Ten on Tuesday.

1. This shall be my last Ten on Tuesday for March 2011. Let it be stated for the record that we still have plenty of snow on the ground, 2-3 feet on our driveway corner, but it's thinning elsewhere and we can see bits of mushy grass. I even saw daylilies shooting out of the ground this afternoon, poor things. 2. I do believe we have a birthday party theme for Miss Alla - we've been hard at work since February. She takes a long time to decide things. 3. I am really good at making sure the kids have nice-looking clothes. I am really horrible at making sure I have the same. 4. I despise shopping. Perhaps that has something to do with #3. 5. The kiddos started swim class last week and couldn't be more opposite in their attitudes toward it. Alla has no fear, jumps right in. Fisher sobbed for the entire 30-minute lesson. This week, however, he only cried for ten minutes before appearing to actually enjoy himself. 6. We tend to have breakfast foods for dinner these days, what with one of us running on each weekend day. Tonight: Dutch Baby. Put 1/4 cup butter in a glass pie pan in a 425 degree oven. Put three eggs and 1/2 cup milk in a blender. Blend. After it's mixed up, add in 1/4 cup flour and blend again. Once butter is melted, pour in flour-egg-milk mixture and bake for 18 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar or serve with maple syrup. Good for Mother's Day. No one can mess this up. 7. This afternoon Fisher asked me if I was wearing my "work-it" clothes. Yes, buddy, I'm going to work it. 8. Last night we had taquitos for dinner. Alla loved them so much she decided she'd like those for her birthday. She also decided that last night's dinner would be the topic for her writing journal today. Something about how much she liked the 'dkeetos.' 9. Spied on Pinterest: "You're my favorite reason to lose sleep." Have to remind myself of that next time I'm changing pee-pee sheets at 12:14 am. 10. Fisher spied a picture of three-year-old Alla at the Mall of America, when she met Dora the Explorer, and he told me he can't wait to meet the real Dora, too.

Spring break activities.

The beginning of spring break around here was super exciting, let me tell you. I mean, little stuff like the library and an oil change really fired these kids up. So a mini-outing to our local nature center was almost over the top. Easy to please kiddos. This nature center is nothing special. I hadn't been since Alla was two, and it was clear that nothing had changed. No matter. She didn't remember it, and Fisher hadn't been. So it was awesome. Fisher busied himself with the doctor kit, giving shots to stuffed animal foxes.

Alla tamed an eagle.

They told me knock-knock jokes while I took their picture.

Apparently they were hilarious, because the next thing I knew, Alla was knocking down an adult-sized skeleton.We headed off to the carwash then, you know the kind where you get to stay in your car.

I tell you, they thought this was super-duper and asked to go again.

We didn't, of course, but I have that one filed away and we'll revisit it again. A pretty good thrill for $2.99.

First sleepover.

Lest you think the firsts come to a close after the first three or four years, I have another for you: first sleepover.

Lily (the Bear) was packed into Alla's arms, and her Mystery Machine suitcase was loaded into the car for our five minute drive to her dear friend Leigha's house. Of course, Leigha. Leigha, who was Alla's first friend here in Minnesota. They truly hold special places in their hearts for one another. That Leigha. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she was ready and thrilled. (I missed her, I feel that must be said. Her bed was too empty.) This was all the photo I could capture, she was so quick to begin the thing.Fisher didn't quite know what to do with himself. He said to her as she hugged him goodbye, Sleep good so you can play with me [tomorrow].

And then to me, with all that love in his heart, I'm really happy.

Ten on Tuesday: Fisher's third birthday.

1. My son, my youngest babe, turned three on Saturday. As soon as someone would wish him a Happy Birthday, he would say the same to them.

2. My daughter, my oldest, has the warmest,kindest spirit. She gets just as excited for his birthday as he does. She can't wait for him to see what the day holds. 3. It held his very own CAT front-wheeler. Come spring, this little boy is going to be digging and dumping.

4. Alla chose her most festive outfit for the special occasion.

5. We had some special guests! Nana and Pappi, Aunt Jenn, Uncle John, and cousin Ashton.

6. It's hard to resist finding a moment for a photo with my sweet son.

7. He had all of us watch the Mighty Machines DVD he opened.

8. My girl again, so happy that it's time to sing to her little brother. She made sure all of the important stuff happened for him on his big day.

