White Flag

I just got on to blog. I gave myself permission to blog after playing 2 rounds of go fish with the girls.  Finally, sitting down with the computer and telling myself to blog despite the girls constant chatter that will no doubt interrupt my writing, Andi wakes up.

I guess my blog about The War on Moms will have to wait.  This whole moment -- for me -- is full of irony.

Easter

Within minutes of Grampa's arrival, the girls had him outfitted in Minnie Mouse ears, coloring on the floor with them. Then we shot off to gymnastics and back home again so mommy could get out the door to work.  Grampa held the fort down til Daddy got home.

Saturday we headed to Noodles then off to Ikea with the three little bears grampa to pick up an umbrella for the back deck.  Grampa enjoyed testing out every single chair until finding the Poang chair which was just right. 

Home from Ikea so people could relax for a bit, I spent time prepping the Easter baskets and plastic eggs then we headed out for a couple of pizzas and a trip to Menards.  Andi was frequently Grampa's little partner and had a lot to say to him the whole time he was here.

 
Easter Sunday the girls were up early -- but not mommy who stayed up late the night before making a few items for our Easter day feast:  batter for buttermilk pancakes,  the baked beans that her grampa used to make, and chocolate cake with a raspberry filling covered in fresh-made chocolate whipping cream.  The late night paid off.  Since we had a ham from the Honey-Made Ham Store that was ready to go, mommy could pretty much enjoy the long awaited sunny, warm weather that greeted us on Easter versus staying inside and cooking all day.

Awake and ready to find what the Easter bunny brought

Ella discovers her loot

GUM! Andi got GUM!  Huge pieces of bubble gum which she stuffed in her mouth.  The other treasure -- her very own Barbie!

All 3 girls awaiting their pancakes -- Sophia making use of a new tube of lip gloss -- future diva.

The nice weather made for a nice egg hunt for the girls on Sunday morning.  The Easter Grampa Bunny left eggs all over, including a few eggs on steroids...

Ready, Set, GO!

Grampa collected a lot of goodies and we used those to stuff the eggs and baskets.  Andi had a difficult time keeping up with opening the eggs.  She thought she needed to stop and eat every giant piece of chocolate that she received. Soon the big girls joined her.

Oh Andi, not the whole thing.   If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times "spit it out."

Happy Easter 2011.

ABC Andi at 22 Months

Andi turned 22 months old this month and I thought we could talk about how she is doing with her ABC's.

Andi is able to recite her ABC's for us -- I think she picked that up from listening to the big girls. I'd like to also mention her ABC moment in the back of the car.

Since Andi has been having a lot of resistance to going into her carseat -- I mean resistance to the point that I have been kicked, slapped, bit, and had my glasses ripped off my face and thrown threw the air -- I thought I'd try moving her car seat to the very back of the car where the big girls sit.  I thought that would be fun and new enough that she'd willingly get in her seat.  Instead it just provides more of a struggle as I try to maneuver her to the very back seat.

Back to the ABC issue...

I keep small bags clipped to the back seats so the twins can put garbage in them.  They put sucker sticks, unfinished snacks and chewing gum in the bags, instead of on the floor.    Driving through heavy traffic last week, I had no choice but to surrender to the moment as I realized that Andi was chewing ABC gum from the garbage sacks and eating from a left over bag of snacks.  I realized this as she yelled up, "I chewin' gum mommy!  It's good!"

In addition to her love for gum, Andi has an addiction to chocolate milk which started this month.  She hasn't been a great eater lately, but I suppose that could be because she has spent the better part of the last month sick with fevers, congestion, coughing and rashes. As I write this three of us have a cold, and Sophia is just getting over another round of strep throat.

Not only have has Andi picked up on her ABC's from her big sisters, she also:

• counts to 12
• sings Isty Bitsy Spider (favorite)
• loves to call gramma and grampa on the phone and says "Hi Gramma/Grampa. This is Andi!"
• Asserts when she will go outside. If mommy won't help she says, "Ok. I'll talk to you later. Bye bye." and then proceeds to escape out any door she can.
•  gallops around singing songs, it's like living in a musical show

Just two more months until she technically enters the terrible two's!  (Though I think she entered them nearly six mos ago).

VEISHA 2011

We got home last night from a three day trip to IA where we attended VEISHA events, went swimming in the hotel pool, and wandered around my hometown.  The girls had a good time seeing everyone.  Ella was the most outwardly excited.  The week leading up to VEISHA contained multiple updates from Ella on how many days were left on the calendar until VEISHA.  Unfortunately when we got there, she came down with a cold and the weather was just above freezing, rainy, and wind gusts were enough to blow semi-trailers back and forth on the highway making driving a bit nerve wracking. Sunday, of course, was the nicest of the days with sun and less wind.  There's always next year....

