Easter Fun

Taking pictures of the kids during their Easter egg hunt on Sunday really made me think about the past 2 Easters. They had their first Easter egg hunt together in 2010-when they were finally old enough to enjoy it. And looking through pictures of Easters passed, I realized that, despite the fact the kids are growing so much, there are some staple pictures of all three kids together that I seem to capture every year.

The egg hunts always start the same. All three kids in the front yard of my parent's house, excited and ready to start picking up eggs.

Easter 2011

Easter 2012. Z is there-just not in this pic!

 This doesn't last long. Before you know it, Lily & Zaryk are making a mad dash around the house in search of eggs together.

Easter 2011

Easter 2012

Meanwhile, as Lily & Zaryk race off to find eggs, Leighton is following at a more sedate pace, gently picking up 1 egg at a time and carefully placing it in her basket.

Easter 2011.  You can see Lily & Z searching together in the background while Leighton does her own thing.

Easter 2012. Once again, doing it her own way.

It really cracked me up to see how similar this year's egg hunt was to last year's. Even in every day life, Lily & Z are two peas in a pod (despite not seeing one another very often, they are extremely similar in disposition, creativity and attitude), while Leighton does things in her own way. I love that they are so close in age and are able to enjoy all these moments and have all these memories together.

Easter 2010

Easter 2011

Easter 2012

Showing off their egg baskets, Easter 2011

Showing off their baskets, Easter 2012

I'm pretty sure we have the cutest kids ever in our family. Seriously. They're adorable.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter weekend!

Spiderman & the Middle Name

A random conversation with Goober when she first woke up. She really wasn't awake yet, but this was pretty funny:

Lily: Is Spiderman coming today?

Me: Spiderman? (awkward silence as I try to think of an answer) No, he lives far away.

Lily: Where?

Me: New York City

Lily: Well, maybe he can go for a walk

Me: New York City is still too far away for him to walk to our house. He’d be really tired & it would take him a long time.

