Anna shows her concern

During dinner tonight I went to reach for Ally's sippy cup, which she'd thrown on the floor and was then having a fit about, and smacked the side of my head on the cupboard door that I'd left open.  It hurt!  I yelled out in pain and anger.

After allowing me some time for dramatics, Dave, none too concerned, suggested, "Why don't you go lie down."  I began to leave the kitchen, holding my hand on my head and mumbling about how I didn't even think I could see out of my left eye.

Anna, maybe picking up on Dave's lack of concern, realized how overly dramatic I was being.  She suddenly said, with obviously sarcastic alarm, "Oh my gosh, Mom's dead!"

What's crazier than...

What's crazier than having four kids in four and a half years?
Deciding to take them out of the country before the youngest turn two.

What's crazier than that?
Getting them passport photos.

And what's crazier than that?
Deciding to try to take these strictly-regulated-by-the-government photographs yourself.

But, here's the thing:  I remember our last experience getting passport photos taken. We handed our 4-month-old baby to a disgruntled 19-year-old at Walgreens who lay her on the floor on top of a piece of poster board from the art supply aisle, and snapped her picture with a $75 Elph camera.  After an hour long wait and $9.99 +tax, we had two horrific shots.  I did a little research and realized our options were to repeat the same experience with all four kids at a cost of approximately $40, upgrade to an experience at Ritz for $48, or give it a try myself.

I found an awesome website that walked me through the government guidelines and helped me get the pictures printed myself for a total cost of $1.04.  And, I know they're right, because they look hideous!

And they get better. 

It was so hard to get my babies, 

who've had it pounded in their head that they have to smile for cameras, 

to make a government required "neutral face."

Ally's picture cracks me up.  What's funnier than a baby mugshot?

The ones I had to reject:

A new tradition

I should stay away from the Pioneer Woman blog, because her blog is going to find its way to my hips.  But, Thursday I found a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I just had to try.  They seemed perfect for our little family Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve.

So, I spent several hours making the dough on Friday night.  And in the morning, Kate and I spent quite a while rolling them out, and I spent twice as long cleaning them up.   We used more butter to make them than any family needs in a season.  And, they were worth every single second, and, actually, every single calorie.  They might have been the best thing I've ever tasted.  Fabulous!  This is going to be a new tradition.

We made enough to share with our neighbors and my grandma.

Anna gave her approval, but she couldn't stop eating to pose for a picture.

In case you need to gain a few pounds, you can check out this amazing recipe here.

"Didser"

I was sitting here quickly trying to catch up on my blog posts for December (yes, and, as you may have noticed, backdating some to the dates I started them or intended to start them) while Luke played with new cars he got for Christmas.  I heard him zoom up the stairs, so I got up and followed him.  I found him sitting outside the Kate and Anna's door where Ally was napping.  When he saw me, he pointed to the door and said, "Didser."

He said this for the first time last week, when I pointed to Ally, and said, "Who is this?  Ally."  He said, "Didser."  I asked, "Sister?"  He repeated, "Didser."  Then later I said, "Who's your sister?"  And, he said, "Didser," and pointed to Anna, then Kate, then Ally.  That works.  Why learn three names when one will do.  I have some respect for clever laziness.

Anyway, back to today.  After Luke pointed to the door again, and repeated "Didser." I said, "Is she awake."  He pointed more emphatically, so I quietly opened the door to take a peek.   Luke pushed through and crawled like a flash over to the Pack N Play where Ally was standing, excited her brother had come to rescue her.  Luke climbed up on the toy box, so they where head to head.  And I can't be sure, but I think that Luke quickly explained to her through some sort of twin-osmosis that Mommy was being an especially lazy mother today and, were it not for him, she'd have been left in there awake all day.

Things I hope I never forget

When Kate was a baby, I couldn't understand how my mother didn't remember every detail about me as a baby.  I was even more shocked that my friends with babies just months older than Kate didn't remember things from just a few months ago, not even when their kids had gotten their first tooth!  I mean, these things are momentous!

I knew I would never forget a single detail.  But, on the off chance one of these important things momentarily slipped my mind, I obsessively kept a journal of every detail.

