Baby (insert Elise's animal of the moment) no more. Sigh.

Elise:  Mommy Monkey, we go get my Thomas cream cone?

Me: Yes, baby monkey, we are going to get your cream cone.

Elise: I Elis-ee monkey.  Baby monkey at home.  We go get baby monkey.

Me (saddened that Elise has officially decided, on the way to McDonald's, that she is no longer my baby): No, Daddy is home with baby monkey.  We don't need to go get her.

Elise: Daddy monkey can't pick baby monkey.  We go get baby monkey.

(She's right.  Picking up baby monkey is awfully hard for daddy monkey.)

The ice cream right before dinner?  That was bribery for semi-cooperating while I took some pictures of her "Thomas Haircut" for Grandma. (at least that is how I sold it. )

My silly cowgirl

Every now and again, Hannah reminds me to let loose and laugh.  Yesterday I was busily cooking dinner and crying like crazy. (from cutting onions)  Hannah came in to fill in as my sous chef, but realized that I needed a different kind of help than normal.  "Mom, just close your eyes and I will tell you if you are going to cut yourself!"  Hannah, I love you!  (and you aren't using sharp knives for a few more years!)

Here is my sweet little cowgirl, Hannah, who would probably sell her soul for a horse. (These are from a year and a half ago, but she still loves horses and still wears cowgirl boots 90% of the time.)

Pictures as promised...

Pictures, as promised.  Note that these were taking while nursing (on the right side, which took extra skillz with all of the camera buttons being on that same side) a 10 month old girly who loves to pull on the camera strap every time I try to click.  But they are proof that we did celebrate Autumn's birthday, which is the important part.  Butterfly cupcakes, her new (and very annoying, but not quite as annoying as a real dog) fur real puppy and her birthday shirt.  Birthday fun, all the way.

Bonus Picture:

This is Elise, doing her new trick, compliments of Autumn.  Winking has become the new trend at the Kang house.  Autumn winks at you about 10 times per conversation.  I am not sure if she thinks it will get her out of trouble or what, but it is pretty cute.  Since Autumn is the sweet teacher to her little sisters, Elise has taken up winking too.  Unfortunately, it is a little much for a 2 year old.  Luckily, her hand is willing to help her as she says "Wink!"  Pretty cute stuff.  

Birthday Party #3. Completed.

Birthday season at the Kang house is now more than half way done.  Dang.  That doesn't count Chris.  Ok.  Birthday season at the Kang house is now half way done.  3 down and 3 more to go.  Luckily, the next 3 tend to be a little bit more on the low key side.   We've survived birthday parties for Chloe, Rachel and Autumn.  Now we have Elise (who is having a Thomas party and has started inviting people that she deems as her friends.  There goes the small family gathering that I was imagining.), Lilly and Chris.  

Yesterday was Autumn's fairy party.  This was an especially important one because her birthday got "cancelled" last year when our house sold and we were moving out the week after her birthday.   Chris ran the show when I woke up without a voice, officially earning his "I have 6 girls and am proud of it" badge in fatherhood.  The girls decorated fairy wings, made fairy shrinky dinks, had a "fairy naming ceremony", did a little scavenger hunt and finished the day off with some butterfly cupcakes and chocolate bird nests. (Thank you, Hello Cupcake.  Again.  I know how to decorate cakes, but I think we are converted to the ease of cupcakes.  Definitely.)

There are very few pictures since Chris was probably a little out of his element as it was, but I do have a few that I will post tomorrow.   Must sleep.  Now.  Ok, after this last thought.

