Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

If Casey were a book that would be his title. Casey is the King of Noises. As soon as walk in the door after school/work, Casey stops in the laundry room to beat on the washer and dryer. Then he walks over to the fridge and sends all of the alphabet magnets skittering across the floor. He then pulls the electronic Leap Frog toys off the fridge and plays the ABC song and Animal Matching song over and over before he tires of them and throw the toys on the ground. During dinner, he will dump his food on the table and play his plate like a drum. As well as bang his cup and spoon on the table to the point that even the girls tell him to be quiet and that he is hurting their ears. Once I put him down in bed he will rattle his crib bars or rake a toy across the bars until he gets tired enough to fall asleep. He may not say anything right now, but he finds plenty of ways to make himself heard.

Growth Spurts

I usually remember to feed my kids, and they seem to be getting bigger. It is either that or patterns are getting smaller. My grandmother, Oma, has been knitting for as long as I can remember. First, Christmas sweaters for me and my siblings when we were little, then an occasional shawl or sweater as we have gotten older. Now with great grand children to knit for, Oma as been whipping out blankets, hats, sweaters, and dresses faster than you can blink. It is a good thing that the children's patterns don't take her more than a few days because she has 5 great grand kids to knit for now. Her most recent package included some pieces for Elizabeth. (Which is good because then I can pass them onto Ava.) Oma just saw a Elizabeth in February, but I guess just a few months can make a big difference in a growing toddler. Elizabeth was able to wear the skirt, and fortunately Oma's gift could be shared with Ava and Casey as well. On behalf of all the kids, Elizabeth says, "Thank you Oma for the skirt, sweater and dress."

My little fashion models.

Swim Extravaganza

While regular school is out of session, our daycare center takes a break from some of their pre-K academics. The kids do lots of arts and crafts, cooking projects, and play in the water. Kids under three get sprinkler time a few days a week, and Elizabeth gets to swim every day, since the center has a pool on site. Their school also teaches swim lessons, and we figured it would be a good idea for the girls to hone their water skills. Elizabeth was getting pretty comfortable in the water last summer, and could hold her breath while gliding underwater a few feet, so we were hoping that she would actually start swimming on her own after a round of lessons.

She did great! Not quite swimming on her own by the end of class, but way more comfortable in the water. Jumping in, floating, and she could jump in and swim as far as one breath would take her. If she wasn't at the side or couldn't touch the bottom after one breath then she panicked, but most of the kids in her class were in the same boat. Remarkably, she is now swimming on her own! I took the kids to the pool the last two weekends and on Saturday it just clicked for her. She can now swim back and forth across a pool without any assistance. She loves telling me how she doesn't need a floaty anymore.

Ava on the other hand thinks she can swim by herself but she can't. "Mama, I can swim all by myself." She keeps taking off her floaties and jumping into the pool. No fear. She can just barely kick herself to the surface. I have to admire her persistence and effort. Swim lessons were great for her. She will now jump in the pool unassisted, let me help her float on her back, and swim short distances under water. Once she can figure out how to use her arms and legs together, I think she will have it.

Deja Vu

June's Blog seems a lot like January's. Here I am writing about gymnastics shows, new fish, and parties again.

You have already heard about the big gymnastics show, so I guess I will move onto the fish. After a six months with us, Elizabeth's fish, Saint Nicholas, went to fishy heaven. His passing inspired Ryan to finally clean the fish tank, where he managed to kill off Pinkie and Merlin III in a matter of 15 minutes by placing them in a cup of water straight from the tap. The girls were more excited than sad about the loss of their fish, so a few days later we went to the pet store to buy some replacement fish. Ava picked out the same pink fish again and named her Pinkie. Casey got a yellow tail fish, Merlin IV. Elizabeth picked a black and orange shark fish, Sharkie Fish. Elizabeth has a knack for picking out the most agressive fish. Two days later, I found Merlin IV floating in the tank without his yellow tail or fins. I put Merlin IV in a plastic baggie and took him back to the store for a faster swimming fish. Merlin V, a orange and yellow fish, lasted past his warranty period but just this week he suffered the same fate as Merlin IV. I found Merlin V under a frog statue without a tail. Elizabeth swears that it was the resin frog that killed Merlin, not Sharkie Fish. For now, I think we will stick with two fish. Pinkie is a faster swimmer and likes the top of the tank, and Sharkie hangs out around the bottom. Hopefully, they can continue to get along. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Elizabeth and Ava. Finally, what is a summer without parties. Pool parties, summer parties, birthday parties, etc. You name it, my girls have attended. They will never pass up an opportunity for sugar.

Quote of the Day

Elizabeth: "Mom, when I turn 30, I won't have anymore birthdays"

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How does she know when to stop counting, and how nice would that be if it were true?

Context: Yesterday, the kids and I were in the car and Elizabeth was talking about car seats because Ava just got a new car seat and Casey got Ava's old one. Elizabeth was telling me about how she will get a booster car seat when she turns five, and when she is seven she won't have need a car seat anymore. Then she said that when she turns 30 she will also sit in a big girl seat, promptly followed by the above comment.

Motherhood Madness

For the next two weeks, Ryan is working 12 hours shifts, which leaves me playing single parent. I am not much of a basketball fan, but I have been told that zone defense never wins championships. Even when Ryan is around, we can't play man-on-man anymore, but we can still whoop up on the kids most of the time. However, when it is 3 against 1, it is an entirely different story. All I can do is pray that they go easy on me. This past Saturday they were delightful! We played a double header of T-ball, stopped by a store so that I could exchange some clothes, and went to the library to pick out some new books. Everyone took a nap, ate all of their meals, and were in bed by 8pm. Sunday was an entirely different story. Elizabeth gave Ava a haircut. Ava stole a lollipop from Casey, ate it right in front of him, made him cry, and then lied about it to me. No naps, no sharing, lots of whining, big messes with toys and food! I was reminded why Ava's nickname is Captain Destructo. I ended up putting them to bed without dinner before 7pm. Still they didn't all fall asleep until after 8:30pm. Arrgh! Sometime, I am very glad that I get to escape to work on Monday. My hat is off to stay at home moms.

Nothing to Wear

Don't you hate when you can't find anything to wear?

Show time!

Last day of gymnastics for the year and Elizabeth couldn't be happier. The past few weeks the kids practiced their routines, for the big show during the last class. Elizabeth made remarkable improvement in her skills as well as her attitude during the semester. She went from crying and not participating in January to cartwheels and smiles in June. She is glad to be taking a break this summer to take swimming lessons and play T-ball again. Ava on the other hand can't wait until her "birthday time" and she can start up gymnastics.

Rub a Dub, Dub, Three Kids in a Tub

A laundry tub that is, I am not sure the last time my kids set foot in the bathtub. However, they have been swimming everyday at school, and I think I may have hosed them off in the shower or sink occasionally after meals.

Sounds Great!

Ava's new favorite phase is, "That sound good, mom?" No matter how reasonable or absurd the request or statement is, she will end it with that question.

"I eat lunch and go to sleep, then go swimming. That sound good, mom?"

or this morning

"Mom, I get dressed for airplane, and have bubble gum. Sound good?"

Much to her chagrin, she ended up with yogurt and a banana for breakfast and then I dropped her off at school. She may get bubble gum later today, but we don't have any airline travel planned for awhile.