Bitey, The Elephant

When our sweet little boy started getting teeth he, like many children, also began figuring out how to use those teeth.  He would test them on everything, toys, books, furniture, dog tail and occasionally, us, his loving family.  In and effort to not raise a cannibal I assigned a corduroy elephant as the toy to bite.   Anytime he started to bite we would grab the little elephant and say things like, “Don’t bite Momma, it hurts!  Bite the elephant,” while sticking the elephant’s trunk in his mouth to practice his teeth gnashing on.  Soon his big sister caught on and named the elephant Bitey after a character in one of her books. 

Apparently the use of Bitey the elephant has made quite and impact.  The other evening we were all relaxing in the family room.  My husband was stretched out in the LazyBoy and our daughter had thrown a blanket over his feet making a hideout beneath them.  The cat had gone under there to hide and pretty soon I saw Colton join her.  I didn’t think much of it at the time but pretty soon Colton took off across the room toward his toy box muttering No, No, No, as he went.  He grabbed the Elephant and turned around and headed back to the hideout saying Bitey, Bitey, Bitey and handed the elephant to the cat. 

Now, I have no proof but I’m pretty sure that while they were playing the cat bit him.  Colton knows that if you feel like biting you need Bitey the elephant!

Memories of Aunt Kathleen's

White hexagon tiles brought to life with our crayons

as we colored the bathroom floor

Creativity

Orange and yellow plastic playhouse covered in mud

after making mud pies all day

Freedom

Taking turns eating cherries from the bag

on the rope swing

Yum

The warmth of the summer sun on our bodies as we played

outside all day

Cousins

Quiet

The house is still.  Too quiet.  Not long ago the air was filled with the pounding feet of naked babies running through the house and delighted shrieks as Momma chased them into the awaiting arms of Daddy who plunked them into the tub.  Laughter and splashes, water everywhere. 

Extraction is just as difficult as submersion. 

Legs flailing. 

Slippery bodies wrapped in hooded towels. 

Tiny toothbrushes clean tiny teeth.

Wiggly legs and arms expertly inserted into P.J.’s, less they escape and the chase is on. 

Wobbies and Ba (pacifier to some), sippy cups and favorite toys as we cuddle up to read bedtime stories. 

Music on

Sweet kisses

Heavy eyelids close

Goodnight, sweet dreams

My darlings.

The Iron

My son is at the stage where he latches on to something and that is only thing he wants.  Usually it's things like a ball, a whisk or a huge wooden spoon, but today it was the iron.  It wasn’t hot.  I had used it early in the morning to iron sisters uniform and had it out on the counter to cool off, when he spotted it. 

When he awoke from his nap I wen tot get him and took him into the kitchen to get some milk when he spied it and it was love at first sight.  Oh the iron wasn’t the first appliance he set his sights on, usually it’s the crockpot or the toaster but today was different.  The iron was out.  He made his request known by leaning out of my arms toward the counter.  I set him down so as not to drop him and quickly ran through all the reasons a 21 month old child should NOT play with he iron.  As I thought he grew louder and more insistent.  I caved!  What would it hurt?  I would just have to take extra care when using the iron.  Besides his love interest don’t last too long especially when they are too heavy to tote around.  I gave it to him.  Delight he hauled it to the couch where he proceeded to iron the cushions.  Soon it was time to get sister from school.  We live across the street from the Elementary school so I just plop him in the stroller and walk to get her.  Today he insisted on taking his friend!  There he sat happy as a clam, holding tight to the iron.  We paraded it to all the parents, teachers and students at pick-up.  Yes, I let my baby play with the iron.  Mother of the year here I come!

I Am From....

I am from my Momma’s homemade chocolate chip cookies

Green beans from a can (swallowed whole while holding my nose)

The smell of Pin-Sol filling the house on Saturday mornings

Neon green gum strung from the window to taillight of Daddy’s black truck

Click click click of sockets ratcheting

Country music playing low on the radio, with the cool concrete of the garage under my bare toes.

Riding the floor jack, up, up, up, d o w n, up, up, up, d o w n….

