Easter Pictures

Some pictures for a certain grandma missing her babies...






Ian shows Laurel how to open Easter eggs.

A little Easter love.

Zonked out while traveling to Maricopa.

















Dreaming of jellybeans.
















Older cousin, Allison, made sure everyone lined up by height for the Easter egg hunt.







Ready, set, go!











Sprinkler fun needed to cool the kiddies down.









Laurel likes to jump like the Easter bunny.












No Easter would be complete without a little hot tubbing.

Natural Consequences: My Turn

Ian is desperate to retrieve one of his dump trucks from the backyard. I allow him outdoors to accomplish this task. Laurel and I peer out the windows, amused by Ian's tactics in trying to find his truck. After a few minutes, he is frustrated in not locating it. I instruct Laurel to stay inside while I join Ian in his quest.

After thoroughly searching the yard together, Ian and I conclude the truck must still be inside, possibly in his room. Together, we walk to the patio door. Ian turns the door handle and pushes, but the door does not budge. He tries it again and again, but the door remains steadfast. Offering support, I comment, "Ian, remember the handle is tricky. You have to turn it all the way first and then push the door."

This time I try opening the door. As I push against it, I can hear the distinct sound of metal hitting metal from the deadbolt cylinder. My heart stops as I look down and see Laurel on the other side of the glass door reaching for the lock. I flashback to a day about two years ago, when Ian had locked me outside. Learning my lesson, I usually take the house keys with me in case of such an emergency. Today, well, I am feeling just a bit stupid.

I yell through the glass, "Laurel turn the knob all the way around."

She gets up on her tiptoes and reaches for the knob. She turns it, but it doesn't rotate enough to unlock. "Keep turning it!" I urge her.

Laurel turns it the wrong way. "No, Sweetie. Turn it the other way."

She tries again and again, but without any luck. Ian asks, "Why won't Laurel open the door?"

"I don't think she can turn the knob all the way around, Honey." Then the light bulb goes off in my head. Laurel doesn't have enough leverage to reach the knob.

"Laurel, go get the stepstool."

She continues reaching for the lock. "No sweetie, first go get the stepstool."

Finally, she stops messing with the lock and trots off hopefully to get the stepstool. I squint through the glass and watch her retrieve it. She places it next to the door and climbs up. A few more sets of instructions and then, click. Oh, what a beautiful, heart-revitalizing sound.

Quickly, I push open the door in the small gap between it and the stepstool so Laurel is unable to accidentally lock us out again. Whew, another close call. Mental note: Always take the house keys outside with me no matter how short the stint, now matter how quick the task.

Natural Consequences

As parents, we try to protect our children from harm and teach them about possible dangers that lurk in our world. Hopefully our repeated chants sink into their ever growing brains. "Don't touch the stove, it's hot. Stay on the sidewalk so you won't get run over by a car. Pat the dog gently or he may bite."

Unfortunately, there are dangerous situations we parents may have overlooked, and curiosity will overpower any lessons taught.

Ian screams from the top of the stairs. They are nonstop shrieks that get my immediate attention. I race up the stairs and quickly look him over for any signs of injury. I see none. It takes me a few moments to calm him down enough so he can give me any sort of explanation. Between deep breaths, he sobs, "You should not leave the light on. The light hurt me."

My brain races with possible interpretations. He's oddly holding his hand. I look it over and find no cuts. It seems like an eternity before I figure out what Ian is trying to tell me. I remember having seen Ian and Laurel touch the hallway light that is just above the baseboard and behind a piece of translucent plastic. That gets warm, but if he just now touched an actual light bulb, that would be hot enough to burn his skin.

I rush him to the bathroom and immerse his hand in cold water. Within a minute he calms down. I look at his fingertips, and see a white blister forming at the end of his middle finger. "Ian, did Laurel touch the light too?"

"Yes, mommy."

I call Laurel to me and look her over. On her index finger a white blister is forming. I get the step stool for her to stand on and have her dunk her hand in the water also. Why she didn't cry is beyond me.

