We have crabs!

Lol. Hermit crabs! (Pardon my animation, I've had an Odouls tonight!)

We went to a store with this huge display of hermit crabs. The girls were mesmerized! So they bugged us until we relented and so far it hasn't been horrible (as in messy, stinky...as crabby as I thought it would be).





Presley did put hers down the other day in the house and then forgot where she put it. After looking for it for about ten minutes, I rounded the corner and saw it climbing down the arm of the couch. The next time, I made her play with them outside.




Teagan's hermit crab just changed shells. It was a fun discovery this morning. In this picture, Teagan's actually holding Presley's. So we are thinking that one (the soccer ball) will take the green shell soon!

Presley named hers Slinky. Teagan named hers Poopoo or Poophead (depends on the day).

Rrrrarrhh

Awhile back, when Pres got her "mouth jewelry", Teegie Weegie got her teeth cleaned.

She loves anything tiger related, so she picked these frames.



She honestly could not have been more chill!




She got rave reviews on her behavior and was cavity free! Whoohoo!!

Lil artist

I'm loving how Teagan has been drawing lately. It's that perfect stage where they first start drawing people and telling you who it is.

In this picture, she said it was Presley, Teagan, Daddy, and Maverick.



I kinda got a sad/confused face and said, "where's the mama?" and I wanted to add "that cooks, cleans, launders your clothes, bathes, loves and cares for your little booty 24 hours a day, 365?"
I mean the dog comes first?

But she quickly added me to her portrait and I quickly found peace.




And here the artist is next to her fine (and now complete) family portrait.



I love it!

And here's another drawing from yesterday. I just love how funky and artsy it is.



(We doodled on the back which is coming through.)

I'm sure it's something only a mother would love, but it signifies so much more than just her drawing, but her growing up and being such a big girl. In my hormonal state, I just want to hold on to that for as long as I can. However, when she's throwing a 30 minute fit because she didn't get to pour her cereal or she only got two Oreos instead of three, I'm willing to let go and make an exception (or two or three per day).

So this morning she remembered that she wanted to pour her cereal BEFORE I did.


Even though it's a big waste, I know she needed to do that to learn something (gross motor?). Had I given in and let her yesterday, the only thing she would have learned was that she got her way.

Anywho, I got a little off tract from showing off Teagan's art skillz. That's a newfound skill of mine - turn everything into a big ball of emotions. Maybe that's how the dog found a place in the family portrait before me!

It's a...

GIRL!

We are all excited and can't wait to meet her! I don't think we've ever picked a name so fast. But we've about decided on Temple. We actually talked about a "Temple" before there even was one!

(I had a Good Housekeeping magazine cover print framed in our kitchen. The featured author was Temple Bailey. And for another side note, I was named after the author Taylor Caldwell.)

We still need a middle name that starts with an A that flows. We are open to ideas... :)

Some things the girls have said lately that make me smile/laugh/cry:

1. As I was getting out of the bath, Teagan's eyes got big, and said, "Move that towel. Oh my, your baby grew!"

2. During the sonogram and after they said it was a girl, the girls said, "Boys are rough anyways. Like Cash and Madden."

3. Presley asked me why my boobs where getting closer to my tummy. Thanks!

4. Presley said "I love my baby sister, we're going to be best friends."

5. "How's the baby going to get out?" I was like, uh.....

Details

An array of things in a list.

1. Let the girls play in the fountains at the Harbor yesterday. Had mixed emotions on whether I was a good mom or not.




2. Price has been out of town this week. Got back yesterday. The girls were SO glad to see him and didn't want him to leave today to "work" (go to horse races). He hated to leave them too.

3. While Price was gone, I made a conscious effort to say "yes" more and "no" less (see number 1. above). Still made them mind, but I tried to be much more fun. Unfortunately that doesn't come as natural to me as it does for Price. And we only had one rough day out of four, and even it wasn't all that bad. Just had a few moments. I might try to adopt being more fun more.

4. Daddy strikes again!



This time the mess was in the bath tub. And he cleaned it up himself (for the most part)! (Muddy shoes are still on front porch, by the way.)

