Say It Ain't So

This blog is typically about my children, but I've learned a few things about myself recently that have led me to this post. If you're only interested in adorable stories about adorable children from a very biased mother, then you should find another blog for your reading entertainment today. However, if you're interested in a "young" mother's continued self-discovery through the eyes others, this just may be the post you've been longing to read. ;-)

Last week Rodney and I went to dinner to celebrate our 4th Anniversary (May 21st). Rodney's sister watched the kiddos while Rodney and I enjoyed a wonderful, uninterrupted, adult-only conversation, eat-with-two-hands, sit for the entire meal, full service dinner. Honestly, McDonald's would have sufficed but we opted for Bonefish instead.

During our date I started asking Rodney questions about our first date--trying to stir up memories of those new love feelings, but I'd say the conversation didn't go as I had planned. Instead, it went something like this...

Me: When we went out on our first date, what was it about me that made you want to go on a second date?
Rodney: I thought you were very beautiful and very sweet. I just wanted to get to know you better.
Me: So, now that you know me better, what do you think?
Rodney: I still think you're very beautiful, but...
Me: ...but?
Rodney: Well, (laughing) you're kind of a tart.

I couldn't help but laugh because I know how much truth there is to it. He did finally concede that I'm not a total tart, but a sweet-tart. It's all about balance for me...


Then last Friday I called into the daily 6.40am conference call with Mother and Chelsea. I started having pains in my side. As we talked they got worse and worse until I felt I needed to interrupt the conversation to complain about my pain. Both responded by asking me if it wasn't just gas. I assured them this wasn't gas pain. "But remember that one time you went to the ER and it was just gas?" Of course I remember....HOW EMBARRASSING! After we all hung up, the pain kept getting worse until I was on the floor in tears trying to figure out who could help me. My neighbor Michele came and got me and her girls Macie and Mabry came and stayed with Clinton. Michele drove me and Heidi to the ER and hung out with us. After I was given pain meds through my IV, Michele and I were able to recap the morning's events. And this is what she had to say about the situation...

"I knew it was bad when I got to your house and Heidi wasn't wearing a bow."

Ha, ha! Okay, so we have a tiny reputation around here about our bows. Power bows just aren't as prevalent here in Tennessee so Heidi definitely stands out!

As for my health, after a dose of narcotics, a CT scan and 3 x-rays I was given a diagnosis--a kidney stone that had partially passed and another that lay in waiting. Still waiting on those puppies to pass!

So to sum up, here is what I learned...
1. While I definitely have a sweet side, my tart side has not gone unnoticed.
2. My husband thinks he's a comedian.
3. My mom and sister remember every embarrassing thing I've done (and there are many!).
4. The bows aren't just an accessory, they seem to have created an identity!

Keepin' it real,

Who's Who?

Lovin' my Look-Alikes,

Pictures for Peggy

My grandmother has requested pictures of Heidi with no bow.

WHAT!? No bow? How will be people a mile away be able to tell she's a girl? :-)

Being the loving granddaughter that I am, I was happy to oblige. I hope you love these, Peggy!




Puttin' the bow back on,

Funny Little Man

Clinton is growing up so fast! Lately he has become a little boy and is officially no longer a baby. Words are just pouring out of his mouth. Sentences are being formed. Directions are being followed. And decisions are being made--particularly about what he'll be wearing and what he'll be eating.

One of my favorite things about him right now is how much he loves and cares for his little sister. Occasionally, I'll go to get her out of bed and find that her brother has left a bottle or a blanket by her. Often when I'm holding her, Clinton comes and gives her kisses. When Heidi is crying, Clinton comes and tells me, "Her cwy-ingt". And sometimes when she's upset, Clinton pats her head and tells her, "Kay"...as if to say, "It's okay."

He's also been trying to assert himself around here which results in the "terrible two" tantrums. I typically react by leaving the room and shutting the door behind me. He'll quickly pull himself together, come find me, and start the tantrum over. We repeat this several times until he gets put in his room until he is "all done crying". I love that he has an opinion and a will to fight for what he wants, but good gracious, it's exhausting!

In our house, we definitely believe in he power of "T". Rodney, a University of Tennessee grad, and me, a University of Texas grad, both love a power "T" (in our respective shades of orange, of course). However, Clinton has taken the love of T to a new level. With all the new words Clinton has been adding to his vocab, he's also added a new sound. He's added the "T" sound to the end of a lot of words. Instead of saying "again", he's now saying "againt". Before he said "mon" for milk and mowing, now he says "mont". And as you may have noticed above, we have "cwy-ingt" in our house now!

