Have I mentioned poop lately?

I've mentioned before how a mother's life revolves around poop--here's some further evidence. (If reading about poop isn't high on your priority list right now, you may just want to skip this post!)

Early Sunday evening, I was feeding Finley when I noticed the other two kids were playing upstairs and had closed the door. I assumed they were in their room, but asked Keith if he would go check on them. He seemed not to hear me, and I didn't want to nag, so I dropped it. Wrong decision.
After a while, Sareny came down and told me that she had gone poop. Sniffing the air, I asked her if she had forgotten to wipe, and she said "Well, Isaac was booming it." This got Keith's attention rather quickly and he ran up the stairs where he made a rather gruesome discovery. Apparently, my children thought it would be enjoyable to play with poop. We found it smeared over every possible bathroom surface, including mirror, counter, toilet, tub, floor, walls, and door. I spent a good 45 minutes disinfecting and scrubbing. I decided this needed to be recorded here for posterity. Years from now, when Sareny can't believe she actually did this, here will be the evidence. Let the record show that she is nearly 5.

On another potty note, Isaac is now in underpants. Don't mistake this to mean that he is potty trained, but we are making progress in that direction. Because of his numerous accidents, we are rather limited on our outings, but I decided to take the kids to the park today anyway.
While there, he said he needed to potty, so I just removed his pants and took him in the bushes. He tried for a second with no luck, then turned around. Realizing what he was about to do, I quickly said, "No, Isaac, if you need to go poo-poo we'll have to..." But by the time I had gotten that much out, he had already pooped. Right there. On the ground. In the park. I told him to wait there while I got the wipey's out of the van. I heard him yell to Sareny and two other kids who were there with us, "Guys! Come see what I do!" The kids ran over to see. So much for discreetness.
Hope this post didn't gross you out too bad. And yes, I did pick up his poop and throw it in the garbage.

Getting a little tired of the zoo...

Don't get me wrong, we've really enjoyed our zoo membership this past year. Our frequent visits have been fun, and I've enjoyed having the freedom to make it a short visit if we want. Sareny loves riding her bike there, and the kids are able to work off some energy when we go.

Not to mention all of the cute photo ops the zoo has provided us with.

That being said, however, it seems to me that the novelty of the zoo is beginning to wear off for the kids. On our most recent visit we saw the snakes, frogs, and orangutans, then pretty much just hit a few of the play areas, and I'll admit I felt a little bit bored. I was surprised to note, however, that the kids seemed a little bored as well.

So, I'm considering taking a year off from the zoo, but it would be nice to have a membership somewhere else. I'm certain there are many other places or outings we would enjoy--I just don't know what they are. Any ideas out there?

P.S. As an aside that has nothing to do with the zoo, I feel I must make the following disclaimer in case you noticed the getup that Sareny is wearing: She dressed herself and resisted all efforts, subtle and otherwise, to wear something else. She has a drawer full of adorable jeans that I bought her, and for some reason she will not wear them. I really don't know what to do--she is back to only wanting to wear dresses or stretchy pants. (She wore a very frilly dress to Walmart today.)

Opinions needed!

I've been inspired lately by some of my friends to start working on my massive backload of projects. I am running out of room in my craft room, so I have instituted the rule that I have to complete 5 projects before I can buy fabric for a new project.

I used some pretty eyelet fabric I bought more than four years ago to make some little Easter dresses for the girls. I had to modify the pattern I used since it was sized 2-4, and neither girl is in that size. I cut Finley's a little smaller, and Sareny's a little bigger than the pattern. So my question is, which ribbon should go on which dress?

Should the ribbon match the dresses, as in the first picture, or should it be yellow ribbon on green dress and green ribbon on yellow dress, as in the second picture?

Should both dresses be trimmed in yellow? I just don't know which looks best. Which way do you like better?

A Month in Photos

These are just some pictures of us in the last month.

I love that the kids are such good friends and love each other so much.

Finley is starting to get a little too brave. She totally pulls herself up to standing and then lets go, or loses her balance and her little head bangs on the floor. It's driving me crazy!

We babysat for some friends and Keith got down and played with the kids and helped them build this castle out of blocks.

Sareny took the next picture--she's a pretty good photographer.

Pay it Forward

You may have seen this done on other blogs--you leave a comment to receive something handmade and crafty, and then you make a post on your blog to "pay it forward" and send something handmade to three other people.

Here's the deal:

Be one of the first three people to leave a comment, and I will send you something handmade in the next three months.

You get to pay it forward by doing the same thing on your blog for three people.

Once you leave a comment saying you're interested, you need to make a post on your blog within one day.

So, who wants to play??

Do I have the best husband ever or what?

Several years ago, we recovered our dining room chairs in a lovely purple and green plaid that matched our kitchen. Doesn't it look lovely? Okay, so you kind of have to look past the yogurt smears, and ice cream drips, and milk stains, and who knows what other culinary delights.

I recently declared that something needed to be done when it started to be a fight every mealtime getting Sareny to sit on one (I am not making this up). And really, who could even blame her? Anyway, I got some fabric for a great price--less than $5 for two yards. And here's the best part--we decided to cover the fabric with plastic! Hooray!

But actually, I think the best part just may be the fact that my wonderful husband Keith contributed most of the labor recovering the chairs. He is actually quite fond of saying, "So how come when you decide to start a project, it usually means work for me?" Ha ha, what a kidder!

Sareny got in close to capture this exciting action shot of Keith hard at work. She is quite the photographer, no?

And here are me and the other kids cheering daddy on!

I think you will agree that our chairs look a lot better. We no longer have to resort to threats and bribes to get our children and guests to sit on them. That crazy mother-in-law on Everybody Loves Raymond knew what she was talking about covering her furniture in plastic!

My life is a nightmare that starts at the crack of dawn

50 points if you can name the movie.

So I guess that title is a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe. Take a look at this face and guess what (or who) is causing me fits.

I don't know what to do. From morning to bedtime he is whining, screaming, hitting, running, messing, tantrum throwing, and totally not minding one little bit. I have said if I punished him appropriately every time he did something, he would never come out of his room. Not really exaggerating here. He is a little terror and not often pleasant to be around. I love my little boy, but by the end of the day, I sometimes can barely stand the sight of him. I even took him in to the Dr. to say, "What is wrong with him??" Basically I found out what I already knew--he is what they call a "spirited"child.

I need help. Or a vacation. Or maybe a stay in the mental hospital. Any ideas out there?

Things a first child isn't subjected to...

A first child doesn't have to put up with this.

Or this.

Or being fed by sissie while mom cooks dinner.

Or one moment happily playing on a toy.

The next moment, being shoved out of the way.

But, first children don't get this.

Or this.

Or this.

She's a lucky girl.