Where Oh Where Oh Where is Starbreaky????

Exactly what IS a starbreaky?  It's a strawbaby, of course.  Which is really a strawberry.  Kendall and Emma don't quite have the word "strawberry" down despite how much they LOVE the fruit.  We've started this new "game" while reading a Fisher Price Little People book where we sing "Where Oh Where Oh Where Is______?"  It's sort of way to see what words and objects they know and a way to teach them new ones.  This particular book has all sorts of things around the neighborhood - a school, firehouse, farm, market.  There are many things to discover on each page, so we started singing the little "Where Oh Where" thing and it seems to be a keeper with the girls.  Now Kendall is trying it out with other books and was singing it to herself looking for the "starbreakies".  She had Daddy cracking up. 

The temperatures were slightly more bearable today, so we got outside in the backyard to hang out after dinner.  I was able to grab the point-and-shoot on my way out the door.  I see a slight problem looming in that they have found these green "berries" that really look a lot like peas.  Kendall and Clark were both caught trying to eat them when I scolded that we do not eat things like that in the yard unless Mommy and Daddy say that it is OK.  Ugh.  How do you teach them this lesson?  And how do I figure out if these stupid berry things are harmful or harmless?  Beyond the berry incident, we had fun on the swings and just hanging out in the back corner where the yard trash pile is composting itself.  The kids have a bazillion toys and cool things to play with, but what were they interested in?????????

Yup.  They wanted to play in the trash pile and poke sticks into it.  Fortunately nothing jumped out at us, though that might have been a good lesson for them.  And then they all wanted to sit at the patio table and just bang on it.  Emma was also interested in the basil plant on the table and wanted to "smell" it because it is a plant and she likes to smell plants and flowers. 
Oh and Kendall learned how to push her brother and sissy (in a nice way) in the swing.  She was so cute and SO proud of herself.  In fact, Emma wanted to get in a swing and kept yelling for sissy to come and push her and wouldn't even let me push her.  Hmmppphh.  I really don't intend to complain because that pushing-them-in-the-swing-thing can get a little tiresome after a while. 
We have big plans for an outing tomorrow, so I can't wait to share pictures and stories. 

Sometimes we like each other.

Sometimes they do seem to actually like each other.  This evening appeared to be one of those times.  Ironically though, Clark is sitting slightly away from his sisters in the window because there had been a fight over the banana chips and he got scratched across the face.  He retreated to the other side and stuck to eating what was in his own bowl.  I felt sorry for him, but he was trying to eat the snack from their bowl instead of his own and they weren't interested in sharing.
They didn't eat much at dinner and Kendall asked me "Eat?" around 7pm.  I explained that they already had dinner.  Her response?  "Ummm.  Come 'ere.  Snack?" It was so cute that I had to get her some banana chips since she tried to be polite.  I think I even got a "Please?" in there at some point.
Later there were lots of group hugs, individual hugs and holding hands while walking around the play room.  It was so sweet!  These are the times that we have imagined and discussed.  We wonder how they will get along as a group, as siblings.  I know that there will definitely be good days and bad years days.  Thirteen times three should be incredibly interesting!  But it is nice to know that they always have each other and I hope that they will have a bond that is strong and special.  

Too Pooped to Party

The activities of the weekend have caught up with me and I am completely pooped-out this evening, so here are three pictures and, in the words of Tigger, "TTFN (ta ta for now)!"

Ch...Ch...Ch..Ch...Changes

Daddy and I were busy today working on spring cleaning.  Yes, I realize it is June and technically summer, but we do what we can.  Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom were kind enough to get the kids out of the house for two hours while we worked on the floors and kid's rooms and then decided to move some furniture around. 

We have missed our dining room table.  It was moved into the smaller "dining" room many moons ago when we realized that the kids really needed a play space of their own that was safe and confined.  The dining room has been a changing table and laundry space and general junk-collection zone ever since.  The visions of family meals around the table became a reality this afternoon.  We moved the table into our family room.  It's now parked behind our couch while the love seat and a desk were sent on their merry way to the smaller dining room until the play room is no longer necessary.  It's not the best arrangement (especially if you are looking at this from an interior design perspective), but it is pretty functional and, as I mentioned before, it allows us to eat as a family at one table.  It is rare that Troy and I would eat dinner with the kids (the logistics of fixing their food and ours in time, plus the fact that he is typically working until closer to their bedtime), but it will be nice to have that option.

