One More Time...

Since last September, I've been working on a top secret mission to move the blog one last time.  Now that I have my business blog, http://www.cadelinephotographyblog.com/, I have the liberty of using that same template for a personal blog as well.  Finally, I have the freedom to create the site I've always wanted.  But, that means moving the blog one last time.  Back in September, I swore I wouldn't make the new blog "live" until I had every single post I've ever written switched over.  That means taking everything from the Xanga site AND the Blogger site and putting them on the new blog.  Unfortunately, it isn't just a matter of exporting those blogs and importing them to the new one.  No, that would be WAY too easy.  So, I've been manually adding the posts to the new blog for the past six months in all my spare time.  Ha!  Spare time...  Now, I've finally accepted that it's time to just switch to the new one and update it with old posts as time warrants.  I have updated it, pictures and all, up to mid June of 2006.  That's one thing I wanted so badly, for people, specifically other parents who are currently going through a similar experience as ours when the girls were in the hospital, to be able to read our story and hopefully take comfort in it.  With this blog, they'll easily be able to do that.  Long story short, I'm moving the blog, ONE MORE TIME.  Scout's honor.  So, for all you faithful five or so readers, when you need a Patton fix, now you can head on over to http://www.fourhappypattons.com/.  Isn't that cute?  I love it.  That's what we are; four happy Pattons. 

http://www.fourhappypattons.com/

Interview With A Three-Year-Old

Well, actually two three-year-old's. A couple weeks back, the girls and I were lying on the bed, talking and giggling about all kinds of things, when I decided to try and "interview" them. I'd tried this several months back, just to be able to have a record of who they were at that age by the way they answered the questions. They must have been too young, though, because our interview sessions was not very successful. This time around was much better; a few of the answers even made me laugh out loud.

Question #1: What is your favorite food?

Maddie: Hmmm...macaroni.

Cadie: Ooh! Macaroni, too!

Question #2: What is something you don't like to eat?

C: No chicken! (An answer that makes no sense because the kid loves chicken. Must take after her Uncle Keke.)

M: I don't like to eat raw eggs! They're yuck! (WHAT? At least we've taught her something...)

Question #3: What is your favorite color?

M: Red. 'Cause it's my favorite color.

C: Green, purple, and red. (When I prompt her for a reason why, I get a sassy response.) Because!

Question #4: What is your favorite movie?

M: Jumanji because I love it my WHOLE life!

C: Troy & Gabriela (High School Musical) because Lolo got them for us. (No, she didn't!)

Questions #5: What is your favorite game?

M: The play mat. (I think she's referring to the Yo Gabba Gabba dance mat they used to have until the broke it.) Because it's so cool. There's lots of words in the name "cool"! (They're starting to get squirrely...)

C: The balls and the sheep game. (I ask her if she's talking about the Hungry Hippos game because that's the only thing I can think she might be talking about.) Yeah! The Hungry Hippo game!

Question #6: Where is your favorite place to go?

M: The tea party! Because it has so much decorations at the party and it's my most wonderful, fun place! (The girl loves her adjectives and boy does she get excited.)

C: At Oklahoma. Why? Because. (As she rolls her eyes. I'm boring her...)

Question #7: Where is some place you don't like to go?

M: (At this point, they're flopping all over the bed speaking gibberish and being very silly. I try to bring them back in.)

C: (She's ignoring me.)

Question #8: What is your favorite song?

C: (Now I've got her attention. Cadie LOVES music.) Walking on Sunshine! (She loves the mash-up version of "Halo" and "Walking on Sunshine" from Glee.)

M: Mamma Mia because that's my favorite song. (It's true. I can just see her up on the hearth, pointing her finger out and singing, "I was cheated by you and I think you know when!"

Question #9: What is your favorite toy?

M: The big school bus. Huh? The one that's usually big. The one that isn't a play toy that moves outside. (I think she's talking about a regular school bus. She's dying to be a big girl and ride one.)

C: Plane. How come? BECAUSE. (Okay, now she's getting irritated with me.)

Question #10: What is your favorite thing to wear?

C: My Snow White dress! (Okay, maybe she's interested again...)

