September 29

Do-nothing Mondays are so good for my soul. After we walked Caleb to the bus this morning, the girls and I sat on the front porch and played for an hour. More specifically, the girls played while I worked on deconstructing diapers. 

(Digression: with this new baby coming so close on Lily's heels (they'll be about 19 months apart?), we will need some more cloth diapers. Luckily, with a little bit of mending, cloth diapers can last a really, really long time. I found 22 of Caleb and Daisy's old diapers in the basement that are currently unusable because the velcro is no longer sticky and the elastic is super stretched out. Instead of replacing the velcro with new velcro, I'm converting them all to snaps, which means first removing all of the old velcro. It's an arduous and painful process that takes about 20 minutes per diaper, and involves lots of seam ripper stabs to my fingers. No fun. But I've de-velcroed 14 of them so far, so that's something.  I'm already starting to wonder if this is one of those DIY projects that ends up costing way more in time and energy than it's worth, but I'm going to see it through.)

Last night, the kids and I watched videos of Caleb and Daisy as they were first learning to walk. 

You can see Caleb's first walking video here: http://youtu.be/3ia62yp1lCU

And Daisy's first walking video here (though she'd been walking for a month and a half at this point): http://youtu.be/NQdms6HdS2g

They thought it was so funny! Yesterday I noticed that Lily is getting a lot steadier on her feet, so I thought today would be a good "walking video" day. Of course, she didn't really want to cooperate, so this is the best I got:

Of course she'd walk away from the camera instead of toward it, but you get the idea. She's also really into nose-blowing right now. No, she doesn't actually blow her nose, but she brings the tissue to her nose and makes a blowing noise. It's really pretty cute.

Well, it's as cute as it can get when it's caused by three children with nasty, snotty noses. She looks pretty miserable, doesn't she? 

(Side note: that's chalk on her pants, because she and Daisy were playing chalk. Lily says "chalk" now. She also says eggs, socks, and several other new words that I can't remember right now.)

Look at how much cuter she is when she's "blowing" her nose!

After lunch, Daisy went down for her nap and I finally got Lily down for hers, when the power went out. Lily sleeps with a noise machine and a ceiling fan on, so when the power goes out, her room becomes oppressively silent and still. Needless to say, that nap didn't last long. 

After we got Caleb off the bus, the power was still out, so I sent the kids out to play in the sandbox while I got dinner ready.

Deciding to put a sandbox in the base of our swing set was the smartest thing we've ever done. The children can play happily there for an hour, easily. 

I went back inside to finish dinner, and when I looked out at the kids again, I found this:

Don't worry, Mom. No children were harmed in the making of this video. 

I'd heard rumors that Lily was able to climb up the slide, but this was the first time I'd witnessed it. Really, it's pretty impressive. At one point, Caleb was lying on the slide and Lily climbed up over him. That girl is determined!

The power came back on just as dinner was ready - thank goodness. Only now our Internet is flickering in and out. Yuck.

September 28

I stumbled out of bed at 7:15 this morning to find this:

All three children sitting on the counter, watching as Chris made his specialty: peanut butter banana chocolate chip pancakes. Yum.

(Caleb is playing with a medicine syringe that we use to measure Fermented Cod Liver Oil. Also yum.)

This was Lily's response when she noticed me with my camera. I think it's an early morning laugh/smile. She was happy to see me. 

Sleeping in, husband making breakfast for the kiddos... I'm a lucky woman!

September 27

Chris and I were snuggling with all three kids in the bed this morning, and we decided that we needed to do something awesome today. After much debate, we ended up packing a picnic and heading to an Oktoberfest celebration nearby.

The highlights included lots of fun things to look at, cheerleaders/gymnasts to watch, and lots of dogs to entertain Lily. Oh, and music. When we arrived, a bluegrass band was playing; when we ate lunch, we were right between two different polka bands.

Chris took this video of me dancing with the girls - Lily wrapped on my back, and Daisy in my arms:

We had a lot of fun. I know that at one point in the video, it looks like poor Lily's head is wobbling uncomfortably all over the place, but she was actually doing that on purpose. It was her way of participating in the dancing, I think.

The low point was when Caleb realized that we were not, in fact, going to pay so that he could play on all of the inflatables and eat all of the ice cream. Fortunately, he didn't come to that realization until we were leaving, so the fussing and whining was short-lived. I understand his disappointment, though, and if we had money to throw around, I would totally have bought everyone treats and rides and games, because how fun is that? But we don't. So in the car on the way home, we decided to have a special mid-day treat of homemade brownies and ice cream. I also encouraged Caleb to brainstorm some ideas for other awesome things (free ones, that is) that we could do today. 

He came up with swimming at the YMCA and going fishing. 

So while the girls napped, Chris took Caleb to the Y, where they swam and played basketball. They returned right after the girls woke up, and Chris took Caleb and Daisy fishing in the pond behind our house. Daisy had never been fishing before, so Lily and I tagged along with the camera.

They were on the opposite side of the pond, so I got a picture of them from afar.

Chris brought some gluten-free bread crust, and Daisy fed it to the fish and geese. I was skeptical, but surprisingly, they liked it!

