Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Last weekend we decided to load the gang up and head out to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Matt ordered a Dos Equis.

When the waitress delivered it the mug was wet, but we didn’t think a whole lot about it; maybe she overfilled it, maybe a little spilled on the way to the table, whatever. At the time, Matt was holding Baby Girl; he passed her to me, and when our food came I put her into her carseat (which was on a highchair at the end of the table) so I could eat. When she got fussy I picked her up again and the back of her outfit was wet. The wet spot was in a place where there was no way that it was a diaper leak, so I touched my fingers to it and smelled them. Yep, it was beer. There was a puddle of beer in her carseat. Oops!

Then a little later in the meal we had this conversation:

Little: Daddy, can I have a drink of your drink?
Matt: No, sorry.
Little: Why not, Daddy?
Matt: This is just a Daddy drink.
Little: It’s not for Mommies?
Me: Some Mommies drink it, but this Mommy thinks it’s gross.
Little: Why is it just a Daddy drink?
Matt: It just is. It’s a drink only for grown ups.
Little: Because it’s a Minne-SODA?!

As you know, I am the mother of young children: 3.5 years, 2 years, and 4 months. My days are filled with things like wiping noses, changing diapers, preparing food, cleaning up, picking up, and monitoring sibling relations.

Some days are long and terribly difficult, and other days we breeze through. But at the end of every day I am worn out. Ready for Daddy to get home and help with the parenting, ready for time without three littles demanding my attention.

I love my children, but raising children is hard work. I feel for those mothers who are doing this parenting thing alone, who have husbands who travel, or who have husbands who have to put in late nights and long hours at work.

Yesterday, my sweet sister-in-law, Lu, posted about her tough week last week and how she is trying to change her attitude to make this week a better one. In the comments, someone posted this quote:

“This is the season of long days and short years.”

Oh how true that is! I spend far too many of my days looking forward to naptime, then bedtime; just a little quiet in my world. And then I look at my children and think how time flies.

So many things seem like they occurred just yesterday, yet so long ago. How can a month feel like a week and a year at the same time?

These little people of mine are growing, discovering, learning so much right now. It keeps us all busy and often a bit frustrated (them at the learning process, me at the constant whining and tugging).

But truthfully? I would not trade these long days for anything. Because I recognize that the years are all too short.

And one day, sooner than I might imagine, these little birds of mine will fly all on their own.

I’m tired. And have much to do.

Just the same as most days. And most moms.

I think I would like some caffeine.

But the half-life in infants is about 14 hours.

Which makes it a no-no for this breastfeeding mom.

Especially since the baby doesn’t sleep well anyway.

Which probably explains the tired.

As Boo gets older and his verbal skills become more developed, we get more and more Boo-isms around here. Right now there are a few things he says that I just love to hear…

wop-wops – flip flops – as in “I wear my wop-wops ow-side”
aww man!
socca ball – any ball or piece of sporting equipment
whoooa {Boo}! – said any time he slips, trips, stumbles, or falls
Jerge – his stuffed Curious George or anything having to do with George
tuckers – covers

When Boo turned two it was like a switch flipped and words started pouring out of the boy’s mouth. He is putting together four and five word sentences now, can carry on conversations, and speaks well enough that people can understand what he’s saying most of the time.

Today the doctor said he speaks really well for his age. I guess that couldn’t have anything to do with having an uber verbal mother and big sister!

One day last week the kids were in the hallway giggling like crazy. When I looked to see what was going on, this is what I found…

They discovered that if they lay in front of the air intake vent while the a/c is on it will suck their hair into the vent.

I love seeing how little children’s minds work!

Check out more Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

I am four months old now, and…

…I’ve decided to be a thumb-sucker.
…I roll all over the place.
…I’ve learned to scoot around and get to my sister and brother’s things.
…I smile and laugh and squeak a lot.
…I love to watch my siblings play.
…I love to interact with my siblings as long as they’re being nice.
…I’m being a little better sleeper these days.
…I’ve moved into mostly 3-6 months size clothes.
…I like to play on the floor with my Mortimer Moose and froggy rattle.
…I weighed 12 lbs. 13 oz. and was 23.5 inches at my check up.
…I’m just a little peanut.
…I’m learning and developing so much!
(sometimes Mommy says I’m growing too fast)

Seriously, I feel like I should have some sort of intro on this post every week. Well, this week, this is all ya get. Enjoy…

1. What was your high school superlative (if you didn’t have one- what would it have been)?
I was most likely to succeed, most intellectual, most athletic, and most school spirit. And yes, I did go to a very small high school.

