On the eve of your fourth birthday ...

Miss Bubbles,

You are getting to be so big! "Big and STRONG!" as you proudly pronounce as you reach as high as you can.

You can be such a wonderful helper. You're full of curiosity and sporting a strong drive for independence.

You're learning manners. You tend to play shy around most adults. You are outgoing with other children ... though, sometimes, you do tend to try to lead them more than they might like.

Your hair has stayed curly. Your eyes have stayed blue. You are working at quitting sucking your thumb. You barely have any accidents. You want to read the scriptures yourself.

You are making up your own jokes.
My favorite so far: "I want to give a goldfish to someone! To DEADPOOL!"

(I, too, am very sad that the Deadpool movie is VERY deserving of the R-rating. I wanted to see it, too. And it would have been tons funnier if he'd been just as censored [black bars, bleeps, and all] as in the comics ... Not that I totally know HOW you know who Deadpool is ... but, still).

You come and snuggle me.
You like to help me cook. Especially if we're making cookies or cakes.
You help Bruise and Bucket with emptying the dishwasher ... though we need to work on putting the silverware away in the correct places and not just flinging it all in there and jetting away.
Though, to be honest, I admire the passion you display.

You love animals.
You practice empathy ... mostly. (But I'll cut you some slack. Until tomorrow, you're still three.)
You love to sing and dance.
You love to jump, jump, jump.
You've learned to love video games already,

Your favorite colors are pink and purple.
You love bunnies best, but are expanding your adoration to hippos, cheetahs, and other animals.
You adore bathtime. You'd take multiple baths a day if I'd let you.

You're still daintily-sized ... I find it easy to carry you as we go about places, as needed. Depending on what else I'm lugging along. But, for the most part, I can carry you from the parking lot into the store, especially if the weather's bad.

You're learning so many words and how to use them well.
Sometimes you impress me with your growing vocabulary.
(I'm just glad that you don't shock me with it.)

Happy day-before-your birthday, my little smushy-face munchkin-girl.
I love you.

The Mucous Has Arrived ...

Okay, firstly, I FINALLY added my favicon!
Go look! On the tab! That cute itsy-bitsy picture of Bruise and Bucket?
Yup, I made that AGES ago.
And I only learned that Blogger allows favicons EASILY ... starting ... somewhat recently.

But, yeah.

So, what else is going on in my neck of the woods?
Let's see ... I last posted nearly a week ago ... here's the breakdown:

• We did five nights of performances for Savior of the World.
  Things went well. Michael says that Friday night was probably the strongest performance. But that the "Glory song" was best on Saturday night.
  I totally made that high note my .... PUPPY.
• Friday night, I started taking Cherry Coke. Medicinally. And another on Saturday. And a Vanilla Coke on Sunday.
• Sunday, Bucket started coughing. And then threw up. She's doing better. Feeling better ... Still coughing.
• I am now sick, though. Started with a sore throat and a cough. Now it's just all in my sinuses. So I'm blowing my nose. A LOT. GROSS.
• I got to help out Friday morning in the kids' classrooms with an art project.
  But don't tell me! It's a SURPRISE for the parents!!! ;P
• I still need to get presents for the kids' teachers.
  And do laundry.
  And the dishes.
  And clean the rest of the house ...
  It never ends.
• I need naps. Lots of naps.
• We drove around town and took the kids to see lots of Christmas lights. That was fun.
• We've also noticed that Bruise talks a lot more (and uses a MUCH larger vocabulary) since starting school. His Spanish is actually probably better than Miss Bucket's. (Though she IS an overachiever in almost every area ... proven by their report cards. Bruise's was perfectly fine. We're proud of both of them). He is SO PROUD of the fact that he is now a READER and that he's SMART. (Bucket's been a good reader for a while, so it's all old-hat to her, you see.)
• I need to start working on scarves for them. They've both requested scarves ... probably since I am wearing scarves nearly every day. (This morning? 29°F out there!!! COLD!!)
• I need to get a haircut. I just don't know how short I want to go. But I definitely want to even out my layers in the back. They do NOT look good. :( Especially when it's cold out and my hair starts to go frizzy. Which is my own dang fault for coloring it as much as I do.
• I need to clean off my desk ... along with all the OTHER CLEANING and organizing that needs to happen around here ... it's been crazy with rehearsals and performances ... and now I'm sick. Poor house. Poor people who have to live here ...
• I made sloppy joes last night. They turned out well. Which was satisfying, since I felt just shy of death earlier. (I HATE having to mouth-breathe. It's GROSS.
• Baby girl is kicking me right now ... Silly girl. She still needs a nickname. And I WANT to give her one. But the other kiddos ... I waited until they were out of the womb and I could get a real handle on their personalities ... And they BOTH have nicknames with the same letter ... should I continue that trend? I don't know .... Thinking is HAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!! Waaaaaaah!!!
• My neti pot is officially one of my BESTEST friends this week. I should go use it again. Like, right now. So I don't have to be a mouth-breather.
• We're getting through the Ramona books (by Beverly Cleary) with the kids for story-story (i.e., bedtime stories that aren't reading the Scriptures). They like Ramona ... it's fun. Especially since Michael and I both read (at least some) of the Ramona books when we were kids.
  I would like to read more Christmas-y books to them (e.g., The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Forgotten Carols, and ones like those ... but ... we're just running out of time. And the kids REALLY wanted more Ramona books. So I won't argue.)
• I need to start my holiday baking ... once I'm not a mucous-spewing mouth-breather.
  I'd like to put together some plates of cookies for some folks. And make cinnamon rolls. And maybe gingerbread. Or pumpkin bread. Or all of the above ... ^_^

And ... well, I think that's about enough of my life in summation ... it's mostly been busy ... but small busy.
Tonight, I think Michael and I will curl up and watch another DVD of Big Bang Theory Season 4. Haven't gotten to do that for a long while now.

But we have watched White Christmas (which the kids liked more than I thought they might. But, really, I shouldn't have been surprised. How can you go wrong with Danny Kaye? Or Bing?) and Holiday Inn (which Michael and I watched alone. It was our first time seeing that one. I prefer White Christmas ... you get Danny Kaye in there, too. ^_^). The kids have been watching some other Christmas shows. I need to bring out Mr. Kruger's Christmas (How can you not LOVE Jimmy Stewart? He's so darling. And humble ... I mean, really ... go read about what all he did in WWII. He's AMAZE-balls.) and It's a Wonderful Life ... along with Miracle on 34th Street (the CLASSIC. With Natalie Wood. I didn't care for the newer one. Ugh. ... YES, I AM a snob. I'm aware).

But first, I NEED to get fully healthy again.
And for this little girl to stop trying to push my left hip out. Owwwwww. (I understand that it's getting crowded in there. That is NOT my fault. Stop punishing me!!!)

Oh baby ...

Why won't you let me eat?

And WHY must you make me throw up even after taking my medicine today?
The medicine that's supposed to make me NOT throw up.

Though, I'll admit ... finding a stray toothbrush bristle in my mouth did NOT help matters.

Now I'm put off cottage cheese ... and that's one of the few foods that I could eat and keep down (*darkly* until NOW. *sigh*).

Well, little one, I'm going to demand that if you're not going to let ME eat, you had better suck alla this "food storage" off my bones. If I'm going to be THIS SICK, you had better do YOUR part and have me looking like a supermodel by the time you're born.

Then, I had BETTER be able to eat Death by Chocolate or something WONDEROUS while nursing you. Just to make up for it. Since I'll be needing those extra calories anyways.

Really, get your act together. Or whip that placenta into shape.
I do NOT want to have to get IVs for my nutrients. Just sayin'.
I mean, sure, I love you, little fetus ... but I have a LIFE and a FAMILY to take care of ...

Gotta cut this short, baby of mine. Your siblings need me to drive them to swim lessons.
It's the FUN (final) day today. I want to watch them have fun ... not be comatose with nausea.
So you'd better behave.
If you know what's good for you.

Hey, that's a joke (mostly).
Really, just stop making me throw up. Or feel exhausted and nauseated.
The house needs cleaning.
And I'm sick (literally) and tired of getting the urge to puke from just walking through the kitchen.
It's my own kitchen. I shouldn't have to hold my breath as I walk through it.

And Dr. M is going to get after me, I'm sure, if I drop TOO much weight.
(Which may or may not be preferable to her getting after me for gaining too much ... as I did with your brother and sister. It's debatable ... since it hasn't happened yet.)

If nothing else, I'm making sure that I'll remember to take my second pill at 4 today. *sigh*

Really, little one, if nothing else, I don't want dentures. Stop making me have floods of stomach acid swirling through my teeth. THAT. IS. AN. ORDER. FROM. YOUR. MOTHER.

Thanks. I'd appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Also, in about ten weeks? Please don't be modest. I want to know who's in there. I think it's silly to just call you "the baby."
I know, sweetie. I know. Your mom's crazy. You'll get used to it.