THE PUMPKIN

The Pumpkin is 1 month old and her gentle personality has found its place in our family.

We all que to hold her teeny body and bestow our kisses on her cheeks. 

When she does wake up and look in our eyes we resist breaking her intense gaze.

She keeps to herself at night, but during the day she employs her cuteness so we can't resist cuddling her.

The Pearl has no jealousy or animosity and only complete motherly adoration for her little sister.  She sings to her long songs of nonsense.  If The Pumpkin cries out The Pearl rushes to her side and hushes, "It's OK, it's OK.  I'm here.  I'm here."  

The Pixie has summoned up her inner mama.  She burps, feeds, swaddles and "jumps" (bounces) The Pumpkin with ease.  She talks about how she would HATE being an only child; it would be "so lonely and boring".  She talks about being a mommy someday (a complete turnabout from 18 months ago).

The Pirate is besotted.  He loves when The Pumpkin is sleeping up against him.  He sighs at her sleepy sighs.  He giggles and coos at her little feet.

The Princess loves her newest little sister.  She has never resented being the oldest and takes everything in with patience and humor.

They are all so comfortable with The Pumpkin's needs that if she fusses they will, without thinking , pick her up and bounce her.  If she flails they will, without a break in conversation, swaddle her.  If she's grunting they will prop her on their shoulder until she burps. 

The Pumpkin is an eager member of their club.  At 6:20 in the morning she hears them stirring and forces herself awake to join their fray.  She is full of animation if The Pearl comes within orbit.  She watches all their movements and calmly listens to their din . . . waiting, I'm sure for the day she can join in the fun.

FESTIVAL OF TREES 2014

Last week we went to Mary Bridges Fetival of Trees with DeeDee and her kids.

There in one corner was the famous Elsa. Or a variation of her, at least in my eyes. But not in the eyes of The Pearl who gazed in wonder at the reality of a heroine. 

I am infused with joy at my children's ability to suspend reason and responsibility and fully experience their world with curiosity, excitement and imagination. 

Festival of Trees 2014

11 KINGDOMS

FLASHBACK 

'cause I finally got around to uploading my pictures from the camera

11 Kingdoms

11 Kingdoms is a game the older three invented and play between themselves

It's a similar style to Dungeons and Dragons. 

They own several notebooks full of over 200 characters the kids have created. 

They have a few maps they've drawn as references, but they know their land so well they don't have to look at the maps.

Typically The Princess is the game master who creates the scenarios and instead of rolling dice the players choose numbers between 1 and 10. 

 (Ahhhh...summer.)

Some other time I'll tell you about the other make believe game they play, Powers.

CHRISTMAS TREATS

We made cocoa caramels.

Some of had a hard time waiting for the finished product.

WAY BACK LAST MONTH

Remembering a whole month ago - when it wasn't freezing and wintery outside.

I LOVE COCOA

My 3 year old was examining her wound that had temporarily scarred a lighter color than her cocoa skin.  She said to me, "I am turning cream."

You are?!

"Yes."

But I like your cocoa.  I will be sad if you turn cream.

"I am going to tuhn cream when I am five.  And you can't cry or be sad."

But I really like your cocoa.  Why do you want to be cream?

"Uh...to be like The Princess."

But your cocoa is pretty on you, and The Princess's cream is pretty on her.

"Mom I am telling you dis.  I am not telling Dad or the Princess or The Pixie.  I am going to turn cream when I am five."

Then we spent five minutes looking online at photos of cream mommies and their cocoa babies.

She thought that was a hoot. 

AND THEN SHE WAS BORN

Do I have time to write up her birth story?

Does anyone even want to read it?

I'll write it up for her journal since I'm feeling less than verbose at the moment.

(And too, I'm not sure how long this interlude of peace will last with which I'm wasting time on the computer.)

The Pumpkin's pictures.

AND THEN THEY TURNED 9

It was a cupcake war birthday party.

DES CHUTES 2014

The awesome Bowkers take us (Mr. Right, The Princess and me) white water rafting every year.  This year Grand Dame Bowker was particularly protective of me, for obvious reasons.

