10.31.21 - Joy status: Halloween on FB

Halloween is one of the best days on Facebook. I love all your costume and decor pics!

10.29.21 - Joy status: broccoli cheddar soup

I was having a frustrating day because Clara woke up sick and things hobbled along from there. BUT. Merlene (my MIL) watched the girls so I didn't have to reschedule an important work call, and when I finished the call I came down to the kitchen to find she had also made broccoli cheddar soup! And it's all rainy and gloomy outside so it's a perfect soup day!

10.29.21 - Kid snippets: sometimes Jane kicks and bites

Clara: Jane do you want help cleaning the living room or do you want to do it by yourself?
Jane: Oh! You can help me.
Clara: Yeah do you know why I want to help you? Because you are my best sister ever!
Jane: Yeah. But sometimes I kick you and bite you.

10.23.21 - Joy status: David from Schitt's Creek

GIFs of David from Schitt's Creek

10.23.21 - Kid snippets: Calvin's plate is empty

Calvin thinks he should be able to leave the table as soon as his plate is empty, even if it's only empty because he took all the food off of it and put it on the table.

10.22.21 - Kid snippets: Clara will live to 162

Clara (6yo): When am I going to be grown up?
Monica: Well you're legally an adult when you're 18 years old, although you'll still have more things to learn after that.
Clara: Nooooo. I'm going to grow up when I'm 162 years!!
Monica: Okay.
Clara: And I'm very smart, I know everything.
Monica: Okay.

10.20.21 - Kid snippets: Jane wants to be called "Maybe"

I recently introduced Jane to "Call Me Maybe," and she *loves* it. She keeps requesting that we listen to her "girl song." We've listened to it a lot this week and we were dancing to it tonight. Now she's requesting I no longer call her "Jane" and instead refer to her as "Maybe."

10.18.21 - Kid snippets: Ruby's learning book

Ruby isn't due until next April, but Clara is already creating a "learning book" of shapes and numbers and ABCs for her.

10.17.21 - Kid snippets: Jane's fresh breath

Every night after Jane brushes her teeth she wants to breathe in my face so I can see that her breath smells nice.

10.17.21 - Joy status: leisurely Sunday morning

Leisurely Sunday morning. With Jack and I both working full-time now, I'm normally running around trying to get done as much as possible even on the weekends. But today Jack is working, my in-laws are out of town, Clara is at my mom's house because she spent the night last night, and so the only people in the house are Jane, Calvin, and me. It's giving me the opportunity to pay a little bit more focused attention on them than I usually can.

We made chocolate chip pancakes. Jane helped a lot with pouring milk and cracking eggs and even putting some of the chocolate chips in. We ate them as we made them. It made the whole house smell wonderful and feel very cozy especially since it's nice and chilly outside (woooooo fall!) We listened to the entire Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack followed by the soundtrack to Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.

Then Jane and I played a Thomas the tank engine memory game. We started with just 4 pairs of cards but slowly expanded until we were using 12. She's getting pretty good at it. After 5 or 6 rounds of that, she wanted to play Connect Four. I tried to teach her the real way but eventually let her and Calvin play their own version that involves racing to put as many pieces in as possible. They really enjoyed it.

Now I'm reclining on the couch brainstorming Christmas wish list ideas for the kids (at my mom's request because she gets started ridiculously early) and the kids are each doing their own thing in the living room peacefully. So nice to take a morning off and just hang out with them.

10.11.21 - Joy status: autumn day

Today was such an autumn day. 

Woke up to thunderstorms which the kids watched eagerly when they were supposed to be getting ready for the day. As I drove Jane and Calvin to in-home daycare, Jane (4yo) kept wistfully remarking at how beautiful the sky was with dark blue mixed with sunrise gold. She said "oh! It's such a lovely day!" It rained on and off all day and I loved it. Currently I am working out of an extra room at my mom's house, and when I got there this morning she had put up all of her fall decor on her front porch and in her living room and it was incredibly cozy. I had autumn squash soup for lunch. And then this evening I went on a long walk through a park by a lake with my sister-in-law and it was very breezy and cool and there were leaves of all kinds of colors covering the path the whole way. It was beautiful.