M: Dress up! Big girl dresses.

Question #11: Who is your best friend?

M: Ivy and Claire and Cadie. Because they're my friends. And Emmy is my favorite friend, too. And every friend I love. (She's a little social.)

C: Uncle Julius is my best friend because.

M: Actually Uncle Julius is MY best friend.

Question #12: What is your favorite TV show?

M: "Chuggington" and "Dora". Because they're my favorite videos to watch. My favorite.

C: "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "Diego". Oh, and "Spongebob" too. And "Hannah Montana". (Yes, my children already know of Hannah Montana. Thanks, Daddy.)

Question #13: What is something that makes you angry?

M: Throwing up. It makes me angry. (Bless her heart, Maddie has thrown up a lot. She's never complained, though.)

C: My belly. (?)

Question #14: What is something that makes you happy?

M: Dora makes me laugh and smile.

C: Uncle Julius because I love him. (Aww...)

Question #15: What's your favorite thing to do outside?

C: Play with my kite and swim it around. (Cadie is a hardcore outdoor girl. She'd spend the entire day, rain, shine, or snow outside if I'd let her.)

M: Play in the snow, too. (Yeah, right. Maddie isn't a fan of being cold.) And fly my kite in the snow. And play. And, that's it.

Question #16: What is your favorite book?

M: The one that scare me. (When I ask for clarification, we agree she's talking about The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.)

C: D, D, D, Dora!

Question #17: What is something that makes you scared?

M: Doggies. Because they love me. (A little contradictory. Maddie is actually terrified of about any animal, but especially dogs. I'm not sure why. We used to have two dogs and she did just fine with them. She always clarifies that she's only afraid of real animals, though.)

C: Monsters. Then I gotta run out of my bed and get in your bed!

Question #18: What is your favorite thing to do at school?

M: Play with my friends and have fun with my friends.

C: Play with the toys. Learn. (Yes!)

Question #19: What is your favorite thing to drink?

M: Tea and water.

C: Water and root beer.

Question #20: What is your most favorite thing in the whole world?

M: Disney World! And I can't wait until we go again! (We're trying to plan a trip for December. Looks like we better make it happen.)

C: Princess Snow White.

Their patience (and interest) definitely ran thin toward the end of our little interview. It was fun, though, listening to their answers and watching them act like such little adults. They're growing up entirely too fast. This time next year I plan to ask them the same questions. Something tells me I won't get the same answers.

Little Miss Fix-It

While we were recovering from ensuring our family wouldn't grow, the girls spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with Grana and Poppy. Grana had just had some dental work done and was having some trouble with one of her teeth. Maddie tried to make her feel better by rubbing her face and asking how she was Wednesday evening. Thursday morning, Maddie couldn't stand it any longer, so she asked Grana if she could see the tooth that was bothering her. After a quick peek, Maddie stated that she could fix it, no problem. Grana asked how and Maddie responded, "Well, my Mama has a bunch of toothpicks and we can just put a whole bunch of them in there!" Though tempted, Grana decided that the toothpicks would likely exacerbate the problem rather than relieving it. That evening, as they lay in bed, Grana in the middle, Maddie asked her if her tooth was feeling better. Grana replied that it wasn't, but she thought it might if Maddie prayed for it to. Grana says Maddie sat right up, clapped her hands together, closed her eyes, and said, "Dear God Jesus, please make my Grana's mouth feel better where that tooth was that she didn't need anymore." The next morning, would you believe it actually felt better?

Just the Four of Us

After the girls were born, Jeff and I had every intention of having more kids. Once they were home, though, and the shock of everything we'd just gone through had worn off and reality had set in, we both started to wonder if more children would be asking for too much. We'd just escaped a life-changing potential disaster. We were lucky and blessed to not only bring both girls home, but to bring them home healthy and without any permanent damage.

