Around Your Elbow

Today Eve wanted to wear swim goggles. Why not? I helped her put them on. Now she keeps getting frustrated because they're so hard to get off. Of course they're hard to get off when she first sticks her arms through, then pulls them down to her waist, then her ankles, then steps out. Silly girl. There's not a bone in her body that even whispers urgency. My mom laughs about it constantly. Apparently she takes after me :)

Also, I'm not sure what's going on with John's tummy. Really I think he's just being funny. The other day he thought popcorn was going to explode out of it. I asked if he had gas and he laughed and said no. A few days later he said he tummy was asleep. I asked how he knew. He said he could feel it snoring. Again, I asked if he had gas, again he laughed and said no. Hmmm. We may never know what's going on in those silly little heads, but I wish we could!

Last night we watched our Christmas video from the past 2 years. It's a compilation of clips and pictures getting ready for Christmas (decorating the tree, etc.) put to music. WOW! I never thought I'd be so sentimental and nostalgic! Buck asked if I cried...No, but I came close. They seemed so big at the time, but seem so little looking back a year or two! Afterward we watched Charlie Brown's Christmas. We watched it last year, but I'm not sure John remembered it. This year, something clicked with him and he got a lot of the humor. He was belly laughing and Buck and I enjoyed that infinitely more than the show itself. I wish I could've just grabbed it and kept it in a jar. It was so fun.

What Have We Been Up To?

I have so many pictures, so many activities...so many things to do before we leave for Wisconsin for Christmas. Hopefully I'll get to add more to each of these later and post pictures and such, but to at least jog my memory and record some traditions (or traditions in the making), here's what we've been up to...
We went to a tree farm with some good friends and cut our own tree. This year it was drizzling, so we made it a quick trip. Santa was there! John and Eve both sat with him. Eve needed a little encouraging, but John knew exactly how to handle it like a professional. John asked for a race track that goes this way, and then curves this way, and then that way, and then around...(you get the picture). Eve asked for Cars and something else (I'll have to review the video), but we all know she's obsessed with Ariel right now. No hay ride this year, bummer. We did have hot chocolate, though, and again this year Eve rode home with no pants as a result.
We had fun decorating the house. John especially has enjoyed it and has asked nearly every day if we can decorate some more.
We made our own Christmas shirts. Last year we made reindeer with foot and hand prints. This year we made Christmas trees with our hands and stars on the tops with our thumbs. It's lots of fun!
We drove through Journey to the Manger at Simpsonville UMC. When John was a baby we participated and got enjoy the warmth of the stable. I'm afraid nobody participating this year enjoyed warmth of any kind, but we are so thankful to them for sharing every year and braving the elements to give us such a wonderful glimpse of Bethlehem.
We went to the Children's Museum. Not a tradition, but it was lots of fun and will hopefully deserve its own post when I get around to it.
John got sick...hopefully not a new tradition. Since he was sick and it's been really cold outside, it gave us a great opportunity to watch lots of Christmas cartoons and make Christmas cookies. Lots of messy fun!
Since we made Christmas cookies, we got to decorate, eat, and share them. Lots of messy fun!
Tonight we had a "Christmas Party" (glorified play date). With Buck out of town, I wasn't brave enough for a kids only party like last year, but we made snow globes, decorated cookies, and enjoyed pizza together. Lots of messy fun!
We also decorated Christmas cookies at John's school today. Eve was very excited to get to go into his class and participate. John missed his Christmas program this year because it was when he was sick, but we watched from the balcony. Friday is his school Christmas party, then we hope to catch a carriage ride in Fountain Inn and have a bit of an early Christmas at home.
I suspect we'll have a white Christmas this year in WI. Apparently wind chills were -20 yesterday...Farenheit...YIKES!

