Lilly is the peanut butter and jam queen. She would eat a peanut butter "hamich" with every meal if I would let her. She settles for one at lunch every day, but she does not take it well if it is not a lunch time option. Yesterday I started to get the bread and peanut butter out when she said to me "Mom, I don't want a peanut butter hamich for lunch." I made her repeat herself to be sure I heard her right. "Well then, what do you want?" I asked her, still a little unsure. "Umm...how bout a cheese quesedilla?" So cheese quesedilla is what we had. This may be the start of a new lunch time obsession for Lilly.
As I mentioned, Rachel is really into commercials lately. At dinner the other day, she asked me if I knew what gas tax is. I do know what a gas tax is, but I was interested to know what she thought it was. She said "you eat it, and then you don't have any gas. I saw it on TV." It did not take the two of us long to determine she meant "GasX", the anti gas medication.
The girls are really into running through the sprinklers lately. It has been an incredibly cool spring/summer, so the opportunity has been rare so far. Every day though, Rachel still asks "is it a good day to run through the sprinklers?" It could be pouring outside and she still asks. Well, today it is hot so I let them turn the sprinklers on. Carson is not sold on the whole run-through-the-sprinklers thing, but he is not one to be left out. The girls put their swimsuits on, and I asked Carson if he wanted his too. He said "Yeah! Yay!" and ran downstairs. I told Rachel to go get him and again I asked him "do you want to put your swimsuit on?" Again, his response was "Yeah!" and he tried to run away. I grabbed him and started putting his trunks on. He screamed and fought me the whole time. Once he was dressed I tried to take him outside but he was still screaming and crying and pointing to Lilly. It wasn't until he tried to take his trunks off that I realized what he wanted was a swimming suit like the girls have. Since he has no memory of wearing a boy swimming suit, the girl style one's are all he has known. I was tempted to give in and let him wear one of Lilly's, and I would have done it if it weren't for the fact that they were playing in the front yard. Who knows what the neighbors would think of me? Anyway, he got over it pretty quick once we turned the water on. At that point all of his energy went into avoiding getting wet.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
College
Rachel keeps asking me if she can go to college and what they will teach her when she goes. Of course I am tickled to death that she is already contemplating college, and have tried to encourage her. Yesterday she asked me if when she grows up she can be Santa Clause. I told her I was not sure how one becomes Santa Clause, but that it was a possibility. She thought about this for a moment and asked me "Is it they teach you how at college?"
One other big thing to Rachel right now is commercials. Anything she sees on TV, she tells me about and asks if we can get it. She is especially susceptible to the marketing techniques of infomercials. In truth she is an absolute sucker. I was boiling eggs the other day when she told me she had a better way to cook eggs. She proceeded to tell me step by step how to go about it using a new gadget on TV. I pretended to think it sounded really cool. At the end of the conversation she paused for a few seconds and said "So, can we get it?"
All Lilly has been able to talk about for the last two months is her birthday party. We are still a couple of weeks away, but had a family birthday party for her, Brock, Owen, and Lidia on Sunday. She told me all she wanted for her birthday was a dress and a doll. Nonna covered the dress, and all the aunts and uncles went in on the doll. It was newborn looking doll complete with baby carrier. She named it Allison Wonderland. Lilly loves the doll, but she is generous to a fault, and her big sister takes advantage of this any chance she gets. No sooner did everyone leave than Rachel talked Lilly into letting the doll sleep in her room so Lilly can "get some rest." I put a stop to that and sent the doll back to Lilly, but Lilly stuck up for her sister. "No, no, mom! She is going to keep her so I can rest!" I guess Rachel was very convincing.
Having the baby doll around has been fun for Carson too. He carries it around every chance he gets, and if it is lying alone somewhere he makes a point of picking it up and giving it to Lilly. Carson has also officially added the word "baby" to his growing list. As tender as Carson can be, he can also be pretty rough. If there are big boys around he alternates between staring at them adoringly and punching them in the face. Oh, and he thinks that anything an older boy does is hilarious. I am so thankful for the big boys in my life who set good examples (shout out to my nephews)!
One other big thing to Rachel right now is commercials. Anything she sees on TV, she tells me about and asks if we can get it. She is especially susceptible to the marketing techniques of infomercials. In truth she is an absolute sucker. I was boiling eggs the other day when she told me she had a better way to cook eggs. She proceeded to tell me step by step how to go about it using a new gadget on TV. I pretended to think it sounded really cool. At the end of the conversation she paused for a few seconds and said "So, can we get it?"
All Lilly has been able to talk about for the last two months is her birthday party. We are still a couple of weeks away, but had a family birthday party for her, Brock, Owen, and Lidia on Sunday. She told me all she wanted for her birthday was a dress and a doll. Nonna covered the dress, and all the aunts and uncles went in on the doll. It was newborn looking doll complete with baby carrier. She named it Allison Wonderland. Lilly loves the doll, but she is generous to a fault, and her big sister takes advantage of this any chance she gets. No sooner did everyone leave than Rachel talked Lilly into letting the doll sleep in her room so Lilly can "get some rest." I put a stop to that and sent the doll back to Lilly, but Lilly stuck up for her sister. "No, no, mom! She is going to keep her so I can rest!" I guess Rachel was very convincing.
Having the baby doll around has been fun for Carson too. He carries it around every chance he gets, and if it is lying alone somewhere he makes a point of picking it up and giving it to Lilly. Carson has also officially added the word "baby" to his growing list. As tender as Carson can be, he can also be pretty rough. If there are big boys around he alternates between staring at them adoringly and punching them in the face. Oh, and he thinks that anything an older boy does is hilarious. I am so thankful for the big boys in my life who set good examples (shout out to my nephews)!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Meat Cat
We had chicken for dinner again much to Lilly's dismay last night. While I was preparing it she asked me "is it a girl chicken or a boy chicken?" I said "I am not sure, but I think it is a boy chicken." Lilly said "Yes!" along with a fist pump. I guess she has decided eating boy chickens is OK. When we bought the chickens as chicks, we always referred to them as "meat chickens". A while after we clarified the sex of this particular chicken, she came in with what she thought was very exciting news. She kept telling me something about our cat that I did not understand, and then as a grand finale she said "so we don't need to eat the cat because it is not a meat cat!" I guess Lilly now thinks all of our pets are in danger of getting the axe.
While we were getting in the car yesterday, I told Rachel very sternly that she needed to hurry and get buckled up because we were late. She said cheerfully "well, then I better get my fastness on!" I am assuming getting your fastness on is like getting your groove on. Rachel is getting too cool for her own good.
Carson loves toy cars, trucks, and tractors. He calls them his "che". I am not sure what that is supposed to be, but he is always saying "Che! Che!" when he sees these toys. When he plays with them he runs them into each other and says "whooo, whooo..." He is such a boy. We can now get him to stay in his big boy bed for the most part, but last night he came into our room while we were sleeping. I had just gotten back to sleep after caring for a throwing up Lilly, and was pretty out of it. I only vaguely remember telling him to go back to bed. That was the last I thought of it until later I awoke with a start. Somehow I knew bed was not the place he ended up. I was right. He was in the kitchen opening and closing cupboard doors. I have no idea how long he was playing unsupervised, but I am guessing he had a very good time.
I love it when my kids play outside together. For the most part. Tuesday is my clean the house day, and yesterday I worked it over good. Then today while the kids were outside playing they covered themselves in slimy mud. I would love to be the kind of mom that laughs it off, but all I could think was "oh, my nice clean bathtub," and "now I have to do MORE laundry." Then I had an idea. My parents used to hose us down after a long day of playing outside to avoid tracking mud and dirt into the house. So even thought it was only about 60 degrees out there, I had them strip down while I squirted them with the hose (much to Rachel's delight, Lilly's indifference, and Carson's dismay). Maybe it will be a deterrent the next time they want to play in the mud...but probably not.
While we were getting in the car yesterday, I told Rachel very sternly that she needed to hurry and get buckled up because we were late. She said cheerfully "well, then I better get my fastness on!" I am assuming getting your fastness on is like getting your groove on. Rachel is getting too cool for her own good.
Carson loves toy cars, trucks, and tractors. He calls them his "che". I am not sure what that is supposed to be, but he is always saying "Che! Che!" when he sees these toys. When he plays with them he runs them into each other and says "whooo, whooo..." He is such a boy. We can now get him to stay in his big boy bed for the most part, but last night he came into our room while we were sleeping. I had just gotten back to sleep after caring for a throwing up Lilly, and was pretty out of it. I only vaguely remember telling him to go back to bed. That was the last I thought of it until later I awoke with a start. Somehow I knew bed was not the place he ended up. I was right. He was in the kitchen opening and closing cupboard doors. I have no idea how long he was playing unsupervised, but I am guessing he had a very good time.
I love it when my kids play outside together. For the most part. Tuesday is my clean the house day, and yesterday I worked it over good. Then today while the kids were outside playing they covered themselves in slimy mud. I would love to be the kind of mom that laughs it off, but all I could think was "oh, my nice clean bathtub," and "now I have to do MORE laundry." Then I had an idea. My parents used to hose us down after a long day of playing outside to avoid tracking mud and dirt into the house. So even thought it was only about 60 degrees out there, I had them strip down while I squirted them with the hose (much to Rachel's delight, Lilly's indifference, and Carson's dismay). Maybe it will be a deterrent the next time they want to play in the mud...but probably not.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Our Over-The-Hill Party
Our neighbors had a yard sale today, so I gave the girls each a dollar and told them they could buy whatever they wanted. Lilly chose 4 toys that were .25 each: A kazoo, a guitar key chain, a Dr. Seuss puzzle, and a wand. Rachel chose a bag of over-the-hill party favors. The mother in me wanted to talk her out of it, thinking it would be disappointing and less practical than a toy, but the free spirit I try to be at times decided to back off and let her make her choice. Turns out she picked a great item. The kids spent the afternoon playing with the decorations. Shelby and I were planting the garden when they came out and told me they had a surprise for me. I went up to find a nicely set table with over-the-hill napkins, plates, and forks, along with matching confetti and a banner. We had ourselves a little over-the-hill lunch party.
I think Lilly might be a future vegetarian. A while back we got meat chickens to raise and butcher. We thought it would be a good experience for the kids, and it was. However, Lilly was traumatized when she realized we were killing the baby chicks. Of course when we actually got around to killing them they were big, ugly chickens, but she was still upset. We tried to be subtle when we did the butchering, but inevitably she would catch wind of what was going on and lose it. "Please dad, don't kill the baby chicks, don't kill the baby chicks!" Lilly feels this way about all living things, ants and worms included. The other day we had pork for dinner and she said she wasn't having any because she didn't want to eat the baby chicks. I explained that the meat we were eating was not chicken, but that it came from a pig. BIG mistake! Apparently Lilly is just as opposed to eating Wilbur as she is to eating chickens. She would go nowhere near the pork. Tonight we had pork again, but I made a point of referring to it as pork, and not pig meat. She ate it right up.
Carson is turning into a mini Shelby. He is so darn cute about it, too. When Shelby is in the garden, or mowing the lawn, Carson likes to be right there. We were at the park the other day, and he kept pulling his sleeves up, just like Shelby does. He will also stand at the back door with his arms folded across his chest while looking out the window (one of Shelby's nighttime traditions). And while he is walking around the yard he does it with hands-on-hips, as though he is inspecting everything, just like Shelby does. When we pull into the driveway at night or into the parking lot at CCS, Carson always shouts "Daddy!" And anytime Shelby walks out the door without inviting Carson along, Carson flips. He is still indisputably a mamma's boy, but he is crazy about his daddy.
I think Lilly might be a future vegetarian. A while back we got meat chickens to raise and butcher. We thought it would be a good experience for the kids, and it was. However, Lilly was traumatized when she realized we were killing the baby chicks. Of course when we actually got around to killing them they were big, ugly chickens, but she was still upset. We tried to be subtle when we did the butchering, but inevitably she would catch wind of what was going on and lose it. "Please dad, don't kill the baby chicks, don't kill the baby chicks!" Lilly feels this way about all living things, ants and worms included. The other day we had pork for dinner and she said she wasn't having any because she didn't want to eat the baby chicks. I explained that the meat we were eating was not chicken, but that it came from a pig. BIG mistake! Apparently Lilly is just as opposed to eating Wilbur as she is to eating chickens. She would go nowhere near the pork. Tonight we had pork again, but I made a point of referring to it as pork, and not pig meat. She ate it right up.
Carson is turning into a mini Shelby. He is so darn cute about it, too. When Shelby is in the garden, or mowing the lawn, Carson likes to be right there. We were at the park the other day, and he kept pulling his sleeves up, just like Shelby does. He will also stand at the back door with his arms folded across his chest while looking out the window (one of Shelby's nighttime traditions). And while he is walking around the yard he does it with hands-on-hips, as though he is inspecting everything, just like Shelby does. When we pull into the driveway at night or into the parking lot at CCS, Carson always shouts "Daddy!" And anytime Shelby walks out the door without inviting Carson along, Carson flips. He is still indisputably a mamma's boy, but he is crazy about his daddy.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Eye Water
Lilly was telling me about a dream she had that was scary. She told me she cried, and then she paused for as moment before saying "and my eye water came out." Apparently we have never discussed tears before, which is funny considering how often they get shed around our house.
Rachel and Lilly were having a hot debate about boogers while we were driving to karate. I heard Rachel tell Lilly "and you can eat boogers." I was instantly filled with dread "oh, no" I thought, "Rachel is going to be known as the bugger-eater!" We have focused a lot in our house on nose-picking, and when it is not appropriate, but never discussed the fact that one should NEVER eat their boogers. I hollered back to her "No Rachel, we do not eat boogers." She responded innocently "why? I like them!" Lilly, not wanting to be left out of the conversation said "Can we eat burgers?" "Yes Lilly, you can eat all the burgers you want. Just no boogers!"
Felicia and Chris had their baby. They stopped by our house a couple of days after with baby Jude so the kids could meet him. Of course Lilly and Rachel loved him, and were thrilled at having a little baby at our house. I was curious as to how Carson would do with little Jude. Although Carson is pretty tender, he is not as maternal as the girls are. I asked him if he wanted to hold the baby and he said "yeah!" We sat him down and put Jude in his arms and Carson was mesmerized. He would give Jude kisses and stroke his face. After a couple of minutes I asked if we could give Jude back to Felicia, and he gave me a decisive "no." I tried again a couple of minutes later and the answer was once again "no." I don't think he took his eyes off the baby until we gave him back to Felicia.
Rachel and Lilly were having a hot debate about boogers while we were driving to karate. I heard Rachel tell Lilly "and you can eat boogers." I was instantly filled with dread "oh, no" I thought, "Rachel is going to be known as the bugger-eater!" We have focused a lot in our house on nose-picking, and when it is not appropriate, but never discussed the fact that one should NEVER eat their boogers. I hollered back to her "No Rachel, we do not eat boogers." She responded innocently "why? I like them!" Lilly, not wanting to be left out of the conversation said "Can we eat burgers?" "Yes Lilly, you can eat all the burgers you want. Just no boogers!"
Felicia and Chris had their baby. They stopped by our house a couple of days after with baby Jude so the kids could meet him. Of course Lilly and Rachel loved him, and were thrilled at having a little baby at our house. I was curious as to how Carson would do with little Jude. Although Carson is pretty tender, he is not as maternal as the girls are. I asked him if he wanted to hold the baby and he said "yeah!" We sat him down and put Jude in his arms and Carson was mesmerized. He would give Jude kisses and stroke his face. After a couple of minutes I asked if we could give Jude back to Felicia, and he gave me a decisive "no." I tried again a couple of minutes later and the answer was once again "no." I don't think he took his eyes off the baby until we gave him back to Felicia.
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Baby Shower
I took the kids to the store with me to pick up some ingredients for a cake I was making. The cake was for Aunt Felicia's baby shower. When Rachel asked me what we were getting I said "stuff for Felicia's baby shower." Rachel looked confused and asked "is it you are going to buy her baby a shower?"
On Wednesday night Lilly had a horrible cough. We could hear her hacking in her sleep. Eventually she came upstairs to our room crying. I cuddled her and gave her a drink while she tried to explain her chest hurt and she couldn't breathe. Then I put her back to bed. A few minutes later, we could still hear her crying downstairs. It was heartbreaking! I brought her upstairs and put her on the couch to sleep. I was rubbing Vick's Vapor Rub on her chest and telling her how sorry I was that she didn't feel good when she said "It's OK mom, I think I am going to be just fine!"
Rachel had to get shots for Kindergarten yesterday. She knew that was why we were going to see the doctor, but was strangely excited about it. When she asked me questions about what it was like, I was honest but not too descriptive. I think all she absorbed from her questions was that I would take her out for ice cream afterwards. This is all Lilly absorbed too because for days she has been whining that she wants shots too. Just Rachel and I went to the appointment, and while we were waiting at the doctor's office I asked her if she was scared. She looked at me like "why would I be scared?" She got a total of three shots, two in one leg and one in the other. After the first shot she gave me a shocked look and started to cry. After the second one, the nurse switched to the other side, and Rachel lost it. She became hysterical and screamed "No! No more shots!" The nurse quickly gave her the last shot before Rachel bolted off the table. Poor Rachel was inconsolable. I think mostly her feelings were hurt that her mother and this nice lady would do something so awful to her. On the way out, she just kept saying "I wish we hadn't done that." It was pretty heart breaking. I got her the world's biggest vanilla milk shake knowing she would never be able to finish it. Mostly I got it out of guilt for subjecting her to so much torture. When we got home, she assured Lilly that getting shots was NOT fun, and she should not look forward to it in the future.
It is beautiful outside today, so I took the kids for a walk. There is an older couple named Paul and Marylin who live on the street by ours. I often see them walking in the morning while I am out running, but they have never met the kids. They were outside when we walked by so we went to say "hi". Carson immediately ran up to Paul and put his arms up to be picked up. Something about older men really appeals to Carson. I am sure it made Paul's day. In fact, mostly I think it makes people feel good. The only concern I have about his friendliness is that it would be very easy for someone to walk off with him.
On Wednesday night Lilly had a horrible cough. We could hear her hacking in her sleep. Eventually she came upstairs to our room crying. I cuddled her and gave her a drink while she tried to explain her chest hurt and she couldn't breathe. Then I put her back to bed. A few minutes later, we could still hear her crying downstairs. It was heartbreaking! I brought her upstairs and put her on the couch to sleep. I was rubbing Vick's Vapor Rub on her chest and telling her how sorry I was that she didn't feel good when she said "It's OK mom, I think I am going to be just fine!"
Rachel had to get shots for Kindergarten yesterday. She knew that was why we were going to see the doctor, but was strangely excited about it. When she asked me questions about what it was like, I was honest but not too descriptive. I think all she absorbed from her questions was that I would take her out for ice cream afterwards. This is all Lilly absorbed too because for days she has been whining that she wants shots too. Just Rachel and I went to the appointment, and while we were waiting at the doctor's office I asked her if she was scared. She looked at me like "why would I be scared?" She got a total of three shots, two in one leg and one in the other. After the first shot she gave me a shocked look and started to cry. After the second one, the nurse switched to the other side, and Rachel lost it. She became hysterical and screamed "No! No more shots!" The nurse quickly gave her the last shot before Rachel bolted off the table. Poor Rachel was inconsolable. I think mostly her feelings were hurt that her mother and this nice lady would do something so awful to her. On the way out, she just kept saying "I wish we hadn't done that." It was pretty heart breaking. I got her the world's biggest vanilla milk shake knowing she would never be able to finish it. Mostly I got it out of guilt for subjecting her to so much torture. When we got home, she assured Lilly that getting shots was NOT fun, and she should not look forward to it in the future.
It is beautiful outside today, so I took the kids for a walk. There is an older couple named Paul and Marylin who live on the street by ours. I often see them walking in the morning while I am out running, but they have never met the kids. They were outside when we walked by so we went to say "hi". Carson immediately ran up to Paul and put his arms up to be picked up. Something about older men really appeals to Carson. I am sure it made Paul's day. In fact, mostly I think it makes people feel good. The only concern I have about his friendliness is that it would be very easy for someone to walk off with him.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A Regular Lady
On Mother's Day I asked Rachel what she wants to be when she grows up and she told me "I just want to be a regular lady." I asked what a regular lady is and she said "someone who is just home with her kids. I am going to have three and name them Rachel, Carson, and Lilly. And I am going to let them play all day and be loud and I will never get mad at them." I told her that I hope she has really well behaved children. I can see why she finds that life so appealing. What five-year-old would not want to stay home all day and play with other kids, especially when said five-year-old can be the boss?
Last night, the girls were giving us the business about going to bed. Lilly often gets out of bed when Rachel beckons her and goes into Rachel's room to play. Rachel's idea is that as long as Lilly is the one out of bed, she can't get in trouble. Her response to "Girls, go to bed!" is always "I'm in bed, Lilly isn't." We called Lilly into the living room last night and I told her if she didn't go to bed I would spank her bottom. Shelby said "and after she spanks you, I will spank you." Lilly seemed completely unaffected by the threat when she looked at me and said "Daddy spanks hard and you don't." Now that I know, I will work on it.
Carson loves to listen to music with me on the computer. It is our cuddle time. Lately every time I either sing or move to the music he says "noooo!" I wonder if I should be concerned that my 2-year-old already finds me to be embarrassing. Carson has added "ball" to his regular list of words. He still mostly says "no," "yeah," and "please". Occasionally we get a "Lilly," "up," and "daaady!"
Last night, the girls were giving us the business about going to bed. Lilly often gets out of bed when Rachel beckons her and goes into Rachel's room to play. Rachel's idea is that as long as Lilly is the one out of bed, she can't get in trouble. Her response to "Girls, go to bed!" is always "I'm in bed, Lilly isn't." We called Lilly into the living room last night and I told her if she didn't go to bed I would spank her bottom. Shelby said "and after she spanks you, I will spank you." Lilly seemed completely unaffected by the threat when she looked at me and said "Daddy spanks hard and you don't." Now that I know, I will work on it.
Carson loves to listen to music with me on the computer. It is our cuddle time. Lately every time I either sing or move to the music he says "noooo!" I wonder if I should be concerned that my 2-year-old already finds me to be embarrassing. Carson has added "ball" to his regular list of words. He still mostly says "no," "yeah," and "please". Occasionally we get a "Lilly," "up," and "daaady!"
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