Another part of growing up is saying goodbye to the baby toys. Clinton has pushed aside all of his old bath toys and traded them in for monster trucks and matchbox cars. Clinton's daddy started this trend and Clinton has been loving it. He not only plays with these in the bath, but also in his club house, on his train table, on the kitchen counters, in the car and anywhere else that he can. I just have to make sure to keep them picked up...they're no fun to step on!

And when Clinton's not having a tantrum, he's able to follow directions quite well. He knows his colors well enough that I can tell him to get something and describe it by color. Or he knows where things are that he can go get--i.e. his shoes, his bowls and cups, or his hats. He also loves to help me clean. Which isn't really helpful at this point, but I let him help because it makes him happy and I'm hoping to set a standard in this house about pitching in!

On Clinton's last day of school last week, we stopped on the way and picked up one bunch of flowers for each of his two teachers. Clinton was very excited about them and held the "trees" (what he calls all plants) all the way to school. He then wanted to carry them in to give to Miss Kay and Miss Mary. As we started across the parking lot I noticed he was dragging them along the pavement. I told him to hold them up so they wouldn't hit the ground. This little goose held his arms straight above his head, elbows locked and walked all the way across the parking lot, into the school, down the hall and into his class with the flowers above his head! BUT HE FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS!

Looking forward to more accomplishments (big and small),

Two Months Old

Today Heidi went in for her 2 month appointment. While she's growing right on track, she's not quite the monster her brother has been. Heidi's stats are all right in the 50th percentile. Mommy's looking forward to a baby that doesn't break the back!

Weight - 11 lbs.
Height - 22.75 in.
Head - 15.16 in.

Heidi is hitting her milestones right on cue and my favorite is the smiling and cooing! She just melts my heart every time she flashes me one of these huge gummy grins!


This face cracks me up. Any time she's trying to make very deliberate movements she makes this face. She also has a scared face that looks a lot like this that we see when Clinton gets too close or too loud! :-) (How about that cute outfit? Thanks, Jessica!)


I still can't believe this is my little girl! It's funny when you don't know what you're having until they arrive, things don't sink in right away. Like with Clinton we found out at 12 weeks that he was a boy and within a week of that we had selected a name. So, by the time he got here we were completely prepared for a boy and the name Clinton just rolled off the tongue so easily. With Heidi, I'm still in shock I have my own little bow wearin' baby doll...and I'm just now getting to where Heidi rolls out without thought. I get excited every morning when we pick out her clothes! (Totally dorky, I know.)


Whoa, girl. You're daddy won't be having any of that!


Lovin' the smiles,

This Ain't My First Rodeo - Fixed the Video!!!!

As many of you may (or may not) know, I am the daughter of a bull rider. So, when we went to the rodeo last night it was definitely not my first rodeo. It was, however, the kids' first rodeo. And it was almost like going to the rodeo for the first time getting to see it through their eyes.

Our friends Ryan and Heather and their daughter Dalby met up with us. (Not sure if it was their first rodeo or not, but I'm sure it was Dalby's!) By the end of the night our children had made friends with everyone around us. Clinton "shared" some nachos with a lady behind us. Dalby shared some hugs with a lady beside us. Clinton and Dalby both did a lot of visiting with everyone in sight as they went up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs. And Heidi got a lot of stares and "Awww"s while sporting yet another adorable power bow.

Clinton was happy to put his boots on because mommy and daddy were both wearing their boots. He wasn't sure about the hat, but we brought it along just in case....and thank goodness we did. As soon as he saw all the other cowboys, he needed his hat, too! We also took Clinton's old hat for Dalby. She wore it long enough for pictures and that was about it. I don't blame her....what girl wants hat hair when she can wear a bow??

Heidi and her hair bow.


Clinton sitting in his seat for about 30 seconds.


Dalby and her daddy (Ryan).


A video of our fun evening. I'm sure this will be of most interest to the Creech and Dalby families, but feel free to check it out if you have about 5 minutes to spare!