Frankly, the special treatment made it particularly fun.  I didn't have to lift a finger while camping in the 100 degree heat and when we hit white water, people were throwing themselves all over me to protect my belly.  

I was like a shrine and good luck token all in one.  All hail me.

It was quite a sight I'm sure.

Here is just a skimming of the pictures taken.

P.S.  I've been accused of making my posts a tad narcissistic. 

Ha, ha, ha . . . of course I do.

PAYSON LAKE

Other than Instagram these are the only pictures I took while in Utah.

Seriously.  Lame.

EMPTY THREATS

The Princess, "Mom,  mom, mom. " ('Cause she always repeats it three times.)  "I just had my first, actual argument with The Pearl."

What happened?

The Princess: 

The Pearl got out a game and scattered the pieces all over the family room.

I told her to clean it up when she was done and she flat out refused and told me to clean it up.

I said, "No, you have to clean it up," but she ignored me and started getting out a new game.  I told her, "Hey.  You need to clean up this mess first."

She said, "No."

I said, "OK I'll tell mom."

She said, "No, I'LL tell mom."

"What, that I didn't clean up your mess?"

Then The Pearl stormed out of the room. 

She came back in two minutes later and I said, "You still need to clean up this mess."     

And she did.

HEAT WAVE

They were all, "Yeah!  We're finished packing for Utah, and it's hot outside and the coolest-Dad-in-the-world just bought a slip and slide.  Yeah!!"

And then they played in the water.

WHERE WE LEARN WHY I AM OCD ABOUT LOCKING THE BATHROOM DOOR

The Pearl rattled the bathroom door and asked, "Who's in there?"

Dad is in there.

"What's he doing?"

He's taking a shower.  Keep it closed.

"I just want to check."

Uh...

"AHHHHHH!!!!!, what are you DOING?!!!!!  CLOSE THE DOOR!"


(He he he he he he he.  I almost took a picture.   He he he he he.)

A LOT OF WORK FOR A LITTLE PAY OFF

for the REALLY big moment

 

DIRTY LENS: HOW TWINS PLAY

"OUR" BABY

I can always see the older bugs personalities in how they respond to the announcement of another sibling.

When we told them over dinner, three years ago, that "tomorrow" we'd be getting a baby from the hospital, they responded as such:

The realist Princess, "This is going to be so much work."
The logical Pirate, "Where will we put it?"
The Pixie, after a 5 minute delay, "Did somebody say we are going to get a new baby?"

A few months ago we told them I was pregnant.  Their responses were true to form:

The Princess went into planning overdrive.
The Pirate though we were joking.
The Pixie nodded her head, then five minutes later, "Did somebody say mom was going to have a baby?"
The Pearl was oblivious.

The Pearl did overhear a lot of references and reached her own conclusion; we would be getting a baby and it would be acquired at the store.

She thought the baby toys we were being given back (ha ha joke's on us), were for her when she turns "back to one".

She thought the baby would be one of her nursery friends.  

Then we went in for THE ultrasound.

The Pearl watched the lengthy process.  It dawned on her where the baby was located: and it wasn't at the store.  She wanted to know how it would get out, and if I would "pop".

She watched the images on the screen carefully.  Later I heard her explaining each image printout to her siblings.  She's really smart.

Like any toddler she'll have to adjust to not being the center of my world.  Blessedly though, she lives to feel useful.

If you even mutter the word "help" she's all over it.   All my two feet high walls and cupboards are a clean proof of her willingness to serve.

***pause***

My train of thought was interupted by the aforementioned toddler blowing a tantrum.  She was told to play by herself.  She REALLY doesn't want to.

As a side note - it is getting increasingly difficult to physically manage carrying a writhing, screeching maniac to time out.  Just saying.

 

ADVENTURE: CHELAN

Eventually, over the next few days, I'll add our phone pictures to the album.

RAIN OR SHINE

 

 The Pearl covered her head with her Nee Nee and said, "Pretend this is my umbrella."

Then she bumped into the bed.

And the wall.

And the dresser.

"Pretend this is NOT my umbrella."

2 FROM THE PEARL

The Pearl came into my room asking me to stand up.

