Caspie

While the boys are in the bath, Linus offers to help me bathe his brother, “You wash Casper’s fur and I’ll wash his tummy.”

Casper turns 6 months old.

Linus dresses himself for bed

In the above photo, Linus is wearing:
1. a diaper
2. a pair of shorts
3. green sleeper bottoms
4. light blue sleeper shorts
5. dark blue sleeper shorts (with both legs through one leg hole)
6. digger sleeper bottoms
7. blue sleeper bottoms
8. the red t-shirt he wore all day
9. green frog sleeper top (on backward)
10. (finally) the blue monkey sleeper top (on backward)

cuddles with daddy

Linus, with his fingers in his ears: I’m plugging my ears so no one can hear me.

Linus, playing store: How much money does this weigh?

Gwendolyn reminisces about her 5^th birthday when she went to waterpark heaven on earth, Schlitterbaun, with her favorite friend, Thomas. I comment that we need to start thinking about a fun thing to do for Linus’s upcoming birthday, but that our plans won’t include going to Schlitterbaun. Gwnedolyn asks Linus, “Do you want to go to Splashtown instead?”

Gwendolyn asks us if tomorrow is, “Prankster Day” (April Fool’s).

tunnel of love

Linus: Hi, Mama. I like you.
Mama: Hi, Baby. I like you, too.
Linus: No, we don’t like each other. We love each other!

head, shoulders, thighs, and toes

The one and only reason I'm looking forward to warmer weather? Shorts mean more access to the deliciously adorable rolls of fat pictured above.

home again

Poor Gwendolyn. After a late night last night and a long day of travel, she is exhausted, but not too exhausted to catch a beetle in the back yard when we get home. The above picture, in which she looks like a street urchin showing off her pet, was taken right before the frightened beetle squirted her in the eye. Beetle 1, Gwennie 0.

Linus, jumping up and down in the kitchen while Todd makes pancakes for dinner, chants, “Watch this pancake hop. Yay! Pancakes!”

Lately, Linus’s customary prayer echoes Gwennie in asking that the food we’re eating provide us with “nearsh-ment.” He also usually ends by saying, “please bless that we can go to the park tomorrow.”

Todd, tucking Linus into bed: All right, there you go, cozy Boy. Go to sleep!
Linus (deeply offended): I’m not cousin boy! I’m Linus!

high romance

We’re traveling. Todd had to attend a conference near Granny and Grandad’s house, so we tagged along for a quick weekend visit. Most of Friday was spent shopping for essentials (such as food, laundry soap, and next year’s clothes for the kids; there’s nothing like off-season clearance). Since it’s almost our anniversary, I went to spend that night with Todd at his hotel (you know, the one right next door to the Whataburger containing the shrine to Pat Boone? We live in Texas, remember?). We had a wonderful dinner out (mussels and fish tacos for Todd, bruschetta and blackened chicken for me) then spent the rest of the evening watching vampire movies on cable without sound (so as not to wake the baby) and eating donuts from the local gas station mart. It was really fun to be (almost) alone.

Today we lounged and played with cousins.

sleepy babe

Kiki the monkey is Linus’s alter ego. Every time he wears his red footie sleepers with monkeys on them, he runs around calling himself “Kiki the monkey:”
Linus: I love Kiki the monkey.
Gwendolyn: Is he your favorite actor?

I thought I was doing a pretty good job of teaching my children empathy. But maybe I’m not. Or perhaps I’m just expecting too much form my 5-year-old. Last night at dinner Linus freaked out because he had the green cup and Gwendolyn had the blue cup. So after he was excused from the table for pouring his milk out on it, Gwendolyn, realizing how sad he was, said, “Linus, you can have my blue cup and all of my milk.” I nearly wept because she was so sweet. Then today when her darling little friend came over to play, but was feeling unsure about things and began to cry for her Mama, Gwendolyn was the opposite of charitable, “Well, this isn’t fun! If you don’t want to play, then I’m not going to just sit here with you.” I nearly wept because she was so nasty.

Casper's glowing ears

We talk a lot about how perfect Casper is, but one imperfection has been obvious since birth: he’s got some wonky ears. They stick out. Quite a lot. One was folded over and stuck to itself when he came out of the birth canal, and it’s still really floppy. I guess he needs a flaw to keep us realistic, or him humble.

Linus, looking at his map of the “Night of States”: “Grandma and Grandpa live in the temple.” (Apparently he thinks that the shape of Idaho looks like the watercolors of the Rexburg Temple which Grandpa just painted.)

orange

Linus is usually happy to help with jobs around the house. He likes laundry and any chore associated with water. But when he isn’t in the mood to help or doesn’t like the job assigned, he’ll give an excuse, like these:
“I’m too busy.”
“My hand is hurting.”
“I’m glued down. I can’t get up.”

Casper has started to really object if you take something away from him.

