The Family Rice

It's been a while since I updated, sorry! Fall has begun, and I am so busy lately! This week I have had some meeting/luncheon/event every day. Some days had more than one thing. This stresses me out. I am such a paradox, even to myself. I can't stand to not be included in every little social thing, but when I am involved in everything, I am stressed out and cranky. Too tired to work on my orders at night, too tired to be very nice to my kids, and it disappoints me that I can't do it all. I wouldn't say it's a stressful life I lead here, instead I think we do a good job at keeping a very laid-back household, but just the busyness of life brings me down. I don't know what I hope to accomplish by blogging about it, I guess I just want to complain. But that'll be quite enough out of me.

Caleb has started KidzPraise at church, which he seems to enjoy. We hear him singing in his bed at night. He won't sing in class, or at home if he knows anyone is listening, but we hear it coming from his dark bedroom. It's such a blessing to hear our little guy learning and retaining things. He has recently been singing the ABC's (that's the only one he'll sing for us) in lightning-speed-mode. It's funny. He also counts to thirty, and only occasionally skips a number. Today in the car he was counting to himself and I heard him say 14, 15, 17, 18, 19... just so funny to me! Cute as can be.

Caleb's other new thing is telling jokes. He mostly does this with Daddy in the early mornings, so I don't hear it, but yesterday he randomly asked me, "Mom, do dogs take catnaps?" I was shocked as it dawned on me, "He just told a joke!! That is so stinkin hilarious!!" He cracks me up. Literally.

Carly. Carly Carly Carly. That girl. Hmmm. She is something lately. Not quite sure what exactly. Sassy, yes. Smart, yes. Girly (in a hormonal teengaer kind of way), YES. I did not realize HOW different girls are than boys, even as babies. Crazy. She wants her bow in, no not that bow, the other bow. No, not that bow, the OTHER one!! She wants her shoes on. Not those shoes, the other ones. NO, NOT THOSE SHOES, THE OTHER ONES!!!!!!! Drama Drama Drama.

She's in her "no" stage right now. I remember Caleb going through that one. Everything is "no!" Even when she means "yes." When she doesn't get her way, it gets noisy. She is defiant and independent. New word lately is "self." She loves to make noise, which is SO much different than Bubba. We wondered if he would ever talk. She won't shut up. But the upside to all the noise: the girl loves to sing! I've recently discovered that in order to keep her still during night-night time I have to sing to her, instead of reading books. I started out singing what few kids songs I could remember, which embarassingly wasn't too many. Our current repertoire is: If you're happy and you know it (You should hear her say, "Amen!" Too cute!), ABC's, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and Holy Holy Holy (yes, hymn number 1 in the Baptist Hymnal, LOL). She actually starts me off on Holy Holy Holy. It is so sweet to hear a child - a baby really - singing Holy. I hope to encourage her love of music (Caleb's too) and nurture her confidence so she can share it with others some day.

Thankfully, my Friday morning got postponed, so I can sleep late (yeah right) and then hang out in my pjs for a while in the morning. We'll eventually make it over to my friend's house for a playdate with her triplets, and I can remember that whatever stories I can come up with from this week, she's probably got me beat.