Funny Kids

Some funny tidbits...

I was having Nicholas and Celia help me clean the bathroom one day. Nicholas started out washing the countertops and sink. Celia had been vacuuming. Then I started cleaning the toilet and he wanted to help and Celia walked in wanting to help too. So, I showed them how the toilet brush has to stay above the water so that it doesn't drip on the floor. We put the cleaner in and they each took turns scrubbing. I scrubbed a bit too. Then we flushed the toilet and I noticed we had missed a spot. Celia said, with all seriousness, "Good eye Mommy"
lol

Afterwards they cleaned some windows and mirrors too (hey, they think this is fun right now). Later that afternoon we were getting ready to run an errand and I hear nicholas say "Celia! Don't touch the window and get your fingerprints al over it. I just washed that today!"

LOL

First snow 2010

Saturday was the first real snow accumulation so far this year. Nicholas was begging to go outside 10 min after he had woken up. We bundled them up and sent them out. Let's just say, you can tell from the pictures how Aaron feels about being cold outside. lol
He lasted about 10 min and then needed to go back in. I just ordered some new mittens that go up to their elbows because last winter I was pulling mittens on every 5 min and their little wrists were so cold and red from snow getting stuck in there. So hopefully they work better. I ordered sizes which would allow them to use them next winter too - so hopefully they aren't too big.
Nicholas and Celia played outside for a long time (Jason was shoveling at the same time) and later on that afternoon they went back out again.

Halloween 2010

So we had a little dragon, monkey and bee for halloween this year. I kinda dislike spending so much for a short holiday, so all 3 were hand-me-down costumes. And Celia was the same as last year. lol They didn't care one bit though.
It was much more pleasant this year than last years bitter windy halloween. We pulled Aaron in the wagon and N&C walked. At first they were really hesitant to go to the doors and get their treat, but by the end they were running to the doors. lol We were keeping Aaron contained with a lollipop in the wagon and then walking or carrying him to the house's door. But around the end of the time we let him walk and he was like an old pro. He would almost run down the sidewalk and then go up to the door and grab the candy, say 'hi' and walk away. lol It was SO cute. Oh, and we had practiced with Nicholas and Celia to say 'thank you' real loud when they got a treat from someone and they did great. They would say 'thank you' really loud and then run to us saying 'we said thank you!'. :)
Oh, Grandma Maus came with us as we went around the neighborhood. Our neighborhood must be a destination spot for halloween because their were cars lining the streets and tons of kids out. Definitely more kids that live in the neighborhood.
It was a fun night! We went home to homemade chicken noodle soup (with homemade noodles!) and homemade pumpkin pie (my first pie baking a real pumpkin for it!).

Aaron unleashed...

Our little honeybee. :)

Aaron being an old pro at trick or treating.

Grandma making sure Aaron didn't run into the road.

In his own 17 month way, Aaron can RUN.

He loves suckers... all 3 do!

Our sweet little monkey :)

Nicholas really got into his character... look at his feet.

Happy fall! Next up... thanksgiving & Christmas! :)

So sorry!

Well, I apologize to myself, the kids and Grandparents (and any other readers). . . busy life with 3 small children has taken hold. That along with my unending time working on beginning and marketing my photography business. Our day consists of waking up at about 7/7:30, breakfast, changes of clothes, diaper change for aaron, nap for aaron, empty dishwasher, other various chores, trying to make time to do an activity with N&C, wake aaron, sometimes play outside, more cleaning, make lunch, nap time (nap is when I can work on my business), wake-up snack, more cleaning, maybe outside time, prepare dinner, eat dinner, clean up dinner, baths, pajamas, aaron to bed, N&C to bed, maybe some time with jason, then more business work online or editing. It's never ending.

For many months my bedtime has been at about 2am. That takes its toll! Recently I seem to be hovering at about 11pm or midnight and that works better. I really try to make time to read my bible before bed (I've finished genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and I'm on deuteronomy!).

So sorry! I will try to post once a week if I can - maybe more if I'm able too. It makes me sad to miss out on posting too cause these are memories I don't want to forget.

Funny and Emotional

Some funny comments/stories....

At church on sunday the teacher's lesson was on 'God made the world and everything in it' Acts 17:24. She took the kids out on a walk around the church looking for plants, bugs, etc. Then they came in and did some leaf rubbings with crayon (can you tell this is a retired teacher or what?). She had a poster with cartoon animals on it. Each child had to pick an animal they liked and then say a prayer. So she said to Celia, "Say 'thankyou God' for one of these things' (as she pointed at the poster).
Celia: "Thank you God for Bunnies"
Nicholas: "Thank you God for one of these things"
It was SO cute! The teacher grabbed nicholas to hug him but he was mortified when he realized he didn't do it correctly. Poor guy is shy and slightly perfectionist... okay more perfectionist than we realize, I think. He has my trait - fear of being wrong. Ay yi yi.

Another day we were driving in the van - me and N&C - to the library for a frog nature show. I said that Grandma Maus was going to be there with us.
Celia "Is that your MOMMY?" (emphasis on 'mommy') - had to be there...
Then she said "Look, Nicholas, an old car" as an antique car drove past.
Nicholas "That engine doesn't sound too good"
As if he knows... LOL

And Aaron is walking ALL over the place. He is quick and pretty stable. He is having complete conversations with us all, but we only can make out about 12 words total. He has a 15 month appt next week so we'll see how tall/heavy he is. He's a peanut weight-wise.
He eats really well, just is going to be tall and lean. And Aaron is SO infatuated with his Daddy. He just loves it when Jason comes home. N&C love it too, but Aaron just runs to hug him. Jason does a little movement where he is pretending to pluck his heartstrings when that happens. It's so sweet. :)

Aaron is also surely nearing 18 month mark - which is the time in a toddler's life when they realize there is something called a tantrum and they have a mind of their own. Whew. I am telling you now... this kid is emotional! He is dramatic. He can be the sweetest cutest little boy, but he has a wrath that comes with that. Baby time-outs will be starting pretty soon. Like tomorrow. ;)

See what you think...

2 minutes later (seriously)...

A dose of reality

We've been back from Kentucky for the last few days and I'm slowly making my way through a teeny bit of the 500+ pictures I took on vacation. Yes, at least 500. lol
One of the evenings Great-Grandma let the kids take a bubble bath in her jacuzzi tub. We have a teeny regular ol bathtub at our house, so this was a blast for them. So, yes, in these pictures they look like they're having a great time, but let me tell you... Nicholas and Celia were beastly that night. Two weeks of vacation (camping and then trip to Kentucky) had caught up with them. Zero naps and late bedtimes made for some cranky 3 year olds. Thank goodness my Grandma was there for emotional support. I love my children to the moon and back, but sometimes they can make you feel like you have absolutely no idea what you're doing being a parent.
And... here is another 'face' by Celia. ;)

The face

* I am copying this from my photography blog, so if the images are too large, pop on over to my other blog! :)

Last week we packed up our family of 5 in our van and drove 11 hours to visit my Grandma in Kentucky. Amazingly enough, all 3 kids (twin 3 1/2 year olds and a 15 month old) did fabulously well during the drive. Aside from one motion sickness episode by one, they rode so well. We spent a much needed family vacation together - visiting friends, fishing, walks, great food cooked by Great Grandma... Very nice.
The last evening before we left I took Celia to a field I had spotted along with a sunflower from Great Grandma's garden.

You may be wondering about my title - 'the face'. You know when you photograph your children they start giving you a certain smile? It might be a 'cheesy' smile or maybe they're not looking at you at all (happens to my kids too!).

Well.... the last picture will share with you the face I'm getting quite a bit from Celia now. It cracks me up!! I can probably count 10 pictures in my files that have that expression. It shows her true personality. She is sweet and kind, but she has SPUNK for sure!

Camping 2010

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This last thursday thru sunday we went camping at Baraboo Hills Campground. It was so fun, but also challenging. Aaron is at an age where he wants to only play with rocks and dirt ... hey, maybe that will always be true for him. ha! Thank goodness mom was there to help out cause there were times that she watched the kids for us while we set up the tent, etc. I think until the kids are older, a cabin is the way to go. The kids swam in the pool, fished (they both caught bluegills!), road bikes, played mini golf, watched movies on the cabin dvd player, ate very little (they had poor appetites when we were camping), stayed up late, roasted marshmellows... great time. By pack up time on sunday I was exhausted from such little sleep (aaron was a rough sleeper at night for those 3 nights) and it was hot and humid and we had so much to pack up. Thanks again to mom for helping us. I always feel guilty having her help cause I want her to have fun too. So, thanks mom. I appreciate it.
I have lots more pictures, but I only have time for these 2 right now. :)
Above is Aaron taking his first REAL steps and walking! He waited until he was 15 1/2 months old! He started crawling in February.
Then Nicholas and Celia on their way to go fishing for the first time. They did great and we hardly had to wait to catch some fish. Nicholas caught one first, then celia, then nicholas and celia wanted to catch one too so Jason snuck the fish on the pole back in the water and then had celia re-reel in the fish (she thought she was catching another one). Or maybe it was nicholas re-reeling??? I used to love going fishing, so it was so nice to fish. The only thing is I prefer not to touch the bait or the fish. hmmmmm.... ;)
We leave for Kentucky to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa and to spend 2 nights with the Thomas family who will be visiting from Knoxville. They have twins who are 1 day older than our twins and a 3 month old daughter. Should be fun! I should be packing instead of blogging. Shhh, don't tell Jason. lol

Buddies.

These two are the best of friends.... and sometimes the best of enemies too. ;) You wouldn't know they are twins. :) They are an absolute joy - even on days when the whining removes more pigment from my hair. Some days, as with any mom, I am pretty exasperated and ready to run out for a coffee with some other moms and just talk (which is necessary!). They are such wonderful children though. I am so entirely blessed!

Aaron's hair

I feel I should preface this post by saying this is just a snapshot . The livingroom was dark and the settings weren't ideal for getting the quality images I would prefer. But its a frame of mind I try to set aside so I can take family pictures that aren't technically correct so we can have snapshots of memories. With that aside...

Our youngest son, Aaron, is now 14 months old. He has had some baby curls and his hair has been growing quite long. Thoughts of Samson and Delilah floated thru my head. How long could I procrastinate before giving him a real haircut? I had snipped the ends and called it a haircut a month ago, but his hair seemed to grow even faster following that pseudo-cut. This weekend I had the nerve to really cut his hair so I just did it while I had the nerve. I set him in his highchair with a sucker in hand in front of the TV and snipped away. There was quite a pile of hair on the floor afterwards. And honestly, it felt like I was looking at him for the first time again. During his post-haircut bath I noticed one ear folds over a bit more than the other. Something I couldn't tell with his beautiful locks. ;)

So, here is our baby with his not-so-baby face. If anything, I think he's even more beautiful.

Love you sweetie ~ Mommy.