No Fooling Me...

If you hear Donovan talk...he thinks he is too cool for all of the so-called baby things.  No Yo Gabba Gabba for him, no baby forks (as he calls the kid forks), no napping, no having mom do his hair (yea, still do it, though) and lots of other things...but don't let him fool you.  This kid is OWNED by a sweet 23 month old who likes all things pink.  Donovan is a fabulous big brother to her.  He is patient and giving.  He plays with whatever she wants and watches whatever she picks.  He'll give her a sip or a bite of anything he has.  He will give her his balloon when she accidentally lets go of hers and cries.  He will help her find anything she needs.  I think watching your kids interact in this way is one of the BEST things about being a parent and also the best, "Hey, we must be doing something right!" the universe can offer.  Oh, and when Matilda wants her "Don-in" to snuggle with her on her pink princess couch?  He's there...

We Have a Brown Belt in the House!!

Yay!  Way to go, Donovan!
We are about to take about 3 months off of Karate due to baseball season and a seven year old who doesn't need to be doing something every night of the week!  Glad he gets to go out with a bang!  See you in June, Karate!!

Why Patrick is Hilarious...

I don't like the word "stupid," but that doesn't mean I never say it.  For example, when I couldn't find a coat the other day, I muttered something about, "that stupid coat" which, of course, got the, "We don't say stupid!" from Donovan.
ANYWAY...the point of this is that I try to curb my own usage of the word and discourage the kids from using it.  Patrick went through a phase where he would get mad and just yell, "STUPID!" So...we taught him to say "Stupendous!"  It has worked very well and he rarely says either one at this point.  The other day, however, we were riding in the car.  Patrick was trying to put two pieces of a toy back together and he was struggling.  I asked him if he wanted help, but he told me he wanted to do it.  The next thing I knew, there was a shriek from the backseat, followed by, "YOU ARE NOT STUPENDOUS!" which was just about the funniest thing I have ever heard.  Even now, when I get frustrated, I am tempted to yell, "You are NOT stupendous!"
On a side note, Matilda now says something that sounds like, "stoop-IT" when she gets frustrated.  She makes the cutest face, so it is hard to be stern about it.  Usually just telling her to say, "sweet!" instead is enough...
I had no idea how much I'd have to watch my words when I had kids....
And I'll leave you with Patrick jumping like a crazy man at Kidmazium.

Guess We Can't Call Him Biebs Anymore....

I had a lot of kids in my care today!! Five kids ages 7, 5, 3, 1, and 10 months...digest that for a moment. No, really...take that in for a minute. I'll even give you a visual...

(Donovan, 7; Tyler, 5; Patrick, 3; Matilda, 1; Jake, 10 months...as you can plainly see, Matilda was NOT into being made to pose!)

Done?
Okay, so it actually was fine...in fact, the older two hardly ever get to see each other, so they occupied one another pretty well. Unfortunately, Patrick was the odd man out a few times and he took it pretty hard. BEING a younger sibling myself, I can appreciate his pain. For the most part they were all very good. Had to pry the Nintendo DS away from the big boys...and then the Wii...but once I got them thinking about things other than video games, they amused themselves with games of superheroes. Donovan even took a few minutes to read to Tyler and Patch!

And then Matilda made funny faces...


And Jakey made super cute faces:



And then we did craft/art time




And later, Mom-mom and Pop-pop made a quick visit on their way to drop something off to Tim...and Matilda pretended to sleep.

And then Donovan got a haircut-


I'll admit to being a little sad...we can't call him "Biebs" anymore without his Justin Bieber hair! So sad! BUT APPARENTLY...Justin B. cut HIS famous hair today, too!
And now it's time to relax! Hopefully Tim will be home by 8 tonight...starting a business is hard work!

Tilliebug

Matilda is turning into such a big girl...she went to Sunday school with Patrick today instead of coming with Tim and me! The class is three and four year olds, but she didn't mind. She barely gave me a second look when I walked away. I'm not going to lie; I was anxious..at one point during church, after I had glanced at the door for the 17th time, Tim said, "Oh my gosh, stop it! You are making me nuts and she is FINE!" I knew he was right, but I couldn't help it. She is my baby...our last baby...and I am not ready for her to be so big and independent. Sometimes I think she really is more independent than either of the boys were at her age. Maybe that is what happens when you're number three...? She is the sweetest thing-always saying please and thank you. She is so excitable and happy. I just really love being her mom.
And as you MIGHT be able to tell from this picture, Tim is pretty thrilled about being her Daddy:

For the record, she did wonderfully without us this morning. She participated with the other kids, sat in circle time, and folded her hands when they prayed. One of the teachers said she couldn't believe she isn't even two yet.
And finally...I wanted to leave you with a little musical number from our girl, but it just won't load properly. I'll put it on Facebook instead!

Just the kids...

Matilda is nearly two and won't stop sucking on her wrist. She gets very angry if I tell her to stop...that is why she looks so displeased in this picture! I'm not really sure how you break a kid of something like this. Neither of the boys sucked their thumbs...none of them took a pacifier...I don't know. I guess I am hoping she outgrows it on her own!






And then there is Patchy...What? Your kids don't watch TV while wearing a motorcycle helmet? And no pants? Afternoons are pretty much always pants-free for Patch. He just likes it that way, and since we're usually home...I figure there is no harm.



And besides that, he is just so darn cute!

Check out this face:




















I love that kid!
And this one, too:
I made Chicken Parmesan last night and now wonder why I never made it before?? It is easy and delicious, and best of all, the kids loved it!
We've had a busy week and we are gearing up for a busy weekend...Goodnight!