9. Fisher was super excited about singing time, too, until he saw that thing on his cupcake, that candle, and once he blew it out, he promptly asked us to get it off. And then ate half the cupcake before deciding he didn't really like it. You're picky about desserts, little man.

10. I'd post his official 5:46 pm photo here, but as it turns out, at 5:45 pm he got up from the dinner table and ran to the potty, so that when the clock struck the official minute of his birth, he was mid-pee. That's my boy.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Fisher and Alla both asked for milk. Alla told Fisher he was allergic to her milk, and I clarified that his milk was called soymilk. Alla then asked if it came from "soycows."

2. We are in the midst of spring break here - and what a fun time we are having. I'm so glad my kids are easy to please. Day one: Fisher's three-year check-up, get gas, then spend an hour at Half-Price Books. Day two: meet friends at a different libray, then get an oil change. And, no kidding, they are telling me all the time - That was fun! Tomorrow we're getting a car wash. Hold onto your hats.

3. It is raining here. While that might not seem like news to some, we haven't seen rain since probably early November. So it's news here.

4. Fisher weighs 37 pounds and is 38 inches this week before his third birthday.

5. Everyone has their own idea of what signals spring. For me, seeing daffodils at Trader Joe's is a significant sign. For Alla, apparently, it's bugs. Yesterday she ran in the house shouting that she'd found the first box elder of spring!!!! And it's now living in her bug jar on her nightstand.

6. I'm telling you, it is non-stop fun around here.

7. I dread being awakened in the middle of the night because it can be hours til I can get back to sleep. And I'll almost certainly have to get up and have a bowl of cereal.

8. I love days when dinner is in the crockpot. If the rain lets up I may get to run later, and I won't have to worry about dinner!

9. Fisher is expanding his interests to Diego now, which I suppose isn't that big of a stretch from Dora, but still.

10. Next time I do a Ten on Tuesday post, I'll have a big three year old. Sigh.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Every week at school, Fisher chooses a toy and a book from the library to borrow. Every week he chooses a backhoe or dump truck or loader, and a book about diggers.

2. Alla asked for piggies this morning, and I was so happy that my almost-six-year-old wanted pigtails in her hair. And a headband. That girl doesn't go anywhere without a headband.

3. We went to her school for conferences last night and her teacher told us that Alla is "colorful" and "free-spirited," and if you know Alla at all, you know these descriptors to be spot-on. She actually told us that she looks forward to seeing what Alla will be wearing when she walks in the room each morning. This is most certainly because she could be wearing three different shirts, all in different colors, a dress, tights, a pair of socks, and among all of this there will likely be at least three different patterns.

4. Alla and I went to a friend's roller-skating party Saturday morning and had a BLAST!

5. Oh, yes, my good friends the Army Wives are back!

6. That means Friday Night Lights won't be far behind.

7. Our family eats so much granola that I have to make it at least once a week!

8. I have three books on my nightstand: Belong to Me, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and The Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting. I was on a roll, and then got busy thinking about the upcoming birthday.

9. The upcoming birthday also means a visit from Uncle John, Aunt Jenn, and cousin Ashton!

10. It also means that pretty soon there will be a three year old in the house.

Mornings.

This is where I like to start our mornings. Me and the kids all snuggled up together.

School has a way of getting in the way of that, what with it having a designated start time and all.

I should add here that it could work, if my daughter wasn't the complete opposite of a morning person, having to be completely dragged out of each bed she flops into.
Somehow, she does wind up with clothes on her body, and food in her belly, before the bus shows up. And when the weekend rolls around, I try to stockpile a few extra snuggles to get me through the week.

Kind of obsessed with snowflakes.

I mean, individual ones, not gallons of them falling at once and adding up to a foot of them. Just in case Mother Nature reads my blog or anything. Not that I don't like the snow, of course, just that, you know, it's almost March and we're sort of hoping for forties instead of four. But I digress. While it's still winter, I'll still marvel at single snowflakes, fallen and frozen and each unique on our torn-out piece of black construction paper.

Polished pretties.

It may be hard to believe, but until this month, I had never painted my daughter's fingernails. She had them painted once before, last summer at our city's penny carnival, but not since. So for Valentine's Day, she got a single bottle of bright pink polish and was over the moon. It was one of those occasions where you spend two bucks and get so much happiness out of that tiny jar, versus the other times, when you spend fifty and are completely let down. Kids don't need much, I tell you.

The next day after lunch she rushed to the little table and we proceeded to cut, file, and paint. Here she is, showing off her polished nails. You can tell she's new to this by the way she's holding them up.

