And last but not least...

My favorite little scarecrow:







Barry made this one and he did such a great job. I think maybe he should go in to business making costumes.

She represents the Lullaby League...

Ian's pictures

Ian got his preschool pictures back today and he was not very pleased. He told me "Don't you dare order these!" (Clearly being respectful is something we are still working on.)

"What? Why don't you want me to order these?" I asked.

"I look all creeped out. I don't like them. I look like a blockhead."

So let's not tell him I shared them with you, okay?

School pictures

Alexandria got her school pictures back today so I thought I would post them so all the Grammy's and Grandpas could see them. Please excuse the quality as the technology here is severely lacking and I had to use the poor man's scanner (otherwise known as taking a picture of a picture.) Annika should get hers back tomorrow.

Annika is smart. Mommy.... not so much.

Annika has been working on a project for school and has been famous people in history. She had to pick three and then after she researches them will choose one to dress as and she will give a speech as that character. She has chosen Amelia Earhart, Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keefe. To preface this little story, let me first say that I am not knowledgable about art in any way. My last art class was in elementary school and I don't think I paid that much attention even then. Anyway...

To encourage her evident interest in art,I decided to show her some artwork on the computer. We looked at some of VanGogh's work and then O'Keefes. I then pulled up some of Picasso's so she could see them.


I thought a 7 year old might find some of them a little strange or funny since they aren't all your typical portraits. I said "Annika,some of these are really different, huh?"
Her response?
"Actually Mommy, Picasso was a Cubist. That means he takes parts of the image and puts them in different places. That is why they look like that."

Oh. I knew that. Really.

Cooking, cleaning and Elf #1

Big news around here- everyone is well! We have been cooped up too long so this is really exciting. I did notice though it is amazing what you can get done when you don't leave the house. This weekend I made cookies, barbecued chicken for sandwiches for Karl, made bread, worked on the girls' costumes, wrote a paper, knitted and made unprecedented strides in my battle against the laundry. I also made a pot of beans, and discovered everyone in my family hates beans. Even Elizabeth, who will eat anything, did a full-body shiver after she took a bite and refused to eat any more.

I also got some cleaning done, and if I can brag on Annika for a minute I have to tell you how helpful she was. While I was picking up, I glanced over and noticed that Annika was cleaning right along beside me. Without even being asked she picked up toys and books, straightend the bookshelves, dusted, put shoes in the basket, etc. It was so sweet. She got so exasperated though because Elizabeth was messing up her hard work. She told me "Mommy, I just straightened those books on the bookshelf and look! Elizabeth just pulled them all off again." Poor thing, I know just how that feels!

Oh, and I have to tell Annika's big news. She got a part in the Christmas musical...oh pardon me the WINTER musical. She is going to be Elf #1 and I think she will make a perfect little elf. She has been working hard on her lines and I can't wait to see her on stage.

Halloween pictures

This is just our first batch,there will be more of the younger two later. Alexandria and Annika had their Girl Scouts Halloween party so they got to dress up tonight.





I think this is my new favorite picture:

Speaking of strange...

It's Saturday night at 11pm. Instead of sleeping, Annika is up in her room copying multiplication problems...for fun.

Is this strange?

I am pretty sure I have the only two year old who would follow her mommy around with a pair of nail clippers, crying and begging to have her nails cut.

Her nails are already short so I had to just pretend to clip them all for her so she would stop crying. Weird.

Caught in the act

I could hear Ian creeping around downstairs after he was supposed to be in bed. I was in my room and called out to him.

"Ian! You need to go back to bed."

No answer. I can hear him still wandering around.

"Ian. Go. To. Bed."

No answer, more scurrying.

"Ian! I can hear you!"

His answer? "Oh man! You should turn the t.v. up and your ears down."



Nope, that won't help you out bud. Moms can always hear everything.

Updates

You can probably tell from my last two posts what we have been up to around here. Dr. visits, coughing, sneezing etc. etc. We have been fortunate that all the illnesses have been pretty mild so far though- no flu for us (yet!) Three of the kids are on antibiotics so everyone should be feeling good soon. We have some fun things planned for next week so maybe we got all the illness out of the way so we can enjoy it. Monday the girls have their Girl Scouts Halloween party. I have been sewing like mad to get their costumes finished and I'm almost done. Wednesday I believe is the final rehearsal for the girls at church for a skit they are going to be in. Thursday is Ooey Gooey day at the learning center for Ian and Elizabeth. I don't know what it entails, but it sounds messy, so right up their alley! And of course Saturday is Halloween. I have no idea what we are going to do for Halloween, but darn it, the kids will look cute doing it. We are going with a Wizard of Oz theme. Alex is Dorothy, Annika is Glinda the good witch, Ian is the scarecrow and Elizabeth is a munchkin(specifically, of the Lullaby League variety, which is just my excuse to dress her in a tutu.)

I had Parent Teacher conferences for the big girls and they went well. I won't be obnoxious and go into detail about the nice things their teachers had to say (I have to save something for the Christmas newsletter after all......just kidding) but they are both doing well academically and are behaving themselves in school. One nice thing about their school is that each child can kind of go at their own pace in reading and math. They do some things as a group, of course, but break into smaller groups based on what the child is ready for. Some might be working on subtraction while others are doing addition, etc. Annika is this close to starting multiplication and she is just champing at the bit. She has to finish her subtraction by 20's and then she will be ready. Too bad she is way more interested in teaching herself multiplication than she is in practicing her subtraction.

Elizabeth had her developmental screening through Parents as Teachers and that went well too. I have noticed Elizabeth seems a little quieter than the others, so I was relieved to see she is right on track verbally for her age. I think she just seems quiet to me because the other three talk so much! It has been nice having some time alone with her while Ian is at pre-school because we can do what she wants to do without any interruptions or bossing from the big kids. She has discovered the dress-up trunk and loves trying on all the different clothes. Throughout the day I hear "Take this off, put this on" pretty much on repeat. She looks so cute in the princess costumes, tutus, Minnie Mouse costume and fairy dresses. I will have to get some pictures and put them on here.

Ian has missed all last week of preschool- he was sick and then the schools were closed Thursday and Friday. He is so ready to get back on Tuesday. The week before we got to go on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and that was so much fun. It was at the director's house. She lives on a farm and had a maze set up, a fire for s'mores, kettle corn and a hayride. Of course there were little pumpkins 'planted' in the corn fields for the kids to pick as well. Elizabeth was allowed to go too and she enjoyed it.

Well that is all the updates for now. I really am going to try to get better about writing. I know I keep saying that, but I really mean it this time, I promise!

Elizabeth- ear infection (L)

Tonsillitis, ear infections and croup...oh my!

This is not very interesting but I am trying to keep track of illnesses. Some seem to be recurring and I want to have a record of how often. This is what we are currently dealing with:

Alexandria- tonsillitis, double ear infection

Annika- tonsillitis

Ian- croup

Hmmm...

Annika is getting too smart. She was being kind of rude to Ian today so I tried to talk to her about it. This is how our conversation went:

Me: Annika, you need to be nice to your brother.

Annika: What? I am just treating him the way he treats us. He is mean to us so I am treating him the same way.

Me: Is that what we are supposed to do? Does God want us to treat people mean if they are mean to us? What does the Golden Rule say?

Annika: It says to treat others the way you want them to treat you. He treats us mean, so that must be how he wants others to treat him.

Either this purse is really big or Elizabeth is really tiny

Halloween fun

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Gotta love that boy

The other day I grabbed some clothes for Ian and told him to get dressed- just jeans and a blue henley striped shirt. And he said,

"Oh, I am SO not wearing that!"

"Why not?" I asked.

"That is an ugly shirt. It is too blue. Blue striped shirts are for gulls not boys."

What is it with my kids and things being "too blue"? I don't get it. He was also not liking the jacket I bought him. It was just a blue(whoops) lined hooded sweatshirt with a zipper. Apparently the color was okay (navy vs. blue/gray) but the lining was all wrong.

"Why did you buy that? I told you I hated it," he said.

"Well I didn't know you didn't like it but you are going to have to wear it because it is cool outside."

He grumbled but put it on.

"Maybe we could make it look cool and get some iron-on thing to put on the back of it" I suggested.

"Yeah!" he said, brightening, "Like a rainbow?"

"Hmmm...that's an idea."

"Oh I know!" Ian said. "We could put a heart on the back so you will remember that I love you!"

All together now...Awwwwwww.

And that story right there sums up Ian. He is equal parts grumpy old man and sweet little boy. He is stubborn and set in his ways and some days I lose count of how many times he has been in time out. But every morning he comes and crawls in our bed and snuggles right next to me and pops his fingers in his mouth and falls asleep. He stops what he is doing several times each day to come running over to give me a kiss and tell me he loves me. So we are working on the strong will but are thankful for the kind heart that goes along with it.