Glasses and her new haircut!

(Here are a few pictures of Katy's new haircut - in case you read her blog last week.)

As we headed to the glasses store for Katy,
I realized I had my camera in my purse.



I also noticed the stroller was not in the van...
so I am snapping away with a squirmy ClaireBelles in my arms.

You can see Jacob sitting on the ground reading.
Three little sisters are sitting on the floor beside him.
They were sooooo patient.


Having someone take your picture with the new glasses on and then looking at the picture with your old glasses (so you can see what you really look like) was really helpful if you can't see without your glasses on like Katy....


or Darren.

Now what Darren and I want to know is how they can sell us 2 pairs for $99...


but one pair would have cost us over $300.


The mark-up in there somewhere is so high,
that we come out feeling like we got a good deal?


But someone is making money on these glasses...somewhere.



So while Darren and I were pondering the money making aspects of mass production/ supply and demand, Katy was kind enough to have a turn running after the ClaireBelles.




"That big sister is really nice. She even let me put on some of these cutie things.
No one lets me touch their glasses at home!"

costumes

I know it's December, but humor me here... I showed ya'll photos of Career Day (which was conveniently placed around Halloween) but I never showed you the real costumes.




Spam is the official food product of Ignited.
So she decided to be a Spam dealer...
"Hey, You want some Spam?"



Claire is sitting on one of those over the door shoe holders (that we cut up a bit for Katy to wear like a vest) stacking up all the many varied flavors of Spam....
turkey spam, bacon spam, cheese spam, hickory spam...
amazingly, they all taste like Spam!




Jacob was the Masked Knight.
He loves to wear that cape... thanks Aunt Ceep.

Emily and Becca didn't care what they went as, they just wanted make-up and curly hair. So we chose princesses... because they get to wear all kinds of clothes in public, you know.



Amanda and Mrs. Cathy with her beautiful face painting.



ClaireBelles got to eat bag after bag after bag of popcorn that night.
Better than candy, I think.



Here's our good friends Heidi
(can't remember who she was...her and her sorry costume)



and Captain Will.




Daddy had a gig that night with an AC/DC cover band.
He played Bari Sax on It's a long way to the top.

A good night was had by all.

Darren and Jenn minus 6

As we left Denton on the way to our 12 and a half anniversary trip - it was good to just be together. Just the two of us. But it wasn't much different than a regular date.

As the miles added up, the daily noises faded away. By nightfall, we were snug in our little 2 bedroom time share in New Braunfels.

No TV. No questions. No laughing. No arguing. No "I need to tell you something." No click-clicks down the hall. No crying. No comments. No interuptions. No questions.

All that quiet had an unexpected effect on my ears ...

Not a ringing. Not a thumping. But more of a fuzziness?

And when the fuzziness finally went away... silence.

Well, listen to that ... nothing. For 5 whole days.

Jenn and Darren at Winery on the Gruene.

Gruene is properly pronounced grewn, but all the locals say 'Green'. Apparently the school systems around there have been failing for decades, since even the old folks can't pronounce the name of their own town correctly.

Looking down from the loft. Notice the internet wire draped across the living room and tied around the banister so we could get internet in the cozy little loft.

BIGGEST PORK CHOP EVER !!! At Cooper's Pit BBQ (Thanks for the tip, Poopa)

Nothing but Starbuck's is open on Thanksgiving Day - Darren's phone app shows us for sure... How dare all those people take off a day to eat turkey while I am on vacation!

Darren made sure the front door wasn't open and some kids followed him thinking he was going in :)

The grumpy Darren and Jenn after a Thanksgiving day that was out of their control...
sometimes everything doesn't go like you planned it.
But He is faithfully working on Darren and I.


We recovered, because He is a big God, not scared of our complaining.
And He puts us back on the right path.
We had a wonderful get away!

Thank you again, Bill and Delight ... both for the gift of where we went and the gift to be able to go alone. We love you.


What a wonderful Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Hannukah, Valentine's, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, April Fool's Day and New Year's Day present all rolled into one.

Maybe Darren and I can get away again in another 12.5 years!

sadness, puking and accidents

The parental units had finished their conversation and moved to the kitchen to prepare the evenings meal. Emily was on food prep duty with a knife and red pepper.

