funnies, edited

I’ve been jotting down some cute things the little girls have said this fall.  Here’s a little taste of the funnies we hear around here fairly often.  Also, there’s a couple of sweet ones tucked in, too.

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Rose: (said very cheerfully) When I’m getting a little bit bigger, I can get stinged by a bumble bee!

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Rose:  I don’t want to sit on your yap because, because, because, because you’re sweaty.

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Pendo: Brownie now.

Me: No.  No brownie.  We do NOT get a brownie for pooping on the floor.

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Pendo: No peeing on dad, mom?

Me:  That’s right.  No peeing on dad!

Rose: and Grandma

Pendo: No peeing on Grandma?

Me: That’s right.  No peeing on Grandma either.

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Rose:  I yub you, mama.

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Rose:  Macie is licking my buns.

Me:  That’s because you have cheese stuck to them.

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Rose:  Can I sit beside Pendo on the hay ride?

Me:  Sure,  you can sit beside her.

Rose:  She’s my sister, and I love her.

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Edited to add this one from today.

Me:  Guess what I pulled out of the washing machine today?

G:  Poop?

Me:  Yes.  How did you know?

G:  Because there were some nasty panties with poop with on them from yesterday.

(Can you tell we’re still having some potty training issues?)

 

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apples, anyone?

On Saturday morning, we went apple picking with some friends.  We guessed that we were a little on the late side for picking apples, but it took us awhile to find a Saturday morning that both families were free from other obligations.

I was really excited Saturday morning because the rain that was predicted for that morning was now pushed back into the afternoon.  Perfect, right?  It was about 55 and sunny.  Just the morning to go apple-picking.  I could just taste the applesauce and apple pie that I had planned for this week.

Ummmm . . . aren’t these supposed to be on the trees?

Turns out we were entirely too late.

Every single apple had ripened and fallen to the ground and . . .well, I’m sure you can guess what happens when apples fall to the ground.

We made the most of it.  The girls ran through the orchard,

and climbed in the trees while we decided what our next steps were going to be.

We bought 1/2 dozen freshly made doughnuts, fought off the bees while we ate them, hung out with our friends for awhile, then headed home.  It didn’t turn out as we had hoped, but I learned an important lesson about apple-picking in Michigan.  Next year, we won’t wait until the end of October!  For now, we’ll just buy our apples at Meijer and proceed with the plans for apple pie and applesauce anyway.

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12

12

the number of political propaganda pamphlets that arrived in our mail today

That’s the only mail we received today.

Thank goodness election day is not too far away.  Our recycling bin overflows.

 

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exploring

Yep, this is yet another post about taking my kids for a fall hike.

I think it will be the last (post that is, not hike) for awhile.

I am just LOVING the warm, fall weather we’ve been having, and sometimes it’s easier for me to take the kids out somewhere rather than stay home, with the same four walls and the same toys.

This time our friend B joined us, and we explored yet another new-to-us park/garden in our area.

pretty waterfall

This garden has some gorgeous walking trails, AND it also features a relatively new children’s garden with many, many different stations geared for kiddos.

Here is Kait making a fairy playground.

I know I’ve said this probably too often, but I really loved this place.  I can’t believe there were so many things to do outdoors (for free!) that were geared for my little ladies.  I am already anticipating the next time we can sneak away to this amazing place again.  MAYBE . . . even in the winter?  We’ll see how committed I am to being outdoors with the girls then.  I’m guessing it’s pretty much out of the question, but it depends on how stir crazy we are compared to the wind chill that day.

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bingo night

Last week Kait and I attended a fun family night at her school.

I haven’t played Bingo with a big group of people in . . .well . . . I don’t know if I ever have.

It was great fun!  We both really loved it.

It was Halloween Bingo, so Kait dressed up in her Tara the Tuesday Fairy costume, though you can’t see much of it here.

We both won a few games and got a couple of prizes, while Kait chowed down on a doughnut and popcorn.

I think it was good practice for my life in about three and half decades.  I can just picture myself with my short, blue-tinged hair hollerin’ out “BINGO” or “G, what did he just say?  Was it B14?” with the other residents of whatever nursing home or senior center I am in.  If Halloween Bingo was any indication of the fun times ahead, I say “bring it on!”

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the good, the bad, and the frustrating

the good:

I have a delicious “Austin style” caramel apple waiting for me in the fridge.

OK, there’s three of them, but I promise I’ll only eat one.  Today.

Just seemed like a good day to make them.  Can’t wait to eat it.

the bad:

G had the day off, so I roped and wrangled convinced him to go Christmas shopping with me.

And the three girls.

(Kait didn’t have school today)

Yes.  I know it’s only October, but our lives are C-R-A-Z-Y right now.  The little girls just sap all of our energy every day.  Oh–the fighting, the screaming, the tantrums, the selfishness.  It’s just hard right now.  I try not to blog about it much, but you just need to know that my man and I are barely hanging in there most days.  We do have hope that things will be easier (in about 12 months).

Anywho . . . we went shopping.

And it turned out like I thought it would.

One of the little ladies grabbing anything within reach of her cute little fingers, and the other little lady spinning around in the shopping cart seat and kicking everything we passed by.  THIS is why I’m starting the shopping now.  Because it’s not fun, and it’s going to be an exercise in patience for all of us.

Maybe I should just suck it up and shop online and pay shipping charges.  Hmmm. . . I need to think about that one some more.

the frustrating:

I finally got around to ordering a Christmas stocking for Pendo.  A few years ago when it was just the three of us (Kait, G and me), G grudgingly allowed me to order some cute matching stockings from Pottery Barn.  The free shipping roped me right in, not to mention the adorable quilted patterns.  Well, the next year I had to order another stocking for Rose so she could match us.  And now, of course, it’s time to order one for Pendo.  (Still free shipping, for the record).

I discovered that both of the older girls have very “girly” stockings.  One is a princess, and one is a ballerina.  So, here’s the frustrating (REEEEEEEEEEEALLY frustrating!) part.  Pottery Barn offers two girly stocking choices this year, an angel and a ballerina.  With white skin.  Both of them.  Sooooooooo . . . I can either go with the reindeer or snowman and ignore the skin color issue and not have my third daughter have a “girly” stocking like her sisters OR I can order the ballerina and try to change the skin color with some makeup.  That’s really frustrating to me.  REALLY frustrating.  I might even email them about it, and I don’t do things like that.  Ever.

To be honest, it’s probably been that way for many, many years, and I never noticed it because I didn’t have a daughter with beautiful, brown skin.  Now I notice, and am frustrated by, things like this all the time.  Oh, how my world has expanded since Pendo came into our lives.

So, I ordered the ballerina one.  Now I have to try to figure out how to darken her skin.  Eyeshadow is what I’m thinking right now, but let me know if you have a different idea (or if you know someone who designs for Pottery Barn who would petition to start producing some stockings geared for children with darker skin).

Now, to drown my frustrations in that gorgeous caramel/chocolate/peanut apple waiting for me in the fridge.

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way to go!

We have a few friends who are runners.  Two of them set a goal of training for and running the Detriot half-marathon last weekend.  They had a few setbacks and had to work training around a very busy schedule, but they did it!  We’re so proud of them!  They even beat their goal of how fast they thought they could run it!  I really wish we could have been there in person supporting them and cheering them on, but since we have little ones who can’t just sit around for 2 1/2 hours during the race, I did the only thing I could do. . . bake them a special treat.

Here they are the evening of the race posing with their edible gold medals.  Nothing says “we’re so happy for you” and “way to go!  You did it!” like pie crust filled with melted peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.

Way to go, Team Swish!  We’re so proud of you!

P.S.  Hey, why don’t you do that again so I have an excuse to make those treats again.  Oh, never mind.  You know me.  I’ll just bake them for the fun of it some other night when we watch the Amazing Race together.

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one, two, three . . .

There’s nothing like the fall fun of playing in a pile of leaves. I love how these pictures turned out, so I’ll probably bore you with more before long.

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pumpkin patch

We were excited to have G’s parents staying with us for a few days this week.  One of the highlights of their visit was our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.

It was another beautiful fall day!

The girls ran through a small hay maze and

had fun choosing their very own pumpkin.

Pendo is watching Grandpa weigh our pumpkins.

Now we just need to wait a few more days and try to convince G to carve them for us.

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back in the saddle again

Yippee!  On Saturday, we went back to the farm where our friend B stables her horse.  The girls were reeeeeeeeeally excited to go back and see B and her horse, Kenya.

Kait learned a little more about riding a horse on her own.  She LOVES horseback riding now, and we are so thankful to have a friend with a horse!

Rose decided that she wanted to ride Kenya by herself, too.  I walked right beside her and held onto her leg just in case she took a tumble, but she did a great job by herself.  She was so proud, too.  Sometimes she acts much older than her three years.  She’s not afraid of much.  Just the dark.  I think that’s all.

See you soon, Kenya.

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