Eleanor Tells Great Stories

School has been great and the kids love their teachers. However, with exposure to other germy children have come illnesses and both Bradley and Eleanor took turns being sick soon after school started. Bradley's was the worst, he would wake up in the middle of the night burning up and would yell for me to come to him.

But then he got better ... and kept yelling. Why give up middle of the night mommy cuddles if they seem to be an option? Nathan and I got pretty tired of the middle of the night disruptions, we have this golden dream of actually dreaming through the night someday and the four year old of all people doesn't get to be the one disrupting our sleep. So like all good parents, we bribed him and took care of the problem. The past few nights whenever he has woken up he crawls up to the top bunk and cuddles with Eleanor. She loves it, he loves it, and both of them go right back to sleep. And his reward for good behavior is table time during our evening solo time after Patrick goes to sleep. Best deal ever.

Tablet time for big kids so Patrick insisted on being up at the island with them with his toys.

With the kids sharing a bed has come talks about cuddling. Nathan was explaining different levels of cuddling to Bradley and Eleanor last night and described what was just right cuddling (loose arm) and what was too much (death grip). He demonstrated both types of cuddling on Bradley and apparently Bradley said he really liked too much cuddling. And we discovered that Bradley is willing to make up stories in order to get better cuddles when Eleanor complained that she didn't want Bradley telling her that monsters were coming this night.

Sweet sweet cuddles

Eleanor loves school but it's pretty tiring for a little girl and that combined with fighting off germs has made her a little extra crabby at times. The other day she forgot to bring her security blankets out to the car when we were leaving for school so I gave her a little lecture about remembering them in the future and ended with my usual "understand?" She glared at me and hotly said underNOTstand. She's lucky she's cute and that I find her funny.

The following is a series of Eleanor photos that aptly demonstrate Eleanor's personality. First: kitty cuddles.

Second: description of the kitty's little nose

Third: asking the kitty if she likes to eat mice

Fourth: touching the kitty's cute little nose

She also likes to do AMAZING puppet shows that fill me with joy.

But her Bible stories about Rapunzel may be my favorite:

She is amazing with Patrick, she plays so nicely and generally just gives him whatever he wants. Which is mostly okay ... the other day she handed him something so I asked "what did you just give to Patrick?" Eleanor's response (sweetly) "that choking hazard."

Patrick is perhaps not quite as sweet with Eleanor and loves to tease her.

I might need to stop making such a big deal about Patrick's cute bottom in front of the older two kids. I was telling Patrick how cute he was during bathtime and pinched his little rear a bunch and then Bradley started copying me, saying Patrick was cute in a baby voice and pinching his bottom. And then he planted a big smooch. On Patrick's bottom. It IS pretty incredibly adorable and the older two don't let me pinch theirs anymore.

Patrick may have an idea that I think he is adorable.

Brotherly love

I like to check out cds from the library of children's songs and stories and our new favorite is a Pete Seeger cd. Bradley in particular really enjoys all the folk songs but he is obsessed with Abiyoyo. We've been listening to that song over and over for the last week or so and he'll spontaneously break into song at any given moment. It's a rather exciting story involving a giant and magic and the song is only the word "abiyoyo" over and over again to a rather catchy tune. It could get annoying fairly quick but luckily for Bradley I once worked with middle schoolers so nothing gets to me and Eleanor and Patrick worship the ground he walks on so he can do no wrong as far as they're concerned.

Eleanor may be a saint

Between bouts of kids being sick we've had some good fun! Lots of outside play time.

Patrick is pretty sure throwing nuts in the creek is just about the best thing ever.

And our neighbor Addison is everyone's favorite person.

But Patrick may love Addison the most. She did say she wanted to take him home with her so the feeling may be mutual.

Gezer Park is our current favorite.

Eleanor had to tell Bradley a secret one day on our way out to the car.

We also went to the Louisburg Cider Mill! First with friends and then for the big festival.

Going with Daddy is the best.

We went early and had the bouncy pillow practically to ourselves.

 The tractor ride through the corn field was fun. And cuddly!

They have giant slides way out in the middle of a field

Really it's just one fun thing after another. There's a reason it's one of our favorite places to go to!

We had some excellent friend time before all the children got sick again (the past couple months have been a little ridiculous with how much these poor kids have gotten sick).

Fatima and family

Deanna Rose with my good friend Lindsay and Patrick's friend Marcus

And then back to sick. Poor kids.

 At least Nathan got home just as everyone was getting sick. Daddy to the rescue!

Sneak peek of Eleanor's Halloween costume. Someone has a bit of a Rapunzel obsession.

 Daddy also makes some amazing pancakes that helps everyone feel lots better. 

Patrick eats at the table with everyone now. He had started screaming bloody murder when we would put him in his high chair and he even had tantrums over a booster seat so now he gets cushions on a regular chair like the big kids. It's hard when you have to work so hard to make sure you're treated the same as the big kids.

It's probably outings like this that contributed to him deciding that high chairs were stuff and nonsense. We tried out eating lunch at the church after preschool so that Patrick's nap wouldn't be ruined. It didn't really work but the kids enjoyed it while it happened. 

No idea why they liked it so much.

Patrick is a big boy full of ideas and opinions. He likes to try to pick up kitties and baby friends.

And he ADORED this grocery store employee who helped my fussy child check out our groceries. Both he and I look for her now every time we go to the grocery store.

In shocking news, he loves to climb up on things especially if he thinks it's slightly forbidden.

He's pretty much just a little imp. It's so fun to have him start to say words and one of my favorite things is when I'm holding him on my hip (which is where he spends a lot of his time) and he leans over to get his face right in my face and jabbers at me to get my attention. 

The other day he threw a ball in the bushes after I told him not to so I brought him inside. He could see the ball from the big window in the kitchen so he yelled "ball" and pointed at it a bunch. Finally his hero Daddy decided to go out and fight his way through spider webs to get the ball his boy so desperately needed. So much joy upon reunion with special ball.

We're really enjoying everyone being healthy again and hope that it stays this way for more than two weeks this time. We have lots of fun things coming up, can't wait for all the holidays with these adorable little children!