I love my "babies"! I call them "The Babies" and I do not know at which age they will cease to be "The Babies". But they are always referred to around the house as "The Babies" and I am in no hurry to change that! They are often refferred to as if they were one entity because they are always together.
They are really so opposite, yet they are SO CLOSE! The Yin and Yang that work in perfect harmony. I can not imagine one without the other! They love each other, help each other, look after each other, understand each other, play with each other... they truly are the best of friends. And they get a long so well to be so different.
Here is an example:
Jovie crawled into the diaper box today, announced that it was her ice cream shop, and offered me a lollipop made out of air. Of course, Callie wanted in on the action and went to get into the box. Instead of pushing her away, Jovie moved over, making room for Callie, and they BOTH served "ice cream" out of the cramped diaper box.
Proof that you can get them the best toys money can buy, but a diaper box can be just as fun!
Jovie is the "Clown" and Callie is the "Easily Entertained". Jovie is a lot like Nolan, she likes to put on a show. Callie just loves to smile. Callie thinks Jovie is hilarious! This is a familiar scene in our house. Jovie goofing off and Callie laughing at her!
Best Friends Forever!
She still takes after her Mommy! She loves ants, frogs, worms, and all things yucky!
She found all these worms underneath the kiddie pool when she moved it. 
SIN!!!
Here is how the rest of the FHE went! We went to the table and everyone drew a Sin on a piece of paper while they ate their brownies.
Lettie drew Callie getting into the brownies!
Silas drew people throwing stones and arrows at Samuel the Lamanite.
Yonas drew someone kicking someone else.
Ruby drew someone pushing someone at school.
Nolan drew himself using the computer and then when he leaves to go to the bathroom someone hops on the computer and plays his computer game.
Then they made their pictures into either a arrow (paper airplane) 
Then someone would stand on the ottoman and cry repentance to the people and as soon as they said "Repent" we threw our "stones" and "arrows" at them.
Repent!
Repent!
Repent!
Repent!
Repent!
Repent!
After we were done in turned into a free-for-all of kids crying repentance and getting pelted with paper! They ran around the house laughing, giggling, and squealing until it was time for bed! Moments like that make me happy to have such a big bunch of happy kids!
Yes, I am now the proud mom of a Chess Club Geek!
The thing is, he had to earn it! At his school, since chess club is during school time around lunch, you can not just join. You have to write an essay and then pass a skills test. He wrote his essay a few times until it was just right. He practiced his skills; with me, on the computer, or by studying his skills sheet. He said he felt he did well on the test, but we had not heard if he made it for awhile. I knew how much he wanted it, so I was hoping there was a delay and it was not that he just did not realize he had not made it.
So I am very proud of his effort and dedication!
He starts next Monday and we have been playing each other. I am REALLY bad a chess! I am impressed because he can just about beat me and he is really good about thinking ahead and planning out his moves! Fun stuff!
And he lost another tooth last night. I swear he loses teeth right and left! I was so worried before because all his friends were losing teeth and he had not lost any. Now they are practically falling out of his head! And he is really good about letting me know, letting them get a good amount of loose, and then letting me take a string and just pop the sucker out! I can not stand a dangally tooth!
First, Baby Mermaid... aka Jovie! This last week she has decided she is "Baby Mermaid"... not Jovie. And Lettie is "Mommy Mermaid". So, when she is calling for Mommy, is she calling for me... nope. Lettie! The other night she was not going to sleep and was instead standing at the gate outside her room yelling, "Mommy! Wake up! Mommy! Mommy Mermaid! Wake up!" Nope, she was not looking for me, she was looking for her Mommy Mermaid. I ask her if I was her mommy and she says, "Nope! You not my mommy! Mommy Mermaid is my mommy! You Lettie!" Sigh...
After this weekend in the mountinas she is ready to claim me again. So she is calling me mommy again, but she still calls Lettie "Mommy Mermaid".
