The name game...

...is OVER. We finally have a name for our precious 2nd daughter.

And, ironically (or not, actually, since nothing seems to have played out like I have blogged about here) the name we have chosen for this baby girl is not any of the names we were considering. Not even close, actually.

I got to the point where almost every single name I read aloud was sounding just wonderful. I was suggesting all sorts of names to Jeremiah, and after suggesting a couple different 'E' names, he said.......


"What about Evelyne?"


To be honest, at first, I was not sold. But the more I said it, the more I loved it. And with my mom's name, it sounded beautiful and right. So, Evelyne Diane it is!!

What delicious looks like

This.....

and this......

And what has Mr. Delicious been up to as of late, you ask? Well, golly, that is what I am hear to answer! Convenient, right?

Jack William, who is now 16-months old, wearing a size 18-24 months and 2T, wears a 7.5 in shoes, is standing a whopping 32+ inches tall, and is weighing in at a back-bending 30 pounds. This puts him in almost the 90th percentile for weight and the 95th percentile for height, if you care about these types of things, which, I don't.

Bottom line is, this boy is healthy and sturdy as a rock- in case there was any question. And just as important, he is happy. All the time, he is happy. Unless you will not let him down to run and chase things in a store, or are trying to make him go to sleep.

He plays hard, and falls pretty hard, too. To date, he's had  6 goose eggs to his noggin, 3 fat lips, 2 black eyes (one of which can be seen in the photos above), countless bruises, scrapes, & cuts, and a partridge and a pear tree. Was I the only one who was reading that sentence with that rhythm? 

If he catches you trying to enjoy some peace, he is pretty intent on taking care of that. For example, if you are in the bathtub and do not let him in with you, he proceeds to throw just about everything he can find into the bath water.....magazines, pens, tea light candles, cheerios, and juicy juice have all been hurtled at me while in the tub. Oh, and he thinks it is hysterical.

He likes to hide behind things and pop out to scare his family. No idea where he gets that. Thing is, he doesn't say 'Boo!'. He says 'Baa!' Which cracks all of us up......he's the cutest sheep who likes to scare people that ever walked the earth.

He loves to be outside, and running is his favorite!! He likes to try and eat the air, which is pretty darn funny. He looks like a puppy with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I am pretty sure the park is his idea of Heaven, and he's thrilled to finally be able to climb with his brother and sister. 

He get's giddy with delight if he sees someone with a Hershey's kiss. He loves mac n cheese, any type of potato, steak, meat, and most recently had a bite of Jeremiah's rack of lamb and loved it. That, he did not get from me. 

What he did get from me is his curly hair (poor guy), most of his facial features, his dislike of being told to sleep or chill out, and his cheerful, sunny disposition. What? I'm sunny, darn it!

From his daddy, he got his amazing bluish eyes, some adorable freckles (though, Jeremiah does not think the freckles are so adorable), and a fondness for meat and potatoes.

Jack loves his siblings, but almost more so, he loves his pets. All he wants to do is cuddle them. And climb on them. And give them kisses.

We are also seeing that Jack is quite alpha-male. Despite his being the youngest in the bunch, with his siblings, he like to be dominant. He literally tackles them to the floor, and then sits on them and smiles wide for all to see. 

If he is quiet for more than 30 seconds, I guarantee, he is up to no good. Like eating pennies. Or dog food. Or coloring on walls or tables. Or dumping all of his siblings toy bins on the ground. Or throwing things in the toilet. You know, something like that......and his grin is always a dead giveaway.

He has 6 teeth, but is getting 4 more right now. He says Mama, Dada, Ty Ty, Sisa (his attempt at sister), JaJa (jack), BaBa (bottle-- yes, I know, he should't have it anymore, but if you know anything about me, you know I am not big on guidelines with my babies), ball, I pooo (that one's self explanatory), ba-oon (balloon), uh oh, oh no, and my favorite, BAA!! (boo!!!). 

That's Jack. Oh boy do we love this boy!!!

And here are the brother and sister that love him to bits.....when he is not throwing things in their bath water, or tackling them to the ground.

These two. Gosh, I love these two. 

God has blessed us immensely!! 

Not ME!! Monday- N Week!!

