There's a story Mom and Justine like to tell about some social readiness (or was it school readiness?) quiz that was given to me when I was four. As an experiment, the same quiz was given to two-year-old Justine. The questions posed different problems and challenged us to provide a solution for each one. Justine's answers were varied and thought out: "I'd give it to Mom, she can fix anything!", "I would crawl around the tree to get the ball.", etc. Having had two two-year-olds now, I do wonder if her answers were as complete and understandable as we've been led to believe. Regardless, the gist is clear. My answers for each question were all identical: "I would cry." There has been some debate about whether those answers were more due to my personality or my age. I tell you all of this to reflect on the current behavior of my own four-year-old. I'm not sure Olivia would admit that her solution to every problem in her life would be to cry (do I get retroactive points for honesty?), but she does burst into tears an alarming number of times each day over seemingly insignificant obstacles. Gretchen closed the door (Olivia was already out and besides, she knows how to open it). Kaitlyn took a toy (that Olivia was not playing with at the time). Mom told her to eat another bite of carrot even though she already ate three bites (okay, maybe that's worth crying about). You get the point. My one consolation is that I grew out of this stage, so presumably my daughter will do the same.
Kaitlyn is our messiest baby. This is discouraging because it means that they've been getting messier as we progress, which does not fit at all with my idea that each baby should be an improvement on the one that came before. Every meal ends up in her hair and she's constantly dripping with slobber and/or snot. The problem has been exacerbated by the fact that she recently discovered that her finger fits perfectly inside her nose.
The girls got Twister for Christmas and we played it for the first time on Thursday night. They're actually pretty good at it. Bryan declared himself the official spinner and said I had to hold Kaitlyn as a handicap. He did allow me to use a wrap, but the only one I had available wasn't fabulous, so he rescued her when she began to look uncomfortable. The new and improved Twister game has two new options on the spinner: Air and Caller's Choice. What sadistic person puts "air" on a Twister spinner?
Our friends the Creightons brought over a couple of little boy dress up outfits so that all the little boys who visit can wear something other than fancy dresses. The girls also think it's great to dress up as Captain Hook and Peter Pan.
Pictures:
21 February 2016
14 February 2016
February 7-14
I promised you a story about Kaitlyn and her standing skills. She can indeed stand unassisted for short periods of time. Whenever we catch her standing, we make a big deal about it and cheer for her. As a result, she knows that she can stand and that this is something of which to be proud. She's developed a game of sorts, pulling herself up and then letting go with both hands for a second or two while looking triumphantly at the other people in the room. After this brief moment of euphoria, she immediately throws her hands back down to safe anchorage. This will be repeated any number of times in one session. :)
A common word around our house is "great!" I don't think Bryan and I use the word great a lot, but perhaps I am mistaken because both Olivia and Gretchen use it on a regular basis.
Kaitlyn seems to have two consistent words. One is "gog," which means "dog" (or, in one case, "large button that I am going to eat"). The other, more frequently used word is "dada," which means "parental unit." At first it seemed that just Bryan was Dada, but we have come to realize that Dada also refers to me.
An amusing note: Olivia's most common song of choice when going to the bathroom is "Let It Go."
I went on an organizing spree this week, probably because I didn't really have the time to be organizing and so of course I was motivated. :/ I've started alphabetizing all the books Dad left here so that I can list some of them for sale and repackage the rest in some sort of easily referenced order. I also rearranged the workroom-turned-Jacque's-bedroom so that her things and my things are separate and the bed is no longer in the direct center of the room. I wish I had taken a "before" picture so everyone could properly appreciate the progress. The picture below DOES have a clearly defined line where the bed used to be, and you'll just have to believe me when I say that there used to be only about a foot and a half of walking space on three of the sides (the last side had no space). It looks much better now. :)
Last week, Fr. Mark mentioned in his sermon that happy, well-adjusted children sing. I decided to try an experiment on myself and sing whenever I wanted to yell at the kids. I didn't worry about tune or rhyming but instead made it all up as I went, giving them directions in song. It worked remarkably well, and I sing often enough over the course of the day that the girls didn't even seem to notice that something might be amiss. The one downside is that once I start singing I find it difficult to stop...
I had an orchestra concert yesterday. The music was Mendelssohn and Beethoven and it was refreshingly familiar. :) Next month is our Star Wars concert, where we play selections from each of the first 6 movies.
Pictures:
A common word around our house is "great!" I don't think Bryan and I use the word great a lot, but perhaps I am mistaken because both Olivia and Gretchen use it on a regular basis.
Kaitlyn seems to have two consistent words. One is "gog," which means "dog" (or, in one case, "large button that I am going to eat"). The other, more frequently used word is "dada," which means "parental unit." At first it seemed that just Bryan was Dada, but we have come to realize that Dada also refers to me.
An amusing note: Olivia's most common song of choice when going to the bathroom is "Let It Go."
I went on an organizing spree this week, probably because I didn't really have the time to be organizing and so of course I was motivated. :/ I've started alphabetizing all the books Dad left here so that I can list some of them for sale and repackage the rest in some sort of easily referenced order. I also rearranged the workroom-turned-Jacque's-bedroom so that her things and my things are separate and the bed is no longer in the direct center of the room. I wish I had taken a "before" picture so everyone could properly appreciate the progress. The picture below DOES have a clearly defined line where the bed used to be, and you'll just have to believe me when I say that there used to be only about a foot and a half of walking space on three of the sides (the last side had no space). It looks much better now. :)
Last week, Fr. Mark mentioned in his sermon that happy, well-adjusted children sing. I decided to try an experiment on myself and sing whenever I wanted to yell at the kids. I didn't worry about tune or rhyming but instead made it all up as I went, giving them directions in song. It worked remarkably well, and I sing often enough over the course of the day that the girls didn't even seem to notice that something might be amiss. The one downside is that once I start singing I find it difficult to stop...
