thoughts on a sunday

• Thursdays are usually days where I don't have anything.  Every other day I have school drop offs and pick ups and add a napping girl to that and I feel pretty stuck.  I have been feeling bad for my girls that we never go out and do anything fun, but also bad for McKay that if we were to go out and do anything fun, he would miss it.  I have realized that I just have to get over it and start doing things, because he got to do them when he was little, so my girls need that chance too.  So on Thursday, Jana planned a fun day for us.  We started out going to library story time- which I now feel awful that I haven't done here yet, because they loved it, especially Layla.  So that was a hit, and then we were temporarily insane and decided to take four children under five shopping.  We only got to one store, but we immediately got depressed and headed to Jana's for lunch.  Had a nice lunch there and then went to Farm Country.  Again, girls loved it.  I was beat by the time we got home, but I'm happy that my sis encouraged me to get out of my house (aside from the grocery store) and do some fun things.  I can do it!

• So this is why we got depressed.  We went jeans shopping.  I mean, who likes that anyway?  But we were searching for jeans that aren't skinnies, that aren't flares, that aren't straight-leg mom  jeans.  So what?  What is the answer to this?  There are none is the answer.  Sometimes I dont' want to wear skinnies.  There's got to be an in-between!  What is it!!!

• One day, about two weeks ago I got brave and decided it was the day I was going to cut Layla's souci.  I just did it without thinking of it too much.  We have been talking about doing it for awhile now.  She was shocked that it was "broken" and wanted to inspect it quite thoroughly.  After we talked about it for awhile we decided to throw it away and down she went for her nap.  Except she did not nap.  And she didn't nap the next day or the next day or the next. . .for a week.  And she was waking up an hour earlier than usual.  This did not make for a happy little girl...and an even unhappier momma.  After about a week I was sitting in her room and she was going through the toy basket.  She ran over to me and in the most excited voice said, "My pink souci!!!  I found my pink souci!!!"  It was then I realized that I wanted her to have that pink souci.  I decided that I'd put her down with her precious pink souci and see if she slept, and if she did, the souci was back.  She took a two and a half hour nap.  So, yeah, it's back.  And she's napping daily and we're both happier.

• I am smitten with Layla again.  I lost it the week that she didn't have her souci.  Now that it's back we're back in love.  Who knew that little piece of plastic was so very important.

• I surprised the kids and bought them slippers the other day.  They were both super excited about  this.  I figured that we've already had two days where its slipper day or pajama day at school, and one more coming up for McKay, so I thought, "why not?"  

• I think I've mentioned that my kids think air blowing is a real instrument/talent.  McKay used to be the only real air blower in the family, but lately Ellery is getting really into and is rivaling the original air blower.  I compliment them often on this skill.

• One of the things I've been loving lately is hearing Ellery sing songs that she's learned in preschool.  She learned all sorts of Halloween and Thanksgiving ones.  

• At school the other week Mckay's teacher sent home a turkey for them to color, as part of a coloring contest (improve your coloring, really).  He took this extremely serious and spent a whole afternoon coloring that turkey and all it's feathers.  He went with a BYU theme with colors of blue, white, gray, black and turquoise.  He was sure he was going to win because his teacher loves BYU, so naturally he would win.  Well, she had set up some voting system where the other teachers voted.  He didn't win, but he did get some votes and by what he described he was fourth.  He was cute and said that he was going to tell the winners congraulations if he didn't win.  When I asked him about this he said, "Yeah, I told them all, except Leah.  I'm going to tell Leah congratulations tomorrow."

• McKay and his friends at recess have started making the honking signal at cars that drive by the school.  He usually reports how many honks they get after school.  The highest I've heard is 14.
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• We made a thankful tree for family night.  I cut out most of the leaves and the kids got right to work with what they are thankful for.  I thought I might have to help Ellery, but she immeditately started drawing pictures of the things she was grateful for.  For some reason I was really impressed and proud of this.  Layla was coloring a picture while we were doing this so I asked her what she was thankful for.  The only two responses I could get were, "a light moon" and a skateboard.  McKay did great writing his own down and thinking of all sorts of things.

• The other morning I was wearing one of my t-shirts that I wear as pajamas.  McKay looked at my shirt and said, "Mom, I really like your shirt.  You should wear it, like with makeup and stuff."

• On Tuesday McKay and  I had a fairly large squabble in the morning over going to school.  He woke up feeling sick and I told him I'd watch him in the morning, give him medicine and see how he did.  He got the bug in his head that he wanted to stay home so we had quite the disagreement over this.  He was not sick, although I'm sure he felt it upon waking up.  But you know how you can be sick when you wake up and then it goes away?  That's what happened.  I won't go into all the details, but I sure hope that after what happened on Tuesday morning none of my kids will ever try to fake sick again.  It was pretty major.  I felt like it was a parenting milestone I wasn't quite ready to tackle- I mean, he's only in first grade.  We established some rules about staying home and after a nice heart-to-heart, we made up and he was only an hour late for school.  I know that's not the only time it's going to happen, but now I feel more prepared for when it does.  

• I wasn't really expecting to have a second go of it on Friday, when he was actually really sick.  But it's easier when they really are sick.  He actually took a nap on Friday, which he hasn't done since 2007.  

• I think I now have whatever he has, and I wonder if Layla has a bit of it too.  And Brian had a nasty bug last week.  I hope we all get healthy again soon.

• Ellery's had two episodes of throwing up in the last week or so, and it seems like her medicine isn't really working, although it's making her episodes different than they usually are.  

• Brian and I got to go out on a date last night.  We went to dinner and then to do sealings with his family at the Provo temple.  It was a fun night and I really love when we have the chance to get out.  My parents were very sweet and came over to our house to watch the kids.  My kids were SO excited that they were coming- Ellery started bugging me about it at nine in the morning.  "Are they coming yet?"  "No Elle, not for five hours."  "So if I count to five- one, two, three, four, five- then they'll be here?"  "No Elle, it's five hours.  It doesn't work like that."  Then we repeated that conversation many, many times throughout the day.  

• McKay: "Mom, I was thinking the other day if I had to kiss one of the first grade teachers, which one I would choose.  It would be Miss Squire. . .if I HAD to."

• Layla has a new word:  Seriously.  "Dad, I need some cheddar bunnies, seriously."

• Another thing Layla told Brian when he got her out from her nap the other day was, "I have poo poo.  It's like a diamond. . .in the sky."

Ellery named our car Rachel awhile ago.  I kind of love when we refer to the car as Rachel.  

• Another from McKay:  "Mom, I want to be fat when I grow up."  I explain that he doesn't want this- there are many unpleasant and hard things about being fat.  "Okay, well not fat then.  I'd like to have Poppy's body.  Yeah, Poppy's body and dad's beard and really black hair!  That's what I want to look like when I grow up."

Happy Sunday!