Lotso Fun with New Stuff

The kids have been having a lot of fun the past few days playing with all of their new games and toys from the holidays. We rotate rooms and activities throughout the day to try and keep up with all the fun they are used to having at daycare and the grandparents houses. Joseph told us on the way back from Ohio that he didn't want to go home, and wanted to go somewhere else. We convinced him that we could have fun at home too. So yesterday we went to Pump It Up (a place with big inflatable things to jump around and slide on) with his friend Morgan, and today Jay is going to take him swimming. The problem with telling Joseph about these fun things, is that you then have to listen to him ask "When are we going swimming?" about a hundred times before you actually go swimming. If he's not satisfied with your answer, he will respond with "hmph". I find this both frustrating and amusing. Hmph has always been one of my favorite ways of expressing frustration over email (along with ARG), but I can't say I've really said it out loud much. But I do prefer the "hmph" to the screaming, which has grown louder with age (development of the lungs and vocal cords I assume) and on occasion is heard by the entire neighborhood (at least it is winter and all the windows are closed). Today Joseph is having a very good morning, perhaps motivated by the upcoming trip to the pool, but he woke up in a good mood, sat down to do a puzzle, ate some pancakes, had a tea party and read some books with his sisters, and is now flying around the basement as his favorite character Buzz Lightyear (previously Woody, but that is soooo last month) Now he has seen Toy Story 3 (several times in fact) and is speaking in Spanish and going head to head with imaginary Lotso the Bear. We have learned over the past week that Joseph can actually count to 10 in Spanish, spell his name, and thanks to the help of his cousin he can also now count all the way to 50 in English! Next up....calculus. Thanks again to everyone for making this such a fun holiday season for us and the kids!

Merry Christmas!

Car Ride Quotes

• I am not picking up that pacifier again (Jay, after hearing Hannah's hit the ground for the tenth time)
• When are we going to Old McDonald's? (Joseph, 5 minutes after getting into the car)
• Daddy my pee is coming out (Joseph, when we walked into Old McDonalds several hours later)
• Why are the Indiana rest stops so dirty? We're going to have to give everyone a bath. (Jessica, after seeing the nasty bathrooms. We can however report that WI, IL, and OH are quite clean. Not sure about MN.)
• Drink, Drink, Drink, Drink? (Hannah's new word, and later she said cracker)
• If I take a nap in the car do I have to take one when we get there? (Joseph, after learning his lesson the day before)
• I am not picking up that bear again (Jessica, after hearing Leah's high pitched shrill)
• These toll booths have gates...you can't drive through them without stopping (Jay, instructing Jessica)

RIGHT NOW

Another funny conversation with Joseph while we were driving home from school the other day. He was playing with a bouncy ball in the backseat and it fell on the ground when we came to a stop. He said the car did it, and I told him no problem, I'd get it for him when we got home. I thought the conversation was over but then a few minutes later the following ensued:

Joseph: Mommy, what kind of face am I making?
Me: I don't know Joseph, it kind of looks like your angry face

Joseph: Yes Mommy, and do you know why I am angry?

Me: No Joseph, why are you angry

Joseph: Because I want my ball RIGHT NOW (not yelling, but with emphasis and pause between the words)

Since I knew he wasn't actually angry and that he was working on communicating his feelings instead of crying or yelling I found this exchange quite amusing. He ended up showing me his happy face and a few other faces the rest of the way home. We are getting ready to depart for our holiday travel extravaganza across the midwest this weekend, so I am sure there will be many more funny stories to come. Please let them all be funny, please no puking or pooping, or tantrums or forgetting someone at a rest stop. (Yes, of course that was a joke, we have never actually forgotten someone at a rest stop)

