Answer me this.

This was the moment she realized she was becoming her mother.

Mia, my mother-in-law Judi, and I are speaking Monday night at a Mother Daughter Banquet at OC.  We are talking about expectations.  Basically I plan to share some thoughts on what I imagined motherhood to be like vs. what it actually is.

Mia's just going to stand there and look really cute.  And tell a funny story or two.

So, here is my question:  What was the biggest surprise to you?  Did you want a kid because the ones at church always look so cute (I did)?  Which expectations were met and which one's weren't.

And......go!

Can I just say...

This awesome little girl makes me so proud.  

A couple of weeks ago Mia decided that she wanted an attitude chart (her bff has one so she can't be left out).  She made it herself and hung it on the wall of her room.  On her "good attitude" days I am supposed to give her a mark on the good side and on her bad days, well, you know.  

Yesterday she was being so sweet to her brother.  She tried for an hour to get him to sound out the word "can".  To no avail.

  

Mia:  KKKK - AAANNNN, KKKK-AAANNN, put it together Bode, C-AN.  You can say it, Bode.  Just try it, Bode.  I know you can do it, Bode.

Bode:  Andy?

Even I wanted to pull my hair out.

So after hours of this and other sweet things, I said, "Mia, you have been wonderful today.  I'm going to go put a mark on the good side of your attitude chart."

To which she relied, "You don't have to, Mom, I already did."

You know, she may be on to something here.  I think I'll make myself an Awesome Mom Chart.  It's going to have some amazing rewards tied to it, and here's the clincher: I'm the only one that gets to decide if I'm awesome or not.

Consider it done.

You just can't learn this in Sunday School.

I can't think of a better way to teach my kids about Jesus 

 then to spend a day alongside our best friends 

 in a stranger's yard

getting our hands dirty.

Two awesome things in one post.

First, and perhaps most important, would be my discovery of this lovely new thing I can't live without.  I assume I am the last one to know about dry shampoo, but in case I'm not I feel the obligation to share this most blessed of inventions with all of you.

My lovely hairdresser told me this was better than the salon stuff (she'll probably get fired now.  Sorry, Katie.  If you do get fired for recommending a cheap grocery store hair product please know that I still expect you to cut my hair ;).  

This product may be to blame for my rapid decline in hygiene habits, or maybe that's because I have way overcommitted myself this fall and literally have no time to shower.  

I digress...

Anywho, this stuff is awesome and I hardly ever wash my hair now.  I don't think I am supposed to be proud of that. 

And then there is this adorable little boy and his latest masterpiece:

 I don't know about you but those eyes are terrifying.  Come to think of it, this entire drawing is terrifying.

I give this a B- C+ ok fine a D-.

Bless this child's heart, he'll do anything to please her...

Case in point:

 Learning the choreography to "Hard Knock Life." 

His life pretty much revolves around taking orders from strong-willed women.

If nothing else, he will make an awesome husband someday.

Picture Day

This may be the last year Mia allows me to put her in a little smocked bishop dress for picture day.  That's not to say I won't continue to try every year until she's 18.

And being that it was picture day I Chied (if that's not a word then it totally should be) the devil out of her hair.  And, of course, it curled up the second she walked outside. Oh well.

 We had our first Annie cast meeting this week.  Life for this little girl is about to change drastically.  The scariest quote so far, "You must buy knee pads for the Hard Knock Life number or your child's knees will bleed!"  Sounds like a blast!

What are you eating for breakfast?

Probably not spinach and carrots with cold queso dressing garnished with corn chips, a side of cantaloupe and raisins, and chunky chocolate milk.  

Yet this is what my sweet children decided to surprise Andy and me with one very early Saturday morning.  I never knew I had the ability to control my gag reflexes quite like that.

I was proud and totally grossed out all at the same time.

The Woman With The Most Unfortunate Nose

Mia drew this today in church (I dug it out of the trash this morning, thus the wrinkles).

I can't seem to put my finger on it but that nose reminds me of something...

 at least her heart is alive and well.

And in other news:

I really hope that cloud watching

 and reading a National Geographic is still her idea of a good time in about five years.

For some reason, I kinda doubt it.

Back in Black {Tooth}

Bode started Sonshine School yesterday.

 I'm so over first days of SSS that I didn't even go.  Andy dropped him off like any other day.  Poor second child.

He carried this lunch box around all day like it was an academy award.  I guess in his world it kinda is.

I promise when he starts kindergarten I will cry and post the sappiest blog post ever.  

Fake it till ya feel it, right?

Of course Janky went along for the ride.  He has become part of the family now. 
I might actually miss him when he's gone, mostly because of the jokes.

And as soon as he got home it was right back to where he left off,

just being a little boy.

When I look at these two girls I see

laughter, diaries, best friend necklaces, 

 baptisms, graduations, first loves, first loves lost, 

 college roommates, maids of honor, and godmothers.

And my heart is full.

The "awkward arms" pose - we've all been there.

Sometimes we just can't figure out what to do with those crazy arms.

Mia's latest asian inspired "Yaya Original" dress and ankle boots {Gap}.

 And all I can say for this picture is at least "Janky" isn't showing.

Janky is my pet name for Bode's rotten tooth.  

I have to laugh about it so I won't cry.

The garage sale was a complete success thanks to ten creepers that were lurking by my garage door at 6:30 AM Friday morning.  It went so well, in fact, that I had nothing left to sell on Saturday.  So I went shopping. 

If you're into other people's junk, this post is for you.

Yet another thing I swore I would never do is happening this weekend.  I'm having a garage sale.  It's tomorrow and Saturday.  There is lots of stuff I am getting rid of - namely baby stuff.  Which means I will probably find out I'm pregnant next week.  That's the kind of luck I have.

But nonetheless, I'm taking the risk.  All things large, plastic, and brightly colored with obnoxious noises blaring out of them are going away forever.

Also lots of other things that I am just plain sick of.

The money will go towards either a mission point or my purse and shoe fund.  I haven't decided which one yet.  Either way you can rest assured that it will be going to a good cause.