Dinnertime Convos

A snippet from Monday night's dinner conversation:

Mom: What do you like to do outside now that it's a little warmer?
Avery: Go outside and read a book.
Mom: What else, Kate?
Kate: Help plant a garden!
Mom: Yeah.  Reese, what do you like to do outside?
Reese: Mush mud.
Mom: You like to smoosh the mud?
Kate: And ride my scooter outside! And ride in the wheel barrow!
Avery: One thing that I really enjoyed today was... you know how I told you about those dangly things at recess?  ...Me and my friends try to get up there, so...they try to grab one of my foots and push me up to the tallest thing and then they help me push my legs up.
Mom: Sounds fun!  Did you do it?  Were you successful?
Avery: Yeah
Reese: And build snakes!  With playdoh!
Mom: Hey, you know what I like about the good weather, Aves?  I like that we can come get you on the bikes and not have to sit in the car.  What about you, Reese?  What else did you do today that you  like?
Reese:  I not 'member.
Mom:  Did you go outside in the backyard?
Reese: Uh-huh!
Mom: Did you tell Daddy "swing me! swing me!"?
Reese: Uh huh!
Kate: Hey Reese, I have something to tell you.  When Daddy pushes me one time, then I can swing by myself!  When Daddy pushes me one time.  I don't go high.  I go medium.
(Daddy finally gets to sit down after making all of the plates.)
Reese: Hey, Daddy.  This new.  Almond milk... I want Sprite!  My tummy say that!  My tummy says want Sprite.
Kate: Mine does too!
Avery: Mine too!
...

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Love Is...

Love is... Reese crying on facetime with Daddy while he's traveling because it's just too hard to be away that long.
Love is... your pre-school teacher knowing Daddy is gone and giving lots of extra hugs.
Love is... all three girls, two dogs, and a Mama cuddling in one bed each night.
Love is... having Daddy back home and doing a week's worth of hugging before school.
Love is... falling asleep while sitting on Daddy's lap while he plays piano.

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10 on the 10's

The objective:  Starting at 10:10, the goal is to take a photo of whatever we're doing for 10 hours straight at 10 after the hour on the tenth of the month...

Our 10 on the 10's:

10:10 am: At the dentist.  Seems appropriate: most of our last two months has been spent in some sort of doctor's office

11:10 am: Saying goodbye to Daddy as he leaves for a business trip.  Kate told him, "I'm going to miss your cuddles so much!"

12:10 pm: Grocery shopping and spending hard-earned chore money at the Dollar Bin.  Such a proud mini-shopper!

1:10 pm: Jungle Princess and Rock Star are happily playing upstairs, so Mama works on dishes downstairs

2:10 pm: Quiet time for the girls.  Studying for school with a little help

3:10 pm: It's cold out there and we have to go get Avery.  Coffee is a must!

4:10 pm: At 4:08, Reese was sleeping.  Which led to the crying at 4:10 and then happiness at 4:20 at "mah-nastics".  Avery and Kate happily wait for dance while cheering Reese on

5:10 pm: "Mah-nastics" is finished for Reese so we get to peek in on Avery and Kate's dance classes while we wait for them

6:10 pm: Dinner prep. 

7:10 pm: One sleepy toddler is ready for an early bedtime and her usual favorite book

Ice Day, Sickness, and a Lot of Together Time

This week we had another ice day, another case of strep for Kate, and a dental procedure for Avery (to strengthen her enamel) which included laughing gas and a sedative and kept her home the rest of the day.  So, that meant lots more time at home, and together.

No worries, though.  We made the most of it:

The night before ice day #2, slept with our pjs on inside out and put spoons under our pillows
.  A friend from Avery's class told her that would make it snow.  We DID get snow - but only long enough for Kate to run outside, put both hands on her heart, twirl in a circle, and sigh, "snow!"  Reese, who was fully naked, ran upstairs to get dressed and then came down to discover the snow was already gone.  But a few marshmallow incentives allowed me to snap a pic of her all bundled up in front of the fire anyways.

Less than 48 hours after Kate finished her meds for strep, she came down with another case of it.  Probably a different strain and probably from a different location.  She's a trooper and handled the loooong doctor's wait and the pain with patience.

Avery's dental procedure left her a bit loopy but cozy on the couch.  By day 4 of 7 'inside' days, we're old pros (not to mention week 3 out of the last 4 of illness).  Cue the arts and crafts, the massive amount of time in front of a screen, the couch-bed, and the milkshakes galore.

Of course, we had a handful of healthy, good-ish weather days in between and we made the most of them, too.

Here's hoping that February bodes better for McClinton health and wellness than January 2014 did!

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Ice Day

We had an ice day last Friday (in which there was actually very little ice in our specific neighborhood).

