This is Little Sissy "reading" The Three Little Pigs, her favorite book for the past couple of weeks. You probably won't be able to understand much of what she's saying, but if you know the story you'll get most of it. In the beginning, she is saying she needs to put her thumb on the book because it keeps wiggling around. I posted it so you can see her personality and funny expressions--and the fact that she practically has this book memorized! We've had to take a break from it, though. We read it so much that she has it practically memorized, I am starting to psychoanalyze the pigs, and Big Sissy has started having Big Bad Wolf nightmares. Too much!!!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Who's On First?
We got several new "Little Critter" books by Mercer Mayer from my niece and nephew. Today we read one called "I Just Forgot." A few minutes later, long after I'd forgotten the title of the book, I had this confusing conversation with Big Sissy.
Her: That doggy in I just forgot looks a lot like Dasher (her new spotted doggy from Santa).
Me: Which doggy?
Her: I just forgot.
Me: Well, think about it. Was it a doggy from a movie? A doggy from a book? Biscuit?
Her: I JUST FORGOT!
Me: That's OK. You can tell me when you remember.
Her (several decibels louder now): No, that dog from I Just Forgot!
Me (finally glancing down at the floor and seeing the title of the book): Oh, the dog in the Mercer Mayer book "I Just Forgot"?
Her: Yes!
Who says communication is easy???
Her: That doggy in I just forgot looks a lot like Dasher (her new spotted doggy from Santa).
Me: Which doggy?
Her: I just forgot.
Me: Well, think about it. Was it a doggy from a movie? A doggy from a book? Biscuit?
Her: I JUST FORGOT!
Me: That's OK. You can tell me when you remember.
Her (several decibels louder now): No, that dog from I Just Forgot!
Me (finally glancing down at the floor and seeing the title of the book): Oh, the dog in the Mercer Mayer book "I Just Forgot"?
Her: Yes!
Who says communication is easy???
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Longing for Warmth
We're all missing the warm weather here. The coats are uncomfortable. The seat belts are too tight. The socks feel funny. The tights are the worst. The skin is itchy. The cars are touchy. The bodies are flabby (well, just mine). Today Big Sissy was playing quietly for a long time. When I went in, this is what I found.
These are Hello Kitty dominoes. It's a playground with 4 slides, complete with a cushion for landing. There's even a bench for the mommies and babies to sit on. Oh, spring, come quickly!!!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Vignettes from the Day
Since I didn't have a vehicle today, I entertained myself by taking pictures of random things throughout my day. Sorry to all the real photographers out there. Maybe you can give me some pointers.
Disappointing
Not to mention annoying. An empty box of Quaker Morning Minis to start the day.
Not to mention annoying. An empty box of Quaker Morning Minis to start the day.
Disturbing
Baby doll hanging by a pig snout on a string.
Dangerous
Big Sissy took this one of Grassy the Crocodile.
Distressed
Big Sissy watching the scary part of The Tigger Movie. She picked out her socks.
Darling
Little Buddy awakes from his mid-day slumber.
Distracted
Oooo, shiny!
Drowsy
Trying to wake Little Sissy up from her nap.
Daddy
Our favorite part of the day: When Daddy comes home!
Disgusting
In an attempt to be healthy, I am substituting ground turkey for ground beef to make taco soup.
Dirty
Little Buddy is having a ground turkey/taco meat tactile experience.
Delighted
Little Sissy enjoys her first sip of Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate from a Dixie cup.
We're not THAT healthy.
Little Sissy enjoys her first sip of Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate from a Dixie cup.
We're not THAT healthy.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
How to Spend $850 in 5 Seconds
I can do it. We have had that money saved for exactly 24 hours, and it's gone. No, I didn't go buy those amazing boots I wanted or get a new oven. Instead I paid a tow truck driver and got new tires and rims. What a disappointment.
Something has happened to my driving skills lately. I used to be a good driver. OK. I used to be a REALLY BAD driver, then I became a good driver, and now I'm back to being a bad driver. I think it could be the distraction of children, or maybe it's the lack of sleep. Whatever it is, I got a speeding ticket fairly recently. I just paid that about a week ago. Today we actually had plans to get out of the house...early. I was a little concerned because we haven't gone anywhere early for a really long time. Miraculously, the kids woke up on their own. We would have left on time if it weren't for the winter coat fight. We were at least close.
About 10 minutes into our drive, Little Sissy started wanting her milk cup. Then the whining started. "I want my milk cup, my milk cup, my milk cup." Sometimes I calmly tell her I can't reach it and that she needs to wait until we get there. Today I was tired and not in the mood to hear whining, and I reached over my seat full of bags (Big Sissy's MOPS bag, my purse, Little Buddy's diaper bag, Little Sissy's diaper bag) to dig out her cup. In a matter of seconds, I hit the curb, heard a loud pop, and my car sensed that I was going to slow down and pull over because it just did it for me. In fact, it leaned us over in case I still wanted to get the milk cup. What a thoughtful van we have.