I had an orchestra concert yesterday. The music was Mendelssohn and Beethoven and it was refreshingly familiar. :) Next month is our Star Wars concert, where we play selections from each of the first 6 movies.
Pictures:
07 February 2016
January 24-February 7
Saturday (the 23rd) was Eva's birthday party. Bryan was on a retreat with the guys from church, but the girls and I attended the event before heading over to the Klein house for dinner. The party was at Run Around Fun Town, which is pretty much an indoor playground for kids. There were bounce houses and slides and lots of toddler sized playthings (kitchens, grocery stores, tiny treadmills, etc). Olivia and Gretchen stuck together like glue, apparently by mutual consent. I think Gretchen was overwhelmed by the number of people and Olivia felt it was her duty to take care of her younger sister. At one point I took Gretchen to the bathroom, and when she came back she couldn't find Olivia. She turned in aimless circles, searching, while I pointed Olivia out, to no avail. Finally, I caught Olivia's attention and told her Gretchen was looking for her. Olivia immediately ran to Gretchen and jumped in front of her. Gretchen threw her arms in the air with a joyful exclamation and gave Olivia a hug for a good twenty seconds before Olivia grabbed Gretchen's hand and led her off to the bounce house. :)
I think the next big thing was on Thursday when I drove up to Ann Arbor to take care of various musical things at Shar. My bow is now rehaired and I have new strings on my viola. I got an old violin appraised (found in mom and dad's basement when they moved), and learned that it is a German commercial model, probably worth repairing someday but not now. The bow that was with it would apparently "make a wonderful tomato stake."
On Friday, I left for a two day trip to Toledo. One of my Christmas gifts from Bryan was a nice hotel room in Toledo and an overnight trip with some friends from church. The only child invited was Juliana, who is three months old. Bryan and the other men took care of the rest of the kids while the mothers vacationed. We got massages, enjoyed the heated pool, ate ice cream, watched movies, played games, visited a tea shop, and saw a musical. We had a lot of fun. :)
Sunday night was Jacque's play and she was fabulous, of course. The whole play was quite amusing. Bryan and I have season tickets to this particular theater, and our friends the Creightons, the Kleins, and the Alison were able to join us. We made sure to cheer loudly for Jacque at the end and pay special attention to her when greeting the cast after the show. We even went through the line twice.
Other notes:
-Olivia and Gretchen call Alison "Alice."
-Kaitlyn claps her hands and stands unassisted. Story about the standing next week.
-Shadows are "shades" in our house. This was first noticed over Thanksgiving in Florida when Olivia was jumping on Oma's shadow and talking about how she "got your shade!" I was reminded of it this week when my shade was gotten. :)
Pictures:
I think the next big thing was on Thursday when I drove up to Ann Arbor to take care of various musical things at Shar. My bow is now rehaired and I have new strings on my viola. I got an old violin appraised (found in mom and dad's basement when they moved), and learned that it is a German commercial model, probably worth repairing someday but not now. The bow that was with it would apparently "make a wonderful tomato stake."
On Friday, I left for a two day trip to Toledo. One of my Christmas gifts from Bryan was a nice hotel room in Toledo and an overnight trip with some friends from church. The only child invited was Juliana, who is three months old. Bryan and the other men took care of the rest of the kids while the mothers vacationed. We got massages, enjoyed the heated pool, ate ice cream, watched movies, played games, visited a tea shop, and saw a musical. We had a lot of fun. :)
Sunday night was Jacque's play and she was fabulous, of course. The whole play was quite amusing. Bryan and I have season tickets to this particular theater, and our friends the Creightons, the Kleins, and the Alison were able to join us. We made sure to cheer loudly for Jacque at the end and pay special attention to her when greeting the cast after the show. We even went through the line twice.
Other notes:
-Olivia and Gretchen call Alison "Alice."
-Kaitlyn claps her hands and stands unassisted. Story about the standing next week.
-Shadows are "shades" in our house. This was first noticed over Thanksgiving in Florida when Olivia was jumping on Oma's shadow and talking about how she "got your shade!" I was reminded of it this week when my shade was gotten. :)
Pictures:
24 January 2016
January 17-24
Kaitlyn can turn off light switches, though it takes her a small eternity to do so. She has also developed a fabulous stiff-arm which she uses to great effect on her older sisters when they try to crowd her. She excels in the balance department but is lacking courage and thus is not standing unassisted much yet. Unfortunately for cruising along furniture, she decided to skip the "move your feet" step of learning to walk and is now discovering the hard way that one shouldn't cut corners if one has no idea what one is doing. She might be mine.
Gretchen wants to do everything that Olivia does. She eats the same breakfasts (mostly cereal), dislikes the same vegetables (all of them), prefers the same colors (green and orange), plays the same games, reads the same books, loves the same princesses, says the same words... There are times when we are able to remind her that she is her own person (who actually likes eggs and bacon for breakfast, doesn't mind vegetables much at all, and shows a preference for pink and purple), but for the most part she is content to echo Olivia. She's been enjoying galloping around since Edward visited and showed her how. Also, Gretchen knows that two choices amounts to no choices. There is no pacifying her need for independence by giving her two acceptable options, thereby tricking her into thinking she's making important decisions about her own life. She's on to our game and can see through the deception.
Olivia has a construction paper crown that Grandma made her. It's green and says "Princess Olivia." Shortly after it came home over a year ago, I covered the whole thing with packing tape so as to not be constantly patching rips. It would seem that she now thinks that this crown is a hair accessory. She wears it every day and if I ask what she is going to wear to keep her hair out of her face she looks at me like I'm a bit off my rocker and says in a patronizing tone, "I'm going to wear my crown!" Long able to spell her own name, Olivia can now spell Gretchen's name as well. We have a song we sing when spelling names, so that helps. Unfortunately for me, she has developed the unsettling habit of needing to be inside my personal space bubble anytime she talks to me, which means she's often playing with my braid, stroking my arm, and/or breathing in my ear. It drives me nuts.
