Do we really need food?

I took the 3 kids to the grocery store yesterday. This means several things:

1. I load the kids into one of those X-Large carts that are as long as a semi-truck and twice as loud. (Seriously, I think they should put Wide Load signs on the back and install back-up sirens.)
2. Without fail, the kids get frustrated halfway through our trip, at which point I pull out large amounts of snacks and fervently pray that they last through the checkout lane.
3. We make an extended trip to the lobster tank to watch lobsters and run off energy.
4. My efforts were futile. The snacks never last through the checkout lane.

It is no wonder that I go alone when buying more than three items.

Gabriella has a few new habits lately, including pulling down her pants in public places and saying hi to everyone she meets. Yesterday, she said hello to every person we passed in an aisle. If they acknowledged her, she would say, "What you name? I Gabbywellwa." We saw an older gentleman in the toilet paper aisle and she went through the drill.

Gabriella: Hi! What you name? I Gabbywellwa.
[Man looks at me quizzically.]
Me: She said her name is Gabriella.
Man: Oh! I'm Mark.
Chase: There's a Chase Monkey back here!
[Man does not understand why he is talking about monkeys. Turns away.]
Chase: Hey! Come back here! I gotta talk to you!

Ordinarily, I would make a quick exit, but this is physically impossible with the aforementioned enormous cart. So we make a slow, rumbling exit made only more embarrassing by the fact that Chase was still yelling at his new friend who refused to pay attention to him.

Keeping My Spots

Getting sunscreen on before we go outside is a major pain. I don't want to scare them by talking about skin cancer, but after having a suspicious mole removed, we're not taking any chances. How do you explain that to a 4-year-old?

Me: Let's get sunscreen on so we can go outside.
[All kids scream and whine.]
Graham: Why do we have to use sunscreen?
Me: So you don't get spots all over your arms like mine. Do you see them?
Graham: Mommy, you look bootiful in your spots.
Me: [heavy sigh]

If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

deja vu

I remember doing this with my brother and sister.

Watch Out, Danica Patrick.

This is why motorized race cars and girls with long hair don't mix. Gabriella's hairstyle could now be described as a "semi-mullet".

Tractor Party

We had a birthday party for the boys over the weekend, and they had a great time. We got to see lots of friends and relatives and I think all the kids had fun getting very, very dirty. I had no idea a corn bin would make them so dusty (see Chase's sleeves below). For our families and friends who couldn't join us, here are a few pictures.









Big thanks to Grandpa for taking pictures and to everyone who helped clean up the straw afterwards (it did not stay on the tarps like I had planned). Happy Birthday, Graham & Chase!

Gabriella's Pastimes

Gabriella sure has a lot of character.

Three days ago, she put her breakfast cereal in her ears.
Two days ago, she cut a hole in her shirt with a pair of scissors.
Yesterday, she tried to check out a book about stem cell research at the library.
Today, she was snuggling with me on the chair. Here was our conversation:

Me: Well, Gabriella, do you think I should get up and finish vacuuming?
Gabriella: No, Daddy vacuum.
[Pause as my heart melts knowing she wants to keep snuggling with me, then she finishes...]
Gabriella: Mommy need to take a shower.

Name Above All Names

Graham and Chase like to refer to people as "Your-name Duh-Dode". For instance, I am Mommy Duh-Dode, Will is Daddy Duh-Dode, and the guy who measured our counters was "Hey, Duh-Dode."

Chase also has a habit of calling everyone "Guy". Once, as we were waiting in the pharmacy line, he turned to the 90 year-old woman behind us and shouted, "Hey, Guy! You got some food?"

But my favorite has to be Graham's new name for me: Mommy del Woppy. I think he is trying to call me Mommy Jalopy, but that's not very flattering, either.