The Nose Dive

Early in January, the kids and I were walking to school.  We could have driven, but I was trying to be conscientious and healthy and all that, since it was the start of a new calendar year.  Benjamin was in the stroller, and Grace had her hands in her coat pockets as she walked.

Her toe caught on a crack in the sidewalk, and I'm sure you can guess what happened next:  She fell, face first, onto the sidewalk, and took quite a tumble.  She skinned her nose and her cheek, and bashed her teeth on the sidewalk.  There was a lot of blood.  This was on the way to school, so I still had to deliver Jonathan and come home to get Grace "doctored up." Of course I don't keep any good supplies with me, so I used her shirt to mop up the blood, comforted her, and put her in the stroller, too.

She was pretty shaken up.  Here she is snuggling with her giraffe and showing off her swollen lip.

I took her to the dentist that morning.  We had planned her first checkup later in January, but we couldn't wait that long.  While we were in the waiting room, Benjamin and Grace enjoyed the playhouse for the kids - it's fantastic - but Benjamin tumbled down the stairs.  (Never a dull moment, right?)  Anyway, the dentist took x-rays and found superficial cracks in three of her top front teeth.  He doesn't think they'll be a problem, but we are watching her and will go back for another checkup in a few weeks.  She was very brave and enjoyed watching Dora in the TV in the ceiling.  She doesn't watch Dora at home, so she thought that was wonderful. 

There are no pictures of this, but later that day, I also took her to our wonderful chiropractor.  He checked both of my kids, and they were both subluxated, but Grace was in pretty terrible shape.  He got them fixed up and straightened out, and she hasn't had any problems since.  I'm so thankful that we have a great chiropractor who has taken great care of us since my dad has been gone.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how quickly Grace's skin has healed.  I was nervous about how she'd avoid picking the scabs- sorry to be gross, but she IS three, after all.  Here is a picture of her the day after her fall, in dress-up clothes, and she looks perfectly fine now.  And the teeth don't show any signs of change, either.

I sure hate to see any of my kids take a tumble, and they seem to be at the age for doing that right now. Why is it so hard to keep teeth intact around here?  Anyway, I am truly thankful she is OK.

More from the Mind of Grace

Grace:  I wish that I had a TV in my room.

Me:  (grimacing and gagging internally, but keeping a straight face) That's an interesting idea.  What would you do with a TV in your room?

Grace:  I'd watch movies that lasted as long as my afternoon nap.  But I don't know why I had that interesting idea in my life.

Anybody who knows me knows that there is no way my kiddo will have a TV in her room.  :)

A Weekend Without Daddy

I think I mentioned that Jeff traveled over a weekend recently.  Thankfully, he has been traveling less in 2013 than 2012, but four days of travel that include an entire weekend are tricky for me.  Soooo...I recklessly decided to do something interesting with the kids on the Saturday that Jeff was gone - something that would make the day pass quickly and distract them from how much they missed him.  I decided to take the kids to IKEA!

This picture's for my dear friend who gave the kids their awesome canvas bags.  You know who you are!  We hung the bags over each headrest so that each kid could access his/her stuff during the drive without any help from me.  We were all happy about that!

And now, for a couple of IKEA pictures.  (There are barely any.)  Any guesses where this was taken?  Give up?  The BATHROOM!  And this was just one room of the family bathroom.  I don't like public restrooms, but I would actually be willing to hang out in this one.  It was so clean, and had everything any of us could need, and we could lock the whole thing so that the next family would be outside waiting while each of my kids took care of business.  Perfect!

And you don't see it in pictures, but for the first time, I took Jonathan and Grace to Smaland, the supervised kids' play area.  Both of them met the requirements for playing there, and it was safe, fun, and not creepy.  They loved it and were sad to leave!  And while they played for an hour, Benjamin and I did the shopping that we needed to do...and I didn't have to corral any helpers because Benjamin was in the cart.

We had lunch at the cafe, which was tricky and a little crazy while I was getting the food, but once we had the food it was great.  We had a really fun time at IKEA.  Can you believe it?  By the way, IKEA was Benjamin's first three-syllable word.

Since we were in the same town as the Lego store, we couldn't leave without a quick visit.  It wasn't as amazing as the one at the Mall of America, the one we enjoyed with Mark and Jennie and their boys last summer.  But it was still fun.  (And crowded.)  Jonathan found this new feature.  On larger sets, you can hold the set in front of this screen, and while it still shows you on the screen, it shows an animated version of what the Lego set can do.  We had a whole lot of fun at the Lego store, too.  And, since nobody expected me to buy anything, I didn't have to deflect any begging.  (But I did surprise each of the kids with a teeny little set.)

These were the high points of our Saturday without Jeff.  We made some really fun memories together, and we made a day fly by so that, before we knew it, there were only three days left until he came home.  Three days for me to continue being a little crazy taking care of the kiddos.

And One from Jonathan...

"Mommy, do you wanna hear the best alliteration I ever made?"

Finally, a question with an easy answer!

From the Mind of the Three-Year-Old

Some recent quotes...

The sunset wasn't painted yet when I got up to turn on my lights.

