The Birthday Girl

K's birthday is tomorrow. She was just six months old when I started taking care of her. She was (and still is) a cutie...she looked just like the original Gerber baby. Fast forward to tomorrow...she's going to be three. The end of an era...I will no longer be able to talk about my five twos. Her birthday party will be on Sunday...Jaime and I found a sundress, sweater, and a pair of jelly sandals for her. Shopping for little girls is so much more fun than shopping for boys...sorry, Ty!

Speaking of birthday girls...
Happy Birthday, Nancy K!!!!

Going For Two in a Row

Today, all six of my kids were here. Typically, whenever I have all six, it's a pretty hectic day. Surprise...surprise...it was a relatively easy, quiet day. All of them took good naps...even B! All six will be here again tomorrow...do you think that two easy days in a row is possible? I hope so!

Raising a Few Eyebrows

When Tyler's really pleased with himself or is sharing a special moment with someone, he raises one eyebrow. It's very cute. This afternoon, after the other kids had gone, he and I were counting paper clips. (He was able to count five of them all by himself.) A couple of times, after counting, he looked up at me, grinned, and raised his right eyebrow. Cracks me up every time he does it!

Another work week...

has begun. Where do the weekends go? I can't believe that it's Monday already! At least we're having "balmy" (30 degree) weather. A quiet day here; we had our valentine party last week but still have the decorations up. Tyler and I never did decorate his cookies (too many goodies purchased at the fundraiser/bake sale). I have his cookies in my freezer...maybe we'll get it done sometime this week. Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's/Single's Awareness Day! : )

All By Himself

This morning, Tyler stayed in the church nursery without me...for the first time. (I had been hanging out with him in the nursery on Sunday mornings while Jaime and Aaron attended the services). He had a great time playing with the other kids and even said "Bye boys" when it was time to leave. A bittersweet moment; we all want him to be a happy, independent, self confident little person but, at the same time, are we really ready for that yet? Ready or not...I'm sure that this is just the first of many bittersweet moments ahead for all of us.

10 Things I Did Today

1) Went to KinderGym with Jaime and Tyler
2) Read Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? to Ty four times
3) Cleaned
4) Rescued Adam (he'd locked himself out of his house)
5) Took two boxes of "stuff" to the consignment shop
6) Shoveled snow and ice at the end of the driveway
7) Added power steering fluid to the Durango
8) Took chocolate chip pizzas to a fundraiser
9) Ate a pita for lunch; Chinese for dinner
10) Got almost caught up on the blog comments

E and K

A relatively quiet day here...just E, K, me, and Ed. The girls were able to entertain themselves for awhile, so I actually got some laundry and cleaning done. I even emptied a box (see box count). Both girls took two hour naps...what a treat for me! E decorated her valentine cookies. She gladly chose the sprinkle colors but wanted me to do all of the work. (I'd change my moniker from Farm Girl to Little Red Hen, but, at the end of this tale, she walked away with the food!)

Famous First Words

Yesterday:
After school, D and B's mom came to pick them up. D and her mom went into the bathroom (B stayed in the living room with me). K came around the corner and, thinking that their family had left, saw B and shrieked, "D forgot her baby!"

Today:
Me to D: "Happy Valentine's Day!"
D to me: "You're welcome."
(We had our party today, so the kids thought it was Valentine's Day.)

Ty took a three hour nap this afternoon, so we didn't have time to decorate his cookies. Maybe this weekend.

K's Turn

K's turn to decorate cookies...she wasn't really interested in frosting the cookies or even in decorating them. However, as soon as she discovered that the extra sprinkles fell off the cookies and into the bowl, she was all about that. When mom picked her up, her lips and fingers were bright red! Tomorrow...Ty's turn.

Valentine Cookies

On Sunday, I ordered heart shaped sugar cookies; the plan is to have the kids help me decorate them for their families. D was my "guinea pig" today. A good one to start with...she's a pro! Her mom, aunts, and Grandma have done a lot of baking with her...she knew how to frost the cookies and how to add the sprinkles. And, she only swiped her finger through the icing once. Tomorrow...K's turn.
Happy Birthday, Micah!

Beauty Shop

There's a time in our day (after naptime) that we play "Beauty Shop/Barber Shop". The girls and Ty often wake up with CRAZY hair. So, I pull out the hand mirror, combs, brushes, etc. and try to get the kids to let me comb through their hair. We usually have to make up some sort of game because no one seems to like this process, even though they all have ultrafine hair that is easy to comb through. Today I found myself making up a chasing game for Ty and D. They loved it, and their hair got combed. Win win!

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us! Everywhere I went today, that fact was apparent...from the little girl in the church nursery who was wearing a pink "This is my first Steelers shirt" to the kid bagging groceries at HyVee who declared today as the one and only "True Holiday for Men"! This was the day to hit the grocery store...free samples at the end of every aisle. I noticed that the pizza compartments of the store's freezers were almost empty. (Pizza must be the snack of choice for local fans!) I've been watching the game off and on...Derek and I sent a few texts back and forth; something we usually do whenever there's a big game on.

Amana Colonies...Live Theater

For those of you who are interested in live theater performances, I know that the Old Creamery Theater at the Amanas will be showcasing G.I. Jukebox next June. G.I. Jukebox is a musical comedy that depicts a 1940's USO Tour featuring big band, swing, and latin music. The Old Creamery has been around for years; I've seen many of their perfomances...all have been great! If anyone's interested in attending, there's a 3 PM matinee on Wednesday, June 22.

Self-Imposed Time out

This morning, there was a very small problem between Ty and B, so I called Ty over to talk to him.After our talk, he looked stricken, said "Time Out", walked over to the wall, and stood facing the wall (so close that his little nose was smushed). About ten seconds later, I said, "Time out's all done". He walked over to B, said, "Sorry, B" and then continued playing. Such a sweet, sensitive little guy!

Name That Tune

There's a(n) new old song that's become quite popular at my house. K often sings this song; Ty asks me to sing it...over and over again. A free Blizzard to anyone/everyone who can name that tune!. Here's the only hint that you're going to get...It's a Perry Como song. Good luck!

It's Hard to Believe...

1) how much snow we have (it is piled up everywhere)!
2) how messy the streets are (the snowplow hasn't been down my street yet)!
3) how cold it is (forecast for tonight is -15 degrees with a windchill of -30)!
4) how cold it feels in my house (even sitting on the couch covered with three blankets and the thermostat set at 70
5) how, even though I'm FREEZING, I've got a craving for a Blizzard (of the DQ varity)!

I'm a Fan

I'm a fan of blizzards. Both kinds. The kind that we're having right now for two reasons:
1) I don't have to drive out on the highway, and 2) I have the day off (actually, tomorrow will make two days off). I'm also a big fan of Dairy Queen Blizzards, my favorite being the Strawberry CheeseQuake. Ironically, the Waterloo Dairy Queens, closed for the "winter" months, are reopening this week. If you are in Iowa next June, I'll be happy to go to the DQ with you. If you're lucky, I might even treat you to a Blizzard (the Dairy Queen kind)! : )