I actually didn't change all that much after Anna was born.  I still tried to write down every detail.  And, because it still hadn't dawned on me it was normal to forget, I secretly consulted Kate's journal before announcing things like, "Anna's first tooth seems ready to pop through.  Kate's first tooth came when she was 6 1/2 months old."  I remember a blog post I wrote when Anna was a baby, comparing when Kate and Anna each started pointing to the kittens in a Good Night Moon.  I felt like I had to remember (or at least record) every one of these incredibly important milestones.


And then... Luke and Ally were born.  And the obsessive recording stopped.  Of course, I was simply too busy to record all of these details, but I'd also like to chalk some sort of wisdom that occurred to me.  Something that helped me understand that it just doesn't matter!  It might be nice to know when a kid got her first tooth, but it's not really critical.  And when they got their fourth or fifth tooth...  My goodness, that's not even interesting!  Really!  Every kid gets teeth.  What I'm now trying to remember, for them and for myself, are the things they did or said that are unique or funny, things that they might actually want to know.

Here are the things that I always want to remember about Luke and Ally as toddlers:

Kisses:
They give the most adorable kisses.  The wind up is a big "Mmmmmm" sound, and then they get you right on the lips.  Luke loves to crawl over to me when I'm lying on the floor and lay one right on me.  Ally is partial to Dave when it comes to kisses, and she's pretty stingy about sharing them with me.  I'll often get a serious look and a shake of her head when I ask.  They have recently started kissing each other.  And that is just about the best thing ever!

Tickles:
They both love to tickle.  If I bend over their car seat to strap Anna in behind them, they'll sneak their fingers in between my pants and shirt and "ticko ticko ticko."  I'll say, "Hey!!!"  And, they'll laugh and laugh.

Ally loves to crawl over, take off my slipper, and get my feet.

A month or so ago, if we didn't do it to him, Luke started tickling himself when he was getting changed.  He goes up and down his chest with his little hands, "Ticko, ticko, ticko..."  That is about the funniest thing ever.  Now Ally does it too.

Ally stands:
Ally loved to just stand. Once she learned to do it a few months ago, probably about 14 months, she'd just get up in the middle of a room and stand there.  She'd stand there, smiling, waiting for someone to notice her, and then she'd beam.  "You see this?  Yeah?  Am I awesome or what?"  But she never walked.  She couldn't be coaxed to take a step for months, until she was over 16 months.

The usual baby stuff:
Of course, like most babies, they love to throw things down and announce "Uh oh."  But, it's slightly crazier with the duo.  Things drop at an even more rapid speed.  And, they also love to play in Mason's water bowl, and, yes, the toilet.

Their relationship:
They're very sweet with each other.  If they see the other's lovey, they'll deliver it right over to them.

Ally's dancing:
My favorite thing that Ally does is her dance.  It's just so perfect.  Whenever we're in a restaurant she'll hear the music in the background and get right into it.  She throws her hands in the air and swings her little body around in a rapid gyration.  She'd fit in perfectly at any Grateful Dead reunion concert.

Shoe hands:
Ally also loves to stick misplaced shoes or slippers on her hands and crawl around with them.  It's such an every day occurrence now that Dave, the girls, and I refer to this as "shoe hands."

Stair skills:
It's funny how good the babies are at going up and down the stairs.  I think Kate was at least two before I ever let her go up or down the stairs without me hovering over her.  The babies have been doing this on their own for several weeks already.  It came from necessity.  It was so hard to carry them both up or down, even harder to coax them both up simultaneously, and nearly impossible to carry one up or down the stairs, and then run back for the other while hoping the first remained safe at the other location.  When we went to Minneapolis, I practiced the stairs with them at the Children's Museum.  In just a little while there and some reminding for the next couple weeks, they mastered the skill, and now their just fine.  We had one little accident with Luke, but I think it was because they'd gotten overconfident and he was goofing around.  Their method for going down still takes my breath away a little.  They turn around at the top like I taught them so they can go down feet first on their bellies, but then they just whizz right down... just way

Annaglish

Anna has a huge vocabulary, but she still mispronounces quite a few words.  I actually think it's adorable and am not really looking forward to the day she says everything "right."  I love how she begins difficult or unfamiliar words with a w sound and turns their middle sound into a blend of the beginning and middle sounds of the actual word, prounouncing polite as "woplite," giraffe as "wagraffe," and police car as "woplice car,"  etc.