Marshmallows in our house are called shmarshmallows. The girls are not, as far as I can tell, being goofy; they legitimately think that's what they are called.
We spent some time in Sidney this week so that Bryan could go to Springfield for work and the girls and I could go to Dayton for Eva's birthday party. The Kleins visited us while we were in Sidney, and Steph and I took the kids downstairs to play foosball and pool. A note about foosball tables: those rods are right at two-year-old eye level. Only two kids got hit, though, and we enjoyed quite an exciting game of foosball. None of the kids were able to maneuver the players very well, and Eli and Gretchen had to stand on a trampoline if they wanted to see inside. I was playing one handed while holding Kaitlyn. I think Eva was the only child who understood what we were trying to accomplish (get the ball in the goal), but she was occasionally fuzzy on which goal. At one point, though, Steph missed a block with the goalie, allowing me to score, and Eva said, "Here, Mom, let me show you how." :)
Bryan had an interview in Columbus on Thursday for a contracting job with the Columbus Crew. For those of you that don't know, the Crew is a professional soccer team. Bryan contacted the owner (manager?) once about applying some analytic analysis to the team (similar to the movie Moneyball) and has been talking back and forth with him since then. He's had several meetings and has now been offered a one-time job with the possibility of future work depending on their needs. He is excited to be officially working for a professional sports team, though he says he'd be just as happy getting paid in "season tickets and soccer balls."
Pictures:
Gretchen wants to do everything that Olivia does. She eats the same breakfasts (mostly cereal), dislikes the same vegetables (all of them), prefers the same colors (green and orange), plays the same games, reads the same books, loves the same princesses, says the same words... There are times when we are able to remind her that she is her own person (who actually likes eggs and bacon for breakfast, doesn't mind vegetables much at all, and shows a preference for pink and purple), but for the most part she is content to echo Olivia. She's been enjoying galloping around since Edward visited and showed her how. Also, Gretchen knows that two choices amounts to no choices. There is no pacifying her need for independence by giving her two acceptable options, thereby tricking her into thinking she's making important decisions about her own life. She's on to our game and can see through the deception.
Olivia has a construction paper crown that Grandma made her. It's green and says "Princess Olivia." Shortly after it came home over a year ago, I covered the whole thing with packing tape so as to not be constantly patching rips. It would seem that she now thinks that this crown is a hair accessory. She wears it every day and if I ask what she is going to wear to keep her hair out of her face she looks at me like I'm a bit off my rocker and says in a patronizing tone, "I'm going to wear my crown!" Long able to spell her own name, Olivia can now spell Gretchen's name as well. We have a song we sing when spelling names, so that helps. Unfortunately for me, she has developed the unsettling habit of needing to be inside my personal space bubble anytime she talks to me, which means she's often playing with my braid, stroking my arm, and/or breathing in my ear. It drives me nuts.
Marshmallows in our house are called shmarshmallows. The girls are not, as far as I can tell, being goofy; they legitimately think that's what they are called.
We spent some time in Sidney this week so that Bryan could go to Springfield for work and the girls and I could go to Dayton for Eva's birthday party. The Kleins visited us while we were in Sidney, and Steph and I took the kids downstairs to play foosball and pool. A note about foosball tables: those rods are right at two-year-old eye level. Only two kids got hit, though, and we enjoyed quite an exciting game of foosball. None of the kids were able to maneuver the players very well, and Eli and Gretchen had to stand on a trampoline if they wanted to see inside. I was playing one handed while holding Kaitlyn. I think Eva was the only child who understood what we were trying to accomplish (get the ball in the goal), but she was occasionally fuzzy on which goal. At one point, though, Steph missed a block with the goalie, allowing me to score, and Eva said, "Here, Mom, let me show you how." :)
Bryan had an interview in Columbus on Thursday for a contracting job with the Columbus Crew. For those of you that don't know, the Crew is a professional soccer team. Bryan contacted the owner (manager?) once about applying some analytic analysis to the team (similar to the movie Moneyball) and has been talking back and forth with him since then. He's had several meetings and has now been offered a one-time job with the possibility of future work depending on their needs. He is excited to be officially working for a professional sports team, though he says he'd be just as happy getting paid in "season tickets and soccer balls."
Pictures:
20 January 2016
Bonus Post: Sound Bites 9
Olivia: I don't know who made this big mess, but it wasn't me!
Olivia: I don't know who Kaitlyn's going to marry.
Me: Nobody knows who Kaitlyn is going to marry.
Gretchen: I do!
Olivia: Who is Kaitlyn going to marry?
Gretchen: A prince.
Olivia: What prince?
Gretchen: Um...Santa!
Olivia: But Santa's a girl!
Gretchen: Olivia is my sister and mommy is my mother and daddy is my father and Kaitlyn is my Kaitlyn bug.
(This next conversation is from about two years ago. I was reminded of it when Kaitlyn ate one of Gretchen's art projects.)
Bryan: What happened to our tag word game?
Me: It died. Olivia pulled the score sheet off the fridge and Gretchen ate it.
Gretchen, while reading a book: Lion. Rar. Monkey. Oo ee oo ee. Frog. Ribbit. Giraffe. Shif-shaf.
Olivia, after Grandma successfully navigated the electronics to start a movie: Good job, Grandma! You didn't even need an adult to help you!
Gretchen: Barbies are not arrows, barbies are just barbies.
Gretchen is coloring with a purple marker.
Me: Gretchen, make sure you are only coloring on the paper.
Gretchen: I am.
Me: Okay, I was just reminding you.
Gretchen: And I taked a yucky out of my nose and put it in this purple thing!
William: We are big boys.
Olivia: I am not a boy, I am a big girl.
William: I am a big girl, too.
