I'm Baaaaaaack!

So when I started this blog Ellie was still napping and I actually got a break during the day to do what I needed to do without kids. Now, it has been so long since she has even taken one nap, I don't remember what it is like. By the time they are all in bed for the evening and the house is restored to semi-cleanliness, and I have given James some attention, I am exhausted. Blogging is something I can always put below the really important things on my to-do list, but there is always something at the top and it is never updating this blog.

I have come to find out that this blog is linked on many, other blogs. I am amazed at how that happens when I really only told two other people about it besides my mom. I guess I should be flattered that you want to link to our blog, but I am pretty embarrassed by the fact that everyone checking this has read the same Poopy Day title for over two months. So I am finally updating this thing.

Where to start... I could write for three days and not tell it all. I guess I will pick a couple favorites and save the rest for another day.

Ellie loves to pretend. I love to wake up each day and wonder who Ellie will decide to be today. It might be Fiona (from Shrek), Ariel (Little Mermaid), Cinderella, Snow White (thanks to Grandma E), Boo (Mosters Inc.), Sleeping Beauty or Super Mom a.k.a. Elastagirl (from Incredibles-currently her favorite.) The best part is that I get to play opposite her. Shrek, Eric, Prince Charming, Sully, or my favorite, Super Dad! The other day she was in the bathroom while we were getting the boys ready for bed. She is potty trained and can go by herself, so the once off-limits bathroom is now fair game. I walked in to find her face around her mouth covered in red. I at first thought lipstick, but I don't own red lipstick, or bathtub crayon. On closer inspection I find it is blood and lots of it. I start cleaning her up and try to stay calm. She isn't screaming or scared yet and I don't want to upset her. I finally put two and two together when I see the parrallel cuts on her cheeks and both lips. She found dad's razor in the mirror cabinet and decided to shave her face just like Fiona does in the second Shrek movie. I guess the first and second cuts didn't hurt so she kept going. We finally got the bleeding stopped enough to put on band-aids and make her promise never to shave her face again.

Michael helped me make the decision about when to take the boys to the dentist last week. As he was climbing up the stairs from the basement Friday, he looked down and moved up at the same time and caught his bottom teeth on the wooden stair. He has a funny tooth on the bottom anyway, but now it is chipped too. He sheered off the front of his right lateral (for all my dental friends). I called the dentist and they thought it would be good to check it out before the weekend, just to make sure. So we went on our first trip to the dentis that afternoon, me and all four kids. What an adventure. It actually went really well. The office had a big waiting room with lots of toys so the kids thought it was great. When I took Michael back, one of the hygenists even offered to watch the other three so I could listen to the dentist explain everything. M had an x-ray and the dentist checked out his teeth. She really knew how to work with kids and M did really well. The chip was superficial enough that we don't need to do anything about it. Just watch it. Luckily it is a baby tooth and he will get a new one in a few years. Unfortunately, our dental insurance kicked in today so we got to foot the bill for that trip. I also made appointments for the other three in a month so we can all go back again! Two more things about M. He thinks anytime James or I are lying on the floor it is time to climb 0n top of us. He get a big grin and just runs at you. He also doesn't like bubble baths. We tried it the other night with all four kids and all he kept saying was bubble, bubble, bubble with a worried look on his face. He's so funny.

I only have time to write something short about J and B. Jonathan loves to wear this little navy knit hat that used to be Ellie's. He also loves E's sunglasses and almost anything of hers including necklaces, her backpack, and princess shoes. It is cute to see how much he loves her. I think they kind of have a little bond. They look very much alike and M and B look like each other. I have two of each. Jonathan will find something of E's and go running after her calling Eddy, Eddy, Eddy and get so excited to give her her stuff. It is really cute.

Brian has the best eyebrow expressions. He can go from mad to sly to smiling with the slightest change in eyebrows. I love to catch him in a grumpy expression and do it back to him and see how long it takes to get him to smile. He is so cute. He also needs a little beeper installed like dump trucks have when they shift into reverse. He loves to stand in front of me and back up to sit in my lap. Sometimes I try to back up a little while he is to see if he is watching where he is backing.

Today is April fools and I wish I were as good as my dad at pulling pranks. The one time I actually pulled a prank on my dad he got it to backfire on me. I won't go there again. I would love to post a pic of an old ultrasound and announce we were expecting or something, but with my luck it would jinx me and it would come true. Not something I am up to right now! I will just have to end this post with a Happy Birthday wish to my dad the King of April Fools! I love you.