Following in Big Brother's Footsteps

The similarities between Reid and Sloane are so many, it's almost scary. (scary to think of how Sloane might act when she gets older!) :) In her younger baby days, she resembled Reid's baby pictures so much, I was worried I was going to have to write their names on the backs of all the baby pictures so I wouldn't get them confused 20 years from now. Even still, people continually comment on how much she looks like her brother. She's been a big baby, weight-wise, like Reid. Grew out of the infant car seat and moved into a toddler car seat around the same time as Reid. Sprouted her first teeth early like Reid. Even seems to have a hair fetish, like Reid did (which he has since outgrown, in case you were wondering). Well, we have one more thing to add to the list...ear infections. Reid had so many ear infections, we finally had tubes put in around his first birthday. Today, Sloane was taken to the doctor for yet another ear infection. This is her 4th in 4 months! The doctor said if she gets one more in the next 4-6 weeks, then she'll refer us to an ENT doctor to talk about tubes. But if we can get this one cleared up and get into the summer months without another infection, then we'll be in the clear. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Blair's 'Wears' and Hairs

Go ahead, you can say it...I'm just SO clever with these titles, aren't I? It's just a natural gift, I guess. :) Ahem. ...Well let me get to what this post is really about...

The 'Wears'
Blair has been obsessed with "flop flips" lately, otherwise known as flip flops to you and me. She's been asking for flop flips for quite some time, but it was always too cold to wear them so I told her she had to wait. Then one day a few weeks ago, she saw some at Payless at the mall, put them on, and immediately started frolicking about the store. She was leaping and jumping and running from the excitment of wearing flop flips. But, not wanting to create an environment of buying things on her demand, I told her we needed to wait. She often asked to go back to the mall to buy some, and I kept telling her "next week". Well, "next week" finally came, and her requests were getting more and more frequent. Finally, on the day where she asked about them right before taking a nap and then first thing upon waking from her nap, I figured I couldn't hold her off any longer. But first, to be clear on which ones she wanted, I pulled up 2 websites with flop flips her size, both equally cute, and asked her which ones she wanted. Right away, she recognized the ones she saw at the mall, and insisted on those. (I don't know why I always underestimate her little mind and what she is able to comprehend and grasp, but she proves me wrong every time.) So, I pulled out a ten-dollar bill, which she immediately put in her bag that she was taking shopping with her, and off we went. We had to go to two Payless stores to get her size but we finally found them. As soon as she put them on and confirmed they fit, she pulled that $10 out and ran and gave it to the lady at the counter and started heading out the store. She was done and happy! From that moment, she was sure to show everyone she came across, stranger or not, her "own flop flips" ('own shlop shlips'). She wore them to school the next day, showing everyone, and has not taken them off since (nevermind the fact that the part between her toes is rubbing her toe crease red and I won't be surprised if it starts bleeding soon). She puts them on her night stand every night before bed, and even had them on when she showed up in my room for potty-assistance at 3am last night! And it wouldn't be Blair if her toenails weren't painted up in matching pink.

The Hairs
Tuesday was Silly Hat Day at Blair's school, and in true Blair fashion, this is what she chose as her silly hat for the day.

And second part of "The Hairs"...she got a hair cut on Monday (after the flop flip extravaganza), and I must say it looks so cute. Almost as cute as the time I cut it myself and inadvertently and accidentally gave her a really cute and stylin' do, which she received so many compliments on, but not quite. But I don't trust myself to make that lucky mistake again, so I leave it to the professionals from now on.

A bit of sibling love...

...well not if you ask Sloane.

April 12th-Happy Easter!

Easter was great! Rainy, but not nearly as cold as past years. Last year, we were wearing winter gear to hunt eggs. This year, the Easter Bunny had to hide them in the house due to the rain, but all that was really needed when we were outdoors was a light sweater. The kids looked cute in their new Easter clothes...Sloane in the adorable dress Blair wore 2 years ago (a gift from my friend Jill), Blair in a new dress and shoes that she loved so much she wore 24 hours straight (even wore it to bed Sunday night and wanted to wear it all day Monday too, but I noticed a small tear in the ribbon), and Reid in a new French blue button-up shirt (that was bought to go with an existing tie, but he wanted to wear the clip-on tie that came with the shirt, which explains why the tie is so short. He looks like Marty McFly!) Jeremy was smashing in his new gray suit, and I didn't think my outfit was half-bad. My new bracelet and shoes from Girls' Weekend worked perfectly! ;)

A photo essay of the rest of the day's events...

