Maizy or Madeline

I remember clearly when I was a kid loving the Madeline books. There were a bunch in the series and the covers all looked hand drawn like this.


I came across a few a while ago and now Alexis loves them.

Maizy recently acquired an adorable red coat with a matching hat from her cousins. It is gorgeous and Maizy loves it. She rarely takes it off and often wears it in the house. Here she is:


And even though the coat is red, not blue it just reminds me of Madeline.





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What is Important

Lately Max has been very attached to me. Perhaps it's a phase, perhaps it's his way of dealing with the fact that hi world is going to change, or perhaps he thinks I'm that awesome. But he follows me everywhere. If we are upstairs and I have to grab something from downstairs he follows, if I go to the bathroom he follows, if I go to the car he is behind me. He wants me to lay in his bed with him, cries when I leave him, and is just so darn cute doing it. Almost every afternoon Max fights his nap. And many days when he throws the biggest fit, he is asleep before we ever get home from school. Today when we get home he convinces me to sit with him for a bit. Then I leave. He comes out. Walks into my room. And stands there. We call him "the creeper" in fact because he often will come out of his bed and walk in and stand there. So I say "what do you need Max?". He says "to tell you I love you". Melt my heart but I say "I love you too Max and now you need to go back to bed". He says "but what if I need something?". "If it is something important than you can come get me otherwise you need to stay in your bed." "But mom that WAS important!". Just as I was about to respond, I hesitated and thought you know what he is absolutely right. I'll take a sweet I love you from him anytime even if it is nap time. Even though at times this attachment issue is a bit annoying, I'll take it. And I'll enjoy it. And I'll look back fondly when he is 13 instead of 3 and I have to beg him to even speak to me.


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Max. Enough Said.

Max is a character. I mean there is really no other way to describe him. He is funny. I mean really funny. What he says often loses something in writing because for him it is all in the delivery. But this morning Alexis was telling us about her bad dream. Whenever she has a bad dream it is about bugs. I guess that is about the worst thing she knows lucky for her!!!! Anyway, she says in her dream that she saw a daddy long legs and she picked it up and ripped its legs off. Max says with a face of pure disappointment, "Lexi, that is terrible. You destroyed one of God's creatures. You should probably apologize to God and he might forgive you.". She started crying of course. I explained that it wasn't actually real so she did not have to worry. Max, however, says, "it's real to the person that dreams it.". Really? Thank you Mr. Profound. Yesterday as we were leaving Alexis's ballet class, there was some trash in the parking lot. Max immediately says, "oooooohhhhh, that is so mean to the world.".

He also has developed his own gamut of profanity three year old style. He knows he shouldn't say certain words so he has made up his own.
Stookey=stupid
Butler=ass
Dummy bear=dumb ass
What the football=I think this one is self explanatory
Doom=damn
Booby boo=not sure exactly but you don't want to be called this




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Winter Break

Oh how I have enjoyed it. Sleeping in, no running around, help with the kids. It's been a nice break from our hectic lives. It's a new year and tomorrow begins again the craziness. But these two weeks have really been a gift. It has reminded me to try to slow down a little more. We spent a lot of the break hanging out with good friends. Alexis has been very social over the break and only let her double pink slow her down minimally. She looked rough though.


She got an American girl doll for Hanukkah and hasn't let the thing out of her sight.


If that's not an ad for American girl, I don't know what is!!!!!! She stayed up to midnight on New Years with her friends, has been playing endlessly with her brother and sister who worship her, and had a tea party for her upcoming birthday. She is a very social girl!

Max has really enjoyed having Ben home. They have gone to Starbucks, to the park, and wrestled around the house. One day I went to work and Ben got a whole day to himself. Of course I forgot to lay out clothes for the kids and he was so proud of getting them dressed that he texted me a picture.


I mean he did have to separately text me a picture of Alexis to ask which shoes went with her outfit but hey he did pretty good. Maizy has been talking so much. She calls Alexis "hehi" for Lexi and she calls Max "Buddy". She is so sweet but a little tougher than Lexi was. I mean if she falls down it is not crying for three hours generally she will get back up! She wants to do whatever Hehi and Buddy are doing. She is cuddly and adorable!

All in all a great break for us all!


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Old Ma

That's what the kids call my grandma. They really are pretty lucky to have a great grandma that is close by and well enough to play with them. I hope I have great grandkids one day to do the same.

When I was little I have great memories of doing her hair and putting makeup on her (to clown extent) and now with the same curlers my kids love to do the same thing when they are at her house. She loves it and they love it. Everybody wins! She is 83 and really in pretty good shape considering. I am so glad they are so close to her and are able to have memories with great grandparents.

The salon:


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Nutcracker

My sweet Alexis tried out for the Nutcracker this year with the dance company that is associated with her dance studio. She was given the part of an Arabian parrot in the Arabian scene. She practiced so hard for the last two months. She takes it so seriously that it is so cute. She is absolutely smitten with ballet and with her ballet teacher. Ben actually has to yell at her every night to stay seated during dinner instead of bite, plie, bite pirouette, bite, arabesque, bite, releve, bite, jete, etc. Usually Alexis ends up out of her chair using our hard wood floors as her stage. And when she isn't doing the above, she is cartwheeling, head standing, and acrobat-ing around the rest of the house. I love how much she loves it. It seems like this is going to be her "thing". She had her dress rehearsal last Monday night which is our only opportunity to take photos or video. So here is my little parrot all dressed up.

Beginning on Wednesday through Sunday, she had five performances. I thought she would get tired of it, but nope! And here are the action shots. She is leading the parrots in the front:

In the next photo, she is head on in the back of the circle. She is the smallest one so she is easy to pick out. Not the best lighting, but she is the front of the flapping line!

Here she is after her final performance. She was so sad it was over and is already talking about what part she wants to be next year. I tried to upload a video but it was too big. I'll try again later.

Things I'm Thankful For

Beginning on this thanksgiving eve and continuing through thanksgiving day, I will make a list of all the things I'm thankful for as a conscious way to appreciate this day of thanks. It is always easy to recall the things we wish didn't happen or happened differently but it is much much harder to recall every little thing we are thankful for.
1. I found my soulmate at age 18 and we have been happily ever after ever since. Fairy tales do come true.
2. Ben's quirky sense of humor that has helped to loosen me up a little.
3. The most amazing parents and childhood that I hope I am replicating for my children.
4. Although not nearly enough, 27 years with the best dad a girl could hope for. I always knew I'd be lucky if I married someone who would be half the dad my dad was. Somehow I ended up married to someone who is just as amazing.
5. 4 living grandparents until was 20.
6. A mom who is also my best friend.
7. A best friend who although she lives across the country is the best friend in the whole world.
8. So many wonderful friends that we fill our home (or my mom's home!) with during major life cycle events.
9. Maizy's belly laugh.
10. The way Alexis takes care of her little sister. So much so that when we have a babysitter, Maizy will only let Alexis carry her around and do things for her and cries when she so much as walks a step away.
11. The way Max smiles when he knows he is trying to be super cute to avoid trouble.
12. Max is EXACTLY like my dad even though he never really knew him in person.
13. Maizy's beautiful blue eyes.
14. A job with flexible hours so I can be with my children to raise then my way and not miss a moment of that precious time.
15. A great boss :)
16. How happy Alexis is when she is dancing.
17. How sensitive Max is and he always knows when you need a hug.
18. The blissful sounds of Alexis and Max playing kindly and sweetly together.
19. My college friends and sorority sisters who no matter what will always be there.
20. Girls night dinners
21. Night time reading in Alexis's bed.
22. Maizy's attempts to copy EVERYTHING her siblings do.
23. So many cousins for my children to grow up with.
24. A large and presently still growing immediate family. My family together is now 11 and Ben's family together any moment will become 15.
25. Our "gang" of extended family that is there for thick and thin.
26. Small holiday gatherings of 30-40 people all of whom I consider family.
27. Beach vacations
28. Co-workers that are all really friends (or family!)
29. Alexis's love for drawing (and she is actually pretty good at it).
30. Minivans with doors that open with a button push :)
31. Hand me down clothes!
32. A house where everyone has their own room.
33. Ben's devotion to our family with his four jobs.
34. Max doesn't really pass out anymore.
35. Maizy's cute little voice as she is learning to talk.
36. Alexis's teachers---a happy Alexis is a happy home.
37. Minor illnesses that may keep us home from school for a couple days but we get to bounce right back from instead of anything serious.
38. Ben's tolerance of my type A neatness!
39. My type A neatness
40. Max's sense of humor
41. Our adopted soldier who now has 12 boxes ready and waiting in our living room to send once a month thanks to our amazing friends and family (and now our living room serves a purpose!)
42. All the soldiers who make all of this list possible
43. My parents supported me through grad school even though I was married so I didn't have to have any student loans.
44. Ben's devotion to ALL of his jobs. When he does something, it's 100%. (except cleaning but that doesn't really belong on this list then, does it?)
45. How good Riley is when small people sit on her, pull her, put tiny fingers in her mouth. So what if she eats dirty diapers and pees when she is mad at us.
46. Almost always having extremely trustworthy and loving and free babysitters! Thanks mom, Karen, and Hank.
47. Ben's AP students who make excellent babysitters when we must pay someone.
48. When Max asks me to "come lay with me" in his bed and snuggles up close.
49. Going to UGA football games with fiends and making memories.
50. Babying all my babies because they won't let me do it forever.

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