Flora and Dora

I must confess that I was slightly anti-Dora before I really got to know her.
Dora the Explorer is a cartoon about a bilingual little girl who goes on various adventures with her best friend, Boots (a monkey). Flora LOVES Dora. When Dora says "Wiggle," Flora wiggles. When Dora says, "Jump," Flora jumps. When Dora is not giving specific instructions, Flora usually looks like this:

Or if Dora is being particularly amusing, Flora might look like this:

And if Flora is at a friend's house, she watches Dora like this:

She would probably watch Dora all day if I let her. I try to limit her to one Dora per day . . . sometimes two. I'm okay with Dora now that I've seen how much Flora learns from her Dora shows. For example, I discovered a few days ago that Flora can count to seven in Spanish. She skips the number four, but I don't correct her. She IS counting in Spanish, after all.

However, my FAVORITE Dora story happened last week when Flora grabbed her little purse, went to the door, and said, "Vamonos Mommy! Let's go!"

A Well-Timed Sucker

We went to get Flora's and Scout's second and final H1N1 shot on Thursday . . .
*cue dramatic, ominous music*

The vaccine is so abundant now that most people are getting it at their doctor's office, but 1) I'm cheap and didn't want to pay the $30 copay (x2) for office visits, and 2) I didn't want to wait for the free H1N1 vaccine clinic our doc is offering on December 31st. So, I packed snacks, books and an extra shirt and hoped for a shorter wait this time.

***Remember, last time we waited 3 hours and then Flora threw up on me after getting her shot. Fun times. So, I was not looking forward to this trip, but I was excited about finally being done with it all.

What a difference four weeks makes!! When we got to the clinic site, there was NO wait!! We filled out our paperwork and went right in to see the nurse. Since most of the "target groups" have been vaccinated, Chris and I were given the option to get the vaccine too. So, Flora and Scout rolled up their sleeves and Chris and I pulled down our pants . . . . wait, reverse that . . . . Chris and I rolled up our sleeves and Flora and Scout pulled down their pants and we all got tiny little dead viruses injected into our bodies. The immune system is such a weird, cool thing.

A well-timed sucker resulted in a VERY short crying spell and we all left the building smiling and amazed at how easy this trip was.

And, WHEW, we're DONE!! This has been the season of the flu shot for the Borkert family. Poor Scout has taken the brunt of it. He leads the family with 4 flu shots, Flora is right behind with 3 shots, and Chris and I are tied with 1 shot each. I'm sure all the anti-vaccine people are gasping in horror . . . but I'm okay with that. Have a sucker . . . it will make you feel better.

Right Now

Right now, Flora is sitting on the couch, wearing only her diaper (because she can), eating a chocolate chip cookie, sipping on her milk, and staring into space. Occasionally she will look around and comment on whatever Scout or I am doing. Toby just whined from his crate and now Flora is fiddling with the crate door. "Toby outside," she tells me. She's a bossy little thing.


Right now, Scout is alternating between taunting Toby at the door of his crate and irritating Flora by nibbling on her bare toes. When these activities don't provide enough of a thrill for him, he will balance precariously on top of a laundry basket or walk back and forth on the hearth . . . just because he can. He's a joker and a daredevil who has already had more bumps on his head in his one year of life than Flora has had in her two years. Of course, Flora has provided some of those bumps for him . . .


Right now, there are two humidifiers in the kitchen and it is still too dry in here. My lips are chapped, Flora's hair is standing straight up with static, and Scout gives a shock every time he touches us. There are several inches of snow on the ground outside and a layer of dust inside. I think I just heard a chunk of ice fall off our window . . .

Later, we will clean, eat, get dressed, and go get our FINAL flu shots of the season, but right now, I am enjoying this calm before the storm!

Mommy's Helpers

The Christmas Tree Elves Strike Again!!

Two doggies and a snowman......why didn't I think of that???

Christmas Tree!!!

Christmas is perfect. I cannot think of any part of Christmas that is not perfect.

I am so excited about decorating for Christmas this year!! There have been tiny babies putting a cramp in my Christmas style for the past two years, but this year I have two little "helpers" to assist with the decorating.

We put up our tree a few days ago. Flora was introduced to the magic of the Christmas tree the previous weekend at "PoppyGigiShane house" (her words, not mine), so she knew the drill. We put on festive clothes and said "pleeeeeeeeease" to convince Chris to bring up all the Christmas boxes. It worked!! Once we got started with the Christmas tree, Flora worked tirelessly, intent on putting HER Christmas tree branch in exactly the right spot.

Scout was more interested in eating the Christmas lights than being helpful, but he was easily distracted (like most men) by a project that tested his brute strength and wits.......I jammed a Christmas stocking onto his head. It was stuck on there pretty good, so trying to get it off occupied him for quite a while. He looked so cute in it though! I didn't feel bad about it.

