Five Little Kittens

I'll take this post to more formally introduce you to the castle's brood . . . we think three of them are girls and 2 are boys, but I'm no expert!!

We call these two little gals "the twins"

or Mrs. Sarah's babies, since they already have a home.
This guy is my favorite, black nose, dark ears and stripey tail.
This guy has so many names and he's the biggest, so it's either Mr. Fatso, Mr. Bombastic, or Moto Moto. He's got a black nose, darker ears and a stripey tail.

This one we lovingly call Miss Screampot. If we need Willow to come back to the box we just pick her up and her mews call that mama back super quick!!

We still have the little girl above and a little boy left . . . which little boy I don't know yet either Mr. F or my fav. And of course if you want an older kitty, Willow needs a good home too. Hint hint!! They are awfully sweet and oh so cute!! Please . . .

Gratuitous Knitting Post

Bought this yarn from Jill, for the Prince. See who claimed it? On account of the red being too pink. Hmmm, never had this problem before. Always before it was a sizing issue. Guess I better put in a new order for the boy.

If you are a knitter or crocheter and you love to make hats or other soft squishy things you really should get some yarn from Jill. Her yarn is handspun, hand-dyed, and absolutely unbelievably beautiful!!!! I have yet to be anything but stunned over her yarns.

When the Pacifier Quits

So ever since the nasty sinus infection/cold/teething the Prince had going on in September, the pacifier doesn't pacify. Which is sad. Well, for the Queen that is! However, the Prince has figured out other means to put himself to sleep . . . like wadding up mama's shirt or his blankie and stuffing those into his mouth to fall to sleep. Personally, I say whatever works.

Using the blankie a.k.a. pacifier

And the Queen's shirt a.k.a. pacifier

Happiness Is . . .

Here Comes Trouble

He's mobile. He may be slow, but what he lacks in speed he makes up in determination. Our little guy has decided that forward motion is much better than backward-ruh roh! Time to start cleaning daily, well okay, vacuuming. Time to do Barbie, Polly Pocket, LPS, Lego sweeps every half hour!! Time for the Prince to get where he wants to when he wants to. I'm just not sure that I'm ready for him to be mobile.

"Ah-ha," he says, "the diapering basket all to my self!!"

" Found what I wanted. I'll clean it up later, Mama, I promise."

"When I shake it, it makes noise!! Happy happy day!"

Soccer Season

All three Princess' played soccer this year. The older two loved it and had great experiences on both of their teams. Princess #3 isn't quite as enamored, but the goal she scored at her last game did help to give the season a positive spin. Not that her team and coaches weren't excellent and fun, it's that you have to wear certain clothes and mama would prefer that your hair was swooped up and styled instead of her current "Violet Parr" look when playing soccer. Regardless it was fun to watch all three expand on their skills and learn some new ones!
Here are some pictures from the season:

Princess #3 far left

Princess #1 in center (white jersey)

Princess #2 far left and she's open-hello!

Did I Mention We Have Cats??

Like 6 new cats. Like we're crazy cat people now. A stray (now we know for sure!) mama cat adopted us about a month ago. And last Wednesday in the early am, made us the proud adopters-by-default of 5 baby kitties. To make it even harder to turn her away, since we wouldn't let her in the castle, she had her babies in an abandoned dollhouse in the garage. Cats anyone???? Please.

Proud mama, that the girls have named Willow-pelt. Willow for short.

She chose to have the babies in the living room, with easy access to the kitchen above for those late night munchies.

5 little kitties all in a pile. Couldn't have asked for a better science-unit this fall!!

Eight Months Old-No Fooling!

Our sweet boy is 8 months old today. Yikes! Time is a-flyin' by. Not that I am complaining, ahem, too loudly that is. Let's see what he's up to this month shall we?

At 8 months the Prince . . .

. . . loves to eat finger foods, like graham crackers and bits of fruit.

. . . wears 12-18 mo. size clothes, size 3 diapers during the day, size 4 at night, and size 12-24 mo. shoes/socks.

. . . claps his hands, but not when you ask.

. . . clicks his tongue.alot.

