My life is full of cute

Most of the cute in my life can't be captured. 

Here are some ordinary things happening around the house this week.

Georgia and Kennedy liked eachother for a minute

Georgia rocked her favorite sweater

Stella celebrated her half birthday

6 months has flown by

We made these tiny candy corn sugar cookies

they're so small and so good!

i made a sorry attempt at getting a picture with all of my girls

as always, you can find more cute pictures at

they call me mom

i suppose it comes quietly.  change, that is.  you can fight and fight and fight to change and it always feels like you're getting nowhere.  one morning, long after you've given up the fight, you wake up and realize you're different.  there was no ah-ha! moment.  there was no party to celebrate it.  actually, it probably won't even be noticed or spoken of.  you're different.  maybe others noticed long before you do.  maybe most of the change happens in your head, the way you think so you know long before anyone else.  i guess it doesn't really matter. 

when change comes, things become clearer.  the approval you've so desperately wanted your whole life doesn't matter anymore.  more than that, you can finally see why it doesn't matter anymore and why you will never get it.  people are different.  two people who value different things will probably never approve of each other.  neither one will ever change.  there are a million things and differences i could point out, but honestly, it doesn't matter.  we can accept things without approving of them, right?

these girls...each one so amazing.  they deserve everything good in this world.  they deserve hugs and kisses, kind words, unconditional love.  they get it.  they also deserve better meals, permission slips that are always signed and never late.  they deserve more play and less waiting.  i try.  they call me mom.  it's funny how the only approval i need comes from 4 people whose opinion isn't considered important by some.  it's funny how the whole world has shrunk to the size of an 1100 square foot house.  they call me mom.  there is so much meaning, so many expectations, so much importance in that tiny little sentence.

writing freely and linking up with heather

Our Little Mother

We call Kennedy our "little mother".  She is very sweet, very nurturing and very girly.  She breastfeeds and wears her baby dolls.  We joke that her savings account is a "home fund", instead of a college fund.  She had to make a poster about her favorite things for school.  She finished the sentence "When I grow up, I want to be..." with "a good mommy". 

The first thing she does in the morning is tell me about her dreams.  This morning she told me that she had a dream that she got married to Everett (I suppose this is a boy in her class).  He chose her because he loved her.  We all waited at grandma and grandpa's house while they were dating.  Then they got married.  When they were running out of the church, he fell and hurt his knee.  His dad gave him a Batman band aid. 

Now, all she talks about is calling her beau, having a play date, seeing him at school.  She told me we were going to get a new TV channel.  It will just be Everett on the TV talking to her.  I think Steve and I need to find out who Everett is and sit him down to question his intentions!

Kennedy is 4 years and 5 months

J'aime...

Who's ready for another round of random facts about Brandi?  I know you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for more.  Well here it is!

Random things that I love:

 1.  when babies play with their feet
 2.  Abba
 3.  Mafia movies
 4.  anything that comes in chocolate and banana flavor
 5.  going to bed at 8:00
 6.  rainy fall days
 7.  the smell of  a library (especially on rainy fall days)
 8.  kung pao chicken
 9.  history
10. Roseanne/The Cosby Show (i truly don't know which i love more)

Starting Solids

That looks ____________.

It kind of feels like __________.

_______________ in a bowl!

Fill in the blank Friday. Every Friday, I put up a random picture from my week and start the caption. I invite you fill in the blank and finish my caption. Feel free to be funny or cute or just shout out the first thing that comes to mind!

Family in the Fall

My computer died, temporarily taking with it pictures that I had been saving for this week's return of you capture.  Fortunately, I do have a couple that I took after I got my new computer.

Stella and her proud grandpa

It is finally cool enough for long sleeves

very dirty sisters enjoying the last of the warm weather

You can find more pictures of fall and family at

Ride for a Reason

Last week, Kennedy and Georgia's preschool held a trike-a-thon for their class fundraiser.  They donated 25% of what they earned to a charity.  Isaac's Rays of Hope in honor of Isaac, a student at the school.  There are 4 pre-k classes, so Isaac isn't in a class with either of the girls now, he will be starting kindergarten with Kennedy next year.  Between the 4 classes and 4 trike-a-thons, they were able to donate about $1000 to the organization.

Day 1:  Georgia

Day 2:  Kennedy (hers had to be held in the school basement due to rain)

 

mommy, i want to be a hooker for halloween

This year, I was determined not to drop the ball on Halloween.  I usually wait until the last minute to get costumes.  This year, they were going to be super cute, well thought out costumes. 

Then my 2 middle daughters saw these quite pricey, cheaply made costumes while shopping with their dad.  They fell in love and would surely perish if they didn't get them.  Of course, since mom wasn't around, they got them.

Then, out of nowhere, my older daughter was invited to a costume party over the weekend.  Not enough time for a well thought out costume there either.  So, we went to the store and bought one...

