Jokes

Luci is at the age, or maybe it's her personality, where she plays with language and says lots of funny stuff. Here are a couple.

On Max and Ruby, Ruby was decorating a beautiful tree. Max was decorating with rubber snakes for garland, worms for tinsel, etc. Luci said, "That's not a beautiful tree, that's a Yuckiful tree!"

Yesterday, I was laughing out loud about something I was thinking about that wasn't 3 year old friendly. Luci wanted to know what I was laughing about . I said I was just telling a joke to myself. So she said, "Self, Knock, knock" "Self, who's there?" "Self, banana" "Self Banana who" "hahahahahah"

Getting tough

Ok. Cleaning for me is definately first on my list of dislikes. So it frustrates me to have to clean up after myself and 3 little ones (sometimes 1 big one too.) So here is a strategy I learned from Parenting with Love and Logic. Give them a time limit to clean their own things, when times up you clean, but you just take it all away. They have to earn it back.

I wasn't sure if it would work, still not sure if it will long term, but here is what happened even before I was done with their room...

They wanted to earn back the Dancing Princess night light. Grace said they were going to clean to earn back everything in the boxes. I wasn't sure if she was for real, but after she was done with the kitchen, she said she would do the girls' bathroom. I said she could do ours, and she she did.

They fight over who gets to mop. Maybe I should have started this a long time ago!!!

The turd

Luci said to me the other day in her best depressed voice, "Mom, I'm sad that Daniel is a turd." Not knowing where she got that I asked her who said that? She told me I did. Then I realized a conversation we have been having lately. Daniel's name in the neighborhood is "Baby Daniel," even though he is now a toddler. So I told the girls he is not a baby any more, he is a toddler. She remembered it as he is a turd.

This is not far from the truth sometimes though. The other day I gave him a 1/2 of a graham cracker. He ate it and asked, in his own little grunts, for more. I gave him a 1/4 the second time. He threw it on the floor and asked for more. He wasn't happy until I gave him 1/2. So I'm assuming he prefers squares over rectangles.

(By the way how do you spell turd?)

Lights Parade

Last night we went to a Christmas Lights Parade. It was a lot of fun. All of the entries were decorated with lights like the car above. There were much more spetactular examples, but the camera card was full. We did fix Daniel's pants right after this picture. He had a great snowsuit on as we were leaving the house, but on his way out the door he fell somehow and had blood Goooshing out of his mouth. There were puddles on the floor and all over his snow suit. It was crazy. But he is ok. He also had mittens. But, he makes a game out of seeing how fast he can shake them off when I put them on. He never complained though so I guess I shouldn't worry.
The night before the parade we went to Crete for a chili cook off and a scavenger hunt through the businesses. We listened to Christmas music in the car between stops. At one store the owner was so amazed because Grace and Luci found the item the fastest of all the contestants, including adult teams! I was a little bummed the prize promised at the end of the hunt was just an entry for the raffle. (Not what I was expecting and we didn't win.) But nonetheless, the girls had fun and figured out most of the clues before we arrived at the stores. At this age it's the process not the product that is so much fun. And according to my story that is the end and it was a great night.

Ken's story, however, might go a little something like this: Horrible. Terrible. Never again. Daniel and I in the car, Daniel screaming every time the ladies left the car, non-stop screaming, metal chairs falling at the cook off, everybody looking, Luci and a brand new friend accidentally unplugging the cable from the Christmas show, never going to do this again, and so on and so forth. (You can't expect them to be the best all the time, now can you?)

But he does agree the lights parade was the bomb.

How 6'5 ices an ankle

How patient 6'5 applies heat...

(Note the bathtub toy)

Thanksgiving

Gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece, right!? Thank you, thank you. I did it myself. And how about this bar table? Isn't it great how the leaves are just randomly stewn about as if they fell right off the oak and into the living room? I realize I have a lot to learn, but I think it is so fun to decorate for holiday feasts. Here are a couple more t-day pics at our place.

The Nutcracker

The girls and I went to see the Nutcracker yesterday. The ballet was put on by The Indiana Youth Ballet. http://indianayouthballet.com/services.html It was great! Grace and Luci would say things like, "It is so beautiful, " throughout the whole show. Luci's favorite part was the little princess, a three year old who did a small part with a boy about 5. The boy actually picked her up and they did this type of move: It was so cute. Luci also talked about the princesses with the long pink ballet skirts and flowers.