Justine: You are a boy.
William: Edward is a little boy and Gretchen is a little boy.
Gretchen: I am a middle girl.
William: And Edward is a little girl!
Justine: Edward is a boy.
Olivia: Kaitlyn's head is under the stool so she is crying and I can't see her eyes.
Olivia: You don't have a mommy, you just have a daddy, and that means you're a mermaid.
Olivia: Hey, Kaitlyn, you little bumby baby, why is your mouth on my a-- AAAAAAAAHH!
Olivia, in tears: Mommy, Kaitlyn bited me.
Gretchen: Aunt Jacque, can you do something for me?
Jacque: Sure!
Gretchen: No, you don't say "sure," you say "absolutely!"
Gretchen: I don't like vegils.
Me: Which one is a vegil?
Gretchen: This corn is a vegil!
Olivia: Mommy, is corn a vegetable?
Me: Corn is a starch.
Gretchen: I don't like starches!
Olivia: Where are you going, Daddy?
Bryan: I have to go to the bathroom.
Olivia: Ugh! Why does he have to do that EVERY DAY?
Olivia: I don't know who Kaitlyn's going to marry.
Me: Nobody knows who Kaitlyn is going to marry.
Gretchen: I do!
Olivia: Who is Kaitlyn going to marry?
Gretchen: A prince.
Olivia: What prince?
Gretchen: Um...Santa!
Olivia: But Santa's a girl!
Gretchen: Olivia is my sister and mommy is my mother and daddy is my father and Kaitlyn is my Kaitlyn bug.
(This next conversation is from about two years ago. I was reminded of it when Kaitlyn ate one of Gretchen's art projects.)
Bryan: What happened to our tag word game?
Me: It died. Olivia pulled the score sheet off the fridge and Gretchen ate it.
Gretchen, while reading a book: Lion. Rar. Monkey. Oo ee oo ee. Frog. Ribbit. Giraffe. Shif-shaf.
Olivia, after Grandma successfully navigated the electronics to start a movie: Good job, Grandma! You didn't even need an adult to help you!
Gretchen: Barbies are not arrows, barbies are just barbies.
Gretchen is coloring with a purple marker.
Me: Gretchen, make sure you are only coloring on the paper.
Gretchen: I am.
Me: Okay, I was just reminding you.
Gretchen: And I taked a yucky out of my nose and put it in this purple thing!
William: We are big boys.
Olivia: I am not a boy, I am a big girl.
William: I am a big girl, too.
Justine: You are a boy.
William: Edward is a little boy and Gretchen is a little boy.
Gretchen: I am a middle girl.
William: And Edward is a little girl!
Justine: Edward is a boy.
Olivia: Kaitlyn's head is under the stool so she is crying and I can't see her eyes.
Olivia: You don't have a mommy, you just have a daddy, and that means you're a mermaid.
Olivia: Hey, Kaitlyn, you little bumby baby, why is your mouth on my a-- AAAAAAAAHH!
Olivia, in tears: Mommy, Kaitlyn bited me.
Gretchen: Aunt Jacque, can you do something for me?
Jacque: Sure!
Gretchen: No, you don't say "sure," you say "absolutely!"
Gretchen: I don't like vegils.
Me: Which one is a vegil?
Gretchen: This corn is a vegil!
Olivia: Mommy, is corn a vegetable?
Me: Corn is a starch.
Gretchen: I don't like starches!
Olivia: Where are you going, Daddy?
Bryan: I have to go to the bathroom.
Olivia: Ugh! Why does he have to do that EVERY DAY?
17 January 2016
January 10-17
Kaitlyn had a checkup this week. She's 19 lbs, 15 oz, and 28.75 inches long. This week she also started actual crawling (rather than using her old but effective method of dragging herself forward in an army crawl) and shaking her head. She knows how to open cupboards and spends her time getting into all sorts of things.
I took Olivia out to get new winter boots on Monday. I was hoping to find old fashioned galoshes that fit over shoes, but alas, those are a thing of the past. We settled for bright pink rain boots. Afterwards we stopped to get ice cream to take home and share. As we left Coldstone, each holding a bowl of ice cream, Olivia turned sideways and shoved her little hip into the door to open it. It was super cute, which is why this otherwise uneventful story made it into the blog. :)
Number 21 on my 30 Before 30 list is nearly done. That's the one about completing three things from my projects list. I recently found a place where my list was written down, and was able to verify that I have finished a growth chart and Dominion dividers. I still intend to finish the Advent calendar and the music class, so I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can cross this one off.
The girls attended their first kids only birthday party on Tuesday. Elesha and her mom had the kids from the congregation over for an hour and fifteen minutes to celebrate Gideon's birthday. Now it's up to me to decide if this becomes a trend since we have the next two birthdays in line...
Look for a bonus post (Sound Bites!) on Wednesday.
Pictures:
I took Olivia out to get new winter boots on Monday. I was hoping to find old fashioned galoshes that fit over shoes, but alas, those are a thing of the past. We settled for bright pink rain boots. Afterwards we stopped to get ice cream to take home and share. As we left Coldstone, each holding a bowl of ice cream, Olivia turned sideways and shoved her little hip into the door to open it. It was super cute, which is why this otherwise uneventful story made it into the blog. :)
Number 21 on my 30 Before 30 list is nearly done. That's the one about completing three things from my projects list. I recently found a place where my list was written down, and was able to verify that I have finished a growth chart and Dominion dividers. I still intend to finish the Advent calendar and the music class, so I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can cross this one off.
The girls attended their first kids only birthday party on Tuesday. Elesha and her mom had the kids from the congregation over for an hour and fifteen minutes to celebrate Gideon's birthday. Now it's up to me to decide if this becomes a trend since we have the next two birthdays in line...
Look for a bonus post (Sound Bites!) on Wednesday.
