Big Boy Birthday

Michael and Sam had their birthday and Michael has declared that he is now a big boy.  He wanted to go for a bike ride around the neighborhood without me and go out to the ice cream store to find a girlfriend because now he is a big boy.  We've had to set a few things straight and help him set some realistic expectations.  He is so excited to be another year older!  They are growing up and we're having to look into a lot of elementary school options, including home schooling with some other families in the ward, because of the district, and well, the state, we're in.  We're entering two lotteries for charter schools and if those don't work out, we'll just see what we do.

The day started with Lucky Charms for breakfast, one of their presents.  They opened their gifts and played with them all day long: a play-doh set with spaghetti maker and Cars 2 molds, a microscope, and some Finn McMissile boats that convert from cars to hydro-cars to submarines.  They are pretty cool. 

 We didn't have any plans that day so we were just home.  We decorated our pre-made gingerbread house and got a lot of happy birthday calls from family.  Thank you!

 I was a little busy making these cakes AND cupcakes for the party the next day.  We've had the same flavors the last couple of years at least.  Chocolate with chocolate icing and yellow with vanilla icing.  Then peppermint and cookie dough ice cream.  Stomach ache anyone?  Of course that was after their favorite dinner of tacos.   This was my first attempt at decorating them so forgive my crooked line on Sam's.  Michael ate off all of the green stars in a circle on his cake with a spoon while we got out the ice cream and plates. 

 The next day we were scheduled to host preschool with a lesson on the life of the Savior straight from the Gospel Art Kit and then we went straight into our Candyland birthday party!  Seven four year olds and me.  Well, I guess I should say 5 four year olds and 2 five year olds!  It was one action-packed party!

We played the Candy Land DVD games of Simon Says and a cake walk and watched some Candy Land music videos.  I know, who knew.  We borrowed it from a friend and it was an instant party.

 Michael was so cute about making sure all of his friends were invited.  This boy does another preschool at home group but his mom let him come to ours for the day and he was a great addition to our party. 

 Michael was really feeling the love that day and Sam, although it doesn't show in this picture, was so excited and so happy.  There's a long video of the kids playing the cake walk game and they're all so sweet and fun.

 After that, we moved on to the Candy Land board game.  I had to keep things moving with seven players.  We went in a circle around the table, drawing a card when they were near me.  Whenever they passed a candy square or illustration on the board they got to eat that candy.

 Here's the loot:  candy canes, gingerbread men cookies, licorice, Raisinettes, gum drops, gum balls, lollipops, and peanut shaped cookies.  Oh my!  I may even be missing one.  They were so anxious to get each thing. 

 We moved into the kitchen for cheese pizza, carrots and ranch dip and milk.  Such fun conversations with this group. 

 
Here's the birthday song, followed by Michael dressed up, unintentionally, as Zorro, filled to the brim with Christmas cheer and excitement one night early this month. 

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

And Anna was at a friends' house during the birthday party.  Thankfully!  Here she's showing off her new pigtails.  She continues to light up our lives with her happiness, love, spunk, and fun-loving personality.  

 

At the stake musical fireside a couple of weeks ago we had a special treat.  The Tongan ward sang the Halleluiah Chorus from the Messiah a Capella.  It was so moving.  They sang it in their own language.  It was so powerful.  It was a huge choir with loud voices, full of gratitude and conviction and I told Michael, who was sitting on my lap, that Jesus is the Savior of the entire world - no matter where you live or what language you speak.  When the song ended there was silence, except for Anna who sang out loudly "Halleluiah!"  right on key.   Apparently she had started singing it during the song but I couldn't hear her until the choir stopped.  The people around us all turned to look at her and I've been singing it with her ever since.  These are the kind of things that should get their own posts, but time is a precious commodity around here so I lump them all together.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Backyard Shenanigans

 I spend a lot of time looking out my back window into the yard.  When I'm lucky, Sam and Michael are outside playing and I get to watch.  Backyard Shenanigans.  Rain or shine they like to go out there and have adventures.  I lost the picture where Michael is lying "dead" in the grass.  They were playing "The Worst War Ever."  When I asked, Michael said, "All the good guys die."  Should I be worried? 

