In case you haven't been checking religiously because my posting has been spotty of late, there was a post last week. And also a bonus post on my birthday. That's right, this is the third post in December. You may have some catching up to do. :)
Kaitlyn words: ouchie, owl, this, wait, I know you, leg, jammies, dress, fast, car, dog, want, need, water, coming, come, uh-oh, oops, dance
When Kaitlyn is getting into something and doesn't want to be disturbed, she says, "No! Go play!" When she gets caught doing something she's not supposed to be doing, she says, "Stop! Wait!" and then yells a string of words that I don't understand. When she feels she's committed an indiscretion (which could be as simple as running the wrong way to put her pajamas in the dirty clothes), she says "Sorry!" (sah-see) The only acceptable response to this is "You're forgiven," even if she did nothing wrong. If she doesn't hear those words, she will continue saying "Sah-see!" at increasingly louder volumes.
'Tis the concert season, and I've been concerting. Last week I played the Messiah with Bluffton University. This week was the Lima Symphony Christmas concert. Next week I have a gig in Adrian, MI. Ironically, I believe it's with a semi-professional orchestra of a similar level to Lima, so if I'd turned 30 one week later I could have crossed number 10 off my list without even messing with an explanation of how I was counting it even though I didn't technically accomplish the stated goal.
Pictures:
11 December 2016
08 December 2016
Bonus Post: The End of 30 Before 30
Well, I'm 30, so what's done is done and what's not is not. The idea of this list was to balance my life somewhat, and in that respect I think it did well, even though I didn't finish everything on it.
1.Genuinely surprise Bryan at least once. February 15, 2014
2. Record the psalms. --Siblings, when are we going to do this? --Jacob and I have started this project. We've recorded about 25 psalms with just the two of us. I'm hoping to rope Jacque into some recording while she's around more these next few months. --This remains unfinished. I'd still like to do it, though, someday...
3.Run a sub-2:00 half marathon. April 6, 2014. 1:54:30
4.Sell at least one thing I've made (at the Farmer's Market or on Etsy). --May 17, 2014. Steph and I set up an Etsy account and my first order was for the matching squares that I made William for Christmas.
5. Learn Spanish. --I listen to Spanish CDs while I run on the treadmill, so I'm making progress here. --Progress has slowed since my race in April ended my daily treadmill runs. I need to get motivated to keep learning. --Progress has picked up again, thanks to smartphones and the duolingo app. --Progress has slowed again. I need to just start using Spanish for a set amount of time each day. :/ --I tried to convince Jacque to come live with me so that she could speak Spanish to us all the time. Does that count for anything? --This also did not happen. I have labels in my house in English (for the girls) and Spanish (for me), I have a few chapter books in Spanish to read, I have some Spanish language CDs that I never listen to, and I still have a desire to be fluent enough in Spanish to speak to my kids and have them pick it up effortlessly.
6. Record all 6 cello suites. --This goal seems unlikely to be achieved, but I do have plans to record at least one suite, which is a start. --Well, I recorded the first suite (for a camp gift), but that's as far as I got. I've never even learned the fifth or sixth suites, although I did start working on number 6 in my one viola lesson that I had recently.
7.Sew Christmas and/or Easter dresses for the girls. --I have patterns! I'm waiting until the girls are bigger to make them. --This will happen for the upcoming Easter. --April 30, 2016
8.Minimize (eliminate?) the need for disposable products in our house. --Jacque says I've made it. The only disposable product we use consistently is toilet paper, and I'm okay with that. Every now and again Bryan feels the need to buy paper products for when we host a party, and I'm okay with that, too.
9.Have a compost pile. --We have a bucket that we've begun collecting scraps in and the pile is growing.
10.Play with at least 2 professional orchestras. --I play with Lima, and I'm looking for auditions with other orchestras. --I was contacted by the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra to play with them. Unfortunately, I'm already busy the days they need me. I'm hoping that this means they'll contact me again, though. :) --I've gotten a few paying gigs with college orchestras that need extra musicians. Does that count? --I consciously decided not to pursue this one any more. I have been paid to play with more than one group, and I play regularly with the Lima Symphony. Springfield, Dayton (a small stretch), and Indianapolis (a big stretch) all had auditions this past fall that I considered going to, but I realized that if I got the positions it would be more inconvenient than anything due to the amount of travel required. All things considered, I decided to postpone this dream until the kids are grown up and I'm bored in my house. :) I AM crossing it off still, due to the college orchestras and the thought process.
11.Go 7 days in a row without letting my temper get the better of me. February 14-21, 2014 I'd gotten 6 days in a row a couple of times and then finally made it 7 (nine, actually). I'm finding it easier to take deep breaths and move on, and I have a chart to keep track of my progress. Next goal: three weeks. That's how long it takes to form a habit, right?
12.Make an honest attempt at clean eating/real food. I've done some research and tried some substitutes and reached a comfortable point. Do I care enough to use butter instead of margarine? Yes. Do I care enough to buy coconut oil regularly? No. Whole grain noodles and brown rice most of the time? Yes. Completely eliminate sugar? No. Homemade bread? Yes. Whole wheat bread? Sometimes. But often I appreciate the airiness that I can only achieve with a little bit of white flour.
13. *Skipped because knowledge by some of my readers could skew the results.* April 5, 2014 --This goal was to make a dish that my in-laws liked enough to request again. Bryan's mom now has (and uses) my recipes for mac and cheese and lasagna, and they've requested a couple of other things. :)
14.Go on an overnight vacation with just our family. --We're thinking this summer. --July 11-12, 2016
15.Grow a garden. My garden is progressing nicely, although technically we haven't seen any actual vegetables yet since they still have a month or so before they reach maturity. The leaves look beautiful and healthy, though! --Summer 2014
16.Write a book. --Dad has suggested several times that I draw from my blog to complete this goal. I have not written a book based on my blog, but I did find a website that will print a bound version of my blog and I decided to order a volume for each year of writing. I now have four hard copies of various sections of my blog and intend to continue to get one for each coming year.
17.Sew a skirt that becomes my favorite. --July 4, 2016
18.Volunteer to host campout. --We tried to do this for 2016 campout (and even thought we'd succeeded), but apparently we didn't tell all the right people, so someone else is doing 2016. We will be trying again for 2017. :) --Success, at least as far as I know. I'm pretending that we succeeded and have started vaguely considering where to host 2017 campout.
19. Go through RCIA. Edit: Arrange to talk to a Catholic priest several times. RCIA won't answer the questions I have. --What if I just become pen pals with the Pope? --This was a 100% fail, although I have read a lot of books.
20.Attend Seekers' Group (similar to RCIA, offered by the Orthodox church in Lima). --Bryan and I are attending this every Tuesday and I have no reason to believe we'll quit before it's finished. --We've started twice and haven't finished only because the group keeps disbanding before we make it all the way through the material. I've been going for over a year now and intend to continue going until we've finished the book, so I'm crossing this off.
21.Complete at least 3 things on my (ever growing) Projects List. --I think I finished one, but now I can't remember what it is! --I have an Advent Calendar that is halfway done. I'm also planning a music program for the kids in our parish. Now perhaps when I finish those I will remember to count them. :) --I finished one: The church has a lending library as of July 17, 2016 --The one I couldn't remember was the growth chart that I have hanging near the girls' room. Silhouettes were also on my list, and I finished those as well. That's three!
22. Start a soup kitchen. --There is a flourishing soup kitchen in Lima already, but I'm working on getting together a Supper and Psalms with a goal of ultimately hosting it once a month. --I keep having new plans for a way to somewhat implement this idea. I'm hoping one will work out soon. --Okay, what is actually within my reach right now is to set up a Blessings Box. I haven't done it yet, despite my intentions to do so. I'm not crossing it off, but I do hope to get it done before turning 31. Bryan has said he'll help me. :)
23.Make pectin-free jam. Make up the recipe. --August 18, 2014. I made peach jam with almond and nutmeg.
24.Go on an overnight vacation with Bryan -- no kids. --September 25-28, 2014
25.Use up all the coupons Bryan gave me (I still have some from when we were dating). --Slowly but surely coming along. --Only three left! --Now only one! --Finally used the last one (from four months of dating) on December 5, 2016. Talk about cutting it close. :)
26. Learn one of the 3 big concertos. --I have music for two of these. Now I just have to practice. --Practice is not happeningas much as it should. at all. :( --I got bowings for the Walton from Steph and we talked about learning it together, but that is the extent of our progress. --My aforementioned viola lesson also got me working on the Hindemith. If I have the time and drive to practice, I will eventually complete this goal.
27.Arrange a regularly recurring get-together with the Lima folk. --Second Thursday of each month is "go to Lima" day. We've successfully done this two months in a row, so I'm crossing it off.
28.Have a religious conversation with Bryan that doesn't end in tears. --July 27, 2014. Nothing was solved, but I didn't cry.
29.Make a new friend. --Why did I put this on my list?! --I have new friends! ...Kind of. There are three couples we've gotten together with more than once in recent months. Add to that the fact that I've become better friends with people I didn't know as well when I made this list, and I'm counting it. --Summer 2016
30.Improve a stranger's day. --I sent a book to one of dad's new parishioners and then realized that now I get to cross something off this list!
31.(Because I thought of one more and it kind of fits in with several of the above goals) Join a co-op. --It turns out that I AM a co-op. I organize the buying of bulk foods and distribute them to others. I'm counting it.
1.
2. Record the psalms. --Siblings, when are we going to do this? --Jacob and I have started this project. We've recorded about 25 psalms with just the two of us. I'm hoping to rope Jacque into some recording while she's around more these next few months. --This remains unfinished. I'd still like to do it, though, someday...
3.
4.
5. Learn Spanish. --I listen to Spanish CDs while I run on the treadmill, so I'm making progress here. --Progress has slowed since my race in April ended my daily treadmill runs. I need to get motivated to keep learning. --Progress has picked up again, thanks to smartphones and the duolingo app. --Progress has slowed again. I need to just start using Spanish for a set amount of time each day. :/ --I tried to convince Jacque to come live with me so that she could speak Spanish to us all the time. Does that count for anything? --This also did not happen. I have labels in my house in English (for the girls) and Spanish (for me), I have a few chapter books in Spanish to read, I have some Spanish language CDs that I never listen to, and I still have a desire to be fluent enough in Spanish to speak to my kids and have them pick it up effortlessly.
6. Record all 6 cello suites. --This goal seems unlikely to be achieved, but I do have plans to record at least one suite, which is a start. --Well, I recorded the first suite (for a camp gift), but that's as far as I got. I've never even learned the fifth or sixth suites, although I did start working on number 6 in my one viola lesson that I had recently.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13. *
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. Go through RCIA. Edit: Arrange to talk to a Catholic priest several times. RCIA won't answer the questions I have. --What if I just become pen pals with the Pope? --This was a 100% fail, although I have read a lot of books.
20.
21.
22. Start a soup kitchen. --There is a flourishing soup kitchen in Lima already, but I'm working on getting together a Supper and Psalms with a goal of ultimately hosting it once a month. --I keep having new plans for a way to somewhat implement this idea. I'm hoping one will work out soon. --Okay, what is actually within my reach right now is to set up a Blessings Box. I haven't done it yet, despite my intentions to do so. I'm not crossing it off, but I do hope to get it done before turning 31. Bryan has said he'll help me. :)
23.
24.
25.
26. Learn one of the 3 big concertos. --I have music for two of these. Now I just have to practice. --Practice is not happening
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
04 December 2016
November 13-December 4
Kaitlyn went to the doctor forever ago. Actually, we all went, prompting the doctor to comment on the number of wiggly little girls in the room (5, because we had Sophia and Evalynn with us). Only Kaitlyn had an appointment, though. She was at the time 25 pounds and 33.5 inches tall. She is undoubtedly bigger now.
We made "About Me" books in school and one of the pieces of information was weight. Unfortunately for the books, we don't own a scale. BUT, we did have (at the time) four five-pound bags of flour and some planks of wood! I had the brilliant idea of making a balance scale and weighing Kaitlyn using sacks of flour, weighing Gretchen using Kaitlyn and flour, and weighing Olivia using Gretchen and flour. Sadly, our planks of wood were not of the sturdy variety, and they bent rather than balancing, so our experiment was a bust. :( The next time we visited Grandma and Grandpa, we hopped on their actual scale. Incidentally, Olivia is 40 pounds and Gretchen is 33.
