Lipstick Anyone?

This is what you get when you leave everyone in the car and run into Walmart for 'just a minute'. Mike was tired so he leaned back to take a quick nap. On my way back out to the car I could see someone tapping on Mike's window to get his attention. I thought what noisy person is critising us now!? I felt bad when I saw what was going on - she really was just trying to get Mike's attention to help him out. She could see Madeline through the window and she was trying not to laugh!
I got Madeline's face all cleaned up and was surprised at how little mascara she had on her hands and shirt. I don't know why she wanted it on her lips, but she was surprisingly accurate!

Moments that Just Melt You

We took the kids to get their pictures taken and they did so well! We went out for ice cream afterwards. Lilah fell asleep in the car so Mike offered to stay in the car with Lilah and Madeline while I took Anna Elise and Calvin inside for their cones. Here are pictures of Madeline eating her ice cream in the car with dad.

Mike took this picture from the car. That is me with the kids inside - we were watching Madeline make a mess and I was laughing. Apparently Madeline could tell I was talking - she kept saying "Momma I can't hear you" and "I just don't know".

Umbrella and JingleBell

At our house we spend a lot of time talking about princess' and barbies. Have you ever heard of the princess Umbrella? She is the one with the wicked stepmother and stepsisters. You might know her as Cinderella - but don't tell Madeline, she insists that her name is Umbrella. Also, Jingle Bells is no longer a Christmas song around here. It's the story of a fairy - you know, the one from Peter Pan, who just got her own Disney movie. Madeline can't differentiate between Tinker and Jingle - it's all the same to her. She is actually delighted to find a song about her fairy! Madeline also really likes Belle - but for some reason that particular princess looks like Barbie to her (I'm not sure why since Barbie has blond hair and Belle is a brunette). So we call Belle - Barbie. Luckily there are a few that she can get right, but we are still working on getting all these names straightened out!

Another Visit to the ER

Last night brought another visit to the ER. Mike went as a dad instead of a patient this time. Calvin is just absolutely crazy - he climbs everything, falls multiple times a day, and runs into everything. He is very accident prone and moves at high speed all the time. It's no surprise to me that he broke something, I guess what is surprising is how! He fell out of bed last night. He wouldn't stop crying and after some poking and probing Mike guessed his collarbone was broken. So off the boys went to the ER. Luckily it was only a small fracture. Calvin came home with a sling. He should be healed in 1-2 weeks and doesn't need another trip to the Dr unless he doesn't feel better and heal in 2 weeks. Mike took Calvin to Kripsy Kreme donuts on the way home. He went back to bed at around 11:30. He was up screaming at 4:30 - I guess the medicine had worn off. We are keeping him on the good Tylenol all day. He does complain of his arm hurting and he is grouchy from the lack of sleep, but he has been outside playing and swimming most of the day so it probably won't slow him down too much. There is no way we can pull a shirt over his head, so his single button down, short sleeve, shirt will get a lot of use this week! I just want it all healed before our trip out west!

Lessons Learned

We've learned a few lessons around here. Lilah is learning to pull herself up to furniture. She is now standing up waiting for me when she wakes up in her crib. She can pull herself up on the
couch upstairs but not downstairs yet. She is learning that when she tries to pull herself up
on the piano and chair legs, she falls and gets goose eggs on her forehead. Lilah also loves to climb the stairs. She sneaks up them quite often. She has learned that the consequence is either mom or dad quickly coming to get her with concerned looks on their faces...it's fortunate she doesn't know the real consequence and hopefully we can get a lock on our sliding door to keep it that way! She has also learned that teeth can be painful. We are hoping now that the second one has come in she can get back to her normal happy self for a little while.

Calvin learned a hard lesson yesterday. While out doing some clearance shopping for next year
Calvin learned that when Mom says "if you are not good you won't get a treat" that she means it. He cried all the way home when he realized that the girls got ice cream from McDonalds and he didn't.

I am hoping to learn what I can do to help my kids be good while we shop. When we go grocery shopping most of them are strapped into the cart and they are good. It's when we go to Kohls and Old Navy that we get into trouble. I can get 1 or 2 of them into a stroller or cart, but that leaves Calvin and occasionally Madeline free. Is there something I can bring or do that can help them occupy their hands and time? They get bored and then the trouble starts. Any suggestions? I realize leaving them home is the best option, but not always available. Any other suggestions?

On another note, I got some really good deals yesterday. I did get things for the kids, but I found a few things for me as well. Like a cute pair of pants on clearance. I thought they were $8 so I grabbed them. I rarely find pants my size on clearance. Even better was the fact that they rang up at $4! They are so cute, I'm wore them to work today. I also got a new necklace. I'm getting bolder with my jewelry - it's orange! I just had to post a picture to prove I was actually wearing it! Those are my new pants too!

Chaos

Just a short video of all the kids. That's about how life is at our house - just a little bit crazy!

Growing Pains

Lilah has had a tough week! She has learned to crawl, cut teeth, and taken a big
spill. She has been scooting backwards on her bottom using her feet, scooting backwards
on her tummy using her arms, and trying to use her hands and feet! She finally got the crawling thing down this week. Actually in the two days since I filmed this she has gotten twice as fast.
Crawling on hardwood floors can be tough on a little body - she falls on her face a lot! She has
also been teething for a couple of weeks and her first tooth has finally cut through. That was not a pleasant experience for my normally happy baby. Nobody is looking forward to the next one.
She also took a big spill and has quite the scab on her nose, which makes wiping and suctioning
her nose hard on both us. Hopefully next week doesn't hurt so much.



video of Lilah crawling