Trip to the Zoo!

Today we went with Guppy and Sam, Maddie, Uncle Andy and Aunt Tonya to the zoo! It was really fun.  Right inside the Tropics trail is a large tortoise statue which the kids ran to right away.  Of course we had to take a couple of photos.   Here is Rose #3 smiling on the tortoise's neck.  And here is Rose #2.  We went to her school carnival last night, and it struck me how big she is getting!  As soon as we got to the carnival she found her teacher (Ms. S.!) and ran right to her and hugged her.  Very cute.  Rose #2 mostly liked running around at the zoo.  In this picture she is wearing her Christmas shirt from Aunt Tonya and Maddie!
I didn't get any good shots of Rose #1 before the camera battery died (of course it died in the middle of the zoo).  Here is a fairly cute one of Rose #1 and #2 on the tortoise.  The reason I didn't get Rose #1 is she was off like a shot with her cousin Sammy.
Here is the whole crew.  You can see Aunt Tonya on the left, the cousins all on the tortoise in the middle, and Uncle Andy holding up Sam and Maddie in the background.
One problem with going to the zoo with small children is you really don't see the animals.  You mostly see the kids running around and worry that one will slip away.  And fall, for example, into the Tide Pool.  That is an inside joke.

-6 air temperature

And I am going out to shovel.  Why is it that we live here in Minnesota again?  Well, I guess the fact that all of our friends and family are here is one small part of it.  Still.  I am getting tired of my toenails aching because my feet are cold.

Skiing Lessons

Skiing lessons (through community ed! Reasonably priced!) started yesterday. H took Roses #1 and #2 to lessons (while I stayed home with Rose #3 so she could nap and I could read the fourth Twilight book).

Here is Rose #2 on skis!  How I wish I had had skiing lessons when I was 4, so I would not be utterly terrified of skiing!
And here are Roses #1 and #2 suited up and ready.  The skiing helmets are a good story.  We bought Rose #1's at Joe's sporting goods for about $90.  We bought Rose #2's off craiglist for $25.
Why ever, ever buy something new when you can buy from craigslist?  

Incapacitated by a book

I will regret making this post, I fear, because it reveals two things about me.

One, I am terminally uncool.  I am so far behind trends it kind of makes my teeth hurt.

Two, I really like romance novels.  This pains me to admit.

But, I have to get this off my chest.  I read the first two books in the Twilight series and now I am literally waiting by the mailbox to get the second two from Quality Paperback Book Club.

(This will reveal something else about me - when I get it into my head that I need to get a bargain, no amount of inconvenience will stop me.  That is, I could go to Barnes & Noble, or even to Red Balloon, and just buy the darn books.  But I got a good deal at QPB.  Only they decided to ship them on the back of a camel who took the long way around the globe from Pennsylvania to ship the books to me.  Sigh.)

OK, enough confessions of a mother tonight.  The Roses are just fine, because I know you were wondering.

Better. Whew.

Maybe it was back to school, maybe the (ever so) slightly warmer weather, but the Roses are better.  Phew.  

I got home from work tonight and we were saying farewell to our old nanny, Tam.  She swooped in and saved our life after Jill had to go on bedrest.  Now she is off to college.  Good luck Tam! Goodbye!  We will see you in the summertime.  Enjoy college.  I wonder if it means that I am old that I am thinking that she should enjoy college while she is young, youth is wasted on the young, etc. etc.  

For Pete's sake, I am only 39.  I'm not THAT old YET.

The Roses weathered the farewell pretty well, and we had a nice taco dinner (even though it was a late dinner).  Rose #3 is having a bit more of a hard time with the transition between nannies, and she has been regressing in her potty training.  Turns out that if you pee in a booster chair, it does in fact drip down onto the dining room chair.  YECCCH.

I cleaned up/took out garbage/made lunches, and H supervised showers and jammies.  Now we are having a quick movie interlude before bed.

Wish all our evenings were this peaceful.  Rose #3 just leaned her head on my shoulder.  How could it get much better?

Tricky Bedtimes

I hate bedtimes.  To any new parent who comes across this blog:  when they tell you that your baby needs to learn to sleep by her/himself, you should listen.  It is true.

I have a 2-, a 4-, and a 6-year-old who scream if I leave the room during bedtime.  They literally cannot (or will not) put themselves to sleep.  And, if this isn't bad enough, they also migrate to our bedroom.  Every.  Single.  Night.

Now, I know, when they are teenagers they will SHRINK in HORROR at the thought of even a bedtime hug.  For now, I must admit, I could do with a little less closeness.  Every single night, I am awoken by someone either crying first or just coming directly into my bed.  Every single morning, I wake up with my arms asleep (because they are cradling a 38-lb. 2-year-old).  The sleeping with your baby thing is great when your baby is, well, a BABY.  Not when your "baby" is a giant Rose #3. 

We have some serious improvement to do around here in terms of sleeping.  And in terms of TV time (don't get me started), gratitude for what we've been given, peace, love and understanding, etc.  The work is unending.  And daunting, no?

Rough Weekend

For some reason, yesterday was a rough day.  Everyone was crabby - the kids want to watch TV nonstop, so when I forced them to turn it off and come to the library with me, well, it wasn't a pretty picture.  You know the articles in the newspaper or a women's magazine you read about moms who look like they might be getting really mad at their kids in a public place, and you aren't supposed to shame them or yell at them, but instead to offer to help?  That was me at the library yesterday - the mom having a hard time, that is.  Rose #3 wanted me to read stories ONLY to her, and then started screaming and crying when I tried to read to Rose #2.  So, it was time to leave.  Then Rose #3 really lost it.  We had about 30 books to check out, all in a big canvas bag, and I could not manage Rose #3 crying, Roses #1 and #2 protesting, and checking out the books, so I was getting ready to simply unload all the books and leave the library.  Well, that set off Roses #1 and #2!! So a kind onlooker helped Roses #1 and #2 check out their books while I struggled to get Rose #3's coat on. 

Sigh.  A simple trip to the library, fouled up by tempers and inexpert mothering.

Things did not improve much over the day, and we ended up all in bed at about 8:30.  (Except H, that is.)  Here's to a better Sunday, we hope.  We have church, and some errands to do, and the football game is on TV - so maybe moods will be better.