GUURL, you are HUUGE!

Anybody seen Madagascar 2?  There's a scene where one of the big hippos comes waddling out of the water and another hippo is sitting there and says, "Guurl, you are huge" and then goes on and on about her huge size and they see hearts floating, fall in love and probably live happily ever after.  Well.  In case there is any doubt- and I confess there could be given my size...  I am NOT a hippo and I don't appreciate the comments on my hugeness from perfect strangers! 

Let me back up...  I am 37 weeks pregnant with my 4th child and getting fairly used to the comments on my largeness from strangers.  Truly the comments from my friends and family don't bother me at all- I am in fact quite large and I know my friends and family love me and are marveling along with me about my belly of epic proportions (to steal a quote from a dear friend).  I get big when I'm pregnant- my belly sticks really far out in front of me and I'm pretty sure I look like I"m defying gravity and will just topple over at any moment (wait, that wouldn't be defying gravity, would it?  whatever..).  Anyway, I get large.  As much as I try to eat healthy foods, exercise (I waddled on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes at the Y this morning!), I just get big- that's how my body works.  And I truly have always loved being pregnant.  I love watching the little miracle grow inside me.  I love feeling/seeing her move.  I love the excitement leading up to the birth etc.  Granted, this time a round it has taken a little more of a toll on my 36 year old body- I have aches and pains in really strange places, I'm not having trouble breathing but I can barely walk, my 11 year old makes fun of me etc etc.  But I love it, I love it all! 

The other day, I was at the dentist (who also happens to be one of the best uncles in the world) and baby girl was moving around so much that he could see my belly contorting out of the corner of his eye while he worked on my teeth.  And just the other day, I had this classic cuddling moment with the current baby of our family who loves to feel her baby sister move...

So much to be thankful for as we prepare for our newest family member!

Again though, let me back up.  I think I lied up there when I said, I love it all.  Let me tell you what I do not love.  I do not love the comments from complete strangers that are just plain mean.  Tell me, would you walk up to a large or obese person and comment on their size.  I think not.  Then why in the world do people feel it is their duty to comment on the size of pregnant women??  Lie and tell them they're beautiful, ask if they're excited about the new baby, but for heavens sakes DO NOT TELL THEM THEY ARE HUGE!  

Here are some examples of things random strangers have said to me recently:

"WHEN are you due?  You're really big!"

"You have 6 weeks to go!  There's NO WAY you'll make it- you're so large!"

"Have you been THAT BIG with all of your babies?"

"It MUST be twins and they are coming any day!"

OH, and here's a good one...  An elderly man approached me at the car repair place and I see him looking at my belly so I brace myself for the comment.  And what does he say?  "Honey, why you got so many gray hairs?"  Sure, knock her while she's down!  Don't bother commenting on the obvious huge belly- go for the overall appearance slam and insult the one thing she is trying to keep looking normal!  anyway...

And the list goes on and on.  But the classic, beat all, end all comment came this morning.  There I was at Target, minding my own business looking for some clothes for the girls.  Feeling pretty good about myself actually as I had just worked out for 45 minutes at the Y and was still mobile.  Anyway, minding my own business and I hear a voice behind me....   "GUUUURRRLLL!"  I glanced back and there was a very large woman (not pregnant, just large) behind me.  She had her cell phone to her ear so I went about my business thinking she was talking on the phone.  Then again, "guuurrrllll!".  I glanced again and this time heard her say into the phone, "I'm talking to this really big pregnant lady, just a minute"  (great, here we go).  I nodded at her and smiled and she starts again, "Guuurrrl, puhlease tell me that baby is coming any day"  

Me:  "I'm due in 3 weeks.  Not far to go!"  (notice my attempt to be pleasant?)

Random stranger:  " Well, you must be havin twins, naw, triplets!"

Me:  "No maam, one baby.  It's my fourth" (attempt to turn around and continue with shopping)

Random stranger:  (to me)"Gurl, you  HUUUGE!  You must always be HUGE if you look that way when you're pregnant.  You always huge??"  (into phone) "this girl be HUGE!"

