More Than Meets the Eye

Transformers have suddenly become all the rage in our house. When I saw this Optimus Prime jersey in Wal-mart today for $3 (I kid you not!), I had no choice but to bring it home. Osten found it in the front seat while I was getting Marci situated, and he held it the whole way home. He swapped shirts before I could even get him out of his seat, and this shirt went right back on him after his bath. I think I've gotten my three-dollar's worth already. I guess they ain't kidding when they say they're more than meets the eye. Three bucks says that he wears this shirt to school tomorrow, too!

Nightime Ritual

Even though Marci goes to bed earlier than Osten, we usually manage to have some time together to read books. Boy do they both love books! And Marci's new bed is a real hit right now, too. We haven't yet given it a whirl, but we have high hopes for this weekend.

As luck would have it, I was able to catch them in a good-night hug!

They even posed for two shots! (Don't be fooled by Marci's grin. She was in full-blown hysterics just minutes earlier in the tub when I removed the band-aids from her arm that had been there for DAYS!! She would not turn off the tears, and I finally broke down and gave her two new ones. She is developing quite the reputation at school for her first-aid accessories!)

Brace Yourself (formerly entitled Double Suspension)

So, we were getting ready for school this morning, and Osten decided to wear suspenders (a/k/a braces). He also decided that Marci needed a pair, too.

Of course, she was all for it! And well, it was Daddy's turn to take the kids to school this morning, so what the heck??!! (As it turns out, they paraded around the house in them and then stripped them off at the back door just as they were leaving!)

All Aboard!

We met Osten's friend, Billy, at the local train museum on Sunday and took a ride aboard a restored steam engine. Billy brought along his hat and some juice boxes and cereal bars in his Mickey Mouse lunchbox, and he looked like he was packed for a real trip!

We also toured a restored executive train car . . .

. . . and gave an old hand-crank train a try!

We even found some old luggage, and the boys had a big time hiding in it.

Noodle Fest

I made my favorite stir-fry for dinner tonight, and it was the first time the kids tried it. It was a real noodle fest!

Of course, noodles were EVERYWHERE, but it certainly made for a memorable, fun and successful meal.

In all of their noodle madness, they snarfed down their weight in whole-grain pasta (which I plan to pass off as the real deal for as long as I can get away with it!), carrots, broccoli and chicken.

Of course, I still haven't finished cleaning the kitchen, but luckily Wrigley is also a fan of stir-fry, so she's already worked her magic on the kitchen chairs and floor.

Sprinkles

Ah, the joy of sprinkles. They even make vanilla yogurt fun. We've started using them this week to help Marci practice her colors. Here Osten gave her the last of the jar. They both had a big time stirring the sprinkles into their yogurt and "sprinkling" them on the floor. Sigh . . . !!

Color Me Pink!

Guess who's become a fan of coloring??!! (She also digs bandaids!!)

And every color is pink!! She will reluctantly say "yellow," but she is definitely a pink fan.

Record Deal

At $1 a piece, I couldn't resist these recorders at Wal-mart yesterday. The kids broke into an instant duet!

There was quite a jam session in the kitchen followed by a musical parade around the house. We may need to take this show on the road. Heck, there could be a record deal in their future!

Double Trouble

Guess who went to school with one pony tail and came home with two little piggies in her hair the other day??!! She's now double trouble with her new 'do!

Here's a shot from the back. Check out those curls!

She's figured out that she can see her reflection in the oven door, and she seemed to like her new look!

Life on the Edge

We decided to live on the edge and take off the rails on Osten's bed today for his nap.

He looks a little close to the edge, but no loud thuds just yet! By the way, this is Daddy's bed from when he was a little boy. Gramma Sue let us have it along with Daddy's boyhood furniture. Considering that Daddy's childhood was more than a few moons ago, his furniture is in remarkably good shape!

One Woman Show

Marci is busier than ever and has in fact been performing in-house as a one woman show recently! Her latest trick involves stripping down to her bloomers to minimize the inevitable mess that follows after she eats her yogurt.

For some reason, fewer clothes seems to equal more energy. She was really tearing it up on the xylophone!

Flying High

After VBS earlier this week, we had lunch at the indoor playground at Burger King with Hamilton. The boys had a big time flying high in the helicopter!

Occasionally, they would come check in with us and take a drink break. I caught Osten in the middle of a blink in this shot, but unfortunately he is past indulging me in "do overs" these days.

Tubtime Tactic

Occasionally, Marci needs some coaxing to get in the tub . . . Thanks to her love of brushing her teeth, we've discovered the perfect tubtime tactic!

The Many Faces

Oh, the many faces of Osten . . .

He had a good time demonstrating them for me the other night in the bathtub.

Ah, the life of a three-year-old boy . . . It's always interesting!

Fun & Games

Even though it was a quick trip, it was packed with fun and games, from reading the hotel guidebook on the kitchen floor (which was later replaced with the self-invented-but-soon-to-be-popular-world-wide game of Gwinn-it) . . .

to an interesting variation of Uno . . .

to late-night crabbing and sparklers on the beach.

I think a good time was had by all!