 I would love to know what they're talking about.  Anna gets into it sometimes but is usually chasing them around trying to keep up.  We've started taking turns each day of the week with who's day it is.  If it's your day then you get to pick what make believe we do, what we watch on t.v., what book we read at story time.  It's basically a free ticket to boss everyone else around.  Anna will have to have her days too I suppose.  It's solved the problems of bossiness and jealously a little bit.  I cannot be two make-believe characters at the same time, you see, so this has cut down on the schizophrenia, well, at least the pretend kind. . . They are sadly outgrowing make believe a little bit. Sam hasn't asked me to play "The King's Pancake" with him for a couple of months.  I should ask him if he remembers what it is. Basically he puts on his king costume from last Halloween and eats pancakes.  Then he goes off to fight an invisible enemy with his foam sword and comes back to tell me, the queen, all about his battle.  It is also known as "The Queen's Pancake." 

 We did most of our cookie baking last week and I had some great helpers.  We didn't even eat too many, yet, and had fun dancing around to Christmas music while we baked.  I read Anna books on the floor while we watched the cookies bake.  It's magic.  We had some little friends over last week and started dancing in the kitchen when some fun music came on.  They thought we were insane.  I don't think they dance at their house. 

 That picture makes me a little bit sad because that bunny, Lady, has been missing for a week.  It is Anna's number one security item and she even does the sign language for bunny while she says "Wady."  We've been looking everywhere and haven't seen her.  It's not looking good for Lady.

 

We put the bunk beds together.  There is so much more room to play in their bedroom now.  We moved most of their toys up there but it's like they don't realize they're there.  They never play with them.  Maybe they're just ready to move on to some new birthday and Christmas toys.  They'll be five next week and I am dying at how fast they're growing.  Sam's up to the bottom of my rib cage now.  The rib cage his head bent when I was pregnant with them.  It's very sentimental, that left rib cage. 

At our Relief Society service exchange I won a photo shoot from a friend.  She was so generous.  She took an hour out of her Saturday to take pictures of these wiggle worms and then edited them up into these beautiful shots, all for free.  No one would hold still so I was thankful for her fast camera!  

Check out those eyes!

 Michael said he was like the country mouse and Sam was dressed like the city mouse.  It was unintentional, but true.  Michael loves his cowboy boots and that was the only shirt of his that fit into this color scheme.  Sam cracked me up being shy for the camera.  He never is at home! 

And sweet baby girl was having too much fun running around most of the time to get a good shot, be we love her and those kissable cheeks and tiny pony tail!

 

"Let go!"

 

And here's the Christmas card.

 Those are the best ones and there is a goofy face in each one, but that's my life these days.  Nothing is perfect but things are getting done and there are plenty of kisses and hugs and stories in my life with those goofy faces.

I am so happy she tilted that and lopped off the bulky part of me, leaving the smiling part.  Thanks, Katrina!

My boys. 

 Here is my favorite part.  I asked the boys to kiss me and what a surprise I got!  A total kissing marathon from Michael.  My little snuggle bear.  Can he stay four a little longer?  I have really enjoyed age four. 

 It was like an old "Big Red" commercial. "So kiss a little longer . . ." 

I ate it up and I'll eat up these pictures forever!

Thanksgiving was mediocre.  We did it.  I am grateful and happy but without family it was a little flat.  And the dark meat of the turkey was underdone.  The mashed potatoes were dry.  The stuffing was wet.  Fortunately, that's all I made.  Someone else brought amazing green beans, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin CHEESECAKE.  I ate three slices in two days.  Good thing it only comes once a year.

We're moving on to Christmas and oh how excited we are around here!  It's like Michael and Sam don't remember it.  I asked them what they want and they could only tell me two things each that they've recently seen at the stores.  They don't know what toys exist out there and I'm glad.  They'll be so excited to get the few things they want.

Last Sunday we put up the tree.  They couldn't stop bursting into "Oh, Christmas Tree Oh, Christmas Tree!  How lovely are your branchees."  We're deep into rhyming and tree rhymes with branchee.  It's all logical with Michael.

Next up, birthdays and Lucia, ward Christmas party, singing at the stake Christmas night.  Hopefully lots of fun after lots of preparation.  Now go rest your eyes after skimming this long post!

Lucia Buns

Because Lucia Day comes at a busy time of year around here and it's only six weeks away.  

 Wish you were here to share!

Somebody Pinch Me!

 Life is good.  Life is sweet.  Life is full of those moments that take my breath away.  I knew this year was going to be great.  Anna is taking one nap and we are out and about.  My ankle is better and my other health issues are improving, except that now I have a little limp but I think that may have been causing some of the other pain I'm resolving now.  I am able to DO things.  I have energy and I am accomplishing things and IT FEELS GOOD!

