Uh-oh, you're in for it now

I have succesfully figured out this video linking thing, so I apologize in advance. It's been awhile since the PA grandparents have seen any videos of their only grandchildren. Too bad their son didn't marry someone who could manage to mail them a dvd every once in a while, sheesh! So, here are a few videos:

This one is from our beach trip in May - Josh and Lesey the first time they realized they could "swim" in the ocean. Before this, they were just jumping and splashing. Granted, they a had to revert to dog-paddling, but hey, the waves were pretty decent.



This one starts out fuzzy and odd for some reason (can't imagine why considering the mad skills of the camera-operator), but then it's Ethan lying (laying?) in the surf. He was a bit timid about getting out into the water - this trip was in May, and he mastered swimming in a pool toward the end of June. He's super cute, though. :)



And, lastly, here's Lauren jumping in the holes the boys dug. Since she could not have been less interested in the water, this is the best I could get.

Lauren's tribute to American Idol

This is my first attempt to post a video. It's from about a month ago. Lauren was playing around with my guitar, so I decided to get the video camera out. About a minute or so into it, she randomly began singing about David Cook! Yes, we watch American Idol and are not ashamed to admit it. (Btw, please ignore the disasterous bedroom in which she is being filmed. If I could somehow edit out the mess that was in the boys' room that day, I would. *Head hung in shame*)

Thankful Friday

Why, you may ask, would I have a picture of a cell phone on my Thankful Friday list? Because it has been missing for three days! Now, I'm a reasonable and rational person, and I am fully aware of the fact that I got along just fine for multiple decades without a cell phone. Indeed, those who came before me got along just fine without phones of any sort for centuries. Nevertheless, I need my cell phone. And, I am BEYOND thankful that I found it. Where? Under my bed. Before today, I thought the last time I remembered seeing it was when I was talking to my dear friend Alison in my car on Tuesday. Today, however, I had a sudden and euphoric revelation, a vision you might say, of my delightful daughter sitting on my bed playing with the camera feature on my phone the other day. (And, no, she did not have permission to do this, but when has that ever stopped her?) Remembering this, I began pulling off sheets and blankets and finally, on my hands and knees, I found it . . . the holy grail. Okay, not quite, but it sure does feel like it.



Lauren got her first haircut this week. Yes, she has hair. Not rich, full, flowing locks like some girls her age have, but hair. The boys were getting haircuts and she kept asking if it was her turn yet. I asked the girl who cuts theirs whether she thought trimming it from time to time might help it thicken up. Sensing the opportunity to lighten me of 5 more dollars, she of course, said, "absolutely!" So, Lauren got her haircut. I have no picture of it, nor did I save a lock of the hair that was cut. Being the remarkably un-sentimental person that I am, it did not even occur to do this with either of the boys, so I figure I won't rub salt in the wound of having a thoughtless mom by suddenly becoming thoughtful and sentimental over Lauren's milestones. I'm smart and thoughtful that way . . . and maybe they'll spend ever so slightly less on therapy in years to come.

Other things I'm thankful for today:

• Finding inexpensive tickets for our trip to PA next week so all of us will get to go.
• That David has several job options possibly opening doors for us to move to PA soon. Am I thankful for that? Not exactly, but I am thankful that, against all odds, God has given me peace about it, and it is nice not to be a walking ball of anxiety and fear.
• A hymn we sung in church last week, "O, God Beyond All Praising," which has a stanza that says this: "And, whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill, we'll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still." That really spoke to me this week.
• The chocolate trinity milkshakes the kids and I made this afternoon . . . mmm, mmm.
• Lauren's face after eating a chocolate milkshake

Our first lost tooth!

Check out this guy:



I put the boys to bed around 8:30 tonight, and around 9:15 Josh came into my room and said, "Mommy, it feels like something's wrong with my tooth." I looked, and it was twisted around backward and hanging almost upside down. I showed him in the mirror, and he was giddy with excitement. I tried pulling it but could barely even get to his bottom teeth because he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of his tooth coming out. Finally, daddy came along and got it out in one swift yank. No blood, no tears . . . a perfect first baby tooth extraction. After calling Aunt Nae, Gaga, and Granddad (sorry, you weren't home, Grandma) and running around the house like he'd won a million dollar lottery, he finally went back to bed. He said he may not be able to sleep because he's too excited about the tooth fairy. I said, "Well, if she comes and you're awake, she may have to leave because she only buys lost teeth from children who are asleep." He said, "Mommy, you're the tooth fairy, and you can just pretend I'm asleep." Smart kid.

