What the Postman Delivered.

It came in the mail yesterday.

It smells of  pretentiousness.

It is an abomination.

It is on par with Aaron's golden calf.

It is all Emily has been able to talk about for the last year and a half.

She told us it was ALL she wanted for her birthday. I hope she means it because this doll and the accessories she came with represent our entire birthday purchase for Emily.

Next week we'll see if she really does mean it.

Oh... and if it takes the last ounce of strength I have in my body to refuse to have a party for this doll, or to dress this doll in a dress that matches Emily's so we can properly attend a high tea/formal dinner/garden party I will gladly expend that last ounce. Just so you know...

 

Easter

Easter is fun with small children. Especially my small children.

 They love dyeing eggs, but aren't too crazy about the finished product. After all, who wants a hard boiled egg when you can have...

 Candy! Lots and lots of candy. I'm pretty sure each of the kids ate their weight in candy on Easter. I've heard of parents better than I limiting their children's Eastertide sugar consumption, but I am not one of those parents. I have great memories as a kid of eating jellybeans until I wanted to puke and then not leaving room for my Mom's lovingly prepared ham and funeral potatoes. Who am I to deprive my kids of those memories?

 This year, Emily and I went dress shopping without Jane (due to Jane's lack of interest in clothing shopping and Emily's overwhelming desire to try on everything in the store). I let Emily pick her own dress and then allowed her to talk me into buying an identical one for Jane. It won't be long before they'll want to be different, so I thought I'd indulge their desire to be the same while it lasts.

 That evening, they hunted for eggs (The kids get to choose their own after-church attire on Sundays. I am not responsible for the ensembles  pictured here)

 Emily found one more than Jane, making her the self declared "winner" of Easter. Sheesh. I need to work a little harder on teaching my kids the true meaning. Rest assured, however, that if you were to ask my kids what we think about on Easter, they will be able to tell you the story of the atonement, more or less.

Still, who can resist all that candy and plastic egg hunting? Not my kids, that's for sure.

Going off the Rails on a Potty Train

I know... I know. But I have to document it. Otherwise, how will I remember when I'm in the home?

So... a few weeks ago, we decided it was high time Jane stopped using her pants for a toilet. In accordance with that decision, we spent what seemed like an eternally long weekend at home. Jane split her time between the backyard and the house.

Thankfully it was a freakishly warm early spring weekend, so the necessity of pants was cut out.

Three weeks and one jumbo pack of Littlest Pet Shop toys later, Jane is effectively potty trained during her waking hours. And I am effectively done with diapers (with the exception of nap and night) forever. What a relief.

Time Marches On

So... March appears to be fleeing rather quickly and there are some things that require documentation.

We've had a really lovely late winter/early spring and have spent lots of time outside.

We made time for our annual chick trip to Murdoch's, without which spring simply could not come.

We had a lovely visit from Aunt Ami and Grandma Susan (of which there appears to be no photo documentation)

But before March even started, Chris dared to take on a coffee table, which proved to be a worthy opponent. Perhaps too worthy.

(Pre Surgery)

(If you can't tell which bone is broken, you may not ever want to consider a career in any medical field)

(Yes, that white thing is the end of a pin which held Chris' bone together. Aren't you glad that I'm so into sharing?)

We also have been working on Emily's birthday present quite a bit lately. It's top secret, so I'll only tell you if you swear not to tell her.

We are planning on surprising her on her birthday by telling her that we are going to take her (and her little sister) to Disneyland after school gets out. So I'll be sure to have something else to blog about in six weeks when we make the big reveal.

 Until then, peace out. Unless you're a coffee table. If you are, you'd better watch your back.

Entertaining the Masses

My kids are not good travelers. They whine, they fight, they cry for no reason and they NEVER sleep. This is why we fly anywhere not within a 300 mile radius. But that's another story.

In order to help with our kids' distaste for car travel, we purchased a black Friday special travel DVD player several years ago. And then we purchased another one when that one broke. Finally we had enough of the DVD player causing more fights than it prevented. It was impossible for both kids to see the tiny screen at the same time. Someone was always bumping it or accidentally turning it off, or turning the audio to Spanish mode. That's why when we bought a new car, we desperately wanted something permanent.

Unfortunately, our model of car did not have the option of a DVD player. So... my fabulously tech savvy husband did what he always does and found a solution. After a weekend of wiring, pinched fingers and a good bit of cussing, here is the final product.

Two screens, no visible wires, plenty of wireless headphones to go around and hopefully very few fights. I'm actually looking forward to our next road trip. Thanks, Chris!

I Only Have (Pink) Eyes for You

This year, Valentine's began, quite appropriately, with a red dawn.... in Jane's eyes, that is. For some reason, our kids always seem to be sick on party days. Last week was no exception. Jane was struck with a case of pinkeye that barred her from her preschool celebration.

Daddy did his best to make up for the loss with a thoughtful gift and card.

Emily's eyes were unaffected, which was good because it takes a 5-year old a long time to cut out 25 hearts and write the names of classmates, teachers and aides on those hearts.

There was cookie decorating.

And loot collecting.

And I even busted out my creative side long enough to cut tiny heart shapes out of colby jack cheese for the kindergartners' cracker enjoyment. I wish I had taken a picture of this to present as evidence to Emily that I do not, in fact, neglect her as grievously as she claims.

And as for myself, I awoke to a box of gourmet chocolates and was presented with a dozen red roses once I got to work. Once again, no pictorial evidence. You'd think I'd be better at this since my phone is my constant companion and it's equipped with a camera. Nonetheless, I felt extremely loved. Mission accomplished, Chris.

Thanks to the love of my life for making this a great Valentine's day for the girls and me!

A Cookie Almost as Big as my Mouth.

I've been neglecting my blog for awhile... a long while. But that's partially because there's been nothing interesting enough to blog about. So I figured maybe if I combine all the uninteresting things, they will be just enough to make one mediocre blog entry.

We started off the year right, by purchasing the most expensive cookie known to man. It was HUGE. We ended up throwing a big chunk of it away because 1) we all enjoy being able to sit without straining the seams in our pants and 2) because putting frosting on a chocolate chip cookie is an offense that should be punishable by death. Or at least some serious prison time.

In the end we decided the cookie was worth it after all because it came with a free car.

(It's a Kia Sorento. I love it. It's a nice change to have a midsize SUV after the house on wheels.)

 The kids have been enjoying Kinect Disneyland Adventures. At the rate they're going, I imagine they'll complete the park circuit just before Emily leaves for college.

And Emily has been enjoying school, where her passion for glue has been cultivated to an alarming level.

See? I told you there wasn't much to report. I'll let you know if anything blog-worthy happens in the near future. Till then, Rachael... out.