Mr. Starfish

Getting the kids ready in the morning is a team effort in our house. My job is to help the girls get dressed, brush their teeth, and brush their hair. I hunt down shoes, make sure the girls have coats on and do the morning drop off before I head to work. Nate's job is to wake them up and get breakfast ready for everyone. It works quite well and I love that Nate loves to be a part of the routine.

A few weeks ago, Nate's method of waking the girls up changed. Usually, he goes in and gently wakes them up. I think that stopped working, so he had to resort to an alternative method. And of course, this new way is hilarious!

Nate uses the starfish stuffed animal and to wake the girls up. His name is Mr. Starfish. He's pink and his voice sounds just like the chef from South Park. The waking up usually goes something like this:

Nate: (in the South Park chef voice) Well good morning Miss Abby. It's time to wake up and get our clothes on today.

Abby: Ignores Nate as long as she can.

Nate: Miss Abby, Miss Abby--It's time to wake up! If you don't wake up, I'll have to jump on you.

Abby: Kicks Mr. Starfish and giggles

Nate: Oh, I don't like it when you kick me Abby. How about I jump on your back so you wake up? (Mr. Starfish jumps on her back and then proceeds to cough and choke because jumping on Abby's back apparently causes this reaction for him.)

Abby: Continues to try to kick Mr. Starfish and giggles

Nate: Well, it's time for me to go. See you tomorrow morning Miss Abby!

By this time, Abby is rolling in laughter and she is ready for her day! And I am grateful for a husband with a sense of humor.

Leaf & Strawberry

I love these pictures because they so accurately portray Jenna and Abby's personalities here. See the mischievous little grin on Abby? It says so much to me . . . It says, "I am going to wait until you can't hear or see me to jump on the bed" or "I can reach anything I want in the pantry. I especially know how to find any chocolate that Mommy tries to hide up high" or "I am going to take whatever toy Jenna is playing with and run as fast as I can and hide where she can't get it." That's my little Abby.

This next picture also says a lot . . . "I am mad because I didn't get my way and I won't smile for you . . . ever!" I eventually got Jenna to smile. See above picture:)

This post really isn't about the pictures of the girls, although they say so much about each of them. Instead, it's about a game the girls play called "Leaf & Strawberry." It all started on Sunday when I bought the girls these new spring dresses. The weather isn't warm enough to wear the dresses, but they love to play in them inside. The first time, they put on the dresses, Jenna named Abby "Leaf" and herself "Strawberry." Of course, their names coincide with the colors of their dresses.

Now, I really don't know how one plays "Leaf & Strawberry." I can't figure out what they actually do, except I know it's a bit of a cross between school and acting like horses. I just think it's funny to hear them say, "Come on Abby, let's play Leaf and Strawberry!"

Oh, the imaginations:)

Sometimes I wish I had a brain in my head . . .

because yesterday, I did two stupid things without realizing them until after the fact.

Stupid thing #1--I wore heart shaped earring stickers to school all day without realizing it until I got home. Jenna got them for her birthday and I agreed to wear them yesterday before work, thinking that I'd surely remember to take them off. Of course, I didn't. I wonder how many students noticed my lovely earrings????

Stupid thing #2--And this relates to stupid thing #1. The heart shaped earrings came in a little girl makeup princess kit that Jenna got for her birthday. I played "beauty parlor" with the girls yesterday afternoon and forgot to take off the lovely bright pink makeup before taking Jenna to dance class. You might be thinking to yourself . . . well, that's not that bad. Well . . . she put the bright pink sticky makeup on my forehead too! So I went to dance class and socialized with the other moms with bright pink spots on my cheeks, eyelids, and forehead. I'm sure the other parents noticed . . . I'm just thankful that they didn't say anything to me:)

Why Do I Blog?

I did not intend to like blogging. I never really even considered it until a friend suggested that I do it. So I thought it would be a good idea, and that it would allow our friends and family who live so far away to be a part of our lives--even if it was through pictures and stories on a blog.

I've never liked to send tons of pictures of my kids to everyone in my address book (although I have done it). And I am definitely not a scrapbooker. I want to be. I want to be a scrapbooking goddess like Tamara and have a beautiful page done after every fun activity. I'd love for my kids to have their scrapbooks when they are older and think about how much time and effort I put into making them, but I CAN'T DO IT! I am not crafty and I can't get organized to buy supplies, print out pictures, and find time to put it all together. So I blog. At least my kids can have paper copies of their lives according to me:)

I've also discovered that I like to write. And there's lots of things that I'd love to write about on this blog, but I choose to use discretion instead. It's probably best for everyone involved.

I've wondered if I like the attention of people commenting on the blog. And yes, I love when people comment, but it's not why I blog. I really blog for two reasons. 1) So that my kids can have a permanent record of their lives through stories and pictures. Because if I didn't blog, there's no way these stories wold be preserved. And 2) So that my family and friends have an opportunity to be a part of our lives . . . even if most of them don't read the blog. It's been hard to live so far away from family and friends, and this is one way that I feel connected.