Family at Easter mass with sister-in-law, Kristy
Sloane poses with her basket
Reid is happy with his loot
Blair taking in her 2000th bowl of candy











Shots from Sloane's 1st Easter
Apparently, the Peeps box is better than the actual Peeps
Trying to get the puffs out of the Easter egg















And what would Easter be without an egg hunt and confetti eggs?? (which we made ourselves, by the way!)

Sunday Sunday, da daaa, da de dadadada

Sunday, we went to church, then ran to Home Depot to return our unneeded snow shovel and then to Sams for a few items. Since the kids would be going down for naps as soon as we got home, we decided to feed them lunch there (classy lunch, I know), while Jeremy ran next door to Kohl's. And no, I'm not talking about a lunch of free samples (that would be MY ideal lunch)...we actually BOUGHT lunch at the cafe. Anyway, after getting back home and getting everyone to bed (by the way, I've decided Sunday afternoons are one of my most favorite times ever--the house is SO quiet and peaceful, you could hear a pin drop. The tv was off, but if it were on, it would have definitely been a "golf tournament day." Have you ever noticed golf is the best thing to take a nap to? The announcers' voices are so monotone and steady and quiet, it's just the perfect backdrop for a snooze on the couch. Just thinking about it now makes me tired. Anyway, I don't even know if golf was on today...but that's definitely the kind of day it was.)

So, where was I... Oh yes, everyone got a quick nap, and then we got them all up to go to the movies. We saw Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D, took the whole family. I was super excited about it, like a little kid. The movie was cute, the 3D aspect of it was really fun, and Blair actually sat still for it, which is saying a lot. The only theater movies she seems to sit still for are live action movies with talking animals. Animated flicks? Nope (Horton Hears a Who). Normal, non-talking animals? Nope (Hotel for Dogs). Just talking animals (Beverly Hills Chihuahua). And now apparently 3D films too. And in the past, Sloane has always been good in movie theaters as well. Sadly, she actually watches tv. Not that I sit her down in front of it to be entertained, but when a tv's in the room, she'll definitely turn her head and tune in to it. So she's done pretty good in past movies, alternating between sleeping and watching. But not so much in this one. She is too interested in talking (read: screeching and screaming) these days, and throwing her attitude around when you don't let her do what she wants to do (she actually grunts and throws her arms down when she gets mad, thank you Reid and Blair for that). So, she and I spent the last half hour standing down at the bottom, watching from the hallway/walkway. So this may be her last movie for a while. But, anyway, it was a cute show and I recommend it.

After the movie, we stopped by Target to browse around. It's been closed for the last 6 weeks due to being hit by a tornado in February. Yes, that would be the same tornado that touched down one-third of a mile from our house, doing THIS to a trampoline (not confirmed, but I've never heard of regular winds balling up a trampoline, so you can decide for yourself): And when it hit Target (its next stop after the trampoline) and several other buildings near it, doing quite a bit of damage, it was just 1 mile (!) from where Blair, Sloane, and I were hunkered down at Blair's school with a bunch of other kids and moms. Not a very comforting feeling! But thankfully, we and our house were spared. Anyway, back to our Sunday, we left Target, stopping at Sonic for some dinner and then chasing our receipt across the Sonic parking lot, across the busy road in front of Sonic, and then into the parking lot across the street (long story, but it quickly became more about not letting the receipt win rather than actually NEEDING the receipt. I'm glad to say we prevailed!). And then home to bed for all. YEA. For. Bedtime!

Oh, and bonus points if you know what song I'm thinking about in my title. I think the words are actually supposed to be "Monday Monday", but it's close enough.

