunciates it very well. When we leave the park or the store or a friend's house, she will turn around and wave her hand, saying, "Byeee-byeee."

The latest concert music we've been listening to is Michael Franti (lead singer of Spearhead). Eli has taken on a new instrument: his voice. Actually, he seems to be a bit of a lip-syncher these days: he holds a dive stick like a microphone and moves back and forth in time to the music. Eli loves Spearhead ("Searhead" since he never pronounces consonants after an 's'.)...he was very disappointed when Lehr and I went to their concert last night and he was unable to go. He gave me a very intentional, "Gee....I wish I could go to the Searhead concert."

We have encountered a new issue with Eli: lying. I refuse to believe it is malicious in his intent though. I think he doesn't grasp the concept of what a lie is. I try to explain lies and truths, but without using those two words, I'm struggling. Any words of advice for a 3 1/2 year old are welcomed!

Last but not least, Maddie has become even more (is that possible?!) animated in her concert/music participation. She dances and claps like nobody's business. And the excited look on her face is priceless: mouth agape and eyes beaming. I love it!

Breathe In....Breathe Out...

That's my week in a nutshell. Unfortunately, I've not followed that advice enough and I have been more of the Wicked-Witch-of-the-West mommy instead of the Good-Witch-of-the-South (aka Glinda) mommy. More yelling and being 'ugly' than I care to admit. I apologized to both kids at some point (Thursday?? They all run together now.), something I have not felt I needed to do before now. I tried to explain to them that I lost my temper and yelled when I was mad and that is not something we are supposed to do.

Let's go over the issues, shall we? Maddux is 19 months....going on 13. Years. She is in the full blown tantrum phase where she goes limp in your arms when you pick her up and she cries and screams like someone is poking her with a fire stick. She also loves to get Eli riled up. Maddie will see him playing with a few toys, slowly walk over, and then grab one of them and take off, shoulders hunched up. She knows it angers him and she likes that. Maddie's voice is also an issue. She appears to have no inside voice these days. Happy, sad, indifferent....it all comes out loud. LOUD. As for Eli, the issues all boil down to one thing: sticking a toe over the line. He's not overtly defiant, nor is he doing any large-scale disobedience. But disobedience is disobedience and he pushes the limits every chance he gets. Over everything.

Let me tell you how it's just a barrel of monkeys dealing with these two opposing and intertwining discipline issues at once. When nap time comes I seriously collapse from sheer exhaustion only to watch the clock, counting down the minutes until I have to go back into battle for another four or five hours. I'm doing neither one of them justice by handling the situation 100%, so nothing is getting better. I vowed today to deal more with Eli since he knows the drill, and he is a good kid. It won't take him long to get back on track. Maddie might (read: WILL) take longer since she's fairly new to the discipline game. So far today, Eli has had three time outs and I'm expecting more when he gets up from his nap. That being said, I've not had to go any further with it, so I'm rejoicing in that small victory.

Love My Kids' Love

They love each other. Still. Even though they are to the stage where they stake claim on toys and get mad when anyone else looks in the direction of said toy. Even though they feel entitled to take anything anyone else is playing with. Even though they like to do things to antagonize one another. They love love love each other.

Maddux is a sweetheart. She is crazy, rambunctious, and the opposite of prissy, but she has a mothering instinct stronger than I ever had until I actually became a mother. She gives sympathy cries sometimes when Eli gets hurt and almost always when he gets in trouble and has to sit in time out. Even better, when he gets hurt to the point where he comes to me for comfort, she immediately comes over and puts her arms around him. Then she pats his back. It is all I can do to not leave my child in pain while I grab the camera. (Trust me, I've been tempted!) And she loves to try and wash his hair, or his leg, or his back, while they take a bath each night too. She loves him.

Eli has a bit of a superior-big-brother feeling about him sometimes, but it doesn't stop him from loving his sister's company every second of every day. He misses her when he's at school, and he wants to be the one to wake her up from her nap any chance he gets. When the kids were listening to music today, Eli went to the toy box and got two dive sticks to use as drum sticks on the step-stool. He totally surprised me by immediately offering Maddux one to use while he played with the other. Eli also asks her to do things with him ALL of the time: "Maddie, wanna pway basketball wiff me?" "Maddie, wanna go outside wiff me?" "Maddie, let's chase!!" And when I tell the kids it's time for bed, Eli always goes to Maddux and hugs her, kissing her on top of the head at the same time. (She's shorter than him now, but that will not last long.)

My point in all of the sappy rambling today is to document one more time for future reference that Eli and Maddux enjoy each other and genuinely care about each others' feelings.

Oooooh-EEE! UH! Look at My Maddie!

Only Eli and Maddux would appreciate that title.....silly little song I sing to her when I change her diaper. Now she tells me that she needs to have her diaper changed by touching her derriere and saying, "Oooh Eeee!!" Love it.

