sweetness is oozing out...

Eve and her Mimi have a special relationship. It's precious.  Mimi picks Eve up for school on Monday and Wednesday mornings, and Eric always acts like he's so bummed that he doesn't get to.  Tonight, I told Eve that tomorrow was Monday and Mimi comes on Mondays... She got SO excited and started giggling.  She looks over to Eric who has a sad face.  She runs over and climbs in his lap and gives him the biggest, sweetest hug. "it's gonna be ok, daddy.  You just gotta deal with it.  I deal when you take me to school and you deal when Mimi takes me to school."

Another day, she said "Mimi is the gooder-taker-to-schooler ever! I mean, daddy is a good taker-to-schooler, but Mimi is the bestest-taker-to-schooler!

Mimi came over to see me one day while the kids were all asleep.  After a few minutes of chit-chatting, Eve appears from her room saying, "I hear something sweet down there. Who is that?" :-)

Eve came home from a Mimi spend-the-night party (during the SCTNOW 5K) and was SO upset that I was coming to pick her up.  I actually had to pick her up and carry her for her to leave Mimi's house!!! She is 4!!   In the car on the way home, this is what she is saying in the backseat, "Who do I love the mostest?  Mimi!  No thanks to momma or daddy!  I wish I was in Mimi's belly and was born from her tummy.  She should have not called you ERIN, she should have called you EVE, and she was MY mommy.  I love her the bestest.  I love you and daddy too, but I wanna stay at Mimi's house everyday!"

On another topic... The kids and I went outside while Eric was doing yardwork yesterday.  He started raking leaves in the backyard and I asked Eve if she knew what he was doing.  She said' "Sure! Daddy's just itching the grass!"

Eve has had quite a time recently with allergies, rashes, peel-y skin, and medicine\creams.  It is pitiful.  We are praying that we can just discover what it is that is causing her skin to react so we can treat it effectively.  Unfortunately, our next step is bloodwork.  YUCK!  Eric took her to the lab for our first attempt at drawing Eve's blood.  He tried consoling her by saying, "Baby, we've just GOT TO figure out what is causing these bumps and rashes.  We're just trying to make you better." Eve screams, "Just leave me how I am.  I don't wanna be better!". Simply pitiful.

**When we finally did force her to have her blood drawn (it took Eric, two nurses and myself holding her still, and one nurse drawing the blood), she was SCREAMING at the top of her lungs, "YYYYYOOOOOUUUUUUU'RRRRREEEEEEE   SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  RRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEE!"  The entire office heard her pitiful cry.  It was heart-wrenching.

Once Upon a Time, at Sarah's Birthday Party...

There was a little girl named Eve, that was the center of attention.  She made several silly comments that made all of the adults in the room laugh.  One of those comments, was actually quite embarrassing to Eve's mommy, but Eve, in her innocent-state-of-mind, had no idea!

While the birthday girl was opening gifts and cards, Eve was anxiously awaiting the opening of HER special gift.  In her haste, she shouted out to her friend, Sarah, who was just opening a silly CARD, "If it doesn't have any money in it, just FORGET ABOUT IT!"  wow.  I am training her so well :)

Funny Moment #2:
The birthday party was at a firehouse, and the firemen were giving the kids a talk about what to do if they were ever in a fire.  At one point, the fireman asked the kids how many of them slept on the second floor of their house, to which Eve proudly replies, "I NEVER sleep on the floor in my house!"  I wonder if next time, the fireman will say "second story" :)

Around our House...

 Around our house, it is not uncommon to find Eve and Coleman snuggled away like this... Coleman is so easy and Eve ADORES him.  (side note: yes, Coleman is wearing purple sleep pants...yes, they are Ellie's...and yes, she can still wear them too.)

 Around our house, you'll see several adorable smiles just like this... 

... and this

 Around our house, you'll find Clara pulling trash out of the trash can (one time she was eating a raw egg shell!!), pulling Eve's panties one at a time out of her pj drawer, putting diapers, toys, and pacies into the toilet, or simply doing this... sitting in the wet bathtub, that was filling up with water for Coleman's bath, after she has ALREADY had her bath, been dried off, diapered, and clothed in PJ's.   

I do not have enough EYES, hands, or towels!

Around our house, you'll find this loud Lairsey, clanging around on the hardwood floors with ONE princess shoe.  She is obsessed with shoes.  She loves to pull mine and Eric's out of our closet and put them on and leave then strewn all over the house (at least that's what I think...because I refuse to believe that I could have left that many of my shoes out and accessible to her! :)) 

Why I Hate Dinner Time...

Dinner Time at the Lairsey house usually begins with a lot of hope... The girls are hungry (because they typically haven't eaten since lunch), and I just KNOW they are going to LOVE what I have made.  Unfortunately, the only night I have found to be completely successful with all of my kids (that eat table food, of course) is spaghetti or lasagna.  Other than that, this is how we all end up looking before it's over:

This is Clara, pitching quite a fit.   I was able to get her to eat a few bites of meat, but FORGET ABOUT IT if you thought she was going to entertain the baked potato, peas, or carrots!!!

 

 Due to her unwillingness to give in when it comes to food, I am sad to say that she has already (at the ripe-old-age of 20 months) gone to bed without dinner multiple times.  I know I am not the most patient mother on the planet, but I can withstand some tough battles with the kids and maintain my cool.  This just happens to NOT be one of those battles.  She wont even taste the food.  It would be one thing if she tried it and just didn't like it.  I'm not unreasonable.  But this kid has a steel-trap for a mouth... and you are NOT gonna make her eat it.  I have come to the conclusion that when she gets hungry enough, she will eat.

 Ellie is typically my good eater, her issue is that she LOVES meat, and not much else.  This night, she ate all of her and Clara's meat portion, and then wouldn't eat the rest.  Rarely do I get "grump faces" from her at dinner time, but tonight was one of those few.  

 While the twins are screaming and arching backs and pursing lips closed, Man-Man is sitting in his bumbo on the kitchen table in front of me.  He has come to the place where he knows everyone is eating but him...and that is not acceptable.  So, in between bites, I am shoveling things into his mouth.  He may just skip baby food altogether and go straight for the real-stuff.  Poor kid.  

 Don't let this sweet face fool ya.  While this night she happened to "love EVERYTHING you made for me mama.  Even the zombie peas and carrots!", this is not a common occurrence.  She is a fairly tough eater and when presented with a plate that looks different than what she's used to, she almost always replies, "yucky!  I dont like ________.  it is disgusting and tastes ridiculous!"  After some persuasion and bribing, she will eventually taste (and enjoy) her meal.  She has been known to ask for seconds on zombie peas and green beans.  She loves making "birds nests" out of mashed potatoes and sweet peas (just like Nonny taught me).