March 28th-Our BIIIIIGGG Snow Day (please note the sarcasm)

First, let me say that, prior to yesterday, we had not had a single snowfall all year. Every previous year, we've had at least 3 or 4, but this year, from my memory, we've had one ice storm, one ice day, and a couple bouts of sleet/freezing rain. And although the latter sort of looks like snow, when you pick it up, it's just a bunch of ice grains in your hand, much like sand, and it's not something you can make into snowballs. So, it's been a rather depressing year snow-wise, and for the entire month of January, Reid insisted that Christmas was not over yet because it still hadn't snowed. And so, winter came and went without a flake. Enter into Spring, March 28th to be exact, and we finally had a forecast of snow. The weathermen said a big huge winter storm was coming our way. A few days out, they started predicting 1-3 inches for our area, and saying that we were in the "possible track" of the storm. Then a day or so ahead of the storm, it took a turn and we were now in the the "likely track" of the snow, and our forecast was upped to 4-6 inches, and even on the edge of the 10-inch area! So exciting!!! We prepared to be snowed in for a day, bought a snow shovel (looking back, I'm not sure why as even a 6-inch snow wouldn't necessitate that, but we just got caught up in the excitement I guess), and started scoping around the house for make-shift sleds. So, Friday night came, and the snow didn't come as quickly or fiercely as predicted, but we dismissed it and went to bed, knowing for sure that we would awake to a winter wonderland the next morning. Well, imagine our disappointment when we woke that next morning, and there was nowhere near our promised 6 inches on the ground. It turns out, the stinkin' storm got near the city and just started circling around us, like a big hurricane! And we were right in the "eye"! We ended up with only about an inch-and-a-half, and it melted anywhere it touched the bare ground. On the grass (and any other raised surface), it was okay, but on the dead spots in the yard, it left us with a dead spot of snow too. Fortunately, the kids were thrilled with what we got and pestered us to go outside as soon as they were done with their breakfast. After getting them super-bundled--to the extent that Reid was asking to go outside just so he could cool off and stop sweating--we headed outdoors for our snowball fight. The snow, weak though it was, was perfect snowball snow.

I love how Reid has learned to hide in the distance while he builds a mound of snowball ammunition. And how Blair, without a single hypothermic care, immediately dropped to all fours and trudged through the snow meowing like a kitty cat. And how Jeremy turns into a big kid right alongside Reid, firing snowballs at him with full force, while Reid just laughs and plays right along (whereas I whine like a baby if I get hit).

It's especially funny when you see remenants of a direct hit to someone's forehead. Even Sloane had one of those on this day! (For her first experience with snow, she surprisingly didn't mind being hit with it, but us putting her on the ground and making a snow angel out of her was completely inexcusable in her mind!) And this snowfall has confirmed once again that I (as well as Kristy, I've discovered) am a horrible hit--I can't hit someone standing 5 feet away from me, so it takes most of the fun out of the snowball FIGHT when you are incapable of FIGHTING back. But according to Blair, a nice cup of hot cocoa takes care of all those inadequacies. :) After naps, we made it outside once more to enjoy what was left of the rapidly-melting snow, throwing a few more snowballs and using the wagon as a sled. We ultimately ended up playing baseball, as most outdoor days end up. Even Blair stood there with socks on hands, bat over her shoulder, and announcing in her little voice, "So close!" every time she didn't hit the ball. Kids are so cute when they're all bundled up from head to toe with just their little faces sticking out. I love it. But, anyway, it ended up being a great day, and we are hopeful that the next snow day will come again soon (meaning, sometime next winter like it's supposed to!)

March 7th-Another fun "outdoor" day.

Jeremy was at a men's retreat with the church for the morning and early afternoon, so we had some time to fill until he got home. We started with some weed removal in the back yard and look what we found...

Do you see what I see? (Hint: Ribbit, ribbit!)

How about now? :)


Then we decided to visit a local Clydesdale ranch. The kids love going out there, but usually it's because they want to see the barn cat. What is so exciting about a cat when there are giant horses (their horseshoes are the size of dinner plates!)that you can pet and even hug??? I don't know but they always want to go out there just for the cat. Oh, and there's a zebra too.

Sratching each other's backs