While outside playing today, Hannah found a plastic tube from one of her toys. She proceeded to use it as a microphone and deliver a speech. She lowered her voice and projected. I was really holding in the giggles as I watched her play the part.
Her speech follows:
"Marcy is a dog. Daphne is a cat. My car is a hippo. Grace is a baby. And I am just Huckabee. You can clap now."
And then she turned and expected me to clap and cheer for her, and to her utter delight, Grace joined in with the clapping, too.
I found it so cute that months later, she still thinks about Huckabee and pretends to be him. Obviously watching him speak a couple times had some sort of impact on her memories. What a girl!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Broccoli Saga Part II
As if I needed any further convincing, Hannah has continued to prove to me that she's crazy where broccoli is concerned. Perhaps I ought to try some frozen broccoli so I can understand what the fuss is about.
Last night as I stood by the stove cooking Chicken Alfredo, Hannah says to me "Can I have some frozen broccoli in a bowl, Mommy?" Secretly surprised, I quickly stifled any reaction. I let her think that it was a privilege, inwardly exalting that she's eating a vegetable!! I fill up her bowl and continue cooking.
A few moments later I hear Grace crying (which almost always means that she's fighting with Hannah over something she wants or something Hannah has taken). I ask Hannah was is going on, and sure enough, they are fighting over the bowl of broccoli. I ask Hannah if she can share, and she reluctantly does. Grace is a little less enthusiastic than Hannah, but even still she continued to protest if Hannah wouldn't let her have a piece.
The weirdest part? Hannah came to me about ten minutes later and asked me if she could have some new broccoli because the stuff in her bowl had become yucky. Upon examination, I realized that it had had not become "yucky" it had just become thawed. So broccoli itself? Not so much. But throw it in the freezer and you have a winner. Go figure!
Here is some proof. These were not taken last night, but on a prior frozen broccoli binge:
Caught in the act of snitching.
Mouths full of frozen broccoli!
Showing off a handful of the "good stuff"
Last night as I stood by the stove cooking Chicken Alfredo, Hannah says to me "Can I have some frozen broccoli in a bowl, Mommy?" Secretly surprised, I quickly stifled any reaction. I let her think that it was a privilege, inwardly exalting that she's eating a vegetable!! I fill up her bowl and continue cooking.
A few moments later I hear Grace crying (which almost always means that she's fighting with Hannah over something she wants or something Hannah has taken). I ask Hannah was is going on, and sure enough, they are fighting over the bowl of broccoli. I ask Hannah if she can share, and she reluctantly does. Grace is a little less enthusiastic than Hannah, but even still she continued to protest if Hannah wouldn't let her have a piece.
The weirdest part? Hannah came to me about ten minutes later and asked me if she could have some new broccoli because the stuff in her bowl had become yucky. Upon examination, I realized that it had had not become "yucky" it had just become thawed. So broccoli itself? Not so much. But throw it in the freezer and you have a winner. Go figure!
Here is some proof. These were not taken last night, but on a prior frozen broccoli binge:
Caught in the act of snitching.
Mouths full of frozen broccoli!
Showing off a handful of the "good stuff"Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Fair Fighting
This is my 3 year old's new word. Where did it come from? Not a clue. In fact I'd never even heard her say it before last night.
In the tub last night while Hannah was getting her hair washed, Grace's finger somehow poked into Hannah's mouth. It didn't take long for that itty bitty finger to get bit, and what followed was chaos. Grace screaming with shock and pain, Daddy furious that Hannah had done such a thing, Hannah shocked that one little nibble had created such mayhem, and Mommy sitting back in bewilderment...wondering which one to calm down first!
After Daddy had rescued Grace and had taken her off to ready her for bed, Mommy probes Hannah for some answers. "Why did you bite Grace?" Without hesitation came the reply "But I was just trying to fair fight." Come again? After she repeated it several times I came to the conclusion that she did indeed mean what she was saying. I didn't hear wrong. But what is fair fight? I asked her to show me. She reaches up and tickles me! It is then that I begin to wonder if "fair fight" is equated to "play fight" in her head.