Avery wrote this for an assignment at school the following week:

"Dear Sophie,
What did you do on your ice day?  I went with my friends to MacDonalds.  I also found out two things: there is an owl nesting on my roof, and my cat sheds everywhere.  Do you have any pets?
I wonder if we could have a playdate.  Ask your mom.  When you have an answer, just let me know.
Your Friend,
Avery"

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14 Things About 2014 So Far...

1. Sickness.  We've dealt with a lot of it this year - more than usual.  Which means lots of time at home, in pjs, and lots of cuddling.

2. Reese is obsessed with Pinkalicious - the book and the character.  We read the book every night, and every night, she looks up at us and giggles at her favorite parts.  Her little round face looks up from my lap and her eyes ask, "Isn't this hilarious, Mommy?  It's too much, right?"

3. There might not be anything in this world that Reese loves as much as she loves her Pinkalicious (Pink-wishes) shirt.  It doesn't even make it from the dryer to the pile of clean clothes on the couch most days, it goes directly onto her little toddler body.

4. The girls dress themselves every day.  Most of the time, Avery looks presentable, and the other two look... well, like they dress themselves.

5. One day last week, I picked up Reese from school and her teacher pulled me aside.  "I just want you to know that when Reese went to the bathroom earlier today, we noticed she didn't have underwear on.  We asked her where they were and she smiled and said, 'At home'."

6. We have a pair of owls that live among the rooftops of our cul-de-sac.   One of them perches on our chimney.  When he hoots, it echos down our chimney.  He's become something of a family pet.

7. Two years after bringing Lucy Kitty home for Avery, they've finally found each other.  On nights when Avery spends the night in another room, Lucy will pace the upstairs until she finds her girl.  We know the world is right when we check on Avery at night and Lucy is sitting on top of her.

8. Avery decided at the start of this semester that she was going to "always have good days" - as she put it.  We were thrilled with the sentiment, but have been absolutely blown away by her strength of will.  She has had three weeks in a row without a mark on her behavior card, which is the first time this has happened this year.  We're proud of her for the behavior, of course, but more than that, we're so thankful that she has begun to really believe in herself.

9. Reese has developed a random and unpredictable disability - when it hits, she tells us, "Me not walk!  Me can't walk!"  This is followed by a slouching of her shoulders and a shuffle-step.

10. The master bedroom, and more specifically, the master bed, have temporarily become the Family Bedroom and the Family Bed.  Mama's side of the bed almost always includes Oscar and Josh (all 80 pounds of him) cuddling up.  Many nights, Reese joins the Family Bed around 1 am and snuggles in between her parents.  When they're sick, the kiddos automatically claim center of the Family Bed.

11.Each morning, Family Cuddle Time is requested by Kate.  Her, Daddy, and Avery all snuggle up.  Reese comes in and does gymnastics all over the cuddles and often gets kicked out of the cuddle huddle, which means Mama and Reese have to relocate.

12.  An opportunity came up for me to take classes part-time at a local seminary that is perfectly suited to my stage of life and my passions in ministry, and so next week, I will begin a trial-run as a seminary student while the kids are all in school.  We don't know where this journey will take us, but we'll keep you updated!

13. Kate spent the day home alone while healing from strep, and she spent hours playing happily by herself.  We think she's our only introvert, which would explain the joy she feels when she's left to her own devices.

14. Kate has really gotten into books.  She loves listening to chapter books (right now, we're into The Rescue Princesses) and likes to read to us all by herself from Hop on Pop and Dr. Seuss' ABCs.

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New Year's Resolutions

After her first day back to school, Avery came home and handed out notices that read, "Family Meeting in Reese's Room at 4:15".  Seeing that is was already 4:45, she agreed to host the meeting after dinner that night.

The meeting included important reminders ("Mom, remember I have Eureka tomorrow.  Will you be there?"), a special announcement ("The 2nd graders are having a school play and I want to try out for a speaking part!") and then she led us through sharing our New Year's Resolutions.

Here they are:

Avery's:
1. Learn to knit
2. Learn three songs on my guitar
3. Have more "good choices" days and earn a popsicle stick every day (which she earns at home for exceptional behavior)

Kate's:
1. Learn to knit (Avery asked her to make this one of hers)
2. Learn to play the drums correctly
3. Learn to ride a bike without training wheels

Reese thought the family meeting in her room was great fun and did many gymnastics moves rather than share her resolutions, so the family came up with two for her:
1. Start sleeping through the night in her own bed (instead of crying all the way down the stairs and into Mom's bed every night at 1 am)
2. Stop wearing diapers for naptime

Avery's kept her resolution to have more good behavior days.  We have been impressed at her ability to lead the pack in obedience and thoughtfulness!  That popsicle cup is filling up.

((No other pictures from the week.  Mama took the week off!:)))