Sand

This afternoon I called down to the boys in the basement that it was time for lunch.  Spencer and Josh ignored me and so didn't get any lunch, because that's how I roll.  Hey, if you can't be bothered to come up then I can't be bothered to make lunch, I'm just sayin'.

Anywho, Cole came up because he's a good, hungry boy.  "What? Mommy!  Eat!  What?"

His appearance startled me.  The boy was covered from head to toe in sand.

What in the...?  How in the...?

I couldn't figure out where in the world he got into sand.  I checked all of the outside doors, hoping against hope that he hadn't figured out how to open them.  They were all locked.  I looked around the basement and asked Spencer and Josh if they had brought sand downstairs in a bucket or something.  Although this was a distinct possibility they looked at me as if I were crazy.  (I really hope I didn't give them any ideas.)

I snooped around some more and finally ended up in the storage room and found my answer.

Cole hadn't gotten into sand.  He had found a bag of brown sugar, nibbled off a corner of the bag, and gotten it all over himself.  Surprisingly, miraculously, the mess wasn't that bad.  Apparently he had eaten most of what he had gotten out.

I went upstairs and got him out of his clothes.

Me: Cole, did you eat the sugar?
Cole: No.
Me: Do you have sugar all over you?
Cole: No.
Me: Don't go into the storage room anymore.  You shouldn't go in there.  No no.
Cole: Yummmmmm...

A Conversation with Cole

As I predicted, Cole finally started talking more once Tess was born.  His pediatrician was a little concerned that he didn't have a bigger vocabulary, but I knew a baby sister would speed up the process.  I may not know much about mothering, but I knew that.

Cole still babbles and speaks a lot in what sounds to be a cross between Polish and Lithuanian, but there are times when he deigns to speak English.  One of Lance's and my favorite things right now is when you call his name he says "What?", sounding very much like a few certain adults around here.  The video starts off with that.  It also shows that he still tends to answer most every question with a resounding "No." in typical todder fashion.

That kid is hilarious.

My Baby Laughs Like A Goat

But since she's so dang cute it doesn't really matter! 

 

 

 

A Conversation With A Four-Year-Old Who Just Got Glasses

Me: Why did you have to get glasses?
Josh: I was seeing two of things.  Yeah.  Two plates and stuff.

Me: Do the glasses make you see better?
Josh: No, it’s still just the same thing.  I think.
(Side Note: The optometrist said that it might take up to a month for his double vision to clear up.  Try explaining that to a boy who was expecting instantly perfect vision!  If the vision doesn't get better then we'll have to move on to more serious steps.  Prayers said that we don't have to go there would be appreciated!!!)

Me: Do you like them?
Josh: They’re not helping me.  There’s no things on the side.  But they have green on the side.  Well, now I have glasses on Wii.  And they’re blue.  You’ll have to see what I look like.
(He's talking about his Mii avatar on the Wii.  The first thing the boys did when we got home was run downstairs and put glasses on his Mii!)

Me: Does Mommy wear glasses?
Josh: Yes.  But not on Wii.  You have glasses on your eyes!
(Contacts.)

Me: Are you excited to show yours friends at school your glasses?
Josh: Yes.  Wait – is it today?

Me: No, not for a few weeks.
Josh: Oh.

Me: When are you supposed to take your glasses off?
Josh: I don’t know.  Until I’m going to go to bed.

Me: Do you wear them in the shower?
Josh: NO!  Hahaha!

Me: Do you wear them when you go swimming?
Josh: No!  Only my sunglasses!  Where are my sunglasses anyways?

Me: I don't know.  Who else wears glasses?
Josh: You.  Grandma Susie.  And Grandpa ElRay.  And me!  But not Tess.  And not Spencer and Cole.  And Daddy doesn't wear glasses because he plays on computer.

Me: Do you have a special case for the glasses?
Josh: Yep.  I can press the button and open it.  Where is my case?

Me: What do you do with the case?
Josh: Put my glasses in them so Cole can’t destroy them.

Me: Anything else you want to say?
Josh: Umm... can I have a snack?

Me: You are eating lunch.  Right now.  No, you may not have a snack.
Josh: AWWWWW!!! But I have glasses!

Smile!

Finally got a smile from Tess on camera!

 

Not really a smile so much as a goofy "I know you're tryin' to get me to smile and I'm not gonna" grin.

In case you're wondering, that's not a scratch on her cheek.  I'm afraid it's a birthmark.  I've been keeping really close track of it, and it doesn't seem to be getting bigger or darker, so hopefully it will just fade with time.  What a place to have a birthmark, right in the middle of one of those big, kissable, chubby cheeks!

By the way, want to see what Lance does with babies in his spare time?

Explains a lot, doesn't it?

Self-portrait Tuesday: Girl's Club

People have been asking me a lot lately if having a girl is fun or different from having boys.  At this point, in all honesty, it's not really all that different.  It's just having a baby.

However, I'm beginning to feel a little difference.  Tess just *seems* more feminine to me.  I don't know if I could really pinpoint any specific examples, but she is definitely a different baby from her brothers.  Of course this could all be based on her personality (and probably is; all of my babies have been very different), but I choose to believe it's because she's a girl.

I'm also beginning to feel like I belong to a special, super-awesome "Moms Who Have Daughters" club.  I love it.  It involves a love of skirts, shopping, accessories, and all things girl, such as the latest tween heartthrob.  I *heart* Justin Bieber now. 

Just kidding.

But I'm sure that at some point I will know more than I ever wanted to about some boy band Tess loves.  The house will be inundated with play make-up, dress-up clothes, barrettes and bows, and whatever toys Tess will love and the boys will love to hate. And that's okay with me.  (I'm pretty sure the special, super-awesome club has a support group for the moms. :)

p.s.  Tess's look in this picture cracks me up.  This is actually her normal, 'all things are fine' look.  She's just kind of a scowly baby.  Thank goodness she's starting to smile more now!  (Just not for the camera, of course.)

You Know It's Humid When...

... you wake up to this on the windows.

And it hasn't rained in days.

Oy.