Some Tidbits

Catherine had her three-year checkup today. She's 36.5 inches and 26 pounds, which puts her right at 50% for height and about 10% for weight. This explains why her pants are either floods or falling off her waist.

She was a champ and performed nicely for the doctor (one exception: she informed the doctor that she "can't" stand or jump on one foot. Apparently all that leaping and pirouetting she does around the kitchen doesn't count for some reason).

She ended up needing one shot. I was worried because I didn't think she needed any and hadn't warned her. How was I to guess that she would not only not cry, but would instead watch the entire proceedings with complete stoicism? It was slightly uncanny. I started wondering if my child was actually human for a minute there.

Now for Seth:

Today I gave him his first creative writing assignment, which he was VERY enthusiastic about (yay! I love any pleasant way to sneak writing into this boy's life). I had him dictate two sentences to me, which I then wrote down for him to copy.

This is what I got: "There was an old worm who lived in a cabin. He had a gun."

Well, that was...unexpected. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the rest of the story. (Seriously--I have no idea where this one is going).

The Seth Man

Seth is five-and-a-half and is in full "little boy" mode. We have the Legos, the swords, the cars, the planes, the cannons, the electronic devices, the comic books...and I LOVE it. 

Seth's days are a whirlwind of little-boy activity. If he's not racing through the kitchen, designing a "game" for us to play downstairs (with rules that constantly evolve in his favor), or doing an experiment that inevitably involves my food coloring, you'll find Seth on the iPad or Kindle. He's currently obsessed with Minecraft, but will also return to old standbys like Bad Piggies or Angry Birds. He also likes to try to figure out games that are above his level, like Jon's Risk-like strategy game or games involving higher math skills. 

Recently he's taken to drawing. He found an old notepad of Jon's graphing paper and has been tearing through it, drawing piles of pictures every day. Forget people or animals--this kid draws one thing and one thing only: machines. We have lots of pictures of airplanes blowing each other up, or of various "contraptions" (his word) that do things like trawl the seafloor for treasure or shoot tiny metal balls. And don't worry--you'll get a full explanation of each and every part of his machine/contraption and what it does.

(These are from the pre-machine-drawing phase--the monster-drawing phase.

The big on in the middle on the right says "Mom sees Mostr"

and has a great depiction of me screaming my head off at the sight of a monster).

In the past month we've made an abrupt shift from cars to airplanes. No idea why after 5 1/2 years of nothing but cars, but airplanes are where it's at now. 

Seth is legitimately reading now, which is so much fun. He doesn't like to be pushed to read, but when he feels inspired he'll read books to us at bedtime. He loves the Lunch Lady comics, Fly Guy books, and Elephant and Piggie books. 

Seth always says "good luck" in situations where most people would say "good thing." For example: "Good luck that car didn't crash into us!" It's one of his only language idiosyncrasies left and I love it. 

Seth is my child in so many ways. He is totally mesmerized by books and reading, he needs a lot of downtime, and he generally wants to do what will make us happy. He's also my child in that he doesn't have the best control over his body, especially during a growth spurt. One night he managed to fall off his chair three times during dinner, all while in a seated position. Sorry, buddy.

He's actually singing the songs in Primary now. This is HUGE. 

He has a great imagination and loves to role-play different characters. His favorite is "The Magic Prince" who can bestow magic on the rest of us if he so chooses. He also wins all the games and can never be defeated, even with a direct shot to the head with a hot-lava-laser gun (believe me, I've tried). 

He adores his baby brother and is constantly kissing him. Luckily Aaron is greatly amused by his brother's antics most of the time. He's not such a fan of Seth hauling him around, which Seth is only allowed to do over very short (and supervised) distances. 

(This picture was totally candid--he just LOVES kissing Aaron)

I'm not sure when it happened, but Seth is suddenly one of the tallest kids his age. Around Christmas I had to put away his 5T clothes and go buy some bigger ones. Shopping in the "Boys" section instead of the "Toddler" section was a big change for me. Suddenly Seth's wardrobe just got a LOT more expensive (and he's passing up the boy who's been handing down clothes to us for years, darn it!).