Missing Daddy

Monday we dropped Buck off at the airport. Eve thinks he's still there no matter how many times I tell her that he flew to Cleveland for work. John understands that he's out of town. In fact, he misses him so much that he wails "I miss Daddy" over an over while pitching fits (if I'm the one away it's "I miss Mommy!"...nice try, buddy). I'm not so callous to think he doesn't miss him. I just know he's really upset about not being able to watch fun TV (or whatever the consequence). What made us all laugh, though, was when we talked to him last night. We were at Mom's and called in the evening for the first time since he left. Eve talked about princesses and Rudolph and who knows what else. John started with "Hi Daddy. I hope you miss me." Sometime after the laughter subsided he said "I miss you too, Daddy."

Give Thanks

Time to catch up with Thanksgiving pictures! Just looking through these pictures (limited as they are), it's so obvious to me how true the wreath is. So much to be thankful for, particularly faith family and friends. As long as I can remember, my dad's side of the family has gotten together. In fact, this gathering predates me. I look forward to it every year. As far as family gatherings go, this is our Christmas. Such a fun and loving group, I wouldn't trade one Thanksgiving for the world. My grandmother has put so much effort and love into planning it year after year and has built a tradition and legacy that is WAY bigger than this blog, so I won't even try. I should've taken a lot more pictures, but I missed a lot of the fun (turkey tree, chinese auction, poker challenge, etc.). This year we gathered in Highlands, NC. The roads were windy (a bit too windy for John on the way home, but let's not focus on that). The views were breathtaking (again, should've taken pictures). The fun was crazy.

Eve and Buck. You can't tell how steep the driveway is, but it was steep enough for John to know walking all the way down meant walking all the way back up, which he didn't find to be such a great idea. Also, it was FREEZING!

We all pitched in for the meal. Ellie too!

Eve washed the dishes...and did a mighty fine job.

This is my cousin Jay's wife, Cara. We love that she joined the family...even more so at dinner time.

Buck fried a Turkey. Once you've had one fried, you'll never stick one in the oven again!

Trevor, Ryan, Julie, Kasey, and Brian. Thanks for smiling, Kasey!

G.G. finally got to meet Ellie. They really hit it off. She loves Ponyboy, and so far as I know, G.G. is where ponyboy comes from.

There's a story here. My uncle John always carves the turkey. Unfortunately, shortly before Thanksgiving he carved his finger instead, landed himself in the hospital, and got out just before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately he didn't get to make the trip. He was sorely missed, but Jay was ready to take on the task. I think watching this while our kids were running around was the "holy cow!" moment I had realizing that at one point we were those kids running around and Uncle John was a young dad carving the turkey (Jay isn't a dad, but you get the point)...weird!

I'm so glad I captured this. We were getting ready to head to downtown Highlands to go shopping. G.G. sat down with John to start him on a craft and show him how to make an origami box. Two huge things (although there are many) that make Grandma who she is in my eyes are the time she spends sharing crafts with kids and her origami. She and John had a special one-on-one time doing both, which was very cool. I think they both enjoyed it a lot.

My cousin, Kyle, is a Marine in Afghanistan right now. We made a video of 3-word tributes to him. Some serious, some funny. The lovely PBR goblet was won in the Chinese auction (actually Buck coerced John into taking it from someone).

On the last day there, we took a freezing hike about .1 miles into the woods. Needless to say, it was followed by hot chocolate. Thankfully Mom was willing to keep Ellie back at the house.

There was an island in site with no path leading to it or clear way to reach it. John decided he wanted to go to it, and proceeded to forge his own path. Trevor was equally adventurous and helped John find a way. Two boys, freezing cold water and a log to cross...I think we all know where this is going.

Going to the island, of course! I was so proud of John. He set his mind on it, and he did it. He didn't freak out crossing the log, which was covered in branches. He didn't even freak out that he didn't really know Trevor. He just did it. I'm proud of Trevor, too, for stepping up and managing to get John across the log...dry!

Yay!

John wrote his name in the sand and named the island "John's Island".
On the way back they both almost fell in and John emerged with wet shoes and one wet leg up to the knee, but he didn't even care. He was so pround!

Nap time was a little crazy...trying to get everyone to sleep in the same room. Finally Eve crashed like this. Shades on and hairbrush by her side. This is my diva in the making.