5. Since Price and I couldn't agree on finding out the gender of Baby C (as in a, b, and now c), we drew out of a hat and Price won. We find out a week from today if this kid's a boy or girl. At first I mourned the moment that now won't be, but now I'm looking forward to finding out. But Price still has the right to say we can wait. Yeah right!

6. We kind of both think it's a boy but neither of us would be disappointed if it's another girl. Its weird because everyone -people we know and people we don't really know - think we will be disappointed if it's a girl. Honestly, I can speak for me and Price and we won't be!!!

7. Presley thinks and wants it to be a boy. Teagan thinks and wants it to be a girl. So someone might be disappointed there!

8. The girls filled out a mother's day questionnaire at school where they filled in the blank. Teagan knows me pretty well! Even if she did add a year to my age.



Presley's was just funny!




9. Went to the Cottonwood Arts Festival with Maria Paula and Robyn and their kids and hubbies today. Here's all the big girls after eating ice cream/snow cones all lined up on a hill. Cute! They enjoyed playing with each other today.




10. Happy Mother's Day all you mama's! Here's me with my babies at their school parties. One on Tuesday.



And one on Thursday.




And that's a good number to end.

Baby steps

This dog and I are taking baby steps.




He's still on my nerves 95% of the day and I would love to get a shock collar. Seriously. Remote control! But I'm seeing slow (like snail slow) progress. It is progress nonetheless.





He still suffers from a horribly weak bladder, but that's even improved ever so slightly. He's completely entitled to get on my furniture, eat/steal food off the table, naw on my kids, bark and occasionally nip at guests. He wants out in the morning at 5:30. He enjoys watching the sun rise. It's like his morning coffee. When it was raining this past week he didn't know what to do with himself and was especially annoying. His wet nose keeps all my windows in a perpetual state of smudgy. Even the tvs, because he has to bark/attack those every once in a while too. Whatever it is dries hard and is difficult to get off. I could go on. And I will.





He's like a defiant child. He seriously looks at me like, "why don't you make me, b*#%@?" Those are the times I want to swear like a sailor. Oh wait, I do. Out of ear shot of my children, of course! ;)





I've tried to beat it all out of him using an array of 'spankers' as Teagan calls them - newspaper, a belt, my hand, yelling. Oh the yelling. Sick of the yelling.

What works for him, I'm still trying to figure it out completely, is to praise him continuously and let him do it on his time. Now that I spell it out like that he sounds like a typical man....

Baby steps. We're taking them. And one day I might even like this dog.

More worms

Madden was over for the day a while back, so Price came home with not one, not two, but three containers of worms. Night crawlers to be exact.

This was one container.







That one and the other two resided in my fridge for about a week. The girls would take one out every once in a while, open it up and give the worm on top a tickle and want to carry it around and shake worm dirt all over the floor.

I would then suggest we set them free out in the yard and they would object. So finally one day Pres was ready to "sell" her worms. We loaded them up and walked them over to Willa and Dovie's house. Addy even fished out a dollar.

We gave one to her neighbor across the street who has two kids. Come to find out her 7 year old daughter is loving worms right now too. A grandad and his two young kids were walking by and they became the proud owners of the third and final container.

Presley tried to collect since she was "selling" them, but I quickly assured her she already made a whole dollar and we could give these last two away. I really appreciated her entrepreneur spirit, but I would have paid them to get these things out of my fridge!

I was kinda embarrassed when she tried to collect from the grandad. But not nearly as embarrassed as when Teagan at Costco yesterday loudly asked if the lady next to us in line was a girl or a boy.

Easter 2011

Lentil Soup

Presley and Teagan had gone over to Addy's house about a month ago and while they were there, they had dinner - lentil soup with cornbread. I couldn't even tell you I've ever had lentils, but Alison said Presley ate two bowls full (with crumbled cornbread in it, of course). I was obviously surprised. Over the next couple of days, Presley kept asking me to cook what she had at Addy's house. So I did and while me and Presley are big fans, Teagan and Price only tolerate it. It's so easy, which is one reason I'm a big fan. You don't have to soak the beans, they cook within 30 minutes, and they're healthy! I've made it once a week since then. This last time, Price put a temporary ban on it. I do tend to find a dish I like and then wear it out! So I'm taking a break from making it for now.