We ended up with a simple, but perfect Christmas tree with only soft ornaments that cannot be destroyed by little hands. Well, actually I'm sure that those little hands COULD destroy any or all of the ornaments if they so chose, but at least the ornaments can't destroy the little hands. Of course, my little Christmas angels politely posed next to the tree.......HA! After many failed attempts at a cute picture, we finally got this one.
Yes, that's right.....Scout's still got the stocking stuck on his head.

So, we're done, right? No, apparently not. The very next day, Flora and Scout decided that our Christmas tree was missing something......something.......hmmm.......WHAT could it be missing??? Never fear! My little Christmas elves are on the case!! Working, working, working.
And the finished product.........
Ah, yes. Perfection.

Badge of Honor

Flu shots today!!! After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to get my kids vaccinated against the H1N1 virus. Clay county was holding a clinic today at a huge local church from 10am to 7pm, so I packed some snacks, books, and diapers and headed into the unknown. I had no idea how long the wait would be or how many shots they had available, but off we went.

As I rolled our monster double stroller into the church foyer at about 10:15am, I was handed two little tags with the numbers 653 and 654 written on them. Hmm.....well, that's not encouraging. I looked up to see a river of chairs that flowed as far as I could see down the foyer and around the corner. This is NOT a small church, so we're not talking about a small foyer here. I pushed the stroller down the aisle, looking for a seat.......still pushing.......still pushing......around the corner.....still pushing.......THERE! A seat with enough room for the stroller!! Hooray!! At this point, I am thankful for small victories!! I later found out that people had begun lining up outside the church at 4:30am!!!! Crazy......if I'm going to wait for several hours I'm going to do it indoors.

Alright, now we are going to fast-forward THREE HOURS to the moment right before the shots. I will say that the three hours really did fly by and my kids were SO GOOD. No fussing, no whining. If I must wait in line for three hours with two kids, I'm glad I got stuck with these two!!! Also, the church provided cookies and Veggie Tales movies!! Woohoo!!

So, back to the shot.....Flora was a little bit nervous, but the nurse was really nice and comforting. However, nice and comforting flew out the window once she poked Flora with the needle.....

Flora cried!!
Flora coughed!!
Flora gagged!!
Flora vomited her chocolate chip cookie all over Mommy's shirt!!
Ugh!!

The nurse was quick to hand me a wad of Kleenex, but this job was too big for Kleenex alone. Luckily, we had planned it so Chris arrived just before our number was called so that I wouldn't have to comfort two kids at the same time and good thing!! Flora and I sped to the bathroom to wipe ourselves clean while Scout got his shot. We returned just as the nurse was finishing up with Scout. She looked at my shirt, laughed, and said, "Looks like you got the badge of honor!"

My kids are not vomiters, so this was my first time wearing this particular "badge of honor." I tried to enjoy it, but, well, it was gross. Next time we go for shots, I think we'll pass on the cookies.

Fashionista

Ok, giving into peer pressure...... :)

Flora has a pair of boots that are still a bit too big for her, but she LOVES to put them on. Almost every day, she wakes up from her nap and puts on her boots......sometimes she even puts the boots on before she falls asleep.

Sometimes she even puts on panties.......but the point is that she loves her boots. Now you are ready to hear the funny story. :)

We were at Walmart and Flora was perched in the cart observing our fellow shoppers. A dad with two young girls was walking towards us and one of the girls caught Flora's attention. She was probably 6- or 7-years-old and wearing bright pink boots. As they passed us, Flora leaned over the cart, pointing and nodding enthusiastically, and told the girl, "Cute boots!"

The little girl just gave Flora a dirty look and kept walking. I guess she wasn't happy about her cool, big-girl boots being complimented by a 2-year-old.

Husband of the Year

This post will be about the kids eventually, but I'm going to start by describing the wonderful day that my wonderful husband planned for me. Today I got to sleep in as late as I wanted, take a leisurely shower, and get dressed without the running commentary of a 2-year-old ("Mommy's legs! Mommy's tummy! Mommy's socks!" etc...).

When I finally graced the family with my presence, Flora and Scout were already fed and dressed for the day. My hot breakfast was served as soon as I sat down at the table. Ahhhh, this is already the best day I've had in a LONG time!

After breakfast, my wonderful husband gifted me with a day off and three gift cards to go spend! Woohoo! I am being run out of the house without the kids and FORCED to shop! Pinch me! I think I'm dreaming . . . . . So, I shopped and shopped and shopped. I left the house before 11am and didn't get home until after 5pm. It was wonderful. OH! And I came home to my favorite dinner! Yep, I've got a pretty wonderful husband!! I think I'll keep him.


So, anyway, back to the kids . . . . Chris stayed home with Flora and Scout all day and played Mr. Mom while I was gone. He had a bit of a scare when he decided to peek in to check on Flora during her naptime. He opened her door and couldn't find her anywhere.

