La La La La, La La La La, Elmo's World!

Emily was two years old and OBSESSED with anything Elmo at the time we bought the Elmo couch. she's since outgrown the desire to want to sit on it, and her brothers have taken over...

("Connor":)"You're funny Jared!"


("Connor":)"Mom, Jared's really funny! See!"


(me:) "Okay boys, smile for mommy!"


(me:) "Hey! I said SMILE!"


(me:) "Smile NICELY!"
(them:) "CHEESE"


"Thanks boys!"

Conversation With Jared

Last night at dinner, we had a very interesting conversation with Jared. It went something like this (I tried to write it down word for word but wasn't quite fast enough, but know that this is pretty darn close, at least!! LOL)

Jared: I like to kiss girls at school.
Dan: You kiss girls at school?
Jared: Yeah, I kiss a lot of girls.
Dan: Like who?
Jared: Um...Audrey
Dan: Does Audrey like it when you kiss her?
Jared: (in a very "duh dad" sort of tone) yeah...she's my friend!
Leah: Do you kiss all your friends?
Jared: No, only Audrey, because she's gonna be my bride someday.
Dan: huh, really? That's nice to know (choking back laughter)

A few minutes go by while we eat and suddenly:

Jared: I'm gonna need to find a house.
Dan: When you're all grown up, or now?
Jared: When I'm a little bit big, like you.
Dan: You're going to have to have a good job to pay for a house.
Jared: Dad! I'm gonna bring the cakes over!
Dan: What is that job all about?
Jared: I bring the cakes over that the girls show people.
Dan: Are you going to bake the cakes?
Jared: NO! I'm gonna bring the cakes over that the girls show people.
Dan: I don't know if that job will pay enough to have a house, Audrey might have to work, too.
Jared: She will.
Dan: What job will she have?
Jared: She'll bring the cakes over.
Dan: You guys will have the same job!
Jared: I know!
Dan: What do you like about Audrey?
Jared: she's gonna be my bride someday

There was some more just general conversation for awhile and then the subject turned to Audrey's mom, who supposedly wears a bow in her hair! Not that I've seen, by the way...

I love having conversations with my children where they are taking themselves really seriously and it's all we can do not to just laugh out loud!!

Jeepers Creepers, Broken Peepers

It was discovered at Em's four year check-up that her vision wasn't quite up to par. A recheck a few months later showed they weren't any better, so off to an optomotrist we went. At that point, we were told she is far-sighted, and that she was right on the line whether to opt for glasses, or wait and see if her vision corrects itself. It was decided to wait a year and recheck at that point (unless we had any concerns earlier). She was seen by our family doctor, and RESEEN (overkill here at this point, eh?) and then FINALLY got to see the optomotrist again. No change from last year, so Emily will be getting glasses. They weren't referred to as reading glasses, but the optomotrist said she doesn't need to wear them outside, or to PE, or at mealtimes; mostly just when viewing books, doing any writing or drawing, etc, so they sound like reading glasses to me!

Here she is after her eyes have been dilated and she's being tested


We took her after school and got her some glasses ordered, and they should be arriving in the next day or two. She REALLY wanted pink, but I was hesitant thinking they would be really PINK on her face, but it's sort of a metallic pink that is actually very subtle on her face, and she looks really cute. We went with the flex frames that have a lot of give, to make them less breakable in the hands ofa five year old. They'll also have really good lenses with a two year scratch resistant coating on them, and if her prescription changes within one year, THEY cover the cost of the next set of lenses. The frames themself have a warranty on them as well. Emily CAN'T WAIT for her glasses to arrive... Be on the lookout for pictures!

Sad Weekend

The weekend started badly with news from my good friend, Carole, that they'd had to put their dog, Rudy, to sleep. Having done that once with a dog of the same name when Jared was exactly 3months old, it brought back a lot of my own sad feelings, on top of feeling sad for my friend and HER loss.

Saturday evening, I get an email from my mother telling me as she was getting out of her car at home after running errands that afternoon, she heard a scream from across the street and ran over to see what was going on. She found her elderly neighbor, Sally (77) laying on the ground in a pool of blood, having fallen from a ladder while staining her house. Her husband, Jim, was inside the house calling 911 so my mom stayed with Sally and tried to keep her still (she was semi-conscious). The paramedics referred to the injury as a "devastating injury" and said they don't usually see people pull through after these types of injuries. We found out this afternoon that a CT scan showed so much damage the doctors weren't willing to attempt surgery and Sally passed away.