This is what February looks like in Texas

Like the hero of one of our favorite children's books (Richard Wilbur's Loudmouse), Linus is so LOUD. (We even started calling him Loudmouse until Gwendolyn slipped and called him "lewdmouth.") Linus is incapable of speaking in a regular voice . . . unless he is praying. Then he uses his "spiritual voice," which is nothing more than a high-pitched whisper.

Linus: I’m getting big like a Daddy. I’m getting there!

Anxious about her food allergies, Gwennie interrogates Todd after he gives her a chocolate chip cookie he brought home from work: “Is it peanut butter, Daddy? Mango butter?”

I’m really happy. Life here is good.

three heads are better than one

This past week, we've been secretly doing kind deeds for one another, leaving "warm fuzzies" (pom poms). This morning as Todd tries to put on Linus’s shoes, a warm fuzzy that Gwendolyn had left falls out.
Linus: “I did something nice for myself!”

Linus, leading his nursery class out of the snack room, turns to preemptively keep them in line, and says (using his best bossy Gwendolyn voice), “If you don’t do that, you’ll have to be put on the hook-and-ladder truck.”

Linus: This is my bird; it came from Grandma and Grandpa Sam’s house.
Gwendolyn: Well, it was in the tea party! You don’t want it to have any herbal tea!?

Gwendolyn, over dinner: “Let’s have a minute of silence that lasts ten hours.”

love that thumb

Our tree planting got rained out. It took Todd an hour to dig one hole because our yard is apparently clay and rock with a little dirt thrown in for good measure. The hole quickly filled with water from last night's rain and Todd, Gwennie, and Linus were all bailing water with sandbox buckets. Then it began to rain. We have one tree in the ground, but the ground now looks like a small lake.

Gwendolyn, using some toy flowers as play food, asks Todd if he would like a "pollen pop".

I overhear Linus in the playroom playing "library".
Linus: Hello, Library. Can I have some more books?
Linus (speaking in a deep voice): Oh, yes! Here you go.
Linus: Thank you!

Linus gets a Hershey's Kiss when he poops in the potty. He brags to Gwendolyn, "I got a chocolate smooch!"

Casper can put himself to sleep. This amazes me because neither of my other children went to sleep on their own. With Casper, I nurse him and leave him. He finds his thumb and quickly nods off. *Amazing*! He loves that thumb.

thank you, Mason, for being our lazy sausage

More thanks I've gotten from Linus this week:
As I wash some celery, "Thank you for washing the lettuce."
When a piece of carrot falls on the floor and I pick it up and throw it away, "Thank you for putting that in the trash."
When I return home after a quick errand, "Thank you for coming home!"
As I get ready for bed, "Thank you for putting your sleepers on."
Maybe he thinks we're supposed to say thanks for common, everyday things. After all, I'm always thanking him for putting his laundry in the hamper, for getting his shoes on, for picking up his toys.

self-portrait with my Valentine

Gwennie: Mama, I don’t like any boys – except for Thomas, and Daddy, and Dr. Strings.

Linus: Thank you for sharing, Daddy.
Daddy: You’re welcome, Linus.
Linus (to Mama): I’m going to brush my teeth with Daddy’s toothpaste.
Mama: Well, I think you’d better run that past him.
Linus: I already did!
Daddy: Ok, Linus, you may brush your teeth with my toothpaste one time.
Linus: All right. One time per day.
[Daddy then does something to get ready for bed.]
Linus: (Standing in the bathroom door with his toothbrush): I’m tired of waiting . . . waiting and waiting and waiting.

Linus and Gwennie listen to primary songs on their cd players as they go to sleep. Tonight, fifteen minutes after I put him in bed, I hear a little voice from Linus’s room saying, “I want to be baptized someday!”

Tonight, a date with my Valentine, thanks to my lovely friend Erin. Also, beautiful flowers in a new Polish stoneware vase.

Valentine love

Our five year old: “Linus woke me up today saying, ‘You’re my best friend.’ Gosh, I was tired. I was playing musical beds all night.”

Gwendolyn: If you want to get the treasure, you’ve got to go to the ice world!
Linus: Yeah, the ice whirlered!

the worst time of day

Do you have The Witching Hour at your house? Today, ours lasted from 3-7pm. I'm spent.

scissors and ice cream can get you into trouble

Was it just yesterday that I was writing about how sweet Linus is? Because today, while I was at a meeting, sitting at a table with 4 other women, he ran up and declared, “There’s the stupid mama!”

To keep children entertained during the meeting, I brought along a small box full of pretty rocks, seashells and little wooden figures. Gwendolyn was appalled that I allowed some 18-24 month olds to play with the box: “But Mama, those are choking hazards!”

While Gwendolyn sat and talked with me, I lovingly tapped her on the nose with my finger and she responded, “You stink, Mama.” After a curious look from me, she continued, “I mean, your fingers stink.” And indeed, they smelled exactly like the clementines I had just peeled for her and Linus.

