streams of thought

I brought the kids to frozen yogurt on a pretend warm and sunny day.  The best part of the trip?  When T downed all of his yogurt, W shared some of hers with him since he didn't have any left. 

On Saturday morning J and I got a kick out of a conversation between W and T.  W came running out to me crying saying "I told T I DON'T want to marry him because he is being mean and I don't like it!  I don't want to marry such a mean brother"  T responds to her telling me " Well, W, I'm not going to marry you either and you will have to live far away from me and by yourself!"  My mom says we all talked about getting married when we were little, usually to family members.  It is really funny to listen to because they are both pretty mad at each other and all of it is very true.  Who wants to marry a mean brother anyway?  And they will probably live very far away from each other.

We went to a Jewish history display at the city park.  I saw it advertised in the paper and thought it would be fun to check it out.  The lady there tried teaching T and W a few words in Yiddish.  W tried to teach her a few words in Spanish.  I don't think either one of them absorbed the other one's teaching.  But I was surprised W made the connection of what the lady was trying to teach.  The lady taught her "small" and W taught her small in Spanish.  T took apart all the Hebrew letters out of the foam block things that teach the alphabet.  E pushed his stroller around and laughed a bunch.  We didn't stay long.

W pointed to my license plate and asked "Is this Mt Rainier?"  Yes, W.  Yes it is.  It sounds funny to hear such concepts and words come out in a high pitched voice.

E loves to be with his siblings, prefereably doing what they do.  He loves brushing his teeth.  He always opens his mouth and laughs hysterically when I brush his teeth.  He has ticklish teeth.  He laughs at throwing Papa's crutches around.  He laughs when he pushes the chairs around the house. 

He also continues to slime blankets.  One day W was crying and upset because E had made her blanket "soggy" and her "cloak" would no longer "perform magic".

"Look Mom!  We made a sleeping bag for us!"  This is the IKEA chair pad unzipped in the back.  They call the stuffing "soft cheese" It kind of is the color of soft cheese....

E feeling his fuzzy blanket.  He always sucks his fingers when he is touching something soft

W pointed out to me that her pjs and E's were "matching" because they were bears and strips

Apparently that is really funny

W brought all of her soft blankets to E in the kitchen to help him feel better.  He was sad Mommy wasn't holding him while making dinner

T and W played worm sisters.  The pink blanket was rolled up and her owl blanket was pink worm's sister.   They were having their worms go to the doctor for their check up.  The owl blanket was supposed to go pick up the pink worm for

E helping with chores

W thinking it is funny that she can have the backpack on her

E feeling around in the picnic dinner bag for more food.  The day we had FHE early

Who doesn't love this baby??!  Nobody doesn't love this baby!

T had laid out all the sea class in matching colors on his leg

One of J's favorite pics he has taken of E.  E posing for his Papa

W making designs with the purple and white sea glass

A currently common sight around here.  E chewing on something

Singing happy bday to Papa.  They are red bean dumplings, J's choice.  T asked if it was cake.  E just kept chewing.  Meow Meow was excited too

Writing skills.  The first day that I could read T tracing his name.  His teacher helped with hand placement and he can trace quite nicely

W and T placed their cards on the wall themselves

W decided Papa likes green.  Didn't know

A snuggle papa pic just for E!

Wall of engines.  T figured out how to stack the engines three high

I came back from taking W to her girls only party.  T took care of papa and decorated the house while we were gone.  One example of decoration the house with ribbon

More decorative ribbon

The tower T created to cheer papa up.  The tower of engines is within the tower.  T also got Papa the paper from outside after he rolled up the blinds for him and saw it out on the driveway

More decorative ribbon

her check up.  They unrolled the blanket and saw everything was strong and healthy, so they rolled them back up.  T informed me the ligaments were fine.  They were strong and healthy so they didn't need to be worked on.

life is good

T loves jokes.  He picks out the Olivia and the missing toy as the bedtime book often because it makes me laugh with him when we get to the Whoosee gaga part.

