Joy

Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures

 Peter has started eating some rice and oatmeal cereal, all his vegetables, and now some fruits.  It is fun to feed him because he makes this hmm, hmm, hmm sound in between each bite.  We have learned that he likes his peas warmed up though and does not like stage 1 meats (can't blame him for that).

   

 Planning, buying, preparing, eating, and cleaning up meals...so much work, so much time, so much joy, and so many messes. 

 

 Only Dad can do that one!

 Meet Mr. Orange Balloon (creativity at it's finest)

 All of the places we have to set Peter sure come in handy with kid #3.

When the girls did my hair...

 Carlee all ready for her first day of Preschool!

 

Oopsie Lalaloopsy!

 We found these pink dance outfits from Aunt Jenny in a bin for when they would fit, they were excited to wear them.  Just pretend ballerina princesses for now. 

 Tea parties are the new playing trend at our house as of late. 

 We have  had some more practice since this picture and he stays a lot cleaner...

 However, his messes from the other end are torture to clean up.  Twice last week, major blow outs, always right before we are about to head out the door.  Peter, you little stinker. 

We have started a new behavior incentive program at the Nielsen residence.  The button board reward system I am calling it.  Came up with it on my own.  Into it about 2 weeks now, not a smashing success but at least it is something new.  The girls got to paint and decorate with buttons their wooden boxes and inside Carlee's is 26 wooden stamps and a stamp pad.  Inside Dani's is 8 sparkly princess chap sticks.  The little plastic cookie jars full of buttons I purchased at Michael's.  Whenever they do a behavior we want to have continue they earn a button or two and they tack it on their board.  Once they have earned 5 buttons they get to use the contents inside their button boxes for a little while.  (Still working out some kinks, I should probably set a timer and when the timer goes off they have to give them back).  The five buttons then go into the ziploc bag and they start over.  Once they have earned every button from their cookie jar they will get a giant lollipop (Carlee's request).  This is teaching them some math as well because they are always having to figure out how many buttons they need to earn before they get their reward.  Not to mention some dexterity because it is not easy for them to get the tacks in and out of the cork board and into the button hole without poking themselves!  They also get buttons taken away for behavior we don't want to have continue.       

 

Our massive new tent.  Can't wait to go camping this winter!  We left it set up in the front room for a few days just for fun.

 

Sweet little munchkins

  

 Coloring, coloring, coloring, and more coloring

Barbies, barbies, barbies, and more barbies

 Spit up, spit up, spit up, and more spit up

 Play, play, play, and more play, play, play play...

 

He is getting so strong.

 It is inevitable, Peter in the dress up stuff.  Peter, you make a cute baby Merida but I am sorry in advance for all the pictures there will be of you in girly dress up stuff. 

 And last but not least, we spent a fun Memorial Day Weekend in Dallas with Matt's Sis Angela and fam.  It was great fun had by all.  Thanks for having us!!!

The end.

Pre-K Adventures

So, Carlee is now a preschooler with one week under her belt!  She likes it.  I have to have her to the school by 7:45 or earlier M-F.  We have been walking most mornings.  Every morning so far has been a bit different with Peter and Danilyn to get up and going too.  Carlee has handled getting up an hour earlier than she is use to pretty well until this Tuesday.  We had a fun Memorial Day weekend in Dallas with her cousins and of course she played non stop for three days so come Tuesday morning, she was a bear, throwing herself on the floor, crying like a baby.  A few mornings Dani sat on the couch and fed Peter a bottle while I helped Carlee get ready, that worked out good.  Other mornings I had to wake Dani and Peter up right before we were ready to walk out the door.  Yesterday morning Dani was in the bottom part of the Phil&Ted, hair ratty, eyes sleepy, jammies on, sucking her thumb and Carlee was in the top seat eating her yogurt and cereal bar.  I had Peter on my chest in the carrier, facing forward while I held the bottle for him and I was pushing the stroller with the other hand.  Multitasking, yes indeed.  It may sound a bit crazy but it still beats putting them all in their car seats, getting stuck in traffic lines, trying to find a parking spot, etc.  As soon as we get outside and start walking all of our spirits are lifted.  The humidity kills me though, I get very sweaty.  So, anyway, as I was walking this lady does a U-turn, rolls down her window, and says to me: "And people say they don't have time to exercise!"  Then, with her hand on her heart, she proceeded to tell me how amazing she thought I was.  (I think she has seen me on more than one morning doing the same thing.)  As soon as I got a chance to speak up I said, laughing: "I am just trying to get her (pointing to Carlee) to school."  She said something about how she was still impressed.  Despite all that, I did not feel one bit cool, just a bit like a crazy lady doing the best I can to get my kid to school on time, care for my younger two, and exercise all at the same time!  There is just not enough time in a day...and yet it feels like too much time most days because of being so darn tired all the feakin' time.   
When I picked Carlee up after the first few days of school, I really wanted to know what her day was like, detail by detail.  I was surprised and frustrated by how little she could tell me about the past three hours of her life.  Desperate to get more information from her, I told her that I wasn't going to stop bugging her until she could remember and tell me something she learned.  She told me the rules, that is all I could get out of her.  I kept bugging her and asking her what else her teacher talked to her about.  Finally, she just kind of made a weird face and looked up at the roof of the van and said, "Babies...?"  I started to laugh.  Doubt she learned about babies her first day at Preschool but she couldn't figure out how else to get me to leave her alone.  Silly girl, silly Mama.  This is my first experience with a kid in school.  Tomorrow she gets to start riding the bus home so that will be great!  Three hours isn't long enough, hehe.  It only ends up being barley 2 1/2 hours by the time we walk home and have to turn around and go get her.  That much time turns out to be not much time at all!  I am so glad she is learning things and I am not the one doing the teaching though:)  She is good at making friends and I don't worry one bit about her not being obedient.  Her daddy gave her a special blessing the night before her fist day and in her own prayer that morning she prayed that she would be able to make new friends.  This is the start of a long career of academics, here we go!