Another Week Gone...

Ah yes, another week gone. WHO AM I KIDDING? I haven't updated you for a month! But you're still here, so let's just carry on and pretend like everything is normal, 'kay? Speaking of normal, there was the usual:

Grace choking hugging Mark

Mark bailing before anyone else could "love" on him

"Mark, if you spill that... I won't tell anyone. Hee."

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Mark: "You think she knows we're the ones flinging
blueberry yogurt on the floor?"
Grace: "Just act natural. I've been doing this for years

and she hasn't caught on yet!"

We had LOTS of fun at birthday parties, dressing up for Halloween, and cooking in the kitchen. First we cooked dinner with a little help from DeeDee:

She made bacon wrapped scallops. No, I'm not kidding.
And I'm not sharing either.

Then we cooked, er, made dessert:

"We're pretty good at this stirring stuff!"

"We're pretty good at the tasting part too!"

Proof this child is related to me.
(In case it was needed.)

I'm fairly certain I'll be passing the meal making chores to the kids any day now... Don't worry about them eating to much sugar though. We're pretty tight with the candy around here:

"Aargh Matey! Hand over yer candy and we'll
spare ya the plank!"

AREN'T THEY ADORABLE?!?! (So I'm a little biased. Sue me.)

"Ya see this stash o' candy little lady? That's how
we pirates get it done."

"Hey! How did you get more than me?"
"Face it matey, I'm older and wiser...
I've done this before ya know!"

Our little pirates terrorized the neighborhood demanding loot from anyone who would open their doors. Grace had a ball, and Mark caught on pretty quickly. At one point, we chatted with the neighbors too long and I looked down to find Mark had stolen a Tootsie Pop from his container and was gnawing through the paper! Those pirates are tough cookies!

That weekend we hosted John's 5th birthday party (and Uncle Kevin's 40th, but he said not to tell anyone so shhhh...). We visited the local bounce house hangout and Grace had a ball:

After one slide with mommy...

Grace was ready to win the race!
(Happy Birthday Cousin John!)

She also rocked the house with her drum solo.

Mark had fun too, but he was a little distracted:

Decisions, decisions...

"They said there was gonna be cake. There's cake right??"

Afterward, we came home to the festivities and Mark made sure to keep us on track:

"The pizza was great, but there's still
gonna be cake right? Cake?"

I didn't actually get a photo of the cake eating mess, but rest assured - there was cake. Grace and Mark were very excited that Auntie Kim also left a birthday balloon for each of them. They are very fond of "boons", and fought over them ALL WEEK. Thanks Auntie Kim!!!

Once all the guests had said their goodbyes, we ate dinner and settled in to watch the new DVD release: Cars 2. Auntie Kim had taken Grace and the cousins to see it at the theater months ago. It was Grace's first (and so far, only) movie at the theater. Daddy was anxious to check it out for himself since Grace was the only one who'd seen it. Turns out, Grace is still the only one who's seen it...

Seriously. I couldn't make this stuff up.

Remember Tuesday's post about how kids do goofy things because, well, they're kids? Turns out it's not that hard to get pictures if you really try:

Mornin' Markie.
Here's proof this child is also related
to me. (In case it was needed.)

Banana, telescope, leftover spy
glass from her pirate days... you decide.

Yeah, daddy helped with this one. Mark kept them on
for two hours. And cried when I took them off.

I hope your week was filled with a new way of seeing things, and that you weren't overrun by pirates tryin' to steal your loot! We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, and I'm looking forward to celebrating all we have to be thankful for as a family. Oh, and pie.

"See ya soon!"

Another Year Gone...

Happy 3rd Birthday Gracie!

It is September 30th. I am going to pretend that because we are technically still in Gracie's birth month, this makes it okay that her celebratory pictures and updates are three weeks late. Join me in my delusions, will you?

Whatever you say lady, just keep the sweets coming!

As usual, we continued our tradition of making Gracie's birthday cake together and then licking the beaters. Mark got to participate for the first time, since he was napping when we made his cake in April. As usual, there were no complaints!

