Makes my Monday

Helen and Will are 20 months old.  And they can set the table.  That should make any parent's day, and it certainly makes mine.

Christmas, revisited.

Okay, okay. I have been well aware that we need to post pictures from Christmas on the blog. A certain grandparent keeps reminding me. A grandparent who was actually there and witnessed the whole holiday. A grandparent who apparently thinks these posts write themselves, while our kids cook dinner and change their own diapers.

We did have a very merry Christmas. The kids are at nice ages. The boys are really into Christmas and are true believers. The little ones don't get it yet but still enjoyed it -- and they aren't quite to the age where they get upset when they open a present just to have it taken away so they can open another one (I remember that being a little tough on the boys at age 3).

The boys have been in the Christmas spirit all month. On Christmas Eve we baked cookies for Santa and had a nice chili dinner (although it wasn't the least bit chilly in Houston - Cort and I are still trying to get used to the weather for Houston Christmases). It was all very casual, although the little kids wore holiday outfits even though they weren't going anywhere - it was the only opportunity for them to wear them. After dinner the boys decided they wanted to go caroling, so they sang for three of our neighbors. Then we headed off to church with the boys and Gransan (leaving Grandad at home with the little ones in bed). After church it was bedtime and waiting for Santa to come!

Helen in her Christmas dress

Our best attempt at a traditional Christmas pic in front of the tree

The boys caroling. This is at our next-door-neighbor's house, who had the good fortune of being treated to singing of all 12 of the days of Christmas.

Reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" at bedtime

On Christmas morning, we checked out what Santa brought, had some biscuits, and opened presents. Santa brought the boys bicycles, which they initially walked right past in favor of the small plastic NFL helmets he also brought. The bikes did not garner the excitement we had hoped, but later in the day they became more popular.


Joseph reading the gift tag before opening so he would know who the present was from

The boys both got new Rockets jerseys and new Astros jerseys

Uncle Rick got them recorders. Thanks Uncle Rick.

Helen got a new purse

Believe it or not, one of the favorite gifts. For months they have loved to play -- and fight over -- Mom's kitchen timer. Now they each have their own.

Of course, there always has to be one kid who would rather play with the box and the old car that only has three wheels left

Joseph was really into his new human body encyclopedia

Each of the kids picks out a present to give each family member. These pictures represent Charlie's gifts. He gave Will and Joseph footballs, Helen a soccer ball, Mom tickets to a basketball game, and Dad football pajamas. See a theme here?


Charlie enjoyed the baseball and basketball books from Aunt Jody and crew.

We spent the rest of Christmas day and the next few days enjoying the new toys and time with family.

The boys learned to ride their bikes Christmas afternoon.

This baseball game was a big hit

This cool puzzle of a human skeleton was the same size as the boys!

Our family loves games, and we got a couple of good new ones. Here were are playing "Great States!"

We had such a good time with the kids at Christmas, and having so many "stay home days" (as they call them) afterwards. And amazingly, it's not over. Gramma comes tomorrow, so Christmas #2 is still to come!

I didn't see him!

This morning, when I finished drying my hair and turned off the blow dryer, I realized that all four kids--who were supposed to be asleep--were screaming. The little ones were undoubtedly screaming just because the big ones were, and they weren't saying anything specific. So I stormed into the boys' room to see why they were both yelling "Mommmmyyy!" at the top of their lungs.

Me: "What is going on here?"

Joe: "Charlie bit me!"

Me (thinking: seriously, you guys are almost 5 years old and are still biting each other?): "You bit him?"

Charlie: "I said I was sorry."

Me: (thinking that I really hate dealing with this sort of thing before 7am) "Sorry doesn't cut it for biting. Why did you bite your brother?"

Charlie: "I didn't see him."

Me (thinking: really, you can't come up with anything better than that? not even going to accuse him of doing something to you?): "Charlie, that's ridiculous. You didn't see him???? Where was he?"

Charlie: (no answer)

Me: "Charlie! Where -- was -- he?"

Charlie: "In his bed."

So apparently he climbed into his brother's bed at 6am but didn't realize he would be there, and innocently closed his mouth without seeing the flesh that was between his teeth. I hate it when that happens.

Way Back When-esday

New Year's Eve 2004. Charlie and Joseph were 9 months old. We attended a party at our friends' house. The same party we attended this year and took all four kids to. It's become quite a tradition. 2004 was the first year we had babies. Now it's 2009, and we have no more babies. It's mostly welcome to have all our kids able to walk and (sort of) talk now, but it's nice to look back on the time when no one talked back to us at all!

ROAR!!! And other animals at the zoo.

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday. It's the first time we've been to the zoo in a long time, and certainly the first time we've gone since Will and Helen have been old enough to have any appreciation for the animals. Helen was very studious, and Will just said "ROAAR!" to everything -- especially the lions, but after awhile pretty much any animal would do.

We tried hard to get a picture of him roaring, but he kept sticking his hands in his mouth. When do kids get two-year molars?

We saw a family at the zoo whose son is at our kids' school. They were AMAZED that we would take all four kids to the zoo. People just don't get it. Taking four kids to the zoo -- where there is entertainment -- is infinitely better than being cooped up inside our own, boring house with all four kids. The zoo was easy, and fun.

The boys haven't been to the zoo since they've become such great readers, either, so they really enjoyed reading what continent each of the animals came from. They also read the sign saying that "standing or climbing on the railing is dangerous and illegal" then proceeded to tell a couple of people that they needed to get down. Having early readers is not always a benefit.

Checking out the elephants, which are from Asia.

Charlie with the bongo. I can't remember where bongos are from.

Joseph in front of the cheetah exhibit, before he read the sign about the railing.

We also hit a milestone. I forgot the sippy cups. So I just bought four juice boxes, and Will and Helen joined Charlie and Joseph in sitting in chairs (no high chairs) and drinking from juice box straws. We don't necessarily want either to become a habit quite yet, but knowing that it's an option when necessary is huge.

This morning Helen's teacher also told me that she is off sippy cups at school. She uses a real cup. It's about time! I swear that Charlie and Joseph were much faster in this department. Will still just turns his upside down, so sippy cups still for him. We'll still use sippy cups for both for awhile at home, but again, it's just so nice to have the option if needed.

P.S. Above pictures taken with Cort's new toy, an iphone. His post-Christmas present to himself. I have to admit it's pretty cool, and takes pretty dang decent pictures too.

Christmas break

When you have four kids under the age of five, "break" really isn't the right word. We had a wonderful Christmas, and a wonderful time hanging out with the kids during the NINE days they were out of school. We really did. But we are TIRED. Hence the lack of blog posts. We also found out over the holiday that people other than grandparents actually read this blog. Oh, the pressure!

We're sure everyone is waiting with baited breath to see us open presents, learn to ride bikes, and fight over new toys. We will resume once rested and, since the kids are back at school and we are back at work, hopefully that will be soon. (If you had told us five years ago that we would consider a full day at the office rest, we would never have believed it.) Stay tuned.

You better watch out (Santa Claus)

We visited Santa Claus at the mall this morning.  Cort and I think pictures with Santa is all about memorializing the kids crying and screaming in Santa's lap, and luckily Will and Helen did not disappoint.  

I also found it funny that Santa, who I guess was trying to figure where to situate the kids for the picture (because it's all about the picture these days, hardly even a chance for kids to tell Santa what they want), kept asking us: "How many kids?"  Each time, I answered him: "Four."  Then he'd ask again: "How many?"  Me:  "Four."  Santa:  "Three?"  Me:  "Four."  Santa:  "How many?"  Me:  "Four."  Then we piled 'em on, and I think he figured it out. 

A star is born

Two stars, actually. Or maybe, if we are stretching it, four. Last night was the holiday program at the kids' school. It was based on the book "Love You Forever" by Robert N. Munsch. It's the story of a mother who has a baby boy and rocks him to sleep singing, "I'll love you forever/I'll like you for always/As long as I'm living/My baby you'll be." As the boy grows into a toddler, teenager, and then grown man, she keeps singing the song. Then, one day, she becomes to old and sick to hold him and the roles are reversed, and he sings the song to her. Frankly, I've never really liked the book, because it's a little sad! But for the most part, the school made it very cute.

