148 Pride and Potty Humor

I am so proud of my little girl!! She brought home her tests from last week and she got ALL A's!!! She had 3 tests, and she aced each of them! We struggled last semester. She was bringing home some pretty deplorable grades, but we have worked at it and she is definitely improving! I still think some of her mistakes have been because of her right hand. Yes, she could write with her left hand, and it was legible, but I think her brain was still used to talking to her right hand and sometimes it got its signals crossed. And she had to really concentrate to make each letter, and I am sure by the time she convinced her hand to do what she wanted it to she was feeling a bit frustrated. I know she is smart as a whip, but her grades were just not showing it. Yeah, she has a little attention-span problem, but it is mainly when a tv is involved. And I do think she just gets flustered easily during a test. But this past week, she did so well!! And, her right hand is getting back in line, so I am hoping she will continue to improve. When I opened her folder and saw her tests I snatched her up and hugged her so tight! We did a little happy dance and I told her how proud we are. I just hope she knows that we are always proud of her, not just today.
Connor spent the day driving me batty as usual. He once again made a beeline for the bathroom anytime the door was left open. Shut the door you say?? Can't! The cat has to be able to get to his litterbox and his food, but thanks for the suggestion. I followed him in there to find that he had pulled the step stool up to the commode and was happily splashing around. Don't worry, I was more concerned with him making the toilet dirty than the toilet making him dirty! And, since I did not have to fear him falling, I went and got the camera so you can all enjoy him. His hands are back to their sweet smelling self, so don't shy away the next time you are near. The day before he had brought the trash can out of the same bathroom. Today he came walking out of the master bath with the extra-tp holder. He just loves to carry stuff around, and it is even better if it makes noise and most of the bathroom stuff is metal. And in case you were worried that we were not as proud of Connor as we are of Katie, I will set your mind at ease. Connor made us very proud this week by trying SALSA! He dipped right in, and although his facial expressions might lead you to believe otherwise, he LOVED it!!

He also waved goodbye for the first time AWAY from himself!! Katie and Mia were headed up the street and he waved goodbye to them. It was too sweet!

And tonight I received some wonderful news. I will be shooting a wedding in May with my shutterbuddy Candy!! She called me in to help out since the church is rather large and she did not want to miss anything while running around. I can't wait! In the meantime I need to start lining up some guinea pigs to play with!! So, if you are in the Desoto/Memphis area and are willing to let me shoot your family :) I am looking for some test subjects to build a portfolio. For the first 5 or so sessions I will not be charging a sitting fee. This will require you to allow me to use any photos for my portfolio. And, as you can imagine, some will make their way onto my blog. I will be setting one up for my "business" and will let you all know when it is ready. Also, I do NOT have a studio. I will gladly take pictures in parks, on the street, or most anywhere for that matter.

Until then, Candy and I are planning another photocation. Still up in the air over where we will be shooting, but I am sure it will be a blast!

126 Here it comes

Yesterday she charmed me.

Today, she tried me!!

We had to have "the talk"! NO, not that one. The one about Christmas being a time for GIVING - not just receiving. At school they have a "Secret Santa Shop" where the kids can go pick out gifts for their family, friends, and teachers for $2 each. It is supposed to teach them about giving. Last year there was a girl in Katie's class that was sent to the "Secret Santa Shop" with $10 to spend on herself, so this year Katie wants to do the same thing. Nuh-Uh!! Ain't gonna happen. For one, my gift last year was a broken necklace. I understand, $2 is tiny, but the least they could do is make sure the stuff was whole! If I want to spend random money on junk I will let Katie go crazy in Dollar Tree. So, back to the story already in progress. I was trying to explain to her about "giving", but she was having none of it. All she heard was me say "no" to her buying more crap, and she broke down into tears. "YOU ARE MEAN!! You are sooo meee-eee-eeeaan!!" So, I very calmly picked up her list of gifts to buy in the Secret Santa Shop, folded it neatly in half, and put it in the trash can. She came barreling toward me, "I'm gonna get it BACK!" So I shut the baby gate on her. Then she balled up her little fists, slammed them down by her sides and scowled at me! "YOU SCURVY DOG!!" And oh my God, I almost lost it right there!! I wanted to laugh so bad, but she was serious. So instead I picked her up and swatted her on the tush. I can take a lot from that child, but she is not going to think she is in charge. (yeah Mom, I can hear you laughing) Even I reach a point where I know she will pay attention to nothing else. And, due to the rarity of a spanking, it definitely gets her attention. I was thinking that it just inconveniences me to have to take her shopping for gifts, but come on, I would have had to do that anyway. It will end up saving me money. And if it saves me a bit of a headache down the road for her to know she can't call me a "Scurvy Dog", even better. Darn you SpongeBob! She pouted for a bit. I cooked dinner, put her plate in front of her and walked away. Hey, my feelings get hurt too, ya know?! I had to feed Connor, and even try to feed myself. By the time I was done feeding Connor she was over it. She wanted me to come see what she had drawn, and sit in the living room with her. She had drawn "Angry Corn" (it was from a Back at the Barnyard show), so I asked her if he was mad enough to call his Mom a "scurvy dog" ... she did not see the correlation, she just told me he did not have parents because he is corn. Still waiting on my apology ...

Katie had her dentist appointment today. He got her broken tooth all patched up, and we go back next Tuesday to do a crown. It was the first time she had experienced novacaine, and her poor mouth was so numb. I was trying to take a picture of her, and she said "but I can't smile". Poor little thing (her mouth was fine when she started acting up later, thank you).

Connor has been adorable today. Even when he is technically being a bad boy. His badness just does not compare!! He likes to walk down the hallway which has the litter box to the half-bath, and he is of course not supposed to do that. But he looks so cute peaking around the door that I let him get about halfway before I call him back.

He is not technically doing anything wrong here, but he is in the tub because he was "stirring" my coffee while Katie was in the bath. It was cold, and he was doing a good job ... until he decided to pick it up. I had to strip him down anyway, so I stuck him in the tub with Katie. He loves splashing with his Sissy. This is how he looks at Katie, ALL THE TIME! Like she is the best thing ever invented. I know it is blurry, but I had to share the look on his face!

And in case you missed it, here is a really crappy picture of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter. I did not get a cool picture yesterday when they were closer together, but its better than nothing. Kinda ...

Although it is pretty close to nothing.