This baby!  Oh my goodness!  If you could hear her sing to me at bedtime "Mommy, mommy, mommy."  You would faint.  You would cry.  You would stay in there for twenty minutes in the rocking chair before the sound of utter chaos in the next room pulled you off of your seat and you reluctantly put the joyous bundle in God's hands for the night.

 Anna is the most easy-going, happy, fun-loving baby.  She dances, she sings, she growls and giggles while her toy dinosaur pummels another toy. 

 

Then these two clowns.  Exasperating and exhilarating.   Double the pleasure, double the fun.  They understand reason, even if they don't always follow it.  They are learning to read and still love snuggling on my lap for over an hour, if I let them, reading books while Anna is asleep.  Sometimes it's Aesop's Fables, sometimes it's fairy tales, sometimes it's "Facts You Didn't Know About the American Revolution", sometimes it's National Geographic about space, the ocean, or dinosaurs, or sometimes it's the Mount Vernon tour guide book!  They are soaking things up and filling up my heart.

 Halloween is about the costumes.  The candy and scary houses I can do without, but look at that smiling baby lamb!  I think mothers invented it just to see their kids look even cuter than usual.

 Josh went to about four doors with us before declaring his dislike of all things Halloween and going home to put Anna to bed.  Anna didn't cooperate and stayed up for a Nestle Crunch bar which gave her reflux the rest of the night.  Lesson learned!

 

At the ward trunk-or-treat.  I wish you could hear her say "Baa-baa."

  

Our new friend.  God sent us a new friend.  He live around the corner and adores Michael and Sam.  He has a little sister Anna's age but he prefers to be playing over here or have my boys, often one at a time, at his house.  It's fun to have one boy to myself and let them have turns being a one-on-one friend.

 Anna like coming to my dance classes with me.  She's not allowed at the first grade class because they fawn over her, but at the middle school class she walks around and twirls, tries to reach the barre, and tries to plie.  I showed her how to bourree  in a circle and she's working on that. 

 My classes are going well.  I told you they're in a garage, so her's a girl doing some turns yesterday at our parent's observation.  We try to read a ballet book halfway through class to give them a rest and to give us some fun ideas.  Last time we were swans.  Next week it's on to the Nutcracker.  I come home seriously high with endorphins and I can't stop dancing!  No better way to get from here to there!  I hope I never get injured again because this is who I am!  An aging, out of shape, gotta' move dancer!

 And preschool is great.  Here's almost all of the group at our place a few weeks ago.  They're having a lot of fun together and learning too!  Oceans, leaves, feelings, evaporation, rhyming, seeds.  It's fun.

 And back to Anna.  She can turn a frown upside down with one flash of that smile. 

 We love you Anna Banana!

I'm so grateful I'm not dreaming! 

Apple Hill

I guess I'm getting old because I am so confused by the changes to the way I post my pictures so that I can't move them into the correct order for my narrative!  Also, I got a hand-me-down iPhone and it's easy to use, but it won't sync with my computer.  Projects for another day . . .


Last month we took a preschool field trip to pick apples and make our own apple pies.  It was following a lesson on seeds and apples.  Here are some pictures, out of order.

Sam with his completed apple pie.

Some of the kids hoping we would finally let them eat their pies.  We had to wait an hour while they cooked.  During that hour we looked at Imus.  I don't know why they have them at the apple farm, but it made for something interesting to look at while we waited!

All tired out in their orange shirts so I could easily spot them in the apple orchard!  Anna wouldn't stay in the stroller but these two were ready for a break!

 

Anna wanted to pick some apples of her own and got herself covered in dust.  She was a good sport to stay busy while the big kids make their pies.

Here's Michael making his own apple pie.  I think it had one apple in it and about 4 cups of sugar and cinnamon.

The apple haul.  They got to pick them off the trees themselves but they were small and unripe Golden Delicious apples.  I guess we should have come back another time to get a  big bushel of ripe ones but it was an hour's drive and the apples were cheaper at my grocery store!  At least the kids got to see where apples come from.   

Here's Sam using the apple peeler before making his pie.  The women working there were sweet and walked them through the whole process.  