. . . has 4 teeth, with 4 more on the verge of coming through.

. . . plays peek-a-boo by holding his bib or blanket over his face. Very cute!

. . . loves to be outside, especially on walks around the block.

. . . raises both his arms when you ask him, "How big is baby?"

. . . crawls backwards.

. . . G.I. Joe's forwards.

. . . can go from crawl position to sitting.

. . . loves to feed the dogs aka throw food on the floor and watch the dogs hoover it up.

. . . has decided to be done with the pacifiers.

. . . loves bedtime and bath time, but mostly bedtime.

. . . gives the best post-nap hugs.ever.

. . . love, love, LOVES his sisters.

. . . love, love, LOVES his mama and daddy.

and they all love, love, LOVE him back.

Glasses fit for a Princess

So Princess #3 entered the world of full-time glasses wearing a couple weeks ago. She has a love/hate relationship with them right now, as does the Queen. We have been having a hard time getting them adjusted properly. It has been frustrating for both of us. But she is hanging in there and is putting them on in the morning without being prompted this week, which is great!

She was insistent that the frames be red. So red they are. Shiny red, with kind of a pink bottom half. And pretty swirls on the side. She looks adorable in them, especially when she will let me do her hair, so it's not covering one eye!

Here's the one picture that she has sanctioned for use on this blog.

Remember This One?

I thought I'd show off the Prince in one of the many sweaters that I knit for him pre-birth. It fits perfectly, if not a bit snug over that adorable belly. He looks so cute in it, if I do say so myself!

I included this one because I love how he crosses his ankles . . . in the stroller, in his booster seat, in the car seat, sitting on my lap, well you get the picture. So sweet. So royal. :)

If You Give a Nine Year Old Her Brother . . .

. . . chances are she'll take him on lots of fun adventures. Some even more fun than others.

Any guesses where this adventure led them?!?
Sure made their mama's heart have a tiny pause . . .

and that was without imagining how Princess #1 managed to get him to the place of the adventure in the first place. She was just glad to be there when it was time for the playdate to end.

P.S. Did you notice the Prince's "bucky beaver's" peeking out of that smile?? They are super cute!

They May Be Girls . . .

. . . but they are nothing alike. Which is a good thing. Wouldn't want to get bored. Wouldn't want a life with no surprises. Makes life interesting and entertaining, and leads to moments like this:

Queen: Hey girls, part of cooking lunch is cleaning up after yourselves. (While surveying the disembowelment of her kitchen.)

Princess #1: I'm on it Mama. (As she grabs a wash rag and goes to work on the stove.)

Princess #2: I'll be there in a minute. (And she let her minute be a minute-good girl.)

And then there is Princess #3: I'll be there in an hour. (Granted she has no concept of time whatsoever, and true to word, made it to the kitchen just as her sisters were finishing the job.)

The lunch crew.

Real Life

Some version of this conversation takes place daily, here's today's:

Queen: Careful, those pancakes are hot.

Princess #3: No they're not. And even if they are that's okay.

Queen: Okay, I'm just warning you so you don't burn your hands or mouth.

Princess #3: Ouch!!! Those are hot!!! MOM!!!

Seriously people. Every.single.day.

A Pleasant Surprise

So Princess #1 is starting to show her age. She is developing an avid interest in all things tweener-something I can remember and relate to. She is trying to figure out what all the hoopla is about things that other friends find important and I can appreciate that. To that end, I am trying to keep an open mind when she asks if she can watch, "iCarly" or "That's So Raven", or my all-time favorite, "Suite Life", basically anything that the Disney Channel is trying to sell her age demographic on. (Any sarcasm read, was implied.) I'm impressed that she's not buying into all of it, it proves she has enough common sense to navigate her slice of the world with both eyes open.

My parents have given her a subscription to Clubhouse magazine, (which I heartily recommend). She devours it! My favorite column is "High Voltage", where kids can write in and ask questions about popular books, music/music groups, movies, etc. The reply they get is Christ-centered without judgement. Excellent!!

I am coming to a point, honest.

