The handprint butterfly

Makes me happy

Leprechaun

If I had a pot of gold, I would buy a t-Rex thet rors. I whont a xxx largr robot dinosor to play whith. I whont a thricarutops for a frend.


( if I had a pot of gold, I would buy a TRex that roars. I want a extra extra extra large robot dinosaur to play with. I want a triceratops for a friend.)

Unique insect

This insect is unique because

It has 8 eies and a skerpeon on it's back it also it has ranba and a dinosor.

(It has 8 eyes and a scorpion on it's back. It also it has a rainbow and a dinosaur*.)

*have to say- the rainbow/scorpion/dinosaur is awesome!

Froggy research

Frogs eat wrms and inseks. Frogs strt out as eggs they hach into tadpols the tad pols for bak legs soon its frunt legs will gro

Spring break news report

I saw: Andy
I ate: mlasis cake (molasses cake)
I read: Judy B Jones and that Meanie Jim's birthday
I played tigrs (tigers, with Andy)
I visited gramu and grapu (grandma and grandpa

Elasor

If I crossed a dinosor with a ellfint, I would get a elesor.

Every baby...

Should have a big stick. Don't you agree?

Pb

I found this paper airplane laying around the house. William's newest obsession is paper airplanes, so there are roughly 15-20 laying around the house at any time. Which makes me crazy. Crazy because:

1. Papers laying around the house makes me crazy. They are everywhere. Even the littlest bits can be turned into a paper airplane. And everyone is precious (to my son) so it cannot be thrown away.

2. Gemma gets ahold of the frequently (see: everywhere) and shreds them to bits (see: paper everywhere, crazy).

Which explains why I was on my way to the recycle bucket with this one when I noticed the letters on the side- pb.

When I asked William what the letters meant, he looked at me as if I was a complete moron. He sighed and said, "The Pb stands for lead Mama."

Of course. Lead. Exactly what I was thinking.

Ps. I confess the lead airplane still ended up in the recycling.

Gemma's favorite hobby

Gemma has a hobby she has been working on lately.  She loves to throw things in the tub in my bathroom.  After she has an appropriate number or quality of items in the tub, she turns the water on them and watches with pure glee on her face as everything gets wet.  In particular, she loves doing this while I am going to the bathroom for two reasons:

1. She knows it makes me crazy
2. She is just out of arm's reach, which is SO. MUCH. FUN.

Items I have fished out of the tub this week (most wet to varying degrees):

New disposable diapers
William's school papers (including one pink paper that promptly turned the tub pink)
John's pajamas
a pair of my shoes
8 pair of my socks
a roll of toilet paper
Gemma's clothes for the day
a battery operated toy
crayons
cheerios
a paper bag
dolls/doll clothes
dirty laundry
clean laundry

What might be the funniest part to me is that she isn't interested in the getting wet part.  She is all business.  She comes in the bathroom, chucks her item into the tub, swiftly moves to turn the water on and then toddles on her merry way to make trouble elsewhere.  It is like she has a little "to do" list in her head that she is checking items off of and she is on to her next task.

A scary

I was on my way home from work last night and I had a scary experience.


It was dark and had rained most of the day.  The roads were wet and there was still a little drizzle.

I was on the phone with the friend who watches the girls for me during the day when I work trying to sort out the logistics for Thursday.

I was one exit away from being home.  Traffic was light, although there was a constant flow of vehicles. 

I moved over a lane so I would be able to hop off on my exit a little sooner than usual due to the rain and it seemed darker than usual (note: I was also driving slightly slower than usual because of the conditions).

Suddenly, I realized there were two cars blocking the second and third lane of the highway.  I saw them just in time to switch lanes and slam on the brakes.  I slid.  I slid and slid and slid and slid.  The sliding probably only lasted for a second, but it felt like eternity.  As I slid, I realized there were people out of their vehicles in this dark area on the highway in the rain.  I realized this only because two sets of eyes reflected back my headlights.  I thought I saw the eyes widen in surprise or fear as I slid past. The vehicles were dark colored.  I would guess their clothing was dark colored.  There were no emergency workers on the scene at all.  These people were sitting ducks and the situation had potential to get much worse very quickly.

I was able to slow down enough to get around the accident safely.  I looked behind my to see two semis approaching the accident behind me.


I was past the accident, and all I could think about were those wide eyes reflecting the light of my headlights.  I prayed that whoever it was found their way to a safe place quickly.  Although the traffic was light, it was still steady with several large 18 wheeled trucks behind me.

