Here are some photos of the kids kickin' around with Daddy!
This morning we finally got some time as a family since Jason wasn't working...not that it was a holiday for him, but he took a day off anyway. We packed up and headed off to have a picnic at the flower garden on campus. The kids had so much fun feeding the ducks and geese in the pond area, and there was a particularly feisty goose who took a liking to me. The kids sat nicely on a rock and tossed crumbs and big hunks of bread at, I mean "to," the birds while I fended off this goose who looked me in the eye and stepped closer to me every time I didn't throw bread fast enough. He was well within striking distance, so I made sure to "keep up the pace." :) He did not give up, and he was not afraid. Eventually, Emory hopped down on the ground, and the goose was much too close to her for my comfort. I could just see them...Emory reaching for the goose's neck, him snapping at her arm, and the tussle that would ensue. Once we felt like the geese and ducks had eaten enough...and might be on the burst of exploding, we dragged the kids away. Since we weren't quite out of bread, this idea was not well-received. We had a fun picnic though, and the kids played a little soccer with Jason. They had fun, and then we wandered a little longer. By the time we got back to the car, the kids were tired of walking. Aidan was very upset that we hadn't found any more ducks to throw the remaining bread at (I mean "to.") However, all in all, everyone had lots of fun!
Here are a few pictures...there are more on our flickr page...
Alanna made this picture for me yesterday. It started out as a sticker collage, but then she whipped out her pink glitter gel pen that arrived in her Easter basket, and it became a portrait of the two of us. Her drawings have really evolved recently. She's been adding bodies to her faces, and usually she puts little arms and legs. However, today I noticed that I have eyebrows and eyelashes! She put eyebrows on herself as well. (She wrote her name all by herself, too!)
Last weekend we found some plates that they can decorate with special markers. Alanna drew a couple of people on hers and wrote her name. Aidan started out with a heart, but that ended up getting colored over. He wrote names around the edge of his plate as I spelled them out for him: Aidan, Alanna, and Daddy. (Emory and I got the shaft.) He wound up coloring over parts of the names, too, but if you look closely, you can see make them out. Emory colored in the middle of her plate, then she made little scribbles all around the edge as she said the ABCs. Some of the "permanent" markings have come off, and I discovered this morning that you apparently should not cut on those plates. We may have to do it again soon! Oh well...live and learn!
So Emory totally surprised us with moving to the big bed. It has been a seamless transition, and she was not at all the jack-in-the-box I was expecting. I underestimated her again! She loves it and hasn't seemed to have an ounce of difficulty with the change. Yay!
On a side note...I got to go to a Duran Duran concert! It was SO MUCH FUN! I was a huge fan for many years, though I haven't had any idea what they've been up to since the mid-1990's. I had low expectations, especially after some friends told us they saw a horrible show a few years back. I have to say, if Simon Le Bon hadn't had a few pitch breaks here and there, I would've thought it was all pre-recorded. It was actually a great show, and they did a lot more old songs than I expected. (Hungry Like the Wolf, Save a Prayer, A View to a Kill, The Reflex, Planet Earth, Girls on Film, Rio, Ordinary World, Come Undone, Notorious....but not New Moon on Monday, my first D2 song!) I liked some of the new songs, some not so much. I'm so glad I went...plus I got to dance, dance, dance....which I have barely done at all since our wedding reception 6.5 years ago!
Warning: If you are not a Sanderson or a Murray...or have never attended a Sanderson party...you probably won't get this post.
So I mentioned in a previous blog that I was transferring our wedding video from VHS to DVD. Tonight at dinner, Alanna asked me to do "that funny dance." I had no idea what she was talking about at first, but I finally figured out that she was talking about The Rock Lobster. I obliged, briefly...and they thought it was hilarious After their bath, Aidan popped up on the bed and did The Rock Lobster, while watching himself in the mirror...which sent me running for my camera. They were too funny! I popped in our wedding video, so they could hear the music.
They are practicing for a wedding this Fall! (click the image to play the video...)
Tonight is Emory's first night in the big girl bed. We talked it up today, and I think Aidan was more excited about Emory sleeping in a big bed than Emory. She seemed pretty psyched though. After the bed was delivered, I made it up, and she climbed up and laid down, rolled around; she looked pretty pleased with her new bed.
I anticipated that when bedtime rolled around, she'd put up a fuss. Jason took her to bed, and he said she looked pretty excited. We didn't hear a peep from her, and I wondered if she might be quietly entertaining herself with her new found freedom....maybe trying to look at books on the floor or something. I peeked in about 20 minutes after he put her down, and she was sound asleep. She didn't look like she had moved a muscle from when he had walked out. I know she was exhausted from missing her naps yesterday and today, so maybe that helped.
We'll see how the night goes!
This weekend we bought a big girl bed for Emory! Oh my gosh, where has the time gone? I cannot believe we are about to be without a single crib in our home. It is hard to believe just over a year ago we had three cribs, and now we will have none! There are many things that are wonderful about reaching this point...we can go places entirely stroller-free...our children can communicate (most of) their wants and needs...but I just can't help but be sad to see time passing by so fast!
Aidan has been very sensitive..moreso than usual. He saw me with tears in my eyes after taking all the sheets and things out of Emory's crib. His face got so serious, and he looked like he was holding back tears. The same thing happened the other day. I was transferring our wedding video from VHS to DVD, and I stopped to watch a clip of my late grandfather wishing Jason and I a wonderful marriage. I started to cry, and Aidan saw my face and started to cry, too.
