Snow Cones

While playing at the park the other day Marinn laid down in the wood chips and started to make a "snow angel". 

She says, "Look Mom!! I'm making a snow cone!" 

I said, "That would be a wood chip angel."

She says, "Taurin come make a snow cone with me!" 

Since I don't ever take my camera to the park here is one in the leaves. Because all blog posts are better with a picture : ) 

Christmas Reindeer Ornament

My mom saw this great idea and so we gave it a try.

Materials:
-Balls of yarn (any size or color)
-Pipe cleaners
-Puff balls
-Googly eyes
-Hot glue
-Ornament hooks

Super easy and fast, and great for the kids! You thread a piece of pipe cleaner through your ball of yarn and bend to your liking. Then, glue on the eyes and nose and wha la! a reindeer!

 Even Shaw got involved... our spare glue stick holder : )

This picture is hilarious! 

Gracie is gonna get ate-en!

Daisy is trying to play with my moms tiny dog named Gracie. 

Marinn whispers to me, "Mom, Gracie is gonna get ate-en!.... Because Daisy likes to eat dogs!"

Where do my kids come up with this stuff? 

Spit-tastic!

Shaw has officially mastered the art of the spit bubble.

He says, "Maaa Maaaa Maaa" as he makes bubble after bubble. 

If you start just saying "Maa Maaa Maaa" he will automatically start producing bubbles. 

I love my boy!

Toothbrush Addict

Shaw LOVES toothbrushes... 

...he doesn't care if it's his, if it's purple with Dora on it, if it was used to scrub the toilet. If he can find one he will. And he will take off in a sprint to keep it in his mouth just brushing and chewing away. 

Just now he snuck upstairs to the 3rd drawer in the bathroom (which he knows is where the toothbrushes reside) and stole the purple Dora toothbrush. 

I guess this insures that he will always have clean teeth :) 

"The Child Warmer"

After having some nice jacuzzi time with the whole family we were quickly trying to get dried off and in the house... Marinn and Taurin had taken off their suits and were drying off and I look over to see this:

Marinn and Taurin holding on to my moms outdoor heater! 

It was too hilarious to pass up this photo opportunity.  

 Shaw needed a warm up as well.

Who needs a towel straight from the dryer when you have a "Child Warmer"?!?

Turkey Pumpkins

Me and the girls got super motivated today and after some flash cards and practicing writing the letter A we decided to turn some pumpkins into turkeys.  

We downloaded this super cute template and wha la! pumpkin turkeys! 

After placing the pumpkins in the front yard, Taurin saw the wind blowing the feathers of the turkeys and exclaimed, "Our turkeys are going to fly away!!!" 

Bad boys talk to the hand.

Yesterday we had 2 very hilarious moments... one from each of my hilarious girlies....

Moment #1:
Taurin is sitting by pops and he puts up his hand and says, "Talk to the hand."
Taurin leans in and says, "Hellooooo."


Moment #2:
I'm relaxing in the chair with my feet up and Marinn walks by and touches my not-so-smooth heels.  She says, "We need to get some lotion on these bad boys!"

Bobbie

We are staying with my mom and she also has a man that rents her downstairs.  His name is Bobbie and he has severe diabetes and a few mental set backs. He spends most of his days at thrift stores and cruising around on his Moped but we see him in the evenings.  The kids just love talking to him.

On Thursday during my midwife appointment Taurin randomly says, 

"My dad took Bobbie to the doctor."  (This was accurate information).  

My midwife says, "Who is Bobbie?" 

Taurin replies, "He's white."

I started laughing so hard because it is kind of hard to explain our relationship to him but I was surprised that was Taurin's choice to describe him! 

Here they are with Bobbie at his birthday party last night. 

The Child Whisperer

We have been training Daisy using different sounds as cues. We make a kissy sound when we want her to come.  Today me and Taurin were coming in the house and I said, "Come on Taurin." then I made the kissy sound.  

She came in the house and looked at me and said, "Mommy, I'm not a dog." 

Breakfast.

Yesterday morning we were all hanging out in the bedroom and I asked who was going to make me breakfast.  

Taurin ran to the room and brought Andrew half of a plastic carrot and I got 2 slices of plastic toast.  Andrew replied, "I don't like when Taurin makes breakfast."

Then I told the girls to go to the store and buy some cereal for breakfast.  

They ran to the door to head out, I told them to drive daddy's car.  They are at the door struggling with the dead bolt and Taurin says, "I'll get the keys!"  Eventually they come back to the room and declare that they can not drive the car. Andrew asks why. 

Marinn responds, "We can't drive the car dad because we are little people. We can't drive the car!" 

Point point, color color, sound sound

Andrew has a toddler game on his phone where you get to point and color on the screen and it makes cool sounds.  Above is a picture of what the screen looks like on the game. 

Marinn has played it a few times and now when she wants to play she'll ask Andrew, 

"Daddy can I play Point Point Color Color Sound Sound?"

So cute! 

....then CRASH!

