Celebrating Valentines in March

I got a tip from a gentleman at church to check out the Valentines candy clearance at CVS. So I checked it out today and was not disappointed. Do we need all this chocolatey sugary yumminess? No, but I got it all for $4!! I've got to hide it all from Carter and myself because we cannot be trusted to control ourselves...

Eating 101- What Not To Do...

Things I never let Carter eat until he was WELL over 1 but Ellie (10 months) has eaten...

--Churro at Costco

--McDonalds cheeseburger

--Soda (diet- does that make it worse or better?)

--Brownie & Chocolate Cake

Have I gone a little too lax in my parenting this go-round?

What They Are Doing...

Carter Taft
- He can reach the garage door opener on tippy-toes and open the garage, for some reason that made me sad. He's getting so big so fast...
-He is an amazing scooter-er! We move the furniture and set up a course inside (I use Joe's scooter) and he can lap me within three times around the course. He's super quick, can turn a corner on a dime and has little fear (so he HAS to wear a helmet at all times).
-Carter and I were SUPER sick on Wednesday and once when I had to excuse myself to go lose my lunch (or whatever I lost, I hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours), I came back to find Carter feeding Ellie her applesauce. What a helper.
-I discovered this week that he can, and wants to, get dressed all by himself. I know this should have come sooner but I stunt his growth so he will stay young and dependent on me :). Apparently it's not working...
-He can carry Elise, though I might add this is a super supervised activity :).

Ellie-Belly

-grabs my hand & pushes it away when I am sucking her nose, or feeding her yummy food that she doesn't like the texture of (I may have my first picky eater)

-her hair is finally growing, it's long enough to use a little elastic band!

-she has learned to clap. It's adorable to watch them try to get those hands together and miss but then to have sweet success and flash a giant grin :).

-she can drink out of a sippy cup like a champ. As a side note, Carter weaned himself at this age but Ellie is still going strong in the nursing department.

-she crawled her first few paces yesterday, though she then flattened out on the floor and resorted to reaching. My kiddos are a little slow in this area and while it worried me with Carter, with Ellie I don't mind a bit because I know how much harder life is with a mobile child. Which reminds me we should probably go buy gates today...

-she is the best waker-upper I have ever seen. She smiles, plays peekaboo, laughs for no apparent reason and pats my back rigorously when I first get her out of bed.

Here is a rare picture of me and my munchkins. So now people can know that yes, my children do have a mother...

Unconventional

I am one of those wierdie, unconventional mothers who genuinely enjoys hanging out with a three and almost one year old- over almost anyone else. Sure there are days I want to take a time-out from being a Mom but for the most part I just love their company, conversation, zerberts and smiles. I'm a closet Raffi fan. And Laurie Berkners music cracks me up. I could count all the times I've listened to adult music in the car in the last three years on one hand- but that works for me. I'm not ready to send Carter to preschool, especially not four days a week. When he's four I only want to do 2 or 3 days. And I'm not sending him to all day kindergarten. There ought to be a half-day option. I have thought about home-schooling but I'm honest enough with myself to know that I couldn't or wouldn't be able to give them the experiences they would need to truly excel academically. By the way, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with having your kids in preschool either, what's right for one family or child isn't right for another and I know we all just have to do what is best for our own kids and not have to worry about other parents passing judgement on us. Another confession- I want to have another baby and Elise is only 10 months old (though I am smart enough to realize my body needs to be in a better place first :). Thanks for reading this very jumbled cofessional, I just felt like getting these thoughts off my chest. I wonder if there are any Amish communities nearby- seems like they're onto something there...

Seriously- who can resist these giggles...

Is uh-oh a word?

My friend Trisa does these dialogue blogs that are adorable with things she overhears her kids say and today I had to share this one:

Joe: Uh-oh!
Elise: Uh-oh (clear as day- does that count as her first word?!)
(then we all made a big deal about it and tried to get her to repeat it:)
Carter: Hey Dad, she can speak our language!

So cute! Then Ellie proceeded to blow bubbles through her straw (another new skill) and refused to jibber jabber anymore:). What a big girl Ellie-belly!!

Highlights Part One

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here are some highlights from the months we've been MIA. Carter has been taking more of our photos lately so I'm in a few:). I've got a highlight reel of 2008 in the works- but it's late so that'll be for another day!

Family Picture, sort of...

We had so much fun taking these pictures! Ellie & I stayed on the couch and Joe & Carter would set the timer on the camera, run all the way around the couch and jump on just in time for the picture. We got some interesting shots- Joe falling off the couch, and this favorite of Carter picking his nose. Happy Holidays!