♥~*Fancy Flora *♥* Fancy Nancy*~♥

Flora and I went to the Folly Theater today to see Duck for President and Other Stories. The Folly Theater website describes the production as "An all-new musical revue featuring mini-musicals based on best-selling children’s books: Fancy Nancy, Duck for President, Babymouse: The Musical, I Have To Go!, Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, and Pirates Don't Change Diapers!"
We were there to see Fancy Nancy, of course, although we did read the other books ahead of time so Flora would be familiar with the stories. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the performance. The costumes and set were very simple but the performers were all excellent vocalists and dancers. I really enjoyed the show!

So, anyway, here's how our first trip to the theater went:

7:45am -- Wake up and get ready
8:00am -- Wake up Flora and make her fancy
8:25am -- Feed Timber
8:40am -- Leave for our Mommy-Daughter date!
9:00am -- Arrive at Folly Theater
9:15am -- Finally find a place to park (illegally)
9:40am -- Performance begins!
10:45am -- Performance ends!
11:00am -- No parking ticket!!! Hooray!
11:15am -- Get lunch at Mr. Goodcents with Flora
11:30am -- Arrive home at the same time as Chris, Scout, and Timber (they did our weekly Walmart shopping!)

Flora was fancy. She wore a dress, a "pearl" necklace, and fancy white gloves. Unfortunately, she decided that her hair was fancier left down instead of being put up in a ponytail or a braid. It bugs me when it's down but it was HER fancy day, so I let her wear it down in her face.
She's not miserable. I promise. I wanted to post this picture because it shows her fancy dress, fancy pearl necklace, fancy gloves, and Fancy Nancy.
See, she's happy! She thought it was very fun that there were so many other kids there. She enjoyed watching them before the show began.

My little lady

She wasn't superexcited about the musical while it was being performed but she also wasn't as scared as I thought she might be. She spent most of the time staring at the stage with her eyes and mouth wide open. Occasionally she would curl up in her seat and not watch for a minute but then there were also moments in which she smiled and laughed at the silly performances. I was worried that she would not like it at all, so I was thrilled that she seemed to enjoy most of it.

Fancy Flora and Fancy Nancy

Freaky Flora and Fancy Nancy

As we were driving home, Flora told me, "Mommy, I love musicals!" Yea!!

Flora looking fancy and Mommy looking frumpy. Hopefully we will have many more Mommy-Daughter dates and we'll get a better picture together!

btw, this post is not about the kids

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Jesus wants us to be fishermen. I hate fishing, but thanks to my angler of a husband I know a little bit about what it means to be a fisherman. So, what does it mean to be a fisherman?

Does a good fisherman open his front door and hold a weekly fish meeting, hoping that the fish in the sea will find their way inside his house? Does he design an eye-catching flier and put it in the stream next to his house hoping it will reach the sea? Or, if he's really feeling brave, venture to the water's edge to drop the flier into the sea himself? Does he go to his neighbor's house and steal his fish to make his own fish population larger? Does he adorn the outside of his house with shiny gold and jewels to capitalize on a fish's natural affinity for shiny things? Does he get in his boat but keep it safely anchored in shallow water? Does he sit in his house with his doors and windows shut . . . praying that the fish will somehow somehow SOMEHOW find their way inside?

OR

Does a good fisherman put on his fanny pack, fishing vest, muddy boots, smelly jacket, and sweat-stained cap and carry his fishing pole down to the water (ephesians 6:10-18)? Does he get in his boat and sail into the sea -- being IN the sea but not OF it? Does he know the currents and the tides and the best places to find fish? Does he get dirty? Does he get wet?

*********

And that is where the analogy ends. A good fisherman will catch lots of fish and either sell them or eat them. I don't think that's what Jesus wants us to do. In fact, Jesus doesn't tell us to catch any fish at all. Catching fish is not our responsibility -- we are not even capable of it! Our duty is to fish -- to navigate our boats into the deep sea and cast our line. If we pull up our lures they will be empty every time, but if we cast the line and trust God to pull it up then we will never be disappointed.

I don't have to google to know that this analogy has been done many many MANY times.....but it's never been done by me. And this is what I'm thinking about today.

timber's big day

Yesterday was a big day for little Timber.

Food
At 5-months and 5-days old, Timber finally got his first taste of real food. Or real-ish food. I'm not sure that rice cereal actually qualifies as real food. It looks like dandruff flakes. However, despite it's unappealing texture, appearance, and (I'm assuming) taste, I fed rice cereal to Timber and he loved it! He's obviously been preparing for this day because he seemed to know exactly what to do with the spoon after only a couple put-the-food-in-push-the-food-out bites.