The next few blog posts will have some of our mountain pics! This is how I found Jovie one afternoon; In her "Baby Mermaid" hat, eating watermelon... her way!
Then that night Callie said she was hungry so my mom gave her a piece of bologna and cheese, but she did not want the bread. A few minutes later we found a
She never just eats lunch meat, she plays with it first! I forgot to warn my mom! Just today she had a piece of ham and she folded it about 10 different ways before tearing it into little pieces and eating it. She is really into folding things lately. Paper, lunch meat, clothes, towels, anything... I need to put her on laundry duty!
A lady came into the store saying she worked for Fox Charlotte and asked if I would be interested in any advertising. I told her a little bit about us and she thought it might be a nice human interest story. She said she would leave a note for their producer and I thought that was that. Well, that was the last I heard about it until a news crew showed up at the shop today!!!
I was so excited!!! The only thing is I was SO not prepared, had very little sleep the night before, had been running MAJOR errands ALL morning, and I know I was a disheveled mess. My feet were killing me, all my makeup had been sweated off, my hair was in disarray... but I swallowed my pride and had a great time shooting and interviewing for the 10pm news!!!
Some of my bestest regulars came in and it was great! At first no one was coming in. I said, "I swear people come! Just for some reason no one is here now!" In the 15 minutes after they left about 15 people came in.
I hope this brings in some more business! No matter what it was a blast to do!
There are many things I could be/ should be doing Thursday night:
-cleaning the house
-working on the business
-doing paperwork
-sleeping
But what am I doing instead:
It is only here for 8 more performances and when you only need 1 ticket, you can sometimes get a decent seat. I have row C on the first teir up. I called my sister who has seen it a few times and asked her if she thought that was a good seat before buying it. She said she would perfer that over anywhere else in the theater! So I am excited! I have never seen Phantom, but have always wanted to! I know all the music, and have known it for a long time. I have seen the movie. It is high time I finally see it on the stage! I will let you know how it goes!
So... now is when I work feverishly to make everything come together for my shop. The only problem is... my plans were wrong when it came to my electrical and plumbing, so we are a few days behind trying to remedy that stuff. And we are at the mercy of the inspectors... so PRAY that their hears will be softened! This whole process has been a pain in the batootie!
But here are a couple pictures of what I have so far!
This is the left side of the ice cream machine! It is where there will be toppings and hot fudge and caramel for Sundaes and we will make milkshakes and what-not!
This is to the right and this is where my sno machine and 50+ flavors and put together and served!
It is a really great set-up! If everything else will fall into place we can be in business!
The sad and sweet thing is, apparently she has been telling Levi "Jackson not at grandpa's farm. Jackson ran away!" and she was really upset about this. The whole thing is, he NEVER ran away! We have no clue where she had gotten her mid-informed train of thought. We told her Jackson was still there, but she refused to believe it! In her mind, her good buddy was gone!
We get to the mountains and she hops out of the van and as soon as she lays eyes on him she yells, "JACKSON! JACKSON! Daddy It's Jackson! Jackson is here! Jackson not run away!" She was so relieved! Poor kid really thought he was gone! I wonder if she had a really vivid dream or something!
She has always loved Jackson! He is her height and they literally see eye to eye! And he loves the attention and does not mind her hanging on him! He is a really good dog! Very smart, and very sweet!
Lettie and her Kanga! She loves her dogs! And Kanga loves her kids! And Kanga loves to go back to the mountains and be a mountain dog for a little while! She runs by the Kaboda, runs through the cows, and lays in the cool creek and I swear you can see a smile on her face the whole time!
Flea on the other hand does not love Jovie's attention, but he tolerates it! Poor dog! He used to be an "only child" and I swear I saw his eyes roll everytime we brought a baby home! He always knew I was pregnant even before I was! I wonder if he was confused when suddenly Callie showed up! He probably thought, "Man! I usually have time to mentally prepare for one of these things!" He and Yonas are very close! He is more of an older kid dog! But he is tolerant of the Jo-Lea!
