The princess requests a breath mint

Picture this (only because I don't have one, and it would have been sight):

Grace is in her pajamas, with a reindeer barrette in her hair (don't ask), my baseball hat on her head, her dress-up princess kitten heels on her feet. We are in my bathroom, while I am having the daily pleasure of no privacy while I get ready. I am kneeling down at her level trying to have a serious talk when she runs into the closet.

Grace: "Ewww! It stinks!"
Me: "What stinks?"
Grace: "Your breathing!"
Me: "You mean my coffee breath?"
Grace: (holding her nose) "Yes!"

I humbly give you this glimpse into our un-romantic lives as retribution for when I was about her age. There is a well told story in my family of me holding my nose the whole time while my Gram read me books, also affronted by the smell of coffee breath in the morning.

Apparently no one has invented the odorless cup of coffee for adults yet. Proctor and Gamble, I give you this challenge. Meanwhile, excuse me while I go get a breath mint. :)

Five months old

Well, behind as usual. With a week of a house full of sickies and having family in town, I am behind on a few things and that of course includes blogging. Here is Matthew's 5 month picture. You'll never guess who he is smiling at.... his silly big sister. There haven't been any new tricks except blowing raspberries. Great, more reasons to drool. Good thing I am well stocked on burp cloths. No more rolling over either. I guess he decided that wasn't all it was cracked up to be.Demonstrating the wet raspberry


I have no idea what Grace was doing to make him laugh- probably just standing in his line of sight!

Who's a big boy now?

Guess who rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time? And guess who actually got to witness it? Mommy!

Grace was much sneakier. She did it several times before anyone ever saw it happen.

So, how much time do you think I have left on the bassinet?

Struggles in motherhood

I tried MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) for the first time yesterday. I enjoyed it as much as a friend of mine told me I would. I am debating on whether or not to sign up still, based upon nursing Matthew there (he's not the best feeder in public) and Grace's shyness (apparently she cried, something that doesn't normally happen- at least not with being dropped off somewhere).

But I was struck during the sharing time of all the different struggles we have as mothers. I don't think that there is a mom out there who "has it easy". God has given us all different kinds of kids with all different kids of issues that cause us to grow in ways that God has ordained. I know in my own life that my children have taught me patience and gentleness and letting go of taking pride in order and cleanliness. And that sometimes when there is poop in the underwear again, you just have to laugh. Hey, it happens.

In that light, here is an example of Grace losing it a year ago. She woke up with the most hilarious bed head and when I tried to take a picture, she was not appreciative of me trying to document the moment. But I'm sure she'll find it funny when we show it to everyone at her wedding. ;)

So, even though it's not Mother's Day, here's to all you dear mommy friends of mine- I love you all and am so thankful for the one-anothering that takes place in our lives!

Dancing Queen

Now that you can't get that ABBA song out of your head...

We decided to sign Grace up for ballet this fall. We aren't doing preschool, so this was my concession for that. Plus, is there anything cuter than a miniature ballerina? It looks like it is just going to be her and her little friend, Novi, in the class. Nothing like a private lesson!

It was all the more thrilling because Erik left work a little early to catch the class (he said he adn Matthew needed a dose of football afterwards though). I was thwarted by mini blinds on the windows of the classroom that kept me from being a freaky parent with my camera and video camera so this is the only evidence I have from the night.

Grace declared on the way home, "I love dancing ballet!" And this morning she informed me that her teacher loved her, and she loved her teacher. Looks like we are still on a ballet high.

Cost cutting techniques

Looking to save a few bucks? Here's an idea. Just make sure your trustworthy toddler has access to a pair of scissors and decides to "cut coupons" for you.
In her defense, she has never done anything like this before. Hence the un-supervised access to her scissors. At least it wasn't a twenty!