Hugs that tug at the heart strings

Hug O' War

by Shel Silverstein

I will not play at tug o' war.

I'd rather play at hug o' war.

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs,

Where everyone giggles,

And rolls on the rug,

Where everyone kisses, 

And everyone grins,

And everyone cuddles,

And everyone wins.

Recently, we went back to visit with friends in Mississippi.

It was much, much too short of a visit but it was so much fun.

We miss them and their hugs so very much!

Scenes from the park

To infinity and beyond!

Playing on the computer the other day, Lillianna designed portraits for each member of our family.

She was really proud of these.

She customized each outfit to include our favorite colors.

She made sure our eye color was right and even had a reason behind each emblem on our chest.

So, I felt bad asking her if she really thought

 I wore my hair in "puppy paws" (as she described them) in "real life"

sisters

Last week Ellenie decided that she absolutely would not go poop.

She would not and could not do it.

We coaxed, encouraged, pleaded, and bribed.

Nothing.

Then, one night during bathtime with LaLa, Ellenie knew she was in trouble.

Brad and I came running in and insisted she sit on the potty.

She insisted on her "piracy" and even demanded that we close the shower curtain so she couldn't see Lillianna, who is still sitting in the tub.

We walked out, closed the door, and listened...expecting for Ellenie to begin whining or crying.

Instead, we heard Lillianna start to whisper,

 "You can do it Ellenie.

I know you can.

Don't forget you'll get a prize if you do.

I'm so proud of you."

I felt a lump in my throat!  Over poop!

How precious, how kind, how sweet.

It worked!

Ellenie was successful and I dare say it had something to do with her dear sister's inspiration.

I heart these two sisters.

Being 3 is soooo cute.

The other night I was helping her put her shoes on.

"This is your right foot," I said as I touched her right shoe.

She pointed to her left foot and said, "And this is my wrong foot."

She calls sneezes "bless you's"  as in, "Mommy, I just had a bless you." or "I weally need to bless you."

She also needs lots of "piracy" when she goes to the bathroom.

That one always makes me smile.

Family fun

Recently, my whole family got together for a very special occasion...

                                               sweet Christopther turned 3!

It was so much fun to have all the cousins together to play, sing, eat, run, and laugh together.

It was even more fun to see if we could get them all together for 3.2 seconds for a picture...

These were the best ones.

It cracks me up to look at each expression.

Ellenie's face in the first one.

  Christopher's feet in the second.

 Vivien's "are you done yet?" look in the third.

6 girls.  4 boys.

I love the fun they have together.

  Love all the different relationships.

Love how excited they get to see eachother.

I love them all sooooooo much.

Happy Valentine's Day to my Loves.

Proof she still needs a nap. Yea!

On Snow Day #4, the girls really didn't seem tired at naptime so I let them rest and watch a show on the couch.  When I saw her, I couldn't resist a picture.

Mo Snow Yo.

As more snow is coming down right now, our clothes are not fully dry from our romps in it on Monday.

It was the perfect snow to build a snowman snowprincess.

I worked hard rolling boulders in the snow, imagining how thrilled the girls were going to be with the snowman I built for them.  And they were!

Until...their Daddy came home from work and

WAY outdid me!  How awesome is this snowman?!

Never mind the back pain he aquired from it...Brad says it just might be the largest one he has ever built.

(Not sure that's saying too much coming from a guy from the deep South.)

Our lovely snow princess is the color of a snow cone thanks to some home-made "snow paint."

I mixed a few drops of their chosen color of food color with a spray bottle full of water and

WaLa - Snow Paint!

Of course, after all this playing in the snow, we had to come inside and have some...

hot chocolate

 SNOW CREAM! 

We just can't get enough SNOW!

And one last comparison of the two snow sculptures:

The girls kissing their snow creature snow princess.

The girls standing in awe of their snowman.

Finally, some hired help!

 I've got a little help in the kitchen these days.  Every day.

This precious little girl loves to help me in the kitchen. 

And even though there are many times that it would be quicker and easier for me to cook solo, I just can't resist the way she says, "Mama, is there anything I can do to help?" in her tiny, high-pitched, sweetest voice, with the cutest, most endearing expression on her face.

She knows how to work me over for sure.

She loves to see all that is going on..on the stove, in the sink, inside the oven.

  And I can tell how much she loves the feeling of being helpful, big, and important.

Of course, she really LOVES to lick the spoon, the beaters, or the bowl.

I keep thinking that helping me cook will soon translate into her wanting to try new foods...

maybe someday.

It makes her so happy to be helping in the kitchen...

that it makes me happy too.