Pictures:
10 January 2016
January 3-10
General notes from last week:
-Kaitlyn got three new teeth, bringing her total to eight.
-The cousins played so happily together that Olivia didn't ask to watch a movie at all (typically she asks at least once a day).
-One batch of granola is not nearly enough to feed the crowds that visited, even with other cereal available. Justine and I made a batch Sunday night and it was gone by Friday morning.
Our friends Antoine and Jasmine came to visit for a few days this past week. Then Bryan's former roommate Albie dropped in on his way to Columbus on Friday. My former roommate Robin is stopping by this next Wednesday and then I think we're done expecting visitors for a bit.
Gretchen runs almost everywhere. I don't remember Olivia running from room to room very much, but perhaps that is because our old house was smaller. In this house, though, Gretchen has plenty of room to get some speed and she takes full advantage of it. The pitter-patter of her bare feet hurrying through the kitchen is a common sound.
A few Gretchen things:
-She calls for "anyone" when she needs something. "Anyone, come find me. I'm hiding, anyone." "Anyone, I need help!"
-She's very concerned with which foot is right and which is left. She also wants to make sure that the right and left shoe (and right and left sock) go on the appropriate feet. Before she became so obsessed with right and left, though, she would just talk about her "other one foot." "Do one foot. And other one foot."
Kaitlyn is big enough to be a nuisance to her sisters. She pulls herself up on everything now, and her stubby little arms reach remarkably far. Olivia and Gretchen have taken to playing in the baby cage so that Kaitlyn can't get their little toys. Kaitlyn's response to this is to stand outside the cage and holler at them. :) Eventually she remembers that she has toys of her own, though, and is content to just play in the same room as her sisters.
Olivia thinks our house is named Lima. Or perhaps she thinks the entirety of Lima is contained in our house (which is ironic, given that we're not even technically IN Lima).
Pictures:
-Kaitlyn got three new teeth, bringing her total to eight.
-The cousins played so happily together that Olivia didn't ask to watch a movie at all (typically she asks at least once a day).
-One batch of granola is not nearly enough to feed the crowds that visited, even with other cereal available. Justine and I made a batch Sunday night and it was gone by Friday morning.
Our friends Antoine and Jasmine came to visit for a few days this past week. Then Bryan's former roommate Albie dropped in on his way to Columbus on Friday. My former roommate Robin is stopping by this next Wednesday and then I think we're done expecting visitors for a bit.
Gretchen runs almost everywhere. I don't remember Olivia running from room to room very much, but perhaps that is because our old house was smaller. In this house, though, Gretchen has plenty of room to get some speed and she takes full advantage of it. The pitter-patter of her bare feet hurrying through the kitchen is a common sound.
A few Gretchen things:
-She calls for "anyone" when she needs something. "Anyone, come find me. I'm hiding, anyone." "Anyone, I need help!"
-She's very concerned with which foot is right and which is left. She also wants to make sure that the right and left shoe (and right and left sock) go on the appropriate feet. Before she became so obsessed with right and left, though, she would just talk about her "other one foot." "Do one foot. And other one foot."
Kaitlyn is big enough to be a nuisance to her sisters. She pulls herself up on everything now, and her stubby little arms reach remarkably far. Olivia and Gretchen have taken to playing in the baby cage so that Kaitlyn can't get their little toys. Kaitlyn's response to this is to stand outside the cage and holler at them. :) Eventually she remembers that she has toys of her own, though, and is content to just play in the same room as her sisters.
Olivia thinks our house is named Lima. Or perhaps she thinks the entirety of Lima is contained in our house (which is ironic, given that we're not even technically IN Lima).
Pictures:
03 January 2016
December 27-January 3
This was a busy week. You may remember that last Saturday we returned home from Sidney in time to meet Justine and her boys as they came from Michigan. Since Josef, Jacob, Jacque, and Zach were with us, our house was rather full that night. Sunday was the day that the Bishop visited St. Stephen's, so we had a longer-than-usual service followed by a potluck meal. Tom and Donna met us at church after the service to pick up some things of Zach's (but not Zach himself) and to say goodbye to Jacque before she went to Michigan for a wedding. She took our van because her car was misbehaving, so Jacob ferried everyone home in his Civic. Several trips later, we were all back at our house, and Tom and Donna stayed to visit for a bit before heading on their merry way.
Bryan went back to work on Monday, but everyone else was free to sleep in (or not, in the case of the children) and hang out during the day. Jacque returned from Michigan, bringing Joseph along with her (he'd stayed for an extra day, knowing that she was making the trip). Josef, Jacob, and Zach stayed until mid-afternoon and Keshia and Tyler (Bryan's sister and her husband) came to visit about the same time. After dinner and games, Keshia and Tyler returned to Sidney and Sarah and Luther (Joseph's sister and her husband) showed up on our doorstep. :)
Tuesday was the day that Jacque took her car to get fixed. Justine and I started feta cheese and resurrected my sourdough starter. That evening, I ran to the store and then picked Jacque up from the car place in time for dinner. I couldn't take her back to get her newly healed car, though, because I had orchestra rehearsal. When I got home from rehearsal, everyone had been taught the game Dominion and they were all happily playing using the two new expansions that Bryan got for Christmas. We also got a call from Ricky and Nathan (Fenton side cousins) asking if they could sleep at our house on their way from California to Times Square. Two more air mattress beds were constructed and I cleaned the kitchen while waiting for them to arrive. Of course, their car overheated eight miles from our house, so they didn't arrive until just after two...
Wednesday morning I stumbled out of bed at 6:15 to fish the feta cheese out of its brine. Note to all cheese makers: 10 hours in the brine is better than 12. It was much less salty this time. Second note: Hang the feta to drain for 4 hours (rather than letting it sit in a colander like the directions say); it gets much drier this way. Having returned to bed, I got another hour of sleep before Gretchen woke me up and the day got started. Bryan did NOT make it out of bed, having lost too much sleep up to this point. Justine made sourdough pretzels, using my starter up completely since I decided that I just don't care enough to keep up with it. She also made muddy buddies, because why not? Danielle and Wilson (my college roommate and her husband) arrived in time for dinner and we all played teledraw after the kids went to bed.
Sarah, Luther, Danielle, and Wilson stayed until just before lunch on Thursday and then took off to continue their Christmas visiting elsewhere. Joseph drove back to Michigan to ring in the New Year with some friends from college. That afternoon I had an orchestra rehearsal, followed by dinner at home and then the concert. After the concert I stopped at Wal-Mart hoping to find A Cinderella Story and apple cider for a throwback New Year's Eve party with Justine and Jacque. Fail on both counts. We made our wassail with apple juice and debated watching The Prince and Me on Netflix before deciding to watch Parks and Recreation and play Dominion with Bryan instead. The new year came in an understated, unheralded way: we only noticed because I checked my phone before going to bed at 12:04. That's about how our parties always went growing up, too. :)
By Friday morning the house felt empty and was only getting emptier. The Bossard crew waited until Joseph came back with the van and then packed up to head back to Massachusetts. Jacque hung around until after dinner before taking off for Dayton. Bryan and I played a couple more games of Dominion and then crashed.
Saturday my batteries died. The morning went pretty well, but I fell asleep reading my book around 2:30. I woke up to go to Mass with Bryan and the kids at 4, but during the car ride felt quite unwell and ended up staying in the van. As soon as we got home, I went to bed for the night. Happily, I felt quite recovered by the next morning.
Pictures:
Bryan went back to work on Monday, but everyone else was free to sleep in (or not, in the case of the children) and hang out during the day. Jacque returned from Michigan, bringing Joseph along with her (he'd stayed for an extra day, knowing that she was making the trip). Josef, Jacob, and Zach stayed until mid-afternoon and Keshia and Tyler (Bryan's sister and her husband) came to visit about the same time. After dinner and games, Keshia and Tyler returned to Sidney and Sarah and Luther (Joseph's sister and her husband) showed up on our doorstep. :)
Tuesday was the day that Jacque took her car to get fixed. Justine and I started feta cheese and resurrected my sourdough starter. That evening, I ran to the store and then picked Jacque up from the car place in time for dinner. I couldn't take her back to get her newly healed car, though, because I had orchestra rehearsal. When I got home from rehearsal, everyone had been taught the game Dominion and they were all happily playing using the two new expansions that Bryan got for Christmas. We also got a call from Ricky and Nathan (Fenton side cousins) asking if they could sleep at our house on their way from California to Times Square. Two more air mattress beds were constructed and I cleaned the kitchen while waiting for them to arrive. Of course, their car overheated eight miles from our house, so they didn't arrive until just after two...
Wednesday morning I stumbled out of bed at 6:15 to fish the feta cheese out of its brine. Note to all cheese makers: 10 hours in the brine is better than 12. It was much less salty this time. Second note: Hang the feta to drain for 4 hours (rather than letting it sit in a colander like the directions say); it gets much drier this way. Having returned to bed, I got another hour of sleep before Gretchen woke me up and the day got started. Bryan did NOT make it out of bed, having lost too much sleep up to this point. Justine made sourdough pretzels, using my starter up completely since I decided that I just don't care enough to keep up with it. She also made muddy buddies, because why not? Danielle and Wilson (my college roommate and her husband) arrived in time for dinner and we all played teledraw after the kids went to bed.
Sarah, Luther, Danielle, and Wilson stayed until just before lunch on Thursday and then took off to continue their Christmas visiting elsewhere. Joseph drove back to Michigan to ring in the New Year with some friends from college. That afternoon I had an orchestra rehearsal, followed by dinner at home and then the concert. After the concert I stopped at Wal-Mart hoping to find A Cinderella Story and apple cider for a throwback New Year's Eve party with Justine and Jacque. Fail on both counts. We made our wassail with apple juice and debated watching The Prince and Me on Netflix before deciding to watch Parks and Recreation and play Dominion with Bryan instead. The new year came in an understated, unheralded way: we only noticed because I checked my phone before going to bed at 12:04. That's about how our parties always went growing up, too. :)
By Friday morning the house felt empty and was only getting emptier. The Bossard crew waited until Joseph came back with the van and then packed up to head back to Massachusetts. Jacque hung around until after dinner before taking off for Dayton. Bryan and I played a couple more games of Dominion and then crashed.
Saturday my batteries died. The morning went pretty well, but I fell asleep reading my book around 2:30. I woke up to go to Mass with Bryan and the kids at 4, but during the car ride felt quite unwell and ended up staying in the van. As soon as we got home, I went to bed for the night. Happily, I felt quite recovered by the next morning.
Pictures:
27 December 2015
December 20-27
Merry Christmas!
I realized a few hours after last week's post went live that I forgot to mention that we got a new refrigerator. The pictures made it, but the story did not. :) Our kitchen has a cutout space for a fridge and our old fridge fit in a comically small way. We've been thinking about getting a more appropriately sized fridge for a while and started doing research when the black Friday ads came out. Unfortunately, our cutout is an inconvenient size: 35.5 x 69.5 and in need of a counter depth fridge to avoid excessive diminishing of the space between the fridge and the island. During our research, we found exactly one fridge that fit in our space and it was not one that was sold at any major home improvement store. It DID, however, have the French doors I wanted and the water dispenser that Bryan wanted. We decided to wait on the fridge for another year or so, but then Bryan's parents offered to chip in as a Christmas present. The fridge was ordered, shipped, delivered, and arrived two days before we left for our holiday travels.
Kaitlyn is bad at naps. This is something I've discovered rather recently, but I now realize that it's been true her whole life. Her average nap length is 45 minutes and now that she's nearly nine months old, I'm lucky if she takes two. :/ I think her napping trouble results from a combination of noisy surroundings endless curiosity.