The race is on

I love the Olympics. I decided to let the boys stay up and watch a little bit of the track & field and swimming trials tonight. I told Josh that the 1500 meter was about to start and that the men would run around the track 4 times. He said, "Like this?" and ran a lap around our living room. I said that no, he would have to run around our living room about 100 times to be a mile. So, of course, being Joshua, he HAD to become what he was watching, so from the moment the starting gun went off, he started running laps around the living room and continued to run the entire 3 minutes and 49 seconds that the race lasted. (Can you believe people can run that quickly?) He said, "Did I win? Do I get to go to the Olympics?!" and when I told him yes, he ran his victory lap:






On our way home from mom's house tonight, we found this little guy on the railroad track. We pointed him out, but the kids couldn't see him from their seats. To their great surprise and delight, I got out and picked him up and brought him to the van for them to see. To their even greater shock and delight, I put him in an empty laundry basket I had in the van so we could bring him home. (Well, I put him in it so we could bring him home; the laundry basket wasn't in the van so we could bring him home - sometimes I have trouble correctly placing my modifiers. And, sometimes I'm anal about noting it - mea culpa.)









And, having nothing to do with anything else, but just because she's too cute for words, here's Lauren before church this morning:

Thankful Friday

So, Ethan is four now. Of course, that means he's on to new and bigger and better things than when he was a mere three year old. This afternoon, he decided he could swing with no hands.



I'll give you two guesses who saw him and thought she could do it, too:



Ethan and Lauren are having a nice afternoon together while Josh is playing at Gaga's house. We played several games of Disney Bingo (on dvd - great game!) and countless rounds of Vehicle Matching Game. During the first game, I showed Lauren where the match was for the police car she had turned over, and I explained to Ethan that this was Lauren's first time playing, and being only 2, she needed a little help. Every game after that, Ethan would purposely "miss" a match or two (and if you know Ethan, you know he NEVER misses a match - kid has a memory like an elephant) and then help Lauren find them during her turn. Talk about a proud mommy.

Poor Josh got stung by a wasp this morning. He is such a tough kid - he didn't even cry! Later this afternoon, I asked Ethan if he was proud of how Josh reacted when that bee stung him, and Ethan said, "I don't want to tell you." I said, "Oh, because I know I was really proud of him just like I'm proud of you when you act like such a big boy." Ethan said, "Okay, I'll tell you. I was proud." :)

So, my thankful list is not exactly a bullet-point list this week but more a rambling of things that make me smile today.

A few nights ago I was getting Lauren ready for bed, and she asked where her grandma was. I said that she was in Pennsylvania. Lauren left the room and came back in with the phone in her hand and said, "I want to talk to Pennsylvania!" So, of course, we called Grandma who was happy to hear from Lauren, who is always happy to oblige a few song requests. ("Bicycle Built for Two" anyone?)

Joshua

I decided this afternoon to clean out the kids' dressers because I was tired of the boys stuffing, cramming, and crumpling their drawers full of enough items to clothe a small country while, of course, wearing the same three outfits every day. Josh, being flesh of my flesh, began waxing nostalgic for clothes he hadn't worn in quite some time. He was eyeing his fleece sweatpants (I had gotten down the winter clothes basket to put away the last few long-sleeved items I had kept in the drawer in case it dropped below 90 degrees sometime past March) and said, "Mom, I miss these pants. I love them!" I explained that he would not need them again until winter, so there was no need to take up space in the dresser with them right now. Here's the conversation that followed:

Joshua: I wish it was always summer, winter, Christmas . . . or October 10th.
Me: You wish every day was one of those?
J: Yes, because then I would get a present or at least get to wear my favorite clothes every day . . . but I wish it would never, ever be Sunday.
Me: Why?
J: So I wouldn't have to go to church. I don't like church.
Me: I think when you're a little older you'll understand more why we go and you'll like it more. Besides, you have a good time there, anyway.
Josh: Well, when I grow up I'm not going to church . . . [long pause], but I bet the woman I marry will beg me and beg me to go.

I don't know where he gets this stuff. Honestly.

By the way, he's sound asleep right now . . . in his gray fleece sweatpants.

Ethan's birthday party

Ethan's 4th birthday party went off without a hitch on Saturday. He had all of his cousins there plus a few friends, and he had a GREAT time. The cake had a small accident on the way to the car, but thankfully, it was not harmed terribly. Still tasted heavenly, and that's all that matters, right? I have to admit, after all the hard work I put into decorating it, I was a little bit sad to see it devoured so quickly!

