the Tenth- and all it's hilarity.

well good morning Nana.  

Oh yes

Oh yes

well you see, mommy left this phone on the table

and seeing as I'm dressed

I just thought I'd come have a chat

just like mommy.

Bye.

 I get to draw a line! I made it through the night DRY!!!!!

I get to draw a brown line!  Alexander gets the green lines,

and we will connect the dots to see what the surprise is going to me

(although it drives me MAD not to know RIGHT NOW!)

We are being good!  We are staying down stairs

as Benjamin is doing school up stairs.

We are playing foot pnano!

 School is alright.  Math is alright.  What have I learnt so far today?

That I like school better on Tuesdays.  On Mondays, school is the pits.

Mommy gave us a book to keep us out of the kitchen.

It's a book about mountains

and VOLCANO's!  

Meame and Boppa are on a volcano.

Tamren and Wendy are on one too.

We wonder if they will explode.

pfft.  Math is a piece of cake.

Except for the number 9.

But the rest?  A piece of cake.

This is where I read books.

Mommy puts me on top of the mattress

(Zanna gets up on his own)

and I read my books

(this guarantees mommy 3 minutes of teaching time)

building lego is fun.

Telling mommy that I want a 'nack' is what I'd rather be doing

but building lego has it perks.

especially with a 'tandy' in my mouth 

for going pee.

"Tafrin, where are you?"

 "peeee"

"tandy!!!!"

 yes, Tuesdays are much better.

Tuesdays I like doing school

and like to focus more on what I need to get done

and am happier to be here.

and am happier when school is done.

 Benjabin, are you done????

The Eleventh Hour... without the 'dun dun dun'

 Soon after breakfast it is a rush for mommy to see how many faces she can scrub before feet are flying, hands grabbing, bums disappearing and
responsibilities commencing
(including putting Lego away)

Benjamin has a list that he successfully carries out each morning before school
-brush teeth (thank you for the help Katherine)
-make bed (NO MORE HELP Katherine!)
-get dressed
-put pjs on bed.

By the time he has distracted himself from yelling at Katherine, telling Alexander how to play that game, watching Alexander play that game, telling Katherine that mommy wants her, deciding which toothpaste he wants to use, singing about 3 - 600 songs, running around kicking the air, roaring, showing Alexander how high he  can jump, and being threatened by mommy's outside voice...
all the tasks have been accomplished and school commences.

on the other side of the Benjamin coin,
Katherine is running from a bumb changing mommy,
hiding from a face washing mommy,
and yelling at her brothers for giving her away!
Before school, she is usually coerced into being changed.  Except the pants.  She MUST do these herself, and it usually includes some highly amusing dance moves where two legs are crammed into one pant leg.  Mommy only gets to help when the obstinate "aaaahhhh" becomes the "aaaahhhh" declaring she is stuck and sick of falling over.  One child down.  Two to go.  Outside voice Benjamin! and find an Alexander.

Alexander is fast.  Grab a shirt out of the drawer, he is in the bathroom. Grab pants one drawer down, he is in the basement.  Wrestle his pajamas off him and turn to get monkey's, he is in the kitchen running the loop.  yes free as a bird!
Outside voice Alexander to get back here, and outside voice for Benjamin  to quit telling Alexander where to run and jump, and kick the air, then outside voice Katherine so she doesn't feel left out.

Sit on Alexander.  Dress him.  Forgo socks, he will only pull them off in 10 minutes anyway.  (never put socks on Katherine.  They don't even last a minute)
Mommy scrambles to her bed room flinging off pajamas as fast as she can, and bypass the clothes in the dresser to cram herself into whatever she was wearing the night before that still remains in a heap on the floor.  "MOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!!!!"  and she's off!

Benjamin is finished his responsibilities, praise Benjamin for a job well done
AND LET THE SCHOOL BEGIN!
(and oh yes, that includes everybody....for a good 3 minutes)

The Twelfth.

This is how our morning starts!

Most of the time, all smiles!

"mommyyyyy" comes from the purple room

"mommyyy" comes from the bathroom

"hi mommy" comes from beside me

3 hello's!

one at 7:30 (I waited for the sun Mommy!)

one at 7:35 (mommy I wanta snack!)

one at 7:48 (mommy, aw done!)
 This is our first of 12 hours.

This girl eats on her own, peels her own orange, eats 3/4 of her own porridge, tells me what is going on, and repeats to her brothers what I've just instructed, getting the message home.  She happily tells Mathey to "dat up!" not to be mistaken with "datch up" which in fact is ketchup.

which is not served a breakfast.  no matter how cute.

The first of our 12 hours includes

soggy bottoms removed

bowls and spoons set (sometimes again and again)

and this boy not being interested at present with eating his own food.  

Always hungry, and usually wanting mommy or daddy to feed him.

He has entered the very helpful stage, lets me know when Katherine needs a kleenex (Mommy, dafrin as a nose goblin!) lets me know when he's hungry (mommy, I wanta snack!) and lets me know when it is moosic time (BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG- you like my song?)  even at breakfast, we are a musical society!

The first of our 12 hours means

bibs optional and usually on the floor

with the sippy cups

with the bowls

with the spoons

with the kids.....

and one of them needs to be coerced into eating breakfast

-deals must be made

-time dolled out and reminded

-responsibilities urged

and breakfast served.

