Those shoes

It was time to go.  I called to the big kids, who were playing in their room to put on their shoes.

I grabbed a few things and came into the laundry room (that leads to the garage) to find Gemma sitting on the rug in front of the door.  This is a new habit of hers that I find charming, adorable and convenient as well.

I grabbed her shoes off the washer (otherwise she carries them around the house and I find them stuffed in the oddest places.  Also, I CANNOT find them when it is time to leave the house) and bent to put them on her all the while reminding William to grab his backpack, Amelia to put on her school shoes, etc.

I was taken aback when it registered that Gemma was pushing the sensible pair of tennis shoes away from me.  When I looked closer she had a frown on her face and was most certainly pushing the shoes away and kicking her feet so I wasn't able to put on the shoes.  Her tiny pointer finger directed me back to the washer.  I grabbed a less sensible, yet adorable pair of pink shoes that match her outfit next.  I let the big kids out into the garage while I bent to put the shoes on my girl.  Hands waving the shoes away, frown, feet kicking, a squawk of displeasure, and the tiny finger directing me back to the washer.

With a sigh, I pull down the pair of red sandals that do NOT match what she is wearing.  This should not matter to me, but it does.  It matters because I hate people feeling sorry for my neglected (opinionated) child who has to wear mismatched clothes because her mother is too busy to figure it out.  In reality, I know I am probably the only one who notices, but it still makes me crazy.


I get ready to put the red shoes on and notice the great big smile on Gemma's face.  She helpfully lifts one foot and then the other so I can slide the mismatched shoes on her feet (with socks no less!  The horror!).

Yes.  My child is 14 months old and I am already choosing my battles with her.  Can you imagine when she is 14 years old?

Gemma's words

It has been a long wait for this mama! Gemma is our latest talker of the bunch, although that expected due to her super early and strong gross motor development. Still, a mama likes the reassurance that vocabulary development brings. In the last week, we have been hearing words consistently. Previously, she would pick up a sound, use it randomly for a few days and then never use it again.

In use, we now have:

Hat (haa)- pats head when she sees a hat

Ball (baal)- when she see a ball, wants the ball, is holding the ball or when someone takes her ball away (which happen frequently)

Book (bk)- this one is hard to tell if she is saying ball or book. I usually have to look around to see if there is a ball or book. And I get it wrong at least 50% if the time.

Hi (ai)- to everything. William, Amelia, the school bus, cars driving by while we wait for the bus, dolls and other toys, to daddy, but not to the lady at the grocery store.

Belly (buh)- and lifts her shirt to reveal adorable belly

Amelia (mei)- very hard to catch and understand still, but it is coming along

William (lim)- ADORABLE. Kills me every time. Again, somewhat difficult to distinguish from her other random babble. William totally lights up when he hears it though.

Baby (bayb) when holding a baby upside down by the foot.

Woof - when she hears the neighbor's dog barking or sees a dog outside.

This little monkey made us wait, but she was usually able to get her point across using body language, facial expressions and her adorable little pointer finger.

Sent from my iPhone

The Cousin Get Together

The cousins have managed to get together for the Labor Day weekend for
the last several years. With all the miles we have traveled this
summer, we decided this one we needed to stay home. The to-do list is
at an all time record length. After being gone much of the summer, we
have SO much to do to get caught up.


Then, at 8:30am we decided seeing family has always trumped almost
everything and anything. This time that should be true also. So, we
packed the car and hit the road 2 hours later.

The kids saw all of their cousins (8!) in 3 short days. They played
and played and played. It. Was. Amazing.

We didn't get pictures with Andy and Zelda, but we did manage a group
shot of the Heidt cousins.

The girls

These two girls are starting to be so much fun together! These aren't great pictures, but the look on Gemma's face is priceless. She simply adores the attention she gets from her older siblings. Any attention.

My Girls

Here are my girls today while they (briefly) watched some TV together. This lasted less than a minute. Still adorable..

A Game

Which pair of shorts below is size 4T? What one is size 24 months? Can you figure it out? I can't.*



* The one on the left (purple) is size 4T. The left set is size 24 month. The shorts are made from the same material and are the same brand FYI.

The Toe

Ouch! On Sunday, Gemma was playing in the kitchen pantry while I was cleaning up after breakfast. It was one of those days where the list of things that needed to be done was a mile long. We had a lot of work to do to catch up after the Race on Saturday and also to prepare for the coming week - I return to work on Tuesday.

I was wiping the table when I heard the thunk of the can. This isn't an uncommon noise, but I still held my breathe for a moment while I waited. Either there would be silence because she was fine or crying from the hurt/surprise. It was crying this time. Lot of crying. When I went to pick her up, there was bleeding. Lots of bleeding and I couldn't see what had happened.


I got John back inside (he was out changing the oil in the car) and we assessed the situation and then made a call to our favorite Grandma hotline. She always knows what to do. Ultimately, we agreed on the wait and see camp.

Her big toe is badly bruised and swollen. There is a cut that reaches from the tip of the toe all the way back past the knuckle. The line extends through the toenail. I can't see how she won't lose her toenail.

However, after the initial crying drama, our tough kiddo is just as fine as can be. She is running, climbing, jumping and crawling as fast as she can. And she is acting just fine and normal.