Santa Train

Baby Jesus!!!  Santa!!!  PRESENTS!!!  The girls are just a wee bit excited about Christmas.  Today was a big day.  C&C had "polar express day" at daycare (they watched the film and wore pjs all day).  Next, we went to the Museum of Life & Science, where we made "reindeer food," received fake snow, had faces painted, and boarded the Santa train.  Finally, we had a birthday party next door at the Gentry home.

The mystery of the "journey to the north pole" is becoming hard for Louise to take seriously.  "Look!  People dressed up as elves!  And there's a cardboard polar bear and someone dressed up as Santa!  And someone from my school is pretending to be Mrs. Claus!  Now someone's got a red light on a string and they're pretending that Rudolph is flying!"  Eventually, with a few gentle hints, she was also able to understand that younger kids might  not appreciate her precocious objectivity and rationalism.

Nevertheless, all three girls still believe in Santa.  Louise even wrote a letter to him: "Dear Santa, Charlotte & I have been bad, but Claire has been good, and she'd like a drill set."

Wordless Wednesday - Claire

**Thanks to Annie Harrison

Wordless Wednesday - Charlotte

**Thanks to Annie Harrison

Wordless Wednesday - Louise

***Thanks to Annie Harrison

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  Louise has gone to great lengths to make today the "Best Day Ever" for Mummy.  Yesterday, she and Daddy went on a "secret mission" to buy flowers, and they cleverly hid the flowers (in a vase with water) in the garage under a newspaper. On Mother's Day itself, everyone woke fairly early, but they had "Mother's Day Camp" with Daddy downstairs, so Mummy could sleep until nearly 8am.  Claire then delivered a card, and all three girls brought up breakfast in bed - dry cereal, "because we don't want Mummy to spill milk in bed," and coffee, with a beautiful vase of red roses.  Once Mummy finally emerged from bed, we had a quick chat with Nana and Grandad, then headed to Gold Park.

After dinner, Charlotte picked up a piece of purple plastic, molded to look like an amethyst.  "It's a minewal (mineral)!"  Hooray for Dinosaur Train for teaching science to our children!

Bouncing back

Louise has strep, and she's a very sleepy girl today.  But it was a busy weekend.  On Saturday, all three girls had a trial gymnastics class.  The music factory particularly enjoyed it and now want to do gymnastics every day.

On Sunday, we had a long-overdue visit with Ms. Judy, and the kids jumped at the opportunity to help her wash her blinds.  Louise was complaining of stomach pain at this point, but she still wanted to go to her classmate's birthday party.  She was a little fragile whilst there but still had a pretty good time.  Things went downhill rapidly for her after we got home.

Today, she has been a delightful patient.  "Being sick isn't all bad, because I get to stay home with you, Mummy!" she said with a smile, before passing out on the sofa.

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter!

We've had a weekend full of sunshine, candy, friends, candy, egg hunts (3), candy, and pony rides, and we concluded with a cookout next door.  Charlotte + sugar = volatile reaction.  Kinda like grade school recreations of volcanoes, but without a neat container.

Louise did a wonderful job of redistributing her egg wealth to younger, smaller children.  She was also very keen to include all neighbourhood children in the egg colouring activities this morning. 

In non-holiday news: Louise has decided, after three practices, not to continue with t-ball.  She may do gymnastics instead, and her sisters are keen to begin swimming lessons.

Several

This morning, Charlotte announced: "Today, I have several fruit snacks."  Mummy was astonished that Charlotte knew the word "several" but remained adamant that the rule is no more than one packet per day.  (Now, if the grammar had been all there...)

We have a busy weekend ahead - next door neighbours Ellen and Thomas are having their first birthday party; t-ball practice; our party; Louise's classmate's party.  Fun stuff.

Professional photos

The CD is in the mail to us, but in the meantime, enjoy the link










Mummy recently went out for dinner with some ladies from the neighborhood. She told the girls it was a "mummy meeting" to "make her a better mummy." Not to be outdone, Daddy went out later that weekend to the pub with a "daddy friend." Louise concluded the next day, "Daddy - you don't need any more daddy meetings. But mummy needs to go on more mummy meetings."


The girls' current ambitions: Louise wants to be a tree when she grows up. Charlotte says, "Me get bigger; go work in hoppital." Claire: "[raises eyebrow, sucks finger]"

Louise is watching...

Louise seems to have installed a camera in Mommy's office. This weekend, she was playing in the car with Charlotte.

"I'm driving Charlotte to work, and then I'm going to work."

Really? What kind of work does Charlotte do?

"She sends me emails and calls me on the phone."

And what do you do?

"Phone Charlotte and send her emails!"

She went on to talk about taking Charlotte to her second job. Apparently the kid has three jobs - she's doing her bit for the unemployment figures.

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Louise has also moved beyond believing everything she reads (or has read to her, to be accurate). According to Sodor lore, Spencer is the Duke & Duchess of Boxford's engine. But when Daddy asked her who owns Spencer, she shot back quickly, "Barnes & Noble".

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Shortly after we last blogged, Charlotte strung together her first multiword phrase. We were so proud. Sadly, it was "no! no! Go 'way!", shouted at a sister who was trying to take a rolling pin away from her.

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Claire & Charlotte are ready for Glastonbury (and no, Mummy has never even met the Gallaghers):