In the end, we are all so thankful for so many things, but we must always pause to remember to whom we give thanks. Clearly, our blessings abound and we must give credit where credit is due. God is a great God!

They're Growing Up!

I have a lot to catch up on with Thanksgiving in the history books (a fabulous one, at that) and Christmas in the making, but with Christmas in the making that'll have to wait a bit...busy busy busy. Anyway, I can't let these things go without reporting.
My babies are all growing up!
John has officially made the move to a booster seat! At first he couldn't buckle and unbuckle the belt. I told him if he didn't learn we'd have to put the carseat back in since I can't reach to the center of the back seat. Amazing...literally seconds later he had it down. He now loves being able to completely buckle and unbuckle himself, and has learned to open and close the sliding doors as well. On top of that, he's been helping out a lot. He has LOVED decorating for Christmas. The other day he asked if he could walk in the grocery store instead of ride in the cart. I reluctantly gave it a try and he stayed with me, obeyed, and helped the entire time...well almost the entire time. I was so proud of him. Also, we got Christmas cards in the mail for shipping. He made it his project to stuff, seal, and put the stamps on! He was so intent on finishing his task and didn't want me to finish for him even though it was taking quite a while. He did so well and was so dedicated to it. So, if you get a card and the stamp is in the wrong corner, that's why, but there really are only 2 or 3. Oh, and over Thanksgiving he sat for at least an hour working on a 100-piece puzzle! He had a little help, but that's an amazing amount of time to sit and work on something!
Ellie finally decided that eating solids was a good idea about 2 weeks ago. Now I can't keep up with her! She eats so much! She still makes funny faces, but is crazy over sweet potatoes. She even saw some on my plate the other day right after she had eaten and started fussing until I got some for her. When she saw me pull some out of the fridge she gave a crafty smile to say "I got what I wanted!". Also, the day John walked through the grocery store, she had her first trip sitting in the race car cart. I was a bit worried because she still falls after sitting a while, but she did pretty well. Oh, and she's not on her hands and knees yet, but she's managing to spin around on the floor and scoot a bit while I'm not watching. Something tells me chaos is about to visit Buckingham Palace (as if it's not already here :) )

They Make Me Laugh

Lately the kids have been driving me crazy (maybe it's worse coupled with the stressful anticipation of a crazy holiday season), but at the same time, they keep me laughing pretty hard.
Ellie has moved on from raspberries to smacking her lips and making a grunting sound that makes me scared she's choking if I don't see it. She also has amazing go-go-gadget octopus arms. When she starts crawling, we're in trouble. That's not so funny, but John and Eve sure are.
Last night we were at church. There is a 2 story slide in the children's building. After we picked them up from their classes, we let them play a bit. Eve came down the slide and walked up to the glass wall between us watching and where the slide is. She planted her hands shoulder-width apart on the glass, leaned in, stuck out her tongue, and like a pair of windshield wipers licked the window back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth while we all crossed our legs and laughed hysterically. On the way home she was singing Old McDonald (because that's where she wanted to eat). It goes something like this, "Old McDonald had a farm e-i-e-i-o. And on his farm...Come on, guys!...and on his farm he had a duck and a bunny and a elephant and a dog and a lion and a farmer..." She kept yelling "Come on, guys!" (unfortunately I can't record her tone - kind of like her Daddy's tone in traffic), I think to get us singing with her, but we were laughing too hard.
Today at church John and Eve were playing in a side room while Buck was practicing guitar for the 5th and 6th grade ministry. The leader of the student group looked in the window of the door, started laughing, and motioned for me to come over. Needless to say I was concerned, not having any idea what they were up to (it's an empty room with a ball in it, so they don't require constant supervision...at least I didn't think). I looked in to see John with his shirt off, helping Eve get her dress, which was stuck around her head, off. You see, they have this new game where they take their shirts off and hit each other with them. It's a fairly harmless way for them to get rid of some energy. I hesitate to share the name of it, but in the interest of embarrasing them one day, they call it "Bang me". We've gotten a lot of good jokes out of it. I had a good little talk with them telling them "when you're at church you've got to keep your clothes on." "Why?" they asked. I have to admit, I was at a bit of a loss. I suppose we need a few lessons in modesty. Maybe it's so we have pockets. Eve always notices that she doesn't have pockets in her pajamas. She says in a concerned tone, "I don't have pockets, Mama. What we gonna do?" That's it. Now I know why we have to wear clothes at church. They sure do keep me on my toes!

