Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Ready for Church




Grandma Teresa bought these dresses for the girls earlier this summer, and I promised to take a picture of them together for her...the problem is that they wear dresses to church...and, we tend to be running late with no time before church and Elsie usually strips as soon as we walk in the door afterwards so pictures with them all dressed up don't usually get taken. So, it's not the greatest photo...but, they're still cute girls! Look at Claira...she's waving! That's cute!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Elsieisms

Friday was my birthday, and Elsie was talking about it all day long...mostly asking me about my cake. Now, I really hadn't planned to have a cake. Wahoo, I'm 27. Her response? "But Mommy, you have to have a cake for your candles!" Of course. So, she said she'd call Daddy to tell him I needed a cake. She got on the phone, and he must've been asking her what kind to get because she asked me "what color I wanted?" I told her, "That depends where it's from." "It's from Daddy!" she told me.

We often call Elsie (and Claira too) a turkey when she's getting into mischief. Lately, she's not too fond of nicknames so whenever we call her a turkey, she snaps right back, "I'm ONLY ELSIE!---and beautiful" or "I'm ONLY ELSIE!---and sweet."

Elsie had dance class today, and I had a headband in her hair to keep the wispies from her ponytail out of her eyes. After class, we stopped by the mall for some pajama shopping. At one point, she crawled out of the stroller which caused her headband to slip off. She picked it up and sighed, "Mommy, please fix my hair. I just can't look like this."

Oh, and have I mentioned, she wants to be Cinderella when she grows up. Just ask her.

Wanna hear a funny joke?

Elsie must ask that question at least a dozen times a day...typically all in a row. Her jokes go a little something like this:

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Punkin who didn't eat a train.
Punkin who didn't eat a train who?
Um, Elsie Thompson. (I changed our last name)

or

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Punkin who wants a peanut butter sandwich.
Punkin who wants a peanut butter sandwich who?
Um, Elsie Thompson.

She's a goofball. Her answer always starts with Punkin, and the end is always her name. Silly girl.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Dear Mr. Green Giant

I bet if you pictured the Disney Princesses on the labels for all of your vegetables, my 3 year old would be thrilled to eat them.

Earlier this afternoon, Elsie and I were looking at the Sunday paper together, and she found a coupon for Princesses...actually, it was a coupon for Princess Spaghetti-O's. She asked for them, and I told her I would get her some. I ate them all the time growing up, but it's not my number one choice for kid's food. Still, I wasn't even sure Elsie would eat them anyway. She just finished the entire can by herself. Anybody have a mailing address for Green Giant?

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I love you in my heart

If Elsie loves something, she loves it in her heart, and she tells you so. Everytime. It's cute, I think.

We kept busy doing not much of anything this week...it's funny how that works out sometimes. Claira still isn't feeling the greatest...runny nose and coughing along with teething. She has two teeth now! If I can get her to show them to me, I'll try and snap a picture, but I've only caught glimpses of them...she's keeping them all to herself for now.

Earlier this week, I was making lunch when I hear Elsie talking in the living room. "Isn't that the cutest thing you ever seen?" she'd ask, "I think I'll take a picture. Click!" I grabbed my camera to investigate and was informed, "I turned Claira into a princess!" when I entered the living room. So, I hereby introduce you to Princess Claira:


And here's Princess Elsie (because you can't take a picture of Claira without taking one of her too)


Actually, that's been a theme at our house lately. Claira likes to play with whatever Elsie is playing with...not always fun (or safe) when nearly 3 years separate them. Elsie wants exactly the same of whatever I buy Claira...I thought that phase was over, but apparently we're just gearing up for round 2.

Friday, we went shopping with Stefanie and her girls, Lydia and Mya, at the outlet mall. She was looking for dresses, and I mentioned that Elsie needed new shoes so we packed up the girls and got ready for some serious shopping. Taking your 3 year old shopping for shoes with her best friend isn't the best idea really. I don't know how many shoes (that were not even close to their sizes) I picked up and put back on the shelves. Elsie was in desperate need of tennis shoes though. Remember her first day of dance class? It rained that entire day, and I had to cram her feet into tennis shoes. The only shoes she has that fits are sandals. I can't complain too much because she's worn the same size shoe since the end of last summer. Still, I was surprised when I measured her yesterday, and she needs a size 11! No wonder I couldn't get her foot into a size 9! I'll have to take a picture of her modeling them tomorrow.

Yesterday afternoon, I came home and remembered that it was the third Friday of the month and that Elsie's friend Breanna would be coming over to play. Usually, they play incredibly well together and you hardly hear two peeps out of them. Last night was a bit different. I think Elsie had already been spent during the day, and Breanna was fussier than usual as well. Still, they had fun.


Today, Jason went to the men's breakfast and did some work around the church. After he came home, we had lunch, and I laid Claira down for a nap. Then I snuck out to do some power shopping. Last Saturday, I went to Toys R Us and picked up the last birthday present I needed for Claira. Last Sunday, it went on sale. Go figure. So, I took my receipt in for a price adjustment. I filled the car up with gas, ran into WalMart for more children's Benadryl, got some quesadilla cheese from the Mexican grocery, and picked up some things for Claira's birthday at Party City. I realize it's a bit early for plates and cups, but I had received a coupon that expired tomorrow so I wanted to use it. We're having a ladybug party, and I promise you it's going to be super cute!

Now, we're hanging out and playing the Wii...which is a perfect end to a busy Saturday.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Peek-a-boo!

