Stinky Feet!

Okay, here's another funny little anecdote about something Eliana said. I have an obsession with my kids' hands and feet. I love to tickle them, kiss them, and smell them. I think what I like about smelling their feet is the fact that they have no odor. I guess it's because they spend most days shoeless, just running around our carpeted house, so they don't really get sweaty or smelly. Anyway, I love to grab their feet, smell them, and then say "Stinky!" This usually sends them into giggles, and we repeat it again and again. Well, the other day, I grabbed Eliana's foot, took a whiff, and said, "Stinky!"
She looked at me as if she were completely offended and said, "No they're not! I already brushed my teeth!"

What a silly girl.

Kid Talk

I just wanted to jot down some of the funny things the girls say before I forget them. For the most part, Eliana is a very articulate little girl, and she speaks very clearly. Still, there are a couple of things she says in her cute, little "kid-talk" kind of way, and I think it's adorable.
"Mommy, can you jungle with 3 balls?" (juggle)
"The taste bugs on my tongue are white because I drank milk." (taste buds)
"I'm cold. See? I have boosebumps." (goosebumps)

Pretty much everything Addie says is either in her own babble language or baby-talk. Here are some of the funnier ones.
"Boobies!" (strawberries)
"Hobo." (rainbow)
"Abugga." (hamburger)

I love it! I miss when we had to translate everything Eliana said, and I wish I had written down more of her baby talk. I'll probably add to this list periodically when I think of it.

Destination: Vacation

When Miller and I first got married, we had plans of traveling overseas to exotic locations for vacation, such as Thailand and Vietnam. We got married in September and decided to wait until the school year was over to take our honeymoon. By the summer, I was already 5 months pregnant, and we changed our honeymoon plans from our tour of Asia to a quick trip to Cancun. It was still fun, and we got to enjoy the beach and good food. However, being pregnant meant no snorkeling or hang gliding for me.
Now I can't even imagine packing up our kids, taking a flight that lasts more than a couple of hours, and vacationing in locations that don't have clean drinking water or air conditioning in all indoor areas. In fact, I have absolutely no desire to travel to other countries at this time. It's funny how becoming a parent changes your lifestyle so much. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret starting our family so early in the least. We have been so blessed, and God has had greater plans for our family than I could have ever imagined.
Well we've been spending the last few days at the vacation location of our choice. We left the cold, rainy weather of Dallas and have been enjoying the balmy 85 degree climate here. We have really comfortable, kid-friendly accommodations. Our lodging and all of our meals have been paid for, and they even provide childcare. I've been enjoying sleeping in, taking naps whenever I want, and hanging out with my hubby...
Have you guessed where we are? Of course, we're at my parents' house. Believe it or not, this has become one of my favorite places to go. My mom makes wonderful, home-cooked meals everyday, and my dad even does our laundry for us. I know, we're spoiled, but sometimes it's nice to be the kid again. The girls are loving the time with their grandparents, and I don't think Eliana ever wants to go home. Miller heads back tomorrow because he has to go back to work, and it will be the first time since we got married that we'll be apart overnight, but it will only be 5 days, and then the girls and I return home next week. Now I have to face my fear of flying with the girls by myself...

Here are some pictures of the girls enjoying the amazing backyard oasis that my dad created, right in the heart of the Tucson desert.

Eliana's Creations

Eliana is quite an artsy little gal, and she has created several masterpieces as of late. I thought I should take pictures of them and record how her artistic skills evolve over the years. These are some of her most recent works, at age 3:

This is "Chalky Flower." I'm not sure why she's making that weird face.)


"Mega Bloks Robot"


"Magna Doodle Flower Garden"


"Ladybugs" (Again on Magna Doodle)


Play-Doh Ladybug" Ladybugs are definitely her favorite subject.


This last one isn't really art, but I thought it was cute. She's been teaching herself to write letters, and one day she asked for a piece of paper and a pen, "...because I need to do my homework." This is what she produced. I thought it was funny that she accidentally wrote the word "bling."

Amazing Addie

After showing Addie in such an unfavorable light in my last post, I thought I should mention some of the pretty amazing things she's been doing recently. First of all, almost two weeks ago now, Addie started potty-training herself. I kid you not. I wasn't even going to think about beginning to potty train until after she turns two in June, but apparently, she has other plans. We had just finished giving the girls their bath, and we took Addie out of the tub. A few days earlier, she had discovered that the step stool that Eliana stands on to brush her teeth is actually a little potty. So we were just putting lotion on her, and had not yet put on her diaper or pajamas. She opened up the potty seat and said, "Poo poo." Miller and I laughed, thinking that was pretty cute. "Okay, Addie," said Miller. "You go poo poo." We thought we were just humoring her, of course, and would let her sit there for a second before we got her dressed. Sure enough, she sat down, concentrated for a second, and then peed! We were shocked! I thought that potty training Addie would be a really difficult ordeal since she can be so uncooperative sometimes, and even potty training Eliana was a challenge. She certainly proved us wrong! I was so excited that I wanted to call everyone and tell them, but then I realized it was almost 10 pm, and I didn't think everyone else would appreciate my child's bodily functions as much as I do. (We don't normally bathe them so late, but I had put if off because I was watching American Idol earlier. Yes, I openly admit it. Hi, my name is Malitha, and I enjoy watching American Idol.) Anyway, she has been asking to go potty at least once a day since then. She might actually be fully potty trained before this next baby arrives! Wow, that would be awesome not to have double diaper duty again. Although, that's not as bad as it seems, either. Just a little harder on the pocket book.


The other cool thing that Addie has recently done is learn to whistle. Again, I'm serious. I don't how she did it, but she managed to figure out how to position her lips and blow just right so that she produces a whistling sound. The first time, I thought she wouldn't be able to do it again, but she did! It's not a strong, clear whistle like an adult can do, but it is most definitely a whistle. I was pretty impressed, and even Eliana is trying to figure out how she does it. Pretty amazing for a one-year-old.

Hurricane Addie Blows Through

Casualties: None
Damages: Extensive
Morale: Low

I haven't blogged in a long time because I haven't been feeling well at all. I'll be trying to catch up on all that's been going on here in the next couple days. I've spent the last couple weeks curled up in a fetal position either lying in bed or on the couch. The poor kids have been stuck watching TV all day, and I haven't been doing much with them. On top of morning sickness, the girls and I all caught a nasty cold a couple weeks ago, and Addie's progressed into double ear infections. Still, even while sick, the girl didn't slow down. In one day alone, she managed to do some major damage in the house, and I just couldn't keep up with her. She colored on both couches FOUR times! Once with an orange crayon, once with a red ink pen, once with a black in pen, and once with a blue ink pen. Then she opened up my tupperware cabinet and threw about half of my containers in the trash. She pulled the saran wrap off the roll so that I can't even use it anymore. She took the magnets off the fridge and dumped them into Eliana's cup of juice. She pulled the potted plant in the living room over, spilling soil onto the carpet. Then somehow she got a small cut in her finger and left a trail of blood all up and down the wall along the staircase. Whew! I don't know what I'm going to do with this one! I was too busy trying to clean up after her that I didn't even think of taking pictures of these messes until she pulled out the saran wrap. So I managed to get a picture of that and also the last incident of coloring on the couch with the red pen. What a mess!

Gee, thanks.

Yesterday Eliana told me, "Mommy, you're brown like the color of poop."
I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.