Poor girl...her canine (eye) teeth are moving in and she is in pain. Not quite bleeding gums, but they are crimson red and her mood is like fire. One of them broke through sometime last night, so hopefully the end of this phase is near. For the last four days or so, she has been ultra clingy. First to D, then to Daddy, and today to me. And she is not happy EVER. The main reason we knew something was wrong was her appetite. Maddux has not been eating much because of the amount of hysterical crying she does during meals. I can only imagine that it hurts to eat right now because of the pain in her mouth.

The scenario did offer a bit of a teaching moment today, however. When Maddux gets this way during meals at the house, I do my best to calm her down (while leaving her in her chair). I remind her to breath (demonstrating slow breathing), to get self-control, and I do not give in to her demand for me to hand feed her. Today she finally got it! During breakfast she was freaking out, even though I fixed oatmeal which is the easiest on her mouth right now. I gently held her hands as she got hysterical to the point of having ragged-type breathing. I showed her how to breathe in and out very slowly, all the while talking in a calm and kind voice to her. Eli sat and watched, soaking it all in. She finally locked eyes with me and tried to control her breath. I was jumping up and down inside: SUCCESS!! She still got upset a few more times, but quickly calmed herself using the tricks we've been working on. When she calmed down the first time, Eli said, "Mommy, she got self-control! She not crying anymore....she takes big breaths like I doo-s." (We also try to use the slow breathing technique with Eli when he starts to get frustrated and mad...before it gets out of hand.) Let's just say for as loud and stressful as breakfast was, it had a wonderful silver lining.

Speaking of My Maddie, she is talking more and more. Her vocab is expanding, though if you're not with her everyday, you might not recognize some of the words. She can say "hi" (sometimes it sounds like 'high-eeee'), "baahhl" (ball), "bah-bull" (bubble), and "bye" (again, 'bye-eeee'). My favorite is her constant roll call of the people in the room (or pictures of them). She loves to point at me and say, "Mahhh!!", then she points to Lehr and says, "Dah!!!", and she never forgets Eli, "Ee-I!" She'll even point to herself sometimes and say "Mah-de", but it doesn't sound quite like her name.

Growing Up So Quick!

I can't believe it: my boy is already shaving!! No, not really. But it is still scary to see him pretend to do this 'big boy' thing! Grandma Cathie got the kids each a small pretend shaving/bathing kit for Valentine's Day. Maddux is clueless, but Eli has obviously seen someone shave (probably not Daddy since he doesn't much, if at all, anymore) because he knew exactly what to do! Lehr gave the kids a bath and snapped some shots of Eli lathering up and 'shaving' away the special foam. Too funny!

Big Boy Bed

One GREAT thing about Eli being in a big boy bed is the snuggle factor before he falls asleep. Instead of reading in his chair, now we can lie in bed with him and read books, talk, pray......and fall asleep!! Eli has never been a fan of falling asleep with us (not even as a baby), but the other night, he did!! Lehr was reading to him; after 15 minutes I decided to check on them to see what was happening. At 8:15PM, both of my boys were sound asleep. That does happen from time to time for Lehr, but Eli ALWAYS stays up talking and singing in his bed until 9PM or so. Good times!!

On a related note, Eli is sleeping in better now. He's not quite back to his regular 9-930AM wake up time, but he's sleeping until at least 8AM before nature calls, which makes everyone happy!

Valentines and Centerpieces

Eli had his class Valentines Day party this morning. Maddie and I arrived just before noon and the food portion of the day had just ended. (His class tends to have an all-day party to celebrate holidays because their room mom ROCKS and because the kids can handle many more crafts and activities than they could last year.) When we walked in, the students were just finishing up pop-up cards for mommies and daddies. Eli actually made a nice smiley face on his with glitter glue....all by himself! Maddux roamed around, checking out everything she could. As we were walking to the class, his teacher passed us in the hall (the aide and a few other moms were in the room with the kids). She informed me that Eli had eaten SO much food during the party. There were cupcakes, a cookie cake (with bananas on it), cookies and Hershey kisses. Eli had sampled it all, of course.

After the cards came a special story time and then some general play before we left. Eli's best buddy, Sanjit, came over to Maddie and gave her a Valentine - so sweet!! She carried it all around and growled at everyone as she showed it off. (There was a teddy bear on it.) Every time I go to his class I'm amazed at how grown up Eli is becoming. He was very well-behaved today, despite the sugar coursing through his veins, and he was very excited to 'show off' his mommy and sister to everyone. When the kids sat down for story-time, Sangit had just given Maddux her card. She sat with me, but Eli called across the room, "Maddie, dats from Sangit. Can you say 'Sanjit', Maddie?" And when the kids were all playing, I heard another child call, "Eli!!!" and turned around to see one of Eli's friends from last year summoning Eli from across the room to play with him. He has this whole other life at school that I'm not a part of and it is so cool.