After that realization was fully absorbed, I waivered back and forth between contentment and still wanting more. Jeff, though, seemed to have made up his mind. Last fall, I finally reached a point of agreement. We're so content, our little family of four. The girls will always have one another, so they won't be without a playmate. We have years of doubling everything ahead of us including school, cars, college, and weddings. We'll be able to offer them so much more, just the two of them. A nicer home, more family trips, a better education. We'd come to a place where we felt the same. So, last Thursday, we took a big step toward ensuring our family wouldn't grow any bigger. There's no need to go into detail, but just to say we'll forever be a family of four. I worried that maybe I would regret our decision once it was too late, but I don't. We already have two amazing little girls; who could really ask for more?

Insurability

Today marks our first day of new insurance. That's right, after over a year of me fighting to find more affordable (and less ridiculous) insurance for my family, I've succeeded! A couple months back I discovered that Community Care had begun offering individual products for health insurance. Our health insurance since the girls' were born has been Community Care HMO through Jeff's business simply because that's all we could qualify for. Companies would take one look at the girls' medical history and run hysterically in the other direction. Never mind the fact that they've both been perfectly healthy since fall of 2006. I digress.

So, I bit the bullet and filled out an online application for each of us, expecting much of the same responses we've received from other insurance companies. I wasn't disappointed. I was even given the surprise of being rejected myself. That's right; they rejected all three of us girls, but accepted Jeff with open arms, offering him the preferred rate. Ugh. Not one to give up so easily, I chatted with the Community Care representative, Myra, who happened to be very nice. She explained that I had been rejected due to an annual exam from the previous year and the girls had been rejected for the same old thing, ROP and Cadie's VAD. I explained that I'd had a normal exam in the fall. She said, "Oh really?" I provided her with my doctor's name, then me moved on to the girls. I explained that we had a letter from Dr. Benner detailing her 100% recovery from her bleed and the resulting VAD debacle. Her response, "Oh really?" I obliged her with a faxed copy. And she replied, "Well, I think we have enough here to completely relook at this application." I was shocked and thrilled, but still not expecting much.

A few days later, I listened to a message from Myra on our answering machine stating that they were set to go with Jeff and "the twins". I couldn't believe it. Really? I've been fighting this fight for so long. Could it really be over that quickly and easily? Who am I to argue, though. I was scheduled for another annual appointment for which we would be waiting for results, but I didn't want to take any chances on them looking at the application and going, "What are we thinking insuring these children?!" So, I called Myra up and told her to push their applications through; we'd deal with me later. Luckily, my results were received only a couple of days later and before I knew it, all four of us were good to go. I'm not sure what happened to the ROP issue, but you can bet I'm not going to bring it up.

So, as of today, we will no longer be paying $600 a month for health care. That's right, $600 for just the four of us. Instead, we'll be paying $300. It could have been even lower, but the girls and I didn't earn the preferred rate. Oh well, it's something to strive for, I guess! I've since started reminding Jeff daily of how much money I'm saving us every month. I think I've earned at least a pedicure every month, if not a massage, too. A girl can dream...

Distractions

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about my decision to adjust my priorities and put my family first when stress and pressure from my business had become overwhelming. I'm happy to say I did that. Since that decision, I've adjusted my editing scheduled, reminded myself not to take on more than I can handle, and it's worked. Work stress has all but been completely eliminated. Being the human that I am, though, I instead began devoting my "spare" time to distractions, rather than where they should be. They really are everywhere, distractions. TV, computer, internet, telephone. And what do they really matter? They aren't distractions of important nature like laundry, dishes, and cleaning. Even though they're much less enjoyable than browsing through website and the TV Guide, they're at least necessary. Every time I have a chance to sit down and just enjoy some free time, I steer myself (many times unintentionally) back to my computer to check my routine list of websites, oftentimes for the third or fourth time that day. What could possibly be that important? Nothing. Definitely nothing more important than spending quality time with my children.

