Monsters!

My kids provide me with an array of entertainment on a daily basis.  Some of it is enjoyable...some of it is stressful.  Either way, it's never dull.

I tend to give my kids quite a bit of freedom.  I like to watch and see what kids come up with on their own.  We're not terribly scheduled, so that we can be flexible.  I do less suggesting of activities and more asking what's of interest at that moment.  And I let my kids play on their own so that they can develop a sense of independence and learn to be content on their own.

HOWEVER,  my theories in parenting are often filled with flaws.  Sometimes I give my kids a little too much space and find things I wish I hadn't.

The other day they were playing upstairs...quietly.  Typically, the silence is a red flag, but I was just enjoying the peace.  It wasn't too long into our peaceful afternoon when I heard Heidi Sage start saying..."Eww.  Yucky, poo poo.  Eww.  Yucky, poo poo."  This indicating that she has pooped, stuck her hand down in it to make sure it's poop, and then freaks out because it's on her hand.  (We've recently resolved this by keeping her in Onesies.)

So, I headed upstairs with wipes and a diaper.  As I neared the top of the stairs I caught a glimpse of the side of Heidi Sage's face.  I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but figured I would need my camera.  So before the kids saw me I ran back down, grabbed my camera, and headed back up.

This is what I found on Heidi Sage's face.  Not too terrible, but enough to know that she didn't do it herself...someone had done this to her.  And that someone was not visible. 

"Clinton?  Clinton?"  "Yes?" came a little voice from behind the couch.  "Clinton, what did you do to your sister?"  "Nuffing."  "Clinton, why is her face all black?"  "Oh...'cause we were playing monsters." "Was she the monster?"  "Mommy, we were bofe da monsters."

Uh. Oh.

"Clinton, come out so I can see your face."

He was so proud.

Luckily it was a dry erase marker and wiped right off, but the markers have since been removed from the playroom.

'Til the next round of entertainment,

Christmas!!!

Still trying to catch up!!!  Here's our Christmas pictures!

Christmas Season

I'm not getting my catch up posts up very quickly, which also means I'm getting further behind on my current pictures...yikes.  These three kids are a wee bit exhausting...but it's awesome.

With Rex's birth, 3 weeks of daily bloodwork, my cousin's baby being born with a heart condition, and our grandmother's passing...December was a bit of a blur.  Here are some pictures I managed to capture during that time.

Playing chase.

A snow day...evening...with Daddy!

Snow day with Gracie!

Such a good big sister!

Such a proud big brother!

Someone loves the bucket of animal cookie cutters!

Our bili-blanket baby.  (And yes his diaper is coming off...I decided mid change we needed pictures of him in his blanket...multi tasking!)

Our Christmas Card

Always happiest when eating.  :-)

OMG!

Doing dishes...her favorite hobby!?!

Catching Up

Life seemed to kind of get away from us from about Halloween on.  Too many things all at once, and before I knew it I had lost control...and my blogging had to take a back seat.  :-)

But since this is my kids' scrapbook, it is necessary that I catch it back up...starting with the Pumpkin Fest we went to Halloween weekend.  I can't think of any cute stories to tell about it, but here are a few cute pictures.  :-)