School Smarts by Alec & Lily

"Third grade is a lot of work.  It seems like just yesterday I was in first grade.."  You and me both, buddy!  This was the conversation Alec & I had the other day while walking to school.  He is growing up way too fast!  His homework made me laugh, though.  At least I know where I stand, which is after money and a pocketknife.

Then there's my Lily.  She absolutely LOVES Kindergarten!!  

She draws pictures for her teacher that are just the sweetest things.  

She is also learning a lot.

"When butterflies come out of their chrysalis, they fly to Disneyland."

And then there's the health & nutrition she is learning.  

"Fruits and vegetables are good for your body, huh mom.  They will help me play soccer better, too.
 So... can I have a pickle??"

Simon Says Lick

Lily:  Simon Says Lick!
(Licking...)

Lily:  Simon Says Stop!

Lily:  Simon Says Wag your tail!
(lots of giggling...)

Lily:  Simon Says Love!

Lily:  Cooper always does what I say when I say Simon Says.

Simon Says with the dog?  That's a new one!  Lily makes me laugh.

I love summer.  I love watching my kids play together.  They are so creative and funny, it makes me happy.  They play so well together (for the most part), too, that I have to count my blessings!  I can see why Alec loves to play with Lily, when in church last Sunday, Lily quickly took a paper, folded it into a perfect paper airplane, and then said to me, "I wish I had scissors so I could cut a place for the parachuters to jump out."  What a cool sister!

And Megan is just crazy.  She always is singing.  Her favorite songs right now are the ABC song, I Am A Child of God, and "American Flag."  Yes, she made up that last one.  It has great lyrics.  "American Flag, American Flag, American Flag, American Flag..."  I love it!  She is funny.

Megan:  Barbie in time out.  Her being a stinker.
I wonder where she's heard that one before??

Then there's Alec.

Alec:  When I grow up I want to be a doctor, or a pharmacist, or the cashier at Sam's Club or Walmart, because they get lots of money.
Me:  You know that the cashiers at Sam's Club or Walmart don't get to keep all that money that we give them, right?
Alec:  They don't?

Ha Ha Ha!

Fat Mother's Day

I'm standing in the kitchen making mashed potatoes when Megan comes into the kitchen.

"You FAT, Mom!"

Whaaat?!?

I turn to look at her, ready to stand up for myself, and stop.

There's Megan looking at me through binoculars.

I have to laugh!

Later, I really did feel like a fat mom as I was eating my brother-in-law, Dan's (and Nick's, though absent) Cookie Monster Birthday Cake!! Thanks Jamie for having such a cute cake idea for me to steal!!! :) Way too much good food for one day!

I have the sweetest family! They treat me so good all year round, I know I'm spoiled. Lily tells me every night, "You're my best mom in the whole, whole, whole, whole, whole wide world. I never want any other Mom but you. How did Heavenly Father know that I wanted you for a mom? I just love you too much!" She melts my heart! Megan (when she's not telling me I'm fat...) snuggles up on my lap and tells me in the cutest little two-year-old way, "I lub you, Mom," as she puts her little baby hand on my cheek and smoothes away my hair. It is so tender it makes me forget the dozen temper tantrums we have been through that day. Alec is my big-little sweetheart. He still gives me lots of hugs and kisses and writes me nice notes at random times that make me so happy. One day after I finished folding endless laundry, he wrote me a note and left it on my pillow that said "Thanks for doing laundry and all you do." He's such a good boy. Then there's Timmy boy, that makes me strawberry and mango crepes (sooo delicious!), and always takes time to let me know that I'm still his favorite person. Thank you for being such a devoted husband! I love my family!

Compliments From A Two-Year-Old

"Glad you're home, Mom!"

I came back from the gym, and Megan is there waiting for me with a hug. It melts my heart. Especially since we've only just started being happy again. She had a yucky cough and cold that turned into an ear infection. Lucky her, and lucky all of us. She has not been sleeping well for several weeks!! I'M TIRED!

"Cute shirt, Mom!"

I bought a new shirt from Kohl's (Where else? Love that place!)

Megan liked it, too.

We're sitting down for dinner, and Megan looks at me and says,

"Cute eyebrows, Mom!"

Sometimes I just love this stage she's in. She makes me laugh!

Wardrobe Advice From Lily

I don't know what the deal is with Megan lately, (maybe the fact that she's two- plain and simple,) but she cries and cries whenever I put her tights on. "Tights hurt! No tights! No tights!" This morning she wanted to wear a dress, so I told her she had to have tights on. "Tights hurt! No tights!..."

Enter Lily: "Tights don't hurt. You just have to tell them to be nice. If they're mean to you, you be mean back!"

Megan: "Be nice tights!! Be NICE tights!!..." (all the while looking down at her legs very sternly.)

That's the best advice I've ever heard for problems with tights. It worked for Megan, too. Even better.

Delight in the little things

Lately when I put Megan down for a nap, she gets all snuggled up in her special blankie on her big girl bed, and she starts giggling. As I give her a kiss, she says, "Thank you noodles," or whatever we had for lunch. She says it so cute, I just love it.

Today we follow the normal routine. Blankie. Giggle. Kiss. "Thank you corn dog. Thank you ketchup." Thank you ketchup? That makes me laugh! A whole new meaning to delight in the little things.

Then I go tuck Lily in for her nap. She gives me a big hug and says,

"You're my best mom ever. I love you so, so much that you make me think about you the whole time I'm sleeping."

It's times like this that I know how lucky I am to be able to stay home and share the little things with my children. I love being their mom!

"The Best Day Ever!"

For Megan's & Lily's birthdays, my mom gave them a Princess Barbie and a ticket for the Disney Princesses on Ice! What a fun Girls Night Out. Lily & Megan dressed up in their princess dresses, and we were off. (Tim & Alec had their own Boys Night Out, eating at the Golden Corral and playing laser tag. Woo Hoo!)

Megan loved all the action and clapping. But after intermission, she was done with the ice skating. She was still good though, just didn't want to watch anymore.

At the end, Lily said to me, "This is the best day ever!!!"

Thanks Grandma!

Ruining My Day

Lily came home from preschool today and said,

"Those boys that I don't know were being mean

and ruining my day.

They ruined every girls' day.

They just don't like girls."

Where does she get this? I don't say that! It just made me laugh.

We also just got cool bunk beds

with the desk and drawers underneath.

Lily was so excited she told me,

"You made my heart happy.

You're my best mom in the whole world."

I think I'll keep her.

Dear Toothfairy...

Alec finally lost his first tooth! Just in time for his birthday! He was so excited, that he didn't want to have the toothfairy take it away. So he wrote her a little note. Lucky boy, she took the note and not the tooth and still left the money.