And what better to reinforce this realization than a swift quick from Mother Sinus. The day after our tea party, Maddie was struggling with some form of cold/allergies. The next day, Cadie and I were suffering much the same. Fast forward to a week later, and even though the girls seemed to be feeling much better, I was down for the count. I had woken up that morning with a debilitating headache; one so bad that my teeth hurt. I hurt everywhere. In my temples, my ears, behind my eyes, in my jaw, in my glands. Everywhere. Like any stubborn stay-at-home mom, I tried to fight through the pain and carry on with my daily duties, but by 1 o'clock it was painfully clear (literally), that I couldn't handle anymore. I called the doctor, praying for an opening that afternoon, but nothing was available until the next morning. Remembering a nearby Urgent Care center that my mom had told me about, I drove myself over and left Jeff home with the girls. After a short wait, the doctor took one look in my left ear (the better one at this point) and said, "Oh my, you have a SEVERE sinus infection!" Apparently, whatever junk I had been battling played dead, fooling me into thinking I was getting better, while secretly setting up camp in every sinus cavity in my body. My poor sinuses were so badly impacted, the pressure was growing and growing, causing my headache pain. As a white flag, I accepted the prescription for a decongestant and antibiotic, then trotted myself home for some much needed rest. I spent the next two days in bed doing nothing but sleep, while the girls spent some quality time with Grandma (Thank you, Grandma!) Talk about an eye-opener. I can't remember the last time I was so sick I couldn't do anything but sleep the day away. Usually, I read a book, watch a movie, or play Nintendo. Not this time. This monster of a sinus infection eliminated any and all distractions, making it very clear to me that even though I'd essentially eliminated the work stress from my life, I'd allowed something else to fill that space. Something that shouldn't. I've been blessed with two miracles; two warm-blooded, full blown miracles, and I've allowed myself to be distracted.

Some antibiotic and A LOT of nose-blowing later, I once again feel like my priorities are in check. I'm forcing myself to slow down. I don't have to be moving and productive all the time. There's always something I COULD be doing, but not necessarily something I SHOULD be doing. There's so much more I could be missing, and it would be a shame to miss out because of a silly distraction.

A Spot of Tea

The girls have been having tea parties pretty much since they were old enough to hold a tea cup. These tea parties usually take place at Grana and Poppy's, among other places. This year, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day with a Mother/Daughter Princess Tea Party at Grana's house. We honored the royal theme with elaborate decorations and dress, including a fancy new tea set, heart princess scepters, and glittery tiaras. The food would have impressed even the snootiest of English elite, including PB & J, turkey & cheese, and chicken salad sandwiches; chips and dip; a veggie tray; and cheeseball. For dessert -- the most important part of any tea party -- we feasted on chocolate chip scones, chocolate cake, cheesecake squares with flower candies, and other scrumptious goodies. We sipped our tea and punch, chatting about our social calendars (Lolo has been attending the shopoholic committee; the same one Mollie recently fell off the wagon from) and enjoying the company of our impressive guest list, including Grandma, Nana, Grana, Auntie Lolo, Mollie, Beth, Julie, Cadie, Maddie, and Grace. Who knew so much fun could be had over a simple spot of tea?

Maddie, Lolo, and Cadie

Maddie, Cadie, and Grace

Cadie, Grandma, and Maddie

Maddie, Nana, and Cadie

Maddie, Mollie, and Cadie

Maddie, Grana, and Cadie

Maddie, Mommy, and Cadie

Always taking pictures...

Teaching proper tea etiquette...

Grace and her Grandma

Lolo's scary face!

Jules & Me

Me & Mollie

Jules, Grace, and Beth

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures

You'll soon figure out from future book reviews that I have a thing for fantasy. Not the stuff that involves aliens and other such nonsense. I love just about anything that includes magic or a touch of non-reality. Nothing too dark, though. I like my fantasy just fantastical enough to help me escape from reality.

My most recent foray into the world of the supernatural is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I'm not sure how I feel about two authors. I've experienced both ends of the spectrum, good (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) and bad (Witch and Wizard). In this case, it wasn't noticeable and wasn't a problem. Here's a review/synopsis from Amazon.com, where I get most of my books.

