Crazy About Shoes, Clothes, and All Things Daddy Related

All four of my girls are just crazy over shoes.... their size, my size, fancy, heels, or flip flops, does not matter, they are just crazy over shoes.

So you can imagine the squeals of delight they made as we opened a package from their Daddy a few weeks ago and they saw these...

Scott sent each of the girls their own little curly toe'd pair of Afghan shoes. They were so excited, that is, at least until they tried to put them on. Maggie's disappointment was the most obvious as she cried, "I just can't get my big step-sister foot into this little thing!" Poor little gal cried and cried until she realized that Ella's shoes were also too small, and she would therefore be allowed to wear E's. Maggie wore them to school, to church, and around town, but she always packs a back-up for playgrounds because she doesn't want the fancy ones to get dirty.

Much to the girls' delight, Scott tried again with the next larger size on the shoes so everyone would have a properly fitting pair. In addition to the shoes, this time he sent little outfits. Ella wasn't quite sure what to think of hers at first. She loves the fancy aspects of it, but she isn't too keen on being so "different".

When the original package arrived a few weeks ago, Scott also included a beautiful green Cashmere scarf for me. After glancing in the box at the luxurious fabric of the scarf and all the gold thread on the shoes she exclaimed, "Daddy must be really rich now!" When I asked her why she would say that she said, "Well, just look at all these fine things he's sending to us!" It was like she was saying, "Duh, mom... can't you see?"

When Scott heard about Ella's comments he got the message to her quickly that even if he didn't have a dime, he would be rich.... so very rich!

I couldn't agree more!!

Snowed In

I'm pretty sure I heard the girls all singing the Hallelujah Chorus as we pulled out of our somewhat icy driveway on Thursday afternoon for our first trip out of the house in over 5 days! Just to get out and play in the fluffy turned icy white stuff required 30 minutes of dressing, after which the girls happily played for 10 minutes max. So with no school, no play dates, and weather so cold that it was not fun to stay out for more than a few minutes at a time, we had to get creative to entertain ourselves indoors.



We watched several good movies. Despicable Me, Toy Story 3 (my favorite), Eloise at the Plaza on DVR, and Ramona and Beezus (the girls' favorite as evidenced by the 100 times they asked to watch it within a 3 day period) all made the cut. Incredibly, the girls didn't ask to watch the television unless it was to see one of the above movies, and we only watched Ramona and Beezus 5 times and the others once each.



The girls "helped" me in the kitchen where we made homemade pizzas, fresh french bread, banana muffins, homemade pancake syrup, and massive amounts of waffles which are now filling our freezer.



They painted, spent hours and hours playing with their homemade play dough, colored, made princess bead jewelry, and drew life sized creations on very large pieces of cardboard.



All of the above were important in keeping us sane while stuck at home, but the most important thing that kept the girls going strong this week was their wonderful imaginations. I am so grateful that they all seem to be blessed with fantastic, creative little minds!



One night 3 of the girls were in the bathtub and one was resisting. There really isn't room for all of them to bathe at the same time anymore, so I didn't mind. I went to straighten up the kitchen while the water was running. When I came back a minute or so later, I overheard the fact that the tub crew was performing a c-section on a poor, unsuspecting mermaid bath toy. My non-bather was "assisting tub side" on the delivery. There was more giggling and laughter than I'm sure is allowed in a surgery suite, but otherwise they cracked me up with their "doctor" language.



Another favorite imagination game they love is to pretend to be mamas. They like to take turns being Aunt Kari and several of her friends who have young babies. They nuwrse their babies, change diapers, play with them, and babysit for each other while they take turns making trips to the grocery store and many other more outlandish places.



When the snowy weather arrived, I was so grateful that I hadn't put away the Christmas cards we got this year just yet. At least once a day the girls dug through the stack of photo cards and drew out a family... usually one with babies or small children, and then they pretend to be that family. Many a day was spent telling and re-telling them our friends' names, their children's names, their pets names, if included in the card. Because we still keep in touch with friends from the other places we've lived, there were quite a few cards with families that the girls just don't remember so those were always favorite picks during the "Chwristmas Card Game", as they called it. I loved it because the game often entertained them for hours, and it also gave me a chance to introduce them to people they don't know or were too young to remember.



When I finished cleaning up from lunch one day I walked into the living room to find Kate in the recliner with Ella standing over her, wearing latex gloves, and poking around in her mouth. As I entered Ella was saying, "Hummmm... it looks like you need to do a better job with your flossing young lady!" Playing right along Maggie looked up from behind her little make shift desk and asked if I was there for my appointment with Dr. Barrett.




Early in our snow captivity their creative little minds decided that we should attempt to "super glue Daddy to the wall so he won't have to leave for Afghanistand". That didn't work out for us, but I can say that we've more than survived this past week. I am super duper ready to get back into a daily routine... particularly one that involves not being in the house 24/7, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the time the five of us girls have had to spend together this week.


***This post would undoubtedly be better with photos, but getting out of my blogging groove also means that I now find myself with a new computer and trouble inserting my SD card. From half way around the world Scott can't help me. I'll try to add some pictures tomorrow from my laptop and erase all this nonsense about no pictures.***

As Promised....

I headed to the airport today with four very excited little girls. Because I was the only adult until we picked Scott up, I made them wear their monkey backpacks. Our little crew caused quite a stir all over the airport..... but I think it was mostly the monkey backpacks and leashes because the girls were very well behaved!

We arrived early enough to have a little snack before moving over to the arrival area at the top of the escalators.
Once we got to our final waiting point we chatted with a few strangers, and one kind lady offered to be our photographer for the "first sighting". I was grateful, but the girls all charged like a bunch of bulls the moment they saw Daddy and there really weren't great photo opportunities.

After patiently waiting for all four of the girls to squeeze Daddy tight, I stepped in and demanded a turn.

While waiting for baggage the girls sat around and hung on Scott's every word.... I have no idea what he was telling them here, but they were all very entertained by him.
We've had a fabulous first day back together as a family of 6. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes while Scott was away! These pictures don't do this day justice... we are so blessed!

Hooray!

Three cheers for our Daddy...

Do you know where he'll be around noon tomorrow?

HOME WITH US!!

And we couldn't be happier!

Reunion photos soon...

A Little Detour

Because we hadn't seen Scott's grandparents in nearly a year, nor his mom Gamma for several months, the girls and I detoured a little on our way home from the beach last week and stopped in his home town for an impromptu visit.

I let the bulls loose (or octopus, more like) in Gamma's antique shop after having confined them to the car for the better part of the morning, and thankfully they didn't break anything.... and to think I used to worry about taking our lab Bandit in there! Managing one of him on a leash was so much simpler than corralling the girls.
We took the time to Skype with Scott one last time while he was still in Iraq, and that was a real treat.... 4 generations worth of people all connecting via the computer around the globe.
The girls ran off a little steam with their baby carriages before we got back on the road for the longer and much less pleasant portion of our return from the beach.
Overall, the stop was an hour out of our way and we spent almost 2 hours there, but the time was definitely well spent and so worth it! I know the girls enjoyed seeing their Gamma and their great grandparents. It was an excellent end to our already wonderful vacation.

Our Little Firecrackers

I have learned a great deal about myself and my children over the last year. I have learned things about my husband that I might never have had the opportunity had he been here with me instead of half way around the world in Iraq. I can tell from reading messages he's sent that Scott has learned a great deal too. Last year I had no idea how things would turn out (*who ever does, really*), but I am pleased to report that Scott is finally making his way home to us and we did okay while he was away! No, we did better than okay, and so did he!!

So on this momentous, for us anyway, 4th of July, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who serve our country in defense of freedom! We won't forget your sacrifices nor those of your families who love and support you through until you come home. And may we never, ever forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice!

To my sweet husband who has been dearly missed this past year... the girls and I are very eagerly awaiting your arrival home to the states and even more so home to us!

And to our sweet little firecrackers, Ella, Maggie, Kate, and Sarah, thank you for giving me a reason to keep going every day, for making me laugh, and helping me to get through this time without your Daddy! I wouldn't have made it without you gals.... even though you did occasionally make me think I was going to loose my mind, and boy will I be glad to have my parenting partner back! whew!

Happy Independence Day and God Bless the USA!

Long Summer Days

I took the girls for haircuts this morning. They are looking especially adorable these days, and it's a really good thing because they are otherwise driving me nuts.

Thankfully this afternoon Kay, Doug, and Brian had the girls over for a play date including playing in the sprinklers, pancakes for supper, and a bath while I got a little reprieve.

Before leaving them for their couple hours break from their mean old mama, I took a few pictures... new haircuts can't go undocumented as they don't happen often enough! Unfortunately Maggie and Kate didn't keep their hair bows in, and they both really need them as you'll notice in the pictures that follow.

I should have gone to the grocery store while I had time to myself, but instead I got a pedicure and then visited a neighbor.

I was blessed by my time off, and my ears aren't ringing quite as loudly tonight since I wasn't listening x4 all evening long.

I know the girls had a great time also... they were just getting warmed up in these pictures while I was still there. They kept saying, "You can go on now mama", "Have a fun time!", etc.

We are in the home stretch for Scott's deployment, and I spend a great deal of time thinking and daydreaming about what it will be like when he's finally home. The girls have changed so very much. Ella has grown 2 inches taller, 5 lbs heavier, and it feels like she has matured several years' worth emotionally. When Scott left Maggie, Kate, and Sarah were all in diapers and baby beds, and that is no longer true for any of them ... they are little ladies now with all the chatter, attitude, and independent thoughts that come with it.

He is going to be amazed at how they've all grown and changed! Have I mentioned how grateful I will be to have my partner in love, life, and parenting back here to share in these long summer days and all the ones that follow?!? The four silly sisters and their one nutty mama are so looking forward to having this year behind us.... what a wild ride it has been!

Bring your best ear plugs and get home to us soon Scott!

Church Camping Trip Spring 2009

The girls followed up a very late night on Friday last week while I was on my girls night out with another very late night on Saturday as the five of us went over to Tugaloo State Park and met up with a large group of folks from church who were camping there.

Oh, and we managed to squeeze in a friend's 4th birthday party that afternoon before hand. That means we compounded the lack of sleep with too much sugar, traveling for around an hour, more of the too much sugar and junk, lots of fun and fellowship, and then another hour car ride home. I carried four sleeping beauties in to bed on Saturday night way past bedtime and dropped them without brushing their teeth or even changing their dirty clothes! Nobody even blinked or rolled over.

Perhaps that was a little Mother's Day gift to me because the behavior that I got out of the girls the following day was exactly what I expected.... BAD! Happy Mother's Day to me. We always have a great time when we visit the church campers. The girls beg to stay.

I understand the draw.... there are lots of kiddos and no shortage of fun. There are friends and cousins, and friends who are cousins.... aren't we blessed?

Wrapping up, I know I say this every time, but I think we really should give "camping" a shot once Scott is home from Iraq. I mean, they can't be any worse the following day if we stay overnight in a tent, right?

Last One from the Beach

With the weather we've been having this week, it is hard to even remember back to the glorious, beautiful weather we had while we were at the beach. I am so ready for the rain to stop, and I think all of the girls feel the same! Since they are calling for even more bad weather here, I think I'll go ahead and post our last few pictures from our R&R beach vacation to lift my spirits.


On one of our many bike excursions at Hilton Head we discovered a neat little children's museum called The Sandbox. It was an interactive playhouse of sorts, and yes, they played at a sand table for almost 15 minutes even though they had spent the entire morning playing in one of the world's largest sandboxes.... the beach.