When we got home, the kids played on the back porch while I made lunch. We had just put Eli's homemade flowers in a vase on the kitchen table, so Eli must have been in the decorating mood. He came running inside with a long branch containing several dead leaves. (It was actually really pretty!) He said, "MOMMY!! We HAVE to use dis for da table so everyone can look at it." I told him it would go perfectly on the table outside since we planned to eat out there for dinner. He and Maddux spent a good 15 minutes after lunch decorating the table even more. Obviously Eli has inherited this gene from Grandma Cathie; he certainly didn't get it from me! Maddux had a blast finding pine needles, pine cones, and other yard 'decorations' with her brother. I swear she would follow him over hot coals....

Valentines

After naps, the kids and I made Valentines for Eli's class party tomorrow. Well, not so much 'made' as colored and decorated the backs of McQueen hologram Valentine cards. Either way, he got really into it. (Maddux drew a picture with crayons while Eli worked on his cards.) After we completed the ten cards for his class, I asked Eli if there was anyone else he wanted to give a card too. (When I asked him this last week, he listed everyone, I mean EVERYONE, he knew.) Today he started the list with 'Maddie'. (YAY!!!) Then he made one for Daddy, Mommy, and Eli. (Yes, he made one for himself.)

So one last time, I asked, is there anyone else you love and want to make a card for? Eli's eyes lit up and he said "God!" Then, "You could give it to Him."

So I asked, "When am I going to see God?"

Eli told me, "You have to go in an airpwane because God is really far away." Then he drew a baseball on the card and gave God a truck sticker.

Donation Corner: My Stuff Bags

A few weeks back, a friend pointed me to a blog that has consumed my time and my heart since I read the first post. Matt lost his wife the day after their daughter was born, leaving him to deal with grief and joy, both at once. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have not read in his words that he is a believer; personally I have no idea how he has managed to care for his daughter in the amazing way he has without faith. That task seems next to impossible for me... I don't know that it was God's will for Liz to leave this earth so quickly after her daughter was born, but I do believe that God can turn any situation around to have a profound and positive impact. While I'm sure most people would agree that it might have been best for everyone if Madeline would have been able to grow up with both parents alive and present in her life on earth, I think that the relationship between Matt and Madeline will be better and closer than ever possible had things gone another way last March. Through the tears, Matt seems to have become this awesome "Mr. Mom" who has done all he can to make sure his daughter knows she is loved and cared for every second of the day. (I urge you to read the blog, but keep Kleenex nearby because it is real, it is raw, and it is heart-wrenching.)

One of the things Matt has done to help others in hard situations is support My Stuff Bags Foundation. So many children in our country need to be rescued from dangerous home environments: more than 300,000 each year! These kids often have to leave home quickly, without a chance to pack their belongings. As they make that scary transition from their home to foster care, My Stuff Bags hopes to put a My Stuff bag into every child in this situation.

Now is the part where I tell you how you can help. Obviously, money donations are accepted. You can also collect or buy toys or books for these kids and send them to the foundation. Some items they need are stuffed animals, coloring books, small toiletries, small photo albums, rattles, school supplies, books, hats, and toys. Handmade crafts are always a nice touch also. If you want to make a cuddly (and easy!!) blanket, here are the directions. And finally, if you live in SoCal, you can volunteer your time.

Spring Has Sprung!

At least for a week! We had amazingly warm weather in Atlanta this weekend, especially considering the single-digit temps we had as recently as Thursday. Friday night we had a family dinner on a local pizza joint's patio. Then we spent Saturday morning at a cool new park near Uncle D's house. Eli had a blast watching the skateboarders with Daddy while Maddux ran around one of the playground structures with D and I. We all walked over to the dog park after a bit to check out the action there. Both kids loved seeing the dogs run around and chase tennis balls. Eli thought it was funny to see them chase sticks too, so he asked D to throw a stick so he could 'fetch'. This game lasted at least ten minutes: each time Eli would fetch, he would carry the stick near his mouth, pretending to be a dog. Maddux just stuck to the fence, watching the dogs run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. We watched a little more skateboarding while Daddy and D played on the playground apparatus also. At this point I left, but the guys took the kids to an outdoor lunch, allowing for more good times in the sun.

Sunday was more of the same. Once we got home from church, we moved Eli's basketball hoop to the driveway so we could play in the warmth. Eli had plenty of new moves to show me from his date night at the Hawk's game. We ate lunch on the back porch and the kids took a quick nap. We soaked up more above-50-degree temps after their naps too. Eli played some one-on-one with a friend from across the street and Maddux dug in the dirt. Life is good.

Date Night

Eli's friend, Cooper, scored a few tickets to the Hawks game tonight, so they took their dads out for a Boys Night Out. Eli and Daddy stopped and got dinner first at Six Feet Under. As of late, Eli's been obsessed with crabs and lobsters and their 'prickley' legs. I think it started on New Years' Eve when Grandma and Grandpa gave him an empty crab leg to inspect. Now we can't stroll through Publix without checking out the red legs.... Anyway, after a sunset dinner, the boys went to the game and had a blast. Eli insisted they stay until the end (even though his friend left around half-time). Lehr said Eli was completely fascinated by the action on the court. (10th row seats helped a little!!) When they got home, Eli showed me the (free) souvenirs he'd obtained, including a Chik-Fil-A cow attached to a parachute. Then he told me about a guy who ran and jumped and tried to make a basket. (Of course he acted it out for me.) Life is good.

