g is for greta

Of the Flintstone variety, that is. Last month I was driving the kids somewhere with Tony’s sister in tow. We passed a house with a toy car out front labeled free. My favorite word! We shoved it in the van, took it home, then went about our business. It was fairly dirty from being outside. The kids helped me wash it and ta-da! A new outside car. My brother was in town and pushed them around. The coolest feature is the seat in the back. Check it out:

One of the wheels has seen better days. Not sure how long we’ll keep it before we label it free and stick it out by the road ourselves. It takes up too much precious garage space. It’s fun for now, though.

-g.

My parents were down a few weekends ago and wanted to take the kids somewhere fun. Corinne got a Valentine from one of her classmates that included a free donut from Krispy Kreme. Sounded like a good time to me! The kids loved it. Here’s the tour if you’ve never been:

First, the massive dough mixer:

Next, they are formed by a press:

Given time to rise:

Fried on one side:

Then flipped to the other:

A wonderful waterfall of glaze (that I wanted to stick my face under):

Time to cool before they are devoured:

These ladies are hand-dipping the chocolate frosting:

We each got a donut to eat afterwards. It was cheap entertainment. I feel bad for the person that had to clean up after my kids’ dirty hands fingered up the glass. Definitely a perfect activity for a rainy day.

-g.

Mason has his quirks. That’s what makes me love him so much. I was flipping through the pictures and found some that really capture who he is at the moment.

I have been trying for MONTHS to get the boy to wear a tie to church. Two Sundays ago after I put his shirt on, he asked me where his tie was. I was shocked. He wore it for the drive to church and maybe the first 30 minutes. Oh well. It’s a start. He was so proud of himself. Here’s some pics.

I have seen boys at church with ties that zip. I searched all over the mall with no luck. I think the problem with the clipons is that I have to button the top button. If I can find the zip kind, then I can leave the top button unbuttoned. Anybody out there know where to find them?

Mason loves to brush his teeth. I think he’s trying to become my favorite child. He stands on the toilet and spits in the sink and then rinses over and over again.

On this particular day, Mason saw Corinne and I polishing our nails. I have told him several times that only girls paint their nails. Well that wasn’t cutting it anymore. I found some blue and painted his toenails. He was thrilled! Of course we made him wear socks anytime we went in public, but his happiness was worth it.

That’s why I think that Mason rocks the house.

-g.

I am not a fan of video games. I admit I have enjoyed playing Halo occasionally with my hubby and his buddies, but nothing comes close to the Wii. I am controller retarded. The Wii just makes sense to me since you act out real motions in order to play. Not push a series of buttons. Tony just bought Mario Kart for the Wii. It comes with a little steering wheel. For some reason, Mason won’t even touch it but loves to watch.

That expression on their faces scares me. It’s The Zone. I like the way Corinne looks when she plays better.

It’s pretty addicting and has worked it’s way into our daily lives. We laugh because Mason loves to play Super Mario on the DS and comments constantly on various parts and characters of the game. Now Corinne is doing the same with Mario Kart. This morning we were looking at the clouds. She said, “That one looks like a bullet car and that one looks like Yoshi.”

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

-g.

Today was another appointment at the pediatrician’s office. I feel like we are regulars. They should start a frequent patient program where you earn fruit snacks or something while you wait for coming in so often. Moving on…

Ethan is a peanut. I’ve struggled to fatten him up since he was born. He only gained a smidge over a pound and grew one inch since his 6 month check-up. His percentages plummeted. Of course his head grew in leaps and bounds. An orange on a toothpick. The doctor said to stuff him with food and try to fatten him up. She also tried to make me feel better by saying that since he has mastered crawling and is trying to walk with assistance he likely lost weight due to extra mobility. I’ll cling to that.

The highlight of the appointment was when I was informed that he has a double ear infection. What is it with ears!!!!!!!!!!! I am so over my poor kids getting these blasted colds/infections. UGH! He is a druggie and loves the medicine. He bounces up and down when he sees me shaking it up. Only one shot and a stick in the finger to check iron. Everything else was by the books. He won over the doc with his infectious grin. Here’s his mugs:

The photo session starts out innocently enough

By the time he is dressed, it is dangerously close to naptime. No smiles left.

Then he figures his only way out is to plunge off the chair. I gave up.

Ethan is loving being outside. The first time we went out, he wouldn’t leave the blanket without crying. Now he crawls everywhere and loves to eat dirt.

He also loves to eat food. Here he is with his new teething toy…a chicken leg.

He’s my baby, and I love him.

-g.