Sleeping Issues

These girls are trying to be the death of me. They seem to think that they don't need naps anymore...but they most definitely do! When I put them in their beds to go down for their naps, they just get out and play. Usually for about two hours. Which on one hand is good, the fact that they can play in their room for two hours. On the other hand, that pushes their naps back to 2:30/3:00, which also means they don't get up until 4:30/5:00, which in turn pushes their bed time back from 7:00 to 8:00. I guess, that's not horrible...but what is horrible is that they don't sleep as long during their nap and then they wake up super super grouchy! It's rather a horrible cycle that we are in. It's driving me crazy!!

They also usually ransack their room while they are in their alone. So, please excuse the mess of clothes that they pull out of their drawers every day... The other day, after playing for 2.5 hours, I peeked in their room to see if they had really fallen asleep (they usually pull the plug to their monitor out of the wall during their ransacking....) and this is what I found. Man, I love these girls and love how much they love each other...

We Love Halloween: Halloween Coloring

On the 18th, we were having a bit of a rough day, so I pulled out some Halloween coloring sheets. All three of the girls love to color, so I knew it would be a hit. Obviously there is a skill level gap between the babies and Isabelle. Isa is getting more and more precise in her coloring and painting. She's doing really well...and that takes more time. Ella and Emery just scribble, and can cover their entire sheets, front and back, in no time. The problem with this is that once they finish on their sheets, the want to color on Isabelle's sheets and that is very upsetting to Isabelle. Once they scribble on her's, she considers her sheet ruined and that's when we would move on to the next coloring page.

The first coloring page:

The second:

The third:

Overall it was a fun project and Isabelle was happy to have her sisters go to bed so that she could finish her page undisturbed. :)

We Love Fall: The Pumpkin Train and the Great Pumpkin Patch

If you know me, you probably know that I love to take my kids to the pumpkin patch. We often go twice a year. There are two side-by-side up in Flower Mound (it's at least 45 minutes away from our new house, it used to be a lot closer when we were in various apartments). Anyways, because we always go to the same pumpkin patches, I was a little bit bored with the thoughts of going this year. I discovered that there was a train ride that involved going to a pumpkin patch about three hours away from us. At the time I discovered it, I didn't realize it was that far away, I only thought it was two hours...but we decided to make the trip anyways. It was definitely an all day trip. We left the house at about 6:30 in the morning. It took us the three hours to get there. We got there at just the precise time we needed to be there. We got the kids dressed in their Halloween costume and got in line to board the train. The kids were so excited.

 The train ride was about 20-25 minutes long. All the kids loved it. It was a really nice ride too. It was through a forest and really pretty. I have to admit, even the adult enjoyed themselves.

The train tickets were a whole package deal. You buy the train tickets and the tickets get you a train ride to an exclusive small pumpkin patch in a clearing in the woods. On the ride there, the kids colored a paper bag that they would use at the patch to go trick or treating. Everyone loves to color, so it was a big hit.

The patch was totally exclusive to the riders of the Texas State Train. Which was nice, cause you only have an hour and a half to spend at the pumpkin patch. I was worried that we wouldn't have enough time since Saturdays are so busy at the local pumpkin patches. Since it was just for the train riders, it was totally fine. I didn't feel rushed or crowded. Of course the first thing my kids wanted to do was the petting zoo.

Then we hit up a big tire swing, a game or two and eventually made our way over to the pumpkin patch. (We didn't have a working camera on the trip with us. The camera card was in the car and the camera with us, just dead weight, so we only have the pictures that Andrew and Heather took for us. So, some events are missing.)

Emery and Isabelle went trick or treating. Since we had woken the girls up so early and the time we were at the pumpkin patch was normally nap time anyways, we had some grumpiness going on. So, Ella didn't participate in trick or treating. That had a big slide made out of PVC pipes. Curt took the kids down that.

Ella played some basketball and won a small prize. She picked these lips that had a whistle in it. She never did blow it, but LOVED to have the lips in her mouth. She was very attached. When we blew it for her, she couldn't help but smile. It was so adorable. :)

We went on a hay ride and the girls enjoyed that too.

