Saturday Funnies

First of all, I hope that you had a fantastic Christmas holiday! We had a fun day, especially the part where we went to my sister's. The kids are in heaven there with their Tantie. I will blog more about Christmas later and may even wrangle some pictures from my brother to post (since I didn't break my camera out). For now a few funnies to share.

Let me preface with the fact that my sister has a really big dog. Said dog only has three legs. He's always only had three legs since my sister got him and that was long before Zion came along. Apparently this went unnoticed to Zion. We had been at my sister's for a while and Captain, the huge Akita/German Shepherd mix (I don't know how you can miss that a dog that big hops everywhere) was standing in the middle of the room. All of the sudden Zion gasps and shouts "Oh no! He's missing a yeg!"

Later while we were opening presents I tried to quietly and discretely stop Gabe from well, doing something not so proper. He doesn't really get the discrete part though and turns and loudly says to me "I still pick my nose but I don't eat it anymore." Nice. Lovely. Now go get a Kleenex.

Lastly, this morning we are all enjoying sleeping in. As usual, Gideon is the first to wake. He is soon to be 20 months old and has been making leaps and bounds in the language area. Apparently the humor area as well as we are fairly certain that he was making an attempt at telling knock knock jokes in his crib. We heard him say "kno' kno'!" ... "there?" then gobbledygook, blah blah blah and some such nonsense. Over and over again. What a comedian.

Not Me...

I've never participated in MckMama's "Not Me Monday" (Yeah, I think I'm the only blogger left in the world that had not) but last night, well, based on something I most definitely did NOT do (are you catching the sarcasm there, friends) I couldn't resist.

OK, here it goes:

Last night, I most definitely did NOT wake up my oldest son from an extremely sound sleep in order to ask him where he'd left his Nintendo DS so that I could play Zelda and the Phantom Hourglass. Would most definitely SO not do that. Because that would be inconsiderate to him and might indicate I have some sort of addiction. *snort* Imagine!

5 Outta 6 Ain't Bad

Tuesday I took the kids to the mall for a photo op with Santa. The first thing that struck me was the stark contrast to last year. I'm reading my post from last year and realizing that I didn't really write much about how horrible the weather had been. There was a ton of snow on the ground that day. The mall parking lot had been plowed very, very badly. Which really meant that there was less parking because spots had been taken up by piles of snow and the rest of the lot was frozen ridges with deep slush in between. It was awful just trying to get into the building. This year it has been cold but no snow, just clear blue skies. That was nice.

Last year there was a tremendous wait to see Santa, then a wait to view pictures, then a wait to receive what you ordered. This year I got there at opening and and we only had to wait for a few families that were ahead of us.

Last year all three kids smiled beautifully. This year, not so much. The second Gideon's bottom hit Santa's leg he started screaming and reaching out to me. Not matter what we tried. Oh well. I knew the smiling streak had to end some time. After all, this is our sixth year doing Santa pictures starting when Gabe was 9 months old and this is the first time any of them have cried. So, 5 outta 6 ain't bad.

(So we had to get a new router when our other one died and this one's performance has been less than stellar. Most of the time it does not recognize that we have a printer so I can't scan or print. Bummer. When I can though I'll get the Santa picture online.)

The Fair, The Great and the Terrible

The Fair - Gideon woke me up at 4:30 this morning having such a hard time breathing I was mentally preparing to take him to the ER. He was staying pink and seemed in good spirits otherwise so I waited the few hours to take him to our pediatricians urgent care clinic instead. They confirmed my suspicion that he has croup and sent us home with a prescription of prednisone to take down the inflammation. So we spent half our Christmas decorating day in the doctor's office but it could have been worse. Gideon should be right as rain in a few days and in true Gideon style he hasn't let him bring him down at all - and, we still got our tree today (the house smells fantastic!) and got a start on decorating.

The Great - Rob and I got to get away tonight to our church's Christmas dinner which included a performance of It's A Wonderful Improvised Life by the Taproot Theater Touring Company.

It.

Was.

AWESOME!

