Parakeet Eyes

The other day I was impressed with Ethan for finding something that we had lost in the house. We had been discussing the letter E and eagles so I mentioned that eagles have good vision and so when a person is really good at seeing small things we say they have eagle eyes. Ethan thought it was kind of funnybut didn't say much about it.

Later this week he was sitting in his carseat and out of the blue he says to me, "Parakeets have creepy eyes. So if someone has creepy eyes then you call them parakeet eyes." That boy cracks me up. So if Ethan ever calls you "parakeet eyes" you will know it isn't a compliment.

Just so everyone can see how bad it was

Just in case anyone doubted that Ethan's hair twirling was a problem I took a picture of Ethan's bald spot. He has the big one and then he had started a smaller one above it. It is at least the size of a quarter.
Since the picture I posted of Ethan's haircut made it looked that Ethan was pretty pained about the whole thing I thought I would post another picture. Ethan does not like to cooperate for pictures. He likes to intentionally close his eyes and turn his head when I try to take them. I got smart and took the picture on 2 rather than on 3 so he didn't have a chance to ruin my picture. The haircut is growing on me. He looks like such a little man though.

I think Taylor is hoping to get her head shaved too. Every meal she ends up looking like this because after every bite she has to run her hands through her hair. That hair around her eye is actually plastered there with green beans. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she would actually leave a hairclip in her hair but that would be asking too much.

This is Ethan's first picture of anyone. And of course he took the easy route and drew Abe. I would say it is pretty accurate. I'm not sure if Abe is suppose to have a mustache or what but I love it.

Oh my....

So this morning when I left Ethan with his dad while I ran a few errands this is what Ethan looked like (well minus the chocolate, that was from the pie we made for Abe yesterday)

Then when I came home I found Abe and Ethan in the bathroom and this is what Ethan looked like. Needless to say I was a little shocked.

In Abe's defense I had been threatening to shave his head for the last week. Ethan has picked up an awful habit from Taylor of twirling the hair on the crown of his head. Taylor does it while she is nursing and he started doing it when he is tired but now does it all the time. But when Ethan does it he twists REALLY hard and it makes the hair on the crown of his head stand straight up. Well this week I realized that he has been doing it so hard that he now has a bald spot in the back of his head and it is getting bigger. None of my techniques for getting him to stop have worked so I told him we would shave his head when daddy got back. He protested all week that there was no way he would have his head shaved. When I saw him willingly shaven I asked Abe how he convinced him. All it took was a promise of one piece of pie. I now know that this kid would do anything for pie.

We had been having some gorgeous weather these last several days so it has been wonderful to get outside for the first time in ages. Thankfully the warm weather stuck around until Saturday so we could enjoy it with Abe. We had a picnic and did some fishing. Oh life is so much better when I can get outside when the kids. I love it!

Can you get more balance after you lose it?

Usually when we are riding anywhere I get bombarded with questions from Ethan. Often they are related to analyzing books or shows and he asks a million questions about why things happen. We have these books that are shortened versions of all sorts of Disney movies. Ethan has picked up on the fact that some pieces are missing and he wants me to fill in the pieces. The other day we were analyzing the book about Snow White. We went through all sorts of questions and then we got to the point where the Queen dies by losing her balance and falling off the cliff. So this is how the rest of the conversation went:

Ethan: So how did she lose her balance?
Me: She tripped.

Ethan: Did her balance fall out when she tripped?

(This is when I figured out that Ethan was a little confused.)

Me: No, balance can't fall out. It's just an expression. You know how Taylor doesn't walk very good. She doesn't have good balance.
Ethan: So is her balance smaller than mine?

Me: (having given up) Sure.

Ethan: So can I give her my big balance?

Me: Would you do that for her?

Ethan: Sure, but I can get another one right? Is you balance in your head or your body?

We will try to bring that topic up again some day. I love his inquisitive mind, even when it drives me absolutely crazy. He is always thinking about something. The video is of Taylor and her lack of balance.

The other day I was working very hard to clean the kids' room. They were playing and I had it looking great. I left the room for a few minutes to work on the office and this is the scene I returned to. Taylor had decided to unload everything in her dresser. Ethan had decided to join in the fun by adding every blanket and pillow he could find. They were both so proud of themselves.

So I have always been a fan of the photo editing where they take a B&W picture and add a little bit of color. I never knew how to do it though and we all know I'm cheap so I have never gone to a fancy photographer. So recently a friend mentioned using picnik.com to edit photos for free online. Probably everyone else has heard of this but I hadn't. So I have had fun editing some pics. If you haven't checked it out, you should.

