Shaking His Money-Maker

Okay, so I had been discouraging Gabe from BENDING OVER & SHAKING HIS REAR END in front of others.

The next day, he wakes up with this announcement, "alright, the Perrys not like shaking them booties anymore."

Sometimes You Don't Know Whether or Not to Laugh or Puke

Gabe: Me yike the mell of burps.

That'll make a momma proud.

Briefs or Boxers?

Today Flynn said (mid-lunch) to Jeff's Dad, "What's under there?"

Dan replied, "Under where?" [underWEAR]

I don't know which part I like the best: the fact that she had the nerve to say it...or the fact that she kept a straight face while she did it.

Puddle Jumpers

It was a very rainy May. VERY rainy.
What better to do when the sky opens up?
Put on your boots & do some puddle-jumping.

These boots are nearly the same size.

A special (muddy) rock that Flynn found (& was quite proud of too, by the way).

It's funny how Flynn seems to have springs in her feet. Of course, when you have on rain boots, everything is magical.

Baby-Lover

My girl (& boy) is a baby-lover just like her momma.
And that Morris family just quenches our baby thirst; what with their having babies every year & all.

Last month when the newest addition, Emmitt, made his entrance, we couldn't wait to get up to the hospital to smell that brand new baby breath.

We held him, stroked his baby bird fuzz, & gave our parting wishes.

We were exiting the parking lot & finding our way back to the interstate when Flynn piped up from her seat in the back,
"I already miss him."

Out of the Mouths...

Gabe & Jeff were enjoying a little field trip to Bee Tree Park when they found themselves at the fountain, spending a coin to make a wish.

They tossed their coin, with eyes closed to make their wish even more effective.

Gabe opened his eyes, looked around with purpose & quizzically said,
"WHERE ME PIDAMAN CAKE?????!!"

Poor little soul thought the wish was going to show up when that coin hit the water's surface.

Dance

This little beauty is about to perform in another recital. She absolutely loves her routines, songs, costumes, & the chance to wear lip gloss & blush.
This is before pictures waiting to go back into the studio. She's in 2 dances with her regular class, and another, specialty dance (invitation only, a'hem).
Her specialty dance is one where each little girl is teamed up with a "big" girl (a teen/tween). They're performing to "Everybody Loves My Baby" & it's one of the cutest things I've seen. Flynn's partner is Renee & she thinks she's the cat's meow. Which she is. And Flynn is the kitten's meow.

It's Like Riding a Bike

I sadly admit that the good majority of my kiddos' lives they did not play outside, driveway or otherwise, on the wheel variety.

Our driveway was dangerously steep, as was our street. And we had no sidewalks. Therefore, most of their road-rage took place at one of the grandparents.

Since we moved in w/ Grammy & Peepaw, the kids have had their freedom on the great sidewalks & level driveway.

Last Saturday, Flynn & Gabe joined Nana & Papa on a bike riding field trip to a park called ROUTE 66 PARK in the old Times Beach close to Eureka.

While Papa was working on Flynn's bike, trying to make it more comfy, Nana suggested taking off the training wheels.

And Flynn hasn't looked back

T'Ree-ific

The other night we took the kids to a near-by park called BEE TREE PARK. It over looks the river & has a fun playground. My favorite was a nearby field (part of which was unfortunately recently cut).
I saw this tree, the perfect girth to hide my skinny-mini's torsos. I invited them to stand & lean. Do you think Bubs would oblige? Goodness no. But my girl, she's always game for a good photo session.

I asked her to hold the tree & lean. That one ended up a little fuzzy, so she did this instead.

and then this...
then came up with this....

so I snapped away & laughed all the while as how we can never do anything ordinary.

Ch'ch'ch'changes

Like my decision to leave 4th grade & move to the primary bldg (where Flynn is & where Gabe will be) to teach first grade.

Or our decision to move from our little town to an even smaller one next to it, to be part of the district where I teach (& where Flynn attends).

Or how we decided to build (or have it built) a new house & live in Jeff's parents' house while we do so. (bless their hearts)

It's all a part of the changes that make sure we're where we want to be, when we want to be. In other words, THIS IS THE LAST TIME I MOVE! :)

Yes! She Blogs!

Wow! It's been a while -- there is a LOT to catch up on.
Stick around & be ready for a fast tour of 2010 so far.

8

8 years...

love that's grown

spirits that have been renewed

life that's been created

almost a decade

that you've known my heart

altho it seems like forever

i love you jeff...

thank you for all you've taught me

and helped me learn

happy anniversary

What Color is Your Parachute?

