Quiet and Content

We just returned from a nice trip to beautiful Northern Indiana. I HAD to snap this quick pic of the kids working quietly...yes, it is a mess, but I value the peace and quiet right now while I tidy up and unpack (hence the luggage still in the background!)
Now...back to work!

Cuddle Buddies

I just looked over and Noah was laying on the couch with Bowman. I giggled and Noah said he wanted to make Bowman cozy because he cares about him. Awww...
That's in complete contrast to Millie, who just moments before was walking on him and saying "Uggggh, Bow-maaaan!"

Rainy Day Play

It's Noah's first day of summer vacation and it's raining. Of course. But we aren't letting it keep us from having fun! We built a clubhouse and now Noah and Millie are watching Tangled in it. We haven't seen it yet!

Maybe later we will go splashing in the puddles?

Self service

Noah and Millie beat Jon and I out of bed this morning. We heard both of them in the kitchen and just thought they were getting themselves a glass of water. It wasn't until we heard a BOOM and an "Uhhgg! Millie, I slipped and dropped the strawberries!" that we realized they were up to something more. Millie responded with "Oh no Noah!". So he washed them again (in our hallway bathroom sink...he can't reach the kitchen sink) and then we heard another BOOM..."Ahhhgg! Millie! I dropped them AGAIN!!". At that point Jon and I were hysterical. He manages to successfully wash them for the third time. After a few more minutes go by, he comes running into our room and says..."Mommy, I made our favorite breakfast all by myself! Yogurt, strawberries and granola!" Jon went to assess the damage and quickly called for me..."You're going to want to see this!"
After dodging a puddle of water in the hallway (from the draining package of strawberries) I entered the kitchen to find this...



He rinsed the strawberries, 'cut' the tops off (with a Gerber knife that is as sharp as a spoon!), gave both Millie and himself equal amounts of yogurt and poured the granola on top. They were loving it and Noah was VERY proud! I was very proud to...I really expected to find a huge mess of yogurt with granola all over. Not the case at all.
The 'best' part...
Millie: "Uh oh Noah, I has two dog hairs!" as she picks them off her strawberries. I guess Noah needs to work on his rinsing skills.
Good work buddy!!

Crais-zy O's

I just thought I would take a quick minute to share one of N & M's favorite snacks...
We call it Crais-zy O's - mix Craisins (dried cranberries) and Cheerio's in a bowl and, voila! A nice quick snack! They have both loved this combo since they were toddlers...and since they could eat the craisins with out choking :0) I buy both at Costco so we always have them on hand. Enjoy!



....also, you might note that in the picture above Millie's snack cup matches her shirt...that is NOT coincidence. She like to make sure her snack bowls, vitamins, etc match what she is wearing whenever possible (not sure she gets that from me...I like to not be so matchy - matchy, instead coordinate in less obvious ways, but who am I to judge!)

Making the most of it

Today is April 19th and the second day of Noah's Spring Break. Unfortunately, it feels like it should be November! Yesterday we couldn't bring ourselves to leave the house (we woke up to a layer of SNOW outside!) so today we had a number of errands to run...despite the cold and wind and rain. I bundled Noah and Millie up in layers and their rain boots and we had a chilly, but splash-tastic time!




Thank you, my Little Stinkers, for your help today! My patience wore a little thin when you were chasing each other around the clothing racks with your balloons in tow while shrieking and giggling loudly, but I know these days don't last forever so instead I try to cherish rather than cringe when you tackle each other to the ground and hide from me in the racks. I love you! (Note to self - next time, think twice before leaving the stroller at home).

PS - Happiest Birthday to my wonderful husband!! We have a nice little celebration planned for you tonight!

Big steps for a big girl.

Millie now has a 'big girl room' and she loooves it. I'm just not sure I always do? I put all her dresses in a drawer above her reach (because she likes to change clothes 5 times a day), but I should have known it would just be a matter of time until she figured out a way to get to them...she is using the little step stool we keep next to her bed (so she can get in and out) to now climb up to her 'dress drawer'. I know I should probably look at this as a good thing, and it is...as long as she stays in that one dress for the duration of the day!



Wear apple dress Mommy?

Favorite Fridays

I love Friday mornings. No school for Noah means a more relaxed schedule. This morning has been like most Fridays lately... a show before breakfast, breakfast and then playtime.
Puzzles have always been a playtime favorite of Noah's and now Millie has been honing her skills too!
There is nothing better than a little puzzle time...aaaahhhh peace and quiet!! ...even if it's short-lived.



Notice they are BOTH in serious floor puzzle position! Love the leg prop...funny!

Brain-washed?

I have a bottle of new toilet bowl cleaner on the kitchen counter and Noah just pointed to it and said...

Mommy, there is another one like this that is blue...it is called Chlorox and it had been trusted...

Whoa. The power of advertising!!

My two little stinker-roos

Here they are giggling away! How can so much personality come in such cute, little bundles?

I wanted to post a quick conversation they had today while I was making lunch:

M.- Noah I love you
N.- Millie, I love you too.
M.- Whole wide world Noah! (aka -as much as the whole wide world...this is her version of one of Noah's sayings)
N.- Wow Millie! I believe that! I love you as tall as the trees!
M.- Whoa, Noah!

