Kate's Baby Shower

We had Kate's baby shower last night, so as promised, here are some highlights...
Yesterday was also Logan's first birthday. He celebrated by playing with tissue paper and savagely ripping into a few gift bags. Notice what a nice little shelf his baby sister makes...
Here is my rather disgusting attempt at a party game...I melted a different candy bar in each diaper and people had to guess which candy bar was in each. 4 people actually guessed all of them-these girls are serious about their chocolate!
Here is Kate holding up a beautiful handmade quilt and booties. By the way...you guys back home really came through! Kate had about a million presents to open, and I don't know if that baby girl is ever going to need to wear the same outfit twice!
Logan is now "helping" Mommy with a few of her presents. He is about a minute away from walking by himself-such a big boy!
More cute pink things...if this baby comes out a boy, he is going to be very, uh, pretty...
Kate cuts the cake. She isn't actually crying in this picture, she just got "attacked" by a mango..
Again, thanks to everyone back home for participating in our "long distance baby shower" and thanks to Kate's "England family" too!

Such polite little stinkers!

From an early age, we have been careful to teach our kids the "niceties" such as please, thank you, excuse me, etc. I think Eli has taken being polite to an all new level. For one thing, he feels that the length and volume of the "Peeeeeeeaaaaasssseeee" is directly proportional to the likely hood of obtaining the desired object. The pleases don't stop with just desired objects...everything is _____, please???!! Powder in diaper Mama...PUH HEASE! No nigh nigh Mama, Puh Hease?? His thank yous are equally cute...I can always be rewarded for: getting him dressed, picking him up, handing him anything or even just snapping his car seat with a "TANK TOO!" from my little man. He excuses everyone (even people on TV) when they sneeze or cough. I would like to think that my "Mr Manners" will be around for ever... but I am sure that he will drift away to make room for "Mr What did that kid just say?!" as he approaches the darker teenage years. Ava is already giving us glimpses of the more grown up sauciness (eye rolling, tongue sticking out, turning and shaking her bum like the elephants on DUMBO do). I spend a lot of time laughing behind my hand while trying to look stern. For now, I will enjoy every unsolicited Puh Hease and Tank Too that I am given...they will be my reservoir when only traces of my sweet dutchy little man exist on my big grown up Eli's face.

Sweet little goofballs

As I was getting the kids ready for "gympops" (gym tots) today, I walked by the bathroom and heard Ava yelling , "Blastoff!" inside....I didn't ask. Later I observed Eli go into the "Lavender Loo", sit on his little potty seat, make a horrible noise, and then shout "Bass off". Again, I didn't ask... While Ava is at school, Eli likes to sneak upstairs and play with her dollhouse. I watched him carefully put the Mommy and Daddy to bed, then pick up the Mommy, place the coveted purple pillow on the bed and replace her with a "nigh nigh Mama". Such a Mommy's boy...I love it!
Here are my children painting with water. The page actually turns color as you put water on it...I didn't think they even made these anymore. Eli still managed to get water on every conceivable surface in the dinning room, including the walls. Did I mention that I also so love my washable paint....I am such a dork....

Hello. My name is Eli and I am an Elmoholic. Hello Eli.

Mommy Math

There is a new play park on base. Our kids love it because there are so many new things to climb and dangle from- we love it because the ground (which looks like asphalt, but is really a squishy rubbery material) still has a lot of bounce to it. This means that WHEN Eli swan dives off the curly slide, his chances of needing stitches will be decreased by a good 50%. Speaking of math- I have been studying for my GREs. I am thinking of writing to the "test maker people" and suggesting some new questions for the math section. Forget "two trains leave the station at the same time traveling in opposite directions with the radius of Detroit being the square root of blah blah blah. How about this...Two small children run out the back door of the house at breakneck speed, one has a limp but is wearing a cape, the other is bigger and faster but is wearing her Mommy's shoes. Who will arrive at the trampoline first? The truly brilliant mind knows that child B will pick up a plastic golf club, whack child A in the backside with it and subsequently wind up in time out, giving child A ample time to reach the destination first; however child A will become very interested in a piece of cookie that he dropped on the ground yesterday, so child B will sneak out of time out and arrive at the trampoline first. Or how many Kilojoules of energy does a 3 and half year old need to burn before she will fall asleep? Well... I think I've beat that topic to death- so back to the pictures of the kids at the park...
We like to borrow this one (because two is never enough). Believe it or not, Logan doesn't walk but can climb the slide in the blink of an eye- pray for his parents...please.
Ava enjoys "helping" Eli climb to the top...we are working on this...

Don't be fooled...

She is actually taller than she was yesterday...

She is a little too good at this...some of the other moms were actually getting nervous

It's okay Kate...25 pound 11 month olds can be really scary

Therapy bills

Today Eric and I met with our financial advisor to tweak, if you will, our investments. The good news is: our kids have college funds... the bad news is: at the rate we are going we will be able to pay for about one semester, a text book, and a new pair of shoes for each kid...stupid inflation! Eric and I aren't really banking on social security when we are old(er), and the military pension may or may not happen- so we have to have something saved for retirement. Subtract the quaint cabin in Michigan, Ava's wedding fund, and the emergency "Eli took apart the toilet" stash, and we have very little left for the therapy fund. Today Eli has decided that a pair of old pantyhose is a far more entertaining toy that little cars or soccer balls. Yesterday he donned Mommy's BDU cap and lovely "mommy purse" to go "Bye bye a wok" (bye bye to work)- poor kid. Ava loves to make up stories about a philanthropic T-Rex named "Guinness" who saves little girls from bad dinosaurs. If we are busy- she tells the stories to Eli, her dolls, the furniture...whoever will listen. She prefers to listen to Elton John or Weird Al Yankovic rather than "normal" kid music. Both kids like to eat cereal off the floor, and peanut butter is like top shelf caviar in our house. Please, someone...tell me this is normal...(otherwise the IRAs are going to have to share a lot more nicely with the "therapy fund")