unimaginably blessed

Sometimes in life, something just ends up kicking you in the teeth in order to get your attention.  It's not always some monumental occurrence like a death, or a birth that does it.  Sometimes, it's just something that is subtle that wakes you up and makes you appreciate your life the way it is.  In my case, it was a blog.

One day, while camped out on Facebook (and if you've read my blog for any length of time, or if you're my friend on Facebook, you know I'm camped there frequently) I noticed a link to this other blog on the news feed.  I don't remember if it was posted on someones page, if they simply just "liked" it, or even noted that they read it.  It was just listed in the news feed.  I ended up clicking on it and reading the ENTIRE blog that was posted by this amazing woman that I have never met, just one state away.  So an hour or so, and many tears and tissues later, I stopped to realize exactly how blessed I am.  I refuse to say lucky because I don't believe that luck has anything to do with it.  It's totally a result of God's handiwork.

This incredible woman has just endured an entire pregnancy, and the birth of her beautiful baby girl that she knew was going to die.  If you're interested in reading it, the blog is thelittlegreenfamily.blogspot.com.  (Be forewarned: Do NOT even open the link unless you are armed with Kleenex and extra mascara!!)  Their sweet little angel was diagnosed with a chromosomal abnormality called Trisotomy 13, something of which I had never even heard of.  They found out early on in her pregnancy that something was wrong, and she and her husband chose to continue on with the pregnancy, not even knowing if they would make it to term.  Just before Christmas, Hallie was born, and she lived about a week before becoming one of God's angels.  I was so moved by their story, and how they were able to look to God for strength and grace, all the while knowing that they would only have such a short but precious time with Hallie, if they even got to meet her at all.  I wondered if I would be able to be that strong.  I honestly don't think I could.  Unfortunately for me, there were links to other blogs for other mothers that had survived the same tragic ordeal.  Also unfortunately for me (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I read these other blogs and had a similar reaction to those as well.

Not long after seeing the Green's blog, I saw another link (yet again on Facebook!) about the Andersons.  This blog link is theandersonfamilystorybook.blogspot.com (same disclaimer as the last).  This young couple is expecting twin girls, and has had to undergo experimental in-utero surgery to correct some problems that would have eventually killed one or both of the babies, and possibly the mother.  That story is ongoing, so I'll have to watch to see the outcome.  Yet another amazing couple that has turned to God for strength and has shown incredible grace under all of this stress.  Even though I don't know and have never met any of these families, I was blessed by their stories. 

As much as I tease about how difficult Emma can be, or brag about Forrest, it's easy to forget how blessed I am to have them.  ALL of them.  My wonderful hubby included!!  I have been so blessed to have such an incredible, attentive husband Chris, who is also my best friend.  He's been through a lot of rough times in his life (he lost his brother and father within a period of two years at the tender age of 13).  While we've been fortunate not to have to deal with such happenings in our life together, I know that he would be my rock if I needed him.  He is fiercely protective of his family because he appreciates the ease with which he can lose it.  Chris is an excellent provider.  When he lost his job three months after moving into our house, he picked up without skipping a beat.  Most of all, he is an amazing father!!  He spends so much time with the kids, at the expense of his time to himself.  I can talk to him about anything (well, unless we're talking about moving...  see my previous post).  He really is my best friend.

Forrest is such a cool kid.  He's fun to be around, and has such a neat personality.  He is interested in a diverse array of things, not all of which I love - ahem... VIDEO GAMES...  He plays baseball and does karate.  He gets straight As (or close to it) on every report card.  He doesn't get in trouble at school, and he's in advanced placement classes in science, reading, and math.  He believes in God, and was baptised (by his dad!!) this past summer after VBS.  My most proud moment was when his baseball coach told me that they had a prayer before a tournament and Forrest led the prayer.  His exact words were "You should be proud of that boy.  He got up there and prayed like a man."  Yes coach, I AM proud of that boy!!

Emma is the daughter that I begged God for.  I'll be honest, there are days when the words "Be careful what you wish for" are haunting me.  BUT she is my precious girl and I love her dearly.  The best sound in the world is to hear her giggle, or to hear her whisper "I love you" when I'm tucking her in at night.  I love hearing her singing, and watching her when she cracks herself up.  She can be the most defiant little thing, but I love that she knows what she wants and is determined to get it.  I know that this will serve her well in life, no matter what she chooses to do.

