Sarah's Birthday and Halloween

Sarah turned 3 last Thursday.  She woke up that morning and said "I'm not 2?" Nope.  "I'm 3??" Yup. "I'm 3!!"

Justin had class late that day so I tried my best to make it fun for her.  I asked her what she wanted for breakfast and she said pink pancakes.  So pink pancakes it is.

We went to Walmart to spend some birthday money. I really wanted her to buy a fishing game but she wanted more fake food for her play kitchen.  The 90 pc set looked impressive but 20 of them were little hotdogs.  What a deal. She loves it so that's what matters.

Cute picture of Henry

For her birthday lunch, I made her favorite, a toasted cheese sandwich.  I made it special by cutting a heart in the middle with a cookie cutter. I got the camera ready for the big reveal....

"I wanted squares," she is saying. "I don't know what to do." You can eat it or go cry about it. She ate it

We weren't having her birthday cake until the next day so I let her frost cupcakes.

  

 Then my aunt and her 2 boys came over to bring her a birthday present so we sang to her then. (Don't let the change of wardrobe fool you, this is still the same day. She changes clothes like Mariah Carey in concert. Or like Mariah Carey on any given day.)

Friday we carved pumpkins with Rachel and her boys. Well Sarah ate candy and Rachel held Henry while I carved what had to be the hardest pumpkin ever.  It wasn't thick, just iron plated.

Justin brought home balloons that afternoon then she opened presents from us (Yes, another wardrobe change.) I don't know why we even bother with other presents: she would have been fine with just her balloons.  She got some Lincoln Logs because I love them and want to build stuff with her.  She also got some candy, "purple water bottles" (grape squeezits), Mary Poppins and her favorite book, "Hurry Hurry Mary Dear." That's all on video and I don't feel like editing so trust me.

Her cake took so much frosting to make. I bet it weighed 5 pounds.

We took her out to dinner to Pizza Factory.  She wanted noodles so I ate her 3 pizza.

And then back home to open presents with the family.

 

She is amazed at the enormity of this coloring book.

She sang along with us and then blew out her candles like a pro.

Is there anything better than the day after your birthday? So much new stuff to play with and new movies to watch.

Sarah, look at the camera.

Look at me!

Gee. Thanks.

Another cute Henry break.

And Halloween.  Sarah liked it. Henry was adorable. Justin was a good sport. I'm tired of writing. You're probably tired of reading.  Enjoy!

What I Really Want??

I just want to go somewhere all by myself.
Open just one car door, buckle just one seatbelt.

And stay away for as long as I like.  Not worry about next feeding, naptime, dinner, the piles of laundry on my bed. And not feel guilty about it all. That's the kicker.

Anyone else know exactly how I feel?

Check out these blue eyes.

Henry turned 5-months-old on Friday. Apparently he thinks he's a model.

He rolled over to mark the occasion.

I think it startled him that he could do it but afterwards he was pretty pleased with himself.

Is there anything better than goofy kids?

Sarah has been very excited for Halloween even though I'm not sure she remembers last year. She put up window stickers and asks everyday to go back to the dollar store for more. And she likes to go out on the porch and pick up her pumpkin.

Sarah in Henry's costume. I think she should wear it trick-or-treating but she's pretty set on being a fairy.

Sarah was super excited when it "snowed" last week.  She raked the snow while Henry and I watched out the window.  Her feet were soaking when she came in and didn't care one bit.  She kept saying, "Remember last year when I put on my snowsuit and I was crying."  Oh yes, yes I do. We had to bribe her with candy and wrestle her into it.

This is Henry asleep on my lap. I love the chubby baby hand holding the cute baby ear.

Henry was in charge of the mail key when we went to get the mail. He did a great job.  Responsible and handsome.

Sarah turns 3 in a couple of weeks and apparently she is already outgrown nursery.

"Sarah, what songs did you sing in nursery today."

"Baby songs."

There's no way to sum up all this in a title.

We have definitely moved into the stage of child-rearing where Sarah embarasses me in public with what she says.  Last week I took her to Macey's past her bedtime and we were having a great time.  At the checkout line, she was sitting very well in one of those carts disguised as a car which drives like a semi-truck when a lady came up next to her to get a Pepsi out of the little fridge.  She chatted briefly with Sarah as strangers do with cute little kids and turned away.  Right then Sarah said in a voice that gets louder in my memory every time I think about this, "That lady has silly hair." The lady was still right there.  And yes, her hair style was a little odd, all blond and spiky. But do you know how hard it is to shush while laughing?  If you have a nearly 3-year-old, you do.

On the ride home Sarah saw something on the floor of the car that she wanted. "Mom, can you hand me this?"

I have no idea what she's talking about.  "What's this?"

"That."

"What does it look like?"

"I don't know."

We continue on our drive.  It's really dark outside at this point and Sarah has noticed.  She doesn't go out much after dark so she intrigued and makes this observation.

"It's too dark out here......I can't see the wind.....I need glasses."

Sarah loves her dad which also means she loves anything that is her dad's. Unfortunately these things are usually expensive and not kid friendly.  Sorry Justin, I let her play with your binoculars (or noculars as Sarah calls them).

Heaven help us she's pretty.

