Good Looking Bunch

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits. Mycal's grandmother got these adorable ensembles.

Emmuska and Liberty call them their 'ladybug' dresses and both absolutely love them. Liberty was telling me yesterday that she couldn't wait to go to church so everybody could see her ballerina dance in her ladybug dress. Because having the right dress is the first step to spectacular dancing. (And yes I'm saying that in complete seriousness.)

And then you have Samuel in his little outfit. The vest and tie make totally make him absolutely irresistible. (Not that he needed any help with that...his dimples and blue eyes already affect most people's judgement when around him...)

Libster's Third

Praises be sung! Blogger is letting me upload photos tonight which means for your viewing pleasure we have pictures of Liberty's third birthday. It was a pretty exciting day for her. She and Emmuska played nicely pretty much all day (a miracle around here - they usually have some sort of falling out at least once a day...). We all went out in the afternoon to pick up some wrapping paper - where I gave each of the girls a few dollars each so they could buy each other presents. They had so much fun picking things out for each other (or rather for themselves then showing each other what they picked out at which time the other would decide the chosen item would be the one they purchased). We made pizza for dinner and chocolate cupcakes for dessert which we were able to share with Liberty's best friend Abby - something she may have been more excited about than anything else that day...she really loves spending time with Abby.

 Three candles in her princess cupcake (decorated with a dress-up ring to make it princess-y). It's hard to believe she's already three!

She really got into blowing out the candles on her cupcake this year.

Of course it may have taken a few tries but there where a lot of candles! ;) I love how her arms got in on the action to help give her the bodily momentum to finally vanquish those flames. (Actually I love just about everything about this picture from the smoke rising off the candle to her puffed out cheeks and closed eyes - it just has so much fun and happiness captured in it that it makes me smile every time I look at it.)

Finally present time!

You can't see it here but this box housed a doll from her Grandma and Grandpa - the second she got it out of the box she named it Dora and it has been pretty much everywhere Liberty has since she got it. She absolutely loves her 'Dora Baby'.

Which makes this stroller she also got very handy.

That is until Samuel notices it has wheels and is meant to be pushed around at which point he's convinced that it's really supposed to be his and a territory battle ensues. Fortunately generally fights over the stroller are dwindling.

Emmuska modeling her present from Liberty - dress up shoes. Emmuska loves princess dress up stuff so she was very excited about these shoes.

I was really excited about how well the day turned out. Liberty had a great day and loved everything she got - there weren't any meltdown and I managed to make pizza and cupcakes. That's what I call a fabulous day.

Nap Time

When it comes to nap time around our house this is usually what happens: I tell the girls that I have to go lay down with Samuel at which point I usually set up a show for them to watch but every now and then I tell them to just go in their room and play quietly (this is more likely to happen if they are already happily playing in their room). Then as I'm getting Samuel to sleep I will often drift off too and get a little nap of my own in. I'm a firm believer in naps and really love it when I'm able to get one. Well one day this little scenario played out where I had them playing in there rooms - only this time I completely crashed and instead of maintaining my barely-aware consciousness that I usually employ for nap times I slept hard. When I woke up an hour maybe and hour and half later the house was very quiet and still.  A little too quiet and still...Samuel was still asleep so I got up and started looking around for the girls. Because it was so quiet I assumed that they were outside in the backyard playing but when I looked out there they were nowhere to be found. This is when I started to have a little jump of panic in my heart. The thing is I have safety handles on all the doors leading to the front yard but Emmuska and Liberty are pretty clever and I'm never sure what they are going to figure out next. I pushed the panic aside and started looking through the house. It wasn't long before I found them sprawled out on Liberty's bed:

Okay maybe sprawled isn't the right word  for these particular sleep positions. Still there they were right where I asked them to stay. After enjoying the complete relief that this sight brought I enjoyed a couple hours of complete quiet, a pretty rare occurrence around here.