Daddy play fights with his girls quite a bit. It always consists of lots of tickling, some tossing of little bodies in the air, and plenty of wrestling and chasing. Since I don't think Hannah has ever been bit, I don't think (at least I hope) that she didn't know it would hurt Grace, but instead was trying to start some sort of play.
Either way, this morning I set Grace down on the couch and Hannah joined her there. Before too long they were chasing each other across the couch, stopping to tickle each other and laughing hysterically. And the whole time Hannah is yelling "Fair fight! We're Fair fighting!" Goofs!
In the tub last night while Hannah was getting her hair washed, Grace's finger somehow poked into Hannah's mouth. It didn't take long for that itty bitty finger to get bit, and what followed was chaos. Grace screaming with shock and pain, Daddy furious that Hannah had done such a thing, Hannah shocked that one little nibble had created such mayhem, and Mommy sitting back in bewilderment...wondering which one to calm down first!
After Daddy had rescued Grace and had taken her off to ready her for bed, Mommy probes Hannah for some answers. "Why did you bite Grace?" Without hesitation came the reply "But I was just trying to fair fight." Come again? After she repeated it several times I came to the conclusion that she did indeed mean what she was saying. I didn't hear wrong. But what is fair fight? I asked her to show me. She reaches up and tickles me! It is then that I begin to wonder if "fair fight" is equated to "play fight" in her head.
Daddy play fights with his girls quite a bit. It always consists of lots of tickling, some tossing of little bodies in the air, and plenty of wrestling and chasing. Since I don't think Hannah has ever been bit, I don't think (at least I hope) that she didn't know it would hurt Grace, but instead was trying to start some sort of play.
Either way, this morning I set Grace down on the couch and Hannah joined her there. Before too long they were chasing each other across the couch, stopping to tickle each other and laughing hysterically. And the whole time Hannah is yelling "Fair fight! We're Fair fighting!" Goofs!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tagged
My friend Allison "tagged" me to answer these questions. I've been so terrible at blogging, but I figured I'd ought to at least do it!
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmm...10 years ago I was finishing up my sophomore year of high school. I was 16, had just gotten my driver's license. I doubt anything fun or exciting was going on...it was high school!
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
Well, the IL's are heading home and so I will be busy reclaiming my home.
1. Laundry!
2. Fold Laundry (yes, I know this could technically fall under the "laundry" chore, but I have so much piled up it will probably take enough time to count as an actual separate chore)
3. Sweep and mop my kitchen and dining room since it has so many people tramping through, and it has been rainy.
4. Reacquaint myself with my girls. So often when we have company for more than a day I feel as if I don't get to spend much quality time with the girls, I just get the mundane stuff (diaper changes, baths, bedtime, discipline) and so I need to spend some time just being with them.
5. Vacuum...same story as #3. A lot of people...lot of shoes...lot of traffic. Needs a good clean!
3) Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate! Although that seems too decadent to be a "snack". I like low-fat kettle corn, cheese popcorn, baked pretzels, and apples if they are tart and crunchy.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off all our debt
Buy a new house
Adopt our African babies
Support Missionaries
Donate to Christian organizations (especially LLBC!)
5) Places I have lived:
Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmm...10 years ago I was finishing up my sophomore year of high school. I was 16, had just gotten my driver's license. I doubt anything fun or exciting was going on...it was high school!
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
Well, the IL's are heading home and so I will be busy reclaiming my home.
1. Laundry!
2. Fold Laundry (yes, I know this could technically fall under the "laundry" chore, but I have so much piled up it will probably take enough time to count as an actual separate chore)
3. Sweep and mop my kitchen and dining room since it has so many people tramping through, and it has been rainy.
4. Reacquaint myself with my girls. So often when we have company for more than a day I feel as if I don't get to spend much quality time with the girls, I just get the mundane stuff (diaper changes, baths, bedtime, discipline) and so I need to spend some time just being with them.
