This comes from an eight year old who LOVES (triple underlined) to read. The conversation went something like this:

"I wish you could see when your eyes were closed."

"Why."

"Because then you could read while you are asleep."

After some thought

"But then you might stay up until midnight and be really tired."

Wouldn't it be nice to see with your eyes closed. Think of all the things you could do while sleeping.

Bad Tooth Fairy

I admit it. I make a really bad tooth fairy. On multiple occasions I have forgotten that someone's tooth has fallen out earlier in the day, laid my head on my pillow and fallen asleep without putting the much anticipated, hard-earned money under said person's pillow. Then in the morning the person is sadly sitting on their bed, head hanging, with the tooth in their hand...and no tooth fairy money. The last episode ended in a conversation that went something like this: "I know you're the tooth fairy mom. Maybe you were really busy. Maybe the tooth fairy will come while I am at school." Well in the end the tooth fairy remembered late the next night.

Who came up with the idea of a fairy flying around putting money under your pillow in exchange for a tooth anyway? That person should be in charge of remembering every time one of your kids' teeth fall out.

In some part of Africa the tradition for a first lost tooth is to give the person a chicken to take care of. Think of how useful a chicken would be.

???

A five year old question: Why do octopuses eat cake anyway?

Things I've learned, or noticed, or my opinion of them

* All baby pajamas should have zippers, no snaps ( I wonder if people who design them with snaps ever tried to dress a crying, wiggly baby..... in the middle of the night. If you would like this experience try putting clothes on a small octopus).

*All coupons should be at least $1 and be the same size.

*All cities should have recycling.

*Two year olds say really cute things.

First Day of School

Pie For Dinner

A few days ago we had chicken pot pie for dinner. A friend brought it over which made it even better because I didn't have to make it. The two year old at our house heard the word pie and got really excited. He climbed up on a chair, held out his plate and said "Pie!" over and over. It was a two year old's dream come true. Pie for dinner! It was very disheartening to find out what was inside the pie. This was definitely not what was expected. He eventually did try a very small bite but was still disappointed. Oh, the trials of being two.

Our Feature Presentation

August 9, 2011

7 pounds 4 ounces

20.5 inches long

Swimming Lesson Excitement

Happy Birthday Two Year Old!

Fun Camping Trip in June

Happy Birthday Eight Year Old!

Fun hike to a waterfall

Triathlon June 2011

Pictures from a fun trip May 2011

Happy Birthday Five Year Old!

Farewell to an olive green dryer. After many years of drying and countless turns this dryer has now gone the way of all olive green dryers.

Family Picture

Easter 2011

Dressing like Dad
Decorating Valentine cookies

Stepping in mud. (Maybe one step in the mud hole would have been a good idea)

Sitting in drawers

Sitting in drawers Part II

Five Year Old Thoughts

Friday we went camping and stayed up much to late because we were having so much fun. While the getting ready for bed was going on in the tent. Our five year old announced to all in range of hearing, "I'm one cranky lady!" And luckily fell asleep soon after.

Four Seasons in One Week

Last week we went south. Part of the plan was to find some sunny, slightly warmer weather. During the five days we were there we saw a snowstorm (it looked like January), rain, wind and sun. We also found a unique place to see a zebra. We did have fun going on walks (some in the rain), hikes (some longer than others), swimming and going on picnics. When I convince my computer to let me put pictures on the posts there might be a few to look at. Until then I suppose you can imagine what it looked like. It was very pretty despite the less than desirable weather.

Sharing Mother's Day

Highlights of my Mother's Day
*cards
*breakfast in bed
*flowers
*a "Happy Mother's Day" song
*a popsicle stick paper holder
*sharing my day with a very wonderful husband and kids
*a one year old who decided my breakfast looked yummy
and really wanted some.
A mom is destined to share.
It was a very nice day.

Mothers Day 2011

The holiest words my tongue can frame,
The noblest thoughts my soul can claim,
Unworthy are to praise the name
More precious than all other.
An infant, when her love first came,
A man, I find it still the same,
Reverently I breath her name,
The blessed name of mother.

George Griffith Fether

I really liked this poem so I'm sharing it.
I'm so glad to have a mother, mother-in-law,
grandmas, aunts and many women who have
taught and given me so many things.

Pickles

Quote for the day:

"My legs feel like pickles"

(I want to know what it really feels like to be a pickle).

A Conversation With a Five Year Old

It went something like this:

Is that a real pineapple?
Yes.
We should have a pineapple tree.
That would be nice, but it gets too cold here, and not warm enough. That's why we should have a green house, so we can grow pineapples.
Well, we have a green door.

It's a start, right? Now we just need to paint the rest of our house green.

Cookie Monster

Awhile ago a friend watched my kids. When I went to pick them up she gave me a bag of chocolate chip cookies and said that my littlest spotted them and had been "asking" for them. She told him he could take some home. He was excited to hold the bag on the way home. When we got there I started making lunch and wasn't really paying close attention to the little guy who took his bag 'o cookies to the basement. When I noticed it had been quiet for a longer than usual I went looking. I found the cookie monster with three cookies sitting around him, one in his mouth, and a chocolate smile on his face. He also knows exactly where the cookie jar is and what's in it at my grandma's house. I think he really likes cookies.

Feature Presentation

The Feature Presentation in August Presents:
Pink (most likely).

Adding to the list of Things I've Learned

It's probably a good idea to tell the person you put a piece of chocolate on their pillow before they go to sleep. And it melts. And the person wonders what is all over their shoulder in the morning. Especially when the person goes to sleep after midnight because they came in from out of town very late. It's the thought that counts, right?

Coming August 2011

It's rough when your four year old becomes smarter than you are. Ours has now decided to become the energy czar of our house. If I leave a room and the light is not turned off (because I'm going right back, of course), she'll say, "Would you please go turn that light off for me?"

I can't really argue with her, but I wish this new zeal for energy conservation had come from something I had taught her rather than her listening to a commercial for the power company.

She doesn't seem to remember anything we tell her, let alone have it spur her to any kind of constructive action. Maybe we could get the power company to run a commercial telling kids to clean their rooms or eat their dinner without whining.

A few days ago I heard some rather loud noises coming from the playroom so I stuck my head in the door and asked what was happening. The answer I got left room for a myriad of responses...
"We're cutting people's heads off!" All I could come up with was "Oh". I suppose that's what you might get when you give your kids a play tool set for Christmas.