Baby's First Haircut

Cece wasn't quite sure what to think of her first haircut.  No tears...although she glared suspiciously at the stylist, Mariah, for the entire 30 minute session.

Christmas Lights

Maggie:  Tomorrow we need to put up Christmas lights!

Chris:  We'll have to go to Menards and buy new ones. 

Maggie:  Colored lights!

Chris:  Well, I like white. They're classic. 

Maggie:  Oh Dad. White lights are sooo last season. 

Baby's First Pony

My Little Shopping Buddy

Diaper Change

Self Portrait, with Mohawk

Ben, almost 7

Trick Or Treat...FOREVER

Even though we're only two months into 1st grade, I feel like Ben has really matured.  Some of the things that come out of his mouth sound very grown-up and he's developing a very cheeky sense of humor.

The other day we were scrambling to get out the door (surprise, surprise...) and one of the kids asked me a question about why I was taking a particular item to the business school.

"Oh," I replied, just wanting them into the car. "It's a long story."

"Start now, finish in the car," was Ben's immediate response, a response which cracked me up at the time because of his nonchalant delivery.

While Ben is often impulsive and probably tunes out much of what I say 80% of the time, there is also evidence that he is listening a lot more closely than I realize.  (Or maybe he just doesn't listen to me...hmmmm).  He seems to pay particularly close attention to what his teacher, Mr. V, says.  And what Mr. V says is pretty much treated like Gospel at our house.

"Mom," Ben said from the back seat of the car earlier this week. "Mr. V. says you can trick-or-treat until you're 18."

"Really?"  I said, a little skeptical of where this conversation is going.

"Yeah, maybe even until you're 19," came the reply.  "You know, because you're technically still a kid."

"Wow"

There is silence while Ben and I both consider the possibility that he still has more than 10 solid years of trick-or-treating ahead of him.

"But I'll probably do it longer than that.  I'll even go when I'm a grown-up," Ben finished.

Baby Sitting

"Ben and Maggie, can you keep an eye on Cece while I check you in for swimming lessons?...Guys?...Careful!...Hey!  I mean it...Whoa!  All four wheels on the ground!"

(I suppose I should have seen it coming but at least she was buckled).

Jump!

I was worried that Cece might attempt the jump from the coffee table to the couch on her own after watching the big kids successfully execute the move on a daily basis.  

Anyway, fast forward to Saturday morning when I glanced up from the kitchen counter and saw Maggie, very helpfully, "helping" Cece make the jump.

The words, "Put the baby down!" were literally about to spill from my mouth.  Loudly.  But then I heard Cece roar with laughter.  Hysterical laughter.

She would rather be in the middle of the action, even if that means being smushed onto the couch by a sister that outweighs her by a good 20+ pounds, than on the floor watching the action.

Oh the life of the fourth child...

How many days until Christmas?

Me: Maggie can you help Cece get the Little People out?

(A few minutes later I stumble onto this scene).

Me:  What are you girls up to?

Mags:  Oh Cece wanted to play Soda Cans instead. 

Maybe a 12-pack of soda should be at the top of Cece's Xmas list...

Look Mom!

I made a statue of you!

True.

Mags:  Mom did you know that sometimes toots are silent?

Me:  What?

Mags:  Well sometimes you can't hear toots. They're silent.  

Me (trying to keep a straight face):  How do you know?

Mags (smirking):  Oh I just tooted...and you didn't hear it!

She then laughs like a maniac and runs away. 

The Bookends: Biggest and Littlest

Cartwheeling Towards the Ped Mall

Well.

Chris:  Ben you need to practice piano sometime today. 

Ben:  I don't work on the weekends. 

Deep Thoughts

Maggie and Uncle Mike were playing Uno.  Mike was shuffling the oversized deck of Uno cards.

Maggie:  Well, you can't shuffle the whole world.

Mike:  Wow.  That just blew my mind.

Maggie:  And you can't shuffle the whole universe.

Mike:  That's a pretty big thought.  You're like a baby Einstein.

Maggie:  No I'm NOT!

(Silence...)

Maggie:  What's an Einstein?

(Laughter from Mike).

Maggie:  Oh you mean like Little Einsteins?  Did you watch that show when you were a kid?

Maggie

In the middle of a very long and very loud temper tantrum Maggie tried to explain her frustration to me.

"I just hate the word no," she sobbed hysterically.  "Yes is my favorite and you NEVER, EVER say it."

The Girls

Go Dad Go!

Daddy's cheering section for today's Best Dam Tri in Coralville. 

They loved watching Daddy cross the finish line. Although Cece cried when Chris did not stop, but continued running 

It was a small miracle that the kids and I actually made it to the finish line in time to see him run across!

