09/27/2012 Thursday: Can You See the Excitement?

He LOVES his new hoody.

09/26/2012 Wednesday: A Grand Night Out

Nick and I went to see Metamorphosis at Looking Glass Theater. I have
seen it before and recommended it to all the ladies at church. I am
now wishing that I knew there was nudity in the show before I told a
broad group of people they should all see it. Well, I guess it's not
nudity because the actor is wearing wings and a blindfold, just
nothing else. They take their portrayal of Cupid very literally.
Before the show we ate at Food Ease at WaterTower Place. I had the
best pot roast sandwich ever.
The theater provided towels, since we were sitting in the splash zone.
We didn't actually get wet, but those a few seats away did. I found
the towel useful for drying my tears at various points in the show.
Since we had used a gift certificate for dinner, we splurged after he
show and split a minty dark chocolate sundae at Ghiradeli's. We only
take advantage of living in a metropolis about once a year, so we
figured we would go all out.

09/25/2012 Tuesday: Check-Up

When we got to the exam room at the doctor's office, she got really
mad. She was mad if anyone looked at her and furious if they touched
her. She was at an "11" long before they have her the shots. Her visit
confirmed what I already knew, she's a little girl with a
not-so-little head.

09/24/2012 Monday: Better with Training Wheels

09/23/2012 Sunday: Chain of Lakes Park

They're off to see the wizard . . . .
They held hands for a surprisingly long time.  It was adorable.  Then, as usual, things always end in tears.  We walked about two miles, and I think Gigi walked about half of it.  Caesar came and had the time of his life- he met a lot of other dogs.

Real men wear babies.

09/22/2012 Saturday: Happy Birthday to Nick!

It's Nick's birthday, but Henry is the one with the big present.  His new two-wheeler came.  Nick refused to put training wheels on it, so it's an all-or-nothing proposition.  Henry shows promise.

Nick loves pasta, so for his birthday we had dinner at Noodles and Co.  Georgia is wearing the outfit of shame- she is pants-less because her diaper leaked.

09/21/2012 Friday: Zoo and Pre-Birthday Fun

We had a fun time at the zoo with a few friends.  It is much less crowded now that everyone is back in school.

For Nick's pre-birthday dinner, we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings.  They kids had lots of fun.  They brought us sauce samples before we ordered so we would know what we would like.  Even so, I ordered a sauce that was cumulatively hot enough I thought I had eaten some kind of chemical weapon.
Happy Birthday Nick!

09/20/2012 Thursday: Now Nobody is Happy

A compromise on the swing led to unhappiness on all sides.  Also, Gigi thinks she likes the swing until she gets in it, then she instantly remembers she hates it.  But she loves slides.

We went to library story time today.  It was crazy.  There were a lot more children than normal, and a few of them seemed like they must have had a few espressos beforehand.  I've never heard the librarian ask someone to leave before.

09/19/2012: It Was a Rough Day

09/18/2012 Tuesday: Kicking the Pumpkin

His Thomas clogs were missing for over a month. I had one of them
three weeks ago under the guest bed. Henry found the other last night
in a toy box. Reunited, and it feels so good.

09/17/2012 Monday: So Cute and So Messy

She's eating a chicken nugget and has barbecue sauce all over her face.

Anyone we visit, he will find their bikes or other wheeled vehicles.

09/16/2012 Sunday: Sleepy at Church

I love having Nick at church with me.
I taught relief society today for the first time in about four years.

09/15/2012 Saturday: Happy Half-Birthday

For a short time on Saturday, I was in charge of five kids aged one through three.  Fortunately, the youngest two took turns taking naps, so I only had four going at once.  Henry has been asking about his birthday a lot.  He's been asking about everyone else's too.  He just wants someone, anyone, to have a birthday party.  His half-birthday is around the corner, so I decided it was excuse enough, however weak, to celebrate.  The kids we had over were our ready-made party guests.  I made a batch of brownies and threw on some candles.  Add a blue table cloth, napkins, a tiny bit of frosting, and a song, and you have yourself a birthday party.  We also made balloon animals after the brownies.

