Cheetah Day

Well, after our successful Tiger Celebration, I couldn't find nearly as many books or activities to use for the long-requested Cheetah Day, but we made do. After reading the lone book that was available at the library and coloring the obligatory online coloring page, the kids suited up and hopped into the tub for some safari painting. They were supposed to fill the tiles with little brown cheetah spots. Like so.
But, you see, "spots" are a subjective term...

Oh well. Let's just paint the whole Serengeti, shall we?
Then we cut out spots from black foam paper and decorated their door. We're very easily amused. I love when my kids think I'm a genius.
Now, no laughing.

We had learned in our book that cheetahs have to be very strong to be so very fast. Sooooo... (brace yourselves) we went to the basement and worked out with Debbie Seibers. Yeah, baby. It's the return of SLIM IN 6!!! We huffed and puffed our way through the first workout. If I didn't have my 6-year-old shaming me to the finish, I would have quit early on and polished off the bag of Hershey's kisses that was calling my name. I tried a few times to hint that maybe we should "take a break" or something, but Kinley is brutal! She's a 6-year-old Jillian! "Mommy, put that camera down right now and get over here! Come on! There isn't that much time left! You can do it! You'll be so strong! And so glad you did it!"

Easy for her to say. She didn't have to haul the big beastly 7-pound Crew up the stairs on jello legs. I said don't laugh.After we worked out, I was plumb out of suggestions (and energy). But Kinley had the great idea to craft together her own cheetah to give to her kindergarten teacher as (yet another) homemade engagement present.
So far Kinley is digging this no-t.v. thing. Except when Daddy came home and invited her out of bed and told her that if Mommy puts her to bed at 6:30 again, she has his permission to tell me that's not ok. Good thing for me that that she can't really tell time yet.

Crew's Big Day

Saturday was a big day for Crew. In the morning, Mandee came to visit from Idaho. She hadn't seen him since he was 1 and 1/2 pounds, so he looked like a big, hefty chunka chunka this time!Later in the day, his Grover relatives also visited from Idaho. Say cheese!
Snuggling Auntie Kayla. Kayla, in just a few weeks, you'll have your very own Crew-sized little person in your house :)
In the evening, Crew had a really grand, new adventure. Justin and I went on an actual date. That's right, baby. We went out to dinner with Adam, Kayla, Matt, and Kim. It felt so weird, and yet so nice. We laughed and laughed and laughed! We left the Pampered Prince with our gracious neighbors, Karson and Betsy, who took great care of him! He was happy and well cared for and I had a GREAT night out! Crew's unpredictable time is late afternoon and evening, but it seems he was on his best, most charming behavior. Good boy, Crew! Also on Saturday, he was able to sport his brand new... BOOTS!

Because I Turned Off The Computer...

I was able to notice this. So I turned it into a visual shout-out to Papa Ahroon. Hellooooo, Papa Ahroon!
And then finished the job. Please tell me why, oh why did Kinley inherit my stringy, limp, wussy tresses and Tanner got his Daddy's impossible thatch? It took almost 40 minutes to buzz this little pumpkin head.

Now, I've always thought that Tanner had an uncanny resemblance to Curious George, but with this new hairstyle I think the likeness is more striking, don't you?

Eeeewwww...

So many hits, so few comments. Sigh....

Give It Up!

Or... at least cut it down. I decided that I wanted to try to teach Kinley again (and remind myself) that the world doesn't revolve around television, particularly of the cartoon and background noise varieties. So I said, "Kinley let's try something. Let's turn off the tv for one week (except for a a very few, ahem, "important" shows) and see if our week is better or worse. She was convinced it would be "much much much worse, the worst ever." Being older and wiser, I know that this will be a wonderful experience for us all and wasn't daunted by her negativity. Ahhh... but then the princess got me.

Kinley: Ok, Mommy. I'll give up television for a week if you give up the computer.

Touche. Knowing that her observation is just, I promised her that I would cut waaaaaay back (which is why I am frantically blogging this morning while she is at school). It should be an interesting week. I'm sure I'll find 1000 hours this week that I didn't know I had. I'll have to totally shut down the computer when she's home from school, so as not to be tempted beyond my strength to check my email or googlereader.

Sooo... make my self-discipline worth it! Send me emails and leave me lots of good comments so that I'll have something fun to read when she's napping :)

The Favorite 'Do

This is definitely my favorite hairstyle of the moment. I've done it several times and I'm getting a little faster and a little crisper every time. Doing little girl hair is SOOOoooo not my forte, but this has been fun to dabble in. If you see her looking like an orphan around the neighborhood, you'll know I grew bored and gave it up.

But At Least

Even if my creativity with my own hair turns out iffy, at least Kinley's hair has been suuuuuper cute this week. My friend Heather W. taught me the trick of the ponytail twist-through. I've seen it done but hadn't tried it before. She made it look a lot easier than I found it to be when trying it later. But I've practiced a few times since then and I was proud with how this little 'do came out. I tried to copy a hair style that I saw over the weekend.

Sometimes you win and...

Megan: Hey, Justin! I tried something new with my hair! Whaddaya think?

