Squeeky Bones

Matt has the most annoying bones in the world! His whole body pops when he moves. Every time he bends his thumb - it cracks. Well, normally I am pretty used to his squeaky bones, but last night it was absolutely crazy!! Finley had a bubbling stomach - one that made her wake up at 3:30 and Matt didn't get back in bed until 5:15. Not so fun when she has been sleeping through the night for over a week! Well, he was holding her and pacing the room (my rules for middle of the night awake babies - that is his job - he can be tired at work, but if I am tired and have a short fuse, I don't want it to come out on our kids - so he is on night duty). As he was pacing, his body was cracking every step he made - his knees and ankles!! AGH! I finally had to make him leave the room it was so loud! This happened when the girls were babies too. So bad I wouldn't let him take another step - he had to freeze where he was until I could leave the room! Yes I am a little extreme (but if you know me, that is just my personality), but man, he sounds like the tin man and needs a good oiling!!!!

First Words

Finley has started to try to "talk" lately. It is so cute to see her try so hard to get just one little sound out of her precious little mouth. It is kind of funny to think about me trying to get her to "talk!" In about 2 years, I will probably want a cap on that cute little mouth and wish it didn't talk so much!! And those little sweet sounds will soon turn to words, some loving, some funny, and some hurtful! I guess that is why I love babies so much! They are so pure and sweet - not like adults who just have too much on their minds and know way too much! I like the simplicity of a baby - where contentment is just having a full belly, clean diaper, and some weird person making funny faces to make you smile. I love being her whole world and just want to keep her in a little bubble so the world can't get to her!

Billboard

Here is the latest from the Red Cross!! Oh yes, Harper's great stunt landed us on a billboard! It is on 74 by the McDonalds in Monroe (so I have heard - we haven't seen it yet, but plan on going by sometime soon). It is kind of embarrassing, I guess, just weird because I don't feel like I should get recognition for what happened - I just did what I had to do so my child wouldn't be blue!!! But I do realize that this is the whole point of the Red Cross - equipping people for emergency situations and I am so glad I had some what of an idea of what to do for Harper. So if our billboard gets more people CPR certified - then I am very proud of that!!!

Cheeeaps!!

We went out to eat last night (and Heather, if you are reading this - it was to El Valle - your favorite dirty Mexican place!) They give you chips and salsa when you sit down. The kids ate the first basket in a matter of seconds and the man (all authentic "mexicans" at this restaurant) asked, "Do you want more cheeeaps?" He walked away and Harper looked at me and said, "He said cheeeaps - this is a cheeeeap (holding up his chip)." It was hilarious!! I couldn't control myself and everytime he asked if we wanted more, Harper would wait until he walked away and smile and said, "He said cheeeaps!!!" Love it!

This week

After the zoo, we stopped at Andrew Jackson Park. The kids played on the playground and we walked to the little lake. They had to get in this boat.

Daddy and his baby girl

Harper reading to Fee Clara (Finley Claire) - He loves to read to her

Finley helping with the laundry! She does a great job holding the clothes down.

The kids found Charlie yesterday in the backyard. He is a turtle. They thought it was so neat that they got to pick him up!! That is the only animal the girls will touch!!

Finley's smiles are getting bigger!!

Zoo Trip 10/3

We took the kids to the Columbia Zoo on Saturday and had a great time!! They were so excited (we had to make a picture to count down the days until we went). The weather was absolutely beautiful and we packed a picnic lunch. Grandma and Grandpa came with us too (I guess you just can't pass up a good zoo trip no matter how old you are!!) Of course Harper looked forward to the elephants and Chloe was excited about the giraffe's. When we got there, there was a zoo keeper holding a baby chinchilla. It was so soft!! It had some big ears and kind of looked like a huge squirrel, but it had whiskers like a bunny and its nose twitched like one too - interesting animal. Harper pet it. The girls wouldn't! Funny story: There were these two enormous turtles that were mating. Well the kind of growl when doing this. So we were standing there watching this big turtle kind of standing behind the other turtle with its front "paws" on the shell of it. The girls thought it was funny what the turtle was "saying" (the growling noise). Yesterday, Carly was telling me all about that turtle and this was her take on the situation: "Mom, the big turtle was eating on the other turtle and it was really yummy so he kept saying MMMMMMM!!" It was hysterical! Anyways, here are the pics!

Grandpa helping the girls feed the big orange fish!
Riding the elephant

The cute baby giraffe!

Harper feeding the giraffe - Chloe did once, but kind of got grossed out I think. Harper laughed so hard the whole time - he loved it! Carly wouldn't get too close!

The girls riding the horses - Bear and Blondie. They were so proud of themselves riding the real horse all by themselves.

They also got to ride the carousel. They had a train ride too, but I just realized that I didn't download the pic, so you will just have to use your imagination on that one!!

Can you tell Harper had fun??

Matt and I were so excited to take Finley to her first zoo trip, and as you can see, we didn't take a single picture of her!!!!!!! Can you believe the slack parenting on this end!! Oh well, there will be many more zoo trips - maybe will document one she actually sees and doesn't sleep through the whole thing!

Random

Ok - if you are so sick that you have to wear a face mask to go shopping at Target - THEN DON'T GO!!!! I was at Target yesterday and there was some lady doing some shopping with a mask on!! Come on people!! With all the sickness going around, please just keep it at home! I went to the doctor's on Monday and it was so weird. There were signs posted all over the hospital that no one under the age of 18 was allowed in the hospital unless you are really sick/injured. Then when I signed in at the desk, there was a box of face masks (complimentary - kind of like hand gel) in case you were that sick. And then when I took Finley to her 1 month check up, there were kids in the sick side of the waiting room with the masks on. OOHH, I feel germy just typing about all this - I need to go wash my hands!!

Another random thought - For 8 years Matt and I have been married. Ever since then, he has insisted to have this long body pillow at the top of the bed so his pillow wouldn't fall through (I don't know why, he is weird, but I went along with it). Well the other morning he was laying there complaining about our bed and saying it was too small. (It is queen size) He said, "I just want to be able to stretch out and not have my feet hit the foot board!" I looked at him and said, "Are you serious?? Just move that body pillow at our heads and move your pillow up!!!" You would have thought I gave the boy a million dollars!! He was so excited he could stretch with his extra room!! FOR 8 YEARS he had been suffering with a bed that was too short (according to him)!!! CRAZY! So now his feet don't hit the foot board - I know, I know - I am a genius!!!