Shameless Cuteness

Notice Something Missing?

Jack lost his first tooth this morning. Sunday evening as we were driving home from choir, he told me he had a loose tooth. "The sixth one from this side!" he said. I was doubtful since he'd suspected loose teeth before, but sure enough, it was not only loose, but it was pretty wiggly. He worked it with his tongue all day yesterday, and first thing this morning, it came out, no blood, no tears, no mess.

It seems like just yesterday that tooth was brand new.

It's so tiny, it looks like it might be Alice's tooth.

He called his Nana and Papa and we went by to show Grandpa and Grandma. He told Grandpa that he was hoping the Tooth Fairy would leave him $100, but he was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen. So we know he didn't lose his brain, too.

Something I Just Realized

From time to time, I have heard different people say that their wood floors are so easy to take care of. Just now (3:00 is Swiffer time around here), I realized that a) they have a different standard of clean or b) they are witches and should be burned at the stake.

11 Things I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

1. Valentine's Day: We don't really do anything, but Jack got a new He-Man toy and Alice got a new puzzle. My mom made heart-shaped meatloaves with the kids' names on them.

2. Reading: I've actually completed two books lately, which is more than I've read in a long time. When Jack was a baby, I was able to read while he nursed. I read so much that I even read a book about doors in Colonial Williamsburg. That's a lot of reading. Alice wants to look at the book, too, though, so it doesn't work now.

3. Cooking: Now that we have another freezer, I'm trying to keep as many meals available as I can. This week I made Chicken Spaghetti. No recipe with Velveeta can be bad, and you know it.

4. Sick Kid: Jack has had a hard time shaking the bug we've all had. I finally took him to the doctor a couple of days ago. He tested negative for RSV and mono and finally has removed the bandaid from the finger prick.

5. Car Repair: I love my Corolla. I could drive one until I die and be happy. If my passenger headlight goes out again, though, you may see the results on the evening news. We've spent a lot of time at the car place lately.

6. Clothes: I have about four thousand items of clothing to prepare for the upcoming consignment sale. I want to cry when I think about it. I was going to participate in a sale at the end of the month, but after the tagging site lost my first round of tags, I decided to wait for the local one next month.

7. Watching Alice: She's not technically crawling yet, but she's quite mobile. This house is more than three times the size of the apartment we had when Jack was this age, so it is much more of a challenge than what I was used to. Also, Jack would wake up from a nap, cry, and wait for you to come get him. If you dash into the room at the first peep you hear from Alice, you'll find her sitting on the edge of the bed or dragging herself across it. She waits for no one.

8. Floors: Always with the floors. Always.

9. Learning: We finished up with bears and have just started learning about the body.

10, Cuddles: I'll just come on out and say it. This kid is spoiled rotten. She gets cuddled all the time. Where do you think she's napping while I type this? Certainly not upstairs. I can't run that fast.

11. Wasting Time Online: Jay found this site and I have been in tears over some of these lists. Warning: Don't read these at work or around your kids. Some are definitely not appropriate. And then your five year old will want to know why mommy closed the computer and put her head on the table and had tears running down her cheeks.

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday

And by the look on her face, I'd say this cat and I share the same feelings about floors.

I've Waited A Long Time For This

Expect to see Alice wearing this shirt a lot in the coming months. I've had to wait six years for her to wear it.

When I was pregnant with Jack, Jay was the only one who knew if we were having a boy or a girl. He went on a trip to San Diego and came back with a present for the baby. I pulled out a pair of boy jeans and was somewhat surprised that he would buy something for one sex when he knew I didn't want to know. I kept digging in the bag, though, and found this shirt.

After Jack was born, the shirt went into the storage boxes with all of the boy clothes, just in case the next baby was a girl. During the five years between the two kids, I thought of the shirt from time to time and wondered if I would ever get to put it on a baby. It's just so cute. And now I get to see it on a real baby.

Happy Birthday, Laura

Today is Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthday. She would be 143 today if a) I did my math right, and b) she were some kind of crazy anomaly. But she's not. She only made it to 90. A local library was having a birthday party for her, so we went. If you recall, we have read some of her books.

The kids worked on making butter.

We listened to some of her stories.

A fiddler played some of the same music Pa played in the books.

In one of the books, the girls get to make a necklace with some beads, so that was one of the centers they had set up.

Jack was very proud of his necklace.

The kids got to have snacks--gingerbread with the butter they made.

Working on a quilt square...

...and the finished design.

They also had a woman showing how to spin yarn. Jack got to help and take home a piece. He thought that was pretty cool.

So, it's still not our old library, but things are looking up a bit.

Eight Months

Alice was eight months old yesterday. Blogger won't let me delete this picture and try it again, but I assure you, she's cute enough to merit a tilt of the head.

She's trying so hard to be mobile, but our floors often work against her. She made it to her knees for the first time yesterday.

She's usually pretty good-natured, especially for how little sleep she gets.

She's been trying lots of new foods, but sometimes the spoons are more fun.

We've finally reached the point where she'll play on her own.

She'd rather be with Jack, though.

The bald spot is disappearing. She's growing so fast. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I wrote this Eight Months post.

One more, just because it was too cute to leave out.

Peek-a-boo!

I Give In

You win, Wednesdays. I will no longer attempt to do anything of importance when you come around. I will make sure we're fed and clothed, and that's it.

I should have learned two Wednesdays ago, when my eardrum burst, leaving me (still) deaf and in pain. Thanks for the reinforcement last Wednesday, when I dragged two children around town in the cold and rain looking for a generator.

And just in case I hadn't learned the lesson, you sent me copious amounts of snot from both children, insane fog, baby vomit, and keys locked in the car today when I needed to go get the oil changed. Shame on me. What was I thinking?

Now I'm going to check the calendar for next week's plans and make sure we're well prepared for whatever next Wednesday has in store.

A Little Homeschool Humor