Six Months

I have six months.  Six months to find a CPS-approved babysitter for Bug so my sister, my mother, and I can have a mother/daughter bonding outing reminiscent of my teen years.  My mom and my sister make up the majority of my "approved sitter" pool, and I am always hesitant to leave my kiddos with anyone they don't know well, so that makes it a little difficult. 

This particular outing though, might just rival that of the one that we had during the time Monkey was officially my foster child.  When I was desperately wondering if going to see "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" was an acceptable excuse for respite...




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I suppose this is where I publicly admit that we may or may not have just spent a small fortune on NKOTB, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees tickets.  And I suppose as long as I'm confessing, I might as well own up to the fact that I'm kind of "giddy like a schoolgirl" excited about it!

I admitted once before that I was a boy band junkie, so the fact that I am considering pulling out the art supplies and making posters and fan t-shirts for the concert should come as no surprise.  Christy was a "loud and proud" NKOTB fanatic back in the day.  I think she still has a trunkful of posters, pins, clothing, bedsheets, etc. that she can pull out for the big day! 

Tickets went on sale today, and Christy snatched them up for us.  Then I sat back and giggled as I watched my FB newsfeed blow up with status after status announcing ticket purchases by all of our 30-something friends.  This is going to be one interesting concert...  :-)  A bunch of grown women acting like teenagers...  It's gonna be great!!!

I Fear I Will Never...

...have a "normal" telephone conversation ever again.

Something happens to intelligent human beings when they have kids.  Add their friends and family having children around the same ages to the mix, and they're all doomed to the following telephone conversations with each other for an as-yet-to-be-determined amount of time:

Scenario Number One:

6:35pm - My sister calls my cell phone.  I know it's her from the ringtone.  I can not answer because I have Bug in my arms feeding him his bottle with one hand, and wiping away at the spit up on my shirt with the other.  I say aloud "I'll call you back!" in the hopes that she will hear me even though I never actually answered the phone.

7:15pm - Bug is in bed, so I call Christy back.  She doesn't answer.  I assume she is putting the Mini Munchkins to bed.  I text her "Call me when you're free."

9:00pm - Text from Christy "Kids are all asleep here.  I know you're putting Monkey to bed, so call me when he's down."

9:30pm - I finally call Christy.  Within the first 30 seconds, we have used the words poopy, spitty uppy, and booger wall.  We forget who called the other first, and totally don't remember what either of us were going to tell the other or why we were calling in the first place.  We end the conversation with "Mama needs to go night-night."


Scenario Number Two:

11:30am - Mom calls me at work to tell me that Monkey is eating his lunch and has been talking about Mommy coming home the entire time.  I ask to talk to him.

Me:  "Hi Monkey!  It's Mommy!  What are you doing?"
Monkey:  (silence)
Me:  "Nana said you wanted to talk to Mama.  Are you eating lunch?"
Monkey:  (heavy breathing)
Me:  "Mama loves you, baby!  I'll be home in a little while.  Do you want to watch Thomas the Train?"
Monkey: (crickets chirping)

Mom: "Well, he was talking about you non-stop."

Monkey (in the background): "Mama on da phone!  Hewoh!!!  Hewoh, Mama!  Thomas.  Kitty Cat.  Cheese.  Bye-bye!"


Scenario Three:

Me (calling Christy):  "Hey!  You answered the phone!"
Christy (whispering):  "Yeah...  I'm hiding in my bedroom.  Hopefully they won't find me!"

We chat for a minute.  Literally one minute, then SCRRREEEAAAMMM!!!

Buddy:  "Moooom!  Pooper took Butterfly's sippy cup and now she's mad!"
Christy:  "Well take it away from him and give it back to Butterfly."

(pause...  "OWWW!!!  That's not nice, Pooper!)

Buddy:  "Moooom!  Pooper bit me when I tried to take away the sippy cup and give it back to Butterfly!"
Christy:  "I'm sorry.  He's a toddler.  He doesn't know any better."
Buddy:  "Will you tell him to stop?"
Christy:  "Is he still biting you?!?"
Buddy:  "No."
Christy:  "Well then I guess everything's okay then, huh?  I'm trying to talk to Aunt Tammy.  Go play."

(one minute later...)