Paisley, our 12 year-old boxer, collapsed last week.  She was put on some meds for an infection and a pancreatitis flare, but it looks like there is probably some sort of underlying liver disease.  She has bounced back, but we weren't too sure if this would be our last time seeing her so we made sure to get pics.  Andi loved Paisley.  By Sunday, I found Andi sitting with Paisley, showing her a stuffed animal, talking to Paisley, then putting the toy on Paisley's back for a ride.  Paisley just laid there.  I'm not sure why we gave Paisley away to my mom and dad when Mocha is the biting dog who dislikes children. 

 The girls love staying in a hotel and Sophia felt the need to pose for a pic.  Below, Ella posed and Andi followed in monkey-see, monkey-do fashion.

 The wind was gusting and despite bundling in our best winter gear, we were all still chilled to the bone.  Ella, who had great dreams of collecting a lot of candy at the parade, left for the car with daddy after 10 minutes, her hands empty of any candy.  The rest of us stayed another 30 minutes -- just enough time to see one authentic fraternity-made VEISHA float -- before we called it a day.

 No ISU parade would be complete without a souped up tractor-pulling club showing off it's work.

 Cy made an appearance

 On the way home from the parade, we drove by Edwards Elementary -- where mommy spent her grade school years.  Peeking in at my kindergarten classroom, it looks so much smaller than I remembered it.

 After we thawed out and had some lunch, we headed to the Vet Med building at ISU for their open house.  The girls got to pet a bunny, puppies, goats, baby sheep and cows, a donkey, and stare eye-to-eye with a couple of owls and a huge hawk.  Andi loved the cats.  I'm not sure where she gets her love for cats, but she is drawn to them.  We got to pet a vet student's 5 month old puppy.  That puppy was huge and is estimated to weigh 180 lbs once full-grown.  And no, I don't have a picture of that beast. 

Andi had hoped to visit the donkey without it looking at her.  When it turned towards her she yelled, "Oh! I'm scared!" and took off running....

 After the parade and time at vet med, we hit the downtown area for Stam Chocolates and a visit to the jewlery store.  Andi was exhausted and took a nap in the chocolate store.

 Ella busted eating her chocolates.  She is holding a geode the jewler gave to her.  The jewler told the twins he was so impressed with their polite behavior that he wanted to reward them and got out his box of geodes and let them choose one.  Talk about a great reinforcer for good behavior.  Way to go girls!

 Everyone is cozy warm with fat, happy tummies full of chocolates. 

 Because we still had energy to spare after freezing at the parade, attending vet med, and shopping downtown, we hit the pool before dinner. 

Okay, so most of us had energy...somebody was missing her nap....

Gross

Sophia didn't like the organic, spicey-hot doritos I bought.  Ella was eating the chips and called to Sophia, "Sophie! Come here! I have a chip for you.  I got all the hot stuff off it."

I told Ella I didn't like her rubbing all the "hot stuff" off the chip and onto the clean floor and as she handed the chip to Sophia, Ella responded,

"I didn't rub it off.  I licked it off."

Gross


I am afraid of worms. I mean, to the point of a panic attack.  I can vividly remember three things from childhood which I believe play a role in my phobia of worms today.

• Gardening with mom and her chasing me with a worm, "touch it! touch it!"
• When mom and dad had a pool put in their backyard, I sat watching the men dig the hole with their equipment. I felt something cool sliding across my foot and looked down to find a worm on my sandalled foot and when I shook my foot, the worm didn't immediately come off.  Oh god. 
• After a rainstorm, all of the second-graders were sent out to the playground for recess, myself included.  One of the bully-jerks decided he would pick up worms and throw them at people.  T-E-R-R-I-F-Y-I-N-G.  One landed in a good friend's hair and became tangled in her hair.  She ran inside screaming to the teacher who was also hesitant to touch it and pull it out.  By the time I caught up with her, they had found the janitor to pull the worm out. 

This past wknd it rained.  The worms came out. It got sunny.  The worms then dried up and died.   Ella carried the dead worms around.  I did not know she was into touching worms and as I was about to touch her arm, I realized she was holding worms.  I screamed automatically which sent Dave running out to find out why I, then the girls were all screaming.

"Don't teach them it's ok to be a pansy-girl."

Pffft.  Whatevah.

Dave will be happy to know that their preschool teacher brought in a tub of live worms to the preschool classroom today so they could pet them, hold them, talk to them -- whatever floated their boats, they could do.

This was all the inspiration my twins needed to un-do the "Don't touch the worms" policy I have at my house.  The twins came home and happily dug in the dirt piling worm upon worm and chatting happily.

It took all I had not to run screaming and crying. Then every whisper of the wind, every brush of fabric on my skin as I moved seemed to be a worm touching me.  My nerves are shot. 

Really. I'm not making that up.  Any of it.  I will cry, scream and run at the sight of a toad, snake or worm.  Can't help it. 

Signed,
Happy to be a pansy

Good Buy on Craigs List -- Just Pictures