New Kaitlyn words: See you in the morning, Grandma, Evalynn (Evah or Ella), dessert, candy, fork, I don't know, sorry, forgiven, see, yummy (nummy), pretty
Olivia has done some real, live math! I had the girls count raisins into numbered circles and Olivia whizzed through with no trouble. As I helped Gretchen and Sophia count recognize numbers and count raisins, I put Olivia to work using her raisins to add a page of problems that I'd written down. She did great, and I was very excited. :) She's also beginning to read, when we remember to work on it. The biggest problem is that she is very good at memorizing and/or guessing the words in the early readers, so she doesn't actually have to read to get the words right. She sounds things out well, but still has trouble stringing the sounds together into a word that she recognizes. And when I say she has trouble, I really mean that she can't do it at all yet. She'll get better.
Gretchen likes to do "tricks" for us. She holds onto the edge of the table and then stands on one foot. She puts two hands and one foot on the ground and sticks the other foot in the air. She braces herself between the couch and the end table, gets up on one tip-toe, and swings the other foot back and forth. So much talent. Her balance is getting better, especially since she started ballet. And speaking of ballet, she also shows anyone who will watch her ballet moves that she's learned.
We hosted the midwest family thanksgiving at our house this year. Tom, Donna, Kara, Jacob, Zach, Ted, Ruth, Carolyn, and Jacob all came. Jacque and Will were thinking about coming, but ended up visiting Will's family instead. I suppose that is acceptable. I borrowed a roaster from church for the 21 pound turkey and we put both leaves in the dining room table. The little girls had to sit at their kid-sized card table, which they did not mind at all. We ate delicious food, played euchre and 7 Wonders, and enjoyed everyone's company. Zach and Jacob stayed for a few more days, which was nice.
Bryan turned 30 recently. He feels no different, although he did suffer an unfortunate losing streak in all games (quite unusual for him) for about a week. Many jokes were made about his senility. This does mean that my 30th birthday is quickly approaching. My final 30 Before 30 post will go up on my birthday.
The church cookie walk happened yesterday. We had two all-day baking days in November and several late nights this past week getting everything ready, but it's (mostly) over now. A few more pounds of cookies are being baked to finish filling preorders, but then we're done for another year.
I volunteered to host campout in 2017, thinking when I volunteered two years ago that July 2017 was probably pretty safe, baby-wise. Justine did some math, too, and decided she could help me. As the time drew nearer and pregnancies failed to appear sufficiently early, we made jokes about being at camp, come babies or broken water. It turns out that we will, indeed, be at camp come babies AND broken water. Justine is due July 2 and I'm due July 12 (incidentally, my sister-in-law, Keshia, is due July 17). Camp is July 25. The good news is that camp this year is only half an hour from my house. Also, now mom, dad, and James don't have to choose between coming to camp or to a baptism. They can just come at the same time for both! I'm trying to convince Justine that she wants to have her baby's baptism at the same time, and we'll kill 3 birds with one stone. :)
Pictures and Videos:
We made "About Me" books in school and one of the pieces of information was weight. Unfortunately for the books, we don't own a scale. BUT, we did have (at the time) four five-pound bags of flour and some planks of wood! I had the brilliant idea of making a balance scale and weighing Kaitlyn using sacks of flour, weighing Gretchen using Kaitlyn and flour, and weighing Olivia using Gretchen and flour. Sadly, our planks of wood were not of the sturdy variety, and they bent rather than balancing, so our experiment was a bust. :( The next time we visited Grandma and Grandpa, we hopped on their actual scale. Incidentally, Olivia is 40 pounds and Gretchen is 33.
New Kaitlyn words: See you in the morning, Grandma, Evalynn (Evah or Ella), dessert, candy, fork, I don't know, sorry, forgiven, see, yummy (nummy), pretty
Olivia has done some real, live math! I had the girls count raisins into numbered circles and Olivia whizzed through with no trouble. As I helped Gretchen and Sophia count recognize numbers and count raisins, I put Olivia to work using her raisins to add a page of problems that I'd written down. She did great, and I was very excited. :) She's also beginning to read, when we remember to work on it. The biggest problem is that she is very good at memorizing and/or guessing the words in the early readers, so she doesn't actually have to read to get the words right. She sounds things out well, but still has trouble stringing the sounds together into a word that she recognizes. And when I say she has trouble, I really mean that she can't do it at all yet. She'll get better.
Gretchen likes to do "tricks" for us. She holds onto the edge of the table and then stands on one foot. She puts two hands and one foot on the ground and sticks the other foot in the air. She braces herself between the couch and the end table, gets up on one tip-toe, and swings the other foot back and forth. So much talent. Her balance is getting better, especially since she started ballet. And speaking of ballet, she also shows anyone who will watch her ballet moves that she's learned.
We hosted the midwest family thanksgiving at our house this year. Tom, Donna, Kara, Jacob, Zach, Ted, Ruth, Carolyn, and Jacob all came. Jacque and Will were thinking about coming, but ended up visiting Will's family instead. I suppose that is acceptable. I borrowed a roaster from church for the 21 pound turkey and we put both leaves in the dining room table. The little girls had to sit at their kid-sized card table, which they did not mind at all. We ate delicious food, played euchre and 7 Wonders, and enjoyed everyone's company. Zach and Jacob stayed for a few more days, which was nice.
Bryan turned 30 recently. He feels no different, although he did suffer an unfortunate losing streak in all games (quite unusual for him) for about a week. Many jokes were made about his senility. This does mean that my 30th birthday is quickly approaching. My final 30 Before 30 post will go up on my birthday.
The church cookie walk happened yesterday. We had two all-day baking days in November and several late nights this past week getting everything ready, but it's (mostly) over now. A few more pounds of cookies are being baked to finish filling preorders, but then we're done for another year.
I volunteered to host campout in 2017, thinking when I volunteered two years ago that July 2017 was probably pretty safe, baby-wise. Justine did some math, too, and decided she could help me. As the time drew nearer and pregnancies failed to appear sufficiently early, we made jokes about being at camp, come babies or broken water. It turns out that we will, indeed, be at camp come babies AND broken water. Justine is due July 2 and I'm due July 12 (incidentally, my sister-in-law, Keshia, is due July 17). Camp is July 25. The good news is that camp this year is only half an hour from my house. Also, now mom, dad, and James don't have to choose between coming to camp or to a baptism. They can just come at the same time for both! I'm trying to convince Justine that she wants to have her baby's baptism at the same time, and we'll kill 3 birds with one stone. :)
Pictures and Videos:
30 November 2016
Bonus Post: Sound Bites 15
Gretchen, to a woman we've never seen before: When I see people I don't know I am shy at them and I don't know you.
Me: Do you like the Cubs or the Indians?
Girls: The Cubs!
Me: Yeah!
Bryan: I like the Indians.
Gretchen: Mommy, which one do you like?
Me: The Cubs.
Gretchen: Go Indians!
Olivia: Open destiny!
Gretchen: Your days are over, Kaitlyn.
Olivia: We were just discussing that.
Gretchen, pointing to a knife: Daddy, will that part get us, too?
Bryan: Yes.
Gretchen: And it will sting us and get red on us?
Olivia: That was not useful, Kaitlyn.
Me: I love you. Do you know that?
Gretchen: I know everything except how my socks and shoes go.
Gretchen: What should I do with my towel from my popcorn because I'm done with it?
Me: Just hold it on your lap until we get to Grandma and Grandpa's house and then I'll take it from you.
Gretchen: No, we don't take!
Gretchen: I think my kisses are three months old now.
*Gretchen farts.*
Bryan: What do you say?
Gretchen: I was the one who farted.
Kaitlyn: Daddy. Daddy!
Bryan: Kaitlyn!
Kaitlyn: What?
Gretchen calls hummus "thomas."
*in line to kiss the cross after liturgy*
Olivia: No one asked me to marry them. Why doesn't anyone ever ask me to marry them?
Me: Do you like the Cubs or the Indians?
Girls: The Cubs!
Me: Yeah!
Bryan: I like the Indians.
Gretchen: Mommy, which one do you like?
Me: The Cubs.
Gretchen: Go Indians!
Olivia: Open destiny!
Gretchen: Your days are over, Kaitlyn.
Olivia: We were just discussing that.
Gretchen, pointing to a knife: Daddy, will that part get us, too?
Bryan: Yes.
Gretchen: And it will sting us and get red on us?
Olivia: That was not useful, Kaitlyn.
Me: I love you. Do you know that?
Gretchen: I know everything except how my socks and shoes go.
Gretchen: What should I do with my towel from my popcorn because I'm done with it?
Me: Just hold it on your lap until we get to Grandma and Grandpa's house and then I'll take it from you.
Gretchen: No, we don't take!
Gretchen: I think my kisses are three months old now.
*Gretchen farts.*
Bryan: What do you say?
Gretchen: I was the one who farted.
Kaitlyn: Daddy. Daddy!
Bryan: Kaitlyn!
Kaitlyn: What?
Gretchen calls hummus "thomas."
*in line to kiss the cross after liturgy*
Olivia: No one asked me to marry them. Why doesn't anyone ever ask me to marry them?
27 November 2016
13 November 2016
October 23-November 13
Gretchen is in ballet now. We had started just Olivia and decided that Gretchen could begin in a couple of years. The dance teacher told us about a class for younger children and we declined. But. Most of the little girls in Olivia's dance class are closer to Gretchen's age than to Olivia's. They all took the younger class last year and then moved up to this one, age notwithstanding. Sophia, the older of the two girls I babysit, is less than a week older than Gretchen and she's in this class. After a few weeks of dropping off Olivia and Sophia (but not Gretchen), sweet little Gretchy was happily resigned to her fate. She never whined or complained, just cheerfully told people that she would get to go to ballet when she turned five. One morning, though, she put on a dress-up tutu on the way out the door. I decided to ask Miss Lyn how much it would be to add Gretchen to the same class. Gretchen was allowed to stay for the day, just to see how she did. Miss Lyn even had an extra tutu and tap shoes to give her. Oh, the excitement. She did fine, Bryan and I talked, and now Gretchen is in dance class, too.
Parents got to come watch the last part of dance class on Nov. 1. I will have videos up someday.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but Olivia no longer uses a five-point harness in the car. She has surpassed the weight requirement for the harness in her particular high backed booster, so she uses the regular seat belt with her booster seat now. Much to her delight, this means she is virtually guaranteed the title of "Fastest Buckler" every time we get in the car.
Words Kaitlyn says: Grandpa (Papa), Mommy, Daddy, Gretchen (Gaga), please, thank, want, car, shoe, sock, arm, nose, uh-oh, more, that, this, drink (nank), take, where, why, Kaitlyn (Kay), mercy, open, floor, drop, blanket (bangnan), bum, stop, see, food, don't, go, bite, bad, cry
Kaitlyn's first sentence: I want drink.
Kaitlyn's second sentence: She take my shoe.
Pictures:
Parents got to come watch the last part of dance class on Nov. 1. I will have videos up someday.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but Olivia no longer uses a five-point harness in the car. She has surpassed the weight requirement for the harness in her particular high backed booster, so she uses the regular seat belt with her booster seat now. Much to her delight, this means she is virtually guaranteed the title of "Fastest Buckler" every time we get in the car.
Words Kaitlyn says: Grandpa (Papa), Mommy, Daddy, Gretchen (Gaga), please, thank, want, car, shoe, sock, arm, nose, uh-oh, more, that, this, drink (nank), take, where, why, Kaitlyn (Kay), mercy, open, floor, drop, blanket (bangnan), bum, stop, see, food, don't, go, bite, bad, cry
Kaitlyn's first sentence: I want drink.
Kaitlyn's second sentence: She take my shoe.
Pictures:
26 October 2016
Bonus Post: Sound Bites 14
Gretchen: Daddy is the best of you. But I like both of you. But Daddy is the best one.
Olivia, making book characters talk: My real name is Shoes William Barhorst. My real name is Necklace Daphne Velma.
Gretchen: *singing* Snow White goes on the mountain tonight...
(That's the beginning of "Let It Go." The actual phrase is "Snow blows white on the mountain tonight," but that didn't make sense to Gretchen so she changed it.)
Gretchen generally uses "old" as an all purpose unit of measurement. This conversation took place while we were seeing how far we could jump.
Gretchen: Daddy, how old are you?
Bryan, pointing to where his feet landed: This old.
Gretchen: No, how OLD are you? Lay down. (She then proceeded to draw a chalk outline around him.)
(Our friend) Josh, to Kaitlyn: Hi, honey!
Gretchen: No, we are not calling her honey. We are calling her Kaitlyn.
Olivia: Why did we stop?
Me: We had to wait for another car to go through.
Olivia: No, that was a truck.
Me: I'm sorry, we had to wait for another truck to go through.
Olivia: This is a van.
