Around Here...

Back from spring break and back to our 'normal routine'.  The thing with normal is ... it's never really the same.  In one single week, we've had two visits from the Tooth Fairy, a visit from the Haircut Fairy and a 10 month old who has learned to crawl!  Add crazy springtime weather, new hobbies and a babe cutting front teeth... and well, I guess that's normal, right now.

While, I'm sure Iris enjoyed her week of all the attention from Mommy and Daddy, with the big kids at Grandma's for the week - she has been eating up all their affection since they've been home.  She actually lets out a squeal when one of them leaves the room, as if they should be doting on her every waking hour.  Let's hope, they don't let her get away with that for much longer.  She has finally mastered crawling, and is quite mobile.  Which leads to the 'frustrated baby' phase - because Mommy won't let you crawl at the grocery store, in the car, in the mud, on my bed, in the wet grass, while getting your diaper changed nor on the stairs.  This phase leads to 'frustrated mommy' phase - because frustrated baby makes a horrendous fuss/twist/back-arch/squeal when Mommy won't allow said crawling.  Her swollen gums are most certainly adding to her frustration - poor kid!  Don't let me fool you, I do not have it so rough... she still sleeps 11 hours through the night, takes naps without complaint, eats anything I put in front of her and is generally quite a happy girl.

Ella has been busy accessorizing.  Each day her outfits are becoming more intricate.  And don't forget the hair clips, bracelets, necklaces and layers. I can't keep up with her fashions, but I am learning how important it is to let her be herself.  As we walked into her preschool this week, a schoolmate asked the teacher, 'Does my hair look pretty?!' - her response: "Do you think it looks pretty? That's all that matters." *Have I mentioned how much I adore her teacher?*  Fortunately, with Ella, I don't think she has an issue with self-image, right now.  She knows how cute she is.

Peter lost two front teeth this week - and he's learning to speak around those new holes in his mouth.  He has mentioned that his F's and S's aren't quite sounding right, but he's working on them.  He was so worried about pulling his teeth - he wanted to just let them fall out of his head, on their own.  Anytime I mentioned how loose they were, he would burst into tears... he was even afraid one might fall out while he slept.  So, I bribed him with donut club, I told him, that top tooth would have to come out  - he could choose who pulled it, but it had to go.  In the end, he opted for mom's tooth pulling expertise, and it came out effortlessly.  The next morning, while eating an apple, his other tooth stuck in the apple and came right out! So, now he's a couple dollars richer and has a holey grin.
Gracie asked for a Chess set for her birthday - now she's been taking turns teaching the littles to play with her.  Gracie is counting down to the end of school, already.  She likes school, but she LOVES summer.  She has been painting and crafting - daydreaming and reading books.  They were allowed a free-dress day at school (no uniforms) and they had the option of dressing like something from space.  She had taken the time to create a costume, so she could be an alien.  While getting ready for school, she came to me in tears - she didn't want to dress-up like an alien. She was so relieved to hear that I wouldn't have dressed like an alien either.  I would have cried, too!  Sometimes when I see my personality in my kids, I am comforted and other times I just hope I can give them coping skills to overcome our shared weaknesses.

I've been working on some projects around here, in between chasing a crawling Iris and delivering and receiving children to and from their schools.  This weekend I get to take an Intro to Letterpress class - and I am SO excited! I don't think I've ever been away from Iris for 6 hours - so here's to a chilled out creative Saturday afternoon.