Something like this:



usually happens whenever I try to take 30 seconds to use the restroom. So, sometimes I just take Claira with me. She sits on the floor, and we play peek-a-boo with the shower curtain.



Tub Time

Claira has had a few baths in the big tub...at Grandma Unger's house, Papa Dale's house, our hotel in Indianapolis...but tonight was her first bath in the big tub at home. Elsie was thrilled to have a playmate and told me that she thinks Claira should take a bath with her all the time, which is really fine by me. Claira's about the easiest kid in the world to give a bath. She loves the water, has a blast splashing it, and doesn't mind a bit if water gets in her face. Elsie is the exact opposite, but Claira is a nice distraction to the usual trama water brings. We'll see how long it lasts.


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

An Elsie Moment

Claira has had a cough for about 10 days now. She's also been sneezing and had a runny nose the last couple of days. Add pulling on her ears to the mix, and this morning I made a doctor's appointment for her. It turns out that she has a sinus infection, which I get at least a few times a year so I can truly sympathize with her. Anyway, our doctor's office sends prescriptions to the pharmacy electronically which is usually wonderful because the prescription is usually ready for pickup before I pack the girls in the car, load the stroller, drive, and unload them at the store. Not today. Today, we arrived at WalMart at 1:35 p.m. and they happened to be closed for lunch from 1:30-2 p.m. Go figure. Elsie requested the toy section, so we made our way to the back of the store. On our way, an older Indian couple stopped to talk to the girls. I couldn't understand much of what they were saying, but they were sweet so we said hello and bid them a nice day. We're barely two steps away from them when Elsie blurts out, "Mommy, why'd that lady have a little red sticker on her forehead?" I pray the woman didn't hear her. Really though, what do you say to that? I only replied, "that's her culture," which was the wrong think to say because Elsie has no idea what the word "culture" means. I spent the rest of our time in the store trying to explain the word to her. She still doesn't understand.

In other news, Elsie did really great at her dance class. The studio has a "no distraction" policy, which basically means that parents are not allowed into the classroom. Instead, the parents wait in a lounge area and the teacher brings the girls there when class is finished. I was uncertain whether or not Elsie would willingly go into class without me. She was a little hesitant, but as soon as a few other little girls went into the room, she followed and had a big smile on her face before I left her sight. Afterwards, she made me wait until Jason got home from work before she'd show us any of her moves. She's been talking about it too so dance class is a hit.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Tutu Toddlers

Elsie has her first ballet class in about an hour...here are some pictures of her all ready to go!



Sunday, September 7, 2008

Impromptu Picnic

Yesterday, I went to a baby shower for a friend and left the girls home with Jason. He was blessed by our friends Eli and Janette who dropped Breanna off to play while they attended a party for the older kids at church. It's always nice to have Breanna play with Elsie...they go down to the playroom together, and you barely hear a peep out of them. They work well together. Actually, I'd have to say that Breanna's easygoing and probably plays well with just about anyone.

Elsie woke up in quite a mood this morning so I tried to cheer her up by telling her we'd make a picnic and have lunch outside after church. She said that she wanted Lydia to come so I told her that we'd ask Lydia's Mommy...but only if Elsie stopped fussing and went to class. She did, and Lydia found me after church ready for a picnic. Breanna was with the girls, and Lydia asked if she was coming...so she did as well. I had the girls link hands, and we headed for home. Jason got caught up chatting so he came in the door a few minutes after us. The girls were already downstairs playing, and Jason and I were talking about the service while I nursed Claira. Now, getting Elsie and Lydia together is totally different than getting together with Breanna. They usually have a rough start...and it's usually a loud one. As Jason and I were talking, we each called out to them to share and play nicely a few times. After about 15 minutes, I commented that you couldn't even tell that Breanna was down there..."Breanna's here too?" Jason asked. My point exactly.

After I had nursed Claira, I made the girls some PB&J sandwiches, grabbed some crackers and vanilla wafers, and headed outside with a large blanket that we spread out beneath a tree. Elsie ate pretty steadily while Lydia played and inhaled her entire sandwich in record speed...then they begged for extra cookies while Breanna was still finishing her sandwich. After everyone was finished, they played on the swingset. It was really a great day for a picnic. It was sunny so not too cold, but the air is crisp and there's a cool breeze usually blowing.

I'm working on something cute that I can hopefully print for each of them from today...but here are a few pictures.

In the playroom:


Picnic Pals:


Lydia:



Elsie:


Breanna:

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Elsieisms

Elsie- "Can we have a sleepover tomorrow?"
Mommy- "Sure, you can sleep over at my house."
Elsie- "Yippee!"


Elsie has a habit of asking someone what they want for no reason in particular. Every once in awhile, I'll tell her that I want a little bit of peace and quiet. Yesterday, Claira was being loud and fussy in the car, and Elsie said, "I need a big piece of quiet!"


Elsie has been obsessed with birthdays since she turned 3. She's been talking about her next birthday since, and she knows that my birthday is next, followed by Claira's, and finally hers. This morning, she came into the kitchen while I was toasting her waffles, and we had this conversation:
Elsie- "How old is Claira gonna be on her birthday?"
Mommy- "One."
Elsie- "Why?"
Mommy- "Because it's her very first birthday."
Elsie- "How old are you going to be?"
Mommy- "Twenty-seven."
Elsie- "I'm gonna be four."
Mommy- "Yes you are. You're such a big girl. What do you want for your birthday?"
Elsie- "A car. A car like you and Daddy."
Mommy- "You're not that big."


Daddy to Elsie-"Oh! You got me in the gullet!"
Elsie- "You got me in the gullah gullah island!"