I've mentioned before that my 7 (almost 8) year old is big.  She's around 4'10''.  Has anyone seen the costumes for kids (or teens) this size?   Everything is a not-so clever version of a...hmmm...prostitute?  Tramp?  Slut?  Person of loose morals?  Go ahead and insert whichever word you are comfortable with.  Even if I were shopping for a teenager and not a 7 year old, I don't think most of these costumes are appropriate.  Her options were slutty bumblebee, Spongebob hooker, dead prostitute or cowgirl trollop.  I suggested that she be a clown and was given the eye roll and "seriously, mom..."

So, we settled for vampire.  I'm still not thrilled with what she bought, but at least she's covered, I suppose.  NEXT YEAR, I will come up with something terribly clever.  I will make them wear theme costumes (because that's the kind of mother I am).  4 girls, 1 theme.  Any suggestions?  It's better to start now if they hope to have decent costumes next year!

things you never knew about me (and probably don't really care to)

This is me.  I have a huge forehead.  It looks even bigger when I haven't washed my hair or bothered to put make up on.

Anytime I am driving and see a bag of trash that has been littered in a wooded area, I fully expect to see a body part sticking out of it.

I hate it when people cut through parking spaces when driving through a parking lot.  I will speed up when I see them coming my way in hopes that they will hit me.  Of course, I don't do this with children in the car.



Here is a list of random things that keep me up at night:

1. ground meat
2. space trash
3. the play dough drill and fill dentist
4. the relationship between Donnie and Marie Osmond
5. commercials that have babies and toddlers doing things they can't really do.
6. my husband's eyebrows

Now, you know a little more about me and I bet you're thankful you do!  Tell me, what bothers you?  Go ahead and share some of your quirks.

Snails

I seriously think I ____________.

Fill in the blank Friday. Every Friday, I put up a random picture from my week and start the caption. I invite you fill in the blank and finish my caption. Feel free to be funny or cute or just shout out the first thing that comes to mind!

Falling Behind

It seems as though I have a weight sitting on my chest.  It's the weight of all the things I need to do.  I've been carrying it around with me, happily ignoring how heavy it is.  All of a sudden, though, I know how much it weighs.  It gets heavier everyday. 

Tasks keep piling on top of me like the laundry in the hamper.  I make lists, but they're just for show.  They only give me relief and help me relax for a short time before I realize it was pointless.  The lists work for me as well as closing the bathroom door when I shower.

I have commitments to others, promises I've made to myself, daily responsibilities, places to go.  Most important, I have 4 children to raise and love.  All of this to do and I really just want to go back to bed.  If I could focus on anything for 10 minutes, maybe I could figure it out, find the areas I could ask for help in, make the lists work for me.  Who has 10 minutes?

A day late in linking up...

wait for me

I told you not to _______________________!

Fill in the blank Friday. Every Friday, I put up a random picture from my week and start the caption. I invite you fill in the blank and finish my caption. Feel free to be funny or cute or just shout out the first thing that comes to mind!

wasted

chatter, chatter. blah, blah, blah. i started noticing lately how much noise i am surrounded by. it has started to eat away at me, chewing on my nerves. there are 6 people living in my tiny house and there is constant noise. the noise of busy children is not what is bothering me. it's the constant noise of adults.

as a mother, i feel like i am constantly asking "why doesn't anyone listen to me?". i am beginning to realize the answer is "because you talk to much". perhaps if i only asked things to be done once, they would get done. maybe if i say less, it will make what i do say that much more important.

these days, we waste so much, we take so many things for granted. the two things that we waste the most-words and time aren't given the consideration they deserve. they go hand in hand. how much time would we save if we spent less time talking about ourselves, the lives of others, the things we could do, the things we want to do, things that need to be done? that time could be spent doing the things we talk about.

most of the things we say are meaningless. wouldn't the world be a better place if politicians spent less time telling us how they will fix things and actually started fixing them? wouldn't it be better if we stopped talking about helping those in need and instead spent that time taking a blanket to a homeless person? the time i spend on the phone with my mom complaining about how my children hate me? that time could be spent hugging my children.

"silence is golden." "actions speak louder than words." "one picture is worth a thousand words." these are common phrases, but again, they are just words that we say but never listen to. how many words have you wasted today? how many words did i waste just by writing this?

linking up with heather

blessed

We finally had Stella baptized yesterday. 

Yes, she is 5 months old and her parents are slackers

my very cute (and pregnant) sister-in-law is her godmother.

 We even got together for a family picture. 

Please note that nobody has their finger in their nose. 

Also note that the 7 year old next to me is almost as tall as I am.

She also seems to think she's posing for a picture of only her.

Afterward, we all went to my house for lunch.

For the first time ever, I didn't make a single bit of the lunch.

I bought it all and I don't feel bad about it.

Stella likes her Uncle Andy...a lot!