While making Valentines at the table, Gwendolyn took some scissors and cut a chunk out of Linus’s hair. Thankfully, it was such a small chunk that while it was on the top of his head, his hair is thick and it isn’t that noticeable.

Tonight, we gave the kids a treat, ice cream with heart-shaped sprinkles. Linus wasn’t terribly interested and decided to get into his sleepers before dessert, only to discover that his sister had eaten almost all of his ice cream for him. (She really loves ice cream; I imagine that having an additional bowl on the table next to her was quite a temptation.) She sounded truly remorseful as she explained, “I tried really hard, but I just couldn’t help it! Look, I gave him almost all of my melted ice cream."

all about the boys

Casper is starting to become a real chatterbox. He loves to hear himself talk and is often quite loud (like he was during Relief Society today). And even though he talks a lot, he can't talk back, which is why he is currently my favorite child.

Linus is very loving and kind-hearted, thoughtful and tender. Always polite, he will thank you for the most random things. First thing this morning, he said to me, "Thank you for leaving me in these sleepers all night." (We don't typically have wardrobe changes at 3am.) And as we filed out of the house to go to church, "Thank you for following me to the van."

fruity

Today we bought organic fruit trees for our yard: 2 apple (Fugi & Anna), 1 plum, and some blackberry brambles. They are all pruned down to whips, so we won’t have fruit for a couple of years, but we are so excited. We’ll plant next weekend.

I tell Gwendolyn, who really wants a trampoline for the back yard, that we’ll save our money and get one in a year or two when the boys are older. She responds, “Ok, but we’ll just have to keep jumpin’ on beds.”

Mama, to Mason: You silly beaster.
Linus: Is it Eastertime?

Linus runs up to Todd and bumps into him with his belly, saying, “I tummy-ached you!”

I think all three year old boys must be obsessed with the anatomical and scatological, because Linus certainly is. This is the gem I overheard today, “Gwennie, would you like to run around the house saying “penis” with me?”

Linus: There’s a lot of monsters in this family.

the princess and the prince

Todd's first exhibition at the Library opened today and was a great success. Todd attended a luncheon with Robert Darnton (who was in town to speak at the exhibition opening) and spent some time talking with him and showing him around the library.

self-portrait with blueberry cheesecake

I made a cheesecake today. And then promptly gave it away.

Linus: I had a dream ‘bout the great white shark was eating the princess. And you were the princess, Gwennie! Then I woke up and saved you.

all around the table

We regularly have conversations in our house that go something like this:
Linus: Mama, can I have a graham cracker?
Daddy: No, Linus. We’re about to eat dinner.
Linus: I was talking to MAMA! Mama, can I have a graham cracker?

After watching some Planet Earth documentary featuring snow leopards, Gwendolyn shows off her “antelope bite” to Linus at dinner. Linus then says, "Look at my ampelote bite!"

for the birds

the price of a nap

Today we had a late Quiet Time (Mandatory Stay In Your Room For An Hour So Mama Doesn’t Go Nuts Time) and we all napped. Even Gwendolyn. For two hours. Casper, who was cuddled next to me, woke first and found my glasses on the bed. He mauled them. Now I need new glasses. It was worth it.

Last night we bought an airline ticket for Nana to come visit us for Easter. Linus is very excited and all day long has asked when “Bana” will arrive, told me things he plans to do with her or show her, and has had me check the front porch to see if she is there.

Gwendolyn's face

Are you wondering what happened to this child's face?
The other day while I was loading up the back of the van with our recycling, she thought it would be fun to climb over her seat and out the back of the van. Against the advice of her mother, this is what she did, but forgot that the back was filled with recycling. She slipped right over the recycling and hit the concrete with her head, poor kid.

Mason Day

Today is Mason’s 7^th birthday. The kids create a pretend party for him with their own toys wrapped as presents. Happy birthday, Beaster.

Mama, in frustration after coming in from our marshy backyard: "Oh, man. My pants are wet."
Gwennie, in astonishment: "Mama, you peed your pants?"

After his bath, Linus asks Daddy to put his towel around his waist the way he does after a shower. Gwennie says that Linus must be a girl because he’s wearing a skirt. After Daddy explains that not only girls wear skirts, Linus says, “I am a girler. I took off my penis and put back on my vagina. It was very useful for one hundred weeks.”

While playing with our talking United States puzzle, Gwendolyn is surprised at the motto of New York, the Empire State: "The Vampire State?! Ahhh!"

Guess!

I stop by the health food store today to get some toothpaste and the women who work there are charmed by the cooing and laughing Casper. They comment that he is the perfect baby. And he is.

Gwendolyn will often block the entrance to a room, demanding that we guess the magic word to gain passage. Imitating his sister, but not fully understanding the game, Linus blocks the door:
Mama: Linus, may I get through?
Linus: You have to say the magic word.
Mama: What’s the magic word?
Linus: Guess!
Mama: Guess.
Linus: (as he moves aside) Okay!