Snuggles

Tillie with Nana
2/16/2011

A Clean House (and other things I know nothing about...)

I am not the kind of person whose house is always clean. I wish I could be that person, but it doesn't come naturally to me. I am (I admit!) envious of the houses I walk into with clean, bare counter tops and newly vacuumed floors. I seem to live in a world where even if I catch up, it all goes downhill very quickly. If you dropped by my house RIGHT NOW...you would see this:





But...odds are good that if you came to my house, unannounced, on any given day-you would see this:


I really do try, but with three kids and a husband...well, it doesn't take long to get back here.
My mom said to me, "Molly, you're a good mom. Cleaning just isn't your thing..." Ouch! She meant well, though...and it never has been and probably never will be "my thing"...but I DO think that around here we pay a certain amount of attention to other very important things...like making time for this:
So...Clean House, you will continue to live in my dreams. I'll take this.

My Valentines

I love Valentine's Day. Actually, I love all of the silly holidays...St. Patricks, Halloween, Valentines...it's a reason to just do things with a little bit more fun! We started off with a special Valentine Breakfast..complete with some small treats and a festive tablecloth!

Cinnamon raisin bagels with strawberry cream cheese, cottage cheese, strawberries drizzled with chocolate, and a mini powdered doughnut.


Matilda's hair gets a little crazy in the morning...

My kids are totally nuts about cottage cheese. You should have seen Tim's face the night Donovan finished his dinner, asked what we could have for dessert, and then cheered when I said, "Cottage cheese?" All three of them...cheering...it was hilarious.
Then they opened some singing cards from their Mom-mom and Pop-pop. Always a hit!! Matilda's was a recordable card and she couldn't quite figure out how she was hearing her Mom-mom and Pop-pop...the face says it all!
Then Donovan went to school...not before I made him pose!


And then Patchy and I took some pictures to make into lollipop cards! A special thanks to a friend for passing along the idea!
Punching pic:


Which we printed at Target and turned into these:
I think his preschool friends will be impressed tomorrow! His daddy sure was when he got one at dinner!
And then Matilda did finally allow me to tame the crazy hair...see how cute??
Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Kids are Expensive...

I don't have a picture! Actually, I do...but it is on my phone and I need to figure out how to upload it and get it here...
This weekend ended up being expensive! KIDS are EXPENSIVE! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise...Donovan needed new sneakers, cleats for baseball, baseball pants...Patrick needed a haircut...Matilda needed diapers. Of course, Patrick and Matilda both have birthdays coming up. It's nuts! I feel like we just had Christmas, and aside from clothing, they don't need much!
I'm also on day 15 without my van...DAY 15, PEOPLE! Need I remind anyone I have THREE kids?! I have had a rental car since Thursday, but this is ridiculous. Apparently they determined the problem was a wiring issue...as in a wire was somehow split...but the lovely gentleman who fixed it decided to use the word "chewed"...as in, "something chewed through that wire," and do you know what that means to a warranty company?? It means an ANIMAL...so right now that choice in wording could be the difference between owing $800+ and not...I'm really hoping that can be worked out in our favor....
I'll wind down by stating that Tim and I are watching the Grammys. I love Eminem. Love Cee Lo. Love Usher. Even little Justin Bieber is growing on me...
And okay, so it isn't a pic of my family, but look at this and tell me you don't love Cee Lo?! I dare you!

Saturday

Today was awesome. Mostly this is true because it was the first Saturday in weeks that my husband was home and not working or away for cub scouts, the kids were all here, and we did some things as a family. Do not underestimate the power of just BEING with your family. I know that someday I will look back, and these days will feel here and gone in the blink of an eye. I remind myself of that (often!) because I want to cherish these moments with my family. <3
Here is my girl...before bed tonight.

Did I miss yesterday?

I probably did...but yesterday was fantastic and I took about 80 bazillion photos...no, not true, but I DID take about 400...
Here is my 7 year old sweetheart at his school, dressed nicely, for Manners Day.

Valentines and Strawberries

My day was so busy, but I was determined NOT to miss a photo day! (Considering I started today...haha) Tonight, Donovan had to address Valentines to all of his friends. I completely underestimated his attention to detail. Every single Valentine had to be perfectly selected for the proper classmate. At one point, I said, "Donovan...this is NOT rocket science...just pick one!" You know what he said??
"MOM! I know it is not rocket science, but I have to make sure the Valentine SAYS, like, something I would say in real life!"
Should I be worried about the two little girls for whom he chose, "You have my Heart!" Hmmm...he is only seven!
Anyway, here is Donovan-writing out his Valentines-with Patrick over his shoulder. Patrick said, "Is that one for me???" EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And when the very last one Donovan did was for him, he walked around beaming. Such a little love, that Patchy!
And just because they look so delicious...how can you not love this time of year? (and YES, I did make this!)

365 days of pictures...Started Over a Month Late...and I Don't Do Math...

Various friends have been doing this 365 days of pictures blog, and I wanted to start...but it was after January 1st. I had this idea in my head that it just wouldn't be the same to start late, so I'd not start at all. That doesn't make much sense, either, does it?
So here we go...let's get to pictures! I'm going to start with a picture from yesterday.




D had his karate belt testing last night for his brown belt. He was very excited, and it is fun, as a parent, to watch. He is crazy and often very hyper, but he really buckles down and does what he is supposed to when it comes to karate. I am really glad we started it.




Here he is in nunchuks glory...he loves those things.
I'll probably post again today, but this is a good start! Day 1=complete!