And, today, she explains...

So, Kate is WAY into playing doctor/nurse lately (I'm quite surprised that I lived through the night as yesterday I was diagnosed with no heartbeat and teeth so bad that she needed the drill from her tool bench to "fix them") and she was back at it this morning, yet again announcing her intention to be a "princess nurse." I felt that I should inform her that girls can be doctors, too. She informed me that she "already knew that" but that she was being the nurse because she is Pam (the nurse she loves at her doctor's office) and Will was being Dr. Bachtold (her doctor whom she completely and utterly adores). So it made more sense seeing that Will is a boy and Kate is a girl. I asked her if Pam is a "princess nurse," too. After quite a bit of thought, she announced, "I think Pam is just a regular nurse because she doesn't wear princess stuff. But I'm pretty sure that when I'm a nurse I should wear a crown. And maybe some sparkly shoes." And that is a sight I'd like to see! :)

As not to leave little Will out (he is fast approaching the point where his sayings will be part of this blog too--hooray for intelligible speech!!), here are my favorite Will moments of the day thus far: watching him try to high five and kiss his shadow on the wall and finding him sitting on our bed, intently "reading" the 600+ page The Six Wives of Henry VIII." Smart boy!

Today, Kate announced...

...that when she grows up, she wants to be a "princess nurse." Oy vey. Where to begin with the gender stereotypes she's already adopted?? But, on the otherhand, I must hand it to her because if you're going to be a nurse, you might as well be one that gets to wear a tiara!

The moments that make it all worth it

These two regularly push me to the limits of my sanity but, when I see them like this, all I can think is that I couldn't possibly love them any more. They can be difficult, yes, but they can also be very, very sweet. I love you two!! And, now, on to the day ahead which is setting up to be very good as I am hosting the weekly "mom's cocktail hour" (a play group where adult beverages are served--seriously, I must hand it to all the moms I know because this is the best idea ever!!) Then, tomorrow, we're off to Yreka for Ryan's grandma's 90th birthday. Way to go, Alice, for being one spunky 90-year-old! :)

This picture will be GREAT blackmail someday

Kate and Will emerged from her room with Kate proclaiming, "Will and I are ready for ballet class." Poor little brothers (although he was happy as a clam!) After her REAL ballet class today, Kate told me that what she "really wanted" was for "Uncle Ross to come watch because he would LOVE it." Hmm....what do you think Grandpa Bobby? Is Uncle Ross ready for that?? :)

Kate's quotes o' the day

Kate: "Will, stop intruding me!!"

Me: "What does intruding mean?"

Kate: "It means when Will bothers me if I'm trying to pee." (I guess she's kind of close on this one!)

Kate: "Mommy, you're the best looker I've ever seen!"

Me: (thinking how sweet she is....)

Kate: "That's because you're really good at looking for things I lost." (Oh well, easy come, easy go! :)

Birthdays, sickness, the usual....

"Mom, that Anne Geddes chick with the babies smushed in baskets has got nothing on us!"

Well, as usual, we've been so super busy I'm not sure we've breathed in the last week (how is it that such small kids make you head-spinningly busy??) Actually, no, correct that: some of us have definitely breathed because Kate has come down with the dreaded stomach flu that is sweeping Central Oregon. Almost everyone I know has had it or has it....on the downside, there's the vomitting and the endless laundry; on the upside, I have lots of friends to commiserate with about it. Hopefully, Kate's at the tailend. The best part of the whole thing for her was that I gave her Gatorade. She'd never had it before and, I guess, equated it to an adult-only beverage because all she could say was, "I CAN'T WAIT to tell daddy that you gave me Gatorade! Next, I'll have beer." Yes, Gatorade is apparently the little known gateway drink to beer. She did indeed relish in telling daddy that I had given her such a forbidden substance. She didn't even like it, but she did like the forbidden-fruit element, for sure. So...yep..that's consumed our week so far. Yuck. But, before the illness hit, the weekend was great. I got a birthday night out with Ryan followed by a girls' night out with friends! Those paired with a board meeting the night before my birthday meant I didn't put the kids to bed for three nights in a row. This has hardly ever happened since their births and I'm ready now to say: I deserve it!! :) Thanks to Grandma Connie and Ryan for giving me some (much needed) mommy re-charge time--it's priceless!!

More creative language usage...

Kate's interesting use of vocabulary is a constant source of entertainment, especially lately as she seems to have acquired an even larger vocabulary (but not a larger understanding of the meanings!!) Here are some of my favorites from the past couple days:

Kate: (coming inside pretty wet) "Mommy, Will and I were playing in the respect and got a little wet."

Me: "The respect, huh? And what is that?"

Kate: (very confidently) "You know, the respect is a place that you put your boots in and stomp around and it's REALLY fun for your boots."

Kate: "But, daddy, how DOES the baby get in the mommy's tummy??"

Ryan: "I think it's the stork."

Kate: (the next day) "Mommy, why did daddy say that a fork puts the baby in your tummy?"