Friday, October 31, 2008

What a relief

I finished. I am done. Wahoo! Somehow I have actually completed, framed, and delivered all 6 paintings (with a measly month's notice, which by the way, is about the craziest deadline since freshmen art classes finals). Big, big sigh of exhaustion. And now I must sleep. Oh but first I can't resist just one little Halloween pic from ward Trunk or Treat. I promise more later!

Yes, Jenelle is wearing a massive blonde wig. You just can't have a redheaded Cinderella, now can you? And Meri is a "raraff." Anybody know what a giraffe says? Anyone?
And now I must sleep.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Eye of the Tiger






Meri, what does a tiger say?

Metamorphosis of a butterfly





Look at me! I'm a Beautiful Butterfly!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Random funnies

I'm kinda stressed out about paintings , politics, my messy house, and a dozen other things on my mind, so I thought I'd reflect on what keeps me smiling:

"Where are we going"
"To a party."
"Oh(excited)! Oh no(crestfallen)! I still don't have anything to wear ... (happy again) Can I wear a dress?"

"I want to keep you happy mom."

When we get in the car, Jenelle tells me what music she wants to listen to. Sometimes it's predictable for a 3 year-old girl, "Can I listen to the princess music from the library?" Other times it's "Can I listen to some Norah?" Or "How about some Daughtry?" "Can I have some Johnny Lang right now?" "Bamba (from August Rush soundtrack)?" "Sandy (some horrible Brazilian music)?"

At desperate times when the radio is our only choice, I get these comments: "I want one with a girl singing." "Where are the violin and the piano? There is a piano when Norah sings." "Is that a flute?" "This song makes me sad. I don't like it." "I think I will go to sleep now."

Yesterday at the pumpkin patch, Jell had to use the port-a-potty. She walked in, made the most disgusted face I've ever seen, and said, "OH NO Mommy! You have GOT to flush that!"

"I like blueberries at Grandma Smith's house. I do not like blueberries at my house."

I'm not sure I can't describe this well enough but the other night we were watching Fiddler on the Roof. During Tevia's crazy song and dance in the barn, Meri wouldn't take her eyes off the tv. While watching she was alternating between raising her eyebrows and furrowing her brows about every 3-4 seconds. This went on for the whole song and pretty much everytime thereafter when she looked up at the movie. No other expression at all. No smiles. No laughs. No other movement whatsoever. Just the surprised eyebrows then the confused ones and back again. What is she thinking??

"This is my horsie. He is 3 like me. Except he is a different kind of 3. He's this kind of 3 (holding up 4 fingers for me to see)."
"Jenelle, that's 4."
"No it's not. It's a DIFFERENT kind of 3."

"I am Meri's mommy because I help her like this. Meri, hold my hand. Hold my hand Meri. Here you go."

I have asked Jenelle if Meri has stinkies before. However, Meri becomes totally outraged if Jell smells her. Last time this happened Jenelle commented, "Meri does not want me to smell her bottom." I don't ask anymore. My question is why is this upsetting to Meri? We do it all the time. What is so insulting about Jell doing it?

Thanks to Jell's lead, Meri now tries to stall when it's bedtime by telling me she has to go to the bathroom (she points to her bottom and says poopoo). Good one, except for you're not potty-trained. Although being a big girl, shouldn't she be? The morning after the first night she slept in her big-girl bed I said, "Meri! You're such a big girl." She smiled, walked to the bathroom, and started lifting the lid on the toilet. Isn't this what big girls do Mom? Aren't you ready yet?

The other night Jenelle was crying that there was a witch in her room. When daddy explained that witches aren't real, Jell said, "uh huh. Look, there's the big head!" Coop looked. And laughed. Meri was playing with the night light and casting a great shadow on the ceiling with her already large noggin. Too much Halloween talk!

"Is this shoe for me?"
"No, it's Meri's. It's too little for you."
"When it grows bigger and bigger, then it will be for me and I can wear it. And I will grow bigger and bigger too and then I will be 4. And my bike will grow bigger and bigger so I can ride it like this."

"Mommy - you are making me a little bit crazy."

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Sorry... Just Can't Help It

I know this isn't really the place for what I'm about to post, but I'm going to do it anyway. That's how I roll.



Yeah. That's an 8-minute-long highlight reel of the Blazers first preseason game last night. On my wife's blog. Because I know all of her friends care as much as I do. But like I said, I just can't help it. Rip. City.