We got new books at the library.  One of them is cat in the hat comes back.  There is a part in there that talks about how the cat is eating cake in the tub like a pig.  This past week I heard T randomly tell Papa that he didn't want Papa "eating cake like a pig".  I honestly hadn't thought of that rhyme as part of every day life, but T did.  At it was soooo funny.  I guess he will be the master of inside jokes, especially one liners and quotes from movies.  Sigh.  At least my roommates from college gave me plenty of practice with that and preparation.

Here is another quote/inside joke from a book.  T told me "I only want Spanish books tonight, mom.  No English books". This is also something from the book Olivia and the missing toy, except she only wanted books about cats, not dogs.  Pretty clever. 

There is a book we borrowed that I didn't preview closely enough.  It is very clever in it's jokes, but it set up to read like a comic book.  I don't like that style too much because it takes a really long time to read and the sentences are usually not complete and involve a lot of grunting noise or action sounds to go with it.  Which is probably why T likes it so much, but he seems to get that it is a funny book.  He loves reading it because it is funny.  Hmph.

T is getting better with his booster.  He can finally fasten himself in again.  He calls it "toilet paper!"  Toilet paper is when he pulls the seat belt out almost it's complete length.  It does look a bit like toilet paper. 

T also amazes me with how much he loves Thomas.  We got him a sticker book full of Thomas stickers.  Only a few are pulled out.  They are not pulled out because he wants to save them so he can just look at them all.  He loves to spend lots of time looking at all the Thomas character stickers and their names so he can learn them.  Only trouble is most of them are not labeled.  Now what?

I forgot to mention T's response to E's first haircut.  When I picked up E the next morning I said "You look like a big kid now, not a baby!"  T was there.  He asked in a very animated voice "Mom!  Does that mean he can walk now?!"

T was being very cute the other morning with E.  E loves opening and closing things and playing peekaboo at the moment.  T was behind the bathroom door while E closed and open the door to find and hide his brother.  They were both laughing and playing together for a few minutes.

Here are some things that E thinks are absolutely hysterical in his current phase of life.  Pulling out all the toilet paper off the rolls.  Although, this is only secondary and occurs because what he really likes is ripping it off the roll. The sound of tearing is fascinating to him. 

He also likes popping noises or some sudden movements.  I was holding the plastic pokey ball we have in my mouth and he was pulling it out of my mouth.  I was biting one of the plastic small strings.  When he pulled it out, it was kind of like a rubber band snapping against the plastic part of the ball.  The snapping sound is really funny.  Kind of like suddenly pulling off socks.  I can do it to him or his sister can suddenly pull off her socks and that is funny, too.

He understands echos.  We went in a public bathroom and he was yelling "Aah!" just to hear his echo.  He also had a great time testing out his echo during conference.  I like to take the kids and me to the church to watch conference in the morning sessions.  It helps us all focus a little bit better.  But not this time.  I had to leave because the conference was turned up only so you could hear it with no one talking.  But E was yelling in short bursts because he was so amused with how loud he could hear his echo with hardly anyone there. It was really distracting, especially since he was the only little kid there, so we listened in the foyer.  But then T was upset and wanted to go in because he thought he was in trouble.....  Sigh.  That idea was a bust.  We didn't go back the next morning.

E really likes running water.  So does T.  But E stands in the tub and holds on with both hands trying to shake it really hard.  Like that is going to turn on the water.  I think he is going to pull the handle out of the wall.  He yells really loud too, because obviously that is going to get it all to turn on.

E loves soft things like W. He was standing at the side of his crib and discovered he could reach through the bars and touch his blanket.  So he immediately put his hand in left hand in and sucked his fingers on his right.  Feeling his sheets like W does.

This week they have been playing with the "weasel".  For some reason T hasn't paid attention to the correct pronunciation of easel and calls it the weasel.  It sounds funny.  It must be funny enough or he just can't hear it right because even W has stopped correcting T. 

Thursday I was trying to get W to do her morning chores at a fast pace.  She does things well, but likes to do it her way and her time.  She told me she doesn't want me brushing her teeth anymore.  Maybe.  When she can make enough money to pay her dental bills.  Anyway, I was trying to motivate her to get moving a bit faster.  Milli was coming to play that day, so I said that meow meow (hello kitty) wanted W to make her bed and cover her up before Milli came to chop her up.  T thought that was sooooo funny!  So I heard him repeating "before Milli chops you up" about a lot of things.  Good thing he didn't say it when Emi was here. I think she would have felt bad.

