Gabe and Emma: Linguists in the Making

This has been a crazy week at the Short papartment :) All of us are burning the candle at both ends and it shows....we are very glad it is the weekend.

Gabe and Emma say some of the funniest things. They make every effort to speak correctly but sometimes the words just won't come out the way they are supposed to - and it is so funny. [Funny enough that we make them repeat things over and over again - we are meanies :)]

Gabe: Adam in Underland (Alice in Wonderland), Micka Mouse, papartment, mans (any action figure, Army man, or other human looking play toy), bemote (remote)

Emma: session stand (concession stand), mazagine, certicifate, phong (phone), enormous frenious (not going to 'splain that one), mowlch (mulch)

It is short and sweet tonight...on my way to bed...thank goodness. Don't forget to check on Daxter - he is too precious!!

Life is good...even when I'm tired....

Missy ♥

I See You Mommy *Giggle, giggle*

Yesterday was Craig's 37th birthday and I am quite sure that Emma was more excited than anyone. She made him a birthday hat, gave him some change in a homemade envelope, and helped pick out candy for him. She painted and decorated a special picture frame as well. As a finishing touch, she brought home the Happy Birthday Vest that the adults have to wear at school. [Of course, as you can see by the pics, the vest was obviously sewn with a smaller frame in mind....I had to peel it off of Short and I think he's got major damage to his pits where it was cutting into him.]

Monday night, we went shopping at the mall for Short. Molly wanted to buy him something with her own money. Of course, the pickins are slim in Shelby. We started out at Hibbett and she couldn't find anything she liked [Short in a flat billed hat? Ain't happening!] We headed to Belk to look for some clothes. While we were in there, Gabe decided that he would grab socks off the racks, point at the lingerie and say "Boobies", and hide in the racks. While Molly was looking for the perfect shirt I was trying to chase Gabriel. He was running in and out of racks of clothes. I could hear tiny feet - running and stopping, running and stopping - and giggles. "I see you mommy!", to which I responded, "Gabriel William Short, you better come out now!" He came right back with, "I see you mommy! You can't catch me!" Sadly, he was right...I could neither see or catch him. At least he wasn't grabbing women's underwear right?

Molly was so proud of the perfect shirt that she chose for her daddy and she paid for it herself. She is just so precious....I want to be more like her. She also bought him some Hot Tamales [his fave candy] and some Happy Taffy [aka Laffy Taffy if you are not Gabe]. Of course, Gabe tried to weasel his way into the candy as soon as Craig opened the gift. "Hey daddy, can we get some of your candy out of your birthday bag? Some of that Happy Taffy?"

If you get the chance to visit Melia's page please drop her a line and let her know you are thinking about her. She is doing well. Also, my nephew and his wife had their baby on Tuesday. Daxter Glenn Morehead was born @ 7:33am, weighing 4lbs 9oz. He is about 6 weeks early and currently in the NICU at Gaston. Please stop by his page and leave them a message. Pray for healing, for both Dax and Erin, and pray that he will continue to remain strong and healthy.

I could not end this blog without telling on myself. [Most, if not all, of you will NOT be shocked that this happened to me...] This past Saturday, I ran in a 5k with a friend from work. She is a much more experienced runner than I am so she was already done with the race as I was finishing my last half mile. I was so proud of myself, running steady, and feeling good. I had a sweatshirt tied around my waist and I thought I felt it falling down. If only it had been my sweatshirt....it was my pants. My sweathshirt had pushed the pants down and they eventually made it over my hips and yes....they fell to my knees as I was running. Luckily, [for the people behind me or anyone unlucky enough to have their eyes on me] I had on black jogging tights so no one had to be subjected to seeing my undies. Oh my...now everyone wants to sign up to run in a 5k with me don't they? :)

As always....life is good :)

Missy ♥

So Fantastic!