Pink and purple is absolutely my favorite colors.

I'm make-sure-ing...

When I'm older, could you buy me lots of sparkly clothes to wear on Saturdays and Sundays?

When I'm five and you drop me off at kindergarten, could you drop me off at the front drop-off spot?

Could I please have some of those goldfish appetizers?

Mommy, where's my honking horn to knock down the walls of Jericho?  (Me:  I think it's by the front door.)  I found it!  You were absolutely right!

After Grace was spinning around to get dizzy, I asked her if the world was spinning.
Yeah.  SEE? ...... Why did I make the world spin?

I think that spinning quote has to be one of my favorite examples of egocentrism in little kids.  She really thinks that the world sees things from her perspective.  I wish I had kept my Human Growth and Development textbook.  It would have been so interesting to read now!  But, as a college freshman, I needed the money from reselling the book more than I needed the book.  I guess I have kiddos to teach me my lessons now...instead of textbooks.

Why My House Is Not Clean, Reason #731

Even when I'm on a roll trying to clean and cook, I get distracted.  Not often, but I really bit the bait this time.  I made this Valentine's Day hanging for my kitchen.  I found the original idea here.  All I had to buy was the hearts (regularly $1.99 each at Hobby Lobby) because I had all the other materials already.

The perfectionist in me is wincing at certain imperfections that I won't mention here, but I'm just choosing to enjoy some Valentine's cuteness instead of worry about flaws.  Also, I would have used "Grace," but she requested "Gracie," so there you go.  (Sorry for the crazy lighting-I took the picture on a rainy afternoon.)  Happy Valentine's Day!  And now, off to clean and cook...

Benjamin

I have composed this post...mentally...so many times.  I don't want this stage in Benjamin's life to be totally undocumented just because he and his siblings are keeping me so busy.  I mean, we have lots of pictures of him, but as far as writing things down about his day-to-day development...I'm weak in that area.  It's been that way since his babyhood, and I consoled myself by noting that we were documenting less but enjoying more:  more holding him, more playing with him, etc.  And for the past six months, we have been documenting even less, but spending more time with his therapy appointments.

Anyway...in December, his teacher, physical therapist, and speech therapist all took inventory of how he was doing, and they independently agreed that he is at age level in everything he is doing except for a three-to-six-month delay in his speech.  I'll meet with the woman who oversees his case soon, so maybe I'll hear more specific details from her, but basically he's doing fine and we are working hard on his expressive speech.  His teacher and physical therapist each come only once a month to check on him now, and his speech therapist comes over twice a month.

Just last weekend, he switched from saying "Mama" and "Dada" to saying "Daddy" and "Mommy."  He is saying new words every day now - words that seemed to be in there before but just hadn't come out yet.  And the words he had before are becoming much more clear, and developing ending consonants.  I do love the learning-to-talk stage when they are making progress!  Today when he woke up he could suddenly say wah-da for water instead of just saying "wa."  Since he is the third child, he is very proficient in his (loud) use of ME and MINE!  Some recent words of his that are very clear are "move," "shoes," "Josh" (his doll) "juice," "cheese,""soup,""car,"...and he says "Dace" for Grace, which is really cute.  He uses two-word sentences only rarely, and can't name his colors.  All his therapists want him to be able to do those things.  We're working on it, and it will come in time, I'm sure.  He's still a good puzzle worker and shape sorter.  And he has recently learned how to jump.

Things to continue to hop around here all the time...except during naptime and at night!  Boy, we are thankful that our kids are good sleepers.  But, I have to say that I am enjoying them more and more.  Each time they interact with each other or play with each other without needing me as a go-between, I just love it.  I'm doing a lot of training, especially with Benjamin and Grace, on how to treat each other with kindness instead of jumping right into conflict.  Grace's first impulse is to yell at Benjamin if she thinks he's doing something to offend her.  But, when she talks to him nicely, he really wants to make her happy and help her, so I am trying to teach her to do that.  He looks up to both his siblings so much and usually wants to please them.
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Well, I still haven't finished editing this post, and yesterday Benjamin's "wah-dah" changed to "wah-der," so I think I'll just publish it now, in its rough form.  His new words are encouraging to me!

Just a Bunch of Pictures

My little helpers have been keeping me busy around here.  I'm trying to take good care of them and enjoy them, and trying to get my house back into shape after what seems to be about four or four-and-a-half years of chaos.  It's slow going, but I am determined.  Oh, and Jeff went on a four-day trip that included the entire weekend, so I got a dose of single parenting again.  I am always so thankful for him, but even more so when he travels, which has been happening frequently.

If you enjoy pictures of the younger kids, this post is for you.  Enjoy!  (Jonathan is still just as cute but is often at school and doesn't like having his picture taken.)

What to wear to breakfast

Nail clippers are, apparently, the most interesting contraption in the world.  He spent a long time examining them!  (And no, I didn't let him pinch himself.

Grace does not mind having her picture taken.  When I take Benjamin's picture, she rushes over, takes her "good big sister" pose, and gets some attention, too.