Justin (raised eyebrow, sly smile): snicker, snicker...

Megan: I can't decide if I like it or hate it. What do you think?

Justin (same raised eyebrow, sly smile, head shake): snicker, snicker...

Megan (deflated, especially knowing it's too late to start over): I just wanted to try something new. I was tired of the same old thing.

Justin: But the same old thing looked good. No, don't cry! This looks fine. Really, it does (snicker, snicker, holding sides). No, I'm sorry! Really, it looks good! I just like the other style better.

Watchful

It makes me so happy that Kinley and Tanner love their little Crew so much. The newness and miracle of his presence still hasn't worn off. Every few days when Tanner is gazing fondly at Crew, he sighs and whispers "I miss Dex." So do I, my love. So do I.

Cake Night

On Friday night, we whiled away the time waiting for Daddy to come home from work by baking a cake. Kinley frosted the whooooooole thing by herself, for better or worse :)

The Naked Chef

*Photo of the Naked Chef removed because Daddy got super mad. You're missin' out, LOL!*

Mmmmm... it may not look pretty, but it sure was yummy!

Little Mama

Little Mama, show me how it's done.
Kinley gave me a little lesson on Crew Care and it was so cute that I had to record it. Of course, by the second run-through Crew wasn't so thrilled with all the jostling. And yes, we did have a talk about her using slower, steadier movements and not planting her brother's face in the dirty carpets...

Is This Normal?

Soooo... Tanner has spent the last year or more of his life being a once-a-day pooper. Occasionally it cycled into the same time every day like clockwork. Other times it varied. But it was once a day, very rarely twice.

Now that he is potty trained, and now that he puts his nastiness in the toilet without tantrums and anxiety attacks, pooping in the toilet has become his new hobby! He poops in the toilet just about every single time he sits on the toilet. He tries every single time and is more often than not successful. Maybe it's because I reacted with a party dance and a ticker tape parade the first several successes. Maybe it's because he's your typical boy, obsessed with bodily functions, the grosser the better.

I should just be grateful that he's finally potty trained, but I'll confess that the endless sing-song chant "Mommy, come wipe my bu-uu-um!" that I'm summoned with has started grating on my nerves. I find myself becoming less and less enthusiastic with every swipe.

Princess Hair For The Length Challenged

I've been able to dress up Kinley in some cute 'dos this week, but keep forgetting to take pictures. Here is what we came up with today (boy, there are a lot of tips online if you just know where to look. Thanks for all the recommendations!)

What? You say Kinley's hair is much too short to pull off two fluffy ponytails?? To that, I say... you're right!! So I did six of them! I attached (after the fact) the top ponies to the middle ponies and then curled and fluffed the middle and bottom ponies. In person, they look less like four fluffy ponies and more like two "long and luxurious" ponies.

Crip, clean lines are (obviously) not my forte, but they aren't so glaring in person as they are in the pictures. I just need a lot more practice! I'm willing to do it (for now) since I'm housebound anyway, and she is my only princess. In a few years she won't allow such fancy little fairy 'dos, so I think I had better take advantage while I can!

LACK of Conversations that Makes me Feel Like a GREAT Mom

Mommy: Sorry, Tanner. Now that you are wearing clothes again, I should have mentioned that whole "lift your shirt up when you pee" thing.

Conversations that Make Me Feel Like a GREAT Mom

Mommy: No, Tanner. You can't have your frosty until after you finish your fries.

Conversations I Thought We Were Beyond

I still find myself taken off guard by the lingering perspective of my bigger kids.

Tanner: When you take Crew to the doctor today, will you bring him home?

They too still just can't believe that he is home to stay at last.

Things I Never Thought To Be Grateful For

I was thinking this afternoon that there are a number of things that I find myself being very unexpectedly grateful for:

#1. Poopy diapers. Because his bowels are working. They aren't diseased, they don't have perforations, and he no longer has an ostomy bag. His poop goes in a diaper like normal babies.

#2. Being up at night with a baby. Because I have a baby to be with. It's a privilege and a blessing that I'll never take for granted. Ever.

#3. Being "housebound" with my preemie. Because I don't have to leave my house to visit my baby and I won't be separated from him by the anticipated storms this coming week. I have more time to spend cooking (and eating), and I don't even have to shower every day.

#4. Having a preemie. Because I've been able to love him "in person" much longer than most people. It's been almost 5 months and I still have a newborn. I've gained an appreciation for the fragility and the miracle of life.

#6. A baby crying. Because he isn't on a ventilator that doesn't allow him to cry. He can breathe on his own. He's still so small at 7 pounds that he has retained his "newborn cry" and I know it will be gone all too soon.

#7. Three big, unsightly scars. Because his problems were fixable.

Our thoughts are so often with friends and acquaintances whose babies continue to fight their battles. We pray for the babies we met in the two hospitals as well as a few we have met through our journey online. We pray for those miracle babies every day, that they will be strong and be able to fulfill their individual missions, whatever they may be. We pray for their families, that they will be strengthened and comforted through their successes and disappointments, joys and fears. We pray that they will experience miracles and healing.