Bryan: So, Johannah and I just decided we're going out to eat for dinner tonight. This is, at minimum, a 3 hour ordeal, only half of which will be spent at the restaurant. It will also cost us, at minimum, $50, and 60% of the food we buy not only won't get eaten, but will be complained about. I will get to watch none of the baseball game, will have only one beer, and will probably spend more time with my kids in the bathroom than I will at the table.
Gretchen: I am running out of quietly.
Olivia, pointing at the guardrails on a bridge: Are those to keep us from falling?
Me: Yes.
Olivia: So we didn't have to start over to get there?
Me: ...Yes?
Gretchen: I cannot find my undies when I am done going potty.
*Note: Her undies (which she had on when she entered the bathroom) were nowhere to be found.
Olivia: Grandma, I need to put my princess crown on to be a princess because I wasn't born a princess. I was born naked.
Olivia, making book characters talk: My real name is Shoes William Barhorst. My real name is Necklace Daphne Velma.
Gretchen: *singing* Snow White goes on the mountain tonight...
(That's the beginning of "Let It Go." The actual phrase is "Snow blows white on the mountain tonight," but that didn't make sense to Gretchen so she changed it.)
Gretchen generally uses "old" as an all purpose unit of measurement. This conversation took place while we were seeing how far we could jump.
Gretchen: Daddy, how old are you?
Bryan, pointing to where his feet landed: This old.
Gretchen: No, how OLD are you? Lay down. (She then proceeded to draw a chalk outline around him.)
(Our friend) Josh, to Kaitlyn: Hi, honey!
Gretchen: No, we are not calling her honey. We are calling her Kaitlyn.
Olivia: Why did we stop?
Me: We had to wait for another car to go through.
Olivia: No, that was a truck.
Me: I'm sorry, we had to wait for another truck to go through.
Olivia: This is a van.
Bryan: So, Johannah and I just decided we're going out to eat for dinner tonight. This is, at minimum, a 3 hour ordeal, only half of which will be spent at the restaurant. It will also cost us, at minimum, $50, and 60% of the food we buy not only won't get eaten, but will be complained about. I will get to watch none of the baseball game, will have only one beer, and will probably spend more time with my kids in the bathroom than I will at the table.
Gretchen: I am running out of quietly.
Olivia, pointing at the guardrails on a bridge: Are those to keep us from falling?
Me: Yes.
Olivia: So we didn't have to start over to get there?
Me: ...Yes?
Gretchen: I cannot find my undies when I am done going potty.
*Note: Her undies (which she had on when she entered the bathroom) were nowhere to be found.
Olivia: Grandma, I need to put my princess crown on to be a princess because I wasn't born a princess. I was born naked.
23 October 2016
12 October 2016
October 2 - Leslie Julian Barhorst
We recently lost another baby to miscarriage. We named this baby Leslie Julian. The confirmation for this loss took about five days due to the various tests the doctor ordered, so Bryan and I had several days to prepare ourselves before sharing the news with others. I've ordered icons for the oratory and beads for my bracelet. Grandpa is going to carve another cross for our wall. We're doing better than expected, perhaps because we've done this before. Thank you everyone for the prayers.
02 October 2016
September 18-October 2
I've decided to start taking viola lessons again! I found a teacher at BGSU who is willing to give me a lesson every two or three weeks. I'm hoping this will motivate me to practice more as well as giving me a chance to learn new repertoire. My first lesson is tomorrow was last Monday and went very well. :)
We announced baby news last Sunday, beating the Bossards and causing a minor upset to betting pools across the country. The new addition is expected in late May.
Kaitlyn started saying "please." At this point she just sprinkles it into her speech indiscriminately, even if she doesn't necessarily want something.
The girls and I have officially finished one month of school! We crossed of (almost) everything on our list to accomplish this month and several extra things as well. I'm having lots of fun, and it seems that the girls are, too. How much they've learned so far remains to be seen, although when given primary colored paints, Olivia did notice that "two of the colors made purple!" She has no idea which two. In other visible learning, neither girl looks like she might lose a finger while using scissors anymore. This was a real concern at the beginning of the month. :)
I don't think I mentioned earlier that Bryan and I decided to have "No Fight September" as our dinner inspiration for the month. We chose only meals that we knew the girls already liked and had a wonderfully conflict free month of dinners. We did get incredibly tired of spaghetti by the end, though, since that's one of only two vegan meals we thought had a chance for all the Wednesdays and Fridays. We are now gearing up to tough out "All the Fights October," where-in we will once again eat less popular meals.
Pictures:
We announced baby news last Sunday, beating the Bossards and causing a minor upset to betting pools across the country. The new addition is expected in late May.
Kaitlyn started saying "please." At this point she just sprinkles it into her speech indiscriminately, even if she doesn't necessarily want something.
The girls and I have officially finished one month of school! We crossed of (almost) everything on our list to accomplish this month and several extra things as well. I'm having lots of fun, and it seems that the girls are, too. How much they've learned so far remains to be seen, although when given primary colored paints, Olivia did notice that "two of the colors made purple!" She has no idea which two. In other visible learning, neither girl looks like she might lose a finger while using scissors anymore. This was a real concern at the beginning of the month. :)
I don't think I mentioned earlier that Bryan and I decided to have "No Fight September" as our dinner inspiration for the month. We chose only meals that we knew the girls already liked and had a wonderfully conflict free month of dinners. We did get incredibly tired of spaghetti by the end, though, since that's one of only two vegan meals we thought had a chance for all the Wednesdays and Fridays. We are now gearing up to tough out "All the Fights October," where-in we will once again eat less popular meals.
Pictures:
28 September 2016
Bonus Post: Tell Me a Story
Stories from September 13, 2016
Gretchen's Story:
It's the one with when we get back I'm going to pretend that we buyed ice cream and we go outside and it's melting. And I get all sticky and I go in the bathtub and wash it all off.
Olivia's Story: {sung}
Once there was the sun shining everybody. This is a singing story. This is the singing story. There is trees growing outside. And there is a car. And driving, driving today. There is all kinds of cars driving away. And there is a house with four peoples in it. Gretchen and Mommy and Kaitlyn, Gretchen and Mommy and Kaitlyn and Olivia. Those are the people. First there was the bink.* There came the moon then they went to sleep and then they woke up and there was snow outside. And then they ate their breakfast and then their lunch and then -- !** ...That's the end.
*Me: The what?
Olivia: The bink!
Me: The bink?
Olivia: Yes.
**I read the story back to her and she said, "What about dinner?" "You didn't say dinner," I replied. "Oh. And the dinner."
Gretchen's Second Story: {sung}
Once. Once there was. A. Car with peoples in it. They were driving at church. And then! Jesus came and said, "I'll make sure the monsters don't come. But if they do come, I'll stay here and be with you. If the monsters came then you would be with Me. Everybody is so perfect." Once there was a green car. Somebody broke* into it with us in it. Then it was green and yellow. And old. It was our old car. And then there was Olivia and Gretchen and Mommy and Daddy and Kaitlyn. And then they got a new car. They got in it. And then somebody thought the old car was theirs. They got in it and drived away.** And then there was the wind. It was blowing my coloring paper. I catched it. I drived away. My mother drived away. Everybody was so happy la la la la la la la. They went to sleep. And then a bracelet was glowing. And then the strong wind blowed it. I catched it and put it on me. I watched my mother drive away. We went to sleep. We waked up. There was snow outside. We runned back inside and got our things. And then! Everybody was happy!
*Olivia said this word was "bumped," and Gretchen agreed after the fact, but I heard "broke."
**Olivia: The end!
Me: Yes, the end!
Gretchen: No, not the end!
Gretchen's Story:
It's the one with when we get back I'm going to pretend that we buyed ice cream and we go outside and it's melting. And I get all sticky and I go in the bathtub and wash it all off.
Olivia's Story: {sung}
Once there was the sun shining everybody. This is a singing story. This is the singing story. There is trees growing outside. And there is a car. And driving, driving today. There is all kinds of cars driving away. And there is a house with four peoples in it. Gretchen and Mommy and Kaitlyn, Gretchen and Mommy and Kaitlyn and Olivia. Those are the people. First there was the bink.* There came the moon then they went to sleep and then they woke up and there was snow outside. And then they ate their breakfast and then their lunch and then -- !** ...That's the end.
*Me: The what?
Olivia: The bink!
Me: The bink?
Olivia: Yes.
**I read the story back to her and she said, "What about dinner?" "You didn't say dinner," I replied. "Oh. And the dinner."
Gretchen's Second Story: {sung}
Once. Once there was. A. Car with peoples in it. They were driving at church. And then! Jesus came and said, "I'll make sure the monsters don't come. But if they do come, I'll stay here and be with you. If the monsters came then you would be with Me. Everybody is so perfect." Once there was a green car. Somebody broke* into it with us in it. Then it was green and yellow. And old. It was our old car. And then there was Olivia and Gretchen and Mommy and Daddy and Kaitlyn. And then they got a new car. They got in it. And then somebody thought the old car was theirs. They got in it and drived away.** And then there was the wind. It was blowing my coloring paper. I catched it. I drived away. My mother drived away. Everybody was so happy la la la la la la la. They went to sleep. And then a bracelet was glowing. And then the strong wind blowed it. I catched it and put it on me. I watched my mother drive away. We went to sleep. We waked up. There was snow outside. We runned back inside and got our things. And then! Everybody was happy!
*Olivia said this word was "bumped," and Gretchen agreed after the fact, but I heard "broke."
**Olivia: The end!
Me: Yes, the end!
Gretchen: No, not the end!
18 September 2016
September 11-18
A bonus post happened this past week, so hop on over and look at that if you haven't seen it already.
Keshia and Rudy came to visit one afternoon, so we made sure we got a cousins picture. Other than that it was same old same old at the Barhorst house this week. Olivia (and Gretchen) are enjoying school so far. Kaitlyn is enjoying getting into things while the older girls are working on them. Really, there's not much to report. Maybe this next week will be more interesting. :)
I do have videos, though!
Pictures and Videos:
Keshia and Rudy came to visit one afternoon, so we made sure we got a cousins picture. Other than that it was same old same old at the Barhorst house this week. Olivia (and Gretchen) are enjoying school so far. Kaitlyn is enjoying getting into things while the older girls are working on them. Really, there's not much to report. Maybe this next week will be more interesting. :)
I do have videos, though!
Pictures and Videos:
14 September 2016
Bonus Post: Sound Bites 13
Bryan: Will you always be my little Gretchen?
Gretchen: Yeah. When I say I'm not your little Gretchen then I'm silly.
Olivia: Three and three spells six.
Gretchen: Daddy, I thought you were a monster because I saw a big head.
*After a trip to the grocery store*
Olivia: Why did we not get any food from those people?
Me: We did get food.
Olivia: No, why did we not ask for food that we could eat?
Me: Oh, a sample?
Olivia: A human.
(She did want a sample, she just didn't realize that's what it was called.)
Gretchen: Daddy, if you were my daddy I would take you a bath. And I would let you watch a lot of movies if you were my daughter.
Olivia: Last night when we waked up on the next day.
(I'm not really bringing points back, but sometimes a reward is necessary... 15 points to the first person who can tell me what time Olivia was referencing in this comment.)
Olivia: I could not remember what you telled me to say to grandma, so I telled her something else.
Gretchen: Let's play with the meerkats!
Me: Meerkats? Can you show me the meerkats?
Gretchen: The meerkats are in your room!
Gretchen goes into my bedroom and comes back with the board game Blokus.
Me: There's New Hampshire and New Jersey and way down New Mexico, then New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, OHIO! Can you sing Ohio with me?
Gretchen: Yeah.
Me: There's New Hampshire and New Jersey and way down New Mexico, then New York, North Carolina, North Dakota... *points at Gretchen*
Gretchen: I-HO-OH!
Gretchen: Yeah. When I say I'm not your little Gretchen then I'm silly.
Olivia: Three and three spells six.
Gretchen: Daddy, I thought you were a monster because I saw a big head.
*After a trip to the grocery store*
Olivia: Why did we not get any food from those people?
Me: We did get food.
Olivia: No, why did we not ask for food that we could eat?
Me: Oh, a sample?
Olivia: A human.
(She did want a sample, she just didn't realize that's what it was called.)
Gretchen: Daddy, if you were my daddy I would take you a bath. And I would let you watch a lot of movies if you were my daughter.
Olivia: Last night when we waked up on the next day.
(I'm not really bringing points back, but sometimes a reward is necessary... 15 points to the first person who can tell me what time Olivia was referencing in this comment.)
Olivia: I could not remember what you telled me to say to grandma, so I telled her something else.
Gretchen: Let's play with the meerkats!
Me: Meerkats? Can you show me the meerkats?
Gretchen: The meerkats are in your room!
Gretchen goes into my bedroom and comes back with the board game Blokus.
