Monday, June 23, 2008

Don't make me come back there.

Ever had a kid frustrate you so much you just want to scream? We're going thru a bit of a "defiance" stage with the young man presently. I believe the last time his father spanked him, he smiled and declared "I didn't even cry!" Rarrgh.

Connor's favorite store is Lowe's. He can usually convince his daddy to take him there at least once weekly, with the sole aspiration to try out every riding mower they have in stock. Their last visit was cut rather abruptly short, however, when Connor, who had already been dragged bodily from his lengthy test-drive session, and who had also been picking his nose conspicuously from his place in the shopping cart, stood and frantically shouted, "I lost my booger!" over and over. "Where's my booger?"

Our young man is a perpetual source of entertainment. Despite a harrowing week at Vacation Bible School ("Are you Connor's mommy? Well...your son is certainly...spirited!") and lots of time in his room at home for antagonizing his sister and smarting off to us (age three is turning out to be more "terrible" than two in lots of ways...sigh...), our boy always manages to redeem himself at the flip of a switch. I explain all the time that the world of little boys is new and fascinating for me, the oldest of two girls. When I was a child, even masculine playthings were unacceptable. The only mildly male toy I owned was a giant stuffed lion with a mane, and I stubbornly immasculated the poor thing, clipping barrettes onto it and tying bracelets around its paws . Now my house is filled with water pistols, miniature lawn tools, tiny cars, and wee superheroes. I used to entertain myself quietly for hours, building apartment dwellings for my Barbies. Connor is not content to play any game that does not involve a slobbery motor noise (he's even taught Mia to do it. I fear I may have to tolerate some tomboy tendencies eventually.). Every piece of furniture we own has already become a launch point. The other day I strode innocently into the kids' playroom to find that my son had pushed a dining chair up to the toy shelf, balanced a small folding chair above that, and was standing on top, straining to reach something I thought I'd cleverly placed out of his reach. I stifled a scream because I knew if I startled him, we'd be driving to the E.R. next. Someone once told me when I was pregnant with him that I should go ahead and nail all the furniture to the floor. I remember laughing then. I'm immersed in a world of grubby fingernails and bruised elbows and knees, of sweaty feet and ketchup-smeared cheeks. He is clumsy, irreverent, stubborn, loud, and sloppy. But he's wonderful. I adore the little made-up tunes he sings, often while trying to stand on his head ("I'm the very first Connorrrr...in thuh worrrllllld!"), and the impulsive way he flings himself into my lap for a snuggle. I love the little dusting of freckles that has appeared across his nose this summer. I love the way he dares me to tickle him. I love that he still lets me rock him sometimes. I love that he brings me bedraggled clover blossoms. I watch him sleeping, nearly buried in a mountain of stuffed friends he insisted on piling around him, one leg dangling off the side of the bed, a tiny puddle of drool collecting on his pillow, and I KNOW I will look back on this time and MISS it. I'm going to do my best to remember that.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Mia's birthday portraits



And before the scent of burnt candles has even had a chance to dissipate on the wind...it's time for Medlin Number Two's big day! My sweet baby girl will be one in a little over a week. It's hard to realize. Today I got all fancy and experimented with some "studio" shots... despite my crude efforts, the photos came out quite nice. Here she is in her party duds. She definitely loves the camera!





Friday, June 20, 2008

At TaliaBriscoe's request, a MEME.

If you'd like to follow suit and copy/paste for your own fun, please comment me so I can enjoy your response.


01. First Name: Adrienne
02. Age: 30
03. Location: Hixson, TN USA
04. Occupation: Stay at Home Mom
05. Partner: Steve
06. Kids: Two; Connor (age 3) and Mia (will be a year old in a week and a half)
07. Brothers/Sisters: One sister, Becky, age 26
08. Pets: None at present.
09. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life: I think "raising two children" pretty much covers my one thru ten.
10. Where and for what did you go to school for? Ok, judging from the syntax of that question, I'm going out on a limb and saying the composer of this meme didn't go to school at all.
Self-righteousness out of the way, I graduated UA in 1999 with a Bachelor's in Theatre. Minor in English.
11. Parents? Mom-Anita, 57 Dad-Barry, 54 (?) Stepmom-Tina, 53(?)
12. Who are some of your closest friends? Most of them don't live nearby, oddly. My oldest and closest friends are Kristie and Chari. I've known one of them 18 years (gasp!) and the other 17.
13. What is on your bed right now? Unfolded laundry. It's also about waist-deep on my floor, if you want that mental picture.
14. What's your favourite word or phrase? "Wanna go out to dinner?"
15. What were you doing at 8am this morning? spooning yogurt into my daughter
16. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Putting my son down for his nap
17. Have you ever been to a strip club? No!
18. What is the last thing you said aloud? That looks like fun
19. What was the last thing you had to drink?lemonade
20. What are you wearing right now? Capris, a yellow tee shirt and Crocs
21. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? I got three new bras this morning! Hooray, my daughter is weaned!!
22. When was the last time you ran? No idea. It hurts when I run.
24. What's the last sporting event you watched? Golf. Yes, really. I watched Tiger Woods and Rocco battle it out at the US Open and actually got interested. What's THAT about??
25. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Oh give me a break. Doesn't everyone?
26. Ever go camping? It's been a long time.
27. Do you have a tan? In very small, concentrated areas, yes.
28. Have you ever lost anything down a toilet? Don't think so.
29. Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? Occasionally.
30. Have you learned anything today? I learned that they quit selling fabric at the new "refurbished" Wal Mart, amongst countless other inventory items. And I've discovered another reason to hate that store.
31. What are you doing tomorrow? Cleaning house.
32. Look to your left, what do you see? Bookshelf and the door to the garage
33. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Koalas and kangaroos.
34. Ever ridden on a roller coaster? It's been too long since I last did. I'd like to.
35. Last person you talked to on the phone? Hubby
36. Any plans today? After the kids wake up, we're trooping to church for the final night of Vacation Bible School.
37. What do you wish you had right now? no debt
38. How many kids do you want when you're older? The jury's out on whether there will be a third Medlin kid. We'll take a look again when the baby's out of diapers and see if I've got any energy to speak of.
39. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 31
40. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yep. It was kind of unimpressive compared to Disney, but much more economical.
41. How did you get some of your scars? Well, the one that most immediately springs to mind was the result of two c-sections. It gives my stomach a permanent overbite and I am more than a little self-conscious about the whole thing. But the by-product of the procedure was incredible. Outside of that I've got a small place on my knee from having had three stitches as a kid.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Way to go, Medlins!


My blessed husband endured an evening of chaos at the Creative Discovery Museum yesterday, when I roped him into accompanying us to "Free Family Fun Night." Our parking spot was approximately one half mile away from our destination...ZZ Top was in concert on the riverside about four blocks away, hence massive throngs of half-groomed forest gnomes made our journey a challenge...and never have I seen so many sweaty children packed into one building. Still and all, both our kids had a ball. Connor was overjoyed to see the Clifford exhibit. Mia tried to climb into a water table with the ducks and boats. Nobody got dinner until nearly 9:00 and nobody complained about it. Troopers.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The video

Here's the video! Youtube has thoroughly compromised the quality of the footage, but I trust you'll get the general idea. The song is by a band I've never heard of before, called Shivearee. By zen, I happened upon it. Enjoy the adorable-ness.