Birthday prep

As we're quickly approaching Laura's birthday, I asked her earlier this week what she would like for meals on her birthday. It took some finagling for her to figure out the right order for her three favorite meals, but she kept at it. My favorite part was when she said, "Ok, we have two figured out. Now I need to decide what's for the second breakfast."

Someday that girl will learn that "breakfast" is not a synonym for "meal", but so far she hasn't reached that point.

"Can I put on my cherry shirt?"

It's not everyday that my daughters ask, "Can I put on my cherry shirt?" after school.

More specifically, it was only on Tuesday that only one daughter asked if she could put on her cherry shirt.

A strange request, yes.

But I granted it.

A few minutes later, I was beckoned to the hallway by these two beauties.

(Neither of which asked about crowns or hair clips or clean socks or or or.)

 

But, here they are. My not-twins pretending to be twins.

From the hair clips to the crowns to the shirts to the jeans to the socks.

They even conferenced about which smile to use for which picture. 

 

They're goofy girls, but I'm glad there are two of them!

Double the goofy, double the cute, double the fun!

A book for Laura

Laura loves making notes and pictures for Chad and me. That's what she does at preschool. That's what she does at home.

 

On Monday, she must not have been feeling very creative. She gave me two sheets of paper, glued together at the top. The only thing written on it was "Mom" at the top of the top sheet.

 

I decided to view it that she was giving me a [mostly] blank canvas to create something for her.

 

So I wrote a book that she could read on her own. Complete with pictures to help her if she got stuck. Or maybe the words were there to help her decipher the pictures; I guess that depends on your opinions of my handwriting and of my drawing.

 

Here is her book. She read it to me, she read it to herself repeatedly, she read it to Daddy, she read it to Grandma, and she chose to read it again to Daddy as her bedtime story.

 

I love that she's starting to read on her own.

I love that she liked her little book so much.

And, honestly, I loved writing it for her and drawing the little pictures.

Coffee Identity Crisis

Sometimes I feel like I needed a cup of coffee first, in order to be able to make a cup of coffee.

 

I think my coffee was having one of those days on Monday.
It should have had a cup of coffee before it got dressed.

A Thanksgiving post for Chad's parents

To Chad's parents,

 

Since you couldn't be with us for Thanksgiving this year, we took some pictures to share with you. We also ate your share of the pies. We're very generous and giving like that.

Here is what you missed:

 

We played at the park on Thursday while it was nice, before the cold front settled in for good.

 

Morgan choreographed a show for us of course.

She was the lead singer: 

 

Laura and Kendra were the back-up dancers: 

 

Since Friday was good and properly cold, the kids spent the day in jammies watching cartoons while the adults played games and continued working on your share of the pie.

 

We hope you had a great Thankgiving too!

 

With love,

from the girls (and the older girls) 

 

and the boys (and the older boys) 

Sick days

You know your son is tired of being stuck at home with a fever and no sisters when, on the fifth day, he plays an entire game of Go Fish with his Pooh bear.

Never outgrown

Some people would have gotten rid of their size 24 month ladybug costume long before their kids reached the ages of 8, 6 1/2, and so-very-close-to-5.

 

We're not those people.

 

We're the people whose kids wear the 24 month costume even though it no longer reaches their waist, let alone their knees.

 

And I'm proud to be those people.

P.S. In a few years, I'll have a nice selection of 24 month costumes if anyone's planning really far ahead on Halloweens.