break the monotony-

With some blue finger paint!!

                                             Then run outside and rinse off in the sprinkler!!!

Parenting

 
As a parent,  you will probably do more laundry in one week than you did for five years before kids.
They spit, poop, pee, drool, throw up, smear food and snot all over them and you.    To the point you may consider making some togas out of towels to wear instead of clothes.    

You must be able to feign suprise a zillion times over fingers turning black and then suddenly being normal again when the olive is eaten.      

You never thought you would get so excited by poop in the potty.  but you did.   And you were not faking.
in fact, you were doing good not to break out the confetti and champagne.

You must be able to sweep faster than the speed of light, because that's how fast babies crawl over to that tempting pile of dirt and animal hair and god knows what.

Always be calm when your in a public restroom and your potty training daughter congratulates you on pooping.  So loud they probably heard it two blocks away.

Your food is no longer yours, but has turned into the tastiest morsel in the whole house, and it must be shared.     even if they're eating cherries and your eating the mystery leftovers from the fridge.

Your bed is by far the most comfortable, sought after surface in the universe.

You may as well get use to not being greeted when you walk into a building.  People will only have eyes for your adorable children, and may not make eye contact with you for half an hour while they invade your personal bubble and blow raspberries on the stomach of the baby your holding.

If you have a fear of teeter totters like I do, you'll have to conquer it because there's no way you can tell your daughter were not going on that cause mommies scared.

You will HAVE to master the art of playing candy land while keeping the baby from eating the gingerbread men with a chaser of double purple.

Those showers you use to enjoy?    they aren't yours anymore.    even if you do have a nice husband who tries to give you time alone to bathe, your three year old has a radar and she can make it to the bathroom quicker than a baby makes it to the dirt pile.    And after you shut her out, you feel like a big heel.  until she spends ten minutes outside the door screeching like a deranged parrot.

It may defy some rules of physics, but it takes exactly 3.8 seconds for two kids to trash a room.    If there's more than two around, its kind of like the baby and the dirt pile.

Try not to run away too fast when a random stranger walks up and says "your son is so cute!! can i touch his hair?"


I could go on some more, but its nap time so I think I may just treat myself to sweeping at a normal speed...

A day without pictures

Yesterday was a big day for all of us and I didnt get one picture!
So, I will type it all out.  


Sarge's promotion went without a hitch.        I was sooo nervous!     My only part in the ceremony was to walk up when cued by the first Sgt, stand there, and put on the new rank after the Lt. took off the old.     I was holding Calvin,  but Belle decided to sit and watch.      I just KNEW one of them would start wailing, or get restless and run away from me (we were there for formation, which takes like an hour and a half)     because I had to wake the poor babes up at 5:30 !!          
But all went pretty well.   Calvin wanted to form up with all the guys, and I had to restrain him, but thank god, no wails!        After that was the company family fun day!    They rented out this waterpark-     

It had two kiddie pools, one area full of things that spray you, a big pool and a bunch of waterslides.
Calvin was in hog heaven, doing his best to swim away from me.   Until he discovered the giant turtle in the covered kiddie pool that you can climb up and slide down on your belly.  Belle was a little cranky, and didnt want to get anywhere she couldnt reach, but wanted to go on the big waterslides that unfortunatly have a height requirement..   
Its a little different going to a waterpark with the army.     After we finished, they had formation in the parking lot, and a breifing thingy about the next days orders.   

We were going to be broke for this trip, but my in-laws handed Sarge a wad of cash and said" have fun!  get the kids something!"      So we are !          After the waterpark, we came back to our cottage on Ft.( Im not putting the name on here in case your a terrorist)  ate lunch and took some serious naps.

Then we took the kids to a huge warehouse store thingy that rivals any store ive ever seen for size. 
I let Belle do her own shopping.    She was very picky, and wound up with alot of things she really wanted.      I got a few things for Calvin,   and then we went to eat at chick-fil-a .  
Little did we know, it was COW APPRECIATION DAY.   and if you come dressed up like a cow, you get free food.      We were surrounded by people in white T-shirts with jersey cow spots sharpied on.     Belle looked around with wide eyes, but didnt quite know what to say.  
Belle and I finished eating first, so I took her to the bathroom, THEN  the play area. (learned that lesson the hard way)  and she made lots of friends and played hide and go seek with them in the tunnels.    I saw some horrible parenting, and cant believe how many kids are playing their parents for all their worth.       After Calvin finished his Kids meal  (first time hes had his own!)      Sarge brought him into the play area and he ran off squealing and climbed on the toddler section,charmed some people through the floorlength window into the dining area,  then found some little boys who thought he was great, kept patting his head, and showed him how to drum on the crazy mirrors.   
When it was time to go, instead of  screaming and yelling or refusing to come down, Belle yelled out "bye bye slides, bye bye peoples, see you later!"    

It was a very full, very fun day.     I am kinda In love with my family

Home again! for the moment anyway..

So, I really missed my home.   It was nice to get away, but its even nicer to be back!
here's some good visual aids to emphasise why-

I can cook!

Belle can cuddle with her adoring kitties ( who mobbed her when we got home)

Belle can dig potatoes with me in her undies.  shes cool like that :)

mommy wook!!  its a wittle one!!

and wash them!

We can go to our city park, with the ducks and some puddles from the recent rain!

this was my cure for cabin fever yesterday.   a break in the rain long enough for us to take a trip to the park!

 I say home for the moment, because I am already packing to leave again.   This time  going a state away for Sarges promotion ceremony.     I am suppose to pin his new rank on, but I'm a little nervous..    what if i get the Sgt stripes upside down?   or the kids scream?  which is a realistic fear, since we all have to get up at 5 !!   drat the army and their early mornings.  
Its also family day, and his unit has rented a water park!  hopefully, the kids will have a chance to nap before going to the water park, so they can actually have fun and not wail the whole time in front of the commander..  that would be just grand.


Oh, and Belle  had a first.    when we were at the park, she had to pee.   and the bathroom was like a half mile away.     Since it was totally deserted, i stripped her, held her up, and she peed in the grass.        after looking at me for a moment with a look that suggested i was CRAZY for even suggesting such a thing.