Friday You-Know-Whats

Yup. It's that time again. This week was fantastic in so many ways.


1. Soccer started for the kids, and this is great because:

• Ginger is really getting a grasp on the game and she's really enjoying it.
• Bud refuses to wear a headband when he plays, explaining that he runs so fast the wind keeps the hair out of his face. He's right. And his hair looks absolutely awesome streaming behind him as he runs. See?

• After years of waiting to play soccer like his siblings, Big is finally getting a chance to be out there. All I can say is that watching him play is a blast. His expression is just so darn joyous as he runs around. Really, that's the best word to describe the way he looks while he plays. It's fun to watch. Oh, and he scored a goal! I know this next picture isn't the best but, seriously, this is was the expression on Big's face for much of the game:

• When we got home from Big's game, Edith held on to the fireplace hearth and swung her foot at a ball saying, "Kick. Kick." It was adorable.

2. I turned in notice to Pen's ballet school to let them know she won't be returning after the spring performance. It's kind of the end of one chapter of her life and the beginning of a new one. Pen just really wants the opportunity to try some new things and ballet kind of took all of her time. I can't wait to see what she does in the future.

3. I enrolled Big for Kindergarten in the fall. It's not a job, but it will have to do. 

4. I went on a date with my sweetie tonight. Since I won't see him for the rest of the weekend, it was a must. And it was good. 

5. We survived another week!

Thirteen Months with Edith

Earlier this week (on the 27th) Edith hit the 13 month milestone. She's ancient! Well, relatively so. There are so many things swirling through my head that she's done over the past month that I'm not even sure where to start. Edith continues to be the bossiest boss of everyone and tells me what to do or what to give her with absolute authority. It's just too bad she's still kinda hard to understand. 


Even though we can't understand much of what Edith says (to her frustration) she has added a bunch more words to her vocabulary. I don't even try to count how many words she can say, but it's a lot. Not in adult-speak terms, of course, but in baby-speak terms. Here's a list of a few: this, that, no, yes, those, baby, bread, light, nose, eye, mouth, cheek, brow, ball, dine (for dinosaur), done, elephant, more, go, book, touch, kick, pass, apple, up, down, bed, cheese, bath, space!... there are a lot more. She also says a bunch of little sentences, like, 'I want it!' and  'More glass!" Hmmm... now that I think of it, all of her little sentences are demands. I told you she was bossy.


Edith doesn't get to escape the gated in kitchen/family room very often; it's just too hard to keep an eye on her around the spiral staircase and still get things done. Occasionally, though, we let her make a supervised escape so she can explore. She loves it. Probably like a prisoner loves taking the first steps outside after their incarceration is complete. But, just like most prisoners, Edith keeps landing back in the clink. Poor girl. 


On her 13 month birthday, I let Edith "escape" for a little celebration present. She was ecstatic! The only problem was that I needed her to hold semi-still for a moment while I took a few pictures. When I let Edith know what I needed her to do she didn't take it very well. 

Once I explained to Edith that she could play in the living room bay window as I photographed her, she felt much better about the whole thing. She loves how the bay is raised up a little so she's elevated more than usual. Plus, being able to look down on the world below is pretty entertaining, too.

And the best part for me, when it comes to taking pictures, is that Edith hasn't figured out how to get down yet. She will soon, I mean she's only been up in the window a few times so far, but until she does she's kind of stuck. 

"Heh. This is kinda high up."

"Let me take another look see."

"Ummm... seriously, how am I supposed to get down?"

Well, Edith listen up and I'll tell you...

You want to turn around and get on your belly and scooch off feet first...

...or, I guess that you could just dive off head first. That works, too, I suppose. 


Aaaaannnndd....SHE'S OFF!

Edith then spent the rest of her time in the 'outside world' crawling around as fast as she could, investigating all there was to see. You should have heard how heavily she was breathing, both from exertion and excitement. It was making me laugh. I tried taking more pictures for a while, but they all looked like this:

Kinda lame. 


Then it was time for a little snack. Edith is doing a bit better about eating. As long as it doesn't seem to have baby written all over it she's pretty keen. Sometimes. Well, always when it comes to pickled beets. Whenever she sees me eating a salad she points at it and starts yelling at me to share. I can cover my salad with beets and be lucky to get one. She also likes black beans and corn from my salads, too, but pickled beets are Edith's favorite. Hands down. Oh, and my favorite part about her eating habits? She chews with her mouth closed. I showed her how and so she does it. Awesome.


Boy, look at the kid! She wore herself out!

Edith still loves to sing, and the crazy part is that you can usually tell what she's singing. Even though Bud could do it, too, I still find it kind of amazing at this age. I asked her to sing us a little song to close the post. Hope you enjoy it. We love you, Edith!

Friday Favorites

Yeah, so last Saturday something great happened. So fantastic, in fact, that when it occurred I stated, "That will be a part of my next Friday Favorites, that's for sure." It really would be if I could remember what it was. We'll just move on.


1. Ginger officially started soccer practices this week (the boys start next week)-- I'm excited about this because she has a great coach. It's the same coach she had the last time she played a few years ago. Not only does the guy know what he's doing, but he's patient, too. Perfect.


2. Both girls went to the back doctor this week to get their spines checked out. The appointment went well-- the doctor wants to monitor the girls for a little longer, but he doesn't think either one of them will ever have spines that curve to the point of needing intervention. So nice to hear!


3. Edith's other top front tooth finally popped through. We have ourselves a four-teether!


4. Edith pretended to be a tiger baby for a lot of the day today. I'm not sure why, but it makes me kinda happy when she growls at me.


