If You Give a Mom a Muffin

Last week at Ingleside, Brynn's class had "Muffins with Mom." Mrs. Chrissie read this poem, and I just had to share it. The author is unknown.

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her that....
She has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook,
("101 Things to Do With A Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse....
That is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer....
And hang up!
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her...
That she was going to have a cup.
And chances are....
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it!

Sound like anyone else's life besides mine?

"March Madness"

We love March Madness at our house! It's one of Bryan's favorite sports events to watch. It's actually fun for all of us to watch it with him because he gets SO into the game! Madness, however, is not just a "March" thing at the Scott house. Life is so crazy, sometimes it feels as if we're spinning out of control....in a good way. March was full of great moments - spring sports, school events, funny "everyday" moments, Easter activities, warmer weather, Cherry Blossom Festival, birthday parties, Spring Break and more. Here are some pictures from the month.

Avery started softball at Freedom Park playing for the SHARKS! She is having a great time and is learning a lot. She has wonderful coaches, and several friends from school are on her team. I know it's going to be a great season.

Brynn struck again with more of her mischief! This time, I was working on the computer, and she walked in and said, "Look, Mommy, I cut my hair!" She was so proud of herself. I assessed the damage, and it was not as awful as when Avery cut her own hair. Brynn actually did a fairly good job; it was just a little too short. I had to fix it only a little bit, and in the end, she didn't look all that bad. I certainly didn't go as crazy about it as I did when Avery cut hers...am I getting USED to this mishap? No, if anyone puts scissors on my Asa's curls, I will bawl my eyes out! Speaking of that...did I ever post that I've cut his hair myself at least 6 times, and the curls just keep coming back!! YEAH!

I will post Spring Break and Easter pictures in separate posts. I'm almost caught up now, and with the girls' birthdays and summer around the corner, that's a GOOD thing!

That's My Boy!

I had just put Asa to bed the other night, and he was calling, "Mommy, Mommy" in the way he does when he has attempted to climb out of the bed but has gotten stuck on the rail. He wants me to come get him down, or he'll fall! Well, this time when I went in there, I nearly fell over laughing. My little man was naked as a jay bird on that bed rail. The camera just happened to be in the next room, so I ran and snapped this picture (though I have censored certain parts, obviously). He had taken off his zippered PJ's and his diaper, and I soon realized that he tinkled right through the crib slats onto the floor! I LOVE that little guy! For some odd reason, I just coudn't be mad at him! I mean, look at this face! Can you blame me?

More of Brynn's Mishief

Things got a little too quiet around here this morning while I was working on the laundry. I went into the kitchen and there was sugar all over the floor.

Me: "Brynn Scott, come here!"
Brynn: (not even in the room yet) "Asa did it; Asa did it."
Me: "Brynn, who got sugar all over the floor?"
Brynn: "Asa did it all by himself."
Me: "He climbed up on the counter and got the sugar bowl down and then made this mess all by himself? I don't think I believe that!"
Brynn: (with such an innocent, wide eyed look) "Yes, Mommy, he did it all by himself."
Me: (with broom in hand) "Well, you see, it's easy to clean up messes like this. What if I tell you that you will NOT get a spanking for making THIS mess, but that you just need to tell me the truth."
Brynn: "Okay, I made that mess."

Unfortunately, she didn't realize that instead she would be punished for lying to me! When I told my dad, he said that she needed to take legal advice from him....you never commit a felony to avoid a misdemeanor. In other words, don't LIE to avoid a spanking!

Oh, about 30 minutes later, I realized that Asa had sugar all in his hair. I guess he got a little sugar shower from his sister....could life be any more fun than that?!

Teachable Moments

Wednesday night at church, we were eating supper in the fellowship hall and Brynn announced, “Look Mommy, I drawed on my chair.” Sure enough she had created a pen and ink masterpiece on the back of her seat! One part of me was like, “I hope nobody saw that…what they don’t know won’t hurt them," but the other side was telling me, “This is a teachable moment.” SO….I told her that she would have to clean it up, but first she would have to apologize. I looked around the room for one of our pastors, and Mark Hudgins was sitting nearby. She apologized to him, and he lovingly forgave her and encouraged her to clean it up. We also saw Steve Mann the Facilities Manager (and a family friend) and I made her tell him “I’m sorry” as well. (He had to keep from laughing at her). Then we went to the kitchen to get some 409 and a wash cloth. Fortunately, we cleaned it up well enough. Just another day in my life with Brynn!

The Boy Wants Some Cherrios!