Ka-Diva:  "I want to talk to Aunt Tammy!"
Buddy:  "Me too!  Can we come to your house, Aunt Tammy?!?"
Christy (now resorting to bribery):  "If you two will go keep an eye on your brother and sister so I can talk to Aunt Tammy for ten uninterrupted minutes, you can go to Aunt Tammy's this afternoon!"
Me:  "Uh, really?  Okay."
Buddy and Ka-Diva:  "OKAY!!!  YAY!!!"

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(three minutes later...)

Christy:  (mid-sentence):  "...oh man!  They found me!," she exclaimed as she spotted two pairs of toddler eyes staring at her over the mattress.

And that was the end of that phone conversation.  :-)


Scenario Four:

My BFF Katie calls me at work because she knows it's probably the only time she'll be able to reach me.  We talk for about twenty minutes when she says, "I guess I should probably go in."

Me:  "Go in where?"
Katie:  "Oh, I've been in my truck sitting in my driveway.  They don't know I'm home yet."


One day...  in the distant, far-off future...  in a galaxy far, far away...  My sister, mother, friends, and I will be able to have a telephone conversation that doesn't involve little people tugging on our pant legs chanting "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"  We will be able to talk for more than a minute without mention of bodily fluids.  We will be able to talk about ourselves in 1st person, rather than saying "Mommy really needs a nap."  One day, years from now when our children are grown, we will be able to call each other in peace!

Oh, who am I kidding?  Somehow I have a feeling the conversations will be eerily similar, only the "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" will be replaced with the "Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!" of our grandchildren's voices.  I fear the phone conversations of the present are my new "normal."  I suppose I should look for some good hiding places before Bug and Monkey are onto me!  :-)

Month of Thanksgiving 2012 - Day Four

They say "It takes a village to raise a child," and looking at my family over the past couple of years, I have to say, that African proverb is dead on!

Day Four - Today I am thankful for my "village."

With my sister's two sets of twins (2nd graders Buddy and Ka-Diva and almost 19-month-olds Pooper and Butterfly), my 20-month-old Monkey, and my "honorary" brood of 19-year-old Heaven, 16-year-old Kama, honorary son-in-law Kelly, 4-year-old Booger Bear, and almost 22-month-old Banana (not to mention any other foster kiddos who come my way), we've definitely got our hands full!  Fortunately, our "village" has come together to do whatever we can to raise these kids without doing too much damage.  ;-)

With so many kiddos so close together in age, but just far enough apart in size that they're all a size apart, our first village "perk" is that of sharing clothes.  I have my "foster care closet" with nicely organized storage bins of children's clothes ranging from 3 months to 3T-4T.  As all of our little ones grow, the closet is the first stop for "shopping."  As they outgrow their clothes, everything (and then some) makes its way back to me for future foster babies!  The "closet" has been a great addition to the "village economy," and I'm certain has saved us all hundreds of dollars in clothing costs. 

Village undertaking number two would have to be that of "coordinating schedules."  On any given week, my sister, our mom, and I pull out our day planners and coordinate our plan of attack.  Because my sister and I both work outside of the home (me full-time, and Christy part-time), we depend heavily on our mom during the work week.  Quite honestly, when I say "it takes a village...," what I mostly mean is "it takes our mom!"  Not only does our mom move from house to house to watch toddlers, she somehow manages to help around our houses too!  I have a Magical Dishwashing Fairy who comes to my house on the mornings that my mom keeps Monkey for me, and my sister has a Magical Laundry Fairy who helps her out.

Village undertaking number three would be our constant "on call" status.  With all of Pooper's appointments, after school stuff, gymnastics, school, etc. and just all of the other things that come with a family of six, their schedule tends to change from week to week, so I try to be as flexible as I can be.  I tend to be the "on call" transportation when one of the big twins gets sick at school or needs a ride home from tutoring.  Fortunately, I work just down the street from the kids' school, so I can make a quick run and be back at work in 20 minutes.  I'm also "on call" for Booger and Banana when Heaven and Kelly need help.