How do you get the ENTIRE beater into your mouth??

Grace is a pro. At getting the cake batter off - not
at keeping herself clean...

Grace was super excited about her birthday this year, and seemed to understand a lot of what was going on. She saw some of her gifts early and kept saying "Gracie's present? Gracie's present?" She also would include the word "purple" when talking about birthday items. "Purple cake?  Purple presents?" She's also quite enamored with cupcakes these days. (I have no idea where this came from - maybe her Strawberry Shortcake cartoons?) So, despite the fact that mommy had a homemade cake all set to go, when we went to the bakery a few days before the party, mommy got sucked into the bakery's evil plans to thwart the budget when she saw the above "cupcake" cake that could be made in any color. Gracie's "Purple Cake" had been ordered before we left the store.

The festivities began just after 10 am, by which time it was only about 80 degrees outside. Apparently the weather has no concept of what the term "fall" means. Despite the heat, the kids had a blast putting together a toy Gracie had received on her "real" birthday the weekend before:

Gee, it's  a good thing people brought you gifts Gracie,
because you clearly don't have ENOUGH already...

It says here that if a child owns more than their
weight in toys, the other kids get to take some
home too. Yay!

Unlike last year, Gracie ate up all the attention rather than being shy when everyone sang Happy Birthday.

"See that huge purple cupcake? That's for meeee!!!"

This year, she even did a great job blowing out the candle.

As everyone enjoyed cake and ice cream, Grace got started on the presents.

Cousin Noah: "Hey Grace, if you're not sure what
to do with all those presents, I can help you out...
Just sayin'. I'm nice like that."

Grace loved opening gifts, and unlike last time, she was
quick to tear open bags and paper to get to the good stuff!

"OOOOHHH!" She was so much fun this year,
enjoying every gift!

She also understood a little better this year... when you
get to the "end" of one gift, it's time to move on to the next!

"Hey Daniel, did you see all those gifts? We're goin'
home with toys for sure! No way Gracie weighs
more than all that!"

Mark picked a little something out for Gracie himself:

"Look at what I just learned to do! Whatever I find,
I'll give it to you!! Happy Birthday!"

Mark really did find his finger fit into his nose for the very first time that day. He's had a few other new behaviors as well. Recently he's had some separation anxiety, and is constantly wanting me to pick him up.

"Down! Down! Down!"
(This is what he says constantly... when he wants me
to pick him up.)

Luckily for him, if mommy doesn't comply with his request, he knows there is no shortage of love at the family party!

"Finally! A woman who knows what the word "down" means!
Can you teach this to my mommy Auntie Kim?"

All in all, it was a wonderful day, filled with fun and happiness. And sugar. Lots and lots of sugar, as evidenced by this photo:

This, dear readers, is a classic case of sugar coma.
Glassy eyes, chocolate around mouth...

I may have failed to mention that we baked Gracie's cake the morning of her party, so the cake batter was eaten just after breakfast. She also got her share of cake and ice cream before opening gifts. But the above look indicates there was more going on that meets the eye...

You got that right lady. It was THESE.

I'm pretty sure Grace ate her way through a large amount of M&Ms. The question is, how did she get so many???

Oh look! DeeDee is giving something to the kids!

Oh look, someone placed the candy bowl
where Grace could reach it easily! I wonder
 who that was....

"Silly mommy! Don't you know to always ask DeeDee
when there's something you want?"

Yes, the "Grands" strike again. Grace had a blast at her party, and took a wonderfully long nap after all the days' events. Mark took a nap before we even got to the cake and ice cream, and later on he settled into his favorite "chair" while waiting for Grace to wake up:

"I'm working on finishing "War and Peace".
I figure it will take about that long for Grace
to sleep off all the sugar and excitement..."

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! I hope you had a wonderful day, and maybe you'll even remember your "purple party" as you grow older.

She insisted on wearing her "purple hat"...
until about 20 seconds later when the string
became too much for that little chin.

My Little Princess trying the Minnie Mouse cutout crown
from one of her birthday cards.

