Pick and Choose Your Battles

Tanner Day is quite the free spirit. Some times she can come up with the most creative outfits. Some mornings can become quite the battle. She will ONLY wear dresses and she wants to pick them and she wants to pick her shoes. This morning she agreed to wear the smocked dress that I wanted her to wear which made me very happy. When she came clopping down the hall in her "high heel" dress up shoes that were not a match I was not pleased but I just decided to roll with it. It made for a funny conversation at church and she was excited to wear shoes like mommy. Needless to say I might not have won the battle but I think I won the war, as she has a little blister on her foot and told me she didn't want to wear them again because they hurt. Still makes me laugh when I look at this picture :o) Love you Tanner!

Church, Glow Stick, Baby Shower

I think I could write a book with all of the comical, crazy and silly stories that happen on a daily basis in our family. I must however keep laughing, keep a sense of humor and keep writing these things down because I couldn't possibly tell you where the last 4 years have gone! Tonights post is a few stories that have happened since "the haircut".

At church a few Sundays ago it was time to give The Peace to everyone in the congregation. Drew has two favorite parts during church, passing the peace and singing Gloria Patri. When it was time to pass the peace Drew went to one of our sweet neighbors and he noticed there was a lady he would have to crawl over to get to Ms. Becky. Drew crawled on top of this womans lap to get to Ms. Becky and then he shook her hand and said "Peace be with you Ms. Becky" and he then had this awkward look at this lady as he sat on her lap and he gave this look like well I'm on your lap I guess I gotta shake your hand too and so he did. Drew stuck his hand out and said "Peace be with you too lady".

After a hot and sweaty day at the Louisa County Agriculture fair the kids were worn out. We had a great time seeing all of our friends show their livestock, pet different animals, played in hay mazes, went to Tea with the Ag Fair Queen who also happens to be one of our favorite babysitters (Miss Leigha Chaney) and we listened to stories. The kids won a few prizes and one of them was a glow stick bracelet. When I opened it I explained to Drew that this was NOT candy or food and that he couldn't put it in his mouth (the package says 3 and up...so one would think a 3 1/2 year old would be fine). Drew followed my instructions until we got to the car. After struggling to get both kids to leave, walking in the blazing heat to my van we finally got in our carseats. I turn the air on full blast and give a big sigh as if I have accomplished a big task. (all moms know what I am talking about - it sometimes feels like getting everybody to and from an activity can seem like moving a small army)
So as I sigh that we have finally gotten in the car Drew starts SCREAMING his head off, I look back and he has an empty glow stick in his hand and I know exactly where the neon inside is located. He is shouting "my mouth is burning!!!" I pull him out of the carseat, find a capri-sun on the floor, open it and squeeze it in his mouth and tell him to spit. (all moms have extra food and snacks in their cars - lets face it if we ever broke down in the middle of nowhere we would have enough food and clothes to keep everyone content and then if we ran out we could probably find enough petrified french fries and goldfish hidden in the car crevices to hold us over until help arrived)`On the way home I am giving Drew the whole "I told you so" lecture and explaining that I was worried about his tummy and now I was going to have to call poison control and see if he needed to go to the hospital or doctor. I call poison control and the lady knows exactly what I am talking about and without looking anything up she tells me exactly what is in the glow sticks and tells me this happens frequently in the summer because of 4th of July and Fair celebrations. She explained it was non-toxic and had a very small amount of alcohol so he would be fine. She then instructed me to give him some more water and then tells me his mouth may glow in the dark and his poop may glow in the dark...I believe I will keep that tid bit of info to myself because knowing my Drew he will try to eat more just for the glowing poop effect!

Today Marianna, Ella-Grace, Tanner & I rode together to our cousin, Ashley Gills Lawson's baby shower in Cartersville. We listened to music and chatted, the girls sang songs and had the funniest conversations. The girls kept talking about the "Baby Party" we were going to and how excited they were. Marianna leaned back and said "Ella-Grace, do you know what a baby shower is?" Ella-Grace said "You 'cweeen' da baby's 'bewwy'" - we giggled a little. Thinking that maybe if we asked Tanner she may come up with a different answer we asked her as well. She didn't come up with a different answer but I guess you could say a more detailed answer. Marianna said "Tanner, do you know what a baby shower is?" In a very confident voice Tanner said "It's when you clean the baby's arms and you clean the baby's legs and you clean the baby's 'gina'" - Marianna and I burst out laughing...oh our sweet little girls we love you so :o)

Never a dull moment...Drew gives himself a haircut

This morning we were trying to get everything together to leave for the beach today. I hear the sound of the hair trimmer and thought it was Andy. Then I realized it was quiet and I wasn't sure where Drew was. I ran back to our bathroom and you can figure out the rest. "Oh MY GOSH", I screamed, then I cried, then Drew cried, then I laughed and then we made a detour to the barber shop among all the other errands I needed to run before leaving for the beach! I believe I am going to start a T-shirt company like the "Life is Good" shirts but mine will be called "Never a dull moment" - let me know if you want to pre-order one! Guess I need to buy extra sunscreen for my buzzed boys head! Love you Drew- you keep us on our toes!