Last Saturday we went to the zoo. My favorite part of the whole trip was the drive up there.  Sarah said she wanted to see a pink zebra and a teeny, tiny elephant.  She then put her hands to her face and said "I'm so c-cited!" (excited)

The obligatory picture with you head in the gopher holes. There were no gophers out there. I think there was a cat. Like a housecat.

 The duckpond. Notice how Sarah is covering her ears.  She's really afraid of loud noises and she was extra cautious around those swans.

 Every kid has to drink out of the lion's mouth. It's a rite of passage I believe.

 Does anyone else thinks they make those animal habitats too big? There's too much space for them to hide from the zoo patrons.  I jest. Well I'm mostly serious but I'm not advocating anything.

 Henry was a good sport.  He didn't really know what was going on but he was super cute.

Cute picture of cousins.

Is it annoying or endearing that the kids liked the playground and fake animals more than the real animals?

 One of Sarah's favorites, the giraffes.

 The comparing your arm span concept was lost on Sarah.

 Close enough.

Riding the train.

 We went camping Friday night near Strawberry.  I was taking a nap in the trailer at this time.

 How 'bout them leaves?

So that's about it.  Now that it's October we've started counting-down with Sarah until her birthday. This is very hard to do with someone that has no concept of time. Any good birthday activity ideas to do with a 3-year-old, a 5-month-old and their mother on a most-likely cold, blustery day?  We've gone to Macey's previous years which is a big hit (balloon, cookie, icecream cone, Laffy Taffy). I actually don't know how to top that....

Cute baby in the jumper for the first time.

Smiles, Birthdays, Binkys, and Timone

Is it me, or is Henry's smile just getting better?  We made it to 4 months! In my opinion, this is when babies start to become lots of fun. Well he's always been fun but there is something about 4 months... they just seem more interested and engaged in the world. He is changing so fast.  He likes to grab stuff and pull it into his mouth.  He still hates tummy time but likes to play airplane. And if you take off his diaper, he'll do a giddy giggle. He's such a fun kid.

Quick question: Has anyone had a baby that was an awesome sleeper but then reverted to newborn-like habits of waking up to eat every 3 hours? Henry has been killing me for the last 10 days. Advice anyone?

Now to back up a couple of weeks. Sarah wanted to watch a scary show.  Funny thing is, she doesn't really know what that means and I'm not sure where she picked up that idea.  So I put in Phantom of the Opera because it's kind of scary (or at least dark) and she loves music and dancing. I just skipped to the musical numbers.  It held her attention longer than it has ever held Justin's.

Father and son chat.  Henry talks almost as much as Sarah and that's a lot.  And as a sidenote, Henry has Syme ears! They are as big as Sarah's.

This picture doesn't do it justice but Henry is quite the thumb-sucker.  Usually when he's sleepy or bored he'll suck away at his hands. It's super cute but when I pull out the camera, out goes his thumb.

Last Saturday was my birthday.  Justin got me a dozen cinnamon rolls (which I ate all day long) and these flowers which are still beautiful on my kitchen table. Is 28 old? I haven't decided.

He also got me a waffle cone maker. Did you know these existed? You can make your own waffle cones. At home. Any time you want. We've been having fun molding them into different shapes. This is my double-decker creation.

Cute baby with binky in his mouth.

Cute baby that just spit out his binky.

Either my baby has a big head or Carter's doesn't know how to make hats.

I promise Sarah's hair does get done and her face gets cleaned, just not when I'm taking pictures apparently.

Me: Sarah, we're going outside. Do you want your shoes on?
Sarah: No, just toes.

She loves to have conversations.  "Mom, come in here and talk to me about your birthday." She also likes to review her day with me. "Remember when (something something)  and you were really mad?" Or "Remember yesterday and blah blah blah and I was crying?" (Sounds like there's lots of drama around here.) She still talks about when I was in the hospital with Henry and she came to get me. She goes crazy for Henry.  She calls him Baby Boy and kisses his nose and says "You don't need to cry about it" in a soothing tone.

Here's a video from June 9. (Notice sleeping Henry...he never does that anymore.) I meant to post it then but didn't so enjoy it now. I like how her mind works. But I don't like how much she's already changed since this.

Little Brothers, Big Sisters

1987:

This is a picture of my little brother Thomas and I. I think this was just after my awesome self-given haircut. It better be. I don't know how else to explain my short bangs.

2011:

I tried to recreate the photo using my own kids.  But Sarah wasn't torturing Henry like I must have been torturing Thomas.

******

Sarah isn't a violent kid.  She never acts out physically and she rarely hits or throws things when she's mad.  So you can imagine how it surprises us to hear her violent vendetta against Rapunzel.

Sarah on Wednesday: Rapunzel is in her car and she's gonna come over and I will hit her on the head with my blue pan and hide her in this closet.

And again on Friday: Later I will eat my goldfish crackers and hit Rapunzel and hide her in the closet.  Mom you need to move your vacuum.

Me: Why?

Sarah: So I can fit Rapunzel in the closet.

Now I konw that's a strikingly similar recreation of the movie but she hasn't watched the movie in months and she has quite the delightful look in her eye when she describes her plan.

When her feet are sweaty, she says they are soggy.  And when they get wrinkly in the bathtub, she says they are sprinkly. I could write down everything she says becuase it's all a little ridiculous in one way or another.