Big Bunny

When I was a kid - I'm guessing maybe four years old a neighbor gave us a few toys they were getting rid of one of which was a large stuffed rabbit. I can't remember all the details like why I got the rabbit but I did. Being the ever so imaginative young child I was I named it Big Bunny and played with it a lot especially as a means of transportation. Because she was bigger than all my other toys she quickly became my ride as I would straddle her back and hop around the house. Despite this level of high maintenance play she remains one of the few toys that has made it from my childhood into my adulthood into my children's toy box. So imagine my joy when I looked up from some task to see Liberty doing exactly what I used to do - taking Big Bunny for a ride.

Popsicles Part 1

So I was sitting there looking through my pictures for July and realized that while I had taken almost a hundred and fifty photos that month they are almost all of the kids eating popsicles - and the few that aren't of popsicles are of the kids playing outside. But they are mostly of popsicles.

And then as I sat there and looked at the pictures even though I have many (many) more of a similar nature I cannot bring myself to get rid of any and want to share them all with you because they were all so fun. What is it about popsicles that can possibly make them so amazing? They are frozen sticks of juice/colored sugar water yet they are the highlight of our days.

Even though the box comes with four to six flavors and they have eaten them all before they always have to share a couple of licks with each other - you know so everybody knows what everybody else's popsicle tastes like. Although I'm fairly certain that if anybody has managed to get a lick off of Samuel's popsicle they've done it on the sly because that boy is very serious about his popsicle. He doesn't really share his frozen piece of heaven. (He'll happily take care of yours though if you wave it too close to him)

Liberty is another story - generally she will happily share her popsicle and is often waving it in my face so that I can also sample the flavor. This generally drives me nuts as I really don't like things being waved in my face but especially don't like really sticky things being waved in my face. I don't like sticky things. And whenever she does this to help me keep things in perspective I just try to remember that at least she is sharing which is wonderful since she's at that age where she doesn't even like to share singing the songs in the car with other people.

But I digress. Shall we turn our attention again to how intent Samuel is on his popsicle. The girls will occasionally laugh or play around or chat with me while they eat their popsicles but Samuel is all business.

I've only seen this kid throw an outrageous temper tantrum over two things: the door being closed so he can't get outside where the girls are playing and somebody holding a popsicle when he is not. I honestly don't think I've finished a popsicle this summer because I'm a licker rather than a chomper so I'm still sucking away on my popsicle by the time Samuel gets done. When he looks up and see that I'm still blissfully eating a popsicle when his is all gone he goes crazy and starts crawling all over me with his sticky hands. As if that's not enough for my immediate surrender (it usually is - I'm telling you I really don't like sticky) he will usually break down into the most unbelievable mess of tears. And because I can't stand the sticky and to be honest the half eaten popsicle just doesn't seem worth all the tears so I give in and hand over my popsicle.

Woof Woof

As most of you know Emmuska loves pigs. I clearly remember the day she showed this preference - she was about 18 months old and we were in the toy section of a store allowing her to pick out one toy. She spied a pig and held onto it but I being the naive parent I was thought 'why would she want a pig?' and put it back in favor of some other animal.  Thankfully at some point I realized the error of my parenting ways (on this point at least) and stop trying to 'guide' her preferences. Nowadays there is definitely not a shortage of pigs in this house.

Maybe 9 to 12 months ago I had a feeling that Liberty had an animal preference as well and that it wasn't really anything we'd gotten so far. It's hard to explain beyond the fact that I knew she wanted a particular animal but wasn't/couldn't communicated what it was. Then one day as we were driving around she started talking about wolves and how much she loves them. I was a little surprised as it seemed a little bit random. We hadn't read any stories, watched shows or talked about wolves at all so where was it coming from? She continued to talk about wolves for the length of the drive and off and on when we got home. Then when she went to bed she said she wanted a wolf to go to sleep with.

Me: 'Ummm...okay...ummm...I don't have any wolves kiddo.'

She was pretty persistent that she needed a wolf to go to sleep. After a bit of bartering and begging she finally accepted the green Care Bear as an acceptable nighttime companion for the time being but I could tell that I was going to have to come up with a more long term solution.

