Powder Room

and no.. I'm NOT talking about the bathroom.. unfortunately! Yesterday, Chris and I woke up to the smell of Baby Powder (and if you read a post I wrote around last year at this time, you will understand why the smell of baby powder in our house is NOT a good smell..). Then Noah comes RUNNING in our room saying, "KATE DID IT, KATE DID IT". That would be the SECOND reason why Chris and I didn't want to get out of bed... WHAT were we getting up to? and THEN Kate comes in our room stating, "boys have brown floors NOT girls, so I made them white!" Crap. crap. crap. crap. crap. Will. NOT. GET. OUT. OF. BED. I make Chris go first.. Then I heard him exclaim, "...!!!!!!"... (not suitable for blog readers.. after all, we have a reputation to uphold.. not a great one, but a reputation none-the-less..). So I finally work up the courage to get out of bed... OH CRAP... I see white footprints ALL over the gameroom... NOT a good sign. By now, I can't even see where I'm walking because of all the Powder Fog. I follow sweet Kara's screams of joy from her crib (although, the screams sounded a bit wheezey.. wonder why??). 1,000 sneezes later (in a matter of milliseconds) I make it to Kate and Kara's room. The song LET IT SNOW comes to mind. There wasn't not even a square inch of brown-wood floors in her room. They were covered in white. seriously. all white. It didn't even look like powder. They looked like perfect white wood floors. I will NOT tell you how much I yelled, and screamed, and cried. I will NOT tell you that Noah had something to do with it. and I will NOT tell you that they had to lay on their beds for 3 hours. I will also NOT tell you that for 2.5 hours of the three hours that they were screaming at the top of their lungs that they were STARVING. I will also NOT tell you that the windows were open to air out the "POWDER ROOM". I will NOT tell you that the neighbors were out, and I'm sure they heard. I will NOT tell you that it took a freakin' 5 hours to clean up. (and that was just the hours it took to clean the girls room)

Who is the WHITE TRASH in the neighborhood, now, Lindsay? who??

maybe we should have stayed in the other neighborhood.. we seemed to fit in better...

6 years

Six years ago today I became a mommy. What a crazy feeling. I can't believe I held my baby boy for the first time SIX years ago. In one way it seems like I have always known Noah. What was life like before Noah? (well a lot calmer probably, but also a lot less exciting) It's crazy to think in just six short years a human can go from totally dependent on you for EVERYTHING to pretty much independent on you. I went from someone needing me 24/7 to a school-aged BOY. Oh, what do I do with a school-aged boy?? I still haven't figured out the answer to that one! One minute he acts like I'm his best friend, then the next he is telling me I can't kiss him because other people might see.... and he is only 6?? I love Noah more than anything (well, not more than his sisters... and no, Kate and Kara, that doesn't mean I love you guys more than him.. i love you all equally.. and YES that is possible so when you are reading this 20 years from now.. STOP FIGHTING, you are all equal in my eyes).

Being the first born, obviously, Noah has taught me a lot about parenting. It's not NEAR as easy as it looks. Each child is so unique and different and they all come with their own "personalities". Before kids, I thought that there was only one way to parent. You parent them all the same.. uh, Noah has taught me differently. I'm still learning with him how to parent. Good grief, what works one day is the thing that sets him off the next!

He is also one of the SMARTEST kids I have ever met. I'm not just saying that because I'm his mommy... believe me, if you know me, you know this to be true. He makes connections that I wouldn't even make (hard to believe that he is smarter than me.. because of my "rocket-scientist smarts" and all.) Seriously though, I wish I could remember all the crazy smart things he has said and done over the last six years, but I can't. I just know the kid is going to grow up to be some kind of engineer or something mathematical.. he gets it from his daddy... Now, if he were to grow up to be in the circus, then my side could claim it :)

Noah has also taught me patience. seriously. That's another thing that God has showed me. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not patient. I thought I was. Wrong. That boy can push my buttons like no ones BUSINESS. He can have me cracking up laughing to wanting to .... in all of 2.34 seconds.