Lily: Hmm, then I hope he got lots of sleep in bed tonight!

~~~~~~~~~~

One night Goober got frustrated because I wasn't coming to see what she wanted. I don't recall what she wanted me to look at but I'm pretty sure she was just trying to distract me from the fact that she was not cleaning her room like I asked. Shocking, right?

 So she kept calling for me and I kept telling her I'll come when she's done cleaning her room. Next thing I know she's saying "Mommy Anne, you get in here right now! I want to talk to you!" Evidently she meant business since she called me by her middle name. Obviously she must hear Lily Anne a little too often! lol

 

Fishing

We took Lily fishing on Sunday after B got home from work. She had a blast! Aside from her fear of bugs, she had a great time reeling in her own fishing pole. Every time she would reel, she'd get so excited to see what she "caught." I've never seen a child more excited to reel in moss, leaves and the occasional stick.

At one point, as she was reeling, I hear "I think I caught something! Maybe a shark tooth. Or a whale!" At this point, she sees her hook. "Or maybe just a leaf." This was said with such a dejected sigh, I had a hard time not laughing. She was convinced she was going to catch a whale that day.

Helping Daddy bait the hooks.

Reeling in a whale! Or a leaf.

Every time I asked if she was having a fun, I would get a thumbs up.

Mommy & Goober

Two peas in a pod.

Future Diva In the Making

We seriously have a diva on our hands. As wonderful and loving as Goober is, she has some very high maintenance tendencies. She still a rough & tumble little girl who loves dinosaurs & Thomas the train, but every day I see more and more "girly" moments that just make me shake my head.

She has developed a serious fear of creepy crawlies. At this time last year, she would crouch down and observe any little bug that might cross her path, absolutely fascinated. Then she would stomp on them. Now she lets loose the most blood curdling scream you can imagine and runs in terror of anything resembling a bug. This includes the tiny ball of string that was laying on the carpet because the vacuum missed it. I thought she was going to have a heart attack, especially when I picked it up. I've taught her that Dora enjoys playing with the bugs and will protect her from all sorts of creepy crawlies when she goes to bed, so at least she isn't afraid to go to bed after a buggy encounter anymore.

She's also developed a fascination with Project Runway (One of my favorite reality shows-talk about divas!). She really only enjoys the runway portion of the show. She'll pretend that she's walking the runway like the models (which is adorable, but I still haven't managed to catch it on camera). If she sees an outfit she particularly enjoys, I have to rewind it several times so she can "critique" it, i.e.-telling me she likes it/doesn't like, if the colors look good, etc. It's hilarious. I may have future designer on my hands here! lol

After tucking her in for bed the other night, I sat in the living room talking to B. Out of nowhere, her door opens and she states " Stop talking that. I need peace of quiet so I can sleep!" She then proceeded to close her door & stomp to her bed.

We're having more & more of these "diva" moments. She's 3 going on 13-how in the world am I going to cope when she's actually a teenager?!?!

So Many Moments, So Little Time

Once again, I'm behind in my Goober posts. However, I have found a way to capture (almost) all the moments. I finally created a document on my phone, so that I can write down whatever happens and save it for the time I have to post. Which means, in all honestly, I'll probably have several Goober moments to share per post. But I know her biggest fans really won't mind! ;)

#1-While playing dress up with her friends, Goober was trying to do something but feeling rushed. Evidently, the girls weren't giving her enough time to finish whatever she was working on. So she comes out of her room (dressed as a princess in a pirate hat), holds up her hand and says "Give me five patience!" before stomping back to her room. I interpreted this to mean "Give me 5 seconds. Have some patience.". She has a tendency to just throw sentences together to save time.

#2-Bath time songs. She loves to sing random, made up songs in the tub. A favorite lately is about Dora (her bathtub mermaid). It goes a little something like this:  "Dora is the mermaid of the week, the mermaid of the week, go Dora!". Not quite as funny when you read it, but every time I try to video tape her, she gets embarrassed and yells "Mommy, you aren't supposed to listen to me!".  She's very quickly coming to the stage where I can easily embarrass her. Can't wait until she's a teenager! hahaha

#3-Every once in awhile, she decides to fully embrace the character she is pretending to be. One night, she was pretending to be Lemon (from Strawberry Shortcake) and refused to answer to anything but Lemon. The next night, she would only answer to Kung Fu Panda. She even had some sassy Kung Fu Panda moves to go along with it, which you can see in the video below. At one point, she came at me from around the corner, did her moves and whispered "Kung Fu Panda" before quietly slipping back into the living room. Seriously, I don't where she gets this stuff...