I don't know who started this.  Could be either T or W.  They started putting Papa's "crunches on sale".  They hang them on a knob we have on the wall to turn on a heater.  Because the crutch is on the wall, it's on sale.

T noticed another person at church today with their crutches.  He was also very excited to tell Milli about how Papa has crutches.  Milli responded by pointing to her shirt and saying she has a shirt with a bow and a flower AND a jewel on it.  It must be Milli's favorite outfit.  I see her wearing it about half the time I see her.

T wanted me to put a battery in the cuckoo clock we have in the playroom.  I didn't tell J or W, but they both noticed that night.  W said "the points are moving and the bird is dancing and the pine cone is ticking!"

One thing that made me laugh and cringe at the same time was at bath time.  W couldn't remember which underwear on the floor were her dirty ones or her clean ones to put on after bath.  I couldn't remember either, so I asked her which ones she wore that day.  She very carefully picked up one and opened them up and took a deep whiff right where she should to check.  She guessed wrong on the first ones and made this face, but in a very matter of fact and even voice said "these ones are the dirty ones.  They don't smell like laundry" and put the other ones on.  I laughed pretty hard.  I didn't teach her that.  Maybe Papa did, but she knew just what to do and didn't seem bothered.

But today was sunny.  W was very excited to pick out a play dress and put on flip flops  We all were!

A little cold walking around the tulip fields

A fish on a dish!

Trees they made from their light sabers

Look!  Woofy is in a boot just like this woofy!

One of the first times W sat down to write letters on her own.

E and W

"Henry" in designated parking spot.  "Fiery" has a parking spot with his name below it on the other side of the driveway so "they don't bother each other"

It wasn't really warm enough to play in the water.  Burritos on the porch

T made a "backyard" for me in the living room.  There was a beach towel for meow meow woofy and pez

T at tulip festival

Who doesn't love this??!!

E was hard to capture looking at the camera. He had been stuck in his car seat too long and was trying to crawl to check out the flowers.  He probably wanted to eat them.  Must have been a deer in his previous life

first day at the beach for the season.  They tried putting their dumps in the water, but it was really cold water.  They were a little sad about that

T looking at container ship and listening to it's horn

E!

W found a "nest" in the grass

The other bird in the nest

our pick of tulips

friends!

E's first hair cute

T making "a pile of bubbles" for E

T just being cute by blowing bubbles

W drew a fishing hook with lots of pink fish on it for me.  The part nearest them is the map of how to get to the fish I caught on my line

E after his haircut.  There are no during hair cut pics because he was crying and trying to get away from the clippers so I had to hold him the whole time

more sleeping baby pics.  Grandma! I LOVE my snuggle blanket

T put Pez in the cup

Why do they all love getting in the dishwasher?

I'm amazed this pic is even remotely good.  I took it through the screen on the top of the tent while having my flashlight pointing down to light it up.  Asleep (finally) in their tent in the basement

E the day before his first haircut

Cute little toes!

Eating lunch while waiting for Papa to get done with surgery.  In between bites they were checking the color of the board

T finding all the things on sale in the grocery ads.  He found bratwurst and asparagus on sale.  Look mom!  It's on sale

E had his first hair cut.  It was traumatic.  He screamed the whole time.  The only way he calmed down was to get in the bath after.  It looked so nice to me the night it was done.  But in the morning I had a twinge of sadness because my baby was a baby no longer.  He looks like a boy, even if that was my intent.  All the girl babies his age and him look the same except he isn't wearing pink.  His hair was way over the ears, so it had to be done.  But it was so sad for me this time!  I think it was a good 1.5 inches we cut off.  My last baby!

W and I also had our hair cut.  I guess it looked ok to T that night.  But in the the morning he was a little shocked by the shortness.  He woke up and the first thing out of his sleepy mouth was "You don't look like a mommy to me.  You look like Mckinley."  Mckinley is one of his friends. She has short hair.  I guess it looks like mine.