Emily: (tears in her eyes) I don't want you to go.
Darren: Why?
Emily: I don't know.
Jenn: Are you worried we won't come back?
Emily: no
Darren: You'll have grandma Lite and Poppa Bill...
Jenn: and no mean mommy or daddy to tell them no.
Darren: You'll have lots of fun with them.
Emily: (crying)But why do you have to go?
Darren: Because we want to. But we'll call you every day. And then you'll say you don't have time to talk to us, because you are too busy having fun.
Emily: But what if you don't come back.
Darren: We will. We will miss you. We will come back. We are just going away for a few days.

In comes Becca, crying (having been on the potty in the back of the house)...
Jenn: What's wrong?
Becca: I was calling for you and no one was answering me.
Jenn: Are you ok?
Becca: Yes, but I was calling for you and no on came.
Jenn: Darren, Claire just threw up.
Jenn: Oh no, she did it again. I need another towel. I'm sure we're going for the rule of three here.
Jenn: yep, here we go....

* it might get a little yucky here*
Claire threw up all over herself and her tray. I removed tray and placed it gently on the table...so the throw up wouldn't spill. I tried to undress her without touching her. Or breathing in her direction.

Emily starts the bath for Claire. Darren holds Becca. I am ever so careful to take Claire to the bath. She plays happily while Becca and Emily tell me their stomach woes.

Darren enters bathroom: Jammies and bed for everyone.
Emily and Becca : WITHOUT DINNER???!!!!???
Jenn: I thought your stomach hurt?
Becca: Well, I want something to eat.
Jenn: (I know she wants applesauce). What do you want?
Becca: Something not crunchy.
Jenn: Like what?
Becca: Something cold that I don't have to chew.
Jenn: Like?
Becca: Applesauce
Jenn: (that's what I thought. I've been hearing about an upset stomach for 2 days. But no signs of stomach ache when she's in the backyard playing dress-up with Emily tonight. No stomach ache during snack time. But now, it hurts. Maybe it does... but not enough to stay home from school tomorrow.)

Darren feeds kids, I dress Claire, girls are on their bed - waiting for a book.

Finally, I begin reading Emily's nite-nite book ... "Emily's 100 Days of School"... LONGEST picture book ever. Cute book... but not a quick read.

Day 20 - In comes Darren and Amanda...with no panties.
Accident?
Yes.
Where?
Cozy room.
:(

Daddy cleans Amanda up and sends her my way.
Now we are all on the bed - Emily, Becca, Amanda, Claire and mom.
Day 85 - Claire coughs.
Yep. More throw-up.
Luckily it was on Becca's jammie pants that she was not wearing and not all over the bed.
I get Claire off the bed and she continues to puke on the floor.

*Messes happen. Kids get sick or have accidents - you just have to keep your wits about you and aim those messes to facilitate fast clean up. And the floor is easier to spray and wipe than removing all contaminated bedding and finding clean alternatives while you start washing the messy bedding. The non-carpeted floor is just easier. I might change my mind in the new house.

Resume reading at day 85. Almost there. Almost time for all the kids to be in their containers for the night. Only 15 more days.
ooops. Mistakenly think that Emily's book was sufficient for Becca and Amanda.
Nope.
Read 12 Dancing Princesses easy reader (Becca's book choice)

Katy, will you find us two puke buckets. Emily and Becca both want one.
Thanks big sister.

Read Lilly's Big Day (Amanda's book choice)
Lights off and music on.
Goodnight.

"Aren't you going to hold us?"
No, not tonight. (You see, although you two claim an upset stomach...Claire is the only one who has thrown up.... so I need to hold her and put her to bed.)

As I make my way to the cozy room, turn off all the lights and just hold my sweet little Claire...
I see 3 short figures make their way into the kitchen, looking for their mom.
I say nothing.
They find me anyway.

Becca: My tongue hurts. I told Daddy and he said to come ask you if I could put an ice pack on it.
Jenn: (WHAT? GO TO BED!) No sweetie, I don't think that's a good idea. Have a drink of water. All of you. Then get in bed.

They are all in bed now... but even as I began writing this, I could hear Emily coughing.

Jenn: Emily, come to the kitchen. You need a drink of water and some cough medicine.
Emily: What? Are you talking to me?
Jenn: Yes. Amanda - get back in bed.

(And unless anyone has a fever in the morning... you are all going to school.)

Why I dislike afterschool playdates...

You'd think that since I have so many kids, adding one more friend to the bunch wouldn't matter.

You're wrong.

My kids are used to me, I'm used to them. They know my rules, my pet peeves, what they can and can't do. Add new kids into the mix, and they ask questions, they whine and they smell. No wait, I think smell must be a different post.