And a phone call from my mother this morning informed me that my Papa died sometime overnight (paternal grandpa). It wasn't entirely unexpected, but still a shock and I'm very sad. We had a family reunion in September and I tried to get a picture of all three kids with him. Connor wouldn't cooperate at all, Jared gave up at the last second and is walking out of the picture, but it's a very sweet picture of Emily and Papa. I didn't force the issue overly much assuming I'd have other chances.




Here's the only picture I have of him with all three kids (Connor was 3.5 weeks old)


Emily was very sad because she'd recently drawn him a picture, which we were going to deliver last Friday, but we'd been warned that the flu was going around the nursing home pretty badly so we opted not to go (I have another grandpa in the same nursing home and figured I'd just stop in and visit them both since Emily was out of school for a teacher inservice day). I promised Emily we'd still give it to him, so I guess I'll be taking her to the cemetery at some point because she made me promise I would. It's hard explaining death to little kids. Jared told me he was sorry Papa Sonny died and then asked when he would get better. Oh, the innocence of the young... I take comfort that Papa is no longer suffering. His vision and hearing and mobility had severely deteriorated and I know he was unhappy. I wish he would have lived long enough for Connor to have had some memories of him, but it's unfair to wish an unhealthy existance on anyone for a prolonged period of time for selfish gains... By the way, Emily remembers getting a $1 bill along with candy at Halloween each year from Papa Sonny! I used to get silver dollars as a kid.

Please keep your thoughts with my friend Carole over the loss of her beloved pet, Rudy, and with Jim for the loss of his wife, and with my family as we deal with the loss of a family member ourselves.

This has just been such a sad weekend...

Marshmallow's aren't just for summer-time

In fact, I'm not sure when I've last eaten a roasted marshmallow or a S'more when it WAS summer-time. We did it in December the last time, and most recently, last night...

Dan had a burn pile yesterday afternoon, so while I stayed home with Connor, he took Emily and Jared to the store to buy some marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers. After we had dinner (white trash dinner: corndogs, because I'd forgotten to thaw the chicken breasts...), we went outside to make S'mores and roast marshmallows. The kids had a blast!

Here's the one Jared made for me


Now he's roasting marshmallows for himself


Dan and Connor enjoying the S'mores


Emily roasting some


Didn't their mother ever teach them to take polite bites????


See, proof I was there, too!


Who gave these weird-o's sugar right before bed?!?!

blogger dud today

Due to a wonderful several hours spent at a friends house making cards, I haven't had any time to be creative for a blog entry today, and I have a whiney baby in my lap at the moment, and two older kids yelling for dinner, AND I need to come up with a shape for the shephards' crook Dan is going to make out of PVC pipe for Em's Little Bo Peep costume, SO I have lots to do and no time and I'm a BLOGGER DUD today.

Life's Little tidbits Part 3

STEELERS FUN
Here's Jared in the Steelers gear Dan brought back from PA for him



MESSY/HUNGRY
I'm not sure if this face is more a result of him just being at a messy eating age, or the fact that he was so hungry, once the main food was gone, he stuck his hand up against his face and started sucking the sauce off his palm and fingers!


GOOD SPORT
Grandpa Jeff came over Wednesday to help get our van up and running again (dead battery) and was invited inside to wrestle by Jared.


CLOTHING FUN
When purchasing new pink tights for Emily to have for her ballet/tap combo class, I came across an assortment of FUN tights and couldn't resist purchasing several. This pair is pink/white camoflauge footless tights and she LOVES them!


SIBLING LOVE
Seconds before I took the picture of Emily in her tights, she reached over and hauled Jared into the picture with her


Then she kissed him!


THEN, the baby wanted in on the action



INDEPENDENT
Here's to doing some things for yourself:

Emily painting her own fingernails


Connor attempting to put on his own sock


"OH NO!"
When Connor is being silly and drops something purposely on the floor, I'll put my hands to my cheeks, gasp, and say "Oh no!" and he laughs and thinks it's hilarious. He very recently started putting HIS hands to his face when hears "oh no!" (except it's more that he covers his ears, but he's trying!)


STUNNED
Jared turned around at the dinner table, took a good long look at the porcelain dolls in the display case behind him, then turned around and informed us that "those girls are stunned." I nearly choked on my dinner laughing so hard!


On that same "funny" note, Emily shared a story her teacher told them about a new lip gloss she'd tried from Bath and Body Works and how it felt like it was burning her lips. Emily took another bite of food, chewed, swallowed, and then informed us that "Her lips were plumped." Dan jokingly questioned what other teachers Jared might get when HE'S in K where we don't risk him coming home from school talking about LIP GLOSS! ha ha ha!