guilty as charged

Okay...I am totally guilty of something awful. Something extremely, heinously awful.  I would say a crime against these two lil' boogers.

I mean, as a mother, I am supposed to wish the best for my children. I am supposed to want them to be perfect in every way possible.

But really, I don't.  Some of my kids' imperfections just tickles my fancy too much.  There is no way I am going to purposely guide them toward perfection when these little quirks are just so darn amusing.

Wanna know what I am talking about...well...it is all about some of the things Bethany says. 

Seriously, she cracks me up with some of her words. I decided to share with you some of my favorite Bethanisms that I just can't bare the thought to correct. (Of course, while I don't necessarily always correct her words...I always talk correctly around her and don't model incorrect English--well...I don't purposely model incorrect English, but I am not the one here who is a Comm. Arts teacher.)

My Favorite Bethanyisms:

-Strawberry: What she cause bruises, because her first major bruise that she was completely cognizant of was a few months back. It actually did look like a strawberry.  So now, she calls all bruises strawberries. Funny!

-To-mar-ner: Tomorrow.  She's always said it this way. I love it.  If it is just Cory and I around, we typically say to-mar-ner to each other. But we try to say it correctly around the Bee.

-Snoking: Smoking. Hehehehe! Snoking? Seriously?!? If you don't get how cute that is...just say it outloud. Then say something like, "Ew! He's Snoking. That's 'guisting!"  Really...now don't you get how cute that is?

-Snoothie: Smoothie. See above.  Something about that "Sn-" sound that I just get all giggly about.


-'Rupt: Interupt. As in, "Don't 'Rupt, Dad. I was talking to Mom."

-Yesterday: Any Day in the Past.  If you listen to her stories long enough, you'll hear all the things we did yesterday. You'll soon think that yesterday we were crazy, busy people being that you would've heard of like a million things that we did "yesterday" that range from: being sick, going to the zoo, having a birthday party, going to church, and being frustrated. 

So I totally know what she is talking about 99.9% of the time. But  there is the .1% of the time that I am a little puzzled and have to keep asking a million questions to understand what she is saying. (i.e. the first time she said 'rupt totally threw me).  I just wonder what all the other folks in Bethany's life think of when they hear her talk. Hopefully they find it is amusing as I. Or perhaps, it is only me that is an evil, mean mother that finds guilty pleasure in her lil' girl's mishaps!

Checking Up

Owen had his 15 month check up last week.  Disregard the fact that in a week he will be, in fact, 16 months old. That is neither here nor there.  Anyway....I thought you'd like some tibits about our lil' man.

• He loves his blankie.  He has a couple blankies just in case one gets all gooberish.
• He always pees right before being put in the bath tub. Just wait 30 or so seconds...but sure enough he'll pee shortly after being de-diapered.
• He can say a good dozen words or so:  hi, mama, dada, bye, backpack, oh-uh, Up, ni-ni, bath time, ball, book, all done. Plus, he has his own special sort of words for Bethany and drink. Pretty sure...but it is hard to type out.
• Owen loves Backyardigans.  He has several of the songs memorized and can sing along.  He even gets up and dances and spins during their opening and closing credits. Too Cute!
• Owen still loves couches.
• When needing another drink or simply a refill, he will go to the fridge and start tugging at the door.
• Listening is semi-optional for the lil' man. He knows the word "No", but doesn't always obey.  This leads us into the fact the he recently earned his first 'time-out'. He didn't do half bad on the time-out step.
• At his check-up his weight was 25 lbs, height 29 inches, head 20.? inches.  Basically he is average except his head...which of course is largely above average.
• He loves to attack people and give them loving. Lay on the ground and he will be sure to bounce all over ya.  
• He is a sleepy guy. Sleeping 12 or so hours at night with a nice 2 hour nap during the day.
• He loves being silly.

• And we love our silly, lil man!

Bethany on Tape!

So a few months back, right when Bethany turned 3. I asked her a series of questions.  I am going to try to ask her the same questions as she gets older.   Here is a video of her telling me her favorites and what not.


