Peapod Squad Stuff

Something tells me Sweet Pea will be VERY high-maintenance as a teenager.

This girl is going to give us a run for our money in a few years. I just know it. Since she was two, she has been extremely verbal about her disapproval of some of my fashion choices for her. She threw an all-out tantrum on the way to church one morning because I had the gall to put black shoes on her when she was wearing a brown dress. Again...she was TWO. "No match!" Umm, yeah. And she needs matching bows/accessories even if we're just hanging out at home all day. Truly.

Her latest thing is her pretend cell phone. She carries it around like her brothers carry their blankets. She is constantly talking to people on it. And she really holds one end of a conversation...complete with "OK" "Oh no!" "I know!" "Sure" and the like. I don't know where she has seen so much cell phone usage. I'm not often on the phone around them. I can't be, because my being on the phone seems to be an invitation for them to start acting like zoo animals. They've only had teenage girl babysitters 2 or 3 times ever, so I don't think that's her inspiration either. I'm perplexed. Now if she was walking around pretending to type on a laptop all day, I'd take ownership of that behavior modeling.

Last week she was chatting away on her cell phone while I was driving the gang home from church. I asked Split a question while we were stopped at a traffic light. Sweet Pea sighed in disgust, said, "hold on jussa minute," put her little hand over the mouthpiece of her pink plastic Cinderella phone and said, "Hush your mouth, Mommy. My twying to have a comersation here!"

Good grief.

Goodbye 2008. Hello 2009.

Honestly, I've never understood the hype on New Year's Eve. You could not pay me to be in Times Square tonight. Wanna' know what I'm doing tonight? We put the kids to bed, had frozen pizza and Diet Coke, watched an old Seinfeld episode and went to bed. Hubby is snoring next to me and my favorite laptop. I'm...well...I'm updating my blog. The TV is not tuned in to any ball updates. It's on HGTV.

Tomorrow is just the day after today. The difference in year number will not make me a better person. I'll not likely keep all of the resolutions I make. If those things were important enough to me, I'd have started checking them off my list long before 01/01/09. Still...I'm going to try. Again.

Here's hoping you have a blessed 2009.

The prayers of the faithful.

Split: Dear God, thank you for today. Thank you that we got pizza AND dessert. Thank you that we watched, Mommy what's that movie's name?
Me: King and I
Split: Oh yeah, thank you that we watched King and I. It's my favorite in my whole life. And thank you that I got Mulan. The End.
Sweet: No! You no say "The End" to God. That's not right! You say "Amen" to God. Say it again!
Split (It was dark, but I'm SURE there was eye-rolling at this point.): Whatever...Amen, God. The End.
Sweet: Nooooo! We not posta' say "whatever" anymo-ah. Right, Mommy?
Split: Oh brother...
Sweet: Nooooo! I not a brother. I'm your sister! Say it right. Mommy, make him say it right.
Me (definitely rolling eyes): Whatever...
Split: Mommy, we're not posta' say that. You remember?
Me: Fine.

Just reminiscing...Christmas 2004

We had a wonderful Christmas Day. Really, really wonderful. The kids had a great time. My parents were here to share the food, the fun and the fabulousness. But no Christmas will ever be more memorable than that of 2004. I spent that particular Christmas (as well as a couple of weeks before and a little more than a month after) in the hospital trying to gestate for as long as possible. My parents tried to make our home-away-from-home "merry and bright." They came in with bags of Christmas cheer one day...a red tablecloth, boxes of homemade goodies from friends at their church, a pretty little Christmas tree, a tiny holiday village and fake snow for the window ledge, and 3 precious stockings for the babies celebrating in my belly (1 pink and 2 blue stockings, appropriately hung from the IV pole). Although I was physically MISERABLE at that point (had already been on bedrest for a couple of months at home before being hospitalized), I honestly had one of the most meaningful Christmases ever. As I awaited the birth of my three little miracles, I pondered what Mary's experience must have been like. Here I was in a world class hospital with top-notch technology and incredible doctors and nurses caring for me. Mary spent those last days of her special pregnancy riding on a donkey (ouch!) and lying on cold hard cave floors. I really didn't feel justified in complaining too much. And besides...the nurses found a giant wheelchair (I'm not kidding...I was too wide for the regular ones) so hubby could push me around the hospital for mini vacations from my room! It was such a little thing...but it was AWESOME. And though I ate really yucky hospital food for my Christmas dinner that year, I was surrounded by people who loved me and I could feel the wondrous kicks of new life inside of me.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures...just to share my trip down memory lane.

Look who visited us last night!

The jolly ole' man brought the toys, arranged them just right and then grabbed a snack before heading out for the rest of his deliveries. We captured it all on camera!

 

  

Want a picture of the big red dude in your home? Click the banner below.

One more goodie before bedtime for this tired elf.

Sweet Pea to Nana: I was so nice today. I put paper in the red basket for that man ringing his doorbell. And he say thank you.

Well isn't that just dandy?!?

Nana and Pop kept the peapod squad last night while we were back at home assembling a wooden toy kitchen set (for 4.5 ridiculous hours...pictures and commentary to follow). We had told the kids we were running some errands.

Sweet Pea to Pop: My think Mommy and Daddy are weally at my house wapping pwesents.
Pop: Oh yeah? What presents?
Sweet Pea: My doll twoller and the other toys in the big cwoset.

Surprise!

Wishing you peace, joy & lots of laughter!

 

Creating Christmas Traditions.

To be honest, we haven't really settled on what will be our family Christmas traditions. For the peapod squad's first Christmas, we were still just so overwhelmed by it all...we were still largely in survival mode. The next two Christmases were spent living with my parents, so we were mostly observing their traditions. This is our very first Christmas in our own home with our children. We want to establish some traditions that they will grow up with and treasure for years to come.

I have some ideas. Hubby has some ideas. But we want to hear from you. Either in the comment section here or as a post on your own blog (sign on with Mr. Linky below, please, so my readers can follow along), share your family traditions. I need inspiration!

Edited to Add:
Y'all are being too shy! I've gotten some great ideas from your emails (thank you!), but I wish you'd share them here so others could enjoy your suggestions too! :-) Come on...no one will bite you.

Ummm...no. Sorry, son.

Snap Pea likes to put things on the refrigerator. He calls it "decawating." Since I've been doing a lot of decorating around here lately, I suppose he has been in the mood. While I truly do hate to stymie his creativity, I feel I simply must draw the line somewhere. Like now. Line drawn. In permanent marker.

 

He found the tags I had just cut off of a {clears throat nervously} figure-enhancing undergarment and proudly displayed them on the refrigerator door. He said the pictures were so pretty. Yeah, tell my belly and behind that, sweet little boy. I'm waiting to look anything like those pictures. Aside from the pound of water weight I sweat off every time I wiggle, push, grunt and squeeze myself into my "fantastic firmer," I can't tell that I look any different. So, please don't display this as a dreadful reminder of the money I wasted on this spandex stricture.