Thanks to all of my readers who have patiently waited for this post. There is so much more to share! Daddy was on vacation, and we have lots of pictures of the Children's Museum, the zoo, and even our basic everyday fun activities. I will try to bring those to you soon... in the meantime, enjoy the little ones in your life because time goes by far too quickly.

See You Next Time!

Another (Few) Week(s) Gone...

Hmmm... the title says it all. If you actually make it to the end of this post, you'll know why. My last post was in mid-July. I think it's really rude that July just up and ended so quickly. It would have been far more polite to hang around a bit instead of rushing off like that. Oh well, maybe August will slow things down a bit.

Maybe.

I can hardly believe how quickly the kids are changing and picking up on new things. It's only been three weeks, but the pictures show all kinds of firsts, and everyday I'm reminded what fast little learners they are. Mark is saying new words everyday: wawa (water), nana (banana), uh-oh, shoes, all done, hi, and bye-bye are just a few. He also makes the sign for hungry, and even though he can't say eat, he gets his point across by heading straight to his chair when he wants breakfast. When he runs out of milk in the mornings, he stands in the doorway of the kitchen whimpering. Once he sees me headed his way, he bolts for the refrigerator door and tries to open it. "One sippy cup of milk, coming up!"

Grace is communicating quite well herself these days. She always pulls a chair into the kitchen saying "I wanna see. I wanna see Mama, I wanna see." Then she climbs on the chair to observe whatever it is I'm doing. Recently I was cooking at the stove, and Grace pretended to be cooking dinner on the other burner. When I asked what she was making, she replied, "Ice." Well, it was either that or PB&J, since those are the only two food requests she makes these days.

As I was slogging through three weeks of pictures I realized there has definitely been a theme the last few weeks. Mark discovered the water hose for the first time and took to it like a fish... well, you know.

Everything works better when you stick your tongue out.

He also mastered the "drink from the hose" trick.
Sort of.

That weekend Daddy got some time to himself while we headed to Disneyland Papa and DeeDee's house. After we settled in, Papa took Grace to try out the trampoline. Since "hop" is one of her favorite things to do, she thought this was the best thing evar.

"Look at me Mama! Look at me!"
(Another one of her favorite lines.)

After that, Papa washed his "big truck" and guess what? There was water!

"Uh, Grace? Why is there soap in the water? Are they
afraid we're going to find dirt somewhere or something?"

Lo and behold, Papa had a water hose too!
Mark was mesmerized.

"Look Papa! I already mastered the Drink from the Hose trick!"

As usual, my kids found the perfect spot to dry off:

"Gee Mark, all this land and they choose to cover it in grass.
Good thing we found a tiny spot of dirt to keep us occupied!"

After being such big helpers with washing Papa's truck, we went inside to help DeeDee:

"More cleaner please DeeDee!"
(Mark would hold up the towel for some cleaner,
then wipe the mirror. He wouldn't be fooled by a
"fake" spray of cleaner either, he waited for the real thing!)

"Hmmm. I wonder why DeeDee gives us three baths a day,
and Mama only gives us one bath every three days?"

After nap, cousin Lizzie (who was also visiting) introduced Grace and Mark to the new puppies born just the week before. Grace was very delicate with them, and did NOT want to hold any puppies. She was okay with approaching them on her terms, but if we tried to give one to her, or if they started to crawl toward her she would freak.

"Here puppy, let me pet you with one finger..."

Mark, on the other hand, had no such reservations:

"HI PUPPY!!"

"OOOOHHHH! You're smaller than I am!"
"How come you don't open your eyes?"

"Oh! You're waitin' for a kiss! Here you go...!"

Nope. No reservations at all.

When we went out front to put the puppies back into their house, guess what we found???

"Look Gracie! A water hose!"

Yep, he's got this trick down.
He should. He's had plenty of practice.

It took the kids about five minutes to figure out
the best spot to try and turn grass into mud.

Luckily, Grace is good at completing the clean up!

