The picture on the left is of Landry playing teeball. She loves it! Nolan hasn't quite come to terms with the fact that he's not on the team. He runs out on the field like he owns the place and waits for the ball to come his way. I've tried to explain to him that he's not old enough to play yet, but he looks at me and says "Look at me. I'm big! I'm three! That's big!" If you're wondering why he's holding rocks in front of his face in this picture, it's because he refuses to take a serious picture. I have to trick him into it. . . or offer a handsome bribe. He thinks he is so funny. . . Okay, he's funny.

Landry really works hard on the teeball field. She runs after EVERY ball. It doesn't need to be in her general vicinity for her to go after it. When she does get it, she takes her glove off and looks around for a few seconds. Then she throws it as hard as she can to first base. She picks her glove back up, puts it on, and looks my way and waves. She is just as proud as we are. :)

These are the munchkins at Walt Disney World. We had such a great time! I can't believe it, but I can't wait to go back. It was a great week away from all of the things that peck away at our time every day (work, computer, cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc.). I am so thankful that we took this trip. There are a lot more pictures. So far, I have only put them on facebook. That took so long that I don't know if I will get around to putting them on here. If you're not on facebook, you should be! I'm pretty skeptical about that kind of thing, but it has been a great and efficient way for me to keep up with people and to share pictures.

She's getting there. . .

Corinne is finally sitting up pretty well.  I can't believe it has taken this long, but I'm not complaining!  If she was crawling, I don't know if I handle it.  She is a professional roller, though.  So, she can get into stuff she's not supposed to at a rapid rate.  

She is heading towards 10 months, which just completely shocks me.  Time has been a blur with all of our kids, but especially with Corinne.  I have mad it a point to really sit down and enjoy the few minutes I have with her when Landry and Nolan are at school.  She is really a joy.  She melts my heart several times a day and I am so very thankful that God gave her to us.

Corinne is 8 months!

And she has the BEST natural mohawk.

   Landry and Nolan on Valentine's Day
Corinne on Valentine's Day; 7 months old!!!

Corinne is changing so fast.  She is finally rolling over both ways and she is very proud of herself (and so are we).  She has two teeth, rarely gives into eating anything other than breast milk, and somehow still weighs a whopping 19lbs.  Let me remind you, this is more than Landry weighed on her first birthday. :)   She is saying "da-da-da-da" and thinks Landry and Nolan hung the sun and moon.  Nolan is still ga-ga over her, while Landry has her moments.  Corinne isn't even close to sitting up on her own.  She looks at me like I am crazy every time I try to sit her up.  Smart girl!  Why sit-up when you have four family members to do everything for you?

Landry is really getting into have her "private" time.  She likes to find little nooks to hang out in and draw and write.  Sometimes it feels like we have a teenager.  She is really into learning and is dying to start learning Spanish.  Only one problem - No abla Espanol.  She is reading very well and I couldn't be more proud of her.

Nolan is suddenly very hard of hearing and acts like he was unaware of the fact that you had told him not to do something.  He is also very tender-hearted.  He comes up to me and says "I love you Mama.  I really love you Buddy."  He can be the sweetest little guy sometimes.   He wrote his name on his own on Feb. 12th, which completely shocked me.  He hasn't stopped writing since.  He wants to be just like his big sister.  

Brian is still liking the job.  The flu is finally making it's appearance, so he's been very busy at work.  They have a new physician who started last month and he seems to be pretty good.  Thanks to Brian's persistence, they will no longer be taking hospital call, so things are about to get much sweeter for call days.  I have bowed down to the chaos and given up cooking most nights.  We eat out more than any humans should.  But, sanity is a must right now, so it is necessary.  

Now you are up to date on the Wysong Report.

February. . . Kids say. . .

We are driving by a cemetery and Landry says "Mom, when you die I'm going to plant you in that garden."

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Landry:  I like brown people.

Me:  You should.  They are no different than you are, they just have a different color skin.

Landry:  I really like brown people.  Especially when they can speak Spanish.  

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Landry and Nolan love to dip their chicken (and everything else) in mayonnaise.  When we get Chick-fil-A, I let them each have one packet of mayo.  When they run out, they just have to eat the rest of their food without it.  Landry asked why they can't have all of the mayo they want and I told her b/c it wasn't good for your body.  Of course, she wanted to know exactly why it's not good for your body.  I tried to sum it up by saying that eating too much of anything makes you heavy and that being heavy makes your heart work harder than it should.  She summed it up by saying "Oh, you mean it gives you a big bottom?"  A lot of you probably know my mortifying story of being in the grocery store when Landry was three and having her watch a very large woman walking in front of us.  She said with complete shock and loud enough for everyone in NC to hear her "Whoa, Mom!  That girl has a big bottom!!!"  I'm sure you can imagine how wonderful I felt at that moment.  Following that day, we have had many conversations about etiquette and keeping certain thoughts contained inside of your head.  We have also had many conversations about how bottoms get big.  Oh, how I wish I could defer those questions to her Daddy. . .