Rememberin' the good ole days,

Double Take

Heidi - May 2009


Clinton - March 2007


Wondering if anyone else sees the similarities,

Our Six-Week Old Sweet-Pea

Today marks 6 weeks since Heidi Sage joined our family. There have been long nights with little sleep which paled in comparison to the sheer joy of seeing a very loving brother with his little sister. There have been lots of blank newborn baby stares overshadowed by the occasional gummy grin that makes me laugh every time. And there have been lots of diaper changes along with a large number of "wardrobe" changes.

I'll be the first to admit, newborns are a lot of work and usually involve a lot of emotions from a postpartum mommy, but every exhaustion headache, milk-covered shirt and moment of worry is all but forgotten when you look into their sweet little eyes and try to determine if they look like your grandmother or maybe your husband or possibly your aunt on your dad's side.

I think I'm most amazed by the love you instantly feel for a new child. I was almost convinced that Clinton would always be my favorite (a terrible thing to say, I know!). But he was the oldest (a role we have in common) and he was my first. We had already spent two years side by side and he was my best buddy. I couldn't even begin to fathom how I might be able to love the next child as much as I loved him, but I do. There's no difference in the love I feel for each of my children. It's that I-would-do-anything-for-you, I'll-protect-you-at-all-costs, I'll-be-your-biggest-fan-no-matter-how-many-points-you-score, I'm-willing-to-lay-down-my-life-for-you, never ending kind of love...and I feel it equally for these two precious little souls. I never knew this much love was inside me.

Of course, in exchange for all this love, my kids get to be my little photography subjects and Heidi had her six-week shoot today. It was short-lived because she eats every 5 seconds, but I was able to snap a few precious moments. I hope you're able to briefly enjoy her sweet face as much as I get to all day, every day...and sometimes night. :-)







Heidi's Six-Week Status Updates

-She's sleeping 6-7 hours at night!! Can I get an Amen?
-She eats and eats and eats...maybe more than Clinton ever did. It's exhausting but we're thankful for a baby with a healthy appetite.
-She does NOT like to be left alone in a room. She doesn't mind being sat down, but as soon as she's alone she cries and screams and it's fierce!
-She loves her brother. A few of her gummy grins have been direct results of something Clinton is jabbering at her while standing a mere two inches from her face. I have no idea what he's saying, but I guess Heidi knows...and thinks it's funny!
-She loves her bath. But who doesn't love a nice warm bath to relax in?
-She tolerates her power bows, but occasionally will rip one off in the midst of a hunger fit.
-She rides like an angel in the car. So far (knock on wood) my children are great in the car. Calm, relaxed, and often asleep...this makes for easy summer trips to Florida!
-She's a one nap baby....just like her brother. No extra sleep needed for my kiddos! Clinton is on the verge of being a no-nap toddler, but I'm not quite ready to let go of it just yet.
-She loves to be outside. Anytime we go outside she kind of raises her face to the sun and smiles a little.
-She can hold her head up so good! Clinton's head was so big, it was months before he was able to accomplish this. But she is forever looking up and looking around. I'm hoping this isn't indicative of early mobility! I have a great appreciation for babies that stay in one place!


Looking forward to watching my daughter grow,

Is Flirting Just a Natural Instinct for Boys??

Studies around here are indicating a big YES!




Analyzing Data,

Yep, He's Mine

Clinton keeps us laughing and definitely keeps us on our toes! I sometimes wonder what could possibly be going through his head and where he gets his personality?? Mother assures me that while I'm now a quiet, laid back person, there was a time I was much like the little tornado constantly swirling around me.

You can imagine how fun it is in public to have to claim the child screaming at the top of his lungs because someone asked him how old he is and he only replies to that question by yelling "TWO" as loudly as possible. (I guess when he's 4 we'll have to keep him away from golf courses!) Or the child who just took off with someone else's stroller. Or the child running as fast as he can through the preschool hallways laughing and squealing while his pregnant mommy waddles behind. Or....well, you get the picture.

This week Clinton found a basket which he decided was a really cool, really large, blinding helmet. He ran around the house and into a few walls before finally giving it up.

He also found an orange highlighter that found its way onto his shorts. (I uploaded the larger file of the first pic, so if you click on it you can see all the orange on his shorts.) The highlighter also colored the column in our foyer. Luckily, it was high gloss paint so it wiped right off with baby wipes...which Clinton had to do as part of his "punishment"...not that he cared.

Everyday is an adventure with this kid!




Wondering what's next,