Upon further investigation, I find out that Ian and Laurel were reaching down between the staircase slats to touch the light bulb in a lamp. Evidently, this was a case of both curiosity killing the cat and monkey see, monkey do.

I discuss the circumstances with the two of them. "Guys, do we touch lights?"

"NO! Lights are hot and burn," yells Ian.

"No, Mommy. Ow, ow, ow," remarks Laurel.

No further lecturing is needed. My two curious kittens have learned their lesson. Some time spent in cold water, a band aid and a kiss alleviate their pain.

Later that evening, while Ian sits on the potty, he states, "Mommy, now I have to earn some more money to buy a new finger!"

Highland Games - Year 3

This post is for my Mother-in-Law Ann, better known as Grandma Ann. Some of you may remember that she received a double lung transplant last year. This year, she was looking forward to attending the Highland Games, however she unfortunately caught Ian's and Laurel's nasty cold and had to miss it yet again.




Paul helps the kids pose for a picture.

Hand in hand - too sweet!

Our wee man loves his kilt!

Our bonnie lass loves her "Princess dress," as she calls it.

A kilt isn't going to keep Ian from climbing...

...and playing.

Laurel follows Ian's lead.

Going up, up, up...

...and then down...

and down.

Now, that's what I call an ice cream cone!

Ian had to get one with pink on it. Unfortunately after only a few licks, it toppled over, hit his sleeve and landed on the ground. Oh yes, there were tears.

Sweet Laurel was willing to give up her cone to Ian in exchange for Mommy's strawberry shake.

Ian eats this cone more carefully. You can see the pink residue from the last cone's fall on Ian's sleeve.

The day ended with a fun train ride for the kids. I think each car was made from a keg of beer.

Letting My Guard Down

I am in the kitchen making yet another meal (honestly, I feel like I spend half the day in there). Ian is noisily playing with his cars in the living room. Laurel runs to edge of the upstairs landing and yells, "Mommy, don't come upstairs." She then quickly turns her little body and runs back into the upstairs hallway.

A little red flag goes up in the back of my mind. "She's definitely up to something," I think to myself. But considering all the raw chicken goo on my hands, I decide to finish my task.

A minute later, Laurel again runs to the edge of the stairs and yells down at me, "Mommy, don't come upstairs!" and turns tail to return to her adventures.

"Oh yes, she's definitely up to no good," I mutter.

But alas, I am still covered in chicken goo, and quickly try to finish the prep work for the meal.

A third time Laurel runs to the edge of the stairs and commands, "Mommy, don't come upstairs!"

Finally, I am able to wash my hands and run up the stairs to investigate my daughter's evil doings.

Looking in her bedroom, I find nothing. Looking in her brother's bedroom, I find once folded socks, underwear and pants thrown carelessly from his dresser drawers, but no Laurel.

With a heavy sigh, I check my own bedroom. My bedroom is void of my little gremlin, but little giggles are heard from my bathroom. I walk in and find she has emptied my makeup drawer. All the little containers and tubes are now lined up neatly on the edge of the bathtub.

Lesson learned, I will keep my bedroom door locked. As for Ian's room, his clothes will just have to fend for themselves.

Girls' Day

Today, Ian went to the mountains with Grandma and Papa to visit Great Grandma Eva. Paul works today, leaving Laurel and I to do as we pleased. Laurel's first request was to watch Teletubbies. This was a treat since Ian typically vetoes it when we chose a program to watch.


Laurel's next request was to paint, so I had her make some birthday cards for us to give beloved family members. We have lots of birthdays to celebrate in March and April.





Some lunch, a nap, and then we were ready to dress up. Laurel received a trunk full of princess outfits and accessories for Christmas. She loves to put on the jewelry, but had yet to wear an outfit. I decided to put on one of my fancy dresses, hoping she would follow suit. It worked! Isn't she beautiful?



Afterwards, she must have felt that she needed to prove she isn't a girly girl, so she grabbed the toy toolbox and set to work fixing the front door.


We ended our day by taking a walk around the block. She loves to wear Ian's Mickey Mouse Ears. It's so funny that she knows who Mickey Mouse is, but has only seen him in a show once about a year ago. Once she has her hat on, she grabs my keys and is ready to go.