5. Vacuum...same story as #3. A lot of people...lot of shoes...lot of traffic. Needs a good clean!
3) Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate! Although that seems too decadent to be a "snack". I like low-fat kettle corn, cheese popcorn, baked pretzels, and apples if they are tart and crunchy.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off all our debt
Buy a new house
Adopt our African babies
Support Missionaries
Donate to Christian organizations (especially LLBC!)
5) Places I have lived:
Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania
Friday, April 25, 2008
Suggestions Requested
Behold, our home:
This is an outdated picture, taken before we even moved in. We've changed very little on the outside, really, except that the second-story door is now a window. Anyway, we are hoping to move within the next year and so don't really want to undertake another large project. BUT we want to get rid of the second-story railing on the front porch.
We had considered actually removing the whole thing and replacing the porch, but since we are hoping to move soon we aren't motivated to put that much work into it. We are concentrating on small fixes/improvements around the house. So it needs to be simple, and cheap...
We want to remove the railing, but leave the roof intact. Any suggestions?
This is an outdated picture, taken before we even moved in. We've changed very little on the outside, really, except that the second-story door is now a window. Anyway, we are hoping to move within the next year and so don't really want to undertake another large project. BUT we want to get rid of the second-story railing on the front porch.
We had considered actually removing the whole thing and replacing the porch, but since we are hoping to move soon we aren't motivated to put that much work into it. We are concentrating on small fixes/improvements around the house. So it needs to be simple, and cheap...
We want to remove the railing, but leave the roof intact. Any suggestions?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Why We'll Never Be On Time
I've pretty much given up on being punctual. I'm usually content with a "little bit late" versus "a lot late". Before Grace was born I could do all right, but ever since the second child entered the picture...it is an uphill battle.
For your enlightenment, our morning:
I woke up a little late, but still well within the "can still make it" time frame. Grace woke up while I was fumbling with my drawers trying to get my clothes out (they never open quiet when you want them to) and so I got her and headed downstairs. I had laid out her clothes the night before, so she was all set to go (see I am attempting to be supermom!). I got her into her clothes, threw some breakfast on her tray, and headed up to get Hannah. She was groggy and disoriented (so moving very slowly) and kept shaking her head as if to clear her mind (never a good sign!) I dug out her clothes with her clinging to my side (see, I'm only half supermom) and managed to drag her down the stairs. Once I got her situated (she opted to eat in her jammies), I rushed off to get myself ready.
Finally I'm ready and the kids are done eating.I clean up Grace and send her off to play. I still have enough time to eat, so I hand Hannah her clothes and go to get myself breakfast (I don't always get this, so I'm happy when I have time!) A few moments later Hannah comes in with her shirt backward so I inform her and she attempts to flip it. Now it is off and inside out, and so I have to fix it for her before she finally gets it on straight. Eric calls and talking to him reminds me that the van is out of gas. There goes being on time! Now I know that I'll be a little late because I wasn't anticipating having to stop for gas, but I'm hoping with some fast-eating I can avoid being "a lot late".
I send Hannah to hunt for her shoes while I finish eating. After I'm done I go off to find Grace and get her shoes on. I know as soon as I locate her that I'm going to have to change her diaper before we leave. Unexpected delay, but we're still okay. I put her shoes on and head off to the changing table only to realize that her poop has leaked through her pants! So now I have to go locate a new pair of pants, take off her shoes, change her diaper, put her new pants on, and then her shoes all over again. I throw her coat on at this point just to save having to find and catch her again later and go to see if Hannah has located her shoes yet.
Nope...of course not. She has found one shoe and when I ask her if she can go "find the other one" she announces that "she already found the other one!" holding her one shoe up high. "No Hannah, the other shoe." She looks at me seriously. "I have the other shoe." I'm losing patience at this point. "Hannah, you need two shoes and you clearly only have one. You need to find the other one." There is no comprehension on that little face, so I head off to find the other shoe myself. I find it and get it put on and then have to battle Hannah to brush her hair. Sometimes I don't know why I bother because her hair is so fine that it looks just as messy five minutes later. But I feel that I ought to at least attempt for her hair to look neat.