I called Hubby, who is only in his 2nd day back to work after surgery and probably has a few things to catch up on. In heroic fashion, he dropped everything and came to rescue us in his little Mazda Protege, which all the car seats will NOT fit in. He called our insurance company to take advantage of our roadside service, which apparently got dropped in the buying of the van. At least they called a tow truck for us. We had to call our dear friend Derrill to the scene in order to get all of us home. In the middle of that, Little Buddy started throwing a "hold your breath, arch your back so you can scream better" fit. I was so nervous to change his diaper (which he really needed) and feed him because I was in the middle of the road with my flashers on, but I was able to do that before all the extras arrived. Thankfully, we are all fine. The girls thought we pulled over just so they could watch 3 episodes of Dora the Explorer on the DVD player. Little Buddy thought I just wanted to feed him so he could take a nap.
The bad news is...the repair bill. Ugh. I'm just sick about it. Somehow this happens every time we put anything in savings. But we have lots to be thankful for--that we actually had the money without resorting to credit, that Hubby's job is flexible enough to allow him to rescue us, that he is recovered enough to come, that Derrill was home and could help, that we're not hurt, etc. I certainly can think of more fun ways to spend that money though!!!
Something has happened to my driving skills lately. I used to be a good driver. OK. I used to be a REALLY BAD driver, then I became a good driver, and now I'm back to being a bad driver. I think it could be the distraction of children, or maybe it's the lack of sleep. Whatever it is, I got a speeding ticket fairly recently. I just paid that about a week ago. Today we actually had plans to get out of the house...early. I was a little concerned because we haven't gone anywhere early for a really long time. Miraculously, the kids woke up on their own. We would have left on time if it weren't for the winter coat fight. We were at least close.
About 10 minutes into our drive, Little Sissy started wanting her milk cup. Then the whining started. "I want my milk cup, my milk cup, my milk cup." Sometimes I calmly tell her I can't reach it and that she needs to wait until we get there. Today I was tired and not in the mood to hear whining, and I reached over my seat full of bags (Big Sissy's MOPS bag, my purse, Little Buddy's diaper bag, Little Sissy's diaper bag) to dig out her cup. In a matter of seconds, I hit the curb, heard a loud pop, and my car sensed that I was going to slow down and pull over because it just did it for me. In fact, it leaned us over in case I still wanted to get the milk cup. What a thoughtful van we have.
I called Hubby, who is only in his 2nd day back to work after surgery and probably has a few things to catch up on. In heroic fashion, he dropped everything and came to rescue us in his little Mazda Protege, which all the car seats will NOT fit in. He called our insurance company to take advantage of our roadside service, which apparently got dropped in the buying of the van. At least they called a tow truck for us. We had to call our dear friend Derrill to the scene in order to get all of us home. In the middle of that, Little Buddy started throwing a "hold your breath, arch your back so you can scream better" fit. I was so nervous to change his diaper (which he really needed) and feed him because I was in the middle of the road with my flashers on, but I was able to do that before all the extras arrived. Thankfully, we are all fine. The girls thought we pulled over just so they could watch 3 episodes of Dora the Explorer on the DVD player. Little Buddy thought I just wanted to feed him so he could take a nap.
The bad news is...the repair bill. Ugh. I'm just sick about it. Somehow this happens every time we put anything in savings. But we have lots to be thankful for--that we actually had the money without resorting to credit, that Hubby's job is flexible enough to allow him to rescue us, that he is recovered enough to come, that Derrill was home and could help, that we're not hurt, etc. I certainly can think of more fun ways to spend that money though!!!
Recent Discoveries
I've discvered several things this winter about each of us in our family.
Little Buddy:
1. He can eat more than his sisters. I think I knew that intuitively, but now that I'm trying not to buy baby food, I can prove it. Today for lunch he ate half of a grilled cheese sandwich and a whole serving of sweet potato fries.
2. His name, an Old Testament name and also a family name, comes from a Hebrew word meaning "attached." That seems very appropriate right now.
3. He has a new way of feeling secure: sucking his fingers and sticking his hand down my shirt. I'm trying to redirect this behavior before someone gets embarrassed and all the necks of my shirts get stretched out. Somehow he managed it with a turtleneck on Sunday.
4. He can get all the way up the stairs by himself. He cannot, however, get down. Sometimes he gets distracted on the way up and tries to sit down--backwards.
5. He might make it to a year without some kind of "lovey." I have mixed feelings about this. The things he seems to like most are burpcloths and socks.
Little Sissy:
1. She is finally getting her 4 canine teeth. These normally come in between 16 and 23 months. She is 28 months. I was starting to get worried.
2. She can open the refrigerator by herself. She can also use her stepstool to get most things she wants. Putting it on a higher shelf no longer works.
3. She has most of her book "The Three Pigs" memorized.
4. She finally recognizes the letter "G" and says "G is for me!"
5. She has gone from calling Big Sissy "Awa" to "Ca-o-wine." She has also progressed from calling bananas "baba" to saying it the right way. She still starts most things with the "h" sound, though. (ie. Dat hory ho hunny=That story is so funny, and "I eed oap" means "I need soap.") Tricky...