Along the way, we have to stop and smell the wildflowers.






I love to watch her try to balance on the edge of the sidewalk, treating it almost like a balance beam.



A tradition on our walking trips, is for Ian and Laurel to bang every passed street light with their hands. Today proved no different.





Laurel, thank you for a wonderful day full of memories.

Independence on His Own Terms

Do you ever pause a moment and think, "How did we get here?"

I'm in the kitchen heating a can of soup, when I hear Ian bark an order to Laurel. "Laurel, read a book to me!"

"Okay, Ian."

Her sweet voice comes from the bathroom. My curiosity piqued, I walk to the room in question. There they are, Ian on the toilet and Laurel reading to him. Ian's patience with his sister's attempt at reading expires, and he grabs a book of his own. It's a sweet moment, one that I must capture on camera.



Then the thought occurs to me, "Weren't we battling potty training with Ian just yesterday?"

No, it wasn't yesterday, but last October when I was quite discouraged. It was our second attempt at helping him gain more independence from diapers, but he was still not ready. Paul and I decided to put the potty training on hold until Ian showed he was ready and would take the lead.

That day came. The Friday before Christmas, as I removed Ian's nighttime diaper, he informs me, "Mommy, I want to wear underwear."

A bit leery of him possibly not having any follow through, and me having to clean several more accidents, I hesitate before I respond. I tell myself to have faith in my child. I smile up at him and say, "Ok, Honey. Run up to your room and go grab a pair."

I can still hear his footsteps as he excitedly ran up the stairs and into his room.

Paul and I were a bit apprehensive about the timing of starting the pottying process since there were a couple of family parties to attend and my three nieces were coming over to spend a couple of days and nights with us. We didn't want to use diapers or Pull Ups at all since they seemed to only be a crutch and hinder any success. Underwear it was, and we let Ian take the lead.

Ian has not worn a diaper since that day, not even for naps or nighttime sleeping. I think maybe the first three mornings he woke up soaked, but none since. There has been an occasional accident during the day, but only little trickles where he caught himself and ran to the bathroom.

We still remind him to use the bathroom, especially before car trips and bedtime. He has yet to learn how to keep his pants on while sitting on the toilet and how to wipe himself clean, things only essential for starting preschool next year. But man, oh man, he is diaper free! Oh how proud we are of our little man!

Sick

Ian has passed his cold on to Laurel and Paul. Runny, red noses and deep wet coughs, just lovely stuff. They are all miserable. Somehow I have managed to ellude this virus so far. Paul thinks I have a superior immune system thanks to eleven years of exposure while teaching.




Poor guys. You know they're sick when they refuse to eat cookies and ice cream. It's heart breaking, absolutely heart breaking.

Setting Limits

See this picture? Ian is extremely sad. But, aha, he's getting a lesson in planning ahead.

We are at a park having a picnic. Both Ian and Laurel are eager to finish eating so they can attack the playground equipment. Ian declares, "I'm finished."

His sandwich is only half eaten, and he has barely touched his carrots or chips. Paul and I comment, "Ian, you will not be able to eat later, so you must finish your lunch now. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I'm done. I want to go play."

I really don't want to argue with him and force him to eat, so I view this as a learning opportunity. We allow Ian to make this choice, and off he heads towards the playground. Laurel is soon in hot pursuit, but being a faster eater, she has already consumed twice as much as Ian.

The two of them have a great time running, climbing and sliding. All too soon, it is time to head home. As we load our little family into the van, Ian asks, "Mommy, can I eat the rest of my lunch now?"

I cringe as I hear the inevitable. Sadly, I respond, "No, Ian. We already ate lunch, but you can drink your water."

"No, mommy, I want to eat my lunch!"

His voice starts to go up an octave, and his breathing gets heavier.

"I'm sorry Ian, lunch time is over." And with that, we buckle up the the kids and drive home. Ian's cries for food continues. Paul and I try our best to not respond. Many thoughts cross my mind about being a bad parent because I am starving my child. As doubt sets in, I look to Paul for reassurance. He looks at me and shakes his head. I take this to mean I should not give in.