This is what Chris saw:

Can YOU find Flora in this picture? She's in there . . . . Look very closely . . . . . I'll give you a hint . . . .She's wearing brown pajamas . . . . . and all you can see are her legs. Good luck!!

horror. disgust. amusement.

This is story of the first and only time Flora and Scout will ever share a pack 'n' play.

On Sunday morning, I was getting ready for church with both kids (Chris goes early to Sunday School......we don't) and I was running a bit late. I decided I could pick out their clothes and get breakfast ready much faster without their help, so I put them both in the pack 'n' play for a few minutes.

I was in the kitchen putting waffles in the toaster when I heard Scout start to whine like he was unhappy about something. I assumed he just wanted out of the pack 'n' play, so I decided to get Flora's sippy cup ready before I went to get them. Scout's tone was becoming more and more irritated. . . .

To my horror, disgust, and amusement, I returned to the pack 'n' play to find Scout flat on his back, stripped of his pajamas, and in the process of having his poopy diaper changed by his 2-year-old sister. Oh my.

This is not a picture of the actual event, but I imagine it looked something like this before Flora finally managed to get Scout's pajamas off . . . . poor kid. :)

Teaser

I have a funny story to tell, but no time to tell it because the computer is in the bedroom and there is much to do in the living room with the husband and kiddos. However, tonight after the kids are in bed we will be moving my computer into the newly rearranged living room! I think my blogs will become MUCH more frequent. Stay tuned for the funny story......

Free Time

I know when naptime is over because I start hearing bumps and thuds and cute little jabbering out of both Flora's and Scout's room. They don't cry for me right away, but spend some time in quiet, imaginative play. I think this is SO cute.

Sometimes I will peek in at Scout to see him sitting in his crib with a little picture book in his lap, just babbling away like he is really reading. Or I will catch Flora rocking all of her dolls to sleep before tucking them into her bed.

Of course, sometimes they are less docile in their post-naptime play. Scout will sometimes rock his crib so hard that it bangs against the wall and Flora can very often be found perched on top of her dresser with several pairs of underwear layered over her pajamas. She can also be quite destructive......see the picture below for a sample of Flora's work.

It's still cute. And it's nice to get that extra time to myself for picking up toys, washing dishes, or playing solitaire on my phone. Or Facebook. Or blogging. Or researching players for my fantasy football team. Or reading a book. Or taking a nap. Or clipping coupons. But probably never for exercising.

a-walkin' we will go

The two hours between dinner and bedtime can sometimes seem like four or five hours if the kids are not in good moods. Tonight was one of those nights, so I suggested a walk. It's always good to get them out of the house when they're cranky. And, let's be honest, FLORA was cranky; she is almost a 2-yr-old. Scout is still blissfully happy just being in the same room as Mommy and rarely needs diversions. These days, he's too busy perfecting his mad walking skillz to care much about being entertained (I just watched him walk all the way across the living room! He's getting good!).

Unfortunately, I realized AFTER I had already said the "w" word that both of the strollers were in the car with Chris. Since it's impossible to derail a 2-yr-old brain once it is set on a particular activity, we walked the "old-fashioned" way......meaning I put Scout on my hip in the sling and Flora on the leash and out we went a-walkin'.

It took us 25 minutes to walk around the block two times, but I think they both really enjoyed it. Flora stopped to pick flowers, point at rocks, and rescue fallen leaves. She even got to see a couple of rabbits hop across the sidewalk in front of her. Scout chewed on the sling (he has four teeth popping through right now), looked at me adoringly, and laughed at Flora.

It was fun. I think we'll do it again sometime. I guess I'll have to get another leash soon so Scout can walk too!

We've Got Worms

Today, Flora fell down and noticed the carpet for the first time. She spent a minute examining our shag carpet very carefully before concluding, "Worms." Yes, apparently we have a blanket of worms covering our floor. From an almost-2-yr-old's perspective, it's really the only reasonable explanation for shag carpet.

After making her gruesome discovery, Flora ran to the kitchen and "psh-psh" (pretended to put soap on her hands), then she ran to the refrigerator and "ch-ch-ch-ch" (pretended to put water in her hands), and then ran back to the carpet and "sh-sh-sh" (cleaned the carpet).

Thanks, Flora! That was so much cheaper than the carpet cleaner we rented last week.....and apparently the carpet cleaner was defective since it left worms all over our floor.

The Bad Idea

It all started with a runny nose. This particular runny nose did not appear to be a cause for alarm, but certainly cause for extra attention. A lot of terrible things start with runny noses, after all. Despite the occasional eruption of snot following a sneeze or the constant trickle of snot needing to be wiped up, it was a fairly normal day. There was no warning that one of the worst nights ever was just a sunset away.