Me: There's New Hampshire and New Jersey and way down New Mexico, then New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, OHIO! Can you sing Ohio with me?
Gretchen: Yeah.
Me: There's New Hampshire and New Jersey and way down New Mexico, then New York, North Carolina, North Dakota... *points at Gretchen*
Gretchen: I-HO-OH!
11 September 2016
August 28-September 11
A few posts ago I wrote about the Indianapolis Symphony and their viola openings. Since then I've found their repertoire list and discovered that I don't know about a third of it, including the concerto. So I shall not be auditioning for Indianapolis this time around. :-P Around the same time, I decided not to audition for Springfield either. One of my 30 Before 30 goals was to play with two professional symphonies, but at this point playing with Springfield would be more trouble than it's worth. I play with Lima, and I get paid to supplement college groups, and that's good enough for me. Auditioning for a very similar symphony an hour and a half away is not a priority right now. I have started investigating the possibility of taking the occasional lesson, though, in an effort to learn more repertoire (including that concerto). We'll see if that goes anywhere.
Olivia doesn't use the words "people" or "person." Instead, she uses "humans." It's a weird quirk that makes her sound like she's constantly on the lookout for aliens. In actuality, we think she uses humans because all the movies and books she likes have to differentiate between monsters and humans or mermaids and fairies and humans. They don't use the word "people," so neither does Olivia.
Gretchen is going to be a better mother than I can ever hope to be. Her nurturing instincts are strong, a fact I've noticed even more now that we have an extra one-year-old running around the house several days a week.
Kaitlyn can carry a tune pretty well. One day she sang a perfect arpeggio in the car ("I don't care" from "Let it Go"). Her words for that part are pretty clear, too. Other words she's learned: outside, dessert, brrm, chugga, honk (these last three from her favorite car book).
Kaitlyn loves to go! She'll stand on one side of the room, yell "go!" and run as fast as she can to the other side of the room. She also does this on the enclosed trampoline, which is hilarious to watch because the unsteady surface makes her rather ungainly. She is easily persuaded to do things if enough excitement is added to a "ready, set, go!" command. By far the best incarnation of this delight, however, is found in the car, where she yells "go!" and then kicks her feet as fast as she can while breathing heavily. I'd take a video, but it always happens when I'm driving.
Olivia started dance class this week. It's a ballet/tap combo class and I wasn't sure how she would do with being dropped off. We've been talking it up for a few weeks now and last week she and I went shopping for her shoes and leotard, which I think helped a lot. I introduced her to her dance teacher, pushed her into the room, and left. She seems to have done fine and Gretchen, Kaitlyn, and I got to see her dance a little at the end when we picked her up. Gretchen was very excited and stood in front of Olivia mimicking her moves as she danced.
We started school on September 1. I'm doing preschool at home with the girls and it's going well so far. Gretchen is participating more than I'd planned because the older of the two little girls I babysit is participating at the request of her parents and Gretchen is the same age. All three of the schoolers seem to be enjoying the activities.
The electrician finally came. We now have baseboard heat and independent lights in the two rooms Bryan built in the basement. There are a few ceiling tiles to put in yet, and then trim, carpeting, and furnishings. Bryan is excited to have an office (with heat!) for this winter.
Because of Olivia's dance class, we knew we would probably need a second vehicle soon. It seems ridiculous since Bryan works from home and I stay at home, but if he ever needs to be in the office on a day when Olivia has class then we're in trouble. Bryan's been wanting a truck for a while now anyway, so he took his opportunity and ran with it. He is now the proud owner of a Dodge pickup truck that is approximately twice as big as the one he set out to buy.
We went to the zoo at the end of last month, meeting Kara there on one of her days off. Let me tell you what, August 31st is the day to go to the zoo. School has started so the zoo is wonderfully empty. We wandered around at our own pace and stayed at each exhibit as long as we wanted to. We even got to go on the giraffe observation deck to see the giraffes up close and personal -- and one was very close, pushing his 250 lb head right through the opening to see if any of us had lettuce leaves for him. We also compared tongues, and Olivia and Gretchen decided that the giraffe's tongue was the longest of anyone's. We're headed back to the zoo at the end of this month to visit one more time before they close for the season. :)
The Fourth Annual Barhorst Fun Run happened on Labor Day. People came and had a good time. Only one of our 5k runners ran an actual 5k, despite vastly superior signage compared to last year's sticks with yarn on them. Everyone else missed a loop and only ran 2.5 miles. To be fair, Alison and Hector went out after finishing and ran an extra 0.6 miles. Bryan ran his annual mile, running the whole thing this year and finishing in a respectable 8:34. I was not able to run since someone had to do times and watch kids (we missed you, mom and dad!), but after a couple of the milers finished I relinquished my clipboard in order to prove to Bryan that I could run a mile faster than he could. He claims that had we been running together he could have beaten my 8:07. I guess we'll have to find out next year.
Pictures:
Olivia doesn't use the words "people" or "person." Instead, she uses "humans." It's a weird quirk that makes her sound like she's constantly on the lookout for aliens. In actuality, we think she uses humans because all the movies and books she likes have to differentiate between monsters and humans or mermaids and fairies and humans. They don't use the word "people," so neither does Olivia.
Gretchen is going to be a better mother than I can ever hope to be. Her nurturing instincts are strong, a fact I've noticed even more now that we have an extra one-year-old running around the house several days a week.
Kaitlyn can carry a tune pretty well. One day she sang a perfect arpeggio in the car ("I don't care" from "Let it Go"). Her words for that part are pretty clear, too. Other words she's learned: outside, dessert, brrm, chugga, honk (these last three from her favorite car book).
Kaitlyn loves to go! She'll stand on one side of the room, yell "go!" and run as fast as she can to the other side of the room. She also does this on the enclosed trampoline, which is hilarious to watch because the unsteady surface makes her rather ungainly. She is easily persuaded to do things if enough excitement is added to a "ready, set, go!" command. By far the best incarnation of this delight, however, is found in the car, where she yells "go!" and then kicks her feet as fast as she can while breathing heavily. I'd take a video, but it always happens when I'm driving.
Olivia started dance class this week. It's a ballet/tap combo class and I wasn't sure how she would do with being dropped off. We've been talking it up for a few weeks now and last week she and I went shopping for her shoes and leotard, which I think helped a lot. I introduced her to her dance teacher, pushed her into the room, and left. She seems to have done fine and Gretchen, Kaitlyn, and I got to see her dance a little at the end when we picked her up. Gretchen was very excited and stood in front of Olivia mimicking her moves as she danced.
We started school on September 1. I'm doing preschool at home with the girls and it's going well so far. Gretchen is participating more than I'd planned because the older of the two little girls I babysit is participating at the request of her parents and Gretchen is the same age. All three of the schoolers seem to be enjoying the activities.
The electrician finally came. We now have baseboard heat and independent lights in the two rooms Bryan built in the basement. There are a few ceiling tiles to put in yet, and then trim, carpeting, and furnishings. Bryan is excited to have an office (with heat!) for this winter.
Because of Olivia's dance class, we knew we would probably need a second vehicle soon. It seems ridiculous since Bryan works from home and I stay at home, but if he ever needs to be in the office on a day when Olivia has class then we're in trouble. Bryan's been wanting a truck for a while now anyway, so he took his opportunity and ran with it. He is now the proud owner of a Dodge pickup truck that is approximately twice as big as the one he set out to buy.
We went to the zoo at the end of last month, meeting Kara there on one of her days off. Let me tell you what, August 31st is the day to go to the zoo. School has started so the zoo is wonderfully empty. We wandered around at our own pace and stayed at each exhibit as long as we wanted to. We even got to go on the giraffe observation deck to see the giraffes up close and personal -- and one was very close, pushing his 250 lb head right through the opening to see if any of us had lettuce leaves for him. We also compared tongues, and Olivia and Gretchen decided that the giraffe's tongue was the longest of anyone's. We're headed back to the zoo at the end of this month to visit one more time before they close for the season. :)
The Fourth Annual Barhorst Fun Run happened on Labor Day. People came and had a good time. Only one of our 5k runners ran an actual 5k, despite vastly superior signage compared to last year's sticks with yarn on them. Everyone else missed a loop and only ran 2.5 miles. To be fair, Alison and Hector went out after finishing and ran an extra 0.6 miles. Bryan ran his annual mile, running the whole thing this year and finishing in a respectable 8:34. I was not able to run since someone had to do times and watch kids (we missed you, mom and dad!), but after a couple of the milers finished I relinquished my clipboard in order to prove to Bryan that I could run a mile faster than he could. He claims that had we been running together he could have beaten my 8:07. I guess we'll have to find out next year.
Pictures:
28 August 2016
August 14-28
Kaitlyn walks into the oratory and immediately starts singing and crossing herself. I would guess that she's trying to do the Beatitudes since that's what we sing every morning.
Gretchen and Olivia can both say The Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary unassisted. They still fake it through the occasional difficult phrase, so we're working on enunciating.
Surprising words that the older girls use (correctly, for the most part):
Surely
Precisely
I rest my case
Perfect
Words that are still pronounced incorrectly: aziting (exciting), packpack
Kaitlyn's newest words: son, spirit, amen, marks, set, go, up, yeah, yes ("yeah...ssss" or "yeaaaaaas"), bye ("daa" while waving), nose, belly ("baa" while smacking someone's belly), down, can't
Kaitlyn has a favorite book: Toot Toot Beep Beep. She brings it to bed at night, reads it in the car, and requests it often throughout the day. I think part of it is that she doesn't have as much access to the other board books as Olivia and Gretchen did. Even when she has other books available, though, this book is still her first choice.
I made salsa using a small number of my tomatoes and a somewhat larger number of CSA tomatoes. I had planned to make only one batch of six pints, but I had many more tomatoes left than anticipated, so I ended up making 5 quarts each of two different kinds of salsa. The good news is that they are delicious. Next time I have tomatoes I'm making some pasta sauce.
I started babysitting two little girls last week. Monday through Thursday we have a three-year-old and a one-year-old come stay with us during the day. All the kids are used to each other now and things have been going pretty smoothly thus far.
We got the rice sensory bin out again. Another mess was made, and my initial reaction was to never, ever do rice again. BUT. All three girls played in it and sprinkled it around and danced in it and generally amused themselves for such a long time... And when it came time to clean up the rice, Kaitlyn was genuinely upset that I wouldn't let her rescatter the neatly swept pile. So I guess maybe I'll buy a bag of rice periodically and let them spread it all over my living room. Sweeping up rice is rather therapeutic...
We have a caterpillar. I rescued him off our driveway and put him in a jar. Since he was on the driveway rather than on a plant, I stuffed his jar with an assortment of leaves in order to find a variety he likes. There is a type he prefers, so now I just have to hunt for that particular plant in my yard in order to keep him fed. Periodically I stick something new in to see if he takes to that as well. No luck so far. Olivia is very excited to check on him every morning to see if he's a butterfly yet.
Pictures:
Gretchen and Olivia can both say The Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary unassisted. They still fake it through the occasional difficult phrase, so we're working on enunciating.
Surprising words that the older girls use (correctly, for the most part):
Surely
Precisely
I rest my case
Perfect
Words that are still pronounced incorrectly: aziting (exciting), packpack
Kaitlyn's newest words: son, spirit, amen, marks, set, go, up, yeah, yes ("yeah...ssss" or "yeaaaaaas"), bye ("daa" while waving), nose, belly ("baa" while smacking someone's belly), down, can't
Kaitlyn has a favorite book: Toot Toot Beep Beep. She brings it to bed at night, reads it in the car, and requests it often throughout the day. I think part of it is that she doesn't have as much access to the other board books as Olivia and Gretchen did. Even when she has other books available, though, this book is still her first choice.
I made salsa using a small number of my tomatoes and a somewhat larger number of CSA tomatoes. I had planned to make only one batch of six pints, but I had many more tomatoes left than anticipated, so I ended up making 5 quarts each of two different kinds of salsa. The good news is that they are delicious. Next time I have tomatoes I'm making some pasta sauce.
I started babysitting two little girls last week. Monday through Thursday we have a three-year-old and a one-year-old come stay with us during the day. All the kids are used to each other now and things have been going pretty smoothly thus far.
We got the rice sensory bin out again. Another mess was made, and my initial reaction was to never, ever do rice again. BUT. All three girls played in it and sprinkled it around and danced in it and generally amused themselves for such a long time... And when it came time to clean up the rice, Kaitlyn was genuinely upset that I wouldn't let her rescatter the neatly swept pile. So I guess maybe I'll buy a bag of rice periodically and let them spread it all over my living room. Sweeping up rice is rather therapeutic...