First Parent-Teacher Conference

This morning Eli did not have school. Instead, I got to meet with his teacher, Mrs. Upshaw, to discuss his progress so far this year. Lehr stayed home a little later this morning to watch the kids so I could attend the meeting; Eli and Maddux were SO excited about that. The conference was short and sweet: no surprises. The 'test' the kids were given sometime last month indicated that Eli knows and can identify all of his colors and shapes, and he identified numbers 1-8 (but not 9 and 10) correctly. I did not expect that Eli knew all of the numbers; even though we have a place mat with them and we point them out all of the time, he doesn't always give me the correct answer when I ask "What is this?" So the fact that he knew them all except for two thrilled me. Then the teacher went over a checklist of behaviors, qualified with 'atta boy', 'ehhh....getting there', or 'not so much'. The only area Eli really needs help in is staying focused. This didn't shock me at all; we struggle with the same thing at home. (For example, on the way to the bathroom before his nap today, Eli walked downstairs, opened the closet door, put his shoes in the corner, piled the boom-whackers on the table, turned on a few lights, and brushed his teeth.) Mrs. U did say that when the class is seated at the table, he focuses wonderfully. It's when they are transitioning from station to station, or when the class is divided into separate activities that Eli struggles. The teach said he's improving in the areas of following directions and movement (jumping, fine-motor skills, etc.).

She saved the best for last. Mrs. Upshaw knows about the way we eat in our house. She and I have discussed it before because I've requested that Eli have water instead of juice at school. (By the way, she totally backs me on this; her house is run the same way.) So she said she was shocked a few weeks ago when Eli responded to another teacher tossing an empty energy drink can into the trash. He asked her, "Is that a beer?" Of course, that did not shock me at all.

WWJD

The kids and I went to Costco today to stock up on some house staples. As we walked back to our car (kids in full cart, wind blowing, cars everywhere), a woman approached us with a paper in her hand. She had something written on there about having two kids and needing money to feed them. She offered a few words of English, but it was obviously not her first language (hence the paper). I apologized and kept walking, but promised myself that I would track her down once we got back to our car and give her a ten-dollar bill. (Even though we were in a busy parking lot, I'm a bit hesitant to stop, look through my purse/wallet, and hand out money, especially while with my kids. Who knows who is watching, or who this woman could be?)

As we continued to the car, I vacillated back and forth between hoping she really had two kids and hoping she didn't have two kids. If she was telling the truth, it would make me happy to know that not everyone asking for money is trying to scam me. However, if she was lying, at least that meant there weren't two hungry kids back at her apartment or car waiting for her to return with some way for them all to eat. That image is too much for me to handle these days. Having no money is scary, but having no money when you have to support children is downright terrifying.

By now I'm emptying the cart and loading up the kids. I vow to not just give her $10, but to give her whatever cash I have in my wallet. All of it. I couldn't get her face out of my mind. She seemed so sad and sincere. She also seemed ashamed to ask...I watched her approach other people and she never chased them down or yelled out to get some one's attention. Her whole demeanor told me she had no other choice but to beg for money... Unfortunately, all I had in my purse was five one-dollar-bills. Silently cursing Lehr for taking some bigger bills from my wallet that morning, I pulled around the parking lot until I found her. I handed her the money, apologizing that it was all the cash I had. She thanked me over and over, telling me "God bless you and your family."

Then the unexpected, but awesomely perfect, aftermath occurred. As soon as I rolled my window up, Eli asked, "Whatchu doin' wiff dat lady, Mommy?" This would normally be where I fumbled around to give the best answer, all the while giving horribly awkward pseudo answers in hopes of dumbing it down for him enough so that he really got it. Instead, God gave me words that seemed to flow effortlessly from my mouth. I told him something to the effect of "That woman has two kids, but she doesn't have any food for them right now and they're hungry. She asked me for some money to buy them food. I gave it to her because I think that is what Jesus would want me to do. I think if He was here, He would have given her His money too. Plus, if you and Maddie were hungry and I needed food, I would be so happy if someone helped me and gave me money to feed you guys."

The cool part is, I think he got it. He told me, "I could give her my money too."

Out Of The Mouth Of Eli

So as we did baths tonight, Eli commented that his tummy hurt. He doesn't complain of such ailments normally, so Lehr and I believed him and asked a few more questions. We had just eaten his favorite dinner (burritos from Willy's), and Eli had finished his entire (adult-sized) meal, so the sheer volume should be enough to cause some discomfort. Lehr realized that Eli had taken in two containers of tomatillo salsa tonight (instead of his usual one), so he cautioned him that sometimes eating too much spicy food can cause an upset stomach. Eli's response?

"Hey Mommy!! You ss-ouldn't give me tomatee-yo cuz it make my tummy hurt! Don't do it again!"

