Accessorize Much?

Here's a picture I captured of Lauren playing in the backyard yesterday.  I should preface this by saying it was 85 and sunny.  

I had to know.....why the snow hat? 

Apparently, the wind was blowing her hair around.

Happy Birthday Ellie-Bug!

 Happy 4th Birthday Buggy!  We are so blessed to have you!

Counting to 20

Madeline is teaching Lauren to count to 20.  

She wrote a song to help her and I managed to snag it long enough to post here:

(to its own - and quite original - tune)

Counting to 20 can so fun.....1,2,3,4,5

Then comes 6,7,8,9,10

And then comes 11,12,13,14

Here comes 15

Maybe 16

Also 17

Then comes 18

What about 19?

The last one is 20!

Oh, how I like to count with Lauren

Will you count next time with me?

Throwback Friday

Here is a picture of Lauren on her first birthday.  She is getting ready for her big party.

Bathroom Break

This morning as I was cooking breakfast I hear Lauren calling out from the bathroom,

"Mommy, could you come and get Gabe out....... of........ here?  This is my bathroom time!"

A few seconds later it was followed by, "Uh, and could you come and wipe me?"

The Thumb

We are trying to encourage Lauren to stop sucking her thumb and have offered (read: bribe) to take her to the toy store and let her pick out any toy -- if she gives it up.

Today at nap I reminded her that she is trying to quit. 

(do they have a N*icorette version for this sort of thing?) 

As I am walking out she says, "Umm, can you close the door all the way so you can't see me sucking my thumb?"

Hmmm.  Perhaps I should let her peruse a few toy catalogues.

Snow Angels?

The girls went to Ron's basketball game with him this morning.....at 5 am.  Needless to say, I had 4 sleeping children this afternoon -- at the same time.

As they were waking up Lauren says, "Mommy, if it snows today can we go out and play in it?"

I explained that its summer, in the 80's and probably won't snow again until around Christmas.  She looks and me and says, "Well, Okay then."

Vaseline and....well, isn't that enough?

Lauren came downstairs this afternoon covered - completely and totally - from head to toe in Vaseline.  

I'm talking, I had to scrub her down with dry towels before throwing her in the tub and dousing her with soap.  Ok, so Madeline did the tub part.  But only because I was removing Vaseline from every object within a 3 year-olds reach starting in the upstairs bathroom and ending (Thank God) in the kitchen downstairs.  

Oh, and the funniest part.  She didn't even seemed to be phased by the Vaseline.  She walked in and said, "Mom, am I wearing tacky pants?" 

(I can't tell her its "khaki" - we just got over her switching from faffle to waffle)

Keyboard Issues

Madeline and I were working on an art project (here is your first indication that something is about to go wrong....I have no business doing anything art related) that involved super glue (another big mistake).

I ran up to change Gabe's diaper and all the sudden I hear, "I sorry, Momma.  I sorry."

Oh, no.  (Madeline - where are you???)

I ran downstairs and Lauren has the super glue turned upside down and it is dripping......onto my brand new Mac keyboard.   Noooooooooooo.  Please, no.

After an afternoon of gently applying acetone -- everything but the "t" works.  Well, the "t" works....you just have to hammer down on it with every bit of muscle in your left index finger.

Which is why this email took 4 minutes to type.  

Couldn't she just have dripped it directly on the "Q"??

Just Your Average Saturday

Lauren said she was "organizing the kitchen drawers."

Do Not...

...allow your 3 year-old to put Play-Doh in an infant's hair.

Just don't.

Not Dinner Conversation

Because every day is quality entertainment around here....

I hear Lauren call out from the bathroom:

"Abby, do you want to come and see my POOP?"

Guinness World Record?

I think we may be nearing a world record for the longest hiccups....Lauren just passed the 3 week mark.  

Anytime, day or night, you can ask her if she still has the hiccups and she will throw out an emphatic, "HUT!"

Authenticity is still in question.  Acting skills are phenomenal.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lauren!

Fake Sneeze

This morning, one of the girls sneezed and out of nowhere we hear Gabe say, "Ahh  shhhh."

This is his version of a fake sneeze and he loved the reaction he got and has continued his rendition all day.

His other new tricks include giving kisses (very wet, gooey ones - usually unannounced or with very little warning) and saying "Da Da" as he reaches for Ron.

For the record, he did that like eons ago for me.  Ok, I wish.

Oh gross.  Lauren just walked in with goop all over her hands.  I said, "Did you put too much Vaseline on your lips babe?" (her lips are chapped)

She goes, "No Mom, this is snot!"

Sick. (pun intended)  Gotta go.

Popsicle anyone?

Lauren just asked if she could stand outside and eat a popsicle. FOTFL. (Sorry, I am falling on the floor laughing)
In the summertime (when the weather is lovely), I make popsicles and let the kids eat them outside....so all the drips and the mess land in the grass....you get it.

Today, however, it is super cold. Super. Cold. As in, you walk outside and your snot instantly freezes. That kind of misery, I mean, weather. I think its 7 degrees.

As I am explaining this to her, Abigail brings Gabriel in and announces that his hair is done. Now, he only has 18 hairs so I didn't realize it needed "done." Apparently so, as it is now FULL of gel and standing up straight.

Must go get camera.

Mothers Always Know

Yes, they do.
Oh, wait, I'm supposed to be explaining that as Madeline was learning her poem and scripture for her speech meet, Abigail learned the poem as well. She was very proud to recite it to the camera and even more excited to see it....as you'll hear at the end.



On a separate note:
Today's Quote was by Lauren: (as she is laying on the couch reading a book) "Mommy, when I grow up I want to go into this book."

Today's Highlight was by Madeline: She arrived home from school and was SO proud that she had gotten $100 bill from her teacher. She brings it in to show me and says, "Mom, is there anything you would like to spend it on?"
She was crushed when I told her it was not a real hundred dollar bill. What she doesn't know (yet) is that she could have asked me for anything at that moment and I would have given it to her.

Lauren's Baby Buggy Song

Lauren loves to sing this song to Gabe when he is fussy. The amazing part -- he now stops crying immediately when she sings it. It has come in very handy in restaurants, the grocery and especially the car.
Ellie-bug, WE LOVE YOU GIRL!!!! :)

Jolly Good Fellow

We have a tradition - in the Costello family - where we follow up the "Happy Birthday" song by launching into 2 verses of "For He's (or She's) a Jolly Good Fellow."

It doesn't matter where we are or who we are with, it never fails that "Happy Birthday" will turn into a full-blown concert.
By the time we get to the last verse, "which nobody can deny, which nobody can deny," we are literally dancing and pumping our fists in the air. It all started with Great Uncle Oliver (WAY back in the day) but that is an entirely different story.

Anyway, Lauren was running around the house this morning singing her version which goes like this:
"For she's a giant fellow, she's a giant fellow, she's a giant fellow, which nobody can delight!"

The same little girl who is now starting to say, "oatmeal" instead of "amp mamp" .....much to Ron and I's dismay. :(
(it took us forever to get over Madeline switching from "faffle" to "waffle"....we tried to keep it around by purposefully mispronouncing it until one day she said, "Guys, it's 'WAAA-FULL!'" Ok, game over.)

And speaking of Madeline, she has her first speech meet today and I have a nervous stomach.

Happy Monday.

Bins Are for Clothing!

Never leave bins unattended!
(I ran upstairs to get some clothes to store)


Try to find us Mom!

I could take a nap in here.

(and for anyone that is horrified....yes, I did explain that it is not safe to climb into bins and put the lids on)