09/14/2012 Friday: They Always Want the Same Things

 

09/13/2012 Thursday: None Shall Pass

It was perhaps the most-perfect weather of the year, and we spent a lot of it at the playground.

09/12/2012 Wednesday: She is Watching You

I could tell she was ready for bed after playing in the park because she slowed down enough to play with Nick's hair while she sucked her thumb.

09/11/2012 Tuesday: The Devil's Bike

We had talked about getting him a two-wheeler, so I was on the lookout.  I found this bike at Goodwill for $4, which is a bargain, but more in the sense that it is a Devil's Bargain.  I had noticed the pedals were on the front wheel, but didn't really see what a big problem that would be until Henry rode the bike.  Mechanically, it is a very poorly designed tricycle in disguise.  You cannot take the training wheels off, and even if you could, not even Lance Armstrong could ride it as a two-wheeler.  He loves it and insists on riding it on our outings, even though he leans over to one side in an attempt to counteract the impossible to balance design.  He is so much slower on this bike than he is on his tricycle.  We now want to get ride of the bike, but can't break his heart.  So now I have ordered a real-live two-wheeler, with the pedals in the back like they should be.  So the $4 bargain bike has now cost $50 to get rid of.

09/10/2012 Monday: First Day of Preschool

You'd expect a picture of Henry on his first day of Preschool of the year.  But instead of time to take pictures, we had a half-hour stand-off centered on the fact that he had to go to the bathroom before he left for school.  Finally I left him sitting on the toilet upstairs while I did other things, telling him not to get off the toilet until he had used it.  A minute later he came out with his pants around his ankles, explaining he couldn't stay in there because there was a bug in the bathroom and it was going to sting him.

09/09/2012 Sunday: Towel FIght

Having Gigi in Relief Society really added to the lesson.

09/08/2012 Saturday: Money Can Buy Happiness

Georgia had her first train ride at the mall.  There is no way she is letting us keep her sidelined while Henry goes for a ride.  They won't let her ride without an adult, so Nick also had his first ride at the mall.
They make adults and babies buy tickets, and they've just raised their prices, so our cost of train rides has risen significantly.

Henry enjoyed some time with Miss C.

09/07/2012 Friday: Victory Pose

Henry kept insisting on racing on our way to the park.  I did not teach him this victory pose, but he was very excited about winning.  If you beat him in a race he bawls.

 

09/06/2012 Thursday: Baby Cardinals Fan

 

09/05/2012 Wednesday: We Made It Home

 

The flight to SLC was non-stop, but awful.  This flight had two stops, one plane change, and was still so much easier than the outgoing one had been. 
A business traveler was about to take the seat next to me (my plan is to attract the grandma types, not business travelers), and Gigi started screaming.  Perfect timing!  He moved on to a middle seat somewhere.  Moments later, Gigi calmed down and then a very nice grandma-looking woman sat down next to us.  Nice move, Gigi!
So remember folks, when you choose to sit next to me and my two kids on an aisle seat instead of selecting a middle seat between two adults, you have chosen the devil's bargain.  You knew what we were when you sat down.

09/04/2012 Tuesday: Mustang, Bicycle Ride, and Treat

We let the kids play in my mother's "new" car for a few minutes.  (It's thirteen years old).  Henry got to go for a ride, but not Gigi because there is no way to fit a rear-facing car seat in the back seat.

Cutest thing ever: O and Henry rode their bikes from O's place to my mom's.

Gigi may have loved the Frozen Hot Chocolate from Dairy Queen a little too much.

09/03/2012 Monday: Leaving the Scene of the Crime

She asserted her right to remain silent, except for her crunching of chips.

Happy Labor Day!
We started off the day with a pancake breakfast with my triathlon-completing siblings.  There was also swimming, ski-ball, biking, and bounce house usage involved.  It was a fairly low-key, fun, holiday.