Monday Fun

So we're sitting at dinner tonight and Eli looks over to me and asks, "Where are your fee-wings, Mommy?" I guess he's heard me talk about hurting some one's feelings a lot recently and since 'hurt' is something he associates with the physical, he is looking for an exact location. I told him they are in his heart. He quickly corrected me, telling me his feelings were in his 'noggit'. (Noggin)

Maddux is so good about giving kisses. She loves to purse her lips and give love. In the last week she has cupped my face two separate times before planting one on my lips. Once she grabbed my cheeks (in a nice way) and puckered up. Then today she cupped my chin, oh so gently, and 'mmmm'-ed up to me. LOVE. IT!

Weekend Update

We had no real plans this weekend, but we ended up running a lot of family errands. This wasn't too exciting for Eli and Maddie, but they fared pretty well. We did take in some of the great weather by playing in the front yard Saturday morning. It was chilly, but oh-so sunny for a change! Eli is into 'painting' the driveway by use of a paint roller. Every day he tells me, "I got lot work to do, Mommy. I need to paint the driveway again." Maddie wants to do whatever he does, so she is often jockeying for a chance to push the roller also. Most of her time outside is spent throwing balls out of the ball bucket in the garage. She'll yell "Baaaaah!!" as she throws them.

Since I haven't talked about it in a while, Eli's potty training is basically complete. He's still in a pull-up for naps and night-time, but he hasn't had a dirty pull up since at least Christmas. The downside of that is his wake up time has shifted almost 2 hours earlier. Since his body is currently telling him when he needs to use the bathroom, he wakes up at 7 or 7:30 and goes. This is waaaay earlier than we're used to. The good news (besides the fact that he's really 'getting it') is that he will go back to his room after he's gone. For now.

Eli gets homework from school each weekend; this weekend was a heart he was supposed to color/decorate and return on Monday. I pulled out the water-paints for him to use on his project and he had a great time. He was very purposeful in his painting in the beginning, changing colors every few strokes. I loved seeing him concentrate so hard!

Sugar Police

I am not making this up. I did not script the following. If you know me well, you know this story rates up there with my other 'favorite things'.

Eli went to the dentist last week, followed by a dentist visiting his class today. Eli has been working on Elmo's teeth since his visit with the tooth doctor last week, but there hasn't been much conversation about what he learned. During lunch today he rattled on and on about anything and everything under the sun. (My little man has become VERY chatty as of late.) Out of nowhere Eli told me the following:
"Mommy, dere's sugar in ice cweam."

"Wow...you're right, Eli. How do you know that?"

"I just do." Pause. "Annn sugar is bad for you." Pause. "If you eat too much cake or cookies you get sick."

Angels sing. Light pours in through the window. All is right with the world.

The Daily Maddie

Maddux makes me laugh every day. In ways that are different from how Eli brings me to chuckles. First off, her lip is amazing. She sticks it out ALL of the time. Not just when she's sad, not just when she's trying to persuade you...ALL of the time. She has so many other facial expressions too. She's become a regular Jim Carrey/rubber face, to be honest. She contorts her mouth and lips in such goofy ways....

Also, the tear factory can turn on in a split second. Since we've really started to set limits with her, she's been quick to inform Lehr and I that she is not a fan... When I give her the minute-warning before breakfast is over (this is after she's eaten more than a bowl of cereal and now she's being pokey about finishing up and telling me 'all done'), she looks at me and calmly says, "noooooo..." (this is her favorite word) Then I take the bowl from her and she acts as if her world is crumbling.

One of my favorite things is her obvious love for music. She likes the drums, but not as much as Eli. She tends to prefer to be a singer (lip-syncher so far) or dancer. Or even just stage-groupie for Eli. When I finish reading to her before naps and bedtime, I tell her that it's time for a song and she starts to hum. It is the sweetest, most feminine hum I've ever heard. And she loves "Row Your Boat", "This Little Piggy", "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", and "Seven Days" (TMBG). She will say "wroooo" to ask for the first, she'll lift her foot to you for the pigs, she sings "baaaaaa" for the third, and she reiterates her catch-phrase ('nooo-nooo') for the Giants song ("Oh no-no, I never go to work! Oh no-no....").

Faith In Action

Today we had a 'work day' at our church. Instead of going outside of our walls to practice Faith In Action, we all pushed up our sleeves and tried to prepare the church for the many newcomers we have had walking through our doors. For me this meant taking pictures of the hard work, but I also picked up a paintbrush here and there. Lehr worked hard in the basement doing manly stuff with a hammer. And Eli and Maddux spent their morning with their friends in the childcare area. Eli was a bit disappointed about this. In the past, kids aged three and up could participate with their parents. Eli was totally excited to 'c-ween' and paint with Daddy. It wasn't possible this time due to the amount of heavy labor needed. On the bright side, he was moved up to the older room at church, so he's hanging out with some of his older friends now. Maddux was a bit teary going into her class, but I was told that she got happy quick and even started to help comfort another child who was upset.