When I did she said, "Can you hug me?"

How could I not?

I knelt on the floor and we hugged.  After a squish she started sniffing my hair.

"What's do I smell?" She asked.  She sniffed my hair again, "What do I smell?"

I don't know, I admitted honestly.

"I smell...I smell...I smell chocolate!  And I LOVE chocolate! Yum, yum, yum."  And she pretended to noisily devour me.

The Pearl and I were sitting across from each other on the couch.

I noticed her digging for gold then drop her findings to the floor.

Oh, Pearl, if you need to get something out of your nose let's put it in a kleenex and in the trash from now on.

"Why?"

Because its gross to put it on the floor.

"Why?"

Because people do not want to step on it.

"Oh.  OK.  But...I did not put it on the floor."

Where did you put it?

She gave me a sneaky smile then said, "I put it right...here..." and she pointed to the edge of the table: where she'd wiped it.

NO STORY

 

Sometimes having a little person living in a big person's world just makes me laugh.

COURTESY OF OUR DAILY MONSOON

Solo has a collar attached to a bunch of bells.
Not to protect the birdies he sneaks up on, but to warn the vicious racoons he's lurking their way.  Hopefully they won't be surprised and attack him.

Around 5am I usually yank his collar off.
It's like a reindeer invasion while I'm trying to sleep.

Yesterday...

MOMMY'S VERSION:
This morning The Princess opened the back door to water her plants and Solo made a run for it - without the collar.

The Princess caught him in time and asked The Pixie to lock Solo in the bathroom while she finished going in and out with water.

The Pixie did (and this is important) NOT  lock the cat in the bathroom.

Instead she tried to hold him.

Consequently she got scratched on the neck and came sobbing to me.

I asked what happened.  She said...

THE PIXIES VERSION:
Pixie: Solo scratched me!
Mommy:  Oh no!  How did that happen?
Pixie:  The Princess left the door open and made me grab Solo.  And I don't know why she had to have the door open, she is always...
Mommy:  Nobody needs to get blamed.  It's just something that happened.  Did you lock Solo in the bathroom like...
Pixie:  NO!  Why should I have to?  The Princess is so...
Mommy:  This has nothing to do with The Princess.
Pixie:  (Big sniff)  I'm going to talk to Daddy.

Daddy:  What happened?
Pixie: Solo scratched me!
Daddy:  Oh no!  How did that happen?
Pixie:  The Princess left the door open and made me grab Solo.  And I don't know why she had to have the door open, she is always...
Daddy:  Nobody needs to get blamed.  It's just something that happened
Pixie:  But THE PRINCESS...
Daddy:  This has nothing to do with The Princess.
Pixie:  (Big huff and storm off)  You both are USELESS!!!

THE BIG ISLAND

11 days on the Big Island with Uncle Jonathon.

Jump to see the camera pictures.

Instagram has the rest.

PUMP IT UP

 

Totally great gift for kids old and young (Mr. Right played with it the most).

Animal Balloons (pump sold separately).

BACK IN JANUARY

SNOW SNOW SNOW

WEIRD

BALLOON IS A FUN WORD

You want one don't you?

Balloon belt I mean.

CONVERSATION

CONVERSATION 1.16.14 #1,521
09:53

Twins!  You keep hurting each other and causing "accidents" because you are getting crazy.

Twins:  No we're not.

Fine, next "accident", both of you have to vacuum a room.

09:58

(CRASH)

Pixie: I'm telling mom!!!  Mom, the Pirate hurt my . . .

And now both of you are vacuuming a room.

The Pixie:  . . . but it didn't bother me at all.

AND THEN SHE TURNED 11

They were able to visit Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, then take Potions, Transfiguration, and Spells and Charms at Hogswart.

Jump to the album.

BOOOOOOR-ING

Dinnertime

The Pirate, "Mom, I'm really, really dizzy."

Like, the room spinning dizzy or you feel weak dizzy?

The Pirate, "What?"

I mean, there are different kinds of . . .

The Pirate, "Uhhggg.  Never mind.  This is so boring I don't even want to talk about it anymore."