Disciplinary Action

These two play pretty well together. Mostly because Fred isn't too bossy (yet) and Stella is good at giving in. Recently, they've started fighting more. Yesterday I enacted a new law: If you hurt someone you are punished with hot sauce on your tongue. I realize that this stings which means I am trying to teach my kids to not hurt by hurting them. I'm not sure how well it will work. They'll probably just acquire a taste for spicy foods.

I had to pin Stella down after her first offense. After her second, she was willing to take it.

Fred: (crying)

Me: Stella, did you hurt Fred?

She: (standing defiantly) Yes.

Me: Stick out your tongue.
She stuck out her tongue and took her punishment. And even smiled.

I really like this about Stella even though it is slightly maddening. If she doesn't want to eat her veggies then she (usually) is fine without getting her dessert. She is not a conformist. Which makes it really hard to discipline (control/manipulate) her. Plus, she is so forgiving that I have a hard time following through with a punishment because I know that she quickly forgives me when I make her feel bad.

Like the time I popped her balloon. I had taken all three kids to a restaurant where Chloe's school was doing a fundraiser. When we got home it was bedtime. Bedtime is always hectic and I was already frazzled from dealing with the kids in a restaurant. I was trying to get them to focus on getting ready for bed but they were focused on the balloons they had brought home. Stella let hers go and couldn't reach it. She kept asking me to get it and I told her I didn't want her to play with it when she should be getting her jammies on so I would get it after she had changed. She kept asking and asking and I finally said, "If you don't stop I'm going to pop your balloon." She didn't stop. (She doesn't usually respond to threats.) So I stormed in her room, grabbed a balloon and stomped on it. Fred started crying. Stella stopped crying and stared at me wide-eyed. Then I realized that Stella wasn't upset--she was confused. I had popped Fred's balloon. So I gave Stella's balloon to Fred and then she started crying. And Fred continued to cry because he wanted his balloon. About five minutes later, as I was getting Fred settled in bed, Stella came in and gave me a hug and cuddled up to me. She gave me a hug. Because she is loving and affectionate and forgiving. So I promised her another balloon.

I want to be more like Stella.

Spring Skiing

Spring skiing would be a lot easier if I had skis.

I set the timer for a family photo then a kind person offered to take it for us. My shot is the middle picture. I win.

A Sister's Influence

Fred LOVES to dance. He turns on the music, grabs his sister's hands and says, "Let's dance."
Here is a video of Chloe giving him a dance lesson. The dress was his own doing.

(Try to ignore Stella's fit. As we were.)

He does sing other songs but I am always entertained when he starts singing this song out of the blue. (You have to admit it's a catchy tune.)

Valentine's Day

The kids had a good V. day. I left them each a little gift in their Valentine boxes and bought Krispie Kreme donuts for breakfast. Dan gave them each a box of chocolates and boquets for the girls.

Valentine Box & Cards

I loved making Valentine boxes when I was a kid and this was my first chance to do it--I mean, help do it-- as a parent. I spent a lot of time searching the internet looking for good ideas but found nothing. I finally came up with a heart-robot-guy-thing and after I explained to Chloe how the arms would be crazy straws and the cards would go through his mouth and feathers and foam and tp rolls, etc., she said, "I was thinking a school bus. Ya know, cuz its school."

Oh.

I could have saved myself a lot of time if I would have just asked her if she had any ideas. I didn't have a problem letting go of my robot idea. I liked the school bus idea (not so much the logic behind it--kinda like how she thinks "cutey" and "fluffy" are perfect pet names).

Dan constructed the bus out of a Capri Sun box. I wrapped it. Dan drew the lines. I made the 'Love' sign, Chloe added stickers and jewels and glitter glue and gold marker.

The back doors opened for emergency exit of the cards.

I made a card out of a photo taken of Chloe last month. We taped them to Capri Suns.

p.s. I hate that she has to be Chloe L. but I can't convince her to change her name.

A Good Day:

-Skiing-

Dan and I took Stella & Fred skiing. 

(Chloe had a soccer game so Dan took her skiing the night before

and we left her with a teammate/friend while we took S & F.) 

This was Fred's first time.  He's a pro. 

-Thai food-

Pretty Boy

Fred, don't feel bad that you get into your mom's makeup and your sisters never did. I didn't have makeup when they were your age.

We finished off December with the perfect snow day--a big storm followed by warm sunshine.

We don't get much snow here so we enjoyed it while it lasted.

We spent awhile building a snowman and Fred decided to bite his head when I tried to get him to pose for the camera. Of course, natural instinct.

We invited Annie and Kate over to play with us.

Extreme sledding. Not really. Slightly sloped sledding.

BSCF's

(Best Second Cousin Forever)

(Which makes them my first cousins once removed. Fyi.)

The Goodrich Family

Part vampire-part Na'vi (Avatar). (We tried to get a picture of the whole family but none of them turned out.)

Christmas Morning

We were in Santa Clara for two weeks of the Christmas holiday. The time always flies by.