And, lest I think that this little bottle of nail polish will coerce my daugher into becoming an incredibly girly, prissy little thing, she also made this great face for me, which reminds me that she's still Alla. Just with polished (as she says) little fingernails.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. This weekend Ron asked if we were listening to anything other than The Avett Brothers lately.

2. The Avett Brothers concert we were having was in response to my being very late to the Mumford & Sons party, which I'm sure I'd be playing instead if I actually lived above ground and had heard of that wonderful band before the Grammy's.

3. Fisher is still remembering a few weeks ago when he "fro'd up." I'd rather not remember.

4. Alla made us a lovely granola and yogurt breakfast in bed this weekend. Aw!

5. She recently told me that the three worst things about being a kid are: 1. You can't have your own dog. 2. You can't have your own wishing well. 3. You don't get your own magic wand to make your own dog not poop.

6. For awhile there we were washing snow clothes every single day for the puddles outside.

7. Then we had a big snowstorm and our completely cleared of snow deck now has a fresh foot.

8. Alla asked me how big your heart is. I told her about as big as your fist. She said that she thought it grew one you got more love until it was HUGE.

9. She's been invited to her friend's gymnastics class tomorrow. Fun!

10. Do you know what Fisher wants most in the whole wide world for his upcoming big third birthday? A pretend vactor. Straight from his mouth, that's what he wants. I mean, what do you even do with that? Alla's magic wand would come in handy here.

Friday Five.

1. It is most definitely a grocery shopping weekend. Even Ron is saying our cupboards are bare. There are actual echoes in the fridge. In spite of that, we had a lovely lunch. I found a bag of frozen sweetie fries in the freezer, Fisher chose black beans and white beans, and some pepitas and dried cherries to round it out. Alla got some leftover pasta.

2. Today was Alla's 100th day of school. Her teacher told them they are 100 days smarter; I love that.

3. Tonight we took the kids to see Despicable Me at Ron's work. We had such a good time. The kids are hilarious at movies. Alla has NO inside voice, she just screams, asks questions, laughs - all at top volume. And then Fisher asks every five minutes, Is it over? because he doesn't want it to be over, and if it IS going to be over then he wants some warning.

4. I am in the middle of Organized Simplicity and Love Walked In, plus I have another book waiting for me at the library. I have to get reading.

5. Fisher: Mommy, do you have to poop and pee? I have lots of poop. Super, Bud. I wonder if you ask your teachers that, too?

Photo-a-day, Part III.

Here it is, the last installation of Photo-a-Day for January 2011.January 22. On a freezing Saturday morning we all headed down to the new Rosevill library for a little scavenger hunt that culminated in an all-kindergartener ceremony in which you got your very own library card. They read your name, and you beamed. You were so excited. Maybe the only downer was that they didn't have Princess Knight on hand for you to check out. You picked another familiar title, though, took your card and goodie bag and we went home.

January 23. Cold Sunday, another football Sunday for Daddy. Trying to entertain you kids without going out to freeze. Lots of games and books. Alla, you kind of cheat playing the fishing game, and I can't even come close to keeping up. It makes you pretty happy to beat Mama.

January 24. Muffin Tin Monday, going strong! Don't think I haven't thought of next year, when Alla will be in first grade all day. Somehow she's convinced me to move Muffin Tin Monday to dinner when September rolls around. Something tells me it wasn't hard to convince me. I'm kind of a die-hard for traditions, and not ready to let this one go yet, with her.

January 25. Alla had been asking me to go through the junk drawer for a few weeks on the premise that she was going to help clean it out, so finally I told her to bring it to my bed. She emptied it by herself, digging here and there for treasure, and then left this note on the drawer: "I Love Mom."

January 26. We get some amazing sun on the west side of the house, these warm rays and flares in the kids' room. I love how timeless they look, how warm and almost summery. How if it weren't for putting a date on this picture you might not know it's winter and freezing. You might just think that sun out there was actually warm.

January 27. First of two days off for Alla. She was a little dissapointed that Fisher didn't have school, simply because she wanted to take him to school and see his classroom, which is, actually, her old classroom. So to make it up to her I planned a craft morning, which meant bringing out a ton of craft supplies at once and letting them go to town. Fisher lasted about an hour, Alla two and then kept coming back all day. Such a joy to see them create.

