Sisters hanging out on Black Friday

Sometimes the ladies fight.  Some times they yell. Sometimes they bug each other just for the fun of it. But they love each other.  Cecilia and Abigail shared a room for a while and then switched it up. Now Abby and Harper share a room.  At the Black Friday shopping trip, Harper and Abby bought matching pajama pants.  

They do gang up on me to get what they want, specifically going out to dinner or buying junk food, but it is a small price to pay. 

All Four In The Same Place

We do a lot of driving and a lot of running.  We are running to work, school, scouts, wrestling, soccer, kumon, and playdates. Tonight we are all in the same place.  The kids are hanging out with each other. Nobody is crying or teasing.

Your text means that you LOVE me

Matt and I work together at this parenting thing.  As dad's go, Matt rocks.  he is calm, involved and lightens the mode when I get too intense (his word, not mine).  I do get intense from time to time, say when we can't find someone's shoes for the 100th time and the bus is on the way.  Matt keeps calm by making a joke or reminding me that it is not that big of a deal.  I SOMETIMES accept his feedback and calm down, but most times I just keep the steam rolling machine of this family moving forward by finding that shoe (or coat, or baby doll or book bag or marker or hair bow) and staying intense. 

I believe that as we parent together, we polarize each other a bit...the more intense I get, the calmer Matt gets.  I have seen it go the other way too, where Matt becomes the yeller and I lighten the mood (it has happened, don't be so surprised), but most of the time we fall to our standard norms....Anna the dictator, Matt the cool guy. 

One day when I was out for the evening with work, Matt sent me this text.  He sent it in the middle of a time that he was managing all 4 on his own at the witching hour of kid pick up/dinner prep time, so I have ultimate sympathy.  I know I read more into this text than he meant, but I took it a a deep-seated thank you for my crazy, intense way of managing the family hard times.  I loved it so much, I kept the text.  I shared it with everyone.  Heck, I am putting it on a BLOG. 

Matt, the crazy is always just a text away. 

How was sky diving Harper?

I was going through the pictures on my phone to clean out the 1000+ items to make room for more.  I found this little gem that Harper left me after an evening she spent playing with a few roles of sports tape.  I don't know where she comes up with this stuff, but I do love the full explanation for the camera.  

Abby's loose tooth

Like ticks, loose teeth are gross to me.  It turns out, when you have children, there are lots of loose teeth in my house on a regular basis.  Abby has a few of them right now.  One night after a week of teeth literally hanging out of her mouth, she got up the courage to let Matt try to get them out with pliers.  The whole family gathered around to see the "removal". Abby was a trooper, right up to the time that Matt put the pliers next to her face.  Like any reasonable person, she freaked out, ran away, and screamed. 

To Abby's credit, she pulled one tooth by herself right after the freak out.  The other tooth took a different path.  She let "hang" for a few more days until it fell out in her hand. 

Nasty Ingredients

Harper's new favorite game is to make "nasty ingredients."  I love the way she says "ingredients."  The word is too big for her but she goes after it with gusto.  That's my girl.  

The game consists of Harper getting a few spices (any will do), a bowl or two, a liquid, and a detailed monologue.  On this day, I see that she has toast pieces, sugar, cumin and water.  Harper, I can't wait to see what you make. 

C at the sink

What is it about a baby, water, and a cup that children are so drawn to?  C is getting to be a grown up little baby (you can't tell around her paci, I know) and has discovered the joys of playing in the sink.  For an hour, she will stand there, filling up cups, bowls, bread bags (as seen in the picture, my mistake of leaving to close to her) and anything else she can get her hands on.  Rock it out C.  You join the full group of Perryman children who have done this at the sink at your age.  

Baby Abby at the sink