here's the scoop...

The M-n-M's are VERY BIG. (well max anyway. TWENTY-ONE lbs, Mercy a petite 16.)
They sit, they roll, they grab, they yell, they REALLY want to eat food.
Max officially has his first tooth, lower right front!
Mercy is mobile and off on her very own adventures of shoe eating and floor smacking.
Max eats everything. and I do mean everything.
Mercy, not so much. She just gives it a taste most of the time.
Max blows raspberry's and yells quite like a caveman.
Mercy NEVER stops yelling dadadadadadadada and I think we've added babababababababa.
WHERE is MAMAMAMAMA? I gave birth. to both of them. the way God intended. So don't feed me that malarky about dada and baba being easier to say.

Eva can READ! She can add/subtract, figure out tons of science stuff, spin a mean yarn (a tall tale, a great read...) be very compassionate (at school only, apparently) say "i forgot" to just about every single thing I tell her and melt me at one very sweet hug and "I love you mama."

Charley.... potty trained herself a few weeks ago. A few M-n-M's and a lot of positive encouragement and we are down to 2 in diapers. Just a few steps behind her big sis in the reading department, I do believe. Loves the mini's to death (and I do mean to death at times....)
loves to play with her pals at playgroup, thinks gymnastics is the coolest thing ever and is quite possible the sassiest little stinker in this family. My fave? "DON'T TALK TO ME!"

So, this is my idea of a catch up post.

love to all!
the crazy clan mac mama

Military Families facing yet another crisis...

that our government holds at arm's length. Please read this blog:

http://continue-to-march.blogspot.com

Tracy Peterson & her family are in dire financial straits and are being forced into foreclosure and financial disaster. Please read her blog and contact your senators and representatives DEMANDING that the Homeowners' Assistance Program (http://hap.usace.army.mil/homepage.html), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, be fully funded and operational immediately.
It is bad enough that our country is in this financial mess, but when our servicemembers and their families are in a crisis that our government can resolve and should resolve, it makes my blood boil.

Funny, on my end, I spent most of yesterday morning on the phone arguing with a civilian and and a sergeant in the TMO office about our household goods weight entitlement. I KNOW what we rate, I KNOW we can resolve this issue and I KNOW that I cannot afford to have the government check my husband's pay for $2400 because they cannot manage to administer military moves in an effective manner. The red tape and hurdles that we have to jump through as military families are ridiculous. I have 4 children under 7, I have moved 5 times in 2 years, I was a Marine when that idiot sergeant was in diapers and I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SH*T.

I am beyond proud that I served my country as a Marine, that my husband continues to serve and that our family continually supports him. I love my life most of the time. But it's times like these that make me want to drive a tank up on capitol hill and force every one of the overpaid and underworked "representatives" of our american people to LISTEN to our military families. I tell you what, if you gave me, Tracy and Michelle 15 minutes on Capitol Hill, it might just make life a little easier for our military and a whole lot more real to those who have no idea what it's like to live this life.

Goodbye Eva, See you later!

chirps Charley, standing on the front porch, her hand waving like a pennant in the wind at the big yellow bus.

I'd freeze these moments, like frames in my mind's eye.
All of a sudden it feels like time is whipping by.
my sweet baby beans are shifting and changing
daily, my life, it is rearranging.
i don't want to wake with regret
that things they've done, i might forget.
lately i notice i don't hold my babies,
i don't stop what i'm doing, i'm constantly crazy.
what if tommorow comes way too fast
these precious times gone at last.
Lord, slow the clock and let it crawl
lest this mama miss it all.

The total tiff transformation...

Change is in the air, I think. Must be the change of seasons, or the shock of life with 4 kids under 7, or well, just because I darn well feel like it!
So, for those of you who are aware of my attachment to long hair, this may shock you. So sit down or you'll fall down....
Before....


Middle...


After!




And I LOVE IT!!

in the blink of an eye...

your children grow up. they change in a skinny minute. So many days I want to slow time to a crawl and burn the image of each moment in my brain.