My mini-me

My daughter, Tanner is told often that she looks like her Momma. Many pictures I show her from when I was little she mistakes them as pictures of her. My Mom sometimes tells me stories that are very similar to Tanner stories.
Tanner has also taken on the roll of the "Mommy" during pretend play. She enjoys bossing her younger brother, Drew around and coining some of my commonly used mom-ism phrases. Tonight was just an example of my little mini-me.
Tanner and Drew were in the kitchen with me and my back was turned to them. My dare devil son was climbing the toy kitchen trying to get on top of the pie safe. Tanner shouted in an alarming voice "Andrew Johnson Wade you get your tail down right now before you fall on this floor and bust your head...I don't feel like going to the hospital tonight!" I burst out laughing!
I love you sweet Tanner Day!

Mr. Observant

Anyone that knows us and our family knows that the mold was broken when God made Drew. He has been quite a character from day one.
We have recently started going to a new church, Louisa Christian and really like it a lot. Drew calls it his "new church". He has made quite an impression. Whether it be him escaping the nursery and running up the aisle with a giant blonde haired baby doll or shouting across the sanctuary "Hi Ms. Becky". He is always up to something!
Well, today I noticed when we were standing that Drew was standing with me and he was counting something and looking around at everyone. He then loudly asks "Hey Momma, why's everybody gots glasses on?" I nudge him and say be quiet Drew. He then says - "They do Momma, look and then using his pointer finger singling each person out - "he's got them, she's got them, the 'wady' up fronts gots them." Well, I then couldn't hold it together. Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Dinner at the Mexican restaurant

Tonight Andy had a meeting so I asked the kids where they wanted to eat dinner and both shouted "MEXICAN"!
We are regulars at the local Mexican restaurant and tonight wasn't any different than any other night. Ordered the usual, kids ate well and we went to the counter to pay. They just added a candy machine at the register. As I was standing at the counter trying to explain what we had to eat because the waiter couldn't find our ticket Tanner and Drew were playing with the knobs on the candy machine. I wasn't really paying attention to exactly what they were doing but I knew both were next to me and not running around in the parking lot. All of the sudden I notice this lady and her son burst out laughing. I look down and see that Drew is eating a few M&M's which I figured ok, he found two at the bottom of the machine - gross but not unexpected for Drew. I looked back at the lady and she's still laughing and says "Do you know what they just did?" I said, "No, what did they do?" Well, right above the candy machine was one of those stand up displays with quarters for people to donate to the leukemia society. My children were taking quarters from the display and putting them in the machine to buy candy! I was so embarrassed and explained to them the money wasn't theirs and that was stealing and that money was for sick children. Drew quickly responds by wiping his snotty nose and coughing and saying "well, I'm sick". I then explained these children were really sick and in the hospital. I told them we were going to go home and get 4 quarters each out of their piggy banks and come back to the restaurant to put in the display. So we did and I think it was a good lesson learned. Still gave me somewhat of a chuckle...those sneaky little devils!

p.s. to end on a sweet note Drew now tells me "Mommy, you make my heart feel super happy" - melt.

What is your job?

Several nights ago I was bathing Tanner and Drew. We have oversized bath tubs and sometimes I think Tanner and Drew think they are swimming pools the way they splash and swim around. It's cute and sweet but once the water starts coming out of the tub momma ain't happy!
Once this began I explained to them that Mommy and Daddy had jobs to earn money so that we could pay to have a house, food and nice things. I told them it wasn't nice to splash water out of the tub because it could ruin the floor.
Tanner quickly responded "This is my tub and I can splash if I want to." I told her it was OUR tub and that Mommy and Daddy made the rules and were in charge and that she was not allowed to backtalk or splash so much. She once again responded with, "This is my tub."
At this point I am done being nice and reasoning. Lets face it, I have 650 students that I reason with all day long and sometimes when I come home I am done reasoning with little people. So being the smarty I can be sometimes I said "Tanner did you pay for this tub?" She said "Yes". I then said, "Tanner, you need a job to pay for a tub - do you have a job?" She once again responded "Yes". I said, "Well, sweetheart what is your job?" Tanner said
"I help you make cupcakes!"
Thank you my sweet cupcake for putting a smile on my face, giving me a laugh and putting my little impatient attitude in its place!