Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fish, Fashionista, Fall Fun

Another mish-mash post. There is so much going on lately and, let's face it, I am too lazy busy to post every single day. So let's get caught up, shall we?

First, and most importantly, I have promised Baby Girl I would mention here that her fish are now celebrating their second anniversary with us. We bought them for her 5th birthday and they have been going strong ever since. We are not sure if it is because they are GloFish (learn all about them at this website) or if it is because of the excellent care they receive from Dr. Dad. I am betting it's because of Dr. Dad. There are 3 GloFish and some sort of algae eater in there (it hides in the filter so we never see it). Their names change depending on Baby Girl's mood...but I like to think of them as Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Sue.

Second, Baby Girl has new glasses! Her prescription hasn't changed, but after 2 years we felt she needed some new frames. She originally picked out a pair that were very similar to her old pair, but with some rhinestones on them. Then she went for a pair that were tortoiseshell. Then she found these beauties. They are, of course, from the Hannah Montana line. They are not at all what I would have chosen but this girl knows what she likes. She is very happy with her selection and has declared herself very stylish. We agree!

Third, we have been trying to get in as many fall festivities as we can, despite it being rather gloomy in the weather department. We made a mad dash to pick a pumpkin on Saturday.

It was the fastest pumpkin picking trip we have ever made. We usually like to do the whole ride out to the pumpkin patch and pick one from the field, but we couldn't seem to make it work this year. They each chose a pumpkin from the "pre-picked" section and we had just enough time to get a fun picture before the rain came (again).

I was hoping for a picture outside, but since the weather would not cooperate we did a little picture at home in their holiday finest. Hopefully I will get one outside during Trick or Treat.

Sunday proved to be a better day, weather wise, so Dr. Dad took the kiddos on a fall hike while I attended a baby shower.

Here they are on the trail.

Here is Baby Boy, practicing for his Senior Pictures.

Next up, Baby Girl's school party and Trick or Treat! Until then, Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

15 Months

Fun things about Baby Boy at 15 Months!

He has 7 and a half teeth.

He is moving up to size 4 Huggies.

He still eats like a champ. He seems to like everything but carrots. We don't know why.

He says: dog, mama, up, dada, sis, ni-ni (night night), bye bye, hi, car.

He waves bye bye and hi, but mostly to passing cars.

He LOVES cars.

He has finished nursing (too much information, I'm sure, but considering his sister took until 18 months to give up her bottle, this is news).

He is between 18 months and 24 months for clothes, mostly for length.

He lets his sister dress him up.

He loves to play "chase" with his sister.

He enjoys pointing at pictures and looking at books.

His eyes are green. For now.

He still loves to climb and get into everything.

He didn't flinch at all when a garter snake slithered up his pant leg.*

He really enjoys being outside.

He is a real joy.

*Ok, here's the story. Yesterday, I took Baby Boy outside since it was such a nice day. We were on the driveway when I saw what I thought might be a stick, until I got closer, and realized it was a small garter snake, sunning itself on the concrete. Snakes do not bother me at all, so I thought it would be fun to show Baby Boy the little snake up close. I sat him down next to it, and then tried to get the snake to move. Well, the snake wasn't too crazy about being disturbed and took off for the closest shelter it could find: up the pant leg of Baby Boy's overalls! He looked at me and I looked at him...and after laughing nervously, thought it was probably a good idea to get the snake out of there. So I picked up Baby Boy, gave him a little shake, and the snake slid right out. We then watched it slither up the driveway and out of sight.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Long Weekends, Bad Weather, Broken Cars and Adenoids

This is one of those entries where I ramble on about nothing and everything. Nothing monumental happening, which is good, I guess. But there is a lot of little stuff I might as well document. Birthdays are over, we are firmly in the school groove, it's not quite Halloween and it's still too early to think about Christmas (you hear that, Target? It's TOO EARLY! There should be a rule that all the Halloween stuff has to be gone before you can start putting up the Christmas stuff. It stresses me out).

We have a long weekend and Baby Girl is THRILLED. I think she really likes school, but she really, really likes being at home. We have a few fun things planned, but the weather here has been awful. No, it hasn't snowed, but this has to be one of the gloomiest Fall seasons I can remember. I feel like we went directly from flip flops to parkas. I am hoping we will get the kids to a pumpkin farm but it's not looking good. We may get snow on Saturday and I am not a fan of picking pumpkins in the snow.

Baby Boy is still being his adorable self. Except for the giant molar. It shouldn't be possible for a tooth that big to show up in the mouth of an almost 15 month old. He is still eating like a crazy man. We went to a bonfire last weekend and he ate 3 hot dogs. It is a mystery as to where this food is going. I suspect it is what is growing the giant molar.

A few weeks ago we had to say goodbye to our fabulous 1991 Ford Taurus. We had high hopes that the car would last us until we paid off our other car (an equally fabulous station wagon) but I knew we cursed it when Dr. Dad mentioned that in 6 short years we could apply for Historical Car status. I don't think the Ford liked hearing that. So the transmission went to the big Car Dealer in the Sky and we started looking for a slightly better fabulous car for Dr. Dad. We are closing in on a Toyota Camry that should work just fine.

So. About that adenoid thing. We took Baby Girl in for her 7 year check up. She is now 3 feet 11 inches...and not yet 40 pounds. Still long and lean, and for the most part, healthy. She had her yearly fall ear infection a few weeks ago, and the doctor that saw her at that appointment mentioned we might want to have her adenoids looked at. Dr. Dad had his removed as a child, and Baby Girl is a champion snorer. But I was genuinely surprised when her doctor took one look at her xray and declared we will be making a trip to an ENT. They are pretty large. Well, at least that is what the doctor said. I looked at the xray and just saw a bunch of white stuff. Apparently they sit on the roof of the mouth (toward the back) and you can only see them by xray. I had no idea. We aren't sure what we are going to do...we will talk to the ENT and see if removal is something that is necessary.

So that is what is going on. I think I covered all the topics and so will leave you with a picture. A rare moment of quiet, brought to you by a can of Pringles and Dinosaur Train.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

7 Years

There is something harder about this year than your previous birthdays. You are very much not a baby and not even a little girl. You are a big girl now, practicing your attitude and letting us know (just the other night at dinner) that we treat you like a baby and you are ready to be grown up.

Of course, we told you that was fine...and that you can start with a good list of responsibilities like making your bed, feeding the pets, setting the table, etc. You thought maybe being treated like a baby was just fine.

There are more times, still, that you want to cuddle with us and be silly and hold hands. But there are other times when you roll your eyes and stomp your feet and inform your Mom that "maybe you shouldn't sing out loud anymore."

Still. You are an amazing girl. Smart and funny, kind and thoughtful. You love to read and draw and play on the computer. You love to dance and sing and tell jokes.

Seven years ago we could never have imagined this day. Every year we are thankful that God allowed us to be the parents to a miracle. To celebrate your birthday is a special joy, a reminder of the blessings in our life.

Although it makes us a little sad to see the time flying by, just knowing how far you've come, and how far you will go, makes us so proud to be your parents.

Happy Birthday.