Tattletale

With Dawson's newfound verbal skills he is becoming quite the little tattletale.  On several opportunities Mike and I have caught him getting angry with a sibling when they didn't let him "play Godzilla" and then going to tattle.  "Ava hurt Dawson" or "Carter push Dawson" is often heard.  Luckily MIke and I have seen the circumstances and we know that he is making them up because he is upset with his sibling for telling him no.

Tonight after bedtime I had Dawson on the changing table and he grabbed the lotion.  Accidentally he pushed on the nozzle and it squirted lotion directly into his eye.  Of course he started screaming, and I had to try to wipe it away as best as I could and then comfort him.  He started chanting the most pathetic little chant "Dawson hurt Dawson.  Dawson hurt Dawson.  Dawson hurt dawson."  My poor little tattle tale was finally getting it right!

Oh, the Drama

Yesterday afternoon we took a brief walk in the woods behind our house.  About ten minutes later we had come inside and the kids were sitting at the table drinking hot chocolate.  All of a sudden Carter starts bawling.  I run over to him and ask "What in the world is the matter?"

Carter starts crying "I can't believe this is happening to me.  Why did this happen to me?"  

Finally I get it out of him: he was scratched by the bushes in the woods.  He has two small scratches less than an inch in length.

I just had to laugh, because he was on level 10 drama.

Although I realize in hindsight I've probably reacted this way to circumstances in my life that were also not life-threatening.  Being a parent really does open your eyes to all the funny things that you have done in your own life.    

Weekend Happenings

This weekend we went to visit Meme, Grandpap Bob and Nana.  We had to make a trip down to Beavercreek, so we decided to visit the Air Force Museum for awhile.  Carter was very excited about visiting, almost as much as Uncle Patrick!

They Flew a helicopter

Even Dawson

Played with Airplanes

Saw Huge Tires

{Check out Daddy in the background, he had to see if it was a Good year Tire.  It is.}

Sat in a Cockpit

It was so great to spend time with family.  

Funny Ava Story:

We are at Bob Evans and Ava is eating a roll.  She looks at me and says "Look Mom, it's my daily bread!"

I guess she is listening when we say the Our Father.

A little Voting Humor and more

Heard around the House:

On Tuesday we ventured out to the polls, and after an hour wait we were settled in the van driving home.  Ava asked me "Mom where was the water?"  

"What do you mean, I'm not sure what you are talking about?"

"You said we were going boating."

"Oh, no no.  Voting.  With a V."

After that little bit of excitement we took a walk down to our neighborhood park.

One of the best parts of being a parent is remembering all the fun things in your childhood.  I remember hanging on swings like this, and these two had a ball.

My little Dawson is crawling all over the the play set.  

My little three year old is slowly growing out of napping.  But on this particular day she took it really hard.  While we were riding our bikes back to the house she suddenly stopped and started crying.  She started sobbing "I'm too tired to ride bikes any more."  Then lucky me, I get to pile a bike on top of the stroller and piggy back her to the house while pushing a stroller {don't forget about the bike on top!}  I'm sure if anyone had seen me, they would have been laughing pretty hard.

Tonight was an exciting night for the kids, I was watching two neighbor kids over dinner time.  It was pretty big to have friends to play with, but then we had a pizza party as well.  Mike was running late from work and I realized that I had a 5,4,3,2 and 1 year old.  And then I poured a big glass a wine.  

My Lunch Date and Heard around the House

My Lunch Date with Spiderman, Optimus Prime and Dawson

Heard around the House:

Carter in a singsong voice:  Ava, Ava you are my little love

Ava in a singsong voice:  I love you too, my love

Carter out of the blue while we are driving in the car:  I just want to be a soccer player so I can run as fast as a motorcycle or race car.

Heard around the House

Carter:  Mom, Slinky left a lot of clues for us in the woods.  But I wouldn't touch them if I were you.
Mom:  No, please don't touch them.
{By the way, Slinky is Jason and Tiffany's dog.}

Ava:  Mom, I fixed my mind.  We are having ice cream tomorrow at Carter's birthday party.
{I think she means made up her mind.}

Ava:  Dawson, you are my cute little chubba cheeks.  Mom, get him out of here.
Me:  Well, that was quite a turn around.

Dawson is now letting his two cents be heard.  To get to the YMCA or the soccer fields we pass a cow farm.  The car was completely silent until he spotted a cow and began to yell "MOOO.  MOO.  MOO."  We also pass the high school that has a big mural of a polar bear on front of it.  He screams every time "PO BEAR, PO BEAR."

Heard Around the House

Carter:  Mom, when I'm not eating cheese, I'm dreaming about eating cheese.
Me:  Yes son, I know.

Carter:  Sometimes when I eat junk food my burps burn like a meteorite in outer space.  
Ava:  Yup, my bless-yous burn too.
Me:  Ava, I think you mean sneezes.
Ava:  NO Mommy, they are bless-yous.


While watching the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics and seeing David Beckham in a speed boat:
Ava:  Daddy, I ordered that boy right there!


Sometimes the memory on my girl shocks me. 
Ava:  Remember our old pine cone tree that we had to take out.  Our pine cone trees here are alive because they get a lot of water.
She is referring to the pine tree in Cincinnati that we had to remove because it died.  We can't remember when we removed it but it was before spring 2011 when the fence was installed.  So, she was at most 2 years old?  Crazy.


Thanks to Riley, Ava is also walking around singing 
All the other boys
try to chase me
here's my number 
call me baby
I realize these lyrics are not 100% but that is what she sings!

One man's trash

This evening we were cleaning up the playroom and I was making a pile of trash that needed to go to the can.  It included styrofoam wrapping, cardboard scraps, coloring pages stapled together in multiple spots, an empty tylenol box and scraps of string.  When I asked Carter to throw these items away he got very upset with me.  "But Mom, you are making me throw away all my equipment!  I'm a hunter Mom!"  Mike and I were rolling on the ground laughing at all his "equipment."  I swear we are not buying this kid any more toys!  Seriously just save your trash and he will love it more than anything you spend money on! 

Heard around the house: sibling rivalry

Yesterday at dinner time, Ava pinched Carter.  She was placed in time out, and a sucker she was currently enjoying was removed.  Mike looked at Carter's back, and sure enough there was a little red welt on it.  I began talking to Ava about possible punishments. 

Me:  Ava, I'm very sad that you pinched your brother.  I never want you to do that again.  What should we do to make sure this never happens again?  Should you not be allowed to watch our movie tonight or should I get rid of your sucker?  What do you think?

Ava:  Jus' get wid of Carter.


Wow.  That girl.  I really don't know what I'm going to do with her.

Heard Around the House

***Updated with two new stories.  Boy, this girl is on a roll today!*******



This morning Carter and Ava were jostling each other to get in the van first.  I was strapping the baby in the car seat and I heard Ava tell Carter  "Don't push me bro.  I'm a lady."

Sibling rivalry plus Daddy's lessons on how to be a gentleman plus Daddy's brotherhood of dudes = one funny little girl.


This evening at the dinner table we were talking with Carter about his day at preschool.  During a quiet pause Ava looked around and said "So, I want to go to preschool today."  Don't worry, silly girl you will get your wish next week when we go to Mighty Max.


I was helping Ava on the toliet and she started unrolling the toliet paper.  I stopped her and said please don't do that.  Later I started unrolling some toliet paper for her and she looked at me and said "That's despicable.  You go to time out."  I really have no idea where she got the word despicable from, I do not say that in my daily speech.  We have watched the movie Despicable Me but that was ages ago!

Heard around the house

(Back story:  yesterday the kids watched the movie Tangled for the first time.  It is the story of Rapunzel and her mother keeps her locked in a tower.  She asks repeatedly to see the "outside world.")

Carter:  Can we go outside to ride bikes?
Mommy:  Well, Ava is sleeping now and I need to feed Dawson.  But a littler later we will go outside.
Carter:  But I just want to see the outside world!

Heard around the house

As I offer a hand to Carter this morning to help him get out of the van:

Carter:  Mommy I love you.  But I do it.  I'm a big boy.

Mommy then inwardly sheds a tear.  And lets him do it himself.

Heard around the house

Actually titled:  Heard around the House car

Today in the car Carter would not keep his shoes on.  I asked him multiple times to keep them on and he insisted on taking them off.  So we stopped at Subway and I went to get him out of the car and of course the shoes were on the ground.  This is how our conversations went:

Me:  Carter, Mommy asked you to keep your shoes on.  You did not listen to my words, and that makes Mommy very sad.
Carter:  Car took Carter shoes.  Carter sad too.

We really need to buy a car that won't take off the boy's shoes.  I'm getting sick of sticking them on his feet a hundred times a day.

Heard around the house

Mommy:  Carter that insect is a Katydid
Carter:  No, Carter did!

Daddy:  What do you want to name your penguin?
Carter:  Pengos
Daddy:  What is he, greek?

Tracey:  Mike, why did you put Ava to bed last night in a snow suit?
Mike:  Oh, I thought it was a sleep bag.

Carter:  Wetard Daddy?
Daddy:  What did you call me?
Mommy:  Mike, he wants a sweet tart