David and Mary have been learning to "choose the right" in church on Sunday.
This week Mary walked out of her room wearing a purple and teal polka-dot top, a summery yellow and pink plaid skirt, black leggings, and red socks. I suggested that she might want to change her shirt or skirt so she matched a little better.
She retorted, "I learned in class on Sunday that kids can choose the right. That means I can choose the right clothes for me!"
Then she looked me right in the eyes, "You need to let me choose the right, Mom."
Needless to say, I was speechless.
You can guess what she wore to school that day.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
A baby birthday
My kids are big fans of babies. Yesterday one of their very favorite babies turned the big 0-1. David was too sick to go to the party. He cried three separate times about it. I think the only thing David loves more than a cute baby is a fun party. Poor kid. No wonder he shed so many tears. As a therapeutic outlet, he sketched out a picture of he and Baby Eleanor. That seemed to help. Also, I told him I'd buy him an icee.
Greg took Mary to the celebration. She relished in her role as the big kid. She insisted that we buy Eleanor pajamas for her birthday. (Both kids were adamant: Why buy a toy when little pajamas are sooooo cute?!!) Greg reported that Mary helpfully informed Eleanor that Hello Kitty pajamas are really comfortable. And Mary reported that Eleanor looooooooves her new "be-jamas." Mary had a great time.
I shamelessly stole this picture from Eleanor's mom (also known as Katie).
Katie will post pictures soon on her blog. I suggest you check them out. It was a lovely party--pink and yellow, fresh cut flowers, and divinely rich homemade cheesecake (Greg brought me a piece). The best part of the pictures, though, is Eleanor! Greg and I love that baby because she reminds us so much of Baby David. Eleanor is a busy go-get-em-up-and-at-em-I-did-not-come-to-earth-to-sit-around-doin-nothin kind of gal. Love it. (Well, not so much when they're newborns--life's too frustrating. But later on it is so much fun. And always exhilarating/exhausting. I think you can't quite understand what it's like unless you've experienced a child like that for yourself.) Fun, fun. Wish I could have been at the party.
Instead, I took a sad, sick little boy to Kwik Trip for icees. Because a lemon icee always makes you feel better, even in the dead of winter. Then we came home, cuddled on the couch, sipped our beverages, and watched The Empire Strikes Back. I love that kid. I liked cuddling with him so much yesterday that I didn't want to send him back to school today. So I didn't. (It also helped that he still had a fever.)
Oh, my sweet, sweet, beautiful boy. We lounged in bed this afternoon. I read to him and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. Then I watched his sleeping face and listening to his sleeping breath. Just like when he was a baby.
Except he's not a baby. And I'm okay with that. Because you can't sip icees and discuss at length Yoda's training methods with a baby.
Oh, Eleanor. Life gets better and better. And you know it, don't you.
Greg took Mary to the celebration. She relished in her role as the big kid. She insisted that we buy Eleanor pajamas for her birthday. (Both kids were adamant: Why buy a toy when little pajamas are sooooo cute?!!) Greg reported that Mary helpfully informed Eleanor that Hello Kitty pajamas are really comfortable. And Mary reported that Eleanor looooooooves her new "be-jamas." Mary had a great time.
I shamelessly stole this picture from Eleanor's mom (also known as Katie).
Katie will post pictures soon on her blog. I suggest you check them out. It was a lovely party--pink and yellow, fresh cut flowers, and divinely rich homemade cheesecake (Greg brought me a piece). The best part of the pictures, though, is Eleanor! Greg and I love that baby because she reminds us so much of Baby David. Eleanor is a busy go-get-em-up-and-at-em-I-did-not-come-to-earth-to-sit-around-doin-nothin kind of gal. Love it. (Well, not so much when they're newborns--life's too frustrating. But later on it is so much fun. And always exhilarating/exhausting. I think you can't quite understand what it's like unless you've experienced a child like that for yourself.) Fun, fun. Wish I could have been at the party.
