Lately

Bubbles and a school bus!

Watching Daddy mow the yard

She's all grown up!

Our kids have been oh-so-sick for 3 weeks now. We have "up days" here and there, and I keep thinking they are getting over it. Then... BAM!! It's like their little bodies are building up for a grand finale or something. Last Friday was hands-down the hardest morning of parenting I have had so far. Here I was having a nice Friday morning, enjoying the fact that Joshua and Ellie were sleeping in some after a difficult night. A couple of hours later, all sheets and pajamas were in the washing machine, I had made many trips out to the trashcan, the bathtub had been Cloroxed, and the kitchen floor mopped. Well, the mopping part is deceptive... that is because I was clumsy and dropped a full cup of sticky juice!

Anyway, in the midst of all of this, we really have had some fun days.

Where have you been all my life?!

Every time we finish a meal, we have two child clean-ups and one kitchen clean-up. Joshua hardly needs help in this department any more, but Ellie, well, she is very creative during meals! We have this great little Space Saver highchair, and my only complaint about it is that the single-handed feature doesn't exist. Therefore, you really need to be a monkey to successfully clean Ellie. It goes something like this:

• Hand #1: use a wipe to clean Ellie's face... but recognize that those hands are going to go right back to the face once you finish.
  
• Hand #2: wipe off the tray while holding clean-ish hands before they go back to spread things around a bit more. Picture it. One hand holding two little hands; the other hand is ready to single-handedly remove the tray. But what to do when you require two hands for the tray? No doubt, you need to wipe the face again at this point.
• Ok, you have given up on removing the tray with one hand, so you have to let the two little hands loose! In the amount of time it takes you to remove the tray, Ellie has grabbed some stray food, smeared it on her face, and then proceeds to grab her previously clean feet like her life depends on it. I am not kidding! Hence the title of the post... it really seems like Ellie misses her feet when she can't see them at meal time!
  

Did you touch the curtains?

I guess you could call this one "A Big Move" part 2. Joshua is a smart boy. I mentioned that I hoped he would remember the cheers and be able to resist temptation so we can cheer every time we get him up. Well, he remembered the cheers. So every time I come in his room, he eagerly says, "I obeyed! I not touch a curtains, I not touch a blinds, I not get out of bed, I not open a door, I not touch a clock..." I think he likes spouting off his list... and perhaps it is his way of stressing false innocence. Yep, we are pretty sure that he lies about it every time. Well, not ALL of it, but at least the mini-blinds and the curtain part of it. On Sunday, David went to pick up a lawnmower during Joshua's nap. He put it in the backyard, which happens to be outside Joshua's window. When I went to get Joshua at the end of naptime, Joshua immediately said, "Lawnmower!" He was thrilled until he realized he was busted!

There is the side of this that is funny, and there is the side that is more serious. How do we know what boundaries to set? How do we teach Joshua that telling the truth is the right thing? How do we change the boundaries we thought we should set without appearing inconsistent to him? We have to figure this stuff out while the stakes are low!!

Easter rolls

I found a new roll recipe that I wanted to make for our Easter lunch. It was kind of last-minute, so I had to do things while the kids were awake that I normally wouldn't do. I was able to find them some cheap entertainment, thankfully!

More dress-up

Two thrilled kids on Easter Sunday

Believe it or not, those are my ankle socks!

The bathing suit pose

I think she actually put the hat on correctly by herself!

A Big Move

Taking down the crib

Sweet boy!

About 2 weeks ago, Joshua slept in his crib for the very last time! I think I was the biggest advocate for this transition, partly because my twiggy arms and I had a hard time getting my big boy into his bed! The kids and I left town for a couple of days, and Daddy stayed to work faithfully and to build a Big Boy Bed! We have been talking about this for awhile with Joshua, and he has always been receptive to the idea. I don't know that he would ever have tried to climb out of his crib, which I think is a common reason some kids say good-bye to their cribs. Still, cribs are for babies, and he is certainly not a baby any more!

The transition has been pretty smooth. Joshua did fall out of bed one night, but I think he may have been partially awake to make it happen. It was scary for him, but it hasn't happened again. Being in a bed has been fun for Joshua, but it has inspired him to push boundaries like never before! We have replaced one set of mini-blinds, and we realized that a book that Joshua decided he needed during nap time is broken. Enter the next stage of discipline and growth. This concept of sitting in a room for hours at a time by himself and having to resist this very attainable temptations has proven difficult to grasp. To his credit, this morning we all cheered because Joshua didn't touch curtains, mini-blinds, or get out of his bed last night! I hope he remembers the cheering and the fact that it is so much more fun than the alternative!

Beach Weekend!

Ellie's participation in feeding the seagulls...obviously!

An evening stroll on the beach. Aaahhhh. Life is good!

Perhaps Joshua's favorite new thing... feeding seagulls!

First beach experience for Ellie!

Joshua also loved playing in the "dirt"

Last weekend, we had a wonderful family vacation. It was our first vacation since before Joshua was born! The week leading up to our vacation was pretty rough. Both kids were congested due to allergies, and they took turns waking up throughout the night. We were waking up more than we used to with a newborn around the house! Thankfully, everyone slept really well during our getaway, and it was so refreshing and fun!