I actually have pictures and funny stories to post about the wee ones. Some of them are sitting in drafts waiting to be published. There are a bunch of pictures scattered all over my food picture files waiting to be edited and deposited into the correct folders for the kids pics. I just can't get it together. No, no, no. That's not entirely true. I'm blaming my kids.
Au Contraire:
She has become a potty mouth by accident. I won't tell you what she told me yesterday. Let me just say (so we all know the truth) she did not hear it from her father's mouth. I'm the one who swears like a sailor. Is there a 12-step program for this? I only do it when I'm mad. I swear that is the honest truth. (I'm mad a lot.)
AC gets completely lost in her Land of Make Believe. It's wonderful. One day we are all Care Bears, another we are dogs. Who says watching television all day fries your brain cells? She would never come up with stuff without TV. (And when would I do all the stuff I want to do?)
She is still "practicing" going potty at night. Yeah, she's 4 1/2 years old. She's been potty training for about 2 years now. (Who's counting?) She tells us it's just going to take her a "few more days" to do it.
She and Mr. X are having the time of their lives and have become the best of playmates. They are finally united against a common enemy--Number 3. As they say, "My enemy's enemy is my friend."
At the same time, she is Mr. X's little mother. She is constantly bossing him around and keeping him in line--curiously, though, it's never when he's doing something *really* naughty. When that happens, she joins in on the fun.
Mr.Xcitment:
If you look in the dictionary under the word "naughty", I'm pretty sure you would find Mr. X's name there. And probably a long definition. And a picture. And pictures of his handy work.
Sure he's cute with those blue eyes that sparkle and twinkle. Sometimes I swear (there I go again with the swearing) I can see them actually twinkle like in the movies. He is soooo cute and soooo naughty.
His favorite thing is to brush his teeth. He doesn't care if it's with his own toothbrush or yours. Or Daddy's. Or AC's. Or if it's the one I use to clean hard to reach places in the toilet. And furthermore, he actually likes grown-up toothpaste that burns the heck out of your mouth. It's all those Sundays spent eating Altoids during Sacrament Meeting. The spicier, the better.
But he redeems himself. Never has there been a little boy who loves to go to sleep at night. It's funny how he's the want I want to snuggle with at night and he's the one who likes to sleep peacefully all night by himself.
He also carries around one or three Magna-Doodles with him everywhere he goes so he can hand it to me to draw one of the trains from Thomas and Friends. They all look the same (I'm no artist!) but to him he sees James or Gordon, or Percy or Emily. And it makes him so happy. It's the small things.
Number 3:
Number 3 has her first fang. We are very proud. It only took about three months for it to surface. The next one isn't far behind.
She's morphed from the Sweetest Baby in The World to The World's Crankiest Baby Who Won't Sleep. And she won't just not sleep in her own bed. She won't sleep in my bed. She likes to be between me and her father, but she likes to kick us and head-butt us all night long.
She's a red head. The stereotype applies here, I'm afraid. Can't wait for the terrible twos with Numero Tres.
Her cuteness is not helping her win any friends these days.
Who am I kidding? Of course her cuteness helps. If she wasn't cute, I would have taken her for a long drive and dropped her off on the side of the road. Then I would have gone to take a nap. (Then I would have come back for her.)
ESF:
ESF is alright. Ask him and he'll tell you that very thing. School ends officially tomorrow at noon. Hooray! I don't know who is more excited about that.
His latest venture has been to learn how to take care of minor things with the cars--oil changes, etc. He keeps them running in tip-tip shape.
He teaches Gospel Doctrine at church once a month--his lessons are awesome.
And finally, he continues to be my taste tester and muse in the kitchen. I'm continually thankful for his help in this area. And he takes out the garbage.
Bangs:
I don't have bangs anymore. I'm trying to come up with a new pseudonym. I hated the bangs after all. Who knew?
Life is the same every. single. day. But I'm still glad I'm home with the munchkins. Knowing how much I love them gets me through the incessant pleads for more water or milk in a specific cup with a certain color of straw.
Some people have big goals--like climbing Mt. Everest or becoming President of the United States. Me? Well, I'm just hoping that I'll get to sleep through the night someday. That and I'd like to use the restroom by myself. Or watch a movie without being interrupted.
_______________________________________________
Life couldn't be better. Really.
5.21.2009
5.13.2009
Our Favorite Drive
A few months ago, ESF found a great little drive around the southern shore of a nearby lake that takes us through the most lovely countryside.
There are apple orchards and animals grazing in the fields--all along the shore of this lake. And even better, there's hardly another soul around, so it feels like we have the world all to ourselves.
I take this drive about once a week. It takes an hour. It feels like something I can do with all three kids. It's hard to go anywhere with the kids and stay sane. An hour drive with us all trapped (I mean, strapped) in the car is very doable.
On one little stretch there is an orchard where sheep, cows, and emus (yes--the large ostrich like bird from down under) eat the grass that grows under the trees. We stopped yesterday to look at the emus and their big eyes. The kids love it. Yesterday the sheep were freshly sheared and looked sort of naked like in Pixar's Boundin'.
(Unfortunately we did not see any jackalopes.)
On another stretch there are cows grazing by the side of the road--no fences needed. It's fun to see the mommy cows with their babies out in the open.
Further on down the road there is an enclosed area where steers are kept. (Note the difference--cows are female, steers are males that have been "clipped" if you know what I mean.) Sometimes there are these lovely birds with yellow feathers on their chests all lined up along the fence. They are gorgeous. I can't find what their name is--I'm still looking.
I told Au Contraire to look up in the sky. A whole flock of birds--maybe a hundred or more--flew up suddenly in front of the car and into the sky. AC said, "Look, Mom! They're having church up in the sky today!"
There is another pasture right down on the lake that looks like it could be right out of the Yorkshire Dales. It's gentle and green and slightly slopes right down to the water's edge. I don't have a picture of it--next time I go, I'm going to stop and take one. It's where I would love to live in a little farm house right on the lake.
The road winds around through the big apple and cherry orchards. I never knew there were so many. They reach as far as your eye can see. We drove by a few days too late and missed the height of the blossoms. (Next year!) There were still enough blossoms left to see just how many trees there really were--miles and miles and miles.
Each orchard has its own hives, too. I loved seeing the bees buzzing around the trees and the wooden boxes. I kept imaging how yummy the fresh honey would taste. I also made up my mind that I do want to live in the county and have some fruit trees and maybe a beehive of my own so I can enjoy fresh apple or cherry blossom honey.
The remainder of the drive takes us through a small town just south of us. It's absolutely darling with little pioneer houses and old buildings. If we end up staying in the same county, I think that's where I want to settle.
________________________________________________
The best part about taking the drive around the lake and through the orchards is that I appreciated, probably for the first time, how lovely the landscape is where I live. I complain a lot about missing NYC and the commotion. But at the end of the day, I love the wide, open spaces and farmland. I love hearing the crickets at night and being able to see the infinite stars.
Utah is a good place. And so is Cowtown.
There are apple orchards and animals grazing in the fields--all along the shore of this lake. And even better, there's hardly another soul around, so it feels like we have the world all to ourselves.
I take this drive about once a week. It takes an hour. It feels like something I can do with all three kids. It's hard to go anywhere with the kids and stay sane. An hour drive with us all trapped (I mean, strapped) in the car is very doable.
On one little stretch there is an orchard where sheep, cows, and emus (yes--the large ostrich like bird from down under) eat the grass that grows under the trees. We stopped yesterday to look at the emus and their big eyes. The kids love it. Yesterday the sheep were freshly sheared and looked sort of naked like in Pixar's Boundin'.
(Unfortunately we did not see any jackalopes.)
On another stretch there are cows grazing by the side of the road--no fences needed. It's fun to see the mommy cows with their babies out in the open.
Further on down the road there is an enclosed area where steers are kept. (Note the difference--cows are female, steers are males that have been "clipped" if you know what I mean.) Sometimes there are these lovely birds with yellow feathers on their chests all lined up along the fence. They are gorgeous. I can't find what their name is--I'm still looking.
I told Au Contraire to look up in the sky. A whole flock of birds--maybe a hundred or more--flew up suddenly in front of the car and into the sky. AC said, "Look, Mom! They're having church up in the sky today!"
There is another pasture right down on the lake that looks like it could be right out of the Yorkshire Dales. It's gentle and green and slightly slopes right down to the water's edge. I don't have a picture of it--next time I go, I'm going to stop and take one. It's where I would love to live in a little farm house right on the lake.
The road winds around through the big apple and cherry orchards. I never knew there were so many. They reach as far as your eye can see. We drove by a few days too late and missed the height of the blossoms. (Next year!) There were still enough blossoms left to see just how many trees there really were--miles and miles and miles.
Each orchard has its own hives, too. I loved seeing the bees buzzing around the trees and the wooden boxes. I kept imaging how yummy the fresh honey would taste. I also made up my mind that I do want to live in the county and have some fruit trees and maybe a beehive of my own so I can enjoy fresh apple or cherry blossom honey.
The remainder of the drive takes us through a small town just south of us. It's absolutely darling with little pioneer houses and old buildings. If we end up staying in the same county, I think that's where I want to settle.
________________________________________________
The best part about taking the drive around the lake and through the orchards is that I appreciated, probably for the first time, how lovely the landscape is where I live. I complain a lot about missing NYC and the commotion. But at the end of the day, I love the wide, open spaces and farmland. I love hearing the crickets at night and being able to see the infinite stars.
Utah is a good place. And so is Cowtown.
4.24.2009
On The Road
We went on a little day long road trip with ESF's aunt a few weeks ago. The kids were so good for the whole drive. They had fun riding in AK's minivan.
(just waking up from a little nap)
(just waking up from a little nap)
4.20.2009
Au Contraire Unplugged
Au Contraire keeps me laughing...
B: A.C.? Am I a good mom?
AC: Well...sorta.
B: What do I do that's bad?
AC: Well, you make me cry sometimes and you hurt my feelings. And you don't let me have stuff that I want.
B: I'm sorry. What can I do to be a good mommy?
AC: Well, you could stop making me cry and give me stuff when I ask for it -like food and stuff.
________________________________________
Watching an African tribe on PBS--the women and men were naked from the waist up.
AC: Hey! That's like me! I just like to be naked and only wear my underwear, too!
B: A.C.? Am I a good mom?
AC: Well...sorta.
B: What do I do that's bad?
AC: Well, you make me cry sometimes and you hurt my feelings. And you don't let me have stuff that I want.
B: I'm sorry. What can I do to be a good mommy?
AC: Well, you could stop making me cry and give me stuff when I ask for it -like food and stuff.
________________________________________
Watching an African tribe on PBS--the women and men were naked from the waist up.
AC: Hey! That's like me! I just like to be naked and only wear my underwear, too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
