More Pictures from the New Camera

I didn't want to overwhelm you all with cuteness in that last post, so I'm splitting up the pictures into two posts. I hope you don't mind ;-)

New Camera

I recently bought a previously owned Canon 5D, an upgrade from my Canon 40D. I actually got it last week, but due to a stomach bug that hit the family pretty hard, I didn't get a chance to play with it until yesterday. Here are a few pics from the new (to me) camera.

Cute Moment Almost Turned Disastrous

We've noticed the girls, on a few occasions now, holding hands and prancing through the house. It's a very cute moment, and I just happened to capture one such occasion on video. Of course, KJ, not wanting to be left out, decided to join in the fun, and we almost had a major meltdown because of it.

Dance Party!

Juli, KJ and Elisha had a great time dancing to the credits of Madagascar.

Peacemaker

I often call Elisha "mommy's little clone" because she looks almost exactly like Gretchen did at that age, and their personalities are sooooo similar. It's really scary sometimes. The other day, KJ and Juli were fighting with one another over something (I don't remember what now) and they both started to scream and cry. I had had enough by this point and started to yell at them to quit whatever it was they were doing and head to timeout. The crying continued, so my yelling continued. At this point, Elisha slowly walked up to me with her head down and quietly said, "calm down dada, calm down." I melted, took her in my arms and gave her a great big hug. She was being the peacemaker. A trait she most definitely got from her mother.

A Very Strange Day

Yesterday was a very strange day.

• My Uncle passed away early in the morning. He had been in and out of the hospital for a few months, so it wasn't really a surprise, but sad nonetheless. 
• I woke up with a splitting headache and diminished hearing in one ear. Turns out I have an outer ear infection and sinus pressure so bad it's pushing on my eardrum. Woohoo. 
• Gretchen was home because we were going to take family pictures, so it felt like a Saturday rather than a Thursday.
• KJ woke up about an hour earlier than usual, crying.
• While we were taking pictures, Juli peed on me. The diaper did not protect and I did not have an extra pair of pants with me. Thankfully it dried quickly and did not leave a stain.
• KJ fell asleep in the van on the way home from the photo shoot, and then didn't want to nap when we got home. It took several hours to get him to calm down and take a nap.

Just a really strange day. Today will be better.

Practice Makes Perfect

When KJ was learning to walk, and sure enough to walk on his own without using the furniture, he would practice. He would do laps in our living room. He would walk from one end to the other, over and over and over. Sometimes for what seemed like half an hour to forty-five minutes. It probably wasn’t that long, but it seemed like it. We would just sit in amazement and watch him go back and forth and back and forth. He seemed determined to master this walking thing. And he did master it. Of the three, he is the most sure footed right now. He does have his spills and slip-ups, but compared to the girls, he is steady on his feet.

In the past couple of weeks we have noticed he is starting to repeat everything we say. I mean everything. And not just repeating while he plays. He is focused on what you are saying and then repeating it. It seems to be his sole task. Sometimes he will look to us for approval after he has said something, like he wants to make sure he’s saying it right. We think he has found something new that he wants to master: language. He seems determined to get the pronunciation of every word he hears just perfect, and I don’t think he’s going to stop until he gets them all right. Thank goodness Gretch and I don’t cuss much. Now we just have to warn the rest of the family!

Nap Time Stinks

Nap time around here stinks - literally. The last couple of months the kids, the girls especially, seem to have been storing up their poop until nap time. Without fail, every day, about five to ten minutes after I put them down in their cribs, I hear a chorus of "stinky, stinky" over the monitor. I go up, and one of them has a diaper full. Ten minutes later, the same thing from the other one. Sometimes it even seems like the rascals will pinch it off halfway through so that they can get their diaper changed, then ten minutes later pull me away from what I'm doing - usually laundry - to clean their butt a second time!

This isn't just limited to nap time, they do the same thing at bed time, too! The worst part about it all. If I put them on the potty before nap time, I get nothing! Nothing! but ten minutes after I put them in their cribs, you guessed it, "Stinky, stinky, stinky..." until I get my butt up there to clean theirs! Part of me wants to just leave them with the mess in their diapers, but no one wants to deal with that diaper rash, no one.

I can't wait until they're out of this phase. Unfortunately that probably won't be until they're done with naps!

Juli and the Hot Dog Bun

Remember Juli and the Apple Peels? Well, the fun didn't stop there. Here's some video of Juli eating a hot dog bun the way only Juli can.