Here's the birthday boy showing off his rapidly-developing swimming and jumping skills:





And, because Joshua HATES to be left out of pictures:



Blythe getting a little boost from dad:



Grant's pool hairdo:



What my parents' pool looks like every Saturday and Sunday afternoon:



The new bike:



Ethan and his cake, smiling dutifully for mom:



Ethan making the expression he wanted to make before mom said, "JUST smile, please" (because I'm sure you all believe that's how politely I always talk to my kids.)



Singing "Happy Birthday:"



Priceless expression when he saw his voice-altering Optimus Prime helmet:



More great loot:



And, of course, a Transformers pinata:

Transformers cake and a Slip-n-Slide

I was going to note that you should be impressed by two posts in one day, but when I uploaded these pics just now, I discovered it's actually Saturday. It's 1:13 am, and here is what I have been doing for the past 3 hours:



For those of you without 4 and 5 year old boys, that is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots (the good Transformers) . . . or at least it's the best likeness I, whose artistic skills are already surpassed by my 5 year old, can create. I'm no Martha Stewart, but Ethan will like it. I decided to take a picture of it tonight because, if you look closely, you can see where the two cakes are sort of sloped toward each other in the middle. In the event that it collapses on itself, I wanted evidence of what it looked like before I went to bed! It's become my tradition to bake my kids' birthday cakes while they're awake (so they can "help"), but then to decorate them after they go to bed. Makes it fun to "reveal" it when they get up in the morning.

Since I'm on the computer at this ungoldy hour anyway, here are the promised pictures from the slip-n-slide this afternoon. We just bought it (for $7) yesterday, and they LOVE it. For days when we can't make it to mom's for the pool, it will suffice. Of course, Lauren wasn't interested in actually getting on the slippery part, but she did like playing with the water and even let her face get pretty wet.

Thankful Friday

Not sure how I went almost a whole week without posting. Sorry about that! You'll see why below. I'll start my thankful list with pics:



We had an awesome vbs week at church. Though exhausted, my kids loved, loved, loved it. Josh, Ethan, and Lese were all in different classes, which I think really helped them come out of their shells a bit. (Not that Ethan needed any shell-departing!) Lauren was in the nursery this year but still got to make some cute little crafts, which she loves.




We've finally made a successful switch to the "big girl bed!" We moved her almost a week ago, but it's been slow-going. After very little protesting the first night, she has gone to bed just fine every night with no crying at all. Also naps just fine in it. However, she got into an ugly little habit of waking around 3-4 am each night and coming into our room. I was so tired from vbs and from being sick with a cold that I gave in and let her into our bed after the 3rd or 4th visit each night. Finally on Wed night, I'd had all I could take and decided to "nip it in the bud!" (Totally acknowledging that it was my own fault for giving in the previous nights, thereby teaching her that her persistance would pay off.) So, Wednesday night between the hours of 4 and 6 am, guess how many times we had to take Lauren back to her bed? SEVENTEEN!! Yes, 17 times. I guess tenacity is a good quality, right? However, the reason this is on my "thankful" list today is because after taking her back to her bed 17 times Wed night, guess how many times she got up last night? ONE!!! She got up crying at around 11pm, David took her back to her bed, and she slept without waking until 7:45 this morning. :)



The boys have been "playing" Lord of the Rings Risk for over an hour. The funniest thing is they really think they're playing! They are having such a great time as they have been waiting weeks to get to look at this game. They noticed in the game closet a few weeks ago and asked if they could play it. I explained that it is an adult game and that they were not old enough to play it. So, of course, next question: "Can we just look at at?" I told them that they could take it down and look at it sometime when Lauren was napping, but we've been forgetting every day since then. So, today they remembered, and wow, are they having a blast. They keep telling me to come see how many territories they've conquered, how many orcs are dead (no, they've never seen the movie - they only know it's an orc because I told them.), and how far the dice went when they rolled them. I will have to remember to try this again sometime!

I'm definitely thankful for more than three things this week, but alas, said sleeping daughter has awakened, and I promised the kids some slip-n-slide time this afternoon. Pics to follow, I'm sure. :)

Lauren's bedtime prayer tonight

Dear God, thank you for Gaga's house and Gaga and Pops and Uncle Dan . . . and Cheetos! Amen.

Tonight is her first night in her "big girl" twin bed. As I write this, she's been in the bed for an hour and 20 minutes. Her eyes are still open (I've peeked in twice), but she has not cried. Fingers crossed.

Thankful Friday

• For those unfortunate readers who may have never ventured to Deep South, this is honeysuckle. I grew up pulling out the little stem and sucking the sweet juice from these blossoms. Like every mother, after giving birth I developed an over-active imagination by which I can almost visualize every germ that could possibly be resting on the stem of this honeysuckle blossom just waiting for the chance to hop into my beloved child's defenseless body. Somehow I have been able to overcome this and allow my kids to enjoy the same sweet nectar that I enjoyed as a child. So far, all they have is a cold.
• The wonderful time I had in Jacksonville with my great friends. (Yes, I realize my thankful entries are not parallel in structure today.)
• Making banana pudding with my kids. The boys cut the bananas for me, and Lauren layered the 'nilla wafers in the pan. (Of course, it went something like this: one cookie for the pudding, two cookies for Lauren, one cookie for the pudding . . .)
• A cartoon version of _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_. I have been dying to introduce the boys to Narnia, but the recent live-action movies are a little too intense for a 4 and 5 year old. I think they're just about old enough for the books to hold their attention, but in the meantime I discovered the very non-intense cartoon version, which they already love.
• Playing hide-and-seek with a 2 year old. I love how she can't find me even when I'm crouched under a giant blanket in the middle of the living room (a blanket that wasn't there 30 seconds before) even when my feet are sticking out. And, of course, how when it's her turn, she invariably hides in the spot that I hid during my last turn . . . and then gigles with glee when I find her.

Cute girls at the beach

No, I don't mean me, Yella, and E . . . of course, I'm referring to our little girls, Lauren, Madelaine, and Kate. Lauren and I just back tonight from a whirlwind trip to Jacksonville to visit two of my closest friends from law school, Daniella (or Danniela if she prefers to remain cloaked in her shroud of mystery!) and Elisabeth. As it happens, we all have daughters aged 2 or 3, so it was such a treat to be able to get together with our little girls and play and take them to the beach. (Yes, my boys got shafted and had to stay home.) Here are a few highlight pics:

Lauren and Kate:


Maddie:


Kate digging:


Lauren playing in the sand:


Maddie having a blast in the water:


Mommies and daughters:


Lauren and Kate getting cups of water from brave Aunt E:


Maddie and Kate:


Lauren and I, unfortunately, did not get to spend much time there. We arrived Sunday evening around 8:45, and Kate was already in bed. Lauren and Maddie hit it off and became fast friends, despite a few quarrels over who would get to sit in the coveted Dora chair. Monday morning we went to the beach and then brought the girls home for a much-needed bath and nap. Last night we went to eat at a nice outdoor mall area, where the girls saw some cool fish and turtles in a little pond and then got to indulge in ice cream from Marble Slab. Of course, Yella (short for Daniella for those not-quite-lightning-speed-thinkers out there who haven't figured that out yet), E, and I sat up talking until 1am the first night and 2am the second, so I am utterly exhausted. But, I figure when you see a person only 1 or 2 times a year, you might as well suck the best out of every minute you have, right? Here's hoping all of you have friends worth losing sleep for. :)

Thankful Friday

- Boys who played (quietly!) in their room for almost an hour after waking up this morning so that mommy could sleep. According to Josh, they played a matching game, Guess Who, put together two floor puzzles, and of course, built the brilliant architectural display you see above. Thank you, sons.
- Parents who have a swimming pool and live only 10 minutes away. (It's 94 degrees today; we will be there soon, mom!)
- Good friends. I saw several this week and was reminded how much I love and need my friends.
- That Lauren and I get to go to Jacksonville to see two other good friends and their little daughters in a few days for some good mommy/daughter/friend time.
- A husband who loves me despite my, um, shall we say temper? (I know, I know - that sounds a little shocking since I seem like I'd just be such a peach to live with, right?)

Ethan officially became a swimmer today!

He's been dog-paddling short distances for a couple of weeks now, but today he took the plunge and jumped off the diving board with no floaties. He can jump in and swim to the ladder with no problem and can swim the width of the pool. I'm so proud!! Of course, I didn't have my camera or my video camera with me today . . . darn, I guess that means we'll have to swim again tomorrow so I can show everyone! ;)

Not to be outdone in the swimming achievement category, Josh decided to try doing a flip off the diving board today. About 30 tries later, and he's just about got it! :)