I love it when we come to the city!

Well I have not done well with the blogging at all - can you tell softball has started?!! We've just been soooooooo busy and finding the time to actually string random thoughts into a coherent sentence has not come easy. I will do better - I promise!!!

Emma has dance on Tuesdays. She loves her some dancing!! For two years she took preschool creative dancing but now she's taking tap. It is so much fun to watch her class on Tuesday nights - they wonder around, kick at the mirror, pick at their leotards creeping up their rears, and none of them listen. The dance this year is a rousing little number to the tune of "Lollipop" and the costumes are ADORABLE. I cannot wait until recital time to see my little diva up on the stage. Hopefully, this year, Gabe will refrain from puncturing his forehead and we can see the ending without having to rush off to the ER.

As we were leaving dance and driving through Shelby, Emma was talking [As if that's anything new ~ she even talks in here sleep!!!] about how much she loved Shelby. Our conversation went something like this:
Emma: I just love Shelby!
Me: You do? Why is that?
Emma: I just love coming into the city.
Me [thinking to myself]: What city? Me to Emma: The city as in Shelby?
Emma: Yes. It is like visiting New York with all the big buildings.
Me: Well maybe we can visit New York one day.
How funny!!! I just thought that was so cute and how impressed would she be if we drove through downtown Charlotte?

Gabe has decided that he LOVES to pee outside. Just wherever is fine but if he can find some grass [and traffic or cars or people] then he is in boy heaven. Today we went to the park in KM to play before church. Of course, as soon as got there, Gabe has to pee. And of course, he volunteered to simply pee, right there in the grass, with everyone watching. Now I might be redneck but even I draw the line somewhere. We went up the steps to the top of the parking lot and found a nice neat corner [complete with leaves, sticks, cigarette butts, and other trash] for Gabe to pee on...and yes, he was in boy heaven! If you were at the Y or on the ball field and happened to see a very small, very white fanny glaring at you all I have to say is when nature calls you gotta go!!!

I confess...I told Gabe a small, little white lie. He loves to push the button in the Pilot to put his window up and down. I have to keep the windows locked so that he doesn't mess with it. [He's a litter bug - we really have to watch him when we are riding down the road.] The other night he would not roll the window up. I was trying, unsuccessfully, to put his window up from my controls while he's holding the button to keep it down. I finally got smart [Yeah, right] and I said to him, "Gabe, if you leave your window down at night the boogey man will fly in," and just like that, the window went up!!! Hey people...I've got 4 kids...at some point you stop trying to be the super parent and you go for the jugular. Problem solved!!

The Short kids are all heading to Nana and Paw Paw's for the weekend while Mr. Short and I take a small vacation to Charleston. We are super excited to be getting away for a few days with good friends. Cooper is going to the drag race with my dad while the other Shorts hang with Nana.

As always....life is good :)
Missy ♥

Smooth Criminal - AWWW!

OMG - Where did the time go? Hmmmmmm....again another CrAzY week at the Short papartment. With softball season in fully swing, I am once again a single parent.

We were driving home from school yesterday afternoon and Gabe breaks out his best Michael Jackson. His fave song, Smooth Criminal, was not on the radio nor had we been singing it - I guess he had it in his little head. He was dancing in his seat and even did the little "AWWW!" that MJ did all the time in his songs. [Probably, if we hadn't been in the car, he would have been doing his own version of the moon walk - worth seeing, trust me!] Gabe has a lot of fave songs to only be three: "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin, "Sound of Madness" by Shinedown, and "Sick 'Em on a Chicken" by The Zac Brown Band, just to name a few. What is amazing is that he knows the words, the guitar riffs, the tune, everything...he is his daddy's boy!!