Me:  Didn't say anything else- didn't know what to say.  Took the opportunity of her speaking into her phone to bolt before I said something I would very much regret.  Something along the lines of, "Did your momma not teach you any manners?"  or "LAdy, you are HUUUGE too and I"m pretty sure you don't have the excuse of being 37 weeks pregnant!  Are YOU always HUGE?"

I mean seriously?  Manners people!  I started out so well today with my workout and what did I do??  Came home and ate two cappuncino muffins!  (thanks dear friend Kellie for reminding me of that fabulous recipe!)

So, here I am in all of my pregnant glory, and yes, I am huge.   But I am happy to be huge and sooner than later will be holding this little bundle on the outside!  And before you ask, no, I don't even have big babies!  The largest so far has been 7 lbs 4 oz- what do you think- will this one be the biggest yet?  (don't worry if you're reading this you're most likely not a random stranger so I won't mind your comment....)

Ramblings on kids and culture shock

I think sometimes as adults living overseas, we don't always think about the "little things" that our kids may miss out on or not understand when we come back to the states.  Yes, the big things are always in our minds- missing precious time with family: birthday parties, holidays etc.  Other small things at least for me are in my mind- things like playing team sports, beach trips, Chick-fil-A.  I have to constantly remind myself that for the most part, the things that I'm worried about them missing, are things that I miss FOR them but they may not really ever know that they are missing out on.  Yes, the US of A is a fabulous place, but so are lots of other places around the world.  Our kids are getting a fabulous world view through their overseas experiences.  Actually, one of my big prayers for our time in the states this go round, was that the girls would have a fabulous time with family and friends in the states, but that they would truly miss our overseas home and look forward to going back. I've been so thankful to see how God is answering that prayer.  It does my heart so much good to hear Naomi describing "my home in Lebanon" to her cousins or to hear the girls say they miss the food or the beaches or our friends or various places around the country.  OF COURSE, it's never easy to leave family behind.  There will always be tears at the airport no matter how long we've stayed or how long it will be until we come back- two months or two years, goodbyes stink and always will.  We do what we can to prepare our kids for the emotional roller coaster, but a big part of it is just accepting those emotions as a part of the life we lead. 

We also do our best to prepare our kids for the "reverse culture shock" they will experience when we come back to the states.  Jason is better at this than me having experienced it himself as a child.  He remembers coming back to America as a 6th grader for the first time in 4 years and having no idea who Michael Jackson was (in 1985)- not good for a 6th grader trying not to stand out... For me, some of the biggest reverse culture shock that I experience is in the grocery store- specifically the cereal aisle and the frozen food aisle.  WHO KNEW there were so many cereals??!!  Oh my word!  And the freezer section!  I avoided it completely my first month of grocery shopping- entirely too many choices!!  Frozen, pre-made PB&J's??  REALLY!?   Sorry, I digress..  

Anyway, We knew that there would be challenges for the girls- especially for Abbey and Maddie in 6th and 4th grades.  We did our best to prepare them for the fact that they would be different than the other kids in various ways but that different does not equal bad.  For the most part we have been so pleased.  They have shown such maturity and have done such a good job of just jumping right into things.  We've had lots of firsts like basketball games, softball games, science fairs, spelling bees.  It's mostly been a lot of fun!  Thankfully, the culture shock that the girls have experienced has mostly just provided  good laughs for us all.  Here are a few examples...

During their first few weeks at school (in early October), either Abbey or Maddie came home from school one day and said, "WHO is Ole Miss and WHAT is the SEC??"  ( They know Justin Beiber but I didn't think to educate on college football in the south....  oops)

Naomi kept talking about wanting some "peetoes"....   (cheetos)

We have thunderstorms in Beirut, but mostly it's just heavy rain.  For the most part, the thunder and lightning are way out over the Mediterranean and we don't really hear it.  Plus, the city is so loud anyway, that I don't know if we would hear it.  A few weeks ago during a pretty big Memphis thunderstorm, there was a huge clap of thunder just after the girls had gone to bed.  Abbey, came running in to the living room and said, "Mom, was that a bomb?"  (No, sweet Lebanese girl, not in Memphis, a gunshot maybe, but not a bomb)

(A little background for this one- one of our favorite places to eat in Cordova is called Fox Ridge Pizza)  In early February, Naomi came home from school and in very excited and animated Naomi style began telling me about her day.  "Mom" she says, "We have to look out for the fox ridge!"  Huh?  "The fox ridge is going to tell us when spring will come!"  AHH!  Groundhog day!  Didn't think to tell the girls about that somewhat random American holiday!  Me- "you mean the groundhog, Naomi"  "YES, the groundhog!"  Sweet girl- too many new terms to remember! 

