CrAzY Summer Days!

But also lots of fun summer days!!
Monday:
5K run, parade, BBQ, fireworks










Tuesday:
start swimming lessons, zoo with cousins






Wednesday:
swimming lessons, stay at pool for 4 hours, picnic at Liberty park with Mommy's cousins

Thursday:
swimming lessons, stay for 1 hour at pool after, 5 piano students, laundry,etc.

Friday:
swimming lessons, stay at pool for 2 1/2 hours after, errands, family movie night

I guess I quit taking pictures after Tuesday, I'll have to get some of Wednesday from you, Milly. We are tired. Just a little. and staying home for the next two days (except for church).

MORE quotables

Belle coming in from outside with a skinned knee. "Look, Buggie I'm bleeding!" Keith: "WOW!"

Keith carrying a cup of water outside in the rain: "Look, it's raining into my cup. It's giving me more water...betuze I not have enough."

On Laman and Lemuel trying to throw Nephi into the sea: "Those guys not throw me into the sea, betuze I sitting here by Mom."

He won Belle in a race (eating race) and cheered and clapped tons for himself. Then a round for Belle (because she won, too), then one for me(not sure what I did to deserve it).

If he has to repeat anything he says, like if I have to ask him to repeat himself because I didn't understand it...it adds "I said" on the end. For example: I need a drink, I said"

He has a pair of PJ's with a big firetruck on the front and some city buildings stitched into the background. So, instantly after pulling the shirt down..."Look! Some Townzes!"

The AIR SHOW

We had a fun time at the Chino Air Show with the Keslers! David is in heaven with the old warbirds. Loves them so much he said he gets a burning feeling in his chest when they fly by. hehehe. Keith Loved the "doctocile" mouths that were painted on a few, and Belle liked her cotton candy. That night as she was going to sleep she asked "Are they going to do the air show again tomorrow?" ..."Yes"...Her: "are we going to go?" Daddy: "No, tomorrow we are going to church." Belle: "Phewww!"
Here's the pics:

Quotables

Keith has been saying some awesome things lately. So here it goes.

Coming in from outside: "Mom, I need a bag" Me: "Why" Him: "because there is a butterfly, and Bella is going to capure it."

Waling down the curb: "Mom, see this line, it means I am a tricky."

Me, asking him NOT to do something. Him: "Why not?"

Him, being a brother and picking on Belle. Me, asking him to apologize and be nice. Him: "I will put a happy face on Bella" he goes over, and uses a motion to put something on her mouth. Awesome. Next time he was crying I tried the trick on him. "Do you want me to put a happy face on you?" "Zeah" So I did the same motion. He immediately stopped crying and said, tearily.."Thanks".

As we are jogging down the road: "Look, I see a Robin. Look, Mom, Look, I see some pretty flowers. They are purple. Look, I see popcorn. Look, I see a puppy. Look, I see some mailboxes, Look I see....." constant. Once when we were on a walk he saw a girl in really short shorts. "Look Mom, that guy not wearing any pants. Look, Mom, Look." I repeated this story enough time to friends that about a week later he was quoting himself. David said "Look" and he said "that guy not wearing any pants." HILARIOUS.

David giving the kids a bath: "Who wants to be washed first?" Keith: "You, Daddy--Hop in!"

He can't say "K" or "Th". so his name? Keith? "TEE". He more frequently calls himself "Buggie"...and called me that today at lunch. "Look, Mom, you are having pizza just like me. Are you Buggie? (big grin and giggle). Mom, you are Buggie."

Belle always calls me Mommy or Momma. With Keith it's just Mom.

Arghhh....there were more, I KNOW IT. but I'm having a brain cramp. If I remember them later I'll post some more.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

I have had a lot of little crazy moments with these two kids, and some grand adventures--like stranded in Phoenix for 24 hours*--but today, well, this is one for the books. I'm still not sure what I think about it, I'm laughing--yet--
Maybe I should explain.