We checked out the Olivia books.  The kids love them.  I read them about 3-5 times a day.  T is starting to quote it.  Their favorite quote is when Olivia asks her baby brother where her toy is and he says "Whooshe gaga"  They run around saying that and laughing at each other.  The other thing from that book was incorporated into speech.  I took them to Target and parked a mile away and the other side of the mall on purpose.  I wanted to walk some energy out of T.  But the last bit to the car W said to me "I'm bored of walking.  I'm exhausted from walking".  Olivia uses that word.  When she is too exhausted to wait any longer for her soccer shirt to be done.

T likes to say "that's odd" instead of that's weird. Sigh.  I hope he is one of the bigger kids in his grade. He might have to defend himself sometimes if he keeps up his choice of words.

T keeps referring to J and his knee as having been worked on.  It still makes me laugh.  He also is so helpful to papa.  They played "papa in the chair" while he was at work this week.  This meant they would run and get his blanket and put up the foot rest for each other.  They did that over and over.  T also would run and get the blanket for J as soon as he saw his truck pull up into the driveway every night this week.

Apparently Grant has made dancing a cool thing.  This week T was glad to go to dancing and got his dancing shirt on.  It's his dancing shirt because the logo has a stage on it.  Get it? T also got his dancing clothes on when we got home from there.  It is the navy blue tu tu, different from the pink on that is W's.  Because obviously boys have blue tu tus.

A vehicle pulled up in our court and unloaded a trailer this week.  T and W watched fascinated.  They didn't move, just blinked as they watched the trailer hitch being unhooked. Wow!  A hitch in action!!

J keeps saying how he needs to play sports with T.  The last time he said this was when our neighbor kids invited T to ride on their mini four wheeler around the yard.  T said no thank you.  I was kind of glad because it was a 6 year old driving.  I think even T knew this wasn't the best idea.  I've never seen them flip it, but really!  No thanks.  These kids also invite him to play hockey or lacrosse and he has thus far declined every time.  But apparently J has been focused on the wrong kid.  W asked me Monday to play baseball and soccer with her.  She told me to throw the ball at the bat and made contact a couple of times.  Then told me I wasn't doing it right the times she missed hitting the ball because "you didn't throw it at the bat!".

We got out sidewalk chalk this week.  T drew a track the size of our driveway.  They both drew flat tires.  On one of the tires W even drew the nail sticking out of the flat tire just like Papa's flat tire.  I wonder when they are going to stop noticing missing hub caps and calling them flat tires.  T even pointed out mismatched hub caps.  It's either that or trailer hitches as topic of finds while driving. 

E isn't staying baby long enough for me.  He has 8 teeth already, loves to feed himself finger foods, is doing mobility on stability training while standing to start walking, wears 18 month size clothes and size 4 diapers, and hates bottles and sippy cups alike.  I basically make him puree soups to get enough fluid in him.  Thank heavens he loves to snuggle and let mommy kiss him still.

T is finally heavy enough for a booster.  Hallelujah!!  We used it in the car on the way home from the store when we bought it.  Cheapest car seat I've bought yet.  So easy to get in and out.  Poor W.  So petite.  She won't be in one until age 8 if it is just based on weight at this rate.  At least she doesn't look ridiculous in the carseat yet.  But T is so big now! 

Another way I know they are getting big is this: "Mom!  leave the room!  I'm in my underwear!"  A far cry from them running through the house naked after bath.  They don't particularly like that E loves to crawl naked through the house after bath.  He crawls turbo speed when he does that and laughs in glee.  I tell them they used to like to run naked.  They inform me they must not have been "showing respect to their bodies" then.  It is kind of nice, though, that bathroom doors get shut and I don't have to cue them on modesty every time.  That also means they leave me alone in the bathroom.  Another 4 years and maybe I'll have my privacy back.

We went to an art store.  I was looking for the art display that was supposed to be set up in the mall, but didn't find it, so we went to the art store.  We talked about different mediums and paintings and such.  W was enthralled as expected, but T liked it fairly well, too.  He participated along with W but also was our timer and said "It's time to get out of here now" when he was done.