Well, today as she was helping me with apples, I asked if she wanted to choose the Pandora station. She wanted to know if she could listen to Jonas Brothers or TobyMac. I asked why Jonas Bros. and she brought out a Clubhouse and flipped to the "High Voltage" article that featured a question about the group. She told me that the magazine didn't think that the J.Bros. latest CD was all that great, but that their older CD's were worth a listen. I was skeptical, as I am with all boy bands, having had a memorable, if not short crush on NKOTB, before I discovered a more discriminating taste, but I said sure we'll give them a try. To my surprise, they weren't too bad, as far as boy bands go. One song in particular we both really enjoyed. It was fun to share this discovery with her. Best of all, is knowing that she feels that I am willing to give things that are important to her a chance before dismissing them.

I think that some great groundwork for our future relationship was laid today. And that in my opinion is one more huge positive for continuing our homeschooling adventure.

Happiness Is NOT . . .

. . . hearing a crash, followed by the sound of glass breaking and then catching the unmistakable aroma of nail polish wafting up the stairs at 5:45 am. Crappy, crappy day.

You Know She's Growing Up When . . .

. . . she won't get on the barrel horses at the state fair anymore of her own free-will. And when you do talk her into getting on one, "just for old times sake" and pull out the camera, she freaks and hops off before you can capture the moment(okay.ahem. blackmail.).

Part of Me

As many of you know, my standard answer to most all questions and/or comments relating to my children's physical features or actions is to say with a smile, "I was just the womb." However, there are days that I hear or see something that is such a part of me and who I am that I can't help but be amazed.

A case in point. Last night, Princess #3 came banging in the back door for the second time, this time without a word to the King or I, she muttered (my Mom would add "under her breath") all the way to the bathroom, turned on the faucet and proceeded to clean something, muttering all the while. In amongst the mutterings I caught some of these words: stupid (Of course! Her current swear word of choice.), dumb dogs, foot, poop, good grief, shoes, wash, I could go on, but I'm sure you can get the gist. I just started laughing (silently obviously), not wanting to interrupt her quiet rant, because it was so decidedly something that I would do and have done or will do that it struck my funny bone.

And just so you know, the King will corroborate this one, as he was kind enough to point out the similarities, just in case I had missed myself . . . in her!

Best Friends Are We . . .

. . . my sister and me!!
Princess #3 and the Prince have such a fun relationship. She is so patient with him and he thinks she hung the moon--oh and that everything she does is hilarious! It makes my heart so happy that already they are such great friends.

Seven Months and Counting!

Today marks the start of our sweet Prince's seventh month. We're on that slippery downward slope to that first birthday. Whew!

Here are some new or not so new things about our boy.

. . . he likes noises. Squeaks are still the best though.

. . . he sleeps through the night (has since 8 weeks bless his little heart).

. . . he sits by himself, preferably surrounded by toys and best of all sisters.

. . . he likes to roll to his belly and get up on his knees.

. . . he loves Cheerios. So much that once he catches one, he keeps his pinchers in his mouth til it has dissolved!

. . . he loves to be outside, especially if there is a breeze. He will lift his face toward the breeze and just be still.

. . . he wears 6-9 - 12 month clothes and 9-12 month shoes, and size 3 diapers.

. . . he likes to ride on mama's back in the mei tai, especially to play soccer with his sisters.

. . . he soaks 4 bibs a day, at least.

. . . he is experiencing his first cold.

. . . he love love LOVES his sisters.

. . . he love love LOVES his mama and daddy.

and they all love love LOVE him back!!

Happiness Is . . .

. . . seeing the scales tip past 20 lbs., when just 4 1/2 months ago, he was just a couple of ounces away from being diagnosed as "failure to thrive".
Thank you Lord-You have been so good.

Overheard from the Backseat . . .

. . . on our way home from playing at a friend's house.

Princess #1: Wow that was so much fun! Sometimes it is hard to play with younger kids, but it wasn't today. It's like he has an 8 year old brain inside a 6 year old's body.

High praise indeed coming from a 9 1/2 year old!!

Overheard from the Kitchen . . .

. . . "Okay, let's pretend we're twins. You know, twins that don't look alike.", Princess #2 says.