We have a caterpillar. I rescued him off our driveway and put him in a jar. Since he was on the driveway rather than on a plant, I stuffed his jar with an assortment of leaves in order to find a variety he likes. There is a type he prefers, so now I just have to hunt for that particular plant in my yard in order to keep him fed. Periodically I stick something new in to see if he takes to that as well. No luck so far. Olivia is very excited to check on him every morning to see if he's a butterfly yet.
Pictures:
14 August 2016
July 24-August 14
A lot has happened over here. I guess that's to be expected when the blog writer neglects her duties for three weeks. :/ Let's see what I can remember...
Olivia turned 5! She was very excited and now proudly proclaims to everyone that she is 5. This is usually followed by the person she's talking to asking about school, and then we have to explain that she missed the cutoff by two days. She's doing preschool at home this year and has to wait until next year for kindergarten.
Olivia's party had to be moved to her baptism birthday. It was originally scheduled for her actual birthday, but then most of her friends couldn't make it. This solved a problem for me, though, because Olivia knew that Gretchen's party had been on Gretchen's baptism birthday, so Olivia was definitely expecting baptism birthday presents. She was also a little confused about whether she was already six or not... I think we got that all straightened out. :)
Since she turned five, Olivia had to have a checkup. She's 41.6 pounds and 43.75 inches tall. We decided to get her "school shots" this year even though she's not going because she and I had already discussed them after one of Kaitlyn's many appointments. She did very well with the shots, helped, I'm sure, by the promise of a movie later in the day. She did less well with answering questions posed by the doctor (the only one she answered was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The answer was "a ballerina.") and following directions. We'll have to work on the crippling shyness. We also need to work on her tendency to hoard toys in an effort to keep her sisters from using them. Her sharing game is terrible, at best, and her chosen corner of the playroom often resembles Smaug's lair.
Speaking of Kaitlyn's many appointments, she had a 15 month checkup about a month ago. She is (or was at that time) 23 pounds, 3 ounces and 31.75 inches tall.
Kaitlyn sings "Let It Go" all the time now. It's the only song she sings, in fact. The family sings "Happy Birthday" and Kaitlyn follows it with "Let It Go." There's music in the car and Kaitlyn sings "Let It Go." You get the picture. There was a video a few posts ago of her first foray into the world of music, but she's improved since then.
In other Kaitlyn news, she leaves a clear trail of where she's been if you know what to look for: she almost always trades an item for the new one that she picks up. For example: Kaitlyn is in the bedroom. She finds a barrette, and tries to stick it to her head with sheer force of will. Failing that, she carries her prize clenched in her fist to the playroom, where she discovers a barbie. She drops the barrette, picks up the barbie, and wanders into the kitchen. As she passes the cupboards, she opens doors and peers inside. What's this? A bowl?! Excellent. The barbie goes in the cupboard and the bowl comes out. She tries it on like a hat. Such a trendsetter. When she gets to the TV room, the bowl finally wobbles off her head. She reaches to pick it up, but it landed right next to dad's shoe. The bowl is forgotten and the shoe is placed on one small foot. Clomping happily with every other step, Kaitlyn makes her way to mom and dad's bedroom. Dad always keeps fun things on his bedside table. The shoe is left on the table, and Kaitlyn is the proud possessor of a set of motorcycle keys. Into the oratory she goes, dropping the keys in front of the icons she can reach and grabbing St. Catherine off the wall. Kissing the icon repeatedly, Kaitlyn weaves her way back to the playroom, stopping at the kitchen table to trade St. Catherine for a sippy cup. And so on, and so forth. Only some parts of this story were made up. :)
Gretchen helps me in the kitchen. That's what I was trying to remember in my last post. She is always asking if she can "make" with me. She likes to stir and measure ingredients, but she is wary of the big knife after she cut herself (not badly) getting it out of the dishwasher about a month ago. Anytime I'm doing something in the kitchen, Gretchen is there helping.
Gretchen is also incredibly sweet, always giving hugs and kisses. She shares everything she has with her sisters. Gretchen seems happiest when others are happy, so she is very generous with her food and toys. Gretchen also likes to talk -- no shyness here! The doctor did learn the answers (and then some) to all the questions she asked Olivia, but Gretchen was the one giving them. Gretchen also jumped on one foot and took deep breaths for the doctor. :) Check out the video below for a sample of how Gretchen might answer a question that is asked.
We went to camp two weeks ago and saw lots of family. Olivia and Gretchen are getting old enough that they remember faces, so they're more comfortable with the people. I don't remember many details about camp, but we did have fun and there are some pictures on facebook that I should steal for the blog. :)
Pictures and Video:
Olivia turned 5! She was very excited and now proudly proclaims to everyone that she is 5. This is usually followed by the person she's talking to asking about school, and then we have to explain that she missed the cutoff by two days. She's doing preschool at home this year and has to wait until next year for kindergarten.
Olivia's party had to be moved to her baptism birthday. It was originally scheduled for her actual birthday, but then most of her friends couldn't make it. This solved a problem for me, though, because Olivia knew that Gretchen's party had been on Gretchen's baptism birthday, so Olivia was definitely expecting baptism birthday presents. She was also a little confused about whether she was already six or not... I think we got that all straightened out. :)
Since she turned five, Olivia had to have a checkup. She's 41.6 pounds and 43.75 inches tall. We decided to get her "school shots" this year even though she's not going because she and I had already discussed them after one of Kaitlyn's many appointments. She did very well with the shots, helped, I'm sure, by the promise of a movie later in the day. She did less well with answering questions posed by the doctor (the only one she answered was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The answer was "a ballerina.") and following directions. We'll have to work on the crippling shyness. We also need to work on her tendency to hoard toys in an effort to keep her sisters from using them. Her sharing game is terrible, at best, and her chosen corner of the playroom often resembles Smaug's lair.
Speaking of Kaitlyn's many appointments, she had a 15 month checkup about a month ago. She is (or was at that time) 23 pounds, 3 ounces and 31.75 inches tall.
Kaitlyn sings "Let It Go" all the time now. It's the only song she sings, in fact. The family sings "Happy Birthday" and Kaitlyn follows it with "Let It Go." There's music in the car and Kaitlyn sings "Let It Go." You get the picture. There was a video a few posts ago of her first foray into the world of music, but she's improved since then.
In other Kaitlyn news, she leaves a clear trail of where she's been if you know what to look for: she almost always trades an item for the new one that she picks up. For example: Kaitlyn is in the bedroom. She finds a barrette, and tries to stick it to her head with sheer force of will. Failing that, she carries her prize clenched in her fist to the playroom, where she discovers a barbie. She drops the barrette, picks up the barbie, and wanders into the kitchen. As she passes the cupboards, she opens doors and peers inside. What's this? A bowl?! Excellent. The barbie goes in the cupboard and the bowl comes out. She tries it on like a hat. Such a trendsetter. When she gets to the TV room, the bowl finally wobbles off her head. She reaches to pick it up, but it landed right next to dad's shoe. The bowl is forgotten and the shoe is placed on one small foot. Clomping happily with every other step, Kaitlyn makes her way to mom and dad's bedroom. Dad always keeps fun things on his bedside table. The shoe is left on the table, and Kaitlyn is the proud possessor of a set of motorcycle keys. Into the oratory she goes, dropping the keys in front of the icons she can reach and grabbing St. Catherine off the wall. Kissing the icon repeatedly, Kaitlyn weaves her way back to the playroom, stopping at the kitchen table to trade St. Catherine for a sippy cup. And so on, and so forth. Only some parts of this story were made up. :)
Gretchen helps me in the kitchen. That's what I was trying to remember in my last post. She is always asking if she can "make" with me. She likes to stir and measure ingredients, but she is wary of the big knife after she cut herself (not badly) getting it out of the dishwasher about a month ago. Anytime I'm doing something in the kitchen, Gretchen is there helping.
Gretchen is also incredibly sweet, always giving hugs and kisses. She shares everything she has with her sisters. Gretchen seems happiest when others are happy, so she is very generous with her food and toys. Gretchen also likes to talk -- no shyness here! The doctor did learn the answers (and then some) to all the questions she asked Olivia, but Gretchen was the one giving them. Gretchen also jumped on one foot and took deep breaths for the doctor. :) Check out the video below for a sample of how Gretchen might answer a question that is asked.
We went to camp two weeks ago and saw lots of family. Olivia and Gretchen are getting old enough that they remember faces, so they're more comfortable with the people. I don't remember many details about camp, but we did have fun and there are some pictures on facebook that I should steal for the blog. :)
Pictures and Video:
24 July 2016
July 17-24
Olivia and Gretchen often let their barbies fly. The game started because they had a superhero barbie that would swoop in to save the day. Gradually, however, all their barbies achieved flight and now they hold them over their heads and shout "shoom!" as they run from room to room. Kaitlyn has been watching intently, so it should surprise no one that when presented with a barbie the first thing she does is hold it up in the air and say, "shoom!"
Kaitlyn loves grandpa. No one, including grandpa, quite knows why since he doesn't do anything special to win her affection. He does hold her, though, and they are content to sit in stoic silence together.
Other Kaitlyn updates: She says cat, most often when pointing to our cat as it stubbornly stays a safe distance from her grasping fingers. She's chosen two battles to fight in her young lift: carseats and diapers. Sorry, Kaitlyn, you won't win either of those. What she does win, though, is getting into things. She can climb up onto chairs and has started pushing them around the kitchen to discover what is hiding on the counters.
Olivia got big enough that she graduated from a five point harness to a booster seat in the car. Her old harness seat is also a high backed booster, so we just removed the harness and now she buckles up using a real seatbelt.
I had something I was going to say about Gretchen, but I can't remember what it was. It wasn't that she's slow as molasses (though she is) or that she listens like a rock (which she does). It was a good trait, but it escapes me. Hopefully I'll remember it for next week.
Words Bryan wants to remember: hangaber (hamburger), pasketti (spaghetti), yogut (yogurt), strapen (the act of tightening car seat straps), ache-up (throw up)
Pictures
Kaitlyn loves grandpa. No one, including grandpa, quite knows why since he doesn't do anything special to win her affection. He does hold her, though, and they are content to sit in stoic silence together.
Other Kaitlyn updates: She says cat, most often when pointing to our cat as it stubbornly stays a safe distance from her grasping fingers. She's chosen two battles to fight in her young lift: carseats and diapers. Sorry, Kaitlyn, you won't win either of those. What she does win, though, is getting into things. She can climb up onto chairs and has started pushing them around the kitchen to discover what is hiding on the counters.
Olivia got big enough that she graduated from a five point harness to a booster seat in the car. Her old harness seat is also a high backed booster, so we just removed the harness and now she buckles up using a real seatbelt.
I had something I was going to say about Gretchen, but I can't remember what it was. It wasn't that she's slow as molasses (though she is) or that she listens like a rock (which she does). It was a good trait, but it escapes me. Hopefully I'll remember it for next week.
Words Bryan wants to remember: hangaber (hamburger), pasketti (spaghetti), yogut (yogurt), strapen (the act of tightening car seat straps), ache-up (throw up)
Pictures
20 July 2016
Bonus Post: 30 Before 30 Update
A record of my 30 Before 30 progress thus far. Some of these probably won't make it, but I think I've been moving in the right direction on all of the concepts.
1.Genuinely surprise Bryan at least once. February 15, 2014
2. Record the psalms. --Siblings, when are we going to do this? --Jacob and I have started this project. We've recorded about 25 psalms with just the two of us. I'm hoping to rope Jacque into some recording while she's around more these next few months.
3.Run a sub-2:00 half marathon. April 6, 2014. 1:54:30
4.Sell at least one thing I've made (at the Farmer's Market or on Etsy). --May 17, 2014. Steph and I set up an Etsy account and my first order was for the matching squares that I made William for Christmas.
5. Learn Spanish. --I listen to Spanish CDs while I run on the treadmill, so I'm making progress here. --Progress has slowed since my race in April ended my daily treadmill runs. I need to get motivated to keep learning. --Progress has picked up again, thanks to smartphones and the duolingo app. --Progress has slowed again. I need to just start using Spanish for a set amount of time each day. :/ --I tried to convince Jacque to come live with me so that she could speak Spanish to us all the time. Does that count for anything?
6. Record all 6 cello suites. --This goal seems unlikely to be achieved, but I do have plans to record at least one suite, which is a start.
7.Sew Christmas and/or Easter dresses for the girls. --I have patterns! I'm waiting until the girls are bigger to make them. --This will happen for the upcoming Easter. --April 30, 2016
8.Minimize (eliminate?) the need for disposable products in our house. --Jacque says I've made it. The only disposable product we use consistently is toilet paper, and I'm okay with that. Every now and again Bryan feels the need to buy paper products for when we host a party, and I'm okay with that, too.