5. I cracked the whip on the kids a little this afternoon and the house is looking better. It made for a rough couple of hours, but as the house got cleaner everyone got happier. It's funny how that happens. Just a little more to do, but I'm feeling good about how things are looking.


6. Big made it through the week alive. Un-maimed, even. Believe me, with the week we had that's really saying something. 


Hmmm... not much this week. If I can remember what it is that I'm supposed to remember (or I can get someone to remember it for me), I'll add it in. 

The Moving Target

The other day I saw Edith sitting in front of the sliding glass door, 'brushing' her hair with a pile of plastic peas saying, "Pretty. Pretty." It was so dang cute I felt immediately compelled to take her picture as she attempted to beautify herself. Despite the fact that getting Edith to hold still is impossible these days, idyllic imaginings of snapping multiple photos of Edith as she sat peacefully pea-ing her hair in the sunlight that streamed in the window filled my head. Um, yeah.


I managed to take only one mediocre shot of her doing so.

And then Edith decided to ham it up a little, which is fine. Peas really are for eating, don't you know.

She moved closer and closer to me as I snapped her photo. I knew what she was doing, of course. It's what she always does when I try to take her picture. Look at that wicked gleam in Edith's eyes as she made the lunge for the camera!

She got pretty close, but I foiled her attempt.

Not that she's giving up, mind you. I know it looks like she's spaced out in this next shot, but she's really just resting against my knees for a moment as she formulates her next plan of attack.

Apparently the plan she came up with is to yell at me and express her displeasure. Hmmm... I wonder where she learned that? It doesn't work, you know, Edith. Not that I know from experience, or anything. Just sayin'.

Maybe she'll hold still for a picture if I turn the viewing screen toward her so she can see herself. Oooh! Pretty baby!

After more wrestling and blurry photos, Edith decided to take a more relaxed approach by lying down on my lap. I held the camera above her (hopefully just out of reach) and snapped away blindly. I love how these next photos show evidence of the fact that just about every time Edith hears someone say 'nose' or 'knows' she blows her schnoz with gusto. I've pretty much given up on trying to use a tissue to keep up with it.

That was close, but no cigar. The innocent look isn't going to work on me, young lady. This camera is mine!

So, Edith tries standing up again...

and lying down again...

and kneeling on my lap...

and lying down again. This is tiring stuff! There's no way you're going to succeed, Edith. Just so you know.

Woah! She got ahold of the strap. Let go, let gooooooo!

Nice grab, Edith. I can see you're still eyeing it, judging how to get your mitts on it again. You are. I can see it in your eyes.

Due to the above, and the fact that I don't think you're going to give up, I'm going to call it quits and declare myself the victor. 

Yeah, yeah. Whiner.

Friday Favorites

This week was kind of just the usual. Sort of. Nothing too exciting happened, anyway. Let's see...


1. We went for a nice walk/bike ride on Monday. I really enjoy strolling around the neighborhood with my family. 


2. We had parent/teacher conferences for Bud and Ginger this week. They are both doing really well-- I was especially pleased that Ginger has made an improvement in her scores. That kind of thing always makes me happy. Bud's teacher thanked us once again for 'letting Bud have the first grade experience'. It makes me laugh every time she says it, and now I guess we need to figure out what to do with him next year.


3. We have been having great, spring-like weather. Pair the great weather with early dismissal all week and it means the kids have been spending a lot of time outside. It makes me feel good when my kids are out doing fun, exercise-like things in the out of doors. Waaay better than sitting around like lumps inside. 


4. I spent a gazillion hours scrubbing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees yesterday. It really wasn't very clean when we moved in and all my mopping and general cleaning hasn't made much of a dent. So, it was finally time to roll my sleeves up and get down to business (and Edith is finally at an age where I thought I could more easily devote the time needed). Anyway, after 4+ hours my body is sore and my knees are bruised but I have a floor I feel much better about. It feels good to get things done (I just need to remind myself of that every time I don't want to do something).


5. Edith is so dang cute. I really am glad she decided to join the family. I love to watch her and enjoy her fabulously funny and strong personality. I think it's hilarious when she wags her finger at me and tells me what's what, but I sure hope she grows out of it by the time she's a little older. 


6. I have been enjoying mocha hot cocoa again this week. It's nice to have it back in the house.


That's really kind of it. Yeah, ho-hum. Sorry. 

Tiger Baby

Edith has inherited a love of big cats from her brother, Big. Whenever she sees a lion or a tiger (or even a leopard or jaguar), or hears someone say the words 'lion' or 'tiger', she starts to growl. The other day when I was taking her to go down for a nap we had this little 'conversation': 


Edith: (yawn)
Me: "What a tired baby you are!"
Edith: "Grrrrr!"
Me (with realization): "Oh! Mommy said 'tired baby' not 'tiger baby'. Edith isn't a tiger."


Edith then looked at me disappointedly. She was totally bummed.


Me (feeling guilty): "Really good pretending, though!"


It's true. Edith is a good pretender. I love to watch her play patty cake with her baby doll, pretend to feed her daddy out of her shoe, and drive a car across the floor, making vehicle noises as she goes. It's funny how, even though she's the 5th kid, watching Edith figure out the world around her and how it all works just doesn't get old.


It's fun to watch her discover things and find things she adores. Just this morning, Edith was hugging Mrs. Potato Head's teeny, plastic purses to her chest (so in love!) and then tried to figure out how to hook them over her shoulder to carry them around. She would set them on her shoulder, only to have them slide off and onto the ground. Over and over again before she gave up. So cute to watch.


Anyway, tonight I realized something-- if Big can have 30+ personalities/animals that he pretends to be, Edith most certainly can be a tiger baby! I'm going to tell her first thing in the morning. She'll be the cutest tiger baby around.


For photos of a very tired tiger baby, see below: