Picture this scene....
Me, Gavin, Abe and Ella in the busy Walmart line, within earshot of 20 other people.
Abe: "Mom look I found a great booger in my nose"
Me: "Ok, hold on while I find a tissue" (digging furiously in my bag for a tissue or wipe)
Abe: "Mom what should I do with it?"
Me: "Hold on" (still digging furiously in my bag for a tissue or wipe)
Abe: "Maybe I can eat it"
Me: "NO! Hold on" (still digging furiously in my bag for a tissue or wipe)
Abe: "Nevermind Mom, I just put it back in my nose!"
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
"I have a problem"
Gavin: "Mom, want to play a game?"
Mom: "Sure Gavin, what kind of game?"
Gavin: "The game is called 'I have a problem'"
Mom: "How do we play?"
Gavin: "The problem is I have an empty bowl."
Mom: "Okay, so what should I do about it?"
Gavin: "Maybe you should fill it up!"
Mom: "Hmmm...what should I fill it with?"
Gavin: "Maybe cookies would work!"
Gavin: munch, munch, munch (eating his cookies)
Gavin: "Mom, you are good at that game....want to play again?"
Mom: "Sure Gavin, what kind of game?"
Gavin: "The game is called 'I have a problem'"
Mom: "How do we play?"
Gavin: "The problem is I have an empty bowl."
Mom: "Okay, so what should I do about it?"
Gavin: "Maybe you should fill it up!"
Mom: "Hmmm...what should I fill it with?"
Gavin: "Maybe cookies would work!"
Gavin: munch, munch, munch (eating his cookies)
Gavin: "Mom, you are good at that game....want to play again?"
Abe and Ella
Abe is such a people person! He always wants someone watching him, talking to him, playing with him. And he LOVES his siblings. He has an especially sweet affection for his baby sister Ella. He is so excited to see her every morning and is always trying to get her attention. If she cries he goes into a panic, giving her toys and binkies and hunting me down to help her. Sometimes I will catch him caressing her face and talking so gently to her that it makes me tear up a little.
Last night, the boys and Matt and I were sitting trying to have dinner together while Ella played on the family room floor. Even though Abe had a plate full of his favorite meal (mac and cheese) he could not sit still. He kept popping up every few minutes and running off. I finally got frustrated and said "Abe why can't you just sit still?" and he said "Ella is being so silly and so happy...I HAVE TO SEE HER!" I can't blame him for that!
Last night, the boys and Matt and I were sitting trying to have dinner together while Ella played on the family room floor. Even though Abe had a plate full of his favorite meal (mac and cheese) he could not sit still. He kept popping up every few minutes and running off. I finally got frustrated and said "Abe why can't you just sit still?" and he said "Ella is being so silly and so happy...I HAVE TO SEE HER!" I can't blame him for that!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Frog House
Last week Gavin got it into his mind that he wanted to build something in the backyard. Not something PRETEND, something REAL! At first he decided he was going to build a ferry boat for our cars to ride on (must have been something he saw on t.v.). We had a pile of small bricks on the side of our house and one day he spent over an hour carrying bricks from the side of the house to the deck, one by one. He figured if he used REAL bricks he must be able to build a REAL ferry boat. I didn't want to burst his bubble right away, so I went along with it telling him how great it looked and how I couldn't wait to see it finished. He spent hours arranging and piling up the bricks until he thought it looked just like a ferry boat. When he was done he came to me and said "Okay Mom, let's put our van on my ferry boat!" I said: "Gavin, we can put a pretend car on your ferry boat, but what you made will not hold a real car or float in the water." At that comment, he lost it! He cried and cried saying he wanted to build something REAL not pretend!
Then on Saturday, Matt found a little frog hopping around our yard and when Gavin saw it he got a great idea. He decided he'd build a REAL house for the frog out of our bricks. He moved the bricks onto the grass, made a roof out of cardboard and even a sign for the front. I don't think the frog will really be interested in it, but Gavin feels great that he made something REAL!
T.P., Not just for PeePee!
Like MacGyver with his duct tape, Abe's go to item is toilet paper! He uses it to clean up spills, wipe dirt from his skin, dry his hair, mop the floor, heal a booboo, hide objects he doesn't want me to find, etc. He is a very independent boy, but kinda short, so the toilet paper roll is at the perfect height for a quick fix. The problem with this is that we end up with tiny bits of toilet paper all over our house where he has tried to clean the floor or pick up a bug or hide something from Gavin. I have to give him credit for being resourceful though!
Monday, July 9, 2007
4th of July
In the grand tradition of Gramma West, we try to make the Fourth of July really special. This year Matt woke up with a terrible head cold so we were not off to a good start. But, he took one for the team, and we started our day with the Wheaton, Ill. Independance Day parade (matching shirts and all). It is the biggest parade in the state.... nothing but the best for our 4th celebration! It had a little of everything....bands, boy scouts, floats, politicians and even an elephant (which I found disturbing, but everyone else thought was cool).
Here we are with our neighbors Josh and Ethan....
