Just For a Little While

This morning I had an errand to run, so I packed all the kids up in the car with a library book to drop in the box out front, because it was on my mind and someone else had requested it.  Of course, Eliana fell asleep on the way home.  It was only 10:30 in the morning!  This tells you how much real sleep she's getting at night, but that's for another time.

When we pulled up in our driveway, Michaela asked if she and Christian could play at the far end of the driveway, closer to where it meets the garage (which is basically our backyard); she wanted to roller blade.  She got new roller blades for her birthday, and wanted to give them a go.  I tried to think of several reasons that this was not a good idea, but she was convincing.  She offered to sweep the driveway clean of all the debris that had collected so that she would have a smooth ride.  She even offered for Christian to help her,"It will be fun if we do it together!"  He chimed in,"Yeah!"

So off they went, armed with brooms, in order to make a clear space for all of the wheels. 

Pretty soon after they had finished sweeping and done a little riding in the driveway, Eliana woke up.  So, we went for a walk around the block.  They had so much fun... 

(Steps?  No problem!  We are a family of creative problem solvers!)

(Freedom...)

  (He looks tough, doesn't he?)

Here, Michaela is expounding on the dangers of the large holes in the sidewalk.  You have to watch out for them, or else...

 

...down you'll go. 

In the short time she's been roller blading, she's come a long way.  It's a good thing she hasn't only inherited my genes.

As we headed home, Christian said,"Take a picture of me!  I'm not going to smile; I'm going to pretend to be scootering." 

He might be pretending, but man, he's convincing!

Then when we got back home, he said,"Now take a picture of me racing!"

Clearly, the winner is...

At this point I was a little chilly so I went inside with Eliana, but the other two stayed out for a little bit...

A little bit turned into all day!  They came in around 4:45 and went straight into a shower.  So I figured out a very simple formula for peace and happiness in our home: 

                                    2  kids + (x)wheels + 1 great outdoors = energy output = quiet house

They really did have a fun day, digging in the back yard, climbing some, having a picnic...Christian popped his head in the door once and said,"Mom!  You are so nice for letting us stay out there for so long!"  That's me...Little Mrs. Nice Mommy.  At least for one day!                                                                                                         

Girls Just Wanna Have Fu-un!

I always wanted a sister.  My brother and I get along great now, but growing up I really wanted a sister, and my parents never would oblige me.

I am so glad that these two have one another.  They have such a special relationship, and I love watching them be so...girly.

Can't you just see them in 20 years, curled up together watching Steel Magnolias or Sense and Sensibility or Dumb and Dumber?  I hope they include me in all the fun!

Going Into the Closet

The other day I got inspired in light of our upcoming move and decided to clean a little in our schoolroom/playroom.  I needed to clear some things out, clean up in general, and try to get some order for packing and moving purposes.  I pretty much trashed the place.  I like to bank on the truth of the axiom,"It always gets worse before it gets better."  And I figure the worse it gets the better it will get.  Right? 

One area I dug into was the closet in that room.  It stored coats, boxes of pictures, frames, the kids clothes, unused rugs, wrapping paper, more kids clothes, a dishpan, a lamp, a tripod, and if you can think of some other weird stuff that might be in a closet and add it to this list, then it probably was in there.  Mike cleaned some of it out while the rest of us were still in Florida, and I got busy on what was left.  By the time I was done, there was a lot of empty space in the bottom of the closet, the hanging clothes were more organized, and I even wiped the floor up with a cleaning cloth.

Not too long after that, though, something happened.  It doesn't take much time around here for an empty space to get filled up with something.  Our mail, some clean clothes, papers from school, groceries, dishes, shoes...this list could go on.  And on.  And on. 

But this time the kids turned that closet into a fort!  And in the time it took for me to get Eliana to sleep they had transformed this little spot into a fun, animal-friendly, artsy, cozy party area. 

Everything was there, from a box of tissues to a basket full of stuffed animals.  There is an extra bag and a balloon.  Scissors, yarn, markers, a horse and a giraffe.  There is even a blanket. 

Their imaginations continue to amaze me...such a tiny nook but a limitless horizon. 

Gourmet Chez Nous

Michaela has been wanting to try out her Girl Gourmet cupcake maker ever since she opened it at Grandpa's and Ms. Susie's.  She asked so pleadingly, so sweetly, and so often the other day that I said okay, and we opened it up and cleaned everything up and got it ready.  She even washed the parts herself.  She wanted to do it, and who am I to stand in the way of someone wanting to wash the dishes? 

We made sure we had all the pieces and read through the instructions first.

Michaela carefully poured out the cupcake mix and then blended it with water, as the instructions instructed...

Would you believe that you then put the batter into a special little cupcake cup and into a special little cupcake baker which goes into the microwave which cooks this cupcake in 30 seconds?  How weird is that?  It actually makes me a little nervous, and I hope she doesn't sprout an extra arm or grow hair out of her bellybutton because she ate this crazy cooks-fast-in-a-microwave cupcake.  My brother would probably have a good rant about this...

But look, here it is, in all its chocolate cupcake glory...

Now, here's the part I really can't believe.  The main point and fun of this cupcake maker is to frost it.  There is a special froster that spins your cupcake around and dispenses the frosting at the same time!  And I forgot to take a picture of her doing that part!  So, we'll have to do that next time.  But here is one happy girl with a sweet treat from sweet grandparents.  Thank you, Grandpa and Ms. Susie, for a special afternoon! 

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