Eva running across the front yard with the grace of a young filly, her hair a golden ribbon in the wind, her laugh tinkling like the sweetest of bells.

Charley standing at the door, clad in pink overalls and cowboy boots, her hair curling softly at her shoulders, "I go wich you, Mommy?"

Mercy sound asleep, curled on her side with her little fingers cupping her cheek, softly snoring.

Max turning to look at me as he wakes, serious and focused, his sweet face slowly curling a grin that simply melts my heart, his eyes lighting up and his eyebrows lifted to the sky.

If you have ever doubted the existence of God, look into the eyes of a child. You will see He lives there. And he entrusted these souls to you. Love them, Laugh with them, Linger in life with them.

Funny, how things never turn out the way you think they will...

when you leave friends. or friends leave you. When you move as often as I do, you make friends fast and close. Your friends become your family. They keep your kids when you're in the hospital. They spend turkey day in your concrete dwelling, making one big family from so many little ones. They throw you surprise parties and baby showers. They dry your tears, laugh with you and at you. Drink too many bottles of wine and spill years old, painful secrets. They eat enough garlic to kill a horse with you at an all garlic restaurant, then head out to a club to play pool, sing karaoke and knock other drunks out with our smell. Their hubbies become your friends too, making sure you are so loopy getting ready to go into surgery that you have NO idea what embarrasing crap you spilled before they took a chunk out of your nose.
They love your kids like their own. They love you like a sister. And when it's time to go, you all swear you'll see each other every year. You'll talk often. You won't lose touch.
And you don't. at first. then everyone gets busy. the calls and the emails get fewer and farther apart. until you just don't even know what you'll say when you call or write. so you just don't. and then you really miss them.
you run into a friend from an old place, someone who knew everyone you did, but didn't "hang" with you. you get to talking and those old pangs of sadness just hit you like a brick. and you think about all the friends you've loved like family and wonder just how many of them you'll really ever see again.
and you wish you had more time (and a magic wand to make the world smaller...)
and you remember all the good times, the bad times and the in between times.
and you're thankful.
that you knew them, that you know them, that someday maybe you'll see them again. and you wish your phone had, like, 100 speed dial options...
So many friends, so many years, so many moves. such a wonderful family I've made with my friends. Just hope too many years don't pass by before we meet again. With love to each of you... you all know who you are.

tiffers

Oh, the piles of crap...

I manage to accumulate. Add to that no purging for almost 2 years (since my life has been in chaos...) and it all equals saturday night spent sorting crap so I can walk through my future sewing/office/writing/scrapping room. Tack on a mini meltdown about moving and you have a perfect recipe for an empty bottle of wine and one tired mama.
I often wonder if we'll ever live somewhere long enough for me to really use the damn sewing/office/writing/scrapping room. I am really SO SICK of moving, packing, unpacking, sorting, painting, hanging, decorating, shopping. Yes, I said shopping. I think I am totally burnt out. To the point of considering never leaving North Carolina ever again. And for those of you who really know me... that is a shocker. Hope you were sitting down.
Off to collapse into a (hopefully) deep sleep.
Tiffers

one enlistment, 2 global moves, 3 weddings, 4 kids and 20 years later...

The man I married 3 times...and would marry all over again!

