SQT

 

Hurrah, it's Friday!  I tell you, every time Theme Thursday rolls around, it still takes quite a while to sink in that Friday comes next!

 

--1--

 

Non habemus papam :(

 

I went to get John Paul yesterday morning and I said, "John Paul, this is Pope Benedict's last day as pope!"

 

To which he responded, "And next we will have John Paul the third!!!"

 

So that's his official prediction now. 

 

But seriously, this kid loves his Papa.  He found the picture of BXVI that hung in his old room and immediately RAN to his room with it.  We heard, "Juuuuust a minute.  Juuuust a minute.  I'm just hanging this up."

 

I didn't really know how he planned on hanging it up, but somehow he found the one nail in the wall from when the house was staged, and managed to hang the picture:

 

 

Do you see it?  Ignore the piles of books on the floor, the boxes, and the unsorted laundry...

 

Yup, Pope Emeritus will be watching him while he sleeps, and that's how he likes it!

 

--2--

 

Speaking of popes, we apparently have a campaign pitch.

 

 

Mary Claire for pope!

 

Seriously, do you see those fingers?  She's so ready.  If only she weren't a girl.  Or an infant.  Or (let's be honest here) American.

 

--3--

 

John Paul and Cecilia have been reading together a LOT.  Andrew unpacked most of their books and it's like Christmas - they're reading all of them, devouring them and then throwing them on the floor.  Hence #1 - we can't exactly clean their room while they're sleeping...

 

 

 

But he's finally reading to her more often, and they're spending long periods of time in companiable silence, which is pretty incredible.  And kind of makes my heart feel like it's about to burst, seeing their amazing sibling love.

 

But don't worry, because immediately afterwards they'll usually have a screaming match over something ridiculous.  My favorites this week?

 

At the breakfast table:

 

JP:  Knock knock.

Cecilia:  Knock knock!

JP, insistently:  Knock knock!

Cecilia, upset:  Knock knock?

JP, shrieking:  KNOCK KNOCK!!!

Cecilia, sobbing:  Kno-ho-ho-ho-hock knock???

 

Outside, while Cecilia pushed Minnie Mouse in her stroller:

 

Cecilia, cheerfully:  I'm pushing my Minnie Mouse in da strowwer!

JP, 10 feet away, not looking at her: I'm pushing Minnie Mouse.

Cecilia:  No, I!

JP, shrieking:  I'M pushing Minnie Mouse!

Cecilia, crying and jumping up and down (still the only one pushing Minnie Mouse):  I'M PUSHIN MINNIE MOUSE!!!

 

Don't you wish you were here?

 

--4--

 

I learned how to make collages in Picasa.  Can you tell?  So now you can expect a lot more pictures, but in collage format so they don't take up so much vertical space.  I have a hard time paring down the pictures and now I don't have to!  Hurrah!

 

 

You can see the kids are enjoying the new yard.  They're getting used to the fact that they're *allowed* to get dirty, and they're using up a good bit of energy just running and running!

 

Top left:  Discussing which store to go to.  Top right:  Carrying "apples" home from "Trader Joe's"

Center left:  Running.  Apparently while leaning backwards.  Center right:  Running splay-legged.

Bottom left:  Walking the perimeter of the yard.  Bottom right:  Flying?

 

--5--

 

 

Daddy-daughter bedtime snuggle.  Do you see the expression on her face?  HOW is she the sweetest thing ever?

 

--6--

 

 

I don't need a maid when the kids will sweep the floor for me!

 

Yes, Cecilia took off her pants and is wearing legwarmers instead.  Flashdance, what what?  And this is the child who grabbed my arm this morning and said, "Hi, Chunka-chunk!"  Do you see those thighs?  And she has the nerve to call ME Chunka-chunk.  The little turd.

 

--7--

 

The babies are growing!  We took them for their 3.5-month checkup (I don't know, our doctor's office does weird timing for their checkups) and Elizabeth is just a few ounces away from being in the 5th percentile for weight (she hadn't been on the growth charts at ALL before now), and Mary Claire is solidly in the 25th percentile for weight.  Both are hovering around 50th for height, and Mary Claire's head circumference is now above the 50th percentile. 

 

Watch out singletons, the twins are catching up!  They're even outgrowing their 0-3 month clothes!

 

 

See that awkwardly low neckline?  We won't blame the ginormous cloth diaper, it's clearly just because she's SO BIG!

 

 

There you go!  Now it's time for an unproductive and somewhat stressful weekend, since Andrew has a trillion rehearsals and a concert.  Thank goodness my mom is coming to help out!

 

Go see more Quick Takes! 

 

All 7 trillion of them, 6 trillion of which will have posted while my stupid internet has been refusing to connect.   I wrote this last night so that I could post it first thing in the morning and the internet isn't working.  Why do I even bother?  Because, let's be honest, nobody is actually clicking over here from Conversion Diary when there are more interesting things to be reading!