Well, I might sound like I'm whining, but I promise to turn it to praise. If you'd like to use this as a how to, well do that at your own discretion! Please feel free to offer any advice or answers to my long list of embedded questions!
Does this look like a girl? Ok, I know my little mad scientist needs a haircut, but I haven't let Lily start putting bows in it yet! He has been referred to as "she" 3 times this week. Do you think it may have anything to do with these?
These are his favorite shoes. He has 4 pairs, but these are the ones he will go find when you ask him to get his shoes. They are Pedipeds and they are the Collin style. Collin is a boys name and they do show boys wearing them on the website. These are the shoes he's been wearing every time he has been referred to as a "she".
Tonight we went to one of my kids favorite places for dinner because we are still eating on free birthday coupons. Yes, we take all the free kiddie meals anyone sends us! We are even that family who would choose a restaurant based on the large "kids eat free" signs that might hang over the front of the establishment once a week. We have not gone as far as to make a schedule or know which places are free on which days, but as we begin to feed Finn off menus, this may very well change. Last time we had dinner at...
it was a very pleasant family experience. We found they have a nice fruit and yogurt plate that Finn enjoys and Dax can order for himself off the picture menu. Lily, however, in all of her ten year old glory still usually makes me order for her. We sat at the same table as last time, we sat in the same seats! Yeah, well so much for that. Kind of like when a guy wears the same underwear every time his favorite football team plays and then they lose and he can't quite figure out why.
This child...
started out the meal all cute and flirty. He had sweet conversation with all the older patrons who were eating their dinner at 4:30. Now, let me tell you, we don't eat early. We usually eat around 6:30 or 7:00 because, well, we just do. We grew up the EST(normal) time zone and even after 4 years have not totally allowed ourselves to feel fully at home in the CST. I still ask what's coming on at 8, because normal people do not start prime time television at 7. I still think the idea that there are kids in bed at 6:30 is insane. I also still convert time back and forth daily. Like when I'm in Walmart late and I see a little child with their parent at 10 and I think, "oh my gosh! It's really 11!" Please make no comment about our 10:30 exit from Chuck E. Cheese a few weeks ago, I was converting the time to normal (EST) time while in the parking lot praying no good parents we knew drove by. This is actually why I mentioned the time. I wanted to point out that tonight I had my mom game going. I thought if I fed them first they'd all be happy little shoppers. Ok, I digress, sorry about that ramble, Finn, old ladies, Bob Evans, back now. He was being oh so darling, maybe that is why the couple behind us thought he was a girl. He lasted about halfway through the meal before he started making these bizarre guttural growling sounds. They started not so loud, but grew in intensity when he noticed this child...
jumping around in his seat laughing and copying the sounds. After several discussions about how we act in a restaurant, the above pictured child did return to his smiley face potatoes. Although the one with the mouth full of bananas continued his growling, only louder. Those around us who once thought he was so sweet now wondered what sort of gremlin we were dining with. Each time he'd make this noise, I would put my arm around him, lean down close and mention some sweet words about how we don't do that when we're in a restaurant. Yeah, he's 14 months old, I know he took it to heart. I did also try redirection, cause I'm really not that naive. I also looked at my husband and uttered these words "well, it's not quite as obnoxious as that ridiculous high pitched squeal". Yeah, it was like thirty seconds later when my beautiful little boy looked up at me, laughed, and made that hideous, hideous sound. Guess he's not so naive either! He got to go pay the bill with Daddy so the other nice people around us could enjoy their meal.
Oh, I forgot to mention this child...
she decided to wear eyeshadow and mascara to dinner. Because Bob Evan's is where all the happening 10 year olds hang out at 4:30 on Saturday afternoons? I don't know, but me, the cruel mom told her to go to the bathroom and wash it off. She came back, it was still there. I took out a baby wipe, and proceeded to wash her face right there at the table. Not in a mean way, I didn't not make a public show, but we were in the middle of the place. Am I a horrible mom? Do other people let their almost 5th graders wear make up? Am I just totally in the dark? I started wearing make up for special occasions, like dances in the 8th grade. Why do our little girls feel they need bras and makeup? What is wrong with granny panties on a 10 year old? sigh. You out there with little girls, enjoy those days of bows and princess costumes cause I tell you they are replaced by hijacked mascara, stinky smelling perfume, and a bad attitude all too soon!
Speaking of cosmetics for grade schoolers, have you walked into a store like this one lately?
They totally market all of this crap for little girls. I don't think I could be a pageant mom, let's just put it that way. We were in here tonight to buy a last minute birthday gift for a party Lily is going to tomorrow. Silly me, I was thinking hair accessories, bangle bracelets, maybe something High School Musical related. Oh no, Lily was showing me the things her little friend would like, I was trying to hold back my gag reflex. We spent 45 minutes choosing items in the nail and lip category because those were the only things we could meet in the middle on. We figured it out based on the math of buy one get one 50% off. Yeah, ok, so at the above mentioned store they don't do math real well. They gave all our 50% off on $2.50 nail polishes. The bill was too high, I don't like spending $$ on garbage. What do you usually spend on a birthday party gift? I vary it depending on the party, the child, and how well I know everyone. I figured $15 ish for this one. Yeah, it was $23. I was frustrated, mostly because it was junk. Mike, well he was already starting to go into convulsions because Lily and I had spent 45 minutes there after spending 45 minutes trying on clothes here...
Here I like. Most of Lily's wardrobe right now is from Gap. They have clothes that seem age appropriate to me. Not "cutesy" as Lily would say, but still look like a girl and not a street walker or Hannah Montana. I love their sale racks. Tonight I spent $47 for $107 worth of clothes. This makes me happy. Lily and my's bonding time in the dressing room was productive and Mike couldn't say too much because we spent very little time in my favorite place...
Although it was Peel a Prize time I only got 20% off and it wasn't enough to make me go crazy. This was a relief for the men in my family. I want to make clear, they were forewarned. They were given the option of staying home for some man time while the girls went shopping. So even though Mike had made several laps of the mall and was starting to twitch, I didn't feel too bad. It could not have been as painful for him as it was for me having to watch how maxi pads were made on "How It's Made". I really find that show monotone and annoying. I'll try not to go there right now, I've got more on task griping to do.
Mike did spend some of his mall time in here...
The one in our mall is going out of business. I guess they are selling everything cheap! By everything I mean even the store fixture and cute characters that hang on the walls. If you're a Disney mania person and you know which mall I'm talking about, you better run! Mike was going to make them a deal on the projector and screen. I think he was just bored. But, alas, he told me about this amazing sale on the drive home from the mall. Why? Did he think it would be another 45 minutes? Did he not have it in him? Could he have been frightened?
So trying to finish the night on a high note for the kids we decided to stop at the food court on our way out for some yummy ice cream. We gave Finn his bottle. Ok, so yeah, he's 14 months old and my other kids had given theirs up long before now. He only has one a day, before bed, he's my baby and he likes it, and well, he's cute. So, once upon a time I used these bottles...
They were fine for my older two, but after reading all sorts of reports on the horrible things they might be doing to our kids I chucked them and started using... 
Tonight as Finn tossed his "night night baba" onto the tiled foot court floor and I heard a crash, a chinkle, and a splash. I wanted to stand on a table and explain to people why on God's green earth my 14 month old was drinking out of a glass bottle at the mall at 8:45(that's really 9:45 you know). We have been using these bottles for 6 months. He has dropped them on all sorts of surfaces. He has hurled them upon all sorts of surfaces and they have bounced back with nary a crack. Tonight, well, it was more than a ding. God bless Sheryl, who is in charge of keeping the food court clean. We picked up the big chunks and as much as we could by hand, this great lady did the rest. I wanted to hide under my table! I could just hear her wondering in her own mind "what kind of crazy mother gives her huge toddler a glass bottle. It is 2008 for goodness sake!" But she didn't say it out loud. Not even when teenage boys kept trying to walk through the glass bits as she was cleaning up. Not even when people kept tracking glitter from the jewelry store near by who for some insane reason had sprinkled glitter all over their carpet. She didn't even utter a cruel word as we sat two tables away eating ice cream. We thanked her profusely and apologized repeatedly. She laughed and politely refused when we offered to buy her a drink when she was done. We meant water or soda, cause they don't sell harder stuff at the mall, although it was almost closing time, maybe we should have offered something stiffer!
Praises... watch this!
Saturday morning playtime in mom and dad's bed. I love when everyone piles in and giggles. The more zerbets the merrier!
A dog who will waltz right back in the same door a toe headed 3 year old let her out just minutes after a short gallivant around the neighborhood.
Having a son so beautiful sometimes people mistake him for a girl.
The fact that at 14 months he can chose his own shoes and go find them on his own! Heck, my ten year old has trouble with that!
Kids eat free nights and free birthday dinner postcards Those little treats let us spend time out to eat as a family. It's a nice break from doing dishes!
Lily ordered for herself tonight and really for the most part kept her attitude in a happy place.
Nice people in restaurants who talk sweetly to your kids even in their obnoxious moments.
Dax learning boundaries and how to listen better. These 3 year old days have some real pluses to help neutralize negatives.
My boys loving each other with giddy orneriness. There is something kind of lovable in that.
Getting to spend some quality one on one time with Lily.
Having a husband who chooses to go shopping with us, even knowing it might cause itching!
Having a husband who will take Dax to the potty and hang out while the boys pretend to ride mall rides and the girls disappear into the deep dungeon of a dressing room.
Boys too little to know that you are supposed to put money in the rides to enjoy them. They still get plenty of pleasure out of them just the way they are!
Sheryl in the food court. God bless you. lady! You deserve a lot more praise!
No cuts from broken glass.
A chat with mom in Canada and even a cameo from my cousin, Zachary.
Finally finishing this insanely long blog entry. (I hope the three of you who read it are still hanging in there!)
Knowing that my three beautiful children and my mostly wonderful husband are sleeping safely & soundly just a handful of feet from me. I am truly blessed.
And spell check!
At 10 this morning we will be taking Dax to the pediatric Opthamologist to have his eyes dilated. We've been noticing some strange things with his pupils and our pediatrician is sending us on to a specialist. I, of course, made the mistake of Googling "different sized pupils" and learned more bad than good. Mothers should be banned from Google when worried about their kids! It just makes it worse! So I'm asking for your prayers. Prayers that you'll keep my mind focused on the positive. Prayers that Dax will stay calm and will find the whole thing an adventure. Prayers that this will just be nothing, just a bleep on life's radar that helps us remember how much we truly have been blessed with. 
Tonight I shared a conversation with my now newly three year old little man that went mostly like this.... 
