She is a girl alright!

We'd come back inside after school. I was trying to settle the boisterous boys down to a snack before homework.

I turned around and saw the little girl had slipped both her feet into these "shoes"...

She trotted around in them, long enough for me to snap these quick phone shots! Too funny, and she even stopped to give me a 'hi five'!

These are the same two oven mitts, the day before that, she had stood on tiptoe to swipe off the countertop. She wore them over her hands then, for that tray of "food" she was "cooking" and imagined was too "hot hot" to hold without them!

Oh, the fun with pretend play and dressing up! What Kait enjoys -- more and more. Shortly after turning 1 was when she stumbled on a chain of beads, and on her own had put it round her neck. Where'd she get that from? I haven't worn a necklace in a long time.

Her daddy could not help but laugh, and had said out loud:

She is a girl (alright)!

More fun with that same necklace last month...

... and she was playing peek-a-boo with the hat -- now I see you, now I don't! Hats and shoes, and whatever she pretends to be her headgear and footwear, are a hit with her!
(Apr phone pictures)

Guess some things do come naturally! Kait also happens to be my greatest helper, and 1 yo steady on her feet was when she staked her claim to the swiffer-mop. She likes to run around with it -- after me and the vacuum cleaner! I've added a steam-mop to my tools of the trade since, and while it does not replace the vacuum cleaner, it saves me the hassle of the bucket of soapy water.

Another way to clean with less hassle: (right) mopping up a water spill with a wipe or napkin -- and with one foot! Moms relying on multitasking, make use of our feet also -- especially when our hands are full with the li'l Koala, haha! Quite naturally, Kait has picked up some housecleaning tips and tricks from watching, following, or clinging on to me (still). - pix from 15mos

I've got more pictures of the dressup fun and girl that Kait is, from months ago meant for that 1.5 yo update I never got round to. There's also the thinking out of the box, e.g. she uses a bowl, a box, or something totally unrelated as a hat, a camera, a stool, etc. That's always delightful to watch any child do. It's whatever she puts her imagination to, and catches her fancy!

Kait turned 21 mos two weeks ago, and was happily doing forward head rolls. Outdoors, she hurls her tiny self on the swing and go "Wheeeeee!!!" as she swings away, tummy down -- like a big girl already! Quite the thrill-seeker she is!

This month she also goes from asking us to "Help me!" to getting excited about I-can-do-it-myself, and learns to undress and dress herself. She unzips her sweater and throws it to the ground, and sits down to take off her sneakers. Sitting down is also how she is able to slip her legs through a pair of pants, and I give her a little help to pull them the rest of the way up her bottom! She can be really insistent about putting on a t-shirt or a coat all by herself, and learns through trial and error.

She's getting independent, alright, so, by contrast, that baby-like feeding-on-demand 24/7, frequently still, is something I have to deal with.

Cupcake-ful birthday

Boyish Ben who says the funniest things and has quite the imagination, turned 6 last Tuesday.

That morning, his buddy W came over to play. They had a good time over Legos, Star Wars, and more boy stuff like Nerfs and lightsabers, and had cupcakes together, too.

Second cupcake Ben ate was one of many more cupcakes I'd promised him, for sharing with his classmates and teacher. Like a really special, extra treat, his daddy spent time with him in class. One-on-one time is not easy to carve out. Even with me, whom Ben next to Kait, spends the most time with, school being just 2.5h for him.

The third cupcake for Ben was one of six I glazed simply and topped with a strawberry each. I put one candle on each cupcake; six candles, six cupcakes for the six years he's grown!

Nana (Vern's mom, my mom-in-law) is here to visit us. She had just come from UK visiting friends, and with a chocolate bear from there for Ben. I took the liberty to use that as the beary cute centrepiece for my otherwise simple bake. Nana did not mind, and Ben was pleasantly surprised!

So went Ben's cupcake-ful birthday, and we also celebrated it with some of his friends at McDonald's over the weekend. Like the many cupcakes on his special day, may Ben's cup overflow with our Lord's blessings, as he keeps learning and growing. There have been tough and rough moments along the way, including how to deal with being picked on by a schoolmate, and being the middle child that can be tricky, too. God be our guide always, to help us to keep going. Amen.

One cakemix, two ways:
Caught up with the usual busyness and more, I relied on my fave Funfetti cakemix for all the cupcakes. Two boxes I added choc chips to, not just the moist ingredients, yielded about 9 extra large cupcakes -- for the strawberry ones, and 28 regular-size cupcakes -- for the class ones. Those I spread on frosting, before topping with M&M and sprinkles. I stayed up to work on them, this mom's little gesture for my not-so-little boy :).

Run... and Awww!

That night of the school concert, I set the digital camera on timer mode and asked the kids to RUN!!!

I ran with them, too, and plunked ourselves on the couch, as I counted down to when the flash would come on and snap these shots!

Cheap thrill? Hehe!

The novelty had worn off some by the time the husband joined us, back from his out-of-town work trip.

Still, don't the guys look sharp in their shirts, and the gal, cute in her dress?

I was in my happy colour $10 top, and my hair I lopped off many inches two months ago, has grown back quicker than I thought. Time to cut it short again? That's still more chore- and kid-friendly, as is my usual, even more casual basic-tee-n-jeans ensemble.

For all the scrambling to my feet to do this and that, and running around with the children day in day out, I'm glad for these moments to let my hair down. And to remember to count my blessings... spur-of-the-moment, now, and always!

I love my children -- on the good days and wild ones, too. Whether or not they pick a special day to give me a back massage. Especially if they forgot about giving me that massage!

But now, the "blooms" the boys made for me in school for Mother's Day -- Ben's painting, and Jon's vase with flower motifs, were the sweetest I've stopped and smelled all spring! "Ewww" certainly does not begin to describe them.

It was "Awww!!!", thank you guys... luv ya... (smelly feet, and all)...

... And thank you Lord for blessing this ordinary woman who does what a lot of wives and moms do everyday to care for the family, with such extraordinary riches:

Our children, as my friend EY said to me not too long ago, are what make us the richest moms; I can't agree more!

Mine are also 'enriching' me and their dad with old and new attitude and behavior, we are learning to deal with one day at a time. That's not to say I have not pulled my hair out, or am not tossing and turning in my sleep over them! There is much to teach our children as there is to learn from them, and with them.

More Awww...
Awww for Awesome, and how AWESOME is this: CONGRATULATIONS to Fay and her family on the arrival of baby Hannah this Mother's Day!!! Fay is my non-blogging "twin" I'm blessed to know because of blogging!