School is going pretty well for us. We've both made some adjustments and seem to be at a happy place right now. He's a smart kid and is easily "above grade level" (whatever that actually means) in basically everything except handwriting. It may still be a mess, but he's made HUGE progress and that's what's really important. 

His chores right now are cleaning his room, cleaning the main level of toys, cleaning the backseat of the van once a week, cleaning the basement toys once a week, sorting laundry and putting the silverware away. He's getting better about doing his jobs but still needs "someone to HELP me!" most of the time. 

I don't know what I would do without my Seth Man. He's been such a huge help since Aaron was born--my life would be much harder if he were in kindergarten all day! I love getting to teach him and play with him. I keep telling him he can slow down this whole growing-up deal, but he's not having any of it. "I want to get bigger than Daddy!" He's quite proud of the fact that he is now more than half as tall as I am. 

Less than five months until we hit six years old...

Some Sethisms:

Seth, pretending to be a daddy: "Come and see my new baby!" (points to Catherine).

Me: "If Catherine's your baby, where's your wife?"

Seth: "Oh, she died."

Me: "I'm so sorry!"

Seth: "It's okay. She was a pretty mean wife."

During a discussion about stranger danger:

Me: "Seth, how will you know if someone is a bad guy?"

Seth: "Oh. They will be wearing black."

Very convenient of those bad guys.

More kissing!

Princess Lightning McQueen

Dear Princess Sara Catherine/Lightning McQueen/Ripslinger/Super Dog/Twinkle Toes (or whatever character you're currently in at the moment),

Every day with you is an adventure. I never know from one moment to the next what's going on in that little head of yours or what to expect next. It makes life exciting, hilarious, and sometimes a bit terrifying. I wouldn't change it for the world.

You love singing, especially songs with actions. Current favorite is "Princess Pat", which you call "The Spider Song" for reasons unknown. You were also on a big "Once Upon a December" (from Anastasia) kick around Christmas. You made me sing it over and over (and over and over...) until I finally looked down at you and you burst into tears. Still can't figure that one out. It is kind of a sad song, I guess...

You've also decided recently that you are a ballerina and will give us impromptu performances whenever the mood strikes you. And you actually have some moves (you can thank your daddy because they sure didn't come from me). 

We should have known from the moment we put you in the Jumperoo that you were destined to be a jumper. You are constantly bouncing, climbing, jumping, etc. I can't wait for you to start your gymnastics class in a couple of weeks--you're going to be in heaven!

You've started recognizing "ABCs", as you call them. You know "C" for Catherine, "S" for Seth, "B" for Bubba, "M" (or "W") for Mommy, "U" for no apparent reason, and "P" for poop (of course). But your favorite letter is "X". Daddy taught you how to make an X using your arms and legs. You're pretty sure it's the best thing ever. You're also pretty good at counting and will proudly display your three fingers to anyone who asks how old you are. 

Your hair is an amazing, gorgeous mess. It can't decide if it wants to curl up in ringlets or grow completely straight. Most days it's a mix of both. It did finally get long enough to (mostly) go up in a ponytail! 

I don't do it often--you look too much older with your hair up.

Curls underneath, straight on top.

You love to help me with whatever I'm currently doing: changing Aaron's diaper, cooking dinner, wrapping presents...if I'm doing it, you're doing it too. And it's not a momentary "help" like Seth's--you're there next to me until the job is done. I love it.

Helping wrap Christmas presents

Hanging out on your favorite perch on the island while I cook.

(You've since been banished after knocking over several glasses of water.

Now you have to sit on the counter and not flop around).

In some ways you are such a little girl. You love your Sunday dresses and insist on wearing your "boofull" Sunday shoes every time we leave the house. You love to pretend to be a ballerina and pirouette gracefully around the kitchen. And you love my makeup:

(Not black eyes: self-applied eyeshadow)

But in so many ways you are NOT a girly girl. You don't like getting dressed in cute clothes (Sunday dresses excepted). Lightning McQueen is your favorite thing in the whole world. You would rather die than let me do your hair. And you have basically no interest in babies or dolls. I finally gave away your doll crib, but kept the stroller. How else would Lightning McQueen get some fresh air?

