Teacher Say. . .

J+M+J

  Joseph, Alexander, Johnathan, Maria, and I have been taking swimming lessons since last week. On the second day of the lessons, Alexander was getting ‘the talk’ about listening to the teacher on the way to the lessons in the car.” Alexander, you have to do everything the teacher says. If she tells you to stay in one spot, you listen, understand?”  Alexander nodded. Then, Joseph’s voice came quietly from his car-seat in the back. “Chee-cher say: kick-kick-kick-kick.”   “What else does the teacher say, Joseph?” asked Mom.   “Chee-cher say, bwow bub-bows, bwow bub-bows,” he responded.  It was adorable.

A+M+D+G

Bath Time Bubbles

J+M+J

I walked in to the bathroom one night to wash Alexander and Joseph’s hair when they were in the bathtub, and I was shocked to find that the tub was filled with bubbles. I found a half empty bottle of foaming face wash near the scene of the crime, so I think that the boys mistook that for bubble bath soap.

bathtime-bubbles4

THE FACE OF THE GUILTY PARTY!

THE FACE OF THE GUILTY PARTY!

Would you care for some of our bubbles? We have plenty.

Would you care for some of our bubbles? We have plenty.

A+M+D+G

Joseph’s Sweater

J+M+J

I just finished sowing in the ends of this sweater that I knit for Joseph. A little late, perhaps, but since the next baby is a boy it will get to be handed down.

Isn't he cute!?!

Isn't he cute!?!

josephs-sweater2

A+M+D+G

Adventures in Cooking: Maundy Thursday Lamb Dinner

J+M+J

Ever since my friend commented to me that her older sister was making lamb for supper on Maundy Thursday, in commemoration of the Passover Supper that Jesus ate, I have wanted to try it out. Last year I forgot about it, but this year I was on the ball, and we did eat a leg of lamb for supper. It turned out very tender, and even Maria (who had insisted she wouldn’t like it,) ate a good portion.  Joseph must have really liked it, because he inhaled it even before he ate his bread and butter, usually the first to disappear off his plate.

lamb1

lamb2

A+M+D+G

Alexander’s 5th Birthday in Pictures

J+M+J

 

Alexander and his presents.

Alexander and his presents.

 

Landon decorated Alex's cake in chocolate chips.

Landon decorated Alex's cake in chocolate chips.

 

Alexander's candy necklace. It was gone by the end of the day. Alexander also had a tummy ache at the end of the day.

By the end of the day, this candy necklace had been eaten. Alexander also had a tummy ache. Coincidence? I don't think so.

 

I took this picture because Alex loves his age, and has been telling people he is going to be five ever since he turned four. If you come to our house, he will probably tell you that he is five, but he's turning six soon.

I took this picture because Alex loves his age, and has been telling people he is going to be five ever since he turned four. If you come to our house, he will probably tell you that he is five, but he's turning six soon.

 

It took a while for Alex to blow out his candle. Joseph is trying to get Alex to play with his new WALL-E and EVE toys, which were his birthday presents.

It took a while for Alex to blow out his candle. Joseph is trying to get Alex to play with his new WALL-E and EVE toys, which were his birthday presents.

 

Another attempt to blow out his candle.

Another attempt to blow out his candle. I think he got it this time.

A+M+D+G

Sunday Evening Pictures

J+M+J

 

Chocolate cookie face.

Can you tell he has been eating chocolate cookies?

a-sunday-evening2

First Joseph told me to get the camera, then he became grumpy and said he didn't want me to take a picture.

a-sunday-evening3

a-sunday-evening4

a-sunday-evening5

 

A+M+D+G

Cuddling

J+M+J

 

Joseph requested this cuddling session, and Alexander followed him.
Joseph requested this cuddling session, and Alexander followed him.
Here you can see Joseph better, but I must have been blinking.
Here you can see Joseph better, but I must have been blinking.
I almost fell asleep.

I almost fell asleep.

 

A+M+D+G

Birdie Playtime

J+M+J

When we had the breeder sun conures out, one flew to Alexander, and then the other followed. This is a rare occurrence because most of the birds in our house are a little wary of Alexander and Joseph.

birdies1

img_1363

Penelope and John Paul

Penelope and John Paul

A+M+D+G

Hide-and-Seek, or: How to Amuse Little Brothers Without Leaving a Comfortable Seat on the Couch

J+M+J

I was laying on the couch, exhausted by a day of babysitting my siblings, when Alex said to me, “Look, I’m hiding in my sleeping bag. Let’s play hide and seek.”

Joseph chimed, “Me pway to. you count.”

“Okay,”  I thought, “I can count and not leave this cozy couch.” So I called, “You go hide, and I’ll count to twenty.” I closed my eyes, and counted, “One, two, three, four, five . . .” I could hear Alex dive farther into his sleeping bag. “Six, seven, eight, nine, ten . . .” Joseph was wildly running around, looking for a spot to hide.

When I had almost reached twenty, he frantically screamed, “Not yet, not yet, I need to hide!” So I added on ten more seconds. At twenty-five, I heard him say, “O.K., I’m ready!” I continued counting.