Instead, I took a sad, sick little boy to Kwik Trip for icees. Because a lemon icee always makes you feel better, even in the dead of winter. Then we came home, cuddled on the couch, sipped our beverages, and watched The Empire Strikes Back. I love that kid. I liked cuddling with him so much yesterday that I didn't want to send him back to school today. So I didn't. (It also helped that he still had a fever.)
Oh, my sweet, sweet, beautiful boy. We lounged in bed this afternoon. I read to him and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. Then I watched his sleeping face and listening to his sleeping breath. Just like when he was a baby.
Except he's not a baby. And I'm okay with that. Because you can't sip icees and discuss at length Yoda's training methods with a baby.
Oh, Eleanor. Life gets better and better. And you know it, don't you.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
MPM
For MLK, we went to the MPM.
The Milwaukee Public Museum was just right. Not too big and not too small. We really enjoyed visiting.
Dinosaurs are always a big hit. David and Mary love to determine if a dinosaur is an herbivore or carnivore.
Here is David posed at the edge of a (fake) glacier.
Our house is at what once was the edge of a glacier. So is David's school.
There was an AMAZING butterfly house. Greg and I thought it was wonderful!
Our kids did not. They were totally FREAKED OUT. ?!?!? (By the way, David told me not to tell anyone that he was afraid of butterflies. Oops. I just told the whole world.)
But Mary was pleased as punch to perch on this giant beetle. Whatever.
I really liked the European Village. It was a quick, easy, and effective way to compare and contrast a lot of European cultures. (Rick Steves is right--Europe is an amazing place! Such diversity of culture in a relatively small area.) Last summer paid off. My kids can identity a Scandinavian house versus a German one. Kind of freaky. (The best part of the whole day was when we walked by the Russian house. David spontaneously broke out into a Russian dance. So adorable I almost died.)
Before we stopped for lunch, I told the kids they had to smile for a picture. No smiles? No lunch.
Mary was grumpy. But, as you can see, David was very hungry and determined to get lunch.
After lunch we headed upstairs. I really enjoyed the third floor. You could cover Africa, Asia, Australia, Oceania, South and Central America in less than an hour. Sure, the collections weren't as extensive, important, or impressive as, say the Field Museum or the British Museum. But it also wasn't overwhelming. It was manageable and provided a nice overview. Also, I'm a fan of the good old-fashioned diorama. (David especially enjoyed the miniature ones.)
As our kids get older, outings like this become more and more fun. It was a great way to spend the day.
P.S. It was super easy to love the MPM because we didn't have to pay for admission--our Boonshoft Museum membership got us in the door. We keep renewing our membership year after year. Love the Boonshoft!
The Milwaukee Public Museum was just right. Not too big and not too small. We really enjoyed visiting.
Dinosaurs are always a big hit. David and Mary love to determine if a dinosaur is an herbivore or carnivore.
Here is David posed at the edge of a (fake) glacier.
Our house is at what once was the edge of a glacier. So is David's school.
There was an AMAZING butterfly house. Greg and I thought it was wonderful!
Our kids did not. They were totally FREAKED OUT. ?!?!? (By the way, David told me not to tell anyone that he was afraid of butterflies. Oops. I just told the whole world.)
But Mary was pleased as punch to perch on this giant beetle. Whatever.
I really liked the European Village. It was a quick, easy, and effective way to compare and contrast a lot of European cultures. (Rick Steves is right--Europe is an amazing place! Such diversity of culture in a relatively small area.) Last summer paid off. My kids can identity a Scandinavian house versus a German one. Kind of freaky. (The best part of the whole day was when we walked by the Russian house. David spontaneously broke out into a Russian dance. So adorable I almost died.)
Before we stopped for lunch, I told the kids they had to smile for a picture. No smiles? No lunch.
Mary was grumpy. But, as you can see, David was very hungry and determined to get lunch.
