The Apple....

...does NOT fall far from the tree!

Here is Miss Sophia's kindergarten picture sandwiched between Mister Och's.

Strength

Lately, Liv has been on a peanut-butter-on-a-spoon phase. Because of her constant requests for "More, please!" (Demanding, but at least, polite, right?) I have failed to fully tighten the lid of the jar from the previous times I have had to make withdrawals by the spoonful. After I have decided she had had enough, I denied her request for more.

Liv, never one to take no for an answer, armed with a new spoon, she pushed the bar stool up to the upper pantry, took the Skippy to the counter, and easily twisted the loose lid off.

Obviously pleased with her feat, she beamed at me and said excitedly, "Momma! I'M REALLY REALLY TRONG! (without the S)"

I had to give in and let her have another spoonful.

How old are you?

Everyday on our way to pick up the other two from school, Liv is always excited to see her siblings. Today, she claps her hands and says, "Yeay! We're gonna get Denah (Dylan) and Soph!"

I clap with her, "Yeay!"

"Mom, Denah is ONE!" She holds out her pointer finger.

She goes on and says, "Sophie is TWO!"

"Oh yeah? And what is Livy?" I ask.

"Livy is FOUR!" And she's still holding out just one finger.

LOL.

Pumpkins Galore!

I spent all freakin day carving these. My fingers hurt. But they look fantabulous!

Misc.

It's been one heck of a crazy week! Of course, it started off with Sophie giving me a little "does she have the swine flu" scare. Thank goodness, the fever didn't climb higher than 100.8. Although, I made her miss school Monday through Wednesday just in case. I would have let her stay home all week, but it was Red Ribbon Week at school and Thursday was Crazy Hair Day.

She had been looking forward to this day for a year now, ever since Mister D styled his 'do into a modified bright orange mohawk last year. Because her hair is so dark, we had to spray it white before attempting with the pink. Below are the results. Apparently, Miss Soph's demeanor coincides with her hairstyle at the moment...so she felt free to be the most obnoxious five year old that day.


Flag football season is here, both for Mister Och and Mister D. Och has games on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with D practicing with his team on the same days. This Wednesday, team pics were taken in the evening. I swear, I don't think we got home until after seven pm all week. Today, Mister D scored yet another touchdown. He was armed with his new cleats that gave him better traction on the wet grass...and boy, did that kid run like the wind! He ran the WHOLE length of the field to score at the end zone. They won...they are now 2-1.

My bulbs came in this week as well. I got tired of the ones I had so I ordered new tulip bulbs (this time it will be red) and new daffodils. I finally convinced Mister Och to give the hideous grass one last trim for the year while I cleaned up for winter and set those bulbs in the ground.

We were planning to go to the pumpkin patch today, but it was drizzly. I didn't want to risk getting caught in a downpour during the hayride, so we pulled into a youth group fundraiser pumpkin sale instead and selected a few from there.

I found the template for this carving online. It's actually a smaller pumpkin carved into a vulture and painted, set inside a larger pumpkin carved as a birdcage. Ain't it neat? I have three more to carve tomorrow into a little haunted village with witches and bats flying around. I love it!

Anyway, I suppose I'm up late enough. I just finished a late paper and turned it in to school...I figured if I don't force myself to do it now, I'll never end up doing it at all.

Tomorrow, it's vegging out to NFL, more pumpkin carving, and helping Mister D with his diorama project. Crazy busy week! Can you believe October is almost done?

H1N1 Flu Clinic

It wasn't supposed to start for another hour and a half as we drove up to the Davis Conference Center where the H1N1 flu shot clinic was being held today. The main lot immediately adjacent to the building was already full. Thank goodness the one across the street still held plenty of spots. I strapped the girls into the Bumbleride and attached the rain canopy (that's right, folks, it was cold AND wet this morning!) and with Mister D, my sis, and my niece walked across to the center... then walked along the north side of the building... and halfway down the east side to the end of the line. Yeesh! And I thought we were getting AHEAD of the pack.

The rain remained a constant drizzle as we waited about thirty or so minutes as the line slowly crept forward. There was about another fifteen minute wait inside. Overall, it wasn't near as bad as I had feared. I had expected at least a three hour wait.

I had spotted neighbor/friend/nurse extraordinaire Miss Jill at one of the stations, and hoped we would get a friendly face to do the sticking, but we were herded to another not-so-friendly woman.

**OK, I know and understand it's a hectic day. Poking umpteen million people with needles all day is not my idea of fun (unless I'm in one of my sadistic moods), so I don't expect these nurses to be Miss or Mister Sunshine. But still!**

We were blessed to have a patronizing and downright snooty lady to administer the children's vaccines. Mister D and Soph did fine. But as usual, Little Liv always has to be the exception. I was preparing to hold her in my lap, but Miss Snooty Nurse sighs with impatience and says, "No! Let me show you how it's done."

She grabs my hands and forces it around Liv's and crosses them like a human straightjacket. I shake my head at the lady, "No, this isn't enough to keep her still."