The other day, this is the conversation we had at lunch.

Landry:  Nolan, don't eat too much mayonnaise because your bottom will get big.  Boys look silly with big bottoms.  Only girls should have big bottoms.

Me:  Not all girls have big bottoms.  

Landry:  You do.

I love those warm-fuzzy moments around the dinner table. . .

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Nolan to Corinne:  Rinney Pie, you don't have some bunch of hair like I do, but I love your mohawk.

 

The Match

About a year ago in my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group, the woman that heads it up, Jane, had an eye-opening task for us.  I challenge each of you to do it as you go along, actually writing down your answers.  Don't read ahead before you write your own answers.

Jane:  "On your sheet of paper, write down the three things you spend most of your time doing."

(Pause)

Jane:  "Now, write down the three things that are most important in your life."

(Pause)  Go ahead, write your answers.  I'll wait for you to finish. . .

Here is what I wrote:

The three things I spend most of my time doing:

1) Laundry 

2) Taking care of the kids 

3) Cleaning/cooking

The three things that are most important to me:

1) God

2) My husband

3) My children

Jane:  "Now, see how the match up."

I'm sure you are realizing that my answers did not match up with each other.  Did yours?  I'm telling you, I think about this little "task" more often than you can imagine.  It was shocking to me.  It was confusing to me.  Most of all, it was gut-wrenchingly sad to me.  As I sat on my computer today checking my e-mail, updating Facebook, looking at clothing sales, etc., I was tapped on the shoulder by my conscience and asked if I had forgotten the sinking feeling I had that day so long ago in MOPS.   Did I not remember how I had pledged to make these two lists identical?  Had I already forgotten that my time should be spent with that which is most important to me?  I had.  I do.  Everyday, I have to remind myself.  I don't know why it doesn't just happen that the people and things that are most important to you take up the largest portion of your day.  Or. . . maybe it does.  Maybe it does and that is why I had that sinking feeling when I compared my lists.  Maybe my lack of "me" time has manifested itself in other ways.  After all, if I need some time alone, I'm sure to find it when I'm cleaning the bathrooms, sorting Landry, picking up groceries, vacuuming, cooking supper, and the many other monotonous chores that cloud my days.  Rarely does anyone jump up to join me for those things.  But, I become more and more aware that my priorities are out of whack.  My first-born is already five.  My son wonders why he can't start kindergarten with his big sis.  My "newborn" is half way through her seventh month and rolling all over the place.  

As I am repeatedly reminded throughout the day that time is not standing still waiting for me to get it together, I find myself negotiating the lists.  More importantly, I find myself praying for help to make them match. 

 

January - Kids Say. . .

This is a new addition to my blog.  I am going to put the funny things my kids say from each month.  Here are a few from this past month.

We are planning a trip to Disney World.  Of course, this has been the topic of many conversations at our house.

Landry:  "Mom, what do they have at Disney World?"

Me:  "Everything."

Landry:  "Do they have snow?"

Me:  "No, I don't think they have snow."

Landry:  "Then why did you say they have everything?"

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During the presidential inauguration:

Me:  "That's George W. Bush.  That's Barack Obama.  That's Joe Biden."

Landry:  "Where are Stafford and Moreno?"

(For those of you who don't know, Stafford was the quarterback for Georgia and Moreno was their super-star running back.  Yes, our kids are brain-washed.)

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McDonald's recently opened within a mile of our house.  Unfortunately, we have to pass by there every time going to or from school.  Nolan is very interested in new things and as we were passing by one day he said "Mama, that house is pretty!  I said "that's not a house, it's McDonald's."  He said "Donald's house is pretty!"  Since it has opened, the kids beg to go there.  (They have only eaten McDonald's once or twice.  I REALLY don't like McDonald's.)  One day after school, they talked me into getting them lunch from there.

Nolan:  "Can we go to Donald's?"

Me:  "How about Chick-Fil-A?"

Nolan and Landry:  "Noooooo.  Please go to McDonald's."

Me:  "Fine, we'll go through the drive-thru."

We come up to the speaker and the guy tells us that the credit card machine is broken and they can only take cash.  I NEVER have cash, so we had to leave.  

Nolan:  "Don't drive.  You didn't get our food!"

Me:  "We can't get anything from there because their credit card machine is broken."

Nolan:  "Can we please go get them some batteries so they can fix it?"

That's about all that I can remember from January.  The funniest thing we have going on right now is Nolan reading Goodnight Moon.  It has become an R-rated version due to the fact that Nolan cannot clearly say "sitting".  So it's "and there were three little bears s_itting on chairs. . .  "  Of course, we can't help but ask him "What were they doing on the chairs?"