Will and Helen participated in the segment where the little boy was a toddler. Their class danced to the song "Splish splash I was taking a bath." Actually, it was more like one little girl dancing, most of the rest standing there, and a few of the boys discovering a little blow-up toy they had on stage and playing with it.

The girl in the foreground is the dancer. Helen is back there trying to figure out what this towel is attached to her wrist. She did finally give a little twist at the end. We were really surprised she didn't cry.

Will wasn't too phased at all with the crowd or the spotlight, but he wasn't into dancing either. Here he is figuring out that he's missing out on the blow-up toy - he's pointing to it. He did pitch a big fit when they made him leave the stage, so maybe he's got some future stardom in him after all.

Joseph played the little boy when he grew up and got married (which is apparently not in the book, but they had to add a few parts so that all the kids in the boys' class could have individual roles). He wore an adorable little tux and said his lines, loudly if not with feeling, "Will you marry me?" and "I can't wait for you to meet my mother." His bride Ava accepted and he put the ring on her finger -- which she promptly oohed and aahed over and showed to the crowd (which apparently was not in the script).

Joseph and Ava dancing.

Charlie then had the biggest role of the night. He played the son all grown up, when he goes back to comfort his mother. He took his role very seriously. He came up on stage and told his mother (Ellie), "Don't worry mother, I am here now." And then he sat down beside her. Then he went back home to his new baby and sang the theme song . . . solo! We were so impressed. Then in the last scene, in order to represent the new father with his baby, the entire nursery class was brought in by the teachers, one by one, and Charlie gave each one a (quite perfunctory) little pat. Adorable.

Charlie comforting his old mother, Ellie.


Charlie singing his solo.

And possibly prophetic? We've always thought our best bet was to have Charlie take care of us in our old age, and hopefully Joseph would make a lot of money and support us all.

Way back When-esday

This one is a picture from our pre-kid days. You know, the days when we could fly off to fun destinations at the drop of a hat. This is a particular favorite. After Christmas in 2001 we went to New York City. It was a great trip. It was only my second trip there, but on the first trip we had done some of the more touristy things, so this time we were able to really see more of the city. It was also only a few months after 9/11, and the tragedy was still very real when we visited Ground Zero. But this picture depicted one of my favorite parts of the trip. This is Little Italy all lit up for Christmas. In the heart of New York City, it's almost like a small town street festival. There are lights, holiday music playing on loudspeakers, people milling about the street vendors, and shop owners making holiday announcements on several streetcorners. And while we were there, it even started to snow. It was a perfect experience. We may not be able to make such trips at the drop of a hat anymore, but someday we will definitely take the kids to NYC during the holidays.

Makes my Monday

I love that the boys are AMAZING when it comes to cleaning up. Seriously, how many parents can say that about their 4-year-olds? Especially when their mom is the messiest person alive. I'm not sure they know that yet, and I'm not going to tell them.

Every night, it is their job to clean up all the outside toys and the inside toys. Sometimes we help, sometimes we don't. But 99% of the time, it gets done. And done well.

The other weekend when Cort was out of town, we had thirteen kids over to our house Saturday evening. Needless to say, the house was a wreck. Toys everywhere. Four kids can get out a lot of toys, but thirteen can really do some damage. Sunday morning I asked the boys to spend 10 minutes cleaning up. (It seemed like more of an hour-long job to me, but I didn't think it was reasonable to expect little kids to focus on such a task for that long.) Charlie worked respectably at it, but Joseph (who is his mother's child) read a book about Rudolph instead. So I told him he had not done his 10 minutes, and he had to do 10 more. While he worked, I was vacuuming, and several times he wanted me to come look at see how he had done. Honestly, I thought he was trying to see if I would pronounce his job "good enough" and let him play. But when I finished vacuuming and checked, THE ENTIRE PLAYROOM WAS CLEANED UP!

Seriously, who are these kids and where did they come from? No matter, the fact that they will clean up and I don't have to, is what makes my day.