Unfortunately, Timber was fed his first meal with a pink spoon because his colorblind daddy picked out the spoon. It's not Chris' fault.....he probably thought it was gray.

Fun
I know you're wondering how it can get any more exciting than rice cereal but keep reading because, believe it or not, it gets better. I went to my very favorite consignment shop (Kids Kloset in Smithville) and came home with some supercute summer dresses and Tinker Bell pajamas for Flora, the BEST DISNEY MOVIE OF ALL TIME (Robin Hood) for Scout, and ....... drumroll please.......a JUMPER for Timber!!!! I'm not sure if "jumper" is the right word. It's a contraption that hangs from the ceiling so babies can jump, so we've been calling it "the jumper". You'll see what I mean when you watch the video. That's right.....I said video! Yay!! Don't get TOO excited though because I can't figure out how to rotate the video for the blog. So tilt your head to the side and prepare to experience slight motion sickness as you watch Timber enjoy his new jumping toy!




In review:
Timber + Food = L.O.V.E.
Timber + Jumper = L.O.V.E.
It was a very good day for our littlest man.

bragging....because it's my blog and i can

Can I brag for a minute?

"Why, YES, Stefanie! We LOVE it when you brag!"

Great!

Today I feel like bragging on two people. There are many other people who deserve to be bragged on, but my time is limited. I can't brag on EVERYONE in one blog post, after all.

First, I would like to brag on Scout. Scout is completely obsessed with letters. It's really no surprise as there are letters on the refrigerator, letters in the bathtub, an alphabet puzzle, fabric letters, stacking letters, alphabet games on the computer, and alphabet books. He can identify all the letters and tell me the sounds that most of the letters make. I think he may even know more letter sounds than Flora at this point even though she's the one that I've been trying to teach. I am completely amazed that he knows all this since I've never actively taught him any letter sounds. He's like a little sponge. It makes me wonder if maybe kids should be learning these things much younger than they are. Scout also has a favorite letter. His favorite letter is K. I don't know why a little boy needs a favorite letter or what makes the letter K so much better than the other letters, but it's a clear favorite of Scout's.









Next, I would like to brag on my "little" brother, Shane. He is a sophomore starting on the varsity basketball team in Siloam Springs. I got to watch him play for the first time this season last weekend. He played well in those games, but last night (at the game I was NOT at -- thanks, Shane) he scored 17 points in a huge win over Alma. Last time they played, Alma beat Siloam Springs by 37 points but this time Siloam managed to win by 3. Not only did he have a super game, but his facebook status after the game was "Thank you Jesus!" So.....he's a good athlete and a good Christian, he makes good grades and is nice to his family.....could he possibly be good at anything else? YES! He's a good uncle! Flora and Scout love Shane and I'm sure Timber will love him too! The only negative thing I can say about Shane is that he refuses to let me cut his hair. I like the shaggy look, but it's been that way for SO long. I just think it's time for a change. And also I like talking people into things and he's being stubborn--he and Sara are a lot alike that way.
Just think about it, Shane. I'll be down there again this summer.....summer would be a great time for a new short hairdo!

poopy status

Scout announces his poopy status to me every morning. He lets me know what's up in his diaper before he says "Hi" or "Good morning" or even "I'm hungry". It's nice because I know right away what kind of day it will be. If I open his door and he says, "Mommy, I poopy" then I know I need to kick myself into Mommy gear quickly, but if he says, "Mommy, I not poopy" then I know I can take it easy for a while and wake up slowly. I wish more people were like that. Life would be simpler if we all just announced right away whether we are feeling "poopy" or "not poopy".

flora's favorite things

I asked Flora what her favorite thing at Poppy and Gigi's house was. She leaned in playfully, and said, "Pink milk!" while nodding seriously. I asked her if she had another favorite thing and she said it was a secret before whispering, "Chocolate milk!" in my ear. I asked her for yet another favorite thing and she whispered, "Poppy!" and then "Gigi!" and then "Shane!" So, then I asked her what her favorite thing was that she did with Gigi. She told me about some kind of letter thing with the letters in her name -- I'm not really sure what that meant but it did sound fun. When I asked her what her favorite thing was that she did with Poppy, she quickly replied, "Eating."

