Friday, July 31

So That's what Friends are for..

Free stuff!




Okay- I'm just kidding, I'm not just friends with Ally because she gave me free stuff. She's also super smart and creative and nice. So this post is dedicated to her new Etsy shop! I'm not sure what Etsy means, but her shop has the cutest baby blankets for $30. If I ever crocheted a baby blanket, I would have to sell it for much more, because miracles don't come at prices that low these days. So it kind of seems to me that it's a miracle store. And maybe that's what Etsy stands for. Ets y miracle.

Okay, sorry for the very corny post, Ally. I did my best.

Friday, July 10

Our Biggest Kid- up to date


We've been pretty entertained watching Mia soak up literacy with relative speed for her age. Now that reading isn't quite such a hurdle we're working on handwriting. In our efforts to keep from overwhelming her and having to backtrack again, we are taking smaller steps. When it looked like writing actual letters was frustrating for her, we switched to dot-to-dots. So. As promised, here is the picture of Mia and her first finished workbook with her long awaited award sticker carefully placed on her favorite shirt.

But I have to admit, observing her academic progress isn't nearly as entertaining as hearing her unique brand of "cleverness" that make us grateful her IQ is still as underdeveloped as she is.

Mia sits down to her snack: "Mmm! Bananas with peanut butter! That'll keep me busy for awhile!"

"Mim, that's not going to taste the same as when you put it in your V8."
She takes a drink after demanding to put salt in her juice, "Actually, that's delicious, blink, blink buuuuut, uh, I'm not thirsty anymore."

Wraps the measuring tape over one arm, around her torso and under her leg, looks very closely at the numbers and declares, "I am 25 degrees, exactly."

Stands next to our computer chair, "I'm so big mom. Look, I'm as tall as this chair! This is a big chair! I'm really big!"

"Please eat your meat too, Mim."
She takes a bite, realizes it's kind of hard to chew, and spits it back out. "I don't like it, Mom."
"Well, what if you hide it under your potatoes and carrots?" I say almost rhetorically- there's no way she'd ever go for th-
"Okay!"
Piles some potatoes on top and eats it.


Usually tricks like that only work once. But I had to try it again the next day when she announced she wouldn't eat her zucchini.
"Hey, Mim- why don't you close your eyes so you can't see it? I'll feed it to you, k?"
"Okay!"
Closes her eyes, opens wide, and eats every bite.

I'd always been a little cautious while adding water to her juice cup (doin' that half water, half juice thing.) My friend does the 50-50, too and was pouring juice for the kids- but started with the juice. Her daughter reached for it and she said "Wait, I still need to add the water." My ears perked up to hear what Mia would think. Did she know I always put water in her cup? Was this the end of our juice/water?
"It's okay Abby!" she piped up as her little friend grew impatient, "That way you get more!"

Everytime she sees landscapers on the job: "Look Mom! They're lawning today!"

Playing with the twins: "It sure is nice to have two sisters named Anya and one named Bree."

The best things in life



We have really lucked out this summer finding awesome things for the kids to do that don't cost anything! Today was a free kids concert at the Village Green park in Powell, right next to the coolest splash pad. Maybe we'll go back when it's not so crowded and I can get some photos. There's a man-made beach about 40 minutes away that we didn't know about until this year. The art museum decided (right after we bought our membership) to open free to the public for the summer. There are incredibly cute parties and storytimes at the libraries (the government is currently deciding how much funding to pull from them-grrrr.) And- I have to mention it again- our yard! (I thought I was grateful for it LAST summer- ha!)

And, when we got to the zoo last Wednesday, they told us to wait 15 minutes and they were going to start admitting for free. Their director just passed away suddenly, and we think that might have had something to do with it. So instead of spending 20+ bucks on admission, we did some fun things we have been passing up!











Also- rocks are free. Anya's fascination with rocks became apparent again while we were there. She can find rocks anywhere she goes and wants to carry them with her, sit on them, put them in her purse, or at the zoo- pat them reverently.





They have some fun inflatables on family nights over by the aquarium- a bounce house, a huge slide, and an obstacle course.

Mia waiting excitedly to freak herself out on the slide.

Check out the face! And she kept going again and again with the same happy anticipation in line and inevitable look of horror on the slide.

I had no idea Mia was so competitive. Her expression as she waits for the obstacle course volunteer to say "Ready, Set, Go!"

In the Zone


But all the free activities really don't do justice to that saying "The best things in life are free." I think MasterCard has coined the right term. The best things in life are priceless.

Sharing the stroller


All three giggling as they humor mommy who said "Give your sister a kiss!"