I have no idea where this post is going, but just wanted to tell my baby boy Happy Birthday!! and no matter if you want to give me a kiss in front of others or not.. I still love you, and I always will!! (but beware, mommy is stubborn.. so I might just kiss you in front of people to prove that I can... not sure WHY sometimes we don't get along.. can't imagine!! ..... )

NO WAY!!!

I HAVE PICTURES!!! Yes, I have a camera, I have a camera cord, and it's all charged up! So, I have a ton of pictures, but I won't bore you guys and I will just post the most recent pics I have. The first pics are just some we took before church last sunday. I thought all the kids looked cute, so we just took some random pictures:

The next pics. I have are from Noahs little award ceremony at school. Every 4-6 weeks, they give 2 kids from every class a "character award". Noah won the character award for his class this time! (and no, Character doesn't mean like "funny haha award" like my dad would have got in school.. more like a rule follower, helper, friend, type award..) We are so proud of him! Anyways, his award ceremony was today. I tried to get a picture of him actually accepting the award, but he was up there and back so quick, the only picture I got of that was a blank wall! The award is a sign he gets to put in the yard for the next 4-6 weeks. Here are a few with us, and his teacher. He is really doing so well in Kinder and we couldn't ask for more!

this is the other little girl who won from his class

Noah and his Daddy

All of us. Kate was at MDO, so we took Kara.. doesn't she look happy??

Anyways, not an award winning blog today, but I just thought I owed some recent pictures! I think the last picture of Kara was probably when she first came to our world, Noah was probably still in diapers and Kate was probably still using a paci. O.k... so it hasn't been THAT long, but long enough for Kara to at least look a little different!

bedtime conversations

Anybody who knows my kids know that they are not the easiest to put to bed at night. Kate is easier than Noah, but still, they have EVERY reason to get up. Must pee. Must get one more sip of water. Must use the DOWNSTAIRS bathroom, because apparently at night the UPSTAIRS bathroom is scary. Oh, I forgot to give you a hug..(might sound sweet, but it's not...another stall tactic). You forgot to read me a bedtime story (get over it kid, I promise you will still read by at least 4th grade even if I forget the bedtime story..). Scratch my back. etc... Until they are ALL out of excuses, which usually takes 45 minutes (side note: I'm not patient mommy while all these excuses are going on.. there might be some yellin' going on..). So this brings me to last night. After ALL the excuses were used up, they FINALLY were laying in bed. Their rooms are really close to each other, so sometimes they talk (or yell) to each other when they are in bed. This was last nights conversation:

Noah: HEY KATE, DID YOU KNOW WE ARE ALL MAMMALS?? (seriously, it's nighttime and we are supposed to be going to sleep and you are going to talk about being mammals.. and to KATE???)

Kate: HUH!?

Noah: WE. ARE. MAMMALS!

Kate: nu uh! I'm not a mamamall, i'm a tinkerbell princess.

Noah: no your not, you are a mammal. we all are. mommy is. daddy is. you are. kara is. and I am.

Kate: nope, I'm a princess...

Good luck, Noah, trying to convince her. This argument went on for a while, until he gave up and they went to sleep. Oh the funny things they talk about. They do make me laugh!

HAPPINESS.. haha

We had Noah's kindergarten choir concert last night. All the little kids were dressed in shirts according to their class, Noah's was red. He looked so handsome in his red shirt, khaki pants, and new brown shoes. And that is where I should write THE END. You see, Noah is not the most outgoing person in the world when it comes to performing. Why no, I'm not joking. One could go as far to say that it is actually physically PAINFUL for him to get up in front of a crowd to perform. But all of the family is quite cooperative and all truck up their to see him stand like a freakin' statue.. I mean perform so eloquently. The performance was titled HAPPINESS and this should say it all:

I would love to say that he is the boy on the top row doing all the motions, but you guys know what he looks like and won't fall for that one. No, he is the boy messing with his shirt, not singing and looking like a deer in the headlights. I guess that look is hereditary, because Chris said that that is how I looked when he asked me to marry him... aweeeee.. so sweet. However, I LOVED performing when I was little. Believe it or not, I would always sing solos at church.. back when I could sing... and loved ALL the attention. I'm guessing Noah gets his "stage presence" from his daddy. His parents tell me that, he too, was not fond of the stage. We sat there for three agoniz.. I mean WONDERFUL songs. I think he almost smiled.. when they were walking off stage! Oh well. As Uncle Deke told Noah, "You were the BEST statue out there!!" And he was. He was the cutest and stillest boy there. I was and am always SO PROUD of you, Noah! (accept when you hit your sisters, or talk back.. or .. oh wait, this was a NICE post.. my bad)

I will leave you with some more pictures of HAPPINESS and one of Kara..

where is Noah?? This is the best he could hide without getting in trouble for sitting down! At least he behaves!!

Here, I think, he is almost smiling.. must have been almost over!!

and here is my sweet (haha) kara.. or Boosie.. or as I call her starting today.. my little TEXAS TORNADO!

Just kidding

It's not B's that we are going to kill each other with.

It's T's.

On a brighter note, Kate has been saying some funny things lately. Those of you who follow me on Face Book, already know these things, but for the one or two of you who don't.. and so I don't forget I'll write it down here.

Kate: Can you read me the Shampoo Book??

Me: What's the Shampoo book?

Kate: The one that has the bear that eats honey.

Me: Oh, you mean Winnie the Pooh??

Kate: yup, Shampoo!!

and my personal favorite:

Kate: MOMMY I HAVE TORTILLAS IN MY PANTS!!!!!!!!

Me: UH, WHAT!?

Kate: LOOK MOM, TORTILLAS!!!!!

Me: oh, gross, you mean diarrhea??

Kate: yup, tortilla's.

Makes me look at Mexican food in an entirely different light!!

Yummy!

Chili con queso anyone??

Deadly B's

ME: Noah, it's time to do your homework, come sit at the table! ( I love doing homework, it makes me feel like a true mommy. sitting at the table, doing homework. Seriously, feeling a bit like June Cleaver. LOVE IT!!!)

NOAH: grrr.. mumble, mumble..

ME: C'mon, it will be fun! Tonight you get to write B's!!

NOAH: I already know that.

ME: O.K., then. Write your name at the top.

NOAH: (writing) H A O N

ME: No, honey, see the way I wrote the arrow, follow the arrow.

NOAH: I didn't see the arrow, oops.

ME: well, now you do, let's erase it and write it that way.

NOAH: O.K. (writing) N A O H - *(by this time I swear I hear his evil laugh in his head)

ME: Is that the way you write your name??? Uh, NO! try. again. (so, by now I'm getting a wee bit frustrated, but still trying to keep my cool)

NOAH: okay, okay N O A H

ME: THANK YOU! Good job, now lets write B's. start with the upper case.

NOAH: o.k... *as he is writing B's he is making the upper case as small as he can

ME: uh, Noah, you have to go all the way to the top line, and be sure to touch the bottom line, too.

NOAH: O.k... (so he writes the extremely exaggerated)

ME: Do you want to turn them in that way??? She will not like these B's!!!!!

NOAH: O.k... hold on. (to which he precedes to write them with his eyes shut) LOOK MOM!!! I can write B's with my eyes shut!!!!

ME: NOAH, SERIOUSLY, WE COULD BE DONE BY NOW... LOOK AT THE FREAKIN' PAPER (o.k.. I didn't way freakin' but I REALLY wanted to!) and write the FREAKIN (see previous parenthesis) B!!!!

NOAH: o.k.. o.k... (goes on to write a perfect B) see!!

ME: O.K.. (wiping sweat off of my head) on to lower case. (a lot less bubbly than I was with the upper case)

NOAH: No, I think I'm just gonna write big B's

ME: No, You need to write small B's

NOAH: ugh!!!!!!!!!! FINE (he goes on to write them very quickly, pressing hard, and growling the entire time

ME: good.. put them in your backpack.. your done.

OMG. I totally know why I'm not homeschooling. That would so not work. God bless all the moms that stay at home with their kids and homeschool. Noah and I would kill each other. Seriously. I'm not sure which one would kill the other first. Over B's. One of us would be dead because of B's. That's sad.