After 2 1/2 hours (wow!) the parade was over and we headed home for much needed naps. In the afternoon, we went to my parents annual 4th of July BBQ. The spread was HUGE. Watermelon, potato salad, chicken salad, chips and guac, hamburgers, banana cream pie, etc. Unfortunately, we were the only guests! Usually my whole family comes, but this year they made other plans so it was just us and the Folks. We had to stuff ourselves sick to try and make a dent in all that food. We all had a good time!
By evening Matt had pretty much run out of energy and needed some sleep to nurse his cold. We decided to skip the fireworks, but explode a little diet coke and mentos instead!
I think Gramma West would have been proud!
Here we are with our neighbors Josh and Ethan....
After 2 1/2 hours (wow!) the parade was over and we headed home for much needed naps. In the afternoon, we went to my parents annual 4th of July BBQ. The spread was HUGE. Watermelon, potato salad, chicken salad, chips and guac, hamburgers, banana cream pie, etc. Unfortunately, we were the only guests! Usually my whole family comes, but this year they made other plans so it was just us and the Folks. We had to stuff ourselves sick to try and make a dent in all that food. We all had a good time!
By evening Matt had pretty much run out of energy and needed some sleep to nurse his cold. We decided to skip the fireworks, but explode a little diet coke and mentos instead!
I think Gramma West would have been proud!
No Nonsense Ella
When you meet Ella for the first time, this is the look she will give you.........
She is our no nonsense baby! At home she has a really sweet disposition, but when we are out and about, she puts on her poker face. Whenever we meet new people they say "What a beautiful baby.....she is sooo serious!" She doesn't give away her smiles easily, but when she does smile at you she will wrap you around her finger in an instant. I guess when you are that beautiful you don't have to be friendly!
She is our no nonsense baby! At home she has a really sweet disposition, but when we are out and about, she puts on her poker face. Whenever we meet new people they say "What a beautiful baby.....she is sooo serious!" She doesn't give away her smiles easily, but when she does smile at you she will wrap you around her finger in an instant. I guess when you are that beautiful you don't have to be friendly!
Chef Gavin
After seeing Ratatouille, Gavin decided he wanted to be a chef.
I made him a chef's hat out of paper......
And a recipe........
(I had to hide the fact that we were actually making gluten free banana bread...mush=bananas+sugar)
It took a lot of hard work and concentration.......
But, his cake turned out great and we all enjoyed eating it together!
I made him a chef's hat out of paper......
And a recipe........
(I had to hide the fact that we were actually making gluten free banana bread...mush=bananas+sugar)
It took a lot of hard work and concentration.......
But, his cake turned out great and we all enjoyed eating it together!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Ratatouille!!!
Yesterday our neighbor Debbi watched Ella for us for a few hours so we could take the boys to see the movie Ratatouille. We're all Pixar fans, so we've been counting the days leading up to its premiere. Gavin even memorized the date we planned to go - June 30 - and in the last few weeks would ask us all the time "is it June 30 yet?" Needless to say, we were all very excited.
We bought the boys kids meals (if you can call popcorn, soda and candy a "meal!") and had a blast! The kids really loved the movie and have been talking about it ever since. Karen and I also loved the show - a great movie, even for adults. Two thumbs up, we laughed we cried! Four stars. We're also craving gourmet food big time . . . watch the movie, you'll see what I mean/ (Mmmmm . . . lightning fried mushrooms . . .)
Abe's Words
Whenever Abe doesn't know the word for something he just makes one up. It keeps me laughing all day long. Here are some gems from the last week:
"Mom, there's a creeker on my finger!"
Creeker=hang nail
"Mom, I got the feffen off of Ella's toe"
Feffen=lint
"Mom, there are lots of necker holes on my shirt!"
Necker hole=mesh
"Nice jujy on your toes"
Jujy=nail polish
"Mom, this swishy cream is delicious"
Swishy cream=sherbet
"Mom, there's a creeker on my finger!"
Creeker=hang nail
"Mom, I got the feffen off of Ella's toe"
Feffen=lint
"Mom, there are lots of necker holes on my shirt!"
Necker hole=mesh
"Nice jujy on your toes"
Jujy=nail polish
"Mom, this swishy cream is delicious"
Swishy cream=sherbet
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Gavin's Best Friend
Gavin LOVES to look at pictures of himself on the computer. Today, while Matt was showing Gavin some pictures of himself, Gavin made a new request. He said "Dad, now I want to look at pictures of my best friend." Matt said "who is your best friend Gavin?" and Gavin said "my best friend in Seattle.....Gramma West!"
How sweet is that?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sweet Prayers
Over the last few weeks Abe has staged a little rebellion about saying his nightly prayers. We are trying not to make an issue of it so we just give him the chance and remind him why we say prayers...if he still refuses we let it go for the night and try again the next (if you have any suggestions for us leave us a note in the comments section). Last night he said "I'm too sad today to say prayers" and let out a dramatic whimper (a pitiful sound he has perfected). Then it was Gavin's turn to say prayers. Gavin is good to say a prayer but has said the same things every night for the last 6 months (we are open to suggestions on this as well). Last night, after Abe's sad reply, he said his usual prayer but at the end added "and bless Abe to not feel so sad". Afterwards, Abe got a big smile on his face and said to me "now Heavenly Father will help me to not be sad". It is good to know that, as much as they bicker, fight and wrestle, they really do care about each other.
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