Crazy Weather and More

 

 

Tuesday we put on our outdoor boots and sweatshirts and took a nice long walk.  We picked up sticks, threw stones in a half frozen pond {even though it was 60 degrees} and played with our friends underneath a pine tree.

 

Today was cold.  It snowed on and off most of the day, with about an inch of accumulation.  I am ready for spring!

 

The kids are ready for spring as well.  They've had a lot of pent up energy and the play room has shown lots of signs of wear and tear at the end of the day. 

 

BIG NEWS!!  Dawson has finally started to seperate and go to childwatch at the ymca and the nursery at church.  Yes, he cried.  But more importantly he got over it.  By the time church was over I found him playing very contentedly with the kind lady in the nursery.  Then we decided to try the YMCA.  We've had three successful drop-offs there, and we've been able to not only start work outs, but complete them as well!

 

Today I tried to get Dawson to branch out, and read books about something, ANYTHING other than Thomas.  So I picked dinosaurs, a perpetual little boy favorite, right?  As we are reading today, he started naming the dinosaurs:  "Thomas, Percy, James, Henry, Gordon."

 

{In case you were wondering those are all trains from Thomas.}

I guess the Thomas obsession lives on.

 

Carter has been begging, pleading with me to see Aunt Pam.  "Please, is she coming today?  Is today the day?" 

 

"No Carter, not until Sunday."  I wonder why he is so obsessed?  It's gotta be the donuts.

 

Ava is my little night owl.  Ever since she shared a room with Carter she has always stayed up later than him.  It's not unusual for her to be up until 9:30 singing, talking and playing.  It's so funny, now that she is not napping she is sleeping in later than anyone else.  Today is Thursday, so I let her sleep in.  It was close to 8:30 before she got up!  Takes after her Daddy! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

   

Dawson fix it

 

I have a little bag with batteries and a screw driver in the bottom drawer of my desk in the kitchen.  Dawson and all the kids are very aware of this and I have found them all trying to change batteries in various toys at one point or another.

 

 

 

Today this kid was on a roll.  I would hear "Dawson fix it" and he would run into the kitchen to fix the perfectly working toy. 

 

Today he attempted to fix two of his Thomas trains, a zhu zhu and two different flashlights.  Unfortunately the flashlights are not ruined after his "fixing."

 

 

He has been coming up with some funnies lately.  We pulled into the garage and he saw Mike's jeep.  He yelled out "Dawson's jeep.  Dawson drive it."

 

Uh, no.  Try that again in 14 years.

 

 

 

 

He is also picking up on the gender bias on chore distribution in our home.  Recently we were all sitting playing in the toy room and I guess the little guy decided he was hungry.  He ran over to me and demanded "Mama cook dinner."

 

Future Dawson, please understand that right now it makes more sense for me to make dinner because I'm home in the afternoons.  This does not mean that your father is not perfectly capable of making dinner.  We may need to start having Daddy cooking more.

 

 

Also, this past weekend we were visiting Grandma and Bo, and he saw them getting into the Santa Fe.  He started yelling "Bo's car.  Bo's car.  Grandma drive it?"  Yes, future Dawson, just because Daddy usually drives it dosen't mean that I can't join in on driving.  It's just easier for me to calm a fussy kid, climb over car seats to distribute snacks and drinks and pick up fallen books/toys/lovies.

 

Silly kid.  Then this afternoon we got to kindermusik and in his deep superhero voice he looked at me and said "Mom-mom drive car."  Yes Dawson, females are perfectly capable of driving.

 

Future Dawson:  please understand that you and your future spouse need to find a balance that works for YOUR FAMILY.  It can and should look different to each family and play to each person's strengths and weaknesses.  I know that for your Dad and I it evolves and changes as circumstances change.

 

But Mike, you may need to start scrubbing more toliets and cooking some meals!   

Carter

 

Carter earned a special sticker today at preschool, it says "Caught being like Jesus."  A friend wanted to be in the block center, so he gave up his spot so that his friend could play.  He was so proud of this and its currently hanging in a place of honor on his pin board.

 

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 He also invented this board game with some scrap cardboard hanging around the house.  It's pretty inventive, the red spots are lava, the green spots are grass, there is a trap door to fall through and you have to scale a wall to win. 
But the biggest problem is the rules:

1.  Five year olds go first.

2.  Only the guy in the silver suit can survive the hot lava.

3.  Only Carter can use the guy in the silver suit.

4.  Only Carter can win the game.

 

Any wonder why he wants to play it constantly and everyone else is grumbling about it? 

 

 

 

And a bonus Ava story:

 

Today the oldest two were in quiet time and I heard Dawson wake up.  I went upstairs to get him and then went into Ava's room to get her out.  I had a hard time opening the door and I realized she had fallen asleep next to the door.  Silly girl!  She was exhausted and sleeping hard.  We left and she slept for another 30 minutes after we left.

COLD

 

The weather has been COLD.  Walking out of the grocery store today Ava stopped and began screaming/crying "I can't walk any more, it's too cold!"

 

Dear child, standing and screaming isn't going to warm you up any quicker.  Get in the car and I'll get it started. 

 

She was also very confused and crying in the car "Christmas is over, why is it so cold?"  I guess we need to discuss seasons a little further.

 

 

 

 

This kid did not nap again today, but then he is a mess come six o'clock.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ava constantly amazes me with the food she is interested in eating.  Tonight she ate salmon hand over fist.  She has also been preferring red onions in her spinach/kale salad.

 

 

Carter has been asking tough questions lately.  His train of thought today was as follows "Well, if God made humans, who made God?"

 

I explained that I didn't know, and he proceeded to ask Mike the same question later.  This time he added in he thought that dinosaurs might have made God.

 

Recently I read a story with Carter and Ava in which the main character was embarassed that his Mom would hug him in front of his friends.  Carter asked me "why is he embarassed?"

 

This makes me so happy/sad.  Every day after preschool he runs out of the room to give me a huge hug.  How long will this last?  But he really had no idea why a kid would be embarassed to be hugged by their parent.  I wish I could keep him my sweet little boy forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Baby Andrew!

 

I had so much fun taking pictures of baby Andrew this weekend.  Here are some of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ava enjoyed holding her cousin, although poor baby did not!

 

 

Andrew and Daddy

 

 

Andrew and Mommy

Meeting Andrew

 

This weekend we went to visit our brand new cousin, Andrew.  He is such a sweet little boy.  Very strong too, in the 98th percentile for strength, according to his Dad.

 

 

 

Dawson staring at Andrew.  He really didn't take a whole lot of interest in the baby.  In fact, this picture happened because we were bribing him with candy to take pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

Ava was very very very interested in Andrew.  She loved to hold him, touch him, sing to him and read to him.

 

 

 

Grandma, Bo, Mike, Tracey

Ava, Uncle Jason, Andrew, Aunt Tiffany, Dawson and Carter

 

 

 

Carter holding Andrew

Ava was not going to let Carter get baby snuggles without her

 

 

 

I loved baby snuggles too!  Especially because these baby snuggles didn't need overnight care. 

 

 

 

Poor Slinky just had knee surgery for a torn ACL, so he was feeling pretty under the weather also.  Ava gave him plenty of love. 

Quiet week

 

 

Wow, this week has flown by.

 

All in all a pretty quiet, but enjoyable week. 

 

Back to routine, preschool and chores, playdates and making dinner.

 

Carter and Ava has been listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and enjoying it to pieces.  Its amazing to see kids laughing out loud and begging for me to read a book.

 

Dawson has been playing lots and lots and lots of trains.  Suprising right?

 

 

 

We have been picking up sushi and bringing it home, thinking the kids would never eat it.  But Ava LOVES shoo-shi.  She ate the entire california roll by herself.  And she also asked for a shoo-shi birthday party.  Yes, despite the fact that it is only January she is planning her birthday party.

 

 

Then there is this little guy.  We went out to a Mexican restaurant and he choose to eat only one thing:  salsa.  Yes, he is scooping salsa into his mouth with a fork.

 

 

But the highlight of the week?  Meeting this little guy!  Happy Birthday to our newest nephew! 

 

 

 

SymphonyLand

 

Who is that little girl under the sculpture?

 

Today we made it into downtown Canton to explore.  It only took us almost a year to make it there, but better late than never right?  We went to the Cultural Arts Center.  It is a beautiful building.  Ava and I saw a SymphonyLand presentation of a Strings Trio.  She was mesmerized by the instruments, and the program was geared toward young children.  The art museum is also in the same building.  We only saw a piece but intend to take the boys back on another day, there are still more SymphonyLands left, a woodwind and brass trio.  I know the boys would like it as much as she did.  But it was fun holding my little three year old's hand and listening to her sweet little voice telling me all her little three year old secrets. 

Don't tell, Promise?

A local YMCA has a preschool block room for young children to come and expend some of their boundless energy this time of the year.  It is a blast!  But, the only problem was that we visited during Carter's preschool time.  He gets SO angry and upset when he finds out that we do something fun like this without him!  So, Shhhhhh!  Don't let him know that we did this!

 

 

 

 

Dawson spent quite a bit of time on this fire truck.  Although, it was clearly a train in his little imagination.  All Aboard!  the fire truck?

 

 

Hiding in the wheel

 

 

 

I managed to get a picture of Ava.  She was not happy.

 

 

The preschool block room gets two thumbs up in our book! 

More Fun in the Snow

Earlier in the week, we had a snow morning.  Carter loves to sled, Ava loves to eat snow and Dawson loves to be pulled around in the sled.  Unfortunately I don't have quite the same stamina as Daddy.

 

 

 

 

Ava eating snow.

 

 

 

 

One of my best moves:  only buying black snow boots and snow pants.  Now they pass down easily from boy to girl to boy.

 

 

 

Handsome

 

 

 

Let's build a snowman!

 

That's a lot harder than it looks.

January

 

Thanks for the new Jammies, Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Jason!

Carter has been asking to wear them every night.

January is here, and with it the extreme cold.  I do not enjoy taking the kids out when it barely reaches the freezing point for a high.  So instead, we hunker down and enjoy our new toys.  Dawson is so insistent all day long "play choo choos mama, play choo choos mama."  I feel bad because the other two are asking for me to play legos or baby, and I have to put a limit on the choo choo time.  

By the way, if you happened to be in Giant Eagle today and wondering why I was walking around singing the theme song to Thomas the Train to Dawson over and over and over again, it is because once again his persistence pays off.  The minute I stop singing he yells at me:  Sing Thomas Mama, Sing Thomas Mama, Sing Thomas mama.  He will look at nothing, talk about nothing else until I sing the Thomas song.  The things parents do for their kids!

This past week the kids found a new favorite pretend game: library.  Carter makes library cards for everyone and then we all come in and check out a book.  My kids really have no chance to be anything but a dork, do they?  His writing skills are really expanding and he has moved into the transitional stage of writing.  This just means that instead of random strings of letters he is demonstrating an ability to write the sounds in words, using invented spellings.  Today he posted a sign on our garage door for Mike to read when he got home:  Tn es the fir wk pty.  {Tonight is the fire work party.}  I didn't help him with this message at all!  Pretty proud of this little guy!  I also need to add by fireworks he means a bag full of shredded paper that he tosses into the air and it spills the paper everywhere.  There were no fireworks going on at our house. 

I realize that sometimes my blog probably sounds like an MFE or progress report card, but I can't help it! 

Then our little Roover.  Lately she does not want her picture taken, AT ALL.  I will ask her come here, let me take your picture.  Then she turns and runs away from me and shouts no.  But, if I say Carter or Dawson I want to take your picture she immediately runs into the frame and wants to be in the picture.  Now I know the secret!

While I'm talking about January, it might be a good time to write down my resolutions.  Hopefully by putting them on my blog, I will hold myself a little more accountable.  So, here they are:

• Continue with my cleaning schedule that I started in the fall.  Sometimes it is hard to stick to, but everything runs smoother if I do.
• Watch my sarcasm around the kids.  I have to emulate the person I want my children to be.
• Keep on doing my yoga and eating real food!  Christmas time was rough for me {I think I gained 6 pounds!} but I feel so much better when I'm consistent. With Mike's blimp diet, this has proven to be very easy so far.
•  Read and take pictures.  I guess I should set some kind of measurable objective to this, but I just want to do it more than I have in the past year. 

Well, I think that is quite enough.  And I better get off the computer because I have books to read, a cleaning schedule to work on and maybe even get to bed at a decent time!