My Girls

I wanted to take this picture to highlight Olivia's fashion sense, but it is a wonderful picture of my 3 girls. Olivia and Jolie like to go out on the back porch and eat snow!

Glasses! we picked up Nyah and Olivia's glasses this week.

Playing around

Olivia and Jolie know way too much about going to the doctor, so much that it is spilling into their play. lately they are always telling me their babies are hurt or need to go to the doctor.

After doctoring their baby this morning they showed just how safety conscious they are by pretending to swim in the couch cushions (which is also why Olivia took her shirt off). Sigh.

We are reading the American Girl Felicity books as part of school/Nyah's Liberty Girl club right now. Nyah was inspired to give her sisters a tea party. They put on their fancy dresses, I supplied m&m's and crackers, Nyah got the water, and Olivia & Jolie made the mess. Such fun.

Nyah has also been learning to sew at her club meetings and she wanted to do some more today. I had her sew a dot-to-dot which seemed to work really well.

Austin was happily playing in the Lego world during all of this. I keep waiting for the Dr. Who movie with Lego's trying to take over the world. They are everywhere!! Last night I found one in my shirt when I was putting my pajamas on.

Merry-Go-Round

A while ago the kids were doing some errands with me, and as we dashed from one store to another we found this merry-go-round. I remember riding one like this when I was a kid. It was only a quarter (what is only a quarter these days?!) so I let them ride. Austin was sweet to let his sisters ride, and he wanted to stand next to Jolie to make sure she didn't fall. After the first time it stopped working so we were lucky to get a ride!

Thank you Austin!!

Austin: Mom, you have a yum-yum in the oven.

Me: (thinking he's talking about dinner in the oven and a little surprised because he doesn't really like baked chicken) Are you ready to eat?

Austin: (patting my belly) No Mom, the baby is a yum-yum in the oven.

Okay? I guess? I have no idea where he comes up with this stuff. At least he makes me laugh!

Weekly Happenings

We have had a crazy week. Kids clubs, scouts, game day with friends, AAAAH. I don't know why I decided to get involved with so many things, but I did, and I haven't been able to sit down at the computer all week long. Some highlights from our week--

Time for Stinky Dade to have a bath. Really really stinky. Now he's really really clean. Or at least he was.

I got tired of doing so many dishes. My kids were using up all our cups and silverware in a single day. So I put most of them away and assigned each kid a color. Austin and Nyah are in charge of washing their own color, and they don't know it yet, but when they have that down they are going to be in charge of one of the little girls' colors too. Dirty dishes have been cut dramatically!!
Ice Skating Lessons -- Austin and Nyah are (mostly) enjoying these! They like teaching Kurt what they are learning.

We forgot our stroller so I hung out on the sidelines with Olivia and Jolie who raced around like crazy girls jumping around on benches and mats. You would have never guessed they've each had a head injury the last couple months.

Statler and Waldorf

I agree with my mom-- there are really too many lovable muppets to only have one favorite!

Muppet Illiteracy

Due to the lack of response about favorite Muppets I can only assume there is a shameful lack of appreciation for the Muppets. Sesame Street has been around for 40 years people. Shameful.

Video- clips of Pepe the King Prawn in "Muppets from Space"

My Kids are Hobbits

"(Hobbits) would enjoy at least seven meals a day, when they can get them -- breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and (later in the evening) supper." --"Hobbit," Wikipedia

Breakfast - 7am - eggs, sausage, toast

Second Breakfast - 9am - more toast, yogurt

Elevensies - 11am - chips & salsa, cheese, milk

Luncheon - 1pm - pbj sandwiches, blueberries, cheese, milk

Afternoon Tea - 4:00pm - graham crackers, apples

Dinner - 5:30pm - Leftovers: sloppy joes, chicken casserole, or tortillas & cheese with green beans and corn

Dessert - 6:30pm - cookies Dad brought home, milk

Supper - 7:45pm - Crackers, apples, blueberries, or more cookies

And a couple are still going!!! I'm out of things to feed them.

I'm checking their feet for hair before they go to bed.

Dinner Conversation

Who is your favorite Muppet character?

Nyah- Kermit the Frog

Austin- Animal

Kelsey- Pepe the King Prawn

Kurt- Beaker

I couldn't help looking around Muppet Wikia - a fabulous site with all things Muppet, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock - anything you ever wanted to know!! I reccommend checking out the new videos!

Share your own favorites!!

Weekend Update

My mom and Keshia stayed with us for a few days to do some major mission shopping for Keshia. We had a girls night out on Friday with my Aunt Beth. Delicious dinner and more shopping - we had a great time. On the home front, some of our kids have been sick with a stomach bug (with the others likely to follow soon), so as a family we've spent the weekend hanging out, catching up, working on projects, and doing laundry non-stop.

Yesterday, we cut out Jolie's stitches (yes, we've been through it enough to prefer to do it ourselves) - her head is healing well, and she has been her delightful, tenacious self who thinks its much better to throw a 15 minute tantrum than take 15 seconds to say she's sorry for biting her sister. Go figure.