Jenna's 5th Birthday Party

There's a story behind this birthday party. Remember the 16 weeks of sitting on the steps at the YMCA swimming lessons? Shortly after we enrolled her at the awesome swim school that she now attends, I asked her what she wanted to do for her fifth birthday. (We have always had small parties at the house, but decided to let her have a bigger one this year for year 5). To my surprise, she asked for a swimming party. Given that 1) swimming has been a struggle for her and 2) her birthday is in January, I had to work hard to make this event happen.

I found a really cool indoor swimming facility that was perfect for little kids. It had a kids' play structure, a lazy river, and waterslides. So not only was today a really fun birthday party, but I was so pleased to know that she had fun swimming. This was probably the first time in a long time.

We had games and cake & ice cream before swimming. Nate was in charge of the games, which were, of course, all princess games. And he made the parents wear a princess crown if their kid won at Bingo or Musical Thrones. So fun! But after a while, the kids were itching to get to the pool, so off they went!

The only bad thing about this party is that almost all the parents had to swim:) We all had a great time, but you know . . . most of us post-children moms just LOVE to put our bathing suits on in front of other people:) I knew that this party would be work for the parents too, but they said yes and came and we all had a really great time.

Special thanks to our friend, Heather, who made Jenna's awesome cake and to our friend, Jen, who helped decorate and played with our kids:)

Nate leading birthday games in the Jasmine crown. So fitting!

Jenna and Jen decorating the party room:)

Happy Birthday Jenna!

To my sweet Jenna,

Today you are five! This morning you told me that I needed to go to Kohl's today so that we could pick out all new clothes for you. When I asked why, you said that you MUST be bigger since you are five today. So cute!

Today we took ice cream cone cupcakes to preschool today and you were so excited to share them with your friends. We had a birthday lunch at Chili's today (your choice of restaurant and we were so happy it wasn't McDonald's). Matt and Megan joined us and then you got to go see Bolt with your Daddy. This seems to be a tradition now--birthday dates with Daddy to the movies. You were so sweet to invite me and Abby, but we had to decline because Abby needs a little more time before we venture to the theater with her. The people sitting around you should thank us:)

I am so proud of you! I love that you are compassionate, that you love Abby, that you love to learn. I love that you love pink and princesses and that you want to help people around you. I love that you cried longer and harder than Abby did when she cut her forehead. You were so worried about her that you stayed up until 10:30 waiting to see if she was okay. Such a sweet heart you have!

I am thankful that you are ours and I love you very much !

Love,
Mommy

My Education Rant

Here in California, we are in the middle of an awful budget crisis. There is a 42 BILLION gap in the budget and Gov. Schwarzenegger and the state legislature (whom cannot agree on anything) are in the throws of cutting funding for lots of programs, one of which is education.


The budget is not set in stone yet, but there's lots of speculation about what is going to happen. Many school districts are already cutting back their programs in order to get ready for what they know is going to happen. Here are a few of the things that could and very well will happen to public schools in California: entire athletics programs might be cut, schools might no longer have counselors, nurses, and programs for kids who need a little extra help. Class sizes could go up over 30, and the school year and/or school day could be shortened. Art and gym and music could no longer be offered. Maintenence workers and custodians' jobs are likely on the chopping block too. (By the way, I get my information on this from the San Jose Mercury News. I really am not making this up.)


I think about this a lot for several reasons. 1. Jenna will be entering Kindergarten next fall and we are still deciding between public and private school. 2. I teach in a public school district.


As a teacher it is not fun to be in my school now. People's jobs are being cut left and right. The rest of us wonder if our jobs are the next to go. My principal comes in my classroom every day and if my numbers aren't real high that particular day, he makes some sort of comment about my numbers needing to be up so I don't lose my job. (How's that for pressure?)

As a parent, I worry about the education my daughters will receive if they go to the public school--certainly not the one I received! I know that my girls would be fine in a public school. Nate and I would support them and be involved. But I can't imagine a school without the opportunity to play sports or music or see a school nurse. I do realize that I am a bit of an education snob, for lack of a better term. I went to excellent schools and want the same for my children. I guess in the end, I'm sad that our state is so bad off that they have to cut such important programs for kids, and I hope that doesn't end up happening.

No More Abbys Jumping On The Bed

One little Abby jumping on the bed.

She fell off and bonked her head.

Momma called the doctor and the doctor said,

No more Abbys jumping on the bed!

Right after the girls' bath last night, I was brushing Jenna's hair when Abby snuck into our room and thought she'd get a little jumping on the bed in while I was occupied. She must have jumped too high because I heard this loud thump and then crying. I rushed over to her and realized that she must have landed on the floor and hit her head on the corner of my dresser drawer that happened to be open. And that corner was sharp!

So we landed in the ER last night, and Abby has four stitches. I must say though . . . she was a champ. She fell asleep in the ER and only woke up when they started sewing her up:)


Hopefully, she won't be jumping on the bed anymore!

