Oh the cleverness of me!

This last week I had a great moment. It was one of those triumphant multi-tasking days when so many items are masterfully checked off your list. Unlike those "other" days where you're not quite sure what - if anything - was done during the day. It was time to go get E at school. I got M and GQ in the car, and decided to get the mail on the way. Wouldn't want to do one thing when two were an option, you know?

And it was at this moment:

when I needed to pick E up within 15 minutes...
when I needed to teach another ballet class within the hour...

that I locked myself out of the car...

... at the mailbox, in the middle of the road, with no phone, and two children buckled securely in their car seats.

TALENT!!

First, I tried to coach M on how to break out of her car seat. Trouble maker, yes. Escape artist, no. Then, I had to go off in search of a phone from a random neighbor while my kids sat in the middle of the road. That's a safe one. With limited phone numbers available to me I called a friend who needed to get to the airport herself, and got E picked up. Meanwhile Justin's office mate got the lucky job of leaving school and driving him to our rescue.

So, yes, oh the cleverness of me.

Up to no good...

Being tickled by Daddy:

Triumphant with his toothbrush:

(The girls got electric toothbrushes in their stockings, GQ did not.  The girls wouldn't use theirs because they were scared, GQ was traumatized he didn't have one.  So, at WalMart we picked up a $5 train brush.  It is now on the fridge because he won't leave it in the drawer and he takes it around the house brushing his teeth, the carpet, his teeth, the wall, his teeth, the garbage can lid.  Oh, but he loves it!)

Watching Daddy play a racing game on the iPad:

Birthday Party

The kids in their "princess" outfits before the "princess party."  We're glad GQ has transitioned to Buzz, yes, with a bat.

The party girls:  (Unfortunately, late that night M and GQ threw up in their beds, so I'm pretty sure we infected everyone.  Thanks for coming to the party!  We thought we'd send you home with a little something!)

Making crowns:

Eating cupcakes:

I have no pinata pictures, becuase I was on video camera duty.  Eventually Justin just had to break it because we weren't getting very far with these little girlies (and little boy).  Although that Ella does have a mean swing!  You can tell her brother's been working with her on it.

Finished Crowns:

Thanks for coming everyone!  Sorry we made people sick!

Candyland... not a game for the weary....

Usually, I am not ready for my babies to come out.

I am just not one of those people impatiently counting the days down.  I am excited.  I like to imagine the baby.  I am ready to meet the baby, and hug it, and smell it.

But I am okay with it taking a few weeks longer.  I am okay with it not being quite time.

Because babies are harder when they come out.  They need to eat, they need to be changed, they cry and whine and moan.  They throw-up and poop and cause all sorts of awkward situations.

Besides, they have to - you know - actually come out.  And that is not all fun and sport either.

Nor is the exhaustion, hunger, and hormone delirium that comes with it.  (I don't like other people after 7:00 pm for about a month after I've had a baby.  Except maybe Justin.  On a good day.)

So, usually, I am just fine waiting for baby to come.  10 months... as I prefer to see it... is good with me.

This time, however, I am ready for baby to come out.

I have pretty much been pregnant with this little tyke for 15 months now.  With a brief "Candyland" hiatus in the middle where I got sent back to the beginning of the board game.

Seriously???? Does anyone like "Candyland"?  And isn't it for that very reason???  That game can last FOREVER.

FOR - EV - ER.

And February?  February seems very far away.

So, now I understand all those mommies who get sick of being pregnant at the end.  Still a month and a half to go.

Of course, they are cute when they come out:

Birthday Girl

This year I think we actually pulled off a real birthday for M.  Not only did she get real presents (not leftover Christmas ones), she also got a real cake (not an ugly blue cake I made from a box), and a real birthday party.  Holy Canasta!  Well, it was her golden birthday: 4 on the 4th, so I'm glad we pulled off something.

M wanted a "Strawberry Cake."  Rather than buy the box mix, I made a real strawberry cake.  Justin liked it a lot.  M was very happy watching me make it, was very happy it existed, took two bites and said she was full. (She did like the box mix cupcakes we had later in the week for her birthday party).

Opening grandparent gifts and cards.  Thanks for all your love!

Blowing out candles on the birthday cake:

All M ever asked for was a "Princess Computer."  And she was very specific that she wanted it for her birthday, NOT for Christmas.  So, she was very happy to see that it showed up.  Here is Daddy helping her figure it out:

Letting GQ have a turn:

We love our 4 year old so much!  I can't believe she's already that old.

Look, we had Christmas

Christmas Eve:

I always tell my kids that I get veto power over clothing choices on holidays and Sundays.  So, we actually matched for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Earlier that day we went to a movie together - thanks to Aunt Bekah and Uncle Mark.  It was so unnaturally warm that our sweaters made us sweat.

Christmas morning:

I am lucky that my kids don't wake up early on Christmas yet.  Of course, they always wake up at 6:00, so maybe that doesn't count as lucky.  But, they know they can't wake us up until 7:00... so we still did pretty good.

For some reason I had a mental breakdown and lots of "music" items made it to our house this Christmas: recorders, piano players, CD players, trains that are never turned off.

Church on Sunday:

Grandma Kathleen sent the pretty new dresses.

You'll notice who ruined this almost perfect picture???? The stinker.  Maybe we should photoshop his head out?

After Church, enjoying presents:

E gets to dress up the same as her doll, thanks to Grandma Christensen, and Grandma and Grandpa Wood.

GQ has a few extra trains to sleep with at night.  He's actually good at keeping them off at night.  They have to "go to sleep" or we take them away.  He also loves his new Buzz blanket.  Thanks to all those grandparents!

Sleeping in their sleeping bags from Grandma Paula and Grandpa Wood.  The girls are excited to go camping this summer since we - sniff - don't get to go to the beach this year.

January 1

Last night the wind began to blow. It woke me. Loud, pushing wind. Wind that moves the weather. That I could tell, even in the dead of night. And with the onslaught of this Winter Wind, all the beautiful warm days of December disappeared. Iowa knows it's January now. The season has arrived.

Now, I watch the wind continue to blow outside my window. It would not surprise me if a branch snapped in front of my eyes. The trees move like sea-coral, scraping the house as they are dragged forward by this grasping wind. Cold has come.

I am not excited for the cold, but it seems fitting that even the weather knows it is a new day, a new month, a new year.

Ring out wild bells. Ring out.

*****

Today, E was so excited to share Primary with M. (It was M's first day as a Sunbeam.) She took M into sharing time all by herself. She loves "Big Sister" moments, and made sure to tell her all the fun things that would make up for not having snacks like the nursery kids.

M was proud to help her sister too. When getting ready for Church, E could not find her scriptures... so off we went. No one quite believed M when she claimed she'd found them in the chapel, but there they were. Quite the hero.

Grant got lost after Church. Sometimes it can drive a peerson crazy that the Church is built in a "u" shape. Around and around we went, and he probably did too. When we finally found him, we asked: "Where were you?" He thought for a moment before saying, with a shrug: "I don't know." He didn't seem too worried.

Today we took the tree down and...

Grant cried so hard that I became depressed myself and decided I was evil for wanting to take it down so soon.  He kept telling Justin to stop and to take the plastic bag off.  It was very, very sad.

We cheered him up by stopping mid-process and making him lunch.  Now we have a tree in the front room with a plastic bag over it and a million needles underneath it.  It's very Martha-esque.

(In my defense, I wanted to start vacuuming needles now so that in a week - when ballet starts again - no little toes get stabbed, but still...)