The other day, Bryan walked into the kitchen and found Asa EYE LEVEL with him! He apparently is a pretty clever climber, and he wanted those Cherrios PRETTY BAD!

Asa's Morning Surprise

This morning, we were in a rush to get everyone up and ready so that I could take Avery to basketball camp by 8:30. At 8:10, I had Avery ready and was brushing my teeth, when she came in the bathroom and said, "OHHHHH Mommy. You've GOT to come see what Asa did. It's just TERRIBLE!" I ran into the living room, and Asa was out of his diaper with poop all over him. Neither of the girls ever did this, so I guess the third time's a charm. I ran him to the bathtub and told Avery that if she was gonna make it on time, I'd need her help. While I cleaned up Asa and the mess he made, Avery helped Brynn find her clothes and put them on, find a bow and fix Brynn's hair, get Asa's shoes on, and turn off all the lights in the house. Needless to say, we made it by 8:30. Whew....what a morning! He's lucky he's so darn cute!

DRAMA Don't Work on MAMA!

Yesterday, Avery pulled the funniest/saddest manipulation tactic I have ever heard her try. I took away her Resurrection Eggs for the day because of something she did to Brynn. Then, within about 10 minutes, she wanted to watch the Mrs. Pattycake Easter video and do the eggs along with it. I said no, reminding her of her punishment. She huffed off to her room, and then the REAL drama began…

Now, she was back in her room all by herself, and I heard her start ranting in this half crying/half whining voice. She was saying so much that I turned on the monitor to listen, and this is just PART of what I heard. I missed the whole beginning, and once I started listening, she said so much that I couldn't even remember it all! She was saying all of this completely to herself because I had closed the door. (I think she was hoping I'd hear it all and be so sad for her that I'd change my mind and let her play with those eggs after all!) This is some of what I actually REMEMBER hearing...(words in all caps were spoken with extra emotion.)

"I am SO SAD right now. NOBODY likes me and I don’t have ANY friends – not Carlie, Lilla, Anna, or Reagan (these are all the girls in her class @ school)....not Mommy, Brynn, Daddy, or Asa… The only person who is my friend is Baylor (her cousin)…SHE is the only person who is NICE to me because EVERYBODY else is mean to me. I wish I could go live with HER family….but THEY don’t have room for me….I wish I could just DIE and go to heaven to be with God and Jesus and all the other people that died like Pops (my grandfather) and Mrs. Patricia's dog who gotted killed in the fire (our neighbor's house caught fire last fall)…And I don’t have ANY pretty things. None of my CLOTHES are pretty. I don't have any pretty DOLLS, no pretty CLOTHES, no pretty TOYS…and I can’t even FIND my pretty lamb that I gotted for Easter" ...and on and on and on!!!!

It was COMPLETE drama from beginning to end. Needless to say, I had heard about enough when she got to the "no pretty clothes or toys" part, so I had to jump in there and have a “chat” about trying to manipulate me using this type of drama and that it WON'T work. We talked about how the things she said were not true at all, but were used to try to make me feel sorry for her and change my mind about her punishment. I told her that there are plenty of children in Africa that would love all of her toys and clothes, and if she doesn't appreciate them, I'd be glad to ship them to some children who would. We talked about how God put her in the perfect family and that if she died we would all be so sad. She got the message and was fine after some hugs and kisses (even though she still couldn't watch Mrs. Pattycake and play with the eggs).

All I could think is that I hope this isn’t a taste of the teenage years! I must confess it broke my heart to hear her say those things. But I know she didn't mean any of it, and I better get some thick skin because I'm here to be her Mom and not her friend! I am hoping that MAYBE she will learn now that this won't work on me and won't even try it as a teenager. Parenting is SOOOO hard sometimes...especially the discipline part!

Snapshots Worth 1,000 Words

Sometimes during the day, I will catch one of the kids doing something cute or funny (and often mischevious). I have learned to have the camera nearby, so that I can snap a picture on a moment's notice. There are no long stories to go along with them - for the pictures tell their own story. Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from the last month.

OK, what is it with Asa and the feminine products? Guess I need to put them out of reach!

Avery and Brynn riding double on MY old horse - so sweet!

Asa giving me a big fat kiss! Love that boy!

Check out Brynn's shirt! HA! So appropriate for the girl who colors her lips with red marker and climbs into the bathroom sink to look at herself in the mirror (it's about to break off the wall!) She is the QUEEN of mischief!

She has an electrifying personality!

