Fun, Fun, Fun, 'til Daddy Takes the T-bird Away!

First loose tooth! (On the bottom, sitting at an angle.) When Ben first noticed his loose tooth, he told everyone! Immediately, Brianna began to tell people that she, too, had a loose tooth . . . in her foot!
Snuggle time.

First black eye. Thanks to a hard bump with a classmate.

At a carnival in town. I thought Brianna would be nervous to ride this little train ride on her own, but she LOVED it. She rode it 3 or 4 times!

Ben's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese's.

Future American Idol?? (Singing "I Am a Child of God".)

Teaching Ben to "roll with it". (Also at the carnival.)


Even Simon would be enthralled by her! ("Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")

When Brianna watched herself in these videos, she said, "So cute!" and "I a good singer!"

Backyard Fun

We got a trampoline!! We toyed with the idea of just putting up the frame; the kids were enjoying it so much!

Yesterday evening we finally got the enclosure put up. Ben and Brianna and a neighbor girl, whom we'll call Miley, were playing a game of Tag on the trampoline. Brianna was IT, but her cute little legs couldn't seem to catch the much bigger children. Suddenly, she stopped, and with a slightly plaintive tone said, "Miley, I just wanna hug you. Just wanna hug you, Miley." Well, Miley couldn't resist that, and came toward Brianna with her arms outstretched. As soon as Miley was in striking distance, Brianna's sweet, innocent expression suddenly became very devious, and she tagged Miley and ran off!

Smart Thinkin'

Ben was with me when I clicked on a news link about the derecho. Wikipedia explains a derecho as: a widespread and long-lived, violent convectively induced straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. These straight-line winds can exceed 100 mph (in some cases, sustained wind) in these clusters and straight-line wind gusts of up to 200 mph are possible in the most extreme cases....

There was footage on the clip, and let me just say that this is one terrifying storm to behold.

Ben asked with some concern, "Is that coming here?"

"No," I reassured him.

"Oh, good. 'Cause if it was, I was going to save my money and buy a car and drive to the airport and trade my car for an airplane and fly outta here!"

Some Tips Regarding the Swine Flu

If you are concerned about the Swine Flu, and you are running short on surgical masks to wear around, may we suggest an alternative:

And, should your area be spared the Swine Flu, you won't need to feel that you wasted your money, because these can also be worn as enviably fashionable head wear. You can't do that with a surgical mask.
Our legal department insists that we mention the minor side effects. Occasionally, wearers have displayed monster-like tendencies. And, even rarer, some wearers have lost muscle tone in one side of their necks. These side effects clear up within a week or so following removal of this product. However, we still feel that the benefits outweigh the risks.If you find yourself infected with the Swine Flu, you should remain home and drink plenty of fluids. However, if you simply MUST venture out, we suggest donning a disguise. Over-sized glasses and moon boots, perhaps.

Healthy habits are the best defense. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies; drink lots of water; get 7-9 hours of sleep each night; and get plenty of exercise and sunshine.

Good luck! And remember, we're all in this together!

(P.S. Are you tired of diaper on the head pictures yet?)

When Kids Choose Their Own Fashions

I laughed the whole way to the bus stop this morning. Brianna was wearing a darling pink nightgown covered in hearts, a pink jacket, moon boots (on the wrong feet), and huge 3-D glasses!!
I laughed again as Ben boarded the bus and I realized he was wearing the same exact shirt that he wore yesterday! That, combined with his new "fauxhawk" hairdo is sure to be quite a hit!

An Update with Photos

Spring has sprung here in the desert. I love it! One of our trees out front was full of white blossoms when Brianna stepped outside the other morning. She said, "Mommy! It's snowing!"

We planted our garden this weekend. It feels so good to be doing something that we've been counseled to do. This is Brianna's "gardeen box". We planted flower seeds a few weeks ago, but Brianna kept "stirring" her gardeen box. Hmmm, I wonder why nothing had grown. So, we planted actual plants, and explained that the stirring needs to be done in the sandbox, and not the garden.

Ben wanted me to take a picture showing how huge this branch was. It's hard to tell in the picture, but it starts at his feet, goes a couple of feet over his head, and then it curves back down to about his armpit. I love the adoring look on Brianna's face, as she tries to do what big brother is doing.

I had the privilege of accompanying Ben and his class on a field trip. It was really fun, and I'm glad to have had the chance to go. Afterward, we walked to a park and ate pizza. Ben was kind enough to pose for me. Ben, and a friend on the bus ride. ... First Grade humor.

While we're on the subject of fingers up noses, I caught Brianna with her finger up her nose the other day. I said, "Brianna, don't pick your nose!" She said, "I not picking my nose! I getting the crumbs out!"

Ben, making his birthday wish! That candle didn't stand a chance!

Oh, the entertaining power of a diaper on the head.

Brianna has fallen in love with books, and usually sleeps with several in her bed with her.

Another Ben and Brianna sleepover. Doesn't Ben look uncomfortable?? And, why is his head UNDER the pillow??! If you look closely, Brianna has a book under her left arm.

Ben with his paper airplane collection. He has become very creative and imaginative with his airplane creations!

It's always fun to see Brianna dance and perform for the camera!

Ben's Birthday Food Requests

Breakfast -
Powdered donuts
strawberries
apple juice

Lunch -
P-nut butter and honey sandwich
BBQ potato chips
cookie
Rootbeer

Dinner -
Cheeseburger Happy Meal

Birthday Treat - (we're not big cake people)
Strawberry Pie

Treat for school -
Fruit Roll-ups

Easter Smiles!

How Do You Find A Word That Means Brianna?

I have been wanting to post about Brianna, but the thought of trying to capture Brianna in words is always daunting. As I was thinking about this, the scene from the Sound of Music with the nuns discussing Maria came to mind. The song they sing about Maria could have been written about our Brianna. I have bolded the lines in the song that are so 'Brianna'.



She climbs a tree and scrapes her knee (only, Brianna would have gotten the scrape by JUMPING OUT of the tree).
Her dress has got a tear
She waltzes on her way to Mass
And whistles on the stair (Brianna doesn't attend Mass, but she is full of a happiness that just spills out of her wherever she goes.)
And underneath her wimple
She has curlers in her hair (Even though she knows the rules, she'll do things her own way.)
I even heard her singing in the abbey

I'd like to say a word in her behalf
Maria makes me laugh

How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

When I'm with her I'm confused
Out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly where I am
Unpredictable as weather
She's as flighty as a feather
She's a darling! She's a demon! She's a lamb!
She'd outpester any pest (Mostly Ben.)
Drive a hornet from its nest
She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl

She is gentle! She is wild!
She's a riddle! She's a child!
She's a headache! She's an angel!
She's a girl!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

How Am I Supposed to Take That?

Last Sunday, Ben and I were lounging on the couch. He had his feet pointed toward me, so I started massaging them. Every time I stopped, he would get after me to keep going. He also kept pointing out areas that needed more attention.
I finally laughed and said, "What? Do you think I'm your personal massage therapist?"
Without missing a beat, he replied, "Well, you're the only one available."