in the eye of the beholder

Chris and I were talking, as I'm sure most parents do, about how great/smart/beautiful/awesome our kids are. We had just finished gushing to each other about how much Flora has grown up and turned into a beautiful little girl and we turned to gaze at our charming/beautiful daughter. At that moment, she was standing with her back to us, wearing only a pair of dirty yellow athletic shorts, and digging a major wedgie out of her bum. Lovely, Flora, just lovely.

valentine treats

Well, my Valentine is working tonight but my three little cupids have each given me wonderful Valentines Day presents. Scout just "cooked" me a red pepper, a croissant, grapes, sausage, and a whole rotisserie chicken in Flora's microwave, Timber slobbered all over my face in what I can only assume was his attempt at a kiss, and Flora just decorated a kleenex box for "Mother's Day". She's confused, but it was still a sweet gesture.

*****

Beyonce's Single Ladies came on the radio today and Flora yells, "Mommy, I LOVE this song! Turn it up really loud! Louder!"

*****

While looking at all the animals at Cabelas Friday night, Scout asked me, "Mommy, where's the unicorn?"

library rules

A truth about raising three little kids is this: It gets easier and harder every day. Just as some things are becoming easier, other things are getting harder.

One measure that I use to gauge where we are at on the easy/hard scale is how our trips to the library go. I rarely take all three kids to the library by myself. I think it has happened three times since Timber was born and each time was very different from the others. It had been a while, so we decided to go to the library today. My primary reason for vising the library was to give some maternity clothes to a former co-worker of mine. She offered to come out to the car to get them, but I had already promised library books to the kids. So......Library, prepare yourself for the Borkert circus! At least they had advance warning!

So, we talked in the car about library manners and I promised suckers if they were quiet, stayed with me, and didn't pull books off the shelf. Yes, ironically, one of my library rules is No Touching the Books. It's just better that way. Trust me....I have a Masters in this stuff after all. Deep breath.....and here we go.

First of all, just getting out of the car and into the library is an event. What should take 30 seconds takes us about five minutes. Park car, unlock doors, get out stroller, put Timber's carseat into stroller, put Scout into stroller, hang book bag and bag of clothes on stroller handles, put keys in stroller cupholder, put wallet in stroller pocket, get Flora out of the car and make sure she is holding onto the stroller, lock doors, close all doors, go.

Timber started crying before we were even inside. He doesn't like being in his carseat when he thinks there are things to see. Once I got him out he was Mr. Happy and smiled at all my friends at the library. So, within two minutes of being inside the library I had a huge double stroller with carseat attached and no kids riding in it. Next time, I may just nix the stroller altogether. I think carrying Timber and managing Flora and Scout would be much easier without having to push an empty stroller around too.

Flora and Scout were surprisingly well-behaved. They didn't pull whole sections of books off the shelf or make me chase them down the aisles or screech (all things that have happened in the past). So that was good. I was happy. There was one additional library rule that I should have added to our list but, silly me, I didn't think of it ahead of time. Maybe a better mom would have anticipated that Flora would shed her shoes and socks as soon as we got in the door......but I didn't. I'll know next time to add Keep Your Shoes On to the list of library rules.

sick season

So, it all started a few weeks ago with a cough. Scout coughed . . . and then he developed a cold. And then Flora got a cold . . . and then Chris and I caught the bug. Timber got snotty and coughy but not nearly as bad as the rest of us, thankfully! So, after a few days of *cough* *cough* *snot* we all seemed to be on the mend. And then Scout woke up with a gunky eye. Gunk. Great. So Scout had pinkeye . . . and then Flora had pinkeye . . . and then Timber had pinkeye.

Let me just say right now that I am amazing. I totally deserve this compliment . . . let me tell you why: I single-handedly wrestled a 3-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 4-month-old to put eye drops in all six eyes twice a day for five days. (Ok, sometimes Chris was there to help, but those five days made me realize how often he's NOT home at bedtime . . . or maybe he was purposely avoiding bedtime that week! I wouldn't blame him.) Do you know how strong a 2-year-old boy is??? how wiggly a 3-year-old girl is??? how small a 4-month-old eye is??? Me=Amazing. I don't like to brag, but I totally deserve it for this one.

So, anyway, the eye drops kicked the pinkeye and I thought we were done with our sick season. We have at least one sick season every year -- you know, the month or two in which we never really stop being sick. But, alas, Scout started running a fever two days ago. I treated it with ibuprofen and hoped it would magically disappear but finally took him to the doctor today when he started telling me that his ear hurt. Poor guy. So now Scout has a sinus infection. He started the antibiotics today. Let's hope this sinus infection will be the capstone of our sick season.