Why I dislike afterschool playdates...

1. They invade family time. Now that the kids are in school all day - separate from each other - when they come home, it's their chance to be together. Whether they choose to or not, at least the option was there. When other kids get involved, a sibling gets left out... much sadness (or arguing) follows. And Amanda always wants to play with them.

2. Boys vs Girls. 1 boy vs 5 girls. We share rooms. I don't like to hear "no boys/girls allowed". I don't like big kids leaving out little kids. These are values I have, so when playdates move outside that box, I get aggravated real quick. Real Quick.

3. Our flow/schedule gets all messed up. We have things to do when they get home: snack, homework, chores, playtime, dinner prep, setting the table, dinner, kitchen clean-up, maybe a little more free time, get ready for bed, reading. That sounds doable, but it takes ALL our time. If someone gets playdate time, their backpack and snack wrappers get left wherever they land and all their jobs get backed up. When they get home, it's hard to get caught back up.

3. The questions! These kids don't know me well enough and they ask questions (or ask my kids to ask me things that my kids already know the answer to, but thought they should check in case I've changed my stance on the ice cream truck, candy, video games, playing in the street, feeding mentos to small rodents .) Do you get the picture?

4. The wii get's it's own number, because we only have one. And there are always at least 2 people who want to play. So if you are going to have a turn, a five minute turn just isn't long enough. Sometimes the friend is video game savvy and it's ok, but usually the kid doesn't have a wii or some particular game so they haven't practiced as much as Jacob - so there tends to be some whining. "Jacob, don't do that. Jacob, stop killing me. Jacob, let me get one. Jacob, I wasn't ready. Jacob... whine, whine, whine." Not to mention, all the sisters sit around watching him play and now they want their turn. How much screen time do they really need?... and now it's unfair because so and so has a friend over.

5. "Something special "- all the children not involved in this particular playdate grow large doe eyes and tilt their head while pleading their case for "something special" (which means candy and a movie). Now I have to make a decision... and the consequences and repercussions that follow.

Know you know. And knowing is half the battle.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Today was Career Day... the sisters were hardpressed to figure out what they wanted to be when they grow up that coresponded with an outfit we had in the dress - up box.




In the end, Emily chose a simple leotard with her hair in a bun to show the world her desire to be a ballerina dancer. Becca went with our newest dress-up box arrival and her hair in a bun to express her desire to be rich and famous. They both want to go to fancy parties when they grow up... which could really be any number of career choices.



Jacob has decided that a video game beta tester will suit him just fine. So he took one of the wii-motes with him. He's really good at any game he plays (wii, computer, cards, board games....) Now to figure out how to get paid for that!





I made Katy get her horn out. We realized no one has seen her with her special alto. Although, her band director is moving her up to Tenor this week.





What about Claire and Amanda?

Claire wants to grow up so she can get everyone's toothbrushes without having to use the stool.




Amanda is pretty comfortable being Amanda... not sure if she wants to grow up. She's got the best of being one of the littles and yet lots more privileges at 3 than Katy or Jacob had.




When Mom grows up, she wants to remember not to bonk her head on Jacob's bunkbed.




Here's one more picture from today. Guess which buddy was laying there first.










Claire was laying there first...the time change can throw off a girls schedule. Layla brought her toy to chew on, in the sunshine, next to Claire :)

It's not about me, The Perfect Mother

I did not write the following, but many times I feel like both writers. When I read it on Sonlight's forums (the homeschool curriculm we used in the past) I just needed to share it with you.

I also wanted to thank all of you who cheer for me and my kids... we need that loud resounding chourus of love and encouragement! - Jenn

Q: “ Wow, I Could Never Handle Five Children! ”

I hear this all of the time and you know what?

I can’t either!

There I admitted it. I have no idea where three kids are or what they are doing at any given time. I can keep my eye/mind on two at a time … tops. My throat hurts at the end of every day from constantly correcting, talking to, talking over, reading to, explaining why, etc. to five people. Never … not once … during the day is my entire house quiet. Someone is *always* talking. It drives me crazy.

Craft projects are just ridiculous. I fondly remember sitting with my two little girls. They would sit calmly while I passed out supplies. Why not? It only took a few minutes. Now I have monkeys bouncing off the walls.

Children’s theater? Homeschool field trips? The state fair? I laugh at the absurd idea of going … if only to keep myself from crying.

