Off to the Store...

...to buy cereal

and maybe a few other things.

Conked Out

“Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." ~ Robert Fulgham

Sunday afternoons couldn't be any better

Karigan has Wings

The poor girl doesn't have much hair. She hasn't since the day she was born. Brendan and Jillian were both born with more hair than she has now. But, boy the hair she does have is just blond, blond, blond and curly, curly, curly. I am lovin' it. Even when it does stick out no matter how hard I try to comb it down. Her hair, just like her, definitely has a mind of its own.

I Heart Target <3

What a deal. I mean, What. A. Steal! Mark and I went on a day date to Target. Pronounced Tar-jhay - we were on a "date" after all, and we might as well make it as exotic as possible, right? And this is what we found. We had been looking on and off for about a year for new furniture for the girl's room. And wait until you get a load of this...the nightstand was $74.99, the bookcase was $99.99, and the dresser was $16.99 yes I typed correctly Sixteen dollars and ninety-nine cents. Can you believe it? We even asked the cashier if the price was right, she rescanned the dresser and said, "yep that is what it's ringin' up." Thank goodness for being in the right place at the right time. Now task #1 is assembling the furniture, and task #2 is making it all fit. Where's Grandpa?????

If there is one thing our church does well, it is food. Tonight, Bishop Hay brought our family dinner, courtesy of Sister Hay, that is. And well, Karigan's face says it all. It was so super-dee-lic-ious! He said that it was a new recipe that she had seen on TV that day. Well, if anyone out there ever questions whether or not to give one of those celebrity chef recipes a stab (no pun intended) I say go for it. If it turns out anything like what we had for dinner tonight, the payoff will be unimaginable. Have I told you how delicious it was?

Enjoyment

Jillian was coming down off her birthday high and had one of her crankiest days of all time today! She woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it was downhill from there. Needless to say, I was beyond eager to get her into bed tonight. As she took her bath I was hustling around the house spraying Lysol and trying to get things situated so that once she was in bed, I could just relax. I popped my head in to see if she was ready to get out - but she wasn't. So I started to rush off to continue doing who-knows-what (oh, I know - laundry, I am always doing laundry) when she gestured toward the toilet and hit me with..."Mom! Can't you just sit down and enjoy me?" Well goodness gracious. Who could turn down an offer like that? Especially since I hadn't "enjoyed" her all day long. So I plopped down and she told me about her mermaid and the magical, wish-granting cove under the sea. It was nice just to sit and be with her for a couple of minutes, I wish terribly it were longer, but somethings always comes up. When Brendan is in school, a few times a month Jillian, Karigan, and I have PJ days. Days that are spent in our PJs, doing whatever comes to our minds: dance, color, sing, paint, or sometimes a good cuddle and a book. Some may see this as slothful laziness because the rules are no cleaning, no errands, no phone calls, just the pure simple pleasure of my daughters' company and the fleeting chance to see the world through their eyes. We didn't have any of these days this summer, maybe once, but my memory is fuzzy, so it couldn't have been... And maybe, just maybe, Jillian has been missing these days. Goodness knows my mind has been consumed by more overwhelming matters than it is used too lately, but why is it so hard for me to just "sit down and enjoy" the little ones in my life that mean so much to me? I feel like I'm constantly rushing from one thing to the next and I never just stop and BE with them. My kids will be grown sooner than I might like. I need to "sit down and enjoy" them more. I have to remember tomorrow is not promised to anyone. The past doesn't come back and tomorrow may not come at all. Today is all we have. And so for the rest of my days and especially tomorrow, I will sit down and enjoy my kids. Or at least, I will really, really, REALLY try!

Karigan's New B-F-F

Karigan loves, loves, loves the Backyardigans.

And given the choice, Tasha is her favorite - her new B-F-F.

Mom-cation

Some people go on vacations, some people have stacations, I have mommycations!

Definition: achievement of simultaneous naps without a mommy to do list. TGIF!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub-K-Dub-in-the-Tub

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - How about two letters.

Now, if only her determination to help with the dishes lasts until she is older.

Daddy Confusion

Is Mark a Chris Bradley look-a-like?

Apparently Karigan thinks so. You see, Chris Bradley is the lead meteorologist on Channel 10 news and while watching the weather tonight, Karigan crawled to the TV, pointed to Chris, excitedly declared "da dad dad," then started clapping. I am hoping it is because we normally watch the 6 o'clock news (watching the 5 o'clock today) and Mark typically arrives home around weather time. Sure that makes sense, right?

First Steps

Karigan took her first steps today. Three. 3. Steps. Mobility has not at all been on her radar. That is until she discovered the steps leading to the unknown world above the first floor. Now she likes to climb on everything. The stairs, the furniture, the dishwasher - with the latter being her favorite climbing adventure. Maybe I will get a video the next time she decides to perambulate upright. Otherwise, stay tuned for some hysterical dishwasher photos.

Family Camp In

For Brendan's second birthday, Meme and Poppy gave him a two person dome tent. It was green and red and a two year old boys dream. Brendan was so super excited that we set it up in the yard that very night and camped out, well slept out. Keep in mind Brendan's birthday is in November and it was particularly cold that year. We piled as many sleeping bags and blankets we could fit inside, a few stuffed animals, some snacks, and we were set. As soon as we awoke the next morning, we ran inside to get warm. Brendan gleefully remembers that day and every time he talks about going camping, that story is the first to be told. Well, a few years ago, one of the poles to that particular tent broke. We searched and searched for a replacement, but were never successful in finding a pole short enough. Well, Meme and Poppy to the rescue...

Brendan received a new tent from Meme and Poppy when they were here this past April. We were waiting to use it later this summer at Old Man's Cave, but the kids just couldn't wait any longer. With a little help from Daddy, Brendan anxiously set it up in the backyard, and he did a mighty fine job, might I add! Quite the boy scout he has become. We roasted hot dogs on the chiminea and then an army of mosquitoes began their attack. A little known fact about the Waishnora clan: Mark and Brendan are highly, highly sensitive to mosquitoes. Upon being bitten, Brendan swells up and has been known to turn blue. Mark, on the other hand, attracts every mosquito within a five mile radius, and once bitten (who am I kidding, it is never just once) develops circular, knotted welts the size of a quarter and bigger. Brendan's reaction is simply treated with Benedryl. Mark, on the other hand, has to go in for a steroid shot :( So since the mosquito population is at an all time high this year, and the visible swarm was evidence enough for us, we opted to bring the tent indoors. The kids had a blast just the same. Karigan would crawl in and out, in and out, and then roll from one side to the other. Then Brendan and Jillian would do the same. Needless to say, the tent is going on Day 3 in the house and has moved from outside to the living room to the dining room.

Sliders Anyone?

Grandma and Grandpa Waishnora stopped by today and brought a 6 pack of "Sliders" with them. Wowee. Brendan. Loves. Sliders. I have often said and today reinforced the notion that Karigan is Brendan in girl form because Karigan loved, loved, loved her first slider. Thanks Mamaw and Papaw. We love you!

It's Bath Time

Tonight, I told Karigan it was time for her bath. Before I knew it, she was up the stairs. A first might I add. She made it all the way to the first landing by herself. - Guess it is time for that baby gate that has been sitting in the mudroom for, oh about, 6 months to finally be installed.

Knock On Wood

I don't consider myself overly superstitious. For the most part, I don't subscribe to that garbage at all. (No rabbit-foot toting, same-sock wearing, lucky pencil using goes on at my house.) But I do knock on wood. You know, when you say something like "No one in our family has ever had cancer," you have to follow it with "Knock on wood," and an actual knock on actual wood. And it has to be real wood, not pseudo wood, particle board, etc. In the first place, I try not to say things like that out loud, or think them for that matter. I hardly ever say "It's been months since Jillian's had a tantrum at bedtime" because I know that as soon as I say it - a huge tantrum is on the way. But when those things do slip out, I'm all about knocking on wood to ward away the bad luck. Silly right? Or so I thought. Anyway, sometime last week Mark and I were talking about the kids being healthy, minimal trips to the pediatrician this year, finally having great health insurance yet we really haven't had to use. (I cower to even type the conversation, as not to curse ourselves again.) Then the thought crept into my head, "I need to knock on wood," but I didn't. SO - what happened?! Fourth of July, Karigan wakes up from her nap with a fever. She had been unusually fussy the night before. I took her to the doctor on Saturday. I just knew she had an ear infection, but nope, her ears were clear. It was ruled a sinus infection with some postnasal drip causing minor throat irritation. After 48 hours of constant crying only quieted by constant nursing (and, trust me, that only goes so far), we were in the ER at 3:30 Tuesday morning. And to think this all could have been avoided by knocking on wood, well perhaps. Nevertheless, my faith in knocking on wood has been reaffirmed and I'm recommitted to the cause.

So. I know I'm not the only semi-superstitious one, right? What do you do? Toss salt over your shoulder when you're cooking? Or are you a wood knocker? Fortune cookie fortune saver? Go ahead, tell us. No one will think less of you.

The Apple Fell and It Is Near.

I am not sure if geneticist have isolated a tantrum gene, but I am positive one exists. I should preface this story with the little known fact that during my childhood I, yes me, was a professional fit thrower - a tantrum connoisseur, if you will (some may argue that I still manage to pull one out for old times sake at least once or twice a month, however, I stand in dispute of that argument.) I remember clearly the first time Jillian dramatically tossed her stiffened torso and flailing limbs to the floor. Shock and Awe, I tell ya, Shock and Awe! I had no other choice but to throw myself down on the floor beside her and laugh. That is, after I grabbed the phone to call my mom and profess my apologies for being so ridiculous in the midst of my past hysteria. So, Jillian was the first of the three to inherit the gene. Please keep in mind that this insatiable desire to wail and scream in a state of excited anger in order to receive what one wants had to be genetically predispositioned. The reason: As a mother, I became aware that children imitate what they see and I was determined that none of my children would ever witness another child throw a tantrum, therefore avoiding the inevitable mimic. The result: Jillian, at the tender age of 19 months, had never (to my knowledge) witnessed another child act out emotions in this way, and yet, still busted out a full-fledged tantrum. Conclusion: The overwhelming desire to express her emotions in this unacceptable fashion is definitely in her genes.

For further evidence concluding this hypothesis, I submit the following video. Jillian's younger sister Karigan at the age of 12 months shortly after Mommy told her "No, you can not have any more Cheerios before dinner." Thereby, supporting and reinforcing, the cliche - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

She only stopped because she saw Mommy with the camcorder.

Summer Zoo Trip #1

Check back for more info later

Like Father, Like Daughter

I have often said Mark has Coke (uh-cola, that is) pouring through his veins. Looks like Karigan is starting her habit a little early. Not to worry, she is just playing with the cans, not drinking from them. At least, I don't think she has tasted soda yet - Has she Mark?

Happy 1st Birthday Karigan

Meme and Poppy sent me balloons and a teddy bear for my birthday. Boy, was I surprised when I woke up from my nap. I Love Balloons!