The Dress Rehearsal

Our ward hosted a Trunk or Treat on Friday night. Peter was at a birthday party and couldn't go, but the rest of us attended. Bryan manned our trunk while I did my best to follow the kids. The characters of Frozen were abundantly represented. We tried to get a picture of all of them, but we did miss a few.

Cooper's costume (aka his hat) came together about ten minutes before we left for the Trunk or Treat. I like how it turned out and Cooper and I both loved all the excited responses he got when people realized who he was.

You'll notice that Sophie is not dressed as Anna. I haven't given up on that dream, but I spent all of Friday traveling to various stores, looking for costumes pieces. That left no time for making the costume. As luck would have it, Costco had their infant costumes for half price, so sweet Sophie dressed as Cinderella. Yes, she was adorable, thank you for noticing.

Lady Liberty

We were all finally well enough to have a family adventure!

We had heard that we should see the Statue of Liberty from the New Jersey side. There was no crowd, even on a beautiful day, and we had a pretty awesome view while we waited.

Peter took his camera and had a grand time taking pictures. He was really well behaved, in part because he was focused on being a photographer and not on making mischief.

Sophie was a trooper. She spent a long time in her stroller and only got fussy as we were heading home.

Bryan was there too! He manned the camera for most of the day, so he's not present in most of the pictures.

Our first stop was at Ellis Island. It was inspiring, even with many of the exhibits still being repaired from the damage they sustained during Hurricane Sandy. And this is one of two pictures I took while we were there. The other one is almost identical.

There she is!

We all listened, at least for a few minutes, to the audio tour.

She is tall! The kids thought it was funny that we called the Statue of Liberty "she" and "her." Well, she is the correct pronoun.

On the ferry back to New Jersey Bryan captured this beautiful picture.

We all loved seeing the Statue of Liberty. Peter said it was the best day. Hooray for family adventures!

Where's Sophie?

Caped Crusaders

Remember last year when I was sewing a Christmas gift for the kids and kept breaking my sewing machine? I realized I never wrote about the final product. I made hooded towels for each child. I used a full-sized, thick towel for the body and a matching hand towel for the hood. The kids love them. Sometimes they're used as capes, but are more often employed for their intended purpose of being warm and snugly after bath time.

I used this tutorial, with a few minor modifications.

I have another project in mind for this Christmas, but I won't be sewing this time. Perhaps I'll write about it soon after the holiday. Or maybe I'll write about it sometime next October...

Standing Tall

I've been giving Sophie lots of floor time lately. She's an excellent land swimmer and quite fast, but she's not doing any traditional crawling. I'm not concerned, I know each baby has their own timeline, but I am deliberately giving her opportunities to practice her locomotion skills.

This morning we were hanging out in the playroom, I was eating my breakfast and she was investigating all the toys she could reach. I placed a board book on a chair near her, curious if she would reach for it. She did more than that. After retrieving the book and perusing the pages, she turned her attention to the chair itself.

I watched a look of determination come over her face. Several minutes of trying resulted in this wonderful accomplishment.

The standing lasted just long enough for Phoebe to bring me my phone and for me to take a few quick pictures. I love watching Sophie learn. She's determined, not in a stubborn way, but in a stick-to-it way. I hope she keeps that characteristic as she gets older.

Froz-tober

Phoebe, like the majority of her peers, is going to be Queen Elsa for Halloween. I tucked the costume she got for her birthday into the closet to preserve it for the Day of Candy. I've been at a loss for costumes for the rest of them though. I thought about dressing Sophie up as Princess Anna, but I have had no luck in finding a costume her size, so I shelved the idea.

Tonight Peter announced that he wants to be Steve from Minecraft. Thinking maybe Cooper would want to be a Minecraft character as well, I asked him what he wanted to be. As if it was totally obvious, he said he wants to be Olaf, the snowman from Frozen.

