Update on the Kids (Photos Later)

Miss E is now an old hand at using the potty. She has graduated to the actual toilet, with a padded kids seat on top. #2 is a snap for her (often heard from Miss E: "That was a loud plop!"). I rented a Charlie & Lola dvd for her and now she is constantly telling me, "I am far too extremely busy," which sounds quite amusing coming from her little mouth. She doesn't tell me that when I want her to do anything, just randomly throughout the day, as an update to me on how she is doing.

The neighbors' cat ran in our house and made itself at home for hours today, to Miss E's delight. (Bonesteele just wanted to get into the bowl of tuna I set out for the cat.) She played with it, and pet it, and decided its name is Cutie Pie. It wouldn't answer to that name, though...

Bonesteele continues to walk around on his knees. If we hold his hand, he walks (sometimes). We keep catching him secretly walking around on his feet. Not sure what he's waiting for... He is quite effective at communicating his desires now, with the "grunt and point" system. It got him a stuffed animal from Mr N's coworkers yesterday! (A creepy blue goat with little yellow horns) Mr N has been rendered completely unable to eat candy in front of the children without Bonesteele starting up his emphatic grunts and pointing.

The big news is...the kids have discovered fighting! I knew it was only a matter of time before Bonesteele realized he is nearly as big as his sister. And he has. He grabs her clothes to try to make her move. He grabs her toys. Luckily hitting is not yet involved, though I know it will start up any day. Miss E & Bonesteele get in fights-to-the-death over coveted toys. There is something hypnotically funny about watching them both scream bloody murder as they wrestle for possession of the sparkley baton.

It's Potty Time

Yes, we took the plunge here at Casa N. Miss E has been successfully using the potty for about 2 1/2 weeks now. I bought her some princess panties which were quite inspiring to her. From the very first day she has only had a few accidents. At first she wore a pull-up for naps and outings, and of course to bed, but now she just wears them at night! (For longer outings, we just bring the potty in the back of the car.) (And oh yes, emptying that sucker is a real joy!) I am delighted with her progress, and that she is going so well. She was really ready, *I* was the one who had to get ready, I guess. ha ha

She is having a bit of trouble going #2 in the potty. At first she would wait until naptime so she could just go in a pull-up, but now that she wears panties even at naptime, there has been some anxiety on her part. And some poop in the panties. But Mr N told her every time she goes poop in the potty he will give her some candy. I'm fine with that, because it seems to be working!

We are so proud of Miss E! She loves to decide which princess panties she will wear each day. (Each evening she protests when I tell her to put her panties in the dirty clothes. "But they're dry!" she says. I don't know quite how to articulate in 3-year-old terms the concept of daily underwear changes...)

"Mom! You Should Take a Picture of Me!"

When your child announces that, you don't hesitate. Goofiness captured forever:




...while Bonesteele watches delightedly...

You Can't Expect a Girl to Ride a Pony Bareback

What a Helper!

Miss E helped Bonesteele get some breakfast.

Which Bonesteele scooped up with a spatula. (He looooves that thing.)

Summer Fun

Building a Crib with Grandpa N

This picture was supposed to be last. I always forget how to order my pictures in Blogger. Anyway, I cannot be the only person who thinks this is hilarious.

Miss E loves her baby crib. Thanks Grandpa N!

Miss E Turns Three!

Miss E shows off her awesome loot: baby doll, color-changing ducks, and glow sticks!

Miss E's party was a raging success. (I hope I don't hear you complaining over there that Miss E's party was a month ago.) There was a brief but severe thunderstorm ten minutes before her party began. Luckily Mother Nature is our pal, the storm blew through and Miss E's friends E & V were able to attend. They all had a great time decorating crowns and eating cupcakes.




I believe Mr N's instruction to E was, "Smile!"

Here is V, Miss E's other guest, who knows how to pose for a camera!

Miss E in the act of crown decoration.

Bonesteele was happy to observe the proceedings once he had a delicious cupcake in hand.

With Mr N as cameraman. I think the actual birthday cake-candles thing is on the video camera somewhere...

Bonesteele Claps, Then Refuses to Do Anything Else

Mr N & Miss E

Standing

In this video, Bonesteele is practicing standing. This is a couple weeks old, he is even better at it now.

Also note the monkey climbing up and down Mr N.

Tigress in Action

Miss E in the Spring

This picture shows the extreme high-waistedness which Miss E gladly endures in order to be like Tigress (see Kung Fu post, below).

