Pumpkin Pie

Who is this guy?

 I was  trying to get a picture of Ike smiling when I put his hat on but we were having trouble with the hands.  I didn't have enough of them to put the hat on and take the picture at the same time and his kept going into his mouth. 

 Yesterday Rocky let out a scream and said, "I think there is a spider on Ike."  I ran in and they laughed pretty hard at their little joke.

Terrifying

Potty Time

 I knew that when Rosy decided that she was interested that potty training would be easy.  That is maybe the only good thing about being stubborn.  When she makes up her mind there is nothing that can set her back.  I took her to Costco to look at the books and choose a prize and  instead we came home with a giant  tub  of Red Vines.  We sort of  accidentally stumbled on a great way to outsource some of the training.  Instead of having her eat all that licorice herself she was able to share it.  When she used the potty everyone around got a prize.  She loved  having the power  to hand out treats to her friends  and they all got really good at asking her if she needed to go.   There is nothing like a little bit of peer pressure to get things really moving.  Before long she finished her chart and is now in unders for good.

 She chose Sofia the First and they look pretty cute on those little buns.

Too accurate?

 I overheard Rocky playing the other day and realized that she was calling  her moose Auntie Judy.  The real Auntie Judy is my aunt and she  is a favorite with our family.  When I realized that the job of the moose was to take care of all the little stuffed animals I wasn't surprised by the name choice.  She does a good job too.  Look at those little critters all snuggled up.
Rocky has always been a genius when it comes to names.

Best Buds

 Rosy and Ike are best buds.   I am pretty sure that Ike likes Rosy but there is no doubt that Rosy absolutely adores her little brother.  She won't  take a nap unless he is right there next to her.  They spend a lot of time hanging out which means that I spend a lot of time  saying, "Give him some space."
She likes to  crouch above him and squeeze his cheeks and it drives me crazy because I want to be the one crouching above him  and squeezing his cheeks.

That is my Avengers pillow, thanks for asking.

 I have started getting back into my running groove so Ike is getting to know Eugene in an up close and personal way...at least the three miles surrounding our apartment.
I made a little pumpkin  hat for my friend's baby and then when I tried it on him I decided that he just had to keep it.   When I slide it on his head he always opens his mouth into a giant smile.  He loves it.

 Bonus Picture: 

Jogathon

 Just about every school around here does a jog-a-thon to raise money.  I haven't ever been able  to go before.  And when I say that I haven't been able to go what I mean is that I try and avoid anything at the school.  Everybody at Buena Vista  is incredible, it isn't their fault, but since I am not in the parent organization and I don't volunteer I feel GUILTY whenever I am in the vicinity of the other parents.  They are all buddies and I probably just seem like I am snobby, but the truth is that I feel too awkward to join in.  I have thought about this a lot because I have a secret fear that I don't remember how to make friends.  I know...I should probably go to therapy.  I think the problem is that any time I set foot  on school grounds I am hauling around (a usually screaming) Rosy and have Ike in a front pack.  I then pick up my two older girls and the neighbor boy that I drive home and we basically look like a circus.  Every single day the only thing anyone ever says to me  is, "Boy, you look like you have your hands full."  I just laugh to myself because actually when Ike is in the pack my hands are the only thing that are free.  It just isn't a good situation for making pals.
Last year when Rocky got picked to "Roll in the Dough" I decided I was going to be more supportive and it has actually been pretty fun.
I am still kind of a crappy mom though because I used the jogathon to get my workout instead of volunteering.  
Even if I only did good for myself it was worth it to be there with my girls.  They both ran so hard  and I was so proud.

 Daisy was one  lap short of 3 miles and Rocky ran 3.5.  They ran at different times so I really ended up getting a good couple of hours of exercise.  In my experience the secret to running is distraction.   It works for me when I go with friends, or when I have a great podcast to listen to.  By doing those OTC 5ks I have found that if I can get a good story going they will run for miles without even noticing they are getting tired.  At first Daisy wanted to run with her friends.  The double jogging stroller was kind of cramping her style, but once her friends all peetered out she came back to me.  I started to tell her the story of The Princess Bride. 
I got to the Cliffs of Insanity before they sounded the bell. 
Rocky was more interested and we got a lot further.  The Man in Black was just about to be pushed down the hill and reveal his true nature "As you Wish!!" and we had to stop there.  Oh the suspense.

 I am so proud of Rocky and Daisy because I think they are learning how to pace themselves and how to keep going even when it feels hard. 

 In the end it was pretty cool that I don't have any mom friends at the school because I got to hang out with my favorite buddies the whole time.

Rosy is 3

 Rosy is officially 3 years old.  People have been throwing  the word threenager around a lot lately and I am afraid that it  is a little too fitting in our situation.  She is a lovely little girl and also a nightmare, depending  on her mood.  She is extremely clever and loves to make everyone laugh.  She is a great dancer and always has something  interesting  to say.  In fact, if you never had to  tell her no or ask her to do something she didn't want to do she would be an absolute delight.