After lunch we headed upstairs. I really enjoyed the third floor. You could cover Africa, Asia, Australia, Oceania, South and Central America in less than an hour. Sure, the collections weren't as extensive, important, or impressive as, say the Field Museum or the British Museum. But it also wasn't overwhelming. It was manageable and provided a nice overview. Also, I'm a fan of the good old-fashioned diorama. (David especially enjoyed the miniature ones.)
As our kids get older, outings like this become more and more fun. It was a great way to spend the day.
P.S. It was super easy to love the MPM because we didn't have to pay for admission--our Boonshoft Museum membership got us in the door. We keep renewing our membership year after year. Love the Boonshoft!
Fairy week
Where was I last week? Waiting for the appearance of some fairy godmothers. Some appeared; some did not.
The Laundry Fairy
I was really hoping the laundry fairy would show up last week. I waited and waited. But, finally--after David started crying because the laundry was piled six feet high on the sofa so he had no place to sit and read his dinosaur book and after I was forced to wear worn yoga pants and an old T-shirt of Greg's to a lovely Thai lunch with Katie (who always looks hot) because nothing else was remotely clean--I got to work on the laundry myself. And then I did it again. And again. And again. Has anyone else noticed that laundry never ends? Stupid Laundry Fairy: even if you bothered to show up once, it wouldn't do me much good.
The Deep Cleaning Fairy
I'm still waiting for her. It's amazing (disgusting) what happens to your house when it's been pretty much neglected for months. And months. And months.
If you come over, don't look in the corners. Like I said, I'm still waiting.
The Paint Fairy
This fairy has been hard at work! The Paint Fairy's real name is Greg.
I woke up one day and decided we needed to paint Mary's pink room . . . pink. When we moved in, it was a frightening bubble gum pink that all little girls adore. And now it is a perfectly pretty pink that even I can like. (It's Benjamin Moore Powder Blush. It's beautiful, and stays safely away from all that usually goes wrong with pinks. I confidently recommend it--and this is coming from someone who is generally not a fan of pink. Credit goes to this blogger for pointing me in the right direction.)
Then I woke up and decided David's room needed to be painted as well. It was a perfectly fine greenish taupe. But a little too serious for such a fun boy. I wanted four bright white walls. David wanted black. The Paint Fairy found a compromise. Three white walls and one dark gray. It looks good.
Then I woke up and decided it would be awesome if the grungy white walls in our house could be painted before Greg's big promotion party in February. The Paint Fairy and I agreed that this particular project, with its vaulted ceilings and deep gouges, might require some stronger magic--especially since the Paint Fairy is back in class again. Hooray for professionals. It's not done yet--but the color is picked (fingers crossed it looks good) and the work is scheduled. (Also, hooray for professionals who can magically make the hole your husband had to cut into the ceiling to reach a water leak disappear. Sheetrock and tape and mud and texture and paint and a few nifty machines in the hands of a pro is a miraculous thing!)
While the Paint Fairy does his magic, I have been occupied with rearranging furniture and wall decorations. (I even attempted a craft project for the kids' rooms and did NOT staple cork board to my kitchen table this this time!)
The Winter Fairy
A couple of weeks ago when I picked up Mary at school, she and her friends were running around the playground coatless throwing imaginary snowballs and building imaginary snowmen. What the heck? Is this Florida?!! I live in Wisconsin, yet my children are forced to play with invisible, imaginary snow in January?!
I know some people were liking the mild weather, but it was FREAKING ME OUT. If it's going to be winter, I want it to be winter! If I'm going to wear a coat, I want to need to wear the coat, you know. Also, I was all ready to send my kids to ice-fishing camp, but the lake wasn't frozen. Bummer. (Yes, my obsession with ice-fishing continues. Not like I've ever been. Or ever will. But I almost dragged Greg to a musical about ice-fishing. Lucky for him, it was in town during finals week, so I couldn't in good conscience force him to take me.)
Well, the Winter Fairy finally did make her appearance. And this year I was prepared. Oh yeah. Bring it on, Winter Fairy. (But not too much. So, once it finally snowed and the kids looked outside with glee, the temperature dropped to 3 degrees. Too cold for recess, sledding, and snowman building. Bummer.)
