Lazy Sunday

Today we had a pretty relaxing day. I wasn't feeling that great, probably due to many nights of little sleep in a row, so we didn't go to church so I could catch up a bit. I was feeling a lot better by afternoon and we had a video conference with my parents so the kids could spend some time chatting with them. It's kind of funny because the kids always touch them and don't really understand that they are just touching a screen. Clara really loves these little video calls. She asks about them every time she sees my laptop.

Last Visit with Just Tucker

Today our friends, the Hansons came over to eat dinner. We had a fun time. They were able to stay a little bit later than normal because Vincent was with a friend and Tucker has a pretty flexible schedule still at his age, which was great because we actually got to converse like grown-ups after our kids went to bed. Tucker and Hannah are in a really similar stage and we always think they have surprisingly similar mannerisms and share an amazing lack of hair. Tucker is such a sweet boy and, unless something unexpected happens, this was our last time to see him before he becomes a big brother later this month. We think he'll adjust really well and we'll be excited to meet the new Hanson.

Pi(e) Day

Today is Pi Day. That's because the mathematical constant, pi (π), which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, starts with 3, 1, and 4. The average person knows the value of pi to be 3.14, but it's actually an irrational number with an infinite number of digits to the right of the decimal point.  My grandpa, who more than anyone else inspired my love of and interest in mathematics, has it memorized to 50 decimal places.  I once knew it out that far, but in thinking about it right now, I can only make it out to 40.  I'll probably make it a goal of mine to learn 50 again.  Anyway, because today is March 14, or 3/14, it's celebrated by some people as Pi Day.  Meghan is a math major, and although her actual interest in math is much less than mine, she still appreciates the fun of Pi Day.  I hadn't mentioned anything about it to her, but I was excited to get home from work today to see that she had made us little pies decorated with the approximation of pi.  What's extra great about these cakes is pi is not actually equal to 3.14, as I mentioned above.  But it is approximately equal to it.  And the mathematical symbol for "approximately equal" is the squiggly equal sign (≈) which is exactly what she used, making it a mathematically-correct equation.  I love her.  Anyway, they were mostly a hit, with Meghan, Clara, Joshua, and I all enjoying them:
By the way, Joshua's funny face there is what he did when I said "Smile!".  Instead of doing a natural, normal smile, he came up with that face, which I love.  So we almost all liked it, but one person didn't.  Hannah somehow doesn't like strawberries.  We don't know how this tragedy happened, but it did.  So she had a vastly different reaction:

We ended up giving her some marshmallows so she could have something she liked, and we then redistributed the remainder of hers to Joshua and Clara, who were glad to reap the benefits of Hannah's strange dislike. So in the end, everyone was able to enjoy a tasty treat to celebrate this great holiday.

Dinner with Jiff

My best friend Jeff was in town today to see K-State play in the Big 12 tournament (it didn't go well). He lives in Topeka, so I don't get to see him very often.  He asked if I was available to meet up for dinner.  The logistics of the evening meant that I needed to bring two kids with me, so Joshua and Hannah joined me, and after picking up a sandbox that we bought off of Craigslist, the four of us went to eat at Oklahoma Joe's.  Jeff has six kids, so even with our two dinner companions, it probably seemed like an extra peaceful dinner to him.  I hardly ever get to see him, and although we talk on the phone all the time, it was great to get to hang out in person.  Joshua thought he was a pretty cool guy, but he couldn't seem to get his name right, and cutely kept calling him "Jiff".

Bad Dog

Today the kids were at Ron and Peg's, as they are most Wednesdays. So while I would like to blame this turn of events on the kids or Jason (who is out of town), it's really me. Well, and Terrence. I have a super annoying habit of leaving doors and drawers slightly ajar pretty much everywhere I go. Not every single time I use them, but a lot of times.So today I had to run a few errands and I grabbed a granola bar on my way out. Well I must have left the pantry slightly ajar and that's all the opening Terrence needed. He opened a few things on the lower shelves including a bag of powdered sugar and a couple "juice boxes" of milk. Which actually wasn't that much and was easy to clean up except the liquid mixed with sugar made a gross and sticky mess that he got on his paws and tracked around the house. I have mopped twice now and there are still a few isolated sticky spots I am finding in random places so I think it will take me a few more times to totally eradicate them all. And I really hate cleaning so having to mop four extra times this week is not a happy turn of events for me. I'd like to think that's shame in Terrence's eyes in this photo, but really it's probably a mixture of pride and disappointment that he got caught.

Boys Really Are Different

When we were at Ron and Peg's Sunday, we were talking about how boys are just not like girls. Of course there is a lot of room for individuality in either gender, but boys are just typically more energetic and noisy and dirty. And they tend to love sticks and dirt and think bodily functions are hilarious from a very young age. Of course many of those things are also true of Clara since she wants to be just like Joshua, but with Joshua they seem to be more innate, whereas Clara kind of forces herself on some of that stuff in her efforts to be as cool as Joshua. Anyway, Jason is out of town today so he isn't here and I had to go to the bathroom. When I came out, I saw Joshua just hanging on the mantle (sans clothes of course). Who does that? He thought it was really cool and was disappointed when I said we couldn't do that anymore. Clara would have really liked to be up there too, but she is at least six inches shorter so couldn't reach and is a lot less confident standing on the arm of the chair anyway. This is why it is pretty hard to have effective consequences for Joshua, both positive and negative. Though he wants good things and wants to avoid bad things, if it doesn't work out, he's cool with it. I mean all he needs is a piece of paper and a shoe to play baseball or a chair and a mantle to have his own personal gym.

A Manic, But Not Bad, Monday

Today we were super busy as I had several errands to run and we also had the dietician coming to see Clara. But it was also 70 and sunny today, which is wonderful and a bit above average for this time of year (and drastically different than what we've had this year so far) so I wanted to make sure and take advantage of it. We spent some time outside and had lots of fun. Hannah does not like walking in the grass at all. The uneven ground really bothers her, but she is willing to walk just far enough to get to the swing (which is in no way as dangerous as it looks in this picture. It is a very supportive toddler swing and would be very difficult for a child to fall out of). Clara likes everything and swang, played in the dirt, and played on the slide. Joshua was very focused on the dirt with his construction equipment. The kids really enjoyed the time outside. Then the dietician came and reported that in the past 6 weeks Clara has gained a pound and an inch, which is pretty good growth that we are happy with. Her height isn't even concerning anymore since she cracked the 5th percentile, so that is great, though her weight is still below the 5th percentile, which is what they don't like to see so we are still working on gaining weight with her. Then we went to Costco, which is always a favorite activity in our family, the car wash, and post office. The kids did great, as they usually do when I take them out and we had a good day.