Alanna has been really interested in the wedding video, and she has decided she can't wait to marry me when she grows up! :) Somehow, I think she'll change her mind! She loves watching the reception and keeps asking to watch everyone dancing. Toward the end of the video, there is a clip of everyone doing the Hokey Pokey (this was just a funny thing the DJ did after the Murray-Sanderson clan did the Rock Lobster). Anyway, Aidan and Alanna started doing the Hokey Pokey, and Alanna started striking these poses that just cracked me up every time she sang "That's what it's all about!"
This morning we did a grocery store run, and luckily for the kids, there were three kids' shopping carts available! It is hilarious watching them push their carts around. One of the carts is really hard to steer...the wheels barely turn at all. Aidan and Alanna get frustrated with it, but not Emory. I don't know if it's her persistence or brute force that she uses to maneuver that thing around. She's the only one of the three who can handle it! We got to the checkout line with only a few things that weren't on the list...which we caught, thank goodness!
Today was "one of those days," but we made it to the end...at which point I was ready to fall into bed.
Emory is giving me a run for my money; today she decided she was going to test me at every turn. I handled things calmly for a good portion of the day, but ultimately, I failed...miserably. And yet, no matter my level of frustration, she was happy as could be. At nap time (and bed time), she has been slowly getting aggravated that she can't get her blanket just right. She wants it covering her shoulders and her toes, and it is just barely long enough to do so. Once I get her covered just right, she moves, and all is lost! So she struggled with this problem for quite a while this afternoon; I tried to help her, but as soon as I "fixed" it, she moved, and it wasn't right anymore. I tried helping her fall asleep, so that she wouldn't notice the imperfection...but to no avail. Not knowing what else I could do, I let her cry about it (or more accurately, scream about it) hoping she'd wear herself out, which she didn't. Unfortunately, this meant she'd keep Alanna (and Aidan, supposedly) awake with all the ruckus. I have offered bigger blankets on several occasions recently, and today it sent her into orbit...she didn't want them in the room with her, let alone in her crib. She turned beet-red, tears filled her eyes, she screamed at the top of her lungs and pointed vehemently at the door, and though I couldn't understand all the words coming out of her mouth, the message was clear. "THERE WILL BE NO SUBSTITUTE!!!" (or even a supplement, for that matter!)
I called Jason to blow off some steam, and we agreed that we would need to get her a bigger blanket that she would accept. I sat down with Emory, and I "informed her" that she would be getting a bigger blanket that she would need to take to bed with her. We talked about her being a big girl, and she could still hold her (precious) purple blanket, but she needs a big blanket. So, she looked up at me with her chin on her chest and frowned as she agreed to this new scenario...clearly not happy about it. "Okay," she said, so very dejected. So after Alanna finally woke up, we all went off in search of a blanket for Emory. I can't take another day of this...as it's been slowly escalating over the last few weeks. I gave her three choices of blankets that were the softest and coziest I could find, and she chose a pink blanket with a big ladybug in the middle. (I chose not to direct her attention to the Lightning McQueen fleece throw as we walked past it, and no one else saw it! phew!) She wouldn't let it out of her hot little hands until we got home.
So at bedtime, I had thrown her new blanket (that she was so excited about ) into her bed. She looked down, pointed at it and said "I want that out my bed" or something like that. I reminded her about our conversation, and she acquiesced. She actually looked so pleased as I tucked her in with a blanket that covered her all up...I couldn't believe I'd been at my wit's end with her. Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy!
Fortunately, Aidan was an angel all day...save for the few times that he and Emory got into a tussle over a toy. Alanna had a few meltdowns, but was fine for the most part. After everyone had gone to bed, I checked in on Alanna, who "had to go to the bathroom" I don't know know how many times. I apologized for being grumpy...she apologized for her meltdowns...and I told her I would pray for patience (as I do daily...and nightly.) She then told me that I should pray for patience at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I asked if she would help me, and she agreed to...and with all that praying, it just might be enough! :)
Alanna could hardly wait to let me open my gifts and cards this morning. I have to say, they do better than I do. I'm horrible at holding onto gifts; I get so excited it's hard for me to keep things a secret! So they spoiled me with all sorts of treats from World Market that Jason allowed them to pick out for me (with a little guidance, but not too much, he said.) Not only that, but he is treating me to some pampering at a spa in a few weeks! Yay! Oh, and of course they went to "the chocolate store" and got me a couple truffles! Yum!
Most importantly, they promised me as many hugs and kisses as I wanted all day, and that's the BEST treat of all! I am such a lucky mom, and I am so thankful for my three precious treasures!
Last night, Jason announced to Aidan, Alanna and Emory that they would be going on a secret mission with him Saturday morning. After tucking them in, Jason asked me to leave the room and close the door, and they had a little conference about "the mission." I went to wash up, and Jason came in a few minutes later and said there was no way they'd be able to keep the secret. A moment later, Aidan cracked the door to their room open, and Jason stopped him to ask where he was going. "To tell Mommy the secret!," Aidan replied. So Jason explained that he couldn't tell me and got him back to bed.
When they woke up this morning, Alanna told us how excited she was for their secret mission several times. After breakfast, they all left together, and I got ready to go pick some strawberries! They were gone quite a while, and no one let the cat out of the bag all day. I can't wait to see what's in store for me!
