saint pat

"but where are their footprints??!!"

this is what brennan said to me when i walked downstairs this morning.

his eyes looking up and down for little leprechaun footprints.

then he listed off all of the places he had checked for them.

floor.

lights.

ceiling.

fridge.

counter.

table.

he could not figure out how they changed the milk without leaving their footprints behind.

b/c at preschool "they left footprints all over miss kim's fan and windows."

trying to steal her gold.

milk is like gold around here.

so i guess it's good they just changed the color.

and didn't steal it.

made the top 5 favorite moments of motherhood in my book.

i wish i had it all on tape.

...

famous corned beef and cabbage dinner with GiGi, Grandma Carol, and Uncle Ron.

corned beef never tasted sooooo good.

we all raved about GiGi's cooking,

and quizzed her on the exact way she did every piece.

cabbage,

carrots,

potatoes,

mom's green jello,

corned beef,

onions.

praising how juicy and moist it all tasted.

i'm sorry if you are not a meat eater.

for these pictures are mainly not for you.

YUM

YUM

YUM

during dinner max managed to dump half a bottle of salt onto her plate.

and while we were cleaning up the salt,

sending it out of her arm's reach,

she then continued to pour her sparkling cider on top of all of her food.

i swear,

you're cleaning up one of her messes and she's making another.

she wore her princess dress up shoes the entire day.

even to dinner at grandma's house.

and walked around smiling,

with her hands on her hips.

i think we're in trouble.

brennan told me he had a tummy ache from eating too much.

me too.

...

THE SPREAD

i wore green pants.

in case you were wondering.

HAPPY

HAPPY

ST. PAT'S!

bowling for yogurt {or something}

my 85 yr old grandma can bowl a 220.

can you?

yeah, me neither.

max needs a cage

max wanted cereal.

max wanted cereal on her stool.

i didn't want to clean up spilt cereal on the floor b/c i knew max couldn't hold a bowl of cereal, sit on a stool, and feed herself all at the same time.

we have tried before.

it doesn't end up getting in the mouth.

just on the floor.

and i surely did not want to clean it up off of the kitchen floor.

oh the irony.

so i told max she needed to eat said cereal at the table.

max said "no!"

and shook her head.

then climbed up to the table.

only to use her little hand with little fingers to grab onto the side of her little bowl.

and then in a split second,

fling that bowl flying at my face.

full of milk might i add,

over her head and right at me.

which i dodged.

"MAXINE!!!"

this is what i said.

i felt like a grown up using the middle name.

and then i grabbed her little arm and pulled her to the big stairs.

where i spent the next 2 minutes putting her little bum back into time out.

b/c she thinks it's funny to stand up after you sit her down.

and try to run away.

and so forth.

i really need to go down into the basement for the booster seat so i can strap her little bum to it for time out.

this is what i was thinking.

then after what felt like 2 min. had passed she said sorry, we kissed and hugged, and i told her to see how fast she could get all of the little "cereals" back into the bowl.

and i was feeling so proud

when she walked right over and started picking up the little cereals.

UNTIL

she walked that cereal to the little stairs

and threw it down the little stairs

while laughing in delight.

i think my eyes got big and wide.

and my mouth definitely dropped open.

WIDE.

and the break process repeated.

for 15 min.

and did i ever walk myself down to the basement for that booster seat?

no.

but i surely spent the entire 15 min. and three bouts of time out thinking about how much i wished i had the other two times before.

three attempts later max picked up that cereal,

and i sopped up wet milk from the carpet.

and declared maybe i would be calling the carpet cleaners after all.

seeing as orange juice was brennan's nemesis at the table yesterday.

dang carpet under my kitchen table.

carpet is not cute.

but max is.

which is good.

b/c cute is the only thing that helped me kiss and make up.

she needs a cage.

or a booster for her bum to be strapped to during time out.

whichever.

when did brennan become the easy one?

p.s.

did i mention she put an entire roll of toilet paper into the potty while i was sopping up the milk from the carpet?

well,

she did.

see what i mean?

cage.

have mercy.

letters to Emily {eczema, st pat's, & follow the prophet}

Coo Coo Ca Choo Mrs. Gibson,
 

I am glad you are trying the drops! I love them, I usually just do once a day during the cold season. I like the brand you got, it looks like a really fun bottle. Bears eczema is getting better, so we can start taking pictures of him again! Both Smith and Bear got the worst eczema, I don't know why? Anyway, It is definitely spring here in Heidelberg. I love love love it. Just counting down the days till Easter and summer. I love Easter, my second favorite holiday. First Christmas. Do you have any Easter traditions...I am sure you do, you are the tradition lady! I love it!

Yes, they do have hot water and pressure in Germany, My apartment doesn't have the best hot water or pressure, but it is a lot better than when I was on my mission. I am looking forward to seeing your little guy so much. He is probably going to be a little angel like you.
Today in church Smith got to be the "prophet" in his class, the kids in his class all sang 'follow the prophet' while they did what Smith did. The teacher was explaining it to me half in german so I didn't really get everything, but for the most part I could understand her. I am planning an ALL GREEN dinner on St.Patricks day. I am so excited! We are going to have sauteed green beans, green salad, pesto chicken and spinach pasta. For dessert Lime bars instead of lemon bars. We will see how they turn out. It should be fun. What are you doing for St. Patricks day? Do you remember how Chico is during St.Patricks day? It is crazy! I am actually very glad to not be near Chico on St.Patricks day.
Why do people have to have eczema? It doesn't make any sense? Little Bear is still suffering, not as bad, but he still itches everywhere. Remember with Smith I started getting anxiety over him not reaching milestones, well I am starting to do that with Bear. Even though he is leaps and bounds ahead of where Smith was at his age. He just needs to crawl and walk already so I don't feel this way. What does a normal...sorry, a neuro-typical child do at four months? I do love seeing him discover new things. Sometimes Smith will rest his hand on Bear and it is the cutest thing. I am looking forward to raising a child with a special needs brother. Smith brings a different perspective that you can't get anywhere else. Bear will definitely love his brother Smith...I mean, how could you not? Anyway, you are the best and I miss the U.S. of A and you. LOve you

Love,
Beth

the netherlands {36 weeks}

did you know that in the netherlands when you are pregnant,
you are considered legally insane?
and any crime you commit during your pregnancy is tried under insanity?
this is what someone told me at church last week.
and i was like, "oh my gosh, i TOTALLY agree!"
not about committing murder,
or getting away with committing murder,
or committing crimes in general,
just about being legally insane.
when you are pregnant.
netherlands,
smart people.
at least,
if it's true.
and if it's not true,
it should be.

weekend accomplishments:
sean fixed brennan's flat.
i survived tai pan on a saturday with two kids, alone.
2 kids is easier than 3 kids.
this is what i have determined.
i came out with two baskets {and two kids, kind of 3} that organized the toys that felt unorganized.
my nesting self just had to get those baskets and it had to get them NOW!
and i got a sunburn.
face, chest, left arm/top of left wrist.
they still itch.
ouch.
the end.