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

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 happening as 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.

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.

-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

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?

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:

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).