#4-She loves to play dress up. It's one of her favorite things to do. And she loves to dress up as a princess. Heads up to all you fellow, anti-princess Mommies. No matter how hard you try to keep princesses out of your home, they will invade. I don't know how, or when, but it will happen. Anyway, while we were playing dress up one night, she refused to call me anything but Queen. Not Queen Mommy, or Mommy, simply Queen. And if I didn't act "queenly" enough, she called me out for it. She's a tough task master! She also refused to answer to anything but Princess.

#5-As a follow up to number 4, she has recently started talking in the 3rd person. Sometimes cute, most often annoying. For example, she either says "Lily wants chocolate (her code for milk)" or "Princess is hungry". Yes, my child refers to herself as Princess.
Now, for those who know me, this is somewhat painful. I am against the idea that girls are princesses and should be treated as beautiful, sweet, spoiled creatures who need to be rescued. I refuse to perpetuate the princess image that so many young girls fall prey too. I refused to let family buy her princess related items (no clothing, toys, books, or movies), she had never even heard of a Disney Princess until we watched Tangled, and she has yet to see Snow White, Aladdin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or any other Disney movie that insinuates that women need to be "rescued" by some man (prince or not). I absolutely refuse to call her princess, or anything princess related. I'm a pretty laid back parent (for the most part) but this is one of those things that just pushes a button with me.
Yet despite my anti-princess antics, she has still managed to soak in a love for things princess related. But she's a dinosaur loving, Lego building, pirate hat wearing princess, so I can deal with it. :)

#6-Lately, she's becoming (even more) independent. We've always done our best to make her appropriately self sufficient. That's starting to show even more. While we were going to the store, she informed me that she  didn't need Mommy to hold her hand in the parking lot because she was a grown up & grown ups don't need to hold hands. It took a lot for me not to bust out laughing, but I held it in. I love that she's comfortable expressing herself with me and that she knows I'll let her explore how she sees the world, as long as she's safe.

#7-While watching tv with her Magaw Linda & Grandpa Dan, she noted that it was 'moony' on the show. You know, it's sunny when the sun is out and moony when the moon is out. You gotta love how this kid thinks!

Hope you all enjoyed catching up with Goober's most recent antics. Hopefully I'll have more to update soon!

A Few Gems...

The following are just a few gems from the past month or so. Enjoy!

While channel surfing one night, we happened to run across Tori Spelling's show with her family. Goober made me stop as she exclaimed "Wow, she has a huuge baby in her belly"! She proceeded to tell me that I needed to grow a baby in my belly for her to play with. Yes, she's put in yet another request for a sibling. We'll get to it. At some point.

Usually when I exercise, Goober is with me. She tends to exercise right along with me or sit on the couch and offer encouragement. Her favorite? "You are such a good exerciser, Mommy"!

While watching me use a rotary cutter- "Wow, verrry impressive".

And finally. While she was dancing around the living room & talking to Daddy (who told her clean up. Or something along those lines)- "Yes, your high-nesty", as she bowed.

Gotta love that kid!

Oh That Girl

While playing at the table one night, I suddenly hear Goober yelling incoherently at the top of her lungs. When I asked why, she yelled-

"The freaking cat spilled my freaking water! Ugh! This is so frustrating!"

She did proceed to clean up her mess, all while grumbling about the freaking cat. I had to leave the room so she wouldn't notice my laughter. Seriously hilarious, people. Seriously hilarious.

Every Color in the World

While we were on our way to eat for my nephew's birthday this past weekend, Goober had a detailed discussion with GiGi Suzy about colors. I don't remember much of the conversation, since I was focused on driving, but I do remember her telling GiGi that she "loved every color in the whole world" when she was asked if she had a favorite.

Later that night, as we left the restaurant, she convinced my Aunt Kara to buy her one of those large bouncy balls from a $.50 machine. Low and behold, she gets a yellow and she immediately tells us "I don't like yellow" before handing it off and holding her hand out for more change.

GiGi reminded her that she liked every color in the world, to which Goober responded "But I don't like yellow bouncy calls."

Evidently colors are only to be enjoyed & appreciated in certain, artistic forms...

Such A Sweetie

The other night, while B was working late, Goober and I were hanging out in the kitchen trying to decide what to have for dinner. Meanwhile, I was freezing. I just couldn't get warm. Not even in sweatpants, sweatshirt & t-shirt. I had jacked up the thermostat, put more layers but nothing would work to keep me warm.

The next thing I know, Goober is trying to throw her blanket onto me. When I asked why, she simply said "Because your cold. Now wrap up so you can be warm & toasty." Pretty sure I melted into a big, gooey puddle of Mommy right at that moment.

