Are You Smarter Than a Toddler? QOTD

So this exchange happened during bath time tonight:

Me: (looking at the shark on the left) Oooh!  Look at that cool striped shark.  That looks like a tiger shark!
Callie: That's not a tiger shark!  A tiger shark has spots!


And then I googled it.

A Tiger Shark

Hi.  I'm Kati, and I am NOT smarter than a toddler.

Similes

My 5th graders were working on similes today, and their task was to write a simile about a teacher.

They (of course) picked me.  And then I got nervous.  This is what they came up with:

"Mrs. Gosselin is as slow as a turtle."

I'll take it.  It could have been much worse.

At the Park: Then and Now

We have a great park within walking distance to our house that you have probably seen many pictures of over the years.

We went to that park this afternoon for the first time since last fall.  Every year that we go there for the first time in months, I'm amazed at how much Callie has changed and can do since being there last.  Living in the day-to-day craziness of parenthood and toddlerhood, the changes don't seem to register as anything major.  But times like this remind me of what a difference a few months (and a few years!) makes on little people.

Here is Callie on her favorite park swing in back in 2010 and today in 2013.  Crazy.

Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm sorry, but I need to whine for a minute.

OHMYGOODNESS I'm exhausted.  Ex-haus-ted.

I'm also a little crabby.  Others in our house might call me more than a little crabby. 

And I don't know if Callie seems crazier because I'm exhausted/crabby, or if she's just being her normal self and my tolerance level is just super diminished so it just SEEMS like she is crazier, but things have gotten a little rough around here at times.

I'm about done with 3-year-old attitude.  Um, she is three, why does she think she can just completely ignore everything I say to her?  Or do the EXACT opposite?

And her ability to learn things super quickly that I'm always so proud of?  How come that ability doesn't translate to manners?  How come we have to ask her to use her manners EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. she asks us for something (which is approximately 134,224 times a day)?

I guess all this means is that I'm feeling a little defeated these days.  Stressed.  Overwhelmed. Worried about everything that needs to get done this spring/early summer.  I'm only going to get more pregnant, and probably way LESS tolerant.

So I apologize in advance if you see me and I'm not my usual self.  I'll try my best to put my game face on and power though.

Okay, enough with that.  On to the weekend...

Saturday
The highlight of our weekend was going to my grandma's 90th birthday party in Eau Claire.  I only took one picture because there was a professional photographer there, so I'll share those pictures as soon as we get them.  But I love the one picture I did take- my grandma seeing her beautiful grand piano birthday cake for the first time.  She LOVED it.

The party itself was wonderful- a nice combination of my dad's family and Grandma's friends.  My sisters played piano pieces (and I accompanied everyone singing "Happy Birthday"), and my aunt and uncle put together a wonderful slide show of her 90 years so far.  Fabulous!

Sunday
Today was a day to tackle laundry.  Like this gigantic pile of my husband's socks.

What an exciting morning folding socks!

This evening we had dinner over at the Held's and watched Charlie and Callie continue to figure out how friendship works.  It is pretty hilarious.  And very hard to get pictures of...but I tried my best.

Rocking out.  Thank goodness they have 2 guitars.

Playing in a fort and working on sharing the one flashlight.

Hamsie update- 25 weeks along.  Kicking more and more.  My hands spend most of their time on my belly waiting for kicks to happen.  People occasionally ask if I'm okay because they see me touching my belly all the time.  I'm good- just waiting for movement!  I went to Macy's maternity section this weekend and the lady working there saw me (in my spring maternity coat, which I think/hope makes me look bigger than I am) and said something like "Well, you must be getting close to the end!" To which I said, "Nope.  Not til July,"  To which she stared at me uncomfortably for a few seconds and then babbled about how big she was with her 3rd pregnancy.  It was fun. 

The rapid growth of the belly is a funny and kind of weirdly uncomfortable thing.  Random kids at school come up to me and ask if I'm having a baby. Neighbors who we haven't seen all winter see me and automatically congratulate me.  People who I know that haven't seen me, even if only for a week, often comment.  I don't mind it at all...it is just weird.  Pregnancy body changing is just plain weird.