Well, if we have Elsa and Olaf, we really should have Anna. So I have spent the last hour scouring Pinterest for ideas on how to quickly fashion an Anna costume, using little to no sewing, for a 10-month-old . I'm not sure how it will come together, but I'm going to give it the old college try.

Maybe I can convince Peter to be Sven...

Three Ring Circus

There may come a day when three of your four children need to be seen by a doctor. You may decide that it would be best to do all the appointments at once so you don't have to make so many trips. You might think this will save you time. Perhaps you'll even think it will be easier this way.

You will be wrong.

Don't do it.

It's insanity.

On the positive side, you won't have to go back for a while. That's good because long after the kids are feeling better, you'll still be recovering from the appointment.

It's Really Important

Often, I'll ask (or tell) the kids to be quiet for some reason or another, and they decide it's okay to talk, because, in their words, "It's really important."

"Mom, I know you told me to go to bed, but I have to tell you something. It's really important."

"I know you're talking to someone else, but listen, it's really important."

"I know we're in Sacrament Meeting and I'm supposed to be silent, but it's really important!"

Nine times out of ten (no, I haven't actually counted, I'm taking a cue from Peter's math homework and estimating) what they need to tell me does not meet my definition of important. But then there's that one time that what they have to say is important. We found out a boy at school has been shoving Cooper; this revelation came while Cooper was supposed to be going to sleep. It was actually important for us to know.

How do you filter the really important out from amongst the moderately important and the mildly interesting? Is there a way to gauge if what they're about to say truly needs to be heard or simply needs to be said?

I'll let you in on a little secret: my children talk a lot. A lot. A LOT. A good portion of that talking happens while they should be listening, or when I'm talking to someone else.

How do I teach them to hold those comments until I can give them my attention? No really, does anyone have any good suggestions?

My Groupie

Phoebe is my biggest fan. She wants to be with me all the time. She stands outside the bathroom door (because I'm one of the few moms I know that holds that alone time sacred) and waits for me. During story time, she's the one who won't settle for sitting next to me, but rather insists on sitting on my lap to see the pictures. Last night at dinner she scooted her chair over so it was touching mine and she ate her spaghetti in very close proximity to my white shirt. I would say that she loves me almost as much as she loves Sophie.

Yesterday during quiet time I went to my room to feed Sophie and put her down for a nap. I told Phoebe she could read books in her room and that I would come get her as soon as Sophie was down. Then I went into my room and shut the door. I was aware of Phoebe moving around in the hall and at one point I could see her feet through the crack under the door. Then I didn't hear her anymore.

She had been the first one awake yesterday and had acted tired all morning. I suspected that she had finally wandered back to her room and taken a nap. I was half right. When I opened my door to check on her, this is what I found.

She was tired, but I guess her room at the end of the hall was too far away from me.

Shoes

Look! A blurry picture of my feet! But can you tell why I'm using exclamation points in regards to said feet?

No boot!

I saw the doctor today and I've healed a lot since I saw him two weeks ago. I was able to stand on the balls of my feet without crying in pain. They were still sore, but motion was possible. I now have permission to ease out of the boot and into sneakers.

I wore both shoes out of the doctor's office and for about an hour afterward, then I had to put the boot back on because my foot was worn out. I put the shoes on again after bedtime and exercised those unused muscles.

Just as I had to get used to the boot (at first it felt like a rocking chair for my foot), I now have to get used to normal walking. I feel like someone has dug a trench out from under my right foot and I'm continually stepping down too far into it. I didn't realize that all of my walking muscles had adapted to the boot so quickly. Also, I still have to go downstairs like a toddler. I can get upstairs just fine, but walking down sends my ankle muscles into a tizzy of confusion.

That said, I am VERY THANKFUL to have the chance to be out of the boot, even for a little each day. And! I can drive again! Carefully, and maybe not in and out of the garage for a while (some skills need refreshing), but I am allowed to get behind the wheel and drive my children to the library! And church! And a bear-free park!

Know this: I always use my exclamation points wisely.

Shoe!