What's your child's gift?

Here is the picture I sent in to Regis and Kelly's Beautiful Baby contest, so you can give up, no more entries are being accepted since they saw him. sorry guys (I am kidding of course, well- sort of, they are still accepting entries but its just a formality at this point!) If he gets selected, ahemm excuse me, when he gets selected I expect everyone to vote for him the week of March 9th. I mean who wouldn't want to see this face on TV and Magazines??? This was his Nana's idea but I agree with her.

I sit here on a Friday afternoon exhausted and happy too. Although doodle will not quit going through pullups and the house smells as a result! Most of you know doodle is not my baby so changing her is no fun whatsoever. (I am not sure if that is supposed to be one big word or not?) Anyway, I am happy we get to get up and watch TV in the morning but we have baseball and softball evals so we can't slug around too late. Please pray for me as I will have three playing ball and a baby plus doodle to tote to the games. Still not sure how I am going to do this but I am determined to let them play a sport this spring. I loved Soccer last year, the three were on the same co-ed team and it worked nicely with baby in a carrier. But this year he is all over the place and so unsatisfied to be stuck in a stroller. He has the most stubborn attitude any baby has ever had, I promise!

I am happy also because my big boy received a permission slip to be tested for the gifted program!! I know this has nothing to do with me or else all my kids would have gotten one but it is nice to get a happy testing in addition to the, "we aren't sure what your daughters issues are" testing notices! I am not talking about doodle their. Poor baby D she doesn't get tested for anything unless you count repeated vision and hearing tests which she did fine on after the ear infections and such cleared up.

So I want to share with you that I feel like I am living in a little science experiment on Nature Vs Nurture. I have 4 subjects with nearly identical environments and variables, same mom and dad, house, age, food, temperature, opportunities and grandparents! So it has certainly shown me that nature has a lot to do with it since I feel like I have 4 very very different kids. I do think they are all bright in their own ways, really. They are all four excellent readers, I think I may have helped with that since I love to read and like reading to them. But other than that, they each have surprising things about them that are terrific. I am sure that all kids have something special about them but I wonder how many go unnoticed because they are not considered traditional gifts? Ever notice how some kids are very intuitive and empathetic? Even as kindergartners, or a fabulous sense of humor. Creativity, memory, and a caring personality are all special gifts as well. I hope everyone will look for the gifts their children have, even if they never get invited to join the gifted program. I hope I will remember that should my son not "pass" whatever tests they put in front of him. He is already gifted to me as are the other 4, baby J's just remains to be seen!

All things random . . . and some pictures from McDonalds

I call this one "Gigantic Baby eats Local Playland" And the one above is "Silly Sisters Sliding"

I think people like to read blogs with pictures better even if the posts have nothing to do with the pictures. I also have no idea why when I loaded these it crammed them next to each other instead of letting me write between them? Oh well.

This is what we were doing on the recent school holiday. Its one of the few places we can safely go and afford! The only real problem is that Doodle likes to steal other peoples fries off their trays and she doesn't care if they are looking or if they get mad, she does it anyway. So I have to buy a giant size fry as soon as we get there and put it out for her to eat.

What thoughts do I have for all of you tonight hmm lets see :

I was recently out at Walmart and realized I looked ridiculously hideous, sweats, a baby stained shirt and old sneakers, then I looked around and well ,of course I fit in perfectly which shocked me in a new way since I don't consider myself a "Walmart shopper" even though I most certainly am! So that leads me to this - when did the girl who used to spend 1 and 1/2 hours getting ready for school turn into the woman who just uses clothing to cover her body. I mean seriously this is insane - I like clothes, cute ones but can't buy any and if I did they wouldn't be in the size I wanted and they would very shortly be destroyed by spaghetti sauce and baby puke.

Oh by the way, my neighbors I like to call Rednecks-with-money, have moved out and praise be to God they took the Yard Art with them!!!! I can't tell you how this thrills me! No more concrete deer, angels, little boy fishing on a bench, no more giant fountain or little lighthouses! Hallelujah! Of course on a sad note, who am I going to make fun of anymore?

So I was entertaining one of my kids who wanted me to sing (I don't really sing well so I don't know what possessed her to ask me) I started doing the Name Game and I thought , I wonder if people play the name game with their kids names before they write them on birth certificate? I know for a fact that this is a good idea because my dad's name is Buck, try it . . .

Ha see, not a good idea at all, don't name your kid Buck, or anything that rhymes with it.