The kids went to bed at normal times and the parents settled in for some TV and popcorn. After an hour of happy relaxation, the chaos commenced. It started with a pitiful wail and a cry for "MOMMY!" Mommy wipes a nose, provides a drink of water, and tucks back into bed. Thirty minutes later, Mommy is again hailed to comfort a runny nose back to sleep. Thirty minutes later.......and thirty minutes after that, and........uh-oh, this is going to be an all-night occurrence.

"It would be much simpler if we just brought the little runny nose girl into our bed!" said a parent (there is a debate raging over exactly which parent had this brilliant idea).

Brush teeth, put on pajamas, and settle into bed with three pillows, two sleepy parents, and one runny nose. What fun! Silly songs and cuddles seemed a great way to start the night, but soon it was time for sleep. Unfortunately, once you get a little girl excited about sleeping with her parents, very little sleeping actually happens.

Tossing, poking, kicking, wiggling, tickling, and honking noses were bestowed on tired, unhappy parents. Sleep would seem just within reach and then get chased away by the sound of someone's sudden urge to count the ceiling fan blades out loud.

At nearly 1am, the sleepy little girl finally ended the nighttime fiasco by asking, "All done, Mommy?" in a pleading voice. "Yes, your parents are done torturing you, Little Girl. You can go to sleep now." *sigh* Who's idea was this, anyway?

Back to the little girl's room, rocking, singing, and, finally, sleeping.

And then runny nose #2 woke up........and seemed to stay up for the rest of the night.

Is it naptime yet???

I Love Clothes......Apparently

I carry my kids around a LOT. I'm a mom.....that's what we do, right? Well, as I was carrying an armful of clothes back to my room this afternoon, I absentmindedly bent my head down and KISSED THE CLOTHES!!!

Go ahead and laugh.....I did! I stopped in my tracks and laughed out loud at my "you-know-you're-a-mom-if" moment. I actually KISSED a pair of pants simply because they were in my arms.

What's next? Diapering the dog? Feeding pureed bananas to Chris? Reciting the ABCs to the dishwasher?

Look out world---I'm a mom and cannot be held responsible for any nurturing behavior that I bestow on anyone.....or anyTHING.

CoffeeDoraSurfing

Scout and Chris have gone out for coffee again. It's so good for Scout to spend time away from me. He's such a clingy Mama's boy these days. Of course, I still love it when he lunges for me and only smiles when I'm holding him, but I know it's not good for him. So, Chris is going to try to spend more time with Scout without me. I'm sure they'll be fine, I but I'm a bit worried that Scout will be so grumpy that Chris will never want to take him anywhere again!

Flora and I are spending the morning with Dora the Explorer. She doesn't usually watch Dora but is really enjoying it today. I'm convinced that thanks to Dora, Baby Einstein, and Sesame Street, Flora will start speaking Spanish to me one day and I will have no idea what she's saying!

She is content watching Dora right now, but often she is a channel surfer. I would recommend NEVER letting your child see how you turn on the TV if it is within reach of little hands. Flora will turn on the TV, then grab the remote and sit on the couch and channel surf. All she needs is an ottoman and a beer to complete the picture! It's annoying, but also very funny. She seems to prefer the Home Shopping Network, the Kansas City government channel, and The Ellen Show. Thanks to Flora I am very knowledgeable about current road and development projects in the Kansas City area.

*roll eyes*

This morning, while still in her pajamas, Flora put on some fancy white dress shoes and ran a circle through the kitchen between each channel change. Silly kid. Where does she get these ideas????

On the Road

My kids are pretty good travelers. They like their car seats, don't get carsick, and will usually entertain themselves or each other without much assistance from Chris or me. However, they are awfully young and sometimes car trips just last too long for the good behavior to last the entire journey. On our most recent road trip to Illinois and back, things were quiet and peaceful in the backseat until about the last hour of the trip. There's not much worse than the combination of an angry-accusing cry and a bored-uncomfortable-unhappy whine. *shudder*

A little side note:
As "Mommy," I don't exactly hate car trips. It's like mandatory downtime. I can't hold anyone or get up and down from my seat to refill drinks, find snacks, or break up fights. I get to sit in my seat the entire time we are driving. It's especially nice when I am the one driving. If I'm driving, then Chris has to deliver the toys and snacks to our backseat companions, although he lacks some of the patience and much of the flexibility necessary to really do the job effectively.

So, anyway, back to our trip home from Illinois.
Flora got cranky and whiny about an hour before we were supposed to arrive home. I kept telling her that she would have to wait just a little bit longer until we were home and then she could get out of the car and play with Toby. She never actually plays with Toby, but for some reason the idea of seeing Toby is always very exciting. It didn't work this time though. Eventually Scout started crying too and Flora found this inexplicably hilarious. He would cry and she would laugh uncontrollably at him. Maybe a little bit car-trip-delirious?