and here I am. And who knew a reunion with the people I knew during the most anxiety ridden stage of my life would be SO MUCH FUN!!
So, high school just wasn't all that fun for me. I spent so much damn time worrying about other people's opinions, my social status, my wardrobe and my love life that I just plain forgot to enjoy it. Not to say that 4 years went by with nary a fun time...but really, I don't recall a ton of fun. I remember being completely consumed with worry and anxiety A LOT. Although, I must say my best year was my senior year. Steph, Wes, Stacey and I were the coolest music geeks around and we had an absolute blast. SO, I guess in retrospect...
as Michelle so eloquently put it "Good Lord, we're all adults now, who gives a shit what happened twenty years ago!"
I second that!!
My reunion was hysterical. Suffice it to say that there was a discussion regarding a lack of underwear, a ridiculously long walk in the dark...over a fence...through some woods...to a VERY closed bar, a push up contest (in my finery with my best friend,) NEED I GO ON? A ridiculously good time was had and I will definitely sign up for the next one. BUT next time I vote for a whole weekend of stupidity.
I must say, I was really bummed not to have more time to talk to many old friends. There were many people I was SO looking forward to catching up with. And before I could blink, the night was over and I had not one more minute to chat. So, if I missed catching up with ya, hope to see you at the next one!
And Kristine Eisenacher...girl you rock. Bringing a sweet baby and an even more wonderful hubby to keep that baby...that is awesome! Wish we could have chatted more than 3 words on the way out!
So, now enjoy these ridiculous pics and feel free to comment... I'd love to hear from you.

My oldest and bestest friend....

4 friends VERY late in the par-tay mode!

Why am I the only one who still has hair?

Karena, Jen and Me...damn we some young chicks!! LOL

The fab four...together again for the first time in TWENTY years!

My sweet, wonderful, very missed pal...Shawn. Missed you all these years!

Steph and me... watch it or we might break into song...again!

The first boy I ever kissed (behind a barn in the 7th grade!)... Jason

Man, that Randy is a lucky dude!! Hee Hee :-)
Note the bar crawl ringleader (Sheila) hiding in the center...

Sheila's hubby Marty...always trying to get in the BED!

I do have other children...

you know. It seems like lately all posts have been about the minis...and to avoid the excessive cost of therapy to address the lack of posts regarding the bigs, I figured it was about time I chronicled their happenings...
Seriously, the guilt is killing me. Where has the summer gone? Where are all my funny snippets about the queen Eva and her loyal subject...tyrant Charley? With an undying patience that will undoubtedly come back to me in spades when they are teenagers, they have endured a most crappy year. I have been continually amazed by their gumbylike adaptation to every new situation/home/school/friend/etc...etc... we have vaulted them into in the last 13 months. And if you really want to go back...It's only been 2 years since we left Oki. SO, let's count... we've moved 5 times in the last 2 years. No wonder my brain is fried & I can't decide where to hang a picture, set a book, plant a bush, set a lamp... at least I still retain the ability to alphabetize spices. :-)
So, the truth is, my bigs are amazing. Eva has endured the lack of extracurriculars, playdates, "field trips," mommy time, daddy time, well, just about EVERYTHING she is used to, with a sweetness that defies the odds. I swear this child is from an alternate universe. (well, there was that one time in target that she jumped up and down & threw a fit that had my mother picking her jaw up off the floor.)

She has morphed into a queen bee, ready to lead the brood at a moment's notice. (when it suits her, that is.) How quickly she has gone from my shy kindergartner to an outspoken and sassy first grader. While mostly endearing, it does try my patience on occasion... A newfound fascination with horses has lead her to repeatedly request riding lessons, horse themed clothing and a ridiculous number of stuffed horses. So, at my own financial peril...I am caving. Riding lessons it is. And in deference to my texan family, western pleasure it will be. It's bad enough my husband married a yankee, if I let her learn to ride english, I would be summarily excommunicated from all things Texan. And that would suck. So, western it is! The other most exciting part of her day is constantly messing with her hair. I am honestly quite amazed at her ability to "do" her hair. Most of the time I thank God, since it is one less grooming task I must be responsible for. She is still a bit "out there" with her wardrobe, but truthfully, I find it so endearing that I really don't look forward to the day she grows out of it. Tommorow is the big day... off to first grade. Wish me luck and pray for the sake of the teacher that all goes smoothly for my baby bug. :-)

As for Charley. Well, what can you say about a child that yells louder than you do when she's in trouble, beats regularly (but with love) on her siblings, has the aim of a major league pitcher with whatever she is launching at you...but refuses to give up her binkie or potty train because she wants to be little. And you know it's just because she wants more of you than you can figure out how to give. My sweet, sweet baby bean. That child is on fire.