I love all of my children dearly. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. However, sometimes I miss those quiet, calm days when we had fewer children. I remember days of dresses from Gymboree with matching socks, shoes and hair bows. I remember international vacations. It was so much easier with two; now it is just a logistical nightmare.

In a thread recently, I said that I would be an awesome mom to fewer kids. Someone said that wasn’t true. But it is true. I know it is, because I was … and now I’m not. I’m a good enough mom for five kids, but not to each individual child. And I’m a huge ball of stress all of the time.
— Bugaloo

A: People can—and will—say the darndest things.

Out loud, even.

(Jenn : I changed the names of her kids. I'm guessing Daughter A is the oldest. Then 4 brothers - B, C, D, and the littlest, E.)

I was at the YMCA yesterday, signing son D and son E out of childcare just after my 45 minute biking marathon with daughter A. It’s a wonderful Mother-Daughter bonding time; if you’ve got the means to work out with your daughter, I highly, highly recommend it. The conversations we’ve had in those 45 minutes have been some of the ones I know I will cherish thirty years from now. The big boys are in Karate at that time, the little guys are in childcare and it’s just A and me, racking up miles on those stationary bikes while everyone around us wonders what in the world we’re finding so stinking hilarious.

But I digress.

As I said, I was at the Y. E had already been handed over the counter and was grinding his face into my collarbone with every ounce of his being. D was being led—in protest, mind you—away from the playdough table and towards the little green exit gate. I wrote my name on the register with a flourish, and turned my attention to signing dramatically so that D knew it was time to head home.

“You’ve got, what? Three boys? Holy cow,” said the worker, a woman about my age.

“You missed one,” I offered helpfully, taking a step to the side. Sure enough, Son C was hidden just behind me in the tight reception area.

“Four boys? I couldn’t do that. No way. They would drive me nuts.”

I smiled broadly and nodded. This woman, after all, goes to my church. And you know … she really ought to know better.

“I like raising boys,” I said. “These guys are awesome. I can’t imagine how boring life would be without every single one of them.”

You think that’s it, don’t you? You’re saying to yourself—”This is a post about how people are always bashing on little boys.” Well, it could be. But no. This woman just didn’t know how to quit when she was ahead. Just then, daughter A came through the door carrying our workout gear in an oversized blue duffel.

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! You have, like, five kids. All those boys and a girl.”

Great math skills, I thought. You must be so proud.

My sunshiney thoughts had turned decidedly sour. Because at this point, let’s face it: the woman has already basically told my sons that they are a burden to their mother. Now she’s going to harp on our family size. This keeps getting better!

The woman then shook her head and delivered the jewel:

“I couldn’t have that many kids. There’s no way. I just couldn’t be the mother I want to be with that many of them.”

And you know what? I told her she was absolutely right.

“I can’t either!” I admitted. “And I’m so thankful!”

Now before you look at me like I’ve grown ten heads (which is precisely the look she delivered, by the way) let me tell you why I feel the way I do.

I am not the mother I wanted to be with these children. Can’t be. It’s not possible. There’s only one of me … and five of them. Do the math. I can not be all things to every child.

The world says I am failing. I have chosen quantity over quality. I can’t possibly be a good enough mother. Needs will not be met. There are just too many kids.

Praise God, I say.

Because I have come to realize that the things I want to do and be for my children are not necessarily the best for them.

I want to kiss every boo-boo. Fawn over every picture. Brush every head of hair. Trim every finger nail. Hold the back of each bike seat as the training wheels come off. Stop the hurts before they come. Be the ear for every heartache. Bake every afternoon snack. Cheer at every game. Warn of every danger. Read every book. Watch every impromptu performance. Be a part of every game. Lead every troop. Sing every song. I want to right the wrongs. Hold off the enemies.

I want to be their world.

With one child, I could do that. No problem. With two, I think I could manage pretty nicely. But with three, five, seven? No way.

Instead, what my kids get is something different. Maybe not better—the Lord’s plans are different for each family, and I respect that. But at the very least, what my children have is equal. It’s not some lesser thing. It’s not worthy of pity. It’s just different.

It’s not about me, The Perfect Mother, this growing up thing. No matter how much I always dreamed it would be, it just isn’t. It’s about God and the family He provided to meet every need.