A few weeks ago Naomi and I were having some quiet mother/daughter time after school.  The big girls were at various sports practices and we were sitting at the table painting and coloring.  "Mom," she says  "Did you know that in a few weeks we have to watch out for the little green man who will try and get us?"  again, HUH?  Thankfully, my mom was there and she quickly realized that she was talking about the St. Patrick's Day leprechaun!  And, yes we all remembered to wear our green so nobody was "gotten".

There's one more story that I can think of from our tornado adventures a few weeks ago, but I think I'll save that for a separate post.   Mostly, we've learned (and I think/hope the girls are learning too) that just like with culture shock overseas when you're learning a new language and new culture, you have to be able to laugh at yourself and enjoy certain moments together as a family.  We are constantly learning whether in this culture or another and we might as well have fun with it!

Farm Girls

I'm sure I've mentioned on here before how very thankful we are to essentially have the best of both worlds between my parents in the city of Memphis with the zoo, childrens museum, plenty of parks close by and Jason's parents living out in the "country" outside Rome, GA on what we've all come to affectionately call "the farm".  For spring break, we headed to the farm for the week and were blessed with beautiful weather and the girls had a blast exploring the great outdoors.  That first picture is standing on Papa and Nana's front porch looking down over their property.  The building halfway down the road is Papa's barn where he's also built a tree house and swing set for the kiddos to enjoy.  The pastures begin just across from the barn and contain all of Papa's animals- cows, goats, ducks and the much loved fish pond.  Jason says it's more like a petting zoo than a farm which suits all of the grandkids just fine. 

Jason traveled for 4 days in the middle of our time there and during that time if they asked once, they asked 57 times when they were going to be able to go fishing.  That's kind of been Jason and Papa's thing together to take them down to the pond to fish.  I will be the first to admit that although I truly do love fishing too from my years going to the lake with Memommy and Granddaddy, I am absolutely no help practically.  I can't bring myself to take a fish off the hook once caught (ESPECIALLY a catfish) and I can't for the life of me bait a hook with a cricket or minnow (the bait of choice).  Go figure, I have no problem putting a worm on but those wiggly little crickets completely freak me out (could have something to do with a certain someone putting a handful of live crickets down my bathing suit back in our dating days when I was a good 100 yards from the house and privacy of a bathroom where I could strip down to remove the handful of wiggly crickets.  I'm just sayin.  For that reason I don't feel much guilt when he whines about having to bait the poles of all 10 cousins...).  ANYWAY.  Fishing.  The girls begged all week to go fishing and were thrilled when Friday afternoon came and we loaded up the Kabota (transportation of choice on the farm along with the four wheeler)

..and headed down to the pond.  

Of course, all the animals followed.  When they see Papa and the kids they think food.  This is why Jason has taken to calling it a petting zoo- mostly out of frustration when he is legitimately trying to fish and his line is being attacked by ducks or even cows....

(the cows aren't shy)

Finally got all the poles ready and it was time to fish!

Somehow I managed to only get a picture of Naomi.  In truth, Maddie was the real trooper, catching 4 fish all by herself.  Naomi "caught" 2- read as, she held the pole for 2 seconds (basically long enough for this picture) thus making it "her" pole so she claimed the 2 I caught.  

It was just much more fun for the rest of the cousins to climb logs and wade in the pond water with their farm boots...

For Jason, this did mean that he was actually able to enjoy some fishing apart from baiting hooks and removing fish since most of the kids lost interest so quickly.  He and Maddie even had a little contest going.  They both caught 4 but we decided Maddie won, because we kept all of hers and he threw his back...

