P90x!

Sarge finally got the P90x  workout stuff and its working fast!   hes really sore, and Belle thought it was a great game or a dance or something, so shes been doing it with him and sleeping through the night instead of waking up in the wee hours of the morning and writing all over my fridge in sharpie!    (btw, Mr. clean magic eraser and fingernail polish remover took care of that little incident)
They are sooo cute together, and Belle is great motivation for sarge to keep going. "come on daddy lets go! do it again!"

 This is a grimace of workout pain, AND a smile at his little workout partner :)

 Not to be outdone in the athletic department, Isaac decided to start walking a few days ago!  My ten month old little man just stood up in the middle of the floor and started going!

 

Cant paint my toes

Belle has been on a nail painting kick the past few weeks, so I took her to the store and let her pick out a few colors.      I was almost done painting her tiny little toe nails and she had a brilliant idea! Mommy!   paint  YOUR toes!   then you can have red toes too!!!

Only problem is, I couldn't do it.     Not that I lack the skill required to give my self cherry red toe nails, I just could not mentally make myself do it.  

Ive been successfully avoiding this problem without much difficulty for a long time, but now that Belle is getting older, she is starting to notice that mommy doesn't dress up.       I had on  clothes  for Easter that a very nice friend picked out for me, and Belle was in shock that "mommy's wearing a princess!"    and "look!  your shoes! they're black" (she hadn't ever seen me wear anything but flip flops and tennis shoes).

Now the finger nail polish thing.


I find myself forced to address the fact that I am unable to feel comfortable wearing pretty things.    
I dont wear makeup, or jewelry, or paint my toes.  I don't fix my hair very much, ect...ect...ect...
Having anything to do with being beautiful or looking feminine was something that my Father mocked to no end.   "so stupid, shes painting her toes"   "that's the ugliest hairdo i've ever seen, she looks like a rooster"
" those pants look stupid"   and on and on it went......   so  I wore sports jerseys, t-shirts, and boys shorts,
rebelling against everything "girly girly".   And got teased  by cruel kids who called me a lesbian.  but hey, as long as i had daddy's approval, right?

When you do something for so long, i guess it just becomes part of you.
The problem is, I don't want this part anymore.

In truth, I have no style to speak of.    My jeans and t-shirt wardrobe leaves much to be desired.
hmm...  maybe i'll nominate myself for What not to wear......

I don't even know  what style I would want.    Doesn't help much that clothes are $$$   and right now my budget has paying a mortgage wayyyy up on the priority list, and new clothes for me is almost last.

I brought up my concerns with a room full of my friends last night (all women).       There were about ten of us there, and I wound up making most of them cry.   Turns out, the way I feel going out in public all dolled up is the way most women feel if they don't get makeup on and fix their hair, and look just right.
like someone is looking down scrutinizing every detail of you.   And the world might just end if someone sees you and you don't look the way you think they think you should.       (try saying THAT five times fast!)
I don't think people  in general notice what your wearing near as much as you do.
I had several people shocked that my self esteem wasn't through the roof because " I was beautiful enough to be a model".      

My inner scorn of all things feminine is NOT acceptable any longer.   I don't want my daughter growing up wondering why I put pretty dresses and bows on her, and paint her nails, but I walk around dressed like I'm making a quick trip to Wal-mart all the time.


I'm sure I'll write more on this later, but for now I'm going to go enjoy the remainder of this rare moment when I am the only person awake in the house :)

Time is dropping

Last night I was scrubbing potatoes getting ready to bake them and sarge was banging around the kitchen looking for the tea pitcher.      He peeked into the cabinet above the stove  and when the pitcher wasn't there he slammed the door in frustration.        I was overcome with pain as something ( i thought for a split second that the ceiling fell in and it was a cabinet)   crashed onto my head/ bent over neck and fell to the floor.      

Our pretty clock that someone gave us for a wedding gift had fallen about 4 feet and broken in bits.
I was doing my best not to cry because i didn't want Belle to freak out.      I was shaking really bad, and Sarge thought I had a concussion or something because he went into CLS (combat lifesaver, the army's version of a paramedic )    and was all checking my eyes and stuff.     Then I explained through gasps of pain that I wasn't going to DIE, I was shaking because I though a cabinet fell on me.          Sarge felt like a big heel because his little door slamming tantrum caused me great pain, and i got a nice neck massage out of it :)
It was hard to get comfortable last night, and my neck is still sore, although I am reasonably sure it didn't cause any permanent damage.  

