Attitude with a capital A!

Earlier today I told Lila to go get a new diaper out of her closet and bring it to me so I could change her.  Five minutes later she comes down the hall and pauses in the kitchen door way, and she was NOT carrying a diaper. I asked her, "Lila, did you bring me a diaper?"  She cocked her head to one side, tapped her cheek with her finger and said, "Hmmm, let me think...."  all the while giving me a look that clearly said 'You foolish woman... do you see a diaper in my hand?'  Obviously rhetorical questions will not work with this child.

At least she doesn't reserve all her sass for me. A couple of nights ago Brian and she met in the hallway and were both trying to go different directions.  Lila looked up at him and said, "Excuse me, lady!" as she pushed past his crutches.

And of course her brother and sister don't escape the attitude either. One day they were all playing in the girl's room and as they all tried to walk out the door together there was much bumping into each other and off the walls. I distinctly heard Lila say, "Hey watch it! I'm walking here!" sounding for all the world like a New York City pedestrian.  (She has since said it to me as we passed on the stairs.)

I don't want her to think that talking back and sassing people is acceptable, but lately it's been all I can do to not just burst out laughing. And she most definitely does not need the positive reinforcement...

It usually works better when they don't know what's coming... but whatever.

Tonight as I was making dinner I told the kids that it was time to clean up the toy room. Jake and Evie both came running up the stairs to complain. Jake said, "Well, I'll clean the toy room... and Evie will probably help a little... but Lila won't."  Evie quickly followed up with, "Yeah! Lila just follows around and makes more mess by playing with everything we're trying to pick up!" I sighed, and said, "I know you guys. What you need to do is put on a movie that she likes so she'll be distracted and you can clean up."  They both ran back down the stairs and at about halfway down I hear Evie yell, "Hey Lila! We are going to distract you now!"

Happy Valentine's/Birthday Brian!

I got home from the gym this morning and hurried to make a special Valentine's Day breakfast for the people I love the most!

I remember as a child that on Valentine's Day my mom would always have a little gift for us to open at breakfast. I wanted to keep that tradition in my family. So each child got a book and a little box of chocolates. Because it just isn't Valentine's Day without chocolates... (None for me today though.)

The birthday boy with his birthday socks! (Doesn't he look so happy that I got him up a little early to start celebrating?) We also got him a new shirt, and a few of his favorite treats.  Pretty exciting for turning 39!

Jake's book was a thumb wrestling how to manual. He was so excited when he opened it! He had been drooling over it at the school book fair, but I have a hard and fast rule that we only buy a book to read at the book fair. He was totally surprised that I had gotten it for him... and promptly proceeded to draw a Lucha Libre style wrestling mask on his thumb.

For my fancy little princess who loves to play "blu-ty parlor", a Fancy Nancy book about playing beauty parlor. 

Lila was much more interested in opening her "cock-lats", but once she took the time to check it out she also was happy with her picture book. It is the words to You are my Sunshine, which is a special song in our family.

I wasn't left out of the present giving.  Jacob made me this beautiful necklace, which I proudly wore out in public when we went to see the new movie Gnomeo and Juliet after dinner.

And Brian continued his sweet tradition of bring flowers for all of us girls. Evie and Lila love their flowers and would sleep with them if we would let them. 

It was a long, busy, but fun day for us. Full of love and being together, just like it should be.

A bit of random fashion...

Lately Evie's been on a big "I want to pick out my own outfit" kick. 

I personally love the combinations she comes up with. Stripes, plaids, dots, flowers. Some days there is an overall theme or color (yesterday was pink). Sometimes there's not. 

Lila is still happy enough to let me dress her most days. I am having almost daily fits of nostalgia as most of her clothes are hand-me-downs from Evie.

Today Evie insisted on wearing her white and red dress because tomorrow is Valentine's day. Lila finally grew into the dress I made her last year.

Evie also wanted me to do her hair like Belle.
I did my best. 

She was happy, so I call it good.

(She also told me three different times today that she wants to be Belle for Halloween this year. I finally told her not to tell me again until October.)

These pictures crack me up. Usually at least one of them looks at the camera, but not this time.

My sweethearts!

F.P.M.N.

That's code around here for Family Popcorn Movie Night. It's one of our kids' favorite things to do. And with the new Netflix account I've been excited to share some old favorites with them. Tonight's selection was Cheaper by the Dozen. The classic, not the cheesy re-make with Steve Martin. I love old movies, especially the ones made in the 50's. It's so nice to sit down and watch a show with my children that has no profanity, no violence, and no inappropriate sex-scenes.

I remember watching this movie several times as a child, and really enjoying it.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my children became engrossed with the story and characters.  Maybe a little to much though... 

I didn't remember that at the end of this version the father, who has scoffed at the family doctor's advice through the whole movie, dies because of a heart problem.  They don't show him dying or in pain, but there is a heart-rending scene where the eight year old son tells his older sister, "Oh Ann, our daddy is dead!"  I cried.  Poor Jacob fell completely apart. Brian came into to find out why Jacob was sobbing hysterically, I told him and then said, "Remind me NEVER to show him Where the Red Fern Grows."

I feel like such a grown-up...

We finally got the cabinet for our new television.  I am really pleased with how it looks. (Plus we got a great deal on it, which makes it that much nicer every time I look at it.)  When we started the whole process of replacing the television, I told Brian I would leave it up to him to decide what electronics  we purchased, but it was really important to me that we get a nice cabinet to house it all. I didn't want something that looked cheap or just to make do. I didn't want something that looked like it could have come from our school/early married life.  If it is going to be one of the first things you see when you walk in my house, I wanted it to look like a piece of furniture that belonged in the living room.  

Mission accomplished.

The girls think it doubles as a neat playhouse...

"Hello Evie!"   "Hello Lila!"

I like being in the stage of life where we don't have to take "how big a pain would it be to move" into consideration when purchasing furniture...

While we were sleeping...

Last night, sometime after 1 am, when we tucked her into bed for what we thought was the final time and this morning at 6 am when I got up and staggered out the door, Evie did this...

If you just said, "Huh?" you echoed my sentiments exactly.

I don't know when she got out of bed and decided to layout everything she would need for the day, but she did. And without waking anyone else up. I don't know whether to be impressed or terrified.

She has her clothes, neatly folded, her slippers, all the things we use to do her hair, water spritzer, elastic box, hairbrush, comb, hairspray.  She even got out the q-tips so I could clean out her ears.  I especially love how she has lined up the doll and teddy bears, ready to start playing as soon as she gets up.  

If I'm lucky tonight she'll organize the junk drawer while I'm asleep...