We picked the kids up from their rooms at noon so we could all eat lunch together. The long (and early) morning finally caught up with Eli and he had a meltdown about eating lunch. He shifted his mood once he saw the stack of cupcakes, however. (Especially when he saw his buddies, Tyler and Noah enjoying their tasty treats!) When he realized he could score one of them by zipping his lip and finishing his lunch, he rose to the challenge. You'd think this kid never gets cupcakes or something! Oh wait...he doesn't ;)

First Trip to the Dentist

Eli visited the dentist for the first time this morning. We chose a pediatric dentist near the house that came recommended by a friend. (They don't need to see Maddux until she's 3.) I prepped Eli in the last week, telling him that the dentist is a doctor for teeth. We also role-played a few nights after his bath by having Eli lie down on the couch while I brushed his teeth and pretended to count them. By the time today rolled around, the kid was downright excited! This morning I broke the news to him that Maddux and I would not be able to go back to the chair with him, but other kids would be back there with the doctor at the same time.

"Will God be wiff me, protecting me?", he asked. I assured him He would, but not to worry; the dentist was nice. (No need to be protected.)

When the time came, Eli went right through the door with the hygienist. There was a lengthy tooth-chipping procedure that went in right before us, so Eli had to wait in the back for quite some time before the dentist could see him. Maddie and I were getting antsy in the waiting room (it was over an hour!), but the staff assured me that Eli was fine. In fact, he was entertaining everyone: kids and adults. He chose cotton candy fluoride and grape toothpaste, both of which he liked. Then he got to pick out a toothbrush, a floss pick, and a toy from the drawer. He chose two caterpillar/worm things. The dentist came out to speak to me after Eli was done: clean bill of health. All teeth, baby and permanent, are lined up nicely. Everyone commented again on Eli's sweet demeanor before we left - something I can never hear too much of!

As soon as we got home Eli ran upstairs and started playing with Elmo. Eli was the dentist and Elmo was the patient. Eli brushed his teeth and used tweezers to count the pearly whites. In recent days Eli has been attaching a variety of roles to his stuffed animals. Most recently, Big Elmo is the daddy, Little Elmo is the baby (as are Sam and Baa), and the polar bear is the Mommy. This morning Eli told me that the mommy was going to go to work.

"But don't worry!", he told me, rather quickly. "The daddy is staying home."

More Random Updates

I know my posts have been a bit infrequent as of late....life has just been busy! The kids are making sure that any 'down time' I have is filled also. Both kids have an ever-changing vocabulary; here are a few recent samples.

Maddux knows how to say "ow" and she says it ALL of the time. Even when she isn't in pain. It all started when Lehr accidentally caught her hair in her bib a few times. Now she says "ow" each and every time you put her bib on, even if her hair doesn't get caught. And she always furrows her eyebrows and gives you a 'poor me' look as she says it. If it weren't so cute, it would be pathetic.

My girl is also saying 'uh oh' now. Except it comes out "uh-ho". She knows the appropriate times to say it and it gives her great pleasure that she has mastered this phrase.

The other day Eli started showing his more sensitive side. He carried two of his stuffed animals (Sam, the dog, and "Baa" the sheep) downstairs. He had them wrapped in his mommy-blanket, and he informed us that they were sleeping. (He also cautioned us to "be vewy vewy quiet" so we didn't wake them up.) Eli had a whole story about how they were sick and he needed to give them medicine and let them sleep. Then, when they cried, he ran to them and picked them up. Fast forward a few days when Eli told me, "If Maddie cries, just pick her up and hug her. I can hug her too...that make her feel better."

When Eli is not being extra sensitive towards Maddux, he's making sure she stays in line. He loves to tell her (usually nicely) what the rules are and he's the first one to let her know if she's not following them. My words are coming back to me because all I hear these days when he thinks he is supposed to be parenting her is "NO SIR!" We are constantly reminding him that he is not her parent, but for now the first-born characteristics are in full bloom.

The World According to Eli

Eli is telling amazing stories and re-caps these days. Every afternoon I hear a new dream or thought, all told in a very serious and excited little voice. Here are a few from this week, which just happen to be of the religious variety.

One night this week, Lehr went under the house to change the air filters. He had to go into the crawl space (accessed under the back deck), which totally intrigued Eli. He asked to help Lehr; he wanted to use his camping flashlight to help Lehr see. Once they got to the entrance, Lehr said Eli's eyes got really big and he asked, "You goin' in dere!?!?" Lehr assured him he'd be fine, but Eli could wait at the entrance and hold the flashlight so he could see. Eli obliged, and the two came back into the house minutes later. Eli was so excited to tell me how they went under the house and how Daddy went into the dark place to fix the air 'fing'.

"Mommy, we went under the deck and there was animals under there!! I fink dere is a bear down there!!"

"Really? Did you see it?"

"No, but I heard it. Guess what, Jesus was down dere too!! He was 'tecting me. (protecting)I wasn't 'say-erd' at all!"

