Spring 2011: lame.

You know it is a cold spring when your kids get their summer-inspired pinwheels then sit in front of the heater to get them to spin.  Please come visit us, sunshine. 

ps- is there anything cuter than puffy sleep-face? On kids.  Not so much on me.
pps- Norah is sitting on the floor next to me emptying the garbage can and wearing bug antennae, which she somehow managed to put on by herself.

Aiden

The girls have been getting heavy coverage around here, so here's a little bit about Aido. 

-He just got done playing soccer.  As you can imagine, he wasn't the most aggressive player out there.  I think his relaxed approach drove Landon a little bit crazy.  Before every game Landon gave him the same pep talk, "get out there and push the other kids, knock them around, pull their shirts!" And each time, Aiden would go out and stay in the general vicinity of the ball, but never really get in there to kick it.  I finally sat him down and tried to explain that aggression is okay when you are playing soccer.  All he said was, "But mom, I don't like being mean."  Who am I to challenge that mentality. 

-His lack of meanness in soccer does not, however, extend to his relationship with his sisters.  He is a perfect big brother and torments them to no end.  Just today we heard Norah screaming because he shoved handfuls of dirt down her pajamas. But they still seem to love him and always want to be with him.

-He is curious about everything.  Everything. He has been on a kick recently trying to figure out life and death, how we get to heaven, ("does Jesus take us there in a car?"), etc.,  I'm used to being able to lie and put off his questions, but I can't do it with these new questions.  It has been a good mental exercise for me to figure out how to simplify the doctrine to his level.

-He loves letters and numbers.  It's fun to see him try to figure it all out. 

Entertainment

I hear rumors that Sarah Palin may run for president.  Hallelujah! Now that some of my favorite shows are over I am in desperate need of entertainment and comic relief.  Thank you, Mrs. Palin for fulfilling that need.

Siblings

A couple nights ago while we were getting the kids ready for bed I heard uncontrollable giggling from all three coming from the bathroom.  This is the scene I walked in on.  I'm glad that Annie and Aiden are teaching Norah good hygiene skills. And who knew that those battery-powered toothbrushes would be such a hit?

Happy Birthday Landon!

Happy birthday to my favorite person.

Anne

Annie:  "Did Jesus give me my curly hair?"
Me:  "Yes he did, and I love it"
Annie: "I know.  He took the curly hair machine and put it on my head.  And then I had curly hair."
Ummm, sure.


Annie (after Landon tucked her in): Dad, you put that on my mmmblmbm.
Landon: What?
Annie: You put that on my mmmblmmbl.
Landon: What did you say?
Annie:  I said, "Daddy, you put that blanket on my snot."

A Four-Day Party

That's what I told Annie and Aiden we were having since Landon was going to be out of town for the weekend. I don't enjoy Landon being gone.  Not at all.  The one bright spot when he goes out of town is that I get to hang out with my mom a little bit. We headed to Thanksgiving Point on Thursday to see the tulips and it was gorgeous. 

After that the weather turned sour and me and the kids were left to our own devices.  Well, not totally.  My dad came and took us to dinner on Friday night.  We went to Tepanyaki thinking the kids would love watching the chefs cook dinner.  We were wrong, kind of.  When the lit the oil on fire, Aiden completely lost it. He leapt off his chair straight onto my lap and spent the rest of dinner either terrified in my lap or sitting on the floor away from the action.  Annie was a little startled by it all but loved it for the most part.  And Norah was, at most, distracted by all the knife-throwing, shrimp-catching, and flames.  All in all, it was hilarious.

Saturday and Sunday was just long.  Really long.  I did get our bathroom painted. But Landon came home eventually and all is well.

Tulip Festival:

Annie cruisin' in her skivvies.

Aiden kept his clothes on.

Norah.

Family Photo

Aiden in my lap, Annie a tad terrified.

Norah lovin' the food.

Trip to Home Depot for painting supplies

Dad keeping me sane.

Reading while the kids played. A classic coping strategy.

Have I mentioned that Aiden plays soccer?  It's a ton of fun.  I'm just glad it is at an indoor field.

All dressed up for church.  Don't worry, I did Annie's hair before we went to church.