More Danger

You can hear Miranda laughing in the background when Elizabeth swings.

How many kids can you fit in a trampoline?

Right at the beginning of our co-op today, all the kids needed to get in the trampoline. And apparently, Sammie had to make an urgent call.

Togetherness

B
Blueberries for breakfast.


Reading together.


Resting on dad.


Miranda and her baby doll.


Reading with Dad.


Watching Wheels on the Bus (for the 1000th time)

Hats

Hats are becoming a big thing around Chez Long. Every morning the kids put on their hats, the baby dolls put on hats, the rocking horse puts on a hat. We need more hats!

Eli Potty Training Update

By the end of Day One, Michael was ready to throw in the towel saying, "she's not ready". He thought this because she peed all of the floor, couch, chair and other places multiple times today only going in the potty twice. And of course, wouldn't you know it, Miranda peed in the potty once at the end of the day. She was so proud of herself.

I think Michael revised his opinion when Elizabeth went pee in the potty four times before naps today. Twice after getting up, once with daddy, and once before naps. And yes, one accident with daddy too.

She is totally ready and can actually hold it in for a while already. And she doesn't like being in wet underwear. All great signs.

So, with day 2 half way over, things are looking pretty darn good.

Eli Potty Training-Day One

We started potty training Elizabeth today. All that means is that she is not wearing diapers when she is awake. Which she loves. So far, on day one, she peed 5 times, but only once in the potty. She peed on the rug. The rug in a different place. A chair. And near the train table. Each time, she tells us she is peeing by saying, "Pee pee". Michael, mistakenly, thought she was telling him she had to pee, but was brought back to reality when she was immediately standing in a pool of liquid.

She's being a real trooper about the whole, sitting on the potty when asked to and not freaking out at all. I think she is doing great for day one, but only time will tell. We could abandon this whole thing (like we did with Parker the first time).

Miranda hasn't even noticed what is going on and is only more than happy to go poop in her diapers. But, I really can't use the old "Big girls pee in the potty and babies pee in the diapers" since Miranda and Elizabeth are only 2 minutes apart.

One of the less delightful aspects of parenthood

When you're kids come up to you and hand you their boogers.

Washing off the paint

Shy/not shy

Bed Buddies...21 months later

Miranda has taken after her brother when it comes to carrying around her bed buddies.

He was doing it at 21 months old and now she is doing the same thing.

Upside Down with Dad

Dress Up

Amy gave the kids some colorful material for dress up and yesterday they wanted it. Elizabeth was, of course, most excited about the whole thing, but Miranda was also pretty happy. Parker even joined in on the fun.

Naps and Parker

Parker is in the midst of giving up his nap. Some days he doesn't nap. On those days, he gets cranky, whiny, tired and falls asleep during books at 7pm. On days when he does nap (voluntarily or involuntarily), he doesn't actually go to bed until close 9pm (even though we do the bedtime routine at 7:30.) This has been going on for weeks and I've experimented with different situations. Nothing has really worked and he is either cranky in the afternoon or awake at night. In either case, he has been getting up earlier too around 5:40am. So, in addition to all this nap nonsense, he is not sleeping enough at night.

The other day, I asked him if he wanted to nap. He said No. I told him he had to play in his room quietly until the girls woke up. Since he does this anyway, he was happy with this arrangement. About an hour later, he came down stairs to tell me he didn't feel good. I asked if he wanted to lie down with me on the couch. He did. 5 minuter, he was asleep. 20 minutes later, the girls woke up from their nap. We played in their room for a while, but then came out to the living room. (Some friend suggested I only let him sleep for a little bit giving him some nap and allowing him to go to sleep at a normal time at night.) I thought our noise might wake him up. Nope. We banged on instruments, I picked him up. Nope. Nope. Still asleep. I turned on the TV and a few minutes later, with him on my lap, he opened his eyes. Then he peed all over me, him, and the couch. I remained calm, which is more than I can say for him. I took him into the bathroom where we both got changed, but by then it was too late. The crying and screaming had begun. It lasted a long, long time (an hour I would guess) before he was recovered. Man, I'll never do that again. I'd rather he stay up all night then deal with that.

Today, from about an hour after he woke up, he started crying, whiny, and screaming. Neither Michael or I could figure out why or what started it. So with Parker in his room screaming, Dad left for work. Jessica arrived. Parker was still screaming. She left with the girls. Still screaming. I went up and asked him if he wanted to lie down with me. After some more screaming, he agreed. And, guess what, 5 minutes later he was asleep. That was almost 2 hours ago and he is still sleeping on the couch. So much for swim class, mommy and parker day, or anything else. That little guy just needs to sleep.