And again, I apologize for the boring health update. When the kids are sick it's pretty much all I can think about. And my throat hurts . . .

a pretty picture

I am reading a REALLY good book that is inspiring me to be a better mother. I'm not going to recommend the book to everyone because I think that different mothers need different kinds of books at different times. I'll just say it is the perfect book for me to be reading right now. I'm even taking notes! I'm pretty sure I haven't taken notes since college and I know that I've never taken notes on any book that I wasn't going to be tested on. So, yeah.....it's a good book.

I mentioned to Flora that we would be going to Poppy and Gigi's house next week. Mentioned! In passing, really! And I didn't even think Scout was in the room! But apparently he was because he asked several times throughout the evening if we were going to Poppy and Gigi's house soon. As I moved a sleeping Scout into his bed tonight he whispered, eyes closed and still asleep, "Mommy, I want to go to Gigi's house." I'm sure he's having sweet dreams filled with chocolate milk and freezer cookies.

And Flora FINALLY got to paint today!!! She's been asking to paint for a couple weeks and I kept telling her that we needed to get paint stuff at the store. Well, today I remembered that I had bought watercolors several months ago and never used them! I started Flora out while Scout was still asleep. She was so good at dipping her brush in the water in between colors. I barely had to explain it. She had so much fun and I felt bad for making her wait so long to paint.

When Scout woke up he got to "paint" with water and a paintbrush on colored construction paper. Eventually he'll catch on that he's not doing the same thing that Flora is doing but for now this is a much cleaner, easier way for Scout to paint. He was happy. He looks a little rough here, but remember that he just woke up from a long nap!

So we had a fun little afternoon project and now we have some beautiful new artwork decorating our oven vent.

Then tonight, Chris totally disregarded the blanket over the TV signaling a no-tv day and declared it to be Movie Night. Flora and Scout LOVE Movie Night. Basically, Movie Night means that Chris makes Kool-Aid and popcorn and we all watch a movie before bedtime. It's fun and the kids get really excited about the Kool-Aid and popcorn. (Secretly, I think it's just Chris' excuse for making and drinking a lot of Kool-Aid.)
So, we had a good day! Looking forward to warmer temperatures this weekend so that maybe we can all get out of the house for a while. Also, Chris and I talked last night about some safe measures we can take to cut down on the mosquito population in our backyard this summer. Ah, summer......such an abstract idea in the middle of February. Does it really get warm enough to wear tank tops? Really? It doesn't seem possible.....but I am anxious to be proved wrong!

Aaaaand, I thought that was the end of my blog but now I have to mention that I had to look up whether proved or proven should be used in that last sentence. English is tough sometimes.

it's funny....really

Funny night tonight.....

Flora had been in "bed" for about an hour when she started yelling for me. I cracked open her door and she asked, "Mommy, is it morning time yet?" Um, no.....not quite.

Also, it's after 10pm and Chris and I were contemplating going to bed early tonight. However, I pointed out that we should probably stay up until Scout falls asleep. Occasionally he has nights like this where he stays up late and plays in his room for hours. We always check on him before we go to bed to make sure that he is actually in his bed and covered up. So....I guess we're staying up for a while.

These two stories cracked Chris and me up tonight but now that I read them they don't seem so funny. I guess it's the sense of humor that you develop when you are a parent.

Kids are funny.....but sometimes their parents are the only ones who think so.

pizza and besties

Pizza Street offers a lunch buffet for $2.99 during the week and kids under age 4 always eat free. This means that my family of five could eat for $5.98 before tax -- that's $1.20 per person! Or even better yet, I could take the kids during the week without Chris and the four of us could eat for $2.99! That is 75 cents per person!! Haha---that just seemed crazy to me! Taking three kids to Pizza Street by myself also seems crazy, so I don't think that will be happening while they're still young enough to eat free.

Also, Flora got up from her nap early today and approached me with "the look." It's a look that is meant to melt my heart and compel me to give her whatever she wants. It is a look that works on most people . . . but I'm the mommy. Anyway, she very sweetly asked, "Mommy, can I please wake up Scout now?" Resisting the power of "the look," I told her no. She asked a couple more times before I finally asked her why she wanted to wake him up. "Because," she said, "he is my best friend." Chris and I both said "AWWWW!" And I did let her wake him up a bit early from his nap. Dang, she's good....

yes, the redhead is with me

WHO: Flora. Scout. Me.
WHAT: MOMS Club playgroup meet-up
WHERE: FUN RUN (a big building full of bounce houses and various ceramic
animals on which to climb .... basically a preschooler's paradise)
WHEN: Today
WHY: 30x30 goal
HOW: Uh, I don't know.....just in a normal way.

