Crazy Hair Day and Pityriasis

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Friday was Crazy Hair Day at school for Lydia and Elijah. Lydia wanted mutliple pony tails and braids. I didn't have a lot of time so this is the best I could do . . .

I know, I know. Out-of-control crazy.

Elijah was gonna represent some true crazy. We were going to shave Elijah's head (he's been begging for it) with some lightning bolts and such. But instead, we ended up at the doctor's office getting his rash/spots checked out. On his birthday morning :( But at least it was only Pityriasis and not the Chicken Pox and he headed back to school. But no crazy hair.

His frown turned to a smile and we had an awesome party that I will post about soon.

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Sharky Update

Pin It Now! If you read the post about Lydia's extra tooth then you know about Lydia's extra tooth "Sharky." And you're dying to see Sharky emerge, right?
Here is the x-ray of Sharky.

Sharky is coming in . . . just in time for kindergarten pictures.

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My Three Front Teeth

Pin It Now! Lydia has an extra tooth up top.

All she wants for Christmas is her three front teeth.

The extra tooth looks like a shark tooth.

When the dentist showed me the x-ray I started laughing hysterically (not in front of Lydia).

I laughed so hard I cried. I just envisioned her in her kindergarten pictures with this shark tooth rocking her smile and I could not stop laughing. I guess I'm no pageant mom.

I showed Lydia the x-ray and asked her to name the extra tooth.

"Sharky." Of course.

Last week she had to get one of her baby teeth pulled to make way for Sharky. When Sharky is halfway in, he will have to get pulled as well.

Do you or your kids have any funky teeth issues?

Here you have it in pictures . . .

Aren't kids so cute when they sleep? Or maybe not. Maybe creepy.

Tada!

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A Princess Story, By Lydia

Pin It Now! Lydia wrote this story. Thank you Barbie and princess shows. And thanks to me for letting her watch them. Future counseling required (for me and her).





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Lydia's Five and She Gets Gum

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My sweet, strong-willed, spirited, full-of-joy daughter used to be 15-months old. Today she is five years old. And today she will experience gum for the first time cuz that's how we do it.

I love this girl. She is so full of joy, expression, imagination, strength, ideas, giggles. She is the comedian. She is the actress. She is a cuddler, an animal lover, a bossy-pants big sister. She is a long-term potty training expert. She is a master colorer. She is a Taylor Swift-singing, Justin Bieber-lovin' gal. To know her is to love her.

Happy Birthday to my Lydia! Pin It Now!

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A Request for Justin Bieber

Pin It Now! Shiloh took Lydia to see the Justin Bieber movie. Lydia is now a Belieber.

And she wants Justin to come to her "Kung Fu, Makeup, Wedding, Princess, Rock Star" 5th Birthday party.

She only wants him to dance. There is no need for him to sing because "We can just play his music Mom!" Would be such an easy gig for the Biebs.

I told her I don't know his address to send him an invitation. She told me to ask the mailman.

She is telling people he is coming to her party even though I told her that he is really busy. Kind of like how Elijah invited and expected Michael Jordan to come to his birthday. Never say never.

So this is her attempt to reach out to the Biebs.

If you are besties with him please pass along this video.

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Totally Desperate Potty

Pin It Now! Because I know you probably don't get enough potty talk or have enough potty issues in your own life I will graciously share the Hagen potty adventures with you . . . in hopes that you will feel normal. Or that you will tell me that I'm normal - at least in this one department.

Some of you know about Jordis's kidney reflux which we discovered after a Urinary Tract infection and a four-day hospital stay when she was 8 weeks old.

Elijah sometimes does not drink enough water, gets dehydrated, and then has some pee issues because of that.

And then there's Lydia. Sweet, strong-willed Lydia.

You may have read some of my posts about my 270-day Potty Training Method. It's been revised. Just before she turned three she told me she wanted underwear and that she was ready to potty train. Nearly two years later . . . we are still dealing with "accidents" just about every day.

I'm pretty sure we have tried everything short of forcing her to watch golf on TV.

She can stay dry as long as I make her go frequently. But if I leave it up to her . . . "Um. Mom. I peed in my pants. Just a little bit." I don't think they will allow me to give her an earpiece to take to kindergarten so I can coach her remotely. So we're skipping kindergarten and she'll be starting junior college in the fall. I hear they're flexible with potty issues, coaching earpieces, and the like.

Lately God has helped me to deal with her with patience and calmness. I have memorized this verse:

Colossians 3:12-13

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

But every month or so . . . I want to cry about it. A few days ago was one of those days. When I picked her up from childcare at church. Could she just be dry this time?

"Did you go potty at church?"

"Yes."

"Are you dry?"

"No."

Recently she got her first Urinary Tract Infection. Then she got a renal ultrasound to see if there is anything else going on. Last week (after the church let down) her pediatrician called to talk to me about the ultrasound. Her kidneys are normal, but the wall of the bladder muscle is a bit thickened. Because she exercises it so much by holding it! Let's a little out and then goes back to holding it. So basically she has made this a physical thing and created a mental issue . . . for me :)

So we will continue with the potty timer and keep working with her on listening to her body.