This afternoon while the kids were playing outside I was trying to get some work done on my course mentioned in the last post. I was moving right along, I was in a spot where I could hear the playing going on and keep tabs on the kids, and things were great. Until Belle RUSHES in exclaiming excitedly "Buggie pooped outside!" and other talking that was too fast and excited to make out. Me, still very calm..."ok, I'll bring him in and change his diaper."
Now I can't recall all the conversation that went on at this point, it was all very fast and mangled and Belle to worked up to get it out without stuttering...
But I soon came to realize he had not pooped in his diaper. Nope. The pants and the diaper were strewn across the front lawn. (YES people. This is happening in my FRONT lawn. To imagine the neighbors peeking out their windows to this scene makes me laugh, shutter, and cry all in the same 10 seconds). And my sweet little two year old Keith standing naked from the waist down on my front porch. With ample evidence of the deed just done on the lawn sticking to his rear end. The parking strip between the sidewalk and the road to be exact.

Pause for dramatic affect.

"I peed on the lawn" my boy says to me. Nice. Very Nice.

After the initial shock of the situation wore off, and the obvious cleaning up of boy and yard that needed done, I thought it must be time to potty train the boy. If he is going to start removing his clothing and going in random places...well, this is not to be tolerated. He does actually use the toilet frequently, but I have not been pushing the issue. Well. I thought I was going to have to bite the bullet and start training him. Then I learned the REST of the story.

Keith was not the only one going on the lawn. You see, this park strip is the only place on the property where there happens to be a tree. And Belle, after camping or some such thing last summer, got the idea stuck in her head that in an emergency, pee by a tree. PLAYING OUTSIDE SIX FEET FROM YOUR FRONT DOOR IS NOT AN EMERGENCY GREAT ENOUGH TO PEE BY A TREE!! Especially one that can be seen by, well, EVERYONE in the neighborhood. I laugh, I shutter, I cry. Innocent Keith quite simple only wanted to do what his big sister was doing. And she helped him remove the diaper. I'm pretty sure she didn't expect what followed, so other than good talking too about coming inside to use the toilet, we are going to let it go there.

Now, do you agree? Certainly one for the books!!!

*being stranded in Phoenix is not so bad when there are AWESOME people to rescue you!! Thanks again rescuers!

A few things about ME

#1--I found my scriptures!! You didn't know they were missing, did you? Well, I certainly did...and I missed them TERRIBLY. I left them in the chapel at church three weeks ago and had almost given up hope they would turn up. But, in a miraculous answer to my prayers--I walked into the church library on Sunday and they were the first thing I saw! Sitting up on the counter right where I could see 'em. perfect.
I have really been enjoying the study of the New Testament, and it has brought such a lift into my life that I really missed them. I had been reading instead my Portuguese Book of Mormon, which I really enjoy, but I opened up where my last marker was and it was in the Book of Alma where Moroni surrounds the Lamanites at the River Sidon (there you can tell I was reading it in Portuguese? River Sidon?) and one of his soldiers scalps Zarahemna (also not sure about this guys' name in English) and they pretty much destroy all the Lamanites who won't make a covenant of peace. blood. carnage. I know, I know...the Nephites were blessed and saved from an army twice their size because they relied on the Lord, listened to his promptings and were prepared, and then gave all the glory and thanks to God for their victory. But I just wasn't into it. I guess I could have read my portuguese bible...but then you don't get any footnotes, no JST or ready-made cross-references--so I decided to wait. Makes one grateful for the LDS version of the Bible! Anyway, today I got back into Mark and I'm happy to say I had a good day.


#2--In case you haven't heard--I've done it! Yes, I am enrolled at the American School of Piano Tunning and in the thick of Unisons and Intervals. I am mailing off my exams for the first two lessons tomorrow and diving in to setting the "equal temperment" which, I will admit, I am nervous about, and is clearly stated serveral times as the most difficult part of the course. I have a little electric tunner that will tell me if I set "Middle C" correctly, but that's all it is good for--as the piano's intervals are not perfect (I have learned) and if you tuned them to perfect pitch all your octaves would be off--ANYWAY--they do have an electronic machine that will help you set the temperment, but it costs nearly as much as the course did in the first place. So for now I'm going to have to learn to do it by ear. WHEW. Wish me luck!! All in all I am really enjoying what I am learning, and am trying not to get to anxious for results (patience. this is a biggie with me. I'm waiting for "wak things to become strong" on this one. Maybe someday.) AND I FINALLY memorized the circle of fifths. Or figured out that it really takes no memorization whatsoever, just go up the piano in fifths. DUH. you'd think I'd have figured THAT out in 7th grade. nope. nearly 20 years later, here I am, finally getting it. I guess some wisdom (or maybe common sense) does come with age.

