I don't need to suck my "own" thumb... I have a loaner!

It's a Cael-mobile...

This is Kjersten's preferred way to haul Cael around. My dear friend, Michelle, bought Rhys (yes... Rhys!) this little wagon 10 years ago. It has served us well. Some day, I'll show you the rest of it. But, it's the wagon that the toddlers love. Put a child in. Pull them all over the house. Over and over again. Lou's getting too tall now. She attached her belt to the handle so she doesn't have to lean down to yank little Ole around anymore. Smart girl.

Cael checking out his new closet

Happy Birthday Kjersten!!!!!

My baby girl is seven years old today (as of 2:41pm). I see her big blue eyes and look of wonder when I look at Cael... I see Rhys in her when she's inspecting those nasty meal worms we brought home. She doesn't giggle as often as Brennen, but it's just as contagious when she does...

A few little observations about Little Lou:

• She still says "each either" instead of "each other."
• Lou will snuggle with mom, dad, George, or Ole anytime!
• Happiness is mom's discarded agendas, excel spreadsheets, or budget sheets that she can use to play.
• Markers, glue, stapler, and paper clips.
• Pink and purple glitter.
• Curly girly handwriting.
• CDs, MP3 player. Music. All day long. Motions and all!

I'll get a picture of my beautiful little girl tomorrow. It's late and she's in bed. Speaking of....

What did Kjersten get for her birthday...

Hint #1


What color are those wall? Hmmmm... Cael, didn't know you liked blue...


Hint #2

Where is this?!


Hint #3

Sand? Dirt? Carpet?!

Yup. Kjersten got carpet (no trim yet, however...) in her pink room. We moved all the toys out. They're all over the place right now and it's driving me nuts! Brennen moved in with Rhys and sleeps on the bottom bunk. Kjersten moved into her not-quite-finished room. Cael moved into Brennen's old bedroom and is now sleeping 12 hours at night. Really.

Kjersten loves her room despite no door, no storage, and no matching furniture. She cares not. "Happy Birthday Kjersten" and "Good Night sleep to mama!"

Oh dear....

He's discovered where mama hides the school supplies. Oh, and that chairs work almost as well as stools to push around the house. Silly boy.

When you're supposed to be resting on the couch...

Why not lean over and see if Cael has any interesting toys...


Okay. Empty them out onto the floor...



Uh oh! I've reached too far...


Ouch!

I'm toughening up...

This time did not move me to tears...

Brennen has found two more (smaller) Buzz Lightyears and a smaller Woody doll. Not an hour after he showed me this discovery, he came back to show me this Buzz's new injury. Seems a little too coincidental... Hmmm... Maybe he likes one-legged Buzz toys.

A black belt stuggling with storage containers?!

I'm not sure, but I believe this is his "I'm working hard at opening this Tupperware" face...


This is "Better luck to you, Kjersten. I hope you can open the leftover cake, 'cause I can't!" face.

You'll be glad to know that dad saved the day and only George went without dessert. (He wouldn't eat his peas.)

Happy (early) Birthday to Kjersten!

Kjersten will be seven on Thursday. We had to celebrate a bit early due to scheduling issues. Unfortunately, the weather impacted our guest list a bit. Go figure... a snow storm in January...



I'll post some pictures of her "real" present later this week. Here she's opening a few things from Grandpa Tom, Grandma & Grandpa, and mom & dad.

Cael being naughty...

Mom! Do you know what fun things you guys keep in this cabinet? Well... I do!






Stop right there and put your hands up!

Look who's unhappy now...

Apparently, Bret doesn't mind a crying, cranky, tired Cael. Maybe he's just glad Cael's not trying to suck on his head!

Winter wonderland.

At least Jason is happy.

It's official... He crawls!

Yup! He's on the move. No longer limited to scooting and squirming to get close enough to pull himself up on something. No more toys tantalizingly out of reach. Not quarantined to the rug in the living room. The dining room holds the promise of cheerios dropped from the high chair. The kitchen has drawers with shiny knobs. It's a whole new world and he's loving it!


Ole seems to struggle with a bit of indecision, however. So many fun things to play with. Which way to go?


Going.


Going.


Gone.

