Thursday, November 20, 2008

Snow

I love snow. I hate driving in snow. I especially hate driving in snow so heavy I can't see the highway ten feet in front of the car.

It was a long drive home tonight.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Random pictures




Oliver

Lest you think I forgot a child yesterday, here is the last of my kid updates.

Oliver is 9 1/2 months old.
- He has five teeth.
- He LOVES to have his armpits tickled.
- He's starting to cruise around the furniture, and he pushes his sister's princess toy around the house. When he crawls, he uses his left knee and his right foot, so that he's in position to sit/stand whenever he gets to where he's going - I'll have to videotape it for posterity.
- He eats everything he finds on the floor. I vacuum every day, because I HATE to have to dig for slobbery carpet fuzz/dried up food/small toys when he's gagging on them.
- He has an unhealthy obsession with the laptop power cord. It's the best toy in the house, apparently. Oh, how I wish for a new mac with the magnetic power connection, but alas, it is not to be.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Lauren

Lauren turned two in September, and she's been driving me CRAZY ever since! :) She's beautiful and SO SMART, but man is that girl strong-willed!

- She loves to watch Dora the Explorer and Yo Gabba Gabba - these are "mine shows" in Lauren-speak. I bought her a hideous bright yellow Yo Gabba Gabba t-shirt at Walmart last week that she now loves.

- She talks. All the time. And if you don't answer her, she keeps repeating herself 'til you do. At her 2-year checkup, the doctor said that a "typical" two year old knows around 50 words; I'd put her at knowing at least several hundred. She can't say her "l"s, so her name sounds like "warren." :) Currently: where your sketti go? in the mic-wave? you gonna eat it now? my sketti spillin' on mine lap. I get it. I eat with my fingers. you usin' yours fork?

- She also loves to sing. I have a video of her singing "you are my sunshine" which I'll have to upload one of these days.

- She twists her hair around her fingers when she's tired, which has led to great big tangles, and a haircut last week. She looks very grown up now. :)

- her favorite new game is to "wessle" with her brother, who just finished a wrestling program at school and likes to practice his moves on her.

- potty training is not going so well. I thought over the summer that we'd have it done by the time she turned two, but she lost interest. She says "no wear pannees, I want a diaper!" *sigh*

- she's been hitting and pushing Oliver around, and then she says "I mean to Oliver. I sit in time-out now." And she runs to the time-out chair all by herself. Somehow I don't think this is how it's supposed to work.

Matthew

Matthew is keeping busy with school and homework and his friends.
- He seems to have totally adjusted to wearing glasses, and he doesn't really complain about wearing them at all any more.
- He's doing better in school, but I think there's room for improvement. I'm not sure what to do about it, though - I'm usually gone (in class) when he's doing his homework in the afternoons, and we're not getting a lot of feedback from the school about his progress. I think I'm going to just relax about it and see how the rest of the year goes. I know he's a smart kid, and C's in 3rd grade really aren't going to follow him forever. He seems to understand the material, but he's having trouble staying focused more than anything. We're still having issues with him complaining about reading - not sure what's up with that. It worked GREAT when we committed to turning off the tv at 8 every night and everyone read from 8 to 9, but that only lasted...oh...a week? Maybe we'll try that again.
- I finally gave up and cleaned his room for him. I threw away two bags of trash, and put the junk in boxes. Next task, sorting the junk. He has way too much stuff.
-Nothing much else going on in his life. School, homework, and playing..that's about it.

Jen's parenting advice for today

When your small children are driving you crazy, just strap 'em in their high chairs and plop them in front of Yo Gabba Gabba. Tell yourself that it's so you can write the paper that is due today, but instead of writing your philosophy of education, write blog posts instead.

Happy Monday! :)