Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

 Wheeler Family Fun 2012

Part 2

Disneyland!!!

Mickey and Minnie and their little Mouseketeers

...For the most part

A sight to behold.  25 Red mouse shirts=no one got lost.  I heard this once or twice "No it's my turn to tell them how many in our party."

The princess, we told them it was Jasmine, with the little princesses

Jara's favorite ride.  First time for all of us.

These bugs do bite, I mean bump.  

Jack loved the Merry-Go-Round. " I didn't have to cry mom!"

Elise merry on the go-around

Grandma livin' it up.  My favorite picture of all.

Thank You Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler for a wonderful vacation!

Just Beachy

Wheeler Family Fun 2012

Newport Beach

To begin our weekend o' fun we met at the beach.  I was surprised by the cold and the large waves.  Most of my beach time has been spent on Newport and I have never seen such large waves or been so cold.  Jack and Elise were initiated, having never been to the ocean before.  Four years ago was the last time we had a family beach outing so this was new for Jara too.  She remembers many things from a scary, early age but 18 months is even too far back for her.  

 Babe on the beach

 Jara constructing, it's in her blood.  Can you tell she is whistling?  She's really good and really loud.  Of course she is awesome at whistling since I spent many years squelching the ability out of happy little first graders.  

Cousins

Poor Jack spending most of his beach time howling at the whole beach in his eyes.

Flying above the waves.  I wish Jed could do that with me.  I try to get him to but alas...

Trouble, lots of sandy trouble

More sandy trouble.  Not entirely thrilled about face planting in the sand.  What they fail to tell you on the sunblock is that it will protect from sun due to the fact that the sand will stick to your child thus creating a naturally protective mask/barrier.  

I've Still Got It

I've alluded to the fact that in my previous life, the life I had before marriage and children, I was known to get on my feminist soap box, bra-burning benders. However, that Joshlyn seems light years away buried under cookbooks, cleaning supplies and poopy diapers.  I have learned to calm myself and realize you can be a gracious woman without being a subservient doormat.  I cook, clean and happily stay at home with my children because I WANT to, although heaven help us some day's when everyone is crying and I'm up to my elbows in some sort of bodily fluid I question why.  Every now and then I will feel a little nostalgic for my younger persona but am proud of the homemaker me all at the same time.  That being said, there are still core concepts that I won't let go.  For example...
Jed doesn't get a free pass on the dishes (or any other domestic chore) because he's a man.
And
My opinion should not be underrated or dismissed because I am a woman.  
Now,
should you feel inclined to pity Jed for being married to a ball-busting (did I just say that?)she-woman,
Don't.  Last week he went to use the vacuum I've had for two years and didn't know how to turn it on.  Besides, like I always remind him, "he knew perfectly well what he was getting in to it."
Plus, I can't make Jed do anything he doesn't want to, try as I might. Which is why we still have that hideous blue cookie monster chair, which is another story in and of itself.  I'm getting off track.  Anyway...
What I'm leading up to, is the fact that a fellow "good-reader" left me a snarky comment based on my Lonesome Dove review.  I knew I was setting myself up for it when I left a scathing 1 star review on a 4.something average rated, Pulitzer-prize winning book.  This is not my first show-down with unhappy male reviewers.  However, this IS the first time one has said (and I quote) "...you feminist man-hater."
Why does this bring me such unconstrained glee?  Here I was feeling all depressed today that I was turning into a whiny, pathetic little housewife, after I complained to Jed for the 100th time about the insurmountable pile of laundry, and then that dear golden nugget of criticism reminds me that, yes folks, even after all of these years...I've still got it.

Around the Table

Due to our upcoming trip to the "happiest place on earth" we had this conversation....


"Who do you guys want to see at Disneyland?"


Jara-"Mickey Mouse and the princesses" (of course)


Jack-With eyes cast up and hands clasped, "I want to swim with Ariel." 
 (Jack's got a crush on the only princess in seashells.  Can't wait for high school.)

Nine and a Half

9 Months is what it took to get Elise here and now we are nine months into her life, it's startling how fast it goes by.  The pictures are a sampling of her multiple personalities.

Calm, observant Elise

Crazy, boss of the world Elise (ye, she already has a wicked cackle)

Eating, don't mess with me Elise

This month her latest and greatest include...

• An obsession with the teddy bear flash card.  Let me explain, when Jara was born we received baby flashcards with pictures you could feel.  They have survived down to Elise, barely, all the kids have loved them.  Each child has had their favorite card.  Jara liked the ball and cat.  Jack liked the tractor.  Elise luuuuvs the teddy bear.  It never fails to emit a loving smile from her.  She will hold it and marvel at it oh so tenderly.   
• She has started crawling.  It surprises me how different she is from her siblings in this area.  Each have had their own style and started at a different time.  Jara crawled the earliest, Elise has been the latest. Jack army crawled classic style forever, Jara was up on all fours in days and Elise uses her long monkey toes to crawl.  She army crawls flat on her belly but instead of using her arms to pull, she uses her toes to scratch and a little booty waggling to fully propel herself.  Half the time she goes backwards.  Which is very frustrating when you are trying to get a piece of food in front of you.  
• She now has two sharp little chompers and she knows how to use them.
• Her favorite toy is a 3/4 empty water bottle.  
• She lovingly pets/pulls my "werewolf" (tiny hairs along my neck) hair when she's cuddling right before bed time.  
• Her favorite snacks now include contraband items such as barbie shoes, rocks, and various paraphernalia visible only to a crawling baby.  Commence sweeping twice a day.  ugh
• She simply does not understand why everyone does not absolutely adore her and if she is not receiving a sufficient amount of attention won't you know it.  She also chews out Jack for getting in her face, whoever is holding her in church and won't give her the hymn book in proper, good time, and whoever is unlucky enough to change her diaper.  Elise no likee diaper changes.  Diaper changing induces violent, mule kicking which will harm you.  

