Working, Standing, Sneaking, Pouting, Playing

So much updating to do...

Brian has been working mad overtime. He's running work for the shop now and brings the blueprints home to go over at night. I'm impressed. Really. Bri's come a long way since the flashcards he made in Philadelphia at the start of his apprenticeship.

Michael started as a temp for the shop yesterday. He'll be staying with us for a while as he gets settled in his new job and learns the area. We're happy to have him. Having a "guest" has given me some much needed motivation at home. I hope to get back on track with healthy meals and making use of our growing garden. The kids love having Uncle Michael here. I just wish they'd stop attacking him every time he sits on the couch!

As for the kids - when they aren't attacking Michael...

Noah is flying through milestones. He's so all over the house I've thought of sewing a dust swiffer (the washable kind) to the belly of one of his onesies and then "release" him on my floors - that way he can wipe up whatever dust bunnies he chooses not to eat. I am forever pulling Noah out of hard to reach places. He wedges himself into the smallest crawl spaces - behind furniture, under chairs, in corners, into closets, and under beds. He really needs whiskers or something - don't cats use their whiskers to determine if they can fit into tight spaces??? I remember learning that somewhere along the way. Of course, a baby with whiskers would look freakish, but not any worse than a baby with dust bunny "fur" on his belly. And, the little guy is pulling up to stand now. He is too funny because he pulls up on everything - like things that are on the same level he's on. Like a penny on the floor he'll try to pull up on. No, we don't keep pennies on the floor (choking hazard, we know, we know). Just imagine a baby with legs extended holding on with all his might to a toy six inches off the floor. Noah loves the crib side for his pull-ups the most. His big, blue eyes peek juuuust over the top of the rail looking for anyone who can set him back on his bottom so he can pull himself up again. It is a vicious cycle - and very adorable...even the fourth time around.

Jack is still my baby boy. He'll let you know if you ask him - "I is Dada's big boy and Mama's baaaaaby." He's remained cuddly even with the arrival of his brother and entering the terrible twos. Honestly, Jack is pretty relaxed as a kid so the twos - half way through - haven't been all that terrible. I'm trying to get Jack interested in the potty but he's insulted that I would even suggest he leave anything behind in the toilet. I'll have to get some pictures of Jack's amazing facial expressions. He has the best pouting lower lip. You could trip over the thing as Jack pops it out! - usually when he hears an unwanted "no" aimed his way. Our neighbor has a flower garden in her front yard with an ornamental watering can. Well, Jack is just beside himself with the need to touch this can and surrounding flowers. After Brian had chased him out of the neighboring yard several times one afternoon, Jack wandered back by the flowers just as our super nice neighbor was outside. She gave Jack a gentle "no, no, honey" motioning to her flowers. His big, blue eyes got all heavy with the start of tears, his little shoulders drooped and out came that pouting lip. Poor thing! He's such a good boy. Not terrible at all.

Sophia has shot up another three feet. Well, not really, but she has grown a lot taller this Spring. She's no longer chubby cheeks and baby fat - but is now a full on little girl. Soph is still all about the color pink. Her hair has grown out in the form of little blond ringlets - perfect for any professing princess. And, speaking of royalty, Sophia is the queen of fits at this age, or at least she tries to be. She throws her fists down to her sides with great energy - they stop just short of her knees as her face scrunches up with a "But, Maaaamaaaa!" squealed in an extremely high pitch voice that one would doubt could be human. And, usually her following statement is, "I don't want to (fill in the blank)". She's at the perfect age to use reverse psychology but since we don't want to mess with her little mind, we stick to the old fashion rules of doing what Mama and Dada say. Period. Soph is still a faithful napper though we just finished a phase of having to put up a baby gate at her bedroom door for nap time. I found her several times sneaking (and I mean, quiet as a mouse) out of her room to get into lotions in the bathroom. Every princess needs well conditioned skin, ya' know. The gate came out after she squirted a full bottle of bubble bath onto her closet floor. Ever try to clean up bubble bath from a wood floor? The bubble fun just never ends...not...ever. And, with all Sophia's grown up girl ways, she still pops her finger in her mouth and sucks away when she's tired. One hand at her mouth and one hand twirling a blond ringlet - just like she did as a baby.

Isaac just completed his first soccer season. He started out more interested in pulling up clover in the grass than the ball but with his last game this morning it was obvious he has made a lot of progress as a professional pre-school soccer athlete. As the ball was being thrown in from the sidelines Isaac was hit square in the head - he was only a couple feet from the six-year-old tossing the ball in so his head provided a target for the six-year-old. His coach (the beloved "Coach Steve") immediately convinced Isaac that he was the first kid in any of our games to "take a header". Wow! Isaac liked that idea and gave his coach two high fives (all caught on film...or digital memory stick, rather). Isaac is the best natured kid I know. Maybe I'm a little bias - a little. He plays hard and laughs a lot, always cheering on his team. "I kick the ball right down to the goal and let my teammate kick in it because I like to be nice." Yes, he's nice...and the fact that the older and bigger kids are able to reach the goal faster than he can helps him "be nice" I'm sure. His team plays again in the Fall - we aren't sure if we should keep him back so he isn't the smallest kid on the team next time or if we should keep him with his buddies and the all important Coach Steve. Ooooor, if we will even do soccer in the Fall. For now, we have summer to look forward to. And, Isaac, being like his father, wants to be outside every waking moment. He's a master on his scooter - impressing even neighbors with ornamental watering cans - and has many bumps and bruises on his legs to show for his mastering the razor scooter. He'll be starting kindergarten in the Fall and we can't believe our first baby is so big already. Where does the time go?

Speaking of time - this post took quite a bit of it. I should be doing something more productive...like hiding clutter from Michael or getting on to Sophia for having her finger in her mouth again.

One day I'll update on ME - for now, I'm doing the same thing as usual - diapers, dishes, laundry, and picking up toys - aaaand the occasional home cooked meal to keep Brian happy.