Waiting

To pick Maggie up from preschool. 

Caught on Camera

Ben likes to use my phone to take videos and pictures. He can still access these functions , even when the phone is locked so I'm often surprised by images he's added to my Camera Role. 

Tonight I watched a video he recorded. You can hear me talking in the background about how we need to leave for school in 5 minutes. It's clear that Ben is trying to be sneaky, "Siri," he asks in a low whisper. "What is Mom's password?"

Football!

Chris and the kids went to the Iowa game on Saturday.  It was the perfect day---great weather, the Hawkeye Express, Fun Zone before kick-off, and delicious concessions.  The Hawks didn't play well until the very end of the game, barely squeaking out a win, but you can't have everything, right?

Duct Tape

It's time to stock up on duct tape.  Cece just figured out how to take her diaper off.

Not a skill that I am ready for her to master quite yet...

Me:  Cece!  Where is your diaper?

Cece:  All gone!

A Week of Family

 

Following the triathlon on Saturday we spent Sunday in Zearing, Iowa celebrating my Grandma Hyland's 90th birthday.  All of mom's eight siblings and the majority of my cousins were in attendance.  It was a great day and I'm so glad that we were able to be at the party.

 

My uncle Tim came to Iowa City for a few days at the end of the week.  My kids loved having him here and loved all of the attention they received from my cousins Leslie and Rachael. 

 

There's nothing my kids like better than a new audience who hasn't seen all of their tricks. 

A Monster Ear Infection

(Note:  This conversation occurred in May and I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget it.  But then I lost the paper until earlier this week).

In mid-May Chris was diagnosed with a double ear infection.  The kids were amazed that a grown-up would have an infection in both ears.

Maggie thought about this and commented, "If you have a triple ear infection you need to have three ears.  I guess that's the kind of ear infection a monster would have."

It's hard to argue with that logic.

Cece: An Update

It's hard to believe that Cece is almost 18 months old.

She is a busy, busy little girl.  Who can blame her?  There's a lot to keep up with in our house.

She's starting to be quite the little chatterbox although her vocabulary is heavy on the names of her siblings' friends---Emmett, Henry, GG---and the neighbors' pets----Molly, Tessa."  Her demand for "more lemonade" is surprisingly clear.  And the other day we swear she said, "Let it go."  (We do listen to the Frozen soundtrack quite a lot).

Cece likes to do everything herself, including eating, and has recently started climbing everything in sight.  Her latest trick is to use her little piano as a stool that allows her to climb on top of the couch (see above).  She then tightrope walks along the top edge of the couch, burrowing into the pillows when an adult comes to pluck her to safety.

She adores popsicles, dogs (aka "woofs") and her siblings.  She loves to try on Ben's socks and shoes and walk around the house.  Today she brought a pair of Maggie's undies to us and proceeded to wear them over her diaper.

Cece has a fake cry that she will deploy when one of her siblings is up in her business and she wants her parents to intervene.  She has a "surprised!" face that never fails to make us laugh.  She hates her car seat and would play in the car for hours, if we would let her.

She is an astute observer of the world around her.  Earlier this summer we were in the car on our way to Cedar Rapids.  She and Maggie were sitting across from each other, buckled in their respective car seats.

Suddenly, we hear Maggie start to cry.

"Maggie! What's wrong?"  I asked.

"Cece's playing want-it-you-can't with me," came Maggie's response.

"What is want-it-you-can't?" I asked, confused.

"You know---want-it-you-can't!" Maggie says and pantomimes giving me a toy to hold and snatching it away from me just as I reach for it.

"Oh," I said.  "I wonder where she learned a game like that..."

"I don't know!" cried Maggie indignantly. "But it's not very nice!"

It seems as though things will get even more lively around here once Cece begins to really talk...

Up next? Halloween

School has started and the Halloween catalogs are arriving in the mail. 

Maggie has her heart set on being Elsa, from the movie Frozen.

The other day she asked, "Mom, can you order me some frozen ice powers to go along with my costume?"

Oh, if only it were so easy!

Self-Portrait of the Artist

One of the best things about my kids' preschool is how much it encourages creativity and a passion for the arts.  I love seeing the amazing creations that my kids bring home each day.

I'm a sucker for anything incorporating a hand or footprint and, of course, for self-portraits.

Here is Maggie's first self-portrait of the year, complete with the Elsa side braid.

This one will go in the keepsake box.

Fashionista

It's no secret that Maggie has her own sense of style.

A few weeks ago we were at a bike shop, looking at road bikes for an upcoming kids' triathlon. 

Maggie insisted on purchasing a scarf.  It was an adult scarf and the packaging indicated that it could be worn 17 or 19 or 23 different ways.