9.Have a compost pile. --We have a bucket that we've begun collecting scraps in and the pile is growing.
10. Play with at least 2 professional orchestras. --I play with Lima, and I'm looking for auditions with other orchestras. --I was contacted by the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra to play with them. Unfortunately, I'm already busy the days they need me. I'm hoping that this means they'll contact me again, though. :) --I've gotten a few paying gigs with college orchestras that need extra musicians. Does that count?
11.Go 7 days in a row without letting my temper get the better of me. February 14-21, 2014 I'd gotten 6 days in a row a couple of times and then finally made it 7 (nine, actually). I'm finding it easier to take deep breaths and move on, and I have a chart to keep track of my progress. Next goal: three weeks. That's how long it takes to form a habit, right?
12.Make an honest attempt at clean eating/real food. I've done some research and tried some substitutes and reached a comfortable point. Do I care enough to use butter instead of margarine? Yes. Do I care enough to buy coconut oil regularly? No. Whole grain noodles and brown rice most of the time? Yes. Completely eliminate sugar? No. Homemade bread? Yes. Whole wheat bread? Sometimes. But often I appreciate the airiness that I can only achieve with a little bit of white flour.
13. *Skipped because knowledge by some of my readers could skew the results.* April 5, 2014
14.Go on an overnight vacation with just our family. --We're thinking this summer. --July 11-12, 2016
15.Grow a garden. My garden is progressing nicely, although technically we haven't seen any actual vegetables yet since they still have a month or so before they reach maturity. The leaves look beautiful and healthy, though! --Summer 2014
16.Write a book. --Dad has suggested several times that I draw from my blog to complete this goal. I have not written a book based on my blog, but I did find a website that will print a bound version of my blog and I decided to order a volume for each year of writing. I now have four hard copies of various sections of my blog and intend to continue to get one for each coming year.
17.Sew a skirt that becomes my favorite. --July 4, 2016
18.Volunteer to host campout. --We tried to do this for 2016 campout (and even thought we'd succeeded), but apparently we didn't tell all the right people, so someone else is doing 2016. We will be trying again for 2017. :) --Success, at least as far as I know. I'm pretending that we succeeded and have started vaguely considering where to host 2017 campout.
19. Go through RCIA. Edit: Arrange to talk to a Catholic priest several times. RCIA won't answer the questions I have. --What if I just become pen pals with the Pope?
20.Attend Seekers' Group (similar to RCIA, offered by the Orthodox church in Lima). --Bryan and I are attending this every Tuesday and I have no reason to believe we'll quit before it's finished. --We've started twice and haven't finished only because the group keeps disbanding before we make it all the way through the material. I've been going for over a year now and intend to continue going until we've finished the book, so I'm crossing this off.
21. Complete at least 3 things on my (ever growing) Projects List. --I think I finished one, but now I can't remember what it is! --I have an Advent Calendar that is halfway done. I'm also planning a music program for the kids in our parish. Now perhaps when I finish those I will remember to count them. :) --I finished one: The church has a lending library as of July 17, 2016.
22. Start a soup kitchen. --There is a flourishing soup kitchen in Lima already, but I'm working on getting together a Supper and Psalms with a goal of ultimately hosting it once a month. --I keep having new plans for a way to somewhat implement this idea. I'm hoping one will work out soon.
23.Make pectin-free jam. Make up the recipe. --August 18, 2014. I made peach jam with almond and nutmeg.
24.Go on an overnight vacation with Bryan -- no kids. --September 25-28, 2014
25. Use up all the coupons Bryan gave me (I still have some from when we were dating). --Slowly but surely coming along. --Only three left! --Now only one!
26. Learn one of the 3 big concertos. --I have music for two of these. Now I just have to practice. --Practice is not happeningas much as it should. at all. :( --I got bowings for the Walton from Steph and we talked about learning it together, but that is the extent of our progress.
27.Arrange a regularly recurring get-together with the Lima folk. --Second Thursday of each month is "go to Lima" day. We've successfully done this two months in a row, so I'm crossing it off.
28.Have a religious conversation with Bryan that doesn't end in tears. --July 27, 2014. Nothing was solved, but I didn't cry.
29.Make a new friend. --Why did I put this on my list?! --I have new friends! ...Kind of. There are three couples we've gotten together with more than once in recent months. Add to that the fact that I've become better friends with people I didn't know as well when I made this list, and I'm counting it. --Summer 2016
30.Improve a stranger's day. --I sent a book to one of dad's new parishioners and then realized that now I get to cross something off this list!
31.(Because I thought of one more and it kind of fits in with several of the above goals) Join a co-op. --It turns out that I AM a co-op. I organize the buying of bulk foods and distribute them to others. I'm counting it.
1.
2. Record the psalms. --Siblings, when are we going to do this? --Jacob and I have started this project. We've recorded about 25 psalms with just the two of us. I'm hoping to rope Jacque into some recording while she's around more these next few months.
3.
4.
5. Learn Spanish. --I listen to Spanish CDs while I run on the treadmill, so I'm making progress here. --Progress has slowed since my race in April ended my daily treadmill runs. I need to get motivated to keep learning. --Progress has picked up again, thanks to smartphones and the duolingo app. --Progress has slowed again. I need to just start using Spanish for a set amount of time each day. :/ --I tried to convince Jacque to come live with me so that she could speak Spanish to us all the time. Does that count for anything?
6. Record all 6 cello suites. --This goal seems unlikely to be achieved, but I do have plans to record at least one suite, which is a start.
7.
8.
9.
10. Play with at least 2 professional orchestras. --I play with Lima, and I'm looking for auditions with other orchestras. --I was contacted by the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra to play with them. Unfortunately, I'm already busy the days they need me. I'm hoping that this means they'll contact me again, though. :) --I've gotten a few paying gigs with college orchestras that need extra musicians. Does that count?
11.
12.
13. *
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. Go through RCIA. Edit: Arrange to talk to a Catholic priest several times. RCIA won't answer the questions I have. --What if I just become pen pals with the Pope?
20.
21. Complete at least 3 things on my (ever growing) Projects List. --I think I finished one, but now I can't remember what it is! --I have an Advent Calendar that is halfway done. I'm also planning a music program for the kids in our parish. Now perhaps when I finish those I will remember to count them. :) --I finished one: The church has a lending library as of July 17, 2016.
22. Start a soup kitchen. --There is a flourishing soup kitchen in Lima already, but I'm working on getting together a Supper and Psalms with a goal of ultimately hosting it once a month. --I keep having new plans for a way to somewhat implement this idea. I'm hoping one will work out soon.
23.
24.
25. Use up all the coupons Bryan gave me (I still have some from when we were dating). --Slowly but surely coming along. --Only three left! --Now only one!
26. Learn one of the 3 big concertos. --I have music for two of these. Now I just have to practice. --Practice is not happening
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
17 July 2016
July 3-17
Some additions to last week's post's lists:
-Kaitlyn says shh, down, bad, dog, Archie, amen, open.
-Kaitlyn gives high fives.
-Gretchen has figured out that she can help Kaitlyn do things, so she's started being more attentive. Sometimes it's really cute, sometimes it just makes Kaitlyn mad.
-Gretchen has figured out that she can help Kaitlyn do things, so she's started being more attentive. Sometimes it's really cute, sometimes it just makes Kaitlyn mad.
-Olivia likes to dance, so we signed her up for a dance class. It's a ballet/tap/creative movement combo class that starts in September.
The priest at our church is on sabbatical this summer, so we will be spending more weekends with Bryan's parents in order to attend church in Dayton on the Sundays that we don't have a priest.
Bryan and I got to go to a kid-free wedding last week. We enjoyed talking with adults and dancing without kids. Murry enjoyed having the girls to herself for two days. :)
I made a new skirt. It's knit, matches several of my shirts, and has an irregular hem and pockets. What more do I need? Thus far it is looking like a strong contender for my favorite skirt, which means I can probably cross that off my 30 Before 30 list.
We took a family vacation (also on my list!) to Dayton last week. We stayed in a hotel and ate at restaurants and visited a museum, a park, and a mall. It wasn't a big event, but we had a good time.
Since I've made progress on my list recently, there will be a bonus post this Wednesday listing the updates.
I found out that the Indianapolis Symphony has two viola openings. I have no hope of getting in, but I'm playing around with the idea of trying anyway. I suddenly have the desire to practice huge amounts. Related to these two things, I read a book a while ago that talked about how it takes 10,000 hours of good practice to master a skill (at "highest in the field" level). I counted how many hours I've practiced viola, and I think I have 1500 that qualify. If I start practicing an hour every day, I could be a master in 27 year. :-P If I practice two hours every day, I'll be fabulous by the time I'm 45. Mom said that's about when my kids will be grown up and I'll be looking for a way to keep busy anyway. :)
Pictures and Videos
The priest at our church is on sabbatical this summer, so we will be spending more weekends with Bryan's parents in order to attend church in Dayton on the Sundays that we don't have a priest.
Bryan and I got to go to a kid-free wedding last week. We enjoyed talking with adults and dancing without kids. Murry enjoyed having the girls to herself for two days. :)
I made a new skirt. It's knit, matches several of my shirts, and has an irregular hem and pockets. What more do I need? Thus far it is looking like a strong contender for my favorite skirt, which means I can probably cross that off my 30 Before 30 list.
We took a family vacation (also on my list!) to Dayton last week. We stayed in a hotel and ate at restaurants and visited a museum, a park, and a mall. It wasn't a big event, but we had a good time.
Since I've made progress on my list recently, there will be a bonus post this Wednesday listing the updates.
I found out that the Indianapolis Symphony has two viola openings. I have no hope of getting in, but I'm playing around with the idea of trying anyway. I suddenly have the desire to practice huge amounts. Related to these two things, I read a book a while ago that talked about how it takes 10,000 hours of good practice to master a skill (at "highest in the field" level). I counted how many hours I've practiced viola, and I think I have 1500 that qualify. If I start practicing an hour every day, I could be a master in 27 year. :-P If I practice two hours every day, I'll be fabulous by the time I'm 45. Mom said that's about when my kids will be grown up and I'll be looking for a way to keep busy anyway. :)
Pictures and Videos
13 July 2016
Bonus Post: Sound Bites 12
Gretchen, yelling: Mommy!
Oma: Why are you yelling?
Olivia: Gretchen is yelling because I want water.
Oma: So Gretchen was requesting water on your behalf?
Gretchen: No, I was yelling because Olivia wants water.
Olivia: Here you go, your highness!
Me: Thank you.
Olivia: I called you "your highness."
Me: I know.
Olivia: But you're not "your highness," you're just mommy. And mom. And mama.
Gretchen: And mother!
Olivia: If I get a baby out of my belly then I am going to call her Princess Sofia. And if I get another one when Sofia is bigger I am going to call her Princess Amber. And if I get one when Amber is bigger then I am going to call her Princess Vivian. If they are all girls. If I get a boy then I will call him Prince James.
Gretchen: If I get a boy I am going to call him Prince Phillip. And if I get another baby I am going to call her Princess The Lady That Turns The Prince Into A Beast So The Beast Can Learn To Be Nice.
Bryan: That one's definitely YOUR daughter.
Me: Which one?
Bryan: Olivia just said, "I don't need to make my bed because I got out very carefully so it is already made!"
Me: All right, Olivia!
Bryan: Tuck yourself in like an envelope, sneak out in the morning, and fold the corner over. Done.
Gretchen: Why do you call Oma Mom? She does not live with you.
Me: No, but she used to live with me when I was little.
Gretchen: But now you live with us. And so does that guy.
Me: Which guy?
Gretchen: *pointing* That guy that is out there. But he is not anybody so he is just that guy.
Me: What do we call him?
Gretchen: We call him Daddy because he is not anybody.
Gretchen: When all my pajamas are rocky then I will have to be naked.
Olivia: I was never playing with her for miles ago.
Gretchen: Ladies omin and jellomin! (That's supposed to be "Ladies and gentlemen!")
Bryan fills Gretchen's bedtime cup with water and brings it to her in bed.
Gretchen: I'm proud of you, Daddy.
Gretchen: LET IT -- Wait, is Kaitlyn asleep?
Me: Yes, she's sleeping in your room.
Gretchen: How loud can I sing Let It Go?
Oma: Why are you yelling?
Olivia: Gretchen is yelling because I want water.
Oma: So Gretchen was requesting water on your behalf?
Gretchen: No, I was yelling because Olivia wants water.
Olivia: Here you go, your highness!
Me: Thank you.
Olivia: I called you "your highness."
Me: I know.
Olivia: But you're not "your highness," you're just mommy. And mom. And mama.
