A few more September moments to remember.

Yesterday, we, and I mean, 'me and the kids,' went to a little community fair. Surrounding business' had stalls in the quad and hosted fun kid activities. There was a fun face painter (if you click on the picture you can see their arm-paintings better. Laina wanted butterflies, Ethan wanted a lizard and Austin only wanted the letter A and an Apple. Can someone say, 'nerd?'), a bouncer, radio stations with popcorn & treats, a fire truck & firemen, ambulance and medics, a stall with the police, and a bunch of dogs and dog trainers from a animal rescue group. In other words, everything a kid wants to see. They also had a Home Depot stall that allowed the kids to make their own toy.
It was fun but very tiring.







Here is a picture of Alaina all ready for bed with every stuffed animal she could find.









And here is Ethan after I spent about 15 min. spiking his hair. His hair is so thick that even with really strong gel, I needed to blow dry it up. Of course, Ethan hates any kind of heat and any one touching his hair so, this was a one-time event. That, plus the fact that it all fell flat 10 min. later.


Sweet-peas

Special Time with Daddy.


















For those who may remember our new and ever-exciting chore chart...I thought I'd post that the first run through was a success. Each kid filled up their container with marbles and so they all won their first special time with Daddy. Sadly, however, Robert was due to a trip and so we had to lump their special time all together. So, instead of individual little events, we all went to a fair that they were having downtown at Freedom Park. It was all set up like a carnival and you had to pay tickets for each ride. The crazy part was how expensive it was. Maybe I'm just cheap, but 8 bucks to sweat in the stifling heat with a whiny toddler as you're cooked rotisserie style on the Ferris Wheel just seems a little criminal. But we sucked it up and did it for the kids. (How we sacrifice for those ingrates....dramatic sigh...) And to be honest...only Robert cooked...I stayed in the shade and took pictures. I mean, since I'm only the enforcer and not the GRAND prize of the chore chart, I didn't even feel a tiny bit bad when I saw Robert sweating like a maniac. And the kids, of course loved it. We were going to let them each have their own turn but the line took 1/2 hour each time, and so the twins got gypped and had to share daddio. But they all had fun.

I've been keeping a little log of funny things the kids have been saying, and I thought I'd post them.

Ethan

Every time he sees anyone he recognizes, (e.g. g-ma, g-pa, family etc) Ethan says in a very enthusiastic voice, "It is so good to see you!"

Ethan prayers are pretty funny. They start out normal and then they quickly turn into a running dialogue of the day. Here is the body of his latest prayers, "thank you for our food, that's why we have to eat a good lunch, and that's why we go shopping and get food, that's why we have food and then grandma and grandpa jones can go swimming in the pool and that's why Mocco can eat food , and that's why we go to school all by myself, that's why the twins don't go to school, and that's why we have a good day"

When Ethan says spaghetti it always comes out, "bisghetti"

Austin

Whenever I try to leave, Austin (mama's boy) gets worried and says, "I don't want to miss you, mama!"

When the kids had colds I made some chicken soup and told them that even the broth would make them feel better. After Austin finished eating his he said, "oh...I drank the juice, my feel-sick is going down!"

Austin is the one who wants to be held all the time. When I'm holding him, he'll often give me a little kiss on the neck or he'll hold my face with his hands & say, "I love you, mama!" Sweet.

Alaina

When Alaina wakes up she'll bound happily into my room and announce, "It's not night time...it's sunny day! (now all the kids say this.)

Laina cut her leg and a little blood got on her finger. she came running over to me saying, "look, I have a little fever on my finger."

Alaina was in the bath with Austin and started crying. When I asked what happened she said, "Austin hurt me. He put something on my bottom." "What did he put on your bottom?" I asked, a little confused. She angrily stated, "His foot!" So that's what they are calling a kick these days.

I put two different shoes on Laina to see which one would match better. She looked down and without saying anything, pulled one foot back to show off the front shoe with the outfit and then switched feet so I could see each shoe choice alone with her dress. And then she laughed and did a little dance. What a girl! (I've never shown her that and I rarely do it myself because every time I do, Rob's response is..."they both look good.")

All three kids

Whenever I tell the kids to do something that they agree with, they shout out, "that's a great idea mama!" However, if I'm telling them to do something they don't like, they look at me seriously and shake their heads while saying, "No. That is not a great idea, mama."

The Twins

When the twins spill something or fall down but aren't really hurt and I come running over to help them, they start this serious little monologue: "Don't worry, mama. I'm ok. Don't be sad. it's okay....it was an accident. " During their whole speech they will pat my hair and nod reassuringly.

Today we went undies shopping. I know...not earth shattering news, but nonetheless, it was a feat that took a considerable amount of time and energy with three squirmy little monsters. After trudging through the aisles with each child carrying their own stash of underwear, and with me holding the rest of the odds and ends we picked up, we finally made it to checkout. 2 minutes later we had everyone in/on/hanging off the side of one of those humongous stroller/cart contraptions. Fancy foot work kept the children secure on the off-balanced cart and before we knew it we were packed in the car and seat belted in. 10 minutes later we were home, 45 minutes later the kiddies were in their rooms and asleep and 50 minutes later I realized that I had left one bag full of undies, tights and a movie in a humongous cart back at Target. Not my best moment.
I called the store and they, (surprise, surprise) hadn't seen it. They did tell me that since I had the receipt that they would replace all the things I lost, which in itself was pretty cool. So, I waited for the kiddies to wake up and packed them back in the car, ready to re-shop. When we walked into the store to the HR person she smiled and pulled out our bag of stuff. I am happy to announce that there are honest people left in this world. someone had found the bag and walked back into the store to return it without even taking off with the movie. Sad to say, but I was completely shocked. But...a little more optimistic.