This morning Marinn was showing me all the scrapes and scratches on her knees and elbows.  She was so animated and cute I couldn't help ask her questions to keep her talking.  I asked how it happened, and she said,

"We were walking and there was the stroller and thennn.... CRASH!" 

It was pretty accurate account... We took a walk last night and she tripped over the stroller.  I love her story telling.  : )   

Man in a Dress

Marinn, "Mom! Come look at Shaw!"

Mom, "What is he doing?"

Marinn, "He is looking pretty, like a girl.  We dressed him up!" 

Shaw crawls out like this... 

I knew this was bound to happen eventually... he has 2 big sisters.  The funny thing is even though he's still little and cute he still looks like a man in a dress! 

Broom Master

Shaw loves my broom.

It's strategically hidden between the fridge and cabinet, but he always finds it. 

He gets it out and just starts pushing it all over the floor.

He laughs and screams and has a ball. 

I always wonder why my kids like to play with certain thing... why is the broom soo intriguing? 

The conclusion I've come to is its big and kind of shaped like a sword (what boy doesn't like a good sword?) and he can swing it around fiercely.

All my Babies...

I love my babies… I look at this picture and feel a since of accomplishment as a mom.

They are all growing up so fast and their personalities seem to be changing all the time. I love watching them change and I often try to imagine what might be next on their journey. 

I love how caring and loving they are towards each other and people in general.

They make me smile and laugh every day and their creative antics always surprise me.  

Even though they come with lots of smelly situations and ideas way to creative for their age that get them in trouble (as we speak Shaw is on his tippy toes trying to open the silverware drawer), days later when I look back I only seem to remember their sweet faces and laughter. 

*I got super lucky capturing this picture... about 1 second later Shaw was half way across the room. Notice Marinn holding everyone still : ) and still striking a pose! 

Baby Powder vs. Baking Powder

As I was making some homemade tortillas the other day, 

Marinn asked, "What is that mom?" As I was measuring out the Baking Powder. 

I respond, "Baking Powder."

She exclaims frantically, "Powder is for BUTTS mom!!!"

I laughed and explained, she still looked a bit confused but accepted my answer.

Silly turkey. Bucket Head. Apple Bottom Jeans.

Taurins three favorite silly sayings.... 

"Apple bottom jeans with the booty fur!"

Anyone who knows Andrew knows that he occasionally says random stuff.  Well he would sing the little phrase, "Apple bottoms jeans! Boots with the fur!"

Taurin picked up on it and made it her own. The way her little voice says it is hilarious!

"Bucket head!"

Andrew calls the girls silly stuff all the time. Taurin now will randomly just call people bucket head or just says it out load out of no where.  Yet again... hilarious!

"Silly Turkey..."

This is from a book called, Red Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton. 

No where in the book says "silly turkey", but one day as Andrew was reading it to the girls whenever they would get to the turkey he'd read the "oops" and then say silly turkey. Taurin thought it was soo funny and started calling people silly turkeys whenever they were silly. The cute thing is she says it more like, "silly tur-tee". 

W*O*R*K

This morning as Andrew is getting ready Taurin mentions something about going to work with daddy.  

Marinn says with confidence, "You have to be really big and tall. And a boy to go to work Taurin."

(The previous morning Taurin was looking for her shoes to put on to go to work with daddy, and I had told her she wasn't tall enough. Marinn was reinterating my ideas from the previous day with her own flair. )

Then Andrew says, "Girls just stay home and watch movies huh?"

The girls replied with a, "Yeah!"

On the way out the door Marinn yells, "Bye Daddy! Have a good day at school!"

I ask, "Daddy is going to school?"

Marinn, "Yeah... he's going to work school."

I love the confident assurance in her answers. I think God wishes we would talk to him like that sometimes. Even when we are not 100% right. 

*I know the above picture would be perfect if Andrew was in his work uniform hugging the girls... but who takes pictures of that? Boring!  This one is much cooler. 

Mullet Attack

Yes... it happened again. The girls were playing in the room and things got a little too quiet.  All of you moms out there know what I'm talking about. There is the nice "oh the kids are playing quietly" quiet, then there is the "they are up to no good" quiet. I go to check it out and coming down the hallway is Taurin with a pair of scissors in her hand.

Then the interrogation begins:

"What did you girls cut?" 

Taurin, "Marinn did it."

Then I realize Taurin only has a portion of her pigtails left on either side! 

I make it into the room and find a pile of beautiful golden locks all over the floor.  I'll be honest, in that moment I wanted to be the calm pulled together mommy but  it didn't happen. I broke down and just started crying as I furiously picked up the hair off the floor.  

Then, I took the hair ties out of Taurins hair to assess the damage... on both sides there were huge sections cut about mid ear, and one long strip down the back... once again we have been assaulted by the mullet. 

So... this was my only choice. 

I cut it all by myself after a little youtube training.

She looks soo cute with this hair cut. As much as I hate that I had to do it I'm glad it turned out so well.

Sorry for no before pictures... let's just say I was a bit "emotional" and forgot to capture the horror that was the mullet.