I set up a 2 man tent downstairs.  We were reading about King Benjamin and how all the families were in their tents to listen to him talk about Jesus Christ.  So we got ready for conference weekend by setting up the tent.  I told them if they left the tent in the same place as where I set it up, they could sleep in it Saturday night.  Wow.  Apparently we need to take them camping.  That was the fastest they have gotten ready for bed.  I think ever. Even a movie hasn't motivated them that well.  They had the toys picked up, baths taken, teeth brushed and flossed, books read, songs sung, prayers said all in 40 minutes.  Baby E also had his bath in between their baths.  Then they kicked mommy out of the downstairs area and talked in their tent.  Not even a stuffed animal was missed.  I was surprised.  They fell asleep around 8:50 pm.  Lots earlier than I thought they would.

This week we did a trade of babysitting.  I was watching Jake and Luke and later all my kids went to Jake and Luke's house.  Luke is 2 1/2.  While he was here he amazed me.  He could play duck duck goose and sneaky snacky squirrel with only minimal help.  He also looked me in the eye and asked me in a conversational tone "Have you seen Frozen?"  I couldn't help but laugh because the last person to ask me that was a 14 year old girl.  I didn't think a 2 year old boy would ask such a thing.  Apparently he liked it.  So his family let us borrow it since apparently we are deprived.  Just add it to the list, kids.

But I had soooo much fun playing duck duck goose with all the kids while Jake and Luke were here.  They all played together for about a half an hour.  There was pure delight in T's eyes especially during this game.  They just loved chasing each other, especially T chasing any other kid.

That same day W and I played beads together.  This means she fills up the entire string with beads.  T joined in a bit.  W told me she likes beads because they are small.  Good.  That is exactly the reason we got them for her.

I hope my husband always has work.  He is developing quite a love for good food in these kids.  We made sushi the other night.  T loved the tuna.  He calles it fish.  The other day I was just asking out loud "What should we have for dinners this week big kids?"  And T said "fish!"  He really likes tuna.  I told J and of course, since he continues to spoil our children excessively, he went and got T some more tuna.  I tell you what.  May my hubby always have work.  T was commenting on how Papa needed to get him fish (tuna), shrimp for W and crab for mommy.  He noticed what we all ate and preferred and ordered it for us.

T usually covers his eyes at scary parts of movies.  He covers his eyes when Thomas looks like he is going to fall of the tracks.  Stuff like that.  But he didn't cover his eyes for a single part of the movie Frozen and there were no nightmare screams that night, either.  I thought for sure the ice bad guy would scare them.  Nope.  T was laughing.  I think he was just watching Olaf.  The part of the movie I loved best was when Olaf sneezed and his carrot nose went right in the reindeer's mouth.  My hubby and I both laughed at that part. 

When Jake and Luke were here, E had a blast.   Luke is 2.  E loves playing with Luke and Luke loves playing with E.  I think they must have been friends in their previous life because they both suck their third and fourth fingers.  I know of very few kids that do that.  And they are such good playmates already.  Luke is just a bit bigger.  No problem.  E thinks he can already do everything Luke can do and Luke thinks he can do everything his siblings can do.  They are both the youngest.  Should work out well with them.

T had a blast with the measuring tape.  For some reason it was on J's desk and T asked if he could play with it.  What could happen?  T played with it a good hour.  He measured everything in the house.  Ceiling heights, lengths of beds, length of everyone's feet and faces, the list goes on and on.  It did remind me of how diligent T has been in measuring rain fall day after day.  He loves measuring it and then going out to water the daffodils a bit more with the collected water.

W was in our bathroom after J had left and started this conversation.  "That Papa!  He left his towel all wonky.  I like to arrange things.  Papa needs to put his towel flat so it can dry.  That Papa!"  I got a good laugh out of the "I like to arrange things".  Boy does she ever.  And for that reason my whale is always facing backward because that's how she likes it.

The video is them rolling down a hill.  T got going so fast one time he stood up to walk and fell over because he was dizzy.