Odds and Ends...

Here are just some odds and ends from our past week. None were really worthy of an entire blog post, and we had a pretty normal week, but there were a few notables :)

Sleep-training - We have been sleep training B for about three weeks now (something that we should have done - oh say - two years ago) and she is doing really well! I am so proud of what a big girl she is. She can now fall asleep on her own in her crib and sleeps there from 7:45 p.m. - 5:20 a.m. (on the DOT!) A couple of nights a week she'll wake up and say she needs a hug from mom, but then she settles back in. This doesn't sound all that amazing, but it really is. This girl was in and out of our bed all night from 11 p.m. on before this. Now, I will say that I think the whole process of sleep-training was significantly more pain-free (read: tear-free on both ends) because we used this method and mostly because she is older and understands what is going on. So, we are getting a bit more sleep here - and T has more room in our bed. :) He's next to be trained....

Griffith Park - We went and played on the playground with the kids today and had a blast! They were giggling and loving the playgrounds and of course the swings. Then, before we left, we thought it would be fun to take them on the Carousel. What we didn't realize was the carousel was the oldest one we had ever seen and also the fastest. B loved it, exclaiming, "This is so fun, mom!" while T was horrified, and started wailing, "I don't Ike it!" When we got off, B said, "Thanks so much for taking us on it, Dad!" (making J forget that it had cost him $8 for the four of us) and T said, "All Done!" while I wiped away his tears. When I asked him if he liked it, T said, "Yeah! I didn't ike it." We just adore these kids.

Urgent Care - On Thursday morning, we were dancing to the Cars soundtrack, when B started spinning around (she just discovered this) and she got a bit too dizzy, fell, and hit her face on her little wooden chair. This time there were no stitches but there was the fastest growing, huge, bruised lump on her head I had ever seen. It just kept getting bigger and J and I decided to be safe rather than sorry so I rushed her to urgent care. After a juice box, some chocolate cookies, and the car ride to urgent care she had stopped crying enough to tell me that T needed to put shoes on. At that point I knew she was probably okay, but we still went in and got professional assurance. And, now I have a handy reference sheet for the next time this happens. Thank God she is just fine!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - This book is a favorite in our house right now. In fact, B has now memorized it and loves to read it to herself and us. She prefers "independent reading" and will read hers out loud and hand us a different book to look at so we don't try to read it to her. She can also recite the book's sequels, "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" and "Baby Bear, Baby Bear." It is one of the cutest things I have ever heard to hear her read the story! I will try to post a video of it later.

Eggs - This week T picked up a plastic egg while the toddlers and I were making a fake salad in their play kitchen. He look at me and said "MA-MALLOW?" It was very cute and a little sad to realize that our son's first reaction when he sees an egg is to think it is a marshmallow. We really do feed them healthy food ... we just happened to have made rice krispie treats last weekend... And then J and I happen to have been snacking on marshmallows a lot lately. But they are half air, right!?

Sleeping In - J let me sleep in 2 hours this morning!! Amazing. All I have to say is: Amazing. Thanks, Sweetheart!

Huntington Gardens - We went to a farewell play date, for one of B and T's friends who is moving to NY, at Huntington Gardens this week. It was so fun! The gardens are beautiful, and the kids adored the splash play area in the children's garden. T spent most of the time dunking his head, while B pretended to wash her hands in the water. That is so my kids.

Parks - We went to the park 3 times this week. The weather has been beautiful, the kids love running, and I love playing with them and watching them explore. We have been able to meet some friends there, too, which makes it all the better.

Prayer Book - I just finished a great book on Prayer by Philip Yancey. I'll post on it later, but let's just say it has challenged me in a lot of ways. I love reading. I am trying to decide which book on my list will be my next one.

LIA store - This week J started a store for LIA, which is pretty exciting. You can check it out here.