This little girl....

Amazes me.

We were eating lunch and singing "On Top of Spaghetti" because of course, we were eating...spaghetti. I said, "Maybe we should sing a little louder." Claire replied, "You mean FORTE?" Uhhh yeah. That's what I meant...sure.

Not 5 minutes later, she ran in from outside and yelled, "MOMMA! MOMMA! I just saw a bee getting a flower's pollen!" I had to ask, "Claire, how did you get so smart?" Her reply?

"Well, that's how God made me...and I watched the Bee Movie."

It's things like this that make me so thankful that I am able to stay home with my kids. It's also things like that that cancel out the times when one is screaming at the other because, "SHE'S LOOKING AT ME!!!" Thank you Lord for the balance in my life.

**Update** Claire came in again and said, "MOMMA! That bee is STILL out there pollinating!" Love that kid!!

Amazing Grace.

The book I started on vacation is called, "Grace Based Parenting." I instantly fell in love with it for so many reasons. As I read I knew that THIS is the kind of parent I want to be. I was encouraged because I feel like I am on the right track. (Of course I still have a lot of work to do!) Just a few chapters into this book I became overwhelmed. My heart overflowed with appreciation for my mother. The best part about this book was knowing that THIS is how I was raised! I've always known that I want to be just like my momma when it comes to parenting. I just never expected to find a book describing my childhood! I have been searching for something that was right here all along. As usual, I was making things WAY more complicated than they should be.

Here's to you mom. For all those times I should have listened only to find out later that you were right...as usual. For all those times I came home with a broken heart and you knew EXACTLY what to do. For all those mornings you sat with me while I got ready for Jr. High so I wouldn't be the only one in the house awake. For all those times you came to the rescue when I was going through the darkest time of my life. For every meal you cooked, for every load of laundry you did and for every classroom party you organized. For every hug, kiss and pat on the back. Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for the amazing grace you have shown me and continue to show me. I love you!

The view I love the most

Here is where I had my coffee yesterday.

It was beautiful and perfectly relaxing. Spending some good quality time with two of the most important women in my life was...perfection.

But this was my view this morning...

and it's the view I love the most.

I started a book while I was gone. I haven't finished it yet because I want to make sure I soak it all in. Normally I would take a book to the beach that was an easy fun read. I chose something very different this time and am excited about the benefits I will reap. In due time, I have some big posts headed your way about this book. I can't wait to share!

Here is where I had my coffee this morning.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Guilt free.

I'm leaving Big Daddy and the babes to fend for themselves for 4 days. I am beach bound with my mom and Steph and couldn't be more excited. However, I will admit that every now and then I have a pang of guilt. Mother's guilt I suppose. I started thinking.

If a person works 40 hours a week all year. They are usually entitled to approximately 80 hours paid vacation or 2 weeks. That is around 4% of their total hours worked.

A mother works or is on call approximately....ALL THE TIME! According to my calculations, I would be entitled to about 350.4 hours of vacation. If I were in the work place, that would tally up to almost 9 weeks of vacation!

There it is. Black and white. Now where's my swimsuit?

Would you rather?

Last night at dinner I posed a few questions just because I love to hear the sweet thoughts running through the minds of our babes. The first question was not very original. "If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be?" Claire said she would be a snake (shocker.) because they have fangs. Niiice. Big Daddy said he would want to be a hippo. I laughed. Hard. Cohen said he would be a lion. I declared that I wanted to be a girl hippo so I could lay next to Big Daddy and bask in the sun. (Really when you think about it, hippos have it GOOD!)

Then next question was a little more original, "Would you rather have watermelons for kneecaps or cantaloupes for elbows?" Claire and I decided cantaloupes would be best while Big Daddy picked watermelons. Cohen said something about poop that I didn't understand.

Then, without hesitation, Claire said, "Momma...would you rather have bananas for eyebrows or cantaloupes for armpits?" Big Daddy and I were laughing so hard we couldn't even give her an answer! Finally I squeaked out, "Bananas...definitely bananas!" I think she gets her sense of humor from me.

Not to be outdone, Coco had his own scenario. "Do do do do do you like boobies....or poop?!" I like to say he gets his wit from Big Daddy. (By the way, Cohen is going through a little stuttering phase. Thanks to my CSD major in college, I know not to worry yet!)

Never a dull moment here!

Thanks for that post mom! As I said in my comment, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I learned everything about life, marriage and motherhood from you. I am who I am, because of you

I had a wonderful birthday! I couldn't believe how many e-mails and facebook comments I got! It was so fun to read them all. As you know, the morning was spent house hunting. Unfortunately, Big Daddy and I are having some differences of opinion when it comes to what we think is best for us. I am wondering if maybe that means we should just stay put?? OR if I should just get my way?? ;-) So the search continues. Since I spent my birthday evening with the one who gave me life, Saturday night was spent with the one who makes it worth living! BIG DADDY! We drove around and looked at houses and just enjoyed the beautiful evening. Then we went to dinner at Touch which was VERY tasty. Apparently it was prom night for many so the restaurant was packed with nervous teens decked out in tuxes and beautiful gowns. It reminded us of our prom night, which we later decided was actually quite lame. I would love to tell you that it was a magical night full of romance and amazing memories. But it wasn't. In fact we remember very little of it! It's so funny to see how far we have come since then. I'm pretty sure the main thought running through Big Daddy's head was, "How much do those dresses cost and how many of them am I going to have to buy for Claire!"

It was a really great weekend filled with free time and sunshine. Here are a few pics from last week that I just never got uploaded.

Claire and Cohen with their blue lemonade

"Kool-Aid Play dough" (Thanks Steph and Mrs. Pendergrass for the recipe!)