#3 I got mad and really yelled at my kids yesterday. While I hope it was a one-time thing, I am feeling a lot of remorse. However they don't seem to care too much. Keith just stood and looked at me, and Belle said "I'm going to call Daddy and tell him you are being mean." Fortunantley I have a supportive husband who was on my side. I decided I need a little break and went to hide from them, to which Belle responded "are you taking some time to calm down, Mom?" Seriously. How many times have I said that to her?? enough.

The BUNNY project

This took most of my limited creative ability to pull off. We had to search long and hard for hot glue gun glue sticks--that tells you how often I get the glue gun out!

When I was a kid we had an Easter bunny made from an old salad dressing bottle (glass back then). So a few weeks ago when we emptied a salad dressing bottle I saved it thinking I would make one for us. The bottle bunny would sit out during Easter season and then the Easter bunny fills it with jelly beans.

Here is our attempt:




Some of the parts are a little crooked, if I were to do it again I would have the head on the jar while gluing on parts to make sure they are straight. We put a few jelly beans in it ahead of time. The kids and I had fun, and that's what counts.

The boy....

does not break character. for. anything.
If he is pretending to be a certain something, you MUST call him the certain something...or be prepared to be corrected.

"Keith, come to lunch" Response: "No. I Daddy."
Oh, sorry...."Daddy, come to lunch" (and then he will come)

"Keith, would you like to read this story?"
"No. I Crocodile"
Oh, sorry...."Crocodile, would you like to read this story?"
"Uh-huh"


etc., etc., etc.

Sometimes it's a shark, a baby, dinosaur (added recently to his repertoire after a visit to Johnny & Ky), or anything else he can think of. "Daddy" is one of his favorites.

A few fun pics

Mostly of our Missy





Our girl in action.

Our latest and greatest

Short and sweet to catch up.


Belle's PINK room with "More than Strawberries" quilt by Grandma




Water color project where Belle and Keith were artists on a joint venture--Keith was the canvas(I heard TONS of giggling going on during this episode, but stayed away on purpose because they were having fun together and I knew if I showed up the rules of Mommy would not allow whatever was going on to continue. Finally Belle couldn't handle it anymore and came to get me to show me what they were doing that was so funny!I laughed, too.):







Trip to AZ: I didn't take many pics but here is one of the cousins that played, and played, and played...we had a fun time with the Seamons! Thanks again guys!




A homemade Tookaloo. That's right. A tookaloo. One of Belle's made up words--she has this playfood thing that's a jellyroll, but not knowing what a jellyroll is she calls it a Tookaloo. And wanted to make a real one. So we did. (the recipe used on this particular Tookaloo wasn't great, as you can see it cracked easily and was thin. If we ever make a Tookaloo again we'll need a new recipe.)



Belle's Treasure Box: for all her rocks, grass clippings, pictures, etc.




Conference Coloring books:These didn't last long and the family room is completely DESTROYED (D.H. terminology here), and since I have a cold and I suspect an ear infection, too...it is staying that way until tomorrow.




Now...to get over our colds, then I'll take some pictures of our flowers that we have blooming! So fun to have our own yard and our own flowers! and Spring!!


Life is good. Crazy, but good. That doesn't mean I have everything under control, it just means we are enjoying flying by the seat of our pants:).

Belle and "Baby Aubrey"

Belle's motherly instinct seems to be in super-drive, which I hear is normal. But everything has a Mommy (or is the baby).
Even the magnetic letters on the fridge she is lining up the upper-case and lower-case saying they are the Mommy and the baby. So she adored meeting her new cousin and would lather up with hand-sanitizer and declare she was ready to hold the baby.
Keith liked her too, but with not quite as much enthusiasm.

Baby Aubrey is absolutely adorable, and I enjoyed holding her,too!! Her family is always so fun to go visit, and this time was no exception.

Spontaneous Adventure!

We had a great time in CA last weekend...being with family, enjoying the warmth. When David came home on Monday the flights didn't look good for the rest of us, so we stayed! (yeah, poor us...boo hoo, right?) We ended up staying until Thursday when David had his next day off work and was able to fly down and help us get home. Keith is now 2 and needs his own seat so it is a little tricky, especially since Belle is uncomfortable with the idea of having to sit across the aisle from Mom. And so is Mom. She just seems a little young for that.

Anyway, we made the best of our extra days with an impromtu trip to SeaWorld! We had a free rental car day from the place there in Rancho, so we took advantage of that and had a fun day. I'd been wanting to go since one of my friends made plans to go in March and asked us to go along; which we didn't think would work with our schedule. Nana was able to come with us, too, so that made it even more fun! Of the impromptu experience Isabelle said "You should have this idea again!"

The weather was cool enough for our jackets, but we staying comfortable...and the place wasn't crowded at all! We didn't have any trouble with seating or lines...the middle of the week in February--perfect!

They loved the whales, dolphins, sharks, penguins, walrus, etc...and also had their very first amusement park ride. (last time we didn't take them to the ride area). And I have to admit, I'm glad my kids like it--because so do I! I like seeing the whales as much as they do, I think!

I didn't get a ton of pictures, but here are a few.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We are full of HEARTS the last few days:
Heart-Attacked doors and Balloons

Heart-shaped cookies, Heart-shaped peanut butter sandwhiches, and hearts on our Valentine's cards.

We did the heart-attacked doors in the night and the kiddos woke up to them. They thought that was great.



So Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, I hope it is filled with hearts!

But most of all, Happy Valentine's Day to my Sweetheart, who's love is always constant, no matter what. I love you!

2nd Birthday! Already!?!

I can't believe my baby boy is 2! It seams like yesterday we were driving through a very foggy early morning hours to head to the hospital to welcome him into the world. He is a joy to have in our family, and we love him more than we can say. He is sweet, and intense in a quiet way, a thinker and an observer, and most of all he's my boy. I can't wait to see the things he will do as he grows, and at the same time it scares me when I think of how fast time goes, and he will be grown up, and I will be old.

We celebrated by taking him to an Aquarium--and he said before we left home he wanted to see sharks and crocodiles. I knew they had sharks, but was a little worried about the crocodile bit. This isn't exactly a world-class aquarium we have available to us. But--they didn't disappoint! Hooray! The Aquarium had two Caimans, which are not exactly crocodiles, but close enough for us. We had to go back and forth from the tank with the sharks, and the exhibit with the Caimans. The sting rays and penguins were also hits, and the little teeny tiny seahorses where Belle's favorite.
These kids are rather Aquarium spoiled, I will say, with Aquariums in Chicago, Long Beach, and here under their belts plus Sea World. They love the water animals.

So here's the birthday celebration pics. Keith was thoroughly spoiled and loved it. Don't look close at the cake. Someday my children may have a birthday cake that looks like someone older than 12 decorated, but I'm not holding my breath. Nor should they, for that matter.

I think his favorite gifts were the crocodiles and sharks, followed closely by all the new Thomas & Friends stuff.

Vivid Imaginations

So here's Keith, a few weeks ago, playing with the play food and kitchen with Isabelle. They prepare a several course meal to which I am invited to participate in eating. I agree, and am seated at an artfully arrayed place setting on the floor. As we begin the first course, Belle notices something amiss. "Buggie! We didn't get drinks! Will you get us some?"
And Keith dutifully obeys, running after some cups in his I-am-going-somewhere-with-purpose RUN, and then I naively expect him to head directly back to where we are seated. Nope. First he has to dodge several obstacles, go the long way around the couch to the play kitchen, and pretend--with sound effects--to FILL the glasses with water before bringing them back to us. Silly of me to think he would bring them back empty, wasn't it?