By the way...I totally learned not to let her have anything in her hands while I am trying to hold a conversation with her. That book was a total distraction. Silly Girl!

What’s your name?

I don’t know. 

What do we call you?

Daddy, Mommy and Owen

How old are you?

I don’t know.

What’s your favorite food?

Black

What do you like to eat?

Stickers… Chicken

What’s your favorite thing to play with?

Stickers

What’s your favorite restaurant?

Chuck E. Cheese

Who’s your favorite friend?

Anabelle

What’s your favorite toy outside.

JoeJoe. I like it when he plays with me.

What is Bethany going to be when you get bigger?

I don’t know.  Bigger.

What’s Bethany’s favorite song?

Twinkle, Twinkle little star (cont. to sing it)

What’s Bethany do good at?

Chuck E. Cheese.  And using the potty.

What’s your favorite color?

….

Favorite T.V. show?

SpongeBob.

Simple Entertainment...

Bean Bag Chairs....

a rather simple concept....

but boy....

it is amazing how they keep the kiddos entertained....

A Girl and Her Preschool

So once upon a time there was a girl...who turned three and is "independently toilet trained."  Her parents enrolled her at preschool in a local Christian Academy.

Her teacher sent the lil' girl a picture to color.  I'd say she did an awesome job. She was really trying to separate the different portions of the pictures by coloring them different colors. This is the first time she really tried that. :O)  Really she is pretty gifted. I would say that she is the next Picasso...but really which three-year-old couldn't be the next Picasso.  He is just the only artist I could think of at this moment...

After she put the finishing touches on her picture, she packed up her backpack with all of the school supplies that she'd need for the year.  Yes, that is a Mario backpack. And, yes, she picked it out all by herself.  Perhaps an affinity to video games is genetic. We are checking on that...

She meets her teacher a couple of days before the official start of preschool. She couldn't be more smiley!

After dropping of school supplies and meeting Mrs. S., we got to partake in a picnic lunch with all the early childhood and elementary kiddos and their famlies. I gotta tell you, the picnic was very refreshing. While we didn't know a single soul there, it was 100% clear that it was like one big, happy family.  You know, one big family from those 50 tv shows....before nearly every family had a largely dysfunctional branch disfiguring a typically beautiful family tree.

At the picnic the Lil Girl met a Lil Boy. They happen to be in the same class.  The boy calls the little girl, "My Girl."  Looks like the Little Girl's first love has some competition.

Finally the big day comes.   The little girl runs down and grabs her breakfast out of the fridge before all of the eye crusties have even been wiped out of their crevices.   She carries it around the house the entire time while she gets dressed, brushed and shoed.

Finally, the little girl arrives at preschool. She would happen to be the first kid there.  And she'll likely be first for a while longer as we work far away from home.  

When all is said and done the Little Girl will report out with a lot of prompting that in preschool she:
     --pooped in the potty
     --doesn't like jelly with peanut butter
     --learned Jesus Died
     --gets to nap on a bouncy bed.

Sounds like pretty valuable lessons for a 3-year-old.  Although we practiced what to order for lunch. I told her she'll like the cheeseburger best. Doesn't surprise me she ordered PBJ. Too bad she doesn't like PBJ. She has never liked PBJ...but oh man...how does she long to be like every other American child being in love with PBJ sandwiches. But, I guess, some things are just not meant to be.

It is hard to believe that the Little Girl is in Preschool already. I mean, she was just born like what two or three days ago, right.....

1 month later...

                                                              exactly one month ago...

exactly a couple of hours ago...

Now...how could you not be in awe of God's amazing healing, mercy, and grace?

guilt

Guilt...

What an awful feeling.  But it seems like guilt has taken up residence in my heart right now....