She's Jumpin' Her Pants Off

The other day, Brynn was jumping up and down in the living room, and she is so skinny, that her pants fell down. As if that wasn't funny enough, she looked at me and said, "Look Mommy, I just jumpted my pants off!"

This is NOT Funny!!!

Last Monday, when we were at my in-laws, Brynn went missing. When I found her, she was in the bathroom looking over the potty after flushing SOMETHING down. I saw Shirley's toothbrush in there and fished it out, and then noticed that the entire toilet paper roll had apparently been dunked as well. I wasn't sure exactly what all she flushed, but I knew in my gut that this was NOT good. The potty wouldn't flush right, so I had to get the plunger to unclog it. I told Shirley to be on the lookout in case it overflowed. This is the email I got from her today...
She wrote, "Guess what! The commode finally overflowed this morning. Al is calling the plumber today. I was trying to get dressed for work when I flushed it -- only had my coffee cup to try to stop the overflow by dipping water! Most water I think went downstairs. My toothpaste tube is missing so it probably is the main trouble. This may be a "blip" to record in your memory book of Brynn. It will be a good laugh!"
Only I am NOT laughing!!

Taking a Plunge

Bryan was keeping the kids this afternoon, and look what a mess Brynn got into this time!! Apparently, she started by using the plunger and splashing the toilet water all over the bathroom. At that point, Avery came and told on her. Before Bryan could get himself in there, Brynn had already stripped down naked. I guess she didn't want to get potty water on her outfit? No, it seems that a plunger on your tummy is quite HILARIOUS to a 2 year old. Instead of telling her to stop IMMEDIATELY, in typical fashion for us, Bryan went and got the camera. Next, Brynn thought it might be fun to plunge HERSELF inside the potty, so in she went! The camera battery died before Daddy fully captured that shot. Then to top it all off, she tried to dry off with her bed comforter! I swear she doesn't get this from me!!

Bad Hair Day!

Well, today was one of those days that I'll always remember. Every mother of girls (and probably some boys too) has this deep rooted fear that one day their baby with the beautiful long tresses will give herself a new haircut. We keep the scissors out of reach; we try to instill in their minds that cutting your OWN hair is a REALLY BAD IDEA; we threaten them; basically, we try to put the fear of God in them! For me, it didn't work. Today was the fateful day when my baby cut her hair. Faithful readers of this blog are saying, "Oh no! Brynn strikes again, and Brynn's hair can't get any shorter," but you'll never believe it...the culprit wasn't Brynn, but Avery!! She decided she wanted short hair (like her best friend at school), and that was it. She took a big whack out of the front and ended up giving her self a ridiculous looking set of bangs and a really bad layered cut on the left side. I didn't end up crying (I was too mad to cry), but I didn't wait long before taking her to the "beauty shop" to get it fixed. She absolutely loves it and thinks she looks just like Carlie from school. I feel pretty fortunate that in the end she looks OK, just not like a little girl anymore. Boo - Hoo!!!

What IS it with my kids?

So, I'm at home the other day, and I can't find Brynn. It's about 4:30 (and we have dropped her afternoon nap, I should add), and the house is just too quiet, which always beckons the question, "Where's Brynn?" I am running around the house calling, "Brynn, where are you? Answer Mommy!!" I do this for what seems like eternity (really only about 10 seconds), but I am starting to get really panicky! I walk into Asa's room, and I just happen see 2 little feet sticking out from behind his crib. I go to look closer, thinking maybe she's playing hide and seek. But no, you guessed it, she's fast asleep behind the bed. What IS it with my kids??? (If you read my "Sound Asleep" post from September, you know what I mean!)

Seeing Double

It has become apparent that Asa is VERY much like his big sister, Brynn. Remember the picture of them in the dishwasher? (see Deja Vu post on August 11). Well, just tonight I was getting the kids dressed after baths. I already had Asa in his PJ's and had left him in his room to play. I got the girls out of the tub and was with them in their room getting their PJ's on, when Avery walked into the guest bathroom. She ran back in the room and said, "Mommy, Asa's in the bathtub!" I rushed in there, and somehow, he had managed to climb back in with his pajamas on. The water was almost completely drained, but he still got pretty wet! Of course, I KNEW I'd seen this once before!!! This EXACT thing happened with Brynn once. I am posting BOTH pictures!! Looks like I'm in for alot of trouble with the two of them! The top picture is Brynn when she was 14 months old. We had a "color bath," so that's why the water was blue. Bottom one is Asa - 12 months old. I'm afraid he's doing all of Brynn's mischief about 2 months ahead of her!!

