Acceptable Road Kill

Last night on the way home from dinner we had an animal encounter. There was a cat sauntering across the road in front of us. Our sons, concerned for the safety of the cat asked their dad if he had run it over. He told the boys "we try not to run over animals" to which our 6 year old replied, "except maybe cockroaches!"

"It's like a hospital overwhelmed with wounded!"

Our six-year-old's commentary about the current state of their hamper.

Applying Reverse Psychology

...there just aren't words...

(obviously this isn't the first time)

This girl can sleep ANYWHERE!

Houston, we have a problem...

(she was up higher than this when Mr. Sleep-Deprived pointed it out - but the camera was in the other room). Need I repeat, "I didn't expect this from the girl..."

Can't a Girl Get Some Sleep Around Here? (Take 35)

From all these posts of Ms. Dimples falling asleep around the house you might get the wrong impression that I am a push-over and don't require naps. That is NOT the case. However, Ms. Dimples sometimes naps during her nap times, and sometimes she plays in her crib, and there's not a lot I can do when that happens. She surprised me yesterday because I thought she had napped more than she apparently did, and by 7:00 pm she was wiped out!

Sleep Rocking

The strange sleeping arrangements continue.

Trick Rider

Yes, she is actually rocking on the horse. I imagine it is only a matter of time before she tries this on Molly.

New Headache Remedy

I mentioned that I had a headache while I was making dinner. My three-year-old made the following diagnosis:

3YO: "Where in your head is it?"
Me: (I point to my temples and the top of my head)
3YO: "Maybe you could just reach in with your hand and pull it out."

The Moral of the Story (with a twist)

Our three-year-old really likes a book called Soft Child. It is a Native American Folk Story about how the Rattlesnake got it's fangs. The moral of the story is "If you don't bother him, he won't bother you."

After a week of walking around reminding us of the moral of the story, we over heard him say to his older brother (in a very John-Wayne sounding voice), "You boddered me, so now I'm gonna bodder you."

Maybe you had to hear it to appreciate it, but Mr. Sleep-Deprived and myself had to restrain ourselves from laughing out loud.

Puppy Love

Water Girl

This child is going to keep me on my toes!

Can't a Girl Get Some Sleep Around Here? (Take 2)

Apparently like the rest of us, she's still tired.

The Sucky Store

I was out with our almost 3-year-old for his "special day" (a day that I only go with one child). After throwing pennies in the fountain, eating lunch, playing in the play area, and buying a sucker at the candy shop, we walked to the coffee shop (for me). On the way, my son enjoyed his sucker. In the elevator, he showed it to another person and proudly announced, "I got a sucker!" Playing along, she said, "oh, I'd like a sucker, where did you get it?" To which he replied, "at the sucky store."

I didn't expect this from the GIRL ...

...and to top it off, she's thrilled about it.

Welcome Miss Molly

Not only did our oldest ride Molly everyday last week, he also cleaned and oiled his saddle, swept the hay out of Grandma's truck, and cleaned out Molly's pen each evening. By the end of the week, he was also able to mount and dismount unassisted, and ride well solo at the walk and trot.

More photos coming soon - a few special ones of each of the kids on Molly, and one suprise.

Is Jupiter Moving?

In another act of extraordinary spontaneity, we took the kids (at the suggestion of Mr. Sleep-Deprived) to the Devil's Punchbowl, to view the Aquarid Meteor Shower. The park is very scenic (note the family photo), with a nice short nature trail for little ones, a wonderful small recreation room with live (caged) snakes, a real beehive, scorpion, velvet ant, and ironclad beetle. Outside there are also three live owls (two great-horned owls, one barn owl).

The meteor shower started around 9 pm. We were able to see Jupiter (gas clouds clearly visible) and three of its moons through an 11 inch telescope set up for viewing.

After seeing the first two meteors, our 6-year-old noticed that Jupiter's position was different and asked, "is Jupiter moving?" I responded that we were actually moving (because of the earth's rotation) and that was what was making it seem like Jupiter was moving across the sky. He responded with a very sincere and convincing, "OH, I GET IT!" Both Mr. Sleep-Deprived and I were quite impressed with his "a-ha" moment, until we saw him running from one spot to another noticing how its position was changing. I guess that would be a lesson in perspective.

It was a fun evening, and for being out so late past bedtime, it was well worth it. Kudos to Mr. Sleep-Deprived for scouting out the location and event.

Good Golly, Miss Molly's Comin' to California!

It's a good thing the kids have been brushing up on their riding skills, because we finally found a pony and her name is Molly. I'm SURE there will be photos once she arrives!

Family Photo

In an act of extraordinary spontaneity on my part, we all headed to a picnic site in the Angeles National Forest for an early dinner at the suggestion of Mr. Sleep-Deprived (who also gets credit for packing all the stuff for the outing). It's not a perfect picture, but not bad for a camera on a tripod. I still haven't figured out how to get a one-year-old to smile at a tripod and flashing camera light. Of course even if Ms. Dimples had cooperated, our 4-year-old seems bent on goofing around (note the horse shoes), and our 2 1/2-year-old has his usual "canned-smile" that really isn't a good look for him. But hey, we're all there and accounted for - and I don't look particularly sleep-deprived!!!