I love my Autumn.  Her middle name, Joye, sums it all up.  She is such a joy to our house.  She is so thoughtful of her sisters, looking out for everyone.  She tends to get in trouble for not doing the "not so important in the long run" stuff like....her chores or school.  But when she isn't doing her school, it is because she has been ShangHai-ed by Elise or Hannah.  They know that Autumn will kindly help them with whatever they need, whether it be help choosing out colors for a piece of art they are working on or build an especially cool Lego creation.  Since she first learned how to read, she would read books to her sisters in the best voices.  She can do all sorts of accents and is an expert story teller.  In addition to all of the above, she is the most tender hearted little girl I have met.  Gosh, Autumn.  I just love you!  Hannah wrapped up her favorite toy for Autumn's birthday present.  A little later, I was talking to Autumn about her presents and she told me how much Hannah loved that toy.  She realized the importance of that sacrifice, which is so Autumn.  Last note and then I will go to bed.  Swear.  Double pinky promise.  We have a tradition (that I want to change) that allows our kids a job free birthday.  It gets a little annoying when you are holding a leaky baby and ask for a diaper to hear "But its my birthday."  So lets go back to Autumn's birthday.  I can't talk.  Chris and Rachel are at a service project.  I am trying to get 100 and 10 things done for her birthday and to get the house cleaned up.  Autumn was helping me like crazy all morning long.  I didn't hear (not 1 time all morning) the much beloved Kang daughter response of "But its my birthday!" from her.  Not once.   Autumn-melli, I love you more than a lavender italian soda. Add that to my list, too.  She is my daughter that loves lavendery cuisine as much (or more) as I do.  Goodnight, all.  

10 things I love about him....

1.  He is my dragon slayer.  He goes to work everyday, even when he doesn't feel like it, to support our family.  He has never questioned and has always supported my desire to stay at home with the girls.

2. He makes me laugh.  a lot.  and not at him. (ok, sometimes at him.)

3. He steps in when I go psycho and sorts out all of the hormones into some form of reason.

4. He is so stinking cute.  Look at that face!  How could you not love him?

5. When he is grumpy, I can always make him laugh with a certain song.  This tells me he can't be all that grumpy, eh?

6. He is a fighter.  The last 6 months have dealt him an enormous blow and he takes it in stride and just keeps on working.  He has had his favorite hobbies taken away from him and I haven't heard him complain about it ONCE. (Uh oh....I might be reminding him to)

7.  He does hard things.  Take medication for his blood pressure or be on an extremely restricting diet?  Let's do the diet.  ooh....is that why he married me?  :)  

8.  He has a very strong sense of right and wrong.  He will never pirate music, software or movies.  He does not lie (even white lies, which I wouldn't mind him telling to me every now and then) and can always be trusted.

9. He re-tucks the kids in throughout the night to make sure they are warm and every morning when I wake up, Lilly's door has a towel in front of it to block out the light.  

10. He never undermines me in front of the girls.  Even if I am totally wrong and should be put in my place, he stands by me.  

11. He doesn't mind my love affair with Colin Firth and Patrick Stewart.  (Although he has tried an English accent a few times to compete)

12. He is a genius, even if the stroke has slowed him down a little bit.  I like to say it evened the playing field, but we both know that he is still much smarter than I am. 

13. He is 100% supportive of my home schooling adventures.  I will always remember the time I thought about sending Autumn to kindergarten.  He said, drenched in sarcasm, "That would be great!  She could learn her abc's and how to count to 20!" (She was reading at a 3rd grade level and in 2nd grade math.)

14. He tolerates my worm bin, my compost, my rain barrel (now he has to, right?) and my recycling.

15. He gave up his office for my craft room.

16. He watches Dancing with the Stars "just" to be with me

Okay, I'm over 10, but I challenge all of you to blog your 10 things and post a link in the comments.

My baby brother...

There were a few tricky factors when I was taking some quick family pictures for my baby brother (who I remember crawling on all fours through the neighborhood pretending to be a dog).  

1. The sun was setting rapidly so we had about 10 minutes

2. Their soon to be three year old was being very....three (who would want their stinky pictures taken when they could be playing with cousins?  Really!)

3. Said soon to be three year old had a very cool cabbage patch kid from Grandma's play room that did want her picture taken.

4. A certain horse loving 5 year old helped entertain the said soon to be three year old and inadvertanly ended up in most of the pictures that I really liked.

This being said, I am amazed that we have these pictures.  Yeah, team!

Dainty in all she says and does

Some kids will throw up all over the bed or the carpet, but not my Chloe.  She came downstairs and sat on my lap while I helped Rachel with math.  When there was a pause, she told me that I needed to give her a dollar.  Trying to remember what dollar I forgot to pay her, I finally asked her why I owed her a dollar.  She quietly told me (looking like she was about to cry) that she had thrown up in the toilet.  She is tucked in bed, armed with a throw up bowl, ready to sleep.  And the flu bug is here, but hopefully not for long.  Chloe is definitely a nice sicky.