I keep forgetting to take pictures of my dance classes.  They are so busy that I can't stop to take a picture.  Maybe next time.  It's a lot of fun, though.  Last week I read them the story of "Swan Lake."  Then we danced to some of the music from that ballet and pretended to be swans.  I was amazed how excited they were to do our regular exercises once I had disguised them as something a swan would do.  Teaching young children seems to hard for me because I'm not a creative thinker but I am learning what they like to do and how to motivate them to cooperate.  They have learned so much in the last seven weeks.  They're incorporating a lot of what I've taught them into their free-time dance at the end of the lessons and it's so fun to see them understand something and enjoy doing it.   We're learning a dance to the theme song from "Tangled" that they're going to show their moms in a couple of weeks.  They can't wait to show off what they've learned to their moms!  It should be a fun day.

Now, on to Halloween!

Back in Business

Life just hit the gas pedal at my house. Instead of playing at home and thinking of reasons to get out of the house we are suddenly out of the house Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I've spent so much of the last year sitting nursing Anna or recovering from some illness or injury that I am in shock - and so are the kids.

This summer I worked out a preschool co-op with five friends from the ward. We are each taking turns teaching in our own homes Tuesdays and Thursdays. I planned the curriculum taking lesson plans from a few different preschool books. A friend who has been homeschooling her kids for a few years added a nice way to teach math concepts using the calendar and we are in business. Michael went to school in his pajamas yesterday. "Hurry" is not in his vocabulary. He doesn't like leaving home for any reason and resents the lost playtime but he does enjoy being at school, a huge improvement over last year's anxiety each time he had to go to school.

Mondays and Fridays I am teaching dance classes in a friend's garage! It actually looks pretty cute. She has a carpet, mirrors and a barre. Mondays' class is ballet for six year olds. It is exhausting but fun. At the end of class I gave the girls a chance to get up and do some "freestyle" ballet one at a time. Half of them did. Then I got up and did a few things I didn't know I could still do! I haven't had that much SPACE to DANCE in since we moved here. Their naive jaws dropped and they thought I was a great dancer. They all stood up and danced and twirled around until their moms came to pick them up. That's what I want them to get out of this - the joy of dance. I have to have dinner going in the crockpot because we get home at 5:30 on Mondays but it went well this week.

Fridays is a ballet/jazz split hour of dance for 10 & 11 year olds. They are easier to teach and I don't have to help them pay attention. They are all trading me free babysitting for their lessons! The trouble is that they're so young it has to be daytime babysitting and I don't really need that. With preschool and dance I am suddenly savoring being at home trying to give equal attention to everyone. I'll have to think about how they can help me. Some of the other mothers are watching Sam, Michael, and Anna in their homes while I teach.

I am also the new ward nursery leader. I have lost all of the other three workers and am begging for substitutes until some get called. We had twenty kids there last Sunday and I came away exhausted. Josh leaves home after breakfast and I get everyone ready for church, keep them all within arms reach during sacrament meeting, then go off to nursery for two hours. When I get home it's dinner time and I'm scrambling. I'm trying to get make ahead meals for Sundays too. Two busy days in a row is hard but we'll see how it goes next week.

All of this leaves Wednesdays. Blessed Wednesdays at home. I want to get my housework done other days so I can spend this one having fun with the kids. It's a big change from sitting on the couch waiting for something to heal and I love it.

I have promised that all dance proceeds will go to food storage so I don't have a pit in my stomach every time someone says "Food Storage" or "Hyper-inflation." I've only committed to teach through mid-December so we'll see whether anyone wants to continue after that.

Wish me luck and all of us good health as I try to become organized and efficient overnight . . .

Pictures to come.

Pretty as a Picture

My Anna is getting so big! She's walking, going down to one nap, saying lots of words including Mama, Mom, and Mommy which she pronounces momMEE! She loves reading books and always does baby sign language for more when I stop reading to her.

She is definitely our little princess.




But she has some sass too. She knows what she wants and what is hers and she doesn't like it when other people try to take it.

She fits in around here as far as dressing up goes.
And loves to hold and pat her baby.

Michael and Sam adore her as demonstrated by the fact that they let her play with Monkey and Moe. They comfort her when she cries and like to make her laugh however they can. Anna is also good at giving hugs when one of the boys is sad.

She likes to play basketball and will no doubt play along with the boys games as soon as she can.

And by the way, I made that Batcave. It took me an hour and every ounce of patience I posess. I may even have created some new patience in the process. I've discovered I hate doing puzzles and this is like a 3D puzzle, with missing pieces.