Tattle Tail

Ethan definitely likes to try to get his sister in trouble. In general, it's usually Ethan that has done something to her when she does get mad at him so he is usually the one getting in trouble. Today I was cleaning up after dinner and this is the conversation:

Ethan: Taylor's hurting me.
Me: What is she doing?
Ethan: Stuff, mean stuff.
Me: Like what?
Ethan: Just mean stuff.
So I walk into the room to see Taylor at the book shelf getting a book and pulling it across the room. I give Ethan one of those "sure she was" looks and go back to the dishes. A few minutes later,
Ethan: She's still being mean.
Me: She is just looking at a book.
Ethan: But she got out the dinosaur book to scare me away. Look it has big teeth on it.

I think he is giving his sister a little too much credit. Of course a few minutes later he was told to pick up his blocks and I heard him trying to talk Taylor into picking them up for him. She is actually a much better cleaner-upper so it actually worked. Soon she will learn that he was just trying to "throw her under the bus" with mom.

Wish us luck as we start another two months with Abe being away during the week. He hasn't been gone 2 hours and we already miss him. Week 1 is always the worst. We have been spoiled having him around for the last 2 months and it has been wonderful! Work has been terribly busy and having Abe around has been such a blessing. The last week has been 12 hour days and I can't wait for Wednesday when I get to start a break from work. A nice trip to visit the grandparents is just around the corner, as long as we can survive until Wednesday.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

I can't believe my baby is one already. She is getting so big. Her birthday was the 5th but work has been crazy and life has been so busy that I didn't get a chance to post anything. We had a party planned for the day after her birthday but thanks to the never ending snow we are getting this year we had to reschedule for yesterday. Both Taylor and Ethan have celebrated their birthday with snow this year and we are so tired of the snow. We still have at least a foot of snow in the front yard. And spring is nowhere in sight. Taylor is growing and learning new tricks every day. She is getting better and better at walking all the time. She walked almost half way across the gym today at church. She is saying new words, like baby and ball. I have no doubt that she will be competing with Ethan to tell her stories soon enough. Today Ethan said to me when we were in the nursery "I was playing and then I recognized that my secret bag (a present from his teacher) was missing." He is the only kid that I know to throw recognized into a story. He also came in and said "Mom, I'm famished." I asked what he said just to confirm and he replies "famished, mom. It means you're hungry." I love when he defines words for me.

On Taylor's actual birthday she opened her presents. She loves her little stroller for her baby dolls but she really loves trying to sit in it herself. She has quite a love for her baby dolls. She usually has one tucked under her arm all day long and always wants to bring them in the car. She loves real babies just as much and loves to try and hug and kiss them.

We had a great time visiting with friends as we celebrated Taylor's birthday. Last month my friend and I took a cake decorating class so it was fun to decorate a cake for the party. Unfortunately it was made of sugar so Taylor couldn't eat a bite of it but it looked pretty. When Ethan and I went to buy the cake mix he convinced me to get one strawberry and one chocolate. I didn't realize that I hate strawberry cake. Even the smell of it is awful to me. So I can't say it was the best tasting cake either but once again, it looked pretty.

Taylor walking around, baby in hand.

Taylor talking to her friend at the party. She was probably telling her "don't you dare touch the baby."

Taylor really got into eating her cupcake and now when she sees them on the counter she whines for more. She definitely has a little sweet tooth.

This is Ethan's contribution to the post. I have been trying to convince him to try and draw things for me but he has zero interest. He made a valentine's day card for me and it had a little picture on it and I asked him what it was. He said something like it a splat, pow. So we have been working on writing letters and he was finally willing to give up his constant power struggle to try and write his name for me. You have to use your imagination a little but I was so impressed. He probably has the creativity of his mother and will never draw me a picture.

Taylor's Turn

I have been totally amazed by how much Taylor has changed over the last several weeks. It is so much fun to watch her grow up but of course it is a little sad too. She has started taking steps in between Abe and I. She will take about 4 steps unless she gets too excited (usually because she sees Ethan). Such bravery has resulted in our first black eye though. She has started talking more too. I love to hear "mama" coming from the other room when I'm gone. But I think my favorite word these days is "thank you." She says it so sweet and quietly. I just love it. She has figured out that the cow says moo and will say moo when she sees a cow (or any animal that she thinks looks like a cow). I love "uh-oh" as she starts to drop food off her high chair. She is such a social little girl, just like Ethan at that age. She was constantly saying "hi" to the little girl behind us at church on Sunday and loves to hug people she meets and her baby dolls. She is just such a sweetheart.

Taylor hates having her hair done but that doesn't stop me completely. The fact that she usually has the clips out before I can get into the car does deter me though. She is so proud of herself when I go to get her out of the car and she has her hair clips out and her sock in her hand. She just waves it around enthusiastically.

This is a picture of the day after her last hairdo. Another deterrent to hairdos !