Last Day on the Bus

Ella is less than thrilled about moving, because she loves her house, her ward, her school, her friends, her room, her everything.  This is her last day riding the bus and going to school with her BFF Courtney.  They're very cute and run to meet each other at the corner every morning and then walk the half block to the bus stop together. Isn't the weather just lovely for the last day of April?

Taking the Cake

Ain't she the daintiest little thing?  LOL

One of the problems with trolling the grocery stores looking for boxes is that I run into good deals all the time and just have to buy them.  Everyone was pretty happy with this german chocolate cake, but I also brought home what amounts to a whole lot of junk food that was cheap. No veggies, no real meal products, but if we need to snack, we're all set.

Out Like a Lion

April is a bit confused and trying to roar out like a lion. Apparently, she doesn't know that job belongs to March' and it's IN like a lion, not out like one.  In any case, April is causing me a few difficulties with this chilly weather.  Ella's soccer game was about 40 and rainy.  We have no winter coats since they're all packed, so our spectatorship was from the side window of our illegally parked minivan.  At least Ella had a hidden coat when I packed, so she didn't freeze. Bonus feature: it kind of matches her team color.  See, now I'm impressive instead of that lame mom who won't get out of the car.

Andrew's parents have been hard at work on our back deck and even showed up to build today in the snow.  That's far more dedication than I have, and it's my house that's being sold, not theirs.  They worked until about 10 pm to get it mostly done.  It's a bit hard to pour concrete in weather like this.  I bet they'll think twice before volunteering to do a project for us again.

That Doesn't Make Sense

Owen woke up this morning to a possibly slightly over-exuberant mother saying, "Happy Birthday!! You're four now!  You're the birthday boy and now you're four!"

Owen: No, I'm not.  I'm three.

Me:  It's your birthday, so now you're four.

Owen: But that doesn't make any sense.  I can't be four yet, because I'm three.

Me:  You were born on this day, so each year when it's this day, you have a birthday and you get to be another year older. Now you're four.

Owen: But I like being three.  I think I'm going to just be three today.

Then he got presents and birthday cards with money and dinner at McDonalds, and donuts, twizzlers and cookies (not quite a cake, but cut me some slack, we're moving!)  Suddenly being four was a really cool thing and O was happily telling us all about it.

So now it's bedtime, and Owen and I just had another birthday conversation.

Me:  Goodnight birthday boy.  I'll see you in the morning.

Owen:  I liked being four.  Is tomorrow my birthday, too?

Me:  Nope, today was your birthday.  Tomorrow's just a regular day, but you can play with all your new toys.

Owen:  Oh, when do I turn three again?  In the night or in the morning?

Me:  (just insert long explanation about how he has to be four for a whole year, and he's done with three)

Owen: Oh.

We'll see what he says when he wakes up tomorrow.

The Bold, the Brave, and the Beautiful

Some days are just more trying than others, and this was one of those, particularly for Bryn.  Boldness and bravery were earlier in the day, but the orchestra concert was all about the beautiful.  She played well, had a good time, and we all enjoyed getting to be there and see our talented daughter and sister play.  I might have to take that back about Claire, because all she wanted was to get on the stage and dance.  I guess we can call her bold, too, just not in necessarily good way!

Here's my beautiful (and growing up way too fast) Bryn:

"I Kiss You!"

Claire is a big fan of kissing right now.  She will randomly walk up and kiss your knee or forearm, whatever's in reach, and then happily declare, "I kiss you!" before she does it all over again. She was all snuggled up with Andrew and watching the Cubs game today, when she decided it was time for a kiss.  Who would ever want to resist that?

She's Obviously the Fourth Child

This doesn't happen to first children, because you keep everything even remotely dangerous or troublesome up high or locked up.  Add three other kids who get things out and down and don't really like to clean up, and that equals a whole lot more trouble for Claire.  Today she has done such exciting things as taking handfuls of cat litter directly from the litter box, putting them into the cat's food bowl, and then eating the litter-sprinkled cat food.  Somehow in between getting her clothes off and her pajamas on, she also enjoyed some art time in Ella's room.  Don't worry, she drew on walls and tables, too.  Why limit yourself to just your own body, when there's so much more canvas available?  And to top it all off, she used a dry erase marker instead of one of those lovely washable crayolas I try so much to only have on hand.