Finally, she's all ready (or so I hope!) so I tell Hannah to hurry and go potty before we leave. As I watch her walk away I realize that the front of her pants is in the back...so I have to take her shoes off and switch her pants back around, then put the shoes back on once again.
I tote everyone out to the van and get them buckled in only to realize that all the chaos inside caused me to forget my keys...so I have to rush back in and get them. I'm beginning to realize that I will be more than a "little late". I will definitely be "a lot late", IF I make it at all.
I finally back out of the driveway and look at the fuel gauge to decide if I can make it to church without filling up...It is on empty, the warning light is on, and with my luck we would run out of gas on the highway and have to be towed...and that would be after the walk I would have to take with the kids to get the nearest phone since I don't have a cell. I decide considering the morning I was having, it was safest to stop now and just be "tons late".
The rest of my trip was uneventful. I got to church a mere 15 minutes late. Considering, I thought that was pretty great. Since I had long since given up on being on time I took my time getting the kids out of the van and felt pretty over the whole situation. And then I hear a little voice that says "Mommy, I stepped in a puddle" as we walked across the grass. I knew that there weren't any big puddles and so I wasn't too worried. "Just watch where you are walking, okay, Hannah?" I tell her. And what does she say in reply? "Oh Mommy, just calm down."
And that about sums it up.
For your enlightenment, our morning:
I woke up a little late, but still well within the "can still make it" time frame. Grace woke up while I was fumbling with my drawers trying to get my clothes out (they never open quiet when you want them to) and so I got her and headed downstairs. I had laid out her clothes the night before, so she was all set to go (see I am attempting to be supermom!). I got her into her clothes, threw some breakfast on her tray, and headed up to get Hannah. She was groggy and disoriented (so moving very slowly) and kept shaking her head as if to clear her mind (never a good sign!) I dug out her clothes with her clinging to my side (see, I'm only half supermom) and managed to drag her down the stairs. Once I got her situated (she opted to eat in her jammies), I rushed off to get myself ready.
Finally I'm ready and the kids are done eating.I clean up Grace and send her off to play. I still have enough time to eat, so I hand Hannah her clothes and go to get myself breakfast (I don't always get this, so I'm happy when I have time!) A few moments later Hannah comes in with her shirt backward so I inform her and she attempts to flip it. Now it is off and inside out, and so I have to fix it for her before she finally gets it on straight. Eric calls and talking to him reminds me that the van is out of gas. There goes being on time! Now I know that I'll be a little late because I wasn't anticipating having to stop for gas, but I'm hoping with some fast-eating I can avoid being "a lot late".
I send Hannah to hunt for her shoes while I finish eating. After I'm done I go off to find Grace and get her shoes on. I know as soon as I locate her that I'm going to have to change her diaper before we leave. Unexpected delay, but we're still okay. I put her shoes on and head off to the changing table only to realize that her poop has leaked through her pants! So now I have to go locate a new pair of pants, take off her shoes, change her diaper, put her new pants on, and then her shoes all over again. I throw her coat on at this point just to save having to find and catch her again later and go to see if Hannah has located her shoes yet.
Nope...of course not. She has found one shoe and when I ask her if she can go "find the other one" she announces that "she already found the other one!" holding her one shoe up high. "No Hannah, the other shoe." She looks at me seriously. "I have the other shoe." I'm losing patience at this point. "Hannah, you need two shoes and you clearly only have one. You need to find the other one." There is no comprehension on that little face, so I head off to find the other shoe myself. I find it and get it put on and then have to battle Hannah to brush her hair. Sometimes I don't know why I bother because her hair is so fine that it looks just as messy five minutes later. But I feel that I ought to at least attempt for her hair to look neat.
Finally, she's all ready (or so I hope!) so I tell Hannah to hurry and go potty before we leave. As I watch her walk away I realize that the front of her pants is in the back...so I have to take her shoes off and switch her pants back around, then put the shoes back on once again.
I tote everyone out to the van and get them buckled in only to realize that all the chaos inside caused me to forget my keys...so I have to rush back in and get them. I'm beginning to realize that I will be more than a "little late". I will definitely be "a lot late", IF I make it at all.