Here's to another month...

I've Been Waiting All Winter for This...

Jara started going through lake withdrawal in December.  She has been asking us since Christmas, "When can we go to the lake?"  "Why can't we go to the lake."  "I miss the lake."  You get the idea.  What do you expect when almost half of the year is "lake season?"  So, as we came over the hill looking down into Echo Bay Jara sighed satisfactorily and proclaimed, "I've been waiting all winter for this!"

Prettily posing and mighty pleased to be in her element

In spite of the hypothermia inducing water temperatures, everyone took a dip but me.  I prefer my lake water at a comfortable 80ish.  When the kids would get out they were so cold to the touch, I had to wrap them in a towel before I could hold them seeing as how they were little balls of liquid nitrogen.

Elise got an awesome lake mohawk and only ate one, okay maybe two rocks.  Success.  Baby loved splashing happily in the rocks.  We picked a rocky beach because the sandy beaches are few and far between, and I like the aesthetic properties of rock beaches, even if my feet were being overly exfoliated. Mucky mud beaches are no bueno.  Black mud reeks and I like to see when the fishies are headed for my neon pink toenails.  I like my lake water crystal clear and pristine AND 80ish.  (ok-i'm done)

When the princess became numb we shifted gears.  Time for contained water in a bottle versus free play water in a lake.

Jara and Jack played so happily together.  They played pirates, swam, explored, built rock castles and cozily sun bathed in the boat.  Hallelujah for sibling nicey-nice time.

Mama duck swam among us almost our entire stay.  She flew in from the West about thirty minutes into our visit and foraged Veggie Straws the rest of the day.  She was very entertaining.  I love watching ducks waddle, preen and dip.  When I went around the corner to find a "secret" place she followed me.  We bonded.

And here is my 3 year old SKIING!!!  That's right, Jack can ski!  My boy popped up like a pro the first time and did 3 laps around the cove.  I had to tell Jed to stop because he wasn't going to quit.  Part of skiing 101 beforehand was, don't let go of the rope, and bend your knees, because in every sport it seems like that is required.  I helped him start out from the beach and he took to it like it was his job.  The whole time we were out at the lake he kept telling me, "I want to skateboard" we didn't take him seriously but when we said it was time to leave, he insisted we take him "skateboarding."  So, we did and that was that.  Watch the video, its not the greatest but you'll get the idea.  

Eight Months

As of late...

• She sits, stays, rolls over and begs.
• Is becoming mobile to the point of getting her feet stuck in the bars of her crib.  Granted she does have extra large feet, but they are beautifully lady-like, just look at how neatly she crosses them while sitting.
• She has yet to find a food she dislikes, last night she ate baked beans as fast as I could smoosh them.  She demands whatever we are eating and will give us no peace until her requests are fulfilled.  
• Grooves her body to music.  She especially likes the ditty on the princess castle and "I like to move it, move it."
• Tries to wave hi.  If you wave at her she will imitate you but she has discovered it is better to wave with two hands like a flapping bird.  
• Rests her head on my shoulder, nuzzling and sucking her thumb when she is tired.  She has been doing this for awhile. I love when she cuddles and burrows into my neck. Sometimes she does it without being tired but as a reaction to being picked up and put on my shoulder.  
• One little bottom toothy is poking through her gums.  It always amazes me how razor sharp they are, already capable of inflicting damage.  No wonder they fuss when cutting teeth.
• We are on to finger foods.  Ahh the joy of and turning them loose with the cheerios.  
• Her armpits are super ticklish. If I even hold her arms above her head and look like I might tickle her she giggles.  
• She commands the empire.  There is no other way to explain it.  She sits from her perch on my hip and as we walk she extends her arm stiffly and flicks her wrists to the masses, i.e. Jara and Jack.  
• She's a screamer.  Not whiny or angry screaming, more like you-better-meet-my-needs- now-you-filthy-animal screaming.  Screaming is induced if she is not being thoroughly adored, if she is not receiving an adequate amount of food, if she is feeling cagey, or if Jack is in her face.  Who doesn't wish they could scream in all of those instances?
• She has also started experimenting with language.  dah, num(more of a sound than a word) la and bah.  
• She has an evil cackle/giggle.  Jed went to jump over a hurdle at the high school on a nightly walk and while he was "prepping" Elise started to giggle the most delightfully wicked laugh ever.  She knew what was about to happen.  Yes, Jed did eat it and yes it was even funnier when his 8 month baby was laughing at him.

At this age it feels like every day brings new changes.