Kid update

I've been lax about keeping up to date on the kids.  Funny how life gets in the way.  I am awful about remembering to take pictures too.  I get too busy just enjoying the moment to worry about the camera.  In fact, I've been trying to remember where on Earth my camera is.  I know it is here somewhere.


So about the kids.  Mia is now 37 inches tall and about 30 pounds.  Bear is right about 4 feet tall and edging toward 60 pounds.  I know I will be looking up at him before I know it.  I am hoping Mia gives me a few more years of being taller than she is but I know it is likely she will be quite tall as well.  That is what happens when everyone in the family, on both sides, is taller than you are.  My paternal grandmother is the only person who was around my height in the whole family.  I don't think any relations are even close to my height on Tom's side.  Not that can make a genetic difference at any rate.  I do have a step-grandma that I eventually got taller than, but she doesn't have any influence on the kids either.


Bear is doing really well in school and loving it.  He seems to truly enjoy the school atmosphere.  Both the learning new things and the social aspect of it.  He is now bringing reading homework home in the evenings and is just blowing through it.  I've been impressed by the speed that he is picking up how to read.  He seemed to take a while to really get interested in it but now that he is look out.  I'm enjoying watching him turn into quite the young man.  Many mornings now he happily lets the chickens out for me or he'll put them up for the night.  He is an incredible help with his little sister too.


Speaking of little sister.  She is quite the prankster.  The other night she got up for what seemed like the umpteenth time and Tom told her to go back to bed.  She said, "But Dad, I have to ask Mom a question."  So he let her come in the other room where I was and she grinned at me and said, "Did you know, I don't have a question?"  Cracked me up.  She knew she was asking me a question by saying "Did you know?" but she really didn't have anything specific to ask me.  Stinker.  She does that sort of thing quite a bit now.  Also, now that she has turned three anytime she would normally say "too" she says "three" thinking that "too" is "two."  That has turned into when she says "I love you" it is always with the person's age.  So Bear gets a "I love you five," and Tom and I get our ages and we are supposed to respond with "I love you three." 


They are funny kids.  They play well together.  This morning I have no idea how long they had been up before they came and got us at 6:30 a.m.  They said they were playing games in Bear's room.  Some made-up version of Angry Birds according to Bear.


We all have a lot of fun together.  With all the art supplies the kids got for Christmas many afternoons and evenings are spent painting, coloring, and stamping.  Or  we get out the board games and play after supper.  There are things that I really enjoy about Winter.  Bear is getting really good at Mancala.  I don't hold back playing him and only sometimes beat him by much.  Most of the time it is either really close or he wins.  He is really good at Set Jr. and Zingo.  Mia loves the Zingo game because she and Bear can easily play by themselves without needing Mom and Dad to help out.


I suppose I have put laundry off long enough.  It is a grey dreary day here.  We are supposed to get a bunch of snow.  We just got rain last night with just a skiff of snow.  At least it is some moisture.  We've been dry since just before Christmas.  Oh, I guess we have had one snow storm since then because Bear had the sled out that we bought around Christmas.  But that was it.  The moisture is welcome.

Said so well.

This gal over at The Prairie Homestead talks about the couponing issues so well that I'll just send you her way. http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/05/why-i-dont-clip-coupons.html


I will say this, no I am not 35 miles from town, although I have lived that far.  I don't have a milk cow either despite considering it at times.  Otherwise my views are very similar to hers.

Growth

At Mia's birthday we measured both kids.  I try to do this at each of their birthdays since the birthdays are 6 months apart.  Almost 2 inches for both kids! No wonder I can't keep any groceries in this house.

Happy Birthday

I can't believe my youngest turns three today.  Here is a post from not long after she was born: http://mommech.blogspot.com/2011/02/some-pictures-from-last-week-or-so.html


She was so tiny. Especially compared to now.  I keep trying to add a photo of her yesterday and it isn't cooperating with me.  Not sure if it is my computer or Blogger.  Doesn't matter.