January 28. We had our potty training party for Fisher! Pizza Friday, plus new underwear, a ten-wheeler, a toy truck, and cupcakes. To be honest he was kinda past the whole potty training thing by that point and probably didn't understand why we were making such a big deal about him going potty, something he does all the time, but we had to, Fish. It's quite an accomplishment.

January 29. Saturday morning long run for Mama. It's warming up, but I can't wait til I can go without face gear.

January 30. Warmer day! We took the kids outside and Ron got cold and went in but not before he managed a few pictures of outside, including the ginormous snow mound I'm standing on. There's not a lot of perspective here because I'm standing four feet up and he's squatting down, but goodness there's a lot of snow. Might as well jump from snow mound to snow mound and get some exercise while the kids are sliding down six foot piles of it.

January 31. What an end to the month, Fisher throwing an all-out fit at bathtime. Not that uncommon, really, but just kind of a big exclamation point to the end of this project! In other pictures from this scene, you can see Ron's laughter, how he can't hold it back. You just have to laugh at them. Sometimes.

The best toy ever.

I realize that's quite a statment with all of the toys we have around here, and I also realize that many of you may not agree because you probably have your own best toy ever. Look closely, can you figure out which toy I'm talking about? Nope, it's not Scoop, although we've checked that one out of Fisher's school library so many times that we might as well just adopt him.

It's not Elmo, though Fisher would scream if he had to sleep without him.

It's not even the crane, though that definitely ranks in the top five for Fisher.

It's actually the pom poms, those teeny bits of color scattered all.over.the.floor.all.the.time.

So, what I'm guessing is that if you disagree with me on the best toy ever thing, then it might be because your tolerance for teeny bits of color scattered all over the floor all the time is just a teensy bit lower than mine. I think, frankly, that the reason I tolerate them so well (aside from the fact that the kids actually clean them up when asked), is because of their pretty colors.

Think of the possibilities! Scooping, sorting, dumping with trucks, making rainbows on the floor, counting, taking to the dump with your trash trucks. It's endless.

These little guys are such great "toys" that I would go as far as to say every two year old (and five year old) should have their very own set. But I wouldn't go as far as to buy them for your two year old (or five year old) because of the above-mentioned tolerance issue.

So, if you think you might have a high tolerance for these little fluffy pretties, make your way to the crafts store, or get lucky at the dollar spot, because your kiddos will love them! Did I mention they are also the cheapest toy ever??

Ten on Tuesday.

1. We're back down to single digits here. Oh, wait, that was today. Tonight we've dipped to three below.

2. Alla has decided to enter the science fair, optional for kindergarteners, but she came home fired up about it, so we had to back her. Truth be told, I've always hated science projects, so good think she has Daddy.

3. Fisher wants a real vactor for his birthday.

4. Miraculously, both kids' valentines are done. Alla made her own this year - came home with a heart and asked me to make her a template (yep she said that) so she could make more and then paint them. All I had to do was staple bags of candy to them. Fisher and I worked on his yesterday and they are ready for his little party next week.

5. I'm now reading Zeitoun. Alla and I started the second Little House book.

6. Our fried rice dinner was delish! The kids did not think so.

7. I should have bought Alla a winter wardrobe comprised solely of dresses and skirts and tights because there are upteen pants in her drawer with tags still on them. Her teacher must think she has about three outfits that she's forced to rotate.

8. I am loving an afternoon cup of green tea with a spoonful of raw honey.

9. Alla is crazy for Wild Kratts. Crazy, I tell you.

10. My favorite lunch lately is a bowl of quinoa with sauteed red onion, spinach, beans, and feta. Yum!

Double take.

On Thursdays, I drop Fisher off at school at 9:15. It's his day at school, by himself. After I drop him off, I head home and enjoy about thirty minutes of running about the house, picking things up to music of my choosing. As I rushed past the kids' room with a load of laundry to carry downstairs, I noticed something amiss on Alla's bed (and by amiss, I mean other than the 35 stuffed animals, 90% of which are so dear they have names).See what caught my eye?

I checked the boy's underwear drawer. Yep, a little low.

And then I remembered, as I was asking him to come downstairs and put school shoes on, he was telling me he had to count his underwear. I had no idea he was placing them so nicely on his sister's bed.

Three reasons.

My son, there are about a million reasons why I love you, but today let me tell you three.

First, you are so super cute in your underwear. I know I can't stand to see you grow up, and that means out of diapers, but those little buns in Toy Story underwear are irresisitable.