Snooty Nurse clucks at me and in her most nasal patronizing voice says, "Trust me, I've been doing this for years."

I just smiled at her and hoped silently the needle doesn't end up breaking while still embedded in her thigh. You see, Little Liv, as little as she is somehow manages to gain supernatural strength when needles are involved. It took three people to hold her down for the seasonal flu shot last week...and they still ended up poking her twice. The position we were in left Liv's lower body unrestrained. And guess what? The needle almost broke. It bent drastically as Liv bucked her lower body at the pain of the injection.

Then Snooty Nurse glares at me, "Don't let her move!"

Well, DAMMIT! If you had let me hold her the way I wanted in the first place, we wouldn't be struggling, now, would we?!?!

These medical personnel with their certifications and licenses and education need to step down off their self-righteous pedestals and succumb to the fact that parents DO know their children better.

Anyway, it's over with. I hope we get Miss Jill next time we go in for the booster shot next month!

Touchdown!

Today was the start of Mister D's flag football season. I had inadvertently (maybe?) forgot (questionable?) the registration dates for the tackle football season, so I had to give in when he insisted on the milder, much safer flag version.

Funny thing, he is part of the Cowboys team and had to play against the Steelers (the fam's fave) for the first game. They lost that one...a very close game, by only two points. But the next one two hours later turned out a victory. The kids looked much more comfortable on the field after shaking off their first-game jitters, and they bulldozed over the other team.

Dylan scored his first running touchdown (I can't believe how fast the kid is! And he didn't even have cleats!) and made a number of defensive plays. It's looking like it's gonna be a good season.

About a Boy

Sophie announces today: I know who I'm gonna marry.

Dad: Oh, yeah? Who is that?

Sophie: This boy in my class. His name is Dylan!

Me: Why do you want to marry him?

Sophie: *Sighs dramatically* Mom! Because! He is the boy for me!


I thought I had several years yet!

iPod for Kids

I have an iTouch that I barely use because it gets me in too many near accidents when I try to skip to the next song while driving (YIKES!) Besides, I'm fairly certain it has a flaw in the battery or something that will make me pay up the wazoo to get it fixed at the Apple store. Instead, I listen to my nano with the dependable no-looking-required click wheel. I've been feeling guilty of late that the iTouch, a gift from daddy dearest, has been sitting unused...until last night...

I was perusing the cyber aisles of the iTunes app store and found kid games! Genius! I downloaded a total of ten apps, all of which Sophie and Liv both LOVED! Sophie's been asking for a Nintendo DS (partly I think because cousin Maddy has one) but I've refused because 1) the cost of the hardware 2) I think most of the games are above her age level. These games, however are perfect for her...she doodles with the Crayola doodle app, plays a matching game with safari animals, and manipulates characters in the fun Wheels on the Bus app...and I don't have to buy anything new.

Now the new problem is keeping the girls from fighting over it...

Funny Read

I came across this book while perusing the library shelves for a travel guide or two. It is told by an Italian who relocates to Washington D.C. for a year. It's definitely interesting seeing us Americans through the eyes of a foreigner. Worth a read!

Success!

Liv is finally potty trained! When Mister Och and I finally got down to it, it only took three days to get her out of those darned pull-ups. It's a great victory, yet it is bittersweet knowing this is definitely the last time we will be cheering a little one on through this milestone.

Travel Bug

As far as I can remember, I have had the thirst to witness and experience new things.

I am a traveller.

If I had the resources for it, that is all I would do...jumping from one locale to another, hubby and children in tow, drinking in all the new sights, sounds, tastes, smells, of each place...revelling in the rich diversity and beauty of this world.

Presently, we can only manage one or two weeks a year to do what I absolutely love to do most. Since next year is a big whopper of a two weeks, I have been obsessively (yes, I admit it) scrounging for every piece of information I can find to make next year's trip one my family will alway remember. With what I have so far, I think I have it clinched.

This is also the reason I have been noticeably scarce in my postings as of late. I have had complaints lately, and I sincerely apologize. Also, from the prompting of one of my readers, I have been considering either opening another blog or website devoted solely to our travel experiences to include tips for travelling wth children and links to helpful websites. Not quite sure about that one yet. It seems to be a lot of work, but if I can find the time between all the other projects I have yet to finish slash start, I'll throw that on the plate as well.

Running

Mister Och's flag football team plays in a field encircled by a track. Miss Sophie, brimming with pent up energy even after a playdate with her fave Liv-the-kid, tugged on my hand and said, "Mom, I want to run around the circle."

I gave her a little patronizing smirk, "Just stay on the inside lane," thinking she'd tire before she got to the halfway point.

I kept an eye on her as she steadily traversed the quarter-mile lap with her quick and tiny stride. Once she reached me, I scooped her up and gave her the requisite celebratory lovin' and high fives.

She beamed at me, "I'm gonna do it again! That was fun!" And off she went.

Total, she ran a half mile, which in my opinion is more like three considering her miniature stature. I think she would have gone another had it not been for the ending whistle of the game.

I think we have a runner in our hands. :-)