Uncle Kevin and Auntie Kim came to pick up Liz, and after all the excitement from the weekend, Mark was happy to find a great place to snuggle up and rest:

Uncle Kevin, a.k.a. "The Mark Whisperer"

The following weekend, the cousins came to our house to visit while Auntie went to the homeschooling conference. (I'm determined to go next year!) We played outside (sans water) and played some games too...

"Hey! What happened to my motor?
No stopping for the papparazzi!"

"Good job Grace! You're a super duper Xbox player!"
"Yeah, I learned it from my dad. Watch this!"

"Hey John! I'm a super duperer Xbox playerific! Watch me too!"
(Mom disclaimer: Neither of my children play Xbox.
They only play "controllers".)

Don't worry, amid all this excitement we got in some of the usual activities too. Grace was given "real" puzzles from her cousins. They varied from 12 to 24 pieces. She loves them. It's her new favorite request. "Play puzzles? Play puzzles?" She's amazingly good at finding the pieces and turning them to fit into the right place.

She's also had her first encounter with band-aids. She got a scraped knee, and it was enough to warrant some attention. Oy. Can I take that action back? She requests band-aids at all sorts of random intervals now! In the middle of a meal, halfway through a cartoon... and of course, as a ploy to keep from going to bed. I may hold some of the blame. When she asks... I usually give her one. What can I say? They're Strawberry Shortcake bandaids, and she's even cuter than the little redhead on the package!

Since we're past potty training, we're now into bathroom training. Or toilet paper training. Or put-your-underwear-back-on-before-leaving-the-bathroom training. Whatever you want to call it, we're there. Grace is pretty good at handling the mechanics of actually going to the bathroom, but once the deed is done she often ends up running around the house half naked. And typically with unwashed hands. Luckily, I have evidence that she is at least aware she's supposed to be using toilet paper:

Good thing there's a plunger handy.

This week the weather has been beautiful, and the kids have played outside quite a bit. I often have my camera in hand, which is how I managed to record just how quickly Mark can go from playing to eating:

Mud Pie!

I swear this happened in a shutter flash. I snapped the shot while reaching with my other hand to get the dirt out of his mouth. In the photo below, the water under his eyes is tears, not a product of the garden hose. He was quite irritated that I didn't let him swallow the dirt. Since then, he's eaten at least four handfuls. (That I've witnessed. I try not to think about what I haven't seen.) There's only so much I can do. So far he seems none the worse for wear. If he starts to grow turnips from his ears, I'll crack down.

He got this shirt as a birthday gift.
Someone knows him very, very well.

Another first for Mark this week was his very own, not shared, not-held-by-anyone-but-himself ice cream cone! He walked around with it stuck to his mouth like a bottom feeder for the first five minutes. He would suck on the ice cream like it was a sippy cup. Maybe he was afraid if he took it from his lips he wouldn't get anymore. Once he finally came up for air, he consumed it so quickly I barely got any pictures. Until he dropped it on the ground. That slowed him down - but not for long. It was mostly gone anyway, so I let him finish. Hey - you saw the picture up there. I'm going to take away his ice cream because there's a little dirt on it? Who am I kidding?

Must. Eat. Quickly.
Cannot. Share. Cone...

Of course, Grace loved it too. She made sure to show
my camera her treat, and her face says it all.
Yay for summer and ice cream cones!

"Grace? Do you think Mama will take away my ice
cream if she finds out I dropped it in the dirt?"

"Nah, she'll let you finish it. She's crazy nice like that."

Thanks for catching up with all the summertime fun! Hope you're getting some good times in this summer too. I'll leave you with just one more potty story - they're too entertaining not to share.

This week at breakfast Grace announced she needed to go potty. Seeing that she was finished, I excused her from the table and sent her on her way. (It's so nice not to have to accompany her all the time, even if it ends up in a small TP disaster on occasion.) As she sprinted toward the bathroom, I cleaned up Mark and let him wander free too. I heard them playing in the front room as I finished cleaning the breakfast dishes. It's so nice to be able to focus on something while they play and giggle, rather than running in to referee every two minutes. Once I was done, I headed in to check on the kids...

...and I found this.
The END(s)!