Second, if you look closely, you are using an orange calculator to talk on the phone, to Vacuum Vic of course. You are the only two-year-old in the world who knows what a vactor is, pretends to be one in the summer, and pretends to call one in the winter.

Third - and I do not have a picture of this but I am guessing you can paint one for yourself as we go along here - today you stuck a piece of turkey burger in your nose. Nope, that's not reason number three. In fact, that alone might actually count against you. The chunk was placed there at lunchtime and after many attempts with the sucker and lots of crying from you - "I guess it's lost forever" - we just let it be until Daddy came home and discovered it was STILL there! But, in a very serious and polite manner, while Daddy was extracting it, you said, "And then may I eat it?"

I love you, Buddy.

Photo-a-day, Part II.

January 10. We left the tree up longer this year so we could have our celebration with Mom and Bob, but the next day I went into a de-Christmasing frenzy and took all of the ornaments off, put them in boxes, hauled that tree right on out to the driveway, and vacuumed up the needles. Done!

January 11. Sometimes when we get home from school, there is a bit of snow to shovel, and of course I have Fisher to help out with that. He did not get the memo about not playing in the snow, that we were just going to shovel the driveway, and by the time we got inside his pants and school shoes, as he calls them, were full of snow. This is the pile of snow on one side of our driveway. January 12. We got to the library this Wednesday afternoon, I think we ended up with 38 items in our bag, and the kids could not wait to get their shoes off, hands washed so they could just dump the bag and check out all the treasures.

January 13. Happy thirty-four years to me! The best part of this day was having Mom and Bob to join our celebration: crockpot carnitas tacos with all the fixins, and then a hot-milk sponge cake with fresh whipped cream, raspberry sauce and white chocolate to end the day! I haven't spent a birthday with Mom since I turned seventeen (yay, Acapulco!), and I hope this is the beginning of a new tradition.

January 14. I can't take enough pictures of them sleeping, and really it's mostly him sleeping now, since she doesn't nap anymore. This particular day, I turned the lights on and the water off, opened the windows and still he slept. So I had plenty of time to run for my camera.

January 15. Hair washing day! I only wash my hair once a week, and it's followed by blow-drying. It is a lot of work, hence the once-a-week. So here's what it looks like that day and for a few days after. Then the grease comes to stay until it's washed again, so the ponytails and buns come out.

January 16. Yay, date night! I'm hoping to get used to date nights with Mom and Bob living closer. We actually got to go to dinner and a movie tonight! We had a quick but yummy meal at Orchid and then saw True Grit. The secret is a good, quick restaurant in the same parking lot as the theater. We'll have to seek out more of those.

January 17. We started potty training December 27, and here we are twenty-two days later and you are potty trained. I'm kind of amazed, very proud. I'm so glad Daddy believed you were ready and pushed you and had the strength to keep on going when I wanted to throw in the towel. And I'm actually glad it's winter, because I don't feel like we can't go out in case you have to pee and I can't find a potty. We're home anyway, it being arctic and all. It's good timing all around.

January 18. You asked me to take this picture of you and your fairies, Silvermist and Natalie. You got a whole set of these fairies from Nana and Pappi and you've played with them everyday since, telling the best stories. You truly believe in fairies, and you know which other kids do, and who doesn't. You're hoping these fairies will invite more to stay with us this summer.

January 19. Thirty-four months. You are why I do not wish winter away, because at its tail end, you celebrate another birthday, and though I am happy that you grow stronger and bigger and smarter, I am your mother and mothers in their true hearts wish to keep their babies as, yes, babies. I love you at thirty-four months like I loved you at four months or four days or four hours: fiercely, completely.

January 20. You sleep like a crazy person, so I'm not sure why I'm surprised each morning when you get out of bed, that your hair looks like this. Every night at ten, we go in and kiss you guys and every night we find you completely beneath the covers. When we pull back the covers, your a sweaty mess, your wet hair plastered to your face. When we wake you in the morning, you are in turtle position, your whole head under the pillow. I know you'll kill me one day for this, but I just wanted you to see for yourself, since you surely won't believe me, what you look like when you wake up in the morning, beautiful girl!

January 21. Good morning, fifteen below. We hibernated all day, and then met Daddy at his work for a movie tonight (Shrek the 4), which everyone enjoyed. At some point you bottom out and that's it for winter, just a slow climb up to the 30s and then it's spring (two months!) and daylight and we're making our summer list. It's just a matter of time.