Gracie is Tired of Supervision

Now that Emily is working a couple of days a week, I have to go get Gracie and take her with me to do my supervision duties at ball games, and then Emily comes and picks her up and takes her home. It is hard to watch a 3-year-old, and get the score table ready, and make sure the ref's are taken care of, and get the gate money and table set up, and make sure the concession stand people have their money, and well you get the idea. Anyway, this last week, I picked Gracie up and then went to get gas at Casey's. She asked me what we were doing, and I told her that we had to go to a ball game. She said, "Is this the same ball game that we went to a thousand days?" I said, "Yes." She said, "I don't want to go to that game anymore." I said, "Well we have to because it is Daddy's job, and we have to be there." Gracie then said, "I will tell you one more time, I don't want to go to the game we went to a thousand days." I am guessing that she has heard her teacher say at school, "I will tell you one more time ..." However, I don't know where the 1000 days thing came from.

Well I keep trying to invite ourselves up for a New Year's Eve party, but I keep getting the run around. If you don't want us to crash your parties anymore just say so. However, Emily has been working on her numb-chuck skills, and people who have cool parties like to have people with skills invited to their parties. Just something to think about Pedro.

I did hear some news that we weren't going to be the only ones with a little bundle of joy, but then sadly it turned out to not be so. We will keep praying and when the timing is right, it will happen. :) Just remember I Corinthians 10:13 "...God will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able..." If that means working till you are 70 to pay for high school graduation announcements, then I know you can do it.

To perform or not to perform; that is the question.

Gracie's big debut in our new church's kids Christmas program was last night. We knew for at least 2 weeks prior to the program that Gracie was expected to say a line, so for 2 weeks she was heavily coached. She was also to play a bell in the bell choir and sing 2 songs with the other kids. Keeping in mind that Gracie is 3 years old, we knew this might not all happen the way we wanted it to, but we were sure hoping. OK, I was hoping. I even promised a special treat (a much desired Barbie doll) if she said her line. Yes, I know that is bribery! Gracie had the full support of family last night as 7 of you drove all the way to Macon to see this event. My mom came early to french braid her hair and she was decked out in her new Christmas dress, all for naught. When the appropriate time came, Gracie refused to ring her bell, turned her head away from the microphone when she was to say, "Ring out a glad melody," and stood stoically while the other children sang the 2 songs. As many people informed us after the program, "She sure looked cute up there. Didn't she stand like a little lady even though she didn't sing?! It was a step in the right direction for her to even get up there since you guys are so new. Maybe next year she will feel more comfortable." All of the well meaning people were absolutely right, of course. When we got home we sat down with Gracie and told her how proud we were that she stood on stage so nicely, but that we hoped next time she would feel comfortable singing or ringing her bell. So for now, Gracie's decision was not to perform. To be continued...
P.S. - She still got the Barbie doll. ;-)

Winter Wonderland

This last week has been a big blur for us. Gracie got sick last week, and it has lingered into this week. Somewhere along the way she shared her bug with us, so Brent and I have each been feeling pretty blah too. We had our first Christmas of the season last weekend in Unionville, so we braved the snow and ice and made it to U-Ville safely for a weekend visit. This week has been strange with school being out 3 days. Brent had some early morning wake-up calls from his Superintendent who starts the calling tree VERY early. Brent then has to get up and call the local radio and TV stations so they can announce it and he starts the teachers phone tree. Somehow after all of that, he can still climb back into bed and fall asleep, but I'm wide awake!

Gracie is gearing up for her big debut in our kids Christmas program at church Sunday night. For some reason, she has been assigned a line in the program. I am taking bets on whether or not she will actually say her line, but she is sure practicing it a lot at home. She randomly will shout out, "Ring out a glad melody." I am prepared to bribe and bait her to say it, and I have already laid out the ground work for this effort.

Baby Doo is officially scheduled to enter the world on February 1st by c-section unless she chooses to make an earlier arrival. As you can tell, she is still nameless. I suppose we will eventually come to a decision, but who knew it could be this hard?? I am feeling very uncomfortable at this point, which I never really experienced with Gracie. It may be a long 7 weeks.

