Bath time

Our children are spoiled when it comes to bath time.  We frequently let them use the big bathtub in our room.  Sometimes I let them because they ask nicely, sometimes because I know it will motivate them to take a bath, and sometimes because I need to put my laundry away and I can do it will I watch them take a bath.  It is one of the benefits of not having any walls separate your bedroom and bathroom.  Once in a while if they have been really good I will even let them watch TV while they take a bath.  It is another benefit of not having walls.

A movie and a bath...spoiled kids!

In the summer when I would give them baths in our big bathtub I would just step in the bathtub to scrub them up and rinse them off.  It was easy and it worked.  Then cold weather came along.  At first I would take off my pants and stand in the bathtub, but after a time or two I decided that wasn’t a good plan.  So now I stand on the bathtub by the window and use the sprayer to hose the kids off.  Brad thinks it is hilarious, but it works for us!

Notice the plant ledge to the left...seriously why is that necessary?!

I have also been known to put all three kids in our shower.  I then climb on the plant ledge (why do we even have a live plant in our bathroom…it came with the house) and hand them soap and direct them from the ledge.  The way our shower is designed if you open the doors while the water is on you will flood the bathroom.  If we are in a hurry I put them in the shower, throw soap to them and Vincent washes everyone up.  It isn’t the best job, but it works when we are in a hurry. 

Shower time.

5 year old selfies...oh dear!

A few weeks ago on a Saturday, I was exhausted after being up several times in the night with children who didn’t want to sleep.  It is unusual if I spend an entire night in my own bed.  I usually end up in Joel's bed around 3 am.  Anyway, in the afternoon when Joel and Cecilia napped I handed Vincent my phone and told him he could play on it but he had to wake me up when the alarm went off.  He agreed and was thrilled to play on my phone.  I immediately passed out on the couch.  A few days later Vincent was showing me pictures he decorated in his PBS photo app on my phone.  That is when I saw that Vincent took a picture of himself next to me while I was sound asleep!  He tells me he had to take a few to get a good one.  Brad and I had a good laugh when we saw the picture.  My sisters also thought it was hilarious.  I look terrible and Vincent is just smiling away!  All I can say is that I had a great nap and it was totally worth the embarrassing picture that I am silly enough to share on the internet.

T.P. Issues

We have a toilet paper bandit in our house.  He is sneaky and quick and has also attacked the paper towels.  The first time I found his handiwork I asked Vincent who unrolled all the toilet paper in the bathroom.  It wasn’t on the floor but looked like someone tried to fix it and shoved it back around the toilet paper holder.  Vince swore it wasn’t him and said it was Cecilia.  So we asked Cecilia.  She said it wasn’t her and said “Joel-e do it.”  We found Joel, brought him to the bathroom and asked him who played with the toilet paper.  He said “Joel-e do it!”  He was very proud of himself.

One of many toilet paper rolls that have been attacked.

Since then the paper towels have been attacked, the toilet paper in the kids’ bathroom, and even the toilet paper in our bathroom upstairs.  We have unrolled toilet paper shoved in random spots of the bathroom (top of the toilet, around the holder, on the floor) waiting to be used.  I hesitate before putting a new roll on the holder, but the rest of us need to use toilet paper so I can’t keep it under lock and key.  I was a little annoyed at first, but it is kind of funny that Joel can quietly go unroll toilet paper without anyone knowing.  He thinks it is hilarious and it really is!  Someday all the kids with be moved out and my toilet paper will be neatly on a roll.  Until then I have bigger things to worry about.  If you come over and need to use the bathroom the piled up toilet paper is safe to use.

He works quickly and quietly!

Halloween Fun!

In previous years Joel didn’t care about Halloween at all.  He didn’t like it actually.  He would sit in the stroller with the shade down a hat on his face and ignore the fact that anything was going on.  This year he was looking at a catalog and asked what something was.  I told him it was a batman costume that you can wear for Halloween.  He started asking to “go to Halloween.”  We talked about Halloween a little and he was pretty excited about it.  It was then that I knew he would probably go along with my idea of everyone being superheroes for Halloween.

My 3 superheroes!

Their very cool capes!

The superhero family!  Vincent, Brad, Joel, Kelli and Cecilia.