I'm also going to get her a Potty Watch. Anyone used one before? I don't see any with consistently good reviews so please advise.

And as for me? Thanks for asking. Having four babies in five years . . . I pee when I jump rope and sometimes while doing the Insanity workout. But as far as I know, there are no watches that can help with that.

What about you? You got potty issues in your house? I guess the real question is . . . do you have any potty issues you are willing to share on the internet?

***If you made it through this post without having to go potty then you probably should get something for it. Leave a comment and then you're entered into the wild world of random.org to win a copy of my book Totally Desperate Mom: Keepin' it Real in the Motherhood. A potty-talk comment is not necessary to be entered in the drawing, but it is welcome here.

*** For an extra entry follow this blog publicly. Then leave a comment letting me know that you already do or that you do now and it you feel good about it even though it was under duress. You can unfollow me after the drawing and I won't even be smart enough to figure it out. I will pick a winner by 9pm Cali time on Saturday, March 12th.

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The Mind of a Four-Year-Old

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Lydia and Elijah got into some sort of coloring altercation. So Lydia poked Elijah in the hand with a pen. I had a talk with her about the dangers of pen poking. After that chat she said this:

"What if Elijah poked me in the eye and socked me in the house? I would die, right?"

Absolutely. That was one question I could answer with confidence. Protect your eyes and your houses, people!

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Messing Up My Love Life!

Pin It Now! Shiloh rented Ramona and Beezus for the kids. They watched it several times on our trip to Reno for Thanksgiving. I thought it might be a little age-inappropriate for Lydia, but I let it slide. While we were driving I heard several lines and speaking styles that I hoped my kids would not repeat.

I was surprised at Lydia's first choice for a repeat. She and Elijah were fighting about something when Lydia busted shouted at Elijah:

"You mess everything up - including my love life!"

Four year olds rock. They should write sit-coms. Pin It Now!

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Lydia Quotes

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Recent quotes from my Lydia:

In the middle of dinner the other night Lydia reached out and lovingly stroked my arm. Then she said in all seriousness, "Mommy, I love you but your arms are kinda fat."

"Daddy when I'm 6 I'm gonna like Spider Man."
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My Grandpa Didn't Die Yet Either

Pin It Now! We were at a birthday party for Lydia's friend, Kaleb. She approached his grandpa and the conversation went like this:
"Are you Kaleb's grandpa?"
"Yes."
"My grandpa and grandma didn't die yet either."
I love four year-olds!
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Would You Rather?

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The kids like to play "Would You Rather?"

Lydia (4 years old) and I were playing the other night. Keep in mind, the kids are not allowed to have gum until they are 5 years old.

Mom: Would you rather have gum or licorice?

Lydia: (picture here using hands while talking and being fully animated): I would totally rather have gum because I'm not even available to have gum yet. Pin It Now!

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Princess Fairy Camp

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Lydia had "Princess Fairy Camp" last week. On the last day they had a "Princess Ball" performance. It was adorable and she loved it. In fact she basically asked for her own encore performance. The teacher obliged. The first time. But when Lydia shouted "Again! Again!" after their second run through of the princess dance . . . it was a no go and the fairy princess was returned to the King and Queen.

My brother took these sweet pics. Pin It Now!

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Taylor Swift and Nostrils

Pin It Now! Lydia likes Taylor Swift music and she is not afraid to sing with fervor. Lydia also unabashedly flares her nostrils with passion. She is multilingual and expressive. Let me know if you can figure what language this is as she belts out "Change."

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Farting in Closets

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When Lydia and I were getting ready for her birthday party she slipped away and went in my closet. Then she poked her head out and said, "Mom, thanks for letting me fart in your closet. Because I just did."

I managed to keep a straight face and said, "Lydia, that's not very princess like of you."

She responded vehemently, "Mom! Don't tell Ariel!"

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A Stong-Willed Princess

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My sassy and spirited child turned four today! Yes, she takes years off my life just about every day. But then she puts them all right back on during the course of that same day. So full of personality. So full of life. So full of wonder. So full of questions, but full of more answers whether she knows what she is talking about or not. So confident and assertive. And finally potty trained!

Such a cuddle bug. Such a girlie girl. Such a performer. Such a blessing!

Happy Birthday my sweet Lydia.

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A Girl and her Cat

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**Reminder - This is your last chance to get tickets to the Design 4 Living Conference at a discounted rate of $49. That includes lunch and probably some kind of girly/women's ministryish tote bag. Plus, you can come and heckle me when I talk about "Taking Care of Mom." The $49 deal ends Sunday. After Sunday, I think it's gonna be something like $400. Or maybe just $59. Order now. Save $10 and then use it to buy my book!

Lydia loves the cats. Especially Banshee because he will let her do anything to him. The other day Banshee was basking in the sun like he was dead. Lydia joined him. And then tried to dress him up in her skirt.

First she lured him in with a little head scratch.

Then Banshee realized what was coming.


So he stole her skirt and began to eat it.


But in the end, the girl won.


"How do I look?" asks Banshee

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Lydia Looks Like . . .

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Her Grammy. Just a tad, don't you think?

They like to go on dates to the Farmer's Market. Pin It Now!

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