Grace's favorite part was when "Jazmine" was in it. She is talking about the part when they travel to the Middle East and wear costumes similar to Jazmine, the princess from Aladdin. Grace also kept referring to Clara as Barbie because we have the movie Barbie in the Nutcracker.

The funniest part, or most embarrassing, however you want to look at it, was when the prince came out to dance with Clara for the first time and Luci SHOUTED out with a funny laugh, "He is wearing tights!" Even the 2 dancers showed signs of hearing her.

We had a great time! I didn't bring the camera, but here are some pics from their web site.

Mermaids

How do I answer this question from Grace?...
Do mermaids really talk?
I just told her I had never seen one in person.

Also, if anyone knows some good reading for parents of pre-schoolers I would love some suggestions.

Raking Leaves

Grace and Luci's friends were unavailable for play today so they took the rake out and made some piles. Luci at first stated she didn't know how to rake. She used her hands to carry loads over to the pile. But then she got the hang of it. And then they jumped in.
They each made their own separate piles, until the neighbors finally came out. Then they all worked together to make a pile that "goes up to the sky" according to Luci. They used the wagon to gather leaves from all over the yard for their pile.

The pile was only half complete at this point.

Daniel missed the leaf fun, but joined them for playing in the sand table.

After about an hour they tired of raking leaves and built forts, ect. Grace put on her wig we got at the after Halloween sale at Wal-mart. Doesn't she look fab?

Mommy, I made you...

When I came home from a trip to the mall I was greeted by Grace yelling, "Mom I made you this bracelet while you were gone," and handed it to me. Then, Luci said, "Mom I made you this ball!" and handed it to me.Finally, Daniel came up to me and in his own language I'm sure he said, "Mom I made you this peice of half eaten cheese!" and handed it to me.

Halloween

For Halloween we first went Trick-or-Treating in Bartlett to see Grandma Brenda for the first time after her hip surgery. We had a great time.
Superman likes the cool candy box that talks like a witch.He also likes Popsicles from Grandma Brenda. Wonder Woman!!!
Super Man!

Super Why!!!Here is trick-or-treating on campus. Luci was in full character here. She took off running shouting "Super Why to the rescue!" The next day, the girls discovered the cool rings Aunt Susie picked out had lip gloss in them. And aren't they kind to share with the neighbors? (I blamed it on Aunt Susie when my neighbors were furious...Just Kidding Susie!)

Luci chose black and needs to work on her application technique.

And the winner is....

The Shrek Family. Meaning Shrek and Fiona. We went to a costume party tonight at the church. Ken and I won first place!!! The crowd cheered for us, but that really wasn't the best part. The best was when little kids were coming up to us saying things like, "Hi Shrek!", "Hi Fiona!", "Shrek is here for you" (when we were separated) "I think Shrek likes you", "Where is Donkey?" "Why is your baby Superman?" (the answer of course, it's Halloween and that's what he wanted to dress up as, normally he's an ogre). And the teenager who told Shrek he made a good Shrek "'cause he was like big and everything."

Unfortunately Grace and Luci didn't win the costume contest (Grace really wanted to), but she did win a door prise. If you couldn't tell, Grace is Wonder Woman and Luci is Super Why! Super Why is a super reader. He is the star character of a new PBS show SUPER WHY! . HOME PBS KIDS. The girls love it and it is quite educational. Is it ok that Luci went as a boy? I tried convincing her she could be a girl super why and wear a green ballerina outfit. She wouldn't have it, and she loves the the costume. Daniel of course is Super Man...hand me down pajamas through both girls. Is that just cruel?

I had fun making all the costumes (I just the horns on Shrek) and must give props to Grandma Lolly for helping with the capes, downsizing the dress a little, and the great idea to just put socks over Grace's boots to make them red. I used the same trick for Daniel's. Thanks!

The girls had fun. Luci said her favorite part was the line, meaning the little costume parade they had. Grace said her favorite part was playing with Chloe, a friend from preschool. Here are more fun pictures.