Another favorite farm activity is feeding the animals.  The girls are always anxious for Papa to get home in the afternoons so they can go with him down to the barn and help feed the cows, goats and ducks.  Especially now that there are several calves and kids (baby goats).  

Abbey's pointing out how all the animals come running from the bottom pasture when they here Papa call..

Goats.  Not my favorite.  They're stinky and not so cute.  But the girls love them and have even named several.  I believe there is a Maisy, possibly a Madge.  Okay, so the little ones are sort of cute.

All the animals waiting for their feed...

This is a view from the pasture where the girls were feeding the animals, looking back up at the barn (and "playground") and the house in the distance.

The girls spent hours outside at the barn with their cousins.

Such a fun week!!  And just so you don't think Nana and I were completely absent from all activities...

We stayed busy inside.  Nana in the kitchen..

 Occasionally the kids would make their way inside and we would entertain them.  Or, better yet, listen to them entertain themselves.  Naomi and Cousin Caleb are quite a pair!

As for me, I was pretty much a lazy bum all week.  Reading, resting, Nana and I did do some shopping for baby girl which was fun.  My pride almost prevented me from posting this picture but I decided "what the heck".  Here's the reason for my laziness...

One, seriously large belly (thank you Abbey Joy for taking this lovely photo).  

And I have 6 weeks to go!  Scary huh?

Softball!

I love, love, love springtime.  Love it.  And this is our first spring to spend in the states since 2003 so we're taking advantage of all the fun.  I played softball growing up and loved every minute of it- it's just such a perfect time of year and spring/summer nights are the perfect backdrop (especially now when it's not too hot yet...).  Anyway, all three girls are playing softball (t-ball for Naomi which I'm sure will merit several blog posts just by itself- she and her cousin Sarah Ann are going to be on the same team- should be loads of entertaining fun).  Abbey is the only one who has already started and so far is loving it.  Her first game was Monday night and considering she has NEVER played before, I wasn't all too sure how things were going to go and I was somewhat nervous.  Not because I was afraid of her embarrassing herself or anything, just because I know how ultra-competitive she is and I so wanted it to be a good experience for her.   Thankfully in sitting in the bleachers and talking with some other parents, we discovered that there are actually several girls on the team who have never played before.  And their coach is super patient and so sweet so that helps. 

 Here she is waiting for her first "at bat"

And here we go...

She hit a double!

We were so proud!  (and of course would have been even if she hadn't done anything but she was beaming ear to ear)  Granted, she swung at a ball that was a good foot above her head but she knocked it out of the infield and got around to second.  I think she even shocked herself- definitely have some base running mechanics to work on as she almost got tagged out while meandering around second base.  Oh, but then a few minutes later her coach sent her in to steal home when a ball got away from the infield, and she almost got thrown out but she plowed right into the catcher, knocked the ball loose and got her foot onto home plate (that part only happened because every in the stands was yelling at that she had to touch the plate!).  I think she was in somewhat of a state of shock that she had just knocked someone else to the ground!  

What a great first day at the ballpark! 

Spelling Bee

Well this was a cultural experience to say the least!  By winning her school spelling bee back in December, Abbey was able to participate in the Memphis-Shelby County Spelling Bee along with over 150 other kids ranging in age from 2nd to 8th grade.  The 2nd grader was the youngest participant ever and was such a cutie.  He was 6 years old!  There were a handful of 3rd and 4th graders but mostly 5th-8th.  We had to be there at 8 in the morning to get signed in and so Abbey could get her seat on the stage along with all the other kids.  They had this huge screen with all of the kids pictures flashing up before it started, and then once the Bee got going, they would keep the picture up when each speller came to the stage.  Before I knew they would do that, it took me at least 20 minutes to figure out what order the pictures were flashing up in (alphabetically by school, NOT last name) and then another 10 minutes to manage to take the picture of Abbey's picture before it flashed off....

We were packed in the auditorium like sardines and the chairs were not exactly comfortable but even Naomi hung in there (thanks to Abbeys' DS and lots of coloring supplies that Annie brought).  Abbey was number 22 out of 156 and made it through the third round along with about 45 other kids.  We were very proud of her to have made it to the top third especially with some of the crazy words those kids were having to spell!

I was a little afraid that our super-competitive daughter would be disappointed not to have gone further, but considering that the rounds she made it through took almost 3 hours (no, I"m not kidding!), she was ready to get off that stage!  The word she missed was innocuous which now we all know how to spell.  I honestly thought it was one she studied and that she missed it on purpose just to get off the stage, but she promises that is not true :)

Great job AJ!

Naomi's Friendly Friday

We have absolutely loved Naomi's preschool class this year.  Each semester, everyone gets a turn for a "Friendly Friday".  In the fall, she got to make a poster about herself and take it to school, but this semester, she just took a snack to class and the class made this poster about her.  All of her classmates say something sweet about her and the teacher rights it all down and sends home a big poster.  I think it is absolutely precious!  Jason and I have already noticed how she talks about several of the boys more than the girls, and I loved how several of the boys commented about her playing some version of monster tag or chase with them.  One of them even said, "she does everything I tell her"- might have to work on that one!!  We are so thankful for this precious little group of kids and the amazing teachers all of our girls have had at Christ Methodist this year. 

Mani-Pedi's

It's been a long week.  Not a bad week at all.  Not even an eventful week.  Just a long week.  We're 7 days into Jason being gone for 15 days and I'm just feeling the weariness of it all.  And this is in Memphis with plenty of family around to help me- I'm going to be in trouble when we get back overseas and he travels!  But then again, I have plenty of "family"over there to help me as well.  It's just hard going it alone no matter how much wonderful help you have.  Not to mention that I'm pretty sure my almost 31 week pregnant self is closer to the size of a 40 week pregnant person.  I'm just achy!  My doctor reminded me earlier this week (ever so gently of course) that there is a good reason that "advanced maternal age" is stamped across my chart- ugghh!!  

Today was a busy day- not exactly a rest and catch up from the week kind of day.  We had Sarah Ann (Naomi's identical cousin :)) over to spend the night and everyone was super sweet and they all had a blast but the girls are always extra tired after a sleep over. 

Then Maddie had two basketball games today and we spent the afternoon at my parents letting the girls play outside and enjoy the beautiful.  Dad recently put up a basketball goal so they've been loving that.  After watching the Tigers get stomped by UTEP I was ready to call it a day and come home and get the girls settled for the evening so I could crash.  We had dinner eaten, the kitchen cleaned and everyone showered and I realized it was only 6:30 and in spite of the long day, still a bit early to try and get everyone to bed.

So, what to do?  Well, my toes have been bugging me.  Some days it's warm enough for sandals or flip flops, but I am just vain enough that I can't show my "winter feet" until I at least paint my toe nails.  In truth, I could really use a good professional pedicure (Oh how I miss the cheap mani/pedi's in Lebanon!  I could get both for around $20 total!) but I'm willing to show my feet with just painted toenails until I can get around going to get it done for real.  And more than the weather being warm enough is the fact that it just takes entirely too much energy with much "belly of epic proportions" to try and get my boots or other winter shoes on.  Not only that, but I"m pretty sure I"m not going to even be able to paint my own toe nails much longer even if I wanted to.  So I pulled out my nail stuff with plans of painting my own nails and it quickly turned into an impromptu mother/daughter nail painting party.  Not something I would have planned to do given how tired I've felt today, but it turned out to be just the fun, bonding event we needed in the middle of our two week stint without daddy.  

AJ getting ready for her pedicure...

Turns out my big belly is the perfect foot prop...

Naomi pretty much serenaded us with every song known to man the whole time we painted.  We got to hear "He's got _____ and ______ in His hands" for every person we know and even many of the objects.  He's even got "poof balls" in His hands apparently which I finally figured out were the cotton balls we were using to remove old polish...

Here she's serenading Maddie hard at work...

Naomi letting her toes dry

We even got the white paint pen out and got a little creative..

 The final result...

Now it's 9:00 and all the freshly painted munchkins are asleep so it's my turn for a pedi- if I can reach my toes...