War Wounds

Look Mom! I have a bruise! Okay so you totally can't see it in the picture, but it really is there! The top of my foot and toes are swollen too.

Non-members of the Vallett Family will not understand this post, but those of us with that particular surname know exactly what I'm talking about. You see, Valletts don't bruise! For instance, MeMe got kicked in the head and had 8 stitches, but only had a slightly pink eyelid when a normal person would have had a shiner for weeks. A vacuum fell down a flight of stairs onto my mom's hand, and it didn't leave a mark. I kicked Lizzy in the shins (it's a long story) and she had nothing to show from that particular experiment. So when Gavin dropped a battery charger on my foot, a real bruise would have been the deciding factor if I needed to go to the hospital or not. I've been limping around for two days, and all I have to show is a measly gray-blue spot and some slightly puffy toes. No real bruise, so I guess it's not really broken. BUT, I will wear that gray-blue spot as a badge of honor. It may be the only bruise I have this year!

Word to your Momma!

I need to come clean about something. I never respected stay-at-home-mothers until I became one. My mom was awesome, and she did not stay at home with us. And because she is such a fantastic teacher and mother, I assumed that other women who didn't work were uneducated, unmotivated or lacked ambition. What a load of CRAP! I am educated, I am motivated, I have loads of ambition, AND I am not one-of-a-kind. Here in good ole' Cypress, Texas there is a huge group of women (both LDS and not) that have put aside one set of worthwhile desires for another set. And we are so lucky that we've had the privilege to stay at home with our kids!

However, since we've taken this opportunity we are often looked down upon by other people--people just like me pre-Gavin. And now that I don't have an awesome career to buoy my self-esteem, I realize how hurtful those misconceptions can be. Being a mom is hard work, and it is one of the least-appreciated jobs on the planet (next to teaching school, in my opinion). So, anyone who reads this is required to call or write your mom and tell her that she rocks.

Now to the on the flipside...being a mom rocks! I love being part of all the awesome things my kids do everyday. See below for more details!

Imagine me laughing hysterically...Jamie and I look over to find Laynie standing on her tip-toes searching through the toy basket in the corner. It was so funny to see her little booty up in the air!

Can you believe that my baby is already standing up on her own? She's only 8 months old.


And now we've moved from bucket head to bucket body. The smaller of the two foot buckets is pretty small. Gavin had his toes pointed to fit inside. And he refused to take it off, even though he was limping around like a peg-legged pirate. He said they were his "boots."This picture brought back a vivid memory of my baby sister. When MeMe was just a little older than Laynie, she hid from us behind the bedroom door. We searched frantically for her, till we heard her giggling. Laynie did the same thing this week. She crawled into a corner that is blocked off with a coffee table and couch to keep all the balls from rolling away. I wouldn't have been able to find her had she not been babbling.
He did that to himself! He had his face so covered that he couldn't see. My funny boy...

Bucket Head and Blog Barf

So I'm totally stalling. I'm doing everything in my power NOT to clean the bathroom today. I clean my house every Friday, but I just can't seem to make myself do the bathrooms. Isn't there a fairy with a toilet wand waiting to grant my wish? No. Of course not. So I'm blogging in hopes that one of my children will wake up and forestall my cleaning adventure. Heaven forbid I use toxic chemicals to de-mold my shower anywhere near them! In all actuality the Tilex is pretty potent...I'm guessing it's something akin to mustard gas. Anywho...so here's my second day of blog barf. Apparently there is some blog etiquette about posting multiple times in one day? I guess I'm a mighty breaker of that particular blog law, as I posted three times yesterday. And I'm posting again today. Gavin is hysterical! Every single day he tells me he wants to play football. When I asked them why, he said "They wear helmets and bonk stuff." Today he created his own "helmet" and was trying to "bonk stuff." Unfortunately for Gav (and probably Jamie too), my little boy is exactly that. Little. His thighs are smaller than his sisters, which she will some day hate him for, and his biceps are actually smaller than his forearms. Not the perfect physique for a kid who wants to grow up to "bonk stuff." One good thing, even though he is nearly skeletal, he is abnormally strong. Even when I was pregnant he could push me around on his Tigger and Pooh Firetruck. And I'm not a small Mama! Don't expect me to reveal my real weight, but I'm much heavier than 100 pounds! Like I said, abnormally strong. (Don't ask why a pregnant lady was riding the firetruck. It's a long story).

WAHOO!! Laynie's awake. Bathroom mold will have to wait till tomorrow!

Back by Popular Demand

Okay, maybe not so popular...but I'm a brunette again. Jamie does not love it, but he loves that it's more economical. When it's dark I don't have to see the hair dresser every six weeks, so that's better for our budget. I'm not sure Gav really likes it that much either. When I got home he drew a little air circle around my face and said, "What is your hair doing?" It was pretty funny.
One good side effect: maybe people will think Laynie looks like she belongs to me now?

Two Little Monkeys

Maybe reading them "Eight Little Monkeys" wasn't my best idea. But Gav and Landon sure were having fun on his bed!

Worker Man!

Safety First has totally rubbed off on Gavin. When the "worker men" came to mulch our yard, he threw on his "goggles" and said he was ready to help. The $1 at Target is great for cheapo kids toys.

Halloween Wardrobe

I am the Perfect Pumpkin, as you can plainly see. Of one-hundred thousand pumpkins, none are quite like me (misquoted from our favorite book, "The Ugly Pumpkin).
I did not purchase a single item of Laynie's clothing. Everything she's wearing is hand-me-downs (pretty much the best things in the world) or gifts. Super cute head band, thanks to Jarod's (my brother-in-law) mom! Gotta send a thank you card for that one!
Spooky PJs.
I'd be scared if someone took a close-up of my butt like that!
If anybody noticed that Gav hasn't been in the last few posts, it's just because he's had pink eye and a nasty bout with the flu. I'd post pictures of him anyway (even though he is sorta skeleton looking), but he won't even look at me when I have the camera. When I do get his face, he's usually giving me his "Elvis smile." They're the kind of pictures parents use as blackmail later in life...that's why you all can't see them now!