Food Going the Roundabout Way and Eleanor is as Nice as Jesus

Here are some pictures from Patrick's actual birthday (we had quite a few celebrations leading up to the official day). He played by the creek and sang Happy Birthday to himself, we're pretty sure he had a great day.

Picnic snack with siblings

Bradley picked a beautiful bouquet of dandelions. 

However, the next day exceeded all expectations for my sweet but slightly naughty children. Do you know what is better than playing by the creek? Playing IN the creek. The photo below perfectly captures the moment when I knew the afternoon was taking a turn.

Eleanor had to hold up her dress so it wouldn't get wet and Patrick promptly fell in the water but didn't seem upset so we stayed and continued to play. At a rare moment when Patrick was allowing me to help him walk (bare feet on sharp rocks) I heard Bradley say something about making it so he could go deeper and when I looked over he had taken his shorts off and was standing in his underwear by the side of the creek. I calmly said "Put them back on!! What are you doing? We have to wear pants at the park!!" So he put his shorts back on and creek fun continued. Everyone had a very necessary bath once we got back to the house.

We had fun and festive Easter weekend. Bradley and Eleanor had a blast dyeing eggs although none of our children seem to like eating the hard boiled variety very much.

Swing time in the backyard! We get so much use out of this swing.

Although the fact that you can lay down on it is an issue at time. Both Patrick and our neighbor friend are asleep in this photo.

Rallying with an Easter weekend walk. I love springtime.

 Eleanor's dance class had a ridiculous bunny themed day. Eleanor was game for everything.

And Nathan and I even got in a date night at the local driving range for a friend's birthday party! Turns out I really like golf, my tennis background pays off and Nathan said many nice things about my swing (although I think he just wants to encourage this golf idea as much as possible).

However I believe this is how I reacted to most of my shots. More date nights and golf practice are needed!

The Easter bunny did a fantastic job on Sunday morning and the kids were fully on-board with the idea of candy for breakfast.

We managed to get a reasonable family photo outside of church. We dressed up! We're cute! Eleanor is wearing one of my childhood dresses that my wise mother saved. Eleanor picked it out herself! And Bradley's nice smile can be credited to our friend's child that was held up behind the camera while Bradley cooed "cute baby!" at her.

We were excited to see that the Easter bunny had hidden eggs in the backyard while we were at church. Our second candy fest of the day had very pleased and enthusiastic participants.

Bradley was showing me how you can incorporate dinosaurs into anything, even the new Paw Patrol game he got from the Easter bunny. Can you stand how cute this face is?

And here he is on the way home from school in the hat he decorated himself. So much pride was taken in this hat. T-rex on the top!

I think this was the same week that Eleanor got to check out a motorcycle when they had a police officer field trip. Arrest that girl for illegal levels of cuteness!

We got year end photos at MOPS, which was fun and very sweet.

But it seems motherhood has taken its toll on me in some ways that are already readily apparent. For instance: I did NOT used to have a giant vein popping out in the middle of my forehead. Where did it even come from? How? Is this why women use Botox? I think I'm going to go the bangs route. Not kidding.

Or I'll just wear a baseball hat all of the time.

Luckily, I have the children to help me feel better about myself. The other day Bradley and Eleanor were cuddling on my lap and Bradley said "I like you, Mommy. You're pretty. You don't have bumps all over your face." Then Eleanor said "There's one! Over her eyebrow!" Bradley followed up with "I can see a booger up your nose!"

Aw, thanks children. Warm fuzzies indeed.

I have good news about Eleanor though. Self esteem is NOT lacking. While eating breakfast the other day I caught Eleanor saying this to Bradley: (as she holds up a spoon towards him) "Look at your BAD face. (Turns the spoon to face herself) and look at my beauuuuutiful face!"

Shocking that this face thinks she can get away with saying any number of outrageous things.

Bradley and Eleanor joined me and Nathan for morning snuggles in our bed the other day and while I was desperately trying to cling to at least a semi-unconscious state for a few more minutes Eleanor turned to me and batted her eyes and said "do you just love my beautiful eyes?" And then today at bedtime she examined her legs after I finished reading stories and said "aren't my legs just so beautiful?" Nathan shouldn't be surprised by any of this behavior. My standard response when he tells me I look nice is "I know."

Self confidence is how you score new dresses at Costco, even when your mother knows you have more than enough.

Here's another fun Eleanor exchange:

Me (as I put on her shoes before we get in the car): You're cute.
Eleanor (brightly): I just picked a booger and I ate it!
Me: ...

Ah, there's the balance I was looking for. Here's a picture of Eleanor at the park in a frilly dress. I was watching her from the back and thought she was picking flowers or something so I walked over to see. Nope. Chewing on a stick.

Eleanor doesn't just think that she is beautiful, she also thinks that she has many other wonderful qualities that we should all know about. Yesterday at the park I was trying to tell Patrick to calm down and stop yelling at Eleanor while she tried to feed him goldfish.

Me: She's being nice! You should be so happy with her!
Eleanor: As nice as JESUS.
Bradley (worried look): No ... you hit sometimes.
Eleanor: As nice as GOD
Bradley: Jesus IS God! They're the same person!

