tests tests and more tests

Drew is taking three classes and teaching one. In the past week and a half he's taken/given a test in each. Gross. Needless to say we haven't been seeing him much. Last week he was writing a test and grading it and this week he's been studying. He did manage to get the highest test grade in his math bio class. I'm proud of him. One other positive. While I'd prefer to spend time with Drew, while he's gone I tend to be a lot more productive. Last night he was taking a test until 9:30. After I put the kids to bed I got the chance to really clean. I always try to pick up all the toys and straighten up, but last night I was like 10 times more productive. It felt good waking up to a really clean house. I'm not really sure why I can't be productive and talk at the same time...

little Molly things

Molly has been a little more animated the past few days. She's so fun, I thought I'd share a few things that make me smile.

The past few weeks Molly has been getting interested in TV. Well not really TV so much as her Baby Einstein first signs and Sesame Street Silly Songs DVDs. I find it a little frustrating at times that you have to use 3 remotes to play a DVD and Molly knows how to do it all by herself. When ever she feels like watching a movie she can. Anyway she was watching the first signs DVD (if you haven't seen it, the signs they teach you are divided into sections: meals, family, bedtime etc. In between these sections there are little skits with puppets.) Molly loves the puppet skits. She laughs and points, you get the picture. Toward the end there's a skit with a mommy animal (I still haven't figured out what the blue animals are exactly) tucking her sleeping baby in. Then an obnoxious duck comes in making all kinds of noise. She was laughing I said trouble and she pointed to herself. She knows she's trouble.

After I change a dirty diaper I bag it and put it outside our backdoor. Today I opened the door, Molly rushed past me and said Brr shaking her whole body and slammed the door.

When I'm making our grocery list I usually pull out a bunch of cookbooks to decide what I'll make for dinner that week. Molly likes to help me. She'll turn pages find a picture she likes then she'll show me by pointing to it and saying mmmmm while licking her lips.

Today I pulled out the little bin the cars go in and told Molly to help me put them away. While she was helping me she started singing helping helping helping. Molly has a really sweet voice when she isn't yelling.

In other news Gabe has started pulling himself up on things and going from crawling to sitting. Maybe he'll be interested in walking after all. I think it's helped having him around newly walking babies. I can see the wheels in his head turning as he watches them, "oh that's how you do it".

lesson learned

You know what they say about assuming? I decided all of the sudden to take the kids to the children's museum today. We haven't been in a while and no one's sick (fingers crossed). So I got a few diapers together, a sippy cup, some animal crackers and loaded the kids into the van. I thought about bringing the single stroller and then thought no the double stroller will be better for walking to and from the parking garage. (Molly doesn't always cooperate when it's time to leave.) I didn't even think to make sure the stroller was in the van. Why wouldn't it be. So I park open the back of the van and nothing. I seriously thought about going home, but we were already there so I toughed it out without the stroller. My arm is killing me from lugging Gabe around. 20 lbs might not sound like a lot, but when he gets tired and doesn't want to support his own weight, holy cow.

Molly's ready to fight the fire. She was listening so intently, it almost made me think someone was on the other end.
She really liked rocking in the pretend water. I should have taken a video she looked like a crazy person rocking as fast as she could.

ta da

I put Gabe on the ground and he started crawling so fast. He saw a cute baby and couldn't get there quick enough. He's so sweet.

This is the first little car you see when entering the museum. Molly sat in it and I put Gabe next to her. From that point on any little car she could get in she'd get in the drivers seat and pat the bench next to her for Gabe. I wonder if she'll still feel that way when she's 16...

a morning in pictures

At 12:30 today Molly's nap time had been underway for over 30 min. After about 20 min I have a green light to put Gabe down for a nap (without having to worry about Molly waking up from Gabe rolling around as he gets comfortable). So I slowly open the door to ensure that she is in fact sleeping. And what do I find? An empty bed. I immediately get a little nervous. She isn't in bed and it's quiet. (That usually means t.r.o.u.b.l.e. Last week I heard Gabe singing to himself around when they usually wake up. I foolishly thought because Molly hadn't opened the door and come out to find me that she was still asleep. No, Molly wasn't asleep. She had climbed up the side of Gabe's crib and turned on the closet light. Then she went into the closet and found a marker. She was coloring all over her hands, pants and a piece of paper. Luckily it was a washable crayola marker and not a permanent scrap booking one.)

When I step into the room what do I find?

She was passed out in the rocking chair. I couldn't resist grabbing the camera. I love it that she put a blanket over herself and had a book on her lap. She cracks me up.

When Molly was crawling and even when she first started walking she was always hesitant to leave the room she was in. Granted we lived in a small apartment, but I think she was really scared of the hallway. Gabe has no problem leaving us and exploring on his own. I left him unattended on the floor for a few minutes and this is where I found him. Now I have a baby with a wet bottom.

Drew took this picture yesterday morning. I think it's sweet. Gabe is dressed and ready for church and Molly is finishing breakfast. He loves grabbing her feet as she eats at the table. Molly thinks it's funny, but promptly moves her feet somewhere else.

I guess I've never noticed how much volume Molly's hair has when she first wakes up. She looks like she could be a country music star. :)

snow warning?

It's been beautiful outside this past week. We've been having lots of fun going outside and playing in nothing more than a long sleeve shirt or a sweatshirt. I think it was 63 on Tuesday. Yesterday it was 54 , like I said beautiful. The weather reports have been saying that a snow storm was coming today. Some areas could get up to 12in. Here in Lincoln they were saying 6+. I told Drew I didn't believe it. We've gotten snow about 4 times this winter and each time we've never gotten more than about 1 1/2 inches. I told him I thought we'd get snow, but no more than 3 inches. I think we usually get about a half of what's predicted.

peek a boo!

I guess I was wrong. I think we have about 3 or 4 inches now and it's still snowing. I think it's supposed to end soon. I don't think NE Lincoln will get to 6 inches, but more than the 3 I predicted.

Molly loves the snow. Here she is having a ball before nap time.

my handsome boy

For some reason this basketball has become a sort of trophy in our home. Molly and Gabe love it. I put it away in the hall closet and a couple hours later it reappears. It's almost the size of them, but they can't get enough. Gabe was so excited to have it to himself, who would guess he's sick?Gabe has an ear infection. Other than wanting to be cuddled a little more than usual and not wanting anyone touching the left side of his head, he's handling it like a champ. I do have to say that I LOVE the kids doctors office. They're great about getting us in quickly when the kids are sick and we never have to wait in the waiting room for more than 10 min. Everyone who I've talked to there has always been very helpful. Even though I'd prefer not to be at the doctors office as often as I seem to be, at least I like the staff.

Olive Mill

Drew and I were flipping through channels and we caught the last 10 min of that dirty jobs show. In the show the host was at the Queen Creek Olive Mill learning how to make olive oil. A couple years ago my mom was telling me that she saw a show on PBS about this olive mill in AZ and about how it looked cool and we should check it out. So we did. We actually went with Drew's mom and took a tour of the place. It was really neat. They make/sell all different kinds of olive oils, which you can sample. I had never had fresh olive oil before. It's amazing what a difference there is between fresh and what they sell in the grocery store. Fresh olive oil tastes grassy and peppery. It makes you realize what an inferior product they sell in super markets. In closing if your ever in the PHX area Queen Creek is about an hour south east and you should check out the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Go have lunch, take a tour, sample some olive oils and support local farmers.