Her First Crush

Today in the car (which is where all the good conversations happen), Jenna asked me if it was okay to be five and be married. At first, I wasn't sure what she was asking, but soon realized that Jenna was asking for herself! She had this cute little smile on her face, had her hand up to her mouth, and was talking real quietly. This is how the convo went down:

Jenna: Mommy, can I be five and get married?
Me: Ummmm . . . what honey?
Jenna: I think I'd like to get married.
Me: Oh! To whom? Is it a boy in your class?
Jenna: (smiling so cute) Yes, I want to marry Ryan Lee.
Me: Does he know that you want to marry him?
Jenna: No
Me: Did you ask him to marry you?
Jenna: No
Me: What do you like about Ryan?
Jenna: He plays with me all the time and never shoots me with pretend guns.
Me: I think you need to be a little older and have finished college (like that plug?) before you get married.
Jenna: Okay . . . would Daddy let me get married?
Me: You should ask him when he gets home:)

So we have Jenna's first offical crush on record! I have to admit, Ryan Lee is a nice boy. He rode in our car to the Pumpkin Patch and was a delightful young man. But, I'll stick to getting through preschool before we think of marrying her off:)

She Gets Into Everything

Abby is so fast and can make a colossal mess in minutes. Just this morning . . .

After Abby had her usual yogurt for breakfast, she went to the bathroom and earned herself two M&Ms. She gets two for pee-pee and "yots and yots" for poo-poo. She ran downstairs while I was picking a few thing up in our room and had already scaled the pantry to get the plastic tub of M&Ms. She told me she only took two, but I'm sure there were "yots and yots" in that little hand of hers.

I went outside to get the paper (because I cannot even think of eating breakfast without reading it) and she had pushed a chair up to the pantry and gotten into the chocolate chips. (Looks like I need a lock for the pantry.)

(I just now had to take a break from writing because she went into my bedroom, locked the door, put Vaseline all over her face. She apparently thinks it's just like my moisturizer. Sheesh!)

The best, though, was when I went to the bathroom, which really was all of 60 seconds. She pushed the chair up to the computer desk and retreived the two Sharpie markers from the top shelf, where they were thoughtfully placed with her in mind. When I got out, she was drawing me a beautiful picture, complete with holes poked in the paper and lovely green and black Sharpie marks on the carpet. There is a reason that Sharpies are called "permanent markers." And not even my trusty Oxy Clean carpet cleaner is getting the green and black marks out.

Two things here . . . first maybe you have noticed the sneakiness involved here. She never tries any of this when I am in plain sight. It is always when I am gone for a tiny bit of time. She's a smart one, that little Abby. Second, if you have heard my carpet stories involving Nate or have read this blog, you know that I am in HUGE trouble. Nate is fanatical about the carpet.

If he sees crumbs on the carpet, he gets upset. If there is a stain, he will give me a mini-lecture on the importance of making the kids sit at the table to eat and how to avoid this in the future. He steam cleans them often, careful to note every stain that keeps coming back again. So when a stain gets on the carpet on my watch--I do what I have to to avoid the carpet nazi. (that's Nate) I understand that Nate is trying to keep our home nice and hates dealing with dirty carpets, but I cannot worry about such things in the middle of a day full of kids and laundry and toys and pottytraining and sharing disputes and sneaky little girls and and cookie baking. If there is a spot, I get out my Oxy Clean and hope for the best.

So my little Abby is sneaky and into everything. In fact, the house is incredibly too quiet and I need to go see what she's into now.

UPDATE: It was brownies. She found the leftover brownies from a party last night and helped herself to one. Seriously . . . no more sweets today for Abby:)

Jenna, the Breakdancer

As the kids were getting their buckles strapped in the car today, Jenna accidentally broke the bowl that we have in our car. You are probably wondering why the heck we have a bowl in the car, but it's our throw up bowl. Jenna gets carsick, and ever since the incident last month where I had neither the bowl or any chewable Dramamine and spent a great deal of time cleaning puke off the car, her clothes, and the booster seat, I now carry a plastic bowl in the car all the time. (I really need to get one of those Schwann's ice cream buckets with a lid . . . that would be perfect!)

So, Jenna stepped on the plastic bowl and broke it. She felt bad about it, although I wasn't angry. It was an accident--no big deal. In order to make herself feel better, this is what she came up with . . .

Jenna: Mommy, I learned about breakdancing on tv and I think I'm a breakdancer now.
Me: Oh, really? How's that?
Jenna: Well, I broke the bowl and I like to dance, so that makes me a breakdancer.
Me: Well I guess it does:)

Gotta love those little minds at work!

Christmas 2008

Santa brought Tinkertoys for the girls. They are especially designed for girls with pink and purple colors. This was the girls' first masterpiece. It's apparently a birthday cake for Jesus.

Megan and Abby playing Sequence with the fam.


Matt, Matt, Megan, Abby, and Nate playing Sequence

Jenna, enjoying her Princess dolls and their horses.

A trip to Half Moon Bay with Grandma and Grandpa.