Ice Cream with Blueberries

So today we had some friends come over for a play date. I confidently offered all the kids a Popsicle and then realized I didn't have but two Popsicles and collectively we had 7 kids with us. Eliot was still in bed so I thought I would leave him there until I sorted this play date debacle out.

I decided that two kids could have Popsicles and I then enticed the older 4 kids to have vanilla ice cream with blueberries on top as a consolation dish. They were satisfied, more than satisfied.

After they all finished and I had cleaned the kitchen I went to get Eliot up. I walked in and greeted him and then said you want to get up and have a snack. He immediately said, 'Yes. Ice Cream with Blueberries.'

Three observations -

1. Our walls are thinner than I think. 
2. You cannot pass anything by this kid. 
3. He's not a baby anymore. 

The Key to a Good Marriage by Addie Anderson

A few days ago I had an interesting time trying to explain divorce to the kids. We had played at the pool with a friend who had his dad's girlfriend's son with him. On the way home Jack asked who the other little boy was. I told him it was D's dad's girlfriend's son'.

Addie immediately piped up and said 'that makes no sense.' She continued by saying that you couldn't be married and have a girlfriend. I told her that she was right, but that D's dad was not married anymore. We then had an interesting conversation about marrying someone for life and that many people go into marriage expecting happiness (instead of holiness) and then they don't know how to cope when they aren't happy.

It was one of those rare parenting moments when you realize your kids are really listening, and to be honest I probably starting preaching a bit. Well, Theo piped up from the back with confidence but also the need for a little reasurrance in his voice and said, 'But daddy does make you happy.' Realizing he needed a little reassurance about the state of his parents' marriage, I said, 'oh yes. Daddy makes me really happy.'

Without missing a beat Addie then said, 'Yeah, He makes you happy when he brings you candy.' There you have it. Addie's husband is going to have it really easy. In her five-year-old mind, candy is the key to a good marriage!  Love it.

Happy Mother's Day to Me

When we were in London I wanted to get a dress. I love shopping there because then you can be more assured that your dress won't be duplciated back in Missouri!  It didn't take long before I found a dress that I really liked and went to try it on. When I was in the dressing room, my friend Ruth came in with the same dress in Addie's size and said, 'Look you can get the same one for Addie.' I was sold. We both agreed that my opportunity for wearing matching dress was running out. It wasn't long before I was the proud owner of an adult sized and child sized dress in the same fabric.

It will come as no surprise that Addie has been dying to wear the dresses together since we showed her them. I told her that Mother's Day would be the right first time. You should have seen how excited she was to put her dress on this morning. We had a lot of fun being twins today. Here are some pictures to show - (and of course we had a little brother that wanted in on the action so we obliged).

Theo watching baseball

Whoever claims that watching television is a sedentary activity has never seen Theo watch Royals' baseball....enjoy!

PS - he had no idea we were taking this video.

Airplanes, Monkeys, and Spider Webs

Here is a glimpse of a, not so unusual, moment in my life...

Before bedtime Eliot notices a nail that is hanging above his bed and asks what it is for. I tell him that we use to have a picture hanging on it when Addie's bed was there. I then explain that I left it there for him so now we just need to find a picture to hang on the wall there. I ask what he would like the picture to be of. He replies 'airplanes or monkeys'.

Addie then, overhearing, came to the rescue (Addie is always a problem solver, sometimes it is helpful) -

Addie: Mom you could look on web for those pictures.
Erin: You mean the web?
Addie: Yes, you could look on the web to see if they have any monkeys or airplanes.
Eliot: Where spider web?

When you are tired this is mildly funny. Once the kids are in bed, it is really funny.