Gracie's Christmas List

We have a small problem in our house. We can't keep up with Gracie's rapidly changing wish list for Christmas. One day she wants everything Disney Princess has to offer, and the next she might want a new game she has seen on a commercial. Every commercial brings a fresh round of "Can we put that on my Christmas list?" Well, Saturday Gracie reached an all time low. I was reading to her but the TV was on. I soon realized she wasn't listening to the book because a commercial had captured her attention. It was a Zale's commercial where the husband gives the wife a big pair of diamond earrings. The next thing I heard was, "Mommy, can we put those on my Christmas list? They are beautiful." All I could do was groan.

Excuses, Excuses

Gracie absolutely didn't want to go to bed last night. Usually, since she has joined the ranks of a non-napper, she is zonked out by 8:30 p.m. Her bath puts her in sleepy mode, and many nights she doesn't even make it to her bed before going to sleep. Last night was different. It was probably compliments of the iced Christmas cookie she had at church at 7:30 p.m. Anyway, she had worn out every before bed activity we usually do, and I said, "It's time to brush your teeth and go to bed." Brent was in the basement painting during this exchange. Gracie thought for a second and said, "OK, Mommy. Here's how it goes. I need to go talk to Daddy first, and I have a lot to talk about." I was giggling, but I said, "Go tell Daddy goodnight and come back upstairs." I heard her go down and say, "Daddy, we have a lot to talk about before I go to bed." Then I heard fresh laughter, that can only be described as the unmistakable laughter of Brent Doolin. It's contagious. We were all laughing by the end of the exchange, so bedtime was kind of loopy last night in our house.

The Woes of Preschool

Gracie is still at the young and honest stage where she usually tells us anything we want to know. She goes to Preschool on Wednesday and Thursday, and I always ask her if she got in trouble at school. Today she said, "Yes, I did. I had to put my nose on the wall." I was shocked and said, "Well, what did you do?" Gracie said, "I was crying because I missed you and daddy, so I had to put my nose on the wall. Mrs. Joyce (her teacher) said if I would dry up my crying I could come off the wall." I simply said, "Mommy really wishes you would stop crying at school." To which Gracie replied, "Yes, I really wish I could too." I was feeling really sorry for her until I relayed the story to Brent and he said, "She probably actually took a toy from another child and when she got in trouble for that she started crying and began thinking about how much she missed us." He has been a principal for 4 short months and thinks he has all children figured out!

Growing Bigger

Some of you may be reading this thinking I was referring to my expanding midsection when I titled this "Growing Bigger." It would be a fitting description of what I am currently doing, but this post is in reference to a conversation Brent and Gracie had while I was fixing supper tonight. I was picking Gracie up and spinning her around until she/we were dizzy. She would say, "Whoa, Daddy. I'm very, very busy." We repeated this over and over again just to hear him mispronounce dizzy. Brent got to laughing at her and said, "Gracie, can you do your daddy a favor and quit growing?" Gracie just looked at him kind of funny, so I said, "Tell Daddy that you have to keep growing." Gracie looked at him and said, "Daddy, I have to keep growing just like you and mommy did." He said, "But you sure are awfully cute right now. I'd like to keep you little."

All Grown Up

Our little 3-year old is acting all grown up. I hope it continues when the baby arrives! We went to Ben Franklin today, known for having more breakable items than I am comfortable with her being around, and Gracie was very responsible and mature. I didn't even give her the lecture on not touching anything. She kept backing away from breakable items and eyeing them from a distance. Her phrase for the trip was, "Isn't it beautiful, Mommy?" Every pretty little Christmas ball deserved, "Isn't it beautiful, Mommy?"
Tonight when we got home, the newspaper was laying in the driveway. Gracie is the newspaper retriever, so she quickly ran to do her job. On the way up to the house she said, "Mommy. I'm tired. Let's just go in and read the newspaper. All right?" She sounded like a grown man or woman coming home for an 8 hour day of work. Like I said, she's all grown up.

Gracie's Big Accomplishment

What a day! We had a very big thing happen this morning. When I dropped Gracie off at school, she didn't cry or pitch her usual fit. It was so wonderful. She wasn't exactly thrilled to be at school, but at least she didn't cry or have to be forced into her classroom by one of the teachers. I hope it continues, but realize next week could bring a fresh wave of tears. Yesterday on the way to school I was trying to keep her spirits high by singing a silly song. It was such a big hit that I started singing a second song when Gracie interrupted me and said, "Mommy. I think one song was enough." Translation - QUIT SINGING!
This doesn't relate to Gracie's big accomplishment at all, but Brent wanted me to mention one more thing. This morning while I was trying to get ready for work I wasn't giving Gracie the attention she felt she deserved and she said, "You come back here you silly ogre." I think it's time to return the Shrek DVD we borrowed from our friend Niki, huh?!

Gracie's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Tonight after supper Gracie asked if we could make cookies. I am a weakling, so I said yes! I asked what kind we should make and Gracie suggested Chocolate Chip Cookies. She is famous for whipping out an invisible book or notepad and pretending to read it, so she whipped out her notepad and began reading me the ingredients we would need to make the cookies. Keep in mind we make cookies every couple of weeks, so she has a fairly good idea of what is normal and what isn't normal. She started with 1 egg, 1 butter (her terminology), 10 cups of oil, 3 spaghetti's, 2 chocolate chips, 5 cookies, a couple more spaghetti's, 9 salts, and from there the list just got really crazy. Bottom line - if you want to make chocolate chip cookies, consult Betty Crocker over Gracie Doolin. Betty's recipe turned out pretty good after I convinced Gracie to delete a few of her own secret ingredients!

You'd Better Watch Out

It's that time of year. During a recent trip to Wal-Mart, Gracie was checking out the toy selection and kind of whining a little about us telling her that we wouldn't buy anything right now because Christmas is so close. We continued playing with the toys when I saw a man in a red suit go walking by. I looked up to see Santa perusing the toy section also. I quickly said, "Gracie! Look! It's Santa." She looked up in time to see Santa Claus walking away. I told her, "It's a good thing you weren't whining when Santa came by. He saw you being good, so he will probably come to our house." Well tonight we went out to eat with my parents in Moberly and we were talking about the encounter with Santa Claus. Gracie piped up. "Mommy said it was a good thing I wasn't whining when Santa came by. He would have heard me and not come to my house. So I waited until he was gone and then I started whining again." Hey, at least she's honest!

Gracie the Drama Queen

Today is Sunday, so we spent most of the day at home. When we lived in Kahoka and drove to Keokuk for church, Sunday was such a short day. We'd get home around 2 to 3 p.m. every week because we would run our errands while we were in the "big city." The church we attend now gets out around 11:15 on average. I had lunch fixed and cleaned up by 1 p.m. today, so we had a nice long afternoon before evening church began. I'm still painting on doors and trim in our bedroom and bathroom, so that took a chunk of the afternoon, but I did walk Gracie and Molly to the park for a while. It pooped me out, so when we got back I sat down on the couch with Brent, who was enjoying a full afternoon of Sunday Football. It didn't take me long to relax and almost fall asleep and Brent was in the football glazed over zone that happens to most men when they are watching a game. Gracie was having a snack in the kitchen and the next thing I heard was her saying, "Mommy? Daddy?" There was silence as we waited to hear what she wanted. She continued, "Oh, no. I don't have any family. What can I do?" She had been looking for us and couldn't find us, so she jumped to the dramatic conclusion that she was now an orphaned child with no family. We cracked up. Poor little Orphan Gracie. All alone in the world with no one to care for her. The mind of a 3 year old is a funny thing!

Let's Give 'Em Something To Talk About

This morning I was cleaning out the garage and found Gracie's Easter basket, so I hung it up out of the way. I obviously didn't hang it far enough out of the way, because early this afternoon she asked if she could play with it. I said sure, thinking it would be harmless. Well, playing with the basket led to me having to find the plastic Easter eggs, which led to me having to hide them outside so she could find them. I complied for 3 rounds of hunting when I noticed the neighbors up the street were having an outdoor party and they all seemed to be looking our direction. There was Gracie in her coat, hat and mittens holding her Easter basket while she looked for eggs in the shrubs. My only consolation is that they have small children as well, so hopefully they have been in my shoes!

Being a Stay-At-Home Mom

My hat is off to those of you who are or were stay-at-home moms. I enjoy my days at home very much, but some of you warned me that I would be busier than I was when I was working full-time. Today was one of those days. Brent isn't home for me to talk to tonight, so I'll recap my day on the blog. The day started off with Gracie's fall party at school. I was the mother in charge of helping at the party, so we were at school and had a great time until mid-morning. Then our plethora of errands began (grocery store, bill paying, pharmacy, etc.). We came home for a quick lunch and then began some outdoor work. We raked leaves, scooped up Molly's presents she leaves in the yard, emptied out the flower pots the frost got and played on the swingset. Next was Gracie's playdate with Emma, who is a 4 year old neighbor. While they played, I tried to start the ironing. Is anyone else out there married to a man who has to wear dress shirts to work? Even the ones that are wrinkle-free need to be pressed. I was very behind, so I had to iron 12 dress shirts, 5 pairs of pants, and 3 of Gracie's outfits. Gracie then helped me fix supper, bake a banana cake and finish the laundry. This pooped her out, so we wound down with a game of Dora tic-tac-toe. I gave Gracie her bath and she was asleep on the couch with her hand in a bowl of popcorn shortly thereafter.

Ahh. The laundry is caught up, the ironing is done, I have a baked treat at the ready if anyone stops by this weekend...something is going to fall apart. The washer will break tomorrow or I will discover the freezer thawed overnight and all of our food is ruined! Happy Weekend everyone!

Shrek and Fishing

Gracie and I went over to my friend Niki's house on Monday night and she loaned Gracie her Shrek DVD. At the beginning of Shrek, since it is a Dreamworks Entertainment movie there is a standard Dreamworks song that plays and an image of a person sitting on a half-moon fishing. It's probably played before every Dreamworks movie, but I haven't paid attention. Well our little 3 year old was paying attention. Gracie's eyes got really big and she said, "Look Mommy. Jesus is sitting on the moon fishing." So, to those of you who like to fish, Gracie thinks there will be fishing in Heaven!

A Whirlwind Weekend

It has been a while since we have blogged. Last weekend we packed up both vehicles and headed to Kahoka for the last football game of the regular season. We were able to watch them win the district championship. After that we went to Keokuk and spent the next two days visiting some of our friends. It was really fun to be "back home" in our old church again. Gracie had a great time staying at Bruce and Missy's house, also. She is still talking about how much fun we had last weekend. Gracie was able to be reunited with her old buddy Mike and they shared many good talks. Sunday Brent headed back to Macon, but Gracie and I stayed the night in Kahoka at our good friends, Ray and Mikie's, house. Gracie wanted to go see our old house, so the new owner was kind enough to let us come in and look around. We were glad to see that not much had changed. Monday our trip ended with me having a doctor's appointment in Hannibal on the way home. Everything appears to be fine and Fuzzy Marie :-) is growing at a normal pace.

This week is the Atlanta Junior High basketball tournament, so Brent hasn't been home at all. He got someone to watch the tournament tonight for him so that he could go to Kahoka and watch Clark County play Trenton in a playoff game. So far, the Indians are losing at the end of the first half (17-7).

Gracie had a little trouble at school today. She won't tell me what she did, but she was more than happy to tell Grandpa and me that she had to sit in time out for a while. I think she actually knows what she did, but is ashamed to tell me. Tomorrow I'll probably investigate to make sure it wasn't anything too bad. She probably told someone that Clifford says you shouldn't talk with food in your mouth...again. Gracie certainly makes life interesting.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We Have a Winner

Congratulations to Jessica from the Bank of Cairo and Moberly for correctly identifying the penguin from the movie Billy Madison. You should receive your coupon for 2 hours of Doobie Lovin in the mail. Please allow 10 to 14 business days to receive Doobie Lovin Coupon. All Doobie Lovin coupons are subject to verification by Emily Inc. If for some reason your coupon is not delivered in a timely fashion don't call us. Doobie Lovin Coupons carry no expressed or implied guarantees, and can not be redeemed for cash. Net value of a Doobie Lovin Coupon is 1/1000000000000000 of a penny. If Emily Inc. denies the validity of your Doobie Lovin Coupon, the decision is final. All grievances concerning Doobie Lovin Coupons can be sent to File 13, and will be viewed by no one in particular. If your Doobie Lovin Coupon should explode and emit a neon green gas with a strange odor, please stay away from the coupon, and contact the authorities immediately. Doobie Lovin Coupons remain the property of Doobie Lovin Inc., and may not be used in any other promotional considerations. As always we thank everyone who participated in the event, and look forward to wasting more of your time in the future.

Were We Missed???

Sorry we didn't post anything for a few days. It was not because we were having non-stop fun the last 3 days. Brent was out of school Friday, so he jumped into a painting project that I was able to help with and it has gone on for days. The joys of home ownership, right?!

This is my last day of being the "older woman" in our house. For 1 month and 3 days out of the year Brent gets to say that he is married to an older woman and he likes to remind me of it by singing "Older Women Make Beautiful Lovers" on my birthday. Alas, tomorrow Brent will join the ranks of a 31 year old. The added year will probably add to his wisdom, thus making his blog additions even more humorous.

