Drawback to Digital

Rachel was looking through the photo albums at some Disneyland pictures and kept saying things like "oh I'm so cute".


I realize it should have been obvious to Rachel that these pictures were not of her (if nothing else I was a dead giveaway-my hair is short & blond & I was thinner then*sigh*). But I was not about to burst her bubble.

Enter Ben. "That's not you that's Lauren. There aren't any pictures of you...or Hayden!"

Thanks for throwing me under the bus Ben!


Rachel demanded to know why and I tried to defend myself. "We have lots of pictures of you & Bear. They're on the computer."

"You need to get them unstuck from the stupid computer so I can see them."

I think I've discovered the drawback to digital cameras-a ticked off 4 year old! Here is exhibit A that I do indeed have pictures of the younger children (and Rachel was right she is so cute)!




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Sharks & Animals

I went to get Hayden's & Rachel's birth certificates today (I know it's extremely late but better late than never right?). I parked in the parking garage & Hayden began chanting "animals & sharks" over & over again. After a few minutes I realized he thought we were at the Mirage hotel going to see the dolphins & white tigers. (That is the only parking garage he's ever been in.)

He ran in the revolving doors, still chanting. Inside the office was a big wall of windows which he pressed his face against anxiously looking for the "animals & sharks". When all he saw were people walking by he threw me the stink eye, shook his head and angrily asked "sharks? animals?".

Such a disappointing day for the poor boy!




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Rachel the Bearded Hippo

Today at preschool it was hobo day. Dress like a hobo & bring a lunch wrapped in a bandana attached to a stick-it sounds easy enough right?

Rachel came to me this morning and asked if she looked like a hippo. Do you mean a hobo?

No it's hippo day. Does my beard make me look like a hippo? Yep it sure does!

This will probably be the only time in her life that she will be happy to look like a "hippo"!

Inside Out & Backwards

Hayden helped get himself dressed today & chose the dirty shirt he wore yesterday. I told him he couldn't wear it because it's dirty. He proceeded to turn the dirty shirt inside out & put it on backwards. He nodded his little shaved head once & confidently pronounced it "clean".

Foolish me-I thought I had to wash the clothes after each use! Leave it to a two year old to simplify the neverending chore of laundry!

P.S. I did manage to get him out of the dirty shirt before leaving the house!


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Only Gas?

When I was 8, I had to get 8 cavities filled. It was traumatizing! Dr. Pain (I can't remember his real name, but in light of how much it hurt I feel the nickname is suiting) didn't use ANYTHING to numb me and he wouldn't let my mom stay in the room with me. When I cried and protested he "reassured" me with phrases like: it didn't really hurt, they were just little cavities and to stop crying. Thanks to this experience I refused to go back to a dentist until I needed a root canal when I was 17 (sorry to all the boys I kissed prior to this...I did brush & floss A LOT though).

Fast forward 25 years from Dr. Pain. After testing out several dentists, I've found one we love...Rachel likes him so much she refers to him as Uncle Brian!

I sat in our beloved dentist office with my kids today and heard the dreaded words..."looks like you have a little cavity here Ben." I began to feel the panic set in, so I plastered a smile onto my face trying to be upbeat for Ben. I have to admit I am grateful it was Ben with the cavity not Lauren. He can take stuff like that, whereas Lauren would have used a toothbrush as a shiv, and kicked out the window to make her escape from the drill.

Dr. Brian got out the nitrous mask and told Ben he wasn't going to give him a shot that the laughing gas should be good enough. My breathing grew heavier...no numbing...only gas? I trust Brian, but I did want to know why & explain my concerns. He listened, answered & proceeded. Ben sat there like he was sunbathing under the dental lamp. Relaxed, content, and pain-free!

When he was finished Ben proudly told Lauren "I had a cavity and I got laughing gas. But guess what-I didn't even laugh once! And I have another cavity so I get to come back again next week! Cool huh?"

The boy is kinda nuts, but I am thankful that his experience at the dentist was SO different than mine. So I say hallelujah-I won't have to drag him into the dentist office. I mean let's face it, I've got enough other phobia battles that one more would have probably thrown me over the edge!

Snips & Snails vs. Sugar & Spice

While discussing dinner options one afternoon Rachel asked what Ben was made of. "Maybe we could just eat him."

Me: snips & snails & puppy dog tails. That's what little boys are made of.

Rachel:(with a look of total revulsion) Nevermind-that sounds nasty!

Ben: What's Rachel made of then?

Me: Sugar & spice & everything nice. That's what little girls are made of.

Ben: (grinning wickedly) Mmmm-let's eat her for dinner then.

Hayden began shouting: No puppies, no eat puppies!

It was a very convoluted conversation. As they debated it between themselves I overheard Ben say in a naughty whisper: "you may be made of sugar & spice, but you are definately NOT nice!"

The topic ended when Rachel started crying & defending her "niceness".

Hayden eyed dinner that night and asked "puppy?"


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Simply Mad

I got a call yesterday from Lauren's room mother at school asking me if I'd be willing to decorate Mrs. Long's door for teacher appreciation next week. I said sure thinking I'd have the weekend to work on it. Oh no, the door has to be decorated after school on Friday...of course it does!

I started working on it last night after the kids went to bed and finally finished it about an hour ago. I have to say I am pleased at how well it turned out. Rob is the artistic one in our family, but give me some colored paper, hot glue and some feathers and I can try to keep up with him!

The theme at the school this year is something Disney-ish (I obviously didn't pay close attention to what it actually is...oops) so I figured I'd do the door kinda Disneyesque. Since the new Alice in Wonderland just came out I thought I'd use it for my door theme:

We're Simply Mad About Mrs. Long

I stuffed the hat, head, and shirt so the Mad Hatter is 3D. There are also crazy hat pins sticking out and his hair is crazy to add some texture and dimension. My friend Cesselea said now I'm probably going to have to do my kids teachers doors every year...so much for staying off the grid right? Oh well, at least I'm on the radar for something fun! Now my only worry is how do I get it from my front door (where it currently is hanging) to the school without thrashing it...a better question might be how am I going to keep Hayden & Rachel from munging it too?