Do boo-boos get kissed? Of course! But a portion of the time, it is a big brother who kisses the baby’s head after he’s tried to fit underneath the coffee table for the fifth time in an hour. Do cookies get baked? Yes. I admit, though, that A is turning into quite the chef thanks to being blessed with the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen without my hovering. And do you know who taught D to balance on his big boy bike when he shed the training wheels? It was B, running behind him and shouting, “Brother! Brother! You’re doing it!” in a voice so full of pride and utter joy that I get a catch in my throat just remembering. I cried from the curb, my hands busy plaiting A’s hair to fit under her helmet. It was a gorgeous moment, burned into my mind, my heart, my soul.

“Brother! Brother! You’re doing it!”

Are there sweeter words?

My children have a cheering section, not a number one fan. They have a chorus of voices that sing their praises and hands that reach out to help no matter the hour of the day. Will they walk through adulthood with this same closeness? There are no guarantees, of course. My own mother is the youngest of seven children, and I wouldn’t call their family particularly close-knit. There is no formula, no one perfect thing that will bind these little personalities into a warm quilt that they will want to stay wrapped in throughout their lives.

But there is love. Abounding love. More love than I, the mother who has been entrusted with them, could ever offer on my own.

I am not the mother I wanted to be. I do not make it to every event. I am sometimes preoccupied with a diaper or a math problem when a milestone flies past me at the speed of light. My children will not remember me in the foreground, chairing every committee, meeting every need and wiping every nose.

But I am the mother God wants me to be. I am in the background, usually. One voice among many in the sea of encouragement. Cheering. Praising. And witnessing the miracle that is our family.

— Mary Grace

chubby bunny

When was the last time you tried to shove 4,6,8, possibly 10 marshmallows in your mouth AND said chubby bunny?

The DeHarts and Petersen's gave it a try last weekend.

Enjoy Mrs. Heidi's video...

***This was our second attempt. Every one had a drink, caught their breath and then tried to stretch their cheeks out for another go. 3 smart children decided not to do it again.

soblem prolving

*My camera is still out of commission, so you'll have to imagine with me.

1. Katy and Jacob's old backpacks have been renamed - napsacks.

2. Emily and Becca are desperate to fill them with essentials (raman noodles, canned food, water bottles, baby dolls, etc.... essentials).

3. With their new found confidence in writing and an entrepreneurial spirit... they are ready to go.

Go where? To do what? Soblem Prolving.

Sometimes in all the excitement of a new adventure, it's hard to get all the word right :)

The girls decided to be "reporters" - Becca would write your problem down in her notebook and Emily would come up with a solution for you ( one that they might be able to remedy for you right away ).

For example, I needed a diaper. Becca wrote it down. Emily went to get it. You know, soblem prolving.

When Daddy got home, the girls overwhelmed him with all their enthusiasm. Thankfully, Daddy's problem was easy. He needed to go to the bathroom. Becca wrote down bathroom and Emily suggested he go use it.

Now the girls were ready to take this little business to the streets. That's right, 2 six year olds with their napsacks, paper and pencil in hand, were ready to go door to door - asking if anyone had a problem they could solve.

Their faces, their work choices, the intensity and seriousness of this business....Priceless.

Daddy talked with them about what they were doing and how that is different from what a reporter does. These girls were being consultants (harder to say than reporter).

Consultants ready to go "solbem prolving".

In the end, we allowed them (with their heavy napsacks in tow) to walk down the street about 6 houses by themselves - in the street. Oh Happy Day.

Waiting expectantly for the girls' return, their napsacks sit by their bed. I plan on having different problems for them to solve today.

of pipes and men

As we put our house on the market, we went ahead and did a sellers inspection, just to see if there were any "issues". We didn't want to be blindsided in the middle of closing.

Funny thing happened, we got blindsided anyway...

* foundation issues (12 new issues/piers to be exact)
* a broken (and now newly replaced) dishwasher
* a leaking toilet
* buckling subfloors in both living areas
* and a mysterious leak... unnoticed by the pest control guy, an inspector, plumber #1, plumber #2, foundation guys, an electrician. We finally got a friend who wouldn't give up.

Can you imagine our delight as the inspector said the guest bathroom sink had a leak, which might require the whole cabinet to be torn out, only to find out it didn't? It was the toilet, leaking sewage under the house. And the A/C with too much condensation going on around the freon lines.

No wait, not the freon lines. It looks like the water is creeping along the underside of the subfloor from the direction of the kitchen. Could it be the dishwasher we just replaced? No, looks a little more from the direction of the washer...but why is this puddle still here? Why is the subfloor covered in water droplets?

It turned out to be the drainage pipe from the kitchen (sink, dishwasher and washing machine). The brackets that held the 40 yr old cast iron pipes broke. And so did the pipe, when it hit the ground.

