Four

Who am I?

Halloween

I am so done with Halloween. How many times can our kids need to have candy thrust at them in one month? I mean really. I didn't even buy any candy this year because we had so much given to us at parties and activities that I had a huge bowl of it before Halloween ever dawned.
That said, we do love dressing up. Jake's costume kills me! He insisted on being Legolas (Lord of the Rings: for all you non-geeks out there) Ethan is a knight, and Emma is an elf princess. To round it all out, we'll say Lily is a hobbit.

The Art of the Argument

Kamikaze

Jacob spent a comically small amount of time on a tricycle. Since Ethan got his new bike it freed this one up for Jacob who was looking for a more efficient means of damaging himself and/or others. After numerous phone calls and minor litigation we have decided to limit Jake's tires to the closed garage. Sure, he gets very dizzy, but it doesn't seem to have any affect on the frequency or the ferocity of his collisions.

Sunday

It's too bad I took this picture with such bad lighting but if I can get a picture of all four of them without any pouting, sneezing, or fingers in any sort of hole, I'm publishing it.

Warped

The kids and I often have fun with pictures on the computer. These had them in stitches and me clutching my painful ribcage.

20,088

Four year olds are really weird. They are completely unpredictable and say the craziest things. It is so fabulous having one in the house that we planned very carefully to have one every other year from 2004 until 2012 when Lily will turn 5.

Jacob is four years old. Incidentally, I told him he is not old enough for Kindergarten and he wept bitterly until I realized that we homeschool and I can tell him he's started Kindergarten 6 months ago. He was very happy about that. We just don't use the labels that much around here. Heck, Ethan can say he's in Junior High for all we care. I digress.

Jacob thinks the biggest number in existence is 20,088. How high is the sky? 20,088. How much do you love Lily? 20,088. How strong is Daddy? 20,088. We are waiting for the day he realizes there is a 20,089.

Last week, Jakey had a hangnail and was bemoaning it's terrible affects on his wellbeing to the family during lunch. Emma, who always loves a bawth (that's a fancy word for bath) told him, "Just take a bath, Jake. Baths fix everything." Jake pondered on this assertion for a moment and dissented, "But Emma, water weakens wood!"

As we were getting ready for bed one evening, Jake told me, "I'm tired, Mom," then, "I'm really tired!" and finally, "I'm Superhero tired!"

Superman has Kryptonite, even so does our Jake have a downfall. Yesterday, he and Ethan were having some kind of Ironman competition being tough and strong or some such boyish activity when Ethan raised his claws and growled fiercely. Jake threw his hands in the air and hightailed it yelling, "MONSTERS ARE MY ONLY WEAKNESS!"

Yeah, we like having a four year old around.

Jake and Lily

I'm starting to notice some uncanny similarities between my two youngest children. They have always been the best of friends and love to make each other laugh. Jakey has always been able to cheer Lily up when she is sad and she loves to rub his fuzzy head. Lily has been starting to act more like her big brother of late, showboating, cracking jokes, and general tomfoolery in order to get a laugh. I'm just waiting for for the day she starts burping on demand, too.

Maple Valley Days

We live in a great little town. I love the library, the lake, the parks, the neighborhoods, and schools. It's great place. We are minutes away from everything we need. Except Costco, but that's being built a few miles away. In June, during Maple Valley Days a fair is set up around the lake with food, booths, pony and carnival rides. We took the kids last Friday and they got loaded up with balloons, stickers, and we, the cheapest parents ever, even let them go on two rides for mucho dinero.
On Monday, I got about twelve messages on the phone from friends telling us what they found in their driveways.

The Front Page

Jake took one look at it, threw his arms into the air and shouted, "I'm the KING!"

A Day at our House

Here we are just after lunch. Ethan and Emma are working on their Math. Jacob is not doing his workbook yet because he has to finish eating the lettuce from his sandwich which was surreptitiously dropped on the floor throughout lunchtime. Lily is eating Playdough.

Scotch Tape

Jacob had a thing for scotch tape a couple months ago. I'm still finding scotch tape everywhere: on the floor, under tables, on the bedposts, wrapped around chair legs, on Lily's tummy, and today I found some around the toilet bowl. I don't know how long the tape has been there. This could have all happened in one all out taping spree, or it could be one of his daily tasks. Eat breakfast, check. Put on clothes inside out, check. Irritate Ethan, check. Put a small piece of tape in some inconspicuous place which I plan on denying any knowledge of if and when it is discovered by Mom, check.

Mount Olympus

We finished studying Ancient Greece a little while ago. This is the Mount Olympus we created in our play room complete with the houses of Aphrodite, Hera, Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Zeus, of course up at the top. And before you accuse me of teaching revised history, we are well aware that Ethan is in a ROMAN chariot. They just wanted it for the picture.

Jake's 4th Birthday

Jake wanted a chocolate Batman cake this year. I barely got it done. He got a Nerf Ball Gun. Balls flying over my head as I type. He also got a card from G&G Lee with $4 which he waved around wildly singing, "I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Bubbles

The Oldest Picture

There. My most recent post is the oldest picture so as you read down all my catch up pictures they will actually go in chronological order. All posts henceforth will be in achronological order but current. This is Aunt Karen and Uncle Ben's wedding by the way, in case the dress didn't clue you in. Our lovely cousins LeeAnn and JaLynn are on the left. Since this is the oldest picture, they are much older now as are we.

Halloween

Here is the next oldest picture. The chronology will soon get all screwy. My kids are terrific Halloweeners...or should that be Halloweenies?

Gingerbread Houses

I know it's almost June. Here are the gingerbread houses the kids made this past Christmas. Ethan's fell down and did not want a picture documenting his structural failure.

Karen's Birthday Video