Party Time

C went to a birthday party this morning.

She's been to several, but I'm pretty sure this was the first party she's ever been to where her sister wasn't also invited.

(She's been to a party by herself (with mom in attendance, of course), but her sister was also invited, though I wouldn't let sister go.)

She's growing up so fast!

A Ramona Moment

In a very Ramona moment, C wanted to make a really big picture with her daddy.

So, they did.

Shirley Temple

Big sister wanted curly hair, so little sister wanted curly hair.

Unfortunately, big sister's curls didn't last the day.

Fortunately, little sister's did.

  Through school, through rest time, and even through the night.

Sweet

When I came out of the bathroom from showering the other morning, this is what greeted me:

I knew one of them was there because I put him there.  The other one was a complete surprise.

And even though I know she's totally faking it, it's still sweet.

Snowpocalypse 2012

Finally!

Day On

Monday was supposed to be a day off, but ended up being a day on.

C had a dentist appointment, so I took both girls along to make an afternoon of it.

We went to the dentist, went out to lunch, and went to go paint our own pottery.

I told you she is obsessed.

And then we headed back to the dentist.

C had a cavity.  Another one.

It's such an embarrassing moment as a mom!  We take care of her teeth, she rarely gets sweets, and even more rarely gets soda.

Apparently, it just happens.

Twice.

Then, it was home for 45 minutes before heading out again for an extra-long dance session for E.  Then, home again to finish making a late-for-us dinner.

Oh, and the things that didn't get done?  Baths, Cosby Show, etc. are now scheduled for tonight.

Fortunately, day on is now day over.

Phew!

In the Middle

I love this girl.  She's my favorite middle child.

She's also a little bit weird at times.

A Girl and Her Pig

This girl is obsessed with pigs.

Obsessed.

Gone Fishin'

Sometimes happiness consists of a stick,

some string, a wall hook, some seaweed,

and a grandpa.

Finally Tri-Cycling

It's been a productive summer.

E finally learned to ride her bike without training wheels:

C finally figured out her bike with training wheels:

M finally figured out how to pedal his retro trike:

All on the same day.

At Least Someone Enjoyed It

This morning, E asked us if they could run through the sprinklers this afternoon.

Apparently, though, it was too cold for 2/3 of them.

Oh, well. At least one of them enjoyed it.

Springfest

Every year, our small town has a big celebration over Memorial Day weekend.

And every year, our small dance studio puts on a big performance at the amphitheater.

Both the girls dance with Dance FX, run by Toby and Rosalie Black (I second-shoot weddings with Rosalie).

They offer a wide assortment of dance classes,

from Tiny Tots (ages 2-3):

(I have no idea what this little girl is doing, but her expression is priceless! And that's Rosalie with her)

to cheerleading:

(They cheer with the high school cheerleaders.)

to big girls' hip hip:

to jazz:

(That's C!)

to lyrical jazz:

to little boys' hip hop:

to Irish dancing:

to big boys' hip hop:

(Here's a random picture of E doing her hip hop; I can't figure out how to move pictures around from Picasa.)

to clogging:

I love this performance! It's by far my favorite every year.

The weather doesn't always cooperate (as you can tell from the photos; the clouds and sun were fighting that day, making it impossible for me to keep up with my camera settings), but it's a beautiful, fun setting, and free for the community to watch.

And can you tell I finally figured out how to do a watermark? Love!

Four

(This should have gone up yesterday, but Blogger was down. Bah!)

Somehow, someway, this little ball of scrumptiousness...

...turned into this little beauty.

Happy 4th Birthday, C! We love you very, very much.

The Difference Between Boys and Girls--The Vacuum

E has a couple of irrational fears, one of them being the vacuum cleaner. I have no idea where it came from (I didn't torment her as a baby, I swear!), but she has so kindly (and intentionally, grr!) instilled this fear into her sister.

sigh

M, on the other hand, has decided to completely ignore his big sisters' silliness about the vacuum cleaner and loves it!

Here's how a typical morning in house goes when I decide to vacuum:

C (and E, if she's home): gets excited, then panics (before I've even considered turning the vacuum on), then runs and jumps on her bed.

M: gets excited, then tried to steal the extensions so he can sword fight with them.

C: sits on her bed, laughing because I can't get her, but worriedly reminds me not to get her.

M: sits in front of the vacuum cleaner (laughing) so I'll push the vacuum into him.

C: follows me from room to room, begging me not to get her.

M: follows me from room to room begging me to get him.

Seriously! What is up with these kids? How were they all possibly born to the same parents?