Village undertaking number four is that of "musical households."  Christy's got her hands full, so we do our best to entertain the big twins by having them spend the night with Nana and Papa, spending time at Aunt Tammy's having fun with the Saturday Crew, and having playdates at each other's houses just so there are more grown-ups to watch all of the toddlers around at the same time.  The kids enjoy playing with each other, and the grown ups enjoy being able to tag team for diaper duty.  :-)

Village perk number five is that of utilizing each of our strengths when it comes to entertaining and educating the kids.  Heaven and Kama are the adventuresome ones who are always up for anything.  Exploring in the woods, painting pumpkins, scavenger hunts, decorating cakes...  You name it!  These girls are all in!  Kelly, Chris, and my Dad are the "fun" ones who are always willing to play with the kids, no matter what crazy ideas they come up with.  "Throw us across the pool as many times as you can, Kelly!" or "Let us ride on your back and race around the house, Papa!" or "Let's see what we can make that is really, really gross, Daddy!"  They'll do it!  I am the creative one who always has fun arts and crafts projects planned and was most recently designated "homework project coordinator" when Buddy and Ka-Diva had a huge "make a hat" book report project due.  Christy is the organized one who helps coordinate all of our schedules, makes sure all four of her kids feel loved and special, and according to the Big Twins she gives the best hugs and is the best Mommy on the planet (even if she makes them eat "diet food" occasionally ;-).  And our Mom is the steady, nurturing one who we all depend on to keep us sane.

My "village" is a busy, busy place.  My "village" is chaotic.  My "village" keeps us all on our toes.

My "village" is absolutely perfect! 

And for that, I am eternally grateful...

Month of Thanksgiving 2012 - Day Three

Eight years ago, I was eagerly awaiting the January birth of my first niece and nephew.  We were a family without children, and desperately wanted some little ones to love.  Who would have thought that eight years later, my sister would have not one, but two sets of boy/girl twins?!?

Day Three - Today, I am thankful for my amazingly awesome nieces and nephews.

Before I was "Mimi..."  Before I was "Mama..."  I was "Fun Aunt Tammy," and I do my very best to continue to live up to the precedents that I set long ago when it comes to these kids and their expectations of their Aunt Tammy.  How could I not!?!  These kids are simply the best!

My Oldest Nephew, "Buddy" - 7-year-old "older" twin to Ka-Diva, and the absolute sweetest, most loving child you will ever meet in your life...  Fiercely protective of the people he loves, he has this incredible heart, and is always trying to take care of people and make everyone happy and comfortable.  He has been amazing with all of my foster babies, and is always one of their favorite people because of it.  He can be a total goofball, but he is also quite a gentleman and is very popular with the ladies because of it.  ;-)  He is an "old soul" and wise beyond his years.  He has "deep thoughts," and often says things that make you stop in your tracks and think.  He's ridiculously bright and totally gives me a run for my money when playing games. There's no "taking it easy on him because he's a kid."  He's way too smart for that!  I am so unbelievably in awe of him.  He inspires me every single day, and I can't say enough how very, very proud I am of him!  :-)

My Oldest Niece, "Ka-Diva" - "Younger" twin to Buddy, and my absolute "Mini Me" in every way...  I will never have to wonder what my own biological daughter might be like because Ka-Diva is all Aunt Tammy.  She's inherited the women in our family's looks (we all look exactly alike), and has my personality in spades.  Her "strong leadership skills" and "executive tendencies" are all me!  (Sorry, Christy! ;-)  She's a 37-year-old in a 7-year-old body!  Ka-Diva has my sense of humor...  Very dry and sarcastic with a quick wit.  Like the time the doctor asked her rate her pain "0 = no pain and 10 = the worst ever", and she quickly replied "If I had no pain, why would I be at the doctor?!?"  She can be totally serious and then bust out with the goofiest faces you've ever seen in a split second.  She's very into safety and an excellent "babysitter" for all of the kiddos in her life.  She's always practical, anticipating their needs, and watching out for potential dangers.  I love every single second that I get to spend with my "Mini Me," and I am so blessed that I get to be such a huge part of her life.  She makes me smile that "knowing" smile because with her, I know what's coming next.  ;-)  I love this girl like no other! 

