Milestones

This week Camille decided she likes to count objects, as high as 5 or 6, then back to 3 and 4 (and 3 and 4, and 3 and 4, which seem to be her favorites). Also, she finally joined the "20 lbs club", and she's only 19 months!

Kilianisms

- "I don't think I under-really-stand you"

- "...but there just has to be a biggest number"

- "isn't Camille so cresious? (rhymes with precious), we don't ever want to give her away!"

The weirdest thing...

happened to me this morning. I was looking for a particular shirt. I felt like I had seen it somewhere recently, but I couldn't remember where. It must be clean, in a basket somewhere, waiting to be hung up, like most of our clothes.

I looked through the basket in front of the dryer.
Nope.
I looked throught the baskets at the foot of my bed.
Nope.
I looked through the pile on the left side of the couch.
Nope.
I looked through the kids baskets, just in case.
Nope.
I looked in the dryer.
Nope.
Washer.
Nope.
My dirty clothes hamper.
Nope.
Kids dirty clothes hamper, just in case.
Nope.

Finally I decided to pick a different shirt. I go into my closet and to my surprise, the original shirt was hanging up!! On a hanger!! I never even thought to look there!!

This is a pretty accurate indication of the status of laundry around here.

What I like about

• a 6 year old - He's smart enough to know that if he yells "Mom" to get my attention at a basketball game, that lots of moms will turn to look. Instead he told me he'll just yell "Lael", so that "only a few" mom's will turn to look.

• a 4 year old - She's little enough to believe her "barely dressed" self when she states that "4 year old's do not get cold" - while wearing a sleeveless night gown (18 degrees outside), but smart enough to tell me "You're the best mom I've ever had" when I give her some hot chocolate to help get rid of the purplish tint to her skin.

• an 18 month old - She is old enough to get really excited about a Reese's cups impulse buy at the grocery store. She is young enough to not tell her brother, sister or dad about it when we get home.

Hi Ho Silver

Let's rewind to just before Christmas...we went to Beaumont to visit with some extended James'. While we were there, the kids were treated to horse rides with Uncle Lolo.

Kilian was pretty confident and would have ridden all day, that is if the line of other cousins waiting wasn't so long.

Camille thought it was pretty neat - at least long enough for a picture.

and our usually fearless Lucy must have been having an "off" day, because she got tired of everyone asking her if she was sure she didn't want a ride.

On a much more serious note

If you have some time (and prayers), you really should read about this family. I can't stop thinking about them.

Afternoon Tea

OK - I'll procrastinate work just a little bit. I wanted to share what the kids have been asking for when we get home from school. Just like most pre-schoolers in West Texas, they wanted crumpets and tea.



Unlike their Grammy, on this particular day I was not talented enough to bake crumpets and cook supper at the same time. So they had to settle for tea and those organic, trans-fat free Oreo's again. I do have a good crumpet recipe if any needs one, though. Here is Lucy at Grammy's with crumpets.






Kilian may not think this is so cool in a few years, but for now he says "I wish I was the King of New England so I could have tea everyday!".

How do they take their hot tea you ask?? Sugar, cream and a little bit of Hershey's syrup. That Grammy is pretty creative :)

*just a side note* Camille's first sentence was "want more tea".

I can almost see the light...

For anyone that doesn't already know, I used to work in the Dallas area for an income tax software company. I was there almost 7 years, then left a few months before Camille was born to become a stay-at-home-mom, which has been wonderful for us all!

After some time away, then some time working remotely as a "temp", I am now a part-time employee with them again (just a few hours a week - most of the year). However, this is our SUPER busy season. We have to get the software ready for CPA's to use this tax season, which is almost here.

All this to say that I haven't been blogging because for these weeks, I spend any moment that kids are asleep, or all playing peacefully, or watching a movie or at school/Parent's Day Out away thinking about how new tax laws will affect charitable contribution carryovers in the state of Montana...are you jealous?

After about 1 more week, all my projects should be calming down and I will post some very late pictures of our holiday travels. I also look forward to doing something more normal between 8:00 pm and midnight or so each night :)