Gabe has the sweetest little things that he says, just out of the blue. Last night, I was holding his tiny hand as we left church and we were talking. He looks up, when I asked him if he enjoyed his class and answered with, "It was so fantastic!" He's three....fantastic isn't a normal three year old word. He is just so sweet and adorable ~ he takes after his momma :)

Good news on the tooth fairy front - Emma is $2 richer. Slight problem the next morning though...apparently Emma's teacher makes necklaces from teeth the students have pulled. So Emma, after being excited about gaining $2, began frantically looking for her tooth. "Momma! I have to have my tooth for my teacher!" So, I pulled a fast one - I grabbed the tooth from my jewelry cup [Yes it is a jewelry cup. Actually, it is a terra cotta saucer for a planter....nothing but the finest for the Shorts] and took it into her room. As part of my covert operation, I strategically placed it on her bed [thank goodness she has the upper bunk so she couldn't see what I was doing] and shouted to her, "Hey Emma! I think the Tooth Fairy dropped it on your bed and I found it!" Crisis averted and everyone was all smiles again.

Tonight at the dinner table sounded so much like the whole toilet paper incident. It seemed like all 6 of us were talking to each other, about different things, at the same time."
Emma to me: When will my macaroni be done? Fettucine is gross!
Gabe to Craig: I like yogrit [aka yogurt].
Cooper to Craig: Well what I don't get is.....[famous words of Cooper - and I will admit I tuned out when I heard that line come out..]
Molly to Craig: The Early College High School came today - it sounds neat.
Craig to Emma: When have you ever eaten fettucine?
Cooper to everyone: Crap! Gabe just dropped yogurt all over his pants! [Actually...it was a small bit but Coop is the drama king of our house.]
Me to Cooper: So clean it up!
Gabe to Cooper: The yogrit sure is good!
Emma to Cooper: It's not that much Cooper!
All of this basically went on over a span of about 5 minutes....just too funny not to share.

Running in a 5k in Charlotte, at UNCC on Saturday, with a friend from work. I am excited and nervous at the same time....she's a way better at running than me but it will be fun. I guess I better go pound the pavement tonight, over at the Cleveland Mall. Chris asked me at work if I was a mall walker and my answer: No, more like a mall stalker with my hoodie and black gloves. Could I be anymore redneck? Gotta do whatcha gotta do I guess...

Thankful for funny moments with my family that wash away the worries of the day...life is good :)

Missy ♥

Periodic Table of the Shorts

Molly has to create a personal periodic table for her science class. She did not want to do something that anyone else might be doing so she decided to create the Periodic Table of the Shorts. She choose categories like fave lounge wear [Craig = Snuggie...sorry those of you that might have wanted a glimpse of him in his boxers and be thankful those of you that didn't], fave Little Debbie Cake [Little history...my Granny funded the Little Debbie Corporation for years and years. Thanks to Myrtle Towery, Little Debbie's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have been able to purchase condos in South Beach and retire rich], and fave movie line [Just so we could hear Gabe quote "Nacho Libre"]. We had an absolute ball tonight, posing for pictures, being interviewed, and laughing at each other. When she gets it finished on Thursday I will post a picture - she is too cool!!!

If you happen to frequent the Cleveland Mall [Which is usually only when one is desperate seeing as how there isn't much out there anymore] and you see two hooded people, running in the parking lot please don't call the police or pull out your Glock. It is just me and Short...we are forced to run, in the mall parking lot, because it is the only place that is lit up and is close to the apartment. We could run the .3 of a mile here at Marion Ridge but we'd have to run 11 times around and the neighbors may begin to wonder...of course, now local shoppers are wondering.... You might know that we waited until 9pm to go tonight...I think some people thought we were running after them as they went to their cars. Little do they know that I could not catch them if I tried!!! We'll probably be on Shelby Headline News or in that red, "breaking news" section of the Star online.

