My Babies are Three!

Yesterday we celebrated the twins' third birthday (and my dad's 70th! Happy Birthday Poops)! I can't believe they are already three. Sometimes it seems like it's gone so fast. Other times at a snail's pace.

I took them to the zoo in the morning for some serious indulgence (I said no to the train, but that's about it!). Here's a picture of them with their new monkeys. Case named his Monkey Daddy and Tessie's is OO-OO-AH-AH.



We played it pretty low key for their actual celebration. Each got a couple of small gifts (thanks to some genius trickery and deceit at Target, they actually picked out their own gifts without knowing it!), we had pizza, watched WallE and had cake and ice cream.





Another milestone we celebrated yesterday was our first day with NO POTTY ACCIDENTS! So Jarad got his wish to have his kids potty trained by three. Barely.

A Couple of Firsts for Emma

Emma has been taking piano lessons from our neighbor for about a year now, and they had their first recital on Nov. 11. She did such a great job. Of course, these were fun songs to listen to, since it was all Christmas music! Emma played O Come All Ye Faithful and Jingle Bells. All the other performers were also neighbors, so it was fun to sit around with our friends watching all the kids play.




We had to boogie just before it ended since it was also Emma's first Achievement Days Recognition Night. It was a mother-daughter evening and each mother got to share some thoughts about her daughter. It was a touching and fun evening (yummy treats!), and Emma is thrilled to be in Achievement Days. The leaders are all so awesome, so I'm really looking forward to her being in there as well.

Unfortunately we also had to leave THAT event early so we could boogie back home so Jarad could make it to a meeting he had at 7:30. So we missed out on many of the mother/daughter spotlights.

It's not all about Fisher!

So I realize the last few posts have been about Fishface. While he is one funny and smart cookie, he is NOT the the only funny and smart kid I have.

My beautiful second grader was sick when school pictures got sent home, and we finally got hers from the teacher, so here you go. I have to say, I just love school pictures. They might not be glamour shots and every hair might not be in its proper place (and they might not wear what you want them to wear), but they tell such a great story. I know I can look at my school pictures and so many memories come flowing back from my teacher that year, the friends I had, the things we used to play on the playground in that grade. Even the clothes I used to wear (and hairstyles later on eek). To me it's worth the $10 packet just to preserve those memories for my kids that a studio session or a snapshot taken by me may not conjure up later in their lives.

A Three-Letter word (PG POST HERE...)

I'm so proud of Fisher and his spelling and reading abilities. Just this weekend, in fact, he demonstrated precisely how good he is. Allow me to elaborate...

Somebody in the family used the word "bum" or perhaps "fanny" in conversation. This led Emma to mention that this word is better to say than "the A word."

ME: Why, yes that's true Emma, do you know what the A word is?
EM: Yes it's (whispers and cups her hands around her mouth) A-S-S (sorry, I didn't warn those virgin eyes out there).

So this turned into a brief discussion that I THOUGHT was just between Emma and I about that word and how it's ugly and we don't use it. She told me her friend had said something about kicking a certain someone's said body part. (Nice second-grade rhetoric, right?)

Of course, Fisher has the biggest ears in the family (no, I really mean that, I think his ears are physically bigger than mine), so he picks up the conversation where Emma and I left off.

Fish: So you spell it A-S-S, right? But how do you SAY it?
ME: Well, we don't, so you don't need to worry about it.

That didn't fly, so I caved and ended up saying the word to let him know that if he hears others saying it he would know not to repeat it.

Not five minutes later Fisher and Emma have gone off to play and I hear Fisher, as he comes running after Emma around the corner say "Let's Kick Some A-S-E!" He turns to see the horrified look on my face and immediately says "I didn't say the bad word, I said A-S-E!

He had spelled it wrong on purpose so he wouldn't get in trouble, but wanted to toe the line by saying this new bad word he had used. What a little stinker!

I do believe we're going to have our hands full with this one... Perhaps you'll remember his fascination about this time last year with the bird.

Fashion Plate Fisher

Seriously? How can you not love this kid? On picture day Fisher decided he wanted to go down in Curtis Family History wearing a tie for his portrait. He got dressed first thing, picked out his own outfit and everything (no kidding??). We convinced him that he should stick his tie in his backpack and just put it on for pictures, since it could get in the way of all the recess playing he would surely engage in that day.

My heart broke when I came home from the gym and saw his tie sitting on the counter. It hadn't made it into his backpack after all.

So what is a mom to do? I envisioned the meltdown he would undoubtedly have had, and then envisioned the resulting school photo. So I boogied over to the school and dropped his tie off, hoping it made it in time.

It did.

Election Night Reflections - as if you care.

I woke up at about 4:00 this morning with my mind racing about last night's election results, and three things kept rotating through my thoughts:

1. The country clearly wants change, so my prayers will (as they always are) be with Mr. Obama and our Congressional leaders as they try to turn America back into a positive direction. I don't have to agree with all his policies, but he will have my prayers.

2. Now that we have voted, we still have a responsibility (in some cases an even greater responsibility) to let our congressional representatives know where their constituents stand on issues of importance to us. Whether they be moral or political, partisan or not... Our voices can be heard on more than just election day!

3. I am so proud of Americans who aren't afraid to stand up for our moral beliefs and religious freedoms. We all spoke loud and clear (as they did in Florida, and it looks like CA will pull it off too) and made a difference.

OK that's off my chest. :)

I'm just glad all the attack ads are done!

Bless You

Case had a fit of several sneezes in a row this morning, to each of which I responded "Bless You!!"

When he was finished sneezing he said "Momma I don't like Bless Yous (sneezes)." Me neither Casers.

Missed Opportunity for Senator McCain

Fisher came home today with his KidsVoting sticker proudly displayed on his shirt, intoning the following chant:

"Vote for McCain! Obama is lame!"

Now why didn't the good senator's crack campaign staff come up with that one?

I was trying not to laugh as I explained that even if we don't agree with someone we shouldn't put them down by calling them lame.

Gotta love the mail-in ballot

I'm watching coverage of today's nightmare election lines, and I'm remembering the two-plus hours I stood in line to vote in the last presidential election. And I'm blissfully sitting in my living room not worrying about how I'm going to drag my twins to the polls and stand in those lines to cast my ballot. The only line I'll be standing in today is at the grocery store! All thanks to the genius of mail-in balloting.


If you requested an early ballot and didn't get it mailed in, which I know I've done before a time or two, don't forget that you can drop it off at any polling place WITHOUT STANDING IN LINE. Just get it in!!

And if you still need to get out but don't want to drag your kids with you, give me a call. I'd be happy to watch little ones while mommies go vote!

Bustin' out the Christmas Music!

Sorry to those of you who reserve Christmas Music listening for after Thanksgiving. Just turn down the volume, or use me as an excuse to blur that line. Because I've changed my playlist to feature Christmas music as of today. I've been waiting for this day for a month (and secretly listening to my own Christmas music in my car for about that long too - or longer).

Enjoy!