Since I knew I couldn't do anything to help either of them until we got home I tried to tune out the backseat noise, though I was amused to hear Flora using her best grown-up-bossy-big-sister voice to tell Scout he needed to, "Wait. Home. Wait." Nice try, Flora, but it doesn't work.

Flora's ABC's

Flora likes to say her ABC's. Here are the ABC's according to Flora:

"A, C, Elmo, P, Q, R, W...... Now I ....... Next ....... MEEEEEEEE!!!"

Also.......

Last night, Flora was trying to tell Chris and I something, but we didn't know what she was saying. It sounded like a very naughty phrase and we couldn't keep from giggling. Of course, that just made her say it more. Lesson learned! I guess we already knew that lesson, but it's just too hard to keep a straight face when your 1-year-old is spouting obscenities at you. She hasn't said it today, so I hope she's forgotten whatever it was that she was trying to say. I'm sure she'll remember at a very inconvenient moment and create an incredibly awkward situation for us in the future!!

Random Silliness

• When Scout won't eat, I sometimes pinch his cheeks together so that his mouth opens up enough to get the spoon inside. I just watched Flora pinch ONE of his cheeks and put a teething ring in his mouth!
  
• Flora put a few toys in the pack 'n' play, told me to put Scout in it, and then she wanted in too. Once they were both in with all their toys, Flora looked at me, nodded, and said, "Scout happy. Flo Flo happy!"
  
• Yesterday, Flora and Scout spent the 8 minute car ride home from Target starring in their own private giggle show! Flora would make faces at Scout, Scout would giggle, and then Flora would giggle at Scout's giggle. Car seats should be equipped with video cameras.
• It's so cute to watch Flora and Scout when they see each other for the first time in the mornings. After a whole night apart, they both get big silly grins on their faces. Usually, the first thing Flora says when I open the door to her room is "Scout?"

Never Say Never

Things I never expected to do:

1. Hold a book in one hand and read to my toddler while using my other arm to deter my baby from joining his sister on the potty.

2. Give my toddler cookies as a bribe to be good and quiet in the store.

3. Clean poop out of the bathtub.

4. Get excited over the fact that my baby can go from a standing position to a sitting position without falling over.

5. Barney. Elmo. Dora.

6. Spend chunks of my day on the floor acting as a human jungle gym.

7. Read parenting magazines.

8. Memorize all of Sandra Boynton's books. My personal fav....But Not the Hippopotamus.

9. Actually consider homeschooling (for a very brief moment).

10. Count the hours until bedtime and then miss the little rascals once they are asleep.

Mirror Mirror

Facing a mirror you see merely your own countenance; facing your child you finally understand how everyone else has seen you. - Daniel Raeburn

I didn't realize all the silly things I did until Flora started imitating me. Apparently, I am quite the drama queen when it comes to stinky diapers!!

Flora found a clean diaper and entertained herself for a while by changing her baby doll's diaper. She used a kleenex as a wipe and actually did a good job of putting the diaper on the doll. When she was done putting it on, she scrunched up her face and took the diaper off with plenty of loud "Ew's" and "Gwoss's." Using only two fingers held way out in front of her, she carried the "dirty" diaper over to the diaper genie, continuing to say "Gwoss" and "Ew" along the way.

After the "gwoss" diaper was properly disposed of, Flora took off her pants, fell on the floor, and rolled around with her toys for a while. She can't be a grown up all the time. . . .and I promise she didn't learn that from me!!

Who's the Boss?

Mama, sit!
Mama, read!
Mama, bite!
Mama, change diaper (or "chin di")!
Mama, outside!

She's a bossy little thing. Of course, being almost two WHOLE years old, each of these commands is promptly followed by a long, annoying "ehhhhhhhhhhhhh" if I don't obey immediately. Resistance is futile.

Of course I don't give in to every one of Flora's whims just to avoid the dreaded "ehhhhhhhhhhhh," but sometimes the temptation is just too strong and I cave.

"Sure, Flora. You can have eleven cookies before dinner, just stop making that noise!!!"

New mothers should be given earplugs at the hospital. Earplugs, kneepads, and a strong piece of leather to bite when the "ehhhhhhhhhhhhh's" get too unbearable.

Haha---I'm complaining, but she's really not so bad. I have a feeling that we are only experiencing the tip of the "ehhhhhhhhhhhh" iceberg right now. I've heard all the horror stories about the 2's and 3's.....

I'd better stock up on cookies.

Little Grown-Ups

Today Flora put the laptop bag over her shoulder and her pink pony purse on her elbow, grabbed her "baby" with her free hand, kissed Scout on the head, told me bye-bye....... and asked for the keys.

Meanwhile, Scout was learning that if he climbs onto Flora's chair he can get up on the couch. He can't even walk and he's trying to climb onto the couch. I see a lot of bumps and bruises in his future.....at least Flora should be able to drive him to the emergency room if I'm busy.

In that last, horrible hour before bedtime, Flora turned into Miss Whiny-Pants and nearly drove me crazy. All was forgiven when I spied her and Scout lying on their stomachs with their heads together over a book. Flora was "reading" to Scout and pointing at the pictures saying, "Flo Flo" and "Scout." Too bad it was a My Little Pony book.....Scout might not appreciate being mistaken for Sparkleworks later in life.

Smile! Or not.....

We all love gorgeous pictures of beautiful children, but sometimes the camera captures some not-so-glamorous moments. I always have a good laugh when I look back on Flora's less than flattering shots, so I thought I'd share a few. Enjoy!

Flora was a pretty baby, but it's hard to be cute when you fall asleep with your mouth wide open. Look at those cheeks! I know, I know....."babies are ALWAYS cute!" But seriously, everyone knows that is not true. This picture is just FUNNY.

These next two pictures are some of my all-time favorites for worst pictures ever. In Flora's defense, she was still very new and inexperienced at the whole photo session thing.

The crossed eyes really makes these pictures hilarious!

If she ever turns into an image-obsessed teenager, I will whip out these two pics to bring her back down to earth!!

When you are two months old, things can get messy. I'm not sure why I even took this picture. Obviously we were in the middle of one of my "photo shoots" and she spit up all over her shirt. Did I think it was cute? Probably.

I don't know how to rotate this picture. That's irritating. Please send me a message if you know how. I had to post it anyway since it is such a good representation of Flora's chunky phase. She was still adorable when she was chunky, but some of my attempts at artistic close-ups didn't turn out quite as nice as I'd hoped. The snotty nose and messy face make this a classic.

Also during the chunky phase --- and looking confused.
"Wait. What's my line??"


This terrible picture is actually not Flora's fault at all. Chris dressed her in this outfit. No one could take a cute picture dressed like this!!


This is what happens when you wake up from a long nap and try to undress yourself.


"Geez, Mom! I'm trying to take a bath here! Enough with the camera!"

Flora just LOVES her new raincoat.....can't you tell?


TRAIN WRECK! Again, WHY did I take a picture of this?

I've posted this picture before on the blog, but it's funny enough to revisit!! Pureed green beans look good on you, Flora!

And last, but not least.......this picture is priceless. The eyes, the mouth, the tomato sauce and the fork all blend together to create a visual train wreck. It's just lovely.

A Pinch for a Push

Let's see.....today Flora has pushed Scout down from his standing position twice, sat on him while he was crawling, tried to STAND on his back while he was lying down, and hit him over the head with a plastic baseball bat. He can crawl after her now, but rarely ever catches her. When he does get his hands on her---WATCH OUT!! He will pinch her cheeks, pull her hair, and bite her knees if she'll stay still long enough. I think he's looking for a wrestling buddy closer to his own size than Daddy. Scout actually makes Flora cry more often than she makes him cry. But they do love each other.....really, they do.

Dear Diary

Dear Diary,

Today was a good day. I counted for Sara and found Bryan's belly button. Scout pulled my hair and made me cry. It's okay though.....when Mom wasn't looking I pushed him down on the ground and made HIM cry. Somehow Mom found out....I think Toby must have tattled.

It was church day today, so I got to see all of my friends and play with toys all morning. Scout came in the nursery with me today for the very first time. It was fun having him in there. I was a good big sister and took extra special care of him. The nursery ladies didn't know all the things Scout likes, so it's a good thing I was there. Daddy chased me after church. He's so silly.

Guess what I saw on TV today!!?? A bug!! It was SO FUNNY.

Aunt Sara put some of her lipstick on me. I am such a big girl. I wonder if Scout got any lipstick? Probably not....he's too little. He's so little that he can't drink milk like me or eat crackers like me. Mom says I shouldn't sit on him because he's too little, but I usually do it anyway. He smiles, so I think he likes it.

Since I was having such a good day I got REALLY mad when it was time to go to bed. I did not want to give kisses or say goodnight. Mom was going to take me to bed without any goodnight kisses since I was being so grumpy, but I finally convinced her that I would be nice if she would let me kiss Scout goodnight. Aunt Sara made Scout dance in the air and it was SO FUNNY that I forgot about being mad. I kissed Scout and Sara and Bryan and Daddy and waved goodnight to everyone.

Tomorrow we are going to the zoo again! I don't remember the zoo, but I'm sure I'll love it. I'll probably see a monkey and maybe even a bug!! I wonder if Scout will go or if he's too little? Hmmm......I hope he gets to go. I think he would really like the giraffes.

I wish I could open the cabinet doors. There must be some really great stuff in there.....

~Flora~

Flashback

Flora was 13 1/2 months old when Scout was born, so there were some really challenging times at the beginning. Honestly, the details of December and January have mysteriously disappeared from my memory, but I know it was cold outside and I was busy and tired inside. I wish I would have had a blog in those days, but at least I have tons of pictures!


There is one particularly LOL moment that stands out from the blur of diapers and feedings and baby cries. I don't remember the day or the circumstances, but I know that I was changing Scout's diaper when he was still very new. I finished with the diaper and was startled and pleasantly surprised to hear a soft "Yea!" and Flora's applause. It was unexpected and it made me laugh. It was exactly what I needed.

Better Than a Bathtub

Flora found Scout's little plastic bathtub today and thought it a wonderful new toy. She sat in it, pushed it around, gave her babies pretend baths in it, and attempted to put Scout in it. I would have taken pictures of all this, but my camera is dead.

*moment of silence*

As fun as the bathtub was in its upright position, the full potential of the bathtub was not realized until she turned it over. Upside-down, the bathtub had just enough of an incline to be an acceptable substitute for a real slide. Poor little Flora ecstatically slid down the bathtub over and over, yelling "SLIDE! SLIDE!"

But don't feel too sorry for her. She is getting this slide soon.
Maybe even this weekend. I'm trying to arrange a meeting location and pick-up time with a man named Bill.Bill is going to make Flora a very happy little girl.

Feed Your Own Baby, Flora!

Today, Flora began referring to Scout as "Scouty." I have no idea why. NO ONE calls him Scouty, but apparently Flora does now. Very strange. I guess I don't mind if she calls him that as long as he doesn't become Scouty to everyone. Nobody wants to be a Scouty.

Also, Flora tried nursing her baby doll for the first time today. I knew it would happen eventually. Actually, she wanted ME to nurse her baby while I was feeding Scout, but I politely suggested that she feed her own baby. She lifted up her shirt, put the baby on her belly button and said, "Num num num." And that was that.

Scout is scooting everywhere now and I keep forgetting that he MOVES. I'll leave the room with Flora to get something and come back to find him halfway down the hallway looking for us. It's so weird. At least I haven't lost him yet.

Here are just two pics from our Colorado vacation. MANY more pictures are on my facebook page available HERE.

Now, where did I put that doll???

I really love it when Flora plays by herself when I'm in the room. It's so funny to watch how her little mind works.

Today, her mission was to gather her baby dolls, blankets, sippy cup, an empty plastic cup, her pacifier, and a monkey together on the recliner with herself in the middle of it all. It sounds simple enough, but it was not simple at all. It was very amusing to watch her put everything on the chair, climb onto the recliner and knock a few things off on the way up, and climb back down to retrieve the fallen items. Of course, climbing down also knocked things off.

Once she finally settled herself onto the chair with everything on board, she started looking for one specific baby doll and had to get off the chair and knock everything else off in order to find the doll.

*big sigh*
Start over.

And we're back......

I've been REALLY busy, but I won't bore you with the details. Let's just jump right into the cute kid stories! Here are a few of the cute little stories Flora and Scout have created lately:

BOWS
Flora was looking at all her little hair bows and she divided them up by color. I thought she was just playing with them, but when she was done she pointed at the pile of red and blue bows and said "Scout" and pointed to the pile of pink, purple, and yellow bows and said "Flora."

SCOOT OVER, SCOUT!
Since Scout has been sick, he's back to sleeping in our room in his co-sleeper. Flora loves this because she can crawl onto our bed in peek over Scout's bed to watch him sleep.....or watch him wake up if she has anything to say about it. Yesterday, I was trying to finish up a paper on the computer while Scout slept in his bed. I heard Flora crawling on the bed, but decided to let her wake him up so he would go to bed on time. A few moments later, I heard Scout start crying and Flora saying "Night night! Night night!" I turned around to see that Flora had decided to crawl into bed with Scout. He wasn't too happy about it.


JESUS OR.....?
I was talking to Flora about Jesus today and was a little bit confused over her reaction. She seemed really excited and started saying a bunch of things. I was glad she was excited about Jesus, but something didn't seem right. After a few more minutes of trying to understand each other, I realized that she thought I was talking about Gigi!

JUST LIKE MOMMY
Flora and I were getting ready for her bath. I was checking the water temperature and getting the bubbles ready and not paying a whole lot of attention to what she was doing. I eventually turned around to see my 1 year-old daughter vigorously shaving her legs with my razor!!! EEEK!! Luckily, she had it turned around the wrong way, so she didn't get any cuts on her legs. She sure did look proud of herself though!!

NAKED BABIES!!!!
Naked babies really are the best thing ever!! Haha!! Well, tonight Scout and Flora took their first bath together. Thinking ahead to wedding slide shows and high school boyfriends and girlfriends, I took lots of pictures. They're so cute though! How could they ever be embarrassed of this?

Like a good sister, Flora even washed Scout's hair for him.

They both thought it was the coolest thing to have a sibling in the tub! We are definitely going to do this more often.

So, there you go. An update of silly stories to last until next week.....because I doubt I will be blogging any this week either. July will be better. My class will be over and I should be home most of the month with nothing to do but blog about my adorable children. :o)

Flora Burps

Flora: *burp*

Mommy: "What was that!!??"

Flora: (pointing to her oblivious little brother) "Scout!"

Green Beans

Scout eats baby food from a jar now, and Miss Flora thinks it is her inherent right as the big sister to get bites of all of his food. She really likes it. I think she would eat a whole jar if I gave one to her.

Today we all ate green beans. I only ate one teeny-tiny bite to see what they tasted like. Blech, I do not like pureed green beans in a jar. I was hoping to keep Flora from wanting so many bites (and hogging the spoon) so I gave her the lid of the baby food jar to lick.


She liked that a lot and kept asking me to put more in the lid for her. Well, why not? It kept us all entertained, but Flora ended up just as messy as Scout when it was all over. I guess I should have put a bib on her too.


Yesterday, I was not feeling so benevolent and I refused to give Flora any of Scout's food. I should have known that she would just find another way to get the baby food. Instead of eating from the spoon (or the lid), she would lick the extra food off Scout's face after each bite! I know that's kinda gross, but it was really amusing me---and Scout thought it was the best thing EVER to have so much attention from his sister!!

Guys and Dolls

Scout plays with dolls.
That's right.
Scout + Dolls = BFF

With a big sister around the house, it was only a matter of time before he discovered the joys of chewing on a doll's foot. So, what's the big deal? I'm not dressing him in pink or encouraging him to watch princess movies. I just give him a doll occasionally when he's on the floor with nothing to do.

Today, Chris came home to find his son waving a pink doll in the air. He very calmly, but decisively, took care of the situation.

"No," said Chris, "my son does NOT play with dolls." He put the doll back in the toy box and found a toy hammer for Scout to bang repeatedly on the ground.

Because THAT's what men do......

Zestfully......OWWWWW

Today's lesson: Zest is NOT a tear-free soap.

Flora and I were taking a shower this evening and I was letting her play with the Zest. She was rubbing it all over her feet and having a grand ol' time.......but then she rubbed her eyes. YIKES!! Both eyes!! That was about the time I realized that maybe playing with Zest was not a good idea. Oops.

I held my breath and waited, hoping that soap in the eyes wouldn't sting too badly, but after a few looooooong seconds passed the scream started. It started as a whine and, with hands flapping and feet stomping, gradually escalated to a full-blown screech. I picked her up and tried to wash all the soap off her hands and face, but when you are a 1 year-old the natural thing to do when your eyes sting is to rub them with your hands. So.....more ouch, more screech, more Mommy apologizing.

Flora held a grudge for a while after her shower, but Daddy eventually saved the day by kissing both eyes. Luckily, soap in the eyes is a temporary condition that is easily treated with kisses, cookies, cuddles, and some Baby Einstein puppets.

Kids and Guns

Disclaimer: I'm NOT a big fan of guns and I don't usually let my kids play with guns..... Ah, now I have your attention!!

This weekend we had a huge yard sale to get rid of the mountains of unnecessary stuff that had accumulated in closets, corners, cupboards, crevices, and chests. (I also found stuff in places that begin with letters other than the letter "c", but once I started with "closets" and "corners," I just couldn't stop. Sorry.) As usual, my weeks of hard work and tough decisions were met with Chris' cries of
"We can't sell this!"
"We should really keep this for _____."
"I've been looking for this!"
"I might use this someday!"
"I bought you those!"
I'm not sure which one he used to defend his decision to pull the toy guns out of a 25 cent box, but I'm sure I just rolled my eyes and said, "Whatever, Honey."

So, that is all the background information you need in order to understand why my 6 month-old and 1 year-old were playing with toy guns in our garage on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Do we need the guns? No.
Did I put the guns in the garage sale? Yes.
Did Chris pull them out of the sale for us to keep? Yes.
Did I put them BACK in the sale after he went inside? Hmmmm.....probably.

But back to the kids with the guns......

I absolutely cannot watch violent movies or tv, so Flora and Scout do not really know what guns are or what to do with them. It was interesting to watch them play with the guns. Scout somehow knew just what to do with it. He held it the right way and even had a finger on the trigger part of the time. I know he didn't actually KNOW what he was doing, but it was still amusing to watch him hold the gun.




For some reason, Flora assumed the gun's purpose had something to do with her hair. She put it in her hair and acted like she was brushing it or curling it or.....something. Maybe a gun DOES slightly resemble a curling iron..... or maybe when you are a very girly 1 year-old EVERYTHING has to do with your hair......


Then she decided that she should curl Daddy's hair.........YIKES!

This is NOT a photo opportunity that comes along everyday, believe me!

One good thing about letting your kids play with guns......we didn't have any problems with theft at our garage sale!!!