Birthday Adventure: Age 5

Every year on our kids' birthdays, we try to something special with them to commemorate the event.  (Yes, in addition to their birthday dinner, school party, and real birthday party...sigh)  The older they get, it gets harder to find something different and age appropriate to do with them that they haven't already done a hundred times before.  This year, we decided to take them to eat lunch at the Tower of the Americas.  Cheesy and touristy, yes....fun for a five year old, absolutely!!

 Filled with excitement about riding to the top....and still crippled with the inability to look at the camera when Mommy's taking a picture. 

 The kids looked out the window.  Mommy looked at the kids.  Looking out the window as we rode up made Mommy want to puke on herself for some reason. 

 Thank God for crayons!!  This wasn't the fastest service in town, folks.....

 You'll notice two things about this picture.  The tiny one sat everywhere except her own seat.  We really needed a high chair, but the sat us in one of those booths that are up off the ground, which would have put tiny lady's face level with the table, so she sat in the booth.  Lots of wiggling in the seat, standing up, jumping, crawling under the table, and on Daddy's lap ensued.  Fun times. 

(And yes, that's Mommy's drink in the foreground, purchased only to counteract the sweaty palms I was feeling about dining a billion feet off the ground) 

 After paying 150 bucks for lunch, what's left to do besides roll all over the lobby couches in a super classy manner?  Nothing?  You're right!! 

 General silliness always occurs when I want one, JUST ONE, good picture of my three babies at any event. 

They loved the fountains in Hemisfair Park, and Livi wanted to know "Who takes a bath here?"  I told her "Probably homeless people", which started her off on a totally different tangent....

After lunch, we headed to Malibu to drive the race cars.  This was Daddy's idea.  I wanted to take them to the children's museum, but he really, REALLY wanted to take them to drive the cars.  

 The tiny one didn't like that she was too little to ride in the cars.  We didn't know this going in to this little adventure, so we felt really bad...she made this face the whole time, and hollered through the gate as their car went by, "I'm BIG!  I'm not too little!!"  It was so sad!

Daddy had to take them driving, since Mommy was wearing flip flops and they were strictly prohibited.  I'm guessing 98 percent of the people who show up to drive these cars are wearing flip flops, so that rule has got to put a dent in their ticket sales.  There was a giant sign there that said the minimum age to drive was 18....which made me wonder how many people OLDER than 18 actually want to come drive tiny cars around a track.  I'm guessing not many, and they're all 19.  

This was fun, but will definitely be more fun when they're a bit bigger...Hayden had no problem jumping in the car with her Daddy, but I noticed her gripping the side of the car with both hands every time they drove past me.  I think it made her a little bit nervous.  I asked her if her Daddy was a good driver, and she said, "He was okay."

Fun times with my tiny people!  

We be jumpin'...

So we just sold our house...or I think we did.  I guess there's always a chance they back out at the last minute, but barring that, I think we sold our house.  It's bittersweet, because this is what we wanted....but on the other hand, we've been here for so long....I was pregnant with the twins in this house, and this is the house we brought Livi home to.  It's going to be sad to leave....
So with that (pitiful) thought process going on in my head, I have decided to document on film our last few weeks in this house.  I don't take enough pictures of my own kids as it it....this project will fix that!  Last night we were all out in the backyard playing, so I ran inside to grab the camera....I want to be able to always remember how little they were in this house...and the fun we had here.

On another note, this trampoline might have been the best thing we have ever purchased for our kids.  They love it.  Like really, really love it.  Like love it so much they want to jump on it when it's pouring outside and there is lightning and thunder.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a fun little holiday.

Cale wanted "big suckers" to give his friends for their valentines, so that was easy.  

Sissy wanted "pink heart cookies with icing and sprinkles" which was a bit harder but totally okay.

I have no problem with making these...the babies love them so much!!

I had a little fun with some cute valentine's themed shirts for Sis, which she was super proud to wear.

They had a little party Monday at school, and really loved looking at their Valentines.  They were really sweet, too...and shared a bunch of candy with Livi....

who didn't always ask if she could have a piece judging from the candy wrappers I found in random locations the last two days.  

Tonight we skipped the traditional adult Valentine's date and had a family Valentine's dinner.  

Hayden LOVES the cake at Chili's, so that is where we went...yep, super fancy.

Afterwards, the girls picked out a little something at Charming Charlie's, and Cale got a little lego set.  

It was really their lucky day....Mimi and Pope also let them pick out a surprise at Target today, which took forever and a year because getting to pick out whatever you want is too much pressure for a four year old.  

Let's just say there was a lot of mind changing going on.

Anyway, it was a great day....

Hubby was so sweet and got us all flowers, and threw in a spa gift certificate for momma for good measure.  

Really, though....I didn't need anything.....

These three little toots are more than enough!  

Hope your Valentine's Day was as blessed as mine!!!

Snips and Snails....

I'm so excited to have a little boy.  (Of course, I love the two girls too....but I'm glad God decided to give me some of each!!)

This kid is hilarious, smart, and infuriating all in one.  He's such a boy.

He loves on me all day, but tackles Daddy when he gets home.  

He wants so badly to have someone to be rough with, and we make him "play nice" all day.  

How boring.  

What he really wants to do is knock people down, have someone to throw/kick/catch with, build stuff, and make airplane and explosion noises.  

It's funny how he wants to be so rough and tough, but still wants to love on his mommy.

This morning, I told him, "I'm so proud that you get yourself dressed now.  You aren't going to even need me anymore!!"