Here's Pres adding her favorite ingredient - cornbread!






So anyway, I thought I would share the recipe. Y'all know I don't really like following a recipe, and it changes each time I make it. But here's what I (and Alison) do.

Lentil Soup

Sauté chopped garlic, yellow onion, carrot, and celery (if I have it) in olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Once all that is soft, add the lentils and water (follow package instructions) and probably more salt and pepper. :). Bring to boil and then let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. I usually thicken with corn starch when it's almost done.

While that is cooking, I make some jiffy cornbread and stick in the oven. They both get done about the same time.

The girls cool their soup by adding ice cubes, stirring it up and watching them melt. They love that part!!!

Price is giving me a hard time for sharing this recipe, but I would love for other people to share their easy, healthy recipes that their kids actually eat! (That last part is the real kicker! It doesn't even have to be super healthy!) So if you have any good ones, please by all means, SHARE!

One more thing that I want to share. Granted I am 17 weeks along now, and clearly I'm favoring salt over sweet and some people might be sick of hearing about my obsession with corn right now. But I can't get enough of roasted corn. It's in season right now. Throw some corn with the husks (green means ripe) and all in the oven preheated to 350 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes and then peel and doctor with butter and Lawry's seasoning salt. Chase it with a cup of water!

When the cats away...

...the mice will play.

It's been raining for a few days now. I told the girls they could "jump in muddy puddles" with Daddy while I ran to the store to grab a couple things. (The girls are loving a show called Peppa Pig, where her favorite thing to do is jump in muddy puddles.) I assumed Price would find some rain puddles.

Ummm, no. I came home to this.









They made their own muddy puddle and while they tried to jump in it, they pretty much sank in it. Oh that Daddy. He never ceases to amaze me! Next time I'll be much more specific!

Yard work and outdoor "pets"

Oh my! You don't even want to know how many days we've worked in the yard. We've trimmed trees, racked leaves, cut down an old diseased half-dead redwood tree, trimmed hedges, dug up butchered bushes, planted potted plants, planted flowers in the window boxes, racked leaves, adjusted the watering system, dug up roots, racked more leaves, and pulled LOTS of weeds.

Here's our trash pile. This picture doesn't do it justice!

It takes up half our driveway and bulk pickup somehow missed us last week. So it's still there!

I got all the window boxes planted with new coconut netting.

I had to scrap and repaint a few of the window boxes that had seen better days. And totally replace three that the years of watering had basically eaten away metal and they couldn't have survived another season. I love the pop of red against the white and black house. And more than that I love that you don't have to dead head these inpatients. They just grow!

I still need to plant some perennials in the front beds and add some annuals for color in the back.

I'm enjoying working in the yard and the girls are enjoying playing in the yard. This is the first year that I feel like I can take my eyes off of them for any length of time without thinking they are going to go through the fence and into the street.

They've been digging for worms, doodlebugs, and snails every spare minute they can. Presley calls whatever she digs up, her "pets". She traps keeps them in any container she can find.

Teagan is ready for the water. This particular day, she ran instead put on her swimsuit and came back out wanting to play in the water. But it was no where near warm enough. She settled on a little soccer and couple pictures.

Presley has found two garden snakes. The first one she pulled out, she said "look mom, the longest, faster worm ever!" I said I don't think that's a worm and yelled for Price and he said "that's not a worm, it's a snake!" Presley then immediately dropped it. But Price caught it again and we kept it for a day or so.

Just look at those dirty fingernails!


The next one she found, she let her daddy pick up! So she's learning. Teagan enjoys digging for worms just as much, but she draws the line at snakes. My personal line is drawn at worms if anyone cares to know.

Daddy is the official worm digging parent. I just supervise, take the occasional picture, and make sure hands are sufficiently washed afterwards.