"Ethan Wate is struggling to hide his apathy for his high school "in" crowd in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly "out" Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally--she has been in his nightmares for months). What follows is a smart, modern fantasy--a tale of star-crossed lovers and a dark, dangerous secret. Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery until you emerge gasping and blinking, wondering what happened to the last few hours (and how many more you're willing to give up). To tell too much of the plot would spoil the thrill of discovery, and believe me, you will want to uncover the secrets of this richly imagined dark fantasy on your own." --Daphne Durham

In all fairness, I don't have a lot of time to sit down and lose myself in a novel, so this one took me a little longer to get into. I never lost interest, though, and about halfway through I was hooked. What is Lena's secret and why is she so different? Who is Lena's uncle and why is he known as the town's very own Boo Radley? How does Ethan fit into the strange happenings that are going on around him? The ending made it very obvious that there will be a follow-up book, and I'm happy to say I'll be reading it.

Book Club Rating: N/A

Cheri's Rating: ****1/2 (4.5 out of 5)

Mr. Mom, He is Not

For the past couple of months now, since right before Christmas, Jeff has been working on and off (more off), due to the crazy amounts of snow we've gotten. Even though it has only actively snowed a couple of those days, it has taken weeks for said snow to melt away. Normally, this time of year is very slow for the landscape/irrigation industry, but for the first time in, I don't know, EVER, Jeff actually has a ton of work waiting to be done. While that work waits, it has become painfully clear that Jeff is not made to stay at home. At. All.

His daily routine has started to become very predictable: Wake up to the alarm, but completely ignore the two munchkins jumping on the bed. They'll go away eventually. Eat breakfast. Mope around. Eat lunch. Mope around and grumble about nothing to do. Make an excuse to go outside for ANY reason. Eat dinner. After the girls have gone to bed, sit at laptop and either A.) watch ridiculous and senseless (not to mention extremely boring) videos of people using heavy machinery on You Tube; or B.) look up land that is in all likelihood way out of our price range and dream, dream, dream. Fall in to bed sometime between 9 and midnight and immediately fall asleep.

Now, I love my husband dearly. We've been together for 12 ½ years; I would bet everything I own that I know him better than anyone else in this world and I can tell you right now that being stuck at home is killing him. He is not made to do nothing. That being said, he's driving me nuts. Oh weather gods, please cut me some slack and lay off the snow and rain so our house can once again be mope free! I'm afraid Jeff's sanity (and mine) depend on it.

The Little Gym

Back in June, we decided the girls need some recreational activity, so I signed them up at the Tulsa World of Gymnastics. They loved it. The teachers were great, the facility was great, but after watching a mother scold her three year old for not doing her forward roll correctly again, I started to think that maybe it was a little more hardcore than what we were looking for. Plus, the way the gym was set up, I couldn't see what the girls were doing for well over half of the class. I wasn't worried about them, but I'm selfish and I want to be able to see EVERYTHING. So, we decided to try something else.

I'd heard of The Little Gym several times and had even been there for a March of Dimes meeting, but I'd always thought of it as too expensive for us. Turns out, it's the same price as Tulsa World of Gymnastics, but a lot more our speed. I knew within 2 minutes of the girls' free trial class that it was the place for us. They do something different in their warm-up every week, from running around with scarves to doing tricks with swimming noodles. After warm-up, they move onto the equipment. The teacher shows them what to do, then the kids do it. Cadie and Maddie have learned so much since they started in July, but most importantly, they have so much fun.

January 15h was the end of the fall semester, so the kids put on a performance show for parents and relatives. We invited all of the girls' grandparents, aunts & uncles, and more. It was during the day, so not everyone got to come because of work, but the girls were thrilled with everyone who made it (Daddy, Nana, Poppy, Grandma, and Aunt Kimberly). They ran around giggling, I'm sure excited and hyper from their extra audience. They'd been practicing a routine for the performance class for a few weeks, so when class started they went in for one more review. Then, it was time for us to join them. They took turns doing their floor routines (forward rolls, "tabletops", "donkey kicks", "candle sticks", and "monkey jumps"), balance beam routines (including standing on their tippy toes and bending down to touch the beam), and bar routines (with pizza hangs, straight arms, and flips). Neither of them got performance shy until it came to the bar routine and Cadie refused to do anything but her pizza hang. She rocked that pizza hang, though!

After their routines, each of the kids got a medal for completing the semester. Both of the girls were so proud! They've already started the Winter/Spring semester, so I'm sure we have more "tricks" to look forward to.