The Put-My-Life-Back-Together Fairy
Still waiting.
The Blogging Fairy
Actually, this I prefer to do myself. No fairy necessary. I'm back!
The Laundry Fairy
I was really hoping the laundry fairy would show up last week. I waited and waited. But, finally--after David started crying because the laundry was piled six feet high on the sofa so he had no place to sit and read his dinosaur book and after I was forced to wear worn yoga pants and an old T-shirt of Greg's to a lovely Thai lunch with Katie (who always looks hot) because nothing else was remotely clean--I got to work on the laundry myself. And then I did it again. And again. And again. Has anyone else noticed that laundry never ends? Stupid Laundry Fairy: even if you bothered to show up once, it wouldn't do me much good.
The Deep Cleaning Fairy
I'm still waiting for her. It's amazing (disgusting) what happens to your house when it's been pretty much neglected for months. And months. And months.
If you come over, don't look in the corners. Like I said, I'm still waiting.
The Paint Fairy
This fairy has been hard at work! The Paint Fairy's real name is Greg.
I woke up one day and decided we needed to paint Mary's pink room . . . pink. When we moved in, it was a frightening bubble gum pink that all little girls adore. And now it is a perfectly pretty pink that even I can like. (It's Benjamin Moore Powder Blush. It's beautiful, and stays safely away from all that usually goes wrong with pinks. I confidently recommend it--and this is coming from someone who is generally not a fan of pink. Credit goes to this blogger for pointing me in the right direction.)
Then I woke up and decided David's room needed to be painted as well. It was a perfectly fine greenish taupe. But a little too serious for such a fun boy. I wanted four bright white walls. David wanted black. The Paint Fairy found a compromise. Three white walls and one dark gray. It looks good.
Then I woke up and decided it would be awesome if the grungy white walls in our house could be painted before Greg's big promotion party in February. The Paint Fairy and I agreed that this particular project, with its vaulted ceilings and deep gouges, might require some stronger magic--especially since the Paint Fairy is back in class again. Hooray for professionals. It's not done yet--but the color is picked (fingers crossed it looks good) and the work is scheduled. (Also, hooray for professionals who can magically make the hole your husband had to cut into the ceiling to reach a water leak disappear. Sheetrock and tape and mud and texture and paint and a few nifty machines in the hands of a pro is a miraculous thing!)
While the Paint Fairy does his magic, I have been occupied with rearranging furniture and wall decorations. (I even attempted a craft project for the kids' rooms and did NOT staple cork board to my kitchen table this this time!)
The Winter Fairy
A couple of weeks ago when I picked up Mary at school, she and her friends were running around the playground coatless throwing imaginary snowballs and building imaginary snowmen. What the heck? Is this Florida?!! I live in Wisconsin, yet my children are forced to play with invisible, imaginary snow in January?!
I know some people were liking the mild weather, but it was FREAKING ME OUT. If it's going to be winter, I want it to be winter! If I'm going to wear a coat, I want to need to wear the coat, you know. Also, I was all ready to send my kids to ice-fishing camp, but the lake wasn't frozen. Bummer. (Yes, my obsession with ice-fishing continues. Not like I've ever been. Or ever will. But I almost dragged Greg to a musical about ice-fishing. Lucky for him, it was in town during finals week, so I couldn't in good conscience force him to take me.)
Well, the Winter Fairy finally did make her appearance. And this year I was prepared. Oh yeah. Bring it on, Winter Fairy. (But not too much. So, once it finally snowed and the kids looked outside with glee, the temperature dropped to 3 degrees. Too cold for recess, sledding, and snowman building. Bummer.)
The Put-My-Life-Back-Together Fairy
Still waiting.