Okay, one more conversation today (not as sweet as the previous) between little Miss Mills and myself (T) after she horsed around in her room for an hour instead of napping...which is typical...at least the horsing around part:

T.- Millie, I understand you maybe aren't tired today because you fell asleep in the car (ugh!), but tomorrow we WILL be taking a nap.
M.- No way. Nooo WAY, Mommy! (as she takes off down the hallway in nothing but her underwear...unfortunately, also typical)

What can you say to that? Maybe I should use HER negotiating skills!

In other news...

Happy Birthday Noah! I can't believe you are FIVE already! I love you so much and am so proud of the little man you have become!

A cure for cabin fever.

On my way to pick Noah up from school I noticed a neighbor was having a new refrigerator delivered. I decided to risk complete humiliation (all for the sake of my kiddies, of course) and ask if I could take the box with me. It was an instant hit. We have already decorated the inside with art, made windows, played 'scare Millie' and are working on ideas for a doorbell. The hard part will probably be convincing them it has to go after a couple days.

Lesson learned: Any amount of embarrassment is worth a child's happiness...not to mention a little quiet time for Mommy.

Stick it to 'em

I know it has been waaaaay too long since my last post, and hopefully I will fill you in on the past couple months very soon, but I couldn't resist this silly Noah picture. Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean there haven't been priceless moments!!

After laying Millie down for her nap Noah was having a little 'quiet time' working in his dinosaur book. Next thing I know he comes over and says 'Mommy, look what I did! Will send a picture to Daddy?'. As you can tell, he got quite a kick out of himself.
(Man, I love those dimples!)

Soaking up the Sun

Today we took advantage of yet another beautiful, warm, fall day! We walked home from school and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch outside. After we raced and chased with Bowman for a bit we went in for a little apple cider and homemade pumpkin bread. I love fall and a WARM fall is even better!

Noah during 'Quiet time' today

Man do I looove this! I colored one pic with him, but then had to get back to work. He is only using his left hand because he said his right hand was tired (he was pressing pretty hard). Haha!

Can't beat 'em, join 'em.

As crazy as our days get and as messy as our playing is sometimes, Bowman still enjoys our company. He doesn't always have the most comfortable spot to lay, but he doesn't seem to mind as long as he is right next to us!
We love ya Bow.

The 'Totally Amazing Bridge'

Ever wonder what my stinkers do while I'm trying to work?

To quote Noah...
"Mommy, Millie and I made a totally amazing bridge!"

I'm not sure what is crazier...the fact that they came up with this thing, or the fact that Noah said 'totally amazing'. Hmmm, wonder where he got that???

Rainy Morning

Today is a dreary, rainy morning.  After soo many beautiful days lately it's tough to complain so we made the most of it and stayed inside to do a favorite project...homemade play-dough (see here for my recipe).  Millie has never made it before and they both enjoyed measuring, mixing etc.  I think they liked making it as much as playing with the finished product! 

Stirrin' things up - and being silly.

Millie squishing

(as you can see, she couldn't get by without a quick taste)

Noah deep in concentration.

This is a great learning project too...measuring, following directions/recipes, colors....and patience!
After naps we are planning a little puddle-jumping!
Hope you are enjoying your day, whether it be rain or shine! 

A new twist on time-out

As I have posted before, Millie likes to join Noah in his time-outs...that still hasn't changed. But today, after Noah served his couple of minutes on the stairs, I went to talk to him about what he did wrong and this is what I found. I guess 'sitting' was too much work.

Whoa, that was a close one!

Ok, I know I haven't been good about posting this summer, but summers seem to be tough because we are ALWAYS on the move!  I have been collecting my pics to post in a few 'all encompassing' posts that I hope to get out there soon!  In the meantime, enjoy this little tidbit...

I was just upstairs confirming my to-do list for the day while Noah and Mille were peacefully playing downstairs (I love that they are both to a point where they can play independently for short periods of time without me having to hover over them).  Next thing I know I hear Noah say, "Whoa, Millie!  You are STINK-EEE!  Mommy!  Millie is stinky....her poop is green and very stinky!"  I say, "Okay Noah, I will be down there in just a minute, I need to finish my list quick..."  Then I think to myself, WAIT  how does he know it is GREEN?!?!?  I race downstairs to find Millie laid out on the living room floor, jammies off and diaper open.  Noah has a wipe in his hand and says..."Mommy look at this!  It is gross AND stink-eee!"

Yet another crisis averted....just in time!  I can only imagine what I could have walked down there too!  What even made him think to 'help Mommy' this time???  Who knows.

Splish - Splash

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.  The kiddies were a little under the weather this weekend, but still managed to get some fishing and swimming in at Grandma and Grandpa K's house.

Millie was feeling a little better this morning so after walking Noah to school we took a detour on the way home at stopped across the street for a little run through the sprinklers.

She started out just putting her hands in the sprinkles...

She was soon over her shyness and started running right through the streams of water...

By the end she was pretty soaked and had no fear in getting up close and personal with the sprayer.

She squished all the way home.