For those who don't know, Goober's blanky is sacred. No one can use it, she can't leave the house without it and it's a catastrophe when it has to leave her sight so that Mommy can wash it. Her sharing the oh so precious blanky with me was the sweetest thing she could do.  So of course, I took advantage of the moment. Crouching down, wrapping us both in the much loved blanky together, Goober and I snuggled & giggled for several minutes.

Those are the kind of moments I want to remember for the rest of my life.

Goober's Love Affair...

I was fixing dinner the other night & Goober was keeping me company while playing with her letter magnets on the fridge. I heard her open the door to the fridge so I turned to see what she was doing. Than I hear "hello gorgeous" in a soft, sweet whisper.

Apparently, she was wooing her blackberries. They must have needed some sweet talk before she decided to snack on them.

Lots of pics...

Ok, so keeping up with Goober and blogging about everything is next to impossible. I do, however, have pictures. So I hope you enjoy! :)

Doing her nightly stretches along with the Goodnight Show on Sprout.

 She told us that she had prayed so much to have a tea party with Mommy & Daddy, and now her dreams had come true. You'd think we'd never had a tea party with her before!

Watching Daddy plow the drive for the first time. She was enthralled with the whole process.

Mixing up her sprouts from Aunt Shanna! She loves them. :)

Watching a movie in the hallway with Grace. Evidently the travel size dvd player is much cooler than the big screen tv in the living room.

Total diva. I am not even kidding.

Bo is her best buddy. Seriously. That dog will let her do anything to him.

Sleeping with Dora. This is usually the only time they get along...lol

Mommy left her home with Daddy, so she dressed herself. America's Next Top Model, here she comes!

Modeling cousin Z's birthday gift-this is the only time my child will ever wear Cubs upon her body. Go Cards! :)

Once I can remember some of those randomly hilarious moments, and when she has some more, I'll do my best to get to the blog as soon as I can!

Calling the Cops

Needless to say, that as Goober gets older the more we seem to butt heads. Just last night, I was sorting her laundry and putting it all away while she was supposed to be cleaning her room. She kept asking if I was mad or happy, and I told her I was sad because she wasn't doing what she was supposed to. The clean up your toys battle had been going on for awhile at this point.

When I refused to get on the floor to help her clean, she picked up an imaginary phone, reminded herself to only push the green button and not the red, and proceeded to tell me that she was calling the cops. When I asked why, she simply said "Because you are not listening and doing what I told you". She even had a conversation with the imaginary cop, asking if he would come over because I was not listening. After hanging up, I was informed that the cop was on his way so I'd better start listening or I was going to jail.

I was pretty dumbfounded. Neither B nor I have ever told her we were calling the cops or that she was going to jail. Ever. And she doesn't really watch shows that encourage children to believe that cops are something to be intimidated by or afraid of if they aren't being good. So I have no idea where this came from. It was pretty hilarious, seeing as how she was so utterly serious about it and it was completely out of left field. But I was definitely thrown for a loop.

I guess I'd better watch myself or the cops will come and take me away if I'm not being a good listener.

Super Sonic Hearing

B and I think that our child has super sonic hearing. Seriously. Over the last week, she has displayed a ridiculous tendency to hear absolutely everything we talk about. For instance, while playing in her bedroom (with her television on), B and I were talking in the living room (with the television on). He turns to me and mentioned something about going to the store. All of a sudden Goober flies out of her room, jumps on his lap and says "Daddy, don't leave again!). And I'm not kidding, we were talking amongst ourselves. Not yelling, or talking to be heard over anything, just to one another.

Another instance? When she was in the tub, B was playing a game in the living room. She's splashing around, talking to her toys, the living room television is on and B says something about Brittany, the person he was playing the game with on his phone. All of a sudden Goober calls out "I"m not Brittany, I'm Lily!" and giggles her head off.

In all reality, she shouldn't have been able to hear us at all but somehow she did. I'm telling you, it's super sonic hearing. Seriously.

The Word of the Day

I endeavored to get the carpets clean last week. Working with a house full of kids and pets makes that seem much more difficult than it should be but every few months, I rent a steam cleaner and go to town. This year, the dogs decided it would evidently be more entertaining if they completely obliterated the basement by using is at their personal potty, while I was out renting the aforementioned steam cleaner.

Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Yet Lily really helped brighten my mood. Earlier in the week she had learned to use the words frustrating & stressful in a sentence. So while I was cleaning up dog messes she was pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips, saying "Ugh, this is so stress-rating". When I asked if she meant stressful OR frustrating, she simply replied "Yes".

