Holiday Antics

As always, I seem to have a handful of excuses for my lack of blogging and usually they are really good. But this time.....I have to confess. We are deep into season 2 of Homeland, and the only way we can watch it is by hooking our laptop up to the TV. And I am not about to lay my 8.5 month pregnant ass on the floor to blog while we watch it. Sorry people.

But I find myself with a few spare minutes today, and wanted to share some of the holiday antics we have been up to the last month or so...

Thanksgiving was spent in Viroqua and we enjoyed good food, getting to watch Macy's Parade, and then attend our own Twinkle parade. But the highlight of all highlights might have been the pumpkin pie (or for Bea the whipped cream).

We also got to attend a very cute event at a local garden center, where the girls caught their first glimpse of Santa (and lets just say they were okay with the distance between him and themselves). There was a little Santa play which Tillie loved and Bea could have cared less about so we split up and I followed Bea around and sought out some photo op spots.

This girl has the perfect mix of naughty and nice down pat. Just enough of both so that you are never bored.....

Sister Love--or bossiness...sometimes it is hard to tell them apart

"Just look, Bea....just look"

The "I am totally too cool for this" look. We are in trouble for the teen years...

And then amidst fever, chills and other unmentionables, we decorated Christmas cookies. Don't worry--they were not shared with anyone else. We kept our germs to ourselves for this year.

I think Matilda may have been happy to just eat the sprinkles, but eventually got into it.

 Bea tried her best to stick with it. But her fever was higher and her attention span shorter. She didn't really care about eating the frosting or the cookies, but rather was determined to collect and lick every knife we had on the table claiming them loudly as "MISE" (mine).

She is so ready to be a middle child.

Some of the end products

Tillie--hold up your cookie!

I promise you behind that cookie is a very beautiful snowman (with a white blob of frosting and one red hot).

More holiday cheer to come in the next week, assuming we can get healthy-stay healthy-and not cut any more teeth. :)

Realities of Pregnancy

I haven't really given much thought the impending arrival of Baby #3. I'm sure to some that sounds really flip, untrue, or perhaps like I am a pretty terrible parent.

The truth is that I know this baby will demand so much time and attention when it arrives that I want and need to focus all of that on my kids that are here, live and in the flesh and actually verbalizing their needs (like the BUNNY water, not the cow water. Do NOT bring me the cow water).

So many people have asked me if we have names figured out. No. No we do not. We barely have thought about it. Nate will randomly throw names at me every once in a while and I can't even process the thought of it. So.....we just sort of pretend this baby doesn't need a name. For the first 2 we had names 100% decided upon before going to the hospital. I am sort of thinking instead of name, we will be bringing a name book, or app so we can decide once we are holding the baby.

Have no fear--this baby has a way of making sure I am not totally forgetting about it. From insane acrobatics every night at about 9:45PM to the quite large and in charge belly, I am definitely aware that I am, in fact, pregnant.

Probably the most painful reminder (visually and physically) are these amazingly beautiful vericose veins that have come with each pregnancy. I have one from each pregnancy. And of course, the one I got with Matilda is absolutely gigantic now as it has had three pregnancies to flourish. They hurt my eyes, and they hurt my legs.

And after this morning, you can add my ego to that list.....

I walked downstairs in a dress, and hadn't put my tights on yet. (because lets be honest at 8.5 months pregnant you wait to pull on those suckers until the last minute).

I'm standing next to the table, and Tillie is on the ground coloring. She looks up and says:
 "Ew, Mama, what is that?"
"Well Tillie, that is a vein"
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes"
"It's warm!"
"Yup. I have one on this leg too" (turning to show her the really bad one)
"NOT GOOD, Mama. Not good, mama. You need an ice pack"

At which point she goes to freezer, wraps the ice pack in a towel and follows me around the house applying an ice pack to my leg.

So, any hope that these suckers aren't noticeable is completely gone. Time to embrace them (and also hope they go down after this baby arrives!).

Tillie Talks

Tonight at dinner, Tillie got quiet and was contemplating something. She looks up and asks:
"First you eat the food, then you poop it out, and then you puke.That's how it works right?"
__________________________________

"Daddy, are you the boss?"
"Yes"
"Ok, but I'm the boss of Bea"
"No you aren't."
"Yes, I am."
"Tillie, what does it mean to be the boss?"
"You get to tell people to stand in line and listen to the rules."

________________

"I won't bite Clifford." (after being asked why she bit Bea...although to be fair Bea DID put her hands in Tillie's mouth).

____________________________________

In the ultimate display of Matilda's well-timed jabs this conversation happened just after Nate got a new bike (his was stolen...again):

"Daddy is super excited to show you his new bike. Do you want to see it?"
Tillie quiet--thinks on it.
"Yes"
(a few more seconds)
"Did you get a new ring too daddy?"

Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. First of all we NEVER talk about Nate not having a ring because I don't really care, and it isn't a big deal for us. But I love that she has filed it away and is keeping him honest on priorities.....

______________________________________

Walking into the bonus room, Tillie is standing on the couch. I say to her "Tillie on your booty, no standing on the couch"

And she yells:

"Stay away Mama!"

Just as I was about to launch into a 'that is not how you talk to your mama' speech, Nate pops up from behind the couch (he was hiding) and says: She is pretending to be Elsa and doesn't want to freeze you.....