Grandma Diane made us all capes (Vincent already had one) and I made sweatshirts that looked like superhero shirts and masks for all the kids.  I made a sweatshirt for myself too, but not Brad.  He told me he wasn’t going to be able to go because he would be in the field.  It ended up raining that afternoon so he was able to go with us.  He was a little disappointed he didn’t have a cool sweatshirt to wear.  I knew I shouldn’t have listened to him and just made one.

I love Joel's expression!

Joel with his teacher at the Halloween Parade.

We had all be wearing our capes around well before Halloween Day because the kids loved to wear them and pretend we were all superheroes.  Many nights (and days) we would run around the house in them and race, wrestle and pretend to save people and things.  In the morning Cecilia and I went to Joel’s school to see their Halloween Parade.  We were then invited to stay for the class party.  Cecilia was so excited to stay and play with Joel and Joel was pretty excited to have us.  There are only 4 kids in his class and Cecilia was happy to be number 5 for the morning.  I really enjoyed seeing how he worked in his classroom.

Joel and Cecilia waiting for a snack.

Cecilia loved getting to go to Joel's school.

Already to go trick or treating.

After School Diane, Brad, the kids and I went to a nearby nursing home that offers trick or treating.  It is a very popular spot!  The residents are all lined up in two very large areas and hand out candy to all the kids.  It is indoors (except for the long line you stand in to get inside), safe, the kids love it and the residents like seeing the all the children dressed up.   Brad was helping Joel at the nursing home and he said that about half way thru Joel realized what was going on and no long had to be prompted to say trick or treat.  He really seemed to have fun.  Cecilia figured out the routine rather quick but kept just throwing her candy toward the bag and missing and moving on to the next person.  I spent my time picking her candy up off the floor. 

Super Cecilia.

Super Joel!

Afterwards we went to Aunt Linda’s house to trick or treat.  The rain was letting up by then so we went trick or treating around her block.  Vincent and Joel were running from house to house.  Joel wanted to go in everyone’s house at first because that is the normal thing to do after you ring a doorbell.  We had a lot of fun.  Before we got back to the car Joel spotted a very large puddle and managed to jump in it before we could stop him.  He was in heaven!  He loves puddles!  After Aunt Linda’s house we drove to my godparent’s house to trick or treat.  Aunt Kathy offered them fruit just to tease them and my kids were more than happy to have fruit instead of candy.  

The bag was as big as her!

Vincent and the dog.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I really enjoyed it this year!  It was fun that all three kids enjoyed it and I didn’t have to feel like I was torturing Joel by taking him with us.

Joel, a dog, and Vincent.

Carving Pumpkins

I enjoy carving pumpkins with the kids.  I enjoy it a lot more when Brad is around to help.  This  year we only carved 3 pumpkins.  My grandparents bought the kids pumpkins and I never ended up buying Brad or me a pumpkin.  The kids all decided how they wanted their pumpkin’s faces to be.  Vincent wanted a Frankenstein pumpkin.  The other two just picked different shapes for the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.  I started off carving them with a knife because Brad wasn’t really acting like he wanted to help.  Then I think I made him nervous with my carving skills and he went and got the power tools and started carving everyone’s pumpkins.  He does a really great job!

A little pumpkin chaos.

Brad convinced Joel to touch the pumpkin guts!

Vincent cleaning his pumpkin, Joel watching and Cecilia too close to the edge of the table.

I think Joel was hugging Vincent.

Vincent watching Daddy carve the pumpkin with power tools.

This year I decided I was going to cook the pumpkin seeds.  I sorted them, washed them, put them in the oven, forgot about them, put the kids to bed, and smelled burnt pumpkin seeds!  It was a huge disappointment.  Vincent cried the next morning and wanted to go get more pumpkins so we could try again.  I told him we would do better next year!

Much easier to make fun shapes.

Vincent and his pumpkin.

Cecilia and her pumpkin.

 

Post pumpkin wrestling match...Brad looks like he is losing.

Our pumpkins lived on the dining room table, until they got moldy and gross.  Joel loved them.  He would sit and he meals and talk to the pumpkins.  He would talk about what shapes they had on them, which pumpkin belonged to which kid.  He even pulled them in close to his plate and had lunch with them one day.  He just really enjoyed the pumpkins!

Our 3 pumpkins.

Joel having lunch with his friends.

He really loved having the pumpkins on the table.