Another Not Me! Monday post and I feel so fortunate to get to share these made-up coulda been, mighta-happened stories. It's fun to pretend.....fun to pretend that you took a pregnancy test in the Chic Fil A restroom, fun to pretend that you realize rather unpleasantly that you forgot deodorant and smear some anti-bacterial bath n body works stuff under you arms, fun to pretend about the time you tried to save money on a haircut and wound up with a mullet. Boy, if some of these things had actually happened, I would not be nearly as together or with-it as I aspire to be..... but since we know this is all fiction, and this, it's important that you know how very together and with-it I am.

Now, on to the fiction.

After the crazy rush of obligations, appointments, functions, and such, I assure you it was NOT ME who was (oh gosh, please forgive me here) a teenie bit grateful when Jack threw up and had a slight fever on Thursday night, because it gave me an out from going to Tyler's 7:30 t-ball practice. I know, I know, if that really happened it would make me a pretty shameful mother who saw her son's vomit as a chance to rest and sit one out. Good thing that's all fiction!!
{before you go reporting me to child services, Jack is teething & responds this to way every tooth}

I am doing a wonderful job at curbing my pregnancy cravings for sweets (something about girls makes me dessert-happy-- must be all that sugar and spice I am making!), so it was NOT me who took a leisurely stroll through the Publix bakery, and after about 5 minutes, approached her husband with a tower of goodies in her arms, and asked 'Is this a problem?' Had that happened, my very sweet, but very KNOWING husband would NOT have responded, 'Nope, not a problem......but are we going to get to have any of that stuff?'

notice the lack of oatmeal raisin cookies? well, it WASN'T me!!

If you read my blog, then you know it was NOT this pregnant lady who was sure she was having a boy. (It wasn't me who wrote THIS POST). So, with knowing instinctively I was making a boy, when the ultrasound tech asked if we wanted to know what we were having, I nodded yes even though I already knew. She focused in on the gender spot and said 'Here's what you're having!'  It was NOT me who said, 'I don't see it.' Jeremiah did NOT stare at me, smiling, saying, 'You don't see it, babe...look again.' I did NOT squint and focus really hard and again, kinda pathetically say, 'Where is it? I don't see IT!' Finally, seeing my confusion, my husband said, 'That's because 'that' is not there......it's a girl, babe.' Still puzzled, I did NOT stare again, and finally realize that, despite my intuition, the little child on the screen was not a he, but a SHE!!!! Tears did NOT well up upon realizing this. So much for my motherly instinct.....

Out to dinner with friends one night, I noticed a rather pungent smell coming from Jack's direction, and scooped him up to change him. I got to the restaurants restroom, with not a changing table in sight. So, I walked out to my car, holding Jack, when I realized that diaper contents had overflown and were now smeared on my arm. YUCK!! Finally getting to the car, I lay Jack down on the 3rd row seat, atop some gift tissue paper I had found in the glove box, since our changing pad was at home, and dug in for a diaper. Digging and digging, and the realization hits me-- no diaper. I knew there was one in the back of the car-- a spare that was at least one size too small and was falling apart (literally, there were cheez it crumbs on it)--so I breathed a small sigh for little blessings, and started searching for the wipes. No wipes. They were in the restaurant table, where we put them after wiping Jack's mac n cheese hands. So what did this near-tears, stinky armed, not-sosresourceful mama do? Well, I did NOT grab a water bottle, a pack of kleenex, and tear off some of that tissue wrap and create makeshift wipes for both Jack's bottom and MY ARM, march back into the restaurant, hand Jack to my husband, and RUN to the ladies restroom for some hot water and soap. ICK!!!!! That did NOT happen to me!!!

Finally, the doozie of all Not Me's! (at least for me)........Kaiti's pre-k class passes around a letter box with each letter of the alphabet, and the kids in the class get to take the box home and fill it with 5 things that begin with that letter. As you can imagine, some letters are harder to find than others. For some reason, we were having a hard time finding 'N' things in the house. So I suggested Kaiti and her brother draw on paper some things that start with an 'N', and then we could cut them out and include them in the box. They asked for ideas, so I said think of 'N' fruits, animals, body parts, or toys. So, that night, before the kids went to bed, I did NOT inspect the box (to some not fully surpressed giggles) and find this..........