Maddie doing her "candle stick"

Maddie doing her "donkey kick"

Cadie doing her "candle stick"

Cadie doing her "table top"

They always try to be at the front of the "train"

Cadie getting her medal

Maddie getting her medal.

Their class (yes boys are allowed at the Little Gym...)

We couldn't get them to take a nice picture,

but they were game for a funny face one.

Product Review: Crayola Hassle Free Water Colors

The girls LOVE to do crafts. I love them, too, but I don't love the clean-up so much. We've gone from crayons, to markers, to pens, and back again, but I've never found something that I really liked. For whatever reason, the girls peel the paper off the crayons, they get more marker on themselves than the paper, and don't even get me started on pen ink. So, when I walked past this new product from Crayola, I was skeptical, but willing to try anything with "Hassle Free" in the product name.

Here's a description from the Crayola site:

Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors are like regular watercolor paints – without the mess! There are no cups of water to tip over and no paints to spill. THe specially designed paint posts contain a bright, solid color that is only activated when you dip in the brush tip. You can even turn them upside-down – they won't spill or drip!

The girls were super excited to try them out, so we opened them up, and gave it a go. My first impression was the container was neat and easy to use. The lids of the paints aren't easy to snap off, so the girls can't get into them without help. They also have a little lip on the back to hold the lids open so they aren't constantly fighting with them. After the prep, the girls started using them without any trouble. The end result of the "paint" looks more like marker, but they don't care. They feel like they're painting, so they're happy. Even better, they really are HASSLE FREE. They've used them several times now and haven't even come close to being bored with them. If they do happen to get some color on themselves or somewhere else it shouldn't be, it comes off with just water; no soap necessary. I definitely recommend this product!

I give this product: ***** (5/5 Stars)

Holy Matrimony

For several weeks now, Maddie has been talking about her "wedding". Who knows how it began? It doesn't take much for Maddie to catch on. There are even details; and specific ones at that. They change, occasionally, but for the most part they're pretty consistent.

First and foremost, Maddie will be having a "Princess" themed wedding. She's going to wear a beautiful gown. Sometimes it's a pink one she has that Nana got last year for Easter that didn't fit until this past Fall (the same one that Cadie has, but hers has an enormous chocolate stain on the rear from sitting in chocolate milk). Sometimes it's a new one I'm sure she has envisioned in her mind (and if her taste is anything like her mommy's, it will cost a fortune).

What does change is the "whom"; this is where it gets dicey. Some days she announces she is going to marry her Uncle Julius. That was the answer for many weeks. Then, she switched it up and answered that she would be marrying her Aunt Kimberly (Julius' wife). Lately, the popular answer has been that she will be marrying me. She's even got a deadline. For the longest time, she claimed that she would be getting married on her birthday, April 4th. I think she might be getting cold feet, though, because the last time she talked about it, the date had been pushed back to Christmas.

These details are all fine and good, and they make me laugh, but what makes my heart melt every time is when she says this: "Mommy, I really want all, with all of my heart, for my whole family and all of my friends, with all of my very heart...I really want them to be at my wedding because I love them with my whole heart, so very much."

Now, to that I say, "I do, too."

Yak it Up

The girls have always loved the “Hot Dog” song from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Playhouse Disney. After yesterday, I will never look at a hot dog the same way again.

It all started that morning. Jeff got up for work as usual and, half awake/half asleep, I heard him rummaging around, preparing for his day. When I heard the unmistakable sound of him yakking in the bathroom, though, he got my full attention. Convinced he had relieved his stomach of whatever had disagreed with him, he headed off to work all the same.

Maddie was due for an eye appointment with Dr. Groves, so we rolled out of bed about an hour later and started our day. Just a bit into the appointment, I got a call from Jeff during which he mumbled, “I need you to come get me.” That’s a bad sign. Jeff has been sick about five days in his entire life (okay, I’m exaggerating, but that’s what it seems like. The man’s a workhorse.) We finished up our appointment with good news. Maddie’s eyes are doing great; she has equal focus in both, which means both eyes are healthy without any sign of problems from her previous ROP. Dr. Groves said Maddie has less than a 10% chance that her retina could detach in her right eye, then confessed his opinion that it was probably more around 2% or less, but he really shouldn’t say that.