My exit was the next one and I decided to call 911 as I slowed down to a stop.

Dispatcher: 911! (loud voices/noise in background)
Me: I'm calling to report an accident.  I'm traveling (insert specific information about my location) and there is an accident on the highway blocking several lanes.
Dispatcher: Were you involved in the accident???!?
Me: No
Dispatcher: We have the information.
CLICK

911 hung up on me.  I wanted to tell them about the people who were in danger.  That is was especially dark in that spot.  That someone with a flashing light needed to get there ASAP to protect those people out of their cars at night on the highway.  I didn't get to do any of that which bothered me more than it should have.

I came home and kissed my big kids and my husband.  I didn't wake the baby, but I considered it.  I have some ideas about a few people who might be looking out for me from above and I'm thankful for their love and protection.

A William conversation

I'm in the bathroom when William wanders in*.

He chatters away while I try to pretend I have some privacy in my life (ie: if I ignore it, it isn't there).

I cleaned the bathroom today and the scale hasn't made its way back into the bathroom yet.  William scoops it up and puts it back in its rightful place.

He steps on the scale and reports "48 dot 2! Isn't that great Mama?"

I ignore (see:privacy or something like it).

He steps in front of the mirror and entertains himself with the funny faces and silly moves he makes for a few moments before breaking into a set of jumping jacks.

Without a word, he hops back on the scale.  "WOW!  49 dot 0 Mom!  It worked!"

--Wait, what?--

I ask him to explain.

"Exercise made me stronger and BIGGER!  The scale said so!!"

And he hops off to do some more jumping jacks followed by some mountain climbers.

He hops back on the scale.  "48 dot 2!  Great Mama!"

I consider a lesson on decimals and place value and discard the idea quickly.

He hops off the scale and does more jumping jacks, push ups followed by mountain climbers.

He hops back on the scale.  "48.3 Mom!  What does that mean?  What happened?"

It appears that the lesson of the day is exercise is important to keep our bodies strong and healthy.  However, the results are not visible immediately.  It takes times....




*Why yes, many of my parenting conversations occur while I am indisposed in the bathroom.  Captive audience, whatever you want to call it, the parenting doesn't quit just because I'm on the pot.

Tooth #3

William lost tooth #3 last night. It has been loose for some time and it finally came out last night. Probably not my favorite story, but right before bed William was getting himself a giant cup of water. Bunk beds+ sleeping on top bunk+ heavy sleeper= trouble, this is a problem. He was told no several times and finally John stood up to take it from him. William quickly turned his head away and bit down on the cup. However, John had a good grip on it and the tooth just popped out. Nice and easy.

The tooth fairy stopped by last night and left some money with me to out under his pillow. He still isn't sure he wants her in his room when he is sleeping.

Fun Guy

William has a joke.  He read it on a children's menu somewhere*and I think it is utterly hysterical.  I have been working to get it on video without success.  So, here it is and if we're lucky, I'll follow up with some video soon.

Q: Why was the mushroom invited to the party?
A: (and the delivery is everything on this one) Because he is a fun GEE (ryhmes with me)**

We have tried and tried to explain that the word fungi is pronounced like "fun guy" with no avail.  He is convinced we are wrong on this one.  He knows we are wrong because he read it somewhere.


*as an aside, now that William is reading to himself, he is coming up with all kinds of information that I can't account for most of it.  I used to generally know where the information came from and was much better able answer his questions.  Now?  I have no idea why the girl went over to that place.

** And now I'm laughing again just thinking about the joke and William's earnest delivery.

Amelia's 4 year Dr visit

We had Amelia's 4 year appointment yesterday with our doctor.  It was so unexciting that it hardly warrants a post here at all, but it seems wrong to skip it altogether.

Here are her stats:

39 lbs - 77% for kids her age

(up almost 5 lbs from a year ago)

42 inches tall -90% for kids her age

(up almost 2 inches from a year ago)

So, Amelia continues to be at the taller end of the height spectrum and her weight is appropriate given her height.

She is meeting and exceeding all of her developmental milestones.

Her vision and hearing were normal.

Then we sat and watched Gemma toddle around the room and push the stool on wheels with much gusto.

See?  Super exciting, isn't it?

Organizing junkie

I enjoy organizing things and feeling like everything in our home has a place. The girls' barrette drawer was out of control, so I took a few minutes to sort it out. It is a small thing, but it gave me great pleasure to gain some sense of organization over a little part of my house because at this moment it is anything but organized.