I got a couple of pictures of their first meal at the table (even with the booster seats, they are still too low, so we had to bring in their trays anyway).  I think they were happy with the new arrangement.  It does have a great view of the TV right now, but we have decided that they will NOT be watching television while eating any meals (except maybe those in the car).  I don't know that they were even thinking about asking to watch TV as they were so excited to try out the "new" table.

I also wanted to share that my girls are not your typical girlie-girls.  Yes, they like to wear tutus on occasion and they love to accessorize with a purse, bracelet or necklace.  But they also like their cars and tractors. 
There are a couple of shots of Kendall playing with a car and she drove it all over the slide.  Later, I caught a funny one when Clark decided to pounce on Emma.  She got a laugh out of it at first, but then struggled when he wanted to bounce.  That's when she got frustrated and I had to intervene (it's also when I had to put the camera away).  She was VERY interested in her tractor book and was also less-than-pleased when her brother tried to steal it from her (again, Mommy intervention required).  It did result in a pretty big temper tantrum, but he's got to learn to quit stealing toys from his siblings.  So many things to learn and so little time.: )

The kids had a great time at the mall early today with Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom.  They had fun in the play zone area and also spent time walking through the mall (often holding hands again....awwwwww.....).  Lunch was another experience in the food court, which they seem to really enjoy as well.

All in all it was a busy day for the whole family and it's going to feel wonderful to get into my CLEAN SHEETS and rest up for for another Monday.   Nightie-night!

Splash Pad!

We finally took all three kiddos to the Splash Pad this morning.  It was awesome!  They really loved it and we were SO fortunate that Miss Pam showed up (not long after we arrived) to see them and play for a while.  I was able to pull out the point-and-shoot camera and take just a few quick shots.  It was so busy that you really had to keep your eyes on them the whole time.  And they are never in one place for very long.
There are things that squirt water, buckets that dump water and other chances to just get splashed, so it wasn't an ideal place for the "other" (DSLR) camera.  Once the kids sort of got the hang of things, Kendall and Emma couldn't get enough of the fun!  By the time I had the camera out, Clark was running out of steam, so I was only able to get a couple of shots from a distance.  Once we finally decided to head out, it was the promise of a box of raisins for each one that got them to agree to accompany us to the van. 
[NOTE: They were wearing disposable diapers instead of their swimmie pants, so they are looking a little "bulky." ]
It was a great place and I hope we can get them back many more times this summer because it really was a lot of fun!

Skinny Jeans Not Recommended

I had to work today and it was jeans day, so I took advantage of the opportunity. They aren't really "skinny", but the kind that are narrower at the ankle (similar to what we could wear in the 80s, but without the zippers).  Anyway, I got them for a STEAL and have to throw them in the wardrobe rotation at times.  So, that was my attire for work.   This afternoon, I came home and grabbed the kids and their shoes and got everyone piled into the van for an outing. 
My initial plan was to hit Earth Fare for some organic produce, but remembered that they do not have carts that will accommodate our brood when we are shopping alone with the kids.  Their carts only hold one child, so that would require me to put two in the cart itself (breaking all the rules as described on the plastic seats) and then where would I put the fresh produce????  It would most likely end up bruised, squished, squeezed and pummeled until it was virtually unrecognizable (if not consumed)  before we got out of the store. 
So, I ditched thse plans and headed to McDonald's to grab food for all of us.  Yes, McD's.  It's not the most ideal choice, but I was looking for fast and easy since I was on my own and just didn't want to brave the heat while unloading and reloading my little dumplins at a restaurant.  The kids did great and Kendall even stole my cheeseburger and ate almost the entire thing.  They love french fries but their desires run equally as high for the the apple slices (sans caramel since they don't even know that stuff exists!).   We had milk, raisins and we were on our way.  Our weekend plans include taking them out for water activities in the morning, so I thought I'd try to see what the hours are for the place we are going to hit.  I called one of our friends (and  baby-helper extraordinaire), Miss Pam, because she lives near the water park thing.  I explained my plans, asked for directions to said park and then she kindly offered to meet me at the play area to let the kids run around.  We were able to swing, slide and walk by the water to check out the boats, although Kendall was the only one even remotely interested in wandering away from the play area.
Here's where I suggest NOT wearing skinny jeans!  It was VERY hot and we were right out in the sunshine but, of course, my original plans didn't include a park, so I didn't see the need to change before leaving the house.  I felt like I was going to bake right into those jeans and never get them off of me.  : )  (I did survive and immediately changed once we were home, for the record.)
BUT the kids had a great time.  We were all sweaty and worn out after about 45 minutes.  I bribed them back to the van with promises of cold drinks and ice cream.  Miss Pam met us at a convenience store so that I could run in and I picked out ice cream sandwiches for everyone.  We ate messy, melting ice cream sandwiches in the car and cooled off.  They were super-yummy!