On a high from the news of Maddie’s healthy eyes, the girls and I headed out to the job site to pick up an ailing Daddy. He greeted us with a quick puke in the street, then he climbed in without a peep. I’d warned the girls that he wasn’t feeling well and that they should be as quiet as possible. They were -- for the most part. Once we got home, Jeff crawled into bed, only leaving to be sick in the bathroom about every thirty minutes or so, bless his heart.

Not long after a lunch of hot dog and chips, Maddie started complaining of a tummy ache. Madeline has many wonderful traits, but unfortunately, she can also be a bit of a spotlight hog and a drama queen. I attributed her complaints to sympathizing with her Daddy’s current condition and immediately dismissed them. Wrong move. Not an hour after lunch, Maddie shot up from the couch and darted to the hallway toward the bathroom. She didn’t make it two steps before she projectile vomited hot dog all over the carpet. I snatched her up and tried to get her to the potty before round two, but didn’t quite make it. Now, Madeline is no stranger to throwing up. She spit up a lot as a baby and even went through a stage when she was younger during which she would get so upset about something she would end up throwing up. Why does that matter? Although she may a flair for the dramatics in every day life, Madeline is not a dramatic sick person. She didn’t cry and whine or moan about getting sick. She did the opposite; she spent the next thirty minutes or so apologizing for throwing up. Try as I might, I could not convince her that it was okay and it wasn’t her fault. Unfortunately, that incident wasn’t her last of the day. While I cleaned up the most disgusting throw up I’ve ever had the privilege of witnessing and/or cleaning in my life, she rested on the couch. About thirty minutes later, after having just started Cinderella III, she jumped up out the chair I was cuddling her in and darted for the bathroom. This time she made it. She was so proud of herself. The rest of the day was much the same. I learned after a cup of orange juice that she wasn’t going to keep anything down, so I just kept pumping her full of water, along with her ailing Daddy, still laid up in the bed. We watched movie after movie, until finally, the “sick” as we call it, stopped around 6 pm. I bathed the girls, got them into some clean jammies, then tucked them in for bed early. They didn’t argue.

I had a sleepless night on the couch to look forward to, but was relieved when Jeff’s sickness stopped around 8 pm. There was no way I was going near that bed, though, even if he was doing better.

This morning, everyone woke up on the mend. Jeff went the entire night without being sick again. And, although Maddie had a slight lapse this morning, it was clear she was well on her way to getting back to her old self. When I listed off what the girls could have for lunch today, though, you can bet hot dog was NOT on the menu.

Let's Go to the Movies

Back at the end of September we took the girls to see their first movie at a theater. We're very much a move-watching household, and it seemed like the girls were old enough, so I thought it was high time we take them to the movies. We saw, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", an animated film based on a beloved children's book that I have somehow not read. We treated the girls to popcorn and root beer, snatched up a couple of booster seats, and settled in for the show. I didn't worry about them being noisy or talkative; we've watched enough movies at home that they've learned to listen and pay attention. They didn't last long in their own seats, but I can't say that I minded Maddie snuggling on my lap. At one point, Maddie whispered to me, "Is Cadie kick-back and relaxin'?" as she glanced over at her sister with her feet propped up on the chair in front of her. I chuckled. When the credits began to roll, the girls had lost almost all interest (I blame it on the movie which was mediocre), but they made it all the way through. We've since seen another movie, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel", the girls' choice. I wanted to see "The Princess and the Frog", but apparently, the creepy voodoo guy from the previews is just too much for the girls. Oh well, we'll watch it at home in our own personal theater, stocked with blankies for covering eyes and that trusty pause button.

