No, No Natalie!

Natalie,

Please stop...

-Using the orange marker to color in your belly button
-Spitting on your hands and calling it hand sanitizer (gross!)
-Playing with your spaghetti instead of eating it
-Screaming, "Oh no!  A big elephant!" each time I walk in the room
-Destroying Scott's ______ (insert project of the day)
-Getting yourself stuck in Kate's exersaucer
-Making us smile when we are trying to be stern with you
And the list goes on and on...

 A couple of Natalie stories...

One day, she and Scott were getting into it.  Natalie got frustrated and wanted to insult her brother.  She thought for a moment and then said, "You're...you're...you're smaller than David and I'm bigger than Goliath!"  It made both Scott and I laugh...not the response she was wanting!

Yesterday I was talking to the kids about some foods being okay to have in moderation.  Scott asked what moderation meant so I tried to explain.  After my definition sunk in with Natalie, she wrinkled her forehead and whined, "Noooo!  I don't like moderation!"  It was funny (and somewhat appropriate) to hear that come out of my two year old's mouth.  And for the record, Natalie, I don't like moderation too much either!

Four Month Rites of Passage

The four month milestone is a big deal around here.  Always has been.  All pictures below were taken within the week of the child's 4 month birthday.  It's so fun for me to compare. 

Four months is the age that we break out the exersaucer...

Scott

Natalie

Kate

It's the time when we switch to some cute outfits instead of wearing sleepers all day...

Scott

Natalie

Kate

It's also the time when I dress my poor kids in this bumblebee costume...(they have all been equally thrilled about the process)

Scott

Natalie

Kate

And finally a couple more...because I just can't stop myself.  Aren't you glad I don't have six kids?

Scott

Natalie

Kate

Eat your giraffe...or else!

We went out to lunch last week with another family, and we watched their four month old son gnaw on this popular little giraffe all throughout the meal.  I've heard a couple of other moms mention that their babies have enjoyed theirs, as well.  In the past, I have always held out and refused to purchase this expensive little toy.  However, after reading the rave reviews the other night on Amazon, I just had to get one for Kate.  Scott learned about needs vs. wants last week during Sunday School and has been correcting us all week on the difference. THIS was definitely a NEED, if there ever was one. How in the world did I survive the teething process with my first two without a Sophie the Giraffe? This giraffe was sure to give my sweet baby much satisfaction, soothe her aching gums, and perhaps clean my house during it's downtime.  I couldn't wait for it to arrive.  

Today was the glorious day!  Sophie arrived a whole day earlier than the expected delivery date...I just knew it was working it's wonders already.  

We ripped open the package, I gave it a quick wash, and Jon handed it to Kate.  We all gathered around to watch the magic take place.  

What happened next still baffles me.  Little Kate discarded the rubber giraffe within seconds and began to fuss loudly.  Scott grabbed the giraffe's head, Natalie grabbed the hooves, and a tug of war screaming match broke out between the two of them.  Jon turned to me and said, "How much did you pay for this giraffe?"  I just stood there bewildered.  This is not what I had envisioned at all.  How could this be happening?  Did we get a defective one?

After the jealous siblings went to bed, Kate and I tried the giraffe again.  "You WILL like this giraffe!  You WILL like this giraffe!" I told her as I shoved a hoof in her mouth.  It may take some more coaching, but I think there is a bit of potential.  She seemed to be getting the hang of it, and offered me a half smile...at least that's what I'm telling myself.  We will try again tomorrow.   

Well, that never happens!

Guess what woke me up this morning?

Mr. Sunshine!

I couldn't believe it when I woke to the sun peeking through our curtains and a super quiet house at 7:21.  I'm normally greeted by little feet or a small cry at a much earlier hour, so I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't still dreaming.  I sprung out of bed with a full tank of energy and pondered the idea of going for a brisk morning jog before church.  (Okay...not really.  Instead, before the clock struck 7:29, I was holding Kate while Scott and Natalie stood there staring at me with "hungry for breakfast" eyes.  However, it didn't matter.  I got to "sleep in" and wake up on my own accord this morning, and it feels GREAT.)

Let the day begin!

 

Our Most Celebrated Valentine's Day Ever

We've never made such a BIG deal out of Valentine's Day.  This year, however, it seems like we've been preparing for it for weeks!  It all started when my friend, Molly, came to visit a few weeks ago.  She brought a Valentine's Day craft to create with the kids, and Feb. 14th has been on our minds hearts ever since.  

Molly and the kids with foam hearts, stickers, and glitter glue- oh my!

The kids decorated treats with my mom. 

Natalie got a new Valentine's Day apron which came in handy when the kids decorated cookies with Jon's mom and grandma.  Brave women! :)

 

Grammy created special cards with the kids yesterday afternoon.  Scott has also come up with a few other Valentine's day "surprises" which he has hidden under his bed.  He's been talking about giving them to me tomorrow.  :) 

Jon and Scott also brought home a big Valentine's Day cookie from Marsh that we enjoyed.  I would have taken a picture, but it didn't last long enough. 

So it seems like we've celebrated a lot already even though the big day is still a few hours away.  We will ignore the fact that Jon wished me "Happy Valentine's Day in advance in case I forget tomorrow!"  No worries here...the kids won't let him forget.  :)  

Hope you have a lovely day!

Who needs the comic section?

I've always gotten a kick out of what comes out of kids' mouths.  As a young teen, I would journal about the funny conversations I had with the kids I would baby-sit.  I enjoyed reading parenting magazines long before my time, and I would always skip to the back page and read the funny sayings from children section.  Moreover, when I worked at the school, I'd regularly come home with a story or two for Jon about the comical things kids told me.  Now that I have my own, I of course think much of what they say is quite humorous.  It's funny to hear things come out of their little mouths, and it's always 10 times funnier when it's your own.  So...for the memory books, here are some of my favorites as of late...  

*Scott and I were in the kitchen, and Natalie had disappeared into the other room.  Things were awfully quiet, so I hollered, "Natalie, are you getting into trouble?"  (No answer.)  
Scott looked at me, rolled his eyes, and said, "OH DEAR!  I don't know what she's doing, but God does."

*I caught Natalie on a step stool trying to close the blinds.  I said, "Natalie, what are you doing?"
She squinted and replied, "I'm just turning off the sunny day."

*My mom brought cute little piggy banks over for the kids.  My dad gave them an equal amount of coins to start their savings.  Shortly after Grandpa & Grandma left, some redistribution of wealth took place.  I walked into the room to see Natalie cheerfully giving her coins to Scott while saying, "Welcome to my piggy store!".  Scott was sheepishly shoving the coins into his piggy bank as Natalie kept handing them over.  He told me that he didn't want them, but she just kept giving them to him.  :) 

*The kids were setting up a "party" in the basement.  (We have these many times a week.)  Natalie ran up to me and announced, "MOMMY! We're going to have a birthday party for you!"  
Scott was annoyed and yelled, "NATALIE!  It was supposed to be a surprise birthday party."
Without missing a beat, Natalie turned to me and declared with even more excitement, "MOMMY!  We are going to have a surprise birthday party for you!"

*I have been working on reading with Scott.  We are using a series which introduces a new letter/concept with each book.  Scott's book this week featured question marks as the new thing to learn.  I called Scott over to the couch to read his story, and he wasn't thrilled.  He huffed over and sat down and said, "Okay, but I'm not going to read the question marks.  They just slow me down."

*The kids are having fun pretending together a lot and often take on different roles.
One day, the kids came up to me and Natalie pointed to Scott, and said, "This is my husband.  Meet him."
Scott laughed and said, "Natalie!  I'm not your husband!"
So then Natalie turned to me and said, "This is my brother.  I'm the husband." 

*I usually take Scott somewhere to get his haircut.  Lately, I've been letting it grow a bit, but he needed a trim around the ears.  I thought that I could probably at least manage that.  I had him sit down in front of me, and we were pretending that he was at the barber shop.  I was asking him questions and making small talk, and he was pretending to be the customer.  He was playing along well, and I was getting the job done until I heard him yelp, "OUCH!  They don't do THAT at Great Clips."  Game over.  Sorry about your ear, son.  I'll leave it to the "professionals" next time.   :/

*I gave Natalie a little gift, and she said, "OH!  Thank you, Mommy.  You are sooooo sweet!"

*Scott came up to me at the computer and asked what I was doing.  I told him I was printing off a learning activity.  He cheerfully said, "Ooooh!  I DO love activities..."  And then he turned to head out of the room and under his breath muttered, "but I don't love learning."  We'll have to work on that.   

*Awhile back my mom made Jon a cake for his birthday.  Scott took one bite and exclaimed, "This is better than the crust on a peanut butter sandwich!"  (He refuses to eat his crust, but we think this was a compliment?!?!)

Simply Kate

I was getting ready to update my blog with recent kid pictures, but then I realized that I had A LOT of Kate pictures alone.  Since I couldn't narrow them down, I decided to just make a Kate post.  After all, it is her 15 week birthday today...something worth celebrating! :)  

 Funny faces...

Guess who just started rolling over?! 

Kate continues to be a sweet, easy-going baby.  She's starting to sleep through the night fairly consistently, has discovered her voice, and is quick to flash a smile.  We love her so much!