Chloe lost a tooth before Christmas, like, really lost it--it fell out and she didn't notice. But she knows the Tooth Fairy is understanding so she wrote a note explaining the situation but saved it until Christmas Eve in the chance that she might meet up with Santa. Well, it worked. The T Fairy left Chloe a note and said she told Santa to brush his teeth after eating all the cookies. Chloe thought she was pretty clever.

Here we are opening stockings and reading notes from the T Fairy.

Fred got a slide, Stella got a Leapster and a scooter. Chloe got Nintendogs and a bike. She wondered why Santa gave her a used game (ebay). One of her clever cousins said that one of the elves must have played with it.
We opened presents with my parents, Grandma Lang, Jordan and Zach. I am very proud of myself for not getting very many presents. I was afraid they would be disappointed because there wasn't much to unwrap. I was wrong. Both girls mentioned many times how happy they were.
Fred received a gummy snake in his stocking. He liked to shake his head vigorously while tearing off bites.

It was a merry Christmas.

Goodrich Christmas Party

Featuring:

Talent show

Pinata

Gift exchange

Nativity

Vomit

Holding Still

We took Fred to get a haircut at Great Clips. The stylist was soooo slow and Fred got impatient. I would hold his cheeks and tell him to "hold still". Later, when my mom was fixing the haircut, I told him to "hold still" and he held his cheeks.

Jammies

We let the kids unwrap their jammies a couple of weeks before Christmas so they could actually wear them during the season. Fred loved his 'bun bob' pjs.

Christmas at the Zoo

We went to the zoo to see Santa (since the mall was too expensive).It turned out to be a great day to visit. All the animals received Christmas gifts. Every cage had a wrapped gift (some sort of food). In the picture on the left there is some sort of cat eating a white bunny. On the right is a komodo dragon eating a hunk of meat.
We were watching the spider monkeys lounging around in the trees when they suddenly went bananas--screaming and swinging around and fighting each other. Then one came up to the glass right in front of Fred. He (the monkey) had both hands on the glass and was screaming, baring its teeth and bulging its eyes--all inches from Fred's face. It was very exciting (and scary for Fred). The lions, on the other hand, were very cuddly and playful with each other. Fred now thinks monkeys are scary and lions are cute. He talked about lions, monkeys and nakes (snakes) for days.

A Day in the Life

This video starts with Fred eating breakfast.

Then singing with his pants off.

Then eating lunch. I was very fascinated by his noodle eating abilities.

Two year olds are interesting creatures.

Lights

We went with the Reichner family to see the lights at the botanical gardens. (They do not compare to temple square.) It was one of the coldest nights we've had this winter. I had snow pants and the kids had snowsuits so we were fine. Dan was freezing. I gave my scarf to Brock and he wrapped his head turban-style.

I love this picture--Chloe is pouting and Stella is doing her signature disabled child pose and my nose is bright red.

He Likes to Move It.

Fred loves to dance. He thinks he's the boss of the radio, though. Whenever I listen to NPR he yells, "Song!" And I flip through the stations while he says, "Not dat one...Dat one! Dat one!" And he starts busting a move. And then he yells, "Woud (loud)!" Sometimes it is rock, sometimes hip hop or mariachi or classical.

Party in the USA

Chloe got a Miley Cyrus cd for her birthday and listened to it over and over for a few days. After about a week of not listening to it at all, she asked Fred to put his hands up for some reason. (I think she wanted to give him high fives.) She said, "Fred, put your hands up." And Fred replied, "they're playing my song, butterflies away."

So I hurried for the camera...

Fred. October & November.

He really loves his horse and bink.
First professional haircut.
All he wanted to wear was a dishtowel on his head.
Sister's makeup.

He is wearing my shorts up over his belly and my tanktop around his waist.

fyi: blue chalk stains when ground up and liquefied.

Eating butter. He threw up ten minutes later.

He loves that green sweater vest.

I don't know if you can tell, but Fred is my favorite. Because two-year-olds are funny. The favorite child title usually lasts until about age three.

p.s. everything photographed was of his own doing (except the haircut) with no encouragement from us (especially the butter).

Thanksgiving

The Nate & Cyndi Goodrich family came to our house for Thanksgiving. They drove all the way from southern Nevada. We really appreciated it. It would have been a really sad day without them (we probably would have gone out to eat).

While they were here we did some crafts, went to the Discovery Center museum, ice skating, out to eat (during the BYU vs. Utah game--sorry Nate--why didn't you tell me?!), to a movie, played Blokus, and just hung out. Oh, and we had a really yummy Thanksgiving meal. Home cooked. Not by me. I just did a pudding pie. The kids spent a long time raking these leaves so they could slide into them. Click on the picture to enlarge. Fred was so excited to be part of the train. Then he was left behind, "Hey!" Then he was happy again because he was on a slide that ended in a pile of leaves.

Thanks so much for the visit! (And sacrificing football because we don't have cable.)