I feel guilty
----for leaving the kids with the sitters.
----that Owen spent all of yesterday crying (with only a few breaks).
----that I only have 2 to 3 hours with kids in the evenings until it is bedtime.
----for feeling like less of a mom because I am away from the babies during the day and then sometimes my mind is occupied with school-issues at night
----for being tired and less patient with people as I am being pulled in various directions
----for being less of a teacher than I could be if I more time and didn't have obligations at home.
----for not being able to spend as much time with the husband as I am torn between work, children and home responsibilities.
----for not taking better care of myself in terms of exercising and eating right.

----for missing moments like this just randomly throughout the day...

 
I know I just need to pray and ask God to help me deal with these guilty feelings. Hopefully, the guilt can be evicted permanently out of my heart...

Back At It.

So today was the last day of summer vacation  It was a rather uneventful day. Which is fine. But it was still the last day off, none-the-less.  I am really going to miss looking down and seeing this little guy at my side (all the time)!

This summer didn't quite go as I envisioned back in the cold winter days--when all I could do is to dream of June and July.  I pictured a tantrumless, potty training session thinking that it would be a rather quick process.  I pictured the lil' man just walking and running around crazy having a completely carefree time.  

Little did I know that potty training would include a few scream-fests from our favorite three-year-old and that it would last a good month and a half.  Nor did I realize that Owen would take his time learning to walk with a nice last-minute little vacation to Children's Hospital for a sweet skull reconstruction.   Then there are all of the happy images from our first-ever family vacation I dreamed of...yeah...that never quite came in to fruition.

So, what if summer didn't go as planned. The end result is the same regardless. Bethany is 100% independent potty trained (or toilet learned...if you are one of those people).  Owen eventually started to walk.  The way I see it, he just wanted us to feel a little on edge as he waited to really start walking the week after his major head surgery. Nothing says stressful as a unsteady, toddling toddler with a fresh incision going ear-to-ear.

But, man, I am going to miss these babies tomorrow.  It is so sweet to see the lil' girl who "isn't tired" asleep during one of her "just one more shows".

We are so blessed to be home two months out of the year. It is just hard to believe that these months are over. True, I won't miss overhearing their preferred method of communication. Seriously...that screaming and screeching can make Mother Theresa lose her cool. It is so unnerving to hear. While Bethany knows better, it is Owen who instigates it and Bethany just perpetuates the screaming so that it can reach its fullest decibel level.

Wish everyone luck as we go on our various ways tomorrow.  This will be Owen's and Bethany's first time being separated as she goes off to preschool soon and Owen is back to our sitter. We will just be saying a few extra prayers for our sitter's hearing to survive Owen's horribly deafening sound waves.  

Good news is that we have just three work days this week and then a nice weekend to spend time the babies.  Lord knows that I am going to be needing to get in extra snuggles and hugs...regardless if it results in a little screeching and screaming.

Where Can You...

Pretend to be electrocuted...

Make balls float...

Sit on a tractor tire...

Go through a tunnel...

Go down a three story slide...

or play in a large water table?

Why...the Magic House, of course. We took the kiddos to Magic House a couple of days ago.  They had an absolute blast. There is so much to do and so much to see. I can see how they can be entertained for many more years.  It is amazing how one venue can entertain a 14 month old just as easily as a 10 year old.  

We can't wait to go back!

Games, Games, and more Games

Summer's winding down.  The past few days we have been playing a lot of games.

This past weekend, Cory noticed there was a Wii Games 2010 event at the Galleria.  We packed up the kids and headed down to join in the fun.  

We got to take our picture next to some famous celebrities.

At the Wii Games, you sign up and get to play games for free.  Sometime you enlist help from your father...games "are tricky".

As you play, you earn stickers. You can cash them in for prizes...like this awesome Yoshi!

Later, we played more games with Grandma and Grandpa at Incredible Pizza in honor of Cory's 32nd Birthday.  

The two lil' kids had tons of fun.  The pizza was delicious and there was LOTS to do.

Finally, Bethany has getting old enough to play games at home with Daddy.  She calls them her "Bethany Games". As the little character on the screen looks just like her. She loves spending that special time with her daddy.

If you know anything about us...you know it is we love our games here. It is a blast now that we have a kid finally old enough to join in the fun.