And so, before the madness of adding a new little munchkin to the bunch, I thought I'd best hurry and capture some of the crazy moments leading up to his impending birth.
On Easter weekend we made a fun trip to visit our Cox cousins outside of Detroit where each year a helicopter drops thousands of marshmallows onto a park field so that all sugar-crazed children can run helter skelter and gather up as many marshmallows as they can (which are then supposed to be turned in for door prizes - however, we didn't catch that memo and the kids thoroughly enjoyed their mud and grass covered confections). So fun.
Easter was just a blast with new shoes and treats found within the jungle of real grass growing in our Easter buckets. I went a little wild with the dresses this year, but oh how they twirl!
Our little Ellie Bean happened to turn 4 on the day of the Kentucky Derby this year. So, naturally, SHE decided to have a derby party (with a bit of convincing from Dad) and Daddy only suggested we get a new TV (along with cable service) in order to actually view the Derby at this party. Shopping for TVs was great fun, though we opted for the regular ol' 2-D in the end. Ellie had a blast at her party, complete with good friends in fancy hats cheering on their winning horse picks, some yummy KFC and other southern food favorites, and a pony pinata. By the day's end she was one tuckered out big 4-yr-old girl.
Nana came to town to help Mommy get her wits about her and get our house in at least a decent enough condition for baby brother to come home to. We had good times attempting to swim, at least, in frigid water - with thoughts and hopes of sunshine one day blessing our lives. We also constructed bunk beds so Ellie and Abby could join forces in their nightly "we don't want/can't go to bed (for x reason)" campaigns. Very exciting.
The girls had their first dance recital - Ellie doing a tap routine to "Lollipop" and Abby a ballet number to "Tiki Room." Most amusing. Daddy almost made it to intermission. (Luckily they were in the first half and were persuaded out of dancing in the finale by promises of a fancy dinner.)
We celebrated (did I say that?) our last day of teaching preschool! Ellie and her darling friends Reese, Kate and Natalie have had too much fun learning all about music and notes and instruments and dancing like little crazies all around our house. We will miss them!
Finally, to celebrate our final day of being "the Ashley Family 4" (+ Nana), we did some major projects. I channeled my inner man child and got serious with some power tools, repurposing our old TV hutch in to our new computer table. Meanwhile, Nana and Daddy decided to power wash the decks, our house, some cars and a couple of little chickens running around. Now - to just get that little boy here...
QFTD:
Abby: "You know where I wanna go? Hawaii. Where it's sunny every day." Me: "That sounds like a great idea." Abby: "But where would we stay?" Ellie: "We could make our own house in the trees with leaves for a roof!" Abby: "Hmm. But we would need a lot of driftwood for that."
Abby, while attempting to play her new violin for the first time: "Look, Mom. I have to play on the black. (The fingerboard)" Me: "Well, really we need to stay between the black and the bridge." Abby: "No. You see, I have a solo in my head and it only sounds good if I play on the black." Later, Abby: "Mom, do you like my pizzicato?"
Ellie: "Mom, I want to watch a show." Me: "Okay - after you pick up your books." Ellie: "But, my arms really hurt. And a show makes them feel better."
Ellie: "Mom, I want you to wipe my bum." Me: "Ellie, you know that's your job." Ellie: "Mom, the first rule is that you HAVE to wipe someone's bum. And the second rule is that you have to wash your body all over in the bath. Then, the third rule is that you have to clean up your clothes. The fourth rule is that you have to wipe my bum. The fifth rule is that we have to go eat some lunch. The sixth...... The thirteenth rule: You HAVE to wipe my bum!"
Ellie: "Can I watch a movie?" Me: "Remember - I don't know how to work the DVD player with the new TV." Ellie: "How about if you just try your best."
Abby, while discussing when we can move out of our "boring old house": "But, how would we move the chairs and table?" Me: "We'd put them on a moving truck." Abby: "But what if they get insects on them?" Me: "Oh, they wouldn't." Abby: "Because you would spray pesticides on them?"
Ellie, approaching me seriously with a clipboard and a "note" she had written: "Mom, this is for if you find an adult and you can tell them it's for Release-y Sitey and they can bring the cookies and the chicken if their arms get too tired."
Ellie, at breakfast: "Mom, I don't want to eat these eggs - it tastes like a carcass."
Ellie, to me: "I don't understand how grumpy you are. I don't understand how grumpy we all are - Mommy, Daddy, Abby, me." Abby: "I am NOT grumpy!"
Ellie, inspecting Abby's sun glasses through her own: "Abby, you are not fashion."
Abby: "Remember, Dad, you said we were going to go tennis racking?"
Abby sat at the table to eat lunch with a child-sized apron on. Ellie: "Oh, nice cooking bra, Abby!"
Ellie: "I know where Egypt is. It's in Corsilian."
Ellie: "Mom, do you know what state koalas like to live in?" Me: "Yes - in Australia." Ellie: "Good point. But they really live in Mexico."
Abby: "Mom, can you earwax my ears?" Later, "Ouch! You brammed my eardrummer!"
Ellie: "a Carmical is a little bird so small you can't even see it and it lives in Africa."
While waiting to cross into Canada, I asked the girls: "Where do you think that truck is going?" Abby: "Algeria."
Ellie reading scriptures: "What did Angel Moroni do to himself? He was a boy and he was not good enough. So then he became an angel. He went from his father as far as he could. So do not lose Angel Moroni."
Abby: "When will I be a mom? Me: "When you get married." Abby: "But when will I find a little proper boy?"
Abby to Ellie, while in the other room "trying on" swimsuits: "But Mom will recognize me without my panties on." Ellie: "It's okay - she won't recognize your nakey bunsies with a swimsuit on them."
Ellie: "I want to go to Mexico." Me: "What's in Mexico?" E: "I think Daddy's friends are there."
Me, bribing the girls: "You two get dessert if you behave in the store." Abby: "We have to be good and if we don't get in trouble and don't get told - we get some?" Me: "Yes." A: "Woah. That'll be hard."
Abby, as I got ready for my baby shower: "So, a baby shower is a kind of birthday party for moms who only care about babies?"
Ellie: "I want a pet." Me: "You have your turtle Dooga" E: "She's a toy!" Me: "We're going to have a baby brother." E: "He's a baby-not a pet! Humans are humans, toys are toys, pets are pets and ants are ants."
Me: "Girls, today is our last day to be a family with just the girls and daddy because brother comes tomorrow. Let's have a happy day okay?" Abby: "Mom, you can't have brother tomorrow - it's Sunday." Me: "There are lots of things you can do on Sunday and having a baby is okay." Abby: "No, you don't understand what 'anything' means - you can't do ANYTHING on Sundays."
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