I've always wanted to be on Who's Line Is It Anyway? and this was my chance! The players were just great and I really did shout suggestions to their requests and they acted them out and it was hilarious. The real It's A Wonderful Life will never be the same again. I will never forget that in our version George saved Harry from dying by tap dancing on a light bulb, that Mr. Potter wanted to turn the Savings & Loan into a skinny jean factory and that every time a doorbell rings an angel gets it's wings.

The Terrible - The only thing that brought our special night down was that my thoughts kept turning to a friend of my sister's who I have also gotten to know. She is the gal who generously offers her property to host Jameson's birthday party every year. Sadly, tonight when she and two of her daughters returned home they discovered their house was on fire and their dogs perished within. I am waiting to hear from my sister the extent of the damage, how long they will be out of their house and what their needs are. Please pray for Carol and her family and the heartbreaking loss of their home and pets.

Mrs. Gabe?

Today Gabe and I got in to a conversation on marriage. I can't remember who it started. I think it was when he had said that he didn't want to get married because he didn't want to leave our family. I told him that his daddy and I met, were friends first, then we dated and eventually got married. Then, I explained, I became part of Rob's family and he became part of mine and no matter what he would always be part of our family. He suddenly brightened and got excited and said he was going to marry Emily from school but that he was going to just skip the rest. Whoa, dude! No jumping forward like that!

Who Knew?

That my kids would find it so darn exciting to go car shopping. Seriously enjoyed. Like they were at Disneyland.

We didn't want a new car. I loved my Freestyle . Really, really loved it. It was stylish and fast, lots of storage room, seated 7. It was paid off which made it even more attractive. Sadly, we had to come to grips with the fact that it was no longer going to suit our needs. Granted, we have a few more months before it was truly no longer going to work but once we realized it was going to be necessary to trade it in we just did it. *sniff* I now drive a *gulp* minivan. Still seats 7 but has the three-seat row in the back and captains chairs in the middle giving the kids and us easy access to those in the back who may need help with carseats (or who fall asleep and need to be carried in). The Freestyle had the three-seat row in the middle and you have to fold down part of the seat to gain access to the back. We had Gideon on one side of the middle row and Zion and Gabe in the back row. We could still fold down the seat and let the kids back.

So, why, you ask, if it was working did we have to get rid of it? Well. Why do you think? Come June (or maybe July) we'll need to add a fourth carseat. *grin*

As I said, the kids really enjoyed car shopping. Gabe fell head over heals for the first one we test drove, a Chrysler Town and Country. He cried when we told him we were going to keep looking but he got better each time. The kids jumped on every seat of each car we looked at, squealing in laughter. The Town and Country was beautiful and had tons of cool features. It is pretty much the same thing as a Dodge Caravan however and I really hate those. Won't go into why. We also checked out a GMC Acadia. Hello, Gorgeous! I was in love. Sadly, while the seat arrange for 7 was better that the Freestyle there is absolutely NO room for say, a stroller. Almost no room even for a diaper bag. Whilst at the GMC lot we also looked at the Yukon Denali. Bigger but the same problem. (How can these beasts be so BIG and have NO storage I wonder.) So I could have looked at bigger, those Suburbans are pretty handsome these days (and I just noticed coming home today a BRAND new shiny black one in my neighbor's driveway across the street). But Rob doesn't like to drive bigger and bigger just means more expensive, both initially and in gas. So no, not really interested.

After that we went home to nap the kids and I poked around on line (some more) and read about the Honda Odyssey. Aside from still having a hard time spelling it (um, double D single S or vice versa and, really, TWO Ys?) I learned it is the highest rated minivan out there.

Long story only slightly shortened at this point, we bought one and said Adios to the Freestyle (still holding back the tears). A 2006 which happened to come with a DVD player and navigation screen. Naturally the kids are thrilled with the DVD player. Funnily enough Gabe said he liked this one better because of the small storage compartment next to where his booster seat sits. Crazy what kids end up loving. So the T&C had a few nicer options but all around the Honda seemed a better quality vehicle and had some nice features itself.

