A Weekend with Olive and Daisy

We had an eventful weekend babysitting Jacob and Gwyn’s school pet guinea pigs, Olive and Daisy.  The kids LOVED having them here, were fascinated with them, and loved to help feed them.  They got to eat one orange per day, a carrot per day (as a treat), and had some little pellet food as well as some hay.  They also drank a ton of water.  They were relatively low maintenance, and I’m glad we had them for the weekend.  Jacob didn’t want to take them back, but I told him that another family already signed up to take them after us.  He understood, and managed to squeeze another carrot out of me for both of them the last day.  This is pretty much how they were all weekend, and they were constantly "checking" on them for us.

Here is a video of them feeding Olive and Daisy an orange:

The kids also love Dr Seuss, and have been asking to make Green Eggs and Ham for awhile.  Brian jumped on this, since if you didn’t know, one of his many talents* he wooed me with while we were dating was his ability to recite the entire book (he can still do this, and I’m still impressed since it is 60 something pages long!).   Brian I think used an entire bottle of green food coloring, and the kids were pretty impressed, but a little weary about eating green meat.  Annie had no complaints, and Gwyn liked it.  It took a little more convincing for Jacob, but then he said, “Hey, this just tastes like regular old meat!”

*I just thought I would mention other notable talents being that 1) he drove a convertible 2) he owned 6 businesses, complete with printed business cards (although he had no clients) 3) he had won a couple of coveted OSU intramural championship t-shirts for bowling and volleyball 4) he rode a bike to class (this was before it was cool to be “green” and reduce your carbon footprint by biking) 5) he was handy at making things like bowling pin tables

The kids were out of school for MLK day, and then back in school the rest of the week (which is only 1 day for Gwyn).  The weather was great, so we met some friends at the park, and had a couple of play dates at the house this week.  I was able to visit my friend Christina, who has recently moved into a new HUGE house.  She's having her second boy at the end of March and they are getting prepared for the new baby.  I know I'm growing up, when the one thing I was jealous of was the laundry room!  I also have great news in that our friends with twins the same age as Gwyn have a contract on the house across the street.  I'm seriously SO excited about this.  Gwyn will go to the same preschool as their kids, and it will be so nice to have someone right across the street to play with and to help each other out.  What a blessing!  Here are a few pictures of the kids this week.  Annie into everything she can get her hands onto...now she takes individual napkins and rips them into shreds too, it is really fun to clean up!

 Gwyn who has refused to nap since the time she was 2 or so, gets exhausted and I find her about once / week somewhere around the house like this:

 Jacob just loves his little sisters, he is such a good big brother, and Annie and Gwyn are lucky to have him.

 Funny face Gwyn:

 Funny face Jacob (Brian can also do this one very well):

 Best Friends for Life:

 Making hot chocolate, or really luke warm chocolate, that turned into just dipping marshmallows into chocolate and eating them...it was a mess!

 Annie makes a break for the garage, anytime I go in there.  She loves getting the cars and ride on toys out.  If I go out for just a second to switch some laundry or get something out of the refrigerator, she's right on my heels and before I turn around across the garage and sitting in a car.  And DO NOT go outside and then close the door, she gets very upset!

Little Annie the destroyer turned 15 months on the 20th!  I can't believe she is growing up so fast, and while I'm really sick of cleaning up countless napkins, paper plates, straws, Ziploc bags, Tupperware, shoes, pretty much anything you can name that she gets her hands on and strings all over the house, multiple times per day, I do realize how fast time is flying by and how soon she'll be growing up and having conversations with me and not be my little baby anymore.  Here she is at 15 months:

 Jacob @ 15 months:

 Gwyn @ 15 months:

I took Jacob and Gwyn to the movies on Saturday, and Brian got some rare one on one time with Annie.  They had a great time, they went and had a snack at Smashburger (she loves hot dogs and milk shakes), and then they went to a little combo coffee/flower shop.  Brian had fun with her, and told me she didn't miss me at all:(  She does love her Daddy, and was apparently very friendly to everyone smiling, waving, saying hi and laughing.  They did pick me up something very sweet:

Brian has another talent that he has been perfecting since Gwyn could talk.  He is up, and I do mean he is UP on all his princess knowledge.  That is important for a Dad of little girls to know things about princesses, and seriously, ask him anything about Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty (who's real name is Aurora, but goes by Brier Rose while in hiding - yes, I learned that from him!).  It is quite impressive.  

Funny things the kids said this week:

Me to Gwyn:  How old are you going to be on your birthday?

Gwyn: 20,000

Jacob:  You’re not gonna be 20,000, that’s like an old woman.

Gwyn to Me:  You don’t have big muscles to lift a car.

Me:  You’re right.

Gwyn:  We can help you lift a car.

Me: Why would we want to lift a car.

Jacob:  To put it in the dump. (Brian used to say on several occasions that he was going to take my old car to the dump, apparently, they do listen…sometimes.)

Me to Gwyn:  Do you know who shares your birthday with you?

Gwyn:  Jesus

Me:  No, not quite, it is Nana.

Jacob to Brian:  Did God make everything?

Brian:  Yes, and do you know how long it took for him to do it?

Jacob: No, how long?

Brian:  6 days.

Jacob (after he counts out six fingers):  Wow, I REALLY love God.

Brian:  And do you know what he did on the 7^th, he rested because it takes a lot of work to make everything.

Jacob:  Ya, it was hard work.
Me to Jacob:  Look at this Hello Kitty dress I got Gwyn for her birthday, do you think she will like it?
Jacob:  No

Me to Jacob:  I love you.

Jacob to Me:  I love you sweetie pie.

Me to Gwyn:  How was school today, did you have fun?

Gwyn:  Camilla just came right up and pushed me.

Me:  That was not nice, did the teacher see, did she get in trouble.

Gwyn:  No.

Me:  Did you do something to her?

Gwyn:  No, I didn't do any bad stuff.  I just pushed her, and then Camilla came up and pushed on the back.  (After about 10 minutes of discussing this, it seems Gwyn was pushing Mailee in a car, and then Camilla came and pushed Gwyn on the back, and yes, her teacher saw her do it and told Gwyn she was sorry, but Gwyn likes to tattle tell, just like her big brother taught her).