We went to Sidney last Sunday to spend the week leading up to Christmas with Bryan's family. Our first stop was the Barhorst Christmas party where the Olivia and Gretchen got books and Kaitlyn got a toy piano from the Santa that always makes an appearance. Bryan was proud of his choice of gift for Kaitlyn (we provide the gifts that Santa passes out) because she and Rudy both liked it. I was proud of Olivia's enthusiasm over the book that I got her.
On Monday Josef and Jacob joined us in Sidney. I actually met them in Celina so that they could help me pick up the car that Jacque had purchased through us. Josef drove it back and said it handled well. Worth noting: before I went to get the car I finished writing my Christmas letter. :)
Tuesday was the day that the girls and I had set aside to go visit the Kleins, so we met them at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton. We tried the large twisty tube slide again and I did not have to fish any kids out of the middle. :) While we visited different stations and looked at animals and exhibits, I was reminded of Gretchen's ability to stay at one task for amazingly long periods of time. Unfortunately, the attention spans of the other children are not so prodigious, so I was constantly hurrying her along to the next thing.
On Wednesday morning (around 8:20) I left the girls in the care of Josef, Jacob, and Bryan while I drove to Chicago in a van with no seats to pick up Jacque. (Side note: I am now humming A Horse With No Name while I type.) I navigated Chicago, parked in an alley, oohed and aahed over her apartment, and then we loaded up my van while the Chicago sky spit at us. The trip home was a bit slower due to traffic, weather, and darkness. We stopped to unload most of Jacque's belongings at my house (while the Lima sky sobbed on us). While there, we brought in several packages that were falling apart on the front porch and laid their contents out to dry. Then we continued on to Sidney, arriving just before ten.
Thursday was Christmas Eve and everyone was home. I played viola to combat stress and then made two lasagnas while Jacob mixed up three batches of stollen to pass out at church. I also mailed my Christmas letters. Bryan and I took the girls to 5:30 Mass and then returned to his parents' house for their Christmas party. At 10 we left the babies sleeping, crowded into Jacob's Civic with Jacque and the boys, and headed to St. Stephen's for Liturgy. Then it was back to Sidney once again to sleep until everyone got up the next morning.
Christmas day was just as magical as always. I got to be in charge of handing out presents this year, which means that I also accidentally got a workout while I stood in one place and bent down again and again to arrange presents in piles and pass them to the appropriate people. I did not make this connection until the next day when the backs of my legs felt very stretched. :) Olivia and Gretchen got lots of dresses and Barbies, Kaitlyn got fun baby toys, Bryan got liquor and board games, and I got a 30 quart pressure canner with which Murry is convinced I will accidentally blow up half of Lima. :) Zach arrived to join the party about halfway through and after present opening all the boys retired to the playground in the basement to challenge each other in ping-pong and video games.
Saturday was our last day in Sidney and we spent the time relaxing and packing up the cars. We drove back in time for Saturday evening Mass, but there was a casualty along the way: Jacque called as we were driving to let us know that her car was shaking at high speeds. :( I told her how to get home on back roads and Bryan and I spent the rest of the ride marveling at her apparent superpowers. What else should you call it when cars fear her magnificence so much that they immediately break down in her presence? Anyway, she did make it home, but we need to take her car in to get it checked on Monday. :/ She'll be taking our van to Michigan for the wedding she's attending today.
Bossards (minus Joseph) arrived Saturday night and are here for the week. Oh the exciting week ahead. :)
Pictures:
I realized a few hours after last week's post went live that I forgot to mention that we got a new refrigerator. The pictures made it, but the story did not. :) Our kitchen has a cutout space for a fridge and our old fridge fit in a comically small way. We've been thinking about getting a more appropriately sized fridge for a while and started doing research when the black Friday ads came out. Unfortunately, our cutout is an inconvenient size: 35.5 x 69.5 and in need of a counter depth fridge to avoid excessive diminishing of the space between the fridge and the island. During our research, we found exactly one fridge that fit in our space and it was not one that was sold at any major home improvement store. It DID, however, have the French doors I wanted and the water dispenser that Bryan wanted. We decided to wait on the fridge for another year or so, but then Bryan's parents offered to chip in as a Christmas present. The fridge was ordered, shipped, delivered, and arrived two days before we left for our holiday travels.
Kaitlyn is bad at naps. This is something I've discovered rather recently, but I now realize that it's been true her whole life. Her average nap length is 45 minutes and now that she's nearly nine months old, I'm lucky if she takes two. :/ I think her napping trouble results from a combination of noisy surroundings endless curiosity.
We went to Sidney last Sunday to spend the week leading up to Christmas with Bryan's family. Our first stop was the Barhorst Christmas party where the Olivia and Gretchen got books and Kaitlyn got a toy piano from the Santa that always makes an appearance. Bryan was proud of his choice of gift for Kaitlyn (we provide the gifts that Santa passes out) because she and Rudy both liked it. I was proud of Olivia's enthusiasm over the book that I got her.
On Monday Josef and Jacob joined us in Sidney. I actually met them in Celina so that they could help me pick up the car that Jacque had purchased through us. Josef drove it back and said it handled well. Worth noting: before I went to get the car I finished writing my Christmas letter. :)
Tuesday was the day that the girls and I had set aside to go visit the Kleins, so we met them at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton. We tried the large twisty tube slide again and I did not have to fish any kids out of the middle. :) While we visited different stations and looked at animals and exhibits, I was reminded of Gretchen's ability to stay at one task for amazingly long periods of time. Unfortunately, the attention spans of the other children are not so prodigious, so I was constantly hurrying her along to the next thing.