The other day Anna heard me cooing to Luke, "Where'd you get those blue eyes?"  She interjected with her theory, "From Wasmatha."  It took me a second and I realized what she was saying.  My friend Samantha is one of the only people we see regularly with the same color eyes as Luke.  I just hope her husband doesn't know she bore my child.

Anna always calls oatmeal "opey no."  Anna was asking for "opey no" for breakfast the other day and Kate, in a bad mood, told her, "Anna, say it right.  It's oatmeal."  Anna tried harder and called it "opey meal!"

Before I know it, Anna will be in school, and she'll be "talking like a big girl."  So, for this short time, I'm going to savor the time she stays home with me and her "wagraffe" all day after she eats her "opey no."  I'm going to appreciate all her little quirks, even the one that made her feel she had to wear her Rudolf nose during the family Christmas pictures.

My carnivores

Dave has been not so subtly hinting about how he misses some of the meat dishes I used to make before I became a vegetarian again.  One day he'd said, "You know what would be really good?  Pulled pork... or maybe a pot roast... or..."

So, after seeing a recipe on the Pioneer Woman blog, I decided to give Dave a very special Christmas present.  I made him a meal of salt crusted beef tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms with a balsamic glaze.  Not to brag, but it looked amazing.

After taking a couple bites of the tenderloin, Kate looked at me and said, "You should have some, Mom."

I smiled and said, "Oh, no, thanks."

She shook her head and, before returning to her meal, muttered, "It's not worth being a vegetarian."

We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas...

After we made the toilet paper roll pilgrims for Thanksgiving, I had some toilet paper rolls left over.  I jokingly asked people if they thought a Nativity scene, including a toilet paper roll baby Jesus, would be inappropriate.  The only other idea I had at the time involved the recycle bin.  So, it became my quest this December to find something less offensive to do with my remaining rolls.  I found the idea for these little guys when I was getting rid of some several-years-old issues of Family Fun magazine.

...and a Happy New Year!

Kate's new chapter books

Kate got some chapter books for her birthday.  I was looking forward to reading them to her.  I feel a little disappointed, but I feel much more proud, that she can actually read them by herself!

I remember when I had a baby.
Now I have a six-year-old who reads chapter books!

The Nutcracker

I took Kate to the Nutcracker for the first time this year.  I had some things to learn in a couple areas.  There was a small issue of me deciding to buy cheaper tickets that landed us in the very last row, and a bigger issue of me failing to get Kate and myself back to our seats in time at the end of intermission that landed us in a worse spot, outside the doors of the theater, for about ten minutes.  But, overall, we had a great time getting all dressed up and going to this special event together.  I think it's going to become a holiday tradition.

Words at 16 1/2 months

Kate was an extremely early talker.  She started with words early and with sentences even earlier.  Anna didn't start quite as early as Kate did, but once she started talking, she progressed extremely quickly.

Luke and Ally aren't starting talking early or quickly, but I'm not too worried about it.  They're obviously very smart.  Anyway, since I always recorded what Kate and Anna said at every age, I figure I should jot at least a note about Luke and Ally.


Ally
Mama
Dada
Uh oh
Ni Ni
Mmmm (kiss)
Bye

Luke
Mama
Dada
Uh oh
Fshhh with sign (fish)
Ball
Mmmm (kiss)
Book?
Shs (shoes)
Didser (sister)
Baa (bath)

...but Ally saw the "uh oh"

Luke was sleeping, but Ally saw the "uh oh."


I was rocking Ally on the chair in their room after she had woken up sick in the middle of the night.  As we were rocking, she suddenly popped her head up, announced, "Uh oh," and pointed to Luke's crib.


Luke lay sound asleep at the far end of his crib, but his beloved Knuffle Bunny lay at the end closer to us.  I whispered, "It's okay.  Lukey's ni ni."  But Ally continued, pointing more emphatically and explaining, "Uh oh, uh oh."


I stood up, holding Ally in one arm, and reached in the crib with the other and laid Knuffle Bunny beside Luke.  I would normally have tucked Knuffy up next to Luke's chin or in the crook of his arm, but he was sleeping on his tummy with his arms down on both sides.


Ally, shook her head "no" and reached toward the crib.  I worried briefly about waking Luke up, but Ally was adamant.  It was more likely Luke would wake up from the fit she was about to throw than from whatever she wanted me to let her do.  So I lowered her into the crib. 


She picked up Luke's Knuffy and put it on top of him tucking it in the back of his neck.  Then she reached for me to bring her back up.  When I did, I saw her expression in the glow from the nightlight.  She smiled with pride.  She knew she'd helped her brother.

That's what friends are for

Last week the house had gotten really messy.  I mean, so messy that the kitchen floor made my slippers dirtier than the outside shoes I make people take off to keep the floors clean.

I was just overwhelmed working on all my Christmas projects, like the 13 jars of Sandcastle Brownie Mix for the neighbors and teachers, along with the everyday things like preparing for my Awana lesson that night, making sure Kate's homework and piano practice got done, and just generally keeping Luke and Ally from killing themselves... or each other.

So, when my friend Mandy texted to ask if I wanted to get together the next morning, I wrote back that it would be best if she could come here because Ally and Luke's naps were unpredictable, but that I was embarrassed to have anyone see what a disaster my house was and there was no way I was going to have time to clean it.

Instead of just telling me not to worry about it or commenting that her house was looking messy too, she sent me a picture of dishes overflowing in her sink and asked, "Does this make you feel better?"

I laughed.  It totally made me feel better!

Santa's new boots

Anna's winter boots are hand-me-downs from her cousin Laura.  They have lights that flash when she walks, and she loves them.

Yesterday Anna went on a little outing with my parents, and they saw Santa at the mall.  Anna told me later that Santa had told her he loved her boots and wanted to get a pair for himself.  I laughed and said, "What!?  Santa is going to get boots like yours? That's pretty cool, isn't it?"

Anna responded, "I think Santa was really just teasing."

I laughed.  I was surprised.  This kid doesn't miss a beat.  Then she explained how she knew it was just a tease, "Santa can't even buy those boots in a store!  The only way he could get them is if Laura had some boots that got too big for her!"

Anna, modeling her boots,
as well as her usual style, "pattern on pattern on pattern,"
that I daily try my best to ignore.

They walk!

Ally won the walking race, but only by a moment.  After she first took a few steps, Luke saw how excited everyone got and decided to do it too.

I think his thoughts were something like, "What?  That?  You think that is a big deal?  All right..."

One step away from going to my kid's school in my bathrobe and slippers

I am finally able to access my computer again, and it's in everybody's best interest that I am.  Without my electronic therapist, I was just one step away from chasing over to my kid's school in my bathrobe and slippers.

Yesterday morning was just like any other: one baby attempting the stairs head first while we were busy stopped the other from drinking out of the dog bowl, a lovie or two needing to be retrieved from the toilet, a missing three-year-old found only after ten minutes of yelling in the bathroom to be wiped... just our baseline level of chaos.  But, because Dave and I were once again unable to communicate, I realized only fifteen minutes before Dave's first patient (and he still hadn't showered) that he hadn't realized I needed him to drop Kate's birthday cupcakes off at school.

So, we decided he'd shut the babies in the bathroom with him during his shower while I buzzed over to school.  I ran a brush through my hair (well, at least half of my hair), and I determined that what I'd slept in looked enough like workout clothes instead of pajamas that I didn't need to get dressed.  As I slipped on my coat I quickly assessed my shoe situation.  Gym shoes take so long to get on and tie.  The only slip on shoes I had handy were dress shoes... and that might ruin the "work out clothes" facade. My new slippers do have indoor/outdoor soles... and that's the moment that I reached a fork in the road of my life.

Would I be the mom who shows up at school wearing a pink bathrobe and bunny slippers?  I decided then and there that no, I wouldn't be.  I may not have enough pride or self-respect to prevent me from doing so, but I wasn't going to ruin my kids' chances of having any...

not yet, anyway.