10.10.21 - Joy status: Calvin and Hobbes thrifted

I got all of these today for a total of $2.50! (Once Upon a Child) I think I'm going to make them Christmas gifts. My kids are still a little young but Clara is getting old enough she could practice reading with them.

10.8.21 - Kid snippets: when to take out the ice

My kids and their cousins are sitting down to dinner together.

Me: Clara don't stick your hand in your drink.
Clara: I just want to get the ice.
Me: No that's not how you do it.
Josiah (cousin, 4yo): You drink all the water, THEN you take out the ice.

10.7.21 - Kid snippets: dancing to Can't Help Falling In Love

Tonight I tried to show the kids the second half of Labyrinth but for the most part they wouldn't stop doing other things, whining about stupid crap, and interrupting the movie. It was not what I'd hoped for.

But when it was over, Jane asked me if we could dance to lovely songs. So I put on the Elvis Presley version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" and the whole family danced to it three times. During one iteration, I held Calvin in my arms and danced with him while Jack did the same with Clara, and Jane twirled in her pretty dress between us all. It was pretty fantastic.

I think feeling that range of irritation to joy in the span of barely an hour is quintessential parenting.

10.4.21 - Kid snippets: What Calvin is thankful for

I asked the kids what they're thankful for.

Clara: I'm thankful for [lists every family member]
Jane: I'm thankful for every single day of the month, and I'm thankful for [also lists every family member].
Calvin: I tankful...boo, geen, yewwow, red, puhple

10.3.21 - Kid snippets: I have NEVER heard that before

I'm baking a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting for Jack's birthday.

Clara: "pumpkin cake"? I thought it was pumpkin pie!
Me: No, it's a cake.
Clara: That doesn't make any sense!
Me: Why not?
Clara: Because "pumpkin cake" aren't real words. It's pumpkin pie.
Me: You can have a lot of pumpkin things. You can have pumpkin ice cream, or pumpkin cake, or pumpkin cupcakes, or pumpkin pie. Lots of things can have pumpkin.
Clara (6 yo): I have NEVER heard that before.

10.2.21 - Kid snippets: Jane spends the night at Jama's

Tonight is Jane's (my 4 yo's) first time spending the night by herself at Jama's house. I asked her a couple times throughout the week if she wanted to do it and she always said yes. We packed a tiny little backpack with her overnight stuff and when we got to the house she wanted to wear it for the very brief walk from our car to the front door. Then she kept the backpack on in the house and made sure that everyone saw that she had her backpack for spending the night.

We all stayed for dinner. When it was time for me to take the other two kids home I thought maybe Jane would be nervous. She definitely was not. She was happy for us to leave haha. She gave everyone a big hug and enthusiastically told us goodbye. Then, even though it was only about 7:00, she told Jama she was going to go put on her pajamas and brush her teeth to be ready to spend the night.

I'm very happy we live here so that my kids can have this one-on-one time with their grandparents and my shy girl in particular can get some undivided attention.

10.2.21 - Joy status: begin the last quarter of the year

The last and best quarter of the year is off to a good start. I put up a few Halloween decorations in the kids' room before they came home yesterday, and they were so excited! They decided to wear their Halloween t-shirts for pajamas and fell asleep to twinkling pumpkin lights. Also this morning there is rain on the ground and it smells like pancakes in the house. So cozy!

9.22.21 - Kid snippets: Clara knows a joke

Clara: I know a joke!
Me: If it's about poop I don't want to hear it
Clara: Nooo! It's not about poop.
Me: Okay
Clara: I know how to spell "mouse." It's M-O-U-S. Now say "What's the last letter?"
Me: What's the last letter?
Clara: A tail!! That's a joke!!

(It's supposed to be "What's at the end?")

9.21.21 - Joy status: overcast and chilly, and Once Upon a Child

 It's overcast and chilly today.

This evening I went to Once upon a Child and got one new Halloween shirt for each kid. They were really excited when I showed them at home and wanted to try them on immediately. Calvin was so pumped when I put his on that he ran around the living room a couple times. Then we put on songs from Nightmare Before Christmas so they could dance.

In general I really love the last quarter of the year with all of the best holidays, and in particular I have enjoyed it more since having children and getting them excited with themed clothes and books and making decorations together and all of the anticipation of each event. It is so much fun!