A few days of this same routine went by until I finally got her on my lap to look at wolves on the computer. Sure enough she knew exactly what a wolf was and that was what she wanted in her life. So Mycal found a few different options and let her pick out which wolf she wanted. She religiously checked the mailbox everyday (sometimes a few times a day...) until it arrived.

It was exactly what she had been hoping for. When I asked what it's name was she informed that it is 'Woof Woof the Wolf' (the whole purple Care Bear thing happened after this - having that point of reference the wolf is pretty lucky it didn't get named 'grey' ;) Later when Mycal was talking to her about it he said it was a dog and she corrected him saying it wasn't a dog it was a wolf-dog. On a side note huskies qualify as looking wolfish enough to be called wolf-dogs as well which is a good thing because you just try finding a wolf in most stores you go into. (Seriously I've started looking since then and so far I've found one very small stuffed wolf some nice artsy things and four huskies - just not a lot to be found especially for a two and a half year old.) In a recent trip she found a husky wolf-dog in a store and added it to her burgeoning collection. She named it Woof Woof too. (Once again - it dodged the 'grey' bullet...) One of the greatest (and at times most exasperating) things about being a parent is watching your children express their opinions and preferences. It's especially rewarding with Liberty because she was so particular but unable to communicate exactly what she wanted for so long that being able to understand and fulfill wants and needs has been a huge relief and joy.

On Clubhouses

It seems as though clubhouses and children go together like me and food. The girls are constantly searching out and making their own little clubhouses. Said clubhouses usually entail a blanket draped over a chair and if they are lucky something else - adequate but only able to fit one person comfortably. So this spring there were a pretty fair number of fights over the fact that Emmuska would make a clubhouse to which Liberty would demand entrance, which demand was met with a flat no as there wasn't enough room, which refusal was met with an ignoring ear as Liberty tried to get in (because she wants to be in the cool clubhouse too) which would all result in a fight.  Finally in one of my moments of inspiration akin to the finger painting episode I said something to the effect that I would make a clubhouse big enough for both of them. (Yes I'm still working on seeking out help as regards this disorder of volunteering for insane projects...) Said clubhouse turned out like so:

Not too shabby eh? Actually it was a pretty nice clubhouse but quite naturally took a bit more work than I had anticipated (most of my 'brilliant' ideas do :D). In my head I saw me whipping this thing together and it just staying - wind and old cloths pins had different ideas.

Of course once the clubhouse was up it had to be decorated. Here Liberty seriously surveys the surroundings to best determine aesthetically pleasing blanket locations.

Yes. Right there will work just fine.

And there you have the interior of our well constructed and perfectly decorated clubhouse. Take a moment and note the snack 'table' on the bottom right corner of the picture. Because no clubhouse is complete without snacks.

Liberty - off to retrieve something else that the clubhouse needs to function properly.

Cheese sticks, apple sauce, graham crackers and yogurt. A veritable feast of clubhouse foods. - Time to dig in and fill those tummies left hungry from a days hard work.

I was pleased by how much the dogs enjoyed the clubhouse as well. It's always satisfying to see one's work appreciated by so many.

Of course the wind picked up so by the end of the day the clubhouse was once again in individual pieces waiting for our next attempt. Still it was a lot of fun and now we have a trampoline to aid in our clubhouse making. Next time we make one it will surely be a breeze. ;)

Baking Time

Those of you who know me pretty well know how much I love my baked goods. And since every now and then I get a little bee in my bonnet and decide to try making something myself only to have every store bought version ruined for life. (It's not my fault that stores just can't compare with most things I make on my own. It certainly doesn't make my life any easier.) I'm finding that in order to consume my little pieces of happiness I have to spend a little more time whipping them up in my humble kitchen. This is quite naturally an undertaking that thrills the girls to no end.

First because they love to help me in the kitchen. Just about anytime with any dish they love being able to do it with/for me. (I just need a more help friendly kitchen - more counter space and designated fold down step stools would be a good start...)

If there is a task to be completed they are always right there (and I do mean right there) to help. One of my favorite things to let them do is divvy up the batter into the cupcake tray. I have no idea why but for some reason this is the job I can let go of with the most ease and not be worried about the level of mess and mayhem that will ensue. (You should see me hover when it comes to cracking eggs...) Probably because they are pretty good at cleaning up all messes made when it comes to chocolate batter.

And really they are very focused and dedicated to doing the best job possible.

This made me laugh. Just before I was about to throw the cupcakes in the oven I looked down and noticed that maybe I should clean it up a little before that batter gets cooked on. Its fun to see which side I did compared to the side they took care of. It makes you wonder who really had more fun with this project.

Because when it really comes down to it - isn't this were all the fun in chocolate cupcakes comes from?

(Well after sprinkles that is...)

Emmuska's ability to lick a whisk clean is something I marvel at - how in the world does she get the inside so well? (Mind you it usually looks like more of it ends up on her face than in her tummy ;)

"All done filling the cupcake cups - we'll start cleaning up!"

Thanks girls - you make baking so much more fun. (Most times anyway) ;)

Budding Artists

It all started with a lot of sunshine and consequentially the need for sidewalk chalk. Unfortunately the store we were in only had one box of sidewalk chalk and as probably know I have two girls.  We might have been able to walk away with just the one box of sidewalk chalk had Liberty taken it off the shelf but Emmuska spied it first, plucked it off the shelf and dumped it in her basket. There was no explaining to Liberty that Emmuska had chalk and that she too would be able to use it (it's a complicated mix of past experience and her unique personality...) So rather than try to fight a battle I knew I wasn't going to win I let her be happy with what she pulled off the shelf and didn't insist that she put it back (you can think I'm too soft and I'd probably agree with you...)  So what was the mysterious product I allowed Liberty to purchase in lieu of sidewalk chalk? Drum roll please!

That's right - finger paint! Some days I'm fairly certain I'm a psychiatric evaluation short of being certifiably crazy. Seriously not sure what I was thinking when I agreed to this undertaking. I know I put some thought into this (notice the big purple shirt Liberty is wearing? Proof that I was indeed thinking ahead) as I did do it outside and had my camera ready to take pictures.  As it turns out it just wasn't ready enough.  The picture above is moments after Liberty dumped half of the orange container out while I was trying to get Emmuska's paint ready.

While I was trying to rescue the rest of the orange paint (simultaneously reaching for my camera in a mad effort to chronicle the proceedings) Samuel spied the large pile of paint and made a beeline for it.

But was distracted by the still open and half full container of paint. (Children seem to have an inner guide about what will be the biggest mess...)

Having rescued the container of orange paint I turned around to find that Samuel had happily reached his original goal...

And he was loving it. (By the way - don't let the whole bare skinned knees on a concrete surface fool you - this boy can move across, well any surface, with alacrity. When on a rough surface he does this by crawling on his hands and feet - bear crawl style - impressively fast. I'm thinking I should enter him in a race of some kind.)

And then he had to taste his masterpiece to make sure it was just right. Doesn't everybody?

Said masterpiece apparently required a lot of fancy foot work to complete given by how much paint ended up on them...

Meanwhile Liberty and Emmuska were very happily working on their masterpieces. One thing I would like to do differently about this activity next time (beside the whole orange all over incident...) would be to have an extra couple of hands to help with Samuel so I could focus more on doing this with Liberty - helping her perfect the art of covering one's hand and slapping them on paper. (Okay that doesn't sound as technical or requiring of instruction as it did in my head...)

Emmuska too was busy making her work of art - just the right amount of blue right now.

What's this?

Apparently her masterpiece is on Samuel's back. Naturally he's only too happy to oblige. (Generally we can end that sentence at He's happy - paint's a bonus.)

I can't really fault Emmuska's logic. Samuel makes a great canvas - a face like that can't help but add to the work.

However all this gave Liberty a bright idea...interestingly enough all the colors combined do a pretty good job of matching her shirt. We'll just assume she's really good at combining colors until they become the exact shade she needs.

According to the time stamp on my camera the entire event lasted less than twenty minutes.  I'm quite certain the cleanup took at least that long (baths all around!) But it was twenty minutes of fun.  And just maybe I learned enough from this time around to be better prepared for next time.