Bean on Snowshoes

Bean has become quite the snowbunny. She skis every week and LOVES it, and now she's had the chance to give snowshoes a try during an animal tracking class at Peabody Mill.

There were not snowshoes small enough for the boys available. We hiked along behind the older kids for a bit, but mostly just played in the snow.

K on left, Cosmo on right

Both Cosmo and K are enjoying the snow too. They don't quite get the full concept of dressing warmly, though!

Cosmo on left, Kian on right

Sometimes, it's good just to hang out by the fireplace.

K inside at Peabody Mill

This week also brought the excitement of putting together bunk beds. The boys were a tremendous help. They hammered and drilled right alongside Daddy the entire time. They even loaned Daddy their toy hammer when he needed it, and we all giggled as it made silly "bong" and "bop" noises each time he hit. When it was assembled, the kids couldn't wait to climb in!

Cosmo sitting, K standing

Cosmo

K and Bean

Daddy Play Time

I've been saying for ages I wanted to take some pictures of the nightly "wrestle time" ritual in our home. The kids just LOVE to play with Daddy! I finally snapped some shots this past week:

K taking a break to do some "work" on the kitchen set.

The boys providing Daddy with a musical interlude.

Cosmo helping Daddy hang the coat hooks in the mudroom.

 On Sunday, Grammie J came for a visit. The kids were all very excited to see her!

How high can you lift your leg, Grammie?

Bean playing a trumpet concert for Grammie.

Daddy took some time out to build the most awesome snow fort ever in the six foot snow drift next to our driveway.

Cosmo headed down the path to the fort.

K going in the bottom entrance.

K inside the fort, Grammie helping Cosmo up the stairs to the top entrance.

Enjoying a cup of hot cocoa after an intense romp in the snow!

Facebook Year in Review

I thought it would be sorta fun to go back and review a sampling of the Facebook posts I've made since I signed up about a year ago...

February, 2010
I'm sad that in the past 24 hours my sons have collected a scraped cheek, a fat lip, a black eye, and a cut toe. Is this what having boys is like???

March, 2010 
K stood up in the tub and said "poop". So I put him on the toilet, and sure enough, he pooped! Whoo hoo! He went back in the tub, and fairly quickly stood again. Before I could say anything, he looked down and peed.

Survived taking all three kids to Pizza Hut today! Okay, so not exactly fine dining, but a real resturaunt with chairs and everything!!

trying to convince my sons that the 4 big brown furry things in the back yard are "deer" not "cats".

May, 2010 
Ever seen 22 month old twins play hide and seek? It's unbelievably adorable. I can't even describe it. One boy "hiding" behind the door (where he's hidden the past 5 times), the other boy walking around with his hands in the "where?" position, looking in each room, until they come face to face, say "OH!", and giggle, giggle, giggle!






The three kids (including the two not-quite-potty-trained toddlers) have stripped themselves naked and are chasing each other around the house laughing and squealing (very loudly). I'm sure I should be finding this funny, so please help me find the humor...

June 2010
Bean is watching Peep and the Big Wide World. Cosmo noticed the dog, and said "Woof, Out, Hold!". Does that count as a sentence??

Ahhh, what IS that sound? Peaceful quiet. I almost didn't recognize it. .... Argh! What is THAT sound? Mommy dropping something loud and waking everybody up. Sigh.

Me: "Gentle touches. Put the stick down. Gentle touches. The truck stays on the floor. Gentle touches. Put the spoon down. Gentle touches. The block stays in the box. Gentle touches. The book is for reading. Gentle touches. GENTLE touches! GENTLE TOUCHES! ENOUGH! JUST STOP WHACKING YOUR BROTHER IN THE #@$#* HEAD!!!!!". Okay, not really. But almost. :)

July 2010 
While wrapping her presents to her brothers, Bean says, "You know the best part about buying presents for your siblings? You get to use Mama's money.
  
We found a black dot on Cosmo's tooth, and completely paniced. If you know our kids' dental history, you'll understand why. We changed all of our plans (on the boys' birthday) to rush to the dentist for an emergency appt. Turns out it was a piece of pepper stuck underneath his gum. The dentist removed it, free of charge. Good thing we have dentists around to remove spices from our kids teeth. So embarrassing....
  
The boys say "b! b!" and dance when dinner is ready. That means "please put a candle in my food, sing happy birthday, and let me blow it out..... over and over and over again". Looks like I need to refill the lighter! :) 

Inspired by survival skills class today, Sophia is building a fly trap. It is a box propped up on one side, crumbs underneath, a string on the high end. She is hiding behind the couch, waiting for the fly to land on the crumbs so she can snap the trap! All this to feed her friend's praying mantis that she is bug-sitting for the week....

After giving the boys each a small cup of milk, I turned my back for only a few seconds. Upon returning my focus, I found milk had been splashed on the floor, wall, and window, and was dripping inside the window seat. In a less than stellar parenting moment, I yelled "STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR MILK". The boys looked at me stunned, then K turns to Cosmo, smiles, and says, "Whoa!".







August, 2010 
Bean (holding her hands out as far as she can), "I want breasts out to here". Me, "You do? If you had breasts that big they would be heavy, and you would topple over forward!" Bean (after thinking for a moment), "Well, I would need two in the back too.
  
My kids were having so much fun playing in the driveway puddle..... then Kian had to go and poop in it. Sigh.
  
Me (in a sudden panic): "OMG! I haven't changed the boys' diapers in hours! They must be soaked, and maybe dirty, and they'll have horrible rashes...." Husband (inturrupting very calmly): "Sweetheart, they've been naked all day." Me: "Oh yeah, right...." :-)
  
Ahhh, the lovely sound of a 7 year old happily tooting away on her new-to-her trumpet, the day before her first lesson. My husband says it sounds like there's a wounded water buffalo in the house. The boys are finding it hilareous. Maybe after tomorrow's lesson it will sound a little more like music? Feeling very happy right now that she's not screaching away on a violin (like I did)! 

Not 30 seconds after Bean and I finished a conversation about why it's inappropriate for her to just throw her granola bar wrapper on the floor rather than walking 5 feet to put it in the trash can, she opens a Band-Aid and throws the packaging on the floor. AAAGGGHHHH!
  
No, you may not pee on your dinner fork. Is that really so unreasonable???

September 
Point it up or point it down, but the diaper doesn't work when it hangs out the side. Sigh. Washing the sheets and mattress pad...



What daddy learned this morning..... if you point out the window and say, "Hey, kids! Look at the big truck! There's something going on out there!", you might as well put on your shoes because you're going to see a truck.

Bean "needs" a 4 year old sister, and if I "get her one", she'll stop bugging me about BOTH the dog and the Barbie plane she wants. She wants me to start researching on the Internet where we can get one. Clearly, she's delusional. 

Did you know that Yoplait Whips yogurt spreads with the same consistency as finger paint, and that when flung, it clings to walls in a lovely splatter pattern? Neither did I. Until tonight.

October 
Cosmo: "Mess!" 
Me (cleaning mac & cheese from the floor and walls): "Yes, mess". 
Cosmo: "Dump". 
Me: "Yes, you dumped it". 
Cosmo: "No!" 
Me: "That's right, no dumping". 
Cosmo: "Help." 
Me: "You're going to help clean it?" 
Cosmo: "Do.". 
Me: "Okay". 
Cosmo: "Love." 
Me: "I love you too". 
Cosmo (with a hug and a kiss): "Kiss". 
Me: "Thank you." 
He picks up all the noodles, throws them away, wipes the floor, and gets out his toy vacuum. So sweet.

Cosmo was frustrated at not having medicine to take like K (ear infection). So I started putting a small amount of orange juice in a dropper for him so they could take "medicine" together. I've now spent the last 30 minutes refilling droppers, 4ml at a time, of orange juice for each of them. They love it and are calling it "juice med". I wonder if they've had a full cup yet?
  
Bean just taught the boys how to blow bubbles in their milk. Lovely.

November 
K comes downstairs and asks for juice. A few moments later, Cosmo comes down saying, "K! K! K". He goes up to K, gives him a big hug, tugs on his hand, and says "with". They both go back upstairs holding hands. So cute.


December 
I can overhear Sophia in the other room instructing the boys how to put their hands under their chin, tilt their head to the side, bat their eyes, and say "please!". Then they all three march in and in unison give me the adorable, batting-eyed "please smoothie?". Who could resist?

January 
Whose cock-a-mamey, hair-brained, idiotic idea was it to have Santa give the boys toy hammers?!?!?! Oh yeah, it was mine. Hmm. I suppose it's too late to change my mind, eh?
  
Cosmo and K have taken the choo-choo eating train to a whole new level. Now they close their eyes (scrunching up their faces in the cutest way) so the trains can go in a "dark tunnel".
  
Oh my heavens, she is so "me". Any sort of tag or seam on her skin drives her completely insane. But, unlike me, she wants to wear these big, frilly, lacy, taffeta dresses with a bizillion itchy spots. And she doesn't want to wear a slip because there are too many itchy seams. So instead she's a sobbing mess of a puddle because she "can't find anything to wear". AAAGGHH!
  
Bean is using yesterday's eye model to teach an anatomy class to the boys. They are watching with rapt attention, "oooh"ing and "aahhhh"ing in unison at all the appropriate places, dutifully repeating after her as she points out the "cornea", "iris", and "optic nerve"....
  
I'm struggling to get the boys in their pajamas, and getting frustrated. Bean says, "Mama, you have to make it fun". I say, "Okay, why don't you try." 2 minutes later they are in their pajamas and giggling hysterically. I've been shown up by a 7 year old
 
As we're snuggled up in bed, Kian says, "Want waffle. With dip. Syrup." Then getting out of bed and pulling on my hand, "Now. Come, Mama. Downstairs" Seriously? Now? Who taught you how to talk, anyway???? ;-)