Maggie chose to wear the scarf as a pencil skirt, as pictured here.  It's a look that she was able to pull off with confidence.

Oh Maggie!

Me:  That doesn't look very safe Mags.

Maggie:  Yeah, but it sure looks fun.

Reunited

HyVee Kids Fit Triathlon 2014

Before the race

Heading to the starting line

Ben, ready for the swim

Waiting for Ben to cross the finish line

Post-race photo with their cheering section
Ben earned 14th place in his division and Cate finished in 11th place. 

So happy that my brothers were back in Iowa for the weekend!  We miss them!

Chris and I couldn't be prouder of their hard work. 
Special thanks to Grandpa Doug and Grandma Sheila for watching Maggie and Cece during the race.

With their Tri Team

Zombies!

Zombie Burger, Des Moines IA

Dressing Room Confessions

Me (trying on a black dress):  what do you think of this dress?

Ben (enthusiastically):  I love it!

Me:  Really?

Ben:  Yeah, you look like a vampire wearing a bandanna. 

Although I think he meant this observation as a compliment, it was not quite the look I was going for. 

Half Naked Photo Bomb

Missing Teeth

Due to circumstances that I can no longer remember Ben's two front teeth have been "dead" for several years.  Since they were baby teeth and X-rays indicated that the roots were not damaged our dentist, Dr. Molly, said that the teeth would eventually fall out on their own.

Last month Ben pointed out that a sore had formed along his gum line, near one of his front teeth.  It didn't seem to bother him (e.g., no complaints) so the sore kind of slipped my mind.

Then I ran into Dr. Molly at the gym and mentioned it to her.  She indicated that it probably wasn't serious but that I should bring him in.  She suspected an abscess and thought, perhaps, the teeth might have to be pulled.  I did not share this possibility with Ben prior to our appointment.

After examining Ben, the dentist called me back into the exam room.  She confirmed that it was an abscess and using very comforting language indicated (rather vaguely) that both teeth would need to come out.  She and I discussed the tooth extraction for a few minutes, in rather vague terms, for fear that we would alarm Ben.

I was thinking about the best way to approach the subject with Ben when he looked up at Dr. Molly and said, "Oh so you want to pull my tooth?"

Dr. Molly was clearly surprised at his matter-of-fact response and said, "Yes Ben.  I think that's the best choice to get rid of the abscess."

Ben shrugged, "Okay."

"But Ben," I interjected.  "She's going to remove both of your front teeth.  Not just one."

"Yeah,"  Ben said.  "Okay."

And he really was okay.  He handled the entire procedure like a champ and the abscess disappeared within a few hours.

I saw her a few days later and she asked how Ben was doing and complimented him on his poise during the procedure.

"He was great,"  I said.  "But you know if we're ever in a position where Maggie has to have teeth pulled...."
Dr. Molly finished the sentence for me, "Yeah, we'll probably all have to be sedated."

Maggie - Post Day 1

Maggie gave the first day of preschool two thumbs up telling me it was, "Awesomer than awesome."

When I asked what the best part of her day was she said, "Oh seein' you at pick-up."

Maggie's Second 1st Day of Preschool

Maggie had a hard time with preschool drop off last year.  And she had a hard time with the idea of going back to preschool this year.

Early in July we dropped of her preschool deposit.  This left Maggie in hysterics.  She sobbed, "Please don't send me back to that place."

She was so upset at the thought of going to preschool that even Cate and Ben, who usually have little patience for Maggie's flair for the dramatic, tried to console her.

"But preschool is fun!"
"You get to paint and do art projects!"
"You get to play with your friends every day---and your best friend will be there."

Maggie was unmoved.  She. Was. Not. Going. To. Preschool.

Ben tried to reason with her, "But you need to go to preschool so you can go to kindergarten.  And you need to go to kindergarten so you can learn math."

"I don't want to learn math," said Maggie.

"But you need math to get a job," explained Ben.  "All jobs need math.  Well, unless you're going to be a caveman."

There was a brief moment of silence as we all contemplated this wisdom.

Ben thought for a minute and said, "Actually, I think even cavemen need math so you should probably go to school."

This set off a new round of hysterics.

And so I was a bit worried about how Maggie would fare on her first day of preschool.

But, in the end, it couldn't have gone better.  She was up at 5:30am, and dressed by 5:35. 

The only person crying at drop-off was Cece, who was sad to leave her big sister (and the small sink and great toys) behind.

Traditional first-day-of-school photo on the front steps

Before school with her BFF

By her cubbie, wearing the outfit she picked out for the first day.  She insisted on the pink sweater to match her maxi dress.

Cece, plotting her escape

Cece and Mags

Ben's Baby Alarm Clock