I finally back out of the driveway and look at the fuel gauge to decide if I can make it to church without filling up...It is on empty, the warning light is on, and with my luck we would run out of gas on the highway and have to be towed...and that would be after the walk I would have to take with the kids to get the nearest phone since I don't have a cell. I decide considering the morning I was having, it was safest to stop now and just be "tons late".
The rest of my trip was uneventful. I got to church a mere 15 minutes late. Considering, I thought that was pretty great. Since I had long since given up on being on time I took my time getting the kids out of the van and felt pretty over the whole situation. And then I hear a little voice that says "Mommy, I stepped in a puddle" as we walked across the grass. I knew that there weren't any big puddles and so I wasn't too worried. "Just watch where you are walking, okay, Hannah?" I tell her. And what does she say in reply? "Oh Mommy, just calm down."
And that about sums it up.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Stomach Woes
I had almost dared hope that we had made it. The winter months had gone by and no one in our family had gotten more than a sniffle. It was almost the end of March...surely I could take a breath and relax. My kids weren't going to get sick.
And then unexpectedly on Good Friday Grace woke up vomiting. I did not expect my first parental experience with the stomach flu to be with my one year old! It was actually fairly mild...involving two hours of us sitting in the rocking chair holding her over a bucket rather than allowing her to go back to bed where we'd be returning every ten minutes to change sheets...finally after a couple hours she just started to scream and made it quite obvious that she was ready to go back to bed. And she made it through the rest of the night without much activity.
Saturday came and went and no one was sick, so we dared to believe we had dodged the bullet. And then came Easter Sunday...and not one of us came out unscathed. Unfortunately, since we thought we'd gotten by without catching it, we decided to visit my parents for Easter. So we spread the love...and the germs.
So here we are a week later and I think we're finally over it...it seemed to mysteriously linger in Hannah and show up randomly throughout the rest of the week. But even that has settled now, so fingers crossed...we're over it.
I have to say I'm disappointed. I was anticipating Easter this year. I really wanted to really take time to reflect on Jesus' sacrifice. And it was a little difficult to do with the circumstances going on. I guess I don't need Easter to reflect on that, but it is somehow easier to do on that day.
To make matters worse, during the week that followed it was incredibly hard to get back into doing my Bible study, and just returning to the habits that I had formed. I hope I can get back into the groove this week...
The only bummer about being better is that now I have no excuse for the mess my house is in. I've finally (mostly) caught up with laundry, but not the folding...but my floors need mopped and I have no good excuse...oh wait...I think I feel a fever coming on... ;-)
And then unexpectedly on Good Friday Grace woke up vomiting. I did not expect my first parental experience with the stomach flu to be with my one year old! It was actually fairly mild...involving two hours of us sitting in the rocking chair holding her over a bucket rather than allowing her to go back to bed where we'd be returning every ten minutes to change sheets...finally after a couple hours she just started to scream and made it quite obvious that she was ready to go back to bed. And she made it through the rest of the night without much activity.
Saturday came and went and no one was sick, so we dared to believe we had dodged the bullet. And then came Easter Sunday...and not one of us came out unscathed. Unfortunately, since we thought we'd gotten by without catching it, we decided to visit my parents for Easter. So we spread the love...and the germs.
So here we are a week later and I think we're finally over it...it seemed to mysteriously linger in Hannah and show up randomly throughout the rest of the week. But even that has settled now, so fingers crossed...we're over it.
I have to say I'm disappointed. I was anticipating Easter this year. I really wanted to really take time to reflect on Jesus' sacrifice. And it was a little difficult to do with the circumstances going on. I guess I don't need Easter to reflect on that, but it is somehow easier to do on that day.
To make matters worse, during the week that followed it was incredibly hard to get back into doing my Bible study, and just returning to the habits that I had formed. I hope I can get back into the groove this week...
The only bummer about being better is that now I have no excuse for the mess my house is in. I've finally (mostly) caught up with laundry, but not the folding...but my floors need mopped and I have no good excuse...oh wait...I think I feel a fever coming on... ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)