Everytime I ran my appliances or the sink, water was pouring out under the cozy room. Pouring out on the ground. Darren tells me this is called a libation.

So why is the sub floor all wet? Because all that liquid was evaporating and condensing beneath the subfloor...who was eagerly sucking it up and warping. Which makes the vinyl floor all wavy and bubbly (not in a good way) in the cozy room and the big room.

Subfloors take longer to dry out than any of the other work we've had done. People have even told me that the subfloor may dry out and shrink back to it's normal size.

So now I wait. I wait for the subfloor to dry. I wait to see if the vinyl will lay back down. I wait because Jesus told me to start packing. He said it was time to move. So now I wait for Him.

In the meantime, I am cutting and taping with Amanda, laughing with Claire, training my dog to "leave it", helping Jacob with homework, loving my Darren, eating Katy's homemade blueberry buckle and chicken stock (not together) and holding Emily and Becca at bedtime. This small house just keeps us closer together.

PS - The broken, backwards, oversized, ancient backdoor is being replaced on Thursday. That's really the only thing we thought we were going to have to fix. Maybe that's all our buyer is waiting for, too.

They had a great first week!

This is our first day of school from Daddy's phone. Good job, daddy.

Our first week went well. Everyone had breakfast, clean clothes, supplies, snacks and they all wants to go back. There were a few hiccups, but overall, we did a great job.

Katy finally made it... middle school. She got into band (her first elective choice) AND theater arts (her second elective choice). She is super excited. You can read about the horn daddy got her on his blog.

Yesterday she was able to open her locker on the first try, everytime :) Small victories help to outweigh some of the other drama.
"Mom, did you get the compostion books today? I need those compostion books tomorrow. It's for a grade. I've never gotten a zero before." tears.
"Katy, it's the first week of school. I'm not going to the store tonight, but I will this weekend and you'll have them on Monday."
"MMMMOOOOOMMMMM..... They said I need to have them by Monday and tomorrow (Friday) is the last day before Monday." more tears.
I'm not sure she really believes that the teachers mean that the last day you can bring them is Monday, when they said BY Monday, they obviously means Friday, since she won't be at school on Saturday or Sunday.

Jacob on the other hand brought home extra pages from some activity they did in class today because he thought the sisters would like to do them. I asked if everyone had gotten extra ones, he said, "No, I just asked Mr. Boyer for them and he said yes." He is also pleased to let me know that he is not one of the troublemakers. I am pleased to hear it.

Mr. Boyer gives the kids class cash for different jobs they have. Jacob has informed us that as soon as he gets $30 he's going to buy his desk so he doesn't have to pay rent to Mr. Boyer anymore. "I'm not going to waste my money on any of those cheap toys. I'm going to save it until I can buy my desk and then I can buy someone else's desk for $30. Then they will have to pay me rent." He can't quite explain all the rules to us, but it sounds like real world math and Jacob is really excited.

Emily and Becca are in the same class, Mrs. Means. "But she's not mean, she's nice. Which is good, because if her name was Mrs. Nice, she'd be mean." My biggest drama with them is picking out clothes to wear. Imagine Becca picks outfit A. Then Emily wants picks outfit B. But I say, no that doesn't match. So Emily picks outfit C. Now Becca trades pants A for pants B. But Emily wanted shirt A to start with and finds pants D.

Since I've left the room to finish breakfast, it's startling to see what they show up wearing in the kitchen and I have to send them back. Eventually they both have "acceptable" outfits on, sortof. Now we have to deal with hair clips, headbands, ponies, etc. I can do this... I think I can, I think I can.

I even did a little school with Amanda this week. She traced her ABCs, cut and glued and we read books. That took just a small amount of time, but she likes letters (especially A... she has 3 in her name, so her current signature is A A A) and scissors. I did unpack the play kitchen, food and little table and chairs out of the garage for them. Plastic pizza or cake, anyone?

ClaireBelles is a copycat and a climber. So as long as she's with us, I can catch her... She wants up on the bench beside us and then she's up on the table. Same in the cozy room, they are playing with the little table, it looks like she's sitting in a chair and then she's standing on the table.

Plus she lays on the floor when Layla is out... well, if you are going to lay flat on your back right next to the dog, I guess you aren't to worried about her licking you all over (or else you might only be one years old and don't know you have any other options). I think she's having a pretty good week, too.

We'll see what next week holds.