Last night is when we brought it home. I told the car it was going to take me a while but right now I didn't love it. It's going to take me a while. I may never love it, in fact. But sometimes you gotta do for family and I did what I had to do.

So, now the cat's outta the bag. I knew I couldn't keep it a secret once friends started seeing me in my new ride. Anyone who knows me well knows how I feel about my cars and how I feel about minivans. The jig is up. And me? I'm exhausted, hungry most of the time and have been dealing with stomach aches but no real morning sickness. Only a little nausea and smell aversion. Counting down the weeks until June. :) Oh, and I apologize if you're family and finding out this way. We're trying to let the people closest to us know personally but, like I said, rumors were about to start flying and I couldn't deny any questions.

That's Using Your Head

A moment with Zion. Tonight at bedtime we told the kids that Rob had to be away for a few days on business. I told them that we would have swim class two of the nights though and that would help the time to pass quickly. Zion was suddenly sad. At first I thought it was because Rob had to go for a few days. She was mumbling though so I couldn't tell what she said except the words "nursery" and "wet hair". It was clearly distressing her but it was not about Rob. As it turns out she wanted to go play with the toys in nursery after her lesson but didn't want to go with wet hair. Suddenly a gasp and a smile. Arms fly up in realization, "I know" she squeals. "We can go BEFORE swim class!" What a problem solver. How to avoid playing with wet hair. What a girl!

Now she's ecstatic and for Zion you know that means she jumping and probably singing about something. She is back to being excited about her swim class. She yells "I'm going to do a really good bob!" Jumps up, sucks in her breath and then collapses to the floor in an imitation of going under water in class. She's so darn cute.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to pop on real quick and tell everybody Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you will think upon all of the wonderful things that you have to be thankful for right now. God bless you!

Simple Pleasures

Right now it is rainy and cold and very windy outside. I spent the day inside thoroughly enjoying the blustery day (my favorite kind of day). Last week Zion and Gideon ran fevers, this weekend it was Gabe's turn. I also ended up not feeling well and that was a big bummer because I opted to stay home from my nieces birthday party. The two hour round trip seemed a bit much for me today. So I stayed home and colored. I love to color, especially when I don't feel well. It's like comfort food. I'm kind of excited too because of what I am coloring.

Should I tell you or make you wait?

Oh, OK, I'll tell. Don't get all pushy on me. ;)

Last year I bought a Christmas coloring book. The pages are like velum. Thick and see through and have a variety of Christmas scenes in a stained glass style. Last year I wanted to color them and hang them in the windows but didn't get to it (big surprise there, huh?). So a little late but having fun and they are turning out really well. I will post pictures. I think they are going to look so cool with the light shining through them, just like real stained glass. Mostly.

Halloween Lite

Though Fall is my favorite season and I decorate my house in a Fall theme almost as much as I do for Christmas, Halloween has dropped on my list of favorite holidays since I was a child. Every year we kind of revisit if and how we'll participate in the traditional festivities. I firmly believe that this decision is up to each Christian as to what is right for their family and that God will direct them in that decision. I only mention this because I have many friends, in real life and in the blogging world, that run the gamut of celebrating in every way and those who completely abstain. We kind of do "Halloween Lite". We carved our pumpkin which you saw on an earlier post. I'm really bummed that we didn't get to Jamie's for the annual carving party though, that's always a blast. Well, except kind of for last year when it ended up with Zion in the ER.

The night of Halloween was cold, windy and brought us off and on downpours so we elected to bypass trick-or-treating (kind of glad to have a reason to be honest) and skipped right ahead to the Pumpkin Patch Bash which is located in our local high school and put on by one of the churches in town.

There is a mountain of candy. This is AFTER they have already loaded the dozens of booths and activities with their stash to start. I don't even want to know how many cavities this represents.


Their common area of the high school is lined with game booths. Simple things for pretty much every age. Here Gabe, er... I mean Mario, is tossing beanbags to knock the crows of the scarecrow. I thought that was a pretty clever change to the normal beanbag toss type game.


Gideon, or should I say "Frankenstein's Monster", really, really enjoyed his lolly pop. The only thing I might change about this event as we've gone two years now is the amount of candy they give at each booth. Literally one of two HANDfulls. At EACH booth. A little overboard if you ask me. But, it lasts our kids all year long. Their buckets stay in the pantry and they only get pieces now and again.


Stopping for a photo op on the way out to the pony rides. Mario sans hat and cape, the "monster" and our little princess (a good use for her birthday dress that is now in the dress-up box).

Gabe and Zion have loved pony rides since they were born practically so it never even crossed my mind that Gideon might take issue with one. He did. Loudly. The family running the ride kindly suggested that he just walk with Gideon next to the pony which Gideon didn't mind at all really. Just don't put him back ON the hairy beast of terror.


Back at home I grab Gabe and Zion for another quick pic with the pumpkin.


Then so long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good night...

...and Mommy and Daddy are left to answer the doorbell a few dozen times (seriously and that's only between 8 and 9) before getting some quiet ourselves.

Great Globs of Pumpkin Guts

All of our plans to get to a pumpkin farm this year were stymied by weather. It was an unusually cold and wet October for us. We did, however, manage to make it to Fred Meyer the night of the 30th to rummage through the damaged and misshapen orbs to find a decent pumpkin.
Of course, every the process always starts with a good gutting.

And the teaching of future generations.

Interested in pumpkin guts.

Unimpressed by pumpkin guts.

Do you like our pumpkin? We think he's just super. Super Mario that is. ;)

Pretzel Recipe

Here's the recipe that we used for pretzels the other day. Easy and yummy (though I recommend eating them right away or storing them air tight!), it's from www.cookingcache.com (though I found it just by googling "pretzel letters")

ABC Pretzels

• 1 package dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 cups flour (unbleached) white, wheat or a combination
• 1 egg

Directions

1. 5 minutes before beginning, mix the yeast and water together
2. preheat oven to 425, pour flour and sugar into bowl and mix
3. add a pinch of kosher salt and mix
4. add water and yeast mixture, mix and form into a ball (I had to add a smidge extra water, don't worry if it's a little sticky because when you roll it out on to the floured surface you can use that flour to "unsticky" it)
5. generously sprinkle flour on to counter or cutting board
6. place dough on flour and roll with rolling pin for about 5 minutes
7. roll dough into long pencil-like coils, then shape into various letters (having made these, I would make them thicker, but that's how I like my pretzels)
8. brush dough with beaten egg
9. sprinkle with salt or cinnamon and sugar (some of these I baked, then brushed with melted butter and THEN applied the seasoning)
10. bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown
11. eat!
    

Stacking The Deck

Photo evidence of Gideon's latest obsession. He puts the cards in his hand one at a time making sure they are stacked nicely. He tosses them to the floor and starts over again. If they don't line up right he gets so mad. Not as mad as if you offer to help him. Then he really squeals in anger. It's actually kind of funny.

Twisted

Tuesday I was out running errands with the kids, one of our stops included Target. They convinced me to get a pretzel to share (like I needed much convincing) and Gabe asked how they were made (he's really into how things are made these days) so I told him we would make some. He thought I was kidding. Silly goose.

Wednesday morning I said "let's make pretzels!" waiting for the cheers of joy. Well, let's just say I'm still waiting. OK, Zion was actually the one who was excited, Gabe had apparently gotten over the mysterious origins of pretzels by then.

I'm beginning to think the only reason she likes to help in the kitchen is so that she can get messy.


She was very happy to help with mixing and rolling...

...but when it came to the part of the recipe that said "apply approximately 1 tablespoon of flour to assistants face" she was stellar. Wait a second! Do you think she made that part up? I guess that would make sense since she can't read yet.


We made lightly salted letters, twisted ones with cinnamon and sugar and rings with garlic butter. Yum! And really easy. I was actually surprised at how easy they were.


I asked Gabe to smile for the next shot. Alas, he is one of those kids who can't smile for pictures. His face looks like I just stomped on his foot. This one is actually the better of the two. I'm hoping he grows out of it.



