Fabulous Four!

My middle child recently turned four.  He has been asking when his birthday is, and telling everyone he is going to turn four for months.  I think he thinks when people ask "How are you" they are asking "How old are you."  I see how he could make that mistake.

So, I don't do birthday parties for my children. You may think my kids are deprived, but I like to think my kids are wholly unspoiled.  Maybe when they start begging for it, but definitely not before they are old enough to appreciate it. I'm sorry, but I've been to parties for children who were too young where all the children couldn't understand why they couldn't have the presents, and then there was crying and fighting and... no thank you.  It's hard enough when we have younger siblings around.  That's why this year I decided to give each of my other kids a "consolation present," so they wouldn't hover or whine quite so much. Then they took turns sharing and taking turns with each others' toys. It worked pretty well.
To be honest though, I mostly don't have parties because I am too lazy, and I admit I'm a bit stingy too. I love just having my family to myself, and making it a special day for the whole family (not to mention that no one wants a stressed out mommy around on their birthday).

We celebrate with traditions, such as waking up to initial-shaped pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. (Yeah, we pretty much begin and end the day with cake --isn't that what birthdays are for?)

We also prefer to go on special family outings for birthdays.  It's a great excuse to do something out of the ordinary... like bowling for instance.  (We were going to go to the zoo, but alas, it was a rainy day.)

We also went to Big Jud's and got a giant hamburger to share. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

On a less birthday-ish note, we also visited my sister-in-law who's in the hospital on bed-rest, and then went home for naps while I made the cake. It's still a pretty busy day, and to help us all have a good day, I like to do whatever I can make it easy on myself. For example, thanks to my husband, my kids have been trained to like box mix cakes (something that was unheard of in my household growing up) and the usual birthday staple is rainbow chip cake with rainbow chip frosting (another thing unheard of in my household).  The kids still like their cake decorated in fun ways, and it wasn't until the last minute that my now four-year-old decided he wanted a robot.  I wasn't about to try any kind of cutting and shaping with a box mix, and I didn't want to make even more frosting after already having the store bought stuff, so this is what he got.

He absolutely loved it. (I told you my kids are unspoiled.  Any other kid might start crying at a disgruntled looking robot staring back at him, but mine was thrilled.)

He got his choice of dinner, and we finished off our evening at home with cake and presents.

It was a perfect day.

He even got a rainbow.


And that's how we do birthdays.  At least for now.

Feeding Time

I haven't really put any home videos on this blog, mostly it's just a stylistic choice, but this clip makes me smile, so I thought I'd share.




The baby just learned this new trick of spitting while I'm trying to feed him --which is less than amusing-- and so to teach him a lesson, I set down the food and walked away.  A minute later I hear giggling, and it turns out that my 3 year old has decided to try his hand at feeding the baby.  They both thought they were so hilarious.

Another Monsterpiece

My 3 year old strikes again.  He really knows how to think outside the box.

Just drawing with chalk is so boring.  Making multicolored dust is way cooler.

"My hands are pretty pretty, huh mom?"

I have to admit, the rock is kinda cool.

You know, back in the day and maybe even now in third world countries, they would probably think such rudimentary use of tools quite a talent for a kid his age, and would put him to good use grinding wheat or something.

I'll try to remember what a talented, free-thinker I have.

(Of course, it's harder to appreciate his creativity after pulling 5 or 6 pieces of his chalk out of the washing machine --after it had already filled with water and soap.  I was just lucky I hadn't put clothes in yet.)

Retired

This old bear has seen a lot of miles.  He's been there from the beginning When Gramma Z gave it to him at his blessing.

('09)

I think I've re-sewn on every appendage, every seam, at least once.

We couldn't go anywhere without "White Bear" --who in the end wasn't so white-- nor could my three year old be expected to sleep without white bear by his side.

My kisses were never enough when there was an owie, a bad dream, or some injustice imposed by a big brother; only white bear could console him.

And even after an unfortunate experience in a hot dryer left him somewhat disfigured and less fuzzy, he was still loved.

Sadly though, seams stopped holding --despite my best efforts, stuffing was lost, and washes never seemed to get him white again. (Note: dollar store toys do not make for lasting lovies).

So when my three year old expressed a desire for another toy he saw in the store, I jumped at the opportunity to replace White Bear. (I know, so heartless of me.)

I explained to him that we would throw White Bear away, that he would sleep with his new toy from now on, and surprisingly, he readily agreed.

With an unceremonious farewell, White Bear entered "toy retirement."

I think it was harder for me in some ways.

 Meet "Hippo."
(I know, so original, but he's three).

I hope I'm not so easily replaced.

Not-so-recent goings-on.

This is a little out of date, since this mostly just recaps April, but to document our last few months in Idaho I thought I'd share a few photos.

As it started getting warmer, we couldn't help but get out and play.

We went to the tennis courts one night as a family.

The baby was pretty entertained at our sorry attempts at tennis at least.

A couple good storms washed the neighborhood clean -- one that came and went so fast, the sun began shining again before the rivers of water (--that had once been our road) receded.  I didn't have the camera, but rest assured that my four year old and I had a fun time splashing and wading through the calf-deep puddles.  There were even ducks swimming in the intersection of our street! I think I got a quick pic on my phone, but I have no way of transferring the image that I know of.
Here's a rainbow from one of those storms.  It was actually a full double rainbow.

We also had some friends over in a babysitting swap, and the kids had a lot of fun playing some version of tag that includes a ball.  It's a pretty good way to wear them out.

My 2nd child turned three years old in April. He got to do everything he wanted for his birthday.

We opened presents in the morning before daddy went to work,

Then, the highlight of the day...

Just look at those baby blues.  How could anyone say no to a face like that?

we rode the bus to the Carl's Jr. play-place.  (Riding the bus was the highlight).

We unsuccessfully looked at a nearby store for some galoshes, but he was appeased by being allowed a quarter for the candy machines.

Then we rode the bus home for naps,

The people on the bus gushed over the cuteness of my kids, and one passenger even asked if she could give them a ball.  (Note: balls are not good toys on a bus, since they will most likely have to be retrieved at least twice from various parts of the bus, and even from the gutter outside the folding door by other poor unsuspecting passengers). The baby nearly fell asleep on the way.

That night we celebrated with cake.

In case you can't tell, he's licking his lips in anticipation. The kids just started doing that recently, funny huh.

The kids have been bringing me bouquets of dandelions, but when they all turned into the white fuzzy globes, it didn't slow them down.  Rather the bouquets just took on a more interactive appeal.

 What a lucky mom I am.

Work of Art?

The balance and simple aesthetics of this particular piece astounds me.  The strong straight lines, paired with the whimsical spattering of the dark color adds multiple dimensions of contrast. The carefully placed human element and the temporary nature of this medium suggests the impermanence of our own existence, and embodies the fleeting moment that is childhood.

Medium:  Mud on White Door

He couldn't have signed it better than if he could actually write.

I  wish I could always see his "masterpieces" as works of art, but generally I just see them as work for me.  Someday I'll miss it, I know, so I'll cherish these moments while I can (after giving a good [loud] lecture and taking away a few privileges).

Honestly though, the look of pure delight on his face and the jubilation in his voice as he announced "I have muddy hands!" almost makes me want to let him play in the mud everyday of his childhood.  However, thinking of all the cat poop that was buried in that particular mud reminds me why I freaked out so bad in the first place.

Sigh. Motherhood...

(I didn't see it at first, but my husband pointed out to me that our  3 yr. old's handprint resembles a smiley face with it's tongue sticking out. Genius!)