Emma lost her very first tooth tonight! What an event...we'll probably celebrate for days and days. She was so totally psyched....she is just precious! She informed me, as she was going to bed, that two friends in her K class got $3 for their first tooth. Three dollars.....my goodness! Inflation, bad economy, sign of the times....I can't afford for her and Gabe to lose their teeth!!! I hope the tooth fairy [aka Short] digs through the couch and the car before 6:15am in the morning or she might be getting an IOU for her tiny little tooth.

On a serious note, I attended my first Relay for Life Team Captain's meeting tonight. Relay is near and dear to my heart as my mother is a cancer survivor of 34 years. I pray I can drum up some support for our team at school. We'll see how it goes....

Thankful for my wonderful children, who make me happy....I love their kisses, their giggles, and the way they look like angels when they are sleeping. God has blessed me so much and I love, love, love being a mommy. Life is awesome :)

Missy ♥

Afro Man

My mom took us [me, Gabe, Emma, and Sophie] to the circus in Greensboro yesterday. We actually had tickets for the Charlotte show but we didn't get to go beause of the weather. Papa Bill [aka Daddy, Paw Paw, Zippy, The Big Cheese, B squared, or Sweet William] was very upset that the circus did not cancel the show because of the weather issues, wrote a scathing letter to Ringling Brothers, and recieved very nice tickets to the show in Greensboro. We met my sister outside of Winston to pick up Sophie. My mom assumed that Summer would know how to get to the coliseum in Greensboro, to which Summer replied, "Why should I know where it is? I have no reason to go there." As we were pulling off I turned to my mom and said, "Don't you have a GPS?" to which she replied, "Well yeah, but I didn't think I would need it so I didn't bring it." Hmmmmmm.....here are a few points to ponder:
1. Doesn't a GPS come in handy for directions when you are driving?
2. I know the kind she has, which is supposed to stay in your car. So when driving to a place that you are not sure about shouldn't you leave it in the car?
3. Summer knows a little about Greensboro - couldn't she have given us some sort of ideas?
Luckily, as soon as we got back on 40, there was a nice, big digital sign [almost like a sign from God] telling us exactly which exit to take to find the circus. Thank goodness, after all we've been through to get there, that the Greatest Show on Earth was actually worth seeing!! Gabe, Emma, and Sophie really enjoyed the madness and the $12 cotton candy [Thanks Nana!] that came with a very cool top hat.

Speaking of Nana and Paw Paw, they are renting a room over their garage to a young woman that works at McGuire, where my dad works. Last week, we had dinner at their house and she came and ate dinner with us. Of course, Emma and Gabe latched right on to her, wanting her to watch their every move. Emma found some UNO cards and she challenged her to a game. [I enjoyed it as she was completely unaware that Emma does not like to lose and that UNO is one of her favorite games....it was nice to see that I am not the only one losing to a five year old.] In the midst of the game, they struck up a conversation about our family. Emma was talking about Gabe and she tells her, "You know, my brother Gabe was born with an afro." She shared this with my dad after we left and he called us later to tell us. It is true...Gabe does have big, curly hair but for Emma to think of that is just too funny. Especially funny since Gabe had almost no hair when he was born.

Loving this lazy Sunday afternoon with Afro Man and the Diva....life is so awesome :)

Missy ♥

I Call Front!!!!

Cooper and Molly fight, all the time, over which one gets to sit in the front. They tried the whole "You take the morning and I'll take the afternoon" thing but that didn't work. In fact, several weeks ago I made both of them sit in the back seat, hold hands, and hug when they got out before going their seperate ways ~ they were both mad at me. So this afternoon, Cooper says he is going to sit in the front and Molly has a come-apart.
"It's my turn to sit in the front!!! Daddy said so. We are supposed to take turns and this is my week."
"Huh uh!" says Cooper, "Daddy said that we take turns. You get the front in the mornings and I get it in the afternoons."
"That is not what he meant!" shouts Molly.
[All this time, Emma and I are thinking we'd both like to just go home. My suggestion is to make them sit on top of the car but that is against the law and apparently, against good parenting.]
So Cooper slings himself into the backseat and smarts off at Emma.
"Cooper Short I am getting ready to come back there and whoop your little fanny if you don't stop with the attitude!" and I stared him down in the rearview mirror.
And then, a tiny voice from beyond, completely sends everyone into hee hawing laughter.
"Umm...you mean his big butt don't you?" Emma said, with delight in her voice. I had to stop the car because I was laughing so hard. Cooper even cracked a smile. [Come to find out, Coop was right about the whole car situation all along. He spent a great deal of time, later when Craig came home, rubbing this bit of news in Molly's face.]

Yesterday, Cooper invited his friend Austin over to hang out before church. Gabe loves, loves, loves it when the oldests have friends to the house [well, papartment] because then he can show off. The entire time Austin was here, Gabe kept saying, "Hi! My name's Gabe." He said this at least 10 times. He finally decided that maybe he'd get more response from Austin if he asked him his name so he says, "Hi! My name's Gabe. What's your name?" and of course, Austin reponds with "Austin." Gabe's response, "Your name is Awesome?" I smiled at Austin and said, "Just say yes." :)

We're on day 4 of Operation Big Boy Underwear [No, Craig's been wearing his for years but thanks for asking.] and so far we've only had a few accidents. I feel like every 20 seconds or so I find myself saying, "Gabe. Do you need to go to the potty?" His usual reply, "I cannot." We will keep working on it.

We are off to the circus in Greensboro on Saturday. I hope they don't keep me...or maybe I hope they do....I'll have to think on that one.

Life in the Short papartment is pretty good....even if a little [Who are we kidding...ALOT] crazy!

Missy ♥

I Need Some Toilet Paper!!!!

Today was a crazy, crazy day....not going to go there, but trust me, it was CRAZY!!!

Considering Emma had dance at 5:30 and Cooper played bball at 6 we opted to eat when the bluehairs [old people] eat ~ at around 4:45. I fixed tacos [easy meal and not one we've had in a while so everyone was happy] and we were all enjoying them, around the table [except for Craig, because the size of our table is not conducive to the size of our kitchen and one chair is in the closet, he was standing by the microwave], discussing the events of our day. Remember when Sesame Street sang the following song: One of these kids is doing his own thing...one of these kids is not the same? Well tonight, while we're shoveling tacos down our gullets Gabriel has decided to eat crackers. [The boy is obsessed with those orange peanut butter crackers] He tried to hide them from me, inside his blanket. He forgot that the plastic wrapper makes a ton of noise and that I heard them, tucked neatly under his little arm. Nutrition was not our number one priority tonight....obviously.

After Cooper's game we headed home. I had to run back out and get snacks for Emma to take to school tomorrow. Before I left, I headed to the bathroom [I downed a 20oz diet Sundrop at the game -I had to go bad!!] and quickly realized there was no toilet paper. One would think, with 2 other girls in the house that one of them would come to my rescue. My attempts to secure toilet paper went alot like this:
Me to anyone who will help: I need some toilet paper.
Craig to Molly: You need to help Cooper fold the clothes.
Cooper to Craig: I'm going to watch TV while I fold clothes.
Me to anyone who will listen: Can I get some toilet paper?
Molly to Emma: You need to fold the towels. That is part of your chores.
Emma to everyone: I need to finish my Valentine's Day cards.
Gabe to anyone who will help him: Can I have some crackers?
Me to anyone who can at least throw me some toilet paper: I REALLY need some toilet paper.
Craig to Molly and Cooper: I want you to finish folding the clothes then get these off my bed and put them up.
Craig to Me: We really need to put our own clothes up.
Me, thinking I could sit here all night and still get no toilet paper: PLEASE...CAN I HAVE SOME TOILET PAPER?
Gabe [handing me the toilet paper]: Here mommy...I loves you.
Me: FINALLY!! I loves you too!!