Zion, on the other hand, is back to being my star model for photos and gives me great smiles. Though I do need to do better at combing her hair first. My fault.


Yum!

And So It Starts

Zion and Gideon have had coughs and sniffles and fevers off and on for weeks now. *sigh* The last four days have been the worst. First Zion ran a high fever for two days then Gideon today and yesterday. Poor guy. He tries so hard to still be his happy self when he's not feeling well. I am hoping for a healthier year this year. We're not off to a good start.

On a happier note Gabe was finally tested in reading at school and is at a second grade, month four level. I'd say that's pretty good for a Kindergartner. I have his parent/teacher conference in a couple of weeks and I'm really looking forward to it.

Silliness

*sigh* I had silly stories that I wanted to tell about Zion. She is a very funny child. Her expressions, her gestures. Now I just wish I could remember them long enough to get them on here. So, for now, I can remember one. This morning she was sitting in the round chair with her legs all tucked up watching a show. After she got up and walked for a moment she said "Mommy, my feet are sprinkling." Ha! I'm just glad I understood what she meant or that might have been an awkward conversation. I have to admit, I don't like it when my legs tingle after they fall asleep. maybe if they "sprinkled" instead?

Look Who's Coming To Dinner

Or came to dinner I should say. We were very excited to have Rob's mom, Marlene, and his Aunt Jerri come stay with us a while. The kids latched on to them like they got to see them every day (despite Gideon's expression in this picture). Which was great to see and also gave me a bit of a break.

Maisy was kind of a stinker. She just wanted to go out. And yowled. And yowled. Even cuddles from Aunt Jerri couldn't satisfy.

Gabe and Zion lovin' on Grandma.

We got to take them to some of our favorite places to eat and we spent a lot of time staying dry at home since it rained a ton while they were here (but it was raining at their home too so I didn't feel too bad - ha ha) and we got to have Zion's third birthday party. She wanted to have a princess party and she got a princess party! I will come back on soon and post pics. Honestly, I haven't been to eager to blog lately because Blogspot, which has always been difficult to uplaod photos, has gotten even worse. I'm contemplating switching blog hosts but for now am just reluctant to spend too much time here. I'm bummed about that. So anyway, pics of Zion's birthday soon!

Why Do I Think Today Is Wednesday

Who knows? This week is going to go by fast enough without my accelerating it that way. Yesterday was perhaps the quietest day according to the calendar. We were home for most of it but I did get away for a knit group meeting (sounds like a 12-step program).

This morning I had MOPS. That always makes for a busy morning. I rush off to get to the meeting then rush back to get Gabe to the bus stop on time. Tuesday nights the kids have swim class so that's where we were tonight. The love it like I've mentioned. Gabe and Zion are totally brave in the water now. Going under, kicking, paddling...just have to work on floating but Gabe is having breakthroughs. I tell him if he can float for 3 seconds he can float forever. Gideon is a splashing fiend. We have him and Zion in the same class though he's technically too young for it and Gabe has his in the same pool at the same time only with a different teacher. The sessions are usually about 5 weeks long so things can shift around a lot. Right now it's perfect.

Tomorrow is a busy, busy day from start to finish and then Thursday we welcome Rob's mom and aunt for a visit. We are all excited about that! A certain little girl is about to turn 3 so there are party preparations as well. So definitely no need to rush the week.

Our Life In Pictures

Every once in a while I neglect my poor blogger and my faithful readers (what, are there three of you now? ha ha). That's when I have to do a pictoral update to bring you up to speed quickly. And it's fun. You know what they say about pictures speaking a thousand words. So without further ado - our life recently:

We got to hit the Puyallup Fair again this year. We both forgot our cameras. How then did we get pictures? My phone. So, they aren't the best but they're better than nothing. I love this car that I made Gabe pose in front of. He's not a car guy. But I thought it was fascinating. However, this is coming from a girl who used to dream about having a hearse as my daily driver.

Zion has no problem going on rides all by herself. When I informed her she only had tickets for one more ride and asked which one she wanted to pick she said "A pink one." Did you hear that in heaven mom? She loves pink as much as you did!

Gideon loved the junk mobile music thingy. You can see he's enjoying it so much the hand with the drumstick is nearly invisible for all the movement. We think it's pretty cool too. So creative what they have slapped together for making music, we make sure to find it every year.

Zion and Gabe got to go on the canoes. Ah, simple pleasures (like splashing your sister).

And Gabe, Rob, and Zion shared a ride on the merry-go-round. There was a particularly neat operator on this ride, she had all the kids shouting things like "yee-haw" and "giddy-up". Gideon watched enraptured. Next year, buddy.

And here is his sweet smiling face enjoying even watching the rides. My word, he's a happy guy.

Our little family out for a walk at Bradley Lake. A neat park in a nearby town with play equipment that the kids LOVE! And I do. I love that the big toy is HUGE and has a wide path and a ramp all the way up so that even Gideon can get to the top and I don't have to worry about him tumbling down stairs.

Gabe is such a funny kid. The strangest things worry him. He didn't like wearing the hair net. Zion's like "WHAT are you so worked up about?" She can't fathom. Oh, I suppose I should say why they even had to wear the hair nets. You may remember me talking about our tour to the Aplets and Cotlets factory while we were on vacation. We had to wear hair nets. Gideon refused so Rob had to stay back with him. I did tell the tour guide that I was annoyed at such a rule when the kid doesn't even have hair. Silly.

One of the projects that has been keeping me away from my blog is my "Melissa Bag". I've got all the pieces knit and yesterday I felted it in the washing machine. I still have to iron out some wrinkliness and sew in a fabric liner but it's very close to being done. In this picture it is larger than my big purse. It has shrunk quite a bit. Don't worry, that was intended.

Here's all the pieces. The bag itself with the flap sewn on, the two straps and the i-cord (that brown wormy looking thing) that will be sewn on the flap as a button hole. The pieces themselves were SO, SO, SO soft and squishy I almost didn't want to felt them.

Another project in the works is a leaf cravat (that's a scarf of sorts) in the fall colors yarn I bought off a vendor at a fiber festival. The yarn started as wool from this woman's sheep, then she had it mill spun and hand painted the colors. They are SO gorgeous. So much better than in the picture. I don't like the way it is curling but I'm hoping that when I finish I'll be able to wash it and stretch it properly (this is called "blocking" in knitspeak).

Here's the ball of the yarn before starting. Mmm, yummy. Still better in person though.

Have I mentioned that I am taking piano lessons? I had a little keyboard. After a couple of months I started calling it The Toy. It was NOT going to do. So after looking at digital pianos for a while we picked one up the other day. The day we got it was very exciting for Gabe. Who knew? We had to disappoint him though by enforcing bedtime when we got home from the store and assembling everything after they were tucked in. First thing the next morning he asked if it was together and he could play. I said yes and he turned to Zion and said "Great! I'll play for you and you can dance!" Off she went for her tu-tu that Jamie bought her for Christmas last year.

And play and dance they did.

And when not dancing Zion is eternally finding small spaces to fit into. Am I the only one worried about when I'm not going to be able to get her out any more?

Remember my story about Gabe and Zion watching the movie together? Well here's the photographic proof. Sweet.

And when the kids aren't using the big pillow Towzer will happily put it to use.

And that is our life lately. On Friday Gabe will be doing a Jog-a-thon fundraiser for school, our first. I had my first PTA meeting. It was relatively painless. Rob had to travel for work for the first time since starting back at his civilian job. That too was relatively painless. :) Only one night a few hours from home. Consider that bridge crossed. He also got to go on a men's retreat with our church. I'm very pleased about that, well we both are. He frequently has to miss those kinds of events because of work and Reserves. Our men need those kinds of things, ya know?!

Zion is going to turn THREE in a couple of weeks! Someone at a restaurant the other day asked if she was four. His jaw dropped when I said not even three yet. Course she was talking up a storm and is, I think, a bit tall for her age.

Gideon is all words, words, words, and humor and snot. And he is seriously working out the word "no" lately. hoo boy! They all go through that stage and he is lovin' it!

And me? Nothing much has changed. I'm a knittin' fool. And if you don't see a post in a while you know what I'm up to. Up to my elbows in yarn and needles, knits and purls.

These Are The Days Of Our Lives

I don't know why I thought of that title but I also couldn't think of a better one. We're home on a Saturday morning. Rob is away on his Reserves weekend (duty calls - but this time only for a couple of days), the kids are still in their pajamas watching VeggieTales - Minnesota Cuke and the Search For Noah's Umbrella, I am dressed but only because I was afraid if I didn't get dressed right out of bed I might spend the whole day in my pajamas. If I didn't have shopping to do later I wouldn't have minded. :)

The kids have been so fun lately. Gideon just turned 17 months old, Zion will be 3 in a couple of weeks and Gabe is 5 1/2. Why does that matter? Because for the first time ever I have a toddler and I'm not pregnant (unless God has a different idea of course). OK, you caught me, when Gabe was 17 months old I wasn't pregnant with Zion yet but not by much! I am simply thoroughly enjoying my 3 kids. Even though Gideon's been a rather big grump lately (he's cutting teeth). And he's raiding the garbage right now. And he had a cold last week and loves to wipe snot on my shirt. So aside from the occasional silvery smear on my shirt life has been so much fun lately. All three of the kids are at such fun stages right now. Gabe is reading everything. Everything. Every. Thing. Which means Rob and I can no longer spell things we don't want the kids to know about.

Zion only wants to wear dresses and they must be pink or purple. Apparently so must her sheets. Be pink or purple, that is. The other day all her sheets were in the laundry so I told her I would let her borrow one of Gideon's. She had a totally heartbroken meltdown at the thought of a blue sheet on her bed. Poor thing. I felt terrible (not really). Lucky for her I remembered a new sheet that I had bought and was planning to return. Plans change. She really does need new sheets so I need to be less picky about the polka dots not exactly matching her room. She really likes the polka dots as it turns out.

Gideon is walking everywhere and talking about everything. Sometimes we even understand him. Thursday afternoon we were having some cuddle time and he turned his face to mine to give me a big ol' toddler kiss (which of course means he had his mouth wide open like he's going to eat my face off) and he said "kishes". Wow. Just outta the blue like that. He loves to cuddle and give kisses. I think even more than Gabe and Zion and they were pretty cuddly babies. Another one of his favorite words is "Wow!" You'll hear him say this all the time. A few nights ago we were driving home and the moon was out but the kids couldn't see from the back seat. So when we got out we all stood in the driveway looking up at the moon peeking through the clouds. Gideon looked up and said "Wowwww." Too cute.

So all three of the kids have been at fun stages lately as individuals. But also as siblings. They look out for each other, stand up for each other and show real affection toward each other not to mention sharing each others' colds - wait, that's not what I want. Still, it seems they've been giving me tons of joy lately just watching them enjoy each other. Last week we were watching a movie together after dinner and Gabe invited Zion to sit with him. When we peeked around the coffee table to see them we found Zion fully reclined on Gabe as he leaned against the table. They have moments of the rivalry kind of course, I don't want to paint an unrealistic picture, but these ones happen more. What a blessing.

Kapow!

It has come to that time. That time when I need to start recording things my baby is saying. First, it was Gabe. When he started saying words I dismissed them as flukes and didn't record them for a while because he was certainly much to young to start talking (right?). Then Zion with her funny little "Ididit!" as one word while she threw her hands up in the air in triumph. She was less than one at that time and I didn't care if she was really saying it or not, it sure sounded like it to me and others so I counted it. Now it's Gideon's turn. He's got "Mama" (or has he prefers, simply "MA!"), "Dada", "hi", "bye", "yay", "Kay-Cue" (thank you) and those sorts of things. And "Kapow!" which he says while smacking himself on the head and that makes us laugh but not as much as how he says "up". He doesn't. He says "pow".

Then I say "no, say UP".

Him: POW!

Me: UP

Him: POW!

Me: UP!