Today I ordered a small coffee from Dunky Donuts as my kids call it, that is the smallest dang coffee I have ever seen in my life. I looked like a dixie cup. They should call it a sample.

I often have the random thought that I wonder what is going on on Mars or Jupiter right at this moment. Have you ever thought about that? It's like the old saying, If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it . . . well even though no one is there to see the weather and the scenery on said planet, its still there and its still going on, how weird is that?

Speaking of other planets, my daughter walks in the other day and (FYI she is the queen of random thoughts so I guess you see where she gets it) she says "Mom is this Earth that we're on (well it sounded more like Earf but you get the picture) "Sweetie," I said, "Mommy lives on Earth but I don't know what planet you're on." Sorry that was mean but she comes right back with "Your KIDDING, I am your kid mom!" She tends to obsess and take everything literally so I had to concede eventually.

This particular daughter loves to sing and loves Momma Mia (which I know I probably shouldn't have let her watch umpteen times but I usually FF thru the two parts that kids don't need to see) Here is her version of one ABBA song " the river takes it all, the lizard takes a fall!"

If you don't know what the real verse is, then you were probably born in the 90's and you shouldn't be reading my blog!

Okay, that is all for now but let me leave you with this one last thought -

No that's it, I don't have anymore thoughts tonight, love ya! There Katie, are you happy now??

Random Picture Contest

Okay here is the 21st picture from my May folder, as per instructions on my friend Lisa's blog.

This is a picture of one of my girls at the most awesome pre-k program in the world - LLL. Anyway, her teacher is holding my new baby boy and we are watching . . . some kid showing off or something I can't remember. Boy this is exciting stuff, you guys should be thanking me that this picture is #21 because #20 was a scary "Before" pic I took in my old bathing suit, just in case I ever got to the point of being able to take an "After" FYI - I am not there yet and now having looked at before picture again, realize just how little progress is being made toward AFTER category - depressing thought. But hey, I lot 7 pounds on Monday by way of the latrine and a stomach bug. Today is Saturday and I have only gained back 6.5! Okay my goal is to take an after shot by the last day of school so that gives me hmmmm 4 months. If it is a big enough difference I pledge to post the pictures. Yikes, anyone care to join me? I didn't think so. Have a great weekend!

Umm Hi people

Say, I would like more blogs to read and I would like more little tiny pictures of people who read my blog on my page (makes me feel better.) So send me your links and put your little picture under my followers page!
My words of wisdom for today: Do not choose the night when one of your quads is going to have a stomach virus to be the night you try and get your 11 month old spoiled baby boy to go back to sleep in his own crib instead of your warm cozy bed. Here is what my night was like, and I am telling you this so that tonight when you retire to your baby-free beds (except a couple of you I know!) You will lay back and dreamily drift off thinking "ahhh I am so glad I don't have 5 year old quadruplets who aren't great sleepers to deal with tonight or ever, I am so happy I didn't dabble in attachment parenting and co-bedding when I wasn't fully committed or know what I was doing, I am so glad I don't have a daughter who howls when someone wakes her up with their own screaming - I - AM-GOING-TO-THROW-UP!!!!" I feel all you readers cringing and tensing up as you read this so . . . STOP THAT - it isn't real, you are just reading my blog, relax. No I am not crazy just severly sleep deprived. Why am I not in bed now you ask? Because I am stupid or just need a minute to unwind. I will be there shortly I promise. Anyway, Here is what happened:

I stayed up doing something trivial last night and time got away from me and it was 11 when I turned in. I tossed until maybe 11:30 or later then my daughter comes in crying about her tummy and sits in the bathroom for an hour. This wakes up the sleeping baby, so I nurse him and put him back in crib instead of our bed so I can help my girl, well we had decided that tonight he needed to start staying in his crib because an almost one year old doesnt need to be nursed back to sleep 3 times each night, as he has for the last well, 11 months. I am tired man. And, he wailed for an hour the whole time I am thinking, I am the most horrible mother in the world ignoring him, well Roy was with him and kept laying him down telling him to go to sleep Nicely of course. He must have done that about 200 times before he took the hint and passed out. This was during the 1 oclock hour. This in turn woke up daughter 2 and she got up and stood in the hall howling until I came in and got in bed with her and tummy acher. She didn't go to sleep by 23o and I finally got up and slowly left the room waiting for her to protest, she didn't so I gladly lay in my own bed.
230 - 430 SLEEP!
430 The tummyacher comes running in my room delivering her line (see caps above) then doesn't make it to the toilet of course. and keeps wanting to tell me that she is going to throw up again while I keep yelling put your face over the potty! She finally does and does. Then cleanup commences, baby wakes up screaming, I am cleaning floor and then daughter in tub complete with second hairwashing in less than 6 hours. Roy gets up and searches for carpet cleaner machine his parents gave us as a gift last year (THANK YOU SHIRLEY!) I am laughing now bc if you came in my house right now you would most definitely say, this woman does not own anykind of carpet cleaner! Okay that would be from the stomach virus of '05 and I can't do anything about that now but get new family room carpet! So Roy starts cleaning and I am dealing with baby and older daughter praying doodle won't take this opportunity to wake up restate her protest on all the noise by joining in (she doesn't!) Then I remember that I was supposed to have a coffee date with my favorite Starbucks buddy Jen D. and now that is shot and that it is the first day back at school so I would have gone to the gym and Kroger etc now also shot. Geegaflutnik! How selfish am I? My poor little girl wretching and all I can think about is my stupid, expensive, yuppy coffee. What kind of mom does that?
I guess I do, sometimes.
I then realize that this is what God put me here for, exactly these kind of moments, when all hell brakes loose, when I see the best come out in my husband who doesn't complain and the worst come out of my daughter, literally! We are a family pulling together to get through a night of hellish proportion and then Roy will get up and go to work so we can pay the bills, I will trudge along with my weary soul saying why me God? but knowing the answer (okay, no I really don't know the answer but doesn't that sound like the appropriate "writer has a revelation line to deliver" moment?) WHATEVER! It just is what it is and we all go through it eventually, some of us more often than others. I love my kids and my husband and my God. I love my life most days, not today, but I did get a nice drizzly day nap in the bed with the tummyacher who got over her aliments by noon . I knew this because it was like someone turned a switch on and she started talking nonstop about everything and wanting to eat again, I was like "Whoa Nelly, slow down take it easy, lets try Sprite and crackers."
Lord how I can run on a paragraph. No body cares in blog world and no teacher will grade me so I am going to leave it as is. If Roy reads this he will let me know.
I will close now, I don't know if this has made any sense. If I keep writing such long nonsensical posts no one will read them anymore! Have a good night. And send one my way too!
Reader update: As I am turning off my computer Roy walks in holding his stomach -yikes - its going to be a long night.

You are a winner . . .I think?

Okay so my friend Lisa is doing this blogger Pay it Forward Contest and being one of the first three bloggers . . I won. Now you can too.

On to the rules:

Be one of the first three bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.

Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first three bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!

If you are not one of the Top Three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Please start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same.

Thanks Lisa I lifted the rules from your blog so I wouldn't have to do it again! By the way, Lisa's blog is quite humorous and she is an AWESOME photographer of children. You can check out her second blog which is a photo blog for her business.

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While I am on the subject of Lisa, she gave me the Butterfly award:

Now I get to give it to up to ten blogs I love and post links to them and then those recipients can do the same to bloggers they love (and up load the graphics to their own site.) Some of these people I know personally and some I do not. They may or may not want my award, but I am sure they will appreciate the link anyway!

The first is Lisa of course, my favorite public blogger of all time and one of my bestest friends from the great Auburn University and her link it straight above!

I have to give my award to Mara also, my favorite private blogger of all time and also a best friend. Oh and also from AUBURN- WAR EAGLE .

The next is Testosterhome, who inspires me with her wit and the fact that she is raising FIVE BOYS! I have five but not all boys, that has to be an interesting life.

My friend Rach, out in Utah has the best style and is one of the most creative people I know, sure miss her since she moved away from GA. Her blog is called Johnsons Framed.

My friend Katie K. who inspires me with her unique humor and take on motherhood. How can anyone born after the 70's have so much insight on life? Not that I have any but . . yes I am a 70's born child, so I am somewhere in my thirties in case you are ciphering. Kinda Crunchy Suburbanites gets a Butterfly award anyway!

I would give one to my husband for his blog but he wouldn't appreciate it I fear, a blog about being a redneck does not want a butterfly graphic on it!

And lastly the neatest cooking blog I know, I wish I had the time and energy of this woman, a very cool web site that was her New Years resolution last year, to use her crock pot every single day of 2008, log the recipes along with photos and a verdict from her family. Very cool and she has a book coming out soon. Congrats to A Year of Crockpotting.

Thanks for reading my humble blog, if you want to win something from moi, be one of the first three to leave a comment (now that is pathetically easy right?)