The Difference Between Boys and Girls--Play Dough

Now that M is two, the differences between him and his sisters are becoming ever more apparent. The usual differences are there (M likes cars and trucks and making noise and destroying things, E and C like dolls and princesses and singing and building things), but some other, less predictable differences have come to light lately.

For example:

C and M are currently playing with homemade play dough (recipe below). Although, with M, "playing with play dough" is a relative phrase.

C: squishes play dough, rolls play dough, cuts play dough, shapes play dough, plays with play dough.

M: squishes play dough, places play dough back in canister, calls play dough "coffee," plays with play dough toys, ignores play dough.

And this happens every. single. time M "plays" with play dough. But he loves it! He asks for it weekly. He enjoys it.

I guess I have a lot to learn about having a boy.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

Mix:

2 packages of unsweetened kool-aide

1/2 cup of salt

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

Add:

2 cups of boiling water

3 tablespoons of oil

Stir, cool and knead for 5 minutes.

Footed

A couple of years ago, we started the tradition of giving our kids new winter pajamas at Thanksgiving. We buy them at the Carter's outlet towards the end of summer, and each kid gets to pick out the pair he or she wants. (Okay, he doesn't get to choose; he's too little.)

This year, both girls chose footed pajamas, so M got a footed pair as well.

Since it's been so cold already this year, we broke out the Thanksgiving pajamas on Halloween.

They were so excited!

Super Kids

Our town celebrated Halloween on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Weird, I know, but it's a small town with small town mentalities. Most stores are closed Sundays, and Sundays are typically family days.

Whatever. It is what it is. I just follow the rules. :)

Halloween in the Einstein house isn't really a big deal. We have yet to actually go out and buy costumes for the kids, instead mostly choosing to dig through the dress-up trunk or use hand-me-downs.

This year was no different.

Last year for Christmas each of the kids got a personalized cape from Baby Pop on Etsy. So I thought, Perfect! They can be super heroes!

And so they were.

I made them each a mask that coordinated with their capes, and Presto! Instant super heroes!

I think E has her mask on upside down. Oh, well.

See! Personalized! And each of the cape combinations totally matches the corresponding child's personality. It's uncanny.

Love it!

This one wasn't very cooperative during picture time. This is as good as it got.

We ended up going downtown to trick-or-treat at the businesses. All three kids were wonderful, even M! It was fun, but crowded. And too many teenagers/adults. And infants. Why would an infant need to go trick-or-treating? Free candy for the parents? Puh-lease.

Anyway, after an hour, we were all freezing, so we went home, took warm baths, ate pizza and watched a movie, just like any other Saturday.

How was your Halloween?

Oh, yeah! The disclaimer. Baby Pop has no idea I even exist, except as a former customer. There was no compensation. At all. The end.

So Big

C turned three last May.

In March, I switched out her 2T clothes for her 3T. She was then measuring a little smaller than her big sister E did at almost-three, and didn't need her 3T's as soon as E had needed them.

By August, her shirts barely covered her belly button. Her long pants high-watered. And although she finally potty trained over the summer (thank God!) and was wearing underwear instead of bulky diapers, the waistbands on her pants were pinching.

So, I broke out the 4T's.

4T clothes, people. In five months, the girl had grown an entire clothing size!!!

!

I know!

I ended up supplementing her winter wardrobe by buying her some new jeans in a size 4, not 4T. At the beginning of September, those size 4 jeans needed to be rolled up two inches at the hems.

Now? At the end of October? Those same size 4 jeans don't need to be rolled up at all!

C is so big! Too big! The middle child we thought would be our shorty?

Well, guess again!

Oktoberfest 2010

We've decided to make visiting Leavenworth an October tradition in our family.

Straight out of the camera. Unedited. I swear! Look at those trees changing colors!

Yes, we know it's Oktoberfest. No, we don't go for the beer.

But we would, if we didn't insist on bringing our kids with us.

Which we do. So we don't.

We walked and walked and walked. And somewhere along a trail, the girls managed to find walking sticks.

And somehow, M never even noticed. That's how excited he was with all of his unexpected, longed-for, outdoor freedom.

He usually gets carried/worn a lot. He tends to wander.

E in the baby swing. What a goof! And yes, that is yet another missing tooth. That makes seven total. With one more loose.

Good grief!

Let's all just pause here and revel in my son's cuteness. Go ahead. He's cute, I know (and dirty, but that's beside the point). But you can tell me again, if you want to.

And just because I'm not convinced you really stopped to gaze adoringly at him long enough, here's another one:

You're welcome. :)

We stopped to throw rocks in the river.

And by "we" I mean C and M.

We climbed rocks and logs down by the river.

And by "we" I mean E and C.

I love this last photo. He's just a boy being a boy.

Oktoberfest 2011, here we come!