bed time

at the cabin

two five-year-olds & two two-year-olds:
ella, ellie, grant & michael

"I deed it, I go fishing!"

That's not lime jello. It's clean, crisp Wisconsin lake water. yum.
(yes she did come home with a rash,
and no, mama did not put more than her toes in)

LMoB, take II:

Here we go again...this time we had sun!

I know I look young, but this photo makes me look like I'm in the 2nd grade!
It's a good thing I color coordinated my suit and cup....that was important.
allisun, nissa, julie, mama

on horticulture

m: ella, please don't hit my h--, I mean, plants with that stick.
e: you mean, hosta? that's what you were going to say... 'cause you said "h" and hosta starts with "h"
m: yes, you're right, I was going to say hosta. but how do you know about hosta?
e: Because I'm smart.

on being two:

grant and his buddy jack had their first official playdate while j's mama & daddy went to a party. they were so precious, but SO two! (they are just 16 days apart-so they are VERY two) this is how it went:
g: my truck
j: no, mine!
g: my vacuum!
j: no my vacuum
m: boys, we have three vacuums and there are only two of you, so let's each have one, okay?
g & j: hmmmm......yeah, ok, deal.
j: my mac!
g: no my truck
m: grant, that IS your truck, but since Jack is our guest-we're going to let him play with it (not- to-mention you haven't played with the darn thing in six months!!)
g: nnnnnno.
j: yyyyyeees. mine.
m: do you boys want a cookie?
g & j: Yeah!!! cookie!!! yeah cookie! I want cookie!!
COOKIE = ONE MINUTE OF PEACE
j: my milk!!
m: grant you have the cup with the yellow top, jack has a purple top, grant that IS jack's milk, please give it to him
g: nnnnnno, my milk.
j: gant, lello cup!
mama intervention, swap milks, grant has tantrum
COOKIE + MILK = 30 SECONDS PEACE + ONE TANTRUM

Take away: thank god we didn't have twins.

-break time with bob the builder-

-totally twos-

techno kid

e: ...and she has an MP3 player!

on death, part II:

upon returning home from my volunteer gig today:

e: mom, mom!!!! I found a mole!!!! Come see, I found a mole!!!
m: (thinking...what?! a mole? like a skin mole?)
e: Look! It's not dead, it's sleeping!
m: ella, that's a rat. Why is it in your bug cage? and did you touch it?!!
e: It's NOT A RAT, IT'S A MOLE, MOM!!
m: fine. whatever it is, DID YOU TOUCH IT??
e: um.......yes..............but it's NOT DEAD, it's SLEEPING.
m: ella, it's dead. and it could have really really bad germs. you CANNOT touch dead or sleeping animals. let's go wash your hands.....
e: really mom, it's just sleeping.
m: well it can sleep in the woods then, I'm sorry, it cannot sleep in your bug cage, and most importantly, it CANNOT sleep in our garage.

ps. what IS a mole? and how does my daughter know about them?!

Confessions of an up-tight mama

I confess to stopping at Lund's this morning to purchase a Lunchables meal for Ella because we had nothing but beer, wine and milk in our refrigerator, thus, nothing to make an acceptable cold lunch with. It is my first ever Lunchables purchase. I will strive to get to the grocery store more often than just once-per-month in hopes to keep our shelves stocked with something other than alcohol.

on not being bilingual

e: when is leah's birthday, mom?
m: I'm not sure, sometime soon, I know-because her birthday party is coming up.
e: how old is she going to be?
m: five, like you are.
e: that means I'll go to kindergarten before her since I'm already five.
m: no, actually, all five-year-olds start kindergarten at the same time in september
e: so I'll see her then?
m: no, Leah's going to a different kindergarten, one where they speak Chinese.
e: why?
m: Leah is from China, so her Mommy & Daddy thought it would be neat for her to get to learn in Chinese.
e: I want to learn in this
m: this what?
e: this what we're talking, I want to learn in the same as this.
m: you mean english?
e: yes
m: well, that's good then, because you are going to english speaking kindergarten.

on saving

e: Bockie (g'ma annie) do you know I have a hundred dollars saved?
b: No Ella, I didn’t. What are you saving your money for?
e: Bockie, what do you mean?
b: Are you saving to buy something or go someplace?
e: I’m saving to go to outer space!

on nutrition

e: mom, can we buy fruit loops?
m: probably not, they're not very healthy.
e: yes they are, they're good for your brain.