Note to self: Put some extra toilet paper under the sink....I'm just saying... it might come in handy.

It's 10:02pm and I'm off to dreamland. Life is good at the Short house :)

Missy ♥

Papartment Living is Bittersweet

We've officially been here 6 days and we are beginning to get settled. We FINALLY got the last load from the old house tonight...we are really tired of packing it up, moving it, then upacking it.

It was really very sad to drive away, for the last time, from my house on JT Drive. That house was our finally rite of passage into adulthood. See, we did all of this getting married, having babies, picket fences, and minivan thing all backwards. [For those of you that are new to the Short clan, here's a little background information.] Molly was born before Craig and I got married, while we were both still in college. Actually, she was five months old when we tied the knot ~ she went on our honeymoon with us. To say we started off in the hole is a gross understatement ~when I think back, I really don't know how we survived. I guess determination and family will do wonderful things for you. Once I began teaching [what I like to coin the "real" job] we thought we'd hit the lottery...seriously. We didn't realize that amount of money went very quickly, especially with a little one and one on the way. Fast forward through job changes and moves to October 2000 and our desire to become home owners. [Actually, it was more our desire not to be stuck in the basement of the mother-in-law's house until my children went to college, but that is besides the point.] We only looked at two houses and ironically, the first one was in KM. We chose the house in Lattimore, population 400 until the Shorts moved in....and 406 when we moved out!!! Finally, we were adults, with a mortgage and grass to cut, with an attic for Christmas decorations and a huge yard for our children. We went on to experience many moments in our house that won't soon be forgotten....We'd only lived there 9 months when 9-11 happened. Molly and Cooper both started Kindergarten with lunches, neatly packed, in my yellow kitchen on JT Drive. Cooper broke the same arm - twice - on JT Drive. We had birthday parties, sleepovers, two babies, many Christmas mornings, and more good times than we could ever imagine...all in the little grey house on JT Drive.

Am I excited about moving closer to KM? Absolutely! Am I thankful for the fact that I sold my house in this economy? More than you will ever know. Was it bittersweet, pulling onto Towery Road, for the last time, seeing 140 JT Drive in the side mirror? Yes, it really was....

Gabe is really digging the "papartment". He is doing well, sleeping in his own bed, and even told us he likes this as much as the old house. Emma has done a fantastic job and seems to be adjusting well. Cooper thinks it is cool that there is a basketball court right outside our door and Molly is excited that she can sleep later in the mornings. Short and I are adjusting...and we're happy - that is all that truly matters anyway:)

Gabe has had his big boy undies on all day long!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of him!! We keep asking him, over and over again, if he has to go to the potty. Tonight he told me no, he had gone to the potty all day and he was tired of going to the potty. We'll hope that this is the time that using the potty sticks [fingers, toes, legs, and arms all crossed.] and we can stop using diapers. I'll keep you posted.

Life as a Short is good...as always!

Missy ♥

Who are these people and why are they at my house?

Well...the Shorts are officially living the apartment life. It has been interesting so far. Gabe has combed EVERY SINGLE INCH of the tiny space...he knows every single crack and crevice. While we were bringing in boxes he was running in and out of all the rooms. He even helped move the couch and unpack. But my favorite was when he spotted a man, in the building across from ours, taking his trash to the dumpster. He looked at Cooper and asked, "Who is that man and why is he at our house?" I ♥ that baby!! He only knows one house so this is really weird for him. He had a hard time going to sleep last night. [Direct TV isn't hooked up yet and he likes a little Disney channel sometimes to lull him to dreamland.] He finally sacked out around midnight and slept well. Prior to that, he found Emma's stash of nail polish. He comes busting out of the bedroom to show us his newly painted neon blue fingernails. Honestly, he did a fantastic job to be three and a boy. I was impressed ~ Craig was not so impressed...and Emma told him that only fruity boys painted their nails. But Gabe thought it was most excellent :)

Emma has been an absolute hoot as well. She has moved packed boxes, moved boxes, unpacked boxes, and carried boxes. She has really been a trooper! [For those that don't know Flossie very well...ummm...this ain't usually her modus operandi....usually it is all about Emma] She was a huge help tonight when we went back to the old house for yet another load of crap. She told us she likes it here...it is like a hotel with all of our stuff! She's really been very excited about making it look like her home because she, like Gabe, has only ever know one house. She's my girl ♥!

