Live...laugh...love Life with 4 kids 6 and under. Our trip to pick up Tonito in China is: mid-March 2008 through April 12. Our trips to pick up Ricky in Ethiopia are in June and August of 2010.

Monday, January 19, 2009

The kids' busy social calendars

My kids are WAY more social than I ever was, or ever will be!;) Who has 4 playdates in 1 week? School every morning? Soccer and gymnastics classes? Chinese class on the weekends? Seriously, I always claimed I would never over-schedule my kids... BUT in the cold winter, with Tonio travelling, and me trying to keep the house clean for showing after showing... let's schedule as many activities OUT of the house as possible!

(by the way look at these crazy icicles looking out our kitchen window!)








We love to play with our cousins Sam and Nate. Here it goes: trying to take a picture of two 4 year olds, one 2 year old, and two 1 year olds... It isn't much easier with the mommies.


We also had our cousin Angie come over and play, and it happened to be her 3rd birthday- Happy Birthday Angie!

Again, so hard to get a picture of all kids looking:), much less smiling! I think Tonito is laughing?

When we are not having playdates, the kids LOVE to dress-up and have "dance party." They beg for techno or dance music, and then Vivi pulls out all of her dress-up clothes and dresses herself, Tonito, and Maya. Speaking of Maya, she is the "oldest" 17 month old who always has to be part of whatever antics the older 2 organize. So as soon as Vivi pulls out the princess dresses, Maya taps her head and says over and over "hat" (with a cockney accent;)- 'at, 'at). She tries to say princess, and has says "pretty" ("pitty"). I have to get a video on here of them dancing!!! Tonito wiggles his hips in this quick-silly-squirmy-merengue style, while Vivi does twirly-princess spins or wants to hold both of your hands and IN-SYNC step from side-to-side with you. Maya is the queen of dancing, and has been wiggling and dancing since she was 6 months old (I'm not kidding). She shimmies her shoulders and wiggles her hips a little whilst smirking around her thumb in mouth.


In our homeschool, we observed what happens to apple juice, milk, and water when we set them outside. We read about penguins and polar bears, did snowmen crafts, and made igloos out of sugar cubes.


When I am home alone and desperate to make dinner without wearing Maya on my leg, I have to get out new and exciting things to entertain the ravenous crowds. One night I pulled out some read-aloud books they got for Christmas (on CD's). They LOVED it! They have listened to books at Grandma's house (or as Emily used to say "tapes and boots, boots and tapes"), but never have they cooperated as much- even Mayaboo. Just in case you're wondering, after 150 times of listening to the same song/story, you hear it in your sleep.

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