Snap To It

Madeline has recently learned to snap. Ever since they started school, they've both been dying to learn how. I know of at least one song they sing at school that requires them to use their "snapping fingers", so the girls have practiced and practiced. They would get so frustrated, whining and moaning, while I would patiently remind them that learning how to snap is really hard (it really is!), so they would just have to be patient and keep trying. Finally, a few days before Christmas, something clicked. Maddie was so proud of herself, and it wasn't long before Cadie was snapping away too. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of them every time I heard their little fingers snapping. At least for a while I was; now, I'm still proud, but I long for those "pre-snapping" days. Why do I long for those days? Because Madeline, with her newfound talent, has taken to snapping orders. I tried not to laugh the first time she looked at me and said, "Mommy, get me some tea!" then snapped those little fingers at me. I'm surprised my jaw didn't drop. In the past week or so, we've since nipped the "order snapping" in the bud, but I'm sure we have more to look forward to from Miss Bossy Pants.

Book Review: The White Queen

I've always loved reading. I can remember the first book I read that made me fall in love with books, Matilda by Roald Dahl. Thus began a long and happy love affair with literature. So, last June, when I was invited to join a book club, I said "yes" without hesitation. I know what you're thinking. Book Club? Yep. I'm in a book club, and proud of it! We're an intimate group of four, though our potential membership at the first meeting was seven (the other three girls just couldn't hang). We're complete and total nerds; we even have a motto. "It's like Book Club...but Cool."

Since our first meeting, we've read seven books: The Next Thing on My List, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Water for Elephants, The Lovely Bones, The Magicians, and most recently The White Queen. Some of these, I highly recommend (Guernsey and Splendid Suns). Others, not so much (Magicians and Lovely Bones). Now, after we've read and met each month, I'm going to provide my own personal review of the book, as well as the overall rating given by our group of esteemed literary critics (wink, wink).

First, a little more about the book:

Philippa Gregory, "the queen of royal fiction," presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses.


Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.


The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

This was my first foray into historical fiction, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I was never that interested in history as it was often presented in such a boring way; memorization of dates, names, and battles. I've found, though, if it can be presented in story format, it retains my attention for a far longer amount of time. Though I found certain explanations and areas of the story to be repetitive, the first person insight into this particular royal family was interesting. Through reading this novel, though, I realized my disdain for this period of time. I'm not a feminist per say, but I was disappointed and frustrated by the limitations and treatment of women during, which ultimately led to whatever major complaints I had about the novel. No writing complaints really; just gratefulness for not having lived during such an oppressive time for us girls. Thank goodness for progress!

Cheri's Rating:

Average Book Club Rating:

Baby It's Cold Outside

To say the girls found our recent snow fall exciting would be a serious understatement. We've only had a handful of decent snow accumulations since they were born, but the all out blizzard that started Christmas Eve and still has remnants lurking around town is easily the largest of the bunch. We were serious Grinches and opted to take the Christmas tree down after Christmas. It isn't that we don't enjoy the tree; I absolutely loved how beautiful it looked this year. There's just something exhilarating about putting everything away and looking toward the new year. Unfortunately, in the world of Cadence and Madeline, somewhere along the way Snow=Christmas. The second we started taking down the Christmas tree she shrieked in protest, claiming the tree couldn't come down until they had played in the snow. Under normal circumstances, the girls would have already played in the snow several times by this point, but with both of them having been sick and Cadie seeming to still be on the mend, we hadn't allowed them the chance yet. I reassured her that taking the tree down didn't mean they wouldn't get to play in the snow and she calmed down.


Fortunately, I was able to keep my word the next day. It was a surprisingly warm feeling day (though I'm sure the temperatures were still atrocious), but it somehow felt warmer. The girls had rested well and acted a hundred times better, so we bundled them up for some fun in the snow. Cadie LOVES snow. She's such an outdoor girl; there hasn't been a single day this winter that she hasn't asked me if she can go outside and play. I'm sure she thinks I'm a total liar when I tell her it's too cold. Maddie, though she was enthusiastic, lost a little of her "go get 'em" attitude once she came face to face with the white stuff. Although she loves a good adventure, she's a little more on the prissy side than Cadie. Cadie was content to spend the rest of the day outside, but Maddie was spent pretty quickly. After a few snow ball throws, a trek around the backyard, and some winter hide and seek with Daddy, it was time to return to the warmth of the living room. It wasn't two minutes later when Cadie was asking to go out again. That's my outdoor girl.

She was determined to pick up this giant

snowball she made.