The Indian Princess, The Flapper & The Turtle.

It was a very Happy Halloween at our house this year! Savannah was thrilled to win "Best Overall Costume" as a beautiful Pocahontas in our neighborhood costume contest. Roo was introduced to the concept of trick-or-treating and had to be gently reminded at every neighbor's door that no, we do not go inside other people's houses! And our sweet Pax begrudgingly sat still while mommy took photo after photo of him in a turtle suit. As for the candy... Emme was content to chew on the paper wrappers of snack-size M&Ms (*sigh*)... Savvy was caught on more than one occasion sneaking into her pumpkin bag in search of more chocolate... and finally, in what has become a pathetic tradition, Joey and I vowed to start our diet on Monday.

Look at the Hippos!

Unfortunately, my prayers for a freak August snowstorm were not granted this morning. Instead, the four of us were showered with boiling rays of Mississippi sunshine as the we toured around the Jackson Zoo at high noon. No bother, we decided to make the best of it and brought along a massive 1 gallon carton of ice cold water, 2 disposable plastic cups, and 2 sippy cups... one for each happy zoo-going child. We started off with the giraffe exhibit, which was pretty cool (see photo below) but Savannah was not quite satisfied. She wanted to see the HIPPOS. So we continued on, suffering through the humidity that soaked us all in sweat. Emme seemed to be most excited about the ducks, which was adorable considering that she just learned how to say the word "duck" a few days ago!

We plowed through the Amazon Jungle exhibit, the Rain-forest display, and the Aquarium with sweltering enthusiasm but despite the ever changing sights and sounds, all we heard from Savannah the entire day was, "Look at the Hippos!" The funny thing is, Savvy quite literally knows the identity of every zoo creature blindfolded; however today (for whatever reason) each animal was given a new name: Hippo. Ironically, we did not see a single genuine Hippo all morning... but Savannah would be quick to tell you the contrary. HER zoo was just brimming with Hippos. Amazing new breeds like tiger-hippos, monkey-hippos, parrot-hippos, and my favorite... elephant-hippos. WHAT A DAY!

Not a Fan of Sweet Potato Puffs.

These pictures absolutely crack me up! Roo has just started experimenting with "real food" and although she will put just about anything in her mouth, the result is not always a happy camper. The funniest thing about Emme's grimace is that her big sis used to make the SAME expression when she tasted something she didn't like. I will have to search through my photo archives to see if I can find the "Mr. Furley" picture. ha ha!

Eating The Christ.

SAVANNAH: "Mommy?" (whispered in church last Sunday with a mouth full of communion bread)

ME: "What, baby?" (whispered in an even lower tone)

SAVANNAH: "I'm eating!"

ME: "I know, honey. Shhh..."

SAVANNAH: "But Mommy! I'm eating The Christ!" (said loud enough for the woman in front of us to turn and grin)

ME: "No, sweetheart. You are eating the BODY of Christ."

I can't help but smile as I remember how adorable she was that day in church, and how in that one moment, Savannah's innocent comment made me stop and contemplate the importance and reverence of taking communion.

At Least I'm Honest.

It's 10:30pm. Joey and the girls are sound asleep but my mind is racing, as usual. I just got out of the shower that was both relaxing and energizing, as I became flooded with not only hot water but a thousand sizzling thoughts. Tonight, the shower brought forth a cleansing of many things... the removal of dried baby food stuck to my arm, the scrubbing of pretty little pictures drawn on my hand with purple magic marker, and the ever so vivid realization that I haven't written or recorded ANY of the hilarious things that my girls have said and done this week. Shame on me!! These precious moments are so fleeting that I fear they will completely disappear from my memory if I don't take the time to preserve them now! I imagine the internet will be around forever so it is likely that my blog will continue into infinity as well. So, under that presumption, I suppose this is the perfect place to keep our family memories alive. I am determined to use the next few "posts" to recall as many of these special daughter moments as I can.

To be honest, I'm rather frustrated with myself for not blogging in over a week. I have a friend who is my age with SEVEN kids and somehow she always manages to blog. WHEN does she find the time? In the middle of the night? Blogging aside, I frankly have no idea how she does anything. This woman home-schools, sews all of her children's clothing, prepares meals from scratch, surmounts piles and piles of laundry (and I thought WE had a lot of clothes?) and does all sorts of cute, crafty little projects with the kids to keep them stimulated, educated, and happy. When I think about her, I can't help but feel both empowered and depressed. We have a "middle school reunion" coming up at the end of the month and I'm going to see this girlfriend for the first time in years. I may ask her what her secret is, but I have a feeling the answer is short and sweet: GOD.

Okay, so. These days, I am starting to realize a lot about myself and in effort to discover the genuine ME (i.e. who I am) I've begun working on a series of introspection projects. One of them is a "Memoir" of sorts, in which I have thus far only scribbled three or four typewritten pages about myself... the good and the not-so-good. I stopped writing last week after my motivation and inspiration vanished into the black hole in our house --the same black hole that is known to swallow socks and earrings. My next project is this blog. Doing great as you can see with a whopping TWO ENTRIES so far, including this one! The third self-exploration project I've started and left hanging is a diary that I am trying to keep on a daily basis in my phone. Let's just say my best-intentions are being suffocated by the grind of daily life in the Brock household. Things are not ideal but I think the good Lord knows what he is doing when he throws too much on my plate. And.. most importantly... I am resolved to stop worrying about trivial things like dishes piled up in the sink or the mountains of dirty clothes in our bathroom. Instead, I am consciously trying to focus on the little things like not losing my temper when I observe Savannah scratching her 2 year old "artwork" into our brand new dining room table with a fork.... and nurturing Joey at the end of a long day, rather than nagging him to help me more with the girls' baths. In a nutshell, I am attempting to mold myself into the kind of Christian my mom is - even though we all know deep down that she is an ANGEL and I am not. :)

(Hey, at least I'm honest.)

Walking Hand-In-Hand.

This morning, Joey and I were trying to encourage Roo to practice walking. Usually when our focus is 100% on Emme, Savannah's jealousy starts to flare. Of course this is natural for a two 1/2 year old, but still. Joey and I try to give our babies equal attention but sometimes, we simply must concentrate on one at a time. As Roo was wobbling across the living room, trying to get her sea legs, all of a sudden Savvy shouted "C'mon baby sister! You can do it!" -- she rushed over to Roo and took her little hands, helping her make it over to the couch. I was, in that moment, totally overcome with emotion as I witnessed the true love shared by my daughters. I pray that as they grow up, Savannah and Emme will continue to support each other even when one is in the spotlight and the other is not. I realize that there will be times when one girl is the center of attention and the other stands back in the shadows... but on those occasions, it is the most important time of all to want the best for each other. Today I was so proud of both of our girls... Emme for walking on her own, and Savannah for walking alongside her.