Gracie and I carved her pumpkin this afternoon. She had never seen the inside of a pumpkin, and she found it thoroughly disgusting and stinky. I had her stick her hand inside to help scrape the seeds and she said, "Mommy, you can get the weeds out yourself." It really is a gross job, so I didn't blame her a bit. The carving was fun, but she wanted me to carve cheeks and a forehead into her pumpkin, and I really couldn't think of a way to achieve either. Some of you skilled carvers are probably laughing that I didn't attempt it, but for this year her pumpkin is doing good to have 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth. Maybe next year I will try for cheeks or a forehead.

Happy Halloween!

Lessons From Gracie

Last night Gracie told me that when she was at lunch that day one of the other girls was eating and talking with her mouth full. Gracie said, "I told her that my Clifford book said that you shouldn't talk with your mouth full." I asked her if it was a little girl or a big girl. Gracie said, "It was a big girl. She's one of my teachers." I about died when she told me that she had given one of her teachers a lesson on proper eating etiquette. I was scared to ask, but I asked Gracie, "What did your teacher say when you told her that she shouldn't be talking with her mouth full?" Gracie said, "She told me that she knew she shouldn't be talking with her mouth full, but she was." I asked Gracie if her teacher apologized for being rude and Gracie said, "I think so, but I don't know." So if anyone out there is planning on eating a meal with us anytime soon, watch out. We have the etiquette police in our home, and she's not intimidated by anyone. You could be the next one corrected by a three year old!

Gracie's Miracle (With a Little Help From God)

Today I got to pick Gracie up from preschool because Brent had Parent Teacher Conferences. It was so fun to see her happy at school since I usually leave her there in tears. We walked outside and another mom who was picking up her son said, "Did you see the rainbow?" We turned around and there was a beautiful rainbow that filled the sky. Gracie said, "Hmm. Well I've never seen a rainbow before. That's my first one." She loved it, so we stood there and watched it for a while. It started to fade at the bottom, so Gracie put up her hands like a magician and performed a multitude of contortions and said, "There. Now there are 2 rainbows, and they won't go away." It was pretty cute, so we laughed. On the way home we kept watching the rainbow and as we turned a corner there it was...the single rainbow was now a double rainbow. Gracie was sure her magic worked. Not only that, but the rainbows colors were strong and brilliant again. I think God helped a little 3 year old perform a miracle of sorts tonight.

I've lost that lovin feelin

Since nobody even made a guess to the penguin reference, I have taken it as a direct statement about Doobie Lovin. I had thought about increasing the amount to 4 hours of Doobie Lovin, but then decided to retain some type of dignity about my Doobie Lovin. I don't know what I am talking about. Doobie Lovin is "slow and crappy like the Moberly Pizza Hut Pizza." (Brent Franke, Matt Gilchrist) Actually I think the quote was reversed, and was stated, "Moberly Pizza Hut is slow and crappy like Doobie's Lovin." Nevertheless, the meaning is not diminished.

I'm sorry to admit tonight that I'm lacking the medicinal inspirations necessary to produce a proper post for my loyal readers.

If I could talk about real life situations from school, I would have a plethora of stimulates to expound upon my sarcastic dispositions. However, a wise Indian once said, "Don't get into a piss fight with a skunk." I'm not sure what that has to do with this situation, but I thought I would share it with everyone.

I hope that smiles and laughs abound as you read my post. I hope that fond memories of loved ones fills your soul with joy. I hope that I make it to the bathroom before I go in my pants.

The Polite Way To Say "Be Quiet"

Brent took his turn at putting Gracie to bed the other night. She has a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep, so we have gotten in the routine of laying with her for a while. Sometimes we sing, sometimes we tell her a story or sometimes we will just scratch her back to relax her. On Brent's last turn, he was laying with Gracie and telling her how much he loved her, and how special she was, and it must have gone on too long because Gracie looked at him and said, "Daddy, I think it's time we close our eyes now." It shocked him, but he thought it was pretty hilarious at the same time. So now you know the polite way to say "be quiet" from a 3 year old.

Back By Popular Demand

I have to say that I rather enjoyed the WE WANT BRENT chant comment from my loyal reader Mike. Mike wherever you are out there remember you are wasting too much time reading my worthless crap.