I'm including some pictures of Emma at the Splash Pad from her Thursday outing with Auntie Karen.  I forgot to post them last night.  It looks like she LOVED it there!
Here's to a great, action-packed weekend! 

Strolling along through another day.....

We have tried to tell them that the strollers are for the baby dolls or stuffed animals and not for them, but I can't guarantee that they always listen.  Tonight, they did not listen and I got a kick out of it, so I had to take some pictures.

Kendall and Daddy took the car in for a tune-up and had breakfast at Shoney's together followed by play time at Books-a-Million.  Auntie Karen took Emma out for a few hours and they hit the Splash Pad in Farragut and had lunch at Perkins.  Clark's teacher came by to see him, so he didn't get out.  Poor little C!

We also had our Thursday night visitors/helpers, Auntie Lynn and Auntie Deb.  I decided that I would skip date-night with a child because the clouds outside were pretty ominous.  It was a great opportunity to do some cleaning out in our bedroom.  There is still so much to go through from my mom's house (old cards, photos, etc) and I want to find a "place" for things.  Additionally, I really need to get YEARS of photographs better organized and now I'm really swamped with stuff to sort through with cards and pictures for the kids.  I made a pretty big dent in the project, so that gives me some relief. 

One of these days I will really need to start scrapbooking.  Aunties Chris, Deb and Lynn gave us little photo albums/scrapbooks for their FIRST BIRTHDAYS and I still haven't inserted the photos. Yes, they did all of the creative work and I still haven't managed to  actually match up pictures to go with the pages they created.  I have a vision of scrapbooking for the kids, but I haven't really been able to keep up with calendars for them either, so blogging is my best option until things settle down......????  OK, unrealistic expectations, but a girl can dream, right?

The girls were looking for hummingbirds at their new feeder that we mounted on the outside of their bay window.  Kendall had fun hanging out in the window and watched a bunny next door, looked for bugs and pointed out anything flying around outside.  Emma just showed up to check out the feeder and went back to the slide.

I've gotta give Troy his laptop, so I need to get this posted. 

Hopscotch

My kids are bored.  It's hot outside and the adults would prefer to stay indoors, but we must get them outdoors.  Our sitter had them out in the yard playing with water toys this morning before lunch and naps, so I decided we would hit the garage after naps.  They were restless in the playroom and I knew the only solution would be a change of scenery.
Once we headed for the garage, Kendall melted down because she thought I meant the backyard, not the actual garage.  I persisted with my plans and won though it took considerable coaxing.  We pulled out the play doh and the crayons and paper plates (a new entertaining surface to use to express our creativity).  Once that got old, I thought I'd draw an abbreviated hopscotch pattern in chalk.  Kendall LOVES to jump and I thought she might enjoy jumping in the squares.  It worked....for about 5 minutes and then she was bored again. 
Clark and Emma were in a war to get a certain container of play doh and a plastic knife.  She had it and walked around with it for about 20 minutes while he continued to try to steal it from her.  I wouldn't allow it and offered him other lumps of play doh and other plastic knives but he wasn't having any of it. 
Eventually, we had to come inside.  It was well past dinner time and I hadn't even begun to cook anything.  Clark and Emma were both screaming bloody murder, so I turned on a Signing Times DVD.  Have I mentioned how much I love those DVDs?  I've really enjoyed learning some of the signs along with the kiddos.  I highly recommend them to anyone who has young children (especially those not able to talk yet, or just learning). 
Anyway, due to the heat and the play doh war, I wasn't able to get too many shots of my little dumplins this evening, but hope you enjoy these.