Our Ballerina

We have a neighbor that, before she had children, was a professional ballerina.  She has been so great to give some very low-key lessons to interested neighborhood girls.  Elsie has LOVED them.  I was just asking Mike why we bother buying Elsie clothes, because 80% of the time she is dressed in one of her leotards.  I'm not sure which she likes more - the outfits, or the actual dance.  Here is our little diva.

Messes

Here is a little insight to what my days consist of:

Every morning these two stinkers run around and terrorize the house.  In the above picture, they are 'cooking'.  Apparently they made some tasty stuff.  Let me make this clear, this is no exceptional morning.  This is routine.  They are quiet and non assuming, going about forming piles here, dumping and filling baskets up there, and having a blast.  That's what is so hard about being upset.  They are so busy pretending and having fun, that I don't have the heart to stop them (sometimes).  
So here's my question - are my children without bounds?  Are they out of control?  Do I encourage enough structure in my home?  Otherwise, why would this sort of chaos be so appealing to them?  I wouldn't mind an honest opinion.

More Birthdays

As February and March rolled around, others of us in the family got a year older as well.  The ages will remain anonymous, however.  The day before my birthday I was out late at a meeting.  I came home tired, but as I walked in the door, I smelled something wonderful.  Mike was so sweet and made me my favorite flavor of cake - chocolate, double layers and all!  The sacrifice was especially appreciated because of his somewhat limited experience at baking.  He thought he needed 2 cake mixes if he were doing a 2 layered cake.  I can see how it can be confusing.  Mike cleaned the oven and everything.  I speak the honest truth though, when I say it was one of the best cakes I've ever had!!!  Thanks sweetheart!

Mike also had a birthday.  His cake was much simpler, but a family favorite of his growing up.  It's called lemon punch cake.  I love my mother-in-law for keeping family recipes and traditions fairly simple and practical.  It's been a great blessing!  We had no idea what to get him for his birthday, so we picked out a bunch of fishing lures.  The kids were really excited about giving them to him, but I think we picked out the wrong kinds.  I hope Mike knows how much we love and appreciate him, even though his birthday was a bit lame.  Mike is wonderful, hardworking, thoughtful, and very giving.  He is a jack of all trades, and can fix anything.  He never ceases to amaze me.  Mike is also very patient and kind towards other people.  I think that's why he's so good for me, because I require a lot of patients at times.  He is always eager to do the right thing.  I love him and know how lucky I am!!!!

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.