Eli has become quite interested in stickers recently. We've had many conversations about where stickers do and don't go. In our house, stickers are allowed on your clothes or skin, but not on books, walls, or furniture. Once a week, Eli will come across a page of stickers and he'll ask if he can 'pway' with them. I tell him he can, reviewing the rules. This week he asked Maddie if she wanted a sticker on her shirt, and then he asked me if I wanted one. Once Mad Dog and I had quite a collection going, Eli decided he needed a few also. He put McQueen stickers on his shirt, up near where a shirt pocket would go.

"Mommy, look at my sticker! It's on my shirt...next to my heart wiff God."

It's truly awesome when you realize that the stuff you keep telling your kids really is getting through to them.

My Maddie-Maddie

Poor girl. I don't know if it's teeth again or a small cold, but she's been drooling, runny-nosed and clingy-CLINGY to me the last few days. Today she was beside-herself-miserable for most of the time. And she nodded off on the way to pick Eli up from school. She hasn't done that in months!

The good news is, she's even more cuddly when she feels this way. Sunday I read her a book before her nap and she sat facing me instead of facing the book. She just laid her head on my chest and listened to me read. Then I sang to her and rocked her. I was enjoying the moment so much that I kept going until about five minutes later I realized Maddie's eyes were shut and she was breathing very rhythmically. Like Eli, she hasn't needed anyone to rock her to sleep since she was about six weeks old. But unlike him, she'll let you if you offer (Eli refuses - he WANTS to fall asleep on his own...always has). It was so nice to spend that quality time with her because who knows how much longer it'll last. One thing I know for sure: babies don't keep!!

Lehr decided to capitalize on her cuddly mood by trying the same thing with her last night. She didn't let him rock her to sleep (she had 'ants in the pants', as Lehr says), but she was equally as sweet with him. She would lay on his chest for a minute and then pop her head up and kiss him. Repeat, repeat. I got a taste of this tonight as I read her a book. She prefers to sit facing me most of the time now, so it isn't hard for her to look up and sneak a kiss. What I love(d) about it more than anything was how intentional she was. She put her chubby little hands on each of my cheeks and planted one right on my lips, like I do with her and Eli sometimes. I love that girl!!

A Week Of Eli

Since we just had a large intake of toys and books and clothes at our house (aka Christmas), I figured it was a good time to go through our current stash and downsize. Besides the fact that the kids have just outgrown some of them, we have too much. I involved the kids, explaining that we have more than we need and lots of kids don't have any toys, so we were gathering some so they could have fun too. Eli really got into it (yay!!); he even offered to donate his electric guitar! He told me, "I have accoustic one, Mommy....'nother kid can play wiff dis one." (I didn't donate the electric since he really cherishes it, but I was tempted because his heart was so giving.) He also offered to give up some of his new toys. Ones that he really likes and has played with a lot. I love that kid!

Eli brought home several art projects from school this week. His classroom is always decorated with the students' art, so we often receive these masterpieces after the season is over. Today he brought home a painted candy cane, a few sticker-decorated trees, a saran-wrapped, paper-plate hard candy, and the cutest reindeer I've ever seen. It is a brown hand print, upside down, with a nose dotted on the thumb and hooves dotted on the other fingers. Eli sprinkled glitter and hole-punched white paper to look like snow. I love it. Eli asked if we could hang it in his room. (The back of his door is covered with art work from school and church.) I told him I'd rather hang it in the kitchen so everyone could see it because if it was in his room, people who come over might miss it. Eli told me, "No... Cuz on my door, God, and kids I love, ummmm Logan, Tyler, Noah & Cooper....they could see it."

One last Eli note. This week he gathered up five or six of his stuffed animals and brought them downstairs. He carried them into the guest room, piled them on the bed, and turned out the light as he closed the door. Then he whispered to me, "Don't wake dem up! De're sweeping!!" Apparently Eli's animals were sick. I asked him if they had a cold or a cough or a sick tummy. He told my their stomachs hurt because they ate a 'lotta lotta' cake.

Roller Derby

Eli went roller skating for the first time today. (And mommy went for the first time in 15 years!) Eli's buddy, Logan, had his fourth birthday party this morning. All of his friends and their families had a great time at a local roller rink. Eli could not wait to get his skates on. He started to skate on the carpet while I was lacing up only to discover that skates are tricky! He felt half a dozen times (on the carpet) before I had my first skate on. Nevertheless, he still wanted to go on the real rink. Slowly and very carefully, I tried to guide him around the slick surface, but he fell again and again. After several hard blows to the derriere, Eli asked to go back to the indoor playground (which was awesome, by the way). Time for pizza - Eli got a little clingy and wanted me to sit with him. Then he ran back to the playground with his friends. When the cake came out, he planted himself right next to Logan (which was also right next to the cake...big shocker). The rest of the time was spent alternating between the rink and the playground. I am so glad he kept asking to try to skate again...no matter how many times he fell, he kept trying again.

Kriss Kross Will Make Ya....

