Basketball Training

Bridget wanted the hoop up so she could play basketball.  Then Tor saw the hoop and couldn't reach it so I lowered it for him.  He knew just what to do from watching the girls.  He spent the rest of the day dunking the ball or sometimes he would get close and chuck the ball at the basket.  Needless to say, Brock and Ty were thrilled that he was doing that.  When Daddy came later, Tor was excited to show him his dunking ability.

Sleeping in the Closet

The girls normally sleep in the big bed but since Tor was staying overnight too while Mommy and Daddy went out, I made them a bed in the walk in closet.  (They are still too scared to sleep downstairs.)  We set up a video to watch and it didn't take long for Bridget to nod off.  Jillian watched the whole video and then fell right asleep.  Tor had a late nap so he got to stay up longer and then went right to sleep and slept well almost all night and didn't wake up until 9:00 AM.  Jillian was the early riser and Bridget slept in too.  It went great!

Fun and Creative Girls

Tierney spent the morning playing with Bridget.  First they did Play-Doh and then when Tierney sat on the sofa to watch a basketball game, Bridget did some back massage on Tierney.  On this activity Bridget would stand on her back and fall backwards.  I don't know about Tierney, but Bridget had the time of her life!



Sometimes a box can be more fun than a lot of toys.  It was an empty oatmeal box that both girls turned into a castle for a princess.  Bridget had me cut doors and windows and put a curtain on one of the windows.  Then they both painted it beautifully.  Tierney even joined in the decorating.

Jillian does some amazing things that can wow you.  This is her drawing of the solar system with the brightly colored sun and the planets. You can easily tell where earth is.  On the driveway yesterday she drew an elaborate drawing so I asked what it was.  She explained that it was the jeep's carburetor, fuel line, and some other parts.  Rick explained that they watch The Magic School Bus videos before bed so I guess they are learning those concepts.

Skater Girl

Bridget wanted to strap on the skates and work on her skating today at Grannie and Papa's house. She did really well going slow and staying on her feet, though she did fall a couple times on her bum which led to some tears. But that didn't stop her, and she kept going for a long time.

New Shoes

Mommy picked up some new shoes for Tor so that he could finally venture outside. He's actually pretty fast in them, which can be good because he loves to explore a lot, but on the downside it means his old Daddy has to move quickly to keep him out of trouble.

Hello, Whole Milk

... and goodbye formula. After Tor turned 1 year old, it was time to make the switch, and he did so easily. Not that it probably mattered too much to him, since he would much rather have his solid foods anyway.

Princess Play

Cousin Karlie was here for a sleepover, which the girls thought was a real treat. Both Jillian and Bridget were always arguing about who got to sit next to her, who got to sleep by her, and so on. All of them did manage to play nicely together, even putting on a little princess play that Mommy and Daddy got to watch. The storyline, as narrated by Jillian and corrected by Bridget, was a little difficult to follow, but it involved princesses, cowboys, and rescuing Karlie.

Tierney's Home

It didn't take long for Tor to get used to Tierney since she started by playing ball with him.  It was a warm day so they got lots of outside time at the play fort with Tierney pushing the swings.  When they saw Ty and Brock getting home from school they went up to welcome them home.  Tor loves the outside time. It's time to put up his swing too.

Tor's 1-year Check-up

Mommy took Tor to Vancouver this past week for his 1-year check-up with Dr. O'Neal. He did pretty well with the doctor, but he didn't care much for the 3 shots he received, doing the silent scream thing. His measurements this time around were a head circumference of 18.5 inches (the 75th percentile, so he's rapidly catching up to his sisters' large head sizes), a length of 29 inches (only the 15th percentile, so he continues being a little guy), and a weight of 19 lbs (the 25th percentile, so he's burning through all of the calories that he's consuming). He'll head into the doctor office again this week for 2 more shots ... Mommy wanted to spare him from all 5 shots in one visit.

Coffee Time

 Everyday Bridget seems to come up with something that is so cute that it amazes me.  Papa was having coffee and reading the paper.  I see Bridget get a section of the paper and a coffee cup and sit down to read.  When I asked her what she's doing she says, "I'm having my coffee and reading the paper."

Jillian called Brock to come down and give her a basketball lesson.  Brock, Ty, Kyle, and Nick showed up and set up cones.  I'm not sure how long the lesson lasted, but when I looked out the boys were having a game and Jillian was driving the jeep around to terrorize the boys.  Daddy and Kevin were helping to keep order?

Outside Finally!

When Jillian got home from school, it was immediately outside time.  Tor and Bridget had just got up from their naps and headed out too, where it was a wild time.  They rode everything.  Tor thought he was big stuff in the car.  He could go backwards for awhile and the he'd slip off the seat so I had to keep rescuing him.  In the picture Bridget is holding windshield washer fluid that they get out of the garage to pretend it's gas to fill up the jeep.  After the little car, Tor was exploring all over and I had to keep reminding the girls to watch out for him as they zoomed around on scooters and trikes too. 

Jillian's new passion is basketball since she got a small one for her birthday.  She has learned to dribble with both hands and run and dribble at the same time.  So when Aunt Julie stopped by she made a team with Jillian against Daddy and they played basketball.  Daddy put the hoop lower so Jillian could hit it.  The game broke down only once when she didn't catch a pass and the ball hit her in the face.  She shook it off and went right back at it.  Jillian and Aunt Julie won the game with Daddy  complaining that his shot was off since the ball was smaller than he was used to.  They can't wait for more nice days.

Doughnuts and Playtime

 We had just made doughnuts and Bridget had helped frost them and put sprinkles on some.  She was done and I was cleaning up and I turned around and she was trying to hide her chocolate mouth as she was dipping her fingers in the chocolate frosting and eating it as fast as she could.  The doughnuts were very good.

 Every time Tor walks by the dog bed he flops down and rolls around on it.  Sometimes he does it even if the dogs are on it and they will scatter quickly.

Amazingly, the girls can play together cooperatively for some time.  Actually they play together quite often but then Bridget will tire of Jillian being the boss.  They built quite a scene with the Legos.

Pa-pa

Bridget was playing with the Dora dominoes this morning and matching them  up in a straight line.  This is a girl where things must be orderly.  Papa sat down to show her how you can turn some pieces to go in a different direction.  That brought out her attitude that Papa didn't know what he was talking about because that wouldn't be in a straight line.  And she definitely doesn't change her position on these things.  I think Papa enjoys the teasing.

I took a couple of pictures last Friday when it was sunny of Tor outside and Bridget making Snickerdoodles that I didn't get to post, so including them here.

 



Tor's 1st Birthday!

It was Tor's big day ... his 1st birthday party ( tomorrow is his actual birthday). We held it our house, and lots of kids showed up, including cousins Andy, Adam and Karlie, and next-door neighbors Hazel and Ila. It was crazy and wild right from the start, with kids running full-tilt and Tor mostly just watching it all. Everything settle down for a moment when it was time for the cake. The cake was a little too close, so Tor managed to get a hold of some frosting, which Bridget thought was pretty funny (see photo below). After Jillian blew out the candle for Tor, it was time to strip the big boy down to his diaper and let him have his own piece of cake. For awhile, Tor was hesitant, just rubbing his hands together with the frosting that he already had and not really touching the cake. Eventually, he grabbed some, and made a bit of a blue mess. Mommy got him all cleaned up in the kitchen sink, and then it was time for presents. All of the older kids were really into this part, crowding around wanting to see what was being opened and then immediately playing with the toys. The rest of the party was play, play, play.