Snow Babies

And more snow on the way...

Rub-a-Dub-Dub.

Three kids in the tub.

(or "How We Spent the Witching Hour on Monday Afternoon") .

(or, if Chris were writing this blog post, "Why Our Water Bill is So High")

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We are contemplating planting a (very!) small garden this spring. I use the word "contemplating" because I have serious doubts that it will actually occur.

To be quite honest, I have never grown anything in my life. The zinnias and mums that we plant in the terra cotta pots outside our front door are inevitably dead within weeks of being planted as I usually forget to water them. Or the kids water them to much. Or we leave town.

If it happens, it will be a small garden. I promise you that. I told Cate and Ben that we would each pick one fruit or vegetable to grow. (Three things would be manageable, right?)

Cate immediately responded, "Watermelon. I want to plant watermelon."

I replied, "That would be very cool. I think we should plant some green peppers too because you and Ben love peppers. We need to check out a book from the library this week."

Cate turned to Ben and asked, "What do you want to plant Ben?"

Without missing a beat Ben said, "Tattoos. I want to plant tattoos."

Birthday Girl!

Maggie had an excellent first birthday party.

After tearing a long stirp of paper off her first present, Maggie retreated to the corner to look at books only returning to the presents once a giant pile of tissue paper and gift bags had accumulated. (Cate, Ben and Cousin Ava were happy to assist with the opening of the presents).

Maggie could not wait to get her hands on the cake. She started reaching for it the minute it was placed on the table (see picture). She beamed as her favorite people in the world sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Cate and Ben "helped" blow out the candles, of course.

She licked, squished, and squeezed the cupcakes (vanilla this time) but didn't really eat them.

So we switched to vanilla ice cream and she was a happy camper.

And So It Goes

Cate: ARGGG! BEN! YOU ARE SO STUBBORN!

Ben: NO I'M NOT! YOU ARE?

Cate: NO. YOU ARE STUBBORN!

Ben: I'M NOT STUBBORN! YOU ARE STUBBORN?

Cate: MOM!! BEN CALLED ME STUBBORN!

Me: Well, you're both pretty stubborn.

Cate and Ben: WE ARE NOT STUBBORN!

Setting Tiger Traps

Miss Maggie: One Year Old!

Likes: walking, walking, walking, being loud, water (e.g., baths, showers, swimming pools, kitchen sinks), climbing (e.g., stairs, stepstools, at Partee Zone), whole milk, dancing, the word "no," making animal noises (bow-wow, moo, roar, hoo-hoo), waking up at 5:45 in the morning, walking, the "Happy Birthday" song

Dislikes: being interrupted, attempts at distraction, having her diaper changed

Unsure: chocolate cake

Who's the Boss?

As I served up a gourmet meal of quesadillas and black beans on Friday night, Cate and Ben eyed me suspiciously.

"Why aren't you eating?" Cate asked.

"Well," I replied. "Daddy and I are going out for dinner."

Instant hysteria. Tears. Thrashing of limbs. Banging of fists.

"We don't want you to go! Why do you have to go?" they cried, turning on the tears for added impact.

"It's for Daddy's work," I explained. "Daddy's the boss and I'm the boss's wife so we have to go."

As soon as the words came out of my mouth I instantly regretted them. This, I knew, would invariably come back to haunt me at a later date. ("But Mom, DAD is the boss. You said so. I heard it.")

"I mean Daddy's the boss at work," I tried to clarify. "But at home, well, who's the boss at home?"

Without missing a beat Cate replied, "Me."

"Nooo," I said. "Mommy. Mommy is the boss at home."

"Well," said Ben matter-of-factly. "You are not the boss in my head."

So true. So true.

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Anyone who has loved a small child has experienced the wonder of seeing that small child master a new skill, whether it's taking a step or saying "mama" for the first time. Around here, these accomplishments are met with cheers and shouts of encouragement.

And, with an (almost) one-year-old in the house, it seems as if there is a new accomplishment to celebrate each day.

Some are major milestones. Maggie is really starting to walk now and every trip from the kitchen table to the doorway is accompanied by grins and Cate providing a play-by-play ("Mom, you have to see this. She's walking!")

Some are not really milestones at all (saying "ho, ho, ho!" or blowing kisses for example) but serve to reinforce our (and every parent's) belief that our child is destined for Great Things.

So with all this encouragement it's no surprise that Maggie has started to really hone her skills.

As noted in previous posts, she has long mastered the art of unspooling the toilet paper from the roll. Child's play, really. One quick swipe of the hand and the entire roll tumbles endlessly to the floor, a ribbon of soft, fluffy whiteness, guaranteeing an (almost) instant reaction from her most favorite audience, her siblings ("MOM! Maggie took off ALL the toilet paper AGAIN!").

Tonight she graduated to the big leagues. No longer content to simply unspool, she dragged the pile of toilet paper in the hallway, plopped down next to it and proceeded to tear it into tiny little pieces.

Upon seeing his little sister quite happily surrounded by a mess of her own making Ben (who has clearly internalized our constant admiration for any "new" behavior from Maggie) sweetly remarked, "Awww. She's very good at tearing stuff. She got all the toilet paper!"

Clearly she's very advanced for her age...