Elf In Mama's Christmas Tree

We found Darby snuggled up against the stuffed Christmas Tree Mama made when I was a little girl.  The girlz thought it was great because they could look at Darby while they ate breakfast.

Elf in a Princess Castle

Darby waited patiently at the top of Cassidy's princess slide all day.  And when Cassidy got home this afternoon, she was excited to see Darby sitting on her new bed!  Nana said Cassidy talked about her new bed all the way home.

I videotaped the big reveal.  Cassidy's reaction is a bit subdued... keep in mind Campbell was sleeping in the next room and Cassidy knows to be quiet when her sister's asleep.

The big reveal...

Darby and Cassidy

Cassidy in her princess tower

A Princess Gets Her Castle

Cassidy spent the day with Nana, and will be spending tonight with Nana too.  While she was away, we did some work in her bedroom...

Goodbye boring old bed, hello Princess Castle!!

Darby will be waiting patiently for Cassidy at the top of the slide tomorrow.  We cannot wait for her to get home from her visit with Nana!!!

Elf Watching TV

Cassidy found Darby perched in front of the TV eating marshmallows this morning.  My original plan was to make it look like Darby had pooped the marshmallows but Sergeant Sexy said no.

Whatever.  Every party has a pooper, and unfortunantely this time the pooper wasn't Darby.

Beautiful Princess

Cassidy has outgrown the fancy dress she wore to Teddy Bear Tea with Gramma Kathy last year.  I found a gorgeous one on eBay and bought it for her two weeks ago.

Guess what?  It arrived in the mail today!

Guess what else?  Cassidy looks GORGEOUS in it!!

I wish the picture showed the detail better.  The bodice is fitted, and there's a sash across the waist.  The skirt is very full, and is gathered in little sections all around.  LOVE IT!!!

Cassidy is going to wow the crowd at Teddy Bear Tea this year!

Fancy Dress - Front

Fancy Dress - Back

Black Friday

We went to the mall late this morning.  We really didn't need anything that was on sale there, but we always seem to end up at the mall on Black Friday for some reason.  Sergeant Sexy got his hair cut, and I entertained the girlz for a while.  The haircut took a reeeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyy long time, so by the time he was done I had broken the cardinal rule of mall shopping.

I took the girlz to the bounce area.

It's a mini-inflatable paradise for kids.  What's so bad about that, since we take them to other inflatable places all the time?  This one is TERRIBLY overpriced, and once we do something one time we've signed up for a lifetime.

I had no choice.  I had already walked them through a jam packed store (no fun) and let them eat ice cream for lunch (don't you judge me!), but Sergeant Sexy wasn't even in the chair yet.  It was the best alternative, and we really did have a good time.

Let's just hope the girlz forget today's weak moment and don't torture me next time we're at the mall!

Ice cream for lunch!!!

Running wild in inflatable paradise...

Darby's Back!

The day after Thanksgiving means one thing in our house.  Not Black Friday - Darby Day!  Our Elf On The Shelf will live with us from now until Santa comes on Christmas Eve.  She made her 2009 debut sitting on the bookcase next to Mama and Papa's picture.

Campbell was excited, but not because she really understood what was going on.  She was excited because Cassidy was excited.

This is it!  The Christmas season has started!

Being Thankful

Cassidy had a rough evening last night.  She wasn't being a good listener, so I told her I wasn't going to reward her with a book before bed.  She cried and cried and cried some more.  After she apologized and promised to work harder on her listening skills, I read her a few pages of her new ballerina chapter book.  After that, she went right to sleep and we didn't have any other issues.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Sergeant Sexy has been working late almost every night, which leaves everything to me.  I've been rushed and frazzled and exhausted for weeks, and really didn't feel like dealing with a meltdown last night.

So where am I going with this?  Be patient.  You'll see!

I found the video below when I was pregnant with Campbell.  At the time, we had weathered two back-to-back miscarriages followed by the premature birth of Cassidy.  I had been diagnosed with a hereditary blood clotting disorder and was taking an enormous amount of medication to sustain the pregnancy, including an injection of blood thinners into my belly every morning.  We knew I had carried one pregnancy to term, and were hopeful to do it a second time.  I listened to both girl's heartbeats with a doppler a minimum of once a day.

This song put the perfect words to my feelings.

And even now, years later, this song takes me back to the days when Head Nerd and Sergeant Sexy desperately prayed for tiny little Nerds of their own.  And that feeling is all it takes to remind me to be THANKFUL for the meltdowns and tantrums instead of irritated by them.



Thank you, Sweet Baby Jesus. Thank you for blessing us with two perfect princesses. Thank you for the spots on our carpet, fingerprints on our windows, snot, giggles, tantrums, and smiles.

A Pilgrim Diva

Today was the Thanksgiving Program at Big Girl School.  It was a rite of passage for me, because this was the first real school program our kids have done.

Cassidy was a pilgrim.  And I know I'm stating the obvious when I say Cassidy was the best dressed and most gorgeous pilgrim on the stage.  Thank you, Captain Obvious!

I recorded her class's portion of the program.  I was kind of far away from the stage for my little mini-camcorder to get a good shot, but you can hear pretty much the whole thing (except when the chatterbox sitting next to us gets going).  Cassidy is the second child in from the right.

Pilgrim Diva standing between two Indians

Pilgrim Diva

Cassidy and Papa

Bass Pro Shops

After church this morning, we took a trip to Bass Pro Shops.  Sergeant Sexy is on a turkey frying kick... he fried his first turkey last weekend and it was DELISH.  He wants to do it again, and decided to get a new flavor for his Flavor Injector.

We spent a long time at the fish tank looking at the fish.

As we were finding our way to the turkey fryers, we found the perfect toy for Cassidy...

Cassidy wanted some popcorn, so we got her a small box.  Luckily, Santa wasn't there yet so we escaped without traumatizing Campbell.  Cassidy got her popcorn, Sergeant Sexy got his Flavor Injector, everyone was happy.

We had a great time... no meltdowns, no issues.  Success!!!

She Passed The Test. Should I Feel Happy?

We decided to give Little C a test at lunch today.  Instead of sitting in the high chair, we set up Cassidy's old toddler chair at the kitchen table.  As soon as she got up from her nap, we put her at the table for lunch.

She sat in the chair and ate her entire lunch without any moaning or groaning at all.

Is it time to retire the highchair?  Not quite yet.  But she's defintiely growing up, and I'm not sure if we're supposed to be happy or sad.

Baby Nerd

When our old computer broke, we replaced it and never had a chance to get the old hard drive out of it.  I had a few minutes today, and decided to start working on it.

I'm excited to report Campbell was EXTREMELY interested in the guts of the computer.  She's going to follow in my nerdy footsteps.  I just know it!

Do you like my mouse phone?

Fixing the computer

Santa's In The Building

This post is a week late.  With Sergeant Sexy working late almost every night now, there's just not enough hours in the day to do it all!

We went to see Santa last Saturday evening, and the girls were so excited!  Well, Cassidy was excited.  Campbell looked apprehensive while we were standing in line, and it only went downhill from there.  Turns out, she's a "Santa Hater" just like Cassidy was.  Cassidy took Santa a small bag of Skittles (from her) and a small bag of M&Ms (from Campbell).  Santa seemed to really appreciate the candy.  I just hope Santa doesn't have diabetes.  I'd hate to think we put him into diabetic shock.

I'm not going to post the picture of the girlz with Santa because I've put it on our Christmas card.  I don't want to spoil the surprise!

After our visit with Santa, Cassidy decided she really NEEDED to ride the tiny carousel next to Santa's hangout.  Campbell hated that too, and didn't even make one full rotation before Sergeant Sexy pulled her off.

We walked around the mall after the carousel ride.  There was a hydrolic jumper set-up outside Sears and Cassidy decided she wanted to try it.  Sergeant Sexy gave me a dubious look, but I forked over the cash while Cassidy was harnessed in.

We were all holding our breath... is she going to love it?  Hate it?  Did we just waste $5?  Did we just sign up for a lifetime of spending $5 everytime we go to the mall?

10 seconds into the ride, Sergeant Sexy and I let out a collective sigh.  She thought it was OUTSTANDING.  She even pointed her toes after every launch off the trampoline!

In line to see Santa!

Daddy helping Campbell not get killed on the carousel

Cassidy LOVED the carousel...

... AND the hydrolic jumper!!!

Here We Go Again

I took Campbell to see Dr. CanBabySeeMeNow this morning.  The doctor dilated her eyes, and her pupils were as big as quarters.  She couldn't see, and spent at least 10 minutes entertaining the waiting room with her Drunk Baby act.  She'd trip and stumble, and everyone would chuckle... even me.  

Then she ate a goldfish cracker and promptly forgot she was eating the goldfish cracker.  It's all fun and games until my baby starts to choke.  She was fine, and swallowed the goldfish once I reminded her that she was eating it.

Since she hasn't had trouble with ear infections, I was CERTAIN she would spared the surgical trauma her sister endured.  I was wrong.  She needs a procedure to open her left tear duct, and it has to be done at the hospital under anethesia.  Cassidy was 16 months old when she had her surgery, and Campbell will be 18 months old when she has hers.  Ugh... here we go again.

Aye Aye, Matey!

Cassidy decided she needed to dress up as a pirate tonight, eye patch and all.  She thought she was hot stuff.

My Dodge Is An Awesome Dodge

A friend posted this to her Facebook page this morning, and included this note: "If you don't laugh at this, there's something wrong with you".

I should have taken that comment more seriously. I had Coke in my nose, on the kitchen floor, and all over my sweatshirt by the time he got to the Dodge bit. Having any type of food or drink in your mouth while watching this video could be hazardous to your health.

Enjoy!!

PALS Score

Cassidy's class at school was given the PALS Assessment [Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening]. This was the baseline test, and the children will be re-tested in the Spring.

Cassidy did GREAT. In fact, she didn't just do great, she kicked the PALS Assessment's ass. Check this out...


Name Writing
The teacher asks the child to draw a self-portrait and to write his/her name. Name writing is scored on a developmental continuum, ranging from scribbles to the use of mixed symbols to writing the entire name correctly.
Cassidy's score: 6 out out 7 [the test was given during the period where she was writing 'Cassiby' instead of 'Cassidy'.]


Alphabet Knowledge
The teacher asks the child to name the 26 upper-case letters of the alphabet presented in random order. Children who know 16 or more upper-case letters also take the lower case alphabet recognition task. Children who know 9 or more lower-case letters are also asked to produce the sounds associated with 23 letters and 3 consonant digraphs (ch, sh, and th).
Cassidy's score: 73 out of 78 [She got all of the upper-case and lower-case letters correct. She produced all the sounds except Ch, Sh, Th, W, and O]


Beginning Sound Awareness
The teacher says the name of a picture and asks the child to produce the beginning sounds for words that start with /s/, /m/, and /b/.
Cassidy's Score: 10 out of 10


Print and Word Awareness
The teacher reads a familiar nursery rhyme printed in a book format and asks the child to point to various text components. In this natural book-reading context children demonstrate their awareness of print concepts such as directionality and the difference between pictures, letters, and words.
Cassidy's Score: 9 out of 10 [She lost one point for not pointing to the white space between The and End].


Rhyme Awareness
The teacher shows the child pictures and names the object depicted in each one. The teacher asks the child to point to the picture that rhymes with the first one presented.
Cassidy's Score: 10 out of 10


Nursery Rhyme Awareness
The teacher recites familiar nursery rhymes, stopping before the end so the child can supply the final rhyming word.
Cassidy's Score: 10 out of 10


CASSIDY'S TOTAL SCORE: 118 out of 125

The Still Frame...

... makes them look so sweet. I finally got a good picture of them together, their beautiful smiling faces frozen in time.

Pictures like this make it so easy to forget the mind-numbing stream of chatter, the temper tantrums powerful enough to shake pictures off the walls, snotty noses, drool, eye boogers, and dirty diapers. In the quiet of the evening, I can gaze at this picture and smile.

I love my pictures.

Improper Use Of The Past Tense

Cassidy hasn't quite gotten the hang of the past tense yet. She tries so hard, but rarely gets it right. I try not to laugh, but it gets harder every day. One of these days, I'm going to bust out with a giant belly laugh and hurt the poor girl's self-esteem. It's bound to happen... when she says stuff like this multiple times per hour, it's only a matter of time:

1. I didn't want to wear the Ariel socks, so I choice-ded these.
Translation: I chose these.

2. The remote got lost-ded.
Translation: The remote is lost.

3. I already close-ded the door!
Translation: I already closed the door!

Our Last Name Should Be 'Fun'

Another gorgeous day! After church and a quick stop at the grocery store, we headed home for lunch. Once we had eaten and gotten Campbell down for a nap, I walked with Cassidy as she rode her bike up the street to Mary Grace's house. We played at Mary Grace's house all afternoon... all the way up until it was time to go to church for Christmas Play Practice! Cassidy and Mary Grace had a blast all afternoon, and then sat right next to each other during practice. I guess they didn't get enough of each other this afternoon!