Benjamin loves his new dinosaur towel.  And sneaking in some time with Jonathan's Nerf dart gun.  And yes, Benjamin is wearing BabyLegs but no pants.  When we're not planning on going anywhere, but Benjamin need to keep his shoes and orthotics on, it's easier to just keep him in BabyLegs and a diaper instead of fighting with pants.

The kids eating waffles for dinner and talking to Daddy on the speaker phone while he was on his trip. (I know, we could have used FaceTime or Skype, but this is just easier sometimes!)

My baby dinosaur.

Grace with her Giraffe, Ginny.  She sleeps with Ginny almost every chance she gets.

Grace loves drawing, but she gets really frustrated and cries when she doesn't know how to draw something.  Not sure what to do about that.  Anyway, here is a dragonfly that she's very proud of.

And this is a cat that is a table, I think.  Something out of her imagination.

Here is Benjamin playing tent in his crib.

Hanging out with Josh, and with the snake around his neck.

The tent.  I'm glad I still have those baby links around, because they work great for making tents for him.

Right before it was time to go to school and pick up Jonathan, he managed to color on himself with crayon.  I didn't know that was possible, but apparently it is.

Peaceful slumber.

Crazy morning hair.

Another shot of the colored face.

Our new easel from IKEA!  I took the kids to IKEA and a couple of other places by myself while Jeff was gone.  I hope to post about that soon.  I am a little crazy, and it was a lot of fun.

We are going to get a lot of entertainment out of this thing for its $15 price tag!

I see a lot of this frustrated face during the day.  She's still very...expressive.

But she still loves playing with her Snap 'n Style dollies, especially now that Gabriella has a friend.

Last but not least, here is Benjamin eating a spinach leaf on purpose.  Oops, looks like he got the pink bib at this meal!

Dinner Attire

The Big Boy

This Is What Happens...

when you know how to unscrew the AquaDoodle pen...and would rather pour and drink the water than draw on the mat.

Why We Have a Disco Ball Trophy

Most years, on New Year's Eve, we don't do much.  Occasionally, we will do a little something, but usually Jeff wonders aloud, that day, if we can get a sitter for the evening.  Ha!

Well, this year, friends of ours invited us to join their tradition of gathering at Phil and Jetta's (pronounced like "Yetta" for those of you reading from far away) with all the parents and kids ringing in the New Year together.  I should mention, to give you an idea of what this would be like, that Phil and Jetta have eight kids, and Dave and Jen bring their Wii.  (We used it on the projector because Phil and Jetta don't have a TV.)

Keeping our kids up until midnight is not something Jeff and I have ever attempted before, but since Phil and Jetta and Dave and Jen have been doing this with their kids, and since they seem to know what they're doing, and since we like them, we jumped at the chance to join their party.

Their church has an Old Year service.  We went to the service with them (our first time - we enjoyed it) and then gathered at Phil and Jetta's with one other couple, Jeremy and Nadine and their kids.  Between the four couples, we had fifteen kids aged 6th grade (I think) and under.  Yipe!  Overall, except for a few short crying jags from our younger kids, everyone did great and had a fantastic time.

Besides the good food and great company, we enjoyed playing a new dancing game that Dave and Jen brought.  Dads competed against dads, couples against each other, kids agains everyone..I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!  And if you know me, you know I'm a horrible dancer and terribly embarrassed to dance in front of anyone.  But, since I didn't want to set that kind of example to my kids, I sucked it up and danced...and it turned out to be great fun.

Here are the dads dancing against each other.  (I should mention that we found out that Dave was a mascot in college, so he may have had an advantage, but he and Jen were very charitable when they tallied up points.)

And the moms dancing against each other.  There weren't very many pictures taken of the moms.  Maybe because Jen was the only one who brought a camera.

Here are Jeff and I competing against each other.  (I won.)  By this time in the evening, we each had someone hanging on us.

And here is the happy dancing crew.  We had so much fun ringing in the New Year together.  Everyone's awake except for 5-year-old Peter, who sat down in the chair to catch some zzzzs.  (You can see that Grace and Delia had some dress-up fun!)

And, thanks to some math that seems a little fishy to me, we won the family disco ball trophy.  (Ella won the individual trophy.  She was amazing.)

Yup, apparently we are great Wii dancers, and we have a disco ball trophy hanging from our kitchen light fixture to prove it.  Thanks to our friends for letting us in on their fun New Year's tradition!!!

Brothers...

Photobombed by their sister.

Oh yes, brothers.  Benjamin is very pleased with himself!

Typical

When I ask Jonathan to bring something upstairs and put it away, he usually takes a shortcut and puts it on the stairs, so that when I discover it there, I ask him to take it upstairs again...I'm sure I deserve this behavior because I did the same thing to my mother.

Anyway, there is often a pile of Legos there, and since Benjamin is past the mouthing stage (YAY!!!) I don't defend Jonathan's Legos anymore.  They - and he - take the consequences of him leaving them on the stairs.

Yesterday, Benjamin was much too quiet, so I decided to look for him ASAP.  I didn't have to look far.  He was contentedly absorbed in one of Jonathan's tiny creations.  You can see the little pile of Lego pieces to his left.  This is probably one of the reasons that Benjamin has such good fine motor skills.