lately/overhead

It's been a while since I've had a chance to blog . . . can't believe that January is almost over already!  It feels like the past weeks have been one big whirlwind of getting back into our "regular" school/daycare/and now preschool! routine after the holidays.  The end of the school quarter was last week, and report cards were due on Friday, which always means some extra hours of planning for the new quarter as well as extra time to do grades.  I am so very grateful for the long weekend - Billy ended up having to work today, but tomorrow we are both off (and the kids are going to daycare!), so we're going to have a "date day" (errands, some shopping, lunch out, and maybe a matinee - can't wait!). . .

I pulled out the camera this morning to document Elise's "bed head" look (more on that below), and found some pictures from last weekend.  We finally had some friends over (remember, that's on our 2013 bucket list - to entertain more) . . .

Well, entertain we did!  3 of my besties from high school and their families (that was 12 kiddos and 8 adults!) came over last Sunday. (Yes, Cindy, you're ending up on the blog!)  What started out as the girls getting together so that Lori could teach us to make homemade pretzels turned into pretzel making plus supper (we all contributed ingredients for haystacks) for everyone.  It was a little crazy, but a lot of fun (and yumminess!). Braden asked immediately after they left when his new friends could come back. ;)
Learning how to roll out the dough . .

  . . . eating hot pretzels, and making more (we did 4 batches, I think!)

Little Miss and her morning look:

She has these lonnnnng wisps of hair behind her ears (it's getting longer on top too, but not nearly as long as on the sides) . . . and when she gets up in the morning, these patches of hair tend to stick straight out :)

What a look!  She's often got a finger in her mouth these days . . . we are thinking another tooth is working its way through.  She's been unusually fussy (only at night), and has resumed her not-so-great nighttime sleep habits, so we took her in to the ped yesterday to have her ears checked, but they were both just fine.  Soooo we are again blaming the icky nights on teeth. :(

When I had the camera out, B requested that I take pictures of him too. He's been really into superheros recently, and has been wearing his monkey cape a lot. He wanted me to take a picture of him wearing the cape (so that you can see the monkeys, Mom).



 . . . and wanted me to take pics of him "flying" too . . .

He loves when the cape flies out behind him.  ;)



Although the blog has been quiet lately, our 4 year old sure hasn't been!  A big reason for B going to PK was to increase his social speech.  Well, I think it is already working.  At least here at home, he is talking more than ever.  Here are a few "gems" I can recall from the past couple of weeks:


{This week, while waking up B to get ready for the day}
B: Mom, something's bothering me.
Me: What's bothering you (thinking he'd say tummy, head, etc.).
B: YOU are bothering me.  Let me go back to sleep.


{B was running around and tripped}
B: Mom!  I broke my skeleton!
Me: What's your skeleton?
B: (with a "duh" look/tone) It's my bones, Mom.



{Yesterday, after listening to Braden babble on and on and on}
Me: Braden, you have diarrhea of the mouth.
B: Diarrhea is poop, Mom. I don't poop in my mouth.
{I had no idea that he really knew what diarrhea was!}



{Late evening, after we'd told Braden that's it's almost time for bed}
B: Let's have a sleepover.
Me: Who would come to the sleepover?
B: Aunt Amy would come.  Call her now.
Me: I can't call her now, it's kinda late.
B: Just text her mom, Text her to come sleep over with me.


{In the car, we were asking B questions - we sometimes practice asking him to answer questions, such as what is your name?, who is your daddy?, where do you live?, etc.}
Me:  What's mommy's name?
B: Jill
Me: Jill who?
B: Jill Hartsock
Me: What's your sister's name?
B: Elise Hartsock
Me: What is your name?
B: Superhero Hartsock