Speaking of crap, I feel like crap. Tonight is not courtesy of cold medicine but pain medicine. I hurt my back playing basketball Sunday night, and so I have taken about 1200 mg of Ibuprofen and a little blue pill one of my Mexican students gave me. He asked me why I was hurting and I told him what happened. He said "Com here my frien. Does you want to feel better or forget yous have a back?" (Funny, I can't type in a Mexican accent) None of that is true by the way except the amount of Ibuprofen I have taken today. There are no penguins in Mexico.

Speaking of Penguins, in order to keep the suspense alive about the reference to the penguin in my last post, I am offering a prize of 2 hours of Doobie Lovin (as my college friends used to refer to it) to anyone who knows what movie the penguin came from that I am talking about. Hint: It is not Batman 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ... 299. For a better description of Doobie Lovin, contact Brent Franke, Matt Gilchrist, Matt Wilson, or Chad Smith. I am not for sure why all the recipients of Doobie Lovin from college have male names since I am as far away from gay as humanly possible.

Speaking of far away, I like to hear that some people are planning parties and not inviting the Doolins anymore. That is real nice. Write and tell us about how fun the party was the next day after the party is over. Next time we're up, we can just give each other paper cuts and rub lemon juice in them.

Speaking of lemon juice, tonight for supper we had chili. I asked Emily how long til supper was going to be ready, and she said, "I am getting ready to cut the cheese." I said, "Oh, that is definitely going on the blog tonight." She cut the cheese about 6 times.

Speaking of 6 times, that is about how much longer this post is than it needed to be.

Queen Bester

Today is Sunday, so we went to church as usual. Gracie is slowly becoming accustomed to our new church and every week she is more confident about leaving us to go to class. Today she was especially excited to tell us what she learned about Queen Bester in class. She had made a beautiful crown so that she could act out the story of Queen Esther, but no matter how many times we said Esther, Gracie corrected us and said Bester. So, for today, Queen Bester it is.
There was another surprise today when Gracie told me that her imaginary babies don't think she should go to school anymore. She said, "My babies think I should stay with you on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday." Who knew that she had already learned her days of the week??? I guess she needs to stay in school, because she had to have learned them there.

What the Baby Is Really Doing Inside Mommy

I didn't have anything much to write about today, but then I was just talking to Gracie and she spoke the words of this blog tonight. I said, "Gracie, your sister is kicking me." Gracie said, "But Mommy, the baby didn't mean to. There Mommy...she stopped now." I said, "No she didn't. The baby is still kicking me really hard." Gracie said, "Well I'll tell her to stop." At this point Gracie came over and talked to my stomach. She said, "Baby, you stop kicking Mommy's tummy. Oh, your sorry? OK." Gracie looked up at me and said, "Mommy, do you know why she's kicking your tummy? It's because she's trying to kick her ball and she doesn't have any room." No wonder I'm growing so much. There is a baby and a ball inside of me!!! That explains the drastic weight gains.

Baking Cupcakes

Gracie and I spent a fun day together, and decided late in the afternoon to make cupcakes. We got out a cake mix to make them from scratch (ha, ha Angie), and Gracie started reading the back to me. She knows to look at the pictures at the top and tell me how many eggs it shows and if the mix needs water, oil, milk, etc. So, she's telling me that first you need a cup of water, some oil and 3 eggs. Then still reading the box she said, "Oh, and Mommy, it says after you mix it that a little girl has to lick the spoon." She was so sincere. It was adorable, of course.
After Brent's wildly popular blog entry last night, I have probably bored you all to tears. We got a lot of e-mails about his incoherent ramblings, so I'm glad it gave everyone a chuckle. I'll invite him back on the blog when he's sick again so we can all laugh at his thought process.

Wear Sunscreen

Emily said that it was my turn to post a message to the blog, so here it is.