Here is a conversation I heard from the driver's seat on one of our many, many long drives...

Gabe "When me get big me gonna 'drive' a plane and be a yeacher."

Flynn: "Well, I'm gonna be a tooth fairy."

Rabbit Flynn Gets a Loose Tooth...

There was a little girl named Flynn. She didn't have a single tooth in her head until a few weeks before her first birthday.

It seemed as though her teeth were shy. They didn't like to come & they didn't like to go. When she started Kindergarten & most of her friends had lost several, she hadn't lost any.

She turned six & continued to check for any 'wiggleness' in her teeth. But nothing.

So imagine her Momma's surprise when Flynn came bounding off the bus with her finger on a bottom tooth. "I have a loose tooth!"

And Flynn wiggled that tooth so much that day that her Daddy had to give her a motrin to make the pain dull enough to sleep.

Days have went by & that stubborn tooth has yet to budge. Maybe, just maybe, Flynn will lose a tooth by the time she's seven.

Another Chapter...

Wow, this has been a year (school, not calendar mind you) of firsts...and lasts...and everything in between.

And another chapter that closes is the one entitled, OUR FIRST HOME. On the pages you'll find Jeff's marriage proposal, scrapbook pages full of construction photos, new babies, and the like.

Excitement & busyness now takes the spot of what would be sadness or lumps in our throat.

Things moved rapidly & we have mere weeks to wrap up our lives here & start an unknown voyage of some sort of homelessness.

It's exciting to see what God has in store for us & our abode.

Fur

My boy is a snuggler. He's also a lover not a fighter. And when we've spent the day apart, like we do every single week day, he makes up for it, in affection.

So, after we were reunitied, I held him in my lap. He kissed my hand, told me that he loves me, & we 'nuggled.

He nuzzled into my neck with his sharp little nose & looked up at me,
"Me wish you had fur Momma."

Gabe's New 'Cool

(school)

Gabe started school a couple of days ago. The "preschool", or 'my cool' as he calls it, is actually a little short program provided by the early childhood classes of the high school.

The classroom is fixed up really cute & decked out w/ lots of fun toys. He is using his cute train backpack, donned w/ his name.

The first day, he told me on the way, "I hope I get to be with a girl." And sure 'nough, he was teamed with A GIRL high school buddy. He smile was so big, it looked like a sideways banana.

His teacher comments on how well-behaved & sweet his is. And he is having a blast.

Another Thing to Feel Guilty About!

And that's the fact that I never have time (take time) to blog anymore. So all these cute & funny sayings are going undocumented. The clever stories the kids tell & things they do that are blog-worthy, are lost in my memory....which we all know is as good as gone.

Happy 6th Birthday to My Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl,

You're six today & wow, what a milestone. You've officially-officially left toddlerhood, preschoolhood, & are well on your way to being a "big kid". This leaves your Momma with mixed feelings.

Six. It's so far away from being a baby. You need me less... let go of my hand sooner... call my name less...

And I know that now you're closer to 13...and 16...

that you're closer to being a graduate, or a wife, or a momma yourself.

But before I make it seem like I'm sad, here are the things that have happened this year that put a smile on all of our faces:

You mastered skipping. It started in dance class & was conquered in every parking lot we crossed.

You saw Disney World for the first time, met the princesses, & joined the many others who call it 'The Happiest Place on Earth'.

You started Kindergarten. It's your new favorite place & your 2nd home has introduced you to many new friends & new ways to learn.

You learned to whistle. And what a whistler you are. You seranade us on every car journey.

And...

you turned SIX. And like every birthday before, this special day makes me remember this special day years ago. The year you taught Daddy & I how to love a different kind of love.

And for that Baby Girl, we are forever grateful.

With a love that you won't understand for lots of years,

Your Momma

Fall Handsomeness

I can't get enough of my cuties. And going back full time to work has made me appreciate them that much more. Altho I certainly do miss those moments together, like the thousands of them we used to spend together, however we wanted.

But new chapters make our books complete. They make our books interesting & unique & a variety.

Look at my boy, he won't look at the camera. He'll smile, he'll lift up his head, but he will not look at the camera. Sweet, but silly.

He's on a roll right now. "I Yuv you Momma", "I Yuv you Daddy", "I yuv You Finn". And hugs follow.

And Flynn, she uses words like RECOGNIZE, & ACTUALLY. On the way to church, she piped up from the back seat, "What's ANTI-FUNGAL mean?" And she can read with best of them.

I'll never stop saying how lucky I am. We are so blessed.