 I tried all day long to take pictures of her and she didn't want them. 

 I usually try to let the kids pick what they want to do and what they want to eat on their birthdays.  When I asked her what she wanted to eat she just said  "food." When I pushed her for a more specific answer she said, "Treats." When I told her that treats were not for dinner she disagreed.

Finally after  a couple of  days she said that she wanted to eat at Taco Time. (I think she was coached by Rocky.)   The only thing she really wanted as a gift was Goldfish.

It was particularly strange that the  most opinionated member of our family suddenly had no opinions.  That is  kind of her way though, to be as difficult as possible.

We spent the morning  selling cookies that Daisy made  at a yard sale.  We were trying to raise money to send to Syrian Refugees.  Rosy would stop every person that walked  by on  their way to the Duck game  and in the cutest voice you have ever heard ask, "You want a cookie?"
They made a lot of money.
It  is impossible to say no to that kind of cuteness.

 The only other  thing that she wanted was an orange.   So we wrapped a bunch of them up and gave them to her.  She was pleased.

 This Taco Time photo really makes me laugh because she is totally making a fake happy face.  Her eyes are clearly not into it.

 She did not want to blow out candles on her half-eaten brownie cake...she was scared of the flames.  

A  word on the cake.  I had planned on selling the brownies at the yard sale and making the cupcakes that the birthday girl had requested but when I tried to get them  out of the pan they just fell apart.  So instead we just threw a few candles on top and called it good. 
And Rosy was just a doll the entire day.  She didn't even get to do anything that she actually wanted to do but she was just thrilled  with everything.    When she turns on the charm  she is irresistible.   She has  that curly blonde hair and  giant eyes and a huge vocabulary and as big of a stinker  as she sometimes is you just can't help but find her wonderful.  She has a giant soul crammed into her little body and I don't know what we would do without her in our family.

Her favorite color is orange, obviously.
Her favorite toy is 'just books.'
Her favorite thing in the whole world is her baby Ike.  She truly does adore him. She also loves  her  big sisters and loves getting into their stuff when they are at school.  She gives great hugs when she is in the mood, don't touch her otherwise.  She is hilarious, she will compliment strangers on  their skirts and sweaters.  She loves to wear her "I Love My Ducks" shirt and her "Awesome Like Mom"  jammies.  She also really likes p'dots.  She wants to wear a dress every single day and if the dresses are all dirty a skirt can sometimes be a replacement.  She is very literal and will correct you if she thinks you don't  understand  if something is pretend.  She can scream really, really loudly but after  she is done she will get all snuggly and sweet so usually it is best to just let  her  scream.  She loves her grandparents and pretends to talk to them all the time on her toy phone.   She tells people to call her Rosita,  Georgie, or Sugar  depending on her mood.  She is definitely one of a kind and I love her so much.

Ike

 I just cannot get enough of this kid.  He is so lovable. 

He hardly ever cries.  He sleeps all night and he has the most adorable smile ever.  I don't ever get anything done because all I want to do is squeeze him.   

One Giant Leap

 Sis. Richey let all the kids come swim  at her house because they learned the songs for the Primary Program.  There were tons of kids in the pool and it was all a little hectic.   I was busy chatting with my friends and not paying attention to my kids like I always do in social settings when I looked up and saw that Daisy had  climbed the wall and was about to take the plunge.  She has just gotten so brave lately. 

When I was a kid I was always a little bit of a chicken.  Scratch  that.  I am still a chicken.  I never want to do anything fun but then Jill will always do it and then I have to.   I  really am so glad that I  had a  little sister that wasn't afraid of anything because there are a lot  of cool things I would have missed out on otherwise.  After Daisy went up there  Rocky, just like her mama, did it too.  I was proud of both of them.

 We went to the Friday Night Art Walk and they got to play with clay.    I wish I had taken more photos because in the background there were a bunch of people Salsa dancing in Kesey Square.  Eugene is such a great place to live.

 We have officially outgrown the bathtub.  I suggested that they take turns but everyone wants to be with Ike.  

 I thought after they got used to having a baby around  that they would give him a little space.  On the contrary, the bigger he gets the  more he smiles and the more they all want to pay attention to him.  I   can't blame them.  He is the most charming little soul.  None of them realized how risky the situation was until he started shooting pee all over the place.  I guess he has to defend himself with his only weapon.

 If you ever wondered why you should not give Rosy an ice cream  sandwich here is your answer.

 And then  it was time to  go back to school.

Rocky and Daisy are both going to Buena Vista so they get Spanish all day.

Kindergartener

Second Grader

Sorry Rosy...2 more years for you.  By the way, nice jammies.