A little of what I've been up to...

John's been very aggressive with other children so do YOU have any tips? With biting, I've stuck a bar of soap in his mouth to bite, and believe it or not, I've seen a decrease and thought he was over it for a week or so, but then he bit me yesterday.

Anyway, I turned to supernanny, (not too much help, honestly, concerning John) and found a link on her site to "The Ticket Store Game" which I thought could really help motivate Garrison and Lorelei in a positive way. The concept has really helped so far, and I REALLY hope it continues to work. I really liked the game, but wanted to list the activities/chores they could do to earn tickets so that it was more clear for them. This Disney Family Fun magazine article helped me: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/make-a-job-chart-1022607/

I tweaked it some to fit Garrison and Lorelei, adding clip art... which I could e-mail to any of you sisters if you by chance want it. Above, are the end results...

Just pics...

Thank you to Kasey Bassett for the professional photos in her studio!!!!

Garrison

I just thought I'd post (real quick) some funny things Garrison has said so that I don't forget them.
Yesterday the kids had some "pop ice" popsicles (offbrand of otter pops I think) in the back yard and Garrison started to go inside. John tried to follow him in, and I quickly warned Garrison not to let him in because John wasn't finished with his and would ruin the carpet. Garrison's reply? "That wouldn't happen if you had bought oxy clean" !!!! I laughed so hard!!!

Today we were at the pool of some friends and I was trying to help teach Garrison how to dive. I showed him how and went through the steps: put your arms out in front like a v, take a deep breath, dive in (head first), breathe out while surfacing... After a few tries of him doing what looked like belly flops he was getting up the courage to do it yet again, talking it through with me while he was on the diving board. I was really trying to convince him that he'd love it once he tried it, and he replied back "but mom, my brain is telling me not to" to which I had to laugh and say, "well, if it's telling you not to, you probably shouldn't". I hope he continues to listen to his brain!

Funny pics

John LOVES to climb!!! He has learned to climb up Garrison's ladder to the top bunk and on top of the changing table and back down again. Tonight I saw him practicing: up the kid bench to Lorelei's bed, then down, then up the kid bench to her bed, then down, etc. Liberty passed this coat down to Lorelei, although I think it was originally Cecilee's if I remember correctly. She's stylin' and she knows it!

I think you'll see right off why I included some of these photos: Lorelei makes some of the funniest faces--EVERY time I pull out the camera! Her eyes get bulgy and her smile goes crazy. Nevertheless, she's so darn cute in every shot!

Garrison made this gingerbread cookie at his preschool back in December. He just found it last week (middle of March) in his cubby area and desperately wanted to eat it. I convinced him that it wouldn't be healthy to do so, but he then asked "maybe I can taste it then spit it out?". I decided as long as he rinsed afterward it probably couldn't do any damage, so I let him. I wish I had videotaped his reaction to the taste of the cookie. He said it was "DISGUSTING"! (why is it that I would love to see my own son's reaction to something disgusting, anyway?)

1. John loves straws--for blowing bubbles. His face here cracks me up!

2. Garrison's dance moves: holy moly, watch out future "So you think you can dance" contestants!

3. John being cute

4. If any of you can tell me what the last video is about, let me know! I caught it on tape as soon as our conversation started as she tells me about "her children". There are some very sad moments as she describes what happened to them...her imagination is alive and well, anyhow!

St. Patrick's Day

I saw that a friend of mine made a hat and belt last year for one of her boys and decided I would do it this year. (Thanks for the idea, Kara!) They are so darn cute!!! (A little too much work, and thank heavens I didn't have any more green construction paper to make John his own because all he wanted to do was tear them apart, but overall, worth it for Garrison and Lorelei). We had a great day--registered Garrison for kindergarten, and had a fun party with the Broadbent cousins thanks to Aunts Emily, Liz, Cammie, and Becky. Garrison especially loved that the leprechaun had tinkled in the basement toilet! (He did not hear or pay any attention to the nonbelievers who thought it was green water.) And of course, Garrison, Lorelei, and even John loved the candy that was in the pot of gold at the end of their search.

Pop gun

Anyone else see the yahoo ticker of the laughing baby today? Reminded me of this and thought I'd actually blog about it... Aren't they soooooo cute?! The pop gun still makes John laugh.