Oh boy...Austin. You knew about the crown. You might not have known that the boy carries two small dogs around at all times as well. They are both named Mocco...after G-ma's Scribner's dog, Mocco. You probably don't know that the last 3 weeks he has also carried around a small hammer, dice...actually just one, so a single die, and a small swordsman figure. They go everywhere. They fit under the seat of his little bike, they go with him to bed, they take trips in the car. Who needs a security blanket when you have a crown, hammer, die, toy figure and two dogs.



You can't see the die in this picture, but it is there.

Happy Birthday to Me!


Yeah...33. We ate breakfast in bed. We partied. We golfed. What more could you ask for? Here are some pics of our adventures.



Things got a lot more fun after we (mainly me)stopped trying to teach the kids the "right" way to golf.


























This was after Ethan's hole-in-one. No Help. No kidding. It was pretty cool.

This season's NEW, MUST-HAVE item? The faux crown. Austin has been, as usual, ahead of the fashion curve and seen sporting this new trend at every function he attends. He works that crown as both day-wear and night-wear. In fact, he has even been caught sleeping with the shiny head-covering.


Alaina, also known for staying at the forefront of fashion, has been showing off her own princess crown. She prefers to spice up the look with her dazzling pink sunglasses. Unlike her brother, however, she chooses to mix-up her look with different hair accessories and save the crown for special occasions. Say, for example, our last trip to Safeways.

FASHION ALERT

This just in. As of tonight, the crown may or may not be, like, so yesterday. Austin was seen momentarily without his trademark fashion ware and spotted in this sharp cowboy hat. We'll keep you posted on further fashion news.

I just found a few more pictures from Cali that I thought I'd post...plus this silly little dance party we had on G-ma Scribner's porch. Enjoy.

I can't believe it. Ethan's first day of preschool has come and gone. He has been so excited about school for the last year or so. It's gotten so bad that I rarely point out school buses anymore, for fear of "I wanna go to school!" tantrum that often ensues. But not anymore. Not now that I have a real-live schoolboy in the house. Ethan looked so handsome in his backpack. I guess he really isn't my baby boy anymore, even though it still feels like it sometimes. As we drove to the preschool, Ethan took complete charge of the conversation.

Ethan, "So, I'm going to go to school all...by...my...self today."
Me, "Uh huh"
Ethan, "Austin and Alaina are NOT going to go to school with me."
Me,"Nuh, uh."
Ethan, "Mama is not going to go to school with me. She is going home."
Me, "Right. I'll go home."
Ethan, "Mama? You're going to put the car back at the house, right?"
Me, "Yes...back at home.
Ethan, "And you are taking Austin and Laina back into the house. No one is coming into MY class."

All the way to the preschool, Ethan exhausted every possibility where I might sneak back into the school with the kids and ruin his independent moment. When we finally arrived we walked him to his class and he turned around and sternly informed us that we had come as far as we were allowed. Obviously, I had no doubt that Ethan was going to handle the whole experience with ease.

When we picked him up he went on an emotional bender. I could tell he didn't have any problems at school, but he was on such an emotional overload that his mood has flipped from highs to lows every few minutes today. I knew that this would happen, which makes me so happy that we found a good preschool for him so that he can start getting use to the whole school thing before he is put in full day kindergarten. The preschool his is in is only 3 1/2 hours a day, 3 days a week. It's not going to be so fun for us, but hopefully he'll gradually get use to it.

I have officially created our first chore chart. (I know Gina...it's about time.) Up to this point in our little family, I haven't really asked the kids to do a whole lot. Granted, for the majority of the time we've been together, they've been babies. So, I don't feel like I'm totally off track. I spent more time on it than I should of...but I can sometimes manage to be a slightly manic compulsive when comes to projects. Even small ones.
Anyways, here how it works. When the wild ones make their bed, they put a stick into their box. When they get dressed and put their clothes away, they get another stick. When they help clean up their toys before dinner...you got it...they get a stick. And the last one was originally going to be a day without tantrums or time-outs...but it has evolved (rather quickly I might add) into representing how Mama looks if they stay in their room for quiet hour after lunch. At least, that is how the kids saw it. So, they get a stick if they don't bug me for an hour. It's the least I can do :) And the picture does look rather like me, if I say so myself.

So, at the end of the day, my little monsters count up their sticks and they get a marble for each stick to put into their little containers. (Which were decorated with their initials and amazing little gems of art on both sides before I realized that glitter glue does not stay put on plastic. ah, for shame.) When they fill up their little containers they get a special day with Dad. And boy, are these kids excited to get it. So...we'll see how it pans out. In a couple of weeks I'll write a little blurb of a blog to update ya'll.

By the way, Mom, if you want to view my amazing masterpiece of a chore chart a little closer...just click on the picture.