Okay, that is all.  I hope that everyone had a great weekend and is ready to tackle another week.  Hopefully this week will actually feel like spring here in MN!

Favorite-Things-Phone-Dump Friday

Happy Freaking Friday!

It was a long full week back to reality again after spring break, but we made it from Monday to Friday and I'm thankful.  It was a busy and tiring week and I didn't take too many pictures, so I stole a couple that I got from the grandparents throughout the week to make up for my lack of picture taking.  Here goes...

Favorite Thing #1: Uncle Dan has moved back and is officially a police officer in Bloomington!  We went to his swearing in ceremony on Monday evening.  And Anna taught Callie to call him Po-Po.  It is hilarious.  Congrats Uncle Dan!

Favorite Thing #2: Earlier in the week it felt like spring.  I won't comment on the fact that it was snowing when I left work today.

Favorite Thing #3: Cuddles with Daddy.  Neither of them have felt very good this week, so cuddle time was very necessary.

Favorite Thing #4: This silly girl and flowers

Favorite Thing #5: My dinner date

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  We are excited to attend Great Grandma Gi-Gi's 90th birthday party tomorrow! 

Hamsie QOTD

Lately Callie has been really thinking about Hamsie...what she'll need...what they'll do.  Tonight after bath time was no exception.

After a bath, while wrapped in her towel going upstairs to get jammies on.
Callie: Hey Mom, when Hamsie comes out of your stomach, she can take a bath with me!
Me: Yes she can!  When she first comes out she is going to be a really little baby, so she'll take her own baths in a little bath tub.  But when she is a bigger baby and can sit up, you can take baths together!
Callie: (loud excited squealing!)
Me: What else do you think you will do with Hamsie?
Callie: Well, we'll need to get her some apple sauce.  And her own jammies.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Easter Edition

Happy Easter!  We had a nice weekend in what should be spring...if only the weather would cooperate!  Though the snow did melt a lot, and for that we are thankful.  Well, maybe Chris isn't, because he had to pick up a LOT of dog poop in our yard that kept accumulating and getting covered up with all the snow fall.  It wasn't a fun task, but he got it done.

Anyway, I unfortunately did a pretty abysmal job at taking pictures, but here's what we did this Easter weekend.

Saturday

Callie and I went to the Bloomington Egg Hunt because Chris was working the event for the reserves.  We got lots of eggs filled with jelly beans and got to see him in action directing traffic!

Se excited about the contents of the Easter eggs!

Go, Daddy, Go!

 

Sunday

HAPPY EASTER!  The Easter Bunny came to our house and left a basket full of goodies...and lots of eggs full of goodies.  Now we are on constant egg watch to make sure a certain toddler doesn't try and sneak too many jelly beans.  We went to church and back to the condo for a delicious meal with the fam.

The Easter basket from the Easter Bunny!

Pretty girl in a pretty dress next to pretty flowers at church

The Easter Bunny came and hid Easter eggs at Boom and Bops' house too!

Boom's ducky rolls...quack quack

Pretty dog with a balloon

Grandma and the girls

My attempt at a chocolate trifle turned out pretty delicious

Hamsie is 24 weeks today and roughly the length of an ear of corn.  I'm starting to get more tired more often.  Like super tired.  And the cold that I had last week?  I think it is here to stay.  The amount of snot that comes out of my nose on a daily basis is unbelievable.  I've read that that happens with all the extra fluid and stuff going on in my body.  So that isn't too fun and makes sleeping a little challenging sometimes, but oh well!  It's a small price to pay...

And speaking of noses, Callie developed yet another cold this weekend, so we're back to hearing "MY NOSE IS RUNNING!" or "NOSE! NOSE! NOSE!" every 45 seconds.  Seriously, winter, get the heck out of MN so we can leave this sickness stuff behind us for a few months!

Spring break is coming to a close and it was a fun one...hard to believe that tomorrow is April.  Time is flying by!