....can you guess what it is? Let me give you a hint-- it's a body part that does not see the light of day, and us women keep it holstered. Still can't figure it out? Okay, it rhymes with tipple. Can you tell my kids are raised by a breast-feeding mama? (I am sure they knew that it was not the most appropriate thing to draw- Kaiti defended it by saying she can't draw a kNee- but it's not as taboo as it would have been, if say, I had drawn it.) To save Miss Pat and Miss Betty from a stroke, and rather uncomfortable conversation, I removed the 'N' drawing. So, it was NOT my sweet and innocent daughter who brought the N box to school with 4, and not 5, N things inside!!

To see more Not ME!s, go over here.

Oh, the things they say

My kids have been sharing some interesting thoughts this week. Which isn't that unusual from last week, or the week before that. Some of the things they say make me laugh, some make me cringe, some make me rethink how we teach and parent them, but most of the time, the things they say make me smile.

Enjoy!
---------


Me: You are having a baby SISTER!! Are you excited???
Tyler: No, not really.
--later--
Me: So, have you thought more about having a sister?
Tyler: Yes.
Me: And what do you think now?
Tyler: Still, not excited. You know what would make me excited? A brother.
--even later--
Me: Tyler, God put a baby girl in my belly, and she is going to need you to be a wonderful big brother.
Tyler: --big sigh-- Well, now we are not winning-- the girls caught up!!
Me: Oh. So you liked it better when there were more boys than girls?
Tyler: Yes. Fine- I will be a little excited, but the NEXT one BETTER be a boy.

--hearing pitter patter of feet storming their way to my bed before the alarm went off on Ash Wednesday--
Kaiti: Mom, wake up! Are you ready for Jesus?
Me: Wha.....
Kaiti: Are you ready to remember JEEEEE-SUS?
Me: Oh. Yes, Kaiti, I am ready to remember what Jesus did for us.
Kaiti: Okay, good, now lets call Daddy and ask him.


Tyler: Mom, I am going to go school today, even though my toes hurt.
Me: Your toes hurt? All ten of them?
Tyler: Yep, all my toes hurt.
Me: That's weird.
Tyler: That's what Daddy said. I really hope you and Jack don't get catch 'it'.
Me: Me, too, buddy.


Kaiti: Mama, I still love you after all dees mumfs.
Me: That's sweet, honey. I still love you, too. And I love your hugs.
Kaiti: And, mama, did you know that water makes us grow healthy and big.
Me: Yep, I knew that.
-- as she pats my belly and stares up at me--
Kaiti: So you must be drinking LOTSA water mama!

Tyler: Would it be funny if when you woke up I put a snake in your bed to surprise you?
Me: No, Tyler, I would not laugh at that.
Tyler: What about a giant bat?
Me: Tyler, it's safe to say that whatever ANIMAL you want to put in my bed to surprise me, I WOULD NOT think it is funny.
Tyler: Okay.  --long pause with a big ol' grin-- What about a big black beetle? It's not an animal, it's an insect.

Me: So, honey, who did you play with at school today ?
Kaiti: Emma, and Alece and Audrey. We play together most.
Me: Anybody else?
Kaiti: Um, mama *Beth* can be kinda naughty...
Me: How is she naughty?
Kaiti: When Miss Pat says, don't scribble, she scribbles. When Miss Pat says don't cut, she gets scissors and cuts. When Miss Pat says, use the orange crayon, she uses a different color!
Me: Well, maybe she does not know her colors very well, yet...
Kaiti: Mom, she is 5. She's gonna have a hard time in candygarden if she doesn't know colors. I been knowing my colors since way back when I was 4, even 3.
Me: Kaiti, you were 4 two weeks ago. It wasn't that long ago. Maybe *Beth* just needs a little time.
Kaiti: Okay, I will tell Miss Pat to give her 2 more weeks. But then we really have to move on mama, cause we gotta get all ready for candygarden.


Tyler: I run fast, like a cheetah.
Me: But sometimes at t-ball, you slow down a bunch after the first lap.
Tyler That's how cheetahs run mama, they do a big fast run, and then they slow down.
Jeremiah: It's true, babe. We just read a book about it.
Tyler: See, so I DO run like a cheetah, mom....but even cheetah's get tired.
Me: Oh, I didn't know that about cheetahs.
Tyler: Well, now you do.