The Blogging Fairy
Actually, this I prefer to do myself. No fairy necessary. I'm back!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
New Year's cookies
If you were expecting me to start off the year with goals and reflections and resolutions, you were wrong. My new year doesn't start until next week--after this weekend's blood drive--and even then I'm not sure how much blogging on goals and reflections and resolutions I will get to. I still need to finish my to-do list from last May! And I added some very important things to that to-do list in the fall. But all of that has been on hold during the family fun of the holidays and while I struggle to figure out how to be an event planner.
So I don't have goals for you, but I do have cookies!
We were throwing up over the holidays this year. BUT we were very blessed (thank you, God) to all be feeling pretty much just fine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So we had a wonderful, intimate family celebration. Unfortunately, we did have to cancel our Christmas Eve Eve cookie decorating extravaganza. (I love this tradition!) And we didn't get it rescheduled until New Year's Eve Eve.
That's when Cousin Deserae and Cousin Mikhael came over to help us decorate cookies--and to spoil my kids with cool Christmas presents and spoil me by having their deliciously adorable baby boy in my house. (How did I not get pictures????? Their son, Elim, is so cute. Not just Regular Baby Cute--but Every Trip to the Grocery Store Takes Thrice as Long Because Everyone Wants to Stop and Admire Your Baby and Really He Should Be on TV Cute. How did I not get pictures?????) We all had a great time visiting with them! (When they left, and took their baby with them, David said, "We really should get our own cute baby--that way he wouldn't have to go home."
Here are a few of David's creations from the evening.
My favorite is the Wisconsin cookie. And how can you not love the Packers snow man?
The next day--New Year's Eve--we did it again with a few little friends. Among the crowd were David and Bailey. After they decorated a few cookies, I found them hiding behind the Christmas tree trading Pokemon cards and gossiping about the girls in their class.
We adhere to the school of kid-friendly cookie decorating in this house: thick butter cream frosting, lots of sprinkles, and toppings like M&Ms and gummy bears. It ain't pretty. But it's fun. Perhaps too fun...
This is Mary on the job.
And, yes, this is what a Christmas cookie looks like at our house...
Sheesh. You think I would have learned what happens when I put sprinkles in the hands of my kids and leave them unattended.
Oh well. New Year's cookies were a fun way for my kids to celebrate the coming of the new year.
As for me, my celebrating doesn't begin until next week. See you then.
P.S. As always, a big huge thank you to Greg! We volunteered to put on the science fair at David's school this year. It's in March. Piece of cake, right? Little did I realize that the bulk of the planning and coordinating would happen the week of the blood drive I'm coordinating!! My little brain and my calendar can only handle so much. So Greg has been Mr. PTO this week, filling in where I can't right now--meeting with the PTO president and attending PTO meetings. What a hero. (He is also meeting with the PTO president at Mary's school. But that's his own doing--he has some definite opinions on how you organize a springtime fundraising run.) Who wants to work on a dissertation when you can hang out with PTO presidents in coffee shops?
So I don't have goals for you, but I do have cookies!
We were throwing up over the holidays this year. BUT we were very blessed (thank you, God) to all be feeling pretty much just fine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So we had a wonderful, intimate family celebration. Unfortunately, we did have to cancel our Christmas Eve Eve cookie decorating extravaganza. (I love this tradition!) And we didn't get it rescheduled until New Year's Eve Eve.
That's when Cousin Deserae and Cousin Mikhael came over to help us decorate cookies--and to spoil my kids with cool Christmas presents and spoil me by having their deliciously adorable baby boy in my house. (How did I not get pictures????? Their son, Elim, is so cute. Not just Regular Baby Cute--but Every Trip to the Grocery Store Takes Thrice as Long Because Everyone Wants to Stop and Admire Your Baby and Really He Should Be on TV Cute. How did I not get pictures?????) We all had a great time visiting with them! (When they left, and took their baby with them, David said, "We really should get our own cute baby--that way he wouldn't have to go home."
Here are a few of David's creations from the evening.
My favorite is the Wisconsin cookie. And how can you not love the Packers snow man?
