When Bob or I announce "Bath Time!", The Littles come laughing & screaming down the hallway. We parents also enjoy this short reprieve from The Toddler Whack (tm). Aside from the occasional pouring of water over Sissy's head by Vic, or outright bath toy thievery from Bailey, The Littles get along while bathing.
Bailey waits her turn to get in the tub. I'm loving how her hair curls in the back!
Bailey & Vic laughing at silly ol' Dad.
Vic on Mom-n-Dad's bed. He's fast & will take off before I dress him if I turn my back.
I made an Ikea run today and had a blast walking the aisles with a great friend. Jack and two buddies whooped it up in the Kinder Paradeis while my friend and I got to shop & talk. The Littles were supposed to be napping at home for Daddy, but I found out later they gave him a run for his money. Poor Bob.
I'm trying to think ahead for what I'll want once we're living in Poland (Poland!) so arrived with a long list in hand. Once we move to
Bydgoszcz, the nearest Ikea will be in Warsaw, which is a 2 hr drive away I think. As Ikea is so close to us now, we're trying to project out our wants & needs.
At the top of the list were Bob & the boy's train related items: a long/wide table top or counter from the As-Is section for their train layout, an under-bed storage bin to be hacked into a
train storage/curio, and under shelf lighting for my china hutch.
Although she won't need it for another year, I bought Bailey a duvet to put in the darling duvet cover & pillowcase I picked up for a steal last year ($2.00,Thrift Shop).
I've been daydreaming about what I want to give Bailey for her 2nd birthday, which isn't until October. I normally don't think this far out, but again, we'll be in northern Poland and it's so.. well.. foreign to me right now. I'm afraid everything will be incredibly hard for a few months.
Anyhoo... I planned on building Bailey a girl-sized kitchen by hacking a few Ikea pieces. Before I even got to price different items, my bestie Angela spotted a finished play kitchen.
Done! Thanks, Ikea, you think of everything.
It's a little more than I would have paid, but it's a much better finished product than I could think of. This beauty has a microwave, oven, sink, and a two burner range that lights up as if it's in use. I may make a fridge for her once we're in Poland depending on how much space I'll have.
I'm keeping the kitchen and the pots/pans/utensils in their original packages so they'll remain undamaged when the movers do their stuff. Not fun. I *really* want to put it together and play with her, but it's best to wait. I'd like to paint and add finishing touches to it like
this one I found on another int'l mom's blog.
Maybe I'll pick up some supplies to make felt food for her kitchen? In my spare time? Ha! Here's a yummy example:
Too fun!
Now I just need to figure out what to get the boys for their birthdays. I'm thinking anyting train related for Vic's 3rd birthday in May and am still mulling over Jack's 8th birthday in October.
Cranberry muffins, Yum! Bailey tries to help herself as Jack serves up an after school snack. 
The Littles watching a tractor plow our parking lot. They spent about 20 mins watching this guy work. Fabulous fun!
Bailey "cooking" dinner. Can you see the little bites out of her apple?
Here's a few pictures of our first snow day of the year. We've had a lot more since, but this is the only day of pictures. Thanks to my great friend Angela for taking these shots!
Jack had his big "Accelerated Reader Sleepover" last night at the school gym. This was a big night as we had a talent show and picnic beforehand. At the talent show, Jack and his buddy teamed up -- the friend read Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade (!) while Jack played a soft guitar "accompaniment" in front of 100+ parents and other kids. It's really amazing what kids come up with on their own. We were very proud of Jack, especially that he was so insistent on performing, with no fear, and considering that one of the other acts consisted of a young man arm-farting "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".
I participated in an instructor-led Persian cooking class today at a neighbor's place with some girlfriends. None of us had ever tasted Persian (Iranian) food, so weren't sure what to expect. Oh goodness, I had a hard time keeping myself from licking the plate clean.
Bailey is 7 months old now and not fully crawling yet, but she low crawls (pulling w/arms, pushing w/feet + knees) all over the living room now, normally to chase Vic. The budding rivalry between those two continues to grow.
Vic is a hoot & a half and keeps me on the run. My youngest son is so passionate about whatever it is he's doing, or thinking of, and we have a hard time hiding our laughs when he's having a tantrum. There's a good reason his nickname is "Tank". Though, while he's all rough, strong, and brave on the outside, he still loves to cuddle and snuggle with mom & dad. I'm such a lucky mommy.
