Going going gone

We've had a few fun things going on lately! The twins started a dance class at the rec center. We signed Mia up, too and decided we'd stop paying $47 bucks a month to put her in Pinell Dance Studio. The free class is just as good for a five-year-old...

Mia lost her first tooth-
...............Going............................going......................... gone!
She put it in her princess bag, so the tooth fairy had a great place to put a certificate and a little tooth fairy note, a sucker (which Mia specifically hoped for, so good thing the tooth fairy heard her, huh) and a "silver dollar."


And she also made her first fairy crown. Aunt Kiley gave us a fun idea book for Christmas, and we're having a hard time choosing which ones to do first- they're all so cute.


We also started on Mim's first science project. She wants to find out which sense is the best for telling foods apart between taste, smell and touch. Her bet is on taste.





If anyone would like to participate, she needs more test subjects this week!

Birth order

I heard that my grandma's motto about raising children was that we're simply supposed to work ourselves out of a job.
Zach and I can't help but notice how fast time is flying when we see how Mia ages five years whenever she dotes on her little brother. She's in such a hurry to be a good mommy.
Funny thing, I remember exactly how she feels. I remember more than one occasion when my mom had to remind me who the real parent of my sibings was, and so it's hard not to laugh as I watch Mia try to teach the twins how to do their dot-to-dots , and as she gives them "talking lessons."
"Say: MOOOmmy."
Two little voices repeat her.
The best is when she paraphrases something I tell the twins, and I know exactly how my mom must have felt dealing with a little echo voice. Good and bad, there's nothing like being the oldest, I tell 'ya.

I'm interested to see if the "middle child" role will affect the twins doubly or not at all, or what.

Here's the current youngest. I'm also interested to see if he ends up being the youngest, or if we decide we're crazy enough to do this again. ;)

You heard Mia say we should send this to Dad? He's been gone the last couple of weeks doing the last six of eleven interviews. The twelfth and very final one will be at OSU next month. We're collecting info on a bunch of states and a bunch of programs, so we can form a list that ranks our preferences. We'll find out where we've "matched" on St. Patrick's Day, it looks like. Luckily, there are good aspects to every program, so we know that wherever we're going next will be just fine. Meanwhile, I'm glad the interviewing part is over. I went from shoveling the walk to nursing the baby in .00006 seconds today. ;) We're so glad when Daddy comes home...