Big Sissy:
1. She has some sort of allergy to her new Christmas makeup. I am finally figuring out that this is the cause of the rash that breaks out all around her mouth and on her cheek--where her lip gloss ends up.
2. She can write all of her capital letters except the ones that require a diagonal line (K, X, Z). She is learning to make dots and follow her own dot-to-dot to make those letters.
3. She is very into noticing and creating patterns. I used to call this baby OCD, but I think she's just really observant and perfectionistic.
Hubby:
1. He needs to go to work to feel productive. After his surgery, he was too weak and tired to lift a dirty fork and take it to the sink before Monday. Now that he's back at work, he can do anything he used to do except lifting the kids. One night when I was feeling weary from doing everything, he tried to encourage me that I can't do everything that I normally do AND everything he normally does. My smart alleck answer was, "That's true. I can't take care of the kids, do all the housework, AND lay on the couch and watch football all night!" The truth is that he is such a great help to me, which is why I feel out of sorts when he is unable to help.
2. He is also the most patient and forgiving person I know. Twice in the last month he has had to come rescue me in my vehicular distress, and he never complains about being interrupted or bothered. And he's not mean when my accidents cost us our whole savings.
Me:
1. Apparently I've forgotten how to drive this winter. My next post will be about today's frustrating incident, but I also got a speeding ticket (which I hadn't had for several years).
2. I am definitely not called to be in the healthcare field. I am totally grossed out by puke (even my own kids'), and I tend to think grown-ups are being whiny when they express their discomfort. I need to be more compassionate, for sure!
3. I have a very bad habit of staying up too late, which I have had most of my life, but I can't seem to break it. I am thinking of setting a timer for myself to go off at a certain time. When it goes off, I need to stop what I'm doing and go to bed. We'll see how that works. :)
Little Buddy:
1. He can eat more than his sisters. I think I knew that intuitively, but now that I'm trying not to buy baby food, I can prove it. Today for lunch he ate half of a grilled cheese sandwich and a whole serving of sweet potato fries.
2. His name, an Old Testament name and also a family name, comes from a Hebrew word meaning "attached." That seems very appropriate right now.
3. He has a new way of feeling secure: sucking his fingers and sticking his hand down my shirt. I'm trying to redirect this behavior before someone gets embarrassed and all the necks of my shirts get stretched out. Somehow he managed it with a turtleneck on Sunday.
4. He can get all the way up the stairs by himself. He cannot, however, get down. Sometimes he gets distracted on the way up and tries to sit down--backwards.
5. He might make it to a year without some kind of "lovey." I have mixed feelings about this. The things he seems to like most are burpcloths and socks.
Little Sissy:
1. She is finally getting her 4 canine teeth. These normally come in between 16 and 23 months. She is 28 months. I was starting to get worried.
2. She can open the refrigerator by herself. She can also use her stepstool to get most things she wants. Putting it on a higher shelf no longer works.
3. She has most of her book "The Three Pigs" memorized.
4. She finally recognizes the letter "G" and says "G is for me!"
5. She has gone from calling Big Sissy "Awa" to "Ca-o-wine." She has also progressed from calling bananas "baba" to saying it the right way. She still starts most things with the "h" sound, though. (ie. Dat hory ho hunny=That story is so funny, and "I eed oap" means "I need soap.") Tricky...
Big Sissy:
1. She has some sort of allergy to her new Christmas makeup. I am finally figuring out that this is the cause of the rash that breaks out all around her mouth and on her cheek--where her lip gloss ends up.
2. She can write all of her capital letters except the ones that require a diagonal line (K, X, Z). She is learning to make dots and follow her own dot-to-dot to make those letters.
3. She is very into noticing and creating patterns. I used to call this baby OCD, but I think she's just really observant and perfectionistic.
Hubby:
1. He needs to go to work to feel productive. After his surgery, he was too weak and tired to lift a dirty fork and take it to the sink before Monday. Now that he's back at work, he can do anything he used to do except lifting the kids. One night when I was feeling weary from doing everything, he tried to encourage me that I can't do everything that I normally do AND everything he normally does. My smart alleck answer was, "That's true. I can't take care of the kids, do all the housework, AND lay on the couch and watch football all night!" The truth is that he is such a great help to me, which is why I feel out of sorts when he is unable to help.
2. He is also the most patient and forgiving person I know. Twice in the last month he has had to come rescue me in my vehicular distress, and he never complains about being interrupted or bothered. And he's not mean when my accidents cost us our whole savings.
Me:
1. Apparently I've forgotten how to drive this winter. My next post will be about today's frustrating incident, but I also got a speeding ticket (which I hadn't had for several years).
2. I am definitely not called to be in the healthcare field. I am totally grossed out by puke (even my own kids'), and I tend to think grown-ups are being whiny when they express their discomfort. I need to be more compassionate, for sure!
3. I have a very bad habit of staying up too late, which I have had most of my life, but I can't seem to break it. I am thinking of setting a timer for myself to go off at a certain time. When it goes off, I need to stop what I'm doing and go to bed. We'll see how that works. :)
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