Genevieve Turns Four

Our first born turned four last Friday.  FOUR!  It truly seems like yesterday we were counting down the weeks and days before her arrival.  But now she's four.  Yet Matt and I haven't aged a day...

We had a big birthday weekend for the lass, which started Friday morning when she awoke and announced, "I turned four through the night.  I'm pretty sure my legs are longer."  At school that day she wore the coveted birthday crown.  Let me tell you, THAT was a hit.  Grandma Heidi and Pop Pop landed in the Grove in time to join me in picking up the kiddos Friday afternoon.  Highlight of the evening was when Genevieve found two gift-wrapped boxes among their stuff and yelled, "hey, it's my PRESENTS!!".  Note to self: work on tact. 

Friday night we went out for Chinese and then had some birthday custard at Kopps.  Someone who is still under three feet was being a bit of a crank which meant we were "that" family for a time, but it was nothing a loud fortune cookie wrapper and the baby whisperer couldn't fix.

Saturday morning we woke up were off to our new Saturday morning destination: ballet.  Well, ballet and tap.  Last year we did ballet at the Y.  It was cheap but not very instructive.  This year we are at a "for realsies" ballet studio in the village.  Strict dress code - plain black leotard with ballet-pink tights and that is IT - and a true teaching environment of shutting the door during class.  No windows, no parents, no peeking.  A big reflection of confidence for G. 

ready to roll

nothing like a little plie in the morning

followed by some tippity-tap-tapping

Saturday afternoon was time for the big present from mom & dad: earrings.  G asked to get earrings about 6 months ago and we agreed that she could do it when she turned four (in other words, many months of using it as a threat lest behavior was less than stellar).  I was very plain with her that yes, it would hurt but only for a minute.  We went to Claire's of all ungodly places and I watched in horror as the woman doing the piercing put the earring in the wrong place on the girl in front of us.  I mean, Matt and I could tell from 10 feet away that it wasn't centered.  So she had to re-pierce this poor girl, who was at least 7 years old and of course freaking out.  I damn near ran out of there but we had promised so there *might* have been about 10 minutes spent drawing and re-drawing the holes with marker once G was in the chair.  The first pinch went fine and you could see she was trying to be a tough cookie, but the eyes just welled up in fear while the second one went in.  There were about 12 seconds of tears before a lollipop came out and VOILA, we were pierced!  She looks so grown up, I die.

goodbye forever, naked little earlobes

Be advised, this video features real footage of a four year old getting earrings.  Although the look on her face about half a second after the first earring is priceless I do not recommend you watch it if you are squeamish, or if your name is Karl or Kathy.

Saturday night was our little GG dinner party with Grandma Kathy & Grandpa Karl, and Auntie Erin & Uncle Steve.  G was showered with gifts.  Favorites include a doll house from K&K, gift card for books from E&S, and a backpack from mom & dad.  Oh, and this from Grandma Heidi & Pop Pop:

empress gg

We had a great night and a superb birthday weekend was had by all.  

mom, dad, and our big girl (the birthday crown is a mommy & me project while L was napping a couple weeks back)

getting ready for the best part...

cake of course!

And now a few little notes about Genevieve at age four.  Time is going by so fast I know if I don't write this stuff down - digitally or otherwise - I am totally going to forget who she is right now. 

my first two kids, waiting patiently for the squirrels to come down the trees

Genevieve is extremely imaginative.  She will assign us characters to play; Mommy and Daddy will be kids in her class and she'll be the teacher (at least we get to keep up on the school gossip of who's being naughty or not).  Or she'll be her alter ego, Reagan.  Reagan is 7 and has three little sisters: Jolin, Egry, and Genevieve (pronounced JO-Lynn and egg-ree.  Reagan hasn't enlightened me on the spelling yet).  She's not reading yet but she'll 'read' her books making up story lines based on the pictures and going on wild tangents about everyone involved.  And she's got her own language which is funny when she starts assigning the characters names.  

Genevieve is super silly.  After a school field trip to the zoo she told us her favorite animal was the walking napkin.  She's been on a firefighter kick lately and was going around spraying things, especially bad things.  Earlier this summer when she wasn't too pleased with us she announced, "I'm going to SPRAY you with NUT water!".  I don't know what nut water is but Matt and I were hard pressed to keep a straight face. 

gg's first homework in her k3 class.  she has had two corn dogs in her entire life - neither of them at home - but apparently it's our favorite family meal.  also matt and i are angry because our 'children hit us in the face'.  PS - please notice the anatomically correct poodle

Genevieve can drive me absolutely nuts.  She's in the heart of being capable of doing things herself but is so easily distracted.  Getting dressed can take half an hour.  Don't even get me started on hand-washing ("Mom, I cleaned my hands, and my face and the sink and the mirror!"  Annnnnd, water everywhere).  She wants to touch e.ver.y.thing.  She picks up nasty habits from her classmates, including pouring her beverage onto her meal ("but Mahhhhh-hhhhhhhhhm, I like water on my spaghetti") and ample use of the charming phrase 'poopy butt'.  Adorable.  And when she and I squabble Matt just dies because he knows, and deep down I know, that she is my carbon copy.  He calls her Mini Mommy.  Which terrifies me (do as I say, not as I do!  NOT AS I DO!!).

two peas

Genevieve is an asthmatic.  After years of having the same old cough over and over and over, we were finally diagnosed with asthma earlier this month.  G is now on a daily regimen of steroid inhaler & rescue inhaler.  If things are all good she needs two puffs of the steroid twice a day.  If she's got some other cold or asthma attack cookin', it's two puffs of each four times a day.  That's 16 shots of inhaler a day.  So when she would tell me that her breath hurt and I thought she meant her throat (since she would point to her throat) I now realize she meant she couldn't flipping breathe and was intending to point to her chest.  Helllllllllllllooooooooooo, mommy guilt. 