The only other thing you've ever pushed in this stroller is a dinosaur.

There has been a recent and notable exception to your "no doll" policy. I was pulling things out of my cedar chest one evening and you were, of course, helping. I pulled out the doll Aunt Lori brought me back from Israel decades ago and you were immediately drawn to it. It's been a couple of months now and the doll is still sleeping next to you at night.

Not sure why this doll gained your favor, but you adore it!

(photo by Catherine--already documenting her baby's life!)

You prefer to spend your days in whatever stage of undress we'll let you get away with. Apparently you're impervious to the cold.

Riding on the "boat" (Seth's booster seat)

After more than a year of potty-training (you started it, not me!), I think we're FINALLY really potty-trained. You have this lovely habit of waiting too long to get to the bathroom and then being unable to get your pants off in time. Hoping summer and sundresses will help with this.

You are a very clever little girl. I keep telling your dad that he has to raise you because you're already smarter than me. For example: at Christmas some friends came caroling and left brownies. I put them in the kitchen while we said our goodbyes. By the time we made it back in you had pulled over a chair, found a fork, unwrapped the brownies and were helping yourself, all within minutes. 

You missed the cutoff for Sunbeams by less than two months and you couldn't be more pleased with the situation. Another year in Nursery with snacks and Lightning McQueen to play with every week? Deal. You're also the oldest kid in there (definitely not the biggest, though), which means you rule as Queen of the Nursery.

And what an adorable Queen you are!

Sweet and benevolent (as long as you get the Lightning McQueen toy).

You're in the middle of another language explosion. There's nothing so fun as hearing all these grown-up phrases coming out of a little tiny person. Especially when you're still cutely mispronouncing so many words. 

Some of our favorite Catherine words:

• "woodles" = noodles
• "trampatrine" = trampoline
• "Cinawehwah" = Cinderella/any Princess-like girl (Barbies included)
• "backpacks" or "buckets" = pockets (great for storing cars in!)
• you're slightly obsessed with pockets and always comment whenever one of us has pockets. "Mommy, you have buckets?"
• "gymnaskicks" = gymnastics
• "muskick" = music
• "mushmellow" = marshmallow (you can blame Seth for this, you just copied him)
• "mahn" = more "I want some mahn" is a frequently heard phrase around here.
• "the Zone-ah" = Arizona

You have a strange obsession with tiny things. Any time you find something you deem tiny, you'll bring it to us for comment. "Mom, you see the teeny (insert object here)?" This also applies to other things, like drawing hundreds of tiny circles on your papers or making teeny tiny balls out of dough:

You adore your big brother and will generally follow him around and do his bidding quite happily. The two of you spend most of the day shifting from character to character. Right now you favorite combos are Skipper & Ripslinger, Blue (from Blue's Clues) and The Super Dog, The Magic Prince and The Magic Daughter, and Lightning McQueen and whatever car you decide Seth gets to be.

You're a bit of a TV junkie when you get the chance. You ask daily to watch "Cars Airplanes" (Planes), Signing Time, Blue's Clues, or Cars 2. Other favorites are Pocoyo and My Little Ponies (Pinky Pie is your favorite, of course--the most obnoxious pony in Ponyville. You love when we sing the theme song: "My little pony, my little pony..." at which point you "sing": "AH AH AH AAHHH!"). You're also clever enough to ask for Strong Bad when Daddy is home since you know that's the only thing he'll actually put on the laptop for you.

You also adore your daddy. When he was in Dugway for work you asked for him frequently. As soon as he walks in the door you're there shadowing him.  Your favorite Daddy time is Sunday afternoons when the two of you do puzzles together (you've gotten very good). And you can get him to do basically whatever you want by staring up at him with those big blue eyes.

Ah, my Baby Boo, we love you so. You constantly amaze me--I wonder every day who you're going to end up being. I am so excited to see you grow & take on the world. Happy third birthday, Princess Meow-Meow ("No! I Lining McKeen"!)

Catherineisms:

Me: "Catherine, what do you want to be in the Nativity play tonight? An angel? A shepherd?"

Catherine: "Uhh...no. I be Lightning McQueen."

(And there was NO convincing her otherwise)

One morning I heard Catherine in the tub singing a song I didn't recognize. Then I heard "Da nanana Da nanana Da nanana Da nanana BAT MAN! BAT MAN!" Then, while shopping later that afternoon, she asked me for "the Dalek song." I was a bit confused, so she sang it for me: "Oh, my Dalek, Oh, my Dalek, Oh my Dalek, Clementine!" It was a proud parenting day.

("Pretties" added by Seth.

And removed very quickly after this picture).

Catherine's Birthday Interview

Here's Catherine's three-year-old interview (I videoed it and transcribed it here):

1. What's your favorite color?

• "Umm...red! Because I love Lightning McQueen!"

2. Who's your best friend?

• "Lightning McQueen!

3. Who's your best friend at church? (Trying to get a real name out of her)

• "RIPSLINGER" (from Disney's Planes)

4. What's your favorite food to eat?

• "Scrambled eggs" (because we had it for dinner that night)
• "Woodles" (noodles--this is the real answer)

5. What's your favorite movie to watch?

• "Cars Airplanes! (her name for Planes) And Signing Time! And Cars Airplanes!"

6. What's your favorite toy to play with?

• "RIPSLINGER" (she has a toy airplane Grandma Cathy gave her)

7. What's your favorite game to play?

• "Blue's Clues" (her real answer would probably be "Ring Around the Posies" with Seth)

8. What's your favorite snack?

• "Umm...Blue's Clues. (she's teasing me at this point). Umm...Cars Airplanes. Animals." (Whatever)

9. What's your favorite animal?

• "A elephant. And a lion."

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?

• "Mommy!"

11. What's your favorite song to sing?

• singing: "Happy Birthday to You!..."

12. What's your favorite book to read?

• "Umm...Blanket (actually titled Blankie). Ten Little Fish!"

I love this age for interviews because they only know what they're talking about 60% of the time. 

Catherine Turns 3

This is normally the point where I talk about how fast my babies are growing up and make some comment about not believing how old they are.  Well, Miss Catherine is MOST DEFINITELY ready to be three. 

We took her to pick out a birthday balloon the night before her birthday. Despite Seth's best (and oft-repeated) arguments in favor of the truck balloon ("It's like Mater, see?"), she decided on a Princess balloon. Sadly, the store was all out of helium and she had to settle for an already-inflated frog balloon:

The designated birthday outfit?

Well, not to be cliche, but... 

Luckily she has a very cute birthday suit.

And the birthday cereal? 

Fake Cookie Crisp.

Thank you, Aldi.

Then it was on to the cake, which she insisted on helping with.

But first she had to help herself to a small sample while Mom was distracted: 

Time to make the icing! 

Guess what happens when you turn it on full speed? 

Finally, time to apply to the cake: 

She also insisted on the decorating: 

"Hello. My name is Catherine Montoya." 

Carefully placing the cars on the track: 

Big brother comes to give guidance and counsel.

And to add airplanes to the track: 

So proud of her work: 

Ta-da!

Seth insisted I add the crown "because she's the Princess."

It's not my greatest work, but she LOVED her cake and got to help with every step.

When we started discussing her birthday last month, Catherine insisted on just two things:

1) A Lightning McQueen cake

2) A party hat  

Catherine waited patiently all day for Daddy to come home so she could eat her cake.

Somehow she got it in her head that she wouldn't actually turn three until she'd eaten her cake: 

We celebrated the official beginning of three-years-old with very, very loud blowers: 

There may have been some tears due to Catherine's inability to blow hard enough to make any noise.

Luckily she figured it out the next day and all was well.

Present time! 

She was quite, quite spoiled.

We got her a leotard and tu-tu, but she pretty much only paid attention to the Cars books from Grandma Cathy. Seth got her a very sweet present. He has a little lamp he uses at night to read books after we turn out the lights. One day he told me he thought Catherine should have one, too. Perfect birthday gift! Now they can both happily read in bed at night. 

I forgot about the cards Catherine was sent until the next day. She was excited to have more presents (okay, just money, actually). Once she'd opened them up we asked her what she was going to do with her money. "Umm...play with it!" 

Also, she was very, very concerned about this card from Grandma Cathy & Grandpa Russell: 

"She's sitting on a three. In the sky.

She's going to fall and she doesn't have any wings."

Happy birthday to my sassy, beautiful, clever little girl!

Five Months

Oh, my little Aaron. How can you possibly get any cuter? That red hair, those blue eyes, those delicious cheeks...I am so in love! So let's not talk about how you're growing up too fast or how you're almost half a year old, okay?

So what have you been up to this month? Well, I finally remembered we owned a Bumbo and decided to let you give it a try. 

You were... Well, you were in the Bumbo.

Then we introduced you to Cola, and it was all good from there:

Actually, it wasn't.

I made the mistake of drinking some of that Coke and you made me PAY for it. 

You've officially entered the grabbing stage. Nothing is safe anymore: my hair, Catherine's hair, the glass I'm drinking out of while holding you... Basically you're getting put down a lot more often now.

You spent some quality time with your buddy, Blake. You are both happy, chubby little boys:

And you decided it was time to start eating some solid food. We've been sneaking you things here and there and you were determined to have more. We obliged:

Rice cereal...is horrible:

Since then we've moved on to other stuff. You've tried bananas and applesauce (not a huge fan) and you LOVE mashed potatoes. You also love eating whatever soup we're having for dinner. Forget baby food--you want the good stuff!

You're currently somewhere between 6 month and 6-9 month clothing. Chubby.

Still no real nap schedule, but you are definitely going to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 pm. I always hope for later since you have a bad habit of waking up exactly twelve hours after you go to bed. 

I think (knock on wood) you're starting to sleep in longer chunks at night. Still hoping for a little longer, but there was one lovely night you slept from 7-11 pm, then until 5 am and back to bed until 7 am. I could use some more nights like that. Generally you're still up every 3-4 hours at night.

I thought I was developing a strange rash on my hand. Then I realized it was from your tiny fingernails scratching at my hand while I held you. Scratch, scratch.

You have the most adorable curls on the top of your head. Crossing my fingers for those curls to stick around:

You've reached my second-least favorite nursing stage: the distraction stage. If you hear the faintest noise in the room, you immediately let go and start craning your neck trying to find its source. No more comfy mother's lounge chairs for me--I have to go to a silent, dark, empty classroom to nurse you!

You're grabbing for your toes and its adorable.

You make this awesome sound when you're tired or excited. You just open your mouth wide and gargle  "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" in this deep little voice. 

You sing, you shriek, you laugh at your brother and sister. You are the happiest, sweetest little guy. I'm so glad you're here!

Love you, Chatter Choo.

And More Snow...

5-10 inches ended up turning to 13+ overnight:

Finally some nice, heavy snow for snowman building.

Catherine has been asking all winter:

Also, a Lightning McQueen snow-car for good measure: 

Of course it hit while Jon was gone, but we were lucky. No power loss, no need to go anywhere. But I'm so grateful for good friends who dug out the van and Jon's parking spot (the plows covered it up nicely). 

I LOVE the snow and winter, but I think it's time for spring to make an appearance now!

My Little Valentines

Well, it started off with a little Valentine-making party...

...then we made some lovely Valentine boxes: 

(luckily Catherine was appeased by her Lightning McQueen Halloween bucket.

Mom was only up for one box-making adventure)

We had a little V-day party at Seth's co-op (which no one photographed, sorry), then it was on to the real thing! Valentine morning brought lots of surprises (read: candy) for the kids:

Well, not all the kids.

Some of us got nice chew toys instead:

This is what I got for Valentine's Day: a hot date with a redhead! 

His daddy was in glamorous Dugway, Utah for V-Day.

As is obvious by the state of my house: