Grown-Up Clothes

Every year for the past three or four years, I've taken the kids' pictures in "grown-up" clothes. The idea was to measure their growth from year to year by comparing how much better the clothes fit each year. To make a good comparison, I used the same article of clothing. For the girls, I chose my wedding gown. For Yogi, I chose a pair of B's jeans and a t-shirt.

We've had so much fun each year when it's time to get the grown-up clothes out. Unfortunately this year, I'm about six months behind. So next August, it probably won't seem like they've grown that much. Of course, that's if I can still find the clothes after we move. Ughhh!

Yogi can't keep a straight face whenever he puts these huge jeans on. It must seem like a daunting task to grow into clothes that fit his 6'4" dad! He always pretends that's he's Jerod in the Subway commercial, modeling his fat clothes. Even though his dad is not even close to being fat, Yogi swims in these clothes.

Princess Bella probably enjoys this activity the most. Although I can tell she's growing up because each year she is more self-conscious about the gaps in the front of the dress (since it would fall off her shoulders if it weren't pinned.)

As a side note, I did not think this whole activity through enough. I am not sure what I'm going to do when she no longer fits in the dress. She will definitely (and maybe Little Red) be taller than me. I guess we'll cross that bridge later...

And Little Red probably enjoys this activity the least. I have yet to get her to actually try the dress on. It is pretty heavy and probably looks intimidating to her (I wonder if this is a sign of her future - ha ha!) Tonight we coaxed her into putting on the "princess crown" and holding the dress. We'll have to wait to see what she does next time.

Just for fun, I got out the last picture we took of her in my wedding dress. Ahhhhhhh....... I took this in May of 2007. I had planned to take pictures again in August of 2008, but now we're into January of 2009. So being six months behind in taking this year's pics makes a big difference in a really small child. Just goes to show how quickly they grow!

Thank goodness for a sweet babysitter who was not busy last night!

B and I got to see the movie Gran Torino. Loved it! Clint Eastwood was his usual stellar self and the storyline was great.

After the busy week we had, it was great to relax a little. Sometimes movies (and books) make me feel better. Seeing other people's problems helps put a little perspective on my own crazy issues. Another plus is that it's something B and I enjoy together. I think it takes us back to those high school dating days. We got to see a lot of movies then. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember those days of freedom (LOL!)

Also got to post a bit on Facebook (after the kids went to bed and at the expense of sleep, of course) But it turns out a lot of high school and college classmates are playing there and it's been great to catch up.

I sure hope this week isn't as busy as last, but time will tell.

Busy Week for All

Little Red has been doing well without "BeeKee." She has completely surprised me by trying to grow up all in one week. She started to use the big girl potty and started sleeping in a big girl bed with Bella. I wasn't ready for all this! She won't be two for another few months.

I've decided to let her use the potty sometimes but not start the full-fledged training yet. And as sad as I am to see her leave her sweet little crib, I must admit that her and Bella's room will have more space without it. When she started sleeping with Bella this week, she slept the best she has in weeks. So, there she goes again, growing up without me!

Yogi had an eventful weekend as he got to go hunting with his uncle on Sat and Sunday! Although I missed having him around, it was nice for him to be outside and separated from the Wii!

Bella's biggest news is that her two front teeth are more wiggly every day. Pretty soon the tooth fairy will be visiting us again. We have her on speed dial this year!

We got to go out to the house and take a few more pictures yesterday. It wasn't very nice to wake up this a.m. to an inch of snow on the ground!! I guess I wasn't really expecting that. As you can see, the roof is half on. Therefore, we had a bit of snow in the house again today. The kids thought it was funny that if you drop anything on the floor and make a vibration, snow falls drifts down from the rafters and it looks like it's snowing. Although B and I didn't find as much amusement in the spectacle, it was nice the kids were there to make light of the issue!

First Communion Meeting

I can't believe it's almost time for the oldest, Yogi, to make his First Communion. We had another parents meeting tonight to help the children be prepared for their big day in April. B had to watch the girls, so Yogi and I went by ourselves.

It seems like just yesterday that I made my First Communion. I was dressed up in my pretty white dress and veil; so excited to see what that piece of hardened bread tasted like. I did feel pretty special after my First Communion. Although that happy feeling only lasted about 20 minutes. The mass was so long and I had to go the bathroom sooooo bad. There's nothing like parading around the church hoping none of your classmates will see the small puddle you just left on the floor. Didn't feel very special after that.

But I know Yogi won't have any problems of the sort that day. Even though he's complaining a bit about wearing a tie, I think he knows he looks nice when he's in dress clothes. And I'm impressed with his attitude and excitement over the whole ordeal. Tonight, on the car ride home, he told me that he has lots of questions about God, religion, and communion. I braced myself. But they were good questions and we had a nice discussion.

However, he informed me that he has lots more questions for when Fr Apo visits our house next month. Oh boy! If you know Yogi and the types of questions he's famous for, you'll understand why his dad and I have reason to be nervous.

Bye Bye "BeeKee"

January 18th - D Day. It was marked as the day that Little Red was to give up Bee Kee. Bee Kee was was also affectionately referred to as Binky, B, and Boo One ("Blue One" was her favorite binky).

We had talked about her giving BeeKee to a new little baby, since she was becoming a "big girl." She agreed, but it was still tough.

Sunday night, she cried for 30 minutes. I finally went to her room and rocked her a bit until she fell asleep in my arms.

I can hardly blame her for crying - BeeKee was a beloved friend. And not just for her. Mommy enjoyed the convenience of "the silencer." It was like magic! So when she cried on Sunday night, I must admit that I shed a few tears too.

But it was for the best. BeeKee was holding her back. It sometimes kept her from joining in with the other kids and it was getting difficult to understand her growing vocabulary when BeeKee was lodged in her mouth.

The good news is that she gets to keep her blanky for as long as she wants.

But still, giving up the BeeKee means mommy's little baby is growing up. I'm just not sure I'm ready for that. But I know she'll grow up regardless of how ready I am. And I cannot hold her back.

Look out world - here she comes!

Taking Time To Eat The Snow

Even though I was really busy tonight after school, I felt like I should take the time to go outside and play with the kids in the snow.

The older two can go out on their own, but Little Red needs someone to help her. So sadly, she usually ends up staying inside with me to help cook supper.

But not tonight. I went outside and played with all of them. It was so much fun! They made tiny snowballs, tiny snow angels, and ate tons of snow.

Another plus was that I remembered to bring the camera!


Little Red


Snowball fight - Yogi and Bella (with Little Red as the referee)


My three snow angels


Time to go inside!

Through the Eyes of Children

I found some pictures the other day that I had never seen. Earlier this summer I let the kids experiment with an old digital camera. They took over 700 pictures in two weeks before getting tired of it. It was really fun to watch them experiment with different objects and angles and light. They learned several things:

• You can't take a picture in dark lighting unless you can hold the camera REALLY still
• It's hard to get babies to sit
• Riding a bike with one hand and trying to hold the camera in the other DOESN'T work
• Pictures from the inside of a car rarely turn out
• If you forget to recharge the camera, it's not ready when you need it

Overall, these proved to be valuable lessons that could only be taught by doing. Of the hundreds of pictures they took, very few (percentage-wise) turned out to be really good. Most were really bad, unflattering shots of me, self-portraits, pictures of their favorite toys, very dark pictures, or very blurry. But they got better toward the end of the two weeks. Here are some of my favorites:

Baby Elmo: finally a baby that will sit still!


Self Portrait of Yogi


Bella


Yogi and Little Red and Special Baby (the doll's actual name :)


A bug (Yes - they brought it in the house!!!)


Bella


Grandma's Roses

Little Red sleeping (Ahhhhh!)

Little Red (as a binky toting Tigger Pirate??)

It will be pretty funny for them to see these in a few years. It was definitely worth all the time I spent loading their creations on to the computer. If for nothing else, they now have a better appreciation for what it's like to be behind the lens!

Saturday Visitors and New House Pics

This morning, Cousins Missy M and D came over to play. Even though sometimes it can be hectic at times, I absolutely love having the house full of kids. I have some really great memories of visiting with them about different topics just to see what they'll say.

I have eight nieces and nephews from 1 month to 7 1/2 years. Even an innocent question such as "What does your daddy do at work?" can prove hysterical. On one occasion, several of them were visiting about what it would be like to go hunting with grandpa. They created the song "Old McGrampa Had a Gun" sung to Old McDonald Had a Farm. I really wish I would have had the video camera running because the lyrics were very very funny (and actually made sense!)

Today Cousin D, who is 2, was trying to get his coat on to leave. Little Red nicely went to retrieve his coat, but accidentally unsnapped the hood from the coat. Little D protested to his mom, "She ripped my head off!" Kids say the funniest things!

Before they went home, we decided to take a quick trip out to the house to see how the guys were doing. It's pretty cold and windy for them to be working outside. The dusting of snow we received last night wasn't making the rough terrain any easier to walk on.

My curiosity got the best of me. I heard that many of the first floor walls were up so Aunt P and I couldn't resist taking the kids out to see.

I'm finally getting a little bit better about keeping the camera handy.

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

This is the first year that I recall discussing New Year's resolutions with my children. The oldest two, at ages 7 and 5, were particularly interested in the tradition. After some discussion, I thought it would be good to remind them that goals should be specific. Surprisingly, they both came up with ideas immediately.

Yogi - "Be able to hit a frog in the head with a rock by the end of the summer" (I must explain that he is throwing rocks into the pond and aiming for the frogs - not holding them and beating them over the head. I'm not sure the explanation helped him sound less cruel. As his mother, I have had to resign myself to the fact that he comes from a long line of hunters on both sides of the family. Poor frogs!!! Thank goodness it will be a while before he gets that BB gun.)

Bella -"Try to be nice....for the whole month of January" (maybe she can add a month each year until she's 16!?!?)

WOW - You can see B and I have our work cut out for us. On a positive note, at least they were specific...

P.S. We set Little Red's goal for her: Learn to use the big girl potty!

New Year, New Things

Just a week ago I was soooo happy to see the snow disappear. Now, I'm not so sure that was a good thing. Snow has been replaced by MUD and lots of it!! I think I hate mud more than snow. After working out at the house, B's jeans are so full of mud that they get the washing machine all by themselves.
But, enough complaining. If it's warm enough to be muddy, then it's warm enough to keep working on the new house. And that's a very good thing. The garage footings have been poured and the walls formed. I would have never guessed we would be doing this in January!
Time for the kids go back to school tomorrow. Yogi lost a tooth during the break, and he'll have a story to tell his class. It fell out in the orange he was eating.

I'm sure he'll also be suffering withdrawal from hours and hours of video games, Bella will be suffering withdrawal from Webkinz, and Little Red will be missing them both while they are at school.
As a side note, Little Red has been having so much fun with them home. Sometimes I cannot believe how big she's getting. The other day, I think she told her first joke. Now, she's also learned how to repeat just about any 3 or 4 syllable word. And since she repeats everything, we'll really have to watch what we say. Today I heard her say "idiot" a few times. I'm not sure if Yogi or Bella is to blame for that?? Maybe I should yell at them both and cover all the bases :) On the bright side, she was able to tell me that her "ear huwt" and she needed "tynol." It was pathetic and funny all at once.
Since the holidays are over, it's time to get back into a routine again. So, in celebration of the last day of winter break, we tried to do some fun stuff today. Bella had been begging to open her Bratz hair coloring studio. I had been putting that off, but today conceded. It was actually pretty fun (and not too messy). After we colored the Bratz hair, I let the girls put a little color in their own hair. It washes out with plain water. Then they wanted their picture taken.

Later we'll have another Wii Mario Cart tournament, then call it a day.
Happy New Year!