Mr. Chicken

Austin has a bear washcloth puppet that we have named Benny the Bear.

He loves having conversations with Benny during bath time.

Though he knows our hand is in the puppet, he interacts with it as if it is real.

So, I should not have been surprised when I was making dinner and Austin came running over and said, "I want to talk to Mr. Chicken Mommy."

I wasn't sure I heard him right, but quickly I figured it out.

I was rinsing the chicken in the sink and he got on his stool, grabbed the wing, shook it and said, "Nice to meet you Mr. Chicken."

I then placed the chicken in the roasting pan, scoured his hands because he touched raw chicken and grabbed the camera because I knew this would be a photo op.

When I came back into the room Austin was talking to "Mr. Chicken" (though headless) and reached over and grabbed a piece of celery.

He said, "Oh, you're hungry. Okay. Why don't you have a snack. Here is some celery."


Now, I know that he has seen me stuff a chicken before roasting it, but I certainly don't talk to my chickens.

He proceeded to feed the chicken celery and garlic, telling "him" that it would be good for him.

This was a moment that I wished I had a video camera, because it truly would have better captured what was going on.

I put the camera down and we finished feeding the chicken celery, garlic, some seasonings and butter.

Then as I seasoned the skin of the chicken, Austin asked me what I was doing.

I told him that I was getting Mr. Chicken ready for the oven so when he was done cooking he would taste good.

He looked at the chicken quizzically and as I put some small pats of butter on it, he said, "What's that Mommy, his lotion?"

I didn't understand what he meant at first, but then I realized he was contemplating Mr. Chicken going into the hot oven.

I said, "Austin do you mean, lotion like Mommy puts on you when you go out into the sun to keep you from burning?"

Yeah.

"Then yes, it is kind of the chicken's lotion, but it's butter."

Oh.

As I put "Mr. Chicken" into the oven he continued talking to him and said, "Don't worry Mr. Chicken, Mommy put your lotion on and you are going to be so delicious when you are done cooking. I am going to eat you up!" (I believe he stole that line from the troll in Three Billy Goats Gruff)

Don't you wish you could be three sometimes and enjoy the fun and wonder of simple things?

Pouty

This week's theme on I<3 Faces is pouting.

I think for many months the pout was permanently on Mia's face, but thankfully now she spends much more time smiling.

Head on over here to see all the wonderful and pouty entries this week.

Pea-Boo

One beautifully sunny, but cold day this week, we were stuck inside due to another round of colds.

Mia was soaking in the sunshine and dreaming of time outside, as she stood at the sliding glass door.

When I noticed her, she was slightly behind the curtain and I asked her if she was playing peek-a-boo.


She responded, "pea-boo".

Austin took that as an immediate invitation to join in the fun.


Soon there was belly laughter from both kids as they used the curtain to play together.


It made my heart smile to see them having such simple fun.

Especially since they had both been pretty whiny for a couple days because they had raw, runny noses and generally didn't feel good.


Though I wasn't suffering from a cold this week, I was suffering from "where-the-heck-is-spring-because-I-am-going-to-lose-what's-left-of-my-mind" syndrome.

So I needed that dose of fun and laughter even more than they did.


One thing I was reminded of this week, is that even on the toughest days in the most frustrating weeks, God gives me moments with my sweet children that make it all worth it.

I am truly blessed by every smile, snuggle, laugh, new word, milestone, "I love you" and a million more little things.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Streak-free Cleaning???

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am starting my Spring cleaning, though Spring has refused to show up around here.

The other day while multi-tasking, I left my swiffer vac (my life saver for dog hair and kid crumbs) and ran upstairs to get the vacuum.

When I returned I found Austin being his usual helpful self.

However, not in exactly the state I had left him.

You see he had been wearing footy pajamas that zip from top to bottom.

But, he had to go poop.

So, he had to pretty much remove all clothing to do his business.

The result was this...








He didn't think anything of it until he saw me with the camera.

That is when my attempts at streak-free cleaning ended!

Reading to his Snuggle Puppies

Naturally Beautiful

This week's I <3 Faces theme is natural light. All photos have to have been taken with no flash.
I rarely use a flash these days because I LOVE the look of the shots I get with natural light.

This week my kids entry is my sweet nephew and his beautiful mommy, my sister Lisa. Last week was Lisa's birthday and in true servant fashion, because that is who she is through and through, she spent her birthday in Nicaragua with her husband and two boys, visiting missionaries to encourage and support them.
I could look at my sweet nephew's face all day long. Those deep, chocolate eyes and soft face suck me in every time.



My adult entry for this week is my cousin and her fiance. They will be getting married in June and I had the pleasure of taking their engagement pictures awhile back. What a fun day that was!


For more entries in this week's contest go here and see the amazing talent that is represented on this great site!

I Demand Spring

I am done with this...


And this...


It was kind of fun while it was here, but after a winter filled with gloomy days, frigid temps and lots of illness, I am demanding that Spring truly arrive and stick around.

Patience is not being exercised around here.

Friday was the first day of Spring and I woke up to snowflakes. Are you kidding me?

So, in an effort to usher in Spring, whether it likes it or not, we have been doing the following things.

Going to the park to slide and swing and run around.
(Even though the temps have been in the 40's)

Spring cleaning and organizing.
(Because its never too early to start.)

Grilling hamburgers.
(Because I don't do the grill so who cares if it is freezing outside. Just kidding honey!)