2. What sports did you play in high school?
I played basketball and ran track (kind of).

3. What was the best part about your wedding (if you’re not married yet, what are you looking forward to)?
The best part of our wedding was that we were able to get married in Matt’s grandparents’ garden. We have beautiful pictures to remember it by.

4. It’s your last meal– what Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Entree and Dessert would you choose?
appetizer: fried pickles, soup: Olive Garden’s pasta e fagioli, salad: a really good caesar, entree: J Alexander’s chicken salad sandwich and fries, and dessert: cheesecake (either Godiva or Cheesecake Factory)

5. What song is your guilty pleasure?
I don’t really have one. I do have several albums that I like that I can only listen to when the kids aren’t around though (i.e., Radiohead, Elliott Smith).

6. What is your favorite professional sports team, and why do you like them?
Hmm…tough call between the Boston Red Sox (I’m a huge baseball fan, and Matt converted me to a Red Sox fan, although I’m still a big Atlanta Braves fan, too) and the Tennessee Titans (also a big football fan and the Titans are the home team).

7. What is your favorite reality show and why do you like it?
The Biggest Loser. I like to see the transformations from the beginning of the season to the season finale.

8. How would you classify your home decorating style (modern, classic, french country)?
Traditional. We have very functional and family-friendly decor.

9. Pizza- deep dish or thin crust? White sauce or red sauce? What toppings?
Oh, just pizza. I’ll eat just about any of it (except barbecue, chicken, or anchovies). My favorite (which I’m currently unable to eat thanks to baby girl) is Pietro Pizza (local pizzeria) ham and pineapple.

10. Favorite weekend getaway within a two hour driving radius?
Um, not so much weekend getting away with three small children and no grandparents in town. There is only one place within two hours that I can even think of that I want to visit. However, when we were in East Tennessee, we loved to visit Asheville, NC for the weekend (or even just the day).

I’m doing some behind-the-scenes work on sidetrack’d messing with post categories and such. In the process, I realized that I posted not one single thing about Little’s third birthday. In July.

So, I’m going to remedy that now.

On Little’s actual birthday, we had a mini-celebration with her friends. She requested chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles, so that is exactly what we had. Her best friends came over for a playdate that morning, we had pizza and cupcakes for lunch, and she opened her gifts. That evening, we celebrated as a family with dinner at Chick-fil-a and her gifts from Mommy and Daddy.

A few days after her birthday, my parents came to town and we celebrated Little again. She spent the day with Bebe, Mommy, and Boo going to Build-a-Bear, having lunch in the mall food court (her choice), and riding the carousel. Unfortunately, Grandad wasn’t able to join us due to having a sick leg.

A couple of weeks later, Matt’s parents were able to make the trip to see us, and we had a fun birthday weekend with them. We took them to visit our zoo one day and spent the rest of the weekend enjoy spending time together.

I hate that I didn’t do a better job of documenting her birthday in a timely manner, but at least I do have a record of it now.

To my three little ones:

I am so glad you were born. Each day you bring joy, laughter, and love into my life. I thought my heart was full until you came along, but with each of you I’ve discovered a new depth in my ability to love.

I am so glad you were born. Sweet voices, precious baby giggles, adorable belly laughs. Unexpected bear hugs around the knees, snuggles on the couch, kisses from cute little lips. These things fill my days, my home, and my heart.

I am so glad you were born. We have our share of tantrums, whining, and tears (sometimes from Mommy, too). But the good days far outweigh the bad. Even in the midst of the hard times, looking into your eyes makes me glad that I’m the one you call Mommy.

I am so glad you were born. Watching each of you grow, seeing your personalities develop, observing your discovery of the world. God made you, He designed each facet of you for a purpose. His purpose.

I am so glad you were born. The days are sometimes long and hard, filled with teaching and training, with correction and cautions. Other days are fun, filled with light and laughter, with playing and pretending. But each day is a gift that we share together.

I am so glad you were born. We were given to each other for very specific reasons. I am to prayerfully help you become the women and man God has designed you to be. You help to make me a better person, mother, and Christian.

I am so glad you were born. You are gift like no other. It is a privilege to be your mother. I love you more than you will be able to fathom until you have children of your own.

I am so glad you were born.

This post was also entered into a contest to win a $100 gift certificate to Cottonbabies. If you’re a cloth diapering Momma you should check out the contest and check out the Cottonbabies website.

This morning my SIL posted a link on Facebook to her friend Mandy’s blog. The following video was posted there and I, without hesitation, swiped it. This is truly hilarious. As in laugh out loud and your children ask what your laughing about funny (not that it happened to me or anything, ahem).

Enjoy!