boogers

Avery's friend Ava was here playing. She was crying about something so she wiped her eyes on one of our couch pillows.

Her mom said, "Ava, don't wipe your face on Ms Susan's pillows."

Avery replied:"Yea Ava, you don't wipe your boogers on the pillow, you wipe them on the couch!"

EEEEEEEWWWW!

Comfort Zone

Anyone who knows Macie knows she is not exactly a girly girl. She doesn't do skirts, can't stand pink and thinks cheerleading should be illegal. Imagine then, my surprise when she told me she wanted to be in a beauty pageant! Her interest was sparked by our neighbor who was crowned Mrs Missouri, then Mrs America and then took second in Mrs World. We followed all of her pageants and enjoyed watching her success yet I was still blown away when Macie decided that a pageant was something she wanted to try. Although I was hesitant, I agreed, thinking it would give her good exposure in front of an audience.

We found the Miss O'Fallon pageant with the help of our neighbor. She had been a judge and told us that it would be a perfect "starter" pageant. Macie completed the paperwork and then we set off to find her a casual outfit and gown and work on her talent. The whole way through Macie was really into it. She shopped(which she doesn't particularly like to do) and rehearsed her song over and over. Finally, it was pageant day.

Macie competed in the Junior Miss category ages 11-15. She comfortably strode across stage to introduce herself to the audience and judges. She sang beautifully, confidently belting out her song and engaging the audience. She walked in her heels(yes heels!) and her gown and answered a question with more confidence and poise than I probably would now! To say the least, I was amazed with my daughter! Amazed at this young lady unfolding before me so comfortable in her own skin.

When all was said and done, Macie won the talent portion and was crowned O'Fallon Junior Miss! We were in awe at this girl who was so cool, calm and collected. People work a long time to become that comfortable on stage and here she was doing for the first time like she was a pro.

In true Macie style, she was more proud of winning the talent portion than anything else. So unimpressed by the crown, sash and prizes, she immediately put on her flip flops and plopped down beside us in the audience to watch the older girls compete. You could even tell by the end that she was sort of over it. The older girls told her she was sure to "catch the pageant bug." Macie coyly smiled at them and squeezed my arm as if to say "No Way!" Not to say she wasn't proud of herself but she is just not one to get all caught up in it. She simply wanted to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. I just love that about her.

Here are the links to her intro, talent and question. You may have to copy and paste them into your browser. Hopefully I did it correctly and it will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwGf1UtHyPk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2LrAtr7b0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKbS99jZjaM

visit

Anticipating a visit from my very best and longest friend in the whole world and her 4 kids!!!! Can't wait to see them all! I'm sure there will be lots of eating,playing, laughing, crying, running, swimming, exploring and fun to be had! Oh, and 3 very tired but happy parents in the end!

bday

Owen turned 7 yesterday and lost his two front teeth. One in the morning during his baseball game. The other during his sleepover with friends. After showing us the second one, he announced that this was his best birthday ever! He is such a sweet boy and I am so happy the day was what he wanted it to be.

I realize fighting is a part of the deal when you have a sibling. Elizabeth and I had a few doozies that I remember. One especially good one was in the middle of the night when she accused me of stealing her blanket. It was a knock down drag out with punches thrown. I'm sure her version is different. Macie and Chase just had a blowout this morning fighting over who knows what. According to them the other looked at him/her the wrong way or snarled at the other, Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. This one included pushing, shoving, yelling and a baluster knocked out of the stair railing. Lovely. Two more things to fix around here, their attitudes and the railing! Is it time for school to start yet?

Home again

After a week in Texas, Macie and Chase arrived home safely yesterday afternoon. They spent the week with my great aunt Lynn and great uncle Guy. I used to spend my summers lazing at the lake with them. We really haven't had much of an opportunity for our kids to spend any time with my mother's family so I was grateful that they could go and that Lynn and Guy were up for the challenge! They went fishing, swam in the lake, learned to bait catfish, shot a rifle, rode a 4 wheeler(Macie flipped it into the lake!) and got to be kids.

While they were away I got to experience what it is like to be the parent of only 2 children! Boy what a difference! I enjoyed my time with Avery and Owen and was surprised at how much more relaxed I was. It's so much easier to say "yes" when you only have two kids to worry about! Owen's best friend Carter and his family joined us for the Fourth of July weekend. To say he was in heaven is an understatement. It was pretty much Owen and Carter 24/7.

Now that we are all back under one roof, it is definitely a reality check. I feel my stress level rising with the sheer managing of 4 loud and busy kids. It was a nice experience for all of us to have. Them to experience some freedom and get away from their day to day grind. For Owen and Avery to finally be the "big kids" and get me and Stew all to themselves. For as much as we all enjoyed it though, I'll take my crazy four any day! It feels good to be home again!

Baby Fix

No, the title of this post is not what you think it is. We had that taken care a long time ago! Actually, we are heading to Kansas to visit my sister and her family this weekend. I am so ready for a baby fix I can't stand it!!! I love babies, especially little ones. I could totally do 0-12 months all over again. I can't wait to get my hands on baby Emmett! Our niece, Brooke was in St Louis last weekend but I wasn't able to get my hands on her for long. Just didn't work out.

Also-an update for this week. I now am the mother of 3 boys. Well at least one girl that looks like a boy! Avery decided it would be a good idea to cut her hair and now she totally looks like a boy, Lloyd Christmas from "Dumb and Dumber" at that!! I know it will grow so she'll just be wearing a lot of bows for awhile.

Happy Memorial Day!