Today is not what I planned . . .

"When I write about my life-- and I will-- I will not be kind."

-Debbie Thornberry, Rugrats Go Wild.

Hospitals, stitches, throw up, sick clingy kid-- all led to me laying on the couch this morning with Jolie to watch Rugrats Go Wild. Jolie's had a bad week, poor girl, which means my week has been topsy-turvy, especially today. Oh well.

To the Duck-Mobile!

Last night as Jolie was getting her stitches, we entertained and distracted her with videos on Kurt's phone. There were a lot of videos of Jolie chasing ducks during a fall trip to see my parents in Idaho, such as this one:

At some point I told her we could go feed the ducks today. So, this morning we made popcorn.And we went to the park. It was windy and cold. Really, really, really cold. The pond was almost completely ice, except for the few spots where the water is pumped in.

But they had lots of fun feeding the 8 ducks. 3 of them have names now: "Whitey" is the white one, "Crazy Hair" has a tuft of feathers on top of his head that stick up, and "Limpy" only has one good leg and hobbles along. "Limpy" is really in quite a sad situation. We had to do some creative popcorn throwing so he could get some without being trampled by the others.

A look at Jolie's stiches today:Thankfully she is very much back to normal. Running around, climbing up the furniture, chasing her siblings, swinging swords around, and all that dangerous stuff.

As if we haven't been to the hospital enough--

Yes, AGAIN!! Actually, twice in one day. I was there earlier for my monthly check up, and then when I was at our neighbor's house to pick up the kids . . .

Jolie took a tumble down the unfinished basement stairs and it was obvious she was going to need stitches.

And Oh Boy! did she get some stitches. 5 inside the wound because it was so deep, and 7 on the outside. She was an angel and cooperated beautifully.

In the never-ending traumatic news of our family today, Olivia's "Blankie" is missing. We have searched our house from top to bottom. We have searched all likely, and unlikely, places. Laundry baskets, bathroom drawers, cupboards, under couches, EVERYWHERE!! After we had looked for a couple hours, I asked Kurt "Did you look in the dishwasher?" and he said "Yes, I did." We are out of ideas. And Olivia is asking for it about every ten minutes with many heavy sighs and tears and exaggerated sobs.

Blankie come home!!

Weekend Highlights

Friday night was Olivia's birthday. She was so adorable all day long. No mention of presents or getting stuff, she was just happy it was her day.

I loved her face in this video - it just lights up in pure delight and happiness.

On Saturday my parents came- My mom brought a tea set for Olivia, and some delicious treats to have a tea party. Long after the treats were gone and the tea party was over, Olivia and Jolie kept playing with the water, pouring it from the cups into the kettle and back. Water is a wonderful entertainer.

Saturday they pretended to help me with dinner, but mostly were eating the spaghetti sauce while it was still cold.

Keshia flew in from South Carolina - Dade was happy to see his friend again.

My kids were ecstatic to have a playmate staying with us - I think Keshia was busy with them the entire time she was here.

Jolie being fabulously adorable growling at her dad to scare him.

Our visitors are gone and we are having a pleasant Sunday afternoon/evening before another crazy week begins!! (I had delusions that once the holidays were over, things would slow down and its not going to happen!! and really, life is much more fun when we have things going on!)

Happy Happy Birthday Olivia!!

Olivia and I had a lot of fun looking through all her pictures and picking the ones to use today. She has been talking about her birthday since Christmas was over so its about time for it to be here! She's been singing "Happy birthday to me" so much that now she has Jolie singing with her.

Olivia has always loved banging away on the piano - she still likes to use her feet!

1st Birthday - Lighting the candle and turning out the lights made her cry!
Happy again.
Sweet smile.

2nd Birthday

Olivia likes to make others laugh. She is always doing goofy things.

Olivia loves swimming. She keeps asking when we will get to go to the pool again.

Playing with her baby dolls is a major activity these days.

Today-

Playing with the decorations- on the kitchen table of course.

Helping me clean up the kitchen. She prefers to pick out her own clothes, and these clothes are actually last night's pajamas.

Snack time and all dressed - for a minute anyways! These dresses are, unfortunately, really easy to take off, so fittingly these two were running around in their birthday suits for a little while.

On top of the piano has become a favorite place to hang out when I'm busy with something else. They must want my attention, and this sure gets it!! I especially like the silly smiles and giggles when I catch them up there.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Olivia!!

Its SOOO quiet right now!!

Right now I can't help thinking what a quiet afternoon I'm having, but earlier Miss Jo was helping herself to the water from the fridge. The result was a very drenched little girl and kitchen floor. It is quiet now because my two little girls are sleeping. Olivia usually doesn't nap, but she fell asleep watching a cartoon after Jolie went down for her nap.
Austin & Nyah finished school and chores so its time for some Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii.

2009 in Pictures

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