Molly and Cooper have done well. It has been an adjustment but as always, they've done a great job. I am blessed to have two wonderful and responsible children like them. Now if we could just get Coop to quit telling jokes we'd be in business....

My Facebook status the other day was about phrases overheard while moving. I will share a few more here [Just because I think they are funny.]:

• Is this too big to get through the window?
• Can we take all of our stuff with us?
• The outlets don't work in here!!!
• Where does this box go? [followed by] Do you really want me to tell you where to put it?
• Ummm...I don't think this bed is going to fit. [followed by] But we got it in here this way?
• When can we watch TV?
• We don't have an ice maker! [followed by] ***EXPLETIVE*** [followed by] What are ice cube trays anyway?
• Where's the jelly? [followed by] Still in the fridge at the other house? [followed by] I hate having the other house.

What a long strange trip it's been. And I would like to personally thank Mother Nature for giving us such crazy weather...but life is still good :)

Missy ♥

Underwear!!!!

To say that we have been suffering from cabin fever is an understatement. As Craig posted on his Facebook status, I know why hamsters eat their young. We have $1,000,000 worth of toys, games, electronics, etc. and what is the common phrase heard around our house: I'm bored! They are so rotten and have to be entertained all the time - just like their daddy!!!!

We had fun playing in the snow. Gabe was hilarious because he wasn't quite heavy enough to make his own tracks in the snow so Molly had to walk ahead of him, create footprints, then come back and get him. She's such an awesome big sister ~ Gabe doesn't know how lucky he is!

Of course, at some point Cooper was going to start throwing snow or ice. He failed to recognize that the top layer of snow was ice and to borrow a phrase from Bryan Adams, "It cuts like a knife." He started throwing ice at me and wouldn't stop. Craig was standing inside, looking out the kitchen window, laughing his *** off, not understanding that my legs were being battered by my 11 year old son. But no fears....Molly came to my rescue 'cause around here, the women have to stick together!!!Later, after our family trip to Wal Mart [Could we be anymore redneck? Probably] and a trip to pick up videos, Craig and I fixed dinner: Cube steak, gravy, rice, green beans, mac n' cheese, and biscuits. It was so good...and I should have just stuck it to my hips and butt :)

Emma finds unique ways to fight bordem. Often, she plays make believe games like baby and momma or hairdresser [I've had all kinds of hairdos over the years] or tattoo parlor. [She loves to give me and her daddy tattoos on our backs. We've had butterflies, hearts, snakes, and knives. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em - we have faced the reality of Emma's future in Vegas and we embrace it.] Last night, she thought of a new idea for entertainment: She found EVERY single pair of panties she owns and put them on her head.

She is an absolute mess! Reminded me of the episode of Friends where Joey puts on all of Chandler's clothes, does lunges, then tells Chandler he's going commando!! Later, she and Gabe managed to get these panties on the ceiling fan...you guessed it....they turned the fan on and had, in Emma's words, "A panty show!" [Again, embracing her future with a smile on my face:)]

We are trying to get moved this week since we close on Wednesday of next week. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating with us. This should be fun! Craig just yelled, "We need to go to the liquor store today!" I am assuming he meant for boxes but considering we are getting ready to move with 4 panty slinging children to a very tiny apartment, maybe we should stock up now?

As always...life is good with the Shorts :)

Missy ♥