Oh, To See the World Through a Child's Eyes

Those of you with children (young or old) know all the ways a child can remind you how life from their perspective is just a little different. K reminded me of that tonight. We were eating at Chick-Fil-A, and he asked for ice cream. We took his kid's meal toy to the counter to exchange it for ice cream. I hardly noticed the man who was in front of us in line. But K noticed him right away and said (rather loudly), "Wook, it's Santa Cwas". I had to giggle a little to myself. In his eyes, this man with a red shirt, long white hair and a long white beard was, in fact, Santa Claus. And as he walked out the door, K yelled after him, "Bye, Santa Cwas!!" I don't know if the man ever heard him or not, but he didn't ask K for his Wish List.

I Feel Like a Thief!!

Today, my friend Courtney and I went shoppping at the outlet mall in Vicksburg. Really, we were both going "just to see what they had", and maybe find some deals on spring clothes for our boys (our girls are the same age and our boys are the same age). I don't know what it is about the two of us going to Vicksburg, but every time we do we end up finding the most outrageous bargains. The last time we went, the salesperson in the Carter's outlet gave us a discount just because it was storming outside and we had braved the weather to shop. The salesperson in OshKosh added up our coupons incorrectly, and we tried to tell her it was wrong (I'm not kidding, we really did try to tell her). She ended up letting us have $50 worth of clothes for somewhere in the neighborhood of $10. We couldn't argue her out of it, though we did try. We left feeling like common theives.

Today, we went to the Gymboree outlet (Gymboree is my weakness!) When we walked in, the saleslady told us there were a couple of racks in the front of the store marked down to $1.99. Of course, we quickly began perusing the racks and picking up a few things - winter items that were marked down. Then, while holding an email from the corporate office, she began going around the store and marking TONS of stuff down to $1.99!! It was all girls' stuff, sizes 4-10 mostly. She kept holding up things and saying, "This is $1.99 too." I honestly asked her if she had been drinking. I ended up with a 2 dresses, a skirt and sweater set, 2 pair of jeans, 3 long-sleeve tops, 2 sweaters, a raincoat, a windbreaker, a heavier coat, 3 polo-style shirts for K, and 4jackets for friends (I love to give gifts, and at $1.99 who can resist?)....for just over $50! While I was checking out, I commented that I didn't think this was legal and Courtney said she felt like she was stealing. The saleslady said they were having a big promotion this weekend to boost sales. So, if you live close to Vicksburg and have a little girl anywhere from 4 to 10 years old (baby stuff is not on sale, and very few boys' clothes are on sale), I would go to Gymboree this weekend. For $50, you could outfit your little girl for next fall.

25 Random Things About Me

Well, Missy tagged me to post 25 things about myself that you may not know. This is a daunting task; I'm not sure I can come up with 25 factoids, but here goes:

1 - I wear one contact, in my left eye. I had no idea I couldn't see until I was 15 and went to take my learner's permit test. I failed the eye exam miserably.
2 - More "left eye" problems - any time the barometric pressure changes rapidly, I get an enormous headache behind my left eye.
3 - I LOVE Six Flags (or any amusement park for that matter!) I turn into a kid the minute I walk through the gates.
4 - I honestly like to clean my house. Some days while K is at school, I come home and clean the house to a sparkle and then just sit and admire it for a little while. I'm sick, I know.
5 - I met my husband at a wedding - his 1st cousin married my 3rd cousin - when their first daughter was born, we figured out that she was my husband's 2nd cousin by blood and my 4th cousin by blood (on different sides of the family of course - don't start playing the "Dueling Banjos" song from "Deliverance" in your head - it's not like that).
6 - The first couple of years after I got my driver's license, I had several run-ins with stationary objects like gas pumps and parked cars. I have become a better driver, although I did rear-end a friend after dropping L off at school one day a few months ago. Oh yeah, and I was in my pajamas. Nice.
7 - After rear-ending someone in my pj's, I made a vow to never again leave the house like that. Now, I get dressed before taking L to school every morning. Make-up is still optional most days, but I do not leave the house in my pajamas.
8 - I must say something to redeem my driving record: I have never had a speeding ticket.
9 - Like my sister, I do not understand why I have to show my ID anytime I buy cough or sinus medication. Do I look like I have a meth lab?
10 - My middle name, "Melissa", was the middle name of my great-grandmother. I only found out I was named after my great-grandmother about 10 years ago. I guess my family assumed that I knew her middle name was "Melissa". :)
11 - My husband and I picked two names for our children to honor both sides of our family. Our daughter's middle name, "Ellen", is my mother's first name and my mother-in-law's middle name. Our son's middle name, "Douglas", was my brother's middle name and my husband's grandfather's first name. We thought it was so neat that we had a girl name and a boy name that came from both our families. We have one more girl name that honors both sides, "Melissa", but we don't think we'll need another name.
12 - I have one of the best groups of girlfriends anyone could wish for.
13 - I love cheesy 80's music - pop rock, punk rock, glam rock, monster ballads, you name it. Don't laugh - you know you sing along to "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" too. I'm just brave enough to admit it.
14 - I would be perfectly content to curl up on the couch with a good book and not move for 2 or 3 days.
15 - I find it almost impossible to leave my house in the morning at 7:15 without first making up the bed, unloading the dishwasher, straigtening up the house, and starting a load of clothes in the washer. Like I said before, I'm sick.
16 - When I went for my physical this year, my doctor told me my cholesterol is slightly high. I'm trying to work on this, but I am getting tired of Cheerios every morning.
17 - I am sooooo not athletic. In junior high, walking into the gym on a day when we were participating in competitive sports was my worst nightmare. I clearly remember one day in 7th grade when the girls' PE class joined the boys' PE class for volleyball. I was picked as a Team Captain (my gym teacher must have really hated me), which meant I got to pick my team. I picked all the terrible players, because I had so much in common with them. Then, I picked one guy who was somewhat athletic and super-competitive just because he was cute. He was less than impressed with our pitiful team. I wonder if he is still mad at me....
18 - Speaking of teachers that clearly didn't like some students, I will never forget the name of my 6th grade homeroom teacher. She despised me, though I can't remember ever doing anything to her or misbehaving in her class. I would look up from my desk sometimes to see her sitting at her desk staring holes through me. She spoke my name with a particular contempt in her voice that was only reserved for me. My only saving grace in her class was that it was homeroom and I was only in there 50minutes every day. She was the only teacher who ever really disliked me...
19 - I rarely watch TV. I can't even tell you what comes on which network on any night. The only show that I ever watch is "NCIS" - I used to like "CSI", but it got a little too scary sometimes. I like "NCIS" because it's still a crime show but the characters are funny.
20 - My baby will start Preschool in August, and I'm surprised about how sad that makes me. I cannot believe my children are growing up so fast.
21 - The most rewarding job I've ever had is being a wife to a wonderful husband and a mother to two amazing kids. Not only did God give me the free gift of salvation, but He has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined.
22 - I have very little sense of direction. The first time I went home from college (it's a straight shot on I-20, mind you), I got lost and ended up in Gluckstadt (I was trying to go to Meridian). Mapquest is my best friend.
23 - Like Missy said of herself, I am certainly no decorator. I often say that I know just enough to make a room look really bad. Don't ever ask me to help you pick out paint colors or anything of the sort. I can't even find the motivation to try most of the time. Maybe when my children are older and I have more free time, I'll get in touch with the "designer" that has to be somewhere deep inside me.
24 - My husband and I are 2 of the 10 people in the country that have not yet seen "Fireproof". I bought it Tuesday, and we plan to watch it this weekend.
25 - As a child, I went through a phase when I was completely obsessive-compulsive about washing my hands. Almost drove my poor mother crazy.

Okay, I guess that's it. I really didn't think I could come up with 25 things, but there they are. Now, the instructions were for me to tag 25 people. I'm not sure I even know 25 people, and I'm certain that I don't know 25 bloggers :) So, how about this? If you have read this and want to participate, go right ahead. Post a list of 25 Random Things about yourself on your blog.

Organized! (well, sort of)

A few weeks ago, I started looking around the house and thinking, "Wow, this place needs some organization!" Not that there is stuff sitting around everywhere, but it seems that our closets, kitchen cabinets and drawers have gotten somewhat "cluttered" through the years (I'm sure nobody else has that problem!) So, I have set out on a mission to attack and kill the clutter! Last week, I made a $16 investment in some baskets from Big Lots. It took me about an hour then to get the kitchen cabinets organized - a basket for medicines, a basket of "rainy day" activities for the kids, and so on. Today, while K was napping, I decided to attack the stack of pictures in the bedroom entertainment armoire. The armoire, since we took the TV out, has been devoted to my scrapbooking stuff. Finally realizing that the scrapbooking is on hold for now, I decided to get some photo boxes and at least organize the pictures. Now the pictures are organized into 2 boxes - one for 2003-2006 (most of which has been scrapbooked already - yippee!) and one for 2007-2008 (most of which has not been scrapbooked, sadly). One day, I'll get back around to the scrapbooking that I really enjoy doing (it may be when the kids are grown!) Until then, I pledge to do my best at organizing in such a way that scrapbooking will even be possible. Now.....if I could only find time to get the rest of our 2008 pictures off the computer and actually printed. And there's always the cluttered closets. Another task for another day...

