Tidbits

One day last week, Bo was counting to 100 — “27, 28, 29… <pause>  What comes after 29?”  “You know, I’ll give you a hint.  It’s mommies age!”  “30!  30’s a long way from 5!”  Oh my.  Yes, it is…

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Our summer schedule has been significantly more laid-back in the morning compared to our school year schedule.  During the school year, it’s a race against the clock to dress and feed everyone before we needed to be at school.  Now, most mornings we don’t have anywhere that we have to be (although we do end up at the park sometimes) and there is no rush.  It’s nice.  As a result of our downtime in the mornings, I’ve witnessed hours of imaginative play.  They set up tea parties, make ice cream out of PlayDoh, and the newest favorite is playing “baby”.  Everyone takes a turn playing the baby role.  Bo likes to be the Daddy and put the “babies” to bed.  He empties out the girls’ toy chest and they pretend it’s a crib and he tucks them in with their blankets and tons of stuffed toys.  I had to laugh the other day when Anna was playing the mama role and I heard her say to Bo, “Bo, it’s nap time.  You need to rest – the friends are coming soon!”  And my absolute favorite – Bo – “I’m taking my diaper off!”  Anna – “Don’t pee on the floor!”  Oh, the many times I’ve said those words to her!

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We’ve been in the midst of potty training for about three weeks.  Overall, I’d say we’ve got it – but there are still accidents and I’ve spent way too much time in public bathrooms recently.  The trio had their school physicals on Monday and we made numerous trips to the bathroom during the visit.  In good news, they are growing well and hopefully they will be bathroom self-sufficient before school starts in August.

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On Saturday morning, after waking at 5:15ish, the girls managed to resettle.  Bo was still up by 6, so the two of us had the better part of an hour to spend together on Saturday morning since Mike was at work.  I have all of the Pioneer Woman’s shows from Food Network saved on our DVR and I’ve only managed to watch two of them (yes, this show has been on for over a year…).  I turned one on while I was drinking my coffee and Bo and I both enjoyed our trip to Ree Drummond’s ranch.  Bo loved watching the horses, the kids, and Charlie the ranch dog as Ree cooked some yummy recipes.  One of the recipes showcased in this episode was egg-in-a- hole.  After watching it, Bo asked if we could make them – and so we did.  By the time we were finished, Clara and Anna were up and we were all able to enjoy our breakfast together – thanks to Chef Bo.  He asked this morning if we could make a new recipe for breakfast – I think I’ve started something.

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Clara came to visit me while I was in the shower this morning.  We spent a good 10 minutes discussing everything that was in the shower and practicing pronouncing them correctly.  Who knew that listening to a 2-year-old say “shampoo” could be so amusing.

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The big news of our week has been the arrival of Baby Mack.  I made a mad dash to Effingham on Wednesday evening and he was born at 4:45 am on Thursday.  Mandy is doing well and has taken to motherhood like a champ.  I’m beyond excited for her and her perfect little boy.  I’m still recovering from sleep deprivation, but it was completely worth it to be there to capture this photo when he was still just minutes old.