Helicopters, Batcopters, & Stars

Our week started out really well with the kids deciding they needed to clean the house on Monday.  They used a lot of baby wipes cleaning all sorts of furniture, windows, shoes, etc., and who was I to stop such progress.  Henry got a paper at church last Sunday which had 7 stars on it.  If he engaged in serving others each day of the week, he could color in a star a day (and receive some sort of prize for it at church).  That prompted a lot of serving at the beginning of the week.  Josiah capitalized on it and had Henry serve him. Henry got him markers, got his milk for him, threw trash away for him.  Then Josiah would say, "Good job Henry, now go color another star."

A cleaning frenzy - all our shoes are now clean

They also had a moment of not such great getting along.  Mid-week they got a package from Grandma & Grandpa with a police officer costume and a pirate costume in it.  Josiah immediately picked the police officer costume and had me call him Officer Cockrell for a few days.  However, I have since confiscated the handcuffs due to "improper play" (not for the reason below) and they may never get those back.  One day, Josiah was dressed as the cop again and Henry pretended to be The Penguin from Batman.  He held a closed umbrella and Josiah tried to arrest him and stick him in jail.  After a while, Josiah wanted to switch characters.  Henry did not.  Josiah saw it wise to grab the umbrella from Henry.  Henry did not appreciate that, and in the fighting they totally destroyed the umbrella.  Now neither is very happy that they will be forced to buy a new umbrella the next time they earn or are given money.

Aye, matey.

Officer Cockrell

Josiah announced that he was going to to name his children after restaurants.  "Which restaurants?" I asked him.  "McDonald, Hardee, and Wal," he said.  (Walmart)  God bless the girl he marries.  Todd and I always gave each other veto power on any name we did not like.  I think his wife is going to have to institute that rule as well.

Caroline has surprised me a lot this week.  She sat down and did puzzles much better than I was aware she knew how.  She likes her name puzzle the best and can recognize a "C" anywhere.  One evening I was talking to Todd about how hard it has been to get her to eat vegetables (besides broccoli and sweet potatoes).  She ate all vegetables as pureed baby food, but not so much the real thing.  Then as I was talking to him, she was eating the raw cabbage off of my plate.  The next day she took a bite of a baby carrot, chewed it up, and then spit it back out on her plate.  But she used to not even touch them, so that's a step in the right direction.  She also got her first "manicure."  I painted the nails on her right hand and she was fascinated by it.  I won't paint her left hand just yet because she sucks that thumb all the time.

Hard to see it, but her fingers are painted

Caroline also got her first lesson in getting things stuck in her hair.  She and Henry were in their time-out squares for some infraction.  She picked some of her time-out square tape off of the ground (blue painter's tape).  When her time-out was over, she came over to me and had tape stuck to her rear as well as in her hair.  I could have probably gotten it out of her hair if she cooperated a little more than she did.  But she just kept saying, "Ow." and pulling away from me.  So I cut it out.  It isn't noticeable at all - I keep trying to figure out where I cut it and can't tell myself.

This weekend we went back to the local trail and walked to the park/playground again.  I noticed Josiah on the seesaw with a little girl and I went over to eavesdrop on their conversation.  It was pretty cute.  They asked each others ages and how many times they had been to that park.  Josiah offered up that he was from Hampton.  Then she left abruptly when her sister called her.

Saturday morning we went to Hobby Lobby, a craft store, to see about getting pinewood derby cars for the boys to make and decorate.  They each picked out one car, although they found about 100 items each that they wanted in the future.  Josiah colored his as a Batman car.  Henry likes green, so his car was the same.  After the making and decorating, there hasn't been a lot of playing with them so maybe this week we can make a ramp and race them.  That is the original intention of them anyway.

sanding them down

coloring their cars (see the bat symbol on Josiah's)

Todd has finished the nights with the kids with helicopter rides.  He puts each one on his shoulders and "flies" them around our house all the while making quick turns and fun engine noises.  The kids love it.  He gives them two rides each although for them they would prefer if the rides were never ending.  

Blurry picture, but you can see the joy on Josiah's face during his "lift-off"

Henry used his birthday money (before the umbrella incident) to buy a new Batcopter.  I think we now have the Batmobile, the Batcopter, and some sort of underwater Batman thing (I can't remember the name).  3 Batman Lego men.  I think we are set, although I'm sure the boys will see another kit someday and just have to have that one as well.

Josiah drew the Lego Ninjago characters as new decoration for his bed.

Henry drew Mickey Mouse, a Ninjago scene, a window so he could look outside, and a picture of him and Caroline.

This coming week is very exciting for the kids because my sister comes and they get to take her to the rodeo.  It should be a good time!

And one last picture of the kids - they insisted I take a picture of them at dinner and it turned out pretty well.

Henry has orange marker all over himself.  Just another day around here.