All in all, I know that God has blessed me with a wonderful little family, and I try really hard not to take that for granted.  When I hear stories like the ones in that blog, I realize how fortunate I am.  When I talk with friends that have had difficulty getting pregnant, staying pregnant, had miscarraiges, I see how easy I've had it.  I realize all of things that could have gone wrong in my life - craziness with my job, who I married, trouble with my pregnancies, any number of things...  I am truly and unimaginably blessed!



Inlet Beach, Florida - summer 2011



my beautiful, healthy, happy children

our lefty pitcher, fall baseball 2011 - White Sox

graduating to green belt - fall 2011





building sandcastles (or just digging a hole!) - fall break, October 2011



the joy of swings - FPS fall festival



one of Emma's silly moments - trying on the Cabbage Patch shoes



Christmas Eve 2011

my whole world in one picture!







the devil (or HGTV) made me do it!

I'll just go ahead and admit it.  I'm completely neurotic when it comes to houses.  I have totally missed my calling.  I love all things about decorating, design, furniture, etc., etc.  I should have gone to school to be an architect...or an interior designer...or a contractor...or a real estate agent...or all of the above!  The only thing I don't like about a house is moving.  I mean, I love the part when you get to look for the new house, and how organized you feel once you actually move and get everything put away where you want it.  I just hate the actual packing/moving part.  (It was so much fun moving when I was in college and I only had a bed, desk, and chair...  Ahhhh...  Those were the days...)  So Chris has finally done it.  He's made the biggest mistake of his life, and has agreed to put the house on the market this spring.  Of course, I've gone into overdrive. 

Now I realize that there isn't actually a sign in the yard YET, but I have already started packing.  Yes, I know this is probably nuts to most men, but women seem to understand this.  The way I see it is this - I'm only packing things that we need/want, but don't have to use on a regular basis.  I've packed up books, and some odd and end kitchen utensils, and Forrest's baseball trophies.  These are things that I'm going to have to pack anyway, but if I can pack them now, I've got a jump on the game, and I'm de-cluttering in the process.  Chris just doesn't understand...  He's still mad at me for packing Forrest's trophies.  I PROMISE I've not thrown them away!!  Geez...

This is where HGTV is going to be my downfall.  I watch WAY too much of this channel!!  As a result, I know what people are looking for when they shop for houses.  I'm looking at every little thing sitting on any flat surface in my house, and it's driving me NUTS!  I will admit that I am not without fault when it comes to the clutter.  Some of it is mine (and just when am I supposed to find time to work on the scrapbook???  I realize that it happens to be Emma's baby book, and the last page I did was the baby shower, and she is three years old now, but still...).  I'll get it all cleaned up eventually.  I'm desperately trying to get rid of anything that we don't need/use anymore, and pack the things we do.  Those crazy real estate shows make me nuts, because now, I know that most people that look at houses expect them to be "move-in ready."  Why can't everyone be like me and see the potential in a house?? 

That's the OTHER reason that HGTV will be my downfall.  The house we're in now was a complete disaster when we moved in.  We got it for a good price, but it needed so much work.  I love a project, and I jumped in with both feet.  I think the house is pretty now, but we've been there for nine years, and I'm just now finishing everything up.  The good thing is that I've learned how to do a lot of things around the house.  I can paint like a pro.  I've resurfaced counter tops, stripped wallpaper, hung wallpaper, changed out light fixtures, and learned how to tile.  I even bought a reciprocating saw and dismantled my entertainment center in the middle of the living room.  The bad thing is that HGTV made me do it.  I'm a GIRL!  I shouldn't even KNOW what a reciprocating saw is!!  Do you know why I do??  Because I watch HGTV!  THAT'S why!!  The saddest part of that purchase is that I didn't even have to ask an employee what I needed when I went to Home Depot.  I already knew...The other sad thing is that for years, the only thing that I asked for at Christmas was a Home Depot gift card.  True story.  Here's a little something that I've done with those gift cards...





So now that we're finally putting our house up for sale, I'm about to do something that I never thought I would.  I'm trying to talk my husband into buying a house that is new construction.  Yes, I'm wanting a house that I have already picked the colors, the cabinets, the flooring.  One that I don't have to do anything but put the key in the door, and let the movers place the furniture.  No projects.   Worst case scenario, I paint a room a different color, and I have to shop for some new furniture.  That's it.  I know this is probably my husband's second wildest fantasy (he's a man...  You know he's probably got some other wild fantasy...), but this is what I'm thinking.  Not that HGTV still isn't playing a part in all of this.  This is when I discover that my taste WAYYYYYYY outruns my budget, and they make it look so simple...  And of course I've just finished watching all of those Christmas episodes where they decorated the homes of the stars...  Heck, I've already mentally decorated the new house for Christmas.  It's going to be so beautiful...  I just have to convince the hubs we can afford it.  Shouldn't be too hard, right??

new year, new resolutions

Well here we are again...  It's January.  I'm supposed to come up with some New Year's resolutions.  I really hate this part...  The only resolution that I've ever, in the history of resolutions, actually kept, was to stop biting my fingernails.  And that was like... twenty years ago???  (Truthfully, probably longer than that...)  Last year (or maybe the year before) I resolved to get out of debt, and of course, the overdone, unrealistic "lose weight."  So yeah, none of that has happened. 

Well, that's not entirely true.  I'm still in debt, but I've gotten a LOT better.  I cut up my credit card, transferred the balance to one with a lower interest rate, and I don't use the new one at all.  I've gotten the balance on my car down to $370.42 (as of next week), so it will be paid off next month.  I borrowed a tiny amount of money from Emma's savings account to do that, but hey, she isn't using it right now, so I'll pay it back...  After the car is done, I'll tackle that remaining credit card balance, which hopefully, will be paid off before Christmas.  That's the goal anyway.

I'll be honest, the weight thing would be nice, but when it comes to choosing between something greasy and salty, or something tasteless...er...healthy... I'll pick the greasy, salty fries at McDonald's every time.  Well, those and the large, caramel frappe, but that's another story...  This year, it's going to be different.  I am going to lose some weight, because this time, I have no choice.  We're going on a cruise.  My wonderful sister-in-law called us up and invited us to go on a Disney cruise with her family and my mother-in-law.  Of course we said yes!!  Unfortunately, that was before we realized how much it costs, but that's also another story.  The problem with the whole trip IS my wonderful sister-in-law.  Did I mention that she and her husband ran a marathon last year???  It's just not right...


So in an effort to avoid becoming the only whale sighting on our cruise, I'm on a diet.  Garfield once said that a diet is "DIE with a T!"  He's right.  But I'm going to do it.  Somehow, some way.  I've been watching what I'm eating, and I plan to start exercising when it warms up a bit.  I've only fallen off the wagon three times since I started.  WHAT???  So it's just January 10th!  You can't just go cold turkey when you've been eating crap for like four years straight you know...

Just what the heck happened here???

Yesterday, we celebrated Forrest's tenth birthday.  (pardon me for a second while I throw up...)  Could someone please tell me how this happened???  I know I ask this every time he has a birthday, but still...  I just can't believe that it's been ten YEARS since he was born!!  I don't think it's because it makes me feel old.  I don't know what it is.  I just know that I spent the entire day staring at him, and reminiscing about the whole birth experience, and the way he USED to look!  I mean really, how can I sit here and compare the tiny baby toes of the 6 pound 12 ounce baby that I gave birth to with these GIANT feet??? 

All day long (okay, let's be honest...  and many days before...), I thought about that tiny face, little feet, and that bald head that I held for the first time ten years ago.  Chris and I were still in our 20s, living in our condo, and had just been married for three years.  I remember finding out that I was pregnant (after taking FOUR tests!).  I remember the whole pregnancy, and the nesting that went along with it.  I remember getting up that morning and finding an entire container of melted ice cream that one nervous daddy-to-be had left on TOP of the refrigerator.  I remember the silent ride to the hospital, with two nervous parents not knowing what to expect, much less what to say.  I remember minute by minute every.single.detail. of that day.

I guess it was after he actually got here, my memory and clarity disappeared, and everything since then is a blur.  That's what happens when you don't sleep for FIFTEEN MONTHS!!!  Yep, you read that right...  Forrest didn't sleep all the way through the night for over a year.  To this day, I don't know how I survived.  Seriously, I'm the girl that requires a minimum of nine hours of sleep each night to even be functional the next day, let alone nice.  It took me until he was two to decide if I thought I might possibly want to go through this all over again...  But even with the lack of sleep, and complete void of any "me time," I wouldn't trade ANY of it and I'd do it all over again in a second (which I finally did a couple of years ago when Emma joined our crazy family...)!

God is the one that's ultimately responsible for all of this, and I'm so very thankful the he blessed us with these two beautiful, healthy children.  I also have to smile and be thankful that He has guided us in raising them.  Forrest is such an amazing blessing in our lives!! He has such a crazy, funny personality, and he is so enjoyable to be around.  He succeeds at everything he does!  He plays baseball, and does martial arts.  He gets straight As in school, and is in the advanced reading and math group.  We don't have to remind him to do his homework because he has learned to be responsible and he gets it done right after school.  He helps me out with Emma, and he is so good and patient with her.  She absolutely ADORES him!  She copies everything he says and does.  We couldn't be more lucky to have him in our lives!!



Halloween 2010

Even so, I'm still traumatized that he's turned ten.  When I look back at where we were when he was born, I can't believe how much has changed!  Last night, I started thinking about where we'll be ten years from now.  Yeah, that was scary...  Ten years from NOW, Emma will be a teenager, and Forrest will be halfway through COLLEGE!  He will have been driving for four years, have graduated from high school, and could potentially be dating the woman that he will marry!!!!  EEEKKKK!  I have to stop it, and I mean NOW!!



Pitching for Thunder - spring 2011

But when it came time for bed, my birthday boy asked me to lay down with him for a while.  As we lay there, completely squished in his twin-size bed, I couldn't help but remember that ten years ago, that very day, I was doing the same thing.  Sure, it was a little different...  Then, he was asleep on my chest in the hospital.  Now, he's stretched out next to me, trying not to move since there is so little room in his bed.  *sigh*  I wouldn't trade those moments for anything, because I know that ten years from now, I won't be able to climb in bed with him until he falls asleep. 

out of the mouths of babes

You've always heard that, right? Now that I have children, I know that it's so very true! Since Forrest was born, I have heard more funny things than I ever would have thought possible. I've also become more aware of some of the things that I say and do that I didn't think about before. I knew that children learned from their parents, but there are so many things that Forrest has learned that we didn't intend to teach him...
Sometimes it's just a facial expression, like wrinkling your nose. Sometimes, it's repeating what was said or done. The first thing we actually noticed was when he would take a drink from his sippy cup, he would let out a huge "ahhhhh" after each swallow. I thought it was funny, but then I suddenly realized that he had picked that up from US! Not that it was a bad habit or anything, but we didn't even realize that we were doing that. In fact, I'm STILL not sure which one of us does that, but he's learned it somewhere!!!

Then there was the time that we were eating dinner. I had gotten up to rinse my dishes, and Chris went to do the same. As he stood up, he dropped his fork on the floor. Forrest didn't skip a beat, and sarcastically piped up "That's good, Chris!!" Chris was FURIOUS with him, but I was laughing so hard that I was crying!! I tried my best not to let Forrest see me, but it was just too funny and I couldn't stand it. Chris was giving me the evil eye, and I just had to tell him that he couldn't get mad because Forrest had heard that directly from him. Chris is eternally muttering to himself whenever he does something stupid, and all Forrest did was say something that he had heard before. How can you fault him for that?

And it's not just MY kids! A while back, we met my sister-in-law in Chattanooga and took my two oldest nieces to the aquarium for the day. At dinner that evening, I took the girls to the restroom. As Hanna (7) was pulling down her jeans, Sydney (3) pulled up her dress and sat down on the toilet. Hanna got a little indignant and said "Sydney! I was getting ready to go!" Sydney's response? "You're too late, Honey Bunny!" (Picture the Men on Film doing two snaps up in a circle...)  I could have DIED! It was so great, and I never would have imagined that coming out of a three year old's mouth. She picked that one up from her mom. So funny!!

Then there are the NOT so good things that get repeated... Forrest has spit out a few cuss words here and there. Fortunately, he didn't learn those at home (unless it was on the TV), BUT he wouldn't tell exactly where he heard them either... One afternoon, I found myself having to explain what bitch means (at least the actual meaning of the word), and then having to tell him that it is often used incorrectly and the way he had heard it used was NOT nice. I really didn't want to have to explain to him the meaning of the word, but I figured I would be best to get it out of the way. There was also the time that we were at Chris' company Christmas party when he came up with another little jewel that nearly made me melt into the floor!

Forrest was throwing a tennis ball with one of Chris' co-workers. You'd almost have to see where they were doing this, but it was at the entrance to the company showroom. The front door is about five steps up from the main floor. Forrest was at the top of the steps by the door, and Jay was on the landing below him. They were getting a little wild with their game, and Jay pegged it really hard back at Forrest. Mind you, Jay is standing five steps below Forrest, so it seemed like the ball was thrown a bit low. At the top of his voice, Forrest yells "Don't hit me in the NUTS!!" I could have died right there... I can PROMISE you that he didn't hear THAT terminology at home! I was pretty cool about it, but when I asked him where he heard that word, he refused to answer me. He knows when I ask him where he heard something that it was a word that shouldn't have been repeated, and he won't get anyone in trouble over it.

Or there was the time this past baseball season when his coach made him bunt (he'd had all of ONE lesson in how to do it), and he struck out.  Chris was NOT happy about this!  The game ended shortly afterwards.  It was about 12 degrees and raining outside, so I rushed Forrest off to the car to get the heat going.  Chris was getting the gear together, and was a bit behind us.  As we got into the car, Forrest says "Daddy is PISSED OFF!"  What do you do?  I had to laugh!  So I said, "Yes...  Yes he is...  But let's don't say that word, okay?  It's not a nice word.  And where did you hear that word anyway?"  His answer?  PAWN STARS!!  Oops!!

More random quotes from Forrest:

Me: "So who are your best buddies at school?"

Forrest: "Well, Nick, Caleb, Spencer and Roshan."

Me: "What about girls? Aren't you friends with any girls?"

Forrest: "Well, it's just that they all got vicious somehow..."

Forrest (singing "Jingle Bells"): "Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits cry..."

Me (laughing): "Making spirits CRY? It's supposed to be a happy song!!"

Forrest (working on a research project on Squanto-4th grade):  "Do you like my picture Daddy?"

Chris:  "Yeah, babe.  That's great!"

Forrest:  "I drew him some nipples."

(Chris and I about to D.I.E.)

Forrest:  "WHAT???  I figured Indians don't wear shirts, so he needed some nipples!"



Squanto and his "naughty bits"



Really?? Every 7 years???

I was once told that your body changes (drastically) every 7 years.  Hmmmmm...  As I'm getting older, I'm not sure I like this.  I guess it makes sense, although it wasn't as noticeable when I was younger.  My teeth started falling out at 7, puberty at 14...  I don't really remember what happened at 21...  Maybe I was just in a drunken haze...  But now 28...  THAT was a monumental year!!


When I was 28, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis.  Oh joy!  That was a blessing!  My sister told me when I hit 30 that I would completely fall apart (she's 7 years older than me).  Well, I didn't even make it to 30!!!  ARTHRITIS at 28????  It started with my hands.  I noticed that when I was not using them, they would get to where I couldn't squeeze them or make a fist.  It would be like that in the mornings, or if I was just laying there watching TV for a while.  My doctor was the one to break the fantastic news...  She said that it wasn't carpal tunnel because it wouldn't affect my pinkie, so it had to be arthritis.  Well, GREAT!


Not long after that, my knee started bothering me.  It hurt to walk on it, and it was swollen up to twice the size of the other one.  I was just SURE that I had done something to it.  (I had no idea what, since I don't believe in exercise so I just don't do it...)  I made the appointment at KOC, and after several x-rays, I was informed that it was arthritis.  Even better!  It's SPREADING...


Other than this, I've been fairly healthy.  I'm not out sick from work, and I rarely have problems outside of an occasional sinus infection (except for the time that my boss decided to come to work with the flu and share it, but that's another story...).  It's all good.  At least it WAS until this past February.  Did I mention that I was 35??


In February, I got the stomach bug.  Well, at least I thought it was the stomach bug.  Emma woke up in the middle of the night, and she had thrown up.  That was a first for her.  She's never thrown up in her two years of life (and I don't count spit up-that's not vomit people!).  I didn't feel bad at all until early the next morning.  When the alarm went off, I just didn't feel right.  I decided early on that I was going to stay home from work.  I figured I'd just keep Emma with me, and it would be all good by the end of the day.  I felt a bit like throwing up (which I HATE to do worse that anything on this earth!), but thought if I stayed still, maybe if would pass.  Ummmmm....  not so much...  It was all down hill from there.  I finally decided to just go throw up and get it over with...  Let's just say that wasn't the end of the story...


I won't grace you with the gory details, but I didn't just throw up.  There was more to it.  You can figure it out...  So anyway, I never threw up again, but the rest of the fun continued on for WEEKS!  I would be fine as long as my stomach was empty, but the second I ate something, I felt AWFUL!  After two weeks of this, I had finally had enough.  I looked (and felt) like death, so I dragged myself to the walk-in clinic.  The doctor started talking about my gall bladder.  Oh joy!  Now THERE'S something I'd never thought about!  He gave me some pills to take that would help keep my food down, and sent me on to my regular doctor.  Well, two months, five doctor visits, $190 in OV co-pays, two scripts, $16 in pharmacy co-pays, an ultrasound, a gall bladder function test, and one surgery later, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling just fine...


I am NOT looking forward to turning 42!  Maybe by then, I will have built up some personal time again.  At least I have six more years to worry about it... 

The terrible twos...

So here we are...  My precious little girl, the one that I prayed for, has turned two.  Oh my goodness...  I'm completely horrified that my BABY is two-and-a-half already!  How did THAT happen???  She was just born yesterday!  Geez...  She has grown so much that I just can't believe it!  Her hair is all the way down to her butt when it's wet (I still haven't cut it).  She's got the most beautiful curls you've ever seen!  Gorgeous blond ringlets...    

Just LOOK at those curls!!

And the sweetest smile that will just melt your heart...  






It's a good thing she's so cute because there are days that I'm about ready to pinch her head off!!!  She has started this earlier than Forrest did, but my precious baby girl is going through the terrible twos!  There is seldom a day that goes by when I don't get some note from the daycare that says that she bit, hit, scratched, or pinched one of her "friends" at school.  (I put that in quotation because I seriously don't believe that you would treat an actual friend that way!!)  She's just plain AWFUL!!  One morning as I was dropping her off, the teacher was talking about how she can "hold her own" in her class.  She made some comment about how she's learned a lot from her big brother.  I had to point out that she hasn't learned ANY of that from Forrest, but has learned it at SCHOOL!  (Either that, or it's just inborn evil that can't be cured.  That's always a possibility.  BUT I digress...) 

It's pitiful, actually.  Forrest takes SO much abuse...  She treats him much like she treats her "friends" at school...  And he's so great.  He just sits there and takes it.  He never retaliates at all.  In fact, she acted so awful one night in the grocery store that I swear he is the sole reason she's still alive today (she should be very grateful)!  I got the car buggy thinking that it might keep her entertained for a bit, and hopefully, I would be able to get my shopping done. 

Forrest, God love him, even tried to squeeze into the thing with her.  Yeah, that lasted until I got to the shampoo aisle (the first aisle in the store, in case you were unaware).  She managed to undo the seat belt, jumped out, and ran wild through the body section in Kroger, all the while grabbing shampoo and deodorant off the shelves.  He chased her down and brought her back (the first jewel in his crown), and I put her in the baby seat up top.  After the kicking and screaming, a serious discussion (really, why did I bother with a two-year-old??), and a lot of snot, she agreed to sit still in the car.  Uh huh...  That lasted all of two minutes...  Then she was out again, and trying to grab stuff out of the cart.  When I took something away from her, oh Lord the fit!!  Picture this... (I'm channeling my inner Sophia) There we were in the dairy section... me, Forrest, and Satan...  It was a sight to see...  She was on the floor, kicking and screaming, arching her back, the whole bit.  I pretended that I didn't know WHO this crazy child was for a few minutes while I sorted through coupons and picked out my cottage cheese.  Finally, there was no ignoring her...  I picked her up (still kicking and screaming), and I got the look.  You know the one?  The sympathetic, "I'm so sorry...  I know what you're going through" look from a lady nearby.  I politely asked her if she would like a two-year-old.  She smiled, declined, and said "Oh honey, I can smile because I've been there and done that.  But no, I don't want to do it again!"  Well, great!  If you can't give your children away to the patrons at Kroger, who CAN you give them to???  This is when Forrest kicked in.  He went to the front of the store, and came back with another buggy and a bag of Skittles.  He put her in the empty cart and fed her Skittles as we went through the store.  She really does owe him her life...  (Besides, if you can't eat the food you're buying while still in the store, what's the point???) 

Chris is amazed at how defiant she can be.  She gets so angry when you tell her no, she will hit or bite you.  Or even better yet, she will bite HERSELF!  Yep, that's another sight to behold...  She going to be a great mom because she's already got the "evil eye" thing down.  You wouldn't believe the look she gives me when she doesn't get her way!  This is what happened at Christmas when I told her that she couldn't have another sucker (at 8:00 in the morning...). 

And THIS is what happened just last week when it was time for her bath...

Please note: This happened AFTER she refused to get out of the car and threw a fit for 5 minutes in the driveway.  When I went and got her, she threw herself on the floor, just inside the front door.  That went on for another 5 minutes before she was spanked and dragged upstairs.  The video doesn't even do it justice...  I didn't show her whole body because she was naked from the waist down.  You can't get the full effect without seeing the legs kicking as she carried on...

One more note:  This fit continued for another 10 minutes after I stopped filming...  *sigh*  I know, I know...  You wish you were me.