I guess I should look for this to happen too in about a year....these pics are of Brynn just 2 nights ago when she was SUPPOSED to be in the bed going to sleep! First we walked in on her, and she had pulled EVERY SINGLE book off the book shelves. We cleaned that up, had a "come to Jesus" talk with her and went back about our evening. About 30 minutes later, we walked in, and she had pulled every wipe out of the box and the floor was covered in them. What did I EVER do to deserve this? Mom kindly reminded me the other day (when Brynn messed up Asa's b-day cake) that "this is the same little girl who nearly drowned about 4 months ago." I'll take the mischief ANY day!! Thanks for the reminder, Mom!

Sound Asleep

I am uniquely blessed in the fact that my kids are REALLY hard sleepers. Maybe it's because I made it a point never to tiptoe around them when they were babies, so they learned to adjust to a somewhat noisy environment. There are 2 things that I absolutely LOVE about this: First, I can pick them up and move them around while they are asleep, and they won't wake up. If they fall asleep in the car, I just carry them inside. If they're asleep in their beds, I can go in and pick them up and hold them or rock them. I LOVE sneaking them out of bed and bringing them into my room to snuggle (I get to enjoy cuddling up to them, and they don't wake up to realize it and get spoiled!) I can also get really cute pictures of all three of them when they're asleep because I just wait till they're out and then position them however I want to.

The second thing that I love about them being hard sleepers is that they can fall asleep just about anywhere - on the floor, in the car, on the couch, in the highchair, and even inside a box!! Last night, Avery came into my room and asked, "Where's Brynn?" (They share a bedroom). I asked, "She's not in her bed?" Avery said "no," so I went in the room and looked. Then Avery said, "Oh, here she is...asleep inside this box." I looked inside, and sure enough, there was Brynn fast asleep in a box.

It got me thinking about all of the funny places I've caught them sleeping, so I decided to round up some pictures - old and new.

Brynn in the box - 9/26/08

I came home one night from PTO at school, and Brynn had fallen asleep on the floor. Bryan left her there for me to see! 9/7/08

Left: Asa fell asleep right in his ExerSaucer - 6/15/08

Right: Too pooped to even eat! 3/2/08

Christmas Eve 2007 - YES, they are REALLY asleep.

Christmas Card pic of the girls in 2006. They didn't even wake up when Bryan and I were manipulating those hats to look just PERFECT!

Avery fell asleep while watching a movie in our living room chair - 3/16/07

Avery read herself to sleep. 6/19/07

Avery was so tired after gymnastics one day, that she crashed on the sofa. 5/10/07.

OK, I guess you get the idea! I could literally look for pictures forever because there are dozens of them....

My Weekend Without Julie (posted by Bryan)....

Well, it's better late than never, but here is what Bryan had to say about his weekend without me when I went to Fernandina with my girlfriends...

Okay, so Julie goes away for the weekend with her girlfriends, and I'm keeping the kids. So how was it for me?
First of all, Julie left on a Thurday around noon. So when she takes a weekend, she takes a weekend. I kept Asa while the girls went to Athena Leskovic's house and played. I took advantage of a nap, about a half hour, while Asa was asleep. Then I delivered him to Grandmommy so I could work a little more. Picked them up after work, brought them home. Night's almost over right? Wrong.
Brynn would NOT stay in her bed! No matter what I did, she would not. I spanked her over and over again to no avail. After spanking Brynn who knows how many times for getting out of bed (literally Brynn would not obey), Brynn fell asleep. Avery was still awake, and I asked her why in the world did Brynn keep getting out of bed when I kept spanking her? Avery said, "Because she's 2." I laughed and told Avery that sometimes God speaks through the mouth of a child, and I think He just did.
It was awesome. After that night's battle royal with Brynn, she was the first to wake up. She came in the bedroom, and I asked if she wanted to get into my bed. She said yes, and we just laid there together, and I loved on her. Then she said, "I love you." It was awesome b/c I was so concerned about last night's stuff. The first (or one of the first) words out of her mouth were "I love you." How great is that? Even in discipline, per God's word, she felt loved.
So I take them to the Tattnall homecoming game. Avery wants to wear a cheerleading outfit. The only one she has is a Georgia cheerleading outfit. Brynn wears Avery's old TSA cheerleading outfit.

Tripp has his jersey retired before the game, and during the ceremony I recognize a wailing cry over the crowd. . . it's Avery. I have to leave the ceremony to go take care of Avery who scratched her leg.
Go back to the ceremony, finish up. Asa's got a poo-poo. I change it, and then I cannot find Brynn. They're doing the invocation before the game and I'm the only person walking around looking for someone. Shawn finally sees her on the field near one of the end zones. We stay till halftime. It's late, so I let the girls sleep in their cheerleading outfits.
Wake up the next morning, cook pancakes upon Avery's insistence. Then she doesn't eat any b/c Brynn poked her in the hand with a fork. Brynn also decided to pour the syrup on the dining room table.

Off to Tanner's football game . . . of course in the cheerleading outfits. I guess if it were up to me I'd probably change their clothes only twice per week. Grandma Shirley bought the kids pizza, and Avery gave me "your favorite part" (the crust).
Went to Arby's for lunch (a big deal for me b/c I've never taken all three of them out to lunch on my own before). Got the car washed (which it needed) and the kids loved that. Off to Burns Park (it's hard to swing three kids . . . kinda like that guy that spins like 20 plates on sticks). Back home, nap time for Asa, and though I try to get some shut-eye, Avery and Brynn decide they want to get in bed with me and cut up. Baths, off to Grandma Shirley's for spaghetti, and back home.
Somewhere along the line I find during the weekend a roll of toilet paper undone and stuffed into the toilet. I wonder who would have done that? Asa's not coordinated enough, and Avery is, at her age, too responsible. That leaves me or Brynn.

Off to church on Sunday. I take Grandma Shirley and Papa up on their invitation to go to S&S Cafeteria. Man was that crazy! In the middle of that long wait line, Avery has to go to the potty. She holds it as long as she can until "it's about to come out!" Grandma Shirley takes her to the bathroom, leaving me and Papa with Brynn and Asa and 4 trays of food. When we sit down, Asa's fussy, Brynn just wants jello or Papa's congealed salad, alot of screaming, crying, and craziness and we're out of there. It was chaotic, but it was wierd, after the whole thing, I told God that it was awesome. It's one of those things you look back on and laugh, and count your blessings.
Mommy came home to a clean house (picked up about 2 hours before she arrived). It was a fun weekend, but having Mommy around sure helps!
- Daddy

This is a Bandaid!

Just a second ago, I walked in on Brynn, who was in my bathroom getting into something, I was sure. I looked at her, and she said, "This is a bandaid" and pulled up her dress to show me. This is what I saw...so typical of Brynn!! I'm still cracking up!

The Sounds of Bedtime

Bedtime at the Scott house is not exactly bedtime. I try get the kids in bed by 7:00, which is no real problem for Asa. He's the easiest one to get to sleep - just put him in the crib, and he's off to la-la land! Easy enough! Now the girls are another story altogether. On a typical night, we get them in their room around 7:00. First, we brush teeth, then we read together, then it's time for prayers, hugs & kisses, tucking in and LIGHTS OUT!! That's when the drama begins...

Brynn loves to climb all over the crib and sit up on top of the rails. If she's not on her pillow, she's perched like a bird on the railing! It's quite a sight to see! Avery is constantly getting up to inform us that "Brynn's out of the bed!" or "Brynn turned on the light!" Brynn gets out of bed incessantly, crying "Avee's hits me!" or asking "I'nna get in Avee's bed!" Sometimes we let them get in Avery's bed together for a while, which can be good or bad. On many nights, they'll sing or play school, but often they nearly drive each other crazy (at which point Brynn has to go back to her crib, and she pitches a fit!) Sometimes (like in photo below, taken last night) Brynn will sneak back into Avery's bed, but we won't discover it until we check on them right before we go to sleep. They will both be snuggled up together fast asleep. So sweet!

The other night, Avery sneaked out of bed after Brynn was already asleep, and we found her under a dining room chair just hanging out listening and watching us in the bedroom. Glad we weren't DOING anything!

All of this to say, on a typical night at bedtime, our house is filled with a conglomeration of the sounds of praying, reading, singing, tattling, crying, laughing, talking, teaching, whining, fighting, and loving. At some point each night (maybe by 9:00), they all 3 are visited by the sandman, and then there is peace and quiet!

Deja Vu!

Today, I walked in on Asa playing in the kitchen, and he had climbed up into our dishwasher. As if that wasn't shocking in and off itself, I had this strange feeling that I'd seen that exact same thing before. Sure enough, I pulled out Brynn's 1 year scrapbook, and there it was! Is Asa going to be as much trouble as his big sister? It sure looks that way!

Left: Brynn - 14 months; Right: Asa 10 months