Long story short -- we had a good time.

Flora was a maniac in the bounce houses. Totally surprised me. She climbed up the tallest slide and swooshed down it without blinking an eye. Who is this girl??? She was not tall enough to enter the bouncy slide by herself and I guess she got tired of me not responding fast enough because she went across the room to get a little plastic chair to use as a stepping stool. I was impressed with her problem-solving skills! And I think the other kids were appreciative of her efforts too.

Scout enjoyed climbing on the animals and playing with the various arcade games but he wasn't too sure about the bounce houses. He started out just fine and jumped into a bounce house before I even had my coat off -- I think maybe something happened when I wasn't looking to make him afraid. Maybe it happened when I lost Scout. Yep, I lost my kid at a playgroup. In my defense, I KNEW he hadn't gone out of the building. I looked and looked for him and finally found him at the top of one of the bouncy slides. When he saw me he yelled, "Mommy, GET. ME. OUT!" He refused to slide down into my arms and he refused to let Flora lead him down the slide. So I had to climb into the junior-sized bouncy play area and climb up the stairs to carry Scout down. After that episode, the only time he went back into one of the bouncy houses was when I took him in to bounce with Flora and me. He was reluctant, but had fun once he realized that I was bouncing too. Yes, I was bouncing.

I got to talk to a few moms but the Fun Run atmosphere wasn't the best for making friends. Next week we will go to a playgroup at someone's house. Hopefully we can get to know the other playgroup members a bit better in a more intimate setting like that. All in all it was a fun morning.

OH -- I forgot to mention -- I was the ONLY mom there with three kids! And only three other moms had two kids. Doesn't that seem odd? Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this playgroup works out.

timber's head

an update.....for those who care.....

So, I used the prescription shampoo the doctor gave us and Timber's cradle cap cleared up right away. Hooray! I'm not going to lie, it was almost strange to see him with a normal-looking scalp. However, the party didn't last long. After a few good days it came back again. Boo. I am going to keep using the shampoo for another week or two but might use it more often. The bottle says to use it twice a week, which is what I've been doing, but the doc said I could use it every other day, which is what I will start doing. Anyway, if the shampoo doesn't work, then I'm supposed to switch to a prescription hydrocortisone cream. If the shampoo doesn't work and the cream does, then it is probably eczema instead of cradle cap. That wouldn't be horrible news, but it would be a more complicated scenario than if it was just cradle cap. I just keep thinking that if he would grow some HAIR this would all go away! At least I wouldn't be able to see it!! Actually it doesn't look horrible and I wouldn't be bothered by it at all except that it is very itchy. He scratches at it a lot and I feel bad for him. If I don't stay on top of his nails then he ends up with scratch marks all over his head. Poor guy.

That's all I have for now. It's not a big deal or anything -- it's just what's going on with Timber right now. I didn't have any cute stories to write about today, so you're stuck with itchy scalp stories. Sorry! I'll try to get the kids to do something blogworthy tomorrow. :-)

history in the making

In honor of the Super Bowl, I am reposting one of my favorite xanga posts. Enjoy!

Everyone should watch NFL games and laugh at the ridiculous statistics the announcers throw out. Last night I heard this one, "The is the first time IN HISTORY that a team has come back from a 20-point deficit to go 6-0!" Hmmm, pretty specific if you ask me.

Here are some statistics I have made up for the NFL to use:

1. This is the first time IN HISTORY that a team has won a game when it is 87 degrees outside and the quarterback is celebrating the seventh birthday of his first male child!

2. This is the first time in NFL HISTORY that a quarterback with red hair, wearing the same colors of his high school AND college football teams, has won his NFL debut game.

3. No team has EVER lost a game when they are up by 2 points with 3:22 remaining in the 2nd quarter and there are 1,027 pregnant women in the audience.

4. The Cardinals have NEVER lost a game when the right tackle and the Cardinal mascot simultaneously sneeze during the National Anthem.

5. This is the first time IN HISTORY that the Jaguars have won a game in which the back-up quarterback's wife and the coach's daughter have had a pedicure and spa facial within the last two days at a salon in New Jersey.