Sahara Desert Soufle

About once a year I decide to go on a smoothie kick. And by "smoothie kick," I mean that I last about 2-3 days. This summer my smoothie kick drew much attention from David and Corrie. I decided to freeze a concoction of yogurt, spinach, carrots, and other ingredients that I can't remember, and they loved eating it in mugs as a type of cold summer treat. 

Mac, like most normal people, looked at the disgusting color and decided against trying to eat much of it. (In fact, Corrie spilled a bunch of it on the sidewalk at pool and it looked exactly like some poor child had been sick. Poor lifeguards!)

Corrie, however, has affectionately named it, "Sahara Desert Soufle," and she can't get enough of it!

That's Corrie!

The Fly Whisperer

If there was a summer television competition for capturing various bugs and small animals/reptiles, Mac would be a sure bet. I can't count the number of baby lizards he caught last summer (something I tried for years and years as a kid and only managed to do once or twice).

A couple days ago, there was a fly near our window that was bothering all of us. Mac just reached over and grabbed it, like it was nothing at all. How does he do that?

That's Mac!

A Girl and Her Yo-Yo

Several days ago, Corrie came into the possession of a very cheap little toy yo-yo. Who would have thought it would become her favorite entertainment for hours on end? Not me. I can actually yo-yo, and it was nearly impossible with the tiny toy. 

Amazingly, after only three or four days, she was actually successful with her new yo-yo...once. She's been pretty excited about it. 

Earlier this morning, I was nursing Abigail in her room when I heard Corrie yell, "oh no!"

My first thought was, "oh, no, David peed on the floor again." Thankfully, Corrie was simply alerting me that we had run out of toilet paper in the bathroom. "Okay!," I said, "I'll get you some as soon as I am done with Abigail. Just sit tight for a few minutes!" 

Then I heard her say, "Okay! I'll wait!" And then a little later I heard her say to herself, matter-of-factly, "Good thing I've got my yo-yo."

I don't know why that made me laugh so much, but it did.

Since then, she's been pretending to be a cheetah named spot. She has been entertaining herself immensely by acting out what a yo-yoing cheetah would look like!   

 

That's Corrie!

"Let's Play Dinosaurs"

We started off our summer vacation with some mild colds for the kids. Unfortunately, the cold was not so mild for me. I ended up being sidelined for a few weeks with a sinus infection and severe ear infection. 

Needless to say, the kids had their run of the house for days, and it was quite obvious. I literally had dreams of Lord of Flies as I lay in bed. 

One sweet note of those memorable weeks was how much David and Corrie enjoyed playing together. They played "dinosaur" for hours each day. 

At some point in the day, usually after swim lessons, one of the two would say, "let's play dinosaurs!" After happily agreeing, they would begin building houses from blocks and make a dinosaur family. Corrie would be the mom, and David would be the dad. They would take their family on walks, put the babies in time out, etc. 

It was so funny hearing their conversations (when I could hear), and so surprising that they could spend so many hours enjoying their imaginations together. I started sitting Abigail next to them to watch for as long as she would stand it before crying. 

Would they have come up with their game if I had been healthy and kept them busy with other things? I am not sure. And I am so thankful for such a sweet memory of them.

Our Little Paleontologist

If there's one thing David loves these days, it's dinosaurs. In particular, he's always had a special interest in fossils/dinosaur bones. When he saw the ultrasound image of Abigail, his reaction was, "What? BONES?!!! The baby has BONES?!!"

For the past several weeks, he has requested almost every day to watch a national geographic documentary of the discovery of a Spinosaurus skeleton. Mac and Corrie are bored out of their minds, but Davey is glued to the screen.  

The other day I saw him playing at the kitchen table with the Little People Farm set. When I looked closer, I saw that he had found Mac's shark tooth collection, too. 

I wish you could have heard the conversations his "paleontologists" were having. Apparently they had made quite a discovery!

Abigail