March 2012 Tidbits

Saturday night's family dinner was at the ice cream shop.  On the way home Tess asked, "What's for dessert?"

Today while we were driving Tess saw a sign for a garage sale.  "Mom, can we get one of those?  Our car is tired of being outside."

This morning Tess showed me her favorite way of taking off her soggy nighttime diaper:  undo one tab and shake your bum until it slides off.  "I like it cuz it kind of like a hula hoop."

"Mom, I just learned that if you go to abcmouse.com, it makes kids' eyes light up!" Thanks, PBS Kids Sprout.

Drew has been making a new face to try and make me laugh. He smiles really wides, holds out his fists and clenches his teeth together until his whole body shakes. So strange, but it does make me laugh. (MMH)

Tess asked me what is inside my "brefs," so I explained to her that breasts contain milk ducts that make milk for new babies. She was totally incredulous: "You have ducks inside that make milk??!!" (MMH)

"Mom, how you write: Food for sale, 2 cents; coloring books, 1 cent?"

"Mom, how you write: Come to Tess' Tutu/Dress show?"

"Mom, how you write: Rock and Roll Music Band show?"

At church exercise class this morning, Tess was teaching an exercise class of her own. She had all the little girls doing push ups, running laps and doing jumping exercises. Too cute! (MMH)

Ryan was admiring a drawing Tess made of a little girl. Tess explained to him: "Her shirt is made in China and her pants are made in Egypt." (MMH)

Tess was talking to me about pets. "Mom, a hamster would be a good pet. Wanna get a hamster?" I declined, explaining that hamster can be kind of stinky pets. "It OK Mom. We can get agirl hamster and then it won't be stinky. It can have bows." (MMH)

Drew has yet a new way to demonstrate that he's ignoring me. If I tell him "no," or ask him to "come to Mama," he sticks out his lower lip and blows out to make a rude noise. He thinks he's very funny. (MMH)

Drew finally started saying Tess' name and he's been saying it over and over again all day. "Tess, Tess, Tess, Tess!" So cute! (MMH)

"Mom, can you get me one, two, three, four pieces of tape? I need a tape store please." (What Tess asks when she wants to hang one of her drawings on the wall. I love how she counts the corners every time.) (MMH)

Tess getting ready for bed: "Ahhh. My diaper is so warm and cozy cuz I just peed in it." (MMH)

Tess asked me about the rows of chairs set up in the chapel overflow. "Mom, who put those chairs there? Was it Jesus?" (MMH)

When Tess grows up she wants to be a farmer, a store owner, and a mommy. "I'll do all those things and then I'll be a teenager. (MMH)

"Mom, don't worry. It will be a long time 'afore I'm 10 years old." (MMH)

Tess was out with Ryan when they drove by IHOP. Ryan explained that restaurant serves pancakes for dinner. Tess' response: "Yeah, I saw a commercial that says, 'Make it an IHOP day!'" (MMH)

While reading about the planet Pluto with Tess tonight, I told her that the planet was very cold, dropping to -380 degrees F. She responded, "You need to go inside and drink hot, hot, hot chocolate with big marshmallows!" (RKH)

With three new baby boy cousins in the past couple weeks, Tess and I have been imagining the fun that cousins camp will bring. She'll comment: "Oh! 5 baby boys on a hammock!!!" Then she laughs, throws up her hands and rolls her eyes exasperated at the thought. "5 baby boys in the sprinkler!!!' "5 baby boys on the trampoline!!!" "5 baby boys roasting marshmallows!!!" "5 baby boys at the water park!!!" "5 baby boys playing with boats in the pond!!!" Cousins Camp will never be the same!

I've been trying to indoctrinate Drew with Baby Signing Time. (So far he's proved impervious.) Tess' take on the theme song: "Baby, baby, baby, this song gives me a headache!" Funny because Ryan used to sing a similar tune when Tess would watch it on continuous play: "I'm about to lose my mind, Baby Signing Time." (MMH)

Tess was getting frustrated trying to read the cursive script inside a greeting card. "I can't read it! It has too many loop-dee-loops!" (MMH)

Tess was carefully studing a box of girl scout cookies, which was covered with images of enthusiastic girls rock climbing and climbing up rope ladders. Tess concluded: "These cookies give you enough energy for 100 days! You no need to eat food anymore!" (MMH)

"Mom, I going to need some privacy today. I have to do some writing. You know, I was thinking about that while I was sleeping. I was laying there, but my eyes were open and I thought, 'I really have a lot of writing to do.'" (MMH)

Tess Work

Tess finds lots of ways to keep herself busy.  She often tells me she needs to "do work--serious work, Mom."

This morning she decided to make a play computer.  I helped her fold the paper, "stamp" the staples (I need you to do the "stamper," Mom), and spell words, but the design was all her.  The screen reads "www.com potty cleaners."  (She was upset when she accidentally wrote "mom" instead of "com.)  Her explanation:  "It a place that comes to clean your potty--you know, with the blue stuff."  Sounds good.  I may have to try them out.  The screen also reads "Facebook" and the pictures on the screen are facebook profiles.

Best of all, she chose a reputable computer brand.

Next is a project to help keep her difficult little brother in check: the "Drew Chart of Goodness and Badness."  I'm not exactly clear how it works, but the pictures are all various toys and Drew gets marks in the boxes if he's good or bad.  She also spelled out the stakes:  "Badness no job.  If good gets job."  (Jobs are apparently a good thing at her preschool.)  Glad she's here to help with discipline.

