See Someone Through

Is there someone in your life who bugs the crap outta you? Or maybe someone in your life who is lost to the n'th degree and you feel like they may be lost forever? Or maybe someone you love, who is near and dear to your heart, is really, really struggling and they are really not meeting YOUR needs....maybe they mess up a lot. Maybe everything they do is wrong in your eyes. Maybe they need to take a good long look in the mirror and really get right with God. Maybe it will take them years and years of work and heartache and maybe you just really want to walk away. Maybe it would be easier if you did. Maybe they're in extreme pain and you are the only one they can lean on. That's a lot for one person.

I ask you now, unless you are physically or emotionally being abused, to consider SEEING SOMEONE THROUGH. I ask you to take a good hard look at yourself and ask yourself if you can give just a little more for a little while...or maybe a long while...ask God to meet you right where you are and see someone through their struggles and be there for them and love them over and over and over...even when they don't deserve your love...or your grace. I ask you to see someone through to the other side even if it may take years of worry and heartache and dips in your faith...because maybe that's why you are where you are. Maybe it's not about you. Maybe it is. Just think about that and see if there is someone in your life who just needs love from you...not your correction, not your opinion, not your feelings, not your disgust, not your judgement, not your direction...just your love. Just you and love. Just give someone your love and see how that works for awhile. If you are tired of all the deep-rooted fears...just stop and give love. It's not hard just to give love. God made you to love. You may be surprised to find yourself on the other side someday. And that's a wonderful thing that only He could orchestrate. Blessings!

Fabulous Anna!

My precious Anna turned EIGHT yesterday.

She's eight.

I have an eight-year-old.

She's a lovely little girl. I adore her. I love who she is and how she has become more of herself. We had a huge Fabulous Fashion Party with all of her friends (seventeen girls to be exact). It was so cute and fun. The girls were easy and happy and I think they had a good time. I hope they did. They seemed to. I took this picture to show you the latte cups I semi-homemade for the girls to sip their lemonade and Sprite from. I saw some really plain ones at Birthday Express that were plastic and super expensive so I modified the idea to make it MUCH MORE FABULOUS, sorta copied my e-friend (her cool word) Karen's idea with all her wonderful things and voila...I got these cute latte cups. I bought the cups at Wal-Mart and designed the wrapper to match this invitation I designed:


cut them out and taped them on. Karen woulda used some kind of sticker that fit mysteriously perfectly. I just used Scotch tape. Anyway...Anna's eight now. I feel a little sad about it tonight. Tonight, I think that I would like to keep her inside the house forever from now on...with me.

Here's a few pictures from the party:

This is Group Two posing for me in the middle of make-up! I had them draw numbers randomly to divide them into groups for different activities.

This is the whole little girly group. I said, "Model Pose!" and this is what they did. Anna's wearing her cute, twirly outfit from Justice (her favorite store) with matching velvet cap!

This is right before, "Happy Birthday to You!"


This is THE CAKE!

That's it. I'm going to prepare for a VERY BUSY morning tomorrow. Anna's singing in the choir at 8:00 a.m.!!!!!!!!!! I think they should BAN all 8:00 a.m. choir performances for children. 8:00 a.m. choir performances are on my list of pet peeves tonight. We usually start church at 9:15...sigh. If only I ran things. Ha, ha.

Who's Who?

I have been soooooooooo busy lately running from one thing to the next that my poor bloggy baby that I love for selfish reasons has been somewhat neglected. Understatement, I guess. Anyway, I have suddenly had an explosion of clients wanting graphic design work and a new very big client wanting everything big and advertising-ish which, frankly, is slightly frightening to me...can I do it? I think I can. So...Amber said "time's up" and I guess she means it...you know those red-heads are feisty little momma's, now aren't they. Anyway...for lack of anything better or type-able at the moment I'll do this just for now...that I stole from Susie-Q...one of my most favorite sweetest friends from church (who probably hates that I just referred to her as Susie-Q)!

What's your husband's name?
Well...his name is Daniel David Draper, III. Yes THE THIRD...which is why there's no Daniel David Draper THE FOURTH...there's Sterling! Yippee! Dan's dad was really into genealogy when he was alive and we used to go to lots of family reunions...ya know the kind at hotels in the middle of nowhere where people sit and talk and show pictures and play dominoes. There's like A MILLION Dan Drapers...no kidding. He went by "Danny" in high school (his mom still calls him Danny) and changed to Dan in college...THANK GOD!!!

How long have you guys been married?
We celebrated our twelfth anniversary last June...so we're almost at the halfway point. Um...I think we'll make the "'til death do we part" for sure. No douuuuuuuuubt!

How long did you date?
Hmmmm...I guess we "for real" dated about two years before we got married. We did the whole "are they dating" or "are they just 'haning' out conveniently" thing...and "oh, she's not taking HIM to the party?" and "oh, I thought HE was dating Ashley...oh no...he's dating a Pi Phi!"....and "I'm not speaking to HIM anymore" and "I'll show him, I'll date so-and-so now!"...stupid.

How old is he?
Chronologically he is 37 years old...about a year older than I. But based on everything he's endured....I'd say he's about 80...I'm almost 50...maybe over 50.

Who is taller?
Oh my goodness he is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY taller than I am! He's about 6'2" and I'm about 5'5"....and he's got these legs that go on forever and ever. They are LONG!

Who can sing the best?
Definitely MOI! I looooooooooove singing...and I don't care who disagrees that I'm better. But the man can carry a tune...he just doesn't...but he can. Shshshhhhh...it's a secret.

Who is smarter?
Hmph. He is definitely "smarter" than me...but I'm no dummy. I got myself some self-esteem in the intelligence area. He's amazingly gifted at looking at the "big picture" and looking ahead at what's down the road. I think I'm pretty emotionally smart and better at relationships. Does that count?

Who does the laundry?
Me...and my mom. My moms is always doing our laundry when she comes over. Dan will do the laundry if asked...which is rare. I HATE LAUNDRY!

Who pays the bills?
Dan the man. Period. He takes care of all of us so well and I'm so happy and proud that he does it so very well.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
When you are facing the bed...I sleep on the right side. I have always tried to get him to let me sleep on the other side...but I lose every time.

Who mows the lawn?
Joel...the lawn guy.

Who cooks dinner?
Me...if you call it "cooking"...I also HATE COOKING! Food preparation and raw meats and things just are NOT my forte...unless it's cake, cookies or pie. Then I ROCK!

Who is the first to admit they are wrong?
Me. Dan's never wrong.

Who kissed who first?
Wow...long debate in our marriage. I say, the night we met, in a bar in Mexico, dancing after too many tequilas that HE came up to me and HE kissed ME! He disagrees...but I would never go up to a boy and kiss them out of the blue after too many tequilas...would I? (Don't tell the children.) Otherwise....the real deal kissaroo was after our first "real" date (sometime after the Mexico incident) and he asked me if he could give me a kiss goodnight. First boy that ever asked me if he could kiss me. I remember that like it was YESTERDAY!

Who wears the pants?
Dan the Man. Definitely. I like it that way. I trust him with everything...and he takes such wonderful care of his family.

I'm Eating Pie

My mom and dad came over this evening and brought DINNER! So, I just hopped outta the shower, threw in a load o' laundry and am now chomping down on the thickest yummiest slice of cherry pie and an ice cold glass of milk watching Friday's episode of The Young and The Restlesssssss! Good times. (I'm not eating again until Thursday though...probably.) Dan's officially in "brief-writing mode"...so it's just me and mr. laptop and my pie.

Hope everyone's Halloween was super fun...ours was! I haven't uploaded or downloaded or sideloaded any of our gazillion pictures but I will soon, so I can share our little "Moon and Star Fairy" (not Celestial Fairy, like I, the mommy, suggested!) and "Cowboy"...complete with real-live Wrrrrrrrranglers! Love me some Wranglers! Really...is there anything cuter than a three-year-old hiney in a pair of Wranglers...maybe a 37-year-old hiney in some...but that ain't gonna happen with my hubby...those days are gone, I'm afraid. Sterling was so cute! But now, he's getting sorta sickly...which I had last week...and Caroline's recovering from an ear infection! What is it with ear infections and the nation anyway? Caroline and I are feeling much better but I'm afraid Sterling may require a visit to the pediatrician. Not fun. Anna, Sterling and I piled in Sterling's big bed tonight around 6:45 real time...7:45 kid time and read about three chapters of the Caroline series from the Little House books and little Sterling just fell right asleep with the light on and Anna and I chatting away about the book. He just couldn't keep his eyes open...and when we gently climbed outta his bed and I turned off the light he looked up at me and said, "my ear's hot..."

Sidenote: I'm seriously considering a second slice of pie right now...no joke. It's pretty mundane around here...last week was kinda crazy with the illnesses and regular business of life so I really have nothing exciting to talk about...or the exciting stuff I do have to talk about requires either time or chocolate and real-live chatting or coffee...guess that's about it.

My favorite things from this weekend were:

My son's hiney in Wranglers;

Texas Tech beating Texas in one of the best football games of the year;

Our team demolishing their opponent so badly that I can't even remember who we played because it got kinda boring after awhile so we went outside and played...maybe Iowa State?;

Did I mention Texas getting STOMPED in football?;

The rockin' song our praise and worship band played during the offertory today...why do they wait 'til then? I wish they'd opened with it instead;

The conversation I had with an oldie but goodie college friend from my freshman year;

The fact that our wonderful pastor ended his sermon today by saying, "I'm Tom Harrison and I approve this message."

Oh! And thanks for all the calculatory comments about my inability to figure twenty-five-freaking percent off my Gymboree order. Of course you KNOW what it was. It was...USER ERROR! I figured it out Cindy's way...take half, then take half of that...which I think was somewhere near eighty bucks. But...here's the kicker. The twenty five percent off was for their "new collections" (which I ordered a couple things from) and PROMOTIONAL ITEMS! ding...ding....ding....ding...ding....the promotional items, I THOUGHT, were the items they were promoting, like, on sale. Not so, of course. I have no idea what was considered "promotional" and what was not, but I know it indeed was NOT the items I selected. COME ON GYMBOREE! I called them and told them I thought it was deceptive and tried my best to convey my disappointment. They didn't seem to mind. So...there's the story. You knew it was me all along, didn't you?

I've Mathematically Fallen...

...and I can't get up!

To prove to you how much I hate math, I think this sentiment to the right is a bunch of phoney baloney! Gimme a break...math is NOTHING like art or poetry!

Seriously! Okay, I really need your help. It's 12:34 a.m. and I'm fresh outta the shower and my mind is completely boggled. Is it me? Or...am I a complete mathematical idiot? It very possibly could be the latter because I detest, despise and abhor with great enmity all things relating to math...except music, but that's easy...oh!, and cutting a pie into uneven, unmathematical sections so I get the biggest piece. So. I just used my Circle of Friends discount at Gymboree, I had 'til midnight to make my decisions and I'm going to be totally real and honest. My shopping cart total was $329.34 because that is a necessary part of this story problem. Not cuz I give a rats rear how much I, or anyone spends on any amount of clothing (or any purchased item) for anyone. Now, to some that's nothin'...maybe like a whole outfit. To others that's quite a bit. But leave your worries at the door, that's no matter here. I bought several things for all three children because (see how I justify) no one can wear the other's hand-me-downs and any kind of hand-me-downs to be had, have been previously doled out. For Pete's sake, my precious cherub third-born is wearing her brother's blue fuzzy blanket sleepers from two years ago. But rue the day when my children aren't dressed in their Sunday best for Christmas! Get me? So, I bought their Christmas outfits and other essential items...and that's three children, and it's getting cold and Caroline has nothing to wear...and it was ALL already on sale! Point is...and I haven't made it yet (and it's not that I could've been purchasing everything from Janie and Jack at $629.34!!...because I really do LOVE Janie and Jack!). My discount was 25%! This is where I need you....SO! When I punch in my discount code my total goes from the $329.34 to $310.54. Now...correct me if I'm wrong, but that ain't no 25% discount.....IS IT? Help me! I kept re-punching in the code and re-punching and re-thinking...Tell me I'm correct! I even attempted long-hand mathematics on the back of a Country Home magazine! Tell me that I'm not operating on about two weeks of six or less hours of sleep a night and going totally mental and have forgotten fourth or sixth grade math...or whatever. Please! If not, please don't be mean because I don't do math well. I'm wearing this shirt tomorrow with my tall high-heeled black boots and super stretchy denim flared jeans.

because this is how I feel about math:

and I kid you not when I read the above cartoon I died...DIED!!!....laughing outloud because that's exactly how I feel about math...kinda like I feel about football.

...and then I'm calling Gymboree's Customer Service.

Oh, and I changed my blog banner two months ago and just uploaded it Friday night...and that required no mathematical skills whatsoever.

today i yelled

...at my son so he would 'QUIT FARTIN' AROUND AND TAKE A NAP!'...'IT'S NOT A CHOICE TODAY, YOU HAVE TO TAKE A NAP'...'IF YOU'RE GONNA WAKE UP AT SIX O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE A NAP'...'AND WE HAVE CHURCH TONIGHT'...i also threatened to spank him. he was yawning at 9:00 this morning and hasn't stopped. if i were graded on my ability to mother him today i'm sure i would've received a big ol' fat F. but, i think he's asleep. i'm afraid to open the door. (and to think, yesterday i went and read sweet stories to all the children and played puzzles and was in mommy heaven and tears rolled down my face when they sang their songs on the carpet and sat on their pockets...all at the best ol' preschool since 1978...now look at me...the antithesis of an early childhood development degree holding' momma. shame!)

...what else...housecleaners are coming tomorrow after almost two months without one...i'm very happy about it but my house is so filled with clutter i'm afraid i'll be awake until dawn trying to free surfaces from their death of papers and magazines and toys and sacks...i'm almost this close to being a hoarder...like on oprah.

things seem a little stressful around here lately...probably more me than anyone. caroline is always into everything and it bothers me a little...not like it did when sterling was this age, but still, it is difficult to maintain any sort of organization without locking every door, drawer and cabinet...

dan's also working and insanely busy. he told me last night that he and his business partner are going to try and start another business. wow. i always support him, so i will. he does a great job at pretty much anything he does so we'll see. i'm going to be praying about it and asking God for clear direction for their future business endeavors. new things and change cause a little stir in me. i like it when things are predictable and easy-going...uncertainty and me aren't good buddies.

the kiddos are gearing up for halloween. i'd show you their costumes but guess what....for the first time ever I'M NOT BUYING THEM!...and guess what else...seems like that may be more expensive! anna is going to be a "moon and star fairy", sterling's going to be a "cowboy" (so thrilled about that one...can't wait to see his three-year-old rear in wranglers!) and caroline is going to be a little red-headed girl in a super cute halloween dress because i'm not payin' over thirty bucks for anything that she might or might not wear for about thirty minutes. not gonna do it. so, i bought her the cutest little cordouroy halloween jumper trimmed in orange and white polka-dot grosgrain ribbon with orange leggings and an orange peter pan collared shirt...it's sorta like these combined...there's and orange and white polka dot bow calling her name too!..and it was only like $11 on clearance at kohl's! i love kohl's.

also! i'm hosting a preschool pumpkin party next wednesday for my son's preschool class! i'm SOOOOOO excited about it because i really don't know any of the mommies in his class and he doesn't know any of the children in his class...ya know, other than the ones he sorta plays with at preschool. there are only two mommies i actually "know"...the other sixteen i will hopefully get to meet then. so many have rsvp'ed and i LOVE meeting new people and hosting parties! i really do! they are all bringing their own pumpkins to decorate. no painting or carving though...only foamy stickers and regular stickers. anyone used those "glue-dots" before? i'm thinkin i'm going to try those...if you have any cute ideas that are age-appropriate for three year olds, let me know. i think i'm going to decorate with burlap and hay bails and have some treats for the children and coffee (with lids) for the mommies. it's going to be in our backyard...so pray for NO RAIN!...cuz what will i do with 18 three-year-olds in my house...plus siblings!! (it's in the morning so no school-aged siblings)...anyway...that's what i have to look forward too. i'm having the lawn guy come on monday and i'm having the carpets cleaned on tuesday, because they need it anyway...or maybe i'll drag out the steam cleaner and save some money...that would be wiser.

well...off to de-clutter, which is what i shoulda been doin' all this time. but i miss blogging...time...sigh...

Schmolitics

One of the things I've actually come to like about campaigns over the years is this:

Kenneth Copeland and David Barton

If you believe that the bible is God-breathed and you want Christian truths to reign in our government then I hope you'll watch this week and next. It's intriguing. I know those guys are not perfect...no one is...but if you have time, listen to what they are saying. That's all. Blessings.

i, i'm, my, me.

i just heard that mary engelbreit's home companion will no longer be after dec/jan issue coming out soon. i'm mad about it.

i have had one busy, crazy, hectic day after another since last monday.

my closet threw up on onto my bedroom floor and that really just isn't attractive or sexy. ewww.

i have been sucked into facebook by my highschool gal pal amy. thanks ALOT amy! i'm not really mad at amy, she rocks. she's raising four boys and so therefore she rocks. but nevertheless i have been sucked into facebook.

facebook makes me remember lots of fun people that i totally dig still...

my hubby and me had an OVERNIGHT date this past weekend and that was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fun.

i love my alma mater.

i'm not ready for christmas to start making it's way to town.

i need shampoo. i washed my hair with electric tangerine shampoo and conditioner in one tonight that i swiped from my children. my hair feels frizzy now.

i hate cooking.

i like cooking if it's sugary and fattening.

i haven't had one ounce of sugar all day. dan and i are no-sugaring it for a week or so. that's always a little frightening.

i'm modeling in a fashion show with my daughter in about three weeks and that's a little frightening. it's for charity so i guess i better suck it up...and in.

my house will never be clean and organized because i have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. get me?...so don't visit unexpectedly unless your name is dana, or christine or somebody else who knows the real me.

my husband bought me something so special and thoughtful and wonderful and nostalgic. i'm trying to get a post going about it...no time. but it's a doozy.

our cats may not make it around here much longer.

i'm sick of political commercials and television about political crap. i'm done with that.

i'd like people who say they are going to do something to do what they say they are going to do...wouldn't you?

i'm gripy tonight.

it's late.

i'm reading at my son's preschool tomorrow. my son's preschool is pretty close to heaven.

i got caroline to wear bows. i'm thrilled that i figured out the trick.

i'm ready for bedlam.

i wonder if my sorority sister tara b. is reading this...i heart you tara.

i'm going to bed.

I Heart Branson!

Hey girly mommas! We've been in Branson since last Thursday and got back last night...soooooooooooo fun! I must tell you right now that we have taken our children to Disney World, Disney Land, Sea World and Legoland but hands down Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri is absolutely the most adorable, family friendly, most funnest-bestest-superest place to go! We love it and here's why. It's totally family friendly, it's beautiful, the employees are kind and seem happy to be there, the food is YUMMOLICIOUS, there is a Christian atmosphere, the rides are mostly all child-friendly, the grounds are kept IMMACULATE and hmmmm....what else can I say...oh yes, there are expert craftsmen and women showing you how they make and create things and they let the children see and help! We love Silver Dollar City! Now, we've never been in the summer time; we go in October and take my parents along with us and the weather is beautiful and there are rarely any lines for rides or anything really...except this awesome big ol' skillet dish they make which is so yummy I can taste it now in my brainy. It's like chicken and beans and onions and corn and potatoes all cooked in this GINORMOUS cast iron skillet and oh my is it good, there's also a yummy ham and string bean version that I dig! Here's a few pictures from our wonderful day at Silver Dollar City, we spent four days there so you will probably be bombarded with our Branson trip pictures for the next few posts!
My mom and I posing on my favorite ride in the WORLD. I call it the Twisty Spinny Thing. It's SOOOOOOOO FUN!!! (Those are my geriatric sunglasses because my eyes are SO sensitive to light. I'm the weirdo in the resaurants that is always closing the blinds...cuz I can't see! Ahhh, blinded by the light! But, I thought they were sorta Paris Hilton when I bought them...or Jackie Kennedy?)

My son after a nice big ol' bag of BLUE cotton candy! Tell me, does that boy look happy or what?

Caroline Rose in what I believe is literally the best invention in the whole world. It's the squishy, multi-level bally-ball building! The children LOVE this! The balls are so soft they are like cotton balls....and NO big ol' pits so there's never anything "lurking" in a big pit of balls that you don't want lurking in a big pit of balls...they are all rolling around on this cushiony floor. That tube in the picture is one of many "ball vacuums" that the kids can use to vacuum up the balls. There are stairs leading up to ball shooters and ball levers and all kinds of ball sucker uppers! Caroline LOVED it and I have a picture of her boo-hooing her eyes out when we had to leave. We literally played in there with all three children for about an hour!
Here's to the daddy who makes this all possible because he works his tail off taking care of us and providing for us and doing fun things with the children! Forty million cheers for my husband!
This is Anna's favorite ride...the gigantic swing! She loves this. I think we rode this probably twenty times. And...NO LINES! We'd just exit and run right back around!

Anyway, we took over 1,000 pictures over the course of four days! I'm so pooped out that I really need a nice long bath and a nice long dreamy sleep! In addition to LOTS of laundry today, I worked out in our front flower bed. Since we are renting, sometimes I'm very unmotivated to do a whole lot to the landscaping when it's not "ours". Last summer we couldn't stand the overgrown holly bushes and shrubs and weeds so we ripped everything out ourselves and planted all new shrubs and flowers...at our own expense. Well, about the last month I've sort of let it all kind of "go". So today, Sterling and I went out during Caroline's entire nap and pulled weeds, trimmed back bushes, turned all the mulch over, planted some yellow mums, placed all our fall decorations out, swept off the front porch and walk-way and sat out three flats of pansies desperately in need of rain (which we are supposed to get tonight and tomorrow I believe) that I need to plant this week all around the house. So...I could seriously do an Aleve or Extra Strength Tylenol commercial at this very moment. I'm a little sore...and I sometimes feel so, so good that I forget I had surgery almost three weeks ago...now I remember after my weed-pulling afternoon! But hey, having an ovary removed ain't no big thing!

Hope everyone is well. Thanks for the comments on the "green" in the family portraits. I ALWAYS stress about "what to wear" for those things! Bless your hearts!

P.S. Go Cowboys!

Family Portraits

We had our family portraits made this weekend for the first time since Caroline was born (last June) and look at this great picture of my first born baby! I love it so much! Funny thing though, I thought I was being so clever (there I go again getting myself into trouble) by choosing a very obscure, sort of, "out of the ordinary" green color for the children to wear...well, I won't be doing that again, because they blended right into the grass. It's like, "ummmm...I think there's children sitting in the grass over there somewhere, maybe not, maybe it's just faces in places...hmmm?" Anyway, I was thinking the grass had turned a little browner and more leaves were falling so the green would stand out more...not so. But that's allright. For the most part I'm fine with my choice of clothing for the kids, even though our little Sterling threw a wall-eyed FIT about wearing his "not cool" shirt tucked into his "not cool" pants with his "not cool" leather belt. The little stinker. At the time I wanted to call him the little you-know-what...but I do not speak that way, now do I?...Next time I think we'll go with a cranberry or light blue or something. The girl that took our pictures lost her husband last year suddenly and has these darling little girls and has just done a fabulous job at embracing life and that's always so nice, isn't it? She started her own photography business and I'm really pleased with the pictures so far. I can't wait to see the rest!

Here's a picture that totally depicts my children and here's what was going on in there heads at the time the shutter opened and captured the REAL Draper children.

Anna: "I'm so compliant and mild-mannered. I think I shall pick this teeny tiniest buttercup looking weed to enhance this photograph. Yellow looks nice against this green sweater. This will be so beautiful. My life's pretty perfect. Oh look, there's a bluebird singing on my shoulder. Better smile now, because I almost always do what I am asked."

Caroline: "GET ME OUTTA HERE!" "You tall people think you can force me to sit down, well you gotta another thing coming you lunatics! Let me see how fast I can get up and head into traffic over there, or LOOK!...maybe I can jump into that algae covered pond, that looks really mischievous. Let me stick my tongue out of my mouth to make my little red-headed self look even ornerier than I am...YOU CAN'T MAKE ME SIT HERE, NO WAY!!! Revolt! Revolt! Stop the insanity!! If I could just wiggle out of these two crazies smashing me here...yes!"

Sterling: "Heh, heh, heh, heh, you idiots. I slobbered and blew snot all over this ugly uncool shirt you made me wear before we ever got here and now I think I may pee in my pants. I think I'm gonna just go play in all that dusty sandy dirt EVEN MORE and get my new shoes really dirty! Cuz ya know what, THAT'S SO FUN! Oh, WAIT, there's a sharp pointy stick over there, maybe if I fake smile I can get it faster and run and swing that stick around like a lasso and poke my sisters' eyes out! Yeah, that would be SO COOL! Ohhh, I'm hungry! If I keep fake smiling, we can get that treat mommy promised us and I'm going to whine and whine and whine 'til I get Maggie Moo's blue cotton candy ice-cream! Yeah!!! Hi Ho Silver....AWAY!!!"

I give you...my children:

Blessings! XOXO