My Youngest Nephew, "Pooper" - 18-month-old "older" twin to Butterfly, and one very special little boy...  He's a super-cute, generally laid back little guy (well, big guy considering he outweighs every toddler in the family by a good 4-5 pounds and is at least 3 inches taller than the next tallest kiddo) with a super-deep slow chuckle or an ear-piercing, high-pitched squeal that would call dogs depending on his mood.  He's a very quiet one who lives in his own little Pooper World a lot of the time, but those moments when you can connect with him...  when you get him smiling or catch him enjoying something he's never done before...  Those moments make your heart melt and touch you in ways that you don't have with the other kiddos.  I love being a part of this little man's life, and I love that I am blessed to be here to love him and to watch as he blossoms and discovers himself and the world around him.

My Youngest Niece, "Butterfly" - "Younger" twin to Pooper, and the "baby" of the family (although if you ask her, she'll let you know in no uncertain terms that she is one of the big kids).  This child loves her Aunt Tammy like crazy, and never fails to boost my ego to new heights every time I walk through the door.  "Oh!!!  YAY!!!  YAY!!!  YAY!!!  HI!!!  HI!!!  YAY!!! YAY!!!"  (with jumping up and down and much applause)  Who wouldn't eat that up?!?  :-)  Out of all of the kids, I'm fairly certain that Butterfly will be the one who gives my sister and brother-in-law the biggest run for their money as she grows up.  She is quite the precocious little thing, unbelievably headstrong, and completely fearless.  She's the one we fully expect to find on top of the refrigerator any day now.  I love this little girl like crazy, and I can't imagine a world without Aunt Tammy's little "Butterfly."


These four kiddos have brought so much joy, laughs, and love to our family!  They complete us!  ...and I am very, very thankful that God entrusted these little souls to our family to love.

Growing Up "Country"

I grew up in a small town out in the sticks.  The kind of place where it took twenty minutes to get to a road that wasn't made of dirt and gravel...  Where everyone knew everyone and the majority of the town was comprised of three main families.  Chances are, you or your best friends were related to at least one of them.  Country living had its perks, and I wouldn't change a thing about growing up in a small town, but there were times when the "city girl" of my early childhood proved that she was still alive and kickin' in me.

It happened one afternoon when I was in college.  My parents had left that morning to go out of town for the week, and I had come to spend the weekend at the house so my 17-year-old sister wouldn't be alone.  I remember it clearly...  I was in the living room when Christy came running out of the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh!  You have GOT to go look in the toilet!!!"

My first reaction was to look at her as if she had lost her mind.  "Aren't you a little old for that, Christy?"  I mean, toddlers are all about having people look at what they've done in the potty, but Christy was 17-years-old!  I told her I'd take her word for it.

"No!  I'm serious!  You have got to go look in the toilet."

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I rolled my eyes and grudgingly made my way into the restroom.  The lid was down, and I just knew she was playing a horrible joke on me at this point.  I looked at her and ever-so-slowly lifted the lid when I saw exactly why she came running out of the bathroom in a frenzy.  Spread out along the inside of the toilet bowl was a Gigantic Toad of Massive Proportions!  (If I knew the HTML to make that statement blink in neon colors, I would do it in order to stress the seriousness of the situation.)  I swear, the thing was huge!  And I just knew he was coming after us.

"City Girl" let out a shriek that would call dogs, slammed the lid back down, and if I remember correctly, put something on top of it in order to prevent the massive beast from opening the lid and getting loose in the house.  Then Christy asked me what I was going to do about it.

"What I'm going to do about it?!?  Why me?!?  You found it!!!"

"You're the oldest."  (Figures she would have chosen this exact moment to solidify my place of authority over her. ;-)

My first thought was to call my grandparents.  They lived across the street and had chickens and horses and stuff, so they were more "country" than we were.  But they weren't there!!!  I will admit that I was highly tempted to call my parents and have them come home.  They hadn't been gone that long.  It wouldn't shorten their trip too much, right?  But I decided to be a grown-up and find a solution to our predicament on my own.

I called 9-1-1.

Yep.  That's right!  I called 9-1-1 because there was a massive amphibian in my commode.

Okay, so I didn't actually dial "9-1-1."  I called the police station dispatch office.  My best friend was the dispatcher there (which also meant he was the 9-1-1 dispatcher), and I knew he could handle any emergency that was thrown his way.  Hence, my call to 9-1-1...

"You have to help us, Tom!!!"

