Cheer Up

The other day, it rained all night and then all day. It was very depressing...until I saw this:

At first, I thought, "Lucky Emilie. She lives at the end of the rainbow!". Then I realised that we were the lucky ones. We can stand in our kitchen and be amazed by Nature. Emilie actually has to go into Nature to appreciate it. Ha! I crack myself up!

School Photos

The twins started school this September. What does that mean for me? Well, yes, free child care. But, also, school photos!!!

In August, I had picked out the outfit that I wanted Katie and Bethie to wear for their first ever school photos. I had chosen identical little dresses. From Gymboree. From the "Smart Girls Rule Collection". The dresses were sooooo cute!

Exhibit A:

Did the twins wear these dresses on picture day? Nope. They wouldn't even try the dresses on. They chose other dresses. Lovely dresses. But not my preppy "Smart Girls Rule" dresses. Then, they chose their own hair styles. Katie wanted two pony tails. That was great. She looks cute like that. Bethie wanted to wear her hair "a little bit up, and a little bit down". This is not exactly the best look for Bethie, but I am just her mother, what do I know? To add insult to injury, Katie and Bethie insisted on choosing their own headbands. Katie chose a cheap headband from the Dollar Store. Bethie chose a lovely headband, but it didn't match the dress she had on.

Despite all these obstacles, they still managed to look cute!

Exhibits B and C:

That's my Beth.

Katie was up next, but Katie...wait for it...refused (!!!) to have her photo taken! If you recall, dear readers, that Katie is the child who routinely strikes a pose (or 17!) every time a camera comes out. Yet, she would not pose for the photographer...until Miss N told Bethie to stand beside Katie.

Exhibits D and E:

Then Katie got over her anxiety, and pushed Bethie aside.

Exhibits F and G:

Here's the best bit: the twins, apparently, go to a high tech elementary school. All these photos were shot in front of a green screen...and I get to chose from over 850 backgrounds. Yup, I have tried one or two of them out!

I have too much time on my hands.

Exhibit H:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mummygwen/SchoolPhotos#

The Fourth Child

Dan's grandmother and aunts gave the girls money for their birthdays. We took the three girls to the toy store and let them pick whatever they wanted (within reason) as a gift. It was very exciting. Amongst other things, the twins chose jewellery boxes. The kind that have the little ballerina dancing inside when the lid is lifted. The best bit? They got to paint their own boxes!

Here's Bethie's:

Here's Katie's:

Sarah got a Mickey Mouse DVD instead. She was thrilled with the DVD until she saw the dancing ballerina. She really, really wanted to watch that dancing ballerina. The twins "tried" to share with Sarah, but they quickly became worried that Sarah would take their boxes forever! Sarah only made things worse by grabbing the boxes and RUNNING away.

To prevent another war, Dan and I went back to the toy store and bought another jewellery box for Sarah. Since Dan has nothing better to do during the weekends, he decided that he would paint Sarah's box.

He was quite pleased with himself, and a little bit annoyed that the twins hadn't let him paint their jewellry boxes, too! Noting that I had taken pictures of Bethie's and Katie's boxes, he left "his" box out on the counter to ensure that I took a photo of it, too.

Ta da:

Well done, Dan. (Yes, I am rolling my eyes!)

A Coffee and A Doughnut

Sarah was sick, and was lying down on the couch watching TV. I walked by and she said, "I need coffee and doughnut". I laughed. What a funny baby I have!

I picked her up and said, "You need a coffee and a doughnut? You're silly! Babies can't have coffee. Maybe some juice would be better. Would you like to go to Timmy's and get a doughnut and juice?". Before I could say anything else, Sarah threw up. All over me.

As I raced to the washroom, I told Sarah that she should warn me before she throws up, and that she should try to throw up in the toilet. Sarah looked at me and said, "I say I need COUGH in TOILET!".

Oh.

She had warned me...and then I had prattled on about coffee and doughnuts. The baby thinks that I am an idiot. I think that she needs to enunciate!

At Last

Bethie was eating her lunch in the living room (yeah, I know, I suck. I've learned to deal with it), and I was in the kitchen. All of a sudden, she screams out "Mummy! Come quick! Bring the camera!". I did what I was told.

Bethie announced that she had lost her first tooth. Actually, she pulled it out of her mouth because it was "bugging" her, but it was awfully loose.

Here's the photo:

The gap is kinda hard to see, but it's there. Now, the "Tooth Fairy" is off to raid the piggy banks.

The Others

I walked out my front door and laughed. Not a quiet little giggle. It was a full on, laugh out loud blast!

Why? Because I have weird neighbours. I don't know if every neighbourhood has so many strange people. I just know that I have spent the last 2 1/2 years watching these people rather closely (sadly, this is not a lie or an exaggeration). And I have photographic proof that they are absolutely bizarre:

He must have been in a hurry...or drunk.

When The Children Are Away

Last Saturday afternoon, Sarah had gone down for a nap and the twins were playing in their bedroom with Roxanne. I wondered where Dan had disappeared to. I found him in the living room...

...doing a Dora puzzle. I laughed and grabbed the camera. As I snapped this photo, he said "Do you want me to start taking pictures of you?". Sure. If Dan ever sees me sitting by myself on a Saturday afternoon doing a Dora puzzle, he has my full permission to take a couple of snaps! Until then, it's my turn to laugh!