The next day--New Year's Eve--we did it again with a few little friends. Among the crowd were David and Bailey. After they decorated a few cookies, I found them hiding behind the Christmas tree trading Pokemon cards and gossiping about the girls in their class.
We adhere to the school of kid-friendly cookie decorating in this house: thick butter cream frosting, lots of sprinkles, and toppings like M&Ms and gummy bears. It ain't pretty. But it's fun. Perhaps too fun...
This is Mary on the job.
And, yes, this is what a Christmas cookie looks like at our house...
Sheesh. You think I would have learned what happens when I put sprinkles in the hands of my kids and leave them unattended.
Oh well. New Year's cookies were a fun way for my kids to celebrate the coming of the new year.
As for me, my celebrating doesn't begin until next week. See you then.
P.S. As always, a big huge thank you to Greg! We volunteered to put on the science fair at David's school this year. It's in March. Piece of cake, right? Little did I realize that the bulk of the planning and coordinating would happen the week of the blood drive I'm coordinating!! My little brain and my calendar can only handle so much. So Greg has been Mr. PTO this week, filling in where I can't right now--meeting with the PTO president and attending PTO meetings. What a hero. (He is also meeting with the PTO president at Mary's school. But that's his own doing--he has some definite opinions on how you organize a springtime fundraising run.) Who wants to work on a dissertation when you can hang out with PTO presidents in coffee shops?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Big sister
Mary is big.
Binkies and pull-ups are long gone. As are those super tight toddler pajamas and asking your mom to buckle you in the car seat. She fits in clothes from the girls section at Target, and she adeptly manages a menagerie of best friends. Mary is learning to read and write and tell time and add numbers and tie a bow. She can also pour her own milk and cut her own carrots.
Mary is big.
Also, she gave her first talk in Primary on Sunday. Which she prepared herself, dictating to me her carefully chosen words. And which she proudly read off a piece of notebook paper in front of the other children.
"Jesus loves us. Jesus helps us. Jesus shows us the right way. I can choose the right way."
Isn't Mary a big girl?
The problem, then, is that no matter how big she gets, she finds that she remains "David's little sister."
Very frustrating.
"I'm not David's little sister! I'm his BIG sister!"
We try to explain how she is his little sister because she is younger, and she will always be his little sister.
"But aren't I big?"
"Yes, you are."
"I am a big girl! So I am a big sister now."
There's nothing we can say to convince her otherwise. If Mary is anything, it's stubborn.
So big sister she is.
Binkies and pull-ups are long gone. As are those super tight toddler pajamas and asking your mom to buckle you in the car seat. She fits in clothes from the girls section at Target, and she adeptly manages a menagerie of best friends. Mary is learning to read and write and tell time and add numbers and tie a bow. She can also pour her own milk and cut her own carrots.
Mary is big.
Also, she gave her first talk in Primary on Sunday. Which she prepared herself, dictating to me her carefully chosen words. And which she proudly read off a piece of notebook paper in front of the other children.
"Jesus loves us. Jesus helps us. Jesus shows us the right way. I can choose the right way."
Isn't Mary a big girl?
The problem, then, is that no matter how big she gets, she finds that she remains "David's little sister."
Very frustrating.
"I'm not David's little sister! I'm his BIG sister!"
We try to explain how she is his little sister because she is younger, and she will always be his little sister.
"But aren't I big?"
"Yes, you are."
"I am a big girl! So I am a big sister now."
There's nothing we can say to convince her otherwise. If Mary is anything, it's stubborn.
So big sister she is.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Badger love
Rose Bowl party! The gracious family of David's BFF hosted. Yes, we were invited to watch the Rose Bowl with real, true blue (or should I say true red) native Badgers. Woo hoo! Does this mean we're official now?
Here's the adorable cheering section:
Good times!
Although the ending could have been better...
And two years in a row! Oh, the heartbreak.
Ah, but we've got the Packers! Like I said, good times!
P.S. Did you zumba to the Wisconsin fight song this morning? :)
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