Fun on the couch side-effects

This was yesterday. Have you ever seen a child more pleased than Isabelle about going to PCMC for a doctor appt? She's had the best attitude ever about her broken arm. (For all you that don't know- she broke her arm above her elbow falling off the couch last week. She fell all of two feet. Yes, they have that song "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed/Couch" for a good reason!)

Isabelle today, pre-surgery. Good attitude hanging on, even after a change into hospital attire. I'm a little jealous; when I stay at the hospital all I get is a blue faded drape that dons no ferris wheel or carnival tent. She also got cotton candy gas. Seriously good stuff. She is doing well and we're glad she's back home. Great job Is!

The part where I have to give in order to get

how you'll feel if you don't win

I am doing Stephanie's pay it forward game. The first three people to leave a comment on my blog will receive a gift from me some time in the near future (let's be more specific and say month). The catch is you must do a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Remember only the first three will get a gift and it will be good. (Erin-standards good, which could also mean Target brand gummi peaches good, but who doesn't love those?)

I love my baby enough to share mini-eggs

I've always been a skeptic of the "terrible two's". Labels that cause expectations that are often not even true and induce false dread and false relief. I mean really, isn't "terrible" a little harsh? Kids are sweetly naughty because of their innocence, right? Plus we've all got our semi-terrible moments (well, me not so much), even those of us several decades old. So why put all the pressure on an innocent 2-year old to be naughty and difficult?! To let the age be the scapegoat of all unwanted behavior, I guess.

Why am I even going off on this? Well, because for me I find the difficulty in the 1- year olds and want some validation and perhaps some understanding. Here is some of my evidence 1 year olds are more of a handful than 2-year olds:

• 1 year olds grunt, point, and pant their desires, which must be met immediately!
• They want to do boring stuff like stand at the microwave for minutes and just open and close that door for what seem like hours.
  
• They don't like the telly so how can long car rides work or using the telly as a babysitter? (super problem, I know).
• That beautiful display tower of jello at the store? Gone.
  
• They remember the taste of that m&m well enough to know where they are and to grunt you in the direction of them. Can't quite reason with them "treat after the sliced bananas, baby" (ok, shame on me for exposing my babes to the evil seduction of sweets)

The list goes on but so will boredom if I continue...

Steering away from all that negativity (if it's taken as that) and more on a "isn't he precious" note, here are some pictures of Samuel doin' some of his 1-year old hobbies.

Playing mop for a good 10 minutes. He also likes R's wooden shoe trees. You never know what makes a good toy for a 1 year old.


Look here- I'm impressed that he knows how to twist a screwdriver! I have to change our belt about every two weeks because of all the random dress-up scarves we have half-hiding, just within suction's reach.


What I have to put on the floor to keep to keep him entertained so I don't have to hold him while I do my important duties.


So those are my thoughts on this matter. But dang, as high-maintenance as he is, he is a GOOD boy. Labels and all.

We got somethin' you want

Are your kids acting hyper? Has Spring Fever seeped into your household, finding no place to drain excess energy and excitement? Are your kids feeling pent up from being inside the days that aren't so Spring-like, leaving them angry and more prone to boredom and fighting?

Well...here is your answer to your problems. Send them over to my house to enjoy some child-taming germs we've got goin' on.

We've got something you might like...here are the pros:

• not having to get up and do the carpool thing
• more chances to see your kids throughout the night, each time an extra treat
  
• very likely less toys to pick up, less crumbs to sweep
  
• you can turn down the heat and cuddle up to your super-toasty child
  
• your children will just sit there in front of the tv, quiet and entertained (well- I guess that is not such a departure from any other day)
  
• extra quiet in the day as they slumber!
  

Cons of this bug? Well, I don't advise it on children under 2. It's too hard to re-sleep-train babies. And the ear infection thing. And the clingy-thing. Sweet, but not really.

While I'm being honest, I am a parent who goes to the internet at first sign of a symptom to diagnose. Anyone else? I've gotten myself sick worrying about all sorts of weird diseases and illnesses. I often think I should have married a Dr. so he could put my hypochondria to rest. Luckily I married a computer doctor so that's a close second.

What we do in the long cold evenings..

Winter is the time of fun hops. One of the best toys we've gotten for our kids! Great inside energy outlet. Good for hitting, jumping on, kicking, throwing...and the occasional bouncing. Laughter is more prevalent than tears, which is always a good sign. I wish they made fun hops for adults! Instead, we've got exercise balls, which aren't so bad, just not quite as fun. Besides the exercises you do on them, we have also used ours to bounce on with fussy newborns. Great tip! ....anyway..

here are the hard workers doing their sit-ups:

Lately, the kids just want to exercise with their balls in front of our DVD at any time of day. Don't be fooled though; their attention span for following the video: 10 minutes and declining each time that dvd plays. However, after those few minutes of bouncing bun lifts and "seeing that girl's bum" (followed by raucous mocking laughter) comes their true workout.

Valentine's Day fun-nity

We're still figuring out Valentine's Day at our house. I like keeping it fairly simple, like a little book and candy for the kids (what my parents did), and that's it. Maybe some pink pancakes, maybe some pink milk at lunch, some pink cookie decorating, probably a dinner that is assumed to be "nicer" regardless if it actually is or not...some dessert...but that's it! Wait...that really doesn't sound that simple once I wrote it all down. But it is a regular day! No, we can't take a break from chores, and no, it's not like Christmas with cousin visits and parties. I like the days leading up to V-day best. A little decoration, a lot of card-making, and some heart crafts. Anticipation is more my thing I guess.

I really like the valentine exchange at school and all, but the meaning is really not there for my kids. At least not yet. I remember when I was a kid I would search through all my Little House on the Prairie valentines (or Smurfs? ET? Neverending Story?) to try to find the perfect saying to give that cute boy(s)/best friends and then finding just the right expressions on the candy hearts to go in those envelopes as well. Then I'd come home and analyze what cards I got from those boys/friends and what the secret message really meant.

The goods at our house. It was so nice to see the cards Isabelle and Anika made for everyone, donating their own candies (good ones too!) to give to all of us. Now that is sweet.
Olivia had her preschool Tuesday and she had a donut (see above) that she only ate the frosting from. She is proud of her donut and is saving it with the rest of her stash. I shudder to think what that donut would taste like right now. Ah...fun times.

Now bring on the Easter candy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

One year old is well, 1!

Sam is an actual number age now! It was funny because this morning Isabelle was excited for Sam to wake up, curious about what he was going to look like now that he is 1. She was a bit disappointed to see that he looked the same as he did yesterday at 364 days old. Everyone's a bit sad that he's not even excited about his BIG DAY. What's the point if he doesn't even know? Well....I'll show you....

We re-gifted the truck Sam got for Christmas. Maybe he'll start playing with it now he's a little more mature.

He also got his first pair of shoes. Yes, he has been a bit neglected on the shoe-front. I just don't believe in shoes unless they're used for walkin'.

Mr. Blue Lips loves sucking on food coloring. Hey- the lid was on! He's got good sucking mechanisms.

Since he loves food coloring so much I made Red Velvet cupcakes. They use a ton of red food coloring. Not as good as blue, but close. He wasn't shy about diggin' in, as he was introduced to cake about six months ago. (how can you in good conscience hold back things that bring such joy?)

Happy Birthday Bo-B!