Remember kids watching t.v. is good for you.
Always put your best foot forward. If you don't know which foot is the best, maybe you could have your feet run a race. But just remember it doesn't matter who wins or loses but only if your socks match. If they don't match you should point it out to everyone in Sunday School. Eating Ketchup is good for you also. Getting jacked up on Mt. Dew is not good for you. If I put this little dirge to a funky beat, and hired some deep-voiced actor to read it for me, I would probably have a hit record. Right now I have a cold, and much of this delirious rambling is probably due largely to a lack of oxygen to the brain, henceforth producing this ridiculous string of random thoughts. If you are still reading this after this point, I am not for sure if I should congratulate you, or come to your house and kick you in the back of the head. Speaking of kicks to the back of the head, Chuck Norris is the greatest action hero to ever live. When Chuck Norris does push ups, he doesn't push himself up, he pushes the world down. Someone told me that Chuck Norris jokes are so last year. I had to punch that person for using the phrase "so last year". Some of you are probably thinking that Brent has become very violent since becoming a principal. But that is not true. I have just become very sarcastic since being asked to write on this blog. Now if you are still reading this, I just feel sorry for you, because in all of this incoherent rambling I never came close to saying anything worth while. I receive no points, and may God have mercy on my soul. The penguin is calling me, so I must go now. You really should have stopped reading after the word Emily. I apologize for the part of your life you just wasted reading my entry tonight. Hopefully I have botched this to the point that I won't ever be allowed on the blog again. If you don't remember anything else that I have said, remember to wear sun screen.

Wedgie Woes

Today after school, Brent brought Gracie to the pharmacy to see me before they went home. I asked her how her day was, and she said, "I didn't get into trouble." I proceeded to tell Gracie how great that was. She wrinkled up her nose and said, "Well, I did get in just a little bit of trouble. I was having trouble with my underpants and I pulled them up and got a wedgie and then I got in trouble getting it out." The whole pharmacy staff got a pretty good kick out of her wedgie woe. I thought she must have been scolded for pulling up her dress to remove her wedgie, but tonight at bath time I asked her to tell me about getting into trouble at school. Gracie said, "But I didn't get into trouble. I just had a little trouble because my underpants kept falling down with my tights, and then I would get a wedgie when I pulled them up." Poor thing. We'll have to get rid of those tights!

Wedding Video

Gracie spent the day with Grandpa Self today, and he got out our wedding video and watched it with Gracie. He said that she enjoyed it very much and had a lot to say about it. Tonight she told me that I looked like a princess (what a sweetie), and then everyone ate lots of cake and got in their cars and drove home. She remembered the important parts! The funny thing was that dad said Gracie cried as she watched the video. Maybe she was just missing her daddy and mommy, or maybe she's wiser than her years and realized girls cry at weddings!

Fire Safety Week

This week was Fire Safety Week, so Gracie's preschool had a visit from the local fire department. When Brent picked her up she had a lot to say about the visit. She told him, "If there is a fire you should feel a door before you go through it. If it is hot, you are supposed to sit and yell for help and a fireman saves you." We were proud that she learned so much, because sadly, we had never taught her what to do in case of a fire. They sent home coloring books, so we can read them together and reinforce what she learned.

PaPa Doolin Came To Macon

Today was the first time Brent's dad got to come to our house in Macon. His health hasn't been the best since we have moved, but today he stopped in on his way home from having his digger worked on in Moberly. It was wonderful to have him here. Gracie did her usual "show off" routine. She told me that she wanted to put on her pretty things, which meant she wanted to show off her ballerina moves. I dolled her up in her tutu, necklace, glass slippers, hair adornment and much more and she came strolling out for Papa to see. And then he said the magic words. "Gosh, Gracie. You look just like a little princess." That made her day. She could receive no greater compliment than to be compared to a princess. Gracie is in a Disney princess stage. Our little girl who used to love Dora more than life itself now talks about princes and princesses falling in love and living happily ever after. She'll be dating next time we turn around.

Another Day In Hannibal

Gracie and I went back to Hannibal today for my rescheduled doctor appointment. I am 5 months along for those who have lost track. Dr. Bennett finished up my exam by asking if I had any concerns at this point. I immediately said no, but then I said, "Well, there is one concern I have." He got very serious and asked what it was. I said, "Gracie would like to name the baby Fuzzy." Dr. Bennett kept his serious look and told Gracie, "I don't see any problem with that. Fuzzy Doolin. Hmm. Yes, no problem there." Gracie just looked at me with this expression that said, "I told you it was a good name!" With much sarcasm I thanked him for his assistance with my concern. :-)
On a serious note, Dr. Bennett said the baby is growing at a normal rate and that everything looks and sounds great. That's always good news. Next month I get to do the yucky glucose test. Ick. If I remember right, it doesn't taste real great!

