Mornings at Home

This morning I heard Daphne say, "Christian, do you want to get some books and sit together and snuggle?"  So that's what they did while I took a shower.  (Some screaming and fighting was involved, just FYI.  Can't have you thinking they're too perfect.)

Then they moved to our little 'sitting room,' as I like to call it.

And then onto a boat ride in the laundry basket.

 

Quiet mornings at home, where we don't have to rush ourselves out the door, are my favorite kind of mornings.

Today is still special, though.  A friend and I have taken to exchanging childcare on a regular basis.  I take her kids one morning and then she'll take mine for another morning.  This type of arrangement is the MOST WONDERFUL arrangement of all time.  You would think that the mornings I had all the kids would be a little crazy, maybe the hardest part of this whole exchange.  In fact, the kids play so well together that the days they're all here are just as much a babysitting morning for me as the days I drop my kids off.  I do dishes, laundry, and I've even sat down with my coffee while they've played.

Today was my morning with this kids so I pulled out a tub of teeny tiny baby things to start organizing and finding a home for.  It's pretty fun to be on kid #3 and have a better idea of what I like using and what I don't like.  I loved these Woombies with Christian.  They look so funny but they were fabulous for a quick and easy swaddling that couldn't come loose. I only bought two for him and had to wash those two every day, so this time around I will get a couple more.  I never liked the bassinet we had for the first two babies, so I got rid of that one and want to get a Sleep-&-Play instead.   Hopefully we won't need a crib until the new house because I really don't feel like having to squeeze that thing back into this house.  (We took it out since C stopped using it.) 

Oh, and we have to buy a new car.  We're thinking SUV with a third row seat so that we can have 4-wheel drive and be able to tow the trailer.  It's hard to choose the right one, though, so if you have expertise on the matter please let us know.  Buying cars is not our most favorite activity because cars are boring.  Maybe we should take Christian's advice and get a garbage truck instead? 

It's Raining Out

I think I used ^that^ title not too long ago, but today the rain is making us all a little sad after all our recent sun and warmth.  I even got tan lines!  For a minute we were able to trick ourselves into thinking it was May and we were that much closer to getting to move into our new house.  Just kidding.  It's March.  And the outlets stopped working in the master bathroom and laundry room so now we use an extension cord into the kitchen to use the washer.  Oh, this house...bless its tiny little heart. 

We escaped to Albany for a few days where we got to hang out with family and friends and chickens.  I think Christian kissed a girl for the first time.  Like not a cousin or sister.  A real girl.  It was the sweetest thing and if I knew it was going to happen I would've taken a picture. I'm pretty sure it was a seal of betrothal?  Because that would mean I would be co-moms with Shelley and how fun would Christmas be if that were the case?

Now we're back and finally watching Frozen because that seems to be what all the cool kids are doing these days. My family is yelling for popcorn and since the housekeeper doesn't seem to be responding I guess that means I should get to work. 

chicken trying to steal his strawberry

with his friends

D was supposed to be in this picture, too, but she wouldn't cooperate

Monday Dates

Mondays are kind of our low-key day; our Saturday, I guess you could say?  We try to keep any plans to a minimum so that we can hang out at home or go out...whatever suits our fancy.  Today we came up with a real gem of a plan: split up and do a Daddy/Son Date and Mommy/Daughter Date.  It was crazy how excited the kids were about this idea.  Christian kept saying, "I go bye-bye with Daddy, I not go bye-bye with Mama."  Just in case I got confused and accidentally took him with me. 

Who knows what the boys did, but Daph and I had a swell time.  I spent the first part teaching her some good cheers like "Girl Power!" and "Girls Rule and Boys Drool!"  She kept saying, "But boys rule, too, Mom."  Fine.  Whatever.  Don't listen to anything I have to say. 

She and I went to the Learning Palace to play, walked through Home Goods, had lunch at Ikea and walked around to look at a few things we are considering for our new house (and found one of the things we wanted in the As Is section for a zillion percent off and in perfect condition because it was just a return!!), then finished off with some time at the library doing puzzles and picking out books.  Doesn't she choose good activities? 

Both kids had such a good time; we know we'll have to do this type of event more often.  Daphne is already planning that next time we will go somewhere to get vanilla ice cream.  I'm hoping this next baby is a boy because that means in the future David will have to take two kids while I will only have to take one. 

does she look really grown up here or is it just me?

trying each cooked veggie to tell me the difference between each one

Oh Hi, Spring; We've Been Waiting For You

David looks weird here

David worked eight days last week for training and then got a five day weekend.  We spent two days in Albany chasing chickens and picking thousands of daffodils, and then came home to the most beautiful almost-spring weather.  Our front door is perpetually open and I'm constantly finding a spare child or two in my yard or living room.  My kids are having the time of their lives meeting all the neighbor kids who are coming out to see the sun, and I like that they can make themselves at home here.

We spent the warmest afternoon down at 'our' new playground.  We still can't believe we'll get to live there soon.  We had supper at our newest favorite cafe, just a few minute drive from our property and somewhere I imagine we'll be spending lots of morning coffee dates and afternoon sandwich lunches.

The passing of this long winter and arrival of this spring signals the coming changes we've been waiting so long for.  Are we dreaming?  Because it sure feels like it. 

It's Raining Out

(The title has nothing to do with this post.  But I was spending so much time trying to think of a title that I finally just gave in and made up a sentence.  It really is raining, though; I didn't make that part up.)

David was home from work ON TIME last night.  We celebrated with a pizza/movie party because we know how to live it up big.  We even used paper plates.  Daphne is already asking if we can have another pizza party tonight, so I guess this idea was a good one?  If you need a fun recipe to throw in your meal planning mix, we did this little twist on pizza (twist, haha) called Twisted Pizza Breadsticks.  (Except we make our own dough, of course.)  These would be great for large groups, they're not messy when kids are eating them, and the leftovers are nice for David to take in his lunch because they travel well. A win-win recipe for so many reasons.

I'm sure I read somewhere that children who enjoy puzzles are extra smart children.  I never really liked puzzles, so that would explain a lot.  Anyways, Daphne loves puzzles so much right now that we could probably own a thousand of them and she would go through each one over and over, never getting tired.  Recently I made the grave mistake of buying her a 25 piece puzzle.  She flew through that thing in about 4 minutes and never needed a bit of help.  100 piece ones are her thing.  She only has one and she's done it so many times she nearly has it memorized.  What a nerdy little child I have. 

Speaking of nerds, look at these two reading away, cozied up in their respective chairs:

Our new house will have a large and open floor plan for the most part, but I love that we've included a few little tucked away places if one needs to sneak away for some personal quiet time.  I have a feeling those spots will get used quite often*.

*"Often" being used rather cautiously of course, as a small child basically has the attention span of a gnat when it comes to quiet and solo activities.