I laughed for awhile over this but also have continued to notice how real and vivid his imagination is getting. His big things these days are Thomas the train, sharks, and crocodiles. He frequently has sharks in his pockets, IS a shark (not just any shark. "a MEAN one") or a crocodile, and carries his Thomas trains around. Sometimes the sharks and crocodiles are to eat. Not really sure why, a little strange (maybe it's the NAT GEO watching of crocodiles and sharks eating things--really NAT GEO has crocodiles or sharks on nearly every day), but sometimes he takes a pretend shark and stuffs it in his mouth saying "Num. EAT IT ALL UP. (insert appropriate carnivorous sound effects here)."

So one one occasion, while playing in our submarine (under the blankets on Mom and Dad's bed--one of their favorite games) with Daddy, they spotted some sharks under the water. And Keith caught them. And gave one to Daddy. Which Daddy thought he was supposed to eat, and did so. This upset Keith so terribly he was crying and grabbing at David's mouth, to which David was quite confused. So I explained. "I don't think you were supposed to eat it. He wants it back." And the child did not stop crying until David took the pretend shark OUT of his mouth and gave it back to him.

Tonight he was passing out crocodiles out of a little bag for everyone to eat. (really, this time). Belle had a few, David had a few, but when it came to me he peered for awhile with those big blue eyes into his bag that was holding the pretend crocodiles, looked up at me and declared "Empty". I didn't get any. And no amount of persuasion could get him to change his mind. He couldn't just imagine up more crocodiles to share some with me. How ever many had been in there in the first place were gone, and that was the end of it. Belle came to my rescue and imagined up some strawberries, a whole laundry basket full, for me to eat. A little more tasty than a crocodile anyway!

Talk about a vivid imagination!

Not so "kind and dear" after all

Belle not to happy with me at bedtime, for applying a consequence to an action of hers. So during the ritual singing of "I Am a Child of God" she points out to me: "Mommy, you're not "kind and dear". Sometimes you are mean." And me, trying ever so hard not to burst our laughing replies "does that mean you don't love me?" Her--ever so sweetly--"It's ok Mommy. I still love you."
"Ok Belle. I love you too. I'll try to be better. Will you try and be better, too?"
"Yes, Mommy."
And she cuddles up and goes to sleep. And I am still laughing.
Three and a half? What am I in for?

About me--the non-resolutions resolutions

I am very anti New Year's resolutions. I think all the jokes about how long they really last and the reality of how long they last make me shy away from something I feel like I won't accomplish, and will just make me frustrated and overly critical of myself.

This year everyone around me was talking about resolutions, and at first I felt no different than in the past. I had no intention of even thinking about any resolutions. But as the talk went on and the weeks went on, my attidtude slowly began to change, until the result is this post. I have thought about self-improvement and goals I want to make in my life. I've thought about how I think I am moving in the right direction, but how maybe I could move a little faster.
It has taken a few weeks of pondering and thinking about what it is I want to commit to, but I have finally--for the first time in years--decided on some--um--Ideals for 2011. I'm refusing to call them resolutions. I decided this would be a good place for me to write these down, give them a name in some concrete form rather than random thoughts in my brain. You don't have to read them, it's not any entertaining story about the kids (even though I am going to write as if you were going to read--it's an easier writing style for me than regular journal-type writing). But obviously, I'm posting them in a public place--so if you want to--read on.

I have also decided that as I strive to live within these "Ideals" I am NOT going to beat myself up over mess-ups. How productive is making a goal only to get depressed and regress when you mess up? Seriously. There is something wrong with us all beating ourselves up too much. So we're human--we make mistakes. Move on.