This boy can pour his own milk, pour his own cereal,
eat a full bowl and then a few more and explain the details of a cement truck and its intricacies through out the full duration of what we call...

the first of our 12 hours.

hour 3 of his first sleep over

 will

 you

 come

home

please.

ingredients for success

When it's a Christmas tree one is after,
there are certain tools required to make the end goal of owning said Christmas tree
a success


and sometimes those tools have helpers.


First, for guaranteed success, it is imperative to find a Nana.

(the crazier the better we might add)

Now, get Nana to find three super Heroes.

It is vitally important that Nana finds them, so if you have to excuse yourself for a while and go for supper, so be it.  Let Nana be the one to find them!

 ah here they are.

One






Two







Three.  Capes and all.





Now, remind said super Heroes of the temperature out of doors and ask them to reconsider their attire for the duration of the adventure.






Perfect.
















Now.  Find a truck.  Preferable one daddy isn't already driving up a hill.  But remember, pickers cannot be choosers.







Now there's a good idea!
Just call the daddy and
he will drive back down the hill
to come and find you.


Because he adores you.





Remind daddy of the task at hand and while you are out in the woods with a small hill anyways, find a suitable-north-of-the-prairies-but-not-much-north-judging-by-the-spaces-in-between-the-branches-but-wonderful-none-the-less-because-we-are-having-a-good-time-with-daddy-friends-and-super-heroes-Christmas tree-and-there-are-snacks-back-in-the-truck.


Cut tree down

 Let Benjamin cut tree down with his saw

Carry tree to truck

Carry Alexander to truck

Pick snake grass on the way

Take Alexanders snake grass because he is eating it

Give it back to Alexander because who cares, really!...it's frozen grass.









Get a picture of the family
with the truck.

I mean tree.

(daddy might mean truck)










Drive home.
Put tree in house.
Remove caterpillar nests.
Remove dead leaves.
Position barest spot against the wall.
Pray it won't fall over for the night.

Heroes remove outer layers
Dawn capes and run once again.

All in all a very successful da........wait, is it bath night?

it's just how we roll

There are times we live and think inside the box.

we follow the intructions
(add water to oats and voila - porridge)

 and there are many many times 
the box seems miles and miles

indeed provinces away.


Here are a few of those times:

A - mommy, there is something wong with dis' cwismus twee!

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A - Mommy, I don't  like dis wanket

Why Alexander?

A - tuz...dere are aderdators on it

You mean the dinosaurs?

A - dere are dinosaurs on it.  

But you liked the dinosaurs, you wanted this one because of the dinosaurs....

Benjamin will you sleep with this blanket?

B - No mommy, there are dinosaurs on it.

(AAAAAHHHHH) Will you sleep with it if there is a train on the other side?

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this is the best way to treat a Nana!

dress her in layers so thick she cannot bend her arms,
load her onto a snowmobile
deposit a Benjamin on her lap
show her the gettermovin switch

and voila

2 happy happy faces





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I'm pretty sure the reason God gave me two arms is so I can touch all the buttons at the exact same time!










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To get Mathey to howl

somebody else needs to howl

when that somebody is busy yelling at the boys

somebody else needs to

again take matters into her own hands

and throw her head back and howl!

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as a matter of fact there are Christmas balls hanging outside on our trees!







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Ahhhh
Alexander, those marshmallows were supposed to be for everyone!!!!






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blankets are tunnels

couches are trampolines

mattresses are for jumping

boots for wearing indoors

stickers for eating

spoons for banging

stairs for sliding

and snow for eating

...

I wonder who they learnt it from?

eyes have ears and ears have mouths

oh be careful mommy and daddy what you say

oh be careful mommy and daddy what you say

for the children down below

they watch you as they grow

and they'll tell everyone they know

what you say!

A certain 18 month old has a whole slew of
words in her repertoire
daddy
mommy
Beee (benjamin)
Zanna (Alexander)
babee (baby)
Nana
Meummi (Grammy)
eeeeeeeeeee (Alexanders sitting on me)
Aw done (all done)
dome! (come!  now!)
She now eats on her own, spoon or  fork

food in mouth or hair or semi facial - optional

puts on her own pants socks

feet or hands - optional

and happily dumps the lego box three times a day

oh be careful mommy and daddy what you do

oh be careful mommy and daddy what you do

for the children plugging the sink

may not think just what you think

but you bet they'll tell it their way anyway

A certain very old three year old sometimes goes to his Sunday School

Sometimes not, we don't push.

Lately, he has jumped at it, and what's more, participated.

Last Sunday's brought the teacher to my side after class.

Apparently...

Some boys were talking about their daddy's.

Boy 1 - My daddy is big

Boy 2 - My daddy is big too

OUR boy raised his hand and was heard to say

A - My daddy isn't.

oh be careful mommy and daddy where you go

oh be careful mommy and daddy where you go

for the piles of snow you like to hop

will see your truck soon at the top

by the children who always watch

just where you go

A certain five year old also attends Sunday School 

and has grown comfortable and 

engaged in the people and lessons.

Last Sunday, 

standing beside the above mentioned Sunday School Teacher, 

was another Sunday School Teacher

and she had this to relate

Apparently...

The class was discussing the recent snow storm

and the slippery roads

the deep snow

the icy sidewalks

and the efforts it took to get places

The first hand of the class shot high in the air

and OUR boy was heard to say

B - Well that's alright, because my daddy has studded tires!