"Oooh, like Mrs. S's babies?!?", squeals Princess #1.

"Yes, except we're not babies and I'm NOT going to be a boy!", Princess #2 declares.

Alrighty then.

Six Months with the Prince

At six months old the Prince . . .

. . . can sit unsupported for a quite a bit of time.

. . . loves any toy that squeaks, especially Sophie.

. . . wears 6-9 month clothes and shoes, and size 3 diapers.

. . . has two bottom teeth.

. . . loves to eat big boy food, especially applesauce and green beans.

. . . recognizes his name.

. . . can roll to get places.

. . . is obsessed with holding his feet, kicking his feet, eating his feet, I could go on.

. . . love, love, loves his big sisters.

. . . has figured out that crying gets those sisters to do, fetch, get what he wants. :)

. . . will raise his arms to be picked up.

. . . still does whole-body grins-I love those!

. . . loves his mama and daddy.

. . . is still so mellow and easy-going, except for when he's not.

We love you sweet boy. Thank you for the happy first 6 months with you!

She's 7!!

Princess #2 is now 7 my friends. And she is lamenting the fact that she isn't older yet. Seven seems too old for her somehow.

She loves to play "naked" dress-up. Loves to color. Is learning to love to read (the new glasses for reading have inspired her I think). Has a wonderful best friend. Loves animals, horses to be more specific. Wants to be an animal doctor. Loves 2nd grade, "it's easy-peasy Mama". Is an odd combination of girly-girl and teenage boy. Still loves to snuggle and cuddle with me when she slows down long enough. Loves her baby brother, okay, the sisters too. Loves to be outside. Loves to swim. Loves to try new things.

What I love about her is that she makes my life interesting. She is easy-going. She loves so deeply and so strongly and so instantly--amazing, really. She is my little tiny baby who was in such a hurry to join our family, and now she's growing into a beautiful young lady who loves her family and her Lord.

We love you Princess!!

A horse from P #3

Haunted Castle Cake

Cool castle legos

Something New, Something Sweet

About a week ago during the bedtime ritual, our sweet boy grabbed my face in between his little hands and planted one on me. A big, open-mouthed, wet baby smooch! It was so unexpected and so sweet that I laughed and gave him one back, which prompted him to reciprocate and so on.

It's always so fun when babies decide to give some love back in such demonstrative ways. Makes this mama's heart get all smooshy and a bit bigger, which is good because the Prince has been cutting his second lower tooth. Did I mention that the Prince teething=ugly for all those involved??

Well today he has decided to try out some new ways to give some lovin' to his tired mama. While I was holding him on my lap facing out, he leaned back, rolled his head so he could look me straight on, grabbed my hair and pulled my head down for a wet one. So suprising. So sweet.

Overheard from the Bathroom. . .

"WOW!! I'M GORGEOUS!!!!"

-Princess #3 checking herself out in the mirror

(That's right. Here's proof. We here at the castle spare no expense at building self-esteem.)

Happiness Is . . .

. . . waking up to a small, soft hand gently touching your cheek, hearing a giggle, turning your head and gazing into the beautiful, blue, smile-crinkled eyes of your son.

If You Want to Wear Your Glasses . . .

. . .you better get a book and start reading!!!

Bonding over books . . . Princess #3 was in the recliner reading too!

Doesn't she look adorable in glasses????

Quote of the Day

"MOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY, the Prince is getting drool on the dance mat!!!!!!"

"Muaw, haw, haw!", says the Prince, "I'll get you yet my pretties!"

Note To Self:

When your 4 year old asks if she can change her dress because it's wet, you should probably ask her for more specifics on how that came to be . . . so you don't get your skirt all wet five minutes later. Hmmm.

Overheard from the Pool . . .

"Eeeek! There's a spider!!", screams Princess #2.

"Everybody PANIC!!", screams Princess #3.

Benefits

So last week, we got the wild hare to de-bunk Princess #2 and #3's beds. It makes their room cramped, but they are loving the "slumber party" atmosphere of the new arrangement, perhaps a bit more than I initially anticipated. Hmm.

Anyway, the first day post-debunking, the girls would not stop jumping on the beds. So I told them for one day only, you can jump your little hearts out. Just don't come crying to me if you get hurt, I warned them! They were so excited and spent a fun-filled hour jumping before I heard the first cries. (You knew it was coming didn't you?) Princess #2 came tearing down the stairs with a bloody mouth, but her cries weren't cries of pain they were of excitement. You see in all that rough-housing, etc. her very loose front tooth came out! Very exciting stuff around here!

She looks adorable and that second front tooth is very close to following the first one's fate--I can't wait. There is almost nothing cuter than a kiddo with missing top teeth!

Better A Few Days Late Than Never

So our sweet Prince is now five months old! It's redundant to say, but it's so hard to believe how fast he is growing up!

Here are some things that are new and that we love about

our guy . . .

. . . you can grab just about anything and immediately taste it!

. . . you love to be startled.

. . . you love bodily function noises, sneezes especially.

. . . you love to play the "here come the kisses" game with Mama, it makes you laugh every time.

. . . you are still very mellow and very easy-going, except for when you aren't.

. . . you wear mostly 6-9 months clothes and size 3 diapers.

. . . you've almost outgrown your 0-6 months shoes.

. . . you love to see your sisters, they make you happy.

. . . you love to sit in the Bumbo, and the saucer, and lay on the floor.

. . . you can roll from your tummy to back and if you are motivated from your back to tummy.

. . . you love "big boy" food-especially squash and bananas.

. . . you are loved so much and we are so blessed to have you in the castle.

Happiness Is . . .

. . . hearing Princess #3 reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to the little Prince.

Sweet Cousins

Our annual trek to the Midwest this year had a fun beginning in the form of a teeny tiny family reunion for my family. A day and a half is not really a reunion, but seeing as it will most likely be the one chance this year for my family to all be together we jumped on it. I wish it could have lasted a lot longer, as it was so hard to say goodbye to everyone when it felt like we had just arrived. But I refuse to complain because seeing everyone for a blip is better than not at all.

The princess' loved meeting their baby cousins, even though as Princess #1 put it, two were missing, one we hope to meet soon and one in heaven (she took my feelings and put words to them, sigh.). We played "musical babies" as the King put it, passing the babies to whomever had free hands. What a blessing and what a treat to all be together!!!

A big thank you to my two travel weary sisters for making the long trip up and a thank you to my youngest sis for hosting us in and out of her bungalow in such style! And a thank you to my folks for just plain making life easier for us by going out of your way to make sure we were comfortable and had all we needed.

The Prince and his cousin R. hanging out!

Princess #1 holding cousin S.

Princess #2 hanging out with cousin R.

The Prince and cousin R. holding hands. So sweet.

Little Duffer

Behold! The Future!

This daughter of mine cracks me up. I love her to pieces and her uninhibited nature is a riot! Enjoy a little glimpse of what awaits us . . . although I'm sure the future will include a missed curfew, black eyeliner, a mini skirt, stomping up the stairs, a door slamming, and then the music and the dancing.

For now I'm just enjoying the ride.




P.S. Doncha love how Murray (the dog) could care less??

You Know It's Gonna Be . . .

. . . a rough day when your 9 year old is asking for chocolate.

Bumbo Boy

So in the last week or so, the Prince has decided that reclining is for babies. He wants to sit up and look at his parade . . . or toes. It's been frustrating because as much as I love to wear him, I also want him to interact with the world while not being worn. As a result, I need a safe place for him to hang out, like the bouncy seat which he used to love, that he now tolerates. A friend told me about these "bumbo" seats and I decided to give one a chance. He loves it! He can "sit" and "play" legos with the girls or Barbies or watch Mama make dinner, all from his favorite independent position! It has been a lifesaver and a happiness bringer and I highly recommend this little seat!

He can reach "Sophie" with ease!!

Watching the parade play legos.

It'll Get You Anywhere

My mom used to always say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery . . .

I Have Proof

Today I bring you (and me!) proof that yes indeed, that sweet little personality is still in there. It's hidden most days it seems for hours at a stretch, but it's not gone. And that right there gives me hope and helps me not give up on her.