My Little Buddy

Sometimes I think John is just so old for his age. We're still making the transition from daylight savings to standard time. I never am actually able to completely transition. So, John was up at 6:30. He's been waking up and sometimes heading downstairs, feeding the dogs without anyone asking, then just sitting on the couch quietly relaxing. No toys, no books, no TV, just sitting. I wonder what goes through his head. I think maybe he's just still sleepy. Anyway, yesterday I got up and went downstairs to sit with him. We just snuggled on the couch under a blanket and talked. Eventually he asked if we could have breakfast, so I fixed breakfast and we just talked some more. It was such a special time for me! He seems to really appreciate one-on-one time, no matter what the activity is. I think he's just a really relational person and functions best one-on-one. So I treasure that time as well. Later, after nap time, he was up before Eve and Ellie. At first I was going to ask him to play his game quietly so I could get things done, but instead I pulled out a new Toy Story War game (cards with numbers 1-9) and we played. We had so much fun! We worked on identifying numbers, which is greater, and good sportsmanship. AND we had a great time together. I love my little buddy and special times like this that we get to spend together.

Eve's First Haircut

Today Eve got her first haircut! Nearly 2 1/2 years old. It was really a judgement call, because cut or no cut it's crazy, but I just figured we should get it cleaned up a bit. Miss Heather cut it and Eve did great. I'm glad I remembered at the last minute to borrow a camera! Does this chick have spunk or what? I'm sure I wrote about us jokingly calling her Spicy Ann before she was born, and Grandma Bucky kept getting it wrong and calling her Sassy Ann. Either way, I think she may have heard us :) (in her defense, it actually was raining today)

As long as she had candy, she did exactly as she was told and sat still.

A little high five from John for encouragement. As you can see, they missed.

Cheese! All done! Unfortunately starbursts make you look like Popeye. Heather just trimmed a bit off the back to straighten it out. The sides and front are still very fine baby hair so we just left them as-is. She even got the back curled under with a curling iron...how fancy!

John has had plenty of haircuts. I've done the last several, but he always asks me if we can just get Miss Heather to do it. While she was cutting it I took Eve to the bathroom, and John took the opportunity to tattle on me and tell Miss Heather I cut his ear once (probably almost a year ago!). We both thought this mohawk was funny.

Never a Dull Moment!

