No Clothes or Small Clothes

Two nice days in a row, and the kids are worn out. I made tonight's dinner last night after putting the kids in bed so we could just play today. The weather forecast does not look great for the rest of the week. I picked the twins up at school. I had Zia in an Ergo and in the time it took me to get her off my back and sitting in her seat (not locked in), both Arya and Eiley had removed their shirts, shoes, socks, and pants. I let them ride home that way. When we got home, Arya told me I had to carry them in the house. I made them put shoes back on, gather their clothes, coats, and backpacks, and walk themselves into the house. We ate lunch and headed outside. I made them put clothes on before heading out. Arya couldn't remember when she put her pants, so she threw on a pair of Zia's 18m pants. I could not believe they fit. They were short, but they fit. We stayed outside until we had to go to a dental appointment. After the dentist, we stayed outside until dinner time. The kids wanted to watch tv, but I did not let them. Once I gave them a snack and herded them back outside, they were happy to be out again. They rode their bikes, scooters, swung on the swings, slid down the slide, picked up sticks in the back yard, and dug carrots from the garden. Most of the carrots survived the winter. The tops did get a little frost bite, but the bottoms are fine. I'm sure the tops would have been fine if we hadn't had such a harsh winter.

That's My Deal

All three kids were tired and needy today. It was in the 50s, so we went to the zoo after church. While we were leaving, we were discussing what we were going to do for dinner. I planned on buying meet and making burgers at home. Arya had her own plan. She told me "I want to go out to eat for hamaburgers so I can spend more time with daddy and you. That's my deal." She didn't get her wish, but we did buy sides at the store and made a super fast easy dinner. That way she could spend as much time with us as possible. Her "That's my deal" comment comes from me asking them "What's your deal?" and things like that when they are super cranky.

Zia Drinks

We took the kids to starbucks this morning for some soy hot cocoa. They loved it. It was a good way to bribe them to go to their ballet class that they are not enjoying at all. Actually I shouldn't say that. They do enjoy it, but not enough to stop the rest of their Saturday to go to dance. Once we get them there and they stop complaining, they have some fun.

Zia was so cute at dinner. I gave each of the kids a little cup to drink out of and she was all over that. She thought it was the greatest thing. She would take a little sip and say "ah".

Clean Up Clean Up

You know it's going to be a rough day when you've been up long enough by 7:00 am to have all the kids dressed and have one who has already drawn all over herself, while the other two are having total break downs because you haven't fed them fast enough.

Zia emptied the toy box today while singing "clean up, clean up". I don't think she has a great grasp one what this clean up thing is.

She may hate me later for this, but I can't resist.

Michievous Girls

Just like the other day, they are so cute, even when sharing looks at the peanut butter in their mouths. They're just mischievous and so much fun.

Her Own Style

And it starts again. Zia can now und.re.ss herself. Or maybe I shouldn't say again, since the other two still do this.

Arya has been wearing this hat and headband to school. I assumed she was taking it off once she got there. Another mom let me know that she's been wearing it every day in class. What a nut. I love that her teacher just goes with it and doesn't ask her to take it off. And yes, I am letting her sit on the counter and eat strawberry pie straight from the pan. It was a good pie and as far as desserts go, not too terribly unhealthy.

This slide has provided countless hours of fun around here. It is causing lots of fights right now too, but more fun than anything. I am amazed that the older two still play on it, but they love it. Even Zia now tries to slide or jump down it in style and not just sitting nicely.

Tired Kids

The twins always want to make me think they aren't tired. They've been staying up later every night and are tired, despite what they think. This is Eiley, passed on a few minutes after coming inside. She didn't even get her coat off.

Chewed Food

The bond these two share never ceases to amaze me. They are so cute together, even when they are looking at the chewed up food in each others mouths.

Trouble Bites

I bought this pepper at Trader Joe's today. I put most of the groceries away, but missed this. I left the kitchen for a short time and came back to it like this. Zia had taken a bunch of bites out of it, but didn't eat any.

Green Eggs and Ham Day

Zia and I helped make green eggs and ham in Eiley's class today. It was at the end of her day, so I was able to go get Arya when her class was done. She came over and got some to eat as well. I sat her down at one of the tables and one of Eiley's classmates looked back and forth between Arya and Eiley. It took  her a second and then she asked "Who are you?"

Reading with Zia while she nurses may be worse than reading with Zia when she isn't nursing.

This is totally normal....right?

Self Manicures

I let the twins paint their own nails today. That is probably never a good decision when four year olds are involved. I thought it was funny though. I made them use their nail polish, which basically just peels off. I am thankful for that since so much of it ended up on the floor.

No Pictures Please

For possibly the first time ever, Eiley did not want her photo taken today. I wish I could have gotten a good shot of her face. It was hilarious. She didn't stay mad long. She couldn't help but laugh when I climbed under the table with her.

The kids are both doing really well in swim lessons. Eiley is doing amazing. She swum about half of the pool doing backstroke tonight by herself. Arya is doing well too, but is afraid of sinking, so she won't put her head back and swim. She tucks her chin, sticks her butt down, and sinks.

As always, Zia is still making reading very difficult around here. It's hard to get her to stop when she makes us laugh.

Making Me Proud

The kids and I spent a long time at the library today. First they had story time and then we picked out books. I took Zia into the bathroom to wash her hands. When I came out, I saw a guy ducked down behind a shelf with a kid. He was restocking the books the kid had knocked off the shelf. I told him "we've done that before". I assumed he was down there with his own daughter. Nope. I walked around the corner and saw Arya sitting in a chair net to his daughter. I went back to him and told him "I guess we've done this again."

Shortly after I got the books reshelved, I found the kids trying to knock each other out. There is a little alcove with soft kid chairs on both sides. Arya and Eiley were standing on chairs on opposite sides. They had a soft foot stool in the middle. They were jumping from their chairs, at the footstool, at the same time. Basically crashing into each other. I stopped them from doing that since they really were going to do some damage to each other. As soon as they stopped, they started wrestling. Of course Zia couldn't be left out of that.

Ballet Plie

Zia seems to think that the freezer door handle is her own ballet bar or gymnasium. She loves to play on this. She'll grab on, lift her legs, and hang upside down. I am not looking forward to the repair bill if she doesn't stop.

Head Biter

Biting your baby's head out of frustration is not a mothering tactic Zia has learned from me.

Nicer Days

We are finally having a nice day here and there. Like one every couple weeks. I am taking full advantage of those days and getting the kids outside. We spent a lot of time at the zoo today and all the kids had to walk. I did not want them riding around in the stroller.

21 Months

This little cutie is 21 months today. She is so sassy. I asked her if she was ready for a nap. She shook her head no and said "nigh nigh". I said "yes" she said "no". Back and forth. She won. Around 4:30, when I was reading to the twins, she fell asleep on my lap. I didn't let her sleep long and she was mad when she woke. I knew that it was going to be hard to get her to sleep if I let her sleep longer. Before she fell asleep, she helped me make buns for dinner. She was so cute and so excited to help.

At 21 months, she has a lot to say, but not many actual words. She can say: Momma, Dadda, Arya, Nana, Papa, No, Nigh Nigh, Chee (cheese), Nay Nee (blankie), Dah (Dog), Hi, Pees (Please), Day Dee (baby), She She (excuse me), and Tay Tu (Thank You). That's all I can think of now. She signs: More, Please, Bye bye, & Done unprompted. She will sign other words in repetition of us signing it.

While she doesn't say much, her comprehension is incredible. She understands just about everything we say to her and follows directions very well. She knows what she wants and makes her wants known through lots of grunts and pointing. She is good at throwing a fit when we don't completely understand what she wants. She will try to say just about any word I tell her to say. I'm sure once she decides to talk, she'll take off just like the other two did.

Micky D's

I took the kids to McDonalds tonight. They are always asking to go, I think because of the inside play ground and not because of the food. Zia was just as excited to be there as them.

She is all about taking her shoes and socks off, when she isn't demanding to put on shoes that are too small. I put shoes on the basement stairs to pack away into our sell/donate piles. She found them today. They are her absolute favorite and despite being half a size too small, she would happily wear them every day. At one point she did take them off and then her socks, and then she played with her toes and a paper clip. I think she was pretending to cut her toenails. I'm not sure though. All I know is that it kept her entertained for a few minutes and kept her in one place.

Growing Up Mwahkey

Every region of the country has those one or two words they say that only they use. Here that word is bubbler. What is a bubbler? To those of you who aren't from around here, a bubbler is a drinking fountain. I have never called it a bubbler. The girls had a math event at school tonight and then I had a PTA meeting. All three got to stay in the gym and play while I sat in the meeting. When I picked them up, Arya told me that she needed a drink from the "bubbler". I was like "WHAT??!!" No kid of mine is going to call it a bubbler. Seriously though, I know some people around here call it that, but I was honestly shocked to hear that come out of her mouth. As weird as I think it sounds, I didn't correct her. I guess she'll be saying all sorts of funny things that are different from the funny things I said growing up.

Cork called to FaceTime today. I was just about to put Doc McStuffins on for them so I could cook dinner. Arya told him "I want to watch tv right now, sooooo maybe I can get back to you later today or tomorrow." Four year old love is so charming.

School Free Day

The kids had the day off of school today and Cork was flying to Vegas, so we went to Nana and Papas house, where the girls got spoiled. We all went out for swedish pancakes for breakfast and then spent about 2 hours at the kid museum. They all had a blast.

Zia didn't take a nap until really late in the day and then Arya fell asleep for a few minutes around 5:00. That meant neither of them went to sleep on time. Arya spent most of our drive home complaining about the road, the music, the lack of music, the temperature, and just about everything else she could think of. She didn't fall asleep until almost 9:00.

Clean Up

Zia loves to cleanup. I really hope this continues. She finished using her cup today and put it in the dishwasher all by herself.

We tried to take passport photos today. There were so many funny ones, but no good ones. It looked like we were taking mug shots. I wanted to take them and see if we could do it from our phones, but I give up. We'll be sucking it up and paying someone to take them for us.

Little Visitor

We had a little visitor today. My first thought was that it was probably rabid since it was out in the middle of the day, but it was still cute. Maybe it's just confused by our time change that's happening tonight.

Crazy Hair

Today was crazy hair day at the twins' school and that wasn't the only thing that was crazy today. Arya and Eiley were both full of energy all day long. At breakfast they were singing and making up words in songs. "We piss you a Merry Pissmass." I told them they were talking jibberish and Arya asked "Is that talking Jewish?" Not Yiddish child, Jibberish. Then Eiley ran off for the potty and yelled to me "Mom, my underwear has a bruise." That's not a bruise child, that's a skid mark. This was all within a few minutes at breakfast. Our day continued like that until they got on the bus. Since it was 40 today, I brought them to the zoo to try to wear them out. Both spent some time in the Ergo, so they definitely didn't get worn out as much as I had hoped they would. They were crazy this afternoon again. It really needs to warm up and dry out so we can run around outside.

W

e ate a picnic lunch at the zoo. Eiley was eating a Cutie and asked if it was a "lemonine".

Swim Update

I took all three kids swimming today. I hoped that it would wear them out. It sort of did, until they got a snack and then they were wild again. They swam really hard for an hour. They are getting so much better. A friend from school asked if we would change our swim lessons from Tuesday to Wednesday night. By changing, they also move up a level. Their instructor from the first round said they should stay in the level they are at, but I disagree. I am glad they get to move up. The only requirement they didn't meet to move up was being able to swim 5 yards unsupported. Both actually can do that and did it over and over tonight. It's not pretty, but it doesn't have to be. Eiley just kicks to get where she's going. She never seems to remember to paddle. Arya is getting good at paddling, but isn't great at floating on her back. Eiley can swim on her back for 5 yards by herself. I think moving up a level will push them to do more, especially when we aren't paying for lesson time to be spent teaching them to jump in or play ring around the rosies. I know they need to have fun, but they are with kids who don't want to put their faces in the water.

Zia Pretzels

Sometimes I wish she wasn't so clever. She gets these out all the time, no matter where I put them. I'm sure I could find somewhere super high, but I think she'd still try to get them there. This tub was empty and I was going to move it to the recycling bin. Zia had other plans. She got an open bag of pretzels out of the cabinet and poured them into the tub.

Roller Girls

Zia was sicker today than she was on Sunday. She only vomited once, but she had a fever and just wanted to be held. When she wasn't up by 7:30, I called a neighbor and she brought the twins to the bus stop for me. Zia didn't get up until 9:30. She spent the entire day hanging out on my lap. I mean the entire day. I fed the twins bagels, cold cereal, and chocolate for lunch. Basically I let them eat whatever they wanted. I didn't put Zia in the Ergo because I was afraid she'd throw up all over me. At least by holding her I could turn her away if needed. I finally put her to bed at 8:00 pm and she was mad, but she really needed to go to sleep and she wasn't doing it on me.

Since she was so sick, I missed out on bringing the twins to swim lessons and to roller skating for their school. Cork came home early to take them swimming and then took them roller skating. He even rented skates for himself and went with them. They were so bad, but so cute. I really wish I could have been there. He didn't get them home until after 8:30 and they were spent.

A Little Better Zia

Zia was feeling better today, but not great. She would ask for food, chew it, then spit it out. She nursed all day and drank a bunch of water and kept everything down, until about 11:00 pm. She woke up, nursed, and then started smacking her tongue weird. It took me a second to figure out what she was doing. I sat her up quick and had her puke on her blanket, pajamas, and me, instead of my clean sheets.

Sick Zia

Arya and Eiley both told us yesterday that they didn't want to go to church today. They got their wish. I walked into Zia's room last night to the smell of vomit. She had vomited some time earlier because it was crusted and somewhat dried into her hair. A bath and sheet change later, she was vomiting again into the sink. She and I had a long night. I slept in the twin size bed in her room because I was worried about her sleeping on her back and puking. We had a long day of her drinking water, home made pedialyte, and milk. She wanted stuff to eat periodically, but every time she had some thing little she didn't keep it down. She climbed into her chair to eat dinner and I wasn't so sure she should eat. She started acting sort of funny, so I asked Cork "What's Zia doing?" Thankfully I asked because she turned from facing the table to facing us and projectile vomited onto the floor. It was disgustingly hilarious. She even laughed since we did.