Music Time!!

Last night I found an old Canadian Brass CD and put it on while doing dishes. It made me all nostalgic for my Brass Quintet days in HS, so I decided to dig the French horn out of the closet and see if I could get it working (last time I fiddled with it I discovered that the first valve was frozen). Thanks to my AMAZING and very handy husband, the valve not only came unstuck, but it works perfectly!!!

It was very entertaining watching the girls and the husband take turns making 'tooting' noises on the horn while everyone else giggled. They were almost falling down with laughter when I played a few low notes that really sounded gassy :) Both of the girls can get a pretty decent sound out of the horn, and I'm getting all antsy wondering if they are old enough to start learning how to play correctly. I really would like to get them started on piano first and also am not sure how well lessons would go if we have to share on instrument between teacher and students.

After husband got tired of 'toots' I tried to play a little and B. was trying to point to the notes for me and turn pages for me. Very cute even though it makes it very difficult to play even a short segment all the way through :)

I decided to try and start getting my 'chops' back (see me pretending to be all music-y like I know what I'm talking about!), so today I played a bit more. At first the girls stood and stared because I told them they had to wait until I was finished for their turn. Then they went and got books to hit together like cymbals - or like they called them "those hitty things off of Spongebob." After the books they tried some of their dishes from their play kitchen. They seem to have a bit of rhythm...although it wasn't necessarily at the tempo I needed :)

Baby J. enjoyed all the horn playing too. Last night she was sticking her face in the bell and smacking the bell. Today she played with the case, tried to play with the music folder, and danced along with the music a few times.

I forgot....

...to record a MAJOR milestone! The girls (size 4T girls) have finally figured out how to totally strap themselves into their car seats! After 4 years of heaving car seats and kids into seats and standing on tiptoe to buckle - I'm finally done!!! No more walking to both sides of the car for buckle up - or my favorite - hopping out and walking to the passenger side only to realize I have forgotten to hit the unlock button again....after awhile it starts to look like I'm playing some sort of exercise intensive game of peekaboo with my kids.

This is one milestone that does not seem bitter sweet AT ALL! Car seats are a huge (although essential) hassle. They make me claustrophobic just thinking about being strapped in like that. But except for the occasional twisted strap, I don't have to mess with them anymore! Woohoo!

Today I officially started the holiday season - in my mind - by having my first Cranberry Splash Sierra Mist of the year :) MMmmmm...now if I could just find that dad-gum peppermint bark ice cream....

I thought we were all done being sick (except for the one time in the middle of each night that I have to run to the living room and hack up a lung), but then last night Baby J. started sounding all asthmatic. She now has a bit of a fever and the same icky cough her sisters had. I just can't figure out why she decided to wait a full week after they were sick to display the symptoms. The poor thing is very pathetic and makes my heart break with her misery. I hope she feels much better tomorrow.

I'm feeling very on top of things this Christmas because 'Santa' purchased one of the girls' main gifts before December!!! Yay Santa!

Rainy Day

I'm going to start with things I am thankful for: 1)it's finally raining - I thought, when we originally moved here from the drought of SW Kansas, that it would rain at least a few times a week - but that hasn't been the case, and I've been feeling a bit parched. 2)Baby J. is napping and has been in a pretty good mood lately. She's also been being very cute - as usual. 3) Husband/Daddy says he's coming home at 6 instead of 'late'. 4) For the last 10 minutes or so the big girls have been playing nicely with each other without any destruction of property or excess noise.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am sick. I think I was at my sickest on Thursday and the girls' Daddy had to work late that night - he got home around 11:30 PM. He also worked late Friday and then worked part of the day Saturday. So, I have been home alone for extended amounts of time with children that are getting very tired of being cooped up at home with a sick Mom. I got a nice 2 hour reprieve yesterday while the big girls and Daddy went to church. I feel very much like the weak animal in a herd that all the other animals are picking on. The girls sort of snicker when I attempt to yell (I'm very hoarse and it only gets worse when I try to raise my voice at all) or discipline, and they definitely seem to be going throw a 'naughty' spell that I suspect is directly related to Mama being sick and slow moving.

