Lookin' Fancy

After Serena's quiet time the other day, she wanted to color.  As she sat in her chair coloring a picture of snowmen on a winter landscape (YAY for the brand-new, thick winter-themed coloring book I scored at St Vinny's for $.25 a couple weeks ago!!!), she started talking about building a snowman someday and how fun that will be...and by the time she finished her monologue a good ten minutes later, she was ready to go outside right now and build that snow man because she knows how to build one all by herself.  I tried to explain how the temps had warmed up the last few days and melted the snow and how it had re-frozen overnight and was really, really hard now.  She pushed a stool to the window to look outside.  "No, Mommy, the snow is still there!  I see it!"  Okay, so I helped her put her snow gear on.  By this time, Bret had awakened from his nap, and insisted, "I go outside.  TOO!!!!!"  So, bundling (or "bumbling" as Serena says) times two.  I explained to them that since Cody was still napping, I wouldn't be able to go outside with them.  As I helped Serena into her Carhart-style overalls and coat - and topped her off with hot-pink boots, mittens, and hat - she looked at me with her big eyes shining with excitement, "I look FANCY!!!"  It was all I could do not to laugh as I agreed.  (Oh, please, don't ever stop being three!!!!)  So, off they went outside to build their snowman.  It was apparent right off the bat that no snowman would be built today.  The snow was really hard.  As Bret slowly worked his way along, Serena walked straight over to her slide.  Despite all her gear, she managed to climb up the ladder, but hesitated to go down because there was a pile of snow that had drifted at the bottom.  I gave her the thumbs-up sign from the window, and she ended up going down.  Meanwhile, Bret had made it to the middle of the yard, but his hat had fallen down over his eyes!  He stumbled in the uneven snow and fell down.  He got back up, only to fall down again.  The third time, he started crying.  I was watching from the bathroom window (our house is set up rather ridiculously, especially in regards to window placement), so I ran around to the garage where the door to the backyard is located.  By the time I got there, Bret was crying inconsolably as he crawled back to the house, his hat still over his eyes!  As I stood there in my slippers, the thought ran through my head that I hoped none of the neighbors were watching!!!  Picture:  1-yr-old boy crawling across the snow crying pitifully while his mother is nowhere to be seen!!  Oh dear!  I had to yell his name 3 or 4 times before he heard me above his crying (we have a fairly large yard).  "BRET!!!  Take off your hat!!!!"  He did.  He stopped crying.  He stood up and walked calmly back to the garage.  Serena wasn't far behind, and thus ended the snowman-building adventure.  ;)

Love this little girl!

 Serena comes up with big plans for when she gets big enough to drive.  The other day, she decided that the day had finally come and that she was going to take the red car ("You can use the truck if you need to go somewhere while I'm gone, Mommy.") and go to Daddy's store and get some big beds and pillows for the boys and a coffee maker for Mommy and some elephants and giraffes and horses.  "They will be nice animals," she reassured us.  She talked and talked and her story got bigger and bigger as she got herself dressed.  She was certain she knew how to drive.  And the elephant would definitely fit in the car, because it would be "just a little one" (makes hand-gestures of about a foot wide).  She was a little sad when we finally told her that we had other plans for the day.  But, don't worry.  She "will try again another day."

Precious, precious boy

New Hello Kitty slippers sent from Uncle Eric & Aunt Julie for Christmas.  These things have already gotten a lot of miles on them!!!

Dinosaur slippers.  Seriously one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time!

"Mommy, we want to cut."  This is the latest craze here.

 "Mommy, why does Tigger like to bounce?"  "I don't think I know the answer to that question, Serena."  (Yes, sometimes I just cop out like that.  After fielding hundreds of "why" questions on a wide variety of subjects, I feel entitled to a 'lazy' answer once in a while!)  "Oh.  Is it because he sees Serena bounce and it makes him want to bounce?"  "Ummm....sure."  I gotta say I love when she comes up with her own answers!!!  ;D

Also, "Mommy, why does our food and water come out as poopy and peepee?"  And when I tried to deflect to Jordan, she asked, "Why do you want Daddy to answer me?"

"Mommy, how big is God?"

"Mommy, why is God higher?  How high is He?"  (After hearing the song "Our God" on the radio."

"Mommy, why does God let us get owies?  I think I will talk to Him and tell Him that He shouldn't have made us to get owies."  (Serena really hates owies.)

"Mommy, why did God only give us two hands?"

She really makes me think sometimes!

We've had quite a bit of sickness since moving up here.  I'm not sure if it's because of flu season, or because we're exposed to a whole new germ pool or what.  Probably the first is being compounded by the second.  Anyway, as a result of the illnesses, there's been some meds administered.  I almost exclusively use Hylands' meds.  I like that they are homeopathic.  And they work quite well for my kids.  And the kids (apparently) love it, so it's easy to get them to take their medicine!  We were in Walmart's pharmacy the other day, and Serena saw me pick up a box of Hylands' something-or-other and immediately started in telling me how she wasn't feeling well.  She should probably take some medicine.  Her tummy hurt.  She thought she might spit up.  She thinks she needs medicine.  Could she please have some medicine, Mommy?  "I'm sorry you don't feel well, honey, but we usually don't take medicine when our tummies hurt."  Oh, well, my throat is a little scratchy.  It hurts when I swallow.  I think I have a cough.  On and on it went.  There was a lady on the bench in the pharmacy hiding a laugh.  I gave her a wink.  I wanted to compliment her on how well she was containing her laughter; pretty sure I'd have been rolling if I'd overheard such an exchange between a mother and little girl!!!  ;)

Okay, one more and then I'll quit for now.  ;)  Since moving here, Serena's bed has been on the floor; we've been waiting for a "space base" to be clearanced at the store since we decided we'd rather have that for her than the traditional boxspring & frame.  The other day, Jordan texted and told me that he finally had one and if I kept the kids up, he'd put it together for Serena that very night!  I did hesitate a little...I REALLY like my evenings, heehee!...but finally decided it would be a fun thing for the kids to stay up and see Daddy; besides, I was pretty sure Serena would be very excited about having her bed "big" again!  So, the kids agreed to be "extra good" so they could stay up until Daddy got home.  Oh, the antics of over-tired children!  It was a hoot!  Finally, an hour past bedtime, Daddy walked in the door!  It didn't take too long to get everything put together, and the excited little boy and girl made it pretty fun!  ;)  When Jordan was finished, he asked Serena what she thought, and she gave him TWO THUMBS UP!!!  We just started cracking up!  It was hilarious!  We'd never seen her do that before, and honestly, besides the time I did it for her when she was about to go down the slide, I don't know when she would have seen that particular gesture!  Anyway, she was SUPER sweet thanking Jordan for "building her bed" for her.  The next afternoon, as I was putting some things away in her room, Serena was climbing up on her bed and asked, "Why did Serena want her bed to be big?"  I thought it was pretty funny; like, why was this so great again?  Heehee!  I had kinda wondered if she wouldn't rethink it, which was part of the reason I'd pumped it up to her so much beforehand.  I'm so glad she's up off the floor, because she was "falling off her bed" quite a bit!  ;)