Last is a portrait of "Girl Ballerinas."  According to Tess, "The one with blue hair is a fashion girl."  She later revised this picture to include signs that say: "Girl Ballerinas.  No Boys."

Got to love the tutus.  

Very serious work, indeed.

Cherry Blossoms in the District

St. Patty's Day

Tessie summoned the luck of the Irish this year with this portrait of a leprechaun in a field of shamrocks, with his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  

She was hoping a leprechaun might come visit us this year.  Tess found the Lucky Charms I'd bought for St. Patty's Day breakfast.  I warned her if we left them out, a leprechaun might want to taste its favorite snack.  (Tess claims it's also her favorite snack.  "Mom, the picture ones taste SOOO good!")

She snuck downstairs early this morning and found that something had left a huge mess.  She woke me up upset because she thought there was no cereal left for her to eat.  She figured:  "Either the box knocked down by itself and opened by magic, or it was a LEPRECHAUN!"

The green milk in the fridge confirmed our suspicion.  Luckily, the leprechaun left enough Lucky Charms for our breakfast.

Just a few reminders of what makes us so lucky: 

Lucky ducks!

Don't miss out on Tess' reading post just below.

Beginning Reading

We recently discovered, to our great amazement, that Tess can read.
Here's Tess reading a new book from the library.  This is her first time reading this book.
 It's amazing to watch her progress.  She gets better every day!

Randomness

Usually I kind of formulate posts in mind before I start writing.  

But I have such a random assortment of pictures, I'm just going to upload them and let the randomness speak for itself.

These pics are from before Valentine's Day.  Drewie with his lollipop kissing lips and Tess with her Valentine's balloon from Dad.  She picked it out at the store--one of the the biggest balloons I've ever seen!

Drew helping Dad clean out the fridge.

Drew's been learning how to ride his little bike, with help from his sister.

These are from a music class parents were invited to attend at Tess' preschool.

Tess saying good-bye when I had to leave.  She's gotten so much better at this part!

Her two teachers, Mrs. Hope McCaw and Mrs. Laura Ellis. 

Tess has been learning to do the dishes by herself.  She's very good at it.

 This picture has Drew written all over it.

I'm still doing "home" school with Tess.  This day I challenged her to draw a picture that took up all sections of the white paper.  Elements I love:  the girl with a "light bulb" over her head because "she had a good idea to go play on a spring day;" the reflection of the sun in the pond (note that the sun is blue "because it not really the sun, just its 'flection); and the mama and daddy birds (mama with eyelashes and a bow).

Tess' favorite "center" at home school:  the "jumping center."

Oh wow.  Tess all dressed up for a "fashion show."  We had to put a red blanket on the floor for a stage, turn on "fashion music" and turn out the lights.

When I ask Tess to smile, she tells me: "This how the fashion girls do it."

Dancing.  In case you couldn't tell.

Fashion girl.

Drewie being oh so very Drewie.

He had his 15 month check-up, and other than the not-standing/not-walking thing, he's great.

He's still a tall kid:  32 inches (90th%) and 25 lbs 14 oz (75th%).

 At 15 months, Drew:

walks while holding onto your fingers

climbs stairs while holding onto your fingers

goes from crawling to sitting by rolling on his side and walking his arms into himself

climbs up stair landing with ease

climbs first two stairs (but can't get back down)

gets up on his knees more

still can't stand on own

pulls up to standing in crib; in bathtub

doesn't pull up or walk along furniture

is master of the sitting crawl

likes riding his bike

is way into pointing-- at the light, doors, trees, sky, birds and saying "duh"

sings along when we sing ABC's

is all about putting in, in, in

loves his stacker toy

has a mechanical mind; he is curious about how things work

loves putting trains in the tunnel

is a picky eater.  He loves cheese, berries, bread, yogurt, bottle, baby food, popsicles and lollipops; he's a reluctant meat eater, and doesn't like veggies (though loves veggie baby food)

sings and dances to music

insists on feeding himself and feeding mom

loves to drink from a straw and blow bubbles

makes cars say "Brrrrm, brrrrm"

loves peekaboo 

thinks his sister is the funniest person in the world 

gets excited when dad comes home

gets sad if mom, dad or tess leaves

is very ticklish

Things that make Drew say "Ooo, ooo, ooo:"  balls, balloons, flap books, markers, pens, crayons, baths, going outside; remote control, phone, computer (anything with buttons)

Drew the first night he finally figured out how to pull up in his crib.
He was so excited, we spent the rest of the night trying to get him to stay down.

Here's where he's at on the mobility front.  

This is classic video of his "sitting crawl," his preferred mode of transportation.  

He also LOVES walking everywhere while holding onto fingers.  It seriously makes him gidddy.  

We're trying to get him so he only needs one hand, but his balance is still pretty shaky.

Drew has a marker OBSESSION.  

This game is taking the markers out and putting them back in, in, in.

He's finally pulling up on more things.  And loves putting things in, in, in.

It's sunglasses weather here.  Tess also got new Sunday shoes. 

She now wears a size 9 and her old ones were size 5 1/2!

Where'd she learn to pose like that?
(Note the early pink blossoms on our tree?!)

Enough randomness for you?  "And so are the days of our lives."

Whew!