Caleb took his turn first. 

(Can you tell I gave him a haircut this afternoon? The front is a bit short, but that's okay.)

While she waited for her turn, Daisy played with my camera. She got this picture of me, with Lily on my back.

Then it was Daisy's turn.

She caught the first fish of the day - her very first fish!

You never know how a kid will react to the sight of a fish struggling on the line, but Daisy was thrilled with the whole thing.

She was so excited. SO. EXCITED.

After Chris released the fish back into the pond, Daisy gave him a high five.

Caleb took another turn,

and caught his first fish of the day!

That, dear readers, is one happy boy.

September 26

Jenny came over this afternoon! Both girls were supposed to be asleep when Jenny arrived, but a certain little stinker decided that afternoon naps are for the birds. Lily certainly enjoyed her quality time with Jenny, though!

When Caleb got home from school and Daisy woke up from her nap, all three children began insisting that Jenny read them every single book in the house. 

Jenny read to them until her voice was hoarse. They loved it. (Except for Lily. She still doesn't know how to read with the big kids, and gets frustrated whenever someone reads a book that isn't her choice. She really wants to be the center of everyone's universe.)

Meanwhile, I did laundry, made dinner, tidied up... it was a win all around!

September 25

When Caleb gets home from school each day, we always take a few minutes to sit on the couch, unpack his backpack, and talk about his day. We only have a few minutes, though, because it is quickly time for me to start making dinner. Sometimes the kids entertain themselves while I make dinner, but other times Caleb likes to play a computer math game called Dreambox. We have access to it through his school; he has an account that tracks his progress both at home and at school. Since Caleb has never really had much access to the computer before, he loves the novelty of it. Amazingly, the girls also love watching him play!

Many afternoons, this is the scene in my kitchen:

Caleb playing Dreambox.

Daisy sitting in a chair scooched right up next to Caleb's, watching him play. 

(1. Her shirt is normally completely on - I have no idea what happened here

2. Initially, we had a problem with Daisy trying to "help" Caleb by answering all of the math questions - incorrectly - but she has since learned to keep her mouth shut.)

Lily standing in between the two, either watching or, in this case, writing on a receipt. I have to take the computer keyboard away, or she tries to push all the buttons.

I love that the girls are content to watch Caleb play his game, and I hope that maybe they're also picking up some math skills. 

I also love that I can cook in peace when it's Dreambox time. That is a beautiful thing.

September 24

The girls helped me make muffins this morning, and they were so excited to wear their new aprons!

You are looking at two happy girls!

Later, while Daisy napped, Lily and I enjoyed the sunshine outside. 

Lily's new obsession is going up in the kids' clubhouse. She's still pretty untrustworthy, so I have to hover anytime she gets near an opening, but it's still fun.

Do you see those shoes? I bought those silly white loafers on clearance at Target when Daisy was learning to walk. I'm not sure why I bought them - they really are absurd - but they were Daisy's favorite shoes. Now, they are Lily's favorites, too. Or rather, they're her second-favorites. She always reaches for the golden sandals with the pink flower on the toes, but when I won't let her wear those, she chooses the white loafers.  

(Here's Daisy in the loafers, at almost 17 months old, almost exactly two years ago:)

Isn't it funny how similar the two look? Daisy is just noticeably skinnier. Lily may be skinny, but she's a good three pounds heavier than Daisy was at this age. At least we have that!

Hi, cutie pie! 

This was the first time Lily had worn this shirt (a hand-me-down from a friend, worn first by Daisy and now by Lily), and she loved the bird on it. We even played a game of peek-a-boo: Lily pulled her shirt up, exposing her belly button and hiding the bird. I said, "Where's the bird?" and Lily pulled the shirt back down and laughed as I said, "Peek-a-boo!".

Exciting stuff here.

We also finally tried out this doorway jumper. I occasionally get to test new products and review them, and this was my latest assignment.

A doorway jumper.

I have never, in my three children, ever even thought about wanting a doorway jumper. But now I have one, with all the bells and whistles. Lily was momentarily entertained, but after I write my review, the thing is going back in its box and up for sale.

Related: do you need a doorway jumper? I know someone who has a nice one for cheap!

September 22

I have no idea what got into Lily, but this morning she slept until 10 am.

Yep. 10 am. I've never had a child sleep that late before.

Granted, she was up screaming for quite a while in the night (Chris went into her, but she would not be consoled) and she missed a nap yesterday and got to bed late, but still - 10 am! 

She's also been pretty scream-y today. It's been one of those days where, if I walk into a room, she starts screaming. If I leave the room, she starts screaming. If I sit down to read a book with the big kids, she starts screaming. If I pull her into my lap to read with us, she starts screaming. She basically needed to be the center of my universe today, but instead of asking nicely, she screamed at me. It was exhausting. Luckily, Chris gave me a nice break after dinner (or rather, I took a break after dinner and Chris obliged, mostly because Lily screamed throughout the whole meal and it was clear that my head was about to explode). So at least I got that, and the girl is now asleep.

Of course, she wasn't screaming when we went to the bus stop to get Caleb. Or when we played on the front porch afterward.