Tom put on his "calm, professional 9-1-1 dispatcher voice" and tried to talk me down from my panic attack.  Although, to this day I can still hear the laughter in his voice.  He was kind and didn't laugh outright though, so for that, I am thankful.  And I am even more thankful for what he did next.  He called his younger brother and had him drive the 20 minutes to our house in order to save us from the Gigantic Toad of Massive Proportions.

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When Eric pulled up the drive, Christy and I went running out to meet him.  I'm certain we were falling all over ourselves with cries of gratitude.  Our hero had come to save us!!!  Eric, bless his heart, did his best to stifle his chuckling as well and set out to remove the monster from our home.

We followed him into the bathroom.  We didn't necessarily want to have contact with the beast, but we wanted to make sure that no harm would come to him as well.  (We're compassionate like that ;-).  We prepared ourselves, and Eric opened the lid.

You could have heard crickets chirping it was so silent in that bathroom.

Sitting on top of the toilet seat, having made his way from inside the toilet bowl, was a teeny tiny little frog about the size of a quarter staring up at us with his super cute itty bitty little eyes.

Huh...  How 'bout that?

"He looked so much bigger before...  He's kind of cute!"  Christy and I proceeded to talk to the adorable little froggy.  "Hi, little froggy!  How cute are you, little froggy?!?"  Poor Eric just stood there shaking his head in disbelief.  "Do you still want me to take him outside," he asked us.  Um, yeah!  Little Froggy might be cute and all, but I still don't want him in my toilet!

So Eric picked up Little Froggy, carried him out the front door, and off of the patio where he leaned down to release him.  Christy and I quickly suggested he maybe take him a wee bit farther away from the house.  Little Froggy was clearly a smart one.  If he was able to find his way inside once, we wanted to make it a little bit more difficult for him to find his way in again.  Eric humored us and took our new amphibious friend into the pasture.  He managed to maintain his composure and not laugh at us, but I can only imagine the conversation that he and Tom must have had after he had left!

I no longer live in the country, but I do still check my toilet before sitting down.  Some things you just don't get past.  And a Gigantic Toad of Massive Proportions in your potty is one of them.  :-)

Happy Birthday, Monkey!!!

My little Chunky Monkey is officially a 1-year-old!!!  I decided to go all out and get super cute stuff for his party.  Monkey's going home to his daddy in 2 1/2 weeks, so I wanted to celebrate not only his birthday, but our year together as Mama and son.

The first order of business was to choose a theme.  I knew it was going to be monkey-related (how could it not be???), but when I came across this sock monkey party pack, I knew I'd struck gold in the party theme department.  I ordered it, and went Pinterest-crazy getting other ideas.

I ordered this adorable sock monkey crotchet hat for Monkey to wear in pictures.  This isn't Monkey, but we managed to get a good picture of the two of us together with him wearing his hat.  He kept it on for all of 20 seconds, but we were fast with the camera.  :-)

The menu included monkey bread (made by my BFF and her mom), banana pudding (made by my mom), caramel popcorn, banana chips, cut up strawberries and bananas, mason jars filled with various red and brown candies, and even Chunky Monkey ice cream (that I completely forgot about and left in the freezer ;-).

We had matching balloons, goody bags for the kids, streamers, and a decorative sock monkey on the cake table.  We even had a dancing sock monkey that a friend of mine gave to us because she knew we were doing the sock monkey theme.  The kids LOVED the dancing sock monkey (and by "kids," I mean the grown-ups.  ;-)

But the thing that made the party had to be the sock monkey birthday cake and coordinating smash cake!  (That red blob on top is actually Monkey's name in stand-up red letters.  I just had to blot it out for the blog.)  It was simply the cutest cake ever!  And it tasted good too!!! 

Monkey went from kind of bored and uninterested to sugar high baby on crack cake in a matter of about two minutes flat.  I've had three 1-year-old birthday parties since I began fostering three years ago, and Monkey's reaction was definitely the most hilarious.  He had us all rolling in hysterical laughter.  :-)  I SOOOO wish I could post the video and crazy-eyed baby pics, but this one will have to do.  :-)

The "Big Kids..."  Booger, Buddy, and Ka-Diva (Can you believe that two and half years ago I was having a 1-year birthday party for this little man too?)

The "Littles..."  Monkey, Butterfly, Banana, and Pooper...  Can you believe we have four 10 to 12-month olds in the family?!?

Have you ever had one of those days where you look around you and just think, "Wow... I am unbelievably blessed!!!"? Yesterday's party was one of those days for me. When I began fostering, I never would have imagined the way my life would turn out. I never would have thought that I would go from "Single Lady with a Cat" to "Mimi, Mama, & Mom" for kids who would come into my life not only directly through foster care, but also indirectly.

It's no secret how much I love my oldest "daughter." Heaven's brought me more joy over the past year and a half than anyone knows. I can't say enough wonderful things about her! And last September, I met Heaven's younger sister Kama, who has quickly become my honorary daughter #2. I would do just about anything for these girls because having them as my "daughters" just feels right.

Monkey's birthday party was so much more than just a birthday party for me. I got to celebrate all of my kids! My little Monkey, who calls me "Mama," who has become an additional appendage because he wants to be touching me at all times, and whose huge smile lights up my heart like no other... My Booger Bear, who calls me "his Tammy," who still needs Mimi hugs, and who knows without a doubt that he will always be my very special boy even if he doesn't quite remember why... My "daughters" who make me laugh like no one else, who make me feel loved and needed, and who I can't wait to spend more time with even after I've just seen them... My honorary grandbaby, Banana, who gives hugs freely, whose "cheese" smile never fails to make me laugh, and whose independent streak reminds me so much of her Mama and big brother that I can't help but smile.

Yesterday, we took our first "family picture" that included all of the kids and grandkids. Me and my brood and my sister with hers!  All twelve of us!!!  (And my mom thought she'd never be a grandma...  ;-)

Yesterday, I spent the day with my family. Unconventional though we may be, they're mine in every way that matters. 

Yesterday was amazing!  And I wouldn't change a thing...

Celebrating...

Happy 39th Anniversary

to the best parents a girl could ever ask for!

I love you!!!

And Their Blog Names Shall Be...

"Pooper" (aka. "Thing 1")

7 lbs 3 oz

"Butterfly" (aka. "Thing 2")

6 lbs 12 oz

Sisters, Ka-Diva and Butterfly

Brothers, Buddy and Pooper

Let me just emphasize that, yes, I do realize that "Pooper" is probably not a very appropriate pseudonym for a precious little baby, but here's the thing...  Months ago when Chris and Christy were contemplating names for "the Things," they always made certain to include the big twins in the process.  One of their potential names for Baby Boy was "Cooper."  When Christy asked Buddy what he thought of it, he said "Pooper?!?  Why would you name a baby Pooper?!?"  Ever since then, that's the name that sticks when I've thought of Baby Boy (and if the nasty diaper that he had yesterday was any indication what's to come, it was probably a very fitting nick name).  So "Pooper" it is!!!

Buddy was also very insistant that Baby Girl's name be "Butterfly Crystal."  He has had that name on the brain for months.  When Christy asked why he liked that name so much, he said that he just thought it was a beautiful name and that baby girls' names should be beautiful.  Christy told Buddy that she would save that name special for him so that he could name his baby girl "Butterfly Crystal" when he is a daddy.  ;-)  I secretly loved the name though because butterflies are my little signs of happiness, so Baby Girl is officially blog named "Butterfly!"

Big thanks to Buddy for helping me "blog name" his baby brother and sister!  :-)

"Booger"-Sitting & My "Family"

It's so strange to me to think that I first started fostering as a way to add to my family.  I always thought that I would be able to adopt one or more of my little ones.  Little did I know, my "family" would grow by leaps and bounds...  Not through adoption, but through love!  :-)

Over the past six months, my relationship with the Booger Bear's family has developed into one that I absolutely cherish.  I've totally "adopted" them as "mine" (whether they like it or not ;-).  Fortunately, I think the feeling's mutual.  They all seem to have "adopted" me and the rest of my family too.  :-)  Lots of play dates for the kids (Booger, Buddy, and Ka-Diva are still best buds), and the occassional "Want to meet us at so-and-so?"  I love seeing how close Booger still is with his Daddy.  His dad's so good with him...  Very hands-on and interactive because he's like a big kid himself (a fact that embarrasses Heaven to no end when they're in public, but really is pretty endearing to everyone else ;-).  And I've gotten really close to the Booger's Mommy.  We talk every day, and I miss her just as much as I miss the Booger when we go too long without getting together.  I call her my "Mini Me" because she parents the same way I do!  I was worried in the beginning that I'd have a hard time letting go of the "mommy" role, but it's actually been easy.  I LOVE being more of an unofficial "grandma."  All of the glory...  None of the "mean" parenting stuff...  ;-)  The kids know I'm here to offer advice if they ask for it, help when they need it, and lots of moral support.  ("The kids..."  Now that makes me feel old! ;-)

The kids put me to work last month when they went to the hospital to bring the Booger Bear's baby sister into the world.  Booger came to spend four days with me while Heaven was in the hospital!  I loved every second of it, even when the Booger was being...  well...  a booger!  :-) 

NIGHT ONE - The first night was a little rough.  Heaven has been with Booger almost 24/7 since he went to live with them a year ago, so I think they both had a little separation anxiety.  BB was super excited to see me, but when his parents left, he informed me that he wanted me to go to the doctor instead.  :-)  I got his mind off of things by taking him grocery shopping to get his favorite foods and he insisted that we take pictures for Heaven so she wouldn't miss him.

Booger's eyes grew HUGE and I swear he heard the harps and chorus of angels singing when he saw this MEGA-sized box of cheese balls at Target.

Everything went great...  Until bedtime.  I had to remind myself that bedtime was never easy with him, but now that he talks like a 30-year-old, it was a little more vocal.  Lots of crying!  "I not tired, Tammy!  It not bedtime!  I want my Buzz and Woody bed!  I want Daddy and Heaben!  I wanna play wit blocks!  I wanna be a good boy!  I no want a see you, Tammy!  Go in de udder woom!  I NOT HAPPY, TAMMY!!!" 

Finally at around 11:30, he stopped crying and called me in.  "I need a diaper change, Tammy."  After I changed his diaper, he told me his lip hurt, so I told him to hop back in bed while I went to get him some chapstick.  He waited patiently for me to come back.  "You come back, Tammy?!?"  I put some chapstick on him (which then became a nightly routine), he pulled up his blanket, told me he loved me, asked for a kiss, and then told me to go in the other room and go to bed too.  Didn't hear a peep out of him after that!

DAY TWO - BB was a little angel as soon as it was his decision to go to sleep.  He slept all night, and the next morning I had to wake him up myself!  He looked at me and asked, "It morningtime???"  Then smiled and said, "I HAPPY, Tammy!  I happy a see you!!!"  Made me fall even more in love with that kid all over again...  :-) 

My mom watched Booger that day while I was at work.  He still loves going to Nana and Papa's house.  He was so happy to be there that he kicked me out when I started stalling before heading to work.  "Bye!  You go work now, Tammy!"  He was happy to see me by the end of the day though.  :-)  We took some more pictures for Heaven and he had a fun bath before I attempted bedtime again.

Believe it or not, there actually WAS some water under all of the toys and bubbles.

And then it was bedtime...  There was no crying that night.  A little bit of whining, but no crying...  We read every book I had, and then J insisted that I lay down with him so I could sleep and he could talk about all of the fun things that he had planned for us the next day.  For nearly TWO SOLID HOURS!!!  From what I could gather, he planned to play on the playground, play with balloons, take trash to the dumpster, take a bath, watch the "dumpster truck" come, play with Buddy and Ka-Diva, read more books, and drive to Walmart to get fruit.  Busy boy!  He finally closed his eyes and fell asleep within 30 seconds of doing so.  Took forever, but no crying, and he was a happy little thing that night!

DAY THREE - I had to wake up Sleeping Beauty myself again that morning. He jumped up, yelled "It morning time!!! We have fun!!!" and then proceeded to rattle off the list of things that he had come up with the previous night of what he wanted to do that day.  Before we did any of that though, we made a special trip to the hospital so Booger could meet his amazingly beautiful baby sister!  ...and her blog name shall be...  BANANA!!!  (Long story...  There's a logical reason for the name though :-)

Is she not just the prettiest baby ever?!?  :-)

I totally want to post a pic that I have of Heaven holding both of her kiddos, when the Booger got his first look at his new baby sister, but she'd probably strangle me seeing as how she had just recently given birth and all...  ;-)  She was soooo happy to see Booger.  She'd been missing him like crazy.  Too bad he was being a little snot.  They definitely had some jealousy issues the first couple of weeks.  Booger was not used to sharing his "Heaben."  Fortunately, he's over it now and is completely in love with his new baby sister.  :)

After we left the hospital, we started on Booger's "to do" list. 

Somehow, I get the feeling I was suckered...

We're talking something along the lines of 60 balloons...  But he was having a blast, and he kept saying, "I BERRY happy, Tammy!!!  Balloons make me HAPPY!!!"  Seriously, how could I say "no" to that?!?  Guess it was a good thing that I played the clarinet for so long... Especially because his favorite "game" was for me to blow up the balloons and then let them go flying around the room. I tried explaining the concept of "dizzy," but he just kept saying, "But balloons make me HAPPY, Tammy!" ;-)

Yep...  We made a balloon tower...

I had another one of my "Scathingly Brilliant Ideas," and decided to build a balloon pit about 30 minutes before bedtime.  He totally loved it though, so I guess it was worth it.  ;-) 



I love his worried, "It not bedtime!!!"  :-)

Bedtime was easy though!  We read every book in the house again, and he wanted me to lay down next to him again.  We talked about his baby sister (although we changed the subject quickly because I could see the jealousy creeping in...  "Her hands not little!  MY hands little!")...  We talked about the balloon pit...  We talked about his plans for the next day...  He fell asleep in about 30 minutes.  HUGE improvement over the two hours the first couple of nights!

DAY FOUR - Unfortunately, Day Four started out with me hearing the Booger crying, "YOU WENT IN DE UDDER WOOM!!!"  :(  Apparently he thought I had been sleeping with him all week because I had been there when he fell asleep and I was the one who had woken him up in the mornings.  He was all smiles again as soon as he saw me though.

Buddy was sick that day, but Ka-Diva came over to "help me" with the Booger.  Booger kept saying, "Buddy no feel good, but KA-DIVA play wiff me!!!"  :-)  We call Ka-Diva a "little mommy" because she is very into safety and taking care of the little ones.  She was actually a really big help!

Why, yes...  The number of balloons in the balloon pit did double in number!  It really was an awesome idea (if I do say so myself! ;-)

Booger insisted that he was Ironman, and really thought the goggles added to his Ironman persona.

A wee bit of static...

After playing in the balloon pit for a good hour, we decided to go play on the playground.  Booger was all about doing anything that Ka-Diva did.  We also spent the afternoon learning how to "take turns" and "share."  By the end of the day, Booger kept saying over and over, "I'm a nice boy!  I take turns!  I'm a nice boy!  I share!"  I totally got his 2-year-old temper tantrums under control.  Any time he would start to whine or complain or misbehave, I just told him that "I only play with nice boys.  If you don't want to be a nice boy, you can go play over there by yourself until you want to be a nice boy again."  He would go about 5 feet away and sulk for 30 seconds, then come running back up to me all smiles and announcing, "I'm a nice boy again!"  So funny!  :-)

Such a little mommy...  And Booger worshipped her by the end of the day!

Ka-Diva, with the patience of a saint, helping Booger put a puzzle together.

Sidewalk chalk...  Booger kept coloring in Ka-Diva's peace signs.  :-)  She kept asking me, "Why does he want to be right where I am?"  She totally already knew the answer, but she liked to hear it anyway.  "He just really, really likes you.  He thinks you're really cool, and he wants to be with you."

By the end of the day, Booger had worn Ka-Diva out!  I wish I'd taken a picture of her as she was laying exhausted on my couch telling me that Booger needed to take a nap.  :-)

Ka-Diva went home, and Booger and I cuddled and watched some cartoons while we waited on his parents to come pick him up.  (He also seized the moment to tell me that I needed makeup.  Thanks, kid!) Heaven and Banana were getting released from the hospital, and they were finally going to have their first night together as a family of four!  Heaven told me later that they were eternally grateful that I had worn him out that day because they were all in bed by 8:00!  :-)

My house was a mess, and I didn't even want to think about cleaning it, but the mess just proved that I had a "BERRY HAPPY" kid on my hands that week.  :-)

So that was the story of "My Booger-Sitting Adventure" and "My Family That I Chose."  Have I mentioned lately that I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world?  I can't wait to see what the future holds!  :-)