"Same Kind of Different as Me"

Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and buy this book. A lady I was in Bible Study with last semester put a plug in for the book and I casually jotted down the title, thinking "when do I ever have time to read?" I came across the book months later, bought it, and started reading it about a week ago. It is definitely in the "Best Books I Have Ever Read" category. I don't want to give too much of the story away, so I'll just start by writing the summary on the back cover: "A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery. An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel. A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream. A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it." Denver Moore was a modern-day slave in 1960's Louisiana who hopped the train one day and ended up in Fort Worth, TX. Homeless, unable to read or write, he slept on the streets and survived for many years. Ron Hall is an international art dealer in Fort Worth, a millionaire. His wife, Deborah, had a vision to change the homeless population in Fort Worth. This book, their true story, is written by Denver and Ron. It is the story of an unlikely friendship created by God and nobody but God. It will move you to tears. If I didn't know it was a true story, there's no way I could ever believe it. Now, Denver and Ron have numerous speaking engagements across the country. Ron introduces Denver with the exact words Denver came up with - "Just tell them I'm a nobody that's trying to tell everybody about Somebody who can change anybody." I won't tell you any more of their story, except to say it is
incredible.

100 Sisters and First Loves

Every day, my children do something to make me laugh - sometimes it's just a small chuckle, and sometimes it's a laugh that starts way down deep in your belly and just grows until you are laughing uncontrollably. Yesterday was one of those "big belly laugh" days. I am so thankful that God blessed us with these wonderful little gifts, the gift of children.

L had her 100th day of school yesterday and all (or most) of the classes had "100th Day" parties. In addition to the parties, they talked of course about the number
100. She came home with a worksheet where she had to write what she wished she had 100 of and what she would not want 100 of. She wrote, "I wish I had 100 money. I wish I had 100 friends. I wish I had 100 toys. But, I wouldn't want 100 sisters." I suppose the fact that she wouldn't want 100 brothers goes without saying. That's good news for us, because we certainly don't want to have 100 more babies either.

L also had her friend Abby over to play after school. Well, K has been quite taken with Abby since L and Abby started hanging out together in 3-year-old Preschool. In fact, one of the first words K uttered with any clarity was "Abby". He would say, "Abby, Abby" every day when we pulled up at the preschool to get L. He loves it when Abby comes over to play with L and tries his hardest to get Abby to play with him instead. Yesterday, L and Abby came in the kitchen to get a snack. K walked up beside Abby and said, "I tee tee in the potty, Abby." Then (oh how I wish I had had a camera and could have gotten a picture quick enough), he stood back, cocked his head over to one side, and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. True love. Poor little guy - not only did Abby not think that was the greatest thing she had ever heard, she didn't even acknowledge that he was in the room. She stared straight ahead and never gave him the time of day. She and L ran back to L's room with their Goldfish snacks, and K followed saying, "Abby, Abby come play trains!" I guess he figured if the tee-teeing in the potty didn't win her heart, maybe, just maybe, the trains would win her over.

Like I said, some days bring little chuckles here and there, and some days bring those huge belly laughs. I love these kids.

The Children's Playland

I thought I'd post a few pictures of what the kids got for Christmas. K is completely mesmerized by his GeoTrax trains (he got Grand Central Station last Christmas, and Uncle Scott and Aunt Susan gave him another remote-controlled train to go with it this year). He got all the GeoAir stuff this Christmas. It takes up almost the entire floor in his room (hey, it's less for me to vacuum now!) I have to admit, Hubby and I like to play with all of this too (wow, we are starting to sound like very selfish parents, first the Wii and now the GeoTrax :)



L got lots of Barbies this year. Also, when we were at Nana's house over Thanksgiving, she started playing with the Barbie dreamhouse in Nana's playroom (it was my sister's and then it was passed down to me). I can remember spending hours upon hours as a little girl playing in my room with my Barbies and the Barbie dreamhouse. Long story short, we now have the Barbie dreamhouse. L was very excited to get it and replace the Little People house that she no longer played with. So here are a couple of pictures of Barbie world that now resides in her room (she still spends much more time reading and playing Wii)!