Ian continues to cry for about five minutes, and then relaxes. We start to talk about the fun things we did that day and sing some songs. The moment has passed, but hopefully the lesson has stuck. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

Cough, Achoo, I Love You

My poor wee man has a Valentine's Day cold. Watery eyes, runny nose, and lots of coughing encompass his world today. Sometimes he tries playing with this beloved cars and trains, but he lacks the energy to pursue his imaginary worlds for longer than 10 minutes. After two minutes of trying to make a Valentine's Day Card, Ian announces he is finished. We read, and read, and read, but now it is only DVD's he asks for. We already watched Toy Story, and have just started Cars. I really, really hate to even complete one movie in a day, and here we are starting movie number two. Sigh.

So here I am, asking you wonderful parents and caregivers of the blogosphere what you do to entertain your children when they are sick. Books, drawing/crafts, TV, and sleep aside, what else entertains your children when they are feeling under the weather?

Crafting and Snow Fun Weekend

We had a fun packed weekend. Saturday, the kids made Valentine's Day crafts at the Arizona Youth Museum. You know it's a good time when there's paint and glitter glue involved. Laurel and Ian got to make placemats, heart shaped finger puppets, flowers, and a couple heart posters.















Surrounded with fun art activities, and what draws their attention? The magnetic letters on the white board of course!












Sunday, we drove up to Flagstaff. After a three hour drive, we reach our destination and get to play in the...









SNOW!!!

Chair Fun

Screech. Screeeech. SCREEEEEECH!

I pause from loading the dishwasher and find Laurel dragging the chairs around the dining table. They resist against the tile floor and complain quite loudly.

"Aw, Laurel, are you redecorating the eating area?" I comment.

Too busy to answer, she continues moving the chairs around. SCREEEEEEEEEEECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!

All the chairs are now corralled together on one side of the room. She squeezes her little body between them and climbs onto the one in the middle. Proudly she sits there, looking between the slats of the chair.



Paul walks over to observe our little criminal. "Laurel, you're in jail!" we both laugh.

"I in jail." Giggle, giggle. "Mommy, Daddy, I in jail." Giggle, giggle.

She plays a bit, sitting in different positions, getting up on her knees to look over the top of the chair, of course then standing. "No, Laurel. Sit in the chair," both Paul and I chime.

Quickly she sits and places her hands through all the openings between the chair's slats. Laurel again tries sitting different ways and directions. Then, in the blink of an eye, the novelty wears off, and she escapes.

Cupcake Craze

I love to bake. There's something very therapeutic about mixing some ingredients together, watching them rise and bake, sometimes adding some frosting or, joy of all joys, adding sprinkles, and then tasting the hopefully deliciously sweet results.

So far, I've limited myself to cookies, brownies and other bars, and boxed cake mixes. It just wasn't enough. Suddenly, I found myself searching Google for cake recipes, you know, the ones from scratch. In my search, I kept coming across dedicated cupcake blogs. The thought of making already individually prepared little cakes, each one perfectly frosted, is intriguing. Oh yes, I am hooked.

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I find myself craving strawberries, thus the search for the perfect strawberry cupcake and frosting began. As we know in our internet searches, there are so many sites to choose from. Well after much skimming and head spinning, I finally decide upon a recipe that makes the cupcake and frosting using fresh strawberries.

Recently, I've become obsessed with the idea of using cake decorating tips. I love the pretty swirls that adorn the cupcakes I see at the supermarket. Without much knowledge on the subject, I blindly purchase a tip. My husband later informs me I should have also purchased a tip coupler. Oh well, I decide to pop the tip into the cut corner of a Ziploc bag and just go for it.

Here's the end result:



Pretty, but alas, only okay tasting. The frosting is much too sweet. I kept adding more and more confectioner's sugar, trying to thicken the consistency so I could pipe it. Sigh. The cake itself is more like a muffin, kind of heavy. Hmmm, perhaps I'll try a different recipe. So many recipes, so little time. Happy baking!

Walkin'

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