Genevieve is a creature of habit.  She makes us scratch her back every night in bed before she falls asleep.  I hope when I'm ancient and she's taking care of me, I can demand the same treatment.  I mean doesn't that just sound like the best way to fall asleep?

Genevieve is a superb big sister.  In my final weeks of pregnancy with L I was pretty convinced that there would be some regression or some rejection of the bebe, but aside from the occasional baby talk she has risen to the responsibility of big sister beautifully.  And she adores her little brother.  We pretend we're hungry for little baby toes, she sits next to him in shopping carts and keeps him entertained, she rarely gets mad when his new mobility cramps her style, and nobody can make him belly-laugh like she can.

teetering together

goofies

 Happy birthday to our best girl!!!

Hitting the High Notes

G has been obsessed with the "Natural" Anthem since the Olympics this summer.  She sings it in the car.  She sings it in the tub.  She sings it on walks (yes delightful passersby, my kid is singing the National Anthem.  Ok, screaming the National Anthem).  I finally got her to sing it on camera.  Although we find her to be devastatingly cute and clever, I'd advise you keep the volume low on this one.  We're just a touch on the pitchy side...

10 Months

Lukas is 10 months old and if I only had one word to describe him, it would be BUSY.  Since figuring out the whole crawling thing a few weeks ago that boy has kept us absolutely, positively, round-the-clock on watch for whatever he is currently getting in to.  Of course it seems like more work with the second one since there is indeed another small person to pay attention to, but I'm also on Choking Terror Watch 24/7.  Genevieve is as mindful as I could expect an almost 4 year old to be regarding picking up doll accessories/tea party accessories/board games/puzzzles/etc, but that doesn't exactly make me feel at ease with Wild Bill underfoot. 

One casualty of this stage which I had forgotten about is bathing.  As in, when do I get to?  And as in, I am now back to washing the kids separately which just takes foreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever.  Lately Lukas spends 100% of his time in the tub trying to stand up over the edge or crawling to reach the faucet.  LUKAS, THIS IS NOT SAFE!  But do you listen to me?  No.  So back to short, separate baths for the time being which is a shame because it means I'm missing out on moments like this:

you have no idea the risk i took in stepping away from the edge of the tub for 2 seconds

But the kids are still having fun playing together, even if there's not much water involved.  Genevieve figured out the other day that she can easily hop into the crib, which Lukie just found to be hysterical.  

 

 

We've also been spending lots of time outside.  I put Luke on the slide for the first time the other day.  Round 1 - apprehensive at best.  Round 2 - he was already leaning forward for me to catch him.  He also found it hilarious to crawl back and forth in the eagle's nest area and watch me sprint from side to side.  Clever boy.

chillaxin at the park

am i coming or going?  you'll never know, mom

taking turns

yep, this bar is about 2" from the edge of the play set.  cue mommy-stroke

Speaking of strokes, this boy is taking years off of our lives with all of the stuff he's getting into.  And let me tell ya the easy going demeanor of a couple months ago was a distant memory this last month.  Little Boo Boo has found his voice and if he's being removed from whatever he's doing (or alternately trying to be distracted with something he wants nothing to do with) you best prepare yourself for a toy-flinging limp-noodle kamikaze baby.  But in a really cute way. 

he uses the corner of the second step as a teether.  both safe and delicious.

and he got up on the trampoline how?

shiny and obscenely noisy?  i'm in

can i touch this?

can i touch this?

can i touch this?

weird, i can't hear you saying "no no, lukie"

So this post is a little late because I had to work all last weekend.  But we capped it off with a fun night at the EG park for fireworks.  Our 4th of July festivities were cancelled due to the oppressive heat so the show was on last Sunday night.  It was the first consecutive 15 minutes that Lukas has been still in the last month. 

having snacks may have helped keep him in one spot

cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuties

 

 

 And now the shots of our busy, busy ten month old boy:

hello there friend

you're in my way

(in the midst of a fun cold hence the eyes)

can't stop me now!

what's up here?

what's in here?  it's coming out now.

back on the chair.  not pleased.

don't use that innocent face on me, mister!

i want to squeeze him!

 The following shots were taken in the course of about 2 minutes:

what happens if i pull this?

what's this i see?  a handle?

oh yes, i should definitely play with this

now i'll climb on this

now i'll pull this drawer out

now i'll get my arm stuck in the table

now i'll get in THESE drawers

now i'll check in with mom

now i'll run far away

And the next day, trying for a few less squirmy shots:

he looks so skinny in this pic!

 And last but not least, just for fun: