Potluck Friday!

Happy Friday!!!! the last Friday of 2011!

So, as many of you know, last weekend James and I kept our 3 nieces (ages 8, 5, and 4). It was a magical weekend of baking cookie, watching Disney Channel (which i didn't even know i had) and making up answers to tons of questions because the true answers just didn't seem to be cutting it.
There were tons of highlights from all 3 girls, but it was my youngest nieces who truly stole the show, and it would be just wrong for me not to share some of those gems with my loyal readers.

So, out of the mouth of a 4 year-old, here is a very special Potluck Friday:

1. Along with gingerbread cookies, the girls and I also made cake balls. Strawberry cake with cream cheese icing! so as i was pulling the cake from the oven, my sweet young niece blessed me with this:
   Niece: (standing behind me) That cakes smells good!
   Aunt Re: Thank you!
   Niece: But your butt doesn't! Come here girls (calling her sisters), come smell Aunt ReRe's butt.
   Aunt Re: Let's not! That's gross.
   Niece: (she bends over and points her butt at me) Your butt is bigger than mine. see?
   Aunt Re: Thanks...i had no clue!
   
2. The girls were just so intrigued by River's diaper changes. I got questioned about why he pooped his pants, why he did it so often and just WHY! Lil Niece was the most curious.
   Niece: What's wrong with River's belly button.
   Aunt Re: (i'm mid diaper change). Nothing is wrong with his belly button.
   Niece: Uh huh. It looks funny.
   Aunt Re (i realize she's not talking about his belly button): Oh, that's not his belly button. That's his private parts.
   Niece: Why does it look like that?
   Aunt Re: Because he's a boy.
   Niece (shuttering in disgust): Ugh!
   Aunt Re: hahaha! keep that attitude for as long as possible!
   
3. Lil Niece's curiosity with Riv's bathroom behavior did not stop there. While i was finishing the cake balls in the kitchen -- because the girls abandoned me when they realized that the dipping part sounded funner than it actually is -- i heard Uncle "Bames" having the strangest conversation.
   Uncle Bames: Poop is not a toy. Bring that poop back here.
   
   Before i knew it, Lil Niece was beside me in the kitchen, swinging around a walmart bag with a poopy diaper. You would have thought she had a bag full of money. she was so dang excited. So excited that she sang me a song.
   Niece: I got the poop! I got the poop! I got the poop! (she sang this several times while twirling the bag with joy....it's the little things!)
   
4. I don't know who she was proclaiming this to, but as Lil Niece was walking through the house, i heard her say (to no one in particular): Boogers are sticky like glue!
   

Please turn to Apps 3:16

Our new family Christmas tradition (new as in this year) is to read the Nativity Story before we open our gifts. We thought it would be a good way to further the message to our offspring that Christmas is not about 5,609 presents under the tree...or even cookies, but the birth of our savior.

So anywhoo, it's time to bust out the story, and this is the conversation that ensued -- further proof that we are too reliant on technology:

ReRe: Daddy, you wanna look up the Nativity story so we can read it and then we'll do gifts.
James: Yeah, but i'll have to unplug my phone first (his phone was playing Christmas Pandora)
ReRe: Why do you need your phone?
James: So I can pull up the Bible app.
ReRe: Just get a regular Bible.
James: We have those? Like a hard copy, printed out one?
ReRe: Umm....???? YEAH! Like 3 or 4 of them.

I tell them where they are ....where we've kept them the last 7 years of marriage.

James (carrying the Bible in his hand): this is what we'll use if our app ever goes down and we need to upload a new copy!

Geesh!

Potluck Friday

Happy Potluck Friday and Christmas Eve Eve!

1. This is an exciting day! I will have 6 extra feet running around my kitchen today. My 3 nieces are coming to spend the night and we are going to be baking up a storm. Part of me thinks i'm crazy, but the other part is so freaking excited (ask me at 10 p.m. which part i should have listened too!) Riv is so excited. Right now he's showing his excitement by screaming on the kitchen floor. Oh wait, that's not excitement. He's ticked because i wouldn't let him play with steak knife he spotted on the cabinet. Mean mommy.
   
2. Christmas has br0ught on some hilarious conversations with my hubby. While watching "Mike and Molly" this week (love that show! Big girls represent!) We were laughing at Mike rushing around trying to find a gift for Molly, who was dropping tons of hints...that he didn't pick up on. This is soooo James. After 8 years, he still has no clue what to get me for birthdays or Christmas, whereas i listen to him gab all year and have plenty of ideas when occasions come upon us. This year we decided to do a couple's gift -- a new laptop. So that saved James hunting for a gift for me:
   ReRe: Are you glad we did a couple's gift so you don't have to be like Mike
   James: Oh yeah.
   ReRe: Why does picking a gift for me make you so stressed.
   James: Because it's a lot of pressure. I want you to know that i've been listening to you all year and know exactly what you want or need......but i don't listen to you.
   
   At least he's honest!
   
3. Another Christmas gem of a conversation happened last night when i was guilting him about not getting around to putting lights on our house 2 years in a row (last year we had a 2 month old so i gave him an out, but there's no excuse for this year!). So as we pull out of our driveway, i point to the neighbors house across the street and start the guilting:
   ReRe: See, they have lights on their house. Sure is pretty. I wish someone would put lights on my house.
   James: Yeah, they have lights on their house. But that's not what Christmas is about. It's not about giant blow up reindeer with lights. Nope. They may have lights on their house...but we have lights in our heart! That's what it's about.
   ReRe: Did you seriously just say "lights in our hearts"?!
   James: Yep. Lights in our hearts.
   
   So we spent the rest of the evening driving by houses that had huge light displays and saying "Their hearts are dim inside. No lights in their hearts!" hahahhaa
   
4. Epic fail of the week goes to the "great" governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin. Clearly Mary has never had a sick newborn, or uncomplicated birth. That's the only reason i can think of that would explain why she thinks signing a bill that allows an insurance company to deny coverage to a newborn. Thank goodness this wasn't in effect when I had River, who spent a week in NICU. I've never been more grateful for insurance or realized the importance of it. We are still paying off our portion of the NICU bill (counting down the days until May 15th ...my last payment), i can't imagine if we would have been responsible for the whole enchilada. Fail Mary Fallin. this is reason #4,839 why Jari Askins should have won. Boo!
   
5. What's ReRe jamming this week? "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida
   
   

Color Me Sadd

Pandora needs to stop playing Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up" in the mornings when i'm trying to work out. I love the song too dang much to skip it, but it's just really not a good workout song. Why? For one it's too slow and i find myself slowing down on the elliptical or walking crazy slow on the track.And for two, i can't NOT sing the dang song...and i doubt 70 year-old dude on the track this morning appreciated me belting out "Come inside take off your coat, I'll make you feel at home..."

But honey badger don't care and i sang the whole dang song! It took me back to 1991...that was my jam. But listening to this song this morning made me realize two things:

1. It's very inappropriate that "I Wanna Sex You Up" was my jam in 1991...considering i was TEN years old!
   
2. And Bryan Abrams (lead singer dude who enjoys punching ladies in the face in Oklahoma City bars and became Color Me Sadd) sounds like a girl!

But despite those things...there is no denying that this song is the JAM!

(FUN RERE FACT: in 1992 i met Color Me Badd at Will Rogers Airport! I came in on a late night flight from visiting my daddy and they were there getting their luggage. I lost my mind!!! Besides marrying James and birthing the River Monster, this is definitely one of my proudest moments --i hear you judging me!)

Have a great day...and enjoy!

There's a white girl trapped inside me

Folks who know me well, know that there's not a creative bone in my body. I don't sew, paint, craft, do beadery, etc. There's a reason why God blessed me with a boy....he knows i'd lose my mind if i had to coordinate outfits with big headband bows! It just ain't my thang.

BUT motherhood has given me crafty impulses hear and there. I bought one of those icing bags so i could make homemade cupcakes for River's first birthday party. and i even painted him a shirt that said "BIRTHDAY BOY" with a giant pumpkin on the front. So yeah, i've had my moments. And i had another one of them this weekend.

Riv and i got crafty and made some very special Christmas ornaments for his PaPa and Grandmas. I'll admit that I was pretty darn proud of myself! Riv was proud of his mama too, so proud that "he" sent a text to Ms. T to tell her that his mama got crafty:

Riv: Look what my mama made!

Ms. T: Wow!

Riv: I know! Can you believe SHE got crafty?!

Ms. T: That's crazy. I knew there was a white girl trapped inside of her!

Riv: Next stop Pinterest!

No promises on the Pinterest thing! I don't know if my crafty flag is ready to fly quite that high. I think if Pinterest had a whole bunch of black folks on there it would be filled with recipes for collard greens (with and without neckbones), 101 ways to braid and bead your kid's hair and step-by-step directions on how to put your light bill in your 10 year-old's name....this was "crafting" was in my house!

Crap girls say!

This video is so funny....because it's so TRUE!

EVERYONE has Facebook!

We watched the following video at church yesterday and it made me smile, cry, laugh and get goosebumps all at once. LOVE it!