Kaiti: MOM!!! I am waiting for you to come and clean my room.
Me: Well, keep on waiting lady, 'cause I am not cleaning it.
Kaiti: But it's a mess.
Me: Uh, yeah! So clean it.
Kaiti: But it's too much for me, and I am just a little girl....
Me: Just yesterday you told me you aren't little anymore since you are 5 now. So start cleaning....
Kaiti: But you are so much better at it. What if I give you kisses?
Me: No, thanks though. Clean it, Kaiti.
Kaiti: What about chocolate?


Tyler: Mom, I think you are sweeter than Daddy.
Me (beaming): You do? Well, thanks honey!! Why do you think I am sweeter than Daddy.(Staring at Jeremiah with a very proud and self-assured smile)
Tyler: Because when it is you and I do wrong things, I don't get in as much as trouble.
Me: Oh. (smile gone)
Jeremiah (beaming): Interesting....

We could use a little help

Who couldn't use a little help, right? Actually, I could probably benefit from a lot of help, but that is a different post entirely.


 Okay, as I mentioned in an earlier post, we are having a girl! Woo HOOOO!!!

The thing is, though, I was certain we were having a boy, so I only focused on boy names. In fact, we had a boy name all but embroidered-- we just waivered slightly on the middle name. So, here I am having a girl, and without a clue as to what to name the sweet child. We have some ideas. Actually, I have a lot of ideas, but my husband is incredibly picky and he has vetoed about 80% of my suggestions.

This is where you come in. I am going to share our name ideas with all y'all, if you would be so kind as to let me know your thoughts on the names (kindly, please) and if you have any you would like to suggest, we are  I am all ears.

I like english and gaelic names, but I also like American names, too. And judging by the short list, I guess I have an affinity towards names ending with an N.

Here are the top 5 we are thinking about.......

Autumn
Brooke
Gillian
Meghan

..and our unusual pick is....

Georgia

-- We are using my beautiful mom's name as her middle name, so regardless of the first name choice, her middle name will be Diane. That much we know :)

While I love all those names, right now, not a single one of them really jumps out at me. I am wondering if we will be the couple who, days after delivering this little girl, are still debating names in the hospital room. Yikes!

We're having a........

GIRL!!!!!!

And, she is as healthy as can be without even a hint of any genetic issues!!!!!!!!!!!

Specifically, with regards to her littler big brother, there is no evidence of situs ambiguous- her organs are exactly where they should be. (Enter in a 20 week sigh of relief here.) We are thrilled....and I feel completely and utterly blessed to be staring at photos of my beautiful, HEALTHY, fourth child! And it's a GIRL!! I am so in love with my family and overwhelmed at the goodness that has filled our lives.

I am so in love!!!!!

Can't wait to kiss these baby feet!

check it out

Hiya friends!! Just wanted to let you know about a sweet giveaway Mandy is hosting today over at her blog...you can enter to win HERE!!

The grand prize is $100 gift certificate to an adorable little shop! Good luck!

Not ME! Monday-- UH OH!!

Guess what day it is?? Monday!!! And that means yet another installation of Not Me!! Monday where I share what could have been, what might have been, what could have become of my week......

For starters, after taking my kids to school and shopping in Target for some desperately needed items, I promise it WASN'T ME who was retrieving a sippy cup from the floor and noticed- GASP!- that I was wearing 2 very different shoes. If this had truly happened, surely,  I would have noticed that my left foot looked very cute in a zebra print flip flop with hot pink stitching, while the right foot was wearing a black flip flop adorned with '2008' and a graduation cap and glitzy sequins! Wow!!! That could have been pretty embarrassing, so I sure am glad that WASN'T ME!!

While cleaning up my husband's haircut with his razor, I can say-well, actually I cannot say because I cannot stop laughing- that it was NOT ME who wasn't paying attention and took the trimmers where they never should have gone with that size blade. So, of course, I WASN'T the one said 'Oh, SHOOT!' and immediately started laughing, after realizing I took a significant chunk of hair off of one side of his head AND made the bottom hair line 1 inch shorter than it was prior to my razor-wielding. I would feel terrible if I had done such a thing, and I certainly would NOT have burst out into a fit of laughter upon seeing my husband's reaction to his lovely new haircut. NOT ME!!

And just this weekend, I was not playing with my kids and thinking it would be fun to jump out and scare them. So it WASN'T me who was crouching down behind the couch just waiting for the little footsteps to come tearing around the corner, trying to suppress my giggles. And as I heard them get very close, it WASN'T ME who jumped out and yelled 'BOO!', and surprised my littlest child so much that he threw the VERY HEAVY walkie talkie he was holding smack dab at my left cheek and eye. So, do you know who is walking around with a slight shiner and tender cheek bone? Well, I'll tell ya- NOT ME!!