Breakfast

The baby loves mealtime! You can't really tell, but he's having a breakfast of Cheerios and banana (in his awesome feeder thing). Now, he needs a bath...

Real sadness this time.

I can't remember when I first came across this blog and began praying for little Madeline. It's so hard to see children suffer. It's exponentially worse once you're a parent. When you have a little one the same age, it's nearly unbearable. Little Maddie is almost exactly Brennen's age.

Today, her parents had to say "good-bye". I want to rejoice. I know her heart is now whole, but I just can't. I cannot imagine the pain of losing one of my precious children. So, tonite I'm just going to be sad for her mom and dad and grieve for a baby girl I've never met.

Here's the link to her blog: http://madelinelester.com/

It's a sad, sad day here...

(Warning: You may not make fun of me about this post. It's not funny. It's sad. Really sad.)

Rhys had an obsession at age three. He loved the movie, Toy Story. Loved it! He liked Woody. He loved Buzz Lightyear. He wanted to be Buzz. Buzz (the home version) travelled with Rhys everywhere. I grew to love Buzz too.

Imagine my joy when George recently discovered, not one but two, Buzz Lightyears and a Woody doll downstairs! They quickly became his most favorite toys. Buzz is Brennen's constant companion.

And then... George was playing over enthusiastically... and he broke...

He was not leaping from the railing trying to escape the mean neighbor kid, like in the movie. George was helping him fly- into a wall.

I cried. Real tears. I clearly remember Rhys playing with this toy. Brennen loves it just as much. I had hoped that one day I'd be reminding Cael that although I said he could bring Buzz in the car, Buzz is not allowed in church!

Alas... he's succumbed to too much loving by three year old boys.

No, I don't think I'll throw him out. I was going to, but isn't that the whole point of the Toy Story movie? Woody's arm was ripped off and Andy still loved him. Who am I to say that a one-legged Buzz is worthless?!

Note: look at the bottom of Buzz's shoe. See 'Rhys' written there. Seven years ago, I had a flash of inspiration and marked Rhys' toy just like Andy's name was inscribed in the movie.

Now he's treading on daddy's turf...

Yes, he's discovered the VCR. He found the TV the other day. The on/off button is particularly enticing!

201 posts?! Crazy...

When I went to post this evening, I noticed that this will be my 201st post. 201 posts about nearly nothing! Good grief... I'm chatty even in print.

Smiles after a long day!

Monday is co-op day. I get precious little done after co-op. Here's some shots of Cael standing next to the laundry basket. Such a happy little thing!


He's got hair! Unfortunately, it's not as visible in real life!


There's the tongue.


Dripping drool.


Thumbs up.


Gee... think he looks like his daddy?!

He's back, mom!!! He's back!!!!

Yes... he's returned! Rhys got to spend TWO nights at his good friend Zack's house for Zack's birthday. They went to a movie, roller skating, and had a birthday party as well. Busy weekend for Rhys. And boy, do the other kiddos miss him when he's gone! (So does the mama!)

Yes, in the picture he's looking at the TV. It wasn't even the football game. It was a commercial! Grrrr... Where does he get that from? Huh, Jason?!

Cael

Here's Ole enjoying homemade applesauce mixed with oatmeal. Have I mentioned, he's a very good eater?


Look how his tongue come up and over the lip. He sucks his lip that way often. More often when he's eating. It's very cute and he rarely leaves "leftovers" on his face. If his tongue can reach, he'll find it!

Project 365?

What is that, you ask? You might have noticed the link to the right. If you click "previous" or "next", you can go thru the ring of fellow homeschoolers on my Support 4 Homeschool loop who are doing this Project 365 as well. A picture a day- all year long.

If you click below it, under "blogging friends" on "366 Glimpses of Life in 2008," you'll see our other blog. There, I'll be posting a picture a day for the entire year. So far, so good.

You have to go see today's post. Cael and the Cheerio. Poor kid.

Need a Cael fix?

Well, I do. He's just too cute.

Rhys' embellishment...

Before Christmas break, our co-op class made teddy bear magnets after studying Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. This is Rhys'. Care to guess what the pink dot on the left side might be?

Anyone?

No? Well, duh! It's a gunshot wound. Teddy Roosevelt might not shoot cute little bears, but Rhys would!
(It's a wonder they keep us in co-op!)