Ordinary life

I've decided to post some moments that are part of our ordinary lives. There is no overriding theme, just a collection of random things happen around here fairly regularly.

1. Doll mania. Claire got a new doll, doll stroller, and doll carrier for Christmas. She loves to take the doll in and out of the carrier and carry it around the house. There is a hat for this doll that refuses to stay on, so we spend a lot of time locating the hat and putting it on. This carrier even goes in the car and to stores with us. And when she is tired of carrying it, I get to. Yes, purse in one arm and baby doll carrier in the other - so sheik! Unfortunately, according to my sister Natalie (a.k.a - best babysitter/nanny/driver/Star Wars player ever) this doll has been the source of some knock down drag out fights between Claire and her cousin Elaina. In my view, the only way to solve this is to purchase another doll. Better add it to the list.

2. Sidewalk chalk. Seriously, does the stuff ever die? This was the scene yesterday in the backyard. Come to find out Claire thinks the the chalk is also a food. There was blue chalk all over her face and she was still chewing when I caught her. I don't like to think of that as bad parenting as I was do other parental things at the time like Windexing the scuz off of the sliding glass door.

3. Hannah. Some of you may not know Hannah our super high maintenance Siamese cat. She has allergies, a bit of OCD, and a temper. We spend more money on her than the kids. She loves this blanket where she can be camouflaged on the sofa. She sleeps through all matter of screaming, Wii games, Disney movies, and general chaos. But if you try to even touch her watch out!!!! The kids know to stay away, but I will still try to get her to like me more than Danny.

4. Breakfast fun. When Natalie arrives in the mornings I am at various stages of getting ready. It depends on how early I got up and how cooperative the kids are being. The kids often eat together, because I just haven't gotten there yet. Cereal, yogurt, and blueberry Eggo waffles are the favorites. The seating arrangement changes by the meal.

5. Goodnight Claire. Claire has a routine at night that involves teeth brushing, reading books, and drinking some warm milk. No, that is not a bottle - that would be more bad parenting! It is merely a cup with a funny shaped lid. One of these days I will figure out how to take it out of the equation. Add this to the list too. The tomorrow sounds good mantra lives on. Her favorite book is "Mommy's Little Girl". It has been taped back together more times than I can count.

6. Andrew's teeth. He had his 6 month checkup this week and no cavities again - yeah!!!! He is hit or miss with being cooperative. The dentist said he needs to floss more. Agghhh! We can barely get him to brush most days. In the picture he is using the new "cool floss thing." We literally have 5 different kids of toothpaste trying to find one that isn't "spicy" that he will use. We are currently using an all natural strawberry toothpaste which he seems to like.

7. More toys. These foam blocks started at my mom's house then they were at Natalie's and now they are here. The kids like to jump, slide, and play on them. But as you can see, they pose a bit of a storage problem. I just noticed that one of the corners is mangled. Natalie - please tell me that was the dog and not Elaina!

8. Helpers. The kids love to help no matter what we are doing. Claire wanted to help rake the front yard. Note that the rake is upside down and that she didn't want to use the "kids rake". Andrew helped wash the car yesterday and thought it was really cool that his shoes got all wet. Let's hope that this helpful attitude continues when they get older.

So there it is, a glance into our glamorous, exciting lives. I am off to play some Wii tennis with Andrew.