Him: uuPOW!

And we both laugh and I hope that he doesn't learn to say "up" the right way for a long time because it's just too cute.

Wacky Hair

Who is that dashing fellow? It's OK if you didn't recognize him right away. What with that wacky, wacky hair and all. So, maybe it's not all THAT wacky but it is for Gabe. Really. Really wacky. The reason behind all this wackiness? It was Wacky Hair and Goofy Glasses night at AWANA.

This is about the face he was making while I was doing his hair. (In fact, he just about cried. Real tears because "I don't like messy hair!" Wail!)

He had fun though and one two pieces of candy for his wacky hair. One candy he gave to Zion. You can mess up the boy's hair but you can't mess up his sweet heart I guess.

Batman Is Finished!

And I don't mean that in the same way one of Batman's enemies might. No. In fact, Batman is finished in the way that I hope one of his biggest fans will love and appreciate. Back when I first started knitting, nay, even before I could really be called a "knitter" because I still had to look at directions to finish one row of knitting, my sister bought me that Stitch 'n Bitch book that I've mentioned in previous posts. In that book is an illusion scarf. A scarf in which a picture of an alien comes and goes depending on how you look at the fabric. I thought it was pretty cool except for, well, the alien. One day I had an inspired thought. What if I replaced the alien with the Bat symbol? It would make a perfect gift for Jessa, my niece.

I had no idea what I was getting into. First, find picture of Bat symbol online somewhere and print it. Second, put said symbol under graph paper, tape to sliding glass door and trace. Third, color in Bat symbol on the graph paper so that you have a new and blocky symbol. Fourth, get empty graph paper pages. Fifth, color in Bat symbol on graph paper only use every fourth row. Sixth, color in third row on graph paper (and then every fourth row after that) with the negative image. Voila, you have your pattern.

Then knit. And purl And keep knitting and purling. In fact, knit or purl 28,800 stitches. Then bind off and add fringe. SO easy! ;) Actually, it was fairly easy, just time consuming. I'm glad that I gave myself three months to do it because it meant that I didn't have to totally rush and did get to work on - and finish, a number of projects while I had this one on the needles.

Just before I finished it I had Rob take a picture of me working on it while wearing it. It's long. Oh yeah. Long. But, you know, it will keep her really warm. 100% wool. Really, really warm. Now, the picture of me isn't the greatest. Almost so not the greatest that I hesitated to even let anyone see it, but that's beside the point. Just wanted you to know that I know that, yeah, I look really bad in that photo. But the scarf looks great. See, you can't see the Bat symbol AT ALL.

In the next photo with it laid out on the table you can kind of see the symbol because the light coming in the window at it sideways like that makes it show up a little. But in the last photo, taken from the side - KAPOW! There it is in all it's glory.

And I can post about this FINALLY since I was able to give it to Jessa for her birthday over the weekend.

Random

Our life lately in random photos.

Gideon in one of the cutest pictures of him ever. Look at those cheeks! He's a total walker these days. I think I may have mentioned this but before he was just "mostly" walking, now he's "totally" walking. All over. And he's mischievous. Not a good combo. He loves to get in trouble. He laughs his head of when I say "No!" no matter how stern I say it.


My MOPS group started back up again on the 15th. I am lucky to be a table leader again this year and have the added joy of being the Publicity gal too. At the start of the year I like to give the ladies at my table a little welcome gift. This year I made little scripture blocks. I started with plain wood blocks picked up at the craft store, some paint, Mod Podge (like watered down Elmer's glue), and some cute papers. First paint.

Then Mod Podge on the papers.

Then Mod Podge on the scriptures that you picked out and printed onto regular paper. While things are drying in between steps also Mod Podge a cut pencil box for your daughter who is suddenly into doing homework. Just like big brother. Big brother who is the "Kinderstar VIP" next week! Way to go, Gabe!


A second ago there was a little bird there. No. Seriously. It was so cute. It's probably been eaten by a cat by now. OK, maybe not (but maybe still) but Maisy is a whacko after those birds. Poor birdies. I'm luring them to their deaths.