He answered so sweetly, "Mommy, I still need you for LOTS of stuff."  

(Which is totally true, because when I came to get him, he was fully dressed with his jeans on inside out.)

He still wants to sleep with his light on every night.  If we let him, he's have his overhead light, lamp, and closet light on.  

He doesn't want me to hold his hand across the street.

He loves making "collections" of junk in our backyard.  I found a pile of sticks, rocks, random plastic stuff, and a piece of old hose.  He won't let me throw it out, and insists it's important.

He just started eating like a high school linebacker.  Twice in the last two weeks, I had to order him TWO kids meals at lunch.  Sheesh.  

I love this kid.

P.S.  He calls Elizabeth in his class "Haydie Beth" because that's what we call Sissy sometimes.  It cracks me up.  

My mini me

Livi might look more like me, but this one is just like her mama.  Case in point:  she probably cried ten times today without any reason whatsoever.  She's all about getting the laugh from whoever her audience is at the moment.  She overanalyzes, and picks up on things the other two might not notice.....all those things make her so much like me.  

But one example really, REALLY proves her to be my mini me...after spinning around and around at the playground, she dramatically doubles in half, bending over the dirt and hollering, "I'm about to barf!  I'm going to barf!  I'm going to die!  I'm going to dieeeeeeeeeee!" whereupon I bent over next to her and said, "It's okay, if you need to throw up, just throw up."...with which my sweet child responded:

"Nope.  I'm okay."  and was off and on to the next source of entertainment.  

I think those who know me well will concur, this kid is just like her momma.  

Around here lately....

I've got a girl big enough to work on the computer alone.  (and a boy too, while I'm at it)  These two are so smart, it kinda makes me think twice about waiting another year for kinder.  (But not really, because I KNOW how great that extra year is going to be for them!!)  

Sis acts so big sometimes it's scary.  I really understand the phrase "Four going on forty" now.  She's just really, really wise for her age....and it makes me proud, and really cracks me up.  The things that come out of her mouth are hysterical.  Case in point, car conversation the other day....

Me:  "Let's pick up Wendy's for lunch."

Cale:  "Can we play on the playground?"

Me:  "No, Wendy's doesn't have a playground."

Cale:  "Why not?"

Hayden:  "They just don't.  We should talk to the manager."

Cale:  "Managers don't build playgrounds!!  Workers do!!"

Hayden:  "Where are the workers?"

Cale:  "They live in their worker apartments!  They do work, and then go to their apartments and come out again when they feel like it."

Hayden:  "Mommy?  Do workers live in apartments?"

Me:  "I guess.  Apartments, houses, wherever."

Hayden:  "Hotels, too?"

Me:  "Yeah, probably hotels too."

Hayden:  "I'm never taking another bath again."

Um, okay.  That might go down in the books as the most random discussion I've ever had with my children.  THAT is hands down the funniest part about having kids.....the stuff they come up with!  

Disregard general disarray of laundry/computer room...it looks much better now.  Instead, look at adorable, loyal family dog.  Cute, huh?

I called Cale to dinner the other night and found this little parade of animals on the floor where he'd been playing.  I don't know why I thought this was so adorable it needed to be photographed, but I did.  He is at the funniest stage.....very absorbed in the things he loves.  He will get going doing something like this, and work at it for hours.  His imagination is ridiculous.  

And then there's this one.  (Notice that she's messing up the adorable animal parade arranged by her older brother....sigh.)  This baby is just a sweet blob of human perfection.  I can't hardly stand it, she's so cute.  She says crazy things all day, but refuses to use the potty. (still)

Today's discussion went like this:

Me:  "Hey, if you'll start peeing and pooping on the potty, Mommy will buy you your own ride on."

(This has been in the works awhile because our John Deere thing is a two seater and that means someone is always standing alone in the yard screaming while two people cruise around laughing.)

Livi:  "A pink one?"

Me:  "Sure!!  You can have what ever color you want if you poop on the pot...is it a deal?"

Livi:  "Mommy, what does a goggie say?"  (Total diversionary tactic!)

I guess she's just not ready to do it.  Oh well.  I made an attempt again this week. 

And that's what's going on around here this week....

Watch out Dorothy Hamill!

Last year my sweet uncle gave the twins gift certificates to go ice skating.  I knew then that they were WAY too young to go, and there would just be a lot of falling down and crying, so we held off on skating and waited a while.  A few weeks ago we decided to see how it went...

While Daddy and Uncle Clint skated with the twins, I sat in the lobby with the tiny one....

....who ate her weight in nachos.  Hey, something had to be done to entertain this one for two hours!

When Daddy first got out on the ice with Bubby, I have to admit I laughed so hard I wet my pants a little.  This was hysterical in a way that you would never understand had you not seen it firsthand. 

He looked like a sack of potatoes being drug around an ice rink.  What was even funnier was watching my husband try to ice skate while folding himself in half and drag the kid around by the armpits.  Plus, you could see Cale hollering directions at Daddy while he flopped all over the place.  Hilarity!

Finally, success!  After a few trips around the rink, he caught on and had a great time!  I think he'll do awesome next time we go...

Sis, on the other hand, gives Brian Boitano a run for his money.  This kid was jumping on the ice, turning circles, and generally acting like she'd done it four hundred times.  I'm getting some pressure from the family to sign her up for ice skating lessons, but the rink is at 1604 and 281 and I'll be honest....I hate that area and the traffic and that is what's holding me back.  For now, she'll have to use her mad athletic skills at gymnastics class.