The camera may be broken, but life goes on in Buckingham Palace! Ellie recently reached the 6 month mark! I blinked, and here we are! Since we have no camera, once again her bear picture will be late, but I'll certainly take one. At her doctor's appointment she did great. The doctor asked if she was rolling over and I had to confess I don't know! She doesn't have much time on the floor and is happier sitting up, so she hasn't had much of a chance to show her stuff. Also, when she's in a different place than when I left her, I never know if she's moved or been moved. She's definitely sitting quite well, which kind of surprised the doctor, so he's certainly not worried about her motor development. She sits for quite a while on her own. Sometime she still loses her balance, particularly when she's excited, so I still put pillows around her (not for support but to cushion her fall). She loves being able to see things better and play while sitting. She also loves to sit in the bumbo chair on the table and watch us eat. Sitting and smiling are her favorite things, closely followed by grabbing things and putting EVERYTHING except actual food in her mouth. She still makes awful faces when I try to give her food, but her thighs show she's not missing out on anything. She has such a sweet and happy disposition. She is such a treat! She weighed 16 lb 12.6 oz (66 percentile) and measured 25 3/4 in (50 percentile). Her head is 16 3/4 in (53 percentile). She's quickly growing out of 3-6 mo clothes and headed toward size 3 diapers once this pack runs out. She still has the sweetest smile and makes everyone that sees her return it.
Eve is potty training! We've been working on it for about a week now...I think exactly a week today. We've been very laid back about it and she's doing great! It's been tough for me with everything going on. We can't just take a few days to stay home and work on it all day. Lots of running around to do and other kids to appease during the day, but still she's doing great. I haven't been brave enough to put her in big girl underwear while we're out yet, but she's done better in those than in pull-ups. Candy is a great motivator (and John gets candy for encouraging her) as well as the princess panties we got for her. She's constantly reviewing the princesses names, but refers to them by the color they're wearing or the color of their hair. "Who's the green on?" "Tiana" "Who's the brown one?" "Belle", etc. I've answered each about a bazillion times since we've gotten them. Don't get me wrong, she still loves Ironman, but princesses have also become quite important. This impressive thing about her progress is that she wants "pricacy" and does everything on her own beginning to end as long as there's a stool. I'm really quite impressed.
On a random note, I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but Eve is constantly making lists. Telling me about her pacifiers (chupas), "I have a pink one, and an orange one, and a pink one, and a yellow one, and an orange one, and a pink one, and a yellow one, and an orange one...". She only has 3. Or, "I'm going, and Ellie, and John, and you, and Daddy, and Eve, and John, and Daddy, and Ellie, and Eve, and not Aunt Michelle, and John...". Between that and her constant singing, which is sweet because it's often songs from church (over and over and over) car rides can become quite exhausting. Sweet, but exhausting.
John is becoming very independent. He now prides himself on doing things before we ask, like feeding the dogs or getting himself dressed. That has been AWESOME! He's learning so much in school. He's also started giving lots of compliments, which is so sweet.
As tiring as these kids can be in the moment, I just can't get enough of them. They are so sweet, so entertaining, and so loving. They're a blast, a hoot, and a HUGE blessing! And so darn cute! I'm so proud of them on so many different levels.

Halloween Pictures

Since our camera broke early in the evening, our neighbor was kind enough to snap a few shots while we were trick-or-treating. Last year John had an accident in his costume before we left, so he ended up in too small pajamas and rain boots. This year Eve spilled some juice and wanted to change and here's how she ended up...She's a mess! She pitched a fit when I tried to take off her princess dress that night. Since the exposure to princesses, she's become obsessed!

Of course I think they're the cutest trick-or-treaters EVER!

Happy Halloweenie!!

To start Halloween weekend, Buck ran the Spinx Marathon in downtown Greenville. His finish time was around 4:12! I was so proud of him. Ellie and I had fun chasing him here and there (and missing him a few places because he was too fast for us). John and Eve enjoyed cheering from Grandma's house.

The finish was around the Greenville Drive baseball stadium

Way to go!

Now to Halloween...

We went to a Halloween party while Michelle was in town. We were the Wonder Twins! After going through 2.5 rolls of purple duct tape, when we didn't win the costume contest, I felt robbed. We sure had a great time, though.

Michelle dressed as a deviled egg. She put the wig on and said "Hi" to Eve, and I'm pretty sure Eve didn't get anywhere near her for the rest of the night!

On the actual day, we hosted our 6th annual Halloweenie. We stole the idea from my Uncle John and Aunt Mimi (who served over 750 dogs this year!). Mom was a huge help, and we couldn't have done it without her. We served 236 hotdogs, by far a record. We had a line almost the entire time until we ran out around 7:30 or 8. Unfortunately the camera suffered a Halloweenie mishap, so we only got a few pictures from the beginning of the evening, but hopefully a friend will email some soon from later in the night. In the spirit of the celebration, we pulled out our Ketchup and Mustard costumes again, and Ellie was the cutest weenie ever! John was Optimus Prime and Eve was Bumblebee (both transformers)...at least that's how she started. She spilled juice on her costume and decided to change into her princess dress, but keep the mask and rain boots.

John had a blast. He was just not too keen on getting his picture taken.

The kids enjoyed thier hotdogs, then spent the rest of the evening playing with all the other kids in the cul-de-sac and mooching off the neighbors' candy jars. Every time I looked at Eve she was stuffing in another piece of candy. John was such a helper and tried to offer people candy and help them with their drinks for a while.

I am Optimus Prime!

We trick-or-treated later in the evening. John was hard to slow down. Eve was walking the pace of molasses (as usual). We had rehearsed what to say, and when we finally got to the first house, she did great. John even added "Have a Happy Halloween" all on his own. After than, Eve immediately said "let's do another house" and picked up the pace considerably. It only takes one when candy is involved.

To be continued...hopefully

We Love Aunt Michelle!

We love when Aunt Michelle has a conference East of the Mississippi because she comes to visit. She's lots of fun and takes great pictures. She just never stays long enough. She came a few weekends ago. We crammed in as much as we could, and we were all sad to see her go. The night before she left we had a campfire and the kids stood on the porch screaming into the dark at her "we love you Aunt Michelle!". It was so sweet. Here are pictures in completely random order since the blog won't let me rearrange...Hello, Dahling! (don't worry, they're clip-ons, and clearly don't hurt)

Sweet snuggles on a lazy Saturday morning

What's New

Everyone is growing and learning (and saying) new things.
John is really learning a lot about his letters. I'm impressed at how well he's picking up the concepts of sounding things out and writing his letters, even the ones they haven't reviewed yet. He really seems to be doing well in school. Our friends have a daughter, Lauren, that is in his class. Apparently they're quite a pair. She likes to play superheroes and transformers with John and his buddies, and even put her neck on the line with the teacher the other day protecting one of John's toys while he was working on a lesson with the teacher. He seems to enjoy spending time with her, but I think he's really more interested in playing with the boys. He's learning and saying a lot of new things like "that's a girl toy" that I'm constantly asking "where did that come from?" and trying to keep in check. I know it's only going to get more difficult. He is also getting crafty and creative with his tattling. His new method is "I hope Eve finishes doing ____ before you get in here." I just have to laugh. He is definitely blessed with a gift of sympathy, well sometimes. Whenever someone is feeling bad or he hears something bad has happened, he always says he's sorry you're not feeling well, or whatever the problem is. It's very sweet.
Eve is starting to express her feminine side more. Maybe if we'd given her more of a chance she would've found it earlier. She still enjoys the superheroes, transformers, trains, etc. but I've noticed a growing interest in princess apparel and girlie toys. I took her to Target to pass the time while the car was in the shop. Usually John is with us so we go straight to the transformer aisle (they love to just look and dream, and we walk out empty handed). John was in school, though, so we looked at the shoes first and she pointed at a pair of boots and said "that's cute!". We then went down the aisle of girl toys and she made a pretend cake for me with a standing mixer. Unfortunately since John has just entered the phase where he wants everything he sees, I realized during this particular trip that she's an early bloomer to that phase. She copies well. Still, the day before Halloween she was running around in her Bumblebee (transformer) costume making robot fighting sounds, and when she paused at the end of the driveway and I asked what she was doing, she proudly responded "picking my nose". At least she's not all princess.
Ellie mostly enjoys grabbing at everything and trying to put it in her mouth (except food, for some reason). She's particularly fond of jewelry, and I blame this on my girlie neighbor (to whom I also attribute Eve's shoe fettish). She and I have also been working on life skills such as rolling over, sitting, and making fart noises. Unfortunately she's not on the floor often, so she doesn't have much opportunity to work on rolling over, and I never know if she's done it or if John or Eve have moved her. I think she can go either way if she puts her mind to it, but she doesn't often try. As far as sitting, I definitely wouldn't leave her even for a second, but I've seen her do a good minute or so with only a few practice sessions. As far as the fart noises (raspberries, of course), she practices them all the time and is quite good. I don't remember John or Eve putting so much effort into their technique.

Pumpkin Patch

Look at what's growing in the Buckingham Pumpkin Patch...and Blue Ribbon pumpkins from years past...2006 - John

2008 - Eve

And our newest pumpkin - 2010 - Ellie