By the way, that tea pitcher he was looking for?    It was in the fridge.  

Mystic Pizza

After A long day with lots of fits and potty accidents,   it's finally time for Belle to go night night.
OF COURSE, she picks a very old, large book about planets that was  Sarges  when he was young.
As I read through the facts about earth, her interest is growing ( i expected her to get bored really quick)
and I turn the page and find the big bang theory spelled out like facts.
Im only stuck for a few moments before the story of god and creation is being "read" instead.
Belles eyes grow wide with admiration...
and the following conversation takes place-


Belle-  God made everything?
Me- yes.  everything!
Belle-  He made me?  and you? and calvin ? and daddy?
Me-  yes, he made all of us.
Belle-  Kitty too??  
Me-  yes, god made everything!

Belle-  He made the moon? and the stars? and earf? ( earth)
Me-  Yes belle, god made EVERYTHING!
Me-  God made bugs!
Belle-  God made bugs???    did he shoo at them?
Me- I dont think so.

Belle- Mommy?  God made my fan?  and the house?  and elephants? and water?  and books? and elephants and water?  and my shirts? and my boots?  and elephants? and water?     and my baby? and my duck? and my bear? and elephants? and water?

ME- yes, god made everything!

Belle- Mommy, did god make pizza??
Me- yes, god made pizza
Belle- mommy, did he cut it too?
Me- (doing my best to stifle a grin)   yes, shiloh.    God cut the pizza.

 Belle- Mommy?  (big happy grin)  did he eat it too?
Me-  (not quite sure how to answer this one)    (odd silence)   I dont know if he ate it or not.
Belle- Mommy?   I want the pizza!!!
Me-  We dont have any right now..
Belle- oh.  maybe later?  
Me- yes, later we will have pizza :)

(rest assured, I will be getting rid of that book before she learns how to read)




These pictures are from Christmas, when we make
pizza instead of the big hassle of a regular  meal.
Belle decided to put cheese, olives, pepperoni and pecans on hers.      Other than the pecans getting a little soggy, it wasn't too bad.

Bad blogger, bad! sit. stay!

Yes, its been a while..       many many reasons involving computer being taken to other states for weeks by Sarge when he was doing military stuff and internet router crapping out.

Anyway..  here's whats been going on :)

                         We went to the circus!      Belle got to ride a pony!

                                                     For two dollars she got a huge bouncy house all to herself !

            And the elephants !  oh my, the elephants!   it was two weeks before she quit asking to go see the elephants every morning :)

                    Poor Calvin was miserable and HOT at the circus.    And he dropped his pacifier under the bleachers, while Sarge was braving the crowds for bottles of water.     A very understanding stranger with a teenager sent her daughter down under the bleachers to grab it, and i have  never meant thank you more in MY LIFE!!       The lights in the tent made it kind of blurry to get pictures,  but Belle spent 80 % of the main show sitting still with her mouth agape.       The other 20%  she came alive and started dancing with the clowns,  who did a real life version of her favorite game, angry birds : D

                                                             
                                  This was an Easter egg hunt at the state park.    We went with flower (Belles name for one of my moms best friends)    flowers daughter and her two kids, and flowers daughter in law and her daughter.      Belle got a prize egg and won a very cuddly sheep, and earned herself a picture on the state parks facebook!        I cant take credit for this photo, it was taken by the assistant park manager (and family friend).

                                                 After the egg hunt, we played at the playground

                       
                                             and went for a dip in the creek !!
                                                  Calvin  LOVED the water, and cried when it was time to get out!

                                               
                                   This is another fun day at the park,  just mommy and the babes:)

                                                       
                                                      Calvin reallllly likes swinging!

We also had to have a giant pecan tree in the backyard taken down(soooo not in my budget!)  but I held out and got bids so the price went from 800   to 300.   yay frugal me!

  Also, I must mention my amazing son!        I was preparing myself for the month or so of screaming and fighting  because its time for him to go to sleep on his own.     Turns out all i have to do is nurse him and lay him down and hes asleep in under 5 minutes, with no crying!!     BY himself!!            Im soo glad i have atleast  one child that didnt take weeks of training and a strict routine to be okay with bedtime :)  

okay, im going to go put amazing Calvin down for his nap,   but Ill be back soon!