Is that a halo?

Some days Liesl is far from innocent, but this morning I found an angel in my kitchen:
I’ve also been trying for a few weeks to get a picture of her jack-o-lantern smile, and Robert finally got it:
Her teeth have been sprouting out randomly for a few months. She started with a side top tooth, then a bottom tooth, followed by a top front, another side top, and then another bottom. In another day or two, her second top front tooth will come in and then she’ll have a normal set. It’s a little heartbreaking, but I think it’s officially time to say “bye-bye sweet baby—hello temperamental toddler!”

How does he do that?

Jarrett has found a funny new talent:
No, it's not plastic surgery. He's figured out that if he squeezes his nostrils together and then sucks in his breath, his nose will stay this way until he takes another breath. I don't know how he discovered this, and I've tried to do it unsuccessfully. I can't wait to see what else he learns!

Jarrett's Thing

Jarrett's developed a new behavior over the last month. He lines up all his vehicles end to end, and not just in some random order—he has a system: planes go with planes, cars from the movie Cars go together, Hot Wheels together, etc. I know this is normal, and I’m not worried about OCD (yet), but he even does it with the toys in his bed before he goes to sleep.
The following picture is quintessential Jarrett (for those of you who know ALL of Jarrett's "behaviors").

First Pigtail

I've finally succumbed to Liesl's stand-up straight hair. I kept thinking it would lie down as it gets longer, but this morning it was four inches tall, so I had to rein it in. I usually don't like piggy tails (someone once agreed with me: "Who wants their baby to look like a pineapple?"), and I do use barrettes, but it's time to bring out the elastics.

Also, by the way she was drooling and chewing on her fingers, maybe we'll have some more teeth soon? Five teeth is certainly too few for a 15-month-old with a huge appetite!

Danielle's Advice

Today Danielle gave a primary talk which she wrote (mostly):

I know about prayer and you need to know about prayer. How do you pray? The first thing you say is “Dear Heavenly Father.” And then you thank Him for the things you are grateful for, like toys, and food, and your home. And then you ask Him for help, like in school, and to feel good, and be a good person. And then you say “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” When I pray, I feel better, and you will too.

If you think about Jesus, follow your faith and follow the commandments and read the scriptures, you will be a good person.

Out of the mouths of babes.

Who's Emily Post?

I took another food picture of Liesl (sugar cookies and yellow frosting with milk, of course).
There must be something I enjoy about the reckless abandon one-year-olds display while eating. I have the same kind of pictures for Jarrett . . .

and Danielle . . .

Life is so much more fun without manners! It's times like this that I'm reminded to just let my kids be kids a little longer.

It's Official

(Warning: This is brag blog—proceed with caution!)

Today is the day I’ve been looking forward to since we decided to send Danielle to kindergarten—assessment day. I knew she was a smarty, but now it’s official. Her teacher was blown away, and now we’re looking at having her go to a second grade class for reading. I was thinking first grade, so I was surprised too! She can actually read second grade books, but needs to work on her comprehension.

Danielle’s also ahead of the curve in math, but I’ll observe how she does in that before I push her more. I’m actually afraid to push her in anything and sometimes think I should just let her enjoy herself this year and get used to the classroom setting. She’ll have plenty of stress the rest of her life, why rush it? I don’t know. However, after today’s meeting, I do know that her teacher will work with me to do what’s best for Danielle. It will certainly be an interesting year!

News Flash

Liesl likes pears!

(Since sarcasm doesn't translate well in this medium, I'll tell you she eats anything. I just really wanted a reason to post this cute picture!)

Jarrett's Turn

Yesterday was Jarrett's first day of preschool. He's going to the same preschool that Danielle attended (and actually has the same teachers), so he's trekked there many times with me as we've picked-up Danielle. When we would pick her up, I would let Jarrett play in the courtyard with the toys and on the slides. So yesterday when we arrived, he instinctively wanted to play outside and didn't understand why he had to go to the classroom. But I was able to push him forward as he was taking longing glances outside. He was hesitant as we walked in to meet the teacher, which was another surprise to me because he often ran to meet Danielle in her classroom. I guess he has to adjust to being by himself--it will definitely be good for him to have some alone time. Anyway, I walked with him into the classroom to see if anything would interest him: Play dough? Nope. Cars? Maybe. Then he saw the airplane. He was a happy boy! I took my cue and left.
When I picked him up, the teacher handed me his uncolored apple craft they worked on that day. Apparently he was having so much fun playing that he didn’t want to slow down and color. He didn’t even come out when the teacher called his name to leave. They sent me in to fetch him, and I discovered him having a great time catching toy fish. Luckily he was happy to see me and left willingly. I’m grateful his teachers didn’t force him to color, but it just reminds me that there's as much stubbornness in Jarrett as there is mellowness.

One down . . . 875 to go

Today was Stake Conference, which, for us, is basically a two-hour wrestling match that takes place on hard metal chairs. I had my bag of tricks (books, treats, coloring books), and that lasted a whole 15 minutes. The rest of the time went something like this: Liesl starts thrashing around because she really just wants to be in her crib taking a nap, so Robert takes her out to the foyer. Then Jarrett starts tormenting Danielle, so I take him out and child swap so Jarrett and Daddy can spend some "quality" time together. I don't ask what happens, but Robert brings a penitent Jarrett back to the seats a few minutes later. Then we repeat this scenario three more times. My finest parenting moment occurs when I'm taking Jarrett out for the last time (by this time I am sure that the clicking of my shoes on the hardwood gym floor can be heard in China) while the Stake President is talking about how we need to train our children to sit through Sacrament meeting. Sigh.

I did a little math hoping to find some comfort, and ended up only getting more depressed. We have 875 more Sundays until Liesl turns 18. Next time I'll just believe the Grandmas in the ward who come up to me after church and tell me "Don't worry, it goes so fast!"

I do want to mention that Danielle was great today. Thanks sweetie!

First Day

It was Danielle's first day of school today! She's super excited, and her teacher seems like a great fit. I was sure I'd be skipping with glee as I dropped her off, but as we were driving there, my eyes found a few tears. I'm not ready for the world to have her yet, even though I know it has to happen eventually. I've enjoyed having her sweet spirit light up our home, and I pray it can stay bright beyond my protective reach. Good luck, and have a great time Danielle!