And mostly in a good way. Brighter than a thousand bulbs, if you give it to her, she will figure it out. A phone, a camera, a leapster, a game, a puzzle, you name it. I am considering asking her to teach me how to use my new phone. I still don't know how to turn the ringer off... She is sweet beyond anything I have ever seen in a child that young. She craves and gives love so magnanimously that is just makes your heart want to explode. I think mine does at least a few times a day. Her favorite activity lately is dressing up in Eva's clothing. This usually results in one of 2 things... she either looks so cute you want to eat her or she looks like a poster child for horrible hand me downs. And I simply don't have the heart to ever make her change (well mostly never,) so I head out on the town with the brood, dressed like a bunch of street people and hope no one is surreptitiously snapping our photo to use as an ad for birth control. :-) You should have seen the looks we got when JoJo was here... It was like a clown car every time we went to unload. I should have stuffed a pillow under my dress and pretended to be pregnant. Now that would have been fun...
So, I resolve to try to turn over a new leaf. I pray every day for a fairy to arrive and put away all this crap that is stressing me out and making me consider psychedelic drugs. I have to figure out how to step back and do a little at a time. I need some PATIENCE. So if you have either that or a nanny you can spare for a week, let me know! But until then, I'll just try to keep from going slowly insane...
in my brain.

and so, tonight i retire
in the midst of this quagmire

determined to rest
to wake my best

to enjoy my offspring
with lots of zing

wish me lots of luck
pray I don't get stuck

in one of these piles
that goes on for miles

someone please send a nanny
to save my fanny!

in sheer and utter insanity, i sign off...
madcap mom of the many mini macs!

The Adventures of Stick Baby and the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man...

happy stay puff and giggly stick baby...

my crazy clan of kiddos...

Sittin' babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, the time it is a scootin'. So, I swear yesterday I was one BIG belly and all of sudden I have babies who sit up, hold their own bottles, babble like crazy, roll all over the place (Mercy only on this one, Max is too fat and can only roll front to back and then he's stuck...)


SO, Stick Baby is first in the lineup...
As you may have guessed by my fat comment re:Max, Mercy is AKA "Stick Baby"
Just like her older sister, she is such a petite little bean, only possessing one fat roll per side at the very top of her little thighs. No potbelly or double chin on this baby bug. She is COMPLETELY addicted to her johnny jumper, perfectly content to spend at least an hour twisting, jumping, doing the "lick and wipe" and generally observing the clan mac happenings.

Observing, preparing the "lick and wipe..."

licked, and ready to wipe...where is mommy? is she still dry? I can fix that.... :-)

A happy observer...

She is mostly NOT happy if you leave her to her own devices on the floor. Since that is simply not acceptable, she tends to hog the mommy during the day, since her brother would be happy staring at the ceiling fan for hours on end. She is most picky about the temperature of her food and is known to "demand" a reheat on the bottle. This usually consists of pushing the bottle out of her mouth, letting formula dribble off her chin, and the occassional squawk. She is also QUITE loud, preferring to spend her days yelling random syllables at anyone or any stuffed animal in eyesight. I'm in deep doodoo when she starts talking. I may have to wear earmuffs. or take more pills. or drink more wine. or... well you get the idea!!
She simply adores bathtime, getting quite the charge out of drenching mommy and every near surface with feet that NEVER stop moving. I envision a future in serious martial arts. That child is NEVER still! She makes rolling revolutions around her crib, the floor and every other surface she can stand for a few minutes. Truthfully, this adorable, smiling, giggling, super ticklish and snuggly sweet bean SCARES the ever loving cr*p out of me. I have a feeling she is going to give me a serious run for my money... (more pills...more wine... :-)

