In Her Mama's Shoes

I recently wrote this post in which I wondered about what "mom things" my kids would learn from me.  

In addition to the things mentioned in the post, a new inherited trait is emerging in my Emmie Kate...

The girl loves to iron!

And yes, she gets that from me!  It's one of the few domestic traits I actually do well.  I 

She asked for a play iron for Easter and has since ironed all of the baby clothes and PJs she can get her hands on.  I love that she even hangs her finished pieces on the edge of the ironing board... just like I do!

So now I can add another little "mom thing" to the list of things my girls will get from me... an ability to iron well!  

Maybe one day, they too, will be the only mom's who iron the uniform shirts of their kids.  I like that thought.  A little act of love that they might one day pass on to their own little families.  Something they learned from standing in their mama's shoes... figuratively and literally!

{UN}Happy Easter

It's Easter Sunday 2013.

I should be posting "picture perfect" images from the gorgeous day showcasing kids dressed in darling Spring attire and smiling from ear to ear.

But I'm not doing that because I don't have any pictures like that!

Instead, I'm posting some pictures of A FIRST that I did manage to capture on film...

Abby's 1st full blown TEMPER TANTRUM!

Oh yes... she threw herself down on the floor in her sweet Easter dress and kicked her feet and bawled her eyes out as if she were a two year old tantrum-throwing professional!

The culprit behind this {un}happy Easter behavior?

A blue sucker that I took from her sticky hands in an attempt to keep from further ruining her dress!

She was NOT having it!

Thankfully, my friend saved the day by offering her a glimmer of hope in the form of a red jellybean...

With one taste of the red sugary goo, she picked herself up off of the floor, dried up the water wells, and the tantrum ended.

Just.like.that!

Did I mention she is only 13 months old?

So despite the grimaced faces in the picture below, we actually are having a Happy Easter... all of us except the strong willed one who needs a constant sugar drip to keep her happy!

So {UN}Happy Easter from all of us!

Imagination

Imagination at Play...

Umbrella "Shield"?  Check!

Bats & Balls?  Check!

Pinwheels?  Check!

Blow Up Shark?  Check!

Spray Water Bottles?  Check!

Rain Boots, Hat, and Mittens?  Check!

One more Giant Bat?  Check!

Apparently they have everything they need to...

"Hunt a Cat"!


Of course!

So we hired a professional...

I thought it would be prudent to forego professional photos of the kids this year.  Especially considering I just got the ones from last year hung up and we will have another family member in a mere matter of months!  


So I tried to get a good picture on my own...

But as you can see, I wasn't exactly successful...

So we decided to hire a professional instead!

The Fight for PaPa Time

My kids are very lucky... they have three special grandparents who delight in their very beings!  And they have special relationships with each of their grandparents.  


But it is their "PaPa" who seems to often get the warmest of welcomes when he comes whistling in the back door.  Several times each week, PaPa comes over in the evening to play with the kids.  And the competition for "PaPa time" is becoming more and more fierce with each visit.  They all three want his undivided time... to read, do puzzles, play Wii.  


So sharing "PaPa time" is just not something that they are interested in.  


Case in point...

 

Halloween Timeline

Halloween Eve

{Pumpkin Carving with PaPa}

{one with molly too!}

Halloween Day

9:45 am

{Emily's Dance Class}

2:45 pm

{Noah's Class Party}

6:30 pm

{Dressed in Costumes}

6:40 pm

{Trick or Treating Begins}

6:50 pm

{Get Special Treats from Uncle Brycie & Toi}

8:00 pm

{Trick or Treating Continues}

8:30 pm

{Check out the Candy Stash}

8:35 pm

{Start Eating TOO MUCH CANDY!}

9:00 pm

{Off to Bed}

9:20 pm...

{Molly wakes every 30 minutes!}

Tuesday, November 1st

10:00 am

{The CANDY MONSTER strikes again!}

10:30 am

{Bathe candy coated Molly}

11:00 am

{Molly naps 3 hours early and wakes up TIRED...
and NAKED!}

1:30 pm
{Molly naps again!}

Friday, November 5th

{I think we are finally recovering from our CANDY COMAS!}

It was a very 

Happy Halloween Indeed!

{we didn't get a family picture this year...
much too excited kids!}


A Few Funny & Sweet Things... 

1.  The skirt of Emily's Firefly costume lit up!  It is why she picked it!  The camera couldn't get a picture of it glowing, but it was SUPER cute!  It fit her personality perfectly... she danced and flitted around for weeks in her "Fancy Firefly" costume!

  

2.  With the exception of the wings, I made Molly's Dragonfly costume.  And yes, I am STILL picking up sequins... I even found one in Molly's diaper yesterday!  Molly LOVED the trick-or-treating experience.  She was a bit mesmerized by it all, but by the end, she was a pro at picking her candy... and saying "tan tu"!

3.  We had to convince Noah to dress up this year.  He had no interest in participating in my theme of "Things that Fly" {which just about killed me!}.  No astronaut, no fly, no bat, no planet, not even an "angry bird"... NOTHING!  He told me that he didn't want to look silly and that he "is just not that kind of a person."  His serious little personality is so cute {and frustrating at times!}.  In the end, as he was getting dressed, referring to the costume I put together for him, he said... "Mom, this is a lot cooler than I thought it would be!"  Made my heart happy!