This used to be a monkey pen with wacky hair but I took the pen part out for obvious reasons and Bonesteele pulled the hair off so now it is just a bald little monkey head on a stick. Which is now Miss E's magic wand and she runs around the house saying, "Bippity...boppity...boo!" because her actual magic wand with the sequins and ribbons is always lost.

Miss E is here teaching her pony how to pose nicely for a photo. Mr N and I could scarcely believe that trick worked on her.

A few years ago, Uncle Travis showed us this funny little cupcake singing, "You're my cuppycake, gooey gooey gumdrop, the apple of my eye" or something like that. I was singing that song randomly one day and suddenly Miss E ran out of the room. Then she reappeared holding this apple on her eye. The moral of the story is your children are ALWAYS listening to you.

Bonesteele in the Spring

Zoom these pictures at your own risk. Bonesteele usually has junk on his face. Lol

Oh and he is thisclose to walking.

Miss E Knows Awesome Kung Fu

Ever since Miss E watched (the non-scary parts of) Kung Fu Panda, she has run around our house proclaiming herself Tigress. She wears some "delightful" pajama pants, pulled very, very high. She poses with one arm in the air. For a while I could not understand the self-imposed wedgie and very particular posing. Some reflection led me to the realization that at one point in the movie, Tigress is in just a belt and blousy pants, and lands (after an improbable series of leaps) in the pose you see Miss E emulating.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, according to Miss E, Bonesteele is Mantis and Mr N is Panda.



Image credit: http://bluemarvine.blogspot.com/2009/05/kung-fu-panda-morphing-into-nickelodeon.html

Playing Nekkid in the Front Yard

This is the pose Daddy gets when he asks Miss E to smile for the camera.

This and That

I think we are starting to get partied out. Bonesteele's birthday, Mr N's birthday, our anniversary and my birthday all fall within a 10-day period in late April. Too bad my birthday is the last of the bunch, I predict I will be too tired to do much of anything. Besides, Mr N has graduate school class all evening on my birthday. This is adulthood! Woo! Ha ha My ability to party hardy has been hampered by the worst allergies of my life. On Thursday, I went outside for 20 minutes and came back in because my nose was getting stuffy. By that evening, I was in a dreadful fog of congestion and pain which lasted until Tuesday!!! This is serious motivation for me to eventually get out of the Willamette Valley. I weaned Bonesteele this week so I could start taking allergy medicine. The weaning was surprisingly easy and took a day and a half. I kid you not. He was ready!

Miss E has started reading out letters everywhere she sees them. Thanks Sesame Street! My friend EK made cute puffy letters that spell out the kids' names; these are up on their bedroom walls. Miss E read them off to us this morning easily. She read me our license plate. She reads out "DVD" while she anxiously awaits the beginning of Cinderella.* I have been quizzing her on letters for a while now, I guess I should move on to the next step of sounding things out.

Miss E's new catchphrase is "Poor (fill in the blank with a suffering creature)." If Bonesteele is unhappy because I dare to clean him off after a meal - "Poor Buddy!"** If I stub my toe and yelp with pain - "Poor Mommy!" Then she blows me a kiss. It's very sweet. (Who wants to actually kiss a toe? Yech!)

*Please tell me, how did Cinderella happen here? I hate Cinderella. I keep making up alternate responses for her. I keep muttering under my breath while Miss E watches this movie. How she should have just kept her mouth shut in front of her stepmother, and then snuck out of the house after her wicked stepfamily had all left. Oh but Miss E loooooves Cinderella. She even chose a Cinderella book (actually a strange compendium on D!sney princesses) at the library! Part of me wants to tell her no, but I know there will be time enough to gently show her that Cinderella is not the paragon of femininity. Ha ha

**If Miss E is happy with Bonesteele, she calls him Buddy. If she is mad at him, she shrieks his name. It sounds quite similar to fingernails on a chalkboard.

Mr N's Birthday

As some of you know, Mr N's birthday follows close on the heels of Bonesteele's. It is a party every day here in April! Bonesteele had a funfetti cake with cream cheese frosting, while Mr N opted for Chocolate Decadence ice cream cake. And because he is a good sport, he posed with said cake while wearing a Elmo birthday hat backwards:

Bonesteele is happy to have some more cake left over from his own birthday.

Miss E is delighted by the candle, cake and general birthday excitement!

Mr N probably wished that his boat would be running soon. Happy birthday babe. :)

Bonesteele Turns 1

...and celebrates with the enthusiastic consumption of cake.