Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for August 2016

Mon Aug 01 2016 20:41 Sienna's Going to Be a Great Mom:

Mom, can I watch a show?Mom can I watch a show?Mom can I watch a show? how many time do I have to tell you can I watch a show?"

And then two minutes later "I heard you the first time!"

Quotes Sienna

Wed Aug 03 2016 06:51 Minnie:

John got called to go to the hospital with the bishop to give a blessing. It was an petite 82 year old woman who works at Disneyland playing Minnie Mouse.

Wed Aug 03 2016 19:08 Beach Beach:

Today was our second beach day this week. We took the two neighbor girls and a woman with no kids from the ward, and met some more friends at Newport. We brought all the boogie boards because the kids had fun floating on them and using the paddle board at baby beach in Dana Point on Monday, but they didn't use them. They just did body surfing for three hours. Sienna and her little friend Preston had fun running around together, playing in the water, playing in the sand. I had fun talking to my friends. Arthur had a nice nap and crawled around happily, eating sand. Everyone had a great time.

Shortly after I got home, another friend texted me and asked if I'd like to go with her on Friday. Looks like it's a triple beach week! Dalton has cooking camp next week and then school is practically back, so we'll make the most of it.

Sun Aug 07 2016 22:34 Ice and Blood:

Typical Saturday at Knott's berry farm yesterday. We first had to do our chapel cleaning assignment. So everyone was already nice and tired when we got there. We did the water park first. John and Dalton did some water slides while the rest of us enjoyed the wave pool, then we all did a lap in the lazy river. Arthur didn't take a nap like he has the past several times, so it wasn't as much fun.

For lunch we went to the chicken dinner restaurant - we went there our first visit with my family, but haven't been since. It's really good though. The kids meals come with jello, ice cream, and berry punch. Sienna has been carrying her plastic Snoopy cup around every since.

We went straight from lunch to the new Snoopy on Ice show. We were just on time and got decent seats - despite how crowded the park was by this point, the theater was pretty empty. I got Arthur to go to sleep, which was great. I was very impressed with the quality of the show. It was about Snoopy going to Hollywood, so there were lots of California songs. And, they played They Might Be Giants Why Does the Sun Shine? with a Griffith Obervatory background and my heart was smitten.

After the show, we stopped by the bathroom on the way out. Dalton managed to fall on his face and came out with blood pouring from his mouth - no paper towels in the bathroom of course. We used a burp cloth and a stranger's frozen water bottle to get him to the first aid station where they determined he has bit his cheek and was otherwise ok. And asking for treats again already.

I threw the horridly bloody burp cloth in the rinse and spin cycle with the swim suits and it came out completely spotless.

Also, John has been making dinner on Sundays for a while now. He comes up with clever stuff and it's usually amazing.

Fri Aug 12 2016 22:15 Peek a Boo:

Dalton has been at culinary camp this week, held in a senior center in a galaxy far away. I was early today, trying to avoid traffic. Maggie was at the fair with a friend. I left Sienna at the neighbors, so I just had the baby. Arthur crawled around the hallway while we waited for the class to end and found a room of seniors playing cards. He peeked through the window at the side of the doorway and before he knew it, and older gentleman had crawled on the floor on the other side of the window to say hi to him. People are great.

Sun Aug 14 2016 07:29 Arthur Teeth:

Arthur cut his first tooth this week, with here more on the way. This leaves Sienna as the earliest (almost average) tether, with Arthur following right behind, Dalt a couple months later, and Maggie way in the distance. He's been up in the night four or five nights this week and reverted back to his months-ago grumpy clingy self. he is finally starting to nap without crying, put himself to sleep more quietly and enjoy life, so I'll take it. Also, he eats a lot.

Arthur

Mon Aug 15 2016 21:40:

I did a kid swap with my neighbor today, which was both exhausting and awesome. I dropped my kids off in the morning so Arthur could nap there and did all kinds of stuff.

Picked up the kids' rooms
Threw away junk
vacuumed
Two loads of laundry
Dropped off dry cleaning
Did some Walmart shopping
Put groceries away right after buying them!
Lay in bed and ate half a bag of chips.

At this point another neighbor asked me to watch her kid so I did. We picked up my four and she went to Costco. Then dropped off her 2 and 6 year olds and took Maggie and her friend ice skating. This left me with only five, and the babies slept for the first couple hours.

I made pretzels and got a 15 minute nap before babies started waking up. The rest of the afternoon was crazy, but we survived. Arthur only got stepped on once.

Wed Aug 17 2016 20:27 Expired:

Hey this milk expires after you go back to school!
Maggie: Milk doesn't expire. Only passes expire.

Quotes Maggie

Wed Aug 17 2016 21:47 Stuff I Googled Today:

Can crabs breathe air
Steeplechase
Brazilian men's gymnastics floor
Nadia perfect ten
Wake boarding in flooded street
Carl's Jr. complaints
Wire to make costume ears stand up
Irvine dentists
Day 11 highlights
US medal count
Old man names

Fri Aug 26 2016 19:04 Letter of Introduction:

Dear [Maggie's Teacher],
I’m pleased to introduce you to our oldest child, Margaret. We have three other children and Maggie is a very helpful big sister, especially to her baby brother. She is a fearless roller coaster junkie, and also enjoys Minecraft, My Little Pony, and Lego. She likes rules, and making sure everyone is following them. She always tries to do the right thing, even if no one is looking. A close circle of friends is more Maggie’s style than the popular crowd. She is friendly, kind, and inclusive. Her imagination is very active, so don’t be surprised if you catch her talking to herself! School work comes pretty easily to our bright Maggie, though as we are both avid readers, we wish she enjoyed reading for fun a little more. We are very proud of Maggie and the kind, bright girl she is growing into, and look forward to seeing how she progresses in you class.
I also look forward to helping in the classroom this year!
Sincerely,
[Maggie's Parents]

Maggie

Wed Aug 31 2016 16:07 Arthur at 9 Months:

Arthur's 9 month appointment: he was 19 lbs 1 oz (having eaten four ounces of baby food in the elevator) (38%) and 29 inches tall (75%).

Arthur

Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2016 August