Honesty

Says M in an honest moment during before bed hysterics:

"I don't care about you. I don't care about anyone. I only care about myself."

Says E in an honest moment after I'd cut my hair:

"It looks the same as before. I don't like it."

Says E when deliberating treat sizes:

"Dad, why is your cake better?"
"Because I am bigger than you."
"But Daddy, how did you get bigger?"

... and yes, she meant that as a rhetorical question.

Enjoying Spring!

Going on a ride with Dad:

My kids have such big heads that E and M wore my helmet, and had to take turns.

This girl is ready to learn how to get rid of those training wheels.  I am so bad teaching those kinds of things.  Definitely a daddy-daughter date in the future.

Pictures I like:

And what he actually spends most of his time doing:

Forgive me while I post way too many pictures of the same thing...

Baby S was blessed on Sunday while his Grandpa Mark and Grandma Paula were visiting.  At first, I worried that GQ's summer blessing outfit would be too chilly for Baby S, but it all worked out when Spring came to Iowa.  (HALLELULAH - We did NOT have a bad Winter, but I looooovvvvveeee Spring).

Then, I got these great pictures of Baby S smiling and laughing:

Right before he got grumpy and started screaming.

Visiting family:

Three generations:

First official, full-family photo.  We have enough of us now that everybody smiling is not necessary:

and then...

... at the end of the day, I discovered something fuchsia had melted in the dryer and all my children's clothes now have fuchsia streaks...

Wow.

If you want to destroy my sweater (morning) grab a string, and walk away...

Last night, after getting Baby S to sleep, I went in to check on the other cherubs in my life. Usually they are perfect about this time of night. As I entered the room, I noticed a smell.

Throw-up? No.
Stinky diaper? No.

I began moving from child to child to see who was emanating this smell. I don't know why I saved her for last, since I knew it must be her.

And it was. Good old Meggie. Covered from head to toe - literally - in Hello Kitty lip gloss. She had also covered her (naked) American Girl doll and several other sundry items.

At this time, I was amused. Good-spirited. Jovial. I laughed and thought: "Oh that Meggie!"

Flash-forward to 6:30 (actually 5:30 to my body).

Baby S is awake. And he thinks night-time is over. He eats at 8:00, then at 2:00, then at 5:00.... on a good night. And then he thinks night-time has ended. I do not agree. And by 7:00, when the other cherubs have disappeared and produced real live awake children, I am no longer amused by last night's antics.

I begin cleaning M. Two shampoos later, her hair is still sparkly and sticky from lip gloss. I give up. I tell her to get dressed, and I begin on the American Girl doll. She has pink eye. Every time her eyes roll back into her head, they come back covered in pink gloss. She also looks ready to go sunbathing. Her skin is covered in a greasy sheen - not much different from tanning lotion. I give up. I move on to the bed.

At this time,GQ asks if he can put his Buzz Lightyear costume on. I tell him to wait until we put his clothes on. He leaves. I go back to cleaning the bed. Then he comes back.

With hot pink fingernail polish all over his face.

Which, upon further inspection, is also spilled all over the green carpet in my bedroom.

All before 8:00!!! Such lovely cherubs.

So, if you see us today and we smell like lip gloss, fingernail polish, and carpet cleaner... you'll know why.

Sound Bites

Says GQ - with great gusto - when he is excited about any proposed activity (dinner, tubby-time, move-night):

"Let's do it."

Says GQ - in all seriousness - when I tell him he cannot have a candy because it is gum, and he is not old enough for gum:

"I NEED this gum."

Says GQ - in utter annoyance - when I tell him 'no' to anything:

"Ooookaaaay, Mom."

Says GQ - in an innocent tone - when he wants to get M in trouble:

"M hiiit me, Mom."

(And - while it seems likely that she would do this regularly - I have found it is rarely true.)

Says GQ - in a conversational, this happens every day tone - when he finally climbed out of his crib during nap-time (something we have been surprised he hasn't done before):

"Hi, Dad!"

E's Art Exhibition

E had her art displayed this weekend at a local bank downtown.  (Why they don't display in a warmer month, I don't know.  With crazy parking we were walking two blocks in the cold evening with four children... along with a million other children.  Brrrr.)  E's is the rainbow picture.

E looked forward to this ALL week.  She loves to paint and draw and color and create, and she was pretty sure that she won the biggest award EVER. 

Above is E's friend Eva from school.  Below is GQ, who really wanted a picture taken of him.  M didn't care.  Neither did S.