Another truly fun weekend. I'm starting to think our last name should be Fun.

Cassidy and Mary Grace on the tire swing

Cassidy and Mary Grace cruisin' the hood

Steven (another neighbor) let the girls enjoy his Lightening McQueen car

Swinging! And guess what?!? Cassidy has learned how to swing BY HERSELF!!!

Add Another Hectic Saturday To The Books

It was another hectic Saturday for the Censored-Last-Name Family. The weather here was GORGEOUS today, and we took full advantage of it. Dance Class for Cassidy, Gymboree Play Class for Campbell, Craft Show at Mama and Papa's new church, afternoon of buck-wild craziness with Meredith/Lindsey/KatieBug, and a quick stop at Target to do the Wii game deal while the sale was still going.

Yes!! A Wii!! Santa (in the form of the UPS Man) is bringing us a Wii. Don't ask how I know this... all I can say is that I'm well-connected and have access to the big guy.

Mama and her Girlz

Mama feeding Campbell a Cheeto

Lindsey pulling KatieBug and Campbell in the wagon.

Forever Friends

Family Gymnastics = Nice Theory

Sergeant Sexy ended up working late again tonight. At gymnastics last week, Campbell became ANGRY when Cassidy got to play in the gym and she had to stay in the waiting room. She let the entire building know exactly what she thought of THAT decision.

Since I was on my own tonight, I decided to let Campbell try the Parent/Tot gymnastics class and spare the parents in the waiting room a show of her favorite tricks. Last week, the waiting room was treated to the She's Not Looking, Run For It! trick multiple times. Love that.

Family gymnastics didn't work out as perfectly as I'd planned. When I enrolled Cassidy last summer, I deliberately chose her class because there was a Parent/Tot class at the exact same time. Always thinking ahead (like any good Head Nerd In Charge would), I had planned for them both to eventually be taking gymnastics on the same day at the same time... thereby reducing the amount of time we spend driving people around. That'swhat I call strategery.

It was a noble effort, but it's just not going to work.

1) The timeframe is a bit too late for Campbell.
2) Campbell was more interested in seeing what Cassidy's class was doing.
3) Cassidy was too distracted by the sight of me and Campbell in the gym.
4) Campbell isn't quite coordinated enough to really enjoy it. She much prefers exploring at her own pace.

Back to the drawing board!

But Mommy, I Don't Have A Red Nose

Cassidy and I were going through our nightly routine tonight, and we got to the part where we pick out the next day's outfit. I usually pick two or three outfits in the evening, and she chooses one the next morning. The first outfit I chose tonight was a cute tunic shirt with leggings that Papa bought her a few months ago.

Cassidy decided she wanted to wear the hot pink shirt, but would rather wear her maroon and grey argyle tights instead of the cute matching leggings that came with the shirt.

I nipped that one in the bud, and said "Cassidy, that doesn't match at all. I'm not sending you to school looking like a clown". I quickly picked two more choices from the closet and got her into bed.

As I was tucking her in a few minutes later, Cassidy looked at me and said "But Mommy, my nose isn't red. How can I look like a clown if my nose isn't red?"

A Terror-ble Morning

Cassidy woke up on the wrong side of her royal bed this morning. Seriously. She was fine for the first 20 or 30 seconds, but it was all downhill from there.

The first issue was that I fetched the wrong outfit from her room. Instead of putting it back and getting the other one as she was asked, she chose to throw her clothes across our bedroom. Not cool.

She screamed and cried and kicked and cried and screamed and cried and kicked and screamed for at least 30 minutes. She wouldn't do anything we asked her to do. I took away her TV privileges for the morning AND the afternoon, and threatened to keep going. After wrestling with Daddy to get her tights on, she calmed herself down just in time to eat some breakfast and get on the bus.

Thankfully, I got them off to school and didn't have to kill anybody.

We're closing in on her 5th birthday. Please tell me Wild Ass Fits don't come with being 5. I can't do this every morning!