Last week A. locked herself in the bathroom while 'poopin' and had to get her unwiped self off the potty to come unlock the door so I could clean her up. Today, I went to use the bathroom (and had to go pretty bad because I had been putting off going while I switched the laundry, put the baby down for her nap etc) and found the door locked. I guess I should have expected it - but since the girls just figured out that it could be locked a few days ago I hadn't yet processed the possibility of a total lockout (might have to do with all the goo in my head). A sort of grumpy husband asked me if I really wanted him to come all the way home just to open the bathroom door. A very grumpy, and now dancing the peepee dance Mama told him that I wasn't about to 'go' out in the rain behind the tree. He told me to take off the doorknob, which I did manage - but I was still unable to get the lock mechanism out. Twenty minutes later he was home and popped the door open in less than 5 seconds, because I, of course, had loosened it up for him.

Baby J. is now starting to dance a bit and she loves the intro credits to the 'George Lopez Show' . She also has a very funny way of 'crawling with purpose' - she goes very quickly and looks very determined - usually when the girls and Daddy have gone off to another room without her.

**And now they are back to running in circles and screaming...maybe it's time to go play in the rain.

Day 3

Twins are feeling better (and are back to their normal wild selves...with just a hit of raspy-ness).

Baby J. tossed and turned and fussed all night. She's all stuffed up and about every 15 to 30 minutes she sneezes body length ropes of snot (only a slight exaggeration). So, every 15 to 30 minutes I have to jump to wipe the mess even though I feel like my head weighs about double and my body thinks we need to be having a slow-mo day. I wasn't planning on a doctor visit since nothing seems too serious - but Baby J.'s snot is not translucent anymore...so I'm watching it. It's showing up green on her clothes but doesn't look green when fresh.
I suppose all this talking of snot is a bit off putting, but it's the reality. I really don't mind the goo, I just mind the having to get up to wipe it.

I don't know what the girls have/had, but I have it and also what feels to be a sinus infection. I've never been diagnosed with a sinus infection - so I'm only guessing that this is what one feels like.

The weather is cooperating nicely and looking all rainy - so the girls can blame something besides me and Baby J. for their not getting to go to the park today!

Sick. Sorta.

It has finally hit. The first round of ickness for the fall. So far, not too bad. It's started slow - B. had a nasty cough just in the mornings. Then I started having 'drippage' in the mornings. Now we all sound raspy and feel run down. There's not much goo (except for Baby J. who has nasal goo as her only symptom).

Since this bug has not manifested itself into something with a concrete name like cold (head, chest or otherwise), or strep throat, etc, I'm resorting to the basic rest and fluids for a cure. Cold medicines are out for kids under 6 so there's not much in the providing relief of symptoms department. I do have some cough medicine for better snoozing at night (I don't know if this is on the banned list but it has dosage for 2 and up and is only half a teaspoon a day - and since the ban on cold medicines is due mainly to fear of overdose outweighing any possible benefit, I think it's ok).

It's been interesting to see how sickness affects the moods of each of my girls. It makes almost all of us more irritable, of course, but Baby J. actually seems to be in a better mood than normal. Perhaps she's enjoying the dripping from her nose?? She has been much more vocal the last two days and has also entertained herself more. B. has her feelings hurt much easier and expects all of us to baby her - including A. A. is probably the least sick of all of us - or at least lets it affect her the least. She seems to be as active and energetic as usual and bounces back and forth between baby-ing B. and tormenting her. I only know she's sick because of the occasional cough and the fact that I can hear her breathing.

Last night my efforts to keep them calm and resting all day were totally nullified by the fact that they had a 15 minute around the living room race which included jumping off the furniture and spinning in circles. They both sounded asthmatic as they ran and then A. was practically in tears about how 'hot' she was. We've been discussing lately how lots of 'wildness' makes for a hot girly.

My plea to the husband for another round of happy hour drinks from Sonic for this afternoon fell on too practical ears....I told him I need to push fluids for all of us and that the girls already had their daily allotment of apple juice (any more and they will have runny poo). I can't get them to drink much water ever. So, I thought pink drinks would help with the fluids intake, but....*sigh* I just got told that we have gross-o flavor Gatorade mix in the truck :(

But! on a positive note - it could be lots worse AND I'm off to go feed my cold (or whatever it is)! Yay for an excuse to put off the diet and exercise!

PS Forgot to mention that the husband, so far, has dodged the sickness bullet and is feeling fine. Woo! Very important to have a healthy bread winner :)