These Boots Were Made for Walking

And that's just what they'll do....all over the house, at school, though not outside yet. We still carry the girls to and from the minivan. I figure come spring everyone will be comfortable enough on their feet to walk outside and hopefully old enough to follow instructions and hold hands with us and Joseph. But for now we only walk inside, and as you can see from Leah's face, she quite enjoys it. In the mornings Hannah has now taken to grabbing the winter coats and bringing them to us as if to say, "I've had enough of this place, time to go!" But before we do that, we do breakfast and pony tails. Their hair isn't getting any thicker but it is getting longer and they look quite ridiculous without something to get the hair under control. Leah seems to be the more patient one, as Hannah will only let you do her hair if she is in her chair and her hands are occupied with shoving food into her mouth. And so, I now do their hair during breakfast. But before banana eating begins. I'm not a fan of washing banana out of hair before school. Though they girls did have to take a few baths this week as soon as the jammies were off and we realized the odoriferous splendor that we had walked into was not very well contained. (They do a lot of things together, sometimes pooping is one of them.) I was glad that the night I stayed out late for our work holiday party we had started putting bigger diapers on their butts at night, as there was no time for a bath that morning. The party was at a dueling piano bar in the city, which I quite enjoyed. I might have sang a song or two from my table. One of them may have been the reason for why I was able to come up with this blog title so easily. I still can't figure out why my 80s/90s pop song requests didn't make the cut, but I'm told it's because they aren't well suited to piano and not because I have bad taste. :)

Snow, Super Friends, and Celebrating

We had a few inches of snow this weekend, so Joseph had his first opportunity to put on his snow gear and play outside with Jay and the neighbors. (Grover didn't partake in the snowball fight but he did join Joseph and I for a trip to the store that same day). The snow also brought a lot of indoor play our way, so Joseph spent a lot of time pretending to be Batman (Jay was Flash, and as you know Wonder Woman and the Wonder Twins also reside at our home). Batman is currently Joseph's favorite of the superfriends, and the past two days has requested that Jay and I announce him as such to his friends and teachers at school (apparently Captain America and Frankenstein are also in his class). We've also been having fun celebrating Hanukkah, and Joseph gets excited for his chance to light the candles on the menorah all by himself. Though really he's just excited for the presents, which we've tried to explain are not always toys (he wrinkled up his nose in surprise when receiving new transformer underwear on the first night). Though most amusing are some of the random statements he's made over the past week. The one that stands out is a conversation that took place over lunch this past weekend. I was making a PB&J and the jelly is a squeeze bottle and let out the usual splooge noise. Joseph then said "who farted?" To which one of us replied "it was the jelly". And then came the obvious response "does the jelly have to poop?" Another laugh out loud moment brought to you by Joseph Conway.

Competition

Hannah is officially a walker. She stands up and then takes small slow steps to wherever she is headed. So there is time to grab the camera when you know she's about to show off her new skills. And what did we end up capturing? Little Leah taking off on her feet in front of Hannah! (Apparently she'd had enough of seeing Hannah in the lime light)  Such a relaxed yet speedy style for a new comer to the competition. Hannah has more of a slow and steady wins the race style, and usually balances herself with her hands or has her fists clenched in concentration. It was so much fun for Jay and I to watch (you can tell by how big of a dork I sound that I wasn't expecting it).  And we have also captured on film Jay's version of 80's style sockwear that he does whenever he dresses one of the girls.  He had just changed Hannah, hence her pants being tucked into her socks.  I had done Leah's in a much more socially acceptable fashion, which is why you can't see them.

Teething & Walking

Hannah's two top central incisors finally surfaced just before Thanksgiving, and Leah sprung a new top tooth as well to the side of her already prominent middle chompers. You'd think Joseph was teething too with all the fingers and things he's been shoving into his mouth (then again, he also shoves his hands into his pants, but no foreign objects yet) Both girls are also getting more interested in walking, though in totally different ways. Leah enjoys holding your hand and walking her way across the room in a diagonal sort of manner, pushing on a toy for support, and carefully navigating the single step needed to cross from a table to a couch. Hannah takes a different approach. She stands up on her own without holding anything and then balances herself before taking several steps, falling down, and starting over. Last night she made it almost 10 before her hands hit the ground! Though both girls seem to appreciate applause, which generates a lovely view of their latest teeth. Tickling also works on the girls and Joseph.