“Twenty-nine, thirty! Ready or not, here I come!” I called. I spent a few minutes pretending to be looking around, and then I said, “Alexander, I see you in the sleeping bag.” Alexander emerged screaming with laughter. I turned my head around and saw Joseph laying in the stuffed animal box, on top of the stuffed animals that filled it nearly to the top. “I see you to Joseph.” I laughed.

Joseph giggled and jumped up out of the box and cried, “Wet’s pway again! You count again!”

“Okay.” I watched with amusement as Alexander jumped back into the sleeping bag, and then I began to count, but was interrupted by Joseph protesting, “No, wait. No, wait for me to get into ‘amal’ box.”

I nearly burst out laughing. It seems that neither Alexander or Joseph now the object of Hide and Seek.

A+M+D+G

“I’m Dead”

J+M+J

Recently I was walking through the house, when I saw Joseph laying on the ground. His eyes were closed and he looked so cute. I knelt down and began to tickle him. He started screaming, “Don’t, Don’t tickle meee! I’m dead!”

 A+M+D+G

A Charmed Day

J+M+J

It all started yesterday when I invited my friend Rebecca over for the afternoon. Right from the start, everything worked out just the way I wanted it to. Rebecca wasn’t doing anything that afternoon and her dad (her mom was gone for the weekend) consented to letting her come over to my house. When Mom and I went to pick Rebecca up, her dad said, “Stay as long as you want.”

A few hours later, Rebecca and I were tracing outfits with Maria’s fashion design kit. I commented, “Hey, when your dad told you to stay as long as you liked, you should have grabbed your pajamas.”

“Yeah, that would be a good idea. You should ask your mom if that would be okay,” Rebecca responded.

“It would be unlikely that she would say yes, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Maria was in the room while we were discussing our far-fetched idea, and she liked what she heard.  When Mom came down to tell me that I would be babysitting because she was going to take Landon to swimming, Maria piped up, “Mom, Rebecca wanted me to ask you if she could have a sleepover.”

“MARIA!” Rebecca and I exclaimed simultaneously, laughing.

Mom said, “I have to go now, but we’ll talk about it later.”

“Well, that was more encouraging than a no,” I said, “but we shouldn’t get our hopes up.” I calmed an excitement that was growing inside me.

When Mom came back, however, I pressed for details. “So, what about the sleep-over thing?”

“Well, I actually talked to Rebecca’s dad already.”

“-And?” three voices in the room prodded for more information.

“He wants Rebecca to call him.”

So Rebecca was on the phone, and Maria and I listened anxiously. For a while it seemed the conversation was going to turn out for the worse, and Maria was making sad faces and thumbs down at me. But when Rebecca hung up the phone, she said, “It’s a yes!”

So, Maria ran up to tell Mom, who got on the computer to chat and ask my dad if it was okay. He said yes also, and we jumped up and down around the room with glee.  Then we jumped into the car and Mom drove to go get Rebecca’s necessities. John Paul shouted after us, “Don’t forget clean underwear!”

When we reached Rebecca’s house, we ran inside and collected her pajamas, a book, clothes, and toothpaste and a toothbrush, and of course, clean underwear. “Is there anything we are missing?” She asked me.

“Movies!” I responded.

We collected the movies and ran back to the car. As we were pulling out of the drive way, Landon asked, “Did you remember your sleeping bag?

“Oh, that and a pillow would be good,” Rebecca exclaimed as she jumped out of the car and hurried back inside her house and momentarily returned carrying a sleeping bag, a blanket, and her pillow. Then we drove home.

Since everything was going so well for us, we decided to try to get our friend Grace, who lives three blocks from my house, over with us. We called, she asked, and we got a surprising yes from her side as well. 

That evening, after the kids had gone to bed, we decided to goof around taking pictures. First Grace was the photographer.

 

This is what happened when we tried to take a sleeping pose picture.    GIGGLES!
This is what happened when Rebecca and I tried to take a sleeping pose picture. GIGGLES!

 

This one is much better. We finally got our faces to stay straight.
This one is much better. We finally got our faces to stay straight.

 

 

 

Grace and I hear the popcorn Landon is making for our movie, Prince Caspian
Grace and I hear the popcorn Landon is making for our movie, Prince Caspian.

 

Grace and Rebecca.
Grace and Rebecca.

 

Splits!
Splits!

sleepover6

 

Three friends.
Three friends. In the left corner of the background you can see naughty Alex peeking out of bed

sleepover8

 

Devouring popcorn! YUMMY!!!!

Devouring popcorn! YUMMY!!!!

 

WARNING: never leave three teenage girls unattended for an extended period of time. They may end up like these poor demented girls, who have now been moved to an asylum. :~)

WARNING: never leave three teenage girls unattended for an extended period of time. They may end up like these poor demented girls, who have now been moved to an asylum. :~)

 

ZZZZ... sleeping beauties

ZZZZ... sleeping beauties

sleepover12

It's morning! That was fun!
It’s morning! That was fun!

A+M+D+G