And now for the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man...
For those of you who are trying to figure out who that is... see Ghostbusters again...you'll get it. Now imagine that dude shrunk to baby size and wasn't pasty white and had blonde hair...that is my Max man. He is all rolls, all the time. Rolls on his arms, rolls on his belly, rolls on his legs, rolls on his fat little fingers, even rolls on his ankles! And his chin, that is the cutest of them all! My little man is, bar none, the happiest baby ever. The only thing that pegs his fun meter is loud noises, poopy diapers and a delay in nourishment. I swear he is convinced his stuffed puppy is real. He spends inordinate amounts of time chatting with and chewing on that poor dog. Bedtime consists of the face plant, followed by the face rub, followed by a binky and settling into the middle of the bed flat on his belly where he will remain unmoved until morning when he might flip himself over if he can get enough leverage...and then he's stuck since he hasn't figured out how to get enough leverage to flip back over. The good thing about those adorable rolls is that they are darn helpful in keeping him upright when he's trying to sit! The funniest part of this little marshmallow must be the expressions on his face. I swear he is looking at us half the time, like: "What the heck where you thinking," or "What on earth is this silly thing you just stuck in my face? Do I look that dense?" and my personal favorite: "just what is HER problem NOW?!" I'm relatively certain this dude will spend his formative years hiding out from his sisters to avoid estrogen overload. Poor guy.

"What the heck where you thinking?"

"really? I think not."


"Hmmm, what trouble can I get into now..."

So for the Stay Puff/Stick Baby major moments:

July 2: Max can hold his own bottle!
July 20: separate cribs...I cried.
August 2: Max sat up!
August 7: Mercy sat up!
August 8: First torture session at Chuck E. Cheese...(oh the things we do for our children)
August 11: First official road trip not related to moving in any way. Headed home to Maryland for fun time with crazy extended family...

So, that's it for now. Yes, I still have the Bigs who deserve their own post... and my 20 year reunion... THAT is a post in the making...
Stay tuned!

tiffers

so, here's the situation...

i need to get away for a week's vacation.
wish i could drive a brand new porsche...

AYEEE, i'm showing my number! I hate it when a song gets stuck in my head. Or a poem, or a kid's rhyme. My type-A brain just runs it over and over and over and over, well... you get the idea.
Seriously, I am SO looking forward to a week at my parents to relax and ENJOY my offspring. this time is just whizzing by and i feel like i'm missing all the good stuff. actually I am missing all the good stuff. my littles are getting so big & my bigs are so grown up. I can't stand it and yet, it's so awesome. my new resolution is to STOP THE MADNESS and enjoy the stillness. Because it could be gone before I even realize it.
So, I'll try to update this silly blog soon, so my kids won't need extra therapy sessions when they are older because mom dropped the ball on blaring their lives to the world.

And an update on me...
It's been a tough month for us. My Aunt Millie passed unexpectedly several weeks ago. Since the INDIVIDUAL that was in the "driver's seat" at Charles' school has no life and not one ounce of sense, we were told he could not take off so we could attend the funeral. Uh, he'd be teaching this stupid ass school if he were still a Gunny, so what exactly is it he can't miss? Then we moved into the house and, as you know, my rings and bracelet were stolen. (the bracelet is a new development. discovered it after they fingerprinted my armoire. UGH.) In the midst of all this, I'm trying to unpack and set up this house with 4 kiddos underfoot all day. Needless to say, my wine consumption has been at alarming levels... Then last weekend, I received a call that my cousin had passed away suddenly, at age 39. Leaving behind the love of his life and 3 children. Talk about a kick in the ass. Still can't take time off, so we didn't go.
Well, thursday night was it for me. I finally found out where my jewelry was pawned, when and who did it. I haven't gotten it back, but I'm praying. Regardless of the outcome... I learned this. (Thank you Lord, for hitting me with the proverbial baseball bat of sense and reason.)
I might think I can control my life, but really God is ultimately in the driver's seat and he has a purpose for every event.
The event might make you sad, tick you off, confuse the ever loving daylights out of you, make you doubt, BUT if you stop wallowing in self pity and start letting Him lead you, He'll show you the purpose.
Now, here's where I get to control my life...
I can listen. Or not.
I choose to listen.
And this is why.
Life is entirely too quick. We never know what is around the corner and how it will change us. Am I sad my rings and bracelet are gone? You bet your bootie. Would I change it? Nope. Why? Because it somehow taught me that I wasn't paying attention to my life or the amazing people in it. I was mired in my own stresses, my own worries, letting my fears and impulses lead me around by the nose. For the love of Pete (who is Pete, by the way?) I have the MOST amazing husband and 4 beautiful gifts from God. It's time I learned to live a life of Praise instead of pity. (thank you Beth Moore!)
My rings were the outward symbol of a marriage that has survived some pretty heavy junk. They were beautiful and made me smile.
My kids & Charles are more beautiful.
I'll celebrate that.
Off to Praise.
with love,
the clan mac mama