Albrecht, Morgan - Age 1

Morgan Albrecht died peacefully on July 9, 2008 at the age of 15 months, surrounded by her loving tank mates, Penny Albrecht and Penny's Best Friend. She is preceded in death by her previous tank mate, Petunia Albrecht. Morgan was our dear friend, she will be sorely missed. Many hours were spent swatting at her from the top of the tank trying to get a hold of her slippery little self. All the while, she'd tirelessly tolerated the turmoil. Morgan will be remembered by her waggly tail, beautiful charcoal gray skin and bulging eyes. May she find peace with her beloved Petunia in God's special pond.

the word game

e: I'm thinking of a word that starts with "B"
m: basketball?
e: no
m: baby?
e: no
m: bunkbed?
e: no
m: give me a hint
e: it flies in the air
m: oh I know, bird!!
e: no, mom, that's not it...it was Bald Eagle!!!

handyMAN!

A day off for ryan proved to be quite successful. Scroll down to see the very-almost-complete-firepit-patio-do-it-yourself-summer-project.

grant & ella:

big sister: you're so lucky.
little brother: who me? why am I lucky?
big sister: because you have a big sister.
Having a big sister means you'll grow up with a more realistic view of yourself.
little brother: it does?
big sister: absolutely!
Without a big sister a person could go through his whole life without knowing he was a doofus!

Post for Erica:

Dearest Er-Cah,
We miss you too! Everyday Grant says "Er-cah at my house?," "Er-cah at work?." Last night the dogs were barking and he said "Mama! Er-cah here!!" No, honey Erica's not here. She'll come soon though. He loves you.

No crazy antics to speak of today. G'ma is taking G to the doctor as he's been running a temp, not sleeping and been really crabby since last tuesday. Not sure what his deal is, but a healthy two-year-old doesn't just lay his "baby" on the kitchen floor and say "I sleeping." He's not feeling well at all.

Ella is well, Ella. We went to the beach yesterday, and she managed to "misplace" her clothes and shoes....which we didn't realize until we got home...so off we went, again. She's decided that if she uses her own money that we can go to dairy queen everyday. I told her getting ice cream everyday was not only bad for her, it costs just way too much money. Saturday morning the kids woke up around 6am, Ella was swimming in the back yard by 7:00....I came in to check the time hoping it was nearly lunch time, thus nearly nap-time and it was only 8:30!! Needless to say, it was a really l-o-n-g day. She's convinced everyone who doesn't know better that she has a sister named Mikyla who was born at a school and lives in another town. You'd be surprised how many people have asked me if I have another daughter. She's really into "fibbing" lately, which I find incredibly annoying.

Ryan is still hauling rock. I think we're on our 6th palette and we're not quite done, but yes-it's getting there. He took the day off today to finish it. E's home too, and my guess is, between her and "the friends" they've plowed through the 2 boxes of popsicles in the freezer. We're trying to learn about generosity, but we don't need to offer all 9 neighbor kids popsicles every single day.

I think that covers it. Oh, wait, jake has the runs....again. I spent the last 4 days cleaning up dog crap. Do you still miss us???

Hope all is well in country town. Wish Nicole & Keith congrats on their new baby girl.

Love & hugs, the crazy mama
ps. saw kiki at the beach. she say's hi to everyone.

$24.50

As Parents, we've all learned that silence means trouble. Upon returning to the family room to check on the kids, I found that ella had spent $24.50 on adhering ribbon to the wall:

s-l-o-w-l-y but surely...

friday june 13

sunday june 15

sunday july 6

monday july 7

happy birthday america!

e: who is america anyway?

wardrobe troubles

m: please go change your clothes so I can wash that nightgown you've been wearing for a week.
e: no, all my clothes are dumb.
m: well, if they're all dumb, let's give them to some little girls that don't have clothes-they won't think they're dumb.
e: fine. I'll go. but all my clothes are foolish!!

(foolish????)

on death

e: mom, will grandma anne's body be underground forever?
m: yes, honey.
e: oh.
--time lapse--
e: does grandma anne have legs?
(caskets are only open from the waist up, honest inquiry)