On this same park trip Bradley yelled "stampede!" loudly every time a group of cross country runners went by. And then we had long discussions about whether or not Eleanor would survive a stampede of horses or even the more deadly stampede of yaks. When we continued the conversation with Daddy over dinner, Bradley became upset when there was discussion of unicorn and Pegasus stampedes because he only wanted to talk about stampedes from dangerous animals. I can't make this stuff up.

Three kids up in a tree together. They're quite the crew.

Patrick likes to push the big kids on the swings now. Everyone loves this so much.

Patrick is *slightly* interested in collecting nuts so that we can throw them in the creek.

He also likes pushing kids on the swing at home.

And bowling with Daddy. Patrick's life has gotten considerably more fun ever since the weather improved.

The other day at dinner I was letting Eleanor and Patrick steal bites of my food and Bradley wanted to get in on the action, despite sitting rather far away from me. So I loudly said "this is going the roundabout way to my mouth" and swung the bite over towards Bradley and he immediately grabbed the fork and ate the food. Apparently this made quite the impression.

Now whenever children are feeling impish during a meal things go the roundabout way to their mouths.

Speaking of which, as a joke I had been making choo choo and airplane noises while trying to feed Patrick food he didn't want and he now does the same to me when he's trying to feed me whatever remnants he's lost interest in. And he does this with a huge smirk on his face, because he knows he's being both hilarious and a bit of a stinker.

Oh yeah, that's a stinker bottom right there.

Patrick has been telling his Sunday school and MOPS teachers that he needs to go potty on the toilet when he is no way, shape, or form potty trained. He keeps getting away with it and I'm not sure why. I think they just ask if any of the kids in the room needs to go potty and if you nod vigorously enough they assume you know what you are doing. Apparently he doesn't actually go potty but he enjoys practicing.

He also enjoys talking me into multiple rides on the carousel at the mall when I went to return the horrible plastic knee panel mom jeans.

Patrick and I have been going to library story time together all year and they had their last story time of the school year last week so I took a video of him doing his very favorite thing and probably most of the reason we attend story time. Jump! Jump!

And here is a medium quality version of Patrick singing "Baby Mine" while taking a bath. I still sing Patrick "Baby Mine" before his nap every day, so he hears it quite a bit and sometimes sings along with me which is beyond precious. However when he sings on his own it sounds more like he's saying "baby mine, don't you die ..." See if you can hear it over Bradley's loud commentary.

We had Frosted Flakes last week for the first time ever and Eleanor wasn't sure if she wanted to try them for breakfast. So I handed her a piece to try and she said "if it tastes like a cookie, yeah, I like it." So good to be making healthy meal decision around here, it just feels right.

We need more sugary cereals and more tv shows. Let's do this.

Bradley is reaching new levels of independence which I have a love hate relationship with. Last week I tried to say hi to Bradley in the morning and he said to me "Go away! (Little grin on his face) I want to keep on telling the story I'm telling to myself!" And he walked past me and into his room, humming while shutting the door. He loves stories, he's often frustrated when I tell him and Eleanor it's time for naps and he tells me that I need to keep track of where they left off for when they start playing again.

Sometimes both of the big kids manage to fall asleep on me for naps and it's beyond amazing.

Amazing for both me and sweet Patrick who could not even believe his luck when he got to cuddle his two favorite people awake.

Doll child. Wait until I get to add a third child to these sleeping kid pics.

We had a nice visit with Colleen and Kerry this past weekend. Patrick was very excited to get to show off. 

And we took them to the Prairie Fire Museum where Eleanor and Grandma Colleen had a blast running around together and playing tea party while Bradley was pleased to have Kerry be his reading slave for the entire time we were there.

After lunch Eleanor had quite the audience at her dance class, which is how it should always be as far as she is concerned.

More park time collecting nuts to throw in the creek to round out a busy and fun filled day!

I am still so proud that I made Nathan get this bench essentially for grandparent pictures with the kids. It has been so worth it!

We had to say goodbye to Grandma Colleen and Kerry a little earlier than we usually do because the kids are getting rather busy social schedules these days. We had a birthday party at the park to attend for Eleanor's best friend Ava!

Busy social schedules are rather exhausting.

Patrick is a maniac and is so determined to do everything that Bradley and Eleanor do at the park. He can climb the twisty ladder now. All while yelling "myself!" at me while I try to spot him.

This is the trip home from that park outing - Bradley and Eleanor now routinely hold hands as they walk ahead of me and Patrick.

And here is literally the next picture I took once we got home. Ah Patrick. Nothing like squishing your face behind a glass door.

More copying of older siblings. Climbing trees is fun!

Eleanor obviously feels that it is just and right that she acts as a leader for Patrick.

Nathan took the kids to work and I don't know who had the most fun, Nathan or the kids.

Also, it says something about our child spacing that while Eleanor was at Nathan's office sitting next to Bradley someone asked if they were twins and then later at Chik-Fil-A for lunch someone asked the same question about her and Patrick while they were seated next to each other. They're all just quite close, okay?

Cute kids. 

Other kids do this too, right? Are delighted to offer themselves up as chairs to their little sister? No?

Group effort killing a bug the size of a gnat at the park. Heaven help these children when summer arrives and the real bugs start happening.