Tonight Craig got the big idea that we needed to ride to Cook Out and get a milkshake [As if my rear end isn't big enough....] so we pile up in the car. We looked the part of a family going to Big Lots or the flea market - I had on no make-up, a huge sweatshirt, and my best [NOT] jogging pants, Craig had on warm-up pants, and a sweatshirt, and Gabe had on his pajamas. Emma was the only one dressed not like a red neck. So, we are trucking along and see a trooper next to us. Just as Craig is commenting that it was indeed a trooper [unmarked car] the trooper turns on his blue light and takes off. About .2 of a mile up the road we see another cop with his blue light. Emma, and all of her 6 year old wit, comments that, "Someone's getting their driver's license tonight." What she meant to say was, "Someone's getting a driving award tonight" but she couldn't remember. Funny too, because her mother has had several driving awards over the years.....

Gabe is finally potty trained AND got rid of that silly pacifier. Today he got to pick out a no-more-pacy prize at Wal Mart. Yet, when we got home and it was nap time, what did he cry for? You guessed - the pacifier. In fact, right now as I type this, @ 11pm [actually 12am since time switches this weekend] Gabriel is still WIDE awake. Where is that pacifier anyway *&^#@?!!!

Short will be on his own from Sunday to Tuesday since I'm off to the Middle School Conference in Greensboro. He's already whining...GEEZ!!! But, I was the good wife and I fixed dinner for tomorrow night and Monday night. [At least I know the kids won't be eating cereal and potato chips]

As always...life as a Short is AwEsOmE!!!

Missy ♥

Y-Y-Y-Yellow

Today is Emma's 6th birthday. I should have known, 6 years ago, when being pregnant caused my blood pressure to go sky high, that she would always be demanding...and she is :) We've practically celebrated her birthday all week:

Mommy! It's only ___ days to my birthday!!!

Are you going to get me a present?

What are you going to get me?

Are you going to make my cupcakes for class at school?

When is my party?

Does daddy know it is my birthday?

My responses:

Yes, I know and I am so excited!!

Of course!

That is a surprise!

Well you know I am...don't I always?

Next Saturday since Molly has a tournament this weekend.

Yes, daddy was there when you were born.

Never, ever a dull moment with Emma. Tonight, after eating at Chic Fil A for West Elementary School Spirit Night, we had birthday cake. Emma decided that she'd had enough chocolate because, and I quote her, she didn't want to be "sugared up." What????? When has Emma EVER turned down sugar? I can answer that one for you - NEVER!!

Her daddy got her a new baby doll for the bath tub. She was so excited as she pointed out to me that since tomorrow is show and tell that she could take the new baby blanket that came with her gift. After all, the blanket is y-y-yellow and they've been studying the letter Y this week....perfectly logical to me! :)

Gabe has become the preschool bully. He and another little boy have decided they don't like each other very much. [According to Gabe, he doesn't want to be his friend anymore] Yesterday they decided to simply give the entire 3 year old class a show by "popping" each other over and over again. Gabe scratched the other boy [after being "popped"] so the kid "pops" him then, according to my curly headed monster, they just "popped" each othe while the rest of the class shouted kudos to them. [Again, according to Gabe, one of his other friends shouted, "Go Gabe!"] So, for the second day in a row, the preschool bully got a bad note :( Ever try to ask a three year old questions or reason with a three year old? Hmmmm...I would not recommend it. Today was better - no "popping" of our friends [or people who are not our friends].

Last night, as we were coming home from church, Molly shared with me that she was very embarassed at church. Immediately, my mommy instincts kicked in: Who embarassed you? Molly precedes to tell me that she made a very loud noise while they were reading from the Bible. [My first thought is that she's "tooted" and then I'm embarassed for her] No, no, no...she was suppressing a cough, it got hung in her throat, and when she opened her mouth, it LOUDLY came out - sort of like a croak. I laughed so hard that I had tears rolling down my cheeks...seriously, I almost ran off the road. Poor girl...needed her mom and all I could do was laugh, HYSTERICALLY, at her confession of noise making.

Softball has begun, for both Craig and Molly...I'm tired already...

Life as a Short is ALWAYS an adventure :)

Missy ♥