Kid Funnies...

Clayton and I butt heads a lot. We are firstborns, and I attribute birth order and the fact that we are so much a like to the fact that we challenge each other so much. Beth Moore said once that one of her daughters was "so strong-willed that she could make James Dobson cry." I know exactly what she means...

However, Clayton has this uncanny way of coming up with the funniest zingers just when I think that I am going to loose my mind with him. I like to document those things, so that, on the hard days, I can remind myself of what how much joy that he brings me. :)

This is a conversation we had a couple of weeks ago:

Clayton: "Mom, where are your sewing needles?"
Me: "Why do you need my sewing needles?"
Clayton: "Because I am going to prick my finger and make a slide so that I can look at my blood under my microscope."

Um, that's totally normal for a 5 year old, right??? For the record, I did not reveal the whereabouts of my sewing needles and we had a long talk about how that could lead to infection. We decided to make a slide of something that didn't require drawing blood. ;)

On Monday we were driving home from school, when he revealed this little gem:

Clayton: "Um... Mom.... Uh... I have a secret that I'm not supposed to tell anyone. I have decided that I can tell you, though. But, you can't tell anyone else." (He was super serious and acted like he had really struggled with whether or not to tell me this big "secret.")
Me: Clayton, you can tell me anything. What is it?
Clayton: "Well.... Um... I'm actually a CIA agent."
Me: (Trying desperately not to laugh my head off!) "Really??? That's cool! I've never known a CIA agent before!"
Clayton: "Well, actually, Daddy is one too. But you can't tell anyone!"

He was so, so serious throughout that conversation, and I could barely contain my laughter. I have no earthly idea how he knows what a CIA agent is! Either way, I feel much safer knowing that 50% of my household is comprised of undercover agents. Ha ha!

One day they will hate me for this...

The vast majority of my friends' kids are little girls. Therefore, most of my kids playmates are of the female variety. (The major exception is Luke, of course, Drew's BFF. :) ) That's how I ended up with pictures like this on my phone...

Drew in a poofy pink princess dress...

Drew with makeup and a purse...

Drew with makeup, necklaces, and his hair fixed...

And Clayton with makeup on... (He insisted that it was "army guy face paint." That makes it okay, I guess???)

Yes, I know that one day they will hate me for posting those pictures on the world wide web. But, I just had to document the fact that I had to use makeup remover on my children. That is something that I never thought that I would get to do! Ha!

Annual Pink & Red Dinner

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I love Valentine's Day... I know that it is a manufactured Hallmark holiday, but I can't help myself. I just think it is so fun!

Since Valentine's fell on Monday this year, we decided to celebrate our annual Pink & Red family dinner a day early. So, yesterday was deemed Valentine's Day at the Carpenters. :)

I managed to talk my entire family into wearing red to church yesterday morning! There may have been a bit of grumbling, but eventually they all got on board. I've learned that you can get away with that type of cheesy request when you are the only girl in the house. Ha!

Wade tried to hide his red sweater vest and claim that he didn't own anything red. Not so fast, Buddy - I do your laundry! I know everything in your wardrobe inventory. ;)

Oh that Drew... He has my heart like no one else!

His older brother is quite charming too, of course. :)

As I was putting the camera away, Drew said, "Picture Daddy! Picture Daddy!"
Wade was happy to oblige in his Mini-Me's request.

We have been talking for the last couple of weeks about our Pink & Red dinner. We started this tradition last year on Valentine's Day and it was a big hit! Clayton was very emphatic that he wanted to be surprised with the menu this year. :) He offered to "watch Drew upstairs" while Wade & I got dinner ready, so that he wouldn't see anything until it was all ready. I loved his excitement!

I saw some ideas online about cutting a carrot into a heart shape and slicing baby tomatoes at an angle to make a heart. So, we fudged a little on the red & pink rule and had salad as our side. I did offer pink ranch dressing or Catalina dressing to put on top, though.

We recently got a Costco membership and I LOVE that place! Our master closet has now been deemed the storage closet for all of deals that are too good to pass up. We have enough toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and razors to last at least 2 years. Ha! I also found heart shaped ravioli there this month. So cute!

Our tablescape...

Clayton's dinner & gifts -
When Clayton was 2, we gave him this obnoxious singing monkey for Valentine's Day. He LOVED that thing - and still does! So, we have bought the same type of singing stuffed animals every year since. They drive me insane, but the kids adore them. It truly is a gift of self-sacrificing love! ;)

Drew's dinner & gifts

Clayton came downstairs, totally unprompted, with his eyes covered. Ha ha!

What a fun night we had!

I hope that your day is especially full of L-O-V-E!!! :)

Double Digits!

We are still iced in! Schools are still closed (today being snow day #4!) and everyone is still hibernating at home... It is just crazy! I cannot get over it...

In other exciting news, Baby Boy #3 is due in 99 days! Double digits, y'all! I realized that yesterday started the 100 day countdown and had a mini panic attack. ;) I feel like there is still so much to do, and time is just ticking away! We will be ready and waiting, though, when May 14th rolls around! The little punkin' is still super active, and I continue to be grateful for the constant reassurance that he gives me. Having a newborn is one of my greatest joys, and I get to experience that all over again very soon. What a wonderful blessing to look forward to! I'm anxious to see my sweet little May Baby's face! :)

Arctic Blast 2011

We are officially iced/snowed in! Yesterday it rained, the rain froze, and then we got some snow. The ice underneath the snow has caused the roads to be super slick, which, in Texas, shuts everything down. Schools and businesses are closed, and our entire area seems to be hibernating. Thankfully, our Daddy is in town, so a few days of hibernating is alright by me! :)

Yesterday, we did some school work in the morning (mean old homeschool Mom...) and Drew took a nap in the afternoon. In the warmest part of the day (a balmy 14 degrees!), we decided to don all of our snow gear and go outside to "help" Daddy try to break up the ice on the driveway. ;)

We lasted outside for approximately 2.5 seconds before there were requests for hot chocolate. Ha! However, I did get some photographic proof that we were out to brave the elements.

Poor Daddy... shoveling snow, chipping away at the ice, rinse & repeat. Boo!

Cute patoot snow baby...

Why do little boys always get the best eyelashes??? Proof that life, indeed, is not fair!

Throwing snowballs...

Drew loved it! He would slip on the ice and just smile and laugh as he tried to regain his footing. :)

As soon as he spotted the neighbor's attempts to cover their water spout, he started saying, "Target! Target!" That's my boy! Ha ha!

Clayton found Wade's ski goggles in our bin o' winter gear and begged to wear them. ;)

His chief form of entertainment was "ice skating" on the driveway.

SnowBuddies :)

Hopefully, by tomorrow the roads will be a little better. Two days of hibernating is fun and all, but my boys are starting to get a little stir crazy. I've come to realize that little boys are like labrador puppies - if they don't get enough exercise, they will get themselves into trouble. ;)