Gretchen: And mother!
Olivia: If I get a baby out of my belly then I am going to call her Princess Sofia. And if I get another one when Sofia is bigger I am going to call her Princess Amber. And if I get one when Amber is bigger then I am going to call her Princess Vivian. If they are all girls. If I get a boy then I will call him Prince James.
Gretchen: If I get a boy I am going to call him Prince Phillip. And if I get another baby I am going to call her Princess The Lady That Turns The Prince Into A Beast So The Beast Can Learn To Be Nice.
Bryan: That one's definitely YOUR daughter.
Me: Which one?
Bryan: Olivia just said, "I don't need to make my bed because I got out very carefully so it is already made!"
Me: All right, Olivia!
Bryan: Tuck yourself in like an envelope, sneak out in the morning, and fold the corner over. Done.
Gretchen: Why do you call Oma Mom? She does not live with you.
Me: No, but she used to live with me when I was little.
Gretchen: But now you live with us. And so does that guy.
Me: Which guy?
Gretchen: *pointing* That guy that is out there. But he is not anybody so he is just that guy.
Me: What do we call him?
Gretchen: We call him Daddy because he is not anybody.
Gretchen: When all my pajamas are rocky then I will have to be naked.
Olivia: I was never playing with her for miles ago.
Gretchen: Ladies omin and jellomin! (That's supposed to be "Ladies and gentlemen!")
Bryan fills Gretchen's bedtime cup with water and brings it to her in bed.
Gretchen: I'm proud of you, Daddy.
Gretchen: LET IT -- Wait, is Kaitlyn asleep?
Me: Yes, she's sleeping in your room.
Gretchen: How loud can I sing Let It Go?
06 July 2016
Bonus Post: Pictures
Kaitlyn:
We saw this strange vehicle on the way to the zoo when we visited Cleveland last last week:
Bryan, Olivia, and Gretchen got to ride a camel:
Family photos with the Barhorsts:
The girls with Grandma and Grandpa:
Kids and Grandkids:
Notice how the right half of this picture is beautiful and the left half is... goofy:
We couldn't get one where both Olivia and Gretchen had their eyes open:
Kaitlyn counts the cans of tuna:
And wears shoes that are too big. Well, one shoe:
And tries to crawl into the toy shopping cart:
There's something going around right now called the Cheerio Challenge. Kaitlyn fell asleep at the table, but we didn't have any Cheerios. Those are stars from Marshmallows and Stars, which is the Aldi version of Lucky Charms:
He got more stacked on her before they fell, but that's in a video. Follow the link and use the password BarhorstBrewed.
Cheerio Challenge
Olivia and Gretchen pretended to be asleep in an effort to get Daddy to stack cereal on them, too:
Daddy and Gretchen take a selfie:
03 July 2016
June 19-July 3
This week's post is just going to be a list of updates about the girls. :) I'll try to cover all their current talents, just in case I've forgotten to mention them recently. There will be a bonus post this Wednesday consisting of recent pictures.
Kaitlyn:
-Walks everywhere, sometimes quite fast.
-Has many opinions and is not afraid to voice them.
-Still needs incisors, but has all the other front teeth as well as one set of molars.
-Loves baths.
-Eats chalk.
-"Jumps" by bending her knees. She also dances like this.
-Down to one nap, although the timing is still pretty inconsistent.
-Beginning to develop opinions about food, although if she's hungry enough she'll still eat anything.
-Loves being outside.
-Says mama (which means "I want"), dada, shoe, no, stop, don't, yeah, outside.
-Has a dog noise.
-Mimics other sounds so that it often seems like she's repeating whatever I tell her.
-Leaves barrettes in most of the time.
-Can drink from a sippy cup and a straw and from a regular cup if someone else holds it for her.
-Wants to have a fork at meals. She can't stab anything with it, though.
-Gives kisses.
-Wants to play with the big girls.
-Loves to swing.
Gretchen:
-Our main source of funny sound bites.
-Has occasional acrobatic displays.
-Can stand on one foot (either one) without support.
-Has two modes: Asleep and Running.
-Also has two volumes: ON and off.
-Walks in circles when she thinks.
-Eats most foods without too much prodding. Regulates her vegetable intake, but also regulates her dessert intake.
-Takes a nap about once every two weeks, but only when she falls asleep somewhat by accident.
-Likes to have her arms covered. I hid all her long-sleeved dresses in the basement for the summer, so she wears a sweater everywhere instead.
-Current hairstyle of choice is pigtails.
-Likes to play Pentago (a game with black and white marbles) and Blokus (a game that uses Tetris-shaped pieces). She doesn't follow the rules for either game, but she enjoys playing with the pieces.
-Tends to play alone when lots of kids are over.
Olivia:
-Skips, gallops, and jumps.
-Coordinated enough to race remote control cars and play basic video games.
-Enjoys riding her bike if it has the pedals and training wheels on it. Ignores it otherwise.
-Makes up songs about her current activities.
-Prone to whining.
-Draws basic logical conclusions.
-Can write her name and recognize most of the uppercase alphabet. Cannot recognize the lowercase alphabet. This is hard to test because if she doesn't know the answer immediately then she tends to give up without trying to think at all.
-Counts to 39 before she doesn't know what comes next. If someone is there to give her every tenth number then she can keep going.
-Pretty good at paying attention to her body where sleep is concerned. If she's tired, she tends to be willing to go to bed and she sleeps in when she needs to.
-Finished with naps completely.
-Wears her hair in a braid or headband if I won't let her wear it down.
-Loves movies.
-Follows the rules in Candy Land.
-Can play a basic variation of Set. :-D
-Favorite foods include pizza, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, and peas.
-Huge fan of breakfast cereal. She would eat breakfast cereal for every meal if I would let her.
-Carries Kaitlyn when necessary (and sometimes when not necessary).
Kaitlyn:
-Walks everywhere, sometimes quite fast.
-Has many opinions and is not afraid to voice them.
-Still needs incisors, but has all the other front teeth as well as one set of molars.
-Loves baths.
-Eats chalk.
-"Jumps" by bending her knees. She also dances like this.
-Down to one nap, although the timing is still pretty inconsistent.
-Beginning to develop opinions about food, although if she's hungry enough she'll still eat anything.
-Loves being outside.
-Says mama (which means "I want"), dada, shoe, no, stop, don't, yeah, outside.
-Has a dog noise.
-Mimics other sounds so that it often seems like she's repeating whatever I tell her.
-Leaves barrettes in most of the time.
-Can drink from a sippy cup and a straw and from a regular cup if someone else holds it for her.
-Wants to have a fork at meals. She can't stab anything with it, though.
-Gives kisses.
-Wants to play with the big girls.
-Loves to swing.
Gretchen:
-Our main source of funny sound bites.
-Has occasional acrobatic displays.
-Can stand on one foot (either one) without support.
-Has two modes: Asleep and Running.
-Also has two volumes: ON and off.
-Walks in circles when she thinks.
-Eats most foods without too much prodding. Regulates her vegetable intake, but also regulates her dessert intake.
-Takes a nap about once every two weeks, but only when she falls asleep somewhat by accident.
-Likes to have her arms covered. I hid all her long-sleeved dresses in the basement for the summer, so she wears a sweater everywhere instead.
-Current hairstyle of choice is pigtails.
-Likes to play Pentago (a game with black and white marbles) and Blokus (a game that uses Tetris-shaped pieces). She doesn't follow the rules for either game, but she enjoys playing with the pieces.
-Tends to play alone when lots of kids are over.
Olivia:
-Skips, gallops, and jumps.
-Coordinated enough to race remote control cars and play basic video games.
-Enjoys riding her bike if it has the pedals and training wheels on it. Ignores it otherwise.
-Makes up songs about her current activities.
-Prone to whining.
-Draws basic logical conclusions.
-Can write her name and recognize most of the uppercase alphabet. Cannot recognize the lowercase alphabet. This is hard to test because if she doesn't know the answer immediately then she tends to give up without trying to think at all.
-Counts to 39 before she doesn't know what comes next. If someone is there to give her every tenth number then she can keep going.
-Pretty good at paying attention to her body where sleep is concerned. If she's tired, she tends to be willing to go to bed and she sleeps in when she needs to.
-Finished with naps completely.
-Wears her hair in a braid or headband if I won't let her wear it down.
-Loves movies.
-Follows the rules in Candy Land.
-Can play a basic variation of Set. :-D
-Favorite foods include pizza, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, and peas.
-Huge fan of breakfast cereal. She would eat breakfast cereal for every meal if I would let her.
-Carries Kaitlyn when necessary (and sometimes when not necessary).
19 June 2016
June 12-19
Last Sunday Bryan and I dropped the girls off with Grandma and Grandpa and then went to a Dayton Dragons game. That's single A, which means the baseball was okay, the extra entertainment was every half inning, and the free hats did little to combat the amount of sun one gets sitting in the bleachers. We had a good time, despite the spectacular sunburns. We were a little torn in our allegiances: The home team (logical choice?) of Dayton is a farm team for the Reds... We did get sweet orange hats with dragons on them, though.
We packed the girls into the car at bedtime, hoping they'd fall asleep on the way home. Kaitlyn did, but Olivia and Gretchen did not. We hustled them into bed anyway. :) In the morning, Kaitlyn was making noise before the other two were awake, so Bryan went to fetch her into our bed. Five minutes later, Gretchen came sprinting through the kitchen. "Mom! Mommy! MOOOM!" With panic in her voice, she gasped out, "We forgot Kaitlyn!" I assured her that Kaitlyn was, in fact, right next to me, and her relief was palpable as she also crawled into our bed and promptly fell back asleep. Kaitlyn, should you ever doubt Gretchen's love for you, reread this paragraph.
The girls spent Monday visiting Elias and Simeon while I drove to Michigan to retrieve Mom, Jillian, and James for their last week in the midwest. The rest of the week was busy with bowling, a visit to the zoo, gardening, chalk drawings, and more silhouettes. Jacque arrived Thursday night and Jacob joined the madness on Friday evening. On Saturday Jacob took Mom, Jillian, and James back to Michigan while Jacque came down to Sidney with us. We attended the Holy Angels Parish Picnic. Bryan was disappointed in the things that have changed since his childhood, but enjoyed himself nonetheless. Gretchen was too short to go on most of the rides. We also got to observe Gretchen's fear of heights first hand as she inched her way through a toddler obstacle course. Grandma had half the dollar store in her purse for the girls to open and play with on a blanket in the brat tent. Jacque spent $7 to "win" a cake, Bryan and Gretchen spent $4 to pick out some cupcakes, and Kaitlyn and I got a steal of a deal on a $1 pie. :)
Gretchen had a fever on Friday. Olivia got it for about half of Saturday (she perked up at the parish picnic), and Kaitlyn had it from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. Kaitlyn was wonderfully behaved in church as a result, and we're wondering if perhaps she'd like to have a fever every Sunday morning.
Also of note this week, we got a cat. A kitten, actually, and "got" is a loose term since it will be an outdoor cat, primarily relegated to controlling the mouse population in our shed. Jacque got a cat, too, that she intends to take home with her to live in her apartment. In keeping with the theme started by Bryan's brother, Brad, we intended to name our cat something along the lines of Rubbish or Debris (so far the Barhorst cats have been named Garbage, Trashcan, and Dumpster). Olivia, however, wanted to name it Amber. So our little black kitten is named Princess Amber Debris. :) Both cats are currently occupying the garage. They've been contained by some strategically placed dressers and bookshelves to keep them from hiding all over the garage. We did have some trial and error in that department, and Jacque and Jillian got quite good at finding and recapturing the cats.
Pictures:
We packed the girls into the car at bedtime, hoping they'd fall asleep on the way home. Kaitlyn did, but Olivia and Gretchen did not. We hustled them into bed anyway. :) In the morning, Kaitlyn was making noise before the other two were awake, so Bryan went to fetch her into our bed. Five minutes later, Gretchen came sprinting through the kitchen. "Mom! Mommy! MOOOM!" With panic in her voice, she gasped out, "We forgot Kaitlyn!" I assured her that Kaitlyn was, in fact, right next to me, and her relief was palpable as she also crawled into our bed and promptly fell back asleep. Kaitlyn, should you ever doubt Gretchen's love for you, reread this paragraph.
The girls spent Monday visiting Elias and Simeon while I drove to Michigan to retrieve Mom, Jillian, and James for their last week in the midwest. The rest of the week was busy with bowling, a visit to the zoo, gardening, chalk drawings, and more silhouettes. Jacque arrived Thursday night and Jacob joined the madness on Friday evening. On Saturday Jacob took Mom, Jillian, and James back to Michigan while Jacque came down to Sidney with us. We attended the Holy Angels Parish Picnic. Bryan was disappointed in the things that have changed since his childhood, but enjoyed himself nonetheless. Gretchen was too short to go on most of the rides. We also got to observe Gretchen's fear of heights first hand as she inched her way through a toddler obstacle course. Grandma had half the dollar store in her purse for the girls to open and play with on a blanket in the brat tent. Jacque spent $7 to "win" a cake, Bryan and Gretchen spent $4 to pick out some cupcakes, and Kaitlyn and I got a steal of a deal on a $1 pie. :)
Gretchen had a fever on Friday. Olivia got it for about half of Saturday (she perked up at the parish picnic), and Kaitlyn had it from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. Kaitlyn was wonderfully behaved in church as a result, and we're wondering if perhaps she'd like to have a fever every Sunday morning.
Also of note this week, we got a cat. A kitten, actually, and "got" is a loose term since it will be an outdoor cat, primarily relegated to controlling the mouse population in our shed. Jacque got a cat, too, that she intends to take home with her to live in her apartment. In keeping with the theme started by Bryan's brother, Brad, we intended to name our cat something along the lines of Rubbish or Debris (so far the Barhorst cats have been named Garbage, Trashcan, and Dumpster). Olivia, however, wanted to name it Amber. So our little black kitten is named Princess Amber Debris. :) Both cats are currently occupying the garage. They've been contained by some strategically placed dressers and bookshelves to keep them from hiding all over the garage. We did have some trial and error in that department, and Jacque and Jillian got quite good at finding and recapturing the cats.
Pictures:
12 June 2016
May 29-June 12
Oma and Uncle James have been visiting for the past two weeks (except on weekends, when they go to Michigan to see Jillian and Jacob). We've gotten a lot done, and Uncle James did a great job playing with the girls. He even got to do some solo babysitting on Friday morning for about an hour. They'll be back (with Jillian!) this week and then they're off to California.
Tom and Donna visited to help organize the basement. Mom and Donna and I made a garage sale pile and then sorted all the remaining things into duck-taped bays along the wall so that people can come grab their piles whenever they have time and space. The garage sale pile went to a community garage sale at the house of a friend of a friend. We didn't even have to stay after unloading all of our marked and priced things. Whatever remained after the garage sale was taken to Goodwill, never to darken the basement doorstep again.
Mom and I spent an evening getting my giant laundry pile to ground zero. I'm happy to report that as of now my living room is still laundry-free.
I've been meaning to make a morning schedule for the girls for a while. We found some fancy stationery and Oma drew pictures on the so that Olivia and Gretchen would know what to do. They're very excited about their "map" (shown below) and even follow it somewhat. :)
The stickers I ordered for the calendar arrived. This is also very exciting. Perhaps I'll remember to take a picture one day.
Twenty-six tomato plants are in the ground in my garden. I'd say about seven of them look really great, but I have hope for most of the others. Even seven is more than I had last year. I also have four watermelon plants that we given to me when Sarah ran out of room in her garden. They're sharing a bed with my peas. Speaking of peas, they're doing great. I planted three varieties, and one is definitely the winner. I think it's the Burpeeana Earlies. I have two volunteer lettuce plants that have been happily supplementing our salads lately. Corn has been planted in the not-broccoli bed, but isn't up yet. Just yesterday Bryan and Josh put dirt in my last two beds, so I can fill those this week. The girls planted sunflower seeds in the holes of the cinder blocks. I had them go down two rows, hoping that when they grow there will be a tunnel. :) We still need to plant wildflowers somewhere so that they have flowers to PICK.
Our blacktop has been getting lots of use. Bryan draws roads and the girls ride their tricycles and drive their cozy coupe. Kaitlyn especially likes the umbrella stroller, both giving and receiving rides. Chalk is a big hit with the girls, although Kaitlyn mainly uses it as lipstick. :/
Mom and I tried to do silhouettes of the girls one morning. I had to hold their heads still, but Olivia and Gretchen did very well. Kaitlyn, not so much. James also had a turn, as did I. This week we need to smooth out our scrap paper drawings and transfer them to nice paper so I can hang them up. :)
We've also been spending a day here and there in Sidney. We saw Aunt Keshia, Uncle Tyler, andKaitlyn's twin Rudy. Their dogs were there, too, which impressed the girls less than seeing their cousin.
Pictures:
Tom and Donna visited to help organize the basement. Mom and Donna and I made a garage sale pile and then sorted all the remaining things into duck-taped bays along the wall so that people can come grab their piles whenever they have time and space. The garage sale pile went to a community garage sale at the house of a friend of a friend. We didn't even have to stay after unloading all of our marked and priced things. Whatever remained after the garage sale was taken to Goodwill, never to darken the basement doorstep again.
Mom and I spent an evening getting my giant laundry pile to ground zero. I'm happy to report that as of now my living room is still laundry-free.
I've been meaning to make a morning schedule for the girls for a while. We found some fancy stationery and Oma drew pictures on the so that Olivia and Gretchen would know what to do. They're very excited about their "map" (shown below) and even follow it somewhat. :)
The stickers I ordered for the calendar arrived. This is also very exciting. Perhaps I'll remember to take a picture one day.
Twenty-six tomato plants are in the ground in my garden. I'd say about seven of them look really great, but I have hope for most of the others. Even seven is more than I had last year. I also have four watermelon plants that we given to me when Sarah ran out of room in her garden. They're sharing a bed with my peas. Speaking of peas, they're doing great. I planted three varieties, and one is definitely the winner. I think it's the Burpeeana Earlies. I have two volunteer lettuce plants that have been happily supplementing our salads lately. Corn has been planted in the not-broccoli bed, but isn't up yet. Just yesterday Bryan and Josh put dirt in my last two beds, so I can fill those this week. The girls planted sunflower seeds in the holes of the cinder blocks. I had them go down two rows, hoping that when they grow there will be a tunnel. :) We still need to plant wildflowers somewhere so that they have flowers to PICK.
Our blacktop has been getting lots of use. Bryan draws roads and the girls ride their tricycles and drive their cozy coupe. Kaitlyn especially likes the umbrella stroller, both giving and receiving rides. Chalk is a big hit with the girls, although Kaitlyn mainly uses it as lipstick. :/
Mom and I tried to do silhouettes of the girls one morning. I had to hold their heads still, but Olivia and Gretchen did very well. Kaitlyn, not so much. James also had a turn, as did I. This week we need to smooth out our scrap paper drawings and transfer them to nice paper so I can hang them up. :)
We've also been spending a day here and there in Sidney. We saw Aunt Keshia, Uncle Tyler, and
Pictures:
01 June 2016
Bonus Post: Sound Bites 11
Olivia, covering her ears: Mommy, I am covering my ears to see if you can hear me. Can you hear me?
Gretchen, closing her eyes: Mommy, see if you can hear ME.
Me: I can hear both of you, can you hear me?
Olivia: I don't think so.
Olivia: Mommy, Gretchen is not listening to you.
Me: Olivia, you are not minding your own business.
Olivia: I will mind my own business when Gretchen eats her banana.
Me: Are you all right, Gretch?
Gretchen: No, I am not alright because my belly is feeling well.
Me: Your belly is feeling well?
Gretchen: No, my belly is NOT feeling well because it is dark outside.
Me: Oh.
Gretchen: And when it is dark outside our bellies are not feeling well and we have to go to bed until the monsters come.
Gretchen: Aunt Jacque, are these glasses on backwards or sideways?
Jacque: Those are on upside down.
Olivia: Well, she does it in the movie. She doesn't in the book.
Olivia: Are we at Grandma and Grandpa's yet?
Bryan: No, we are still in Lima.
Olivia: Because we have to get closer still?
Bryan: That's right.
Olivia: I am going to ask about it until we get there. Are we closer are we closer are we closer are we closer are we closer...?
This would not normally be in a Sound Bites post, but the circumstances warrant the addition. The girls were helping me make cookies and we had just added the cocoa powder...
Olivia, peering into the mixing bowl: *gasps, then squeals with delight* Oh, how cute!
Olivia-Barbie: Just a minute, bad guy, I have to show the turtle my shoes.
Gretchen-bad guy: Okay
Olivia-Barbie, to the turtle: Look at my shoes. And did you see my beautiful purse?
Gretchen-bad guy: I like purses! I'm going to be a nice guy.
Gretchen, to Justine: I'm kissing your baby. Babies like kisses.
Me: Gretchen, do you want to wear the blue dress or the Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: The blue dress.
Me: The blue dress?
Gretchen: No, not the blue dress.
Me: Oh, not the blue dress. The Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: No, I want to wear the blue dress.
Me: You want to wear the blue dress.
Gretchen: No! I don't want to wear the blue dress!
Me: Okay, then you're going to wear the Minnie Mouse dress.
Gretchen: I want to wear the BLUE dress.
Me: Blue dress.
Gretchen: No.
Me: Gretchen, are you going to wear the blue dress or the Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: The Minnie Mouse dress.
Me: The Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: Yes.
Me: Okay.
*two minutes later*
Gretchen: I didn't want the Minnie Mouse dress!
Me: Well, you chose the Minnie Mouse dress so you have to wear the Minnie Mouse dress and you don't get to change your mind any more.
*two minutes later*
Gretchen: I changed my mind, I'm wearing the Minnie Mouse dress.
Gretchen, about Walter: I'm going to push him down.
Justine: Don't push him down!
Edward: Edward's not pushing him down.
Gretchen: Well when I push him down then I say sorry fast.
Edward: If we push him down he will cry.
Gretchen: No, he would hit the floor.
Justine: Don't push him down!
Edward: Edward's not pushing him down.
Gretchen: We can just pretend to push him down.
Justine: Don't even pretend to push him down!
Gretchen, closing her eyes: Mommy, see if you can hear ME.
Me: I can hear both of you, can you hear me?
Olivia: I don't think so.
Olivia: Mommy, Gretchen is not listening to you.
Me: Olivia, you are not minding your own business.
Olivia: I will mind my own business when Gretchen eats her banana.
Me: Are you all right, Gretch?
Gretchen: No, I am not alright because my belly is feeling well.
Me: Your belly is feeling well?
Gretchen: No, my belly is NOT feeling well because it is dark outside.
Me: Oh.
Gretchen: And when it is dark outside our bellies are not feeling well and we have to go to bed until the monsters come.
Gretchen: Aunt Jacque, are these glasses on backwards or sideways?
Jacque: Those are on upside down.
Olivia: Well, she does it in the movie. She doesn't in the book.
Olivia: Are we at Grandma and Grandpa's yet?
Bryan: No, we are still in Lima.
Olivia: Because we have to get closer still?
Bryan: That's right.
Olivia: I am going to ask about it until we get there. Are we closer are we closer are we closer are we closer are we closer...?
This would not normally be in a Sound Bites post, but the circumstances warrant the addition. The girls were helping me make cookies and we had just added the cocoa powder...
Olivia, peering into the mixing bowl: *gasps, then squeals with delight* Oh, how cute!
Olivia-Barbie: Just a minute, bad guy, I have to show the turtle my shoes.
Gretchen-bad guy: Okay
Olivia-Barbie, to the turtle: Look at my shoes. And did you see my beautiful purse?
Gretchen-bad guy: I like purses! I'm going to be a nice guy.
Gretchen, to Justine: I'm kissing your baby. Babies like kisses.
Me: Gretchen, do you want to wear the blue dress or the Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: The blue dress.
Me: The blue dress?
Gretchen: No, not the blue dress.
Me: Oh, not the blue dress. The Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: No, I want to wear the blue dress.
Me: You want to wear the blue dress.
Gretchen: No! I don't want to wear the blue dress!
Me: Okay, then you're going to wear the Minnie Mouse dress.
Gretchen: I want to wear the BLUE dress.
Me: Blue dress.
Gretchen: No.
Me: Gretchen, are you going to wear the blue dress or the Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: The Minnie Mouse dress.
Me: The Minnie Mouse dress?
Gretchen: Yes.
Me: Okay.
*two minutes later*
Gretchen: I didn't want the Minnie Mouse dress!
Me: Well, you chose the Minnie Mouse dress so you have to wear the Minnie Mouse dress and you don't get to change your mind any more.
*two minutes later*
Gretchen: I changed my mind, I'm wearing the Minnie Mouse dress.
Gretchen, about Walter: I'm going to push him down.
Justine: Don't push him down!
Edward: Edward's not pushing him down.
Gretchen: Well when I push him down then I say sorry fast.
Edward: If we push him down he will cry.
Gretchen: No, he would hit the floor.
Justine: Don't push him down!
Edward: Edward's not pushing him down.
Gretchen: We can just pretend to push him down.
Justine: Don't even pretend to push him down!
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