Dirty feet and the smell of DEET

Quiet early morning horseback rides with Grandpa

Hold on tight three-wheeler rides down country roads

Fireflies, fireworks, family picnics

Millions of stars peering down from the black night as we lie on our backs in the middle of the trampoline listening to the lullaby of the locusts and the coyote howls

Soles of her feet against the soles of mine in the cool crisp sheets of Grandmas feather bed

Constant “I love you’s”

Place settings and manners

Rules and things done just so

Grandmother’s chocolate pie

Ice cream dripping from our chins

Sharing garlic cheese toast with Granddad before school

The light that danced in his eyes each time he saw us

His Miss America’s

I am from God

love everlasting

and a crazy wonderful family

Marveling at my children

I'm amazed at how fast 8 months can go by. 
I'm amazed at how much you can forget so quickly.
I'm amazed at how fast they learn and how impressionable they are. 
I'm amazed because they are both so very amazing!

My baby boy is giving big wet open mouth pressed to your cheek with baby drool dripping down your face kisses.  He seems too young for this, but I guess if you have been kissed on by every person you have come in contact with for 8 full months of your little life then you too would be handing them out as soon as possible.  He makes me smile.  His sister loves to make him smile.  As he lies in his bed each morning chattering away to himself.  Sister will soon find me to see if she can go in to talk to her brother.  I hope they always have this.  I know they will fight and argue and generally drive each other crazy but I hope they will always have the love and admiration for each other that they do now.  That may be a bit naive but hope it just the same. 
My big girl is beautiful and head strong and full of life.  She is full wonder and compassion and energy.  She is fantastic!  Not too long ago Poppy had come to visit for a day or so.  I had run to pick up dinner while he stayed with the children.  I return home after about 1/2 hour to find Poppy and Colton standing in front of the TV (this means Colton got fussy.  Poppy's tried and true method for easing fussiness is to distract babies with big screen TV's...it works).  As I enter the house Sister meets me in the kitchen exclaiming, "Momma, It's all OK I'm making him a bottle!"
"So you think he's hungry?"
"Yes, and I'm making him a bottle, come see it's almost ready."
She leads me to her bathroom where she has taken a plastic bowl, filled it with warm water, retrieved a bag of milk from the freezer (using her step stool) and began thawing it.  She had a bottle on the counter ready to pour the milk into. 
She informs me that it only has one cold spot left and then it will be ready. 
Feeling the bag she has placed in my hand there is in fact only one frozen piece left.  She refills the bowl with warm water and moves the bag around until it's gone. 
She filled the bottle and off she went to find her brother!
(Never mind the fact he never did get the bottle thing down)  Sister did what she could to take care of her baby brother while Momma was away.  She ROCKS!

Dogtags, Dogtags, and more Dogtags

When Hannah was about a year old she discovered Brian’s dog tags, and LOVED to play with them. I’m not sure whether Hannah was more excited to see Daddy at the end of the day or to get her hands on his dogtags. One day Brian just handed them to her and she toddeled off swinging her prized possession. After that day we never saw them again. We scoured the house high and low! Linda came down to visit not too long after and she and I decided we were going to find them once and for all! We systimaticaly searched the house room by room, looking in drawers, under furniture, in the most random of places (because of who had them last there was no telling where they would be). Every room, every closet, every where…and nothing. They were nowhere to be found!


Last August when we moved, we searched again as things were packed and moved and the house was cleared of everything and still…nothing. Brian was convinced that Hannah had flushed them down the toilet.

Once we arrived in Beaufort Brian had to get new dogtags. I ordered a set for him online but they just weren’t the same they didn’t even say USMC on them and for some reason that made me crazy. Determined not to send my husband on a deployment with dogtags that were less than perfect I insisted that we have another set made. Brian, seeing that I was becoming a bit nurotic about this, agreed to getting yet another set of dogtags. This Friday I went to a shop here in the area and ordered another set of dogtags. Today we picked them up…they turned out okay; they still weren’t the same but atleast they had all the info on them. Guess they would do.

Today was a hard day as we struggled not to focus on the fact that tomorrow he leaves. Hannah was out playing and Colton and I were sitting on the bed talking to Brian as he packed. I hear Hannah hollering at me. I look out the window and she is peering in the mailbox, Momma, the mail is HHHEEEEEERRRRRREEEE!!! (She can’t reach inside yet). I put Colton down and walk out to get the mail, Hannah had disappeared around back. Nothing too exciting, car tag, survey, two ads and a padded envelope for Brian.

Brian opened the envelope, pulls out a sheet of paper but continues to peer into the envelope. “You’re not going to believe what is in here.” The Dogtags!! The letter was from the people who purchased our house. They had found them under the stove while having some work done on the gas line. CRAZY! CRAZY! CRAZY! What are the odds of us getting this package the day before he leaves?

Thank you Lord, thank you for easing my nurotic mind. Yes, I know you will take care of him and bring him home to us.