**And for the record, the photo above was created through photoshop, and most certainly is NOT MY HUSBAND!!

if you want to see what everyone else has NOT been doing CLICK HERE

these are a few of my favorite things....

....my favorite ETSY things. Just in case you were wondering. And even if you weren't.....you should check these places out. Most of them I have purchased from, and the ones I have yet to purchase from-- let's just say it's only a matter of time. Because, see, I have to spread out my etsy purchases, to keep my husband's blood pressure in the healthy range. He's so dramatic when it comes to my etsy habit!

*Bear in mind, these lovely sellers are not aware I am typing this, and am sharing these shops simply as one person passing on some great finds. 

Faves from the baby category:

The Vintage Clothespin  ....I am in the process of ordering a diaper bag from this wonderfully talented mother of twins!! I scoured Etsy for days and days, and found this shop, and in my humble opinion, her style and quality is unmatched. Plus, I showed the link to another bag designer friend, and she agreed, and loved the Vintage Clothespin, too! So there you have it!

Polka Dot Kitty Co.   ....I have purchased a couple sets of embroidered, personalized bib/burp cloth/onesies from the shop, and everywhere we went, Jack and his accessories got rave reviews!

Love, September    ....I bought a sling for Jack from here, and he lived in it for the first couple months of his life-- especially when Jeremiah was deployed. She's got some great patterns!!

noodles & milk  .....Bought things for Jack from here, and again, I loved everything! And this seller was lovely to work with, which is another plus in my book!

4 Sweet Cheeks  ....I have a hooded towel in my etsy cart as I type this very post. Love this shop!!! I came across this gem by way of Mandy .....and boy am I glad she shared!!

Faves from the childrens category:

Briar Claire ....Just go check out the hats, and you'll see. Kaiti has a few and she looks adorable in them-- the headbands, too!!

My Personalized T-shirt ...Adorable AND affordable shirts for your children. My kids think their name shirts are the coolest!

Lil Miss Muffin .....Oh, just click on the link, and you'll see.

Bits n' Pieces, etc....The crayon wallets are both genius and stylish....and finally, something for the boys!!!

baby pop .... I have not purchased from them, but I hear through trusted friends that the woman behind this store is fabulous. Tyler has been asking me to make a magic cape for months, and if I end up not taking it on, this store offers me a plan B!

Groovy Gurlz .....The A-line dresses are too precious for words, as are the purses that are perfect for a little girl!!

Faves from the ME!!!/gifts category:

The Pig And The Peacock ....The body polish and body butters are DELICIOUS!!!!
Love of Jewelry.....The bracelets in this shop are beautifully done and unlike the majority of beaded jewelry. She mixes chunky with delicate and the result is lovely!

Jewelry by Abby .... Another beautiful jewelry store and this one has lovely gold pieces!!

Integrity Studio .....Beautiful photography and in a range of sizes. I love this one!

Amy Giacomelli.... She paints nature so beautifully, I get lost in her paintings.


....So.....that wraps up my current favorites! I'd just to love hear which etsy shops y'all count as favorites. Share with me-- don't keep the goodness to yourself!!

5 is big

Yesterday we celebrated Kaiti's 5th birthday with a Pinkalicious Picnic Party. The rain ended just in time for the kids to enjoy time at the playground outside. The grassy picnic lunch I had envisioned did not go as I planned because the ground was still rain-soaked. Muddy messes and pinkaliciousness do NOT go hand in hand. So we ate indoors, and had a lovely time.

one of the food areas

kaiti cakes

the birthday banner that Jack kept tearing down. he's good like that.

kaiti, emma, tyler, audrey, andrew, and jack and laurie in the background

playing with.......mulch?

getting ready to sing

her 1st jar of peanut butter for the day

her 2nd jar!!

painting the picnic baskets

there were definitely some budding artists in the bunch

a couple finished baskets

after painting the baskets, the kids visited the candy bar and filled their baskets with yummy scoops....jelly belly's, gummy peaches, watermelon slices, hershey's kisses, m&ms, pink gumballs, gummy coke bottles, mike & ikes, sweet tarts, pixie sticks, lollipops, and plenty more. sugar and pink....kaiti wouldn't have it any other way.

charles having a heart to heart with jack. maybe he was telling him not to steal marshmallows?

we had a candy bar at the party, and apparently jack fell in love with the marshmallows. later that day, jeremiah thought jack was quiet, and went to inspect.......to find this.

upon seeing his daddy, jack did what any marshmallow-lovin', stubborn child would do-- shove every last marshmallow in their mouth and attempt a 'you're not taking me alive' smile.

Kaiti had a wonderful birthday party. She had a great time with her girlfriends-- and boy friends, too. She made out with an incredible stash.....2 frogs ('live ones!!), a jewelry box kit, a design-your-own bag, princess pieces, a lovely dress, a fluffy pillow, melissa & doug dress up dolls, zhu zhu pets galore, makeup, sparkly lip gloss, art stuff, an adorable tea set, jewelry, books, gift cards, new sparkly shoes, beautiful knit caps,  a couple tinkerbell dolls, a gumball machine and of course, 2 jars of peanut butter!!! Wow!!! Thanks to all who came and helped make Kaiti's day so special..... and thanks so much to the ladies who helped me scramble to get all ready in time!! We've got some pretty amazing friends, if I do say so myself!! 

Happy Birthday baby girl!!!! You are the loveliest thing I ever did see!!!

our week in pictures

those are lasagna noodles. they didn't quite make it into the pan.

admiring the full moon. it was breathtaking.

my picture taking did not do it justice

the clouds just made the light more ethereal...I did not make this black & white

my handsome husband celebrated his 34 birthday

story with daddy before bedtime

me and my jack...in black and white the contrast between our eyes and hair is even deeper

NOT ME!! MONDAY

A short and sweet Not Me! Monday post, just like me. Stop laughing. Okay, short, definitely. The sweet depends on my blood sugar level at the time.

It was absolutely NOT ME who let my son waddle around with a dirty, stinky diaper, hoping he would walk within sniffing distance of his daddy quickly, so daddy would grab him up and change him. I would NOT do that….especially since my husband had changed the last 2 dirty diapers, and I know that if we were taking turns, it was most certainly mine.

Speaking of my husband, I did NOT get a teenie bit possessive at his birthday dinner at Longhorn’s Steakhouse, when I noticed a young, pretty blonde checking him out. And it was certainly NOT me who locked my eyes on said blonde, and gave her a sweet but emphatically stern look, telling her to avert her eyes immediately. And it was NOT my husband who kept chowing down on his steak and sipping his sweet tea, none the wiser about the little eye-exchange that had just taken place, until I told him. Nothing gets between my man and his meat J

Because I am such an early-riser, morning type of gal, it was NOT ME who slept a little late on a school day. And my sweet son Tyler, while letting me sleep, did not decide to make his own lunch, only to find we were out of lunchables AND Ziploc bags. Upset that he had no baggies to put his sandwich in (instead of disturbing my extra 5 min of sleep), he decided to just throw the sandwich away—which also happened to be our last slices of bread. Upon learning all of this, I most certainly DID NOT scoop the sandwich from the trash, telling him it had not touched anything really icky, and he had to eat it since we had nothing else. As he started getting really upset, I said his only other option was to buy lunch from the cafeteria, to which he cried, (actual tears, folks) and said ‘Please don’t make me eat the school food, mommy, please don’t make me eat it, it’s really baaaaddddd!!!’ 

Feeling really bad, I did NOT say, ‘Honey it is the sandwich you made, that was only in the trash can for a second, or the cafeteria lunch, which can’t be that awful.’ (Don’t worry—I felt terrible and ran into Publix to grab him his favorite lunchable, and took into his classroom—where he had the most tear-jerking look of gratitude I’ve ever seen.)

Finally, it was NOT ME who loudly blurted out, ‘Oh my gosh, it smells like crap over here,’ as we were driving over the river. Tyler giggled from the backseat, but Kaiti was having none of it, and said, ‘Um, Mommy, you just said a bad word.’ I said ‘Yes, honey, that was a bad word.’ Kaiti replied, ‘You shouldn’t say bad words, Mommy, you should say something else.’ I always own up to my mistakes, so it sure WASN’T ME who said, ‘Right honey, I should have said something else, but I said that word for emphasis, because it sure smells something awful, and no other word would do.’