First--Physical
Sleep:
My Mom has always said that I needed more sleep than others to be happy. During High School I was always the first one to fall asleep at parties. In college I called home crying about how I was so tired in class all the time and couldn't keep my eyes open to do my homework. Of course the obvious followed "How much sleep are you getting? Your roommates might be able to stay up late and still function. You can't." David called 10pm my "pumpkin hour" for a very long time. For some reason I have driven myself past that lately, and stay up too late. Actually, I know the reason. It's all the little messes (and BIG ones) that need cleaned up after the kids go to bed, it's needing some "me" time to recover from the constant "mommy" this and "mommy" that, the budget that needs balanced, the RS lesson prepared, all of those things that don't get done during the day. I haven't quite determined how to solve those problems--but I'm working on it. Don't look at the time of this post. Obviously today isn't a make-it day.

Exercise/eating:
I have never put myself on a real "diet". I gave up chocolate for about 5 months one time, but other than that I've never said I "can't" or "must" eat something. Because I'm pretty sure I would fail. I've always just tried to be moderate and exercise. However, as I approach 30 faster than I would like to admit, I have a feeling I am going to need to pay a little more attention to what goes in, and calories that get used. Though I'm still not quite ready to count calories, etc. I'm pretty sure I would actually eat more if I told myself "can't"--so instead I say "can" and half the time I don't feel like it anyway. So the Ideal is fruit/veggie at EVERY meal, whole grains when possible, and limit treats.

Winter is a hard time for me and exercise, since I haven't yet found a suitable indoor solution. The jogging stroller is my Perfect summer solution--and if it was just me I would brave the cold, but taking the kids out in it just isn't an option. I would like to run at least one 10K, perhaps even a half-marathon by this fall.
As I have mentioned before, my running time is my sanity time. In the mean time, the winter dilemma continues.

Cleaning:
To put it lightly, I am not the world's best housekeeper. I try, but it just does not come naturally to me AT ALL. This is one of those gifts I'm going to have to work really hard before I'm blessed with it. I'm too big of a daydreamer to remember to put the book away or pick up my clothes. And when things get rushed around here--I start throwing things all different directions. The kids? Well, I believe they take after me. David is the lonely organized-mind in the house.
So the Ideal? Teach the children to clean up after themselves, and try REALLY HARD to do the same. Throw out clutter. Organize the basement (which will require some building of shelves down there). Floors and bathrooms once a week. For some reason laundry isn't an issue for me. I have a laundry day, and once a week I do the laundry...wash, dry, fold, and put away then I don't worry about it the rest of the week. It's the only housekeeping chore I do well.


Spiritual:
Scripture reading: Personal Study/Family daily. This has been going well the last few weeks. Rah Rah! I hope we keep it up! And by family scripture reading "going well" I mean to say we do it. Not that the children listen, but that we read and they run crazily about the room, stopping only to repeat their verse (Keith even does a verse now. He's so cute trying to say some of the big words!)

Being prepared for Sunday lessons. Being a RS teacher has made be realize the importance of being prepared for the lessons on Sunday, and it is making a difference in my Sabbath experience.

As you can tell I'm loosing steam, and you're not getting near as much detail as when I started out this post.


Personal Improvement:
Piano Tuning course/certification. (someday)
I would love it, I think.


I have a few other things but I am getting tired, giving up, and am going to go to bed.

Homonym

At dinner the other night the kids were being crazy, so to change the subject and get them focused on something David said
"Let's review our capitals"

So they listened to us go over some state capitals. "Montpellier" "Columbia" "Salt Lake City" and then "Concord"

And Belle says "now let's learn our Lower Case!"

We laughed and David said "Provo"

hahaha!

Christmas Secrets

We took a family shopping trip a few days ago, where we split up and then did some shopping for each other. On the way home David mentioned to Belle that she could help him wrap the presents that they got for me.

"Ok Daddy--and Mommy--you CAN'T look! It's a surprise! I'll be really careful, Daddy and hide the ***** (name of present) behind my back so Mommy won't see--and then we'll wrap the ***** (name of other present). And we'll keep it a surprise!"

David and I laughed all the way home. She never did notice that she let it slip--and I plan on being VERY surprised to see my gifts. She is discovering the joy of giving and secrets and we aren't about to let on! But you must admit--HILARIOUS!!

BELIEVE

We are always full of Missy stories. Maybe everything she does is fairly standard for a child her age, and I admit probably so. But we think she is amazing.

She is always learning and surprising us with what she knows. She can't quite count to 20, but she does simple math in her head. "Mommy, there are four crackers here, so that's two for me and two for Buggie"
Or after I tell her "we have to go to two stores in the city then on the way home we will stop at the grocery store close to our house."
She puts it together "so that's three stores."
Like I said, probably not all that unusual, but it's our Missy.


On a recent trip to Missouri she was visiting in the Maughan's ward nursery, and new all the answers to the questions about Christmas.

Why is Christmas special?
"It's baby Jesus' birthday!"
"And Mary is his mother." (unsolicited information)

Why is Jesus special?
"Because He is our Savior."

What was in the sky when Jesus was born?
"A new star!"

And today she told me quite matter-of-fact that Jesus has a Mommy and a Daddy. Mary and Heavenly Father.

A few days ago we were watching the Church's DVD "Joy to the World", which along with the Nativity it has clips from "The Lamb of God" and shows parts of Christ's crucifixion. We have talked a lot about the Resurrection and that Jesus died, but never very many details of how He died. So when they showed someone picking up a nail she asked "what is that nail for?" And I explained to her how He died. "Why did they do that to him?"
I explained by telling her that it was because they didn't believe Jesus when he said He was the Savior, and they were mad at Him.

At that her eyes got big and she look right at me "But I believe him!" pause. "We believe Him, don't we, Mommy?"

Yes, Bella, we do. Merry Christmas. And may we all believe Him with the faith and purity of a somewhat precocious three year old.

Soooo Slow at blogging

I think I have taken an official blogging vacation. But I have a few items of interest to record.
I have searched and searched to find a picture of Keith carrying around the orange sandbox shovel that he was physically attached to for months--and I can't find one! He took it with him everywhere-even to bed! But as far as I can tell it has escaped all photographic evidence. But those of you who have seen him sometime in the last 4 months have probably seen the shovel.


Well...he continues to love shovels. Only now he has upgraded to the latest model, a winter version.






This upgrade is slightly inconvenient to haul around, up and down stairs, etc., but is very useful for "BIG Snow!! Scoop Snow!!". As any shovel connoisseur will tell you (or student of classical physics) Longer handle=more mechanical advantage=hauling power, and he seems to recognize that and LOVE it. Simple machines at their finest. Buggie style. And yes, he does actually use it to shovel snow. David bought the thing as something for the kids to "share". Ha. Poor Missy likes it too and doesn't get a hand on it without major tantrums on the side of the boy.

But we forgive him when I get him a drink of milk and he says "Thank you, my sweetheart". (just like Daddy would) cuteness oozing all over the place.

Pumpkins!

Belle carved a cat and Keith a Jack-O-Lantern. Grandma and Grandpa came over to help. For some reason I don't have any pictures of David, but he was here, too. (probably because he was taking all the pictures).





Grandpa grew the pumpkins, a sweet baking variety, and told Belle she should make him a pie out of her Jack-O-Lantern. Belle thought that sounded like a fantastic idea. So we did. And Grandpa and Grandma took one piece each, and Belle has eaten very little of it--so we have some pumpkin pie in the fridge if there's any takers!

Halloween

Our Strawberry Shortcake.



She was SOOO excited to get her hair sprayed red. It was cute. She had a great time.


Belle's first time in curlers:






I made the costume: Hat, dress, pinafore, and leggings. I even did the zipper. By myself. With only one call to Mom to ask her which was the zipper foot for the sewing machine (hehehe). In my defense the sewing machine users guide was at her house or I might have been able to figure it out on my own. Anyway, it is not sewn perfectly but I was happy with it and so was Belle, and that's what counts.



MEAN Shark. "Buggie are you a mean Shark or a nice Shark?"
"MEAN SHark. ROAR. ROAR. ROOAAAARRRR."

Our last stop was at Grandma and Grandpa's. The shark looked like this when we got him out of the car:


He had managed to unwrap all three of those on the way home!