boxes, bins and little tiny things...

Boxes suck.
I have more bins than anyone in the world. including legoland. this is a problem they probably have meds for. meds that i need.
little tiny things are the story of my life with 4 little tiny people. polly pockets are the spawn of the devil, my little pony are their cousins and barbie is the devil. :-)
SO, there are now many boxes with many tiny things headed for the garage sale. :-)

And someday I will be done unpacking, just in time to move again. Truly, if it weren't for my unexplainable love of the marine corps and most importantly...my Marine, I would SO be done with this moving crap. As a matter of fact, I am actually considering settling here (which is completely bizarre if you have known me a long time,) just so I don't have to do this again...and again...and again. Of course, I do have an intense desire to go back to Okinawa, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see... REALLY, if God and the Commandant could each just send me an email with their plans, it would certainly make life a bit easier for my planning purposes. Ah, but people in hell also want ice water. :-)

Okay, so on to better things. I am really not operating with all my faculties lately, so I won't even try to provide a witty commentary to make you pee your pants with laughter as you peruse all my cute photos of my fireteam. I will simply let my sweet beans beam at you from cyberspace, then I'll send a quiz email to see if you can figure out what the hell we are doing.
JUST KIDDING. (man, i kill myself. I am just so stinking witty...)
SO, here's a quick rundown of the last month...

Big Boy...independently stuffing his face!

Seriously? Max...ready for reading? I think he's studying

up on how to pray for sanity for Mommy. :-)

July 2, 2009
Wilmington Kid's Museum

Future mad scientists?

Making our very own maze...maybe it will lead us to a house?

Daddy Mac and his littlest princess...Crabby Patty :-)

Evie, checking out the cool "campground"

Charley, "kayaking" her way to the camp


Eva, waiting to be served...


or not.
Charley sassy pants requested to be waited on. :-)


Mercy, checking out the cots...
God forbid we smile for the camera...
Little Terd. :-)


Max... grinning because he just totally filled up his diaper for me. Isn't that sweet?


Storytime in the tent...
This book stunk.
Seriously.
Who writes a book for kids about weather that is this boring?
Can we make it at least a little entertaining?


July 4, 2009
Celebrating? How about relaxing!
Freedom from househunting today!


The future first female Commandant trying on her uniform...


July 12, 2009
Rattling around in our new space!

Playtime in our new home!

My sweet, always happy (unless he's hungry...) BIG boy

Miss Mercy Elaine, with her ever present glob of spit...
her babysitter calls her the "lick and wipe" queen.
She LOVES to lick the devil out of her fingers and then
wipe it ALL over you. It's just so pleasant. :-)

Adventures in the rain...
In our new, fenced football field of a yard!

2 sweet sisters snuggling and snickering in the rain.

my sweet mini macs, snuggled up for some playtime fun!


Happy Birthday Taylor!
The bigs...hanging out for some fun party time!

The littles in thier bumbo seats for some fun...

Seriously? Little stinker.

Cookie time with the bigs! SO much more fun (and tasty,) than unpacking boxes!!