Jake's superpower

I found out what Jake's superpower is recently. Apparently anger is what triggers it. Which, as it turns out, is pretty common for the early stages of superpower development. He can transform from a cute little baby into a baby seal. Watch the transformation:


I'm not sure how he'll use this power, but I think it could be exciting.

Alternatively, he may also just be a really talented gymnast.

Though not a Chinese one.

Happy Wednesday

Penny got to wear a costume to pre-school this morning. She was a witch. Ginger of course needed some kind of costume also, even though she wasn't going to school. I have the cutest girls.

My favorite child

A friend took some cute pictures of Jake last week. I know he's older than most newborn photo shoots but he was still so cute. His smile is to die for. I'm sure every mother feels that way about her baby. He is, by far, my favorite child right now. His sisters are really making me crazy.

First Day of Preschool

I find myself in this weird, unfamiliar phase of life: I have three kids. I drive a minivan littered with crayons and dirty, unmated socks and sippy cups. I own a house that has a million unfinished projects. All my clothes have unsightly stains or pulled seams from being washed too many times. My laundry pile seems to never end. Even when I spend all day doing laundry, there's a another pile at the end of the day. Food crumbs are everywhere: the couch, the car, the floor, the girls' beds. Despite the "food up to the table only" rule, it's amazing how I find it everywhere! 

And, now I have a preschooler. When did Penny get old enough to go to preschool? I cried on our way to the school thinking about how fast she was growing up. I can't believe she'll be four next week. It feels like she was just born. (I probably said the exact same thing when I was writing about Ginger's 2nd birthday.) But seriously, why do they have to grow up so fast? 

As I pulled into the parking lot driving my Honda Odyssey, I noticed the two Odysseys in front of me and the two behind me, all with parents waiting to drop off their preschoolers. I sat there and cried for a brief minute. In my minivan. Probably in denial. We've had this minivan for five months and I'm still having a hard time accepting it. It's a great car but I still can't believe it's what I drive. Weird.

As we were getting out of the car Penny said to me, "Don't worry, Mom. I won't be gone for very long. You can have fun with Ginger and Jake while I'm at school." Thanks. Apparently she could tell I was having a hard time.

When we picked Penny up, I asked her how it went. "I had a lot of fun at school. I drew a picture but I didn't bring it home because I gave it to Ms. Ida because we have too many pictures at our house already."

This is Ginger smiling. I know. It's a shame, especially since her natural smile is so cute.

Happy Birthday, Ginger

Ginger turned 2 a week or so ago. I swear she was just born. I think Penny was more excited about her birthday than Ginger was. Penny kept clapping and singing "Happy Birthday" all day to Ginger. Then, when it came time to blow out the candles, Penny couldn't stand it. After Ginger's failed attempt the first time to blow them out, Penny jumped up in her chair and blew them out before Ginger could even try again. Fortunately Ginger just clapped excitedly, she didn't care who blew out the candles.

Her birthday was on a Sunday so I tried to get some cute pictures of the girls before we left for Church. These are the best I got.

 

Later, we had a little birthday celebration. Stephan made a hunormous (that's Penny's word for huge and ginormous) sea urchin birthday cake. A little random for a 2-year-old's birthday but I guess it's similar to the b-earth day cake he made for Penny's birthday last year. Not many children can say their dads decorate their birthday cakes.

(These last two photos were taken with a film camera so they're a bit grainy. Who knows how old the film was.)

Smiley Jake

Jake has the cutest little smile these days. Unfortunately it's hard to catch it on camera but you still get the idea.

Photo of the day