Catch-up post - Elsie's Birthday

Elsie's birthday was clear in January, but I'm feeling motivated to catch everyone up on our not-so-eventful, but very busy lives.  Elsie turned 4, and as many of you can guess, she wanted a princess birthday party.  I made felt crowns for each of her friends she invited, and we played fun little princess games.  It was a lot of fun!  Here are some pictures:

  

Yes, these girls are all Elsie's age, or there about.  What she lacks in height, you can see she makes up in spirit!  They had a blast dressing-up in our accumulated 2nd hand costumes.  

 

The picture above left needs a caption to explain that the funny figured cake  is an interpretation of a pink castle.  I was a bit tired and 3 or 4 months pregnant at the time, so I simplified as much as Elsie would let me.  She was quite excited about this cake, and that is what matters!

That evening we got together with another family and grandparents and had a small family party.  It's pretty cute, every year Elsie wants to invite my dear friend Stephanie to her birthday party with all her other friends.  Stephanie is so good to give Elsie her undivided attention for a time whenever she comes over.  Elsie loves it!  She had a fun birthday, and got lots of princess accessories to keep her going for a while.  The below picture goes out to all those moms who work so hard making their children's birthdays special.  It is a lot of fun and rewarding, but also very exhausting! Happy Birthday Elsie!!!

Elsieisms

Elsie is a very funny girl. As I have mentioned in past posts, she is ALL girl. A very different breed from my boys. I guess I shouldn't be sooo astounded, because, after all, I AM a girl. However, Elsie thrives off of being called "Princess" and goes around all day dressed up as a ballerina. She loves flowers in her hair and the colors pink and purple. Every day there must be a considerable time allocated to coloring. It can't just be any coloring page though (and thank goodness to google image), it must be a unicorn, a princess _____, a ballerina, or a baby _______ (you can fill whatever animal you'd like in the blanks).
This girl can play all day long, and lives in her own world, where everything is quite pleasant. I have seen her play with colored pencils for over an hour. She did stop for a moment to ask me if I had helmets for all of them. She has got a great imagination and draws Kimball into her play all the time. Together, they terrorize the house on a daily basis.
The other day I took her into a hair salon to buy a present for a friend. While we were there, Elsie saw someone getting her hair highlighted. The conversation went as follows:
"Mom, what was that lady doing?"
"Well, she was getting her hair dyed."
Elsie - "Why was she getting her hair dialated?"
I suppose we've taken much more trips to the eye doctor than the hair salon. I respond, "Dyed. Some people don't like the color of their hair, or they get tired of it, so they change the color."
Hmmmm. This gets Elsie thinking. I buckle her up in the car, and she is quite for a few minutes. Then she asks, "Mom, do WE dye our hair?"
Curious where this is leading, I cautiously say, "Well, Mom doesn't, but lots of people do, and that's fine."
Then I get this desperate response, "Mom, can I dye my hair pink because brown just isn't my favorite color!!"
Ohhh, dear. I held in the laughter because Elsie was a bit concerned, and told her maybe when she was older.

Grammy and Poppy

I just had to include these photos. Whenever my mom comes to visit, I have to fight for my time with Elsie. I think she assumes Grammy is coming to see specifically her. They love and appreciate each other. Thanks for your visits!

Here is another random picture. The only snow we've gotten so far this year happened in November. Since then it has been a green Christmas and a spring January. What is going on?

Happy Birthday Kimball!

Kimball turned 2 on October 28th. When our kids turn 2 they get a toddler bed. This was well past time for Kimball. He would lay on the top part of his crib when he woke up and holler for someone to come get him. It was a very precarious situation. He never did try to jump down though. He loves his new room with his alligator bed and zebra horsey to ride. Mike found this horsey at a second hand store. We thought it was a great $5 addition. He is very protective of his stuff, as only a 3rd child can be.

I had no idea what the kids could get Kimball, plus there wasn't a lot of time to shop. So, we improvised. Peter and Elsie gave him toys they felt like they could part with. Kimball loved them and to this day there is no question as to whose they are. He had a great time opening the presents and is still hording them in his room to this day.

Kimball is a spitfire. His language is developing very quickly and he uses it to its fullest potential to tell us exactly what he wants or how he feels. If we don't catch on quick enough, he immediately picks a fight. It doesn't matter how much bigger one is than this tough kid, he'll let you have it if you don't act fast enough to a request. He has a great laugh and uses it often. He thinks the silliest things are hilarious. As a 3rd child, he idolizes his older brother and sister and learns so much from them. He is mischievous, and between him and Elsie, I am always skeptical about their innocent play. We are so happy to have Kimball in our family. He brings extra love and lots of fun.

Halloween

How did this holiday slip by without a picture of my kids in their costumes? Maybe it was Elsie changing her mind 5 minutes before the Halloween party, and frantically trying to pull a princess costume together. I don't think I have a great excuse though. Just picture it in your mind: Elsie as Princess Elsie, Peter as a skeleton, and Kimball as an adorable pumpkin. We did get some excellent pumpkin carving pictures though. Peter did his own pumpkin carving, Elsie was her own designer, and Kimball was a ferocious drawer. Check out the pics.


It was fun and Elsie even won a prize for her pumpkin at our church Halloween party. Peter was about as proud as Elsie was for her. It was a fun holiday with lots of candy!

Our new artist

At the beginning of the school year Peter entered an art contest at his school that represented what diversity meant to him. He drew a pictures of 2 Native American Indians using oil pastels. He did a great job. I liked how colorful and blended their faces were. To our surprise, he ended up getting 1st place. We were all really happy for him. Hopefully this will give him a reason to sit down and challenge his creative skills a little more.

1st: Autumn

I know, I know it's already 2012 but this is my blog and I can write what I want to. It has been ages since I've written anything, so I thought I'd backtrack a bit. Don't worry, you'll love it, I'm sure. I must include some great pictures my talented sister Michelle took when her and Becky and the rest of her family came up to visit in October.
I just love Peter's face in this picture - he's having sooo much fun on this hike and enjoying the company of his totally cool Uncle Micah. Peter was telling Micah-inspired jokes the whole time - i.e. (said in a thick accent) "In the Soviet Russia the sticks walk you."
I had Michelle to help me keep an eye on this little guy. He sure loved the attention as well.
As always, Elsie had a blast with her BF and cousin Eden.


Take a close look at those hands. There was sticky marshmallow EVERYWHERE. I do not advise the extra large marshmallows. They are way too hard to eat and not parent or kid friendly at all.
Can you see the motion in this picture? Our "hike" and campfire were a lot of fun and very beautiful, but as always, a lot of work. In the end though, we made some great memories and was well worth it. Thanks Becky for bringing your family and Michelle up here and having fun times with us!