Putting away winter clothes.
(Well, not all of them, but most.)

Reading books about Spring, Summer and all the fun things that come with warm weather.

Taking walks and socializing with neighbors we haven't spent much time with in four months or so.

Wearing our sunglasses and "dancing" to fun music in the car.
(As if it were warm and we were doing it with the windows down and sunroof open.)

And finally...eating warm weather foods like watermelon.


Welcome Spring!

It is so nice to have you here.

Now, if you could just pass a memo along to your weather department and get things rolling in the proper direction, you would make our celebrations complete.

A Smothering Love (Wordless Wednesday)

Visions of Green

This is my submission for this week's I <3 Faces contest. The theme this week is green. The picture must have green in it somewhere.

This picture makes me even more eager for the green, blooming, beautiful days of Spring. Oh, how I can't wait for those days of long walks, playing outside for hours, picnics in the park, grilling dinners and the warmth of the brilliant sun.

For more of this week's entries hop on over here and check them out. There are some really talented people out there!

It's Not Easy Being Green

I know that you think this post is going to be about St. Patrick's Day or something fun like that, but you would be so wrong.

Because the green I am talking about is me...and Mia...and it has come in the form of the nastiest stomach bug I have EVER had.

Last Thursday I was having a nice night out, having dinner with a friend while my mom and Mark were watching the kids. My phone rang and Mark was on the other end telling me that Mia and my mom were both sick....vomiting. I grabbed my purse and left.

By the time I got home my mom had been sick 7 times and Mia had been sick 4 times. The stench of vomit greeted me when I opened the door. Not a good thing!

It was a long night and felt so bad for both of them. And, by Saturday morning I added my name to the list of people I felt sorry for.

It hit me in the morning when my stomach was empty, so you can imagine how pleasant (much sarcasm injected) 12 hours of vomiting was. If only that was the end, but no. Then came the days, yes days, of stomach cramps, pain and diarrhea. Multiply all of that times three people in the house and woah.

Endless laundry, disinfecting, one sick baby who was breaking my heart and one well preschooler who didn't understand why Mommy, Nana and Mia couldn't play, everyone praying that Mark and Austin would stay well, and my daily mommy responsibilities mounting before my eyes.

Sunday night I called the pediatrician to make sure that I was doing all I could to keep Mia from dehydrating because she hadn't eaten since Thursday and was not receptive to Pedialyte. He reassured me, but then went on to say that unfortunately the most recent stomach bugs that were going around were either lasting 24 hours or nearly a week. I got off the phone and almost started to cry because it had only been four days. Only....four....days....of misery.

Yesterday was my breaking point. After waking up early to Mia screaming because she had diarrhea in the night and it had gone up her back, nearly to her neck, dried on her skin causing a rash, I just didn't know how much more I could take.

This has been the THIRD time our household has had a stomach virus. I swear we wash hands, disinfect, have good hygiene, etc.

I finally broke down and cried when I realized that I HAD to go to the grocery store with two kids even though I felt crappy (literally). I pulled myself together and told myself that there are people who deal with much worse on a daily basis and I was letting a stomach bug get me down.

I was exhausted when I got home and couldn't wait until nap time. It did all of us good to rest, and when Mia woke up she was much more playful than she had been. She even clapped her sweet little hands and said, "happy, happy" which of course made me cry. I hoped that was a sign from God that she was feeling better and today would be a good day.

Fortunately, it was.

Because today started with a water main break on my street and no water.

Is it Spring yet?

My First Blogging Event

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a Mom's Night In event for local bloggers hosted at Classy Mommy's house and sponsored/organized by Role Mommy, Sane Fit and Slendertone.

I have to admit it was a little nerve wracking to go to a total stranger's house and walk in to meet a room full of other total strangers. Most of these women I had never even "met" online. But, I had a great time and met some fantastic other mommy bloggers.

Here's why we all had such a fantastic time. These ladies really know how to through a party! We were pampered by massages and given manicures and makeovers by a local spa. We even received goodie bags from the spa with another free manicure and all sorts fun, pampering goods.

Then, we were treated by a demonstration from Sane Fit and Slendertone. We were able to try out all of Slendertone's products before they sent us home with one of them for FREE!!! I tried the Slendertone System - Arms and was really impressed with the way it worked out my muscles through electric stimulation.

If only I was as thin as this model and looked as good as I tested it out.....sigh...someday!

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to take home the Slendertone System - Abs. Score! I can actually wear it while I am cooking dinner or folding laundry and be multi-tasking while working out my underlying six pack. How great is that???

Here is a fun video about the product:



All in all it was a great night and I look forward to attending many other events that allow me to connect and meet with other bloggers.

Thanks again to Classy Mommy, Role Mommy, Sane Fit and Slendertone for giving this mommy a much needed night of pampering and fun!

Cropping Austin

Before cropping

This week's theme is creative cropping. I just love this picture of Mia in the tub with Austin. She definitely needed to be the center of attention so I made sure that was the case with a little cropping and editing.

Head on over here to see many more great submissions in this week's contest!

Messy

Thanks to a bloggy friend I came across a fun site www.iheartfaces.com

This week's contest theme is Messy.

I love this picture of Austin last year when he enjoyed his first Jello pudding cup. He had always rejected them before, but on that particular day he decided he like them....A LOT!

The fact that he gave me such an "I'm busted!" look, makes it one of my favorites.

For more pictures of messy kids, head on over to the link above and check it out.