We got a decent family picture. That always makes me happy.

After that, we were pretty worn out at this point, so we headed over to the live guitar player who was singing a lot of kids songs. The kids sat down to eat some of their candy and enjoy the music. They were too worn out to sing and play along though, even with the songs, like the Hoki Poki, that they know and love.

Isabelle tried a lemon head. hahaha. She actually tried it two or three times convinced it will get better, but it never did. She gave it to Ella, who popped it in her mouth and didn't even make a single face as she ate the entire thing. That's Ella for you.

The last part of it all is when Snoopy came out to say hi and dance with the kids. Ella immediately wanted to go over and see him. We had to wait in line for forever....and just for one girl, so Isabelle warmed up in that time too and came over. Emery, of course, never did. :)

Then we got on the train, went back to the station and had a picnic before driving the three hours back. It was a long day, but a fun adventure.

Conversations with Isabelle: Part 8

While playing hide-and-go-seek with Curt, Isabelle came to me and asked:
Isabelle: "Where's Daddy?"
Me: (Not wanting to lie and say "I don't know...") "Who's Daddy?"
Isabelle: "My Curt Whitworf."

***

While trying to talk Curt into playing a new game with her:
Isabelle: "I'm a big girl and you're a big Dad. Let's go run and then we die."
Curt: "But Daddy doesn't want to die."
Isabelle: "But we will not die. You need to run and I will die. Dad! We need to run!"

***

After getting a small cut on her thumb:
Isabelle: "I cracked my finger, Mom."

***

Randomly:
Isabelle: "I need to grow up like a doggie, Mom."
She told me that three times. I have no clue where it came from either.

***

Me: It's time for bed.
Isa: You going to be mean to me?
Me: No.
Isa: You going to be mean to me? I will throw something at you.
Me: No you won't.
Isa: It's time to play a little bit. Look at me. Look at my eyes.
(I look at her)
She puts her head down and looks at me with "the look."

Where did this kid come from? Oh yeah...me.

***

While playing with the girls in Isabelle room, I hear:
Isabelle: Flynn Rider! Flynn Rider!!
Daddy: Shhhh....
Isabelle: Flynn Rider! Flynn Rider!!
Daddy: Shhhh, Isabelle.
Isabelle: Flynn Rider! Daddy, you Flynn Rider. Daddy, wake up. Wake up Daddy... Daddy! I will get you chocolate. Say please. Daddy. Say please, chocolate.
Daddy: Please.

Isabelle comes running in to me and says: "Mom I get Daddy chocolate!"
She went right to the pantry and got some chocolate, snuck some to her sisters, but didn't take any for herself and went back to her room.

Isabelle: I got you some chocolate, Daddy. See!?
Daddy: Oh, wow. Thank you.

***

While outside at dusk, Isabelle found the moon.
Isabelle: "Daddy! The moon is broken!"
Daddy: "It's not broken, you just can't see all of it."
Isabelle: "But I want to see all of it."

***

Curt read Isabelle, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut, and at one point in the story the character say that reading with his eyes shut makes his eyebrows get red hot. When Curt read that, Isabelle starts touching her forehead.

Isabelle: "Daddy! My eye brown is gone!"

***

We Love Fall: Apple Stamps

I'm sure most other Texas people feel the same way we do...we are very happy that Fall is here and seems to be here to stay too. This past Saturday we were thrilled with the rainy cool perfect Fall weather that we just had to do something to celebrate. So, I had the idea to cut open some of our really pretty yummy apples and do some stamping. The girls were all super excited to paint. Ella and Emery got to participate too, which is pretty rare. They were definitely excited.

Em and Ella didn't really get the stamping part down and just used the apple as a paint brush, but they loved it. 

Isabelle started by stamping just then saw the girls smearing their paint and thought that looked like more fun, so she joined in. 

It was a great little project and we were happy to do a Fall project!