We continue to pray for those families whose babies have since returned to our Heavenly Father. We know too many of those. For them, we pray that they be able to find peace in their hearts as they go on. I love a quote that I found on a blog a few months ago, from a mommy who lost her angel too soon. It says "When you have someone you love in Heaven, You have a little bit of Heaven in your home."

There have been a lot of big events this month in our little circle of .... I don't even know what to call us. Some very happy and some very upsetting. I've been eating a lot of chocolate lately. We love these little babies so much, even the ones we've not been able to love in person.

Sometimes You Gotta Laugh

I just read this post from my friend and former roommate, Wendy. Maybe it's just me, but I laughed just too hard.

He's Mine, All Mine

Sorry, the bidding for this little item has closed.

Shoo, Fly, Shoo!

We have a new house pet pest. Ewww...
My thus-far-totally-ineffective plan to rid ourselves of His Royal Ickiness: Search and Destroy.Tanner's new plan: Scare the Fly because "flies are scared of dragons". So far this hasn't worked either, but I have my hopes.

Princess Hair

I was brave brave brave getting Kinley ready for school this morning! I'm feeling so emboldened lately to try new things with her beautiful golden locks! Who knew that you could do such cute things with short, thin, wispy hair??? NOT ME!!

My, How We Have Grown

It's hard to believe that a credit-card-sized diaper was once really big on this tank. When we brought him home from the hospital at 4 and a half pounds, he was in regular preemie diapers (not any of the micropreemie varieties). We moved quickly up to newborn diapers and this week... we're in size 1!

In other Crew News, we saw the eye doctor this morning and his ROP is lingering. Another check in a month and hopefully it will be completely gone.

In good news, he finally pooped this morning. He has been super constipated for a week and hasn't pooped since Saturday. I took him off his supplemental iron drops over the weekend since I can't think of anything else that I'm able to change. I know it can be normal for some babies to go several days between dirty diapers, but it's not normal for Crew. I was starting to get really concerned, wondering if we were going to end up in the ER with backed up bowels. Fortunately, he came through for me (and himself) this morning. What a relief.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

I found a version of this recipe on the back of my box of Stove Top Stuffing. I modified it a little (because I'm obnoxious that way) and it turned out really good, though I prefer the other recent Stove Top recipe just a little bit more. (Tomatoes versus apple pie filling. Go figure.) The whole family said it was very good, though Kinley wants it made next time without tomatoes ;)
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package Stove Top Stuffing
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbs olive oil

Directions:
In olive oil, cook chicken in large skillet until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes each side (I recommend only two breasts at a time in the pan, but don't add more oil with second batch.) When chicken is golden brown, put in the bottom of a sprayed 9x13 pan.

Mix water, tomatoes, basil, and garlic in a bowl. Add stuffing mix. Sprinkle mixture over the chicken. Bake for 25 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees. Top with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve warm.

Meteorologically Speaking

Kinley: Wow, Mommy! You were right! This is much easier the second time!

Mommy: Of course. I'm always right.

Kinley: No, you're not.

Mommy: Yes I am.

Kinley: No. You're really not.

Mommy: Sure I am. When am I ever wrong?

Kinley: Would you be right if you were the weather girl?

Mommy: Huh?

Kinley (turning her nose back to her book with a smug expression): Yeah. I didn't think so.

Snicker, Snicker...

Am I a redneck because I want this bumper sticker really badly? Or just because I want a bumper sticker at all?

It is Done...

One week later, I think I can say that we are "there". It's amazing the difference it makes in potty training when the mark is actually ready and interested. The motivational car approach isn't any different than what we tried (twice) before, but it's currency that has actually worked this time.

He's doing all of his business in the toilet, he hasn't had a wet accident since Tuesday, he interrupts his own play to go willingly to the bathroom, he's been dry every morning and after every nap. I even tested him by sending him to bed with his sippy cup of water last night. That was after a successful accident-free trip to Costco. Say what you want about my Tanner, at least he has remarkable bladder control. This morning's trip to the bathroom was entertaining for all of us bystanders. We consider him some what of a "pee-pee prodigy" now.

I am super proud of him! And, as he tells me all the time, he is so "prouv uh" me too. Because, after all, I pee-pee in the potty just like him.

Go, Tanner!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!

Hair Shmair

About 2-3 times per week I have the time and inclination to blow dry Kinley's bobbed hair with a round brush and curl it under with a curling iron. The rest of the time she generally looks like an orphaned Fraggle.

The Princess regularly covets the fancy up-do's on her cousins and neighbor friends, but I've always shied away from the attempts, convinced they were only possible because their hair was much longer and their mothers more patient and talented in the hair department (that part being true).

Today, I was brave. I tried to sort of, kind of, almost, in a way, as was possible, copy a hairstyle that I saw running around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon (thanks Alyssa and Ella). I think it actually turned out pretty well. It's not perfect (the lack of photo showing the very back was intentional), and it took Forever, but over all I think it's not a bad start for an up-do virgin. Kinley was thrilled with her golden crown of glory.

I'll be lookin' to copy some more hairstyles, so keep all of your girls looking fancy, LOL!