On Wednesday morning (around 8:20) I left the girls in the care of Josef, Jacob, and Bryan while I drove to Chicago in a van with no seats to pick up Jacque. (Side note: I am now humming A Horse With No Name while I type.) I navigated Chicago, parked in an alley, oohed and aahed over her apartment, and then we loaded up my van while the Chicago sky spit at us. The trip home was a bit slower due to traffic, weather, and darkness. We stopped to unload most of Jacque's belongings at my house (while the Lima sky sobbed on us). While there, we brought in several packages that were falling apart on the front porch and laid their contents out to dry. Then we continued on to Sidney, arriving just before ten.
Thursday was Christmas Eve and everyone was home. I played viola to combat stress and then made two lasagnas while Jacob mixed up three batches of stollen to pass out at church. I also mailed my Christmas letters. Bryan and I took the girls to 5:30 Mass and then returned to his parents' house for their Christmas party. At 10 we left the babies sleeping, crowded into Jacob's Civic with Jacque and the boys, and headed to St. Stephen's for Liturgy. Then it was back to Sidney once again to sleep until everyone got up the next morning.
Christmas day was just as magical as always. I got to be in charge of handing out presents this year, which means that I also accidentally got a workout while I stood in one place and bent down again and again to arrange presents in piles and pass them to the appropriate people. I did not make this connection until the next day when the backs of my legs felt very stretched. :) Olivia and Gretchen got lots of dresses and Barbies, Kaitlyn got fun baby toys, Bryan got liquor and board games, and I got a 30 quart pressure canner with which Murry is convinced I will accidentally blow up half of Lima. :) Zach arrived to join the party about halfway through and after present opening all the boys retired to the playground in the basement to challenge each other in ping-pong and video games.
Saturday was our last day in Sidney and we spent the time relaxing and packing up the cars. We drove back in time for Saturday evening Mass, but there was a casualty along the way: Jacque called as we were driving to let us know that her car was shaking at high speeds. :( I told her how to get home on back roads and Bryan and I spent the rest of the ride marveling at her apparent superpowers. What else should you call it when cars fear her magnificence so much that they immediately break down in her presence? Anyway, she did make it home, but we need to take her car in to get it checked on Monday. :/ She'll be taking our van to Michigan for the wedding she's attending today.
Bossards (minus Joseph) arrived Saturday night and are here for the week. Oh the exciting week ahead. :)
Pictures:
20 December 2015
December 13-20
The rather large Kaitlyn update:
-She has another tooth. This puts her at five and means that her teething cold is temporarily absent again.
-She can pull herself to standing. She cannot be left unattended in this state because her balance and judgement are poor.
-Her coordination has improved enough that all small things go directly into her mouth. No matter how often the floor is swept, she WILL find some tasty tidbit to sample.
-She babbles using many different syllables and tries to imitate words with absolutely no success. :)
-She eats a wide variety of foods but favors squash and "whatever mom is eating."
I have less to report on Gretchen and Olivia. They can trash a playroom with alarming alacrity, but cleaning up is like pulling teeth. They play with each other all the time and only fight occasionally. Oh, and they helped me fill a box: I told Olivia that there was a little girl that didn't have any toys so we were going to give her some of ours. She responded by helping me fill a box with various toys, stuffed animals, and dress-up clothes for the little girl. Her ready generosity shocked me and I reiterated several times that we were giving these away forever. I tried not to veto any items, though, unless they were ones Gretchen played with all the time, and soon we had a full box. Now I'm trying to find a little girl to deliver it to, because simply dropping it off at a local thrift store or shelter doesn't mean much to a four-year-old.
I baked a mountain of stollen and we drove around town to hand it out to people. Of course, we picked the coldest, windiest day so far this winter, so few people were out and about. :/
The girls and Bryan put up the Christmas tree and decorated it yesterday. Olivia and Gretchen were very excited to put all the beautiful things on the tree. Kaitlyn was excited to beat on the boxes.
Today we're headed to Sidney for a Christmas party and then we're spending the week with Bryan's family. Actually, we're spending it with several members of my family, too: Josef, Jacob, and Jacque are coming with us. :) After Christmas we'll be back home and the Bossards will be joining us at our house. Now if I could only get that Christmas letter written...
Pictures and Video:
-She has another tooth. This puts her at five and means that her teething cold is temporarily absent again.
-She can pull herself to standing. She cannot be left unattended in this state because her balance and judgement are poor.
-Her coordination has improved enough that all small things go directly into her mouth. No matter how often the floor is swept, she WILL find some tasty tidbit to sample.
-She babbles using many different syllables and tries to imitate words with absolutely no success. :)
-She eats a wide variety of foods but favors squash and "whatever mom is eating."
I have less to report on Gretchen and Olivia. They can trash a playroom with alarming alacrity, but cleaning up is like pulling teeth. They play with each other all the time and only fight occasionally. Oh, and they helped me fill a box: I told Olivia that there was a little girl that didn't have any toys so we were going to give her some of ours. She responded by helping me fill a box with various toys, stuffed animals, and dress-up clothes for the little girl. Her ready generosity shocked me and I reiterated several times that we were giving these away forever. I tried not to veto any items, though, unless they were ones Gretchen played with all the time, and soon we had a full box. Now I'm trying to find a little girl to deliver it to, because simply dropping it off at a local thrift store or shelter doesn't mean much to a four-year-old.
I baked a mountain of stollen and we drove around town to hand it out to people. Of course, we picked the coldest, windiest day so far this winter, so few people were out and about. :/
The girls and Bryan put up the Christmas tree and decorated it yesterday. Olivia and Gretchen were very excited to put all the beautiful things on the tree. Kaitlyn was excited to beat on the boxes.
Today we're headed to Sidney for a Christmas party and then we're spending the week with Bryan's family. Actually, we're spending it with several members of my family, too: Josef, Jacob, and Jacque are coming with us. :) After Christmas we'll be back home and the Bossards will be joining us at our house. Now if I could only get that Christmas letter written...
Pictures and Video:
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