Eli is finally starting to want to dress himself. Of course he's able, but he is/was never willing. We came in from school today and he asked for his hoodie so he could put it on 'all by-self'. I did have to put the hood on his head (to hold the jacket in place), but from there he got the arm holes and everything. And he was sooo proud. After lunch we made our usual trip to the bathroom (it's been a looong time since he's had an accident during naps!) and then I instructed Eli to go to his room and put on his 'night-night underwear' (a pull-up). He came out and asked if he could wear his jeans to bed. I told him 'yes', but he had to put them on himself. He did and then came to where Maddux and I were so he could ask me for help with the snaps. I cracked up at his straight face...he had no clue he had the pants on backwards.

Donation Corner: Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer

I know...I'm behind in my posts. Over the holidays I signed up for a walk that I made the decision to walk back in October. I guess I'm behind in other areas of my life too!!

For the last few years, I've walked in the Atlanta 2-day Walk for Breast Cancer. As great an organization as that is, I'm trying a new walk for the same cause this year. In October I'll walk 60 miles in three days with several other thousands of men and women who also raised money for the cause. This is not only a longer distance than the 2-Day walk, but I also need to raise more funds: $2,300.00.

Let's talk a little more about that cause. Eighty-five percent of the net proceeds for this year's even will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Every advancement in breast cancer research, treatment, education and prevention in the last 25 years has been touched by a Komen Grant. And most everyone has been touched in some way by breast cancer through a mother, a wife, a sister, or a friend.

Please join me in raising awareness and funds for this amazing organization. (Click here to donate.) They have helped so many women cope with and survive breast cancer; I'm walking so they can continue to do just that.

OBC on Fox This Morning!

Totally unrelated, but Fox 5 did a 2-hour stint at Piedmont Park this morning, showing our bootcamp and interviewing instructors and campers. Here is the link, but I recommend you click on the videos to the right of the one shown on that page because they give a better description/depiction of what we do.

A Moo Moo Here, and A Moo Moo There

Oh the things my kids say. I love it!! Maddux is always talking, but now she's making more sense. She is big BIG into animals; she loves to know what noise they make. Her bear growl is awesome...I'll try to get some video posted for those of you who haven't experienced it first hand. Her favorite thing to do is take one of her bear figurines (the polar bear is her favorite) or a teddy bear and chase you with it, growling the whole time. She thinks it is hilarious. (And she's right!!) Maddie can tell you that an owl says, "Whoooo", a cat says, "meow-meow", a cow says, "boooo" (we're working on that), a monkey says, "Oooh Eeeee", and a rooster says, "ock-a-doooo". She will point up to where we have the animals displayed, nod her head and make one of the animal noises, in the hopes we'll get it for her to play with.

Maddux is also getting better at words that should help her in daily life. She says, "Moh" for 'more' and "Seeeeees" for 'cheese'. She often finishes her milk and lifts the glass towards me as she calls out, "MOOOOHHHH!!!" It helps that she tries to wink at me, to remind me that she's both cute and a charmer. Her wink is a double blink, but it's very deliberate. Maddie will make eye contact with you first, staring you down. Then she'll blink both eyes, very pronounced, and she might follow it up with some double squinting.

Eli has come up with some new verbiage also. He hears everything we say and he obviously stores it deep in his head because the things I hear come out of his mouth are things Lehr and I say throughout the day. My favorite right now is his "How's your day doin'?", but I already told you about that. My other favorite is his description of what people around him do. He'll put his guitar over his shoulder a certain way because the guitar player at church does it that way. Or he'll wear a shirt tucked in because D does it that way. However, he doesn't say it quite that way; Eli's version is "Daddy doo-s that." Last night he put his hands in his pockets and said, "Look! My hands are in my pockets. Daddy doo-s that too." (By the way, I realize the last two examples are not grammatically correct, but I have yet to really correct Eli. It's just too cute to hear him say it the way he does. For now I'll just talk the right way and I know he'll figure it out soon enough.)

The last example is the newest. Lehr and I say "Every day I do...WAADA WAADA WAAA!" from time to time, in response to a question. It's a little inside joke which came from this ESPN commercial starring Tracy Morgan. A few times in the last few days, Eli has told me "All day I do." The first time he said it, I didn't understand. Especially because Eli didn't grin or get giggly when he said it. He just said, "Yes. All day I do." But the second or third time I heard it, it hit me. Funny stuff.....

Master of Communication

Eli is really learning the art of conversation. Every meal ends with Eli putting his hands in self-control and asking "May I be excused?" Many times the answer is "No", because Maddux is still eating her food. So then Eli asks, "Can I talk, Mommy?" (I assume because when we practice self-control at other times, speaking is not allowed). My answer to that questions is 'yes', and then Eli engages whoever is sitting there in some small talk. Usually he asks, "What ss-uud (should) we talk about?" first, and then he moves forward with whatever topic we've chosen. The other day he stepped up his skills, asking Grandpa Jim, "how's your day doin?"

(On a side note, this is my 1000th post. That's a lot of stories about my kids!)