The beach was a little windy that particular day, so we spent the better part of an afternoon and evening there after the girls got up from their nap. As we were leaving one of the museum employees invited us back to their family fun night the following evening... museum admission was free for the event, and they were serving hot dogs for dinner, yippee!

In addition to the free admission and food, not to mention another couple of hours of contented playtime, they had a clown there for the event that was doing all kinds of face painting. Ella stood in line with Sarah who wanted to have her face painted like a princess, (you can see it if you zoom in on the photo above this one), and while she waited decided she'd like to have her arm painted. It was impressive, but then she was reluctant to bathe for a couple of days so that she didn't wash it off.

We didn't spend a great deal of time in the condo this trip because the girls got into too much... primarily Maxine and Murhpy's dog cages (sorry Janice and Tom)!! Every time I turned around Ella was locking Sarah, Kate, and Maggie in, but as you can see they didn't mind a bit. We mostly opted to be out on the bikes, at the beach, or exploring.

One afternoon Maggie awoke from nap with a very specific request for snack, which we didn't have on hand. I decided we could make a little one on one trip to the grocery store, just Maggie and I. While we were gone, the other three girls enjoyed an ice cream social with Daddy on the back porch.

They made a big mess of themselves, lots of silly faces, tons of pictures, and a whole bunch of fun memories with Daddy while Maggie and I enjoyed a few quiet minutes to ourselves.

Afterward they did a great job of cleaning up. We would not have been able to tell they had had any ice cream if not for them all telling Maggie about it, but thankfully she didn't even mind.

We had a fabulous time vacationing with Scott at Hilton Head, and we look forward to many more family trips there in the future. After all, according to Ella, "Hilton Hay-ud is the best beach in the whole wuhrld... even better than the ones in Hawah!"

R&R Day One

On the 1st of March when Maggie, Kate, and I went to pick Scott up at the airport I fielded no less than one million questions regarding Daddy and everything else under the sun on the way to the airport with two two year olds. It was great fun, but not nearly as awesome as the ride home.

Maggie, Kate, and Scott giggled almost the entire way. They played peekaboo, monsters, and lots of other great games. We even stopped for pizza and enjoyed the company of just two of our four little munchkins. At the time Scott had no idea how much louder things would be once we arrived home.

We stopped by our house so that Scott could change out of his uniform before picking Ella and Sarah up from church. Ella had informed Scott over the computer during a Skype conversation in the days leading up to his visit that he would need to "not be seen wearing his silly uniform in public". She added a please, and he agreed. At the fellowship hall where Ella and Sarah had just finished lunch, there were many more giggles, hugs and kisses for Dad.

Once we finally arrived home it was time for Maggie, Kate, and Sarah to take a quick nap. Meanwhile, Scott, Ella, and I enjoyed looking at the pictures from Iraq on Scott's laptop. Ella picked up Scott's little point and shoot digital camera and wowed us with her photography skills. Then one by one the little girls trickled in to join us.

Once everyone was up I mentioned a birthday party for Pop C that same night and couldn't believe it when Scott said it sounded like fun and we should go. He was such a trooper. I am sure he was incredibly tired already by that point, but the girls were all thrilled to show off Daddy. It was also a great way for Scott to get to catch up with lots of our family.

The party was a huge success! Pop was "only" expecting his 6 children, their spouses, and his grandchildren, but many of his brothers and sisters were there as well, so it was a bit of a surprise party. Pop C celebrated his 80th birthday and had help from all 4 of his great grandchildren blowing out his candles.

Finally after traveling through 3 countries over the course of 3 days to get back home after being gone for nearly 6 months, when Scott said he was getting a little tired we headed straight home. He was so happy to be home and back with the girls and I that he didn't even mind having spent the entire day among large crowds of people. We packed a lot in to that first day.... we were all just so glad that Scott was home we could have done anything or nothing at all and I think we would have been happy!