Three years sure has flown by.  When we moved she was only a year and a half, still in a crib, still in diapers, and barely talking.  Now she is totally potty trained, been in a big kid bed since right after our move, talks non-stop, and talks about going to school.  She is dying to go to school like her big brother.  Because he is a great teacher she knows her alphabet song, counts to 10, and tries to do everything he does.  I think with just a little time put in she'll be writing before long.  I am not sending her to pre-school until she is four.  Mostly because of two things.  I don't want to pay for it and I don't want to have to drive to a second school just yet.  Plus, she is going to need more shots etc. in order to enroll in school.  I'm not ready to do all that yet.  We still haven't found a family doctor we like. We will but I am not in any big rush to put her in school.  I like our quiet days together.






I just thought about it... I call her Mia because that is what her brother always has called her.  She insists upon being called Amelia.  Not Millie, Mia, or anything else. Oh, I do get away with calling her Whistling Pete when she whistles a lot.  She taught herself to whistle and she walks around whistling tunes all day.  She has a crazy sense of humor too.  She loves a good knock-knock joke and right now is sure into the poop, fart, and toilet jokes.  Not thrilled about that but it will pass.  I hope.


She is very into the pink and princess stuff.  And sparkles.  She loves her sparkles.  Makeup and fingernail paint.  Dresses and purses.  At least despite loving all that she has no qualms about dressing up as pretty as she can and going to visit the chickens or playing in the sandbox.  I'm not sure how I ended up with a girl that is so girly but I did.  I love that she is girly but tough.  She does a great Hulk impression too.






Yep, love my kiddo with her crazy personality.  I am so glad that I get to stay home with the kids now.  I get to see all these little quirks and fun games.

Thursday that I thought was Wednesday

I have a love hate relationship with morning.  I love the dawn of a new day, the light on the hills, the world waking up.  I just hate waking up to take part.  I like the being up just not getting up.  At least this morning because Tom and to be up and out early the coffee was already on when I got up.  I do like those mornings he makes coffee.


My morning chores these days consist of helping Mia on the potty, letting dogs out (the cat usually sneaks in at this point), and letting the chickens out.  Once all that is done then I can build coffee, build a fire, and get the kiddos breakfast so we can get Bear to school by 7:50.  Luckily these days Bear dresses himself and Miss Mia usually ends up just putting shoes and a coat on with her jammies to take Bear to school.  There are always a few days here and there where Bear decides to dawdle and take forever to get dressed but overall mornings aren't particularly stressful until we actually go to walk out the door.  Then Mia usually decides at the last minute that she forgot her purse or something and doesn't want to leave.  I would do a lot better with it if I were maybe more of a morning person but I am just not.  My poor kids.  Bear will often tell me I need to drink more coffee because I'm being a grump.  From a five-year-old no less.  He's right, but it doesn't make it any better.


I keep looking over our property during morning and evening chores and marveling at the fact that we have it.  We are losing the property in Montana today.  No one would buy it and we just can't pay two mortgages.  I hate that and our credit will take a serious hit but now we can focus on building our credit back up.  I do miss our little house in Montana.  I love that my babies were babies there.  They learned to crawl, walk, and talk there.  We became a family in that house.  I hope someone else gets to enjoy that little house as much as we did.  I don't miss it when the wind blows though.  We would have the house easily drop 10 degrees as soon as the wind would start.  I am loving a well insulated house.  So, as much as I miss the house in Montana I am very glad we are where we are.  We have a great chunk of property, we don't live in town, Tom has a good job that he loves, and we feel like we are a part of the community.  That is worth a lot.


I think since I am mostly ready for my farmer's market on Saturday I will lay seeds out today and see what I have and what I need.  Before I know it I'll have starts all over the house.  I figure late February or early March I'll start my seeds. If I can find my celery I'll probably start that sooner but I can't seem to keep track of that seed packet.  I suppose I'll have to decide how much of a market garden we are going to put in this year.  I'm thinking at least herbs will need to go to market.  I see very few herbs there.  I guess I'll see what I have room for.