sisterly love

The girls were being very noisy while Yonah was trying to concentrate on schoolwork, so I asked them to play in their room until he was done. 20 minutes later there wasn't a single noise coming from that part of the house. I decided to see what havoc was being wreaked.

Instead I found that the girls were in lying quietly in bed for an early nap.

Arabelle tells me that she was helping Lila feel better because she had been crying.

Day 28: Nighty Night

After a series of late nights this week, the kids were exhausted.

We let them sleep where they'd crashed on the couch last night.

And, yes, Yonah is underneath the red blanket.

Goofy boy.

Day 25: Christmas

It seems that everything gets more fun as the kids get older.

Christmas especially.

Day 23: An Early Christmas Eve

Usually Christmas is a chaotic sort of mess, as we mix in both of our extended family's celebrations with ours.

It's a lot easier than it sounds, since our families of origin are quite the opposite as far as timing goes.

This year is even easier.

One family bumped Christmas Eve back a day.

After eating, the kids played Bingo for prizes.

Mostly the prizes were sugary goodness. But there were also some little three-drawer containers that will be brilliant for storing school supplies. Both Yonah and Arabelle wound up with one.

I doubt I've ever seen them love something so much.

Arabelle is still snuggling with hers.

Day 16: Four Cousins in a Row

Today Gammy and Papa requested that their children and grandchildren join them for a photo session with a photographer friend.

We brought our camera, too.

I managed to catch this moment in time while the kids were waiting for their next picture.

December Photo Project: Day 9

Today's picture is from a visit to Kim's grandparents' house.

They brought out one of the first grade learning-to-read books that they used in school, and Yonah read it with only a few understandable stumbles over the trickier words.

(The picture quality is not as great because it was taken with my phone.)

December Photo Project: Day 2

Today we had a Christmas party with Kim's unit. While usually military shindigs lean toward the side of boring, the kids being old enough to actually participate in things made it more fun. Especially since they aren't old enough to participate in things without some parental involvement.

They responded to their first encounter with a "real" Santa as I expected.

Arabelle was the only one courageous enough to sit on Santa's lap, even though she wouldn't give a real smile.

I had to beg Yonah to stand near enough to have me be able to take a picture, and even then he would only do so if he got to hold his new Angry Birds puzzle.

Lila required both cookie incentive and Kim holding her down long enough for me to get a shot.

Kim took some pictures, too.

I especially like these ones. Usually I'm the one behind the camera, so I don't have very many pictures of me with the kids . . . Or me at all, really.

a game of hide and seek

I'm going to start posting little tidbits of interactions I witness or am a part of, much like I do on Facebook. They don't really feel "blog worthy" to me; however, they do make me happy. Or, at least they make me laugh. So I suppose they have their place here.

These posts will be tagged with "that's what she/they/he said", because I honestly cannot think of a better tagline. If you can think of one, please let me know!

Y: Okay, wait until I'm ready. [runs upstairs, slams bedroom door]
A: Okay! 1 . . .
Y: [opens door] I'm ready! [slams door]
A: 1 . . .
Y: [opens door] Did you hear? I'm ready! [slams door]
A: Okay. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . .
Y: [opens door] Are you counting yet?
A: Yeah!
Y: [slams door]
A: 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 8 . . . 6 . . . 3 . . . 8 . . .
Y: [opens door] Don't find where I am, okay? [slams door]
A: [continuing counting] . . . 7 . . . 4. Ready or not, um . . . Here I come!
Y: [opens door] Are you going to find me?
A: Yeah!
Y: [slams door]

Noodles

Every day at breakfast, Yonah asks me a question. It's always the same.

"So, what's for dinner tonight?"

I'll think for a minute, weighing the ingredients we have against what I know the kids will eat, which is then weighed against what I'm willing to make (or eat). Then my answer is given.

Every single day, I hear something in response. It is not always worded the same, but the suggestion never changes. Today, this was the version I heard:

"Hmm. Well, I think we should have noodles instead. Noodles matches dinner better, don't you think?"

Noodles.

Over the past year, I have come to hate noodles.

Ask either of them what they want to eat, and you'll get the same answer.

Yonah's "How about some noodles?"

Or Arabelle's "Nunus!"

Sometimes I can convince them that macaroni and cheese or ravioli count as noodles. But those times are pretty rare. Most of the time, "noodles" just means spaghetti. Or ramen noodles.

On the plus side, at least there is something they will eat every time it's made.

the little things

What better way to spend the afternoon than in the library's not-so-quiet corner for children, rocking in a chair with a baby snuggling on one's lap, idly supervising the older children as they play with toys and look at books.

aquarium

Today the kids and I made a spontaneous trip to the aquarium.

I was honestly expecting to be bored. After all, my first trip to an aquarium (that I remember, anyway) was in New Orleans. Certainly they would have a lot more stuff in the bigger city, right?

Certainly our aquarium is much smaller, but . . .

I don't remember an octopus in New Orleans. I don't remember nearly as many open tanks purposed for touching the fish, hermit crabs, clams, etc. There definitely weren't chameleons or an iguana. And while I remember seeing lots of sharks, I don't remember having the opportunity to feed and pet them. (We didn't actually do so today, though. The kids were too scared to touch any fish, and Lila too unhappy to let me try.)

Ours is also geared more for kids, so I didn't have to hoist the kids up so they could see nearly as often as I would need to in New Orleans. (That by itself wins first place in this young mom's book.)

Due to the trip's spontaneity, I didn't have my camera. But I was able to snap some shots with my phone - when Lila gave her permission, of course. Here's a taste of our day:

Less than 1/4 of the total fish in the tank. It was FULL.

Seahorse

The smaller octopus

Chameleons

This one, of course, is Pascal. For obviously Tangled reasons.

Since the other chameleon already had a name, Yonah named this one Hosky. We actually got to see him change color!

favorite place

Today was one of those days I don't want to ever experience again. It was a day that reminded me of how difficult it is for a 9-month-pregnant mother to manage a practically 4-year-old boy without fatherly support.

But once we got to the church, all the bad attitude temporarily disappeared as he followed family friends around, and chased Arabelle back and forth in the art hall. I simply love the effect that place has on these children.