Bathtime Buddies

It's usually easiest to give the girls baths at the same time.....that is....assuming you have two pairs of hands around. And it's usually a very emotional beginning and end to the activity. The minute they hear the bathtub running they start squealing and squawking and if they aren't confined in their chairs they make a mad dash for the open bathroom door (which is usually closed because of their fetish with the tub). Then when you take them into their room to get striped down and de-diapered they are screaming and crying like crazy, as if to say "how could you, how could you run that bathtub and not have it be for me". And then, when being carried to the bathroom the chubby legs are kicking with excitement and the squealing returns. The squealing and glee usually continues in the tub, followed by splashing and bubble eating. They don't enjoy having their hair rinsed and usually try to crawl away or scale the wall, but then the fun returns and there is even more amazement and wonder when they hear the sound of the water draining (as they usually quickly crawl to that end of the tub to see what is going on). Though oddly they don't associate this noise with the end of bath time, as they are still very much happy and into the whole water experience. But take them out of the tub and brace yourself.....the screaming begins and doesn't stop until there's a thumb in the mouth (Leah) or you are done putting on onesies, diapers, and pajamas and are holding someone in your arms (Hannah). We made sure to do this last night before Jay left for a work trip today. I'll do them separately during the week, which is a whole different kind of emotional experience.

Ladies Looking Older, Hannah Getting Better?

And not only are they looking older, but they are acting like older babies too. Last saturday (10/30) Hannah was having fun standing up (from sitting) on her own, and decided to bust out her side step! Then on Monday (11/1) she started taking forward steps at daycare. Leah is not as interested in practicing such things, but she did get her second top tooth (her right) that same weekend. And Hannah is working on her first top tooth as I type. Doctor says it should be within the next day that one breaks through! And why were we at the doctor? Well it seems Hannah managed to get Roseolla and the makings of a yeast infection all while trying to cut a tooth. Which for Hannah we now know equals not wanting to eat or drink and sleeping all the time. Leah handled Roseolla with a bit more grace a few weeks back, but in Hannah's defense she had a bit more going on all at once and didn't have the luxury of a built in pacifier....Leah's thumb. Leah in fact sometimes debates whether she should suck her thumb or reach for an object that she wants, like a ball. She frequently tries to do both at the same time but then discovers it doesn't work out so well and she usually chooses her thumb. Hopefully Hannah will be back to her happy self soon and dancing like Elaine all over the place (she waves her arms all over the place like she's going to whack someone whenever a song she likes is playing)....and maybe even go back to taking steps again!

Joseph Quotes

Joseph is always a good source for amusement and lately some of his statements have been so funny I just had to write them down to share:

• You are interrupting me (while I was already in conversation and he was trying to say something very important, so important that I no longer recall what it was)
• I am being very patient with you (while waiting for us to finish dinner so that he could put on his costume and go trick or treating)
• I just spit my medicine in the toilet (upstairs, after telling me downstairs that he didn't think he needed anymore but I gave him some anyway)

All of these were actually quotes from me first, except for the last one. I don't believe I have ever informed anyone that I just spit my medicine in the toilet.

Halloween Fun Part 2

Halloween Fun Part 1 took place in Winona a few weeks ago with all the little cousins and a fantastically decorated yard that Joseph just couldn't get enough of. And now available on a blog near you are pictures from Halloween Part 2. We actually are part of two neighborhoods, one Milwaukee and one Wauwatosa, and they both know how to do Halloween up right which means two nights in a row of trick or treating for Joseph and one big party for Jessica and Jay (Hannah and Leah don't know what they're missing yet).

Halloween Fun Part 1

Recent Events

10/16 - Hannah stands on her own without support
10/18 - The girls have their last bottle, all sippy cups baby!
10/19 - Leah has 102 degree fever AND her top left tooth breaks through
10/21 - Leah gets a rash all over and it was not the tooth causing the fever...Roseolla is the culprit!
10/22 - Hannah says "buh bye" as we are leaving the house (they both also say "more" now for more food)
10/22 - We take all the kids out to dinner (an event!). Girls stay awake past 7pm! (but go to bed at 6pm the next night)
10/23 - Hannah and Leah get fitted for first pair of shoes (seen in photos)