Weekend Happenings

We didn't write for a few days because we were out of town. Saturday Brent and I dropped Gracie off in Moberly with Grandpa and Nana and we went to the MU vs Nebraska game in Columbia. For those that don't know, it was televised and didn't start until 8:15 p.m. Needless to say, we were tired the next day, but the main thing was that MU came out the winner! Sunday we went to a local pumpkin patch for some pumpkins and gourds and also went on a wagon ride. Gracie hated the wagon ride, so it was a waste of money. She wouldn't have made a good Amish child!
Today I had a scheduled doctors appointment in Hannibal, but got there and Dr. Bennett had just left to check on a woman in labor. After waiting for 1 hour and 30 minutes the receptionist said he was delivering the baby, but it would be best to reschedule since it would still be quite a while. I guess we get to go back to Hannibal tomorrow. If they try to weigh me again I'm going to smack someone, because they already did that today and I was depressed.
OK, a quick Gracie story for those that don't mind indulging me. My dad is a bit honery, and it really comes out when he is with Gracie. After much teasing on Saturday she finally told him, "Grandpa, you have 2 choices. You can be good or you can be naughty." Hmm, I wonder where she has heard that????

How to Stop a Baby From Kicking in the Womb

Tonight Gracie and I were watching Cinderella and the baby started kicking pretty hard. I put Gracie's hand on my tummy and told her to feel the baby kicking me. She quickly replied, "Don't worry, Mommy. I have some 'stop kicking' medicine you can take to make the baby stop kicking you. Here, have some." I pretended to swallow the pill and she said, "That's better, isn't it?" The innocence of a 3 year old still amazes me.
One more Gracie story. Sorry!!! Grandpa Self came today and played with Gracie while I did some stuff around the house. He went to the Homecoming parade with us and then had to go home. When they were saying goodbye Gracie told him, "You can come back any time you want to play with me." What a sweet invitation.

Under the Weather

We have a tired little girl this evening and didn't realize until about an hour ago that she was running a temperature. Gracie told me that she was "very, very sick." Upon questioning, her wrist, nose, stomach and toes all hurt. When Brent offered her some medicine she said, "Oh, I think I am feeling better now." How quickly we can recover when medicine is involved.

Atlanta had their last softball game tonight, so Brent is done supervising games until basketball starts. The sad part is that basketball starts next week! No rest for the weary.

In case anyone is wondering, Gracie is still determined to name the baby Fuzzy. She told her Grandpa and Nana that a friend from school said she would have to get a cat and name it Fuzzy because she couldn't name her sister Fuzzy. Gracie didn't agree. The saga continues...

Gracie's School Day

Gracie has been going to Preschool on Wednesday and Thursday each week while I work at the pharmacy. On Wednesday's she has to wear a dress to school because it is chapel day. They go next door to the church and sing and do some activities. She loves the whole dressing up scenario, but cries everytime I drop her off because she hasn't been to school in 5 days and has forgotten how much fun it is. Today was a bad drop-off with many tears. Brent has the fun job. He gets to pick her up after school and get the happy face and hugs because she has had an awesome day. Today he told her they could go to the park and she said, "Yea! We haven't been there for a thousand weeks!" Everything is related to a thousand weeks right now. It's her new catch phrase. Feel free to use it in your conversations!

Daddy's Home

Brent got home today after his Principal's conference in Columbia. Gracie was more than happy to give him her full attention after his absence. That was fine with me. The baby is kicking and moving a lot right now. Gracie hasn't felt it yet, but Brent did Saturday night. It's always amazing! We got a good rain shower today, so Gracie got out her rain boots and did some puddle stompin'. We still can't figure out how to add pictures to this blog, but I promise we will keep working on it. Once we get the hang of it...watch out. It will be Gracie overload!

Gracie Named the Baby

Today I asked Gracie if she liked several different girl names for the baby. She quickly vetoed all of my favorites. There was a pause, and then she said, "I know what we can call the baby. Fuzzy. It's a nice girls name." I laughed out loud and she said, "Now that's enough talking and laughing. If you keep laughing you won't get a sucker!" That's a serious threat coming from Gracie. She's a sucker fiend! I doubt that "Fuzzy" will be on the baby's birth certificate, but it could be a future nickname.

Just Gracie and Mommy

I have been promising a blog...so here it is. There is still a lot I need to learn, but I guess the best way is just to dive right in. Gracie and I are hanging out alone this evening since Brent is in Columbia for a Principal's meeting. He gets back on Tuesday. Yea!!! We spent the afternoon pulling weedy grass from our yard and playing at the neighborhood park. Tonight we went to church for Bible study. Gracie said she sang lots of songs, put stickers on a paper, played with Play-Doh and ate "blue stuff" with whipped cream on it. All in all, a good evening for Gracie.