Our Kids

Background: Piper had to miss school today because of a stomach bug. As Lela and I were walking through the garden on the way to class we had the following conversation:

Me: Are you going to tell Ms. F. that Piper is sick?
Lela: No.
Me: No? Why not?
Lela: Because I don’t need to.
Me: Why is that?
Lela: When Ms. F. calls her name nobody will say anything so she’ll know she’s not here.
Me: How will she know she’s not outside playing or something?
Lela: Because I’m here. And she doesn’t do that without me.
Me: Well that doesn’t make sense. She should know. I’ll tell her.
Lela: You don’t understand how it works.

At that point I laughed a hearty laugh and told Ms. F. when we got to class

Well I signed up the girls for dance. I had been thinking of it and Landis did such a super job in her recent dance class and really enjoyed it. So I decided to sign her up and of course Piper and Lela wanted to do it too.

I signed them up at a real dance studio where we had been taking classes at the community center. So the girls will have two recitals per year. I put all the girls in the same class, a tap, ballet, gymnastics combo class. I think they do a bit of it all in that class because today some of the moves they showed me were definitely Pom/Cheer moves. But anyway they enjoyed the class a bunch for I think we are in for the lot:)

They are going to Sundance Studios right near our house which is nice. It worked out today where I dropped them off, ran to Target, got to talk to my mom on the phone and Jason stayed with Phoebe and got her down for a nap! So all in all it went superb. The girls are really enjoying all their ballet stuff and love to dress up and “pretend” to be ballerinas.

Okay so Landis has the cutest speech. She drops all her ‘s’ at the beginning of words. So STOP is TOP and STICK is TICK. There have been times when she is telling me something with gusto and I am clueless because she dropped her ‘s’ and I am having a slow day mentally:)

Well last night was freakin’ hilarious because she was making Jason and I make believe pizza strips. The conversation went like this:

Landis: Do you want a pizza trip
Mystique: A what?
Landis: A pizza trip
Jason: A what?
Landis: (with exasperation) A PIZZA TRIP
Mystique: A pizza trip?
Landis: I didn’t say trip I said TRIP!
Piper: She said a pizza strip (looking at us like we were dull)

HA HA! I said a trip not a trip! HA HA!

That little thing is so cute. I don’t think she knows she is saying it wrong but it is funny when she tries to correct me.

I know you are all dying to see the girls in their costumes but you must wait. I of course did not take any pictures, lol! But never fear there are pictures I just have to round them up.

We had an awesome day at the girls school on Halloween with a costume parade, school assembly (where the 1st grade sang to the entire school), in class pumpkin carving and halloween treats. Then we had a block party in our hood that was super fun. Following the block party with a round of trick or treating and the kids were toast.

We had no problem this year sorting our candy and putting it all out for the great pumpkin. The girls got giant pillow pets and Landis got the biggest Minnie Mouse I have ever seen. So the great pumpkin strikes again!! Yeah!

Now on to Thanksgiving!!

It has been crazy busy and not because I have four kids (well kind of). It is an interesting phenomenon that your life gets busier when your kids go to school but I am beginning to understand why. I mean if your kids are gone 6-8 hours of the day it should make your life more manageable right?? Wrong.

Since I have been back from the marathon in California it seems like life has been one roller coaster ride after another. We have just finished celebrating Michaelmas, Halloween and the Day of the Dead at the school complete with carnivals, festivals, potlucks and our own block party and trick or treating. I have gone to the school every day with an activity and tonight is the parent council meeting and class rep meeting. Whew, it’s only Wednesday. On top of it all my car decided it needed a vacation from us and went to the shop this morning for some R&R which adds 3-4 more trips to and from home for Jason and some downtime at home for Landis, Phoebe and I.

We even skipped Landis and Phoebe’s playgroup and are missing handwork today and the kids still seem overwhelmed. Every one has dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. Hopefully I can convince them to go to bed early a couple nights before the weekend.

Juggling the littles with the needs of the bigs has been the real challenge lately. Shuttling everyone to around and showing up to volunteer at the school with the littles in tow has been a challenge and is probably why the littles have been in a bit of a meltdown mode lately. The littles have enjoyed being included in all their big sisters events and Landis wants to start first grade with Ms Falconburg tomorrow and Phoebe just goes right up to her and lets her pick her up (shocker!). I am glad they can sense what a kind person she is and they feel the love their sisters have for their teacher which is cool.

So I am grateful and glad we are where we are in life but sheesh it is tiring:)

Good thing my folks bought a house within walking distance, I am hoping to drop off the littles there every once in a while to keep them from having to drive all over town for their sisters classes/events:) And so they can get some good grandparent lovin’.