Ponchos

Elizabeth was pointing at the closet today. So I opened it. Then she pointed to the top. I didn't know what she wanted, so I lifted her up. She wanted these ponchos that she has never seen and never worn. I have no idea where I even got them from.

Nose Blowing

Don't you like the way she stuffed the used snotty tissues back in the box?

Giant Slide Park

Jenna and I took the kids to Codornices Park this morning. It's a park I can't really go to alone because it has the giant slide built into the hill that is very distracting for them and me. Parker hasn't really don't it by himself (until today) and it's too scary for the girls (although they did enjoy some rides down with Jenna.)

Parker, who did not even want to go to this park, had a great time and by the end had mastered dragging the cardboard up to the top and sliding down all by himself. Very impressive.

Watching Mr. Gilly

For a few moments this morning, the house got quiet. I looked in the girls room and they weren't there, so I went back to the living room and sure enough, there they were.

I took the kids for ice cream at Dreyers yesterday for no real reason. The girls split a kid's sherbert and parker had a disgusting flavor called Birthday Cake that was yellow with sprinkles in it.

Afterwards, we walked across the street to this used kids store where I got them some fake cutable fruit, a tin tea set, and a plastic car (the kind that is always at parks that they love.) The toy store was set up so little kids could entertain themselves. And so they did.





Back at home, the fruit was a real hit. Miranda sat for a long time cutting the lemon in half. Parker kept saying, "Daddy will you cut some fruit with me?" Now, with some help from the Fraction book Mom suggested at the library and this fruit, Parker knows Halfs, Thirds and Quarters.

Ring Around the Rosie

Kids are sick. Stuck at home. Finding ways to entertain them.

I spy a monkey

We have a bunch of I Spy books that we got for Parker a couple of years ago and now read to the girls as well. In I Spy Little Letters, each page has 1 or 2 decorated letters, surrounded by doodads that start with the letters on that page. The A page has an airplane, an ant, and an astronaut, among other things, all surrounding the letter A.

When Parker was just learning to talk, he always like to point at the little monkey on the M page, and say Ooh Ooh Aah Aah. I don't remember if I taught or encouraged him to do this, but you could count on him doing it every time.

Last night I was reading this to the girls at bedtime, and was very surprised when we got to M to have them both start scratching their armpits and saying Ooh Ooh Aah Aah. I didn't teach them to do this, so there must be some sort of primal force at work here.

hat

Whatever mood, the hat obliges.

Totally Unrelated

Elizabeth is quite the little nose blower. She'll take some tissue, ball it up, hold it up to her nose, and the blow so hard her whole body shakes. The snot gets out her of nose, but due to her technique, she gets it all over her face. This morning she did it and then dropped the tissue on the ground. I asked her to put it in the garage and she, although she totally understood me, ignored me. So I told her until she put it in the garage, I would ignore her too. I hung out with Miranda and she kept coming over to try to play or be picked up. I repeated myself and she shook her head no. This went on for a good 30 minutes. Then Miranda came to lie down with me. Elizabeth asked to join in and I held firm on the whole snotty tissue on the ground situation. So, she finally went over, picked it up, put it in the trash and then came over to me smiling.

Neither Miranda or Elizabeth say NO (thank god), but they do both say Yes. Well, actually Elizabeth says Yes. Miranda is now saying "Yup!" It started with Yes. Went to Yeah and now is at Yup.

Parker's math is getting more advanced. He was adding simple numbers and then restating equations that he had heard or knew. But now, he is actually figuring stuff out. Today he added 12 and 13 on the fridge and got 25. He did that with other 2 digit numbers as well. I think he is doing it in increments of 1, but who really knows what is going on in his brain.

When I was with Parker at Adventure Playground yesterday, the girls were enjoying some snacks at Susans.

Chutes & Ladders

Rachel had the brilliant idea to bust out the Chutes & Ladders the other night to occupy Parker, and he went bonkers for it. I think we'd tried it when he first got it some time ago, and it went right over his head, but not anymore. Now he gets it and he digs it.

He's played it a few times since then, including tonight when he played with Miranda, and then with me. (He won.)



Miranda thinks Chutes & Ladders is delicious.

Potty Training

As previously discussed, I've started some potty training with the girls. Eli gets it. No question. (So much so that she is trying to copy Parker doing it standing up.) Miranda...not so much. She loves sitting on the toilet like her big sister, but nothing has ever come out and she doesn't really do it on her own. Until today. Kinda.

I took off her clothes to put her in jammies. As soon as she was naked, she took off running for the bathroom. I had to follow her to see what was so pressing. Apparently nothing, as the potty was empty when she was done.

Adventure Playground

I had the day off at the co-op today, so I took Parker to adventure playground where he had a grand time, of course.

Scaling Mount Table

Elizabeth is so bored in our trampoline, toy filled house that she has resorted to trying to climb the dining room table.