Not pictured? While I was doing this little project, Gemma emptied my sock drawer and un matched all my socks (it was left open just enough to let her hand fit in it).

One step forward, two steps back.

Get your...

Hot dinosaurs here! The kids are cooking up some delicious dinos. Anyone hungry?

Bunk beds

The big kids continue to share a room. The floor space was all taken up by the beds. There wasn't much room to play and the kids were having a hard time finding a baby free place to play Legos and Polly pockets (small pieces).

The bunk beds opened up a ton of room in here for the kids to play - now I just need to solve the closet problem....

Spring!

Last week I noticed the asparagus we planted last summer is starting to peek out of the ground! We won't have any to eat this year, but maybe next year?

Cleaning house, literally

Amelia was a hard worker and helped me clean up this giant mansion of a doll house. She worked and worked- what a big girl!

A taste of the future

The girls are in my bathroom playing with a huge dollhouse I picked up at a garage sale for $3. We didn't need it, but it was huge and only three dollars. It needed some big cleaning, so into the bathtub it went.

The result? Worth it. The girls played with it together for at least 15 minutes. This is the first time they have played together for any length of time. I think this is just a taste of what is to come. As sad as I am about Gemma not being a baby anymore, I love that Amelia is going to have a sister and partner in crime.


I also feel the need to note that Gemma found this headband on the ground and put it on her head tiara style with a huge smile on her face. She would reach up and pat it every once in awhile to confirm it was still there. Totally adorable.

The garage door

Yesterday I brought William to running club. Getting 3 kids plus myself up and ready to leave the house at 7:45 is just a momentous task. So, we were running late as usual. William couldn't find his shoes. The baby kept unloading the shoe rack and generally was being a nuisance in the shoe search. Then we got stuck behind a school bus picking up students. It stopped every half block. I considered going back home, but we wouldn't be back before William's bus arrived. So, I would be making the 4 minute drive (12 minutes behind a school bus) again regardless. So I continued on and dropped William off almost 15 minutes late. I took the girls and went on home.

I pulled into the driveway and hit the garage door button. Nothing. I pushed it again. Nothing. Two, three, four more times with no luck. I started searching out my phone to consult with John, when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the neighbor's garage door was going up and down. I briefly wondered what they were doing when I realized I was sitting in our next door neighbors driveway. I was at the wrong house and my own garage door was working perfectly.

This mama seriously needs some sleep.

Sent from my iPhone

At bedtime

I was tucking the kids in bed.

Amelia always gives great big hugs. During her giant bear hug, she whispered in my ear:

"Mom? I love you more than my pet triceratops. (Big sigh) I sure do."

Sent from my iPhone

10 months old

Gemma is 10 months old today! 

Isn't she adorable?  We could just eat her up in all her chubby cheeked, dimpled arm glory.  She is a tiny tornado and creates a chaos I forgot existed.  This morning, I was running around getting ready for work and she toddled into my bathroom carrying 1 slipper from William's room, a box of raisins from the kitchen and a single sock.  Because...you know....she needed them.  She would not be parted from her precious treasures without much wailing.  So, I keep finding her treasurers where she leaves them around the house.  Which is alternately hilarious and maddening.  Finding a Little People toy in the shower?  Hilarious.  Not being able to located William's school shoes?  Maddening.

Sleep: She is sleeping through the night more consistently now.  Or I am more tired and don't hear her cry.  She still wakes up every other night at 4 am.  Just to keep me on my toes.

Eating: We are trying to work away from baby food, but Gemma isn't on board yet.  She loves the purees and will eat just about ANYTHING.  She loves squash, sweet potatoes, peas, beans, bananas, peaches, pears, apples, yogurt and ice cream.  She really isn't interested in the finger foods so much unless it is a cookie.  She mostly just sits in her chair and squawks from the time she sees her food until it is in her mouth.  Then she shuts her mouth to swallow and then begins squawking again until you give her another bite.  Demanding child.

Clothes: I am very sad because I am afraid most of our 12-18 month clothing is going to be pack away as they have been outgrown.  Gemma is wearing almost entirely 18-24 month clothes (sniff, sniff).  She continues to fit well into the medium sized fuzzibunz dipes and size 3 paper diapers (4 overnight).

Walking: Walking is now her preferred mode of transportation.  Preferably with several pointy objects in her hands.  She can walk 15-20 steps at a time and has been attempting to run (away from me, AWESOME) this week.  I am thankful that when she attempts a run, she falls quickly so I am able to catch up with her easily.  She does still crawl at lightening speed, but prefers walking ehenever possible.

Talking: No real changes her.  She waves hello and goodbye as the mood suits her.  She babbles frequently, although she really only says "Mama"  and "hi" that I can remember at this moment.

She adores her siblings (and they adore her too, most of the time).  She will figure out where they are playing and park her little body right up against the door so the minute they leave a room, she can gain access in.

FOUR

HOURS OLD!

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

Amelia is FOUR!  We have had a crazy week!  The kids and I were on spring break on opposite weeks.  We split the difference and took a few days to drive to visit the Minnesota family.  So it happened that we were gone over Amelia's birthday and Easter.  Sadly, we had to drive home on Easter, so we didn't celebrate as I would have liked.  For example, we had PBJ sandwiches in the car and for Easter dinner - Wendy's.  Yes, friends, my children had some of their first fast food in honor of the Easter holiday.  And in honor of the fact it took us a long time to get packed up which forced us to purchase dinner on the road.  I strongly prefer not to eat two meals in the car.

Anyhow, I'm feeling badly about not putting down my memories about Amelia's birthday one week later. 

The highlights:

Amelia got up Saturday morning and said "My hair is longer, I am taller and I am FOUR!"  Such a silly girl!

Grandpa stayed up late and made a very special birthday breakfast: home made caramel rolls....delicious!

The cinnamon/caramel goodness...mmmm....

 Amelia requested molasses cake - a family favorite and helped Grandma make the cake on the morning of her birthday.  I was in and out of the kitchen during cake prep and Amelia was chattering away.  

Amelia LOVED getting to be the only helper in the kitchen during the cake making.  She just ate up the personal attention and talked poor Grandma's ear off.

Amelia and the finished product

Blowing out her candles...William is trying hard to use self control and NOT blow out the candles.

Her hands down favorite gift?  A real china tea party set in a gorgeous basket.  Even William couldn't wait to get his hands on the little delicate cups.

To cap off the day, we colored Easter eggs.  Because we are crazy and nothing says Happy Birthday like hard boiled eggs.

After the cake baking session, I decided I need to do a better job of getting Amelia out on her own and started hatching a plan of a special girl trip when we get back home. I have some good ideas.

We had a LOT of family around to help us celebrate her big day.  Megan/Andrew and her family drove down for the day and Kaye/Scott joined us for cake as did Grandpa Heidt.  Amelia enjoyed the crowd and the limelight very much. 

Things Amelia loves:
Her siblings

Strawberries

Fingernail polish (although I am sad she no longer refers to it as fingerSnail polish)

Books

school/learning

Cutting

Coloring

Shopping

New clothes/shoes

Dresses

Things Amelia doesn't like:

Being told what to do

Not being treated as an equal with her brother

 Amelia is working very hard still to keep up with her brother.  She is frequently in over her head, but that doesn't slow her down.  It isn't uncommon for me to remind her that when William's pencil is HITTING HER IN THE NOSE, it means she is TOO CLOSE.  She loves to do "homework" and has learned all of William's sight words from this year (that William knew going in to kindergarten).  She loves being read to and reading herself.  She has really started to pick up on words and sounding things out in the last month.  

Amelia is still shy around people she doesn't know, but don't mistake her for a shrinking violet.  Her teachers have reported that she is very helpful, a great listener, and a good friend to everyone.  Unless of course you take her toy or don't play fair.  Then, you better look out because she will let you know.  And everyone else too.

Amelia continues to enjoy shopping (did I ever post the shopping with Grandpa video?).  This month we were at K0hls picking up a few summer items for the kids and Amelia finally got frustrated with me. 

Amelia: What are we LOOKING for?  This stuff is for babies!
Mama: I'm looking for something for Gemma.  Gemma is still kind of a baby.

Amelia: Huh.  For Gemma?

Mama: Yes.

Amelia: (Sigh) (Bigger sigh): Ok.  What are the numbers?

Mama: What?

Amelia: What will the numbers say?
Mama: Numbers don't say anything?  They don't have sounds?
Amelia: (Eye roll, big sigh) No mom.  What numbers does Gemma need on her shirt?

Mama: Aaaaaahhhh HA!  Gemma needs at 18-24 month size.

Amelia: Here.  Here.   Here.  Here.  Here. 

And she immediately produced 5 different options for Gemma in the correct size.  

Most of all, we are so proud of how hard Amelia works.  We love her laugh and beautiful smile.  She is so sweet and caring towards her brother and sister, which makes me so happy!  We love you Amelia Ann!