Obviously, it was such a horrible situation that she had to combine the two words to make a more appropriate word describing stressful and frustrating situations...hahaha. Gotta love that creativity!

Classic

The three of us have been enjoying our days off together this holiday season but we have also been given many moments to laugh about.

Our favorite, however, took place just the other night. Let me preface this by saying Brandon and Goober share a love of peanuts. Brandon prefers the seasoned kind (most recently the five alarm chili seasoned nuts) and Lily prefers the regular kind. Brandon was encouraging Lily to eat a couple of the peanuts seasoned with the five alarm chili stuff. Now, she had eaten one the night before and promptly spit it out, telling us "I only like the good ones!". So of course Brandon had to get her to try them again. And he was successful. She ate a couple and promptly spit them out, repeating herself by telling us she only likes the good ones. He waited a few minutes, told her he had added the good ones and she ate some more. This is my reality people. A trickster hubby & a sometimes gullible daughter makes for some interesting moments in our house.

Once again, we figured we'd see the same response as before. Except we didn't. This time she spit them out, gave him a dirty look and said "You won't make a fool of me again!" before running into the living room to pout in the chair. We couldn't stop from laughing with each other because it was so adorably hilarious.  I seriously almost peed myself, I was laughing so hard.

Just another entertaining snippet from our lives. Good times, people, good times.

Welcome to the Land of Loopsy

Christmas, as always, is a hectic time of year for our family. Usually we open gifts at home, get ready and then drive to Springfield to spend a few hours with my family & a few hours with B's family. This year we changed things up and opened our gifts, as a family of 3, on Christmas Eve so we wouldn't have to rush before heading to our respective families homes on Christmas Day. It also left more room under the tree for her presents from Santa. :) It went smoothly and Goober enjoyed being able to take her time, sloooowly unwrapping each present from Mommy & Daddy.

I could give a list of all the things she received for Christmas (it's spans a variety-from her "kiddie kindle" to farm houses w/animals) but the gift of the year was...Lalaloopsy! Those creepy-cute dolls that have buttons for eyes. Goob cannot get enough of them. Especially the mini-lalaloopsy dolls. I do have to say that she is obsessed with all toys tiny and collectible, lalaloopsy just seems to take the cake right now.

And so, the day after Christmas our house looked like the land of Loopsy. She now has 22 mini-lalaloopsy's, the bus, the ferris wheel, the treehouse and the carrying case. Along with lalaloopsy lip stuff, mini carrying case for said lip stuff, a tin purse with the Jewel Sparkle lalalaoopsy on it and the regular sized Jewel Sparkes lalalaoopsy doll.

22 mini lalaloopsy's + 4 accessories per doll = a lot of little toys to keep track of!

Just playing with all these little toys! Thank goodness for the carrying case, or I would lose my mind!

The tree house, the bus and the ferris wheel. She loves it all!

Opening her Jewel Sparkle. She sleeps with it every night.

Along with her Littlest Pet Shop jet and accessories, we've played with the tiny toys for innumerable hours so far and it doesn't look like there will be a LaLaLoopsy reprieve anytime soon. But she's happy and takes great care of them, so who I am to complain about all those creepy button eyes?

A Plate for Santa.

Ok, yes it's the New Year but there are a few posts from Christmas that I need to catch up on. So bear with me and all the new posts!

Now, for those of you who know me, Christmas has never really been my favorite holiday of the year. People tend to be rude and inconsiderate, the hustle and the bustle drives me crazy and I'm not one of those exuberant gift openers. I usually sit quietly with my pile of gifts, open them carefully, smile and stack them in an easily movable pile for when it's time to go.

However, since announcing our pregnancy on Christmas day 2007, I have taken on an entirely new attitude throughout the holiday season. And this year Goober was really into Christmas. Every year has been more fun than the last, but this year she really "got it", which was the icing on the cake for me. :) 

One of the more delightful things we did together was bake cookies for Santa. As some of you may recall, Goober insisted on an addition to the traditional cookies and milk plate usually left for St. Nick. She decided that Santa absolutely had to have an egg. Just one egg, but it was a necessity. Our plate just wouldn't be complete without one. And so, while she was decorating 2 special cookies for Santa, I boiled an egg (after convincing her it was Santa's favorite way to eat them, because they were travel friendly).

So here it is, our non-traditional plate for Santa!

Oh, she also refused to leave milk for him. She thought he'd prefer water instead.

I love how her unique mind works. And I'm kind of hoping this turns into a yearly non-traditional tradition!