Jorja learns a lesson

...

And the lesson is:

Not my poop, not my mess, not my job.

On a good note, she can now clean a bathroom.

...

Did I forget this was here, you ask?

Well, it really wouldn't surprise me if I did. I'm forgetting everything lately. Including, but not limited to: ordering checks, daily meals, laundry (no surprise there), calling the exterminator, and appointments.
The reason? Hormones.
Kickin', ragin', surplus hormones.
The same hormones that cause me to *hurp* all day. The same hormones that made me cry that life was too tough becuase I stubbed my toe. The same hormones that make babies grow.
June seems like it's so close, yet so far. Before I'm probably really ready, I'll be caring for a newborn and 3 deliriously crazy children.
And before you ask silly questions, remember, we "planned" this baby as much as any one couple can, and are thrilled to be having a baby. This is not a quest for a boy, as if having all of one sex somehow could leave anyone feeling like they lost out on life. It is simply our pleasure to play host to one more of God's precious gifts.
That being said...bring on the tums!! Really, this is an easy pregnancy in comparison to others I've had and I still just want to lie on the couch most afternoons. I am only days away from the blessed second trimester and I am itching for that promise of energy and food consumption. Yes!
Oh, and on those delicate subjects of laundry and school...well, they are getting done, just not with the flair I would like. Which is fine with me, I can't be good at everything, right?

Find the two year old...

Josie has gotten into the habit of playing in her room and falling asleep in random places on the floor during nap time. There have been many days that when I peeked in on her I could not immediately find her. Friday was one of those days.


Yep, that's her under the rug.


She also decided sometime before she fell asleep that a pull-up was not necessary. She was wrong...

lessons, lessons, lessons...

This week is lesson week. In the mornings, Josie and Jorja have swim lessons, and in the evening, Jorja and Jonah have dance. I'm not sure what possessed me to stack them like this, other than the desire to further complicate my days and cause me to fall completely into a haze of early dementia.

I am making daily lists of the days activities (because just entering everything into Outlook is not sufficient) and still managing to make constant idiotic mistakes.

In spite of all of this, my girls are having busy, fun-filled days and doing very well in their classes.

This is Josie's first year of swimming...we do ISR (Infant swimming Resource) and while it's a little expensive and quite time-consuming (every day for 6 weeks) it has proven to be very valuable to our children.

Here is a picture of Josie going for the wall during yesterday's lesson:



Summer dance is also this week. Jonah is trying out hip-hop and Jorja is taking a combo class of ballet and tap. She let me know this morning that she's good at it. No sense in being humble about these things...if you don't toot your horn, who will, right?

As expected...Jorja was a doll in her dance outfit:


She even pointed out that she had a bun in her hair to everyone she saw.

And here's a flashback for ya...Jonah before her first day of dance 4 years ago:

On the bright side...the puppies smell better.

I had just finished cleaning up from breakfast while Jason was on a sabbatical in the bathroom. I needed to get clothes out for the girls, finish putting away a load of laundry and then we would make one quick stop on our way to the pool to enjoy some 4th of July revelries. Jason has been planning to wash the puppies this afternoon before moving them to their new home - a giant Briggs and Stratton generator box in my dining room. I've looked for years for just the right accent piece to really add a wow factor to that room. This box really accomplishes that, in exactly the wrong way. We might as well park a semi truck in there.

Going back into my bedroom, I realized that Josie decided to help us out today and wash the puppies herself. I happened to walk in to her with half a bottle of baby oil tipped over on the floor, and using a pedicure block as a sponge. The bottle had been full when she got to it. The smell was overwhelming. It almost covered the smell of puppy breath and pee mixed with dirt.

Three puppies were assaulted in the process. Red, Uno, and Lucky. I think Lucky got the worst of it. They all looked up unsure of what was happening, but happy to have the attention. And their coats have never been this shinny.

Cleanup was not bad, just 4 towels this time. But be careful in my bathroom, it's as slippery as an ice rink in there. One wrong move and you'll be sitting hard on your butt. Just ask poor Josie.

The importance of enunciation.

This morning when I went in to get Josie out of bed, she looked up at me and said "mama, aye haf boo-boo om my 'and." So I picked her up and carried her into the living room to see what caused the boo-boo and give it a kiss. Only after we sat down and I was pulling her hand to my face, did I realize that my arm was slightly wet and she smelled funny.

No, not boo-boo on her hand...poo-poo on her hand. Yuck. I was going to kiss that. *hurp*

Let's play a game of "Guess that white substance..."

If you guessed powdered sugar, you win!

I went into the living room just long enough for Josie to grab a "snack" for herself.

Me: "Josie, what are you doing?"

Josie: "Eating cake!"