– Instead of “I think,” Alex has started just saying “pink.” So he starts every third sentence with “Pink I want to watch…um…Mickey.” “Pink I want yogurt.” “Pink I need more snack.” It’s pretty cute.
– Erin’s new phrase is “I am want” as in “I am want to watch Phineas and Ferb.”
– Yesterday, Alex woke up from nap at 2:20 and wanted me to let him up. I told him he needed to rest a little more.
Alex: “Well, puppy wouldn’t let me sleep. He wake me up.”
Me: “I see, well, puppy, you need to let Alex sleep more.”
Alex: “He doesn’t understand you.”
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– (not a kid one) Yesterday, Eric and I had this conversation about an actor from a show we’re watching on Netflix.
Eric: “So that guy that plays the commander? I looked him up. And the reason he looks so familiar is because he played basically the same character on…oh that other movie…the big blue cat movie.”
Me: “Big blue cat movie?”
Eric: “Yeah…(pause)…oh Avatar!”
– Megan wants to get things from my desk, which she is obviously not allowed to do. But if she thinks I’m not paying attention, she’ll try it anyway, usually to get my iPod when it’s plugged in. So when I catch her or call for her while she’s doing it, she’s started calling back, “I”m just checking something.”
– The twins, especially Erin, have gotten into a bad habit of starting every…well, everything, with a list of what they don’t like, don’t want, aren’t happy about. I don’t like this plate. I don’t want this shirt. Not this fork. Not this TV show. I don’t like noodles (or whatever else I’ve served for the meal). So especially at dinner (where it happens almost every night), I’ve started making them say one thing they do like for everything they “don’t.” Erin lists off her dislikes so quickly that, between the time I call them and we sit down to pray, Erin usually owes me 2-3 “likes.”
– I’m also instituting a “one thing I’m thankful for” policy for the month of November. At dinner, I want us to think of things we’re thankful for. Last night’s list included Mommy, Daddy and puppy. You know, the important stuff. 
– Alex has been very affectionate recently. Not that he’s usually stand-offish, but he’ll suddenly give you a kiss for no reason or stop to snuggle. Love that.
– Eric bought us a Dyson vacuum last week. It came on Monday. He’s vacuumed at least twice this week (maybe three times). A new toy for him and chores getting done for me = win/win! Now if I could just figure out how to get him to clean the bathrooms… 
– Megan’s got another cold. This may be a bad winter for that. This is her third cold/cough since the weather turned cold. I may actually get her a flu shot at her 2 year checkup after Thanksgiving. I rarely get one for them since we mostly hang out with each other, but this year, with a new baby coming, I may just go a different route.
– Speaking of flu shots…I got one a couple of weeks ago. I hate getting them because, for two days afterwards, they feel like someone much bigger than me punched me in the arm. But a nurse friend recommended (even got for me) holding an ice pack on the site the day you get the shot. It worked wonders. Seriously…if you have that punched-in-the-arm feeling after a shot – do the ice thing. Just 20 minutes, the evening I got the shot (sooner would’ve been better, probably) made a world of difference.
– Megan’s potty training has been hit or miss recently. Mostly miss. She’s not quite as bad as Alex, but she hit a major regression for about a week. I was seriously considering throwing in the towel on it, but this week we’re doing better again. I really hate PT (not than anyone loves it, I’m sure), but I’m determined not to learn from the mistakes I made with Alex (my issues, not his!). And on that topic, Alex turned a major corner about a month or so ago. All of a sudden, he got it. He’s not perfect, but it’s a hundred times better than it was. So yay for him!
– We did not take the kids out on Wednesday night for Trick-or-Treat. It was just too cold, too windy, too yuck. Their costumes were not warm this year, I didn’t want to, and Eric wasn’t inclined either. So we opened the door, put the candy on the front step so I could see and greet people as they came, but we stayed inside, ate treats, watched a movie, and hung out. (And lest you worry, we did trick-or-treat at our church event on Monday, so they did get to dress up and get candy…just not on Beggar’s night.)
– I am 31 weeks pregnant this week. Definitely on the downhill slide, definitely thankful not to have to be so concerned about what I eat, definitely feeling heavy and big. All of a sudden, the belly is really getting in the way. So I won’t be sorry to see 9 more weeks skip by…though I need it not to go too fast – we still don’t have a name picked out. Gotta work on that, huh?
– I really like the Cozi family organizer app. The calendar is fantastic, and it emails you on Sunday an overview of the week’s schedule. You should try it.
– I cannot wait for this election to be over. I have stuff to say, I’m totally happy to vote, but I’m ready to have it behind us.
– That being said, I really enjoy taking my kids with me to vote. I love having them watch me participate civically that way. Sure, they’re mostly about the stickers they get, and I’m hesitating slightly because the lines will probably be longer than usual this year. But I think it’s really important for them to watch us do these kinds of things.
– Megan just joined me in the loft because Alex told her to come upstairs. She barely obeys me that well. Wonder what his secret is…
Happy Friday!
