Princess manners

McKenna's done it again. One of these days my side really will split open from laughter! I hope that the humor of these stories doesn't get lost in the media format. This is one of those that's really better with hand motions and voice impersonations. Anyway, she was walking into church last week when the father of a young boy (neither of whom we knew) held the door open for her. She waltzed in under the man's arm, stopped, folded her hands under her chin and said with a sweet (somehow southern) voice, "Thank you, handsome."

:)

Can't spell the noise a puma makes

Anna just loves to make very loud and probably a very realistic puma noise in my ear. It just makes me crazy. Last night as I was putting her in bed she asked to whisper something in my ear. About half the time she tells me she loves me. The other half the time it's the puma noise. As I was wanting her to be calm, I told her she could whisper in my ear if she didn't do the puma noise. In true Anna fashion, she leaned over and gave me a good, "BOK BOK BOK" chicken noise. It made me laugh, but even better was hearing her laugh and laugh and laugh...

We're back

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I've posted but that doesn't mean I've been hibernating.  We did, though, spent a lot of time just hanging out at home during my breaks from MDO and classes at IUPUI.   We're back into the swing of things now.  Sam's birthday yesterday was fun, but I can't believe he's 2.  Two.  I've just really enjoyed being a mom lately...I think I was taking it for granted.  It's no small task.  Thankless at times, but I think I've got the greatest kids in the world.  They are compassionate, loving, and gentle.  They think of each other first more often than I would think that most preschoolers do.  Being a mom is just great.

The cooks in the kitchen

The adventure of the day was allowing Samuel (!), McKenna (!), and Anna to help Laura and I bake sugar cookies after dinner!  They did remarkably well and had more fun that you should be allowed to have making cookies!  Samuel was the only one to get any flour on Laura's dark pants.  When he realized it was his doing, he kept saying, "sorry, Laura" and helped her (?) by wiping it off.  She then had flour not only at the hem of her pants but also up to her hips.  As he wiped he said, "Big.  Mess.  Laura.  Big mess."  The smile from behind those faces white with flour made the extra cleanup totally worthwhile!  By the end of the process the girls were actually doing most of it themselves.  

McKenna made us all laugh tonight when we asked her what she was thankful for before she went to bed.  The usual fare: "Mommy, Daddy, my blankie, my teddy, Pinkie Pie."  But then she closed with a frank, "That's all I got."  In her spirit, for tonight, that's all I got.  :)

Best Christmas Ever

Well, we've wrapped up (he he he) the best Christmas ever.  It was such a joy to see the kids be so excited about the baking, the fun with family, the gifts, and the general cheer around the house.  It was even better, though, to hear the girls say on more than one occasion (unprompted), "It's not about the presents...it's about celebrating Jesus' birthday!"  Amen, sisters! 

Anna was particularly bad at keeping secrets about presents.  She ended up trying, though, to get the word out without being the one to spill the beans.  She told Jordan (Chris' secret brother) that we got him something at the store (oops) and asked him what HE wanted the gift to be.  Oh, and it starts with "F".  She finally succumbed to telling him it was a squid (her idea) to throw him off track (my idea).

McKenna informed everyone that Mommy took them to the "fragile store" to pick out presents for people they loved.  The weren't allowed to touch any of the fragile things.  No, we weren't at Von Maur or Pottery Barn.  We were at Kohls.   :)

Samuel was so excited about "me choo choo!  choo choo!  choo choo!" (repeat 56 times)  Dad made him a train table and mom and dad and Chris and I got him the trains, tracks, and other accessories.  I will never, as long as I live, forget how excited my little boy was to get his first train set.  He bounced all the way around the table, just as excited as anyone has ever been about anything.  Today, might have been even better, though, because every time I left his side today he'd run after me with trains in hand and say, "play, mama, play!"  We played and played and played.  It was such a good day.  

Chris and I prefer to concentrate on gifts for the kids but it was fun to surprise him this year with a frame containing his great-grandfather's honorable discharge from the Army.  I really love family and history, so combining the two is quite fun for me.  

What a fun day...  What a reason for celebration!

What was

I just read (online, of course) that AU will no longer be making yearbooks for students to purchase.  Evidently, students just prefer to keep in touch via other methods (facebook, etc.).  I didn't know that a yearbook was a way to keep in touch, but whatever.  Funny, soon I'll be one of those people who actually had yearbooks.  It'll make me seem so old...

While it lasted

Samuel either climbed out or fell out of his crib this evening for the first time.  He was mad as a hornet when I left him in his bedroom (which is quite unusual) and crying with gusto.  I'd done no more than walk into the family room when I had to stop in my tracks.  What was that?  Is that crying A LOT louder than it was a couple steps back?  Must go check...  Then, our easy bedtime routine for the past 1 year, 11 months, and 4 days ended (minus the first year of miserable nights).  Samuel met me at the door.  It was good while it lasted.

Congrats, Tim, on your graduation today!  You worked so hard for this--we're so proud of you!