The little things

I just got to thinking this week about all the little things that make me happy.  Those two little teeth right in this picture.  This is really the first picture I have been able to get of Annie with her two little front teeth.  Since my little camera broke, I have only been using my monster big SLR, that I'm only really good at taking pictures with outside where I can use the automatic setting (I'm explaining why the flash is so bright on her little face!).  She is just so precious, I'm loving those little teeth, her little rubber band wrist rolls on her arms, her little freckle on her thigh ("she's got a dot!" Jacob said and was so excited because he has one on his belly and Gwyn has one on her calf, and Brian and I have them all over, so that makes us all special.)   It just makes me want to hug them a little tighter, squeeze them a little longer, and never forget these little simple things that make mine and Brian's lives so much richer.

Gwyn closes her little eyes every time she gives someone a hug.  It is so sweet, like she is absorbing up some love through those hugs with her eyes closed.  She also sings all the time, all day long.  The other night, I had put Jacob to bed and I was about to walk downstairs, and I heard "move on back, move on back."  I walk over to her door to listen and I hear "wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish," she was singing the wheels on the bus go round and round to herself after Brian had put her to bed.  I still haven't cut her hair, I can just do so much with pig tails, pony tails, braids, etc.  I keep saying, she'll get a hair cut soon, but I can't bring myself to do it.  Please someone shake me, if her hair gets down to her ankles, okay?  She has also started a ton of excuses before going to bed, a few examples are the following:

I have to go potty (even though she conveniently is only "potty training" right before she has to go to bed)

She didn't say good night to us

She needs her lamby (or Dora, or Hello Kitty, or baby doll)

Her toe hurts

Her eye hurts

She had to put this toy away (even though her bedroom floor could be covered in toys, it is that one that has to be put away)

She has to give a toy back to Jacob

Jacob is my little helper.  He loves to help take care of Annie and he loves to play with Gwyn.  He asks to wake them up from naps, he likes to help me cook, and he loves being Brian's little apprentice.  He is getting so good at swimming, and can now tread water for a very long time.  I'm just surprised at how fast he is learning new things, and he is big into his letters now.  He loves school, and of course keeps coming home with treasures.  I'm saving them up from a week and I'll take a picture of what I have.  I've lost several in my dryer or bag or pockets, since sometimes he has me hold on to stuff for him.  The other day at Target, he found a feather and didn't have a pocket, but Gwyn did have pockets on her shorts, so he was cramming it into her pocket "for safe keeping" as he says. 

Brian started back to Tadpoles at church with Jacob this week.  The kids (3-6) go with just the Dads and do a craft, game, story, and most importantly, a snack.  Gwyn can't go until February.  He also took Gwyn to Starbucks (Strawberry bucks as she calls it), for some one on one time.  She was so excited to get her juice box and pink donut with sprinkles.  She came home and said she wants a giant donut next time!  Jacob had another swim lesson this week, and we're hoping to squeeze one more in before our instructor (who is a 2nd year med student), has to start clinicals next week.  She has been great, and we hope to continue next summer and get Gwyn swimming too.  Jason was also able to come over one night for dinner, hanging out, and swimming.  It was Jason who shot the video at the bottom with his new iphone 4, I may have to get me one just for the ability to video the kids at anytime.  Other that that, we've just been up to our normal routine.  The kids are both enjoying school, I've found this week that Annie will pretty much throw a miserable fit if she is downstairs with me while Jacob and Gwyn are playing upstairs.  I can't leave her up there with them by herself, but apparently, she doesn't like to unload dishes or fold clothes or clean (she'd rather be playing wither big brother and sister, and I can't blame her for that!).

Here is a couple of pictures of the kids artwork from school.  I got this idea from a friend of mine, since it is impossible for me to keep everything, I just plan on taking pictures of most of the things they bring home and then keep a few per year.  A few of his pictures from the first week (the car is an ambulance), and he did so good with the patterns of 0 and 1:

He put the correct number of dots in each section of the tree, and if you lifted the pocket he made up on the third one, he drew a picture of himself in it:

I thought the smallest to largest one was cool, and he told me he put material on his little person (that is him he said) on the leg because his leg was broken and in a cast:

Gwyn's (Jacob was very upset she had 3 boys and 2 girls in her family-the green one):

A couple of pictures from outside, Gwyn with her bug collection out front...this used to be Jacob's, but he has moved on to bigger and better things outside, so now Gwyn is the "bug keeper" of the house, but she gets pretty upset when Annie comes over and tries to eat them.

Jacob and his squirrel house (also a butterfly house because he spotted a butterfly coming out of it):

A very cool find, a dead bug:

All three kids:

You can't really tell, but I did the 80s side ponytail on Gwyn and she looked so cute!

Sweet little Annie is 11 months old today!!!

Gwyn at 11 months old:

Jacob at 11 months old (he already had his two top teeth too):

Funny things the kids said this week:

Jacob (after seeing a girl with braces):  Why does that girl have necklaces on her teeth?

Gwyn (when I told her to go pick out a different pair of shorts, she came downstairs with two clashing crazy patterns):  We can just pretend that they match. (I thought that was good enough that I let her wear what she wanted, since I tell her to pretend when she wants me to do things that I don't want to do)

Jacob (when I told him not to make a mess with his snack):  But kids make messes.

Jacob (when I told him to hold Gwyn's hand in the parking lot):  My pleasure!

Here is the Halloween Monster Mash of our family that was a result of  "I can't sleep and it is 4 am, so I'll find something on the computer to take up the time until a kid yells for me"

http://www.monstermashup.com/dev/webroot/afe3c8

And lastly, here is a very short clip of the kids dancing, Jacob and Gwyn are already trying to show Annie how to dance, but apparently, she has moves of her own!