Peek-a-boo

Christmas Day

Movie Night

Eating Shoes

Cans

Thanksgiving Weekend

Lannin on the island.

Crossing the bridge the kids built in the summertime.

Fruit from a tree.

Collecting rocks on the beach.

Election Aftermath- Rally

This was my reaction to the election after crying all day on Wednesday on and off.  I organized a small peace rally in Somerville.  I hope to do more soon. 

Boston Globe Link- sadly the sole heckler got most of the press

Halloween 2016

The kids were a knight, a princess, and a dragon.  They selected the costumes independently of each other, though the dragon obviously didn't have much say.  The knight was adamant that he was not a guard for the princess, the princess wanted to carry her own sword, so I ended  up carrying it, and the dragon was vey ferocious and slept through trick-or-treating.

The princess also would not wear her new princess dress and the princess's mother is probably not buying a Halloween costume next year for her as this seems to be a standard practice. 

    

Vivian had to be the first to ring every doorbell and if not she would scream bloody murder.  Then the homeowner would open the door and exclaim how beautiful and adorable she was, while Tess and I cringed.  I wish they had seen her moments before yelling at her brother.  Sam was very patient all evening.

Preschool Halloween Event

So I drop off Lanie, and I'm en route to Sam's school, have it in my head this thing at Vivi's school starts at 8:45, check my email while in traffic and find out it started at 8:00 and ends at 8:45- it's now 8:30. 

Park at Vivian's school and run Vivian and Sam across the street to Sam's school, leave him at the corner to walk down the the street and get himself in.  He's thoroughly confused because we're at a different corner than usual.  Race back across the intersection to Vivian's school.  She is wearing her hair in a "Princess style" and stick on earrings, but no princess dress.  Because why would you wear a costume to your costume parade?  Not buying this child a costume next year...

I get into her school and it's time to show parents work, which was not communicated.  So she gets her work out and starts to show me how to do it, and then it's time for parents to go upstairs to the hall while the kids line up.  Two kids won't get off their parents, Vivian keeps begging me to stay and see her work for "five more minutes", which is my fault because I messed up the time. 

We go upstairs and wait for ten minutes for the kids to parade in.  Vivian is the only one not wearing a costume.  It takes them ten minutes to assemble the two primary classes on the stage and then they realized that the toddlers weren't up yet.  They sang a handful of  songs, (I'll send some videos), complete with kids melting down and running around behind everyone and toddlers frozen in fear.  The songs were actually quite good though.  Then it abrubtly ends and the director decides the kids should parade around the room.  So they come off the stage and have to parade by the cookie table (set out for the parents) and out the door to go back downstairs, but someone decides it's a good idea to have them do laps around the parents about 6 times.  Vivian quits the parade, several kids start crying hysterically and want to leave with their parents, some kids grab cookies, costume bits are strewn around the parade route, utter chaos.  By like the 5th lap they've lost half the kids, I am now in the parade with Vivian, and walking laps around the other parents, cringing that I'm not at work.  Then Sahar decides it's time for parents to bring the kids downstairs and take their costumes off.  I am still in the parade, so I run in front of everyone, down the stairs, grab her princess costume (one point for Vivian not wearing her costume), say, "oh! now you can finish your work!  there's your teacher!"  and run right out the door.  Everyone else is peeling costumes off of their crying children.

Just Trying to Eat Breakfast

Nerf guns have taken over our home- I was trying to eat a peaceful breakfast with Lanie last weekend, and was being spied on.  I guess I was under siege-

Bribes

I was trying to get everyone out the door the other day for soccer and asked them to use the bathrrom before we left.  Vivian was flat out refusing.  Since it was Sam's game, he had a vested interest in going.  The conversation went something like:

Me:  "Vivian, please use the bathroom so we can go."
Vivi: "no"
Me: "we need to leave and there's no bathrooms at the soccer field. Go now."
Vivi: "nope"
Sam interjects: "Viv, just go, I'll give you a quarter."
Me: "don't bribe her, she needs to follow the direction."
Sam out of the side of his mouth and whispering: "it's okay mom, I'm really giving her a penny and telling her it's a quarter."

Snacks again

School recommends: "we’re asking you to pack a fruit or vegetable for your child’s snack/lunch based on the color of the day.

 (Monday=Purple, Tuesday=White, Wednesday=Red, Thursday=Yellow/Orange, Friday=Green)

For more fun, encourage your child to wear something to match the color of the day!"

Really???? Because I don't have enough to think about?  Great idea, horrible in practice.  My kids are lucky to be getting a snack these days... I threw this original notice away deciding to ignore it and then Sam came home asking why he didn't have a purple snack. (So many good answers for that one).  Luckily everything's on email so I can see that tomorrow is a WHITE snack.  (Bunnicula?).

Ha. This better be only for the week.

Closets

The new house was built originally as a carriage house, so the bedrooms are odd sizes and shapes, and one doesn't have a closet.  My dad put an extra pole in Vivian's closet, so Lannin's clothes can hang on top and Vivian's at her level. 
Periodically Vivian will look at Lannin's dresses and say, "why are Lanie's clothes in my closet?" and I'll respond with, "well she doesn't have a closet, so you are sharing your closet."
This twice now has been followed with, "so soon Lanie's closet will come in the mail?" and I'll say, "no."
Vivian will respond with, "when Lanie's closet is delivered we won't share anymore." 

Questionaire at the Pediatricians

Love these... no, Lanie and I have no concerns about her schooling at this point...

Siblings

Sometimes they love each other...

Boxes

Not sure why we buy toys...

Vivian's Tent

There's a kiddie tent in our living room, because why wouldn't there be?  And Vivian is into this hoarding thing now- if it's missing we check with her (maybe a result of moving?).  So the tent has accumulated a lot of stuff in it.  I have pulled out everything from paper plates, to Lanie's toys, Legos, snacks (of course), a garden shovel, a recipe book, puzzle pieces, a pillowcase stuffed with toys, etc.

The other day Vivian crawled in to play and I heard, "there's no room for me in here!"  I was busy folding laundry, so I told her to put some of the things outside the tent and we'd put them away together later.  The first thing to come flying out of the door- the Holy Bible.  We're hoping it's not a sign of things to come...

And then we moved...

 I'm nursing the baby and Sam has a job outside.  It is sweeping the cobblestone driveway which maybe hasn't been swept in 15 years.  He is earning money to buy Legos that he wants.  Meanwhile I can hear him convincing Vivian to get him the garden hose to spray the dirt off the driveway.  It sounds like she's getting a cut of his earnings.  Vivian is dragging the hose through the dust (it hasn't rained in over a month) in sparkly high heels and a party dress.  She's dressed like this because we showed up for a party a day early because I can't keep anything straight.  Except for the heels, which she found somewhere upstairs which Chris is going to hate when he hears her banging around on the hardwood floors that were just done.  It's also lucky that I washed the porch this morning so the dust could fly over it...

Moving

At least someone isn't stressed about it! 

"Sam, what color do you want to paint your room?"

"Can I choose any color?"

"I suppose so..."

"Okay, then gold."

"Oh."

"Mom?"

"Yes, Vivian?"

"You paint a lady Minnie Mouse in my room like this:" (holds up hands to make circles in the air) "and I paint a little, baby Minnie Mouse next to it right on my wall."

"Hmmm..."

"Mom."

"Yes, Vivian."

"Where does our new house live?"

"What?"

"Where does the blue house live?"

"Um, I'm confused..."

"Where does our house now live?"

"Oh! You mean the name of the town!"

Exasperated: "yes mom, I says where does they live!"