"Screaming? I don't know what you're talking about!"

(Also, I love the little sun flare rainbow in the bottom left corner. I didn't even notice it when I took the picture, but I love the hidden rainbow for my Baby Rainbow!)

Exploring! Spoiler alert: It was empty.

Caleb rigged up this stick/bridge thing, and was so proud of himself! Then the little supporting twig snapped, and he was devastated.

(Also, I learned today that he calls this one shirt that I made for him his "Super One" shirt. Like, he's a superhero? And his symbol is the number one? He told me today that he wore a hoodie over it at school, but occasionally surprised his friends by unzipping his hoodie to show them his Super One. It is so funny to get a glimpse into the workings of his mind!)

Lily can't let me sit on the ground and take pictures. If I'm at her height and I have a camera in hand, girl is all up in my grill. She wants me to take her picture, she wants to see the pictures I've taken, she wants to press all the buttons... I suppose it would be really cute, if it didn't happen every. single. time.

 And then, after dinner, there was this:

Caleb read Hop on Pop. 

Sure, he needed lots of help.

Sure, it was slow and painful reading.

Sure, he didn't finish the book. 

But still. It's my firstborn, reading a book for the very first time. That's a huge deal! I almost didn't take a picture because the light was so yucky, but then I realized that I would later kick myself for not photographing such a major milestone.

Caleb is a reader!

September 20

Our neighbor Terry came over this morning, and he and Chris got to work on all the trim in our dining room/soon to be living room project. By 3:30, they had finished the baseboards, crown molding, fireplace mantel, door trim, flooring transitions, and re-hanging closet doors. Things certainly aren't finished yet - we need to caulk and paint just about everything! - but I think we're about 90% there. I can't wait to be able to use that room again!

While the men worked, the kids and I played. Amazingly, Lily took a three-hour nap, despite the din of construction. And Daisy took a great nap, even though Terry was chiseling away at wood in front of her bedroom door.

When Lily woke up, though, I couldn't keep her away from the construction. No matter where we went, and no matter how I tried to distract her, the girl always found her way back to the action.

It appears that Terry either has an admirer or an apprentice. Perhaps Lily is a little bit of both? It was pretty cute.

September 19

Today is Lily's 14-month birthday, so we celebrated with balloons and candles.

Kidding - kind of. Tonight happened to be the Balloon Glow, and the weather was perfect, so despite my anxiety about the chaos of parking and traffic, we packed up a picnic and headed out. Chris and I used to love to go to the Balloon Glow before we had kids, and we even tackled it twice when Caleb was little. In fact, I found the blog post from the last time we went - Caleb was 14 months old, and we were newly pregnant with Daisy, but hadn't shared the news yet.  Bonus: the post also has pictures of Caleb's first Balloon Glow, when he was only two months old. 

What's especially funny is that somehow, without even planning it, we ended up at the exact same spot tonight that we were at four years ago, and five years ago. Wild!

Goodness. This girl. She spent a good part of the evening in my lap, snuggling me. I loved every moment of it.

Look at our big girl! Can you see the little sandals she's wearing? When we were getting ready to go to the Balloon Glow, I offered her a different pair of shoes. She shook her head no. Then I got out those little sandals, and immediately a grin spread over her face and she snatched them from me. I guess I know which shoes are her favorites! 

I think she's trying to share her cookie with Daddy.

My handsome boy. He was really whiny and emotional, until we fed him dinner. Perhaps he just gets sensitive when he's hungry?

I do know that when he comes home from school, he needs lots of loves. We didn't have time for an after-school snuggle today, so he asked for a hug as I buckled him into his car seat. Once we finally found a picnic spot at the Balloon Glow, he climbed into my lap and smothered me with kisses.

We fed Lily some watermelon. It was a joyous moment for her.

Seriously. This girl. And her little feet with those little toes? I know it's strange, but Daisy's toes are one of the things I love most about her. That, and her impish grin. And the fact that she's suddenly so talkative! All the time!

That, my friends, is 17 weeks worth of baby belly. 

Once they started filling up the balloons, Lily was fascinated! She kept pointing and squealing.

She particularly liked the bunny.

Lily had a prime perch up on Daddy's shoulders. Lots of people like to go up to the balloon field and wander amongst the balloons, but we prefer to spread our blankets outside the chaos and enjoy the view from afar. Maybe when the kids are much, much older we'll hazard a visit to see the balloons up close. For now, the crowds make me feel itchy. No, thanks.

Oh, yeah. We brought glow bracelets. I still had some left over from last Halloween, so we were glow-tastic.

The balloons were glow-tastic, too!

Caleb's glow ensemble, in the dark.

Doesn't Chris look lovely in his glow glasses? I love Lily in the foreground, pointing at him. Even she knew he was being silly!

This boy was so happy, until a vendor came strolling through with blinking, flashing, electronic glow toys. Then he was a little bit sad.

Lily thought the glow glasses were so funny!

Eventually, it was time to head home. I was right: parking and traffic were chaotic and insane. But all in all, it was worth it. I wonder if it will be worth it next year, with a 6-month-old added to the group?