School Pictures and More

You may remember that I posted a couple of weeks ago about picture day at school. Eli had some red sores under his nose and we're in the process of growing out Emma Kate's bangs....so I just wasn't sure how they'd turn out.

We got the pictures back this week and they weren't bad at all! For fun I've included their school picture from last year.

Eli's face is thinning out and getting longer....

2nd Grade 3rd gradeI can't believe the difference a year has made for Emma Kate. She almost looks like a different child....

Kindergarten 1st Grade

On a different topic, today was haircut day for Zane. I can't remember if this was haircut#5 or #6. (guess I should look back at previous blog posts to see.) He was loooooong overdue. His hair was over his ears, down his neck. Mrs. Trudi (who cuts his hair) even made a comment about the mullett he had going on! He did so so GREAT for her though! He smiled most of the time she was cutting his hair. I didn't take any pictures during the actual process but did get before and after....

And because I don't want to leave Zander boy out. His hair is growing and curling like crazy but Momma sees no need to cut it yet.....

18 months

Zane and Zander are now 18 months old... A few things they currently like to do are:

sit on the bathroom counter with Emma Kate in the mornings when I'm fixing her hair...

brush their teeth while I'm brushing my teeth....



and read a good book....

Monday Memories

A few things I want to remember....

~my sunglasses have been missing since last Sunday or Monday. I had searched both cars, my purse, every possible place I could think of and just couldn't find them. Saturday morning I was talking to someone in the driveway. Zane and Zander were outside playing with balls (which is where we spend A LOT of our time!). Zane walked into the garage to get another ball and came back out with my sunglasses in his hand.
Where were they? How did he find them? I have NO IDEA the answers to either of those questions. My best guess is the one who found them may have been the one who "hid" them to begin with!

~Zander is now tall enough to reach the clock/radio/sound machine that sits on a table beside our bed. I have caught him, more than once, pushing the buttons to make the time change. Apparently he knows how to do more than just change the time. This morning at 4:50am our alarm went off!! I don't know how he did it.
Philip was able to go back to sleep, but not me. I was trying to find the positive in the situation. Like this is a good opportunity to go running, but that didn't work. I just kept laying there flopping back and forth trying to go to sleep. Finally I gave up. Got out of bed and moved that clock to a higher place where toddler hands can't reach!

~Emma Kate and I went on a little store outing Saturday night. We enjoyed walking around looking at all the Christmas decorations. As we were getting in the car to leave,

she said,"Oh darn. I forgot to be good this year."

I said "what?"

She said "you know, for Christmas."

I said, "oh, you don't think you've been very good?"

She said, "well at least I still have 47 days left."

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Zane and Zander were Thing 1 and Thing 2 for Halloween.

When we lived in Florida, we visited SeussLand at Universal Studios when Eli and Emma Kate were 4 and 2 years old. At that time, we bought them Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts. I had saved those (thinking I might someday have twins....NOT!!!), so the boys were able to wear them. With my mother-in-laws help, we made them blue wigs. The costumes were so easy to put together and drew LOTS of attention.

Unfortunately, the picture taking didn't go over as well. Thing 2 was unhappy most of the whole evening. (nothing to do with the costume, but not really sure what was wrong with him)
These are the 2 best pictures I have of them together....

Eli wanted to dress up as Cat in the Hat to go along with Thing 1 and Thing 2. You can see that Thing 2 was busy with the Blackberry during this picture....

Thing 1 was happy the entire night. He's so sweet and easygoing....

Thing 2's face in the picture below says it all.... (notice he still has the Blackberry in his hand. The Blackberry and me holding him were the only ways I could keep him from crying)


We trick-or-treated at quite a few houses before heading back to our house to hand out goodies. Thing 2 finally got happy when we were sitting outside watching everyone go by. Still yet though, another failed picture. This time Thing 1 is looking away. (I'm sure he was smiling though.)

"Lose Your 1st Tooth Month"

Eli lost his first tooth in November of his Kindergarten year. Emma Kate is in 1st grade and has been waiting patiently (and sometimes not patiently) to lose a tooth. It finally happened yesterday on November 1st! So I told them that November must be "Lose Your 1st Tooth Month" in our house. (Philip tried to tell them that he lost his 1st tooth in November too. They didn't believe him!)

We had noticed it being wiggly for a couple of weeks. Yesterday morning she came to me while I was in the shower (there is not a single area in the house where I can be alone), and asked me to feel it. It was pretty wiggly. I told her to keep wiggling it the rest of the day and I would check on it before bed. (In case you don't know, I get a secret little thrill out of pulling my children's teeth. Heck, for that matter, I just like pulling teeth. Doesn't even have to be my own kids. I pulled my friend Lori's daughters 1st tooth last week while we were in the car!)

Anyway, back to Emma Kate....yesterday afternoon we were playing outside. She said she was cold and wanted to go inside to change. When she came back outside she said, "Mom I just pulled my tooth." I couldn't believe it. No tears. No drama. Just very matter of fact as if this happens all the time. This is definitely different than it was with Eli's teeth.

She put it under her pillow last night. This morning she was so excited to show me a $2 bill.

The tooth fairy usually leaves Eli $2 for his teeth as well, so she wasn't surprised about that. However, she was surprised to see purple sparkly glitter all over the money....

Emma Kate thought that was so neat! She liked it so much that she got out her glitter stuff and tried to make it even more sparkly!

No rest for the weary

One of my sweet baby boys has been exceptionally cranky the last 3 days. I am all he wants. No one else will do. Add to that he has had diarrhea for 8 days straight. I'm just worn out.

Tonight after we got the little ones in bed, I went to my own bed and crashed. Lights out. Just laying in the dark. I wasn't going to sleep but I probably looked sort of like this picture I found online.... I was thinking what I could do different so as not to be spread so thin. I feel like there just isn't enough of me to go around for all 5 members in my house that need me. As well as all the daily "stuff" that has to be done. Picking up, dirty dishes, never-ending laundry. I was also praying. Asking God for help. I need it.

Right smack dab in the middle of those thoughts, Eli came running naked into my room, turned on the light, took one look at me and said, "Mom, why are you laying down?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh because he was amazed that I would even consider laying down. Cry because I had been found and my few minutes of quiet solitude was over.

Costume Chameleons

Eli and Emma Kate could not decide what they wanted to be this year for Halloween. That is very frustrating for me. I always try to have their costumes in August.

Emma Kate actually decided last year after Halloween that she wanted to be Tinker Bell. In January she was still set on that, so when Philip and I traveled to Miama for the Gators National Championship, we stopped by Disney and bought her all the Tinker Bell stuff she would need.

Our first opportunity to dress up this year was on Wednesday before Halloween. Our cousin Cole was having a costume party at the Library. Emma Kate did wear the Tinker Bell costume that day. I wish I had known that would be the ONLY time she wore it. I would've gotten more pictures. This is all I have. She is running around playing a game. And had already taken off her Tinker bell wings and headpiece by this time.... Next opportunity to dress up was on Halloween night. She once again changed her mind. This time she was a gymnast. Eli went with his original thought of Cat in the Hat. (the baby boys were Thing 1 and Thing 2. I'll be posting those pictures later)

Today was the last chance to once again change their minds. Our neighborhood had a fall block party. This time Emma Kate went as Ariel from the Little Mermaid (which is what she was last year), and Eli went as Tim Tebow....

Just for fun I am throwing in a picture of me in my costume. In case you can't read the sign, it says "Octo Mom. Because having 2 at one time just wasn't enough."